Faustus

[sestina]

An infusion of incalculable power and irresistible temptation. Truly an exercise in megalomania and self-gratification: frankincense and cinnamon, darkened by violet.

When I received this imp, I tried it on my boyfriend first, and it was very, very sexy on him. With his chemistry, it's all incense and a touch of spicy cinnamon.

On me, though, it's a little less spicy and I can just barely detect the violet, which I normally -hate-. I hate violets, they hate me, we have a truce. But Faustus is, I think, the first scent I've ever been able to tolerate a detectable amount of violet in.

It's a warm, strange scent. I don't think I'd buy it for myself, but I love it on ze man.

[darkitysnark]

A swap from hepkitten.

 

Hm. Love the frankincense, but boy howdy this is nothin' but le frank for a good long while. Frankincense and a weird, feral sharp after-smell that hurts my nose and makes me want to run to my mamma! (Maybe it was rabid cinnamon? Otherwise, I didn't get what I usually consider cinnamon.)

 

Hours later, though, and this is just all powerful ego. Very forceful. This really helped my little pow wow with my boss just now. I was able to interrupt his rambling digressions and get to the point already, puny hu-man.

 

And now, finally, a hint of violet. Very nice. I'd like to layer this with the LUSH Skinny Dip buttercreme I got (and use only for special smellin' occasions).

 

I strongly recommend a light hand on application. I was and still am wafting like a egomaniacal mofo.

 

Edited to note: what a difference a couple months makes! Not sure if it's aging the oil, or changing of me, or just the season changing or what... but now I'm getting mostly spicy dark violets, and not so much the frankincense. If there's cinnamon, it's definitely in a supporting role. This has become the Signature Scent of Chez Snark.

Edited May 9, 2006 by darkitysnark

[jarvenpa]

Freebie from the generous lab.

 

Dark oil, hmmm. Slash it upon wrists...

 

and then I fall in love.

 

I had to come look up the scent notes, I had no idea what I was smelling, but it was spice and it was resin and it was good. And it lasted and lasted.

 

Cinnamon, right. That makes sense. Second try of it I said to myself "yes, smells like cinnamon" and that is indeed a scent I love (I pile cinnamon sticks in little pottery bowls around my bookshop just so I can crush one now and then and sniff the nice hot scent).

 

This fragrance is darker than just cinnamon (and note, this is not cinnamon in the bakery sense--the feeling is not "oh, I am pausing to have a cup of coffee and a roll").

 

It's sweet and heady and powerful. I don't smell violets at all (and I've tried it many times now--I keep going back to the imp and know I'm going to need a bigger supply of it soon). I like violets a lot, but if they are in here they are hidden from me.

 

I think this is the second BPAL I've tried with frankinscense as a note, and I must like that note.

 

I do know that I love Faustus. One of my favorites so far. Wise, wise lab--I don't think I would ever have tried this one on my own.

[Ms Density]

An exercise in megalomania, indeed. I put this on right before my reference desk shift, and without even realizing it I began having thoughts of how cool it is to be a reference librarian, making comparisons to the priestesses of Delphi and such nonsense. Not only that, but this is an oil which encourages stereotypical bitch librarian behavior, delighting in condescension. This is something I believe my all-too-nice pushover personality could use from time to time. "I have the keys to this knowledge, and you're going to have to abase yourself before me to get my crucial aid." Ha.

 

It's strong, and it smells of some kind of resinous soap at first--the frankincense and violets. I don't smell any cinnamon, but it comes later. At first, I didn't think I liked it because of the soap factor but the frankincense seduces me into its ethereal arms yet again, keeping the bathtime images at bay. The violets lean instead toward a cleanliness-is-divinity ego trip. Not only do I smell clean but I'm surrounded by offerings of precious resin and spice incense.

 

I think I'll use this whenever I need a massive dose of confidence.

Edited April 6, 2006 by Ms Density

[trins-ravengirl]

Fresh and wet on my skin I smell mostly violets with some frankinsense and maybe cinnamon hiding somewhere in the background. That slight spicy sweetness is there somewhere.

 

After drying I get much more of the frankinscense with the violet fading into the background and the cinnamon coming out.

 

In the end Frankinscence + cinnamon = a dark spicy scent that I love.

[Zeljana]

this is a dark, smoky, medicinal scent. exactly the type one would expect to come from an alchemy lab. it's amazingly dual in nature, sacred frankincense, fiery cinnamon and sweet powdery violet. the notes swirl around each other and the result is a heady intoxicating scent with a great throw. not overly masculine scent but definitely one to wear with confidence.

 

a scent of dark experience.

 

after a few hours Faustus reminds me of old dusty books, a perfect scent for a librarian

Edited April 20, 2006 by Kosyena

[juniperus]

Bottle: frankincense and violet, none of the cinnamon.

Wet: the violet has stepped forward, still no spice.

Dry: ah-ha! hints of the cinnamon at last, but not food-y edge to it.

Later: still heavy violet, and the cinnamon has replaced the frankincense for the #2 position, but it's still not food-y. interesting, but I do wish the frankincense had stuck around.

[jolarocknrolla]

the cinnamon here is similar in power and tone to Inferno, but the scent itself is a lot darker ad more complex, the frankinscence gives it a darker and slightly bitter tone. i don't know if i smell violets - though there is a curious medicinal scent (i think another reviewer noticed that too) far in the background. the scent has a sort of fullness and warmth that's really comforting and strengthening to me.

 

This is a very strong scent with a lot of lasting power.

[Eunice]

At first all I can smell is light spice but the violet comes out at the very end. This is soapy on my skin but not soapy soap. This is really good soap, the kind of soap I want to smell like. Oh, this is WONDERFUL!!

[PilotKitten]

Cinnamon and frankincense.... I was hoping more of the cinnamon and violet would shine through but I guess not.

 

After drying down, I just get the frankincense.

 

5 minutes later... hmmm... why is my wrist itchy? OMG... BIG ITCHY RED RASH OF DOOM!!!

 

Wash it off, wash it off, wash it off!!!

 

Never again....

[Elrianra]

In the bottle, this is smoky cinnamon and vague florals. On me wet, pale violets with a touch of frankincense in the very background. Dry, the violet is extremely prominent, floral and sweet but darkened by the frankincense - the cinnamon adds a faint spice to this but is nearly indectable. This turns faintly spicy as it warms - the cinnamon has finally begun to come out and the frankincense is now livened by that while the violets create a genteel bed for the swirl of potent spice and smoke that comes wafting up from my skin in a warm haze. This is pale and muted on me, which I wish it weren't, and while it lasts a long time, there isn't enough power in this to be detectable unless right under your nose. The violet is lovely but the frankincense and cinnamon just don't play up on my skin like they normally do.

[mountainwitch]

I had a lot of trepidation about this one after trying "The Raven"; the violet did not like me, and the feeling was mutual. I was doubly cautious because I just couldn't imagine how something like violet would mesh with cinnamon. But I had to try Faustus anyway, and it's all because of Christopher Marlowe.

 

The scent proved to be a wonderful surprise: dark, powerful, lasting. Faustus has quickly become one of my favorite scents, and I’d like to enjoy his acquaintance for a long time . . . Say, oh, the next twenty-four years.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

and i get.... cedar?

 

frankincense stored inside a tiny little cedar box -- hand carved so that the lid fits reaaaaaaaaaaaaally snug & when you finally get the lid off you get this whoosh of superscented air. that's what i get here.

brown, brown, brown .... with some tan and dark brown for variety.

 

pretty, but nothing i ever want to smell like again unless i'm putting away (or unpacking) yule decorations into a cedar chest

 

i rather imagine this is how a hamster christmas might smell.

[Diana]

Wet: soap & oil.

 

Dry: This becomes more spicy as it dries; the cinnamon & frankincense start to appear. It still smells fairly soapy, which oddly enough, I think is due to the violets. I usually love violets in almost any blend, but here they are just not my cup of tea.

 

After a while, the sharp soap note fades a bit to a warm, spicy scent, but it's a little bit too astringent-smelling for me. It's a neat scent, just not one I think I'd really get much wear out of. This probably would smell amazing on a guy, FWIW.

[edenssixthday]

Faustus - I’m in LOVE! I don’t smell the cinnamon in this, but the frankincense (which I don’t normally like) is thick and heavy, but mostly smoky and sexy, and everything I ever wanted in an incense scent! Violet (one of my very most favorite floral scents) lends a soft, deep, touch of floral-sweetness to the frankincense, keeping it from becoming overpowering with its heaviness. The scent has a lovely level of throw and it lasts for hours upon hours on my skin. It’s rare that a BPAL scent knocks my socks off the way this one does. I am absolutely crazy about it and this is going at the top of my list of GC bottles to purchase! In fact, I think I’m going to wear this one again today. It’s just so WOW SUPER SEXY!!!

[audesapere]

In Imp: Strong, masculine. I nod approvingly.

 

Wet: LAVENDER! and a wee bit of lemon, somewhere, but the lavender is the really noticeable part.

 

Dry: Masculine, but in a clean, sweet unisex way (does that makes sense?) A man could wear this as well as a woman, and no one would think it too feminine/masculine. This is lavender, but subtle, blended lavender, not the screeching, 'look at me' lavender I hate. I also smell spice.

 

Later: This lasted almost 12 hours. I can smell it clearly (8:30 pm) and I put this on at about 9:25 am. It's very light and powdery. More approving nods.

[indicolite]

It must be the violet mixed with frankincense I smell, since I do not get any cinnamon, and cinnamon generally comes out to play on my skin. Faustus is...interesting. I can get the arrogance, but (despite what some who know me might say) it does not speak to me. I may use up my imp, but I do not think I would be getting a bottle.

 

On second sniff, I am getting a certain...cinnamon-like quality without actual cinnamon. Perhaps it is frankincense. I do not know. The floral that is probably violet (although it is not like the overused violet in cleaning products) has a strong enough throw for me to smell it while typing (it is on my wrist).

 

However, my opinion holds.

 

ETA: Ok, now I see what frankincense smells like, and I won't forget it. As is usual for my skin, the florals bloomed briefly, and then the resin/spice/incense came out. I like frankincense much better than incense, but still, Faust old fellow, there's lots of other stuff I have with frankincense in it.

Edited June 27, 2006 by indicolite

[hologhost]

Wow! In the bottle I actually smell all the listed notes: frankincense, cinnamon, and violet. That's unusual for me. On, it's frankincense and violet. I really like this. Very heady.

[steffanina]

Faustus-

 

In Bottle: Hmm, I'm not sure. Slightly musty?

 

Wet: Oh, that wood-and-chocolate smell showed up in the first whiff!...Now it's suddenly more floral and sweet, and a little sharp. I will take my time with this one.

 

Dry: I've come close to washing this one off a few times. There's just...nothing here that I like; it's a little nauseating to take repeated sniffs and it's definitely eye-watering. I sneezed once, soon after I put it on, but it wasn't right after a sniff so I don't think it's an allergic reaction, but it might be an irritant one. There's no cinnamon or violet that I can detect. (And I'm not sure what frankincense smells like. Maybe that's what I don't like.) With so many good scents in the BPAL collection, I don't feel like this is one upon which it's worth wasting my time. It's just not for me. The fade is uninteresting too.

 

Overall: Not for me; unpleasant. Swapping.

[themerrybaker]

Wow. This is a happy accident. At first Faustus reminded me of the yule blends with conifer. Much to my surprise, the predominant note is incense. Yeah. On second thought, I could believe that. Many of the Lab's incense blends don't work for me (too sweet) but this is smokily, woodily, spicily wonderful. I love it when this happens with a frimp.

[Trish]

This had so much promise...

 

I liked it in the imp, incense with a touch of floral. On my skin however it went from very strong and somewhat sharpish frankincense with a touch of floral and the briefest tiniest hint of cinnamon, to very heavy and cloying violet. And I normally like violet. I had to wash this off.

[fairy]

This one didn't work for me. Too much spice. It also took on a metallic smell to it after a while. But the imp is pretty, all tarted up, so I'm sure I'll keep it anyhow

[ancilla_morte]

Like a buttermint...

A very light, minty watery scent. doesn't seem to deepen much while wet.

While dry it is very incense-ey and fruity. Jasmine and resin-ey, sweet.

[fiddledragon]

The violets, which I've since discovered that I dislike in most blends, don't even get a chance to do their distressing blood thing. The cinnamon takes over and I smell like red-hots. I really *like* the smell of cinnamon, but I'd rather get a chance to smell like something else along with it. The nice warm frankincense never had a chance against the raging inferno that is cinnamon.

[supremegoddessofall]

Tried this at a meet and sniff. Spicy violet. Violet doesn't work well on me, so this is okay, but not great.