The Brides of Dracula

[euterpe414]

Unquenchable desire, seething lust, malevolent sexuality, and voracious hunger lurking beneath a shimmering veil of unearthly beauty: gleaming skin musk, honey and white amber, plum blossom, osmanthus, sandalwood, calla lily, and a light, sensual blend of Eastern spices.

Gosh, I have been so impressed with the OotD blends, and this one is no exception! It is a delicate honeyed floral blend, with enough sweet honey and musk to not let any florals go soapy or sharp. I am so grateful for that....This is indeed ethereal in feeling- floating on air, wispy and dangerous (and of course sexy!) I think for me this falls in the "I'd wear this in spring" category, so it won't get a lot of wear right away, but it is a definite keeper. A must try, even if you don't love florals.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle... clingy skin musk and sticky-sweet honey. There's also something almost fruity here, kinda reminding me of peach.

 

On me... not good. This instantly morphs into a blend of jaggedly sharp musk, soapy florals, and pain.

 

Sharp, strong, soapy floral.

 

This is an instant migraine inducer for me. I scrubbed it off after about 15 minutes, when my throat started to feel tight... like being smothered.

 

I normally like skin musk, but something about this is just awful on me.

[herbhealer]

One sniff and I knew Brides was not for me - powder, dark sweet ylang-ylang, and something creamy. It'll be a great scent on someone with the right chemistry for it. I'll take the Count - direct and strong.

[Reinaluna]

THe Brides of Dracula: Like some other people I expected this on to be a dark blend but its not. I can really smell the honey but no middle Eastern spices like I wanted. I will have to try this one a few more times to decide whether I will Keep her or not.

[supremegoddessofall]

The sweetness of honey with a darker light floral undertone. Touch of the plum. This is very soft on me.

[sixthsentinel]

The first time I tried this it started out as honey & spices for the most part, but after a little while faded to slightly honeyed white florals. Today when I put it on I was seriously beginning to think of swapping it--I get mostly white florals now, period, & it is reminding me quite a bit of Al-Araaf, although that's more of a pinkish scent to me, with maybe a bit more honey (a bit less aloof & more cloying). But when I got out of class & got back into my car, the whole car smelled of lingering Brides & it was soooo pretty. It smelled warm & floral. Oftentimes floral gives me a raging headache, but this scent doesn't really threaten to do so at all, and though I really don't think I slathered, I can really smell this scent on me. I don't think I'll be needing a backup bottle of this (thank goodness), but I will keep this one around. Very feminine.

 

ETA: Seven hours later & still going strong! Not too bad in the way of staying power!

Edited November 1, 2006 by sixthsentinel

[porcelain72]

In the imp: a surprisingly gentle, almost aquatic floral. Roses seem to be the predominant note, though they're not in the description.

 

Initial application: the flowers amp a bit, though there's a nice creaminess to it now, probably from the honey.

 

Drydown: just a slight touch of spiciness creeps in. There is a definite Victorian feel to this, though given the description I would have expected it to be more exotic, perhaps similar to Morocco. Nevertheless, it's very pretty.

 

Smiley rating:

[yeahbutnobut]

The Brides of Dracula

 

In the imp: a sharp, fresh, watery floral scent-this vaguely reminds me of a 'sun shimmer' product I used to have, which I liked the smell of. Lots of osmanthus here.

Wet on skin: osmanthus, and plenty of it. This smells very fresh and dewy. I think I get a hint of musk.

Dry on skin: I really like this! This is a pretty, fresh, crisp floral scent-I can smell tons of osmanthus topped with lily and plum blossom. I get a very faint hint of smooth musk, and a gorgeous sweetness underneath that must be the white amber-it's the same note I loved in Shoggoth. It's a crisp, tart, fruity floral with sweetness and smooth whiteness underneath. I don't get eastern spices though. It's also very similar to Kindly Moon on me.

After a while: here's the honey! It's very similar to the honey in Penitent Magdalene and Et Lux Fuit, a 'whitened' honey scent made pale and almost waxy (beeswax-y?) by the presence of pale floral notes. It's still a very pretty scent, and indeed, it seems very bridal, conjures up images of white brides' dresses and wedding bouquets, but it's not sinister just yet, and osmanthus still rules this scent. it's very much like Night's Pavilion, but whiter, less 'blue' than that scent was. The scent becomes more and more like KM as it dries, losing the honey scent it had, gaining a soft powdery musk-sandalwood note. This scent is clean and white now, and almost aquatic, but with pale dry whiteness underneath.

Verdict: this is a very pretty, osmanthus-dominated, white, sparkling floral scent with a hint of honey and light musk and amber to it. it's quite a perfumey scent (in a good way) and it's a lot more floral than I expected, and the osmanthus in here is very strong. I love the shimmering, dewy, almost innocent scent this scent has. I'm not sure if it smells like vampire brides but it definitely brings to mind weddings-white bridal dresses and gauzy veils, and white bouquets. It's a nice day for a white wedding… Anyway, this is a beautiful and delicate scent but I just wish the honey and amber were stronger and I got none of the spices. I'm definitely keeping the bottle I have on order but I only need the one bottle-this is a gorgeous scent but it's very similar to Kindly Moon and Night's Pavilion so I don't need multiple bottles.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes, one bottle.

If you like this, try: Kindly Moon, Silence, Night's Pavilion, Ouija, Penitent Magdalene, Al Araaf, Tiger Lily

[Alchemy21599]

Brides is a very pretty, soft floral blend, but it lacked the "wow" factor. I think I will find a loving home for my decant.

[PilotKitten]

Mmm... this one is actually sweeter than I thought it would be. Still floral but with a sugary background that's really good. And the honey doesn't go rancid on me like BPAL's so often do. So that makes me happy. Nice blend of spices too... Hrm... these dragon scents are just so intriguing and complex.

[myoubi]

mm! I'm not usually a florals gal, but I had a good feeling about this one. Not disappointed

 

It smells quite soft on me, which I was looking for -- delicately floral underneath, but that lovely amber scent keeps the flowers under control. The musk makes it sexy but not overpowering, and because it's so soft, even when it wafts up from my skin I don't feel like I'm being hit in the face by a wall of scent. It blends into my skin quite a bit -- I know that's weird, but that's what I wanted. something delicately scented that smells rather like 'me, only better'

 

after a few minutes the musk comes out in slightly more force, and I get a bit of the spice mentioned in the description. yumm. we'll see how I feel once I've worn it for a few days, but I might need to collect this.

[swilde]

I had just polished off a bottle of Black Dahlia when this arrived and was really surprised that this smelled exactly the same. I don't smell any honey, musk or spice just a metric ton of flowers.

[sarada]

What a beautiful floral!

 

I am not typically a floral person but from time to time one really grabs me. Usually lilies and honey together make for a great combination, such as Tiger Lily. Powdery sweet florals, while usually headache-inducing, from time to time really lift my spirits: Phantom Queen and Flower Moon had exclusive claim to that title, but now I finally have a bottle of something else under that description.

 

It is not cloying, and while it gets a little powdery on my skin I think this would be a perfect locket scent in the spring.

 

It is far more floral that I ever thought the Brides would be...but I am dazed by their glory and fall back into their arms, smothered by the sweet heady blooms. Yes, even an old incense nut like me can be won over with honeyed lily kisses.

[magikalcrab]

The Brides of Dracula. Gods, it smells amazing in the bottle. I was so relieved, because I had so many reservations about ordering something with florals in it.

 

On my skin, though? I can't smell a thing besides floral. I gave it a chance to develop, I waited and waited but still, there was just this overpowering lingering flower scent with the tiniest hint of honey underneath.

 

I'm terrible at picking notes, but I'm willing to venture a guess and say that it's the lily that hates me. I don't know why, but florals and my nose do not a happy couple make.

 

In short: amazing scent, bad chemistry with my skin. Guh, I'm 0-for-4 so far!

[Bagfish]

What a shame. On application, I did smell a little honey and amber under the florals, but after ten minutes Brides is all screaming white florals all of the time. I had to wash it off as it gave me a headache after the first hour of wear. I don't think lillies and I are compatible as they drowned out all of the other non-floral elements. No spice, no honey, no amber (all things I love).

 

Very disappointing.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: LOADS of honey, some plum and something floral! It's lovely.

 

On my skin: mmm… honey and some lily. But, as usual, my skin amps honey, nearly too much for my liking.

 

After a couple of hours: on me, the honey always stays very strong, this is no exception.

 

Verdict: it's very lovely, the honey is not totally sickening like it could be in Litha or Honey Moon… I'm going to keep my decant but I don't really need a bottle.

[LiberAmoris]

I’m of two minds about the Brides of Dracula. Lilies are beautiful, and I always appreciate the various lily variants, but blends that highlight it as a prominent note never feel like ‘me.’ All the same, Brides is such a lovely mix of elements that give it the feel of an antique, golden perfume---something that would be popular in the 20s or 30s and sit on a glassy tray on someone’s dresser next to face powders in deco boxes and a feathered fan.

 

Other reviewers have drawn parallels with Kali and Tiger Lily, and those are the two blends that I’m reminded of as well. But whereas after a while Kali gets a bit too strong for my tastes, and Tiger Lily knocks me over with sweetness, Brides of Dracula offers the shared notes with more subtlety, so I find myself enjoying them much more than I thought I could. I have a feeling this one will grow on me.

[ChupaChup]

I was really looking forward to The Brides of Dracula due to its description, I love honey and the promise of eastern spices was tantalizing. But all I get is a tiny bit of honey, a lot of skin musk and not much else, no spices at all. It's a rather weak scent as well.

[terrierhead]

I was dying to try Brides o' Dracula for the lily and spices. Regrettably, all I get from my sample is honey, musk and the lightest touch of floral. On skin, the floral note evaporates, and I'm left with honey musk. It reminds me strongly of a Coty musk scent from the 80's - I think it was called Skin Musk, and it came in a round, frosted bottle - with honey mixed in. Nice, but not what I was looking for. Darn skin chemistry!

[jasmine]

Ah, yes, that would be skin musk. It comes out immediately and unmistakeably. Surprisingly, I don’t find myself disliking the note in the way that I’ve disliked other skin musk scents (by which I mean, it isn’t Play-Doh yet. I have no confidence in that state of affairs continuing.)

 

This is a complex scent, smooth and subdued. It’s definitely another “second skin” scent: it doesn’t immediately announce itself as a perfume, and it has a light sensuality to it. I can definitely detect a floral presence, but I can’t determine which floral presence it is -- probably calla lily? The notes are so balanced that telling them apart is really quite impossible for me -- aside from the skin musk. The skin musk owns this scent.

 

“A shimmering veil of unearthly beauty”... nah. Even if it hasn’t gone Play-Doh, the skin musk isn’t pretty. It might be sensual, or interesting, but it isn’t pretty to me. Florals and fruits -- those are pretty to me. Perhaps that’s my big problem with skin musk. (It also smells far too alive to be vampiric... unless she’s just eaten. And then I would want a bit more redness to the smell. It strikes me as very orange-red right now, like honey-golden skin by candlelight... afraid these descriptions do reek of synesthesia, but they make sense to me, at least!)

 

Or perhaps (I’ve wondered this before about skin musk) I just don’t have the hormonal balance to appreciate it? There’s a difference between “this blend makes me feel sexy and confident” and “this blend smells sexy”, and, while I recognize the former when I smell it, I don’t know about the latter (at least, not on me.) Of all the skin musk scents I’ve tried, though, I feel most inclined to experiment with this one and with Les Bijoux.

 

Incidentally, this has a strong, persistent throw. It’s not a perfumey scent, so it took me a bit of time to realize, but it’s controlling a lot of the airspace around me now.

 

Since it never went Play-Doh, which I do appreciate, I guess I'll experiment with it in the future.

[juniperus]

Bottle: honey, lily, and the plum blossom..immediate and heady

Wet: the same

Dry: the lily is starting to amp. despite that this is translucent, heady, sweet, and sensual.

Later: this is beautiful, and the honey didn't morph into a sweet-but-bitter note..but it's turning ever so slightly soapy. Alas.

[isyche]

This is very light on me -- it practically sinks in and melds with my skin as soon as I put it on. I just get a floaty aura of warm, creamy-white lily-honey-skin musk and something that reminds me of Bastet, which might be saffron. I like it a lot more than some other lily scents I've tried, which have mostly gone to soap or been really heavy white florals.

 

It definitely works with my idea of the Brides as elusive, silent, graceful, sexy creatures, and I like that it stays close to my skin, but it's not a very "me" scent, so I'll hang on to my decant but not go for a bottle.

[Lucretia]

So glad I swapped for this one, it's just what it sounds like! I knew I wanted this, but had been put off by some of the reviews. This is honey lilies, with a bit of plumb and amber. It's smooth, and soft, and reminds of a silk slip and little marabou slippers. It's feminine and coy, but also sexy to the point where it is a real killer. Love this! Will wear this for sure when I want to feel glamorous and sexy.

[azhure]

In the bottle: Hm, florals mainly, and a little bit of honey.

 

Wet: The florals amp up immediately. They're blended so well that I actually can't pick out individual notes. There's something almost cloying about them - this is unlike any other floral blend I've tried.

 

Drydown: Musk and honey. As always, the honey goes a bit wrong on me, but the musk saves it from being too bad. Interesting.

[moon_lemming]

At first, Brides is a sweet nondescript floral dripping with honey. The lily amps up after a couple of minutes, but settles back down rather quickly. This blend reminds me of Al-Araaf, actually, just a little less soapy.

 

It's very feminine and it's a nice not-too-loud floral. But sadly, something in it makes me sneeze, so I don't think I'll be keeping it.

Edited November 20, 2006 by karen