Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Those Condemned to Death

[hkhm]

Accords of peach kernel, hemlock, aconite, and belladonna, with bitter almond, saffron, honey, myrrh, hyssop, frankincense, and palm.

imp: i can't pick out a single specific note here. this smells like a very sweet, very poisonous dessert.

wet: there is a sharp, pungent something that comes out as soon as it's applied. i'm getting a warm, honeyed saffron scent that is unusual and pleasing. this is spicy without being warm, herby without being wet. this is the most complex bpal oil i've tried.

dry: soft and dusty spicy herbal scent, like peeping into a spice cupboard full out out-of-date hebs and spices. this is really a work of art all on it's own.

[porcelina]

bitter, dark and woody- there is something almost chocolatey in the background. it's too bitter for me to really want to wear.

[Tramp]

Very nice. Very vaguely evil. A honey/almond base piled high with spices and impending death. I think the saffron in this really comes through and the honey is thick without being cloying.

[bombus]

for some reason my first thought was suntan lotion. now that it has reached the dry down stage it still reminds me of suntan lotion with a undercurrent of frankincense and bitter almond. I am not really loving what this one is doing on me.

[Suu4LC]

Hmmm, I get that same kind of chocolatey scent that others were describing in the reviews. Hmm, then I start getting a woody scent. Gah, there are so many notes here, it's like I'm being bombarded. I can't pick them out @_@

 

Now I'm getting more incensey notes and woody notes and maybe some herbal notes. I lost that chocolatey scent and I don't really get any bitter almond or saffron or honey.

 

Nah, this isn't for me. It's kind of a sweet honeyed insence-y smell on full drydown, but the incense is way too dark and smokey and strong for my tastes. I love that honeyed top note, but ultimately, I'll be swapping this decant.

[ladyver]

in bottle: complex!

wet on skin: kernel/almond, and green almost herbal note (huh?) - i decide the green/herbal note must be the flowers in this one.

this then evolves into a pretty almond fragrance with sweet/warm tones from honey, myrrh, saffron etc.. which lasts for ages. it reminds me of serge lutens louve, but with an added warm honey note underneath.

[UploadedLobster]

I'm reminded of something I read a number of years back about the properties of honey.

 

A group of Egyptologists, back in a more casually-regulated era, had opened a tomb that morning and begun inventory of the grave goods before the lunch hour arrived. Said Egyptologists, remembering that one of the jars they had found was full of honey, and that honey does not spoil, brought it out from the tomb to use on their bread. They were delighted by its flavor, mellowed by hundreds of years and touched with the scent of the long-dead blooming plants whose pollen it had been made from.

 

Later inventory discovered that also contained in the jar was a marvellously intact human head, presumably a lover or vanquished enemy of the noble in the tomb. Its long hair still trailed from its scalp, its skin was still smooth, and the embalming resins used inside the cavity of its skull were still thick and aromatic. Honey, as it turns out, is also an excellent preservative.

 

Cleopatra Testing Poisons is the scent of that head.

 

Lobster Rating

better than: hundreds of years stuck in a jar. even if it's a really nice jar.

[oolith]

To me this smells like weeds and dirt. It reminds me of weeding the garden when I was growing up. I really like this. After a while something sweeter comes out and it starts to smell even more wonderful.

Edited June 5, 2008 by Merrow

[donnatron]

Bottle: Admission time--the entire reason I bought this was for the bottle. I flove this painting. Anyway, in the bottle this smells soft and sweet with some dusty resins and woodiness. I can't really pick out any of the individual scents, but it smells a little benign for the title.

 

Wet: Immediately the dusty aspect perks up and this smells like... fruit stones. And a touch of sour honey.

 

Dry: After the honey acclimates to my skin, it's really lovely. Now it lives up to its name--I smell like what I imagine a poison damsel would smell like. It's sexy in a weird, film noir vicious sort of way. It's a very hot scent, it evokes a sort of sandy, dusty imagery--very evocative of the desert.

 

Throw: Good.

 

Overall: It's a really interesting, complex scent and it evokes the painting perfectly. I think this is a perfect scent for summer. It's complex without being overpowering and is really gorgeous and unique.

[filigree_shadow]

I don't think I smell the herbs in this, but it smells mostly like a spicy (saffron) honey scent. A little sweet from the resins, but not too much. It also smells dry. It's not the bitter herby scent I was imagining it would be at all -- it's a lot smoother than that.

 

I like this one.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Honey, with a soft touch of myrrh and frankincense. Lovely!

First on:

Light florals, sweet honey, dignified incense and something almost fruity. Yum! I love it...

 

Dry:

After about 20 mins, it's a deliciously soft honey scent with the odd hint of saffron, incense or florals. I'm enchanted. It's what I wanted from stuff like O. Sensual! And it stays that way, even after an hour. I'm in love with this one...

 

Finally:

I've always loved the painting, ever since I read Margaret George's books, where it was used as the cover illustration. Big keeper! Might even consider investing in a bottle.

[zankoku_zen]

This is such a complex blend. At the beginning, I get a fruity almost peach note with an herbal/spicy base. As it dries, the fruity note sort of blends back into the background and remains this incensey/spicy blend with a hint of honey on it.

 

All and all, this one was blended really well. And yes, it had a vague sense of foreboding. I had a hard time pining it down.

[vegasblueblood]

One of my favorite paintings and one of my favorite BPALs! I love this blend and wear it a lot. It's so complex and starts off full of the herbal poisons sweetened by the honey. It then becomes so gorgeously sweet and almost ripe yet full of that poisonous slightly green undertone. It also has a touch of dryness, it's not moist at all. This scent embodies Cleopatra and ancient Egypt to me. It simply stunning in it's complexity. I adore it. Not only that, it last for HOURS.

[septima_pica]

(Octopod)

You know, I could write a review of this, but Uploaded Lobster has done it for me. We both read that review (among the others, of course) when I arranged a swap for this.

 

Today it came and I tried it on. Bitter herbs like the ones in Poisoned Apple came flying off like bats out of hell, two minutes later they were gone, and then --

 

"Head," I said, proffering my arm to Kalirren.

 

"Head," he confirmed.

 

I love it.

[greenranger]

It started off as if it were going to be a soft floral, and then changed direction and went sweet...

 

and then changed again to lovely lovely resins.

 

Peaches and resin, honey and flowers. Gorgeous....

[Myrrha]

WET: A murky indistinct whirl of sweetish, creamy scent. Honey and almond are the only notes I can pick out.

 

AS IT DRIES: It goes through a phase where it does smell a little bitter and chocolaty.

 

DRY: Honey on a creamy herbal base. A bit perfumy but lovely and enticing with an edge of bitterness. Medium throw. Slightly longer than average wear length for me.

 

When I first smelled the creamy sweetness of this scent I realized that they probably put the poisons in a good-tasting base, perhaps containing something soothing to help the stomach keep it down. This filled me with horror and sorrow at the idea of people being condemned to die and made to drink poison. This is too emotionally intense a scent for me although I'm glad I got to try it.

[naeelah]

I wasn't at all sure what to expect from this. I like herbal scents, as well as honey and resins, so I thought it was worth a try.

 

Wet, it's almost gourmand. The overall effect reminds me a lot of certain 13 blends, especially July '07. I think what I'm smelling is the peach kernel, honey, and almond, combined with the resins, but from a distance, it's almost like there's cocoa present. (eta: The palm is the note that smells almost cocoa-like.)

 

The bitter herbals emerge underneath, but the honey sweetness is still on top...exactly like poison hidden in a drink. The frankincense and myrrh as acting as base notes, lending a faintly smoky character.

 

It seems to remain creamy honey over bitter herbals, with a smoky base. I tend to amp sweet, so the creaminess is definitely far more predominant than the herbs, for me. It's complex, gorgeous, and very versatile. I love the scent and the concept, and I think it's beautifully realized, but this is one of the few BPAL blends that I do find a little bit sad and morbid.

 

Try it if you like: Haloes, 13 (in general), Eisheth Zeninum, Love-Lies-Bleeding

Edited February 11, 2009 by naeelah

[PersephonesChild]

I really like this scent-- it has a golden quality without being sweet and gooey. It reminds me of late afternoon light. It amazes me how much the peach kernel smells like peach kernel-- not peach plus nut, but peach kernel. It's the lightest scent that I would ever dare to call a resin. Honey and saffron are two notes that are usually terrible on me, but in this, I honestly can't smell either one-- just a warm, light, resiny golden blend. Wonderful.

 

And it lasts FOR EVER. I put it on this morning at about 7:45 AM. It's not 8:23 PM. And I can still smell it, and it still smells great.

Edited December 10, 2008 by PersephonesChild

[Indigo78]

-I amp the hell out of almond in a not-so-good way, and this seems like it might act like Bilquis did on me. Too overt, too salival, and wayyy too almondy. I smell cocoa, too, even though it's unlisted in the notes.

 

-The florals and herbs jump out right away when this is still wet. I don't know hemlock, palm or belladonna as specific notes. But if they're responsible for this lush, blooming scent, it works for me. They seem to be keeping the almond in check. This has a tropical feel as well, though not in the tanning oil way. I like it right now.

-After fifteen minutes or so an unexpected bitterness shows up, which might be the deal-breaker for me. It's like those pretty florals originally came to save the day, but have since changed their mind and are now trying to kill me. Appropriate to its namesake, but this Salon doesn't suit me personally. I'll keep the imp, but not a bottle.

Edited December 21, 2008 by Indig0

[anastasia]

This was one of the first salons I wanted because of the whimsicality of the combination of the really civilized presentation of the painting with the barbarian nature of the subject. It makes me laugh every time. This scent is a little disturbing to me because it really does remind me of my grandmother. Not that it is a grandma ish scent - it reminds me of her physically and personally which is strange because she died when I was six. I apparently do have scent memory of her and her belongings though. It smells like her open suitcase. In the bottle and wet it smells like the painting, almost victorian in its brightness and cleanliness. Nobody in that painting looks like they are sweating. It is like a diorama of Cleopatra in a crystal palace. Bright and clean resins and peach or apricot seed. Once I have worn it, it becomes kind of a 1930's apricot silk underwear kind of scent. It reminds me of Hitchcock movies for some reason. It reminds me of a really fancy compact of face powder. Which comes around full circle and reminds me of the inside of my grandmother's purse and how even though she was older when I knew her I knew that she had been glamorous and that the things in her purse were the things she had always had in her purse even when she was twenty.

[MCS4096]

In the Imp: Very well blended! I get a warm honey feeling, with the peachy sweetness, but there is definitely a slightly bitter undertone.

 

Wet: Gets a bit more herbal, but still really warm and sweet (not foody to me)

 

Dry: The sweetness dies back a bit, but it's all warmth from the honey and resins, the slightest fruity peach and green herbs. I don't usually like herbal blends.. but I LOVE this scent. It reminds me of thick, clear, orange honey.. like smearing yourself with it, and how it feels on you skin. I'm definitely considering a bottle.. I think it would be amazing slathered!

[hellomoonglow]

This smells like the reduction syrup on baklava. Honey, spice, clove (?). I don't get any peach. But as this dries down, it goes more and more honey. This is the first time I've tried a honey blend and loved it!

[pinkstardust420]

I have to agree with hellomoonglow - it really does smell like the coating on baklava! honey, sweet, but not too sweet...a touch resiny at first but that fades quickly. very nice blend.

 

 

[Halloqueen2]

Ohh..was so excited to get this. I have been wanting it forever and finally sprung for it.

 

I am not so good at disecting scents, but go with general impressions. I don't get foody at all from this despite the peach, honey and almond. I smell no chocolate, but possibly, something like fig, which may have been an unlisted addition. My first impression is that it is made of something very resiny, or musky...I had to look up the notes. I also must react favorably to palm, as I also love the Carnival oil Meskhenet.

 

The mind impression I got from this was not poison, but the actual scent of Cleopatra, perhaps with fruit and honey as a snack, watching the "show" where now and then, a wayward breeze brings the acrid scent of poison across her couch. I don't really smell anything green or actually edible, just ghosts of foody things. Might just be my imagination when it comes to Egyptian scents, but I also seem to detect a very faint scorched note that weaves in and out. Reminds me of being in the desert in high summer...a dry almost mineral smell held together by heat.

 

This is a lovely scent. Will go well with Cairo, Bastet and Meskhenet...certainly hot weather scents for me...luckily I smell no flowers. More like hot, dry female scented skin...

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Yellow oil. Sweet, strong, syrupy. A little spicy and resiny, with a slightly bitter/sharp edge. I get lots of almond, peach kernel, honey and saffron.

 

Wet: Much the same. Very strong throw, but dries instantly on my skin. More green - palm, hemlock, and hyssop emerge. This definitely has an exotic, warm-climate feel. Myrrh emerging.

 

Dry: I love the honey and peach kernel on my skin and the saffron settled immediately - it's not the mentholic note here that it can be in so many blends. Lighter, less sweet and cloying.

 

Later: Smooths out more and more with time, becoming quite unisex. Other than an edge of myrrh, I'm not getting my incense - it's a fresher note than one would think. I almost get a white peach note, too, in drydown.

 

Summary: White peach, honey, hyssop, and palm in final drydown. Amazingly light and fresh- this one is a real morpher. It goes through a greener, more masculine phase and then settles into a softly sweet & fruity feminine blend. Good throw; fades fast.

 

I have a thing against white peach, but this turned out be very pleasant and the honey note is gorgeous. I would have never thought I'd have liked this at all from how it smelled in the imp, either. The Salon scents continue to wow me on the whole.

Edited May 13, 2009 by fairnymph