brsis

Initial Thoughts: Despite the name, I get pure blonde gold from the writeup for this particular concoction. I really like the concept, and the list of notes seems really good too. In the imp: Caramel. Currants. Tobacco. It's not sweet, but it's got a luciousness and a slightly bitter fruityness to it. On the wrist (Elbow), wet: Ooh, nice throw. Nice caramel/coconut throw. Up close, you get the amber, the tobacco, and more of the coconut. And what I think might be the opium. It's not heavy, but it is dark, sultry and slightly smoky. Very sophisticated and a bit masculine, actually. Fifteen minutes later: Spicy tobacco and a hint of amber, with just a touch of coconut. Almost boozy, but not quite - I think that might be the currant. This is a sumptuous and slightly decadent evening scent - not heavy or cloying, but tinglingly golden. Verdict: I could use a bottle of this, should one turn up, but I don't love it quite enough to start questing for it. Tl;Dr: Mellow but spicy golden tobacco goodness; a decadent evening scent with respectable throw.

Initial Thoughts: Just the name was enough to sell me on this one - I wouldn't care if it smelt of old gym socks and the chicken's nesting box. Well, maybe I would, but still. There's flowers in there, but I don't think I noticed when I bought it. I was more concerned about the 'dead leaves' - which if it works, I will LOVE. In the imp: Splintery woodiness, a hint of clove, and then Bam! - leafmould. Genuine, honest to God leafmould. Woah <i>momma</i>. On the wrist, wet: Hmm. It's hard to say what I'm getting here - I can ID the clove and what I'm guessing is probably the khus and the oud (I hope I'm not mistaken in thinking they're fragrant woods). The clove's actually a bit overpowering for the moment, but the whole thing's dark and bitter and very, very evocative. Some time later (I lost track): Eh. On my skin, this isn't really as rich and lovely as I hoped it would be. In fact, it's clove. Strait up clove, all the way through. Now, I like clove, but not THIS much. Verdict: Will use the imp, but doubt I'll get a bottle. Tl;Dr: Rich, intricate leafmould in the imp, clove, clove, and clove, with a dash of clove, on the skin.

Initial thoughts: It's a malevolent Japanese kitty cat! How could I not love it? That aside, that's a pretty yummy list of notes - I'm tentative on the tangerine and the cherry blossom, but amber musk, tea, cardamom and cinnamon makes for one potent combination I'm sure I'd love. In the imp: Mulled wine!? It's not mulled wine - it's the particular combination of orange juice and spices you'd get off really good mulled wine. Just without the wine. That's spine-tinglingly good. On the wrist, wet: Instantly, strong wafts of spicy Christmas goodness. Mwah mwah mwah mwah MWAH cinnamon and cardamom - I really wish I'd eaten before putting this on, it's making my motuh - and my eyes - water. Up a bit closer I just get the sweetness of the orange and a hint of tea, but it's got an awesomely potent throw. Oooh, I'm loving this! Fifteen minutes later: MWAH. Nary a hint of sickly orange, this is sweet, spicy, cinnamon yum-yum. I can just detect the tea and the amber underneath, giving it a bit of body and stopping the orange from going wild (I can barely detect the orange except as a touch of sweetness). Even after a generous helping of banoffee pie, I am still tempted to lick my wrist. Decent throw. Verdict: I needs to find me a bottle of this baby! Tl;Dr: Christmas spices with a slightly sweet, tannin undertone. Virtually edible.

Initial thoughts: WANT. WANT. WANT. GET ON MY SKIN. NOW! In the bottle: Fekkin' After Eights. Nice After Eights. Sweet minty vanilla goodness. Mouthwateringly so. Oh. My. God. On the wrist, wet: Ach, that's a bit... strong. I think I put a bit too much on - it's a bit like potent cheap creme de menthe at the moment. This is going to have to mellow out enough to stop my eyes watering before we can get along. Fifteen minutes later: Great throw. Vanilla has a habit of going a bit sour and acrid on my skin, which is exactly what this is doing. It's still too early to say whether it'll stay that way or if the mint is going to strengthen, but at the moment I'm getting alcoholic After Eights. Thirty minutes later: While not helped by ten minutes with Eau de Wet Dog, this is still sharper and more sour than I'd like. It's still mellowing, but the mint is definately taking a back seat. Verdict: Overall, I'm slighlty dissapointed. In the bottle, this smells like seven shades of amazing awesomeness. Unfortunately, vanilla tends to react in a certain way on me which here, doesn't work all that great. I'm keeping the bottle (Actually, I think you'd have to prize it from my cold dead fingers) but I'm going to try wearing it in my hair or on a handkerchief. Tl;Dr: Wrist-lickingly delicoius minty vanilla goodness, which sadly doesn't love my skin chemistry too much.

Initial thoughts: Mwah. I so want this to work on me and smell like hot wet thunderstormy goodness. I'm a tad skeptical of aquatics (They usually only last for about half the total wear of the scent) but there's no reason why it shouldn't be good. In the bottle: It's a very clear and bright, watery note. There's something of a tingle there that could be green flowers, but it's not 'floral' as such. On the wrist, wet: The oil's totally clear and very runny - the others are a lot more 'oily' than this, which is very watery. It's a fairly perfumy aquatic at the moment - nothing especially special. Ten minutes later: Eh. Perfume. This actually smells like, well, perfume - wishy-washy florals with a chemical kick from the ozone. I'm going to let it mature over the day, but I'm not hopeful. EDIT: Oooh. After about an hour and a half, yes, this is a LOT more interesting. It smells like just after a brief shower on a hot day - overall hot and dry, but briefly and insubstanially wet and green. It's a real skin hugger, though, so although it warrants a second test I'm still not sure if it's 'me'. Verdict: Dissapointing. May have to swap this one, as unless it morphs into something incredibly in the next hour. EDIT: Definately worthy of a second test. Tl;Dr: Wet, ozone-y flowers make for a bog-standard commercial perfume. On the drydown, much richer and more interesting - the air on a scorchingly hot day after a brief shower.

Initial Thoughts: I wouldn't have looked twice at this if it hadn't come up on a sales thread and I looked up the notes out of curiosity after ruling out all the other scents listed. That's one potent line-up of goodness right there. The weirdest thing is that the list of notes combined together is the same colour in my head as the word 'Diwali' - BPAL never ceases to amaze me. In the bottle: Mellow, sweet spices with a hint of fruit, and I can just get a touch of incense. On the wrist, wet: Ouch. Cardamom, clove and what I think is the lotus root - and that's me sneezing. After the initial nose-tingling dark spices, I'm getting more of the incense - this is certainly exotic and y'know, actually does smell Indian. Ten minutes later: Well, it's mellowed out a bit. This has really good throw - I can smell it while I'm typing and it's only on my wrists, but it's a pleasant sort of waft. Up close it's not that special - mild spices and woodsy incense. Pleasant, but not something I'd wear very often, I think - I prefer to go for something with a bit more oomph. Verdict: Keeper... for now. I wouldn't cry if I had to let it go, but since I'll probably wear it infrequently it may as well stay. Tl;Dr: Mellow spice and woody incense. Good throw.

Initial thoughts: I'm probably going to hate this - orchids and osmanthus I don't mind so much, but nothing says 'girly' to me more than jasmine and rose. However, for science! In the imp: A dull, slightly musky floral. I'm not well educated enough to pick out different florals from this - it's quite well blended. On the wrist, wet: Rose and jasmine. Musk. Maybe a bit of sandalwood. It actually smells fairly generic commercial floral perfume on me, complete with chemical tang. Ich. Ten minutes later: Cheap commercial floral pefume. Definately not my style. Vedict: Swap pile Tl;Dr: Fairly average, mild floral with a hint of musk.

Initial Thoughts: Oh dear God why am I testing a scent called Golden Cock? Vanilla and amber. That's why. This should be good, actually. In the Imp: Tingly juniper goodness with mellow vanilla. Mmmmm... On the wrist, wet: Juniper and vanilla. Nice one. Oh, and a touch of what I think may be pine. This is really quite pleasant, but it's reminding me of something and... ... oh. Right. I remember. Hmm. It reminds me of Toilet Duck. That's a shame. Ten minutes later: It's improving, but the hint of eau de Toilet Duck is still there. There is also, however, a lovely pale gold vanilla note trying to wrestle it's way out. This definately needs at least another ten minutes to mature and see if I can live with it. Half an hour later: No good. Toilet Duck it is. I'm pretty sure it's the juniper and the pine, so I'm going to have to stay away from those two in future, because they don't fade the way grapefruit does. Verdict: Swap pile Tl;Dr: Golden vanilla under a very heavy later of Mountain Fresh Toilet Duck.

Frimped to me by Ebayer Melenass! Initial thoughts: Oooh, bay rum. I'm yet to find a bay rum that works on me (Although I've only tried what concoctions my mother can come up with) but I'm ever hopeful. And hey - anything named after Baron Samedi is good in my books. In the Imp: Holy crap. Almond booze. Really strong, dark, alcoholic marzipan. Eyewateringly strong. 'Makes me cough' strong. I'm actually scared of putting it on my wrists, but here goes nothing. On the wrist, wet: I've been sparing with this one, because it's SO potent and... yeah, not sparing enough. Oh my. It's really strong, but less almond, but dark and slightly bitter marzipan. Almost a hint of something herbal, but just a hint. Ooo la la. Ten minutes later: It's calmed down, but it's still pretty potent. Less almond, more clove, still got quite a rum-sting without actually being boozy, if that makes any sense, and just beginning to get a hint of bay leaf. This is dark, rough and rather sensual. This is what the worst kind of Victorian gentleman smells like. This is bay rum in it's best black silk tophat and skull mask. This is a man's scent, and not a very well behaved man at that. By every logic, I shouldn't like this - it's potent enough to knock out a horse, and I hate marzipan - but I'm actually starting to really love it. If nothing else, it makes me grin. It's a wicked kind of grin, a skeleton grin, the kind of grin that makes me want to go tie damsels to traintracks, but a grin nonetheless. Vedict: Keeper, and probably a bottle. Mwah hah hah hah hah. Tl;Dr: Potent bitter marzipan fades quickly into manly clovey goodness. Get your coat and tophat.

Frimped to me by Tartchef! Initial thoughts: My first real dragon's blood scent. Ah, dragon's blood - the marmite of the scent world (Civet could possibly give it a run for it's money - but I maintain that civet is the gerkin of the scent world, rather than the marmite). The rest of the notes are all good. In the imp: Hmm... I don't know what I'm smelling. It's clear, strong and soporific, but other than that I couldn't put a name to anything. I can't even pick out any individual notes. On the wrist, wet: I still don't know what I'm smelling. I'm getting smoky, I'm getting something that seems... off, but not really unpleasant. This is really odd. Ten minutes later: Opium soap. Bleh. Verdict: Swap pile Tl;Dr: Opium soap.

Frimped to me by Tartchef! Initial Thoughts: Sounds a bit heavy on the citrus and florals, really. Not massively enthusiastic. Worth a try, though. In the imp: Soft bergamot, lemon, a hint of musk? Can't tell if it's the white musk or the China musk (Don't know if I could tell them apart if I knew the difference). On the wrist, wet: I do get the musk and the florals, but I also get the citrus air freshener. Citrus does this on me, but it usually calms down quick. Ten minutes later: Air freshener. Really pungent air freshener. Verdict: Swap pile Tl;Dr: Air freshener.

Initial thoughts: I'm unsure on this one. I want to love the concept, and some of the notes are real stars for me (Cream, ginger, pear) but the pink pepper, grapefruit and lemon candyfloss is making me a tad nervous. In the bottle: Haribo gummi bears. It's got a tingly edge, but I'm not getting citrus sharp, which is a good start. I've stated before that I hate 'sweetshop' smells (Well, modern ones at any rate) but the last scent I tried that smelt like confectionary was Shango, and that, well... that was a good day. On the wrist, wet: Woah, woah, woah, grapefruit. Really SHARP grapefruit. Ouch. And sugary lemon. Christ, strait away I get the two notes I really didn't want. This does not bode well. I think there's some pepper in there as well. Citrus doesn't tend to last on me, and I really hope this is gonna go away. The throw is spectacular (Not always a plus). Ten minutes later: The hint of airfreshener I'm slowly coming to associate with grapefruit. Something dark and a bit... hmm, not unpleasant, but nasty in the undertone. Gummibears in the throw (That's really nice - I don't know what notes are doing it, but I suspect it's the cream and the pear) Fifteen minutes later: Yummmmmmmeh! The airfreshener's almost gone (Almost, but like I Married A Vampire... it's shrunk down to skinhugging distance) and now I'm getting juicy pears with vanilla cream and a hint of ginger. This is REALLY good. I picked the right scent to wear to the funfair. The verdict: Keeper. Not really my kind of a smell, so it's probably going to be worn infrequently, but definately a keeper just for the 'YAY GUMMI BEARS!' boost. Tl;Dr: Strong citrus that fades into edible gummi bear goodness. Tangy but edibly sweet.

Initial thoughts: I got both B Movie scents to try, almost purely because of the names, but out of the pair of them, this is the one I was really hoping would work on me. Teenage Cannibal, the other scent, will most probably end up far too sweet and cheeky for me to pull off, but this one's got a real chance. Notes wise - I know daemonorops is a kind of I Can't Believe It's Not Dragon's Blood! - they're different species but apparantly produce similar, but not identical, resins. I'm unsure about that one note, but the rest of the line reads great right the way up to 'clove'. I'm tentative on the citrus, herb and white musk combination that comes at the end. In the bottle: Leather, musk and myrrh with a mellow citrus tang at the end and a spicy tingle. I'm impressed. On the wrist, wet: Citrus. Air freshener citrus. Oh dear. Ten minutes later: Spicy citrus air freshener in a leather box. With a fresh sage and melon tang (Actually, that's quite nice...). It is improving, I just can't shake the ACH! air freshner. I think it's the grapefruit and the mandarin, personally. I have to go to work now and don't have time to wash it off, so I'll try and keep track of how it morphs through the day. At the moment I'm thinking I'll have to test it again later on in the week. Some hours later (And at work - I'm a bad person): This is better. This is slightly spicy patent leather and green melon juice. THIS I can work with. Many hours later (About eight - it's got excellent throw and stamina, I'll give it that): The melon has finally started to fade. It never quite lost it's slightly chemical smack, but at least after half an hour or so it shrank down to skin-hugging distance. The throw was mostly melon - yummy melon - with the spicy leather somewhat closer to my skin. This one definately deserves a second test, because my skin chemistry's off right now, and I'm not getting rid of the bottle. It's not quite in the 'You'll have to prise it from my cold dead fingers!' catagory, but I'm not letting it go just yet. Verdict: Keeper, but it warants another test before I decide in what capacity. Tl;Dr: Starts off like airfreshener, mellows out after a while into spice, leather and melon.

Frimped to me by Ebayer Melenass! Initial thoughts: Concept wise, if I could pick ONE god in the whole wide world to follow, I think it might be Shango ^.^ (This is based on the fact that that Baron Samedi is not a god, although he's certainly the best-dressed metaphysical entity going). The actual notes I'm tentative on - I really, really want this to smell like bright, tropical, slightly sharp yummyness. I'm worried it's going to smell like sweets. In the Imp: ... whoah, Jolly Ranchers. I'm mostly getting the apple, what I think is probably the pomegranate, and the sugar cane. This is also a really, REALLY dark oil - black treacle residue dark. It's interesting... gets less sweet as I sniff, and on the wand it's lower-key and much less sweet. But I hate, hate, hate smelling like a sweetshop. On the wrist, wet: Well, here goes nothing. Goes on dark, fades in, give it a moment to warm... ... whoah momma. This makes my eyes water, but in a good way. Holy cow. First up it's the chili pepper, then the brighter fruits - the apple mostly - and then the pinapple and the rest, and the coconut just rounding it out at the end. That's one hell of a scent. A moment or two more and the pinapple is starting to spike, making the whole tone lighter and a bit sharper. I smell edible. I am seriously impressed o.O Five-ten minutes ish later: It's calmed down a bit now and is a touch less "C'mon then, if ya thinkya 'ard enough!" (I never thought fruit could be quite so aggressive). But it's still yummy-scrummy goodness. A touch sweeter now, but I've still got the chili. The banana is non-existant, the pinapple is figuring less and the coconut's barely noticable, but at the same time I'm sure I'd tell if they weren't there. This is good. This is reeeeeeally good. A bit later (Seriously, I've lost track. It's that good): More chili, less fruit, still gorgeous. This one's a keeper. Hell, this one's a bottle. Yes, it's fruity and slightly sweet, but it's the most aggressive, manly, confident (Borderline cocky) tropical fruit I've ever smelt. Shango means business. The verdict: I can has bottle? Tl;Dr: Bold, cocky tropical fruit heavy on the chili pepper, hardly sweet at all after the first ten minutes or so. Surprisingly masculine.

Frimped to me by Tartchef! Initial thoughts: Whoo, my first myrrh scent! I love myrrh. Ever since when, after having to sit through one primary school Nativity rehearsal too many, I asked my mother what the hell frankincense and myrrh were, anyways. I was lucky enough to have a mother who actually knew ^.^ Gold for a king, frankincense for a god, myrrh for the dead. Myrrh and I have had a distant love affair ever since. More specifically on the subject of Darkness, I wasn't particularly moved by the copy - actually, I found it slightly intimidating - but with my love of myrrh, my particular fascination with opium (Petrol and wildflowers! Petrol and wildflowers! C'mon!) and my recent OMG *flail* moment over the narcissus note in Hades, I'm really glad I have this scent. Enough talk! In the imp: Wildflowers. Wildflowers and, oh my, not petrol but something dark and bleak and old. Something - and this is going to sound weird because here I go with the synesthesia again - small and dry, almost mummified, but soft like a dessicated moth, hidden away in a dark little sarcophagus. This is the most tantalising and interesting 'in the imp' I've smelt so far. On the wrist, wet: Same kind of scent, but murky, only semi-floral, an odd scent in the throw which I think is the narcissus - not as sweet as the black narcissus in Hades - and right up close the funeral-wrapping musk of myrrh. The opium is giving it a weird, unsettling edge - otherwise it would be a lovely soft, sleepy perfume, but I think it's that slightly acrid opium kick that's broadcasting 'you are not safe in the dark' Ten minutes later (Ish): It's softened now - the bristly defensive opium has calmed down and the narcissus is starting to bloom properly - as I'm beginning to find narcissus does on my skin. It's still not 'safe' - there's something edgy in the softness, like being in pitch black. I'm liking this. Half an hour later: I know what this reminds me of. My mother's Opium perfume, except not so sharp and pungent. An hour later: This has softened right down until it's literally hugging my skin - absolutely zero throw. The opium has slunk out so now I get sleepy funeral myrrh and not a lot else. It's still lovely - I'm really impressed by how richly evocative this is, it's reminded me of so many things, not least a picture book I had when I was a kid. This book was a classic I can never remember the name of, about a dark, dark house with a dark, dark room and so on and so forth, and at the very end there was a tiny little mouse in a tiny little box. Darkness is what that picture book would have smelt like. But it does fade into nothingness far too quickly on me, which is dissapointing. I'm going to have to test this one on either my hair or a handkerchief or something, because it's not no staying power on my skin. Or I might just scent my stuffed rabbit with it ^.^ The verdict: Love it, doesn't love me too much. I can sense a potential bottle in the future if I can get it to work in some form other than as a strait scent. Tl;Dr: Soft, sleepy myrrh that lasts about an hour and a half with a dangerous opium edge that fades more quickly. Delicious skin hugging scent, shame it doesn't last that long.

Frimped to me by Tartchef! Initial thoughts: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY LOVECRAFT! Also: Marine is good. Not so sure on the eucalyptus front, but bergamot and ambergris are big big loves. In the imp: This is the only oil I have that is actually totally clear. Weird. Smell wise, it’s a clean, fresh, wet floral with a barest hint of eucalyptus. On the wrist, wet: Faint. It’s a bit like wet, clean shampoo, actually. Not exactly soap, but the tangy aquatic from the marine and the eucalyptus is very much like a really nice shampoo. On the wrist, wet, but MORE: Okay, now I’ve doused myself in it instead of just dabbing it on, I get the bergamot and the eucalyptus. Wet, clean, clear bergamot and eucalyptus. Don’t really get the ambergris, but there’s a soft touch that stops it from being sharp and bitter which is probably my favourite little note lurking in there. Ten minutes or so later: Fresh, wet, green bergamot. It’s pleasant, but ever so slightly reminiscent of shampoo. I’ll wear the rest of the imp for certain, but I don’t think this is going into the bottles pile just yet. Several hours later: Wait… why does this smell different? It’s the ambergris. It takes it’s time – boy does it take it’s time! – but when it finally makes a show it gives a soft, golden incense tinge that takes the edge off the marine bergamot. This is much more me. A bottle may appear sometime in the future, but I’m in no great rush. Tl;Dr: Weak, so apply liberally. Very fresh, wet, green bergamot with a hint of eucalyptus. The ambergris turns up after a few hours.

Frimped to me by Tartchef! Initial thoughts: Was on my wishlist. I like incense. I like deserts. I like dry, exotic smells. Should be lovely. Having scrubbed Snake Oil off (Took three tries. Seriously not cool) I decided to give something else a go before heading out for the evening, and give myself a good hour to scrub it off again if it turned out to be another disaster. In the imp: Hmm... elusive. I get the incense, but as a secondary note - something wafting past on the breeze as I try and figure out what I'm smelling. Mmm... is that lemon balm? Lemon balm and ozone, maybe, but not exactly. It's elusive and very airy, but not particularly dry or hot. On the wrist, wet: Lemon. Lemon... soap. Uh oh. Five minutes later: Lemon soap with a hint of incense. Ten minutes later: Very faint lemon soap. Verdict: Into the swap pile you go! Tl;Dr: Lemon soap that dissapears.

Frimped to me by Tartchef! Initial thoughts: Snake Oil was never on my wishlist, for no apparant reason other than it's insane popularity with women. However, when Tartchef asked me to pick out some frimps with my bottle of Herr Drosselmeyer *Love* it was on the list, and I thought well, hey, that many people can't be wrong. Also it has vanilla in it, and I really like the way vanilla smooths things over. In the imp: Okay, I can smell the vanilla. I can also smell something that smells like a spice - not spicy, but like a mellow spice like saffron. Something else I can't quite place - it's sweet, but not sugary. Might be a floral, but it's a really odd floral if it is. And something reminiscent of patchouli. It's also a slightly alarming dark yellow colour that shows on your skin wet o.O dissapears quickly, though. Wet on the wrist: Oooh, spice! Sweet spice! Something else... actually, I think that is patchouli. Hmmm. Maybe some ylang ylang? The vanilla's not so distinct, but it's starting to smell slightly like baking, which is probably the vanilla's fault. A minute later: Oh dear. There's a sharp, sour, smoky note - my mother thought it smelt like old cigarettes on her. On me, it smells like someone burnt down the hippy shop. It's starting to mellow, but that's seriously unpleasant. Five minutes later: Still burnt and sour. It's also a bit too strong for my liking, and is giving me a slight headache. I'm getting the vanilla now, but that only results in smelling like burnt cakes. Ten minutes later: Is that eucalyptus?! I know Snake Oil is meant to be a cure-all, but it's not Vics Vapour Rub. Is it? Fifteen minutes later: Okay, that's definately eucalyptus, but it's calming down. The sour note is becoming less burnt. I'm getting sweet vanilla sometimes. This has potential, I guess. Twenty minutes later: It doesn't smell like burnt cakes or eucalyptus anymore. I don't know what it smells like, but it's too strong and I don't like it. Every so often I get a wiff of the sweet vanilla I really like, but overall I'm not impressed. I might wear the rest of the imp, maybe, but I'm not going to be sorry to see the back of this one. Twenty five minutes later: STOP MORPHING! STOP IT! It's mellower now - still nose-tingling, but this is much more wearable. Still got the eucalyptus when I snuffle up to my wrist, can only trace the sweet vanilla in the throw (Which is pretty damn far). It's still giving me a bit of a headache - I think I need to wear it a lot more sparingly. Later (Like, forty-five minutes. Not funny, guys): Okay, it's... bareable. And not exactly unpleasant. But I still don't like it that much. If it went to this strait away, I'd probably use up the imp eventually. As it is, with nearly an hour of messing around before it gets to sweet hippy shop smog and sour old smoke, I really can't be bothered. Goes in the swap pile. An hour later (AN HOUR): Okay, now it's kind of alright. Still not really my thing, but it's sweet and the vanilla has come back - actually, it smells kinda edible. At this point, it's quite nice, but I really can't be bothered with the amount of time it's taken to get this far. I may use the rest of the imp, I may not - the fact that the first hour smells absolutely foul on me, and it's very strong with a absolutely incredible throw (And gives me headaches) is definately not in it's favour. TL;DR: Morphs, morphs, morphs some more, and although after an hour it's quite pleasant, getting there really isn't. And it's strong. Probably not a keeper.

Frimped to me by Tartchef! In the imp: Warm, a touch spicy, reminiscent of incense (Must be the ambergris) Fresh on the wrist (Well, elbow, actually): Slightly sharp – not citrus, but the same kind of freshness. That’ll be the cypress, then. Slightly cooler on the skin. Definitely still the pale gold incense note which I’m assuming is the ambergris, and a hint of a non-sweet floral. Only a hint. The floral gets stronger over the next five minutes or so, but it doesn’t last long. Fifteen minutes later: Lovely, warm, spicy ambergris. The cypress has warmed down to just a hint of a tang. I don’t really get the narcissus – from time to time there’s a wiff that makes me thing of it, but it’s never there long enough to examine. Decent throw, although I was pretty generous with it this morning, and seems like pretty good staying power so far – it’s morphed but not lessened. Not sold on a big bottle yet, but definitely one to try again. Half an hour later: Oooh, the ‘incense’ mustiness (In a good way – you know what I mean >.<) is backing off now and while the cypress is still lingering in the background, I think the black narcissus is blooming properly. It’s still not a ‘proper’ floral, but it’s fresh, not sweet, and nicely softened round the edges with the ambergris. Many hours later (Seriously, like, seven hours): The two main notes I get have blended into a yummy, soft, pale golden narcissus incense. I think this might be going into the ‘big bottle’ category fairly pronto-ish. Overall, if I can avoid associating Hades with Japanese oral exams (Guess what I had today >.<) then he might soon become one of my favourites. TL;DR: Incensey ambergris, with tinges of sharp cypress that fade on the dry down and a fresh spring floral that builds over time. Reasonable strength and throw.

I pretty much went with flowers = girls when picking out my scents, and although that didn't work (No. of scents with no flowers: About twelve. Length of wishlist: About twelve pages ) I've done pretty well with what I've picked out so far. I agree that a lot of the scents I've smelt are pretty unisex (Barring anything with roses in it. Can't stand roses) but everything I've smelt that's named after a male god or Shakespearian figure has worked really well on the masculine front. I don't have typical skin chemistry (And, as Her Indoors pointed out, I am the most flamboyantly camp person she knows) but I find wearing more than one scent works really well for me when I have less manly scents I like. A nice masculine one (My favourite at the moment is Herr Drosselmeyer - arrived this morning, already love it) on my wrists, possibly on my hair, and my handkerchief if I'm wearing one, and then something more exotic (O and Incubus are favourites, I'm yet to try Snake Oil) usually on the back of my neck or the hollow of my collarbones. Everyone smells Herr Drosselmeyer with something slightly sweeter about it, and my fiancee (The only person who gets close enough) gets pretty much an equal mix of the Herr and O. Which she likes. A lot.

Initial thoughts: The notes are all in my 'top likes' list. Like the name, like the concept. Really like the concept. In the bottle: Damn stuffed up nose. I get something that might be leather, and a hint of slightly sweet spicyness. On the wrist, wet: ... licorise? OMG stick in the nose licorise too. Weird. Five minutes later: Okay, the licorise has faded away rather quickly. Because of the cold, I'm finding it hard to differentiate what's left. It's slightly smoky, but in a fragrant wood-smoke way rather than cigarette smoke. Definately warm and dark. Slightly sweet too. Even as I write, it's fading down into a soft, sweet sort of haze. Oh, and there's the leather, just hiding behind the woodsmoke, and growing stronger as it warms. Hmmm... this is actually less toymaker, more dandy-highwayman to my nose. It's a bit on the sweet side, although that certainly calms down a lot, so I think I'd probably like to layer it with something. Masculine but not overly manly, I think. Definately worth a second test, but at the moment going into the 'Will wear, but infrequently' pile, as I generally prefer something a bit spicier and more exotic. EDIT: Had it on about twenty minutes now. Mellowed out nicely. Really nicely. Not too sweet, slightly leathery, woodsy smokey goodness. Might be bumping this up to a 'Will wear, quite frequently' EDIT: Now been about an hour and it keep growing on me. Now definately warm leather that's absorbed the scent of sweet woodsmoke. Not a great throw - I get occasional wiffs as I type, but I have to have my wrist about two inches from my nose to really smell it. Definately a keeper. TL;DR: A bit strong to start off with, but settles down nicely in about ten minutes to leathery woodsmoke and keeps mellowing. Warm, dark, and slightly sweet.

Thanks very much for the suggestions! I'll certainly hunt down the Fox Fires one and some of the suggestions for Vincent ^.^

Ah, I'm glad I found this one... I've been trying to think what I'll wear for my next Con now I've become BPAL addicted! Plus I think I need something to compensate for the smell of copious quantities of Manga Head hair putty... On one day (Haven't worked out what order they're going in yet...) I'm cosplaying Jin from Samurai Champloo - for those who don't know the series, he's a Japanese ronin (Lordless, wandering Samurai), the strong, silent type, very serious (Or at least he appears to be), intelligent, direct and a little bit dark. He wears blue and black traditional Japanese clothing, glasses, and is currently roaming Japan looking for... well, the plot's kinda odd Ideally I need something strong and masculine, outdoor-sy, but without the cologne-y smell that many of the male scents seem to have, as that wouldn't be appropriate for historical Japan ^.^ On the other day, I'm cosplaying Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children. He's... emo >.< and dark, and mysterious, and kinda sexy in an odd way, and a sulky, glowering little... and he's actually really old, despite not looking a day over thirty, and has a dark and tragic past (Don't they always? ). He wears red, black and bronze - lots of black leather, lots of metal, big swirly red cape - and carries a tri-barrelled pistol. I considered De Sade, but since I'm going to be clad from neck to ankles in black leather as it is, that one's probably unneccessary... possibly one of the Ars Moriendi scents? When I think about his character I think of something dark and masculine, but dry, dusty and a bit sad, and maybe a bit of leather and gunpowder for good measure! Can anyone suggest some (Genuinely masculine! One of my friends wanted to slather me in roses for Vincent and... yeah, that's not happening ) fragrances I could try for these two? Sorry I can't help anyone else out with their reccomendations - my knowledge of fragrances is still very small! Thanks very much in advance!