Masquerade

[Vega]

A festive, dazzling blend, layered in mystery and intrigue. Patchouli, ambergris, carnation and orange blossom.

In imp: Whoa patchouli! it's pushing right to the fore, and it's the "dirty" kind. I think I can also detect some citrus/orange.

On skin: Radiant, high, golden, and forceful. This is the same patchouli as in Rakshasa, the type that I don't like. Patchouli dominates the whole blend, and the orange blossom backs it up, making it bright, golden and a bit citrus-sweet; I'm not familiar with ambergris and carnation but they may also be at work here. Over time, the shrill goldenness tones down, the patchouli burns off and becomes more pleasant, and Masquerade becomes a little deeper and blunted, but still mostly radiant.
Colour impression: Glowing vermillion.

Verdict: Masquerade gets more pleasant over time, but I don't like how it wears for the first half-hour or so. Not fond of the patchouli here, so I won't keep this.

[hersphinxness]

A warm, burnished scent. The orange blossom is surprisingly dominant and the carnation lends it a nice spiceyness. The patchouli isn't overwhelming on me. I'm not sure what's making the difference, but on me this patchouli is much more of a background note. There's a general incense layer in here.

 

Masquerade didn't knock my socks off, but it's such a thoroughly pleasant, eminently wearable scent that I'm keeping this in the "good" imp box.

[Redillon]

This wasn't a morpher at all. It was the same in the imp as it was on my skin. Head shoppe. Now, I don't mind a good head shoppe scent, but this one was not for me at all. The carnation really is a deal breaker for me. It doesn't like my skin at all and turns really funky on me. I don't get any orange at all and I like orange. Oh well.

[Helas]

Masquerade is dominated by an extremely raw, bitter patchouli and by the citrus tang of the orange blossom. The carnation is faint and the ambergris never shows up for me, which makes me sad because I love ambergris. The initial wet phase of the perfume is very strong and one of the few that hurts my throat a little when I smell it.

 

The mix of bitter patchouli with sour orange comes across as too acrid to me without a sweet note to balance it out. The feel of the perfume is dirty, earthy, and rough, and I have trouble associating it with the aristocratic Italian ball I envisioned when I heard the name. Elegance and mystery are nowhere to be found in this masquerade, which makes me think more of a club of low-budget furry aficionados rough-and-tumbling it in the middle of the woods.

 

Masquerade dries down to plain but rather pleasant patchouli. I'm keeping it for the drydown phase, and to wear in case I ever get invited to the aforementioned furry forest orgy (unlikely, but a gentleman ought always be prepared even for the improbable.)

 

Three out of five stars.

[cherrycherry]

It's a good job I love patchouli

 

This one was one of my early imp-to-bottle impulse buys, back when I got into BPAL about a year ago, and so now it has some age to it. The patchouli is a LOT more dominant than it used to be and the orange blossom has disappeared. This is almost a SN patchouli on me, save for a light sweetness that adds a touch more texture. Sadly, it doesn't really have me call to mind what a Masquerade ball would smell like - instead I get foresty feelings and a longing to burn joss sticks and sit meditating for hours. I'm going to keep my bottle but it's doubtful I'll replace it once it's empty.

[lavenderfrost]

In The Imp: Ugh, patchouli. XP

 

Immediate Application: The patchouli's still strong. It's not OMFG SWEET CHOCOLATE BABY JESUS NO, but it's noticeable. Dammit. XP

 

30-45 Minutes Later: The patchouli backs off, but still present enough to make me iffy on this one. I doubt I'll want a bottle. I may or may not use the imp, we'll see. It's definitely in my will-swap-if-I-see-something-exciting-enough bag.

 

Verdict: Me and patchouli, we are non-mixy things. I ordered this because I love the smell of carnations and orange blossoms, and I hoped they'd keep it in check. They do keep it from getting unbearable, but it doesn't make it enjoyable.

[TurpentineChai]

I got this free in my first order of imps and wasn't quite sure why. All the scents I ordered were light and even clear looking in the bottle while this was dark and a little scary looking. Before opening it, I looked up the blend online only to exclaim an: "Alas, patchouli!"

 

It ended up going on the back of my list without even drying it on the skin, until I was going to watch a tarot card reading. I thought it would be a perfect time to try a mysterious scent and I kinda liked it although it was much heavier than I'd wear. I might've given it a try if I hadn't gotten to my friend's house and had her ask me "What perfume are you wearing? It's not your kind, give it to me."

 

And so ended my brief affair with Masquerade. I do have to add that my friend was right, she's much more a fan of heavy scents and she pulls this one off better than I ever good. I think this smells wonderful on other people, just nothing special on me.

[OctoberGwen]

This scent is mysterious and compelling...I picture a masked lady in a dark gown smiling enigmatically down at my small-child self when I smell this fragrance.

 

I adore this description and I find it very apt.

 

Masquerade is complex and interesting; the lovely sweetness of the orange blossom is balanced nicely by the patchouli, and on occasion I'm getting whiffs of what smells to me like tobacco (or possibly tobacco leaf.)

[brittanywut]

In the imp: Patchouli and pine. Oh.

 

Wet: Much more tame patchouli with orange. Smoky.

 

Dry: Nice blend of patchouli, though it has faded a bit, with orange, and I detect the slightest hint of ambergris. I like it, and it gets even better the longer I wear it.

[Lethran]

In bottle: the carnation and orange blossom are strongly dominant. The patchouli and ambergris give it an earthy, slightly disreputable anchor. Not my thing, and given the notes best not to skin test.

[rhubarb3point14]

I'm not much of a patchouli fan, but I am a huge fan of ambergris, carnation, and orange blossom. So I thought this one was a good bet!

 

Straight out of the imp it reminded me of 4711, which was the first fragrance I ever loved. Fresh and green and citrusy.

 

On my wrist, as it dried, I could smell the orange blossom and carnation.

 

Then, half an hour in, guess what happened? Oh, you know it. Patchoulipalooza. The patchouli came on strong and stuck to me like napalm. It drowned out the other components completely. If I breathed hot air on my arm, it would volatilize enough of the oils that I could smell the orange blossom again, but as soon as it cooled off again... nothing but patchouli.

 

I wore it all afternoon and had a couple of friends smell it too. Their verdict: Hippies.

 

In the immortal words of Charlie Brown, "Rats."

Edited November 27, 2011 by rhubarb3point14

[alyelle]

One of my more recent freebies from the lab, which was nice, as I've had a star next to this for a while as something to try out.

 

In the imp: Dark, bitter orange with overtones of patchouli. If I concentrate, I can make out the ambergris. There's also something sweet, but I don't think it's the carnation - I suspect it's from the broken sample of Vixen that leaked out into the package and all over the labels.

 

First on: That would be the ambergris there. I usually hear it described as earthy, but on me, it's almost buttery, like a thick vanilla cream frosting. That, tempered by the orange and patchouli (both very soft and faint), is creating a sweet, warm and comforting scent. It's whimsical and definitely feminine, like a row of cupcakes at a high tea. I'm almost tempted to put more on, just to keep smelling this.

 

Dry (10mins): The orange has started making its way to the fore again, still dark but no longer bitter. I still get a tea party feel, but no longer as whimsical; combined with the creaminess of the ambergris, this is more adult, like orange and poppy seed cakes and a hot, dark earl grey.

 

Dry (2hrs): A wonderful, creamy blend of juicy oranges and warm patchouli; nary a hint of carnation to be seen.

 

Overall: I really love this. The resulting blend is beautiful and the staying power is fantastic. I could smell it well through dinner and beyond. It would probably have taken me a while to invest in it myself, so I'm pleased the lab frimped me one, because this will definitely be a bottle scent once the imp runs out. It's perfect for those hot summer days when I'm too listless to move and Strangler Fig is too sweet to bear putting on. 5/5, no question.

[mxtine]

This is very perfumey, thanks to the orange blossom. The patchouli is not even dirty, it's fresh and sharp, or is that just the orange? Something herbal here too. Ambergris is always a gorgeous note to me, so it smooths out the sharpness once applied to my skin. It's a lot better on skin than in the bottle, but since I'm more of a fan of the aged patchouli, this isn't anything I'd need.

[Innocuousmold]

I really like patchouli but it's rare that it's something that I can pull off. This is a really nice blend of dark patchouli and orange. The carnation is great and gives it a nice balance so that it's not too sweet and not too earthy. I really like this! I think that I'd really like this as a room scent.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Innocuousmold

[strahlend]

I've come across Masquerade a few times over the years but never gave it much thought, which is weird because there's nothing objectionable to me in this blend.

 

This starts out with a lot of sharp patchouli, reminds me of the kind in #Occupy, it almost has a burnt smell to it to my nose.

 

Luckily the ambergris and orange blossom work with the patchouli to soften it up a bit.

 

This scent makes me think of Vixen (orange blossom, ginger, patchouli) and Ravenous (red patchouli and orange blossom) - similar components, quite different results.

 

I think that comparatively Masquerade has more of a warm, woody, incensy feel, Vixen features more ginger, and Ravenous has a much sweeter patchouli and features more orange.

[Luxuriance]

I really wanted to love Masquerade, but it seems me and carnation disagree. First sniff I could faintly smell carnation/spice and nothing else. Upon applying it I smelled fresh cut carnations and again that was about it. I was hoping it would morph, but it did not. I think just before I washed it off I got a whiff of orange, but not the amount I wanted. Sadly this will be swapped, carnation is probably one of my least liked flowers. I wish the orange would have been more present as orange blossom is one of my comfort scents. You win some you lose some I guess.

[whitsunweddings]

I so wanted to like this, as I was looking for an equivalent to Lush's Karma. Sadly, this wasn't it.

In the imp: Patchouli and ambergris.

Wet: Ambergris and carnation, slight hints of orange blossom and patchouli.

Dry: A mixture of sweaty armpit and a pet store. Yeah, nah. Hopefully I'll have better luck with Vixen.

[elka_knits]

In the bottle whoa nelly~ perfume! Strong perfume! I don’t know what took it from mysterious and intriguing to commercial alcoholic perfume. Still after Much Hesitation I decided to go ahead on put it on. Perfume! Not so strong. The Beloved One walked in and started looking around and peering at flat surfaces. Lifted blinds to check ledge etc. I asked him what are you looking for? Incense. Are you burning incense? It’s my perfume. No, it’s incense. Sniff. Oh it’s your perfume. Which led to a brief discussion on how I used to burn incense when he met me but don’t anymore. Why bother when I smell like a stick yo?

 

Yeah.

 

Despite my claim I want to smell incense-ous that sounds dirty if this is it the answer is no. No, no I do not.

 

 

NOTE old pre label change bottle {purchased by myself from lab} The orange could be lost due to age and fresh imp is not out of line

[undream]

god, this is gorgeous & i love love love it. reading the description (after trying it!), i would not have guessed at the notes in this oil at all; i absolutely thought it was mostly cedar! (and perhaps something loamy? as it has that lovely, earthy dirt scent up close to the skin.) it's just a beautiful warm, woodsy scent, a sexy earthen goddess type oil. perhaps i'll be better able to pick out the carnation et al the next time that i wear it, knowing now that they are in there, but whatever the alchemy, it is gorgeous, and a definite keeper.

[whataboutprom]

This is one of those oils that shouldn't work on me but totally does. I tend to amp neroli, and because it can become so overwhelming, I generally avoid it. And while in theory I like patchouli, people have such negative reactions to it that I never wear it. Carnation can be kind of sour and too green on me. Well, ambergris I do love.

 

Wet, I get sharp patchouli. This morphs pretty quickly on my skin; the neroli comes out first, with a bit of carnation bite in the background. For the first 30 minutes or so, the patchouli and neroli battle for dominance. After that the soft, sweet, somewhat powdery (but not baby powder!) ambergris comes out, and everything else fades into the background. This is totally worth the slightly strange wet phase.

 

The ambergris has me huffing my wrist nonstop. Unfortunately, this fades into almost nothing after an hour or two. I have just the teeniest, tiniest bit of ambergris fragrance left on my skin after a few hours. Totally worth reapplying though.

 

If I use up this imp, this might actually end up being a bottle purchase for me.

 

ETA: Well, a few days later and my imp is almost empty. I can't stop slathering this on, so I just purchased a 5ml bottle.

Edited August 11, 2012 by whataboutprom

[KakashiMorph]

This imp is aged (not sure how long). Let's see what has happened to it.

In the bottle: I have no idea what ambregris smells like. That aside, I get patchouli and a bit of orange blossom.

On my skin: Heavy, dark, oppressing and earthy, I get a hint of sweat and a faint idea of an orange blossom trying to come through. It is smoky and incensy but I would appreciate it if I didn't smell like sweat in the midst of this. A couple of minutes later the sweaty note begins to tone down and I get a very smokey scent (the ambergris, I'm guessing?) with a hint of spice which is the patchouli. I also think I can detect a hint of the orange blossom, buried deep down, but I am not sure.

Drydown: Soap with a hint of orange blossom.

I wish this didn't have the sweat note, it would have made it so much better.

[ClareN]

This is an aged imp, 4-5 years. I mainly get earthy patchouli with a touch of orange - more orange than blossom, to my nose; it doesn't have the nectary sweetness that other BPAL orange blossom scents have (like Hunger or Vixen). There's just a tiny hint of spicy carnation.

 

I love the patchouli note in this, but since I don't get much of the other notes it's a bit too simple for me. With the subtle carnation, it reminds me of a less complex version of Clemence.

 

If you like this, try: Clemence, Ravenous, Rakshasa, Schwarzer Mond

[kaberett]

In the imp: Carnation and patchouli - smoky-sweet.

 

Wet: dark, oaky, spicey smoke - patchouli jumps out straight away, as does I think the carnation.

 

Dry: The florals start to come out quite rapidly, but they're not coy or shy about it – they're not menacing, precisely, but they know exactly what they're doing. The patchouli's trying quite hard to dominate on me; this is a very strong and assertive scent. This gets rapidly more complex through drydown – it goes from straight-up patchouli to actually being able to smell the orange blossom again, with a slightly bitter floral edge. The ambergris's also coming out to play, occupying the middle ground. Cautiously optimistic for how this will pan out on me.

 

A couple of hours in, this is smelling like warm golden orange floral, with just a little roundness and spice from the darker notes. I'm a little unconvinced by it in the early stages but it's definitely in my "worth sticking with" pile!

Edited April 18, 2013 by kaberett

[milo]

Definitely getting the patch in this one. I think it's the red patch variety. Not getting much else, even when dry. I like my patchouli, and this is the kind I like, smooth and mellow. I'll probably use the imp when I'm in the mood for a good patch fix.

[heyjjudette]

PURE PATCHOULI! I'm in love. So dark and animalistic. I feel like I'm a hippie shop. I want more.

 

 

Edit: I'm on my second try with it and now I get a musk and wait for it... Grape pez candy!!! I need to scroll through the posts above to see if anyone else gets this.

Edited October 18, 2013 by heyjjudette