Incubus

[milo]

Spectral white musk and the heart-stopping chill of sheared mint, fanned by caramel-touched body heat, and the diabolical sensuality of black musk, nicotiana, and sage.

Ewww, caramel. My least fave note. It is there along with mint (?) and vetiver. Peaking, I see that there is no vetiver, so it must be the musk. This combination is just 'wrong', and with the caramel, pretty much a disaster on my skin. Off to swaps!

[revinn]

Smells like beautiful caramel in the imp; on my skin, it's all celery (the way celery tastes, if that makes sense). BOO.

 

Out of 10: 1

[starfish327]

lab fresh

 

in the imp: mint and chocolate and earth. i'm not sure how i feel about this one.

 

wet: earthy and masculine. i don't want to say that this is rugged or he.avy because it's not, but this is definitely guy all the way.

 

dry: there used to be a commercial that knocked one of the body washes and sprays at young men that went something like "and this is what you wear when you want to smell assertive without reeking." this is like that. it's clean and confident and sexy as all hell. it's definitely masculine but not so heavy that i don't see myself wearing this. yeah i could see how this is an incubus.

 

this has caramel in it? really? i normally amp the sugar in caramel to screeching levels but i'm not getting that from this blend at all.

[donnatron]

Imp: Mint, caramel and tobacco.

 

Wet: Sweet fancy Moses. This is... ungodly. I amp caramel like nobody's business and that is not an exception in Incubus. This is downright gross. Amped up caramel with furry musk and a little mint. It smells like a dog dipped in caramel. Yikes.

 

Dry: Good news for some... maybe... This smells exactly like Red Lantern on my skin. Because it smells like amped up super sweet caramel and a little tobacco. This is funky. Tooth achingly funky. I wasn't really expecting the world from this blend but I was expecting it not be so... there aren't really words for what this is. Just kind of gross. Not working with my chemistry at all.

 

Throw: Huge, of course.

 

Overall: No. This is just... no, basically. Does not work at all on my skin and the combination of notes is so weird and wonky that I really have no suggestions or ideas on similar blends or ways this would work. An epic failure on my chemistry.

[Ashmedai]

Mrrrr...this turns to pure, sweet, warm caramel on my skin, with a touch of sage that smells a bit like marijuana, and something else, darker and deeper. It makes me think of curling up against a very sophisticated and elegant man, and feeling a rush of warmth, just before a thrill of apprehension makes the hairs in my nape prickle, because I sense he's very bad news indeed, and means business. This scent is freaking hot!

 

 

[Tirzah]

I ordered an imp of this in my most recent order--the combination of mint and musk sounded like an intriguing one, but in my haste to put this one on the wishlist I don't think I really noticed the caramel in the description. Like some of the reviewers from a while back, I don't seem to get any mint at all out of this one--but I do get lots and lots of caramel. Yummy caramel. With the musk and the sage (I think--not sure I've got the most nuanced of noses), the caramel is tempered so it doesn't become too sweet or foody. But I definitely still feel...lickable.

 

This isn't a scent I would have imagined liking with all of the caramel coming out on my skin, but I'm finding it really hard to keep my wrist away from my nose. I'm not sure it's a scent that I'd wear all of the time, but this is a wonderful scent to have in the arsenal--especially in cooler weather. And frankly, the more I sniff as I write, the more I'm thinking that I could be wrong about this not being an all the time scent. It's starting to feel pretty addictive. At any rate, I'm finding myself very happy about my misreading of the description. A bottle might need to be in the next order...

[hkhm]

imp: musk and, oddly, nicotiana. it's usually not a note i can smell so strongly.

 

wet: this is sweet and sharp all at once. the caramel is softening the nicotiana and musk but there's still a jagged scent behind it all.

 

dry: this is a sweetened black musk and nicotiana scent, kinda like a male version of black temple burlesque troupe.

[animalcule]

Incubus made me realize the lab's caramel note is great on me! The mint here is also very nice... and I love sage, although I can't smell it here.

 

Unfortunately I loathe smoky scents and this is too smoky for me. Won't wear it again.

[komakat]

Of all the scents I've tried, I wanted to like this one the most.

 

Imp: I smell... maple syrup? All other notes must still be hiding somewhere.

 

On wet: Maple... syrup. Sickeningly sweet. I should know better than to try something with caramel. Everything turns sweet on me.

 

Dry: I kept it on, hoping that those other notes, the ones I loved, would show up. No luck for me. Stupid skin amped the caramel to the point where people around me thought I may have rolled around in my breakfast.

 

I left it on all day, just wishing I would catch a whiff of something, but by the end of the day was sick to my stomach from the syrup smell. Maybe I'll give this one to my mother. She loves all things caramel.

 

Damn.

[angelicruin]

White musk, nicotiana, and caramel notes predominant on me. Caramel note is not foody though and blends so beautifully with the other notes. I am surprised by how much I like this scent.

[plainjean]

In the imp, it smells very strongly of caramel, but with a little edge to it. I assume this is probably due to the other components in this oil.

 

On my skin, it stays very true to the scent in the imp for most of the time. Sticky caramel smoothed out by nicotiana and the musks, but with a little bite from the mint. I think the sage is mingling with everything, as well.

 

This scent is..it's just wow. It's smooth and creamy and slightly foody, but dark and oh-so-sexy. It's like Beth bottled up a really, really good-smelling man. One you don't want to meet in a dark alley. But if you do, he'll seduce you and take you back to his gothic-style mansion and..well.

 

Ironically, I find this works really well as a bedtime scent. And I think it will also be perfect for winter months, when it's cold out and I need something very warm to keep me sane.

 

One more thing to note: This scent lasts for HOURS. Seriously. I put it on around noon, and I was still catching whiffs of faint, smoky caramel at around 10 PM that night. I may need to get a bottle of this at some point.

Edited August 17, 2010 by plainjean

[SophieCedar]

white + black musk & sage hit me first, when applied... nose away from wrist. Further into wet, there's definite strong caramel, sweet buttery and dark.

Drydown: the caramel has burned off a little and nicotiana has come out. Smells more manly as the drydown furthers. Morphs hugely! Now it's mint, nicotiana, a touch of gray musk (yes I guess that's what you get when the black and white musks are mixed) and lingering caramel. Starts out sweet & inviting.. ends musky and doleful. Bizarre but fun!

[Monday]

For some reason this doesn't smell as sexy as promised (well it *is* called Incubus). I got a pipe smoking old man out of this.

[Drarra]

My skin loves to amp sweet notes. Let's start out with that as a disclaimer.

 

In the imp: There is a caramel-edged mint and sage over a base of pale musk. This could be quite lovely.

 

Wet: Minty, musky... caramel?

 

Dry: Caramel. Nothing else, just sweet, drippy caramel. Apparently the other notes were too delicate to survive the traditional amping of the sweetness.

 

I was disappointed. This promised a unique, interesting blend, but my skin chemistry ruined it. For the record, the caramel is a nice smell... but not what I want to smell like.

[Suu4LC]

Ooo I love white musk, mint and caramel, but not sure about black musk and nicotiana...I like the smell of sage but not in perfoom...I am actually curious as to how this would smell.

 

In the imp I mostly smell caramel and black musk. A very naughty, sexy RAWR caramel.

 

On my skin I get more of the mint and sage. Yum! This is super sexy caramel-caramel is definitely the strongest note-with some dark musk for sure, offset by the bright mint-definitely get the sage in there too which somehow...just works really well in this. It reminds me of the caramel in Agraht-Bat-Mahlat. On drydown, it actually smells a LOT like Agraht-Bat_malaht. Same kind of caramel-if I didn't have that blend (which I do like better) I would probably want a bottle of this. Sexy dark musky caramel mmmmm!!

[primadonna]

Out of the imp: ohmygawsh, CELERY! It was the first thing that came to mind before reading similar reviews. After I get over the celery scent, all I can smell was sage.

 

Dry on my skin: Musky sage with a tang of sweetness. I really don't smell the mint on my skin, but I do get some sort of tobacco smell.

 

I am so sad this scent wasn't meant for me; I was sooo looking forward to it!

[calivianya]

I got mint, caramel, black musk, and sage from this, until I read the other reviews that said celery. Now I can't get the idea that this smells like celery out of my head. The combination of those notes really does smell like celery to me, albeit celery with some kind of sweetener, like caramel dipping sauce. Overall, I like this blend, but now I'm not sure I'll be able to break the celery association.

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: minty caramel, which is not a good combination despite those two things being perfectly lovely on their own. it reminds me of burnt sugar, with the black musk (which just smells like opium to me) giving it a head shop vibe. there's something smoky (nicotiana?) and dangerous, like a fire burning out of control. the undertones give it a haunted house feel, like late Halloween nights when you're enjoying being scared.

 

On my skin: the caramel turns into more of a burnt sugar-musk on me, with the mint going away entirely. I like the caramel-ness of it, but there's just a bit too much charred scent to it for my taste. the musks keep it from being too sweet, which is nice considering what it smells like at first. definitely an unusual blend, and things that I wouldn't have thought to pair with one another.

 

Last thoughts: sugar burning out of control with a deep scary black musk. almost masculine in the musk. and having read other people's reviews, I have to concur - CELERY! a bit of a haunted celery, but celery nonetheless.

Edited June 16, 2011 by frecklestars

[Circaea]

Mint, caramel and tobacco. My god, I love this one. One drop on my wrist, and I'm instantly a sexy, slimy wicked car salesman. I turn my diamond pinky ring and check the pockets of my Armani suit: cigarettes, gold lighter, cocaine vial, flask, breath mints. I'm one amped up,smoked out, high-flyin' minty-fresh sales machine. I am one dangerous, sexy sociopath. Watch out, world!

 

Incubus totally channels my inner evil animus. I'll try to be careful with this one, but I can't promise the power won't go to my head.

 

ETA: after wearing this for a day, I began to feel woozy and a little sick, like I'd been gambling, drinking, whoring, smoking, sweating and schmoozing all day. As I had been doing none of those things, I lay the blame on Incubus. After the hangover wore off, I swore never to wear Incubus again. It was an interesting scent binge. But not one I wish to repeat.

Edited July 16, 2011 by Circaea

[Christabel]

Second review. Yay.

 

In the bottle: I get prdominantly the caramel and musk with a smidge of sage.

 

Wet: The caramel stays and the nicotiana comes through. I was worried I wouldn't like that, but I do. so all is good. It's a very sweet and warm scent.

 

On drydown: It goes very smokey on me which mixes wonderfully with the caramel. It smells a bit like fudge. I don't really get any of the mint which is probably why this is such a warm scent on me.

 

It makes me think of a fair in winter with stalls of roasted and sugared nuts and coming inside to warm up at a fire place.

 

This is one to keep well for cold winter days as it's so warm and comforting.

[Kamanjah]

Received frimp from BPAL. In the imp, it is a pale yellow in color and smelled like some sort of root that I just couldn't quite place.

 

Wet on skin: that same scent I couldn't quite put my finger on (after reading the reviews - it's celery!) This oil is quite thin, so I applied more than I usually would because it was soaking into my skin really fast. The celery scent faded quickly and I could smell the black musk and sage with just a hint of mint.

 

10 minutes later - tobacco, the musks (much more black than white) and a wee bit of sage. The mint is gone.

 

30 minutes later - tobacco is doing a solo, but sage interrupts every so often for a quick dance. Caramel never showed up.

 

Note: my skin amps tobacco like crazy. Fortunately I do like the fragrance, as does DH.

 

If I didn't have so many tobacco scents already, I might be tempted to buy a bottle. I've discovered that sandalwood heavy scents layer well over tobacco heavy scents on me.

[Ghost of a Rose]

Thank you for the lovely frimp, labbies!

 

In the imp: Oil is clear and pale greenish yellow. The first scent I notice is mint. Then the musk, tobacco, and sage. No caramel yet.

 

On me, wet: Sharp and astringent. The tobacco is very strong, with the mint coming in at a close second. This is the most authentic tobacco note of any of the BPAL blends that I've tried. It smells exactly like a torn-apart cigarette. There is an underlying yet fairly strong men's-cologne scent, but the tobacco and mint make it distinctly different from any department store cologne for men.

 

On me, just dried: Some of the tobacco has evaporated, along with most of the sharpness. They are both still present, but softer. Now the mint is strongest, but it is a gentle sweet spearmint rather than a piercing peppermint. And a beautiful floral scent is coming in - it must be the sage and white musk. The overall impression is leaning toward a more feminine fragrance. I can pick up the caramel now if I try really hard - it is very subtle, just enough to add a deeper nuance without any foodiness.

 

After 30 minutes: Tobacco and mint, with an undertone of the florals.

 

After 1 hour: Pretty much all tobacco, with a tiny hint of caramel, and maybe black musk? It smells a lot better than it sounds! The floral-like note never became strong enough, nor did it last long enough, to edge this into a feminine (or really even a unisex) scent; and now that note is gone.

 

After 2 hours: Up close, the scent is the same as above. But the throw, and the scent hovering around my clothing, is all caramel.

 

After 5 hours: The scent is still there, and even still seems to have a bit of throw. It's now a soft tobacco with hints of caramel. Like a really nice pipe tobacco.

 

Later ETA: Of all the BPAL scents I've tried, this is one of the longest-lasting (maybe the longest-lasting) on my skin.

 

Verdict: A masculine blend that I also like a lot in all of its phases, and will wear occasionally. I would love to smell this on a special man!

 

My rating: 4 stars

 

 

Later edited to add:

2018 frimp fresh from the lab.

 

I'm beginning to realize that I don't care for mint perfumes. I love mint tea, minty desserts, fruit salads or tabouli with mint, and the fresh herb. In other words, I love eating it. I used to grow several varieties of it. But as a perfume, all I can think is that I smell like toothpaste.

 

There's also a pipe tobacco vibe that is quite lovely to sniff, but I prefer to smell like a woman. Not that I think women shouldn't, or don't, smoke pipes. I just happen to love feminine perfumes.

I would love it on a man. But without the toothpaste.

 

More than 12 hours after application, a bit of frangrance still remains on my wrist. It's the pleasant baby-powder-but-even-better scent that white musk tends to finish with on my skin.

 

Very interesting, and represents the theme so well. I'll keep it for occasional wearing around the house just for fun. But wouldn't wear it in public.

Edited August 25, 2018 by Ghost of a Rose

[MuskWitch]

Out of the imp: ohmygawsh, CELERY! It was the first thing that came to mind before reading similar reviews. After I get over the celery scent, all I can smell was sage.

 

Dry on my skin: Musky sage with a tang of sweetness. I really don't smell the mint on my skin, but I do get some sort of tobacco smell.

 

I am so sad this scent wasn't meant for me; I was sooo looking forward to it!

 

 

I am SO GLAD several other folks smelled the CELERY too! I've only sniffed it from the bottle (yep, I bought a bottle, it sounded so good), and all I got was CELERY. I thought I must have a bad nose, being new to BPAL. I'm learning a lot! I will try this on my skin eventually, just to see what happens. I have several other much more attractive things to try first.

[turtlejen]

There's a leathery, smokey, sweet smell out of the bottle. Caramel! Yes, musks, sure, but that caramel is what strikes me first.

 

I really liked it on. It lasted for hours and I enjoyed it the whole time. Trying to decide if this is a MUST HAVE or if I'll just be happy to have experienced it.

[Incendiare]

This is a bit strange. The unconventional blend of mint, caramel, and sage has a weird twang. The caramel especially seems a bit lost. Wet, the caramel is even stronger, and more like a minty caramel. At this point, not bad but not how I'd like to smell. A few minutes later, nevermind. The medicinal quality of the mint and sage is making a comeback and now all three notes are almost evenly balanced, although the sage trails slightly behind the other two. I actually don't like caramel but not in this blend. It just doesn't work.