Formula 54

[Fefferbella]

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 has captured the lustful scent I love so much from Perversion and amped it up into a really sophisticated, uber feminine blend.


The rich, slightly stale clove cigarette smoke takes me back to my wild days early in college. Formula 54 smells like "sex and candy"...Sweet Cherry blowpops, the lingering smell of cloves and passionate-throw-me-down-and-fuck-me sex.

I love this blend, I wish I could wear it more often, but it's an LE... I use my little bottle like it's made from liquid gold- I never wanna run out. Edited December 9, 2005 by Shollin

[SeaMonkey]

I won an imp on ebay with a few other LE's. I get Cherry, cigarettes, and clove. It almost goes a little commercial perfume on me. I get a little bubblegum, but its faint. I don't get the connection to Perversion. I can't wear perversion at all, but this works on me.

 

It get faint pretty fast on me, but the more it dries the more tobacco I'm getting, which is good because tobacoo is my favorite note.

[aidenraine]

At first on my skin this is pure bubblegum- very very sweet cherries. I actually took a big huff of it and then sneezed.

It reminds me of ground up sweet tarts or some children's cough syrups. Definitely beyond sweet and candy-ish.

 

As it sits on my skin it begins to morph into a pretty convincing dupe of Lush's candy products series. It's Candy Fluff dusting powder for sure. Really spot on. Mixing the two together would create the ultimate orgasm of pink.

 

I really can't believe how much my skin has turned this into Candy Fluff.

I also can't believe that without "cherry" listed as an ingredient, I am getting this much fruit from the blend.

 

Oddly, this dries a bit faintly on my skin. It's a very soft whisper of pink.

[GemmaCat]

I don't know if I'm commiting a BPAL sin by admitting this, but I don't really like Formula 54.

 

At first it smells like a herbal version of Glitter, kind of sparkling and vibrant, but with a dirty spiciness and a deeper complexity. Over time, though, the tobacco scent turns kind of stale, and the sweetness of the cherry (which smells more like syrup to me, for some reason) doesn't really work with the tobacco to my nose.

 

I'm super glad I got to try this, but it's not my thing.

[Ryvre]

I got an imp of this with just barely enough to try. I really wasn't expecting to like this, since tobacco is on my list of notes that hate me, but it suprised me.

 

In the imp: Bubblegum. Overly sweet and candy like.

 

On me: Holy fuck! Cherries and clove and sexiness. This is super sexy!

 

I'm glad I had a chance to try this, but I'm sort of sad that I probably won't be able to get any more. This is the ultimate clubbing blend.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Boozy floral

 

On Skin: Wow, this is a scent not like any other. I smell the cognac right away, beautifully sweet but boozy and slightly cherry/fruity. The black rose offers a nice contrast, tart and super feminine. The dark musk makes this DROP-DEAD-SEXY! Throw me on the floor right here, oh yeah sinful pleasure in a bottle! I’m also super excited to see that the clove is not overwhlming, since clove is a note that 90% of the time goes completely funky on me. Lastly, the tobacco flower offers another level to this scent. It’s not really smoky, but “hazy”. I really get a “club” feeling from this scent. If I had a bottle I’d make it one of my signature scents for sure. Sadly the throw is very, very light and it fades into my skin within an hour.

[edenssixthday]

Formula 54 - Okay, now I understand why all the hype around this particular blend. This blend is amazing. When I catch the fragrance as it wafts through the air, I could swear Beth designed this blend with me in mind – despite not knowing me. It is the perfect scent. Perfection in all its glory. It’s dark and sexy without being menacing, as with many dark scents. The cognac gives it a juiciness that is tempered by the dark musk and tobacco. It’s simultaneously earthy and transcendant. The throw and staying power are both moderate. I was initially devastated that I only had a few drops of F54, but over the course of several months, I was able to procure about 6-7 imps of F54, and I'm treasuring them with my whole heart! I am hoping that some how and in some way, Beth will release this just one more time. Please, Beth, please!!!

[Eunice]

Now I know why this is in such high demand! Light rose, booze, tobacco flower, heady musk and clove cigarettes. Total sexpot! I really really second the wish that this to be rereleased!

[roesmoker]

Finally scored an imp of this in an auction. Wet/in the imp it was boozy but in a good way. Drying down it reminds me of my beloved French Creole - I don't know if it's the cloves or tobacco or what but this is lovely. Exactly the sort of sweet musk-ish almost incensy scent I adore. Thank GOD I don't get any cherry or bubblegum, that would turn me off so fast.

 

I'm torn about wanting this to come back, because on the one hand, I want a bottle and don't want to pay an arm and a leg, but on the other, I kind of like the specialness of a truly one-off forum LE that never gets brought back.

Edited July 23, 2006 by roesmoker

[Shannihilation]

I got a sniffy of this with an Ebay purchase. There is enough in the imp that I could wear this maybe three times. Maybe more since it doesn't seem to take much of it.

I expected more considering how in demand and popular this is. But honestly? It doesn't do much for me. Wet, it's sickeningly sweet and I definitely smell the cigarette smoke in the background.

As it dries down I still get a sharp, heavy floral with the smokey undertone. But now, if I sniff deeper and get past the top notes... it smells like a fried tortilla shell. Like a tostada!

Yeah, not a winner with me. Which is probably good considering how hard this is to get!

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp ....floral, smoky, dirty sex!!! in the best way possible!!!

 

once applied this is all incense, rose and clove...and very floral...very strong...

somewhat boozey....oh *swoooooooooon be my heart*

extremely sexual scent and i will cherish this imp from one of the best forumites with the utmost of care

[sofiaviolet]

I definitely smell clove! I don't smell any tobacco, though. Yay for that. This smells more like red musk to me, but who knows. I don't smell any rose, though I think I do smell some cognac. Just not much. I think I may need more.

[supremegoddessofall]

This is the Holy Grail of BPAL scents, so I have high hopes here. And it is, indeed, very pretty. It's mostly a rose scent, with a hint of musk, but I'm also getting a slight fruitiness that is probably from the cognac. This is ethereal and gorgeous.

[filigree_shadow]

This smells like cognac and cloves on me... it kind of reminds me of cherry for some reason. It definitely smells red and sexy. Not too much rose and a lovely dark musk. It's not really feminine, it's kind of strong and take-charge. I know it's been quite a while since it was made, but it still smells wonderful to me.

 

I only have a little bit of this, and I've only worn it twice -- luckily a little goes a long way. On my skin it lasts and lasts.

[wikkidraven]

i'd almost cheat on voodoo queen for formula 54...but unless some sort of miracle happens, i doubt i'll be able to lay hands on any more. this blend got a big thumbs up from my boyfriend...i think it's the best clove bpal i've tried thus far.

[yeahbutnobut]

Formula 54

 

In the imp: I managed to nab a bit of ‘the legend’ off Edensixthday. The scent is a boozy, smoky, oddly fruity, musky scent with something almost dragon’s blood like to it.

Wet on skin: tobacco flower, fruity rose and dark musk with a metallic bite.

Dry: mmm, wow. Now the rose really comes out to play. It’s a rose wrapped in smoke, alcohol and musk, blood red petals and sharp thorns with a hint of fruit and spice. The cognac is also very strong now, but this is a totally different animal to the Imp of the Perverse. Whilst the Imp wasn’t awful on me, it just smelt like cognac-soaked roses. this smells like rose splashed with cognac and garbed in wafts of seductive tobacco flower and dark musk. The clove in here (I think?) has a metallic bite to it, it’s not the sweet creamy clove but something a little less innocent…

After a while: holy moly, this has transformed into kirsch. It smells like cherry liqueur! I know the cognac gives the impression of booze but I have no idea what’s making it smell like cherry…but it’s a very realistic kirsch scent, with added smoky tobacco and musk to it. The tobacco flower in here is less wispy-smoky or incense like than usual, it smells more like smouldering tobacco leaves, but thankfully not like cigarettes.

After a brief cherry moment, the rose returns, it smells like grown-up crimson red blooms and booze and smoke. I even smell a hint of lipstick now! But the scent gives an overall feel of crushed red velvet accented with cognac and slinky tobacco. It still smells slightly fruity though.

And then I smell another surprise note that I don’t expect. Incense. Or more precisely, Indian incense, possibly even nag-champa. That could be the tobacco smoke, but when I smelt wafts of something almost reminiscent of joss sticks, I was surprised to find it was wafting from my wrist. And indeed it smells like more fragrant smoke now. This scent is quite a morpher! It then becomes a tobacco-dominated rose-tinged incense smoke scent on me…I’d love to find incense that smelt like this! And then the musk comes through a little more. I love the way this changes…after a few hours I get a pleasant nutty-woody tobacco-rose scent.

Verdict: I can see why this is so rare and coveted, it’s one of the most unique, changeable and intriguing BPALs out there. Smelling like more than the sum of its parts, the tobacco, rose, musk, clove and cognac show themselves off in their own ways before the scent changes and another note takes prominence…and even then it seems other notes seem to pop up, like cherry liqueur and nag champa, to add surprise and unexpected dimensions to the scent. The scent moves from scents of booze and smoke to rose petals on velvet and clouds of exotic incense. It changes and pulses, it is seductive, glamourous, sensual and sophisticated yet shrouded in intrigue. It has a similar feel to scents like Wanda, Blood Kiss, Sed Non Satiata, Glasya and many of the ‘sexy and dominant woman’ scents from BPAL, even though it smells completely different-this scent is powerful but not fierce, this scent is tempting and beguiling, but with a feel of feminine confidence. I don’t think I’ll beg for bottles or sell my soul on Ebay but I’m very happy with the small amount I have of this prized fragrance-it really was worth a try and will be cherished.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Of course. It’s a small amount but I will keep it, for sure.

[QueenFae]

Oh how excited am I to finally have a chance to try the elusive F 54!!

When first applied: Fruitiness, like red cherry lollipops. The initial stage of this reminded me of a combination of Jailbait and Stardust. Innocently sexy, with a light boozy background.

 

Dry down: The dark musk, clove and black rose really begins to emerge. The clove note gets very, very strong, and this begins to smell like a black, smutty, cherry booze. I'm normally not a fan of clove, but it works well in this blend. This still reminds me a bit of Stardust, there is similar booze/fruit thing going on.

 

This is a glorious scent, of course I love it because I'll never be able to get my hands on more

I always love what I can't have

[little_galaxie]

To the person who gave me a sniffie of this, I BOW AT YOUR FEET. I've actually had this for a long time, just never been inspired to review. Definitely a sexy blend, but sexy in a different way than Snake Oil. This is more confident, somehow - the scent of a woman who knows too much, has seen too much, but is damn OK with that. Thankfully, the clove doesn't amp up. I get a luscious blend of ripe black cherry, light rose, and tobacco that miraculously doesn't turn on me. I love it, but it breaks my heart that I'll probably never get more. Sigh. I don't know why I keep doing this to myself.

[alicia_stardust]

I kept thinking that even if this was nice, it wasn't worth shelling out massive quantities of $$ for. I eat my words.

 

I got a half imp of this and it is gorgeous. I get a fruity, juicy, red quality that's almost candy-like. That floats on top and from there I notice booze and cherry and musk or clove.

 

I've seen a few reviews that say it fades quickly but on me the throw is strong and it lasted on my skin for hours upon hours.

 

While I doubt I'll be lucky enough to get my hands on more than my half imp, I'll cherish what I have.

[myoubi]

At first the tobacco amps on me, and I think immediately of Perversion. Then I get a hint of the spicy clove wafting underneath, and /then/ a red cherry pops out, almost a maraschino cherry scent. Good throw, I can smell the backs of my hands from a foot away, and that was only one swipe of the imp. There's something musky underneath it all. It's dark and reminds me a lot of Perversion, only this is fruitier and juicier and, surprisingly, less heavy -- perhaps because the tobacco is prominent on me in both blends. After about five minutes something cherryish comes out even more, until it's a musky swirl of cherry and tobacco.... that's not as gross as it sounds. At this stage the clove also comes out to play a bit more, and I get a hint of clove cigarettes, but it's a sweeter wetter smell. Yeah, this is a sexy blend. And yes, it's gorgeous. I can understand why people go wild for this, even if I haven't been quite bitten meself.

 

 

The catch? It burns my skin. The /only/ blend to do that, and it had to be F54.

 

Oh well. I like Perversion for my tobacco hit anyway.

 

 

ETA: that's what that sweetness must be, the cognac. I don't smell any booze, though... weird.

Edited April 20, 2007 by myoubi

[GypsyRoseRed]

Pretty, sexy and definitely worth the hype. I'm so glad I finally managed to get my hands on a half-imp of this, because it's a must-try for BPAL lovers. It's got glamour written all over it, with some sort of cognac note, dark fruit and yet it doesn't get too dark. Maybe I'm insane, but I also get wafts of hairspray and tobacco. It smells better than it sounds, I promise!

[forspecial_plate]

Sparkly wine or champagne at the start. Often I don't like wine or booze notes but this is very skillfully blended. Either that or Beth found an exquisite cognac note that just works well on me. Thinking back, I didn't smell clove, but did smell musk. Much later the scent took on an incense quality. I think tobacco sometimes reminds me of incense, so maybe it's the tobacco flower that made me think of incense. This smells very good and I'm glad I got to test it thanks to Olympia301. It's not something that I would wear often though.

[Bain]

Mmmm.. I fell in love the second I caught a whiff. This is simply the best booze-y sweet and spicy scent ever. First sniff, I get cognac and clove.. then a teeny bit of rose..

 

On my wrist, it's lovely rose, darkened by the musk, with an aftershock of cognac.

[cuervosueno]

I got a bit of this in an imp from my very kind switchwitch CrazyRedHead. I was SO thrilled--it is, after all, the holy grail of BPAL. Interestingly, I got at it the same time I got an imp of the Unheavenly City, because I think they are definately in the same family.

 

First, this fits the description to the letter. It has that boozy scent that reminds me of the smell of coming home after a very very late night at a club, esp. in, say, New Orleans. Torn fishnet stockings indeed! And I get the hairspray thing...it doesn't at all smell like, that but it does evoke the scent of hairspray and booze and clove cigarettes. It is surprisingly sexy for something that is really not my style (too close to regular perfume). Still, I can see why it is so coveted.

 

I compared to the Unheavenly City, because they smell very similiar in some ways, though the Unheavenly City has "rougher" edge--as if Formula 54 is the sexy bombshell who has been out all night, while Unheavenly City might be the same girl as a dominatrix. Formula 54 is more refined a bad girl, but still a bad girl nonetheless.

 

I realize this doesn't say much about the notes. So here are few: boozy cognac in the imp with wet tobacco and cloves. The rose and tobacco flower just add a slight floral.

 

Nice!

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I realize Formula 54 is thoroughly aged by now, but I was still pleased to sniff it today. I got a powerful cherry and brandy scent--reeking of alcohol and sweetness. Still strong after all this time! I couldn't detect rose, though, and the notes that I did smell didn't especially appeal to me. I wonder if some of the long-gone legendary scents like this one have morphed too far beyond their original scent for the authentic experience...although I recall sniffing this one *on* someone when it was new and thinking it was too much cherry for me then as well. Just depends on how you like your sweet notes!