Czernobog

[hespera4523]

Created in honor of the Slavic Black God of the Dead. A nighttime god of grief, evil, chaos and woe, he is paralleled by his twin brother Bylebog, god of light, joy, order, and good fortune. A combination of three musks, with splashes of dark myrrh, vetiver and mullein.

OK, this has The Note in it. The Note, you say? I'll explain: when I was like eighteen, I picked up a bottle of perfume oil at the KC Renaissance Fest. The stuff was called Forest Greenery, and it was amazing. There was something about it, something in it, that seemed to clear and calm my mind, no small feat for someone with a serious anxiety disorder. I have no idea what was in this stuff, except that it smelled deep, rich, and green...cool without being cold, watery without being aquatic, sunlight filtering through the leaves of the trees in an old, old forest full of moss and ferns and interesting rocks and suchlike. Of all weird places to find it, I find it in a grumpy old man who likes to brain people with a huge hammer, like an Eastern European version of my grandfather. Life has a sense of humor. But this is good stuff.

[catattack]

Imp: Something resembling pine

Wet: Something resembling pine

Drydown: Smells similar to Golden Priapus to me. But maybe not as thick. Also reminds me of Dracul. Are my nose and skin way off?

Overall: I like this. It's a unisex scent. It's herbal and sweet.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Shoe polish, mullien, and myrrh. Wet: Separators into mullien myrrh vs vetiver and musk at which point they have a sharks vs. jets style knife fight on my skin. Dry: the aftermath of burned hair and insulation.

 

[azhriaz]

Reading the description made me fearful that this would be contain some really evil dark musk so I was surprised at how nice this was when first applied. There's a little bit of sweetness to it and the musk is pleasant rather than scary.

 

But then all of a sudden the musky goodness evaporates and I'm left with a pine-like scent. It smells almost sticky.. makes me think of sap, or vaporub. The pungency fades a bit but doesn't really morph beyond this. Definitely not my thing.

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, it's dark musk and myrrh. Very promising.

 

Wet on the skin, I'm getting more pine and musk. No vetiver.

 

Drys down to spicy dark resinous musk. Vetiver never made an appearance.

 

I'm going to keep this imp. I like it enough to think about getting a bottle.

[tragedy]

This is one strange scent, at first on skin, I swore it was something very familiar, something fleeting that I couldnt quite grasp...

But that was gone rather fast and I was left with powdery resin, quite beautiful,

I'm thinking amber resin, the dry kind that you get in chunks, must be the myrrh and musk.

This doesnt strike me as being masculine like so many reviewed.. I would wear this myself.

 

Love it.

[dixiehellcat]

I've had an imp of this in my swap box for ages, not sure I ever even tried it. But I'm reading Neil Gaiman's American Gods right now, and Czernobog is in it, so that made me go and dig this out & try it.

 

In the imp, pine and something citrusy. On, still pine, but musk and spice start emerging. It really does have a hint of something that resembles my dear Golden Priapus, especially as it dries. Then I looked at the note list. EEEKVETIVEROHNOES!!! But I don't smell vetiver, not a bit. This is a keeper. Maybe going looking for another imp or 2 in the swaps. hehe! Thank you Neil.

[heathercaley]

This one is very interesting! This one breaks two rules to my skin chemistry. No myrrh, no vetiver.

 

Once I put it on, I get a blast of sweet smelling pine.

 

As it dries down, it gets a bit sweeter. It's almost like a slight vanilla musk layered over pine. Weird!

 

I'm not wrinkling my nose and rushing off to wash it away. I actually... like it!!

 

This one would smell great oh the DH!

[Monster]

I tested this one out last night and couldn't stop sniffing my arm.

 

Czernobog is very odd...this is Snake Oil + lime on me. Weird! (but lovely)

I love vetiver (and my skin usually amps it up) however, I never sniffed any in this at all.

 

Yup. This is just Snake Oil + lime.

[Balame]

In the Imp: Men’s cologne, with the resinous scent of myrrh. Definitely musky and heavy, but even though it’s strong I don’t find it overwhelming.

 

Wet: This is… sexy. Incredibly enough I have never before smelled vetiver, and a lot of people seem to either love it or hate it, but from hearing descriptions I believe it’s what’s lending this such a smoky, earthy rich smell. It’s great. This is probably going to sound gross but I literally started salivating after inhaling this for about five minutes, ha! It's certainly not foody, but it just smells yummy. It’s sensual, but in a way that someone would be hesitant to approach you, preferring to admire from afar because this lends such a foreign air to your presence. This might seem dorky, but it’s “magical!” smelling.

 

Dry: Mysterious and deep, but surprisingly not as in your face as it was wet. It hangs about, like a veil of darkness. This is so much more unisex than I thought it would be initially. I can pick up more green notes now. Has an animalistic edge, and a hint spiciness, almost as if you were to smell dimming embers. I think anyone that likes darker scents should give this a chance despite some bad reviews, it’s all about skin chemistry as usual. The only thing that’s bugging me is that it's gotten quite a bit sweeter after the first hour, either due to the musks or myrrh.

 

Verdict: Very intricate and unusual, but nice. There’s something in here that gives off a sharp, “Whoa, what was that?” effect despite it otherwise being a sinuous, sleek scent. Guessing it’s the mullein? Certainly dark, but not to the point of being obnoxious, and it’s earned its name. I’m so close to giving this a four, but I really wish whatever caused this to become super sweet didn’t amp up on me. (Not a big fan of sugary smells.) Darn it. That being said I might keep the imp. It’s a thoughtful scent, not something you can just slap on without a care, but it’s empowering.

 

Rating: 3/5

 

[revinn]

I'm sorry guys.

 

I'm sorry to drop the ball on this one, but I can't do. I can't put Czernobog on my skin. It burns my nostrils in the imp, and lingers there long after I've turned away. It smells like industrial strength cleaning fluid, and I just can't take it.

 

I guess I'll just never know..darn.

[donnatron]

Imp: Strong pine. Reminds me a lot of how my 4+ year old Thanatopsis smells right now.

 

Wet: On right away this is glorious. Musky and pine and a touch of vetiver. Warm and fuzzy yet a little dangerous.

 

Dry: This dries down to... well, Thanatopsis. The two could be dead ringers for each other. However, this smells like heavily aged Thanatopsis so this is a bonus because this imp is probably under a year old. But it is a true musk/pine scent. A little refreshing and chilly but ultimately quite cozy. It's a little sexy in an assassin posing as a ski bunny sort of way.

 

Throw: Quite mild, actually.

 

Overall: This is nice. I don't need a bottle right now but may when I finish my Thanatopsis. Quite lovely and surprisingly tame considering the ingredients.

[damonkitty]

Wow, reading some of the past reviews I wondered if I was getting the same bottle of oil. I LOVE this scent. My first encounter with this scent was a well aged imp as a freebie in a package. I fell in love with it immediately . I then went on to purchase a full size bottle. The aged imp is way better than my bottle. I wonder how long I will have to age this to get it to match my imp? I get a sweetness like gingerale from this scent. It smells like Snake Oil and sweet gingerale on me. I grab this when I need a pick me up or I know I am in for a rough day.

[Finch]

Mmmmm.....sweet smokey myrrh tempered with musk and not too much vetiver. Very nice. Plus the longevity and throw are above average. Even better. This would be an excellent Fall to Winter scent for a man or woman.

[Seismogenic]

I got Czernobog as a frimp from the lab, though it's one that I'd thought of as intriguing due to the notes and the mythology. I like musk as a scent component, but haven't tried anything that I can think of in which it's listed as the very first major ingredient, so we'll see how this goes.

 

In the imp: Dark and musky, with an inexplicable edge of something that smells almost like citrus. I have no idea what's up with that.

 

Wet on skin: This is predominantly musk now, and I think I get some myrrh as well. I still can smell the mysterious citrusy thing, though it's much more subtle already.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, this is a whole lot of musk. The weird citrus thing is entirely gone now. It has been replaced, oddly, by something that smells quite a bit like thick smoke. It doesn't smell smoky like vetiver or myrrh might alone, though; perhaps this is how they combine? At one hour in, musk is still by far the main thing going on, though it has softened and sweetened quite a bit by now. I still get that weird smoky note, but it's also more subtle.

 

Five hours later: It's all about the musk, which is soft and sweet by now, but still very present.

 

End of the day: Soft and musky and still very much there.

 

Overall: Not entirely sure about this one. I like musks as components of other scents, but having several of them as the main thing going on seems a tad like overkill to me. Not unpleasant, but not so much my thing. That smoky thing going on in the earlier stages of wear was also something I'm not entirely sure about. I like smoky notes in general, but for some reason, in combination with all the musks, it almost smells like pipe or cigar smoke, and that's not something I particularly want to smell like. I may end up swapping this one, but we'll see.

Edited February 10, 2010 by Seismogenic

[eugmyers]

I just LOVE this -- very deep, dark, and sexy. So glad I ordered a full bottle!

[voorishsign]

I haven't experimented enough in the Excolo line, methinks. I was drawn to this because musk, myrrh and vetiver are three of my hands-down favourite notes.

 

In the imp - wow, this stuff is dark. Really dark. I've never had a BPAL oil this dark. Deep myrrh, hint of vetiver.

 

On wet - Musky! Obviously, there are after all three musks in it But I love it. I love musk. Vetiver adds a certain smokey depth.

 

Drydown - surprisingly sweet. I think that might be the mullein. Which I, idiot that I am, misread as muslin when I first read the note description. I was expecting something like cotton But! The mullein still works, it sweetens it all a little, but the musk, myrrh and vetiver remain strongest. Gorgeous blend. This imp is a keeper.

Edited April 13, 2010 by voorishsign

[strahlend]

In the imp I really love this scent. It's woodsy, incense-y, and musky and reminds me of Satyr.

On my skin, however, bad things happen. I seem to be smelling some pine and something that's reminding me too much of animals in a not nice way. My gut is telling me that this is civit. I've had it on for about five minutes now and while I don't feel compelled to go scrub myself I won't be sorry to wash it off when I do the dishes. It's weird because it really is nice except for one part of it that's not good at all.

[JennyGardener]

like cola or tea tree

spicy, piney, a wild walk

hiking in the woods atop a mountain,

full of furry animals and pine mulch

burning through the pines,

softens after,

smoky, misty, mysterious,

lying in fur

huddled with rabbits in a den

[SophieCedar]

My first impression wet was Dr. Pepper. Straight up!

As wet phase wore on, this reminds me of A&D ointment.

Deeper still.. pine.. christmas tree sap mixed with the smell of new plasticky lights straight out of the pack.

Drydown: plastic rubber A&D ointment pine. Whew this passes to reveal pine, myrrh, and mullien.

Weird~!

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: the brightness of mullein rising over a lovely deeper scent

 

Wet on Skin: spicy resin with a slight evergreen note

 

While Drying: I am getting a woody note, which I think is the vetiver playing nice for once.

 

After a Little While: Dark, but with just a little sparkle to keep it from being too heavy. I find it interesting that the throw is giving me incense (the myrrh) with a touch of sweetness (is that red musk I am smelling? yes, yes it is... I love red musk) whereas the skin scent is both lighter and darker (vetiver plus mullein, or maybe a light/white musk?). Good throw.

 

Later: Different aspects of this blend come to the forefront in turns, and on me, they all work together quite well, never fully integrating, but weaving in and out in interesting patterns. I thought this would last longer based on how syrupy the oil was, but that may be something that comes with age. Second test: lingering scent lasts forever (mainly myrrh with a touch of musk).

Final Thoughts: Vetiver is normally Evil Doom on my skin, but this is one of those blends that reminds me never to flat out nix certain notes - in the right blend, even Doom notes can work out beautifully. Final Final Thoughts: I was very surprised to see so many negative reviews. The longer I wear this, the more entranced I become. My initial dab test was enough to put this in the full test pile, and I am so glad I gave it a chance. It is almost like it switches character from spicy to woodsy to sweet to sexy and back and forth, reminding me of each of my favorite blends in those categories.

Czernobog earns a 4/5 on my skin.

[CitizenBree]

Pine and lemon. Smells like a cleaner scent to me. Bathroom cleaner. very strong. I don't know what is making it smell this way as i like a lot of these notes on there own. the vetiver is not the dark stompy kind that usually makes me cringe. in fact, i'd say i don't smell it at all. either way, not fond of this as a perfume oil.

[zmulls]

Just got a frimp of this today and testing it out. I have a very musky skin chemistry so I'm always looking for dark blends. And vetiver is one of those things that works on me well, though clearly not on others.

 

So this one is very happy on my skin. There's a sweetness (the myrrh?) which gives it that "nice cologne" overdraft, while the musks settle in and jockey for position.

 

I'm an Iago kind of guy, and while this isn't a leather scent, the musks and myrrh make this a good choice for me.

[Lydialove]

Czernobog is certainly the most intimidating BPAL imp I've run into so far. So dark and forbidding and the reviews vary so wildly - I must know!

 

GRRRR! Musk! Apparently, if a little musk is good on me (and it is!) then a whole lot more is even better. There's also a dark slightly smokey greenness which I think may be the vetiver and a slight sweet bright note that I'm guessing is mullein. Civet is... great on me, it turns out. What a great surprise.

 

This is a predator stalking through the dark woods, low to the ground and dangerous. It's animal. It's earthy sweet and strong and it's not for every day. I'll wear it next time I'm feeling dangerous myself.

[Nia]

Aargh! The computer ate my review! I'll try to re-build it.

 

I haven't posted a review in ages, but I think this is worth it. I've made three swaps in the last month or so and I'm not entirely sure of who swapped me this. It must have been a frimp because there's no way I would have asked for it. Some of the BPAL notes that fail more spectacularly on my skin are red and black musk (amp up like crazy, go sour sometimes, and eat up any other smell), myrrh (old-ladyish and tends to spoilt anything else) and vetiver (bitter, too strong, sometimes gives me a headache). Czernobog only needs cedar and lilies to be The Bpal Blend From Hell.

 

And instead of two thirds of my personal BPAL kryptonite, what do we get? First of all, a herbal note that feels more medicinal than bitter. Others have said pine; I get more eucaliptus. Very strong, in any case. After the initial shock there's animalistic sweetness underneath, and as the medicinal aspect calms down, here it is, our old friend black musk stealing the show. But somehow, the herbal note, which by now is recognisable as vetiver, keeps the musks under control.

 

This is the way a werewolf is supposed to smell. I smell like a very sexy man. I feel a bad guy. And it's a very strange but pleasant feeling.