Masquerade

[Ahania]

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

As soon as I put this on, it was so deathly awful that I wanted to run right to the bathroom and wash it off. It was harsh, acrid, and cedary. Fortunately for me the over timer went off, so I waited to wash, and it turned completely different, sophisticated, and luxurious. It smells very Roaring 20's to me- I can easily imagine Zelda wearing this, it's lively, festive and expensive but with a hint of coming madness. I absolutely love it, but I'm not sure it's me.

[Neely]

In the bottle: patchouli, orange incense.

 

Wet: patchouli, orange incense. I likey so far! I could be completely wrong about the notes, I am terrible at identifying individual notes.

 

Dry down: orange, rose, and incense. The patchouli has gone the back of the bus while orange rose and incense chat and giggle. This reminds me of Gypsy Queen without the candle wax and smoke. Might be a sub for my lovely GQ when I have used up the bottles I have.

 

30 minutes: patchouli and nothing else??? I hope this is just an old imp, because if this is what Masquerade turns into in half an hour, not good. I mean, it smells like straight patchouli oil, which I could apply from the single bottle of the stuff I have on my bathroom shelf.

 

Conclusion: I have to order a new one from the lab to test again. But if it is my chemistry, Masqerade is going to break my heart.

 

Rating 1-5: inconclusive.

[dragonrain]

I could definitely smell patchouli and orange blossom when I applied this, but it quickly faded to patchouli and baby powder. It's nice, though. I prefer it once I've been wearing it for a while, but I'm a fan of powdery scents.

[CrazyPretzel]

Dang, this is so freakin' sexy. This is the first of the BPAL oils that I was running to dab on my boyfriend. And I didn't even get it with him in mind

 

I'm familiar with patchouli and like it just fine, as with carnation and neroli, but there's something else intensely sexy going on with this one and I suppose it must be the ambergris. To me this is quite a cologne-y scent and surprisingly masculine, strong and sexy and smirking. Think carnival masks and masquerade balls. Did I mention it was sexy?

[LyndaM]

I should have loved this, based on the notes. Somehow, it turned into heavy viscous pine and patchouli as soon as I applied it, and gave me a headache. It is very strong and long lasting.

 

I'll keep the imp and give it another try in a week or so. Maybe it's too fresh and needs a little time to come together.

[dmnsqrl]

Weird. when I first put it on all I can smell is this deep dark liturgical incense that I'm not sure I really want to smell like. As it dries, though, I keep getting these lovely hints of ambergris from out of the corner of my nose. It's like the ambergris is wafting around me but if I sniff my wrist..... liturgical incense again.

 

 

I'll keep wearing this through the day and see what I think over time.

[MurderOfCrows]

In The Vial: Incensey, with an undertone of orange. Very sharp, very aggressive.

 

On Wet: ... I feel like I've been trying on a lot of body sprays at the perfume counter and NONE of thme have blended well. It's one of the first blends I've worn that smells patently 'perfumey'. It just smells -- fake. The incense is fading fast from the initial burst, too.

 

Drydown: It never really loses that artificial smell. The incense fades and the orange blossom and the carnation don't blend well in my nose. I really wanted to like this too, because I love patchouli and orange blossom!

[Alseides]

This scent had my entire household in an uproar. Everyone thinks it smells like Old Spice. I, however, think it smells... like patchouli. And I despise patchouli. This is the second time I've received this as a frimp, too!

 

On to swaps with Masquerade!

[WidgetAlley]

I love patchouli. I'm learning that I adore all things ambergris. Carnation and I are good friends. Only orange blossom is somewhat iffy at times...

 

Imp: Woo! Patchouli! Dark, heavy, dirty-hippie patchouli, too, with its spicy woody earthy quality. I likes it, oh yes I do. It twines perfectly with the dusky carnation, bright orange blossom, and smoothness of ambergris. All the notes are beautifully blended together and seem very harmonious. This is a very rich smell.

 

Wet: Orange blossom comes out first, a light, delicate powdery citrus almost like some kind of sweetmeat. Underneath it lies the patchouli, heady and strong, and the ambergris, subtle and rich and amazing. I know the carnation is adding a lot to this, but it's hard to pick out individually. This is gorgeous-- a little dusty, a little spicy, a little shiny, a lot beautiful. I think this is the most unadulterated black patchouli experience I've had from the Lab yet, and I'm loving it.

 

Dry: This just gets better. The orange blossom has faded into the patchouli, now, and the ambergris has come even further out to play, leaving a warm, smooth, citrus-sugar, spicy-woody-earthy patchouli blend with a touch of sillage and a lot of awesome. This is so smooth, and delicious, and amazing... it reminds me a bit of one of my other favorite blends: Santa Eularia Des Riu. That one gave me the impression of a wise, dark-haired Mediterranean beauty, and so does this. Santa Eularia is what she wears by day, under the warm sun, and Masquerade is her perfume for night.

 

So far, this has been the smash hit of my most recent order. I will definitely need a 5ml.

[xleighx]

My nose has been plugged all these past couple days (constant allergy exposure), but I like this. I normally don't like patchouli, but this is a patchouli evened out with neroli and with orange blossom. It's good.

[Ilex]

I find it a little weird that many folks are saying there's neroli in here, its not listed, and if it was in there I'd probably have a headache from wearing this blend. And I don't, quite the opposite. When it showed up in my mail box the imp was broken, and I could smell it- hm, orange blossom? A fresh but deep floral? I didn't order anything like that... It turned out to be a frimp, which is why I was confused.

 

I love this. It may even be my holy grail, an everyday personal scent that my hubby actually likes, rather than tolerates. He said "oooh, I'm in head shop heaven" when he first smelled it (and he meant it in a good way). I find it more like an old occult bookshop than a head shop, but I'll take what I can get from the perfume hater.

 

It is a bit sharp, but the orange flower and carnation softens it up for the most part. Eventually, on the far far dry down it goes to a not unpleasant powder, I blame the carnation for that, but not to angrily, as the powder isn't bad. I tried layering it with Mandrake to get the woody aspect going a bit more, but Masquerade really didn't need any messing about with, the Mandrake kinda took over. It is a mysterious incense scent good on its own. I will be getting a bottle.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Sharp and '80's smelling. This has that note that makes me think of my mother's punk rock phase.

 

On the elbow: Slightly less harsh, but still pretty unpleasant and still reminding me of the 80's. Big, big throw. Screaming "SMELL ME AND ME ONLY!"

 

Drydown: This is very strong, very heavy, with a huge throw and a very large personality. It's screaming head shop and punk rock at me. It makes me think of my apartment as a kid, full of incense smoke and a parent with a spiky haircut. (Actually it was more poofy than spiky, but the jewelry was definitely spiky.)

 

Overall: This is not doing it for me at all, as a matter of fact it's making me feel a little sick. Swaps!

[KaliVerra]

Carnation, Patchouli? Oh yeah!! I'm totally loving this... Masquerade does some really sexy litttle tango w/my chemistry and within 5 minutes of application, I feel like the sassiest thing on two getaway sticks! Me: "Come on, sailor... take a whiff of this!" DH: Me: "No, really... the imp I just tried, silly - it's gooooooooood!" DH: Didn't know WHAT you were going on about... heeeeeyyyyy... that DOES smell good... ...

 

Me:

 

In other words, what doesn't tickle the fancy of some may be the date-bait, man-magnet, "how-do-I-turn-this-thing-off?!" miracle love nectar for others...

 

Yummy stuff!

[aquazoo]

That patchouli dust comes up strong! Not a combination that works very well. Maybe it's the orange, but it's becoming kind of icky. I need to wash this off. Now.

[MaidenGenevive]

Masquerade

 

A warm, zesty floral with a bite. The strongest note is patchouli.

 

[3 - Like]

Edited October 9, 2007 by MaidenGenevive

[hkhm]

imp: bitter pine sap. this is quite strong and acrid on first sniff.

 

wet: this is the second blend in a row that i can't smell the patchouli in! in fact, i'm peeking back at the notes in this blend and wondering why i don't smell any of them. this smells like the soaps i buy from juniper ridge: good, but not at all what i'd expect from the description.

 

dry: softly bitter with nary a hint of florals. oh well.

 

later: okay, so now it's dried to this soft, alluring incensey scent that smells incredible. honestly, i can not stop sniffing my arm. it took a while to get here but this is a wonderful blend.

 

(edited to add a bit more description)

Edited October 22, 2007 by hkhm

[yewberry]

I love the lab's patchouli notes. So deep, warm, and woody. This blend is primarily (to my nose) this lovely patchouli, with the slightly sharp sweetness of orange blossom. At once deep, mysterious, and impish.

[Magpie]

Mmmm...num num num.

 

I like this scent very much. It's spicier than I usually go for, and in the bottle, the 'bite' was a little too strong for my liking. However, on it has faded into a lovely spicy golden mixture (oh dear, three adjectives - I must like it!). It's very slightly zingy but still surprisingly sophisticated. I like patchouli, so that's a good start, but I also like the way it doesn't just scream 'patchouli!' at me. Instead, the other scents compliment and complicate it in a way that, for my unsubtle nose, makes it difficult to pick out a single scent. It's thrilling and party-ish, but not like the one in 'The Phantom of the Opera', but something laced with illicit sexuality and intrigue rather than just bright and zingy. The only problem I have is that it doesn't seem to have much throw. It's lasted wonderfully, but seems to fade very much on me to a soft scent on the specific places I put it, rather than me actually smelling like it as I walk through a room. I can't even smell it unless I sniff my wrist. Which is happening rather a lot, may I add!

 

Might even be a candidate for a 5ml since I suspect it'd be one I'd come back to years in the future (though I'm not sure how well scents like this would last).

 

I'd like to edit to correct my previous statement: the throw is there, but it's subtle. I was walking across the room and NatCatz wondered what that lovely and interesting smell was.

Edited January 4, 2008 by Magpie

[AEris]

In the imp, this smells very balanced and interesting - the sweet orange citrus notes and delicate orange blossom blend into the patchouli quite well.

 

On my skin, the scales teeter and then break, as the balance is overthrown by the patchouli. However, it is a wonderful-smelling patchouli.

 

It reminds me of my old signature blend of Body Shop oils - 50% Woody Sandalwood, 50% Patchouli. Brings back great memories, but I already have a gallon of the Body Shop oils, so I don't have a need for Masquerade.

 

I wish it smelled more like it did in the imp! Oh well. It's still a lovely scent.

 

3.7 out of 5

[tartchef]

I totally see where AEris is getting sandalwood & patchouli - this is a very dry, woody patch, very that comes roaring out of the vial. When I first put this on, I had to try very hard to not scrub it off right away - the orange blossom & patchouli clashed horribly, deep dry & woody vs sweet & powdery orange. Blech. Given 10 minutes, though, it's mellowed considerably, and the almost fizzy ambergris surfaces. There's still a big stretch between notes - the low bass of the patch & the high orange blossom & ambergris - but it works surprisingly well. I don't get any carnation outright, but I suspect it's adding that spicy little undercurrent I keep catching whiffs of... Masquerade is really interesting, and the name very fitting for such a black feathers-&-gilded lace kind of scent...

[bryghtrose]

In the imp it smells dark and woodsy, with something almost choclate-y in the background.

 

When I first put it on, I smell the orange blossom, but as it dries the patchouli dominates completely.

[djsiberia]

upon first sniff from the bottle and application, its very strong and not very pleasant smelling. then after 5 minutes it turns into something beautiful that i am surpised i like since it has carnations in it. it's very earthy smelling and the patchouli isn't over powering and i think the ambergris is adding the sweet woody scent to the mix.

 

would i purchase a bottle, not sure yet. it's ok, but i don't think i absolutely love it.

 

as the morning wears on, i'm liking this scent more and more. it's different from other scents i'm drawn to, but still earthy/incensey enough. skin chemistry is amping up the patchouli/ambergris mix and i get none of the floral

 

will have to try again to determine if thi sis a bottle purchase

[donnatron]

Imp: Patchouli and orange zest. Interesting in concept but it smells like this guy I know and don't care for who smears patchouli and mandarin orange essentials on his skin.

 

Wet: PATCHOULI!! Thankfully I am between indifferent and in love with patchouli.

 

Dry: The longer it dries down, the more the orange blossom comes out. At first this is a harsh, single note patchouli but it acquires a delicate orange-y scent the longer I wear it. It's not the nicest blend on me, it just feels like the two notes are slapped on top of each other without mingling.

 

Throw: This has a LOT of throw. I could smell it all over me since application. I've showered and applied ginger citrus lotion since but I can still smell the patchouli on my wrists. However, other than the one stinky patchouli-loving man in my life, I dont' think anyone else would be too into this.

 

Overall: I'll use my imp, but I don't need a bottle.

[willowtreeling]

in the imp, i can smell lots of things. but on me, it is pretty much all patchouli with a teeny bit of orangey-ness. It doesn't smell bad or anything, but I prefer Imp to fulfill my patchouli needs.

Masquerade doesn't remind me of a masquerade; it makes me think of highly polished, russet colored antique furniture...

[Juushika]

I love carnation, I recently discovered I like orange blossom, and on whole the notes and the reviews seem very promising. I'm looking for a good orange blossom BPAL, so I picked this one up.

 

In vial: The orange blossom is the only note I can pick out, a gentle, sweet, but distinct citrus. Everything else is just background "perfumey."

 

On me: The oil goes on smoky—probably the patchouli. It almost tickles the back of my throat. The carnation kicks up quickly, a spicy floral. These two notes tangle together, and there is no orange blossom. It's disappeared, and so there is no top note. The patchouli and carnation are low, smoky, spicy, and close to the skin. The ambergris is just barely there, a gray resin as a base note with little character of its own. Over time the scent dies down even more, leaving just a hint of incense and spice over the subtlety of ambergris. It's fine—the scent is a shadowed gray, the carnation is not a floral, just a hint of warm spice—but it hovers at skin level and is very faint.

 

Verdict: The notes were so promising, but the scent is a bit disappointing. I wish that the orange blossom stuck around—I imagine it could give this scent the throw and character that it needs, because as it is I only get a skin scent, like a combination of base notes that should be background to something, not trying to be a perfume on their own. It's pleasant, but faint and almost indistinct. I'll have to try this again and see if I amp it differently under other conditions or like it enough as just a skin scent, but despite how promising the notes are, I may have to pass this along. That's too bad—I had high hopes!

 

ETA: Over six months later, and my opinion has changed somewhat. The orange blossom still disappears on my skin, but with a touch of aging the ambergris and patchouli have come into themselves. They are slightly salty, earthy, a touch smoky; their scent together is subtle, like a thicker, darker, more alluring second skin, but the throw has increased. I still wish that the florals were stronger, and this scent is not quite what I expected from the notes. However, I have grown to love the combination of ambergris and patchouli enough that I don't mind—I wear it anyway, content with that soft cloud of very bodily, unexpectedly enticing scent.

Edited October 22, 2008 by Juushika