Bacchanalia

[viciousviolet]

From Sin & Salvation

 

A boisterous, belligerent, festive blend that lends to mad revelry, overindulgence and excess. Perfect for a weekend bender. Earthy musks combined with a beastial civet bouquet, a hint of sweet grape and orange blossom.

 

True to the description, this scent is perfect for wearing to a party or a night at a dance club when you're just out to have a debauched good time. This is a very husky, feral scent. The grape isn't light, as in white grapes or a light wine, but rather huge, ripe juicy black and red grapes crushed into a dark, thick musk. Very much the scent that Dionysus himself would wear!

[Gothabillywench]

I really wanted to like this one, given I'm fond of a drink or two! But unfortunatley you are right about the grape smell, and being half Italian I grew up around vine upon vine of said grapes & I never liked the smell then & still don't. I tried to like it, but I couldn't get past the grap factor.

[sirensongsouth]

This is such a unique scent! Wet it smells of grapes, thick purple sweet grape juice, or ripe concord grapes heavy on the vine. That quickly morphs into a drydown that is pure sex. Musky animalistic sex tamed only by the sweetness of the orange blossoms and the sweet winey grapes. This is a bold scent, perfect for a hot date with your honey.

[jj_j]

This is so beautiful first on! Ripe red grapes is an absolutely perfect description, and some of the spices that are so lovely in Snake Oil are here, as well. I am in absolute fermented-fruit heaven when I first apply this!

 

Your body chemistry is likely different from mine, but there's something about civet that turns very unpleasant on me. In fact, it goes distinctly litterbox-ish, and gets quite loud when it touches my skin. I held out hope with Bacchanalia, though, because for a good five minutes, this was just fruity, boozy perfection.

 

Unfortunately, Bacchanalia made up for lost time by going from heavenly to horrid in under three seconds. The civet-beast roared to life and my toddler, who's toilet-training, tried to look down the back of my pants and asked if I was poopy, while the chihuahua started frantically sniffing the air and wiggling in her sexiest manner. I managed not to tell my child I was neither in heat nor poopy, but was sorely tempted.

 

I was terribly disappointed that I can't wear Bacchanalia, as it was so lovely for those first few minutes. If civet works on you, jump right in and try this one - it's fantastic.

 

Even if civet doesn't work on you, the Imp's Ear would be worth a try - since I usually get the rancid smell immediately and this took several minutes, it might not come out on you at all.

[coal coat]

Bacchanalia smells delicious in the vial: big, juicy Concord grape, a little Flintstone vitamin, something darker that could be called animalistic. ( I'm new to analyzing scent. My apologies.) But it dries on me to Juicy Purple Candy Grape over horse poop.

 

So, I'm not buying a larger bottle, but I will keep and use the imp. There is NOTHING sexy in this on me, but I need to believe that I live a life in which it is sometimes appropriate to smell like sweet grape and horse shit.

 

 

ETA: I applied before writing the review, and it is more pungent, more evocative of animal piss, which doesn't really change for what occasions I will wear this, but ... so you know. Maybe my skin doesn't like civet. I wouldn't wear this to a job interview, but I like the effect.

Edited May 6, 2004 by coal coat

[AnimeKitten]

I love this at the beginning, and in the bottle. Quite fruity and almost bitterly dry, and it's beautiful on the drydown.

 

However, like any other scent with musk, it becomes mostly musk with a faint hint of the original scent. I guess my body chemistry just brings out musk more than anything. I like musk, so It's good, but I'd just like it if I could have a more balanced scent now and again.

[minilux]

I must have the complete opposite body chemistry of almost everyone on the forum, because civet actually smells smoky & sexy on me (whereas anything with even a smidgen of musk turns to a hideous baby powder smell). I don't smell any grape in this one, unlike Puck, which I liked until it overwhelmed me with grape. This is an almost incensey smokiness that reminds me a bit of Chanel No. 5. I like it very much and hope it doesn't turn to cat pee or baby powder (which is actually worse than cat pee in my opinion).

[xoe]

This is the first thing I've ever tried with civet. And it (hopefully) will be the last. In the bottle this was fine, like everyone described. It hit my skin and turned absolutely horrid! Like a wet animal. Maybe the best descriptio for what civet smells like on my skin is: like a rat burrowing through wet newspapers in a dirty alley frequented by winos.

 

Oh well. Now I know. Body chemistry really is an interesting thing.

[Morrighana]

My experience with Bacchanalia was similar to Xoe's, unfortunately. Usually, BPAL blends containing civet behave rather well on me, though, so I think that it may just be the concentration, not the ingredient, that is the problem. On my skin, Bacchanalia is probably about 90% civet and 10% angry musk, with no sign of grape or orange blossom.

 

I feel bad using this emoticon in a review, as I am 110% sure that this is the be-all-end-all of perfumes on someone else's skin, but it is a pretty good caricature of me wearing Bacchanalia:

 

The masculine blends and I really don't get along.

[hypothermya]

Musks smell absolutely wonderful on my skin, and the thought of having an earthy/grapey/orange blossom scent sounded wonderful. I didn't realize until after I ordered it that it was supposed to be more masculine, but...

 

First Impression

 

Grapes, sweet like nerd candies. Which in a tenth of a second is overpowered by musk and civet. It smells like if you had a residual taste of grape nerds in your mouth, and then went out to a stable and inhaled the scent of the animals and the scent of the earth. It's not bad... But it's also not something that has me saying, "Yummy, I want more." It is something that makes me want to sniff it again, until I've grasped every little nuance.

 

Wearing It

 

When I put it on, the musk picks up. Of course...this is my skin we're talking about, and it sucks up musk like it was some sort of a drug. This smells like a black musk (which isn't nearly as good as red musk and white musk on my skin), but it also smells like a red musk underneath it. The civet is just underneath.

 

As it dries, I can smell the orange blossom (such a lovely scent), but no grape. Or perhaps the grape is just so faint that I can't detect it... I can see why on some people this might turn out smelling like horse manure, what with the very animalistic musk and the very earthy (the smell of compost just before it's finally dirt) civet. On me, though, it smells lovely. A bit masculine, but lovely.

 

Unfortunately, after about 10 minutes, I start getting the scent of baby powder. I'm not sure what does this, but about 4 or 5 of the BPAL oils that I've tried do this to me and I always hate it. (Persephone, Haunted, etc.)

 

One thing: The oil -- which is such a deep amber that it looks red/brown in the vial -- is definitely too thick and dark for my skin. It leaves a yellow stain which almost reminds me of how my skin looks after a good coating of iodine.

 

 

So on the whole, it turns out that I like this very much. The scent reminds me of being out in the forest, either hiking or horseback riding, and smelling like you've actually done something. It isn't a dirty scent, but an earthy/musky/blossom scent that is really unique. Except for the baby powder and the staining, I'd love it. I'll probably wear it again to see if it reacts differently in another week (who knows what's causing the baby powder scent -- it could just be a diet thing or a cycle thing). And I'll see if I can't apply it in smaller quantities in more obscure places (maybe behind the ears or near my clothing, to see if I can't fix the staining problem. And if that doesn't work, I'll toss it over to my boyfriend and see how it smells on him.

Edited July 31, 2004 by hypothermya

[glampyre]

I think my imp is a bit old.

 

The cap is totally yellow from leakage of the deep brown liquid. I love BPAL and have really enjoyed every single one I've tried...

 

But my imp smells like Avon Topaz perfume.

 

I'm sure it's because it's just past its prime, but that's what I get out of this one.

 

There are no grapes here.

 

There is no orange.

 

There is only my Avon Topaz.

 

I put a LOT on, to try to make sure I'm not missing anything.

 

This imp is hereby decomissioned and will not be recirculated as representative of this scent.

[aessedai]

This scent has a long history with me. I believe it was in my first BPAL order. I sniffed it, thought to myself, "Old lady!" and promptly swapped it away.

A year or more later I have swapped for it back, and have a new spin on the scent.

I am picking up less old lady now that I've let it sit on my skin. Initially, yes, it is a bit cloying. It almost reminded me of lilac. I think that was because I assumed that's what my grandmother (old lady) smelled of, having seen the powder in her bathroom and smelled her.

Last week, my grandmother passed away. Bacchanalia has made several appearances on my skin since then. I smell initially a heady floral-fruity scent, I presume the grape. Later, as it fades, I get some musky scents, somewhat like amber. It is, hours after application, sweet, sensual and warm.

I wish there were more reviews of this, so I would have something to compare my impressions with!

 

EDIT: There are... you just couldn't find them! Merged with existing review thread. --Shollin

Edited September 19, 2004 by Shollin

[Northernminx]

This one was a little scary looking in the imp, dark and sticky. First whiff was very earthy, strong, feral, wild and a little bit of grape in there.

 

Apparantly civet and I did not agree as it soon smelled like grape and...er...uh... well my niece's diaper. Sad sad as I wanted this to work but alas my chemistry said no. off to swaps.

[Larila]

Wet went on strong, sweet grape and civet. In 15 minutes while still strong the musk and orange blossom was an addition to the party of notes.

Wasn't a bad thing for me at all, I like this version of it very much, the scent kinda reminded me of darkier version of bordello in a way.

 

The longer it stayed on, the strong aroma calmed down some.

Yes it is a stronger scent and the lasting power is amazing, this would smell nice on a guy. It's a nice scent but, just wasn't calling my name, I'll always keep a Imp around.

[diabolique]

i pinpointed the civet immediately, as i did with debauchery.

 

this dries down to the smell of dr. pepper. not very elaborate, i know, but that's about all it smells like: warm, flat dr. pepper.

[Rheliwen]

I originally read all of the reviews for this scent and promptly took it off my list. But it called to me so I got it in a swap. Now I wish I could get more

 

I love this scent! I can kind of see where people are getting the Dr. Pepper scent, but I think it smells a bit more complex on me. And the civet I can smell as well, but it only has a tiny animalistic quality to it and I consider it a good quality.

 

I honestly get Snake Oil with grapes...very reminiscent of Snake Oil but a little less vanilla-y.

 

So I'm sad I won't be able to get more of this...and from the above reviews, I doubt many have 5mls...oh well. I still have Snake Oil.

[antimony]

Wow, this one really tricked me. In the vial, it smelled just like Spellbound, and since there was no description to warn me, I put on as much as I would have if I was putting on Spellbound.

 

La la la, I go aroung for about 5 minutes obliviously... then WHAM!

 

Ambergris? Musk? Something like that... All I know, is that I could have given a ferret a run for it's money. I smelled like at least a dozen wild animals rolled into one. oh, and roses.

 

EDIT: Merged with existing thread. This isn't an upcoming scent; it's been discontinued. --Shollin

Edited July 24, 2005 by Shollin

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: Bacchanalia is yummy grape bubble gum. Mmmm:)

 

On Me: There's a sexy anise smell to this in the background and something that I'm not familiar with in the foreground. The bubblegum smell is something that I get when my nose isn't attached to my wrist, but otherwise I'm not certain. Is that the smell of grape blossoms? Its very hard to tell. Of course, I just realized that my keyboard smells very thickly of a BPAL potpurri, so it could be interferring with my sniffing.

 

After putting a little more on, I've been able to get the scent a little easier. Its orange blossoms along with the grapes. Living in Florida, its easy to get that one. The only problem is, it fades so quick. Blended, it smells lovely. I wish that I had a big bottle of this one.

 

Update: EW! This one turned to light ode de brown toilet on me! Gross. Swap away.

Edited December 7, 2004 by TheDarkMother

[surf-tormented]

I have a statue of Bacchus on my altar and couldn't wait to make a perfume spray out of it.

 

I love this imp. It is going to be blended with Iambe, Horn of Plenty and Blue Moon for ritual use and all of these oils go together wonderfully.

 

I love the mix of grape and musky civet. I really enjoy civet. I know a lot of people don't. But this one would be a bottle order if it wasn't gone now. Sigh. Whimper. At least I got an imp!

[heartbeast]

Oh, lucky, lucky me! I visited The Black Broom for the first time yesterday, and they still had some 5 mls of this lovely! I had never smelled it before, but recognized it as a discontinued, so I took a whiff of the tester--it smelled sweet and smoky, mystical and mysterious, and I loved it. So I purchased a bottle.

 

Out in the car, I couldn't resist slathering a generous amount on my wrists even though I could still faintly smell the morning's application of Katharina. I then proceeded to get lost trying to find my way back to the freeway (I'm not from around here), and then fought an hour and a half of traffic trying to get back to my friend's house in El Segundo, a good 40 minutes away in no traffic, where I was staying. The stress level while enclosed in a small space probably didn't help, but the Bacchanalia was overpowering. I couldn't even begin to describe what the notes were, it certainly wasn't poopy or diapery or anything like that--just heavy, rich, and much too much.

 

By the time I got where I was going, though, it had snuggled into my skin--and it was a little slice of ecstatic Dionysian heaven. I looked up the description--had no clue what was in it until then; the fact that it was discontinued and smelled good to me was plenty of reason to purchase--and was amused that this was one of the controversial civet scents. Once I read the description, I could recognize the perfect golden mean of a balance between the deep sweet grape, the light sweet orange blossom, and the deep throaty sexy dark musk and civet scents. This is delightful with my body chemistry, somehow comforting and feral at the same time, and I'm so very happy I got a second chance to own it. I'll just remember not to put on so much in one spot next time, and to let it dry down out in the open air--maybe in a starlit field, while I dance about, naked.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: This is such a dark-colored oil - the scent matches it perfectly. The rich brown with hints of red liquid smells of grapes and a heavy musk. It's a very wild, unadulterated fragrance.

 

On me: What a rich, boozy grape this is! It smells like a boistorous party, where everyone's drinking and dancing on tabletops and in the dark corner, someone's getting it on quite enthusiastically. I admit that when I ordered this it was purely for curiousity's sake; I didn't expect to like it a bit. Instead I find it quite intriguing and fun.

As it dries the powerful grape fades and I assume the civet rises up. Unfortunately, I am not one of the rare folks who get along well with civet. Although this is still an interesting fragrance, it's no longer one I would wear out.

[joseybird]

*sniffed from imp*

 

Bestial this is indeed! I can smell the grape, orange blossom, musk, and the extra *oomph* that must be civet.

 

This is one of the few scents I've tried that's made me go WOWOMG. Not because it's a scent I love or would wear. Not at all. But because it matches it's name *perfectly* and because it's a damn fine blend.

 

It's a horny, sweaty, wine-drenched satyr in a bottle (or, in my case, imp)!

[shelldoo]

too bad it is gone i love it

 

it did stain my skin tho

 

it is a sexy, grape version of snake oil yes that is the perfect description it went very snak oil on me but kept a very very slight touch of grape, at least i ahve snake oil since this one is gone

[cuervosueno]

Well, I thought I'd already reviewed this but guess I hadn't.

I don't know that I have a lot more to add though. On me, this starts as pure, overwhelming grape....like grape candy--not my favorite. I do get some of the civet too--its like musky grapes....what I imagine fox grapes must smell like (though truthfully I have no idea what they smell like--I think I'm just pairing the animalistic note and the grapes.)

Who can resist such a name as Bacchnalia? Me, apparently. This really did not work for me it all....was one of those scents I didn't even want to try on at first.....

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Smells like fresh breezes going through a forest almost. It's very separated, so I've had to roll it a LOT to mix it back up.

 

Just On: Less freshness, more of a bandaid smell coming on. Kinda scary, it might not work on me, but I've never washed an oil off yet, and I'm not starting now. Maybe it will dry down to something nice.

 

An hour or two later: I'm getting a hint of urine/musk smell that isn't agreeing with me. Like a bandaid that has had urine dripped on it. Ugh. Looking like this one isn't going to like me a bit.

 

Around 6 hours: Yep, it's pee-soaked bandaids. Starting to fade just a bit, but I'm so not going to be able to wear this.

 

12 hours: Now, I finally get a bit of a musky powder nice smell, but I'm not sure it was worth the wait. I wonder if this would work on The Mate.

 

Overall: If it were to go to the musky powder smell right away, I could live with that. Unfortunately, it goes through a lot else first.

 

After reading other reviews: I never got any grapes out of this. Why do I always lose the fruit and keep the civet? I'm gonna pout. This one has to go find a new home.