Tombstone

[Lambent]

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.

 

Got a frimp of this.

 

Fresh upon skin, it smelled somewhat dusty. It morphs into a mainly vanilla scent; the vanilla smells "dirtied up." I get the cedar looming in the background and a bit of that root beer-like sassafras. I'm not familiar with balsam, yet, so I can't say.

 

Not really my style of fragrance, unfortunately, although vanilla lovers might enjoy it.

[porcelaincrypt]

First time I smelled this in the imp my thoughts were: outdoorsy, trees, oak maybe? Something minty. Something sweet. A little reminiscent of How Doth the Little Crocodile somehow. The second time, tonight, I thought dirt, minty, sweet and a little smoky.

 

On my skin it's like a cool vanilla, not warm at all. And I definitely get the sassafras! It's all Vanilla Root Beer! In the imp it's more earthy, but on my skin it's sweet.

 

I like it a lot! A solid 8/8.5 out of 10. Guess I'm not surprised I enjoy this one since I love Vanilla. Slightly masculine but not overtly so. Not sure if full bottle yet, but absolutely on the maybe list!

[Casablanca]

Tombstone is the general catalogversion of Outlaw, a limited edition scent out at the moment. It's not the same, but it's similar. Less gourmand, more rustic.

Wet on my skin, Tombstone is fizzy vanilla root beer on a balsamic cedar background. Outlaw has more of a cream tone that drifts it into root beer float land. Tombstone is more like vanilla-flavored root beer (no vanilla ice cream) and red wood. It's like drinking a cool root beer in a wood shop.

The fizziness mellows out from its initial crispness within a few minutes, but stays in play. The blend lasts at least a few hours on me. A good scent.

[roseus]

Fizzy sweet root beer over cedar. Rugged, but not too masculine for my tastes.

[gloame]

I love this wet–smells so good. But the cedar note goes very ‘pencil shavings’ on me. Kathmandu does the same thing, but in a pleasant way. The cedar here just seems to overpower the rest on my skin and make me smell like an elementary school student.

 

ETA Where I'd wear this: Studying for the ACT

Edited July 16, 2017 by gloame

[freyasfae]

I got this as an imp with purchase, so not anything I would have ordered on my own and for good reason. I hate sassafrass, this one confirms it, which isn't to say BPAL doesn't constantly surprise me with notes I think I hate, but this is just not one of them. The balsam and ceder seem to enhance the licoriceness of the sassafrass, particularly when wet. It mellows out a bit as it dries and becomes more cedar, but not for me.

[Cali]

Nononono there's something inherently medicinal in here for me and I'm not a fan. I don't know why but I'm getting a black liquorice from this, and an overly sweet one at that. And that's about it really. Bleh.

[Nikki Scarlet]

A frimp! I've been curious about this one for a while but never got around to buying an imp, so yay freebie!

In the imp and on me, wet:
This is reminding me of something from my childhood but I cannot for the life of me recall what it is. I wish I could say that's a good thing, but this is a sickly, plastic sweetness so far.

On me, dry:
As this dries, I think the childhood smell I'm recalling is, like . . . old, chewed-up bubble gum smushed up under somebody's desk, paired with recently-dried root beer or black licorice, none of which is doing my stomach any favours. A warmer, dustier scent starts to rise up over this, which I can't identify, but whatever that scent is isn't really me, either.

Verdict:
Bleh. Sending you off to someone whose nose and stomach will appreciate you, little friend.

[urbanruralferal]

Wowsa. This is straight up root beer float when wet, getting a wee bit plasticky as it dries.

I slept through the middle dry down, but when completely dry it smells like super creamy vanilla.

I like it, but it's not the kind of smell I wear. I was hoping for more wood, and maybe the cedar made an appearance in the 2nd act, but for me to want to buy a season pass, I would like the cedar, or *something* with a little more grit, to be standing on stage at the end of the show.

[achildoftime]

Cedar and sassafras. It starts very woody, but it dries to a creamy vanilla. It's syrupy and very much like a root beer float. It is pretty sweet and isn't as fizzy as the sassafras scents often are. The woodiness doesn't completely go away, which is nice. It kind of reminds me of drinking a float at a wooden picnic table. I don't think I'd wear it too often, but I'll happily hold on to my imp.

[Melissa_Officinalis]

This one just works on me and is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

 

The first tie I sniffed it, it was WHOA CEDAR! So much wood - too much wood. I washed it off and let it set for a few weeks. Then, boom, the magic.

 

The next time I tried it, the cedar was still there, but nice, mellow, and maybe a little dusty. The sweet vanilla root beer is now front and center. And sparkly. Something about this actually smells carbonated and sparkly. I get tons of compliments when I wear this, as it gently fills my whole office, but isn't overpowering in the slightest.

 

I reach for this almost as much as I reach for Coyote, so needless to say I'm a superfan.

[sunreon]

Today I wanted to feel more comfortably me. Went with something that was likely to be deep in my comfort zone.

I forgot the description when I went to put it on. I thought it would be one of the Ars Moriendi scents.

so I was very surprised when it was really foodie.

but now i’m not.

and btw I love it.

It’s threatening to go plasticky on me but I’m pretty sure it’ll be fine.

i can really smell the vanilla and the sassafras, right front and center, slow and .... somebody earlier in the thread said dusty? yeah. Dusty. The wood is just barely peeking through. I'm hoping it will come out more as it dries. If it doesn't I might have to set it aside in favor of my beloved woodsy scents. Or try layering it with a wood-scented lotion or something. That sounds like a lot of work.

[DryFrogPills]

From my first BPAL order a few years back.

 

In the imp: Primarily sassafras and balsam to the nose, not aggressive, but straightforward. If this scent was a man, he'd wear his guns openly, shake your hand firmly, and look you in the eye to let you know not to trust him at cards.

 

Initial drydown: On my skin, the sassafras comes to a bold, sharp edge. Faint hints of balsam adds to the wildness, and the overall feel is of decidedly alcoholic rootbeer. DEFINITELY don't trust this man at cards, but he's not going to lie to you that you should.

 

An hour out: As time goes on, the sassafras sinks down into the cedar, but keeps a lovely edge. I feel like the gentleman beat me at cards, then bought me a stiff drink. I'm both mildly irritated and intrigued. The longer it's on (and it lasts!) the more the cedar and vanilla show through and soften it, as if we've been drinking together and become good friends.

 

This is definitely a comfort scent to me. Which... probably says something, since it reminds me of a scoundrel.

[ShleepySnorlax]

Note: when I first tried this months ago, it was all sassafras all the time. It wasnt something I liked, but I know the magic of aging!

 

Wet: heavy sassafras

 

On the dry down: mmmm. The sassafras now mingles and is tempered by a sweet, vanilla balsam*. I love this. I put this on after a shower and it feels like a very fresh, slightly sweet scent. Its wonderful.

 

This feels like a sweet, warm breeze through a forest at night, wrapped in a big comfy sweater.

 

Edit: looking at descriptions of balsam & cedar, I think it was heavy on balsam because it was a very green scent rather than woody. I'm not super familiar with the two (but I need more in my life!!)

Edited July 11, 2018 by GlassKoala

[Miss_Unicorn]

It starts off very vanillary with cedar on the background, and a hint of something I can't quite place.

It warms up to become more woody, and rugged around the edges. The vanilla is prominent, but without being sweet.

This scent balances between being foody and wild, and it confuses me! But in a good way.

The imp I got only contained enough for one test, and I might have to purchase a full one.

[artisjok]

Tombstone starts off strong with the sassafras and cedar, vanilla floating in the background- a single scoop of ice cream floating in a rootbeer, sitting on a new picnic table. The combo always makes my mouth water....

These soften pretty quickly, parting away as the balsam moves forward to take center stage. I’m surprised by this. The scent is now more cozy than rugged.

It fades faster than I like, but worth reapplying. 

 I like the balsam stage, but I wish the other three notes stayed stronger for longer. I have other balsam-strong scents to wear. Give me my  sweet woody soda! 

 

(The HG stays true for a long time. I lurvs it. I suppose, paired together, it’s not so bad getting stronger balsam if the HG is gonna carry the other notes alongside. ) 

[monocainsheresy]

Gorgeous vanilla and sassafras, kept from being foodie but their little friend cedar. Brings to mind long dusty trails, ghost towns, and tall lonesome trees.

[melandie]

Got this as a sample for my husband to try - too sweet on him.

 

On me: sweet vanilla and sassafras. I get NO cedar at all. It's quite lovely but fades so fast and doesn't seem to morph. An hour later it is barely present. Sad, because I do like the scent when it's there.

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Vanilla, sassafras, and cedar. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the cedar is most prominent, with sassafras and vanilla in the background. As it dries, the cedar becomes even more dominant. The sassafras recedes further into the background, and the vanilla just about disappears. Given some time to warm and develop on my skin, the vanilla and sassafras make somewhat of a rebound to reemerge as background notes. Cedar is still the frontline player here, but it's not a one-note show. The notes also start to blend together a bit here, so there's not such a sharp distinction between the cedar and sassafras. 

 

I definitely feel how this is a "rugged" scent, though the vanilla and sassafras soften the cedar nicely. It's probably a bit too rugged for my everyday scent preferences, but I'll probably keep the imp for if I'm ever actually in Tombstone again!

[supreme_c0rt]

I amp cedar quite a lot so the first blast is a wonderful sharp cedar vanilla. It reminds me of the way Goblin marries that sharp gnarly woodiness with a creamy, almost gourmand background. The sassafras is a nice touch here, making the combination foodie notes really hold their own with the sharp cedar. I could swear there was a touch of leather in here. This is definitely the sauna/woodchip type cedar (a note I enjoy, but if you don't -- beware). 

 

The only note not playing as well here is the balsam. It floats in and out of prominence. When it's receded, Tombstone is nearly perfect, but when it edges back into play it has this kind of vinegary tang that I don't love as much. It isn't terribly prominent and I think it might age out anyway. Even with it, Tombstone has started to edge out as a GC heavy hitter for me. If you like Goblin, or are a capital-c Cedar lover, definitely give this a whirl. 

[Seajewel]

This is delicious, but extremely masculine. It's a deep, rich, dark woodsy vanilla scent. Thankfully, it doesn't really go root beer on me, though I can see that it could. The cedar also doesn't go pencil shavings and instead remains pleasantly woody. But it's SO manly. I like a lot of unisex/masculine-leaning scents, but this one is too much for me. It's not so much masculine-leaning as straight up smelling like dude. A delicious dude, sure, but on me, it's not working. And of course the throw and lasting power are both strong. 

Edited August 17, 2020 by Seajewel

[feyofthefellwood]

My skin amps the vanilla and sassafras here; although it smells really yummy, I wish my skin let the woods come out more, as I love cedar. As is, it smells more like vanilla root beer on me than sexy outlaw, alas. 

 

Edit: It grew on me and I ordered a bottle, and the bottle smells even better than my imp! I'm getting a lot more cedar here and I love it. 

Edited December 25, 2022 by feyofthefellwood

[Vaporeon]

Like an ice cream float with a hint of cedar. Good wear length too. Lovely

[Old.cupcake]

Initial Vanilla and earthy 

 

Wearing Straight up root beer! 
 

Thoughts I love this scent! It’s warm and earthy and a little like candy. It hits all my favorite scents. 💚

[Larinessa]

In the imp: smelled like a fresh baked sugar cookie. Yum.

 

On me: smells like I rolled in wood shavings with a touch of vanilla in the background. 😭 

 

Not for me, but the hubby loves it and says it smells like a masculine vanilla soap for men, so I passed it on to him.