Herr Drosselmeyer

[funkmoppet]

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.

2005 version.

Oh, can I say LOVE?

Wet, this is leather and wood. Not the sharp leather of De Sade, this is soft, worn leather. The woods are dominated until the dry down. It's just so seamlessly blended and evokes a very kind, gentle, fatherly sort of man, in his workshop, tinkering away. Which is exactly what I'd hoped this would be!

The linens are faint in the background, and after a while the woods get a little dusty - with everything anchored on the soft leather. I ADORE this.

So comforting, so warm. Fantastic!

Edited to include Lab description. Edited November 18, 2007 by Shollin

[tartchef]

Um, yeah! This is spectacular. I don't get any of the cherry & leather - on me, HD is all hot buttered pannetone & smoked cinnamon. It's foody, but not overwhelmingly so - just enough sweetness to round things out. I can't wait to wear this on a cold, crisp November morning...

[alicia_stardust]

Herr Drosselmeyer is a comforting scent that reminds me of male heroes from my childhood and years spent in wintertime rehearsals for The Nutcracker.

 

I get a dry but sweet tobacco smoke, a touch of cherry-like heft, and a resinous quality. It's not too masculine, not bitter, not too sweet. It's just right. It has a strong throw and long wear-length.

[n0thing]

I *really* love this, and sadly only have about half an imp left

 

From the bottle & on initial application, i get pure sherry! Then the pipe tobacco comes through somewhat, but as with most scents, no leather ever shows itself on me. The overall effect is warm & cosy, a real 'evening in curled up with the fire, a good book and a glass of wine' sort of smell

[arabella]

2006 Version

 

First Impression: Black pudding with anise.

Dries down to: Spice cake that's a bit burnt around the edges.

Additional Comments: I prefer this version to last year's. It's sweeter but still masculine and comforting. The leather works for me this time - sometimes it can go very sour on me. This is a great winter room scent.

Lasted: A long time.

Rating: 4 out of 5

[KaliVerra]

2006 Version:

 

I LOVE good pipe tobacco... I adore tobacco shops. Herr Drosselmeyer embodies the scent of walking into a good tobacco shop! This is just pure yum and everything I was hoping it would be!!

 

Throw is excellent. Wet to drydown, this is a winner through and through!!

 

I forced it on my sweet husband before bed last night and slept like a baby (I have the distinct feeling that it would be great for non-sleeping bedtime as well, hee hee hee... I'm a bad, bad imp)!

 

In the bottle: Lovely, rich, cherry/mahogany tobacco w/a hint of leather & buttery accord

 

Wet on skin: More of the same, leather blooms forth and pops you on the hiney!

 

Drydown: Sweet and rich (but not sickeningly so)... Bold and stately - but with a cuddly edge... one of those paradox scents that grabs you by the nose and says, "Hey... look at me. Look again, honey..."

 

5/5.

[hellomoonglow]

I had never smelled Herr D. before but read the descrip. and thought I'd like it. So I bid on a bottle on eBay, won, and awaited the mail with baited breath. Incidentally, I'm ALWAYS waiting on the mail with baited breath! Or maybe that's just bad breath. Whatever. Anyhoo, got it, opened it, thought hmmmmm, this doesn't smell like pipe smoke! I like the smell of pipe smoke, reminiscent of being a kid with my Pap. And Bordello smells just like cherry vanilla pipe smoke on me, so I had high hopes for Herr D. But alas, it was not meant to be. On me, it just smells like wet, stinky leather with some kind of funk. It's almost bitter on my skin. When it's dry for an hour or two, it doesn't get any better on me, although I do get a faint whiff of cherry. Sadly, this is one of the ones I wanted to work well but doesn't.

[lookingglass]

I was gifted this today. I never gave this blend a 2nd glance from the description, since leather and woods often go bad on my skin, but this is warm and mapley, slightly smokey, and so smooth. I love it!

[gchris]

In Vial: spicy sweet, smell the cherry tobacco

 

On Skin: Smells alot like marachino cherries. I also detect a tiny bit of cinnamon and the tobacco.

The tobacco note is getting stronger as it dries.

 

Later: This has a sickly sweet sort of smell. I for sure smell honey even though it is not listed. After it has dried I am now beginning to smell the leather and linen notes. Because it is so sweet, honey sweet, I would not say this is overly masculine even though it does lend itself more that direction. Like others have said, even though I would not wear this, there is something about it that causes me to want to smell it around me, so I will for sure keep the imp!

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is smoke - sweet smoke & a hint of leather.

 

On my skin, I'm getting a really unexpected cherry-ness from this, and the smoke has died way down; it's mostly linen now, with just a hint of leather.

 

When it dries, the leather's even stronger, and it's the harsh, weird leather that I don't like. What a bummer.

[Gwydion]

2005: In bottle: Weirdly alcoholic. Smells like anise. Wet: Very sift. It still smells like anise, though I am getting some linen and leather. Given a little time it warms up and there is a hint of wood and smoke. Dry: This is rather disappointing. It's licorice and leather, basically.

 

2010: In bottle: Wood and pipe smoke hits the nose first, but after a wave of what I’m guessing is the sweet leather and linen comes along. I’m liking the way the wood and sweet leather dance with the pipe smoke. The sweet leather note is definitely sweet and gentle while still having plenty of throw. It’s hard to explain, but it’s definitely not like any of the other leathers I’ve tested before while still being leather. The linen is more an edge here than a strong individual note, giving me hope I can wear this despite a mild linen aversion. Wet: Much greener than I expected, more live wood than old dead polished, if that makes sense. As it warms, the pipe smoke twines up and through and the sweet leather takes on dimensions, I wasn’t expecting. It’s now got a hint of something almost lemony to it, though if it were lemon, I’d likely be amping it. I think it’s the linen mating with the wood. Sorry this is rather a muddled mess, but the sensations I’m getting are straining my ability to find appropriate vocabulary. Dry: Sweet leather mostly. It’s a fairly fast fader.

Edited December 28, 2010 by Gwydion

[NinjaCowboy]

I am completely in love with this scent. Oddly, what drove me to want to try it was the anime Princess Tutu, in which my favorite character is Fakir, a descendant of the villian- Drosselmeyer. So... the name alone drew me in, and based on the description, I was kind of hoping that this would be a scent that would smell like Fakir. ANd man, was I right!

 

in the bottle: soft leather, and warm spice. Like, christmas spice, that you would smell coming from the kitchen while everyone is sitting around the tree. Gorgeous.

 

wet: immediately, the spice seems to face, and the leather takes over. I can also smell a touch of the smoke now, just warming it up a touch.

 

dry: WOW! THe pipe smoke peeks through even more, but rather than making it all smell like smoke, it just heats up the leather into a beautiful WARM scent. That is the best way to describe it. Like firelight reflected off of a cozy leather chair.

 

I love this scent!! So warm and yummy smelling! Lasts a long time, with moderate throw.

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: The notes are all in my 'top likes' list. Like the name, like the concept. Really like the concept.

 

In the bottle: Damn stuffed up nose. I get something that might be leather, and a hint of slightly sweet spicyness.

 

On the wrist, wet: ... licorise? OMG stick in the nose licorise too. Weird.

 

Five minutes later: Okay, the licorise has faded away rather quickly. Because of the cold, I'm finding it hard to differentiate what's left. It's slightly smoky, but in a fragrant wood-smoke way rather than cigarette smoke. Definately warm and dark. Slightly sweet too. Even as I write, it's fading down into a soft, sweet sort of haze. Oh, and there's the leather, just hiding behind the woodsmoke, and growing stronger as it warms.

 

Hmmm... this is actually less toymaker, more dandy-highwayman to my nose. It's a bit on the sweet side, although that certainly calms down a lot, so I think I'd probably like to layer it with something. Masculine but not overly manly, I think. Definately worth a second test, but at the moment going into the 'Will wear, but infrequently' pile, as I generally prefer something a bit spicier and more exotic.

 

EDIT: Had it on about twenty minutes now. Mellowed out nicely. Really nicely. Not too sweet, slightly leathery, woodsy smokey goodness. Might be bumping this up to a 'Will wear, quite frequently'

 

EDIT: Now been about an hour and it keep growing on me. Now definately warm leather that's absorbed the scent of sweet woodsmoke. Not a great throw - I get occasional wiffs as I type, but I have to have my wrist about two inches from my nose to really smell it. Definately a keeper.

 

TL;DR: A bit strong to start off with, but settles down nicely in about ten minutes to leathery woodsmoke and keeps mellowing. Warm, dark, and slightly sweet.

Edited April 28, 2008 by GentlemanCaller

[lilacea]

This is lovely. Sandalwood and cedar initially, as it warms on the skin the tobacco blooms. There's a sweet almost creamy element at this point and a teensy touch of spice (anise, maybe?). The leather is soft and there are touches of papyrus on the dry down. This is a skin hugger, very low throw and light. Here's hoping the sweet element will behave itself on my skin and not amp like crazy in a few minutes.

 

Edit: ok, the sweetness has behaved itself quite well, after wearing this all day it's still a lovely warm musky scent.

Edited April 30, 2008 by lilacea

[tura]

I got an unexpected opportunity to try this out at work the other day. Turns out the first person I've enabled with BPAL happened to come across a bottle and brought it in for me to try. Not knowing anything about the scent, I got a very deep, rich, almost heady scent out of the bottle. It instantly had the feel of a dark, smoky lounge - in a good way.

 

On, I immediately got the tobacco. And something woody. But not like the wood in Ventriloquist's Dummy. It feels almost spicy. And I get what must be leather. I've been wanting to try something with leather in it for a while, and I definitely get that here. When my boss walked out, I found myself trying to describe this scent, and BPAL in general, to him, and described this scent as

 

"a man smoking his pipe after dinner in an elaborately done parlour with floor to ceiling mahogany bookshelves with beautiful leather sitting chairs and velvet curtains" He sniffed my wrist and replied "I can see that"

 

I bet it would be absolutely fantastic on a man, and it's pretty darn nice on this gal, too. The drydown was nice, as I got a lovely spice and leather scent, and the smokiness cooled down a little for me. I didn't get the cherry or dried fruit that others mentioned, but I'm not sure which year I got to try. I would definitely wear this again, and might have to get more adventurous with the leather/smoke scents after all.

[mybrainhurts]

The 2006 version:

 

This smells like cherry pipe tobacco. There is a sweet edge to it like some of the foody scents had (Gluttony comes to mind as well as the irish coffee in Miskatonic University.)

I ~love~ this scent. This is one of the very few (like 2) BPAL leather scents that I don't think smells too masculine on me.

 

The 2005 version:

 

 

This version is a bit more manly. It reminds me of the well-dressed man at church who sits halfway back and is always friendly. He's not the one who bathes in his cologne but always smells nice. It's leather and the shaved wood smell of a cabinet-maker's shop. There's also a hint of something sweet in the background but it's not strong enough (and my nose not developed enough) for me to figure out just what the sweet is.

 

The scent is clinging to my skin, making me all but keep my wrist to my nose so that I can smell it. It's such a comforting smell. I think this will do great in the oil warmer as well as being a comfort scent on the skin.

[rayvn1]

Herr Drosselmeyer has everything going for it as far as I'm concerned I love the character in Nutcracker, and I am always up for leather, woods, and tobacco. The weird thing is that on me it smells really thick in the throat sweet like maple syrup. This just blossoms off my skin into a golden cloud. Kind of foodie with a little cedar in the background. I'm so tempted to track down a bottle of this but husband doesn't like it <sigh> says I smell like a Hallmark store

[jewelbug]

2005 version:

This smells like sitting next to grandpa on his favorite leather chair while he smokes some cherry tobacco and offers you aniseseed cookies (I can even smell a bit of butter). Its a really lovely combo that I have treasured for 3 years now, but never got round to writing a review. I wear this when I want something really different than my usual bpals, and it never disappoints. Its a very comforting, complex and beautiful scent, and it has aged fantastically.

Edited October 1, 2008 by jewelbug

[greenranger]

2005 version.

 

Linen, leather, and a bit of tobacco. The wood will probably show up later on me.

 

Dad's jacket, or, considering how the linen note amps on me, Dad's closet.

Edited November 8, 2008 by Aerinha

[plunderparlour]

This was overwhelming cherry sweetness. very foody on my skin.

[lothien]

This one hates me.

I picked up an imp of it while shopping for leather scents. Some leathers (and tobaccos) I have loved so far. This sounded so good from the description, like a gentleman's study, but as soon as it hit my skin all I got was- I'm not even sure how to describe it - burnt sea salt, maybe? It wasn't gedditoff, but it was unpleasant.

Fortunately, I didn't get a headache or anything from it, so it's not one of *those* and I'm really not sure what the culprit might be yet, but it's going to the swaps pile. =(

[acidrica]

The year of I-have-no-idea,

 

In the imp and wet, this was honey. For some strange reason, I got honey. Then the sweetness disappeared and it morphed into smoke. The wonderful smoke smell that made you sniff cigars as a kid. Then it turned into smokey wood and leather. In the best way possible. This is a keeper!

Edited January 1, 2009 by Acid

[Josh]

Boy am I glad I tracked down a bottle of this stuff. For the record, this is the 2005 version not 2006 (which I heard was cherry-ish, so I avoided)

 

This stuff is fierce in attitude but perfectly restrained on the skin.. a slightly ashy/aged leather, something that smells like a warm/mellow peppery smoke and old, old, old aged wood -- like opening a dusty wooden trunk in the attic - the paint cracking and the varnish peeling. For whatever reason this has an old school, black & white, gentleman noir kinda vibe to it.. not at all cologne-ish, instead a more introspective and somewhat dark scent that any guy could pull off (unlike, say, Djinn or Lucifer which requires a certain type of personality).

 

This dethrones Geek as the #1 "masculine" bpal oil. A shame it's LE and the 2005 version is so rare... A resurrected of this is desperately needed. For any fragrance snob this is one of the few absolutely 100% essential bpals... no excuses.

 

I can't vouch for the 2006 version, my review is soley for 2005.

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the bottle, it's tobacco, anise, and wood.

 

On the skin, it's much the same as it was in the bottle, but after a few minutes goes weirdly sour on my skin. Sadly, this is not working on me.

Edited April 16, 2009 by angelicruin

[femmefatale]

I am so thrilled I was able to get a bottle of the 2005 version!

 

This is so comforting. I get anise, smooth leather, rich woods, and a hint of pipe tobacco. There also seems to be something vaguely metallic, which I would normally hate, but smells great here. This is more masculine, but still wearable. I think this would also be unbelievable on dh and can't wait to have him try it.