Elegba

[Lunasariel]

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 the imp: A big, heady whiff of sweet, rich, woozy, almost buttery rum. They weren't kidding about that "sweet, sugared" part! There is definitely some coconut in there as well (no tobacco as of yet), but it's all secondary to that rum. And I love rum scents, especially if tobacco is also involved, and I've also come to love coconut over the last year or so, so I'm looking forward to this one.

Wet: Ah, there's the coconut and tobacco. The coconut is just the way I like it - dry and non-foody, just adding a hint of soft, creamy sweetness. I think I'm also getting the tobacco, unless the coconut is really dry. There's an elusive, smoky element that takes this scent away from the "lethally strong tropical drink" category and making it more of a mysterious, midnight scent. It's still got quite a bit of throw to it, and is definitely too much for me to wear to work, but now there's something a bit more subtle about it.

Dry: Pretty linear. The coconut gets a bit drier and less prominent, while the tobacco amps up and becomes more chewy than smoky. The rum settles down and mellows even further. Pretty much all alcoholic scents that aren't based around grapes or gin (rum, bourbon, whiskey, etc.) are wonderfully mellow, warm, and sweet on my skin. This is definitely no exception.

[spikyfairy]

Another frimp from my "test-ALL-the-things!!" phase. I did not expect to like it, as I'm not big on rum or coconut.

In imp: Very, very sweet coconut, with a boozy tinge, like some revolting tropical cocktail.
Wet on me: Sunscreen & clove?? Sweet &... buttery?! Weird. Bit like a boozy version of how Eat Me turned out on my skin, & not my thing at all. Not getting much in the way of tobacco.
Dry: Not much change, although I probably didn't leave it on for that long.

[Darkersolstice]

This is my "vacation" scent, and one that the receptionist at my work tends to love. I sometimes worry about smelling 'boozy', though, when wearing this. The sweet notes really stay with me on the skin, and I don't tend to pick up on the tobacco quite as much as I would like.

 

It is wonderfully non-gendered, though. I find that the sweetness isn't "girly", which is a very nice thing.

[puellacaerulea]

In the imp: sweet coconut and rum, immediately followed up with strong, smoky, sharp tobacco. It's like a less obviously gourmand version of the October 2017 version of 13. This doesn't morph significantly on me, though the tobacco mellows out a bit and gets similar to pipe smoke (that sharp edge never quite goes away, though). This is primarily a sweet scent, but reads very unisex (almost leaning more conventionally masculine) to me -- the tobacco keeps this from going into full "girly" sweetness. I'm still undecided on whether the tobacco is too much for me -- going to hang onto my frimp and test a few more times.

[VetchVesper]

This is boozy, butter scotchy rum and sweet coconut in the imp. I was thinking, "Drat! It's going to be too gourmand for me," but it calms down quickly on my skin. I get a hint of the rum, but it's in the background behind a cool, natural smelling coconut similar to the one in Obatala. This is Obatala, on vacation, in a Hawaiian print shirt. Fun, unisex, and a good bet for summer.

 

ETA: i've discovered this stuff ages gloriously. Almost got St. Claire vibes. Not sure if I'm patient enough to buy a bottle for aging, but I might have to hunt down a 2nd hand one. 

Edited December 3, 2021 by VetchVesper

[sunreon]

I don't know if it was the coconut or the rum, but Elegba did not like me. Fake buttered popcorn all the way and it only got worse as I wore it. Couldn't get any other notes at all.

[JakkieTreehorn]

In the bottle I get all butterscotch which I love! It pretty much stays that way wet and toned down a bit when dry. Im new to Bpal but at this point I can safely say that her rum notes are some of my favorites! This isnt as complex as I was thinking it would be at least on me but yummy nonetheless.

[spookyumbrella]

All coconut and rum - this is a vacation in a bottle. I personally didn't notice any tobacco, just coconutty boozy sweetness.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: I'm getting a butterscotch scent that some previous reviewers have mentioned. Sweet coconut, rum, and.. butterscotch. 

 

Dry: Oh, hey tobacco! Mostly tobacco and coconut now, but I can find the rum hiding out a little bit. MUCH less sweet than the wet stage. 

 

Not my kind of party, unfortunately.

[doomsday_disco]

Elegba starts off being all about the super sweet rum, but the coconut gains strength over time and becomes the main player and what I mainly get from the throw, backed by the rum. The tobacco was MIA on me, sadly. It was all about the sweet rum and coconut on me.

 

I found this to be too sweet, but those that love rum or coconut notes should give this one a try.

[lady_pandora]

I am normally not a Tobacco Person, but Elegba is really well blended and I like it. The coconut rounds out the tobacco nicely and keeps it from going too masc for me. I can't pick out the rum, but the scent is sweet overall. Summery, but with just enough weirdness to have a dark intrigue about it.

[Madame Mew]

Sweet, buttered rum. Not something I want on my skin, but smells like it would be a lovely holiday season cocktail or great for someone that wants to smell like hot buttered rum. 

[Rusalkamischief]

In bottle: coconut and super sweet rum

Wet on skin: sweet, maybe a little spicy

Dry: sweet, sweet rum, a hint of coconut, sweet and relaxing

Aged: sweet, soothing, mellow. It doesn’t have much throw but I love it. This soooo nice and relaxing, like a beach vacation. This is definitely a keeper.

[Diesis]

Sadly, this is all coconut with a bit of tobacco as a hint of backing to it. Like a suntan oil someone wanted to make smell bespoke. I tested it without checking the notes but knew there was coconut as soon as it was on my skin. Not much more I can say on this review as even an hour out, it’s still just a different smelling coconut tanning oil. 
At least my mum likes coconut oils in her oil burner. Not all is lost!

[torischroeder9]

I have not reviewed Elegba? How have I not reviewed Elegba? This must be remedied! 

 

In the imp: Tobacco, coconut, and rum, in order of appearance, though once I get a good whiff, rum actually appears to be the strongest note. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's delightfully sweet coconut spiced rum. I want to smell like this, I want to sip it neat, I want to make the most kickass pina colada out of it. As it dries, the delightful coconut rum stays prominent, but I also get a whisper of tobacco, which I selfishly hope will stay just a whisper. 

 

Miraculously, the tobacco does behave, and I get a lovely softly spiced black coconut scent once everything settles. 

 

I have memories of previously trying Elegba but having it go tobacco-heavy on my skin. I'm not sure if that experience was the fluke or if this is. So I'll have to keep the imp and test again.