Elegba

[thebirdofhermes]

The Spirit of the Divine Messenger, the Lord of the Crossroads, He Who Owns All Doors and Roads in this World. He is the intermediary between the Orishas and mankind, and stands at the intersection of humanity and the Divine. He opens all paths of communication, both mundane and Heavenly. His ofrenda contains coconut, tobacco and sweet, sugared rum.

In bottle: Pale yellow oil. One of those liquer-filled chocolates. Very strong; I can smell it through the stopper. Pretty delicious. And now I know what had me worried that something in my package had broken. (Huh, looking at the notes, I do wonder where I get chocolate from. I assume the coconut, as I also got something cocoa-scented out of Obatala; another coconut blend.)

On skin: Excuse me while I resist the urge to eat my arm off. My God, this is delicious. Liquer-filled chocolate heaven. Not one of those cheap ones that come in the huge two-pound boxes you get from Boscov's for $12 either. You know the ones. The amaretto cream ones that taste like amaretto… if amaretto is straight up rubbing alcohol with a bit of cream flavour on the side. Oh no, this is not that. This is going to a distillery and finding out that there is a local chocolatier who uses their bourbon to make liquer-filled chocolates, and they just so happen to have a box for sampling purposes in front of this nice display, and even though you're only 18 it's a candy so of course you may have one as well. You bite into it, and all at once praise whatever it is you choose that you are allowed to eat this; rage at aforementioned whatever for not being old enough to drink because if the chocolate is any indication, the bourbon is fucking awesome and you need it in your life; and begin digging through your pockets, trying to find money, because damn you need more of those in your life RIGHT NOW.

You're not getting any breakdown of the scent, because I really can't break it down past liquer-filled chocolates. That's all I'm getting. No hidden subtleties with this to my nose. Which is fine with me. I am in love with this just the way it is. Bottleworthy, definitely.

EDIT: Just want to note that I did get a bottle, and the bottle is every bit as awesome as that first imp was. Actually, I want to say it's even better, because what I have noted in my files is that I was getting an ashtray vibe from the late drydown, and with the shiny new bottle (well, shiny and new being relative terms), there is none of that. Edited March 14, 2010 by Shollin

[Amoraexcena]

Imp: a shot of sweet Malibu coconut rum.

Wet on Skin: the coconut threatens to go a little plasticky, but otherwise it’s lovely... the tobacco is more discernable now, adding a bit of bite to this blend.

Drydown: staying quite true. Medium throw, a bit above average staying power. It reminds me of Captain Morgan’s rum and Malibu coconut, if those two rums were blended perfectly... this would be the result.

[Poenari]

When I saw Beth's post about the proceeds from several scents going towards the Haitian victims, I checked my spreadsheet to see if I already own any of these as imps and hadn't gotten around to trying them yet. If so, I want to test them out so I can order bottles for this cause. Lo and behold, there was Elegba on my list, and it was color-coded as untried. I love coconut so I took a chance and really slathered it on after my shower, just to get a real sense of how this would wear on me. (I feel decadent when I slather my frimps- but that's for another thread )

 

Elegba is, as others have described, a coconut rum, very much like Malibu. I even sniffed my bottle of Malibu just to be sure. On my skin, the coconut is very predominant and it's not at all boozy. Coconut is a summer scent for me, so I will definitely be ordering a bottle and look forward to wearing this in the summer months.

[iletaitunefois]

It's kind of funny. When I first applied Elegba, I didn't really like it. Now I can't get enough of it.

 

In the bottle, it smelled very strongly of coconut and booze. Rum! Not really my thing, but okay.

 

Once it was on me, there was the barest hint of coconut, a large dollop of rum, and a bitter sort of undertone that I'm guessing was the tobacco. Yuckola! Let's just say I was getting ready to wash this one off.

 

But! Just when it was about to face the wrath of my sponge! The tobacco faded to nothing. The booze was cooked off! After about 10 minutes, this was creamy sugared coconut all over. Delicious!

[littleone101701]

In the bottle: It's gorgeous. I think I want a rum and coke...

 

Wet: Still gorgeous! Coconutty with a hint of rum. Love love love

 

On the drydown: CURSES!! NURSING HOME!!!

 

I was really hoping for it to work on me as I'm still looking for that perfect coconut scent. Apparently, it is not Elegba...

[strahlend]

Elegba makes me swoon.

I love all the notes listed, but oddly enough I mainly detect the coconut. It also smells a tad spicy with a slight hint of pepper to me.

This is a scent that I put on and then sit in the heavenly spicey coconut cloud it creates around me. Oddly enough, when I actually get my nose close to my arm it smells different, maybe a little sharp. I really love a scent that travels a little way off my skin, so this is perfect for me.

Edited January 21, 2010 by strahlend

[KesHiro]

I'd been eyeing this scent for quite sometime, so when the lab announced that January sales of this would go toward the Red Cross Haitian relief fund, I figured it was a sign to go ahead and buy a bottle unsniffed. This move proved to be a good decision.

 

In the bottle, I get coconut rum. Blargh, I want to drink this even though drinking perfume oil is bad! Wet, it smells exactly the same, a lovely buttery coconut rum . . . and by buttery, I mean something along the lines of butterscotch or those Werthers caramel candies. During the drydown, this lovely tobacco note starts to emerge; for a brief minute, it threatened to go ash tray on me but then it subsided into the background. Once dry, this is like having butterscotch candy while smelling coconut pipe tobacco. It has foody aspects but the tobacco keeps it from turning into coconut cake. This is going to be a fantastic scent during the summer, although I think it also works during the colder weather.

 

This would also layer well with Villainess' Decadence scent.

 

Very nice, I'm glad I bought it, and thank you to the lab for your generosity!

 

Edit: had to correct the candy company name

Edited January 23, 2010 by Kejiaron

[Invidiana]

This is a true fresh coconut with a plenty of sweet rummy goodness and a light smoky background. I can't stress enough that tobacco in an oil is very different from cigarette smoke; it just gives it an ethereal hazy quality but doesn't reek of smoke. Of course, I also love anything with rum, especially sugary rum, and the rum in this is just that without being too alcoholic. Then again I'm personally just a sucker for booze notes in general, so take that as you will.

[theandorran]

In the imp: Smells like butterscotch, not really coconut to me. I guess that's the rum with the coconut working together.

Wet: Now the coconut comes out. It smells like toasted coconut flakes, and a hint of chocolate. Yummy.

Dry: Fades somewhat on the dry down, but is still delicious-smelling coconut rum chocolates. Mmm. I'm not sure this is what I'd actually want to smell like, but nevertheless, it smells really good.

[surf-tormented]

This is probably the only way I could wear coconut. It's tropical but not in an annoying way. It doesn't smell too harsh of coconut rum. Someone made me an egg nog with coconut rum and it tasted really horrible...but this doesn't remind me of the way that alcohol smells at all.

 

It's real natural smelling. The coconut is light, playing with the rum, sugar and tobacco notes. It isn't overpowering either. It has a slight throw, which is good enough for me, I don't want a strong coconut scent, it makes me queasy.

 

I would recommend this scent to those who like coconut or want to offer this to Elegba. The notes go very well with what Elegba stands for. I am not sure I would buy it for myself. It is good for one wear and to try out, but I don't think I'd be reaching for this on the regular basis. It tends to burn my nose when I smell it too.

Edited February 9, 2010 by Madame Nyx

[CitizenBree]

This is mostly coconut but the sweetness of the rum comes out on dry down. There might be a hint of tobacco but it barely shows up on my skin. My husband loved it when he smelled it. I think it would be a good summer scent since it obviously has a little of the suntan smell to it (but not in a bad way). I could see myself slathered in this while sitting on the beach. This might have to be a death match with other coconut scents.

[kunoichi]

In the vial, this is very reminscent of Red Lantern - a sweet, dark, deep and sugary caramel with a hint of coconut! Yum! On my skin, it becomes a touch smoky with tobacco, yet retains its sweetness undearneath - it is still sweet with sugared rum and coconut, smothered in deep, rich caramel. With its smoky darkness, it could quite easily be worn by a man - it's certainly not a girly sweetness. After a few hours, it becomes a soft sugared sweetness on my skin, and whilst other scents fade, a delicious plain caramel remains. Just lovely!

 

This is exactly how I wished Red Lantern had been!!

[impolight]

:::ELEGBA:::

 

Wow. Now THIS is quite the character of a fragrance!

Elegba is wonderfully sweet; though not in any way that could be described as girlie...

Elegba has that growly type of sexiness that defies reason.

Elegba has this manner of beaming at you that raises your body temperature far too fast to give you time to be indignant or to put on airs of offence.

Elegba is a broad, dazzling white smile from a dark face wearing a wide-brimmed hat. This face has smooth, beautiful skin, yet the eyes belie what could very well be a grandfatherly age.

Elegba has intriguing musculature of torso and a penetrating baritone.

All of the elements combine to make this decadently sweet. While there is both Coconut and Sugared Rum in this, it isn't foody. It's an entirely different persuasion of yummy...

The Tobacco in this packs the punch of a high-end humidor; the sweetness of an unlit cheeroot or a pinch of excelsior pipe Tobacco.

Ooooh...

On the skin, the Coconut demurs to the Rum and the Tobacco sharpens up nicely, revealing more of its "Leaf" aspect...

As a result of the morph, there almost seems to be a spiced, woody edge to this; The tabletop where cigars are rolled and cut, perhaps, with spilled Rum and a bit of Allspice berry...

Something remniscent of dark red Leather peeps out with a knowing wink here too...

Elegba is super brilliant.

The Lab's notes humbly make this out to be much simpler than it actually is.

Stunning fragrance for Him.

4.75 out of 5...

[skyelyric]

in the imp and wet this is like good spiced rum with pieces of fresh coconut and a little sugar. on the drydown the rum fades, the coconut gets richer and sweeter, and the scent gets really warm and rounded, which i'm guessing might be the tobacco?

 

i think intrigue is still my favorite summer island scent, but elegba's a brighter, equally pretty cousin to it.

[Greenwoodtree]

This is doing exactly what Ogun did and its scary...maybe all these particular Excolo scents have a similar base? Anyway, its changing rapidly from a warm, sweet coconut to something with a tang. DO not care for it at this point.

 

Also, definitely getting a scalded milk scent in background....it helps, but not enough.

Edited April 8, 2010 by Greenwoodtree

[angelicruin]

Whoa, coconut rum laced with sweet tobacco. Very boozy. I likey.

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: It must be the sugared rum that I am smelling… it is almost like caramel. Second test: Super-sweet, caramelized coconut rum

 

Wet on Skin: smells like something you would drink after a long day of skiing. Second test: very sugary/carmalized; coconut is tame

 

While Drying: reminds me a bit of Miskatonic U., with the warm alcoholic drink, and the tobacco note here taking the place of the dusty tomes in Misk U. Second test: a lighter note is pulling in - maybe the tobacco interacting with something else? The intensity of the sweetness and the carmalized note are toning down. I prefer the tobacco note from Ogun.

 

After a Little While: The tobacco note has taken over as the main attraction. I can still smell the sugared rum. Fortunately, the coconut is quite faint and blends in with the rum scent. After a bit longer, the tobacco dies back a little and the coconut becomes more prominent, but without(?!) the plastic or sunblock effect that coconut can have. Second test: Away from the skin, throw is the sweet/carmalized note - not bad now that it has toned down. Up close, the scent is fresher/lighter. This seems to be a weird effect from the tobacco and coconut - neither are notes that do well on me (coconut is usually rancid) so Elegba is a happy surprise.

 

Later: A touch of the plastic-coconut scent toward the end. Doesn't last very long - by one hour in, the scent is only detectable close to the skin. Second test: Very little throw far from the skin, but up close, I get the tobacco/coconut blend. I don't know why this works, but I find it intriguing.

 

Final Thoughts: I prefer the sweetness of the scent in the bottle, however, it does some interesting morphing on my skin. Second test: I may not wear this super frequently, but I think it is good enough to keep around. Aging has done it some favors.

Elegba earns a 3.5/5 on my skin.

 

ETA notes from a second full skin test.

Edited September 28, 2010 by Rocza

[girasol]

This was a little harsh at first - the rum note is quite dry, and combined with the tobacco it has an almost burnt-sugary feel at first. After a little while though, the coconut moves more to the front and the whole scent blends better. It's rich and warm, and a little bit foody.

[voorishsign]

In the imp - refreshing and light! Coconut, sweet rum.

 

On wet - oh my, this is delicious! Sugar, light rum, and something like coconut butter. What a wonderful summer scent! Didn't expect to like this, but yes please!

 

Drydown - goodness me this is delicious. And delightful. Coconut, rum, barely any tobacco - smells like Pina Colada! Love this. Keeping this for summer.

[SophieCedar]

Whee! this one leaps at my face straight out of the imp. The throw is strong and direct, but not unpleasant.

Wet: Sugared coconut rum and sludgey, soporific sweetness. Cousin of Kill Devil, if you will.

Drydown: morphs a little as the tobacco comes out adding a more organic feel. the coconut rumishness stays prominent

Becomes sweet, seductive, a touch musky. I love it.

[meredevachon]

Tobacco and sugared rum sound yummy, but the coconut in the description is off-putting. In general, I don't like coconut. But I've learned not to dismiss things out of hand when it comes to BPAL and the frimps I get from them.

 

In the imp: Butter. Browned butter, I think is probably more accurate.

 

Wet: Very creamy and round, but the rum's starting to come through. So yeah, buttered rum.

 

Dry down: Lucky so far in that I've not gotten any coconut. Notes are blending, I get whiffs of tobacco, which I love and which goes really well with the rum. I could like this.

 

Dry: Oh. There's the coconut after about 20 minutes. But it's more like coconut milk than sunscreen or even coconut meat. And it's light compared to the rest of the scent. It's never going to be a favorite, but it looks like I could get to like this every once in awhile. Until about an hour in. Then it's flashbacks to standing on the beach as a kid, waiting impatiently for Mom to slather on the sunscreen before letting us head for the water.

 

Overall: For awhile, not as bad as I feared it would be, but then things went downhill from there. This one's just not for me.

[pandorasmuse]

This smells like being drunk at the beach. I like coconut, but this is just too much. I don't think I can even try this one on.

[lahdeedah]

I'm really enjoying this one. It's like maybe I was out at the club and spilled a giant Malibu and pineapple on myself, then decided to wander over to a hookah bar for a bit. It's fun and light-hearted. I don't frequently go for booze or tobacco, but my beloved coconut somehow makes it all work. Yummy.

[madscientistdh]

Got this as a freebie in an order from the ever-so-lovely callmepenelope

 

In bottle: Yummy spicy butterscotch!

 

On skin: At first my nose freaked and went "Cilantro! AGH!" but that was definitely the alcohol of a golden rum. If I hold my wrist far off it smells of coconut milk, but with my nose right near it goes distinctly sharp, cilantro then RUM

 

Drydown: Spiced coconut rum, pretty decent throw. It made my morning tea seem even more divine! (Green Ginger tea I got as a gift from callmepenelope, incidentally.) Later in the day I'm coconutty like Banana Boat tanning oil, which reminds me of my mother slathering herself with it when I was a child.

 

Verdict: After a while all of the alcohol sting I get goes out of this, leaving nothing but warm spiciness, of what I assume is a mixture of the tobacco and coconut. It's kind of amazing as a holiday scent, in my personal opinion! And the touch of nostalgia I get really makes this one of my new favorites, for any time of the year.

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: sugar & melted butter on slices of coconut! very sweet, very sugary. I don't detect the alcohol right off the bat, which is a good thing IMO. there's a particular richness in the background that makes me crave baked goods.

 

On my skin: it's a little less sweet on my skin, though certainly still has that richness. the rum does come through later, though in this case it's not bad. the richness is still there and I don't smell like I came stumbling out of a bar recently. I like it, though it's not my usual.

 

Last thoughts: it's like a rich someone is throwing a party on a beach in Hawaii. you get to lounge about and engage in whatever type of gluttony takes your fancy. definitely decadent!