Scorpio 2007

[Blood onmy hands]

Fixed Water: the essence of passion.
Dark musk, wormwood, basil, dragon's blood resin, galangal, and opoponax.

The lab's dark/black musk note tends to smell like generic, musky men's cologne on my skin, so I wasn't expecting to love this. I'm surprised at how wonderful this smells on my boy though. I gave up on trying to wear this pretty quickly, washed it off, and slathered it on the boy instead.

The dark musk in this smells slightly watery, in an empty, cool sort of way. It's sharp and too masculine on me, but sexy and pleasant on my mister. The dragon's blood also turns sickly sweet (like rotting flowers) on me, but is more subtle on my boy's skin. Those two notes are pretty strong at first, and the musk is like a strong base note.

In the drydown, some herbal and resinous tones join the masculine musk and sweet dragon's blood. It's rather complex and the sort of cologne that my boy doesn't mind wearing. The notes smell less cheap and sickly sweet on him than they do on me.

The combination of dark musk and dragon's blood make this a no-go for me to wear personally, but that's okay because my boy has stolen my decant anyhow, lol. It's like a sweetly resinous, musky, dark men's cologne with hints of an uplifting herbal tone and some sweetness rounding out the edges. On him, at least.

[Miss Lynx]

This is an odd little scent -- much less aggressive and/or masculine than it sounds like it might be from the notes, though that might be because dark musk tends to go very soft and powdery on me.

 

It's hard to categorize -- a little bit herbal, a little bit incensey, and with an oddly foody sort of edge to it that I'm not sure the source of. Maybe it's partly the dragon's blood, which can smell kind of fruity at times.

 

But there's also something a bit licoricey as well -- the wormwood maybe? I doubt they'd put real wormwood in a perfume due to potential toxicity, so presumably it's an accord of some sort, maybe based on absinthe which usually has an anise or licorice sort of flavour.

 

It's not a bad scent -- I suppose if I had to pin it down to a simple description it'd be a bit like absinthe poured over myrrh incense (opoponax is a form of myrrh). The musk doesn't do much more than soften it a bit, and the other notes just provide a bit of general herbiness.

 

As it settles into my skin more, the licorice/anise element fades down, and it becomes more of a soft, sweet myrrh/musk, with just faint elements of the other notes. Pretty nice, although a lot softer than I'd expect the "essence of passion" to be.

 

Grade: B

[edenssixthday]

Scorpio 2007 - Wow, this is gorgeous! I didn't have much hope for it because of the dark musk listed in the ingredients, but fortunately, the dark musk is far, far in the background. The dominant notes are the dragon's blood and galangal, with a hint of cool, basil sweetness. This is such a gorgeous blend - very fiery and passionate - and makes me wish I were a Scorpio! I really need to test out a bunch of other BPALs that are sitting around in my box, but I can't stop wearing this one day after day. If you've tried the BPTP Ignus massage oil, this is a scent that would compliment it nicely, I think. The throw is below average, but the staying power is among the best I've encountered with BPAL.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I received a Lab frimp labeled Scorpio, so I assume it's the newer of the two formulations? As I am not a Scorpio, I'd have to really love it to keep it--I take my Astrological oils very seriously. Hence, there will be a bottle of Pisces in my future when it comes out, but I haven't bothered with any others. I will say, though, that Scorpio is a really interesting, complex blend--very herbal and refreshing, yet somehow dark. The only note that really stands out clearly is the basil (hence the "herbal" feeling). It's a little astringent but bracing!

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Dark murky waters with dragon's blood

 

First on: Licorice? No, that must be the wormwood, which is really strong. Then the musk, which is definitely dark and bordering on that nasty sour milk smell for me. Please don't stay this way.

 

Drydown: Still smells like almost pure wormwood on me. Maybe a hint of dragon's blood behind it, but 90% wormwood.

 

Overall: While I don't necessarily like the scent, it definitely says Scorpio to me. Very meticulous, strong, and menacing, while not appearing to be so at first whiff. Once it's been used to, it becomes a different scent, slightly sweeter and not so strong.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Yellow? I know that sounds odd, but I can’t spot any specific notes, just a sense of yellowness

 

Wet on me – I’m going to have to cheque out the notes for this, because I get white wine, lotus and a touch of patchouli

 

Dry on me – Warm, clean and sunny but with a slight hint of tobacco

 

Overall – I will definitely be keeping this blend, but I’m having difficulty pinning it down

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Musk, basil, galangal. Fresh, herbal, citrusy, wet and dark. The basil note is very true and gorgeous.

 

Wet: Similar, but basil amped a bit - it's very lovely, sort of edible but still green and planty. There is a faint sweetness now too - dragon's blood resin? A hint of that anise-y wormwood, but it's very light and pleasant here and adds a touch of spice.

 

Dry: Thick, slow drying oil. It's getting bit more resiny and sweeter, with opponax and dragon's blood amping, and the dark musk is a very powerful note in this blend. The green, herbal notes come next, and then in the distant is the fresh galangal.

 

Summary: The fragrant, herbal basil and spicy wormwood amp up, balancing the sweeter, darker resin notes and that ever-present, deeply sexy dark musk. Only the tiniest bit of galangal remains. It sweetens slowly but surely on me over time, otherwise I'd say it's a pretty masculine scent.

 

Too sweet, spicy, and murky for me, but an intriguing blend and the basil note is awesome!

[persianmouse]

This was my very first BPAL I ever tried, and I got it in imp form.

 

This being my very first BPAL experience (first sniff, even), I was unfamiliar with the imp bottles, and how to do the opening on them? Do they pop off? Is it screw top? I don’t want to pull too hard, I don’t want to spill it…What’s this funny little lever on the side, do I pull it? Maybe if I just pull on-ARGHHARRHHskfFFFF…my eye, my eye!

 

Alas, I did pull too hard, splashing a fair bit of the Scorpio about, including, as you may have surmised, right into my eyeball.

 

Now, I don’t care how badly you think you eyeballs smell, or how cute your optometrist is, never put the BPAL onto your eyeball. It does not feel nice.

 

Imagine me, cornea burning out, unable to rub it out or move or yell out my displeasure in anyway, for fear of spilling more of my precious. I had to stand there in silent agony, retina slowly being destroyed.

 

However, some did mange to get onto my arm, and after rubbing it in, it does smell nice (although now blind, I still have a sharp sense of smell). When I first opened the imp, I didn’t care for the smell, very perfumey, very much like cheap, something-you-buy-at-711 fermented nastiness. Of course, it was currently raping my eyeball, so one could see where I might not be feeling too favorable towards it at that time. However, once I my skin, it began to smell nicer and nicer. I don’t know what the hell I’m smelling, but I like it. It smells just like the inside of a New England New Age Wicca crystal magic shops, all warm and incensey and suggestive of large-chested women in corsets.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is definitely dark - I'm not able to pick out any individual notes.

 

On my skin, the dragon's blood comes out, the basil lends an almost minty freshness, and the galangal is dark and almost sour.

 

When it dried, it got slightly sweet - with the spiciness of the dragon's blood; it's almost cola-like. I like the dry-down, but as a whole, I think it's a swapper.

[anardana]

I love dark, resin-y blends so I gave this a try- but on me the dragon's blood amps on me and smells way too sweet and overpowers the other notes. This smells almost exactly like Red Moon on me, not like Minotaur

[filigree_shadow]

Musky and dark, and the wormwood makes it very interesting. It smells like just a slight hint of licorice, but you don't get blasted with a licorice scent. It's mostly resins and musk with a hint of that sweet wormwood. Luckily for me I can't really smell any basil or galangal (I don't really like those notes). It smells dark and deep and a bit broody. It's a very good fall scent.

 

Also, this one is my favorite of the 2007 Celestial scents -- it's the only one I'm keeping a bottle of.

[isisonearth]

In the bottle: Surprisingly herbal and fresh...I was expecting more resinous.

 

Applied: Still a very green scent. Basil mingling with sweet dragon's blood. The worm wood and resins give it a darker back ground.

 

Dry down: Even as it dries that lovely basil stands out. What a fabulous note. Definitely something I will have to look for again. Overall it has a manly feel to me...perfect for my Scorpio husband.

 

Much later: OMG...golden, resinous glory... ...I'm in lust with my arm.

Edited July 31, 2008 by isisonearth

[hlinspjalda]

In the bottle: Resinous, with an herby sharpness.

 

Wet: Strongly anise. Must be the wormwood. Musk and resin also, and it's very pungent.

 

Twenty minutes: More bitter now, less anise. There's a deep, dark sweetness under there (maybe the opoponax?), but this is dry and murky.

 

One hour: Now it smells tanniny, with herby resin undertones.

 

Three and a half hours: The dark sweetness is still there, and the bitterness has abated. There's still a tannin impression, but much fainter. I can pick out the galangal now, too, although it seems to be mostly resin.

 

Six hours: Warm, sweet, gentle, but with a bite. Very persistent resiny notes and the earthiness of galangal.

[tinyvulture]

warm, dark musk, licorice-y basil, and resinous dragon’s blood are the notes my nose can pick out. what an interesting combination. no other BPAL blend comes to mind that has such a strong basil note. i love the astringent, medicinal quality it adds to this blend of sexy musk and deep resins. it really turns it into something complicated and mysterious. i only wish it had stronger throw. with such bold notes, i am surprised at how faint it is.

[nightbiscuit]

Basil, muskiness......baby powder. Fail. *sigh*

[TereFaerie]

Old Spice, ick, and baby powder. Not for me.

Pirate Moon gives me that same Old Spice scent, actually.

 

Bad skin chemistry, bad!

[mgrazulis]

In the bottle: dark resin with a basil and wormwood undertone, sweet and bitter.

 

Wet on on the skin: a thick oil with a hazy warmth, musky and smoky; then the sweet incense of opoponax with more basil.

Drydown: Wow! A gingery note--very stimulating--blended with the anise of the wormwood, and basil in a resinous myrrh and dark musky background. Thankfully, the dragon's blood resin stays murky. Usually it goes sweet on me.

 

Scorpio is soft, passionate and sexy. I love how the notes layer and the opoponax is sooooo heavenly. Lovely reds, greens and smoky greys. This is a close to the skin scent, but without a doubt, if anyone gets close to you, they'll be wondering what scent you are wearing.

 

Edited September 13, 2008 by mineralfairy

[auburnette]

Scorpio 2007

 

In the bottle: Quite aquatic, with a definite note of basil. Fresh, but I can detect a touch of sweetness underneath. Quite yummy.

 

Wet, on skin: A spiciness emerges, not sure what note. The musk emerges a little. Anise!

 

Scorpio is my sign, so I'd like this to work on me. I'm writing the review directly, so I'll have to go and have a coffee or something while it settles down.

 

Dry: spicy, with a yummy sweetness that I think is coming from the dragon's blood. Yet also resiny and warm. It does threaten to go to baby powder, but a lot of scents seem to go through that threatening stage on me before settling down into something I love. I'll keep my imp for when I feel very Scorpio, but won't bother tracking down a bottle. This is a very nice scent though.

[rayvn1]

It's a little embarrassing how stereotypical I am as a Scorpio But my sun sign really sums up the vast majority of my moods, personality, health. relationships and interests. So I am extremely happy this scent works this well on me! It contains many of my favorite BPAL ingredients like the wormwood, basil, musk and opoponax It's very hot smelling. Dry and spicy - sexy and mysterious. Hurray BPAL!!

[msbcozad]

Scorpio

 

How could a Scorpio resist a scent made just for her? Hmm?

 

VERY musky and VERY complex. I'm not familiar enough with the individual notes to pick them out, but I couldn't stop sniffing my wrist. It's a serious scent with minimal throw. Definitely one for the darker moods for which we Scorpios are known.

[delicate_fangs]

Wow, the basil really roars out on me here.

 

Wish it were a little more resin and less herb on me, but they keep see-sawing back and forth. Still, it's fascinating!

[angelicruin]

In the imp, I get maple syrup. Where'd that come from?

 

Wet on the skin, Dragon's blood and musk.

 

Dry, I still have Dragon's blood and musk...and something else, I think the wormwood.

 

A very resinous, beautiful blend. Definitely bottle-worthy.

[stefrand]

ITI: Very strong, musty, and smoky.

 

Wet: Surprisingly sweet, though, and not as smoky as I thought it would be. Very powerful, not at all perfumey. There is something cooling in this...almost like camphor.

 

Dry: I'm picking up some woods, and I think something is giving me a false leather note. It's quite intense still. I'm not sure when I would wear this...it isn't an everyday scent.

 

Drydown: You know what, it smells a lot like the shampoo from Nature's Gate I used to use...the Herbal one , before I switched to the Hemp. Yep, smells exactly like that right now! Funny.

 

Final Thoughts: This smells good, but I don't think I want my perfume to smell like my former shampoo.

Edited December 12, 2008 by Stef

[CreamyJade]

In the bottle: Sweet resins, something fresh & herbal.

Wet on skin: Sweeter mix on my skin, mostly heavy resins, sweet incense.

Dry on skin: Pretty much the same as the wet stage, but with a sharpness that comes from the Dragon's blood, I think. I'll see how this one pans out during the day, but I'll get it'll be glorious.

Final thoughts: Yes! Oui! More please! Definately in the same league as Minotaur and definately made for a Scorpio like me. This oil is truly magnificent! I wish I had been around BPAL when this first came out, I would've hoarded like crazy.

[asciident]

Wet: Floral?

 

First on: Nondescript florals. I would have expected a darker scent.

 

Dry: Same on drydown.