Hell's Belle

[CynicalPink]

Sweet, smoky and sensually wicked. A thick, steamy scent, truly sinister in its voluptuous sexuality. The perfume of a demon's favored consort, or of the devil herself. Oleander with wet, sweet mandarin, lush magnolia, a rush of deep musk and a touch of spice.

Imp: Flowers and spices

Wet: Cinnamon type spice and gentle magnolia

Drydown: Eh. Not a fan of cinnamon, but the magnolia party was fun

[voodoocatwoman]

Magnolia... either you love it or you don't. Having grown up climbing magnolias (they are excellent when you need to hide), it's no surprise that this scent is a bit nostalgic for me. It is sweet but spicy and evokes the image of the Southern Lady. She is gracious but will kick your ass if you cross her.. but she will smile the entire time and say "Bless your little heart" right before she rips it from your chest and hands it to you.

 

Dangerously sweet. That's Hell's Belle for ya.

[Usagi]

Imp: Smells like a Christmas shop; cinnamon and other warm spices over heady florals and bath product.

Wet: I mainly smell cinnamon, and perhaps allspice.

Dry: Spices with something creamy underneath, that smells vaguely of coconut.

 

 

I'm so glad I tested this before the Holidays really kick in. This will be a wonderful winter scent.

[Graphica]

in the bottle: Fruity and musky, with a background of some warm spice, like cinnamon or clove.

 

on wet: Musky floral. Puts me in mind of something like Opium or Poison. I'm not saying the scent is similar, but that it gives me a similar feel. I liked it better in the bottle.

 

drydown: A minute later and the scent is already back to fruity, or at least, it has gotten significantly sweeter but not in a bad way. This really reminds me of Poison. My current impression is that I like it, but ... hmmm. I'd call it sexy, but almost too in-your-face sexy, which is definitely nothing like me. I don't think that anyone who knows me would call me sexy, not even sensual, more ... reserved. Granted, part of the allure of perfume is stepping outside one's own skin for a short time, but this is too much like wearing someone else's clothes.

 

one hour later: Cloying. I don't think the scent has changed, more like my nose is overwhelmed, saturated. This really isn't for me. I won't be aging this one to see if it morphs.

 

end of day: Never made it. Had to wash it off after an hour or so. This scent was literally exhausting to me. It wore out my nose, wore down my mood, and left me feeling ragged and tired.

 

compared to official description: "Thick" is a good word for this: It almost literally weighed down my wrists. At the very least, it weighed me down -- made me lethargic right to my core.

 

I've never smelled a scented magnolia blossom, so don't know how to pick that out of the mix. I'm sure I've never smelled oleander straight either. I just looked up oleander, and assuming it's Nerium oleander, it's supposed to be an exceptionally toxic plant, which I find interesting. I wonder if Beth picks scents for their historic or mythic character as well as the actual scent. Probably. Almost certainly, I think.

 

notes: Heady. Not for the timid or restrained. This one needs a big personality and a desire to disturb the serenity of nearby males. Definitely not me.

Edited October 3, 2009 by Graphica

[revinn]

In the Imp: Hmm, sour, smokey floral. Smells very familiar.

 

Wet: A tiny hit of citrus, that same smokey magnolia, and maybe a faint breath of spice. Much better!

 

Dry: Yum. Light citrus and magnolia, and a little more spice. Very subtle and lovely. I'd probably wear this to work, or somewhere where I needed to be taken seriously.

 

Out of 10: 7

[theandorran]

In bottle: Sweet, not really spicy, but lots of what I think is magnolia.

 

Wet: Still sweet, not really floral, but definitely a planty aura. It's not a sharp herbal, but definitely herby to me.

 

Dry: Mmm. The oleander really comes through, with lots of sweetness. A heady sort of scent, probably a little too sweet for my tastes, but still nice.

[levelek]

In the vial: the mandarin is by far the strongest scent, with magnolia playing second fiddle.

 

On wet: the mandarin immediately recedes and the scent becomes very sweet.

 

Drydown: the florals are edging towards soap... here we go again. The musk comes out and lends depth and creaminess. Until the florals turn more soapy, I really like sniffing it from close, even though it's a little too sweet for my tastes. It doesn't have great throw on me.

[RockyChristine]

Ooh, nice. A very neat blend of spice and floral in the bottle.

 

Wet: more spice and less floral. Very interesting. I think this will be a keeper and possibly a full bottle.

[angelicruin]

Starts out as a gorgeous magnolia scent. As it dries, I pick up the mandarin and musk notes.

 

Dries down to magnolia with mandarin layered underneath.

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Mandarin and cinnamon. An odd combo.

 

Wet: Mandarin and oleander? I think that the floral is oleander.

 

Dry: The mandarin has faded. Leaving the heady floral scent of oleander and magnolia mixed together in a near overwhelming mix. Playful but threatening to tip over into "TOO MUCH" without quite getting there. The spices are starting to come back, giving the florals a very interesting edge. I am really enjoying this scent. It is very playful, but has an underlying darkness and edge. Nice!

 

A while later: Sweet and sensuous. The magnolia lingers on the skin, beckoning - while the cinnamon and other warm spices heat it up and make it come across as naughty and playful. Over all this scent says "Don't mess with me, I'm dangerous" and "I want to play! Come play with me!" at the same time. I think I will wear this next time I want to go out and meet guys.

[loubric]

Sugary sweet and sensual. Those are the first things that come to mind when this scent is on my skin.

This is very very sweet on me and has a hint of citrus. Very warm and sexy.

 

No musk on me

This is all sweetness and floral and no spice at all.

 

I like very much.

Edited December 29, 2009 by Lilly

[Sunscorched]

I'm so gutted! So very, very gutted!

 

Loved this in the bottle. I flaming LOVED it!

 

Then I put it on! If anyone, man or woman, came over and sniffed this on me, it certainly wouldn't be sex they'd want. It'd be the nearest exit! It started off rather nice, then after about five minutes or so, it turned into bitter, rotten almonds.

 

After listening to the advice of people on here, I left it for a while to settle. Sadly it didn't improve and since bitter almonds is how Cyanide is recognised, I think I'll pass

 

Lovely in the bottle, but not for me.

[darklorelei]

Strangely, I get almost no magnolia from this; or at least not the magnolia that is outside my window. It reminds me of nothing so much as a craft shop - that kind of generic holiday/candle shop spice.

 

[SophieCedar]

Hmm.. What do I smell...

 

heady floral bouquet. I'm not that familiar with oleander in real life so comparatives are what I'm stuck with. Think gardenia and peony had a baby and fed it sweet milk. I like it however I envy the person that this really blossoms and thrives upon.. I'll have to age it for a bit and get back to this.

[donnatron]

Bottle: I don't think I've ever smelled oleander. In the bottle I get a sour sort of floral over magnolia... oh, magnolia. How I love and hate you at the same time, magnolia. Why must you be the Heathcliff to my Cathy, magnolia?

 

Wet: So much magnolia, strong, strong rush of magnolia. And this smells almost exactly like Sacred Whore. A little less biological than Sacred Whore but at least now I understand what that dominant note from Sacred Whore I could never place was: magnolia!

 

Dry: Still almost a single note magnolia with a little trace of dark musk. This is nice. It's a scary sort of threatening woman sort of floral but I think it works. It's sweet in scent but the perfume as a whole is a little kick ass and take names. It's definitely not for a wilting flower.

 

Throw: Strong.

 

Overall: I have a tempestuous relationship with magnolia and it's fitting that the magnolia scent I settle on is the one that I'd wear to, well, kick ass and take names. Perhaps magnolia is more the Cathy to my Heathcliff.

[Phantasmagoria]

In the imp: Hm.. it's pretty blended. I can't pick out any individual notes.

 

Wet on skin: I can smell the magnolia and oleander, but the musk and spice are dominating. I'm not picking up on the mandarin yet.

 

Dry on skin: Still no mandarin. If I wave my hand in front of my face, I smell the flowers. If I put my nose to my wrist, I smell the musk and spice. Interesing.

 

Like it, but don't love it. I'll keep the imp and let it age, maybe that'll improve it.

[surf-tormented]

It's a nice blend. I wish it was stronger. I don't get anything from this but spice and musk, which I like, but where is the orange and flowers?

[jizatt]

Another one I thought I had tested and apparently hadn't, I thought I hated this one?

 

I get mostly a soft musk with some floral sweetness and a soft spice. I wish it was more magnolia here, but its pretty enough that I'm keeping it! Currently, I'm thinking about side by side testing this with Mum Moon.

 

eta: tested with Mum Moon, and not as similar as I had thought - but still a fair comparison. Hell's Belle is softer, darker, lower pitched, and much more subtle

Edited February 20, 2010 by CaudaPavonis

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting a deep, sweet woozy scent. Hm. Can't wait to see how this turns out.

 

On my skin, I'm getting the magnolia and the oleander, I think, with the musk coming up underneath. We'll see how this goes. The magnolia and oleander combine in a creamy, dark way on me, but it's not something I think I'm going to keep.

Edited February 25, 2010 by Venneh

[tawaen]

Mmmm, spicy and incensy. The oleander really comes through, and I keep sniffing myself to get another hit of the musky undertone.

 

This is a really warm smell, and three hours in it's still holding strong. Perhaps this is a bit too sexy for the office, but it's really making me feel ferocious! A scent to kick ass and feel wonderful while doing it!

[KesHiro]

Frimp in my will call bag.

 

I had high hopes for this one. While I don't generally like florals, I can't get enough of the creamy blends. Sadly, this one didn't like me.

 

In the imp, I get creamy magnolia. I love this stage, it's gorgeous! Wet, it's a musky magnolia with the dreaded soap note. It stays the same throughout the drydown with the mandarin emerging before turning into lovely high end floral soap.

 

Pretty, but not as a perfume. Not for me, anyway.

[ajansuz]

Heaven...I'm in heaven... I mean, seriously, if Hell is supposed to smell like this, it's no Hell to me.

 

I opened the imp and apparently said, "Oh, my frickin' God," so loudly my husband called up the stairs to ask me what was wrong. Wrong? Au contraire. Right. So very, very right. In the bottle, the magnolia jumped out, grabbed my nose, and gave me a little slap. Right under her was the subtlest touch of mandarin giving a little peek-a-boo and promising great things later. The spice note reminded me of my favorite spicy floral, miss carnation with her cheeky, flirty bite.

 

I put this on. I thought I'd need the fainting couch for just a moment. The magnolia bloomed so lush it nearly knocked me out. About five minutes later, mandarin made good on her promise and tamed the floral. Carnation had staying power. This scent was morphing faster than my nose could keep up with. I don't really know what oleander smells like. They grow like crazy around here, but when I've sniffed them, I've never gotten a thing from the petals and never tried crushing them because I don't have a death wish.

 

About 2 1/2 hours later, I am so happy this scent loves my skin and vice versa. It has softened down without losing any of its wicked charm. This is a grown up perfume that I couldn't have carried 20 years ago, but I can't wait to get a bottle now. Sexy, sizzling, and Southern through and through.

[Violet74]

This scent really does conjure up the femme-fatale for me. I'm not very familiar with oleander but I loved the idea of using the scent of such a toxic plant for this concept and I think the warm floral in this blend must be the olenader - as I love magnolia but I'm not detecting much of that here.

 

You know Hell's Belle reminds me a little of Coco Chanel, just quite similar. Looking up the notes, they both share a top mandarin and a spicy base. I'm loving the drydown, when the sweetness and smokyness peaks through and the whole blend mellows.

 

It's a perfume for an elegant, sophisticated woman with that air of mystery and 'fear me' about her.

[MiasmaResonance]

At first I thought this smelled like..violet? I'm coming to think it's magnolia or perhaps that oleander.

Thankfully, a rush of creamy spice comes through on the skin, which saves this scent for me. Not a favourite but -definitely- a great one.

 

*edit*

 

I spoke too soon; it IS a favourite.

 

The magnolia and mandarin has come out to play a bit, but the spice remains, and it's just brilliant and delicious.

Edited July 27, 2010 by MiasmaResonance

[hkhm]

imp: sweet, citrus-y, spicy musk.

 

wet: this is a gorgeous musk scent, all creamy orange and piquant spices. i think i see a bottle in my future!

 

dry: sweet, spicy musk. just the same as it was when wet, perhaps a little stronger. definite bottle purchase.