The Red Rider

[Gwydion]

Red leather, red moss, and balsam.

In bottle: yummy. Leather with sharp moss and balsam edge. It’s very Earthy and outdoorsey. Wet: Still leather dominant, but the moss is edging up over the balsam. I’m loving this. Dry: Cool soft leather, with a hint of balsam.

[midnight_aeval]

I've had these imps, oh, since the scents came out, but knowing leather you can't test them all RIGHT away. They age/morph/change so much after the first couple months.

 

The Red Rider screams Hot Topic Belt Section to me it's extremely realistic NEW leather smell. I remember my high school days being spent at Hot Topic (back when it was sort of taboo to go there since only the Satanists did ) and waiting among the belts and other leather goods for my friend to choose that week's purchase. This leather note is NOT like the one in Spanked or Crowley. The Red Moss and Balsam give it an earthy feel.

 

Overall, it wouldn't be one I could wear (as I prefer the Spanked/Crowley variety) and my husband prefers the 'black' leather/worn leather scents (Western Diamondback/Dead Man's Hand).

[Lirion]

This leather scent is so new it's almost raw. I think it's the red moss causing that.

 

I can definitely smell a leather base, but it's like the leather is trying to come out and smell like leather but the balsam has flowed over it and then the red moss has grown over that, so I'm not getting the gorgeous rich leather scent, I'm getting green, fresh mossy leather.

 

As it dries down more balsam tinged leather starts t come through, and while it's now quite a nice scent, it's not personally for me. I like ym leather with more personality I think.

[meredevachon]

This came up in my search for blends with leather, and I'm oh so glad it did.

 

In the imp: Walking into a leathergoods store and getting enveloped in the smell of new leather. Unusual because normally leather blends don't smell like leather to me until they touch skin, in the bottle they're usually sharp and chemically.

 

Wet: New leather, supple, expensive. The kind of stuff I have to be careful not to drool on 'cause I sure can't afford to take it home with me.

 

Drydown: The leather loses some of the sharpness that makes it seem new. It's been worn and warmed. And like so many others, I would swear there's red musk here.

 

Overall: The first leather BPAL I tried that worked for me was the now (sadly) DC Loviatar. It wasn't something I could wear just any time, but when I wanted/needed to smell like a strong, leather-clad woman in control, it was perfect. And I've been wondering if I'd find anything to replace it. The Red Rider? Is even better.

[voorishsign]

I've been curious to try this - I tried White Rider, which was nice and leathery but a bit too dry, and Black Rider, which was a bit too dark - here we go with rider #3!

 

In the imp, this is oil as red as reddish brown as a red horse It smells like pure wild leather - outstanding and outdoorsy!

 

On wet this is freaking amazing. It smells like well-worn saddle leather, balsam, and a warm horse in the sun - I'm in love already!

 

There's a leather store nearby here where they sell hand-made moccasins - this smells just like stepping into that store! Wild leather, incense and herbs. Definitely what it says on the tin, very outdoorsy and rugged. I will keep the imp but I don't know if I'm rugged and outdoorsy enough for this to suit me

[strahlend]

In the decant it smells like a lovely mix of fresh leather and something lightly woodsy.

On my skin when this dries down it smells exactly like The Traveller, which is to say a very straight-forward leather and only leather kind of scent. I like it fine but I was hoping for something with more complexity.

[Anita]

In the bottle: leather and some red tinged goodness with it almost sweet, maybe its the balsam? And nothing of the red moss.

 

Wet: ooo yum. It has the leather for sure, with the balsam coming out to say hi and even a light earthy note which I am guessing is the moss. But wait a minute...

Drying: why do I detect a hint of something almost.. Medicinal? There is something that has turned a little sharp and off somehow. And I know that smell, but I can't place it. It will come to me.

 

Oh no.

 

There is stiil strong leather but something else too. Its smells very faintly of Tiger Balm.

 

Dry:tiger balm has faded. And now I am left with leather and a beaqutiful outdoors smell, and the leather reminds me of what it might be like if you were riding through a misty forest.

 

I can get over the tiger balm. This is a keepern and maybe because of the tiger balm, a lovely locket scent.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I don't generally wear leather scents on myself (except for Whip now and then), so I'm testing this with my DH in mind. It's very red-colored in the vial and smells of straight leather, like being in a furniture shop! On me, though, it goes VERY strange...is it the moss? Something sweet and resinous, but somehow the way it mixes with the leather is really scary on me. Like, it freaks me out; it smells so weird. Eep.

[theseagrows]

at first this smells like very strong, sharp leather and red musk. after awhile, i am getting a strong leather scent that is different than de sade. de sade works better for me, as this one has a sharpness and strength that gives me a headache. de sade smelled like black leather to me, but this smells like worn, brown leather to me (if that makes any sense.) more like a horse's saddle than a leather jacket.

Edited November 29, 2010 by theseagrows

[Lorelai1945]

Red Rider is definitely worn saddle leather hung in a tack room with the sun streaming through. I LOVE the smell of tack and horses and barns, and this totally smells like a tack store I used to go to. I don't know about wearing it as perfume, but I'm glad to have an imp to huff when I get the urge. There's no metallic or harsh chemical leather here- it's a deep chestnut well-worn leather. The balsam and moss serve to give the leather a somewhat woodsy housing. Possibly the best leather scent I've smelled.

 

If this could somehow get an injection of vanilla I think I would buy bottles and swim in them.

[DeltaCat]

Amazeballs! Srsly. I agree with VF that this is the best leather scent so far to date. Beautiful worn in brown leather. I get nothing but straight up leather. I must go along with the statement that is smells like horses because it does. Takes me back to county fair days when I helped my friend ready her horse for show.So wonderful!

[Reki]

Wet, this smells like chemicals and a tad of leather. Dry on me, this is dead on new, thick leather. I can't think of an occasion where I would wear this alone, but it might be useful for layering. On my sister this is more like used horse tack - leathery, but also animalistic.

[SophieCedar]

This is second favorite behind Black Rider.

Wet: nice red musk and moss overlaying the leather. Gives the impression of freshly tanned leather with thick suede on the underside...in fall.

Drydown: the moss and balsam looses a bit of dirt/earth strength over the leather. It's still great but I really liked the prominent earthy note on top. maybe I should mix with dirt..? Yes!

[porcelina]

wow! i never would have tried the red rider if the lab hadn't sent me a frimp in a recent order, and it is so very me. the red leather note is beautiful- it smells more authentic to me than the sort of shiny, almost-fake patent leather scent i get from something like brom bones (though i also love that one). this is also a very nostalgic scent for me because it reminds me VERY strongly of kitschy gift shops in the wisconsin dells that i visited as a child- you know, filled with tacky buckskin pouches and wooden boxes painted with cheesy pictures of wolves. i love it and i am ordering a 5ml.

[hersphinxness]

This is my first try with the Lab's leather note, so bear that in mind.

 

This is amazingly awful. In the imp, wet, dry, this is chemical lawn fertilizer. Strong. Awful. Like walking into the fertilizer section of a garden/hardware store, only amped up to the power of 1,000. Nasty. Awful. Did I say awful?

 

I tested a few other blends today, and I now suspect that the guilty culprit here is balsam. Nasty, nasty balsam.

[MtMoonKitty]

It is a very strong leather scent and on me it is overpowering and after a few hours can actually smell a bit on the sour side if I am not prudent. However, I have found that a tiny dab with a Qtip on the wrists and maybe a tiny bit on my clothing works great. Any time I have a scent that just seems to sweet for me, I wear the Red Rider as a light base and then put on the other scent. I have found so far this works particulary well with the Mabon 2010, Samhain 2010, Titania and White Rabbit. Now I am dying the try the White Rider... if only I could quit spending all my $$ on the limited editions. LOL!

Edited February 12, 2011 by MtMoonKitty

[pteron]

I love leather and like balsam, so was very excited to try this!

 

In the imp, The Red Rider smells like . . . chemicals. Not unpleasantly, but 'chemicals' is the only way I can describe it.

 

On my skin, I get the same chemical smell, then the balsam note begins to appear. Twenty minutes in and it's still 'balsam with chemicals'. (I happen to own a red leather trenchcoat that has a nice scent; The Red Rider doesn't resemble the smell much at all.)

 

Overall thoughts: I said at the beginning that I like balsam, and I do, but not quite enough to wear it by itself! I sometimes have trouble with leather notes not appearing, so I'll keep the imp and hope it improves with age. If not, I'll probably layer it with some of my other oils; the balsam alone does make for a masculine - if somewhat bitter - base in my opinion.

[Larinessa]

Truest leather note I have ever smelled. Being a renaissance festival girl, this smells just like the leather armor one of my guy friends wears (also red). Lovely. Great throw, and longevity on me. Bottle purchase for sure.

[donnatron]

Imp: The strong, horse-saddle leather I smell in Western Diamondback and C. Auguste Dupin. Hooboy.

 

Wet: I agree that there appears to be a touch of red musk in here. However, the leather is steeeee-rong and the balsam is combining with it to make it kind of? Musky, but not in a good way. Like sweaty horses and men crowded into a corral musky.

 

Dry: It smells like... a rodeo. A strong, intimidating leather with very light, semi-musky back up notes. The moss never showed up or if it did it is one of the supporting notes making this overwhelmingly horse-y. This is an experience scent. I have no desire to smell like this but I'm glad I tried it because it is so damn weird on my skin.

 

Throw: Pretty intense.

 

Overall: I might wear this during the Stampede just to mess with people. A very true saddle leather/cowboy sort of scent. It would probably layer well with lighter or sweeter ingredients but if you like the idea of smelling like saddle leather, this is definitely one to try.

[Drarra]

In the imp: This is an expensive leather jacket. And the mosses beneath the leather are really adding depth to it.

 

Wet on my skin: Umm... leather. Really leather. Not really liking that there isn't anything beyond the leather.

 

Dry: I smell lots of leather. Not much else going on here, not a lot of depth. This isn't really my cup of tea. But it does remind me of Zevran. He would dig this.

 

Overall: It's a very realistic leather scent, but I was hoping for more depth from it. After reading some of the other reviews, I'm going to hold onto this imp and let it age a bit. I'm now curious to see how that will affect it.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Frimpage!

 

Preconceived notions:

 

Leather is hit or miss on me, but it's been hitting the mark lately. Balsam is also hit or miss, but it usually works with leather. I don't think I've ever tried anything with red moss, so I'm not sure what to expect there, but I do love moss scents in general.

 

I absolutely love The Black Rider and I like The White Rider, so hopefully this one's a winner, too.

 

First sniff:

 

When I first smelled this, it smelled like an (extemely strongly scented and extremely realistic) leather shop and not much else. Now, that's great if you like that sort of thing, but I don't. It's just too much leather for me.

 

I let it set for probably about a month before trying it again and evidently it just needed to settle, because it smells amazing now. I get old, worn-in leather (I'm not sure what red leather would smell like, but I would say this smells more like brown leather than black) and something that smells like a dry, woody red musk even though it's not listed in the notes.

 

Wet on skin:

 

So good! No real change in the notes, but everything is sort of warming up and blooming on my skin. I get delicious worn-in leather and woody red musk (which I'm guessing is probably a quirk of the red leather...or maybe red leather is regular leather plus red musk?).

 

Dry down:

 

Still the same, although the notes are less distinct now. The Red Rider dries down into a sexy, almost rugged (but still unisex) leather and musk blend. I don't get any moss (unless the moss is what I'm smelling as red musk) and definitely no balsam. This is like the leathery cousin of Tarot: Judgement, which makes me very happy.

 

The bottom line:

 

I absolutely love this and I'm going to be needing a bottle (or bottles) immediately. At first, I thought it was going to be one of those eerily realistic scents that I keep around and wear now and then as a sort of novelty, but I was completely wrong. This is gorgeous.

[FathomBelow]

The Red Rider contains the same ravening monster of a leather note as Whip - a pernicious, nauseating, synthetic leather that is just plain nasty on me. No moss, no balsam, just that horrid leather. Sadly, this frimp must move on.

[Diva Urd]

Vial: This smells like a leather saddle after a ride in the forest. Seriously.

On: Whoa, this turns SHARP on my skin at first. Also, it's a bit shoe-polish-y. Let's see how it dries down...

Later: Primarily shoe-polish with a little bit of leather. The only other scent I got the shoe-polish with was Anubis, which also contains balsam, so I have to conclude that is what's turning on me here. This one wasn't meant to be.

[changeling]

In the bottle: Earthy, grounded leather

 

Wet: Leather, a hint of what I imagine to be the balsam note. At this stage, it came across as too masculine and I began to regret wearing it on a work day

 

Dry: The scent is less masculine now. I could try to describe the individual notes, but I think the best description would be to say that if you want to smell like someone who has been out for a long ride on horseback, without actually taking the ride, use this scent. Speaking as someone who now has access to horses again, I doubt I will wear this much, but there were times in my life when it would have been perfect, just to allay the homesickness.

 

It could also be useful at a Renaissance faire or an RPG/LARP, for characters who have come a long way on horseback.

[filigree_shadow]

Very realistic, outdoorsy leather scent. I like the moss note with that rugged leather. This smells like very new leather to me, not like worn-in leather.

 

Must-try for anyone who likes BPAL's leather blends!