Troll

[persianmouse]

A lurching, hateful, bitter scent. This is a gruesome blend of ghastly greens and blacks: vetiver, pine pitch, troll musk, black basil, clove smoke, and scorched cumin.

Troll smells of smoke and rocks. I can't get anything else from it. It's exactly what a troll should smell like, but it's not something I would wear as a scent. For I am not a troll, but a dainty little fairy, dammit.

[Reaver]

This is thick, bitter and foresty without being toilet-cleaner-ish. The vetiver is delicious and it has that burnt note from Brimstone that I find so delicious. The burnt spices make it quite acrid, again like Brimstone. I agree that this is like the storm that put out the fire of Brimstone. This is a mystical forest, dark green and not haunting. More violently real and horrific.

 

Conclusion - I HATED this in the imp and washed it off in seconds on my first test. I'm glad I tried it twice.

7/10

[theseagrows]

i figured i was gonna love or hate this one! when vetiver works for me it REALLY works, when it doesn't it REALLY doesn't. at first troll is really strong vetiver, smoke and pine, and that's all i get. however, soon after it dries it blossoms into a beautiful, earthy scent. the musk and clove come through and sweeten the other notes quite a bit. it kind of reminds me of tarot: death from memory, which is another vetiver scent i like, but i'll have to try them side by side to determine differences. fab scent! i am so glad it worked on me

Edited June 5, 2008 by theseagrows

[bombus]

I just get smoke, pine and vetiver. The pine is kind of taking over and not in a good way. I don’t think it is working on me, it isn’t bad it just isn’t good.

[LadyLuckless]

Oh my goodness this is staggeringly hateful on me! On my skin it turned to Irish Spring soap buried in something putridly rotten and burnt. And it wouldn't let go! I washed my wrists twice, then again using a combination of Lush's Lily Savon soap, Dove soap, St. Ives Apricot Scrub and followed with Dream Cream. That finally killed it.

[ClareN]

I've wanted to try this ever since it was first added to the catalogue. At the time people were saying that the description could just as easily apply to the Internet variety of troll, which amused me greatly. Plus, I like vetiver, musk and dark smoky scents. Pine was the one note I was worried about, since I rarely find a pine scent that works on me, but this is one of the rare exceptions (along with Golden Priapus and Thanatopsis - so if you like those, pay attention ).

 

Freshly applied: I can clearly smell pine, vetiver and black musk. These notes blend together beautifully, the vetiver and musk making the pine smell mild, sweet and spicy-resinous instead of the strong "bathroom cleaner" scent I usually get from pine. There's a bit of an earthy note too, and from time to time I am sure I smell a hint of that lovely coconut-and-dirt note from Death Cap.

 

Drydown: The clove comes out and it gets sweeter - much sweeter and fresher than I expected based on the notes. Seriously, it smells almost like fruit salad at this stage: peaches and pineapple with cloves. Call me crazy, but it has a similar feel to the scent of Lush's Jungle conditioner, which is a very good thing. This is probably just the pine pitch and clove turning sweet on my skin, so YMMV. But on me, it's all golden-sweet fruity pine resin and cloves with vetiver and dark musk playing a smaller role in the background. It's one of those hard-to-describe well-blended scents where various interesting notes keep popping in and out.

 

Later drydown: This morphs a lot. It starts to smell almost incensy, with the smoke, musk and vetiver coming out more strongly. It's much less sweet at this stage, all serious dark resins and musk. That's still very good, though.

 

Verdict: I test a lot of scents that have a great stage at the beginning but later turn flat with my skin chemistry, and I usually get impatient and don't end up keeping those around. This one, though, I love at every stage. I'm not sure if I need a bottle yet since I haven't worked out when I should wear these piney scents (bushwalking? camping? Yule parties?) but the imp will definitely be getting some wear.

[clawsight]

Troll!

 

This helped me figure out what the note was that sent my mind straight to Lowe's in Black Annis -- vetiver. From the moment I cracked open the imp I could tell the two had something in common and yup! Vetiver.

 

In this scent the vetiver seems to be more appropriate than Black Annis. The clove smoke really evens it out.

 

In the imp: Pine! Though not overpowering -- with clove smoke and dirty vetiver and a hint of musk. This is a very dark, masculine scent for me. It makes me think of a furry chested, man who lives alone in the woods, axe slung over his shoulder and a massive wolf-like dog curled by the fire. He spends his days in his small log cabin living in peace with nature, but some times on cold nights he wishes for a girl to cuddle with.

 

Wet: Even though this screams masculine to me I am putting this on. The things I do for science. Anyway. The dark feral musk and clove/cumin come to the forefront on me, while the pine and vetiver decide to play nice in the background. This is still definitely a mountain scent though -- I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains and this reminds me of them at night.

 

Dry: About the same as a wet -- a little less throw to it. Everything is blending very well and the musky-clove-cumin-smoke is still in the foreground with a background of pine and vetiver. I... I want to cuddle with this scent.

 

Verdict:

Masculine and feral. Definitely sending this one to the boyfriend.

 

4.7 out of 5 lovely mountain men

 

Oop! Quick edit: I got this as a frimp from the lab and neglected to mention it so uhm mentioning it now. THANK YOU TO THE LABBIES.

Edited July 13, 2008 by clawsight

[porcelina]

i amp pine like crazy and so while when troll first goes on it is very dark and smokey (and with wayyyy too much vetiver for my tastes) after a few minutes it is PINEPINEPINEPINE. i love pine but i have enough blends that turn to pine sn on me so off to the swaps it goes.

[starwild]

Wow, this isn't hateful at all to me. It's a warm, dark spicy scent, slightly mysterious and reminiscent of a troll's cave in a forest. In fact, this doesn't smell like the troll at all, more like the troll's plundered riches. Big blast of clove with a sniff of pine and a low-key mumble of vertiver. It's resiny and pretty soft, not harsh.

 

In a way it reminds me of Port Royal.

 

Really like this one, possible big bottle on the wishlist.

[anardana]

This one is much too savoury for me.. I primarily smell the basil and cumin. Too dinner-food-y!

[galahad]

In The Bottle

I have been trying to figure out what the scent in this is that I really, really know and love. And it's basil! Should have looked at the listing of notes.

 

On Application

Pine and basil. Not as strong as I expected

 

Dry Down

This has the freshness of pine and the spiciness of basil, cumin and clove. An interesting blend. I think I am loving it.

 

Rating

4.5

[ErinZ]

I thought I would despise this scent, but I think I like it.

 

All throughout (wet in imp, wet on skin, and drydown), it smelled of spicy, smoky evergreen. As it dried and wore on, the musk developed. It's not a "pretty" scent, but it is earthy and comforting. I like it on myself, but I think it would be nearly impossible to resist on a man.

[rayvn1]

Hooboy do I love this scent! It's like Nocnitsa with balls. I thought I would get a Hobbit-troll feel from this, but it really makes me nostalgic for a trip to Norway I took a few years ago. They were pretty obsessed with trolls in their folk culture and after smelling this I could picture a big hulking monster stomping out of the forested hills and yelling RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!

 

So basically I love it

 

I do tend to go for the masculine scents and this one is not for the faint hearted or those who love subtle scents. It doesn't dig its fingers into your nose like Black Annis though there is a little bit of that "good stench" feel. If you love the dark, piney scents seriously consider giving this guy a try.

[Iceblink]

Oddly foody. I had this pegged as a dirt-and-woods scent but the basil and clove and cumin make it spicy and almost sweet. The vetiver is most noticeable when it's wet and then the spices and a bit of pine take over. Not at all like I imagined it! But not bad either.

[Hawke]

Earthy for sure. Can smell "dirt" (vetiver?) and pine.

 

Wet on skin, the pine speaks up a little more. I'm getting a vague peanut butter scent out of this one, but it comes underneath a spicy topnote, which is …weird. Not bad, but definitely weird. The longer this settles, the less earthy it becomes, and it turns into an almost-foody scent. I definitely get the smoky clove and pine, but the vetiver (and thankfully, the peanut butter) are gone. I was not expecting to like this, based on the sniff from the imp, but I may be changing my mind.

 

Dry, this is still very spicy but still very pleasant as well. I'm not sure that I need a bottle, but I'll keep my imp and give it some thought.

[ReikoSazanami]

In imp: Bitter and dark pine trees, with something burned and smoky in the background. The musk is an undercurrent so far.

 

Wet on skin: The same smoky pine with the herbals coming through. A spicy note is coming through now, and I think it’s the cumin. Overall it’s very black and dank, a wet forest. There’s a slight citrus bite in it, and I think that’s the vetiver!

 

Drydown: Pine pitch and deep musk, but not enough to make this a guys-only blend. It’s still the deep woods, but with a fire…and something tending it far off. The clove comes in about twenty minutes later, adding a strange undercurrent of sweetness.

 

Overall: It fits a troll perfectly my mind. The scent is chilly and rocky and captures the scent of the woods perfectly. I don’t know what is in troll musk, but I’m enjoying it. Definite bottle!

[thomasblackthorne]

What an interesting little creature, or big, depends on your vision of a troll I guess.

 

It started out very piney with a bitter undercurrent, unnameable as of now. I like the musk note, surprisingly. It later wafted into a beautiful delicate scent on me, a bit girly, but very elegant almost...not what I expected at all.

[TPOD]

Happily, the lab frimped Troll in my latest order, because I probably would have never gotten around to ordering it on my own.

 

It is not as dark and fearsome as the description would have you believe. Actually, it is a pleasant, soft green scent that is very grounded. It reminds me of a damp conifer forest floor. It does seem a bit foody, but that's not my first impression.

 

This scent would be marvelous on a man, nice as a room scent (especially if you happen to have a lodge or cabin), and daring and unique on a woman.

[jehrichardson]

OO! It starts out smoky and piney. Yum!! If I dig a bit I can get the cumin - that sort of delicious body odor smell. Mmmm!

 

Ack... now the vetiver is surfacing a bit. This usually turns into Deep Woods Off bug spray on me.

 

Wow, there is something so soft and warm about this. I'm really diggin' it. I must be a fan of troll musk.

 

The clove/basil is hard to notice.

 

I never thought I'd describe trolls as sexy, but here ya go. This is sexy body odor (musk and cumin) and campfire (smoke and pine). The vetiver hasn't bug sprayed on me yet, so this one looks like a keeper. Yay!

[themerrybaker]

What a bunch of ASSHATS in this thread!! I'm giving up BPAL FOREVER!!! I'm not gonna VOTE, just to make you feel baaaad!!

 

 

Oops, not really, just getting my internet Troll on.

 

The BPAL Troll is a lot nicer, but still does me dirt in the early stages - the cumin gets a bit gamey and overcomes the nice little herbal-woodsy ranger-boy thing that was going on.

 

The final dry-down is very smooth and reminds me a bit of cake batter with the fireplace crackling away in the background. I like the way the oil ends up, but it is definitely in the "you have to be patient" camp.

[Angelbaby]

Fierce! Very strong, very smoky pine. Very “natural”, not like perfume. I like it though, it’s quirky. And I wore it when I went to a "jungle" costume party and it felt very appropriate.

[kjirstiben]

I thought Troll was going to be scary... in anticipation of being knocked off my feet by a tsunami of vetiver and smoke, I applied this oil with a very sparing hand. I'm glad to say that I needn't have--Troll was delightful and I wished all day that I had more of it on!

 

Initially on, I smell vetiver, spices, and deep evergreens. As it's on it starts to sweeten up to an almost Christmassy scent (like a candle?). Interestingly, something in here almost reminds me of the chloriney smell you get from swimming in a pool.

 

Over time, this turns into spices and greens. Someone who went by and smelled me said it was "pretty" and thought the name was odd for something that girly. (Though at times I turn scents really sweet--that might be what has happened here.)

 

I really like what I get from Troll--it's a sweet, spiced evergreen scent, very much a Christmas with spices in the air and a Douglas Fir in the living room window. I imagine that as the Yule season gets going, I might find some use for this.

 

One note: I found that the skin where I'd applied this burned a teensy bit for the first half-hour or so. I wasn't sure if I was imagining it or not. Not worth missing this delightfulness for, though!

[crebbsgirl]

Initally when I first put this on, there was a waft of basil that scared the crap outta me. It faded and blended with the other notes fairly quickly though. Troll ended up being a dark scent, mainly vetiver and pine pitch. There was a smokiness here, and I only got faint catches of the clove smoke and scorched cumin. It overall a rather smoky and dry blend. I'd like to smell it on a boy, but I don't think it's for me.

[zankoku_zen]

This one is a dark blend! I get the smoky bacon/vetivert with an edge of pine but it turns into smoky bacon and sexy musk. Go figure.

[Monster]

Hehe. First of all, I love Trollgirls review. I too, play a Troll in WoW (Shaman to be more specific). Blood and thunder!

 

Troll the perfume....

 

Out of the vial this is a subdued vetiver with something else...not sure yet.

 

On my skin this is surprisingly mild! I'm getting a teeny teeny bit of vetiver mixed with basil. This such a unique scent! I don't think I've smelled anything quite like this before!

There's a spice cabinet feel about this, not something you have in your kitchen though...like an old wooden box kept by an old witch who lives alone in the woods....she keeps her fresh herbs and spices in little glass jars. It's a natural, earthy scent...not something you're likly to find around your own home. This is otherworldly to me.

 

As this dries I'm detecting a bit more vetiver (which is great since I love me some vetiver!). I think the basial and cumin are playing together to give this a slightly sweet quality.

This is suprisingly mild and wears as sort of a second skin. Troll skin! (sorry couldn't resist )

 

I am in love this one. I can't wait to see how it ages, I'd love for it to get a bit stronger and have more staying power. Even with it's short life, I love it just the same

Edited February 5, 2009 by Monster