Cruor

[Seajewel]

A blood-red cascade of strawberry pulp, red currant, red mango, and red musk.

[Threemoons]

Yow, another first review!  After some chatter on the FB BPAL fanpage, decided to try two strawberry-heavy Liliths back to back.  Today it's Cruor.  In the bottle:  Initial blast of strawberries, but less sweet than Black Phoenix Academy for Wayward Ghouls.  Immediately becomes more of a red fruit blend; the red currant is definitely there bringing a darker fruit note.  On, wet:  The red musk starts to open up immediately; this is a true red musk and not a "fruity red musk."  However, it IS a "lighter" red musk, maybe it's the fruit speaking, but it's not a hit-you-over-the-head red musk and probably a really good choice if you over-amp it or are concerned about it being too strong; this is an office-friendly red musk.  Drydown:  After a few hours, the drydown is much more of a true red musk than Wayward Ghouls; slightly powdery with an almost incense-like note from the red fruit.  I'm kind of reminded of the midrange incense that they used to sell at Ricky's NYC, which I loved.  This is a red musk first and a red fruit scent second, but still has an overall approachable and non-cloying sweetness.  So, at the end of the day, I would describe it as a femme, fruity and skin-friendly red musk.

[Tamarinda]

In the Imp: Fresh strawberries! 

 

Wet: Fresh strawberries with features! 

 

Early Dry Stage: Still fresh strawberries with other red smells and a hint of something perfumey. 

 

Dry: A surprisingly non-artificial strawberry perfume scent. Magically, the red musk and fruits blend together to make a beautiful perfume background to a fresh strawberry headliner. 

 

I love this just the way it is. Normally, I amp red musk, so the fact that this remains mostly strawberries was a pleasant surprise. This has a medium throw and moderate staying power. Not sure how strawberry ages but I'm sure the red musk will come forward with time. I'm going to have to exercise restraint to not use up my decant before it has time to settle. 

 

UPDATE: So I wound up getting a bottle of this because I loved it so much, but alas. Age has turned Cruor into a strawberry candy perfume. It's still very beautiful and lasts all day. But I really wanted that fresh strawberry smell. Although, now that I think about it, the candy smell might be the result of my judas skin chemistry and not aging.

Edited August 2, 2022 by Tamarinda
Update

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Very red. I smell strawberry starbursts and a splash of wine.

 

Drydown: Sweet, fruity, and musky. Strawberry is at the forefront, but it's adultified by a red musk that's been softened by the surrounding fruit. Just a touch tropical, but not overly so. It's fresh, sweet, and optimistic.

 

Dry: Strawberry musk. Soft, pulpy, and playfully sexy.

 

 

7.5 out of 10 bones

[fairybites]

This was like a red strawberry slushie from a convenience store. Very syrupy and artificial smelling, but hits the spot if you're craving it. When it fades, it smells like Fun-Dip! I didn't get a whole lot of the musk, it was more fruity on me. Mostly the strawberry, but there was some mango in there too.

 

A scent that is kind of close to this one is 2020 Aesthetic: they both smell artificial to me but 2020 Aesthetic is more on the plasticky scented doll side where Cruor is like a slushie syrup. If the plastic-ness of that scent was disappointing, I think Cruor would be a better fit. While it's still artificial, it's much more foodie. 

I would have liked some of the currant to appear and more of the musk, but I'm not disappointed in this at all. Maybe with some aging, the strawberry note calms down and I'll get more of those notes.

[Leopard403]

I’ve been all about red musk in the last few years so I was excited about this fruity iteration, but in the end, it isn’t fruity OR musky enough to really make an impression. There’s also something that pulls a little sour, maybe that mango is a little overripe?

[zankoku_zen]

Fruity, sweet red musk. I get basically a sweet red fruit (maybe a combination of strawberry and mango) and red musk. Medium throw, good wear length.

[Lucchesa]

Strawberry!  This was frimped to me, so strawberry is not a note I gravitate to, but I've been trying unsuccessfully to find a blackberry that stays realistic on my skin, and this is quite a realistic strawberry.  The red musk does not run away with things -- in fact, it's some of the most reticent red musk I've encountered.  It's there, but it lets the fruit shine:  mainly strawberry, with tartness from the currants.  This is fun and young at heart. 

[skyturtles]

Wet on my skin: Sweet red fruit. Definitely a sugary blend of strawberry and mango, like a smoothie from the mall.

As it dries, the red musk says hello to add a tad of maturity and/or sexiness. It does not overpower.

 

This fruitiness is not a usual choice for me, but I'm glad I'm getting out of my comfort zone and finding some other fun things for my rotation. I love strawberries, and this makes me smell like the candied variety that you find at Japanese matsuri.

I also feeling like this is a warm-weather scent. I'll keep that it mind and reevaluate in the spring or summer.

[LavenderCoffee]

Strawberry smoothie is spot on as this blend opens up on my skin after application. In short order I can start to pick out more of the tart currant and mango, and it's a very loud fruity red party. Drying down, the tartness recedes, and the sweetness of the musk takes the fruity notes into candy territory for me - definitely more fruit than musk, however.

It's a nice fruity candy scent. 

[kaileycatface]

i got an imp of this as i want not sure about the red musk / currant - but i love this! it’s very strawberry forward; (i agree with the strawberry starburst comparison) with a little hint of mango and musk for me. i dont get any red currant which i’m glad for as i don’t enjoy the smell of red currant on me 

[Supertrooper Omni]

Strong strawberry kid shampoo, with a hit of tropical mango syrupy red, with a slight red musk tart lingering finish. Recommended if you like tropical scents, fun in the sun, mango n bubblegum but not too stupid, and drinks with fancy straws. 

 

Spiritually similar to aspects of Things We do Make Echoes. Up beat, playful, not too serious

[Little Bird]

The strawberry in this actually smells realistic to me (tangy, tart, juicy) with a little extra tropical something from the mango and a hint of sour red currant.  It's great for me, even as someone who doesn't tend to enjoy fruity scents, but the red musk always takes things over the top for me.  I've tried red musk from a lot of companies, but the Lab still has my favorite red musk ever.  Sensual, warm, almost red wine-ish, but sweeter, almost vanillic, darkly musky, wonderful.  The realistic, red strawberry and fruitiness makes up about 50% of this blend and then the other 50% is gorgeous red musk, and it's like the fruits and red musk weave around each other and complete each other.  I almost want to track down a bottle, but I can probably make do with my decant.