Tavern of Hell

[Severuslovesme]

White gardenia, ambergris bouquet, lavender fougere, orange blossom, melissa, tobacco flower, coriander, ebony wood, ylang ylang, absinthe and aged whiskey.

In the bottle I smell gardenia and the sickly sweet of absinthe. But right as I apply this all I get is wood and tobacco flower; it's incredibly dry and strong. As it dries down it gets more floral and much fainter, so much that I have to put my nose right up at my wrist to smell anything. As time passes I get hints of lavender and orange blossom but it's still very faint, sadly.

[MaidenGenevive]

Tavern of Hell

 

First impression in vial is "Yuck!" I hesitate to put it on, but do so anyway. Wet on skin, still yuck. It certainly smells aged, like maybe a bitter expired fruit. I resist the strong urge to wash it off. Dry, it's transforming. The booze notes are strong, like some actually splashed on me. Mixed with the booze are florals. This is interesting. I feel like I'm wearing florals while sitting in a dirty bar. There's the warmth of wood, and a bit of a citrus tang. The booze notes have taken to the background by now, but are still present. It's slowly becoming more pleasant. It's actually starting to remind me of baby powder. Weird. I think it's time to wash it off now.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

1 / 2 : It became less vile to me as it wore, but it still wasn't my idea of nice.

[ClareN]

I wanted to like this and I think I almost could've liked it, but unfortunately I got one of those infamous decapitated imps. The lid cracked slightly and it started leaking after the first time I opened it to sniff, so I put it in a small Ziploc bag, but it then leaked all over the inside of the Ziploc bag, which was sitting near my keyboard, and for a few days I could smell it quite strongly even through the plastic bag whenever I was at my computer. That may be the only reason I don't care for this scent, because it's the kind of thing I usually like. I'd describe it as a tart, warm, spicy scent; the gardenia is not too prominent, and there's a cherry tobacco note like in my bottle of Samhain. This might not be accurate because the smell may have been too overwhelming for me to discern notes.

 

Finally I decided to put some on, and I wiped some of the oil from the plastic bag and the label onto my wrists. Bad idea: I think the oil had started to interact with the plastic bag or the label or something, because I got an odd burnt smell and something unpleasantly bitter and green like dandelion milk. I managed to wash most of it off, and the lingering smell afterwards was not so bad - warm and spicy like an old-fashioned perfume. I really think I might have liked Tavern of Hell if we had met under different circumstances. I will definitely try it again if another imp comes my way.

 

So this is not really a review so much as a warning: Buy decanting supplies so you can rescue decapitated imps if you ever receive one in a swap (fresh from the lab imps don't seem to have this problem any more).

[daiconharuko]

I really thought this was going to be a boozy scent, but it's very very floral. A bit too floral. It smells like a damp decaying floral arrangement to me. Not for me at all.

[greymatter]

Even though this is Not My Scent in a big way, I still love it. Yes, it smells like decaying flowers going to compost in a pile with yesterday's fruit droppings BUT . . . let me tell you a story...

 

My brother, one of the goofiest human beings on the planet, decided that this scent would be perfect for his costume this year. And it was - oh, how it was. What was he, you ask? One cannot be told - one must be shown!

 

 

Does he not look like the bar wench in Hell's tavern? I ask you: How can I not love it now?

Edited November 1, 2007 by greymatter

[nightchild80]

In the Imp (wet): Ylang ylang. The sharp whiskey. That's all I get.

 

On facial cotton (dry): The gardenia is subtle and is carried through by the wood and whiskey. Not my scent at all.

 

On me: Why does the ylang ylang have to be so strong? It's overpowered everything and I can barely make out the orange blossom and whiskey. The gardenia finally makes an appearance after 5-10 minutes, but it's already put me off with its tardiness.

[scarletgenesis]

I find that I like making my initial notes of a scent (at least in the bottle and wet once applied) before rechecking the BPAL description. That way, I'm not predisposed to smelling certain scents and can kind of let my nose do the detecting. Also, since I'm new at this, I like trying to figure out what I'm actually smelling to better train myself. Anyway...

 

 

Got this as part of my imp order received yesterday.

 

In bottle - rum or some kind of sweet scotch. A slightly musky floral...

 

Wet, once applied to skin - Still a lovely booze smell, jasmine or some other similar smelling flower, something a bit resin-y

 

Dry - now in addition to the booze and the floral (which is thankfully fading), I'm getting maybe some tobacco and a bid of a woody smell.

 

So far, so good. I'm assuming the jasmine I thought I smelled was the gardenia and ylang ylang. I am not a huge fan of overwhelming florals so I'm glad it's taking backstage to the whiskey, tobacco, and wood on my skin. I really like this so far and look forward to seeing how it fares throughout the day.

 

Edited to add: I also found a locket that I'd purchased in Ireland a few years ago. It is very small and only about big enough for a skittle to fit inside. There is a tiny celtic knot in the front with openings into the heart of the locket. Until now, I wore it b/c it was pretty, but not knowing what to put inside. Well now I know!!! I put a small piece of cotton with a few drops of this scent yesterday morning. The scent is still there today! So now I'm on the lookout for some scent lockets to add to my new addiction.

 

The scent lasted a long time and was still very nice the next day in the locket.

Edited December 30, 2007 by scarletgenesis

[Shollin]

First sniff: Well, that’s interesting, it’s… hmmm. Boozey red. Loud. Bright. Crowded. Not the kind of place I’d want to hang out.

 

Wearing: I can’t even focus properly on this; it’s just giving me images of a too-loud bar with too much neon and waaay too many people jammed into one room. Frenzied delirium, indeed.

[sadtomato]

i got this one as a free sample and yesterday figured, what the hell, i'll give this a shot and wear it.

 

when i opened the imp i was a little scared 'cause all i smelled was the woodsyness, the absinthe and the whiskey and i thought i'd smell likei had a rough night all day.

 

but once i put it on and it dried...oh my! i'm loving this one. all the florals came out with the woodsy, absinthey backdrop and it was just a delicious concoction that had be sniffing myself all day long!

 

this is definitely on my list of scents i want a big bottle of!

[djsiberia]

this smells like some sort of cleaning product, cheap men's cologne from the goth bar a few cities over.

 

will pass on this

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Floral, but also quite musky/smoky. I can smell the fougere and gardenia most strongly.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a very complex scent with a lot of different notes going on. The gardenia is strong and I get a hint of the coriander. It seems to be a strong white floral fragrance with a bit of cologne and herbs, but it has a very sharp feel to it.

 

After a little while: This has settled into a deeper floral fragrance with a honeyed feel and a touch of the fougere and some herbal and earthy undertones. I think it’s the tobacco flower and ebony that are giving it an almost musky or earthy floral feel. I don’t know if there’s any lurking, but I almost smell osmanthus in this, adding a fruity floral note. It is probably the orange blossom (a fruity floral on me). It’s very complex though… there’s a lot going on here.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent was a lot sharper at first. I know I use that a lot in my reviews and I guess what I mean is that I can feel the scent in my nose, and it’s almost a “high” note, or dominated by notes like that. That was how this one started, but it settled down rather quickly. It’s very complex with a bit of a floral tone, but also a unisex feel from the fougere and wood and an earthy muskiness. I really think this could smell great on a man or a woman.

[homunculus]

On my skin this begins very dark, slightly bitter, musky - then it warms up and rounds out into an almost fruity spiciness, still with the darker smokiness underneath and a beautiful floral element in there somewhere too. It's very difficult to describe but the final effect is lovely, and pretty strong on my skin (which makes a welcome change). Sophisticated and delicious!

 

Edit a year and a half later:

I just had to come back and add that this has turned out to be my favourite BPAL after flirting with a fair few. Reading the other reviews here, it obviously doesn't suit everyone, but it seems to remain in perfect balance on my skin, with all the different elements swirling together to create something a bit dark and different. When I'm wearing it I feel like a more sophisticated and dangerous version of myself - and there's a lot to be said for that!

So after all my experimenting this is going to be my first large bottle.

Edited November 8, 2009 by homunculus

[faded_stranger]

I'm not generally a fan of florals, but I'm always willing to make an exception for gardenia. That said, I adore this. Since I only buy myself one bottle of BPAL oil a year, I almost always stick with limited edition scents. This is the first one in a long time that's tempted me into putting a general collection scent on the list.

 

Unsurprisingly, then, on me this one is primarily gardenia. Looking over the description of a dark, smoky tavern full of hellbound partiers makes me raise an eyebrow, because to me this is a startlingly fresh, innocent scent. The gardenia is backed by ylang ylang and tobacco flower, and a certain woodiness that must be the ebony. I never get any absinthe or whiskey, but that's okay, because they wouldn't really go with the summer meadow vibe I'm feeling. As it dries, the lavender comes out and gives this a more herbal feeling. I was shocked to scroll up and see that this scent seemed masculine to some people, because on me it's incredibly feminine--much more so than I usually prefer.

 

I am quite in love.

[Acedia]

This is the most amazing scent I've sniffed yet, in terms of its transformative powers.

 

In the imp and wet: well...it smelled kind of gross, actually. Just like a tavern -- tobacco smoke, alcohol, sweat, and grime. I was extremely leery of it at first and thankful that I got it only as a frimp.

 

After a few minutes: it sort of realigned itself so that the stale tobacco smell was now the refined scent of pipesmoke, and the sweaty unwashed masses were replaced by stolid professors and historians. I remarked to myself that this would smell wonderful on a serious man.

 

Within 15 minutes: it smells completely different! Feminine, floral with a tang, very pretty.

 

There's a story that goes with this scent, of some poor barmaid forced to earn her keep in a dank and dirty tavern, until she escapes with a caravan of scholars and spends the rest of her days in cultivated gardens.

 

ETA (almost a year later ): Maybe the imp has aged, but when I try this now, I get the same morphing pattern; however, the floral stage is now extremely cloying (thick gardenias). And there's now a further stage, where the gardenia is taken over by a dusting of smoke. Not cigarette smoke, per se, but distant smoke.

 

I use this on my friends as their introduction to BPAL's mad morphing technology, because nothing else changes so drastically from stage to stage, in my experience.

Edited February 21, 2009 by Acedia

[CrazyPretzel]

This is exquisite stuff! My experience with gardenia is pretty hit & miss (had to swap away Swan Maiden as it was too funereal) but the gardenia in Tavern of Hell is gorgeous, soft and expansive and insinuating. The notes seem perfectly blended to create a creamy, seductive floral with just a bit of a bite. Woods come out to play after 15 minutes or so but are not dominant, just very smooth and dark. I don't get a strong boozy feel from this at all, which is what I was expecting. Very happy with this one!

[DarkClarissa]

In Imp: Strong sharp smell but warm too.

 

Wet: Not exactly citrus, but perhaps bergamot?

 

Dry: Orange blossom is predominent but is well blended with the other notes to make a heady and exotic fragrance.

 

Verdict: I absolutely love the heavy floral with the touch of citrus. The corriander and ebony wood (I think) give this an amazing grounded undercurrent of darkness. Adore it!

 

Marks out of 10: 10

[savage_rose]

This blend is CRAY-ZEH at first. Yes, crazy pronounced just like that...mostly it screams ambergris. It smells SO cologney on me, like this craggy old barmaid with a smoker's growl wearing a really low-cut dress, and she won't stop talking to you and cackling, and you just want to get away.

 

Then it kind of calms down into a cologne with a perfectly acceptable throw. But something in this is still smelling kinda like cheap barmaid to me. Perhaps the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but the Tavern of Hell is stocked with cheap barmaids? I'll have to try this again later, maybe it will improve with time.

[steffanina]

Tavern In Hell-

 

In Bottle: Ooh, a very nasty urine-scented floral just leapt out of this and waved its way around my nose. On second sniff it's still there.

 

Wet: Now it's just sharp florals. Not noxious but not particularly pretty. There is no booze. I know boozy scents and there is no booze.

 

Dry: Oddly this one tames down pretty quickly! There is a sweet floral under all that nastiness. That's gardenia, isn't it? I probably wouldn't have named it if I hadn't known, but, yes, I'm sure that's gardenia. It is not really pretty, more soapy, but clean-smelling and not at all bad. If I knew someone who liked florals a lot I'd tell them to give this a go, because once one's past the wet stage it gets prettier. But I am not one for florals, so it's not for me.

 

Overall: Fragrant on dry-down but not in the way I prefer.

[donnatron]

Imp: Men's cologne, tobacco and whiskey.

 

Wet: It sweetens up into a gorgeous floral touched with a honey or molasses sweetness. I can't really distinguish a lot of the notes from one another.

 

Dry: Lovely. There is a warm woodsiness to it (the whiskey?) and the florals have blended to created this intense, warm sweet scent. The ambergris bouquet really grounds the scent overall and the ylang ylang perfectly blends into the overarching sweetness of this scent. It smells like sitting by a fire by yourself in a log cabin. Beautiful.

 

Throw: Good.

 

Overall: I wasn't sure what to expect with this one--I tried it mainly because it had a ton of notes and the name tickled my fancy. It's really beautiful--I'd definitely considering getting a bottle now and aging it up for the fall months.

[Coldfire]

Trying my hand once again on a review:

 

Here goes. Got this as a frimp in my very first order.

 

Imp: Sharp and overly floral. Very overwhelming. very loud.

 

On skin wet: Still sharp and floral but morphing ever so slightly for me. Not catching any single note perse, but more like it's cacophony of scent noise. I wish I could single out the gardenia as it is one of my favorite flowers.

 

Drydown: This reminds me of an old cologne/perfume from long ago...either Chantilly Lace or Shalimar. Totally something that now when I smell it gives me this 50's June Cleaver Mom vibe. Only a wee more hep and jazzish. Dirty Martini's waiting for Ward's return from work and then cocktails with neighbors. I'm picturing nipped in waists and full skirts and hair permed just so. Very sweet and floral.

 

Couple of hours in......powder. Perfumed powder, heading to baby powder.

 

It doesn't suck, but it's not for me. I like cleaner, more herbal, woodsy, citrusy, scents. I'm thinking this will go in as a goodie once I start trading. I would rather it go to someone who will LURVE it!

Edited April 24, 2008 by Coldfire

[FandF]

the lavender keeps the floral kind of herby wet. Coriander and orange blossom are strong to me…it does not have a harsh gardenia note or a cloying fakey gardenia note which is surprising. Quite strong. Interesting deep herby, tinge soapy - should be room spray in a garden shop.

[forspecial_plate]

I love the wet-stage of this....almost tart, floral, but complex. As it dries, it starts to turn on me, sadly. I think I smell champaca, because there's a bit of faint banana in there (which that note seems to always do to me).

 

This reminds me of Ile De La Tortue, but I like that scent a lot more. Tavern Of Hell is sweeter, almost cloying. And as it dries, it becomes more.....gritty or something. Something is just not working for me here. If I'd never smelled Ile De La Tortue, I might really like this. It's not terrible, but I prefer Ile when it comes down to it.

[inurbanus]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, because of the diversity of the notes, but let me say: THIS IS GORGEOUS. I can clearly smell the gardenia, but it's enhanced by a deep, fruity scent. The color this one evokes in my mind is deep purple, which puts it in the company of Bordello and Shadow Witch Orchid. It's sensual, but in a sophisticated, luxuriant kind of way.

 

4/5

[greenranger]

It started off as a floral scent. Not an innocent walk-in-the-meadow flower scent, but more the kind of floral that a woman who worked or danced in a tavern of hell might wear: A Complex, and heavily ornamented distraction from the fact that she's been around the block more than a few times and may or may not be enjoying herself or your company.

 

After about an hour and a half it is merely the faint residue of whisky and tobacco. The party is over, but, the wooden bar hasn't been cleaned yet.

 

I actually don't mind the drydown. Wood and whisky and tobacco are usually fairly appealing to me, scent wise. I'm not certain why it isn't grabbing me, except that perhaps I am comparing it to Perversion, and I like that one much better. Plus Perversion doesn't start with the florals. There are florals that I like...there just aren't very many of them that I'd wear.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

This is quite herbal in the bottle.

 

On Application

Initially lavender and melissa. Soon after, I can pick the Ylang Ylang. Becomes very floral in the initial stages of the drydown.

 

Dry Down

This is a very complex scent. I am so glad this has got the tobacco and woods to hold back the florals. It becomes quite nice about 20 minutes in but is reminding me of air freshener. It's such a shame that this doesn't work on me. I was really intrigued by the notes.

Rating (0-5)

1