Whip

[orata]

Agony and ecstasy: black leather and damp red rose.

All I got from this was rose, which was disappointing--I was hoping for a nice big dose of leather, but rose completely took over on me.

[HattersMadGirl]

This is my first BPAL review, so please keep in mind that I am an unexperienced sniffer when it comes to BPAL scents! Actually, scents in general...

I might not be able to refer to specific notes, but rather images of sceneries that could come close to them.

So anyways, here we go!

 

 

From the imp: Roses. Just... roses. But in a good way! Think of entering a florist and putting your nose deeply into a bouqet of fresh pink roses, it would smell exactly like that. There is a certain sweetness about them which for me would not apply to red roses, others might think of "grandma roses" to that, and in contrast to the description I smell no "agony" - still, I am quite pleased, even though I so wished the leather to come up! There is, however, no leather at all...

 

On the skin: Whip smells on my skin the same way as in the imp. After a few minutes though, I experience for a couple of seconds a really alluring smell I cannot describe, brought up by the mixing of the scent´s notes with my skin´s own... mhm! There it is, the "ecstasy"! Sadly, it does not stay.

If I am not mistaken, the leather is the base note which holds the blending all together, but it is too far away in the background for me to really distinguish it from the flower-ey topnote.

 

A few hours later: The roses finally take a step back and something... grounded comes to the surface. The sweetness is not that dominant anymore, I hoped for the leather to take advantage of that, but it remains as the invisible benefactor... hm.

 

 

Overall: From reading other reviews of Whip I was expecting the scent to be mainly a rose-based one, and regarding that point I certainly did not get disappointed. Fortunately, my skin's chemistry seems to work with the Lab's rose scents, so I am happy about owning a nice one. However, I was also hoping for an interesting leather note, which would have made Whip somewhat special.

I give it a 3 out of 5.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Rose.

 

On skin, wet: Rose.

 

On skin, dry: Rose.

 

After an hour: Aaaand... rose. What can I say? I amp rose like crazy. Disappointing.

[archergrl]

Mmmm wet is just yummy rose. Dry is still mostly rose with a mesh of something else that doesn't scream leather to me but I like it a LOT. Definitely added to my want a bottle list. Bf likes it but not a strong reaction just "rose is nice". Lol fine I will wear it cuz I love it hehe.

Edited January 11, 2012 by archergrl

[Quillifer]

I'm another one who really only gets rose from this. It's nice enough, but not what I was hoping for. I might keep the imp but I'll look for other leather scents.

[Smaragdina]

Preconceived notions: LEATHER AND ROSE. *dead* I ADORE both these notes. This sounds like it could be sex in a bottle.

 

In the imp: Pure, luscious, rich rose.

 

Wet: Red rose, dark and rich. Perhaps the leather is responsible for some of that richness, but I can’t actually *smell* it.

 

Drydown: Same. I’m disappointed – where’s the leather?

[melrose]

Add me to the list of ''it's only rose - where's the leather'' complainers.

[Dani87]

Imp: big deep red roses.

Wet: red rose with leather in the background.

Drydown: the same, but more leather then before.

Dry: still rose, and leather.

Overall: this didn't morph at all. It's really sexy, with a great thow. I got this in a swap, and I am so glad I did because I love it! My husband used to work on diesel engines so he doesn't have the greatest sniffer anymore, but as soon as he smelled this he said "damn, that one smells good". I just found my new scent , need a big bottle asap!

[SlySionnach]

Imp: Leather and rose.

 

Wet: Still leather and rose, but to my surprise, neither is taking over the other. Every sniff I take I can detect them both in almost the same amount. Which is shocking for my chemistry.

 

Drying/Dry: Combined because it is still just these two notes making amazing scent-music together. I'm in awe at how a "simple" scent can be just as amazing as ones with eight or more notes. It's also lasting QUITE a long time.

 

Verdict:I was frimped this by someone (lab, forum, honestly I cannot remember. I haven't been keeping good notes lately) and was afraid to try it with the way my skin can be with leather. But I'm so glad I did!

 

This is going on the GC bottle list immediately. It's my new BAMF scent

[Saffrin]

Lust and sex in a bottle.

 

Imp: Sharp leather. Tickles the top of my nose. Can't really make out any rose. Was apprehensive about putting this on my skin at this stage.

 

Wet: Still that sharp, nose tingling leather. I can sense the rose underneath, but it's not really making itself too known at the moment.

 

Dry: Yessssssss. The rose has appeared. The leather is still obviously there, and although has lost some of its sharpness, it's now warm and sexy. Whip has just made it onto my wantneednow list.

 

 

The throw, strength and life on this is huge. 14 hours later, I can still smell it on me - and it's still awesome. Warm, sexy rosy leather. It can also smell be smelt strongly on the blanket I'd wrapped myself in the day before when first wearing it.

Boyfriend's verdict was "Mmmmmmm". It got far more attention than any other has.

 

 

 

Straight onto the 5ml wishlist.

Edited August 27, 2012 by Saffrin

[SkySamuelle]

Both in the imp and wet on skin: beautiful balance of roses and leather. On skin, the rose quickly prevails.

 

On the drydown: this one has excellent lasting - while the leather soon fades away, the juicy, saucy, wet roses in bloom feel alive and very lovely on their own.

 

I expected this to be more commanding or blatantly sensual, but it's very sensuously elegant. The one complaint I got is that my skins eats most of it, and so I have to slather myself with it in order to have anyone but me smelling it properly.

 

Still ... it can to not be on my bottle list right away, but I'll be wearing it as often I can.

 

Rated: 4/5

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): Sweet red rose in full blossom. The leather isn't evident at all, but I don't mind too much.

 

Wet: Lovely red rose still, but now I get the impression of leather as well. I wish the leather was stronger, but I still really like this.

 

Dry: Faint rose and a touch of leather. Oh, I wish there was more leather.

[Mechanical Death]

This was a huge let down for me. I was expecting beautiful roses and leather and got, well, nothing.

Kinda a rubbery oil smell. That's it. *sobs*

[yakiguri]

I also had the "where's the leather?" moment when trying Whip, but then after trying it next to "truer" rose blends (Peacock Queen and Black Rose) the leather became more apparent. Granted it's an incredibly subtle leather, but it's enough to give Whip a more grounded base compared to other straight rose blends. I'm surprised at how subtle Whip's leather is considering that it's black leather, which can go acrid/chemically on me.

 

Oddly enough the rose in Whip has CRAAAAZY throw compared to other rose blends I've tried. It's not loud enough to make it a scrubber, but I wouldn't apply with wild abandon. Longevity is crazy long too for such a seemingly simple blend. Maybe a few months of aging will bring the leather out more and calm down the rose--we'll see, though I'm already sold on a bottle purchase.

Edited January 27, 2013 by thatbrownelf

[Alaeidrel]

When I first got Whip, I really didn't like it. I thought the leather note was astringent and the roses too sweet, so I threw it aside and forgot about it for six months.

 

I found it last night when sorting, and on a whim decided to wear it this morning since I wanted roses, but 'kick-ass' roses, not dainty one. Boy, did this fulfill exactly what I was looking for! When I went back between classes I slathered a bunch more on because ohhhh man.

 

This is a deep red rose, with a depth of leather behind it. They blend well and it's dark and heady and wonderful.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received as lagniappe in a swap and because I am intent on actually trying -- revisiting or reviewing -- every single scent in my BPAL collection for the sake of science and anal-retentiveness, I test drove this today (simultaneously with another lagniappe scent that I knew was death on me).

 

IN THE IMP: Straight rose. Rose rose in-your-face rose. And that doesn't bode well.

 

Dabbed some on one wrist. I figured that would be more than enough and I was right.

 

WET: ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE ROSE. And the much fainter scent of a high-end furniture store with high-backed chairs. Not exactly what I imagine when I think of a leather scent but then again I'm not sure there is anything that I would find appealing about a leather scent anyway. Obviously many disagree since it is quite a popular note on here.

 

DRYDOWN: Thankfully it doesn't last too long (and I didn't put too much on). ROSE fades to ROSe to ROse to Rose and finally to just rose.

 

OVERALL: This furniture store is closed. Rose only plays nicely on me when it takes a back seat (hahahaha chair joke).

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 1.5

[Judyku]

I've tried this a few times and I always get different responses from different people. For the sake of this review, I'll go by my personal thoughts, then share some of the reactions I've had.

 

Whip starts off on me smelling like a Victoria sponge cake. If you're not sure what that means, it's basically cream and strawberry jam, with the vanilla, flower and eggs etc etc. It changed within a few moments to something deeper, more tobacco, more cocoa. Ten minutes later, it changed again, and it became much more tobacco and very smoky, which I like as it makes me think of one of those jazz clubs hidden down a side street in a seedy part of town.

 

I wear it when no-one else is around and I have Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, or Bessie Smith play low in the background. Since I rarely get a moment alone these days, I keep Whip for my own personal pleasure, and it gives me inspiration for when I'm writing.

 

My mother says "It stinks!" on me while my cousin's spouse says "I want to eat you!" My grandfather says I "Remind him of his time as a miner." while my aunt says "Jude, I effing love that perfume!"

 

With such a variety of responses, how could I not love it?!

[Erinofhere]

I used to think I hated the smell of rose. Well I DID hate it, until BPAL. What ever rose note BPAL uses works for me. So far everything I have smelled from BPAL that has rose as a note has seemed wonderful. So I thought I would give Whip a try. Kinky fun name so why not.

 

Wet: Rose just Rose. Big red ones. Not small little pink ones. These smell like my Great Grandmothers bedroom in the summer. very comforting. The rose doesn't smell artificial either. This smells real.

 

On my skin: I can pick up the leather and it is meshing well with the rose. Both notes are strong and aren't competing with each other, they both stand well. This is very pretty.

 

Dry: Oh darn...the smell is gone. This didn't have any staying power on me, but sadly that is how it is with me usually

 

this is a very nice fragrance. I'm not sure I will buy a big bottle...I just don't see me wearing this too often, but I will cherish my imp for sure.

[ObliqueRed]

Should I find it disturbing that I like this so much? I like the dry antique tea rose of London but I think I prefer the lush wet rose of Whip, at least in certain moods. I don't think it smells all that much like leather on me- there's more than just rose but it comes across as a bit of a grounding of the floral more than its own note. Funny because a friend told me it smells like a leather coat on her! This is definitely going into the rotation of rose scents.

[kashmira]

This is still one of my favourite GC scents. Though its scent is not as complex as some of the other oils I wear, its simplicity makes it a winner. Every time I wear it, it continually morphs into leather, then rose, then leather, then rose, ad infinitum.

 

Among other places, I wear it to gay bars, where I never fail to have someone who leans into my neck, takes a great big whiff and smiles broadly. Even the bears(who otherwise wouldn't give me an ounce of attention) usually pay me a compliment before turning back to their conversations.

 

For leather and rose fans, this is a scent not to be missed.

[brilliantcat]

Not going to lie, I'm terrified of this blend. I adore leather blends but I amp rose like mad. I don't necessarily dislike rose and in certain cases even like it, but this is unapologetic rose. It says "Here I am bitch, like it or not." I love the attitude and I hope we get along because two strong-minded ladies like me and rose get into more brawls than not. All I get in the imp is my nemesis rose, not the one who loves me when she's in the mood. Oh dear... Very sparingly applied, this is definitely a lush, blooming rose. I think we might get along even if she refuses to share her leather with me. Color me shocked. This is a purring, sensual rose and she likes me. Really likes me and I like her back, a lot. The leather is not evident as a note but I'm certain it's adding depth to the blend and edge to what might have been a sweet little flower. This is NOT a sweet little flower. I do think I will need a bottle

[elinox]

*Note: I applied this after I’d tried Arcana earlier in the day. Since that didn’t like me, I washed it off and decided to review another imp.

 

First Sniff: Soft, gentle, lovely roses!

 

Initial Wet Application: I applied a lot of this, three swipes with the wand, because I worry that something as light as roses is going to disappear on my skin. This is fresh, but really, really faint already and it hasn’t even been 5 minutes yet!

 

Beginning Dry Down (first 15 minutes) & Dry: As it began the dry down, this was rose with something else feathery light in it. It doesn’t bring to mind leather, so much as just soft, gentle things. This didn’t really change from initial application to complete dry down and it’s very faint.

 

My Reaction: I’m glad the leather in this didn’t immediately leap to being identical to other leather notes I’ve tried and not liked, but this still isn’t the leather I’m looking for. And whereas The Rose, which is my go-to for a rose scent, is one single, long-stemmed red rose, this is several pale yellow roses together. It does remind me of dew on rose petals; beautifully simple and lovely. It’s pleasant, but not strong enough or unique enough to be all that impressive.

 

Rating: 1

[Monday]

Fresh from the lab imp.

 

On my skin wet: Holy cow rose! Lemony rose, very powerful and smelling a bit of hair removal cream. I'm not getting the leather.

On my skin dry: Rose on steroids. Not sure if I would call it pleasant. I think the chemical scent that makes this smell a bit like hair removal cream is actually the leather.

I'll let this imp age maybe I'll grow to like it someday.

[IambicDearie]

Seeing as under normal circumstances, I'll whore myself for rose or leather, this one seemed like an ideal combination!

 

And wow was I right.

 

-quietly snags a bottle for future use-

[Magycmyste]

Ooh, I've been looking forward to trying this one for awhile.

 

In the imp: I'm primarily getting the damp red rose.

 

Wet on skin: Still very rosy, although the leather's starting to peek through.

 

Dried down: Rosy leather - there's almost a touch of sandalwood there. This is beautiful, like the leather is slowly blossoming on my skin.

 

Throw: This has a little bit of throw, but now a whole lot.

 

Verdict: ***** This is definitely going to be a bottle buy in the future. Heh, I'll have a little collection of bottles for my variations on leather scents.