El Dorado

[calivianya]

Copal resin incense blowing through halls of dazzling gold.

This really does smell like cologne!

That being said, it smells like good cologne. I feel like this will smell quite good on my boyfriend and I will have to try it on him later. I can clearly smell the copal, and I'm almost certain that this has a tiny hint of vetiver in it as well. The little hint I smell reminds me of the vetiver in A Golden Idol, though not that strong.

[strahlend]

It's hard to describe El Dorado. It smells like a copal single note to me, but that's not much of a description. It smells clean, but with depth and hint of from-the-earth-ness that only resins have. This scent is unlike anything else I can think of. I upgraded my imp to a bottle a while back.

 

This might sound strange, but this is a scent that is free of emotional overtones - unlike most other scents in my collection. This really is a wonderful go-to scent when I want to feel clear. What I mean by that is that I when I put this scent on I don't feel like I have to be in the right mood for it, it's somehow neutral but in a bright and uplifting way. I find it to be a soothing, centering sort of scent that is free from other entanglements.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - A clean, almost herbal resin

 

Wet on me - A dark brackish resin with a vinegary tone

 

Dry on me - This just smells a bit sweaty on me I'm afraid

 

Overall - Didn't agree with my skin chemistry

[melrose]

So this is copal resin? I need much more of that note! This is so wonderful, a touch too manly on me, but I'll really enjoy the imp. I am now on the lookout for anything containing copal resin.

[mymymai]

ITI: It certainly is bright and highly polished. I also get a whiff of copal resin, but there is an odd men's cologne quality to this.

 

Wet: It's a bit more like men's cologne wet, but there is still a strong impression of gold and clearly defined copal.

 

Dry: I now get powder and men's cologne with a hint of something golden. I'm sure it'd smell great on a male, but this isn't one for me.

[LateOne]

Got this as an imp off ebay.

 

In bottle, wet, drydown, dry - cologne. Clean, resinous cologne. This is exactly what I think of when the word "cologne" comes to mind. It's woody incense with a hint of spice.

 

Next paycheck, I'm getting a bottle. This is excellent!

[tinyvulture]

My husband and I both adore copal. Where we live, it's burned at Dia de los Muertos festivals, and we always have a little bag of resin rocks on hand to burn at home. This is almost pure copal to me. It is slightly cologne-ish, but so is copal resin, IMO. I guess many folks would call this a masculine scent, but I'll wear it. Regal and rich and mineral and sweet all at the same time.

[theseagrows]

starts off clean yet resin-y, and stays that way. a fairly simple, linear scent. it's nice but a bit too trad. masculine for my tastes.

Edited July 29, 2020 by theseagrows

[Veronica]

Something sharp and metallic to this initially that subsides when wet. Dry, it's a clean cologne smell, would be great on a guy, but not particularly interesting. Clean and manly spices.

Edited April 4, 2015 by delighted

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Slightly smoky incense.

 

Wet on my skin: This is a warm, somewhat cologne-like incense. Copal!

 

Dry: I haven't worn a copal-heavy blend yet, but I'm glad I have had a chance to try this! It's rather masculine and cologne-like on my skin, incensed and almost aquatic. I'm not sure what the golden notes in this are, but I like them!

[marilyn eyre]

Shame El Dorado doesn't get much love, because I adore it! It was frimped in my first ever order from BPAL, and I need a bottle ASAP.

Rich, golden copal. My nose isn't sophisticated enough to pick out anything else, but I love this! Smells like a good, rich cologne, leaning toward the masculine side a bit, but I like that. A powerful scent.

Give me all the bottles.

[d0gbones]

This definitely makes me think of halls of gold, it's got a dry, metallic edge and that's balanced wonderfully with the resin. To me, it's more like an older lady's perfume than cologne, in fact, it smells vaguely No.5 ish. Really nice, but a bit too mature for my tastes, so I've passed it on.

[Naomi Kelsey]

Straight out of the bottle, this was amazingly gorgeous--a rich, golden scent with depth and character. It does go through a "scrub it off!" stage where it turns bitter and cat pee ish on me, but thankfully rapidly settles into a lovely resin, woody, slightly spicy (like a wooden spice cabinet) clove like scent. Warm and rich, strong--a deep, woven, long pile rug texture, if that makes sense. Not sure if it's bottle-worthy due to the odd middle stage but I do love the imp.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Something a lot like Patchouli. Which I didn't think was in this. Doesn't last long and is quickly replaced by warm resins.

 

Dry: This is so unique and intriguing. I'm not very familiar with copal, but if it's what I'm smelling, it's really interesting. Resinous, a bit woody. There's almost something aquatic to it as well. Really interesting! It's not for me, but I actually think this would smell amazing on man.

[Casablanca]

Both when wet and dried on me, this is mostly copal incense -- dry, smoky, earthy, and woody. Rustic and arid. Maybe there's also a little amber, because there's something faint and golden, too, but this is nearly a copal single note on my skin.

I actually get a glint of a metallic note when I first apply this, but it fades quickly.

[gloame]

Sharp and yellow. Not my cup of chai tea, but not bad.

[Coldfire]

Imp: incense/resin notes but with a warm bright sunny vibe
Wet on Me: that same bright sunny incense-y resin-y scent
Drying Down: I'm getting that 'gold' feeling when sniffing my hand. And that copal wafting around it and basking in the glow of the gold.
Dry: This is all just so wonderful! It does smell of days gone by but yet not musty or dusty. This is bright but intoxicating. I've fallen under its spell.

[galahad]

In the Vial:

Faint copal

On the Skin:

Immediately intensifies on the skin to a glorious copal and the gold note follows quickly. It's a luxuriously refined scent.

On the Drydown:

A fairly linear drydown. The gold note is a fine gold/amber musk which combines with the resinous copal to create a warm, glowing scent. A skin hugger with low throw but long lasting. Beautiful

[Nikki Scarlet]

This was a frimp from the lab.

In the imp:
This actually does smell like gold. Metallic, at any rate. The incense gives it a bit more colour. I'm kind of reminded of hanging out with my dad at the garage, among all the engine parts and chemicals. I like that smell, though, so it isn't a bad thing.

On me, wet:
The incense gets a little stronger and oddly a little more foody. There's kind of a wheaty/grainy vibe that I don't like as much as in the bottle.

On me, dry:
This keeps going more . . . gamey, on me. The gold scent is still there, but it's dirty. Not like the engine grease scent of before, nor is it an earthy kind of dirty. It's the kind of grimy, part-sand, part-sour-milk smell that small children and their toys tend to collect on themselves over the course of a day.

Dry, later:
The sour milk smell mostly steps back and returns to more of the wheaty/grainy scent, and then the incense gradually sweetens up and strengthens over time from there. It returns to the original scent I smelled in the imp, and then the incense note keeps getting stronger until eventually it's pretty much entirely incense with just a little bit of gilding along the edges.

Verdict:
Meh. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It went through an awkward phase, then turned pretty nice. The first hour's worth is still a more masculine fragrance than I'd prefer for myself, though, and it's not really a strikingly sexy enough scent that I'd feel the need to try to convince a partner to wear it. Once it acclimates to my skin chemistry, it's definitely got its pleasant points (I would probably still try other scents with these notes in them), but it's not interesting or swoonworthy enough for me to feel the need to keep it. Not bad, but not for me.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: I don't know what the heck I'm smelling, but I do not like it. It's like medicinal cologne.

 

Dry: .. in short; it's a no from me, dawg. It's like someone is wearing that same medicinal cologne, while standing in the middle of some chopped down trees.

Edited June 16, 2018 by donkehpoo

[joopjoop]

An unexpected new favorite. I'm not a big incense person, but copal has changed that! 

 

This smells clean and somehow high-minded - an incense for offerings that  helps you raise your eyes to the heavens. I'm on a no-buy at the moment, but will probably upgrade to a bottle eventually.

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Resiny copal and a brightness that, yes, smells like generic conventional cologne. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the cologne note takes over. It remains well and truly cologne a half hour after application, when the copal becomes detectable on the skin. The throw, however, is resolutely cologne. Another hour later, and it's much the same. 

 

It certainly smells nice and clean for what it is, but it's not what I'm looking for from a BPAL. 

[doomsday_disco]

This smells like a heavy, golden resin, but I agree that it has a cologne-y vibe to it. I think it's a sharp wood note. It has been ages since I smelled it, but I think it may contain a note found in Lush's Icon? It gets earthier (it's very patchouli-like) and slightly smoky with wear, which I think may be due to the same copal note found in Greed. If I had to guess as to which notes this contained, I'd guess copal, oak, and possibly a dark myrrh. Or maybe a metallic note made it so sharp in the beginning?

It's strong, too. I tried to wash it off, but it would not budge.

El Dorado is too sharp on me in the beginning, and too earthy for me later on, so it is not for me, but I am glad a lovely BPALista gave me some to try to help me in my quest to try the GC.

Edited June 2, 2019 by doomsday_disco

[artisjok]

El Dorado brings to mind an old-fashioned Catholic Spaniard. I recognize the copal resinous and slightly lemony. The gold (?) is bringing a cologne vibe. So, I’m getting the resinous church incense entwined with a masculine cologne. It feels dusty with age and maybe too much condemnation, or just a general wearing away at belief with time and monotonous ritual. 
 

I always think I’m going to love copal, as I do love burning the resin, yet it doesn’t seem to like my skin chemistry too much. It fairs better on my partner. El Dorado doesn’t like me much either.... although I do like the romance of a search and promise of adventure, I’m not so excited about the gold itself. 

 

 

[myrrhmyrrh]

In the vial: yes to the incense and somehow too (is it suggestion? Is it magic?) also the brightness of gold, in a way I cannot explain. There is, however, tumbleweed blowing through those halls that are deserted for all their untold riches

 

On me, wet: the incense, dry, resonant, that is all

 

On me, just dried: incense still but also a hint of something orange peel-ish with goodly dash of pine, nervous in the sense of something racé and ready to rare up.

 

After 15 minutes: the scent has calmed down and it’s rounder, softer, more of the orange as a fruit than its zest, though still pine and incense - maybe this is the cologne people are smelling?

 

After 30 minutes: yes, it has gone from super dry resin to a fruity orange with pine though against a backdrop of incense

 

After 1 hour: primarily incense now, low and dry

 

After 3 hours: it hangs on and hangs on – still going strong with the dry incense – if that’s your vibe you definitely want this.

 

Verdict: this is a great frimp, I love it -but not on me as I don’t think it meshes with my floral personality. I’ve pawned it off on the fella, if only he’d wear it, southwestern man that he is.