The Night-Raven

[Amoraexcena]

Indigo musk, wild plum, rose geranium, benzoin, night-blooming jasmine, and patchouli.

Wet: Beautiful musk, subtle plum and soft florals. It’s pretty gender-neutral in my opinion. I’m loving that indigo musk…it’s very, very different from Beth’s other musk accords.
Drydown: The wonderful night-blooming jasmine becomes a little more prominent, making it distinguishable from the other flowers. It has pretty gentle throw. The patchouli and resin come out a bit more too.
It's quite nice

[MadameFaye84]

Oh how I really wanted to like this scent, but for me I get a whole lot of rose geranium and it's not doing great things for my brain. Night Raven is currently giving me a headache...boo . Off to the swap pile you go my sweet.

Edited January 21, 2012 by MadameFaye84

[Missy_killer]

In the imp: I get patchouli, plums and musk. There is also a very stong alcohol note in here that is not very pleasant.

 

On me: Roses and jasmine. No patchouli, no plums, no musk and thankfully no alcohol!

 

Several hours later: This smells exactly like Cathouse atmosphere spray from the Trading Post! Unfortunately that means that this smells like my great grandmothers bathroom. Very rose-heavy.

I wish I got more of the patchouli and plums in this, but there isn't even a trace of it on my skin. I'm very sad :c

[stellamaris]

Strangely I get no flowers specifically, or patchouli. This smells like musk and fresh night air. Really nice, light but not invisible.

I have tested this a few times, and I have to say this has become a favorite, and on the Must To Be Buying list. After the first rush that smells like wet night air in the courtyard of a stone castle, it turns to violets, then to a gorgeous incense. Perfect throw and lasting power, just gorgeous.

I have to add a tiny note...OMG I LOVE NIGHT RAVEN.............

I would say this one goes to 11.

With most other things (exceptions, Sin, Lampades,Snake Oil, Playful Wooden Mallets) I am a slatherer. Is that a word? I douse myself liberally. To my constant amazement, Night Raven needs one puny drop and it smells amazing for 12 hours plus! It is just heavenly, the perfect incense blend. Gorgeous, amazing, I can't think of enough words. I don't know if I will be able to buy enough bottles of this...

Edited May 27, 2012 by stellamaris

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Patchouli and geranium.

Wet: The Night PATCHOULI.

Dry: The geranium is strongest, but I get hints of earthy patchouli and plum. Nice!

An hour later: The patchouli reverts back to its naughty tricks and completely takes over bum.

[mymymai]

ITI: That’s gorgeous. The musk certainly is indigo in tone. The jasmine is soft and understated, just like that gentle waft of scent you get as you walk past them after dusk. There are also hints of the rose geranium and a bit of the bezoin.

 

Wet: The rose and benzoin come to the forefront and remind me of polished cedar and insence at my mother’s log cabins in the woods. The indigo musk is still present, softening the two dominent scents into something I’d wear during the evening or sipping tea on a late afternoon Sunday.

 

Dry: Lovely and resionous. The benzoin and rose geranium paired with the jasmine and musk are just delightful. It wears well, has decent through, and doesn’t morph into something icky. This will be going on the “to buy” list.

[ami226]

Darker musks don't normally work on me, so here goes!

 

On the skin: A green floral musk? I feel like I am in a fragrant, breezy garden near a forest at night. Very very musky and pretty. This is actually a very smooth scent which I wasn't quite expecting with all the florals listed. It's one of those scents that I can't smell sniffing close to my skin, but instead I smell better from a distance.

 

Pretty, but I don't think it's for me.

[KittyHawk]

Hmmm.

 

I find The Night-Raven hard to describe. I enjoy it on some level, but it also bothers my nose.

 

The indigo musk is really pretty; while it is vaguely reminiscent of violets, it doesn't have the sharp, awful quality that violet notes do. It is certainly a nighttime scent and has a disturbing, old-world quality to it, which I attribute to the rose geranium. It's a bit unsettling to me, actually, but I don't really know why. It's not something I want to have on my skin, but might make for a good carpet refresher scent around Halloween time.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Musk and patchouli are strongest. The musk blends well with the plum and benzoin. The florals are very understated, complimenting the plum and benzoin. It’s lovely and interesting, well suited to it’s concept. I’m not skin testing because of the rose geranium.

[Mechanical Death]

Mmmm

 

Here's the plum scent I was looking for!

 

In the bottle it's all patchouli and dark dark musk. If I concentrate I can get hints of the ripe plum and heady rose-- that specific dark spicy derp kind, not the light soapy rose.

 

Wet on the skin it almost smells minty. What is that? I can't place it-- it's not mint but it's similar in characteristic-- it's nice and keeps the mixture from becoming overwhelming and cloying.

 

This stuff is strong though-- I put very small dabs on my pulse points and you can smell it all through the house.

 

As it dries it picks up some dry spice and powderiness which keeps things balanced nicely. I can smell the jasmine lurking close to my wrist, while the patch is throwing its self around making me slightly dizzy actually.

 

 

I'm waiting waiting waiting for this to calm the hell down, haha.

 

Lesson learned-- this stuff is super strong.

 

20 minutes into the dry it has become spiced plums jasmine and rose on the skin-- so pretty. I keep catching various whiffs of it in the air around me-- the deep indigo musk and patch, but the plum also keeps out in the throw making it fruitier, and not just sandy gritty musky death that some people despise.

 

If you like dark sophisticated musk blends, then you must try this blend. It's incredibly unique!

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: Deep, earthy patchouli (a very popular note in the Marchen line, I'm noticing, which makes sense, since it does smell magical!) and sharp florals. It smells a bit purple, but sort of in an unpleasantly alcoholic way.

 

Wet: PATCHOULI, the stanky, sour, dirty hippie kind I love! Right behind that, a big swell of almost sharp florals and AAAAAAAAAAAH! How did I not notice this has rose geranium in it? It's everywhere, with its sour "off" smell that I hate! It's all over my arms, too, why didn't I read the notes before I slathered?

 

Dry: There's a lovely jasmine underneath it all, and maybe even some nocturnal plum, and the base note is that patchouli I love so much-- but dangit, rose geranium is like Godzilla in Tokyo! I'll try this a time or two more, because there's a hint of something deep and resinous and musky underneath, but unless that rose geranium backs the EFF off, we're gonna have words!

[ajansuz]

In the imp: Sweetly floral, a touch fruity, and a very smooth sort of musk, not sharp and in your face like red or black musk.

 

Wet: Holy cow is this like standing in a midnight garden! One of the most evocative "night" scents I've found with BPAL. Very feminine, very mysterious. I amp jasmine sometimes to a bad degree, but the rose geranium in this is making it play nicely.

 

Dry: The musk and patch ground the florals, preventing it from going into old lady or soap territory. There's an incense like quality to this scent, a little resiny, and there's also a fresh, sharp green note like crushed stems. Throw is huge. It lasts forever. This is bumping way up my list of things to get ASAP, because it's a dream with my skin chemistry. Thankfully, plum doesn't do its usual note of doom thing here. If I can pick it out at all, it's just in a sort of juicy note with the florals.

[sth0]

This fragrance is a bit out of my comfort zone as far as identifying particular scents. I can ID jasmine very well and I know rose geranium when I smell it but---

 

The Night-Raven quarks at me. It is not a strong fragrance for me but there is a strange combination of the rose geranium and another scent note that puzzles me. It is sharp but soft. It sits on my hand and also pecks at my finger. I love it and also hate it. I need more time before I can commit!

 

I was so puzzled by this one that I added Prada Infusion de Fleur d'Oranger without thinking too hard about it. They both tried to kill each other at first but then a weird thing happened: The Night-Raven won. And it changed, quite a lot. The sharp green rose geranium and soft patchouli(?) finally resolved their issues and the Fleur d'Oranger was the glue that held them together. I am sure I smelled enigmatic all night.

 

I'm going to keep the Night-Raven around and see who he gets along with the best. For certain, this is a layering scent for me. Next time: lotus?

[nixie3]

ITI--sharp, strong scent. Not unpleasant, but almost medicinal to me.

 

Wet: Oh, I'm not to sure about this! If black had a scent, this is it. Harsh, reminds me of ink, almost metallic on me.

 

20 min: Hey, it's not harsh anymore at all! Fascinating. Still carries a strong color reference for me...it's deep purple now. A sweetness is starting to emerge, and a muskiness too. I smell plum, rose geranium, and musk.

 

Dry: Lovely. Patchouli comes out a little, florals are there....sweet but not powdery. slightly fruity. What a surprise! Morphs quite a bit from the wet phase.

 

I've worn it all day today, I love this!!!! Never had a perfume like this before; unusually gorgeous. I'll be getting a bottle

Edited March 23, 2013 by nixie3

[Sidhechaos]

Initial scent from the imp is of a floral musk. The jasmine is the dominant part of the floral but it is not overwhelming, I tend to amp jasmine. I'm also getting a faint whiff of the wild plum. Normally I'm not big on fruity scents but this blends nicely with the musk and jasmine it does not have that "candy" smell that most fruit scents seem to leave on me. There is a faint incense note I think more from the benzoin, I'm not really noticing any patchouli which is unusual as I'd tend to amp patchouli, or is just one of those really overwhelming scents. I really like this in spite of or perhaps because of the plum coming through.

After about 30 minutes this scent has settled into a soft musky floral with a faint herbal note, (the geranium?) A light tang of fruitiness, And a soft incense like background. Me like very very much. Definitely going on the list of would like to have a bottle.

[brilliantcat]

In the imp, it's strongly rose geranium. It tugs at my memory, I'm strongly reminded of craft fairs, NOT craft store, which is a whole other animal and and one of which I am not particularly fond. However, craft fairs like the Covered Bridge Festival in my area hold very happy memories for me, especially hanging out with my mom and looking at the crafts and buying all sorts of handmade things and getting delicious food... It's almost painful. I'm not sure I like smelling of rose geranium, but even if this blend doesn't develop any further nuances on the drydown, I'll keep it purely for the scent memories it evokes, now that my mom is gone.

 

As it warms, I feel like I'm maybe getting a bit of the musk, which is very different from any of the lab's other musks that I've smelled. I think I might be getting a hint of my beloved patchouli in there too, deepening the rose geranium. It's not something I like as perfume, but I will sniff it occasionally and perhaps use it as a room scent when I miss my mom.

[tinyvulture]

I'm loving this combination of sweet benzoin, patchouli, and soft rose notes. Perfect for my hippie/resinous blend-loving ways. Ahh, I love benzoin and patchouli together, so much! The rose keeps it from being totally "head shop" and brings it into feminine, romantic territory. I received a sniffie and now I'll have to seek out more.

[theseagrows]

got this as a frimp! this goes kind of sour on me, i'll say right off, because it pretty much happens right off. plum tends to turn plasticky on me, but i think the rose geranium is the culprit in the sourness this time. (both can turn sour, rose can be wonderful or horrible on me and i am just not really a big fan of strong geranium) i do smell some blue/purpley musk, maybe a hint of jasmine and patchouli. oh now the plum is coming out, after about 10 minutes, and turning plasticky as usual. so this is a dark-sour-plasticky floral on me. the notes sound lovely, if your skin can do them, but my skin just can't :/

[DevilsCandyCane]

This is the most weirdly nostalgic thing I've ever smelled! It is the *essence* of my life as a 14 year old goth kiddie, wandering round gloomy goth shops in the city centre. There's the patchouli, and what smells like swirling nag champa incense smoke, but above all there's something in it that is EXACTLY like Emily Strange Black Rose perfume, which was the only thing I owned at that age, and haven't smelled in years! Not something I would wear to go out, but it's so nostalgic I shall be treasuring my imp, and possibly grabbing a couple more

 

The final stage of drydown is really pretty too, it does smell *exactly* like the pagan shop in Bridgnorth, the incense is more like...a floral one now, it just smells like that peaceful, calm environment while you riffle through velvet dresses and bowls of gemstones. Nostalgic, really pretty and really calming

[Ishtar]

On me, the Night-Raven is a lovely floral incense.

 

It has much more body and texture than what I expected from the notes, with quite a bit of throw at first. However, it softens considerably after drydown and eventually settles into a gentle incense/musk combination. If anyone was worried that the jasmine might be too piercing or strident, I cannot smell any in this blend. In fact, everything is so well blended that there isn't a single note is competing for predominance.

 

It is only after several hours of wear, as it starts fading, that I can finally smell the plum and rose geranium underneath the incense. The overall feel of the scent is a dusky purple, quite feminine and almost wistful. Very pretty,

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Pleasantly fruity jasmine.

 

Wet on my skin: Gooooorgeous already. Beautiful jasmine and juicy plum, very slightly earthy/spicy.

 

Dry: Same as wet - Beautiful jasmine and juicy plum, softened by the blue musk and a tad bit of earthy patchouli. Mostly, though, it's this beautiful, rich, royal-blue jasmine and plum scent. This is actually one of my favourite BPAL fragrances so far. SO so so pretty.

[Veronica]

This starts off being mostly patchouli--but a tempered, soft patch. There's a period where the patchouli disappears completely and this is a lovely, sweet plum/bezoin scent with a floral background. Final drydown, this is rose and sweet plum, with a base of slightly smoky patchouli. Actually quite surprisingly good (patchouli is a death note), but not something I would reach for.

[Malaena]

Wet - All geranium!!! A few minutes later the jasmine peeks out and then TAKES OVER. GET IT OFF!

[LiberAmoris]

The Night-Raven is so pretty...all the notes here are consistent winners on my skin except rose geranium, which can go either way. Here the balance falls just right. That purpley musk with plum is the primary brushstroke, and in it is the rosey, herbal, almost sour rose geranium (but in a good way, like a bit of citrus or vinegar in a composed plate) and then benzoin, jasmine, and patchouli—all good, and all good together. There is something that smells clean about this, like night air, and something that feels dusky. I like this on its own, or it layers gorgeously with Blacker than the Raven Wings of Midnight.

[Nicnivin]

As other have mentioned, this does remind me of the dark, musky incense that's so often found in pagan bookshops. I received this bottle as a gift when I was first trying out different BPAL scents to see which worked best on me, and unfortunately, I've had to pass it along to another.

While I absolutely adore jasmine and rose geranium, any kind of patchouli is a death note with my skin chemistry.

 

It's a beautiful, dark scent that alas, is absolutely not for me, much like Blacker than the Raven Wings of Midnight.

Sadness.