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Testing lap frimps from my last order. In the imp: Honey, rum, a bit of musk, and something slightly buttery. Wet on skin: The honey is there, as is the rum, but a bit of spiciness comes out. The musk is there, but it's not overwhelming, and so far it isn't turning sweet or powdery, or sweaty on me. This is a good sign. There's a little bit of wood in there, way in the back, but I'm not sure what type. I'm not getting the vanilla that others have mentioned, just the honey and rum for the sweetness. The more it dries, I'm starting to get a little bit of the metal from the horn. It's lightly floral. Dry on skin: The more it dries, the less I get the sweetness, and the more I get spicy-musky-rummy-woody goodness (in about that order of strength). The horn twangs occasionally, but not often. It's a warm, spicy kind of a scent that smells pretty yummy on my skin. The florals are softly breathing in the background, with such a soft breath that I have to search for them. It dries down to be pretty spicy on me, which I'm kind of liking. Verdict: I guess white musk is a good musk for me, and bay rum is a note that I would have never tried on my own, but wow, it's actually pretty nice! The lab got it right for once with their frimps (I usually get really unlucky ). This is the only one of the RPG line that I've tried that I think I would wear. The scent retains a bit of its honey sweetness on me, but it isn't overpoweringly sweet, which is good. The sweetness does prevent it from going too masculine, though, so it's a little disappointing on that front, but it's still a pretty solid unisex scent.

Testing some lap frimps I got with my last order. In the imp: Does anyone here know what grape-flavored children's Tylenol tastes like? This has a definite Tylenol effect to it. Not the artificial grape as much as the bitterness of the medicine itself. I don't know what is causing this. I'm not sure what myrtle smells like, but if it's anything like acetaminophen, I'm out. Wet on skin: I got brave enough to put this on my skin. Thankfully, the Tylenol note goes away pretty quickly. That's a relief. It keeps some slight bitterness behind the peach, but it quickly moves into very sweet, very syrupy peach. Dry on skin: Still very sweet, very syrupy peach. This doesn't change much from wet to dry on me. I'm not really getting the booze. The amber is thankfully behaving on my skin and not turning to cheap crayons. It's a very warm, golden scent, like skin-warmed peaches on a summer afternoon. Maybe not fresh peaches though, more like peach syrup or peach jam. Verdict: It's a really pretty scent. Not to my taste at all, but it's rather nice for someone who is into fruity scents. If you like really sweet fruit scents with a bit of natural skin muskiness and a warm, radiant golden effect, this is a winner. Well, once you get past the strange Tylenol scent when it's wet, but that went away within a minute or two.

Testing some lab frimps from my last order. In the imp: Lilac, green tea, and musk. It's a clean, musky floral. Wet on skin: It smells like...perfume. It's a bit green, and a bit white, and the lilac is very prominent, but at this point, everything just smells like a really generic floral perfume (and not a good one). I think it's because I'm amping the lilac a bit. Dry on skin: Something has gone a bit powdery in the background, and the musk seems to overtake everything else in the background. The foreground and mid ground are entirely "generic plant matter" and "strong lilac." I'm not getting any of the lemon or cedar. It's a really generic "perfumey" scent to my nose. I didn't wear it long enough to tell how or if it would morph over time. Verdict: This is one of those scents that isn't "soapy" as much as it "smells like soap." The lilac is really strong on me, and the type of musk used in the background are very similar to the types of musk used in various soaps. It feels like an old grandma scent to me. I don't think I'll be wearing this one again. I guess I amp lilac, and not in a good way.

Testing untested imps from my stash. In the imp: It's a nose full of wood! Very bitter and a little sharp. Wet on skin: Very woody. I can't quite tell that it's elm over another type of wood. It is very warm, with the musk starting to appear. The herbs give it a bitter quality. The wood doesn't seem smooth or hard to me, but it is definitely a cut wood rather than a forest smell. As it dries, the herbs make their way out even more. Dry on skin: As it dries further, the wood becomes smoother and a bit harder, though this scent still tickles my nose a bit. It's probably the herbs. There's something slightly peppery or spicy on top of this scent, with the smooth wood and the musk in the background. The musk is slightly sweet on me. Even so, it's still a bit raw feeling. I'm also getting a bit of smokiness from it, though it isn't a super warm scent. I'd say it's pretty temperature-neutral, at least with my chemistry. Verdict: It's certainly a masculine scent. I liked it in the imp, but it's a little too bitter and a little too raw for my tastes, and the musk is a little too sweet. It's not vanilla at all, but that's the type of sweetness it has on me. Something between the bitterness of the herbs and the sweetness of the musk is clashing. It doesn't smell bad, it's just not my taste. I'm sure it would smell fantastic on someone else who didn't amp the sweetness.

In the imp: Lots of oudh. Very sharp and bitter. Wet on skin: Still sharp and bitter, but as it starts to dry, the other notes come out. First the sandalwood, then the beeswax, then the tea. I'm getting some citrus in there (lime?), though it isn't listed as a note. The musk comes out later. The wax is noticeable, and I'm a bit scared because my skin tends to turn non-wax things into wax, so I'm afraid I'm going to amp it. The musk and the oudh quickly become the most prominent notes, with the herby bitterness of the tea and the citrus, tempered by light sandalwood. Dry on skin: As it warms on my skin, the resins and the musk blend together to create a bit of sweetness, tempered by the sandalwood. I'm glad that I don't amp the wax -- that mostly went away as soon as it dried. The tea is adding some bitterness to this blend, and it is fairly herbal and woodsy (not woody as much as it smells of the forest, or maybe like an urbane wood elf who moved to the city). The musk is thin and light, not carnal or heavy at all, and the sandalwood is fairly delicate. I'm still getting the citrus scent, maybe like the bitterness of lime peel, as it isn't juicy or fruity at all. Verdict: This is sexy, earthy, and masculine, yet still sophisticated. Not a super complex scent, but one that might be good for layering with others. I like it, though it isn't a favorite by any means.

I had the same thing happen, but in the review thread it looks like people who have been ordering imps are getting the new formulation, so I suspect they've tossed all the leftover old formula imps into the frimp bin. I would absolutely buy this if I got the version I was frimped, but I'm not gonna take the chance. I'm just going to cherish the one I have and hope it happens again! These replies are old and I don't know if you'll see this, but I have a full (untested) imp of the pale-colored, fizzy ginger soda Gnome that was a lap frimp I'll never wear, and I'd rather it go to a good home. PM me. I ordered an imp of The Bow and Crown of Conquest in December of 2013, and the scent was gorgeous on me -- dry, peppery, woody, leathery. I know that there's vanilla in the notes, but that didn't come out at all on me. I ordered a bottle about a year later, and the scent was very different. It's still all the same notes, just in a very different configuration -- the dry, peppery leather scent I loved is now mostly warm vanilla, white musk, and a bit of the peppery leather in there. My bottle is a much more feminine scent, and I don't know if its just batch variations or a different formulation. Probably just batch differences. I'm hoping that aging it a bit will bring out the notes I like and decrease the notes I don't, but now I'm stuck with a bottle that I don't particularly care for. (I don't remember my original imp being so vanilla-y when I first got it, but I could be mistaken.) I don't know if I want to order another bottle and risk getting the same variation, but also have the chance of getting a better variation, or if I want to see if I can track down a bottle from about the era my imp is from. Does anyone have experience with this particular scent? As I said, I think it's just normal lab variation, but it's still disappointing. At least, I'm hoping it's normal lab variation and not a formula change, but that makes it risky to order. (On a side note, my original imp goes straight to warm, musky vanilla powder on my mom's skin, which she loves. I got an imp of it for her in my last order, and she's loving the more musky vanilla-y vibe. Go figure.)

In the imp: Gorgeous old-fashioned men's cologne! I've loving this. It's certainly sharp, and the bitter citrus of the bergamot is coming through strongly, as is the lavender, with the rest of the notes creating a strong background support of "well-blended men's cologne" for the more prominent notes. It's a bit of a cooler scent, probably because of all the herbiness. Wet on skin: Still gorgeous, still with that sour-bitter-sharp thing going on (in only the best way), but now it's starting to morph. Something in this is fighting my skin chemistry. It's still nice-smelling at this stage, but it doesn't work with my natural skin scent somehow. It only gets worse from here, sadly. Drydown: As it dries further, it gets this oddly chemical smell to it that reminds me of deodorant. It reminds me of one that I used to use when I was much younger, actually, as had to throw away because the scent was so bad (it was a clear gel one, and I found that all the clear gel ones from the brand had this same chemical scent). I wouldn't describe this scent as "dirty" at all, but it has this sharp, BO type scent to it too -- are you sure there's no musk? It seems like a weird musk to me. It's not like a skin musk, though, since it isn't warm at all. It's just...that sharpness of certain kinds of BO. It's probably notes combining into something strange and terrible. Jasmine usually works on me somehow, but I know that it can create a chemical smell on some people, so that might be it, combined with the patchouli to create the BO scent? Certainly, the sharpness can be from the herbs and oakmoss, as well, since "green" type scents don't work well on me, and can sometimes turn into detergent-type smells (I'm looking at you, Two, Five, and Seven). The bergamot and the lavender are still there, but not as prominent as the sharp chemically musky ineffective deodorant scent. Verdict: I've now tried it twice, and gotten the same result each time. The second time, it took a little while before it went into the deodorant stage, so I thought that maybe I was just having an off day chemically the first time I tried it, but nope, it went there. I tested this overnight, so I don't really know the throw, but it clings onto my skin for a while. Even after taking a shower, it's still there, still with a faint hint of deodorant smell. At this point, the tonka and the oakmoss and the thyme are the major notes, along with the weird chemically musky something that I'm reading as deodorant. I wish this one would work on me, but my wonky chemistry got in the way. If it smelled on me the way it did in the imp, it would probably be a favorite. I'm sad about this one getting ruined by my wonky skin.

Testing out some frimps I got from the lab with my last order. In the imp: Without knowing the notes in this, I would have guessed it was some type of fruity scent, but looking over the notes, there's no fruit at all. Slightly citrusy, slightly sweet, creamy, a bit tangy. Wet on skin: The tang of the ginger is more prominent, though I still don't place it as ginger, but rather something fruity or citrusy. As the scent warms on my skin, the sharpness (slightly tannic effect?) of the tea comes out and is tempered by the creaminess and the linen. Surprisingly, I'm not getting any of the pepper, which is something my skin tends to love. The honey is there, giving a honey effect, but isn't as sweet as it was in the imp. After drydown: My skin tends to dry scents out, and this is no exception. I'm left with the tannic tea scent, the linen, and scent of honey without the honey sweetness. I think my skin is amping the linen a bit. If I really push my nose down into the crook of my elbow (where I applied the scent), I can still get some of the fruitiness that I first got from the wet oil, but it's not pronounced at all. Still not really getting the pepper, which is still surprising, but it does have a very slight herbiness to it. The creaminess has either gone away or been so subsumed into the linen that I can't separate the two anymore. Also, I'm not sure if this scent is giving me a slight headache, or if that is just because I haven't eaten yet today. Verdict: It's a nice scent, inoffensive at worst and delicately pleasant at best, but not really my personality. I feel like I belong in a store like Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It's giving a slight "scented candle" effect -- not quite soapy, and not quite waxy, but it seems like something that you would find in a scented candle, or otherwise to scent a room and not a person. It was nicer wet than dry, I think, even if it still wasn't exactly my style. I'm liking the effect of the tea, but it's not really a note that I would wear often, I don't think. Overall, the scent gives off an impression of innocence and cleanliness, like a freshly starched little girl's dress worn to a tea party in a clean and elegant but simple house in the countryside. It's also too feminine for my tastes. The slight fruitiness and the vanilla-honey notes are a bit much on that front, though if my skin decided to amp the pepper and the tea, it could have had potential. I probably won't wear this one again, just because it isn't to my tastes, but if you like very clean scents, this would work well. EDIT: Many hours later, it has warmed into a very light, subtle skin musk with a hint of tanginess to it. It's rather nice, actually, but not really worth wearing for so many hours to get it to smell nice on my skin. It has very little throw, as well, and I have to really push my nose into it to smell it.

It's been a minute since I've been here! So I received my order (and a couple of frimps from rawgirl75 -- thanks so much ), and there are a few clear winners: Iago, Vicomte de Valmonte, Bram Stoker These three, while fairly different from one another, work really well on my skin and not only smell gorgeous, but they work well with my personality. These are the ones I find myself reaching for the most. I've tried them all at least once, and while there were some clear losers that I don't think I'll be trying again (Wilde turns into the worst kind of men's deodorant, and one that isn't working all that well to boot; Golden Priapus is a dead ringer for a bad air freshener in a public restroom -- think public rest stops on the side of the highway), I might find some surprise faves in the lot that I've only tried once in quick succession and have forgotten about. I've also worn Dee more than once, though it smells exactly like peanut sauce in the first hour, and I'm not sure if I want to smell like I've been working at a Thai restaurant until it warms up on my skin, and I've worn Robotic Scarab a few times, which smells pretty good, but isn't as "me" as some of the other scents. Since last posting, I've decided that I'd regret not getting at least one scent from the OLLA collection, since that's one of my favorite films. I was thinking maybe a "safe" bottle (something that I know would work on me) and a "risky" bottle (one that's a bit chancy but unique and has the potential to smell really great on me). I'm pretty much set on Wooden Bullet for my "safe" bottle, but I'm considering Hal for my "risky" bottle (the other option is Our Hearts Condemn Us). Hal is my favorite song on the soundtrack by far, and the scent sounds like it might work, but I'm afraid that it would go purely feminine. For those who have tried the OLLA line, is Hal at least unisex? I don't expect it to be fully masculine, but as long as it could go either way and isn't 100% girly I'd be willing to give it a chance. (I think Our Hearts Condemn Us is a little more unisex or masculine-leaning, judging by the notes and the reviews.) Any advice on this collection would be appreciated! Thanks

Thank you, everyone. This is what I'm going to be placing my order for. Not all of these are purely masculine (and a few are rather feminine), but most of these are suggestions from all of you/scents that seem similar to those suggestions/that seemed masculine when I read reviews of them/other things I have found going through this thread. The rest are ones that I've been wanting to try out for a while. I'm a tiny bit worried about how much amber shows up on this list, and a few of the more unisex blends have rose notes (roses tend to do The Rose Thing on me, which is actually the same as The Amber Thing -- overtake everything and make it all smell like stale, cheap crayons. I have no idea why rose of all notes tends to do this, but I have a 50% success rate with BPAL roses [black Rose and Whip work well]), so I'll just have to hope that the cheap crayons don't strike again. A lot of these are leather based or wood based, and pretty much the rest of the masculine ones are described as being traditional men's cologne. I also remembered that I'm allergic to something in Viola, and I hope it isn't the moss. I guess I'll find out soon enough whether it's the moss or something else! I'll post my results on exactly how manly I smell once I receive all these.

So many replies! Thank you everyone for being so helpful. Antikythera Mechanism sounds like it would work on me. It might not be as super manly as I'd like, but I've been eyeing it for a while, so I think I'll try it out. I think I'll like it, even if it turns out to be more unisex on me. I'm a bit apprehensive of Rogue's hemp and rosin combination knowing my skin chemistry, but I'll keep that in mind. I hadn't thought of Wilde. I'll look into that, and see if it ends up being too green for me. I'm intrigued by the old-fashioned masculine cologne idea. I'd probably like something along those lines, even if Wilde itself doesn't end up working. I already have Vicomte de Valmont on my list, so I'll be trying that one for sure. The Robotic Scarab also sounds interesting to me, and I think I'll add that. Red Rider seems a little too rugged and outdoorsy for my tastes, but I'll keep in in mind for later. And two OLLA scents? I've been avoiding that section because I love that film and know that I'll probably fall in love with the scents and then be heartbroken once they sell out. Wooden Bullet sounds like something I'd really enjoy. I'm very far from being a scent expert of any kind, but what I can offer is a round-up of the recent scents I've tried that smelled the most masculine on me. My chemistry tolerates a lot of more feminine-smelling smells, so these are only the ones that struck my uneducated nose as decidedly masculine. I excluded all oddball smells that can go any which way like the thick opiates and stormy ozones. I keep a file where I write down my general impressions so I can better keep track of what I've tried. In some cases I'm just copying those over, for what they're worth. Hopefully they're descriptive enough that you'll be able to know what might interest you and what's an instant NO: Hellfire (Ambergris, Incense, Leather, Dark Musk, Pipe Tobacco) - My impressions were of a warm, musky incense smell The Scales of Deprivation (Frankincense, Labdanum, Lavender Fougere, Lemon Peel, White Sage, Sandalwood, Vetiver) - from the same collection as The Bow and Crown of Conquest that you mentioned. On me, it manifested as a lemony sandalwood, thin and sharp. Sed Non Satiata (Cognac, Geranium, Honey, Musk, Myrrh, Red Patchouli, Tuberose) - Here's how I described it, lol "Very nice and conventional, surprisingly. Smells like something my father would wear. Sharp and smooth." Vicomte de Valmont (Ambergris, Cologne, Jasmin, Mint, Spanish Moss, White Musk, Orange Blossom, Rose Geranium, Rosemary, White Sandalwood) - This is one of the few BPAL scents I consider to be a "classic, old-timey fougère for men", like something my French ancestors might've worn (please remember I don't know what I'm talking about). On me it's mostly mint, rosemary and orange. Villain (Citrus, Lavender, Lilac, Lime, Musk, Cologne) - As above. This one's a sharp lavender cologne. Come to think of it you may well want to instantly disqualify Villain and Vicomte; nevertheless, they're undeniably masculine scents to my nose. Horreur sympathique (Benzoin, Carnation, Grape, Honey, Blood Musk, Oakmoss, Opoponax, Plum Blossom, Sugar Cane, Tobacco Flower, Tonka Bean, Wine) - This one isn't overly masculine, but it's very warm, like a sweet red fruit. Can't really distinguish any single note... Troll (Basil, Clove, Cumin, Musk, Pine, Vetiver) - Seems a lot of people have complained about this one being too much bitter pine, but I found it delightful. Like a clove-dusted dark wood, brooding and sharp. Ogun (Chili Pepper, Cigar, Gin, Honey, Iron, Juniper, Melon, Tobacco) - This one's a wild card. On me it starts off as a very unpleasant peppery-melon smell while wet, but the drydown morphs into a very manly dirty, honeyed tobacco smell; truly one of the trashiest perfumes I've ever smelled (in a good way I guess) Hellfire (Ambergris, Incense, Leather, Dark Musk, Pipe Tobacco) - More distinguished and scholarly than most. A lovely warm musky incense smell. Odin (Amaranth, Elm Bark, Musk, Nine Herbs of Power) - One of the woodsiest oils I've tried. Though I've only ever worn it a couple of times, it's always struck me as something I'd wear at night, when it's dark and I can unleash. Antikythera Mechanism (Oak, Teak, Tobacco, Black Vanilla) - This one's a little weird on me, 'cause it's too sweet to be considered very masculine IMO, but that's only in the first few stages. Later on it's all teak and oak, with swirls of wet tobacco. Long list! I would like to actually try all of the Come and See scents, since they all sound like they would work on me (no matter what gender), so I'll be trying The Scales of Deprivation. I think I'll try Villain, despite the lavender, since I think I want to try as many of the classically men's cologne-smelling scents I can until I can find something I like. Hellfire and Odin are also intriguing, even if they have the potential to go wonky on my skin, since I really do have the worst chemistry. Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. If anyone has any other ideas, I'd love to hear them. If not, I'll be making my list for my next order.

I know this is a bit of an old thread that I'm bumping, but I'm hoping that you scent experts can help me out a bit. I am female-bodied and not on any sort of hormone therapy. I identify as genderfluid. For my masculine feeling and presenting days, I want to smell like a dude. I want to get a whiff of the scent I'm wearing and say "yeah, I'm pretty dudely." I want others who get a whiff of me to think "wow, that person is most definitely a guy; just smell him!" I have a few scents that are masculine-leaning or unisex, but I want something unquestionably masculine. I'm not looking for a scent that works surprisingly well on a guy, or a scent that could go either way. Because of my situation, these scents would almost always be read as feminine on me. (I see scents like Whip recommended here for men, and while I love that scent, it certainly isn't manly on me. For reference, the unisex and masculine-leaning scents I've tried are Fallen [which is pretty amazing on me but not entirely masculine enough because of the florals], The Bow and Crown of Conquest [the most masculine of the bunch, and also pretty wonderful on my skin], The Black Rider [this one goes slightly soapy or powdery on me, and isn't entirely satisfactory, since I prefer a sharper leather scent if I'm to wear leather], and Miskatonic University [this didn't work at all and turned sickeningly sweet on my skin].) I'm a somewhat elegant type of fellow, and I would prefer something that wouldn't be described as "sporty" or "fresh." I tend to do better with slightly warmer scents, but as long as it isn't extremely cool, this isn't a requirement. Aquatics are out altogether. I can do most florals, but I don't want anything that is too floral, because again, it'll be read as feminine on me (my problem with Fallen). Gourmands aren't really my taste. I do very well with woods of pretty much any type, leather, and vetiver. Notes that can go either way on me are smoke, musk (it depends on the type, and I don't want anything overwhelmingly musky or carnal), citrus (bitter citrus or citrus peel = good, fresh or crisp citrus = bad), spices, resins, and patchouli (my skin amps this like you wouldn't believe, but in small amounts and when well-blended with other notes it works well). I would be willing to try notes off of this list. Notes of death are anything too wet or dirty, anything overwhelmingly green (like mint), and usually amber (or anything else that can turn waxy. Fallen is the only scent I've tried with an amber note that doesn't turn to nothing but cheap crayons when I put it on). I'm allergic to eucalyptus, so I would obviously prefer to avoid that. Anything not specifically listed is something I either haven't tried or have only tried in one scent, so I'm pretty much open to experiment. I'd prefer GC scents that I can buy imps of. I know this is a long post, but I'm willing to experiment with a few things, if anyone had any recs. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.