The Harlot's House

[hkhm]

THE HARLOT'S HOUSE
We caught the tread of dancing feet,
We loitered down the moonlit street,
And stopped beneath the harlot's house.

Inside, above the din and fray,
We heard the loud musicians play
The "Treues Liebes Herz" of Strauss.

Like strange mechanical grotesques,
Making fantastic arabesques,
The shadows raced across the blind.

We watched the ghostly dancers spin
To sound of horn and violin,
Like black leaves wheeling in the wind.

Like wire-pulled automatons,
Slim silhouetted skeletons
Went sidling through the slow quadrille.

The took each other by the hand,
And danced a stately saraband;
Their laughter echoed thin and shrill.

Sometimes a clockwork puppet pressed
A phantom lover to her breast,
Sometimes they seemed to try to sing.

Sometimes a horrible marionette
Came out, and smoked its cigarette
Upon the steps like a live thing.

Then, turning to my love, I said,
"The dead are dancing with the dead,
The dust is whirling with the dust."

But she--she heard the violin,
And left my side, and entered in:
Love passed into the house of lust.

Then suddenly the tune went false,
The dancers wearied of the waltz,
The shadows ceased to wheel and whirl.

And down the long and silent street,
The dawn, with silver-sandalled feet,
Crept like a frightened girl.

The dead are dancing with the dead, the dust is whirling with the dust: angel’s trumpet, violet, white sandalwood, oude, copaiba balsam, angelica, white tea, olibanum, and oakmoss.

imp: sandalwood and tea. this has a very bright feel to it.

wet: the sandalwood is oddly absent once applied. the tea is still quite strong though. i can't pick out many of the other notes on this one, it's a bright, green smelling scent. i was really hoping the violet would be stronger but i can't smell it at all!

dry: the sandalwood has re-appeared and has balanced the tea nicely while i can barely pick out the oude and angelica. this has a cool, fresh feel to it but tea scents always smell that way to me.

[Iceblink]

I get mostly balsam and a really screechingly sharp floral from this--angel's trumpet? The oakmoss and sandalwood are warm and earthy underneath it all but the floral is just way too loud.

[moon_lemming]

The Harlot's House smells weirdly young to me at first, like something someone in their late teens might wear. (Yes, that is young to me, I'm an old lady now, shhhh.) I can't pick ANYTHING out, it's just a bright, refreshing mish-mash of notes.

 

While it dries, it becomes less complicated, and it's sort of a white tea scent with sandalwood that gets stronger the longer the blend's on my skin. There's something almost suede-smelling, maybe a little salty, in there, too. The florals are friendly on my notoriously flower-hating skin.

 

I don't really have a need for this sort of scent, but it is pretty and refreshing.

[fairnymph]

I guess my skin chemistry plays differently...but more likely, it's just fairnymph the weirdo who loves the light, fresh scents most BPALers find mediocre, boring, or worse. Fine, more for me, then!

 

This is surprisingly sweet, in a very light, delicate, and feminine way - the sweetness seems almost honeyed, like the nectar from flowers - or honeysuckle without the powderiness, or linden - I'm guessing that's the angel's trumpet at work. There's a bit of grassiness from the balsam and some smooth green-white fresh oude wood, really musky, deliciously earthy oakmoss. The white tea note is fantastic and seems be the brighter, slightly citrusy and piney, like real freshly picked tea leaves note that I recognise from the Fox-Woman and Embalming Fluid. It's still smooth, but it doesn't have that plasticky slickness that of the white tea note in Baobhan Sith, Manhattan, etc.

 

The olibanum (i.e. frankincense) is really light and I don't think I'd pick it out blind - this doesn't have an incensey or resinous feel, but I'm sure the note contributes to the depth of the blend and its sweetness. Speaking of which...this is becomings sweeter and sweeter on me! I think there MUST be some vanilla in here, bc it's definitely sweet (but not candyish, or cloying in the least) - it could be vanilla orchid, or vanilla musk - something delicate, very clean, white, and pure but still vanilla-sweet. Also a little sugary, like vanilla sugar used for baking europe. I think there is sugar cane in here, the same note from Itaso, sweet and almost aquatic in its refreshing, green-white but still lightly sugar way.

 

The sandalwood here is absolutely stunning - Beth has been sourcing some fabulous versions as of late - and this is definitely one of the sandalwood notes that's in Echo. Sweet, rich, very creamy and very musky and fabulously sexy. This scent is honestly unlike anything in the catalogue - there are shared notes I can pick out, but the overall feel and smell is incredibly unique, and I love how this starts out nice but builds and builds on my skin over time into a gorgeous masterpiece.

 

It's sweet, delicate flowers - the violet's very light and pure, with only the tiniest hint of powder that I can only pick out bc I know it's violet and I'm sniffing, hard - with subtle grassy greenery and smooth, fresh but gentle oude, musky oakmoss & intensely creamy, musky sandalwood which round out the blend, along with some form of vanilla & juicy sugar cane as the icing on the cake. The violet, oude, balsam, white tea and oakmoss make this feel cologney, while the other notes are sweetly sexy girliness - so it's a really lovely contrast and balance. It amps to have great throw and longevity, too!

 

Multiple bottleworthy. This is a scent I could wear at a business meeting, out on a date at an elegant restaurant, relaxing at home, working in the garden, grocery shopping, playing with my friends' kids...it's an utterly inoffensive scent that I imagine nearly anyone would enjoy and be drawn to - it has no sharp edges or excesses in any regard. It's perfectly balanced.

Edited March 27, 2010 by fairnymph

[surf-tormented]

Got this as a freebie with a Lab Ebay order...wow, seven frimps with my bottle...I didn't think I would even get one because I won an auction, seven in fantastic!

 

I got this as one of those frimps.

 

In the vial: Sweet tea, from the South. But it isn't overly SWEET, just a touch of honey/sugar can be sniffed. I want to add I really don't like scents that are heavy on the sugar and honey, if there are notes of those in the blend and though this gives me a sweet tea vibe, it isn't overly sweet. It might be tea and sweet florals coming out.

 

Wet on skin: Sweet tea, then a whiff of wood and floral, mostly violet and sandalwood.

 

Later on: It morphs into a lovely tea blend. After 15 minutes, I can definitely smell tea still, it is the dominant note on my skin, but it layers well with the florals and sandalwood/frankincense. The violet calms too, bringing up the other floral notes. The wood/resin doesn't overpower the tea/floral, so everyone plays nice, making this a fantastic perfume that could be worn on many difference occasions since it isn't super strong. A work to play perfume.

 

Impressions: It smells very clean and innocent, though it is called Harlot's House! Maybe it is the house of the hooker with the heart of gold? It captures the essence of the Wilde poem, lust might be tempered by love. Though I think Wilde was making the point that Love and Lust could co-exist and Lust could be a heart felt emotion. But the thought is frightening to Victorian society, hence Dawn running like a frightened girl. Yeah, this blend is innocence at its least innocent. Close to Lust, but blending with it. Innocent lust?

 

Throw: Ok, not the greatest.

Length: I would say a little less than average.

 

Overall: A great tea blend. Great if you like tea blends like The Dormouse, The Apothecary, Embalming Fluid or Shanghai, especially if you like your tea with a touch of sweetness, comforted with woods, earthy florals and a tiny bit of resin.

Edited March 30, 2010 by Madame Nyx

[angelicruin]

This is sharp green floral on my skin. A little wood too. And I am not really getting the sweet tea scent others are reporting. Sad skin chemistry.

[Blood onmy hands]

I was hopeful for the violet, tea and oakmoss, but The Harlot's House is all sweet, perfumey, sharp florals and a bit of sandalwood on me. The scent goes a bit soapy on me at first, but the drydown isn't soapy. It smells like a sweet, warm floral perfume with a bit of creamy, powdery sandalwood in the drydown. It's not awful, but it's not something that I really want to wear either. Too much on the perfumey floral for me...

Edited April 8, 2010 by Little Bird

[crebbsgirl]

Alright, this was predominantly tea and flowers on my skin. The violet wasn't sharp here at all, I think because the tea completely obliterated it. I didn't get much in the way of oakmoss or sandalwood, and after a time, this started to give me a headache. It was very clean and bright on me, and I usually prefer my scents a little smoother and mellower. This does end up going soapy on me, right before I had to wash it off.

[zankoku_zen]

Okay... I find this very interesting. It starts off as a delicate floral, slightly green and white and that makes sense with angel's trumpet. I agree with the assessment that it smells, on wet, something a very young girl would wear.

 

And then as it dries, I get something kinda sweaty, kinda musky, very powdery.... which just about SHATTERS the idea of innocence. I blame the powder on the violet. I also get something that smells kinda synthetic.

 

...

 

Oddly enough, I find the blend to be very aptly named.

[surlygurl]

This is not nearly as strong as I had imagined (but I only applied a little bit). On me, it falls into the "red without red musk" category, alongside of Wanda, Wanton & Port Royal. But Harlot's House is the baby sister in the group. It's clear, fresh, flirty and just a little naughty. It's not harlot's perfume, nor is it harlot's perfumed clothes; it's the scent of various perfumes that have gotten into the drapes, sofa, throw pillows, on the ceiling fan.... Even after the windows have been opened wide and the place aired out, there's still that lingering hint of sweet perfume.

 

I do think this needs further testing

[mymymai]

 

ITB and Wet: I get lots of oakmoss and lemon behind it for some reason. The violet starts to come out as it dries, as well as an oddly peppery undertone. I'm not sure if that is the oude or the copaiba.

Dry: Very faint already. I'm getting white tea, violet, and some spiciness, which might be the balsam.

9+ hours: I get violet, white tea, and a little bit of sandalwood. I really like the scent after the amount of time. It's light, feminine, and interesting without smelling like rose, powder or other commonly associated woman scents.

Edited May 20, 2010 by mymymai

[edenssixthday]

The Harlot's House - On me, this is a sharp, bitter, white floral with lots of green stemminess. There's a hint of dry white sandalwood and the sweet powderiness of violet, but for the most part, it's entirely the unpleasant odor of angel's trumpet -- very perfumey and and unpleasant floral blend.

[Acushla]

Out of the vial this is a very clean purple-blue floral, almost soapy but not in the headache-inducing way that most soapy scents are for me.

 

Upon application this turns into a mixture of Bath & Body Work's "Moonlight Path" and dryer sheets. I can't stand MP but since it's just a faint whiff and not completely overwhelming, I'm sticking this one out.

 

Drydown is an almost totally dryer sheet/laundry detergent-type smell on me, but it's not unpleasant. Medium throw but disappears after a few hours.

 

Overall I'm fairly pleased with Harlot's House and I'll keep the imp around.

[Venneh]

Violet and tea in the imp. On my skin, violet, lily, angelica, a very bright, almost soapy floral on me. Had to get it off, soapy floral, not for me.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Venneh

[moonslipper]

I received The Harlot's House as an imp and was immediately smitten with the scent from the little vial! It is floral, yes, but not overly so as there's a wonderful woody/herby tone as well. I don't get the sandalwood at all, the violet is just delicious. And I'm not a floral type at all!

 

It's also a very evocative scent for me, reminding me of something my mom wore, and she's gone 26 years....so it brought up quite a few emotions!

 

I tried it again a couple of days later and felt better wearing it. I felt mysterious, luscious and very womanly! haha! It lasts a good long time, not really needing to reapply until evening. I also put some in my hair which lasts forever. And husband really likes it. So definitely getting a big bottle. Marks out of 10 - 8.5. Yummy.

[mxtine]

Two "white" notes in any blend are usually a deal-breaker for me, but this one is a morpher.

 

It smells sharply white floral in the imp, but I tried it on anyway, because of the oakmoss. It smells like sweet tea, white florals, and delicious musty oakmoss. As it's drying, I smell a sweet, light violet floral, then it morphs again to balsam, then violet floral...I'm strangely possessed to keep this imp because this isn't your run-of-the-mill white floral.

[ravenzwart]

yaay i recieved my order and this was one of the free imps i got, its really fresh floral'ish and LIGHT

nice but i rather have my scents intoxicating longlasting

 

EDIT: no way on me its like floral cleansing soap >.< sorry beth!

Edited October 24, 2010 by lucifera

[Lethran]

In bottle: White tea really blends well with this collection of florals. It’s sweetly delicate and surprisingly heady. It’s very springlike and light. It is completely inaproprate for me, but that doesn’t stop me finding it lovely. Wet: More complex and nuanced on the skin. Also rather darker. Who knew white tea and flowers could manage to be this ominous. I suspect this is my skin chemistry playing silly buggers. It’s still fascinating, but more than a little odd on me. I still love how it’s blended and I do think this is a fascinating set of florals to float over a tea base. Dry: Wow, there’s the sandalwood. Sandalwood dominant with delicate floral/tea grace notes. This is a lovely blend.

[Usagi]

I've been looking forward to trying this scent for a while. It just sounded so interesting.

 

Imp: citrus, green things, marzipan

Wet: creamy, delicious citrus spritzer

Dry: citrus perfume; a light floral with just a hint of powderiness.

 

This is very nice. It's fun, and girly/feminine. It will probably be even better once the weather really heats up. Light throw, fairly long staying power on me(5+ hours).

 

It reminds me a bit of Sea of Glass. If you like that, this is definitely worth a try.

[Diva Urd]

In the imp: Faint floral with underlying freshness, probably the tea. Since it already is relatively weak in the imp, I hope my skin won't just gobble it up.

On: A LOT of tea with a bit of oakmoss and a breath of flowers. This is nothing like what I expected, and yet, I do quite enjoy this. If it stays like it is right now, it would be a good scent for hot summer days.

Later: ... aaaaand 15 minutes later, nothing but a bit of dust is left. I guess I will have to stick with "Nostrum Remedium" and "Velvet Cthulhu" for a tea fix.

[melrose]

Harlot's House is the new official winner of ''Quickest BPAL scent to disappear on my skin'', which is a shame, because it was lovely when first on and for about 5 minutes. Sad.

[theseagrows]

i wasn't sure what angel's trumpet ore angelica smell like , but it seems one or both of them are sweeter florals. this scent is mostly floral and maybe a hint of tea on my skin? it's a sweeter floral, along the lines of lotus, tuberose and gardenia. it's a bit too sweet for my tastes, but is very springlike, and would be a good spring/summer scent.

[fashionfaerie]

If I get back home late at night my neighborhood smells like Angel's Trumpet from a massive vine down the street. It's a beautiful smell on its own merits, yet it has special meaning for me because it also smells like home. So at a recent will call I sought out anything with Angel's Trumpet, which currently is Yorick and The Harlot's House. I especially liked The Harlot's House, because the floral accord definitely does smell like Angel's Trumpet and/or osmanthus, both of which I love. The floral aspect is on the green side - I'm probably getting the tea, too - yet it's not particularly sour or sharp, and eminently wearable.

[mymymai]

ITI: Sharp white florals, either the angelica or white trumpt seem to dround out everything else.I can smell a little bit of the tea and oakmoss if I concentrate, but none of the resionous notes are apparent.

 

Wet: The sharp flowral has been replaced with an almost lemony quality. The tea and violet I think could make this combination, perhaps with a little oude. I can barely discern the sandalwood underneath the angel's tumpet and the angelica. It reminds me of a garden tea party with lemon curd treats.

 

Dry: It's gone a bit soapy now, but it's a floral soap with a bit of powder. However, it's not unpleasant and it does read as feminine.

[Deliciousness]

angel’s trumpet, violet, white sandalwood, oude, copaiba balsam, angelica, white tea, olibanum, and oakmoss.

 

In the imp: A bold dry floral

On skin: Floral - but not overpowering, with a bitter note in the background.

Dry on skin: Still floral, but the bitter note has faded away and the white sandalwood is coming to the forefront.

 

 

I find this scent to be a mix of a dry, soapy floral with a touch of wood. Its actually kind of pretty, even though I gravitate toward more sweet/foody scents. This does have a very floral/green feel to it - like laundry on a spring day, with a tough of sandalwood to ground things.