Voodoo

[innocent]

A midnight scent, evoking images of flickering golden firelight reflecting off the sheen of glistening skin and the jerking shadows of bodies suffused with spiritual ecstasy. A deep, powerful, resonant blend of myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, lime, vanilla, pine, almond and clove.

Voodoo reminded me a lot of Snake Oil - both of them turned into dry, spicey smells on my skin (though in Voodoo's case accompanied by an unpleasant spike of vetiver). Just like I get no hint of vanilla in Snake Oil - I get not a trace of sweetness, lime, or pine with Voodoo. Nothing!

That being said... Voodoo was still an okay scent on my skin. The vetiver was pretty subtle (I could still catch it as an unpleasant undertone but my friend's couldn't) and I would say this is the first blend containing it that I wouldn't mind wearing. I tested it out of a friend's imp and I didn't like it enough to buy any for myself.

For some reason I get the feeling that I may like this scent better in the winter...

ETA: Lab description Edited July 15, 2008 by innocent

[suki]

in the imp: almond and vetiver

 

wet on skin: the vetiver is becoming stronger now.

 

dry down: the vanilla sweetens the bitter edge of the vetiver. the almond has all but disappeared. i get bare hints of the myrrh, but nothing more than fleeting.

 

in all: a nice earthy scent, good for a later summer or early autumn day when the sun is high and the leaves are crunchy.

 

 

 

[Iceblink]

Myrrh and vanilla are the prominent notes in Voodoo on me and I'm fine with that. There's a hint of almond and the merest idea of lime swirling around. I only got the vetiver in the imp and while the oil was wet. Oh, there comes a little pine...let's hope it behaves! This is really sexy!

[porcelina]

at first it is all bitter and almondy and bleh. as it dries and is absorbed by my skin, however, the scent that remains is a dark and sexy cola incense. that sounds slightly strange, but it is astonishingly good.

[anardana]

I knew I would love this one!! I like the hint of pine... this isn't cleaning-product pine- this is sexy pine! To me this is a gorgeous spicy vanilla patchouli blend.

[crebbsgirl]

I really wanted to like this one, but I am beginning to think cloves and I don't get along. It may be the almond combined with the patchouli, but this one was just too much. I'm normally one for the spicy, dark scents. I'm definitely not a foodie, and florals tend to get too cloying, but this... I'm just shaking my head. In the bottle it was beautiful and dark. Spicy and complex, everything I usually look for. On my skin, almost immediately the patchouli and clove rise to the surface and smack me in the face. I can faintly detect the almonds underneath but they're turning. Drydown isn't much different than wet on me. I'm sorry Voodoo, we just weren't meant to be!

[skepticism]

Wow, this blend was way too complex for my nose and body chemistry. I'm not a fan of spicy scents on my person, but I figured I would give this a try. On my skin it's a very strong clove and patchouli. There's another note that seems to be messing it all up for me, especially during the drydown. I think spicy notes + vanilla + lime are an automatic olfactory boycott (maybe it's just vanilla + lime in general). I'll stow this away and give it another try, but for now I have to give a thumbs down, sadly.

[taramarie]

On me, Voodoo is myrrh, patchouli, and almond. Unfortunately, the clove started to burn so this one is not for me.

[Allumina]

I wanted so badly to like this, and it was interesting, but ultimately it didn't work. I don't think I get along with myrrh- it smells too perfumed to my nose. It was interesting and complex (a little too complex for me, I think) herbal and dried down to vanilla. One of those "almost but not quite" scents on me.

[jrk1857]

This starts out for me like the world's stinkiest clove cigarette, smoked by someone wearing too much patchouli. About the time I got up to wash it off, it settled a bit, but this is definitely not working for me. My first BPAL failure.

[kjirstiben]

It's so interesting how many different takes there are on Voodoo--it's got to be an artifact of everyone's skin chemistry, how this scent behaves.

 

Voodoo is a morpher, that's for sure. The complex, almost (for a while) chaotic-seeming combination of notes makes for a confusing set of impressions--I think I took about twice as many notes while wearing this one as I have with most of the other scents I've tried.

 

Initially on, it went like this.

 

Hmmm. Woodsy. Oh. Is that... *checks list of descriptions* ...yeah, it's vetiver. (20 minutes later it was unmistakeably vetiver, all dark woodsiness and smoke on me...) but there's a sweetness overlaid, and some sharpness, too... that would be the vanilla and the lime. I even got a fleeting impression of "peanut butter" that seems to be as much as I get out of almond notes (we're talking a note that stuck around for maybe three seconds). And the clove comes out strongly, too, pairing up with the vetiver.

 

Four hours later, from a little ways away from my wrists, I can smell a complex mix of ingredients, sweet and spicy, tangy, and darkly woodsy... but if I sniff my wrist, it's all smoke and woods and vetiver.

 

After seven hours, vetiver releases its stranglehold on the scent and I start smelling the vanilla and pine coming forward shyly at first, then in more strength. At some point this afternoon, I found myself thinking, "What is this spicy goodness?" and it was a combination of pine needles, cloves, and vanilla that had all emerged from the thick dark blanket of the vetiver I'd smelled all morning long.

 

I like Voodoo--I'm going to have to try it on a couple more times, though, before I've got a real opinion about it. Since it's very dark and quite strong, it's probably not something I'll be reaching for every day, but I have the feeling it would be a great "special days" scent.

[voodoocatwoman]

Wet, Voodoo reminds me of coke syrup. After it dries down, it turns sultry and incense-ish. I love it.

[milica]

Smells like a kitchen of a witch on me, smoky/spicy with a touch of vanilla. It doesn't remind me of Snake Oil, it has a world of it's own. I love vetiver and pachouli in it, and that sweetnes that comes out after half an hour, not much, just a tiny bit only to make this scent less sharp and more perfumy. And I know a lot of guys that fell for it, so this witch very well knows what she's cooking.

 

Love it!!!

 

oh, and it ages perfectly. when it's fresh, it's too sharp and smokey, after a month or two it becomes perfect and later it only gets better. now after a year, it's perfect!!!

Edited December 8, 2008 by milica

[cordeliasbs]

Oh, my first bpal love! In the bottle this smells like cherry coke and Jack Daniels with a lime wedge. Seriously. But on the skin it becomes something wonderful and soft; almost insensy and powdery. The vetiver definately shows up quickly, and competes with the lime for the dominant note on me. This isn't too sweet or foody, and not dark or sharp like some other "sexy" scents. Just pleasant, not too sweet, not too woodsy.

[rayvn1]

Very resonant, powerful blend. This is what I was hoping for from Organ Grinder and what I expected Plunder to smell of to some extent. Sasparilla on my arm with a heavy, masculine blend of spices. Reminds me of Tom Waits' "Temptation" - heavy beats and slinky, exotic, sexy melody.

[underwaterlily]

A friend just sent me a bottle of Voodoo. This review is my first, and I'm not the best at picking out notes, but I feel compelled to review this scent!

 

In the bottle: The clove is incredibly strong. Voodoo definitely smells spicy and exotic. Since I love bold perfumes, I was psyched to try this one.

 

Wet on skin: HORRIBLE! I wanted to cry. This scent is strong, but it smelled so masculine on me. The clove began to smell like a crayon, and the patchouli became stronger. I could smell a slight vanilla undertone, but it still smelled so manly I had to wash it off.

 

About five minutes later, I noticed I smelled really good. The scent is so strong it lingered, even after I'd washed my wrists, and it smelled delicious. I applied a little more, but it didn't smell masculine at all this time. I think this scent (on me, at least) needs to be applied right after the shower, when the skin itself is wet or drying-down. The vanilla sweetens the smell when the skin is wet, leaving it spicy, smoky, and feminine (well, more like femme fatale).

 

Dry on skin: I love this scent. Vanilla and patchouli have taken over; it reminds me of a South American soap my mom used when I was little. (I would nag her to let me use one of the bars--she had a stash of the stuff--but she said it was too sexy for me). This scent is VERY bold, but it isn't an overpowering smell; it's enticing. The waxy overtones have turned into the smell of candles burning. I feel like this scent is strictly an Autumn fragrance; it reminds me of nighttime and Halloween, though it also smells a little dangerous. From time to time, it still smells a bit masculine, so I think I may try and mix this scent with something sweeter, but it's definitely a keeper!

 

 

 

 

[savage_rose]

First sniff, it's vetiver. Straight up vetiver. Once on it mellows a bit and I can smell the almond, which soon turns to almond powder on my skin. It's actually kind of nice, it makes the vetiver less severe...but I'm not a big fan of scents that powder out on me. Sigh.

[Reaver]

Wet-ish, this smells just like an almond bakewell. And I hate almond bakewells, but given the rest of the notes, I shall just keep my arm away from my face and wait until it dries. Almond is ONE of the notes and it's all I can get at the moment.

 

[Twenty minutes later...]

 

Nope, still gross.

Maybe this is what people smell with patchouli and vetiver when I usually get yummy love.

 

2/10 as it's not quite so bad as some I've given a 1, but I'm still gonna scrub this off. Yuck.

[asciident]

Wet: Sweet and musky.

 

First on: Vanilla and patchouli and vetiver.

 

Dry: Mostly just vetiver and lime now.

[sirensea]

In the imp: Ugh, pure vetiver. Not a fan of you at all, but I'll give you a try anyway.

 

On my skin: At first, it's still just vetiver. After a few minutes have passed, it dries into more of a vanilla and pine mixture. The more I sniff, the more I can catch whiffs of almond. Spicy in a dark way.

Edited April 9, 2009 by sirensea

[tapestry]

I hardly have experience with all the GC blends, but I've worked through a good number of them and think that Voodoo is one of the most complex scents available. My nose isn't incredible, but I'm okay when it comes to picking out notes... Except for with Voodoo.

 

To me, this initially smells rich and deep, reminiscent of Coca-Cola syrup or the flavored Cokes you can get at soda fountains. I know that it's some strange bastard combination of what Beth put into the perfume, but for the very life of me I can't pick individual notes out! Instead there's nothing but mental associations with Voodoo. It's a sex scent, something to put on when you want to seduce, to be in control, to be on top, to strut away sweaty but satisfied. How in heaven's name I manage to simultaneously think "Coca-Cola!" and "sex!", I have no idea.

 

There's something about these notes thrown together which causes magic to happen. I think in the imp and wet, Voodoo strikes me mostly with pine, myrrh, patchouli, lime and clove, with vanilla to sweeten it all. The almond does not smell remotely like almonds, but it's present and lurking, lending something rich.

 

After application when there's been some wait time, a bit of the sweetness fades -- and that in itself is impressive, because I amp the Lab's vanilla notes like you wouldn't believe. I get a heady, deep and dark scent. It's reminiscent of incense, and although they really don't smell anything alike, I think of Mme. Moriarty and how she also fades into a sexy, confident incense scent. I think that's the vetiver coming out to play, but it's well-balanced and not harsh.

 

Voodoo is, as a lot of other folks have said, quite the morpher. It also lasts and lasts with the right skin chemistry. It does fade on me a bit, but never much, and this is one of those perfumes I can wear for ten hours without having to reapply. Love, love, love Voodoo.

[magikalbrownies]

oh man...

 

yanno, when it said patchouli i was dreading this because me and patch got a divorce way back when but WOW, it seems we've reconciled enough for it to play nice on my skin!

 

i smell loads of almond in this and vanilla...WOW....with hints of patch but not a ton to bring it down to a hippie headshop.

 

love this stuff, on the wishlist.

[tragedy]

I loved the smell of Voodoo in the imp I recieved... my hubby said "pepsi" which goes along with the cola, coke... etc said before. I dont know why, but this was like HOLY-DAMN-STRONG when I first put it on... overpoweringly so. (maybe it was the combine of working a 12 hour shift to get off to have to plan my 1 year old daughters first birthday frustrations... I was way sensitive)...

 

Wet: Oh my STRONG! roll down the windows in the car... rubbing wrists on pants legs trying to temper this!!!

 

Dry down: Better after a while, very incensey on me, my chemistry is very strange.

 

Much later: an almondy vanilla, but I can still smell it 8 hours later, which is unusual... as I tend to burn things off pretty fast.

 

 

Dont love... don't hate.... Just is.

 

ADDED June 1:

 

Couldnt do it!!

Waited 5 minutes and had to wash this off, I think its the vetiver & almond on my skin that just reminds me of murky stank water.

 

 

 

 

Edit: I already reviewed this and didnt realize it cause the imp snuck back in my "try me" box. I'm so surprised though at the difference between the first review which was "pepsi" initially to this one. It does dry down nice but this time it was unbearable, guess that shows me I need to wait it out

Edited September 17, 2009 by Shollin

[ImperatrixMundi]

Funny. I have to go along with the coca cola and lime impression. But with my chemistry the hostile takeover of myrrh is inevitable. I was wishing for more patchouli, clove and vanilla but all the notes burn away and leave with spicy-sweet myrrh. Not the worst thing that could happen but not what I was hoping for in any case.

[milo]

Mmm, this reminds me of Mme Moriarty's much older sophisticated, rabble rousing older sister. I get some spicy incensy (fruit?) and a generous dash of patchouli. In the imp, this is quite offensive, but on, the patchouli mellows and the most wonderful fruity (not in a bad way) vanilla, sophisticated blend emerges. This blend is dirty, but not in a bad way, more of a sexy, "I know what I want" blend. I really like this, and I see a bottle purchase when this little imp runs out.