Belladonna

[Shollin]

The devil's herb, which he cultivates with skill and pleasure. According to lore, the spirit of this plant may take the form of a breathtaking, achingly beautiful woman, deadly to behold. This scent is a tribute to such a dark and magnificent plant: a rich green and floral blend, earthy and haunting.

First sniff: This is another scent that was very familiar but I couldn't pin down specifically what it was making me think of. Dark, green, mysterious.

Wearing: A little spicy and a little churchy. Seems to get darker and slightly bitter.

Second wearing: I swear this is sharper than before. The sharpness calms quickly though, and fades to a mysterious, slightly spicy dark-green smell. The woods at night, in midsummer – the feel of the scent is muggy rather than fresh.

[Guest]

I didnt like this scent as much as the others- at first... It was like a sweetgrass floral mix I couldnt place. The more I wore it the more I loved it and now I consider it one of my favorites. Very Unique fragrance, somber, almost dirty.

[Gothabillywench]

I liked this when I 1st sniffed it out of the bottle & loved it when I wore it. So deeply green & herby. I love a good green smell & this is the perfect one. I felt very earth motherish wearing it & felt all clucky & strong.

[lorajc]

I agree with the above reviewer who said she didn''t care for this when she first wore it, but then it grew on her. It is an herbal floral and is unique. I have never smelled anything like this beore. I have only worn it twice, but the second time I am finding it to be oddly enticing. I'll have to try it a couple more times. I like this to throw in the mix of all of my deep/dark/woody and spicy ones.

[Lady_Ell]

This is one of my absolute favorites.

 

As a room scent: smells disturbingly like NyQuil (the green kind). Not recommended.

 

As a skin scent: I smell like a Christmas wreath in the best way possible. When I smell it I feel like my cheeks are red from being outside shoveling snow on Christmas Eve. A good winter scent. Unfortunately, after a while the pine smell dissipates and you are left with only hints of spicy, dry wood. Which is also good, but I love the smell of pine, so I have to reapply often.

 

I like to wear this before I go to bed. It's a very calming fragrance for me, which is funny because other reviewers have described this as "angry" and "bitter."

 

I find it sweet and spicy and red and calming and cool and green, all at the same time. It's beautiful.

Edited April 22, 2004 by ladylatemar

[blackrayne]

This to me smells of a blend of pine, a hint of eculaptyus, and something light and floraly that I can't quite decipher. It reminds me of a stroll through the woods in the summer, just before a heavy storm.

 

It is an intriguing, slightly upllifting scent.

[sagitare]

In the vial: A strong medicinal smell, like Vicks Vaporub.

 

On the skin: The Vicks smell comes down to a pine scent.

 

Drydown: Eventually turns softly sweet but it's a very generic type of sweet. Not overly sweet like Spellbound. This sweet is tempered more with a green scent but still, sweet. At times I've smelt almost a smoky/woody scent as well.

 

Overall: Because the drydown sweet scent is so generic I don't really remember this scent after I've worn it. With Snake Oil and Embalming Fluid I've had a very strong memory of what they both smelled like. With Belladonna I'm hard pressed to recall anything remarkable about the scent. So while it is a nice smell and I'll use the Ear it's not one I'd buy a bottle of. It just doesn't seem to fire me the way other scents have.

[jj_j]

I'm another one of those who turned their noses up the first time they put Belladonna to their skin, but have changed their minds. Thank goodness I tried it again!

 

Juniper berry, juniper berry, juniper berry! The crisp, almost piney scent that lingers and snaps at you is one of my favorites, partially because of the almost medicinal note to it. There's an underlying, and mostly hidden, sweetness to this, though, like just glimpsing flowers held behind a lover's back in order to surprise you.

 

It's the faintest part of this scent, but it's a necessary one, because it's part of what makes this so alluring; without it, there'd be no "come hither;" no "you can't live without me" to this scent. I wonder if it's heliotrope, because it has that soft sweetness that's not outright in its flowery-ness.

 

Grabs your attention, pulls you in, and takes over your senses - in a very good way.

[taz19]

I'm not sure about Belladonna : somedays I love it and others I find it too harsh and bitter. It's definitely a dark green, angry smell, with a faint damp woody note. It's hard to wear but when you're in the right mood, seems beautiful. I prefer how it smells when first applied as it turns very bitter after an hour or so.

 

Taz

[Tesseljoan]

In the bottle: sharp, sour, biting. I wasn't sure whether I wanted to put this on...

 

On the skin: It changes, that's good, but it changes into a generic BPAL smell (like -I think- Blackrayne described in a review- the scent your BPAL drawer). But wait, I can also smell a hint of earth... There is something very Omen- or Zombi-esque going on. I'll have to wait and try again, as I took a shower and can't smell it anymore.

 

 

Edit: Yes, definately something earthy looming there. Not my thing -swapped it away.

Edited June 16, 2004 by Tesseljoan

[riddel]

This is a scent that morphs from one phase to another and does so rather quickly, at least on my skin. While it was a bit bitter and sharp at first, it soon became freshly cut pine trees sitting in the mild winter sunshine of a Christmas tree lot in California -- nothing cold or icy. Then, a spicy floral sweetness came to the foreground and the previous stages hovered quietly in the background, giving the scent an underlying warmth. However, I'm lucky if it lasts a couple of hours before fading to a powdery green scent, like herbal baby powder or something. Maybe I should buy a bottle so that I can slather it. It's actually a rather comforting scent. But then, I find most "green" scents comforting. Very nice. I just wish it lasted a bit longer.

Edited April 2, 2008 by riddel

[Requiem-of-Roses]

In the vial: Slightly earthy and extremely green. Nearly menthol green. It takes a second whiff to even pick up the subtlety of the soft floral hidden within. The actual oil itself is green and it's very befitting.

 

Wet: Flower-sweetened pine at a menthol strength. Bittersweet. Hmm. Interesting, but I'm not sure if it's a good interesting, yet. There's a high potential to go either way.

 

After the Drydown: The softness of the floral finally took the stage to mellow out the bitter-toned star of the show - the very sharp mixture of pine and eucalyptus, perhaps? It ended up being a good thing she showed up when she did, because I almost had to write-off Belladonna completely. Although, there's almost a powderiness to it on my skin, now. Which I'm not totally sure fits together, the way it developed with my chemistry. It's almost grandmotherish.

 

Overall: Well, overall, I just don't think Belladonna is very "me", either. I didn't get the sense it would be as soon as I put it on...but, I've decided to keep the imp for now and try it again. I don't think I'll ever be able to like it as a scent I wear, but it's oddly calming and I think I'll try it right before I go to bed. Plus, everyone here seems glad they gave it a second chance, so maybe Belladonna just has an insidious nature that must be tested more than once. But, I can say now, that it will most likely end up as a swap..

[leslie260]

I really love Belladonna. On my skin, it dries to a sort of "corrupt Christmas" smell...pine and spice and something sweet that I can't put my finger on. My only problem with Belladonna is that I am apparently allergic to one of its ingredients because I itch everytime I wear it.

 

I still wear it though!

[Epona]

I absolutely love Belladonna It is very green and herbal on the wand and when first applied. There's something very familiar in there but I can't place it, it may be thyme.

 

On my skin it quickly settles and the floral notes and earthiness begin to come through. I'm sure I can smell patchouli in there. Once dry it is very deep and earthy but still with the floral notes. It makes me think of ancient woods and walking barefoot through loam.

[Belladonnastrap]

Oh wow. This is beautiful and I can't believe I haven't reviewed it yet!

 

First sniff

Very very green and a bit mentholy. A bit like NyQuil but not really...maybe NyQuil left outside on a crisp autumn night in the pacific northwest. I get visions of a woman cloaked in leaves.

 

 

First wearing it

This turns into a lovely pine scent when I first put it on. Definitely very green and earthy but there's also a deeper note underneath. I detect nothing herbaly about it really just pure green pine notes. Very much Christmasy almost.

 

 

Drydown

Oh this is fabulous. Belladonna turns sweet and piney on me. Very much beautiful but there's a bitterness there that sort of says "Don't fuck with me if you value your sanity" I love how it reminds me of cool breezes in a large forest, of whispered secrets and beautiful people. It makes me feel very sensuous. I imagine that this would smell lovely on a male as well, it doesn't smell too flowery or anything. In fact I'd probably have to be pryed off a man who smelled like this.

 

 

In short LOVELY work and my favourite green scent. Must...own...large...bottle.

[Miggins]

Belladonna was a real surprise for me. I took one look at the imp, read the description, looked at the beautiful pale green colour and thought "this will smell awful - best swap it", without even trying. I am so glad I didn't.

 

It immediately reminds of Lush's Tramp (dreadful name) - well actually, the forerunner, which was called Smaragadine. I could even swear there was hint of patchouli in Belladonna. It feels very dark green, but not oppressively. I had visions of nymphs dancing around trees, with cheeky and playful faces.

 

I also had the first ever urge to layer. To me, Belladonna and Swank (oddly) are opposite sides of the spectrum. Swank is the red and Belladonna is the green. I put just a tiny dot of Swank (literally the end of the wand) on over Belladonna and I love it. It gives Swank leaves and the plant it came from. I'm now getting splashes of red fruit in my dark green leaves. This could become a firm favourite.

[Nepthys]

My favorite BPAL green scent. To me this is the smell of the woods I played in as child in the summer - deep, dark green, seductive and mysterious. It's a bit spicy, a bit damp, and keeps me very alert. Wearing this makes me nostalgic (living in a desert) for my New England summers as a kid.

[erehwesle]

I've been waiting for this for a while, my first 5ml, and my first review of an official BPAL order (thanks Beth et al!)

 

I hear what people are saying about the NYquil thing on the first sniff, in the bottle it has a sweet face that belies its intent, as I expected my green lady to.

 

On me it gives a quick sweet note when wet, with a touch of woodiness, almost cedar. Overall green, but light.

 

As it mellows and dries, though, it is a scent that really works with my body chemistry. I end up with a slightly bitter, but complex woodsy green scent.

 

Overall, the shadow in the trees, the shade of night. And I give beth a lot of credit, this smells pretty much like actual belladona when burned.

 

Overall, the impression is that night in the woods in early spring at dusk, where you move from place to place looking for that perfect site to set up camp for the night. Always though there is something ahead that looks more appealing. A vague suggestion, a hint, untill you realize it has become quite dark, and you don't know where you are. But all around you is the smell and feel of the woods.

 

ADDED March 19:

 

Just to mention, overall, I love this scent, and, everyone here is right, in that is green, or:

 

Greeny green green,green grreen Green, green green, greeny geen, green and green, with, green green greeen green green, and a side of green. Of course, sometimes, green.

 

I have heard 'cough syurup' used to desccribe the scent, which I kind of agree with on first application. Mellows for me to almost a spice, but I'm also a guy, and works kind of well with the smells guys make on our own.

 

Anyway, one of my favorites, did I mention, it makes a green smell?

 

Well, when I say 'a green smell' it is, well, I was going to give an example, but better to just give a wink;) and a nod, I think.

 

yours,

 

T-F

[Lucretia]

For starters i love the color of this one. It looks like poison, but very appealing, tasty looking poison.

i don't get nyquil at all.

On me this smells like very sweet like forests in the spring. But there is a definite bitterness at the same time.

It took me a while to pin point it, but it smells exactly, i mean exactly, like the wild strawberries I would pick in the forests in sweden as a kid.

I really dig this one, unsure if i would buy a big bottle, but will certainly finish the imp.

[VelvetSky]

As many others have already noted about Belladonna, this goes on very sharp and medicinal. I really like this quality about most all of Beth's herbals, that first note of wicked green poison.

 

This morphs rather quickly into a soft, semi-powdery green floral, cool and lovely. Belladonna does a quicker and softer change on the drydown than any other green scent I've yet tried.

 

Really nice....

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

Herbs, sharp smelling, slightly bitter like chewing grass.

 

First sniff:

 

Herbal and very green. Woodsy in a first leaves of spring kind of way. It's actually very pretty and not nearly as herbal as I had imagined it would be, more softly woodsy.

 

Wet on skin:

 

The green leaf smell picks up and it's naggingly familiar. I'm sure it's something I came into contact with a lot as a child because I'm getting the distinct impression that it's something I was very familiar with when I was younger. It's so familiar, it's...walnut leaves! We had a black walnut tree in our front yard when I was growing up and Belladonna's wet stage has the same smell as its leaves - green and slightly bitter smelling, a very unique scent that I can't quite put into words but that I know very well. I really like this for all the happy memories it brings back.

 

Dry down:

 

Belladonna has shapeshifted on me again. The walnut leaves are gone, replaced by a soft, vaguely sweet green smell that once again reminds me of the first leaves of spring, tender and fragile and bursting with new life. It's quite pretty although I prefer a more wood-based woodsy scent. I'll definitely be finishing the imp, although I probably won't buy more.

[Phaedra]

This is another one that I'm just not sure about yet. I ordered it because it was described as being a woodsy and green scent. On me it's more floral than I had expected it would be and not as woodsy as I wanted. When I first put it on I get a very strong cherry scent, it's medicinal and similar to cough syrup although it doesn't have a menthol quality if that makes sense. It's like an artificial cherry smell rather than what a real cherry smells like. After several minutes the cherry fades and it changes to woodsy floral notes. I was hoping for more of a pine scent or deep forest smell. It softens quite a bit on the dry down into almost mossy and sweet florals which might include rose. There is something very interesting and mysterious about this one so I will try it a few more times before deciding if a bottle is called for.

Edited October 26, 2004 by Phaedra

[Northernminx]

Deep herbal green, almost musty, and very earthy at first. This is sharp and a little off-putting on me until it starts to dry down. The dry down is a dry, light green floral which is actually rather stunning. A definite shape-shifter on this one, the stages are complex and wonderfully balanced and it's a dangerous scent, very poisonous. Not quite me however so off to swaps.

[Eoywin]

At first, in the bottle and wet on my skin, Belladonna seemed rather minty. So much so, that I put it in my swap pile.

 

But I put it on right before I went to bed, and as I was trying to go to sleep, it turned into a Vicks Vaporub smell, and it was very soothing to me.

 

So, I yanked it out of the swap pile, and I have been wearing it every night since!

[leapylees]

I'm really not sure about this one. In the vial and initially on it smelled quite green and medicinal. Once it had dried, my boyfriend asked me what I was wearing as it smelled quite pungent and he didn't really like it. By this point I found it rather green but sour aand chemical. After a few hours it's barely detectable but smells like the remnants of more generic 'perfume' type smells - Poison springs to mind. I might give it another go, but at the moment this is likely to be heading for the swaps pile.

Edited November 30, 2004 by leapylees