Bewitched

[VelvetSky]

Deep, luscious green and berry scents that evoke images of woodland witchcraft and the raw power of nature: blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and dark musk.

I received Bewitched from a fellow BPALer in a swap, and I'm so happy to have a chance to try it. Thanx Leslie!

Bewitched reminds me quite a bit of Phantom Queen; it's a sweet, grassy, berry/floral...nice and strong, although the berries turn to cherry candy by the time the scent hits bottom.

The sage and tea notes are most noticeable in the middle accord, and I can't help but wish they'd last all the way through the drydown, but they are beautiful nevertheless.

Very nice and feminine....

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: I've been wanting to try this one, and it just got sent to me as a freebie in a swap. Yay! Berries. A bright berry scent with lots of green in it. I can't pull out the individual berries yet or distringuish the sage from the green tea, but it smells fab in the imp. It smells like some kind of tea I'd like to drink.

 

Wet: On me it instantly turns to a sage smell and starts to burn my skin a little bit, which is very, very sad. But the sage is...not fading so much as letting some of the other scents through. This could be good. I hope.

 

Dry down: Mmmmmmm....berries. Lucious, big, ripe berries. Mmmmmm....berries. With a little bit of a bitter tea/sage note in the back. It's a ripe purple color with a green background. Mmmmm....berries. This makes me want to buy strawberries, blueberries and vanilla yogurt to make a smoothie with. This is so very faint on me, though, and that slightly persistent burning isn't pleasant although I am considering the fact that this scent would be killer for some shampoo or conditioner. I might have to order a 5ml and then get some unscented products from Goth Rosary.

 

Dry: Hmmm...maybe I spoke too soon. The burning is still here as well as the slight scent of berries. The green notes want to take over, though. Mostly the green tea more than anything else. Yeah, it's turning into a green musky scent. Oh well. The berry stage was soooo pretty. I might have to make smoothies just to console myself.

 

ETA: Spoke too soon. This turns into a very faint, very nice berry musk.

Edited June 3, 2005 by magikfanfic

[yellowrose]

Bewitched was a generous extra, so I have no expectations other than the scent description provided by the Lab.

 

Wet: sage and a hint of tea. No berries. Pout. Yow! Berry blast within five minutes, but not when sniffed up close. Wha?!? There's a sophisticated fruit scent that seems ready to develop.

 

Drying: What?! The SO says it smells like PEACHES. Where did the peaches come from?

 

Later: Starting to smell like a candle. Drats. Swap time.

 

Soft and bramble fruit doesn't seem to work with my body chemistry, but I still have yet to experiment with plum so there is still hope.

 

Even Later: Whilst in an embrace the SO said I smelled like a whole peach tree. "Not berries?" "Mmmm Peaches." But I already have my peach scent. This is supposed to be berry-sage-tea-wonderful. Pout.

Edited June 4, 2005 by yellowrose

[vyvyan]

I got this from a fellow forum-dweller, mostly as a "hey I wanted to try that but I'm not sure it'll work" along with Cathedral, which I was prepared to lurrve all over. ... I should learn that it's always the ones I'm not sure about that love me back.

 

This is a really stable scent, on me; unfortunately on the light side, but oh so yummy. It's sweet, and berries, but not *too* sweet - the green stuff in the background damps it down nicely. I'm not a fan of really sweet scents, and I think I could love this.

 

I might have to start thinking about a 5ml. It's just so light and beautiful and crisp and juicy!

 

Edited to add: When I refreshed later that night, unfortunately it turned into the wax chips that my mom would burn to scent our living room. So. No 5ml, but I'll probably keep and finish the imp.

Edited June 13, 2005 by vyvyan

[klowey]

On me Lady MacBeth was brittle berries, Vinland was airy berries, this is rich, dark berries, crushed along with their leaves.

 

First applied it's all berries, but as it wears on, the berries fade a bit and the sage and other greeneries come out.

 

While it's strong, it never seems sticky sweet, which makes it a keeper in my books, but probably not a full bottle order. We'll see how often I find myself reaching for it.

[yeahbutnobut]

Bewitched

 

In the imp: berries and greenery, there's sage and tea there.

Wet on skin: the berry note here is sweet and dark, quite tart, and juicy. There's also a strong green note due to the tea and sage. I can also make out the musk.

Dry on skin: this is a dark green scent with accents of berry and an undertone of musk. There's something reminiscent of Cheshire Cat, no doubt the musk and berries. The green sage/tea note is quite nice, but the overall scent evokes a sense of mystery and darkness. Like the depths of a forest thick with brambles, with the smoky, earthy smell of the forest floor and a deep muskiness.

After a while: berry and sage rise to prominence a bit more, with a musky backdrop. The berry scent is giving me a craving for blackberries…there's a nice foresty, slightly autumnal vibe to this.

Verdict: this is really nice. It's a mysterious, dark blend with juicy blackberry, green sage and tea, and a deep musk note. It's quite pleasant and surprisingly nice-I was worried the dark musk would smell a bit too animalistic but it smells quite nice in here, whilst still retaining it's smoky, sensual quality. I also like the berry note here, because it is tart and juicy, not too sweet. Whilst not an outright favourite, this is an interesting and magical scent, and I think this would smell even better during autumn.

[~AmusedMuse~]

To me very berry and musky, couldnt detect the sage although I could detect something herbal (my untrained nose wasnt sure it was sage) After the drydown it went buttery berry and it did just what the name implied ...It bewitched ME...A keeper

[emzebel]

berry-berry-bo-berry-me-mi-mo-merry-fee-fi-fo-ferry-BERRY!

 

Oh, sorry, forgot myself for a minute there.

 

I am trying not to review scents before I've been wearing them for at least 6-8 hours or so, since so many times hidden notes will pop out at me while I am driving home, or putting my son to bed and the like, but I just can't help myself - Bewitched is just such a fun and happy scent that I need to share my joy with the world now!

 

I keep wanting to run up to people and stick my wrist under their noses and say "I smell like berries today!" and run away giggling!

 

So, yeah, I'm getting berries - mostly blackberries, very evocative of picking fresh ones at my grandparents' farm in Oklahoma growing up, and a little apple, and some other wild berry in there too. As the day wears on (keeping in mind that I put this on abour 6:30 this morning, so it has been almost 4 hours already), I can get little hints of the musk and the sage and the tea...definitely the tea, but the berries are the reason why I would put this on in the morning.

 

This is a great summer scent. It will be fun to layer this I think - with honeybody products and SN, maybe with Sudha Segara or Milk Moon, even with White Rabbit or another tea scent for something with a little more kick or with something very dark that could maybe use a little more fruit...we will see.

 

In the meantime, this scent makes me want to giggle - I picture a group of little girls playing witch in the blackberry brambles, kicking up some herbs and maybe running across a dead thing or two and making their own brand of the summer magic of children - that is Bewitched to me.

[absinthe21]

I got this scent yesterday in my order from the lab, and as soon as I opened it I knew I loved it. There is a store in my town called bath junkie where you can go and mix and match oils to make your own custom scent and then scent all manner of bath and body things with it. Not too long ago I went and made a custom blend for myself that I called Fairy Glen and it smelled just like this Bewitched. I am so inlove, this will definately be a big bottle. The berries and sage and tea all combine into this absolutely wonderful fragrance that reminds me of being in the forest. Wonderful!

[cupide430]

Bewitched

 

Sweet, sweet berries. No changing, no weirdness. Just sweet berries. Purple and juicy. A very sugary berry scent. I imagine folks who like Pink Sugar and are open to fruity scents will like this one. Not sure if I'd want a bottle of this as perfume, but I think I'd definitely like it as a scrub or other bath product.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Summarised in a word or two: Berry tea!

 

In the imp: Sage, dark musk, green tea and a very dry berry.

 

On skin, wet: Faint, crisp tea and a light berry.

 

On skin, dry: Interesting. The berry is deeper, the tea sharper. The tea tempers the berry very well, and keeps this from smelling like candy, or berry gum.

 

Conclusion: My only issue with this is that it has very little throw. Eventually, I may try mixing this with some unscented lotion, but it's not a priority.

Edited December 16, 2005 by Aredhel

[gingersnapp]

In the bottle and on my skin initially, this smells almost entirely herbal from the sage and green tea. Little by little, the musk peeks out, deepening and darkening the blend, until about an hour or so later the berries finally make an appearance. They don't smell particularly "real," more like a berry scented makeup product (reminded me very strongly of a particular lip gloss I used as a teen), but it's such a pleasant nostalgic smell that it doesn't turn me off at all.

 

Very nice blend!

[misfitroxy]

Bewitched starts out as very herbal/sage-filled and sharp. The added sugar scent from the berries makes me think of a very rich, dark chocolate (thinking baking chocolate instead of Hersheys or Cadburys), strangely enough.

 

The “chocolate” scent lingers after it’s applied to my wrist. I can’t really seem to get beyond it in fact. It turns slightly more sweet as it warms, but nothing like the bright berry I was expecting. It’s not unpleasant, just not the way I thought my chemistry would handle this blend.

 

The more I sniff at it, the more I’m starting to detect a bit of a dark grape, fresh-on-the-vine kind of note. But this is also slightly plastic on me.

 

In addition to the above, the musk is completely absent as is the green tea. I tried at least! Just not one for my skin, I guess.

[DameBecca]

I just tested this off of my friend's imp so it won't be very involved, lol.

 

In the bottle, it is very very sweet, but light and green as well. It is very candy-ish with definite berry notes and a little tiny touch of something menthol in the far background. It adds a little nip right at the end.

 

On my skin, it smells just like SweetTarts candies!!! I love it. It makes me feel like a kid. The sweetness really amplifies and the menthol note is totally gone.

 

This one doesn't last very long. It's been an hour and I can barely smell it anymore. A shame because I really like it.

[Eros]

Wanted to try this one for a quite a while. Thank you to my pal gothiccastle, who sent me the smidge she had left

 

In the imp/first applied~Lightly sweet, juicy berries with a bit of herbal goodness peeking through. YUM!! There's also a hint of sage and tea. As it dries, the musk comes through but doesn't overpower.

Reminds me a *bit* of Bordello but not as sweet. Bewitched is more like Bordello's darker sister. My kinda gal

 

Yep, gonna need more of this.

Edited July 19, 2005 by Eros

[sophia_helix]

This came yesterday from another forumite -- thanks, Velvet!

 

In the vial:

 

Creamy berry sweetness, a little bit of green tea, and a bit of sharpness beneath, sort of herbal.

 

Wet:

 

The blackberry jumps out, very juicy, but with a richer note that I think is the musk. Not smelling the tea or the sage at all, though, boo. It's a sort of lavender-purple scent.

 

Drydown:

 

The musk is dying down, the berry is becoming juicier, and I'm getting a faint bottom note of sage. This is just getting better as it dries. ::sniffs obsessively::

 

It's reminding me a lot of Rosalind, for good and for bad -- the delicious berry scent, and the lack of staying power/throw. It's delicate in a good way, though, and I know I'm stingy with my imp applications, so to get a really good test I'd have to put some more on.

 

Also, I put more on down my shirt after about an hour, and it turned really creamy and yummy there -- and stayed! That trick with getting some on your clothing as well as your skin really seems to make a difference. Plus, um, I think my cleavage is warmer.

 

Second one this week I need a bigger bottle for -- dang!

[hazelbranch]

In the bottle this smells like really potent sage and long steeped tea. Its quite strong and I don't smell any of the berries or musk.

 

On this immediately smells like it did in the bottle - strong sage and tea. Give it a minute and it mellows, and the berries begin to come out. This turns into a wild garden, overgrown with sage and berries. It doesn't have any of the woods of a forest, but it still has that green untouched nature smell. This makes me want to go outside and gather herbs and berries. I really like this oil.

[OdetteOdile]

Bewitched

Starts off medicinal-herbal: eucalyptus and citrus, with a tiny, faint touch of mint. The notes seem to be fighting with each other a bit, but in a sort of perfunctory way, without real hostility (like siblings who argue occasionally just to assert territory).

I can see why people compared it to tea - there is a sort of watery-herbal-tea note, kind of pleasant.

 

The eucalyptus-type note disappeared after about 20 minutes & then something fruity and juicy started coming out. It's not an aggressive fruitiness - it's still got a watery tea base. They aren't candy-sweet fruits, more like tart, just-ripe berries with the rinsing water still on them.

I can almost taste them...

 

1 hour later - sweet, fruit-scented candles - the kind we made at camp when I was a kid. That happens to be a scent I love, so this is a big YES for me.

Once I realized I liked this, I slathered it all over my arms & every time I get a whiff, I suddenly feel really cheerful & optimistic (given what a bad mood I'm in today, & how exhausted I feel, that's quite a powerfully positive impact this oil is having).

This is definitely a scent from childhood, & it reminds me of why I love BPAL - moods and memories I'd completely forgotten suddenly become very vivid when I smell a scent like this.

(Happy sigh.)

[olympia301]

This is the only green tea scent I have been able to wear, hallelujah! You can actually smell the green tea through the berries and it adds a very attractive lilt to the blend. It is really beautiful, too. Berries which are sweet and not too serious, that black musk has it all under control, yes this is a fine scent indeed. I am definitely keeping my imp of it. Would I get a bottle? Well, this one has some similarity to Florence because of the berries. I think I have to say that Florence is my pick of the two, but this one is awfully good, and if you like it sweeter than iris root, try Bewitched, it's really really good.

 

*The icon is a plastic doll dressed up like a witch on a broom. There is no "deep meaning" to it, it's just a plastic doll.

Edited July 28, 2005 by olympia301

[Essay 28]

In the bottle: musk, tea, and a brief wiff of sage.

 

On skin initially: Sage takes over the scent initally, although the musk is present and hovering.

 

After an hour: The berries make their appearance, as the sage and musk fade into the background. A bit of tea returns, giving the berries more of a herbal scent than the pure sweet, almost candy-like scent most berry notes have on me. Very pleasant but it faded fast on a first application, so I'm trying a second to see if I didn't apply enough or if it's short-lived on my skin. A keeper for now.

[magdalene]

in the bottle: blackberry tea!

 

wet on skin: This is so light, it almost disappears the moment I apply it to my wrist. From the description, I didn't think this was going to be one that I liked because I'm not so big into the fruity scents, but this smells exactly like blackberry tea to me, with a bit of musky deepness.

 

dry: the musk has warmed up the tea and the blackberry, giving them so much more depth. I like this. Don't know if it's something I would wear frequently, but I'm enjoying the scent.

[Miss Lynx]

Oh, I like this so much! I had included it in my first lab order, which I hope to receive in another week or two, but in the meantime had gotten a bit nervous about it because so many of the reviews emphasized the berry-sweetness and I don't usually like fruity scents much. So when I had the opportunity to sniff it at the recent Meet'n'Sniff in Toronto, I was eager to so that I could get a sense of what I was in for. One whiff and I think my eyes went very, very wide. It smelled better than almost anything I'd tried that day, and possibly anything in my BPAL history (such as it is). The berries were there, but balanced by all kinds of rich earthy woodsy goodness.

 

So I did a swap for it despite the fact that I had another imp coming shortly, because it had become abundantly clear that (1) I need it now, and (2) there was no such thing as having too much of it. I will happily use up both imps of this and then some.

 

I've actually held off a bit on trying to review it just because I'm not sure I can quite do justice to it. The richness and complexity of it are a bit like Tintagel, which I also really like, but there's a sort of darkness and wildness to it... The sweetness of the blackberries is there and fairly strong, but there's enough depth from the earthier notes that it's very well-balanced. And there's something about it that I found almost intoxicating -- I kept sniffing my arm over and over, not because the scent was changing that much (it actually stayed pretty constant for several hours), but just because I couldn't get enough of it.

 

I am so definitely getting a big bottle of this. I think I would like a vat, actually.

 

ETA: I just felt like posting a follow-up to note that, three months later, and having reviewed over 100 scents, this is still my favourite BPAL scent of all time. I have many other scents I like now, which seem suitable for specific types of moods or occasions, but Bewitched is my me scent. It's my personality in a bottle. It's not overly sweet on me, and definitely not foody, but dark and woodsy and wild and magical and just sweet enough. It's the one scent I always have an imp of in my purse, no matter what.

Edited November 11, 2005 by Miss Lynx

[walkingundine]

In the imp: Concentrated blackberry sage tea.

 

Wet: I may as well have taken a bath in my favorite ruby port and scrubbed myself with assorted herbs.

 

Wet, stage 2: Is that chocolate? I smell chocolate! Chocolate and something faintly woodsy. Also berries.

 

Drydown: Port, herbs, something lightly woodsy, and inexplicable chocolate. It's a bit like traipsing through the woods in mid-August, picking berries and smelling woodsy plant-bits, at midnight. With chocolate.

 

Eight hours later: Bewitched has serious staying power. The scent stayed strong for quite some time, and when I woke up this morning, it was still there. It had dwindled down to something much more pale and faint, but traces of the berries were definitely discernable.

 

I may need a bigger bottle.

[arabella]

First Impression: Something herby and fruity - but I'm not quite sure what.

 

Dries down to: A lovely, light blend. It's fruity - some kind of berry - without being sweet and there's a depth to it. After a few minutes, the blackberry really begins to stand out.

 

Additional Comments: This is another one that really surprised me with the notes in it. I can pick out the blackberry but would never have guessed sage and green tea. The musk is grounding it beautifully, too. It's a totally intriguing blend. I can't stop sniffing my wrist but, unfortunately, it's fading quickly and I can barely smell it. I wish it were stronger on me - it'll be another candidate for a scent locket.

 

Lasted: Less than an hour.

 

Rating: 4 out of 5

[slugbait]

After opening the imp up, I immediately think of liquid berry potpurri.

 

On skin, this smells like blackberries that were picked during a cool evening. Doesn’t smell sweet or super fruity. Very clean and refreshing. Completely dry it smells a bit soapy. It is the sophisticated counterpart to all the sugar shocked berry fragrances out there.

 

This one hangs close to my skin and doesn’t really waft a lot. Bewitched lasted a good 12 hours on me. Also smells lovely layered with Akuma.

 

I might purchase a few more imps before I commit to a bottle.