Jezebel

[whataboutprom]

Biblical witch, priestess of Astarte, and general troublemaker. A true role model for today’s upwardly mobile Modern Woman. A gloriously decadent blend of honey, roses, orange blossom and sandalwood.

Wet: Bright and creamy citrus, with a little bit of floral keeping it from being foodie.

As it dries the notes blend beautifully so that I can't pick out the orange blossom as an individual note; it becomes something hard to describe- yellow and orange and bright. The rose is making an appearance, but it's not overwhelming. I think this would be a good choice for someone who doesn't usually like rose but is open to trying it as a background note.

This becomes just a wee bit powdery, but mostly it is a gorgeous citrus/light floral scent. I may not buy a bottle, but I will definitely use up to whole imp to wear during the day.

Edited to add: After four hours, I am absolutely in love with Jezebel! It went through a long powdery phase, but recently my nose has learned to tell the difference between the fake smell of actual baby powder and the soft powdery smell of certain perfume blends. The powdery phase is lovely, and after that I smell mostly sweet, golden sandalwood. I need a bottle of this after all!

[stellamaris]

OMGosh why have you people been hiding this from me!! This is mouth watering orangey orange blossomy goodness!

At first I though it might have Dragon's Blood, it had the same sort of feeling.

So good, I know this is a big bottle. It smells almost salty? It's fantastic.

[rivercitylizzy]

I'm beginning to understand what folks mean when they counsel patience and persistence when contemplating a scent for review--it really does make a difference when you let an oil age and/or revisit a scent you thought you would loathe...just in case it entrances you at another time.

 

Jezebel is such a morpher for me that this approach is really necessary for me to even appreciate its potential loveliness. I purchased an imp of it from a forumite because several of the notes (rose, orange blossom, sandalwood) are usually wonderful for me, though honey can be hit or miss. Here's how my first go-round went:

 

In the Vial: WTH?? Pure old school soap; I kid you not, it smells to me like the travel size cheap bar soaps my grandmother used to keep in her guest bathroom for the family to wash their hands (the good stuff was always in her master bath ) Good gods, I'm not sure I want to put this on my skin.

 

Wet: The floral soap stink is overwhelming. I'm trying to distract myself by browsing the forum to make it through the drydown, see if anything lovely manages to emerge from the cocoon of EW. Toward the end of the wet phase I sniff again and detect...my beloved tea rose. It's gorgeous but sticking close to the skin, if I back away from my wrist I just get the old lady floral soap. Gah.

 

Dry: Where did the sandalwood come from?? I could not detect it at all in the vial or wet phase, but dry here it is peeking out from between what I assume is honey and either the orange blossom or rose or both, heaven help me, duking it out. Like the rose from earlier, it too is close to the skin. Sigh. After sleeping with it on, I awoke this morning to...stinky old lady floral soap. Get. It. Off.

 

Then, just to be perverse, I went back to the vial and sniffed again and got...pretty citrusy creamed floral honey?? WTF?? Now wet on the skin I get slightly sweet, barely spicy tea rose--that oh-so-lovely tea rose I got a glimpse of the first time is now face forward. I smell like a gorgeous cordial made of roses, orange blossom honey, and white pepper (though that's not in the notes, it's a very light spice coming I assume from the sandalwood). Throw is as before--very close to the skin. Goddess Mother, this does not even smell like the same oil Dry, the orange blossom-honey is more forward but the rose is not gone and the sandalwood is still lounging in the background. There is only the barest hint of soap. Hm.

 

Verdict: I don't think I'll jettison the imp I have because it's intriguing and I like the way it ended on the second go round, but I do prefer my scents to be a little more consistent on the wear so I don't think I'll be getting a bottle. Very interesting and educational experience

[maika]

In the imp: creamy orange candy.

 

Wet: still an orange-y candy smell. It's like a mild hint of what a chewable Vitamin C tablet. This is probably my body chemistry fighting with the honey. Strangely, I'm getting no rose at all, if I were going to amp anything it would normally have been the rose.

 

Dry: I've lost the orange candy. What I get now is a slightly incensey, powdery rose. The honey explains the powder, the sandalwood explains the incense, and the rose is self explanatory. I can't find any hint of orange blossom anymore.

 

This is pretty, but probably a bit too sweet for me.

[Alethia]

November 12, 2011

Thoughts before testing: I tend to do best with simple blends (less than 5 notes), and I'm crazy about each of the notes listed here, so my hopes are high! I blind bottled this one and am really hoping it works.

Wet: Strong orange blossom and honey with just a breath of sandalwood to ground it. It's not overwhelmingly sweet, and not too floral. This is quite lovely!

Dry down: Still heavier on the orange blossom and honey but the sandalwood is coming more to the forefront. This is really beautiful.

Dry: It goes through a prolonged powdery stage, but by the end of the day it's become this beautiful rich sandalwood.

Final thoughts: I really love the wet, dry down, and very tail end of the dry stages, but that 2+ hours of powder makes me indecisive. I'll keep the bottle to let it age, and retest in 2 months to see if that changes anything.

Edited to add: Aging fixed the powder issue, but Jezebel isn't distinctive enough to earn a place in my heavily curated BPAL box.

Edited May 13, 2017 again to add: Despite thinking Jezebel was a hard pass, I never sold my bottle. Then yesterday, when I was deciding what to wear, it caught my eye. Let's see if nearly 6 years of aging and my ever-evolving perfume tastes have made a difference in how I view this one.

 

Thoughts before testing: I didn't read my old review or look at the notes before trying it on, and the only thing I remember about Jezebel was honey, orange blossom, and sandalwood. I don't remember why I don't wear it.

 

Wet: Yowza! What a beautiful, rich honey and juicy rose! I don't remember roses being in this? No trace of the orange blossom, but that's ok because this is beautiful.

 

Dry down: Strong blast of sandalwood to compliment the honeyed rose. The sandalwood is really pretty here. Ever since my miscarriage, I've been having a problem with rose amping to high heaven (I'm thinking a lingering effect of the pregnancy hormones?) but the honey is really reigning it in. Crimson Peak's The Waltz, for reference, was nothing but sharp and powdery rose, so I'm really glad to see that it's in check here.

 

Dry: At the very tail end of wearing (6.5 hours later), the sandalwood turns slightly powdery, but for the vast majority of the day, this was a really beautiful dance of sandalwood, honey, and rose.

 

Final thoughts: I'm sad that the orange blossom never made an appearance. I'm not sure if that's a note that ages out like citrus or maybe my body chemistry is different? Either way, it's really lovely and even the husband approved. Thanks for hanging on to this, past Alethia! Jezebel is going back into my regular rotation.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Alethia

[Gateau]

I don't know why it took me so long to get around to trying Jezebel, but now that I have it's a definite keeper and will soon be a bottle purchase.

 

It starts out with a blast of unmistakable orange blossom, honey, and rose. But amazingly I don't amp this rose, and the orange blossom doesn't take over either, which it often does on me. The other two notes can be iffy on me too -- sometimes honey makes me feel queasy, and some sandalwoods are equally bothersome. But in this one they all blend together into a harmonious whole where I can pick out each note if I try to, but mostly I just enjoy their balance.

 

Once dry I get a powdery scent, but it's a wonderful powder, that makes me think of really expensive bath products, not a granny's underwear drawer or a baby. It's as if you shaved and powdered some very fine sandalwood and scented it with the florals and honey.

 

This is a great one in the warm floral category. The sandalwood adds a certain spiciness without going into the spice cabinet.

[Floria]

This is strong and very sweet, but not quite unbearably so. I'm wary of honey, but honey + flowers + sandalwood seems to be more wearable on me than the honey + wine of Athens and Delphi. There's a point at which this is almost foody on me, and at certain points on the drydown it develops a slightly dusty undertone that must be the sandalwood.

 

My body chemistry's a bit in flux at the moment, so I'll have to test it again. As it is, it's not entirely my style but I'll keep it on hand for occasions on which I want to feel like a glamorous ancient Phoenician.

[reconditarmonia]

I was hoping I'd like this because of the honey and roses, but it's just too orange-y on me. A bit like Alice, in which the bergamot did the same thing. I'll have to give it another try when I'm not trying six things at once and let it dry for longer, but I do have a lot of similar scents that work for me so I'm not sure I'll be rushing to buy more even if I keep it.

Edited January 28, 2012 by reconditarmonia

[symphonyinsilence]

This is sickeningly sweet on me. I love BPAL's honey note, so I decided to try this, but the orangey-ness mixed with the other sweetness gives me a nauseating headache. I don't get any sandalwood in this. Instead, I get frankincense. My mum I smelled like a temple. Weird.

[milo]

Sensuous honey and something lush and sexy. This is reminding me of Womb Furie, with orange blossom which always seems Snake Oil-like and sexy on me. LOVE me some orange blossom! Unfortunately, this is a fast fade, and is barely a whisper after half an hour.

[Circaea]

Sensuous honey and something lush and sexy. This is reminding me of Womb Furie, with orange blossom which always seems Snake Oil-like and sexy on me. LOVE me some orange blossom! Unfortunately, this is a fast fade, and is barely a whisper after half an hour.

 

I came on here to post my review, which is "smells a lot like Womb Furie, with orange blossom. Fades quickly." But milo beat me to it.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: This sounds like a dream come true for me! Love the concept, love the notes - orange blossoms AND rose, two of my biggest faves ever! The oil is a gorgeous pinkish-copper color. The first thing I smell is honey, and then . . .oh no . . . damn! . . . orange. Orange fruit, that is, not the heavenly and completely different fragrance of the orange flower. Adding the scent of orange fruit to anything labeled "orange blossom" is one of my pet peeves, and perfumers do it more often than not. I expected better from BPAL. This is more like orange-flavored cough syrup. Well, I'll give it a try.

 

On me, wet: Yep, orange cough syrup. Exactly. After a few seconds, some rose comes through, but against the background of orange cough syrup, all it does is add to the sickening sweetness. It helps a little to think of it as orange-and-rosewater Turkish Delight instead of cough syrup . . . but that still isn't a fragrance I'd want to wear.

 

After 10 minutes: It has lost the cloying sweetness, but what's left turns out to be no better. Now it smells old and stale. Roses are there, yes, but old and stale ones, yuk.

 

After 20 minutes: The fruity orange top note has floated away, which is some improvement. Now the rose note is coming through strongly. But blending it with honey is not a felicitous combination. The honey (perhaps together with a trace of sandalwood) gives the rose a sweetish note of decay. I never thought I'd say this, but here is a rose fragrance I'll be happy to pass on.

 

After 30 minutes: The scent continues to improve as the rose strengthens into something closer to a single note. But even now, there are so many BPAL rose blends that I like soooo much better.

 

After 45 minutes: The sandalwood is picking up, with a faint and pleasant hint of spiciness. But overall the combination of that with the rose and honey still smells old and stale - and at this point, plastic as well.

 

After 1 hour: Now pretty much all rose and sandalwood, the scent is finally pleasing. But not so wonderful as to be worth tolerating a somewhat unpleasant hour for, especially when other BPAL rose blends smell gorgeous right from the start.

 

After 2 hours: Basically the same as above, but a little plastic.

 

 

Verdict: I never did smell any actual orange blossom scent at all, just the fruit. Nor the true rose fragrance of fresh petals, either. This was such a disappointment. It's not even worth trying in the scent locket - that would just preserve the orange-syrup note, extending the phase that I liked the least. I'm not normally a believer in letting perfumes age, but since sandalwood is one of the few oils that actually does improve with aging, maybe I'll try this again next year to see if I like it better then. Although by then, the rose oil will probably have lost much of its scent. We'll see.

My rating: 2 stars in the first hour on my skin, 3 stars after the first hour

[sar.mar]

In the imp - Smells quite nice. Definitely has orange blossom and honey (maybe with the rose underneath) with kind of a powdery note to it and hints of the sandalwood. I liked it and was curious to see what it did on me.

 

On me (wet) - The sandalwood really starts to come out now. I was hoping it would calm down some cause sandalwood and I don't always get along.

 

On me (dry) - Ugh, all sandalwood. Unfortunately, sandalwood is one the the scents that makes me nauseous. I had to wash as much of this off of me as I could.

 

Verdict - I wanted to like it but we just won't get along well. Oh well, I've got a start on the swap pile.

[84trillion]

In the imp: ewww. Much like Horreur Sympathique, this is one I turned my nose up at on first sniff!

Wet, on skin: Oooh, honey! And rose! Wow, this is a GC I am really liking!

Dry, on skin: Heading towards baby powder land with a side of orange.

Overall: Gonna have to try this in a scent locket. Otherwise, the dry-down is really uninspiring.

[MissMercurial]

Wet, Jezebel has a lush, almost syrupy rosiness to it that I like. But sadly within a few minutes on skin it turns powdery. Old-lady-powdery

I think sandalwood is to blame for this, because a few minutes later I catch a sharpness that strikes me as orange blossom-y. The other notes are almost enough to outweigh the powderiness but it's a pretty aggressive note on me. Maybe it'll be better on my wrist.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Oooh, that's really lovely. Orange and honey with rosy sandalwood.

Wet: Mmmm. The same honey note as in Snake Oil, but with a spiced orange kick.

Dry: Gorgeous sweet honey with fizzy orange and rose. Bottle worthy.

[sisi33]

In the bottle: Roses, orange, amber? Must be the honey.

Wet: Mmmm! Now I can actually smell the honey, also slight rose, and orange! Loving her!

Drydown: 3 words; Orange. Baby. Powder. Seriously, that is all I can smell! No roses! Bah! I mean, it's not absolutely terrible, but I won't be getting a bottle of this! As far as throw goes, I'm by no means a slather-er, and used even less than I normally do for testing, and this is Medium/High. No kidding. I shudder to think what would happen if you slathered! And she also seems to have great staying power, too! It really is too bad that it goes so powdery on me.

 

3/5

Edited September 27, 2012 by sisi33

[Jazzi]

Sometimes I get a bottle of a scent, test it with the BPAL buddy (without peeking at the notes), and then get online to write a review and wonder if I somehow got the wrong perfume. She's a supertaster with an extremely well-developed nose, thanks to a mother who works in the perfume industry, and I have an absurdly acute sense of smell, so it's very rare for us to miss or even misname notes, but this time we both seem to have missed out on most of this blend. Orange? Rose? Honey? The imp I just purchased from MuskWitch is so strongly and cleanly sandalwood that we would have sworn the only other note it could possibly have in it is vanilla.

 

Now that I've read the other reviews, I'm kind of disappointed that I didn't get any of that fruity-floral complexity, but that doesn't stop me from loving this scent. It smells exactly like a sandalwood fan that I owned when I was a little girl. I'm literally sitting here with my nose to my wrist (3+ hours after application) searching for any other notes but I can't find them. On my testing buddy, whose chemistry does wonderful things with musks, it was much sweeter than it is on me, which must have been the honey. Otherwise I would start to wonder if I might have accidentally gotten a single-note sandalwood. I'll have to sniff the bottle again tomorrow and then maybe let it age (if I can resist) to see what else I can discover.

[madscientistdh]

In imp: Bright juicy orange tang with a touch of rose

 

On skin: Roses with a citrus twinge, a bit of creamy honey lurking in the background. Is sandalwood here yet?

 

Drydown: Oranges and honeyed, crushed roses, with a slight powdery, musky quality to it

 

Verdict: In all honesty this reminded me a great deal of this roll-on perfume my mother used to always wear, Cleopatra's Secret. I forget the brand name but the bottle had a dream catcher on the side, and a black lid. Very sexy and feminine.

 

Funny story, the night I chose to wear this I ended up being invited to a church function, and for the first time in AGES someone asked me what perfume I was wearing!! I lied and said Cleopatra's Secret because, come on... I was enough of a Jezebel in that church as it was...

[Opulence]

Jezebel, you broke my heart. I thought I had found my Holy Grail scent, when I put you on and you were the most delicious, erotic, yet sophisticated thing I'd ever smelled. But so soon you turned to baby powder. Pure baby powder.

 

In desperation I asked my husband if the smell of baby powder was sexy. He says it's not.

 

I'm going to see if you mature with age--I will wait for you. I also bought a scent locket just for you. Will edit my post when I see if that changes our relationship.

Edited January 24, 2013 by Opulence

[yakiguri]

I don't know which note is doing it, or if it's the combination of all of them, but I can't smell Jezebel at all. Nada. I put it on my skin and it just up and disappears. o.O I'm not anosmic to any of the notes so I have no idea why it's behaving like this. Maybe because my imp is new? I'll come back to it in a couple of months and see if the notes decide to make themselves known.

 

EDIT: I guess my skin chemistry was just off that day as now Jezebel is making herself known...and LOUDLY too. o.X I'm starting to suspect that a certain combination of notes, namely rose + sandalwood + orange = INSTANT nausea. I'm getting the same queasiness here that I got in Seraglio, and that also has rose, sandalwood, and orange. On top of that honey, which is usually a good note, is throwing the loudest tantrum on my skin EVAR and adding to the queasiness. Ugh.

Edited February 3, 2013 by thatbrownelf

[kythe]

Lab freebie!

 

Rose and honey fighting for dominance. Wow. This is my first experience with the lab's rose note and it is spectacular. Like plucking a big, plump, perfect fresh red rose and bruising the petals. I thought I amped florals but this rose is not too sweet or overwhelming at all. Just authentic. The honey fades out on me soon after application.

 

Damn, it faded to a light rose baby powder after half an hour. I don't even like florals and I'm in love with this rose scent. Time to go hunting for a longer lasting alternative...

Edited April 12, 2013 by kythe

[mymymai]

ITI: It's sweet and uplifting from the combination of the orange blossom, honey, and sandalwood. I just hope the honey behaves on my skin.

 

Wet: Well, there's the honey getting all weird on me. At least it's a little more of a powdery honey than A Thought from Propertius. I can also pick up some rose and orange blossom as the honey begins to calm down a few minutes in.

 

Dry: It's gone rather powdery with soft rose, sandalwood, and orange blossom making a pleasant and feminine scent.

[russalka]

I

All the notes in the description are present while on my skin. I get mostly roses and sandalwood with honey drip-dropping around. The orange blossom is in the background and one really has to take the smell in - breathe it in deeply - to really find it.

 

Alas ... it gets powdery on me as soon as it dries. I keep thinking .... plastic baby dolls ....

 

Not something I'll be purchasing a bottle of, unfortunately.

[Sidhechaos]

Jezebel

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab (BPAL)

Ars Amatoria (General Catalog)

Status: Available

 

Biblical witch, priestess of Astarte, and general troublemaker. A true role model for today's upwardly mobile Modern Woman. A gloriously decadent blend of honey, roses, orange blossom and sandalwood.

 

 

as always honey goes amp on my skin and is like a fixative scent, anything with honey lasts for hours and hours with me. I was worried about the rose 9it sometimes goes potpourri with me) but the honey kept it in check at a nice level. the orange blossom is mild but noticeable and the sandalwood is faint but present and grounds this wonderfully so it is not overwhelming sweet floral. I'm really fond of this one!