Shadow Witch Orchid

[Meg]

Orchid tubers have been used extensively by witches in their love philtres, both to promote amorous attention and the attainment of true love, and, conversely, to wither misplaced passions and sever romantic bonds. This perfume is a dusky orchid, subdued and ethereal.

In the bottle: A very rich, heady orchid. Powerful.

Wet: much gentler, vanillaish orchid. Dusky and ethereal are the right words, yes.

Drydown: a very pretty floral, rich and sensual, but not overpowering at all. There's a vanilla edge, and the usuall rich sharpness of orchid. It smells like a multitude of tiny bubbly flowers, if that means anything. There's something slightly aquatic to it that adds something ethereal to the mix.

Overall: A pleasant floral blend, warm and unusual. It has a honeyish and vanillaish feel to it, but mostly it's just orchid doing its thing. It's a sophisticated type of floral, womanly. Not sure if I'd wear it, but it's very pretty. Edited March 28, 2007 by Meg

[neuilly]

Rich, deep, womanly and yet not overpowering and by the end it has a very soft edge to it. I'm not normally a straight floral type of girl but this is definitely an exception. I simply adore the smell of orchids. Keeping the imp and waiting to see hwo fast I use it up before buying a bottle. Simply lovely!

[Rchll]

Bottle: Certainly floral but not the pink or white light florals, no this smells purple, no kidding, the color is exactly what this smells like to me, sweet and dark.

 

Self wet: a floral that does not go soapy on me; it is absolutely delightful in its sweetness. Dries quickly and softens in throw but that’s okay cause I still get whiffs as I move around. Reviewers have noted a plastic smell, and I think I do get kind of a waxiness but it only softens the sweetness so I don’t mind.

 

Late later: stays sweet and right next to my skin. After awhile the scent disappears and it’s just the sweetness. Still....no soap is a big plus.

 

Overall: I love this scent. It is pretty basic and straightfoward as far as not being a lot of notes, however it is a floral that has a bit of darkness and a bit of sweetness. They really work in balance on me and I could buy a bottle of this to wear more often.

[Nia]

I have something silly against Rapaccini's Garden blends. I don't know, the descriptions aren't appealing, or maybe I just don't like the idea of scents named after poisonous plants. This is the first Rappacini's blend that I remember liking very much. It is a very pleasant, sweet floral, with a creamy feel. I don't mean it actually smells of cream, it's just my mental image is not fresh or powdery, or sweet the way food it sweet, but just soft and velvety.

 

And as Rchll says, this does smell purple.

[rockchickie]

Wet, dry, no matter what I do this is just pure orchid on me. Strong at first but it doesn't have much staying power (completely gone after 3 hours). Would be great to layer with other scents but I don't think I'll be wearing this one by itself.

[eternalargus]

A soft purple-smelling floral that won't get eaten by my skin and doesn't make me smell like a little girl!

[lushlovely]

I was told SWO reminded some people of Lush's Silky Underwear, so that alone got me hooked.

 

First whiff of the bottle: mmmmmm, I can tell this is going to be a keeper.

 

Wet on my skin: This is very much like SU but yet definitely not the same. It's a very engaging vanilla-orchid.

 

Dry: About 2 hours later, this is all soapy perfume on my skin. I guess it's not a keeper after all.

[maribouquet]

Om nom nom nom, this is delicious! Agreed that it is creamy, purple, velvety orchid. A tad grape-y on the dry down, but it's working for me.

[Browneyes]

Imp: hmm... sweet heady floral but it strikes me as somewhat soapy

Wet: I also get the honeyish sweetness. quite nice at this stage!

Dry: Well, this becomes stronger and develops a very heady and still soapy scent. It's got a sharpness. So I think it's too much on/for me...

[prettybird]

Another freebie, and my first RG oil.

 

I really don't know what to say about this, because it is what it says. It's floral without being too heady. It's got a slightly old fashioned flair that I enjoy. It's very wearable, particularly when another scent may be too heavy or too provocative.

 

It's nice and I like it, but I'm not in love with it. It's like the Diet Coke of BPAL.

[luna65]

Thanks to kmasden for the imp.

 

Imp: An overwhelmingly thick and decadent sort of sweetness, like an uber-orchid accord.

 

Skin: Initially this has sort of a green quality, fresh-cut, very realistic.

 

Drydown: It becomes more of that spicy smoothness that I associate with the orchid, although instead of the "creamy" quality I get more of a "velvet" sort of evocation. I would recommend this without hesitation to anyone who wants to experience a real orchid.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is a very sweet floral, a bit tropical and maybe some violet too. When first on it's much softer and not as sweet. Sort of a "dusty" floral. This doesn't change much on me. It's a fairly faint blend. It has a cool, almost woody note on the dry down. This is a nice floral but not a standout one for me.

[Nimthiriel]

In the vial (initial impression):

Intense and dark flowers - not so much a heavy perfume, as a dominant and empowering one, somehow.

 

Initially on (wet):

Greens and soap. *wriggles my nose* But then there's that touch of dark orchids again.

 

Wearing it (dry):

10-20 mins after application, it's a rather "dark" mix of sharp greens and beautiful orchids. Mmm. Not bad, not bad at all.

 

20-30 mins after application, the greens are still poking my nose a lot, and I personally think I smell like a vegetable, but the orchid is coming through nicely now.

 

An hour later, it is far softer than before, and the nasty prickling greens are gone. Yay!

 

6 hours later, this scent has matured and - heh - blossomed! It's wonderous. I could probably part with it, but - I greatly enjoy it.

 

Finally:

Hmm - I'll keep it! It's not entirely me, but it's far too lush to go in the trade pile just yet.

[arsenic]

In bottle: Orchid and something else sweet that reminds me of chamomile.

 

Wet: Orchid and more orchid with something with green.

 

Dry: After five hours I can still smell orchid. Other people can still smell orchid. It's orchid with violet and it gave me a bit of a headache. (Shouldn't have tested when going out.)

 

In hair: Scent has far more subtlety and dissipates more quickly. Was relaxing rather than headache inducing. Smells like a combination of orchid, violet and chamomile (but might just be something that reminds me of chamomile).

 

I like using it to scent my hair, and apparently people on the subway like it as well. It's a good floral, different than any store bought perfume. Good for warm weather use, when I can put it on parts far enough away from my nose.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

fruity floral

 

On me:

I don't recognize the smell of orchid, it's not a note that I'm very familiar with, so when I smelled this I can only ASSUME that it's orchid. It's sort of bright and fruity with a touch of floral and a little green. A sharp fruit scent, and I just can't put my finger on it.

 

Final note:

Hard to describe otherwise, it's just a vaguely fruit floral with a touch of green. I don't know how this compares to orchid as a single note. It's pleasant, and makes me think of scents like Juliet. I don't think I'd reach for it often though.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Would it be too straight forward to say it smelt of orchids? A green, fresh and slightly tart floral

 

Wet on me – Slightly overpowering heady orchids

 

Dry on me – Sweet soft powdery orchids

 

Overall – The blend itself is pleasant enough, but it is not something that I would ever wear

[DifferentDances]

Imp: I come in peace, orchid.

Wet: Powder.

Drydown: Powder.

Dry: Powder.

 

My rating: 1/5. My skin dislikes.

[CiCi]

Shadow Witch Orchid is a bottle that I purchased without trying it first based on the notes alone. It is very tropical to me and heavy on the orchid that I love. The dry down is very soft and velvety, and has spicy notes that come out after 15 minutes or so. Over all I am very happy with this scent and am not sorry at all that I bought it untried!

[Ishtar]

This was a must-try for me as some of my favourite oils (Queen Mab, Phantom Queen) have orchid as a main note.

 

In the imp and right after applying, Shadow Witch Orchid displayed the characteristic softness and sophistication that I associate with orchid scents.

 

As it dried down, a hint of sweetness and a hint of spice came to the foreground. Usually, this would be a very good thing - the more layers and complexity, the better, right? However, for some reason, on my skin these sweet and spicy notes turned Shadow Witch Orchid into a rather generic floral scent. Pretty, but not spectacular.

 

I am sure it will perform much better on someone with the right chemistry, so off to the Swap pile it goes.

[bryghtrose]

If you could smell the Platonic idea of orchid, it might smell like this. It's green and white at the same time. A lovely, deep, pure orchid. It has a lovely throw, and reminds me a bit of White Moon.

[jewelbug]

Imp: This smells a little offputting to me. Almost jasmine in quality, and that, to me, is ominous....

 

Wet: immediately on, this reminds me of something from lush, but i can't put my finger on it, and then it smells different. This has a rooty, fruity (grape?) scent, and yes, a wee bit of cat pee on me....There's also a good amount of the dusty scent I get from DDLM.

 

Dry: This tones down a bit...still jasmine-ish to my nose, but a deeper, earthier, more velvety jasmine, if that makes sense. I think it reminds me of LUSH's fairy jasmine bomb, but its been a while since I've had that so I can't confirm. Its still got a fruitiness to it, as well as the DDLM dust. A few hrs in, and it starts to lose the fruitness and take on an almost rosey scent on topf of the velvety jasmine.

Overall: Hubby says vicks vapo-rub/medicinal to start. It does improve, and its a very interesting floral scent, but too close to jasmine for my tastes, so I'm passing this on.

Edited September 1, 2007 by jewelbug

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: I <3 orchid. This one is a decidedly evil one though, not sweet and innocent.

 

First on: A little sweet, a little smoky, a tiny bit powdery, all orchid. I think it's a really nice floral to be light and sophisticated without being labeled in the floral stereotype.

 

Drydown: It hasn't changed much at all

 

Overall: Yay! Definitely keeping the imp, though I don't know if it's a bottle scent.

[Kimocean]

I tried this on at will-call and really fell in love. I've been looking for a great orchid scent and this just might be it. It's a gorgeous orchid with just a touch of sweet softness. It reminds me of Vassakassajja and that is a VERY good thing!

 

Definitely going to need a bottle of this one...especially when my Vassakassajja runs out.

[KassiK]

THis scent is a very floral scent. Wet, it smells like Orchid with a faint either honey or honeysuckle note. Dry, it smells to me like a bright blend of orchid and honeysuckle. My skin doesn't go well with florals, so this will unfortunately go to the swap list for me. For a floral lover, this is a must-have, though.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Faint, exotic and expensive perfume. It reminds me of jasmine.

 

On the wrist: It gets a bit of a green note. Like crushed stems. It also begins to smell much less like perfume and more like flowers and plants. It's a bit like violet. Violets and jasmine with crushed stems. Very feminine. This wears greener and cleaner the longer I have it on, but I am starting to worry about that jasmine-esque note, it has the potential to go powdery on me. This is a very surprising scent! It's beautiful and fresh and green and floral, which I wasn't expecting. This is very bright and springy and pretty. Something I could see myself wearing on hot summer days and in the spring time, when it begins to warm and the flowers are just popping up.

 

Drydown: This has settled into a white waxy floral that I am frankly amazed is working on me. It's gorgeous, lush and thick. It puts me in mind of gardenias, magnolias, maybe a little jasmine. It lost the violet note, lost the green note and went headlong into southern breezes and southern blossoms. It's definitely pretty, but I am not sure I would wear it much. This bears a bit more thinking about, but I may swap it.