Cuélebre

[myth]

Blood red pomegranate juice, gleaming leather, black myrrh, saffron, Spanish juniper, Apple of Cain, and green cognac.

There are notes in here that I like, but I was very wary of the pomegranate, because it often goes too candy-like on me. This, however, is one of those scents that is a whole greater than the sum of its parts. I can't say that I can pick out a single individual note. When I inhale, I'd say yes, I smell pom definitely, leather, myrrh, juniper, and apple... but the overall impression is seamless. It's not a jumble of notes that you kind of mash together as you sense them; if you want to think about them individually you instead have to work them apart like teasing threads out of a tightly woven cloth.

ETA: this is very rich and heady. It's a pretty powerful scent. If you like scents that are light and delicate, this won't be for you.

I like this one. A little surprised about that. Edited September 2, 2012 by myth

[ellebelle]

On the other hand, I LOVE pomegranate and I LOVE cognac, so I was most exicted for this scent.

 

But alas, it was not to bed. The pomegranate is a nice juicy note, but there is something in this that smells rancid, like burning. Perhaps the black myrrh or saffron is ruining this for me? The notes smell discordant and ugly to my nose. Into the swaps box it goes.

[zankoku_zen]

I am utterly and very pleasantly surprised with this blend. It's got a hellish Pom (you know, its bright and fruity but if you EAT it, you have to stay in Hell with Hades for like, ever) and the entire vibe is RED. I swore it smelled like it had red musk in it (probably due to the fruity Pom), but on the drydown I realise it's the myrrh and the leather having some a SEX baby hybrid that smells like the red musk single note.

 

The Apple of Cain is the fruit from the strawberry tree... Have no idea what it smells like, but probably is contributing to the fruitiness of the blend. Slight whiff of cognac after about an hour of wear.

 

This blend reminds me to Regina Erebi and the other 'hell' Poms (and that Pom atmo I can never spell the name of).

[angelicruin]

Mmmm, pomegranate, leather, and cognac strongest notes on my skin. Very juicy & sexy. I've already purchased a back-up bottle.

[Dark Alice]

The pomegranate in this is so juicy and delicious that I Want to lick my wrist while this is wet. As it dries the leather and cognac come out plus something golden. I have no idea what the note that evokes an image of a black and gold gilded dragon but there is a note in here that does just that. I love it and though it's not an every day scent I am so glad that I have a bottle.

[Blood onmy hands]

I don't like the lab's pomegranate note, as it turns dry, powdery, and slightly bitter on my skin (like sweet tarts candy, but worse). I definitely get that note in this one, especially when first applied. It's very red and fruity candy, along with what smells like apple cider on my skin. As it dries down, something starts to smell like dark, dried herbs on my skin (the saffron & leather, maybe) and a bit sharp and perfumey. But mostly this is pomegranate, which just doesn't work for me, sadly.

[mymymai]

ITI: Sweet, sugared pomegranate, strawberry, and a touch of cognac. It's super sweet in the bottle, but it reminds me a little of childhood dress up and that fun fruit-flavored lip gloss.

 

Wet: Strawberry, pomegranate myrrh and a touch of warm cognac. Even thought this is slightly foody, I enjoy it.

 

Dry: Pomegranate, strawberry, vanilla, musk, and myrrh. I like it!

[ljaylh]

When I first popped this on, it was like a fruity explosion of fruity fruitness - kinda like sticking your head into a bag of Starbust fruit chews.. sweet, fruity goodness. Then I remembered... my old friend pomegranate, who turns into bubblegum almost always once it hits my skin - and there's also something very apple-y but kinda strawberry-ish going on here too. OK, so I just need to wait a bit for the fruitiness to mellow out...

 

Ah - that's better! fruity overload has passed after about 10 minutes, and now I've got this completely different fragrance - a lovely smokey/slightly spicey leathery warmness has come out - there's a hint of something boozy under there, which I guess is the cognac (I lovelovelove cognac in my BPALs, but prefer the regular kind - the green, not so much). This is reminding me very much of Crypt Queen - the pomegranate particularly - it's lush and velvety with dark mysterious undertones, and I agree with myth - it's very heady, but for me it's not heady in a 'yikes that's some strong perfume you're wearing'.. more in a 'lean in and mmmmmm close your eyes and breathe it in' kind of way. I'm not getting any of the juniper at all (praise the gourd!) but I sure am loving this black myrrh.

 

In the end, Cuélebre dries down to a lovely warm mix of dry/dusky pom + soft dark leather/myrrh with the cognac sitting quietly in the background. Very nice indeed.

 

Plus - cute label, too --->

[jolarocknrolla]

Smells like jolly ranchers and cat fur. I know that sounds like a bad review but it isn't actually, i really like it! It does have a pronounced candy scent, like fruity jolly ranchers but also this kind of warm dry muskyness that probably comes from the Leather (which is not too strong and blended very well) that gives it a feral and wonderful sort of base. This was a definate winner for me and REALLY unusual and totally wearable.

Edited October 5, 2012 by jolarocknrolla

[Monday]

Wet on my skin: Apples, cognac and pomegranate, very autumnal. There is something burnt about this scent like the pomegranate is slightly scorched I fear this will go like the dreaded pumpkin note on my skin.

Dry on my skin: It's turned into a weird blend of apple and bitter pomegranate with scorched cognac. (the cognac note reminds me of Noisome Clockwork Locomotive) I'm not getting any leather.

Definitely not a scent for me.

[bheansidhe]

Most "spiced fruit juice" blends from the Lab veer into Halloween or Christmas territory for me. While notes of mulled wine or spiced sherry can be delicious scents, they carry a strong holiday scent association that (for me) limits their wearability to those times of the year.

 

Fortunately, Cuelebre doesn't smell like a holiday. It smells like a heady, cognac-infused, red-and-gold dragon-style throwdown. First out of the gate is the pomegranate, red and juicy and sweet but not candied or cloying. The saffron and cognac luff it out in warm billows. I don't specifically catch vanilla or leather in here, but the myrrh sharpens and grounds the blend overall. The cognac, in some miracle, never goes sour or alcoholic the way it does in 99% of other cognac-containing blends; it's like catching cognac fumes in the back of your throat without ever swallowing the liquid itself.

 

Liquid win!

[midnight_aeval]

My nose must be completely broke because this smells like pineapple! It's juicy and lovely, just not what I was expecting. Wondering how it will fare on the dry-down, but as of now it's a fruit salad starring pineapple.

[porcelina]

Cuelebre is mostly tart, juicy pomegranate on me, with leather and a tiny bit of myrrh taking it out of super fruity territory. It is really well-blended and if I did not already know, it would be hard for me to name the individual notes here. It is a really delicious scent- one of those bpals that has me constantly sniffing my arm because it just smells so good!