The Vampire Bride

[Dark Alice]

THE VAMPIRE BRIDE
"I am come-I am come! once again from the tomb,
In return for the ring which you gave;
That I am thine, and that thou art mine,
This nuptial pledge receive."

He lay like a corse 'neath the Demon's force,
And she wrapp'd him in a shround;
And she fixed her teeth his heart beneath,
And she drank of the warm life-blood!

And ever and anon murmur'd the lips of stone,
"Soft and warm is this couch of thine,
Thou'lt to-morrow be laid on a colder bed-
Albert! that bed will be mine!"

- Henry Thomas Liddell

Icy skin touched by a perfume of violet leaf, white tea, olibanum, elemi, myrrh, wormwood, crypt dust, and saffron with a dribble of blood red musk.

The first to review this...

Wet: Red musk and the it disappears and White tea from the Unsteady Governess with the barest touches of violet begins to appear.

Drydown: White tea, violet, with a dribble of red musk! Mircalla and the unsteady governess had a love child. A beautiful soft, close to the skin sexy as hell love child. The myrrh keeps it grounded and the wormwood is almost non-existent. This stuff is amazing...I see a back up in my future.

[edenssixthday]

The Vampire Bride - I had much higher hopes for this. On my skin, it's very non-descript and boring. It's mostly white tea, crypt dust, and saffron. I can't smell the red musk, myrrh, or elemi at all. There's the faintest hint of beautiful sweet violet, but the dominant notes mostly drown it out. Within five minutes of application, the scent begins to stick really, really close to my skin, and 30 minutes after that, it's pretty much gone. It just won't stay fixed to my skin even after reapplying.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I had to have a decant of Vampire Bride just for the name! On me, the myrrh and musk, etc., somehow combine to smell like a softer, more resinous Haunted. I like it, but I don't need a bottle because I have a bottle of Haunted and they are seriously that similar on me! This would be perfect for a BPALista wedding if you like Haunted but want something new and special.

[Dove]

I really wanted this to work on me, but sadly the white tea took over. In the bottle, it's mainly white tea with the violet trying to show through. When wet on my skin, the white tea turns to a odd citrusy cleaner. It is a little better when dry and I can get some violet in there with perhaps some dust, but I can't shake the citrus cleaner.

[jizatt]

I'll echo that madly in love sentiment. I was afraid of the violet leaf/white tea/dusty/wormwood making this a lovely-but-not-for-me bottle, but you just have to wait for this scent to sit awhile and warm up on your skin. The secnt at first is what I was afraid of -- all the cold parts (I think theres a skin musk here, the icy, the white tea, the violet leaf) -- but as it dries the rest warms up and takes center stage. Right now I have red musk, saffron, and myrrh, without being overpowering at all. Love.this. I'm predicting this to be the next The Girl in popularity after the fact.

[Akurarei]

The Vampire Bride

 

In the Bottle:

Musk and a crystalline note - note sure what that is

 

On my Skin, Wet:

A burst of violet! interesting!

This burst lingers for a bit, then the red musk starts to make an appearance.

 

On my Skin, Dry:

There's that crystalline note again!

it's very soft and low to the skin, that allows wiffs of violet and hints of red musk.

 

Verdict:

I was expecting this to be a stronger scent based on the notes listed, but this scent is delicate and ethereal.

it's very soft and sweet with a gentle bite to it

[angelicruin]

Lots of white tea and crypt dust on my skin with light violet and saffron. I actually really like this scent the more I wear it. I am able to just barely detect the red musk once the oil has fully dried.

[boxinghelena]

Something in Vampire Bride smells like citrus on my skin. It's actually not that bad considering I hate citrus scents. I was hoping to get the red musk but maybe it will age well.

~

[Little Bird]

Red musk is usually super-strong on me, but I'm not getting any red musk from this. I get lots of white tea, which is like a sharp, strong, white smelling citrus, and clean floral. Too sharp for my tastes. My husband said that this smells like bathroom cleanser.

[patina]

The citrus may be the white tea? That's what I'm sensing. I also smell violet leaf and faint hints of red musk. This scent is sweet and complex. There are pale, delicate, dusty notes, citrus-bright notes, and something (myrrh? red musk?) giving it a bit of depth. I can't pick out the myrrh and saffron as scents, but I can tell they're giving this a spicy, resinous weight. I can't smell wormwood at all.

 

This has a traditional perfume vibe and I have no idea why I love it as much as I do. It would be even more gorgeous in the summer, because of the cool pale musk note.

 

I haven't tried The Unsteady Governess, but I think this is in the same family as The Phantom Wooer and Shanghai.

 

Edit: Ok, now I get the herbal powder of wormwood. This is still gorgeous and I get the sense of wispy tendrils of perfume wrapped around me when I wear it.

Edited December 28, 2011 by patina

[rivercitylizzy]

Just got a decant of this along with several other Weenies that didn't make it into my first round of bottle orders (thanks Catseyes!!), as I wanted to see which, if any, of the rest I'd want bottles of before they came down.

 

In the Vial: beautiful, ethereally sweet violet, bright and clear citrusy olibanum and elemi, sexy red musk, the slightly bitter saffron and astringent wormwood (I so love that and other artemisia notes, which I hardly ever see in perfumery) all mingling together to seduce me into slathering. I was going to a memorial service at a Buddhist temple which was going to be heavy on the incense, thus I saw no harm in doing so.

 

Wet on Skin: I agree with the experience upthread about giving this blend a moment or so to warm up on the skin and allow it to blossom. Not that I thought it wasn't pretty enough on first application but once it began to warm up--OH!! Yes. Yes this is definitely hoardable; the blood red musk swirls around the resinous elemi and olibanum, mellowing the brightness of the citrusy aspect carried by these notes, with the violet leaf adding a sweetness and the white tea, wormwood, and saffron adding astringent/herbal and earthy/bitter edges that are just beautiful. I don't feel like I'm getting much of the crypt dust, unless like the saffron it's simply serving to ground the blend. Whatever, it's...just... I so want to bathe in this. Instead I slathered it on wrists, behind ears, and over the sternum.

 

Dry on Skin: The musk & resins take center stage here with the other notes blending and keeping the scent from going either sweet/cloying or dusty/powdery/old lady. Throw was pretty decent though as I said, I was in a room with lots of incense wafting around and so no one was getting blown away by my perfume. After several hours of wear it is softly sweet and incensy and I just love how it is slow to fade. It is sensual and irresistible and yes, it may be giving A Nocturnal Reverie and Halloween: Las Vegas a run for their money in my "Best of Weenies 2011" death match In any case, I see at least one (maybe more) bottle in my future.

[V294]

This had so many notes of WIN in it I had to get a decant, and I knew from opening that if it stayed that awesome it was so bottle worthy.

 

It did! It's all tea and musk and citrus and I am all sorts of swooning!

[donnatron]

Bottle: Very high pitched and a little citrus combined with the musks (skin musk is in here, yes?). A little dusty.

 

Wet: The red musk is definitely the standout of the scent and it dominates on the drydown. However, it's a very muted, subdued musk and at this point in the game, the wormwood and saffron are at their strongest, adding a woodsy, dusty quality to the overall scent.

 

Dry: I am... beyond suitably impressed. I bought this as a sort of replacement for my all time favourite "every day" blend, Brides of Dracula (the names beind similar is kind of a bonus. Both are sexy, skin-oriented scents with exotic but muted supporting ingredients). This is a beautiful blend. The red musk quiets down to lend a subtle, grave (heh) base to this scent with the darker elements adding that same needed gravitas. The tea and volet leaf are present, giving this some higher, piercing notes and adding that needed "icy" quality. It's a very sexy scent, but it's not lusty or sleazy. It's alluring and I quite like it. Very warm, strong enough to be noticeable but definitely has a bit of that ideal skin-but-better quality you would want from a lighter blend.

 

Throw: Close to the skin but long lasting.

 

Overall: This could be a sleeper hit. I'm certainly pleased with my bottles and will be eyeing them with trepidation as the Weenies go away.

[Ghost of a Rose]

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle.)

 

In the imp: Oil is clear and an orangey-amber color. I smell florals first (the violet leaf?), then tea. Then a strong incensey scent takes over and overpowers everything else.

 

On me, wet: Tea and violet (I love this part!), but with a cloyingly sweet backdrop of the incense/resin/musk.

 

After 10 minutes: I like it more now. The overly sweet incense notes have faded more into the background. But I'd like this better if they weren't there at all. I do like those notes, it's just that they don't blend well with the tea and violet leaf. Too much sweetness. I chose this blend mainly for the tea and violets, so I'd rather do without the incenses than them. There is also a bit of peppery saffron, but it's very subtle.

 

After 30 minutes: It is now much less sweet, but it has also lost most of the tea and violet notes that I liked. It's all incense/resin/musk. Now there's a hint of skankiness about it - perhaps from the musk?

 

After 1 hour: Same as above, but somewhat faded.

 

After 2 hours: Same as above, and more faded.

 

After 3 hours: Pretty much gone. All that's left now is a pleasant but faint spicy incense note. All of the skankiness and cloyingness is gone.

 

Verdict: I never did notice the dust note, or the wormwood (although I'm not sure what that smells like.) Maybe it's just my skin chemistry, but I don't care for the cloying notes or the hint of skankiness. Yet I did love the tea and violet leaf top notes. I'll try this in my scent locket, which tends to preserve top notes, so I might like it much better that way. And that would also eliminate any effects from my skin chemistry. Until then, my rating is 2 stars.

 

Later: I tried this in the scent locket and loved it! The unpleasant notes I noticed on my skin were completely absent in the locket, so they were indeed due to my skin chemistry and not the scent itself. In the locket, the beautiful top notes of tea and violet stayed for over 24 hours, and never did disappear completely, even when the incensey lower notes came out. In the locket, it's a bottle-worthy 5 stars.

[angelamaria]

In tester: slightly minty musk with violet leaf and tea, herbal and green with a faint floral and pretty sweetness.

 

Wet on skin: icy skin is quite right, not entirely minty, but cool. Elemi, saffron, violet leaf and tea are all blended together well but also recognizable (while looking through the notes list), otherwise it's just a nice almost-delicate herbal/green/floral blend. The "crypt dust" is also coming out, but it's not a powdery blend, just giving it a hint of dust.

 

Dry: it's developed into a beautiful blend that reminds me of something that I can't quite put my finger on. It's just...familiar, in a good way. Doesn't change much from the wet scent, although it grows a bit more vibrant, not as cool and aloof. The notes are very well blended, and they are now very difficult to pinpoint.

 

Verdict: very pretty, but I keep waffling between if it's a keeper or not, that I'll just pass, I think.

[Kamanjah]

This smelled so good in the bottle that it was the first scent I tried when my order finally arrived. How could I not love The Vampire Bride! With the exception of tea, all of the notes should be WIN on my skin.

 

Wet on skin there's a sharp bite. Then something fruity arises. Then something soapy that tickles my throat. Oh no! The Vampire Bride is going for my throat!

 

So far, smells much better in the bottle.

 

The "icy skin," violet and tea are very dominant as it starts to dry. If the base notes start to come up, this should start to work on me, but 5 minutes in I still have gaggy soap. 45 minutes later, it had just faded to soft soap, little to no throw. Forgot about it.

 

1 1/2 hours in, gave my wrists another sniff - some base notes are showing up as the soapiness starts to fade and it smells nice.

 

Reapplyed to see what a second layer does. Quite different, most of the notes come out to play (no soap - yay), but 2 hours is about all it lasts, and a soft skin musk is left. I never did smell myrrh.

 

I'm disappointed, but will try it again after it ages some in the hope that it skips the 45 minutes of soapy gagginess.

[Incendiare]

Parsley, eh? That's what I get when I open the vial, anyway. On me, it's tea with lingering parsley, and some dust for good measure. After a while, a drier woodsy note creeps out of the corner but it's still barely noticeable. Shame that I don't get any red musk! Still is still better than what I was expecting, however. I'd go for it if I weren't getting that parsley note. Wait, was that just a cherry tomato accompanying the parsley? Don't worry, it's still mostly tea on me. But still. I'll have to give up on this one.

[Rho]

Preconceived notions: Oooh! Sounds complex and lovely; stoic even. This is yet another one that's probably not for me, but I'll try it anyway because it sounds so brilliantly composed. I really want to smell the saffron and red musk because I love Scheherezade.

 

Wet: Dull muskiness with a shining, round globe of violet.

 

Drying: OMG... it IS parsley. How did it turn into that? The hint of red musk I caught at the beginning has vanished.

 

Dry: The parsley faded a little, but there's still a bit. I can detect wormwood and white tea. Unfortunately, all the musky, resiny things I was hoping for just aren't there. Instead, this is a simple sort of "herb garden" deal on me. It is also not translating as "icy" to me, though kinda minty. Surprising!

 

Overall: Preconceived notions aside, The Vampire Bride is not a bad fragrance. It may not be what I was hoping for, but it's pleasant, and fresh in its own way.

 

3/5

[theseagrows]

oooh this is one of the halloweens that's working for me! it is SO pretty on my skin. it definitely is one of those pale, slightly powdery skin scents, reminiscent of a couple of the vampire scents from 2010. if there is any red musk in this, it truly is a dribble (or less) because i can barely detect it, way in the background. i'm not sure what scents are most prominent, as i am not overly familiar with elemi and wormwood, but i think i am mostly getting the skin musk, violet, white tea and myrrh, with a tiny hint of red musk. very tiny, but it's there. this scent is very "perfumy" to me, but once it settles down a bit becomes softer and more powdery. bottle-worthy for sure!

 

 

[lilyliza]

In the imp: White tea, violet leaf, a little bit of wormwood but not too much to be obnoxious.

 

Wet: Whoa, I thought this said a dribble of red musk! My skin amps it as soon as it makes contact, and I am suddenly reminded of Hygeia. It's probably the red musk/olibanum combo, since red musk and incense is so much of what makes Hygeia Hygeia. It fades quickly, though, and then I can barely distinguish the scent from my natural smell. Now I understand why I couldn't for the life of me remember what this smelled like from the initial test. It's a little icier than me, but this is still pretty much a dead ringer. I don't think it's just an olfactory blind spot; I mean, I can smell it, and there are small differences, but it seriously smells a lot like I do after I've just taken a shower and dusted on some bath powder.

 

Drydown: I start getting more myrrh and white tea, so it gets easier to tell the difference between me smell and perfume smell. This is definitely semi-powdery, but not multiple florals-powdery. I guess that's from the crypt dust? Now, it's still close to the skin, but it's a very pretty scent with a little iciness. I really love the violet leaf here; it goes very well with the other notes. Elemi is only faintly in the background, giving it a little bit of that bright tinge that I love so much about it. And then the violet leaf just asserts itself all of a sudden. Wow, that's pretty.

 

Dry, a few hours later: Violet leaf note, you are amazing and it pleases me that you have become the center of this scent. Very pleasant even as it fades away.

 

This is very nice, but not for me due to several personal biases I have (my newly-discovered dislike for incense and my disinterest in close-to-skin scents). I would definitely recommend this to those who like softer scents, though.

[DahliaHayashi]

It was 1 of the 3 bottles I ordered unsniffed since I didnt got any decants for the weenies. I knew that to much flowers can become a problem on my skin and give me a headache...even migrain...but I went for it anyway.

I have to admit it was for the name ;P

The good news is that its not a headache kind of flower nor a grandmum perfume kind of flower. But its very soft and stays so close to the skin. If i would slather it on it would become headachy again. Flowers are just not my kind of scents I shall give up on them. Next year I go for a decant if I want something for the name which has tons of flowers in it

Not sure if I swap my bottle or if I keep it. Its beautiful but not me...

[coldandsleepy]

Oh, how funny. I put this on last night and thought, boy, this smells like light musk and dust and nothing else on me. Then I thought, that can't possibly be right, I'll have to look at the notes and re-test. But now that I'm looking at the notes again, I can confirm-- light musk and dust, and the slightest touch of violets. I think the light musk I'm getting must be the "icy skin" note. It's definitely not the red musk.

 

It's not bad at all, but so insubstantial on me. I guess my skin just eats up most of the notes in here. Not bad, but not a homerun either.

[ladyflash]

Received this via forum sale.

 

Wet: Can smell myrrh & crypt dust. Super floral on me. It's ok but not my favorite. Oh, there's the white tea, definitely. Faint musk...I was just starting out testing fragrances, so I don't know what "red musk" actually is. Inoffensive floral so far.

 

Drydown: More dust is billowing from the floor, with more white tea. I like drinking white tea, but when it is sweetened a la Teavana, I don't really like it (and this seems somewhat sweet on me). Tingles my nose, like I am inhaling dust. I am expecting myself to sneeze.

 

Further drydown: WHY IS THERE SO MUCH POWDER AND DUST? ACHOO! Now nauseating powder & dust. Fairly decent throw (but in this case, a bad way). I can't smell musk or myrrh anymore until I put my hand to my nose. I wish this myrrh would come out more; it smells incense-y and wonderful when I put my nose up to my hand and breath deeply. However, when I can smell whiffs of it from afar, it just smells like powder. After 2-3 hand washings (and about 2-3 hours), it just smells like powder. I wanted to sneeze every time I sniffed this.

 

Verdict: I wish it wasn't so dusty on me. I don't mind florals, but when the dust starts to kick up, it makes me sad. Swap pile it goes!

[zankoku_zen]

Unsteady Governess with hints of red musk and saffron. If the Unsteady Governess was a light, citrusy blend, the Vampire Bride retains that same cool, citrus edge, but underneath you can feel the pulsating blood underneath the skin.

 

The contrast is interesting, and the juxtaposition of cold/warm works well. Ultimately, not my kind of blend but definitely one of the more interesting blends of 2011.

 

Icy, pulsating, cold.

[stellamaris]

Like many other BPALs, when I first opened this I went Bleech! WTF! But now I wear it, um, everyday almost?

Strangely to my primitive nose it's all tangerines all the time. Then after about two hours it is something sweet, like a gorgeous flower. I get no dust. It's almost mouth watering, very nice. Strong too, do not slather...

*edit* this may be one of two (the other being the amazing Wiley Grasser) back up Weenies for me, this is amazing. No other BPAL is anything like this, it's true love.

Edited December 10, 2011 by stellamaris