The Great Sword of War

[wickedgoddess]

And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

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

Wet - Mmm…in the bottle I smell chocolate and tobacco leaf, and it makes me think of Freak Show and 13. On, the chocolate fades pretty immediately, and I get a strong citrus note, probably the mandarin.

Dry - I do eventually get black tea, but it's overshadowed by the mandarin. In some blends I love mandarin, but in this one it's a bit too overpowering. I never get red musk or tonka. I think people who love Freak Show and 13 will love this one as well, but I was hoping for a yummy red musk, black tea and cocoa combo, and this isn't going to be it.

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3. Edited September 17, 2007 by clover

[nineveh]

Dark, spicy, orange chocolate. I think fans of red musk and spicy/foody scents will love this one.

 

This is definitely a fiery scent, but not in a cinnamon way (for which I am thankful, because cinnamon turns to redhots on me). It's actually heating up my skin where I've applied it.

 

Once it's been dry for a while, the spiciness calms down somewhat, and then the blend becomes sweeter and smokier. Luckily, the mandarin is behaving on me.

 

This strikes me as a very confident blend that would work equally well on men or women.

[theshapeshifter]

In the imp, and initially on skin, I get a mix of chocolate and fruit that triggers an amazingly clear memory of being a kid and rifling through a bag of Halloween candy, all the different kinds of candy mixed together.

 

As it dries down, the mandarin takes over and dominates the rest of the scent... it's a bit like "13 on steroids". It's nice, but 13 and Tezcatlipoca fill a similar scent niche and work a little better with my chemistry, so I think this one may go to swaps. Sad, though, because I LOVE the name so much!

[Em-]

Wow. As anticipated, this is a very rich, full scent. I can smell the tonka and the tobacco, but the musk and what I am guessing are the tea and herbs of conflict are the major players in this for me, with some very nice bright spots courtesy of Madame Mandarin.

 

I just put this on as part of my OMG MY ORDER'S HERE! orgy of scent testing, but I suspect that this will be a very interesting morpher over the course of a day and cannot wait to wear more of it...

 

Edited because this deserves a better review than what I initially gave it...

 

This is an incredibly complex scent and is really what I had hoped that 13 might be, but was not for me - it is not candy sweet, but is a darker, more conflicted scent, as one would anticipate from The Great Sword of War. I can also see the comparison to Cerberus.

 

But mostly, I waht to think of this as its own scent. There is a darkness here. But there is also sweetness, and a lot of foody notes...historically, war is tragic, but it also brings advancement, new technology, new food, new ideas...I think that might be part of the idea that Beth has tried to capture here with this very beautiful scent for this Horseman...

Edited January 10, 2006 by emzebel

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Summarised in a word or two: Musky.

 

In the imp: Chocolate, tobacco and a very strong mandarin.

 

On skin, wet: Mandarin, chocolate, tobacco, musk and a bit of tonka. Amazingly, the chocolate isn't becoming chalky yet -- which chocolate tends to do ASAP.

 

On skin, dry: Very musky. I do eventually get a bit of black tea, and one or more herbs. It reminds me of 13, with black tea and tobacco.

 

Conclusion: I'm not sure what I was expecting from this, but it's actually quite nice. Nice, but probably not something I'd wear very often.

Edited December 26, 2005 by Aredhel

[olympia301]

 

This one was way too extreme for me. It did indeed remind me of 13 with the combination of chocolate and mandarin orange. Alas, there is something about that combo which does not love me. I don't even buy those sectioned orange flavored Dutch chocolate treats at Xmas time, so I am afraid, as much as I wanted to love Great Sword, it did not love me. I am sorry to say that I didn't get anything else in here either. That is a shame...wish I had.

[Little Bird]

First off, I agree with everyone who said that this is reminiscent of 13. It has the same chocolate and citrus scent going on, but the citrus starts out insanely sharp on me. It also has an odd black licorice tang in the background.

 

After 5 minutes or so the citrus has mellowed out quite a bit and it isn't quite as sharp. The mandarin is still definitely the strongest note here though, and it makes my eyes water. The cocoa-tonka combo is also fading and giving way to a sharp musky scent.

 

After a half hour. This is all musky mandarin. Unfortunately, I am not much of a fan of citrus scents, and this one is very sharp on me. Of all of the Come and See blends, I think that this one is my least favorite.

[Xiabelle]

In the imp, this is tobacco and spices, with the musk warming it and chocolate making it rich. Warm and rich, really, almost heady. It strikes me as a masculine blend at first.

 

It almost strikes me as sandalwood for some reason at first, but I think it's the combination because that dies away. It is, indeed, very warm as a scent and it warms my skin a bit, too, but doesn't cause a red mark. It goes through citrus and tobacco stages, before it mellows out. I love citrus musk scents.

 

This warms mellows out to a gorgeous red citrus musk on me, and it's really quite lovely... but it's not me. It's a bit disconceting because while I really like the way this smells, it feels like I'm smelling someone elses skin. Honestly, I want to put this on the boy, but he won't let me because his skin has started getting welts when I put oil on him, Boo! This would be lovely on him.

 

I guess this will either go in my brother's Christmas gift (since we haven't had our family Christmas yet), or off to swaps, but I'm going to hang onto it for another few days first.

[AliBabble]

this is a bright, zingy scent. mostly citrusy/spicy - the mandarin dominates. wet, i can smell the other notes better - the cocoa and musk...but dry, it is mostly mandarin. reminds me of the celestial seasonings "mandarin orange spice" tea - not a bad thing, but for something called "the great sword of war", i'm surprised that this scent is rather cheery! anyway, i think i had wished that the cocoa, tea and tonka -the "darker" tones - had presented themselves more. the more it dries down, the musk comes out and the scent sweetens up. although i was picturing something richer and deeper, i do like orange-y scents, and i probably will enjoy this now and again.

[furygrrl]

In the Imp: Predominantly cocoa with a faintly sweet background.

 

Wet: Citrus explosion! Mmmm...smells really good, though - like my skin's been dusted with orange sugar.

 

Drydown: The sweet mandarin backs off a bit, politely mingling with its imp-mates as it mellows. I get distinct whiffs of tobacco...musk...tea... It's like a different note is peeping out every time I inhale. Very, *very* nice.

 

Overall: Warm, spicy, musky - and a kickass name to boot. What's not to love?

[zenvodunista]

GSoW is surprisingly light in wearing. after a confusing drydown, it settled into a sort of cheerful and bright mandarin, backed up by a chorus of warm spices. this is what i remember hoping Kustkammer would smell like, warm and cheerful.

 

i don't know how well it captures the terror of the War to End All Wars, but! it's a gorgeous scent!

 

i'm still a bit weirded out at how cheerful it is! also: very cool label, Macha!

 

n.

[Fefferbella]

After trying the imp, I must get a big bottle of this!

 

At first there is a hint of cocoa and spices, but after it dries, the cocoa is gone.

This scent morphs into a rich, spicey, sweet, musky scent!

[LiberAmoris]

The Great Sword of War is such a changeling on me. Out of the bottle and wet, it's a zingy orange muddled with yummy red musk. As it dries, the black tea note becomes stronger and more dominant and the overall effect is of a smoky orange pekoe tea. The cocoa, saffron, and tonka are all in the background for me, although from time to time I can smell a hint of chocolate. After about an hour, this is black tea and red musk with just a breath of flowers---maybe narcissus?

 

Truthfully, I find this one pretty difficult to describe!

 

There is something brash about this one in its onset that does seem warlike. After that initial assault though, it dries to something that I find more accessible and cozy.

[Hanyaan]

In the Bottle: I almost wept with joy at the scent of this. I knew from the notes I'd love it, but holy crap. This is amazing. I just spent three minutes sniffing the bottlecap.

 

Wet: A bit of citrus, a bit of chocolate, a bit of spices. It's sweet and bitter and dusty and fresh all at once. Wow.

 

Dry: I've never had a BPAL stay completely true to the bottle on me, but Great Sword of War does. The dry scent is, to my nose, exactly the wet scent just faded. Glorious indeed.

 

Verdict: I want more of this. I need more of this. Thank the BPAL deities that this one is GC!

[Diana]

This reminds me a lot of Cerberus, but not as heavy. Not so much 13. I get more of an almost artificial, saccharin kind of orange from that. This is much zestier citrus. The mandarin (maybe in conjunction with the tea notes) is brighter and sharper than I'd expect; it smells more like lemon. The tea/tobacco combine as well, so it's brown-smelling. Not quite dry, but a bit acidic maybe? The cocoa kind of lurks and peeks out slightly, but I am not lucky to get a full blown chocolate aroma.

 

It's unusual, but I like it.

[pekeana]

Holy sword indeed -- warm, juicy mandarin atop a slightly musky tobacco base, with just a hint of toasted cacao bean. My skin does beautiful things to The Great Sword of War -- warm, powerful, and strong. Usually, citrus goes away quickly on me, but this is sticking around.

 

It's shot to my top ten list of catalogue blends.

[Stumbeline]

Yummy, yummy cocoa and orange and saffron! I got this as a freebie from the lab and I'm so glad I did. I almost ordered it with my Anniversary order as an imp and they must have read my mind. I LOVE THIS SCENT! In the imp and on me wet it smells like one of those crackable chocolate oranges you can buy around the holidays. It smells lighter than I would have ever expected, a dry sweet citrus. It's sweet but when it dries the saffron gives it a playful spiciness that I love. The drydown isn't my total favorite, it's mostly tobacco and tea, tobacco generally has a knack for making me queasy a la the time I tried Perversion. But it lasts long and the beginning is so beautiful. Definitely a favorite.

[SeaMonkey]

The bottle is SO pretty! I kind of wish it was in an amber bottle instead of a cobalt one, just because of the colors, but I'm picky.

 

In the bottle, its cocoa and tobacco, but as soon as it hits my skin its MANDARIN.

 

As it dries, I get the tea and spices. The mandarin eventually calms down to a nice spicey blend. This is an amazing scent

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Pure chocolate - I can't smell anything else (and while I love the smell of chocolate, I know it's not a note that works well with my chemistry... eep).

 

On: Now I'm getting a huge blast of citrus, and just a little bit of chocolate. It's a little like Freakshow to me, but more orange; with the hints of tobacco and musk, it's a warm orangey scent that isn't too foody. As it dries, there's a wee bit of spice or incense to my nose, as well.

 

It's not the type of scent I usually go for, but it's definitely interesting; one of those scents I can't stop sniffing, and it seems different every time I sniff my wrist.

[cuervosueno]

I definately see the comparisons to 13--in the bottle this is chocolate and orange, though the mandarin topnote is much brighter than in 13, which is mostly luscious chocolate goodness on me.

 

What I like is how much this illustrates the need to try on the skin--in the imp, its all 13, but on me, wow, how different it is! The mandarin disappears pretty much immediately, and while the sweetness of the cocoa remains, what I mostly get is tea, a lovely sweetened black tea scent, with that slight vanilla-esque note of tonka.

 

Sweet black tea, more muted that what I get from say, Dorian, but quite lovely in its own way. A hint of sweet tobacco. Mmmm....might justify a bottle purchase.

[sarada]

This was the one of the Come and See quartet that I had most wanted to try and even contemplated ordering a bottle unsniffed until I seriously thought about that "cocoa" in the description and decided not to chance it. Cocoa may make life worth living when it is consumed in brownie form, but as a fragrance on my skin it just makes me think that I forgot to wash frosting off of my fingers.

 

Sniffing this, I'm glad I didn't order a bottle. The notes sounded very close to Red Phoenix but this is much closer to something like Cerberus or 13. I didn't hate those, but I decided that I'd never wear them, and didn't keep them.

 

Actually, in the bottle this reminds me of the smell of those root beer barrel candies, after you've been sucking on them for a little bit. Sticky, syrupy and just a little lemony. It really does remind me of Cerberus, a blend that I appreciated the artistry of but knew I wouldn't wear. Or it's 13 tinted orange instead of purple (the iris in 13 makes me think of purple, what can I say?)

 

Really strong, lemony citrusy and a cocoa/root beer sort of smell. I guess I can kind of sense that there's something I like behind it...something smoky and herbal like tea or tobacco but I can never quite grasp it.

 

Red musk, black tea, and tobacco are three of my favorite notes. I also dig herbs, and tonka, and I am OK with mandarin and maybe even saffron. But all I can smell in this is that sticky root beer barrel smell, a mishmash of candy crunched together with chocolate and a spritz of lemon or orange. Nonetheless I think I'll hang onto it to keep the full set of four, just for aesthetic sniffing purposes. It doesn't quite make me think of swords or war though, it makes me think of a candy store!

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Bitter chocolate and someething reminiscent of Hollywood Babylon (I'm guessing it's the red musk).

Wet on me - That same red musk, but with the sweetness of the manderin floating infront of it.

Dry on me - Warm and spicy with just a hint of sweetness that boarders on that lotus bubblegum type scent. It seems to last forever as one of those scents that just sits off the skin, like I would be the only one to know that I waswearing any perfume at all. This is a definite 5ml purchase as soon as my next order.

[undergroundwoman]

I too get the 13 comparisons--it's a darker, more masculine version of 13.

 

At first it is all chocolate and orange, pretty darn yummy. But as it dries I swear there's a bit of sassafras in there--it's reminding me of Tombstone a bit. Although sassafras isn't really an herb, is it? It's a tree. I used to love digging down to the roots of them as a kid to smell the root beer aroma.

 

The drydown is less sweet and more herby, more masculine. I like it a lot--definite keeper for the imp. I'll have to try it a few more times to see if it is bottle-worthy for me.

[hangingfire]

In the imp: Initial whiff of cocoa, followed by straight-up red musk.

 

On, wet: Huh? Where did the cocoa and musk go? Now it's primarily mandarin -- sharp and citrusy and a little sweet, with a faintly vanilla-like note from the tonka.

 

Drydown: A muskier, sharper version of Haunted Palace, without the amber.

 

A very beautiful scent. It merits another test or two before I decide for sure whether to keep it; will run a comparison with Haunted Palace, just to see.

[lookingglass]

This starts out delicious cocoa and tea with tonka making it all creamy and delicious, but on the drydown, oddly, the mandarin and herbs take center stage and make it very medicinal on both me and DH.