Blood Countess

[Splendid Molerat]

Elizabeth Báthory, also called Erzsébet Báthory in Hungarian and Alžbeta Bátoriová-Nádašdy in Slovak, was the Bloody Lady of Hungary. In order to preserve her youth and loveliness, the brutal and incomparably savage countess captured, tortured and slaughtered innumerable young women and bathed in their blood as part of her beauty regimen. Ah, vanity. Corrupted black plum, smoky opium and crumbling dead roses covered by a deceptive veil of Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry.

I've used the entire sample of Blood Countess, and will require more.

Between the plum, berry and spicy notes I could easily imagine the tart and metallic smell of fresh blood. The light florals added some fluidity, balancing an otherwise sticky fragrance.

This is as close as I want to get to bathing in the blood of virgins.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Incense and floral.

 

On Skin: VERY floral… but the smoky opium makes it sexy and dark. The plum and berry are very sweet… and I like how the fruits stand out... my nose might be tricking me but I think I smell a peach scent as well. The rose is light but still noticable. I like this very much, but was expecting a “blood”… or resin… scent. The floral is strong though so it’s not really a scent for me.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Smoky rose.

 

In the imp/bottle: Berry and dark roses.

 

On skin, wet: This warms up fairly quickly, and the flowers become sweeter.

 

On skin, dry: Mostly rose now, with berry and gardenia on the sidelines. A sweet, dark and smoky scent.

 

Conclusion: Not bad, but as I'm not crazy about rose scents, I'm not crazy about this.

Edited December 16, 2005 by Aredhel

[Fyre_in_Winter]

For some reason I'm surprised that Blood Countess is a pale yellow (slightly greenish) liquid. In the vial I can smell the plum/berries and the gardenia. But the gardenia doesn't put me off so I give it a go on my wrist.

 

Wow, the opium really adds a special extra something to this blend. Normally I'm not a fan of most roses, gardenia, OR lilac...but... I find myself inexplicably liking this. Some element has gone a touch powdery and drawn close to my skin. I rather like this effect (virginal skin about to be slashed open..?). The plum and berries are so juicy ripe without being sweet. Methinks it is the lilac that is this dry and slightly bitter floral hanging around like a haze of resentment.

 

Again, not my usual kind of scent, but I like it quite a bit.

[leahcat]

Blood Countess

 

in the bottle: Ooo, sweet yum plum. Floral? Not yet.

wet: sugared plums and berries ....several sniffs more and I get a bit of lilac. This is so NOT floral. Yay! Let’s see how it dries.

drying/5 minutes: much more spicy now, which is odd... no real spices in the description. Might that be the opium? Still sweet cooked plums (not fresh ones) and berries. I get both lilac and gardenia now, but it’s a faint after-note. Not sure about the roses but perhaps... if I talk to my nose long enough it tells me that perhaps they are there.

dry/40 minutes: musky spicy plum. Not as nice as I’d hoped from the start, but I’m sure it suits other people.

[tempete]

Initially, Blood Countess is a bouquet of smoky florals with a slight tinge of sweetness. It dries down to a plum/berry-dominated finish with a sharp edge, possibly due to the gardenia note. Unfortunately, gardenias give me a headache, so this imp was passed on.

[wickedgoddess]

Origin - gift imp from the lab

 

Wet - I'm not sure what's not working for me in here, but something smells like dirty diaper.

 

Dry - I still get the dirty diaper smell, mixed with plum. As it dries the foul smells fades and it begins to smell like overripe fruit with a twinge of decay. After an hour or two it's all plum. Considering how much I like Queen of Spades, I thought I would like this more. But sadly, it just doesn't work with my chemistry.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 1.

[Ren]

I finally get to try Blood Countess. Let's see.

 

Imp: On first sniff, it smelled like...dead roses and opium with a hint of gardenia...? Second sent, it smelled more berry/plum winelike. Hmm.

 

Wet: This is...odd. I really don't know how to describe it. Almost alcoholic, some kind of floral....

 

Drying: Same...only more powderish...It smells...just weird.

 

Dry: Not much change. I like florals, but not this kind of floral. Oh, Blood Countess, I wanted to love you, really....but this one just doesn't do much for me. Sigh. Off to swaps it goes.

[Little Bird]

For the first 15-20 minutes on my skin, Blood Countess is close to unbearable. It is the scent of thick, perfumey roses and makes me feel like I'm starting to get a headache.  I like sweet, dewy, more true smelling roses or candied roses, but this is a musky, artificial rose.

Around the half hour mark, it has faded off considerably.  I can smell the berries if I hold my wrist up to my nose, but they are cloaked in a bitter, sharp, perfumey floral veil.

 

After about an hour and a half, it's all gone. I can't smell any hint of fragrance at all on my wrists.

Edited September 14, 2021 by Little Bird

[Krista]

I was really looking forward to trying this one. It was recommended to me because I'm a huge fan of Venom.

 

At first, I thought there had to be Dragon's Blood in this one. It's so thick and sweet with a smoky, musky hint. It's very pretty, but the smokiness of the opium really amps up on my skin, and is very unflattering.

[VelvetSky]

I've been looking forward to trying Blood Countess for a while now, so I was so happy to receive this from a generous sweetie in a swap.

 

My first impression on applying this oil is 'berries'. Fruity, juicy, Starburst candy berries. I like berries, so this is good so far.

 

As it dries, the florals push forward and mellow out the slight tang of the berry topnote. I'm sensing the gardenia and the roses, but they aren't sharp or too perfumey...just very sweet. The plum in this blend is sort of around the edges...I can smell it, but my skin isn't amplifying it. I'm just kinda aware of it's presence.

 

The drydown starts to go a bit powdery. I wish I could pick up the opium note more. The basenotes of this blend are very subtle.

 

Overall, Blood Countess is a very sweet, juicy floral perfume. It's gorgeous, but it ultimately lacks the spicy, smokey bite I'm looking for.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Plum and berries - yum! Twisted and aged by gardenia and roses. This is so intriguing. The fruit makes the fragrance juicy and then the darkness of opium and aging florals shake this up most delightfully.

On me: Gardenia and lilac. The berries sweeten the florals but the plum - my favorite note - has vanished. Something about the fragrance is just off to me. I don't know if there's a specific note - none of the florals in this blend have good track records with me - or just the combination, but it isn't working. I can't name what is wrong, only that something definitely is.

[scourgeotheseas]

Blood Countess - one of a series of reviews I did and then lost. Ooops!

 

In the bottle: Ripe berries - tart and sharp.

 

On me: Very heavy fruity notes, almost cloying. I can smell the plum, which I adore, but the smoky opium and the florals actually make this one too heavy for me to wear.

 

I tried this several times, never wanting to believe that Blood Countess might be a little too much for me. But she was, she was...

[nineveh]

I didn't get any plum, roses, opium, or berries from Blood Countess. On me, it instantly became solely lilac and gardenia. It smells good in the imp, sweet and fruity, but it's obviously not meant for my skin chemistry.

[daybreaksdisdain]

First applied: yummy again, sweet, berries and sweet but not in a fly bait kinda way.

 

One hour later: Yippee it's staying delicious

 

Verdict: Oh happy day, love this one, must have more

[zankoku_zen]

In the Bottle: Juicy plum and berries. It's very sweet smelling and enticing.

 

On Skin: Still smelling like delicious plum. Huzzah! I get a bit of a rosy scent after sniffing it for a bit. And I can definitely smell some of the berry goodness. This is still a sweet scent.

On Drydown: I'm gettinga whiff of something darker though, I think it might be the opium. It's a nice counterbalance to the rest of the sweetness. However, this fades fast from my skin.

 

Verdict: Just for the sheer deliciousness of the plum at the beginning, I'd consider keeping this. I don't think that this is a scent I would order large quantities of or could really live with. It's much too sweet. I'll send it on its way and hope someone else loves her more than I do.

[judas_kiss]

In the vial: Sweet red roses, a bit of spice, a tangy wine scent in the background.

 

Wet: This started off so pretty and very complex. It blended well into this very "wicked" floral scent. And by wicked, I mean, I felt almost malicious wearing it. It was devine. Very high born and cruel, yet not icey. There is a sensual throb to this, a blood-like quality. Very V:tM feel to this fragrance, a pretty subterfuge that hides a bloodthirsty, cruel monster who will drink you dry.

 

Drydown (or crydown in my case):Waah..potpourri. Yep. Somehow the berry came out and made potpourri on me. I was sooo sad because it started off so wonderful! My chemistry must not be appreciating it.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: this was a freebie from the lab. a fresh, sweet floral, with something dark underneath.

on: i can smell the plum and gardenia, and the lilac is there, too. the berries round out the sweetness. very nice.

1.5 hours later: vaguely floral, with a not-too-sweet plum undertone. very nice.

2 hours later: just very pretty. still a vague scent, though. sweet, but not really. i really like this.

overall: i've always been interested in the stories about elizabeth bathory, so i'm glad this ended up working on me. it's just a very nice scent on me, and the flowers don't go soapy, which is always a plus.

[walkingundine]

This was a frimp from my recent order. Like 3/4 of my wishlist, it is a berry/wine scent. Mmmmberries.

 

In the imp: Holy Grape Juice, Batman! It's bright and sharp, and very very red and fruity. I cannot discern any other notes.

 

Wet: The scent darkens into something I've been calling 'electric plum'. It's red/black and rather assertive.

 

Drydown: This is where Blood Countess really comes into its own. I can discern something dark and sort of smoky, and a kind of very soft floral, but I'm still getting that lovely red fruity/wine note. It gets a little more complex as time passes. Staying power promises to be excellent.

 

Overall: I'm altogether content with the imp. I don't rave over it the way I do Lady Macbeth or Bewitched, but it is definitely tasty.

[lookingglass]

After loving Bordello, with all of its fun flirtyness, I wanted to try a more sophisticated plum...this delivers.

 

I was obseessed with Elizabeth Bathory when I was a teenager...read everything I could get my hands on...I was really excited to see "her" scent.

 

She begins sour and juicy, almost like grapefruit. On the drydown it becomes more dusty and floral, but not overpoweringly rosey. Completely dry the sweet gardiania and opium make a delcious combination.

 

This is evil The flowers try to deceive me, the berries try to tempt me, but this is cloying, dark, twisted, powerful, and cruel.

 

 

ETA: this is a very evokative scent...I could not wear it as a delicate new mother. It scared me...now it's in my top 10.

Edited November 28, 2007 by lookingglass

[quimerula]

Wet it starts with plum, berries and gardenia with a bit of dead roses.

 

It's sexy and dark, a nice floral with gardenia as the leading note and the juicy touch of the fruits.

[Monster]

There's something in this that smells like melting plastic or a fresh band-aid...and maybe old dirty diapers. I'm not sure which note that is, but I've smelled it in a few other florals as well.

 

This is very floral, I can smell gardinia and dry, dead roses.

I'm not a fan of Blood Countess.

 

On my skin wet the plastic/dirty diaper smell is even more prominent. As it dries down a bit, this turns a little more perfumy and a hint of berry begins to poke it's head out.

 

Overall, this isn't for me.

[imaginepageant]

In the vial: Corrupted plum and wild berry, indeed. This is very fruity, but very dark and sensual and erotic all at the same time. I can catch the gardenia as well, spicing it all up. This reminds me of a bodily smell, a sex smell... in a way that's both exciting and disturbing.

 

Wet: My skin makes everything musky. Blood Countess is now a fruity musk.

 

Dry: This dries quickly, and becomes slightly powdery, though it's still quite fruity and musky. I'm picking up the slightest hint of dragon's blood, which isn't shown in the description, but judging by the name of this blend there's a good chance that there is dragon's blood in this.

 

An hour later: Any trace of dragon's blood, whether real or my imagination, is gone now. The fruit has come back with a vengeance, very tart and dark.

 

Overall: Nice, but I'm not in love with it. If the dragon's blood had have stuck around, I probably would have kept this imp, but as it is, it's going to a better home.

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Flowers and something that to me smells like Blood ORange but I guess is plum. Juicy and smooth and full of life.

 

Dry: This is SO juicy tart orange and plum, mellowed with a light floral. But it's so easy to say that and miss the whole feeling and smell of this perfume, it's tart, and full of juice and ripeness, it screams pouty, juicy, curvy womanhood. I get a lot more of the tart fruit which I am interpreting as Blood Orange than the sense of "plum"., and just a hint of floral.

 

I love it.

[miss_tori]

I recieved this imp in a swap

Wet in the bottle it smells very, very dark classy maroon. Juicy, sweet and elegant with the tart smell of berries and plums. I can also smell the florals giving it a bit of sweetness.

dry on my skin most of the florals fade and a hint of berry and plum remain. I'm also getting a whiff of spicy opium from this.

The whole thing is very complex and beautiful and goes wonderful with Villainess soap's Blood.