Blood Kiss

[AliBabble]

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.

this is a real interesting scent...there's so much going on, i wasn't sure what to make of it in the vial. - more bitter and "woodsy" than i expected, almost too much so. i thought it would be all cherry/honey sweetness. but in the end ( on the skin..) it works. it's like the sweet notes and the bitter notes are battling it out. then they get tired of fighting and plop down, exhausted, on a red velvet victorian couch in a wood paneled room. i dunno why this smells so woodsy to me - the vetiver i guess, but it's quite soft. and the clove is so subtle...i only get a touch of cherries, but that's ok. i forget how much i like woodsiness. especially when it's laced with sweetness. really great, and a bit mysterious.

[Xiabelle]

This one is a real morpher on me!

 

In the imp, it's cherries and musk. Really, quite quite strong. Goodness.

 

Fresh on, I get a blooming of the sweet cherry and the musk REALLY comes out. Wow. Maybe a bit of vetiver too. It's quite smoky, and it's not at all what I expected. I'm a little disapointed.

 

About that time, I left to go to work. So I get to work, and sniff at my wrist again and... ooh, spice! There's the clove. Wow, I LIKE this clove, it's so subtle and spicy and it mixes in gorgeously. I still smell the rest of it, but the clove is actually lightening it a bit. But it hardly lasts 15 minutes.

 

Then, for hours, every time I sniffed my wrist I got vetiver. Vetiver smells like dirt to me, so that with the musk was... well, I wasn't sure. Evidently the throw was nice, though, because someone told me unsolicited that it was kind of nice. It was definitely darkly sweet. Still unsure.

 

Now, about seven hours after I put it on, I'm getting vanilla and cherries, with an undercurrent of vetiver and musk. This is more what I expected it to smell like. It reminds me a LOT of Hollywood Babylon, but darker. I expect it will throw a whole lot when my skin heats up, too. I'm going to have to compare them side by side, but I think I prefer Hollywood Babylon.

 

ETA: And now, a few hours after I wrote this, it's still going strong... and it smells like really good dark chocolate. Quite yummy, but still not sure... but quite yummy!

Edited August 25, 2005 by Xiabelle

[DameBecca]

I adore this scent. It is sooooo deep and dark and yummy in an evil way.

 

It smells like a mix of two of my favorite scents, O and Lampades.

 

When I put it on, the incensey notes come out very strong for a while. Once it dries a bit, it gets creamier and the incense notes take on a warm sweetness that tones down thier edge.

 

This is a long lasting scent with plenty of throw.

[AlaskaSnows]

I'm pretty sure this is a well-loved scent, but I am going to have to be a dissenter.

 

Blood Kiss to me, is way too sweet. I got very little from it other than a ton of sugar poured into a vat of Dragonsblood. Well, not everyone can love every scent.

[Serrated_Angel]

On me, this scent is all vetiver, clove, and animal. It contains the sharp sting of clove cigarettes and the deepest musk. It was very, very pronounced in the bottle, and during its wet stage on my skin. The sweetness mentioned in the description of the blend tries to makes its presence known, but all that comes out is making it like a bitter, almost licorice-like candy. It's like the vanilla and honey are a small child looking up at you from the bottom of a clove and vetiver well. It's so close, but I can't reach them, that's for sure. Even at its sweetest stage, if this scent were a song, my chemistry speeds it up to make it a high screech.

 

Alas, the quest for a vanilla scent continues.

[Nemesister]

OMG where do i start?

 

think of a mixture of O and snake oil with a dash of bordello/blood amber

 

if i could swim in a vat of this i would

 

interestingly it is the same scent on my skin after an hour as it is in the bottle....i love this

Edited August 7, 2006 by TofuWarrior

[cuervosueno]

There is something in the imp that made me wonder if this had chocolate in it, but I see it was the sweetness of vanilla and cherries that was fooling me. I don't get much else--a slight powder from the musk, and while I can't smell the vetiver per se, there is something under the sweetness that I suspect is the vetiver (I like vetiver quite a bit, but it doesn't come out too much in this blend).

A lot of things I like in this, but all together, its just not a fave.

[crystaljapan]

When I first opened this and smelled it I thought YUM *beat* "eiw what the heck is that?" I can only assume it's the musk and/or vetiver that everyone has mentioned in their reviews. I sniffed it a few more times and decided it would be best to try it on my skin.

 

When I first put it on my skin the "eiw-ness" blended perfectly into all the other notes and it became very interesting. It seemed that all the notes were in a lustful embrace and the heat was pouring off them.

 

As it dries it seems the notes relaxed a bit and are lounging in the afterglow of the embrace.

 

This is going to be a definite 5ml for me and now I need to investigate all the other "Blood" scents. I have a 5ml of Blood on order and now I am more excited than ever for it!!!

 

ETA: I posted this last night and when I woke up this morning I could still faintly smell this on my wrist!

Edited September 7, 2005 by crystaljapan

[Nachtwulf]

In the bottle: It's sweet, I'll give you that. I can't really clearly identify any notes in the bottle, save perhaps the cherry, vetiver, and this melange that's probably vanilla/clove.

 

Wet: ...Amaretto? Then again, I tend to think amaretto smells of cherries anyway, so. I think this likely would've been better without the vetiver, though; it's an acrid note that this otherwise warm and sweet blend doesn't really seem to need.

 

Dry: Mostly clove. There's a bit of something under it, but largely, it seems to have gone all clove and vetiver, and is kind of unpleasantly sharp/spicy.

 

Final Opinion: I wish it had kept its sweet notes, but the drier it got, the less sweet it got, until it was all pointy sharp ends. This is in sharp contrast to /most/ BPAL blends, that get warmer and mellower as time goes on. I suspect it's a chemistry issue; I'll probably give it a second chance, but I suspect it will be one for the trading pile.

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Sickeningly sweet Dragonsblood soaked in honey.

 

Dry: The Dragonsblood has subsided a lot. The honey is still there, but creamier. The musk has come out and darkened it, and the vetiver a bit. A sweet, musty scent.

 

Not to my taste at ALL. I vastly prefer Desire for a sweet sexy scent.

[Kittyflop]

In the bottle and on first application, this is sweeeeet. On drying the sweetness immediately starts to subside and it gets tangy-spicy. Something sharp is tickling my nose and making me almost sneeze. Clove?

 

Two hours – the tang has softened and the vanilla is (finally!!) starting to emerge. Now this is the scent I was hoping for – Vanilla and honey with spice. Too bad it took so long to get to it, but if it sticks around for a few more hours I’d say it’s worth the wait..

 

Four hours – still strong! I’m getting more and more enamored by this.

[chapatti]

First whiff, slightly dried down: I mostly smell the clove, on a sweet base. There's also a tiny hint of cherry, that was more noticeable when wet, but on me, it's mostly clove, clove, clove (but now again, my skin has a tendency to go "Spices? Wheeee! LET'S MAKE SURE THE ENTIRE BLOCK CAN ENJOY IT, TOO! *amps like mad*").

Now do I want to smell of straight-out clove? Errrrm...

 

Two hours in: This is the weirdest thing. The first time I wore this scent, I got clove, still, and... soap, at this stage.

Now? Still clove, but also a sweet, spicy, slightly tart, luscious scent.

Don't ask.

 

Four hours in: the honey is definitely taking over, with a soft layer of spices in the background - the clove is still there, but mellowed out. I usually dislike sweet smells, but OMG! This is wonderful. I keep on sniffing my wrists and getting this whiff of heaven. Delish!

 

Verdict: I quite like it, especially the end of the drydown - a very long-lasting scent, too.

I'd love to find the same perfume, but sans clove.

 

7/10

[hangingfire]

In the imp: Cherries, and...chocolate? honey? vanilla? It's really, really rich.

 

On, wet: Very cherry and a little musky. Mostly it's the fruit. The vanilla sort of notes round it out a bit; I keep thinking of chocolate covered cherries. Maybe the chocolate smell is what happens when you put vanilla, musk, and vetiver together.

 

Drydown: The cherry calms down and I think what I've got left is the vanilla, the musk, and the vetiver.

 

It's very pleasant, but for vanilla blends, I think I prefer Dorian. Still, I think I'll finish off this imp at least.

[aessedai]

This scent is warm and sensual on me. The wine is softened and the vanilla sweetens the deal. Definitely seductive, and gorgeous.

[lookingglass]

The vanilla and cherry are rich, ripe, luxurious, and so edible without being overly sweet-like cherry pipe tobacco. The poppy isn't overly floral, but is more like opium incense. The clove, vetiver, and musk heat it all up and it does pulse deeply...like a heart under a vampire's kiss...(swoon!)

 

ETA: It's now 2010 and this is STILL DH's Holy Grail BPAL. I just bought him another bottle for Valentine's Day. It is the scent that just smells like HIM now. On me, once the vetiver stops amping like it does, the drydown is a warm black cherry musk. Mmmm...

 

STILL-now 2013.

Edited June 17, 2013 by lookingglass

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Something sharp and herbal. Vetiver, I suspect.

 

On, wet: Vetiver, with something else in the background. Can't yet figure out what.

 

Later: Definitely smell the wine, now. Though the vetiver is also still going strong, now it's balanced out. Some clove, too, a nice bit of spice/heat. Definitely, definitely no vanilla or honey. Or cherry, for that matter. Different, and interesting. Keeper.

[Monster]

This one is very sweet, and sharp. There's something in here that reminds me of that honey mead note in Hellcat...I really don't like that note at all :/

On my skin this morphs into vetiver and vanilla (the the honey mead note in the backround).

 

Overall....I really like most of the notes in the blend, I just don't think they work well together.

[Footnotegirl]

I first got an imp of Blood Kiss when I ordered an imp pack mainly to try "Dance of Death" which I had been told bore a striking resemblance to Lush's "Tramp". I picked it because of the mention of clove in the description (I love clove), and because, hey, sexy name.

Dance of Death didn't work out for me, but hoo boy. Blood Kiss.

Here's the review that I wrote after my first try on my LJ:

At first, I thought this would be too sweet. There's honey here, definately. Not that fake honey, or generic honey, but sweet-sharp biting honey. The vanilla wasn't really all that apparent, nor was the musk.. but oh that cherry and wine and clove underneath the honey. Just.. amazing.

I'm keeping this, and /you can't have it/.

it's about 12 hours since I put it on, and though I can't smell it when I sniff my wrist, I catch occasional whiffs of the red-purple honey smell and it makes me happy.

 

Two months have passed, and I love Blood Kiss more and more every time I use it. Blood Kiss just loves my chemistry, turning warmer and sexier through the day. Strangely enough, it can't be smelled at all where I actually put it on, but I catch it on the wind and playing in my hair. I am having a hard time going through my backlog of untried imps because when I sit down to pull a new one, Blood Kiss just calls me, whispering "You love me. You love the honey and the warm and the sweet but not cloying icky girly sweet. Me! It's me you want."

[LiberAmoris]

I really wanted to love Blood Kiss, but the vetiver just makes my tummy feel weird. It does back off on the drydown, but I can't stomach (literally) the wet stage long enough to get there. Everything else about it is lovely! I particularly enjoy the musk, cherries, and clove here.

 

I think I'll stick to Bengal for my go-to decadent honey blend.

[BlackDahlia]

In the Imp ~

 

I can smell the honey and the cherries... and the vetiver. Not being a musk oriented person ~ I was hoping this wasn't going to be strong musk. It is. WOW. really strong and animalistic.

 

Wet on skin: Juicy cherries and musk. I smell the clove and it does warm up, a bit... but the musk is intensifying.

 

Dry down: Smells like patchouli and patchouli and I do not get along.

 

In closing: This one will find a new home. I tried and musk is soooooo not me.

[wingedcorset]

Dark, heady, sensual. This screams "Perfect goth scent!!!!" at me. I'm getting the wine and the cherries and the musk and the honey in at varying times. They're kind of trading off who gets to be on top.

[RainyDayGrey]

Blood Kiss is one of those blends that turned me right off reading the description. Cherry, no thank you. There are alot of notes in here that I love, vanilla, honey, vertiver, clove, but cherry, I have no desire to have anything with cherry. Especially not in combination with honey and vannilla. I don't mind a little bit of sweetness, but that just sounded like overkill to me. This one showed up in my last order, and since I promised myself I would try every BPAL that crosses my path, no matter how much I think I'll dislike it, I took a chance on Blood Kiss.

 

In the imp: Cherry, sweet juicy black cherries. The kind my grandma used to can when I was a kid. I could detect a hint of vanilla and clove, but mostly this just screams cherry in the imp.

 

Wet: The vanilla and clove become a bit more prominent, and I can smell the honey on my skin. Very very sweet, but oddly enough I don't find it offensive.

 

Dry down: And this is where I fall head over heals for Blood Kiss. The longer I wear it the more beatiful and complex it becomes. It remains very sweet, with the cherry, vanilla and honey, but it suits this blend. The clove helps temper the sweetness, plus I just love cloves, cloves are my lover. It's very sexy, in a very wrong sort of way, and underneath it all there is something dark and feral and just depraved about it. It certainly lives up to it's name, thats for sure. I can not even put in to words how awesome this blend is.

 

Okay, so I was a doubter, but Beth obviously knows what she is doing. Bottom line, Blook Kiss is fanfuckingtastic.

[malanna]

I don't get any vanilla from this. At first, I'm picking up cherry and a little blood wine, with a hint of vetiver, but then, vetiver comes to the forefront, and the hint of position belongs to the cherry. Even though the vetiver is the dominant scent in this blend, it's not dominant in an overwhelming sort of way. It just seems to be everywhere, but not strongly everywhere (some scents just permeate every bit of air and is ten times what it smells like on my skin, this doesn't do that). Vetiver's not my thing, but it does give me a nice visual. Blood Kiss makes me think of a vampire that has risen out of the freshly turned earth that's also grassy and mossy at the same time. When it's finally risen from the grave (or whatever hollow area in the earth it was occupying), it's walking around stiffly with its arms stretched out (I know, I'm getting vampires confused with zombies), and there's the grass and tendrils of grass making the vampire look rather atmospheric.

[olympia301]

 

I get the illusion of orchid and coconut from this one. Neither of them are in here, but I can't think about Blood Kiss without thinking "orchid" at least. This is a complex blend of a lot of strong fragrances, some of which lose their identity when combined with the other things. That's the magic in it all, right?

 

I smell the cherries, the vetiver, vanilla, clove? (it's in here but where, I dunno). Blood Kiss reminds me a bit of Hollywood Babylon but without the rich musks backing it up. Somehow, I get the words "cerebral pornography" when I think of Blood Kiss.

 

Blood Kiss' lasting power is enormous and it has throw like mad. This is one of the classics, I think, a defining scent in the Strong BPAL family, a distant cousin of the Snake Oil/Hollywood Babylon family and a real pleasure. I would give it a high thumbs up and one that I heartily recommend considering after you have found your BPAL grounding blends and are on the hunt for the next phase of more complex BPALS.

[Fefferbella]

This is a warmer, spicier version of O on my skin. I really love this scent. The clove is really rich and sensual.

 

Blood kiss has amzing staying power too, I smelled it for HOURS after applying a drop to my wrist.