Witch Dance

[Elizabethm]

Bonfire smoke rising through a cloud of ceremonial incense, encircled by swirling autumn leaves and a dribble of blood red musk.

Wow. Very red musky. I smell this in A LOT of bpal scents to the point that they all blend in my head. I'm not really sure what red musk IS but to me it smells like a musk mixed with cherry or some other red berry. I smell a tiny bit of bonfire smoke and something a little musky but not unpleasant. This is a sexy scent. Another win on owning a bottle.

[Mechanical Death]

Got my order today! Sooo many imps. Thank you Beth!!!

 

In the bottle I catch a whiff of strong incense. It smells like the little magic shop around the corner from my home--spicy, resinous, deep insence swirling in the room of herbs. Mmm. Loving it so far. I then catch the scent of the sweet red musk, another favorite. Not much smoke-- just a hint. I was afraid of a strong burning note which I don't get in the bottle.

 

On the skin it turns into heavy smoky insence, not woody smoke, just smoky quality. The red musk surprisingly doesn't overwhelm the other notes, they're stronger. I smell the dry leaves as well which temper the sweetness of the musk and blend with the insence. It's a magnificent blend. It's like walking through a headshop at the renfaire in the fall.

[crebbsgirl]

I'm surprised this isn't getting more love, because it is OMFG good on my skin. It's red musk dominant, yes, but I think this is the most wearable red musk I've ever tried from BPAL. The smoke and leaves really temper this, adding a drier, earthier dimension to the red musk. It's really quite beautiful and evocative, and like no other red musk blend I've tried. Whereas Third Charm was heavily reminiscent of Infernal Lover, and had shades of Snake Oil present, Witch Dance is truly in a class of its own.

[OctoberGwen]

Between this and Third Charm alone, Weenies have been a total win for me this year.

I am thrilled that my two bottle purchases from this epic update have worked out so well.

 

Witch Dance has that wonderful "Autumn leaves on the ground" scent that Beth does so beautifully, only here is it made even more wearable by the touch of red musk. There's a hint of incense when I first apply, but I'm not getting a lot of smokiness yet. I have a feeling this will deepen and be more evident with age, though.

 

A gorgeous, evocative Fall scent - possibly my 'go to' for when Samhain or Samhainophobia is simply too much to have on.

 

 

ETA: Giving this a few days to settle in has turned it into a perfect blend of incense/smokiness and Fall leaves with a touch of red musk to sweeten it up. I may need another bottle...I think Witch Dance has turned into my ideal Autumnal perfume.

 

EATA: Samhain has a component that is just this side of too heavy for me; also, at times it turns into something pretty funky on my skin. Samhainophobia doesn't have it, but it sometimes feels like it comes on too strong, also. It's somewhat unisex, too.

 

Witch Dance, OTOH, captures the Autumn leaves scent while remaining completely wearable for me by the addition of sweet incense, just a touch of bonfire smoke, and red musk. It is absolutely perfect, my ideal everyday Autumn scent.

 

I need several backups, I think.

Edited October 29, 2012 by OctoberGwen

[Poenari]

My Weenie order arrived yesterday and Witch Dance was my first try-out, so this review is based on trying it pretty fresh from the mailbox. In the bottle, I was surprised at how faint it was, and hoped that it would settle down and amp up after a while. I skin-tested right after my shower, so the bottle had a chance to warm up a little, and it was applied to fresh warm skin. It was mostly red musk, and I don't get any smoke or leaves at this point, although the red musk is grounded, which must be from the smoke and leaves. I was leaving to visit my mother, who lives two hours away. Upon arrival, I gave her a hug, and she immediately told me how good I smelled, and asked if I'd just applied perfume. I hadn't, it was still my earlier application of Witch Dance. It's all the more surprising that my mom smelled this because she's on oxygen and has basically no sense of smell at this point. I still don't get any smoke or leaves myself, but my skin alwasy amps red musk to eleven. However, red musk scents also garner me the most compliments, and Witch Dance definitely sticks around, so it is a keeper.

 

edited to add: after resting for 10 days, I wore this again today, and finally I get the smoke and leaves. I am now seriously in love with this scent! It's a softer version of Samhain without the medicinal note that has always kept Samhain from working on my skin. Definitely need another bottle before these come down.

Edited October 31, 2012 by Poenari

[stellamaris]

This is gorgeous and perfect, incense lovers buy this right now. Quickly. It's got that same cold incense note as The Night Raven, but it's just a touch more complex.

[zankoku_zen]

Red musk, incense and autumn leaves.

 

The red musk in this one is very different from Tears of Lilith. This one is a autumn red musk , bonfire smoke and dry leaves in the wind.

 

It would actually be a fantastic room scent.

[a_llb]

In vial: Leafy, syrupy red musk.

 

Wet: A fruity burst of incense. It does not seem smoky to me yet, much more like fresh, unburned incense. I am getting something in the background that seems like myrrh - that same golden sweetness, perhaps with a streak of soot.

 

Dry: Glossy, sticky, stays close to the skin. The sugary aspect melds into a warm, musky blush.

 

Verdict: It's like an incense-candy-coated pile of leaves. Or like Sed Non Satiata and The Lights of Men's Lives, with a touch of October all blended together in a mystic arcane ritual. I have several red musk blends in my bottle collection, but this is so deliciously different that I may just have to cave and get a bottle.

Edited October 26, 2012 by braybrigade

[cometgirl21]

This is absolutely gorgeous in the bottle. It smells just like the description.

 

On me, it doesn't play nice. It starts off with incense and smoke and leaves and smells pretty. But it quickly turns into a powdery soap that makes me want to sneeze when I smell it. Then the red musk seems to come out a little more and takes away the dusty edge that makes it sneeze inducing and it is really the perfect autumn perfume. I think it will age beautifully and I may pick up another bottle. ETA after about five minutes the soap/dust thing going on disappears and I'm left with smoky incense and red musk with a hint of leaves and I definitely need a back up.

 

Final verdict: This soap stage does not last long and when it disappears I'm left with a gorgeously sweet, smoky incense and I can see this being my signature scent. It is everything I hoped it would be and more.

Edited October 26, 2012 by cometgirl21

[aphrodite]

so far this smells like samhain without the apple.there's something i amp in both of them, but i don't know what it is. maybe the smoke note, but bonfire night smells nothing like this on me. is there black patchouli in this one? the note i amp is deep and heady and i want to say it smells mahogany or dark purple.

[fiddlehead]

Witch Dance is almost identical to Samhain on my skin. I can't pick out individual notes but it just is *that* scent. Witch Dance has a "cold" effect that Samhain doesn't. It also isn't nearly as strong, thankfully. I've had it on my wrist for about 30 minutes. Witch Dance isn't as different as I had hoped. I had a feeling it wouldn't be. The "dead leaves" note that is in many 'weenie blends is what makes them distinctive and very similar to each other. So, a lovely Fall scent but not different enough for me to have more than one bottle. If it doesn't give me a skin reaction like Samhain does, it will replace Samhain in my Fall scent lineup.

[cyberpuff]

My first impression of Witch Dance is that it's a lovely red musk version of Halloween: Los Angeles. The bonfire/burning note is up front first, and what I smell most for the first 30 minutes after applying. It is grounded by the sweet smell of musk I recognize from Blood Kiss. It seems to fade into oblivion after about two hours. Maybe my skin eats this, maybe it hasn't had enough rest after travel. The two hours that I have it on it doesn't morph much.

 

I'll edit if anything changes, right now I hope nothing does except maybe a longer staying power. It's a keeper for me for sure- I've already received a "you smell good" compliment.

[brilliantcat]

Sexy, love of my life, powerful red musk in the imp turns to smoky, alluring, incensey, just a touch of red musk wet on me. SWOON. Heady, alluring, a little dirty and just what I want to smell like all the time. I need bottles!

[dreamingjune]

In bottle: Dry leaves. Meh?

 

Wet: Ooh, there we go. I am getting a smoky mahogany wood thing happening here, with the sweetness of wine and red musk.

 

Dry: Like Samhain without all of the apple and cider notes that make it smell like a halloween candle on me. In other words, yay! This is really quite lovely, without being in your face red musk.

 

Overall: Those afraid of smoke and incense should not worry too much with this one. Run to this if you want subtle red musk and the fabulousness of Samhain without the foody candle.

[Gateau]

Very incensey, some smoke. Red musk never plays nice on me, but this one does. Not really getting a lot of leafiness. I have plenty of incense scents so I don't need a bottle, but will use up my decant.

[rhubarb3point14]

I had high hopes for this, because at first I could smell a smoky, bonfire smell. I love smoky smells, but often my skin eats them.

 

Unfortunately, my skin did eat the smoky smell, and I was left awash in red musk and head shop. I've kind of overdosed on red musk lately and am starting to really dislike it, so I think this scent isn't for me.

[Little Bird]

I can barely tell most of bpal's red musk blends apart, because the red musk is so overpowering to me. Witch Dance is another one that pretty much just smells like red musk to my nose (red, warm, slightly fruity/wine-like, heavy note that turns a bit powdery on me). This is tons of red musk and a hint of woodsmoke that dries down to all red musk on me...

[milo]

Lot's of incense here, and leaves, I'm only getting a touch of red musk. There is a warm feeling to this blend, and it reminds me a lot of Voodoo Queen, though I"m doing a side by side here, and VQ does have sweet clove rather than the less sweet leaves. They are quite similar, though with that warm incense, and I predict this may be one of those 'sleeper' hits. Bottle will be coming my way for sure!

Edited November 8, 2012 by milo

[DrKate]

This is wonderful, why didn't I just order a bottle outright? I should have known it would work from the notes. Smoky, incensy red musk. It reminds me a bit of Halloween: Las Vegas without the cake, which is brilliant because I *almost* loved that blend but the cake was a tiny bit too much for me.

[patina]

I can see a comparison to both Halloween: Los Vegas and Samhain. (The red musk smells a little fruity, suggesting the cider from Samhain.)

 

This is a very dry, sweet, and very, very red musky scent.

 

I can imagine swirling autumn leaves against an oxblood red sky. However, I can't pick out an individual leaf note. The incense sweetens the blend and gives it more of a perfumy edge. I couldn't tell you what resins were involved in the incense, though.

 

Bottle-worthy? Maybe. The red musk is a little aggressive. Maybe this will smell richer with age.

[Helas]

I've liked red musk scents in the past, but I've never been able to actually identify the note - it generally just fades into the background for me. Smelling this has been an education.

 

Witch Dance is almost all red musk to me - fruity and a little bitter, reminding me of tannic red wine. There is also a clean, almost soapy undertone, like freshly-washed skin. Along with the incense and spicy bonfire smoke, it conspires to make this smell, oddly enough, like apple baked goods.

 

I like this scent but I'm not sure I need a whole bottle. I'm hoping aging will bring the bonfire smoke and the autumn leaves to the forefront, since these were the main attraction for me.

[CreamyJade]

In the bottle: This smells good. Very good. I get a fruity red musk, but I also get incense (sugared, not woody, maybe nag champa?) and flowers (but good ones, so it may be the leaves!).

Wet on skin: The fruity red musk comes out, but it's not as poignant and dark as, say, the red musk in Infernal Lover. It's subtle.

Dry on skin: It's mostly sugared incense and light fruity red musk. Lovely!

Final thoughts: For the name alone I would've bought a bottle. But because it smells so good, I got two! This is very nice, but subtle. I wish I got the "all red musk, all the time" some of the reviews have, but I get a shy fruity red musk, sugared incense and flowers (or leaves?). I'm not fond of flowers, but there's definitely something "flowery" going on, in the same vein as Midnight in the Midway (which I happen to love for a reason still unknown to me). Witch Dance has medium throw and would be perfect for a date.

Try if you like: Halloween: Las Vegas (sans le cake, as was mentioned in a previous review), Midnight on the Midway (sugared incence).

[joyfulgirl]

this turns to powdered floral soap on me. sadness.

[filigree_shadow]

More red musk than I was expecting at first, but give it 30 minutes or so. It dries down into an autumnal smoky musky scent that is extremely pleasant and very lovely. Very autumn. Extremely well done.

[ellebelle]

This has skyrocketed to be possibly my favorite red musk scent. I'm not a red musk lover, but something with the incense and the spiciness of the leaves balances the bitterness of the red musk. This is magic, and it my favorite scent of the YEAR.