Kali

[tart]

Kali, the Black One, is the fearless Goddess of Destruction, Creation, Energy [in her Shakti aspect] and Dissolution. Also named Kaliratri [black Night] and Kalikamata [black Earth-Mother], she is the fiercest aspect of Devi, the supreme mother goddess. Kali is a protector Goddess, the destroyer of evil spirits and guardian of the faithful. She, along with her consort Shiva, represent the unending cycle of death and birth, sexual union, creation and destruction. Kali annihilates ignorance, maintains the natural order of the world, and blesses those who strive for spiritual awareness and knowledge of true holiness with infinite tenderness and motherly love. The constant, unending Work of Creation is called the "The Play of Kali". This perfume is a blend of the sacred blooms of cassia, hibiscus, musk rose, Himalayan wild tulip, lotus and osmanthus swirled with offertory dark chocolate, red wine, tobacco, balsam and honey.

Oh Kali, how I tried to love you! While wet, Kali is rosey and chocolately and nice. After it dries, all I get is something that reminds me of nailpolish remover. I think it's the combination of wine and florals.

[orangepoppy]

Kali is quite the changeling as others have described! First on, wet, I got the same sort of delectable sweet and smoky "buttery honeyness" as I got from Harvest Moon (and I love Harvest Moon). As it dried, I detected a hint of chocolate and definite wine notes. I'm not sure I like wine notes on my skin, they tend to go a bit sour. However, as time went on, there was no sourness - why am I such a cynic? Because when things turn out wrong, I won't be surprised and when things go right, I'm pleasantly surprised? bah! If I try real hard, I can pick out the rose. More rose would be good. I think this will be wonderful with a Empress "topcoat" ~~

 

I quite like this, it's warm and comforting. A keeper.

 

Edited December 6, 2004 by orangepoppy

[zapevaj]

I love, love, love Kali; it became my daily scent this summer, and I'll have to get a big bottle of it sometime! It's sweet, yet spicy; I think the main notes I get out of it are the wine, the spices and balsam, and a little bit of rose...but not enough to make it, y'know, rosy. Which is awesome. One of the most intense, sexy-in-a-fierce-way perfumes I've ever smelled.

 

-Rae

[surf-tormented]

Kali is a mysterious beast on me. The first time I put a drop on, it smelled like nothing. I mean, a little tobacco/dark chocolate scent and then nothing. It faded within minutes.

 

The second time I applied it, it was heavenly. A loud wonderful mix of roses, wine, tobacco and dark chocolate. It stayed for hours.

 

Now for the 3rd time, it is back to smelling like nothing. Again.

 

This was on my list of bottle buys too. I may have to reconsider. I have been searching for something different and I thought this was it. I am trying to branch out from spicy, woody oils that have a churchy appeal to them. I love them, but that is all I wear.

 

Oh Kali, I knew ye well, or I thought I did. Off to a trade you go!

 

So does this really smell like Beautiful?

[nhough73]

It starts out in the imp very chocolatey... that deep rich cocoa coating french truffles. I can make out some light floral swirled with the honey, but the top note is the chocolate.

 

On the skin the chocolate starts to fade and the honeyed wine comes to the forefront to dance with the musky floral. Holy cow this is incredible. Very adult, the kind of scent that a woman who knows how to hold a man's gaze long enough to get him walking across the room towards her. Its what commercial perfumes aspire to be.

 

Just beautiful - my second 10ml bottle for sure.

 

ADDED Feb. 13:

 

I finally got my 5ML of Kali and its everything it was in the imp and more. I've been layering it with Old Morrocco to give it just a hint of spice and it is to die for. I do find myself reapplying every couple of hours. I could swim in this stuff.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: I've been wanting to try this ever since teza told me about it so I was thrilled to find it in my package from AJ. I'm not thrilled with the fact that I just spilled it on me. One sec. A proper review does not involve spills. Well, hmm, I cannot pick out any one smell just sniffing from the bottle, but it smells damn good. Kinda foody and rich but with that floral element to it that keeps it from getting too dark. This really is much lighter than I had expected.

 

Wet: It kinda smells like cherries, which makes no sense to me. Or maybe that's the red wine. Or the...damn, way too many choices for my poor nose. I actually cannot pick out anything. This is just a nice, kinda warm scent that has some food elements and some floral ones. I don't feel like the typical portrayal of Kali. I guess this is her on one of her better days.

 

Dry down: This is unlike anything that I've got. It's so different from most of the scents that I've picked to either buy or keep. It's not light and breezy but more warm and earthy. (It actually makes sense for this Libra to be attracted to the light, airy scents now that I consider it.) The honey and the chocolate make this decandent. This is the perfume to wear when I go out all dressed up in my black pants and maroon shirts. This is the dark perfume to compliment all the bright ones I have. And yet it is not commanding or too strong or overpowering. It is confident and womanly.

 

Dry: This is just so lovely and much lighter than I ever expected. I'm not sure I'd ever need a big bottle, but this imp and I are gonna be fast friends. And when she's gone, I'll just replace her. I still cannot really pick out a single note, but that doesn't bother me. This is so well blended that it transcends the notes to become something new, something rich and decandent that still has the tinest breath of floral.

[Theravada]

After hearing Phaedrine describe the heavy sweetness of this one and reading some of the reviews, I knew Kali was not a scent I'd ever order. But it came as a freebie in my last order so I tested a tiny dab of it just in case my preconceived notions proved wrong...

 

Nope! I was right.

 

VERY sweet, very floral, and very much not my idea of what I want to smell like. Thanks Lab, but off to swap with Kali.

[Ailgwyn]

Ahhh, Kali. I wanted so much to like you.

 

And I did, just...not in the way I wanted to. What a complex scent in the bottle, deep and heady and floral. The wine and honey seemed most prevalent to me, with the chocolate an undertone in the background.

On me, however, it was pure red wine/honey. EXTREMELY heady, dizzying, even-- I felt like I did the time my mother and I made wassail (and she added extra wine when it was done simmering, so it was alcoholic) and I drank three glasses of it. It was. So. Bloody. Sweet. Nice, but SWEET. Too much like wassail for my peace of mind (or stomach-- made me slightly queasy).

 

No Kali for me.

Happily, I traded her to someone who will appreciate her.

[The Ace of Spades]

Quite nice, much nicer than I expected from so much in the way of floral notes. It is rich and soothing and yet has a sharp tang just at the edges. I like this one a great deal. The scent is quite strong in the vial but much less so on drydown. I wish it didn't fade on me so quickly, though -- both applications lasted only about 2 hours each!

[malati]

When wet this was briefly very dark chocolate surrounded by pipe tobacco until balsam pushed its way to the front.

 

During dry down it became very sweet and juicy with the earlier notes disappearing to leaving a scent that was the exact replica of bordello. It must be the wine note that they have in common.

 

The wine faded to be replaced by honey which became muskier as the day wore on. Although I could detect florals and a hint of balsam deep in the background this was overwhelmingly honey and musk, a sexual rather than sensual blend.

[sheelanagig]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet, as Kali is officially my all-time-favorite BPAL. (I have a 10 mL on order)

This is such a complex blend that it's really quite difficult for me to pick out any individual notes. What I smell most strongly is the wine, honey, and lotus. If I give the imp a good rolling, I can smell the rich chocolate, but only if.

Overall, Kali is a very sweet, comforting scent on me.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

I was gifted with an imp of this by SuperVillainess.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I've been putting off truly testing Kali because it sounds so intimidating with its long, long list of notes, but I think I'm ready to really sit down with it and really test it now. What I remember from my cursory test of it when I got it is that it smelled very similar to Dia De Los Muertos, so I'm hoping that it's the same now because I love Dia.

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, yes, it still smells similar to Dia De Los Muertos! The chocolate is darker and there's less of the moist pipe tobacco vibe, but the two are quite similar. I smell the foody notes first and foremost - the chocolate, red wine and honey - followed by tobacco and a hint of balsam and some sort of floral notes.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Dark, dark chocolate like in Centzon Totochtin, wine and honey. Kali is bizarrely light on me, almost disappearing as soon as I put it on, but it's lovely. As it sets, the tobacco (a note I adore) begins creeping out and mingling with the chocolate, making it richer and deeper. The florals are also starting to bloom in earnest now, lightening Kali at the same time that the tobacco is deepening it. Kali feels (and smells) like a fight to me at this stage, with the light notes fighting the dark notes and neither one gaining any serious ground because of the other. Very unusual.

 

Dry down:

 

Suddenly Kali is all flowers on me and, honestly, I don't like it anymore. Flowers aren't my thing (at all) and Kali has turned into an absolute riot of blooms with just a hint of the chocolate and wine I smelled when it was wet. I really wanted to love Kali, especially since I love Dia De Los Meurtos so much, but it's just not working on me.

 

The bottom line:

 

Kali was lovely until it dried and then it was pure, screaming loud florals without more than a hint of the darkness and richness I loved in the bottle. It appears my treacherous body chemistry has struck again.

[ashtonrose]

I ordered this and then was unsure because it has cassia in it. I am feeling very happy today. The cassia doesn't come through on me. I smell dark chocolate. Like a chocolate liquor. I am pretty sure that is the red wine coming through. This scent is definitely going to be a hit for Valentine's Day. I will not only taste the magnificent chocolates that day, but I can smell like them too.

[luxuria]

In the bottle: boozy chocolate roses.

 

On my skin: very fancy smelling rose with a hint of the red wine. Only a hint. If I inhale very deeply I catch a whiff a very faint whiff of honey, but other than that this is little more than a pleasant, sophisticated rose perfume. I will have to try layering this with Bliss and will report back with results.

 

I really wish I smelled more of the non-floral notes as they meshed in a peculiar, but very good smelling, way in the bottle.

 

I have to add that this is one of the more "perfume-y" smelling BPALs, not headshop-y in the least. And that's a good thing imo, just shows what wonderful variety the lab has.

 

I think this is my favorite rose blend, even though it doesn't have as much complexity as I would like. The rose scents I try keep getting better and better, so it seems that with every new one I review, it's my new favorite.

[thespring]

Hmmmm, too rich for my liking.

 

I dont really get the wine or chocolate notes that lots of people have been getting . I get honey, mixture of rich floarls and sometimes balsam. It starts very golden and bright, very nice but the drydown is too perfumey and sweet floral for me. Wish I could get more chocolate and wine...

[Gin]

Mmmmm... Kali. At first, I smell a fruity-floral high above the dark chocolate, but then the chocolate seems to disappear, leaving a wonderful sweet floral-honey. This is a very "full" scent--multidimensional and comforting (I think the "comforting" part may be the chocolate lingering but indescernible to my nose). Kali makes me feel happy. Seratonin anyone?

[sun_set_bravely]

In the bottle: strongly alcoholic; the red wine is super-strong. As I pull it away from my nose, I smell a hint of sweetness. Stings my nose a little bit.

 

Wet, on skin: Rich, very complex. Full-bodied; the different notes swirl together to create quite a mix. Smells like luxurious silks and velvets draped from the ceilings of a smoky room.

 

1.5 Hours on skin: Oh geez, I just realized that this smells a little like Estee Lauder's "Beautiful." I hadn't smelled that before, but then I noticed someone reference it on the forums, and now that I have that in mind, I see how it is similar. Luckily, it doesn't trigger weird ex-boyfriend memories for me. It's more complex than "Beautiful," and I still like it.

 

Drydown: Chocolately goodness. Light, but good. It's faded quite a bit now, but it's still subtly present.

 

Conclusion: This scent smells so sophisticated on me. I'd be glad to have this as my signature fragrance.

[sarahjay]

there's something in this I'm not quite sure about - maybe the tulip or lotus. all the other notes are things I like a lot...... but something is jarring.

 

I'll keep trying it & see if it grows on me.

[Witch's Dagger]

Kali

 

I ordered an imp of this from the lab.

 

Preconceived notions: such complexity, and they are all notes I think I’d like! Plus, I remember diabolique going gaga over it, and we seem to have similar tastes.

 

In the vial: I get the red wine first - it’s somehow both a sweet and dry red wine, perhaps because of some of the other ingredients. It’s definitely chaotic and complex - I can’t wait to see what it does on my skin.

 

On me: Ooh! Wine, tea, and chocolate. I’d never expect to actually be able to distinguish these three in a scent, let alone imagine that they’d smell good together. And yes, there are some sweet blossoms hovering overhead. I’m not getting the cassia or balsam, but surely, that’s honey that’s sweetening the brew. Oddly, I’m not getting any rose in this at all.

 

In a few minutes: Still lovely. The chocolate adds a lovely, warm grounding to an otherwise overly cheery scent (not something I’d think of for Kali), giving it a darkness and sinister quality. It and the wine are the dominant notes on me, though I do smell the florals, which tend to make it somewhat heady and vaguely uncomfortable. Interestingly, my left wrist has sharper florals and a sweeter wine, while my right wrist has a stronger, deeper cocoa, anchoring a very dark red wine. I am also starting to notice the spice of cassia, and, on my left wrist, a wafting of rose.

 

In 15 minutes: This is a lot brighter than I was hoping for. I tend to like really dark, deep scents or soft and sensual scents. It’s not bad, just - really bright. But, the left wrist does soften somewhat, and spice comes up on the right, so maybe the bright phase is a short one. I do hope so.

 

Later: Ah, there we go. Deepening. Darkening. Softening. It is lovely at this stage. I’m so glad I didn’t give up at the bright part.

 

Overall: This was a beautiful, dark, and complex scent as I was hoping for, but a little brighter than I might like. I will keep the imp, but I prefer Blood Rose and Centzon Totochtin for my red wine scents.

[Rhian]

Kali was a surprise on me. First time I tried it, the wine overpowered me and left me feeling nauseous, but I gave it a second chance, and I'm so glad I did! First off, Kali was strong honeyed wine with a whiff of dry cocoa. It mellows out into a fruity, honeyed floral that's full-bodied, but surprisingly light! The wine stays mostly in the background, and there's an occasional waft of smoke that must be the tobacco.

 

Oddly enough, the bit of Kali I smudged on my sternum is completely different to that on my wrists. It's very red, almost sharp, like berries, with a bit of honey underneath to soften it.

 

Okay, this is really gorgeous. Heady, but light, and with good staying power! I might have to have a bigger bottle at some point in the future.

[inkstone]

In the imp: Sweet honey with florals and wine mingling in the background.

 

Wet: Musty balsam with some chocolate and tobacco. The florals are still in the background, but the balsam and chocolate is trumping every other note.

 

Drydown: Roses mingling with tobacco over a background of balsam.

 

Final thoughts: I wish the wine would come out a bit more. I'm not a big fan of the way the rose note mixes with the wood note on my skin. It smells oily and musty on me. It's not very me, I'm afraid.

[requieminblack]

When I first got this one I took a sniff from the imp and thought it smelled like dirty socks. Knowing it was just my nose being weird, I put it a side to review it another day. Today I picked it up and decided to give it another go.

 

First sniff from the bottle- Ok, this time it smells totally different. First whiff from the imp smelled of musky wine.

 

After 10 minutes- The wine has sweetened (or is that lotus I smell?) and the spices are coming out to play. Ooh, now I smell chocolate! Ok, we're getting chocolate/lotus/wine/spice. This smells similar to black lotus come to think of it.

 

After 30 minutes- The lotus has become dominate and all I smell now is bubblegum/rose. Well, damn. I was hoping the chocolate and spices in this would have been more detectable. I guess my skin loves lotus because it soaks it up like no tomorrow and overpowers everything else.

 

Summery- My skin chemistry does not work with Kali.

[leapylees]

This is a really interesting scent.

 

In the vial and on, wet: Alocoholic melted chocolate!!! Yum

 

A few minutes later: this has turned quite smoky. Hmmm

 

Another few minutes later: This went quite fruity and stayed that way untill it faded. The scent lasted a long time and my boyfriend liked it because he said it smelt like the pear and chocolate pudding his mother used to make.

 

I bought a 5ml of this unsniffed and I'm really pleased - a gamble that definitely paid off. I like Kali a lot.

[phoefromelsewhere]

In the bottle: chocolate, flowers and booze.

 

Wet: rose. Everything else is running and hiding. Rose and lotus. I know my skin loves these two, hope it broadens out tho.

 

Drydown: As far as bpal roses go, this one settles in rather nicely. The lotus cuts out and doesn’t go all horrid and and sweet. Nothing else has come up yet but I may have to keep it simply because I’ve found a rose I can wear.

 

Finaly: Other notes did decide to make cameos. It’s actually quite complex once the rose chills out a bit. I’m going to keep this and wear it on the days I wanna feel feminine.

[misfitroxy]

In the bottle, I smelled a kind of honeyed rum sweetness that I wasn't expecting (from other reviews, I figured it would be more musky, or potentially smoky). On my skin, the rose musk is what catches me over and over. Each time I pass my wrist by my face, I get the image of a dark bouquet (the addition of the tulip and lotus makes the blend of florals complex and rich by my estimation). The sweetness remains but compliments the floral instead of causing it to become too heady.

 

It's definitely a "woman's" scent. Very adult and sensual. But sweet enough to not be overly harsh. It remains inviting and approachable, yet with a warning that the wearer is not one to mess with.

 

I can't personally see myself wearing it excessively often, as it's a deeper floral than the kind of tend to favor. But maybe for special events in the future. Or times when I'm feeling particularly powerful and seductive.