The Pit & The Pendulum

[filigree_shadow]

The depths of despair, a dark Ecclesiatical triumph: the incense of the Inquisition.

This scent smells like wood and incense to me. Very churchy. Polished wood and incense lingering in the air. Reminds me of Cathedral but softer. A little bit like sandalwood incense, perhaps? It's not dark at all, just warm and comforting. Edited September 29, 2007 by Shollin

[cranberry]

This really is a fantastic incense scent and in terms in incense scents, I find the Pit to be quite different from Midnight Mass and most similar to Cathedral.

 

Sniffing this in the bottle, this is quite sharp and piercing. However, once applied to the skin it changes greatly and becomes smooth, creamy incense. It’s dry, smoky, and smells like there’s sandalwood here in contrast to the cedar that’s in Cathedral. For reference, I find Midnight Mass to be much fuller in body and much more like sticky resins. Both this and Cathedral are much drier and much stronger on burning incense as opposed to raw resins. Cathedral has a touch more wood. Of the 3, I find this scent to be the purest incense scent. I think it’s my favorite of the 3 and this is definitely my signature incense scent.

[heathercaley]

I bought this one a while back - I actually think this was the first bottle of bpal I purchased. I received it on ebay - sniffed and scrunched my nose and put it in my bpal box. There it has stayed until i decided to give it a chance. I've learned a thing or two about smellies lately, and boy was I dead wrong about P & P

 

It it such a nice incense scent. Deep and cloying with a dab of sweetness underneath. I also agree that this scent is gender friendly. I get that lovely smokey smell all around me.

 

Mmmm.. I like it alot now. What was I thinking by banishing it to the back of the box.

[brownbear]

This is very woody on me. There is also some incense in here. Someone else mentioned that this is like Al-Azif. I agree (from what I remember), but not quite as sweet as Al-Azif. Overall I like it, but there are other similar ones that I wear more.

[dixiehellcat]

In the imp, warm and very incensey. On me, sandalwood comes out quickly. My skin must amp that note as I have noticed this with other scents that contain it. Thankfully, I love it. At last a Poe that loves me too.

[akiko]

I got this as a freebie from the forum - thanks!

 

Imp: Whoa, this is strong. Dark, musky, incensey.

 

Wet (tried on my SO): Mmm, musk.

 

Dry: I like it on him. It's a very masculine scent, with insane throw.

[alicia_stardust]

(Dark Delicacies re-release)

 

This smells just like a rich, smoky-sweet incense with a slight gummy bite to it. It reminds me of sandalwood and frankincense, and I know there are other resins in there as well. While I find it similar to Al Azif and Midnight Mass, this smells a bit darker and more earthy than Al Azif and is softer and smoother than Midnight Mass.

 

In any case, this is an amazing incense scent. I can't wait to try this as a room scent.

[maribouquet]

Sort of musty at first...and then...VEGEMITE!

[hipslike___cinderella]

Well, I give up trying to think of how to write a review for this. To me, this is a golden, creamy almost almond-like incense. I keep associating this in my mind with Egyptian blends. This is arcane smelling. There's something in it that reminds me of real ambergris.

 

That's about as much as I can say. It's moderately intense, and especially good for layering other incense blends.

[SarahScent44]

(Retail-only)

 

In the imp, this is not at all what I expected - the incense here is almost transparent, it's that light. And it's much the same when I put it on my skin. It's just very light - surprisingly light - but I need a little more to cut my incense with.

[Wwindy]

Huh!

 

In the imp I can smell hints of spice and smoke, but what I get on my skin is pure sandalwood. It is a very warm, nicely rounded, pleasant sandalwood... just nothing like the complicated blend I was expecting.

 

ETA: This has *seriously* grown on me -- I don't know if it needed a touch of age or if my nose adapted or what, but I'm not complaining! Some days it's more complex than others, but I always seem to enjoy having it on.

Edited January 28, 2008 by Wwindy

[ceiswyn]

In the bottle: Ooh, yes. Very smoky. I think I can detect frankincense and sandalwood, but they're definitely a bit charred around the edges.

 

On the wrist: Smoky incense thrown on a wood fire. The throw is more incensey, but close to the wrist it's all charred wood; mostly the sharp woodiness of cedar, I think, with a little sandalwood and frankincense to make it aromatic.

 

One hour later: Woodsmoke and incense. This is really quite lovely. Definitely a keeper.

[Eemia]

This is for the Dark Delicacies release.

 

This is a really smoky, pure incense. There is a rich earthiness that I love in incense scents. It has a nice depth and warmth. But it's slightly sweet...just enough to lift it a little and offer a nice balance to the deeper notes. It's smooth and simple and beautiful. This doesn't have a strong throw, but it lasts for ages on my skin.

[djsiberia]

i tried this one from reading all the reviews and was hoping to love this one.

 

unfortunately, it smells like this muscle rub i sued to put on my grandmama when i was a kid.

 

this one is a definite pass.

[twilighteyes]

This is a smoky sandalwood sort of scent with a foody--almost like cocoa absolute--bottom.

 

It really reminds me of VELVET. Seriously. But with some smoky qualities. And less vanilla sweet. With more sandalwood. (having just sniffed the two bottles side by side.)

 

It's a yummy scent -- just not what I was expecting.

[lilacea]

Resinous, sweet incense sums this one up nicely. Frankincense is tempered with a tiny touch of beeswax, possibly a teensy touch of myrrh just for that smoky feel and an incredibly dark red smelling, sticky resin which stands out above all else. I have no idea what it is, but it's a very baked dark red berry like smell, but unmistakenly resinous. For all it's sweetness, it works quite nicely on my skin. Al Azif comparisons are noted!

 

Edited: There is definitely some black pepper here, it's subtle, but I have been noticing it since I wrote this review, so I thought it might be worth mentioning.

Edited July 28, 2008 by lilacea

[donnatron]

Imp: Resins and wood.

 

Wet: The resins amp! THE RESINS AMP! Have I finally found a scent that won't make me smell like deadwood after thirty minutes?

 

Dry: I haven't. The wood (methinks there be cedar here) starts misbehaving and amps way up. I wind up smelling like pencil shavings.

 

Throw: Decent.

 

Overall: Well, I'd kind of be into telling people "The Pit and the Pendulum" when they ask what I'm wearing. But they'd ask what I'm wearing because I smell like a junior high shop class. So... you know. Win some, lose some. This will probably smell better on my gentleman caller.

[DogNPonyShow]

In the vial: Pure cologne. Very strong.

On: Kind of heavy while wet. Lightens up upon drydown. This reminds me of the temples I visited when I was younger. A nice everyday scent with a faint note of vanilla.

Verdict: Definitely a keeper. Lasts for ages and has a fairly good throw.

[Juushika]

I grabbed a half decant of this long ago, when I was first discovering incense.

 

In the vial: Dark, strong, smoky, and bitter incense.

 

On me: Some of the smoke and much of the bitterness has died down. This is dark, slightly powdery incense with a faint heart of solid, sweeter resin. It doesn't have a whole of a depth, though. Color is black.

 

Verdict: I tend to prefer incense as an accompanying note, not as the star of a blend, so this scent isn't for me. I also wish that it were more complex—a sniff of it and I'm done; this isn't a scent that I keep coming back to experience again and better understand. All in all, I won't keep my decant.

[zankoku_zen]

This one is such a bitter incensey smell --- it's got the smoky edge, but also almost something... metallic among the resin. It's sort of ominous... like the end is near.

 

Yup. Not my style at all.

 

But huzzah, I have finished the Maelstrom scents.

 

I think.

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle strong, resinous, and slightly bitter. it's almost cologne-y

wet on skin hey, there's those pencil shavings i always hear people talk about! they're a bit smoky, though, like cedar embers, sizzling slightly. still bitter.

dry on skin this is where P&P does its incense-y thing and becomes something dark and beautiful, woodsy with a tiny kick and that lingering bitterness.

 

this is a really fantastic scent, although it's not really my thing. i actually had a huge, huge brain squeeze and bought this thinking that i was buying the telltale heart. OOPS! anyway, it was a fun one to try, pretty much completely out of my normal comfort zone.

[rayvn1]

This is very very reminiscent of Al-Azif - one of my very favorite blends. A little less of the thick smoke it shares with Viallainess' Friction which is much appreciated. A little smoother in its spicy smokiness. Not as sweet as Midnight Mass. Good throw and staying power. I loves it.

[Dark Alice]

Incense. Smoky incense. I can imagine this smell in the tombs/cells of those waiting to go before the inquisition. This is beautiful...but I already have Midnight Mass and several other incensy blends that I love so this won't be necessary to track down.

[stellans]

When first applied, there is none of the cedar pencil shavings, though a definite wood note pops out when wearing the original release of this blend; and if the bottle is lightly shaken before application, one gets a definite black pepper note, which adds commensurate darkness to this blend. However, as the oil blends with one's personal skin chemistry, lots and lots of resinous, incense-y goodness comes out to play, with the tiniest touch of sweetness to keep it from being too much like Midnight Mass or Cathedral.

 

When I first sniffed this from a decant a couple of years or so ago, I knew it would be a keeper, so I bought a bottle. Age has shown me how right I was to buy this and keep it around because, age has enhanced the goodness of the incense notes, always welcome to my nose. Surprisingly for a resin-based blend, this has plenty of throw but not nearly the staying power I usually receive with resin blends. Still love it -- I just have to reapply more than normal.

 

I wonder if my bottle of the re-release (Dark Delicacies Poe line) has aged as well?

Edited June 2, 2011 by stellans

[beachbabealways]

Retail Only version.

 

Resinous, sweet incense.

 

If you like this and run out try the GC Al-Azif ... P&P smells just like Al-Azif on me.