Tintagel

[pekeana]

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.

God, this is so good. I can't stop sniffing myself!

In the vial, this is very sweet and well-rounded wine and dragon's blood. On me, for the first hour or so, the dragon's blood is very strong and spicy, then some of the woods come through. By the time it's completely dry, it's softened in tone and carriage so it's sweet wine with spicy dragon's blood. I breathe that in, and exhale leather.

So. Damn. Good.

It's almost completely faded away now [9-3:30 staying power], but there's just the softest wood and sweet wine scent right now.

I will definitely be using this imp all the way up.

[kimberlygem]

This smells so good. I had to have it as soon as I saw the name and I am not disappointed. I can smell the spices and the mead, honey and so many other notes all blending into the mixed scent of a feast in the great hall. Divine.

 

 

 

 

Kimberly

[TheDarkMother]

Another one that I got from da Minx. Forgive me if my review is a little muddled as I have the flu and my nose is all stuffy

 

In the Bottle: After nearly sticking the bottle up my nose, I can make out cherries and faint cinnamon. Yummy!

 

On Me: Le Purrrr! Le Swooon! I can really smell the Bayberries in this. I used t chew Bayberry gum all the time and I adore the scent! The cinnamon is chraging through this, but its a heady background with all those green scents and the berries! There is a mossiness there that is just gorgeous, and as it dries, the cinnamon is a great addition and not the ruler of this piece.

 

Art, that is what this is...art. Ok, big bottle for me...slathering now!

[nephthys_lvx]

I'm going to leave this for a couple of hours and see what it morphs into, but for now I smell like a Red Hot candy I can smell something else trying to come through, but the cinnamon is killing it. It really smelled good in the bottle!

 

This would make a nice Yule room scent...

[ViolentKitten]

Tintagel ~ Mmmm, first on, berries, dragons blood, wine and a hint of leather. This is indeed a spicy mulled wine and I definitely feel that musky heat. What a wonderful beginning. A few minutes later it's becoming a touch sharp (metal armor?) and heady. The hot spice of cinnamon is coming through stronger and it's so sweet, I wonder if that's juniper in there mixing with the cinnamon? Now, 15 mins later, it's like hot mulled wine and a huge steaming berry tart laid out on the table. More minutes gone by and I'm getting Big Red gum. It's not fake smelling though. Thirty mins later - it's softening...phew...thought I was going to faint with that hot cinnamon - it was kind of like having Ioan Gruffud (gorgeous man that he is), decked out as Lancelot from King Arthur, standing right in front of me...that dizziness *fans face*. It's still cinnamon though, with the wine and dragon's blood simmering quietly in the background, the leather's gone AWOL. Two hours later, the same but softer. Another ½ hour and it's fading away altogether. I don't think I got any hawthorn, blackthorn or elm, not that I know what they smell like, I thought they might add a hint of greeness or woodiness but it might be they mixed in with the cinnamon and now I think about it, I think they may have been there all jumbled up with the top notes and making the cinnamon slightly different. Overall, very lovely, beautifully blended and does mostly convey a happy feasting. I'd use the Imp, but don't think I'd go for a larger size. On my skin, I would have liked it less sweet and hot cinnamony, and a tad more muskiness and sexy soft warm leather wouldn't have gone astray.

<P>

PS: This was one of my extras from the Lab...thanks for letting me try it!!

Edited September 26, 2004 by ViolentKitten

[Lady Ravenglass]

Tintagel

 

First sniff: sweetish, but with a nasty aftertaste like curry powder? Something unpleasant and chemical anyway. It could be the leather, or perhaps the bayberry. It's almost a green scent, but like the inside of a tree rather than a leaf.

 

On the skin, I'm getting almonds, very faintly. And that's it. It's just sitting on my arm waiting for a written invitation.

 

*sigh* Looks like another for the swap pile, which is a real pity as I was, once again, convinced that this scent would be a keeper. I love mead, but I'm not even getting a hint from this. I think I can smell the Dragon's Blood, but even when warmed up, there's not much wafting anywhere. I'll give this another go, as I'm hoping my nose has just gotten fed up and is lazing back there with Hollywood Babylon (Ack! Almonds!!).

 

ETA: I think I smell cinnamon... maybe. I'm having to snort my arm, though.

Edited September 28, 2004 by Lady Ravenglass

[sihaya09]

In the bottle: sweetness. I can't put my finger on it-- it's not a fruity sweetness, but it does smell juicy. Maybe it's the dragon's blood? It's tempered by a green smell-- it's a very layered scent. On-- it smells exactly how I'd imagine a feasting hall would smell! It's a juicy scent, tempered by green (hawthorn? bayberry?) and a very subtle musk with a veil of cinnamon. It makes me want to eat! I can pull out the wine notes with just a hint of resin. This one will be saved for the Winter-- it will warm me up and brighten my mood. If this scent were a color, it'd be a mulberry-hued purplish red.

[hadaverde]

First application of this one yields a mixture of woods -- fallen cedar logs on a bed of dry fir needles. It reminds me of playing in the woods near my parents' house when I was growing up.

 

The woody notes are very quickly overrun by the dragon's blood, which is a note my body chemistry tends to amplify quite a bit, regardless of how much or little of it is present in a given blend. After an hour or so, the dragon's blood recedes a bit, allowing the woody notes to creep forth again, but with a tickly, somewhat spicy overlay this time around.

[leslie260]

In the bottle: Red and juicy...and I can smell the wine in it.

 

After initial swipe: Pure cinnamon. But it doesn't burn my skin, which is good. I ready for some other notes to come through.

 

After 15 minutes: The analogy to a craft store is right on the money. It's a bit too "country crafty" for me. I think it's the cinnamon...

 

After an hour: My skin sucked this up. All I can smell is cinnamon.

 

Overall....I'm not that into it. It doesn't smell bad...but it doesn't turn me on either. It's sort of meh.

[miss apple]

Tintagel - in the vial I can't pick out any notes but it's a very warm scent.

 

Once on the warmth blossoms into a slighty spicy, sweetness. I can detect the wine underneath and a bit of the wood elements peeking through. A bit later the Dragon's Blood comes out and everything combines into a beautiful bouquet. This ivokes the feeling of late fall/early winter to me - a good holiday oil.

 

It may just have to go on my big bottle list

[Shollin]

First sniff: Cinnamon and leather… like Christmas potpourri simmering in a tack shop, and there’s a cherry-sweetness behind it. I like it, though – Tintagel is very warm and comforting.

 

Wearing: When wet, the dragon’s blood works its magic on my skin. The leather stays in the background, just enough earthiness to give the scent its foundation – the main players are soft cinnamon and the red scent of dragon’s blood. As it dries, the leather comes to the forefront, and the final incarnation might be a bit too leathery for me. I’ll try it on at least once more, just to see if it behaves itself better.

[Donnababe]

Tintagel

 

I was rather reluctant to try this as I despise cinnamon but seeing as it was a freebie I couldn't really refuse.

 

It is very much dragon's blood and a sharpness that is probably the leather, but my nose can't identify leather easily so it maybe something else.

 

From touching the skin until the very late stages this smells of mixed spice. It reminds me of baking biscuits when I was little. Right at the end there is a touch of berry and leather sharpness but for the most part it's wintery spice.

 

Much nicer than I'd expected, but not me.

[Belladonnastrap]

Tintagel makes me pine for the England of yore.

 

First sniff

Wine and spices and something else. I imagine fires roaring, a minstrel playing and

lots of love and laughter. It's a very holiday sort of scent. Warming....the

combination of spices and wine make it a bit heady but not too much.

 

When wet

OH lovely. Still getting that lovely wine scent but its more relaxed now. It's so very

warm and my body chemistry really gets along with the spices in it. Brings them out a

bit but not so much that it overrides the wine. Marvelous.

 

Drydown

*slobbers* Beautiful. This mellows into a superbly subtle scent, the dragon's blood just lightly dancing upon my skin and the bayberry wafting up when I'm distracted. This is outstanding.

 

Aftermath

I NEED A LARGE BOTTLE. This is goregous! Lovely! And smells pretty damn good too.

[ChupaChup]

I just got an imp of Tintagel as a freebie in an order and I also have anther half imp coming in a swap. Too bad, as it really doesn't work on me.

 

I really like Tintagel when wet, it has a strong cherry smell and then the dragon's blood kicks in fairly quickly and it's yummy. After about 15 minutes, it changes completely as cinnamon emerges, at this point is smells a lot like Serpent's Kiss, still pretty nice but not as nice as earlier. Things go downhill from there though, a whole bunch of confusing notes come out and it ends up smelling very "dirty diaper" on me, poo. Off to swaps.

Edited October 13, 2004 by ChupaChup

[Splendid Molerat]

Tintagel did something disagreeable on my skin, doing an uncanny imitation of malt vinegar.

 

The real complexity came out in the oil burner, where I tried it out on Thanksgiving. The apartment filled with mulled wine and apple cake and fresh kindling -- simply gorgeous!

 

 

[Edit for spelling.]

Edited October 13, 2004 by Splendid Molerat

[Nepthys]

I loved this from first sniff. It was heady, sweet and leathery in the bottle. Applied, all I got at first was sweet red wine and dragon's blood; then it mellowed and expanded into deep wood/leather notes. It last like that about two hours before quieting to a faint whisper of wine/green. All told, this is a beautiful scent and very fittingly named.

 

Edited to say that this is a very complex, protean scent. Much like Kali, different notes come through on me on different days and I can never really predict how this will develop: sometimes it's a sweet wine scent, other times it's very woody and dry, sometimes it's a mix of flowery green herbs and leather. But every time it is a very subtle, graceful blend. This is becoming one of my all-time favorites.

Edited October 21, 2004 by Nepthys

[Scylla]

In the vial: Dragon's Blood

 

Wet, on my skin: Dragon's Blood, but then the cinnamon jumps out.

 

 

On drydown: Tintagel stays very cinnamony / spicy for a while and then it tones down and I start getting the mulled wine, sweetness and some spices coming through.

 

 

It is a chilly, damp, blustery autumn day in Chicago, and I am so glad I chose to wear Tintagel today! It is a very comforting, home-y and "holiday-ish" scent.

 

Well done, Beth!

[Caitfish]

I don't know why I thought that Tintagel would be green and light... do I even read the descriptions?

 

Anyway, WOW. This is a spicyspicyspicy scent. It's fantastic, but so very strong. I can't stop thinking about Christmas when I wear this, I think that's because the spiced (mulled?) wine is so strong.

 

This scent lasts *forever*. Put it on at 8 am, and it's still STRONG 12 hours later. It doesn't wimp out at all, though the woodsy notes fall to the spices pretty early on.

 

I think that this is a *Fantastic* men's cologne. If my boyfriend believed in any scent other than British Sterling with gun solvent mixed in (intentionally, NOT KIDDING - this is all he wears and he LOVES it), I would buy him a huuuge bottle of this wonderful, spicy, masculine scent.

[Spanglemaker]

Tintagel:

 

Wet: Very fruity.. the dragon's blood is very dominant

Later: The spice (cinnamon) and leather come out to play. It really reminds me of potpourri and christmas.

 

This is really very nice. I generally don't care for fruity scents but the spice/leather really mellows it out.

[Eris]

Whoa, I think I have some major chemistry reactions here after reading other posts. In the bottle I got a strong berry-ish scent, but since it wasn't overly sweet, I thought I could handle it and tried it. It turned even more lovely on the skin as some spices came out behind that sweetness. I was astonished and ready to sing the praises yet again of an unexpectedly successful extra imp.

 

Then...five minutes later, no joke: fabric softener. It's so odd. I don't mean soapy either--like what happens with some florals. This is like those fabric softener sheets you put in the dryer. I am so baffled and annoyed. I'm hoping there's a hormonal imbalance afoot and that I'll get a different experiernce in the future.

[grrrlennyl]

tintagel

 

at first: the lab included this as a freebie, and i probably wouldn't have purchased it on my own. very nice. wet woods and some sort of sweet berry. unfortunately, i don't have high hopes for this one on me because of the woods.

on: oh, wow. this is very juicy. i think i can smell the wine and a bit of something sweet. a real winter scent. i think i smell something akin to pine.

half an hour later: i smell cinnamon, for some reason. it's still very wet-smelling and very interesting. there's a lot going on in this one.

1 hour later: beautiful. wine, juicy fruits, and a hint of something slightly warm and spicy. i love this.

2 hours later: a little more biting, but still beautiful and wintry.

5 hours later: drier, but still nice. i can't really pick out any individual notes anymore, but it's still a gorgeous winter scent.

overall: i love this! i don't know if i'll end up buying a bottle, but i'll probably replace my imp if i run out before the end of this winter.

[harlequin]

(My first review... take it easy on me! *grin*)

 

 

Tintagel

 

In the bottle: My first immediate thought was "Oh my goodness, this smells almost exactly like Jailbait." After looking at the description again, I'm flabbergasted as to how '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.' becomes 'bubblegum', but I like it mucho. Maybe it's the wine and bayberry combination.. I dunno.

 

Wearing: After a bit it was pretty much the same, but with the slightest hint of something more spicy than Jailbait...

 

Later: Unfortunately, this doesn't last very long on me at all. I put it on before I left the house to go to the dentist (wearing bubblegum scent, fabulous!), and by the time I got Xrays taken and was waiting for the dentist--in total, about 45 minutes--it was almost unnoticeable. By the time I was leaving less than half an hour later, it was completely gone.

 

Overall, i like it and the scent hardly changed on me, but i'd probably toss it in a locket to make it last longer.

Edited November 16, 2004 by harlequin

[Fyre_in_Winter]

Tintagel doesn't smell quite as I expected.

 

The closed imp smells faintly of what I assume to be the dragon's blood along with a hint of mulled wine and something berry/fruity.

 

Once I got the little sucker open(and without spilling-yay for fingernails), I got a tidal wave of Christmas cheer. This is a very gleeful scent, and a little smugly pleased with itself too. I swiped as dry a wand as I could get along the inside of my forearm. Promptly the cinnamon whooshed all over the place. Hot cinnamon, as in a big bowl of Red Hots set to melt beside a bonfire.

 

Within in a minute that calmed down and it started to morph. I have a visual image of all the notes playing musical chairs around a bonfire. On me this scent isn't warm- it is hot, and proud of it! For a bout 10 minutes the different woods/green scents did their things. I also got the occasional whiff of dish-washing soap (?) and as the above reviewer said, bubblegum. Eventually, the bubblegum started to win out. For about two hours it remained a smell like.. now this sounds odd... someone was chewing bubblegum and Red Hots and a berry or two all at the same time. Beside a fire.

 

Slowly the bubblegum is dissipating out to leave just a berry-cinnamon type thing. It is hard to describe... if heat had a scent, this would be it. Kudos to Beth for capturing the roaring fire!

 

Nice Yuletime scent, but definitely not me. I think its the bayberry bugging me (something is making my nose tingle), and overall Tintagel is too masculine for my taste. I'm going to test this on my ex, and if it doesn't work for him, then off to swap!

[phaedrine]

I swapped with Caitfish for this one, because I liked the smell of it wet.

 

Wet, it smells sweet and woodsy, which isn't my typical scent, but was nice.

 

On, for the first half hour or so, was very very cinnamony. Not red hots cinnamon, but more cinnamon stick (which is good, I don't like the former).

 

After that, it mellowed down to a slightly spicy, but more woodsy scent, and some of the wine came through.

 

I think this would be nice in a candle or room spray, but sadly, it's not lasting long on me. I applied it about four hours ago, and it's totally gone. :/

[Reinaluna]

Tintagel to me smells a lot like Red Moon but a little stonger. maybe I can just get a bottle of this when my beloved Red Moon gets used up. I smell the bayberry wine and dragons blood real good. This is sweet with a little spice and I like this, maybe a 5 ml next time.