The Forbidding Foyer

[gingersnapp]

Thick shadows hang heavy across fungus-smeared, dilapidated wainscoting, cobwebs hang like fine lace across sagging mouldings, rats scuttle past gaping doorways. The faint scent of brimstone, ghostly breath laced with cognac, neglected mahogany panels, and rot.

In the bottle and when immediately applied to the skin, this is not much else than musty stone. As it dries, there's something almost floral about it and I can't quite figure out why. Maybe it's the cognac? Now that I've looked at the description, it does smell a bit more like cognac to me... it has that slight alcoholic tang to it.

Very interesting. It's amazing how a drop of oil can smell like a solid, albeit rotting and crumbling, stone.

[sarada]

When I first sniffed this (with its adorable greenish label!) I almost fell over from the rush of scent memories it brought. It's a bit odd thought -- it reminded me of camping. It specifically reminded me of the smell of the old canvas tent when we'd pull it out of the basement each year, dusty, mildewed, and -- yes, I even swear I catch the scent of bug spray! It is a strong first impression but it quickly quiets down, and mellows out a little. Don't worry about that bug spray scent, I think that must be the cognac, though I have no idea what cognac smells like.

 

The damp wood -- dark, soft, rotten -- is the strongest impression that I get at first, but it is just absolutely lovely because it is such a natural, evocative scent. Not the scorched smoky burnt smell that is in some of the other autumn blends this year -- a slightly warmer wood, a deep earthy rot. The odd bit of bug spray vanishes before it even hits my skin, so that was only in the bottle.

 

I wore this around a lot yesterday, it is quite different from the other wood, leaf and smoke-scented blends we have this year but complements them perfectly.

 

ETA: Incredibly, I think this is my favorite of the Haunted House scents! It's just so unique and so evocative.

Edited September 28, 2007 by sarada

[jolarocknrolla]

ok, this is probably not going to be helpful to anybody but ... it smells like spicy dirt to me. the cognac is not at all "boozy". This is definately my least favorite of the Haunted House blends.

[Sushi-n-Sake]

My first review!

 

The Forbidding Foyer

 

In bottle: Wood and incense. It smells a bit like Midnight Mass.

 

Wet: It's quite a swirl of scents, with some masculine overtones. Hard to pin any one scent down!

 

Drydown: To me, this smells a *lot* like Crow Moon. It's got the same almost-minty-but-not-quite quality to it, with a soft floral background. I happen to like Crow Moon, so this is a good thing. Maybe there's a touch more wood in this than in CM.

 

Dry: The mahogany comes out more now. There's still a faint breath of floral and dust. It's a quiet fragrance.

 

Verdict: Fans of Crow Moon will probably like this.

[Koukla]

MMMAAAAAAHHHOOOOGGGGAAANNNYYYYYYYY!!!!

 

 

 

Have I mentioned I amp wood notes? I get nuthin from this but wood, beginning to end. Darn it.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Dark wood, with a light touch of smoke.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells of mahogany to me… the wood note is extremely strong. I also get dust, or mildew… something “old.” This is a very dry scent with no sweetness to speak of.

 

After a few minutes: The wood has faded a little, but it’s still the main note of the blend. It’s a dusty, dry wood, with something swirling in its depths. It’s not sweet, but it’s pleasant.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent represents a dry, old wood-filled room very well. It’s woodsy, dusty, and evocative. It would be great as a layering scent with other blends (simple florals, maybe?). I like it, but I don’t know if I like it enough to buy it. It’s more something I’d buy as a room scent than as a perfume.

[alicia_stardust]

THE FORBIDDING FOYER

 

Wet: In the bottle I smell a sharp, almost spicy booze that's been poured over wood. Perhaps that's the cognac?

 

Dry on Skin: As soon as this dries I smell rot and dust over the woods and booze. The booze, when combined with the woods, seems to create a rich, dark, and almost spicy scent. However, there is a rotten and dusty note that keeps a lid on that and lends itself to the creepy atmosphere of this scent. After a short while the brimstone really comes through clearly, and I really love that stage of it.

 

I think this is a perfect creepy atmospheric scent. I don't know that I'll reach for it as a perfume, but as a room scent in October? Yes!

[heartlilly]

I got almost pure mahogany from this one. I did get a touch of cognac while it was wet, but once it dried it was gentle, almost dusty mahogany.

[CrazyPretzel]

From SueDonym's Haunted House decant circle - thanks, SueDonym! I'm testing this one first as I think it'll be my least favourite.

 

In the imp: mahogany and a slight boozy note.

 

Wet on me: mildewed mahogany. Gross! Also a warm waft of cognac.

 

After a few minutes: That rot smell is gross and yet there's something compelling about it. I can't stop sniffing it. I can smell a teeny-tiny touch of brimstone now, which is actually probably what's making me sniff compulsively - I really like burning scents. The mahogany and cognac are blending together nicely now, but it's still a very spooky scent what with that crumbling rotten note - which is less off-putting then you'd think.

 

Drydown: Y'know, I generally avoid wood notes but the mahogany is really warm and pleasant in here, and the cognac is one of the best booze notes I've yet sniffed from the Lab. The whole thing is wonderfully well-blended; even the fungal funk has its role to play and I can't say that I think this scent would be better without it, because something would definitely be missing. ! I've got it! I know what this smells like. It smells like shelves of old books with leather bindings that have been exposed to damp. *That's* exactly the sort of mildew scent it is.

 

Interesting, very interesting! I probably don't need a whole bottle of this as I can't imagine wanting to slather it on, but the description is dead accurate and it's extremely intriguing. I'm glad to have my decant and I'd recommend everyone try and snag one if possible

[shadesong]

In bottle: Thick wood and cognac.

 

On me: A beautiful room in disrepair; rich, lush decay. That mahogany note is so yummy.

[Finny]

The Forbidding Foyer, a rich alcoholic blast of cognac. It smells like you could get drunk from smelling it. Woodiness in the background. It smells like an expensive Irish Whiskey. I love, love, love it. I am adding a back-up bottle to my "I forgot to get the forum scents order!"

[requieminblack]

Woo! At first this smells like the inside of a cave. A dark, dank and very damp cave. Then the woody sweetness of mahogany comes out and takes over. As it fades it becomes more of the smell of an old pub. Like aged wood and soft boozyness like whisky was spilled and dryed up on the floor that was never cleaned up. This is the most interesting morpher of all the Haunted House scents. I like it!

[grifyn_whiffs]

The description for this one scared me almost as much as any of the others. Smeared fungus? Rot? "I don't know about this..."

 

But I wanted to see if BPAL could do a scent that made me think of a long-abandoned, haunted foyer.

 

At first, I swear I can smell the fungus/mildew. BLEAH.

 

After about five minutes though, this is WOOD. WOOD and more WOOD. Old, dark wood, a little bit of varnish I swear. If it weren't for the faint trace of cognac, this would smell like opening a bureau drawer or a new bookcase.

 

When I give it a bit more time to dry down, it takes on this very OLD feel. Very masculine and dusky. Not my favorite room of the Haunted House thus far, but still an interesting experience!

[Babylon]

Wet: Cognac, dark oppressive wood and stone, something that smells earthy like vetiver but doesn't amp like vetiver does on me.

 

Dry: This is amazingly evocative of a "forbidding foyer". The true scent of a long neglected haunted house. The dust of years, books and fabrics and wall coverings that have rotten, old alcohol that's been left in a decanter that has leaked its scent out, moldy mahogany furniture, and ancient stone walls that are starting to crumble. Wow!

[euterpe414]

Ok, so far, this has got to be the most dead-on of the Haunted House scents as far as the descriptions go! At first this smells verry strongly of an old musty, decaying and rotting building- stones, a bit of mold, and a the like. Then as its been on for a while it tones down a little and a bit fo the cognac comes through. There is still that 'old building' smell but its less pungent and a bit more wearable- I smell mainly mahogany, stone , a bit of herbs and a touch of cognac. I am really enjoying this once it's dry. It smells a lot like my neighborhood (the building across the street from me is from the 1500's so there's definitely a bit of an old and musty air around my apartment) at night after it has just rained, which is utterly fantastic!

 

I'm definitely getting a bottle, it's one of the most unique BPAL scents I have tried so far...perhaps the most haunting scent I have smelled.

[filigree_shadow]

When I first put this on, I had forgotten what the notes were so I didn't know what to expect. I sniffed it and thought Whew! What's the powderiness? Smells a bit pungent.

A few minutes later I sniffed it again and thought it had developed an extremely familiar sweetness that I couldn't quite place. I was starting to like it a little more.

A few minutes later I sniffed again, and this time I definitely liked it. Still couldn't place the scent, though, so I finally looked up the notes. Cognac! That's it. That's what I'm smelling.

I don't really smell any brimstone or rot, just cognac and mahogany. It doesn't smell like big barrels of brandy or anything like that, it's much more refined. Quite elegant.

Despite the initial few minutes of not liking the scent much, when it's dry I like it a lot. I definitely like it better than Montresor, Fortunato, Mad Sweeney, and other boozy scents. Wouldn't mind having a bottle of this one...

 

4 July 2015 ETA:

This scent is pretty awesome aged. It has turned all viscous and thick, and the sweet wood note with just a light hint of booziness is veeeery appealing. If you haven't tried this one in a while, give it a whirl.

Edited July 4, 2015 by filigree_shadow

[Blood onmy hands]

I tried this on thanks to a dear friend (<3) and wasn't wowed with it, though it is interesting. The cognac in this doesn't work for me, but thankfully it isn't very strong either. There was a hint of nailpolish remover-like alcohol fragrance underneath a dry woods note for the first 10 minutes or so on me. When that disappears, this is pretty much a simple woods smell. It's a bit too dry and dusty for me, and also has a hint of something smoky to it. Over time, it gets a bit more musty and earthy. The impression that it left with me was of a dusty, musty woods and earth blend. Not a foresty scent, but more evocative of a rundown building, as its description goes for. Interesting, but not something I'd wear.

Edited October 9, 2007 by Tania

[Medici]

In the imp: Dusty wood tables (with a faint trace of polish, dearies) and melting candle wax (The real stuff. Not that plastic wannabe wax. This is Madame Tussaude tallow.)

 

Wet: Pungent, wet woods, a sharp hint of booze, and a nose-tingling slap of “rot.”

 

Drydown: There are rats in the hallways, mice in the walls, and mouldering floodboards that need replacing. While definitely atmospheric, this really does smack of “haunted house” – or at least “condemned mansion, please keep off property.” Wow. I totally have to commend the Lab on this one. While it’s not something I’d wear, the associated visuals I get testing the blend are that of a mouldering ruin of a mansion. It’s incredible.

 

Verdict: Not for me at all, but I’m definitely keeping the imp for those days when I need inspiration for atmospheric writing. Well done, Labbies. This is awesome.

[Pendragon]

In the bottle: I didn't think I'd like this one much as I can smell strong Cognac with woody undertones, but I decided I'd give it a try so I can review it properly

 

Wet: not what I expected! Almost like a masculine version of Pulcinella & Teresina, with similar wood notes but without the rose! Mahogany and woody, reminding me of a beeswax wood polish we used on furniture when I was a kid.

 

Dry: Old dried wood polish that has soaked into an aged mahogany side board, with warped wood panels from being stored in a damp dark house. How on earth does Beth capture such imagery in a bottle?!

 

Verdict: definately keeping the imp, but I probably wouldn't need a bottle as it is a scent that requires the right mood and frame of mind to wear, particularly because it reminds me so much of being little.

Edited October 11, 2007 by Pendragon

[olympia301]

Very stone like and mineral, and then again woody and herbal. I am thinking about labdanum a lot when I wear this one. Unisex, not very feminine I don't think. Heavy furniture comes to mind, like...A Forbidding Foyer!

[stellans]

oh, ugh! All I get from this is a strong mildewy-rotten smell which doesn't really morph much but only mellows slightly. This is not a scent for me at all. I admit I had qualms about this one, but then I did about Shadwell too and I ended up liking that one. I'm glad I joined a decant circle, though...

Edited June 5, 2010 by stellans

[Morrea]

This smells just exactly like a pencil!

 

I get no cognac from this, just dry, dry wood notes, a hint of rot (with a what seems like a droplet of vetiver), and the brimstone note, which my nose is parsing as graphite. I had no idea pencils had their own smell, but sure enough, this is it.

[tinyvulture]

cognac is my favorite booze note ever since i smelled it in some Lush shampoo, and i love the warm, rich smell of mahogany. but there is also a dank, musty scent. it’s not unpleasant, though. it gives the overall impression of a deserted, forgotten room in a haunted old house. some debauchery happened here, back in the day, but now there's nobody around except for the ghosts! perfect!

[Bangles]

Trying this out, without remembering the notes, my first thought was 'oak paneling.' Wood, wood, wood, and more wood! It's not overpowering, it's quite pleasant, but all the other notes seem to have done a disappearing act.

 

As it dries it turns into wood and dirt (and something much like patchouli), a dark and musty room; then finally, finally, someone's brought that cognac I was looking for. Just a drop, though; those mahogany panels are still making themselves the focal point of this room.

 

The longer I wear it, the more I like it - yet I don't see myself wearing it again; this one's definitely a room scent. Which seems to apply to a lot of the Haunted House.

Edited October 18, 2007 by Bangles

[Dymphna]

In the imp: I can smell the cognac and it smells goooood! I can also smell the woods, dark and sweet and not too dry. This is lovely. I had no idea from looking at the notes that it would smell this good. It reminds me a bit of Perversion, which is worrying since that one was way too sweet on me, but I'm hoping this won't turn so powdery-fruity-sweet on my skin. I'm not sure where that connection is coming from, since Perversion has rum and chardonnay rather than cognac, but it definitely smells similar, like a somewhat sweet alcoholic beverage.

 

Wet: The cognac is frighteningly sweet for about a minute, and it reminds me of why Perversion didn't work on me. But then it settles down and the rich, warm woods come out and ohmygoodnessYUM! It's so rich, like really old, well cared for wood furniture.

 

Dry: This is AMAZING! It's exactly how I imagine it would be to sit in an ancient, darkly paneled library, curled up in an old leather armchair, sipping cognac and reading a timeworn book. I mean, no, it doesn't have leather or "old book" notes, but it's evocative of that kind of experience nevertheless. Although maybe I'll try layering it with something leatheriffic and/or book-y at some point to see how it smells. But I love it--I absolutely LOVE it!--just as it is. Wow, this is such a surprise.

 

This is my favorite of the Haunted House blends so far, and I never would have guessed that it would be. I love surprises like this! It's one of the reasons I love BPAL.