Carceri d'Invenzione

[shelldoo]

Carceri d'Invenzione, Giovanni Battista Piranesi.

Redwood, red sandalwood, black pepper, blonde tobacco and frankincense.

in the bottle:sweet, almost juicy scent looking at the notes i wonder what exactly is giving me the juicy impression it reminds me a bit of a sweet musk.

wet:exact same, i see this as a deep juicy red scent i detect the tobbacco, and red sandalwood the greatest. liking this scent alot.


as it dries it is still a sweet scent but not in the foody sweet way. it is just a nice round "reddish" type scent, but not a cinnamon type red. the frankencense is there but more as a grounding note holding it all together, rather then being up front getting all the attention. the red sandalwood is the most obvious w/ my chemistryand the tobbacco mingles beautifully w/ it. all in all this is a wonderful, sophisticated, scent. i am definitely going to be getting more!

[Eunice]

This is not what I expected the oil to smell like, not with those ingredients. There is something light and sweet mixed in with all those lovely woody and spicy scents. I can't pick out any one ingredient, everything is so well-blended together. Another Salon love!

[sarada]

This is the other of the Salon scents that screamed my name. Having recently tried the Redwood single note (which is the perfect fresh-cut forest wood scent for me), previously tried the Frankincense note and generally loving any kind of sandalwood or tobacco, I could just cry with joy for reading the notes in this blend.

 

In the bottle: strong woods, but light-colored woods, rather like an amped-up Yggdrasil with a bit of Penitence thrown in. The wood is so vivid and real, it really smells like you have your nose pressed to a tree. On my skin, a spicy frankincense develops, while the reddish woods linger in the background. I'm walking through a forest of tall redwoods, my bare feet sinking into a bed of dried pine needles, while swinging a censer of frankincense to and fro.

 

This is pretty much a perfect blend for someone who loves very true-to-life wood smells, and resins. I couldn't ask for anything more. I can't believe this is actually in the catalogue and I can get it whenever I need it! This is the fresh wood scent I've been dreaming of.

[Blood onmy hands]

Carceri d'Invenzione was the first bottle that I snagged from The Salon, because I absolutely love frankincense & black pepper and have a deep fondness for red sandalwood.

 

In the bottle this is sweet, spicy, warm, and exotic.

 

First on my skin, this is mostly sultry red sandalwood (a warm, spicy woods on me that sort of reminds me of cassia) and a musky tobacco, with a hint of black pepper dancing around in the background. Over time, more of the redwood comes out and it takes on a true woods smell as the spice and sweet sandalwood fade. The spice is still there, but it's a peppery spice, not a sweet one. I'm not really getting any of the frankincense.

 

This isn't as resinous as I was hoping for, more of a woods and tobacco scent, but I still like it. I'd probably like this one even more on my boy.

[joseybird]

I KNOW that sweet, almost juicy note! It's the blond tobacco from Caron's Tabac Blonde! Holy crap!

 

This is definately a scent for Three Witches and Bengal lovers. I had feared that it would resemble Penitance, which I wasn't hot on, but I barely get any frankincense here, or if I do, I don't get the bitter, sour topnote that usually kills frankincense for me. There's an almost greenish element here, which I can't identify, and the black pepper is strong and biting, although the smooth woods in the backgrounds--which add their own hint of sweetness--give this scent more depth than most other BPAL spicy/woody scents I've smelled. The woodiness in fact reminds me strongly of Dee, but the composition overall is more complex.

 

Of the three Salon scents I've tried, this is definately my favorite. It's an oddly refreshing spicy woods scent that makes me long for a hike in the woods or or a log cabin fragrant with old polished wood and aromatic spices.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is pure joy to my senses

 

all the wood notes, black pepper and frankincense are positively marvelous...this is some seriously strong perfume going on here folks!! the spicy sweetness is phenomenal

 

hmmm

after about 1/2 hour the scent turns into a big mish-mash of an extremely

floral blend...it has to be that dreaded blonde tobacco...i have tried this in the

past (blonde tobacco) and it just does not play nice with my chemistry...

 

while i think this would be absolutely beautiful on the right person, i am saddened to say this is just not for me

[cranberry]

This was my first Salon order. I snapped it up based solely on the notes alone and without hesitation.

 

In the bottle, this smells warm, rich and resinous. Sweet.

 

Once on, this is a sweet scent, the sweetness reminds me a bit of how I remember the sweetness in Al Azif. That doesn’t last long but was there for a fleeting instant. This is a very sweet sandalwood and a sweet tobacco. The frankincense adds a supporting role but is not the star. No that role is reserved for the woods. There’s a trace of pepper, adding spice and heat to the woods. After it’s been on a bit, it becomes even more a woody, slightly spicy, sweet scent.

 

This reminds me of a wonderful Comme des Garcons scent that I found before I found BPAL – Sequoia. I thought that was the most true wood/forest scent I had ever run across. This reminds me of that. This is a beautiful true wood scent. It has spicy elements around the edges that add interest and complement the wood wonderfully. I adore this.

[urbanruralferal]

This is a fairly exciting fragrance. It is considerably sweeter than I would have imagined, but the sweetness is of a very bright (not thick or cloying) quality. There is always a threat that, on my skin, sandalwood will overpower any blend with a waxy smell, and it was trying to do just that for about 10 minutes, but it ultimately backed off and settled into place. This became what I can only call an elegant scent. The woods are there, and so is the incense, but blended so cleverly that it is very hard to pick out the notes. I noticed a bit of nostalgia, but for what I don't know. It was kind of a perfume counter, a really nice perfume counter, kind of scent for me. Strange.

I think I will keep it for a while. It is a very beautiful scent.

Edited July 20, 2006 by urbanruralferal

[Heavenlyrabbit]

I love what Beth does with Frankincense and this is exquisitely engrossing.

 

Frankincense, red sandalwood and blond tobacco all have a sweetness to them and seem made for one another here.

 

Seamless Blend.

 

Oddly, I keep wanting to layer this with something 'peachy' like Fae.

[parrot_suspect]

Oooh! This scent is beautiful, just beautiful. I was expecting something dark, woodsy and peppery. Instead, it's sort of a sweet, reddish, warm, round, feminine scent. Very complete and whole -- elegant, even. Yes, it's woodsy, but not in a dry, dark way...I guess this must be the redwood note making it smell so sweet and fresh. It's hard to describe this scent, quite honestly, and I don't know what to compare it to. My first impression was a feminine scent, but I think this would smell equally gorgeous on men and women. Just get it -- you won't regret it!

[Tesseljoan]

I too, was expecting something woodsy and peppery, so I was surpirsed to smell something so sweet and juicy as this. It's not as gloomy as you would expect, it's pleasant and not masculine (-or feminine) at all.

For me personally, this is a scent locker candidate, as it goes a little sharp on my skin.

[quikslvr]

Very, very woody frankincense at first. It slowly lightens as it dries, though, becoming almost bright, and pink/red if pictured as color.

 

I'm finding this really hard to describe, actually. Sophisticatedly bubblegummy? The scent of well-manicured couch leather in the home of 10,000 young girls? Hawaiian punch spilled in a beautiful redwood tobacco box?

 

Whatever it is, it's amazingly well-blended, and could probably suit either male or female--I think I'm just amping the sweet stuff.

[Lycanthrope]

Sweet, juicy, cedar-kissed, soaring frankincense with that beautiful fiery bite of black pepper. It is sweeter and brighter than I would have expected but yeah, this stuff is pure heaven.

[yeahbutnobut]

In the imp: sweet woods and incense, and some pepper.
Wet on skin: now tobacco comes out and the scent becomes drier.
Dry on skin: what an interesting fragrance. I get a very outdoorsy wood scent-I'm sure it's the redwood, it's a very raw wood scent, warmed by sandalwood. The pepper spices the scent up nicely without feeling like it's going to induce sneezes. The frankincense isn't obvious but it's there, it binds the scent together whilst tobacco is strong and dry and smoky, it's a pale tobacco note. This scent is quite masculine but very natural.
After a while: after five minutes, the scent smoothes out completely. I get a lovely dry pale tobacco scent, on top of a drier wood scent-more balanced between sandalwood and redwood now-with a light golden coating of frankincense and a sprinkling of pepper. The scent is warm, cosy, it make me think of log cabins… It's got a very nice 'fatherly' or 'grandfatherly' feel to it-a mature, distinguished but kindly man in a cosy forest home.
This scent sweetens a lot over time, it reminds me of the sweetish scent certain wood chips can have when they decompose. It's now a more mulchy wood, with damp tobacco-it's not as dry as before. still, it's very natural as a scent and I really like it-it's very earthy now.
After a moment of damp wood chip soil, the scent dries out again and becomes tobacco-y. this is the tobacco from Red Lantern, but without the spicy exotic sweetness. The tobacco lasts until the scent departs.
Verdict: to me this is the summer equivalent of Hearth 04 and Herr Drosselmeyer. A comforting tobacco scent, fatherly and kindly, warm and dry, but not heavy and very outdoorsy indeed. The wood scent is so natural-this is like smelling wood chip mulch, or freshly cut timber. The woody scent is so raw and natural, think log cabins in forests of towering sequoias with a hint of decaying wood, sweet and moist. Then I get tobacco, dry and pale, smoky but not as dark as usual-this is a crisper tobacco. The frankincense holds it all together and the pepper adds a nice crackling warmth. This is a very evocative scent-and quite masculine, mature, and very different. I don't need a bottle but I'll keep the decant.
Emoticon rating:
If you like this, try: Herr Drosselmeyer, Magus

[portalkat]

This is my favorite Salon blend so far, although it is nothing as I had imagined. It has a wonderful fruity sweetness and I have no idea where it is coming from. I can smell the tobacco and the woods, but it does not smell masculine at all to me. I have found the Salon scents to be very light and this is no exception. I might have to get a bottle of this and just slather away.

[greywind]

This is *exactly* the type of scent I was looking for when I first came to BPAL over a year ago. On me it's subtle woods and resins with a kick of spice, and remains that way from wet through dry down. Had it been available at first, and had I tried it right away, I might never have ordered anything else. Why bother, when you've found perfection? (Yes, I know this is BPAL heresy. I can only plead ignorance!) Since it wasn't, and I didn't, my scent horizons have expanded to things I would have never though I would like before. That doesn't mean that this absolute jewel won't be given pride of place in what I chose to wear.

[Bagfish]

This would have been lovely on me apart from my skin makes frankincense smell like sour nastiness. I get all sorts of lovely woody, resinous smells from Carceri d'Invenzione to start with but soaring over the top is the sour Frankincense of doom How utterly gutting.

 

Edited to add: I tried this again today and the sour frankincense of doom just didn't turn up. The scent was a beautiful fruity scent. It really reminded me of Khajuraho in style as it is full and fruity and woody, and I think this one may actually be bottleworthy. I will have to try it again though just to make sure it stays as good.

Edited August 20, 2006 by Bagfish

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

I had to buy this from the moment I read the notes, even after the momentary sticker shock. Everything in here is pure love for me - redwood and red sandalwood are easily two of my favorite notes and tobacco is something I'm always happy to see in a BPAL blend. I can't imagine something more perfect sounding.

 

First sniff:

 

Ooh, love it! This is just what I expected and it's a relief that the pepper isn't overpowering, which I'd been afraid of for no reason other than that something that sounds so perfect can't possibly live up to my expectations. I was wrong, though - dead wrong. In the bottle, this is rich and woody with a soft resiny swirl in the background and a bit of subtle spice. It's gentlemanly without being impossible for a woman - albeit a tomboy - to pull off.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Warm, rich and woody are words that come to mind, as are decadent, mysterious and smoky, although there's no smoke to this. It reminds me of wood panneling and leather armchairs for some reason. In terms of feel, it's similar to Hellfire without being overpoweringly tobacco-like. It's almost what I imagine a grandfather should smell like (not what mine smelled like, certainly, but ideally speaking): warm, masculine and welcoming.

 

Drydown:

 

There's no real change from wet to dry for me on this one. It's just as warm and inviting and rich once it dries as it is when its wet. For a long time I've wanted a bottle of tobacco absolute and while I have one now, it doesn't live up to Carceri d'Invenzione in terms of perfection. I vastly prefer this genius blend to the tobacco absolute mainly because of the depth of this scent.

 

The verdict:

 

An absolute winner. I would bathe in this if I could.

[juniperus]

Bottle: something here is sharp and oddly sweet - I'm thinking sharp pepper and sweet tobacco?

Wet: same. what an odd sweet note.

Dry: I can detect the redwood now, but no frankincense or sandalwood and that sweet note is really off on me.

Later: I can get the frankincense now - and that sweet has backed off a bit. still not sure if it's very nice on me...darn.

[cuervosueno]

I bought Salon decants, and on the day I got them, I slathered away without remembering what the notes were, so my impressions were sheerly based on scent, though of course now I know what it is in them!

 

The only thing I remembered was in Carceri was redwood, so I was a bit surprised to find it so sweet as others noted. That top sweetnote, almost slightly fruity, was very familiar though, and I puzzled over it for awhile. After it hits my skin, a bit of wood comes out--and I recognize redwood immediately.

 

So I looked up the notes this morning and smacked my forehead--of course! Frankincense! That is the sweet top note on me. Not all Beth's Frankincense notes have worked on me, though I'm a great worshipper of this resin. (and now I wonder if the problem has been I've often smelled BPAL frankicense with BPAL myhrr, which is a true myhrr--as opposed to sweet myhrr--that is a bit too bitter for me). In Carceri, the frankincense is the one I adore--sweet, almost fruity. Sometimes Frankincense can have a sweet rich scent that is reminiscent of dried fruit, and this has that note to me. It smells EXACTLY like the blonde frankicense chips I burn in the winter on top of my woodstove.

 

The redwood comes in strong after that, tempering the sweetness, so I get the sense of frankicense chips stored in a redwood box. I don't get much pepper, but there is a spicy note to this that is pleasant, and is, no doubt, due to the black pepper. I'm sure the blonde tobacco is amping up the sweetness of my beloved frankincense, but I'm not truly able to distinguish it on its own. I do note that after a bit this has a very sophisticated cologne counter sort of scent to it, and even though I don't know the other perfumes people compared this to, I can see why it might be reminiscent of some. I wonder if that is due to the blonde tobacco.

 

In any case, this is gorgeous. My only complaint is that on me it fades fairly quickly--I'd tried this on one wrist and Satan and Death on the other, and a few hours later Satan and Death was still going strong and this was gone. But that's ok--I bought a portion of a bottle, so I have enough, and as much as I love this, I don't often reach for woody scents, so I suspect this will be plenty.

 

Bravo to Beth, though! This is an amazing blend.

 

eta: since I wrote the original review, I've been slathering this on every day, and I just love it more and more. That sweet, soft frankincense is gorgeous on me. This has become one of my favorite BPAL blends.

 

To prove how different skin chemistry is once again, though, I let my friend try it--she adores wood scents. On her, though, the woodsy notes were faint, and the frankincense turned sour/plasticy. ah well--now I don't have to share!

Edited August 22, 2006 by cuervosueno

[BrightRedScream]

This is so beautiful in the imp - I think I read a few people describing it as "juicy" - and I totally agree. There is a very juicy aspect about this scent...

On my skin I get the sandalwood almost immediately along with the redwood...that frankincense is there - but not TOO much just yet...

I hope it stays away - because usually it doesn't agree with my skin.

 

As it dries down the black pepper really comes out, and I'm not sure what blonde tobacco smells like..so I couldn't tell you if that's what I'm getting out of this.

 

Wow..I think I might have actually found a second Salon scent that works on me!

Edited August 20, 2006 by BrightRedScream

[fiddlehead]

Hmm. I feel like I've gotten a different bottle from everyone else!

 

When I put this on I immediately get a sour note that I've come to associate with my least happy BPAL moments. Is it Frankincense I'm smelling? Whatever it is, I'm not liking it. I smell the wood element at times, the Redwood, some wood chips. Pepper, I'm not sure I'm getting. But every once in awhile I get a strong whiff of a freshly opened pack of cigarettes. Not a horrible smell, but not one I want to have wafting off of me. I am not getting anything I could describe a "juicy". And certainly nothing sweet.

 

This is very strange. I'll have to see if it works on my husband. But right now, I don't think this will be a keeper.

 

ETA: Then again. After awhile, the sourness subsides. I'm getting used to the tobacco. And it's finally dried down into something with possibility. The sweetness turned up, though not anything juicy. Maybe it will age well and that sourness will go away. I think I may just not be used to the less simple scents or something

 

ETA: I've worn this several times now and on me it's an incense blend, straight up. Like The Caterpiller or Urd but without the jasmine or muscadine components. There are other notes floating around but it's still screams incense!

Edited September 9, 2006 by fiddlehead

[edenssixthday]

I am very surprised that the redwood and red sandalwood don’t show up in this blend on me at all. It’s 90% black pepper and frankincense with the slightest hint of tobacco in the background. I am totally digging the frankincense and tobacco, but the pepper is too strong, and hurts my sinuses. It’s not what I’d call a “pretty” scent, but it’s very rich and sexy. This is something that I think would smell so superhot’n’sexy on my husband. The more I think about how it might smell on him, wow, the less I care that it doesn’t work on me. I have yet to convince my husband to wear BPAL, but this might just be the blend that makes me start working on him again to give it a go. It has a really nice level of throw and the wear length is above average.

[Phaedra777]

Soft, sweet and woodsy. This is a very mellow and oddly comforting scent on me. Good throw, but I had to reapply after about 3 hours. But just gorgeous.

[Blueelm]

I bought this mainly because I love Pirinesi so much.

 

Oh dear I love this fragrance though. Wood notes are my scent heaven. I still remember the first time I visited a redwood forest. The most vivid memory of it is the smell... the wonderful rich sweetish smell of the pulpy stringy wood everywhere around me.

 

Wet: This has all the warmth that Silk Road has, but is much more adult and complex. I was expecting a drier and blacker scent, but I'm very glad to have the sweet spicy warmth of Frankincense. This smells almost foody at first, like some kind of Christmas potpourri. Over time the scent opens and becomes creamy. It's funny because I did not like either of the other red sandalwood scents I've tried. Some how this one more than works for me. Why juice though? This smells amlost like Apples are involved some where. Mmmmm.... cider.

 

Midway: Sweet tobacco, and this becomes dusky. Sharper. Oh... there's that redwood and sandalwood. Good. I'm very very glad that the fruit is gone. It was nice, but it wasn't what I was really after. This... beautiful resinous wood scent... is really the holy grail of perfumes for me. I'm always after beautiful woods.

 

All Dried Out: Oh how beautiful this lasts on me. Dry spicy and complex, it becomes darker and richer every moment. The frankincense has left me with a waxy cathedral scent. Polished wood and incense. I'm in love. This is like opening a beautiful wooden incense box eight hours of the day. I like this scent so much I actually found myself sniffing my wrists at work.