Valentine of Rome

[fiddlehead]

Ecclesiastical incense, Roman flora, and the fruits of martyrdom: cypress, olive blossom, frankincense, myrrh, and blood accord.

When I first applied Valentine of Rome I was reminded a bit of Count Dracula. There are no cloves listed but that's what I thought I smelled. Reminded me a bit of Stash's Chai Tea. Then the frank came up and it smelled like one of my old GC favorites, Arcana! Perhaps there is some Rosemary in this? We'll see if I can identify the Blood Accord or Olive blossom with further wearings. I really like it so far. It strikes me as a gender neutral blend. Very nice.



Wearing this again today and put a decent amount on. Now I'm not getting much frank or anything much besides a strong Count Dracula-ish scent. Too spicy! Edited April 11, 2008 by Shollin

[djsiberia]

in the imp: spicey and sweet

 

wet: interesting, it's sweet, slightly floral, spicey and hmm...want to lick my wrist

 

dry: wow, i really like this scent, it's different enough and its delicious. i think i'm mostly smelling the olive blossom and then i get some of the spice notes and yum...

[savvymercury]

valentine of rome

 

in the bottle: wow! this has got some power. the incense practically smack me in the face with this one.

 

wet: this is really a strong, almost oppressive scent. very dark, church-like.

 

drydown: as this gets dryer, the blood accord comes out to play. i'd never smelled blood accord before, but it really does smell bloody! (i know, this may seem obvious, but i was still shocked at how realistic it smelled.) in the end, the incense, the blood, and the heavy dark florals make for a very heavy perfume. i imagine that this is exactly what ancient ritualistic sacrifice must have smelled like.

 

final thoughts: i can't make up my mind on this one. do i like the scent, or am i just morbidly fascinated by it?!? : ) i don't think i'll get the bottle, but i'll probably use up my imp.

[tartchef]

Wowowowow. This is awesome stuff! I get lots of cloves, too, and a trace of powdery sweetness that transforms Valentine of Rome into, of all things, spicy rose candy. It's gorgeous, faintly perfumed & smokey-spiced, like Turkish Delight on a pretty plate with a cup of Lapsang Souchong tea. The myrrh & frankincense are beautiful together, mimicking clove perfectly, and it's obviously the olive blossom that my brain is translating into rose... if there's cypress in here, it's keeping mum, maybe just cutting the sweetness a bit at the end.

 

Thank heavens I listened to Wwindy's squeeing, or I'd have totally missed this - time will tell, but this could quietly work its way into my Top Ten...

[yeahbutnobut]

Valentine of Rome

 

In the imp: mmm, a beautiful slightly floral-fruity incense.

Wet on skin: the myrrh really comes out on the skin, and it’s dark and smoky with a bit of sweetness.

Dry: oh, incense! I love incense so much and this is another beautiful incense scent. The frankincense and myrrh have a lovely ‘churchy’ smell to them, and this is enhanced by a note here that smells uncannily like candle smoke! I have no idea what it is but the candle smoke note here is gorgeous. The frank and myrrh in here remind me a bit of Haloa, with a reddish tinge (the blood accord, I think-different to dragon’s blood, blood accord comes out as more of a dark fruity metallic scent on me) and a cypress note. It also reminds me of Heavenly Love and Earthly Love. The olive blossom adds a light sweetness to it all.

After a while: this gets smoother, lighter and sweeter. There’s a powdery aspect to it which I like, it’s almost like ashes, and the smoky candle scent has also become stronger, the myrrh now has a slight smouldering scent to it as well. This is a gorgeous scent. The blood note is identical to Chilling Cellar’s, it’s dark and red and wine-like with a metallic undertone that really works (and smells remarkably like metal, but not in an offputting way). This is now a bit like what I hoped the Cracked Bell would smell like-whilst I love CB, this is truly a ‘smoke, incense and blood’ scent. But the incense is strongest, especially the myrrh note.

The drydown is like a lighter, drier Haloa, smoky myrrh and olive blossom (which smells a bit like olive leaf in here, but more floral) with a hint of redness.

Verdict: this is yet another magnificent incense scent from the Lab. I adore the frankincense and myrrh scents, all with a sacred feel evoking churches and temples, yet each of them are different and have their own character. The beautiful resins in here are lifted by that wonderful olive blossom note which I’ve come to realise is a new favourite of mine, and darkened by a blood note, another note that I am really warming to, especially as it smells less like blood and more like dry red wine (and in my bottle of Valentine, there’s a hint of clove to this scent which I adore!) this is a new favourite in my collection of resinous scents, it reminds me of Haloa but drier and less sweet, smokier, slightly woodsy as well. It smells stunning when fresh, and I just know this is going to age wonderfully.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Yes-I have two bottles.

If you like this, try: Haloa, Heavenly Love and Earthly Love, Chilling Cellar, Cracked Bell, Midnight Mass, Minotaur, Pit and the Pendulum

[cassandrakfreaq]

at first on i get a blast of pine sap with a whiff of sweet citrus as it mellows it gets very sweet and incensy which i think is the blood accord but the balsam stays current throughout the drydown.

[glass_cat]

This is one of those ones I was eager to try, but wasn't quite sure how I'd really feel about it once it was on so I decided to forgo wearing it out to dinner last night in favor of trying it today when I was basically home alone with no one to offend if things went horribly awry.

 

I really didn't know what to expect from this one when I first unscrewed the cap and gave it a sniff. It smelled very green. Now, I tend to really like the herbacious or grassy versions of "green" -- for example, I loved last year's Ides of March -- but piney or mossy greens are definite no's on me, and unfortunately in the bottle this smelled like the latter. Still, I give every scent a full chance before deciding once and for all, so I dabbed some on despite my fears that I might wind up smelling like a Christmas tree all day.

 

This smelled totally different on -- much more complex than I was expecting. The greenery smell faded into the background almost immediately and a very warm, deep combination of incense and spices came forward instead. Now that I can really get excited about! After Valentine had a chance to settle down a little bit, he smelled a lot like some kind of wonderful, spiced cake -- or perhaps even a nice mulled red wine -- although I really wouldn't classify this as foody at all. The incense in this makes the scent as a whole feel dark, brooding, and even a little "churchy" a la Rose Cross or one of those, and I love that.

 

Overall, the previously tried scent Valentine of Rome reminds me of most is Winter of Our Discontent, which I just adore. I actually wear that one almost all year round if the weather isn't too warm, and I've actually been looking for a similar scent to love. I think this one is it! Definitely try it if you're a fan of Discontent, too.

Edited April 4, 2008 by glass_cat

[taramarie]

On me, Valentine of Rome is cypress, incense, frankincense, and myrrh. It's a neutral scent that's very sexy. I'm so glad I got a bottle.

[slittlecrowrussell]

The first waft is cinnamon, not sweet foody cinnamon - dry, spicy cinnamon. The sweetness is probably being restrained by the clove. Thankfully the clove doesn't jump out into the forefront though. About 15 minutes later an undertone of rosemary and cypress emerge - maybe even a teensy bit of sage. There are definitely some kitchen herb garden notes here. I was really worried about getting something too "green", but (at least in my bottle) the spices dominate the herbs. About 15 minutes later, everything settles down as sweet (but not too sweet) resins emerge. I like this resinous part a lot, it's sweet but not in any way cloying the way that sweet myrrh is different from regular bitter myrrh. I was hoping for a little more incense and a little more blood, but I didn't really get either of those. Instead this one ends up as spicy resin, but MMMMMmmmm.... I likes spicy resin I'm definitely keeping this...

 

If you like this try Winter of Our Discontent (one of my all time favs), Minotaur, Mort de Cesar, Dixie Love Perfume (Twilight Alchemy)...

[edenssixthday]

Valentine of Rome – This is a beautiful, resinous blend that’s slightly spicy and is very Eastern in its nature. It’s predominantly myrrh on me, with a hint of the blood accord and cypress. It’s a strong scent and one that definitely gets noticed. It’s very spicy and sexy and really gorgeous. Strong throw and wear length.

[tinyvulture]

The sourness of olive blossom combined with… candy hearts? I had to laugh when I smelled this, thinking, “How appropriate!” There’s something sweet and sugary, dry and powdery, that really reminds me of those little Valentine’s hearts with sayings on them! I think it’s just the mixture of all those sweet resins because I can definitely pick out the frankincense and myrrh. This is one of the sweetest myrrhs I’ve ever smelled. But I just don’t care for that olive blossom; it always turns bitter on me.

[donnatron]

Imp: Spicy bourbon. It is almost boozy and I'm afraid to put it on my skin.

 

Wet: But I do, because it's a review and all. It immediately goes " BOOM! CLOVE!" It's a very sticky, resinous scent and I'm mainly getting that sort of waft off it.

 

Dry: This is really heavy, resinous, and very, very spicy. I get a sort of metallic undercurrent that is probably the blood accord and it's... unsettling. Unsettling is a very good word for this entire perfume. It's absolutely gorgeous, but I feel uncomfortable with it. It smells very... holy.

 

Throw: Amazing.

 

Overall: On the one hand, I'm very drawn to this because I'm in love with the amazing throw. On the other hand, it's kind of creeping me out. Considering the name, I guess we could say, mission accomplished?

[smallvoice]

Valentine of Rome is ALL wrong for me. That's why I didn't order it. None of it appealed to me. The notes sounded too dark for my tastes... it was just not me. Then reviews came in, and the things I read about it made me wonder if I could be wrong. It's happened before, after all! So up it went on my wishlist. And then I scored a bottle in a swap. And it is amazing from the first bottle sniff to the hour later drydown. This is a treasure. The spicy note keeps making me think of Chimera, and I think there's some almond... or is it something else? It reminds me of Eclipse, too. I love it. I am SO glad I tried it.

Edited July 16, 2008 by cordia

[anardana]

This is my absolute favourite of all the BPAL scents that I have smelled. I LOVE frankincense and myrrh (Penitence) and this has both of these, and the other notes (especially cypress) really add something that brings it to another level.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is sweet myrrh, incense and a hint of fruit. It's herbal and woody. When first on it's still woody and herbal, a bit sharp. After a couple of minutes, the myrrh and incense notes develop. This doesn't change much more which is fine with me because I really like it. It's similar to Midnight Mass but sharper and less sweet. Nice.

[forspecial_plate]

Interesting.....I've tried this repeatedly over a few months, and it hasn't changed. It's nearly a frankincense single-note for me. The other notes all seem to be just supporting the frankincense. If I concentrate I can pick out little flashes of the other notes, but not enough to identify anything. I bet if I tested this side by side with frankincense essential oil, the other notes would pop out more. Maybe I'll try that just out of curiosity.

 

I like frankincense a lot, so it's all good!

[GhillieDhu]

Okay... I really wanted to like this. Seriously. Incense? Olive blossom?

 

But I put it on, and got nothing but STRONG smoky spice. You know those little packets of spices that come with a corned beef? Clove, bay, cinnamon, pepper, mustard seeds? That's what this smelled like. And then it started to burn. So I washed it off. The residue is a pretty nice smoky frankincense, so I'll try this in a locket, but it's probably off to swaps.

[Salsa Shark]

I really can't get much out of this scent other than an initial blast of very tart sour cola bottle sweets. Seriously. That's all I get. This weird, sharp candied smell with a vinegary edge which overpowers everything. Obviously this is an issue with my skin chemistry more than anything else.

[modillian]

In bottle: *drooooling* Myrrrrrhhh and cyprus and slight tang of metallicness that I assume is the blood accord.

 

Wet on skin: Holy cripes. Marry me, Valentine. The woods are distinguishing themselves from the myrrh, which is only a good thing. The blood accord is not something I thought I'd ever like, but geez, I really do paired up with the drier scents.

 

Dry on skin: What a rollercoaster. It's deep and mysterious and amazing. I haven't been crazy about cyprus before, but it sure works here. Eventually the cyprus, alas, is following its tendency of amping crazily and nasally on me, but we'll see how it cycles through the month before I toss or keep it. Because seriously, until then it's incredible. ETA: Through a more neutral hormone cycle the cypress is kept in check and it's all gorgeous myrrh and incense and coppery blood tang. I can't say I'd wear this all the time, but for costuming or certain moods it's amazing.

Edited September 7, 2008 by modillian

[stillalive]

It ALMOST works on me, and then it just becomes too overwhelmingly floral. I actually think this would be a really sharp scent for a guy-- it makes me picture the quiet poetry-writing kind of guy.

[isisonearth]

Imp: There is a lot of cypress in there along with the frankincense and myrrh. The scent is very sharp and bright.

 

Wet: Cypress and smoke with the blood accord that is a bit off putting to me. Overall rather too masculine. I'm already pretty certain this is going to Mr. Isis.

 

Dry: The blood note fades and leaves a heady blend of cypress and incense. Not for me but It will be great on a guy.

[zankoku_zen]

I get this dark floral incense with hints of spices and wood. Drydown, it's almost a straight up incense.

 

Pass.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Olive, blood, and something else pungent and offbeat.

 

Wet: This is wonderfully resiny and spicy, with a pleasant bite, but there is one note in it that is really setting me off. I don't usually enjoy blood accord, maybe that's what it is. Or it might be the cypress, although I don't usually have a problem with that.

 

Twenty minutes: That off note has dissipated now. What's left is very nice indeed, a bit bitter and spicy but also sweet and richly resinous.

 

One hour: This is delicious: resinous, a touch of something sweet, spicy, and a bit woody all at once. It's rather intense, though, so it's not something I would want to wear on a regular basis.

 

Two hours: I'm still loving this one, although it's not quite as strong now as before. Deeply resinous with a bite of woody spice, a hint of floral. Keeper for sure.

 

Five hours: Soft and gentle now. That was very enjoyable.

 

[skylarkza]

In the bottle: This smells sharp and kind of sour. Uh-oh.

 

Wet: Oooh! The incence and a wood scent are making themselves apparent as soon as it hits the skin. Still a bit sharp, though.

 

Dry: Now I smell the roses...and the wood scent. Hmmm - like being in a church with roses just outside by an open window.

 

A while later: Still mostly roses and wood - but churchy wood. Unfortunately only very close to the skin. Lovely, but the decant imp is not going to go far. Oh well. But an awesome scent that I am happy to have tried.

[unlaced]

This smells very clove-y to me (like it did to some other reviewers) and I tried this blend hoping than the blood accord would behave itself because I really, really don't like blood notes. I do really like the clove-y incense-y spicy part of this blend, and in the bottle that's pretty much all I can smell. Once it's on my skin, that metallic blood smell starts creeping in around the back. It keeps fighting with the spices to see which will dominate the scent. So far the spices are winning but it still has enough of the tangy, metallic blood for me to be iffy about this one getting a lot of wear.