Love-Lies-Bleeding

[Bluestocking]

The velvet flower. A lush, thick, luxuriant bloom, bold and red.

In the imp: Very, very red and lush and sweet, though not as floral as I expected. It smells like red candied cherries and roses, with an undertone of... chocolate? Strangely, my nose can't seem to decide if it's dusty chocolate or garden dirt. Either way, it's a welcome counterpoint to the rich, red sweetness of the flower.
On, wet: Bright red cherries with hints of spicy rose and berries, enriched by that chocolate note (most definitely luscious chocolate now, and NOT dirt). You could have told me this was a chocolate-covered cherry plant, and I'd believe you. It's very bold, luxurious and sensual, and not at all a stereotypical floral. Strong throw.
On, dry: Chocolate roses and red berries, with only a little bit of the cherry aroma from earlier and a touch of something that's almost like coconut. It's much less bright red now, though still smooth and heady and rich.
Later: Chocolate, with just a touch of the sweet red berry/rose scent from earlier. It's pale and smooth and sweet, but not a very sugary sort of chocolate.
Overall: "The velvet flower" is right on target, because this is an intensely smooth, velvety scent, very rich and bold. It's much more foody than I expected it to be, but that isn't a bad thing. All in all, this smells like Valentine's Day to me: silky, chocolaty, with lots of red, red cherries and berries and roses. Medium wear length, strong throw. Edited March 30, 2009 by Bluestocking

[ljaylh]

I received this as a stealth frimp in my Lab order..

 

I would never have picked Love Lies Bleeding, because of the "bloom" in the description. I thought.. florals. Ohhhhh boy - was I wrong!! If you had asked me to pick the notes in this, I would have said cocoa, cherry, dragon's blood and red musk. Smooth and velvety, warm and lush. Good grief, it's delicious!

 

I could smell this as soon as I opened the imp to test it. When I dabbed it on, the fragrance wafted up in a delicious cloud before I even leaned in to sniff it. I think I may have said an impolite word at that point. After about a half-hour on, something kinda coconut-y is coming out, that may just be the cocoa mellowing out. Still cherries and musky. Two hours in, and it's all softened down beautifully but still holding all the notes - lovely.

 

This is ridiculously delicious velvety sexy scrumptiousness.

 

 

[donnatron]

Bottle: Sweet cherries and almonds over... something else.

 

Wet: Chocolate covered cherries! This is making me kind of hungry for chocolate of which I sadly have none. Also reminds me a bit of a really dark, red, lustrous wine. Like a barolo or really good vintage merlot.

 

Dry: Chocolate, cherries, dried wine and velvet. Sounds crazy? It kind of is. Is it delicious, however? Yes. Yes it is. This is very warm and lustrous and sexy and perfect. God only knows what is actually in this blend but I think it's one of those GC Favourites I always forget is a GC Favourite. It's such a brilliant blend.

 

Throw: Good.

 

Overall: Every time I put this on I remember that I flove it and it is amazing. No idea what's in this, why it works, and honestly I don't particularly care. This is a winner and that's all that matters to me.

[Gin]

Love-Lies-Bleeding

 

Velvet flower, indeed. How does Beth make oils that smell like velvet?! There's an initial hit of cherry, and something that's almost chocolatey, and it's just so smooth, like velvet. It doesn't smell like rose, but it evokes the feeling of rose petals--the deep, deep red ones. I don't know how Beth bottled it, but she did.

[BuxomM]

It smells like a bit of rose with a lot of cherry and a bit of chocolate that gets stronger as it dries. I like it but don't love it and will keep my imp

[juniperus]

bottle: it's... I don't know. not quite floral...

wet: it's heady without, again, being obviously floral. I don't know how to describe it.

dry: floral... pastry? there is something not working quite right on me, that's for sure.

later: nope. this is definitely wrong.

[anna1850]

I can't really figure out how to decribe this.

 

It's not your typical floral in the same way that a violet is a typical (although this does not spell of violet).

 

It is not as sweet or light as most florals.

 

2.5/5 I can't say I'm that keen on this although it's not unpleasant.

[Sperling]

Imp: Smells like sap. Not sure if I'll like this, it was a freebie.

 

Wet on skin: Oh dear, this will not do. It smells identical to a chocolate-mint chapstick I had when I was little, a smell that I now identify as horrid.

 

I washed it off... ): Love-Lies-Bleeding smelled like chocolate butter smeared over a flower, which probably works for someone out there, but does not work for me.

[HappyLoveJoy]

As soon as I put it on I smelled cherry blow pop. Bubblegum and that really great wild cherry scent mingling together. I get chocolate, too, but it's dry and nearly unsweetened like it's there to keep this from being overly cherry or red. It mutes the candy-ness but doesn't take away the beauty of it. It compliments it and makes it better. I smell no rose at all. A floral, yes, but not a traditional rose. Could it be carnation? Carnation mixed with some other floral? Anyway I can't really place it. I should add that I think this smells like a new bar of Lush's Rockstar soap with a dusting of chocolate, a spritz of Silky Underwear perfume and the teeniest particles of black pepper. I've had this imp for a long time and just got around to trying it out. Had I tried it sooner I might have a bottle by now. I think it just hit me what floral it is I'm smelling-----champaca!! I smell the same creamy-sweet fruity floral I get in Vasakasajja. Ahhhh....I feel better now. Review complete!

 

*My MIL has a plant called Hindu Rope and it bloomed. It was a surprise to both of us and of course I had to smell it. My immediate impression? Chocolate. The same kind I smell in Love Lies Bleeding.

 

 

[guppyfish]

Wow, my sniffer must be broken on this one. I don't get any chocolate or nuts on this one. It's quite simple, really, as this is cherry popsicle. I get cherry, cherry, cherry in the beginning and the drydown smells like the popsicle stick. I think at some point in the development, I once got freshly crushed leaves, but that's it anything other than a sweet frozen treat. This smells good, but not what I want to smell like, so no full bottle for me.

[heysunshine]

This scent is certainly velvet and lush. It smells like flower petals feel. It is first strongly reminiscent of old fashioned candy sticks. Slight hint of bubblegum for a second. Syrupy, sugary sweet. In my mind I see flowers made of sugar glass. But they are soft, velvet to the touch. Red but not in the traditional red smelling sense. More like the deepest pink. After a couple hours it settles to something musky and sweet. It feels like flowers but it is not floral. It smells exactly like Pink Phoenix does on me in its first stages but whispering, not screaming. You have to put your nose to your skin to smell it. This is a floral for foody lovers.

[Xylis]

now this is one special oil. i've had the imp for quite some time, but for some reason, i never really felt compelled to give it a whirl. anyway, i forgot to close my imp box after i extracted my imp of the day [Queen]. so i was in the middle of replying a PM when suddenly, this sweet, utterly delicious scent caught my nose and i found myself sniffing away at the box like a puppy, trying to locate the beautiful scent. and there she was, waiting for me, slightly mocking like, "what on EARTH took you so long?!"

 

 

in the imp:

 

this was the reason why i didn't give the oil a test run from the first sniff. in the imp, it's deceptively overpowering and the florals seem to have mixed themselves into an cloying mess. however, this time round, i took the time to let the scent to permeate the air a little longer and there's this beautiful, almost wistful sweetness that lingers. i can't wait to have it on me.

 

 

wet on skin:

 

it starts off really strong. i'm getting the slightest hint of honey amidst a number of florals. there is indeed something bold about this scent as depicted in the scent description, but underneath that affirmation is something much more delicate. there's a bit of wine-ish note to it too.. i'm getting the warmth of red wine slipping its way down my throat.

 

dry on skin:

 

the sweetness of the scent is definitely coming through. there are some moments when the scent smells almost gourmand, like a lighter mix of the caramel buttery notes of eat me, but it's soon soaked in red, velvety petals. i'm detecting the sweetness of cherry too. still, this sweetness is grounded by something musky, probably red musk? i'm still getting light whiffs of honey that gently flits around the scent. i was mistaken, there's nothing overbearing about this. it's a beautiful blend.

 

verdict:

 

definitely one of my misunderstood blends, i'm so glad that it managed to call out to me from the depths of my imp box. this is a keeper and i think it may just be big bottle worthy. gorgeous, i love this.

[Diva Urd]

Vial: Chocolate cherries...? Definitely heavy on the chocolate/cocoa. Curiously, it doesn't strike me as foody.

On: Maraschino Cherries with chocolate sauce. Holy moly. Now it smells a lot more foody than in the vial... nommy, but I don't know if I want to smell like that all day (not a big foody/gourmand perfume person). There is a minor undercurrent of something more-floral-than-foody that peeks out more and more as it dries... let's see how it develops.

Later: About 3 hours later, I get a cherry-ish floral. This isn't horrible, but I still don't think it's me at all.

[milo]

Straight out of the imp, this is cocoa. As it dries, yes, I get the cherry with the chocolate, though it is pretty faint now even after only 5 minutes of applying. My skin does eat chocolate, pretty much a chip off the old block. However, I'm not a fan of cherry blends at all, and have never tried a cherry blend that works. This is no exception, though it is so faint it is no problem for me. Fan's of chocolate/cherry blends may like this. I really do not get any floral at all.

[Stormslegacy]

In the imp: was expecting florals...but...chocolate? O_o

 

Wet: Yup, chocolate with hazelnut or raspberries. That's EXACTLY what it smells like..

 

Dry down: If I put my wrists together I can ALMOST catch a whiff of the florals others have mentioned...but I honestly think that's wishful thinking....It's a lovely chocolate scent though, a little like red-velvet cake. It's not sweet chocolate, but it's a little foody for my taste.

 

After an hour and a half sweetens quite a bit, but is definitely still chocolate to my nose. If there is floral peeking through it's a very sugary rosy-type smell. Not, like, the rose in RoseRed or Peacock Queen, but a very gentle candied rose. 4 hours later, it's still there, but powdery, more chocolate than anything else...my SO hugged me and commented on it--in a negative way. It ended up giving him a headache.

 

Final Verdict:

Off to swap. Im not a fan of sweet perfume and I have Velvet to take care of my rare "foodie" needs.

Edited November 6, 2009 by Stormslegacy

[silver_springs]

Imp: Berries and dirt. Yuck.

 

Wet: Ooh chocolate cherry musk. Strong.

 

Dry: Cherry tootsie-pop! I swear this is exactly what it smells like to me. Luckily I happen love that smell. I didn't get anything floral, it was all chocolate and fruity. This will go on my big bottle wishlist.

[Coldfire]

 

 

Decant: WOAH! Chocolate. Dark Chocolate

Wet on Me: Chocolate with some slight ghosty berries underneath

Drying Down: a bit of berry, some dark cocoa is now what I get. a wee touch of floral in the background. But red berries and dark cocoa.

Dry: like a cocoa-berries potpurri on my skin. nice!

 

Edited November 17, 2009 by Coldfire

[HKB]

Starts out too strong and fruity, an artificial cherry smell. The dry down is nice though, it smells like a chocolate covered cherry.

 

ETA: This rapidly grew on me. It smells like cherries and chocolate, it's long lasting and has good throw. Definitely want a bottle.

Edited December 5, 2009 by HKB

[MichelleB675]

This was one I chose in my first order of 6 imps.

 

In the vial - I could smell this one as soon as I opened the box, yum chocolately floral goodness.

 

Wet - Still chocolate, is that rose I'm smelling? It smells like chocolate and roses to me.

 

Dry down - Heavenly chocolate and roses, and something sweet and fruity.. cherries.. lurking in the background.

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. It smells sooooo good on me. Doesn't smell like I'm wearing perfume, it smells like I've been rolling around in rose petals and chocolate covered cherries.

 

Definitely a bottle needed.

[gingiemay]

If there were a chocolate cherry flower, this would be it. This is dark chocolate decadence, very lush, with a purple-y red floral undertone. Really unique and pretty. The chocolate burns off after about an hour leaving a wonderful rich scent behind.

[cherrycherry]

In the bottle, I find this smells like the flowerbeds in my local park, just around summertime when all the flowers are in bloom. It's a heady scent and at first I wasn't entirely sure whether I liked it or not. Wearing it, however, changed everything. I can smell a distinct greenness, mixed with subtle dark cocoa and cherry sweetness. I can't wait to wear this during the summer. I think out of all the scents I've tried so far, this is definitely going to be my summer perfume

[lou77]

Love Lies Bleeding smells like an almond? shortbread biscuit dusted with icing sugar. There's a hint of something green and floral like a thin layer sandwiched between two halves of biscuit, but it's overwhelmed by the sweet pastry.

 

As it dries the icing sugar takes on that lovely powdery smell that reminds me of the drydown of Balenciaga's Le Dix.

[ModderRhu]

Love-Lies-Bleeding

Ehhh...not sure about this one. It kinda smells like cherry chocolates and dust. Also reminds me of how those cupcake dolls used to smell. It's a very musty, sickly sweet smell. I thought I would love it.

Invokes childhood memories, but I'm not sure it's something I want to smell like.

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting a strong purple floralish note, and what's either chocolate, wood, or dirt, could be all three. On my skin, I'm getting an almost cherry floral note with an underhint of woody chocolate, like in really aged Boomslang. We'll see how this goes, as this is my second full skin test. Ends up being a cherry-purple floral with chocolate wood lying underneath, think I'll be adding this to my need bottle list shortly.

Edited June 14, 2010 by Venneh

[bellevivre]

Out of the imp, this is overwhelming chocolate! but as I wear it, something sweet comes out, not rose, cause rose goes crazy on me, more like... freesia maybe? I am really liking this- it may be a bottle buy for me...

Edited January 24, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description