Liebeszauber

[doomsday_disco]

Artist Unknown
Honey, rose petals, and carnations - a drop of blood - red clover, cubeb berries, and vanilla cream.

Aww, the thing that looks like a miniature version of the dragon-dog from The Neverending Story isn't on the label.

In the bottle: I believe features the same carnation note as Startled Toad. At least, there is a lemony aspect present, and the combination of whatever that note is and the carnation remind me of that scent. It's not the spicy carnation found in scents like Queen Alice. I feel like this scent is similar to the Trading Post's Butterfly Nectar bath oil. This is a peppy scent. I'm mainly getting sweet flower petals and what I think may be the cubeb berry. The vanilla cream note is present, but it resides in the background.

Wet: I'm getting more of the vanilla cream note on my skin. The carnation note is the most prominent note, which isn't surprising – carnation tends to do that on my skin. I don't dislike it, but I hope this doesn't turn into carnation single note. At the moment, the rose is quite prominent as well.

Dry: I think the blood note contains clove, as I can smell some clove now (or is that the cubeb berry?), along with the florals, honey, and a bit of vanilla cream.

After a while, I mainly smell carnation, clove (or cubeb? The Google tells me that is peppery), rose, and a hint of the vanilla.

Verdict: I bought this one because of the name and the sugary florals. But I was worried about the carnation being too prominent for my liking, and it is. I'm going to let this settle some more and retest it before deciding whether or not to keep it. Hopefully the vanilla will come out more with age. I don't dislike it, but I own a lot of sugary floral scents, and I can't see myself reaching for this one very often. Edited October 22, 2015 by dementia_divine

[LizziesLuck]

This is pretty much straight out of the mailbox, because I was too excited to wait.

 

Wet - This is all Cubeb, just like Crib Girls is on me initially. But I knew from my experience with Crib Girls that if I was patient and waited it out, the cubeb would eventually behave itself so the other notes could play a part.

 

As it dries, the honey comes out first, further likening it to Crib Girls to my nose.

 

Once fully dry though, it's a different story. This is beautiful. The carnation comes out, which is a favourite of mine, backed up by honey, creamy vanilla and the faint lingering fiery cubeb. On me, this turns into a sexier version of Alice. It's grown-up and sophisticated. Has good staying power so far, and decent throw. I am loving it. A keeper!!

[lectriceye]

I was really excited for this one because honey, rose and carnation are the three scents I am most addicted to so I knew this one was a winner out of the gate!

 

In the bottle I get slight rose, carnation and a sweet vanilla like scent. It's a sweet floral to me anyway! Not as heavy on the rose note as I would like.

On my skin I get a very lemony smell, it's like a fresh floral maybe thats the carnation? I don't get spicy or heavy rose on this one at all. It's actually very refreshing!

On the dry down I get more carnation coming out, and the lemon goes away. Theres something in the back I can't put my finger on, maybe thats the clover, berries, or blood? It's a tad bit earthy to me. I picture a carnation growing in the wild, or in a vase in a dusty old room.

 

Verdict: I like it! It's not anything that I expected but it's complex and interesting. I don't get any rose in this at all, but the carnation shows up and is just sweetened a tad by the honey.

[theseagrows]

right off i get a bright citrussy scent with a hint of honey. is this the clover or the berries? i'm not really sure. eta: google says it's the red clover. ok then, the red clover is strong in this. after being on the skin a few minutes, i get a hint of rose which then blossoms along with the vanilla cream and a hint of carnation. and this rose turns sour. damn, i was really hoping to love this one because i love rose, carnation, vanilla and sometimes honey. unfortunately this is one of the few scents where the rose is just not working due to the combination of the notes. i get this underlying sourness that reminds me of dying or rotting flowers. it doesn't happen very often but occasionally does with BPAL...still can't figure out why though.

Edited November 3, 2015 by theseagrows

[puck_nc]

Origin: Decant circle

 

Initial Thoughts: Normally rose stays my hand, as does blood. But when one is doing a decant circle and a scent has carnation and vanilla cream and something interesting like red clover, one dares.

 

In the Vial: Wow, that's different. It's light and airy. My mind is going to ginger and peach and...ah. The cubeb, for which my only other context so far is Peach, White Ginger, and Cubeb hair gloss from the post. But yes, to my nose it's ginger - maybe the carnation spice? - citrusy/fruity - and the faintest hint of floral.

 

Wet: Still strongly airy-fruit-floral, but I'm beginning to find the carnation. What I'm not getting is the rose, which is a good thing since rose goes icky on me. I suppose the spiciness could be the blood note, maybe.

 

Drydown: I got distracted and let this one sit for a good while before sniffing again. Whatever other stages it went through, it is now almost pure single-note carnation on me. I can live with that.

 

Verdict: Keeping the decant and maybe getting a bottle.

[Aviatrix]

Not sure what either clover or cubeb berries smell like, but I have a feeling that's what amping on me. I don't identify it as rose or carnation. Hm. This is very sweet, and like I said it's really amping on me, almost citrussy.

I'm not getting any vanilla cream, but I do think the "blood" note gives it a bit of spice.

 

I will need to retest it and see if it still amps like crazy. If it does, I'm not really sure it's for me after all.

[The Forest Floor]

Well this is my first review.... here goes nothing! I got to try this at Dirty South Lunacy after drooling over the description online for a month, and boy was I impressed! On one hand I do have to agree with the comparison others have made to Alice, but on the other hand it hardly compares at all... perhaps it is her evil twin, a much bolder, witchier Alice. And there is a spicy element to it, somewhat peppery, but more like tart- tangy, zingy, puckery... it actually reminds me a lot of certain herbal teas, I'm thinking rosehip tea (haven't had that in years) and lemon zinger. It's sort of sharp but unique and yummy. And along side this fascinating tart thing it has going on I can definitely smell the warm, creamy, honey-vanilla-soft floral layer. When I put it on, the spiciness is in the foreground at first, but it all mellows together after a little while. After a few hours it becomes even softer (not too much fainter, more like the scent itself softens and blends) and somewhat "drier" I guess you might say...something about it starts to remind me of potpourri. A very unusual potpourri. A sassy young medieval witch's potpourri. I still quite like it at this stage. It's a fantastic, distinct scent with a lot of personality and it's really fun. Glad to have it!

[macabre_fae]

Mm, this is quite nice.

 

On initial application it's very lemony and sweet. The dry down is the best though, it's hazy and soft vanilla with honey. This is definitely my #2 out of the Halloweenie lot this year!

[dottie_doom]

This was an iffy one for me, rose does not do well on me. However, I decided to get a decant to give it a try since I love honey, carnations and vanilla. Unfortunately it ended up not really working on me, and not because of the rose. The cubeb is overwhelmingly strong on me, I must amp it. Even drying down it was still all cubeb. This would be great for someone who really loves tart, citrus forward scents, but it just isn't for me.

[Winterbelle]

This had some of my favorite notes; carnation, honey, and vanilla, so I just had to get a bottle. On wet, it smells very strongly of citrus, and is a bit sharp and unpleasant. (No idea what cubeb smells like, so maybe that's the culprit). I was worried I may amp it like some of the previous reviewers had mentioned. Thankfully, after thirty minutes or so, the other notes start coming forward. It does remind me of Alice a bit (which is definitely a good thing). To me, Alice smells like tea, and sugar cookies next to a bouquet of flowers, all pink and girly. Liebezauber, on the other hand is lemon tarts and sugared carnation (didn't smell any rose). More feminine than girly, and I picture Victorian ladies at tea. I'm certainly not a note expert, that's just the image I get when I smell it and I think it's delightful. It lasted throughout the day and had moderate throw. I could smell it floating around me without having to put my nose to my arm. Definitely a keeper.

[LiberAmoris]

The honey and cubeb in Liebeszauber really do invite comparisons to Crib Girls. It's like if Crib Girls were dipped in roses and carnations and red clover, with a drop of blood and sweet cream. It's as if a teaser from the Lupercalia update fell into the Halloweenie update, and I love it. The drop of blood does give this one subtle fangs...there's an edge here that's warm and metallic and very subtle. The cubeb berry note is a bit tart, piney, and camphorous, but it's a great foil for the honey. Definitely keeping this one, and I expect it to age nicely as well.

[sprout]

In vitro- citrus, honey, spicy and sweet

 

Wet - Mainly honey, carnations, and the red clover which is astringent and citrus like.

 

Drying- Like Alice, but more vanilla and an almost lemon flavor. Creamy, floral with carnation forward, backed by vanilla'd honey. This stage is magnificent. The reviewer who noted lemon tarts has it right, with vanilla tea flavored by cream and honey, displayed next to a vase of fragrant carnations.

 

Drydown- my nemesis rose emerges, and this goes to powder. Sweet, rosy, powder, but nevertheless not good. My skin amps rose and unfortunately, the honey and cream can't compete. Of course this phase lasts.

 

Final thoughts- I'm very tempted to buy a bottle but I'd have to use a scent locket. I think I'd rather try layering a lemon scent with Alice in an attempt to replicate the scent. If roses behave on your skin, this is sublime, a creamy, honeyed floral with bright, citrus like clover,that is different from Alice. Sadly, my skin ruins this for me, but that leaves more for the rest of you to love.

[zankoku_zen]

Honey, vanilla, drops of rose and cubeb berries.

 

In a lot of ways, I had already discounted this blend because of the honey and rose. I get a bright, cheery berry blend. And uhhhh.... I think I may love this.

 

In fact, this may require more testing.

[sqwook]

This is a much more complex blend than I was thinking, and really nice! It starts out with a lot of the lemony cubeb scent, then rounds out over time. I do not get any rose at all. After a bunch of death-matching, the thing it most reminds me of is Cairo, interestingly! And also Sihaya Designs' 'Amas'. It has more skin-close staying power than Cairo though. Really nice blend.

[milo]

Fruity beeswax, basically. Sweet and pleasant, a little too sweet. I'd like this as a room spray, it's got a nice candle vibe going, but it's not really my thing as a perfume.

[sunlitgarden]

I wanted to try this one because it has one of my favorite note pairings: rose and honey, along with carnation and vanilla, two other notes I love.

In the decant: Sweet honey, and smells kind of lemony. The florals are there, too, and a bit of spice probably from the carnation and/or cubeb. The honey and vanilla cream smell foody, like lemon vanilla icing with some rosewater in it. It reminds me of Alice, which I guess isn't too surprising as they have several notes in common.

On my skin: getting that lemony note first off, combined with the honey it kind of smells like... cough drops. It's not astringent or mentholic, but the honey-lemon combination primarily reminds me of those. I'm not getting much floral on my skin at all, it's mostly just sweet honey-lemon.

It's soothing and "soft" smelling in a way, but also kind of reminds me of being sick and drinking lemon-honey tea and having cough drops.

Later Edit: After several hours of wear, it becomes a lovely sweet snuggly honey, a little powdery but in a "good" way. However, I was hoping for more carnation and rose and the hour plus of lemon honey cough drops wasn't my favorite. I'll be keeping my decant, but I don't think I need a full bottle.

Edited December 10, 2015 by sunlitgarden

[suslee]

Review of a decant:

 

Wet: I smell the honey, oh whoa it's rose PETALS not roses! Whoops didn't notice that until now. The carnations are muted in the background, and oh wow the clover! This is quite 'spicy'. Oh yes, I can pick out the vanilla cream.

 

Dry: All carnation and clover. I'm glad I didn't buy a bottle of this like I had once considered doing. Eek. Not my kind of scent. The carnation note, I prefer in Alice over this.

[freyasfae]

Lots of sweet, juicy fruit in this one. I thought the florals in this might tone down the fruit for me, but this just stays all fruit on me.

[myswtghst]

Initially tried this as a decant from a Weenie circle, and although I was a bit torn (I liked it but wasn't sure it was my favorite of the decants I tried), the SO convinced me I needed a bottle, which I'm now terribly glad I have.

 

On my skin, this is a sharp, spicy floral, on the dry side of things but with some warmth from the vanilla cream. I mostly get carnation, with a hint of something red and a hint of something lemony. The throw is relatively strong and it has staying power - I can put it on at 7am and still get a whiff when I get home after a long day.

 

Funny story - I was recently wearing Liebeszauber on a day I went to the grocery store (within an hour or two of applying it). When the little old lady working there came to approve my transaction on the self-checkout, she immediately went "I smell cinnamon! What smells spicy?" I mentioned it might be my perfume, and she gave another sniff, then told me how lovely it smelled. Guess it's a winner!

[Little Bird]

The cubeb overwhelms with its tart, lemony scent. Cubeb mixed with honey starts to smell like lemon & honey flavored cough drops. I'm surprised that I'm not getting any carnation or rose, because florals are usually pretty strong on me. Lemon-honey-cough-drops

[PeculiarHeroine]

I don't know what has taken me so long in trying this, but now I regret that I've not been wearing it all summer.

Alice in a sundress. I'd initially bought this because I'd heard it was like Alice, and now I can confirm. This is the lightest, sunniest Alice in the world, with a touch of citrus-like scent.

I'm a fan. This is a great summertime scent for those who prefer spicy, autumnal scents.

[Lucchesa]

Apparently I must amp cubeb, because for the first hour or so, Liebeszauber smells exactly like Crib Girls on me. Not that I mind, I like Crib Girls, but I was hoping for some carnation, some clover, some bloody vanilla cream. I could differentiate the blood note wet, but it got swallowed up by the cubeb pretty quickly. The carnation emerges after about an hour, and then it's lemony cubeb and carnation honey. I don't think the clover or vanilla cream is ever going to make itself known. So, this is nice but not as complex as I was hoping for, as my skin chemistry just foregrounds the cubeb.

[Rane.]

Received for free with a large order a while back. Right out of the bottle: nope. Not gonna wear it. But I decided not to be a prude & do a test. & Wow has this one changed completely. In the bottle, sour, breath-stealing, overpowering, warmth. On the skin tho... FRUITS?? Bubblegum?? What the hell is happening here? There is the honey, rose, & slightly spicy carnation. The berries & vanilla cream are what makes this tasty.

 

So it just goes to show, never trust your nose to a bottle. Apply some & give it a try! I was worried no one would swap this cuz of the initial funk, but now Im finding that I will be wearing this!

[Rane.]

I just wanted to add that I could swear that I do not have the same thing everyone is reviewing here, because they are all so favorable & smelling nice things, but I do have the exact same thing. I really can't get over how it smells in the bottle. It's repulsive. Nothing like the notes people are getting. But once I put it on it changes to a completely different tune. It's a fun trick to pop on my wife. Occasionally I'll have her blind smell the bottle, gag, then she'll smell my wrist, & say "WTF?? It's amazing!" Everytime. Am I the only one experiencing this?

[Teamama]

This was part of my very first BPAL decant order!  At that time, it was very clove/carnation forward, similar to doomsday_disco's description. This was how I learned that my skin will amp BPAL's clove note to the moon and back .

 

I fished out the decant for the 2022 Wear Your Weenies Challenge.  I was tickled to find that aging has totally changed the balance of the notes. I'm currently getting honey, lemony cubeb, & spicy floral. It's like a mashup of Crib Girls & Alice, and I like it a lot.