Spellbound

[GoddesShel]

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

From an imp sent by a forumite in an inspired swap. This was already on my wishlist, and now I've GOT to have a big bottle of it.

Wet, it's all rose (which is fine with me, I like rose). This is a dark red rose, fully flowered, not a pink, sweet rose. For some reason the word "mature" keeps coming to my mind, but I don't in the least feel like this is an "old lady" perfume.

Drying, the amber is coming out and sweetening up things a bit, and lurking way in the background might be the red musk. It's still mainly rose, though.

This is a very sensual blend, as it says in the description.

[claudia6913]

I felt a little silly ordering this blend when I'd also purchased three other Luper's with rose, and one with rose and red musk as well. But they are different, though subtly so. Spellbound is red musk which is softened by amber with a beautiful bright red rose in full bloom sitting atop it. I remember getting an imp of this way back when I first started BPAL and it's the same exact scent I remember, but for whatever reason I'd recoiled at first. I wish now I'd never done that ... this is a truly beautiful blend and I'm glad my nose has wised up.

[hexnut]

A frimp from Will Call, at least five months old when tested. The oil is brown.


In Vitro A rich sweet scent. That usually means vanilla, tobacco, or spice, but I couldn't detect any of those. I did get a soap association.

Wet "Masculine soap" was my first impression; a sweet "brown" scent, rather pleasant. After two minutes I thought there might be lemon balm underneath.

Drying Man soap and lemon balm. It stayed that way for the first hour or so, and faded to a sweet vanilla-ish trace.


I can see getting lemon balm out of this because certain roses have a citrus component to my nose, and amber often reads as vanilla. That leaves red musk as the primary candidate for the men's soap association. Spellbound is nice and didn't go bad on my skin but it's not my style.

[bookworm14]

This scent reminds me of an incense I love (and need to restock). Opened the bottle and now I know what was in the incense :-)

 

Wet was a strong sexy smell.

 

On my skin initially I can really smell the spiciness and musk. Eventually it fades down to just the warmest smell of roses.

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: This is really strong on the red musk. The rose is next in prominence, and the amber seems to be lingering in the background. I am not particularly fond of scents that are strong on the red musk, so I'm not really looking forward to this one.

Wet: The red musk dominates. I do smell the roses and amber, but they have taken background roles.

Dry: The red musk continues to reign, while the roses remain in the background. I don't really get much amber at all.

Verdict: Not for me, but if you like red musk (and, of course, roses), give this a try.

[sprout]

I have avoided Spellbound for a long time, due to my preconceived notion that it would be too powdery, old-fashioned, and due to thinking rose is a "death note" on me. Having had better luck lately with a few blends containing rose I decided to give it a whirl, especially since it was frimped to me.

 

In the imp: roses

wet: a dew covered red rose, fully bloomed, fragrant and mildly sweet. the smell of a bouquet of red roses, when you lean into the petals. almost velvety.

early drying: amber, bright and sunny, with the red rose top note

drying: roses and amber. this amber is kind and doesn't pull the rose notes into old fashioned territory. often, roses smell lemony to me but this isn't the case.

drydown: late is much like soon, amber and rose with the red musk supporting. I love red musk and this is no exception, it isn't the dirty kind of musk, more clean like getting out of a fresh shower

 

final thoughts: I'm not sure this is really my "style," but it is pretty. it does have an old-fashioned feel, without smelling like elderly ladies or heavy talc. I am pleasantly surprised that the rose notes are held in check by the amber and not amping to the heavens as they are wont to do for me. the amber stays fresh and avoids becoming powder; the musk develops and gets better and better. I have to take rose off the death note list, as this is another blend where it does not become aggressive, lemony or soapy. I can't really say I love this, but there is nothing to dislike. I asked a coworker who said she liked it. Once again, it isn't really to my taste but it is pretty. I will keep this imp most likely but I am not putting it on the bottle list at this time.

Edited February 25, 2015 by sprout

[DiesMali]

In the imp: ROSE and red musk.

 

Wet on my skin: Same as in the imp.

 

Dry: Apparently, I amp rose when my hormones are whacked out, because the rose scents I tested today and yesterday went bonkers, and I only just now made that connection. After spreading a single wet imp wand of this on one wrist, there is a haze of rose bouquet (I think this is red, yellow, and white rosebush rose) surrounding me, wafting through the entire dining room and kitchen area, and someone walking through the adjacent living room asked if I was wearing one with rose in it today. After filling three entire rooms with rose over the course of an hour, the flowers finally calmed down a bit, and now it's a beautifully balance trio of roses, red musk, and amber. Mostly rose and musk, with the amber softening it just enough that it's not unpleasantly sharp. In the interest of fairness, I think I'll add second thoughts on this and Lucy's Kiss after my body chemistry goes back to normal.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: Mmmmm. ^.^ Red musk, amber, and roses, in precisely that order. But, oddly enough, it's a light, fresh scent - not at all as dark or slinky as the notes make it sound. (Also, I think I picked up sandalwood somewhere in there??? Maybe I'm getting a false positive from the red musk or something.)

 

Wet: Oh, now that's just lovely. Amber-rose, with the rose coming out more strongly over time. But at first I get the distinct impression that the amber is acting as a veil for the rose - not obscuring it per se, but making it more mysterious, seductive, and difficult to describe. The red musk is still there, but more as a reliable anchor for the other notes than something notable in itself.

 

Dry: After a few hours, it takes a sharp turn towards red musk and amber (in that order), and the rose does a surprisingly quick fade. The amber does head in a faintly powdery direction on me, but nothing too dire.

 

It should be noted that my boyfriend, who very rarely comments on my perfume, says that this one smells like "vanilla and a shot of bourbon to the face", but apparently in a good way.

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: Exactly as described - so pretty!

Wet on skin: Amber, red musk & a little bit of rose. This is so lovely right now, but rose has a tendency to disappear on my skin, so we'll see what happens.

Dry on skin: The rose has died... It hasn't gone sour or anything, it just smells like dead/dried roses. Sort of potpourri-ish.

After a few hours: Amber & red musk. The rose is completely gone.

Verdict: It's not bad, it's just a bit 'blah'. It's a good base though, so it might work well for layering? Maybe with a rich/strong yet simple floral?

[vanilla323]

This is all roses and red musk. It's very heady and kinda gives me a headache at first. On the drydown though it's more powdery and musky. This isn't really working on me. I got this as a frimp from a forum sale.

[d0gbones]

In the imp: Very "perfumey" red musk

Wet: Same :/

Dry: Red musk and roses. Red musk doesn't work on me unfortunately, if the rose was more prominent, I'd like it a lot better. This could be lovely on someone else, but it's just not quite something I like smelling on myself.

[Veronica]

Too much rose is a little headache inducing and one of them is going sour on me.

[ziggystardust13]

Spellbound... Such a beauty. There's something about this scent that captures me.

 

When I first started collecting bpal, I did not care for Rose anything. But spellbound has changed that. It has become a sort of gateway to my newfound appreciation for Rose! The description is right on- roses, amber, and red musk. Yet it's so much more! Spellbound evokes a feeling. It's very comforting to me. I think it may have to do with a childhood memory. My dad bought me a leather (rose scented) rose from the Renaissance festival many years ago. To this day it is one of my fondest memories with my Dad. This is the scent of that rose

[Teamama]

I amp Red Musk. Spellbound was the BPAL blend that first made me notice that my skin chemistry could change a fragrance radically, like acid changing the color of litmus paper.

On my skin, Spellbound, which has my BFF's Amber & Rose, is single-note red musk. End of story.

Edited September 3, 2016 by Teamama

[LizziesLuck]

In the imp, this is all musk.

 

Wet, I get a blast of rose. One of those three roses is white, I dare say. Lovely. However the roses immediately go a bit powdery. The amber comes through a bit. It's nice so far, but not wowing me. I have a LOT of amazing rose blends, so at this point it would have to be pretty out of this world to earn a spot in my collection.

 

Dry: There's nothing bad about this really. The roses are a bit sour and powdery, but not awful. It's just not amazing, and I already have so many amazing rose blends, I don't need one that's just average on me.

[agirlnamedfury]

I wish I liked rose scents, because if I did I'm sure this would be lovely. It's definitely a pure, true, strong rose.... but that's just not not my cuppa tea.

[Cali]

Very sexy, dark and delicate (but self assured!). Crimson red and feminine. Smoky with a lot of strong roses.
It's kinda dusty (red musk) like velveteen curtains hanging in a small, dimly lit cosy room.
It's not for me as it goes a sharp and a bit too cold on my skin (some bpal roses tend to do this on me) but if it didn't this would've been an insta-bottle. Lovely!

[Emily Iscariot]

I like rose okay but all rose scents tend to smell the same to me. The red musk in this however gives it a lovely depth and really adds a lot to the blend. Definite keeper.

[sarandipitee]

Disclaimer: I'm not a rose fan but I love red musk and this is one of those iconic BPAL oils that so many people love so thought I'd test the frimp from the Lab.

 

The oil itself is a gorgeous rich red and wet it's very much ROSE and RED MUSK. Dry down is sadly soap with a hint of musk, since as usual - I amp rose to high heaven.

 

This would be magic on the right person and I bet it ages magnificently but I'll pass this on to a rose lover.

[Casablanca]

Spellbound applies on my skin as a heavy, almost cloyingly sweet musky rose blend. I usually add something more here. But this is it. Roses. Musk. Equal strength.

The dark reddish-brown fluid leaves a round mark like a bruise on my arm.

I don't normally get along with red musk. But until drydown, the musk being the red sort doesn't start to bother me. It just blends seamlessly into the roses. Once the red musk dries, though, its usual slightly spiced armpit nuance comes out on my skin. This stuff and I just don't like each other.

Later, Spellbound relaxes into a less armpitty rose musk. In this phase I can imagine someone else being drawn to this blend, but it just doesn't resonate for me.

[joopjoop]

Source: older imp - looks like it has been around the block a few times!

 

I am a red musk fan, but sadly I get almost no red musk from this at first - it is all rose and strong amber. I like most of the BPAL rose notes, and this one is no exception, but the amber is totally hogging the limelight - screeching and flailing its arms around as it tap-dances center stage. Later I can detect the red musk smoldering resentfully in the background, stuck behind the rose and amber, but it never gets its chance to shine. Several hours later: the amber is super-powdery - almost cloyingly so and I have to stop the show and accept that Spellbound is not for me.

 

I really love rose so I'm always taking chances on different rose combos - so no regrets - but this one is clearly not meant to be.

[maudlinrose]

This is the perfect rose. Even more then Whip. Where the leather in whip provides a warmth to the rose, the amber in Spellbound is an equal player - blending perfectly with the rose. Since rose has a tendency to be a little too sharp to my nose, I love the combination of rose and amber.

 

Amazing throw, actually smells better from a little distance. Too close and the sharpness of rose is overpowering. Wet its all red musk. On the dry down the rose comes forward, and dry its a beautiful rose amber.

Edited October 8, 2016 by maudlinrose

[Bassmastadroog]

In the bottle I smelled the fruity red musk.

 

Instantly after application I smell the sharp and heady red roses. Nothing juicy about these roses, just fragrantly sharp, like the dried roses in Zombi. I like that kind of rose. The amber starts creeping in, and gives the roses an odd edge...I'm not sure if it's this type of Amber, or if Amber always smells like this (has a metallic edge) because my only other frame of reference is Jacobs Ladder, and it does have a metallic bite in the beginning. I'm not sure if I like that note. I do get the red musk, but it just makes the scent 'hot' and 'dry' rather than berryish like I normally associate with red musk.

 

It's like a soapy rose incense. Or a rose scented soap. I'm going to keep trying but I'm not sure if I like this one.

 

ETA: After a few trials, and realizing the same note has refused to work on me in several blends with it...I have identified the culprit of my disgust as red musk. This saddens me because I feel like so many red musk blends are just amazing otherwise. It's too dirty for me...but this is a beautiful blend without it...😩

Edited November 17, 2016 by Bassmastadroog

[BridgeKeeper]

I love this one, it smells just like an old incense I used have that I liked... that my SO couldn't stand. Unfortunately, he had the same reaction to this perfume. When pressed for comment he said, "Smells like I'm standing in the middle of head-high flowers that are attacking and whacking me in the face." So, take that as you will: Spellbound is incense to my nose, aggressive flowers to another's.

[gloame]

After my disappointment with the Peacock Queen this year, I came back to an imp of Spellbound, that I'd previously rated a 1/10 in my Scent Spreadsheet, and decided to try it again. I really like this a lot better. I think I need to just accept that roses Are Not For Me. But this, mixed with the red musk, is better. It's better than a 1/10, for sure. I still won't keep the imp, but I'm glad I revisited it. I'm bumping it to a 4/10.