B by Blood, 2011

ln the opening phase l get dark fruits, woods & a touch of peppery incense. 15 minutes in, sniffing up close, the dominant note is black tea, but from a distance l get more of the fruits. As the fragrance develops, there's an accord of spiced apples & tobacco, which puts me in mind of a darker, denser Ambre Narguile. lnstead of the pastry-sweet drydown of AN though, this has a soft patchouli in the base, fading out at around six hours. Thankfully l didn't pick up on any metallic notes, but the whole aesthetic of this line is off-putting to me, & l don't love this scent enough to ignore that, hence the neutral rating.

I rate this as the best of the line by a pretty wide margin and purchased immediately. The top notes are very lovely -- peppers and cherry syrup and the patchouli is tempered nicely by the woods in the drydown. Lasts for ages. The whole concept is for the fairies, but I suppose you have to try something new to get the line into Liberty's. Big thumbs up for the fragrance though.

B strikes as a spicy oriental and, in the "mankind-evolution-concept" on which the whole line is based, should represents mass migrations, new discoveries/journeys and the renaissance. Smells bold and spicy, with a consistent patchouli note on which bizarre juxtapositions of acidic fruits (apple) and astringent artemisia plays together with pepper to create an interesting, but not completely satisfying, composition. In the drydown dry woods and tea darken the fragrance while a slight metallic note works as a sort of signature for the whole line. Again, don't expect something disturbing or disgusting as nothing here is aimed to resemble blood itself. The Blood Concept is based on the evolution of mankind through blood types and not to a sort of provocation a-la Secretion Magnifique. Very far from being a masterpiece but still a nice attempt to create a conceptual fragrance. Good projection and great lasting power. Downside: This is the most accesible of the whole line (read more conventional). It is basically a patchouli centered composition and, honestly, when it comes to patchouli you can have much better options out there.