The Robotic Scarab

[catattack]

Polished metallic notes, glossy leather, frankincense, star anise, and thin lubricating oils.

Imp: Sweet & spicy woods
Wet: Sweet & spicy woods. This is very nice. A tad masculine in the wet stage.
Drydown: It became a little smoky on the drydown. It smells more like something polished, but not polished wood. Maybe polished metal. But this doesn't smell metallic to me at all. I can smell a hint of leather in the background. After about 3 hours, it becomes sweeter and musky.
Overall: This is a great comfort scent for me. It fades pretty quickly, so I'll have to slather, but that's okay. Edited April 30, 2009 by catattack

[sadtomato]

umm...yum!

metallics, leather, and anise are a wonderful combination...who would have thought it.

this is nice!

a little bit of sweetness and a lot of freshness.

a cool scent.

i love it.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Pale peach oil. Tangy metal galore - a la Galvanic Goggles - and motor oil, a bit like Toad. Sweet-spicy star anise and a strong spike of slick leather. Faint frankincense - this is surprisingly light, verging on cologney.

 

Wet: Very light/low throw on my skin; just much fainter overall. A little less sharply metallic, though I can still detect the metal. Much less anise, and the leather is lighter too. Masculine.

 

Dry: Star anise amping up, though it's not spicy, more aromatic and woody - it reminds me a lot of mulled cider and gives the blend a lovely autumnal feel. A bit less cologney. Some sweet, lighty smoky frankincense emerging.

 

Later: While this is definitely the leather note of De Sade, it is light enough (read: not plastic/chemical power doom) that I don't mind it at all, as it in Whip. It sort of works, here. This felt like a cool blend at first, but it's warmed up from the woods/incense.

 

Summary: On final drydown, it's lightly spicy, almost foody star anise with soft, sweet, mildly spicy frankincense and light slick leather. The motor oil lingers, but the metal less so - and this reminds me quite a bit of Toad, overall. Sadly really low throw.

 

I quite like it, though it's not my style. So far, I've found everything in this line but The Obsidian Widow pretty damn outstanding.

[GhillieDhu]

This was a lab frimp, and I was terrified of it. I've had things turn to motor oil and metal on me that weren't supposed to, and don't like it at all. But the Robotic Scarab is lovely! It's mostly bright, volatile red-gold frankincense, with fiery spices (oddly, I smell more cinnamon than anise) and a touch of black leather. There's a hint of something that might almost be red wine in the background. This feels almost more like a ritual oil than a perfume to me. Not sure whom it would invoke... some bright, dangerous god of fire, artifice and sensuality.

 

Another perspective: my mother tried this and gets mint and eucalyptus. ?!

[Lyrical]

 

In vial: metal and leather and smoke and grease.

 

Wet on skin: I get metal and leather, anise and oil. This is not something I will ever wear, but it might be OK on a man - a very manly man, in that case - probably a mechanic!

 

Dry on skin: the same.

 

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Sharp with a bite over a bitter resinous base. Invigorating, but in a way that makes me feel reluctant to be so stimulated.

 

Wet: It smells like perfumed leather, very strong, like maybe a man's leather-intensive cologne. There's a very soapy herbal quality to it, so maybe it's a leather soap I'm thinking of.

 

Twenty minutes: Still a man's scent, with leather and herb predominating, but there's a bit of resin sweetness underneath. I have hopes the star anise will come out to play.

 

Two hours: More resiny goodness now. The leathery note has calmed down a lot, and the machine-type notes are pleasant. It's still a boy scent, but I don't dislike it. I'll probably pass it along to my daughter, who amps star anise, and see how it works on her.

 

Three and a half hours: Calm leathery boy scent.

 

Six hours: Very calm leathery boy scent, with a bit more resin than before but still principally leather.

 

 

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, it's metal and something sweet.

 

Wet on the skin, anise and frankincense with an undercurrent of leather beneath. I'm also getting just a bit of sharp metallic which just really makes this scent come together.

 

I definitely want to invest in a future bottle of this scent.

[persianmouse]

Surgeon General's Warning: This review has no nutritional or medicinal value. This review's claims of being an actual review of Robotic Scarab have not been proven. This review should be used for novelty purposes only. Please consult with your doctor before starting any new scent routine, except if your doctor is Doc Constantine, since he will only offer to make you smell of his seed.

 

 

Note to readers: These are the same characters from my earlier tome, Galvanic Goggles Guy and His Amazing Clockwork Cock. They reappeared in my delusional late-night ramblings about Robotic Scarab, because apparently they didn't have anything better to do. Which I assume you do as well, if you took one look at this self-indulgent TL;DR review and decided to actually read it. You might want to go get a sandwich or something first. I'll wait.

 

...

 

.....can you make me one too, while you're at it? Wait, what are you making? Egg salad sandwiches?

 

...nevermind. I'm good.

 

 

 

 

Here begineth the Not-A-Review Review.

 

 

 

You know that The Girl has not always been here. There was a time when there was a definite lack of a Girl Shaped Thing loitering about in your periphery. You know that The Girl is here now. You are as secure in that knowledge as you are in anything, which is to say, not very. But it is more likely then not, for although you are not above the occasional amusing delusion, it is unlikely you would have one this…peculiar. Quixotic. Loud. Prone to the throwing of things you’d rather not be thrown. Gently irritating in a suicidal way, like a moth constantly fluttering at your candle-flame. Fussy.

 

She fusses. Over everything. You wonder how she has time to eat and breathe, so much does she find to fuss over. Over herself, over you, over the furniture, over being here, over the way she claims you stare. Over things that are happening, over things that already happened, over things that haven’t happened yet, over things that will never happen, over things she only dreams, over things you dream. Over the things in The Workshop, which you had to insist she not fuss herself over, which made her body tremble and her breath quicken and her eyes brighten and almost almost almost cry, but maybe you were staring again, maybe that's why. Over the food, over the dirt, over the smoke on the horizon and the smell in the air, over the birds in the sky and rats in your lab. She gave them names. Names. And cries when you take them apart. And gets mad at you, as though it were your fault.

 

She fusses now, sitting in the dress you stole for her. She fusses with the hem, bunching it up, and smoothing it down, over and over, as though she is testing its structural integrity for possible catastrophic failure. She has been quieter lately, which you regard with high suspicion. She’s been subdued since The Incident In Town. That makes you itch in a way you don’t like. And you find you cannot focus on anything save her sullen posture.

 

You should make her something, something she will like and will happify. She is so loud when there is something she likes. You hate her loudness, her noise, but you hate the absence of it now because…because she shouldn’t be quiet over something so trivial. She should be quiet because you have important work to be doing. She should be quiet for that, for you, not other things, not because of other people. You think you must hate her, and so will make her happy so you can stop thinking about it.

 

Something she likes. You consider what it is that women like. Pretty, useless things, women like pretty, useless things. Flowers. Butterflies. Shit to stick in their hair. Ornate boxes too small to contain anything. Cats. Tiny pillows with tassels. Babies.

 

You pull various implements and trays toward you, and set about the task of creating a pretty thing of no real use without having to go through the trouble of standing up or going outside.

 

As you work, silent and focused as a stalking snake, The Girl gets up and walks in her irritating way over to the rat cages. To fuss, always to fuss. Stupid, useless girl. Those were all brand new rats she didn’t know, and now she will get attached to these, giving them names and fussing. You gave her her own rat for her to keep and fuss over in the privacy of her room, to get all her fussiosity out on that rat, and leave his alone. And now she will cry again soon, because she didn’t learn she never learns. Stupid, useless girl.

 

The strap of her dress falls idly over her shoulder, like a lion rolling over in it’s sleep. It’s downward trajectory is a source of undue fascination with you. As is her small, scarred hand gliding over to restore order to her accoutermentical anarchy.

 

It’s a different kind of itching, now. Stupid, useless girl.

 

With a last twist of a screw, you finish the impromptu bribe. You hide the little thing in your hands and make a sound like a little bird, catching The Girl’s attention. Thoroughly caught, you drag her towards you with a jerk of your head. Her inevitable curiosity will lead her to you, even if she glares at you for calling her like a dog or particularly smart horse. And she glares, as you knew she would, and she still comes to you, as you also knew she would.

 

She stands in front of you, arms crossed, annoyance and curiosity fighting a vicious civil war across her face, creating an odd twist to her lips you instantly remember forever. Her slight, sharp smell of something that might be flowers, might be holy, enters your space, utterly without permission. Grabbing her hand before she can jump away, you deposit The Gift Aimed To Distract into her warm palm. You’re staring now, but don’t care.

 

Sitting solid and heavy and hot from your hands, a brass scarab beetle rests in the center of that small palm. Beetles are almost like butterflies, it should be sufficient.

 

Her mouth opens slightly as she lifts it up higher for closer inspection, curiosity finally genociding the last of the armies of annoyance holding out along her brow. She jumps slightly, when the scarab begins to move, gently roving over her hand with no real destination. She makes a sound in between a giggle and a gasp, as it tickles its way up her finger. Her face has lost all previous sullenness, as she stares at it with the same slightly confused rapt amazement one normally sees in kittens. Your mission has been accomplished, and with great success. You have now mastered Giving Gifts To Women. A brand new skill you can add to your resumé. Builds large, mechanical bird-shaped aviation devices, horrible machines of death, and small curiosities to delight the womenfolk.

 

As the robotic scarab reaches the tip of her finger, it shuffles its feet for a moment, before spreading it’s leather wings with a quick thuup. The Girl positively squeaks in delight as it takes off and instantly careens back into her head, tangling in her hair. She reaches up to pull it out, but you’re there before her, calloused hands digging into her soft, absurd hair. As you work to untangle it, pushing large sections of her pelt aside, you smell that smell again, something almost like flowers, something that might be holy, and you surreptitiously lean in to smell it again, deeper and longer, and you smell the warm leather and oil of the Pretty Useless Distraction, and it mingles with possibly pious flowers in such an obscene way. The Girl is being unusually docile, standing quite still and not fussing at all as you surgically extract the still squirming scarab. You will have to remember to throw bugs in her hair every time you want her to be quiet.

 

 

 

[Diva Urd]

In the imp, I get the metallic notes, ozone (uh-oh...) and a very cologne-y vibe.

 

On me, while it's fresh, it seems almost citrussy to me, and still very much like a standard men's cologne. Thankfully, the ozone at least doesn't seem to turn soapy on me.

Dry, it's pretty much all generic cologne, and has quite a bit of throw.

 

Overall, this smells far too much like a generic men's cologne to tickle my interest. Quite sad, considering I had had high hopes based on the notes. Oh well, they can't all work... will trade that one.

[Balame]

In the Imp: Sharp and cologne-ish, not getting much metal just yet. I can detect the frankincense which provides a fresh feeling. It seems very likely this will become more delicate after it’s dried for a while.

 

Wet: Yes, it’s already quite pretty! There’s a leathery note, but leather as if a steampunk mechanic had been lying out in the afternoon sun working on his new creations. He (or she) is giving off a warmth rather than a heavy, oppressive feel. It’s a bit musty, but definitely not cough-worthy. More like a few pages of notes have been getting thrown around too often so they’re starting to crackle along the edges. The tang of “lubricating oils” is more noticeable, since this smells decidedly slick. I know that’s a contradiction, musty and slick at the same time, but it really is as if you’re standing in a workshop and taking in all the experiences at once, though you can still pick out each specific smell. The anise is nice, it makes everything feel refined and pleasant in general.

 

Dry: This stays very close to the skin. Not that I think that’s a bad thing, it does seem possible this could almost be someone’s natural scent – though I’d be jealous of anyone who possessed such an attractive chemistry. Scarab is still very similar to how it smelled wet, and now with even more of a golden glow. The frankincense is present but not taking over at all. It’s inviting, clean, and laidback - but intelligent.

 

Verdict: I’m sort of torn. I like this a lot, especially how sunny it feels, but something about it isn’t an exact fit for me. It honestly might be a bit too industrialized. I enjoy the smell of metal but perhaps not on me. Or else combining that with the naturally sweet scents isn’t my idea of a perfect match. Either way, though it’s not quite my taste, I’d love smelling it on someone else. Oh, and also, I don’t feel this is masculine at all now. It’s rather soothing and feminine.

 

Rating: 3/5

 

P.S. - Persianmouse, that was beautifully written and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Makes my review seem fairly bland in comparison. Perfect description of the images this scent invokes.

 

*edit* I have to add more to this. I decided to give RS another try and while it was still a bit much for me throughout the day, I slept with it on and when I woke up in the morning - oh my goodness. All the metallic sharpness was gone and left over was some amazing... THING. I really can't describe it as anything other than warm blankets and cuddling with someone special under the sun's gentle rays personified. It would be rather silly to have to apply something the day before you want to wear it, but I just don't know what to do now. It's absolutely lovely after having worn it for fourteen hours straight, but that's so long to wait and initially it's too strong...

Edited August 11, 2009 by Balame

[Eucatastrophe]

This was a freebie with a recent order from the lovely lab.

 

My skin devours this. Right after applying the oil I can barely smell it without sticking my nose directly to my arm.

 

What I can smell, however, is quite nice. A little masculine (from the metals, maybe?) but really nice.

 

I'm not trusting any reaction to this until I can really get a whiff of it, though.

[topazphoenix]

LEATHER. And anise. And metallics. I guess I can detect the appeal of this..sometimes I think that scents have "objective" appeal or something, that it's possible for them to be gorgeous and unique, objectively, but for some unexplainable reason I find them boring. Robotic Scarab is one of those scents. Hopefully I can pass on the imp to someone who will love it in all ways like it deserves. And persianmouse's review is <3.

[Aldercy]

Mm. This may be one of the few times that leather has been prominent in a scent and I've nevertheless liked it. It's a spicy leather. The anise and the frankincense (which I often find to be rather black peppery) seem to be completely intertwined with the leather and kind of melted into one resin/wood/spice/leather scent.

 

The metallic notes are like those in Phoenix Steamworks-- very faint, but still deliciously warm and golden. Can metal be delicious? Apparently. The metallics in the steampunk line seems to be special and unique compared to other BPAL I've tried with metal notes. They're a little more... human. Like white gold coated in skin musk. Not harsh or industrial.

 

Count me a fan of Robotic Scarab.

[Invidiana]

Very peculiar, this (I think I have Yoda syndrome today). Starts out as a bright pepermint gum scent that dries down to something smoky and still slightly minty. Maybe when leather mixes with either frankincense or star anise on my skin, peppermint gum is what happens. It's an interesting and well-blended scent that really does evoke a scintillating scarab in some weird way, and I'm glad I tried the imp, but it's just not one that screams my name.

[Ishtar]

In the imp, The Robtic Scarab smells like a classic men's cologne: fresh, a little sharp, a little metallic.

 

Wet on my skin, it sweetens and deepens immediately, as the leather note comes to the foreground. It is surprisingly soft and fruity.

 

After drydown, the metal becomes more noticeable, but the overall blend still reads as a traditional fragrance - given the components, I think I was expecting something more unusual.

 

It is quite pleasant, soft and well-behaved, if a bit too masculine for me to wear regularly. At least now I know that there is nothing to fear from metallic notes, which I had been steadily avoiding up to this point.

[hkhm]

imp: very spicy metallic.

 

wet: very bright metallic, sleek and clean. i get a hint of the leather, but it's a new leather scent, glossy and polished.

 

dry: this dries to perhaps the most sparkling clean metallic scent i've ever sniffed.

[impolight]

:::ROBOTIC SCARAB:::

 

Plain and simple, there are just not ENOUGH good things to say about Robotic Scarab. While the vast majority of fragrances in the Steamworks line are fanbloodytastic, Robotic Scarab stands alone in the transcendental quality of it's impact and the vividity of it's presence...

Robotic Scarab is, for lack of a better or lucid term, cinematic. At first sniff from the Imp, the eyes both close and flickering light fills the imagination; the imagery similar to that in, "The Golden Compass" or"Stardust". Oddly enough the, 'Best of You' video from the Foo Fighters also fits in o_0.

Listening to some soundscape by The Orb or Tangerine Dream (Yanni possibly?) would be an acoustical match.

The "Golden" fragrance is, frankly, extraordinary. How this was accomplished is a riddle at best.

"Robotic" is PERFECT. There could be NO better description! Between the Golden notes and the "Lubricating Oils", it is quite difficult to envision anything else at all. Something that courting robots would wear... An eroticized C3PO.

Robotic Scarab could exist in no other place than the Steamworks collection. Whilst recogniseable in an abstract sense, Robotic Scarab is the stuff that exists in an alternate dimension where the technologies of Tesla superceded the tinkerings of Edison, Ford, and Westinghouse...It represents a Planet Earth & it's atmosphere independent from petroleum and it's byproducts.

Upon applying Robotic Scarab to the skin, the metallic element really, really POPS! An earthiness evolves with this fragrance, yet this is a CLEAN earthiness; as in Terra Cotta or Alabaster pottery.The Anise in this formula is sweet and subtle, remniscent of the Anise in a really good biscotti.

Robotic Scarab is out of this world stupendous... It radiates a glorious and cosmic languor.

The Robotic Scarab is a dazzling, reflective Gold...

Without a doubt, this one makes the Top 5!

Thank the Powers for BPAL!

[Lorelai1945]

When I first put this on, it smells like a really nice men's cologne. As it dries, I start to smell a bit of sweetness from something mixed with the soft leather muskiness. This is one of the few leather blends that doesn't crazy amp on my skin. I still get that sweetness- I don't know what it is, but it makes this a lot more wearable for me. I definitely think it would be nice on a man, but my skin likes some "masculine" scents, and I would feel comfortable wearing this one. Other than maybe when wet, I don't get the sharpness others have had. To me, it's a well-blended unisex scent.

[DeltaCat]

Very sweet. Lots of star anise. Not a lot of leather which is what I was hoping for. Metallic comes out of drydown and adds a smell I can only describe as silver. Cold bright silver.

[CitizenBree]

 

Got a small sniffie of this and decided it would be best on my husband. In the imp, it's mostly leather and the incense-y of frankincense.

 

I didn't get much different from him on his skin. It's pretty sexy on him but not sure what he thinks. I think I might get an imp and let him try it out a few more times before deciding if he should get a bottle.

 

[hmelt004]

Sweet and spicy warm, like glowing bronze. The leather doesn't overwhelm everything, but stays happily in the background. This is masculine, but I think I could pull it off with a trench coat. I am going to try it on The Boy first chance I get, though.

[mimosa]

Wet-slightly leathery cologne. not looking good.

On skin- still cologne with a metallic tang, better.

Dry- this gets sweeter, the spices come out to play. I love this, I think it is a unisex blend and I love wearing it.

Verdict- Spicy metal. Definite keeper.

[SophieCedar]

This is better on me than No. 93 Engine. (yes I know everyone loves that 93 but it's a bit cloying combined with my chemistry).

 

As most have said before, there is a masculine poof of cologne and leather at the beginning that very quickly settles. My skin tends to turn things a bit sweet, so the anise picks right up. The incense is very sweet but not sacchrine and the leather remains notable however it gets a little buttery. mmm. There's a feeling of a heady floral that comes out on drydown? I know it's not there, but anyways.. Kinda like tavern of hell or jazz funeral...very well mixed. Great scent for upcoming summer!

 

 

[tailoredshirt]

I accidentally slathered myself with this one, whoops!

 

In the bottle: I definitely get the metallic notes, but they're not as scary as I thought they'd be! Mostly a cologne-type smell, but not unpleasant.

 

Wet: Still cologne, but nice. It smells familiar, but I can't place it.

 

Dry: I don't even know what this is, but I like it. It's unisex cologne, but...better? I don't really get the leather, at least not right in my face the way some leathers can be. I really can't pick out any of the notes, but I feel like I'm getting some floral in there somewhere. A few minutes later, I'm getting a bit of incense and spice...maybe? I really like this. I think. It's kind of sharp and clean, and it's definitely not too sweet. I get the impression of metal - hard and smooth - without the actual smell. Actually, maybe I do get a bit of the actual smell, after about twenty minutes, but it's subtle. There is definitely a warmth there. I think this smells like a department store, or even ULTA 3, where they sell hair products and colognes. Because it is definitely a cologne scent, but I can't find any other words to describe it.

 

1.5 hours later, the metallic scent is definitely there, and not subtle. I'm getting the hair salon scent very distinctly now. Okay, this is not working. I went to wash it off, but the smell of metal and hair dye remains. *sigh*

 

Overall: I liked this at first, but it smells a bit too much like generic cologne to me and I did not like the metallic note. The hair salon smell became overpowering and made me nauseous. Not for me.

[fictiontragedy]

I received this as a frimp from the lab and looking at the notes it's probably not something I would have chose to try on my own.All I can say is it's really unlike anything that I've tried before.

 

In the imp: Strangely it just smells sweet I can't really pick out the notes.

 

Wet: Completely different. I really can't pick out any of the notes here it just smells like man. A very clean, well groomed and nice smelling man but it smells like a man. I think what I mostly smell is the metal notes and the lubricating oil note. It makes this smell like cologne but at the same time it's not like any cologne I've actually smelled before.

 

Dry: Now that's just weird, it morphed and now it smells like leather and anise with just a faint hint of what ever it was that made it smell like cologne. It's basically like sweet cologne but I think the sweet part might just be my skin since it has this habit of amping everything sweet. Also it has more throw then just about any other scent I've tried and I didn't even apply all that much.

 

Verdict: This is nice and definitely different. I think it would probably smell much better on a man then it does me. It's just far too masculine on my skin, even with the sweetness that I can't really place. If you like metallics and leather then this could be for you, however it's not for me and doesn't really seem to work well with my skin chemistry.

Edited May 2, 2010 by fiction tragedy