The Smiling Spider

[GeorgeJr]

Bitter clove, black musk, mahogany wood, and patchouli.

This is very spicy indeed , heavy on the clove . Not really getting the musk so much . Best description of this I can give is it's a lot like Plunder with a dark under tone . Much of the same spiciness that Plunder has , even some of the same sweetness . But just slightly darker . Not really even noticing the patchouli , but I may be amping up the spices on my skin . I like it , but then again I'm quite a fan of Plunder too . Pretty good throw . Some might go as far to say a strong throw .

[MisterShrapnel]

I've never seen/smelt clove cigarettes in person but I'm absolutely fascinated by the idea--I figured a much healthier alternative to trying one someday is to just huff this. All the time.

It's clove-tastic. And there's a hint of sweetness, to let you know that under all that black clothing, the wearer is actually not so scary. The musk is so warm and fuzzy, and completely captures that spider's grin...

Nothing sharp about this, just spicy and musky and (I think) taciturn.

Awesome label, awesome scent. So wearable it's alarming. Top ten? I think so!

(The Lab just saved my lungs!)

[suki]

this, THIS is the clove scent i've been looking for!

i agree with others who said it smells like clove cigarettes, but to me it specifically smells like them in the box, when you get a fresh pack and first unwrap it.

 

there's not much transition from in the bottle, to wet to dry down. the clove stays true and i really don't get much else from this, except as "supporting actors" that make the clove more...clovey.

 

medium to low thow, perfect for all us moody gothy types that like to write poetry on grey days and dance to the Cure when we're alone.

[elenore]

Definitely clove. Strong, slightly bitter clove, yes like the smell not of the clove ciggy smoke but the ciggy itself. Too dirty and dusky to be a foody clove. On drydown the mahogany peeks out a bit giving it a nice wood note, just mellows it out a tad. I feel like I get a little tobacco in there too-just a bit. I don't smell patchouli at all.

I might wear this once in a while, like if I ever go to a goth club again

[rayvn1]

A light and spicy scent, actually Dark yellow mini-cloud of wood spice and clove. Interesting, but sadly not a keeper on me.

[arsenicsauce]

I want to love this, because I love the smell and the taste of cloves, and they sure do pack a whallop in this one, but unfortunately the musk is really throwing me off. It a;ways goes sour on me, sadly, and that blends with the bitterness of the cloves to make it less pleasant. There doesn't seem to be much change as it dries. My favorite mediator, patchouli, doesn't seem to be making an appearance at all, and if there's mahagony it's being trampled by the cloves and musk.

 

I think I'll give this another try in a few days and see how it goes, just in case, because I did have my heart set on the smiling spider, but it's looking like it will end up in the swap pile.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL bought on LJ.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This is one of those scents that's flown under my radar for...well, forever, practically. The artwork is awesome (and made me want it just for that) and all but one note (bitter clove) is absolutely perfect for me. Patchouli, musk and mahogany? Sign me up! But I'm afraid of the clove. To be more exact, I'm afraid of the fact that it says bitter clove. I love clove, but I hate anything bitter smelling. My only other experience with bitter clove (as far as I can remember), was with Dracul, which I liked except for the weird bitter undertone, which had to have been the clove.

 

So I'm hopeful, but not too hopeful about The Smiling Spider. It could be a dream come true or it could be a dream crusher, and it all hinges on the clove and just how bitter it is.

 

First sniff:

 

Why did I wait so long to try this?! It smells wonderful! Not bitter at all at this point. I get clove (it's definitely different than the Lab's sweet clove note, which I'm very familiar with since I own a bottle of the single note) and it's definitely not sweet, but it's not really bitter, either. Dry might be a better term for it. It smells dry the way dry incense does. Kind of hard to describe. Although the clove is by far the strongest note out of the gate, I do smell some deep, dark musky, musty wood (the patchouli and mahogany combining). If I didn't have the notes, I think I would say that this is clove (not sweet clove, though) with something deep and musty in the background.

 

It is fairly similar to clove cigarettes as others have noted, but not as dead on identical as Velvet Bandito is. The Smiling Spider lacks the sweetness and slight cinnamon scent I get from clove cigarettes.

 

Wet on skin:

 

True to the bottle scent for a few minutes and then it suddenly becomes noticeably bitter, but only if my nose is close to the oil. From further away, it still smells like it did in the bottle. This stage makes me nervous, but as long as it smells good at a normal smelling distance (my perfume doesn't generally get smelled from an inch away by anyone other than me, snuffling myself unashamedly).

 

Dry down:

 

Oh, so good! Once the wet stage passes, the bitterness goes with it and the mahogany, patchouli and musk finally make an appearance. At this point, it's still predominately spicy, but it's got a really nice, deep musky/woody mustiness to it. It's a dark, mysterious scent and it's delicious. This immediately jumped to the top of my "favorite Salon scents" list thanks to this gorgeous drydown.

 

The bottom line:

 

Love this! The wet stage is a little touch and go, but once it dries down, it's glorious. If you love dark and spicy, non-foody scents, then this is right up your alley.

 

As a side note, it also smells pretty similar to the Goblin of Yuletide Yet to Come atmo spray from a couple years back, even though the only note they share is clove. They both come off as a spicy, musky dark wood scent to my nose and, while they're not identical, they're close relatives. And that makes me super happy since I love Yuletide Yet to Come and always wish I could wear it as perfume when I'm spritzing my bedroom with it.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: bitter clove is really interesting as a dominant note. This comes across as what I wanted Old Spice to really smell like, but they had to add powdery crap and alcohol to ruin it. hahahaa. The black musk smells sweet, combined with clove. Mahogany wood is dominant as well.

 

Drydown; very old spicey, but not in a bad way. the clove takes over everything but I can smell a bit of patchouli behind it. The mahogany wood is still around but softer. Not bad! I can see developing a 1 week fascination with this and using the imp up.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Polished mahogany dominant. I love the way the clove and wood interact, adding a sweet spiciness. The musk adds a rich sexiness, the patchouli is soft and earthy. This sample is aged, and the patchouli in it reminds me a little of Crypt King’s. In other words, it is soft and rich and deep, blending smoothly with the other elements without overwhelming. This is wonderful and I’m going to be very sad if the musk is too heavy on my skin as black musk often is. Wet: The blend is still mahogany dominant. If anything, the mahogany is more complex. The patchouli and musk are stronger on the skin, but not overpowering, though the black musk is at the edge. The clove is softer, but wow, so lovely. The wood really makes it pop. Delicious. I suspect that fresh, this would be a bit harsher and less smooth, deep, and dangerously sexy but I’m loving this bottle oh so much. Dry: Clove dominant beautifully supported by rich dark wood, with a hint of musk and patchouli.. Wow, I’ve been longing for something that smells like this.

[milo]

Very masculine clove at first. There's a brief spell where it smells kind of 'pickle-y', but quickly fades. Turns into a smooth, black musky clove masculine blend.

[Mechanical Death]

Oh god *faints*

I was looking for the perfect clove blend. This is it. *swoon*

In the bottle it has a slight bitterness which had me worried but as soon as it hits the skin it goes away. This is dead sexy!

Black musk is one of my best friends. It has this rich slightly ambery incense note. That mixed with the clove and deep woody mahogany is pure sex. The patchouli sits underneath, a deep slightly sweet and nutty note that good patch gets. I'm in love. I need 10 bottles. why didn't I grab this when it was available originally. I'm going to have to hunt down more. Stat!

[MCS4096]

Unfortunately this loses all of it's initial complexity as it dries down on my skin. I thought for sure that with black musk and patchouli as ingredients it would have a little more lasting power, but it stays pretty close to the skin and in the end I can really only smell cloves. It's not a sugary or sweet cloves, it's a very masculine (almost too masculine for me, and I wear a lot of masculine-leaning blends) dry and bitter cloves. I love clove cigarettes, so I can appreciate this for what it is, but I would love to get more musk and patchouli out of it, or for it to be "warm and fuzzy".. color me a bit disappointed..

 

I might try it layered with a better lasting black musk blend like Haunted or Black Temple Burlesque Troupe.

 

ETA: I'm reviewing this late--- my bottle is currently almost 3 years old, so it has had time to age.

Edited October 8, 2013 by MCS4096

[grnwoodtree]

Re-testing lots of things since my skin chemistry has massively changed since I discovered BPAL 6 years ago.

 

So, This one is complex...I love the woody note, as well as the musk and clove. So glad the patch is not amping. Too bad it seems to be fading fast. I do like this one - it's very odd.

[LizziesLuck]

Love clove and mahogany. Back musk is iffy. Worried the patchouli will ruin this on me.

 

 

Wet: Wow, this is a dirty (in a good way - like naughty dirty) clove scent! Really gritty. Black leather and clove cigarettes, for sure. Makes me really want a cigarette, actually (not that it smells like smoke!). Wow, there is so much spicy clove in this that the spot where I am testing it is warm. Not a full on reaction, just a "warming" sensation. I have never had any reaction to clove before. It's getting warmer though...and I am getting worried. Smells great! Clove mainly, I don't really get the other notes. It's sweet though.

 

 

Dry: The musk finally comes through, bringing this into full on sexy-man territory on me. Very sexy, clove cigarette smoking man. Mmm. I love it. I have no idea if I want to wear it. But I sure want to smell a man wearing it....I think it's a keeper.