The Red Queen

[Fefferbella]

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

The Red Queen smells like Cherry candy!

There is a subtle woody note underneath, but the sickly sweet cherry note is overpowering. This is yummy scent, just not for me.

Cherry apparently hates my skin chemisty

[Voleuse]

Strong, strong cherry in the vial, but upon application, it's wood with a hint of sweetness. It smells, actually, like the inside of an empty desk drawer, in an antique furniture shop. With pencil shavings, and a hint of creaminess.

 

This isn't a bad scent, really, but it becomes pencil shavings and cherry syrup on me. Nicely evocative, but not something I would wear as a perfume.

[pickman's model]

Wet: Cherry cherry cherry! Bright red cherry-flavour! Nice and tart and sweet.

 

Dry: Cherry, but some vanilla and a lovely dark wood. Getting woodier and sweeter. I can get the currant now.

 

This is quite different from the other foody scents I've tried. I love foody and I love woody. This is like you took the foodiest food and uber-wood and put them together. I love cherries, I love woody scents. This one was nice.

[Mary Mayhem]

First cherries.

Then, well, to me it smells like cedar.

 

Ends with a woody smell, I'm guessing the mahogany. I like this one.

 

Cherry lingers underneath, but it's like wood cherry.

[doneyeri]

I'm afraid I'm one of the unfortunate ones who does not agree with the Red Queen. In the bottle I have to agree it smells like Robatussin...I tried it none the less...despite being warned of ill effects on the friend I swiped it from.

Almost immediately after this goes on my skin it turns to plastic. I smell like Cabbage Patch Dolls left in a hot car in the summer. I smell like melting plastic doll heads. Definatly NOT a scent for me.

[ABrokenAngel]

I am dying to find a cherry scent that works on me. I have lofty hopes for this one...along with dragging fears. Woods usually smell like pencil shavings on me and with cherry and currant I'm praying that it doesn't go pencil-ey on me.

 

In the Bottle: OMG......Currant and Cherry...that's all I smell. I'm not sure what the other two are supposed to smell like but all I smell is currant and cherry....oh please god don't go foul on me!

 

Wet: OH GOD.........Currant and a bit of Cherry. I just tested Jack and this one though it's the same age on the skin as Jack is wafting up and over powering it. Oh please please please don't go rancid on the dry down.

 

Drydown: Disappointment again. The woods have come out to play and locked the gorgeous princesses of Cherry and Currant in a closet somewhere. I can BARELY smell them any more and I'm crying because of it. I wanted this to work so MUCH!!!

[ladymissspyder]

When I first put this on, I get a delicious ripe cherry scent that lasts for about 15 minutes. Then - I kid you not - it gets a little weird and chemically and smells exactly like my old "Cherry Cuddler" doll for another 15. After that, it mellows into a nice wood and currant blend.

 

I like it, but I'm still debating if the weird chemically phase is something I'm willing to live with.

[theseagrows]

if i do say so myself, this smells fabulous on me. it's a woody-black cherry with other berries coming through as well. i am not much of a fruity-scent person, but sometimes i enjoy the berries. this seems like a wintry/xmas scent to me. very nice- not sure it's 'me' or that i would wear it often, but it's a pretty pretty scent.

[desu]

In the bottle: Cherries.

 

On my skin: Cherries. The veltvety woods are just beginning to make an entrance. I'm hoping the woods will help balance out the cherry sweetness.

 

Later on: It's starting to smell like cherry cough syrup on me now.

[magdalene]

in the bottle: sweet cherries, lost in the woods and unable to find their way home.

 

wet on skin: the cherries in this are simply gorgeous. Far too often, cherry scents can seem artifical and sticky. But, this oil just smells like the jar of bourbon-spiked marachino cherries I have in my cupboard. Beautiful, with a slight kick of "I can mess you up for the rest of your natural born life."

 

dry: it becomes warmer on dry-down, like a chocolate covered cherry.

[sookster]

straight up whiff from the imp this is all about thick, syrupy potent black cherries

with a touch of almond..... *droooooooooool*

once it makes contact with my skin the black cheery cherry aroma mixes with the

mahogany .... wow......

too, too unique and uber fantastic......i have a feeling some aged red queen would

be a phenomenal addition to any bpal arsenal......

[Neely]

Another frimp from a BPALer! Feel the love!

 

In the bottle: cherry cough syrup.

 

Wet: cherry cough syrup

 

Dry down: Cherry but it isn't syrup anymore. The sweetness left, and the cherry blended with the woods. It is creamy now. But it seems to be fading fast. No real throw now that the syrup is gone.

 

30 minutes: It is almost gone, or so I thought. It hugs my skin close. I have to sniff my wrist closely. It has morphed into a soft cherry, currant with vanilla (was that an ingredient?). Surpising that this has turned into a softer mellower fragrance. Not at all what I would have thought since it came out of the bottle like gangbusters and popped me on the nose. I don't know if I want a big bottle. I like my imp. I may want it for the novelty of getting all the Mad Tea Party. This is not true love, but a friendship which is amicable.

 

Rating 1-5, this is a 3.5.

Edited January 8, 2006 by atropos

[Stumbeline]

Sweet woods and cherries and currant. Yum! This is a very light, sweet smell. It was generously given to me by the lab and was high on my wishlist. I do get the occasional whiff of pencil shavings, but weirdo me likes that smell. I'll definitely use up the imp.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Holy cherry Batman!

 

On Skin: These are some sweet cherries! Ludens cough drops… The mahogany has such warm depth and coupled with the wood note brings about a much more interesting cherry scent then some of the other BPAL cherry blends I’ve sampled. Dark and a little earthy, this kind of reminds me of the drink Cherry-Pom. Very tasty but not really a “perfume” scent. It also reminds me in a slight way of Hearth 04… that cherry pipe tobacco feel… comforting and warm.

[jewelbug]

A frimp from the lab, not something I'd noticed before, but the description sounds tasty...

 

Imp: Furniture polish and cherry/almond extract. I'll give it a whirl….

 

Wet: Whew…the furniture polish is gone, and the blend smells now of "WHOA Cherry" and a deep wooden note. Over the next few minutes, the wooden note amps. So far, the throw on this is amazing.

 

Dry: As this dries, it starts to remind me of intrigue (deep smooth woods and fruit). By the 30min mark, the cherries are almost undetectable, except for the hint of sweetness that lingers (good, cuz often bpal berries amp and turn into air freshener on me). This is a very woodsy blend, more so than I expected. By 2.5 hours, it has faded to a barely there woodsy skin scent (which is longer than intrigue lasted).

Overall: These wooden notes are rich, cultivated woods, not the woods in the forest. Woods that are lacquered and polished daily. Like a desk in a old-world style library, with globes and leather-bound tomes resting on it (not that this smells of leather tomes, mind you, but rather, the desk underneath). This is what I'd expect Hearth 2004 to smell like if I'd ever tried it. I'm gonna hold onto this imp for a while, but I wish the staying power were a bit better.

 

Compared to Intrigue: Very similar feel, woods and fruits. Red Queen is island-bound Intrigue's more cultivated European cousin. Intrigue is a bit sweeter, but that's to be expected with the chocolate. I actually can't decide which I like better. So, naturally, I'm keeping both.

[abitcoconuts]

Thanks lab for the frimp!

 

In the Vial: The cherry is very strong...reminds me of the Queen of Hearts.

 

On my skin: Wow...this goes on like chocolate covered cherries! Seriously I am reminded of opening a new box before christmas and popping the juicy candy into my mouth...delicious!

 

Drydown: This really was a morpher on me...soon after applying, the cherry nearly disappeared and all I am getting is a woodsy smell. I like it but I miss the fruity aspect. Some above mentioned pencil shavings and that is a perfect description. Sadly, I think this is gonna be with my swaps.

[strawberry_star]

Awwww I thought this one would be really wonderful. I was looking forward to it. I was even in denial when I smelled it and tried to ignore what I thought it smelled like, trying it again hoping it would change! But no, it smelled like cherry cough syrup on me and even my husband said it smelled like cold medicine, so it's off to a friend. Hopefully she has better results with it.

[smelly]

I smell like a cherry cigar from the drug store. I'm enjoying it, but doubt I'll make a regular thing of it. Who knows though.

 

This is the Dr. Pepper of perfumes. It would be good on ice. Or from a can.

Edited February 7, 2006 by smelly

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

A not-so-medicinal cherry cough drop

 

On me:

At first, this was a sweet and fruity cherry/currant combo. It was very *red* in smell. I don't really care for cherry at all, neither as a smell or as a taste, but I thought it was pleasantly fruity and fresh. However, that changes as the mahogony takes over and makes this very much "WOOD!!" with hints of cherry and currant. Unfortunately, wood of any kind goes straight to pencil shavings on my skin so that's what I'm left with. It's a very light scent, but on me it's still pencil shavings + a hint of cherry.

 

Final note:

If the wood didn't take over, this would have been a pleasant scent, even if it's not really "me". I will say though, it certainly is "red" enough to be fit for The Red Queen!

[The Perfumed Ferret]

In the bottle: Cherries! I hate fake cherry scents, so I was delighted that this actually smelled like the morello cherries I grew up eating.

 

On: Cherry gets spanked by velvet covered mahogany.

 

Dry down: The cherry mellow just a little and the woods, and something creamy come through.

 

I think this one is going to be used as a candle dressing. It's too sweet to wear on the skin, but sexy enough to want to keep.

Edited February 13, 2006 by The Perfumed Ferret

[damuddymeg]

I'm hoping for the mellow scent of wood, lustrous with age and polish, like walking into an antique store. And really, I'm praying for currant--I love currant scents with a passion. I have my fingers crossed.

 

Imp: Cherries! A ripe, red, mouthwatering note.

 

Wet: Still cherries. And something a little dusty in the background. Guessing that's the wood...

 

Drydown: The cherries vanish in the space of 15 minutes, leaving a smell that is a cross between pencil shavings and menthol cough drops. *weeps* NOT what I had in mind. The wood has gone sharp and somewhat cedar-y, and it just isn't working.

 

3 hours later: The wood has gone the way of the cherries. All I am left with is sweet, mellow, mild currant, with a slightly musty note in the back. I wish the whole of the experience was worth this bliss at the end. Sadly, I don't think it is, but I'm going to give it a second trial, just to be sure...

[Thacerine]

In the vial: cherry cough drops & wood-wood-wood. Sharp!

 

The cherries smell a lot yummier the second time I open it, but wet on my skin they mix oddly with the wood.

 

As it dries: this mahogany is giving me a completely different impression than any other wood has so far, and I like it. It’s…fancier, and older, like an antique jewelry box or some sort of heirloom. Like I’m in the home of a very elegant old lady, very proper and beautiful. Maybe it’s the velvet helping that. It does turn a bit medicinal after a bit, with something dry or dusty slipping in. Very much a red queen Something about this goes very well with Moulin Rouge, heh. It’s solemn or formal, but not sad, it’s strong-willed but not forceful, just confidently present.

 

I like it. Maybe not enough to buy a big bottle, just because it seems like it would only fit to wear for certain occasions, but then again I'm picky like that. My perfume has to match even more than my clothes.

[harmonyfb]

When I first put this on, there was an overwhelming almond-ish note, but that quickly faded to a sharp cherry scent. Once it had dried, it was dark and thick - cherry was the predominant note, but the mahogany (I guess) made it darker and more subtle. Very nice, though simply not for me.

[aine]

Pow! This is punch-you-in-the-nose strong in the imp. My husband actually recoiled when I waived the little wand under his nose.

 

The first five minutes on the skin continue along much the same overwhelming path and I thought this might be the second oil I have ever had to wash off (and I've tried over a hundred). Thankfully I was too lazy to get up and go to the basin because The Red Queen did one of the most dramatic morphs I have ever experienced. One minute blasting pungence, the next a delicious morello cherry and mahogany blend. Regal indeed. This is a magnificent take on 'red' and testament to Beth's creative vision.

[filigree_shadow]

Very cherry at first. Not at all like cough syrup or fake cherry flavoring. Like I just stuck my nose in a jar of maraschino cherries. (Which is not to say The Red Queen smells like almonds, becasue I don't think it does.)

 

It's really faint, which surprised me. For The Red Queen, I expected a much bolder and stronger scent. It's sweet and candy-ish, but not at all strong. After about 20 minutes the wood notes come out and give it a nice balance.

 

I don't think this is for me, but it would be good for someone who likes the sweet resiny-wood blends.