The Rat King

[Finny]

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

Out of the bottle this went straight to my swap lists.

But after reading the reviews, I had to dab a bit on to test. I am so glad that I did.

Dry, dusty wood. A lovely light muskiness. And it has claws, a sharp, almost medicinal, note. Maybe a mint?

I don't know, but it is coming off the swap list for now. I need to retest, and see how it wears, this may be a keeper. Edited January 27, 2006 by Shollin

[Lorencita]

This is absolutely gorgeous! I love it from start to finish. All sexy musk on me, so glad I took a chance and ordered 2 bottles!!!!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: something sharp. i can't place it.

on: i'm getting dust and wood, with that sharp undertone.

1 hour later: still that sharp note, with a base of dusty and wood.

2 hours later: generally soapy.

3 hours later: very light and slightly soapy.

overall: not surprisingly, this isn't one for me.

[sideviewhotel]

In the imp, The Rat King is very sharp and woodsy, but it's more greenery than wood.

 

Once on, though, he gets very very sweet and becomes extremely perfume-y. I smell like a grandma. I'm pretty disappointed because I wanted this to be deep musky woods, but nope. Too sweet. I wish I knew what note it was that gives me grandma perfume-smell.

[fiddlehead]

I changed my mind several times on whether or not to order this. It didn't sound like my cuppa, but some of the reviews sounded really good.

 

Whoever said this was similiar to Clio was correct, at least on my skin. Unfortunately, I got a frimp of Clio *after* I caved and ordered Rat King. Rats! Because I'm not fond of Clio, either. But this is very much like it minus the citrus and plus a very sharp smell. Almost ammonia-ish. As if this wasn't enough it goes really perfumy/cologne on me very quickly. I'll try it on my husband, but I have a feeling this may be the first LE I have to get rid of.

 

Note to self: pay attention to your first instincts!

[ktesedale]

Like others, I was hesitant about ordering this. I ended up getting it on the very last day Yules were available.

 

In the bottle, this is very raw musk. Wow.

 

Wet, this is still very musky. None of the woods that other people got.

 

Dry, it hugs my skin very close, and I can faintly catch the wood scent other people mentioned. To me, this smells very clean, actually - like an animal you just washed and are now cuddling with.

 

It's a very masculine scent, and I wish I had someone to put it on to see. I like it, but I think I'm not going to keep the whole bottle, assuming I find people who'd like imps.

 

Also, note that this scent lasts a loooooong time - it lasted well over nine hours on me, though you had to sniff near my wrist to smell it.

Edited February 14, 2006 by Kiena

[tinyvulture]

a bold masculine scent with woods, dry grass, and something metallic.

as it dries, a kind of …sweaty… smell emerges, and i’m not fond of it.

[sarahj]

The Rat King

 

in bottle: dusty wood

 

wet: same

 

dry: dusty musk (or musky dust?) plus something that smells almost floral

 

verdict: after some deliberation, I find this is growing on me...I'm really glad I ordered it

[edenssixthday]

The Rat King smells distinctly of dust. It smells like Miskatonic U. smells on me – without the pretty Irish crème. It smells like Queen of Clubs smells on me – without the floral. It smells like Rapture smells on me – without the dark myrrh. It smells like Gnome – without the dirt. It’s pure dust on my skin, and makes me feel like I have to sneeze. This is one that was not worthy of waiting it out. I had to wash it off ASAP.

[Reedsong]

I work pretty hard for my money, so it's always a shock to realise I've spent it unwisely. Right now, I'm reflecting that I paid shipping costs so that I could smell like a wet rat.

 

Wow.

 

Did you catch that? A rat. And not just a rat, a wet one.

 

5 minutes: I like consistency in people. I was hoping to avoid it in fragrance. For all of your soaked rodentry needs, baby, I'm your girl.

 

10 minutes: I can only imagine answering questions from people. "Does anyone smell...something?" "That's my perfume." "Oh, I thought a small furry creature had just come in from the rain."

 

15 minutes: At least this stays close to my skin. For the first time, I'm thrilled to be single.

 

20 minutes: I asked my cat to help evaluate. I put my wrist down by his nose, and he started circling my arm, the same way he does when he's about to pounce on the kitten.

 

Soap? Aye! Swap pile? Yes sirree!

 

Edit: What the heck?! I'm headed for the soap, and suddenly the rat-ness fades a bit and this woody-muskiness emerges? There was forest under that there rat! And it actually smells pretty interesting!

 

*grumbles grudgingly* Okay. Further testing obviously required. I may still swap this one, but it likely doesn't deserve the total wank I gave it above. I'm keeping it there anyway because it's vaguely amusing.

Edited June 17, 2006 by Reedsong

[PilotKitten]

Minus 1 star for leaving a ring in Marianne's tub.

[Eunice]

I got very worried when I read about wet rat but luckily The Rat King is nothing like wet rat on my skin. I swear I am smelling some oakmoss and a hint of lime and cucumber in this. There is musk but it is light compared to the oakmoss. it isn't so much a woodsy scent as outdoorsy scent on me. Definitely a winner!!

[Sealgair]

My first review! Won Rat King on Ebay from seller dweebus-e.

 

In the bottle:

musky flower wood? maybe some spice? some chemical/perfumy scent, but of a kind that I like - the chemical/perfume scent of Aspen For Men for example.

 

on wet:

piney flower musk. It's like the musk itself is a floral musk, then there's a wood scent layered under it.

 

Drydown:

5-10 minutes later - pencil shavings and dead roses. I like it!

 

Dammit! 30 minutes into it, Rat King is turning into Gramma's scented powder!

 

1 hour in - Okay, the woods in Rat King are definitely Aspen or Birch, not Pine. I think that's why it reminds me of Aspen For Men. It's morphed back into that scent, with dusty powder thrown in. It's a clean male scent, making me think of a fun-loving outdoorsy 19yo boy/man. Not any one in particualr, mind you, just the general image. It won't be a daily wear for me, that's for sure, but I dunno if I want to swap it either.

 

Summary:

On me this scent is Aspen For Men with a floral dusty powder layer. There's very little musk in this on my skin, unless it's a floral musk. That's dissapointing, but I like the scent anyway.

 

On a scale of 1-5 I'd give it a 2.5: not often worn, but not ick enough to swap.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Dust. Fur. Twitching whiskers and glowing eyes. And an oddly comforting warmth reminiscent of Coyote.

 

Wearing: About half a second after I put this on, it seems to have melded with my skin, leaving a subtle impression of dry warmth. The description scared me off, but I’m liking the effect.

[Shannihilation]

In the bottle, this is the smell of having random heat of the moment sex in the mud after a spring rain. Seriously. It's dirty, and raw, and yet underneath there is something sweet and delicate. And on my skin it's exactly the same. It was a little overpowering at first (note to self: do not slather this one) but now that it's been on for a bit it's fabulous. And it still makes me think the same thing. Sex in the mud. Wet fresh dirt, water, and that underlying sweetness that is at the base of the immediate passion. God, I love this. I may actually have to find another bottle. Wow.

This is like Destroying Angel's lecherous uncle. Yummy....

[Miss Lynx]

In the imp, this smells like sharp, strong, men's cologne, with a bit of a chemical edge -- maybe ozone? Not promising. When freshly applied, pretty much the same.

 

But as it settles in, it does begin to morph and change a certain amount. It's very musky, with a sharp tea-like note... almost like Dorian's evil twin. The ozone, if that's what it is, is still there, but less prominent. I don't like ozone, but it does add a certain cleanness to this otherwise dirty musk.

 

The musk gradually subsides a bit, and the wood note comes through more strongly. It's actually getting kind of pleasant at this point -- it still smells like it belongs more on a man than on me, but it's not bad. Light and woody and clean with just a hint of musk remaining, and a bit of the tea note. But it's also very faint at this point, more of a skin-scent than anything.

 

All in all, an interesting scent to try, but not a keeper, at least for me.

 

Grade: C+/B-

[Electra]

Ooh, I like this one.

 

Zenvodunista tried to convince me to buy Rat King when it was live with Yule '05. I didn't, mostly because I'm dumb. Then I was fortunate enough to be gifted with two imps of it by the lovely ladies at a Meet'n'Sniff .

 

Wet, it was very cologne-y. It smelled quite like a commercial men's cologne - not at all unpleasant, but definitely like cologne. The dust note rose, and I was worried that it might be overpowering.

 

Drydown is great. Great, great, great. It's a very dry, very clean, ever-so-slightly powdery, ever-so-slightly spicy, ever-so-slightly musky scent. It's just gorgeous. Very understated, but very sexy. I love it. I can't stop sniffing myself.

Edited November 26, 2007 by Electra

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Sandalwood and vetiver, with some light florals.

 

On me: Definitely musky. Somewhat aquatic in tone. The wood here is in the cedar family, and it's the dominant note.

[Em-]

This is sharp and animalistic - there is a definite dark musk/vetiver in this, and a furry warm note that is similar, but not quite as...comforting as Coyote.

 

I like this, and it has a lot more depth than I feared it might, but not enough to have hunted down a bottle.

[Bangles]

Wet: Musk, fur; congratulations, this does indeed smell like a rat. Question is whether I like smelling like a rat. Wait a sec, what was that, pine?

 

A few minutes later: GAH, MUSK! Never thought I'd say this, but TOO MUCH musk.

 

Dry: Aaand we're back to smelling like a rat. Dusty, woodsy... this smells something like sweet wood shavings, but always with that feral musk as a base. I really can't make up my mind whether I like this or not.

 

Verdict: Well, it sure fits the description. Glad I tried it, but it's not a keeper.

[ECAmber]

Wet on the wand and straight on the skin: Sharp, biting scents, VERY earthy. Loam and slightly dusty with musk underneath.

 

On the dry down: Woods are coming out. Cedar is there, but others are hanging with it. Damp green, but it's a gray-green, like it's dying or in poor illumination. Still lots of musk and slight bite.

 

Fading out: I thought this was fading quickly. Little did I know it was shifting into something with a spiciness to it. Musk, bite, dust are still there, but warming up a bit (less of the cold scurrying along the wall).

 

This actually reminds me of the journey to being the Rat King. Starts off with almost no sentience at all. Pure animalistic glands at work with lots of having your nose in the floorboards (which sounds bad, but works out quite well). Slowly morphs from that to standing upright and assuming an almost noble air about itself.

 

I really enjoy this scent for the journey. I may not wear it, but I'm completely impressed. Extraordinarily clever!

[themerrybaker]

There's no accounting for taste, but the Rat King doesn't smell particularly rodentiferous either to me or to my kittehs. Maybe it has mellowed with age.

 

This is a dirty blend, but more aromatic and "perfumey" than Death Cap. Rat King reminds me a bit of Destroying Angel.

 

I am surprise how much I like it. It will get some rotation in my "perfumes to garden with" collection.

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Dusty

 

On Skin: Slightly dusty, musky

 

On Drydown: Musky with a slight masculine tone to it.

 

On him: Dustier and muskier. He says it's an interesting smell but not one he'd personally wear.

 

Verdict: Erm. This is definitely not my kind of scent. On the other hand, it smells much better than the notes would give an indication of. I think this would be really great on the guy with the right skin chemistry. Alas, that is not my husband.

[shadesong]

In bottle: Dirty musk!

On me: Dusty dirt musk. Aaaand it goes straight to dime-store cologne. o.O

[Gwydion]

In the bottle: Omg, eww! They aren't kidding about the musk or the rats. It really does smell like something small and stinky was nesting here. Wet: Less offensive, but something is not right. It is smelling like some men's cologne popular in the '80's, but I'm not sure which one. It is sweet and sharp and vaguely aquatic. Given time, you do get dust and some kind of evergreeny wood. Dry: not bad actually. I little like R'yleh, but I don't think I'm willing to wait through the awkward phase when there is better stuff that smells similar.