Vixen

[eatingthesea]

Lascivious, flirtatious, and vampy as hell. A true heartbreaker's perfume. The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli.

This is such a diverse and variegated scent -- and I am absolutely intrigued! I would NOT normally go for any of the elements in vixen (this was a frimp) but they meld together well and stand on their own singularly quite splendidly. On me, per drydown, the orange blossom recedes a bit so it is not as sweet, and the ginger seems to float atop the patchouli. It loses a bit of its complexity by subtracting the orange blossom, but for some weird reason, after deeply inhaling vixen, i can still get the feel for the blossom in the depths of my nasal passages (sniff sniff). It is certainly a spicy scent. I would be curious to see how it entails in a, er...sensual setting, as others have suggested, but as a daytime scent, nuh uh (as most of the love potions are for me...i'm a daytime prude hehe).

[Trish]

In the imp: Sweet orange that's almost candy like, with a hint of spice and patchouli. Smells drinkable!

 

Wet: Instantly it becomes less sweet, and the patchouli pops up. But it's very soft patchouli!

 

Drydown: Ah there's ginger, but only a little. Soft patchouli and orange with a hint of spice. Resembles Snake Oil a little which I didn't expect (I didn't read the other reviews before now)!

 

Dry: Well the Snake Oil resemblance has gone! The orange blossom is now the dominant note, with the patchouli laying underneath and giving it a earthy background. The ginger is barely there. This isn't strong at all, rather it's soft and gentle and feminine. But I've found my skin subdues patchouli quite quickly.

 

Five minutes later it becomes almost creamy and the Snake Oil resemblance comes back. It really is very well blended, with the orange blossom and patchouli combining to almost be the one scent. It is sexy too, in a subtle womanly way. Unfortunately my partner doesn't like it (he just doesn't like anything remotely spicy). It has a fair bit of soft throw that is very Snake Oil like, but far lighter.

 

After an hour this smells almost identical to Snake Oil, even when I have my nose right up to my wrist. Snake Oil Lite. I love Snake Oil, but I really don't need a bottle of this as well since it's ends up so similiar. However the imp is definitely a keeper.

Edited June 23, 2007 by Trishek

[Megara]

Wet: Holy ginger! The orange blossom is in there, and the patchouli is peeking out from the bottom.

 

Dry: Wow. This is REALLY gorgeous. Really. It reminds me (again), a bit of Snake Oil. I'm guessing I'm always going to associate patchouli with Snake Oil. It also reminds me a bit of Ravenous. I have them both on opposite wrists now. Ravenous is darker, woodier. Vixen is lighter, bouncy almost. I'm getting a vague association with bathroom cleaner in Vixen. It's a little powdery again, but not "ick, get it off!" powdery. My nose kind of gets a floral scent, but I'm sure that's a different phase of the ginger.

 

Overall: I think I like this a little better than Ravenous. Totally a powerful women scent, but in a more subtle way. Maybe big bottle?

Edited June 29, 2007 by Megara

[naeelah]

This one is almost good enough to make me like patchouli. Almost.

 

This is so much more complex than I'd expect from seeing the notes. I tried this before reading what was in it, and was shocked to see it only has three ingredients! I found it to be a thick, sultry, fruity blend with patchouli and a hint of vanilla. It reminded me a great deal of Snake Oil and Snake Charmer, actually, in character but also in scent -- a little like a cross between the two, because it didn't have strong fruit, but it also didn't have strong vanilla. It's just a little of both.

 

So I'm quite surprised to see that there is no vanilla in this, and also that there's no fruit! Just orange blossom. Orange blossom is very sweet and fruity on me, so that explains it, although I didn't get orange from this. Patchouli has a way of muddying things up, and here it clearly does so to great effect. This is a very rich scent. I didn't guess ginger was in it, but I'm sure that's part of the slight spice and smoky quality I got. So, the ginger here is gingerbread ginger, not fresh, lemony ginger. The vanilla quality must be coming from the orange blossom.

 

It had good throw and good staying power. It's quite yummy, and I think it's a good alternative to the snake oil-y scents, for people who either don't like musky scents or whose skin just didn't agree with the snakes. Also good for people who might like somewhat fruity scents but don't get along with actual fruit notes.

 

I tend to amp patchouli like crazy, so that's probably why other reviews aren't as patchouli heavy as mine -- but it is worth nothing that even for all my amping power, I didn't feel the patchouli completely overpowered this blend. I felt it blended pretty well, as the other notes seemed to integrate into it, instead of being masked.

 

However good the patchouli, there's denying its earthy nature, and it's just not something I favor. Because it was so similar to non-patchouli containing blends that I like a little better, I won't be hanging onto this one. But definitely check it out if you like the Snakey scent or if you like slightly sweet, sultry blends.

Edited July 10, 2007 by naeelah

[CrazyPretzel]

Super-heavy on the patchouli; going weird and musty on me. No ginger or orange blossom. Swaps!

 

On the plus side, the oil in the imp has separated into two layers, the bottom blood-red and the top clear and pale orange, and looks really cool.

[PurpleHeather]

In the bottle: Very patchouli; like incense sale day in a goth shop. I quite like incense, but I can't smell the orange blossom or ginger at all.

Wet: More patchouli, slightly warm background; could be the ginger.

Later: Patchouli. I think it's safe to say that I amp Patchouli – 6/10.

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Orange blossom and patchouli

 

On Skin: Ginger whiffs, orange whiffs and patchouli

 

On Drydown: Patchouli

 

Verdict: Admittedly, this patchouli is LESS strong than in other blends, and not so 'dirty hippie' as some of the other patchoulis have been. I just wish the orange and ginger had stuck around longer.

[ClareN]

BPAL's red musk note is unmistakable and although it's not in the description, I swear Vixen is full of red musk. Fortunately, I love the stuff. Every BPAL with red musk I've tried has become a favorite of mine (except for Dragon's Musk and The Dodo - dragon's blood hell).

 

Vixen goes very sweet on my skin, but not cloying, just right (I have the kind of skin chemistry that turns everything sweet). There aren't many GCs I've taken to as much as this. It's slightly similar to Hunger (an underrated gem IMO) with the orange blossom note, and I think there's vanilla in here too. If you tend to avoid florals, don't be afraid of the orange blossom in here, it's not that prominent and it doesn't go to white floral hell, at least on my skin; this scent is much more about the red musk and (subtle) patchouli. The ginger is mainly noticeable in the wet stage; it fades in the drydown. It's a dark, peppery ginger, not a gingersnap ginger or a lemony ginger. Vixen has a very good throw for a perfume oil (you get this with a lot of red musk scents) and excellent staying power.

 

I'll have to wear Vixen a couple more times, but I could imagine getting a bottle. The only problem is that I'm not sure how much wear it would get, as it would have to compete for my attentions with all the other gorgeous BPAL red musks.

Edited August 17, 2007 by ClareN

[kisha]

I'll make this short and sweet...

 

In the bottle - ginger, spicy, makes my nose itch.

 

Wet - I can actually tell what the 3 oils are. The ginger seems to be winning though

 

Dry - I've turned into a spicy vanilla marshmallow! Good thing I like it!

 

This was a frimp (don't remember from who) that I've been holding onto for a good while. The first couple of times I didn't really like it but it seems to have gotten better, or maybe my nose is more developed.

[modernsaints]

Not even a hint of orange blossom, just straight-up ginger with a hint of patchouli spice floating around the edges. Blech.

 

Starting to realize I amp ginger all to hell and it is never, ever good. If you like ginger this is pretty good though!

[aquazoo]

That's some nice dark dusty dirt in there! It's really warm. Some baked things are coming through, is that the ginger? Ok, now I have my nose glued to my wrist. This is really nice. Now it's a pretty, soft almond.

 

Will they come out with Donner and Cupid, too?

[Christine Daae]

This imp has been fairly aged - I'm not sure for how long, but I'm sure I've had it a while and just not properly reviewed it. The oil is really thick and dark now.

 

In the imp, it's mostly orange blossom with a bit of something earthy or spicy underneath.

 

On my skin, it starts off with that high-pitched, sweet orange blossom, but starts developing something else entirely underneath.

 

This does not come off as "spicy" on me at all. It's sweet orange-blossomy goodness with a bit of something I don't terribly like underneath. (I don't know if it's the patch or the ginger, but something is not agreeing with me.) I can see the resemblance to Snake Oil (must be the patchouli), but this is just not for me at all.

[MaidenGenevive]

Vixen

 

Bitter, warm, and a little spicy. It's difficult to peel the different notes apart, they really seem to love each other, and my skin. This is spunky and sexy. The orange blossom made me hesitant to try this, but it really exceeded expectations. Vixen is as sexy as it should be.

 

Oh, and I must add, that as it wears, the bitterness softens and becomes a flirtatious sweetness. Almost like a soft almond vanilla, with a shy hint of sweet orange to it. Beautifully done!

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

5 : Mmm, I can't stop smelling my wrist.

[sunflowereyes]

When I sniffed Vixen from the imp I immediately recoiled from the OVERWHELMING scent of patchouli. However, I wasn't about to give up on it, so I dabbed the tiniest bit on my hand & waited.

 

Boy- I'm SO glad that I gave Vixen this chance. It morphed into the most gorgeous and interesting scent. My nose isn't that well trained, but I get a lot of orange blossom on dry down and a few hours later it fades and recedes into this really sensual smell. Can patchouli really smell this good?! Wow. . I think I've been totally turned around on it.

 

I can't quite put my finger on it (maybe it's the power of suggestion in the lab's description) but wearing this truly makes me feel more flirtatious, confident and 'vixen-y'. I'm wearing it today and have already received multiple "you smell sooo good" from strangers. Will definitely be using the imp & repurchasing!!

[Zeljana]

in the vial all I get is patchouli with a slightest hint of orange blossom.

on skin this is dry and almost dusty, sweet but with an edge, which almost stings my nose.

this is a dominatrix scent. all other scents die in the presence of this one, even though it seems to lurk from the shadows, quietly taking over the whole room. but I like it. it's creamy, deep and complex.

the throw is not strong, but this is a killer close to skin scent.

Edited January 16, 2008 by Kosyena

[hkhm]

imp: sweet, orange patchouli. this patchouli is far lighter than usual.

 

wet: i get a weird medicine smell when i put this on. i can start to smell the ginger after a few moments but it doesn't smell like fresh ginger (almost sweet-burning lemony) but more like dried, powered ginger. unfortunately, that doesn't smell very good on me.

 

dry: this smells almost like ginger and amber. alas, this scent and i were not meant to be.

[Lyrical]

the applicator smells different from the bottle! It prickles in my nose - that must be the ginger, but the applicator smells almost chocolatey - like Terry's Chocolate Orange! After shaking it up a bit, it all smells the same - the oils must have separated! So far I wouldn't call it sexy, but I'm looking forward to trying it on. Spicy, complex and intriguing!

 

wet on my arm: I'm still getting chocolatey, although I guess that's probably the patchouli combined with the orange blossom. It's rich, heavy, dark brown and spicy. Not sweet. 10 minutes later it smells slightly sour and rather grubby, if you can call a scent grubby! Perhaps earthy would be a better word. After half an hour all the chocolate is gone and I've recognised what this reminds me of - Germolene (the antiseptic cream)!!! It's not unpleasant, but I wouldn't describe it as sexy either.

 

6 hours later: this has mellowed out into something really nice, although still a bit heavy for my taste. The Germolene is gone, but the Chocolate Orange is still hanging around in an earthy, subtle way. I just added a drop to my cleavage and it smells pleasantly rich and smooth, no Germolene, actually rather sandalwoody! However, I think this is going to my daughter, because it smells fantastic on her - much lighter and sweeter on her than on me, with a delectable note of vanilla. I will almost certainly steal some from her now and again!

 

Later: this combines very nicely with the Body Shop's Vanilla.

 

ETA: this ages amazingly! One year on, the oil in the imp is thick and gloopy. In the first whiff the Germoline is still there, but not as strong, and ginger is much more prominent – a very “hot” red ginger – hot both in the smell and the way it feels on my skin. This is rich and smooth and rounded, but also fiery and passionate – with just a hint of Germoline close to the skin. Patchouli and I have issues, but this is a patchouli scent I can really enjoy!

Edited September 11, 2008 by Lyrical

[YoakeNoKami]

Heavy, sensous fabric and the slide of leather… I don't know what in this puts me off so much, but it's got to be the leathery smell I'm getting out of this, particularly coupled with the patchouli and the little bit of dying ginger... There's a faintly chemical undertone in this, too, and I can't say that I love it. I also catch some sort of floral, but it's faint, and drydown leaves me with a strong leather smell.

[Allumina]

No more orange blossom for me, as my body chemistry hates it. This was bitter, syrupy-sweet cough syrup.

[porcelina]

the ginger and orange blossom in vixen are lovely, and they actually keep the patchouli in check to the point where it's just a dark, gritty undertone. still not something i'd want to wear, though.

[voodoocatwoman]

Impy: I detect something foody- definitely sticky sweet. Caramel? I suppose it's the patchouli speaking. I like it but it catches in the back of my throat. I don't know if I can wear it.

 

Wet: I only dabbed a little of this on my wrist (seeing how dark it is and how thick it looks) Overcoming my hesitation to sniff, I now get play doh and chocolate. WTF?

 

Dry: Someone in one of the first reviews compared this scent to Shalimar. ABSOLUTELY. It is heavy but sensuous. Voluptuous. Luxurious.

 

Not to be slathered but oh, mama...

[DARKBEAUTY28]

In the imp, I smell *old lady*. Wearing it is a little better, I still get a slight old lady smell but almost something minty or fresh coming through as well. This isn't my style. I barely detect orange and I guess I am attributing the *old lady* to the patchouli. I've never been a patchouli lover. There is almost a leather undertone in this one too. Okay now the fragrance is starting to develop more. It is sweeter now, and I can see where some people are getting chocolate. Not bad after all! I just need to wait for the complete drydown. I can see how Shalimar might be referenced when describing this one, but Vixen seems like a lighter version.

[akiko]

Like so many others, this reminds me of Snake Oil. It's the lighter, younger cousin.

 

Imp: dark & incensey. I'm guessing patchouli, since that's the note I can't quite identify that everyone else says is there.

 

Wet: It's viscous and yellow-orange, like SO but not as dark. It definitely smells like Snake Oil. I'm not getting the orange blossom (which is weird; I amp florals like mad.)

 

Dry: I agree with someone above; there's red musk in here. It's got this candy-fruit smell like in the other red musks I like, but it's got a background of incense. And, thankfully, not in a dirty hippie way.

[maribouquet]

Hot damn! I put this on and thought Mme. Moriarty + TKO = Vixen! At least to me. I like it - will have to see how it wears, but so far I'm really digging it.

[alaitallon]

Oddly enough, this smelled a LOT like Dragon's Milk on me. It had a sweet, foody kind of fragrance with a mix of something spicy underneath. Definitely catching a whiff of vanilla (probably where I got the Dragon's Milk comparison from), which is odd because there IS no vanilla in it! Definitely a lovely, alluring scent, though. Would definitely wear again!

 

Rating: 9/10