High John the Conqueror

[Ajila]

A fast-acting, powerful scent used to overcome adversity through positive means. Attracts wealth, prestige, good health, and enhances others' opinions of you. Grants courage and steadfastness.

 

In the bottle - A slightly sharp half citrus/half almond sort of scent

Wet on me - A light, slightly fizzy, slightly green floral

Dry on me - Nothing at all

Overall - I never really got to grips with it, it disappeared so quickly on my skin

[ObliqueRed]

In the imp, this has a sweet, slightly sharp scent- some reviewers say grape and that could be it. The instant I put it on, though, a softer scent came in- almost powdery but not in a bad way. To me it smells like a bouquet of white flowers and damp green leaves, laid on a freshly laundered linen tablecloth. It's a clean, soft, calming sort of scent, and I like it very much. I don't know that it's enhancing anyone's opinion of me, unless it's their opinion of how I smell, but it smells great. I'll definitely use my imp... the jury is out on if I like it enough for a big bottle, though.

[Atrous]

I didn't know what to expect since there are no notes listed in the description.

From the reviews, I was thinking this would be soapy but I didn't get any soap at all.

 

The scent doesn't really fit the name. It's soft, sweet, fruity, well blended, and unique. I believe there is Lotus and a touch of Dragon's Blood. This is a surprising hit for me.

 

Haven't tested it for it's magical properties but I love the smell of this. So, whether it works or not I'll still wear it.

[inhumation]

it smells like cherries when wet and then dries to a soft dragon's blood. I like both so this one was a win for me!

[lady_pandora]

High John starts out with a big cherry blast (I read up a little on High John the other day, and it sounds like it really does smell kind of cherryish) and then morphs quickly into manly, green soap. As perfume, I'm not really into it; it isn't bad, but not my thing. However, I'm going to keep it around for its magical uses.

[andabri]

This starts out smelling like grape Dimetapp and cherry cough syrup, but in the most delicious way. The sweetness is the very similar to the sweetness that O has on me. Then it gets softer and I smell sweet dragon's blood. This is like liquid candy syrup.

Edited March 12, 2015 by andabri

[TallGrrl78]

This is the ultimate clean scent. It smells almost like fresh herbs mixed with maybe dandelions or white florals in the sun. It does have a powdery quality to it, but it's just so cheery and bright and clean I don't mind it at all. Has great longevity - lasts well throughout the day. Just picked up a bottle as I think this will be a great spring/summer scent.

 

Just to note - I'm not getting any cherry or dragon's blood like the above reviewers. Will compare my imp to incoming bottle and note whether the fragrance is different when I get here.

 

ETA - Yep, got my bottle and still no cherry or dragon's blood. Although I can see where people might be getting cherry from cause there is a sweetness to it. Clean sweet flowers is what I get. Love this.

Edited April 21, 2015 by TallGrrl78

[DANALEACH]

I love this. On me it is Honeysuckle. Sweet, soft honeysuckle.

[LizziesLuck]

This is a frimp. I didn't have any intentions of trying it really, and as such had no expectations.

 

Wet: Floral. I'm not good at picking out a lot of florals, but I see others have suggested honeysuckle or lotus (maybe even lily?), and that sounds about right to me.

 

Dry: This is beautiful! A lovely gentle sweet floral. I love it. Unfortunately it's not all that strong and doesn't seem to last long. It needs a full day test. I'm so happy to have got to try this, as I never would have guessed it was this pretty.

Edited September 21, 2015 by LizziesLuck

[Casablanca]

Somehow I had this posted to my Pinterest wish list as "grapes, creamy almond, and greenery," and was surprised to see the lab's notes include no such mentions. No idea where I grabbed those notes from.

Dunno. I smell grapes and creamy almond, so maybe there's something to the mystery notes. There's also a sense of tropical greenery -- maybe a white floral note or two among leaves. Gardenia and a little galbanum?

I kinda dig this. But it is heavy on the grape at first.

High John dries down creamy and faintly green. Once the grape has faded, it's mild and peaceful. Then it goes soapy.

[mermaidjeans]

Expectation: A confidence-booster.

First Impression: fresh

This is light, sweet but not cloying fruit, possibly grape. It's not an air-punch of blood-pumping confidence to fight the day, but a confident hand on your shoulder that says "you can do this". It offers an aura of calm competence. I do catch enough of it that I don't feel the need to sniff my wrists. I sometimes layer it with Tamora for added sweetness and oomph as the peach works really well alongside it.

I can't speak for its effects, but I reach for it every time I have a difficult work day with meetings or presentations. It brings a touch of clarity and comfort, and when things go well (which they have been doing!), it can only reinforce the association the next time it's used.

Verdict: a definite keeper. The imp is almost empty as it's the one I've used the most so I'm seriously considering a bottle with my next order.

[gloame]

I may be the only BPALer who doesn't love HJtC. To me, it smells straight up Fruit Loops. It's not awful, but I really don't love it. Fruity floral. Reminds me of fruit loops. Very grape.

 

Where I'd wear it: A beer garden, late spring

[achildoftime]

It caught me off guard with how sweet it was to start. It's very fruity floral when it's wet. It reminds me of something, but I just can't put my finger on it. Once it dries, all the fruitiness burns off and I'm left with a very traditionally feminine floral, maybe tea rose or honeysuckle. Even if I can't pin it down, it feels nostalgic and I enjoy it quite a bit. What a nice surprise.

[Lucchesa]

High John the Conqueror was frequently mentioned on the Bravery, Courage, Confidence recommendations thread and something I liked enough to keep in my imp box, so I wore it to a meeting this morning with my son's school counselor, school resource coordinator and therapist to give me a little extra boost. The meeting went very well -- after getting an email saying, "We can't make these accommodations," it turns out the reality is more like "We can't write down that we're offering these accommodations, but we can help your son." So all to the good there.

 

Scent-wise, High John is a light floral on me, a springtime scent - not something I would choose except for its voodoo properties. And after reading the thread more carefully, I think next time I will choose The Lion or Bast or Bastet or Van Van, something I am personally more familiar with and that is more in my scent family comfort zone.

Edited March 22, 2018 by Lucchesa

[doomsday_disco]

A small amount of this oil was decanted from an imp and has aged for 4+ years.

 

In the decant: Grape and a floral note.

 

Wet: Blargh. I am not a fan of artificial grape, and this is what that reminds me of... like grape candy or Dimetapp. Then I start to get that artificial grape with a white floral note.

 

Dry: The fake grape smell is still present, but not as strong as it was during the wet stage of the scent, and I think I'm also getting some lilac and possibly some lotus.

 

Verdict: I'm reviewing this for the scent alone, and not the oil's purpose. And as far as the scent goes, I can only say: NOPE. This one is not for me. That grape-y Dimetapp note means this is not something I'd use again even if it were just for its intended purpose and not the scent itself.

Edited April 6, 2018 by dementia_divine

[Aveya]

Source: Lab frimp I think!

Preconceptions: I could use some strength lately.

 

Vial: Sweet? Fruity!

Skin: Instant kick of something fruity, but I couldn't quite pinpoint it. It didn't scream grape or cherry to me. Berry, but that's it. It felt purple/black, but didn't last long.

Drydown: Moves into a more herbal/floral combo with a soft sweetness to it. I swear there's a vanilla smooth undertone to it.

 

Verdict: Going to give it a shot for it's bewitching properties. I suffer from social anxiety and sometimes small things can help me make that phone call

[torischroeder9]

Imp direct from the Lab. Age is as new as one can expect from that. 

 

In the imp: Grape bubblegum. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's still grape bubblegum or other grape candy, but it's not so overpowering on my skin as it is in the imp. As it dries, it morphs into a definite lilac note on me. (I was at a new worksite last week and kept smelling this smell all around me, looking for the source -- until one day I discovered lilacs around the corner from the path I usually walked.) The grapes haven't disappeared completely, but they're much in the background now. There's also something freshly green and herbal (savory but not sharp) grounding and deepening the lilac. 

 

I'm not sure I love this for scent purposes. It's very pretty, just not to my personal taste. If it works for conjure purposes, however, I may reconsider.