Doc Constantine (2006)

[wolfie13]

Sheer musk, cedar smoke, fir needle, black amber and leather.

In the bottle: This smelled amazing - like it would be my perfect dream scent. Evergreen, amber and a touch of leather.

Wearing: Oh dear. Immediatelly upon application, this turned into a medicinal leather scent that stayed exactly the same way the entire time.

My skin amps leather like crazy and this one is no exception. Unfortunately, nothing comes out on me to sweeten or soften the blow.

[Nadirah]

Excuse me for a minute... OHYES OH YES OH YEA!!

 

ahmm, well, I put off trying this for a few weeks can you belive that?? Just because when I opened the bottle I smelled um, straight up MAN. I tryed this yesterday and could not believe it. I thought, "no, it must be Clio I put on earlier today" But As I wear it now I smell the wonderfullness of Cedar and leather, oh gods its beautiful. I'm on a Cedar kick lately and this shit rocks my world. It smells almost like cold metal and lavender flowers. Really beautiful, I thought about giving this to my boyfriend but now I wants it! ME! MINE!

Edited September 21, 2006 by Nadirah

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Summarised in a word or two: Musky fir!

 

In the imp: Musky cedar. This... could be very, very good.

 

On skin, wet: Very smokey and musky. I can pick out all of the listed notes, which is something of a rarity.

 

On skin, dry: The fir needle's a bit sharp, but other than that, this is quite nice. Very heavy on the cedar, which really isn't a bad thing as all, as much as I love cedar (though, again, I can't wear it myself). Very "masculine." If the fir needle would just back down a bit, this would be a strong love.

 

Conclusion/Notes: I like it, but the fir needle's keeping me from loving it. All the same, it's definitely not something I'd ever wear myself. However, I'll try it on the Boy this weekend. He might smell divine in it.

[ND¢]

The cedar, which normally goes out of control and powerful on me, is muted and deep (smoky) and compliments the leather very well... almost making it seem like leather-cubed, as if the sharp tang of leather and the tang of cedar are potentiating each other. I think the musk adds to this effect, making it almost too vigorous for my skin chemistry. Fir rides along the top, giving me the 'autumn' feel. I'm not sure I'm capable of detecting the amber.

[steffanina]

Doc Constantine-

 

In Bottle: Musky, masculine, a little of that insect repellent note I associate with men's aftershaves and colognes.

 

Wet: Cedar, a little pine and smoke. --I think that smoke is actually the leather.

 

Dry: I wish I liked this better. Cedar is just not for me. It's not as cloying as some scents but it doesn't work for me.

 

Overall: Not for me.

[hologhost]

In the bottle: wood and something sour.

 

On me: The cedar is overpowering everything else. I can pick up a slight hint of leather, but not much else.

 

I'll have to try this on the husband.

[QueenFae]

This one is definitely for the boys! I really like the way it smells in the bottle; it's definitely a woodsy, cedary type scent. When it goes on my skin, it smells exactly like a brand new, fresh box of #2 pencils wrapped in leather. The smokiness gives it a little bit of an edge. This is definitely not for me, but the boy might like it.

[Little Bird]

Doc Constantine was the carny that I put off trying for the longest. BPAL's cedar, smoke, amber, and leather notes do not have a great history of working well on my skin... but I do love the masculine woodsy blends. I just don't have high hopes for this one.

 

In the bottle, this smells sooo sexy. I'd be climbing all over a man wearing this. A perfect sex in the woods scent. If my skin doesn't turn the cedar smoke into putrid mesquite, I might be able to wear this.

 

On me... this is all dusty cedar and worn leather. The dust actually reminds me quite a bit of The Rat King. It doesn't smell like forests or evergreens at all once it hits my skin.

 

The cedar doesn't smell as bad on me as it usually does... it's just very dry and very dusty here (the dusty smell that I'm getting might be from the black amber, since BPAL's amber notes either smell of dust or baby powder on me). It has a pleasant smooth quality to it though.

 

I think that this would be wonderful on my boy. It's definitely a masculine woods scent.

[jewelbug]

 

In the Imp: A woodsy, leathery dark sexy smell. This triggers my scent memory of Geek, though I don't actually have my Geek anymore to compare directly. I'm really happy that the evergreen notes seem understated, cuz I generally don't go for a lot of evergreens.

 

ON HUBBY:

Wet: More pronounced leather on skin than in the imp, and a bit fumey when wet.

Drying: Whoa! This is sexy--the leather is still there and pretty prominent, but its joined oh-so-nicely by smoke and woods. Its masculine and musky and dangerously sexy. Its actually really different from the scents my hubby usually wears (he likes em sweeter: voodoo, tombstone, etc).

Dry: (30 min on) The leather and smoke are joined by lots of musk and deep amber, and its sorta got a powdery smell. Okay, not powdery exactly, cuz its not like a baby's bum. Its more like the leather clad bum of a nice smelling man. But the powdery smell makes it gentler--like finding out that the bad boy on the motorcycle has a sensitive artsy side and likes to cuddle. Mmmmmm.

 

ON ME:

Wet: Super leather, bit of woods and smoke. Very masculine, as one would expect given the above review.

Drying: Thankfully, this is a tan leather, rather than a dark/black one. Or at least, I think so. It doesn't go beef jerky on me like some of the darker ones, which is always good news. I get that powdery amber out of it, and its a very sexy smell, though too masculine for me.

Dry: This actually is more smoke/leather, less amber/musk/powder on me than it is on hubby. I kinda wish it did this on him, though its still super sexy on his chemistry, too. My final scent is a sweet leather with dark musky amber and just a wee bit of woods.

 

This lasted about 8 hrs on both of us, so I applaud its staying power.

 

Verdict: Did I say "Sexy" enough times in that review? No? Well then, sexy, sexy, sexy. I have to let hubby give this a proper few day test run--he likes it, but its just not his normal fare. Though I wouldn't mind if it were!

 

ETA: And nope, hubby wasn't into this one so much after all...swapped a while ago!

Edited August 4, 2014 by jewelbug

[Eros]

In the bottle: First impression after a very quick sniff- slightly sweetened, very light lavender(huh?), BUT, I was on the way out and didn't really have the time...Later, that's better! It's the sweet but slightly sharp scent of fir needles, like walking through a damp forest full of fir trees. Nothing artificial about it

 

On skin(mine): Beautiful!! This goes through a series of different smells for me, the various notes taking turns making an appearance. The fir is prominent with the leather close behind. The cedar smoke is stunning! Amber and musk remain very quietly in the background but are definitely there. Finally, this settles into a gorgeous blend of what we all seem to agree every man should smell like. It's a bit on the light side on me but since I got it for my honey, he'll be the one wearing it most. As others have stated, this is more of a masculine scent, but not so much so that it can't be worn by a woman.

 

I swiped a bit on the man as we were leaving so I haven't had much of a chance to truly appreciate it on him so I'll add that later. Definitely promising, though! And as he said when he stuck his nose to his wrist, "Yummy!".

[Vampy]

Wet in bottle: Cold fir and warm cedar. Very masculine, but not quite in the way I expected, somehow. Reminds me of men's cologne, which is usually a bad thing. And yet, despite reminding me of it, this is somehow so unlike any men's cologne I've ever encountered that it doesn't put me off. In fact, this is pretty unlike anything I've ever encountered. It's weird, in a good way.

 

Wet on skin: Fir grows brighter, colder, stronger smelling. The cedar's been thrown into the fireplace. Leather notes coming up.

 

Dry on skin: Grows very smokey, the warmth contrasts nicely with the chilliness of the fir. The leather grows more distinct as well, and I start to smell a faint musk in the background. The musk is oddly... cold. And - this might just be the power of suggestion here, but I don't think it is - something smells almost antiseptic, lurking malevolently in faint whiffs here and there. It doesn't turn the overall scent medicinal at all, but it's like this surprising bite that comes out of nowhere on occasion.

 

Over time: The notes randomly waft over each other, so that one moment the leather seems strongest, the next fir, the next smoke. Turns kind of sweetish and powdery and very faint after a couple of hours, unfortunately - but alas, 90% of all the scents I've tried (ever, not just bpal,) do this on me. One of the reasons I'm dying for a scent locket.

 

Overall: I love this. It's very masculine and sexy. Also one of the most unique scents I've ever tried. I've put it on several times today, and it seems a little different every time. Considering that everything I've gotten from BPAL so far has morphed significantly over the course of a couple of weeks after receiving it (except for the imps klavierbarrette sent me, which I imagine were rather well aged to begin with), I'm very interested to see how this scent mellows. The only thing I don't really like about it (besides the turning to powder, which almost everything does,) is that it isn't very strong, at least compared to a lot of other BPAL oils, so to get any real throw from it, I have to use more than I normally would.

 

I think the reason this scent strikes me as so unusual is because it's not cold or warm, it's both. It's distinctively chilly fir and an oddly cold musk, and sexy, warm smoke and leather. Appropriate to the character, I think.

Edited September 28, 2006 by Vampy

[batsy]

In bottle: wet leather, smokey fir trees with a hint of cedar. Very manly!

 

On the skin: pretty much the same, but the musk pops now on the drydown. I love amber and in this it's faint. I really really like this one!

[nightbird]

lately I've been trying different blends on my husband; he's been very tolerant of it, knowing that he gets more cuddling if he smells really good.

 

this smells like cedar on him, with something else I can't figure out. strangely, it smells a little citrusy; is that the cedar as well?

 

I'm going to try this on him a few more times before I make up my mind about it - I've had a cold for the past couple of days and that might be influencing what I smell here.

[juniperus]

Bottle: fir and leather, primarily, with a darkness I can't quite pin down

Wet: the smoke comes up behind, I so love cedar smoke...

Dry: the leather has calmed some, thankfully, and I can identify the amber coming up behind, still very subtle.

Later: once the leather backed off this became OMGgorgeous.

[lookingglass]

Lots of green woods. The leather is fairly strong, but it is not the "man lust" scent (musky, ambery) as I hoped or expected. This one dosn't work for me or DH.

Edited October 5, 2006 by lookingglass

[jenleigh]

I got an imp of this specifically to try on my DH.

 

On him, this is *really* sexy. Very amber/fir, with the cedar and leather coming out. He's declared that he "really likes this a lot", which isn't something he says about cologne often. (Last time he said it was with Jolly Roger, and he hasn't said that with any other BPAL I've tried on him.)

 

So, bottle for the boy! Yay!

[silver_dollar]

Not bad. Very commercial-cologny in the imp, but not so on my skin. At first there's a fir note and a sort of "bluegreen" type of scent. After that fades, I get leather for a couple seconds - like the leather in De Sade - but that goes away quick. And then it's sort of vaguely sweet fir. I could've sworn there was cypress in here, but I guess not. I like it a lot, though.

[argylexsoul]

hmmm. I'm not sure about this one. I just got my imp of this, and I'm still waiting on the bottle. now i'm wishing I hadn't been so rash.

 

I mainly get the cedar and fir, which is good becuase I'm not really a leather sort of guy. But it's also not so good becuase I really am a musk and amber sort of guy.

 

This sort of reminds me of my Grandma's house - a Christmas tree, smoke, old leather jackets and her perfume? maybe.

 

It's getting better as time goes by, but I think when my bottle arrives it's probably going to go off to swaps. I'll keep my imp though becuase I really enjoy this scent, but it's just not me. It reminds me too much of my uncle. I like him, but I'm not him. He wears leather jackets and listens to Motley Crue. I wear pea coats and listen to XLooking ForwardX. This reminds me of a person in their 30's or 40's trying to be cool. Maybe I'll wear it in 10-20 years.

[Meg]

In the bottle: This is perfumy... smoke and black amber, I think, as well as something green.

 

Wet: Fresh green pine needles, clean leather and black amber. It becomes very warm, very smoky and a bit musky.

 

Drydown: Hmm, pine needles, smoke, something nearly citrusy, and a sort of polished black leather. It smells very herbal and smoky, with a hint of perfumy from the black amber. Something in there seems to want to smell like plastic on me, which is a pity.

 

Overall: A very masculine blend, it's got something rough about it, a bit wild. At the same time, the perfumy black amber makes it smell a bit feminine. It's true to its description, all the ingredients mixing very well, generally. I'm sure it would work great on a man, on me it's not so wonderful.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: kinda sour, with distinct leather and I'd say some whiskey as well.

 

On my skin: it's very masculine but very pretty. Pine and leather. It gets warmer by the minute.

 

After a couple of hours: it keeps getting warmer with the amber showing off.

 

Verdict: for me, it's really a male scent, but one of my favourite CD nevertheless.

[maijasu]

I was hoping for more musk and amber in this, but I'm getting the leather and cedar, maybe a little pine too. It's very masculine, which I don't mind, but my husband says it smells like Old Spice. Clearly, his nose needs to get used to the BPAL, but nonetheless, I am not in love with this blend, so it will be going to a new home.

[theseagrows]

when i initially saw this description, i had no interest in it, then i read some reviews on here and thought it might be right up my alley. at first it's a beautiful warm musk with leather, both notes i love. then, the cedar comes forth and drowns out everything else. cedar smells like pencil shavings on me, not unlike frankincense, and it gives me a headache, and now after about an hour of wearing, all i can smell is strong, strong cedar and all the leather is gone

[tempestteapot]

In the bottle: Very strong fir. It overpowered everything else.

 

Wet: Again the fir dominated, though I did get suble whifs of the smoke and leather

 

Dry: The fir has tamed down a bit so I get the lovely, sitting in the library in the armchair scent. Mmmmm good memories.

 

I like this one a lot. But it's got a lot of throw, so I'll wear it sparingly or not very often.

 

I decapitated my imp. *wail* I tried to tape it shut but it bled all over itself. Fortunatly no other imps were harmed in this profuse bleeding, but my balsawood box now REALLY smells like fir trees. No more 'general bpal' scent for it.

Edited October 21, 2006 by Tempest Teapot

[Koumori]

I don't get so much pine from this; it smells very green and somewhat medicinal. It reminds me very much of Wilde (which is odd because I don't think they share any notes in common). It mellows out and becomes the warmer scent I was hoping for after a few hours on, with more of the pine and leather coming out, but it gives me a headache in the time it takes to get there. Sadly, not a keeper.

Edited October 23, 2006 by Koumori

[Caltha]

Doc Constantine

I had high hopes for Doc Constantine, lots of great notes. I found it good, but not great. It opens with an interesting sweet/sharp/dry accord, like evergreens and pine needles and lichen with perhaps a hint of mint. It dries down pretty much the same, perhaps a hint vintage-y and/or soapy. A warm and cosy, somehow almost fiery or smoky, dry forest scent.