Flame of Desire

[sarada]

It's my understanding that this is a Black Broom exclusive, as according to an update by Beth dated September 2004, this was among those listed. I don't believe there is a description available for this now, so please edit and update if one becomes available, powers that be!

 

I received this in a trade, as I am currently on the other side of the country from Black Broom, and I'm so glad I got to try it! This is an incredible fragrance. It very, very strongly reminds me of the Caterpillar, the first fragrance I ever got here, which had attracted me by its description. I'm comparing the two side by side right now and I think that whereas the Caterpillar represents this scent in the shade, nestled amongst mosses, that Flame of Desire represents this scent in the full brightness of day, in the sunlight.

 

Here is the description for Caterpillar, by the way, as I think they may share a couple of common ingredients: "Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver." The strongest sense that I get in Flame of Desire though is a very green jasmine, backed with some buttery deep gold floral and incensey notes. It's less complex, brighter, and stronger. This fragrance is sticking to my skin without changing all day, and I love it! The incense notes come out slowly as the strong floral/jasmine smell starts to recede.

 

I was expecting a more "red" scent -- something hot and wild, maybe spicy, from the name, but this is a very romantic, sultry and sensual fragrance. I am assuming that because of the name that the ingredients in this one are probably associated with love and desire. I'd be curious to know what's in it!

Edited December 5, 2004 by sarada

[clover]

I am officially in love with Flame of Desire.

 

Out of the bottle: Spicy with just a hint of something animalistic.

 

Upon application: The first time I tried this the only thing I could smell was cinnamon, but this second time I'm just getting a hint of cinnamon. More than anything, it smells slightly dusty and earthy.

 

After a few minutes: Yep, it's definitely got that dirt scent from Ace of Pentacles & Zombi. Which I love, love, love. (It also makes me sneeze, which is why I don't wear Ace of Pentacles or Zombi anymore. However, in this case I'll just have to deal with it.) I also think there's some light and pretty florals. Something slightly sweet.

 

A few minutes after that: This may sound odd, but there's something in this scent that feels like it was dug up from underground. I'm wondering if it's a root of some kind. Mandrake root? Orris root?

 

Conclusion: Very, very earthy/dusty - and slightly floral, spicy and sweet. It's just a very "full" scent and completely addicting and gorgeous. One of those "I can't stop sniffing myself" scents.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

I got a 5mL of this from Astrobabe, who kindly picked it up for me from the Lab.

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, boy...is that civet I smell? If not, it's a darker musk of some sort. It's very similar to Satyr to my nose which is, admittedly, not the best at deciphering animalistic notes. It certainly smells a lot like civet to me, though, and not much else. I don't know if I'll be able to wear this or not.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Well, it's not cat pee on my skin, which is good. It's definitely a musk of some sort, but maybe it's not civet after all. This is definitely more wearable than I'd anticipated it being from the way it smelled in the bottle. I don't normally go for strong musky scents, but there's something sexy about this, strangely enough. I think it might be working on me.

 

Dry down:

 

Musk of some sort and definitely not the scent of skin but sexy and sensual smelling, somehow. There's a bit of cognitive dissonance going on here, too...my nose is saying "This is dangerously close to smelling like cat pee" (my normal reaction to dark musks and civet in particular) but my body's got another, more favorable, opinion of Flame of Desire. I think I may just have to learn to live with smelling a little bit like I've been peed on by a tomcat because I feel good wearing this.

 

The bottom line:

 

More evidence that the Voodoo Blends (and BB Exclusives) aren't really about smelling good...this one's a keeper in spite of the fact that I don't like the way it smells.

[shelldoo]

i kinda think it is civet, as i got a faint hint of cat pee, not every whiff but every once in a while there is cat pee smell mixed in w/ the cinnamon, and florals, i also get the "dirt" type note similar to zombi, actually if it weren't for the occassional whiff of cat pee this would be great.

[helarctos]

Flame of Desire is a heavy pall of incense, cinnamon, and patchouli. I concur with the impression of earthiness, with the caveat that it doesn't actually smell *like* earth.

[kmasden]

I tried this on in the broom and didn't know quite what to expect. It is very incensey. I love that in a lot of scents, and don't mind it here. I also get a lot of wood from this. Like palm maybe. Sooo hmmm, a perfumy wood - because there is definately something that I associate with a "perfumy" or heady scent. It might be some type of floral or perhaps a musk. Jasmine...can't be...but there's a hint of something, not civet, but something that normally gives me a plasticy drydown. I've only found that in certain kind of jasmines and oakmoss. As it dries, I get more and more wood and less anything else. Definately no cinnamon on me.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - jasmine with a resinous tang.

 

Dry - as it begins drying it takes on an incensy scent. Could be myrrh, but I'm not sure about that. There also might be the tiniest bit of cinnamon, but I can't be sure about that either. After a while, the wood notes come out. The jasmine is still there, but it's muted.

 

This is my absolute favorite scent! It's not as in-your-face sexy as Sin, my other favorite. It's more seductive than sexual. This could easily become my signature scent, except that it probably shouldn't be worn every day. It's absolutely gorgeous and it lasts a long time, without being too strong. Perfection!

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the best) it rates a 5.

[cuervosueno]

civet! Absolutely civet! I could smell it as soon as I opened the bottle, that unmistakable scent also in Satyr and Lord of the Forest.

I really wanted this to work, and I will try it again, but today...well, I wish I'd gotten the incense notes of caterpillar, which I adore, but alas, no such notes show up on me.

Instead it is a mix of satyr and sin on me, and I'd probably go for it if it was more sin and less satyr...but it isn't.....

As to its efficacy, I can't say yet, but hmmm....its so strong on me, I don't think it would quite get my flame going....

ah well. I'll edit this if I get a different impression....

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): This has something similar to many of the other TALs that I can't identify. It's not really sharp, but sharpish, and not really dirty, but a bit gritty.

 

Just On: I get a hint of the cat pee soaked bandaids because of my skin, but it's not strong enough to really bother. I also get some woodsiness.

 

An hour or two later: A little more woods, a little less cat pee bandaids.

 

Around 6 hours: I'm thinking this is civet, which gives me the pee soaked bandaids in certain blends (damn my skin), but usually turns out okay in the end.

 

12 hours: It's pretty much gone now.

 

Overall: I get a bad part for a while, but it mellows out into a really nice scent. Works great on my friend though (jerk <G>). Guess it's time to enable her as well.

 

After reading other reviews: I'm guessing either civet or a dark musk is what my skin wrecks for a while, but that I can wear in certain blends. Would be perfect for anointing a candle. I didn't get any cinnamon out of it.

[QueenFae]

This is definitely a musky, incense scent. It's earthy, spicey, and sexy. There must be some civet there, which would explain why I like it so much, because by some miracle civet works for me. This would be a lovely scent to burn in a room, it's so deep and strong. I think this would work very well on both sexes. I didn't pick up cinnamon like some others did, just musks, civet, and maybe some deep spices or opium. This is a lovely one, I'm glad I snagged a bottle.

[couscous]

I can't really "review" this one, just help in confirming that there is, indeed, civet in this one, and if you have problems with this note, beware, cause its coming to get you.

 

I am someone who absolutely has problems with this note, and so I couldn't leave it on for more than 5 minutes.

 

But wet, it has a salty patchouli quality very much like Anne Bonny.

 

For advanced civet users , this is probably gorgeous

[PurringPulsar]

Flame of Desire

 

Courtesy of the TAL circular swap.

In the imp: something floral, something that smells slightly ginger beer like…and something animalistic. I think that may be civet. It's a bit farmyard-ish, but not too off putting. Yet.

Wet on skin: yup, it smells very animal indeed. But still not too 'ick-inducing'. There's a floral scent there-not sure what, and some red musk too.

Dry on skin: now I think there's something more floral coming through. Not sure what though-it reminds me of something I've smelt in someone's garden, but I can't remember what! Maybe it's carnation? But then there's that musky-animal scent. This actually reminds me of Madini's Musk Gazelle, which was the most intense and animalistic musk I've tried-that was like a cross between red musk and civet. This is that same fragrance mixed with a floral scent, and surprisingly, it's not making me gag! It does remind me of Sin, slightly, and there may be some patchouli in this. Possibly the same cinnamon from Sin, as well. And maybe some incense, or something deep and dirty. But it's predominantly dark, animalistic musk and earthy sweetness.

After a while: I wish I knew what the floral note in here is-it's bugging me, because it doesn't seem jasmine like to me. I know I've smelt it somewhere though. And yes, this still smells like red musk and civet to me. I think I'm getting a hint of spice, or patchouli, or smoke, but I'm sure there's something spicy in here as well. Aside from the dark musk, it's hard to pin down the notes in here.

Verdict: I'm not sure what the purpose of this oil is, but I think it's related to love and/or sex. This is another unusual fragrance…and I think it could be my first proper brush with a civet scent. This definitely has an animal scent to it, but surprisingly, it's not too bad. It's predominantly an intense red musk and civet smell, but there's something else here too which I can't really put my finger on-it's floral, earthy and spicy. It reminds me somewhat of Sin, but with dark musk/civet added. This scent has a primal, raw, intense feel to it. Not an outright favourite, but then again, not something I hate either. Maybe civet and I are not worst enemies, as I had feared! I don't know if I'd want to get more of it-especially since I'm not entirely sure of it's purpose yet.

Edited August 20, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[Nachtwulf]

Well, I didn't get 'cat pee'... (I live with four cats. I /know/ what cat pee smells like.)

 

Most of BPAL's 'fire' blends just plain don't bring fire to mind, to me. Fire eater, Salamander, and Living Flame all came off as nothing like fiery enough to me personally...or what I think of as a 'fiery' scent. Fire, to me, should be heavy and smoky and resinous and spicy. It should have cinnamon and incense and hot-blooded musk. It should...well...smell like Flame of Desire.

 

Although I thought that it was going to be 'enh' like Salamander, from the bottle, on skin the cinnamon really surges up then warms down into something musky and a bit incensy. There's a leetle bit of floralness, but I think it still works overall. While I don't know that it's something I'd wear all the time, I do like it quite a bit and am happy I got the bottle.

[Colère]

Bottle: Vial screams 'luxuriously thick, syrupy Sandalwood' with just a hint of powder - both manage to superficially cover a real awful, sour note that smells like bad breath. I think I'm getting some sort of tropical white flower, too, I'd hazard a guess and say it's a little gardeniaesque.

 

Skin: Noxious bad breath morphs into something dry (arid?); it's kind've like cedar but without the cottonmouth effect. There's a certain level of candylike sweetness, and a trace of cinnamon. I'm also getting a really gritty and smokey vibe, fairly reminiscent of BPAL's Brimstone.

 

Skin, Later: Ah, fuck me. It's orange blossoms, isn't it? ISN'T IT? The bad breath keeps coming back and is TOTALLY GETTING IN THE WAY OF ME REVIEWING THIS BLEND. Whenever orange blossom(s) hit my skin I get this nauseating old people smell, like their body musk (super old, stale skin that's CLEAN but hasn't been washed in days). I'm trying to sink my fingers into other notes, but I'm just fumbling. All I get is 'nice and resiny, but possibly too tropical sweet and - HOLY FUCK I SMELL LIKE ONE OF THE GOLDEN GIRLS!'.

 

Verdict: I still reign as queen of exceptions! All Night Long (a BPAL voodoo blend) and Flame of Desire just don't groove to my body chemistry, and I bought BOTH for their intended amorous effects. When in doubt I'm always the one who has an opposite reaction (what more can you expect from a chick who seems to have an ancient Mesopotamian god of destruction and famine as her guardian angel?). I don't know if Flame of Desire DOES have orange blossoms (or not), but I'm hedging a bet it does since the old people/bad breath is a very unique reaction I get with that particular note. If things couldn't possibly get worse this blend SCREAMS of my mother's bedroom, like SPOT ON scary, in an unnerving 'dude, she like died less than a year ago and somehow someone managed to bottle a perfume that smells like her and her room' way (that's right, I'm ending this review with some FREE EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE FOR YOU, enjoy!).

[grrrlennyl]

at first: very hot and firey.

on: juicy and earthy. an odd combination, but i like it. it isn't as strong as i thought it would be.

half an hour later: this is giving me a headache.

1.5 hours later: yeah. headache. big-time.

overall: obviously, this is a bad oil for me.

[Northernminx]

Spicey in the imp, this was earthy and musky on me. This should have been overpowering but somehow mellowed really nicely on my skin, becoming a sort of overlay of musk against my skin. Definitly sultry and stirring and kind of exotic. Nice.

[Fefferbella]

Smokey incense, spicey cinnamon, and sweet patchouli! I'm in love!

 

This is so *sexy*. As the oil warms and blends with my skin, it just keeps getting better!

It smells like hot, passionate sex in a room filled with expensive hand-dipped incense. I was worried the cinnamon would take over, but the patchouli keeps it in its place.

 

*sexy perfection*

[Em-]

Reviewed as part of TAL Circular Swap:

 

There is something very familiar about the scent of this blend, but at first I couldn't quite place it. On me, this is sweet, fruity red wine, wich normally is immediately headache inducing in catalogue blends. Amazingly a tiny dab of this, while extremely strong, did not give me a headaches and was actually pretty pleasant (but then again, if there is civet in the blend, I seem to get along with it, so there you go).

[edenssixthday]

Flame of Desire - This goes on as a deep, heavy musk and it smells sooo gorgeous. As it warms up on my skin, it gets heavier and has a stronger level of throw, and pretty soon, I'm surrounded by the scent of deep, juice red musk and the warm, sweet, and raw scent of civet. I'm positively loving this blend! After drydown, I also detect something in it that's very familiar and I'm going to hazard a guess that there's some sort of black poppy or opium in this blend. It's incredibly sexy. This is a scent of hours upon hours of slow, sweaty sex on a hot and sultry summer night. Whew! I'd better go take a shower before I get myself all worked up over this blend! This is quite possibly the sexiest BPAL or TAL I've encountered. Daaaaaamn!!!

[spark]

OMG this is really not good. I'm one of the unlucky for whom civet is a disaster. Flame of Desire smells OK in the bottle but is horrific on my skin. It is very musky and dirty and not pleasant.

 

This is why I do the "dab test" for scent before using anything with intent... while the scent of many TALs is secondary to their purpose, if I had gotten this all over me in any sort of ritual, I would be really unhappy right now.

[Reedsong]

Flame of Desire is my absolute favourite TAL. I love everything about it.

 

In texture, it's thick and viscous; in colour, a perfect deep mahogany; the scent is such a wonderful dark, musky civet, very sexy and powerful.

 

When I use it alone, Flame of Desire helps put me in a desirous mindset, and I mean this in a very general sense. It reminds me of my deepest dreams, the things I keep hidden and might otherwise ignore.

 

With a partner, it does exactly as the name implies: kindles a passionate flame, intensifies desire, and the wonderful fragrance certainly doesn't hurt. In fact, my only regret is that Flame isn't available as a general BPAL scent; I'd wear it all the time if it were!!