The Balcony

[portalkat]

Mother of memories, mistress of mistresses,
O thou, my pleasure, thou, all my desire,
Thou shalt recall the beauty of caresses,
The charm of evenings by the gentle fire,
Mother of memories, mistress of mistresses!

The eves illumined by the burning coal,
The balcony where veiled rose-vapour clings—
How soft your breast was then, how sweet your soul!
Ah, and we said imperishable things,
Those eves illumined by the burning coal.

Lovely the suns were in those twilights warm,
And space profound, and strong life’s pulsing flood,
In bending o’er you, queen of every charm,
I thought I breathed the perfume in your blood.
The suns were beauteous in those twilights warm.

The film of night flowed round and over us,
And my eyes in the dark did your eyes meet;
I drank your breath, ah! sweet and poisonous,
And in my hands fraternal slept your feet—
Night, like a film, flowed round and over us.

I can recall those happy days forgot,
And see, with head bowed on your knees, my past.
Your languid beauties now would move me not
Did not your gentle heart and body cast
The old spell of those happy days forgot.

Can vows and perfumes, kisses infinite,
Be reborn from the gulf we cannot sound;
As rise to heaven suns once again made bright
After being plunged in deep seas and profound?
Ah, vows and perfumes, kisses infinite!

- Charles Baudelauire

Voluptuous darkness: Bourbon vetiver, red patchouli, honey, helichrysum, and black rose.

I bought this because of the reviews in the west coast will call thread. I had no idea what this would smell like, but I kept reading things about wood notes and they are some of my favorites, so I took a chance. The rose is deep, but it is not the starring player here. The dusty wood notes are dominant and when I look at the notes in the description, I'm not sure what is combining to form this. I suspect that it might be the helichrysum and the vetiver. I am not really smelling the red patchouli in this and the honey is helping to sweeten the rose which stays quietly in the background. This is very pretty and it is like smelling the dusty wood balcony with the rose in the garden beneath.

[Invidiana]

With vetiver and rose in cahoots again I thought this would end up being an epic fail but I was all sorts of wrong. This is not a dominating, masculine vetiver that bulldozes everything in its path. This is more of a smooth, woody and slightly sweet variety like that in The Music of Erich Zahn, which lends a certain darkness and depth to this blend but doesn't overpower it. The honey here reminds me very much of the golden honey with floral undertones in Honey hair gloss, and I'm delighted to see two notes of love that don't show up that often--red patchouli, which gives it a warm sensuality, and black rose. This isn't a really dry or nostril-piercing rose as some can be on me but really velvety and voluptuous. It's a scent as complex and mysterious as Baudelaire himself. I've gone from giving this one a leery eye to putting it at the top of my bottle list.

[Soniadevi]

Voluptuous darkness indeed! This is BEAUTIFUL! I was surprised to see more people had not jumped on this one, given how few reviews this has, so I was a little tentative but decided to take the plunge because I just adored the sound of the notes combined. I was not dissappointed. It's a lovely darkly romantic scent, very gothic! It's dark roses, dark green leaves, in the dark night air. It conjures images of meeting your handsome lover in the dark for stolen kisses (and more...) behind the rose bushes. The honey lends the sweetness of those black rose kisses, the patchouli gives you passion, and the vetiver and helichrysum combine to offer a secret dark green hideaway for the lovers. I could go on and on like this, but it could get indecent. The nostalgia of forgotten dreams, of the hopes of young love, between beautiful people, full of poetry, wells up inside me like a repressed desire that became overwhelmed with the mundane. This scent takes me back to all those gothic fantasies, and that's exactly what I was hoping it would do...

 

WIN.

 

[hlinspjalda]

This was my first choice to try of all the Lupers based on the list of notes it contained, all of which are good on me. I seem to have had a very different experience with it than the other reviewers so far.

 

In the vial: Thick, chewy, heavy, sweet, with a nice patchouli edge to it.

 

Wet: Very sweet, chewy, thick. I get honey, patchouli, and something very dense, almost creamy, flat and sweet.

 

One hour: Still surprisingly thick and chewy, but not quite as overwhelming as before. I thought it might be the bourbon vetiver, but I haven't had this reaction to the other scents with bourbon vetiver as a listed note (Wulric and The Hag). It has a lovely honey note, some nice rose, but that thick note is stronger. It reminds me a bit of Brotoloigos and Banshee Beat.

 

For most of the day this stayed very thickly and heavily sweet on me. At seven hours it was still going strong, with lots of honey and a bit of patchouli. I was surprised by how comparatively little vetiver and rose I got from it.

 

I will probably try this again in about a month to see whether it's mellowed a bit, because I'm drawn to the list of notes and to the poem it represents. But as it stands it's too intense for me.

[Incendiare]

Out of the vial, right away, the patchouli pushes its way through to the top. Not surprised. The vetiver, another note I hate, surprisingly behaves. Guess that bourbon makes it pipe down a bit. Wet, it's a little more pleasant. The sweetness from the honey tones down the patchouli and I think the rose is making this a bit soapy, although I can't actually smell straight up rose. It's actually a very unique combination. Soapiness and earthiness. Throughout, the patchouli ties everything together. The more this dries, the more the vetiver comes out, but to me, it's actually not this bad in this blend. It adds a subtle darkness to this without going crazy, taking this over, and making it smell burnt or blackened, as it usually does for me. Ultimately, not for me, but earthier lovers should definitely check this one out.

[Larinessa]

For some reason I was holding out high hopes for this despite the presence of my mortal death note rose.

 

I was not disappointed.

 

In the imp the vetiver and rose are most apparent, with the patchuli in the back, no noticeable honey.

 

Wet on skin, the rose started to try and beat out my beloved vetiver, and its a fist fight to see who lands on top.

 

Dry, exactly what I had hoped to happen, the rose is present, but the earthy vetiver and patchuli are keeping it from going into the dreaded soap arena. I can still smell the rose, but I don't hate it, and I am not trying to outrun my skin.

 

Overall I like this so far. I plan on giving it a full day test run after my decant settles a bit. But finally a blend with rose I don't loathe

[strahlend]

I love this scent!

 

I didn't think that I would from the note list, so it was quite a surprise. I was mainly worried about the honey and rose and not knowing what helichrysum is.

 

This is a sort of medium weight musky, woodsy scent to my nose. It doesn't smell particularly like vetiver or honey... or any of the notes listed. This is a blend where the whole is more than just the sum of its parts.

 

Unexpectedly beautiful.

[OctoberGwen]

This was a surprise like for me, too. With The Balcony, Beth has once again managed to turn me around on a note I normally loathe: vetiver. In most blends, it is so strong that I can only think, "Men's cologne. Ack." Turns out that bourbon vetiver is rather smooth and gorgeous. Combine this with the red patchouli (also quite smooth) and the honey, and this scent has got itself quite a WOW factor. It is very unique, with hella throw & longevity.

 

It's still not quite my thing, so I won't be keeping the imp because I know I won't wear this and I'd rather share. I am certain, though, that The Balcony will make a fabulous signature scent for the right person. I predict a very loyal following for this one.

Edited February 27, 2012 by OctoberGwen

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Yikes - when I first put this on my arm, I was overcome by the vetiver.. bourbon vetiver, you say? Vetiver from the Bog of Eternal Stench, I say. During the first ten minutes of wearing The Balcony, I seriously contemplated washing it off - it was just.. vetiver overload. But oh, I am wise to the evil sneaky ways of vetiver, and I know that often there's a soft smoky sweet vetiver hiding underneath the gnarly bog-like VETIVER - it's like it puts up a challenge - "Oh, so you think I stink now? Can you handle it for ten minutes? Well can you, punk? Because if you can, if your nostrils are strong and you have the balls to stay with me, I'll reward you by changing into something glorious." So yes, ya smart ass - I can handle it. I have the balls, and I have the nostrils. You don't scare me. And, true to its word, the vetiver does calm down within about 10-15 minutes and tones down its gnarly bog-like first impression.

 

The Balcony reminds me very much of BPTP's Lucy, Kissed - Lucy was "diabolical voluptuousness", and this one is definitely "voluptuous darkness" - they share the same lovely black/dark rose, and the same warm snuggly patchouli. The Balcony has a sweeter tone, probably from the honey, and the vetiver gives it a smokiness that Lucy, Kissed doesn't have, but overall I would put them in the same category of fragrance. This one is dark for sure, but also very organic/earthy with all that patchouli and vetiver business going on - organic/earthy/smokey. The honey is very much in the background on my skin, as is the rose. One hour after it's been on my arm, I end up with a faintly smokey hint of dark rose.

 

This is a good one - anyone who enjoys these voluptuous and dark kinds of blends will probably love it. And I'm sure it's going to age like a champion - that vetiver + red patchouli combo should meld into each other beautifully over the years. For me, The Balcony doesn't eclipse any of my other favourite BPALs in this style - and ultimately, although I am appreciating the vetiver.. it stays a bit too strong for me to truly enjoy.

[stellamaris]

Ummm, wood? There's wood here? I mean maybe it's a wooden balcony, right?

I like this although it seems to be mocking me by being wood.

I like wood sometimes, it reminds me of the wood in Red Queen.

 

After a couple of weeks, I can say this is one of my favorites of the Lupers. It's rich and quite powerful, and it has stopped being so wood. Still a little wood, but that is OK.

Edited March 17, 2012 by stellamaris

[countessmouse]

A nutty floral in the imp, it changed to ashy, dry wood in seconds on my skin. I feel like I'm wearing an ash tray. Blech.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Dark incense.

 

Wet: Ah, there's the patch and the rose, with whiffs of the honey.

 

The dry-down: As this warms up, the rose and honey try to keep from being overcome by the vetiver and somewhat by the helichrysum (wiki says: Helichrysum angustifolium or Helichrysum italicum is steam distilled to produce a yellow-reddish essential oil popular in fragrance for its unique scent, best described as a mixture of burnt sugar and ham.) and there's a touch of that burnt sugar and ham note. But mostly, the rose is making it go all powdery, so a bit like an ashtray full of ashes from expensive non-tobacco cigarettes made of roses and wood. Strange, but there it is.

[elfnwitch]

I got this one because the combination of scents sounded interesting, and I wasn't disappointed!

 

In the bottle: a sweet, earthy scent, not pungent or floral, just a nice, fresh earth smell.

 

Dry-down: the honey comes up a bit, and it reminds me of burning a beeswax candle as the other earthier elements. The earthy portion (patchouli and vetiver) hold about the same, and the floral aspect blooms a bit. I can't give a distinct flower description, but just a nice blending. I have some helichrysum (italicum) that I keep in my little first-aid kit, and it does smell like that, but just a little sweeter. (Helichrysium italicum is a wonderful oil for healing strains, sprains and bruises, and a good description of it is here:

 

 

Overall: I really like the smell of this! It has the sultry, earthy smell--I can imagine a woman waiting on a balcony surrounded by ivy and moss, candle at the window, waiting for her love...Sigh!

[milo]

Very STRONG at first. This vetiver is DARK and pretty much takes over everything in it's path. After a bit, honey with the vetiver, and stays that way so far. This is not a good combination on me, and a word of warning, a little goes a long way.

[karykeion]

Originally posted a different review in this topic by accident, but I actually have a decant of this now, so this post is being repurposed! Decanted by lanas!

 

In the decant: Oooh, this is interesting. I'm getting mostly honey, rose, and vetiver, and they're coming together into this dark, sensual, classy smell. I saw honey, patchouli, and a floral note from Blossoms in Springtime and jumped on it.

 

On me, wet: HOOO VETIVER. Mostly vetiver with rose and helichrysum straight off, which sort of come together to smell like nighttime, if that makes any sense. Like wood at night. The honey is really interesting here! It's like honey and roses at night with wood? It kind of smells like the feeling of finding something attractive in the concept of darkness, I know that's really pretentious, but that's the impression I get from the honey and roses in the enveloping darkness of the vetiver and patchouli. The only thing I don't like about it is that there's something about it that...kind of smells like wet dog? It doesn't stink, but...yeah, I don't know. I think it's the vetiver/helichrysum combination. On the other hand, the rose doesn't appear to be turning into greasy fried chicken, which white rose specifically has done to me in the past. This is a good sign!

 

On me, dry: The really weird combination of vetiver and helichrysum is backing off, and now I'm getting mostly vetiver, rose, patchouli, and honey. It looks like black rose behaves on me and doesn't go weird and greasy and terrible, hooray! I really like this, it's such a pretty beguiling scent. I'm not entirely sure it's something I'd wear a lot, but I love it enough that I'm going to give it a full day test run and see whether I need a bottle.

Edited March 23, 2012 by karykeion

[zankoku_zen]

Smoky bacon, rose and honey. So the bacon-like smoke disappears as it dries, so I'm left with a smoky rose/honey blend.

 

Being a fan of neither, I'm going to send this on to a more loving home.

 

Dark, sexy, rose.

[Little Bird]

I like my rose blends to be sweeter and more on the airy, fresh, dewy smelling side of things. Even with the honey, I find that The Balcony isn't sweet enough for me, as the rose has a perfumey sharpness with a background that is mostly a smoky, gritty, earthy combo (vetiver + patchouli). It's a dry, perfumey, smoky sort of rose on my skin. Smells a bit like charred wood on me.

[EdenIris]

Vetiver, I take back all the nasty things I ever said about you. After sitting around for a year, The Balcony is fantastic. Cool and warm, sweet and tart, and very, very heady. The blend also manages to keep the rose hanging around for more than a few minutes, which never happens for me -- my skin eats rose.

 

I don't smell honey, not sure if I can identify helichrysum, but the patchouli and vetiver balance each other perfectly, and the rose is more of a green, spicy note than a floral. This is a powerful, passionate scent, not for the nervous and probably not safe for work, unless your workplace is a very sexy place.

[filigree_shadow]

Vetiver actually smells good on me, and is totally not a death note for me at all. I often like it. There are a few different kinds -- it can smell dank and musty, reedy and grassy, or kind of smoky dusty. I avoid the first kind but usually like the others. This is the dusty smoky kind, and it smells good with what definitely smells like a dark floral with it.

 

But, red patchouli is a death note for me. It just never smells good on me. It's a weird pungent ick.

 

So, no on this one.

[cherrycherry]

On me, this is a very dark and delicious floral. Rose can be a bit hit-and-miss on me, but in this blend it's very voluptuous and alluring. Not getting much vetivert, but I do get oodles of patchouli and honey - win!

 

When I've been wearing The Balcony for over an hour, it is predominantly a patchouli and rose scent. It's divine and I keep huffing my wrist.

 

Gorgeous!

[LizziesLuck]

I've been looking for a really good patchouli and rose combo, so I had to give this a shot.

 

Wet: The patchouli vetiver combo in this is lovely - sweet, woody, smoky, without that sourness that vetiver sometimes leads with. The honey sweetens it nicely, but I am not getting any of the rose yet.

 

Dry: This doesn't last long on me, despite reapplying several times. It never turned into the rose/patch combo I had hoped for, unfortunately this scent doesn't seem meant for my skin. It's mostly vetiver on me, which my skin sometimes eats, so then I'm left with mostly nothing....I am going to retest another day though and hope for a better result, as I see others did find it to be patchouli and rose.

[Spaztic]

So this one really didn't work for me.

With the Vetiver, Rose and Honey it somehow came across as dill pickles (minus vinegar)....why? I don't know, but you can probably understand my disappointment

[Lucchesa]

In the imp and fresh on my skin, The Balcony reminded me instantly of Blood Kiss. Vetiver is rarely good on me, and Blood Kiss is one of the exceptions to that rule. The other shared note is honey, and Blood Kiss has wine where The Balcony has bourbon. But on my skin the vetiver vibe from both is very similar, and predictably it's the strongest note. It's only been on about half an hour so I may have to edit with wear length, but I think it will be sexy and long-lasting on me. However, since Blood Kiss is GC (though OOS at the moment), I probably don't need to chase down more of this rare blend.