The Rat King

[hipslike___cinderella]

The Nine-Headed nemesis of the Nutcracker Prince. Dust, wood and feral musk with a fang-sharp undertone.

Based on notes alone, I had to grab Rat King while I had the chance. Dust? Feral? Woods? Yes, please. That in combination with such varied reviews made me very excited.

It's at first a non-descript meld of woods and musk, with a precise dirt note. Not bad so far. Once I with this on my skin, I am taken immediately back to last Fall. Rat King would work perfectly alongside Samhainphobia or October. I smell crunchy and damp outdoors, murk, and stale dust. In fact, this reminds me a whole lot like my beloved Samhainphobia (and that's a wonderful thing). I'm tickled that people described peppery notes, cologne, or jalepenos, because to my nose this is so far from that. I would guess this contains vetiver for sure, dust, maybe a black or burnt sandalwood, and something slightly aquatic. Pretty lovely, ah, for those who love dirty, dank scents- although I can say there are a few blends that are nearly just like it. I'll still covet my little bottle!

[rayvn1]

I finally found you!!!! I've been stalking this oil to find a decant. Now that it's in my warm hands (it was frozen solid when I got home since it's -30 with winds here in Chicago ) There's been some separation of the oil that I'm not sure what to do about. I've never had an old oil like this. I gave it a good shake and I hope that won't ruin anything I hope I don't get addicted to a discontinued oil....

 

It's good, it's really good. I may have to stalk a bottle now! Rats! (heh) Light yellow smelling. Dusty and wild with a musky cloud close in to my arm. I do get feral and snarling from this little guy. Keeper, though the throw is pretty minimal - I'm afraid to slather since it was so hard to find!

[Kittenmorag]

I play a rat-based PC in our Changeling game, so I figured The Rat King would be perfect

 

In the bottle- Feral musk and fang. The Rat King is dangerous and sharp, hissing in the dark, waiting for humans to sleep so he can strike.

 

On the wrist- Man, this lives up to its promise. The wood and the dust dance around the edge and tickle the nose, smoothing the overall experience just enough to make it bearable, but this scent is dominated by the Rat King in his lair. It is hissing, snarling, tooth-flashing animal malevolence- not a sweet musk, like most scents, but a beast musk, and whatever they used for the 'fang-sharp' has WORKED. One of my friends once wrote "The Leader of the Swarm that skulks in the night, in walls, over and under the City, Our Lady of Vermin with dominion over all that skitters and strikes from the shadows", and this scent encapsulates it perfectly. It's wonderful.

 

Overall- This doesn't throw very far, but it doesn't need to. It's a scent made for close quarters. In terms of allergies, even with the dust note, it doesn't seem to trigger anything, which is nice. I REALLY made the right choice in this one for my character, i'm so glad I managed to find a bottle

 

=^..^=

[heathercaley]

First of all, Thank you Stellans for the decant! You are truly amazing!

 

When I first applied The Rat King... I smelled dusty wood with a salty undertone. That must be the feral musk. The real magic happens as it starts to dry down though. Once it dries, holy cow all the notes seem to warm up a touch, even though there's still that musky dirty sharp undertone. It is manly, but something that I can still wear and enjoy! I love that dirt note mixed up with the musk. That dirt note reminds me of the dirt note found in Q.ueen of C.lubs. In comparison, they both have a great bright note, tossed in with a dirt note. Just amazing. I think that I'm in love!

[fairnymph]

Dry, sharp, powdery and a little...musty? I almost get like a fungus or mold note, that's a little 'green' and sour-sharp - maybe the 'fang' note. Definitely some dusty, dry wood. And some sort of warm almost amber-y musk.

 

Even more musty, lots of that weird green-sharp note, which could also be some sort of wood, or a dark, bitter herb? It's very bitter on my skin, like eating a leaf you shouldn't, maybe an oak leaf. I get some sandalwood, which is actually fairly nice, less dusty and more smooth on me. The musk is black as it has that warm slightly powdery sweetness. I also suspect some sort of dark wood note like mahogany.

 

This is more and more green in a sharp and bitter, herbal-leafy sort of way - that note amps on me like whoa. It must be meant to convery the 'fang-sharp undertone' though it's definitely the dominant player in this blend on my skin. This also still smells really musty and dusty. The wood and musk are overwhelmed and must be sought out with effort.

 

Wow, this has morphed a lot. After an hour it's become ALL about the MUSK, sweet, rich, dark black musk galore. There's still a hint of that green note, but it has lost its bitterness and is now just sort of green and bright and a nice counterpart to the musk. The dusty wood and weird mustiness are still around and still pretty strong, but not as strong as the musk.

 

Essentially it's dark, dusty, woody, slightly sweet MUSK with a hint of greenery. It feels dark and yes, a bit feral. It also feels quite warm and furry, in the way of Ivanushka, and I think there might be a bit of amber in here, just the nice rich warm sort, to lend that warmth. Definitely masculine, with lower throw but great holding power.

[edenssixthday]

The Rat King - I really disliked the 2005 version of The Rat King and over the years, when I think of BPALs that were just awful on me, it tops the list. However, the 2010 version is pretty awesome, especially considering my previous experience with The Rat King. From the 2005 version, I got 100% dust. It was so dusty and gross. The 2010 version is almost entirely musk -- sweet, warm, animalic musk with a hint of woods... fresh, green woods. I also feel like there may be something sweetly floral in this, but that could just be the sweetness of the musk. It reminds me somewhat of another BPAL that I can't place in my memory, but if I figure it out, I'll come back and make a note of it here. The throw is strong. This is a scent that shouldn't be over-applied or the musk could become overpowering and unpleasant to those around you, but if put just a bit on your skin, I could see it being the type of scent that could be quite enchanting and attention-grabbing.

 

My review of the original (2005) version.

[strahlend]

2010 version

 

This smells mostly like jasmine to me. Floral, heady, sweet. It's very pretty and totally NOT what I was expecting. Nice enough but I wanted something darker, muskier and a bit more unusual.

[milo]

Wet to dry, this is a dark, masculine woody blend. I really like dark and woody, so this is a good thing, however, it is much to masculine for me to wear. Me thinks I have too many masculine blends that my guy doesn't even wear anyways, so I'll leave this one for now.

[surf-tormented]

Holy perfume, Batman! This a LOUD perfume blend, slapping you across the face with its traditional perfume pedigree. I swear this has perfume alcohol in it. Feral musk, indeed! Feral musk running all over my body, trying to eat my face!! It's not very rat to me, more predator animal, like a wolf or cougar.

 

It has a classic 70's perfume vibe. Overpowering sexy musk.

I only used a drop of it on the wrist and it's STRONG.

This is like what I thought Sex Panther in the movie Anchorman would smell like, wild crazy musk! Growl! And it is sure to clear out the room!!!

 

As it dries, I get the dust note and less sharp perfume. Or else, it just destroyed my ability to smell. I feel King Rat just had his way with me and I need a cigarette. And it is still strong. This one would make my boyfriend leave the room, because he is not enough man for this.

 

I am not sure how long this will last. I think I may wake up smelling like this and so will my bed and my boyfriend. 15 minutes later, it is still one of the strongest BPALs I have ever tried and I have tried hundreds of them.

 

Recommended if you are an Alpha Male or like Alpha Males, the 70's, chest hair, discos, Anchorman, Sex Panther or plain 'ol animal magnetism. This doesn't remind me of any other BPAL perfume, which is an oddity. This is a perfume who will tell you to get it a beer and the remote control while unhooking your bra with his eyes.

 

I like this link as well:

http://www.sex-panther.com

 

The Rat King should be marketed like this.

Edited December 22, 2010 by Madame Nyx

[surlygurl]

WOAH!!! Is this mislabeled!?? I was all ready for dusty, woody musk and I get a face full of flowers. Strong sweet flowers. If I sniff it up close there's a little soap, but it's still really floral. It's not *bad*, it's just not what I expected. As it dries I can make out some musk, but any wood or dust is missing. It doesn't change as it dries, either. Maybe it'll age into something less flower-bomb-y......

 

eta: You know what it smells like now (after about a month of aging)? Estee Lauder perfume. My mother's signature scent. She has the perfume & the lotion, and the lotion ends up on all the doorknobs, so I know the scent well. This is spot on *shudder*

Edited January 24, 2011 by surlygurl

[forspecial_plate]

Powdery summer floral. Washing off now.

[Upstart Crow]

The Rat King is, hands down, one of my favorite perfumes of all time. So when I found out that BPAL was re-releasing it this winter I was overjoyed--especially when the new version smelled so different that it might well have been a different blend altogether. While I have a slight preference for '05, '10 is still phenomenal. I'll review both here.

 

Rat King '05 is a must for dust/earth lovers. Although I couldn't say what this perfume smelled like when new, the dust note dominates this blend five years later, only it's not the kind of dust that is unpleasant, acrid or sneeze-inducing (at least for me; your mileage may vary if you're allergic to dust). Instead, I get the musty smell of dust over very soft musk and a hint of oakmoss. Delicious!

 

Rat King '10, on the other hand, has hardly any dust to speak of. Instead, the oakmoss dominates and mixes beautifully with the musk to create a very green, masculine blend that is perfect for wearing all year round.

 

I have more bottles of each blend combined than I do any other scent save possibly for Sailing Stones of Death Valley. I expect to use them all up.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

2010 version

 

Wait.. what's this.. florals? Yes, yes it is! What's going on?!?

 

If I didn't know this was supposed to be dust, wood and musks, I would have said it has jasmine, orchid and hyacinth. Seriously! So I have to say.. The Rat King is a huge disappointment, given that I really don't dig floral blends.

 

Having said that, it's actually quite a nice smell.. soft, flowery, slightly sweet... but that's not what I wanted! Poop, I say. POOP!

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2010 version.

 

In the decant: Light musk and light woods.

 

Wet: A metallic scent rises up.

 

The dry-down: The dust, wood, and musk are defeating that metallic note. However, this is nothing that I really need. I do want to compare it with the previous version first.

[porcelina]

the description on this one is very accurate, to me. there's a sawdusty smell and something sharp and metallic (this part almost turns soapy after a while... weird). sadly, i don't think the rat king is a favorite of mine.

[brilliantcat]

In the bottle: Musky, a hint of wood.

 

Immediately after application: Definitely musky.

 

Warming up: Wow this smells really masculine. I smell an aquatic note in here I think. It smells like a commercial men's cologne at this point. No thanks.