The Witches' Sabbath

[razzlecupcake]

Frans Francken II
Burgundy and champaca resin with immortelle, leather accord, wine-soaked red fruits, rose geranium petals, red patchouli, guttering candles, and smoke.

This is definitely heavy on the wine and I barely smell the patchouli. The immortelle and rose geranium make it a little soapy... I was hoping more for Lady Macbeth with some champa, but this ends up smelling more white-flower-y on me. Potentially off to swaps with ye!

[savage_rose]

This reminded me so much of Blood Rose bath oil to me, but in perfume form and more balanced. Sweet, a little tipsy...it could have been Witches' Saturday Night Date (wine! roses! Sweet, stolen kisses). Very pretty, and definitely Halloweenie meets Lupercalia (Hallowcalia? Luperweenie?).

[Lydialove]

At first I thought this was similar enough to Wanda (wine, leather and roses) that I wouldn't need a bottle. But Wanda has violets where this has smokey incense. It's a rich, deep purple and dark red scent. I feel like I could get drunk off it.

 

It's glorious.

[LiberAmoris]

The Witches' Sabbath is kind of fascinating...wet, it's very 'red', with the Burgundy, wine-soaked red fruits, rose geranium petals, and red patchouli. But dry, this is immortelle, champaca, candles, and smoke on me—strained through the sieve of 'red' but mostly feeling white and pale yellow and pale orange. It really does have a moment where it smells a bit like Blood Rose and then it banks left. The remnants on my wrist after an hour smell like the wee hours of a Bacchanal, when the candles are moats of molten wax, dripping over their forms, and the smell of wine and flowers and spent lust are in the air. Really interesting and artful, and quite a progression!

[Mechanical Death]

I hastily skin tested this scent straight out of the mailbox and it just about disappeared on my skin. Thankfully after letting it rest for a few days it has settled and bloomed beautifully, everything I had hoped it would be.

 

Straight out of the bottle I get a wet juicy blast of fruits, like red crisp apple (even though there's no apple directly listed, I smell red apple) and jammy fruits. as it begins to dry the rose becomes more prominent. It's almost rich and creamy. when I smell my wrist my brain says vanilla, like rich vanilla pods, but it's not actually a vanilla smell. It's not a high note floral scent, it's very heady, sweet, and smooth.

I don't get any leather, which I am actually pleased with. I love leather scents, but I like the way this is without the noticeable distinct 'leather' smell. Perhaps the leather is lending that smooth butteriness that I am registering as creamy vanilla, just without that sharp leather edge.

 

On the drydown it smells vuagely smokey, but still sweet smoke. Like a beeswax candle that was just extinguished. I'm not picking up on any nag champa sadly, but it does read as somewhat incense-y.

[Aviatrix]

This is mostly red wine, leather, and smoke on me! The red wine was very prominent in the wet stages, but it has calmed down somewhat upon drydown. The smoke really evokes guttering candles around a witches' circle in the woods, and I quite like that.

It's a scent for a powerful woman for sure (or a powerful man; I can actually see a man wearing this one just fine as well).

It doesn't have a ton of throw on me, but it's appropriate, I think. A mysterious, smoky blend for halloween nights!

[Haltija]

Dark and decadent. Romantic and gothic.

 

I just love this. No secret I love Beth's wine blends and this is one of the best I have smelled in years. It's a dark red wine I imagine and that's all it is on me when it's wet but when it dries I get nothing else but that lovely candle smoke and leather. It's completely gorgeous and I think this may have to be upgraded to a bottle.

[macabre_fae]

This was surprisingly my favorite blend of the 2015 Halloweenies.

 

For me, it's a smoky rosy wine scent. I was a little afraid that the patchouli would be overwhelming but it is so well blended I don't really notice it. I really love this one and look forward to a bottle.

[annemathematics]

I'm honestly not much of a fan or wearer of wine scents. that said, I ADORE witches sabbath.

it's very much a wine scent, but taken up to new levels of ummmph and mmmmm.

juiciness provided by the fruits; velvety richness courtesy of geranium and champaca; musky, resiny depth from the patch and a team-player/not amping wax; tied up in a gorgeous ribbon of smoke. a masterpiece.

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: WIIIINE.

 

Wet on my skin: Sweet, strong red wine and juicy fruit, and a bit of rose geranium.

 

Dry: I adore the Lab's wine scents, and this has probably just overtaken my beloved Obsidian Widow as my favourite wine blend. As this dries, the wine is threaded through by the geranium, beeswax candle smoke, and resins, and then the patchouli and leather ground the whole thing and give it a dark, earthy quality. After several hours of wear, it's much less wine and much more resins, geranium, smoke, and soft red patchouli. It's a very evocative and sexy scent, beginning as a deep, velvety purple-red in colour fading to dusty purple at the end.

[sprout]

This is brilliant and beautiful but I think too complex for my taste. I amp wine and patchouli isn't helping matters. This smells as if I took multiple, random imps and combined them. Fruits of the red variety marry with patchouli, lush red florals, sweet honey, soft resins and well worn leather. It's too much. If you want to smell like your BPAL box, get this. It does smell like a sophisticated, sexy and witchy woman. I never thought I'd find a blend too sweet for my taste but I was mistaken. Nevertheless, it is imminently and compulsively huffable. I think it is actually starting to grow on me. I'll retest in two weeks.

Edited November 27, 2015 by sprout

[zankoku_zen]

Very complex. Red wine, geranium, red fruits, candles and smoke.

 

Very sexy. It reminds me in vibe to "Opium" from YSL.

[Little Bird]

Beautiful, sensual, gothic fragrance. It's mainly sweet red wine with a hint of smoky leather and a background of champaca incense and snuffed out candles, swirling and smoky.

[Cali]

A dark cold night and a feast made for witches. Lovely soft leather that bpal does so well. It's really quite red on me!
All the notes are easy to pick out here, yet they're mixed to perfection once again.

[roseus]

In the imp I get bright red wine and patchouli- a little earthy but not super gnarly. On my skin it's pretty much the same but a little floral. I don't get any smoke or leather.