Herr Drosselmeyer

[brownbear]

HERR DROSSELMEYER
Magus, toymaker, and Godfather to Klara. An enigmatic man, seemingly somewhat sinister, but bearing a gentle air and a sincere love for children. This scent is dignified, refined, but dark, and hints towards esoteric mysteries and the secrets that tie mechanics to magick. Pipe smoke, sweet leather, woods and linen.

Wow, I can't believe I'm the first one. ohhh the pressure.

Anyway, I got to try this one at the will call. I mentioned how much I love clove and Forest suggested that I try this one. It doesn't have clove in it, but it has that same dark heft to it. Deep and dark are the best ways I can describe this one. I get the tobacco, tobacco - not smoke, but not so much of the other notes specifically. It really is deep and complex. mmmm I like it. It's not entirely masculine, but would smell nice on a guy. A dark, mysterious guy.

[sarada]

I'm trying to pace myself with these reviews but I just can't help myself...I need to share!

 

Herr Drosselmeyer reminds me a bit of Hellfire, which isn't too surprising considering the notes -- pipe tobacco and leather in both of them, though the Herr has added notes of woods and linen. In the bottle this is overwhelmingly sweet tobacco. It's the "dad's pipe" smell that I sometimes love, sometimes makes me queasy. It made me queasy in Hellfire after awhile. And it makes me queasy when people are actually smoking it.

 

But this manages to just be a tiny shade on the side of what I can wear and enjoy, as long as I use a small quantity. There is a certain nutty sweetness that also recalls some of dad's old tobacco mixes. It might actually be the "sweet leather" that is making this so very sweet, but it comes across as much more of a sugary smell. I don't smell the woods or linen, even on drydown, but I imagine that the presence of woods is what helps to turn this into something that reacts well on me over time, mellowing it and keeping the sweetness at bay.

 

I asked my mom to sniff it when I had it in my hair and she thought it smelled a bit like coffee. That's not how it came across to me (coffee makes me sick) but I can see, if it was a very dark, rich, sweet blend, that would be possible.

 

All in all, this is like a version of Hellfire that I can wear, though I'm very nervous to try more than a drop at a time given how pipe tobacco can give me a headache and make me feel a little nauseous when it's too intense. Just a little bit is just perfect though. And oh so masculine and mage-like.

 

ETA: Turned out to ultimately give me a headache after all. I really loved having it in my wooden perfume box because it added a wonderful note to the overall scent that wafted when I opened the box up, but if I wear it....it's just too much of a sweet cherry tobacco smell after all. The unopened bottle, or a drop from across the room, are the most I can take.

Edited December 10, 2005 by sarada

[UltraViolet]

 

Bottle Pic: http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL202/154131...8/120636829.jpg

 

In the bottle

Whoa. It's freakin' cherry pipe tobacco. How does she do that?

On

Oh my, this is so different and real. I smell sweet cherry or green apple tobacco and soft, warm leather primarily and I never knew how good these two would go together. I only smell a bit of "woods" and linen...I dunno....Yes...I smell that crisp clean linen smell.

 

Unfreakinbelievable.

 

30 minutes

It gets quite sweet on the dry down. Now it's a sweet fruity tobacco. Medium strong, nothing eye tearing or anything like that. It almost smells like some kind of East Indian passion fruit with cardomom and clove.

Throw:

average

Scent category:

Spicy/Animalistic/Woody

Summary

It's a men's scent for sure but it's also an anyone's scent if you're looking for something that reminds you of cherry or sour apple pipe tobacco, leather and linen. It smells almost like a spiced currant pie for the holidays. The fact that this is not a scent I would wear at all is so overthrown by the fact that this blend smells so insanely real. It stirs up good memories for me I guess.

Purchase again?

Yes. I don't know why but yes.

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

[nineveh]

I thought that this would be my favorite of the three Yule blends I ordered. It turns out to be my least favorite, but it's still definitely a keeper (I ordered well, it seems).

 

On me, there is very little sweetness here. I know the description says sweet leather, but when I breathe deeply, I can detect the hot, somewhat intimidating leather from Geek. The tobacco has a thick, pungent quality in the same way that the incense/vetiver has in the Caterpillar (I don't think they smell similar, but rather have a similar feel).

 

There's also an overall smoky nutty thing going on. I'm not sure where that's coming from. I can't pick out the linen or woods individually, but I can tell that there's more here than just leather and tobacco, so I guess they're just adding to the experience.

 

Overall, this is deep, thick, complex, and masculine. To me, it's not comforting like Dee or sexy like Geek. I do find it compelling, however, and, as the description states, refined and mysterious.

 

edit: Upon subsequent tryings, this smells sweeter and more comforting. I like it even better now.

Edited December 14, 2005 by nineveh

[cranberry]

Herr Drosselmeyer - another spot on scent.

 

In the bottle: It's all pipe tobacco. Deep, rich. I get the bitter note of the tobacco here more than any other time. And maybe a slight tang of leather.

 

On the skin: It sweetens up considerably, but still remains cherry pipe tobacco. I get hints of leather but that could be the tobacco. The woods remain hidden but this is a very deep, rich scent. Perhaps the woods add some of the depth. It's a very strong scent and all you need is just a touch. For some reason it reminds me a wee bit of Miskatonic University. It's a deep rich scent like MiskU, I don't get coffee per say, but there's a similar feeling to it - they are both deep, rich, sweet scents, and to me bringing to mind dark, polished wood, leather chairs, hard bound books. Crackle of the fire in the background...

 

Herr Drosselmeyer lasts a long time and remains pretty true. As with the woods, the linen remains hidden. And just to reiterate, this is all about the pipe tobacco!

 

Overall impression: I like it! Not sure if I'll need another bottle but it's just perfect for those times when I want to feel all warm and cozy. It is a pretty manly scent, but a woman could get away with it I have no doubt.

Edited December 4, 2005 by cranberry

[paradoxicaljlb]

Herr Drosselmeyer: warm leather, like how an old leather chair smells after someone's been sitting by the fire for a while; fresh pipe tobacco, unsmoked; just a tinge of woods that puts this at the edge of masculine; spiced and sweetened by something that smells just a little like sugar plums or candied fruits, rum or maybe brandy, and, dare I say it, a drop of licorice? Somehow, Herr Drosselmeyer is warm and cool at once, maybe the clean linen smell is what registers as cool to me. A gorgeous blend; I can't wait to see how it smells after it's melded in the bottle and aged a bit.

 

I was hoping this one wouldn't turn out to be overly masculine, and I really think it would work as well on a man as on a woman, as long as she likes it deep and rich. =)

[Wrenlet]

What I wanted Hearth 2005 to be on me: light, sweet smoke with touches of leather. Mmmmmm Herr D., what a lovely man you are!

 

ETA: I spoke too soon Something got up my nose when I tried it on the other night, but I brushed it off as a lingering note from Saturn... alas. Is it the linen? I can't be sure, but something in here makes me react the same way I do to amber scents. Waaah!

Edited December 10, 2005 by Wrenlet

[shelldoo]

in the bottle:woody,leather

 

wet: dry woodiness, a slight leathery note, and the lightest hint of smoke

 

as it dries, it is a manly (yet wearable for women) woody, and sexy i actually believe i can detect certain woods. for instance i could swear i occassionally get birch, and possibly an oak type scent. there is also a the very slightest touch of spice. and of course the leather. i am not really detecting linen, but that really doesn't surprise me as i tend to get rid of that note often

[kmasden]

Wow, are we sniffing the same thing? LOL...I just dont' get leather, though mind you I am not educated sniffing pro and I'll definately sniff again with leather in mind. For me Herr Drosselmeyer started out all wonderful almond (yup, i'm an almond LOVER!!!!!) strong, rich, cherryish..yum...as it dried down it became hellfire, just a little less smokey, a little less overbearing (although i love the smell of hellfire, i could never wear it). I think someone else said (I didn't read all the reviews) that it was a more wearable hellfire and i think they hit the nail on the head! Bravo.

[coulrophobe]

Preconceived notions: This was the one that grabbed me. The "must have" scent of the update.

 

In the bottle: Oh no! It smells like rum and almonds, gack! Luckily, almonds never last on me... but this isn't a good start.

 

On/Drydown: As usual, the sharp cherry/almond note goes away. I'm left with a muted, papery smell - my mind says "parchment," but the description says "linen." And a slight sweet musky-ness - to me, this is a slightly "off," but still extremely comforting scent.

 

Sadly, I get no leather or tobacco - the main reasons I was drooling over this scent. But I can see myself wearing on those "curl up on the couch and read" sort of days.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Very almond-like. The leather is sweet, especially when laced with tobacco smoke. The 'crispness' of linen is what adds the sweet note.

On me: It's definitely a wood base, but it comes off as a spiced note. The way the smoke and leather mingle together reminds me of mulling spices, sharpened and slightly shriller than normal.

With time the leather becomes the dominant note. It smells rather like the cover of an old book to me.

[Fefferbella]

This scent really caught my attention at the Yule update... leather and tobacco

 

H.Drosselmeyer is SO damn sexy wet out of the bottle.

Sadly, the tobacco note isn't nearly as rich as I wish it was, and it is slightly overpowered by a cherry/woodshavings note.

The leather note is rich and warm like curling up on old leather sofa before a roaring fire.

 

This blend faded quickly to a sweet leather/cherry scent, but still very pretty.

[gingersnapp]

This is another perfect holiday blend by Beth. Very nostalgic. The pipe smoke is sweet and reminds me very much of the pipe an uncle of mine used to smoke at family gatherings. The leather is soft, and in the background, and is tempered beautifully by the woods. I get very little linen.

 

Truly beautiful.

Edited December 14, 2005 by gingersnapp

[aedes]

This is my favorite of the Yules I've tried so far. A more-wearable version of Hellfire is exactly how I'd describe it, too. Less cherry and pipesmoke, more woods and warmth. Fades pretty quick on me, though. I think I'll try slathering it on more and wearing it for a day. *sniff* mmm, warmy.

 

edit: I wore it "for real" today and, sadness of sadnesses, it turns to playdoh on me. I think it's the linen note, as White Rabbit did the same to me. Time to find a new favorite Yule...

Edited December 17, 2005 by aedes

[Vicious Mistress]

In the bottle: Interesting. Reminds me of Hearth '04 but not as strong.

 

Wet: Can you say maple syrup, boys and girls? Cuz that's what this is turning to on me.

 

 

Dry: Still maple syrup. Very sweet. I'm guessing it's the cherry that's having this affect. I was hoping for more leather/tobacco, but I guess it's not to be.

 

Stupid skin chemistry!!!!

[Little Bird]

Herr Drosselmeyer was very odd on me. It reminded me of one of those candy shops that is trying to look sort of old-timey, with wooden barrels and classic hard candies and such. I definitely smell cherry pipe tobacco, and that stays constant over the hours that I wear this. I never smell anything that I would call clean linen though. I actually kept thinking that I could smell red licorice and lemon drops when I was wearing this one.

 

2 hours later this had faded into a sweet cherry pipe tobacco smell, with that candied lemony/licorice tang in the background. There is a light, sweet leather in the background as well, but it's so subtle that I forgot it was there. I didn't realize that I was smelling leather until I reread this description and thought that it *should* be there. So it's subtle, thankfully.

 

This only lasted about three hours on me, but it had a lot of throw for the first couple hours. This fragrance really isn't something that I can see myself wearing very often. It has a sticky, tangy sweetness. Maybe I will pass it on to one of my male friends.

[donsixgun]

This is very nice!

It reminds me of a sweeter, more mild Hellfire. Leather, and pipe tobacco, but not as musky and overpowering as Hellfire can be to some.

Edited December 18, 2005 by donsixgun

[couscous]

I ordered two bottles of this, because I was sure that I'd love it. When the reviews started pouring in, and so many mentioned cherry tobacco, pipe tobacco, etc., I thought I was all set. I would get it and love it, no problem.

 

I was wrong.

 

Drosselmeyer witholds all of his tobacco notes from me, all of his woods, all of his warmth, and gives me instead linen and candy and.... spearmint? There's a very dull, soft mint note here- maybe an herb.

 

A tiny hint of leather comes out after a while (DeSade leather, not Dead Man's Hand leather), but overall Herr Drosselmeyer is very "white" on me-old fabric, with mint and candy sweetness. There's also something dusty green here at this stage; maybe oakmoss.

 

While linen is not bad, it is not what I was looking for. My skin has cherry-picked incorrectly. For anyone upset that this smelled *too* much like pipe smoke, I can only hang my head in sadness. *All* pipe? Oh, if only!!

 

I wrote this review in case someone else had the same reaction as I did- but, if you are reading this and have not tried Herr Dross yet, I wouldn't let this put you off-or on. This was totally my skin's fault.

[ChupaChup]

I shouldn't be disappointed in Herr Drosselmeyer because it really does fit its description. But all the reviews that mentioned cherry tobacco got me excited and sadly I get nothing like cherry tobacco from this. On me, it's a very flat, dry scent, kind of monotonous and bitter. There is just plain cigarette tobacco (not even menthol ) and hard, dry leather. Eventually the leather takes over and even that isn't sweet. For tobacco scents, I much prefer Torture King and Hellfire.

[QueenFae]

First of all let me say that my husband ruined this one for me before I even tried it, because he sniffed it and declared that it smelled like dirty sex. Now I'm having the hardest time not making that association as I try to review it But here goes. It's very, VERY sweet on me to the point (I never thought I'd say this) of being almost sickenly sweet. I think it's the strength of the pipe smoke, it's almost too much for me. While it's sweet, it's also tangy and musky at the same time. The leather is there, but it smells like it's been dipped in sweet syrup. It's like walking into one of those really strong smelling smoke shops in the mall. All in all a very complex blend, but just not for me. (and not just because of what the boy said )

[merivelle]

This is a very interesting scent. When I smell this I get cherry, tobacco, musk,and leather. It seems like a cross between Hellfire and Chimera. It smells wonderful on, my only complaint is that it fades quickly. It's smokey, musky, and sweet

[girlmadasbirds]

my first impression: licorice! it dries into a gritty, smoky leather scent. it's not quite what i was hoping for. i wish i got the cherry pipe tobacco others have mentioned, but on me, it's a very bitter scent.

[Voleuse]

This is tobacco smoke and leather armchair on first application, slightly sweet and dusty. Over time, it gets smokier, less sweet, and the wood notes make themselves known.

 

This scent is exactly what it describes, I think--a slightly shadowed workroom, cluttered with tools and half-carved wooden toys, with wisps of smoke gathering in the corners. It's masculine, but comfortable, as well. Lovely.

[valentina]

I ordered this for my husband, because I knew Herr would not work on me, having leather in it. In the bottle, I smell leather, tobacco and what smells to me like Sugar Cookie -- a bit of sweetness and spice. I think the Herr was eating cookies in his workroom. And maybe a nip o' hot buttered rum or honey mead? I smell something a tad boozy in all of it.

 

When my husband wears it, it's very tobacco/leather on him, with a sweeter spice overtone. He loves Hellfire, and this is similar, but I think Herr has a pronounced sweet element to the spice. It's really nice on him, rather festive and sweet underneath the more masculine notes.

 

valentina

[zillah37]

The Herr is surprising. I'm not getting cherry or smoke or anything like that. It's a cool, woodsy scent that reminds me of a woodshop. There's something very musky underneath, something a little masculine and warm.

 

I like it a lot and I'm surprised that I do. I think I'll have to get a bottle of this.