Bloody Corridor

[zankoku_zen]

Due to a sanguinous slip up, a batch of our Endless Corridors ended up a little… bloody.
 

A flicker of beeswax and candle smoke casting distorted shadows on a blackened panel of vetiver that has been splattered with red musk.

[starbrow]

You turn down an endless corridor shadowed with black panels and splattered with red, venturing deeper...only to find an aged Bard playing at the end of it, his ridiculously charismatic tune jangling over all-too-familiar notes.

 

What. the. actual.

 

I expected lots of beeswax like Endless Corridors, plus a splash of something red - red musk, cherry, dragon's blood, the fun was in the guessing. What I did not expect was to find my beloved, elusive AGED BARD up in the mix. For those who know me well, you know that I am a sucker for a good thicc aged imp/bottle of Bard, and had always chalked the yumminess up to saffron. I am now rethinking my assessment.

 

Well, to the task at hand. The bloodied Corridor ends up smelling QUITE different than its Endless counterpart. The red musk goes in spicy, almost metallic directions that are MARVELOUS. Think Scherezade, layered over a deeply sinister beeswax and vetiver, kissed by smoke, with the twang of harpstrings and the ominous glint of brass. It's like a symphony of sensual horror, alluring and sexy while hinting at the darker depths beneath. 

 

When compared with Bard, the difference in mood is apparent there. Bard plays in sunshine; Bloody susurrates in shadows. The vetiver and smoke curl like seductive tendrils through the Bloody Corridor, reaching out to pull you in to its thick mass of red musk. Bard's bay rum and white musk, by comparison, are impish and innocent and charming, a veritable Jaskier of a scent.

 

What's wild to me is that I can smell the vetiver WAY MORE in Bloody vs. Endless. It really comes out to play here and I am living for that. The beeswax is much more in check, twining into the masses of red musk for that singing quality that aged Bard has. I love it so much more than Endless, and Endless is REALLY GOOD but has a sharp quality to it that I didn't always enjoy. Bloody has no such sharpness. It's just sus af and I love it that way.

 

Scherezade fans, take note. This is Good Shit. Vetiver fans should also run, not walk, to their nearest second-hand forum. Even beeswax fans need this as a very different, wonderful take on a familiar note. This might be my favorite thing from 2021 so far.

[fairybites]

The vetiver really overpowers the beeswax once it's dry, but it does fade a bit after around an hour of wear time. There's a little bit of sweetness, but it doesn't read as honey to me. Probably closer to a vanilla scented candle that was just blown out. I was really expecting the red musk to be more prominent, but it's definitely not. I'm really curious how much this differs from Endless Corridors, so if I ever get a chance to try that one I will update this review with a comparison.

 

This was just okay, I definitely prefer PSnake Oil. That vetiver stage just lasted really long and muffled a lot of the notes. I'm going to hold onto this for now to see if aging can soften that some. But if you really love that note, you need to try this! And I'm sure if you liked Endless Corridors, you would enjoy this one as well. 

[VetchVesper]

Woohoo!  Thanks to the amazing @GoldenRubee and her kittens, I managed to get my grubby mits on a bottle of this. 

 

So, Endless Corridors was almost a bottle purchase. I managed to resist, but adding red musk proved my undoing.  I was expecting a beeswax scent with a little splash of red musk, but I get a lot of musk. Also, a stronger honeyed sweetness and more bitterness - that metallic tang @starbrow mentions. I can see the comparison to a darker, thicker Bard, but where my brain jumped was " if Quintessence of Dust and Sanguinum Menstrum had a baby." I'd also say it's a distant cousin to Smut. 

 

Right now, this smells promising, but I think it needs to settle a while. Once that bitter edge has smoothed out, I think this is gonna be reeaal nice. 🤤

[Geminirubyshoes]

To me this is a kissing cousin to Blood Kiss and actually Sanguinem Menstruum. It’s bloody honey and red musk with just the touch of Vetiver. I just got my bottle today and couldn’t wait to let it settle. Nice throw, this will age beautifully. I am glad I snagged one of these!

[Poenari]

When Beth mentioned this on her page, I knew I would need to snag a bottle, and I'm so glad I did! Beautiful honeyed red musk and vetiver, it's a kissing cousin to Bloodlust. Love it and it will age magnificently!

[groovyrooby]

I can finally gush about this one now that I got my hands on a bottle. Endless Corridor is one of my all time faves. I also love fresh Dragon's Blood. It comes through resiny sweet and very floral on me - lilacs. Not at all the tangy musty cherry Tussin I expected. The Endless + blood combo rings clear as a bell here. Hot metallic tang, but not too tangy. Dry desert dragon heat, red musk that reminds me of Hexentanz. All over gorgeous beeswax. :d Husband took a whiff and said, "That totally smells like YOU." That sealed the deal!

 

I save this one for special occasions, because it is so precious. I've worn it to concerts and Friday nights out, when I know there won't be too much atmosphere competing with this beautiful scent. On the other hand, I don't want to let it get too old, because I don't love aged Dragon's Blood as much. I'm keeping my decant so I can keep an eye on how it progresses.

 

Just tested Mithras last night, and by golly it reminds me a lot of this one! (gonna need that, too!) So if you'd like to give it a try but can't get your hands on it, that's a great start. 

[zankoku_zen]

Smoky red musk and beeswax.  Aged DB, musk, and a touch of honey. Good throw and wear length.

[MamaMoth]

i've never tried og endless corridor, so i have nothing to compare this to. but if this is a mistake, please keep making them! i wish my mistakes turned out this great. (they never do, alas.) 

 

mostly dragon's blood, musky and resinously sweet.  grounded by some really lovely well-behaved vetiver, which is doing a great job of tempering the sweetness.  just a touch of beeswax and a wisp of smoke. nothing metallic that i can detect, so that might have aged out.

 

it's fantastic, and so quintessentially bpal-smelling to me. i wore this for two days straight when i was testing it, and immediately tracked down a bottle.