The Sinister Salon

[ellebelle]

Lush carpets, the heavy purple of deep mourning, stretch to touch walls covered in peeling, fading wallpaper and threadbare tapestries. The trompe-l'œil frieze is grotesque: misshapen creatures cavort lewdly, leering and clutching one another in strange embraces. The walls are hung with massive dust-caked portraits of ancestors long-dead, and desiccated calla lilies curl morosely in crystal vases set on ornate end tables. Whiffs of opium, tobacco smoke, sherry, and cologne hint at crumbling decadence and the echoes of buried perversions.

This is a strong opium scent, which is a note that I love. In the wet stage, this is just a giant blast of opium. As it dries, more of the notes become apparently - I get whiffs of the tobacco smoke which add a "dirty" aspect to this scent and then I get something in the background that is very sour smelling and sharp. It is this note which is making me sad because the rest of this is gorgeous. As it goes to the full dry down, that sharp/sour note goes away and I get beautifully rounded opium/tobacco smoke/sherry goodness. I have to think on this as wet and dry and beautiful, but that dry down phase is a little rough for me. I have to wonder if this has myrrh in it somewhere, because that seems to be a common note in blends that I associate with that distinctive sour/sharp scent.

[angelicruin]

I can actually smell every note in this one...the opium, tobacco and cologne are strongest, but I get whiffs of sherry too.

[strahlend]

Sniff from the decant – sort of “perfumy” and floral with a base that must be the cologne; the combination of booze and tobacco brings Black Lace to mind.

 

Skin testing – this does go on dark musk and cologne. This scent seems sophisticated. I like the opium with the lilies and tobacco. This scent seems elegant and professional... like a perfectly tailored lady's suit with a hat and gloves. This scent has a classic feel I think, putting in my mind visions of noir movies. I've been really into resins and lily lately and this scent is fitting in well with my current tastes.

When this softens up in the dry down it smells mostly of soft sweet tobacco, opium, and lily. Decadent, rich, and classy. This dries down into a gorgeous soft tobacco sweetness. Very lovely.

The more I smell this, the more I love it. Every stage is absolutely wonderful.

Edited November 3, 2012 by strahlend

[stellamaris]

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!! So full of win, and who knows what else, I can't tell, but this is very rich, very lush, very Caterpillar to me.

Not for the faint of heart, but so good for the rest of us.

Possibly my favorite Weenie this year.

[Soniadevi]

I must amp tobacco like crazy because it's all I can smell, but then I do get whiffs of opium, lilies, and... crumbling decadence, buried perversions... It's wonderfully evocative, strong, a little plum gives it depth, grounds it and keeps it from being all smoke... I think this would make a good room scent. Too much tobacco for my skin though :-(

[yakiguri]

What a morpher! When I first tried this on earlier today I got mostly a sour mush that I suspect was the sherry making itself known--booze notes and I don't tend to be friends. Later on after a shower I tried this again and got pretty much all the other notes--sweet tobacco smoke and opium are front and center, with a dash of lily. I don't really get any cologne.

 

Will have to retry more to make a bottle decision.

 

EDIT 11/15: Now that my decant has aged more the sherry seems to have completely calmed down, and I primarily get sweet tobacco smoke laced with opium, lily, and a dash of cleanliness which I suppose might be the cologne. While pretty, I don't think I need more than a decant as it's not unique enough from my other sweet tobacco blends to warrant a bottle upgrade. I might snatch up a partial though.

Edited November 16, 2012 by thatbrownelf

[Gwydion]

In bottle: This suits its idea pretty well. I’d swear there was wood in it, maybe as end tables or picture frames. I’d call it wood and tobacco dominant. There’s something suggesting canvas or old wall paper in there. The cologne and opium twine together beautifully to dance with the tobacco. The cala lilies are delicate and present, but not overpowering. The sherry, which I was worried about is extremely understated. Let’s hope that holds on when it hits my skin. At this stage, I am hopeful. Wet: Much as in the bottle, with less cala lily if anything. If you fear florals or wine this should be fine. I’m loving this, the way the wood, canvas, opium, tobacco, and cologne work together. It’s ghostly and androgynous and wonderfully compelling. Dry: Mostly cologne and opium with a rather more cala lily. I like it, but not as much as wet.

[zankoku_zen]

Strong opium and cologne on wet, and it dissipates to a wood/tobacco dominant blend. There's a slight 'linen' hint, which makes me think that's the canvas aspect coming out. But in general it smells woody, tobacco and with a slight sherry note overlayed to it.

 

Slightly masculine in vibe.

 

I was very much hoping that this would be a lily, opium and tobacco blend. But I don't think this quite works with my skin chemistry.

[Midnight Eris]

In bottle: sharp, strong cologne-y scent, to be honest a bit cheap smelling, like something people would've worn during the '80s (my grandmother must've worn something like this, it's very strongly evocative of that time period for me for some reason).

On, wet: same cologne scent, nothing else really comes through.

Drydown: wait, is that...tobacco? The cologne is fading and now I'm starting to smell the other notes.

Dry: I LOVE this, it's just a beautiful scent. The tobacco and opium temper the cologne. It's blended perfectly. The sharpness is completely gone and there's a slight sweetness, maybe from the sherry? This is the type of BPAL blend that I adore - strong, with a hint of sweetness but not at all sickly-sweet. I can't stop sniffing my arm where I applied it, it smells EXACTLY like I was hoping it would when I read the description. I can't wait to see how it ages (if I actually let it age!). This is my favorite of the Weenies I've tried this year. I was between this one and a different Haunted House, soooo happy I picked this one!!

[kjirstiben]

Upon first applying this, the stronger, sharper notes dominate, for a boozy opium impression. As it has faded, though, it has turned into a more subtle, slightly masculine, wood and tobacco scent. Very close to the skin; I wonder if it will fade away entirely by the end of the day. I like it but think my powder-note-inducing skin chemistry has beaten it into submission.

[Little Bird]

Lots of opium here, which I don't like (smells like heavy, musky 80s perfume and cheap, metallic, chemical-y hairspray to me). Dries down with some sweeter tobacco and a weird, sharp, dry sort of soapiness.

[fairestrocza]

It fits the description fairly well. Unfortunately, that is bad news for my skin. It starts out mainly as cologne, then heads toward the tobacco and opium notes. Feels very masculine. Definitely not my style.

[annaham]

The sherry note REALLY amps on me, and it sort of smells like dust and booze...after the initial opium blast calms down in 5 minutes. I may end up getting a partial bottle--love this!

[crebbsgirl]

In the early dry down, the sherry is very prominent on my skin. But as this settles, the most delicious smoky opium scent starts to emerge. The waft smells just amazing. Close to my skin, this isn't as great, but I'm not one to walk around with my wrists smashed to my nose so I'm happy. I really, really like this.

[milo]

This does kind of remind me of Autumn/Black Lace, but it's a bit sweeter, and more powdery. I think they share a few notes, so not surprising. I like this, but don't need any as it is just too similar to the above lace's

[brilliantcat]

Imp: Opium, definitely I've been dying to find an opium scent I love!

 

Wet: I can make out the opium, sherry, and cologne. I like it so far.

 

Dry: Dusty, incense-y opium, a hint of boozy sherry, maybe a smidge of tobacco... perfect. Except there's that dastardly cologne in there mucking everything up. If not for that, I would be in love. Sads

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Opium, some woods, hints of tobacco smoke and the sherry.

 

Wet: More sherry, otherwise much like the cold sniff.

 

The dry-down: A pleasant scent, nothing too sinister about it. Not a morpher. The sherry, opium, tobacco smoke and woods all combine into a slightly sweetish scent (not foody, the sweet notes come from the sherry and the tobacco). Unisex, but a man might carry this off better than a woman.

[mymymai]

ITI: I get sticky opium, tobacco and a touch of sherry, and expensive men's cologne. It's rather interesting, actually.

 

Wet: On my skin, the cologne is the top note, dancing through the tobacco note, sweet opium, and impressions of faded florals.

 

Dry: Now that it is dry, the opium and tobacco become dominant, followed closely by faded cologne. I like it!

[tharsei-thanate]

Received this as a frimp from a forumite!

 

In the imp: Lily and cologne are the two notes I can primarily pick out. The other notes are there but well-blended. Very sophisticated and certainly evocative.

 

Wet: Mmmmm, beautiful lilies and sweet opium. Very nice.

 

Drydown: Lily is still dominating but the opium and tobacco are just behind it, adding depth. The cologne is even further in the background, subtle but still recognizable if I concentrate.

 

Dry: The lily is quieting down and melding with the opium and tobacco. The cologne is creeping up and becoming more pronounced. I always find cologne to be a comforting note so this blend is very relaxing right now, haha.

 

Further on: The cologne has joined the lily/opium/tobacco mix, as well as a small splash of sherry. Also, there's a smokiness surrounding it that's a tiny bit sharp but not in a bad way. It also feels a bit dusty now. Crumbling decadence, indeed!

 

I do like this, but I wish the lily stayed at the forefront in the dry stage. The end result is nice but it's not really me. I'm keeping the imp, but I don't see a bottle in my future.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Much fresher smelling than I thought this would be! Lilies and opium.

 

Dry: Very similar to the wet stage... but now there's some soapiness going on. This was going to be a surprise hit for me, but Soapy McSoaperson had to go and ruin it for me.