Gypsy Queen

[urraca]

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.

First off I get the bergamot and the neroli and the scent almost smells sharp. As is settles down, the rose begns to come through. It is the same baseball card gum smell (an unfortunate but true image of a nice smell) I found in Bearded Lady and I see that the Bulgar rose in the one and the Turkish rose in the other are actually both Rosa damascena so it makes sense they'd smell similar. After an hour or so the scent vanishes only to reappear when I am least expecting it in a softly floral incensey blend that is reminiscent of blown-out candles. I like this stage the best, and it does have the best throw.

[maewitch]

The florals are extremely well-blended in this one. I can tell there is rose and carnation, but neither one is jumping up and biting me on the nose. It's a dusky, spicy, smoky floral, very much what I imagine a Gypsy perfume would smell like. There is a very faint soapy note when it is wet, which somehow makes it seem like a clean exotic smell.

 

It's getthing smoother, richer and sweeter as it dries, the incense amping up even as the florals mellow out (and the soap note disappears).

 

I have a decant, but I may have to acquire a bottle.

[Electra]

The Queen unfortunately smelled like an orange Pixy Stick on me. She started out sweet and just kept getting sweeter and more sugary and candy-like. I wanted to love her; sadly it was not to be.

 

I am sending her on to a home where she will be worshipped as she deserves .

[sophia_helix]

This started off well on me, lots of icense and other spicy-eastern-type scents, but over time the florals amped up, until they reached the level of undefinable sweetness I so loathe. I think this was a very me-centric reaction (my skin chemistry turns things to sugar!), but it was still sad, since I really liked the stage where it smelled exactly like imported incense.

[evil_laugher]

This makes me think of those BPAL reviews where a scent is compared to a "lemon peel". I've never encountered a lemon peel or tried to take a whiff of it, but this brings one to mind. Maybe not lemon, but some kind of peel, spiced up with incense. Anyway, I wasn't really drawn to it.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Interesting. Incense for sure, but it's extremely sweet for the amber musk and the bergamot. The neroli is surprisingly quiet on my skin; usually it shrieks and screams at me.

 

On me: Carnation petals sprinkled across the surface of the oil, barely allowing its influence more than a passing flutter. The incense and amber swirl together while the singing clarity of the bergamot skips across the surface. I wasn't sure how I would like this, as several of the notes are not of my normal pursuit, but this is actually quite suitable to my needs right now. It is very mysterious and exotic.

[Firewaver]

Mm.. very pretty.

 

Bottled, it smells strongly of spiced oranges, I suppose that's the neroli? The first bpal I can think of that actually smells good in the bottle!

 

On my skin, I smell bergamot and neroli first, rose and spiciness as definitely lesser notes. I wouldn't call this a rose scent, it's more a dusky citrus. I really can imagine a Gypsy Queen when I smell this. Intricate patterns on her silky skirts, gaudy gold bangles, lush red lipstick and gold eyeshadow.. the scent really encapsulates the name.

 

Drying down, the bergamot softens but doesn't fade.. it blends gorgeously with the rose and the oil takes on a smoky sweetness. Really very soothing and sensuous.

 

If I had to give this scent a color, it would be a deep hue of amber-orange.

 

I wasn't sure about this after reading the reviews, but I do think this one is a keeper for me. I think I need to concentrate on the deeper florals like this one, rather than the foodies.

[RainyDayGrey]

This is really sweet on me at first, like smarties candie or sweet tarts. Then it dries down to a gorgeous smokey carnation, my skin will amp the carnation in anything, fortunatly for me, I love carnation. It's incensy, but not the way I usually think of incense, it's softer and sexier. Very pretty and womanly, it reminds me of purple.

[QueenFae]

I expected to love this one but I'm thinking it's really not for me. It's an unusual scent, a smoky floral that is also a bit on the sharp side. I think maybe the incense smoke in this one is not agreeing with my body chemistry. I can pick out the carnation, but I having a hard time finding any of the other notes. Overall, way more smoky/incensey than floral, not really something that works real well with my skin. I think on the right person she would be gorgeous.

[sookster]

quite pretty...a floral and incense blend....unfortunately not long lasting enough for me

i'd have to douse myself with 1/2 a bottle to keep the scent lingering around for awhile.....darn it all

[laochodia]

Smoke, incense, sugar and something elusive. Wonderful.

[puck_nc]

I debated this one when Carnaval Noir came out because of the rose and carnation, but experiments had shown that my chemistry tends to take any hint of musk and ramp it up until it overpowers everything else. So instead I got an imp when the opportunity arose.

 

Origin: LJ sale

 

In the Bottle: All musky and smoky, very little floral. I think maybe I can smell the bergamot just a touch.

 

Wet: ALL incense and musk. I can't find any other notes for several minutes.

 

Drydown: Nope, stays all musk all the time, peppery with the incense, but still 100% musk.

 

Verdict: Betrayed again by my own skin. Off to the swap pile!

[Monster]

First sniff, neroli and rose. It's sweet with some sour smelling florals.

 

On my skin the neroli is still very present. I think it's actually whats making the flowers smell dead and sour. The dry down is a bit more incensy and plesant.

 

Overall, I'm not thrilled about Gypsy Queen, but I don't hate it either. I think I need to wear this one alone for a full day to see how I actually like it. I'll come back to this review

 

______________________________________________________________

 

 

ETA: 9/22/09 - Told ya I'd be back....just a lil late though I really wanted to revisit this scent since it's been so long. I ended up swapping out my bottle of Gypsy Queen and recently have acquired a decant of it so I could see if my opinion has changed since 2005. Let's see!

 

In the vial: This, sweet and acrid...neroli mixed with wilted flowers.

 

Wet: On my skin the neroli and sour floral notes quickly fade giving way to a powdery amber and soft, incense notes. This is getting a lot better as it settles into my skin.

 

Dry: I'm left with a powdery amber incense with a background of wilted floral notes.

 

Overall: Well my original review was spot on. I'm not in love with this but I don't hate it either. It's just sort of...meh.

Edited September 22, 2009 by Monster

[Khaman]

Berries, incense, and smoke. If there's cinnamon, it was barely there on me. Bengal goes crazy cinnamon on me, this didn't.

 

In the bottle, I smelled a bit of floral and something sweet. Putting it on, there's almost no floral. Which is good, because rose is about the only thing floral that I can guarantee works on me - anything else is a Who Knows? until I put it on. But usually goes to soap.

 

This? My gods. Pure, dark, rich berries, then slowly drying down through stages of berry and possibly the rose, then rich incense, then a bit of smoke.

 

I love this, I'm happy I ordered a bottle, and I wish I'd ordered more than one.

[lohengrin]

Verdict: It smells like Succubus, more or less. Which it not surprising, since they're both neroli and bergamot. GK is a little more smoky, and lacking the clove, but in the end it's similar enough to save me having to buy a bottle of Succubus. Cool.

[Sheila]

At first: wow, Romany incense! Very strong incense.

After a couple hours: ahh, there's a touch of bergamot and neroli. Yum. This is now spicy and sweet, with the incense in the background.

Later: this is very soft and sensual--heavy-lidded indeed. I really like this at the drydown stage. Sometimes the incense perfumes are too much for me, but this one has a softness that I really like. A keeper.

[sarahmarie]

This scent surprised me. I expected to be overwhelmed, but it wasn't overwhelming. It's mysterious, and dark, but heavy without being *heavy*.

 

Wet, I smell incense and candle smoke and a hint of rose and neroli (I think that's neroli, anyway.) As it dries, the neroli gets stronger,but the incense remains. The candlesmoke seems to have vanished, which is too bad - it was awesome while it lasted. It's another complex scent that I haven't decided about yet, but I think I like it and I'm glad I swapped for an imp of it.

[Freyja Lux]

Hmm... from the bottle I first though "Brisingamen", but spicier. When I applied it I thought the same, but the rose comes through more. Since I'm not a fan of rose, I have to pass. It is a lovely scent though, just not as "dark" as I was expecting.

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression:

This is the most impessive Carnaval Noir scent I have tried to date.

Oh the loveliest of carnation and amber musk makes this a winner in my book. It has enough throw and softens into one of the most beautiful blends I have tried to date. I guess I am hooked on this one.

My scale of 1-5...5+

Edited October 14, 2005 by ~AmusedMuse~

[yeahbutnobut]

Gypsy Queen

 

In the imp: fruity rose with a hint of candied sweetness. It has a similar fruity sticky incense smell to Cairo, I think, but more floral.

Wet on skin: oooh, Floral, fruity, and sticky, smoky incense resins…

Dry on skin: this is lovely! Rose and carnation with effervescent candied citrus notes, and smoky yet very sweet incense. This reminds me slightly of the more floral joss sticks I have smelt, though it's not cloying or artificial. I can't really smell the candle smoke yet though I can smell smoke here, but more like incense vapours, and also has a powdery scent which is very pleasant. It does remind me slightly of a more sugary version of Baghdad as well-I'm wondering if there's sandalwood here as well? I can smell the amber musk underneath it all…and that amber-carnation mix brings to mind Brisingamen. It's smoky, sweet and mystical, very feminine and alluring. Fabulous.

After a while: yup, this really is similar to Baghdad, it has that same rose-incense-powder vibe, but this one is slightly different, and I can make out a hint of candle smoke clinging to my skin mingled with the floral fruity incense and musk. Very entrancing and I love the way this has a feeling of being heady and heavy without being overly so, it's very soft on the skin. This is a 'magenta' scent to me-a deep pink mixed with purple with flashes of gold.

Verdict: another impressive CN scent. This is a wonderful blend of sweet fruity resin scents with rich florals and a smoky-powdery scent of incense and musk. It's exotic, womanly and enticing, yet with a deceptive sugared sweetness covering a mysterious smoked background-this brings to mind the sweet candy floss scents of the fair wafting into a dark, heavily perfumed tent where a mysterious gypsy woman gazes ominously into her crystal ball. It also reminds me of a sweeter, lighter Baghdad, as well as hints of Cairo and Brisingamen, but it is also delightfully different from them. I'm glad I have a bottle of this beautiful scent.

[feline.by.design]

Upon first application, Gypsy Queen was enjoyable. It was a bit dark, yet sweet, and reminded me of root beer or sasparilla. It wasn't what I expected.

 

Then, moments later, I sniffed my wrist again and had the imagery of a powdery rose doused in armpit sweat.

 

Oh dear.

 

I've had it on for about twenty minutes at least, and the sweat smell did manage to die down, but this powdery, at times a little sour rose note clinging to my wrist. It smells better now that the sweat smell has deteriorated (it might have been the neroli, perhaps), but on the whole, it doesn't suit me. There are not a good many rose blends that will play nice with me, but some do. Gypsy Queen, however, did not.

 

-doreen

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: A light juicy (fruity?) gently floral musk. Lovely and fresh and full of light.

 

Dry: Just this lovely floral musk, but mostly musk. It's warm and sensual and mysterious and smells of candles and the warmth of a beautiful woman giving you bedroom eyes. This. is. Gorgeous.

[iriedanym]

I wasn't certain I would like this oil based off the description. Candle smoke after all can smell really nice or really stinky if it is a cheap candle. Beth, bless her heart, found the perfect combo. The Romany incense and candle smoke were the most prominent, with the underlying of carnation and rose. This scent lasted quite a bit on my skin, and I only dabbed on a small bit on the back of my hand. Definately a winner.

[malabar]

I like Gypsy Queen quite a bit, it really does have that candle smoke smell at first. The incense notes remind me of the incense in Athens and Cairo and the myrrh comes out the strongest in the drydown. The other notes kind of swirl around in the background and it's really hard to pick them out individually. I will probably end up swapping this scent though since the strong myrrh disagrees with my boyfriend and friends. Even though I like it, I won't want to wear it around anyone and listen to their complaints.

 

I got the strong, acrid drydown you're describing, which is a shame because the inital smoky incense was lovely. Oh well, can't win them all.

[theseagrows]

when i read the scent description, i knew this was right up my alley. i LOVE this scent.

 

at first i strongly smell the bulgar rose and candles. i dont really know the exact definition of bulgar rose but it's just not plain ol' roses. as it mellows the carnation comes out more and it warms into a nice floral-oriental or spicy floral, which is my favorite kind of scent. this is very sexy and warm to me. i couldn't stop smelling myself last night. though i have that reaction to many bpal scents....

 

love it so much!

Edited February 4, 2011 by theseagrows