Intrigue

[ranyart]

A sultry, exotic scent that inspires devious plotting and clandestine affairs. It is a scent painted in artifice, veiled in deceit, and slithering with whispered secrets. Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes.

In the imp, I get what smells like a dried fig that's just barely been dusted with sweet cocoa.
Wet, it smells like a dark, not-sweet fig, and as it dries there's just enough cocoa to give an extra dimension. I don't specifically know what the palm smells like, but there's a general woody scent wafting about that grounds the blend.

It's just a tiny bit sweet, but not foody at all - more rich than anything. The palm and wood keep the scent dark and very sexy. I spent the first part of the day constantly sniffing myself because I smelled amazing.

My only complaint is that this didn't last longer. After about four hours I could barely smell this on myself! It would be nice to apply if I wanted something just for the evening, but I like to have my scent last most of the day when I'm at work so I can enjoy getting little whiffs of myself throughout the day.

It smells great on me but I can only imagine how sultry and sexy this would smell on a woman. Intrigue strikes me as a good choice for a date where you want to be sexy in an unconventional way.

[alicia_stardust]

This is dark yet sultry, in a decadent way. The fig and cocoa combination is divine, yet it doesn't run off as a foody scent because the dry, dark woods envelop it. I can't quite express what it is that is so neat about this combination, but I know I fell in love with it instantly.

[SeaLady]

A frimp with a trading post order, hooray!

 

This is gentle, creamy fruits on me. After a couple of hours, it turns slightly powdery in a clean and feminine way. I would not have been able to guess at the notes - there are no strong wood inclinations on my skin and I had no idea there was cocoa, but rather it smells like delicate and ladylike figs. It has a similar feeling on me to Siren and Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, which are both creamy and succulent. I like it very much.

[vampkat]

In Bottle: Woods. All woods. I guess that's the cedar.

Wet: Still very woody. I smell the cocoa, but the woods cover it prety strongly (probably because I don't like woody at all)

Dry: This dried down AOT. I cn barely smell it, but what I can smell makes me thing of a secret flower grove in a very woody area. I actually like this a little. I might have to give this one another shot another time.

6 out of 10

[maribouquet]

This is a bitter, soft wood at first, but it dries down in to an almost-honey sweet scent; very smooth with a grounding of fig and just the right touch of wood and cocoa. I'm wearing this on a first date tonight because it's so elegant in a very sexy, understated Sri Lanka sort of way. Thanks for the frimp, labbies! I love it.

[bryghtrose]

Smoky...chocolatey, all together too foody.

[arsenicsauce]

This was a frimp, so I wasn't sure what exactly to expect. Right off the bat I get burnt woods, a little bitter, and then as it dries I smell the cocoa behind it. The two strongest notes seem to be fighting it out instead of melding together, which is interesting.

 

After it's dried a while the fig starts making lots of noise, not fresh juicy fig but very ripe, maybe dried fig. I'm not sure how I feel about this, it's smelling very familiar but I can't put a name to it. The sweet notes aren't really tempering the sharp woody notes so much as coexisting with and/or trying to bury them. I think this one is going in the swap pile.

[anna1850]

Lots of woody notes. Slight sweetness of the fig and cocoa underneath.

 

I might use this to freshen up some potpourri eventually. It reminds me of a library in a Victorian house somehow.

 

2/5

This would make a very good room scent but I can't see wearing it as a normal perfume.

[Josh]

Intrigue has a woody/resinous base to it.. like the varnished teak wood on an old sailboat or church pew (think Cathedral's resins), and the fig really helps to sweeten things.

 

This one is a morpher. After about 30 minutes I am finally detecting the cocoa. It is dry and bitter, just as it should be. I'm also detecting another very deep and subdued note which I presume is the black palm. This is all quite complex, and really lives up to its namesake.

 

This really smells like a more mild Cathedral (wood/resins galore) with cocoa and fig. I really like this one a lot.

[DarthArwen]

I was afraid that the fig would screech over everything, but it actually starts as heavy, bitter rotting wood. There's a tingue of sweet in there somewhere, but covered with.. old leaves? I can't define it, but it's not pleasant. Must be the palm with the wood notes. There's something vaguely plastic about it

After 15 minutes or so itl eases off and I get some more definition and sweetness, fig and cacao. After another 15 minutes this mellows out into a nice, warm skin-scent. A press-nose-against-skin-and-go-mmmm scent. Shame that final stage doesn't stay a bit stronger, it's lovely.

 

[edit September 2008]

I've since put this in a roller bottle and diluted it with 2 parts jojoba oil, and it's much better now - as if the pure oil was too strong and 'compact' and it unfolds when diluted. It now smells lovely from the moment I apply it, and the wear length is reasonable.

Edited September 15, 2008 by DarthArwen

[willowtreeling]

In the bottle this smells nice--I get the cocoa and fig and I don't what the rest of the notes are (I can't really identify them, I mean)...but on me, all I smell is cedar. I went and looked it up and sure enough, wood notes. My skin LOVES cedar. Sadly, I think it smells horrible:( Pity, it smelled nice in the bottle--well, my loss is someone else's gain, I suppose:)

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: some woody notes, some sweet notes. too early to tell, but it reminds me of the kind of cheap incense cabs here in nyc sometimes have.

 

wet on skin: the wood becomes stronger and the fig is coming out in a big way too. it's strange, because they don't seem to want to go together at this point.

 

dry down: the wood settles and the fig becomes more round. i don't get cocoa at all, which saddens me.

 

in all: it's not bad, but with so many other really terrific scents in the BPAL catalogue, i think i'll pass on this one.

 

 

 

[Ravenclaw79]

In the imp: Bleargh. "Shadowy wooded notes," I'm gonna say. Pretty hostile-smelling.

 

Wet: Hm. Still woody, but actually not in a bad way. (I like wood smells, but they always seem to smell rank on me, so so far, this is a surprise.)

 

Drying: Surprisingly warm and nice, figgy and woody without being all sharp and awful like so many woods are on me. And there's a hint of something sorta like suntan oil, which I guess must be the palm. I'm shocked to be liking this one, considering how bad woods usually turn on me. Definitely worth a second test later on (I'm always hesitant to buy a bottle without numerous tests).

[enderfem]

Bottle: Prominent cocoa with some fig thrown in, with an underlying something that I can only describe as sweet darkness and which I think might be the combination of the palm and wooded notes. Lovely and rich and complex.

 

Wet: Wonderful cocoa and fig, with woody undertones. This is one of my favorite scents. The cocoa and fig predominate without it smelling foodie.

 

Drydown: Doesn't really change at all from the wet stage. Also lasts a long, long time.

[CrazyPretzel]

Hmm.... not a wow-er on me; slightly dusty and the fig goes a little bit plasticky. I think I have fig issues.

[voodoocatwoman]

I like this but it is not longlasting on me. I smell cocoa and fig but I can detect a bit of wood too. Nice.

[iiinterstate]

I get mostly smoky wood and fig, and then after drydown the cocoa comes out a little. Its...well...an intriguing blend, but not for me.

[gchris]

In Vial: green florals

 

Wet: This is kind of creamy. Has a coconut waxy smell in the background.

 

Dry: This becomes even more waxy with a light, sweet scent in the background.

[fairnymph]

Light gold oil. Dark, dry, slightly dusty and rather bitter and sharp wood, and lots and lots of it, with tons of the sweet, cloying heavy fruity fig note from Carnal, and a very faint dusting - very faint - of unsweetened cocoa. Rather manly.

 

Softer - less darkly and sharply and wholly woody, but also less of the cloying fig - still plenty of fig but it's more like dried fig now, much less heavily sweet. And I get more cocoa, and it's very lovely and true, though still very light. Overall this scent is even more dry and tending towards dusty on my skin, and it reminds me greatly of Gomorrah, but with loads of CEDAR.

 

That wood is amping up again, making this scent drier and dustier and sharper, yep, it's the CEDAR OF DOOM. The fig has sweetened back up a little more, but the cocoa is holding, is still present. I'd definitely say this feels shadowy and wooded; it also feels really tropical to me for some reason - some black coconut in here, me thinks - I think it reminds me of another scent that is tropical, in addition to being very much like Gomorrah. Maybe Bat of Good Death?

 

More and more dusty and sharp and now a little...spicy? Black pepper? Most of the fig and thus sweetness has faded away, and likewise for the lovely cocoa note - this is all dusty, dusty, very dry and dark, tropical-feeling coconutty CEDAR with that hint of stale incensey, peppery spice. Very masculine, with strong throw and good longevity.

 

 

Not for me.

Edited March 1, 2010 by fairnymph

[mgrazulis]

Cocoa and fig have become my favorite notes!

 

In the imp: smoky cocoa and fig

 

Wet on skin: dried figs dipped in cocoa powder, light aroma ofcedar chips

 

Drydown: Incensy, the cocoa and fig lay beneath the wood. There is some green in here, could be the palm, but it is merely detectible on me

 

Verdict: A dark exotic blend, images of brown, smoky textures, cocoa and fig without sugary sweetness. A bit earthy, but mostly smoldering and sexy. The woods give it edge. This is beautiful on me at each stage. A very noir scent, think Lauren Bacall in The Big Sleep!

[galahad]

In The Bottle

A touch of cocoa with something drier and deeper

 

On Application

Very dry cocoa with a woody note.

 

Dry Down

Very definitely not foody which is a nice surprise. This is so dry and woody with a touch of sweetness. Intriguing, indeed.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

[greenranger]

In the imp, something sweet...fig? Wood, as well, but, I can't tell what kind.

 

Wet, cocoa and wood...not sandalwood like in Velvet, but, some other kind.

 

Drying, the wood has covered up everything else.

 

Sawdust. No cocoa, no fig, just sawdust.

 

---

 

An hour later.

 

It did, finally, sweeten up. The scent doesn't really seem very fig like or cocoa like, though...just...sweet wood shavings.

Edited July 3, 2008 by Aerinha

[Andrea912]

Where is the cocoa? Where is the fig? As usual, my skin pulled the woods notes; all I smell is dark black fairy woods.

[innocent]

Wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one, so I only applied a tiny bit... Fresh on it was entirely cedar on me, not a note I like - my skin turns cedar into hamster cage. I shrugged my shoulders, thought "meh" and went back to work. Half an hour later I started getting hints of this lovely sort of cocoa... and I realized it was the Intrigue. It was very faint, so I decided to apply again, this time a lot more. HAMSTER! The dry down of this is lovely(cocoa and fig), and it's got an unexpected (but very nice) throw. Unfortunately the cedar really ruins the wet stage for me, and the dry stage isn't so superior to other BPALs that I'd be willing to sit through half an hour of hamster cage for it.

[tapestry]

I received this as one of several very generous frimps from BPTP. Of the five (five!), this was the most interesting to me. So on it went!

 

In the imp: Honestly, my nose isn't very refined. I get some medium-level wood notes from this. Nothing outrageous, but I can pick up a hint of bitter chocolate at the end of every whiff I take.

 

On skin, wet: Cocoa and cedar with a "spice" I can't put my finger on but assume is the black palm. It's rich and deep. I picture this on a man and find myself sad that there's no one for me to jump test it on.

 

On drydown: I put this on about three hours ago. I did not expect to love it. The fig comes out to play mid-way through and I want to roll about in tumbled sheets that smell of Intrigue. It is definitely a scent to use on a date when you want to -- surprise -- intrigue. I think of this as a seduction scent, something to be used by a honeytrap. All notes meld together beautifully for me to a point where I have a difficult time telling where one starts and another stops. If I huff my wrist, I get this weird-but-not-unpleasant peppery spike -- as in ground black pepper -- but whiff I get when moving about are just gorgeous and lovely.

 

My final verdict is "ZOMG, love". I hope that this lasts longer than three hours; it's still at a point where I'm catching happy whiffs of myself, but it's also not as powerful as other scents BPAL makes and doesn't have crazy throw.

Edited July 15, 2008 by Tapestry