Kali

[diabolique]

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.

i can't really smell any of the individual notes the strongest, but i'm definitely not smelling the chocolate in this one. the most prevalent scents are the honey, himalayan wild tulip (at least i think that's what i'm smelling), hibiscus, and musk rose. the musk rose is very slight, but it's still there.


i am in total love with this scent. i think this may have to become my signature "perfume." i have never smelled perfection like this before. it's smooth and mmmmm.

thank you, lab! -frolics hand in hand with kali-

[Witch Baby]

 

First Sniff: Mmmmm, this is so yummy and complex! At first it's a little on the musky side, but then after a few seconds it sweetens into this fruity fun scent.

 

Wet: Ooooh, the chocolate is really coming out on my skin. Along with the tabacco too, which isn't what I was hoping for.

 

Drydown:Hmm, I'm a little dissapointed now. All I can really smell is the tabacco, which isn't what I want to smell like (especially since I still live at home with my Mom. ) It's nice I suppose, but not for me.

 

 

Up for swaps!

[LiberAmoris]

Like the goddess, Kali goes on fierce, with many well-blended notes throbbing for attention—and then it suddenly softens and turns into a tempered floral that seems to rise off the skin.

 

I was reminded of Kali’s four arms: one which holds aloft a bloody sword, one that grips a severed head, one bent in posture of fearlessness, and the last which proffers a warm and welcoming motherly grace. On my skin, the oil goes through much the same cycle. It is first a warrior and destroyer of ignorance with the flood of scents that appear after application. Most prominent to me at this stage was the cassia, lotus, chocolate, balsam, and honey (in that order). Then it shifts and becomes a hazy glowing scent that seems to envelop me with its protection and favor. At this stage I smell the honey, chocolate, rose, and cassis most strongly.

 

Kali has garnered compliments from unexpected quarters: a total stranger on the train, my boyfriend (who usually thinks that everything I wear smells like a ‘spicy cookie’ WTF?!), and a scent-oblivious ex-coworker who has been known to drink milk way past the expiry date. Not sure about the last one, perhaps that should cancel out one of the other compliments?

 

Regardless, Kali is beautiful. I’ve already ordered a bottle so I can go through the destruction/creation cycle at my leisure.

[Splendid Molerat]

Kali is the only fragrance to date that my husband has noticed on walking into the room, as in "Something smells sweet!"

 

This blend is mostly roses and chocolate on my skin, and the wear is very robust and balanced.

 

I had some initial misgivings about Kali, as some of the top notes reminded me of YSL's Paris. In a short span of time, Paris became obnoxious and cloying, and it was only liked by my then-boyfriend -- who coincidentally was also obnoxious and cloying.

 

The background notes of chocolate and tobacco make for a stately and dignified composition. I like.

[Miggins]

Kali is a complete oddball! The first time I wore it, I got a strong hit of chocolate and red wine. As it dried down, it went through each note in turn: floral (which was really overpowering), balsam (which smelt like cherry Tunes), then honey which was totally yummy. Kali finally dried down to a chocolatey/red wine/tobacco smell, but with a nice sunny feel to it - like sitting in a wine bar on a Saturday afternoon on an August day, sipping coffee and watching the world go by (I have a place in mind and Kali is the embodiment of it).

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Whoa! I simply can't believe what Kali did--she so perfectly lived up to her name for me, but in the most unexpected way possible.

 

I put some on--and it went DARK, DARK CHOCOLATE! Loudly, like that. A big wave of hot powerful darkness. I was a little scared.

 

But then--the chocolate faded entirely, and do you know what I got? White Linen. Yep, that's right. The very complicated, sophisticated floral Estee Lauder perfume that is my mom's signature scent. I've asked people to help match it in BPAL, and they suggested Veil, but on the drydown--Kali is it. I got a little misty-eyed, b/c that scent is such a strong association for me.

 

So Kali came on dark and strong, and then turned into...my mother. Wasn't there a thread somewhere that someone else had a poweful mother-association with Kali? But her description sounded very different than what it did on me.

 

Er...this almost belongs in Walking the Old Paths instead of reviews. I love Kali but am slightly weirded out. She moves in mysterious ways.

[Lady Ravenglass]

At first Kali is very sweet, but it dries to a very 'perfume-y' scent, floral and sweet, with that hint of wine and berries that Bordello carries, and the honey certainly comes through - an hour or two after applying the first dabs, there's honey wafting round me. It smells 'grown-up' on me, though not middle-aged (what I get from Blood Lotus) which is nice, as lately I've been having a few inner grumbles about feeling constantly like a scruffy student in the office; just sometimes I'd like to look like I didn't grab my clothes from the ironing pile by way of a charity shop (except that I *love* charity shops!). This compliments today's garnets and Victoriana outfit very well, and I actually feel 23 for once. It's a very 'red' scent.

 

I do like this a lot and though I'll have to try it some more, I think this might be a bigger bottle scent.

[lumay]

After reading the reveiws of smelling like a hot, sexy night out, I could not wait to try Kali. In the bottle: sticky, overly sweet honey hit me. On my skin: too much of the honey remained, and not enough of the "darker" notes came forth to balance. It was quite nice on my skin, but I want something heavier and darker.

[ChupaChup]

Sometimes I think my nose is broken. I was really hoping for the chocolate, tobacco and honey notes in Kali but all I got was a lot of wine and a little bit of the florals. It faded really quickly, too. I'm jealous of the others who had such a great experience with it

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: tobacco and chocolate

 

Wet: ooh, lovely! This is like a mix of pipe tobacco soaked in rum, and cherries, with a hint of dark chocolate - or liquor-filled cherry chocolates and cigars

 

Dry: less than an hour later, and this has faded away to virtually nothing, just a vague "perfumey" echo on my wrists. Stupid skin sucking up all the lovely Kali smells!

 

Verdict: I really want to bathe in this scent, it's divine, but it's so short-lived. A tragedy in an imp!

 

ETA: On subsequent applications, Kali has lasted a lot longer - not sure what happened first time around. Now it would have to be one of my favourite scents (despite my dh admitting that it reminds him of his granddad - it's the tobacco, apparently!) and I'm planning to get a full bottle as soon as possible.

Edited October 31, 2004 by octopusgrrl

[Izabel]

Kali - first off - I HAD to get some. I agree with hypotherma that just the name made me scream.. I HAVE to HAVE THIS!

 

First sniff - oh no... what is that? a sweet alcohol of some kind. Honeywine maybe. I can't wear this! So I let my husband sniff this. His first reaction, "wait, bring it back. hm. honey. and something dark. nice. Put it on." Of course I was going to anyway, but with him saying that I KNEW I'd be putting it on right then.

 

Wet - the chocolate comes through, with the flowers behind it, like they are in a vase with honeywine instead of water. This really works on my skin (and my husband, unlike O which made both of us sick to our stomachs because it was too sweet on my skin.)

 

Dry - the tobacco comes through a few minutes later and lends a nice grounding element to all the honey/flowers. All I can say is this really works for me. A full bodied, sexual smell that surrounds me like a beautiful and expensive stole. Not a cloak that covers, but a draping mahogany or burgandy velvet stole for a night at a dark crowded jazz club and naughty sex.

 

THX Smartybunny!!! Another to add to my "must-have list".

Edited October 9, 2004 by Izabel

[Lucretia]

At first I can't quite decide if I like this one or not, but once it starts drying down I can pretty confidently say that I don't like it too much. I can smell the chocolate, but it is a really bitter dry chocolate on me, I also get some sort of scent reminiscent of hard liquer, maybe sherry. The flowers and tobacco are there too, but they do not get along together on me. Too bitter for me, and maybe I just don't like tobacco.

[OdetteOdile]

Definitely the gentler side of the Goddess.

This is a lovely scent - fruity, chocolaty, drying down to a very soft, fruity fragrance with a wine undertone.

It faded quickly on my skin, though, so next time I'll put a lot more on.

 

Bottle on order.

[Donnababe]

Kali

 

Normally red fruit and red wine notes sing on my skin so this and the possibility of wearing a chocolate floral made me buy an imp.

 

I sniff from the bottle - Just honeyed tobacco.

 

I apply to my wrist - More tobacco and honey. This time with a chocolate note but not a trace of wine or a floral

 

Throughout it's time on my skin (5+ hours) there is not one trace of wine here. Similarly, the floral element is barely detectable.

 

I may try it again with hope in finding the wine next time but as it stands Kali is not for me

[glampyre]

In the bottle, Kali smells of chocolate and red wine. A combination I'm very familiar with, I liked it right away.

 

On my skin, it's very light, bright, floral. My skin tends to save the deeper scents for itself, not sharing any with my nose.

 

If I hold my wrist right up to my nose I can smell the chocolate, but the lighter side of Kali prevails.

Edited October 15, 2004 by glampyre

[pekeana]

I love Kali -- in the vial, I smell a lot of the wine, chocolate, and just a hint of tobacco and floral.

 

On me, the scent lightens and deepens. There's a lot of floral, and the balsam comes up beneath it and keeps it grounded. The wine is also quite prominent, but the chocolate is just a tiny bit and it's not strong at all.

 

My friend Gwen loved this on me, and I love it, too.

[Azrhiaz]

In the vial: Oh, YES. Oh. My. Goodness. Honey and wine and a touch of the balsam. Could this be love?

 

Wet: The honey deepens, and the wine explodes. A floral comes out, and it seems to be the same sharp, deep-green one I smelled in Ouija, so I'm guessing it's the osmanthus.

 

Drydown: Now I can catch the tobacco, and the whole mix is just what I hoping it would be, exquisitely blended and reeking of sex.

 

Verdict: Big bottle, stat! Am so happy that, unlike my guess at Old Morocco, this one is for me. Something to wear for those "bad girl" moods. Mwowr.

[carolsag]

this is my favorite cool weather scent, it doesn't last that long on me ,but the ones il like usually don't last on me.

[tempete]

I've had different experiences with Kali (probably related to what time of the month I tried it). Sometimes, I get an almost artificially sweet fruity scent that lasts from application to drydown. Other times, this sweetness gives way to a smoky chocolate scent with hints of flowers and fruit. And the other version that I get is the initial sweetness slightly tempered with tobacco and chocolate that turns into the smoky chocolate scent. I love the chocolate phase so much that it has single-handedly catapulted Kali into my top ten despite my dislike of the sweet fruity phase.

[SoapyRN]

I will start to review in a format:

 

in the bottle: chocolate, smooth, not as heavy as Bliss.

on the skin, wet: Floral waves. I smell a rose and lotus, that very velvety floral scent, some chocolate still, ever so lightly

on the skin, dry: honey, floral notes mixed with a rich honey and herb.

final thoughts: Oh, this is really nice. I wore it to work, and after frequent handwashing...it was still on eight hours later, much lighter, but there.

 

This will be a big bottle.

 

ADDED Nov. 12:

 

I have been wearing this all day, and reapplied when I got home. In the bottle, a light, smooth cocoa. Then this floral comes into play as it drys. I am reminded of a baby. Sweet, soft and sorta smelling like its Mama after it is held in her arms for a bit.

 

I like this.

[pkwench]

Kali

 

Oh, Kali, bless me with your four arms of YUMMY. First whiff of Kali is a bitter almond. Once applied, there's a heady boozy scent wafting off it. Cocoa, flowers, maybe something minty. There's so many scents wafting and blending here that it's just heady and exotic. And then after 20 minutes it smells on me almost exactly like the cocoa peppermint tart from Yankee. The only difference is that twisty little pickup of floral notes. I don't know if there IS anything remotely minty in here, but it added for a lovely twist. I approve!

[teza]

eldritch is a darling. Knowing my fascination with all things Kali, she sent me an imp of the scent as part of a trio. Naturally, it was the first one I tried on.

 

I find this scent hard to tease apart. Everyone else mentions the choco aspect of Kali; during the dry-down, I thought I caught a whiff of it, but it ran and hid behind the rest of the scents that mingled so well together.

 

The note that comes out most strongly on my skin is the honey. I definatley did not expect that. It is sweeter than I would expect, lighter. The is a very subtle touch, as if the majority of it had evaporated off before getting to my nose if that makes any sense to those of you out there who cook with wine.

 

HOO! Nevermind about that chocolate. I just put my wrist close to my nose and got a good feel of it. It is a rich, honey chocolate, though.

 

This isn't Kali in her bad moods; this is a Kali who wears a necklace of flowers instead of heads.

[Caitfish]

Kali is such a complex scent, it's so deliciously difficult to define. How could anyone predict what this scent would really smell like?

 

Given that this scent has mostly florals as the first listed (though perhaps not primary) ingredients, I should have thought that this would be flowery. Somehow, though - I was surprised by it. I guess I just focused on the wine, honey and chocolate.

 

This is, honestly a heavenly blend. But such a blend! I'm still not certain that I've detected any notes except honey after wearing Kali several times! This is not to say that it's not a heavenly scent, it is - it's just a difficult one to pin down.

 

I suppose, ultimately, Kali is a strangely gourmand floral. When I wear Kali, I feel like the scent itself - strong, mysterious, sweet, and difficult to define.

[Scylla]

I received a mess o' imps from the Lab today and Kali was the first one I reached for. I have been dying to try it!

 

In the vial: Smells like honey and wine

 

Wet, on my skin: I am detecting no honey or wine--just chocolate and some bright yet understated florals. I can definitely smell the tulip.

 

On drydown: Honey and chocolate with florals in the background. I am in love with Kali! I am not a floral person--I usually go for more the gourmand or spicy scents, but I am really enjoying this! I would have to agree with other reviewers that this is a very difficult to describe scent. It smells nothing like what I was expecting--I guess I was expecting something very dark and sweet, but instead it was surprisingly light. Before trying it, I thought it might make a good fall or winter perfume, but instead I think I'll order a big bottle in the spring.

[VorpalBunny]

In the vial and when I first put it on, it's dark, sweet, intense, sexy, and wonderful. Unfortunately on me after it dries down it becomes very light and almost lemony (although still sweet) -- sort of a faint chocolate lemon.

 

It does smell so wonderful and fabulous in the vial that I am going to use the imp to scent my car and enjoy the scent there -- it has great staying power in my car at least.

Edited November 13, 2004 by VorpalBunny