Torture King

[mandragora]

The King of Pain, the Famed Fakir. Frankincense and sweet clove, mandarin and bourbon, lemon peel and leather, grasses and smoke, lime and vetiver, ambergris and deep musk.

In the imp: Spicy smelling citrus with leather and smoke undertones.
Wet on me: Aah, sweet incense and leather, reminding me of De Sade.
Drydown: Definitely masculine, Torture King is a more complex version of De Sade. The freshness of the citrus and the smokiness provides a nice background for the yummy leather and musky scent.
Verdict: This would be lovely on the husband. I might nab a bottle of this if/when it is re-released on the next moon.

[Miss Lynx]

OK, I know this is supposed to be a men's scent, but when has that ever stopped me from anything before? :-)

 

It's actually surprisingly soft and gentle -- I was expecting something a lot more overtly butch. This smells much more gender-neutral than masculine, at least on me. It's sort of softly resinous and musky with a touch of sweetness.

 

Looking at the lab description, I see there are several citrus notes in here, which don't come out prominently to me, but may be softening the heavier notes a bit. Then again, citrus tends to fade with age, and the CN collection hs been around a while, so maybe it was more citrussy when it was fresh. The ambergris probably sweetens it up a bit too.

 

I could see this scent working on a guy, definitely, but I think it can be equally good on a woman.

 

Grade: B

[Caltha]

Torture King

Atthis was kind enough to swap me an imp on short notice, but it didn't get to me in time for the CN revival and now I'm a little annoyed that I didn't order a bottle unsniffed. Ah well, I have a full imp and that might be all I need.

To me, Torture King smells a lot like Severin. I wonder if that's intentional since they're both masochist scents? It has the same combo of dry leather and fresh citrus. I know Torture King is a lot more complex, but I mostly get the leather/citrus out of it, with a bit of powdery, resinous sweetness that makes it more full-bodied than Severin. While Severin is very faint and fading fast, Torture King is potent and carnal. I swept the wand through my hair and walked in a long-lasting cloud.

It's funny that they're almost versions of the same scent, yet Severin is so asexual and businesslike while Torture King is all lewd and brutal... Or, if they're both sexual, Severin is the restrained, ascetic masochist who gets his pleasure from suspense and self-control, whilte Torture King is the sexual sadist who takes what he wants. I prefer Torture King, mostly because it's stronger and more long-lasting. It's also warmer and comfier while Severin is so very dry.

I feel this scent will grow on me, leather is such a comfort scent for me and I've been looking for a good masculine scent that's not cologney fresh and sterile. I might need to hunt down a bottle after all before it's too late, just in case...

 

Edit: Oh I get it. Torture King is the Hyde to Severin's Jekyll, of course!

Edited April 26, 2006 by Caltha

[batsy]

In the vial: lemony leather, smoky grasses

 

On the skin: Smoky leather, very musky. The vetiver pops as it dries down. It's very very manly, not something I'd wear. As it dries further, the sweet clove comes out to play. I love it.

[Eunice]

Smoke and lime, leather and clove. This is really intriguing! This is definitely masculine on me (not that that would stop me from wearing it) and very sexy. I wish I could get hte boy to wear this!!

[Naamah_Darling]

I smell citrus, grass, and the musk most strongly. It's very cool, deep, and masculine. Once I put it on, the smoke and bourbon and leather come out in a heady rush, and it gets downright hot. There's a little clove in here, but not too much. Just enough to spice it up without smelling like chai.

 

This is a very distinctive, very masculine scent. It would be almost painful to smell because of the strength of the citrus, but citrus dies fast on me and the frankincense, ambergris, and musk even it out. There's a smooth roundness to it underneath that is quite pleasant, and that comes to the fore more and more as the scent dries and ages. The clove and frankincense give this an exotic, almost otherworldly feel.

 

The smells I've tried I can best compare it to are Iago, Severin, and Hellfire. It's got the leather and grass of Iago, but with more subtlety and a veneer of highborn civility in the citruses that Iago lacks. It's a Severin with more guts and more character; though the citrus doesn't last any longer on me, there's more bottom to it. In comparison to Hellfire, this is a much more personal scent, not an ambient or room scent; remember I mentioned that Hellfire's a library or study? This is the scent of the man who spends much of his time in that study.

 

A fascinating blend, and one of the most complex blends I've tried yet. It's good on me, but on my male friend it's great.

[Tess]

(Original '05 version) This was actually the CN scent that most caught my eye. Something about citrus, musk, leather, incense and booze all mixed together just makes me want to squeel.

 

In the vial - This reminds me of cleaning solution after it's been used to mop the floor. Not the most appealing image to come to mind...

 

Wet - It's near impossible for me to pick out notes here. I can feel a dark citrus, but it's all jumbled and confusion.

 

Drying - Whoa, hello lime and clove! The leathery-musk is hanging out in the background, but it's lime and clove all over the place. It's not at all what I had expected so far.

 

Dry (15 minutes) - I officially don't like this. The lime and the clove have taken on an odd sweetness, with musk lying underneath it as a smokey hidden secret. It's just a strange combo.

 

Overall - Not for me. The scent just comes across odd and jumbled on me. Plus, I don't really like lime all that much on me, especially as strong as this comes across.

[edenssixthday]

Torture King - When I first apply this blend, it smells strongly of citrus -- lime and lemon, in particular. As it dries, the scent of vetiver and frankincense take over almost all of the other notes, although I think I can detect the tiniest trace of bourbon...or is it just my imagination influenced by reading the scent description? The vetiver and frankincense remain the dominant notes, but after about an hour, they are joined by the strong presence of heavy, black, smoky leather, which eventually takes over the other notes so it's a predominantly leather blend until it fades away. It's a fascinating cacophony of scents, that are all dark, heavy, and slightly suffocating. This blend is very appropriately named. It is a fascinating scent, but not one that suits my tastes. I imagine it would smell divine on the person of either gender. It has a moderate level of throw and great staying power.

[midnight_aeval]

This scent is a morpher- BIG TIME.

 

If I didn't buy this one unsniffed I wouldn't have bought it because it smells like Lemon Pledge and Tabacco in the bottle and it was ew.

 

I applied it and it was still that icky scent I smelled in the bottle. I was getting ready to get up to wash it off when I got a whiff of a sweet lemony (but not too lemony) clovey musk..mmm.. then a hint of the bourbon. No leather quite yet, but I'll wait for it Now I can't stop sniffing my wrist!!

Edited July 13, 2006 by Midnight Aeval

[Meg]

I am a complete ditz. My imp of Torture King slipped out of my fingers and went flying through the room - spilling 2/3 of its contents. So I slathered with a patch I found.

 

The King of Pain, the Famed Fakir. Frankincense and sweet clove, mandarin and bourbon, lemon peel and leather, grasses and smoke, lime and vetiver, ambergris and deep musk.

 

In the bottle: Lime! Pure lime!

 

Wet: I first get frankincense and citrus, and then deep vetiver adds to the mix.

 

Drydown: The frankincense dies down a bit, leaving mostly vetiver and various citrus notes - mandarin, lemon peel and lime all mixing. There's a very slight boozy quality to it from the bourbon, and a smoke scent that isn't incense but bonfire smoke. There's even a slightly bitter-green scent from grass. Finally the leather emerges from the bonfire smoke, dark and gritty, followed by the clove.

 

Overall: Lots of various scents tumble around in this blend, with dominating citrus and frankincense. The cloves/leather/citrus/bonfire certainly represents the pain component of the fakir very well, and the frankincense is the mystical part of it. Unfortunately this is a masculine blend and I wouldn't wear it, though it's quite evocative. Plus, the grass note and incense make me want to sneeze. Well, the spilled imp is less of a catastrophe, at least. Except that my whole room smells of it.

Edited July 17, 2006 by Meg

[Shannihilation]

In the bottle this smells a little like Fruit Loops. It's very sweet and yes, fruity. But like the cereal not fresh fruit. And when I first put it on, it was the same way. Then it changed. It turned very smokey and spicy. Now, it's been on for almost two hours and it's very light but with a nice throw that intrigues rather than overpowers. I's not a "hey look at me" scent at all. It's turned very clean and "clear" on me. I get occasional wafts of the mandarin and the clove. The leather and the frankincense are always there but very mellow. It reminds me of something... a smell that I'm more familiar with and one that immediately makes me think of comfort and of being content. A smell that I enjoyed... but I can't place exactly what it is. That is going to drive me bonkers. Trying to place what it makes me think of... I really, really like this though. Alot.

[steffanina]

Torture King-

 

In Bottle: Heavy and musky and no way am I gonna pretend this ain't a masculine scent. I am nevertheless intrigued.

 

Wet: A wood-and-chocolate bloom! Ooh, this is strong and spicy, and there's just a hint of citrus--yes, I would call it lime before any other citrus. Mmm, it smells like a man I should very very much NOT follow, because he's bad news, no matter how sexy he looks.

 

Dry: I wore this to bed shortly after putting it on, so I wasn't quite in the right head space to be coming up with descriptors on the dry-down (too sleepy), but I did keep sniffing my wrists as I drifted off and I simply loved the powdery dry-down on this. I remember waking up near the morning still able to smell its delicioiusness, and when I was up and about the next morning it was faint but still there and stayed delicious and powdery and light-musky the whole time. A gem of a scent.

 

Overall: I love.

[girl_android]

I have a half-imp of torture king sitting among my teeny collection.

 

In the imp: Lemon peel, limes, something incensey. I'm intrigued. The notes listed aren't anything I'd immediately go for all at once, but what I'm getting certainly has my interest.

 

Wet on skin: citrus, lemon peel like the zest I was grating off last night (went on a small baking spree, lemon ricotta cupcakes are yum!), slightly more subdued limes, something that reminds me of mandarins, and more incense. It does make me think it's more a masculine scent. For what I get, it's quite clean, for something that smells kind of deep.

 

Dry: It's quiet, and incensey (I figure this is smoke + frankincense and leather and lemon peel. I wonder what the boy would think of wearing it? I think it might suit him. It's a little bit sweet. I wouldn't call it sugary, or fruity though.

 

Later: The citrus has calmed down, it's now smokey preserved citrus. There's also a little something that makes me think medicinal. I'm not sure what it is, but it reminds me of this poultice my dad had on his arm when he went to the chinese medicine place, to treat his elbow. Maybe it was just the general aroma of the place, what with all the sticks, leaves, herbs, and stuff that went into these poultices for everyone.

 

I quite like this, but I'm sure I'd like it more on DH!

[supremegoddessofall]

Smoky leather. Definitely smells somewhat masculine, but I'm not really picking out most of the otheer notes. I'll need a retest later.

[LadyKitsu]

Just got my imp to try...so I figgured I would give the review a go.

 

freshly applied...Very strong on the bourbon - leather - smoke smell...if you really think about it...you can smell a very faint sweet/citrus undertone.

 

The overpowering bourbon/leather/smoke smell dies down after about 30 minutes. 30 minutes apartently is the witching hour for BPAL on me...if it's going to change...it does it after about 30 min.

 

Anyway, after about 30 min the soft undernotes come up. I get a more pronounced sweet smell. Frankincense and clove both go a little sweet on me...which is great...so do some of Beth's musks.

 

After about an hour, it settles down and becomes a very nice "strong" type scent. On me, it still has a touch of leather and smoke...just enough to tone down the sweetness of the citrus and the woody/sweet/incense of the clove and frankincense.

 

Overall...I like it. Not something that I'm going to wear everyday. I would LOVE it if I smelled a sexy man walk by in it...or better yet my husband

 

P.S. - I don't know what the hell is in it..but my cat seems to like it...she wants to lick it off me when I put it on

[wikkidraven]

even with the allure of sweet clove, torture king is simply too masculine for my tastes. i won't give up my bottle though, because i am definitely going to be dabbing this on my boyfriend.

[Bangles]

Torture King was not good to me.

 

I liked everything in the description except possibly that lemon peel... so guess which note decided to amp way, way up on my skin and drown out everything else. It does eventually calm down, and I can tell there's something dark and sweet and earthy and vaguely spicy underneath, but that lemon - it reminds me of these nasty lemon cough drops my mother used to have - is so cloying that it sticks to the roof of my mouth and stays there long after the oil itself has faded.

 

And I so wanted to like this one. But at least the King's taught me a lesson: lemon and my skin just don't work!

[The_Merf]

In the bottle: Despite the fact that this is a real jumble of notes, the vetiver and ambergris are the standout notes.

 

Wet: I'm really stunned by this. I'm a big resin/clove amp-er, so the fact that this smells basically like Lenore (i.e., vetiver and lemon) with some ambergris is really surprising to me.

 

Drydown and wear: OK, this does become more complex as it dries down, but oddly enough, now it reminds me of Geek (the patchouli/opoponax combination). The resin does become noticeable, but it is still drowned out by the vetiver and ambergris. I guess the "smoke and grasses" are helping to give some of the "Geek" vibe, but I wish this scent would morph a little more.

[theseagrows]

i am so glad i finally had a chance to try this!! it's warm but cool at the same time, which i guess is the leather/smoke + citrus combination. the clove and frankincense are barely there, which is a good thing as frankincense tends to smell bad on me if it's prominent. i love this one! i will definitely keep my imp and possibly hunt down a bottle.

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Citrus and a bit of clove.

 

Wet: Citrus and lots of clove. The leather comes in here, too, followed closely by the vetiver.

 

Drydown: Fascinating, complex guy, this King. The woodsmoke note is uncanny, especially coupled with the very strong throw; at one point, having this on only one pulse point, I was startled into thinking that I had a vetiver incense stick going. I've also never had citrus notes last quite this long, which must be the frankincense or ambergris -- which also make the latter stages of the drydown oddly sweet, and not "torture" at all. But then, I was in love early on.

 

Verdict: For years, the deodorant ads blathered on about "Strong enough for a man, pH-balanced for a woman." In this case, it's more like -- a man certainly could wear this, but I'm keeping this whole imp for myself! Bwah ha ha ha!

[forspecial_plate]

Torture King is dominated by citrus and leather when I wear it. It's fairly strong and long lasting. It's also brighter and fruitier than I expected. This is going to sound horrible but it reminds me of leather and Fruit Loops cereal. But I like it! It has complexity and I can tell the other notes are there, supporting. As it dries I think more of the notes are coming out, especially frankincense.

 

(I just noticed at least one other person thought "Fruit Loops", so I don't feel so bad)

 

This smells really good and I will probably be wearing it again. I'm glad I got my decant!

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Boozy citrus

 

Wet: Booze, citrus and smoke. It's very different, but it's good.

 

Drydown: The smokiness goes away. This is very different from my usual scents, I like it, but it'll take some getting used to.

3.5 outta 5

[Melle Mel]

Always late to the party, but I just got this.

 

It's very Lemon Pledge in the bottle and wet. I had to try it though and I'm glad that I did. Once it's on and dry it turns into this awesome scent. The first day that I tested it I forgot what it was that I had put on. I spent the rest of the night sniffing and trying to figure out what it was! It turns into a sweet-leathery scent that's really lovely. I'm glad that I was able to get a bottle, even if it was late!

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: lime and bourbon. like a mojito!

 

wet on skin: same, but with a hint of leather snapped in for effect

 

dry down: a lovely citrus based oil. more well-blended than Pirate Moon, more sultry than some i've encountered. a fabulous, underrated scent.

 

in all: i'll let the boyfriend try it, but he'll have to get his own!

 

 

 

 

 

[zankoku_zen]

At the beginning, this smells like a sexed up Voodoo. And then it dries, and the almond spicy cherryness of Voodoo fades, and the leather makes itself known. And now I can smell the lime on it. Limed leathers. Not so into that.