Spellbound

[xoe]

Perfectly enchanting! An irresistibly sexual, utterly rapturous blend of three roses, radiant amber, and sensual red musk.

Spellbound is the most "evening" scent I've tried. A womanly scent, Spellbound seems suited to a big black-tie night at the opera or a fancy dinner party or a blind date.

[Koumori]

All of the BPALs I've tried that were straight rose florals have proven to be not to my taste. The key with me is the blend of florals with other elements such as resins and spices which I like better - and Spellbound does this really, really well. I barely even realized it was a floral at first, as the amber dominated wet. Upon drydown, the musk and rose came to the fore. I definitely do not get the "hippie" vibe some others have; on me, this is a sophisticated, sensual fragrance that might end up replacing Othello as my rose of choice.

[pekeana]

Spellbound is really nice in the vial.

 

Then I put it on. And it was all nice and subtle rose and musk for about a minute, when it started to burn. I'm trying to figure out why some rose blends burn and some just itch, and why some don't bother me at all.

[Lady_Ell]

This is the only rose scent that hasn't screamed ROSE ROSE! DO YOU HEAR ME? I'M A ROSE! - but the rose has been present and accounted for, just not obnoxious.

 

The musk is really stand-out on me, and combined together it makes a heady and sophistocated blend that sticks in the back of my throat. This stuff has some STAYING power, too. I put what to me is a tiny bit on (cause it was from the imp vial, not a big bottle) and that was 12 hours ago and it's still going strong strong strong. I was starting to get a bit woozy from it so I put a teeny dab of Snake Oil on over it, thinking it would be an interesting layering thing, and I almost knocked myself out. I smell good, but very very potent.

 

I like Spellbound a LOT, but it's going to be a special occasion thing. It's just too strong and sophistocated for everyday.

[Lexy]

I have been trying to review scents that don't already have tons of reviews, but Spellbound is my absolute favorite scent ever, so I'm going to break my rule.

 

Spellbound... is just wonderful. It is sexy and alluring, dark and mysterious, feminine and intriguing, but still understated enough to wear to work. Dark and resiny scents with burgundy roses floating over everything.

 

I wore this to register voters and a woman sat down next to me to fill out her form. She looked at me sideways and said "what are you wearing."

 

I told her Spellbound and she said, "Mmm, it's lovely."

[Witch's Dagger]

Spellbound

 

Preconceived Notions: From the reviews, this sounded like it might be haunting and mysterious, but it has rose in it, which sometimes takes over and doesn’t let anything else out. But, I’ve had some good experiences with other scents with rose, like Harlot and Blood Rose, and it has amber, which was really good in Blood Amber. I’m not sure how I feel about red musk yet.

 

In the vial: rosy and animalistic - it’s reminding me a little of Satyr...

 

On me:

Wow - lots of rose. And although I am getting the animals from Satyr, so far, at least, it doesn’t smell like a wet, dirty, peeing animal. However, the amber isn’t helping, here - it’s the very sharp, pointy amber of Loviatar, not the warm, sweet scent I normally think of. This smells very angry and pointy to me - unbalanced and thin, rather than deep and complex. All three of these notes have a ‘deeper’ or ‘warmer’ side to them and a ‘sharper’ or ‘pointier’ side, and together they are causing the sharp, pointy parts to come out, and there’s absolutely no depth that I can discern at this point. There’s not the full roundness of the red rose of Harlot or Blood Rose, just the pointy top note. There’s not the honeyed sweetness of the amber that I get from Blood Amber, just the sharp point. This is a very high, acute scent. It would be the sound ‘ee’.

 

Interesting, the right wrist is getting some softening and warmth... just not the left. I wonder what’s up with that.

 

After half an hour: No - still sharp everywhere. It's very strong, and it wafts. Normally, wafting is a good thing, but not when it's wafting something I don't like. And, I really don’t like this. And I know that with all the scents I do like, I won’t want to go through this whole half-hour long stage to get to something good.

 

Final impressions: This isn’t me. To high, sharp, and pointy. I like darker, warmer, and more complex scents. I know I sounded harsh in my review, but I'm sure it will work better on someone else, and maybe there are others who happen to like this kind of sharpness. That said, I really don't like it for myself.

[rainbow]

Oh WOW! I never expected to love this as much as I think I do. In the vial I really wasn't sure of the scent. I put it on and immediately it smelled strongly powdery, but not in a bad way at all. I got very little of the rose, as it was a dry powdery smell, not a sweet one. After an hour or so it turned into a spicy, slightly leathery, powdery scent. That must be the amber. I found this to be a very steady scent. Not only did it last all day, but it seemed to change very little. I really only got a whiff of roses on the drydown, which came about 12 hours after applying it. This is such a strong, powerful, womanly scent. I love it for work because it makes me feel like I ooze confidence and competence.

 

This is not something I'd ever have picked out for myself. I'm so glad I got it as a sample. I'm so taken with it, and it seems to work really well with my body chemistry. A winner for me.

[TheDarkMother]

WoW! There are a lot of people posting about this one. That's always a good sign!

 

In the Bottle: Spellbound is very light and rosey but with a musty edge to it. Like a sexy rose smell. This is NOT your grandma's rose perfume.

 

On Me: The rose scents are blended so perfect together. You can tell that there are several different ones there, but it just blends into one merged scent. And the amber is in the background like a foundation, holding up the roses scent...but all of a sudden the red musk came in and WOW! Oh, this suddenly got more sexual than Blood Lotus.

 

Oh, this is so a big bottle in the future.

[inkstone]

Wow, my very first review. I'm a little nervous. LOL I'm not as good as picking out notes as other people here, but I'll try my best.

 

In the vial: Interesting. My first impression is one of mystery and seduction. I couldn't smell the roses at all. The first thing to hit me was the musk with hints of amber. Hmm, this could turn out to be a disastrous wearing experience.

 

Wet: I swiped this on my inner forearms because my hands tend to run cold so some place with more bloodflow would likely work better. It immediately makes me think of golden sunshine. Oddly enough, my skin immediately began to grow warm there and it spread through my entire body. I put this on fresh out of the shower and I'm always cold so that was an interesting observation.

 

Unfortunately this also could be trouble. The musk is coming out like no one's business on my skin and I'm barely getting the amber and no roses at all. There are hints of incense lurking at the corners and a spicy tone, but it's a bit sharp-edged in the musk. Thirty minutes in, the burning urge to run to the bathroom and wash it off is growing exponentially.

 

Drydown: Okay, it's mellowing to a nice golden amber. The musk is settling down and no longer rearing its sharp-edged head. The roses have also started to come out, which is softening the edges into something I can handle. Battling the fierce desire to wash it off worked out in the end.

 

Final Thoughts: The rose scents are really coming out now, but I get whiffs of the amber and musk laying underneath it. It's a nice, sophisticated scent. Definitely something for the evening. I'd probably wear this for formal dinners, black tie affairs or similar events. It's not something I'd wear everyday or even to all night-outs, so I wouldn't get a bottle of this. While the wet stage is not so desirable, I do like the final turn-out and the warming effect which is nice for someone who's always cold, so I'll keep the imp.

[tempete]

Although I love BPAL's red musk, I was unsure if Spellbound would work for me because rose tend to overpower all other notes on me. But Beth told me that red musk was a dominant note in Spellbound, so I took a chance and swapped for it. It's a mighty good thing that I did, because I couldn't stop smelling myself when I wore it! I must have looked pretty weird to my co-workers because I kept randomly smelling my forearms...

 

Wet, I smell the red musk and amber most strongly. As it dries down, there is a phase where the roses emerge to temporarily dominate the scent. The final drydown on me is a beautiful, sensuous blend of red musk tempered by the rose.

 

This is a bit much for every day, but I'm still seriously considering a 5 ml bottle because I love it so much!

[Azrhiaz]

In the bottle: this smells so familiar to me, and yet I can't put my finger on it. It's all blended, and my nose can't pick out a single note, other than the decided absence of the rose (which I was hoping for).

 

Wet: wait, it's coming to me...definitely amber, but not in such a good way...oh! Got it! This smells like Estee Lauder Youth Dew to me.

 

Drydown: yep, Youth Dew, nice and strong with bells on.

 

Verdict: unfortunately, I hate Youth Dew. Old lady perfume, ecchh. Off to swaps.

[amaltheagray]

holy shit, i love this! this is my rose! this is my dusty heavy redolent rose! i received this is a sample and had no idea what to make of it in the vial. it smelled weird and sharp and green. but i'm slowly trying everything and i dabbed some on today at work. it blew my mind. a little goes a long way, but it is just enveloping. i don't like the light airy scents - i think my body chemistry eats them for breakfast. this, however? the amber is so warm and the musk blends with the rose. this is so glorious. i think my mom would LOVE it. i'm just so amused that something that smelled so foul (imo) in the bottle could transform to such warm, dusky beauty.

[Penance]

Got this as a freebie from the Lab in my latest order.

 

First sniff:

 

Amber and musk and a hint of rose. I was worried this would be overpoweringly rosy, but it's not at all. This is actually quite pretty and very warm smelling.

 

Wet on skin:

 

As soon as it hits my skin, the roses pick up and the amber is right behind them. Unfortunately, my skin has been turning anything with amber in it into sour milk (including my beloved Sin) and this is no exception. Within seconds it turns from gorgeous, warm, incensey floral goodness into sour milk, which makes me very sad because I love the smell of this one in the bottle.

 

Dry down:

 

I could call this "Rose scented sour milk" or "Another wonderful scent ruined by bad skin chemistry". I'm sad because this one was especially lovely in the bottle and on my skin...right up until the point where it turned into sour milk.

 

The bottom line:

 

Gorgeous, but I can't wear it since amber is apparently my skin's mortal enemy for some reason. Off to swaps with it; hopefully someone else can get some use out of it.

[Splendid Molerat]

Spellbound is a powerful fragrance, with a genuine hypnotic quality.

 

Red musk and the darkest roses -- somehow I'm getting the impression of the whole rose, as well. Blooms, leaves, sap and thorns, you just know there's something spiky and green behind the intense red.

 

The roses waft for a while, and then the amber and musk cling very close to the body, not unlike a well-loved cashmere sweater.

 

This is the sort of perfume that would have bought me a whole lot of trouble in my younger days.

[sihaya09]

Spellbound is a gorgeous evening scent, really a bit hypnotic. There's something very feminine and sensual about its depth and dark undertones. It's a rich rose blend, almost purple and punctuated by the sharp tinge of the red musk. I'm not a big floral girl myself, but I would certainly wear Spellbound again. I have a feeling that I'll always want to have an imp or so on hand of this for seductive occasions.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Roses mellowed out by something else. Also kinda musky. It makes the back of my throat tickle when I smell it.

 

Wet: Musk. I feel myself wanting to break out in a rendition of "You and me baby ain't nothing but mammels..." There's the amber scent under the musk but on me this is totally musky, which I'm not the biggest fan of.

 

Dry down: Musk and amber. Where are the pretty roses? Hi, amber, nice of you to visit. Oh, what is that? The musk is getting muskier. I really don't think I can wear this.

 

Dry: I smell like those hippie stores with the thick incense. I'm sure the rose scent will come out eventually but I can't wait. This really isn't the kind of scent I'd ever pick for myself.

[scourgeotheseas]

A gift from Longstofly during our recent swap!

 

In the bottle: (Umm, why is it green?) Roses and incense. I think it's mostly the amber I'm getting. Heavy, but good.

 

On me/wet: Immediately the amber takes over. This is bad, because I hate incense-y smells and I get the "head shop" vibe. Underneath it I get roses, which are lovely. I can't smell musk at all, strangely. Maybe I just think I can't smell it, because the amber is so overpowering.

 

Drydown: Luckily, I put this on right before going to school, because I otherwise would have washed it off. That would have been a shame, because the amber retreats enough as it dries to form a lush rose scent I think I enjoy. Kinda powdery. I agree that this may be too "heavy" as a normal daytime scent, but it certainly doesn't smell like "old lady" to me.

 

Boy, I smell good.

[helarctos]

Spellbound was predominantly rose on me -- but the kind of rose that could prick your finger and send you into 100 years' sleep. A languorous scent -- not good for workdays.

[sarada]

I have two imps of Spellbound, one is deep dark brownish red and the other is deep golden honey colored. They smell the same but for some reason I favor the reddish, dried-blood colored one. I just found that interesting -- anyway, on to the review!

 

I hadn't had this pegged as one I wanted to try because I figured "Eh, more roses. I like roses, but...I already have roses." Then I got a freebie of it, and things just haven't been the same since! Every time I sniff it, I'm just overwhelmed with how a fragrance can make my nose so happy. It's rose, but it's the deepest, darkest rose imaginable, thick and syrupy, the smell of black, dried petals floating in amber.

 

I wore this today and a friend said, "WOW, you smell GREAT" which is always a nice nod to the power of the precious. I can feel this emanating off of me in dark crimson ripples of flower power. But it's not floral at all -- it has a darker, incensy quality that I guess is attributable to the amber and musk. Headshoppy? Maybe, but it's always been my dream to smell like a headshop. More like a witch/occult supplies shop, perhaps. A big bottle is on the way. By the way, I got Scherezade at the same time as this as a freebie (same dark red color) and at first I couldn't tell them apart. I am still not sure what it is that is so similar in them, but maybe the color is playing tricks on my nose.

[Faerykin]

Spellbound

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): This is the darkest oil I have seen come out of the lab – it is such a deep red that it is almost black. It goes on thick, heady and very musky. This seems like the perfect nighttime perfume.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): Thankfully this tones down considerably. The musk and the amber provide such a backdrop, that the roses are nearly undetectable. This is definitely a scent of feminism – feminine seduction.

 

Throughout the Day (10am-on): The roses are finally making their way to the forefront. They provide a sweet, almost cloying, thickness to the already-present muskiness. This is interesting in the way it morphs and develops. I hope the roses don’t sour.

 

Well, the roses didn’t sour. It seems the musk and the amber are keeping them in check. This is truly a remarkable and complex scent – I’m really liking it. It certainly has lasting power, as it is still present as I leave for home. I’m going to have to save this for when I wanna be really sexy.

[malati]

When first applied this was a watery, insipid rose. As it dried down the rose become stronger and warmer backed by amber and the musk gave it a soft spiciness. The rose, warmth and spice are perfectly blended, at no point does one threaten to overwhelm another.

 

On me this is not the sensual fragrance of the description but a well balanced scent ideal for everyday wear. It lasted at least 7 hours which will make it ideal for workdays.

[omly]

I love roses, so I had high hopes for Spellbound. In fact I have tried this one a couple times not remembering why I decided to swap it.

 

At first it is a nice floral, thought not as rosey as I would suspect. Then as I wear it it becomes... stinky... like BO stinky. I don't know what my skin chemistry could be doing this to (the musk maybe?) but it is slight but persistant. Up to the swaps with this one.

[surf-tormented]

When I first discovered BPAL, well AntiSally from Goth Rosary told me about it, before they were a curiosity I saw on Ebay here and there, thought they were a New Orleans voodoo shoppe, anyhoo...when I first discovered BPAL, I wanted to use it to find unique scents, ones that I can't find anywhere else.

 

I have found those. At least 13 I want in bottle form, but Spellbound isn't one of them. I just reviewed Rapture and a lot of the elements are the same: rose and musk. I think I am being overpowered by rose and musk. I pretty much am resolved not to buy any oil with rose, musk, coconut or vanilla in it. I need serious change.

 

Saying that, I think Spellbound is fine. Blindfold me, put me in front of Rapture and Spellbound imp and wave them under my nose and I probably won't know the difference.

 

(Of course, I have to do that now. Must find Boy to blindfold me.)

 

Ok, Spellbound is a little darker, but both smell rose musky to me. They wear about the same, with the roses overpowering the other notes, except the musk.

 

Someone can use this and love it. I am trading it. I need more inventive blends, like Cheshire Cat and Thanatopsis and less of this.

[siriusstar]

This one smells exactly like a metaphysical or magic shop. It's a warm and dry scent, very nice for this time of year. I didn't smell rose, just sandalwood and amber. It gave me a slight headache when I put it on, but it went away quickly. When I wore it yesterday it didn't bother me at all. The most amazing thing about it is how it lasts! I swiped it once across my wrists and neck and it literally lasted all day. I'd definitely get another imp of this one.

[requieminblack]

Spellbound reminds me of the way my favorite Occult shop in Houston smells. ::sniff sniff:: Yep, it smells just like the Magic Cauldron!

 

Ok on with the real review:

 

First sniff - Smells like Nag Champa to me.

 

After 15 minutes - Smells like Nag Champa and Rose incense had a baby.

 

After an hour - Now that it has settled down it smells just like this Rose perfume oil from India I have.

 

Not my favorite.... It smells way too much like synthetic rose incense for my taste.

Sorry Beth!