Blood Amber

[Lexy]

Slivers of warm, pulsating blood forever crystallized in golden amber resin.

Mmm... This is a perfectly blended mellow smooth scent. Neither the amber nor the dragon's blood takes over. It is a fairly long lasting scent that stays true the whole time I wear it. I do wish it were a little louder, but I still catch whiffs after 4 hours.

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: a very resinous, syrupy, voluptuous fragrance

 

Wet: more amber warmth coming through - I recognise the scent from Spellbound. This is such a strong, heady oil!

 

Dry: the "roundedness" of the scent wears off, leaving a drier spicy incense that lasts for ages

 

Verdict: I really like this oil - it's quite addictive, but so powerful that I don't think I could wear it as an everyday oil. However, it will be a great exotic indulgence every so often.

[Witch's Dagger]

Blood Amber

 

Preconceived Notions: Dragon’s blood and amber - oh yeah! I find amber to be incredibly sensual, and dragon’s blood smell(to me) like deep, spicy, smoky blood.

 

In the vial: spicy, deep amber

 

On me:

Over the course of an hour:

Sweet, honeyed amber, with a spike of spice (dragon’s blood?), and a lot of depth. The sharpness of amber that I smelled in Loviatar and other amber blends is there, but the dragon’s blood tones it down, somewhat, making it warmer and deeper, not so superficially pointy. I can see how people think of the dragon’s blood as sweet, but I do get the note that I think of as dragon’s blood - that mysterious sharp and spicy note mixed with a warm depth. The sweetness and sharpness of the amber raises it up and balances it so it doesn’t get bogged down. This is very elegant, balanced, and sensual.

 

Final impressions:

Over the course of an hour, the scent remains pretty constant. A lovely, sophisticated, yet sensual scent. Not nearly as sexual or carnal as I expected, but again, very lovely. Likely, this is due to the kind of dragon’s blood we have here - more of the depth and less of the sharp spiciness. Plus, I think the amber was stronger, at least for me, than the dragon’s blood.

[Donnababe]

Blood Amber

 

From the very start the DBR is the dominant scent here. It's very sweet, slightly cinnamon like and it reminds me of Dragon's Milk. I prefer DBR when it's calmer and not so spicy.

 

The amber is very shy for the most part and although I can detect it I don't find it as enduring and comforting as my beloved Haunted. This has a darker, smokier hue.

 

I so wanted to love this, but I don't.

[tempete]

This is a slightly spicy, soft, warm scent on me. Dragon's blood is usually nauseatingly sweet on me, but here it's tempered by the amber. However, I agree with previous reviewers who wished for more amber which I think might have added more presence to this fragrance.

 

I like Blood Amber, but don't love it. I think that one of my sisters would enjoy this more than me, so this will be going to her.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Very, very sweet – almost like fruit punch with too much sugar.

 

Wearing: Yup, much better on me. It’s still sweet, but there’s a nice smoky warmth underneath. Blood Amber reminds me of a sweeter, lighter Dragon’s Heart.

[Penance]

This is my first experience with truly bad body chemistry, sad to say, because I loved the way it smelled in the vial.

 

First Sniff:

 

Beautiful. I can really smell the Dragon's Blood in it, it's sweet and spicy and sensual smelling. Hopefully it won't change once it's on because I really like it.

 

Wet on the skin:

 

Same as in the vial at first, but it's quickly becoming sour. Sadly, it doesn't look like this particular scent works well with my body chemistry, which is a major letdown because it's beautiful...as long as it's not on me, that is.

 

Dry down:

 

Sour, sour, sour...this is not good. I wanted to like this, I really did, and I did like it until it started reacting with my body chemistry and turned into something downright unpleasant.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'm sure on someone else it would be gorgeous, but not on me. Off to the swap pile, I guess.

 

**EDIT** I just realized what it was that it turned into on my skin. Sour milk. I've never had anything react so badly with my chemistry before and I've never had any trouble with either Dragon's Blood or Amber before, either. Stupid wacked out body chemistry.

Edited October 18, 2004 by Penance

[amaltheagray]

i received this imp as a sample with my first order and wasn't impressed right off the bat. i used most of it as a room scent, which was utterly lovely, and now i'm sorry i didn't dole it out more. it's certainly grown on me. dragon's blood resin seems to be a sure-fire hit for me, and amber works in certain blends. this one is gorgeous and light and perfect for layering with other things that might benefit from a hint of spice. it's lovely with the blue lilac single note. it's perfect for when i want a quieter dragon's blood. almost like bloodlust lite.

[Lady_Ell]

Well, poop.

I ordered a 5 mL bottle of this, unsniffed, because I was absolutely positive that this would be my most favorite scent of all time. I then got my order which had a freebie imp of Blood Amber thrown in. So of course I tried it on right away and was like... "hmmm... cherries... spice... well, whatever, I need to try on King of Spades now" and since I was so enamored of some of my other big bottles, I forgot about it.

 

I tried it again today, hoping hoping hoping it would be less cherry smelling and more ambery (I loooooooove amber and woody smells) but it wasn't. It was like Shollin described, "fruit punch with too much sugar" with just a barest hint of amber that never really took hold, and with a slightly spicy edge, like cinnamon or allspice or something, and a barely there waxy-flowery edge, but there enough to make me recognize flowers (and unfortunately, I'm not good with flowers).

 

I'm very sad; I really love Dragon's Milk and Bloodlust so I assumed that Dragon's Blood would be something I can wear. I love amber but it just didn't show up.

 

Oh well. Someone is bound to love it (and it seems that many of you already do) so I guess I'll swap it.

Edited October 26, 2004 by ladylatemar

[Azrhiaz]

In the vial: sweet, but not as sweet as straight dragon's blood, the amber warming it up

 

Wet: the amber kicks up and overpowers the dragon's blood. Amber is all I smell.

 

Drydown: stays the same, just mellowing amber. Very good staying power-- am at hour six and it's still kicking.

 

Verdict: Not bad, just eh. I like amber, but more or less in something else. I can't seem to get terribly excited about smelling like amber by itself. It *is* a nice warm scent; there's just others I like better. Off to swap.

 

Edited to note: I just now looked at the other reviews-- interesting that most other folks had the opposite situation-- where's the amber? Possibly just my body chemistry's take on the matter. Hrm.

Edited October 26, 2004 by Azrhiaz

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Very resin-y, but I can't pick out specific notes. Amber always makes me think of the perfume row in Sephora, and this scent is giving me that vibe.

 

On me: I get a strong 'watered down' vibe from this oil, as if it refuses to work with my skin at all. I only put it on a few minutes ago and I can barely smell the perfume. Very mellow, light and faint - not at all what I expected, since most Dragon's Blood perfumes scream on me. I'm a bit disappointed, but if every perfume worked I'd be very very broke so it's all good.

[Ishtar]

Oh wow. This is downright beautiful

 

If I tell you that my two favourite BPAL are Dragon's Milk and Haunted, you will probably guess that I loved Blood Amber.

 

I like dragon's blood a lot, but it sometimes is too heady for my taste (I can't wear Drago's Heart or Dragon's Blood, for instance). So I applied Blood Amber sparingly, as it smelled quite potent in the vial. I was really pleased to see that it was not on the overpowering side, but fruity and vibrant.

 

After a few minutes, the amber came through and this is when I fell hopelessly in love with Blood Amber. Amber always works very well on my skin, and this is no exception. Beth achieved a perfect balance between the two notes. The drydown is powerful without being aggressive, bold without being overbearing. And mamma mia, this is a sexy scent if there ever was one!

 

Big bottle, here I come!

[grrrlennyl]

blood amber

 

at first: i'm glad the lab threw this in with my order, since i've been interested in trying it out. i don't really smell anything, perhaps, maybe, i hint of dragon's blood.

on: very nice. the warm of amber and the lightness (at least on me) of dragon's blood.

1 hour later: a bit biting now, and almost floral. weird. i expected this to stay light and sweet on me.

2 hours later: i can smell the amber again. i think my chemistry is just a bit off at this time of the month.

5 hours later: it's a tiny bit powdery now, but still very nice. sweet, but mot oppresively so. i like this.

13 hours later: the slightest hint of amber is still there.

overall: nice. i wouldn't buy it again, but i'm glad i have it. it's a nice, simple, sweet scent.

[Lady Ravenglass]

I can't belive I haven't reviewed this yet! It's certainly my new favourite oil. I got an imp as a freebie and am scouring the swaps section for spares!

 

It's light and sweet, but not heavy-sweet, and the dragon's blood, which often goes terribly thick and cloying on me (Blood Rose and Blood tend to make me nauseous in that respect:( ) is tempered by the amber, making it smoky and a lot like Dragon's Bone/Tears to my nose - or at least, a bit similar in that they are both on the light, lovely side of DBR. Blood Amber is just perfect on my skin, and works wonderfully with my chemistry. It manages to be light and strong-scented at the same time! Throws well but doesn't last long enough sadly. Still, big bottles = slathering opportunities...

[sihaya09]

On first sniff, I was overwhelmed by the tang of the dragon's blood. It was nearly acrid, but not the metallic tang I associate with actual blood. On, the amber mellows the scent quite a bit, making it actually very sweet. This will not be a day-to-day scent for me, but it is certainly very interesting, and one that I will have to wear a few more times to get a better feel for it.

[isyche]

Blood Amber, on me, smells just like the name - warm, resiny amber and dragon's blood - but I think the amber makes the overall resin quality of both notes too prominent for me.

 

It's nice, but not me. I think I prefer Dragon's Heart for a deep warm dragon's blood scent.

[teza]

Oh my god. I think I'm in love.

 

In the vial:

Mmm. It smells -- really good. I can't really distinguish. I'm sure that hint of sweetness is the dragon's blood. Is all there is to this, dragon's blood and amber? I must check it out. The warm, faintly dry amber mellows the sweet-wet dragon's blood beautifully if that's what it is.

 

Wet, skin:

Wow. No burst of sweetness. It makes me wonder if there's any dragon's blood in this after all. Usually blends with DB seem to POOF sweet. But this smells just like it did in the vial.

 

Drydown:

Mmm. It is turning a little bit sweeter, but that amber is keeping it grounded. It smells absolutely LOVELY. If it keeps smelling like this, I may have to buy a 5ml. It's gorgeous. Oh, huh. Just looked it up:

 

Blood Amber : Slivers of warm, pulsating blood forever crystallized in golden amber resin.

 

If that's not dragon's blood making it sweet, it's either my skin or the amber.

 

GOD, it smells good.

 

Dry: It still smells the same. The family likes it, I like it. Ohhhh, but this one's a keeper. Just came here to check the reviews and it looks like I was right, DB and amber. God, for such a simple combination this is gorgeous. My skin chemistry loves it, the scent barely changes. It smells like ME only more and -- GAHBIBBLE.

 

I don't have the words.

 

:D

[LaLisa]

I have an imp of Blood Amber and to me it smells not only of amber and db but the weensiest bit of blood orange, at least form the vial. I'll dry it wet and dry to see more....

[closedacct]

Blood Amber

 

I am now convinced that I will love any scent with Dragon's Blood in it.

 

I swiped it on both wrists and initially smelled lots of dbr with a hint of amber.

 

Lovely. Something strange happened! One wrist smelled almost purely of DBR and the other of Amber. I have never had that happen before. Amaltheagray was right...almost a Bloodlust lite...

 

Delicious!

[Electra]

I am absolutely heartbroken that this scent doesn't work for me.

 

Amber usually loves me, and dragon's blood has grown on me (I started out not caring for Dragon's Milk; now I quite like it). I thought I'd love this scent.

 

Unfortunately I don't get either the amber or the dragon's blood - what I get is the same funkiness that I got in Snake Oil and Lampades that makes them unwearable. This blend REALLY does not work with my skin. It's awful .

 

Edit 8/12/07 -- back when I was young and stupid I thought that BPAL amber actually worked on my skin . It totally doesn't. It's actually one of my arch-enemies. However, in the interest of full disclosure, the funk that I got from this blend was not the standard amber-powder funk.

Edited October 11, 2007 by Electra

[Gemini noir]

This is really lovely. Blood Amber is such a pretty light red colour, and it smells even better (as long as your chemistry cooperates). The first time I wore it, warm and sweet were the words that came to mind. It stayed pretty strong for about an hour and then grew more mild, but lasted, and stayed consistent for over six hours.

 

When I wore Blood Amber a second time, I immediately noticed the spiciness. Not sure why I didn't notice it the first time ... But I officially amend how-I-think of Blood Amber to warm, spicy, and sweet. I won't rush to buy a bottle, but I think when I start to run low, I might well order an imp. Don't like the thought of not having any on hand.

[starrykitten]

I was super-super excited about Blood Amber. I loved the name, the description, the color, everything. In the imp, it smelled like cherries and spice. On me, however, it smelled kind of like play-doh. Sort of rubbery and didn't seem to change very much on my skin, but my chemistry turns Dragon's Blood to play-doh more than I'd like, between this and Tintagel.

[Falathwen]

This was a freebie from the lab which I tried first, attracted both by the bright color and by the fabulous reviews I had read about it. Sadly, I think I am one of the people whose skin chemistry argues with Dragon’s Blood resin. I also had a mild allergic reaction to this one…itchy eyes and sneezing . I sometimes get that from O, so I am guessing it is the amber.

On me this was both sweet and sour…and very strong. When wet, it was rather fruity (and my husband said it smelled a bit like clover to him.) As it dried it was still sweet-sour but also began to turn soapy…a very good soap, but soap nonetheless. The final note was pure amber, which is always a sweet powder note on me. I would like to give Dragon’s Blood another try - in a different blend.

 

Edited to add that I just had a chance to see how strange skin chemistry can be. A friend of mine gave this a try and on her this blend was absolutely gorgeous, just as others have described. It was rich, warm, sweet but not cloying. Of course I gave it to her.

Edited November 3, 2005 by Shollin

[diabolique]

the first sniff of this was dragon's blood at its fruitiest and tamest. it wasn't metallic or blood-like at all. i was surprised by how nice this is. i didn't expect to like it because amber has never worked for me. amber has officially slain the dragon, because the DB doesn't sing out like it normally does. the two scents are in perfect balance, and i loooooove it.

[Lit Chick]

When I sniffed the vial, I thought this was going to be a fantastic oil on me. It smells lovely, very warm and golden as others have said. And familiar....

 

My very first boyfriend gave me a flannel shirt of his, and this is what it smelled like. I think it's the amber - it's what his clothes always smelled like, before they started smelling like teenage boy. Wow - had not thought about that in a decade...

 

So this is yet another BPAL that brought extremely vivid memories to the surface. I dreamt of exes all night long, though... so this will be swapped. It is a sweet, comforting (and yet uncomfortable for me ) oil.