El Amor y la Muerte

[Blood onmy hands]

Clove, red sandalwood, orris, rose, opoponax, benzoin, and patchouli.

El Amor y la Muerte also reminds me quite a bit of Mama-Ji. Mama smells like a dry, spiced floral potpourri arrangement on me, and I get that same dryness and room-scent quality from this as well, but El Amor strikes me as more earthy, complex, and biting. At first, the clove dominates on my skin and is a bit sharp, but it mellows down into the warm woodiness and a hint of grounding earthiness from the patchouli. The overall feel is spicy and warm, like dried woods and sharp, dried spices mingling together. After a few minutes on my skin, the rose pops out, also smelling dry and a bit sharp.

This is an interesting blend, but I'm not sure that I love the clove + rose combo. The rose seems to hover just above going sour or soapy on my skin, so it kept me feeling nervous while I wore this, lol. I've had a hard time pulling off clove lately...

[savage_rose]

In the bottle this is spicy love, but on it's a clovey patchouli. However, my husband thought it smelled really good, so there you are. And it may be dark, but it's a very warm, energetic blend.

[persianmouse]

Smells like the Lush shower gel Tramp. All oakmoss and nice patchouli. Slightly sharper, but still Tramp. Like pissed off Tramp (like right after Tramp found out it was discontinued the first time). And that is fabulous. It also lasts all day long.

[copyshopclerk]

In the decant: Very strong clove with a little bit of earthiness underneath

 

On: All clove, all the time!

 

Dry: As it dries, it's quite masculine. I can't pick out rose at all and that usually amps to an uncomfortable level on me. For that matter, I can't pick out benzoin which is a note I love - usually that develops more when the blends that it's in dry, but this is so heavy on the clove, patchouli, and opoponax that I can't smell anything else. This isn't a "me" scent but it was fascinating to try.

[Lamia]

In the store, it was yummy, but today it's just clove-y. Le sigh.

[PersephonesChild]

I bought this at Whole Foods, and it's a scent I'd completely ignored by the description. It was interesting buying it without seeing the notes in front of me but instead purchasing it based on the smell, as I think I have an entirely different impression of the scent than the notes would have given me. This blend is very spicy, resiny, smoky, but primarily spicy-- when I first sniffed it, I thought for sure there was black pepper in it, and rather than being turned off like I ordinarily would, I loved it! It's entirely unlike any other scent I own, and it's very evocative of the painting. It's striking and gothic, and the rose is super subtle but romance-laden. Oh, I adore this scent!

[Nisaba]

This is the scent that convinced me that I amp clove. What surprises me is that I amp it more than rose, which normally turns any scent it exists in into powdery tea rose on my skin. I actually don't get any rose from this at all. There's a faint waft of the other notes, but once it dries on my skin, it's far and away clove. Clove clove clove. Now I love clove, and I really like this scent, but there's only so many Clove Single Note scents a girl needs.

Edited June 11, 2008 by Nisaba

[Geminirubyshoes]

This is my favorite out of the Retail Exclusive Salons. When I smell it in the bottle, all I can basically smell is the clove, but something dusty and creamy lies underneath (I am guessing its the patchouli mixed with the sandalwood). I dont really smell the rose at all. This scent is the complete opposite of the fruity, sweet smells I usually favor (Jailbait is my all time fav). But I fricking love it!!! I slathered a bunch on yesterday when it was 80 degrees and humid and then got in the car with my husband and he was like, OH MY GOD YOU SMELL SOOOOOOOOO GOOD!. Its always good if it gets his seal of approval . If you are into earthy smells, just try a little and see what happens.

Edited January 25, 2009 by Duskinhereyes

[filigree_shadow]

This smells like patchouli, orris, and a little bit of clove on me. Possibly more resins, but it's hard to tell.

 

It has an odd, artificial scent on my skin, and I'm not sure why. Those notes all usually smell pretty true on me -- I don't generally have problems with any of them. Something about the combination smells off to me, though. I think it's because it smells so dry, and I like patchouli to smell deep and rich.

 

I like other BPAL patchouli scents and resin scents better than this one, personally.

[Deyja7]

Firstly, i was hesitant to even post a review, as the imp i received of this isn't in ideal condition. So i wouldn't put too much stock in my post as a 'review'. I just wanted to share my experience with this oil. I'm not too good with the properties of the ingredients that went into this blend, but something has caused the oil to split.

In the vial, while separated, it just smells like a generic old-fashioned cologne. If mixed back together, it improves a little, i can smell the clove that people have mentioned, and a little rose on drydown.. But really it still makes my nose itch.. like a cheap department store cologne.

This won't be getting passed on, i think it's better off in imp heaven.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Unfamiliar resin.

 

Wet: Clove and sandalwood right away, with that same resinous scent beneath. No rose or patchouli, no orris detectable.

 

Twenty minutes: The resin (I don't know if it's opoponax or benzoin) has taken over this one. After that I notice clove and, I think, maybe sandalwood. Still no rose or patchouli; fascinating!

 

One hour: This has gentled some and blended. It smells like the more intense elements have fallen back to the level at which the rose and patchouli are noticeable. I can even make out a bit of that violet-y bite of orris. This doesn't really work for me, but I think it smells nice now that it's balanced itself out.

 

Two hours: Now I get the orris. It's soured tremendously and smells woody. Sandalwood does that on me sometimes, souring quickly.

 

Once again, done in by red sandalwood. *sigh*

[zankoku_zen]

Definitely patchouli in this one. It's a match of patchouli and sandalwood, with a teensy bit of resin on the side.

 

And oddly enough, it kinda smells 'mustardy' on me. Whuh?

[jewelbug]

Imp: Honestly? It smells like acrylic paint.

 

Wet: Wet paint, red clay and, yes, a bit of spice and floral. But mostly paint.

 

Dry: Yup, this continues to smell predominantly like paint. Wet paint. Not pretty.

 

Overall: Note: I'm testing this from a sniffie, but there was enough oil to get it on my skin, so I went for it...still, I'm not sure the sniffie was in the best of shape (maybe it'd gone off?), because what I experienced isn't at all what I'd expect from a list of notes that I'm usually okay with. If it hadn't gone off, my nose is weird and somehow perceiving this particular note blend in a very bizarre way--it wasn't just skin chemistry, because it smelled like paint to me even before I put it on my skin.

[tinyvulture]

a resinous, woodsy, masculine blend. almost like a department store cologne. dry and spicy and slightly bitter. the sandalwood is the strongest element, with soft bezoin and opoponax, and a touch of rose popping up from time to time. very little clove or patchouli. it’s really nice, but it feels too masculine for me. i’m curious how it will smell on my husband – i’m thinking good!

[rayvn1]

Very strange scent on me. Hot and spicy, smoldering on my skin. It loses its potency after an hour or so and then I have even more of a hard time telling what's in here Usually clove flares into the kitchen-from-hell on my skin, but this is dark and aggresive in a subtle way. I'm not sure if I'll keep this one, though it is a pleasant experience.

[catattack]

Imp: Smells like a medicinal salve my family used to use when I was growing up.

Wet: Medicinal

Drydown: Herbal and medicinal.

Overall: I had to wash this off. 'nuff said.

[crebbsgirl]

This went very powdery on me. The clove was subdued, but something here was very reminiscent of Schwarzer Mond - maybe the opoponax? This wasn't as dark as I was expecting it to be, and it ended up quite light and a little airy. That may have been the powdery vibe though.

[Stormslegacy]

I was given this in a swap nearly 2 years ago. In the imp it's rather soft and almost fruity, but on me, all I smell is clove and maybe a hint of incese. This stuff is STRONG--I'm a very light wearer!

 

I'm wondering if all of the other notes aged away? It's nice, but I smell like a Christmas decoration Perfect for the holiday season though, or as a room scent for the winter. Not sure it works as a regular perfume though.

[Deceitfuldescender]

@*$&@$*&(

I love sweetbriar.

A lot.

So I wanted this to be the rosey-fresh green-walnutty scent that I remember sweetbriar being.

But no.

No. It is some strange, funky incense gone wrong. And I'm not even sure which note is ruining it.

It is a sour incense on my skin.

 

OFF WITH YOUR HEAD.

[LizziesLuck]

I am super nervous about trying this. It's been resting for ages. When it first came in from PI, I opened the bottle for a sniff, and it smelled like rancid oil. Like it had actually maybe gone off. A few days later it smelled a bit better in the bottle. Hoping it just needed to settle.

 

Wet: Thank goodness, it's not bad! The red sandalwood is gorgeous. The clove is subtly and lovely. Sadly, the rose wants to go a bit soapy on me. Hoping it settles on my skin, because otherwise this is really warm and complex and lovely. The resins give it such a beautiful rich sweetness.

 

 

Dry: Subtle and warm. Sweet clove and resins, and warm sandalwood. Really nice. I wish it were stronger though. Going to age it and see.