Tintagel

[Stumbeline]

According to legend, the birthplace of King Arthur. The scent of a castle's great hall in the midst of joyous feasting. Spicy mulled wine flowing through the musky heat, warm leather and bright clash of armor, the damp branches of Cornish hawthorn, blackthorn, juniper, English elm and bayberry, and the magical tingle of dragon's blood resin.

Another one down in my crusade to try all the red wine scents. Tintagel is a very cold-weather scent to me. I get warm spiced wine initially, then as it dries it gets greener with a touch of cinnamon. Unfortunately, something in this blend turns soapy on my skin so it's off to the swap bin. Edited January 23, 2006 by Shollin

[Meg]

In the bottle: Spicy, sweet yet medicinal. I think it's mulled wine, juniper and dragon's blood that I can smell.

 

Wet: The juniper comes to the front first, but everything warms up very fast with musk and leather, and spices waft to the front with a hint of wine. Dragon's blood is there with it slightly fruity scent, too.

 

Drydown: The scent becomes discrete now, mostly with the juniper and a metallic smell coming back. It's woodsy, but wet woods, not dry. There's very clear Dragon's blood now, perhaps the most obvious note, with a slight dryness from the leather and coolness of metal. Finally the wine returns with a berryish scent.

 

Overall: This dries down on a rather berryish note and dragon's blood, with cloves from the mulled wine. Honestly I was hoping for less dragon's blood and more damp woods and leather. It's strongly spicy and sweet on me, no surprise, my skin amps spices and sweet components. It's also turned to soap, which is what happens with most scents containing musk. I was expecting a lot from this, but unfortunately I'm very meh about it. Ah well.

[Caltha]

Tintagel

A christmasy scent to me: sweet, plastic berries with evergreens, juniper maybe. I also get plastic honey, cinnamon and wood. As it dries the candy sweet berries (cherry candy perhaps) dominate and I only get the faintest trace of juniper. The curse of berries, they always turn plastic and sweet and overbearing on my skin.

[Cagedflame]

Yucky on me. Anything BPAL berry turns into gross cheap generic candle of some sort, and this is no exception. Smells like a dollar store holiday scented candle.

[Ancientgirl]

Wow, I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet! I got the imp ages ago, and liiked it enough to get a big bottle! Anyway, this is a lovely and sophisticated (though not conservative) scent. Like sweet and spicy wine to me, and I can definitely smell the ripe juniper berries. The dragon's blood is also quite prominent, and I agree with whoever said there was a touch of something similar to Jailbait in it. although this was most noticeable to me when I first applied it. I don't know if anyone else associates scents with colors, or even clothing, but this definitely smells like burgundy velvet to me. Oh, and it lasts a very long time for me as well; I must have applied it around noonish, and I'm sure I was smelling it until around 7:00 or 8:00. That's with only two drops applied on my wrists. Ancientgirl

[Naamah_Darling]

Bottled, this is sweet, sweet, sweet. I don't know why, but though I love the smell of dragon's blood as an incense, in raw perfume I don't like it. It comes across as pure sugar. I'm pretty sure I smell the bayberry and the wine, too, fruity and bright. And there's a yellow-green lash of juniper in this that just – only just – takes the sick out of the sweet. By now I've learned never ever to judge a dragon's blood scent in the bottle, so on it goes.

 

Once I put it on, the dragon's blood fumes to its usual resinous darkness, smoky and enchanting. The juniper breezes over, and blends with the smell of may thorns and the the smell of fallen leaves to form an autumn haze. This is a fascinating scent! A little sweet, a little floral, with a smoky fog in the rafters and a rustle of herbs and dry leaves on the floor. Gorgeous. A box where all kinds of interesting old things have been kept. Everyone says they smell cinnamon in this but I don't smell it except in little sniffs where I think I smell some generic spice – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. It's oddly hard to distinguish the spicy prickle from the sweetened zing of the juniper plus florals.

 

As it heats up, there's leather. Just a brush of it, but it's in there. And it's lingering. Oh, God, I think on a man, the right man, this would be devastating. God. I think it's devastating on me. I'm honestly having trouble breathing. Or typing coherently.

 

This is easily the most complex scent I've sampled yet. There is no way you could get bored sniffing it. It's like a walk through a medieval castle without all the bad breath and dogs and lice. This is an idealized scent for an idealized myth. I smell like I've been outside all day during an autumn feast. This is crisp and warm and so very enticing. Ah!

 

Oh, hold me down and ravish me, this is positively divine.

[arabella]

First Impression: Cherry Jell-o.

 

Dries down to: A light sprinkling of cinnamon appears on top of the jello.

 

Additional Comments: I don't care too much for this one. It's fruity and spicy but very bland - almost as if the spices used were from the back of the cupboard and had been there a while and the fruit was underripe. On checking the components, the wine is the fruit note I'm getting and most of the rest of the notes are the "spices". Dragon's Blood usually works better on me than this. On the whole, it's not a bad blend - just boring.

 

Lasted: Less than an hour.

 

Rating: 2 out of 5

[Nightgaunt]

I didn't think I would like this, but it's a wonderfully warm, festive scent--tingly with dragon's blood and cinnamon, soft with leather and wood, and its wine note never turns into that ghastly essance of Grape Nehi that makes Madrid so nasty in drydown. Tintagal would be perfect to wear to a Renaissance Faire or SCA event.

[PirateMaggie]

In the imp, I mostly smell dragon's blood and cinnamon. Upon application, it's still mostly dragon's blood and cinnamon. As it dries, the juniper and woods come out, giving the impession that one is drinking spicy ritual wine in the middle of a forest. The musk and leather remain in the background, giving this skin-like warmth, and the berry sweetens it without making it smell sticky.

 

This scent reminds me not so much of the Arthur's castle--it's far too outdoorsy to evoke anything inside stone walls-- as much as it reminds me of the Grail Quest, or the wood elves' feast which Bilbo and the dwarves interrupt in The Hobbit. It's glowingly spicy-warm yet crisp and green and utterly feral; this is the scent of growing giddy on mulled wine and telling stories around a campfire in a clearing surrounded by ancient trees.

 

Like most BPAL blends, throw is not overpowering. It lasts well; if anything; Tintagel deepens and grows more interesting the longer it's worn. Luckily my tax return is on its way; I require a big bottle of this.

Edited February 22, 2006 by PirateMaggie

[medvssa]

Boo, it smells like horribly sweet candy in the bottle (I think this is the dragon's blood, and now I am extremely afraid of it...) and I had to make an effort to try it on.

 

At first it just smells like bubble gum :S In a moment it starts to change, and I think I smell wine, but it is not the wine I am used to smell, perhaps because of the spices and the sweetness.

It changes, but not enough. This is too syrup and sweet for me Maybe I should have paid more attantion to the reviews before ordering, but I was blinded by the imagery, I wanted to like this one so much...

 

Maybe if more of the wood and leather would come out, it does after a good while, when it has almost faded, but the sweetness stays there for too long and it makes me sick in my stomach.

 

I didn't put on much because it scared me, maybe if I do and I endure the first minutes, I will like it. I will try it again, but I don't have much hope...

[Athena's Owl]

in the imp: candy sweet, with spices beneath, but not like cinnamon red-hots. there's something else here to, it smells like a meadow with leather, just a tiny bit, but old well worn leather.

 

wet: candy on the first whiff - no wait, more of the grassiness coming forward now...way back there, that's the sea, the sea I know with the salt and sea-wrack smell...wait, what the hell is that smell? pine trees? and how fast can this stuff morph? cinnamon, i swear I smell cinnamon.

 

And I'm afraid that I don't like this. hmmm.

 

after 20 minutes: cinnamon red hots and christmas trees!

 

this is the clash of scent versus skin.

 

Arrrrgh. i need soap. into the swap pile with you, tintagel.

[lady_pandora]

So my friend and I went in together on a 10ml of Undertow, and decided to split the frimps between us. One was Tintagel; the other was The Lion. She wanted the Tintagel more, so I was worried I'd like it better too, and that we'd have to fight for it!

 

Put The Lion on one wrist and Tintagel on the other.

 

After five minutes, my Lion wrist smelled like yummy mellow amber.

 

My Tintagel wrist smelled like--cherry bathroom cleaner? Seriously. I don't know if it's the bayberry or what, but this just does not agree with my chemistry at all. It smells like the cloying fake-cherry bathroom cleaner they use at work.

 

My friend and I had no trouble divvying up the frimps. Sorry, Lab.

[fiddledragon]

Scent in bottle: Definitely wine, musk, a touch of juniper, dragon's blood, leather, various sort of herbal tones...this is very complex. I think I'm going to like it so long as the juniper plays nicely.

 

Scent on me:

Wet -- The juniper mixed with all the sweet things is a very odd scent, but I like it so far. It's incredibly well-blended; I'm having trouble picking out the notes now.

Dry -- It's melded very well with my skin scent; I mostly smell the musk, dragon's blood, and just a bit of juniper.

 

Conclusion: I like it, but I think it might blend a little too well with my skin. This is one where I'll need a second opinion on how it smells on me.

[tereshkova2001]

A wonderfully Christmas scent. It's warm and spicy, like a rich burgundy velvet. The wine and berries are dominant, and (what I think is) Dragon's Blood provides body. This would be perfect to wear in winter, to SCA court events, or to scent Christmas cards with. But in springtime, it's much too rich. I'll save it for a few seasons and try again in November.

[Rhowan]

In the vial and wet on my skin the first thing I smell is spicy cherries? ODD...

 

As Tintagel starts to dry down it starts to really rev up! The branches of the different woods are wonderful. No over powering juniper by the way. That is very hidden. I can make out just a hint of bayberry but it is all blended so well - I can smell the dampness of the woods. This beautiful woodiness is layed out over sweet leather, warm musk and a hint of dragon's blood. The dragons blood as well as the juniper is very light and barely there.

 

Completely dried down, the spices have come out and given the right end to the whole blend. Tintagel smells like Christmas in medieval times. A cold castle strewn with the branches and greenery that still has it's berries, hot spiced wine brewing, the leather and armor and musk.

 

Tintagel has great throw and long wear. I am definitely putting this on my bottles list!

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

heavier floral than I expected - I expected it to smell like shanghai did in the bottle

wet:

herbal and floral, with dragon's blood too.

 

dry:

as it dries it goes more herbal, and eventually the berries come out. Really nice!

overall:

Love it, would consider a bottle when I run out of the imp.

 

rating: 9/10

 

ETA: loving this so much i'm bumping up the rating!

Edited May 8, 2006 by HennaFairy

[joiedecombat]

Smells like... Christmas.

 

No, really. In the bottle, it smells like a bayberry candle, berry-sweet with a hint of smooth waxiness. Once on, it smells like nothing so much as mulling spices with whiffs of evergreen, which eventually came into the forefront as it dried down. It went through a number of interesting variations once it hit my skin, but at all points it smells like Christmas.

 

This is an oil that, if BPAL oils were less expensive, I'd be tempted to put in a light bulb ring around Christmastime. Not so much something I'd wear, though, except perhaps to a Christmas party.

[juniperus]

Bottle: Mulled wine - how lovely. Sweet, but doesn't assail my sinuses like so many sweet blends do. I think the dragon's blood may be the sweet note I'm catching.

Wet: Cinnamon really stepping out, but I'm finding it pleasant, not assaulting. the fruitiness of the bayberry hides just underneath.

Dry: still spicy, but I can smell the woods more now so it has that cracker barrel store sort of spice + fresh wood smell (just to give a point of reference, I don't think I smell like the restaurant ... but the spice = wood thing has an old country ambience)

Later: shadowy leather like someone just walking by who leaves a hint of their presence. the woods haven't moved any farther forward, to my disappointment, but it still very nice. makes me think of cool weather, spiced wine, and a feast with friends. the dragon's blood still lends more sweet than I prefer, tho.

It feels like a holiday scent because of the bayberry, juniper, and cinnamon. Almost candy-sweet upon reflection, but doesn't offend my sensibilities, so it's an odd one for me.

[Eunice]

In the bottle: Sweet like BubbleYum. It's the only thing I can smell. And this is the most red oil I've tried so far.

 

Wet: There's cinnamon in here! Two seconds on my skin, without rubbing it in, and I smell like a sweet stick of cinnamon gum.

 

Dry: Very nice when dry. There is still a spice note and some sweetness but now this has changed to a more woodsy scent.

 

Overall: This is a winter scent to me. I'd wear this while playing out in the snow to keep me warm. It's lovely!

[filigree_shadow]

Tintagel is quite interesting to me because I know from trying other blends that my skin amps juniper and dragon's blood. I was wondering which one would win in Tintagel -- I was hoping for dragon's blood.

 

Guess which one won? Neither. It's leather. All leather. I've tried it twice now, and both times I got a lot of juniper for the first ten minutes and then after that mainly leather with a little bit of spice.

 

I know that not many people are getting leather out of Tintagel, but I am thrilled to find a GC that smells close enough to Spanked on me that I will no longer worry about not having a bottle of Spanked.

[tartsquid]

This has become one of my favorite GC blends. The most prominent notes are dragon's blood and spiced wine, along with a lighter berry note. It smells candy sweet yet spicey, not quite like red hot candies but similar. There's also a subtle metallic tang that I can detect every so often when I put my wrist to my nose.

[Melantha]

In the bottle: Nifty! I can't quite place everything, but it's warm, and inviting.

 

Wet: Spice! Wow, this is warm, and cinnamon is right up front. Can't smell much else.

 

Dry: Ooh, the wine has come out! Mulled wine, with some hints of green peeking through. Ah, lovely!

 

Throw: Not much, but I don't care.

 

This is a wonderful scent. I'm going to get a big bottle in my next order.

[desu]

In the imp: I smell the juniper and other woods, but behind it is this weird vinegar smell.

 

On me: The warm, spicy notes start to come out to play. The woodsy notes are still there although the vinegar has thankfully disappeared. I didn't think I was going to like this one because of all the heavy-sounding notes, but I'm pleasantly proven wrong this time. This is absolutely delicious. I, too, am picking up a slight hint of vanilla in this.

 

I had my SO give it a sniff to see what he thought, and he said it reminded him of the soap one finds in rest stops. Ooooookay. :|

 

Nevertheless, I think this is a future bottle order!

[nerdcraft]

in the vial:

Oh, it's cinnamon! Fruity cinnamon. It's a fall smell, to me.

wet:

Okay, this smells exactly like potpourri from a country craft kind of store. That's all I'm getting at this point...like a dried-flowers, fruit and cinnamon-spice potpourri.

 

dry:

Wow, this fades like a mofo. After only half an hour, it's pretty much gone. When I sniff right up next to my skin, I can get a whiff of the same potpourri scent I got at first, along with a very dry warm scent that could possibly be the leather or wood notes.

 

season: Definitely fall.

office-friendly? Yeah.

 

overall:

This could be a great room scent for autumn nights- it's a warm, spicy, comforting and homey scent. Not for me as a perfume oil, though.

[Galatea]

In the Imp: Sweet, fruity with just a hint of woodiness.

 

Wet: Wow! Cinnamon!

 

Dry: Lovely cinnamon-y yumminess with leather and just a hint of woody smell. I love it!

 

Throw: Not terribly far. I'm a bit disappointed in that, as I'd like it to go a bit further. It's possible I just put this on at the wrong time (dinnertime) to notice the throw very effectively. I'll have to try it again at another time to check this theory out.

 

Overall: A very fall or winter scent, like many others have said. It would make a wonderful oil burner home scent, if the throw is better that way.

This is lovely overall and will most likely be on my top ten for awhile.

Edited June 15, 2006 by Galatea