Elegba

[arabella]

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.

First Impression: Very strong caramel and butterscotch.

Dries Down to: A harsh burnt brown sugar note appears and overtakes everything. This lasts for about ten minutes and then the tobacco become very obvious and everything takes on a dryness. Finally, after about half an hour, all the sharp edges disappear and everything blends into a creamy, tropical cocktail.

Additional Comments: I don't like this one quite as much as I thought I would. I like every note in it but the proportions don't quite work for me - they're just "off" by a very tiny bit. As I especially love coconut, I'll certainly enjoy the imp but won't bother getting a bottle just yet - maybe, when the imp is gone.

Lasted: All day.

Rating: 4 out of 5

[Rock Goddess]

I Elegba!!

 

Wet, it was all boozy butterscotch, which was a bit off-putting at first. But once it dried down the super-sweetness wore off a bit and the Coconut really came through. Lovely, warm toasted coconut. I'm so thankful that coconut almost always works for me! I never really picked up on the tobacco note (though there is something vaguely spicy, so that might be it), just sweet delicious rum and coconut...and still a bit of butterscotch. Someone mentioned this being a scent for Captain Jack Sparrow and that's exactly what Elegba reminds me of. A warm Caribbean beach, complete with a tropical drink and a sexy pirate. This is definately at the top of my bottle list now.

 

~ RG

[iriedanym]

I had no idea this would be that sweet! In the imp, I would swear it has a chocolate smell. The coconut is there, but it's not overly powerful. The bay rum adds spice, while the tobacco scent was the last note I picked up on. Normally I steer clear away from tobacco scents. Having done some study on Voodoo and the LOA, this is exactly how I imagined Elegba would smell, and in many ways, what I associate with New Orleans. Not a scent I would wear everyday, but it's got enough of the mystery in it for those nights out on the town.

[sarada]

Bear with me folks, I hate having to tell you what oils containing coconut or rum do to me but I really want to review every scent that I try.

 

Truth be told, there's nothing I can do about it -- the rum note makes me sick, sick, sick. I try not to sniff if when I can avoid it but curiosity gets the better of me and then I have a stomachache to remind me that this is a bad idea.

 

Coconut often has a similar effect, particularly when it is a very sweet one. This blend is very strong, sweet coconut/rum. I can't really even compare it to sun tan oil or the beach, since I avoid both of those things like the plague.

 

But that is good news for you if you like coconut and rum! Actually this scent resembles what I feared Perversion would be on me. But that blend worked perfectly for me, probably because the dreaded rum was not in it. Very very sweet, heady, boozy, dripping with sunshine and drinks served in coconuts with little umbrellas in them. I don't feel so good.

 

I'm glad I gave it a chance but once again, proof that I can touch rum!

[malanna]

This is coconut sunblock oil at first. It has that tropical, slightly artificial note on top of the rum. It's smells like a very deep brown scent, much more brown than most rum scents seem to be. It smells like it's very dense (this is very strong fyi--apply lightly!). It's also sugared, and it doesn't smell as if the sugar has dissolved, but as if the individual granules are still intact, caught in the viscous, sticky rum. Over time, the coconut smells less sunblock-y and then is less strong. After six hours, it smells like beachy rum with less sugar (as opposed to coconut rum with sugar granules).

 

ETA: I'm not so big on this scent. The coconut and rum are a bit overwhelming. Plus, this is too strong. Also, before I had made up my mind about Elegba, I wore it to dinner. At the table I was sitting at, this guy started saying that he smelled his car freshener and was wondering where it was coming from, so he started sniffing all around. I was pretty sure it was me (like I said, Elegba's stronnnng), so I said, "You smell your car freshener? Huh" as I walked away to dump my full bowl of grapes and half-eaten chicken down the trash before he could sniff at me and figure out it was me.

Edited November 10, 2005 by malanna

[SeaMonkey]

*drools*

 

As a lover of tobacco scents, I had to try this. Its smokey coconut, sweetened by rum. Its more of a fresh coconut scent, not tanning lotion at all. The tobacco blends so well with the coconut and rum. My sister kept saying how good I smelled when I tried this for the first time.

[Reinaluna]

Elegba: This is good hot buttered rum sweetness. The tobacco appears more after 20 min or so. I like it so it is a keeper for me.

[wingedcorset]

The rum in this is totally overpowering. TOTALLY. It's a sweet boozy smell..too sweet for me. *grumble* I loved the description...oh well.

[herbhealer]

On me, Elegba is a very sweet rum on top of pleasant fresh greens. Sometimes the greens come out a bit more, but on my skin the rum was dominant. I never got any other notes. It is pleasant, but not my favorite.

[faifai]

Elegba smells, yes, like caramelly butterscotch when it hits my skin. But the three notes remain fairly distinctive and the tobacco makes it smell almost, just almost like some kind of candle. Even my uninformed nose can pick out the coconut from the tobacco and rum, and I can tell it's the tobacco that's bothering me. I will save this for the cold desert weather.

[byrdie]

Vial ~ Buttered rum or scotch. Thus far, my favorite of the Excolo line.

 

Wet ~ Spiced candy. Butterscotch with an edge. Play with an intent behind it. Frivolity for the practical, yet fiery.

 

Drying ~ There's a dusty, almost wood like undertone to this. I wish that Anne Bonny, Jolly Roger or Grog smelled like Elegba on me. It's like being in a shack of sea blown lumber while sipping a warm, sweet drink.

 

Drydown ~ The sweetness has come back. I'm not familiar with the scent of buttered rum, but I'm betting that this is it. It's deeper, not as bright as before. I'm liking it, though I think it;d overpower me if I slathered it for anything other than ritual purposes. And even for that, I'd want good ventilation.

 

Dry ~ Throughout an eight hour workday, the sweetness faded and the wood-spice foundation became more and more apparent.

 

Fade ~ I generally avoid the woody scents, but this is a wonderful formula for me. It smells now of after a birthday or Christmas, treats and revelry gone but not forgotten.

 

Summary ~ In the right workings, this scent would be perfect for ritual. It starts off rather bright and anticipatory, morphs with its own ups and downs and crawls off to rest: tired and giggly, but satisfied.

 

5ml ~ oooo, child, yes! It's not often that a scent so obviously cries out "ritual" to me: usually that decision is a compromise for being stuck with an oil that smells bad enough to distract from rather than add to a working. I'm not sure I'd think to wear this casually, but I'd reach for it during preparations without a second thought.

[terrierhead]

Wow, was I ever looking forward to trying Elegba. My husband wanted to try it, too, because he was curious about different rum scents. He's a huge fan of traditional bay rum, and we wanted to see how different this was.

 

Well, it's certainly different. He tried it last night, and both of us got a strong butter scent with lots of throw - he put on a tiny bit, and I could smell butter trailing him for at least five feet. Ten minutes later, the coconut came out more, but both of us disliked the strong butteriness enough that he went and washed it off.

 

I tried Elegba this morning, with similar results, except now I have a headache to go along with a lingering buttery smell. I washed it off after about 15 minutes, and it's like I'm still being haunted by a big stick of butter. I really wanted to like this, too.

[hangingfire]

In the imp: Chocolate? Cherries? And maybe rum? (Looks at description.) Ah, okay, the coconut probably accounts for the chocolate-cherry aspect.

 

On, wet: Ohhh, there's the coconut. Ahem. Lots of it, too. I am reminded of Coppertone suntan oil and Malibu rum. The tobacco seems to take some of the edge off, but mostly it's COCONUT.

 

Drydown: The COCONUT fades to coconut with a touch of rum and tobacco. It's very sweet, with a vegetal edge to it.

 

Boy, it's a damn shame I'm not all that fond of coconut. I can appreciate construction of the blend, which is very effective, but it needs to go to someone who likes the coconut smell a lot more than I do.

Edited December 13, 2005 by hangingfire

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Yummy. Sweet and sugary. It is sugared coconut, with a slight sweet smokiness.

 

On me: It's a definite coconut, but the sugary blend has moved away from being macaroon-like to a heavier, boozier blend. Hello rum! That must be you knocking at the door. Now with a definite rum note, the blend giggles at 'traditional' tropical scents with its darker twists on coconut.

[merebrillante]

In the vial: Brown sugar.

 

On the wrist: Brown sugar, with the tiniest hint of something green behind it. Must be the tobacco. But yeah, mostly brown sugar.

 

Later: Eau de Tropicana Cocoa Butter. Not for me.

[Koumori]

I *love* Elegba. Wet, there's a strong note of coconut suntan oil, but it quickly warms and softens into the warmth of rum and hot sun on a dirt road. With the coconut, it's a bit like a very, very butch version of Spooky.

[nekhbet]

First impression... butterscotch candy? On the skin, the initial butterscotch smell fades quickly and the coconut comes strongly to the fore with a rich buttery undertone that must be the rum, although it doesn't have much of that alcoholic 'twang' to my nose.

 

It wears fairly true to the original buttery coconut scent until it begins to fade, leaving a sweet, smoky tobacco fragrance in its place. It smells similar to those mini-cigars the BF smokes... mmmmmm, good.

[GemmaCat]

Sadly, this one turned out to be a disappointment due to my skin.

 

I was *really* looking forward to it as the combination of rum and cocoa notes sounded just heavenly, but they completely overpowered me.

 

Wet: it made my eyes water and gave me a nasty headache.

 

Dry: the deepest, richest caramel-butterscotch scent overlaid with coconut, spiced rum, and the barest whiff of bitter chocolate. This scent is incredibly foody and mouth watering with enough of a musky (tobacco?) base that it evens out very well.

 

Ultimately I think this is a fabulous, delicious scent but it simply doesn't work for my skin (or my poor head!).

[mdargen]

I was so excited when I sniffed this the first time. Coconut...mmmm...

 

The coconut scent stayed for a long time. After the coconut fades (about 2 hours later) it started to smell salty. It is a definite beach scent.

 

Wouldn't buy a big bottle but it will be nice to wear this summer.

[Sheila]

Arrr! Ahoy matey! I smell like a pirate today!

 

This mostly smells like rum on me (arrr! makes me think of Johnny Depp!) with just a touch of coconut.

 

This is a sweet scent, but not TOO buttery sweet (like Gluttony or Sugar Skull). Very nice!

[Thaleia]

The coconutty caramel buttery sweetness jumps out at me the second I open my frimp from the Lab (thank you, me hearties, yo ho). Not quite the smell of piracy, but definitely tropical and something I can definitely wear when I go on vacation to some tropical place. The tobacco leaves are fresh rather than smelling like someone's smoking nearby, and lend a greenness to what would otherwise have smelled like a super-sweet ice cream treat or cocktail. This is a cold daiquiri in a tropical garden, served up in a coconut shell, complete with umbrella. There's also a bit of vanilla I'm getting, which is very nice.

 

Welcome to the Caribbean, love. 7/10.

[mayhap]

Mmm, this is simply fabulous. Luscious coconut and sweet sweet rum, with the tobacco giving it a hint of earthiness. My wrist has been glued to my nose for hours now!

[Pachelbel]

This is a really great scent! I tried it at work (I need things that smell strongly enough I can ignore the scent of dirty, sick animals ) and it lasted until I went to bed that night.

 

It's rum and butterscotch in the bottle, coconut as it's just drying, then toffee and coconut and a touch of cocoa for the rest of the day.

[Diva Urd]

This was another freebie from the generous folks at the lab.

 

In the vial: butterscotch and nuts.

 

On my husband, this blend turned into cookie dough - I thought it was kind of yummy, but he said he didn't wanna smell like a kitchen. On me, it turned into black tea with milk and sugar. Not really something to wear out, since I would probably not want to have people remember me as smelling like a kitchen, but it's a feel-good scent for staying at home. I also have the feeling that this might work well in an oil burner as a room scent. Dunno whether I'll order more, I'll decide that when the imp is gone.

[thedragoncharmer]

I LOVE coconut and rum. Elegba is DELICIOUS!

 

Out of the bottle: Wow..buttered rum lifesavers! My FAVORITE!

Wet: butterscotch, mmm...did i just get a whiff of something green??

Drying: I smell like a pirate?...hmmm...a posh pirate, that likes to lounge poolside at the Hyatt on Kauai drinking Pina Coladas and Lava Flows all day.....mmm...yes definitely something green...

Hours later: I smell like I just came back from the beach, then took a walk in the green tropics. A faint tropical scent, which the greenery keeps from turning suntan lotion on me.

 

On a scale of 1-5 (5 being I MUST buy a 5ml):

5 (and that 5ml is going to be used up fast!)