Danse de la Mort

[absinthetics]

White sandalwood, opium tar, tobacco leaf, and white amber.

This is a gorgeous scent. I would say that all of the notes are equally represented both wet and on the dry down. The sandalwood and opium tar are more prominent but in general I find tobacco leaf and white amber to be more subtle scents. The throw is excellent and the scent sticks around for quite some time. This is definitely a sandalwood heavy scent.

[LizziesLuck]

Can't believe there aren't more reviews of this! It was one I was most excited to try. I only skipped a blind bottle because opium can be a bit iffy.

 

 

Wet: Unfg. This is eyes roll back in your head good. Sweet, rich, woody, heady, slightly spicy, a bit incensey. So much more than the sum of it's parts. I likely should have just got a bottle. The tobacco is closer to the Bulgarian than the French. It's drier than either though, less sweet, but has that spiciness that Bulgarian has. The sandalwood is so warm in this. And the amber keeps is from being masculine. The opium adds a hint of intrigue. Mmmm. This is my favourite that I have tried so far of this year's Lupers (but I've only tried like, 4. Lol).

 

 

Dry: Soft, sweet, and surprisingly spicy. The tobacco note is completely mixed in with the sandalwood, and it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. I can barely distinguish the opium or amber (though the amber lends sweetness, I am sure). I like this a lot. It's very subtle and beautifully blended. Once dry, it's not as swoon worthy as when wet, but it's still really lovely. Something very classic about it. I can't stop sniffing it, which makes me think it needs a second test. Right now I am leaning slightly towards a bottle, but I have learned to test several times - my skin and nose are fickle.

[Kat Conover-Karpuk]

Sandalwood + Opium was such an instant blind bottle for me-- and it does not disappoint. It stays pretty much the same wet and dry on me, and what I get is such an elegant combination of the two, with the tobacco backing it up and giving it a little spice. The amber provides a little sweetness to back up the woodiness, and makes it quite a feminine sandalwood on me, though I could easily see this being very unisex in general. I still have so many Lupers to try, but I've been off to a good start! Good throw without being overwhelming, and it lasts and lasts. Total winner in my book.

[queenshaboo]

Wet the opium tar is front and centre, it's very exotic and makes this perfume, on me, smell like a lighter, less sweet version of Alkemia's As Dark Things are Meant to be Loved.

 

The opium here floats on a softer, drier powdery amber, the amber in Alkemia is richer and warmer; if it was a colour it would be a dark chocolately ochre, here it's white.

 

The tobacco is hard to separate out but it just lends a nice unisex edge, preventing the mix from becoming too sweet and the sandalwood is subdued but spicy, just not as strong on my skin as I expected.

 

On the dry down however the sandalwood gets stronger, and combines with the amber to make a heady spicy and slightly powdery woody sweetness which is truly lovely. I swear I smell a floral note here too, maybe just a hint of rose?

 

All in all a very sophisticated exotic oriental wood scent, if you love Opium you'll love this! I just bought an FB of As Dark Things though and it's just too similar to justify getting this one as well, d'oh!

Edited March 28, 2017 by queenshaboo

[zankoku_zen]

I really do have to admit to myself that I need more opium blends in my life. Opium, sandalwood, and a touch of tobacco and amber. Gorgeous. Would definitely get a bottle of this.

[ramblingrambler]

Wet on application this is extremely woody and... almost has a deep vetiver smell, though vetiver isn't a listed note. I loved the woodiness though, so I persevered and am glad I did. As it dries, the white amber revs up and gives it a... gaussian blur... type of feel. Tobacco makes it a smidgen sweeter than I would like, but I think the opium tar tempers that some. As it fades away, the sandalwood and amber remain. It's lovely, if nothing else than for the beautiful sandalwood.

[Balame]

You know that "feels good" meme where the dude has his hands on his face with his eyes closed and he's totally blissed out?

 

This one?

 

 

That is me wearing Danse de la Mort.

 

HOLY FUDGE BALLS.

 

This is sex on a pogo stick unfff. I love it, and want to marry it and want to do naughty things to it. Instant top 5 BPALs ever for me.

It's just. Like. If you take BPAL's sinuous, sticky, sensual opium. And BPAL's chewy, rich, seductive tobacco.

And mix it all up with some sweet, thrumming amber and witchy-woodsy sandalwood?

 

That is Danse de la Mort.

 

Aaall of those things are big "heck yes"es for me, so this is just killer.

You get a whiff of this on someone and it doesn't matter what they look like, your head turns and your instant thought will be, "DAMN THEY FINE."

 

This is absolutely a must for lovers of any of the notes listed, except maybe amber since it plays a supporting role here.

 

DdlM is like the forest-dwelling sorceress/sorcerer (yes, I think it's unisex) who's suddenly decided to come out of their hermitage and dress up in the best finery for some monarch's ball because they need to seduce someone to save the world. Or something. If you know the game Dragon Age: Origins, it really makes me think of Morrigan's character.

 

To sum up: Yeeeesssss.

[myth]

I wasn't sure about this one from reading the notes, but I got lucky. Opium notes can be iffy on me, prone to being heavy/perfumey/powdery, but not here. And this isn't the harsh, sour tobacco a la French Tobacco SN, but the much calmer tobacco leaf note that I like.

This is a pale, woody incense of absolute gorgeousness. I love it.

[Lucchesa]

I just want to continue the Danse de la Mort lovefest. These notes were not a slam dunk for me ; tobacco leaf can be unpleasantly sharp and opium tar can take over. But here they work together like a dream, with pale sandalwood and golden amber and yum! Unisex in the best possible way. Five hours in it’s a gentle skin scent but if I were home I’d have reapplied at least once. So good!