Anne Bonny

[nevermore]

Named in honor of the most notorious female pirate to ever set sail. Wicked, cruel, beautiful, intelligent, resourceful and dangerous: a true role model. A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense. A million thanks to Juliana Williamson-Page for inspiration!

This is definitely a lady pirate scent – tough, strong, but not masculine. Not something to wear if you’re trying to be subtle. A generic sort of woody scent is what I smell most once it’s dried down, though I can still smell the sandalwood and frankinsence. It’s a very dark scent, and though I like it, it might be a little bit much for me to wear on a regular basis.

[Sistinas]

Anne Bonny has two of my favorite scents in it patchouli and sandalwood. Frankincense I am not so sure about (note to self to order it as single note). I

really enjoy the warmth of the scent and it lasted for quite some time on me. Very nice indeed, for me it is warm, comforting and relaxing.

[TheDarkMother]

This is another scent that I just love. It is a high peppery scent on me that reminds me of Black Pepper and Salt Spray, with a light cedary scent as well. Very woodsy and spicy and I tend to wear it with a leather jacket.

 

This is one of those scents that I have to wonder if it smells as good on my husband as it does on me!

Edited July 14, 2004 by TheDarkMother

[Reinaluna]

Anne Bonny is too strong for me. To me its more of a masculine scent so I gave the imp to my brother and it smelled great on him.

[hypothermya]

I initially was dying to get ahold of this scent. Then I realized that it was being described as "salty and wet" -- the two key words associated with other BPAL scents that I've had an allergic reaction to. But then I realized that everything else with patchouli in it has been wonderful on me, and I decided to try it anyhow.

 

First Impression

 

Oh, yeah. This is definitely salty. It has the same ocean tang that Hurricane had, but without the rotting drift wood note. This one is going to give me an allergic reaction for sure. The patchouli and sandalwood are burried underneath the salty/watery goodness, which I hope changes when I put it on.

 

Wearing It

 

This one definitely read my mind: when I first applied it, the saltiness took the back seat, and made room for the patchouli. And the patchouli is heavenly! In some of the other scents I've tried, the patchouli has been very earthy and rich, but this patchouli (red, if I remember correctly) smells lighter and more charged. The sandalwood also helps lighten up the scent, and works so well! It's as though it took all of the earthiness and woodiness, and put it out to sea! It still smells earthy, but not as grounded.

 

 

I haven't really bothered checking the lasting power on this one, since my nose pretty much started twitching right away, and i had to wash this one off. But if there was ever a scent that really captured a female pirate, this would be it! One of my friends adores pirates, and so I'm pretty sure I'm going to give this to her as a gift. She'll love it, since she adores sandalwood.

[Rheliwen]

This is such a fascinating scent for me, as it literally takes me away to a dark creaking ship sailing through turbulent weather. It is one of the few scents that stirs all of the senses for me.

 

I love smelling it in the bottle. I smell the wet wood so vividly.

 

The darkness of it transferred to my wrist in a more woodsy pine scent, which was a little disappointing. Once it dried though, I got a little bit of the bottle scent back.

 

This is definitely something you'll want to wear to make a striking impression. It's bold and seductive and not a day scent. I imagine wearing it out on the town to snare my catch or to seal a big business deal. Just don't wear this to meet the in-laws

[Lizabet]

In the bottle I can smell the patchouli quite easily with a faint woodsy undertone - can't make out either the sandalwood or frankincense really, but it's making me smile. (Red patchouli, I'll admit, is one of my favorites as it is much easier on my poor nose than black.)

Wet, I'm still smelling like yummy patchouli and resisting the urge to blow off work to lie under a tree and listen to the Dead. Even though I've not put a lot on it's still quite strong, but fortunately I don't seem to be asphyxiating anyone nearby.

Dry, the patchouli's faded and the frankincense is the strongest. I'm not smelling much of the sandalwood at all, which is a shame as I love sandalwood too.

About 4 hours in it's melded into something I can't describe but it is very nice and, while much weaker I get occasional whiffs of scent.

 

Right up there with Old Glasgow as one of my favorite scents at the moment.

Edited August 11, 2004 by Lizabet

[asa805]

THis is very very dark, very strong and very headshoppy! Definatley not my type of scent. I swapped it.

[LiberAmoris]

After enjoying Cathedral so immensely, I was pleased to find that Anne Bonny is a ‘sister-scent’ with the same incensy-resins and sweet wood notes. With my chemistry, Anne Bonny is a touch sweeter on the skin, almost like Cathedral dipped in honey.

 

Piratey, deck-swabbing goodness. Like the scent of wood planks mingling with an open cask of rum.

[Hikaru]

Love it love it love it!!

As most others on this thread have said, dark, unisex, and salty. I am not into flowery scents these days, I like incense/resins or stuff that smells like food.

This is in the former category, and the salty note makes me wanna stand up and say "Arrrrrrrrgh" !!!

Hoist the mainsail me hearties!! Anne Bonny rocks.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: I smell patchouli but this is surprisingly light. It doesn't seem heavy and bogged down like many of the smokier incense scents. I'm quite surprised by this.

 

On me: It starts out like a spiced baby powder, but it reacts quite badly with my body chemistry. As it dries there is a spicy fragrance, but running beneath the patchouli and sandalwood is the scent of bad body odor. Ugh. I don't care to smell of someone's sweat, thank you! It's a different scent that brings to mind a pirate but isn't something I can wear.

[Lucretia]

I was a bit worried when I ordered this one as so many people said it was too strong for them. But I'm very glad I ordered as my skin seems quite capable of dealing with heavier scents.

My first thought of this one was that it reminded me a bit of sin, which must be the sandalwood and patchouli. However, this smells simpler on me and reminds me more of pirates than a pack of hippies. If I take a deep breath of it I can smell something salty.

 

It smells very peppery and warm, a little bit like a church but not quite.

I could see myself wearing this one a cold night to keep myself feeling warm.

[lemonlye]

Mmm! I normally don't care for patchouli much, but it takes the back seat here and acts as a wonderful supporting character, so to speak. I mostly am getting cedarwood in this, which I happen to love. As such, it reminds me more of an old wooden building than a pirate ship, but I bet it would layer quite well with Jolly Roger (one of my absolute favorites).

 

I get the impression, overall, of a dark rustic wooden church in a conifer forest, with perhaps some shady characters running around in the shadows. They could be pirates, on shore leave - why not?

 

Think this may warrant a big bottle, if the husband likes it! Would also make a good room scent. Big thumbs-up.

[Penance]

First sniff:

 

This is fantastic! The first thing to hit my nose is sandalwood. It smells exactly like the sandalwood incense I used to burn when I went to college in California. There's something else there that I can't quite put my finger on, but it's spicy and sexy and it's making me wish I didn't have a cold so that I could smell it better.

 

Wet on Skin:

 

Still sandalwood, still sexy. It reminds me of dry wood...actually it reminds me of the time I toured the Santa Maria model in Columbus, that smell of salt and dry wood. This is exactly what I would imagine a lady pirate would smell like; I feel pretty damn sexy wearing this.

 

Dry down:

 

Not much of a change from wet. I'm picking up a little bit of patchouli, which is just fine because it's one of my favorite scents, but the spice I smelled earlier is gone. What's left is a very dry but sexy scent that I know is sandalwood, but which reminds me of weathered, dry wood. This could be great on a guy, too, but I won't be sharing mine.

 

The bottom line:

 

Everything I'd hoped for and more. It's a very bold scent and probably one that wouldn't work for every woman, especially not those who prefer softer feminine scents, but this is just up my alley - bold and alluring and powerful. This is going on my big bottle wishlist.

 

EDIT: I rarely do this, but I've decided I wasn't glowing enough in my review. Not only is Anne Bonny gorgeous and perfect and everything I ever wanted in a resin scent, she's my absolute favorite BPAL scent to date! I've since bought 2 10mL's and swapped for another 5mL and can't get enough of her. This one would absolutely tear my heart out if it were discontinued.

Edited December 28, 2004 by Penance

[grrrlennyl]

anne bonny

 

at first: wow. i don't even know how to explain this. it's very intense, definitely a scent for a woman who doesn't take shit from anyone.

on: hmmm...definitely alcohol-y, in a sweet way. headily distracting, the way three jacks is to me. i can catch the patchouli and what i think is the sandalwood. however, red patchouli tends to do bad things on me, so...i'm not holding out too much hope.

1 hour later: interesting. i can't really describe it. it's a biting scent, but i'm not sure what i'm smelling. there's some sweetness, too.

2.5 hours later: very interesting. much sweeter, but still a tough, yet feminine, scent.

overall: this is a good scent when i need a little boost to my confidence. i'm not sure if i'll get a bottle, but i'll enjoy using up my imp.

[phoefromelsewhere]

Elizabeth is a complete and utter genius. How on earth she got an entire pirate ship and it's captain and crew in an imp bottle is beyond me. I suppose I don't have to know, just be grateful and buy lots!

 

In the bottle: Booze and driftwood. Interesting, very piratey, at any rate.

 

Wet: I can definitely smell the patchouli and frankincense now. I am still getting a really sharp alcohol note though. I’s making my nose tingle. There is a sweet note in there, that to my nose smells like the sweetness of driftwood and that vaguely rotting smell it can have. Really strong at this point.

 

Drydown: This has blended more and the boozey note is gone. It is spicy, yet feminine. I can definitely see a kick ass female pirate standing at the top of the mast and laughing lustily into the face of a storm. She’s a woman at home in a traditional “man’s” world. Sexy and spicy. Would be excellent for when I want to feel that kick ass vibe.

 

Later: Amazingly evocative (how on earth does Elizabeth do it?) It’s softer now but retains it’s spiciness. Now our lusty female pirate has retired to her quarters and is wearing a silk dressing gown, sitting at her desk writing down the day’s events in the captain’s log. There is the faintest wisp of leather in the background…must be her boots lying where they were kicked off by the door. There is an even fainter wisp of rum (not boozey though). She must have a cut glass tumbler near by. Dark, candlelight, storm howling outside. I love it, definitely one of my favorites so far.

[diabolique]

i'm not at all influenced by the description when i smell this, so it doesn't quite invoke images of pirate ships, the sea, or a brutal woman in pirate attire. rather, this smells like a sweeter version of cathedral. this is cathedral's little sister; he's the studious, pious one of the family, quite reflective, and anne bonny plays dress up and throws little boys into the mud during recess.

[leapylees]

In the bottle: Really woodsy and earthy, sandalwood, frankincense and patchouli. Smells exactly like what you'd expect from the description. Mmmmm.

 

On: Patchouli and spicy pencil shavings! It sounds awful, but it's wonderful.

 

After a few hours: like most scents it's barely detectable on me anymore but the sandalwood and patchouli are still there but the pencil shavings have almost disappeared.

 

Overall: I love this. As others have said, it smells like old (splintery) wood on an old boat, or church pew. Definitely one for the 5ml list.

Edited November 29, 2004 by leapylees

[JazzieCazzie]

Patchouli, Sandalwood and frankincense, was there any doubt at all that I would love this scent? None whatsoever which might explain why my excited tiny fingers got so excited that when they uncorked the imp and dabbed a bit on my wrists, they then proceeded to drop the WHOLE IMP ON THE CARPET!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

*le sob* ... the good news being that at least my dressing area smells heavenly. The bad news being that there is only one-third of an imp left (but it got scribbled madly onto the next wish list which will be ordere by the end of the week and will be a lollapalooza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

 

Not sure how well I can describe this except to say mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Woodsy patchouli sandalwoody goodness. Deliciousness. Something I would slather myself in and bathe myself in and make a lotion of and a powder of an a candle of and a car freshener of.

 

REVISITING IN FEBRUARY 2013:

 

Wow, more than eight years since this review. This must have been one of my earliest purchases. I will say that though my imp box has dozens and dozens of scents in it, the "overall scent" to me is very Anne Bonny (much like we talk about the "Lush store" scent which is not one scent but an amalgamation of many) ... maybe because these three notes are among my favorites.

 

ACQUIRED: My own decant from a 5 ML bottle purchased from lab. Definitely more recently than eight years ago but not sure when.

 

IMP: Sharp, resinous, golden ... for some reason I always have trouble defining or identifying resin notes (other than Dragon's Blood) as specific notes, but rather see them as images and words.

 

APPLIED to wrists, crooks of arms and cleavage ... since I am re-reviewing one of my all-time favorites, I feel safe in applying liberally and lavishly.

 

WET: This is a scent that remains very true to its scent in the imp when it's on. The best way I can describe it is strong (in terms of evoking images of strength) and clean and medicinal in a good way ... I'm pretty sure it's not the patchouli because i don't get "head shop" from it but rather peace, relaxation, health and, above all, a sense of being comforted. It's a lovely golden aura.

 

DRYDOWN: None of the scents really morph on me, they just blend together and into my skin. There is no mood so bad that Anne Bonny doesn't make it at least a little bit better.

 

Don't laugh or think I'm weird, but I love applying this when I'm wearing a nightgown, because then when I wear it again it envelops me in its peace and relaxation (I will tend to wear nightgowns a few times before washing them, barring spillage of being gross).

 

I do think it's ironic that a scent honoring such a strong and powerful woman has such a comforting and peaceful effect on me.

 

I just wish I could describe it more accurately ... Lab, please don't ever stop making this!

Edited February 18, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[Rhian]

In the bottle

I can smell resiny wood. As others have said, it reminds me of old dark church pews. There's a hint of spice, but it's fleeting.

 

Wet on skin

After swiping a little on my inner elbows (my wrists are all Whitechapel-y): Egads, this is strong! And it smells of resiny wood still... and is there some spice underneath? I'm not sure. I feel like I've been packed in a wooden crate filled with wood shavings.

 

Dry

Any spice that was once there has vanished, leaving me with a very pungent, bitter resin smell that's starting to give me a headache. Even leaving it for an hour hasn't changed anything... I'm starting to think that the pirate lass is not for me. I need to wash it off quick!

 

Conclusion

My chemistry really doesn't like Anne Bonny, because the warmth and spiciness I think it needed on me is nowhere to be found! Odd, because the notes all usually work well on me, so I'll try it again in a few days and see if there's any difference.

Edited December 22, 2004 by Rhian

[SyringaVulgaris]

This ship is OLD, and the wood creaks...

 

I smell WOOD more than anything else...but not forest wood nor firewood. Seasoned wood that has seen much, much over the years.

 

Nothing delicate nor feminine here...no woman wearing it would consent to be called a girl...

 

Though it could be a pirate ship, it seems it could be empty, like the Mary Celeste.

 

Completely ballsy and dusky at the same time, it's a Fall scent for me...

 

(I did not notice a big change from wet to dry...)

[Finny]

Yes!

 

This may be my ultimate favorite scent. Of course, I have loved every frankincense scent I have tried so far.

 

The patchouli and sandalwood combined with the frankincense is heavenly. Warm, dry, and spicy; exactly what I need on this cold and wet day...

 

I have a few more frankincense scents to smell before deciding, but this one has moved to the top of my 5ml list...

[Lit Chick]

MMM.

Buttery. A little spicy, a little sweet.

Another perfect blend that doesn't go one-note on my skin. I smell wood, but I'm not woody. I smell incense, but I'm not Karma'ed out.

There was one odd moment when it was first fully dry that I swear I smelled Xmas pine, but it quickly went away.

There is very little waft off of me (which is great for work), and after 3 hours I'm already fading. This is a candidate for slathering instead of dabbing.

 

Mmmmm.

 

And this blend now marks my offical worship of BPAL, and the start of my enabling to others. I'm carting my imps with me to the New Years Party... except the ones I lovelovelove - I'm also a selfish wench.

[sarada]

This is pretty much the perfect resin scent. I'm not sure how weak my sense of scent is though because I cannot tell the difference between the three fabulous super-resin scents I've tried, Anne Bonny, Cathedral and Penitence! They all smell exactly the same to me, and I LOVE them but I cannot possibly decide which is my favorite.

 

This is reminiscent of church incense -- frankincense and sandalwood predominantly, though patchouli might be adding some strength to this. Anne Bonny is slightly stronger than Cathedral and not as dry, and it also lasts longer and stays true to its in-the-bottle scent for longer, on me. I think that if I had tried all of these resin scents before buying a bottle I would have gone with Anne Bonny instead of Cathedral, for the extra strength and darkness that she imparts. Nothing boozy in this to me, but then again I am pretty much blinded by the resins and that is all that I can smell...and all that I want to smell! When I start to run low on Cathedral, I will replace it with Anne Bonny I think!

 

ETA: I have decided which is my favorite, and it is Anne Bonny! Now that I have a full bottle and not just an imp I can really slather it on and get the full effect, and WOW. The patchouli is really coming out strong now and the frankincense doesn't fade like it does in Cathedral. This is my favorite in that scent family, for sure. And one of my top five overall.

Edited March 4, 2005 by sarada

[feline.by.design]

I didn't think I would like Anne Bonny, as I had forgotten the components and mistaken it with another pirate BPAL oil, Jolly Roger, which I had tried and made me rather seasick, oddly. So I thought AB would have that "sea-spit" smell.

 

Happily, this is not the case.

 

When wet, the red patchouli in Anne Bonny was very prominant. I've always been rather ambivalent to patchouli. Sure, Virgo is one of my favourite oils, but I really had no concept of just *how* good patchouli smells once the Lab has gotten hold of it. Every patchouli oil ought to aspire to be like Anne Bonny. The stuff in those head shops that unwashed bohemian wanna-bes douse themselves with just does not compare.

 

Red patchouli will from now on be a note listed in my "look for" list thanks to Anne Bonny.

 

As the oil dries, the patchouli smell does die down, and the sandalwood comes through with the frankincense. Anne Bonny seems "strong," not in the powerfulness of the fragrance but moreso in its own aura. This seems like a scent a very independent-minded, casual, no-nonsense woman would wear. A man could easily wear this as well. It's almost a melancholy smell around fifteen minutes after the application. It seems like one that will linger quietly as the night wears on, not completely disappearing yet not very noticable either.

 

Yes, this will do.

 

Thus the free imp from the Lab of Anne Bonny has found a good home. I'm rather surprised, considering my false misconceptions of the oil prior to the healthy swab of the oil in my inner elbow. It's not a scent that I'm insanely ga-ga over, but rather one that I know I would wear often enough to buy a bigger bottle. Anne Bonny seems to me like an oil I would wear as an "everyday" scent, like my jeans ought to be automatically scented like this.

 

-doreen