Loved To Death

[bluerose]

A scent of dark corners and forgotten mysteries, secrets unearthed in dark attics, and cobwebbed, timeworn artifacts: vanilla bean, blackened and smoked, with husky clove, cinnamon bark, and a touch of beeswax.

Loved to Death sounded like it would be a heavy scent, but it's actually very light. In the bottle the strongest note I detected is honey with a hint of vanilla in the background. On the skin, it's HONEY. (But I also amp honey.) It dries down to a light honey vanilla with just the tiniest traces of spice. Neither cinnamon nor clove is evident - it's just spicy.

It's okay now, but there are better BPAL vanilla blends. However, with the amazing notes (all of which age well), I think this will have massive potential after aging a bit.

Edit for spelling.

[ltrittipoe]

I received this today, and of course had to test it right out of the mailbox!

 

Definitely beeswax, honey and vanilla are most prominent. This is a light floral honey, not the heavy musky honey which turns so bad on me. This is the honey of Door, or Sweets to the Sweet, with a wildflower note. The beeswax and vanilla add a creaminess, and I get just the tiniest bit of clove, just a faint dryness that I would overlook completely if I didn't know it was there. No cinnamon appears at all.

 

This is lovely and light, pretty and almost floral. I'm glad I took a chance, this will age gorgeously!

 

ETA: (6/29/17): This truly has aged gloriously! The most prominent notes are still the beeswax and vanilla, with a floral honey behind it. Sweet but not-sweet, creamy and waxy and just lovely. It's gotten deeper and richer over time, still clings close to my skin but has a weight to it now. There is still no cinnamon.

Edited June 29, 2017 by ltrittipoe

[Eemia]

Non-sweet, murky vanilla and thick beeswax. It stays close like a skin scent and isn't the slightest bit heavy or suffocating. The vanilla is very natural and realistic smelling, so to speak. It's not boozey or candy-ish, and it's not artificial like a generic lotion either. It amps on my skin, as most vanillas do, and has a sophisticated, understated vibe. I like all kinds of vanillas, whether they're sickly sweet or barely there sheer, and this feels subtle and musky in a delicate way. I thought I'd be picking up more of the clove and cinnamon but it's the beeswax that stands out next to the vanilla. For some reason all beeswax notes smell creepy to me and this is no different. It's smooth and blanketing and a little floral, like tiny white petals. It reminds me of the beeswax note in Hand of Glory, my favorite sinister beeswax scent. Thankfully the beeswax doesn't translate to honey since that can be a death note on my skin.

 

The cinnamon and clove are soft and smell more like incense than spices. I usually don't like either note since they remind me of kitchen cupboards and sharp cooking spices but they are beyond gorgeous in this. Dry, resinous, and far in the background. They add a little depth on my skin but aren't giving off that horrible sharp, burning tone. As this dries down they're more noticeable but still so soft.

 

This is sensual and beautiful and smells so damn good. So, so silky.

[zankoku_zen]

So, yes to the honey, vanilla and beeswax. The vanilla to me toggles between a very gourmand type of vanilla (very foodie, and I suspect this is the vanilla we'll see in the Chaos Theory gourmand) because it's like a burnt sugar/caramel quality to it, which inevitably my skin turns to a weird plasticky type of vanilla. The cinnamon and clove are but a faint whisper on what is really a vanilla beeswax combination.

 

Yes to the reference of Light of Men's Lives - but much more muted. It's actually softer, silkier, and much more of a skin musk kinda blend. Honestly, this is what you'd probably want your natural skin to smell like. All the time. If you were blessed by nature like that, and the image of Mila Kunis being recognized by the bees in Jupiter Ascending just popped in. So - this is what Mila Kunis's character in Jupiter Ascending smells like, thank you brain.

 

AND because I totally can, I layered Loved to Death over Red Mysore Sandalwood SN, in a moment of lunacy. It's a pretty spectacular mix with some heady mysore sandalwood providing a woodier, broader background for the vanilla beeswax combination.

[violetblue]

First of all, Loved to Death packaged very nicely - black tissue paper in the box and sent the precious in a very nice (not cheap looking, like some can be) velveteen bag - very nice touch.

 

On me, this is very spicy - like a high end expensive candle/tart or spicy room freshener scent they sell for fall or winter. The vanilla is there but very hidden on me. The spices - cinnamon/clove REALLY stand out of my skin (though not sharp at all) as does the beeswax, hence the candle comparison. I'd love this for a room scent, but sadly it isn't working for me as a skin scent. It is very complex and not cheap smelling at all, which i don't mean/want to imply when I mentioned room scent/candle/tart. Just a bit too spicy for me and not what I really look for when wearing perfume oils. I'd say throw is medium to light.

[Jeni Mullen]

The packaging was beautiful. Little baggy, tissue paper. It was a pretty package to open to say the least!

 

Beeswax for me is usually death so when it sold out the first go around, I didn't care much. But then it came back. And stayed back. So I figured that if I didn't like this, I could resell it.

 

I get nothing floral or honey at all from this blend. The vanilla is mellow and the spices are strong. The beeswax doesn't kick in until the dry down and it isn't overwhelming.

 

This doesn't smell like air freshener to me. Or a bathroom candle. This reminds me strongly of Snake Oil, but a slightly younger cousin perhaps. Maybe a Snake Oil that likes cinnamon rolls.

 

Throw is a little weak but it lasts forever. I wore it to bed and 8 hours later I didn't even reapply and still smell it on my skin.

[Maria Cotsoradis]

Oh yay! I was so happy to get my bottle and I agree with everyone who said it was lovely packaging! I was hoping for a "heavier" scent - this is very light and warm. I am getting heavy beeswax with maybe a hint of clove, but for me the beeswax is the strongest note. It reminds me of those beeswax candles. I think I will put it on the side and try it again in a few weeks. I hope it "levels out".

[Numanoid]

Got my bottle today....

Ok, if you are like me and have been wanting to find a beeswax/candle wax scent that works for you and does NOT smell like a cheap candle, go get this, and get it now! Came in a pitch black velvet pouch!

 

In the bottle: I get the beeswax, a little vanilla, and some spice....but not tickle-your-nose kind from a kitchen cupboard. I know it says "cinnamon bark", but it seems softer.

 

On skin: I immediately get the clove.....it is prominent, but not overbearing and strong that clove can be on me. It is surprisingly soft. I detect the vanilla.

 

Dry down: OOOH this gets lovely! It warms up to an almost "cozy" kind of vanilla beeswax and a gentle clove. Reading other reviews, I was afraid of the honey everyone was detecting (I can't do honey!) but I don't get that at all. Light throw but it is, I think, going to age beautifully. It already is a winner as is...... don't hesitate to get this!! Total love!!

Edited June 11, 2015 by Numanoid

[DANALEACH]

• Spicy, woodsy, slightly charred cola is what it smells like on my skin. I totally love it. <3

[VioletChaos]

In The Bottle: Deep, rich beeswax. Yes, please!

 

Wet On Skin: Yeah, this is definitely beeswax and NOT honey. There's a soft skin-musk quality of beeswax- and this one in particular- that honey doesn't have on me. I'm getting a very, very subtle spice in the background, but it reads almost like the kind of spice one encounters with carnation. Not the heady clove or cinnamon I'm used to.

 

Dry Down: Ah! *THERE'S* the clove! But even now, the clove is not the in-your-face clove of, say, Peter Quint or the Smiling Spider. This is definitely held in check by the sweet musky richness of the beeswax. I get no vanilla, sadly, but that might change with age.

 

In All: Delighted to have a bottle, just in time for all the upcoming sultry summer nights!

[Viridian]

To me this smells a bit like my box of BPAL samples -- it's got a lot of elements that I recognize from other BPAL favorites. Definitely a beeswax-y vanilla, that after a moment or two of smelling strongly of honey starts to smell a little like a blown out vanilla candle with some soft spices in the background. It has that faded quality of lingering scents - hence the comparison to my box of imps. It's quite soft on me. I think it'll be beautiful in early fall.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Straight from Loved to Death.

 

Initial Thoughts: Thanks to my skin chemistry and its tendency to super-amp a lot of popular notes, it's hard for me to find a dark, sexy, exciting scent that won't turn ugly on me. I had to read the notes list three or four times to verify that yes, it was vanilla and clove and cinnamon and beeswax with NO dark musk, NO patchouli, NO sandalwood, NO amber, NO myrrh, NO leather, NO vetiver. So I jumped the minute the site put the scent back up for sale.

 

In the Bottle: Rich and dark vanilla with clove and an undertone of beeswax. Spicy and lushly sweet without a hint of foodiness.

 

Wet: The smokiness comes out with a "burned" quality that combines with the beeswax to make it candle-like...a deep and gorgeous burning clove candle. It's amazing at this stage.

 

Drydown: Hm. I hope the sense of mild itching that is possibly the cinnamon stays mild and/or goes away. Generally I can handle a little cinnamon. The beeswax is backing off in favor of the vanilla

 

More drydown: I gave this more time than I normally do, just to settle the question of cinnamon and skin irritation. That irritation did fade on me without much trouble. The scent shifted back toward beeswax, but the quality of a lit candle is gone. A hint of the cinnamon finally emerges as a scent rather than an irritation. It's low on throw, and the notes combine into something like a skin musk with hints of interesting things.

 

Verdict: This one may turn into a deliberate experiment on aging. It gives me the dark rich quality I usually don't get to enjoy in perfumes, but it's kind of a muddle on me now. I would like the spices to be a little more prominent, the smoky vanilla to assert itself a touch more. We shall see if this develops into the beauty I want it to be.

[boomtownrat]

Without waiting for it to settle from shipping, I rolled the bottle a few times and gave it a little dab on each wrist. Beeswax blooms forth like a handmade vanilla candle, the really good kind, nothing artificial-smelling about it. The candle's not lit, though, it just smells great on its own without burning. There's a hint of cinnamon bark. Clove is peeking out just casually, not wanting to draw attention to itself. The beeswax reminds me of The Lights of Men's Lives, so it's almost-honey but not as loud on my skin. Later, cinnamon bark and clove come through to give it a smoky tone. By this point I've dabbed more on my throat, and the overall effect of the fresher application with the dry-down is like I've just stepped into an oddities shop like Loved to Death and they've got candles burning in the background.

 

You know Imaginer, the Clive Barker scent? This is like Imaginer Light. It's got the same rich sweetness, but it's less intense.

 

I didn't get black tissue paper in my package, but I did get a lovely drawstring bag, so inky black it sucks in light and made of a nice velveteen material. What a perfect little package for this lovely scent.

[Mellifluous]

Mmmmm, this is that same very true to life glowing, almost ambery, beeswax note from Greater Horseshoe Bat, but with a mild woody clove and little bursts of vanilla sugar every once in a while. I never got any cinnamon, which is totally fine by me.

 

Definitely evocative of a candle but I get more of this: than this:

... if you know what I mean.

[mermaidsdream]

At first, I was hesitant. Cinnamon usually burns like crazy, but I took a chance.

 

Then, I was uncertain. At first sniff, this is powdery. Baby powdery. Not something I normally like, but I applied anyway.

 

Then clove & cinnamon came out to play. The scent retained a lot of the baby powder I noticed earlier, but it never overpowered the other scents.

 

Like others have said, I like this, but I think this may do better with some aging.

[sarandipitee]

in the bottle: smokey clove and cinnamon.

 

wet on skin: sweet and syrupy. The clove is very evident and stays to the forefront with a whiff of cinnamon underneath. There is a very faint vanilla and if there's beeswax is nothing like my bottle of Light of Men's Lives (Sidenote: I amp cinnamon to high heaven and LoML is like a floral on me - skin chemistry is weird, yo). The bark makes it huskier so it never strays into foodie territory.

 

drydown: there's the beeswax and mixed with the vanilla/cinnamon bark/clove combo it's kinda doing a Chimera on my skin (darker and sexier mind you, but very reminiscent of that oil).

 

This has serious potential but it's going to take time. I'm going to stash my bottle for 6 months and see what happens since right now it's right on the edge of Yankee Candle territory on my skin.

[theseagrows]

yes this is very beeswax-y. i think there is more than "a touch" or i may amp it, who knows. some of the beeswax scents smell weird on me but i am liking this one. i do feel this has a blackened vanilla feel to it but it's not overly sweet or in your face vanilla either. i think i get tiny hints of clove and cinnamon, but not much, they just round the scent out. it really is mostly beeswax on my skin.

[portalkat]

I just got my bottle today and it was from the second batch shipment.

 

I put some of my neck and I think that the heat from that part of my body is releasing more of the beeswax note, because that is what I am smelling swirling around me. I also get hints of the clove and cinnamon, but the strongest note is the beeswax. The blackened vanilla just pulls everything together. I'm going to try some on my wrists next time and see if it will tone down the beeswax note a bit so that I can smell the spices a bit more.

[lady_pandora]

Mmm, I really like this. Loved to Death is O's goth sister. I get mostly smoky vanilla and honey-y beeswax with a hint of clove. I've had clove go wild in blends before, but not here--I have this friend who smokes clove cigarettes and while I don't feel the urge to take up smoking them myself, I love it when I get just a waft of hers, and that's what the clove note does for me here. I can maybe find a bit of cinnamon if I go looking for it, but it won't cinnamon you to kingdom come. Bet it'll age great too. I might end up needing a bottle.

 

ETA: On further wear, there is a distinct similarity to Visions of Autumn III, at least on my particular skin.

Edited July 14, 2015 by lady_pandora

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Vanilla dominant, and it really is a blackened and smokey sort of vanilla. I don't see musk listed, but it smells very musky. The clove is strong support to the vanilla with a softer touch of cinnamon. Beeswax is understated and smooth as it generally is. I am wondering if the musk isn't an accidental accord between the something in the beeswax and the blackened and smoked bits of the vanilla. Either way, it's a sexy vanilla spice scent. Wet: The beeswax pops more on the skin and the musk effect softens. The smoky vanilla goes well with beeswax candle. The spices are gentle, but utterly lovely. I am now wondering if there isn't a bit of sandalwood and anise, possibly in the wax accords. I like it, though it is more delicate and way less androgynous than I imagined. Dry: As it wears the spice reemerges. It is this lovely, spicy vanilla with a hint in incense.

[sprout]

In vitro: Honey liqueur spiked with clove

 

Wet on skin: More honey liqueur, with black vanilla (if you have Black Vanilla Cardamon BO, like that but with clove instead of cardamon), only a hint of cinnamon (no skin reaction, I think it is quite light cinnamon) and the spices are seamlessly blended, hard to pick apart

 

Drying: Black vanilla, honey, clove receding, skin musk? this could be the honey, it becomes sort of animalic on my skin, like skin musk, fairly sweet at this point

 

Drydown: mainly vanilla with a hint of beeswax, similar to O or La Petit Mort--minus the myrrh

 

Late drydown: lasted 4-5 hours then smells mostly of honey, maybe a hint of vanilla

 

Final thoughts: Really, really good. I did not get any of the burning quality other reviewers mentioned, it could be a skin chemistry thing I guess. My skin loves honey and that was the main thing I sniffed, it was almost a mead like honey, languid, heady, with a hint of clove and spice. Clove can amp to overwhelming proportions on me, but it was subdued here. I thought this could go into craft store candle territory but it never came close. I thought there could be some red musk in here in the early drydown but that could just be how my nose is interpreting the honey note here. This is gorgeous overall, a spicy and sweet vanilla honey that never becomes too foody, too spicy, or too powdery. The late, late drydown was not quite powdery and I imagine this will age superbly and increase in sillage (modest for me) as well as deepen the honey and wax notes. Vanilla plus spice lovers must try this. I am a bit of a clove nut myself and this did not disappoint.

Edited July 13, 2015 by sprout

[milo]

I'm getting sweet amber and spice with a touch of beeswax. This does remind me a bit of Snake Oil. They share 'something. After a bit, more sweet beeswax with a touch of smoke. Dries to practically nothing bit a whiff of smoke within a couple of hours. Colour me disappointed. I hope age can keep it at the beginning stages.

[Aviatrix]

This starts off as a blast of clove on me! Really, it seems that's all there is to this scent. But then it dries down, and the other notes come out more, and when it's completely dry it becomes a delicious, dark, smoky vanilla. It stays fairly close to the skin, so it's good for slathering, and it lasts a good number of hours, too.

[Suusje]

This falls completely flat on me. A lot of beeswax with a bit of smoke and spices but it smells pretty generic. I had high hopes for this one

[elka_knits]

So in the disappointment field there has always been a few slots

 

the why do you use your magical cloaking power to totally erase all vestiges of scent from the air?

the why do you use your magical amping power to overwhelm all nuances from this blend?

and ugh note of hate {usually the above amping power is involved in these}

and the I like these notes so why is it meh?

 

A meh blend is Door. Everybody loves it and well I have no clue what anything but the golden honey really smells like in a bpal scent but honey is delicious on toast and on me so I gave it a shot. I try it over and over again to no avail. Years of aging have done nothing for this scent. Why do I mention Door? Because....

 

This smells exactly like Door. Despite not having a single listed note in common. I would be willing to bet my bottle is mislabeled. I mean I am sure it isn't since it hasn't happened yet in all the years of pal buying but this smells EXACTLY like Door.

 

And thus a new slot of disappointment has been created in Elka's personal Bpal universe... a scent that should smell gorgeous but smells like something else that is meh. This is not the scent association I would have hoped for. And seriously I know and love everysingledarnednotelistedinLovedtoDeath so it isn't like me buying Door with no real clue of how much I like chamomile in a scent {Door smells like Echinacea to be honest but that is on me and to my nose--other people love it}

 

2023.08.18: Oh hai there.  So I have been putting this on quite a bit lately.  Like I put that black velvet bag in to reach for pile and I ended up loving this.  And guess what? Loved2Death no longer carries this.  After reading my above review it means I should buy a bottle of Door and let it age 8 years?  Or try and hunt some down.....

Edited August 18, 2023 by elka_knits
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