Rumpelstilzchen

[IronMollyBlack]

I have not been able to find a single new name; but as I came over a high mountain by a wood, where the fox and the hare bid each other good-night, I saw a little house, and before the house was burning a little fire, and round the fire danced a very funny little man, who hopped upon one leg, and cried out: –

“To-day I brew, to-morrow I bake,
Next day the queen’s child I shall take;
How glad I am that nobody knows;
My name is Rumpelstilzchen!”

Firewood and ash with an oddly otherworldly blend of patchouli, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper, tonka, vetiver, and myrrh.

Figured I'd give this one a try, since it sounded interesting.

In the imp, smells like wood, smoke, and some spice.

On me, used charcoal briquette. I waited it out a while before running to the sink and washing it off, hoping that I would get something of the spice in the imp. Nope. Nothing but burnt log.

If you are fond of the smell of burnt-out campfire, this is for you. Or perhaps with a different skin chemistry, some of the spice will appear.

[sookster]

insaaaaaaaaaaaaanely smokey....love it!!!once applied it reminds me of bonfire nights in my youth....sad, melancholy....adoration of young studs...seriously!!!good lord...i need a big bottle......*falls over dead of love*

[olive]

On me, used charcoal briquette. I waited it out a while before running to the sink and washing it off, hoping that I would get something of the spice in the imp. Nope. Nothing but burnt log.

 

Sadly I had the same experience with this one. For whatever reason it reminds me of a bunch of hillbilly folk sitting around a log fire eating mesquite bbq Lays potato chips! Just not even my thing at all, but unique concept. It's almost like a liquid smoke singlenote.

[tartchef]

Just a mini-review, based on a quick skin-test at shelldoo's today:

 

Oh yeah, that's charcoal Pure black, gritty charcoal - almost a dead ringer for LUSH's Coalface soap. It's strangely fresh, for all the soot, and as it dries down, I'm getting traces of the pepper & sweeter spices.

 

A total novelty scent, but I might track down an imp just for a laugh I'm interested, too, in how this will age - will the charcoal & ash settle & let the rest of the notes emerge?

[greenranger]

Wet, SMOKE.

 

Drying, it does smell a bit like Coalface soap from Lush.

 

 

Dry it is spicy, dark, and very, very smoky. There's definitely vetiver and myrrh in this.

 

I like it, but, whooooah, smoky!

[fiddledragon]

Wet, it's sort of that generic BPAL smell, if you know what I mean. As it dries, it smells more and more smoky, until it smells mostly of vetiver and campfire, with just a touch of black pepper. It's quite nice, but I was really hoping for the spices to come out more. Maybe the campfire will die down a little as it ages.

[forspecial_plate]

Well, I certainly agree....this definitely smells like 'burning', at least at first! Very ashy and almost has a searing quality to the nose. Later on, it mellows down to a woody-peppery-patchouli scent. I never would have guessed there was tonka or nutmeg in here. Some types of patchouli already smell woody and peppery on their own, so I'm not sure exactly which notes I'm smelling in this blend.

 

So, do I like it? I'm not sure! It's not quite as harsh and menacing as Troll. But somehow it's not grabbing me. I have nothing against firey scents, believe me. I think this is worth holding onto, as others mentioned, to age a little and see if some of the softer notes emerge. As with most patchouli-heavy scents, I'll be curious to see if it softens or sweetens just a little with some age. And this is coming from someone who normally doesn't like much sweetness in a scent.

[windbourne]

BWOOSH. The fire & smoke initial blast is absolutely menacing! This is the first BPAL I've tried that really brings up the image of a live fire getting started right under my nose. After a while, however, it starts sweetening up -- the people who've mentioned Coalface have a point; it really reminds me of a licorice extract! I think it's the tonka under there being all sweet and vanilla-like, though. I definitely pick up the myrrh and a bit of the patchouli and vetiver (thankfully, both stay mostly in the background. I'm not into either as a major note. :x) but the notes that I really wanted it for, the cardamom & nutmeg, are nowhere to be found (yet.)

 

I'm kind of torn. It's got a faintly infernal aspect to it that I don't really want in a perfume I wear regularly, but a rather lovely overall scent. Very interesting, to say the least, and worth a retest in a while.

[lefthandmade]

Smoky and all vetiver in the vial and as it goes on but after drydown the spices come out. The myrrh sweetens it just enough. It's really beautiful although not at all on the sweet side. It's not on the loud side either.

 

And yeah, oddly otherworldly. I like it, a little surprised because I don't usually like smoke or pepper, and I'm wearing it for the second day in a row. There might even be a bottle in the future for this one.

[zankoku_zen]

When I first apply it, I get smoky bacon. In fact, for about the first hour, the bacon aspect has toned down quite a bit, but I still get the smoky, ashy part of the blend.

 

This mean little elf really is just bacon goods.

[rayvn1]

Oh how I wish I got the smoke everyone is talking about with this one! All I get is the cardamom, nutmeg and black pepper that makes me smell like the pickling spices I got from Mama-ji. I would have loved to smell like a campfire Back to Agnes Nutter...

[ephemera]

I get a lot of smoke. And something that smells like burnt grass. It's rather overwhelming. After 15 minutes I was getting a headache from it and had to scrub it off. It's sad, because this was the only one of the Marchen that struck me and it just doesn't work for me at all.

[Seismogenic]

Out of all the new Märchen scents, this one might be the one that intrigues me most, and the appeal comes as part of a search for a brushfire kind of scent. Don't ask me why I'd want to smell like brushfire, since the seasonal ones scare the crud out of me, but I continue the search anyway.

 

In the imp: Definitely firewood and ash! A little vetiver, too, and I thiiiink I can ID the cardamom if I think about it.

 

Wet on skin: Still thickly smoky and dark. A little less vetiver-y now, but maybe more peppery.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, more of the spice is starting to come out, which is, oddly, making this seem even more like natural woodsmoke to me. The vetiver is still there, but it's not taking over, which is odd for vetiver. At one hour in, there is more vetiver, but it's still only one component of the smoke. I'm definitely getting some of the nutmeg specifically now, too.

 

Five hours later: Almost entirely gone. A little bit smoky, a little bit nutmeggy and a whole lot faint.

 

End of the day: Long gone.

 

Overall: I'm disappointed and surprised that this faded and disappeared so quickly on me. The other smoky scents I've tried so far (namely, Djinn and Moai, and I guess Fearful Pleasure sort of counts) have lasted pretty long on me, though the smoke in Rumpelstilzchen does strike me as being different from those three. I think this is quite close to that brushfire smell I've been looking for so far, even with all the spices; I'm not gonna wear this when the Santa Anas are blowing, lest I inadvertently worry there's a real fire! I also like that the vetiver didn't get out of control, as it sometimes does on me. Pity, really, that it doesn't last long, because the beginning is great!

[gwynethr]

I definitely love this smoky blend -- it reminds me a lot of Mad Meg, which I love, and the Philosopher in Meditation, although definitely less sweetness than the latter blend has. I think this is one of the few blends with vetiver that didn't make my nose wrinkle in sharp disgust. I've always liked the smell of smoke, of camp fires and brush fires and lanterns that have just gone out, but I know that's a fairly unusual taste. I'm glad for the smoky scents like this one.

[Little Bird]

Somehow I managed to miss the “firewood and ash” part of this description and only saw the notes that I wanted to see, lol. I was hoping for tonka and myrrh with a dash of pepper and cardamom… what I get is insane woodsmoke with a hint of sweet spice. It almost smells like fireworks + fragrant logs roasting away in a roaring fireplace. I have a very hard time wearing smoky scents, and this one is far too over the top for me.

Edited June 13, 2009 by Little Bird

[femmefatale]

This smells like a handful of spices thrown on top of a bonfire. A bit too smokey for me, but smells awesome on dh!

 

 

ETA:

So for some reason I had the urge to try this today. Wow! It has aged beautifully! It still smells like a rich bonfire at first, but after it's had a little time to dry, the tonka really comes out. Now it smells like tonka and vetiver and I love it! It's definitely more wearable for me after it aged a bit.

I think I might have to steal dh's bottle and get him another.

Edited November 30, 2009 by Femme_Fatale

[jewelbug]

I know that this blend is smoke and spice, but my nose translates it as pepperoni. It makes me want pizza, but is not a perfume oil I would wear!

[Iceblink]

Mmm, BBQ! The spices in this combined with the fire and ash give this a distinct whiff of something cooking. It's very vetiver-heavy when fresh but the spiciness comes out more and more as it dries. The smoke/ash note here is a lot like Smokestack but this is much less industrial and more foody, dare I say? Not something I could wear as perfume but a really neat concept oil

[blktauna]

Some of you will know what I mean, but this smells like Pennsic. On Merchants row, near the Perfumed Dragon during Midnight madness.

 

Smoke and resins and light musk. Nifty!

[Champagne]

Hello vetiver!

and the smoke goes into stage, but not immediately. this is really bitter, I like it and I`m happy the vetiver goes away for good. This is the charcoal blend.

[GeorgeJr]

Some of you will know what I mean, but this smells like Pennsic. On Merchants row, near the Perfumed Dragon during Midnight madness.

 

Smoke and resins and light musk. Nifty!

Ha ! Good call on the Pennsic smell . Very much so , in fact .

Now my call on the Rumpel-meister . In the bottle it is much more green smelling & not so smoky at all . But as soon as it is on my skin it is all fire & ash for sure . Just amazingly smoky , in a really good , sexy way . It actually reminds me of some of the rauchbiers that I've drank in the past as well . Especially Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier . That stuff was like drinking a bonfire that someone had thrown bacon into

As far as Rumpelstilzchen goes , I'm very glad it's a GC scent . I can see needing another bottle quickly , as the GF liked it quite a bit as well .

[PurringPulsar]

Rumpelstilzchen

 

In the imp: firewood and ashy vetiver! Whoa this smells burnt!

Wet on skin: I can smell hints of patch and spices and myrrh now, in the smoke.

Dry: strangely, I rather like this. It reminds me of Djinn. I know the smoke note is powerful and the vetiver is of the clingy kind, but I really like this. It actually smells like burning myrrh incense-really nice myrrh incense. It actually smells like when I burn loose incense on charcoal. Most of my loose incenses are Egyptian themed scents which have lots of myrrh and spices in them, and this reminds me of when I burn those incenses. I can smell the myrrh smouldering and charring and the spices burning nicely. It also smells just like bonfires…it reminds me of the smell that lingers in the air on autumn and winter nights, of bonfires and smouldering logs. The spices add something even more special to this smoke…it smells almost like a ritual fire.

After a while: still charcoal and burning incense and spice. This incense is quite different to the golden, soothing ‘church’ scents though. This one feels a little more pagan. A little bit earthier and primal. It feels as though it’s incense one could use to invoke ancient magic, or to call upon otherworldly spirits. Indeed, this is even more of a ‘witches dancing round the fire’ scent than Hexxenacht was on me! I can’t even smell the vetiver, actually.

Verdict: this is bonfires with incense, but it’s not calm church incense. This is wild and fiery, rambunctious and fevered, yet also ritualistic. I do indeed get visuals of mischievous impish beings dancing around such a fire. I don’t get barbecue or meat here at all…just wonderful incense with a darker, smokier thing going on. It feels as though it crackles with magic, and I feel that this is almost like Djinn’s sibling scent, both have a very similar feel and scent to them. This is a scent that is really growing on me-I thought the vetiver would make this too heavy but the smoke and spice scent is so realistic and reminiscent of loose incense (especially the spicier blends I have) and autumn smoke, and I love that. It makes a change from the frankincense and myrrh incense blends, this one has a ‘naughty’ feel to it which I actually really like. Incense for mischief and magic.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I think so! Definitely the imp for now.

If you like this, try: Djinn, Bonfire Night, Priala, Music of Erich Zahn, Chant D’Automne

[crebbsgirl]

This is very woodsmoke on me. Dry and charred. As it dries, the spices start to come out and while they don't necessarily sweeten the blend, they provide a much needed reprieve from the burning wood smell. The myrrh comes out too and grounds it. Once it dries this is actually a haunting blend, and I quite like it. You just need to get back the initial bonfire smell.

[filigree_shadow]

I wore this one the other day, and I liked it. It smells like spicy, peppery vetiver at first, and then the spices settle down and the vetiver evens out with the patchouli. I do enjoy this scent but it's too masculine for me personally. My husband might like it, so I'll hand the imp over to him and see how it goes.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Smoke and wood

 

Wet on me – Smoky wood and a touch of vetiver

 

Dry on me – Vetiver

 

Overall – It rattles straight from smoke to vetiver and I think it could do with picking up some of the other notes