Tintagel

[feline.by.design]

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.

Despite the numerous components of Tintagel, my nose was overwhelmed by the sweetness of dragon's blood. Once I put the oil on, the cinnamon-spice came out very prominently for a short spell. It smelled good, perhaps future bottle material, even. The cinnamon fades away, though not completely, with the dragon's blood yet again taking over. I didn't get anything regarding leather in this at all, and normally leather is very prominent on my skin. However, this is nice, even though I'm not always especially keen on dragon's blood fragrances.

If I were to compare this with other oils in the BPAL catalogue, Tintagel reminds me a lot of a lighter, brighter Hamadryad. It also seems a lot like Blood Amber with a hearty dash of cinnamon. It would make a great room scent, as people in here have already pointed out.

-doreen

[BlackDahlia]

In the Imp:

 

Oooooo... this is a nice one. Very warm, spicy fragrance. I can smell the Bayberry and the blood resin. Such a nice combination of scents...

 

Wet:

 

It smells like an English Christmas! There is the bayberry scent, still as well as a soft, sort of pine scent. You can feel the tingle in this one!!

 

Dry down:

This is a soft, slightly masculine fragrance with a hint of sweetness.

 

In closing:

I will wear this one on the days that I just really feel walked on or walked over ~ it is a take charge-ish scent... or I could see it being nice for a man who is in touch with his feminine side but who is very much a man.

 

A nice, different fragrance. A keeper for me.

This would also make a nice home or linen fragrance.

 

Oooooo.. the tingle on your skin!!

[Firewaver]

Smells like.... bubblegum with cloves and spices.

 

It's a more serious and bitter spice to my nose, less bakery spice. Think cinnamon sticks rather than cinnamon buns. It's nice...very spicy and crisp. There is that slightly powdery undertone that reminds me a little bit of bubblegum, but it's not unpleasant as it might sound.

 

It adds a femininity to the spices that Bengal lacked for me. Bengal was too harsh and spicy, whereas Tintagel is much softer and naughtier.

 

I will keep my imp!

[dubh_ceol]

A lovely mix between 'Blood Amber', and a stick of Big Red Gum (Trust me, this is a good thing!) I'm not getting any leather, though.

[Ankhet]

Tintagel:

In the bottle: OUUU it smells like oranges and cloves and cinnamon; SO much like Christmas!

Wet: More like the oranges now, oh so yummy. MULLED WINE. That's the smell! Just like the Illuminations Mulled Wine candle, but in a wearable form! And God knows I LOVE that candle!

Drydown: it did the thing some oils did where the patch turned red and started burning a little. That's not lilac, but I don't know what it is. GAH. I think I may need to list the oils that do this to me, then email the lab asking what the common ingredient is, so I know what else I'm allergic to. *sigh*

Conclusion: Keep, but don't wear. Put in a candle or oil burner.

[korshka]

So I opened it up and sniffed and thought .

 

On the skin wet, it still smelt good. Then the cinnamon hit, and I got all bummed b/c cinnamon over takes things on me. But the good thing is that Tintagel didn't let cinnamon win. It came back and evened out! Wee. Now it is sweet, spicy, earthy, and a little leathery. It is a very well rounded smell. I like it. =)

Edited October 15, 2005 by korshka

[shayelea]

In the bottle: Hm. Spicy, sweet, a little sharp - it's nice.

 

Wet: The spiciness is, I think, woods and spiced wine. (Still getting more "spice" than "wine" from this.) The sweetness lurks in the background; it would be cloying if it were stronger, but as it is, it's fine. Maybe a hint of powdery-ness around the edges.

 

Drydown: Dries down to a sort of generic spicy-soapy scent. Doesn't stand out on my skin at all. Sigh.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

sweet and earthy - not earthy like patchouli - earthy like greenery

 

On me:

What an unusual blend. I wasn't really sure what to expect of this one, because there were a lot of notes in this, and some of them I had no idea what to expect of (such as blackthorn). The dragon's blood is definitely there, I'd even say it served as the base so to speak, but it's no prominent on me. That smell of mulled wine is though and it's spicey and a little boozey and fruity, but only minutely so. You can smell greenery in there somewhere and I'm not sure which of the notes that is, but it comes off kind of outdoorsy, without actually breaching into that territory. The cinnamon in this is LOVELY, it's very earthy and subdued but lends a wonderful spicey appeal to this.

 

Final note:

This is a really interesting blend, I quite like it! I'm on the fence about whether or not I'd order a bottle, but I know I'll use the imp and I have a feeling I'll probably end up wanting more. I think this is a wonderfully appropriate scent for fall, it just has an Autumn air about it

 

EDIT: I wanted to note that this reminds me a lot of Hunter Moon, though it doesn't smell terribly similar, the whole feel of it is very much the same.

Edited October 17, 2005 by Brianne

[Fefferbella]

Tintagel is the feminine version of Hamadryad on my skin.

 

The sweetness of the dragon's blood is delightful. There is a hint of greeness underneath but mostly sharp sweet cinnamon notes.

 

Very lovely scent.

[herdivineshadow]

I get a very fruity and spicy scent from this. Mostly berries in the fruit but there's something else too. Not a big fan of fruit notes I'm afraid though, so to the swap pile it goes.

[Xiabelle]

I'm so glad that I got this imp, ages ago, before I figured out that wine generally doesn't work on me.

 

In fact, this is the only scent I've found so far where the wine doesn't take over and turn into fake-grape on my skin.

 

I suspect it's the spices that help. Fresh on, I'm hit by the sweetness of dragon's blood and bayberry, and a kick of cinnamon. It's just gorgeous. Like others have said, this really reminds me of Christmas, and I feel very festive wearing it at work.

 

It mellows out to soft sweetness and woods. Really do like this one, even if I don't wear it too much. But it's such a nice, cozy scent.

[carolinachiquita]

This one is quite nice, I wasn't sure about it because wine scents usually don't work on me. The Dragon's blood is the dominant note on me and I get this gorgeous waft of mulled wine every now and then. I think this is quite a christmassy scent! Very nice!

[metaldog32]

Tintagel...frimp compliments of Lab. Thank you!!

 

Another place to visit from the Wanderlust collection...YAY!!

 

Inital sniff from imp:Something a bit fruity..a bit spicy...and a wisp of metallic...very elusive that note is. Something else is there..something that is familar..way back but I can't quite put my finger on it. Smells a bit festive..yes it does.

 

Applied wet on skin: Now I am getting the dragon's blood..and something a bit spicy..almost like fruity/cinnamon notes. Does smell like spiced wine..but there is that familiar but unidentifiable note at the back....oh YEAH..now I know what it is...it's that leather note. . That leather note that made me so uncomfortable when I wore Loviatar...it's here again..just not so aggresive..but yes..I smell it again.Hmmm..not sure how I feel about it.

 

Couple of minutes drying on skin: It's all the dragon's blood, cinnamon/spice note(s) over that layer of leather. I don't dislike it..but I am not falling head over hills in love with it either. This is festive..and a bit "potpourri" like..but only in faint representation..and I mean in that in a positive sense. Whatever elusive note of metallic that I sniffed from the imp is lost on my skin..which is a bit disappointing...I was impressed that Beth and Lab were actually able to capture that along with the other notes...amazing!!

 

Drydown: It's spicy soft notes with touches of fruit..along with that leather note..softened considerably..but still there.

 

Lasting power good...about 5 hours.

 

Bottom Line: Tintagel..although nice..is not for me. I am not sure..but I think that leather note kind of gets a bit amped on me..and usually I don't mind leather notes in other fragrances..but this is the 2nd time with Beth's leather note I kind of feel a bit uncomfortable. It's actually a very festive blend..and for people who do well with the leather note..this should be a welcome addition. I definitely see this as a late fall/winter fragrance.

[klowey]

Spicy and warm, like a fire in a closed room. After a while the dragon's blood comes out and takes over, but still with the hint of pepper and leather. Very swarthy.

[Sycorax]

In the imp, this is leather and metal and dragon's blood - very much the scent of an Arthurian castle.

 

On skin, the booze note stops hiding and becomes the dominant part of the scent. The leather and dragon's blood recede, and something like mulled wine comes out to play - a combination of the wine and spice notes, I'm assuming. There's also still a sharp metallic tang to it. It lasts for about three hours.

 

I don't think that I would bother to order a large bottle of Tintagel - it's not something I'd wear in the workplace, and it's not something I'd wear for a date, and it's definitely not something I'd wear in the warmer months. However, I'll be holding on to my imp. This will be a lovely scent to wear over the holidays.

 

This is also the oil that's turned me into metallic notes, in spite of previous reservations. The metal in this really serves to give the scent some kick, without overwhelming it - sans metal, I think Tintagel would be far more boring. Now I'm quite keen to try similar scents, like Neo-Tokyo!

Edited December 6, 2005 by Sycorax

[merebrillante]

In the vial: Another fruity cough syrup.

 

On the wrist: Ooh, the sweetness is balanced out by a smoky, incense-type aroma. Smells like my favorite New Age bookstore. Must be the dragon's blood resin.

 

Later: The New Age Store scent fades, leaving in its place a sweet, powdery aroma. I never caught any of the cinnamon or leather that others seem to notice, nor did bayberry stand out. Now, eight hours later, I have to put my wrist to my nose to smell it. If there's any cinnamon there, it's of the cinnamon toast variety, i.e., very sugary. While pleasant, this one doesn't knock my socks off, and will probably be traded or given away.

[ancilla_morte]

Holy MOSES this knocked my socks off my feet.

I liked it because at first it reminded me a LOT of Hades (one of my favorites). but it is so much more complex and fun!

It smells like Christmas! Yummy evergreens and dark berries and snuggly winter nights. tobacco and old wood and leather. and there is woodsmoke and a candy-like cinnamon. like chewy cinnamon bears.

I LOVE THIS. it smells so old and medieval. I keep imagining the room of the knights of the round table!

 

5ML!!

[Imptress]

Frimp from the lab in my most recent order... thankies!

 

When I saw the orangey-red color in the vial I had to try it right away. As soon as I started swiping it on I knew for sure there is cinnamon on this because it started that burning, and I got red marks everywhere I put it on my neck. Fortunately, that didn't last long because this is really, really nice, especially for the holidays!

 

I'm not familiar with Dragon's Blood resin but based on this I'm definitely going to try more scents with that in it. This is rich and spicy and fruity without being fake-fruity, if you know what I mean. At first the cinnamon/spice was very strong but that has receded into the background and I'm left with the combo of fruit and greeness, which I love (in that way it reminds me a bit of Wolf Moon). Every now and then I get a whiff of the leather, but it's not LEATHER... to my nose it just keeps this from being too fruity or too green. It gives it some depth. I think it's a great holiday scent because to me it just smells like Christmas! Maybe if I'd tried it at a different time of year I wouldn't have made that association, but there it is. I really like this, though I don't know if I'll be getting a big bottle. I need to save enough in my imp to try it in warmer weather to see if it works then... if so, this is definitely big bottle material!

[angharad]

This was a frimp that I never would have ordered for myself -- if I'd ordered it at all, it would be for a friend who loves King Arthur. Even now, reading the description more carefully, it doesn't seem like something I'd love...but love it I do.

 

Mainly I get leather and a bit of sweet/spicy from the imp. Once on my skin, however, the leather fades away into a very sweet/spicy scent. I don't know most of these particular notes well enough to be able to distinguish them in a scent yet, but whatever it is I'm smelling, I'm loving it. It reminds me of apple cider, heavy on the cinnamon, but it doesn't irritate my skin at all. Every now and then I can pick out the leather, so I don't get bored with just the sweet/spicy -- the leather adds another dimension that I enjoy. Tintagel has average throw on me and doesn't last as long as I'd like. That's my only complaint.

[Anadira]

I was absolutely thrilled when I heard about Tinagel - I'm a huge fan of Arthurian literature, so the idea of wearing a scent inspired by it really appealed to me. Moreover, the description said it would be sweet and spicy, which really was exciting.

 

When I opened the vial, though, I got nothing but spiciness, which...is fine, but not the main reason I bought it. It didn't die down, though, when I applied it, although I got a faint whiff of the sweetness. The leather amped up not too long after and overrode the sweetness, so I mostly got leather and a lot of spice - which lasted for a very, very long time. Really a pity, because I wanted to like this one so badly - into the swap pile it goes. ;_;

[crescentwench]

the first thing i get is spiced wine. it smells that way on me for about an hour, then dies down to a spiced honey scent with a touch of leather. yum! i don't really get the dragon's blood except as a general warmth. i didn't get any florals or juniper and if i got berry it said wine to me. Overall it's like wassail. very warm and friendly but sexy too. i think it's my favorite at the moment.

[PixieSkull]

In the imp: Grape sugar syrup, deep and rich wine. Something very manly underneath, very pleasant.

On me wet: I can smell musk and dirty leather and dirt on the ground and wine and baked sweets. Beautiful and something somewhere is minty. Can definately find the dragon's blood resin

On me dry: Sweet and musky and rich. Drunken excess and horny horsemen is what I get from this scent.

 

Category: Wine/Leather/Sex

Rating: 4/5, Utterly wearable

Overall: I love how the scent morphs from deep wine and a little bit of dirt to empty wine bottles and the lovely scent of dirty leather. The scent is so wearable and is like Wanda, but a more full version with lots more warm leather and smoke.

[vyola]

Opening the vial, my first impression was -- HOLIDAYS! Candles and cider, greenery and warmth. I brushed a little on my wrist, then rubbed the other wrist across it. A cloud of scent surrounded me. My mood instantly picked up. It's... it's food-y without smelling like food. There's no cinnamon or clove --it's warm without the fuzzy, buzzy sharpness I associate with those notes (notes I generally do not care much for), and it's winter-forest without being piney. Definitely an indoor woody smell -- firewood but not smoke -- unlit pipe tobacco with dried apple in it?

 

I don't know how much throw it has on me -- I felt surrounded in a warm envelope and made a good attempt at inhaling my wrist, muttering "I smell good!" for hours. The cider notes warmed and mellowed out though I did not identify "cider" until this morning. I put it on at 8 pm last night; there was still a nice light scent at 7 am. And my mood was still great.

 

Mom's scent wore off in a couple of hours (we'll have to test with a heavier application) but did not turn at all. It didn't deepen and mellow out as much as it did on me, though. But she did have the same mood lift. She really wants to try it out as a holiday room scent. Dad grumbled a bit about the house smelling good without any actual food being served to him but he seemed to like it well enough.

[Hanyaan]

As a lover of almost all things Arthurian, I just had to try Tintagel. And I'm very very glad I did.

 

In the bottle, it smells like Christmas. There's sweet and spicy and a little bit of greenery. As it dries on me, the spices stay the most prominent, with the sweet wine note in the background. I really can't describe much of what I'm smelling other than that it smells incredible. It lasts for ages on me (a minor miracle), and is the most amazing scent I've yet tried for putting in my hair. A few streaks of this and I'm surrounded by yummy for at least a day. I ordered a 5ml, but I think I'm going to have to get a 10ml at the rate I'm going through it!

[Freyja Lux]

Sweet, earthy, but nothing special. I'm not a fan of dragon's blood so this may explain my dislike of Tintagel, because anything with dragon's blood smells like cheap candy to me. In the bottle it smells much more interesting, but once on it just turned into a somewhat green dragon's blood.