Crimson

[lapetiteflower]

The red of an open artery, the red of congealing blood, the red of a scarlet tomb: burgundy musk, bitter clove, crushed saffron, red sandalwood, and red oudh.

First to review! This one is lovely, everything in it is evenly blended together into a sweet, warm, incensy scent. If you are a red musk aficionado, or are looking for a new scent in the same vein as Scherezade or Third Charm, you need to grab a bottle of this one!

 

 

[suki]

In The Bottle: I get the musk right away, it's a sweet one, and with the clove feels very "red" indeed! The oudh gives a smoky incense-y quality right off.

 

Wet On Skin: as hoped for, the saffron is starting to bloom on me, making it more heady and sultry. This is very much an incense blend and I hope it stays that way!

 

Dry Down: the clove is hands down the most dominant note in this, but that's not to say the others don't join in a glorious chorus, because they do. This is smoky and sexy and rich and feels like something to wear to a bawdy party held in a decaying mansion-part glamor, part sex, all disaster.

 

In All: medium throw, I anticipate this will age :very: well. Hoard worthy!

[absinthetics]

This is a deep, beautiful incarnation of the word Crimson. The scent is red. It is a smooth flowing (saffron) silken scent of red. I love it and it is a must smell!

[GlowJob]

Crimson makes me want to burst into tears because it's such a limited run and I know one day it won't be available for me to appreciate.

 

This is pure sexier, heady Nag Champa. To me, this doesn't actually bring to mind a visceral crimson red but rather a warm poppy red. It's amazingly well blended and I can't really pick out the individual notes other than an initial blast of musk. If you're avoiding this because of the clove-don't! It's subtle and doesn't overwhelm anything at all. Crimson has medium throw and lasts much longer on me than almost any BPAL I've tried before. I love it so, so much!

[Diana Rect]

(decant from forum circle)

 

"feels like something to wear to a bawdy party held in a decaying mansion-part glamor, part sex, all disaster"

 

Nailed it, although what I get from this scent is heavy on the "musk mank", similar to Apteros Eros and original Pulcinella and Theresina, and not smoky sultry incense. The other notes are there in a faint sweet-spicy undertone, but I have to get my nose in close in order to really pick them up. There is something about Crimson that appeals to me in a dark and dangerous sort of way, but it's not something I would actually wear often. I shall treasure my decant though!

[sprout]

Grapey nag champa plus smooth, sexy musk meets bubblegum sweet. Reminds me of Jailbait with not quite red musk and clove. Burgundy musk is something to be savored. The sandalwood adds creaminess and the saffron an element of exotic spice, not unlike Morocco. The incense does not smell smoky, so more like a room where the oil of incense burned hours ago lingers. No blood notes, so if dbr scares you, I'm not getting that or anything like the GC dragon blood scents or "Blood."

 

This is extra special musk and a must have. The clove is subdued by the other elements. Sorry this review is lacking in details unlike my usual hyperverbal diatribe but I know others need reviews for purchase decisions! I'm getting a full bottle and a back up because this is that good.

Edited January 17, 2016 by sprout

[lookingglass]

This is instantly right up on to my top 10! GAH! It's ...UUUNGH!!!!...SOOOO GOOOOOD! SOOO SEXY. It's nag champa-ey, yes, and is reminding me a bit of Scherezade, Third Charm, aaand Old Demons of the First Class, and is kin to Raven Moon (HEY THERE!) yes, but with the most delicious, creamy, feral musk/smokey oude thing going on that just makes it stand out above the others, though, truly, I love them all! Clove and saffron are equal partners here, so it's not like clove cigarettes (not that I'd mind, it's just not that clovey), it's lighter, like a bit of dried spice sprinkled on some gooey, fresh, incense balm that you then rub all over some carefully selected bits of the sexiest person you can imagine, and you're like, "come'ere...", and it gets all heated up cuz the whole thing's so exciting, and it's kind of messy, and sticky, and you notice that there's also incense burning, but then you just swoooooon...UUUUUUUGH! It is incense/wood/sweet/animalic PERFECTION and absolutely HOARDWORTHY. It's gonna age brilliantly, too, I just know it!!! I am SO THANKFUL for this blend. It's just everything I hoped it would be and more!

[theseagrows]

whoa, right off this smells like dragon's blood and anise/black licorice, with something else i can't place. then it gets much smokier and musky. it definitely smells red and spicy but also bloody and burning. the name is right on! it makes me think of vibrantly delicious 70s horror films. the clove gets more clove-y after time and the musk gets stronger (yay, i love musk.) also i am loving the saffron and red oudh. i'm sorry i can't describe them, but i know it's those notes making me really enjoy this scent. after awhile red musk and clove predominate, and the other notes merge into the background.

[Allumina]

I wish I could enjoy this like the other reviewers are doing, and I can tell it's well blended, but it's very strong on the nag champa and as nc is one of the few notes I just straight up dislike, it's keeping me from smelling any of the listed notes in this blend. I picked up a decant because I was hoping for clovey-sandelwood-musk goodness, and didn't realize nc would be present from the description (is it the burgundy musk?). However, if you like incense and musk and don't have the same relationship I do with champa, you will probably find this pretty and elegant and sexy.

 

If anything, this made me realize that the nc in the bottle of Funnel of Love I'm stubbornly holding onto isn't so bad!

Edited December 21, 2015 by Allumina

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: Slightly bitter, musky clove.

 

Wet on my skin: When wet, this is much sweeter than anticipated! Sweet red musk and spices, almost grape-like on some sniffs.

 

Dry: This is lighter than I anticipated, but it's still very, very beautiful. It's primarily sweet red musk and clove on my skin, with saffron as a prominent note as well, and with the sandalwood and oudh backing everything up and making it spicy rather than sweet. It's almost a heady scent, sexy and very...forward. It does have something of a Tibet Imports shop vibe to it, and is actually a bit reminiscent of one of my favourite temple incense blends. Once it has been on for a couple of hours, the throw morphs a little, with the musk fading closer to the skin and the saffron and clove taking over as the primary notes. The oudh and sandalwood remain more in the background through this, backing everything up with resiny spice. I really like this, and it also layers extremely well with the Shadow in the Elevator, which I tested earlier on the opposite arm.

[Blood onmy hands]

Crimson smells like a grape-y, powdery, slightly smoky nag champa incense. It smells cheap and headshoppy on me. I can smell the clove in the drydown, but it's sharp and a bit medicinal, so this blend isn't working for me.

[zankoku_zen]

Crimson is beautiful. I get saffron, red sandalwood, clove and a touch of oudh. i was expecting something more brutal, but it ends up being a musky, very red vibe blend. Good throw, good wear length.

 

Dark, musky, sandalwood.

[batsy]

It's been over a month since I got my bottles but being sick stalled out my ability to test them. Before bed, I slathered on Crimson and went to sleep, and I think it was a wise choice. It still smells awesome.

 

In the bottle: red wetness; clove, oudh, resin-y. It does morph, as I sniffed it about a month ago and got a bit of a metallic hit back then. The oil is red, much like my beloved Unheavenly City. As soon as I put it on, it shot my mind right to my great-great-aunt's home in North Seattle. I have no idea how, as I haven't been in that house in over 30 years, but apparently it smelled similar to this blend.

 

On the skin: super sandalwood! My skin really amps the incense in this, so I easily agree with the 'nag champa' comments above. It is a strong scent that morphs (I put it on about 4am and almost 10 hours later it's still going) down to a undeniable resin incense. Only when it's wet do I smell the clove and musk; it reminds me of another BPAL scent that does a near similar thing on me, but I can't quite place it. It has a hell of a throw, too.

 

Of the three Crimson Peak scents I purchased, I think this will be my favorite.

[LizziesLuck]

This was fresh out of the mail a few hours ago.

 

In the imp: Spicy, rich. Very red indeed. Heady and compelling.

 

 

Wet: Terrible. It's doing that awful chemically thing that leather notes sometimes do on me, or metal, but there's neither of those in this. Hmmm.

 

 

Dry: This musk is really not doing it for me. It smells very chemically and artificial. Usually I really like musk, especially red or black, but I guess burgundy musk isn't for me. I may retest this, as it was fresh out of the mail, but I have a feeling this is just not meant for my skin chemistry. Too bad! Smelled so great in the bottle.

[LiberAmoris]

Crimson really knocks my socks off. On me this smells like dark red musk and red sandalwood in equal parts, with just a touch of clove, saffron, and oudh. The red sandalwood and oudh combo reminds me of Sinus Amoris, and like that blend, this smells like gorgeous, implacable incense. The saffron gives this a kind of tang that does smell a bit like blood, but it's very subtle. Stunning stuff, and I like it more each time I wear it.

[sarahmarie]

I really love this in theory, but in practice it may be too strong for me - it triggered a migraine. I want to try it again, because I definitely see the beauty of it, but it is Very Powerful and something in it may not agree with me!

 

My impressions, though, are of an incensey brown-red scent, very musky and resiny with major depth. I bet it will age beautifully, too!

[dementia_divine]

In the decant: Clove, musk, and resins. The burgundy musk note seems to have a similarity to red musk, but it isn't as sweet, and it's deeper.

 

Wet: I'm getting a lot of clove from this, as well as the musk note, and some of the red sandalwood. Then, the oudh note peeks out, which deepens the blend further. The clove is the strongest note on me, but I am not surprised, as my skin usually does this with clove, and I really enjoy clove. The musk note seems to be gaining prominence over time, though.

 

Dry: This is still mostly clove and musk on me, followed by the resins. I can't pick out the saffron in this one. I think “incense-y” is probably the best way to describe this one.

 

Verdict: I was worried about the burgundy musk in this, but I'm finding that I enjoy it more than the Lab's usual red musk note. That said, I don't feel like I need to upgrade to a bottle, but I'm glad that I tried it.

[Nemi]

Like others have pointed out, I find this very similar to Scherezade, only stronger and more complex. I can really smell the saffron adding complexity - quite wonderful. I just visited Morocco and bought fresh saffron that I have baked with since, and part of the smell reminds me of the taste of the bake goods I made. It is very heavy on the red musk, perhaps a bit too much for me, but I am sure many will really adore this scent. Compelling, sexy, heady.

[Poenari]

Full body slathering test of this decant today, because I'm sure I will love it and the only question is "how many bottles must I buy?". Upon application, this goes on as dark red musk, which is one of the notes that gains me the most compliments whenever I wear red musk scents. Good start! Then it dries down, and I get a smoky note- this is very interesting, because it's almost but not quite vetiver, and almost but not quite Single Note Bonfire. I also usually amp clove, and I don't even smell clove as a distinct note. After 30-45 minutes of wear, this remains a dark smoky red musk scent on me. I really do love it, but I have so many other red musk scents in rotation as well as a pretty huge stash of backups that as much as I love and want Crimson in my collection, I'm going to pass on a bottle for now. Maybe if I get a financial windfall later on before it's gone I will be able to add it to my collection.

[patina]

So, I could swear this musk is based on red patchouli. It's smoky and it's trying to do the usual sour/ sharp thing that red patchouli does on my skin. It's failing though. I do detect plenty of clove peeping out and the saffron adds interest, a bit of polish.

[Katlastrophe]

It's a disturbing scent, it wakes feelings deep within me in a fascinating way.
It's clinging and almost a bit scary.
But most of all it's so, so, so beautiful.
I could never imagine a scent like this before,

I'm quite lost at notes since I'm new into BPAL, but the clove in this is fantastic, it's so much better than the one I've tried in GC blends.
It's not "kitchen spicey" at all, it's smooth and pretty.

I need a bottle, it cursed me.

[violetblue]

Def. grapey, in the vein of WILF and Smut, but not as sweet. Very nice, I think I'd prefer to layer it with something sweeter though as the clove dries it out a bit.

Edited January 16, 2016 by violetblue

[milo]

Sinister indeed! Dark, heady and musky, and I could swear there was a bit of patchouli in here too. This a more darker Red Lace, (one of my favourites), and maybe a bit of Mme Moriarty thrown in. Some spice comes out after a bit, and we have a winner, folks!! I'm glad I got a half bottle, and may need more. For once, my intuition worked.

[hiddentwilight]

Whew! She was not kidding with that bitter clove! Wet I smell a high and bright spiciness from the bitter cloves and saffron, with the smoky oudh and red sandalwood hovering in the background. I like spice and musk, but I prefer a little sweetness thrown in to balance it out.

 

-As it's drying down, the cloves and saffron one-two punch are receeding a bit, and I'm getting the smoothness of the musk and sandalwood combo. I wish I got that sweetness everyone else was talking about.

 

This one is not my cup of tea.

[sadpixie]

When this first arrived I wasn't that thrilled. It was a blind buy and I generally love red musk scents and those that are similar. I put it in my let age pile and just returned to it tonight. After just 2, almost 3, months I can already tell a difference.

 

The saffron and oudh have really rounded out the burgundy musk and now it is reminding me of a slightly stronger, less sweet Scherezade. The burgundy musk is reminding me of the red musk note in Red Lace.

 

I think that I am going to set it back to age some more because if it is this good after just a couple of months it will be awesome in another 6 or so.... if I can wait that long.