Lucifer

[sarada]

 

Patchouli, golden amber, deep woods, fig, and vetiver.

 

"Lucifer" by Franz von Stuck -- his grey-brown form and piercing gaze are paralyzing. This glossy, golden-brown scent has me stuck in place like a bug in amber, I'm completely hypnotized. At first I think it is somewhat like the other glossy wood-resin scent I just tried (Heavenly Love and Earthly Love) but there is an additional element of sweetness in this, and it lacks the churchy resin and replaces it with the wild incenses of the woods. Something propels this blend forward and makes it completely wreath me in scent when I put it on my skin. I would have sworn there was a honey or skin musk in this, the way it comes to life on me. But the scent is all sweet amber and dark, incensy woods. The fig adds the extra bite of sweetness.

 

It dries down to a lovely amber-patchouli-wood, the golden afterglow of dawn lighting up the wood where dark passions reigned the night before.

 

What can I say but....Hail Lucifer!

Edited November 18, 2007 by clover

[GypsyRoseRed]

Hmm. Vetiver does not equal bad. For some reason, I'd always had a negative association with vetiver and avoided scents that I knew contained it, but I'm so glad I took a chance on Lucifer. The oil itself is a deep reddish brown color and as soon as I applied it, I would smell the amber and vetiver, grounded by the sweetness of honeyed figs and dark woods. This wears close to the skin, but it is sexy - when it dries down, you're left with mostly amber and hints of something deeper and darker.. If I were to be going on a date anytime soon, I'd reach for Lucifer for sure.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: A deep syrupy scent--dark resins and a cola-syrup quality.

 

Wet (2:49): Warm, dark, sweet resins. Lucifer is indeed charismatic. This has that dr. pepper/coca cola quality I get out of the wet stages in voodoo and torture king, and something about it also reminds me of schwarzer mond.

 

Dry: The earthiness of the sweet fig definitely comes out, and its beautifully supported by all the sticky, warm resins. There's a hint of spiciness. During late dry down, I'm left with a dark amber/resin, slightly sweet. I really love this.

 

Overall: I'd say this scent would work fantastically on a guy (so sexy), but hubby would have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers. I adore this blend. Okay, maybe I'll let him wear it, too. Occasionally....

 

For those that fear vetiver, I couldn't really pick it out in this blend, so don't be scared off--its beautiful!

Edited November 6, 2007 by jewelbug

[Northernskygal]

I find this blend to be just.. phenomenal. I don't like patchouli, vetiver or wood type scents... like 99% of the time. So seeing them all blending together in this.. I was scared. I love amber, but figured it would be overtaken by the other notes and.. I didn't really know what fig smelled like so.. I first put this on and.. yikes, there was so so much of the patchouli and vetiver and.. it was very, very blech. I wondered around the board for a bit.. posted a review of another scent and sniffed this one again to write this and great googly moogly... this is nice! I am guessing it is the fig (since that is the only note I was not already accustomed to) that brings this really lovely.. candied sweetness that just makes this such an interesting blend. I'd say for people who maybe are fans of patchouli and woods and vetiver, this would be heaven, since I usually really detest all three and find myself sniffing this constantly and enjoying it. The patchouli is a bit strong, that is the only thing stopping me from tracking down a big bottle, I will however, wear and love the imp.

[The_Witching_Hour]

Sarada posted a very good review on this and I have to agree with the majority of her impressions!

 

For me, on initial application I sense sweet woods, amber and figs.

 

In the first portion of the drydown (after about 20-30 minutes) the figs fade somewhat quickly, which has me a little disheartened but this still remains the resins of all resins with a beauty all its own.

 

It dries down to a lovely ambery/patchouli/sweet ending that is *so* mellow*.

 

Nice! Save for the fig departure.................

[The_Merf]

In the decant and immediately when when, this is all patchouli. Very quickly, the fig is also prominent, and I smell something that honestly reminds me most of black amber--perhaps it's the amber and the vetiver mixing together? I get a very "beachy" scent (or faux-beachy scent) from this in the wet stage. The really strong dirt of the patchouli and vetiver disappears after about 5-7 minutes, leaving this odd combination of amber and fig, which really does smell like fig-scented baked sunscreen mixed with beachy sand. It's a really, really unique combination. This honestly reminds me of Hi'iaka, with vetiver and a dash of patchouli added to it. In the next stage of this scent, there's a cool, piney woodiness that comes in during the very last "stage" of a deep sniff. This is another creative and unique scent from this very ambitious and special RO Salon series.

[ND¢]

Hmm what've we here? Patchouli cola... *sniff sniff* Has the 'tang' of patchouli, with a sweetness and a woodsiness not quite wood but not quite green needle either.

[Hayet]

This is the blend that finally made me love vetiver. I get it now. I amp it to high heaven! It drowns out most everything else in other blends, but in this blend, patchouli's holding its own.

 

Lucifer starts off an explosion of sweetly spiced patchouli that is just drop-dead gorgeous. My nose was glued to my wrist for a good ten minutes. As it dries out, on me, it turns to a deep, dark, ambered vetiver and patchouli. It's dark, moist, earthy, and really sexy without being sinister. It's just sublime, and I'll bet it gets even better as it ages. I think I have to get another bottle right away for that reason.

[slittlecrowrussell]

I was praying for a darker, sexier version of Golden Priapus... alas, my prayers were not answered. I get patchouli... at first honeyed ambery patchouli... then patchouli. It's a nice patchouli though because its not hippie-head shop patchouli , but rather sinister antique store patchouli (the vetiver really gives it a nice, dark edge). Lucifer reminds me a lot of Lycaon with maybe a little dab of Gomorrah... I like it, but not enough to crave a whole bottle of. Now that I'm looking at the ingredients in it, I have a feeling that it won't really reach its potential until its aged a little bit and when it does, I think it will be utterly gorgeous... I'm almost tempted to try to get a bottle just to put it away for a bit...

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is dry patchouli...

 

once applied the vetiver amps up huge with it...and within 5 minutes....

shazaam!! ...fig and amber....omG...slightly similar to doc buzzard minus

the thick cola note...

 

as a true vetiver lover i can say this is most excellent

[Bangles]

Wet, it's all patchouli, strong patchouli, straight up patchouli - and I like patchouli, but I really don't need another patchouli blend - but that's just for a moment. Amber quickly dominates (which is fantastic, because I love amber), and it gradually dries down to that wonderful golden amber scent I love Mr. Jacquel for, with this dark woody background. It stays fairly close to the skin, while still being strong enough that I can enjoy the scent myself. Lovely!

[kakiphony]

In the imp: Deep, earthy patchouli.

 

Wet on skin: Very deep, woody patchouli with an undertone of sharp vetiver.

 

Early dry down: In its early stages, this is very masculine with no sweetness at all. The fig and amber have run away, but the scent is still nice. Again, this feels really dry to me.

 

Late dry down: The patchouli does that amazing thing on my skin where it begins to smell spicy at the same time it is dry and woody. (How can patchouli morph into ginger cookies? It is a mystery.) The amber surfaces to soften the scent and lend a powdery background. This is very assertive, very dark, and very dry. I'd almost call it dessicated. It's certainly a very powerful scent.

 

Verdict: Not an everyday scent for me, but definitely a keeper. I'm intrigued to see how it ages, and also to see how it will layer over something with a bit of sweetness -- maybe O or the Lion...

[euterpe414]

First of all, I have to thank tartchef for sharing a decant of this with me!

 

I would have never thought to try this one, since I have so many patchouli blends and I didn't think I needed another one, but this is...one of the best earthy, woody patchouli scents ever. At first on my skin this is a patchouli single note, but as it dries, this earthy greeness (which I think is the fig, mainly, mixed with the vetiver) really comes to the forefront to blend with the patchouli. The amber is not that dominant on me, it just gives this golden edge to the scent and I can't really pick it out individually when I press my nose to my wrist. This is a very unisex scent, and seems like it would wear well in any season. It wears for a very long time and has a decent amount of throw. I definitely see a bottle of this in my future...

[flyingpizza]

GUH.

 

Ugh*tremble*huminahuminahumina*quiver*ohbaby*ooooooh.

 

Yeah.

 

*IZ DED*

 

ETA:

 

Okay, so I got wet-noodled for not being more descriptive. Sorry, this scent killed me. It is an unholy union of Typhon and Hellion, with extra sexxx. Delicious. Dark. Heavy. Incensey. Resiny. Dark.

Edited November 29, 2007 by flyingpizza

[LadyCrow]

In the decant: Red patchouli, and something sweet and tart. Intellectually I know this must be the fig/vetiver combo, but my nose screams POMEGRANATE!

 

Wet: Still with the nagging feeling of a pomegranate, now made really fresh by the earthy woods notes. I mean, it's a lovely nagging feeling! I just don't know where I'm getting this completely unlisted note.

 

Drydown: The fig backs off a little and the amber comes forward, but not in a powdery way. The throw is only moderate, but the patchouli and other notes stay sweet and moist. Yum! There's also something reminding me subtly of coconut in back of this.

 

Verdict: This is the first retail-Salon I've tested that immediately says, "Yes, buy a bottle of me, please." Not only that, but just watch... Lucifer's unearthly persuasive powers will be sending me to the farmers' market for, you guessed it, a pomegranate.

[alicia_stardust]

Oh Lucifer, I love you so! This is the first time I can say that the presence of vetiver has not put me off.

 

Lucifer is a richly glowing red and gold scent with veins of darkness and earth pushing through it. The patchouli and amber meld together perfectly and the fig adds and earthy, sensual sweetness to things. This is a true work of art and the fragrance nailed the artwork after which it was created.

[Rhowan]

Lucifer at first reminded me of Intrigue ~ Both oils have the dark woods and fig. But where Intrigue continues to be dark and very woody, those same notes in Lucifer come across as a quiet, solid background for the other notes. The patchouli is very meek and doesn't announce itself as a yell as it does in quite a number of oils! The amber adds a warmth and a lightness to it (much like the light in the picture) and then the vetiver kicks in to balance out the light and the warmth - not to darken it, but to balance it. Lucifer is a perfect balance between heavy and light, light and dark, masculine and feminine. It makes me believe that any skin type should be able to wear it as it is such an anomaly.

 

I cannot describe how beautiful Lucifer is! Beth has done the most awesome job on this oil! It was everything I was hoping it would be and much, much more! Everytime I sniff myself, I can't help but think of the picture. Lucifer is rare to me as it didn't even morph during the whole time it was on. Lucifer has an average throw and a better than average wear for me which was about 5 hours.

 

Lucifer is now going on the top of my wanted list!!

[Wwindy]

Ohhhh, do I love this oil. But I hate it! But I love it!

 

*Most* of the time, Lucifer on me is an incredibly sexy, warm glow of fig and sandalwood. It's so sexy, in fact, that it got my neck molested quite nicely.

 

There's a "but", though! If I exert myself or get overheated, the patchouli body-slams everything else into oblivion and turns into overwhelming ***PATCHOULI LIKE WHOA***. I had several people comment to me on how unusual it was for me to wear such a "hippie" patchouli scent the first time that happened!

 

I'll definitely be saving Lucifer for cold days and times when I know I won't be dodging bullets or wrestling alligators. It's so gorgeous when it plays nicely that it's worth the risk of death by patchouli!

[dorothy humbird]

Whoa. You see those creepy eyes staring out from the painting? That creep factor is kind of how I feel about this sinister scythe of vetiver lurking behind all the other notes in Lucifer.

 

When first applied I wrote down some impressions:

 

- dry

- woods?

- red-feeling (influenced by the oil's color no doubt)

- spices?

- leather-y. ish.

- good for layering??

 

And I think most of this applies. Somehow I think the patchouli and amber are combining with the woods to give me the "leathery" impression I wrote about. But this is sweeter than my initial impressions. Smoky, and smooth (except for that velvet-swaddled bite of vetiver!), and yeah I would totally dig this on a guy. Not sure about on me... but as I said, might be great for layering!

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, heLLO patchouli!! There's a little wood, too.

 

On my skin, it's wood and patchouli, with just the smallest sharpness from the vetiver - none of the fig or amber that I was hoping for.

 

When it dries - let me put it this way. You know that part of Empire Records where John Cusack says, "Get your patchouli stink out of my store!" That's what Lucifer is like on me.

[manusdei]

ugh, vetiver! we meet again! i didn't expect to like it but i tried it anyway.

 

at first it smelled kind of like dirt and figs. not so bad actually, and then it gets amazing. deep patchouli & amber & a hit of sweet fig, darkened by the wood and that "dirt" vetiver smell. i notice the cola thing that the fig(?) does up close, as well. oh. so good.

 

according to my girlfriend i smell "dark and dirty and sexy as hell"

i like this more every time i wear it. definitely going to be grabbing a bottle or ten.

 

& i love how it reflects the artwork so well - it really evokes the same mood as the painting.

[Lunaliquid]

Hello, my name is Lunaliquid, and I'm a BPAL Addict. I've been an addict for 2 months.

 

This is my first review! I wanted to save my first review for a drop-dead-gorgeous scent, and so Hello, Lucifer! My nose is not yet educated enough to pick out many individual notes, but we all have to start somewhere, right?

 

I got my first imp of the Lucifer from Lorajc on this forum.

 

In the Imp:

Dark, red colored liquid. Not very prominent smell, but I detect a distant sharp "tang" of acrid woods. Hesitated applying this to my wrist because I frankly didn't like it.

 

Wet Phase:

Slight yellow discoloration of my skin where applied. The acrid woods come to the foreground, while the patchouli joins the dance. I don't know exactly what vetiver is supposed to smell like, so I can't comment on that component.

 

Initial Drydown:

The patchouli mellows down, the woods turn deep and sweet, and the amber and fig come out to play. This becomes a nice, rounded scent, with great depth, full of mysteries. I could get lost in this.

 

Final Drydown:

Oh wow! Lucifer is definitely not doing the Polonaise; rather, he is doing a most magnificent Waltz across my wrist. He is elegant and sophisticated, and quite tempered. The patchouli keeps itself nicely in the corner, watching the festivities on the dance floor. Amber and fig gets to party, while the woods are behaving most charmingly. Yellow discoloration has disappeared.

 

Verdict:

BRAVA!!!!

5/5 Must. Have. More!!!! Placed an order with Shelldoo for 3 bottles of the yummy. Can't wait for it to arrive so I can slather myself. Throw is medium, and I need to re-apply after about 2 hours.

 

~ Lunaliquid

 

Edited to fix stupid typo.......

Edited January 3, 2008 by Lunaliquid

[ranyart]

I almost regretted ordering a bottle of this, at first. When I tried it two or three weeks ago, all I got was strong, dark patchouli. I love patchouli, but had no need for a single-note scent, especially one that strong. I decided to give Lucifer another try today, and I've had a much better experience this time.

 

In the bottle, I smell mostly very strong, dark patchouli, and what I think is the vetiver. It smells very very dark to me, almost black and definitely sinister.

 

Wet, the vetiver amps up and almost overpowers the patchouli. I only put a few drops on the backs of my hands but I felt like I had a huge scent cloud following me until the oil dried. As it dries, the different notes blend together and produce a very woody, earthy scent that has an element of patchouli to it but doesn't smell like a head shop. Sadly, there's very little fig in the end result, but I'm not as disappointed as I thought I'd be because this is so wonderful.

 

I wish I could describe the result better, but I'm blown away by how great it smells. On me this is a very dark and aggressive masculine scent, and I wish I had a female friend who'd be willing to try a scent this dark and heavy because I think it would be an amazing contrast. It's almost too masculine for a froofy guy like me, but I like how different it is from the other bpal favorites I've had so far.

 

This will be a good oil to save for days when I'm feeling particularly sexually aggressive or need an extra bite to my demeanor. I think this blend was very aptly named!

[wolfwynd]

I want to like it, I really do but it's giving me a headache. *whimpers* (well it's either that or the Haloes I have on my other wrist... *ponders*)

 

Either way, swap pile.

[slave1]

LUCIFER

 

In Bottle: Dark smoky resin

 

On Skin: Wow, this is dark! It fits it’s name very well, forboding and evil… very nice. The amber is the dominant note on me, sweet and powdery. After a few minutes the patchouli comes out and reminds me of the patchouli in Schwarzer Mond, a sweeter, sticky blend. The vetiver actually stays in check (yay!) and offers a slightly feral background note that plays well with the nice deep outdoorsy woods. The fig is also sweet and dark, a gorgeous decadent fruit that is strong enough to play with the “big boy” notes. The scent is so thick in feel almost like a syrup, with a dark red, almost black tone. It reminds me of Schwarzer Mond but not as sweet. I really like it and feel it is a bit more masculine in tone. I do like this scent, but maybe as a spray to thin it out a bit. Very strong throw and long wearlength.