Blood Kiss

[sighsandwhispers]

Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk.

Blood Kiss is luscious!! When I first tried it I found it had a bit a pipe tobacco scent to it, not at all unpleasant. It must be the cherries. A friend told me it smelled a bit smoky like wood fire.

So far it's my favorite. The cherry is decadent!!

[Argentwolf]

The sad part is that I can smell the clove, vetiver, and cherry all working together, but their resultant team effort is just not a harmonious one to my nose. It just kinda smells like burnt, bitter cherry with a side of ass. I blame you, vetiver. Thankfully, it doesn't broadcast very much to the world.

 

If you already know that the components work on you, then feel free to give this a try, and enjoy.

[BuxomM]

Wet it smells like sweet cherry vanilla clove cigarettes. As it dries the wine comes in. It smells dark and trampy and a little medicinal.

[coraline]

Clove and vetiver amp on me, so that's all I really smell, aside from a little bit of cherry. Disappointing, as I'd hoped to also detect the other notes in the blend.

[sylvanusurban]

In bottle: I dunno, smells strong and kinda dark?

 

On me, wet: I don’t know exactly what I’m smelling, but it seems to be in the sandalwood/anise category. Maybe a bit of cedar? Cherry? It smells warm, woody and “red”. I guess it’s all right, but not really my thing so far.

 

On me, drying: The cherry’s starting to come out more. I think I like it better with more cherry. I understand now why some people described this as “cherry cola”.

 

<looking at description> Clove! Of course, I smell clove. Totes. I don’t smell any vanilla or (thank goodness) wine. Musk, maybe. I’m not entirely clear on what vetiver and poppy smell like, so I can’t really weigh in on them.

 

I like how this is getting warmer and sweeter and more cherryish as time passes. It still has an underpinning of musk, but it no longer smells so powerfully woody. I might be getting some vanilla now. This has turned into a spicey, musky, full-bodied cherry-vanilla scent.

 

 

Later: The woodiness is coming back. Woody incense – kind of a masculine scent.

 

Still Later: PIPE TOBACCO! Right wrist smells like a distinguished gentleman’s wood-panelled drawing room. Total total pipe tobacco and wood. I don’t think I want to smell like a pipe bowl, though it is an interesting fragrance.

 

[ltrittipoe]

At first this smells kind of - um, sharp, I guess - on me. I think that is the vetiver - it seems like anything with vetiver smells sharp kind of acrid to me, at least at first.

 

Then as it dries - WOW! This is soft and warm and spicy. I smell cloves and vanilla and I think the wine - and just a little musk. Just enough to keep it from being overly sweet - although I seem to like overly sweet.

 

I just have to get through that first half hour or so, and then I luuuuurrrrv it. But thank goodness, I can smell NO cherry. Yay!

 

Laura

[springheeljane]

I know that there are individual notes in this, and I can kind of pull them out, but on me this smells EXACTLY like warm milk with honey/sugar. It's totally not my thing but it's really intruiging me and I keep smelling my wrist just to experience the oddity and warmness of it.

 

ETA: I agree with an above poster that it smells like cherry-vanilla clove cigs too. Very interesting.

Edited July 29, 2009 by springheeljane

[Diva Urd]

A friend of mine ordered an imp of this, based on the notes, I would have never ordered that myself - clove and cherry? Urgh! Or so I thought.

 

In the imp, I primarily smelled musk, cherry and clove. It made me very nervous.

 

On me, it amped clove and vetiver at first, and it made me sneeze for a bit, but as it dried down... Spicy, slightly creamy cherry, and despite me not being into foody scents, this was actually quite nice. And it got better and better as time went on! About three hours after application, it was still spicy, musky, creamy and fruity, and yet not too foody for me. The throw is perfect - not enough to bowl over everyone in the room, but strong enough to definitely detect and love the scent hours later without having to sniff one's wrist.

 

So, even though I was nervous trying this, I have to say that I ended up liking it quite a lot! It's now on the bottle list.

[caffinatedangel]

"So, Vetiver" said I, staring at the imp with my toothpick ready. "You'll behave, yes? There's clove, honey, wines, vanilla.... I must try you. But you, YOU vetiver..." And I commenced my toothpick trial.

 

Success. Vetiver is a note that I dislike, greatly, so far. It always seems to be paired up with myrrh, and smells like mildewy basement. Something leaking, something moldy, something crawly. Yuck. But here! Vetiver I don't know what mask you wear, but you're divine in this.

 

The tang blends into the wines, the cherries get amped on your tail. The honey musky cloves of deliciousness turn mildewy basement stank into delicious food stank.

 

Some people reported a smokeyness to this, but I don't really get a cig. vibe from it. Musky, sure. Maybe a bit post-sex, even. but not exactly smokey or incensey or anything. Just heavy. Yeah, post-sex.

 

I'm a fan of this one. It's dark, wicked, sexy, and really lives up to its name. Yum. Nice throw, nice endurance, what a winner.

[kerikeri]

If there was ever a blend that proves you have to look past first impressions, give the scent time to develop and trust Beth's expertise, this is it.

 

In the imp: augh, something dark, pungent and medicinal. It's probably vetiver. I've never tried a blend with vetiver before. So far I'm not a fan.

 

Wet: ewww. Me and vetiver are definitely not going to be friends. It's sharp and acrid and combines with the cherry to make me smell like a cough drop. (At this point I assumed this blend was a failure, but since it wasn't actively making me sick I didn't wash it off, and went about my business.)

 

Dry, after about half an hour: Something smells like honey. I sniff my arm to check and yeah, it's this. The mustiness of the vetiver burned away completely and now it's a rich, delicious honey-spice-cherry. I smell like one of those flavored honey sticks they sell at tourist shops, and that's a good thing.

 

I'm glad I gave this blend a chance! Though I won't wear it unless I have some time to let it get through the nasty stage before I have to be around anyone.

[rayvn1]

Okay, this is the weirdest reaction my skin has ever had to a bpal. I get.....

 

Yams. Yes, yams. Thanksgiving side dish, what the hell are you doing on my arm? Bizarre

[redderz]

In the imp: I think I'm getting clove, musk and vetiver, and it's strong. Whoa.

 

Wet: There's something that reminds me of Mme. Moriarty, and I think it's the musk. It's a bit too cloying for me! I also get a hint of chocolate. o_O

 

Drying: I can smell the cherries now, but it's still too strong for me.

[SpookyBunny]

 

This is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous, and I am in awe. Upon reading reviews just before receiving my imp of Blood Kiss, I became fearful that the vetiver might turn it into something ugly. If I have learned anything about my skin chemistry, it's that I shouldn't be so worried, I am lucky to have every note in a scent come out and hold true to the original description. This is definitely a post-sex sort of smell as I believe I saw someone mention here, in the most seductive way. I get creamy cherry out of this, darkened by vetiver with a honeyed wine scent coming out to play every now and again and taking the musk along with it. Even upon drydown this exact combination holds true, there is not a note that pushes the others aside - but rather they all mingle in harmony.

[Venneh]

In the imp, I get the sweetness and the tang of Blood mixed with a sharper woody scent that I recognize from Voodoo; maybe it's clove and/or patchouli? Wet on my skin, I think I"m really amping the clove at first application, but it seems a few second later to be settling down in to a sweeter scent with a clove undertone.

 

EDIT: I think I might have applied it in different amounts on my wrists, cause one smells like cherry-vanilla, and the other smells like that with a bit more of a spicy undertone. It's been about two hours since I put it on, and it's starting to fade.

 

I think I'm going to need to test this a few more times before figuring out whether or not I want a bottle.

 

EDIT EDIT: Just reapplied, did double what I did before. The clove's a lot more prominent now, with the cherry-vanilla sweetness just below the surface.

 

EDIT EDIT EDIT: I think I'm going to be staying with just an imp of this. There's too much guesstimating I'd have to do to get my ideal scent from this; too little, and it's just barely cherry-vanilla-spicy, too much, and the clove dominates and makes it smell like a doctor's waiting room. (Don't ask)

 

EDIT ^ 4TH: Yeah, my skin chemistry is amping the clove way too much on this, on later tests, and I now smell like a doctor's waiting room. This is going to the swaps.

Edited September 26, 2009 by Venneh

[Babette]

Incredibly spicy with a soft perfumey edge to it. If the spiciness toned down a little and perfumey bit amped up, I might consider getting a bottle. Sadly, my skin chemistry made my arm smell like a spice rack.

[Bamels]

I am excited but nervous about this. I love Blood in the bottle, but it turns to insense on me, so let's see how this fairs.

 

In the imp all I can smell is mulled wine! I'd best try this on then hopefully I'll be able to separate the notes. The blood has come out with a slight foody smell but not enough to put me off. After I sniff there is the slightest scent of fresh tobacco left in my nostrils. The throw smells of mulled wine. This is strange! Someone mentioned teaming this with Blood to calm it down so I may try that afterwards. Now that it's drying it's getting a little too foody for me and I may need to wash this off. It's still drying and I still want to wash it off but will persevere until it's dry. It's taking a long time because it's so thick!

 

Ok I can't wait anymore, it just isn't me at all. The throw is mulled wine which I don't like and close up it is foody which I don't like!

[animalcule]

My first hated BPAL.

In the imp it smells pretty nice - strong, kind of smoky, with sweetness - I think I can make out the vanilla and honey.

 

On me, it reeks of latex gloves and disinfectant. If I sniff and sniff, I can smell a little spiciness. It reminds me very much of having blood drawn!

 

I have to wash it off now, I can't take it anymore!

[kohimame]

Well, I've finally figured out my most hated note due to this scent. Vetiver. I didn't get any other note out of this, just vetiver. It was.. interesting.

[Invidiana]

This is diabolically delicious. The name "Blood Kiss" alone had me dying to try this, and I forget which kind swapper stuck this imp in the package but I'm very grateful! I'm definitely getting monious shadows of sweet, earthy, murky clove entwined with vetiver, the sweetness of the vanilla and cherries, the irresistable warmth and tangibility of skin musk...it gets even better as it dries down, with the rich golden honey making itself known and the vanilla amping more...bloody, earthy, decadent and feral--definitely another "me" scent I'm adding to my GC bottle list!

Edited November 15, 2009 by Invidiana

[Janegodzilla]

Sigh, yet another scent that takes forever to settle into something wearable on me. In the bottle, this was nothing but vetiver, "spice", and some weird chocolate note. Which is odd, because there isn't anything even close to chocolate in the note list. Once on my skin, things didn't improve much -- vetiver continued to overpower absolutely everything else, and while the weird plasticky chocolate note faded after a while, it took a depressingly long time before anything close to cherry or wine emerged. It's a lush, dark scent once the vetiver calms the heck down -- in my spreadsheet notes, I wrote that it was "feminine in a hungry sort of way" -- but there's no way I'll be able to wear it much if it takes that long for it to settle. I'm hoping that a little aging will make a difference.

[wrestlingentropy]

Mmm...this is good. Stealthily good. When I first put it on, it was just a hideous mish-mash. I had no idea what was going on. It was sour and strong and just...confusing. But now that it's warmed to my skin, the clove has really come to the fore, deepened by what (I'm assuming) is the vetiver and poppy. It's dark and evil and horribly sexy. It feels like a black hole that you just want to keep falling down, trusting that you're going to hit something soft and sweet at the very, very bottom, even though it's wet and scary and sticky on the way down. I don't know how "me" it is, but I want to keep trying it (maybe until I convince myself I AM the kind of a person who could pull this off?). It's that compelling.

[reynardine]

In imp: musk and honey

 

Wet: REALLY musky, with clove and something else I can’t identify. I don’t like it.

 

Drydown: Turns to something medicinal. This is nasty. I have to wash it off. Smells like Vicks Vaporub. Off to the swap pile with you!

 

[number6number5]

This is my very favorite bpal scent and I'm complemented on it all the time. I've got a friend that, everytime she sees me, immediately smells my neck to see if I'm wearing Blood Kiss. It's just sweet enough on me, a mix of O plus cherry and cloves. Just yum! It has a very strong throw and only takes a dab. And it wears for hours and hours on me. Lovely!

Edited January 30, 2010 by number6umber5

[Saya]

The first ten minutes of this blend are pretty intense vetiver. But after that it turns into a beautiful blend of primarily cherry, sweet honey, vanilla and a hint of spice. I can't stop sniffing my wrist.

 

Not something I'd wear to work, but something I'd definitely wear out on the town.

[Evilynn]

in the bottle: wine, poppy and musk

on the skin: wine, vetiver and clove with a tiny cherry on top

drydown: VETIVER. Err. This is actually a little burning on my skin, and I never really react to any oils. Eeek. Ever so slowly there is something a little sweet peering out, but I don't get much in the way of vanilla or honey out of this.

ETA: after an hour or so the vetiver finally backs off (or else my nose has started filtering out the note ) and I get an astringent type of cherry with a bit of vanilla/honey/musk. Now *this* is actually wearable.

ETA2: And here's the almond.

 

For wine and honey scents I think I'd stick with Athens or Kali.

Edited February 23, 2010 by Excetra