Witch Dance

[theseagrows]

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

this is a very autumnal, smoky red musk scent with a hint of the incense. luckily, the leaves are subtle, but this scent really does scream autumn to me. i think either the smoke or the incense is most prominent on me, but i'm not sure which. the red musk is actually subtler here than it is in some other scents. it is usually a powerful note that comes to the forefront, but here it seems to blend in quite well. there really must be just a "dribble" of it in this scent, to back up the incense and smoke.

[bergamot_bliss]

In bottle: Musk musk musk. And I’m getting something dark and spicy…I think that’s the incense.

Wet on skin: Smoke and red musk. It’s dark, round, and heady, and quite lovely.

Drydown: Still smoky and musky, but I’m getting the spicy incense. Such a lush scent. Please dry nicely!

Dry on skin: Sometimes red musk gets a little soapy on my skin, but the hypersweetness of the red musk in this is tempered by the leaves and the smoke. The incense is still coming through strong. The notes blend perfectly. Absolutely loving this scent.

[calivianya]

Very incensey, very smokey, very sexy - all layered over red musk. This is an amazing blend. This is my favorite of the Weenies! I'm so glad I have a bottle.

[HerbGirl]

I love Witch Dance. Ironically I don't get much red musk and (as a few others have noted) its a wearable Samhain for me! Yippee! Its a gorgeous and evocative Autumnal blend and I'm glad to have a bottle.

[ziggystardust13]

I so LOVE Witch Dance! I love smoky, incensy blends. That is precisely what this is. Very heady. To me it smells exactly as it is described. Smoke. Incense. Autumn Leaves. Red Musk. No surprises in there and no disappointment! It's so beautiful and well balanced. Reminds me of Autumn, my favorite time of year. It's sexy and comforting to me at the same time. My husband also complimented me on it which is a major plus! Probably one of if not my favorite BPAL I have tried so far. LOVE AT FIRST SNIFF!

[JazzieCazzie]

I had missed this whole release but had stumbled across the amazing Third Charm at Dark Delicacies this past January, with it almost immediately becoming one of my all-time BPAL favorites. I admit that Weenies overall have not been kind to me, though I feel like they SHOULD work for me ... but usually there will be some sort of deal-breaking note (apples, pumpkins, booze) that, even if only there in the tiniest amount, amps to ruination.

 

In fact, by description, there were few scents I was more excited about than Samhain and it turned out to be my biggest heartbreaker.

 

So this was one that I was torn on ... it sounded wonderful. The REVIEWS for the most part sounded wonderful. Yes, there were a few comps to Samhain, but mostly they sounded like something that would work for me, so when I saw a full bottle on eBay I tooks my chances.

 

IN THE BOTTLE: Mysteriously both fresh and smoky at the very same time. An amazing and brilliant blend of the true outdoors that still had a resinous quality.

 

Dabbed on one wrist and into the crook of one arm (test-drove another scent on the other arm ... see Vampires for that result)

 

WET: There is something unbelievably FAMILIAR about this that I cannot for the life of me put my finger on, and which doesn't seem to be coming to me even after reading the listed notes. Though I see no fruit in the notes, it is still strongly "dark fruity" on me. Not in a terrible "wash it off" way but as if I stepped under a big dark green bough that also had berries on it. I get a deep green cologne that is a little medicinal (good) and a little boozy (not so good). But it's intriguing and interesting and unusual. ... It's like being NEAR a cabin in the woods but not IN it, near a campfire but not AROUND the campfire.

 

DRYDOWN: This is where it loses me. The predominant drydown scent on me is booze. Apple wine or something. Fruity boozy wine the next day, when you have a sweet-wine hangover. And it's the same thing that lost me on Samhain though to a MUCH lesser degree (that was a wash off, this is just a "nah, I don't think I'd wear it again."

 

OVERALL: I don't DISLIKE this but I wouldn't reach for the bottle again. I'll keep the imp I decanted it into and put the rest of the bottle on my swap list ... I think it's just too masculine, to cologne-y, too fruit-booze for me. I actually think I'd like it on someone else. If some guy was wearing it, I'd think he smelled really good. I just don't like it on me. Maybe I've had too many fruit-booze hangovers.

 

On a scale of 1-5, about a 3 but not a keeper 3.

[captnklaus]

Witch Dance was one of those scents I really wanted to work. I blind bought it when it was released and after a disappointing initial test, I let it sit untouched until recently.

After finally opening it again I now know ... That Witch Dance really isn't for me

 

The red musk is fabulous, as usual, but the mixture of incense and autumn leaves just turn this into powder. I love smoky scents and red musk and was hoping for a gorgeous smoky, sexy blend, but ended up weird musky power. Woe! After the failure of this scent plus a few more I tried from last year's Weenies I now know to stay away from "autumn leaves". Ah well. Can't win em all.

Edited September 15, 2013 by captnklaus

[Spork]

aah, red musk, you sometimes play nice but this time not so much even after a year of aging you are still angry powder! sadness!

[AngryRabbit]

2012

 

This is by far one of my favorite BPAL scents. The red musk is unbelievably sexy.

[phoenix1558]

Witch Dance was an, oh so pleasant surprise last year, even at first sniff. Warm, spicy, musky, heady goodness with a hint of something sharper lurking within. And it reminded me of something, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it at the time. This autumn, pulling out the bottle from my seasonal stash after they've aged a year, it struck me like a lightning bolt what Witch Dance reminded me of: the old, original, mid-80s classic Fendi. When Fendi first came out (and I'm not talking the later, reformulated, watered down versions before discontinuance), it was this magnificently strong, spicy, musky, and something citrusy, femme fatale scent. And I loved it and wore it for several years. Witch Dance now thoroughly evokes that Fendi headiness. And of course the name is much better, too! All this makes me even happier to own a bottle.

[MiasmaResonance]

This is just drop dead gorgeous upon first sniff of the bottle. For some weird reason it reminds me of Jean Paul Gaultier "Classique", which I recently purchased and love so, so much and get so many compliments on. It smells almost foodie in the bottle, but sexy foodie.

 

On the skin, the foodie aspect is toned down, and a hint of smoke comes out to play. It reminds me of Rose Jam from LUSH but with a woodsmoke note and far more ethereal. I does get a little powdery, but it works for me in this one. Red musk has never appealed to me or worked on me until now, as well.

 

This is now in my top 10 5. So sexy and atmospheric.

Edited February 11, 2014 by MiasmaResonance

[Monster]

Witch Dance is one of my absolute FAVORITE 'Weenies. I'm actually halfway through my first bottle I should start hunting down a back-up. This smells like Samhain + red musk. Seriously. It's perfect. Out of the bottle it's a faintly sweet red musk but once applied BAM! Samhain shows up with it's crunchy leaves and sweet woods. Samhain + red musk. That's my review. This stuff is amazing for super fans of red musk like me.

[porcelina]

witch dance reminds me very strongly of samhain, but with an added bonus of sexy red musk. that's what it is: sexy samhain. smoke and autumn leaves, dark foresty scents and then it's sweetened and rounded out with smooth red musk. very nice.

[tinyvulture]

I knew I'd fall hard for this one! Bonfire smoke, incense, and autumn leaves are all favorite notes of mine. The red musk, as usual, tries to amp like crazy, but the incense and leaves are standing their ground. Think Samhain + red musk, or Samhain + Snake Oil. There's something "cold" about it, like the nighttime air, that twines together with the warm, pulsing red musk. It's really gorgeous.

[sunlitgarden]

I'm rotating through previous years' Weenies right now and finding ones that I forgot to review in the past!

In the bottle: Hmm, this is a tough one to describe. It's a bit hard to pick out individual notes but I'm getting some incense, something a bit bitter, and maybe a bit of the same sort of dark cassia-ish blood musk in Blood Moon 2010.

On my skin I'm getting the smoke right away, then some more incense. I tend to not like overly-strong smoke notes, but this isn't too overpowering -- it's more like walking around outside with someone burning wood nearby, but not being right next to the bonfire. I'd say the leaves used here are dry and crumbly, not still fresh or wet. I'm not getting any traces of the "dryer sheet" or "cologne" note that wet leaves can produce. It's overall a fairly dusty scent but something (the musk?) is keeping it from getting too dry or bitter. The woodsmoke note fades over time.

Further dry, it's getting a tiny bit spicy. I still think there's a little cassia in here - it has a pretty distinct scent to my nose that's spicy but also really deep and earthy.

Dry on my skin, the scent is fairly gently dry-dusty with a little spice. It makes me think of exploring a cellar full of dry leaves and plants. I still don't really smell the common "red musk" note used in blends like Infernal Lover. It's more like in Blood Moon 2010, just toned way way down.

45 minutes later, it's pretty similar to the drydown of Samhain. It seems to have gradually gotten sweeter over that time and I guess more like the typical red musk note. It still doesn't smell exactly like the frequently used red musk to me, when my partner got home and sniffed me she said "you smell like red musk" so... maybe my nose is just odd.

Edited September 25, 2015 by sunlitgarden

[Cali]

Like some people said before me, this is like the spicy version of samhain. It's got that same creepyness and woodsy stuff in there. However here the incense and red musk are the rulers here. It's actually pretty sensual and I can see how someone might be inspired to dance around for a bit with this on. Maybe it's because the red musk makes it feel like it has a pulse.

[Joyleaf_]

I have come to the conclusion that the dead leaves/autumn leaves note leaves something to be desired on me. I had tried a previous years' Samhain and thought it just hadnt aged well but this has the same high pitched screeching feel that Samhain did. Luckily my skin seemed to amp the smoke and red musk which to me smelled divine, but to a co-worker smelled like playdough and craft store. Ehh To each their own.

[TijuanaBible]

If you don't like red musk, you're not going to like this one. It's got a bit of smoke, and a bit of incense and woods. For me, it's perfect, but I can understand how it's not for everyone. For me, it's mostly red musk and nag champagne, which isn't a bad thing, but I wish I got a little bit more of the smokiness that I expected.

[Foodie]

I felt that I had to order Witch Dance 2016 after everyone went crazy for the 2012 version, and I definitely wasn't disappointed.

When sniffing my Weenie bottles this one did not stand out, kinda sharp. So I waited a couple days to try it. After applying to my wrists and sniffing a minute, I pretty much immediately slathered it all over my body because I knew it was a total win. It's an absolutely gorgeous blend of red musk and incense. I've never had a dead leaves scent so I can't pick that out. But heavy on the red musk and incense for sure. I continued to smell it throughout the day, could still smell traces of it at bedtime. Yay! So happy to have this beautiful scent and if I decide to get any backup Weenie bottles this will be the first one on the list.

[Bassmastadroog]

2016. Yeah! Love this one! My two go to' for red musk are going to be this now, for darker wear and Moriarty for light wear. This is just awesome! Simple, warm red musk and smokey incense. I don't get any other notes, but that's fine. I'd order a 2nd bottle.

[Jenjin]

2016 Version
Stunning and dark red musk, this is a raven haired witch in a glistening auberdine ball gown crushing fat black grapes with her feet. I picked up this beauty in a swap and upon first wiff, it was an arrow flew straight to my heart. Sweet dark fruit musk with a kiss of sacred wood smoke and a swirl of ritual incense. Beautiful, sultry and an ultimate turn on.

Edited October 29, 2016 by Jenjin

[LizziesLuck]

2016 version - I randomly added this to my cart last minute, had to intention of even getting a decant of it, but something about it all of a sudden called to me, and I had to have it!

 

Wet: Oh wow. Super complex, and much more than the sum of its parts - this smells like fall. I can't wear Samhain, due to the mullein, but this is what I wanted it to be like on me. Not sure where the fruitiness is coming from, but it's there! I get hints of red musk (but not totally dominating) and dead leaves, but also fruit. I don't really get the smoke, but I get some incense. It's quite lovely, and screams autumn to me.

 

 

Dry: I really don't get where the fruitiness is coming from, but this honestly smells like Samhain without the mullein on me, which doesn't make a lot of sense to me, based on the notes. But it is what it is (fall in a bottle!) and I am really glad I ordered it. I recommend this to anyone who wanted to love Samhain and didn't - this might be your second chance!

[stellamaris]

You know, the 2012 one was so light on me, I thought, but my husband seems to love it so I am going to get this years too.

To me it's very well blended and almost herbal, but my nose is maybe off.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

This is so unmistakably BPAL! That signature red musk, plus a hint of spicy resin similar to dragon's blood. I have a number of scents in this family, of which Snake Charmer is probably my favorite, but I like this enough to use up the decant.

[cherrycherry]

The 2012 version of this and I did not get along. I let her sit for a long, long time in the hope she'd evolve but there was something in her that I couldn't work with.

 

When I saw her pop up again this year (2016) I decided to give her a second chance. I do that sometimes with blends I want to love. I don't know why, but this time around we're getting on just famously. There seems to be more red musk (my favourite) and I get the leaves too, whereas last time I didn't. Very happy with this. Also, the label is beautiful.