Gypsy Queen

[angharad]

A heavy-lidded perfume, the quintessence of beauty and power shrouded in mystery, swathed in a deep, velvet-clad cloak of dark omens: Romany incense and candle smoke mingling with an alluring, body-warmed whiff of bergamot, neroli, Bulgar rose, carnation, and amber musk.

I don't know if the decant I have is from the original or the resurrected, but either way it's lovely. Very soft. Something sweet plays hide-and-seek with me; every few minutes I catch the barest whiff of it, but when I try to concentrate on it, it disappears behind a light veil of smoke. Beautiful. My only regret is that is doesn't last long on me. Edited November 25, 2007 by Shollin

[slave1]

In Bottle: Sweet pretty incense

 

On Skin: This is an exotic heavily incensed blend. The florals are niced controlled by the smoke and incense, they tone the sharpness down perfectly. Normally I reallt don’t like rose blends, but here it is so well blended it doesn’t stick out so it works fine on my skin. I LOVE the amber musk, it makes this scent drop dead seductive… it’s a “come hither” scent for sure. It reminds me of a distant floral cousin of Snake Oil or Snake Charmer with a smoky edge. The throw starts strong but fades pretty quickly. Overall average wearlength.

[strangemusic]

Evanescent throw.

 

Sweet smoke of incense, candied flower petals, womanly, sexual, not coy. Alternately crimson and purple, stars wound about and between. Hints of rich wine.

 

Wet: I'm put in mind of a dessert I ate, long and long ago-- all I can remember of it is that chocolate was involved, and that the taste was so rich that I could not finish it. The taste of Gypsy Queen is more purplish than scarlet, with the smoky layer over the sugary florals, wine notes off-stage, round dollops of something orangey and smooth in the middle, like good truffles.

 

Dry: More orange than royal, more incense than floral, dimmed stars and smoke. Candied crumbs in the dish, pieces of peel and drifts of crystal violets. Sadly, the fortune she told for me was of separation.

[kraken]

In the Imp: Spicy and sweet. It smells like a group of differently scented candles all burning at once.

 

Initial Wet: It smells like an exotic perfume of pungent, unidentifiable florals and spices. Initially it smells like walking past a shopping mall perfume counter. The notes are so mixed it's difficult for me to pick out a single one.

 

Initial Dry: I think it's the carnation that turns to a spicy floral on me as the sweetness fades. It smells like a room filled with incense where candles have been burned and blown out. It's dark and sexy and makes me want to put on a bunch of wrist bangles and dance to some music with a heavy beat.

 

Drier Dry: It almost tried to go sour on me and now it smells a lot like The Lion did on me, so it must be the amber musk. It's not quite as spicy as before, just warm. I swear there must be a little bit of honey in this--no honey sweetness, but that particular tang that makes me think of beeswax candles. I still get no rose, but occasionally I get the lovely tea-like hint of what must be the bergamot.

 

It goes on really strong, but it fades fast after the amber musk comes out, though even the faded scent is lovely lingering warmness. I think this is going to be a nice scent to wear on those cold mid-winter days.

[rhubarbbear]

someday i will learn that anything described as "heavy" doesn't sit will with my chemistry. and gypsy queen is no excpetion rather headachey, it made me.

 

it did last a good while, tho.

[Kittyflop]

Spicy sweet rich florals. Bergamot/citrus twang. Creaminess. A bit of smokiness behind it all. This feels very rich, creamy, and flowery-sweet all at once. Mmmm I loves the carnation, and I can smell it in here!

 

Strong throw! Whew! It hovers all around. I'm not sure why I passed this up twice, musta been out of my head, but I'm glad I finally got to try it. Gorgeous and decadent - not for the faint of nose.

[anomie]

The rose, incense, and bergamot are giving me sort of a soapy smell. Like, a very nice and expensive handmade soap, for a rich French woman who always wears a silk scarf knotted perfectly around her neck.

 

On the drydown... whoof, incense. A little too much of a head-shop scent for me, though it does evoke memories of my favorite hippie-and-other-cool-stuff store back home.

[steffanina]

Gypsy Queen-

 

In Bottle: A little sweet and grape-like.

 

Wet: Incense-grape. Much richer than it was in the bottle.

 

Dry: A bit cloying for me. That incense smell is a little sweet and rich.

 

Overall: Not for me.

[sofiaviolet]

This is heavy on the musk and incense and smells really musty. It doesn't improve on my skin. It doesn't really change at all. I wasn't really expecting this to work, though.

[supremegoddessofall]

Dusty incense with some florals hiding in the background. Neroli is blessfully silent. Not really standing out for me though, just a typical incense scent.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: rose, incense and musk.

 

On my skin: smoky rose, with bergamot. The rose's both creamy and smoky. There's some bergamot coming from time to time, unexpectedly.

 

After a couple of hours: it goes back to encensy rose, exactly like the first sniff out of the bottle.

 

Verdict: I'm rather indifferent. It doesn't happen often, Bpal, for me, is more a "I hate" or "I love" experience, but Gypsy Queen just leaves me blah and uninterested.

[myoubi]

halcyon_flight put it correctly: sliiinky. she poked me to try this, and she was ever so right.

 

wet on skin, it starts off as candlesmoke! which rapidly disappears into sweet, dark with a hint of wax and an incense base. The 'sweet' is mostly rose cut with carnation, and the amber musk prevents it from becoming heavy and oppressive floral incense. It's beautiful, but it has character -- even if it doesn't have huge throw, it's one of my 'character' fragrances, not my go-everywhere scents. But it is ever so lovely, and I'm glad I have a bottle, though I won't need another.

[talula_fairie]

I would like to preface this by saying that I am not a floral girl. ESPECIALLY any scent involving rose. So, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered this scent WORKS on me. I really thought it was going to turn to Grandma's soap (the way even Alice did on my skin). But it didn't!

 

This smells like creamy, musky, incense-y flowers. These aren't your Grandma's flowers, these are dark, mysterious flowers blooming at night amist mist and candle smoke. Decent throw and a lovely scent all around. This is like no floral I've ever smelled. Two big thumbs up!

 

ETA: I just have to add that this is one of my favorite BPAL scents, EVER. It's everything all at once: complex, sexy, comforting, floral, musk, incense. The notes dance together so well, it just smells good. The more I wear it, the more I it!

Edited December 21, 2006 by talula_fairie

[Deiicide]

Usually spicy anything doesn't work upon me but when when I saw the description for Gypsy Queen, I just thought I'd try it because it reminded me of a roleplay character I have played on and off for about a few years *dork*

 

So imagine my surprise when I got this super sweet sexy purple feeling incense! It lasts for a long time and in it I feel powerful. I can't recognize many of the notes and somehow there seems to be a hint of plum to it in my nose! Overall a very nice scent that is perfect for many party occasions or intimate encounters.

[wikkidraven]

Zzzzz. Gypsy Queen is a little stale on my skin...kind of bleh. This one is probably for my swaps pile.

[dawndie]

In bottle: candied floral

 

On skin: orangey citrus (neroli) which reminds me of Shub. This doesn't last long; quickly the rose and carnation take over

 

Half-hour later: creamy roses like Alice, but slightly spicier from the carnation. Carnation will amp on me, but it's behaving with the rose. Not much incense, which would be nice

 

In conclusion: this is a sophisticated Carny Lady: a sweet, creamy, spicy floral.

[Analise]

Just got a half-imp of this from an ebay auction and so, here we go:

 

First impression in the bottle: a bit perfumey, like something my mom might wear. Not that that's bad but, it doesn't smell really distinct to me, you know?

 

Wet, on skin: not so perfumey, nice, though I can't tell you what it is I'm smelling yet.

 

On the drydown: Nice, but I can smell the musk note and I'm a little unsure...not exactly fond of that particular note. I'll have to let it sit a while and see.

 

 

In conclusion, so far: Nice, but nothing to angst over because it's an LE.

[Kimocean]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this scent before this. It is one of my favorites and gets alot of wear. I love the combination of fruit and smoke and dark red roses. It has a rich purpley feel to it and makes me feel sophisticated and feminine.

[CiCi]

Gypsy Queen is a beautifully sexy, deeply spicy floral scent. This is the type of scent that really goes well with my body chemistry. I like florals but can never seem to find one that is just the right amount of floral with the right amount of spice. Gypsy Queen is not overpoweringly rose, which if it were, my body would completely amp. Instead, the carnation comes out on me, which is a good thing, since I love the spiciness of the carnation. The sweet muskiness that flows out of this makes this a very memorable favorite.

[stellans]

Imp/Bottle: smoky fires, incense, and an underlying musky sweetness; this bodes well for my body chemistry.

 

First Applied: very intense incense smell, which I immediately love. Woe, woe, woe is me falling in love with an extremely hard to come by blend! This blend is so very well done that it's hard to sort out separate notes, which is fine with me as long as they stay blended. This is a really lovely scent, and the throw is good as well. I don't have to bury my nose in my wrist, but it doesn't overpower me either. Like I said: lovely scent!

 

Dry Down: Keeps the incense, and doesn't separate into notes that I can easily pick out, which for this particular blend is a very good thing. The throw is good, and it lasts a good long while...plus Mr. Stellans liked it. If only I could find more!

 

Final Verdict: 4 out of 5 stars.

Edited May 2, 2008 by stellans

[greymatter]

Notes made of fail: candle smoke, rose of any sort, neroli

Notes made of win: carnation, amber musk, bergamot and a modest amount of incense

 

So.... Gypsy Queen - fail or win?

 

Well, in the imp: OMG!ROSE (I hate rose - I think rose stinks like.... stuff that stinks.)

 

Gritting my teeth against the rose of DOOM, I try it on anyway.

 

Wet: ... that's interesting. The rose, for the first time in EVER, is FADING. I *amp* rose like nobody's business. Surely this is some sort of crazy skin magic! Oooh. Amber musk and carnation coming to the forefront... tiny tiny bit of incense... this is niiiiiice.

 

Dry: OMG I AM T3H SCHMEXX! It's amazing. It's sexy, comforting, sweet and gorgeous all at once. I. Am. Stunned.

 

Dammit. Now I have to find a bottle. -____-

[grashopper8]

So, when Gypsy Queen is wet, it's a spicy, smokey explosion that is a bit overwhelming for me.

 

After about 10 minutes, though, it's divine!

 

It strongly reminds me of the (Shrinivas Sugandhalaya) Nag Champa perfume oil, except with actual throw and staying power.

 

It also reminds me of Chrysanthemum Moon, just with more spicy "bite."

 

I'm mad that I like this so much because I won't be able to get a bottle, I don't think. I will have my little decant though!

 

Gypsy Queen is a warm, spicy, incensey, smokey, dark floral. Very sexy! 4.5 out of 5

 

ETA: I love this even more now that I've tried it a few times. If Snake Oil is too powdery/sweet for you, try Gypsy Queen. (even though personally, I love Snake Oil with a hot passion)

Edited January 9, 2008 by AEris

[heathercaley]

This one is soooo lovely!! Spicy carnation and incense... with a slight rose hanging around..

 

I wish that I had more than just an imp's worth.. this could be my signature scent. I can't stop sniffing myself.... sweet and smokey, spicy carnation and just the right amount of rose to calm everything down...

 

Great staying power too!!

[naeelah]

A little bit of this stuff goes a long way! (This is a good thing, seeing as I only have 1 imp. )

 

The overall effect, from a distance, is of rich floral incense. It doesn't morph a lot for me between the wet and dry phases. Under nose, it smells primarily of rose, musk, and incense smoke, with hints of carnation and bergamot.

 

This is a rich, heady incense blend, and I love it to pieces. Definitely fitting of a gypsy queen. It has excellent throw, but the wear length is sometimes a bit short, for me. This is a bit like the Witch Queen, only without purple fruits, and with more rose. It also reminds me of one of my favorite GCs, Mara Hari, without the coffee.

[MaeKitty]

n the Bottle: Roses, amber, smoke.

On Me: Burning candles, rose, bergamot and amber. Absolutely lovely and very sexy. This is stunning! I wish I had bought a 5ml when I had the chance