O Daughter of Death and Priapus

[Larinessa]

O DAUGHTER OF DEATH AND PRIAPUS
They were purple of raiment and golden,
Filled full of thee, fiery with wine,
Thy lovers, in haunts unbeholden,
In marvellous chambers of thine.
They are fled, and their footprints escape us,
Who appraise thee, adore, and abstain,
O daughter of Death and Priapus,
Our Lady of Pain.

Black opium, wild plum, cypress tar, Bulgarian rose, olibanum, black orchid, and tobacco.

Yay! I am the first!

This is straight out of the box, so I may come back and edit after this settles....

In the bottle this is straight up Opium and Orchid, very similar to Black Orchid v3 to my nose, strong and heady.

Wet on skin- still very strong opium and orchid, with something lurking underneath, I think its the cypress and plum..... mmmm.... I like this. No rose detectable yet, but as rose isn't always my friend just fine by me.

Dry- this softens up considerably. The rose does start coming out slightly, but its still behind the orchid and opium. Not much plum detected, which is slightly disappointing, but I am such an orchid fan I don't really care

I would definitely categorize this in the same vein as Black Orchid v3, or if your a fan of Great Vampire Bat. Smokey Orchid fans rejoice! This will be used quite a bit this summer on steamy evenings as I see this being a beautiful wafter.

[yakiguri]

I'm seriously hoping more aging turns this blend into something amazing, as currently all I'm getting is pencil shavings (I blame the cypress) and a spicy, soapy floral (the opium and orchid). I also can't smell it unless my nose is thisclose to my skin.

 

A shame since otherwise this has nothing but win notes in it and theoretically should be awesome on my skin.

 

EDIT 6/06: Now that the blend has aged more the soapy pencil shavings are GONE. The cypress is now more of a green, slightly sharp backdrop to what is now a spicy-sweet orchid blend, an aquatic with a bite. Longevity was surprising for a floral, lasting all workday on my skin. Glad I have this as part of my orchid stash, and yet more proof that with BPAL you gotta give the scents time to settle before they truly bloom on the skin.

Edited June 7, 2013 by thatbrownelf

[Dark Alice]

This makes me sad. Wet: It smells of pencil shavings and opium tar. Drying: It is a magical walk through a lush forest with wild orchids blooming everywhere. Officially dry: Expensive Orchid soap. High end, expensive orchid soap. I wish the drying phase would last forever, b/c I would buy at least 2 bottles of it. *sigh*

[tziporra]

If this were my daughter I'd tell her to stop smoking so darn much opium.

 

I agree with an earlier reviewer that this _should_ be full of win for me, the notes list look like "something Tzi will really really love" but I just get a blast of opium (which would be fine if it were then tempered by some other note, I adore opium) and then nothing..... Happy I just got a decant!

 

Tzi

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: Everything here looks beautiful, except for the plum. I've yet to find a blend with plum that didn't turn to immediate vomit on my skin, so my hopes are not high for this one.

 

Wet: Smoky floral, no hint of plum, just a touch of opium. I'm thrilled at the lack of plum here, and the opium mixing with the florals is absolutely stunning.

 

Dry down: A lot of opium, but the plum is surprisingly being held in check. The gorgeous smoky floral is gone, and this is pretty much a single note opium at this point.

 

Dry: After three hours, this is still just an uncomplicated (but lovely!) opium. At about 6 hours, the orchid starts to peek out just a tad and hints at beautiful things.

 

Final thoughts: I'm thrilled that the plum remains silent, but I wish that it was more than just all opium, all the time. I have a hunch that a few months of aging will do marvelous things for this one.

 

Verdict: Keeping for now, and will update this review in 6 months.

 

Skin test on September 19, 2013

Wet: Smoky opium and fabulous orchid. This smells like beautiful old-style classic perfume. Very expensive and fancy smelling.

 

Dry down: Hello orchid! Holy bananas this is great. When this was fresh, there was just a hint of this beautiful floral. It's a smoked out orchid, like sitting in a jungle filled with orchids and smoking a really nice cigarette. The opium is still hanging around and is beautiful. This definitely feels like Serious Perfume, but it's classy and beautiful.

 

Dry: Smoked out beautiful orchid with just a hint of tobacco. The opium is slightly more prominent here and lends a really languid sexy vibe to the whole perfume. Seriously this is amazing.

 

Final thoughts: I am so freaking glad I held onto this bottle. I was really disappointed after the first test in March when all I got was the opium but now it's phenomenal. The plum is still silent thank goodness and the orchid is just to die for. This also lasted for hours on my skin. Overall, this is a classy, sexy perfume that is to die for.

 

Verdict: Hoarding

Edited September 20, 2013 by Alethia

[mymymai]

ITI: Oh, smoky, earthy, spicy, and sensuous. The olibanum, opium tar, and sweet tobacco are the most dominant in the bottle, but there is a lighter floral sweetness that makes the scent delightfully complex.

 

Wet: It's spicy, like a men's cologne; however, there is enough floral to make it feminine at the same time. I'm loving the olibanum and opium as the scent starts to dry.

 

Dry: Sweet tobacco opium tar, sensuous orchid, and wild plum drift together in a gorgeously feminine and sensuous scent.

[OctoberGwen]

This opens with a very strong blast of opium and dries to a gorgeous floral/opium/tobacco with a definite presence of cypress tar. Like Alethia, I'm relieved the plum doesn't become apparent here because that's not a favorite of mine. Perhaps wild plum smells a bit more tame?

 

I'm hoping the opium takes more of a back seat as this ages, too, because the middle part of the scent, with the florals mixing and wafting with these other notes is just amazing. It's a wildly feminine and intriguing scent; a fascinating mix.

 

Yet another win for Our Lady Of Pain!

 

 

ETA: This is aging magnificently. The opium has smoothed out beautifully and this is now one well-blended, sexy beast.

Edited August 5, 2013 by OctoberGwen

[mermaidsdream]

Black opium, wild plum, cypress tar, Bulgarian rose, olibanum, black orchid, and tobacco.

 

I've had my decant for about a week, so it's had plenty of time to settle.

 

Imp: something ... green, with a little tart.

 

Applied & drydown: Oh Lord, floral, floral, and more floral. Most people get opium out of this, I'm getting the rose, and almost NOTHING else. Even after several hours, all I get is rose to the point it's aggravating my allergies.

 

Definitely NOT a keeper for me. I can't wash this off fast enough

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: The opium tempered by all the other notes, esp. the rose and orchid.

 

Wet: Now a bit sweeter, probably the plum (it adds some sweetness in a general way, not as an obvious fruit note).

 

The dry-down: I would say that this is mainly an opium perfume, that is kept from being an SN because of all the other notes, the plum, cypress tar, rose, olibanum, orchid, and tobacco have all blended into an almost bouquet-like mix of notes wherein the opium just nestles.

 

I can see this being worn by a woman who is very sure of herself. She's wearing an elegant black dress, not showing a lot of skin. She wears stiletto heels and hose with a seam up the back, because she can. She checks her diamond studs, glances at her expensive but simple watch, and tucks her clutch under her arm, along with her chiffon stole that she flings around her shoulders on her way out the door. As a taxi pulls up in the early evening, she smiles to herself since she knows she's on-time to meet that certain someone at the best restaurant in the city, with cocktails in the posh bar next-door beforehand.

 

Alas, I am not that woman, and this perfume, as elegant as it is, is not for the likes of me.

Edited March 24, 2013 by thekittenkat

[stellamaris]

This is awesome, smokey, deep and wonderful. Definitely a "dark indigo" scent for me. It's like the girl version of Laudanum.

[rawgirl75]

Am officially in love with this blend. On me, it's a cross between Event Horizon and A Blot Upon the Earth minus the vetiver. Instant bottle purchase!

 

Fans of Parliament of Monsters or Blood Countess may also love this too.

Edited March 27, 2013 by rawgirl75

[theseagrows]

this is a dark floral scent. i am a sucker for rose, orchid and tobacco, so that's what drew me into this one. plum and opium can go wonky on me sometimes, but in a complex blend like this, they often work. in the vial i just smell cypress and maybe tobacco. however on my skin, it's mostly orchid, plum, tobacco and a hint of rose. i'd say it's mostly orchid on me though, with the other notes supporting in the background. i think there may be rose coming out, but as a supporter to the orchid. it's not a very outwardly rosy scent on my skin. this seems to be a very sophisticated "perfumy" scent. i like it, because i really like orchid scents, but i'm not sure it's one of my favorites. i will have to give it another try again soon.

[brilliantcat]

Imp: Smoky opium and orchid. Deep, dark, and sensuous.

 

Wet: The opium goes a bit screaming soapy but the orchid and rose are melding into lovely dark wonderfulness, despite rose not often working on my skin.

 

Dry: Finally, an opium blend that likes me! Very slightly soapy opium, smoky dark florals. I may need a partial.

[Little Bird]

On me, this is harsh, smoky, chemical-y smelling opium and rose soap. I was hoping for more orchid and plum, but I don't get anything fruity from this blend.

[claudia6913]

In the bottle: opium and flowers

Wet on skin: Getting a bit of the cypress tar, it's all very smoky and dark. Opium is coming out more, as are some of the florals.

Dry: This is very complex, soft, smoky, dark, resinous. The florals sort of sit above everything, just wafting about in the darkness.

 

I'm glad I didn't pass this one up!

[zankoku_zen]

Opium, orchid, tobacco, touch of plum. This reminds me to Black Orchid, Shadow Witch Orchid (my favorite BPAL orchid blend), but throw in some of the darkness from the Nightmare Land of Dreams blend.

 

It's dark, heady, sophisticated. Dark of the moon, witch woman sort of blend.

 

I really enjoy opium, and I enjoy a good orchid note, and this seems to combine both. I just wonder if this is too dark for me to actually wear.

[milo]

Lot's of heady opium here, reminding me a lot of Slippery Poppy Tincture, only darker. I love a good incense, but I don't wear them that often. Mostly at home, as they can sometimes smell a bit too 'perfumey', and I'm worried of it being offensive to others. I like this, it's a voluptuous incense, dark with a touch of plum. I'll probably just stick to Witch Dance when I'm in the mood for incense, but this one is good, for those of you who like their perfume dark and incensey.

[kaberett]

Wow, this is amazing.

 

In the imp: dark, smoky floral with bite - I really, REALLY hope the rose doesn't go vile on me, like every single other one has. To my surprise, I don't seem to be bothered by the tobacco!

 

Wet: absolutely DELICIOUS light sweet rounded floral smoke.

 

Dry: Sweet, gentle smoke - complex, rather than cloying. The rose isn't turning to powder on me and it's also not being overpowering, which I'm a little surprised about; the plum and florals are there, but they add edge and depth rather than dominating. I am really surprised by how much I like this (vis, A Lot); I've also really adored the other scents I've tried containing opium, so I suspect I've found a new favourite note! It smells pale purple and lovely, lovely, lovely.

 

Bottle, maybe, perhaps, if the budget will allow it.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: It opens with smoky opium, followed by sweet resinous olibanum (which smells like Frankincense to me, I'm not sure what the difference is?).

 

 

Dry: This gets pretty much eaten by my skin. What's left is, sadly, nothing that excites me, just hints of some dark smoky-sweet resins. It's pleasant, but not wowing me.

[starbrow]

I try not to stare at notes once a dearly beloved has reached me to be smelled for the first time. So here goes:

 

The rubbery resins are nuzzling me like long-lost stuffed animals made of RUBBER. Sweet and a little plasticky and so, so rubbery. I can't get over it. I kind of love it. I love the smell of rubber. I am blown away because I know that there are no rubber resins (opoponax etc.) listed in the notes, but I refuse to look. Okay let's press on.

 

Orchid is a gentle floral presence. She is the gothiest of flowers. She and I get along. I am happy to have her along for this rubber ride.

 

I know plum is here. But...I can't smell her. At all. Feel free to join the party at any time.

 

What else might be accounted for in the notes...I must look. Peeking. Opium. Okay that is the heady medicinal note. Not quite wormwood, but something really woozy when you take a good sniff. And the rest? Cypress, rose, frankincense (olibanum), and tobacco. Idk. I am a fan of everything but rose, which is stompy, and I don't even get rose. It's all very...Victorian hospital gothic chic, where the patient has escaped in her lace nightgown and fled into the night to drown herself in a rubbery grave.

 

I am kind of all about this. But I need more plum. Will layer with plum things for the plum life. Unf.