Tombstone

[TheSinFunnel]

A celebration of one of the first commercially produced perfumes of America's Old West. A rugged, warm blend of vanilla, balsam and sassafras layered over Virginia cedar.

Imp Opinion
cedar/basalm strong, just a slight bit of vanilla and sassafras coming in at the end. (Sassafras is what makes rootbeer smell spicy and earthy)

Wet on Wrist
This imediately makes my mouth water- very chocolate tootsie pop at first. This is likely the mix of vanilla and sassafras. A close inhale reveals a chocolaty sauna (cedar). If this had some horsehay or leather smells, I'd be in cowgirl heaven.

Dry Down
The wood really blends nicely with the sassafras. First hour this surrounds me in a spicy rootbeer vanilla cloud, the next four hours this goes strong as a sweet woodsy scent.

Fade
One of the longest lasting I've had, settled after an hour and stayed strong for at least 5. Couldn't resist reapplying, so I don't know how long it could last.

Feel
This is energizing in an exploratory, desert way. Kind of dusty, romantic. Not really foody or fizzy despite the rootbeer smells. It's too earthy for that.

Final Thoughts
Definitely buying again for when I need a little boost of confidence!

[Gargoyle]

This is all vanilla and sassafrass on me. Wet = root beer, dry = cream soda. I can smell balsam in the imp, but my skin apparently swallowed it.

[Klolly]

I got this in a swap and I have a cold today so hopefully that doesn't alter my opinion too much.

 

In imp: Smells bitter and masculine. I smell the cedar and a faint whiff of vanilla behind it.

 

On wet: My cold is making things smell bitter to me. There's a wood scent that seems very masculine and harsh, and a plastic vanilla like the one in Dorian. As it dries it's beginning to sweeten up more. I think the sasparilla it's what smells bitter, hopefully just because it's still wet.

 

Dry: The bitterness is almost gone. It's all smoothing out now. Mmm...there's the sasparilla. I'm definitely getting the root beer float vibe which I was hoping for. The cedar is still there though, keeping it from being too gourmand. I might really like this. I'll update later today.

 

Later: Dang, I think I would really like this one but it definitely must be the same vanilla as the one in Dorian because it's doing the same thing Dorian did; going play-doh. Even with the play-doh thing going on I still like it quite a bit though.

 

Even later: How many times am I going to edit this? Who knows, because it keeps changing, for the better thankfully. The vanilla in this continued to sweeten. My skins way is to sweeten things as much as is possible, but considering I like sweet smells that's a plus. In this case it sweetened the vanilla beyond the play-doh stage and now it is just this gorgeous, lucious vanilla, like creamy, gooey icing, with a touch of root beer extract mixed in smeared upon the branches of some spicy desert bush. Considering I live only three hours from Tombstone I can say that in my opinion this definitely is a good blend in regards to it's namesake. It adequately represents the dusty, spicy sweet scents of this desert environment. I will be hanging onto this imp for sure and it could likely become a future bottle purchase.

 

Last edit: This one changed on me so much. The vanilla just kept growing and growing and it went from faint to play-doh to gorgeousness until it came to the final godzilla vanilla stage. At the end of the day it got so sweet it was kind of making me sick. Don't get me wrong, it smelled great, but it was just too overpowering. I might try it again later but I don't think I'd purchase again after all.

Edited September 3, 2011 by Klolly

[maoric]

In the vial: Vanilla and deep, brown woods.

 

After applying: Cedar and sassafras. I don't smell like mulch (yet), and I'm hoping to stay that way. The sassafras is making it an interesting mix.

 

Drying: Where did it go? My skin seems to have eaten it up! I'm not sure if this is actually vanishing or it's working well on my chemistry since nobody is around me that I can ask for a second nose right now.

 

Later: It seems to come and go to my nose, I'll either smell cedar (which does sort of remind me of fresh hamster bedding), or sassafras, or a combination of an interesting vanilla-sassafras-cedar. I just can't smell that much of it myself to know if it's working on me or not. As I'm sitting typing, with my nose nowhere near my wrists, now and then I'll get a nice vanilla+sassafras combo that I really like.

 

Interesting, though I'm not sure whether or not it would be something to buy more of. Going to need to kidnap some friends and ask their opinions as an outside nose.

 

ETA: The next morning was a bit of an eye opener. I could still smell the scent faintly, and really liked it finally when I discovered the reason I liked it then was that the cedar was apparently all gone. I'll have to pass on this one for myself. Maybe Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener would be more for me since it won't have cedar coming out so strongly for me.

Edited September 4, 2011 by maoric

[iamzuul]

Out of the imp: This had a nice, rich vanilla scent with a strong note of cedar and sarsaparilla. Sans the cedar, it reminded me quite a bit of the sarsaparilla that they serve special at a local medieval faire. (Think like IBC out of a bottle, only made with unicorn tears.) It's been a long time since I've smelled balsam wood, so I'm not sure if that mixed in with the cedar or if I'm not catching it at all.

 

Right after application: I put a quick line on each wrist and rubbed together. Almost immediately the cedar scent faded away, leaving just the vanilla and sarsaparilla. Remarkably delicious.

 

Twenty minutes later: Cedar is still gone. Maoric is jealous because it smelled like cedar chips on him. I buy the imp from him.

 

One hour later: I want to eat my arms. My room mate's first response to smelling my arm is also to try and eat my arms. She says she can smell the cedar, but it's still invisible to me.

 

Four hours later: Faint enough that you have to get all up on my wrist to get a good wiff of the scent, but still a nice warm woody vanilla, as lucytalk put it way back in the day. The vanilla is the top note to me, but there's just enough sarsaparilla to notice it. In the future I would probably want to either apply more than I did for this test, or in more places than just my wrists, so that it lasts throughout the day.

 

Final impression: Unless I smell like a skunk in the morning, this stuff is AMAZING. Although I wouldn't define it as either feminine or masculine, it strikes me as a scent better put on a woman, especially if the cedar scent vanishes like it did on me. Once the imp runs out I'll almost definitely be getting a bottle of this stuff.

[Lyanna]

This was a frimp from the lab, and because of the name I left it alone for a long time since I expected a cold chilly graveyard kind of smell Boy was I wrong.

 

I get vanilla and something sharper that almost smells like tobacco, but is most likely the cedar. It morphs on my and turns into a combination of vanilla and a chocolatey note underneath which has me sniffing my wrist constantly. It's an aged frimp, almost two years old, and it really shows - the blend is so well rounded and lovely. It lasts quite a while on me too - but after several hours the deepness of the smell fades a little and it becomes warm, vanilla and comforting.

 

This is definately a keeper and great for colder weather.

[elka_knits]

After much thought I figured out that this is

 

Cream Soda

 

maybe a cream soda float. yeah

[neoncas]

To me this is a very "dry" scent. Interesting but dry. Uh- ohhh.....

 

Unfortunately I amp cedar and my goofy skin chemistry sought out the cedar here and pushed it to the front ruining this blend for me.

[becca_s]

At first this is all cedar on me, after about an hour or so it turns into a dry, dusty vanilla with the cedar in the background. This is definately a unisex blend. Overall, I amp cedar and even after a few hours it smells too dusty and dry on me ... its probably alot nicer on someone else.

[distracts]

I bought a bottle of this without having enter sniffed it before based on the reviews and the recommendations in the vanilla thread. Wow. In six years of bpaling, I never found the perfect vanilla, which is what I first came here for when my old beloved vanilla perfume ran out. This is very, very close to it, much closer than any other blend I've tried, and much, much closer than Dorian. I will most likely be purchasing a backup bottle, which is something which I almost never do and have never before done for a GC.

 

In the bottle and while wet, this smells very root-beery. It goes through a short bit where I can small the cedar, but not much and it quickly disappears, which is weird because usually I amp woods. That quickly settles down to a warm, friendly vanilla, with hints of the other notes rounding it out. On me it lasts a long time and has decent throw. Yay! I'd definitely recommend it if you like vanilla!

[mimieux]

This reminds me sooo much of aged Snake Oil. It is friggin' amazing. I just bought a 5ml fresh from the lab and even brand spankin' new, Tombstone smells good enough to eat, drink, lick off your lover if it were possible.. I think you get my drift. It's marvelous stuff.

The vanilla is the same vanilla you have in Snake Oil and the like. I really think for those that like Snake Oil, or even those who couldn't tolerate Snake Oil for some reason, try this!

It also has this really sexy cedar woodsy edginess that makes me think of the movie Tombstone and Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday. He would soo wear this blend. Lean and mean in that overcoat and cowboy hat, sexxxy as hell, nothing to lose, full of unforgettable on liners: "I'm your Huckleberry." "It appears my hypocrisy knows no bounds." "Why, Kate, you're not wearing a bustle..how lewd." He would smell just like THIS.

As it dries down, the sassafras makes an appearance and it becomes much more creamy. Some have made the comparison to creme soda or root beer. I can smell little hints of those drinks, but only after major dry down and it's very subtle. This is really a blend for both sexes. Definitely on my top 10 list.

[hexnut]

My first post!

 

TOMBSTONE

 

In Vitro Vanilla, like a good extract but without the alcohol whiff.

 

Wet Vanilla plus an anise-like note. This was my first experience with true perfume oil and I was surprised by the scent cloud surrounding my wrist. When I combed my hair I got another sweet blast every time my arm moved near my face, and I'd only applied a little bit.

 

Drying The "cloud" dispersed and I had to sniff near my wrist. At the twenty minute mark I got cedar pencil shavings, but this soon faded. For the first hour it remained rich vanilla with tantalizing hints of cedar and anise.

 

Two or three hours later I put my nose on my wrist and smelled... rubber? Sweet rubber, like a new squeaky toy. This persisted for a few more hours and finally vanished altogether. Not offensive, but not my choice for perfume.

 

So that was my first BPAL oil. I was hoping for sasafrass or cedar, and I got a little, but on my skin this was just a very rich and pleasant vanilla. The end phase was strange but too faint to be objectionable. I'll certainly keep this imp to see how it ages and I will try Tombstone on my hair in the meantime.

 

1

[LightLikeKnives]

In the bottle, it smells like something sweet -- carmelized vanilla, maybe? On the skin it's a dead ringer for tapioca pudding, but it has a masculine spicy/sweat/arid undertow to it that doesn't fit. Occasionally it crosses over into that deplorable Scotchguard/musilege smell. Very sweet and foody. If the arid/spicy/sweaty vibe was stronger, I'd feel more comfortable with it, but it's still an interesting scent. Lasts 12+ hours.

[angelamaria]

In imp: foody, and slightly nutty on the first whiff. The second brings to me vanilla, sassafras, and full-bodied woods. Yummy.

 

Wet on skin: vanilla and woods, and a hint of that sassafras reminding me of a cross between Tree of Life and The Anti-Saloon League--and considering what this blend represents, it's just fitting. This is really fabulous, and I'm liking this a lot. So yummy!

 

Dry: this is a very a yummy mix of vanilla, sassafras and woods, and the result is a sometimes-nutty and sometimes-chocolatey overtone. The woods tone down the foodiness of this blend, but not entirely; it's a very nice backdrop against the sweetness of the sassafras and vanilla. This is like ASL with woods, or Tree of Lie with sassafras.

 

Verdict: I really love the smell of this, just like how I loved ASL, but like ASL, I am not going to be wearing this so much so it's a pass, but oh man, this is so yummy.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): Smoky vanilla with clear tinges of balsam and cedar. Yum!

 

Wet: Vanilla is the first note that I can smell, followed shortly by balsam and just a hint of cedar.

 

Dry: Smoky tobacco and hints of leather (even though I know it’s not in the notes). There is a slight woodsiness from the balsam.

[Gateau]

This one is a crazy morpher on me!

 

Wet and the first couple hours: Pure cedar, and practically nothing else. If I wave my arm around I can get a faint hint of vanilla and root beer, and there is something nutty to it that reminds me of The Antikythera Mechanism and somewhat Tree of Life.

 

Next phase: I get a plastic or Play-Doh sort of vanilla. The cedar is still there when I put my nose closer. There is also a whiff of something sweaty. I don't like it, but I think it might be delicious on my husband.

 

5 hours later: vanilla ice cream! With maybe a hint of root beer or the wood floors of the saloon. Pretty tasty!

 

Not really a scent for me, I don't think, but might give it a go on my husband.

[InThePines]

This was one of the first imps I ordered. Fresh from the lab, it smelled like fresh cedar with rootbeer and not much else. It wasn't really my thing.

 

HOWever, after taking a bit of a BPAL hiatus of about 7 months, I dug out some imps and gave Tombstone another chance. WOW! It had changed so much. In the imp and on my skin, it smells very well-blended but I can pick out some balsam and a wonderful spiced vanilla. It dries down to just the spiced vanilla smell, and it's so good. The throw's really good too!

 

I also like that this "safe" enough for me to wear to work but fun enough to keep me interested.

[Wren12]

In the bottle...sharp, very sharp. The cedar I believe? Where's the vanilla, that was the note I thought would hold it all together?

 

On wet...hmmm...the cedar becomes extremely woody. Seriously cedar shavings woody, which I think is kinda pleasant, if a little hampster cagey...vanilla where are you?

 

Drydown...oh, yay, as it warms up the vanilla finally makes an appearance! Also as it warms I thought I got a wiff of the bo smell of doom I got from Troll...(is that balsam?) But it was just a wiff and then settled back into a nice woodsy vanilla.

 

Overall, warm rugged vanilla in a cedar chest. I like it, but don't need a bottle, but not swapping it either!

 

Thanks TeaOtter!

[White_rabbit334]

In the bottle: Goodness gracious, root beer (sassafras) and cedar city! The cedar is definitely sharp and woody, and the peru balsam adds a little sweetness with the vanilla; however, this sweetness is different than the vanilla in a way that's hard to describe. It's almost.... more round, and wooded, but this might be the cedar. The cedar's pretty strong!

 

On the skin: Mmmmmmmm. I agree that this is like vanilla syrup poured into a cedar chest, but I feel like it's more like a thick rootbeer float flooding that chest instead. It's incredibly sweet, but the woodiness keeps it from being too foody for me. I tend to amp woods like nobody's business, but oddly enough I think the sassafras is becoming the dominant player for me. You know, on second thought, I really hope this gets sweeter. I want to smell like root beer floats forever :3

 

20-30 minutes in: Wow, this is weird.... it... it almost smells like sweetgrass? Like I am sitting in a field of it, surrounded by the braids of it I've neatly harvested, with gallons of birch beer and Boylan's Root Beer. It's a sunny, warm, breezy day, so I'm sitting in the shade of a little grove of cedar trees that sway and creak in the wind.

The vanilla is definitely becoming a strong player as well; I either wear vanillas very strongly or devour them without warning(thank goodness it's the former for this). It IS almost *exactly* like the vanilla in Snake Oil however, which would be disappointing if not for the sassafras. I'm absolutely in love with sassafras, but I'm worried the vanilla is starting to drown it out. I'm also worried that in another 15 minutes I'm going to smell like cheap vanilla candle and powdery instead of the deliciousness at the beginning. Good gods please, don't do it. Don't do it. I really hope it mellows out and sweetens up. C'mon Sassafrasquatch, do your thing, my body chemistry be damned!

 

1 hour in: Oh you sweet, sweet thing! Cedar either becomes woody and sweet---like a combination of pine, sandalwood and french vanilla---or pencil shavings. This cedar suddenly took a turn for a weirdly perfect blend of the two---the very sweet woodiness, but with an odd... spiciness? that I cannot resist. My true love, sassafras, was letting vanilla dominate before, but now he's returned to the stage to co-lead with her. There are still strong tones of sweetgrass, which is either the peru balsam or the total result of the blend itself. Or my body chemistry, hard to tell! Either way, I'm so glad I received an imp of this! I think a very large bottle is going to be in the works =D

 

maybe 4. X_X

 

Note!!: It's been about 4 hours now, and I can't detect hardly any cedar---maybe a hint or two of it, but it's subsided substantially. It's mellowed into this creamy root beer float scent that I wanted, with just a hint of something rustic, like having this wonderful drink outside on a summer evening, the smell of sweet grasses accompanying it. Good gods this was well worth the wait through the sharp cedar notes! I think I'm in some serious trouble, this is addictive stuff! ^__^ Mmmmmmmmm.

Edited January 13, 2013 by White_rabbit334

[tziporra]

Yeah, I can't wear this, it has vanilla in it, and that goes all weird on me.

 

But I'll try it anyway, because it smells like root beer in the bottle, and who doesn't want to smell like root beer?

 

I smell exactly like root beer! The good kind, in a bottle, naturally fermented and not very sweet. I want to drink myself all up.

 

Probably the only vanilla scent I can wear. I love leather, but I don't get much here. It's all wonderful sassafras, which is lovely. So much fun!

[carbonatedmariticide]

i was nervous to get this one because of my pretty unjust and undeserved hatred of vanilla, but i caved and got an imp for both the other notes, and ridiculous cowboy reasons.

 

and oh. my. gosh. bottled, it's dusty wood in the sun. on my skin it transforms to saparilla cream soda in a dusty little place. the vanilla is there, but it almost transforms the scent in the root beer direction previously mentioned. lovely lovely lovely scent.

[ArsenicandOldLace]

Tombstone was one of the first BPAL bottles I ever purchased (eBay) back in 2010 after watching a scent review for it on YouTube. Sassafras and Vanilla were the only two words needed to reel me in (and of course the name itself!) I was lucky enough to find a full bottle up for auction on eBay at the time and from a UK seller nonetheless which meant delivery was quick!

 

In my now aged bottle it has a definite foody scent! I quickly pick up on the vanilla and sassafras notes really well but there is also a dirty earthy undertone which I really like!

 

When first applied to my skin the vanilla fades into the background and it smells like what I can only describe as walking through a dense forest on a hot day, it smells sweet and earthy and I can definitely smell what might be the cedar which gives it a pleasant green tang! I love it!

 

After about 30 minutes of wearing the earthiness and vanilla balance out into perfect harmony, a warm comforting scent that reminds me of autumn for some reason! This is definitely one of my favourites!

 

I also realised today after applying it that one of my soy candles from 'The Fragrant Temple' called 'Mists & Shadows' smells really similar to Tombstone though not as foody!

Edited March 16, 2013 by ArsenicandOldLace

[ScabbyLucy]

Of all the BPALs I've tried, Tombstone is the first one that has jumped up and screamed "buy a big bottle of me now!"

 

The cedar is pretty strong when first applied, making me feel like I'm running through a forest wearing a super sweet vanilla perfume I wore when I was a teenager. The cedar mellows later on, and I can start smelling the sassafras. I can't smell the balsam, which may be that I don't know 100% what it smells like. A very warm, almost lonesome smelling blend.

[child of drought]

In the bottle: Vanilla and cedar, also an undertone of that general green “woodsy” smell.

 

On wet: It smells like cedar wood and pine needles, but not in the air freshener way. More like I AM walking through the woods. There’s also just a hint of mint.

 

On dry: OH WOW MINT MINT MINT. Seriously I smell like I’ve gone and rolled in a mint patch. It’s um, bracing. There is however still just an undertone of the cedar.

[lucycat]

My first review!

 

In the imp I smell cedar and balsam: it's very sharp.

 

Wet, it's still sharp cedar and balsam, which lasts for about 15 or 20 minutes.

 

As it dries, it develops into a rich, warm, mellow vanilla. I'm getting just a little bit of the sassafras. It's delicious. After a couple of hours, I applied some more, not because I had to, but because I wanted to.

 

I've only been into BPAL for a couple of months, and right before I started, I received a sample of Kiehl's vanilla cedarwood aromatic spray. THIS is what I wanted that to be. I can see Tombstone becoming a favorite.