Dance of Death

[LiberAmoris]

A gloriously elegant representation of Lady Death. Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli and our murkiest myrrh.

After reading the reviews here, I had to start coaching myself not to hope that Dance of Death would smell like Tramp because I didn't want to be disappointed. But as soon as I uncorked the imp, I let out a squeak of happiness! It does smell like Tramp!

There's a little bit of a wait, on my skin at least, for the orris to settle down, which always smells like dill on me (?!) but after that, it's all good, baby! I love patchouli, and this is like a carmelized patchouli with the myrrh sweetening things up a bit. The black musk makes it oh so dark and brooding.

Definitely going on the bottle list. Love it.

[DarkMouse]

IN the bottle: musk, and myrrh - smells like incense

 

On my skin: wow.. this is really different. It falls into my love of incense/resin/wood type smells but its something completely different from the other BPAL scents I've smelled. There isn't any spice to this, and its not thick or musty.. its very smooth - for lack of a better word. The only note that I can pick out is the musk.. the other scents are just swirling together - but its beautiful. I really, really like this scent.

 

in general: I love, love, love this scent. Its more subtle than the other scents I wear, but I would definitely buy a bottle of this for days when I don't want to knock down people with my perfume. Its a good scent for people who think the patchouli based BPAL oils are too strong for them, but they still love them. I slathered this stuff on and there's not any hint of a sharp patchouli scent. Its a Winner!

[dcmo]

Wet, patchouli is the dominant note with myrrh and musk playing together in the background. As it dries the orris does pop through to sweeten this, which is nice, because if it stayed in the wet stage this definitely wouldn't have been for me. I did get a touch of a headache from this one though, but smelling good is worth a lil pain

[arabella]

First Impression: Dry, like straw.

 

Dries down to: A quiet, inert, dry scent - like long-forgotten bones in a crypt. The mental image I get is of sitting and reading near a window of a farmhouse on the prairies in the summer - the air is very still and the lace curtains don't move, not even an inch, although the window is wide open.

 

Additional Comments: This reminds me a lot of Coyote but without the richness. I'm surprised that I don't pick up on the patchouli at all - and I love patchouli. The musk seems to override everything else. I wish it was "Tramp-y" on me, but this one actually bores me. If it were a color, it would be a washed out gray.

 

Lasted: A couple of hours.

 

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: A little dry and dark, with a slight sweetness. It is indeed murky smelling, as promised. The dominant notes are myrrh and orris.

 

Wearing: This is...I can't describe it. It's a little perfumey due to the orris, but not overwhelmingly so. It's earthy and even a little sexy, and strikes me as kind of sophisticated. If it didn't smell so dark it would remind me of my boyfriend as far as concept goes.

 

Later: The musk comes out quite a bit now. Other than that, I don't detect that big of a change. The patchouli never pops out, thankfully--it just blends in seamlessly with the other notes.

 

Overall: I wasn't sure about this one, but I really like it. If you're looking for an earthy scent, this is a perfect place to start. My one complaint is that it doesn't last as long as I'd like it to, maybe five or six hours. Still, this blend is an unexpected winner.

[Lycanthrope]

In the Bottle or Imp:

Deep, dark myrrh, very soft florals, moody and wet ones, too... an undercurrent of other resins that do sparkle, but are also malicious and moody.

Wet, on Skin:

Patchouli pops up, a spicy and dark mysterious floral, like jasmine but not as pungent... I can't quite place it. It's wet and powdery but not in a bad way!

Drying/Drydown:

Sandalwood, dry pepper, myrrh and that mystery floral.

Over Time/Longterm:

Very incensy, sweetens as it dries down.

Final Verdict?

Reminds me of an Aveda Chakra-type perfume called Mizan, in that it has that sensual spiciness blended with sparkling floral notes of jasmine, rose, and ... other less well known flowers This is very nice. Not a big bottle, but I'll enjoy the imp.

[quimerula]

This is a dark and powdery scent. And I love powdery scents when they aren't baby power- like.

 

Dry and elegant, lovely!

I will put this in my wish list.

[Celogrl]

This is indeed dry, as dry as bone. It is elegant, aloof and perfectly balanced. The orris adds a depth, the patchouli is understated and altogether it makes for a gloriously fragrant experience. This definitely is Lady Death in all her finery. I like this, I like it a lot and it may well become a staple.

[blood*rose*flowers]

In Bottle: Patchouli with a floral that must be the Jasmine. It has a nice almost soil scent but mixed with a clean scent of flowers as well.

 

On wet: Ok this baby smells almost excactly Lush's TRAMP its really odd. I get that perfect mix of patchouli without smelling like some funk trying to cover up hippy.

 

Overall: This is for all of you people like me crying about your loss of Tramp now I suggest just add this to some soap and you can have your own. It really is just such a great scent, I might have to share this with my patchouli hating mom maybe this might change her mind.

Edited August 10, 2005 by blood*rose*flowers

[tinyvulture]

orris is interesting; it’s such an incredibly dry floral and it seems to dominate everything it comes in contact with. the myrrh adds its lovely sweetness, and the musk lends earthiness. the patchouli is just barely distinguishable, but it’s there. overall this blend is very feminine. it's elegant yet dark at the same time.

[Miss Lynx]

At first sniff, this is somewhat reminiscent of The Raven - I think orris root has a somewhat violet-like scent, so I guess that's why. It's simultaneously sweet and dark, and with a slight sense of coldness to it. But while that sweet, sharp floral edge is definitely the dominant note for me, it's not a purely floral scent - there are definite layers of darkness and depth under it, which come out more as the initial sweetness of the orris begins to fade, though they never really come to the forefront.

 

Oddly, it dries down differently in the two places I usually apply scent: on my wrists and on my inner arm, at the crook of my elbow. On my wrists, the high sweetness of the orris fades out entirely after a couple of hours, leaving a soft resinous scent that I quite like -- maybe something like what the people who found the musk or patchouli dominating smelled. But on my inner arms, the orris is still ferociously strong even many hours later. And the overall scent is also about ten times stronger there. Maybe because I've spent most of the day working on my computer, so my arms have been bent more often than not and thus it hasn't been exposed to the air as much? Don't know.

 

Anyway, my overall verdict is that's not right for me. Way too sweet, or at least the wrong kind of sweet. I'm OK with the sort warm spicy sweetness of scents like Bewitched and Chimera and Tintagel, but this is a kind of high, cold, dry sweetness that I don't really like. However, my partner seems to like it (unsurprisingly -- her other favourite thus far is The Raven), so she gets this one rather than it going into the swap pile.

[Aurelius]

In the vial: Dirt!

 

Wet: Myrrh and dirt. That bone-dry smell must be, like the lab said, the orris. It's drrrrrrrrry.

 

Drying/Dry: Just a hint o' patchouli. Nothing too drastic or overwhelming. Damn, that's some strong orris.

 

This one perfectly fits the lab description (they all do, but this one still fits the description after my crazy skin messes with it). Nice!

[Rackham's Vanity]

This scent is exactly how I imagined it to be. The combination of myrrh and patchouli evoke ancient, dusty churches and the lingering scent of centuries of incense and candle-smoke. I suppose it's the orris that lends the marked and surprising dryness to Dance of Death, though I'm not yet familiar enough with that note to say for certain.

 

This is lovely and sorrowful. Definitely a big bottle for me, hopefully in time for Samhain.

[harlequin]

I pretty much knew I wasn't going to like this one from the description. patchouli and I don't get along very well, and there wasn't anything I really did like to possibly balance it out.

 

So yeah... if it's in an oil in more than a very small quantity, it's all that I can smell, so pretty much, this one smells like lots of patchouli to me.

 

off to the gift pile.

[sookster]

Upon application this is a dry, thick scent....tons of myrrh...strong as the dickens

I guess it seems like more of a masculine scent to me...not sure...

 

After a 1/2 hour....oh NO! Dreaded Jasmine shows up....so now mostly all jasmine with a touch of myrrh...

 

Too heavy and too much for my taste.

[Barb25]

In the vial - resins!

 

On me - Hmmm, this isn't bad. At first, all I could smell is the myrrh and the orris. After a little bit the patchouli & musk come out, and they blend together quite nicely. To me, it's similar to Cathedral, but it has the extra floral & musk notes. Not bad - not bottle-worthy, but nice.

 

I'll add that I do not get any green from this scent at all.

[Northernminx]

Dry dry dry...patchouli, a touch of myrrh and lots of musk. Dark, deep, but dry earth and a touch of patchouli's distinctive smell. This was startlingly heavy on me despite the dryness and didn't much suit my tastes but was still lovely to try.

[Blood onmy hands]

I like orris, black musk, patchouli and myrrh, so this should be made of win on me, but it's just okay. It has a smoky, ashy quality that keeps reading as vetiver to my nose, and the black musk smells sharply musky and powdery with the orris.

Orris is usually sweet, pleasant and powdery on me and black musk is usually dark, smooth and powdery on me. But it's like they form into something too dry, too powdery, sharply musky, and unpleasant when mixed together. The sweet myrrh tries to hold things together, but it fails, and the patchouli smells very dry, acrid and ashy.

The overall effect is like baby powder, fireplace ashes, woodsmoke, sharp musk, and hints of sweet myrrh. Harsh and discordant.

Edited May 18, 2016 by Little Bird

[Abbie]

In the bottle: Musk. I'm honestly not picking up patchouli, and I couldn't identify orris if it raced by me carrying a sign labeled "orris" and screaming "I AM ORRIS, FEAR ME!" This reminds me of Cathedral, actually, for some reason (Checks: AHHA! Myrrh)

 

First on: This is a lot more innocuous on than in the bottle. Sort of salty, and the patchouli comes out. Not really my bag but I like it more now.

 

Dry: I'm picking up a sweet and spicy smell now. This really does remind me of Cathedral, but I prefer Dance of Death's drydown.

 

Overall: Not my thing, I fear.

[pickman's model]

In the imp: Smells like wood. And a bit of dust.

 

Wet: "Wet" is a misnomer, as it's the driest scent I've ever experienced. That same dusty wood, but with a note of clean laundry with unscented fabic softener.

 

 

Dry: Sandalwood is at the forefront, with a note of something else I can't identify and the teeniest, itty-bittiest bit of sweetness. Oddly clean. I can visualise an ossuary, well-kept and full of ornately arranged bones.

 

Edited to add: after about 20 minutes, I get this combination of the perfume my mom wore when I was little and the sandalwood soap my best friend and I were obsessed with in high school. So comforting and nice.

 

When that all finally settles, I get a sweet, warm sandalwood. Love it sooo much!

Edited October 12, 2005 by pickman's model

[Footnotegirl]

This perfume is the reason that I originally ordered from BPAL. So, logically (not) it's the one I'm really not liking so far. I was told it smelled like Tramp by Lush, but, unfortunately no.. not really.

It is actually very pretty. Just more flowery and.. well, it's got that powdery thing going on. When they say dry, they mean it, and unfortunately due to my upbringing, dry/powdery scents remind me of my grandmother.

My /evil/ grandmother.

It also, unfortunately, goes through an approximately 20 minute long "Unfortunate Pickle Phase" on my skin about 45 minutes putting it on, but then that goes away.

Much, much later in the day, I like it.. but that's too little, too late.

[QueenFae]

A dark, sinister, heavy blend. Overflowing with patchouli and myrrh. It's deep, musky, earthy and spicy all at the same time. This blend certainly fits the Dance of Death, it conjours images of seances and spooky graveyards. A bit heavy on the myrrh for my liking, but this is perfect for those with "dark" tastes.

[Fefferbella]

In the bottle: Patchouli and something sweet. I was excited to try this one, I LOVE patchouli...

 

On the Skin: Not quite Baby powder... reminds me of an antique powder compact I found in a salvage store. The compact still had some of the original powder from the 1930's *ewww* Dance of Death smells like rancid old ladie's face powder on me.

 

I wanted to love it *sigh*

[Freyja Lux]

Yowza! Serious musk and patchouli. This is such a dry scent, and a bit harsh. All I can detect is the patchouli and musk. I wouldn't be able to wear it, nor would I want anyone around me to. Bone dry, a old desert dry, Janeane Garofalo dry. This stuff doesn't mess around.

[brownbear]

wowza. It is dry and deep and round smelling, if that makes any sense. I can't think of what this reminds me of. Maybe something from lush. Someone mentioned Tramp from lush, but I've never tried that, so maybe something else. Hmm It's really rich, yet dry. It's a little woody, a little dusty, a little something slightly sweet, fruity, and deep. It's dark. I really didn't think I'd like this one, but I was wrong. I really don't know how often I'll wear it though.