Blood Kiss

[blackfelicula]

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.

In the bottle: Oddly, this smells primarily salty to me, with an undertone of wine and spices. I think the clove and vetiver are the whiff I am catching.

Wet: I’m still getting a salty, earthy combination on this one, as if I’m licking the salt of my husbands sweat before making love to him in the summer.

Drying down: This is sensual, yes, but I do not smell sweetness as much as I smell down and dirty ravishing. The cherry barely peeks through the mix. Husky is a good word to describe it, as is drunk. Scenes from Anne Rice novels come to mind.

Dry: The lush side of Blood Kiss comes out more when dry. The mix sweetens, and the notes take turns wafting up. This is one that smells better from afar than with my nose glued to my wrist. My son agrees.

Later: The saltiness has subsided somewhat. Sweetness and spice can now shine through, even close up. The result is luxuriant and sensual, intoxicating. Is it possible to get drunk on BPAL? It’s worth the wait to get to this stage.

[labmaven]

My favorite!

 

This was the first BPAL scent that I tried on, thanks to Nightbird, who is responsible for my uncontrollable addiction. When I first sniffed the imp I was shocked by the vetiver. I didn't recognize it, so we looked it up to see the ingredients.

 

It sounded amazing, but overwhelming. I was sniffing many of her imps, but kept coming back to Blood Kiss. I asked her if I could try it and an addiction was born. It smelled wonderful on me, which surprised us both. I've smelled vetiver alone and it is not pleasing at all; it's a heavy base note that smells very earthy and almost oily. But in combination with other scents it brings out the best in them and adds staying power. Blood Kiss is still the scent that has the most staying power on my scent-hungry skin.

 

So the description: I'm not familiar with the scent of poppies, but I smell all of the other notes in combination. I can pick them out separately if I try, but why try? They smell wonderful together. Nothing is overpowering to me.

 

This scent is a bit heavy, but that works for me. I immediately bought a 5mL bottle. I keep the imp in my jewelry dish & love catching a wiff every time I rifle through my earrings. The name is apt - it can imagine being "kissed" by a vampire and slowly falling under his spell as the blood leaves my body. It's a sensual smell, but not sexy (to me).

 

I love it - I can't rave enough!

[Saliekat]

In the bottle -

Medicinal cherries.

 

Wet on the skin -

The cherries disappear and it's all about the medicine....something for clearing sinuses.

 

Dry -

It's not unpleasant, but I can't understand why anybody would ever wear this as a perfume. At least, not anybody with my skin chemistry!

 

Le hub says -

"Cherry Tunes! Great if you want to smell like a throat lozenge. 5 out of 10 for being a good mimic."

[akabob]

This oil got tested on both my man's skin and my own skin. Whoa what a difference in the way our skins picked up this complex scent.

 

I loved this on my boy. Not nearly so much on my skin until the dry down. Here is how it smelled on me: First, the vetiver comes off the strongest, with clove kind of woven in. About 30 minutes after it dried down it settled in and the vetiver burned off and I could smell the clove and what I think was the vanilla and honey and wine heating up a little bit. It warmed to a beautiful kind of spiced sweetness that wasn't foody-sweet at all. This is definitely going to be saved for special events in the evening...as it made me feel very sexy...I just have to wait for that 30 minutes to pass so that pesky vetiver doesn't make me smell all astringent.

 

On my man's skin: Oh my gods. What a difference. His skin immediately pulled up all the sticky sweetness of this scent and the vetiver just warmed it up a touch. I think this is because my boy has very sweet skin scent naturally...he tends to make everything smell sweet like a cookie. This scent smelled so sexy on him..very spicy, like a mulled wine with a touch of honey swirled into the scent. The vetiver on his skin ended up being just the right balance to keep the smell from being too girly for his taste, and I am pretty sure he'll be getting into this imp in the future.

[finecurvedhips]

i was doing a wee happy dance when i got this as a frimp in my last lab order.

 

imp- when i first opened it, it was jaw-dropping awesome, but when i waved it under my nose it was awful! i was so sad, but decided to give it a go anyways.

 

wet- omg, get it off! i don't know if it's the vetiver or what, but it was just hellishly ick on my skin. like really bad patchouli ick.

 

drydown- honey? that's all i get with -maybe- a hint of cherry to round it out. i have to say i'm rather infatuated with this phase. *grins* i have never had a scent morph this completely on me before.

 

still no keeper for me - i'm not a huge honey fan, but this is a sure winner for anyone who digs the honeys.

[Tess]

This should work soooooooo well on me. That is, unless the vetiver goes wild and has a kitty dance on my skin...

 

In the vial - This smells nutty to me for some reason. Almost like peanuts. There's a hint of vanilla here, but it's mostly the nut smell.

 

Wet - No, seriously. Vanilla cherry peanuts.

 

Drying - I just can't get past the peanut butter smell here. There's a cherry vanilla candy type scent behind it, but the nut is lingering on my skin. It's very SWEET, though, and warms the nose.

 

Dry (45 minutes) - The hopes I had for this turned to "eh." Frankly, it smells like a slightly musky version of Dragon's Milk on me. It's super sweet with an artificial cherry hint and a dark musky undertone. Okay, the musky undertone is great, but the vanilla and the cherry are just too fake.

 

Overall - Let it be said that sweet scents just don't work well on me. I don't know if it's the honey or the vanilla or what, but my skin just doesn't like them.

[Precis]

This imp was a gift from my sister; I tried some right when she gave it to me and it was gorgeous and dark and complex, but it's been neglected since then, so I decided out of the blue to try it on and give it a review before I leave for class.

 

In the imp, the smell of Blood Kiss is dominated by Vetiver and atrocious, but I'm used to Vetiver being all uppity until it's applied to skin, so no worries here.

 

Wet: After slathering some of this on all over, I keep noticing this bizarre smell that I just can't place. After turning my head a few times, it comes to me: I'm smelling boiled peanuts. What the hell, you guys. After a couple of minutes, the vanilla emerges, but it still smells unmistakeably like boiled peanuts! I'm a little pissed off because I was expecting the awesome oil that I remembered quite vividly from before and I get PEANUTS! Guess I'll wait a little while longer...

 

...and after 15 minutes the peanut smell is mostly gone and continuing to fade. It's the Blood Kiss I knew so long ago (okay, it was only a couple months back), returned to me! Its sweetness is tempered by the Vetiver and musk and the impression it leaves is decidedly dark. As it continues to dry, the juiciness of what must be the wine or cherries becomes more prominent and something smells just a little smoky (musk?). Overall, Blood Kiss is cool, if a little intense. Good for nighttime, I think.

 

(Haha, after scrolling down to see the most recent reviews, I see that the above reviewer agrees on the peanut front. Seriously, what an odd note to get from an oil.)

Edited September 5, 2006 by Precis

[maijasu]

From the description, I thought I'd love this, but that is sadly not the case. This scent is very strong and sweet. I would classify the sweetness as syrupy rather than foody. I do like the extreme drydown (when it's almost gone but leaves a hint of sweetness), but for the first few hours, it's just too much. My imp will be finding a new home.

[QueenFae]

This one contains two of my enemies; clove and vetiver. It's a very sweet scent, and I can detect the vanilla and cherry desperatly trying to show themselves. Unfortunately, the throbbing clove wins out on my skin. It morphs into almost completely clove with a sticky sweet trickle of vanilla and a faint undertone of vetiver. It's a very "red" scent, of course, and I can detect the sexiness of the musks on the dry down. This one doesn't work on my skin, but the boy LOVES this one and wears it all the time. It smells amazing on him.

[Trish]

In the Imp: Sweet cherry, very almondy.

 

Wet: Very strong sweet cherry/almond.

 

Drydown: Vetivert, but it's not overly strong. Just enough for me to be able to detect it at the edges immediately and to tone down what otherwise would be overwhelmingly sweet. Mind you I'm one of the people who likes a little vetivert. The vanilla is appearing also, and yes, a hint of cloves. I love cloves. Sweet cherry vanilla with a touch of cloves and a woody base. Cherry is still dominant though, and it still smells a lot like almond on me. If it would die down a bit more I'm pretty sure I'd like this more. At the moment it's just too sweet for me, vetivert or not!

 

Dry: Cherry vanilla with a tiny hint of honey. This is very sweet and creamy. The vetivert and cloves have completely disappeared.

 

Two hours: The cherry has finally faded a tiny bit, so it's now a sweet, creamy cherry, vanilla, and honey scent. The cloves have also reappeared, just a hint lending a little spiciness. It has quite a bit of throw and is pretty strong and shows no sign of fading.

 

This lasts for hours and hours. And hours. Through several washings and a shower where I scrubbed my wrist. Then I attacked it with the dishwashing detergent and it's still there and still quite strong! This is seriously long lasting stuff which sticks to my skin and refuses to budge. It obviously likes me more than I like it!

 

 

This is too sweet for me, although it's not offensive especially after about 3 hours. I won't be keeping the imp though. If the vetivert or cloves were stronger - or the cherry less strong - I'd probably like it a lot more.

Edited September 17, 2006 by Trishek

[kunoichi]

In the vial it smells like a dark, dripping honey-like scent dripping with a multitude of conflicting scents within it. On my skin it becomes lighter with the vanilla in the honey, though there is a darker wine and musk scent underneath it all. After a few hours this is a much softer honey scent on my skin.

[raspberry*tart]

Blood Kiss: mmm in the bottle its yummy vanilla and cherry, it smells creamy like the description says.. Why did I not try this sooner.. This *could* be my favourite scent so far... And I haven't put it on yet... OK on my wrist, its gorgeous! still the same creamy vanilla/cherry scent but the honey is noticable now.. it does have a clove smell to it.. so sexy.. I am LOVING this so much..!

10mins later: its the same as before but with a slight woody scent added to it.. its absolutely mouth watering gorgeous!! i love love love it.. 5ml FOR SURE coming up..

[sofiaviolet]

This is arguable the ookiest vetiver I've ever smelled. It goes away on my skin, to be replaced with a rather sour-smelling musk. Ick ick ick.

[projectx]

This is try # 2 for me actually. the first time I was overwelmed by scents.

 

In the bottle it smells like rancid wine, and cherries. I know not to judge a book by it's cover, so I put some on.

The wine moves over to a cigar-like scent. Honestly I couldn't tell you why, but it smells liek a cherry cigar. Spicy is moving through.

Dry it is all clove. In case there wasn't enough clove, there was more clove added. like cramming 15 clove spears throught one now unidentifiable except by dental record cherry.

 

I plan on making a lotion out of this, but I think that will be it.

I love smelling cloves, but wow..

[oregonmom]

I received this as a frimp from the Lab yesterday and tested it without reading the description or reviews, then reapplied while reading this thread.

 

Wow - this is nothing like I would have expected from the notes listed. I did not get vetiver, which usually amps on me and is generally a case of mutual dislike. I did not get clove, which I do like. I would have sworn it was Dragon's Blood and vanilla, with something else I can't identify. It went through a stage of being almost tooth-achingly sweet - probably the honey. On the second application I got an initial strong scent of peanuts (thank you, Tess, that I'm not the only one) and some cherry on the drydown.

 

I think this is a little heavy for me. I will try it again later to see if I get something different. I see from my inventory that I have an older imp somewhere - it might be worth seeing if aging makes a difference.

[Vampy]

Bloodkiss is strange. I've tried it several times now and still can't decide whether I like it or not. It's an odd scent. The honey is so strong I can just about taste it, yet somehow it still doesn't come off as a "foodie" scent - something smells like dragon's blood to me, even though I don't think it's supposed to be in this scent, and well, the idea of eating dragon's blood isn't terribly appealing.

 

But anyway, for me the honey and clove are the stronest scents, underlaid by various sweet notes that aren't very distinguishable from one another, and a deep earthiness below that. It all comes off very strangely, and my mind goes, "I'm not certain I like this..." and yet I can't stop sniffing my wrist.

 

The weirdest thing about it is after a couple of hours, it turns to a sweet cherry tobacco. I was at the grocery store when I noticed and wondered who had been smoking a pipe, and then realized it was me. The boy had tried it on too that night, and it did the same thing on him - cherry tobacco. We smelled like a cigar shop!

[supremegoddessofall]

This is pretty! There's definitely an animalistic tone to it, presumably from the musk. Cherries and vanilla with a hint of spice is what I get, and I'm surprised it works for me because cherry usually goes to Nyquil on me. This is very rich.

[severina]

I got a frimp of this in a swap. I probably wouldn't have choosen it because of the cherry in the description. I am so happy I tried this...

 

Wet I smell chocolate with something that seems almost like almond? On my skin the chocolate scent dissapears, replaced by a musky spiciness that is the sexiest scent I've ever smelled. It has all the spiciness on me of a chai tea with a feral undertone without any sweetness. This is so yummy I don't think I could ever wear it as a day scent; I'd be so distracted I'd never get anything done.

 

I'll be ordering a bottle of this and saving it for evening and weekend wearing.

[cinderfallen]

At first it's a deep cherry that has a dark base, with something more sharp on the surface--a little herbal, smells like myrrh, which is probably the combination of clove and vetiver. That quickly fades. It gets less fruity, but it's still a little sweet--I'm getting a lot of honey! and vanilla and spice, with a flowered edge. For most of Blood Kiss's life, it's a slightly spicy honey note with a slightly grainy, generic BPAL spice/musk smell, if you know what I mean from Snake Oil or O. It's really gorgeous, though--the slightly viscous, golden smell of the honey really glows on top of the darker base. It dries to a vanilla-spice-honey musk that lies close to the skin.

 

ADDED Aug. 21:

 

I used to amp the vetiver in this so it wasn't that great, but lately, on re-trying, it smells like jasmine milk tea. Milky with honey and sweetness. Reminds of a lighter Voodoo.

Edited August 28, 2007 by Shollin

[dorothy humbird]

Blood Kiss does an amazing transformation from the bottle to my skin when it dries down.

 

Just smelling the imp I'm keenly aware of the honey and the red wine notes, and what I suspect is the musk. It smells interesting but not like anything I'd want to wear. When I first tested this I thought I smelled something vinegary, it's that sharp.

 

The sweet honey and the sharp red wine notes are still very prominent while Blood Kiss is wet on my skin... but after 5 minutes' time there is a blending and mellowing effect that results in a heavenly, heady cloud of vanilla-honey-cherry syrup mulled with cloves, with a base of vetiver and musk that adds mystery and depth. It's very warm and delicious, and I often reapply before I go to bed.

 

Blood Kiss just loves my skin, and stays there for hours nicely. It's hard for me to judge throw because while I often get whiffs of it myself, no one has spontaneously complemented me on it to date. (On the other hand, my flatmates agree that it's great.) Will order a 5ml bottle as soon as finances permit.

 

 

Can't wait til next weekend to see if the boy approves! (He better!)

Edited November 6, 2006 by dorothy humbird

[kryshki]

I like the smell of this, esp. while wet, but after drydown, while still smelling very pleasant, it is not something I would wear. Maybe use as incense or in a candle?

 

Edited to add: If you have a lot of patience, this scent has tremendous staying power and will eventually turn into something really woodsy-spicy nice.

Edited November 8, 2006 by kryshki

[Deiicide]

I got this as a frimp and I heard so many good things about it I have high hopes for it. But Vetiver ruins it all with its sharpness. Oh well, can't win them all. Swap!

[fiddledragon]

In the imp: strong, sweet cherry. Not exactly cherry candy, but very sticky...the vetiver and clove are in there, too.

 

On me:

Wet -- Woah! Strong. Definitely cherries, definitely wine, definitely honey. The vanilla is probably in there somewhere, and the cloves and vetiver ground it. This is a red-lipstick vampiress from some over the top schlocky movie.

Dry -- The scent has become incredibly dry along with the oil...the vetiver has sucked all the life-blood out of the cherries, wine, and honey, and left this almost incensy note that literally leaves me wanting to take a drink of water after I sniff it.

 

Chalk one up for the Weird Skin Chemistry. I'll give this one a few more tries; it has great potential as a costume scent.

[goth_huntress]

This is my favorite of the five Imps I got for my first order. I just want to put it on everything. I'm so buying a real vial of it after new years. I just adore it. I can smell the wine and musk, and it's like heaven.

 

JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH.

[Violaine]

*sighs* Blood Kiss just makes me grieve, I tell you. GRIEVE.

 

I wanted to badly to love this scent on me. I was almost positive it would be wonderful, heady goodness on me. Alas...

 

In the bottle: I was immediately startled at the awfulness of it. I could smell no vanilla, no clove, no cherry, no nothing I'm supposed to smell. Just spicy, powdery... goo.

 

Wet on skin: More of the same. I think I'm smelling the vetiver...

 

Dry: It's just spicy powder. I can't put my finger on a single note in this blend. I finally had to wash it off

 

Verdict: I am so sad that this oil turned to disaster on my skin. Bleh, into the swap pile and onto another oil.