Strangler Fig

[naeelah]

A glorious parasite! Once the seeds of the Strangler Fig find root in the bark of a tree, snakelike roots erupt and reach graspingly at the sky. The Strangler Fig then sprouts numerous epiphytic vines that strangles and surrounds its unwilling host, and finally snuffs the life from it. Rooty, woody, with deep green tones.

I'm not really a fan of heavy earthy scents, but this one was just heavenly. I tried it a while back, so I can't give detailed notes, but this was my impression of it.

Wet it has a strong green component, which I'll say is fig leaf, because that would fit. There's also a liberal dose of fig fruit, but it's not overly sweet. There's a woody element and also a deep, cool earthy note. The mental image is of fig growing in the earth, as if it were a root vegetable.

On the whole, this is a very deep, cool, earthy scent, balanced out by green leaves and sweet fig. The throw is good. Edited July 2, 2008 by Shollin

[n3m3sis42]

Yet another lovely Lab frimp!

 

In the imp:

Spicy and woody. Uh oh. I'm scared of woods because they some times go stinky on me.

 

Wet:

Mmmm, almost like licorice. Fig with yummy green and earthy undertones.

 

Dry:

On me, this dries down very earthy with light fig and wood undertones. I am happy to find that some woods actually work on me. I love this!

[MaidenGenevive]

Strangler Fig

 

In the vial, this is fresh and green. It smells just like freshly cut grass, or new ferns, or some other wild greenery. When applied, it quickly disappears from that and enters a warm, sweet stage. I no longer smell greenness. It's lightly honeyed wood. I'm not sure what fig, fresh or otherwise, smells like (such a shame) so I can't really compare. But oh my, this is so nice. It smells nothing like it did in the vial, and it's not what I would have expected from the description, but I absolutely love this.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

5 : A part of me wishes the green lasted, because it was so dead on and unique, but I adore the way this smells, so I can't really complain!

[Phaedra]

Wet this is fresh fig. Earthy, green and a bit sharp. When first on this is fig mixed with a sharp dirt/cedar/pencil shavings note- very earthy. After about an hour this softens quite a bit. This doesn't change much more on me. This is really nice! Like a single note fig. If you like fig, this is a definite must try!

[styro]

I found Strangler Fig pleasant enough when I first tried it at a meet 'n' sniff, so I initially gave it a 3.5 out of 6--but on testing it again at leisure, and comparing it against other fig scents, I found that I'm not as fond of Strangler Fig as I am of Hetairae, The Apothecary, or Nemesis. Strangler Fig wafts like mad, which is nice, but there's a low-key but nevertheless somewhat cloying earthy-powdery sweetness to it that I'm not enjoying, so I'm giving it a 2 out of 6 (mild dislike). [Note: my skin does tend to amp the sweetness in scents.]

 

Also out of 6...

My foodie friend gave SF a 1 (strong dislike).

My woodsy/clean/spicy friend gave it a 3 (neutral/meh).

My rose/patchouli/spicy friend gave it a 0 (after smelling it in the imp, refused to try it on her skin).

And a guest enablee also gave it a 0 (had to wash it off).

[delicate_fangs]

in the imp: fig, garden, dirt.

 

on me: smells like green leaves, specifically the ones from the lilac bush when I was a little kid, when the sun hit them.

 

later: smells like fig-scented Jergen's baby lotion on me now. Yikes! This is not good, O skin chemistry mine. Stop that silliness. It's making my head hurt.

 

Alas, this is not for me. Oh, well. Interesting though.

[Kimbernunk]

In bottle: Something figgy along with something sort of root-like. Meh.

 

Wet: Really dirty and almost astringent. I completely lost the fig for a moment!

 

Initial Drydown: The fig starts showing up again, along with that astringent note that I’m not huge on. It's sort of green, but not quite, and it's very harsh.

 

Dry after 2 hours: The fig is much more pronounced. The astringency is gone, which is nice, but the fig isn’t great on me. I'm not a huge fig fan anyway, so this doesn't surprise me too much.

 

Throw: Definitely noticeable for a few hours.

 

Overall: May try and get the fiancé to wear it,, as he's a huge fig fan. It's not great for me.

[VioletChaos]

there is love in my heart for Strangler Fig...

 

in the imp: woodsy, earthy. like rich soil, but sweeter.

 

wet on skin: the earthiness gets even richer, and is joined by a fruity element, but not foodie.

 

dry down: lovely, soft, complex. like sandlewood and fresh tilled earth and sun-ripened figs in the early fall.

 

in all: beautiful and evocative of playing in a sun-dappled garden.

[alicia_stardust]

The sweet fig is what I notice first, but behind that I get the most amazing sense of green earth and dirt, woods, vines. It's so incredible to get that quality from something that doesn't directly smell like patchouli or soil. I love how sinister and intoxicating this fig is!

[hkhm]

imp: earthy fig with something light and green. there's also something that smells almost of patchouli in the background.

 

wet: this is one of the most "living" green scents i've smelled in a while. it's like sticking your face up close to a plant and sniffing it.

 

dry: a sweet fig dirt scent with still a sort of growing, green plant scent. hard to describe but very pretty.

[eatingthesea]

i'd been curious to try a really figgy BPAL scent for some time. i love intrigue but i don't really "get" the fig in that one...mostly cocoa and those elusive "shadowy wooded notes." so i figured strangler fig would give me a proper introduction, and it did...just not in the way i expected. i grew up with an out-of-control fig tree overwhelming my childhood backyard, bruised purple-fleshed figs drooling and seeping their overly ripe reddish-pink flesh all over the ivy-covered ground...clearly a very evocative memory. we ate them only occasionally, but i shall never forget the unusual, grainy texture or the completely unique, indescribable sickly sweetness of the fruit. feeling weird to be eating the fruit -- especially given we buried our pets in shoeboxes somewhere near the roots of the tree -- and being simultaneously attracted to its mysteriousness and seemingly corrupt nature really drove the imagery and symbolism of this tree into my subconscious.

 

all that being said...strangler fig only barely hints at the offering of fig fruit. what i really get from this oil is the supportive foliage of the fig tree...its leaves, branches, its "aura." people say this all the time in BPAL reviews, so i may as well chime in, since i believe i have yet to voice it: "it's amazing how beth can capture the idea of something into a bottle." i mean seriously...how does one pinpoint the aura of some...thing...and encapsulate it into a wearable scent? truly a gift i, for one, admire and readily admit to envy (oh and that's just another favorite scent of mine there that really hits the head on the "smell" of a concept-of green envy-does it ever). but anyway...if i hadn't had this foreboding fig tree in the corner of my childhood backyard looming over my cerebrum all these years, i suppose strangler fig wouldn't be very impressive. it's not sweet, definitely not fruity, and not pretty. it's mysterious...a little threatening...but beautiful in its starkness. this is a special scent for me. i love the realism of the rappaccini's garden blends. this one is no exception and in fact defines what the line is about, i think

[Emerrific]

This is looove!

 

There are a few fig trees at my boyfriends house and this evokes exactly the feel of breaking a fresh ripe fig off of the tree and biting into it. On first application I can smell the fresh green-smell of the sap of the tree (which inevitably gets all over my fingers). This green gives way to spicy wood notes, the earthy scent of a fig before you open it, and then dries to a warm, sweet and oh-so-slightly fruity fig smell that clings gently to my wrists.

 

It is wonderfully evocative

[Juushika]

After falling in love with the fig in Intrigue, I was interested in trying more of the BPAL fig note—and what could be better than a predominant and almost pure fig?

 

In vial: Strange—I can barely smell anything at all!

 

On me: The scent doesn't morph in the least. From start to finish, this is green and sweet. The green is a bright chartreuse, the self-same color of the skin of a fresh fig still on the tree—not deep green at all. The sweetness is sugary and almost crystallized—and is so strong and pure that it is almost nauseating, like oversweetened food that makes your teeth ache. The combination of the two, compounded by the scent's impressive strength and throw, is cloying and overwhelming. With wear, the strength dies down a bit and the scent becomes more palatable, but it never loses its bright greenness and sugar sweetness. I get nothing of the roots or wood, but I wish I did—they might provide a solid foundation and help tone down the heady sweetness.

 

Verdict: I really wanted to like this. I didn't expect it to be like the fig in Intrigue, which is a rich deep purple, and I actually like the bright green color of the scent. But the sugary sweetness is so strong that I find this blend a bit nauseating and certainly overwhelming. Perhaps it would work better if I layered it with something that had the woody/rooty/herbal notes that this lacks (with my skin chemistry, anyhow), and I may have to experiment—but as is, I'm disappointed and not sure if I'll be keeping this around.

 

ETA: Six months later, and the oil has aged a bit. The hyper-sweet sugar note has died down, though the scent still goes on a bit sweet and bright; the darker woody notes have come out, and make the scent a rich deep green after the first hour or two of wear. This is a drastic improvement, much more nuanced and a whole lot more wearable. I'm glad I kept the imp around, and will wear it more often now.

Edited September 14, 2008 by Juushika

[Dracoo9]

Strangler did the weirdest thing of all earth/plant blends. It became foody-sweet! I had to ask around on the forum a little to check and make sure that the imp I had was correct. I have never been able to tolerate anything 'dark, woody and green'. This is very lovely. The woody-ness is very soft in the background where the rest of the scent is a sweet scent. This could possbly become a bottle for me 4.5/5

[Suu4LC]

This is a very earthy scent in the imp. Deep, a bit spicy and woody.

 

I amp anything wood like crazy, so when I put this on I get almost all wood and just a teensy hint of the fig.

 

As it dries though, that sweet meaty fig note comes out. I really really like the lab's fig note! Delicious!

 

But for me, this blend will not work, because the fig note is still too much covered up by that woody note, which takes over again on full drydown.

 

I will have to search to see the lab's other blends containing fig, I'm sure I will love it in a foodier context...

[savage_rose]

Fig smells bizarre on me...kinda like a sweet nutbread, but vaguely unpleasant.

 

However, it kind of works with this scent. The fresh green stem scent is nicely tempered by the fig, but then the fig seems to take over. This is an interesting scent, but it's not really me.

[IronMollyBlack]

In the Imp: I get "spicey" honeyed fig, with some green wood.

 

Wet: The same, with some deeper woods and damp earth

 

Dry: A bit more "sharpness" comes out (more "green" notes?) and a bit sweeter. Fortunately, I don't lose the fig.

 

The throw on me is very good, and it lasts quite a long time.

 

On me, this is all honey-spicy-figgy goodness! LOVE!

[Ajila]

In the bottle – I would have said that was green coconut with pepper and a smidgen of earth, but what do I know?

 

Wet on me – It’s very hard to describe, it’s warm, but green, with a hint of pepper

 

Dry on me –Warm and creamy and yet green and woody an always with an underlying current of pepper

 

Overall – Frankly I’m amazed at this blend. It has completely won me over with its layers of scent

[Indigo78]

This is not one I'd have chosen. For one thing, I don't think of myself as a fruit-smelling person. Figs remind me of prunes, and prunes remind me of raisins, which I LOATHE. The name alone would have deterred me from even reading more about this scent.

 

Point? Taken. Lesson? Learned.

 

In the imp this smells of sweet, rich, sugary fruit, soft black soil, and cedar. On my skin wet, Strangler Fig morphs immediately into a salivatingly delicious scent. Srsly: Mouth is watering. Beneath this sweet richness is a sinister quality, the pepper note. Another few minutes and this is beginning to smell over ripe - like old fruit. It's been ten minutes, and I'm not sure that the notes are mingling the way they should on my skin.

 

The drydown is very creamy and incensey, and the wood notes are still there as well. I understand why others are saying "Coconut". I like this enough to keep my imp, and maybe for more. Can't put my thumb up or down...not just yet.

Edited May 28, 2008 by Indig0

[MaeKitty]

Well, I wasn't sure about this one. It seemed very deep and earthy in the bottle, which kind of made me nervous. It's actually much nicer than I anticipated. It is very deep and rooty to be sure, but there is a sweetness I didn't expect and the green tones keep it from being too cloying.

[mgrazulis]

In the imp: earthy green dark fig

 

Wet: a spicy almond cream note gives the fig a different dimension

 

Dry: Intoxicating and very sensual and thankfully, not foody at all!!

 

Verdict: A wonderful mellow summer scent! There is an amberness and cream to the fig that is very voluptuous! LOVE it!!

[anardana]

Fresh on skin: green fig!

Dry: warm ripe fig!

 

I LOVE this scent. It is warm and comforting and delicious-smelling.

[krysaia]

In the vial: Figs and wood and dirt. Overall, it's a bit more earthy than I was expecting.

 

Wet: It starts off with mostly wood and roots, with a tantalizing hint of fig. The woody notes quickly give way, though, and the fig becomes the prominent note, with something green just beneath it.

 

Dry: Fig is still the dominant note. It's a smooth and rich fig, though, with an unexpected roundness and depth. There's obviously more to it just beneath the surface; this fig is clearly not all it seems. But the underlying green and earthy notes are pretty subtle. They add complexity without drawing attention away from the fig.

 

Verdict: I love this on me! I seriously can't stop sniffing my wrists when I wear it, even though I get decent throw and thus don't actually need to keep my nose pressed to my skin. I definitely need to buy a bottle.

[lunalight7]

I ordered this unsniffed because my intuition told me that it would be glorious. It was....until the drydown phase...

 

First Impressions:

 

Sugared fig! I absolutely ADORED this phase! Warm, sugared fig without being foody...with the slightest herbal, green undertones. I honestly thought that I had finally found my signature scent...

 

Wet on skin:

 

STILL fabulous! That sugared fig scent really did it for me.....

 

Dry:

 

Powder. Just plain old talcum powder...maybe a fancy French one, but powder neverthless.

 

I am SO disappointed! I really wanted to love this one.

 

Aunt Rosie is visiting so I will try this again later and edit this review.

[loladae]

FIG! I love fig. This is one of the best scents I have ever smelled in my life. It's earthy and sweet, not something I typically go for but, it's fig. And I love fig. Thank you Figs & Leaves. I never would have known I love the smell of figs without you . . . (though Strangler Fig smells waaaay better)