Vixen 

(and some tests)

I started the day testing O, one of BPAL's best loved scents together with Snake Oil and Dorian. Although when I recently read people's lists for newbies, they all mentioned O because it was supposed to be one of the best loved scents, but they all mentioned they did not personally like it. I am afraid that the same goes for me: I do not like O. I never thought that I would, but because of its fame I thought I should try it. So when I had a chance to get it through a swap, I didn't hesitate. The description of O is:

The scent of sexual obsession, slavery to sensual pleasure, and the undercurrent of innocence defiled utterly. Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla.

I am not a great fan of honey scents to begin with, unless they have a good balance with something else like Harikata does. O is simply too sweet. I might have enjoyed the amber and vanilla without the honey. I might even have enjoyed the honey and vanilla without the amber. But the three of them is just too much. After 15 minutes I could bear it no longer and washed O off. 


I took a break of about half an hour trying to decide what I would smell next, something else new or something familiar. I decided to try Delirium.

Non compos mentis, indeed! A contrary, conflicted scent, bubbling with merry madness. Contains apple, rose, and lemon.

It smelled nice and fresh in the vial, but once on my skin it almost bit off my nose! I really must have been out of my mind trying this! Or if I wasn't when I put it on, the scent was trying really hard to get me out of my mind. It was a very very sharp rose-and-lemon cutting into my olfactory senses like a knife. I have tried over 250 scents now and this was the first one that really seemed to be trying to give me a headache. The apple that was so nice in its poisoned variety (see yesterday's post) was only there in the vial, on my skin it had completely given way to the razor-like lemon-rose. I had to was if off, very thoroughly.


After that there was only one solution: Vixen, earthy non-sweet and trustworthy, although the description would make one think otherwise.

Lascivious, flirtatious, and vampy as hell. A true heartbreaker’s perfume. The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli.

Of course the inspiration was not Jánàček's Vixen, it was the popular meaning of the word. But I enjoyed both the performance of De Nederlandse Opera (picture above) and the Dutch version that was performed outdoor by Opera Animous (below the picture from their poster). This scent would have fitted Jánàček's Vixen well.