King of Spades

[k00kaburra]

... His scent is deep, swarthy, and darkly commanding, and compliments the Queen of Swords perfectly: oakmoss, vetiver and opoponax with black plum, wild blackberry, soft woods, sharp and glinting white musk under a soft, velvety robe of vanilla and coconut.

In bottle: Wow. Deliciously complex. Something and then bubblegum. Somewhat citrus, one of the unfamiliar ones like bergamot or yuzu. Man, I like this.

On me: Aack? I can't smell a thing!
The King is incredibly light. Quite a gentle scent. Notes are starting to waft up: Blackberry, coconut, plum and a white musk. Wow. I bought this scent for my boyfriend, but I like it on me so much that I'd hate to give it up. But how am I going to interest him in being a Queen? (How many girls go about saying that?)
Lovely, like a benevelent ruler.

[Larila]

At first going on i wasn't picking out any one notes except for the blackberry and it had a tartness feel about it, and it was a little on the strong side.

 

After 40 minutes the mellowing started and the tartness went away, i began to smell a few other notes the plum,blackberry and a wood smell with bit of sweetness and vanilla and in the back was the musk.

This one ageed with my skin and it has some of my favorites notes aswell, i love it and i need a bigger bottle (gallon) of this one also, plus it lasted awhile.

[Penance]

First sniff:

 

Wow...did I get a mislabeled imp? This smells exactly like Queen of Spades. I smell dark purple fruits; plums most prominently and some blackberry behind it. The only difference I can smell between this and the Queen is there's no incense notes here.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Fruity but not too fruity. This smells like Queen of Spades without the incense notes. As soon as it hits my skin, the blackberry amplifies, which is fine by me because I love blackberries. I don't normally go for fruity scents, but this is gorgeous. It's dark and rich and deep smelling and not too feminine like most fruit blends are. I really like the way it smells on me.

 

Dry down:

 

Deep, juicy blackberry with a hint of plum. If I sniff deep enough, I can barely smell the tiniest hint of coconut. It's a gorgeous blend, dark and mysterious and elegant. The perfect compliment to the Queen.

 

The bottom line:

 

Elegant, sophisticated, dark and mysterious. To my nose, it smells like a darker, less resiny Queen of Spades. This is definitely one of my favorite blends.

[Neko]

Wet: Fruity, very fruity... an extremely tangy blend tempered only so slightly by a faint, mildly sweet resin note (must be the opoponax, which I have heard described as "sweet myrrh"). This scent reminds me of heady tropical fruits, and warm beaches at night. This scent isn't nearly as dark as I expected from the description. Indeed, I would tend to agree that this blend is rather flashy and flamboyant.

 

Dry (5 min): The coconut and the black plum have both come to the forefront, however the two alternate which one fills the lead role, causing the general feel of the scent to morph from moment to moment. The original fruity tang has died down some what, and a much softer, deeper, sweet odor is emerging. The musk, while in the background, has a definite anchoring presence in this blend, creating a velvety backdrop for the brighter notes.

 

Dry (45 min): The scent of opoponax has begun to "throw", filling the air around me with a cloud of gorgeous murky sweetness (almost smoky in nature). The fruity notes have remained closer to my skin, and have begun to blend with the musk, rendering them darker and smoother then they were alone. In fact, I would describe the combination of plum and blackberry as wine-like at this point. The coconut has also remained fairly close to the skin, though I will catch an occasional whiff of it now and then. This scent is far more serious and reserved when dry than when wet.

 

 

Overall: I love the opoponax, the musk, and the coconut, however fruity scents and I don't tend to get along very well. I am lucky that I can only smell the fruit notes if I directly sniff my wrists. However, if you enjoy the scent of plums and berries, the King of Spades is very much a scent you will enjoy.

 

PS: This scent puts me in mind of some of Beth's other "dark and fruity" combos, namely Mabon and Hunter Moon.

Edited November 14, 2004 by Neko

[pkwench]

King of Spades.

 

All Hail the King! And all hail those swappers out in the great, wide world of Bpal that have allowed me to sample him.

 

On first application of King of Spades, I endured a moment of pure panic. Something in my skin instantly went acidic and for 2.3 seconds I was awash in a very urine-y sort of note. However, it doesn't last for more than a blank and then out comes the fruit and wine. The King is much more subtle than the Queen. The vanilla and coconut (my skin inhales coconut) temper down all of the fruity, winey, blackberry goodness so that you catch whiffs of it when you move your arms and turn your head.

 

All in all, he's a very pleasing dude and I'm a little curious what it would be like to layer him with his chickybird. I may have to try that at home. *G* Ironically, King of Spades has made me very eager for my bottle of King of Diamonds. Is that weird?

[nevermore]

I missed this one when it was up for sale from the lab, but through the magic that is the swap board, I managed to get my hands on a bottle and an imp of the King. I was a little leery at first of the fruit in the King, because my skin tends to do bad things with fruity scents. However, it all turned out for the best - the blackberries and plum are only prominent for the first little while. Even then, they aren't too fruity. The final scent is a rather sweet, slightly resin-y, wood sort of scent. I can't really pick out any specific notes at any point after the drydown, but it's lovely.

 

I'm keeping the bottle for myself, but I have passed the imp along to someone who I know will enjoy it ...

[kimmer]

This scent was released shortly before I joined the forum. I was able to pick up a partial bottle in a swap with Supasonicsage.

 

I had feared that the plum and blackberry would be overpowering and sweet. And while fruit seems to be the strongest note at first, this is not an overly sweet scent. Almost reminiscent of a fresh slice of mango.

 

As the scent dries down, the oakmoss lends a slight green note.

 

The end result is a rich, mildly fruity scent. Very complex.

 

This wasn't a scent I'd have chosen based solely on the description. But when I wear it, I can't stop sniffing my wrist. Another lovely scent from Beth and The Lab.

 

Thank you Supasonic for the generous swap

[inkstone]

EvilKitten sent me a decant of this just because she's so cool.

 

In the vial: Very fruity -- plums and blackberries. There's also an unfamiliar note that I think might be the vetiver.

 

Wet: The plums and blackberries smell tart on me. They mingle with the woodsy notes and the musk. At this stage, it's more masculine than not, but it's definitely not all that masculine at all.

 

Drydown: The fruits have sweetened and the vanilla has really come out now. I catch whiffs of the coconut here and there, along with the woody lurking lurking below to give it depth. It's creamy and goodness, I want to bite my arm.

 

Final thoughts: Oh my, the drydown is just gorgeous! If it had stayed like it was during the wet stage, I doubt I would have liked this so much. However the drydown is so perfect!

[darkling]

The Kings of Spades is sweet and fruity with a hint of coconut. Even with the passage of time, none of the wood or musk notes appear on my skin.

 

This is possibly the most short-lived scent that I have ever encountered. I slathered it on myself for the second try and it still dissipated in less than ten minutes. I absolutely love the fuit blend of this King but he leaves too soon to give me any satisfaction.

[sethra]

This sounded so wonderful, but just didn't work for me at all. Reading the reviews here made me wish I could smell the wonderful stuff y'all smell, but more and more I think it must be musk and/or vetiver that really do not agree with me.

 

Seems unfair that they can ruin something with so many other scents I love as a part of it! At least I have a swap arranged to someone who can better appreciate the King.

[Longstofly]

There are so many smells in this bottle that it is hard to tell them all apart. Unfortunately it is a little too coconutty for my tastes.

[diabolique]

i expected to love this, and it truly is a great scent, but it wasn't quite what i thought it'd be. the coconut didn't appear on me at all and i was left with a very fruity, "yellow" scent i could easily compare to yerevan. i really, really, really wish the coconut and vanilla came out on me more, but i seem to get plum and blackberry without much of an appearance from the other notes. the white musk was vaguely there, but eh.

 

so, i did like this one, and haven't managed to acquire a bottle (which i would've liked to do), but i'm not crying about it. yerevan is a good replacement for this blend if none of the base notes really come out on you.

[warmfuzzies]

in the vial, i definitely smelled the fruits-- deep purpley ones. mmm! on wet, it was deep, wet, tart purple fruit, with no vanilla or coconut that i could find. later, i coudn't detect it, but i am finding that alot with BPAL oils. i just cannot get them to stick around. i did however, buy a 5ml, and i do believe he smells EXACTLY LIKE THE QUEEN! YUM!!

Edited February 23, 2005 by warmfuzzies

[Theravada]

Deep, feral purple.

 

This is mostly blackberry but a much tarter, more musky blackberry than the Queen. I really prefer the Queen and find this a lot less wearable. I'm glad I had the chance to try this one, but given that I enjoy QoS much more I think I'll swap my imp.

 

Having said that, I really wish I could try this one on a man. I bet it would be delicious!

 

ETA: For some reason this reminded me of Lampades.

Edited February 17, 2005 by Theravada

[surf-tormented]

Like the plum, but the vanilla coconut is this is icky. Not for me.

 

I agree what the last person who posted, I liked the Queen of Spades better and it is much more wearbale...maybe men were meant to wear this one?

[anmorata]

King of Spades:

 

Wet: Wow. This is some sort of amazing blend of vanilla and spiced plum. This is gorgeous.

 

Drydown: I'm still getting a very spicy plum smell.. a hint of smoke, perhaps? I'm not picking up on the coconut that everyone else has. In a sense, this scent reminds me vaguely of Blood Countess.

 

Long-term wear: If I can get my hands on a big bottle of this, I will be thrilled. This is a gorgeous scent that I'd love to wear often. It totally surprised me.. I was expecting a much more woodsy smell with this, but my skin thinks otherwise.

[shelldoo]

hmm on me it is mostly berries, and plumi get a swift breeze of vanilla wafting through the fruitiness, and oakmoss lingering faintly in the background, as it dries teh berry scent fades slightly leaving an earthy sexy scent, yes it is the perfect counterpart to QoS....sigh

[donsixgun]

My sweetie passed this onto me after she found it to not be her thing...and wow, am I ever glad she did!

 

This is nice, and "deep, swarthy" is a good way to put it. On me, I get plum, woods, and vanilla, along with a hint of musk. I can see it working for both sexes, but It comes off nice and masculine on me. And it stays forever! I can still smell it hours after first application.

 

Shame its an LE, or Id order another.

[girlmadasbirds]

i thought i had added my review on this, but i guess i didn't. oops.

 

i dabbed a little bit of this on my hand and liked it at first, but as it dried, it started smelling more "manly". hmm. i don't smell any of the coconut or vanilla whatsoever. it's kind of a spiced plum with something adding a "sharpness" to it. just not me.

[ivyandpeony]

I was thrilled, almost flabbergasted even, to obtain a bottle of this one recently since I was still living in that OTHER world, the one without BPAL, when it was released. I had tried the Queen of Spades and sadly, she just didn't work for me. But the King and I have hit it off. First, this is a plum-berry scent that I can wear, and that alone is thrilling because those notes very rarely work on me. I don't detect the coconut, but I think it must be the vanilla and white musk, two of my favorite notes, that smooth the fruits and make them compatible with my chemistry. The oakmoss seems to give this scent an earthy, spicy base and ultimately the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, leading me to wonder what kind of magic is in this little bottle.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Coconut, but very sweet. Almost sticky sweet. Must be the vanilla.

 

First on: Still sweet coconut. Almost going to suntan lotion but not quite. Very odd, and I'm a little sad I don't get any of the oakmoss, vetiver or blackberry.

 

Drydown: All suntan lotion on me. Nothing else. Sad.

[oceandessa]

I have a swoony mad crush on the King of Spades. I recieved my first imp from the lovely Penance, and within two seconds was in love love love.

 

It starts off greenish, crunchy and somewhat sweet, but also deep and balanced. After a while, the greeness disappears into a gentle whiff, and the deep round sweetness of the scent emerges to perfection. A complex yet harmonious collection of smells.

 

This scent is really a miracle too: it has scents that amy body chemistry usually destroys (vetiver, coconut, fruit, oakmoss), but in combination smell wonderful on me! I think this proves that Beth is God.

 

I sadly missed out on getting a bottle; I would have loved to have a nice KoS bottle to enshrine next to my KoD bottle. I have had wonderful luck with the Kings so far, and the fact that they come in beautiful bottles is gravy. I can't wait for the KoC!

 

I will just have to resist the urge to bathe in the KoS and use my imp only for special occasions.

This will be brutally difficult.

 

I don't use emoticons very much, but this scent deserves this

 

[sheepzeit]

I am sad that I have only just acquired an imp of this almost a year since it was offered, but... better late than never?

 

I really really like King of Spades. At first it was a bit too sweet and fruity for my tastes, as the plum and blackberry are very strong top notes, but they fade after it dries a bit, which is nice for me. They're still there, but just wispy ghosts of themselves. Then the musk and woods come out, warmed just enough by the coconut and vanilla. I don't really do vanilla and coconut, but this adds such a nice soft level of snuggly warmth to this -- perfect!

 

After a few hours, this is still there, albeit faintly. A soft breath of vanilla woods. Oh so perfect!

 

I am disappointed that to this day I have not had the chance to track down the Queen. My interest was piqued again since so many people made comparisons to this one, but I'll just have to keep hunting.

[malanna]

Yummy! I liked this more than I liked the Queen of Spades. I think this could work well for men and women.

 

King of Spades starts out rather sweet, with the plum and blackberry, but with the coconut and musk to round it out and make it smooth. It seems to be a rather polished sort of perfume, with nothing sticking out more than the other. Everything complements each other to make the whole. After a few hours, it smells like a dry, musky blueberry. Or blackberry. Some sort of blue-ish berry in any case.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Oooh, sweet plum? I *like* this one.

 

Just On: Yummy sweet plum.

 

An hour or two later: <homer voice> Mmm, plum. </homer voice>

 

Around 6 hours: Little bit of plum.

 

12 hours: It's gone now.

 

Overall: I *really* like this one.

 

After reading other reviews: I get more plum than anything else out of this.