The Red Queen

[miri]

Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant.

Looking at LyndaM's review just before mine, I'm hoping that if I come back to it in a year or so, my opinions will have changed, but unfortunately, for now, I get cherry cough drops in a wooden box, morphing to predominantly 'stale box' scent with strong throw.

For now, this really isn't for me. Edited June 17, 2008 by Shollin

[sprocket21]

In the imp: Cherries! Yet there's something that's preventing them from smelling sweet. I bet it's the mahogany.

 

It stays pretty true from the imp to my skin - I mostly smell cherries; they're just a tiny bit powdery and fake smelling, but I find that some red fruits tend to do that on me (I'm looking at you, strawberry!). The mahogany is faint, but it's there in the background, tempering the cherry a bit and keeping it from being too sweet. The currant isn't really detectable, but I think it lends a bit of tartness to the cherry smell. As it continues to dry, the mahogany gets a bit stronger, but it's still serving as a grounding note for the cherry.

 

This is a nice, simple scent, but cherries don't work on me quite as well as other fruits do. It's sure making me want a big slice of cherry pie though!

[Andrea912]

Wet: strong cherries; Nyquil.

 

Dry: no cherries or medicine or currants or red smells at all; all woods. Vetyver.

 

Verdict: I'm surprised it turned so woodsey, with no sweetness whatsoever. Not for me.

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: Is it wrong that the first time I saw this scent, I didn't think 'Oh, Alice through the Looking Glass!' but 'Oooh, evolutionary hypothesis'? Hmm... I'm not an overwhelming fan of cherry, and currant is a bit watery on me. I have, however, been looking for a nice deep woody scent that isn't going to be dry on me. Fingers crossed, queeny!

 

In the imp: Cherry. Cherry cherry cherry cherry cherry. That's all I got.

 

On the wrist, wet: Still cherry, but more subdued - must be the woods grounding it. Not unpleasant, but the cherry is a little medicinal for my liking.

 

Twenty minutes later: It's a woody cherry - it hasn't quite lost the medicinal edge on me though. A bigger fan of cherry might enjoy this better than me - it's just not something I'm going to wear.

 

Verdict: Swap pile

 

Tl;Dr: Mild mannered woody cherry.

[isisonearth]

In the imp: The wood and cherry mingle together into what smells like cherry pipe tobacco to me.

 

Wet: The woods are a bit more subdued and the cherry and currant a bit fruitier.

 

Dry down: Surprisingly the woods really mellow the cherry into something quite wearable. Usually cherry goes sticky sweet and a bit plastic on me. Here it is more a supporting player adding some sweetness to the dark woods. It remains a bit tobacco-ish but I don't mind, it has sort of a classy androgynous vibe.

 

A good scent for hanging out shooting pool with the boys;)

[TeaLeaf]

In the bottle this nothing but cherries. As it dries on my skin it starts to smell very medicinal on me and in the end it smells like a slathered on cherry nyquil /sad

 

If I wear this in a scent locket it doesn't get mediciny and it stays true on my friend also so I think my skin just doesn't like for some reason.

[Heeroluva]

In the bottle it's cherries with something sharp. Wet it's chocolate covered cherries. Dry the cherry is very mellow with an almost tobacco/woodsy note.

[undream]

wet: cordial cherries!

 

application and drydown: pencil eraser.

 

and i had such high hopes for the queen.

[anardana]

A surprise love! It starts cherry, which I'm not crazy about- but then it quickly changes to a really nice woody-incense-y scent.. and then it promptly disappears completely. I'm not sure yet if it is worth investing in a bottle and re-applying frequently or giving up..

[Stephanie]

This is intriguing in the vial. Rich, regal cherry and woods..and something plummy?

 

On my skin, it's sweet cherry, woods and something fresh and green almost?

 

The drydown is a little soapy, though. And astringent.

 

Sadly, this isn't for me.

[anguissette]

When wet it smells like red and licorice. I don't know how something can smell like a color but this smells like red. And also like licorice. Which I'm not too fond of. It quickly dries down to a very powdery scent, that reminds me of some turn to powder lavender scents I've tried, though lavender isn't a listed note. Def. not looking for a bottle and will send off my imp to someone else.

[Hawke]

Fruity woods. The mahogany is quiet but present in the imp.

 

Wet on the skin, there's an initial blast of fruit and I think it's the black cherry, as currant strikes me as brighter and louder and more sour than this note. The mahogany tones down, or rather, doesn't pop out to say hello, but there's definitely a mellow, woody note that's in play too. It throws a little spice into the mix.

 

As it dries down the cherry sort ...disappears, and this just turns into a sweet cedar kind of scent. Pleasant, but not a standout, no need to keep it for me.

[Nachtwulf]

This has the same deep wood of Ouija, but with a wet redness to it instead of the more prim and proper qualities Ouija has. I know a lot of people have complained about how it smells like cough syrup, but... compared to Red Moon or a bunch of others, that's not how I see it at all. I like my 'red fruit' scents, but more often than not, they do end up more like cherry suckers and not like something I want to wear. The mahogany notes stay very strong and clear throughout application and drydown, which prevents the Queen from turning into a red-painted trollop; it's very distinguished yet with a sultry smile hidden behind all those 'formalities' the court requires. I had this as an imp for quite awhile... and a bottle now. I loves it.

[Coldfire]

Imp: Cherry. Not almond cherry but real deep cherry

Wet on Me: Still cherry on first sniff, Sniff deeper and a

sweetness blooms

Drying Down: incense cherry now

Dry: OOOOO I smell Mahogany now..and cherry

almost a cherry pipe tobacco scent. Not bad as an imp.

[Schmoozy]

Pretty much straight up cherry almond with mahogany. Again I am not a big fan of cherry, and surprisingly enough cherry always means sickly sweet on my skin. Not the case in The Red Queen. The dryness of the woods and mahogany temper the sweetness, giving a red note feel.

However, while I do enjoy wood, the cherry pipe tobacco smell that is coming with it, makes my stomach quiver.

[NeuroticaGirl]

Ever eat bubble gum that has been sitting in a hot car? Yes, Warm bubblegum. That is it.

 

That is what I got from this oil in the bottle. It wasn't unpleasant but not at all what I expected either.

[RachelHell]

Wet: smells strongly of cherry and walnut (With at ouch of mahogany in the backround/cedar)

 

Dry: Turns to BLACK PEPPER. Which is so incredibly weird. Not complaining though! :V

[Suu4LC]

In the imp, this is a sweet cherry scent with woody undertones. Very red and yummy! On my skin though, that disappears almost instantly and all I get is the mahogany and woods, but that is not too surprising, considering I tend to amp woods. I think this would be a great woodsy/cherry blend on the right person, but not for a wood-amper like me.

Edited October 9, 2008 by Suu4LC

[OhioSky]

I recently got this as a frimp, and it is wonderful! And to think, the description never even appealed to me!

 

This is one of few scents that actually smells good to me in the imp. That warm, bright cherry smell is right up front, and stays there for a while after applying.

 

One the dry down: Cherry cordials. I think the almost almond-chocolate scent is the woods that transform on me for some reason. It's almost woodsy, but kind of nutty and bordering on foody somehow... it's a weird note, but it is lovely! This is the first Mad Tea Party blend I have tried, and I am pleased!!

Edited October 12, 2008 by OhioSky

[obsidienne]

In the imp: mmmm, woodsy, sexy cherries.

 

Wet: wood, with a lot less cherries.

 

On me: cedar chips, and it fades extremely fast too.

 

And that's it.

 

Pewp. I like this smell (who doesn't like cedar chips?!) but as nothing remains on my skin but said cedar chips (srsly, just like the ones they use to mulch landscaping), I'm going to have to try it in a scent locket. If it doesn't work with that, then it's out.

Edited October 20, 2008 by obsidienne

[angelicruin]

This is one of those oils that smells entirely different between bottle and skin. In the bottle, it's sweet cherry syrup. On my skin, wood and cedar. I suppose there is a hint of sweetness from the cherry notes, but it pretty much dries down to a woodsy scent, but one of the few woodsy scents I actually like.

[Lyrical]

In imp: very cherry with something a little bitter and hollow lurking in the background.

 

Wet on skin: very red cherries (not almond) and dark, dusty wood.

 

Dry on skin: now it's more dark wood than cherries. Rich and brown and dusty. I like the cherry note, but the rosewood is too dusty and old-smelling - like antique wooden furniture.

[vegasblueblood]

In the imp and right after applying, it's all beautiful deep dark cherry. However, within minutes, the mahogany comes roaring in and completely takes over. It's like sticking your face in an old mahogany chest and I'm pretty amazed at how accurate this blend's mahogany note is to the real deal. There is no sign of that gorgeous cherry until several hours later when it begins to reappear very faintly in the background but it's still predominantly dry, dusty wood, kind of like the cedar chips others have mentioned. It's definitely not something I would pull out and wear as an everyday scent but the concept is really interesting and different.

[Dracoo9]

Cherries have frightened me sence Kabuki came along but being that I vowed to try all the Wonderland scents I had to snag it.

 

This becomes a very cherry-licious smelling pencil shavings on me. But the most delicious pencil shavings and not with a crazy cherry smell like Kabuki became on me. The only problem I can see, besides the pencil shaving scent is that it carries a medicinal undertone to it.

 

While I will not wear it often, or out I'm going to see if I can hang on to it for some use.

[magikalbrownies]

MY GOD - i adore this scent

 

the cherries and mahogany hit you as soon as you open the bottle and the fragrence slips into the air

 

applied: cherries...LOVE IT and it has a deep dark sense to it like you're in a beautiful library with wood floors, walls, ceiling, etc...

 

wet: mahogany

 

overall: definately a bottle getter..i love this scent and the pairing of the woods and cherries make it something dark and rich in a way i cannot articulate but translates beautifully on my skin.