No. 93 Engine

[Lunasariel]

Balm of Gilead, benzoin, frankincense, balsam of peru, beeswax, saffron, galbanum, calamus, hyssop, mastic, lemon balm, and white sage.

 

In the imp: A big ol' hit of sharp herbs and resins with an interesting spicy edge. There's maaaaybe a hint of benzoin-y, beeswax-y sweetness to soften the edges, but primarily, this scent is SHARP.

 

Wet: Ah, now that's what I'm talking about! On my skin, it settles down and opens up into something broad, warm, and sweet. The shriekingly sharp resins mellow out, the beeswax note becomes a main player, and something distinctly floral emerges. The herbs, too, become fresher and...wetter? I'm getting fresh-cut herbs, not dried ones.

 

Dry: The florals gradually overtake the resins, although the resins never completely disappear - they end up providing some lovely grounding for the florals, so they don't drift away entirely. The incense is still providing some frisson throughout, but, surprisingly, it blends very well with the florals and resins. Incense and/or resins tend to go unpleasantly sharp and sour on my skin, so I'm glad they avoided it here! And the beeswax is soft but notable throughout, making everything play nice with each other.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Very benzoin dominant on me, with some Frank, something woody, and hints of spice. Warm and glowing and lovely. Quite sweet, and a little "sticky". Mmm. I like it.

 

 

Dry: Really interesting! Hard to pick out individual notes. It's creamy, sweet, and there's some nice, exotic spice there too. A very warm scent. It's lovely. I think I might want a bottle, actually. Something about it is comforting, while being pretty and feminine at the same time.

[Casablanca]

Interesting. I haven't smelled Balm of Gilead to my knowledge, and something new is leading here, when this is wet on my skin, so maybe that's it. This smells balsamic, woody, and resinous with a touch of saffron and sage. There are some notes listed that I'm not picking out, though. Some of them I don't know.

Once this has dried, I think I smell beeswax mingling in with the other notes, but if so, it's different from how I remember it in Lights of Men's Lives, but I like it. The frankincense also smells more grainy than before -- and maybe other things, too.

 

This is an interesting and textured blend. Different! I like it.

[Kay Torres]

In the imp: I didn't think I'd like this because it smells so sharp. Main note drifting out is the balsam... and something metallic... It's kind of earthy and bitter. It made my eyes water to be honest.

 

Wet: Spice and herbs. Still makes my eyes water.

 

Dry: It's soo beautiful. I really didn't think from smelling this in the imp or wet that I'd like this so much. The beeswax is the strongest note. It's lovely, creamy, sweet and soft. The other notes sort of blend into an herbal-ish sort of lemony incense smell underneath the beeswax. It's so warm and cuddly and relaxed, but bright. I'm not doing this justice, but it was a surprise hit with me. This is an instant full bottle purchase.

Edited September 21, 2016 by SunsetKay

[roseus]

Starts off very forest-y balsam, and herbaceous, it's a little sharp but not so much that it's off putting for me.

 

On wet: Similar to in the imp but with a little sweetness underneath.

 

Dry: A nice smooth base of benzoin and beeswax, with a little frankincense. There's a lot of herbs and other things floating over top, but the one that stands out the most to me is sage. It's a little spicy but not in a heated cinnamon kind of way.

[gloame]

Spicy and resin-y. A nice heated scent for those who enjoy woody/leathery/spicy blends. Smells hot and exotic.

Unisex, woody, spiced.

I rated this a 6/10 in my scent spreadsheet a few years ago. I wonder if my mind would change if I smelled it again. It has everything I typically love.

[Lucchesa]

This hit me with a really strong childhood sense memory. My father had a wood shop, so I thought maybe sawdust and machine oil. Wet it has a sharp resinous tang, but turns surprisingly honeyed on dry down. Definitely unisex, though. On my second application, I nailed it. I used to have a scratch and sniff Xmas book. The scents I remember were candy cane, hot cocoa, gingerbread, and pine tree. This smells exactly like the scratch and sniff pine tree of 40 years ago. Really, really nice and going on the short list for my next bottle purchase.

[theredkilt]

I had high hopes for this one. I love frankincense, beeswax, sage, and balsam... but something in this is making it smell very peppery. I can't stand pepper in my perfumes most of the time, and this is no exception. Maybe waiting for the drydown would make it awesome, but I don't think I can wait to make it there. Sadly, I'm going to have to wash it off.

 

i had the same experience with Engine No.93.

 

I think that the frankincense lends the peppery quality to the overall final result. Black pepper stinging frankincense.

[garbagewitch]

No. 93 Engine starts off very sharp, in way that reminds me of accidentally pouring out way too much black pepper, with something warm and sweet underneath. After a while, that peppery-sharpness gradually starts to calm down a little, and the warm sweetness that was in the background starts to become more prominent—it’s very well-blended, but I can pick out benzoin and frankincense. As it dries down more, the warmth starts to take on more of a woodsy quality, with a cool edge that I’m guessing is the lemon balm.

I actually really enjoy the final drydown: it's warm and smooth and just a little sweet, with a touch of minty-coolness that keeps it interesting, and that biting peppery note has finally backed off enough that I don't feel like I'm going to sneeze with every sniff. Unfortunately, it takes a few hours to get to this phase, and that's much too long to spend smelling like I've just been a party to kitchen crimes.

A well-blended and interesting scent; if it weren’t for that pepper-sharp note, I think I could actually love it, or at least like it enough to finish off the imp. Unfortunately, whatever is giving me that black pepper vibe doesn't do anything for me except distract from the notes I actually enjoy. Not quite a scrubber, but I’m definitely passing this one on to a friend who wears it much better than I do.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Herbal, spicy resins, something sharp and maybe metallic, and some lemon balm.

 

Wet: Spicy resins and black licorice. I was not expecting black licorice from this one. I also get some herbal minty-ness and lemon balm behind those notes. Then the black licorice, minty aspect, herbs, and spices quickly decide to take over, shoving the resins into a background role.

 

Dry: The spiced resins (the saffron is distinct now, and there’s a pepper-y quality to this) fought back and have taken the center stage once more. I still get this soft herbal quality (probably the sage) and soft mint (or mint-like ingredient) behind them. After a while, the beeswax note emerges and cozies up to the spiced resins. I appreciate this phase of the scent the most.

 

Verdict: I am undecided on this one. The wet phase wasn’t really my thing, with that unexpected licorice, but the dry phase is really nice, especially once the beeswax gains strength. This is a fresh imp, so I think I’ll set it aside and retest this once it ages.

Edited September 17, 2018 by dementia_divine

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Totally agree with Lucchesa; this smells like a wood shop. Evocative.

 

Dry: Pretty much the same at the wet stage, but I'm getting some type of astringent note now that's a bit unpleasant.

 

Not my thing.

[Teamama]

Beeswax & resins. Both dry & sweet. Beautiful. This is so complex, I can't even pick out my beloved frankincense. 

I know there is sage & balsam in here, because it smells like my childhood. There's a desert plant in eastern WA whose dried seed heads look like tiny brown velvet buttons on an dill weed flower (I think it's yarrow, but I'm a lousy botanist.) It smells like the resins in No. 93 Engine. I am all about this fragrance, & have been buying up imps waiting for it to come back in stock. 

Edited January 8, 2019 by Teamama
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[VetchVesper]

No 93 Engine was one of my first BPAL loves and one of my first bottle buys.  It's an unusual fragrance and is hard to categorize. 

 

I was not familiar with many of its listed notes at the time I first procured my frimp, but was instantly allured.  There is a dark, metallic tang in the scent's opening that is reminiscent of something industrial.  It's easy to imagine a drop or two of gear lubricant within this distillation, though I hypothesize this effect has to do with the acrid bite of sage.  I also get a distinct impression of sassafras (though it isn't a listed note) that isn't confectionary, but spiced, woody, and dark, like the home hooch brews one might expect to find fermenting in a hillbilly's cellar.  Sometimes I catch whiffs of bitter vetiver, and sometimes the blend seems sweet and vanillic (from the benzoin).  I never get anything lemony or lemon "balmish".  Nor do I get a distinct impression of incense, though several of the listed notes are found in incense.  Rather, they produce a grounding warmth and weight to the whole.  I am usually ambivalent towards beeswax, but here it's used to lovely effect, adding a soft sweetness and glow that tie the brasher notes together.

 

No 93 Engine is both elegant and avant-garde, delightfully unisex, and still one of my top BPAL favorites. 

#tournamentofunderdogs

Edited August 30, 2020 by VetchVesper

[mymymai]

No. 93 Engine is a dear love of mine (one of my first bottles from the Lab, too).  The balsam of peru along with the mastic are just gleaming, glorious tones that few scents could compete with, wet or dry.   #tournamentofunderdogs #underdogs

[DigitalCoyote]

Wet: Harsh balsam and wax.

 

Dry: The wood is warm and mellow now.  It's very cozy. 

 

 

I think I'd like it better as an air freshener than a body smell unless I was doing costuming.

 

 

#BPALphabetAUG20

[Rayleigh]

No. 93 Engine is a true stand out in the general catalogue -- there are notes here I have never seen elsewhere, and they're quite distinct. I can't think of anything else that smells like it. It has a sharp, coniferous opening, but then the warmth of the resins and beeswax rise up. It is bright and dynamic, and deep and mellow. It smells both mechanical (the gleaming, sterile notes from the sage, mastic, balsam) and inviting (the soft glow of the beeswax and elegant resins.) Unique and atmospheric, yet eminently wearable. An enduring favorite.

[daemonkat]

NO. 93 Engine: spicy frankincense
On Skin: wet: The frankincense is still there, the spices are coming forward. Beeswax is mellowing everything out. Very resinous.
dry: One-two punch of spices and resins. Really beautiful and warm. I can't pick up any one note here but it's simply amazing.

I feel like I'm drinking mulled mead on a summer picnic sitting in a field of flowers. It's nice and warm.

 

[niffler]

Oh my. First sniff in the imp is lemony, second is spicy. Sage and balsam lead the charge with frankincense not far behind, but from there I can't separate individual spices (believe me, I tried). My visceral impression was a flash of afternoon sunlight on polished brass. Maybe it's the result of growing up in a house decorated in brass fixtures and oak cabinetry, all cleaned with that lemony Pledge spray... this scent instantly had my attention. 

On my skin, soft beeswax immediately smooths over any sharpness. In the wet stage I can pick out saffron, but really I couldn't tell you what any other notes are doing. When it's dry, the beeswax binds everything together into something esoteric but very quiet and comforting. It stays in a sort of golden hour for a long time on me, glowing close to the skin. 

[supreme_c0rt]

To me this strikes the middle path between medicinal and ethereal. I get a distinct sense of the steam rising from a mug of hand-crafted honeyed herbal tea meant to soothe the throat and open the sinuses, with a side dish of something like warm handmade molasses-honey Ricola crafted in a magic woodland cottage. There's black licorice, spicy ginger and nutmeg, clarifying sage and pine and sap, warm glowing heat, beeswax and honey, and something else that isn't of this earth.

 

This is so complex and strange. It smells like elf medicine. I wish I could describe it better. It smells like nothing I've ever smelled before, and it warps and shifts wildly throughout the duration. Truly a must-try, because describing it just won't be enough to communicate it. 

[Bassmastadroog]

A light wisp of smoke over a warm, herby, lemony wax. Smells a bit like a clean wooden table with incense. There’s a polished rich wood note when all the scents combine, and a fresh lemon beeswax.

 

It is really nice. I like the gentle smoke effect. I don’t know how much I love the lemon so I don’t know if I’ll be using it…but I will get use out of my imp!

[MamaMoth]

i thought i'd reviewed this one, but apparently not. 

 

bright, punchy, yellow/golden sweet resins.  lemony and sweet.  just a touch of herbal sage. very uplifting.  i love it so much.  it feels like an LE to me, and it's been a favorite of mine for many years. the only downside is that my skin just gobbles it up, and it's usually completely gone in 2 hours. 

Edited May 21, 2022 by MamaMoth

[hhelix]

No. 93 Engine is all smooth, rounded, burnished tones on me, sweet and almost pastry-like while not quite crossing into foodie territory. The benzoin, balm of Gilead, and Peru balsam translate as vanilla, and the lemon balm brings out the lemony effervescence of the frankincense. So it's a lemony, vanillic, herbal, resinous scent that is very uplifting and soothing at the same time. It has modest throw and is short lived -- about 3-4 hours on my skin. It's a wonderful comfort scent. BTW, for a really beautiful tribute to this perfume, go read @VetchVesper's review on BPAL's web site. Then put it in your cart.

Edited May 21, 2022 by hhelix

[Tungerine]

This is amazing. Golden and creamy, deep but not dark. It glows. It's warm, but just as suited to a hot summer day as a chilly winter night. I find the beeswax makes it a little too sweet to be something I reach for every day (is there vanilla in there?) but it's in my top 10 for sure.