Bordello

[Ina Garten Davita]

A decadent, deep perfume, lusty and luxuriant. The scent evokes images of velvet-lined Old West cathouses, tightly laced corsets, rustling petticoats and coquettish snarls of pleasure. Bawdy plum with amaretto, burgundy wine and black currant.

First Impression: Cheap-cheerful-cherry.

Second Impression: This is the first BPAL scent that smelled exactly the same wet and dry. This smells exactly like cherry incense dry on the stick.

Final Analysis: This lacked the depth, mystery and emotion of all the others I have tried so far. I was so hoping I would like this, but we didn't agree at all.

Oops, forgot to add: This one has tremendous staying power. The longest lasting of the 18 scents I've tried so far. Edited September 28, 2005 by Shollin

[alston78]

This smelled exactly the same to me in the bottle and on my skin- a sweet cherry-almond-berry smell that I enjoyed greatly. I'm not experienced enough to identify separate notes, but I can also tell that something is holding the sweet scents back a bit- which is a good thing! Lasted for about six hours last night, although I'd have to test again to be sure of that. I didn't notice many differences between the wet phase, dry-down, and the completely dry phase- but my nose is not used to paying so much attention! Bordello did not waft around me, either, but seemed to stick close to my skin. My friend said that I smelled "like a hippie or a store where drug paraphernalia is sold," but liked it okay.

 

As for the candle comment- this actually reminds my of my all-time favorite candle, a Yankee Candle called Kentucky Blend. It was made to smell like pipe tobacco- the perfume smells much better, but they share a similar quality of sweetness with something deeper underneath.

 

I'm going to wait for my first full order of Imps before I decide where this one belongs on the list. I'll definitely enjoy the Imp, though!

[TygherRayn]

This was one I swapped for, and I'm so very glad I did.

 

In the bottle it's sweet. Almost-but-not-quite-too-sweet. I thought the very same thing Shollin mentioned .. it's like Nerd's candy. Or rather, it smells like they taste.

 

When I first put it on it's just as sweet, with very little change from the bottle, but quickly starts to mellow and become just a little darker. It still has that almost caustic sweetness that could be overwhelming, but somehow isn't. It's like the scent is precariously balanced, hovering just on the edge of something bad, but not quite going there.

 

As it dries, it's just yummy. I definitely smell wine. A good, sweet, yummy wine that I'd want to drink by the gallon .. if it wouldn't make me sick. It lasted quite a while on me too, of which I was very pleased. I was still able to smell it well into my night at work.

 

Side note: this scent actually saved me from retching at work when the cleaning guy was hovering around my cubicle 'cleaning'. He smelled like bad BO and dirt and cleaning products, and it was all I could do not to retch. I started sniffing my wrist though, and that solved the problem!

[ViolentKitten]

Sweet, sexy and fruity! First on it’s a juicy fruity fizzy berry blackcurrant lolly. My SO thought could smell some orange in there too. For me, I mostly smell tart blackcurrant, the round sweetness of soft plum and there is a hint of creamy amaretto. It reminds me a bit of blackberry sage tea, but without the sage. It's definitely a touch fizzy too. It remains sweet on my skin the whole time, right through to drydown and gently fades away after a few hours. I can’t really smell the red wine in it, unless it’s the sweetest red wine I’ve ever smelt. Not a fave, but lovely all the same.

[Vaniclion]

Originally, when TygherRayn brought this over, I wasn't even going to try it because it was so sweet.

 

I'm glad I did. I liked it. I like it on. I'm just afraid I'd get attacked by bees because it is /so very sweet/.

 

It is a nice scent tho, just not at all masculine which, more and more, I'm coming to find that I like. *gasp shock*

[Ypres Eep]

Bordello... My husband thinks this smells just like sweet, sugary bubblegum. He also finds it really sexy, but he's also a bit of a perv I think its a great summer scent, with juicy fruit notes and sugar that lest all day (or all night). I'm not generally a big fan of fruit smells (Victoria's Secret smells like Pear Glace make me gag), but this is deeper and more candy-like than fresh fruity.

[enozgirl]

In the bottle: Yowzah! This smells like cherry candy to me. Ners, or even jolly ranchers. I've smelled this before but can't place it.

 

Wet: I figured out what the smell is. I smell like one of those cherry-roma scented car air freshners.

 

Dry Down: Ooh, the cherry's calmed down and is more like a wine smell. I smell like a fancy cordial. I'm going to have to give this one another try to see if I really like it.

 

BTW -- it seems to go well with amber scents (for those that might want to layer it to cut some of the sweetness). My mousepad reeks of Haunted, which rubs off on my arm as I compute during the day My left wrist still smells cherryish, but my right wrist smells like almonds and amber and cherries

[dreamwalkblue]

Whoever said that this is just like a jolly rancher candy was right on the money!!! This is incredibly sweet on me (too sweet) and is practically a single-note....I don't smell any amaretto or alcohol at all.

[Ishtar]

On me the most prominent notes are the blackcurrant and the plum. Its fruitiness is similar to that of Jester, but sweeter. It is not cloying at all though. It is well-balanced, soft and rounded, which is somewhat surprising give how bold this was in the vial.

 

I cannot really smell it on myself, but it projects a really nice aura in which the wine and amaretto make their presence known.

 

To me this scent is definitely burgundy red, so much that I was actually surprised by the clearness of the oil when I first saw it in the imp!

 

Another keeper!

 

 

 

 

Edited to fix a typo.

Edited July 19, 2004 by Ishtar

[hypothermya]

I admit that my better logic circuits were telling me not to try this one. Firstly, the plum from Kitsune-Tsuki turned horribly sweet/rotten on me. Secondly, the wine in Lady MacBeth didn't do so well on me. Thirdly, the currant in Jester and Lady MacBeth seems to make me smell like candy scented plastic. So a scent with plum, wine, and currant had all the signs of a disaster in the making. But...I'm a sucker for Amaretto and racy descriptions.

 

In the Bottle

 

Oh! This smells good! Imagine grape lollipops (the kind they give you in clinics), sweet and dark red wine (the kind you'd use for sangria), and a kiss of boozy almond -- this is the closest I can get to describing this scent. Foremost is the candy sweetness (but not too sweet), and then is the bit of bitter sin. I'm horibly worried that my skin will corrupt this, but...

 

Wearing It

 

Wet, it turns buttery (not pure butter, but buttery almond) -- that's the amaretto showing itself, no doubt -- and quickly the plum and currant (still candy sweet) step up, backed by the wine. Oddly enough, this doesn't turn rotten on my skin; nor does it turn into plastic; nor into pure candy. It reminds me a lot of Dickens Faire (a Victorian Christmas Faire, similar to Rennaissance Faires), where the smell of sugar plums and cinnamon baked almonds collide in the air. Except that there's no cinnamon to spice this up. Just wine. And the wine adds the *perfect* amount of sophistication.

 

My boyfriend says that it smells awfully sweet, but I actually like it that way. And it's not nearly as sweet as Lady MacBeth or Jester or Old Glasgow were on me. The almond and wine tone it down and keep it a touch bitter and dry. And it does last quite a while. Perfect if you're looking for a perfume to that'll last through a sweaty night dancing or...well...doing something else very active.

 

 

I've been searching for a less musky alternative to Bewitched, and I think I've finally found it. It isn't nearly as candylike as Lady MacBeth or Jester, and it has more depth and corruption than Old Glasgow (which is a sweet, innocent smell on me). I'm not entirely sure that I'll be getting a 5ml of this (especially since I still need to get enough money to order White Chapel, and Embalming Fluid, and...etc.) But this is definitely an imp I'll be hanging on to.

[pekeana]

In the imp: Plum, chased with currants and wine.

 

Wet: Big, ripe juicy plums, bursting with juice and begging you to lick it all up. Quite decadent and sexy as the amaretto starts to kick in.

 

Dry-down: *slobber, drool* This is the most incredible scent with my chemistry -- a vanilla tone has crept into the mix and I smell like amaretto cream over stewed plums.

 

End result: I wore this to work, and just before it faded away completely, my body chemistry kicked up a notch and a lemony scent came in behind the rest of it. When we lived in Hawaii, at school, we would buy these lollipops that would have these dessicated, salted plums inside the hard candy. I smelled just like the lemon lollipops I used to buy and hoarde. Sweet! I must have more.

[Tesseljoan]

This smells like fruity sweets, with a hint of cream. It doesn't develop a lot after applied, but in this case it's a good thing. I love smelling like sweeties.

[Alice Aforethought]

There's a dark fruitiness in this one that reminded me of blackcurrant chewy sweets - it's dark, fruity and juicy all at the same time. It's a little sweet, but not too much so. It's like looking through a glass of low alcohol wine - it has that same clarity and strength of bright colour, all cheery and bright but not giddy

 

However, I get strange smell associations with this one, though I like it and it's a good wearable, adaptable scent for day or night - I get the sharp, dry smell of the empty coal bucket, and an almost plastic air to it too. My wierd nose.

[malanna]

*Whomp! Cherry!* This is very bright and playful. It's very, very sweet and stays pretty much the same way throughout. It makes me think of a jolly rancher when you first put it in your mouth--that jolt of sweetness. Very plummy and very wet.

Edited August 16, 2004 by malanna

[AnnetteL]

This started out screaming as sticky, sugary grape bubble gum. Once the amaretto came through it was slightly calmer and the grape morphed into more of a cherry-berry, but still very gummy.

 

I'll keep the imp, as there will probably be future occasions where I desire to smell like a gum-stick, but it's not really an everyday scent for me

[Chantarelle]

I think Bordello might be my favourite out of the batch I just ordered. Rich and fruity, without being too sweet (unlike some of the other berry scents), it has a complex layering of flavours anchored by the wine at the bottom. It has excellent staying power, too, and doesn't change much during the day, which is a bonus.

 

 

When I wear it, I feel languid, decadent and playful. Awesome.

[jessamynit]

oooh I like this one! I didn't think I would (who thinks they're going to want to smell like a "cathouse"?) but it's delicious. very fruity-sweet without being sickly or cloying at all, like a strong deep dark dessert. I had to go around sniffing arm all day when I wore it, so I'm thinking it might require buying a bottle. oh, and my cat couldn't stop licking my arm either : )

[kittysquared]

I first got this as an imp, and I so loved how unusual a scent it was that I bought the larger size.

 

To me, Bordello is an Autumn/Winter perfume because I found it to be heavy. It is a thick wine scent jazzed up by the black currant. Sweet and sexy. Strong staying power. I sniff my wrists all day not believing how strange yet intoxicating a scent it is.

[Nepthys]

This is a great example of BPAL's ability to surprise me. I never would have ordered it (though I love the name) because the sound of it seemed so incompatible with my chemistry; fruity scents just don't mix with me. Elizabeth slipped it in as a bonus sample and much to my surprise it smelled good to me - the perfect balance of tartness and sweetness. I was even more surprised when it dried down on me to something heady and very sweet without being overwhelming. This actually does remind me of the Old West a bit - it's a very sassy scent, as you imagine a bordello girl would have to be back then.

[pkwench]

It starts with something powdery and cherryish for me. Then it warms up, gets sultry, and I'm imbued with the desire to dance naked around the house like Madonna, call up the boy, and get lewd. It's definately a very saucy, warm, and sweet scent on me. It also makes me think many an impure thought, oh, saints preserve us.

[Lorencita]

I tried this for the first time today.... I wish I had sooner! I am in love, I love it almost as much as Dragons milk. It's so sweet but not too much so. It lightens up during the first 2 hours, and has pretty good staying power. This is one of the few scents that dont turn the least bit sour on me. Very good as a hot day perfume. I am in love. Next order will contain 10 ml of this yummy stuff!

[diabolique]

mmm. i'm going to have to get a big bottle of this.

 

the plum, black currant, and wine is VERY strong on me. i think i'm getting lightheaded. wee.

[LiberAmoris]

The description of Bordello was so evocative that I was dying to try it. Before I even uncorked the imp I was conjuring up every image of a southern gothic cathouse I had tucked away in my brain from films with lavish production budgets: pink and maroon striped wallpaper, artfully asymmetrical lines of drying lingerie, blood-red carpeting, mahogany paneling, and dark-eyed ladies lounging about in corsets, petticoats, and dressing gowns falling off the shoulders.

 

Bordello did not disappoint my imagination. In the vial and when first applied to my skin, I smell brandied cherries. As it dries, the amaretto really emerges and mingles in a sultry way. The end result for me was a sweet, post-coital berry with a spanking of dark liqueur. It was like Bon Vivant’s darker sister, and is the first predominantly berry BPAL scent that I think I’d be willing to commit to a big bottle of.

[Larila]

Wet I smelt mostly the wine and plum with a sweet undertone a little thick and heavy.

 

In twenty minutes after drying all the other note came to play and the sweetness

of the winey plum, had subsided to a more wearable scent I really like this one, still smelling the plum, wine, amaretto and the currant, it lasted hours and hours. AWESOME!!!!!!!

 

I caught say enough about it, this will go on my list.

Edited September 28, 2005 by Shollin

[Miggins]

I want someone to mix me up a cocktail of Bordello and I want it now!

 

Initially, Bordello is very berry with a slightly green herbaceous edge. As it warms down, I can smell almonds (*slaps forehead in stupidity* that'll be the Amaretto then). I'm left with a sweet but not cloying or overwhelming dark plum almondy yumminess.

 

And if you can't mix me a cocktail of it, I want someone to make it into a dessert for me because I'm about to eat my arm.