Lady Death: Savage

[Invidiana]

Lady Death in all her savage glory: an unrelenting supernatural warrior witch!

White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin.

Warrior witch indeed. I couldn't possibly resist this for the theme alone, and the scent is just.....sex. Not a smutty scent, but something that clings to the skin with a fierce edge. The Lab's ethereal white musk is given a dusky feel by the grey amber, and a nonfoody vanilla that is sweet enough to complement the blend but doesn't overpower. I should note that I tend to amp vanilla so it may be a little sweeter on me than on someone who doesn't. The labdanum and styrax give it a substantial resinous anchor that layers very well with the gray amber and emerges more over time. There is something, though, that I can't really put my finger on--something that gives it that extra oomph--maybe that rare jasmine that actually likes me? The caraway? I really doubt the wormwood note is what does it though its interaction with something might give that result. I have a feeling it's from the intermingling of more than one note. Either way, this is a scent that almost hisses its darkly sexual aura, and is the olfactory equivalent of a leather catsuit (without the leather). Love it.

[milo]

Very perfumey at first, and then the vanilla pokes out. I can thell that this is an amazing warm vanilla, but the musky perfume just seems to overpower it. Not for me.

[orata]

I found this very pleasant when wet, sort of a thin, watery, citrussy bergamot lemonade type of scent. Not a sharp or powerful citrus at all, definitely thin, pale, and rather weak, like a teabag of Earl Grey on its second steeping. However, in the drydown, the bergamot faded back a bit, and along with the white musk and vanilla (mmm!) some kind of gross, sickly-smelling resin made an appearance and made me feel sort of nauseous. Not sure what the culprit was--maybe the labdanum or styrax? Or it could be a stray bitter undercurrent from the caraway or wormwood? Like drinking a really big glass of watered-down lemonade with just a little bit of dirty dishwater still in it; almost nice, but something was just off. The scent feels rounded, soft in texture, and a little cool. I really wanted to like this, and the Will Call reviews comparing it to Liz made me think I'd love it, but it didn't work out for me. Perhaps I'll try it again in a while if a decant makes its way into my hands again, in case aging mellows out that killer component, but at the moment it just doesn't work for me.

[stellamaris]

This is fantastic, flowery, citrusy heaven. so happy I ordered this one, it's juicy and heady, love it.

 

Edit * My husband got in bed one night and I said "Oh my! What oil are you wearing?" And after some reluctance he told me it was this Lady. It smells fantastic on him. I had thought it was a bit "boy cologne", but I like that for me or for him.

 

I keep coming back to this review because every time my husband wears this I think OMG the perfect scent for him. It's just gorgeous, all men should smell like this Lady. Literally the perfect scent on him, spicy, incensey, bergamot ish, I don't know just heaven.

Edited December 27, 2011 by stellamaris

[angelicruin]

I get lots of perfume in this blend. It does soften a bit after a minute or two, but still very strong perfume and not enough vanilla for my tastes.

[Mountaingrrl00]

Reminds me so much of Emeraude! I looked up the notes and confirmed that my nose was onto something - it's the bergamot-vanilla-jasmine-amber combination that's giving me that association. It's super strong on me, and very vanillic. Powdery-sweet, musky, sex-kittenish.

[yeahbutnobut]

In the imp: ohh, soft vanilla and bergamot and white musk. I have a feeling this scent will be a sister scent of Lyonesse.
Wet on skin: so pretty…the bergamot in here is glorious, and it mixes perfectly with the musk and vanilla.
Dry on skin: mmmm, this is the lovechild of Dorian and Lyonesse! Not at all savage or deathly, but very ladylike, and sophisticated. I smell a very polite caraway note-not as strong as Khrysopelex, but there’s enough to give the scent a spicy bite. The bergamot-vanilla-musk reminds me of Dorian or Theodosius, and also Prince Lir, but the jasmine makes it a little bit more feminine.
After a while: now it ends up smelling like the Girl! I love the Girl, so this makes me happy-I now have something to replace it when I run out. I think it’s the combination of jasmine, sweet amber, musk and the hints of cool darkness in the background-something about the wormwood reminds me of the chilly and slightly aniseed-y birch note in The Girl. It still has that hint of Dorian to it, thanks to the earl grey scent of bergamot and the soft vanilla musk. The caraway adds a tiny hint of something fiery and gritty though…subtle, but enough to make this smell less ghostly and chilly than The Girl.
Verdict: I love this! A pleasantly tangy bergamot tea and a fantastic jasmine note (a rare and wonderful thing when it comes to BPAL and my skin chemistry) mixes perfectly with a sublime base of white musk, amber and vanilla. The result is a scent that is womanly and refined with velvety sweet musky warmth, the sort of scent that gets me sniffing my wrist compulsively. There’s something strong and assured about it as well, but in an understated way (not as feisty as Heroine or Boadicea), maybe from the citrus and spice notes. This one’s a new favourite.
Is it a keeper? yes! I will have to get a bottle once I’m done with my decant.
If you like this, try: Dorian, Theodosius, Prince Lir, The Girl, Mastermind, Lyonesse, Gypsy

[angelamaria]

In bottle: vanilla, resins, caraway, musk and amber. Slightly boozy, slightly foody but not overwhelmingly so. There's a hint of jasmine peeking out.

 

Wet on skin: I'm getting the vanilla absolute and resins, with a faint powdery touch. It's well-blended with the other notes playing with each other, and if I think hard that's when I can detect caraway and a bright bergamot. Very beautiful, relatively womanly without being "out there". As it dries, a leather-like scent comes up that gives it a sexy punch as well as making it a little less feminine and more neutral, but still on the feminine side of the spectrum.

 

Dry: vanilla absolute, caraway, with white musk and amber, and bright bergamot. Almost unisex, but very sexy and womanly without being over the top or "inappropriate". This blend made me think of Liz, even though there is definitely no smoky leather here and they are quite different from each other--but the feel is very similar (strong sexy woman). If you like Liz, this is a definite must-try.

 

Verdict: keeper! I knew on first sniff that this was likely to be a keeper, and it definitely is. Love it!

 

To add: I love yeahbutnobut's list of blends to try if you like this. 4/7 are blends I have in my collection, and the other 3 are masculine scents that I passed on since I wouldn't wear them, albeit I did like them too. Hee! Spot on.

Edited January 19, 2012 by angelamaria

[ami226]

This one really reminds me of The Girl. A floralish, slightly green vanilla. The Girl may have been a little stronger on the vanilla for me, but they are quite similar. I absolutely love the label!

 

I think this one is going to stick around for a bit in my collection!

[crebbsgirl]

Oh gods I LOVE THIS!! It's mostly white musk and bergamot on my skin, with just a hint of vanilla and amber. There is a slight greenness to this, but it doesn't sharpen things. Just... YUM!

[zankoku_zen]

Musky vanilla with warm amber notes and just a tiny hint of florals. Much better after 10 - 15 minutes, once the blend has a chance to settle down.

 

This is a SEXY vanilla. I agree with the comparison to a leather catsuit, minus the leather component. This is smooth. You know, like Chris Isaac's Wicked Games voice as he croons and seduces you into bed.

 

OFF to find a bottle. Or two. Goddamn.

 

#winning

[Blood onmy hands]

First on, I get a blast of lemony bergamot and perfumey white musk. As it dries down, Lady Death starts to remind me of Lyonesse's powdery vanilla, but this is more perfumey and not as sweet as Lyonesse. The white musk is clean & perfumey, the amber is warm and powdery, and then there's hints of sweet vanilla, sunny jasmine, and lemon that swirl in and out of the scent for me.

The musk and jasmine make this a bit too classic perfumey/sharp for me, and the drydown turns more powdery than I would like. I probably won't keep my decant.

[Monday]

Thanks a lot Angelamaria for the tester!

 

Lady Death - Savage immediately reminded me of a perfume I occasionally wore when I was in highschool (I think it was one of oilily). Well this is quite sweet and heady. Vanilla with heavy flowers, the florals reminds me of plum blossom but since it isn't listed it must be the bergamot and bois de jasmin. This isn't much of a morpher. Very feminine with lots of throw!

Overall it's a bit too heady and pink for me.

[AmyO'Shields]

I bought this soon after it was released and I love it.

 

(White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin)

 

Under the Harvest Moon is one of my favorite oils, and I think it's the combo of lavender and grey amber that makes it so swoon worthy. That grey amber is present here, and combined with the bergamot, vanilla and labdanum it is a dream. I smell some white musk but it isn't overpowering as white musk can be sometimes on my skin. I don't smell any caraway (which is fine with me) and the benzoin and wormwood ground this blend and give it an edge...

 

I love this perfume oil and I hope never to run out. 9.5/10

[MCS4096]

You guys had me at 'The Girl' alas *sigh* while I would agree they are in the same general scent family, Lady Death has this high pitched squeal of.. I don't even know what.. I think it's a combo of things, and the result is super generic Perfume. I can sense the lovely amber and musk base clinging to my skin, but the throw is all sneeze inducing Perfume. I'm going to hold on to it to see how it ages.. hoping the high notes will burn off and the musk and amber will come out.

[Lycanthrope]

Well, I dunno how Beth does it, but this perfume smells like vengeful glowing eyes.

Oh, I suppose I should describe it. This is definitely not my usual style of perfume, but it is ferocious, tenacious, but like, tenaciously floral. But yet, in a good way. Ugh, I'm rambling. It's quite sweet to my nose, with a softer jasmine than usual, with the gray amber this is like, um, a very angry night time garden. Ur, I guess the sweet is not sugary sweet, as in heady sweet, like the head notes of white florals without the indolic chew. Smells like bone-white flowers. Angry... flowers... Not something I can really pull off, but it's really pretty.

ETA: ZOMG! Vanillllllaaaaa /nom

[surlygurl]

(Full disclosure - I wore this to bed & fell asleep when the bergamot came forward.)

 

The opening stage of this oil reminds me of Joyful Moon - white musk & soft amber, sweetish, comforting. The bergamot hovers in the background, making this a bolder scent. Like a comforting friend who will help you in a fight.

 

So... I woke up in the middle of the night wondering "what is that horrid boy cologne coming from my chest?" Then I sniffed my wrists and get a fainter version. Well. Damn if that sweet protective friend didn't go psycho killer on my skin .

[tziporra]

Wait, what?

 

I've never reviewed this?!? It's one of my top three BPALs!!!

 

Okay, so Lady Death is amazing and then more amazing, and then some amazing after that.

 

This is a bright sparkling well behaved vanilla that smells amazing on me and I can't wear any other vanillas on this planet (at least not that I've tried, except Tombstone, and come to think of it this vanilla reminds me a lot of Tombstone). Not a hint of foodiness (bah cookies) or candle connotations, true perfumery vanilla.

 

Lady Death is super bold and on my skin super sweet (did I mention amazing?) and like drowning in the illustration's beautiful eyes. I catch hints of the bergamot (for sparklies) and lots of fabulous resins grounding this, but not much floral. All the people who said "leather catsuit" have it right on. It's as if this were a vanilla catsuit instead of a leather one.

 

In college I wore Karl Lagerfeld's Sun, Moon, Stars nonstop (okay, so i could wear that vanilla too) and on me Lady Death is a dead ringer for that scent which makes me so very very very happy. The scent last and lasts and clings to my clothes and bed sheets and has great throw.

 

Cannot recommend highly enough. There are two BPALs I own multiples of, and this is one.

 

Tzi

[mymymai]

ITB: It's delicately musky over the strong resins and styrax. I really like this so far.

 

Wet: Wow, it's really interesting. I get absinthe-quality wormwood, styrax, light amber, a drizzle of bergamot, and faint vanilla. It's complex but equally beautiful.

 

Dry: It's a soft musk and sweet vanilla that bring a subtle vulnerability to a scent is not something I'd classify as overtly feminine in the delicate sense due to the the styrax, labdanum, and wormwood. I like it.

[Teaker]

This is Perfume with a capital "P"! The most traditional "perfume" bpal I've tried. It smells like an expensive designer fragrance, very sophisticated and elegant. It definitely has a vanilla base, but it's not a foody vanilla at all. It's very musky and heady, with a sharp edge from the bergamot. I get a very slight similarity to Dorian (the vanilla/musk combo) but this is drier, very much more refined, and complex. At first I thought this was very feminine, but I think it could easily be worn by both men and women.

 

This isn't an everyday scent, this is something you'd pull out on very special occasions. It's lovely and completely different from anything else I've tried from the Lab.

Edited November 23, 2014 by Teaker

[Balame]

I could have sworn I reviewed this ages ago. Ah well, better late than never.

 

Lady Death: Savage was a blend I wore for a good 3-4 years before finally shelving it then subsequently selling it to someone who'd appreciate it more. It was one of my early favorites, but my tastes have changed and I can't handle musky sweetness like I did before.

 

It's does have a vaguely commercial feel to it thanks to the heavy musk, but the bergamot and bois de jasmin brighten things up and bring it into more unique territory. It's sparkly, but not in an effervescent way. The rich, perfumey base of musk, vanilla and resins would be quite dark on their own, but by layering it with a floral/citrus combo it becomes more welcoming and stereotypically "womanly." It's great if you want to feel friendly/presentable but still carry a hint of mystery about you. It does come across as expensive, but in an approachable way, if that makes any sense.

 

This was one of the few perfumes where jasmine didn't bother me, but I guess that component eventually caught up to me. It just felt too floral/musky over time despite my love of the amber/citrus/vanilla. I think this is a great blend to introduce someone to BPAL when they're used to mainstream stuff - it has several components that would be at home in a commercial setting, but then gives them an interesting twist.

 

As for the inspiration itself, while I enjoyed the blend I never really felt like this perfume lived up to its namesake. It feels more like Lady Death in this picture (rich, elegant, sexy) versus her crazy warlord side.

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: Sugared vanilla, reminiscent of Dorian.

 

Wet on my skin: Almost cloyingly sweet vanilla as it goes on, but settles down right away. Now I'm getting the Amber.

 

Dry: This is as beautiful as I thought it might be. The vanilla, amber, jasmine, and musks are most obvious on me, with a resinous and almost tangy undercurrent. It's very sweet and perfume-like, but not headache inducing or overpowering. Just a truly elegant, almost sexy, womanly scent. Pink-white in colour, crystalline in effect.

[ziggystardust13]

First off, this label rocks.

Lady Death is awesome in the wet stage. I can already tell this is perfumey (In a good way). The vanilla, white musk, and grey amber seem as though they are seamlessly swirling around together. The jasmine is present but very well behaved! It actually compliments this blend without doing what jasmine usually does... Taking over! My favorite note is the wormwood! It lends something unique to this scent and really draws me in. I wish the wormwood lingered longer, but it seems to get lighter the more it dries. There is something about this that reminds me slightly of more kick ass version of 'vanilla fields'. I'm surprised this blend doesn't get more love. Somehow it manages to be feminine and classic yet edgy. Has a similar feel to Liz.

 

eta: Even though I love this scent, I have found that this one is a little headache inducing for me. Too bad.

Edited January 23, 2016 by ziggystardust13

[BeyondBad1313]

Absolutely beautiful! I love this blend a lot. To me it smells like a sexy sophisticated woman, dressed well, and bad ass as hell. This blend definitely reminds me of a mainstream perfume I have used before, but this blend has so much depth, I usually stay away from any florals, but this blend is the perfect balance for me.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Citrusy (bergamot) a bit spicy, warm vanilla. Quite cologney to me at first, but it sweetens up and grows a bit more feminine as it warms. It's really strong at first, but fades quite quickly.

 

 

Dry: This is really sweet, but somehow also quite masculine to me, I think maybe because of the bergamot? It's a warm, musky vanilla, with hints of citrus and spice. Its nice, I like it, but I can't see wearing it. Glad to have tried it, though!