Nephilim

[loubric]

... Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress.

Herby warm spicy minty and slighty medicated.
A very calm and soothing scent. Not what I expected at all. Small wafts of lavender coming through giving it a nice balance.
The longer it's on my skin the more it reminds me of something in my childhood. Def worth keeping, maybe for the house rather than me?? Edited March 20, 2010 by Shollin

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: slightly astringent, woody (cypress?)

 

Wet on Skin: bright and wispy

 

While Drying: well integrated; I think I can pick out the frankencense and cypress, with a slight sharpness (but not really scent) that I am attributing to lavender; as this dries, it starts to develop more complexity. A hint of sweet fig (or is it the tamarind?) peeks out. It starts to feel more grounded (patchouli?). I think I can sense the oakmoss in the background, tying a few notes together, but not excessively prominent.

 

After a Little While: woodsy, with an almost citrus aspect (though I think that may be the frankencense combining with another note, maybe fig and/or tamarind); the vetiver appears to be behaving itself; something reminds me a bit of the brightness of Hemlock (is there hyssop in that?)

 

Later: the scent is well integrated again, bright with a touch of sweetness; it is still reminding me of the feeling of Hemlock, but with a softer quality

 

Final Thoughts: The imp I tried was fairly old (not sure exactly how old). I am curious how this smells fresh from the lab. It appears to age well. This would be a good alternative to Hemlock when Hemlock would be too obtrusive (could be too sweet if I'm not in the right mood).

Nephilim earns a 4/5 on my skin.

[angelicruin]

Oh, this smells horrible on my skin. Vetiver note-of-death for me mixed in with patchouli. I can't smell anything beyond those 2 notes. Off to the swap pile with thee.

[ami226]

On the skin: Whoa, that is some vetiver!! It fades after a bit and I am getting some of the frankincense. This one is very earthy.

 

Definitely not one of my favorites... The vetiver just smells too smokey to me.

[impolight]

:::NEPHILIM:::

 

"...And unto them was born a race of Giants..."

 

Nephilim does smell like an otherworldly presence.

Something not quite right; sacred though it shouldn't be.

An abomination.

A celestial/terrestrial horror hybrid.

A messianic fail.

A, "tremble before it" visitor, come midnight, during a summer storm.

A lone pedestrian on an otherwise deserted road, inexplicably wandering from the direction of the desert without even a 12 oz. bottle of water... And his scary, blue eyes seem intimately acquainted with infinity.

Nephilim comes to the table with a great, big, brimming basket full of goodies. The Cypress, Oak Moss, Cardamom, and Lavender bring the high note combo that makes Nephilim unmistakable masculine.

The Patchouli, Vetiver, Tamarind and Fig swirl together and form an earthy, pasty darkness that hints at secrecy and shadow, while Hyssop and Frankincense allude to a Holiness...

A worshipful, if bloody, reverence.

Deliciously creepy and brooding fragrance for Him.

5/5!

[Myrrha]

I tried this one on a weekend morning before showering because I suspect I will not want to wear it all day. The imp was fresh from the lab.

 

Wet: All I can smell is vetiver. I am not a vetiver fan and it is hard to make out any other notes.

 

As it dries: OK, it is vetiver and fig.

 

Dry: Something lovely and very sweet comes out. Sweetened vetiver and fig (might also be smelling the tamarind because there are lighter somewhat tart whiffs too). I can smell the frankincense now but only because I'm looking at the notes. I don't get the "dirty feet" smell that is usually there in blends with patchouli.

 

20 minutes or so: It lightens up a bit. I actually like this more than I thought I would. Once fully dry it doesn't seem so masculine. It is very earthy though. It makes me feel very grounded and calm. I don't get any sinister overtones from the scent, but that fits with how I view the Nephilhim. I'm going to hang on to my imp because it just might end up being something I wear in the fall.

 

[Venneh]

Frankincense, patchouli, vetiver in the imp. Again, probably not gonna turn out well. On my skin, all that in mint. Oh, this is probably not gonna be good.

[tajana]

Wet: Tangy, sour, astringent, but not in a citrusy way. There's a dark undertone. Herby lavender and rosemary embedded in an already apparent gritty incense base.

 

Dry: Twiggy sharp cypress, lavender, and a hint of smashed fig. Rosemary is still definitely sticking out, and I'm not really a fan, except in certain combinations, it just reminds me of the kitchen. As time goes on all this melds more and more into the dark base of the scent. It's a bit sweet and unmistakably patchouli. Now that I've looked at the notes, I'm surprised that I can't pick out the vetiver in particular. Frankincense is definitely around, but the vetiver isn't dominating.

 

Overall: Not for me. It it doesn't smell good with my chemistry. A bit medicinal, a bit savory, a bit too sour and gritty. From afar, it has the waft of a random mash of BPAL. Eau du imp swap box.

[Teaotter]

Wet, I smell incense and spices with a hint of vetiver. As it dries, the notes blend together -- which is great for me, because vetiver usually takes over when I put it on. This was beautifully complex, without any single note dominating.

[DifferentDances]

Imp: Smells like medicine you'd rub on an aching joint.

Wet: Something bright and airy, like an old favored incense.

Drydown: Very herbal, back to medicinal-type smell.

Dry: After hours, it's a very pretty blend of florals, but I have many BPALs that do that in less time with more pleasant drying processes.

 

My rating: 2/5

[Nymeria]

A nice things about trying a wide variety of imps is you get to learn things. Today, I learned that combining notes I don't like with other notes I don't like will not magically morph it into something wearable, but a scent with the capabilities of making my nose consider jumping off my face and leaving me to my own devices.

 

Good for wearing: to shock comatose bodies awake.

[Bamels]

I found this imp in my stash. I have no idea when I bought it of if it was a frimp. I have written "incense" on the label so can assume that I wasn't too impressed, but why did I keep it? The imp smells like cold incense. Ah vertivert, I amp it and it is here and wet, yuk! It's warming up as it dries but it's just not doing anything for me. swap pile.

[Ella LaRose]

this wasn't bad, definately patchouli was strong on me through all of it, and under that I could smell the lavender. I have a hate relationship with vetiver so i was worried, but it was softy enough in this that I liked the scent.

[rhetoricians]

Spicy patchouli and vetiver - two smells that agree with me well. I think I'm liking this one, but I need to see how long it sticks on me before I commit to wanting a 5 ml. I definitely love the smell though and it's going strong ~45 minutes in, so it might end up being a winner!

[ajansuz]

This was a frimp that came with 13.

 

In the imp, it's a tonic, medicinal scent, almost like mint or camphor with the sweetness of Frankincense.

 

Wet it goes very woodsy, strangely enough smelling like polished teak shelving and incense. It smells a lot like a metaphysical bookstore in Baton Rouge, Coyote Moon. The patchouli comes on strong and earthy with a hint of smoke.

 

Dry the wood scent almost fully takes over, still reminding me more of the lab's teak note than anything else. The Frankincense is like the distant memory of incense once burned in a room and just barely clinging. Throw is low, lasting power is medium. Overall, it's a pretty neat scent but more what I'd think of as a room scent than a skin scent. 3/5

[calivianya]

I received this as a frimp a while back; I wonder why I didn't review it then.

 

Oh well. I had some hopes for Nephilim with the frankincense, patchouli, lavender, oakmoss, and cypress, all of which I like, but I didn't really get any of those. What I got was hyssop, fig, and vetiver, with a bare hint of patchouli and frankincense. I'm not a huge fan of hyssop or fig, so this isn't a good fit. This is going to swaps.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: Strongly resinous, medicinal scent: frankincense, patchouli, vetiver and fig with strong herbal backing.

 

Wet: Fig! Figgy figgy fig, dry and woody fig rather than juicy sweet. Sharp frankincense, and a lovely upsurge of warm herbs and resins in the background: tamarind, something minty (the combo of lavender/rosemary/cypress?), moss and a lovely sweet hyssop and patchouli. There's a lot going on in this tiny imp! The complex tangle of notes that should be dissonant but work beautifully well together reminds me of Incubus.

 

Dry: This ends up a complex, resinous fig- and hyssop- with lots of herbal and woody backing. It's lovely, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. A scent this complex deserves testing more than once! I will probably at least keep the imp, though.

[karykeion]

The description tempted my spice-cabinet-smell-loving soul so badly. I hope it smells as great as it sounds!

 

 

In the imp: That sure does smell like a lot of things! Not sure I like it or dislike it just yet, it just has a lot going on.

 

On me, wet: Oh...oh...I think I've found my spice cabinet scent! The sharp medicinal quality mellows out and leaves this splendid array of herbs backed by frankincense, and it's delicious and kind of sexy.

 

On me, dry: Hmm. Not sure if want. I like it. It's spicy and sexy, but I think it's a little bit sharp? I could see it being one of those scents that I don't immediately fall for, but that I then just keep reaching for. I'll keep it around and see how I feel about it.

[Jennifurious]

I purchased this FOREVER ago and it was my gateway drug into BPAL. I had been searching for a fig and patchouli scent forever and I coworker suggested that I search though the offerings at Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab. I purchased a six pack of imps, this being among them and a beautiful, beautiful relationship was forged. My first ever 5 mL!

 

Wet this is herbal and earthy, but in a very nice way. Slowly, the fig kind of blooms on my skin. It's dark purple and juicy, but woodsy and deep at the same time. I LOVE this stuff and it's definitely my old stand by. I wore it today after many months and it just smells like instant comfort to me.

[Atrous]

Yet another frimp I didn't expect to like. Mostly because there is a whole paragraph of components in it. I was so wrong. This is a truly lovely scent. Nephilim is the right name as it oscillates between chilly air and sweet earthiness. I get fleeting whiffs of spiciness, florals, and fruit but they are all so soft and subtle. I can't believe how well so many notes play with each other.

[vthesiren]

Testing this out again after a month to compare with Lucifer (both woodsy figgy scents).

 

This is really nice out of the imp, and the wet stage is GORGEOUS - I get a bit of everything, really well blended! It's woodsy, slightly sweet, and calming. And then it EXPLODES into tamarind. Really pungent tamarind... with a bit of fig, lavender, and rosemary.

 

This was in my "like/retest" baggie, but I think I'll either swap this out or give it to a friend - it's pretty overwhelming and I just can't see myself wearing this very often.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Sweet fruit - I'm also getting the patchouli, and I think the frankincense. Sooner or later, I need to figure out what hyssop smells like, because I'm come across it often, but never been able to pick it out.

 

Wet on skin: On my skin, I'm mostly getting incense, with the tiniest hint of fruit. I have to sniff my wrists for the fruit, though. The incense is strongly reminiscent of camphor.

 

Dried down: This is confusing. I'm still getting mostly the same as before, but the fruitiness has morphed. It's more light and ethereal. I also think I'm getting some of the cardamom , and maybe a bit of the rosemary now. The camphor is still pretty strong.

 

Throw: I don't get much as I type, but again, the camphor and incense tend to linger in my nose a bit after I sniff my wrists. I can't get the fruitiness at all if I don't sniff my wrists.

 

Verdict: **** Honestly, I can't decide if I'm going to keep this or not. I didn't get anything I really didn't like, but I'm not sure how often I'm going to wear this. I might also try it in something else, like a room spray or something. I'm curious if I'll get more of the notes that way. I think this imp will go into my second chances pile. It needs another test before I decide what to do with it.

 

Updated 3/6/2014: Second test didn't go quite as well as the first.

 

Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress.

 

In the imp: I'm pretty much getting vetiver out of this one. I think I might go a bit light on it.

 

Wet on skin: Mostly vetiver with a touch of incense. I can kind of get some lavender, but it's hovering way in the background.

 

Dried down: Still mostly dry, bitter vetiver, although some of the fig is coming through in the throw.

 

Throw: Very faint, but I only put it on one wrist, and pretty lightly - so for that, I'd say it's actually pretty strong. The throw is more fig than vetiver, and is actually very pretty.

 

Verdict: *** Not bad, but not for me.

Edited March 6, 2014 by Magycmyste

[milo]

Getting vetiver pretty much the first phase. It's then vetiver and something minty, or herbally. Kind of a mismatched combo, and I'm not really liking it. It's kind of plantlike in a weedy sort of way. Not for me.

[brilliantcat]

Oh wow. The first thing I smell in the imp is flowers. Sweet flowers. Then I get sweet, sweet, sweet. Must be the fig. It certainly evokes the airiness of the inspiration! I'm intrigued. Freshly applied, it's the sugariest lemonade ever. Still that major punch of SWEET with some hints of sour. Not at all what I expected but not unpleasant by any means. Slowly that sweetness is tempered by the patchouli and this blend is drawn to the earth. I'm having difficulty picking out the other notes which isn't surprising considering just how many there are! I like this stage quite a lot but I suspect like its namesake, this Nephilim is more than it appears. I'm not disappointed as I'm dragged back into the air by light wafts of tamarind (I think) and perhaps the lemon, but this is not the sweet lemon of earlier, this is tart and refreshing. Surprise! It's morphing again. And again, I can't make out specific notes but just a general feel and it's somehow light yet grounded, floating with one foot on the ground. Definitely holding on to my imp and I may even consider a bottle. I love the way it changes and drags me on a rollercoaster of scent from high in the sky, down to terra firma, and back up again.

[KakashiMorph]

This imp is aged. Also my nose is runny so my sense of smell is somehow diluted.

 

In the bottle: Mmm vetiver green. So, vetiver and cypress, maybe?

On my skin: The vetiver immediately comes out to play, strong but rounded. After a minute or so I detect something sweet coming to bubble in the surface that reminds me of berries.

Drydown: Hints of vetiver, I think, but mostly berries. Are we sure there are no raspberries in this?