A Blot Upon The Earth

[nineveh]

Of my creation and creator I was absolutely ignorant, but I knew that I possessed no money, no friends, no kind of property. I was, besides, endued with a figure hideously deformed and loathsome; I was not even of the same nature as man. I was more agile than they and could subsist upon coarser diet; I bore the extremes of heat and cold with less injury to my frame; my stature far exceeded theirs. When I looked around I saw and heard of none like me. Was I, then, a monster, a blot upon the earth, from which all men fled and whom all men disowned?

A blot upon the earth: black plum, Spanish moss, opoponax, davana, vetiver, and opium poppy.

Lots of opium at the forefront, then something herbal, and just a hint of plum in the background. If you thought all the notes sounded great but were scared off by the vetiver, this might be worth trying anyway because I'm not getting any vetiver from this at all. Kind of disappointed there, since I love vetiver.

It feels dark, but not thick or heavy. Shadowy, I guess. I almost really like it but the opium is going sharp and chemicalish on me like it always does. I was hoping that it wouldn't be so prominent. I'll hang onto my bottle for now and see what it's like in a few months.

[Eemia]

This starts out as a robust, murky plum wrapped up in a mixture of cologne and spice. I couldn't pick out anything specific other than the plum, mostly because it reminds me of that dark plum note in Hellion. It's very well blended with so much depth. While it's very strong, it doesn't feel stifling or overpowering at all. On my skin it's very feminine and slightly floral, which is odd considering how masculine it smelled in the bottle.

 

There's a beautiful chemical note that smells like the initial sharp hit you get when spraying an alcohol based perfume. I was excited that it didn't dissipate much during the wear length. That sharpness stays present most of the time, and then blends into the rest of the scent as it wears down.

 

In the end this became powdery in a resinous, non-floral way. Still a bit spicy, like dried out incense. It lasted several hours before it changed into the softer, powdery stage. One of the longest wearing fragrances I've ever tried; the next morning I could still clearly smell it.

 

Different than what I expected in the best possible way.

[Mountaingrrl00]

I love this! It starts out aromatic and juicy on me, fruity-floral in a rich, exotic way. I think that's the davana and plum at the forefront, mixing with the smoky and resinous blend in the background. Something in here reminds me of sandalwood -- maybe that's the Spanish moss? It's a very seductive scent altogether, with its deliciousness and depth and softness. The fruitiness recedes a little over time, but this isn't much of a morpher on me. This is on its way to becoming one of my very favorites.

[Lorna Brigid]

This is wonderful!!

The vetiver gives it a cool clean kick when first on, the opium gives it a smoky resinous feel, and the plum rounds it out to be a little sweeter.

I love it!!

[edenssixthday]

A Blot Upon The Earth - With plum, moss, and opium poppy, I thought there was no way this could go wrong. However, almost from the moment I first apply it, something in it is very soapy on my skin. I can smell the plum and moss and poppy, and they're gorgeous, but whatever note it is that's turning to detergent on my skin sadly makes the rest of the scent unwearable.

[patina]

I don't get detergent at all. There's a lot of floral initially, but it never gets too sharp or overwhelming. It's almost candy-like. The plum is juicy and gorgeous. There's also a hint of powder from the spanish moss and a hint of spice from the vetiver. It's dark but not in a heavy or opaque sense.

 

Gorgeous. My skin does eat it a bit. The scent hangs around for a long time, but only in a flat, extremely close to the skin way. Then again, it sometimes reappears when I get warmer.

[maika]

Just opening the decant I get this gorgeous sweet smoky resinous incensey smell waft up at me. Beautiful!

 

Wet: this remains, but the vetiver brings the smokiness closer. The opium is more prominent too. If this stays as good as this, I'm going to need more.

 

Dry: This is stunning! The smokey opium and vetiver thing is the primary thing I notice, but the other notes give a gorgeous lush sweet undertone that leave it all beautifully balanced. It doesn't have a long throw (based on just being worn on one wrist) but a proper all over test will be happening to further work out the end result. But based on this test, as long as something doesn't go wrong at that test, I am definitely going to be needing more of this.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Surprisingly sexy. The opium and vetiver are creating a vaguely sinister sexuality here. The opoponax adds to the sinister, the plum to the sensual. The moss gives it an earthy feel. I’m guessing the davana is giving it a hint of floral. The opoponax the hint of the lab. In my head I am picturing the scene from the Whale version of Frankenstein with the little girl and the daisies as I smell this. No skin test due to vetiver.

[milo]

Very resiny at first with a touch of sourness. Dry, much the same. Surprised to see plum listed, as I don't get any of that. This just seems kind of like a run of the mill bpal scent, it smells like a lot of blends to me, and there's that annoying sour smell. Not for me.

[zankoku_zen]

Poppy, davana and a touch of vetiver. It's sort of resiny and smokey with a touch of sharp sour florals.

 

PASS.

[mxtine]

What I'm smelling in the bottle is not what I expected. I was expecting something dark and sinister but this is more like a classic Floral-Oriental perfume. I think the opium poppy is the forerunner here. There's also a lot of powdery opoponax, but very little vetiver and no recognizable black plum...which is the main reason I wanted this. I can see how this would be soapy but it's not a floral soap. It's like a rich perfumey resins soap, which is kind of nice but not what I was going for. I'll keep this for aging and hopefully my nose is just broken and I can eventually smell some black plum.

 

ETA: I tested this before I went running and I noticed the plum later on. It's being beaten into submission by opium but I can smell it regardless. It's a really gorgeous, dark plum.

Edited January 31, 2012 by mxtine

[Incendiare]

Hmm, the vetiver in most BPAL blends, to my nose, is mind-numbingly disgusting, so I am surprised that there isn't a single trace of it in the vial. Instead, I am greeted by the opoponax and something earthy, yet soapy. The plum comes out once I apply this to my skin. After about five minutes, the opoponax is definitely on top and a vague floral lingers in the background. It's alright but not my style.

[Dark Alice]

This stuff is aptly named.

 

Wet: Sour rotten pickles and yellow mustard.

 

Dry: Smoky dark bitter vetiver. And dark bitter rose. I am not a fan of this all.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: So very well-blended that it's difficult to pick out any one note.

 

Wet: And the vetiver bamfs in!

 

The dry-down: After a while, the vetiver softens, thank goodness! And the scent goes back to that well-blended feeling that I had when sniffing the cap wand of the vial. If anything, the plum and poppy sweeten the moss and vetiver to a point where it's almost a sweet herbal scent.

[Blood onmy hands]

I love vetiver when it smells of dry grass and light earthiness, but this seems to be that smoky, charred vetiver that reminds me of burnt bbq. The opium poppy is sharp and harsh (always reminds me of cheap hairspray) and slightly soapy. The opoponax sweetens things up in the drydown and gives this is a bit of an incensey feel, but mostly it's a harsh mix of smoky vetiver and sharp opium. I don't get anything fruity or plum-like here.

[tziporra]

I am trying my very well aged Blot upon the Earth, because it appears I have not yet reviewed it.

 

I tried this originally at a will call and walked off without ordering it because it did not impress me much at all wet. I remain unimpressed. Wet it smells like generic body wash with a little greenery (oakmoss?) in the background.

 

Now we wait for the drydown (this may take awhile. You can listen to some music or smoke a hooka if you like).

 

Hum dee dum.

 

Oh! There it is! Smoky well blended oriental magic! This is so amazing, and so hard to describe because other than the "smoke" I can't really pick out any notes. I mean, I can kinda sense the plum sneaking it's delicious plummy self out from behind the smoke all seductive and come-hither, but other than that it is just darkly gorgeous.

 

I used to have a very expensive incense that I loved that smelled exactly like Blot. I am definitely not an incense perfume lover, but I will make an exception here. I can't remember its name, but if I find a packet in my things somewhere I'll update this review. Anyway, I think this will definitely appeal to anyone who loves commercial oriental perfumes. My husband says it smells very mainstream, and while I think it's a little too incensey for most mainstream wearers, I agree. I love bpal oils in the heady perfume camp (though not necessarily florals) and this one fits the bill. It's a cloud of gorgeous scented smoke, and I can't get enough.