Succubus

[hellomoonglow]

Bat-winged, flame-eyed, and possessed of an unearthly, perfect beauty: the Daughters of Lilith, the Succubi, invade the dreams of men and lie with them in rapturous, unholy sexual union. The scent of their skin is bittersweet, dusky and terminally seductive. Mimosa, orange blossom, neroli and bergamot with a drop of sweet clove.

Bring me your orange, and I shall love you. I LOVE orange in all it's forms. Why, then, am I not getting orange at all with this scent, when lots of others seem to? When I open the imp, all I smell is dusty automotive garage. Weird. On my skin, it is totally sucked up and disappears. Like in 30 minutes.

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Bottle

Sweet, very subtle, and feminine. I can hardly smell this; not sure if it's at least ten years of smoking ruining my sense of smell, or just that it's very subtle, but it is. So naturally, I'm curious as all hell as to what it smells like on me.

 

On Me

Mmmm... it's warm, softly almondy, and there's a sharp twang of citrus-- at a pinch I'd guess lemon verbena and bergamot. There are soft, hazy florals, a touch of mimosa, and that gives it an innocent sweetness-- it's very light and pretty. I'd think of this as a nice "first date" perfume. It's individual, and it's pretty, but not heavy and intense and likely to scare away people who get freaked out by louder and more heavy blends. And in the first few hours, it's definitely noticeable, and it's not overly one thing or another: not too much citrus, not too many florals, not too woody or incensey or fruity or what-have-you. It's balanced and tidy and well-blended and very natural smelling. I don't think anyone could be offended by this perfume. (Though I'm sure I'll read through the rest of the reviews and be proven wrong! )

 

By the end of the day (and I retouched once), I'm left with a vague, warm almondy smell which makes me think of luxuriant, expensive body lotions. It's a nice base, and the louder notes were all pleasant while they were there, sadly, though, they didn't last that long on me.

[gchris]

In vial= green moss

 

Wet-moss with vinegar. This is strong

 

Later- this gets even stronger. Continues to smell mossy. To me this smells nothing like the notes listed. Smells very outdoorsy.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Green, sharp, soapy. There's a hint of something I don't like, but it doesn't seem to be listed in the description.

 

Wet: Soapier, and the mimosa is coming out more - but I don't think I'm a mimosa person. I can't smell the bergamot - alas. The neroli must the be the source of soap - always does this on my skin.

 

Dry: Very quickly turns to powdery soap and stays that way.

[soonyi]

wet, orange blossom toilette water--the neroli really contribute to the scent's weakness. mimosa is top note (a flower i love in nature) but just helps to make the rest of this rather sourly sweet and, gulp, disgusting for my taste. sorry it is not for me.

[Catmint]

I loooove all things orangey, I have every Body Shop and B&BW orange/satsuma/mandarin product ever made, etc. etc. so this sounded like ultimate orangey goodness to me, and so far I've had great luck with BPAL orange and orange blossom notes.

 

This one, alas, smelled exactly like orange soap from start to finish. I have a problem with BPAL lemon & lime scents turning to soap, but this is the first time an orange one did it. Sigh.

[Indigo78]

Wet on the skin, this is sugared oranges. Almost like those orange slice jelly candies, but with a slightly dark, floral undertone. I do not get anything musty or incensey or otherwise. There is almost no change from start to finish. If Succubus had a personality on my skin, I would describe it as "timid". Not enough of anything to sustain my nose, but I'll try it again after a bit and see if my chemistry does something else with it another day.

[poisondove]

In the Bottle: Funny lemon something, not sure this is going to be good (I am the lemon pledge queen whenever I touch lemon scents)

 

Wet: Lemony (uh-oh)

 

Dry: Baby powder through & through.

 

Overall: I am kinda at a loss. I couldn't find any orange, or neroli or clove. Nada. There is no way I tried the wrong thing by mistake (its a fresh labeled imp). I guess when one isn't suited to me it makes it very unquestionably clear. (Well, at least Samhain told me it loved me yesterday, so nee-neer)

[suki]

in the imp: strong neroli.

 

wet on skin: yep- neroli

 

dry down: i'm getting a touch of citrus, not bergamot, more like kumquat. the neroli has settled, become more like orange blossom- less concentrated.

 

in all: a light floral, good for hot days and despite the name, little ones could certainly wear this oil. sweet and innocent

 

 

[rayvn1]

Like others that have reviewed Succubus I'm not getting anything from this scent. There's a generic flowery smell that is extrememly weak which fades to nothing within twenty minutes. Hopefully this will end up in the hands of someone who loves it as much as I WISH I could have from such lovely descriptor notes.

[Argentwolf]

I mostly get very sweet mimosa, resting on a solid foundation of bergamot. It's quite lovely and sweet, and has decent staying power, but I don't get much in the way of throw. Recommended for fans of the mimosa note.

[Epidia]

Oh dear

Normally I love orange blossom, and I used to have a mimosa deodorant that I LOVED.

But to me, this smelled like the toilet cleaner they use on the ferry over to England.

In the imp, it smells woody, almost like patchouli, with a citrusy background.

Wet, that woody smell becomes even stronger, it's pretty much all I can smell. It's very aggressive and it's giving me a headache.

Drydown: The wood fades and I'm left with an unpleasant citrus. I was actually glad to wash this off in the shower.

I'm quite sad because the other reviews for this painted a lovely picture. Sadly it'll be off to the swaps with this one.

[Sapphiremo0n]

Chin, I am with you on the "soapy" aspect, which in the long run made it too strong for me to wear regularly. But I really liked the deeper notes of orange blossom, which were evocative of childhood memories ... I think the perfect use for this, for me, would be to find a way to use it as bath oil (any suggestions???).

 

I was worried when I put it on and got nothing but the smell of a bar of white soap still in the paper that I would be one of a vary few that this happened to. I had been expecting something dark and sweet and something I could wear for a seduction, instead I got the same scent that I remember from my childhood of going to grandma's house and opening the linen closet to retrieve a bar of her white soap, (usually for washing out the dirty mouth of her favorite granddaughter). Talk about your mood killer, lol.

 

I think Jazzie has the right idea by putting it in a bath oil cos then you are expecting the scent. As far as making me think of a "Daughter of Lillith", it fails to do justice.

 

Don't get me wrong, even smelling of grandma's soaps, it has a good scent...when you want something that smells squeeky clean, it would be perfect. It just isn't something I can wear happily.

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Sweet orange with a hint of florals

 

Wet on skin: The neroli is still strong and is made creamier by the florals.

 

Dry on skin: The neroli morphs into orange soap over the first hour, and the not-unpleasant floral/orange soap lasts for another 3-4 hours.

 

This will be nice on a hot, muggy summer day when I just want to feel clean.

[noacastle]

Hm well.. not That much to say... on me it's just soapy unfortunately. after about two hours it's more like.. spicy soap <.< ... now when it's very faint it's not so bad <.< sweet orangy.. but well others cant smell it now.

[stillalive]

No throw at all on me, and what little I can sniff of it is just meh. Oh well, most of the rest of the imps I ordered came out well. It reminds me of clean laundry or clothes coming out of the drier

[stariel]

It seems I'm the odd one out, because I *love* Succubus.

 

I'm really not all that great at distinguishing notes, but on me it smells very sweet and fruity with just a touch of floral underneath. In the bottle and just after putting it on, it's a bit floral for my taste but it quickly mellows into the sweet scent I love. It doesn't have much throw, but then again neither does anything I've tried so far. It does, however, last quite a while.

[auburnette]

Succubus

 

Wet, in imp (aged; old label): Pickle vinegar!

 

On skin, wet: Lemon cleaning products. Bergamot (yum).

 

On skin, dry: Play-Doh.

 

How odd!! How can something go from sour to lemon to soft playdoh? I've never had the Playdoh phenomenon before, but it is interesting to smell, at any rate!

 

I don't think the age of this one (it is old label) must have helped, as citrus notes don't generally do well with age. This was ok, but I wouldn't wear it again.

[acidrica]

This smelled nice in the imp, but went sour on my skin. It smells like bad commercial perfume that decided to rot. This doesn't like me, I need to scrub it off NOW.

[Suu4LC]

Dusky is a great word for how this blend smells in the imp. Dusky mimosa and neroli with a hint of clove! Very nice.

 

Damn, this smells so good. Super sexy! The bergamot really pops when this is on my skin! I don't always love mimosa and neroli, but they come together so well here, especially with the bergamot and clove. Warm and sexy and inviting-I can't stop sniffing my wrists! I think this will get added to the never ending list of GC bottles I want one day. I don't have anything like this! Masterfully blended dusky muted mimosa, neroli and orange blossom with an undertone of bergamot and hints of warm clove. Lovely!

[crebbsgirl]

This was possibly the oddest reaction to a scent I've ever had. I put it on, and almost immediately I didn't like it. I wanted to go wash it off but I got lazy and was watching a movie. Wet, all I could smell was the bitter mimosa. The orange blossoms and neroli came forward a couple minutes later. I didn't get any clove whatsoever. As I brought my wrist to my nose it was okay, but when I pulled away, the throw was kind of stinky... musky in some way that just wasn't agreeing with me. I finished watching my movie and was going to wash it off when I noticed something smelled really nice. Incredulously, I sniffed my wrists - it was Succubus! Somehow during the course of the movie this morphed into a wonderfully sexy dirty orange scent. I think the clove was present there too - but very faintly. I'll give this a couple more tries.

[mgrazulis]

In a word--enigmatic!!

 

In the imp: light orange, mimosa

 

Wet: clove and bergamot--lovely and warm!

 

Dry: softened florals that are almost indistinguishable--very muted, damp, musty and menacing.

 

A keeper!!! I don't know why--but this one is strangely attractive to me.

 

 

[Ceri]

In the vial: Orange! Soft orange blossoms and bergamot.

 

Wet: Bergamot and some spice. Soft but spicy.

 

Drydown: Soft citrus and floral scent. Quite lovely but has a faint soapy smell.

 

Overall: Overall quite a nice scent, have to test it again to be sure.

[Monster]

In the imp: Creamy citrus.

 

On my skin: Ok, this is the second oil I've reviewed in the past 2 days that's reminded me of Lady Lilith. This one has very strong orange blossom andneroli notes. I'm picking up bergamont in the background as a sharp herbal scent, the presence of this makes me think it could also be worn by an older gentleman. I'm not smelling any clove, at all.

 

Dry: As this dries the pretty orange blossom is dominated by the bergamont, this turns into an almost medicinal, old lady-like scent.

 

Overall: Really unfortunate! Based on the note listing, it appeared as though I would've really liked this one but, in the end the bergamont just took over and went all wrong on my skin. Oh well.

[crimescenecleanup]

I'm so surprised that Succubus doesn't get more love! This is one of my all-time favorites.

 

Neroli, bergamot, orange blossom and clove are usually deal breakers for me. They always come out way too strong and make otherwise subtle and lovely blends go strange on me.

 

But I'm such a sucker for mimosa that I had to try Succubus. Maybe it was just crazy enought o work...?

 

I'm so glad that I did.

 

The orange blossom is the closest thing to real orange blossoms I've ever smelled. I mean, perfect, fresh orange blossoms on a hot night. It has a little hint of sweetness, but not a fruity, sugary sweetness - the kind of sweetness that comes from the nectar of the blossoms.

The neroli is light, airy, floral, and a bit like kumquats...I recognize it, but it's so much better than other neroli oils I've tried. Maybe I've just never smelled good quality neroli before BPAL? It lacks the headache-inducing sharpness some nerolis have.

The bergamot is rich and deep and bitter-tart, like the fragrance wafting up from a good cup of Earl Grey.

The cloves is indeed a sweet clove - the kind I associate with baked goods. Not bitter or overpowering, just enough to add some unexpected spice and sweetness.

 

The mimosa is a "soft" mimosa, it makes a nice background.

 

The individual notes don't seem blended so much as layered - you can pick out each individual one and they complement each other perfectly. They also play nice, staying mellow and no one scent comes to the forefront to push the others out of the way.

 

This succubus is surprisingly delicate and ladylike. An unusual perfume, bright and citrusy and exotic, but still soft, feminine, light. A stellar locket scent. Not a lot of throw, but good staying power.

 

And there's my love letter to Succubus.