The Hell-Gate Of Ireland

[theal8r]

Smoldering brimstone, bitter labdanum, clove, black musk, and copper-colored feathers.

In the bottle this smelled like a pretty strong, heady dark scent. I wasn't sure it would work -- musks often turn soapy and plastic on me.

Wet: HOLY cologne batman! It was like eau de olde man

dry down: This mellowed nicely over time, still very, very masculine, but i found myself, throughout the day, getting a sniff of it, thinking, "wow, that smells nice -- who is that?"

This baby has lasted, although finally a wispy sort of hint, for 12 hours. WOW, that's some long-lasting strength. This musk didn't ever do that plastic thing, but the initial dry-down is awfully strong. I like this, but not enough to get a bottle. Definitely enough to keep the imp, though!

[zankoku_zen]

Oh Hellgate - you are pretty masculine. Like black musky and smoldering brimstone kind of masculine. No copper or clove for me, which would have added another dimension to this blend.

 

*sigh*

[lacyjae]

I had to order this based on the notes - I simply adore anything smoky and dark and while I wasn't expecting anything exceptionally MORE awesome than some of my other smokey scents (Chant d'Automne), I still wanted it.

 

I am SO GLAD I got a bottle of this. WOW. Clove usually disappears on my skin, but Hell-Gate's clove is all smoky and dark and thinks we should play some sexy sexy games. WOW. I could not stop smelling myself when I tried it last night, and the two lovely ladies I was with couldn't stop smelling me either! It's just... utter perfection. I think I'd like a back-up bottle of this and that's pretty rare.

 

Dark, clove smoke, a little musk, and a little *something* make Hell-Gate an *amazing* scent.

[Xanon]

I was scarred of this one when I read the notes list. I kept wondering wtf copper colored feathers smell like.

 

In the Imp: Intense spice biting my nose. But interesting - it made me want to put it on.

 

Wet: Yum! clove and smoke and something else, something cologne-ish.

 

Drying: Not really overly masculine. It has something that is slightly feminine. Maybe it is that my skin loves clove.

 

Overall I really was surprised by this one. I had no hopes at all and so it was all the sweeter when it worked out. Keeping my Imp and probably stealing my mom's bottle at some point.

[ravenscanary]

Wow, I am loving the heck out of this scent, which I did not expect to at all. I only got it as part of the set of Halloweenie decants for completeness' sake, but I'm pretty sure I need a bottle of this at least.

 

In the decant, it smells like clove with a faint undertone of musk, but the clove is entirely predominant. Wet, the smoky brimstone flavor comes out, with an undertone of sweetness - copper feathers?

 

Drying, this is musky, spicy and sweet. I'd love it on a man, but it's not overly masculine. I think it's more clove cigarettes over warm-bodied, sweet musk.

 

Definitely bottle worthy as I huff my arm!

[Aldercy]

This is exactly what I was hoping for! The brimstone isn't sour or sulfuric to me, but more like smoldering charcoal embers from labdanum-heavy incense. It's just smoky (no vetiver) and musky all over, this one. The black musk does not turn ironically pale or powdery in this particular oil. The clove is neither bitter nor sweet, but somewhere in the middle and very delicious. Quite aggressive, but ultimately gender-neutral in my book.

 

My color impression of this is molten copper and matte black... the copper does not appear as a distinct metallic note, but the overall windy warmth of the whole thing does evoke copper-colored wings.

 

The Hell-Gate is a bit like a hotter version of Valentine of Rome, which is probably my favorite incense blend. Really like this one, but I'm not sure if I need another smoke scent....

[blktauna]

Clove, smoke and the tiniest tinge of tobacco.

 

I like it but it's too close to St. John's Eve for me to get a whole bottle. But I could be wrong

[Wwindy]

I think it violates one of the Laws of Nature (Lamia and I shall not like the same scent, lest the universe implode!), but... I really like this.

 

I don't get a huge amount of smoke from my decant; mostly I get clove and deep resins. It's almost like a cross between Mort de Cesar and Schwarzer Mond -- yum! Nice wear length, too, and a good amount of throw.

Edited October 14, 2009 by Wwindy

[fallingfortruth]

This is exactly like being outside when the weather is cold enough to make your throat sore when you breathe and your face numb, smelling the wood fires of the houses surrounding you and the last remnants of the clove from mulled cider after all of the sweetness is gone. It's incredibly evocative and actually gave me shivers when I first whiffed it off my wrists.

 

I really should have known that I would love this, since The Cracked Bell was the first BPAL I ever purchased (and loved!) but my wee little imp definitely needs to become a bottle.

[Invidiana]

Hell-Gate is really one hell (pardon the pun) of a sexy, smoldering scent. Maybe it's because I'm a fan of anything smoky or fiery, but this blend is really mesmerizing. The clove and brimstone combine into what I imagine to be furious copper flames. The bitter undertone added by the labdanum really heightens the element of terror here, which makes it not just a raging fire but a raging fire spewing all sorts of unearthly demons. This is a prime example of how Beth's scents aren't just perfume blends but really olfactory departures into the realm of fantasy.

[dawndie]

In bottle: musky clove

 

On skin: lots of swarthy musk with a tinge of BBQ smoke

 

Half-hour later: musk and clove, smoothly blended

 

In conclusion: I was unsure about this blend, as it sounded pretty dark and foreboding. I liked the Chapel though, so I took the plunge. The smutty musk makes a great sensual base and the brimstone and clove aren't overpowering. An imposing dark blend that's amazingly smooth and enjoyable.

[jade_starlight]

This is pretty much as advertised: dark and smoky with something just a bit sharp in the background. I absolutely love it, and will have to snag a bottle before it comes down.

[kawaiiferreto]

This is one of those scents that I love, but is totally not me at all. It is a robust and heavy scent. I get a very rich, sophisticated smokey clove (when I first put it on it was ALL clove, but after about 5 minutes everything else perked up.) The other notes add complexity and balance, but are blended well enough to make it hard to pick out individually. If you love clove I would definitely try this!

[milo]

Wet, this was pretty nasty on me. Overwhelming masculine smoke, it actually made me pretty nauseous. Soon, it dried down to a sweet, resin-y incense blend, reminiscent of Uncertain Horror, actually. I like this, and will probably keep the bottle. I'm hoping the initial wet phase will calm down a bit.

[Schmoozy]

 

Hmm, smoky, dark and wayyyy to much clove. After drydown, most of the smokiness burns off and I am left with musky clove. Not for me.

[rayvn1]

Man, this is a good one! I tend to love the dark, smoky, masculine scents but I was surprised this one is such a hit since I don't usually get along with clove or brimstone. I almost thought there was vetiver rattling around in there, I liked it so much... Smells fantastic on DH too. Good throw. Smolders and smokes on the skin

[Poenari]

Another win for me! This is another one of Beth's dark and smoky clove scents, which I love. I don't know how she manages to It reminds me of Valentine of Rome layered with Mort de Cesar. I will have to skin-test each of these next to each other and report back.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Clove and musk. Lovely

On Application

Effervescent dark musk and clove.

Dry Down

Surprisingly cool and airy. This is glorious and surprisingly 'masculine'

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

 

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

Decant: dark. dank. almost musty

Wet on Me: I get the labdanum, blove and black musk

Drying Down: the brimstone pushes its way to the front and shoved everyone else away from the party.

Dry: Brimstone is an acquired like. I'm jsut glad I got to try this.

[London]

The bottle: Hi, I'm clove..how are you? and something else. I can't point out what it is..but I like it.

 

Wet: I still smell cloves, but there is a weird hint of talcum powder. I think it might be the smoke coming out.

 

Dry: It’s interesting. Not quite my style.

[aquazoo]

It's hay and wood, and the clove does hang in the air. Not smoky like I would expect. Are you sure this is hell? Sure smells nice.

[skylarkza]

In the bottle: Medicine. It smells like cough syrup and monkey blood (Mercurochrome).

 

Wet: Smoke. And something bitter smelling?

 

Dry: Dark smoke with a sweet edge. A metal scent too - like hot brass. But tied together by the dark sweetness.

 

A while later: Smoky cloves - sweet and dark. With just a hint of a metallic shine beneath. AMAZING.

[Rshields]

In the bottle and upon first application this reminds me of the men's cologne Brute. Think of an old fashioned men's cologne at the local drug store in the 70's. After it dries down it has a musky sexiness,

this could work very well for the menfolk too. I don't detect the clove yet, and I am not familiar with the other ingredients but this is very unique. It's a keeper!

[fairnymph]

Deep reddish brown , auburn oil. Dark, smoky, earthy, resinous, spicy, and INTENSE - with only the sweet black musk a respite. The clove in particular is piercingly sharp. Definitely some vetiver, and I suspect not the sort I like...

 

Oddly, quite sour - from the labdanum, I suspect. More woody, like bonfire smoke or even BBQ - yeah, disturbingly this reminds me a bit of roast flesh. Eek. Definitely the smoky, gritty, sooty sort of vetiver. The clove though continues to be the worst for me in this batch of badness - it's the very loud, bullying, almost mentholic or medicinal sort that my skin amps. The black musk makes this dark mess cloying and even more repulsive with its heavy sweetness.

 

Hi I'm CLOVE and I'm here to STOMP STOMP STOMP! Um....still some gritty dirty vetiver and that odd sour note, still a whole bunch of smoky resins and some powdery-sweet black musk, whose sweetness makes the evilly sharp and horrific CLOVE all the more sickly and revolting...time for sink. Strong throw and longevity, naturally.

 

[theseagrows]

yep, this is mostly a clovey-black musk, but not as bitter as i thought it would be. the "copper colored feathers" add a nice sensual softness to this scent. it gets a bit powdery from the black musk, but not in a bad way. it's a very warm and enveloping scent to me. i like it quite a bit...it is reminiscent of a few other bpal's, but this one is more warm and sensual ( and i can't remember the names of the others, either. )