The Perilous Parlor

[amyw]

A memory of pleasure passed. A ghostly rendezvous, delight beyond death. Faint echoes of laughter and the distorted music of a harp drift by, along with the scent of soft white pear and sweet vanilla.

My experience with The Perilous Parlor has been pretty typical of what others have described. In the bottle I smell more pear than anything else, but just behind it I smell a somewhat smoky vanilla. A slightly darker vanilla than what I typically associate with vanilla. When I put it on, the pear speaks up for a bit but then it settles down into a really nice, soft scent that blends very well with the vanilla. This scent is slightly sweet, but not overly so, and not overly foody in my opinion. Definitely a keeper! That's saying something as I'm trying not to keep things I don't love. I do wish it were a bit stronger and had more throw, but that's partly because I have only one bottle and can see myself using more at a time than I use of other oils.

Yummy!


ETA: as this has aged a bit, there's a bit of something ever so slightly spicy coming out when I wear it. It's a very nice complement to the other notes and makes this EVEN BETTER. I didn't think that was possible. Also, I have gotten into the habit of saying the name in a boo scary voice when telling my partner what I'm wearing. "The Peeerrrrrilous Parrrrlorrrr!!!!" Try it - it's fun. Edited March 2, 2008 by amyw

[Northernskygal]

In the imp the Parlor is pear, but like.. artificial laffy taffy pear (yes, I know they never made laffy taffy in a pear flavor, though it would be yummy... if they did, it would smell like the perilous parlor does in the imp). On my skin it retains that.. candy pear scent, though the vanilla comes out a little bit to add a touch of creaminess. This ends up smelling.. perfumey.. like pears dipped in perfume. It's actually a really nice end result though. It has a little bit of a powdery dry down on me though.. sadly..

[steelgossamer]

Got this one in a swap, and I have to say, it might be a new favorite, but it needs another test.

 

in the bottle: smells delicious! Creamy vanilla and sweet pear .

wet: Yummy! Sweet, vanilla-y and delicious.

drydown: Still sweet, but the pear fades away a little. The vanilla stays strong and lasts for about 6 hours. The vanilla turns a little fake smelling around hour 5 though.

 

Will test again in a few days and see how the scent holds up then.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Bright, juicy pear!

 

Dry: The pear has calmed down a little bit, and the vanilla has come out. There's almost an aquatic feel to this. This smells delicious.. I didn't think I'd like pear this much! I was still catching whiffs of this 8 hours after wearing it. Fabulous.

 

 

On a scale of 1-5, I'd give this a 4.5.

I hope my bottle lasts for a long time!

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Vanilla and bleach

 

Wet on me – Full ripe pears, oozing with juice as you bite into them

 

Dry on me – This kept shifting on me, at times it was a dead ringer for Poison by Dior, at others pure juicy pears, at others a sensual vanilla musk and all points in between

 

Overall – Despite, or possibly because of, the constant shifts I loved this blend. A definite favourite

[smallvoice]

The Perilous Parlor is, in short, love. It is made of love.

 

Unsurprisingly, it smells like a musky pear and vanilla- that sweet musk, which may be vanilla musk? As it sits on my skin, it takes on a spicy note, and every single time I've worn this, sometime that day, I've sat and sniffed the air around me wondering who it is that smells so darn good, before realizing that it's me. I almost asked a woman sitting in front of me about her perfume the first time this happened. I am so afraid the Haunted House won't make a reappearance next year, because I'm wondering if my bottle will be empty by then. I don't know that I've ever smelled anything quite so lovely. It's probably in my top 5 scents.

[slave1]

THE PERILOUS PARLOR

 

In Bottle: Sweet pears and creme

 

On Skin: This is so pretty and light… a sweet cloud that sits close to the skin. It begs you to come in closer and rewards with a delicious treat. The pear is not fresh, it’s more syrupy. The crème is soft… not whipped but more of a light version. The scent is so innocent and makes me feel content at once. I went ahead and bought a bottle and now realize I should have gotten 2 since my friends love it on me too and want some of their own! It does fade very quickly though and leaves behind just a hint of vanilla. Light throw and short wearlength.

[jwhxtna]

IN THE IMP: A lot of pear. Really sweet, juicy pear. And I think I detect a bit of vanilla behind it.

 

WET: Oh! Sweet pear and vanilla, very nice. I'm not really a big pear fan, but I like this.

 

DRY: Soft but very sweet, almost like pear syrup and vanilla cream. Very pretty!

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Pear and vanilla

 

Wet: Very juicy pear and very creamy vanilla. It's very sweet and yummy.

 

Drydown: This gets a bit faint on me, which I don't like. I wish fruit amped on me. It's still very creamy and sweet, which I do like.

3.5 outta 5

[mystery213]

Oooh, this one was so pretty on me... all sweet pear and vanilla yumminess, and then *POOF*, it was gone. This has no staying power on me whatsoever, much to my dismay.

[olive]

Circus Peanut single note

[Wildchild453]

Bottle: Mmmm pears with something behind it that comes across kind of sharp

 

Wet: Very faint pears and I believe I smell a hint of vanilla. There also seems to be something a little incensey dancing in the background

 

Dry: A whole lot of pears and no vanilla. This is really strong almost to the point of piercingly so

 

Overall: I give this a 2.5/5. I don't care too much for it and I wanted to love it. Maybe a few more hrs into the drydown it will meld into something beautiful but for now its gonna either be sold or layered with something

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Pear & bubblegum

 

First on: Wow, almost a buttery sweet pear. Definitely not what I was expecting from the ingredients, I generally love pear scents but this is too much for me. Too much vanilla so far for my tastes.

 

Drydown: Pear cobbler a la mode.

 

Overall: Too sweet for me, but a really pretty scent overall. Off to swaps for this little bottle.

[hkhm]

bottle: ripe sliced pears sitting atop scoops of vanilla ice cream.

 

wet: pear! pear! pear! pear! pear! pear! i'm sure there's some vanilla in here somewhere but it's being overpowered by pear of glory!

 

dry: once dry i can smell a touch of the vanilla, it's just turns the pear sort of creamy and yummy. a new love.

[Electric Maenad]

Starts off as WHOA CANNED PEARS, which I don't particularly object to, although a whole can at once is a little too sweet for me. After about 15 minutes, though, the chef goes to work, and by the half-hour mark it smells like Pears Foster (complete with flaming brandy sauce) with a big dollop of vanilla ice cream. It's still hella sweet, but it's also rich and decadent enough that I just don't care, even though the scale will force me to do penance for the next week to make up for it.

[Emera]

I am so, so, SO unspeakably glad that I finally ordered a decant of this, rather on an impulse, because I just tried a friend's decant of it (mine hasn't arrived yet) and was smitten. This is a syrupy, golden, poached pear half-submerged in vanilla cream sauce and waiting for you in a crystal dish in front of a roaring autumn fireplace. Just - wow. Really, that much. Rich, comforting, absolutely delicious. First on me, it's heavy on the pear, but the vanilla wafts out more and more with wear; I think this is the foodiest and most delicious vanilla I've ever encountered. (N.B. until I met purple-label 13… sigh.)

 

I can't wait to wear this on summer nights, and on autumn evenings! Love love love love.

Edited March 20, 2008 by Emera

[gchris]

In Vial-mmm sweet pear and vanilla

 

Wet: smells like fresh pear and suagared vanilla

 

Later: As this dries the musk becomes more prominent and smells sort of musky

[suki]

in the bottle: sweet pear with a hint of good Indian incense behind it- the kind i can only get when i go to India Way in Jersey City.

 

wet on skin: it's...WOW. it's sweet, juicy pear- REAL pear, not 'pear-scented oil'- and dark, carmelized vanilla. this isn't just sugary, it's *burnt* sugary.

 

dry down: the pear lessens slightly and the vanilla in all it's caramel glory comes forward. my skin usually amps BPAL sugar above all else, but in this, it's staying blended, becoming more like yummy creme brule all the time. oh lordy!

 

in all: i got this on a lark, unsure what would happen, and i am SO glad i did! this is a soft, decadent burnt-sugary, custard-laden sweet-but-light beautiful confection :swoon:

 

 

more, please!

[Pika]

Wow, this is a lovely scent. It's very light, very pear, and very vanilla, and if you're not interested in those things, I guess I wouldn't recommend it.

 

At the same time, there's depth to it. There's something darker about the pear, something hiding behind it all that doesn't let it float off into burn-your-nose-with-sweet and innocent, girly play-perfume. This is a real scent, with some character. I agree with those who though maybe some incense.

 

I like this a lot more than I thought I might. It's a good addition to my lighter scents collection.

[iiinterstate]

I think it may have been divine intervention of the gods of BPAL that made me pick up a partial bottle of this on a whim.

 

I love pear, I love vanilla, and the two together are great. I dabbed a little on before going out to dinner with my family, and kept sniffing my wrist all throughout the evening without thinking about it. Light throw, so this is a slatherer, but definitely worth it. The vanilla never goes plastic on me and the pear stays nice and juicy and never goes blah as fruit tends to do on my skin. Yay!

 

ETA: After awhile there is a delicious smokiness that comes from somewhere that compliments the pear and keeps the vanilla from taking over after a couple of hours. Perilous Parlor is a great warm weather scent.

Edited May 13, 2008 by iiinterstate

[mspixieears]

Instant amalgam of pear and vanilla, deliciously foody and fruity, the pear is just so juicy, succulent and ripe, and the vanilla is a soft white cake kind of vanilla which reminds me a lot of Eat Me’s vanilla. Average throw and could probably be more heavily applied than what I did initially.

[tinyvulture]

i’m just now trying a decant of this halloween blend, and i certainly do hope it makes a comeback in ’08 so i can snag a bottle. i love the corny joke of the name (“pear-ilous,” ha). i can’t recall trying any other bpal pear blends, but i hope they’re forthcoming because this note is awesome. baked pears in syrup, covered in sweet vanilla cream. a light, playful food-y scent. great throw and long-lasting, too.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a few words/smilie: Surprising!

 

In the imp: Fresh pear and a very sweet vanilla.

 

On skin, wet: Pear! Oh, and a dash of vanilla. Something seems a bit boozy about this.

 

On skin, dry: I definitely agree with the reviewers that got a distinctly spicy quality from this blend. After about an hour, it's a very tart, strangely sweet and musky pear, with nary a trace of vanilla.

 

Conclusion: I shouldn't like this. I like pear notes well enough, but as perfume, I generally shy away. Besides that, musk and pear? This should be a no-brainer. For some reason, though, this is fantastic. It reminds me of a blend I can't place -- but it doesn't matter. I very much hope this returns in '08. In the meantime, I need to find a bottle!

Edited June 9, 2008 by Aredhel

[alhbooks]

I keep forgetting to review this...got a partial bottle months ago and liked it fine, but today when I put it on I got the spicy vanilla mentioned above after the initial hit of crisp pear. Plain vanilla is usually too sweet for me, but this is great. i was going to swap it away, but I've put it back in the keeper box after all. It's aging really well.

[donnatron]

Bottle: THERE BE MUSK HERE!!!

 

Wet: Never mind, I'm a dirty liar. This starts off as a sugared pear. Very perfectly evocative of cutting a pear in half and dipping the flesh in sugar. It's... nice, I guess. I have a sort of aversion to pear scents ever since buying a pear scented spray lotion in grade eight that dried my skin out so much it started to peel. You all feel richer for having learned that.

 

Dry: Oh, BPAL. I try to not be one of those people who will eventually end up on fandom wank due to my addiction, but you really pull through. This becomes a perfect, sweet vanilla with just a touch of pear sweetness. It is very, VERY sweet, but it's also very feminine and soft and cuddly and warm. It definitely smells like a "Touch me" scent. There's a hint of creaminess to this--it reminds me of Love's Philosophy a bit.

 

Throw: Good enough. I can smell it a few inches from the skin and it's been about half an hour. If anything, once it dries into the skin, it doesn't acquire the dustiness a lot of notes do on me. It's very lush and creamy.

 

Overall: I'm glad to have tried it. My bottle will not be wasted, but I'm also not going to start selling my organs on eBay to get more.