Muse of the Night

[Heavenlyrabbit]

 

MUSE OF THE NIGHT

Muse of the Night, Luis Ricardo Falero.

A soft, resinous indigo musk with black currant, ylang ylang, Tunisian jasmine, opoponax, rose otto, benzoin, Tahitian vanilla bean, and opium tar.

 

The notes of Muse of the Night pretty much are everything that works on me and the do add up to a magnificent dark floral perfume. Not too dark though.

 

There is a feeling of night air without the piercing blast of ozone.

 

Floral lovers may rejoice, this does showcase the Rose and Ylang Ylang while the Black Currant gives a subtle pay-off. On me this isn't excessively fruity.

 

It reminds me of Purple Spotted Swallowtail from the Butterfly series this summer. Dark notes underneath with something that soars above them.

 

Instead of the Lime in PSS, this has something that is almost bracing, somewhat balsamic and in between the florals.

 

I think what makes this stand out is the combination of the variety of Musk used and the Opium notes.

Someday, I'd love to have a Musk sniff-testing party where we could sample all the kinds Beth uses. Such a basic note, yet it can work such magic in its individuality.

Edited October 3, 2011 by Heavenlyrabbit

[Dark Alice]

I have no idea what is causing this...but this is gorgeous clean dark musk and a soft feminine peach on my skin. I mean a non-headache inducing snuggly, peach scent. I don't know what it is...and I don't care. I love it...and I may need more of it.

[stellamaris]

This one is nice, strong, and very musky. Win.

 

And what I forgot to say was the sharp fruity is the overwhelming part of this one, supposing that would have to be the black currant. It's lovely, and round, if that makes sense, after the first fruity stab. Fine for work, and I work very closely with humans.

Edited November 24, 2011 by stellamaris

[Invidiana]

At first I get lots of heady white florals with shadowy musk and a dark fruity shot of blackcurrant backed by sweet vanilla. The jasmine here is thankfully the non-cat-pee variety of jasmine. No blasting dry rose either, just the barest hint which adds a surprising sensuality to the blend. As it keeps drying down the musk and blackcurrant get stronger and I can also smell the dark resinous undercurrant of opium tar and oppoponax. The white flowers are still there, but they are soft and sheer like a bath of moonlight. Beautiful.

[SophieCedar]

Oh man.. I tried this yesterday when it was really warm out. it didn't smell good at all. Smelled a bit like poop. I think the opium tar and rose otto ganged up on the jasmine and currant. Reading this on the site, before testing, I thought to myself "well that's a ballsy combination of favorites.. wonder how it'll work out?"

 

Today: tried again and it's gorgeous. Mellower, sweeter, no poop.

 

Wet: The musk and currant are strongest with jasmine burning off quickly like one of those firecracker snakes. A little strong and effervescent here for that reason. The ylang ylang permeates sideways and swirls around. Nice dimension to this one!

 

Drydown: soft sweet dark currant and florals. Hypnotic almost. The jasmine is still very present. It's a less bitter more musky Pannychis.

[Unauthorized Cinnamon]

Wow, rose and vanilla both tend to be problematic on me, and the jasmine in Sacred Whore did not work well. Why did I order this again? Who cares - because it WORKS. Everything blends really nicely, the currant gives a nice fruity grounding, the flowers smell pretty, not overpowering, and the vanilla is so soft it is more of a blending aid than a note in itself. I think I will keep this one!

[angelicruin]

Dark fruit, vanilla, light floral, and sexy darker musk . Jasmine note is not a problem in this blend for me. Soft and alluring scent.

[AnyseLawsBray]

In vial: A stiff shot of dark currant and opium tar.

Wet: A huge burst of velvety ylang ylang, a breath of sweet resins. As it dries, the opium tar surfaces more, just barely noticeable as a dusky edge to the scent.

Dry: This is so lovely- the musk & vanilla are indistinguishable from one another, a twilight sweetness - and I am getting a bit of jasmine now. I think it's adding some 'roundness' to the tart currants. It is not as powerful as it can tend to be, rather cool and gentle this time. The currants eventually become quite sweet, almost grapey, with a bitter drip of tar.

 

Verdict: It reminds me so much of Maud Ruthyn, which is one of my top three scents. Of course, while Maud is a golden afternoon stroll- resinous honeyed wheat, sunlight and rosehips; Muse of the Night is a silvery midnight broomstick ride- bitter shadowed vanilla, moonlight and black currants. Muse doesn't last nearly as long on me however. Testing them side by side, I like Maud's final drydown better- Muse of the Night's syrupy end result isn't as appealing to me. I was taken aback at how much I initially liked it though! Worth trying for sure.

Edited October 27, 2011 by braybrigade

[glitterlips]

On me I just get a night blooming jasmine with a bit of the ylang ylang - and it is heaven.

 

Also the label is so beautiful!!

 

-Mel

Edited October 28, 2011 by glitterlips

[strahlend]

For the first year or so that I was into BPAL I was a 100% jasmine hater. Then The Caterpillar found its way into my heart, then slowly other scents with different kinds of jasmine started climbing into my favorites list. I don't love every jasmine scent that comes down the road, but I've found that many scents that contain jasmine can be fantastic.

This is one of those scents.

 

In my decant: I smell the musk, ylang ylang and jasmine. It seems nice but I think it might be striking me more as a spring season scent.

 

Skin testing: This is the softest, sweetest, most happy smelling jasmine I've ever smelled. The musk really is very soft, I would not call this a musky scent. This is heavenly. I do not detect rose specifically. Just a touch of currant that lends a very light hint of tartness. Ylang ylang isn't deafeningly loud like it sometimes is on my skin, it's just blending with this light, fresh jasmine in harmony. A touch of the opium gives these florals a little base to sit on, a touch of vanilla keeps it sweet but does not go into sugary sweet territory. All together it feels perfectly balanced and exceptionally well crafted.

 

Late in the dry down: For some reason it vaguely reminds me of Autumn Moon of the Mirror Stand. The notes are completely different but the notes I made about that scent and this one (light, fresh, sweet, just a little tart) are exactly the same. Very different scents, but with my skin chemistry a similar feel.

 

I feel like this is a scent that is inoffensive enough that it could be worn anywhere & anytime, but still interesting enough to be a delight. Happy to have a bottle on the way!

 

ETA

 

It turns out that after testing all the Weenies and buying several bottles this is the scent that I'm loving the most. It really is so beautiful - it's kind of sweet, floral, with musky warmth while still being light and fresh - it's so beautifully balanced that I feel drawn to it again and again.

Edited December 4, 2011 by strahlend

[Blood onmy hands]

I love resins, black currant, benzoin, and vanilla bean, and hate or have trouble with every other note in this blend. Unfortunately, the resins, currants and vanilla aren't strong enough to save the blend for me. There's a dark sweetness from the musk and opoponax, and a bit of tart fruitiness for the first fifteen minutes or so, but mostly this is a perfumey, slightly sour jasmine with hints of rose on me. Jasmine very rarely works out for me, and I'm not loving it here.

Edited November 1, 2011 by Little Bird

[angelamaria]

In tester: dark and boozy, with the black currant and resins front and center.

 

Wet on skin: black currant and florals, and faintly resinous. As it dries, the red currant burns off a bit and the florals emerge more, an even blend and difficult for me to pinpoint which floral is which. The sweetness also comes up more, but stays dark and rich.

 

Dry: well! The red current has come back, darkly fruity and prominent over the florals. Almost amazingly, the rose hasn't gone to rose, which is good. Overall, this is a fruity--darkly fruity--blend, with florals to sweeten it up but not overwhelm and rich resins to ground it.

 

Verdict: quite nice, but not for me.

[tajana]

I really wanted this to work on me but it was not meant to be. I can sense that on the right person this would be a dark, womanly, luxe feeling perfume, but on me it's mainly about the blackcurrant, ylang ylang, and a bit of jasmine. Unfortunately, this translates to fruity cat pee berries and a sour, nearly rancid powder.

[CrazyPretzel]

This is freakin' gorgeous.

 

Fresh from my decant and before looking at the note listing I thought I smelled tuberose or lotus - the sort of floral that's not only very sweet but juicy. On my skin I can smell a soft, creamy peach scent just like Dark Alice mentioned. I wonder if that's what happens to black currant when you sweeten it right up with sexy flowers and vanilla bean As it continues to dry a soft, pure herbal note comes out, and the fruit stays pure and strong. I'd call this one a fruity floral but grounded by the musk. Absolutely wonderful and a bottle purchase for sure.

[puck_nc]

Origin: decant circle

 

Initial Thoughts: This is one of those shot-in-the-dark picks. I love many florals. I hope indigo musk is close enough to blue musk not to amp on me. I'm not sure about opium tar and rose can go ugly on me. We'll see what happens.

 

In the vial: I'm definitely getting the black currant and I think I'm getting the opium tar. The first impression is of a decadent plum pudding dessert.

 

Wet: After an initial blast of the currant, the ylang ylang surges in to give an overall herbal cast to the scent.

 

Drydown: Wow, the notes really come together and blend on this one. This reminds me of Bearded Lady in the sense that no one note is center stage - they mesh very well into a rich night floral with just the right balance between sophisticated and sweet and fresh.

 

Verdict: I think a bottle of this is required.

[edenssixthday]

Muse of the Night - I can never wear black currant. I mean NEVER. So when I had a partial bottle left over from my circle, I sent it off to swaps without thinking twice. How I regret that move now that I've tried it! It's soooo pretty! On my skin, the strongest notes are the musk, the black currant, and the jasmine. The currant actually smells like currant instead of the cat pee it has always turned into before. There's a hint of opium tar grounding the entire scent, and the faintest traces of rose and vanilla bean. The ylang ylang gives the scent a weird perfumeyness (is that even a word?), but only when smelled up close. This scent is so pretty -- really dark and juicy sweet and floral. It's absolutely the #1 surprise hit of the entire Weenie update. I am so glad the Weenies have been extended, and I will be ordering a bottle of this on Sunday with my Yule order!

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: Oil is clear and a bright sunny yellow. I smell a mild rose just at first, then it is quickly overwhelmed by ylang ylang, jasmine, and black currant.

 

On me, wet: Strong jasmine is all I can smell at first. After a moment, an ozone note comes in nearly as strongly. I have no idea where that comes from. The combination of two such aggressive notes is a little much for me. I prefer the gentler scent of realistic flowers. But of course this is still wet and at its strongest. I'll see what happens.

 

On me, just dried: It did calm down, but I'm still not sure if I like the jasmine/ozone pairing - both are such sharp notes.

 

After 15 minutes: The ylang ylang has come in, which helps some. But the ozone is the strongest note.

 

After 30 minutes: Ozone, ylang ylang, and jasmine.

 

After 45 minutes: Although ozone is still the star of this show, some of the sharpness is dying down, and more sweetness is coming out together with a hint of the rose.

 

After 1 hour: Ozone, ylang ylang, jasmine, a little rose, and now I'm getting some of the black currant, more strongly than the rose (but not as strongly as the ozone/ylang ylang/jasmine.)

 

After 1 1/2 hours: The sharpness of the ozone note is mostly gone, and a little vanilla is peeking through. Everything else is the same.

 

After 2 hours: Mostly black currant, which has gone a bit plastic-y, as many red fruits tend to do on my skin eventually.

 

After 3 hours: Same as above, but pretty faded.

 

After 3 1/2 hours, it is almost completely gone.

 

The first time I wore this, I hadn't looked up what oils were in it. After a few hours, I noticed a mild cloud of vanilla wafting from my wrist. Interestingly, I barely noticed the vanilla at all when I was paying close attention for this review. In any case, the vanilla is mild enough and balanced enough with other notes that I like it in this blend. (I don't like strong vanilla fragrances.) I never did notice the opium tar, but then I wouldn't know it even if I did smell it.

 

Verdict: Although I'm ambivalent about the jasmine/ozone combo, it isn't necessarily unpleasant and the ozone is mostly gone after the first 45 minutes. Plus, this is so unique and intriguing that it gets some extra bonus points. So I'm giving it 4 stars.

 

(Edited to correct a typing error.)

Edited November 12, 2011 by Ghost of a Rose

[orata]

I love this scent so much! This was my favorite out of the Weenies and catapulted into my top ten of all the BPALs I've tried.

 

Wet, it's a blast of juicy, musky, bittersweet black currants over a creamy, exotic, heady mixture of florals, primarily jasmine. (I tend to have problems with BPAL white flower notes like jasmine or gardenia turning into a kind of acrid burnt rubber smell on my skin, but this one stayed beautiful into the drydown. Also, it was a nice change that the rose note didn't amp to high heaven like so many other blends containing rose.)

 

The bitterness of the opium tar comes out a bit more in the drydown, mixing with the blackcurrant to pin the fragrance down and keep it from getting too sweet or pure floral. I never get too much vanilla until far into the drydown--I think it just adds a subtle creaminess to help blend and soften the different notes.

 

On me, the intensity, throw and longevity are all pretty good (this feels about four times stronger than my other favorite out of the Weenies, Glittering Apple of the Stars). Just a tiny dab does fine. It dries down to a hazy blackcurrant-vanilla-musk with hints of jasmine. A dark, grown-up, unsweet, sexy fruity-floral, and absolutely gorgeous.

[V294]

Interesting and complex! It's rather floral sweet. It's not cloying, but it is...heavy in a way. It's a...thick scent if that makes sense.

 

Will have to wear a couple of times to decide if it's me or not, but it certainly is interesting.

[ACVail24]

On me, this is a very dark musk with some soft, mildly sweet resins peeking out.

Every so often I get a whiff of something fresh & green.

I like it overall, but it's not something I'll reach for very often.

[milo]

It seems like blends with a lot of notes still end up smelling like one or two note perfumes on me. Wet to dry, I'm getting the black currant and jasmine, nothing else really, though I'm wishing I would get the darker notes others seem to be getting. Pretty much a run-of-the-mill fruity floral, not unlike some other bpal blends. Not for me, but nice to try!

[patina]

Peach! mostly, with some dark, bitter opium (smells a bit chemical but not unpleasant to me.) Also there's jasmine. I worried it would smell like pee or drier sheets, but there's really so much going on here that jasmine won't ruin anything. There's also lovely, sweet blackcurrant-musk.

 

This is way heady, intoxicating and a little animalistic (jasmine). "Haughty" and "decadent" describe it as well. In a book I once saw a woman's perfume described as "one of those scents that won't give up until something awful happens." This is one of those scents. It's not bad, though. I happen to like blackcurrant and this is stunning. It fits the picture in fact- a cold blue night sky with stars and swirling black clouds of opium.

 

I like it, but I'm wondering if it's too much for me.

Edited November 17, 2011 by patina

[surlygurl]

Yum! This is not my usual type of bpal, but it's very nice!

 

It starts with jasmine and fruits. What kind of fruits? Purple juicy things. The jasmine is kept in check by the other florals and (presumably) the resins. When it's wet, the currant comes on strong and gives it a heady, lush feel. I wish it would stay this way. But it morphs into a fruity floral that's not *quite* generic, but not as complex as I would like. It's a musky currant floral, powdery and dark. I wonder how it'll age....

Edited November 21, 2011 by surlygurl

[Sabir]

I waffled a lot over throwing this scent into my order. I'm fairly disappointed with the results. The florals are way too overpowering on me in the beginning. All I can smell are the rose, Ylang Ylang and Jasmine. Now that it's drying down the flowers are receding and the current is coming out. I can finally smell the musk too (which is yummy). It's ok dry, but I don't think I'm going to need an entire bottle.

[zankoku_zen]

Dark, heady white florals. I get the jasmine and ylang ylang with a base of ozone and soap. It's sort of darkly sophisticated, with a clean edge.

 

White, floral, powerful.