Bezoar

[tativa]

BEZOAR
Much smoother in texture than I had thought it would be. How does one employ it?
Copaiba balsam, Tolu balsam, hay absolute, cardamom, and hiba wood.

Interesting... I am covered in scents right now so I am likely going to come back and edit later... but this scent is definitely interesting. (And I'm starving for any info on the other new carnivals right now, so thought I would contribute what I can.)
There is almost a rotting citrusy mint smell about this in the bottle, that really grows stronger, yet fresher on the skin. I'm liking it more and more as it warms up... its like the Antikytheric mechanism's grandfather. The Lion definitely is a family relation as well.
After 5 minutes, the hay is really coming out, along with a fresher wood note and the cardamom... lets see how long this lasts. The hay seems to be crescendoing at the moment, as well as the cardamom.
The throw isn't too strong on me... and the whifts seem to be a fresher version of what I get smelling it close up.
Very close to the skin, very unisex.
It smells like one of the earlier stages of the Lion's dry down. Well... a lion eating licorice instead of cake.

[sarada]

Before I even got it, I knew that it would be true love with me and Bezoar. I imagined a smooth polished ball of fossilized whorled wood and I knew what it would smell like. My prediction proved true, and this is everlasting love.

 

The only way I can describe the overall scent is one of a very rich, dark and gritty earthy amber/wood, smoothed over and shining. I don't know what the balsams smell like on their own, but it brings to mind something glistening, dark gold and ancient, smooth and resinous. Surprisingly, cardamom doesn't jump out, but I think that the hay note adds a bit of glimmer and shine to the surface.

 

This is so beautiful I am speechless and will have to wear it some more before I can figure out what to say beyond that. It's immediately one of my favourites, and I recognize in it instantly the scent that I have been longing for.

[iiinterstate]

When I first tried this on a few days ago it was so odd compared to anything else I had ordered I had to set it aside and come back later.

 

Bezoar is like no other blend I've ever had in my hands, but the oddness is growing on me in a big way. Smooth, polished wood, but the cardamom comes out just enough to keep it from being furniture in a bottle. I ordered it for the hay absolute, and I am not disappointed. This note makes the whole blend very....golden smelling.

 

I don't know how often I'll wear it yet, but I definitely plan to keep my bottle. I can't wait to see how this ages!

[alicia_stardust]

Bezoar has a nice, warm, rounded quality to it. It definitely has a balsam vibe, though I am unfamiliar with the Copaiba and Tolu so I don't know which I'm smelling more of. I know that there is a golden, gleaming, sinister quality to this that I attribute to the way the hay and cardamom mingle with the balsams. And of course, there is a nice and smooth wood base in there.

 

I can't quite put my finger on what this reminds me of, if anything. There is just something about this blend that is both creepy and yet comforting. It's so warm and dry from the hay and cardamom and I really can't think of anything else that smells remotely like this. It's one to be experienced and it's one that I am willing to bet will grow on people. I already like it more after a second test run...

[Brianne]

Something is not vibing right on me in this, and I'm pretty sure it's cardamom. I have a really iffy history with that note, and it sometimes makes me feel ill. This is one of those unfortunate cases - I can tell you that it's a very green scent but with definite spices. Makes me think of some of the green Yule scents that get released, that have that general green/spice thing going on. Other than that, that's about all I can say for this one I'm afraid Darned cardamom!

[AmyAngel]

This starts out smelling a bit like the hot center of a damp hay bale, but then quickly turns to mostly dry HAY. There's a bit of wood and spice, but it really mostly smells like hay in the hayloft of a barn, without quite so much dust, though it is very dry. It's not fresh-cut hay, it's the hay that was cut a couple days ago so now it's dried, raked, baled, and is now being taken off the haywagon and stacked in the loft.

 

I grew up on a dairy farm, and spent summers baling hay with my dad. When I smelled this I IMMEDIATELY saw a picture in my head, a memory of one of our old hay wagons parked outside the big doors of the old, decrepit looking barn, with my dad heaving the bales onto the hay elevator one by one. My mom was up in the hayloft arranging the bales in stacks. I was in the center part of the barn in the shade - maybe about to climb up to the loft to help her (though I was too young to lift the bales very high). My dad was sweating in the hot late afternoon sun on the wagon, and we were all hot and sticky and COVERED in the dust and bits of hay that come off the bales when you move them around. The barn is long gone now, a housing development is where the pastures and fields were, and we haven't baled hay in many years, but this scent takes me right back. This is exactly what most of our farm smelled like in the summer, minus the cow manure scent and the milky-clorox scent of the milk tank room. I have to have my dad sniff this one!

 

The longer I wear this, the more wood I get, but the hay is still there, and it's still warm and dry.

 

Despite the HAY and barn associations, there seems to be a touch of sophistication to this scent, too. It's warm and comforting and dry. I think this would be great for Fall, especially. I may try layering it with something like Pumpkin V or Creepy, to create a Halloween Hayride sort of scent. I'm really not sure if this is anything I'd wear super often, but I'm definitely keeping the decant, and I may get a bottle, just because it reminds me so much of my childhood.

Edited June 19, 2008 by AmyAngel

[maribouquet]

I love this. The cardamom is very strong at first, but dry and reminds me of the little seeds you get at Indian restaurants as an after-dinner digestive. Next is the wood, a dry, calm wood, followed by clean, pure hay.

 

I want to crawl inside this and have a long afternoon nap in the shade with the breeze all around. It is so comforting somehow. As others have said, I have a hard time imagining that I will wear this as a typical perfume, but I want a bottle. I want to smell like this and scent my bed with it. I have never smelled any blend like this - it's truly original.

[septima_pica]

First time I sniffed it I was inside at Will Call and couldn't smell a damned thing. Then in a few minutes I went outside and sniffed again and it made me plotz. I could see myself wearing this every day. Hell, I wish I smelt like this naturally. I don't think I'd ever get tired of it.

 

Cardamom is very faint; this is mostly sweet hay and golden balsam, with that smooth rich wood note holding it all together. But I applied it at 8:30 and it's still there at 1:15, so it's got deceptively good staying power for its mildness. I would wear this on its own or layer it with other things -- as I said, it's pretty much what I'd like my actual skin to smell like all the time.

 

ETA: The scent is stabilized now after a week or so of not being in the post. I think it'll age fabulously. Dammit, this right here may be my first multiple bottle purchase. Oddly, I almost smell leather after it dries down. That's certainly OK though...

Edited July 14, 2008 by septima_pica

[tartchef]

Gah. Flail.

 

That's it. I am selling my soul to Beth. She can have it, I don't need it, not if she keeps making glorious scents like this...

 

My eyes rolled back in my head as soon as I opened the imp - OMFG, cardamon! Deliciously smooth, smokey cardamon underscored by the balsams, with this incredibly creamy backnote... It's like Three Witches' non-foody cousin, that same sweet spice without all the thick vanilla. Bezoar varies wildly depending on where I apply it - my wrists are dry & smokey, and that fantastic hay note is emerging very quickly. It's how I wanted Scarecrow to smell... scorched & dry. In the crooks of my elbows, though, the sweet cardamon stays true, and the hay is a bit greener & sweeter.

 

Bloody hell. That's another one to wedge into my ever-burgeoning Top 10... I will be getting multiple bottles of this, and will weep like a baby when the Carnaval leaves town.

[savage_rose]

Hmmm. This scent is a strangely bitter wood smell...no throw to speak of, I can barely smell it unless I'm directly sniffing my wrist. But when I do, and can smell a bit of the cardamom, and it becomes a much richer scent. It's pretty strange though, and I'm not sure it's me.

[this machine]

This is an instant new favorite. It is glorious, positively glorious. I agree with those who said it's a warm, dry (oh how i LOVE dry scents), round, woody scent with a hint of spice. The cardamom stays quiet and subtle on me, the wood is warm and...well, woody...and i think it's the hay that gives it that dry feeling, but i'm not sure. I wish i knew what the balsams smelled like on their own. All i know is that this is divine and i'm in love.

[slave1]

BEZOAR

 

In Bottle: Balsam

 

On Skin: Outdoorsy and very dominant with the balsam. The hay is a close second, very dry and warm in contrast to the cool piney feel of the balsam. The cardamom offers a nice red spicy feel. The hiba wood is mellow and gives depth and substance to the blend. This scent is so light, and it has a very comforting vibe to it. I would say it is golden in feel with a dark red center. Very woody and natural. This scent would be fine on men and women. Only downside, it it has the lightest of throws and fades very quickly, so short wearlength.

[hipslike___cinderella]

I am so glad Bezoar is getting the praise it deserves! I sniffed every single Wunderkammer upon arrival, and in the bottle, this is the second-most exciting one (only second to Hand of Glory). Such a peculiar, inquisitive scent, and as alicia_stardust put it: "There is just something about this blend that is both creepy and yet comforting." Perfect.

 

In the bottle, this does truly smell ANCIENT. Arcane balsams, unpolished wooden surfaces and dried hay. It appears "fresher" in the bottle, because on my skin, WHOAH this is DRY. As someone else noted before, this is the hay I sorely wanted in Scarecrow. The cardamom that popped in the bottle is a tad bit smoother on skin, but still giving this a slightly unsettling feel. This is not strictly a cozy wooden scent. In fact, I wore it all night without a glance at the notes, and to me this is much more of a spicy resin-and-hay blend than a "woodsy" blend.

 

That's about as far as I can go. This is truly unique, like no other BPAL, and a masterpiece. I'm thinking one mere bottle might not be enough for me.

[forspecial_plate]

So far this is the clear winner from the newest CD scents, in my book. Very light and smooth, golden and polished. It reminds me strongly of Aureus, without that scent's sharper wood notes. When I wear Bezoar I can barely smell it, but sometimes that's a good thing. I do think I can smell the hay note, and I really love it. Makes me wonder if perhaps I should have grabbed a bottle of Hay Moon when it was available.

 

If I didn't already have a whole bottle of Aureus, I would definitely be getting 5ml of Bezoar. As it is, I might just get it anyway.

 

Edit: After a couple more tries, I've decided like a few others that this is just a mite bit too faint. I love the cardamom, I really do, but today I applied heavily and could barely smell the scent unless I sniffed up close.

Edited July 21, 2008 by Forspecial Plate

[greenranger]

Wood and spice. This one is stronger on my skin than many that I have tried recently. I smell the cardamom in this one. The hay absolute is not apparent yet.

 

Drying, the scent is settling back and not jumping off my skin anymore, but it is still spicy wood. I think I'm beginning to smell the hay absolute. On me, this is a lovely complex wood scent, and I'm happy to have one that isn't primarily cedar or pine.

 

Darn, the spicyness has faded, and now I have polished wood. It's nice polished wood, but, I miss the spice.

----

Well now, I have finally found a scent that is more than, "Baby powder," or "Just perfume," to my husband. He thinks this one smells like incense! Yay! *Is hopeful*

Edited June 30, 2008 by Aerinha

[angelfish323]

I don't think this is me, but that's not necessarily a badness.

 

It's very woodsy, very spicey. The cardamom and balsam combo is beautiful and rich. Warm, but dry. Smokey.

 

Very woodsy. Polished, smooth, wood. The very few times I've been in a place where wood is being worked with, it's that sort of fresh smell that lingers after a piece has been carved or sanded.

 

Hm. Interesting. Camp fire? Camp fire. A smell I actually love.

 

And a touch of cardamom.

 

Very unique. Those before me who have said they've never smelled anything like this . . . well, I'm inclined to agree with them.

 

I can see this being popular. Not a way I particularly want to smell, but a very interesting scent.

[Scylla]

I've read other people's reviews for other scents before that mentioned they couldn't smell a thing when they smelled a particular scent, and kind of secretly thought to myself, "What, are they nuts?!"

 

Well, I'm sorry for thinking that, because Bezoar smells like NOTHING to me! Might as well be an imp of Crisco (which I know it isn't.) Which is rather unfortunate for me, given the really great reviews! When I apply it, I can smell hay VERY faintly. But nothing else.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Nearly colourless extremely pale yellow. Surprisingly fresh and light, but still quite SMOKY. Planty and a bit spicy, too. Piney-resiny balsam, spicy-smoky copal, spicy-fresh cardamom, and a soft clean wood note. Masculine.

 

Wet: Wow, the hay came out! I love this! It merges really well with the cardamom note. It's warm and sweet, neither wet nor dry, but very golden and grassy and true. Gorgeous! All the notes are very much distinct but mingle wonderfully too. The hiba has amped and has a dry cedar like tone. A bit less smoky and spicy than sniffed.

 

Dry: Very slow to dry. The hiba is amping further, unfortunately, and is like a blend between white sandalwood and cedar - both dry woods I dislike, though fortunately it's not overwhelming (yet). Still, the blend has a much drier and hotter feel now. The cardamom has amped too and is spicier but still has very bright.

 

Later: Whoa, my skin is BRIGHT red where the oil (still not fully dry!) is. This is the first visible reaction I've had to an oil on my wrist. It has also begun to itch a bit. Scentwise, it's hasn't morphed much - it's softened overall, and the previously strongest cardamom and hiba have receded.

 

Summary: Beautifully balanced warm, dry, masculine blend of smoky copal, resiny balsam, bright and spicy cardamom, golden grassy hay, and dry woody hiba. All notes are distinct and settle into a harmony where each is equally strong. Masculine. Decent throw and lasting power.

 

Sigh, this is really gorgeous (except for the hiba which while not terrible and it doesn't amp like other dry woods often do, still isn't my thing) and I especially adore the hay note, but it's not something I'd wear and the skin reaction was scary. Even after washing it off, my skin is still very angry. :\

[northatlantic]

In the bottle: I get wood, I get hay, I get...cardamom?? Is that you? I've hoped and been burned before...

 

Wet: Come to mama, cardamom single note! I've looked for you so long, darling, heard rumors of you in so many places but until now, we've never been face to face...

 

Drydown: The balsam has always been present, a slightly piney, slightly vanillic grounding note beneath the deliciousness of cardamom--far, far below, in the background, mmmnice, don't care. As Bezoar dries, however, the hay and woods come out more; wet it all feels like part of that same coolly spicy kick, but I can detect more of the components now. Instead of the waft of fresh cardamom, it becomes a softer, scorched-fields sort of scent, late summer and that dry spicy warmth of dried grass and leaves beginning to yellow. Fades fast; within two hours, it's pretty well gone. That's OK. For you, baby, I'll buy backups and slather.

 

Add me to the devotees of the Wunderkammer, this is some good stuff right here.

[tastycactuar]

I didn't even order this bottle, because I saw the notes and thought "there's no WAY I'll be interested in that". I got frimped the empty bottle of it from my decant circle and it's so incredibly interesting that I don't really know what to do abotu it. I know I want at least one imp, but do I want a bottle? Who knows?

 

The upshot is that this is, like someone else said, all green and spice mixed and mingled together. I can't really separate out any of the ingredients (noob is me) but it's something that I just want to sniff over and over until I figure it out.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is cardamom and balsam...

 

once applied this actually "amps down" and somewhat disappears

 

a few minutes later i get gentle wafts of something woody and green but nothing much

else...

 

maybe some good long aging will change this and amp it up....

[midnight_aeval]

Cardamom SN, seriously, that's the one note I smell. The other woody notes must make it have that sort of dry feeling, but their actual scent is not there. I love this because I love cardamom

 

As it dries it gets a bit sweeter, but it's still very much cardamom.

[kakiphony]

In the imp: I can't pick out a single note in the decant. This is very complex and well blended. It's a warm, deep, golden scent -- like dry grasses mixed with chai (but not sweet -- like brewed chai before you add the milk or honey).

 

Wet on skin: Still very golden. It doesn't smell like hay so much as it does like an empty hay mow. There is the hint of dryed hay there, but it is more about sunlight baking the dry wood of the barn with just a hint at what that barn used to contain.

 

Early dry down (10 minutes): My skin is amping the cardamom like crazy. It's rich, warm and savory. I also smell something that is very like sage, but which I suspect is the hay interacting with the cardamom.

 

Late dry down (45 minutes): This faded incredibly quickly on me. All that is left is a bit of warm, dusty smell.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is sweet cardamom and something orangey and creamy. It's almost a bit like those orange flavored baby aspirins mixed with cardamom. When first on this is sweet, spicy and woody; cardamom and bitter orange or citrus. The sweetness fades quickly and it has a soft evergreen/sap note to it. I think this is the balsam. As this develops, it takes on a warm nutty/woody tone. It reminds me of Danse Macabre at this stage. This is a really odd blend. It has a bit of the "playdough" note which doesn't ever happen with my body chemistry. I like the cardamom and wood in this but the rest of it is too strange for me. This is a light scent but is very long lasting. I'm glad I got to try it though.

[Aevalin]

Hmmmm I do like this one. It's warm and spicy - it reminds me of cookies with cardamon in them. Once it starts to dry down I get a bit of the woodiness. It smells lovely, and round and warm. I just wish it held on a bit longer When it really dries down it's like I get a faint last whiff of hay before it fades away. I think I'll try it with some moisturizer or in a locket to get it to stick around longer.