Venom

[mockturtle]

Venom-

Darkly seductive and lethally compelling: sinuous opponax, galbanum, dark wild berries, a drop of lush jasmine and a sliver of lime.

 

 

Strangely, this scent reminds me of Desdemona when I first put it on, though I'm certain the components are wholly different.Sweet, but darkly so. This has the scent of dark flowers in a windowless room, mixed with the sweetness of ripe berries. I can pick up the tang of the lime just a bit.

 

I like it, but I'll use it sparingly since it's a discontinued scent!

Edited November 26, 2005 by mockturtle

[melrose]

This was a frimp from the lab and has everything I want in an oil - spice, powder, a bit of sweetness and florals, and bit of bite - and they meld into something wonderful and far from venomous.

 

So, since I love it so much, naturally it's DC!

[Babylon]

Wet on me, it smells like a light jasmine incense with lime. I never would have thought of it, but this is definitely a nice combination.

 

When it dries, the lime says goodbye, and after an hour only the jasmine remains. I like it, if only because it reminds me of my favorite jasmine incense.

[VenusFlyTrap]

WHOA!!!!

 

This is one amazing scent!

 

I adore the combination of sinuous opponax, galbanum, dark wild berries, a drop of lush jasmine and a sliver of lime.

 

It's got a little bit of the different scent families: floral, resin, citrus, fruit...

 

Really, really amazing and stupendously gorgeous

 

I hope one day Venom will come back, even if for a short Limited while.

 

 

ADDED 3/28/07:

 

This is definitely in the Top Ten of my favorite of all BPAL.

 

 

There is just something that Beth does with her jasmine blends that is simply magical!

 

 

This scent is very sensual with the combination of galbanum and jasmine and the addition of lime is pure alchemy. The opoponax anchors the jasmine with an earthy, sweet, balsamic and faintly lavender floral fragrance. The berries and the touch of lime give the scent a lovely fruity, citrus lift.

 

 

There is no other scent like this one.

 

 

I absolutely adore Venom!

Edited March 8, 2006 by VenusFlyTrap

[arabella]

First Impression: Latex.

 

Dries down to: Smells like a new factory.

 

Additional Comments: I didn't pick up on any of the listed notes. At the end it smelled like Welch's Grape Juice. Not bad but not for me either.

 

Lasted: Overnight.

 

Rating: 2 out of 5

[GreenJeanz]

In The Bottle: Smells like Christian Dior's Poison, only..better. I mean, it smells exactly like it in a basic kind of way, but it has a far darker and more potent edge to it. It's also a lot stronger.

 

 

 

On My Wrist: Almost the same as in the bottle, only some of the crispness of the lime fades. Something else fruity is brought out of it.

 

 

 

Dry: Vividly fruity and luscious, and still very sinister.

 

 

 

How Long It Lasts: All day, but generally not into the night and following morning.

 

 

 

What It Mixes With Well: Anathema & Queen Mab.

 

 

 

How It Makes Me Feel: Sexual, like a temptress, but very classy at the same time.

 

 

 

Images It Brings Up: Ornate glass bottles lined on a shelf, full of toxic and deadly potions, each one more beautiful than the last. Dew-specked fruit on the vine, twisted into a thorn bush. A victorian woman in a tea rose & very light blue striped dress.

 

 

 

Venom takes the scent of Poison and pushes it to the next level of wickedness. Subtle and bold at the same time, Venom is highly enjoyable.

[Miss Lynx]

This is a very odd and interesting one, acquired as part of Kettu's raffle prize - six imps of discontinued scents.

 

At first it's quite sweet and sharp, with the jasmine and lime predominating, but it morphs and changes quite a bit over time. Lime is one of those high, sharp top notes that fades very fast, so that's soon gone, leaving a sort of lush, rich floral/fruit blend with hints of dark incense under it. Then the jasmine settles down nicely into the mix, leaving a sort of dark berry incense scent with just a hint of floral, which is really lovely.

 

And then, alas, it fades entirely. *sigh* Both this one and Baobhan Sith, the first two of the six that I tried, are really nice, but fade away so fast! I would love them both if they'd only stick around. Oh well. Maybe it's just as well this one didn't stay long enough for me to fall in love with it, given that you can't get it any more.

 

Grade: B (B+ or maybe A if it stayed longer)

[Eunice]

In the bottle: This smells like a gelled fruit candy. But slightly evil. Like candy with a razorblade in it.

 

Wet: Jasmine booze, if there is such a thing. The sweetness I first smelled has turned boozy.

 

Dry: Yep... still boozy jasmine on me.

 

Overall: Smells interesting but not for me. A little too sweet for me to wear.

[Em-]

I got this as a frimp from the lab just before it was discontinued. It is very sharp and pungent on me, to the point of actually starting to raise some welts - talk about venomous!

 

There is an interesting sweetness here which I would like to like, but between the welts and the jasmine which is deciding to amp on me, alas, Venom is not my friend.

[Jettcat]

In the bottle: dark and mysterious

 

Wet: Boozy as soon as it hits my skin and a darker floral emerges. Wow does this one morph constantly or what?

 

Dry: The floral keeps amping up, I don't know about this...I think it's giving me a headache.

 

1 hour later: Yup, it's poisonous on me. Someone wrote that it reminded them of Dior's Poison, I have to agree, because it gives me the same reaction.

 

At least I already know someone who wants to give it a loving home.

So sad...

[PurringPulsar]

Venom

 

In the imp: oooh, rich sweet jasmine! This is lovely!

Wet on skin: still sweet jasmine, slightly fruity thanks to the berries, with just a hint of resin and lime.

Dry: mmm, I quite like this! It’s sweet jasmine but with a cold bite to it, there’s a cool, airy, slightly green note here-maybe it’s the galbanum? Probably, because I smelt something similar in Marquise de Merteuil. The lime is barely there, but I really like the opponax resin scent underneath the jasmine, it’s not obvious but it deepens the berry-jasmine and makes it richer. This does have a very sophisticated feel to it. As to whether it smells like Poison, I can’t say since I’ve not smelt that, but it does feel like it could make a good ‘posh perfume’ scent but without being blatant about it.

After a while: for about two hours, wafts of deep jasmine come off my wrist and surround me with scent. It’s so beautiful! After two hours, the scent on my wrist is a lot warmer, and softer, almost musky…a resinous jasmine scent, dark and exotic, sultry and sexy.

Verdict: This is a wickedly good scent, I really like this a lot-it’s got a fantastic jasmine note-rich and deep and heady, very similar to Cabaret’s to my nose-it’s similar to Tunisian jasmine which I adore. The sweetness and intensity of jasmine is enhanced by berries and opponax and cooled by chilly, piercing galbanum. This scent is sophisticated and grown up, and quite sexy! It makes me feel grown up. It’s such a shame this has been discontinued, seemingly indefinitely, because this is a fabulous scent and I will cherish the imp I have of it.

Emoticon rating:

[opheliaslily]

My skin has a tendency to amp up the jasmine like crazy and this was no exception. Pretty soon I had to wash it off because it was overpowering and almost sickeningly jasmine and nothing but jasmine.

 

*cough*

 

Good thing others like it. *g*

[mirutai]

Dark berries and jasmine. While it's wet, I get the sharp citrus scent of the lime, but it quickly fades.

 

Venom is an interesting mixture of sensations - juicy yet powdery, sweet yet dark. It's heady, feminine, and faintly dangerous. Not really my thing personally, but a good fit for the name!

[edenssixthday]

Venom - It seems that every week lately I'm discovering a new "must have!" BPAL scent...that's hard to find, of course. Venom is the latest. This is a truly gorgeous blend! It's sweet like Fae and Versailles (although not as strong) and is reminiscent of a honey and/or vanilla scent without being foody, but rather smells quite sweetly floral and a touch fruity. It's slightly woodsy, as well (probably why it reminds me of Fae and Versailles). It's not strong or overpowering, yet it's got a rich and heavy sweetness about it. I'm completely blown away that I don't detect the jasmine note in this blend in the least, since my skin usually amps up jasmine to an uncontrollable level. Likewise, I don't smell the lime at all, and I wonder if it's my skin chemistry causing the lime to disappear, or if it's the process of aging. Venom has a great level of throw and the scent lasts throughout the day. The first time I tried it, I applied it around 10 p.m. at night, and at 7:00 a.m. the next morning, when I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the scent of Venom on my wrists. This is a beautiful blend and I don't understand why it had to be discontinued! I'll be using up every last drop of Venom that ever comes my way -- and believe me, I've managed to unearth quite a bit of it in recent weeks because I love it so much!

[sophia_helix]

This one certainly lives up to its name. Strong, rich, overpowering at first, with all the notes on blazing display -- the jasmine is actually OK on me, floral instead of waxy, and the lime adds that extra little twist. It reminded me a little of Muse, except not powdery and way more kickass. I'm another one this raised welts on, and it even made the pulse pound in my wrists!

 

This was fairly long-lasting on me, and while it calmed down a little, it was still an incredibly heady scent. Not for everyday wear by any means, but I think I'll pull this out when I need to smell like I feel more sexual and powerful than I actually do.

[Voleuse]

The lime bursts out on first application, closely followed by the berries. I'm not familiar with the other notes, but they deepen and sharpen the fruity overtones, giving a sophisticated sheen to the scent overall. It's difficult to describe, but it's also difficult to stop sniffing. Fascinating.

[sofiaviolet]

I definitely smell the jasmine. It's got something sugary about it. I don't smell the lime at all, and the berries, just barely. I wish I had more than a sniffie of it.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Jasmine and lime.

 

Pre-review thoughts: Knowing my skin? I'm betting this'll be a mess of jasmine and lime.

 

In the imp: Berries, lime and strong jasmine. Surprisingly nice.

 

On skin, wet: Eek, lime! Fresh lime, yes, but lime all the same. I'm not big on lime.

 

On skin, dry: Flowery (jasmine) lime and earthy opponax. I don't think there's a single note in this that, at the moment, agrees with my skin.

 

Conclusion/Notes: Nice for what it is, but not my normal fare.

[GypsyRoseRed]

I love and adore this scent, but sadly, it doesn't last for longer than a few minutes on my skin. It's a beautiful blend of lime, dark berries and a touch of jasmine.. It somehow manages to be neither overly floral or fruity, but something in between that's sophisticated and distinctive. It does remind me a little of Dior's Poison, but without the tang of alcohol that's always so strong in that scent. This is one discontinued blend that's definitely worth the hype to me, and I really, really hope I'm going to be able to find a way to wear it (I don't get much throw out of scent lockets, so I'm not relying on that).. It'll be a heartbreaker if I have to send it off to the swap or sell pile.

[steffanina]

Venom-

 

In Bottle: Berries and this smells JUST like Poison perfume. Who makes that again? Dior?

 

Wet: Woo, that's not Poison. Musty-mossy, herbal-smelling.

 

Dry: Okay, now, this IS Poison all over again. Except it's Poison with accompanying smoke, and that's kind of interesting.

 

Overall: Interesting.

[supremegoddessofall]

Interesting combination of jasmine and lime, with the other florals hiding behind. No berries in here for me at all. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. It's pretty, but definitely not typically me.

[wikkidraven]

i never thought i'd lay eyes on venom, but now that i have i'm in love!

 

the berry tames the jasmine note, making this wearable for me...and i do like the lime thrown in. i have a feeling that the incredible age of this imp is what makes it great, as in so many other bpal scents. gorgeous...like all the other blends i love that are no longer

[alicia_stardust]

Since I never guessed that I would be able to try Venom, I never even looked at the scent description. If I had, I would have known that it would be instant love! I adore opponax and galbanum. The resins sit sinuous and strong, while the berries, lime, and jasmine burst forth to give this a smoky, alluring, sensual scent. This is graceful yet strong; sweet yet wicked. On my skin this has a strong throw and a very long wear length.

 

If only I had more!

[Naamah_Darling]

Too bad they're not making this any more.

 

In the bottle, it's rich incense relieved by a subtle sweetness, with a cut of citric lime that keeps it from sugaring over.

 

This is really a masterfully blended scent. It's quite perfume-y, yet subtle and dark, much like the oil itself, which is a murky amber. The berries are firmly behind the jasmine, which adds a cool, light touch to the resinous notes. The lime is at the very top of this scent, not very assertive at all, just enough to keep this from being too low-pitched to really impress.

 

It does smell a bit like Dior's Poison at first, but this fades as the incense comes to the fore. It's a dark, murky, languid scent, dimly-lit, untrustworthy, and a bit creepy.

 

A remarkably subtle product of the perfumer's art, both rich and deep, and shifting.

[chrisann]

When I first got into Bpal in Sping of 2006, a very generous peep gave me a decant of Venom as a freebie. Back then, at that stage, I would sniff test the smellies in the vial first to deem weather I wanted to do a further skintest. I sniffed my freebie of Venom and promply forwarded it as a freebie to someone else. This is me now : Talk about swappers or rather frimpers remorse!

 

Venom does indeed remind me of Dior's original Poisin perfume. Minus the strong heady cloud of alcohol and intensity. Venom is more insensey/resiny. Sexy in a warm skinscent way that is so common of Beths blends. I love it!!!

 

* Many thanks to GypsyRoseRed for sending me a testable sniffie of this to try!!!