Ravenous

[carolinachiquita]

An utterly feral, thoroughly rousing perfume. Red patchouli sweetened by orange blossom.

Ravenous - I wasn't sure what to think of this when I read the description but I'm glad I tried it as it is really sweet and juicy/fruity. Its a happy and uplifting blend, one that would bring some sunshine and warmth into a cold winters day!

[Wench457]

Ack! Patchouli! Get it off me!

 

Seriously, I had hopes for the bpal patchouli, having heard that Beth's was different. Not on me. Still gag-inducing. But good to know.

 

Anyone want an imp?

[Freyja Lux]

Mmmm... absolutely divine! Reminds me a lot of Hunger. Sweet like Hunger, with a similar bite. Undeniably sexy! The red patchouli is so irresistable, and the orange blossom is so sweet and juicy that you'll just want to chew your own skin. But, although I love it, I don't love it as much as Hunger so I'll stick with that. Although by name ravenous would be the next level of hunger, I'd say Hunger is the more affective of the blends.

[brownbear]

mmmm This is very orangey. It smells more like orange than orange blossom. I wish this lasted on me. It disappeared in five minutes. Red patchouli must not be as strong as whatever type they usually use. Hmmm I'm trying to think of a way to use this that will last longer on me.

[valentina]

In the imp, I found Ravenous to be extremely orange-y, and I was concerned it was going to turn to orange soda pop once it hit my skin.

 

Upon application and the very initial dry-down, I could swear it had a little musk in it, as musk usually turns a little poo-like on me. But that is a very short-lived phenomenon, and the patchouli and orange blossom amp up equally.

 

About 15 minutes later and thereafter... oh my! This is a rousing scent, indeed! I love it -- the earthiness of the red patchouli and the sweetness of orange blossom create a fascinating blend. I love it... I feel kind of feral while wearing it... Yowzah.

 

valentina

[olympia301]

 

Whoever said that Ravenous reminded them of Hunger, I second that emotion. Really close but gorgeous in their own way, like Hollywood Babylon is to Snake Oil.

 

Ravenous might be billed as feral, but I take Hunger as the more feral of the two owing to the Black Narcissus in it. That is sort of stinky and civety. Ravenous doesn't have that stinky edge (which is pervertedly lovely by the way) but it does keep the deep sweetness owing to the grand red musk and perhaps patchouli. Orange really shines in Ravenous like it can't in Hunger.

 

I love this blend. It would be an excellent Hunger in the summer, but it's not bad in the winter. It lasts very well and I think it's next in line for a 5ml order. Thanks to the lab for sending me this sweet treat.

 

To Follow Up:

 

After dabbing Ravenous on last night and going to bed with it on and waking up still able to smell that gorgeous fabulous enticing scent, I am in mad passionate irrational degrading love with Ravenous. I adore it. I would happily lie face down in the gutter reeking of Ravenous, but I don't think that will be necessary.

 

I love this blend.

 

And Furthermore...

 

Funny that some people would talk about Ravenous and Karma (Lush) together. I see Ravenous as what Karma should have been. To me Karma always reminded me of the soap at Motel 6. I have been gifted with it by a multiplicity of kind hearted Lushies, always to privately think "Motel 6" every time I smell the damned stuff. I had to end up throwing away the soap sample I got because I was scared that I would look out the bathroom window and see Big Rigs parked outside in a field of weeds and a big honking highway full of fast travelling cars and that LONELY feeling you get when you are in the motel room. It's when you start thinking you hear the crunch of the ice machine and smell the bleach in the background that it's time to throw away that soap...it's driving you to road rage, girlfriend.

Edited December 18, 2005 by olympia301

[DeliberateAngel]

A friend gave me the imp and it smelled lovely. Very in your face sexy and over the top. I smelled pachouli and something sweet underneath.

As all scents with pachouli, it turned out to strong

I reek for 2-3 hours and give myself a headache then it disappears.

Smelled way better in the imp than on my skin (too bad, so pretty in the bottle).

I did use the imp a few times and had such strong reactions from men.

I went on two dates and had to beat the men off with a stick practically!

Lovely scent for those who like vampy pachouli scents but for me due to my body chemistry.

[Belease]

On me it went like this: musty oranges, rotten oranges, bitter oranges, creamy oranges with a hint of bitter zest, all in about five minutes. Then, as it dries, it turns into musty oranges left in a loft for a few years. Not sure it makes me ravenous! It went powdery too – I don’t think my nose likes complex adult scents like this. Give me something with caramel any day. (I know, I’m a philistine!)

[gdogs]

usually, orange blossom goes way funky on my skin. not so with ravenous.

 

 

i don't pick up on the patchuli at all! it starts out as soft orange blossom, then settles down to the way my fingers smell after i have peeled a very sweet naval orange. kinda that bitter rind/zest scent (i can actually taste it in my mouth!) along with the juice of the orange. but, in the background, i can smell the blossom of the tree the orange came from. .. .

 

very nice. i'm glad i have the imp, but won't be buying a bottle.

[AlaskaSnows]

Wet: Bitter orange and the tiniest patchouli hint.

 

Dry: A hint of sweet orange with a healthy serving of bitter rind, which somewhat overpowers the patchouli. I can smell the patchouli but it kind of gets stuck in the rind note and makes it sharper. I like this very much! It isn't too sweet or too fruity, or too patchouli, it's very well mixed. A keeper.

[Imptress]

I love orange scents. I *LOVE* patchouli scents. And, I love scents with orange and patchouli together (Lush's Karma is one of the few non-BPAL scents I still wear regularly), so I was looking forward to trying this. I guess I should have picked up on the fact that this is orange BLOSSOM and not orange. I like orange blossom fine, but it's definitely different from orange to my nose... I think it's what makes this sweeter and powdery, though red patchouli is definitely more sweet than other patchouli (IMO). I've had this on for a while now (over an hour) and it still burns, plus now the main impression I get from it is baby aspirin. That's not a bad thing (I loved baby aspirin back in the day! ) but I'm not sure that's what I want to smell like. Plus the long-term burning thing isn't fun. I may give this another go on another day (and avoid the neck area when I do) but this is probably headed for the swap pile. It's nice, but not what I'm looking for.

[Thaleia]

In the vial: When I opened this, I thought immediately, "This smells like Lush something, what the hell?" I used to work there, so I know I ought to have picked up on what it was right away: Karma fragrance. It's the patchouli. And it's precisely that same red/orange colour the bubble bars are.

 

Wet: Spicy orange. Very festive, especially for this time of year.

 

Drydown: It's Karma, alright, only more sophisticated and grown-up.

 

Dry: A tart, spiced, citrusy drink. Hot mulled cider with a cinnamon stick, made with spices and dried orange rind. Perfect for the season. The funny thing is, I'm usually not a patchouli girl, but in blends like this, I don't mind them so much. They add a bit of warmth and spice and aren't so overpowering.

 

Rating: 4.25. I didn't look twice at it at first when I read the description, but the Lab frimped me and I'm glad they did. I think I'm going to need a 5ml when I've finished off my imp.

Edited December 19, 2005 by Shollin

[PurringPulsar]

Ravenous

 

In the imp: patchouli with a light hint of orange blossom.

Wet on skin: more orange blossom comes out now, along with the patchouli.

Dry on skin: this isn't bad! It's a nice duo, a nice contrasting pair of notes-sharp, tangy, bright orange blossoms with darker, smoother, earthy patchouli. I've noticed that this red patchouli is less dark and 'dirty' than the black variety, it's a lighter patch, but it still lends its earthy depth to the scent. Orange blossom adds a fruity note dancing on the top of the overall fragrance-I've noticed that BPAL orange blossom tends to smell much like orange fruit, or tangy orange sherbet.

After a while: oooh, something incredible has happened. It seems the two contrasting notes have fused to form a note that is neither patchouli or orange blossom, but is similar to both and yet different. The scent now remaining on my skin is a light, soft, slightly downy or powdery, gentle coating of something almost along the lines of white musk or violet, but with the fruitiness of orange and the depth of patchouli hanging in there. It's like smelling a brand new, undiscovered species of flower.

Verdict: this one really took me by surprise. Sometimes BPAL orange blossom/neroli amps up on my skin, or turns to soap, or goes really sharp, but sometimes it's really nice-like in here. There's a nice light patchouli note adding depth and darkness to the scent. At first I thought 'hmm, nice. A simple combination, but nothing special' but then the notes merge, and as they do, a remarkable metamorphosis happens. The remaining scent on my skin has elements of orange blossom and patchouli, indeed-and yet there's something else to it, almost a light floral scent, and something very reminiscent of white musk! I love this stage of the fragrance and it shows another aspect of BPAL's magic-even the simplest combination of notes in a fragrance can be wonderful and even complex. I'm so glad the Lab included this as a frimp, I wouldn't have chosen it before but I'm glad I've tried it!

(and yes, after reading reviews, it does seems like a softer version of Karma!)

[Babylon]

Wet: Fruity sweet patchouli with a floral hint, it's making me thirsty.

Dry: Orangey patchouli, with the orange fading away after an hour.

 

If patchouli works alright on you, then give it a try. It's pretty sexy blended with the sweetness of orange blossom.

[Sara]

Sniff: Orange Blossom and Patchouli! Thankfully it's not a horrendous "oh jesus, here come the stinky hippies" patchouli.

 

Swipe: Mmm...the orange blossom is a juicy orange blossom. Usually orange blossom is a kind of dry, semi-sharp fruity/floral to me (like in Masquerade); and while it's ok, this is much more preferable! It's just so "fresh" and wet and citrusy. The patchouli, much surprise to me, is balancing well with the orange blossom, and almost shrinking into the background to mingle with my skin. This has been very pleasant and so far I can totally see myself wearing this more. *crosses fingers for the drydown*

 

Drydown: Yippie Skippie! There's this drydown that sometimes happens with BPAL that I just freaking loathe..like insanely "stomach knotting/churning nausea/goddamn wtf is this??" loathe. Good news? This biznatch ain't one of them! it's all spice on the drydown (hours later), a lovely skin spice that is something I can definitely live with.

 

Overall: Ravenous was one of those blends that didn't stand out on my list. It didn't have the "warning orange" on my spreadsheet or the "wishlist green", it just had regular ol' black making it a "blend to try" but nothing dire. It was a freebie in my order this time around and man am I glad for it! Turns out that I really, really enjoy this blend and a bottle could be in my future.

[chapatti]

First whiff: oh, what a delicious orange top note! It's lovely and juicy (weirdly enough, it smells more of orange itself than orange blossom to me), and there's a minute incensey note in the background. It reminds me a bit of Xiuxchtchtwhatsitli, and by extension, T.Mugler's Angel.

 

Drydown: ooooh I like this!

Still very much slightly incensey orange, no change, just that, and it's luuuuurvely!

A few hours into it, the orange tames up a bit and melts with the patchouli - and actually, I was fearing the patchouli from the description, but this red patchouli is very soft and mellow, not at all like dark patchouli.

 

Verdict: Not something I'd necessarily wear everyday, but very, very nice. A must-have if you like orange, for sure!

 

8/10

[judas_kiss]

This is gorgeous. I'm really loving Beth's orange blossom perfumes these days. They are lovely and so perfect for spring!!

 

Imp: Very concentrated orange blossom. I get a hint of the patchouli underneath, but the orange blossom is dominant.

 

On: Mmmm...yes, that's the stuff. The orange blossom sings in the beginning and makes this ever-so-flowery and fresh. In this blend, the orange blossom does have a very fresh, almost green, orange feel. Lovely!

 

Drydown: The patchouli comes out and makes this one.hot.momma. It really sexes up this blend. It is a lovely combination. I have decided that I love Red Patchouli, but black patchouli is a flip-flop for me.

 

Overall: Definitely a bottle purchase. Love it. LOVE IT!

[GemmaCat]

In the imp: Ooo, gorgeous orange-grapefruit scent!

 

On my skin, initial: complex orange-spice note. Perhaps the red patchouli? Whatever it is, it's fresh and sexy at the same time.

 

Drydown: an almost powdery orange scent, with that lovely warmth from the patchouli.

 

This is *definitely* a keeper, though I need to wear it more before I decide whether I need a bottle or not.

[fiddledragon]

Scent in bottle: Yup -- orange blossom and a dab of patchouli. It's more fresh and floral than feral, though.

 

Scent on me:

Wet -- The patchouli gains more strength, and the orange blossom is still there.

Dry -- Very well balanced patchouli and orange blossom.

 

Conclusion: I really like this one -- it was thrown in with a swap, and I'd never have chosen it on my own. It's simple, sweet, and incensy. But good grief, the name! Some of Beth's blends are almost disturbingly well-named, but what this turns to on me is fresh and floral-sweet rather than ravenous or sexual.

[Miss Lynx]

Hmmm. On first sniff, I wasn't too impressed. "Not bad, but not great" was my initial reaction. It seemed like a non-spicy, slightly-less-sweet version of my beloved Vixen, and thus struck me a as a little bland -- the gingery kick and intoxicating sweetness is part of what I like about Vixen, and without that it didn't seem too interesting.

 

But as it settled into my skin, it became decidedly less bland. It developed a very heady, incensey feel to it, and I after a while I could have sworn where were indeed some kind of spices in there. It's a bit reminiscent of Depraved in the way that only two notes seem to generate all kinds of strange dynamics between them that make you think there's a lot more going on in there.

 

It's still not about to displace Vixen in my affections, but I think it stands on its own as more than just Vixen Lite, and definitely merits further experimentation.

 

Grade: B+

[kunoichi]

Wow, this is a strong scent from the vial - a powerful smell that can't be ignored. It's got a deep smell that's sort of musky, yet it's the red patchouli made sweeter by the orange blossom. It's a very unusual combination! It's both sweet and not sweet at the same time. On my skin the sweetness of the orange blossom calms down a tad, and so it's a less in-your-face version of the smell from the bottle - it still has that sweet/not-sweet scent going on, though it's a little smoother. After a few hours it's gotten very soft and very subtle, but I can still smell it lingering, though the two scents have combined into one.

 

It reminds me somewhat of a man's cologne. But it's rather nice, I like it, and so does one of my female friends who doesn't sniff my perfumes - she said I smelled nice when we hugged hello!

 

This is the sexiest BPAL I've experienced, so far!

Edited July 5, 2006 by kunoichi

[Ciircee]

This is a fairly simple blend and it stays that way on me. A nice, sweet patchouli that has a tart orange tang to it. It's very earthy and deep for all its simplicity. I lose the oranges after a few hours but the red patchouli sticks around for ages.

 

And I don't know how this blend manages 'feral' but it really sort of *does*.

[theseagrows]

um. i love this one. at first it smells like dorian but with orange instead of lemon. like orange-cream-vanilla-tea. once it dries the tea is less noticeable and i think the spicyness/earthiness of patchouli comes through, but only slightly. i often don't like patchouli scents, and the patchouli in this smells nothing like typical patchouli to me.

 

so it's like a slight spicy orange-dorian on me, so yeah i love this one. also i've keep trying to find a bpal scent with orange blossom that actually smells like orange blossom on me, and this is the first one that has worked.

[Diana]

Wet: Oddly enough, this smelled like leather & bandaids with lemony-citrus notes when I put it on.

 

Drydown: As it dries, the actual patchouli note come through and it smells less like plastic. The red patchouli starts taking on a slighly herbal/slightly spicy tone to it, but it does have a bit of a musty odor to it during the inital drydown. The orange blossom receeds quite a bit, adding a bit of a lightness to it, and it isn't sharp at all.

 

I'm not sure if it's something I'd ever need a full 5mL of, since I'm not totally sold on the red patchouli. It's an interesting blend, though, and not too far off of something I'd wear regularly.

Edited June 23, 2006 by Diana

[edenssixthday]

Ravenous - I am very surprised by this scent. When I first tested it, I was overwhelmed by the strong scent of freshly peeled oranges. As it dried down, the scent of oranges remained, but something red and woody became evident beneath the oranges, lending a resinous depth to the orange scent. It's a scent that's similar to Moxie, but deeper and dryer. I was very surprised when the scent remained on my skin for 4 hours, 7 hours, 10 hours, 12 hours, 14 hours!!! Off the 500 or so BPAL blends I've tried, it definitely has the greatest staying power on my skin. I was also surprised when I read the description of the blend. Reading that there is red patchouli in it didn't surprise me in the least, as the blend definitely had a red wood scent to it. However, I was completely dumbfounded that the orange scent I was smelling was not the juice of oranges, but orange blossoms! Orange blossoms have never before smelled like actual oranges on me -- they smell floral and powdery. Perhaps it was the combination of the orange blossom and red patchouli that created that strong, juicy, orange scent. Either way, this is one scent I'm going to keep wearing. It's a great pick-me-up scent and a very empowering scent.