The Grindhouse

[ACVail24]

THE GRINDHOUSE

Throaty laughter captures your attention. Across the lane you see a buxom Venetian woman standing before a huge black and red striped tent. Her head is inclined towards a dapper, leering man, and they appear to be sharing a private joke. He reaches into his waistcoat and produces a gold coin. The woman plucks it from his fingers. He bows, and walks into the tent with a swagger. A sign flashes above the tent flap in letters that seem to be aflame: The Grindhouse, Dead or Live Girls.

The Madam turns towards you and smiles. As she approaches, someone within the tent strikes a few keys on a tuneless piano, and begins to play Jelly Roll Morton's 'the Crave'. The light within the tent illuminates the interior, shining behind the silhouettes of naked women gyrating lewdly upon raised stages, writhing in time with the music.

In the distance, behind the tent, you hear a whip crack, and a man's scream. Tittering laughter follows, and the screams continue.

"Voulez-vous un morceau de la boîte de bonbon?" she asks, gesturing gracefully towards the tent.

The Madam's perfume envelops you.

Florentine iris, red musk, mimosa, magnolia, Damascus rose, clove, and vanilla bean.

In the Bottle:
I smell red musk and mimosa!
it's a clear, clean scent to me, which is unexpected - I was thinking this would be thick and sexy - like a very 'couture' version of Smut and a floral bouquet squished inside for good measure.

On my Skin, Wet:
MUSK!! overpoweringly so!
::moves wrists away from face::
ah - better.

From a forearm's length away, I can smell the red musk but now the iris blooms and seems purple green.
so at this stage, it's red musk and Florentine Iris.
Mimosa seems to have taken a hiatus.

On my Skin, Dry:
Still predominantly red musk - and while I keep expecting it to be sexy, it's very clear - almost like 'sexy after a refreshing shower' kind of feel to it, which I assume must be some other ingredient tempering it and "lightening" the effect.
I wonder if it's the magnolia doing that?
I do not smell any rose, though the green feeling I got in the wet stage could be the rose, since RR'07 smells much more green than I was expecteing....similar rose note perhaps.
There is no clove nor is there any vanilla bean for me right now, which is a surprise since I tend to amp vanilla like crazy.
While it's surprising that neither of these notes are detectable, it's a nice change to be different from expectations!

Verdict:
A scent that defies ideas about a "grindhouse madame"!
on me this is a very clear, clean scent that has hints of debauch hiding in the shadows.
It's an interesting play of notes and one of the most complex scents I have come across in quite a while - I am very pleased!
7 of 10 Ranking!

Synopsis:
Bottle: Red Musk & Mimosa
Wet: Red Musk & Florentine Iris
Dry: Red Musk, Magnolia, Floral (Blend between Florentine Iris and Damascus Rose)
Total: Red Musk fans - this one is worthy of attention ^_~

[inurbanus]

Do you have any blends where you can sense greatness in them, but for whatever reason they don't work out on you? The Grindhouse is totally one of those on me, and I'm really sad about it because out of all the new Carnaval Diaboliques, I was anticipating this one the most. And the thing is, it's not an offensive scent -- it's just so close to being awesome on me, but doesn't quite make it.

 

My problem with The Grindhouse comes down to the red musk. It completely dominates everything, to such an extent that the first half hour I smelt like plastic. I was really worried then, because there are some things I can tolerate in a perfume, but plastic isn't one of them. I held on and waited some more, and luckily the red musk began to relax its hold. The vanilla and clove came out (strangely, I'm not getting a strong floral out of this, just a soft suggestion of flowers) and smoothed things over, and what remains is a very interesting scent, very different than what I'm used to wearing. It's sexy, but not in the same smoky, come-hither way as Smut. It's bawdier, more playful than smoldering, and so is more in keeping with the way I imagined the Madam would smell. The red marabou boa in the picture completely captures what this blend smells like to me.

 

I like the dry-down very much, but my overall perception of this one is skewed by the first half hour. As for others considering this one, if you have skin chemistry that doesn't let red musk boss it around, definitely check The Grindhouse out. If not, this is a bit of a risk. I think it ultimately pays off, though.

 

3.5/5

[littlegoat]

I just received my decant of The Grindhouse, and it is gorgeous. My strongest impression of it is that it is very similar to Mme Moriarty, but without the patchouli that makes that blend too much for me.

 

The red musk is gorgeous, and I get a hint of something almost plummy. The flowers don't stand out on me, which is good, they weren't what I was looking for.

 

Overall, I find this to be a soft, sweet red musk, which I am loving!

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Sweet, fruity, and slightly gritty red musk and smooth florals.

 

Immediately on skin: This gets less sweet as soon as I put it on. It’s a deep, dark warm scent with a lot of musk and florals. There’s definitely a slight fruitiness in this, but it may be from one of the floral notes. The rose is very smooth and light, while the iris is a bit stronger. At the base of the scent is a light amount of clove, and a touch of smooth vanilla bean. This scent is just smooth, dark, and sexy.

 

After a little while: This gets a bit more floral and complex as I wear it. The iris is strongest and the rose and magnolia are much gentler but blend in nicely. The red musk makes up the base of the scent. It's musky (of course) with a light sweetness to it. The vanilla and clove are still extremely soft, but really add a smoothness to the red musk.

 

Overall Impressions: This is just a deep, feminine, sexy floral blend. It starts up as a little heavy on the red musk, but as I wear it the flowers come out more and make this more floral than musky. The iris is very fresh in this, and the magnolia and rose don’t overpower it at all. The vanilla and clove don’t really come out too strongly, but they add a richness and smoothness to the base of the scent. I really like this, but I don’t know if I’ll wear it enough to warrant a bottle. It smells feminine and wearable, but very sexy and rich at the same time.

[savage_rose]

Although it smells like a haunting, tree-blossom floral blend layered with vanilla extract in the bottle...on me, it turns into an amped up Snake Oil. Which then fades! It was so lovely while it lasted...

[djsiberia]

wet/in bottle : musk & vanilla

 

dry : floral headache?

 

this smells like perfume from the store...something my mom would wear.

 

i totally dig this in the bottle...and i was so hoping to like it. maybe if if sits a few more months, the floral will die down and the musk, vanilla, and clove will peek through. as it stands i doubt i'll be ordering a back-up unless it really changes by august.

 

ugg..this is totally something my mom wears from avon...stupid florals.

 

musk. clove. vanilla. where are you????

 

i honestly loved this sniffing it from the bottle.

Edited June 19, 2008 by djsiberia

[Brianne]

I know some people are not that fond of red musk, but I think it is simply divine. This goes on like warm, sweet red musk and it's totally gorgeous. For now, my fears about the rose are quelled.

 

The floral starts to creep in, but it's the light magnolia that I smell right now, not the rose. I *barely* get the clove and it just lightly spices the red musk, and the other notes don't seem to be coming out to play much. Which is fine by me, because the red musk is just lovely all on it's own.

 

Unfortunately, that doesn't last long and suddenly it's soft florals which fade quickly. I don't know what happens, but it's like my skin noms up the red musk and leaves me with some florals which it also quickly noms afterwards :/ I can smell the musky florals if I put my nose directly on my skin and give a big whiff, but otherwise this has disappeared on me.

[alicia_stardust]

This is gorrrrrgeous! The notes in this are clear and almost crisp, yet still remain ever so commanding and sexy. In the bottle I smell red musk, vanilla, and mimosa. As the oil dries the red musk and mimosa are the strongest, but there's a nice layer of iris over them and a touch of the vanilla underneath everything, subtle and nuanced.

 

After some time has passed the red musk mellows out a bit and I get more of a floral quality... but not too floral. Truthfully, I can only lightly smell the rose in there. Between the other two florals and the musks and mimosa, it just seems to have a lot to compete with. The only note in here that I am barely, if at all, able to detect is the clove.

 

Overall this is extremely commanding and sexy. There's a strength here but it's also very feminine without being anywhere near a typical floral blend. And, of course, musk is love. This is probably one of my most favorite Act IV blends so far...

[sofaking6]

I love red musk, and I certainly get a lot of it from The Grindhouse! It's very sweet and musky, and for me I only get the florals at the beginning - mostly iris, some magnolia, no rose I could detect. I get no vanilla ever and almost no clove, which is sad becaue I was really looking forward to a red musk/vanilla/clove thing. But my skin sucks everything else up and after a couple of hours it's all sweet red musk, almost like dragon's blood. It's nice but Mania ends up the same for me, so I'm not overwhelmed. But I am really wondering what aging would do for this blend.

[slave1]

THE GRINDHOUSE

 

In Bottle: Sweetness!

 

On Skin: I love this straight off… So sweet and beautiful. The rose happily stays in check this time. I smell the red musk, so dark and sexy… one of my favorite musks. The vanilla bean is sticky sweet, freshly scraped. The clove offers a spicy spike that cuts through any cloying tone this scent wants to take. The magnolia and iris are elegant and compliment the scent very well. And lastly the mimosa gives a sweet and fruity feel. Overall, a sexy scent that begs to be noticed. It reminds me of a candied Red Moon. I need a bottle! Average to strong throw, long wearlength.

[MeiLin]

In the imp: Elusive. I pick up the vanilla and musk first, maybe the mimosa and clove.

 

Wet: Ooh, here comes the iris and clove. Yikes! Here comes clove, looking for iris's lunch money! Iris retreats.

 

On drydown: Apparently sated, the clove fades and now I'm getting the musk and rose, with a whiff of the vanilla and floating over the top, the iris.

 

My verdict: MMmmm. Sir's verdict: "Not my favorite, but not bad." Probably not a bottle, but happy to have the decant. Into the girl box it goes.

 

Later: Now that Grindhouse has been on a while, the vanilla is finally at the surface, sharing with the red musk. The clove is back, but much better behaved. Sir and I have changed our verdict. Mixed with, uh, pheromones? This is intoxicating. ahem.

[sadtomato]

in the bottle this was sweet, sweet, sweet.

very sweet on my skin as well.

the vanilla and red musk amp majorly, then the red musk takes over completely.

it's way too red musky for me.

i want to be able to smell the florals and the vanilla more but my chesmistry just picks up the red musk and runs with it.

[hipslike___cinderella]

I'm going to have to concur with everyone about the sweetness in The Grindhouse. Red musk is most definately the star, with florals playing underneath. I tested this without the note list in front of me, and I couldn't really tell you what florals I was smelling in particular. Once I saw "clove", it made sense: there's just barely a hint of some spice underneath.

 

While this is nice, I don't think I'll keep it around. This is a sweet, sexy, but playful red musk for those who don't like the heavy "headshop" red musk. I also urge those who might stay away because of the rose to give this a try; it's not rose-dominated at all. Just sweet, musky and floral. Medium throw, medium wear.

[LunaLovegood]

Oh my, this is very nice. Also complex and lovely Reminds me a bit of grape candy, but doesnt quite get there, which is a fantastic thing, but it flirts with it. Its femenine and lustry. Delish! Me needs it!

[mooncityminx]

In the vial: Something sweet that reminds me of Smut. This is the note I compared to 'flinstones vitamins' in that review.

 

Wet: Incense and florals. The rose really comes to the forefront on this one.

 

Dry: What an interesting smell. A little too sweet for me to wear, at least on my skin chemistry. It's almost gone now, or else my nose is protesting the overuse today. This seems very similar to Smut to me.

Edited June 28, 2008 by Tempest

[gecko]

This is boozy sharp floral in the vial. Wet it's a sharp floral with a musk undertone. I don't recognize it so I assume it's mimosa. It's sharp, powdery, and a little herbal. Dry it's still mimosa and red musk. I never get any vanilla, clove, iris, magnolia or rose. After a couple hours all that's left is musk. It's missing the spice, and the sweetest thing is the musk. I'd rather wear Scherezade.

[motdakasha]

In the bottle:

Rating: 5

Notes: red musk, mimosa, clove, vanilla bean

Comment: Smells deliciously musky.

Wet on skin:

Rating: 4

Notes: Florentine iris, red musk, magnolia, Damascus rose, vanilla bean

Comment: The floral notes are more apparent on me than in the bottle.

Dry on skin:

Rating: 4

Notes: red musk, mimosa, Damascus rose, clove, vanilla bean

Scent Intensity: 3

Comment: A nice scent, but not in the top 10.

Misc:

Duration: 4+ Hrs.

Keyword(s): floral, musky

Color: N/A

Smells like: N/A

Edited July 2, 2008 by Akasha Tsang

[tarotgirl99]

If you like Smut or Madame Moriarty, this should be right up your alley (so to speak).

 

In the imp, it was very akin to both of those.

 

On first application, it disappeared and then I got a whiff of some fabulous florals.

 

Various strains of loveliness kept peeping out, only to retreat like shy children.

 

This was very light all the way, though...and after morphing a few times, it just kinda turned into red musk. Not bad, but so not exciting. Eventually it becomes Red Moon 2007 Redux. Which I got rid of.

 

I may or may not keep the imp, but definitely no bottle necessary. I'm disappointed; I thought I'd love this one.

Edited July 5, 2008 by tarotgirl

[Iceblink]

Strong red musk (woohooo!!) but the mimosa is rapidly taking over. I think the florals in this are going to kill it for me, sadly. BPAL's iris and magnolia don't work on me at all. And I don't get any clove or vanilla!

This may need a little aging, as red musk blends usually do. Will try it again at a later date.

[Blood onmy hands]

I like red musk, but I tend to amp it like mad. I hoped that The Grindhouse would be a base of red musk, made creamier with the vanilla bean, spiced with clove, and with a touch of gentle, creamy floral.

 

Unfortunately, I also amp & hate bpal's iris notes. Iris on me is like the worst of sharp, cheap, white floral perfumes. It has such a high pitched sharpness on my skin.

 

On me, this blend is like a war between heated, sexy red musk and perfumey, sharp iris. I can't really pick out any of the other notes. The result is a blend that is far too perfumey/musky/sharp for my tastes.

 

I love red musk, but it needs to be tamed with something else (like the gorgeous blend, Marianne, where the ultra sexy red musk was the main player, but softened with hints of juicy orchid, foresty patchouli, and dark fruity notes). The iris plus red musk just makes this blend heavy, suffocating, and sharp on me.

 

Iris ruined Zarita the Doll Girl for me earlier in the carnaval, and now it has returned to ruin The Grindhouse

[nekogrrl]

This is a very sweet scent. Reminds me of pixy stix. All I'm getting out of this are the florals (iris, rose and magnolia). Can't really smell the musk or clove or vanilla.

 

Too floral for me, sadly.

[rconklin]

I was hesitant about the Grindhouse, mostly due to the red musk (which more often than not ends very, very badly on my skin), but my love of iris won over. In the imp, there is a very clean floral/musk sweetness.

 

Wet. Iris! Yes! How I love you iris! Vanilla-musk-iris. Rose is MIA, which is fine with me, 'cause while I do love rose, I have quite a few rose-centric blends in my rotation already.

 

Drying--Magnolia and rose peek their heads out...still mainly that lovely, lovely vanilla musk iris. How do I describe this? It's like...Pirate Moon meets Nefertiti (the iris reminds me very strongly of her) meets something else (which I can't quite think of at the moment, but if it comes to me I'll come back and edit).

 

Drydown--Thankfully for me, my skin tends to amp iris more than it does red musk, so rather than being a red-musk dominated scent, this ends up very well balanced.

 

The Grindhouse doesn't fit into any one category--it is not light, sultry, or pretty. It is not dark, mysterious, or anything other easily identifiable tag. At some moments, I'm not even sure that I like it...but then I go back to sniffing my wrist obsessively. It is an extremely complex blend, with a depth that I just was not expecting (honestly, I was steeling myself for the rose and red musk to have their way with me). On first whiff it is light with the lovely sharpness of iris, but that is grounded by this soft-deep musk-vanilla base, which is helped along by the clove (which doesn't stand out for me on it's own, but I can tell that it's there with the vanilla--giving it an added...something--almost a coconut-y note).

 

I was totally unprepared for how much I was going to love this, but I am SO happy to have tried it. I will certainly be needing a bottle (and I can only imagine how the complexity will improve with age).

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Imp

Lotsa red musk, a touch of dry vanilla, and a smokey something behind that.

 

On Me

I like this-- I love musks, and clove and vanilla are rockin, too. It isn't my ZOMGFAVOURITE blend ever, but it's pretty and sexy. It reminds me of something from Lush, though I can't think of what it is, and the mix is strange-- the musk is sweet, the vanilla isn't.

 

After awhile, it just gets smokier-- it's a sexeh blend, all right-- and perfect for the concept. I'd wear this if I were in a hyperconfident "DAMN!I'm-going-to-seduce-people" mood. Or if I was just wanting to smell a little sexy and attractive.

 

Sadly, the throw ain't that great, but it is a nice blend, and even a few hurs afterwards, I'm still getting a subtle musky-smoke reminder of it if I sniff my wrists.

[starwild]

Floral spicy musk with a flickering of vanilla. Gorgeous! People are comparing this to Mme. Moriarty but to me it's much more like Hell's Belle without the mandarin orange. It's a very strong-willed but extremely feminine scent. Provocative.

 

Definite bottle purchase.

[kikithepirate]

This is Mme. Moriarty's calmer, younger sister. It smells extremely similar, yet while there is something a bit overbearing about Moriarty that puts me off, The Grindhouse is really, really lovely. It's something that you have to think about for a few minutes to really grasp, not a smell that smacks you in the face. No one floral overpowers, they simply add a nice, soft touch to the background of the vanilla bean and red musk. I love this in the way that I was HOPING to love Mme. Moriarty.