Ozymandias

[rockchickie]

Desolation. The remnants of an empire, shivering with forgotten glories, a monument to megalomania, sundered power, and colossal loss. Dry desert air, dry and hot, passing over crumbling stone megaliths and plundered golden monuments, bearing a hint of the incense of lost Gods on its winds.

On him...

Wet: Perfumey.
Dry: I definitely detect some ozone in there but that's all I recognize. Incredibly neutral. Gender neutral and the blend doesn't evoke any emotion. It's dry, physically warm but it evokes a cold stoicism.

He didn't mind it, I got some bad juju from it. Edited September 30, 2007 by Shollin

[starwild]

Bottle: Dry and roaringly warm; if this is a desert wind, there's a sandstorm coming.

 

Wet: Whoa! Wasn't expecting that. This is very powerful on me. This is a hymn to a vengeful god.

 

Drydown: This smells EXACTLY like one of my mother's perfumes! I think Obsession, maybe?

 

Later: The wind has calmed, and now it's the same scent but with less oomph. It's got a bit more personality now. I can smell different notes but I can't tell what they are.

 

This is the most classically "perfume" fragrance I've tried from BPAL. Not one of my favorites, but I'll keep the imp all the same. This isn't for every day wear, but maybe for special occasions or meetings.

[WidgetAlley]

I love poetry, and I love the desert. So I should love Ozymandias, right?

 

In the Imp: Powdery-clean, almost like the scent they put in diapers to make them smell pretty (until the baby does its thing, of course.) Not my favorite, but not retchingly awful either.

 

Wet: ... does this have heather in it? I'm getting lemon, which is nice, and something else that reminds me a lot, lot, lot of Glasgow... in the cleanser-scent department..... VIOLET! THAT'S IT! HA! I knew I'd smelled that before. Normally I like violet, but in here it's not really working for me. Oh, well, at least it hasn't gone the way of Ultraviolet (baby carrots).

 

Dry: Well, whad'ya know. It has indeed morphed into a very traditional, perfume-y scent that reminds me a lot of what I smell on people at work. It's soft and pleasant and very, very violety, with a touch of lemon and maybe a little musk. Vintage was totally dead on. I like smelling rich and sophisticated, but perhaps not this kind of rich and sophisticated. I'm not sure what to think, in fact! It's really not my thing, but at the same time, it's strangely compelling.

 

Verdict: probably swaps. Probably.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

incense

 

On me:

There is a slight incense quality to this but mostly it is clean and powdery smelling. Sort of soapy and very gender neutral. It's one of those scents like Mr Ibis that I think anyone could wear for something non offensive and simple.

 

Final note:

Not bad, not great to me either though. I'm not that into such neutral scents but I could see this being really popular with some.

[Magda]

I won't lie. I got this just because I wanted to smell Beth's interpretation of crumbling stone and hot desert air.

 

In the imp, it smells like alcohol--not the kind you drink, but perfumers' alcohol. On my skin it loses the alcohol scent but retains the perfumey feeling, masculine at first but then shifting suddenly to a more feminine, classic smell. It smells like my grandmother's bedroom, especially her makeup table where I used to sit and try on all her jewelry--and that's a good thing.

 

I can't pick out a single note and it doesn't smell like summer in the desert (not in my desert, anyway), but I'm in love with it. It's so complex, or maybe so simple. I can't even tell if it's masculine or feminine--it's both at the same time. It's clean and classic and dry and lonely and sweet and airy and...yeah. I like.

[spessartine]

This was lovely on me, but very perfume counter-ish. It's a dry, almost grassy scent underneath that though, not too sharp, but certainly with sharp notes. I can't work out what they are, but this smells very, very similar to Chanel No 5 on me.

[Styx]

Ozymandias (light yellow oil)

 

Imp: classic perfume.

 

Skin: Smells soapy clean, very vintage, and dry like gin. "Conservative glamour" is the word I get. Think the 50's or 60's.

It didn't get powdery on me, big plus point. Not strong, on the mild side, but keeps its presence. Very good balance.

It would smell different on some one young, classic on someone middle-aged and classy on grannies.

I wouldn't mind if my gran smelled like this. She'd smell like a very hygenic and prim old lady. The nice type you want to walk up to and help carry her groceries for.

 

This will make a good gift.

[zankoku_zen]

This is a very classic perfume that dries to a very dry vanilla on me. The vanilla is not too sweet and it does have very dry and rocky like properties.

 

A very fitting interpretation of the poem.

[Gwydion]

Femmer than Titus and Robin Goodfellow, which is odd for something named for a conqueror. It is in the same scent family in those to, though much girlier. It's pleasant enough, but fades fast and well, a bit too femme for me. Meh.

[stardreamer]

First impression: Quite masculine, with a touch of something unpleasant -- vetiver, maybe? That note fades fast, though, and it turns very ambery. In fact, this reminds me a lot of The Lion, though not quite as deep and heavy; there are hints of dry grasses and a bit of powder as well. Definitely a "golden" scent, and a very pleasant one. Bottom line: definite keeper.

[CrazyPretzel]

There's an ozone note in here that I think I recognise - from Lightning, maybe? It's much drier and not as tart as lightning though. This is not primarily an incense scent; it's dry, warm, and silky-smooth. Almost soapy, and just a touch of sweetness.

[arsenicsauce]

I wanted to like Ozymandias since I've always loved the poem, but it doesn't do much for me. Light, a little incense-y but mostly reminds me of a very common store-bought perfume that I don't know the name of. This one's going up for swap.

[waternight]

In the imp: dry incense, slightly cologne-y.

Wet: It does smell like stone and hot wind and incense! How interesting and evocative. However, there's a persistent cologne smell that I'm not crazy about. There are resins in this too - perhaps myrrh.

Dry: I'm getting a scent that I think is a blend of myrrh and red musk - Good thing I'm swapping this!

[hkhm]

imp: acrid cologne.

 

wet: acrid cologne.

 

dry: acrid cologne. this smells exactly the same in every stage, it just won't work for me though.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is definitely dry and desert-y.

 

On my skin, though, it's completely incense.

 

When it dries, incense and herbs - this just isn't my bag.

[bryghtrose]

Unfortunately, I don't smell anything. The dust fades away so quickly.

[sirsaber]

I am so glad my body chemistry adores this scent. It definitely reminds me of standing out in the desert and hearing the words of old on the wind...it went on heavy but within moments it became less potent but it also was just right. Its a scent that sorta hides in the background only coming out occasionally making surprise visits. This is the perfect wear to the office scent. Matter of fact,when I went in to apply one of the people wondered what smelled so good.

 

 

Ozymandias is definitely a keeper... its funny...when you hear Qntal's Ozymandias this fits the song perfectly.

[sirsaber]

I have had this a while but for some reason never got to reviewing it. This is exactly like its stated. Today while walking along the river I had felt like I stumbled into ancient Mesopotamia or something. The smell of the re awakening earth,the smell of fire in the back ground and then Ozymandias. I felt something almost mystical wash over me. No longer was I walking along the river here in Milwaukee. Everything sort of faded into the background until I was somewhere timeless. The aged stone and faint incense among the desert winds.... I love this stuff.

 

Without the rest of the world getting involved it reminds me of standing near the cliffs on a dry hot summer day.

 

When this 5 ml runs out I may have to get more.

[mazaru]

It's dry, warm and sandy, but most of all it's perfumey. To me, it smells exactly like that 'your parents are going out and your mum smells different' scent that I recall from early childhood. Not unpleasant, but, due to associations, not something I'll wear.

[brsis]

Frimped to me by Tartchef!

 

Initial thoughts: Was on my wishlist. I like incense. I like deserts. I like dry, exotic smells. Should be lovely.

 

Having scrubbed Snake Oil off (Took three tries. Seriously not cool) I decided to give something else a go before heading out for the evening, and give myself a good hour to scrub it off again if it turned out to be another disaster.

 

In the imp: Hmm... elusive. I get the incense, but as a secondary note - something wafting past on the breeze as I try and figure out what I'm smelling. Mmm... is that lemon balm? Lemon balm and ozone, maybe, but not exactly. It's elusive and very airy, but not particularly dry or hot.

 

On the wrist, wet: Lemon. Lemon... soap. Uh oh.

 

Five minutes later: Lemon soap with a hint of incense.

 

Ten minutes later: Very faint lemon soap.

 

Verdict: Into the swap pile you go!

 

Tl;Dr: Lemon soap that dissapears.

[evanescence]

ozymandias is so dry. It's not something I'd wear but it so nails the poem. It's hot and desolate but there is a hint of something exotic in it - almost like a mirage in the desert.

[theseagrows]

this is dry, soft and powdery on my skin. it reminds me of a subtle man's cologne- it smells like a cross between old spice, obsession for men and men's shaving cream. it reminds me of one of my grandfathers. it smells really nice and comforting, just not a very 'me' scent, so i will swap it.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Faint ozone, baby powder. Barely any scent at all.

[nightchild80]

In the Imp (wet): You remember those days as a kid and your parents are getting ready for a night out with other adults. Your dad has had his shower and is hunting for his socks. He walks by you and you catch a whiff of his cologne as your mother waves a pair she magically produces from a dresser. This is the memory Ozymandias brought to mind.

 

On facial cotton (dry): The scent has mellowed and evolved into softer tones. It has a warmth of musk and a sweetness of cinnamon, but still masculine in notes. It is not as imposing as The Lion.

 

On me: My hopes for Ozymandias had been that it would be similar to Coyote, one of my favorite everyday scents. But while Coyote is a wild and unbridled desert, Ozymandias is mature, calm, majestic... a king. This scent evolves slowly and warms into a gold glow. Bearing in mind that incense notes don't generally work on me, but this might be an exception. There is a hint of powder in it, giving it a vintage appeal.

[Diva Urd]

I love the poem "Ozymandias", so I was stoked when this blend was introduced!

 

In the vial: I can definitely see why so many people compare this to commercial perfumes. It does have a very "department store perfume" feel to it in the vial. I cannot tell any defining note in the vial.

 

On me: Goes on sharp when wet... and immediately turns into a very strong and off-putting soap smell that will not go away until the whole scent fades.

 

Oh Ozzy, I was ready to love you...

... but you don't love me back, so off to the swap pile you go!