The White Rider

[lookingglass]

White leather and sandalwood.

This is WHITE...like what I want all the white musks to smell like without all the fruit and flowers. It does not smell like horses or cars or tack to me at all. If I'd sniffed it blind, I would have guessed Egyptian musk and light, tangy sandalwood. It's like Morocco's vial essence. It's fresh, yet modern, complex, creamy, and unisex. I could see "cologney", but I've never smelled one as glorious. I usually like dark, heavy scents, but this one has me smitten! A bottle is going to the top of the list, and my partner and I are gonna have to fight over who's BPAL cabinet it goes in!

[Quillifer]

Decidedly "meh". Reminds me of white musk more than anything. Some sandalwood which I do like but with nothing much else going on, for me. Somebody said it smelled like a stable and I desperately wanted it to be like horses - but it's more like the straw. (Out of interest this was an imp I ordered from the lab, but it was barely half full. It doesn't really matter for trying the oil but it's not ideal for swapping.)

[ND¢]

Before I even open this imp (a generous freebie in a swap) I will just say I've got very high hopes for it, so we'll see how they bear up under testing. I would be prepared to layer this with something gourmand or sweet if it is lacking in balance, but I adore Beth's 'simple' (few notes) blends and... okay okay.

 

In the imp: Harsh sandalwood, not too spicy, and leather.

 

On me: I totally get the stable comment for the first second. Then it immediately gains a slight dimension of sandalwood-spice, enough to throw it off a bit from that (thank god.) A sharp or almost 'raw' leather scent with sandalwood layered over it, and a vague spice as I exhale. It wants to tip into 'cologne' but doesn't quite, also thank God. Yeah, there is a little sweetness to it like people have mentioned. You know what, I like it. I tried a little Pandy on over it and, though it wasn't a match, I still think this will be great for a subtle layering.

[fairestrocza]

On me this was almost pure sandalwood. Sandalwood is a scent that I like, but I find it to be a bit too dry here.

I didn't smell anything that made me think leather (a note that is generally not my friend). I did, however, have a major allergic reaction to something in this blend. The sneezing, watery eyes, and nasal doom mean this one goes in the swap box.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - A slightly chemical sandalwood note with a green floral in the background

 

Wet on me - Soft, but still slightly chemical sandalwood with a slightly yoghurt smell overlaying it

 

Dry on me - It disappears quickly into a hazy half musky nothingness

 

Overall - Didn't last on my skin at all

[Coldfire]

Imp: sandalwood

Wet on Me: sandalwood and faint traces of leather

Drying Down: the faint leather is softening the sandalwood.

Dry: faint ghostly whispers of sandalwood and leather. Nice.

[Telluric]

In imp: bitter, strong, dry soil.

 

Wet: soil and lemon.

 

Dry: dusty sandalwood, with an undercurrent of lemon.

Edited August 21, 2013 by Telluric

[BlueberryPie]

This is exactly what it says on the label for me -- sandalwood and leather. It's just a pity that the blend turns out to be a little too masculine for me to wear. It has very powerful throw on me too. I just spilled a little over my fingers and I smelled like The White Rider all day. It completely covered up my Ave Maria (which I'd slathered on). So, for someone who likes sandalwood and leather, I imagine this would be just heavenly.

 

Score: 9/10

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: A little bit sweet. There's a note I can't quite place, almost like banana, but not quite.

 

Wet on skin: Still sweet and light, almost like white musk, but a little bit heavier. Or like an aquatic, white floral. I can't quite make out the sandalwood at this stage.

 

Dried down: I can definitely get the "leather" now, although it's a very light leather scent. Very pretty, though.

 

Throw: It has some, a little aquatic and leathery.

 

Verdict: **** I really like this! It's very soft, but not completely floral. Even if I can't pick out the sandalwood, it's a pretty scent.

[JazzieCazzie]

I had this in my keeper box, presumably received as a Lab frimp, but realized I hadn't reviewed it so pulled it out (along with a batch of about 8-10 others I hadn't reviewed or re-reviewed since 2005). Prefacing by saying I was a little surprised to have kept it since I'm not a big leather fan.

 

IN THE IMP: Sandalwood and fresh air. Not getting any leather, am getting something slightly ozone-y which often goes perfumey on me.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: I can understand the leather description more by the images this evokes than specifically saying "this smells like the leather note." I get sandalwood and riding around outdoors. The leather is not the armchair/whip leather I usually smell but rather, maybe, an old loved harness or saddle.

 

DRYDOWN: It's okay. But it's slightly cologney and gives me a little headache. I think it's a solid subtle gender-neutral perfume.

 

OVERALL: I admit I'm surprised I kept it the first time around. It's nice enough but it is definitely not me.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 3.

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: As described, white leather & sandalwood.

Wet on skin: Pea vines. Um... what?

Dry on skin: The pea-vine note has faded to almost nothing (thank goodness)! The sandalwood is giving off some sort of resiny-hay scent, which is weird, but kind of nice. The leather is soft, subtle & lovely. This is definitely an expensive leather - handbags & gloves for sure! It's quite a neutral smell though & it would layer up wonderfully with some floral notes!

After a few hours: It's faded quite a lot & is even more neutral now.

Verdict: I quite like this, I don't know if I want to wear it alone though. I have worn it layered with floral-only scents before & it's really nice (it gives the flowers a bit of toughness & depth, without overpowering them) so I'll mostly be using this for layering purposes.

[theredkilt]

I know this smell. I've smelt it before!!!! It's Edward Hyde from the DarkDel line, only that the latter has more oomph! White rider is cleaner and gentler, but still maintains the cologne vibe. If you ran out of Edward Hyde, get White Rider as an alternative.

[Minh Scent]

So smooth! It starts out strong, but cozies quickly onto the skin, the sandal and leather balanced.It is close to my skin, seductive. I got no chemical or barn smell as others have mentioned.

[savage_rose]

Bye bye sandalwood, hello leather SN. Not for me, but it's an interesting blend.

[DoktorDandy]

Wet: A burst of cedar? Warm and dry, the leather follows, close, right on it's heels. The two stay there, and once they settle, aside from an odd, almost celery scent there for a moment, they are in a happy, stable relationship.

 

Dry: Like the Red Rider, this oil takes it's sweet time to decide to dry. So far, I'm happy with this once. They have not changed aside from a few wet-cedar-mulch moments- and even those weren't entirely unpleasant, reminding me of public school playground days. I don't know why this sandalwood is reminding me far more of a fresh cedar, but that's just what my nose is telling me. May be a sandalwood I am less familiar with? Reminds me very happily of the way the leather and wood notes play together in Bvlgari Black- one of my BPAL missions is to create a substitute for that, and this may send me on the right path, though it's perfectly fine in it's own right. It might even grow on me more on it's own merit when the weather turns colder. Keepin' this imp!

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Oops, I forgot to sniff.

 

Wet on my skin: Warm, soft leather and spicy, almost cologne-like sandalwood.

 

Dry: This doesn't change a whole lot as it dries. The leather in this is similar to BPAL's soft brown leather note, but with a white musk sort of edge to it that gives it something of a shiny quality. Combined with the sandalwood, this is a warm, masculine, and spicy-cologne like scent on me. Very pleasant. Not quite mind-blowingly good, but I think I might actually like it a little better on me than Black Rider, of which I have a full bottle.

[batsy]

In the vial: SANDALWOOD, then leather.

 

On the skin: hello white leather from a 1980s music video that ran in heavy rotation on MTV. I like this; usually I'm hit or miss with sandalwood but the leather makes this balance out in the "yum" category. I can only imagine this would smell wonderful on a man. It's spicy but the hit of leather makes it creamy (?) to my nose. I might have to invest in a bottle of this.

[roseus]

In the imp: Sharp leather and sandalwood, almost overwhelming.

 

Wet: The leather is very prominent and sharp over the sandalwood. Here it's reading very masculine to me.

 

Dry: The leather softens, a very smooth and light leather. Softer than Dee. The sandalwood is dry, powdery, and lightly sweet.

 

Overall: A very comforting blend, this is reminiscent of white musk. Warm and alive, but clean.

Edited November 5, 2016 by roseus

[Casablanca]

Wand: WYSIWYG. I get white leather and sandalwood.

Wet: Same notes. It seems like there may also be frankincense mingling with the sandalwood, or maybe that's just how this sandalwood smells to me. It's dry and grainy in a way that I often also get from the frank.

Dry: A white musk comes out, but this is mainly grainy and desert-like in my nose. Smells like bleached leather and white sands.

[Kay Torres]

This smells like a shaving soap that I bought for my Pap as a kid. Exactly like it. Mostly sandalwood with hints of "eau de new car". I gave this to my uncle because if I ever smelled this on the man it might break my heart.

[Bassmastadroog]

Barn hay and unremarkable leather. On me, thin dry sandalwood takes over, mostly, and the hay has a somewhat chocolatey smell. I am keeping this imp because I want to be impressed with this one. It's definitely wearable, just doesn't have that...oomph!

[LizziesLuck]

White leather can be pretty horrific on me. But I adore sandalwood, and try everything I can, so here goes!

 

 

Wet: Mmm. Surprising. Mostly lovely warm (fresh) sandalwood. Smells freshly cut. Lovely. Sweeter than I expected!

 

 

Dry: This is kind of fantastic. Soft, well-worn leather, hints of pretty sandalwood. I quite like it, and think it would layer well with lots of things. Unisex. Grateful I learned I can wear white leather, just not all white leather.

[achildoftime]

This comes of as a very clean leather. The sandalwood is nice and warm, and the leather is crisp, for lack of a better description. I wouldn't call it new leather, but it isn't well worn either. It's like a jacket you rarely wear, but still keep nice. I do think that the leather and sandalwood lean on each other pretty well. They aren't fighting for dominance, just propping each other up.

[Joyleaf_]

This was a frimp from my most recent purchase, and I have to say that it is reading has a straight up leather note on my skin, like new tack leather, maybe, with that creaky snap all new leather has. I like it very much, but I am glad I didnt expect any resins from it.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: White sandalwood and a light, clean leather.

 

Wet: I’m getting a dusty, white sandalwood note with the white leather cuddled up right beside it.

 

Dry: The dusty sandalwood continues to reign. It’s smooth and slightly sweet. The leather resides in the background, and I am getting less of it than I did before.

 

Verdict: This one is nice. The dusty sandalwood in this makes me think of some of BPAL’s book scents, although this doesn’t have any of the common paper notes (like tonka) or the leather normally found in those scents. There are other sandalwood-dominant scents that I’d reach for over this one, so I don’t need more of it, but I like it a lot more than I thought I would!

Edited July 6, 2018 by dementia_divine