Voodoo Queen

[GypsyRoseRed]

As much as Doc Buzzard is darkly spicy and masculine, Voodoo Queen is incense-spicy and very feminine. It's weird because the two scents actually share some similarities wet, but turn out completely different. Now, I have to start out by saying that Gypsy Queen did nothing for me. At all. Voodoo Queen smells exactly how I expected. Incense, but the smoke is sweeter and somehow just *better* than GQ. There's a perfume-y note in there that blends with the incense to make for a very, very sexy scent. If I was planning a seduction, I'd definitely make sure I had an imp of Voodoo Queen to hand.

[yeahbutnobut]

Voodoo Queen

 

In the imp: spicy, herbal incense. Maybe some musk.

Wet on skin: now I can smell smouldering incense with spices…

Dry on skin: this is gorgeous. Now I can smell a clear, golden resinous scent which must be amber. Sweet, delightful amber but it's a different amber to the usual BPAL golden or Egyptian amber I'm used to and I love. This one is sweeter and has a smoky incense like twist to it-it's a heavier amber, maybe it's black amber or ambergris? I also get lots of spicy, herbal notes-I'm not sure what spices but I'm thinking a little bit of pepper and ginger, maybe some saffron and clove. I also have that incense scent which may be a wood note-possibly sandalwood. I think I smell tobacco too. And there's musk. Probably two musk notes-a clear, light, fresh white musk with a smoky autumnal feel which reminds me of Devil's Night, and also a sweeter, deeper musk note which is just about noticeable. This scent does have slight resemblances to Devil's Night and Doc Buzzard but is also very, very different to anything I've smelt.

After a while: a light, clear, sweet golden scent interspersed with spices, smoke and strong light musk. This brings to mind the image of real amber fossils-golden and clear with bits of insect and darker flecks suspended in the resin. This is, like others have said, is a more feminine counterpart to Doc Buzzard. Eventually, an almost oily scent appears-as in it’s almost like vegetable oil for cooking, it's a tad salty as well.

This oily scent doesn't last, and then I'm left with a lighter, less sweet, more golden resin scent-copal perhaps? It ain't frankincense-this is lighter and does remind me of Greed, a bit. Around this resin scent, the herbal/spice notes still remain.

Then the amber scent makes a comeback, sweetening the scent up again. I now detect the slightest hint of gentle vetiver.

Verdict: what an intriguing and unusual scent! this is very much unlike many other BPALs-despite having passing similarities to Doc Buzzard and Devil's Night at times, most other times this is something quite unique. It's got an amber note that I've not smelt before-or maybe it's this amber combined with the unusual spices and incense notes that I've not encountered. It's a gorgeous amber though, and I smell a blend of herbs and spices that I can't really identify, a veil of smoke and a hint of wood, some musk notes, a hint of other resins and maybe some tobacco and/or vetiver. It's a complex, haunting, mysterious blend, it fits the name very well. It's so unusual and such a rarity and I am glad to have some-even if it is only half an imp.

Emoticon rating:

[crescentwench]

live from the US Convergence Sniffie tour....

 

in the vial - it smells like sweet vanilla sugar and then sharp herbs.

 

on, wet - spices and herbs, still sharp and the sweetness I smelled in the vial is totallygone

 

on, dry - still herby, but the sharpness has softened up some

 

on 1hr later - gorgeous!! some of the sweetness has returned and some musk has come out, the herbs are still there, but soft.

 

I'd better hide my wallet cause i want more!!

[Voleuse]

On first sniff, this is a gentle and powdery scent, sweet verging on incense. As it dries, the sweetness becomes earthier--is there patchouli, perhaps? And a cinnamon-like spice, I think. I get a musk note from this as well, but it's not very strong. Overall, this is a sexy and subtle blend, with just the hint of foodiness to it. Gorgeous.

[cranberry]

Courtesy of the US Convergence Sniffing Tour – thanks Brienze!!!

 

In the imp: Damn! This stuff is amazing. It smells like a combination of Snake Charmer and Smut to me. It’s rich musk and sweet vanilla with a smattering of spices. I see why this is in such demand.

 

On the skin, wet: it smells as good on as it did in the imp. It’s a light scent, but of course I only put a small amount on. If I had a bottle I’d be tempted to slather but then not, because it is so scarce. This is a sweet earthy musk (maybe Egyptian), warm golden amber, vanilla and spices.

 

On the skin, dry: This is perfect for a Voodoo Queen. This is spicier than Snake Charmer, with elements of clove and some other spices that I can’t identify. To me, this doesn’t smell like Gypsy Queen at all, which to me smelt like grapes, sweet smoke, incense, and flowers. There is a slight sweet smoke here but it’s light and the spices and vanilla are predominant. At it wears it gets sweeter, with more of that sweet incense smoke. Still the vanilla, amber, musk and spices hang on in the background. After it’s been on quite a while, it’s faint on my skin but still there. It has a touch of Chanel No 5 aldehyde which is rather strange, so it’s probably my imagination.

 

Overall: God, I love this scent, maybe ever more that my beloved Snake Charmer, which I went absolutely nuts over and have enough to last me for a long time to come. That is good because I know that I’ll never be able to afford what I would want of this. I’ve got SC as my consolation and I may be tempted to layer that with a dab of Three Witches and bit more Smut, and see how close I come.

 

Yum!

[olympia301]

 

I really liked Storyville and thought that one would turn out to be my favorite out of all of the convergence blends...well I was wrong. As good as Storyville is, and it is fabu, I actually like Voodoo Queen more. I don't know where I got the idea that Voodoo Queen was too herby and loud, because it certainly is not that. I would say it is a resinous blend, and nice addition to the Snake Oil/Charmer/Voodoo lines. It has a great character and yet it is attractive, not merely attention getting.

 

Pungent, very well blended, somewhat heartbreakingly pretty and sweet under that "I can take it" exterior. All that sounds pretty much like it's contradicting itself, but honestly it's not. This is a blend of great and peacefully co-existing extremes.

 

It is more closely related to Perversion than Snake Oil or Charmer. Perhaps there is a bit of coconut in here. It is long lasting and the perfection of Perversion to my nose. Perversion is great, but somehow Voodoo Queen just did it one scintilla better. That's my taste talking here, though, YMMV. In anyone's book a winner.

[Kittyflop]

Voodoo Queen is incense, powder, spice and musk. It's not sweet to my nose at all. There is a bitter spice of some kind in here, in a good way.

 

The incense is a good, soft, smoky kind; not the kind that makes me cringe with memories of college days. This is very mature, sultry and mysterious. Lovely!

[LiberAmoris]

Voodoo Queen is so warm and sexy, like all of the Convergence blends. And I had the same experience as Oly---VD kinda out-pervs Perversion! I definitely smell some of the same notes as in Perv, but here there's also a dry spicy note and a warm resin that makes the whole blend crackle with a different kind of energy.

 

It's the same kind of energy I used to feel in the air on the really humid afternoons in NOLA when a thunderstorm was about to break. It's so reminiscent that it makes me a little weepy, in a good way.

[sophia_helix]

Another oil I got to try through the supreme generosity of Brienze and her Convergence circle.

 

At the risk of repeating everyone else... this reminds me of Snake Charmer, Perversion, Smut, Gypsy Queen, Venom, etc.... all spicy, oily, heady resin, but with this incredible, sweet, smoky incense on top. It's really amazingly complex and deep, with crazy throw, and just gorgeous. So evocative.

 

I think it gives me a bit of a headache, though (most of those super-musky scents do), but it was fantastic to wear for an afternoon.

[savage_rose]

Yay for sniffy circles! Thanks GypsyRoseRed!

 

In the imp: Sweetness, golden amber-y sweetness...golden, that's the only way to describe the smell. There are some herbal notes, some of the same musky, earthy notes of Doc Buzzard...but it's like a pure reflection of it, the feminine counterpart to the masculine. Very cool!

 

Wet: Warm, feathery, and light. Golden.

 

Dry: It smells like a Snake Oil base, with the incredible golden sweetness wet (a little like Delerium, too)...but the lightness disappates, leaving this this sweet, strong warmth. I can't really smell the herbs individually, just as a depth and balance to the blend that (to me anyway) normal Snake Oil lacks. As cheesy as this probably sounds, it sounds like a powerful, strength-giving hug. It smells womanly, and strong, and smiling.

 

As strange as this may sound, this scent blows my mind. I just smell it, and...it's like a TAL blend almost, I just feel more capable, in control, stronger. Very aromatherapeutic...I hope hope hope this gets re-released at some later date, because it's one of those rare scents I absolutely love and would wear all the time if I had a chance. It's like it smells like me, but the best me I can be. Mmmm...sigh. I'll be so sad to wash this off!

[graycat]

yum, i really like this one and i'm really picky about blends that have a lot of spice/incense notes to them. i think since it has a little sweetness to it it works well.

 

i kinda reminders me of snake oil and the year old perversion i have. actually it really smells close to perversion now that i sniffed it, i wonder if that's the tonka?

 

my husband even walking in the room when i was opening it and asked that it was, that's a good sign.

 

the lasting power leaves a little to be desired, oh well.....

Edited September 6, 2006 by graycat

[maijasu]

From the lovely GypsyRoseRed's Convergence sniffie circle!

 

This scent is so very sexy. It is sweet, smoky, resinous, and a teeny bit spicy. As others have mentioned, it is much more feminine than Doc Buzzard, and it does seem to resemble the Snake Oil family of scents (less sweet and powdery, though). I really love it and would definitely seek out a bottle if it were to ever be made available again.

 

Thanks for the chance to sniff this, GRR and circle members!

[Pixelpixie]

This was the convergence scent I was most interested in, and I'm glad I got to try it. Frankly it's one I'll keep in the Hoard but probably not really wear though. It starts incredibly strong, and has a cologny kind of smell to it in the vial. On my skin it had the overwhelming 'cologne' smell when it was wet, then dried down to a powdery floral incense resinous type thing when dry. People have commented on it being musky and I didn't get that at all. It lasted all day on my skin.

 

I didn't expect it to be like that at all. It was a light scent the entire time on me, and I love my deep dark scents. It threatened to turn to powder, but never really quite did, which makes me wonder if there wasn't a touch of Dragon's Blood in it, as that's my usual reaction to it.

 

A few people have compared it to Smut, which is one of my favourites and to me they were nothing alike, so maybe that is the source of my disappointment. I do find it comprable to Gypsy Queen, which was never a big love of mine, if that gives you an idea of it. For some reason I can't help but think the Voodoo Queen should have been a little bit nastier, this one was too nice for me.

[moonarcana]

I had a sniffie of this previously, but thanks to GypsyRoseRed's generosity in donating enough of the Convergence scents for a small test/sniff circle I got to take a bit more of this incredible scent for a ride.

 

...reaffirming my love for the scent even stronger than before!

 

Voodoo Queen is sensual and aloof. There's a compelling incense base, if I had to guess I'd say frankincense, myrrh and black amber - theres a touch of softness that I cant pinpoint as floral or sweet herbal, but it helps to balance out the resinous quality and give it a distinctly feminine edge. As it dries, it literally dries all over - the fragrance feels like a dusty attic - not with an unpleasant mustiness, but the way your lungs feel with that first breath of walking into a place that had settled it's atmosphere and been left undisturbed for a good long while.

 

I am completely under her spell.

[sofiaviolet]

This smells like a really heavy incense. Patchouli, maybe, or sandalwood. A sort of cedary smell comes forward on my skin, but the incense is still heavy, although more resinous now. It smells kind of stale, so I guess Voodoo Queen doesn't like my skin chemistry.

[theseagrows]

i got a near empty decant of this from someone, and there was enough left for one or two tests. initially, voodoo queen reminds me SO much of perversion (without the leather), and i like it a lot better than perversion. i think there possibly is a bit of skin musk, tonka, incense, amber and tobacco. but i am not the greatest at picking out notes. it's a bit spicy and very sexy. after absorbing a bit, it hardly reminds me of perversion, and i think i am mostly smelling incense and tobacco. oh lordy, i'd love to track down more of this.

Edited September 27, 2006 by theseagrows

[supremegoddessofall]

I'm kind of hoping this sucks, because this is one of the ultra-rares that I just happened to get a sample of and it's gawd-awful expensive. *sniff* And...it's pretty good, but I will be okay if I can't get my hands on it. Vanilla is the most prominent to me, but it's also got a spicy tone to it. The pine and the almond are the next things I smell. It has a richness to it that is quite nice.

 

Score: 4 out of 5

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a few words/smilie: Earthy cider?

 

Pre-review thoughts: So, I admit it: I just wanted to try VQ because it's so hard to come by. I'm hoping it hates me, of course.

 

In the imp: Patchouli and incense. This is a good sign, in that both of those notes hate me.

 

On skin, wet: Smokey patchouli and thick incense. It's spicy as well; clove, perhaps, or maybe cinnamon bark?

 

On skin, dry: Like two others, I get something almost cidery from this, but I also don't get anything specifically apple-like. A smokey, earthy, unspecific cider. It's actually not bad, and it's one of those scents that would grow on me bit by bit, if I gave it half a chance to.

 

Conclusion/Notes: Surprisingly enough, I like VQ. Not nearly enough to pay the exorbitant prices it goes for on Ebay, but enough to consider a swap for more, or to snag a bottle at a reasonable price, if the chance arose.

[Dinerdulcinea]

A kind forumite sent me a sniffie of this. YAY!

 

imp: resinous, sweet, and piney

 

wet: a little smell like pine and cedar coke.

 

dry: a little too much of the cedar/pine on me. I'll pass. The sniffie will go to another.

[Shollin]

First sniff: This one is dark and mysterious too, but in a feminine way. There’s something sweet and seductive under the swirling darkness.

 

Wearing: Whatever is in this, it’s strong, and a little bit boozey.

[wikkidraven]

i got this because it was thanksgiving, and my little bid slipped by unnoticed on ebay. i wasn't expecting it to be so good

 

i get vanilla, and patchouli, with pepper, maybe clove. my nose isn't sensitive enough to tell, i just know that my wrist, of its own accord, keeps making its way to my nose. sniffsniff.

 

i love this stuff. i'm probably going to covet this bottle!

[The_Witching_Hour]

In the bottle: herbal incense, resins, tonka, tobacco.

 

On my skin: smouldering incense mixed with spices and also a 'grit' that for as long as I've had this bottle I can't put into words! Don't get me wrong, its not a 'dirty' grit but a note that has backbone and lends an earthy quality to the blend.

 

Drydown: this is beautiful and remains one of my absolute favorites. This is the scent of a woman that has everything----clout, pride, confidence, beauty and the abilty to be 'soft' when the time is right. Her lasting notes would be golden amber, ginger, sandalwood, tobacco, oppoponax, patchouli and vanilla.

[myoubi]

[copied and pasted from my notes]

 

NOTES: dayyy-um. Spicy, earthy, incense-y - lots of patchouli on my skin. This stuff has throw, I could smell the bottle from two feet away when it was closed and taped up. I smell clove -- maybe cardamom too? A little dusty as well. It's not what I was expecting, and surprisingly I'm not getting a lot of tobacco from it -- in other blends, tobacco amps on me like no tomorrow. From farther away I get a sort of berryish sweetness -- I can't reiterate enough, this stuff has throw, I put a very teensy dab on my wrists and they're a foot and a half from my nose and it's quite fragrant. It's definately not a tame blend. After about 10 minutes the clove dies down a bit, revealing something dark and dusty-sweet. Beautiful. It has some notes in common with Trick 2, that much I can discern, but my nose isn't sensitive enough to know what they are. I'm very glad I got to try this -- it's so different from everything I normally wear, but still very lovely.

 

COMPARISONS: The comparisons to Perversion were what sold me on the blend, but on me this is nothing like Perversion at all -- Perversion is much sweeter on my skin, and more tobacco-y. This is dry and dusty with a twining dark sweetness underneath. It's very compelling, and if I had to I'd compare it to Trick 2 and maybe even Schwarzer Mond (although Mond didn't love me, they have at least one ingredient in common, methinks). It's not like Smut on me at all, which is universally good. Something about it reminds me very vaguely of Mme Moriarty, although I didn't love her either -- it has that same dusty-but-sexy tone. If there's vanilla in here, andI think there may be a bit, it's deeply buried because my skin usually amps it like crazy.

 

CONCLUSIONS: this was a long review because this scent deserved it! I like it. I'm not head-over-heels for it, but it's in my top 10, and I'm keeping my bottle because there's nothing else like it in my collection. 4/5

[QueenFae]

A spicy, smoky, brown scent for me. My skin is really making this smell like tobacco. Yup, like really dry, pure tobacco leaf with a hint of cinnamon and musk underneath. Honestly, I think this is disagreeing with my skin chemistry. I reminds me of my late Grandmother's house, which smelled of cigarrettes and sweet things. Not necesarily a bad smell for me , but just not something I want my body to smell like.

 

On the dry down the cinnamon seems to come out a bit more, and that dry tobacco note is not as offensive. Overall though, just not vibing real well with my skin.

[Naamah_Darling]

I'm left playing the guessing game because there are no listed notes, but this is a beautiful blend, even in the bottle. It fronts with a strong draft of spicy incense, deep and rich.

 

On, it opens out: a rich, dry incense, patchouli and sandalwood perhaps, with a stiff dose of clove. There is amber here, but it's very thick and dark amber. This is delicious, a little dirty, an earthy, grounded scent. There's a grassy element running through it, high up, that could just be the edge of the patchouli, or a touch of carnation. I definitely get a sweet note, perhaps a sugary musk like the one in Smut or Sed Non Satiata, and perhaps a simple light dose of honey. Others have called it very "perfumey" but I don't think it is; while it's brilliant in its dark way, this is entirely too low a scent to be called perfumey.

 

It dries to a wonderful, sweetly spicy finish that borders on the powdery but never tips all the way over into icky territory. Very well-balanced.

 

This is beautiful, really beautiful, and subtle. A kaleidoscope of dark, earthy notes that is at once incensey and musky without being murky in the slightest.