Bull's Blood 2nd Edition

i'm genuinely surprised i enjoy this fragrance as much as i do. based on how incredibly potent it is on paper, i was a little scared to try it on my skin, but i find it to be far more wearable than expected! definitely not a scent i'd wear in a professional setting, it's certainly a strong statement and should be applied in moderation, but it's perfect for an evening out or an event where i want to feel powerful and keen-edged and a little dangerous. it reminds me of a dragon with thin tendrils of smoke curling out of its nostrils, heat-sensing tongue flicking out to taste the air, iron-hard blood-slick serrated scales glowing like a bed of coals in the dark of its treasure-lined den. tobacco, patchouli, and sandalwood form the robust, energetic heart of this fragrance, giving it a beastly presence that lasts all day, putting me in a mood to walk with my shoulders back and head high. the rose and geranium are hold their own without being overshadowed by the stronger notes, floating airily around my head like silk for the first couple hours of wear, harmonizing beautifully as the crackling heat of the fragrance settles into a humming diffuse warmth. to me, this fragrance smells like how goldenseal herb tastes: incredibly bitter, but syrupy and warming to the core. i don't think it has the metallic bodily smell of blood, and to me, the musk serves more as a blending agent between the florals & ambers than its own distinctly animalic note, but this perfume does make me salivate in the same way a perfectly seared and still slightly bloody steak does. it's Meaty, that's for sure. bull's blood is not an everyday fragrance, but it's one that's grown on me and may tempt me to a full bottle purchase someday (initially bought my sample as a curious novelty). most recently, i wore it to a wedding where i was worried i would feel singled out by the groom's conservative family as one of the only visibly queer attendees. bull's blood gave me the confidence to bare my teeth in a defiant smile to their sideways looks, and i was so swept up in the aura of bitter smoky rose i was wearing to care much what anyone thought of me. that afternoon, about 3 hours after application, my partner told me i smelled pleasantly like brown sugar up close, which surprised me because i was a little worried i was scaring people away with my monstrous sillage... but this perfume does have a dark, sticky, resinous edge to it like molasses, i suppose! good to know that i wasn't waging chemical warfare on everyone in the room, just giving off my own personal not-to-be-fucked-with vibes.

In concept: patchouli, tobacco, black musk, geranium, Spanish rose, tobacco, sandalwood, and bull’s blood I’ve found that this line tends to have a sharp, scratchy note that I find unpleasant, and the description of this seems like it would be too masculine for my tastes, but the different reviews have my curiosity piqued. I suppose it says something about the type of person I am, when I see something polarizing, I’ve gotta try it for myself. On paper: It smells like my grandpa! Which I guess is actually in line with “A bad boy (from the 1960s)” from the description. As it dries down it gets a lot smokier, but it’s mercifully more of an incense-smoke smell, versus the food-smoke smell of “A City on Fire” by the same designer. In Practice: You’ve spent the night with the dummer from the heavy metal band and are walking home. His basement apartment is much grungier in the light of day. He’s the kind of guy who smokes hand-rolled cigarettes. You say your goodbyes knowing that you’ll never see him again, but that’s fine. His scent lingers in your hair. You’ve had your fun and you’re ready for your next bad decision. It’s much more animalistic on my skin than on paper. It’s don’t really get the blood note, but I do get “flesh” note (almost like fresh sweat with a slight metallic tang). The patchouli is very strong, and the florals end up making it veer into incense. I don't get any rose at all, just patchouli and incense. This is probably what evokes such vivid imagery of a very specific kind of gentleman: he’s creative and kinda grimy, but not in a hippie way, he’s got an edge to him. Where to Wear it: Either a man or a woman (it's surprisingly unisex) who is a musician at a goth club, either looking to pick up groupies, or as a groupie who would like to be picked up by a musician. In summary: After reading the other reviews, I was expecting something really daring and unusual. Unfortunately my expectations on that front fell a little flat, I feel like I’ve smelled this combination before in other indie (goth-y) fragrances. Furthermore, this scent isn’t really “me” — to the point where it gave me the aforementioned sense of wearing someone else’s (secondhand) fragrance — but I do like it and think it would be very sexy on the right kind of person (alternative, a little edgy). I'd be into this if my partner wore it for a date. Definitely sample before buying. (As a note given the reviews, I was very cautious with the amount I used. This stuff is potent, and would probably be unpleasant if over-applied, so use with a light hand!)

The line between beauty and danger is often more blurred than we think. A gilded dagger, a heartbreak, a rose’s thorns. This is the line that Bull’s Blood by @Imaginary Authors straddles. Opening with a leathery animalic note and warm spices, the rose and geranium through-line of this perfume is never lost. Not even when an earthy Patchouli threatens to take over. This fragrance is a constant push and pull, red florals lush and seductive, grounded by an earthen intensity. The tobacco here is especially vintage leaning, lending to transport the wearer the way Imaginary Author fragrances so often do. It’s also balanced to perfection, blended to create something truly unique. I find that a lot of Imaginary Authors’s more masculine fragrances rely heavily on wood, which I do enjoy, but Bull’s Blood is more about the patchouli and rose. Especially the rose. This is a floral perfume before anything else; but this rose is wild. Even the dry down of this fragrance is beautiful, mellowing out but still packing a punch of an earthy, musky rose. Bull’s Blood holds nothing back, and isn’t afraid to be dark. Nothing about it is polite, but spray it a few times and you’re deadly - untouchable. This is for your villain era, because this perfume says “I don’t give a f**k.” And those sprays will last you well into the night - we’re talking 8 hours of wear. This is a hot summer night perfume, though I think many would say it is winter or fall due to its depth and darkness. Is heat not oppressive; is the sun not a killer? The name of this fragrance calls to mind matadors in ruby and gold costumes; it’s about an old world of opulence and grandeur, where even the wealthy were not spared the brutality of living. Imaginary Authors has been one of my favorite fragrance brands for many years for the way they create vivid stories through scents, but I was never able to get my hands on Bull’s Bloor before it was discontinued. But it’s back!!! I am so, so incredibly happy and thankful I was sent this perfume - I had a suspicion I would love it. Yes, I think it might have surpassed The Soft Lawn for my favorite fragrance of theirs. This perfume calls to a part of my soul. If you enjoy dark and “stinky” perfumes, this is for you. As an Aries Sun with a domicile chart ruler Venus in Taurus, the juxtaposition between beauty and beast is where I thrive; and this perfume delivers that. Thank you again to Imaginary Authors for sending this! This was originally posted to my tiktok - scentnsensibility

Fucking hell. Fuuuuucking hell. FUUUUCCKKKIIINGG HELLLLLL! That's what my brain does when it smells this scent. It is the perfume equivalent of fluoroantimonic acid. It destroys everything! I even think this perfume could kick Baccarat Rouge's arse, if it was having a fight with it. Bull's Blood smells EXACTLY as the name would suggest. When I'd put it on and I looked at the stunning book-esque box it arrived in, with vintage and impressionist Spanish art, my brain was whisked away to a dusty Spanish village, where a bullfight had just taken place. Imaginary Authors; take a bow! This perfume is a perfect example of how to tell a story through scent. Tobacco, animalistic musks, patchouli (some sort of modified version - fermented patchouli maybe?) all hurtle towards your olfactory nerves, like a very pissed off bull. Once it has launched it's first attack, a fight breaks out between rose and geranium. The result of that fight is a strong blood scent, which gives amazing texture and character to the profile. Quite easily the best iteration of blood that I have ever experienced. The real genius of Bull's Blood is how the blood scent dances with the main notes. It struts it's stuff like Mick Jagger after a cheeky bump, but without going full Keith Richards. It's quiet confidence allows it to blend PERFECTLY with the main notes. The result is a totally transformed scent profile; easy to handle tones like tobacco and patchouli are given an olfactory kiss of life, due to the unusual blood tone within the scent. Sillage: LOOK OUT EVERYONE, THERE'S A MASSIVE FUCKING BULL AND IT'S MEGA ANGRY! Longevity: THE BULL IS STILL MEGA ANGRY AND IT'S BEEN HERE FOR 10 HOURS! I absolutely love this perfume and it goes straight into my top shelf 10. It will remain in it's box, which is a luxury I only allow for my absolute favourites. 10/10. If you don't like this perfume then piss off back to your fucking Shitvage dupes, ignorant cunt.

I have been excited for this scent for a while, mostly because I wanted to test the limits of my nose and what it was willing to allow inside of it. What I've learned is that apparently, it's pretty good at dealing with challenging scents. I described this as immediately smelling like hot glue and grease burning on the grass of a guy that smoked a shit ton of cigarettes. After ten minutes, it actually turns kind of sweet and metallic, almost like a bloody syrup. It's sort of like within the story that after a while, the smell of the bull goes away as the crowd cheers, throwing roses to the performer as they wipe blood -- his own and his bovine opponent's -- off from their clothes. I'd argue this is a summer scent, but only smouldering heat summers. It kind of smells like your greasy uncle repairing something when it's 100 degrees outside while smoking a cigar. I don't know why that thought crossed my mind, but it did. I will say this: if the smell of tobacco gives you a headache, you will get a headache sometime into having this on you or something else. It will also not leave that thing you have it on. It will also not leave the thing you are smelling it with (your nose). This is one of the most notoriously difficult perfumes to scrub off, and it is so strong it gets stuck in your nose. Thankfully, I could tolerate the headache and actually kind of love the smell of this. I am not 100% against wearing it in public, but also understand that it will probably be extremely off-putting to most people. One of the most creative scents I've put to my nose.