Arachnina, The Spider Girl (2006)

[Heretic]

You move towards the first stage on your right, and as you walk, you feel something brush across your cheek. Something about the softness of the phantom caress makes your skin crawl, and you flinch involuntarily. At that moment, the Spider Girl strides haughtily onto the platform, her stiletto heels clicking a strange staccato as she walks. Her body is wrapped in skin-tight strips of black PVC, and the gleaming vinyl glistens in stark contrast to the alabaster skin on her six pale, white arms. She gestures to the rafters above with a graceful flick of her blood-red nails. In dread, your eyes are drawn skyward: above her, in a gossamer snare, web-shrouded bodies twist and struggle.

A swirling, hypnotic perfume of black currant, poppy, red and black musk, lilies, nicotiana, and patchouli.

In the bottle: Cologne, poppy, a hint of fruit
On my wrist, wet: Poppy and the slightest hint of musk.
After 20 minutes: Very pretty dark fruit with soft muskiness in the background. It has a certain dry quality to it, though, which I think comes from the poppy. This is not a juicy fruit.
After 40 minutes: I really like this blend and the final drydown is my favorite part because the patchouli finally comes out to play. It's a soft patchouli, tempered with lily and the slightest hint of musk. This is really lovely. It's a bold fragrance, but very intricate and undoubtedly feminine, maybe even a little formal. Even patchouli haters should give this one a shot.

[sarada]

Arachnina boasts my favorite bottle art in the bunch -- a redheaded spider with a thing for PVC? I can't wear heels, but I identify with the rest! I had to get this for that image, and for the black currant, red/black musk and patchouli. I was hoping that it would be deep, thick red earthy berry scent with a rush of incensy musk.

 

Of course, I was aware that poppy and lilies are the two-headed beast of perfume headache on me and that is in fact what I get upon first opening the bottle. Very perfumey, with the floral and musk doing twin guitar solos while the deeper notes play bass solemnly in the background. I braved the perfumey rush though and as it dries down, the currant and patchouli do come out a bit, and the currant raises its voice in a surprisingly upbeat song. It ends up as a berry-like perfume with a slight grit to it in the background...kind of like how in Death on a Pale Horse, the patchouli becomes the dark soil at the bottom of a clear stream.

 

Arachnina is honestly a bit too feminine and reminiscent of traditional perfume for me but I can see wearing her with a red, black and white outfit -- maybe with the buckle and strappy corsety PVC thing I just bought. I might have to keep her around for those occasions.

[tinyvulture]

a dark floral perfume, sweetened by a touch of currant. the smoky poppy is the strongest note. sadly, i can't smell the musk or patchouli on my skin. and the throw is very faint, even though i kept applying it in order to do this review. i know it will be better on others, so it's off to swaps.

[Blood onmy hands]

The currant and red musk in this excited me, but I wasn’t very hopeful about this scent overall… opium poppy and black musk have become two of my least favorite lab notes.

 

Of course, my skin amps up the opium poppy in Arachnina like mad and throws in a screaming dose of generic FLORALMUSK to make things just a bit worse for me. This is sharp and heavy and a perfect recipe for giving me a migraine.

 

If you like opium poppy then you should definitely try this blend, because it’s even stronger than usual on my skin. Opium poppy/floral/classic perfume loving people should enjoy this one. If you have trouble wearing florals or dark musk, I’d pass on the Spider Girl.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is thick, red, juicy musk...this has a lovely

bite to it once applied....it is quite floral after 15-30 minutes with a touch

of fruit...this is amazing and i am thrilled i scored a bottle....

 

btw, as with all the newer fragrances, you can certainly see how beth has

become better and better at her art....

Edited January 29, 2007 by sookster

[phedre]

In bottle: fruit, must be the currant. Poppy and lily.

 

Wet: Musk and patchouli pop right out. The florals and fruit disappear.

 

Dry: Fruity, but not overpowering. Patchouli and flowers balancing nicely. Sweet and nice.

[edenssixthday]

Arachnina, The Spider Girl - This is an incredibly unique and fascinating scent. It's dark and masculine, yet pretty. It's very well-blended and I have a lot of trouble distinguishing which notes are which, but occasionally, one of the notes will rise to the top for a few seconds, usually the black current, the poppy, the red musk. It's very perfumey and really, really strong. I think I'd actually prefer this on a man than on a woman. A little of this blend goes a long way, so I'd recommend not over-applying. All in all, it's very unique and masculine, and not for me.

[QueenFae]

This goes very, very floral perfumey on me. The lilies are dominant, with the poppies close behind. It is a heady, light, swirly women's perfume. There is a light under current of fruitiness, which must be the currant note. The musks and the patchouli fade into the background to create a hazy, smoky, somewhat sexy back drop for the blend. I was expecting this to smell a bit more like Mme. Moriarty, but this is more of a floral blend rather than smoky/musky. This is gorgeous, don't get me wrong, just a bit too floral for me. These kind of blends never last very long on me, so I tend to steer clear of them. This does seem to have medium to strong throw for a floral base.

 

Very pretty

[savage_rose]

More perfumey than most of the BPAL I've tried. It smells like a very white floral in the bottle, but on just becomes very sweet, very perfumey, and ever-so-slightly powdery. With a bit of fruit, giving it a full-bodied edge. Not at ALL masculine on me...ultra-feminine, actually. But beautifully so. Mmmm, there's something irresistable about this. Winsomely seductive.

[euterpe414]

Arachnina is a very strong and commanding blend. The currant and lilies makes it sweet, but overall there is a domineering feel from the pathcouli, musk and the poppy together. I love poppy, but if you do not, I would not suggest getting this blend. It is indeed very pronounced. This is definitely a "girl who knows what she wants" scent. One for a predatory night out.

 

I really love this one, since I am a poppy enthusiast, it is a quite unique one of the lab's poppy scents. However, I may deem this a bit too dominating for eveyrday wear, if you know what I mean.

Edited February 11, 2007 by euterpe414

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: patchouli, musk and currant

 

wet: strong patchouli and musk

 

as it dries there is an undercurrent of something...interesting and i believe it is the tobacco, i love tobacco scents. this isn't in your face, but i definitely detect the sweet warm brown scent of tobacco, combine taht w/ the musk and patchouli and you get this bold, sexy scent, nothing soft or gentle about it. arachnina is a woman who knows what she wants, she isn't afraid to do what she has to to get it. and frankly i am enamoured of her. :drool:

[forspecial_plate]

This is more floral than I was expecting, with something gritty and nearly dusty behind it. Seems like a grey scent to me. I think I recognize all the notes, and I think the poppy and lilies are most prominent. The currant is coming out more as time passes. The patchouli isn't strong for me, but I can tell that it's there, lending an herbal aspect to the scent. This one probably isn't for me although it may do well with some aging...not out of the question.

 

edit: Eek...I thought I gave this enough time to morph but apparently not...now the musks and patchouli are becoming stronger, and possibly the nicotania too. Now it's less floral, still kind of gritty, musky, appealing....I'm on the fence, honestly.

Edited February 16, 2007 by Forspecial Plate

[flyingpizza]

Boy, this was just not good on me. When I first applied it, I smelled the red musk I love so much. Unfortunately, it quickly turned into generic musky-ambery-men's cologne nastiness. Bummer.

[prettypinkkitty]

It's strange, a few of the scents in the Carnaval Diabolique have smelled almost like what I consider "perfume" - that sort of sharp vaguely floral scent - is it poppy? It reacts on my skin to give a cheaper perfume scent, like maybe Charlie or one of those formative perfumes. (Actually, I've just done googling, and it's neither Charlie nor Jean Nate. Hmmm.) It's puzzling.

 

The sharp scent warms itself up eventually, and instead there's a warm floral scent that's a little musky, so it prevents it from being too twee. Not bad! That strangely sharp floral note is still there, just diminished, so it doesn't smell like I doused myself in cologne on the way out of the house, but it still holds me back. Very light throw.

 

Incidentally, patchouli normally amps itself up on my skin, and it's barely present here.

[moonarcana]

Sampled from a beautiful decant by evilmistressoftoast which was gifted to me from a friend...

 

Arachnina has tried to wrap my attention in her glorious web ever since Act III of the Carnaval opened, but I am being leisurely in my visit to the dark faire so I didn't get in line to check out her show right away.

 

Beautifully sophisticated with a very dry, just lightly dusty waft - even while the scent is wet. From the start, the floral note of the lilies and leafiness of the nicotiana are stronger to me but the powdery quality of the opium interlaces itself into perfect effect. I don't detect a fruitiness with the currant much except right out of the vial but it still lends itself well to the dark personality of this fragrance. After the florals wilt away a bit, the resinous patchouli and red musk weave intricate patterns through a backdrop of the black musk...and although these notes can be quite heavy and pronounced in other scents, Arachnina manages to keep them at [multiple] arms' length.

 

This is a beautifully crafted scent, very much that of a gorgeous but deadly spider woman. I'm quite fond of poppy and patchouli, but for me those notes are not the main attraction for Arachnina. Her beauty is the interaction of all the components, like a lacy web which entices it's victims to come in for a closer look, then gathers you up into a gossamer cocoon to feast upon your senses.

 

I'll be lining up for more before the Carnaval leaves town!

[emzebel]

I want to love Arachnia, oh yes I do...I adore spiders, and have the black widow tattoo to prove it. And I love each and every note in this - current, patchouli, musk, lily, tobacco...except for the dreaded poppy, which my skin amps like crazy.

 

All in all, this is a nicely sweet floral blend, that definitely...draws you in. Alas, the poppy just punts it for me.

[Melenass]

Something to passed with my skin? , because I do not smell patchouli here? this is strange, I only notice musk velvet and black, as they would be it the legs of a spider, poppy, and something shining, crystalline and elastic, as it would be it a spiderweb… mmmmm. wonderful

[wikkidraven]

this is extremely 'perfumey' when wet...not at all to my liking. it does bounce back a bit in the drydown, becoming muskier with patchouli, but i think the poppies and lillies are throwing me off.

 

next.

[melissadragon]

Imp: tobacco flower and patchouli - - applied to left side of right hand

Wet: more musk and patchouli

Dry: sad, mostly powder

1 hour later:lilies and power Such a disappointment, it has a slew of notes that I love.

Verdict: Not a keeper.

[maijasu]

On me, Arachnina is faint, wispy, ethereal--perfect for a spidery scent. I'm not getting any of the notes from the description, and after a few minutes, I barely smell anything at all. Unfortunately, this one just doesn't work for me, although I do admire the concept.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

tobacco

 

On me:

This makes me think of Kali or perhaps Mum Moon (but less sweet and creamy). It's tobacco and patchouli backed by a faint fruity floral. I think perfume is a good way to describe this one, it's closer to my traditional ideas of perfume - it's womanly, and kind of mature and heady. It's interesting, because it's not quite what I was expecting as well - it's definitely more floral and heady than I was expecting.

 

Final note:

I wish I had more to say on it but it's fairly straightforward to me. Heady and perfumey floral touched by fruits.

[CiCi]

Arachnina has enchanted me since I sampled it at will call a month ago. I waited and ordered it and it finally arrived today. It is soft and faintly fruity with some light musk in the background. The poppy and lilies seem to get stronger as time passes. Anachnina is simply an amazing and mesmerizing scent!

[Miss Lynx]

This one appealed to me on first reading, both from the listed notes and the concept (I have a certain liking for spiders!), but I was a little worried that three different florals might be too much... My skin tends to amp florals considerably, so even when the other notes in a scent are ones that I like, sometimes the flowers can stomp everything else into submission. But lilies and poppy are ones that don't seem to go too overboard on my skin, so I thought I should definitely try it.

 

And thus far, I like. It's definitely got a floral component, but it's not too strong. The blackcurrant (one of my favourite fruit notes) holds its own nicely, and the musks and patchouli give it depth.

 

The effect is very much in keeping with how it's described - swirly and hypnotic. It's got that lovely mix of highs and lows, sweetness and darkness, that characterizes a lot of my favourite scents. In particular, it's a bit reminiscent in feel of Lampades and Urd, and to a lesser extent Bewitched. Of those three, the resemblance to Urd seems the strongest, though they're not by any means identical.

 

All in all, definitely a strong contender for the big bottle list.

 

Grade: A

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: it smells like some 70’s perfume (Opium, maybe). Not the same kind as Stardust though. There’s patchouli, but not the usual patchouli-curse. And it has a very lovely red colour.

 

On my skin: very perfumey, very musky, very feminine. Some patchouli, but a soft, feminine patchouli. I couldn’t tell why but I think this is the right scent for a spider-girl. I can’t smell any blackcurrant and I regret it.

 

After a couple of hours: all floral. Mostly lilies. Very feminine, very classical…

 

Verdict: I love it but not for me. That’s the kind of perfume I would imagine my mum (or any glamorous mother) to wear. But not me.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

The notes sound so nice that I'm giving Arachnina a whirl despite my crippling level of arachnophobia. I could always re-label it as the Pretty Butterfly Girl if I love it. However, that's not going to be necessary--my skin amps the patchouli all the way to Hippie Heaven. I can get just a hint of the juicy currant--a fav note of mine--and a little musk, but it's mostly head shop, alas.