The Two-Headed Goat

[Josh]

How gruesome and absurd!
Dark musk, pimento berry, oakmoss, birch wood, and petitgrain.

This is an instant top 5 favorite for me. I don't find this oil gruesome or absurd at all. In fact, I think when it comes to sexy and masculine blends, this even trumps Schwarzer Mond. It has a very slick and well polished feel to it yet it is also dark, spicy, woodsy, very full bodied, heavy and dense feeling. I've never smelled petitgrain before (I think) so I can't comment on that note, but at first this goes on as oakmoss and pimento berry which eventually opens up the dark musk and woods. As is the case with all the Wunderkammer set, this is a very unique scent and nothing like any bpal I've ever tried with the exception of maybe Schwarzer Mond... this stuff feels like SM's distant brother. This will be the first scent I stock up on to an embarassing degree.

[sarada]

On looking at the notes for this I imagined something similar to Robin Goodfellow or perhaves Carfax Abbey. And indeed those come to mind as I wear it! Also, whenever I think about this scent the song "Two-Headed Dog" by Roky Erikson goes through my head all day.

 

Dark musk is easily recognizable by any who have smelled it, and it seems that many either love or hate it -- it is a sinuous scent, amplifying all that it touches, and comes off just a little bit powdery. The scattered, dry herbs and woods all smell like an herb garden in the summer heat -- some sun-bleached and crackling, some green and thriving, with a fuzzy dry pad of moss underneath. As a friend who tried this at will call told me, it bears a resemblance to an old Airs incense that I think also had petitgrain in it -- I can't say which note, but in general it gives me the impression of a woody-herbal incense, light and dry and hazy. And of course, if you like either Robin Goodfellow or Carfax Abbey in particular, I think this will be a particular favorite.

[alicia_stardust]

OMG. I have a soft spot for musks and resins and this one brings the musk. The black musk is so smooth and dark, almost shiny and ink-like. There is a soft oakmoss and wood accent to the musk that is really beautiful. I can't quite tell if it's the pimiento berry or the petitgrain that adds a slight woodsy-herbal aspect to this. This smells so different than I imagined and it is certain to age well considering the musk.

[Brianne]

Dark musk indeed! Dark musk is the only musk that is just usually a miss with me, as it tends to go too powdery on my skin. This goes on very dark and deep, but instantly lightens up and becomes powdery and resinous (very much like Schwarzer Mond on my skin). For the most part this stays pretty much the same on me, it IS very similar to Schwarzer Mond on me, only I would say slightly spicier than SM was (must be the oakmoss!).

[mooncityminx]

In the vial: Pimento and cigarette smoke. No, I'm not kidding.

 

Wet: *is afraid, dabs tiny tiny drop, sniffs, relaxes, applies normal amount* Whew! That really worried me. There's something very familiar about what I am smelling but I don't know what it is. Is that a floral? Lemons? Lemons! Those are lemons. Very sweet and sour. How strange!

 

Dry: On my skin chemistry this is lemons. It's nice. I must be a freak though. I still think there's something else there but I don't know what it is. Something hebal and clean. Interesting.

Edited June 23, 2008 by Tempest

[savage_rose]

At first, this is a dark, musky cologne with a hint of berry. Nice! And then it morphs into that plus this over-sweet, cloying smell...which turns into the first scent incarnation in powder form. This is a morpher, but not in a good way on my skin. Sigh.

[Mamacat]

I guess I'm not the only one whose chemistry turns dark musk into powder. I had such high hopes for this blend because I just love oakmoss and pimento and because I have such great memories of being a kid and going to the Heritage Museum in my home town where they had a two headed goat (stuffed).

 

Anyway - at first when I put it on it smells like it's going to develop into something very interesting. I can smell the pimento, oakmoss and woods in the background. Then the dark musk starts to come out and it smells a little fuzzy at first and then WHAM! It's pure powder. Just not the good kind.

 

I'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks. Maybe it's just my hormonal cycle.

[greenranger]

A dark spicy woody scent. Very different than any that I have tried so far. Very interesting, and intriguing.

 

I think I like this one...I think I like it very much!

[forspecial_plate]

I've worn this a couple times, and unfortunately it comes off as too strong and masculine. I like it for a few minutes, but it seems to get stronger as it dries and it lasts for a really long time. Dee and Schwarzer Mond both have this same quality, but in different ways. I do have some favorite masculine scents, but this one was just too much and ends up smelling like overbearing after-shave on me.

 

Edit: I have to add, in its favor, none of the notes stand out strongly. I don't get powder from the musk. It seems to be blended seamlessly, which is a good thing. Just not on me. : /

Edited July 1, 2008 by Forspecial Plate

[slave1]

THE TWO-HEADED GOAT

 

In Bottle: Earth and wood

On Skin: This is a very earthy scent… not so much soil but just being outdoors. Plants, the wood of trees, ozone, all sorts of natural elements. The moss gives it a nice clean aquatic note and the birch wood has a pretty light woodiness. The pimento berry is piney and bright. In contrast the dark musk is shadowed and deep… creating a beautiful scent texture. The petitgrain is sweet and natural. A very interesting scent with many levels. It has a medium to strong throw and average to long wearlength.

[Scylla]

On application, The Two-Headed Goat smelled like a very masculine men's cologne on me. But then it morphed and the petitgrain took over and made it more feminine, with the pepperiness of the pimento berry singing harmony. I'm not sure which notes are involved, but on drydown it's kind of reminding me of that 70's standby Jean Nate!

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this smells primarily of black musk (cold, dark, almost smoky-musky, cheap men's cologne) and charred wood. On me, for the first minute, I get hints of what could be a lovely wood and earthy oakmoss, but they're quickly swallowed by a sharp muskiness. In the drydown, this is just sharp and awful on me.

 

I don't really like dark/black musk because it smells like a cheap, sharp musk on me and I amp it like mad. The Two-Headed Goat is like cheap black musk and sharp, metallic hairspray on my skin. Every once in a while, I can also pick out a charred, smoked sort of smell that I don't care for either. Strong, sharp, cheap musk...

 

This gives me a vicious headache, and it's obviously not a keeper for me.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Honey coloured. Sharp, masculine, woodsy. Fresh citrusy petitgrain, vegetal-spicy pimento (really intriguing and distinct!). Birch is strong, oakmoss light.

 

Wet: Softer, almost a little sweet! Spicier, and a bit soapy (I think from the petitgrain). Quite clean and fresh smelling, as opposed to the medicinal astringency of sniffed. Still pretty woodsy and definitely an edge.

 

Dry: Eep, the pimento definitely amps on my skin and it totally makes me think of olives by associatio. It's quite spicy and has a distinct vegetable note, like bell pepper - with a sort of acrid, pungent edge. Behind it the birch has notes of root beer and oak. Petitgrain and oakmoss are faint.

 

Later: The birch and oakmoss have amped up, especially the former, which is now on par with faded pimento, making this spicy-woody, hot verging on dry blend, as the birch has gained a papery and mildly cedary feel. Petitgrain has mostly evaporated, and the sweet musk is slowly emerging. Quite a morpher!

 

Summary: In the final drydown the pimento is mostly just hot and spicy and a bit herbal, and not clearly vegetal. It and the slightly anise-y, drily woody birch dominate, with gentle earthy oakmoss and soft, sweet, sexy musk in the background. Intriguing, masculine woody scent. Low throw, fades considerably.

 

The blend does come together eventually into something quite pleasant, but I dislike the earlier stages (especially the acridness of the pimento). I also wish the petitgrain stuck around and the birch didn't go so dry. In any case, too masculine for my personal wear.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is all woods and moss.

 

On my skin, I get something sharp (maybe the musk?) - it's almost chemical/medicinal.

 

When it dries - whoa - very sharp. I have no idea what pimento berry smells like, but I can only assume that's what I'm getting. There may be petitgrain there as well.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is spicy, dark musk ... slightly woody feel...

 

once applied this does get a somewhat cologne quality but i simply

must agree with my fellow gem's review with regard to jean nate...

scylla, you are so right on honey!!

 

i really love the uniqueness of this blend!!

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Musky and almost vanillary with a gin like background. Looking forward to putting this on

 

On Application

Musk and birch. Lovely. Sweet and woody

 

Dry Down

Becomes drier and spicer as it warms. So different. There is a lemony note which keeps this lighter than a straight musky resin. Awesome

 

Rating (0-5)

5

[nekogrrl]

This is a nice scent. I was pleasantly surprised by this. It's a nice spicy musk, although I do feel it's a bit masculine for me. Will pass on to the husbeast to see if he would like it.

[innocent]

This is a nice, spicy, woody musk. It's well blended and no one note is standing out on my skin. It's got quite a bit of throw on me - I think I put too much on! (Normally I get very little throw from BPAL.) A nice scent, but a bit too masculine for me to wear often.

[edenssixthday]

Two-Headed Goat - I didn’t think I was going to like this. The scent description didn’t jump out at me as something I’d be drawn to, and when I first smelled the oil in the bottle, I didn’t find it highly offensive, but didn’t think I’d ever wear it beyond testing it one time. Well, I was wrong. I put a tiny bit on the back of my wrist and the scent lasted all day and every time I caught a waft of it, I wondered for a split second what smelled so good. It’s a scent I could imagine being part of the old Dogs Playing Poker line of fragrances. It would have fit perfectly with that theme. It’s got the tiniest hint of a bright berry scent that reminds me the slightest bit of the berry scent in Mistletoe, but more than that, it smells strongly of oak and petitgrain. It’s smooth and warm, verging on masculine but retaining its unisex nature. I will be wearing this one again. The throw is quite strong and a tiny bit goes a very long way. The staying power is impressive, as it lasted about 10 hours on me, when most BPALs fade completely on me after 2-3 hours.

[alexandra]

In the bottle: Petitgrain! And strongly so. I use the essential oil for when I'm feeling down or for around my period and find it cheers me up. I reckon this goat will make me smile.

 

Wet: petitgrain SN, almost. Bright and refreshing.

 

Dry: The musk comes out now and it is lovely. It goes through a stage of smelling like Melisande so the dark musk they share must be potent on me. Smooth, powdery in the best way, comforting but enlivening.

 

And?...:I keep on turning to the Two-Headed Goat before and during my period and it smells even better then. Indeed, the name is quite appropriate for describing me in the week before, snerk. Another keeper from the Wunderkammer.

[Lionesse]

When I first sniffed it from the bottle, I quickly recapped it and set it aside for the possible swap/sale pile. It smelled TOO masculine, and dare I say... "old man cologne" to me.

 

But I had to give it a chance. So I tested... and wow. Nice and dark and musky on my skin, with a hint of something lemony too? I wonder if its the petigrain? I like it, I like it!

 

Its a keeper

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Mmm, precious oakmoss! It's a perky scent, and I think I'm getting birch and maybe berries.

 

First on:

It goes very subtle on me... The softest touch of dark musk.

Dry:

After about 20 mins it has dried into an interesting foresty scent with mainly musk and berries as the ”big” notes. It's an... interesting, almost sweet scent, reminiscent of almond.

 

Another half an hour later, it's less sweet and I mainly get delicious dark musk (this musk is to die for) and a hint of moss.

 

Finally:

I bought this as I'm a massive fan of oakmoss, but there isn't much oakmoss in there. Still, it's a truly lovely scent. I just don't know what I could use it for. Hmm. I'll need to think about that...

[zankoku_zen]

This blend is a sweet resinous blend on me. Slightly smoky at the beginning, it's slightly sweaty (may be the oakmoss) and the musk is sweet and resinous, and doesn't go to powder.

 

This is a sweet, friendly goat!

[AEris]

This starts out strong with the petitgrain, which is like neroli but greener. Then the musk comes out, and it is deeply powdery.

 

This scent is kind of masculine, but I don't know how I feel about the powder....

 

My chemistry is not loving this so much!

 

2 out of 5

[Czarina]

In the bottle: I just hated this. It was woody in a funny-smelling way.

Wet: improves considerably. Spices emerge. Coriander isn't listed as a note, but the spice has a coriander scent to it.

Drydown: very smooth, resinous, spicy, woody scent. Something about it reminds me a LOT of Temple: Chthonic, which I also disliked intensely on first sniff and came to love.