The Bloody Banister

[violetblue]

A rotting, cracked mahogany balustrade smeared with bloody handprints frames a cascading Imperial staircase that rises unsteadily into oppressive, suffocating shadows.

I knew this would be a winner, so I am happy to have gotten one unsniffed! Luscious musk with a touch of wood. I think this one will be popular!

[jolarocknrolla]

mmm, i would say slightly spicy wood. Not sure what the "spicy" note is, it reminds me a tiny bit of some of the book scents the lab has done and a tiny bit like a wee bit of India Ink overlaid with powdery dry wood. I don't smell any blood so people worrying this mihgt be a GORE scent need not worry at all, i smell old bookshelf and the ghostly wiff if spicy incense

Edited September 30, 2012 by jolarocknrolla

[dreamingjune]

Spicy, moist woods and incense. There is a bookish, even inky quality here too. I am getting some of the same vibe that I got from The Decrepit House, most likely the mahogany. I don't want to say this has floral notes outright, however this is no typical wood and incense blend. I would also imagine that anyone who likes The Book would also like this.

[boomtownrat]

On my skin, The Bloody Banister is a dark scent that mostly smells like dark woods and heavy velvet drapes in an old house. This needs a light touch when applying, at least for me. I put on less of this than I do with most oils when I was getting ready this morning, but I was still too generous. Maybe it's just that I should have kept it away from my throat. Even five hours later, after two attempts to wash some of it off as best I can at work, it's a heavier scent than my migraine brain can handle. I hope it will mellow with a bit of aging, because I normally love wood scents.

 

ETA: After it's been on my skin more than nine hours, this is soft and gorgeous. It's been about 12 hours and I can still smell it. As long as I only wear this sparingly and below the neck, I think I'll love it. The decant will be enough for me.

Edited October 13, 2012 by boomtownrat

[Soniadevi]

My first thought was SANDALWOOD! But truth be told, the scent morphs and wavers between sandalwood and something else, something like, I dunno, dark and oppressive shadows? It's so weird, how does Beth do that? I can actually smell the darkness at the top of the stairs, I can picture the bloody bannister, and the surroundings are red velvet drapes, it's like the scene from Gone with the Wind where Rhett takes Scarlett up the stairs... Woody, musky, floral. I like this very much

[Rshields]

If you are looking for an in your face masculine autumn/winter blend with giant

slabs of shiny mahoghany this may be for you. The wood in here is deep and smoldering, whatever else is peeking in the background

reminds me of a borderline offensive mens cologne. Previous reviewers mentioned velvet drapes...I can see that, antique velvet drapes.

Oddly enough I like this kinda... but the imp's enough for now, I bet this has potential to age in to a real beauty? Perhaps...

Update:

After an hour of so of wear it's starting to fade into the realm of plastic land.

Edited October 13, 2012 by Rshields

[Usagi]

Clearly, what happened here is that I smashed my nose into the banister. That's why it's bloody.

It also explains why the only thing I can smell is that polished, fragile wood smell. It smells a bit like fine sandalwood.

It must have happened when I was following that elusive, spicy musk scent I got from the bottle. I know it went up the stairs, then...

 

BAM!!

 

Sandalwood.

I say something pushed me. I'm pretty sure it's sitting over there, in those dark shadows, snickering and smelling fabulous.

 

Verdict:

Really good lasting power, *definitely* apply with a light hand. Can't wait to see how this ages.

Recommended if you like refined, slightly warm, woodsy scents.

 

ETA: Just layered a drop of Infernal Lover over this, and I smell fabulous. Take that, Slenderman!

Edited October 14, 2012 by Usagi

[OctoberGwen]

Ew, this smells mannish and cologney and weird on me. I don't know if it's the mahogany or what, but there is a note here that is really not good.

 

It lingers even after scrubbing, too.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: mahogany dominant, with a note similar to blackened palm that I’m guessing is the rot, with a hint of iron. This is very intense. Wet: Even more intense on the skin. If anything, the blackened coconut is stronger. It blends beautifully with the rich mahogany. The iron is a touch stronger, but not overwhelming. I wasn’t sure I liked it in the bottle, but it’s lovely on my skin. Dry: Mostly mahogany with a touch of dragon’s blood. Exquisite.

[whataboutprom]

At first this smells like woodsy patchouli and a bit of sandalwood to me. As it dries *something* else comes out, but I have no idea what. The patchouli quickly blends into the other notes and becomes less obvious. I like this but I need more time to process it.

[zankoku_zen]

Spicy wood, dirty patchouli and hints of incense. Smelly dirty and gritty, and yes... blood-spattered.

 

Too manly for me.

[kjirstiben]

I got a spiced-musky mahogany out of this. I liked the slightly spiced musk, but not so much the mahogany ("polished woods" don't seem to appeal to my nose). Stayed pretty consistent in scent throughout the day, just became more musky/powdery as the day wore on.

[rawgirl75]

This would be gorgeous on those who like mahogany. Unfortunately, I dislike mahogany immensely so it's all I can smell here. I should have cross-referenced my spreadsheet before taking the plunge on this one.

Edited October 24, 2012 by rawgirl75

[strahlend]

Sniffing from my decant, first impressions: dark, woody, somewhat cologne like.

 

Skin testing – this smells really good. It's dark and woody, but also just a little sweet, perhaps some opium is in the suffocating shadows? The above reviews that mention sandalwood and dragon's blood sounds right to me too. I love how the dark and heavy elements are balanced with notes that contain more sweet and airy qualities.

 

Eventually this scent seems to become mainly sweet (dragon's blood? opium?) with the woody notes gently anchoring it. Totally different than my first impression from the decant. I almost didn't try this one, but now it's going on my bottle list.

[fufu_berry]

Decant/wet: Fruit snacks? Really fruity and sweet, nothing bloody or sinister to be found.

 

Drydown: A little bit of clean wood coming through, some of the cloying fruitiness has settled down.

 

Hour later: A little bit of musk and clean woods.

 

Not sure how I feel about this - it was extremely sweet and clean on me, which isn't really what I was hoping for, but I started to kind of like it after awhile.

[sharkdiver]

I have to agree with Gwydion and Strahlend - this starts out with a powerful Mahogany note and as it dries it turns sort of incensy/dragon's blood with the mahogany in the background - this is gorgeous, even my DH liked it. On me, it didn't smell manly at all, and the strong upfront mahogany note faded to the background within minutes...I really like this one, but I think my decant will be enough.

[Little Bird]

The Bloody Banister starts off like dusty, dry, dark woods and dirty patchouli on me, and dries down to more of a sharp, perfumey muskiness and powdery woods. Oddly, I'm not getting anything like bpal's blood or dragon's blood notes...

[Nachtwulf]

In the past, most "mahogany" blends I've tried have been warm and mellow (sometimes almost to the point of syrupy)...

 

This is not like that. This is harsh, sharp, edgy, and painfully resinous, almost sour or acrid at times. I was hoping for 'red' notes, from the description...dragon's blood, cherrywood, I don't know, something to soften the harshness, but it's basically 100% resiny dry wood and is MUCH too aggressive and un-sweet for my tastes. It's the olfactory equivalent of inhaling splinters.

 

I'm a little sorry I popped for a bottle, but maybe I can layer it with something like Hellcat and make it work.

[milo]

Uber heavy musky cologne, sharp and metallic. Blood scents never work on me, something in this smells rich and voluptuous, that I'm kind of liking, but as a whole, this blend is not for me.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Woods, dark patch, a coppery tang from the blood.

 

Wet: Like the cold sniff, only more intense.

 

The dry-down: The notes have melded into a lovely, dark woods scent. But perhaps a bit too masculine for me.

[mymymai]

ITI: While I go get mahogany it certainly isn't cracked. It smells finely polished to me. The blood is also somehow reading as chocolate.

 

Wet: Herby, lemon-like musk, mahogany, and sandalwood. I love this even more on my skin.

 

Dry: It's still deliciously herby and lemony while still maintaining the essence of well-oiled deeply rich wood.

[lookingglass]

I've never publicly expressed my love for the Bloody Banister, and find it difficult even now, when I feel compelled to do so. It evokes a very powerful scent memory for me...a haunting banister...

 

Sweet, incensey wood...a nod to classic orientals, but more raw, yet cozy to me in its darkness...leading me down the stairs...

Edited November 7, 2013 by lookingglass

[Monster]

Beths Haunted House scents are probably my favorite for the synesthesia factor. Bloody Banister has the same effect that Forbidden Foyer had on me, I have such a strong memory of playing in my grandmothers old house when I smell this. It totally evokes the image of fine, polished wood. From a perfume standpoint, this is sharp at first but soon mellows to a warm wood with a bit of red musk. I'm not getting the masculine vibe that everyone is reporting. I love love love this one and am so glad I have a bottle.

[Biocarbons]

I tracked down an imp of this and wet it smells like mildew ( moss) over mahogany. Dry the mildew thankfully goes away and I get sage/ cedar, musk, mahogany and a tail of something lightly citrus. Whatever the blood note is it blends with the musk. This is a good blend for anyone that doesn't like sweet mahogany blends.

[torischroeder9]

Tester decant. It is possible that the amount of oil I'm testing may lead to inaccuracy in my review. But maybe not.

 

In the decant: Musky, dusty old house, like a place that isn't opened up for normal daily living. Unused basement, abandoned attic, that sort of stillness and lifelessness.

 

On my skin:

 

Something slightly rosey and citrusy, along with musk and wood. The brightness stays through the initial drydown, giving the impression of clean, polished wood in a room that gets aired out regularly. There's a bit of musk, so it's an old room, but the feeling of an abandoned cellar is gone.