Brimstone

[supasonicsage]

I did look, but I didn't find this, so here goes:

 

Lab's Description:

 

BRIMSTONE -- In Hermetic alchemy, brimstone is one of the Three Heavenly Substances, one of the primary alchemical Priciples. It represents the strength of will and the vigor of passion, and it is a symbol of the process of fermentation. A smoky, gritty blend, husky and gray.

 

Before I even start, it is my boy who is into the fire scents, but I usually get to him first. I will try to get him to review this.

 

Wet: Very, very strong, and I like strong scents, but this one exploded. This is mad, angry fire. This smells much more like burning houses to me than Djinn. It even has that sort of chemical smell that plastics and treated lumber give off while they are burning. Did I say that it is strong? Start out light with this one.

 

Dry down: While the burning house smell is still there, there is an nice incency smell coming out underneath that sort of mellows out the strong burning smell. It is a nice combination in the end. I will have to say, the longer I wear it, the more I like it.

 

I really wish that I was better at note, but I can't pick out anything. It is certainly an interesting smell. I can't wait to see what the guy thinks of this, because his chemistry is much more mellow than mine, and this is very gender neutral, even leaning toward masculine.

[TheDarkMother]

Ok, this is the third one that I've tried today, so hopefully the hubby won't make me wah this one off.

 

In the Bottle: Wow. Smoke. Like a Wood fire! I love that smell!

 

On Me: Wow! This is a nice smoky smell! This smells like a bonfire of brush and small pine branches. This smells like camping and makes me want to roast some marshmallows!

 

This is a keeper! Definately! Third time is the charm!!!

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Wow, that's sharp. Very poignant. In X-Men, there is a character named Nightcrawler who is always described as leaving an acrid smell when he teleports in flashes of fire and brimstone. That is what this scent makes me think of. I can see this lingering in the air after an explosion. There seems to be some sort of sweet wood lingering under the smoke and grit.

 

On me: I wouldn't consider this a wearable scent based on the bottle, but it's not as unpleasant as I expected. It reminds me of camping and bonfires on the beach. The sweet wood I mentioned before is more prominant, like branches that are being added to a fire and haven't turned to charcoal yet. It brings back many years' worth of family trips and, for some reason, makes me think of New Mexico and a few pueblo settlements we visited. I don't have any use for this fragrance so I won't be keeping it, but I'm strangely fond of it.

[LiberAmoris]

Brimstone in the vial smells incendiary, like liquid smoke. It’s dark and pungently sharp and undeniably powerful. It’s like the air from the Underworld. I’ve been waiting for the right mood to carry off this oil, but then I realized that might not happen anytime soon. So this morning I decided to be brave and apply it to my skin. When I dragged the applicator across my wrist it was as if I had drawn the olfactory equivalent of a searing trail of sulphurous fire across myself. I smelled coals and smoldering ashes. There’s grit to it too, like basalt or some other kind of volcanic rock.

 

For the first hour it chuffed off a grey haze of smoke. Then, suddenly, it mellowed a little and I was able to detect notes beneath the smoke. It was like inhaling a carboniferous cloud from an outdoor fire and smelling what went into the fire—what the fire was built with. There were some wood notes and something that almost registered as sweetness, something tangy like sap.

 

So far the scent has lasted 6+ hours and it’s still going strong. At one point today I thought I smelled a BBQ, and then I realized it was me. My boyfriend said it reminded him of Iceland’s Mount Hekla.

 

All in all, this is not an oil I’d wear again, but it’s amazing all the same. It’s like being cast into the fabled lake of fire and brimstone—disturbing and unsettling in the best possible way. I’m so glad I had an opportunity to try it.

[Ishtar]

Wow. This is extremely powerful, fiery and evocative. As the Lab descrpition says, it is *gritty* indeed. Definitely not something I would have thought could be captured so accurately in a scent, but there you go. Well done, Beth!

 

Unfortunately, smoke in general and woodsmoke in particular make me queasy, so this is probably the first BPAL oil I am going to swap without even trying it. Shame because I really admire the artistry and talent that went into the formulation of this blend, but I know that the wet stage would make me

[Miggins]

Brimstone, on my skin, is very reminiscent of Djinn, but less sweet and slightly more intense - still a lovely lemony/gingery smell (to be the complete opposite of all the other reviews!), but without the sugary "Coke" element. To my (very) untrained nose, I smell what I think is sassafras with a hint of myrrh and possibly amber. Although Brimstone is fairly intense, is doesn’t last as long but is still a very pleasant blend.

Edited September 15, 2004 by Miggins

[Nehushtan]

Brimstone is STRONG. I dragged the wand across both my wrists and the smell seared my nostrils--no other word for it. The first whiff I got reminded me of cedar, but sharp and not comfortably warm. It's like taking a woody scent and honing it to a razor edge and throwing hot, still burning ash all over it. It was so strong I scrubbed it off as best I could, and now that there's nearly no skin left on my arms, it has mellowed into a less dangerous, more tractable smoky wood smell. I like this one, but I think I'll stick to wearing it outside.

[omly]

Brimstone is indeed gritty. Misleading little imp you should really be a dark charcoal grey. So yes take caution and only use a little because this sucker is strong, but then again the boy snuggled right up after I put it on. "Mmmmm you smell like a campfire" he says. Well I guess I do! After that was pointed out Brimstone really started to grow on me. It smells like my jacket after we have been huddled in front of the fire on one of our late fall or winter camping trips.

[glampyre]

Brimstone.

 

Stark landscape, dry brittle branhes from long-dead trees litter the baked earth. Big black leather boots crush them underfoot...

 

Brimstone certainly does embody strength, willpower, standing alone. This is one for my 'Urban Warrior"-feeling days. Very Dune.

Edited September 29, 2004 by glampyre

[vitawash24]

This reminds me of a store I once visited where they were burning sage to "purify" the space, or something like that.

 

The smoky smell is just too much for me - it smells like church on a holiday. Sigh.

[antimony]

Wet: Smells like the aftermath the morning after a building across from me burned down, acrid, and overall just oddly disturbing.

 

I agree that it definately smells "gritty". I don't usually get all emotional about oils, but this smell makes me really uncomfortable, there's something really destructive in the scent that I just don't like.

 

As it's drying, there's more of an incensy kind of smell coming out, but I still don't like it.

[OdetteOdile]

On me this smells just like Indian food - very savory and smoky.

 

Not something I'd want to wear, but definitely something I'd want to eat.

 

Hungry now.

[closedacct]

This is my first review and I am very impressed with this oil. In the bottle I smell something grey and spicy and gritty. On my body, however, it stays that way for only a few minutes. It then turns into a lemony smell. Still lovely, but not the wood smoke and grit I had been hoping for. I am able to hang on to the gritty, spiciness if I put it directly on my clothing, so that is what I will be doing.

 

My husband said I smelled pretty, and that is impressive, because he rarely says that.

 

I have to say that I am astounded at the capabilities of The Lab. This is nowhere near what I am looking for, but I am now a BPAL slave forever.

[darkitysnark]

Brimstone

 

Oh my goodness. I am-three hours later-still overwhelmed by the absolute menace of this oil.

 

It's the first BPAL to utterly confuse and confound me. Most of the others have been casual dates compared to this love/hate co-dependent roller coaster ride of a blend.

 

This is coming off as melodramatic, but I can’t describe it any other way. I’m thunderstruck.

 

In the bottle: overpowering dirt. My first reaction is “ick!” and the Mr.’s close behind with his own nose wrinkle. Gritty and charred. Not the freshly turned earth of spring planting, but the hard cold aftermath of a winter inferno. The remains of a childhood home after the Christmas tree exploded.

 

Still… after reading other reviews, I am compelled to stick this one out and give it a chance (after a week of thinking about it).

 

Wet: I dab very lightly, knowing that this blend is really strong on others. Again, the dirt fills my mouth, I get fidgety. The nervousness settles down to unease as a strong incense sweeps over the dirt. I smell ancient, and angry. Malevolent. The word “menace” springs to mind and sticks.

 

Drydown: I’m a little scared of my wrists for some reason. A little on edge. Do I dare sniff? Just the incense is wafting up, but there’s something dark behind it. I’m drawn to and conversely repelled by this. I’ve never had this kind of confusion with BPAL before. What’s going on?

 

3.5 hours later: Still strong as ever. I’m getting Indian grocery store. A combination of food spices, Nag Champa (sp?), and that rosewater soap they have in little cellophane wrapped bars. It’s not that I smell rose, but there’s a touch of that creamy, clean, sweet something I can’t pull out from the incense enough to identify. That sweetness is slowly, very slowly, softening the mean edge that was freaking me out.

 

I’m not sure what to make of this. My gut reaction is “no sir, don’t like it” but then why do I keep sniffing my wrists? Maybe it’s just a matter of wrong scent, wrong day. Death has been on my mind quite a bit recently, and something like this evokes too strongly a feeling of finality without a chance for redemption. Or maybe a buried memory is trying to surface. A lot of my smell-induced memories are rooted in old family visits to Hong Kong. I’m not getting specific moments right now, but this smells of that time.

 

I will try this one again when I feel more centered.

[surf-tormented]

Wow, another great perfume oil!

 

Brimstone has a scent of spicy, smoky woods and cinnamon on my skin. It feels warm and sexy. When I first put it on, it was really smokey, like BBQ smokey, but then that faded into a very interesting blend of ash, burning woods, cinnamon type spice and warm, if warm can be a note. It is like taking a slow ride into the best parts of Hell. It gave me a nice Dante's Inferno sort of feeling.

 

The only two things I can compare it to is Goth Rosary's Mayhem and BPAL's Djinn, though Djinn seems a bit more musky.

 

I will put this on my favorites list. It doesn't have the lasting power I crave, but it is strong and gives a few hours of strong scent. Then it is all gone.

 

ADDED Jan. 27:

 

It's like Djinn without the cool musky demonic undertones. It smells like burning fire, like the coals from Hell. If I wasn't completely into Djinn, I would be completely into this. It fades faster than Djinn and doesn't have as many notes.

 

But it is powerful stuff. I would like to experience more oils like this and less of the foody creamy frou-frou kind I sample so often.

 

If you like food scents and stuff like that, I highly recommend not getting this.

If you love new things and want a blend of fire and alchemy that is truly strong and smoky, truly its namesake, get this RIGHT NOW!

Edited November 29, 2004 by Madame Nyx

[Scylla]

In the vial: Whew! It smells a lot like Liquid Smoke, the stuff that I put in my BBQ pork to make it taste, well barbequed!

 

Wet, on my skin: Very smoky, with some spice. Menacing--someone else mentioned that word, and I think it fits perfectly! Brooding. I would have to say, this is what I would expect Brimstone to smell like!

 

On drydown: Luckily, some of the smokiness has disappeared and it has begun to smell more like a traditional perfume, I suppose. It has gotten more incensy/resiny. I think there might be Nag Champa in there? Not sure. Definitely a very well-crafted allegorical expression in a bottle!

[bonnyread]

This is my first reveiw, and I think I picked a hard one. I don't know where to start with this blend. I expected to hate it (received in a lot off ebay) but it turned out to be my favorite of the bunch. I'm still not sure I would recommend it to anyone. I think many people would smell this and right away thing "ew, burning plastic," but, boy, do I love it.

 

That's LOVE with a capital LU.

 

Burning plastic is only the very first impression when I open the bottle - as soon as I apply this to my skin the chemical smell dissapears and it becomes all camp-firey goodness. When I was a kid, we used to have bonfires out in the woods, and that is exactly what this smells like to me - a couple of kids on a warm summer night sitting around a bonfire telling ghost stories. It's wood fire and smoke and warmth - very comforting to me, but at the same time, I know it's going to be something that just doesn't work for a good number of people.

 

I sit here sniffing my wrists absolutely in awe of the lab. Brimstone is the most unique perfume I've ever tried. (yes, I know, "most unique" is rotten grammer. Oh well...)

Edited December 28, 2004 by bonnyread

[feline.by.design]

Brimstone really wasn't my cup of tea. In the bottle and on my wrist it was like rubbing burnt wood onto my skin.

 

A wood fire? Yes, that's what it was, but this isn't something that I wanted to wear. It's a very powerful smell, very strong. It took a while to die down, so if you like smoke smells that last a long time, this is the one. Although I appreciate the mastery put into making this oil (the Lab never ceases to fascinate me), this one just didn't tickle my pickle.

 

This imp of mine will be moving on elsewhere.

 

-doreen

[klowey]

When I first got a whiff of this at the edge of the vial, I though it was like a scratch-and-sniff sticker from the 80s. Really didn't think I'd like it.

 

However, once I put it on it was wonderful and peppery and warm. I'm not sure I would wear it on it's own since it almost called for something else. However, I was trying Dragon's Milk on my other arm and realised that I'd really like Brimstone if it had a warm, red scent mixed in.

 

I'll probably keep this around for a while. But in the meantime, Wrath was added to my wishlist.

[voodoobaby]

In the vial: Mint? Wait wait, that can't be right. Maybe it's not mint, maybe it's something that just has the sharp bite of mint. And...yeah, that's what this is--a sharp bite. It's not bad, though.

 

Wearing: Hmm. Is that vetiver I smell? Its base note seems to be the same super sharp element in Blood Kiss. And I swear I smell cedar in here. This is a very, very bitter blend. I like it, but it's so strong!

 

Later: OK, root beer and burnt cedar. Again, it's not bad, just kind of disappointing. And I can't say I want to smell like root beer. Well darn, I wanted so much to like this one. Maybe I can swap this one out for Djinn and see if that has the burning wood smell that I was looking for.

 

Edit: After this initial application, every time I smelled it I got Vics vapo rub. Not pleasant.

Edited May 8, 2005 by voodoobaby

[Penance]

Origin:

 

I got an imp of this from Lucretia

 

First sniff:

 

This smells very similar to both Capricorn and Malediction to me...it doesn't smell grey really...it's more earthy...brown and dark green. I'm almost positive there's vetiver in this and possibly red patchouli even though the description says nothing of the sort. I like this, but it's not what I was expecting. I assumed Brimstone would be similar to Djinn, but the two couldn't be more different.

 

Wet on skin:

 

If I didn't know better, I'd swear this was Capricorn! I happen to absolutely love Capricorn, so that's a very good thing, just unexpected given the description for this scent. This still smells like red patchouli and vetiver with maybe a hint of cedar or redwood.

 

Dry down:

 

I actually found myself double-checking the label on this because Brimstone smells exactly like Capricorn on me. There's only the slightest hint of ashiness here; mainly Brimstone is very earthy smelling with a dark green tinge that normally means vetiver for me. So unexpected, but I love this!

 

The bottom line:

 

I love this! I do believe I've found a very good replacement for my beloved Capricorn.

[Shimmershadow]

Wow. This is incredibly strong-smelling, bitter and harsh. Made me gag a little just opening the bottle. This has a ferociously plasticky, chemical smell, wich mellows only marginally on my wrist into a deep frankincensy incense. Makes me sneeze, and while not as harsh as it was in the bottle, is still not particularly attractive to my nose. Could be particularly useful in chaos magic, but as a personal perfume, it doesn't quite strike me as something I'd enjoy wearing.

[allelujiah]

This was the single most disgusting thing I have ever smelled.

It was ridiculously strong and industrial smelling, like chemicals used in some sort of process with metal.

 

I tried to wait it out and see if the oil changed on my skin, but no, it just continued to make me gag. And it was STRONG.

 

I desperately tried to wash it off several times. I only succeeded in spreading the smell all over my hands. This junk lasted for hours. I did not like it at all.

[dreamingjune]

First off, I must say that I am madly in love with this scent.

 

At first I hesitated because I thought it was too much like Malediction. Upon further wearing I realized that it doesn't have so much of that sharp vetiver scent.

 

On my chemistry (that everything turns spicy sweet on) this is the perfect scent. When all else fails I always go for this one.

 

It is dry and smoky, dirty and earthy, and just plain raw. It's like the element of fire and earth rolled into one sexy package. What's more interesting is that it's so intensely earthy without smelling of patchouli, or any particular wood note for that matter. Truly a well blended scent.

[shelldoo]

in the vial, definitely something burning

 

wet: ash like cleaning the fireplace don't know if i can take this one. maybe if i layer it under something else.

 

dry: much nicer, not nearly as offensive on my nose. now it is a hot incensey smell, very smoldering, and smokey yet the ashy smell has gone away thank goodness. i still think it is a layering smell for me but it is nice.