Brotoloigos

[thekittenkat]

BROTOLOIGOS
Murderous
Tobacco, wenge, rose geranium, and myrrh.

This one lives up to its subtitle of murderous, well, at least on my somewhat acidic skin. The geranium was quite sharp, as expected, and the wenge (a wood) was rather obvious. I had entertained hopes that the lovely tobacco and myrrh would appear and soothe the other two into some sort of calmness, but it was not to be. I really don't want to think about what happened to the tobacco and the myrrh. If you're into sharp, woody scents, Brotoloigos might be worth trying, though. It's not a fresh green wood note, but very dark.

[Dark Alice]

At first...this is quite murderous. The rose geranium comes forth slashing the other notes to ribbons. But as this settles and dries it becomes a softer, slower, more seductive killing. The rose geranium is forced into submission by the tobacco and the myrrh slowly but surely warms things, up and softens them at the same time. Dried down I would call this Killing me softly...as it is a slow yet subtle murderous death. It is truly one of Beth's greatest masterpieces and I foresee wearing this often. And it will definitely require an additional bottle.

 

[greenranger]

Myrrh, how I do love thee.

 

I hardly get any sharpness. I get loads of myrrh laying a sweet resinous foundation for just enough of the tobacco and rose geranium. I don't know wenge, but, there's a bit of woodiness that might be that.

 

This, I may need a bottle of.

[edenssixthday]

Brotoloigos - This opens up as a dark myrrh single note! It's gorgeous and makes me giddy and happy because I love dark myrrh so much. As it dries down, a strong woodiness comes out and blends gorgeously with the myrrh and it becomes a woody-myrrh scent. It goes through one phase where the tobacco overwhelms everything else, but that seems to last only about 20-30 minutes and then it's back to being a woody-myrrh scent when I sniff my skin up close, and the wafts of scent I catch around me are myrrh, myrrh, myrrh. I'm SO BUMMED that I can't smell the geranium in this, as geranium is my favorite note of all time. Still, even without the geranium, I love this. It's strong and hard and very manly without being a men's-only fragrance.

[Little Bird]

I definitely agree with the comparison to dark myrrh single note. This is a beautiful, smooth, slightly sweet resin, and it stays strong with lots of throw. It makes me think of gold and dark amber shades. I was nervous about the tobacco note and whatever wenge is (a wood note?), but I don't smell anything but myrrh and hints of geranium flitting in and out of the scent. The rose geranium is an almost spicy, planty smell on my skin, but sweet and very pretty & wearable.

 

This scent is just so stunning and calming to me. I find it very relaxing, so I love wearing this scent to bed, but it's also a gorgeous, exotic perfume that I love wearing when I'm going out (and I've gotten a couple compliments on it already). It's a very smooth scent with a touch of sweetness that makes it totally wearable. I need multiple bottles of this, for sure .

 

ETA: Brotoloigos is my favorite Lupercalia blend (and it had a lot of competition, because so many of this year's blends are wonderful). It's the one that I keep going back to and I've been wearing it the most since my orders arrived. If you like myrrh/resins at all, this one is a must-have. And the hint of geranium is super comforting and calming. Something about the smell of geranium soothes my nerves, and this has that effect without smelling medicinal or spa-like. It's like an awesome perfume with a hint of calming therapy for me, lol. It's just perfect.

Edited March 12, 2010 by Little Bird

[gypsyjolie]

I think is GORGEOUS! This myrrh is a honey-like, thick resin and the star of the show. Rose geranium, which I love, makes a wonderful partner for the myrrh - adds a touch of creamy greenish floral but this is not really a floral scent. The tobacco makes a soft warm base, and the wenge adds some woodiness. This is unisex to my nose, will have to try it on the DH. I love that it is so soft, golden, and creamy without being powdery. It's got an amber-like tone to it but never gets the doom powder that BPAL amber often gives me.

 

in full drydown, this is creamy, almost olive oil-y, tawny, tobacco, sexy. Very sophisticated.

Edited March 3, 2010 by gypsyjolie

[megank4]

Wow. First sniff and I thought "Grandma!"

Took me awhile to figure out why, but I think it is the powdery rose geranium smell.

It lasts for a long time, then fades to a tobacco - rose geranium scent.

[musichappens]

Wow, this is really nice! Upon initial application, all I could really smell was the geranium. However, the wenge and myrrh seemed to emerge rather quickly to help tame the geranium's intensity. The tobacco doesn't seem to reveal itself until its completely dry, which helps to round everything out by warming it up a bit. I wasn't expecting to like this blend as much as I do, so now I have to decide if I should get a full bottle or a partial. Hmmm ...

[milo]

Wet, I get a strong tobacco, and it really is quite masculine. It sure smells like the tobacco of Perversion, one of my favourite GC's. This develops into a warm, sweet, tobacco blend, more masculine, but a girl could pull this off as well. Seems that the dude blends are the winners for me this Luper. I'm not sure how much I'd wear this, but it is quite beautiful. I can imagine a sexy dude in a sunlit room laying in bed...with nothing on. Yeah, a warm comforting, sexy blend. I may just spring for a bottle, but will pass this on to my so for now.

[ami226]

Crazy interesting!! Definitely getting the slasher part of this scent. After a bit, the slash fades and it becomes a rich, lovely, woody blend. Kind of sweet. Interesting. Still not sure what to make of it. Total wood sweetness after awhile. This might be my favorites of the Ode to Mars series.

[zankoku_zen]

On me this ends up more rose than rose geranium, and the combination makes it smell like dryer sheets.

 

Made.of.fail

[Invidiana]

Murderous alright, as in, my skin murders this. It was so promising in the vial with that rich, sweet and sticky myrrh, and I can still tell how lovely the myrrh is as it dries down but oh the rose geranium. I love how I amp many of my notes of doom to high heaven. On my skin, the blasted rose geranium takes over everything else so this ultimately ends up as slightly myrrh-sweetened rose geranium. Gah.

[voorishsign]

I was quite intrigued by the Tobacco, wenge and myrrh part of the equation. Let's see where this goes.

 

In the imp - deep rose geranium, bridled by wood and myrrh.

 

On wet - Interesting! Light tobacco, geranium and wood. Lighter than I thought it'd be.

 

Drydown - slightly more rose geranium, but myrrh and wood in particular remain strong. I wish the tobacco was more distinct in this, as it stands, I'm keeping the decant but I don't need a bottle of this.

[MeiLin]

In the decant: A bitter wood--the myrrh and wenge, I think--softened, the tobacco underneath. Interesting.

 

Wet: Myrrh, boosted by the wenge, and rose geranium. Tobacco base. It's an odd scent; I don't quite know how to describe it, or whether I like it. The rose geranium is integrated into it, at least, rather than amping all out of control.

 

Dry: The drier it gets, the more bitter. It stays close to the skin.

 

Verdict: Nah. Bitter doesn't work on me. I'm more of a sweet scent person (awwww).

[angelicruin]

The myrrh and tobacco are what I notice immediately on my skin. Just a soft hint of the rose geranium. This is surprisingly sweet on my skin.

[fairnymph]

Slightly greenish/chartreuse pale oil. Shockingly perfumey - in a traditional, classic, department store sense. Loads of very ROSY rose geranium, very fresh and bright, but so floral I suspect there's actual true rose in here as well. There's a bit of slightly astringent-herbal, cologney, masculine tobacco, and some smooth light wood from the wenge - but thankfully, I don't get a whisper of the myrrh! Also, this is much sweeter than I anticipated.

 

Instantly more complex on my skin, with the tobacco and wenge wood amping significantly; it also goes a bit soapy from some mysterious source, as none of the listed notes turn soapy on my skin. It could very well be the 'actual' rose I suspected, or another floral or typical cologne component, since this smells so traditional. But definitely deeper and richer on my skin, while also being more cologney and obviously masculine. I get more greenery from the geranium, which is lovely, fresh and bright, and the tobacco is definitely the herbal, leafy sort - not the more gourmand absolute. Unfortunately the myrrh emerges quickly and adds a significantly dusty, musty, old stale incense aspect totally at odds with the rest of the blend.

 

Slow to dry, but becoming soapier and soapier as it does. Why, why, WHY are all the blends with geranium of any sort always paired with such horrible notes? It's such an underused note, and when Beth DOES use it, she pairs if with notes that are always dreadful. *whine* The actual rose note here has also gone sour, or something has - I'm reminded very much of the 'rose-infused amber' of the Miller's Daughter, or the rose note in the Empress - sour, soapy, musty, and overall unpleasant so much that I don't even consider it rose, personally. The tobacco has amped up a little bit and I think is adding slightly to the sourness, and has a dry herbal quality, almost like sage - this is not a tobacco note I like very much. The wenge is really nice - extremely smooth, in fact creamy, rich and little musky - unisexily sexy.

 

Final drydown is just intolerably soapy, from most likely some type of rose - and there's definitely that unpleasant sourness from the rose-amber note, the tobacco never smooths out but remains roughly, drily herbal and a little medicinal, and the dark, dusty myrrh amps and amps into a malicious black cloud. Only the geranium (lovely and green, but clashing terribly with the other notes) and the wenge, faintest of all, but so interesting, smooth and sexy - are at all appealing, but not nearly enough to redeem this dreadful blend. I agree with z_z's 'dryer sheets' assessment - EVIL dryer sheets with very strong throw and longevity, of course!

 

Off to sink. Yet another huge geranium disappointment. I honestly think Beth must hate geranium the vehement way I hate wisteria & pennyroyal and ruin it purposefully by making horrible blends with it.

[Schmoozy]

 

 

Mmm. This is lovely. Soft, spicy myrrh & tobacco with just the slightest hint of rose geranium. It has a decidely dry woodsy feel to it.

As it dries down it gets even softer and more woody.

[aquazoo]

A little soapy to start. A little bit floral. A touch of fruitiness. A lot that does not work on me.

 

[PurringPulsar]

Brotoloigos

 

In the imp: powdery pink sandalwood?

Wet on skin: I like what the geranium and myrrh are doing in here but something smells pink?

Dry on skin: this is unusual. I get the same powdery old-fashioned pink sandalwood scent from Croquet, even though these share no notes. I also smell something like the powdery exotic spice market sandalwood from Baghdad. The scent also has something to it that makes me think of Turkish delight?! This scent is weird. But it is very pretty, and I do love what the geranium and myrrh are doing. The geranium seems to be a bit like the Stress Relief kind, and the myrrh is rich and sweet. No tobacco, and I’m not sure what wenge is unless that’s what smells like pink sugared wood?

After a while: the drydown this has is gorgeous. It is pink and powdery, but it’s a nice powder, and underneath that powder I smell some absolutely stunning geranium and myrrh, and these become the dominant notes over time. It’s not often I find something dominated by geranium, but this one has a very obvious geranium note, warm and rich with rosy-herbal nuances, it’s this that gives the scent a rich magenta-pink tone. And the myrrh here is the sweet, dark, amber-tinged variety. I don’t smell any tobacco save for a hint of smoke.

Verdict: an unexpected love from the Ares collection, this isn’t as murderous as the name implies. It’s not even that masculine to me. this is pretty, pink, sweet…but not in the way you expect. This is pink and sweet and powdery done in a way that’s really unusual, it’s a rich yet slightly dusky magenta with hints of sandalwood/rosewood incense, aged wood, dusty antique chests full of resins and a casket of freshly picked Bourbon geranium leaves. It smells familiar, almost a vintage perfume, yet unusual and surprising, and it becomes even more wonderful at drydown when geranium and myrrh take centre stage. I wasn’t expecting to like this much but this is one of my favourite Ares scents.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? I have half a bottle.

If you like this, try: Croquet, Baghdad, Harimise, Stress Relief bath oil

[voodoobaby]

This doesn't smell very good at all to me, sadly.

 

It's sharp and powdery and dark all at once, and that just doesn't do it for me. It was so confusing that I washed it off. Sad times.

[rayvn1]

I'm not sure what went wrong with this one (maybe the myrrh?) but it was powder city Not good on me at all, sadly.

[DiZZysTARdust]

this is a really interesting scent because it seems like it's one of those scents that seems to need a good shake. it's straight geranium in the bottle. geranium plus tobacco equals industrial hand soap. nervous making. for the initial test i was already wearing something in my elbows so i just wiped what was on the lid on the inside of my wrist. having experimented with both slathering and dabbing, it seems to me that a heavier application is needed to truly experience all the notes. however i tried it anyway and this was pure geranium on my wrist: screechy, headache-inducing, rosy, hospital grade soap. 

 

what's interesting is that i tried it again today (2 days later) on my elbows, my more traditional testing spot, with a more generous application. one elbow is staying very much rose geranium, however the other is this gorgeous complex powdery scent, with no one note especially distinguishable. there's like a brightness to this. it gives the scent an overall bronze amber glow, like polished wood, so i attribute it to the wenge. i'll need to try this again after a good shake and see what happens cause if the right arm is anything to go by this has serious potential. low throw skin scent but lasting.