Masquerade

[Shollin]

Masquerade, from Bewitching Brews:

A festive, dazzling blend, layered in mystery and intrigue. Patchouli, ambergris, carnation and orange blossom.

 

First sniff: I’m reluctant to say this for fear all the Lushies will rush out and buy it and then not sniff it the same, but… Masquerade reminds me very much of Icon soap, if it were brushed with orange. It has the same sort of dark mysterious Renaissance-angel feel to it without being sharply incensey.

 

Wearing: I can smell the orange more, but it’s still wrapped in soft black feathers and guttering candlelight, with a wisp of the smoke of burning herbs curling overhead. It’s not as darkly-purple as Icon, definitely, but the same feel is there. It reminds me a bit of the good parts of Anne Bonny before my skin futzed the incense up – that same intriguing-as-hell combination of dark and bright. I cannot figure this one out… and I LIKE that. I suspect this one will go into heavy rotation, as it's completely unlike any other BP scents I have, and I really must try it after showering with the remnants of my Icon soap.

[sirensongsouth]

In the imp's ear I would have sworn that this had pine or cedar or some other woody scent to it, of course it doesn't so I have no idea why I get that. But it was a strong earthy woody wet scent to me.

 

Dry its a whole different beast. It turns into an incensy orangy floral which is anchored by a warm woody scent. I really can't pull out the individual elements other than the orange blossom and I suppose the patchouli is the incensy warmth, but this is really nice, very different and sophisticated. I like it a lot.

Edited March 14, 2004 by sirensongsouth

[jj_j]

I, too, get the pine note when I first put this on. Sharp, dark green - I think it must be the orange blossom, as this is in other scents that I think of as "green" and which, looking back, contain orange blossom.

 

There's definite morphing, though - in five minutes, we've moved to something sweet-spice floral. It's the orange blossom mixed with the emerging carnation, and they blend together in the most luxurious fashion. I don't get the patchouli, but I do get the warm, yellow ambergris as what pulls this down from the top notes of the florals.

 

This one doesn't do much for me as some of the other new scents, but I'm hanging on to the Imp so I can come back to it later. It has definite potential.

[Pandorra]

I didn't care for this one when I sniffed it in the bottle and ignored it this morning. But I brought my oils to my parents tonight and when I opened it for mum to smell I imediately thought of opium and she loved it. We both put it on and I didn't care for the patchouli smell. My mum was unsure and said she smelled dirt or a tree. It burned my skin and turned utterly lovely on her.

 

She took the vial, and I no longer own Masquerade.

[Belladonnastrap]

Masquerade is divine. If the color gold had a scent this would be it. The oranges and cinammon work so well and normally this would be a fall scent but it's also perfect for summer. Very bright and fun..like Mardi Gras in the bottle. Also this smells almost exacly like Lush's Hot Toddy so if you are a fan of that lovely bubble bath go buy this. Now.

 

 

Wearing this made me break out my Labyrinth DVD and watch the ballroom scene over and over again. It's lovely and I need a bottle.

[Polexia]

Wasnt sure about this in the vial, couldnt really distinguish the main scent...probably because I have a cold...smells distinctly of carnation now, 3.5 hours after application with a slight warm and spicy bottom note. This might be a keeper, I need a clear head to get a better sense of it.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

A musky yet sparkling orange scent. Makes me think of disco lights and glittery masks.

 

After Wearing It:

You know I usually get some sort of visual/emotional reaction to BPAL scents, but I didn't get any for Masquerade. I don't think I've worn an oil yet that has moved me less. Very strange, I don't know if I was less receptive on Sunday (when I wore it), distracted or what, but nada.

 

That isn't to say I didn't like it though, because I did. It's a nice scent. Very orange, but somehow not in a way that screams "fruity." The patchouli and ambergris (couldn't smell the carnation) really vamp the orange blossom up keeping it from smelling fresh or innocent. The end result reminds me a lot of Karma, though no where close to being as hippie-ish. And I agree with Karyn, it does have something in common with Hot Toddy (though I wouldn't call it a match for the scent) which is wonderful because I loved that bubble bar.

 

Final Thoughts:

I did like this, though I haven't decided on how much I liked it. I need to wear it again to see if I was just off that day or if Masquerade is just numbing on me, which in that case, it'd go up for swap.

[skg]

The day i got my package of imps this ones cap popped open right after i smelled it for the first time.

My computer room reeked for the first three days and i absolutely hated it.

 

On the 4th day through I noticed and change as the sharpness of the carnation had mostly dissapated and the remainling notes were nice enough that i decided to try the remaining few drops on my wrist.

 

Wet the overpowering note is carnation on me which i hate but that tones down to nothing and as the day goes on it morphs into something diferent everytime i smell my wrist (which was quite often that day).

 

I am so bummed that I only have a drop of two left.

 

Bummed enough that I will need to get a 5 ml of this.

[Koumori]

I got a sample of this hoping that, as other posters have said, it might be reminiscent of Lush's Icon.

 

It IS!!! IT IS IT IS IT IS!!!

 

Except... better.

 

It's the orange blossom combined with the musk/resin scents. Icon always turned intensely "smoky" on me, as though I'd gotten too close to the incense, and this doesn't; it retains its deep, mysterious character. Unfortunately, it doesn't have great staying power on me, a few hours at most, but I'd happily carry this around and reapply all day long.

[Tesseljoan]

To me, the ambergris note stands out the most, as it gives the scent a velvet-y feel. The orange notes make it a bit more high-pitched and dry.

[amberbella]

I too got the mysterious non-existant Cedar note. Infact, this was all cedar on me. I hate cedar. Oh well....too bad I don't know which note was doing that "cedar" thing, I assume it's the patcholi since I remember not liking patcholi, but since I have no idea what Ambergris smells like, it could be that I suppose.

 

Into the swap list it goes. Oh well.

[Effluvia]

in the vial: Acqua Di Parma! The only commercial perfume I actually like! It also reminds me a little bit of my beloved Depraved.

 

wet, on my skin: Acqua Di Parma, only the orange just got amped up about 50 points. Now...my skin's not too hot on orange...orange turns to soapy orange floor cleaner on my skin. I'm fine with Beth's other citrus fruits (lemon, lime and grapefruit are fine on me), but orange always goes weird on me. However, I'll give this one another chance in the future, because I *REALLY* like the way this smells in the vial, and I'm hoping my hormones are just messing with my body chemistry and that it'll smell glorious on me in a week or two...

 

drying on my skin: There's hope! As this dries, it turns more and more into the initial Acqua Di Parma/Depraved scent. The orange soapiness fades pretty quickly, which in my case is good.

 

dry, on my skin: I really like this. Everything's meshed together no nicely, I can't pck out any individual scent. It's a soft, woody smell. Very nice.

 

While I won't be buying a big bottle of this, I'll probably use up the imp. I'll wear this in my hair a lot.

 

ETA: Aye, hormones are a strange thing. This smells fucking orgasmic on me now. I am buying a huge bottle of it.

Edited August 4, 2004 by Effluvia

[Alice Aforethought]

I love Masquerade. Hardly a surprise, as I am a big fan of Lush's since-departed Icon - one of the reasons why I chose this imp! It is similar, but fruitier - the orange is more orange zest than orange blossom, making it tart and juicy rather than smoky and dry. It's more Icon mixed with Orange Spice soap.

 

The patchouli is a proper 'comfy' one - if you put on patchouli and relax right back into it like me, you'll love this one. There is a deeper, clearer, spicy note behind the patchouli that goes very well with the orange - a real mulled-blood-orange scent.

 

I will sooo be getting more of this!

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Oh wow! I love this! On me it's a rich, strong blood-orange scent--not bright hot-weather citrusy orange, but the fancy oranges they used to put in Victorian kids' Christmas stockings. Definitely a nighttime scent--what I thought was red musk must actually be patchouli; regardless, very warm, spicy, and rich. I was sorry to find the orange faded leaving only the muskier base notes, b/c that juiciness was my favorite part of this. The dry-down is fine, just less special and festive.

 

feeling a sudden urge to put on a mask and sing Masquerade from Phantom of the Opera..."Take your fill--let the spectacle astound you!"

[Longstofly]

Masquerade smelled very strongly of pine for some reason on me. It gave me a headache was was quite strong. I'm sad that it just wasn't for me

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Oh neroli!

 

Second Impression: I wanted Masquerade because it's my favorite number from Phantom of the Opera and it does make me want to break into song. But I'll spare you, you know the words. It's bright and mysterious...like the treasure box you want to open but are afraid of what's inside. After the neroli steps aside slightly the carnation spice comes into play.

 

Final Analysis: I always use neroli in my oil burner, it's one of my favorite room scents. I like it as a perfume too.

[grrrlennyl]

masquerade

 

at first: incredibly heavy. like moving through a smoky fog. at the very end, i think i smell some orange rind. not very nice. i'm pretty sure i won't like this.

on: weird. i can smell the patchouli, which is nice, but can't really pick anything else out. interesting.

1 hour later: there's something a bit salty about this that i don't like. it's masking the other scents.

3 hours later: sweeter. more of a powdery floral.

overall: this does not work on me. i wonder if it's the ambergris. i'll be getting rid of my imp.

[ChupaChup]

I was really expecting to love Masquerade because I love all the notes in it. It smells wonderful when first applied, I can smell the ambergris and patchouli right away. After about ten minutes, the spicy carnation appears and I'm still loving it. But then the mask comes off and there underneath is a whomping big orange that just blasts everything else away Wow, it's just strong orange after that, ends up smelling like Ravenous. I wish the first stages had stayed around a lot longer, they were much more interesting.

[SoapyRN]

in the bottle: heavy, heady, spicy. like Opium, the perfume

on the skin, wet: so very spicy, I can't shake that Opium smell.

on the skin, dry: I wonder if my friend will like this?

final thoughts? swapped out for something else.

[ashtonrose]

First, I have to thank D for sending this to me. I was having withdrawal symptoms. Still patiently waiting for my order...

 

Love this scent!!! It reminded me of nights in Savannah, GA when the fog rolled in on a dark night when the street lamps are burning. I thought I was wandering through the thick spanish moss covered streets with my true love. Memories are wonderful and this one brings back many.

 

Mysterious, dark, and velvety. Every love should have a little mystery and this is definitely a scent to bring back the mystery in a love affair. My hubby is gone for the next two weeks and I can't wait for him to smell this one.

 

 

 

[Theravada]

I was a little put off by Masquerade when I smelled it in the bottle. It wasn't an "Eww, ugh!" reaction, but more of a "Woah! What's going on here??" thing. Not having had the pleasure to experience Lush's Icon, I can't say I've ever smelled anything quite like Masquerade before.

 

I decided to try it on, and WOW am I glad that I did! I absolutely love, love, love this scent! It's so unique and sophisticated. The strongest impression I get is "spice". This is a super sicey scent. It's very invigorating and energizing.

 

The carnation comes across most strongly on me, but it's not an overly floral scent. Which is a very good thing because I detest most all florals. I don't get the cedar note that other people have been describing, and I'm very familiar with cedar. This doesn't smell "woodsy" to me at all. I also don't get the overwhelming orange some people seem to have gotten. To me, Masquerade is a perfectly blended spicey perfume that is very gender neutral. I bet this would smell extremely sexy on a male, but I also like it on me. It makes me feel confident, sexy, and daring. It's very clean smelling, and I suppose you could say it has a bit of a "soapyness" to it.

 

Masquerade also has awesome staying power. One swipe of the imp wand rubbed between my wrists stayed true and strong for most of the day.

 

I forsee a 5ml of this is my next order!

 

Anyone looking for an exciting, spicey, gender-neutral scent should give Masquerade a try!!

[Falathwen]

This was a freebie from the ever generous lab. I tried it out on my husband first, since I was already trying another scent. On him it was strongly orange when wet, then the patchouli came out in a surprisingly light blend with the carnation. Lovely.

The orange was more the scent of herb tea with orange peel than fresh fruit…possibly because of a "darkening" effect of the ambergris and patchouli? On me, the patchouli was stronger and made the orange rather murky when wet. Fortunately, as it dried down the carnation came in and the blend was spicy, fruity and sweet. This stage lasted a long while.

[antimony]

I'm not going to comment on the scent since I love ambergris on other people, but not on me and Orange Blossom doesn't like my skin chemistry either.

 

I am going to mention, though: This one is strong.

 

I put one swipe of the imp wand behind each ear, one on each wrist... and 4 hours later, I still smell *strong*. and since it's such a heavy, thick scent, it feels like I'm walking around in a heavy, organic cloud.

[Gin]

I bought this because of Shollin's review, comparing it to Lush's Icon soap with added orange.

I'm not sure I would have compared it to Icon, but nevertheless, it did not disappoint. It made my nose wrinkle a bit at first--must have been the patchouli or ambergris. Then I smelled bitter orange.

During drydown, I got an orangey-incensy scent, and then something I can only describe as Shalimar-ish (in a good way!), minus the vanilla. Masquerade's last stage on me was dry and woodsy (cedar??), and reminded me of the tarot oil Death.

 

I'm not sure I'll buy a big bottle of this, but I'll probably use up my imp.

[LiberAmoris]

Masquerade was an imp I was putting off testing because when I went through my initial uncork-n-sniff in the first raptures over my lastest BPAL delivery, it didn't smell promising. Of course, by now I should know that those ones are the FIRST ones I should try, as so often they end up being the ones I fall most deeply in love with.

 

Masquerade definitely reminds me of Lush's Karma (which I love) but it's more complex than that. It's sort of like Orange Spice tea, only sexier. Like the name, it masquerades in the bottle. I thought it would be nondescript, a muddle of notes pulling in different directions. Instead, it's turned out to be a most harmonious blend of carnation, orange blossom, and patchouli.

 

I have way too many bottles right now to be adding any more oils to my big bottle list. But when 'an opening becomes available,' I will be picking up a 5ml to have on hand.