Al-Shairan

[ahoythere]

The enemy of God, also named Iblis, He Who Despaired of the Mercy of God. Al-Shairan is the leader of the Jinn, a tempter who whispers false suggestions to men enticing them into evil and perfidious acts, and is the sworn enemy of all of Adam’s children. His scent is fiery, bright and thick with sweet sinfulness: clove, peach and orange with cinnamon, patchouli and dark incense notes.

In the Bottle: Very sweet and fruity; I'm getting orange and peach immediately. The clove, cinnamon and incense are beautifully blended. This scent is a wonderful balance of fruit, spice and depth. Mmm!

Wet: The fruitness has backed off a bit and I still can't smell the patchouli. The clove and cinnamon is coming out in a lovely way, wow. This is now more like soft, warm spices with a bit of fruitiness.

Dry-down: After twenty minutes, the scent has smoothed out and become a light fruitiness (not overly sweet) with a background of spiciness. Ten minutes later, the fruit has increased and I'm getting more peach than orange. This reminds me of homemade fruit leather sprinkled with cinnamon. After a total of an hour, it still smells pretty much the same, though the fruit has backed down again and the spices aren't as strong as they started out.

Final Thoughts: It's nice, but not my taste. After two hours, it turned dry and dusty on me.

[jamethiel]

In the imp: Mmmm. Myrrh. And orange and patchouli and cinnamon

 

Wet: Myrrh. Incense. Hmm. Odd as a top note, but I like it.

 

After 5 minutes: Orange and some kind of fake fruit. It's the peach: it's not a true peach note on me, it's a fake peach, like you get in peach-flavoured candy.

 

After ten minutes: Patchouli and orange. That's quite nice.

 

After 20 minutes: Fake peach with a little patchouli underneath.

 

The drydown: That fake peach is still persisting. Other notes come and go underneath, but the peach proclaims its superiority uber alles. The incense, which is dry and dusty underneath makes a late run for it, but unfortunately the peach is still there.

 

Definitely not a fan. For the swap pile.

[donnatron]

Imp: Peach. So much peach.

 

Wet: Still a lot of peach. Getting some incense and cinnamon. Reminds me of Christmas but also a little of peach incense from those kiosks in the mall that sell dragon and wizard shaped incense holders.

 

Dry: Holy Christmas, Batman. It smells like the church at Heritage Park during the 12 Days of Christmas events. Strong clove, cinnamon and incense over a faint base of peach and orange. Very seasonal. Almost creepy.

 

Throw: Strong.

 

Overall: I don't really like clove but am thrilled it is true to scent in this one on my skin--normally it smells like blood. Glad to have the imp and will try to use it up in December but will not cry myself to sleep when it's gone.

[brownbear]

Mmmm I love clove! I really don't get much of any of the other notes, but I do like it. I think I am also getting some other spicy notes, like cinnamon. It's a keeper.

[DeltaCat]

Cinnamon with a very light orange. Maybe a little bit of clove. A very very good scent!

[Redillon]

I was really excited about this scent because of the orange and clove. I was hoping for another Knick-knack, but it was not to be. I got no clove or peach. It smells like patcholi and something else from a head shop. Really, not my taste. I am really bummed.......

[gingiemay]

Cinnamon, incense and patchouli. It smells almost smoky, indeed fiery. I was hoping for more peach, but the clove is amping out all the fruit.

[superpopkid]

I was hoping for a clove heavy blend, which it's not on me, but I still like this! Wet, it's a mass of apple-pie spices, and tangy, slightly synthetic golden fruit. It's all rather indistinct - I can't pick out any particular spice above another, or the patch or incense. The fruit is unidentifiable as peach or orange. (It might not be the scent; I have difficulty picking out the flavors in blended fruit juice too.) It's sort of like peach note from Belle Vinu, but not quite. I've found that peach in Belle Vinu to be pleasant at first but can amp outrageously - fortunately the peach doesn't do that here. The scent doesn't change much dry. Throw was pretty light; good longevity.

 

Overall, Al-Shairan is Christmas candle-y, but in a good way. The fruit is the saving grace for me - it brightens it up and keeps it from getting too stuffy. It smells to me like it could be based on some kind of holiday dessert. I don't see myself wearing it a lot, but it's got a cheap, cheery holiday vibe that I think I'll find comforting in the winter.

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting clove, orange, peach, and cinnamon. Ooh. This should be interesting. On my skin, the clove and cinnamon are coming forth strongly, no hint of the peach or orange. ...And it's kind of burning. Erm. Ends up being mostly clove and cinnamon with a hint of fruits buried far underneath, not my kind of thing.

Edited April 5, 2010 by Venneh

[skudge]

In the imp, there's a lot of orange and peach, but I can smell clove a bit too.

 

Wet: Clove. Just clove. Very, very strong.

 

Dry: Still smells mostly of clove, but the cinnamon is there too. Peach and orange are very faint, but at least I can smell them now. I had thought this scent would be a bit fruitier, but I have to say I really like it this way. I'd give it 4.2-ish out of 5.

[heywilma]

In the imp, this was lovely and fruity. Wet on my skin, however, it was a complete patchouli fest, and patchouli generally despises me (and me it. It's almost a Inigo Montoya-Count Rugen type thing; the roles are fluid). Good news though, on the dry-down this one blended really well on my skin, with cinnamon coming out in a big way. Spicy with a faint hint of fruit. It's kind of like a less intense Plunder. I like it, probably not enough to justify getting more after the imp's out, unless it morphs into something different over the next few hours.

[Impious]

In the Imp: Ewww - gross, stinky plastic! If I sniff really deeply I can just make out the cinnamon - but it's big red cinnamon rather than nice tasty cinnamon.

 

Wet: Still a bit plasticy, but mostly just over-poweringly Big Red and cloves.

 

Dry: I can just make out a hint of sweetness - but no distinct orange or peachiness. I get the distinct feeling of walking into the Hallmark store in the town I grew up in - overpoweringly xmasy air-freshener. :/

 

Very disappointing on me as I was expecting to love this one.

[ami226]

Wow this is spicy! Cinnamon and incense? A very dusty spice with a hint of sweet. I can't really smell any of the fruit.

 

This reminds me of something, but for the life of me I can't think of what it is. Not really for me.

[capncait]

in the imp: nose tickling spices, juicy orange, and a hint of chocolate (where did you come from?)

 

dry, the spices have mellowed out a bit, the orange and peach have lost their juiciness, and the blend is quite nice. too bad it disappeared on my arm after only a couple hours. i miss it!

 

 

eta: grammar mistakes. damn.

Edited June 27, 2010 by capncait

[kikithepirate]

There's a bit of that Big Red chewing gum cinnamon smell in this. I do get some of the patchouli once it dries, but not much. It's a spicy, semi-citrus smell, and it actually smells very musky to me. Maybe that's just the combo if the incense with everything else. The Big Red smell fades after a while, making it just a bit sweet. This is nice, but not great -- it'd be a good unisex scent, if that's what you're after.

[sarielswish]

In the vial, Oh, My. It's spices and patchouli and orange. I think I'm in love. :-)

 

Wet on my skin, sad. It's cinnamon, clove, and incense on me. I seem to have eaten the oranges and patchouli. It's a plainer, darker version of Plunder. If i wanted that, I'd just buy another bottle of Plunder.

 

10-15 minute drydown - Unfortunately, I think the only way I would be able to wear this one would be in a locket... However, this may be my excuse to buy one. Heh.

[sunlitgarden]

Al-Shairan

 

Cinnamon is the dominant note in the imp and wet on my skin. Cinnamon and musky incense with a bit of fruit. It's a bit too strong/heavy for my taste.

[DraloreShimare]

In the vial – Dusty cinnamon, a little airy smelling.

On the skin – Spicy! Cinnamon definitely, and incense. Only the slightest undercurrent of fruit.

Dry – Cinnamon on top, with a murky incense lurking beneath. The cinnamon has definite staying power on my skin!

[batsy]

In the vial: Patchouli and spicy incense, with a whiff of orange. Promising.

 

On the skin: I imagine this is what an open-air spice market smells like. Normally, I would be very much "clove and orange, yeah!" but the incense and patchouli seem to make this smell like a "generic exotic perfume oil" on me. The cinnamon and clove does cut the patchouli, which my skin tends to amp, so that's helpful. I just with there was more clove and orange.

 

Nice to sniff but probably wouldn't wear it very much, if ever.

[Maxinux]

Interesting...just put this on. Now the insides of my elbows and wrists are red and itchy--this is the first BPAL oil I've ever had a reaction to. Hopefully it'll quit in awhile.

 

When it was wet it was a little overwhelming, but now it's mellowed out a lot and the throw is very little. There's a very strong ORANGE smell, almost an artificial orange smell but not quite--it's pretty good. Then a bit of spiciness, I guess from the clove and cinnamon.

 

It's a very Christmassy wintry smell. Citrus and such. Not really me, unfortunately. And now I think I'm gonna go wash it off because I itch. Meh!

 

EDIT: Instead of washing this, on impulse I layered it with Dorian. Others may not agree...but I feel like a genius! Dorian needs a bit more of a bite on me, and this gives it one. Woo!

Edited March 26, 2011 by Maxinux

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: clove and cinnamon, with hints of oranges and incense. it reminds me of Haight Street in San Francisco, with the copious amounts of a spicy incense that's a bit like patchouli but not quite. it strikes me as quite strong, but if the cinnamon and clove come through more strongly on my skin, it'll be all right.

 

On my skin: it is indeed very strongly clove on my skin, which is nice. think - cracking open a bottle of cloves and accidentally spilling it all over yourself. I <3 cloves, so this is great! however, the patchouli-like smell isn't _quite_ what I personally like. the orange oil comes through later, making it a little more like the winter holidays.

 

Last thoughts: I absolutely love the cloves, but the patchouli-esque smell is just a little too strong. also, as I found out, that patchouli smell outlasts everything else and is very difficult to wash off. Blergh.

[Balame]

In the Imp: I've liked djinni for a long time. So why must all the oils relating to them have super "burn your nose off" spicy notes? YES, I get the fire reference, but surely BPAL can be a bit more creative than going the traditional route. Maybe I'm judging before I actually smell this, but we'll see. At first sniff I get clove, though thankfully it's not super overpowering and caustic yet.

 

Wet: Eeh. I smell lots of cinnamon for sure, with that familiar "tingly" feeling it inspires. Not much else.

 

Dry: The sole saving grace in this scent, for me, would've been smelling more of the peach's sweetness, but it never got all that complex. Still a single note. That being said, it wasn't as harshly spicy as I thought it would be, so it wins points for not being overkill.

 

Overall: Not a memorable scent in my book. A fairly gentle cinnamon candle that's reminiscent of Xmas. Certainly does not make me think "djinni ruler".

[brittanywut]

In the imp: Strong on the cloves, there's some cinnamon and orange too.

 

Wet: Cloves, still. And patchouli. A little bit of orange.

 

Dry: Bye bye orange, it's just cloves and patchouli now. Meh, not really my thing. *shrugs* I'll just use this for layering.

[Honey]

I really hope this won't burn my skin too badly..

 

 

Imp: Patchouli! Very strong, dark and intense scent. Behind the patchouli, I can detect bitter orange, cinnamon and bitter clove.

 

Wet: Smells... smokey. Incense is stronger than the patchouli now. Still rather dark, earthy and bitter. Not really any orange or cinnamon detectable.

 

Dry: Very earthy, fragrant and tart. Patchouli and incense are the notes that come out the strongest on my skin. Cinnamon and clove give the scent and nice texture but are not too overpowering. I cannot detect any orange at this state on my skin. Hmm.. bit too dark and tart for my taste.

[Circaea]

Source: imp of unknown age.

 

Wow, it's amazing how all over the board these reviews are. I think perhaps the peach and cinnamon have aged out of the mix on my imp. I got a spicy orange wet stage that dried to something like clove incense. Someone compared it to an open air spice market, and I concur. This blend is giving me happy RenFaire memories, and I'm liking it, though I'm not sure how often I'll remember to wear it.