The Great Sword of War

[rayvn1]

Mandarin, tonka, saffron, black tea, cocoa, tobacco leaf, sanguine red musk and five classical herbs of conflict.

Eek! It's wet on my skin and I'm enveloped in a drooping, foamy cloud of wet dog!

Thank god this is a morpher on me. Now it's a wetter, musky incense smell that I'm still not crazy about. Hopefully the tea, cocoa, and tobacco notes I adore will come out as this dries even further


Later: Yay! This turned around after a few hours and became a rich cloud of manly, spicy goodness Edited October 22, 2008 by Shollin
Added BPAL tags --Shollin

[AlarmAgent]

In Bottle - Hm, very citrus, and I smell just a touch of tea. Herbs in there somewhere...

 

Wet on Skin, First Applied - Lemon, or lemongrass. Reminds me of a powdered lemon hard candy.

 

Dry, on Skin - The tea is cropping up a tiny bit more, and the herbish smell has also been propped up a bit, but it is still mostly a sweet, powdered lemon scent. I can enjoy the imp, but I wouldn't buy a bottle, just because I'm never really in the mood to smell like this, haha. No cocoa, no woods, no tonka for me. Not a whole lot of depth, but a cute and gentle scent. I'd definitely like it on a child or a young teenager, at least the way it is coming out on me. Light and sweet, clean, and without any overt sexiness. Reminds me a lot of this lotion, Booth's 4-and-1 Lemon Sugar. If you're familiar with that lotion, and you really love the smell, I'd say you'd really enjoy layering it with The Great Sword of War.

[innocent]

At first - very sharp citrus. Nothing else. It dries down to something slightly dusty, slightly soapy, with a faint hint of tonka. Not as exciting as I thought it would be from the notes list.

[doodlehum]

Does no one else get mocha with half a shot of orange syrup out of this? Sort of a orange valencia mocha, easy on the syrup?

I can't really find the tobacco, red musk, or herbs in this, but maybe they've combined in a way that my nose interprets as coffee.

 

I wouldn't have thought orange mocha would be something human beings should smell like, but it's strangely compelling. It brings to mind warm, soft, fuzzy old blankets. Drinking a hot cocoa while wrapped up in w.s.f.o. blankets, just as the weather starts to become a teensy bit chilly.

It also comes off as kind of manly on me, but I don't care. It's just too much not to wear.

[Caerphilly]

In the imp: Sweet tobacco and chocolate. Some leather perhaps.... Very masculine. Don't like it.

 

Wet: This is heavy. One drop is all I need. Warm, spicy, definitely fruity. And it's making me itch...but I like what's happening with it so I'll keep it on a little while longer.

 

Dry: Smells like candy! Like a lemon drop. I love mandarin, especially in 51. But this is mandarin times 100! I love it! It's not too sweet, it has a bit of spiciness to it. Something is preventing this from being too fruity and sweet. I'm glad I didn't wash this off.

 

Overall: I don't really like fruity. Don't really like sweet, and the scent in the imp threw me off. But this changes into something lovely. Although it is a masculine scent, I feel that I can wear it. It's yummy!

[cymbeline]

Swap test!

 

Smell alike: ???

 

Color impression: bloody orange

 

On me: It’s not unpleasant, just… annoying. Quite true to its name in fact. It doesn’t have the time to develop further on my skin, just quickly ran away but I had the time to get a very different development, warmer and rounder. Guess it worth trying this one in a locket!

 

Wearing: Not sure, I need more tests. It also something I would try on a man

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

A brilliantly chaotic blend – sweet cocoa, spice, and tart mandarin.

 

First on:

Chocolate mandarins, with a bit of tonka.

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it's mainly mandarin on me. Something lingers in the background, but I can't tell what.

 

It remains a sort of warm and sweet citrus – strange, conflicted, chaotic, powerful.

 

Finally:

Interesting to try! Alas, the mandarin note was too overpowering on me – it drowned out all the rest. Swapping.

[awesomeoverlord]

Oh my. WOW. The only word I can find for this is INTOXICATING.

 

In the imp, it's bright citrus, chocolate, herbs and spices, and *ohmygod* MUSK!

 

On me, the citrus disappears almost immediately and it turns into a gorgeous blend of rich spicy chocolate and smoky herbs. And lets not forget the musk. Absolutely amazing. If pressed, I'd probably say it's more of a masculine scent, but it can definitely be feminine as well...in that sexy badass kind of way. I definitely feel like I should be wielding a frickin' sword when I wear this.

 

It gets a bit too heady for me after a while (I blame the musk), but it's a definite keeper. I might have to get a bottle for my manperson and just "borrow" it from time to time

 

 

[GeorgeJr]

In the bottle I get mainly the saffron & citrus , with something very dark lurking behind them .

Once applied , the citrus opens things up with a bang . This is much lighter then I expected it to be from the bottle . It's a very level scent , not too dark or lite . The citrus , while slightly in the fore front , is not simply covering up all the other notes . Rather , they are complimenting it quite nicely . I really don't get the tea or cocoa in this . I do think I am getting the herbs in the back ground , helping to keep things balanced . I do love the labs use of herbs for just such occasions . I do think from this & some other attempts with citrus , that I may amp it somewhat . Not to the extent I do rose or honey ( which are so bad I just avoid them all together ) . What I'm saying is the mandarin may not be as strong on others . As it stands on me , I think this will be a great scent for me once the weather warms up again . It's making me think of tropical climes with this crazy orange thing going on

[tinyvulture]

My skin amps citrus, so it’s no surprise that the mandarin orange was the first thing I smelled, along with a dusting of powdery cocoa. But there’s also tobacco, which prevents this from being simply a foody, chocolate-covered orange scent. It’s similar to Cerberus, as others have noted. After about five minutes, the mandarin has taken over completely, obliterating the cocoa and tobacco. I preferred it in its initial state.

[tajana]

I was intrigued by this scent because it has a wealth of notes that I know I like the smell of. Every single note is one that I like, with the possible exception of these mysterious "herbs of conflict". But one thing's for sure: this scent is complex, even more so than I expected.

 

First impression: a generous squeeze of spiced orange, a splash of astringent tea, a sprinkling of cocoa, a breath of herbs... surprisingly coherent! The cocoa disappears and this morphs to orange-flavored black tea with saffron, and a faint herbal (not green, dried) presence. Then the tonka comes out a bit, hand in hand with a touch of tobacco. Then, the musk unfurls into the mix. It's later hours are still distinctively mandarin orange, blended with saffron, unidentifiable herbs (reminding me of savory food), and a relatively subtle bit of musk. No more cocoa or tea remains, the tonka is probably just taking the edge off the citrus, and the tobacco is only noticeable if I huff. Not unpleasant, and strikes me as rather unisex.

 

It's not bad, but not what I would have hoped for given the notes. I dreamed of more cocoa, more tea, more tobacco than the Great Sword delivered.

[kjirstiben]

Initially applied, this scent is strongly orange with a dusty cocoa background. It's quite a mouth-watering combination, even if cocoa never really takes on a very "chocolate" character on my skin.

 

Over the next hour or so, the cocoa/mandarin combination mellows and deepens and I find myself drawn to it over and over again.

 

However, after a couple hours, the citrus fades away (which it tends to do), and the red musk of the scent emerges to take its place, accompanied by something vaguely herbal. While I don't have horrible experiences with red musk, it's just not an exciting note on me.

 

Eventually, it's official: Red musk + herbs = Soapy meh.

 

Recaplet: Delightful orange and cocoa for an hour, then soapy blahness.

My rating: 2 of 5 (Meh.) -- though the beginning hour is worth a 4 or even 5 and kept the overall rating from being a 1 or 0.

Color Impression: Clear? I'm not getting anything.

 

[CynicalPink]

Disclaimers: (1) I have a seriously messed up relationship with the tobacco smell. For one thing, I have a few smokers in my family so as weird as it sounds tobacco is sort of a comfort scent to me. Reminds me of my dad. (2) The only other tobacco-y scent I've tried was the Antiketheira Mechanism which when to dime store cigar box very quickly. (3) I'm a sucker for really complex scents.

 

Alright let's do this

 

Imp: Woah. "Complex" doesn't even begin to cover it. I'll just go with "a jumble of manly scent"

 

Wet: Mandarin, tonka, tobacco, herbs, and saffron. Wow.

 

Drydown: Phase 1 - Mandarin is beating down some of the complexity. It's a bit licorice-like too. I...I kinda like it. Even weirder...it's clearing out my sinuses! I might have to hang on to the imp just for that. Something tells me it's the saffron and herbs giving the citrus that nose clearing edge. I still get some herbs and musk, but I never did find that coco.

 

Overall: Okay this is one of those scents I was taking a gamble on. Nothing about this scent looked like something I would buy, so of course I swapped for it. I'm so surprised. It's really good! After about half an hour the mandarin calmed down to give it a sharp, musky scent that's a bit on the masculine side but totally wearable for me. I'm in no rush to get rid of this one.

[crebbsgirl]

Alright, wet this is predominantly tea and cocoa. Nice and smooth. Mildly sweet. As it dries, the tonka comes out and the musk grounds this blend beautifully. And then... why hellloooooo mandarin. I don't remember inviting you to the party. See mandarin and I have this understanding. I don't bother her, she doesn't bitchslap me across the nose and force the nausea on me. Unfortunately, I strayed too far into her territory - and then the grossness ensued. I really should stop trying to mend the relationship. We're clearly not right for each other.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Citrusy, foody, spicy; an interesting combination of light and dark. The mandarin is strongest, very tart and clean, like pure orange oil, but it's mixed with the warm cocoa and black tea—makes me think a bit of a chocolate orange. Other than that, it's quite spicy, and it's hard to pick out what's what—I get tobacco and saffron, but beyond that… ~shrugs~ Anyway, it's surprisingly appealing.

On, wet: MANDARIN, earthy cocoa and black tea, with a little dribble of silky red musk beneath. The rest of the spices have really receded into the background, although I do get occasional whiffs of saffron and a bit of smokiness. It's a warm, almost fiery scent, very compelling. It smells strong and powerful to me, which is fitting. I can actually get a sense of conflict here, in that there are a bunch of strong notes that are sort of battling for prominence.

On, dry: Red musk blended with the more subdued mandarin, with an earthier undertone from the cocoa and tobacco and a sweeter, smoky-creamy aspect that's becoming stronger as the tonka warms up and kicks in. Saffron pipes up from time to time, but it's just a light accent. It still has some heat, but is no longer fiery. Actually, it's almost comforting.

Later: Tonka, red musk and tobacco, with a light, citrusy hint of mandarin and smidge of cocoa. It's actually gorgeous! Very creamy, warm, gently spicy and sweet. It's like the tonka just pulls all those strong, disparate elements together and makes them work. Tonka is apparently the peacemaker in this war.

Overall: The "Come and See" oils have been very good to me so far, and this one is no exception. In the imp, it was almost overwhelmingly dark orange and spice, and I thought it would smell too much like Winter of Our Discontent to really impress me—after all, I already have a smoky/spicy/musky mandarin scent, and don't need another one. But. But! This one really won me over as it developed on my skin. By the time that creamy, sweet tonka rose up to tie everything together, I was hooked. I haven't tried 13 or Tezcatlipoca yet, so I can't compare them to this, but I do think this would work for anybody who likes foody scents and/or red musk.

Edited March 1, 2009 by Bluestocking

[Acedia]

I got this as a frimp from the Lab, and holy cats, am I grateful!

 

In the imp and wet, it smells just like lemon poundcake on me (I get that the lemon must come from the mandarin, but whither the poundcake? ). It soon becomes a warm, only-vaguely-lemony sweetness that is just divine (this might be the tonka, but I'm unfamiliar with that note...it could also be the cocoa/tobacco blend, but I can't distinguish either one of those scents discretely).

 

If I sniffed this without knowing its name, I would never have thought of violent, martial imagery -- it's such a warm, comforting scent. I love it and will consider buying a big bottle. Yay!

[cinnamonster]

From this I get the exact smell of Waitrose Luxury Jaffa Orange Curd (made with free range egg and butter), slathered thickly on buttered wholemeal toast with a hint of tobacco.

Not what I was expecting.

 

This was the end scraping of a leaked imp that I suspect is fairly old, so I would be interested to try again and re-review if I bought a fresh one form the lab, see if age plays a part.

 

Wanted cocoa!!

[duifje]

Smell in the imp: warm (probably the musk), chocolate but not sweet, leather

On my skin, wet: After the herbs (quite sharp and fresh) the citrus comes out on a warm background.

Dry: musk, leather, tobacco, tonka and a little bit of citrus left. It is quite masculine, so i tried it on the boy. He thought it too sweet. Probably the tonka.

 

Love this! A masculine perfume, with a feminine background.

 

[msbcozad]

The Great Sword of War

 

Whoa. The first blast of this from the imp was a blast of strong black tea and cocoa. It was so strong as to be almost painful. On my skin, however, the cocoa fell back and the mandarin bloomed up. Mmm... citrusy tea. The barest whisper of tobacco keeps the citrus from going too screechy.

 

 

Mmm... citrusy tea.

[ImperatrixMundi]

 

This sounded promising and while it is actually a complex scent on me it was way too sweet, just cocoa and tonka and tonka does not like me at all, even if I like tonka.

 

 

[catattack]

Imp: Sweet and golden. Candy-like.

Wet: Candied lemon rinds. Delicious. The tonka and cocoa come running over.

Drydown: The scent is becoming warmer and warmer. Mmm... It's starting to remind me of Fire Phoenix, but sweeter.

Overall: This a sweet and delicious scent, with just a hint of tang.

[March]

The Great Sword of War was a generous frimp from Sunshinedaisybliss.

 

Short impression: Ooh, this is NICE!

 

It goes on really foody, but that dissipates within a nanosecond, so that's good. Then I smell something citrus, but not the lemon that usually overpowers anything worthwhile, with a base of

 

- and of course, when I sniff my wrist to determine the base, all I get is mandarin and tonka -

 

ah, there it is! A base of chocolate and tobacco leaf.

 

Definitely a keeper, and I'll be returning to this one to test whether my scent-distinguishing skills have grown!

[mgrazulis]

A dark red oil, dabbed on lightly for my dread of red musk...mandrarin and saffron in the wet, saffron is very bright. Dries with some strong black tea and more herbs...not nearly as strong as I anticipated here. This is clean and clarifying with the spices. After it dries, the tonka and musk give it a strong depth of power holding the mandarin, spices in check.

 

Definitely channelling my inner Beatrix Kiddo wielding a Hattori Hanzo and Pei Mei training. Sharp, zingy and prepard to the hilt to take on the Deadly Viper Assasination Squad!

[jewelbug]

I ordered this imp when it was first released, so very excited by the list of notes. But after a preliminary sniff and swipe, I haven’t thoroughly tested it or worn it since it came…I guess that means I was underwhelmed and stuck it right into my box of imp-doom! If I remember correctly, it was really heavy then on the red musk note, which I’m not a huge fan of. After a long aging, I thought I should give this another chance today.

 

Imp: Nutty?? chocolate and a wee bit of red musk. Maybe something slightly spicy…

 

Wet: Chocolate topnote is replaced by a dark-feeling citrus (blood orange?) as the predominant note, with the nutty choc underneath. This is round and smooth and very nice indeed. Age has done it wonders!

 

Dry: I’m getting a lot of tonka, I think, because this reminds me strongly of my aged bottle of tamora. So, a tonka-heavy blend with sultry citrus and cocoa (the cocoa doesn’t stick around too long, though). Its like an uber-sexy-sophistocated version of the chocolate orange candy you’d get at Christmas. Once the chocolate wears off (and it was never all that strong to begin with, stronger in the imp than on my skin), I'm left with beautiful round, full, sexy tonka with a hint of dark citrus. And then it starts toying with me, sometimes having a heavier red musk note, sometimes not. I just am finding that I don't love red musk--it smells dirty to me. lasts 6+ hrs.

Overall: It is better now than when I first got it--aging has definitely mellowed the red musk and made the tonka BEAUTIFUL. That said, I think I’m gonna have to keep going to my aged Tamora for that awesome tonka note--this one is nice, but the red musk just takes it a little toward the “not perfect for me” side of things.

Edited July 31, 2009 by jewelbug

[Aldercy]

Was hoping for an oozingly dark blend of red musk, black tea and mandarin, but it is not to be.

 

Cocoa is really screwing with me lately-- how can it be so beautiful in Gelt and so stupid everywhere else? Plastic-chocolate-cologne, damp tobacco and a general, odd foodiness. Actually, wait, I do get a little of the red musk (and something a little like cherry sugar?), which is nice, but not nice enough.

 

However, it is indeed an aggressive, kind of warlike scent.