Grand Guignol

[joseybird]

Bewitching Brews

 

In 1897, a new form of entertainment was presented to the people of Montmartre, Paris: the Théâtre du Grand Guignol. During the course of an evening at the theatre, one would watch several small plays, ranging from crime dramas to sexual farces, a violent, throat-ripping, eye-gouging, acid-tossing good time, which always included shock topics such as infanticide, necrophilia, insanity, murder, paranoia, vengeance and death by common household object. Our Grand Guignol perfume is a shot of sweet apricot brandy; just enough to settle your nerves after a ghoulish, gory brush with the macabre.

 

I applied this as I sat in the bus back from NYC and spent the ride alternating between Succor and smelling this. I put the name and description out of my mind, and immersed myself in the atmosphere this created.

 

This is not a languid boozy scent. Oh no. This is a rowdy, jostling drink, the kind other barflies would laugh at you for sniffing; "That ain't fine wine, buddy! Take a swig and pass the juice on!" They would holler above the din of the club or theater.

 

This really is apricot brandy The booze smells the strongest at first (with a twist of what smells like apricot sn), but by late drydown it's calmed down a lot, and the apricot is left as the designated driver, so to speak.

Edited September 15, 2007 by clover

[blood*rose*flowers]

In the bottle I get straight apricot with Brandy but the apricot takes the lead.

 

On the sweet apricot comes right up with just a hint of Brandy. On me this is a more sweet fuit scent then an alcholic scent. Its a really nice fragrance but like a few recently this one is just not holding on for me. It is fading down a little to quickly but is nice.

[olympia301]

 

And a right shot of apricot brandy it is. There is a tap of wood in the mix, a bit of lavender I think. It is lovely and intoxicating, simple and straighforward. Dark apricot is the closest thing I can think of to describe this scent. As a bonus the name is real genius, as are so many of Beth's perfume names.

 

If you like this one and you want to keep it going, because it does fade pretty fast, put it in a scent locket. I would use a lot on the pad because it's throw is limited as well. Alternately, Grand Guignol is a natural for trying out in the simmer pot or oil burner.

 

A very good scent and I say it's a keeper.

[Blood onmy hands]

Mmm... I love apricots. They always smell very warm and friendly to me (weird? perhaps). Grand Guignol smells just like the juicy fuzzy fruits on my skin. Like I took a ripe apricot and squeezed it over my wrist. It's very sweet and simple. I don't normally like or want to wear fruity scents, but I am definitely fond of this one. It doesn't smell boozy or brandy-ish on me at all either, so I'm thankful for that.

 

Lasting power on me was decent as well. I wore it for 6 hours before taking a bath and could still smell it wafting up from my wrist.

 

If I magically run into some extra cash, I'll be getting a full size bottle, lol. In the meantime... I will provide a loving and appreciative home for my imp

Edited July 13, 2005 by Blood onmy hands

[lorajc]

I love apricot, but the brandy was too prominent on me and I didn't care for it. I thought this might happen, but figured I'd give it a try. Nice if you like the boozy scents.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: apricot brandy indeed

 

wet: yes apricot brandy

 

 

as it dries it remans true to the initial stages. it is a dominatrix, apricot. she is whippin the brandy's butt and believe you me the brandy is enjoying every second of it.

 

all in all love it and want more NOW

[Ajila]

Wet on me this was apricot and something else I couldn't place, it could well be brandy, I've never smelt brandy so I wouldn't know. Brandy or not this note or collection of notes doesn't work on me it smelt very sour and abrasive. Dry on me it had completely switched and now smelt exactly like a black currant Fruit Pastille, right down to the sugar coating, which is very odd. As this stage faded the apricots came back into play and for the remainder of the blends life on me it's darkly, pretty. This only lasts about 3 hours on me and I only enjoy the last hour so I don't think the blend is for me.

[Lorencita]

This is straight up brandy on me, with a touch of apricot. Sorry, me no likey. I'm sure someone else will love it

[inkstone]

In the imp: Dripping, syrupy apricots!

 

Wet: Alcoholic brandy! Wait... where'd the apricots go?

 

Drydown: Okay, it now balances out between the brandy and the apricots a bit better.

 

Final thoughts: I don't know what it is but apricots tend to go vaguely plastic on me whereas peaches are fine. I think I'll keep the imp, but an imp is all I need.

[ipb]

it's very sweet apricots on me, not so much in the brandy. ripe and juicy apricots, mind you, but thassit. i'm not really a fan of apricots so this is going in the swap pile, but it was good to try it

[emzebel]

I was really looking forward to this, as I like fruity and boozy scents, so apricot brandy sounded perfect.

 

Unfortunately, the brandy evidentily got a little soused and didn't feel like partying when my vial was mixed, so it was all apricot, all the time.

 

On me, this is pretty apricot perfume. No booze, no souse...nothing much other than some apricots. Don't get me wrong, I *like* apricots, but I prefer the March Hare "twisted tart with clove" apricot to this one, and really, there are only so many apricot scents a gal needs...

Edited July 25, 2005 by emzebel

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Summarised in a word or two: Boozy.

 

In the imp: Pure, fresh apricot. No sign of brandy.

 

On skin, wet: Yes, apricot brandy. Boozy, juicy apricot. I've never been crazy about apricots (their smell or taste), but this is nice. A little boozy for my tastes, but nice.

 

On skin, dry: Mostly brandy, with a bit of apricot. Definitely too boozy for me.

 

Conclusion: Nice, but nothing I'd wear as a perfume.

Edited December 16, 2005 by Aredhel

[oatmealneko]

Grand Guignol is pure apricot brandy, as all the other reviewers have stated. However, it doesn't smell sweet. It's a very alcoholic, tart, yet dark apricot. The alcohol note is very strong while wet, but when it dries off, it fades, not enough to disappear entirely. On me, it amplifies the scent of apricots, which start to smell a tad sweet when it's completely dry.

[girlmadasbirds]

apricot brandy, indeed!

ripe juicy apricots and just the right amount of booziness. i can't stop sniffing my arm...

must add this one to the 5mL list!

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

I don't normally do fruit scents, but because of my complete adoration of March Hare and my love affair with liquor scents, I got a 5mL of this unsniffed and really hope to love it.

 

First sniff:

 

Mmm, this is dead on! It's not fruity like March Hare is fruity; it's boozy with a decidedly liqueur-like apricot note to it. It smells decadent and sophisticated in a comfortable sort of way, like sitting in a wingback chair in front of a roaring fire after a night at the theatre, if that makes sense.

 

The apricot portion is definitely a part of the brandy and not just a fruit note superimposed over the booze, which was what I was slightly nervous about. So far, this is gorgeous!

 

Wet on skin:

 

As soon as Grand Guignol hits my skin, the brandy note amps up, drowning out most of the apricot and making this more boozy and less fruity. Where before it bore a slight resemblance to March Hare with the strong apricot note, it's now definitely a boozy scent with just a touch of fruit. This is very sophisticated smelling somehow. I would have to compare this in feeling to the original Hellfire...a sort of sophisticated, comfortable debauched scent. I don't know how to explain it except to say that while it's undeniably high-class smelling, there's something about it that suggests illicit behavior in darkened parlors. I'm not sure if it's me supplying the imagery or if the scent just conjures that up, but either way I have to admit that I like it.

 

Dry down:

 

Very boozy with just a slight hint of fruit. If I worried that this would be too strong on the fruit, I've definitely been proven wrong. The fruit doesn't jump out at you, it's more subtle, like a shadow in the background that gives the scent depth. This is beautiful.

 

The bottom line:

 

This is sophisticated smelling and not at all foody. It's a serious scent, somehow, and I'm sure it would smell gorgeous on a guy...might have to try it on my husband tonight.

[coulrophobe]

I'll preface this by saying that apricot and peach are usually interchangeable on me.

 

Of course, the key word here is "usually."

 

On me, this doesn't change much between in the imp, wet and dry - it's pure apricot. Maybe there's a little bit of brandy lurking somewhere in the background, but my chemistry is really amping up the apricot. And it's not the same as peach, for once! When I compare the taste of the fruits themselves, I find apricot to be tarter and and more tangy than peach - and that's definitely reflected in this blend. There's an edge to it that's sour - but in a good way. Pure juicy apricots!

 

[slave1]

In Bottle: Just as it says, Apricot brandy.

 

On Skin: Wow! Super boozy, I’m getting drunk off this scent. I love apricot, but this scent is giving me a headache because of the strong alcohol note. Very syrupy, almost like cough syrup. Sorry, it’s too much for me…

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Well, apricots, of course.

 

Second Impression: But where is the brandy? I get the scent of biting into a tart, dried apricot.

 

Final Analysis: Dried apricots sans brandy. Nice but not for me.

[tesao]

first sniff: cloyingly sweet/sharp

 

and then a dry down that is almost pure apricot. there is a sharp note which may be what others are calling brandy, but it isn't a hot, alcoholic smell to me. it's almost grassy, with hints of a white floral wafting in ever so randomly.

 

but yes: heavy apricot. dead on.

[QueenFae]

Yup, smells just like apricot brandy. The top apricot note reminds me of those containers of dried apricots you can buy at the grocery store. This one goes really boozy on me, perhaps a little too boozy for me. It's a little sharp and pungent for me, but a lovely idea just the same.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: this was a freebie from the lab. sweet apricots.

on: very, very sweet. almost syrupy. definitely apricots.

half an hour later: very light. it's more of a light brandy scent with a hint of apricots.

1.5 hours later: nice, but very, very light.

2 hours later: gone.

overall: this was ok. if it lasted longer, i might contemplate keeping it, but it didn't.

[rellyjean]

OK, apparently my body chemistry is stranger than I knew.

 

In the imp, this is apricots, with a hint of something darker underscoring it. Yummy, although a touch more abrasive than I was anticipating, but usually those settle down nicely on me.

 

Once I touch it to my skin - a new scent comes out of nowhere. Very strong, and something I can't put into words. The closest I can get is -really sharp fresh grass clippings.

 

There's a cluster of that surrounding a core of something high and solid that I can't get the sense of, because it's .... covered in grass clippings.

 

I didn't leave this on long enough to see if it morphed into apricots, as the grass clippings were making my nose wrinkle.

 

This goes in my swap pile, for someone who can get apricots or brandy out of it and not .... Eau de Lawnmower.

[scourgeotheseas]

Grand Guignol

 

In the bottle: Dried, tart apricots with a hint of craft store potpourri. Good so far!

 

On me/wet: Apricot, yes. And also a highly flammable note that doesn't smell like brandy as much as high octance fuel. Not so pretty.

 

Drydown: After an hour or so, it turns completely to apricots, which has been my experience with March Hare as well. I like it well enough, but don't love it.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

My first thought on application was, "wussy apricots." The apricot note is true but soft; after a few minutes a surprisingly buttery note emerges. An apricot tart, perhaps. Nice but too faint for me. Depraved is a better choice if you want a strong apricot.

[darkling]

I agree with others that Grand Guignol is apricot booze.

 

This is the longest-lasting apricot scent that I have tried. The apricot note is very natural and instilled with a nice warmth from the brandy.