Blood Kiss

[wvgemini]

Lush, creamy vanilla and the honey of the sweetest kiss smeared with the vital throb of husky clove, swollen red cherries, but darkened with the vampiric sensuality of vetiver, soporific poppy and blood red wine, and a skin-light pulse of feral musk.

So with this one I have learned never to judge BPAL by sniffing the imp alone.

In the vial it was straight head shop hippie. Very sharp and way too strong for me. But I decided to try it on.

Wet it has a rather strong Sandalwoody scent. Much better than the smell in the bottle but still not my favorite.

Dry it begins to mellow and the orange spicy scents start to come out. Very warm and a comfy-yet-sexy scent.

Later it becomes smooth and warm and very sensual on my skin. I am really loving Blood Kiss far more than I thought I would!

[SophieCedar]

This is the only scent from bpal with vanilla that I can wear.

 

I applied and said "oooh dirty!". My bf, of course interest now piqued, sniffs extended arm and says "Mmm. I like it! Pipe tobacco, patchouli and something." When I read the ingredients, he was a bit surprised. Me too. It's a love though!

[cherrycherry]

A good friend gave me an imp of this and I've been addicted to it ever since. So much so that I've ordered a 5ml bottle

 

When opening the imp, I get a sudden rush of honey and heat. Not spicy heat, but something different and... well, I'm not sure I can adequately describe it. Perhaps it's more a sense of heat than a real presence of it in the blend. It's sweet and dark at the same time -- maddeningly sensual.

 

On my skin, the honey blooms at once and is very strong. Nearly every time I've worn it, someone has commented on the throw of the scent. So far, everyone has liked it, but found it to be very penetrating. I can see, despite my affection for it, why some people would find the scent to be too much. A friend of mine leaned away from my wrist the first time I let him smell it, but then moments later he wanted to smell it again, intrigued by how complex it was.

 

It gives me a mental image of a female vampire who is hundreds of years old, but still looks about twenty-five. She has long dark hair, fiery eyes and doesn't say much -- she doesn't need to. Sweet and twisted, she lures men to their doom and they have no chance of denying her advances. Even when she torments them, they enjoy it.

 

 

[grnwoodtree]

Hmmmmm...yum....delightful delectable deliciousness...

 

Some how I received 2 imps...one new one aged...they are quite different, and look different too (the old one is much darker and has a much stronger deeper patchouli scent).

 

Let me just say, these smell almost completely different...And Im enjoying the new version much better...it reminds almost exactly of Hand of Glory...I get the honey and the wine, and its a warm, sensual unique scent that somehow works perfectly with my chemistry.

 

The older version is very much not sweet, not getting the honey, and its a much more masculine scent.

 

Very interesting! This is my first foray into the wonders of comparing aged vs new.

 

LATER: Interesting - I kept getting whiffs of really good cherry cola or or Dr Pepper. You'd think that would be annoying, but its actually a really rich scent.

Edited March 24, 2010 by Greenwoodtree

[acbombshell]

There's just too much going on here. When I smell this, wet or dry, it reminds me of church incense and something unpleasant and indescribable. Way to strong for my tastes. I really can't pick out the individual notes, they all kind of blend together, but not in a good way.

[devilot]

Blood Kiss:

In the Vial: VETIVER! It's a very strongly obnoxious note. At least in the vial. Hehe.

 

Wet: So much vetiver, which, yes, adds an earthy dimension. But for some reason, almost comes across as cocoa. Something very sweet. Would that be additional influence from the wine?

 

Drydown: Dusty feeling. Definitely that vetiver is not giving up or letting go. But I think the musk might be adding an element of dustiness.

 

Verdict: The poppy reference terrified me (as did the vetiver), but so far, poppy hasn't reared it's loud head. Though, I really wish the vetiver would mellow out more. All in all, a blend I can live without.

[sithwitch13]

The first time I tried it, I was a little disappointed since it smelled almost exactly like the red wine in Kali, which I had just bought a bottle of as well.

 

The second time I tried it, I got the clove cigarette comparison people have made. But I like the smell of cloves, so that was okay.

 

Yesterday, the third time I wore it, it was heaven. Just enough cherry to make it sweet, the clove and wine spicing it up, and some other stuff I couldn't quite identify (possibly the musk) holding it all together. I ended up using my jacket as a pillow toward the end of the evening and the sleeves smelled so good. So yeah, this one's a keeper.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Complex and elegant. Honey and musk dominant with a beautiful spicey fruit body. The cherry and spiced wine thing is quite lovely. The whiole thing is sweet and rich and heady. There are at least three notes I can’t wear on there, so I won’t be skin testing.

[deviant kitten]

In the bottle- clove and vetiver

wet- clove and vetiver. The deep vetiver almost takes a chocolatey note, but it's like someone spilled coco powder in the dirt. Alas, I do not get the cherry, or vanilla, or wine. This is earthy vetiver and sharp clove

[talula_fairie]

I had a lot of hope for this blend. It had nothing but notes I should love, and it supposedly smelled similar to scents that are some of my very favorites, such as Dragon's Milk, O and Blood.

 

In the imp it smelled pretty strong, all I could get was Dragon's milk and something sharp, I'm guessing it was the cherry. But Blood smells similar to me in the imp and it smells fantastic on my skin.

 

I put it on my skin, it immediately started to turn sour. It just kept getting worse. The cherry got amped up to the point where it was almost all I could smell. A touch of the dragon's blood was in the background but that was about all. The more time went on, the more I started to smell like a porta potty air freshener, or maybe a car air freshener. Bad. Very bad. And sweet Jesus was it strong! I finally had to wash it off with dish soap after about 20 minutes, I couldn't even wait for the full drydown. I never smelled vanilla, velvetier, honey, not even the clove. Just a lot of cherry and some dragon's blood.

 

I'm sure on other people it'll smell amazing, it really did have a nice blend of notes per the description, and in the imp I had hope. Unfortunately, it just didn't work for me. Curious becuase Blood worked great. *shrug*

Edited July 7, 2010 by talula_fairie

[Soniadevi]

Blood kiss: OH MY GOODNESS.

BPAL's scents are allegorical, and that is how they are best enjoyed. Blood Kiss NAILS the concept to perfection! It's a story told through scent, and you live it when you smell it!

 

I can see it clearly in my mind: Jonathan Harker is trapped in Draculas castle. In his search for an escape, he goes wandering through the many cold, stone corridors and cobweb covered rooms. Finally he finds an underground lair, and the stone walls are damp and musty, with swaths of rich red velvet hanging from the walls. In this chilling room there are coffins lined up, and he can see they are all open. He comes closer and finds lying in one of the coffins the most beautiful girl he has ever laid his eyes upon. His blood runs cold as he quickly realises she is the un-dead, and just as he turns to escape the room, she is standing there in front of him, beckoning, luring him with her sweet, haunting voice.

His head spins as she embraces him in her cold arms, then all of a sudden, she is kissing him, a deep, swollen, biting kiss, and his eyes haze over in a blood red mist, as he is transported suddenly inside this kiss, this sickly sweet kiss, too beautiful, too painful, too sexual, too bloody. He can feel the sharpness of her fangs and he can taste his own blood, and he is at once trapped and surrendered.

 

So, in terms of the practical smelling experience:

In the bottle: The frightening moment of realisation of her beautiful, vampiric, unescapable presence

Wet on the skin: The biting shock of her sudden overwhelming kiss

A little while later: The kiss has mellowed, the sensuality pours forth like a pitcher of the thickest, sweetest wine, and there is a sense of drunkenness.

Drydown: Completely surrendered, the bloody memory of the kiss lingers, leaving behind it the warm sensuality and the bittersweet memory of the biting pain is overwhelmed by the soft, heady, sensual femininity of this exceptional blend.

 

 

Conclusion: You have to be in the mood, but I couldn't live without this blood kiss. Don't be frightened by the first bite: this bloody kiss is one to enjoy unreservedly, and without prudishness. You don't wear this to seduce, you wear this to BE SEDUCED.

 

Star rating: 5/5 - big bottle worthy.o

Edited December 30, 2010 by Soniadevi

[TastyMischief]

I must admit that upon smelling it in the bottle, I was afraid to try it.

But I'm glad I did!!!

 

In the bottle: Robitussin on steroids.

 

Wet on skin: Robitussin on Valium + a ghost like appearance of honey

 

Dry down: Cherries, honey, clove, musk and something slightly metallic, reminiscent of fresh blood. Also a very subtle aura of powder somewhere in the base.

 

 

This is quite pleasant and beautiful, in the end. It's dark, unusual, narcotic, syrupy-thick in a good way. Eerie and beguiling at once. If the lasting power holds, this is definitely a keeper.

[Aevie]

I was very hesitant to even try this one, because the smell of alcohol churns my stomach, as does the vast majority of vanillas and half of musks. But being loyal to my vow to try every imp that comes my way, I gave it a shot. It's very strong. I can see how many people would absolutely love this; if you like the notes in it, you will. However it definitely wasn't my cup of tea!

[bloody sore]

Hands down one of my favorite BPALs ever.

Looking at the notes though, this really shouldn't work for me. I'm generally not a fan of clove, cherry, wine, or much vetiver. But somehow this works. On my skin it's mostly musky vanilla and honey (but not HONEY like most honey blends) with a touch of clove and cherry when first applied. The vetiver stays in the background and just 'grounds' the scent. The clove and cherry burn off quickly and I end up with a lovely 'dirty' musky scent.

Edited April 5, 2011 by bloody sore

[mxtine]

I can't believe I never reviewed Blood Kiss. It was the first BPAL perfume I bought unsniffed in Feb '10.

 

I had a strange relationship with it. Some days it smelled kinda promising, I could smell cherry, vanilla and something woody and sharp. Other days, the vetiver made this stink to high heaven, making me think of a yucky cherry cough drop. I put her up for swaps.

 

NOW, it's one of my favorites. The vetiver aged and hasn't completely disappeared, but now the cherry and honey notes are more prominent. I can tell there is clove in this now, but I don't smell much "wine" which is good because BPAL wine usually smells grapey and I hate it.

 

It's truly delicious now, a year later. A definite must-hoard.

[asciident]

Wet: Repulsively sour. Yikes.

 

First on: Terrible, like wine gone sour.

 

Dry: Slightly less bad, but I look forward to wash it off.

 

 

[invisible iris]

In vial: grapey winey

 

Wet on skin: deep red grapey winey, I read dripping honey & syrupy cherry too, with vetiver lurking dark & dirty underneath.

 

Dry: To me this has a similar vibe as Perversion, but while Perversion is golden raisiny, Blood Kiss is red cherry and more syrupy. Fruity, spicy, boozy cherry (kirsch-like) honey. Deep red and goopy. Also dirty/dark from the vetiver, and the musk and clove help with the darker grounding too (and those darker notes keep it tolerable for me, as I don’t prefer unhinged fruit booze), but they don’t dry it out or make it fuzzy. It’s juicy and pulsating and heady. It does smell like something a vampire would like, the smell of vampire-bait, an I-will-eat-you-and-get-drunk-off-you smell.

 

Several hours later: The wine has mostly burned off, and this has calmed down to red honey and vanilla with a hint of vetiver. Overall it has almost become dry. It’s interesting and has decent throw. If I hadn’t tested Perversion yesterday and been so blown away, I’d probably be more impressed by Blood Kiss. I’ll definitely play around with the rest of the imp and see how my opinion of it develops with repetition.

[Chelse]

Smells like.....sweet sweaty bodies, hay, camp fire and tobacco. Ooooh, woodstock minus the....er, mary jane. Not for me, but this scent takes me somewhere.

[sparkleyturtle]

At first when I sniffed this, it was very sweet with the cherry and honey, but once it dries down the fun begins. The vanilla with the clove and touch of the cherry keep it lasting as a nice warm scent. I don't know if it is bottle worthy, but I will definitely use this imp.

[calivianya]

I have been curious about Blood Kiss for a while so I finally added an imp to an order.

 

Smelling this in the vial is heaven. It's cherry wine goodness with a touch of vetiver. It absolutely screams RED! at me, the way Lilith does. It smells so sexy. Wet on my skin, I get more of the same, but the delicious dark cherry wine is almost immediately overtaken by vetiver and this goes into single note vetiver land and stays there. I like vetiver alright, it's not my favorite, so this is not an immediate winner. However, I can smell the great potential in this blend. That opening is so sexy that I think I am going to go ahead and buy a bottle to age, because when it gets there I can tell this blend will be to die for.

 

Updated, slightly less than 1 year later - I never did buy that bottle to age because I was concerned about the vetiver, but I'm going to try my trusty little imp again and see how it does. After 11 months of aging, the vetiver... still goes a little too strong for my tastes. Since imps age faster than bottles, I think Blood Kiss is not a blend I'll be willing to wait around for. Sad.

Edited June 14, 2012 by calivianya

[Christabel]

Yay, my first BPAL review ever. *happydance* And a lovely scent to start off with.

 

In the bottle: I open it and "whoa, spicy". It's very strong in the bottle and I get predominantly wine, clove and vetiver from it. I love all three scents.

 

Wet: The cherries! It's suddenly a lot sweeter and lighter and I get the full cherry scent and it's really delicious. At this point my worries that it would be too heavy a scent flew out of the window.

 

On drydown: On me it dries down to a spicy-sweet and musty scent. The honey comes through and the clove and vetiver again which makes me inhale happily every time. I love musty, earthy scents and there's a slight lingering of cherry.

 

Overall, this is a definite keeper. I can see myself using this a lot, because it gives me that special, warm and mystic feeling.

 

I got instant colour associations of rusty red and gold. It makes me think of camp fires and travelling folk and mystic tales read from musty, ancient books.

[ami226]

On the skin: Eeeek! That is some strong vetiver. It is not good on me at all. It smells like icky, dirty cigarettes on me. Sadly this scent is not for me at all. *sigh* The other notes all sounded so good to me.

[rawgirl75]

This is another blend I've recently rediscovered it from the bottom of my stash bin. It has really aged well.

 

Blood Kiss is aptly named. When I wear it, it feels like there's a force surrounding me, lulling me into a heady trance. Like being hypnotized by a vampire I guess. One that plans to bite you.

 

I'm totally going to wear this the next time I head out for a night of dancing at my local goth club.

Edited August 14, 2011 by rawgirl75

[aleciarivas]

This was one of those RARE times when vetiver doesn't become the VETIVER OF DOOM on me. Unfortunately, this literally becomes a honey single note on me, which is nice but a LITTLE too overwhelmingly sweet and cloying.

[Woollyworm]

Dirty spicy cherry sweet honey clove wine sex. Narcotic and addictive.

 

 

This scent just hangs together beautifully. At first I get a big shot of cherry and spicy wine. Then honey and vanilla rise to round and smooth things out. The whole is anchored by an earthy, dirty note I have to assume is vetiver. Apparently vetiver is my friend. My special friend who keeps a toothbrush in my bathroom.

 

I feel so comforted by this fragrance, while at the same time feeling like a bad, dirty girl. I just feel at home in it.

 

This lasts forever and has good throw. More, please?