Zombi

[Katherynne]

Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth.

Oh. My. God.

I have waited a long time before adding Zombi to my order, because I was convinced that I didn't like roses. I finally decided to be chancey with my BPAL ordering and try to redefine what scents I do actually like... and wow. In the imp, Zombi smells like freshly turned earth. It's intoxicating. I think I smelled the imp for a while before I even put some on, because it was that good.

Wet, Zombi still smells like freshly turned earth. I wasn't getting any rose scent from it until it began to dry, and then my skin warmed the rose scent and I could smell it everywhere around me. I love this. It's not the cloying ridiculous rose smell I associate with rose perfumes... it's the smell of a flower, a real one. I'm so enchanted by this... I may need a bottle.

Zombi has a LONG wearlength on me, something like ten hours. It smells beautiful the entire time. It also has a good throw -- I smell it around me in the air.

[goblinshark]

It's so amazing - this REALLY smells like grave dirt and rose. It's one of the most unique rose scents I've ever smelled; the dirt smell is sweet rather than...uh...dusty or muddy, I guess, but it is DEFINITELY dirt and I love it and I want to smell like it always. Unfortunately it doesn't last incredibly long on me (about two hours after application I have to put my nose right against my wrist to smell it) but I won't mind having to reapply. SO GOOD.

[trollgirl]

Not much to add here that everyone else hasn't already said, except that to me Zombi smells very aquatic. These are not a big, blooming, dewy roses, but grey, faint drowned roses. The scent feels cold, blue-grey and damp. Much more mossy in dry down, however. This lasts an extremely long time on me and smells absolutely divine the entire time.

[undream]

there is really very little i can add to what everyone else has said thus far, but i will try!

 

zombi is actually what i am always hoping the aquatic/ozone scents will turn out to be. very earthy and clean, like sitting on the soft, gently turned dark soil of a forest bed after a spring rain. mmmmm, i am really really loving this.

 

there is a slight decayed sweetening after application which is clearly the dried roses coming out. <3

 

i am not sure exactly what oakmoss smells like, but i'm thinking i like it. and oddly, i can detect a very subtle and soft fresh rose in the throw here and there, as though maybe there are a scant few fresh petals mixed in with the ones already dried out. haunting and beautiful. (i do love me some rose.)

 

this is such an unusual, unique oil, unlike anything i've tried in a very long while. i think it would be a great scent to wear on halloween.

[Iceblink]

Fresh overturned dirt that dries down into dirt and roses. This is a pretty weird oil but it works! I could see this working well on a guy--the roses aren't overly perfumey and the dirt smells really...well, *clean*. Nice!

[anguissette]

This was fantastic on my skin. My friend who gave it to me said it made her smell like she'd crawled out of her grave, located in a damp cave. On me it bloomed into complex beautiful florals. One of my favorites, after trying it a second time, I'll definitely consider a bottle of this.

[skepticism]

In the vial I smelled nothing but clean, grass/dirt smell. I dabbed some on me and found that I had to put on quite a lot in order for the scent to come through. No rose notes, but I smelled of fresh grass/moist dirt, and an overall "clean" smell ... for about two hours at most. I was disappointed in Zombi's staying power on my skin, especially since I liked it a lot. Debating whether or not to buy a bottle of this. I'll give it another application tomorrow and see if a less strenuous day helps its staying power.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Dirt and moss with the faintest trace of rose

 

On Application

Rose and dry dusty earth.

 

Dry Down

I love the earth/dirt note but was put off trying this because of the rose. The lab wisely sent a frimp. The rose is not overpowering and the dirt and moss is awesome. The rose has a kind of decayed quality as it dires down further. I am going to have to do a full wear test before I commit to a bottle.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

[Kittenish]

Ooh, this is quite pretty!

 

Definitely an earthy scent. I get the whisper of a rose, dry and dusty, but somehow rich and earthy? After it mellows a few hours it calms down and becomes so uniquely beautiful... I'm so glad I got this one!

 

ADDED Oct. 21:

 

I've been wearing this for a while, and all the good reviews seem to come from boys... though I guess I shouldn't be surprised that some guys want their women to smell like dirt.

Edited October 26, 2008 by Shollin

[sprocket21]

Here are the notes from when I tried Zombi at a Meet-n-Sniff...

 

"DIRT...sweet dirt? HOLY THROW BATMAN!"

 

That pretty much sums it up It was a wonderful dirt note, but it's not really me.

[eyeska]

I haven't reviewed this yet?!

 

Zombi is beautiful and perfect on me, I desperately need a bottle. The rose and dirt balance amazingly, and this scent tweaked me into "I WANNA SMELL LIKE DIRT", which I didn't really think I had in me. My fiance even adores it, which is impressive because it's such a unique and unusual scent - I thought I'd only be wearing it for me.

[GingerGunlock]

On me, Zombi is a perfect dewy, full-blown roses scent. The throw doesn't seem to be overpowering, and I get a little bit of dirt and moss in the background, enough to remind me of the rose garden in the Elizabethan Gardens in Manteo, North Carolina. I know it's supposed to be dried roses, but on my skin is smells like fresh-plucked velvety petals.

[beatrixn]

Ok, here goes my first ever review...

 

In the bottle: dried rose petals. In high school, my older sister used to dry her roses from corsages and whatnot and keep them hanging in her room. This is an exact reproduction of their scent.

Wet on my arm: whoa, moss. Lots and lots of moss, with a hint of dusty earth and rose underneath. Seriously, the moss is almost overpowering on me.

Dry: the rose finally picks up, and the moss takes a backseat. The soil still has a sort of a dusty, musty thing happening. It smells like a dying rose in ancient soil.

 

Ultimately, it's a very wistful scent. It makes me think of an abandoned, overgrown rose garden in the faded light of autumn, when the flowers are dropping their petals. Honestly, I almost find it a little creepy - "haunting" is a good word for this scent. It's incredibly evocative, and smells exactly like the description, but I'd definitely have to be in a certain mood to wear it.

[ankhfangirl72]

This smells like dry, mossy earth and fresh roses that have been out in the rain. The dirt and the rose work well together and stop you from smelling too much like an actual zombie. Because, while fun in concept, I doubt they smell too good.

[voodoocatwoman]

Um. No. Smelling like earth and dead flowers is not my thing.

[mayze]

I saw the package just as I was about to leave home, and so was in a bit of a hurry. I dabbed on Zombi (a frimp) because it was the first imp I saw that I knew would be ok on me.

 

I applied more than I usually do (3 dips of the wand, usually only 2), but still couldn't smell much. Zombi sticks really close to my skin. I admit I'm not particularly fond of rose scents, so while it's pretty and I really like the earthy aspects of Zombi, I suspect this won't get much use. I'm glad to have an imp of it, but I won't be getting a bottle.

[rayvn1]

This smells like dried tea roses. Beautiful! There's a darkness to it I don't usually get in the BPAL rose blends that gives it a fantastic earthiness. The moss is wonderful, I just wish I got more actual dirt.

[Tinose]

This is just wonderful. Dark and earthy and yet really strongly rose. I love it.

[thelaurenator]

this is just okay. I'm getting dirt, sweet patchouli, and rose. Not really my thing. Patch and earth smells better with amber and perfume like in Penny Dreadful, not with a floral like rose.

[obsidienne]

I didn't like it immediately in the imp, but on my skin it bloomed into the deepest darkest wine red earthy rose. There is a delicate touch of deep green moss and rose leaf.

 

This is so beautiful.

 

I'm at a loss for words to describe this exquisite blend. I make it a point to try a lot of rose blends (it's my favourite flower), and this is one of the most amazing I've tried so far.

 

This was a frimp from the Lab. Thank you times a million. I would not have ordered this on my own due to the "earth" description, and that would have been a crime!

 

Zombi:

[loladae]

THIS SCENT IS AMAZING. I knew I would love it. Unfortunately... it turned HORRIBLE on me. luckily I have a scent locket because I'm not letting this go. It's just so beautiful.

[awesomeoverlord]

This is nice. Wet, it's rose petals tossed with fresh dirt. I was afraid, initially, that it might be way too gritty and earthy for me, but the dirt mellows out nicely to produce a lovely, slightly mossy dusky rose on drydown. It reminds of Seance before that one has a chance to dry too much.

 

I'm not sure it's my favorite rose, but I can see myself wearing this when I want something a bit pensive and melancholy.

 

[Ceisdein]

In the bottle: Floral, dank and warm. A very wet rose, mid decay. The pungent notes of dirt and moss are there as well. It reminds me of making moist potpourri or a vase of cut roses left too long in the sun. Nice.

 

Wet: Strange things are happening. I smell like metal. Aluminum. Heated aluminum. That sounds ridiculous but truly. Not the earthy smell of copper or even dark smell of iron or bronze but the sharp, piercing spike of aluminum fumes. All over a subtle base of roses and dirt. It's strong enough to actually hurt, like the inside of my nose is being burnt. Bizarre.

 

Dry: There is nothing of the dirt or moss left only a struggling rose and melting aluminum. Like a female robot set on fire. The sent positively glows off of me; the stretch is incredible. Anyone who comes in the same room as me looks at me like I am the strangest thing ever. One person told me , "You smell... (long pause)... unnatural." Also, my nose just won't seem to adjust to the scent. It keeps smacking me in the face every few minutes.

 

Overall: What did my body do to this!? It smelled great in the bottle. Obviously something in my chemistry turned if from "Nice, Lush, Sweltering Zombi" to "The Android Circle of Hell". Definitely not something I will be wearing around daily but worth keeping for the oddity of it.

[femmefatale]

mmmm.....starts of rich, just turned dirt with roses and a hint of green. As it dries the roses come out more and the dirt note is there to ground it (ha! get it? "ground" it....I crack me up).

It is dark and sweet and perfectly fitting for its name. I love this and will have to get a bottle at some point. It doesn't have much of a throw, but it's definitely worth slathering.

[asciident]

Wet: Can't tell because it smells too bad in the vial to figure out. I won't be trying this one on.