Baron Samedi

[Suu4LC]

A notorious voodoo priest, who eventually rose to become one of the funereal Guédés, alongside Baron Cimitère and Baron La Croix. He is a Guardian of the Crossroads: the pathways between our world and the realm of the spirits. As a Master of the Graveyard, he ensures that burial rites are performed with skill, and he helps ferry souls to the dark realm. In his honor, we have created this scent: our spin on traditional Bay Rum.

Oh crap, I am scared. All the reviews say vetiver and I didn't think bay rum = vetiver. To be fair though, I don't really know what bay rum IS.

Wiki tells me its: Bay rum is the name of a cologne/aftershave lotion. Other uses include as under-arm deodorant and as a fragrance for shaving soap, as well as a general astringent.

It is a distillate that was originally made from rum and the leaves and/or berries of the West Indian Bay tree, Pimenta racemosa. Other ingredients may be citrus and spice oils, the most common being limes, clove and cinnamon.

Huh. Interesting.

Oh god, yes, in the imp this is smacking me in the face with vetiver. It's always tough for me to review vet scents because all I smell is vetiver and can't even pick up any other notes.

Ok, when it first goes on my skin it actually smells ok because I get a blast of spices and clove, which are lovely, but they quickly die down and it's back to mostly a vetiver smell. Maybe a bit of woods. By far this smells the best when it is wet on my skin. It really does get a rich, spiced, dark, woody scent with the vetiver being docile underneath.

But on full drydown it's basically straight up dark vetiver. Just not a note I can do!

[Invidiana]

The Baron is very, very manly. I was really hoping for more of a sweeter rum scent like Grog, but I think it's the bay in the bay rum that really comes out strong on me, like earth and vetiver and dark masculine woods. It's simply not something I can pull off but maybe it would work better on a guy.

[Fjaer]

In imp: mm, smells sort of boozy, peanutty with spice in the background

 

Wet: Mainly boozy and spicy, like a nice rum with cherries and peanuts in the background.

 

Drying: The nuttiness is fading, leaving just a sort of spicy, rum, cherry smell. I'm starting to get a hit of clove too.This is really interesting.

Later on: alot of the initial notes have faded completely it's smells kind of metallic which is weird with clove coming in quite strongly.

 

This is a very, very masculine scent, won't opt for a full bottle.

Oddly enough it reminds of friend of mine, you know how everyone has their own natural scent? His was kind of like this when it's totally dry.

 

Anyways, I enjoyed the first few minutes of it the most, just a shame all those nice notes faded so much, it smells quite coppery one it's dry, though I guess thats just my skin chemistry. Will give this another try at some point and hope for less of a metallic scent.

 

***** couple of days later and I really really like this now!! The metallic thing was just a one time thing it seems =]

Edited January 23, 2011 by Fjaer

[meredevachon]

Frimp from the Lab.

 

In the imp: Candy. There's a specific candy this is making me think of, I just can't place it.

 

Wet: Still the same candy. Eventually I realize it's like the center of a chocolate covered cherry (minus the chocolate). Or a cherry coke that's been left out to get warm and flat, almost syrupy.

 

Dry down: After a few minutes it calms down a little, leaving me with...marzipan. I'm not a fan of marzipan. Tickle in the back of my throat and nose. After around 30 minutes, I'm starting to get some spice, mostly cloves with the marzipan. Unfortunately, I'm also allergic to it.

 

Overall: I've been down this road before, and I've learned there are too many wonderful BPAL blends I'm not allergic to for me to suffer through allergies for scents I'm not otherwise madly in love with. Washed this off and will send it on to a loving home.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: getting strong almond marzipan too! Spices in the background but mostly wet, sweet almond paste. Lovely foodiness.

Drydown: (distracted as I finally hear the 1st cicada of the year outside.. sweet!!) Ok the spices are a little stronger and this takes the shape of a lovely organic bay rum. The almond burned down to a wonderful toasty brown sweetness in the background and the spices are glowing. I don't really see this as "manly" perse.. a bit gender-neutral for those foodies and spice lovers. I brown wood note develops too, giving it a deep wide base for the spices to bounce around in. I really like it!

[mymymai]

ITImp: Very much almond with a hint of spiciness like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Wet: Marzipan almond with some nutmeg, a dash of cardamom and just a hint of booziness.

Dry: Spicy nutmeg and cardamom with some marzipan. (The longevity of this scent is minimal. After 3 hours, I really couldn't smell much at all.)

[Pynki]

I smell like a head shop. I'm all nag champa and patchouli. Which is weird, because I don't think it has either.

[curlsandpearls]

Bottle: It’s a dark cherry-almond—sort of like the slutty cousin of Jergens Original.

 

Wet: Still cherry-almond. It gets tarter and sharper, but not as much as I was hoping; a dark spice starts to come out, gritty (vetiver and something else), and the cherry slowly drops off, but again, not as much as I’d like.

 

Dry: Man. This scent is almost likable. It’s full of vetiver and spice and rum and general twisted darkness, which I love, but the cherry-almond is really spoiling it for me. At this point, the cherry-almond is so slight I’m sure most people wouldn’t notice, but I’m not a fan of cherry, so the little bit just ruins it, which is unfortunate. Reminds me of when one of my aunts likened a sex scene in a movie to a drop of shit in brownies: a little bit will spoil the whole damn thing. *snrt

 

Later: There was no later; the cherry-almond was overpowering and I had to wash it off.

Edited January 21, 2012 by curlsandpearls

[Monday]

This is one sharp scent. It started out all innocent almond and turned quickly into nostril burning vetiver/ angry cinnamon. This is the bitter almond and not the sweet Dana O'Shee-like almond. Dries down to harsh and smoky vetiver almond. I kind of like it though.

Well thankfully it doesn't smell like rum 'cause I can't stand that.

[romarin]

On me: goes on mostly almond with some cinnamon, clove and cedar. As it warms, the bay comes in and the almond backs off..and then suddenly they both vanish and I smell and like an old oak box in the desert. Dry. Dry. Dry and woody. Not a bad smell, but a little ... weird. And then, after about three hours I start to smell like fresh moist spice cake. Based on my husband's reaction, it's a sexy spice cake.

 

On him: it goes on almond and dirt, then becomes cinnamon and cedar, and then quickly settles into clove and peaches in syrup and wine with a dusting of cassia bark on top... only more velvety and less foody if that makes sense. Strong and not what I'm used to, but nice. Four hours later, the Baron turns his head and the fruit has been replaced by something a lot like bay laurel, blending with the wine and spices like bitters in a good cocktail.

 

I don't normally go for bay rum, but Baron Samedi is a keeper.

[melrose]

I love me some masculine scents, but the Baron is a bit much, even for me. It stays the same from first on to far drydown - spices, carnations, pepper. This would probably be drool-worthy on a guy.

 

Incredible lasting power.

[Scorianelle]

I got this as a gift for my brother, knowing he would like the name and guessing from the reviews (those that described an 'almond' scent) that he'd like the smell. Well, it didn't smell anything like I expected, but it was still good!

 

I don't know what made me try it on myself first. It smelled unappealing to me in the bottle, like a strong Rum just as the description states. I tried it anyway thinking it would change on me and it did. What came out was a beautiful, deep, resinous smell. My father described it perfectly when he said that it smelled like a freshly made wooden box being opened. I loved it, though I can't say it suits me. It is a very straight forward scent, with nothing hiding around the boundaries. I will be giving it to my brother as planned, but I shall also keep a look out for resinous notes in other oils I want to try.

[starfish327]

I found a bunch of imps shoved in the back of a drawer that I've never tested-a bunch of them were still taped. This was one of them.

 

In the imp: musky rum. My nose is interpreting every musk as 'red' right now, but all I can tell is that it's not a dark musk.

 

Wet: Sweet rum. As in, rum with a little bit of that sweet musk and some vanilla. Honestly, I would like this if it stayed at wet.

 

Dry: Oh man. I'm going to need more of this. It tries to edge into plasticky, but I think that's where I'm in my cycle and the plastic wears off. The spices and the vetiver start coming forward, aggressively, and the rum starts swaggering around a bit. This isn't boozy rum.

 

I need more of this.

[wordlesswriter]

I got this one as an extra imp with my order. Not my cup of tea, to say the least.

In the bottle: Really spice-heavy with almond. I'm not too fond of spice to begin with, so it was overwhelming.

Wet: Uggh, the clove came out-! I have a bad history with clove.

Dry: Just dark.

 

Eh, like I said, not a fan. I'm going to swap this one, I think.

[claudia6913]

I'm almost afraid to try it. Rum and I, we're not always the best of friends when it's hidden in a blend. Front and center, I'm a little scared...

It has a bit of a woody smell to it, and some hint of a fruit. Not as "alcohol" as I was expecting. It's not much of a spied rum either (my DH likes the Captian Morgan, so I know first hand that smell). As it dries it's going almost to cigarette ashes. Yuck!

[JazzieCazzie]

Received an imp of this as an extra in a swap. It is not something I EVER would have picked out for myself to order because I don't wear booze well.

 

IN THE IMP: Sweet, warm almonds with a spicy kick. NO trace of rum for me on first sniff. At first I think it may be toooo almondy-sweet to try but it is so interesting I forge on.

 

Dabbed on wrist. I don't have the guts to go for the crook of my arm.

 

WET: Verrrrrrrrrrrry cinnamony. Like red hots. It's shockingly ... absolutely nummy!!!

 

DRYDOWN: This gets even better on the drydown. The clove and cinnamon is just awesome on me. It makes me want to dance around to "Cravo e Canela" (a Brazilian song that translates as "Clove and Cinnamon"). NO booze. NO aquatic. Wow.

 

OVERALL: I am ecstatic. An absolute keeper. <3

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 4.6

[yewberry]

Like a pirate dad. A sweet one. Starts out pure almond, then dries down to incensey clove and patchouli. Overall? Pretty yum.

Edited October 12, 2013 by yewberry

[nihil]

In vial: Caramel and almonds.

Wet: Amaretto.

Dry: Burnt sugar, roasted almonds and smoked rum.

 

One of my absolute favourites so far. Fantastic, sexy scent. My wife loves it on me.

[scarywhitegirl]

I sniffed the bottle first, and was really confused by this one. I had NO idea what I was smelling. I suppose Bay Rum is very different from rum, because it didn't strike me as rum at all.

 

On, all I'm getting at the moment is a weird fire/ashes/soapy smell. Normally, I'd be fine with smelling like a campfire, but this is just weird. It might be the soapy bit. It's also a bit more masculine than I like, at least on me, but I don't think I want to try this one on the hubbie either.

[theredkilt]

In the imp i smell strong bay leaf - oh boy, i'm afraid we won't get along.

 

Drying: dry bay leaf, a hint of vetiver + crushed white pepper. A faint sweetness tries to emerge, but the heavy spices just crush it.

 

It's a scent in the vein of Port-au-Prince.

 

 

 

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Interesting. This is kind of sweet, but not too sweet. It smells like amaretto to me.

 

Wet on skin: Still amaretto, but something else, too. Amaretto mixed with rum, maybe? Actually, there's a hint of fennel in there now.

 

Dried down: The is very soft now, almost powdery, like confectioner's sugar just sprinkled on my skin, but with a touch of... it's not quite amaretto now - more like rum.

 

Throw: Just a a tiny bit.

 

Verdict: **** 1/* I don't need this immediately, but I REALLY like it. Really. *sniff*

[boomtownrat]

The first time I tested Baron Samedi was the same day it arrived as a frimp. I got lots of booze and cherry, with an underpinning of something manly, a little smoky. That was lovely and I'd like to wear that version of the scent again. A few days later I tested it again, in the same spot on my wrist, and it turned into a man's shaving cream. This wouldn't be a bad thing on the right person, but I don't really want to smell that way myself. It's worth mentioning that the second test was just a couple of days after my monthly hormonal wackiness. I'll see how it goes on a third test, but this might end up going to a friend who loves bay rum and might appreciate it because of the mythology.

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from my Dragon Con Fairy.

 

In the imp: Amaretto. Very sweet and strong.

 

Wet: The same.

 

Dry: Baron Samedi smells like a lighter, slightly sweeter Voodoo on my skin. I don’t smell the clove, which comes out very strongly in Voodoo, and Baron Samedi doesn’t have Voodoo’s dark incense note. Otherwise, they’re very similar. I like Voodoo, so this is a great discovery.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Surprisingly sweet, well nuanced, spicy Bay Rum. Wet: Less sweet and more spicy. Dry: faintly spicy faintly rum.

[squidhearts]

Baron Samedi smells like cherry coke and sex.

 

And so does this blend! (rimshot, etc.)

 

Really, though. This is a blast of cherry and ashtray when it hits my skin, and then it quickly mellows out into a sweet smoky spice. It's very *fun*, definitely a party scent, and therefore perfectly Baron Samedi appropriate.

 

in the bottle: boozy spicy cherry.

 

wet: cherry coke now, and a quick explosion of vetiver that smells like ashes--not like burning, but like ashes; specifically, cigarette ashes. The wet phase is over VERY quickly, I promise, but even at full smokiness, it's surprisingly pleasant.

 

dry: BEAUTIFUL--masculine in a very clean way, not musky. The cherry is less specifically cherry; now it just lends a mellow, pervasive (and persuasive) sweetness. The smokiness is very slight and just enough to keep this from going squeaky clean--it's a scent that's slouching sexily against the wall and winking at you, not a scrubbed clean, stand at attention kind of smell. And speaking of sexily, this is very, very sexy. Toe curlingly sexy. Suggestive of the act and not the prologue. Fun! Like I said--this is a party.

 

I think it's an incredibly fitting tribute to the Baron, who is a notorious flirt at ceremonies. It would be easy to go, "oh, the loa of death?" and just do a textbook dusty somber scent. But the Baron is a very different flavor of death deity, and a somber scent wouldn't do for him at all. This one is perfect.

 

For me, this is everyday wear. It's masculine but not the super manly enough to seem incongruous. It's the kind of masculine that looks good on a woman. My boyfriend has NO IDEA what this scent is, but he consistently really, really loves it--and this is a man who hates nearly all fragrances.

 

This is by FAR my most worn bpal. I've blasted through two imps and just ordered a big bottle. May it always be part of the catalog, forever and always, aaaamen.