Voodoo

[grrrlennyl]

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.

at first: this just sounded too interesting and complex for me to pass up. it's sweet and green at the same time. very fresh and wonderful. a bit like the maraschino cherry scent i pick up in some other scents.
on: it's definitely sweet, but a bit sour too. actually, it reminds me of what an amaretto sour smells like. it's quite delicious-smelling.
1 hour later: i don't like this anymore. it's too heavy and smoky smelling. it reminds me a lot of three jacks: almost overwhelming.
2 hours later: this is really oppressive. i cannot stand it. i feel like i'm in a fog when i smell it. very smoky, alcohol-y, dirty (not in a good way).
overall: smelling this makes me feel like i have a hangover: groggy and abit nauseous, like everything is a little to intense for me to bear. i've said it before and i'll say it again: i'm crap at picking scents for myself. needless to say, i'll be getting rid of this one.

[Effluvia]

in the vial: Bright lime and almond. Something dark and bitter.

 

wet, on my skin: Almond! Warm, buttery, vanilla-y almond...with a sharp, bitter background...ah! It's the vetivert, which smells marvelous underneath all the sweetness...okay, I smell lime...I smell myrrh...hoo boy, this one's a bit of a changeling! I love it...it's so intriguing and mysterious...it suits the title beautifully.

 

drying, on my skin: Warm vanilla with a spicy, clovey background, tinged with lime.

 

dry, on my skin: Just warm spicy vanilla and a tinge of pine. Lasts quite a while!

 

I'll definitely use up the imp of this, but I'm on the fence about buying a bigger bottle.

Edited July 30, 2004 by Effluvia

[ChupaChup]

This was my first orgasmic oil from BPAL (you guys know what I mean!). In the bottle and when first applied to my skin, I get that cherry cola smell that I recognize in other BPAL scents, usually a good sign that I am going to like the oil But as soon as it dries, Voodoo becomes the most incredible, gorgeous blend of scents...sweet, tangy, spicy, creamy and sexy. I didn't know all that could fit into a perfume and not smell chaotic. I really can't pick out ANY individual notes, I have to re-read the description and force myself to more imagine them than actually find them. Voodoo also has great staying power, at least 10 hours without a reapplication.

 

Voodoo is my courage oil, whenever I am going to be in a situation where I am unsure of myself (meeting new people, public speaking, etc.) I wear it and I feel calm, reassured and safe. It's like I'm in a protective bubble and nothing can harm me. I already have this in a big bottle, I panicked when the imp was half full and hoarded it until the bottle arrived

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: spicy, rich and luscious.

 

Wet: mmm, delicious! It must be the almond that smells like cherry brandy on me. This reminds me a lot of Black Phoenix, but it’s spicier and less fruity and sweet.

 

Dry: still yummy when it dries, clove-tinged cherry vanilla.

 

Verdict: this one is a keeper - I absolutely love it!

Edited October 18, 2004 by octopusgrrl

[Belladonnastrap]

Ah Voodoo how you TAUNT me.

 

On first sniff it smells like something primal. I can only pick out almonds and I think rum. It really does invoke images of shadows on the wall...writhing in some tribal rhythm.

 

Wearing:

 

Okay for 2 seconds it smelled yummy and almondy but when I wore it I started to burn. Dammit. So up for swap it goes...I really hope it's not the almond in this that makes me burn but I had a somewhat similar reaction to Eclipse so. Figures...I love the scent of almonds but if I can't wear it...pain! Ah well.

 

edited for grammar.

Edited August 22, 2004 by Belladonnastrap

[fairywingmaker]

This one starts out citrusy on my skin. Then it becomes almondy, spicey, but always that bite of citrus in the background.

 

After while the myrrh becomes dominant. I love this very much. It's a constantly evolving scent. Very complex. I will be buying a big bottle of this one.

[TheDarkMother]

A deep, powerful, resonant blend of myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, lime, vanilla, pine, almond and clove.

 

 

Ok, so far so good. There's vanilla in it, which I really like, and clove...but pine? Hmm...I don't doubt Beth, so its high time I got to sniffing.

 

In the Bottle: The sweet almond smell is thankfully cut by the pine scent. How odd. Not together unpleasant, but odd. I'll give it a shot.

 

On Me: You know, normally I run to scrub when I smell that much almond, but this isn't bad at all! The vanilla is the smell that wafts up to my nose as long as it isn't firmly attached to my wrist, But on my wrist there is a slight wood smoke scent, made sweeter just a touch by the almonds.

 

Even as a speak, the flames begin to die down into something tangy and citrusy. I think its the lime. Its drifting on the back burner there, and it adds a whole new depth and dimension to this one. More of the lime is beginning to come through now with the vanilla, and its a smooth yogurt smell that is wafting up through the forest.

 

I think I'm in love!

[silverangel]

On me this is all pine all the time! It's almost ridiculous. After about three hours it's going strong...That's right, I'm Pine incense right now, and I generally hate incense.

 

Initially it's sweeter clove, patchouli and vanilla I think, but on drydown it's just a pine tree. There's a hint of sweetness, the clove I think, but everything else is lost because the pine is so overwhelming. I think I'll ship this one on to someone who I think will like it more. I so wanted to like it...if the pine was an undernote rather than the top note on me it maybe would have been wonderful.

Edited September 2, 2004 by silverangel

[Kimberlyn]

A deep, powerful, resonant blend of myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, lime, vanilla, pine, almond and clove

 

When I smell this in the vile, I can absolutely smell the vanilla. For some reason when I smell this it ignites the more wicked side of my personality.

 

When it is on, the predomanent scents are the almond and vanilla. I very much enjoy it and the scent with my body chemistry last for many, many hours. Quite a few people have made comments on how good I smell. In fact, the guys I know really just melt when they smell this.

 

The fragrence is enjoyed by all. I would recomend this scent to anyone who is even remotely interested in trying it.

[VelvetSky]

Mmmmmm Voodoo.....the Lab gifted me with an imp of this scent, and I'm so grateful, because I absolutely adore it.

 

On first applying, I definitely get the lime and patchouli, but this is sweet and smokey, not sharp as with most scents that contain citrus. Voodoo is dark and sexy and faintly woody.

 

After a while, it turns a bit sweeter, like a fine cigar. I'm getting some kind of dried flower petals. There is a pleasant dustiness to the drydown of this blend, I'm guessing it's the myrrh and almond.

 

I want this all over my body. An incredible blend.

[Penance]

Voodoo is another example of an oil I wanted to love but which ended up having its very existence cursed. Almonds are not my friend. They make me nauseous and give me a horrible headache. Voodoo has almond in it. Voodoo is not my friend.

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, geez...I can smell the almond. It's not all I can smell, in fact there are some other lovely, dark woodsy sort of scents in here that I really like, but the almond is there, lurking like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. I wanted to try this, though, so try it I will.

 

Wet on skin:

 

The almond isn't too strong, which is good. I'm getting a very distinct picture of a midnight ceremony here and it's lovely, but I'm being distracted by the almond and the faint queasiness it's causing. I can't quite ignore it, no matter how much I may want to.

 

Dry down:

 

It's settled into something fairly nice, kind of woodsy and incensey at the same time, but the almonds are still there, exerting their evil influence on my stomach. As much as I hate to do it, I'm going to have to wash this off. Curse you, almonds! Curse you!

 

The bottom line:

 

Once again, almond has ruined a perfectly lovely scent for me. Off to the swap pile it goes.

[Witch's Dagger]

Voodoo

 

Preconceived notions: Almond, vanilla, and spices, with a hint of mystery. Yes, yes!

 

In the vial: I can smell something sweet, almost root beer-like, and yes, there's the almond, and it is very, very hot and spicy smelling. It reminds me a lot of an extra-spicy version of Mystery, which is one of my favorites.

 

On me:

First whiff;

The spices really come out, and the root beer scent, which I don't particularly like fades into a more purely almond, leading me to believe that it comes from the mixing of almond and vanilla, and not so much a sassafras note.

 

In 5 minutes or so: This is a very dark and very warm scent. It's a lot like Hecate in its almond smokiness, but is much, much darker. The vanilla adds the smoke, and the spice adds heat. This is exotic, dark, and beautiful.

 

In about a half an hour: This is still lovely, exotic, and darkly mysterious. I think it might be too sweet for some people, because the almond/vanilla part is very, very sweet. I think this might be one of the sweetest oils I have. But - and this is important - it's a *dark* sweetness. Very insidious and deep.

 

Final impressions: This lasts a long time. I love it.

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF: pine and lime

 

WEARING IT: on me, this is very dark and damp and fresh. i can't believe how much the lime adds to this scent, it is so nice. all of the ingredients do their jobs so nicely in this oil. as it dries, the vanilla and clove come out more and it almost smells like a chocolate gingerale cocktail. really lovely. wonderful unisex fragrance!

 

VERDICT: a keeper

[closedacct]

Voodoo

 

In the bottle:

 

Oh my! Spicy, creamy, sweet, and tangy....mmmmm.

 

Wet on skin:

 

First whiff is a sharp orange-y smell which quickly fades into lovely, spicy and dark.

 

Dry:

 

I love this. It is sweet without being too sweet, tangy without sourness and

luxuriously creamy. Today is rainy and cold and I am enveloped in this cozy cloud of Voodoo. Ahhhhhh.

 

 

 

eta: grrrr!!!! I guess it had to happen sooner or later. Vetiver. fuck. so, it is either in a locket or in the oil burner, 'cause this has turned into pure voodoo vetiver!

Edited December 6, 2004 by ewalk

[zapevaj]

This scent was way too manly for me (and I'm not even a girly-perfume type!). I liked it, but couldn't imagine wearing it (and my boyfriend agreed). I think it could be the pine that made me feel that way? I'd definitely encourage any men (or anyone wanting a masculine scent) to try it, though!

 

-Rae

[orangepoppy]

This is the oil I've been waiting for, surpassing even my beloved Virgo. Every time I try to put Voodoo's Fantasticness into words ..... well, I have to go back and edit all the expletives out. So, I'm starting over.

 

When first applied, I was reminded of a strain from an old T Rex song (Bang a Gong):

 

"Well, you're dirty and sweet

Clad in black, don't look back, and I love you

You're dirty and sweet, oh yeah

Well, you're slim and you're weak

You got the teeth of the hydra upon you

You're dirty, sweet and you're my girl"

oo yeah

 

Voodoo is not to be applied heavily. This is a serious blend of serious notes. I *love* it. I thought it contained amber, as it reminded me of the sweet huskiness of O and Jezebel, but I suppose that's the myrrh? Regardless, this scent is simply divine. I thought it was too sweet at first, but not for very long. As soon as those grounding components came into play, I was GONE. I am tempted to cross myself before applying, that's how much I love this oil. Witch's Dagger said it was a "dark sweetness" and that is so true.

 

I applied a tiny bit to one wrist and rubbed both wrists together early this morning and Voodoo is still with me over 8 hours later. Faithfulness, I like that. If I ever meet the creator of this oil, I'll firmly resist the urge to genuflect. Beautiful, wondrous, heady.....big bottle - quite!

 

 

(and to think I ventured into bpal to find a "really nice rose perfume" -- so funny to think back)

Edited November 30, 2004 by orangepoppy

[luxuria]

In the imp it smelled like some kind of soda mixed with pine air freshener.

 

On my skin..this is very, very, very manly! I can definitely smell the pine but there's something creamy, too. It's hard to pick out individual notes but this smells very "cologne-y". I'm going to be giving it to my male friend.

 

As it dries down I can smell more of the clove but it's largely the same. Nice for a male, but not for me.

 

[edit] The final drydown is by far the manliest stage of all. I liked the clove and initial hidden creaminess, but everything else took over.

 

[edit again] Body chemistry is so goofy! I finally gave my imp to the male friend and he put some on when we were hanging out (too much, mind you..we were sitting at opposite ends of the couch and the smell wafted towards me, especially if he moved.) It smelled like hardcore pine, vetiver, and lime..completely different from how it smelled on me, and even more masculine.

Edited December 24, 2004 by luxuria

[Northernminx]

Strong and definitly on the side of exotic. The patchouli and vertiver are the strongest for me, with a little bit of lime adding some bite to the spiciness at first. As this dries down, the vanilla and almond mellow it a little and the clove starts to come through along with the pine. There's something almost metallic about this as I wear it and while it's very complex and unique, i"m finding it a little unsettling.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Almond. Reeking of almonds. Almonds shoved forcibly up my nose. And in my eye. Just a second. Almonds. Now, I like almonds, but this seems to be a vial of them soaking in vanilla. It puts me off a little.

 

Wet: Almonds still but they've thankfully calmed down a little bit on my skin. Now I can make the lime out. This reminds me of some of the other blends that go through all their notes before blending down. Lime and maybe the pine. This isn't as pine as Golden Priapus. It's just nice and sitting there. The patchouli is being very tame in this so far.

 

Dry down: The vetiver comes out more, making me think more of voodoo and dark nights. Yeah, this is getting less foody and more hippie with each passing second. Still a pretty fair note of pine to it, though. This is nice but a little heavy for me. I can make out the cloves and the vetiver now. This does combine down nicely, but it's not really the kind of thing I think I'd ever wear.

 

Dry: Is that the myrrh? Not sure. This is becoming a little spicer. Maybe the cloves...oh...uh oh...my wrist is starting to have little pricks. I sometimes have unfortunate reactions to clove. Oh, clove. Clove. Clove. Clove with a little patchouli. And that not quite pleasant burning sensation. Washing it off!

[Morgan]

In the vial: Pure sweet red cherries...

 

On my skin: Cherries, but the almonds are coming through now

 

1 hour later: Doctor Pepper! Pure Doctor Pepper

 

Final verdict: I like this scent. I don't find myself reaching for it very often, but the smell is very comforting and sweet to me.

[amunnefret]

Descriptions of notes have been thoroughly covered in previous posts, so my verdict short 'n sweet :

 

An achingly sexy somewhat masculine fragrance.

 

Purrrrfect. Exactly what I look for in a personal fragrance. Love and adore this little treasure

[violetblue]

Wow, this is VERY strong at 1st sniff and I found myself thinking of coca-cola gummi's. Sugary and sweet, yet spicy. I distinctly smell the almond and vanilla, and the coca cola turns more sophisticated and spicy as time wears on. The patchouli is shy and comes out on me a while after application, which is surprising to me that the sweeter smells are able to overpower the patchouli and earthier scents. A really interesting blend, can't wait to figure out how I am going to use this imp.

[Fyre_in_Winter]

Voodoo is an interesting blend and I was excited when I saw it was one of the giftie imps from the Lab.

 

I was very put off by the smell in the vial. A rather icky combination of almond, pine, and lime. But I dabbed a bit on my hand, hoping it would become something more palatable.

 

It did, after a few moments where it was very confused, trying to decide if it was Sprite syrup, almond extract, or pine-scented cleaner. These all abruptly vanished, leaving a sweet woodsmoke smell (based on my little note spreadsheet, this is apparently what patchouli smells like on me) underscored by vanilla. Now this is a tamer and slightly sweeter version of Umbra, which made me jump for joy. However, as it approached an hour on my skin, the vetiver creeped out of hiding. Vetiver has a pleasant, citrusy bite on me, but I'm not a fan of it by itself. And a breath of pine also came out now and again. Damn. I think I will keep it for a bit, either to layer with vanilla or try and see if it reacts differently.

 

This is a very interesting blend. The almond was only there when wet (ashame, since I love the smell of almonds) and no clove (another love that never shows for me) or discerable myrrh appeared at all. I would love to wear it if it stayed(s) at the woodsmoke/vanilla stage, but I think this would also be utterly fantastic on a guy.

[Diana]

I got this as an extra from the lab with one of my orders. From my inital sniff from the imp, I had high hopes for this one.

 

The imp had such a melangerie of scents, shifting and changing and thoroughly complex. It's difficult to pick out any one note because of the sheer number of things popping out of the vial.

 

Excited at this prospect, I slather it on. Wow. It's really rich and deep, but has a few high notes that really pop out (especially the lime). After about 20 minutes, this starts to smell like a spicy cola drink, perhaps Dr. Pepper. Innnnteresting. The warm basenotes mingle. The scent smells different with each inhale. Neat! And aptly named! It's MAGIC!

 

After that, however, the clove (which I like) starts to do something with the vetiver (oh no! not vetiver! why didn't I read the notes FIRST). The vetiver just takes a scent I would normally like and turns it into a really musky dirty scent that just kind of does not agree with my nose. It did the same to me in Blood Kiss. NO FUN.

 

So, sadly I scrubbed this off. I would have really liked it if it weren't for that meddling vetivert. Off to the swap pile with ye!

[leapylees]

In the bottle: I get (cherry) flavoured, sweetened cough medicine or something like Tixylix or Calpol for example. The cherry is there but there's also something medicinal and sharp.

 

On, I smell marzipan all the way. My boyfirend smells vanilla, which I only get in the background, and my mother says it smells like medicine (she has yet to be converted to BPAL but I'm working on it). After a little while, however, my boyfriend says it smells a little acrid. As far as I can tell, the scent doesn't change whole lot on me except for becoming slightly sweeter as it fades.

 

All in all, I like this and will finished the 5ml (bought unsniffed), but I doubt that I'll buy another once it's finished.

 

Added - 12th January - I've come back to Voodoo today and I'm glad I did. Now I've decided I really like it - today it smells warm and comforting and almondy.

Edited January 12, 2005 by leapylees