Blood Countess

[Wildbriar]

... Corrupted black plum, smoky opium and crumbling dead roses covered by a deceptive veil of Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry.

Blood Countess Source: imp fresh from lab

In the imp: This has a rich, juicy scent with a tartness to it that does remind me of fresh plums.

Initially this smells on me much as it does in the vial, juicy and almost (but not quite) like cherry cough syrup. Wow, this goes through quite the morph during drydown. At the very beginning the tartness dissapears as does the bitterness that reminded me of the cough syrup, and the gardenia and lilac become prominent. Quickly my skin warms the oil and, ohhhhh the opium comes out and is heavenly. I have a lovely, spicy floral that is just delicious, and maddeningly fleeting. Once this dries completely my skin amps the sweetness and I lose any subtlety. It becomes nothing but headache-inducing, syrupy-sweet fruit.

Oh, if only that delicious, spicy phase had lasted. I might try this one out in my scent locket to see if I can get that spicyness but on my skin this one ends up being very not for me.

ETA: I was headed to my bathroom to wash this off before I got a full-blown headache and sniffed again... and remembered what this reminded me of. Spencer's gifts. I think there was some incense they sold there once upon a time that Blood Countess decides to become on my skin, I think its the gardenia, which rarely agrees with me. Edited July 16, 2007 by Shollin

[River]

In the Imp/Wet: Oh my gahd, too much floral! Bright, noisy floral, and too-sweet, like decay or cough syrup.

 

Dry: ...cough syrup. Cherry cough syrup.

 

Nope, this one's off to the swap/sale pile. xX;

[waternight]

In the imp: Very fruity – strong plum and slightly less strong berries. Sniffing deeply, I catch the roses underneath the fruit, and a hint of the opium.

Wet/Drydown: Smells like fruity incense – corrupted fruity incense. The floral note is showing up as a rose/gardenia blend; I’m not getting the lilac. This blend is thick and full and wicked – very evocative of its inspiration. Mmmm… spicy opium is becoming more apparent. This scent is all Woman.

Dry: Plum incense, dark and smoky and juicy. A winner.

[Alseides]

Bottle: Bubblegum and cough medicine.

 

First 10 minutes: Bubblegum.

 

20 minutes: This stuff smells like a craft store on me. It's kind of nice - maybe as a room scent. It's funny how fruity and spicy this turns out on my wrist... skin chemistry is a funny thing. For now, though, this isn't something I want to smell like.

[Rovylern]

In the imp I smelled mostly the juicy plum and berry notes that everyone mentioned. On my skin, it went VERY floral almost immediately, and I nearly ran for the bathroom. Heavy carnation or gardenia scents make me gag, and I'm not sure why I stuck this out but I'm so glad I did. The floral stage lasted about 15-20 minutes and then disappeared almost entirely to be replaced with lighter berries, dark, lusty spiciness, and a faint hint of opium and flowers swirling up every so often. And my SO's opinion, well, let's just say that's not appropriate for a PG (or even PG-13) forum! I'm going to assume that means he likes it, too. Oh yes, this is definitely going to be a 5mL purchase. It's so incredibly sensual and sexy!

[tarotgirl99]

This has become my main scent for the summer. Normally, opium and I don't get along but when mixed with plummy rose, I guess we do. This is just slightly spicy on me--more sweet and delicious. It's definitely not cool, but not super-warm, either.

 

I have gotten more compliments on Blood Countess than any other BPAL.

[stasha]

FINALLY a Diabolus scent that likes me back In the bottle there's oodles of floral with an undercurrent of spice. It's beautiful and feminine with a deadly edge. I'll never cease to be amazed at well oils can convey a story.

 

Plum comes out on my skin during the wet phase then fades into a spicy, woodsy aroma. This is actually one of the few scents with hints of wood that doesn't smell masculine to me.

 

I can definitely see the comparisons to a craft store, in the best way possible. Although it's a craft store of demons

 

Lovelovelove Blood Countess.

[Keslynn]

Oh my god! I got to try this one at a will call (after lusting for a while) and I went home with a bottle. It's that good.

 

This one dries down pretty much the way it smells in the bottle so I'm not going to make a distinction. Blood Countess is very deeply fruity and floral. The plum is the primary note and it's juicy and dark. I can picture dark juices dripping down someone's chin. The second strongest note is something floral. I'm thinking it's the gardenia though it could be lilac (or both). Whatever it is, it makes the juicy plumminess somehow very darkly feminine and lush. It's incredibly sexy.

 

For me, Blood Countess is almost too sweet, but it never actually goes over the edge.

 

Verdict: One of my top 10. I think I've been wearing it more than anything else lately.

[melange]

My skin and Blood Countess just don't suit. If they were on a blind date, they would look up from their menus and simultaneously confess to a case of the blahs. And then they would laugh a little in relief, no hard feelings, and go their separate ways without another thought about the other.

 

In the imp, Blood Countess feels intoxicatingly alive and waiting, berries and plum with a juiciness I associate with apple. Wet on my skin, it manages to be juicy and yet dry at the same time. But when it dries, the "crumbling dead roses" take over, the barely-there lilac and others making it a moderately complex potpourri... complex, but still potpourri (or, with the opium, a burnt-out candle). The throw is a couple inches' worth, and it hangs on for quite a while but stays disappointingly flat. Hopefully as a room scent it will stay vibrant!

[underline2]

In the Imp:

It's all dead roses, opium and a tiny bit of plum-like sweetness.

 

Wet:

Merlin's mildewed monkey wrench! plum! with something slightly sinister behind it all. Perhaps the opium?

 

Dry:

The plum fades to a barely gentle sweetness, while the gardenia and opium come out to play. I can mostly smell sweet florals now, which I don't mind entirely, but I sincerely hope the plum comes back.

 

After a bit:

The plum/berries/nonflorals have come back and meshed well with the gardenia and rose. It's horribly faint, but maybe I just need to put more on. It's still sweet and slightly dark.

 

Rating (out of 5):

4

[Tulliver]

In the vial: GORGEOUS! Fruity and floral and dark and heavy. I have plums and berries. I have violet and gardenia. I have opium lurking in the background. Lush, rich and corrupt. This better live up to its promise.

 

On the skin: Wet - Ahhhhh... magnificent. Just as I said, fruity and floral and dark and heavy. And WHAT a throw when wet. Don't let me down now! I have the highest of hopes for this.

 

Dry: Lilac. BEAUTIFUL lilac. But so subtle. The fruits can be smelled, too. And the gardenias and opium are ever-present, slightly further back than the other scents, but still there.

 

After 1 hour: It's almost gone. All that's left is the faintest hint of floral berries. That's a crime. Such an incredibly beautiful scent...

 

After 3 hours: This one has broken my heart. I love it. I adore it with every fibre of my being, but it just has no staying power on my skin. I can see a LOT of money being spent on 5ml bottles of this. It's just too exquisite for me to give up on. Another one for the scent locket, I feel (when that arrives).

 

Scent: Wet - 4.5/5, Dry - 4.5/5

Durability: 0.5/5

Bottle? With most scents this short-lived there'd be no chance. But this is special. I have to have it. So yes.

[cinderfallen]

Sadly, this blend reminds me of potpourri. The plum and opium is most prominent, but they don't blend as they ought to; the fruit is fresh but the opium is dense and the twain don't quite meet.

[furygrrl]

In the imp: Sweet fruityness - almost apple-like - and a touch of something floral.

 

On wet: Nothing distinct beyond sweeeeet and frooooooty.

 

Drydown: Blackberry at first, then that dark berry vibe gets even darker - definitely the plum. A floral haze sorta clings to the edges of those two emo fruits, and the lilac is the most notable. Still an incredibly sweeeeet blend with just a *hint* of something spicy/cinnamony underneath. Lovely.

 

Overall: I don't really enjoy blackberry scents as a rule (they tend to not like me very much), but this one works thanks to the plum (one of my favourite fruit notes). The fruit/light floral/spice combo makes for a very warm n' wearable blend - and it's not going potpourri/holiday candle on me, either - another bonus. My nose says it's reminiscent of Frumious Bandersnatch. I rather enjoy these plummy-spicy scents, but don't really wear them very often (just because *I* don't get candles or an Xmas sachet from them doesn't mean others don't - like my DH ) - even still, I'll be keeping my imp. 3.5/5

[FallDaze]

In the imp it's a deep, smokey and darkly fruity scent. Almost with an undertone of alcohol, like vodka.

 

On it's still dark, smokey fruit. The plum and opium I'm guessing. Odd, but it brings to mind the blueberry oatmeal that I love

 

Overall, the rose, lilac, and white gardenia stay completely hidden and never make an appearance. On it a slightly softer dark and smokey plum scent. I really enjoy this one, I think it's a keeper

[Ohmaude]

I got this as an frimp. Thanks lab!

 

This is a vague, sweet floral in the imp. On my wrist there comes the berry, the plum, the opium (one of my favorite notes, yay!) a bit of the lilac, a touch of old roses, and...a hint, a smidgen, a drop of dried blood. Tangy, coppery blood. (Before you all start wondering why I know the smell of leftover blood, I used to work at the blood bank. ) Normally I would find this distrubing, but for some reason its just sweet and spicy. This is a warm floral, no bite.

 

I probably never would have ordered this imp on my own, but I think I like it. I'm going to keep trying it. You know when you talk to some guy at a party, but you're not swooning because he's not your type? But you keep glancing back at him the rest of the night because there is something there? That's how I feel about Blood Countess. I am not proclaiming my love yet, but the imp is going in to regular rotation.

[lilirose]

Urgh. I must have the weirdest nose ever.

 

In the imp, this...repelled me. It smelled like something dead. I believe in morphing, though, so I put some on anyway.

 

At first...I was just so tempted to wash it off. It smelled dark and bitter. Like decay, death, and a bit of a metallic smell, like blood. I couldn't find anything flowery or fruity in the slightest.

 

Drydown, it faded away to almost nothing, then the flower/fruit smell slowly rose. Four hours later, it smells mostly of plums.

 

By the way, my husband couldn't smell any of the unpleasantness mentioned here. From beginning to end, he kept insisting it was a "light floral".

 

I probably won't wear this again. It smells okay after a while, but I just can't get past the drydown phase.

[Spawnofog]

When I got this imp, I was really excited because I've been doing a lot of research on Elizabeth and I was curious about the scent.

 

In the bottle: very sweet. very, very sweet. I couldn't smell anything floral under the fruit, but since I like sweet scents that was okay.

 

Wet on my skin: Still really sweet. I liked it, but I was hoping my skin would bring out the darker notes (as it sometimes does).

 

Dry: It reminds me of my old Strawberry Shortcake doll. I couldn't smell any darker notes. Smells almost like it was going for a more innocent scent. Usually my skin brings out dark scents, and it swallows florals and berries, but with Blood Countess my skin only brought out the fruits.

 

The jury is still out on this one for me. I've tested the imp once and worn it twice, but I haven't been around very many people when I wear it so I have no idea if what I'm smelling is... correct (for lack of a better word).

 

I will defiantly try this one again, but it may become a swap.

[Leopard403]

Mmmmmm... this is my first BPAL love!

This is floral and heady, but in a good way.

(If you read my other reviews you'll see that "heady" is usually a bad thing, but in this case, it totally works!)

The rose peeks through the smokey and fruity notes (which seem to blend into "plum-and-berry-scented opium" rather than appearing as separate scents...).

The throw is not too subtle, not too overwhelming, and the scent lingers forever on my skin.

This is sexy and powerful, a "hot" scent that is perfect for both a steamy night out and an important presentation at work.

[tziporra]

In the imp it's very fruity and rich, like sweet blackberry Manishewitz.

 

On my skin there is a moment of grape lollipop, but it is overtaken immediately.... suddenly I'm a passenger on the Orient Express, cradling a box of bon-bons my lover has given to me. I choose the brandied plum just as the door opens to the next car and a swirl of opium-laced smoke swirls into my compartment, mingling with my exotic floral perfume....

 

Ahem.

 

This is a transporting scent, and I adore it.

 

But I got a terrible headache about 20 minutes in, and I have to give it another go before I make any decisions. This would definitely be an evening scent for me, should the ol' head pains turn out to have been caused by lack of food instead of heady Blood Countess.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

 

ETA: Alas and Woe. Headachey again on the second try. Guess I have to remove this from my must-buy list as the love is not worth the pain in this instance.

Edited January 28, 2008 by tziporra

[Limelight]

Just another surprising twist in my gardenia experiences. This is another one with that nasty flower that I can actually wear. This gets very sultry on me, almost like wine, but not quite. The plum and the opium make it for me, and I get a smoky-sweet fragrance that isn't headache-inducing. Bottle worthy, definitely.

[Pincushions]

This is one of the scents I was really looking forward to, for the lilac... And, aside from not ending up with much lilac, and my coworker commenting on how it reminded her of her grandma's bathroom (it must be one nice smelling bathroom! I hope.), I love it. I applied too much, though, since it was overwhelming to me for the first couple hours! Oops. I wasn't expecting such a huge throw...

 

In the imp it's very fruity, I get a lot of the plum and berries, as well as the lilac and roses, but not much opium. On my wrists, wet, it turns sweeter, but mainly berries and lilac, with a hint of the opium poking through. The scent is a little mean, but flowery at the same time. When it first dries it turns all floral, but morphs into all plum/berries! After a while though, it settles at rose and berries... Not smelling my beloved lilac at all... After reapplying after work, it remains plums, berries and roses. Very whispy lilac if any. I might be getting some of the opium but I'm not sure.

 

All in all, a very nice smell. And I don't care who's bathroom I smell like.

 

Edit: I definitely DO get opium, because after trying Belle Epoque, I can smell the similarity and it's definitely the opium. It's too bad I amp the rose so much but I forgive it for that.

Edited February 10, 2008 by Pincushions

[lmaunu]

On applying Blood Countess, I did get the cherry-cough-syrup smell that a few people mentioned, and I was worried at first since it was so incredibly sweet. But after about 15 minutes, BC died down to a rich, heady mix of berries, plum, and red fruits, and the overly sweet scent faded down.

 

It's a lovely scent, and I'm so glad that I bought a bottle!

[fireflower]

Hmmm.. there's something very sharp, tart, and biting about this. That could definitely be the roses, since roses hate me. I think I smell a trace of the gardenia, and there's definitely the berry under there trying to sweeten it up, but losing to the astringence of the flowers. I do think this represents Elizabeth Bathory well (the sharpness) but, alas, it's not my cup of tea.

[djsiberia]

the floral and berry scent gets amp'ed up on me and i'm not smelling any roses.

 

something in this also doesn't agree with my nose and creates a small headache.

[angelfish323]

Wow. So far, this hasn't turned to playdough on me, and it has roses in it!

 

At first, it's a really juicy red plum and berries scent on me. I can barely detect the lilac in the background, which makes for an interesting mix.

 

As it dries and my skin chemistry gets to work on it, the lilac note calms down and the opium warms up. But never becomes overpowering, just balances the plum and berry notes, which lose some of their sweetness.

 

I'm 10 minutes in and it's turned into a wonderfully spicey red floral blend.