L’Essence de la Folie

[Aldercy]

L'ESSENCE DE LA FOLIE
Pink pepper, black pepper, clove, myrrh, dark chocolate, labdanum, and Daemonorops draco.

L'Essence de la Folie is a surprising mix of notes. It's a little lighter than I would have expected, and I detect almost no dark resin or chocolate at all (I checked to make sure there wasn't a cocoa sludge on the bottom of the bottle failing to get incorporated, as sometimes happens-- there's not).

It's actually like... spiced bubblegum. I think the pink pepper, clove (which is very mild) and Daemonorops are playing the largest roles in this impression I'm getting. I know that some people's skin/nose chemistry interprets dragon's blood resin as bubblegum, but I've tried a hell of a lot of BPAL dragon's blood scents and have never once thought it smelled like bubblegum before... maybe it's something to do with a difference between the Dracaena draco and Daemonorops draco varieties? Anyway, this isn't a bad turn of events. The longer it dries, the more a little wisp of myrrh smoke comes out as well, softening things and making for a neat, quirky, well-blended scent. I like it.

[suki]

In The Bottle: The clove, a tiny bit of the myrrh and a dollop of the Daemonorops combine right away to give the impression of a dark, sweet cherry scent. Normally I find anything resembling a cherry note to be too much for me, but I'm liking this...so far.

 

Wet On Skin: The peppers are starting to come out, warming up the aforementioned notes. At this point, I detect no chocolate or labdanum.

 

Dry Down: I can see where the prior reviewer got the "bubblegum" equation from. It doesn't read that way to me, but I can see why it would come across that way. The clove and myrrh mix in this way that makes it seem sweeter and more "fruity" than either separately. But there's a deep quality to this- this is not a teenybopper scent in the least, and my instincts say that this is one of those that has the potential to be unbeatable, after it's had about 6 month to age.

 

In All: Low throw with lots of spicy resin undertones, this will be favored by some as a seduction scent. for me, I can relate to the madness aspect of this perfume's message, and so may wear it on days when I feel more inclined to embrace my "Girl, Interrupted" moments- perhaps even revel in them.

 

 

[violetblue]

This reminds me of Hubba Bubba bubblegum with a little pepper kick first applied. Super light and morphs a lot, as stated above too, as it dries to less bubblegum and more mellow resin/sweet incense. The clove is undetectable to me but it must be adding with the pepper spice. It's definitely a little odd, but intriguing - I keep huffing my wrist!

[mxtine]

This is really interesting. I also think of "spiced bubblegum"...I guess that's the daemonorops and dark chocolate plus cloves and pepper. The chocolate is a dark sludge in the imp that I had to roll before testing, and it's similar to the stuff in Boomslang. As it dries, the resin becomes more apparent, like a candied clove incense.

 

I kind of want a bottle of this now.

[OctoberGwen]

This is an interesting scent; at one point I was getting something that made me think "bananas" - which is sort of appropriate.

 

I also understand the bubblegum reference, although this is not a pink schoolgirl sort of vibe at all. "Slightly spicy bubblegum" seems apt. I do not detect chocolate or pepper (and pepper usually jumps right out at my nose), and the clove is a subtle presence, too. This blend is unique and I suspect it will have a loyal following.

 

Madness is quite pleasant, it would seem.

[angelicruin]

I'll concur with the "spicy bubblegum" descriptions above. I'm not really getting any dark chocolate or black pepper myself, but I get pink pepper in large quantities along with a light smattering of clove, and daemonorops.

[ljaylh]

Why isn't there more love for this one? Whassamatter with you all.. did those scary notes put you off? Did you think this would be all pepper and clove and pepper and clove? Well.. you were wrong!!

 

I don't think pink pepper has ever let me down, and in here it's particularly gorgeous - slightly spicy, but with a definite 'pink' tone.. kinda like spicy bubblegum as other people have said. I'm not really picking up any black pepper at all, and the clove is very subtle.. it's there, but it's in the background and very mild. I can definitely smell the dark chocolate, but it doesn't smell 'chocolatey' at all - it's just there as a base note really.

 

As gorgeous as this is, I have to confess to a slight disappointment because I really was expecting it to have a lot more POW than it does - it doesn't really match up with the whole 'cacophony of madness' theme in my mind. The myrrh and labdanum are hardly there at all to my nose, and the dragon's blood is also barely there - just a hint of it, but hardly noticeable. Unfortunately the staying power isn't great - it fades pretty quickly on my skin - but that could be because I've over-huffed it right off my arm

 

After about 30 minutes on my skin, the pinkness and the whole bubblegum thing has gone away and the chocolate has gone powdery.. but in a good way, it's dusky and gorgeous. I actually really love this - it's not like any other BPAL that I've ever tried, but there's something about it that is very intoxicating and sexyish. I think I will need a backup bottle of this one!

[symphonyinsilence]

Eh...

 

Is there pomegranate in this? Or is that just the Daemonorops?

 

No chocolate to my nose. I just get a blast of cinnamon and pink pepper mixed with...bubblegum is probably accurate.

 

I was expecting more "madness" as well. It's not crazy enough. Just spiced fruity baked goods.

 

To the swap pile, it goes.

[Incendiare]

This really does make me think of bubblegum spiked with black pepper. Wet, the bubblegum actually gets stronger on me and turns vaguely spicier. After twenty minutes, it has faded to a softer bubblegum with a touch of spice. No chocolate. It's alright but not bottle-worthy.

[Lethran]

In bottle: chocolate dominant with labdanum as strong support. The dragon’s blood gives a fruity resiny sort of feel to it. The peppers are strong and sharp. The myrrh is soft and well blended, functioning as a sort of glue to all the strong personalities that make up the blend. The clove is understated, but pretty. I am liking the way the chocolate, labdanum, and Daemonorops are working together. Wet: Chocolate, labdanum, and Daemonorop dominant. It’s dancing at the edge of something that would be too much, but staying on the side of lovely strong. I’m really loving the way the cloves and peppers give this teeth. The myrrh is still working it’s magic quietly in the background. Dry: Surprisingly pink. Daemonorops dominant with lots of labdanum and touches of myrrh and spice. It’s much lighter and more upbeat than I thought at first.

[surf-tormented]

I am not a huge fan of the sludgy perfumes, the ones you have to mix up because of separation. I think that the company could mix it better or apply something to the blend to make them complete. It does smell like bubblegum on. Any pepper, resin or chocolate note I get is upon application, none of it stays around and it dissolves into bubblegum. Not overly sweet bubblegum, just a slight fruity bubblegum with a slight darkness under it. Maybe I didn't mix it enough, but at the price of these blends, I would want a complete perfume, not something I have to play with in order to get the right amount of bubblegum to resin. Perhaps this is part of the madness. I don't think it's for me.

 

It reminds me of After Dark from VM or similar blends that have bubblegum mixed with asphalt or some other odd note.

Edited March 1, 2012 by surf-tormented

[zankoku_zen]

Pepper, clove and dark chocolate and something that smells like bubblegum candy. If you like a dark side of Jailbait (with CHOCOLATE), I'd give this a whirl.

[Clueit]

Candies. the sweet lingering of SweetHearts in the discount isle after valentines where whiffs of unbought chocolates and other sugary treats are left to languish.

I could see some madness here, from the unloved's point of view.

[bookandbroom]

My surprise love from the Lupercalia updates. Candy hearts and chaos.

[midnight_aeval]

Spicy bubblegum! Totally. I rather like it though Of the 5 perfume blends from the BPTP this Lupercalia, this one is the one I enjoy the most.

[Blood onmy hands]

I've realized that I'm not a fan of the lab's pink pepper note. It does smell like bubblegum (like a mix of pink bubblegum and juicy fruit with a sprinkle of cinnamon potpourri), but warm, spicy, strange and unpleasant on my skin. And I really don't like it mixed with the chocolate. This one is a scrubber for me.

[porcelina]

fruity dragon's blood and pink pepper with a touch of chocolate and resins? i definitely get some bubblegum out of this- it's like a weird occult candy store. the bubblegum is too much for me, but i love the pepper and everything else- maybe it will be a bit tamer after aging it some.

[ami226]

This one has a lot of sediment floating around inside. Must be the chocolate?

 

On the skin: That is one pink/fruity scent! I would almost want to use this one as a Pink Moon! The pink fruitiness leans towards a bubblegum feel with a slight peppery feel. Not getting much chocolate in this one.

 

Not for me at all, but it is a very interesting scent!

[milo]

Lot's of fruit at first, smells kind of like Juicy Fruit, actually. Dry, still kind of fruity, a bit spicy and with a hint of chocolate, though I probably wouldn't have know it was there if I didn't peek at the description. This complements the bath oil well, though I do like that one better. I just don't like chocolate and fruit combinations. I'm guessing it's probably the dragon's blood that is giving the fruit vibe. At any rate, this one is not for me.

[Juushika]

In the vial: Surprisingly sweet, with spices (peppers more than clove).

 

On me: Dragon's blood and pink pepper, but basically: spiced bubblegum is spot on (not lotus's sharp bubblegum sweetness, but a just-opened stick of the stuff, still dusted with powder. A sweet, pink , full-bodied but slightly powdery scent, with nothing of the darkness that I'd expect from a number of the notes. Throw is moderate.

 

Verdict: While not actively unpleasant, this is far from my style; I washed it off. I wasn't expecting such a sweet scent; as it is, it's full-bodied and tolerable despite my avid dislike of everything it stands for, but, no, I don't need to keep my decant.

[Phocion]

Kunstkammer meets fruit punch. Bleh.

[filigree_shadow]

Somehow this got lost in my BPAL box, and I didn't try it until today. It smells like sweet candy with chocolate coating that has some pepper in it. That description sounds kinda gross, but believe me, the perfume smells wonderful!

 

This one is very nice. Not sure whether I'll go straight for a bottle hunt because I feel like I already have a couple of chocolate/cocoa loves, but I feel very happy wearing this and catching whiffs of it.

[Winter_Wanderer]

-

Edited October 7, 2016 by Winter_Wanderer

[mymymai]

ITB: I would expect the dark chocolate to be the top notes, but instead it's the pink pepper that is reminiscent of bubble gum, with the addition of light clove, a dark cherry tone from the daemonoropos, and then something faintly chocolate.

 

Wet: Yes, this one is interesting. The cherry quality of the daemonoropos is strong on my wrist, then the pepper, then the chocolate. I don't really pick up the myrrh or labdanum, but there is a faint spice to it, which might be from the clove.

 

Dry: As the scent settled, the myrrh became apparent. In fact, even after 7 hours of wear, I remember thinking that I smell wonderful - like myrrh and dark cherries with a light drizzle of chocolate.

[ramblingrambler]

Fruity, spiced bubblegum. I quite like this, but it is such a light scent—I much prefer my perfumes to announce my presence.