Voodoo Queen

[shelldoo]

No scent description available.

 

voodoo queen: i get a soft almost powdery incence blend it is light and not powdery like baby powder maybe "dusty" is a better term. it is very resinous and yet a touch sweet to my nose. not dill pickly at all. there is something sweet here, i wish i could place it, not honey....yet something almost sugary, yet not food like. i actually am loving this, and wondering if i should give storyville a break and wear this for a few days.

 

as it dries a while i figured out the sweetness, i believe it is coconut milk. it is soft yet sweet and a hint coconutty, w/ an incency kick. gorgeous, and giving storyville a run for it's money.

 

beth took some special time w/ the c12 blends and it shows they are stunning. every single one of them

[slave1]

In Bottle: Slightly pickle-esque

 

On Skin: Oh yeah… this reminds me of Venom slightly… which reminds me of Dior Poison. I LOVE this!!!! Venom was one of my favorite BPAL blends and I was so sad when it was discontinued. This isn’t exactly Venom… but in that family. Only musk darker and spicier. It has a dark incense or resin base… very deep and slightly dirty… maybe a type of patchouli? The scent is very dry and powdery which I usually don’t like, but here it works perfectly. It also has a nice velvety soft note in the background, a very good base. I also think I catch a hint of clove which again, I normally don't like but it works here. I love the name of this… I was looking forward to this one the most of the Convergence blends. This scent is amazing… I must have more!! Sexy Voodoo Queen!!!

 

2 hours later: A sexy, exotic resinous blend with a touch of incense.

 

Next day realization: I also think this scent reminds me of Perversion… wheras Perversion turns more leathery, Voodoo Queen turns more incensey. But they both start with the beautiful perfumey almost pickley note.

Edited October 6, 2006 by slave1

[madelf]

Voodoo Queen is fantastic - very spicy. I get a lot of clove or cinnamon in this blend. After a bit it softens to a lightly spicy musk. It reminds me a lot of Torture King for some reason, although in a distantly related sort of way.

[jolarocknrolla]

i smell a lot of inscence here ... kind of smokey and a little dark with a lot of strength behind it. my husband thinks it smells a bit like cologne and inscence, lol.

[coulrophobe]

Evidently I had an unusual reaction - to me, this is the same musk as Smut and Sed Non Satiata. And while I'm a fan of musk, there's one I really can't wear (I think it may be a red musk, though some other red musk blends have been OK on me) - to my nose, it smells like funk, and not the good kind. Like peanut butter and dirty sheets.

 

I'm mystified as to why I got a similarity to Smut and no one else did... and other people found Storyville similar to Smut and I smelled no similarity whatsoever! My nose is weird.

 

ETA: Breaking News! I must have been having a "weird chemistry day" when I tried this before, because I tried it again and just had to spring for a whole bottle! The musk isn't my absolute favorite - I'm more of a white musk kind of girl - but I managed to escape the peanut butter curse and instead I'm getting a deep, spicy/earthy musk - maybe a touch of clove and patchouli?

 

Much better this time around.

Edited May 9, 2006 by coulrophobe

[emzebel]

No pickle here...

 

Of all of the absolutely amazing Convergence blends, Voodoo Queen is my far and away favorite. It is sultry and musky and spicy and just clings to my skin with the divine grace of a Voodoun priestess. The vever on the bottle is evocative of Erzulie and she seems to infuse, or at least inspire, this blend with her sultry sensuality.

 

It is hard for me to pick out note, I am so taken with the "sense" of this blend, but I would guess that there is a very nice musk, perhaps some vanilla or tonka, definitely some spice. My mother smelled it on me and though it smelled like mulled cider, although I do not personally get an apple note or an autumnal fee from this. There is a definite "perfume" undertone, but it works in a way I cannot adequately describe...other than just to reiterate that I love this.

 

[parrot_suspect]

On me this is a slightly spicy, slightly fruity musk. It's VERY similar to Enraged Orangutan Musk. As a matter of fact, I can barely tell the two apart. Voodoo Queen seems to be stronger as it dries down. I think anyone who liked Smut or EOM would like Voodoo Queen.

[Medici]

To me, Voodoo Queen is a spiced musk with a bit of a resiny background. It seems to me that it’s darker and a little less sweet than Smut – but it’s the spice in here that makes the greatest impact with me. Mulled spices? Maybe – I can totally see how there’s something almost cider like to it, though I’ll agree with embezel, I don’t get a distinct apple at all, but the feeling is there. I get a lot of cinnamon and a bit of clove too.

 

Damn that’s good stuff.

 

As it dries, it takes on something of a smoked wood smell, with the spices clinging happily to the wrist.

 

I really, really like this blend. It’s so damned sexy.

[Rhowan]

Before I start, I would like to thank a dear friend who gave me the chance to try all of the Convergence oils - thank you Sherry!

 

In the imp and wet on my skin - WOW! I get imagery rather than certain scents. A bright spring morning, walking in the shade of newly leafed trees, the wind blowing all the smells of fresh greenery and florals and a hint of a water source near by and spices, lots of spices... (weird!)

 

The bright greens last only for a couple of seconds, then it starts to really darken. I can't even begin to figure out the different notes because... Poof! it's gone! WTF? Voodoo Queen has left the skin! What little smell that is left over is my skin with just a bare hint of spice. 5 minutes later, all I can smell is me.

 

Let me just say, that is the weirdest reaction that I have ever had to a BPAL oil. I have never had something just completely disappear in such a quick fashion.*sigh*

 

I loved the way it started - maybe my hormones are off or something?

[delerone]

I get a scent similar to Smut here. It's very powdery and a little sweet, but without Smut's boozy note. To my nose, this is a very perfumey scent. I don't get the spice ir florals that other people have been getting at all. There's maybe a touch of incense, but it's mostly soft, powdered musk. Nice, but not at all my thing.

[Blood onmy hands]

After much begging and searching, my imp pimp took pity on me and gave me a sampling of the Voodoo Queen. I'm glad that I didn't pay a ton of money for this one on ebay, because it really isn't working well with my skin chemistry.

 

Overall it smells like a spicy musk in the imp vial. It smells kinda nice in the imp, though it isn't something that I would generally pick out to wear. I fear the deep musks.

 

Musks, in general, tend to not work will on my skin... often smelling like cheap hairspray or dirty motor oil or baby powder. This one is intensely perfumey and sharp on me, with a lingering baby powder-ish note in the background. Headache central. After a few minutes, I think that I smell some spicy clove as well. Perfumey musk, baby powder, and clove.

 

The boy thought that this one smelled really masculine on me (and I agree, it had a sort of men's cologne vibe), but then turned around and said that it was too perfumey for him to wear. I find it kind of funny that he's now using the word 'perfumey'...

 

I'm so glad that I was finally able to try this, but it's not something that I'll be seeking more of now.

[LittleGreyKitten]

I found this an enjoyable but not drool-worthy blend. It smells extremely well-mixed, like it has a large amount of high quality well balanced notes. However it just isn't grabbing me viscerally, and making me swoon. It smells dark, like it has some good musk in it, also sweet. I can't single out any notes unfortunately. It doesn't last an enormous length of time on me.

 

It's definitely smokey, and sexy. It is a nice blend, its just that there's others quite like it. I noticed Gypsy Queen shares a distinct resemblance particularly. It's not identical but an excellent substitute, same feeling of smokey, incensy, sexiness. Compared side by side, Gypsy is a bit more floral, while Voodoo is smokier. Wow, they're similar on me though. That makes sense since they're intended to evoke similar ideas.

 

4.5 out of 5.

 

Edited to add: I realized I rated this rather lower than I should have- I like it quite a bit, despite it not being my One True BPAL Love.

Edited May 17, 2006 by LittleGreyKitten

[GemmaCat]

I received this as part of a swap, and I'm quite surprised as it's nothing like I expected.

 

Initially, it's sharp smelling but not like the spice people have been describing, more like a floral note. Quickly it becomes very soft and sweet, and I get a delicate resin note that is rich and smoky.

 

On the drydown it's a musky-sweetness, thankfully nothing like Smut, which was awful on me.

 

I like this much more than I expected, though it doesn't last long on me at all, quickly becoming very close to the skin and almost airy.

 

A beautifully soft and sweet blend, overall, though.

[SevenSins]

Thanks again to Brienze for the sniffie circle!

 

In the bottle: Spicy, smoky, incense yet still "perfumey"

Wet: I get a touch of wine? when it first goes on, then it softens into a creamy, smoky, yet spicy floral.

Dry: A little less smoky, a little less spicy, a little more green, definitely more floral. Feminine with a sharp edge.

 

Very well-blended. Nice morph! There's something familiar about the floral - but I can't really pick out what I am smelling. A tangy sharpness remains from beginning to end. I can't tell about throw, I am using such a tiny drop off the end of a toothpick, but the scent is strong enough that I could imagine the throw would be pretty good. Gorgeous scent!

 

Another one I would be happy to have, but won't give up my firstborn for.

Edited May 22, 2006 by SevenSins

[joseybird]

Sniffed at the meet n sniff--yay!

 

This smells very much like Gypsy Queen, enough so that the I'd consider GQ an adaquate substitute. It's less floral/citrus-y than GQ, though, and it has a dominant note that smells a bit like an underlying note in GQ, although for the life of me I can't identify it...wood? resin? no idea, but Voodoo Queen is absolutely lovely, my second favorite C12 blend after Storyville.

Edited May 22, 2006 by joseybird

[dimensia]

Finally, time for a few more reviews.

 

Bottle: It's a light scent, but faintly bitter. It's in this stage that I can detect traces of the "pickles" that I heard about.

 

Wet: Not light anymore! This one was meant to be heavy and decadent, even in the smallest drops. It's warmed almost the instant it touches skin, and loses the bitterness entirely - it's sweet, spicy, slightly smoky and resinous underneath. There's definitely amber in this one, but it's hard to make out any other notes clearly. Reminds me of about half a dozen different blends, and I think it's fair to say that it's a strange, intoxicating mix of everything that came to mind. Venom, F54, Blood Amber, Snake Charmer... Pieces of them are all in there.

 

Dry: It dries down very true to the wet scent, but creamier, as if all the notes, having realized that battling to the forefront is a futile endeavor, have called a truce and decided to get along for the greater good. There is something vaguely floral that peeks its head out along the way, but it's pretty far in the background. It's a complex blend, and dry, it's perfectly happy to be complex. Wonderful throw and heavy-duty staying power (after a 14-hour shift, I was still getting little waftlets).

 

Of the C12 blends, Voodoo Queen is, hands-down, my favorite. It's nostalgia in a new bottle, and not only reminds me of the best parts of some of my favorite blends, but brings them together. Gorgeous.

[VenusFlyTrap]

Of the three scents created for Convergence XII held in New Orleans, Voodoo Queen was my least favorite.

 

I am lucky enough to swap for an imp of this and wanted to test drive it more than once before reviewing it.

 

I got that strange pickle top note upon my first wearing. It was so overpowering that I couldn't really detect much of anything else.

 

On the 2nd try, I got more woods and some incense but still some of that pickle note. Fairly intense and long lasting.

 

The bottle label was quite lovely for this scent but sadly, this is not a fragrance for me.

[bifemmefatale]

In the imp...sweet, almost orangey and clovey, somehow familiar....

 

On: Ah-ha! I know this scent from Jazz Funeral--it's bay rum! Which makes sense, given that bay rum is in JF and Baron Samedi...kinda goes with the theme. I also get a hint of the coconutty rum note from Perversion, which also makes sense as rum is often offered to the Loa. It finally dries down to a very soft subtle musk, th same one as in Storyville, I believe.

 

Funny, when I tried this at C12 I thought I got patchouli, but I get none now. Maybe I confused it with Doc Buzzard.

 

This is very nice, but so similar to Jazz Funeral that I'm not sad to have arranged a swap for Shub and Spanked for this.

[smallvoice]

Thanks to minilux I get to try this one!

 

First time I opened it, it hit me really, really, strongly. It's not shy. There was a bit of coughing. It took a few days for me to work up the courage to sniff it again, because I want so very badly to love it. Then again, I'd sort of hate to love it, for obvious accessability issues.

 

When I first swiped a bit on my wrist, my immediate reaction was: "Huh. This smells remarkably like Smut." That lasted for a few seconds until I sniffed this rather lovely, spicy bouquet that added depth and... I don't know how to describe it. There's certainly no boozey note that I could detect, and the blend seems a lot more complex than Smut did on me. There's something sweet- a resin or something, maybe. Anyway, I'm pretty fond of it at this point.

 

However, within about 10 minutes of me putting it on, I'm sort of wheezing a little bit, and I think it's due to the Queen. Yeah... I actually had to move the little bottle out of the room. Benadryl is my friend. Sadly, I think the Voodoo doesn't work so well...

[elspeth]

The first thing that hits me is.....pickle. I can see how other people have gotten this when first smelling this. After the pickle disappears the scent turns very incense-y. It packs quite a punch to it and smells slightly smoky. It seems like it would go well hand in hand with Doc Buzzard. Almost like they would complement each other. Maybe with layering? It doesn't seem to last very long on my skin but it does remind me of Smut without it's sweetness. It is spicy and very strong at first so my nose would probably take a bit to adjust to this however since it seems to fade a bit on me I'm not sure I would have the proper time. If it works on you.....I'm envious because it was lovely while it lasted.

[filigree_shadow]

I love Voodoo Queen! It smells like a sweet, resiny incense. Dark and brooding. It gets powdery after a while but retains that sweet scent.

 

I looked at the other reviews that say it's like pickles, Smut, Gypsy Queen, florals... it smells nothing like any of that on me.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: sweet caramel.

on: lighter. there's a bright note in this. maybe white musk? mostly, though, it's a swirl of caramel and other sweet notes. very nice.

2 hours later: sweet incense.

3 hours later: very sweet. mostly caramel and a bit of musk.

5 hours later: sweet caramel.

overall: this manages to be sweet without being overly foody, heavy, or cloying. lovely stuff.

[edenssixthday]

Voodoo Queen - The first time I applied Voodoo Queen, it smelled like pickle juice with perhaps a drizzle of green olive juice in it. The scent was so overwhelming and horrible, that it made me nauseated and ill for a good half hour even after I washed it off. I could not find the courage to try it again for about five weeks. I finally tried it again, and this time, I didn’t get the pickle/olive juice smell at all. Rather, the first note I detect is soft, powdery incense and it seems to lay over a bed of dark musk – not sweet red musk and not white musk, but something more earthy and feral. After about 20 minutes on my skin, I begin to wonder if the incense is actually some sort of woody spice instead, as it definitely seems more spicy than smoky. I would also not be surprised if there’s the tiniest hint of Barbancourt rum in this blend, as it has just the tiniest hint of sweet booziness, which I think may be what I first identified as “pickles/olives”. This is an incredibly well-blended oil and it’s obvious that a lot of thought and time went into this one. The scent stays very close to my skin, but it does last for several hours. Definitely my least favorite of the C12 blends, but not a bad blend by any means, despite my first impression of it.

[juniperus]

(from a sniffy, so not enough to really try on and savor)

 

Sharp, incense-y and spicy. I think there may be a resinous bottom note in play I am just not quite picking out on its own, and something patchouli going on. It's warm, but a little dusty. There is either a smoky note or an aquatic - I'm getting the same odd vaguely headachey reaction I've known with both note groupings. Lovely, apart from that small sadness.

[tidesong]

In the Bottle: Mmm, sweet, smoky musk.

 

On Application: Very rich, smoky incense, with something very sweet underneath it. Almost fruity sweet, not like Mitzvah sugar sweet. It's dry; resiny and musky. There is a touch of spices; almost like cinnamon, but real cinnamon, not the Red Hot I usually get. After a couple minutes, some clove is coming out, but it's very subtle. A few minutes more, and the clove is taking over. I'm trying not to wrinkle my nose thinking of the dentist.

 

On Drydown: Oh I wish the clove hadn't completely taken over. It's the predominant scent, and it's totally washing away the delicious smoky, cinnamony incense I got when it was first applied to my skin. It's still there, but completely overcome by the clove. It'd have been perfect without the clove.

 

Comments: Well, probably better I didn't fall in love with this, seeing how rare it is. I'll spread the love with this imp.

 

Verdict: Swap.