Formula 54

[Shollin]

Visions of smeared candy red lipstick, torn fishnet and searching, sunken eyes. The scent of an all-nighter: cognac, tobacco flower, dark musk, black rose and clove.

 

Formula 54, a limited edition offered only to forum members. The version I tried is a prototype.

 

First sniff: A brainteasingly familiar scent - I think it smells like something Ive drunk. Its like cherries, but darker and I dont mean black cherries, I mean like Maraschinos dressed up in leather and carrying switchblades. Weird and unsettling.

 

Wearing: The cherry scent is brighter on me its a bit giddy, but theres still something off about it a bleary drunken giddy, not a happy laughing giddy. Not happy at all, actually its a staggering, desperate scent, and its freaking me out a bit so Im going to go wash it off now.

 

EDITED to update scent status, and moved this thread from Up-and-Coming.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: ok, it smells like a stripper chewing on some of the hard pink bubble gum from the 80s. it's sexy, yet playful.

 

on: wow. i like this. it's still bright, pink bubble gum-y, but it's also kind of dirty, if that makes any sense. i can pick out the clove and the black rose and what i think is the dark musk. seriously, i'm loving it.

 

5.5 hours later: still lovely. not as sweet as before. the rose is dominant now, with the clove warming it up. i'm going to a concert tonight, so i'll be reapplying before we head out.

 

overall: i wouldn't buy a whole 5ml of this, but i may get another imp's ear of it once i run out. very sexy in a fun and dirty kind of a way.

 

note: i CANNOT wear this right before getting my period because it turns into the harshest, most synthetic-smelling flowers. yuck. skin chemistry is so interesting.

[Guest]

I agree, it's brilliant for capturing what the description says, but not sure I'd wear it- a bit too familiar for me!! Smells like the smoke machines at the club I started going to at 16! I always said it smelt like strawberry bubble-gum, mix that with that ciggie/booze smell you get the morning after & that's forula 54!

[plumlicorice]

sugared allure with a dark and dirty underside... just my type!

i got formula 54 in a swap with gothabillywench and i adore it. i knew i would when i read the description. this stuff is addictive! i love the way the party-girl brightness darkens into a clove cigarette smell on my skin; it reminds me of smoking djarum specials and riding around the san francisco bay area with my friend katie last april.

i would buy a 10ml of this, i love it that much. of course, maybe that's because i've never had an especially negative experience with boozing/clubbing...

[Cegirls]

Yes, this scent is INTOXICATING... Yuuuuum... I really don't get any cigarette skank out of this, but a "good" sugared smokiness with an underlying of sly sexiness... A definate 5 or 10ml buy!

[Anokhi]

Weird, to me, this doesn't smell overly sexy, but warm and inviting. A very 'cozy' scent, I can detect notes of vanilla, amber and a slightly fruity-edible character. I will definetely order a full bottle when available!

[lorajc]

It's been such a long time since I sampled this, but I remember that I loved it. I have a bottle on order so I'll post a full review at that time. I remember it being slightly sweet, cherryish and deep at the same time. I remember I also got a compliment the day I wore it. Can't wait for my bottle to get here!

 

I finally got my big bottle and wore this for the first time since my above review. It is not as cherry smelling as I remember it. It is more smoky, clovey and I can definitely smell the tobacco flower. I don't know if I just can't remember it from a long time ago or it just smells different. I can barely detect the cherry at all and the rose is deep and blends in with the clove and tobacco flower.

 

The bottle is absolutely gorgeous, but I'm afraid of spilling it. I don't trust the stopper on top, therefore, I have it stored away from my other bottles.

Edited October 4, 2004 by lorajc

[Red_Hot_Mama]

I LOVE this!

 

My little cobalt stoppered bottle arrived today. This is the blend to replace my beloved Siren.

 

I do not smell the clove very much but the blend of cognac, tobacco flower, dark musk & black rose meld together in a richness unsurpassed in any of Beth's other blends.

 

Well....on me, at least.

 

Updated the next morning to add:

 

Lots of "staying" power with this one, too.

 

Formula 54 is an exquisite, "classy" fragrance: imagine wearing a black velvet halter gown & pearls or a sexy corset & tight jeans. Either way, you will feel sexy, feminine & uber gorgeous.

 

Added on 11-2-04

 

F'54 continues to surprise & delight me. It gets me loads & loads of compliments, too!

 

RHM

Edited November 3, 2004 by Red_Hot_Mama

[MissAnthropy]

Yes, this scent is INTOXICATING...  Yuuuuum...

Cegirls hit it right on the head.

 

INTOXICATING. Fruity, sugary, sweet... but in a bad girlkind of way. Candy-fruity, like the smell of a lollipop that you've been sucking on for a while. Warm. RED. For me, this is a a club scent. It'll be the first one I slather on the next time I go out to the club (not the bar, big difference in bar scents, and club scents, IMO).

 

The best thing about this scent? My chemistry didn't change it much at all, other then fade it down with time. It stayed alive, and I could smell it on me the entire time I had it on.

 

I'll be sad when this scent is all gone. It's what I wanted Hollywood Babylong to smell like. I adore HB, but, Formula 54 is more *me* then HB. The bottle and the wax tag really made this one special.

 

 

 

-Leslie

[TrayLynn]

I got my pretty bottle today and I'm in love! At first Formula 54 was fruity, I could definitely smell the cherries in this one. As the night wore on I got the smoky, sensual smell that I've always looked for in a perfume. This one just smells like sex on me and I like it! I swear I've been looking for this perfume forever. I'm so glad I got this one I would have paid double the price for F54.

[Astarte]

Got my Formula 54 bottle today and its adorable with the little wax seal.

 

Its very fruity and dark, a little like the darkness of Perversion, but this is the ultimate in bad girl scent.

 

The mood of this scent is very sexy and playful, awesome for wearing out to a club or just out generally! When I put this on, Formula 54 has this wonderful aura expanding around me. Its very intoxicating!

[miss apple]

Formula 54

 

I had to find the right mood to try this because in the bottle it smelled mostly like bitter cherries. Once on, wow this smells like cough syrup! It's not as bitter but not quite pleasant. After a few minutes the cough syrup smell goes away and suddenly this is a wonderful dark smokey scent. It remind me a bit of the cherry incense I used to buy from Spencer gifts. I'd burn it so it would cover up the smell of the cigarettes I used to sneak in my room so my mom wouldn't find out as if she didn't know Good times Anyway this smells much better than the Spencers's incense; there are many dark layers that subdue sweetness while enhancing the sexiness ripe fruitness. This is a very seductive oil, perfect for those evening when you want to play the femme fatale.

Edited October 14, 2004 by miss apple

[pkwench]

The 54th Level of Bliss.

 

On first whiff, this was overwhelming and blow-you-away cherry. Bubblegum? Nuh, boy, this is a nuclear powered lollipop on crack. And then, ah, and then. Out erupts a smokey sort of musk laced with dirty, whorish little florals that just burn down on the sweetness, making it harder, making it a little more mature now, making it a little sweaty on the belly and sticky on the thighs. It just continues to deepen until I'm left with a scent that smells so rich, so divine, and so damned naughty that I feel like a red princess or a someone's high end whore-maybe, in the right universe, both! How something can be so rich and classy and so wickedly naughty at the same time, I have no clue, but it's genius. Yummy, red, rich genius.

 

Please, someone, tell me that this one will come back from time to time. It's too delightful to be a once in a lifetime bottle.

 

*sniffs & drools*

~Wench

[Summerpixy]

If I was a high-class french courtesan, I'd have a gallon of this.

 

It is lovely, delicate, and dirty all at the same time.

 

I got a decanted imp of this from someone to whom I am very greatful This is lovely. I'm going to treasure it until it's all gone. It is very, very sexy. I didn't expect it to be like this honestly, but I'm glad that it was, it's an oil that 'plays nice' with my skin.

 

I may breakdown and buy a bottle for myself as a christmas present... and guess what? I did! I love this scent!

Edited November 17, 2004 by Summerpixy

[pekeana]

pkwench gave me a little of her F'54, and oooooh boy! I certainly hope it comes back when I can afford to get it for myself. *twitch*

 

 

In the vial, this is all smoke and mirrors -- it's a very heady, sexy scent that manages to be soft and sweet for all its edginess. The cognac and musk are very strong, with just a hint of rose.

 

On me, it itches a little from the rose, but it's not burning, so I'm perservering! It hits my skin with a rush of warm smoky booziness and the clove really starts to rise up to the top, making the rose fade back behind the delicious smell of cognac. It manages to stay thick and smoothly smoky and sweet, but with a touch of something darker and headier playing out beneath it.

 

[i wish I had more than this little bit... alas, no money for my own bottle.]

[Northernminx]

A gifted precious imp from the lovely Tygher let me try this one out.

 

Cherry and smoke are the predominant notes on me and the blend starts off sticky sweet and fruity before the smoke comes through, almost like smoke sticking to your skin. I didn't get much clove in this which was quite sad as I adore clove. This was a very night club smell, dark and a little grungy and sinfully decadant. Alas, not me so much so I'll swap it off for someone else to try.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Bubblegum and smoke. It's actually the way I always thought Lolita ought to smell - a mingling of distinctive child and adult fragrances.

Seen the musical Rent? I tell you, this is exactly how Mimi smells.

 

On me: Bubblegum recedes to the background but lends a sweetness to the smoke-and-clove that I could never otherwise wear. My body's chemistry often pulls rose forward but if there's any here, I can't find it. This is just an amazing, intoxicating scent. This is just amazing.

[TheDarkMother]

I got Foruma 54 in a yummy swap from Tygher!

 

In the Bottle: Pixie sticks and wax lips. LOL!

 

On Me: The clove comes out so enticingly and sexy, still with a bubble gum cherry scent to it to. Its the bad girl at the party dressed in pigtails and a CSG with a leather halter underneath and a strap on:)

 

This to me is the height of innocent domination! I think I'm in love!!!

 

[rdeadline]

This smells like a great night out with a sexy man. Smokey bars, bubblegum kisses and hot bodies. woo!

[BubbleDragon]

This is by far my absolute favorite blend. But I don't get bubblegum out of it at all. I get a small bit of clove, some leather, and maybe a bit of alcohol. To me, this is a sophisticated woman reclining on a shiny, plush leather chair in a library, with a bit of alcohol on ice. Maybe a bit of dried florals, but nothing too heady. Oh, and just a whiff of smoke, but nice cigar smoke, not "I just came home from a bar" smoke. I feel so proper and beautiful when I wear this. And it doesn't take a whole lot, though I'm not sure of the 'throw' - I haven't had anyone mention it (good or bad) yet.

 

This will forever be my favorite BPAL. Thank you Beth. It's wonderful, and the bottle is great, too! I wish there were an easier way to applicate - I'm using a little glass wand to catch just a dab right now.

 

~bubbles

Edited November 8, 2004 by BubbleDragon

[VorpalBunny]

This is another one of Beth's fabulous LE blends that ends up so complex that I find it impossible to pick out single notes. I am SO GLAD I got talked into buying it. On me, it is sweet, but not fruity, and not overly sweet -- just the right amount. It is girly without being floral. It has a bit of spiciness without smelling like it came out of the baking cabinet. It is just GOOD. And it has GREAT staying power. I've had it on for over 12 hours and it is still as strong as it was this morning. Good thing I love it so much!

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Juicy bubble-gum rum and a naughty nightclub vibe.

 

Second Impression: The description suits so perfectly in the bottle and when wet. The drydown on me is a different story. The black rose stands out and turns to powder. So powdery it's making my nose twitch and making me sneeze.

 

Final Analysis: I'm gutted that I seem to be allergic to this. The bottle is adorable. I'm going to give it another go before I decide for sure.

[Morrighana]

I don't have much to add to what everybody else has written, so I'll keep this brief:

 

Oh GODS, I love this scent.

 

It is warm and sultry and boozy without being overbearing or in-your-face, and its staying power is supreme. I can still detect it the next day, even, in a soft, subtle tobacco and musk permutation. I don't get any cherry notes at any point during this scentual experience, but I don't consider that a loss, either. F'54 is perfect as is! I really will cry when I run out, but then again, that is part of the beauty of it, isn't it?

[Lorencita]

WOW!!!!! I just got this today, and it was the first to be tested. I love the packaging, but this could have come in a donkey's ass, and I would have loved it all the same! I am in love, this is my favorite of all blends I have tried, and that is a pretty hefty chunk in what BPAL has to offer. This to me smells like kinky sex in a sweet ass night club. I smell some cherry at first, but that calms down to a really sweet, sexy lollipop scent. It's not too sweet though, just perfect! I love the way it changes from young to adultress in a couple hours. I love every stage, and I will be so sad when it's gone. I will love every last drop, I never knew something sweet like this, could be so very me! I guess it brings the best out of me. I love this blend and I love Beth & co. for making this possible!

I will use this very sparingly!

[Lady_Ell]

Hmmm. I'm using a prototype imp from back in the day to write this review, but in any case I'm not getting any of the "sexy dark club" things y'alls are getting. It starts off like smoke and cherries: promising.

 

And then it goes all DAINTY FLOWERS and DISH SOAP. Luckily it's faint, almost non-existant.

Oh well. You can't like everything, and I guess it's good that this isn't for me, because it isn't available anymore.