Isaac, the Living Skeleton (2006)

[Heretic]

To your side, you hear a man's deep whisper, “Slowly I turned... inch by inch... step by step....” A scream interrupts him, and a roar of laughter pulses through the shadowed hall. Following the commotion, you move to the next stage. A bone-thin man moves across the stage, and sits upon an overstuffed, threadbare armchair. A battered violin is propped against the chair's side. The audience starts to dissipate, and you realize that you must have just missed his performance. Relaxing, he reclines lazily, and as the light falls on his face, you come to realize that he is truly skeletal: a thin membrane of skin covers most of his body, but in many places, bone is completely exposed. He winks at you, and chuckles at your obvious discomfiture. The sweet smoke from his cigar touches your senses, and you hear the soft clink of the ice as he swirls the bourbon in his tumbler.

“Late for the show, are ya, friend? I'll tell you a quick one, and then you'd best skedaddle. I have better things to do than sit here and be gawked at all night.” He takes a swig from his tumbler.

“A man goes to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist says, ”˜I think you're crazy.' The man says, ”˜I want a second opinion.' The psychiatrist says, ”˜Alright, you're ugly, too.'”

His attention is diverted by a scantily clad woman in the audience beside you, and he leers at her. “Hello, nurse!” he growls, and leans towards her lecherously. “How's about you come back to my dressing room, and I show you my stamp collection?”

Bourbon, tobacco, dry bone, bay rum aftershave, and sleazy cologne.

In the bottle: Wow. Booze and cologne.
On my wrist, wet: Bay rum, sweet tobacco
After 20 minutes: Slightly dusty remnants of Bay rum. More powdery than anything else. It's a thin scent.
After 40 minutes: Alas, Isaac is gone. My skin devoured him and after a half hour I was sniffing frantically for anything more than a faint trace of powder. Hopefully, this is just my chemistry and he won't pull a disappearing act on everyone.

[QueenFae]

Whoa! Bourbon! Booze, booze and more booze! A very dry and sharp scent, definitely sleazy, masculine, and bar drunk. There is a thin hint of the tobacco, and it smells more like tobacco leaf than smoke. It's more spicy/sharp than smoky/deep.

 

On the dry down: the "sleazy cologne" note shows itself a little more. The sharpness of the alcohol isn't quite so in your face any more, and it settles into a less frantic and shocking blend. This is an undeniably strong blend with tons of throw. It's screaming "I've been swimming in a bottle of bourbon for the last 5 hours!"

 

Well not quite my thing, but certainly unique in its own right. Boozey blend lovers: here ya go!!

[Little Bird]

I've put off trying Isaac because the tobacco frightened me. I don't really like the Living Skeleton, but it's such a light scent on me that it doesn't bother me or make me hate it either. I'm just sort of 'meh' about the whole thing.

 

Mostly this is an incredibly dry, powdery scent on my skin with hints of a dirty grittiness lingering in the background that I am attributing to the tobacco. It wants to be a sharp man's cologne on my skin, but is too dry to fully give off that impression.

 

Like cheap men's cologne that has been layered in dust and sitting around in tobacco smoke for a while. I thought that the boozy notes might give it more life, but it stays bone dry and bland on me. Thankfully, this is a light scent on me and fades pretty quickly.

[edenssixthday]

Isaac, The Living Skeleton - Another reviewer noted this is a "thin" scent. That is a perfect description. It's very thin and oddly grounded and ethereal at the same time (a paradox, yes -- but it's true!) This smells like dust and sweet booze. The dust isn't bad, as I had anticipated. It's dry and herbal-like. Still, this isn't a blend I'll wear again, but I'm glad to have discovered that my preconceived notions about this scent were blown completely out the window. I think for someone who likes dusty, dry, yet sweet scents, this will be perfect.

[mountainwitch]

The tobacco and bourbon made for a very rich, dark combination on me, almost chocolatey. The "sleazy cologne" made things a touch too sweet, and bay rum usually strikes me as very masculine.

 

However, I wouldn't say Isaac is necessarily masculine scent. Two of my friends, one male and one female, tried it simultaneously. Both of them have very similar chemistries; what one wears, the other can usually wear as well. On the woman, it started out too strong and heavy, but within about fifteen minutes it had settled into something sweet, intriguing, sexy. On the man, it was less sweet; more of the masculine bay rum scent "popped" . . . Same scent, similar chemistry, but on him it was undeniably a powerful masculine scent.

 

Looking at the small number of reviews for this one so far, it looks like some fans may be a little leery of trying Isaac, but if you're curious I would definitely recommend giving this one a shot. You might be surprised . . . There's just no telling what might happen if you dance with the Living Skeleton!

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: bourbon, tobacco, and something chocolatey

 

wet: wow pure bourbon, like sniffing a glass of bourbon

 

as it dries, i am getting whatever is giving me the chocolate impression again...very weird cause this smells like bliss w/ bourbon and tobacco leaf thrown in. i am not getting cologney scent, or even masculine. this is warm, cozy, perfect for sitting here in my pj's looking out at the blizzard outside. which is what i am doing

 

eta: after a loooong time this does quite a morph and goes from chocolatey "bliss" to hod....i kid you not. my chemistry must be on crack or something

Edited February 15, 2007 by shelldoo

[Thursdae]

Isaac is a scent that didn't appeal to me in the imp, but a few minutes on my skin brought out a sweetness that was neither foody nor floral. I will wear what I have, and see which way my feelings go—more toward enjoyment or more toward indifference. It's fun to have a scent to try that is not a simple love or loathe, but leaves itself open for my taste to develop.

[wikkidraven]

i wasn't brave enough to try the living skeleton myself, because i'm not very good with the more masculine blends, especially if they contain tobacco or leather. so this one is based on what's coming off my boyfriend, who despite a moment of hesitation in regard to smelling like 'booze and fags' slathered himself in the stuff willingly enough.

 

and indeed, it IS booze and cigarettes...LOTS of booze. this one is very interesting, but faded pretty fast. i'm thinking with a lot of the new scents that i have, a little aging will go a long way.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: booze and sweet tobacco.

 

Wet: booze, tobacco and bay rum.

 

Dry: the bourbon seems to have flashed off and the remainder is chocolately tobacco with a hint of bay rum. A bit too masculine for me, but I think this would be great on a man who does not want to wear a "cologne-y" scent.

[Em-]

Mmm. I get lots of the good stuff from this - the bourbon, the bay rum, the tobacco...ocassionally I get a whiff of something odd, the aftershave and cologne, I guess, but really, this is almost entirely a rich, wonderful, longlasting spicy boozy delight.

[savage_rose]

At first this smelled like men's aftershave, bourbon and tobacco, and I started laughing because I smelled just like my Dad! But after a few minutes it settles into a complex, light cologne smell...not cheap, only slightly masculine, and I really like it on me. I made my husband try it as well, and it smelled very light and masculine, a little bourbon, a little like a clean cologne.

 

I was afraid this was going to be a "novelty" scent, but I really, really like it. It smells genuinely good on me.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

BOOZE!

 

On me:

Osmanthus? Is that you?? I swear I smell osmanthus in here when it's wet, but I am aware I could be confusing that with the booze + tobacco. For whatever reason, that is how osmanthus smells on me.

 

The bourbon note in this is so strong and mixes so well with the tobacco. The cologne adds a wonderful and playful background, but it never comes off as too masculine on me. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Kali. There is a sweetness to this blend as well that makes me think of honey, and I keep catching whiffs of it now and then when I sniff my arm.

 

The longer this is on me, the more I detect a slightly woody note in there - which could be the "bone" but it's really nice and grounds the sweet booze. This is a really nice scent!

 

Final note:

Definitely unisex in my opinion, I think anyone could wear this and smell great. I ordered this imp for my brother but I had to test it and I'm so glad I did! I'm surprised more people aren't trying and loving Isaac!

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Very foody, almost like buttercream. Maybe it's the bourbon?

On me: Still very foody, but the booziness is coming out now, too. Tobacco underneath. I like this a lot.

[maijasu]

There was something unsettling about Isaac in the imp, and I almost didn't try him on. But on the skin, Isaac blooms into something sweet yet still masculine, with something smooth and almost nutty. Very unique and intriguing. I think I'll keep my decant and try this one a few more times.

[Spring Snow]

Ahhhhhhhhh.... Isaac is SO sexy for me. But then again, I am not the one wearing it. The minute my fiance saw the scent description, he went nuts. He's a bourbon man, so he of course had to have it. Now it's his favorite scent to wear, and my favorite scent to smell on him. I like it best when it has had a work day to mellow on his skin. It becomes a very spicy, kind of boozy, and vaguely sleezy scent with a lot of charm. I just adore it!

[theshapeshifter]

I wasn't sure what to expect of Isaac, but he was totally different than I would have guessed! From the description, I was thinking it would be far boozier, but on my skin it was a dry, dry scent. Warm and leathery with a hint of tobacco and cologne... and usually tobacco is hit-or-miss on me, but it works really well here.

 

Absolutely dead sexy - I could hardly tear my nose away from my wrist.

[slave1]

ISAAC THE LIVING SKELETON

 

In Bottle: Honey

 

On Skin: In the bottle I get a strong honey feel from this scent, which of course I love. On the skin I still get the sweet sticky honey, and I don’t understand since it’s not a note listed. The bourbon comes out strongly and is a beautiful boozy note, nothing too heavy. The tobacco gives a nice spicy smoky backdrop and the bayrun is quite sweet. There is a cologne note, but nothing too perfumey. I love this scent!! It sounds strictly masculine, but is far too sweet for my husband and I really like it on myself. The scent is very light, and it also has a slight herbal note. The scent is very sexy… I would describe it as a honeyed cologne. I’m going to make my hubby try it at least. Light throw and short wearlength on me.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Isaac sounds really delicious, albeit probably too masculine for me, so I'm reviewing with the idea of perhaps passing it on to a guy. Mmm, I like this one. Very warm; I get the bourbon and rum right away, and it's a slightly buttery rum but not too strong (Grog was overwhelming with that). It smells just enough like traditional men's cologne in the base notes that it would be a good intro to BPAL for a guy, but it has a nice twist to it.

[PurringPulsar]

Isaac

 

In the imp: holy crap, alcohol! This smells like straight-up bourbon, nothing added. So boozy!

Wet on skin: still pure bourbon, but now I smell tobacco adding it’s crisp, smoky touch.

Dry: sweet woody tobacco, almost like that of a pipe, with a shot of bourbon, no ice. I was hoping this would be like the sweet bourbon I loved in Juke Joint, but this is different-firstly it’s a much truer bourbon (JJ was more of a sweeter, almost resinous-patchouli boozy scent with mint) and secondly, it smells a little too realistic for me, like I spilt bourbon on my wrist. It’s so alcoholic, I don’t think I should drive wearing this scent! There is a dry, dusty, smoky background to it though…I don’t smell much cologne but it may be that the bay rum is contributing to the alcoholic scent I get here.

After a while: now the booze smells more like light rum than a heavy bourbon, but it’s still very much an alcoholic scent. Only now, I smell more tobacco…but it’s a fresher tobacco than most, it smells almost like there’s cologne there too, but it’s a nice cologne, not a sharp, overwhelming one. The aftershave-splashed tobacco scent is almost like a lighter version of Herr Dross, and there’s a pale, dry dusty scent to it, probably the bone note. But despite its boozy note, it’s a very light, airy scent, thin and transparent as the remaining scraps of skin that attempt to cover Isaac’s bones. It’s actually a very pleasant, almost fatherly-definitely gentlemanly-tobacco scent, but seems a lot fresher and crisper than that of Herr Dross, Hellfire etc, even though it does resemble the pipe tobacco note from those scents. There does seem to be a little more ‘manly perfume’ showing up at the end, as the scent evolves from booze and smoke to become a scent of distinguished, grown up tobacco cologne.

Verdict: this, and Mad Sweeney, are the booziest BPALs I’ve encountered. At first it’s pure bourbon, very alcoholic and woozy, this isn’t the lovely mint julep of Juke Joint here, this is straight up booze. But after some time, this burns off a little and the tobacco comes out, as well as the perfumey notes, and it turns into a light, soft, tobacco cologne. The tobacco note isn’t as heavy as some, this is a crisper, paler tobacco, and the cologne and aftershave notes are surprisingly nice-I was expecting this to smell really perfumey, but the cologne here is very refined and with the tobacco, it gives the impression of a very sophisticated men’s fragrance. It does have a dry, dusty feel to it, which seems apt for the character, and the scent as a whole is subtle at drydown. It’s quite a thin scent, bare and indeed, quite skeletal. So whilst this fits the character perfectly (and I’m impressed at how genuinely alcoholic it smells at first, even if it is too much for me) I think this scent is a little bit too masculine for me to pull off. I’d love to smell this on a guy, but for now I think I’ll swap/sell this.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? No-it’s much too boozy and manly.

If you like this, try: Hellcat, Juke Joint, Hellfire, Herr Drosselmeyer, Carceri D’Invenzione

[eternalargus]

Decant: Bay Rum and tobacco, which makes me nervous as tobacco scents usually turn into cigarette butts on me.

 

On Skin: Spicy Bay Rum, not a hint of tobacco to be seen.

 

 

Dry: Not much different except that the spices have died down a bit, it's pretty much just straight Bay Rum on me.

[Garbazhul]

In the imp: Somehow alcoholic, I smell a little tobacco (like one of my grandfather's pipe tobaccos) and something aftershave like.

 

Wet, right after putting it on: Rum, tobacco and aftershave. Smells good on me, I think. Maybe worth a bottle. A masculine, light scent.

 

30 minutes later: More boozy, the tobacco is as strong as in the beginning. My mom complains I'd smell like a bar.

 

2 hours later: Isaac has become weaker, not powdery, but almost. You're still able to make out the different ingrediences a bit. Very thin though, maybe not worth a bottle, I have to think about that.

 

Edit:

 

5 hours later: Amazing, Isaac has changed from nearly powdery to a quite nice scent; a bit thin, sweet but still masculine, still boozy and a bit of tobacco is to make out.

Edited May 13, 2007 by Garbazhul

[grrrlennyl]

at first: a dry, masculine cologne.

on: this has a bit of a fizzyness to it now. odd. there's also a very dry, earthy note.

2 hours later: a sweet, dry, tobacco scent with something dark underneath.

5.5 hours later: an oddly sweet, powdery, dry scent.

overall: this i definitely interesting, but not something i would wear.

[filigree_shadow]

Bay rum and cologne with a hint of bourbon. I'm not sure if I can smell the tobacco. It's a little sweet right at first, but as it dries down the bourbon comes out a little more and makes it smell interesting.

 

I guess I'm not very good at describing it, but I know I like it. I gave the imp to my husband to try.

[Meg]

In the bottle: bay rum and bourbon, ick

 

Wet: bourbon, very rich, but with something cool beneath it, the bone. Tobacco comes out, fresh and a bit minty.

 

Drydown: booze and tobacco, with hints of cheap cologne and bone. I like the tobacco/booze combo, and it smells rather fresh from the cologne. The bay rum has this almond note that I don't like much, but it's hidden amidst the other things. And still there's this dryness... bone-dryness. Very clever.

 

Overall: it's a rather nice booze scent, and not too masculine, probably wearable by anyone. I like the bone effect, it really does smell like a boozed up skeleton with a cheap cologne. It also resembles Hellfire quite a bit for my nose, and I definitely prefer Hellfire to it, so I wouldn't really keep it.

[naeelah]

Poor Isaac gets no love. This is yet another CD scent that people seem to avoid based on the notes, but is actually quite nice in person.

 

He's very light and aquatic, actually. I didn't have him on for long, because I was getting a headache from trying other stuff on. Wet, I get a lot of bourbon and bay rum, which makes a light but rich boozy scent. There's something almost like tobacco smoke, but maybe that's the aftershave talking. The booze isn't heavy and syrupy, but perhaps that's just the balancing effect of the bone and cologne notes. As it dries, a bit of the "sleazy cologne" note comes out. It's cologney, alright, but it's very light and inoffensive. There's also a neutral, dry note. The first thing that came to mind really was bone, so well done there!

 

In the end, this is a light and almost aquatic cologne with a light boozey undertone. Luckily, the scent isn't as lecherous and overbearing is Isaac himself. It's not as masculine as I expected it to be, so I'd say it's very gender neutral. I'd recommend it to anyone who liked booze notes or light, fresh, aquatic scents.

 

Throw is kind of light and wear length is shorter than average.