Lurid

[laliloo]

Shocking, horrific, fierce, savage, sensationalized, luminous and hazy: black currant, Bulgarian lavender and white musk with a dollop of thick resin and a voltaic charge of ozone notes.

I really cannot pick out individual notes in this oil. I get a rich minty lavender scent that's cool and glorious. There's a depth and slight fruitiness behind the wafting herby lavender, which I guess are the musk, resin and blackcurrant. But there's no mint listed! I think perhaps ozone just makes me think of mint, as I get a similar reaction to Neo-Tokyo, which also has no mint listed. And I've just realised that I'm saying mint, but I think I mean menthol...

However, this is lovely on me, lasts very well and has much more throw than most other oils that I've fallen for. I tried Lurid in my ongoing mission to find a similar 'feeling' scent to the gorgeous Neo-Tokyo and this is the closest I've found so far. It also reminds me somewhat of King of Hearts - I guess I am picking out the currant without consciously realising it!

A definite 5ml contender.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Slightly resinous with a sharp lavender bite.

 

Immediately on skin: This is slightly sweet and berry-ish with lavender and the resin lurking underneath.

 

After a few minutes: This is lovely. The black currant is sweet but not overly so and the lavender lifts the blend up from being too heavy. The resin and musk are blended in very well.

 

Later on: This becomes a deep and resinous chilly berry scent that is just beautifully blended. I can’t pick out individual notes but everything works together perfectly!

[Pottersville]

I get the white musk and something sweet - black currant and resin, maybe? I'm not getting ANY lavender or ozone. It's a "nice" scent, but it's not knocking my sox off.

 

ADDED Nov. 3:

 

I get the currant and the musk, but there's no lavender here or ozone. Not bad. Not terrific, either.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Black currant with the white musk behind it, mouth watering (literally)

 

Wet on me – The deep dark juiciness of the berries alongside the fuzziness of the musk and a hint of soap form the lavender

 

Dry on me – It faded very quickly leaving just a hint of slightly herbal musk

 

Overall – I love the wet stages, but it really doesn’t last very long at all

[aquazoo]

Goes on sweet and pleasant, let's see how it works on me... It stays pretty and floral for a long time! Eventually it gets a salty soapy tang to it.

[jbzoellner]

Lavender? Really? Not on me, it's a beautiful creamy white musk... one of my favorites!

[Trish]

I got this as a frimp from the lab and it could be interesting. There's notes I love (musk, blackcurrant, resin), one I hate (lavender) and ones I'm not overly fond of (ozone).

 

In the imp: This smells quite a bit like the Christmas '05 Lush 'Twas The Night Before Christmas' soap to me. This is promising as it's the one product I do like lavender in.

 

Wet: Yep, definitely Twas. Minus the soap part and plus a little musk. So far I'm pleasantly suprised by this one.

 

Drydown: Still much the same but with a tiny bit more musk. There is some ozone but it's not unpleasant at all, nor particularly strong.

 

Dry: This isn't changing at all on me, just staying this lovely slightly musky blackcurrant and lavender scent.

 

I like this quite a lot but I won't be keeping it. No, this is the perfect scent to enable my sister with since she adored Twas!

[BohemianWeasel]

After the first few minutes: this was a delightfully sweet and sharp dark berry with a saucy musk underneath.

 

After an hour or so it began to calm down, and on me is becoming more and more 'sandalwood'-ish (maybe a mix of the resins + white musk and just hint of smoky berry). It's the kind of sandalwood I've smelled before in Rogers et Gallet sandalwood soap and the solid deoderant by Lush - it's very yummy!

 

There's nothing particularly shocking or 'lurid' about it though, it's a sexy but very sophisticated smell with a great (but not overpowering) throw: little wafts of yumminess eddy around me now and again, obliging me to sniff my wrist again (and again).

 

I'm still quite new to BPAL-ness and was a bit moopy that none of my first imps worked for me very well - but this one does!

Edited October 15, 2007 by BohemianWeasel

[brownbear]

Wet this is spicy and airy and fresh. It's a little sharp. It gets darker as it dries. And then on my skin it is totally gone. It doesn't last on me.

[KaliVerra]

In the imp: Ummmmmm ouch, you berries! Pretty, but - zingy to my nose!!

 

Wet on skin: Still a little sharp... a little complex as far as single note picking... a little soapy...

 

Dry: Soap... Sopayyyyy - soap - soap. Not the worst, but not something I'd like to smell like all the time.

 

2/5

[hkhm]

imp: lavender and musk.

 

wet: very thick musk with a hint of berries. even though the musk is quite strong it still has a "light" feel if that makes any sense.

 

dry: this dries to a pleasant musk scent. there is still a hint of the juicy berries but it's mostly all musk.

[grashopper8]

The imp I got of this is aged, 'cause it has the old kind of label on it.

 

The combination of notes ends up smelling like evergreens on me. It's almost like juniper berries or something. I can't pick out lavender at all.

 

It's definitely 'charged,' it's got ozone in it for sure, which is smelling a bit like men's cologne to me.

 

I really can't get past the piney impression! It smells like a christmas tree in a room where a mulberry candle is burning.

 

I can't wear this as a perfume, but I will pass it on to my dad to see what he thinks of it. I find it to be a masculine scent. Nice, but not for a girl like me!

 

3.3 out of 5

[PersephonesChild]

Sniffing this wet, I caught resin and incense and little else. Not very appealing to me. My boyfriend said it smelled like one of those stores run by old people where they sell Jesus and Mary candles-- considering he's a solid atheist, I took that as a bad sign. But I never pass an imp by without trying it on my skin. On my skin, it altered greatly-- the resin drew back, and I began to be able to smell the black currant. It's a strangely vast smell-- I would put my wrist to my nose and get a wall-o-scent. I liked the fruitiness of it, and white musk always appeals to me, but there's something a little off-putting-- I think that it's so big and strong.

 

I hate lavender, but I honestly don't smell the lavender at all in this, although my boyfriend says he does. He also complained that it was too heavy.

 

I think the name suits it well, but I don't think either suits me at all.

[tziporra]

Ooooooooohhhhhhhh.......... YUM.

 

My Favorite "Lurid" Definition: terrible in intensity, fierce passion, or unrestraint

 

Wet this is all currant with just a hint of lavender on me. As it dries down, the currant stays strong and I start getting the musk that loves me (as opposed to the musk that hates me, which I haven't narrowed down yet -- it looks like the musk that loves me must be the white musk though). Still lots of fruity currant, but the lavender seems to have gone into hiding in the spicy background. Sticky messy sweet, with lots of spicy base to ground and intensify it.

 

I think "intense" actually describes this fairly well. It has amazing throw, and the scent is the first thing I noticed when I woke up from my nap this afternoon, hours after I applied it. I like BIG scents, so this is great for me, others might find Lurid overwhelming. Definitely going on my big bottle list.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

 

ETA: Forgot to thank Shollin for enabling me to try this imp!

Edited January 10, 2008 by tziporra

[Northernskygal]

Lurid.. I expected something.. darker due to the name. This is actually a fairly tame scent on me. It is fairly sweet.. The lavender is a warm version.. not the sharp, cold version I tend to find more often in blends. This is more of a sheer scent to me.. which is not to say that is doesn't have a lot of throw.. it is fairly strong just.. transparent somehow. I also have on Paris and.. I think these two are similiar, though both are lavender based so.. Lurid is stronger and sweeter though. I don't really get any ozone from this.. which is probably good, as I think it would smell.. out of place somehow in this blend. It kind of ends with a.. weird.. aftertaste.. if you know what I mean.. it smells really nice at fisrt but, after sniffing I am left with this kinda.. odd scent in my nose..

[fireflower]

Lavender, white musk, and ozone is what I get. I can't detect the currants. At first, it's really pretty and very unlike any BPAL I've tried except maybe Cloister Graveyard minus the mint note. But it dries down to have an odd, salty, sharp scent that makes my nose tingle a bit. Which is a shame, since it's absolutely stunning in its beginning stages. There's something very pretty and unique under the sharpness, but I can't see myself buying a bottle.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Flowers and ozone

 

Wet: Currant and lavender mix very well together, but I'm not a huge fan of ozone. It's a beautiful scent, very nicely blended though.

 

Drydown: I'm going to try this again next week, I really like the idea of this scent, but wish the ozone didn't amp on me.

3.0 outta 5

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Foody-sweet (like a black currant pie) with lavender and musk.

 

Wet: Very similar to in the bottle. It sort of reminds me of a tarter version of Fae. The lavender is much lighter on my skin. I'm not getting any resin. The ozone is like a weird tingly smell - very hard to describe, but I like it. It's zing-y. The musk is amping as usual.

 

Dry: Tangy black currant, a hint of resin now, but it's not too heavy or dark, strong musk and grounding lavender - it's stronger than wet -with a zing of ozone.

 

Summary: It's a very balanced and unique oil, but it's not grabbing me. Strong throw and lasting power.

[indybear]

In the vial: Lurid doesn't smell fierce or savage to me. It smells exactly like my grandmother's cologne. Sweet and floral - not my favorite.

 

Wet: I wanted to like this - there are so many interesting reviews. Unfortunately, it still smells like cologne.

 

Dry: Better. The sweetness seems to be toning down, and the lavender is coming forward.

 

Later: It has become a less overpowering scent, but it still reminds me too much of the cologne.

 

Verdict: Lurid doesn't work well with my chemistry. I'm not experienced enough to isolate what it is I don't like, but I suspect the resin.

[donnatron]

Imp: Musky lavender. It actually smells kind of like the Body Shop's white musk line.

 

Wet: Ozone and lavender. Neither are particular favourites and I'm not hopeful.

 

Dry: I think I should just not be hopeful with all my oils because then the will of the universe will make them smell pretty on me. This dries down, the lavender calms down, the ozone ditches town and the resins and musk create this soft, sweet gentle scent that smells totally pretty and classy. It's very unisex, but that seems to emphasize the femininity of it on my skin more.

 

Throw: On me, very little. But this is so heavy and complex I think that I would not have friends if I wandered around in a cloud of this all day.

 

Overall: I was expecting Lurid to be some sort of hypersexual fruit/vanilla/resin blend. Then I looked up the notes and was like "Oh... that's why the imp smells that way." It's quite lovely and I kind of like the idea of someone asking me what scent I'm wearing and repying, "Oh, Lurid."

[iiinterstate]

When I first put this on, my fiance described it: "You smell like 7-11 in the summer when you walk in and stand by the slurpee machine." I rather like that smell, but I was still pretty glad when Lurid morphed from light currants and musk into LOTS more currant and lavender with the always-appreciated ozone.

 

I don't really get any resin out of this blend, which is fine with me. The throw is great and its an unusual scent, but one that I can still wear at work.

 

I can see this fitting very nicely into the few bottles that I rotate through the week, but it would also be good when I go out.

 

 

ETA: Several hours later (like 6, seriously) I finally get the resin, but ONLY on my skin (not in my scent locket or my hair where I also like to apply). Combined with the musk its very nice and not overpowering, and the currant/lavender is strong enough that this morph doesn't bother me at all even though I usually avoid resiny scents.

Edited April 2, 2008 by iiinterstate

[hellomoonglow]

It's a dark moonless night. I'm driving down a country road, no street signs, no street lights, just me and my radio with the window down and my hair blowing. I'm running out of gas, which is nothing new, I always am running out of gas. Luckily, ahead in the distance, is the reassuring neon glow of an out of place Exxon gas station. I stop, pump my gas, and amble up to the attendant to pay. As soon as I walk in, I get that smell I always smell at convience stores (LURID).

 

The attendant is turned around, fiddling around with something on the counter. He has a startlingly long, curly mullet. When he hears me drum a few fingers on the counter, he turns around and......AAAAAAaaaaaa!!!!! It's my high school boyfriend!!!!! ARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! This is what I like to call "Phase II Lurid". Cheap teenage cologne that mom buys at CVS.

 

Luckily for me, after a few minutes, Phase II Lurid settled down to smell exactly like my dirty Uncle Fingers. And I said luckily for me!?!?!?......that should tell you how grody my high school boyfriend was! Uncle Fingers - he has a real name, but ever since he pulled my grown-up sister close at my Grandma's funeral and whispered, "why don't you call me sometime?", I've nicknamed him Uncle Fingers. This smells like his aftershave. You only get to smell that in the summer, cause that's the only time he skulks around. Hanging out by the pool. Ewwww.

 

And this, my fellow BPAL'ers, is a horrid, may I suggest LURID mixture of gross high school boyfriend that I hoped to forget forever and dirty old Uncle Fingers. Eeee gads, I don't even know if I want to swap this! It might have to just be tossed in the trash to prevent other people from having bad memory relapses!

Edited March 31, 2008 by hellomoonglow

[maribouquet]

I'm kind of digging this - normally I don't like currant, but this is so rich that it smells almost like chocolate on me. The lavender is very well balanced and the musk and ozone lighten things up.

[angharad]

I remember liking my first imp of this a lot more than my current imp, but since I don't remember anything specific about the old one I'll just ramble a bit about this one. It's odd. Definite lavender, edged by ozone to give it a lighter feel to it. The currant blends beautifully and is just barely detectable. Unfortunately, there is something in here that goes to powder on my skin about 10 minutes after application.

[Kippy]

I got this one as a frimp and was totally blown away. I like the ozone and lavender notes, but would never have thought they would go well together. I too don't think this one is really true to it's name at all, I also would have expected Lurid to be darker.

 

Imp: Ew, strange. Not something I would want to wear.

Wet: Neutrogena soap but a little purple.

Dry down: The lavender and ozone are playing back and forth with the currants and musk supporting them.

Dry: Ozone usually smells masculine to me, lavender too has a manly tone to it. This is not masculine at all. It's clean but not crisp. It's shocking but civilized. It's a conundrum but not mysterious.

 

Big bottle on it's way!