UOH2

[Invidiana]

Along with UOH34, I'm assuming this was a proto for Banshee Beat because I'm picking up the same notes but in different proportions. This one is the more vanilla-heavy of the two, and I believe there is more patchouli, and a more dirty patchouli, in this one than the released. However, there is enough rich vanilla to mellow it out enough so it doesn't stun my nose with patchouli overload. I used to be afraid of the dirtier patchouli notes but this one is downright sexy tempered with the vanilla. It has an even stronger through than UOH34 and a distinct personality; I wouldn't recommend wearing it to work. I get a tinge of hemp like in the released but it's not a note I amp and virtually disappears on the drydown. I would say this is like a wilder, more feral version of Banshee Beat, like Banshee Beat going from day to night. Another winner!

Edited July 4, 2011 by Invidiana

[boxinghelena]

I agree about the vanilla. UOH2 does have a similar resemblance to Banshee Beat but with vanilla being the dominant note. I think I prefer this blend to the released blend.

~

[saralaughs]

I was hoping I would avoid the medicinal note that the hemp becomes on my skin with this proto. Sad to say, I did not. First applied, it's medicinal hemp, just like the released blend. After a bit the vanilla comes out strong but the hemp is still very much present for me. A slight patchouli note has come out as well.

 

Very nice but not what I was looking for.

[Roogna]

definitely similar to BB, but it's (thankfully) is not quite as "vicks-rub" - there's still a hint of it, that must be the hemp b/c I *do* get "hemp" smell as well, that seems mixed in

 

the vanilla is a much more mellow sweetness than BB, and it becomes more and more dominant as the hemp and patchouli give way. it's creamy vanilla but the other notes don't disappear, they just move to the background so you smell the vanilla *then* the hemp and patchouli. I like this much more than BB

[bloody sore]

Ugh. Apparently I do not like BPAL hemp. This is horrible on my skin, the hemp amps up to high medicinal/manly/metallic in a bad way and covers everything else. It nearly gives me a headache. As my wife put it "the perfect balance between the hemp, vanilla, and patchouli is what makes banshee beat so awesome. This doesn't have that balance and it makes it horrible."

I'm starting to feel that most of the protos are protos for a reason. Beth's a professional for a reason!

[Blood onmy hands]

UOH2 is a bit of a dud on me. I love the released Banshee Beat (which is already rather sweet and vanilla-y on me) and was curious about a more vanilla-y version. I think that this actually smells more like Goblin than Banshee Beat, though, and it's weaker than both of those blends. Goblin and Banshee Beat both have tons of throw and great staying power on me. UOH2 has a sort of plastic-y coconut-vanilla smell and earthiness. It's actually not as sweet as released Banshee Beat is on me. And it only lasts about an hour on my skin and doesn't have much throw at all...

[violetblue]

This doesn't have as much throw as I expected from the first review, but I think it's very nice! It too reminds me a lot of Goblin, which is also a bit weak on me. I get vanilla patchouli with a the hemp not as strong as Banshee Beat -the strong hemp ruined BB for me. I think this will be nice possibly for layering. I dig it though.

[mxtine]

Banshee Beat is my signature scent, so I wanted to see what the prototype smelled like. I didn't think it could top the awesomeness that is BB, and I was right.

 

Right from first sniff, I knew I was dealing with some really dirty patchouli, which isn't scary but once it hits my skin it turns into a dirty hippie's wet hemp poncho...and plastic. Is that the hemp??? Patchouli never gives me a "dirty" smell no matter how strong it is. This isn't even like Goblin to me because Goblin is sweetened by coconut and benzoin.

 

The dry down is more bearable and it grows on me a bit. The hemp died down and blended with my skin to become a sweetened dirty patchouli. I don't know if it's worth going through filthy wet hippie phase to get to this one. Plus, it doesn't last long.

 

I much prefer the tried and true Banshee Beat, which is a winner all around because each note is perfectly balanced and it's throw and lasting power is bar none.

[Ondine]

This one has a much sweeter note on the drydown than Banshee Beat does on me. Banshee Beat is almost too heavy and if I apply too much, it can become somewhat overbearing. This proto has a somewhat weak throw compared to most BPALs and significantly less throw than Banshee Beat. I still smell patchouli and vanilla but it seems like much less hemp and, like I said earlier, an interesting sweet note that the released version doesn't seem to have. Oddly, rather than find this wilder/feral or medicinal, like several reviewers before me, I find it lighter and sweeter!

[ami226]

I'd say this is definitely a Banshee Beat proto.

 

On the skin: This actually smells a bit like Banshee Beat to me. I never got much vanilla in the released version and it ended up being purely dirt on my skin, but here I can smell the vanilla immediately. A dirty vanilla! Wow, this is fantastic! This scent isn't as strong as Banshee Beat, but I actually like it better this way. More vanilla than the released version, but an overall lighter scent.

 

I love it!

[ljaylh]

Wowsers.. this patchouli is mean - on my skin, UOH2 could almost be a patchouli single-note.. but not the nice soft snuggly kind of patchouli - this is the snarling, dark and earthy kind of patch that scares people

 

The hemp is also very present, and it does interfere with the patchouli quite a bit. And then suddenly, just as I was thinking OMG this is a bit too much kickass for me to wear.. I go in for another sniff, and it's almost gone! How bizarre.. such a massive change in just a couple of minutes.

 

So in the end, I'm left with the remnants of strong patchouli (which dries down a little powdery) and the undertones of hemp with something rather woodsy - like a damp, dark wood. I can't really say that I've noticed much vanilla at all.

 

Given my extreme love for Banshee Beat, I am a little disappointed that this proto didn't live up to my hopes/expectations but I really can't complain because I have Banshee Beat and I loves it - and it's the vanilla in BB that I particularly love. But if you enjoy a good strong patchouli note, then you'll probably love this one!!

[Dark Alice]

Dark Bitter Patchouli with the barest hints of hemp and vanilla. Too much patch...not enough hempt to balance it out. This is a definite pass.

[milo]

This is definitely a BB prototype. At first, it is heavy on the patchouli, and it smells like the same one in BB, only a bit stronger. Then the vanilla comes out, (same as in BB to me), and I find this to be quite similar to BB now, kind of like a fraternal twin. The bad one. I don't really get any hemp. Still this is a sweet, vanilla patchouli, smelling quite 'hippie' up close, and bad, but the air wafting around me is downright amazing. Just a cloud of naughty vanilla. So happy I took a chance on this, and the other protos I bought. They are all wins, which is really rare for me for bottle purchases.

[zankoku_zen]

Again, another one I missed reviewing. So, yes, agreed that this is a Banshee Beat prototype, but I get bitter patchouli with whiffs of hemp. No vanilla for me.