Ogun

[4807]

... Ogun’s ofrenda is heavy and dark cigar tobacco, gin and juniper, melon, chili pepper and a touch of honey.

The smell in the bottle is extremely fruity with darker undertones and smells almost identical when wet on my skin. The drydown, however, ends up smelling like melon soda and babypowder. It makes me a little bit queasy, but my boss said it made a lovely summer scent. The late drydown (after about 3 hours) was AMAZING. It went back to a more natural melon flavor and the tobacco and pepper scents started to come out rather strongly. It didn't have a very large throw, I had to have my wrist within a few inches of my face, but I could still smell it fairly strongly after six or seven hours. I only used a tiny dot and and rubbed my wrists together and did not reapply any throughout the day.

This one will have to be tried a couple more times before I make a final verdict. I may end up forcing my boy to try it because the drydown might be more tolerable on his skin and it is rather unisex.

[kunoichi]

In the vial this is a suitably tropical melon, with darker notes hiding behind the sweet, juicy scent. On my skin the sweet melon is tempered by the darker notes of smoky tabacco and a slightly boozy scented gin. After a few hours this is a softer version of its former self, still a tropical melon scent, with a hint of honey smoothing out the rest of the scents as it fades.

[meredevachon]

Another frimp I probably wouldn't have ordered but was glad to get a chance to try it. Wasn't sure about the mix of melon and chili pepper, (okay, mostly was worried about the chili pepper), but part of the fun of BPAL is the adventure. Especially as I love tobacco and juniper notes in things.

 

In the imp: Tobacco and melon. Sweet, but not overly so.

 

Wet: When I first put it on it's hard to pull out any specific notes. All I know is it smells good.

 

Dry down: Tobacco comes to the fore, and I start getting whiffs of spicy heat from the chili pepper...and I like it.

 

Dry: I have to keep sniffing myself. It's very round, a mix of muted greens and golds and tawny browns. Like hazel eyes heated with mischief or pleasure.

 

This is one of those scents that makes me remember why I need to pull other things from the box besides my top 5 wear all the time scents. It's wonderful, but I tend to forget how much so when I haven't worn it in awhile.

[SophieCedar]

Mmm. this is one of my "peculiar weird scent" favorites now (I classify my collection by base: florals/planty, sweet, spices, earthy, weird/unclassifiable, and resins).

 

In imp it's sweet melon spliced with chili pepper and a slight hint of tobacco. Can't believe I almost didn't order this.. but thanks to the reviews, I did!

Wet: this glides on very smoothly using the applicator. Wet smells about the same except the chili and tobacco amped a little.

Drydown: This stays for quite a bit! Gin/juniper and tobacco comes out a more, making this smokier and sexier as time goes...but the throw is amazing. I normally hate melon smells but this rules.

[plainjean]

This is so very, very bizarre. In the imp, it's all melon. Honeydew, I believe. If I really concentrate on it, I get the tobacco and the juniper. When wet, it's very much the same. Heavy on the melon, with a bit of chili pepper coming through, and a dirtiness from the cigar tobacco. There's a bit of a cold wood feel to it, too. Like pine. Could this be the gin? I've never smelled gin, so I really don't know. Dry, it's a very clean melon with slightly smoky undertones. If I stick my nose to my hand (where I have applied it), I can smell the tobacco, which is definitely more of a raw tobacco scent. Kind of planty. It's faint, but not so faint that it doesn't have any throw. It's very unobtrusive. It's excellent to have in my arsenal for days like today, when it's swelteringly hot. I really like it! Not quite sure if it's bottle-worthy though. Maybe next summer.

Edited September 5, 2010 by plainjean

[Sabir]

This scent is very intriguing. It's very different from pretty much every other BPAL oil I've tried.

 

First off, I don't get any melon from this blend. It's rich, smoky and masculine, with the spice from the chilis. It's like cold iron meets hot wood and spice. The juniper is not overly strong or pine-ish,it just kind of hides out in the background giving the scent a woody undertone.

 

Overall it's a beautiful blend, not something I would wear a lot, but definitely something I think I'll hang on to.

[strahlend]

I've ended up with about 4 imps of Ogun and I re-test every time I get one. On me this scent is all melon and what equates to musk for my nose. It's not just any melon, I'm reminded specifically of cantaloupe. I love it on initial application but I get kind of burned out on the scent quickly and regret putting it on.

[zmulls]

Oh, it's definitely weird, but it's weird in the way I like. I usually can't do fruits and florals, but this melon is subdued and framed by such luscious dark scents. The juniper is made of win, and the heavy tobacco is in the family of dark scents I love (musks, leathers, etc.). I don't get the chili pepper and honey perceptibly, but they must be balancing each other out.

 

I love this, and it's one of the few bottleworthy (for me) scents I've found. And I just scored an aged near-full bottle from a forumite.

[grrrlennyl]

Ogun

 

On: A TON of melon.

2 hours in: Lots smoky tobacco with gin.

5.5 hours in: Smoky and powdery.

Overall: This was a nice surprise, since I wasn't sure how the notes would smell on me. If it were less smoky on me, it would be a better fit.

[calivianya]

I received this as a frimp from the Lab.

 

In the vial and wet on my skin this smells like some kind of fizzy soda to me! I think the melon and gin are giving me an aquatic impression, and something else is giving me the impression of effervescence. I can really taste this as as a carbonated drink on the tip of my tongue.

 

The pepper starts to be more obvious on the drydown, and the chili pepper smell plus the soda smell is a little odd. It is definitely an unusual BPAL, but not one I'll wear again.

[milo]

Wet, this is all about the melon of the honeydew variety which is pretty much a note that I can't stand. It's much to sweet and candylike. After a bit there's a bit of musk poking out, which helps this blend somewhat, but not enough to save it for me.

[zmulls]

I got an aged bottle -- 5 years -- and it changes so much over time. I agree the melon is very aggressive and dominating in this scent, though it works well enough for me.

 

But while it ages, the melon settles down and the muskier elements -- the more masculine elements -- come up. It balances out during the aging. It would be hard to buy a bottle with the plans to leave it alone for a year or two, but that seems to be what it needs.....

 

Maybe the lab should start making batches specifically to age, like scotch or bourbon or wine.....and sell them for a premium.....

[Ella LaRose]

ok, this went really weird on me. All I could smell was my moms foundation that i used to play with when I was a kid, the kind she would apply with those funky make-up sponges. weird

[Verios]

This is really gorgeous! I definitely get a strong melon note, but I think I'm getting the juniper showing through, as well, as it gives it a sort've tart juiciness that is just wonderful! I also can get hints of the gin (it's not overly boozy, though, which is nice), with the other notes playing nicely to just give it a bit more depth. As at least one other reviewer commented, I don't notice the honey or the chili pepper.

 

Definitely one of the more odd/different scents I've tried (I'm not sure it merits my hunting down a bottle, but I will definitely be using the imp!)

[virusq]

I expected this one to be much spicier than it was. It was very green and refreshing on me. The Melon and Juniper stood out immediately and carried throughout the day. I never smelled the chili pepper, but I could taste it while driving around town with the air conditioner blowing past my wrist. At the end of the day, it mellowed into something very soft and creamy, which I’m assuming is the melon and honey combined. Never picked up on tobacco or gin.

 

It's going on my bottle list.

Edited June 30, 2011 by virusq

[sparkleyturtle]

In the imp it smelled citrusy, I guess that would be the melon. Lots of melon. I think I am getting the juniper note, but still sweet and fruity. Not quite perfume of choice.

[lookingglass]

Weird-io! In the opening, the melon and gin go WA-ZING!!! but it's not particularly edible. I've never smelled anything quite like it. It's a light green, wet, fizzy smell but it immediately gets a little powdery and creamy. It's fresh yet sweet and dense at the same time, kind of like a clean musk. I thought there might be iris in here because it gets that gentle baby head creaminess all dried out, but it must be the honey. I gave it to DH who loves deep smokey scents but craves something more summery sometimes-this seems to work very well for him. I would definitely consider this gender neutral, though. It dries down very quickly and sticks very close to the skin. It reminds me a bit of Black Opal at the end.

Edited August 10, 2011 by lookingglass

[TastyMischief]

The melon and tobacco combo is unbearable to me. No can do.

[OctoberGwen]

I literally said, "Whoa" out loud when I first smelled this on my wrist - not even knowing what the description was. It has a metallic tang that is unlike any human-created scent I've ever smelled.

 

I DO NOT want to smell like this, but it absolutely nails what it is supposed to represent, in my humble opinion. This would be most excellent for ritual work.

 

Wowza. Beth the Scent Witch never ceases to astonish me.

[Honey]

Imp: Gin & juniper (very much like cologne) and tobacco & chili pepper (very smokey and peppery).

 

Wet: Tobacco and pepper. Very dark, smokey and masculine.

 

Dry: Pepper with a hint of clove? Yeah, that's all I really get from this. It's not too bad though.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

In the imp, it was like melon soda. Sparkling melon. When I applied it, the sparkling melon really amped and was joined by an ashy note. Not overpowering, but there. This is a lot sweeter than I thought it would be. After a few minutes, I'm getting the juniper. At this point, my BF says it smelled like campsite urinal cake, but i think he means he catches that piney scent (he's a master of creative hyperbole).

 

I don't know about this one yet. Ogun has really surprised me. I'll hang on to him and try him again.

[theredkilt]

I really like this! This is a wicked combination of chili pepper, tobacco, honey and melon. Reminds me so much of T.Mugler's AMEN mid-phase drydown

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): The first time I smelled this, I was hit by a very ripe melon scent - closer to honeydew than cantaloupe. It's made even more sweet with the added honey, but I can't smell anything over these two scents without some real concentration.

 

Wet: Still VERY heavily melon, although there is just a faint touch of greenness from the juniper. There is the very faintest hint of spice from the chili powder, but the scent overall is very fruity while still wet on my skin.

 

Dry: Now dry for several hours, the scent as calmed down to a sweetly honeyed honeydew with some smokiness from the tobacco. I was initially turned off by the overt meloniness of this scent - it was just too foody for me. Now that it's dry, I appreciate the complexity of this. It certainly strikes me as a late spring or summer scent as it's fresh, sweet, and intriguing.

[persephonehazard]

In the imp, this is All Melon All The Time. It's almost intimidating in its...melonyness. If I sniff really really hard there's a hint of something a wee bit darker - the tobacco, maybe, or the gin. Mostly it's just melon. I'm a little dubious - I don't even really like melon all that much, not to eat! The smell isn't unpleasant, though; more just overpowering.

 

Once I put it on, thankfully, it starts to warm up. The melon hangs about for a good while - and blimey, this has some throw - but the chilli gradually emerges.

 

Over the longer-term drydown, I fall in love with feeling this one develop. The spiciness - proper hot spicy, too, definitely chilli - remains for a good while, gradually letting through more and more of the cigar tobacco. I'm pretty chuffed, especially when the whole thing melts off into a base note of delicious honey with good staying power.

 

I like. It's not near the top of the bottle list, but it's on it. 4/5. There's nothing quite like this, either, which is also a win.

[Edeniade]

I really, really wanted to love this based on the listed notes alone. But alas, my body chemistry fails me yet again.

 

In the bottle this smells so strange but so tasty; like smoky melons with that dash of chili like a strange warm tropical drink. I wanted this to smell exactly the same on my skin, but the second it got on me it went all weak and smelled like baby powder and flowers. I was hoping that the powderyness would fade back into melon and smoke, but it didn't. The resulting scent reminded me a bit of Ronin (honey goes powdery on me I've learned) but without the fun pepper to save it.

 

I do have to say that Ogun has great staying power, as it managed to hold on for over 8 hours on my skin with a couple small swipes. Sadly, it's the staying power of a scent I didn't really want to stay on me for so long but it's not terrible. The throw weakens drastically after the 4th hour but you can certainly smell it close up.

 

Given how unique this smells in the bottle, I think I will have to try Ogun on some /alternative/ locations (hair, jewelry, clothing, etc.) before completely giving up on him and throwing him into my swap pile. I'm crossing my fingers!