Enkhespalos

[thekittenkat]

ENKHESPALOS
Spear-Wielding
Elder wood, leather, blonde tobacco, and cognac.

Enkhespalos is an interesting aspect of Ares--he obviously like blondes. Well, blonde tobacco, that is. That really is the dominant note for me here. The leather and wood are present, but more in the middle of things. And I was rather pleased that the cognac was not screamingly obvious; instead it serves to help blend and round out all the other notes. This is, I think, a scent that can work well on me, and even better on the bf.

[abejita]

I don't like this in the bottle on first sniff, it's very bitter. Wet, this starts out as all leather on me, and it's a little too raw. As it dries down, it quickly smoothes and softens, letting the blonde (and it's definitely blonde) tobacco emerge, followed by the wood. Finally, the cognac comes forth to round it out. There is no real booziness or liquor-y smell. This is a masculine scent, but of the sort I still very much enjoy on myself.

 

I like this, but for now it feels unfinished or unsettled to me. There is an aspect to it that I associate with transport shock or whatever. I'll revisit it in a couple of weeks, but I'm pretty sure it will be a keeper.

[surf-tormented]

In bottle: Stale tobacco. I call them like I smell them. Approach with caution.

 

On skin: A mix between DeSade and I keep wanting to say one of the boozy Wanderlusts like Santo Domingo. But that isn't quite it. I really can't stop smelling myself! It is almost fresh in a way no leather scent I have ever tried from BPAL is. It is strong at first, which is what I like, but then gets a spicy cigar kick from the other notes. I am thinking 50 year old classy British sugar daddy, smoking rich tobacco in his leather chair with a brandy in his hand and a riding crop in the other. A dominant Peter Cushing role, with icy blue eyes and elegant smoking gloves on.

 

15 minutes later: It is definitely sexy. It makes me feel like I could take on the world. There is a phrase out there about "showing" the sword or spear and this makes me feel like I am showing the spear in a display of "stay clear of me, I will do whatever I want!" It isn't so violent, but defensive.

 

An hour later: It's more leather now, but I am not complaining! Seems like it will only stick around for 3-4 hours, but you never know. Will report back!

 

Verdict: Due to its light nature, this perfume can be a more calming leather scent as opposed to the more hard hitting BPAL leathers like DeSade or Kronen. Ares is seducing me with these scents. One of the other ones I tried filled me with joy, this one makes me want to run headlong into the world, tough as nails. So glad I got these! Highly recommend them if you want a little sweet but not be run over by rampant sweetness, the wood, the blonde tobacco, leather and brandy note work very well together.

Edited February 7, 2010 by Madame Nyx

[greenranger]

A scent with bright and sharp bits on the upper end of a longer smoother scent. Spears, huh.

 

Lots of wood, some leather, and the tobacco and cognac seem to be just there for texture and color. It's a pale oil.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

 

When this first hit my skin, I was a bit taken aback by the tobacco - it was very sharp, strong and bitter.. not really very pleasant. So I thought "hmmph, I don't like this!" and promptly ignored it while I tested the other bottles that arrived in my Lupercalia order today.

 

But then, about an hour later, I went searching for Enkhespalos again and found him resting softly on my arm, he's put the spear down and turned into a sexy cuddly beast

 

What a turnaround! The cognac has come through and is beautifully warm and lush (not boozy at all), and the wood has a very organic feel about it but that's in the background. The leather is gorgeous - it's more like suede, a lovely soft leather.. it's not harsh or heavy, it's err.. cuddly. Yeah, cuddly leather - fancy that! The tobacco that was so rank at first has gone from being all sharp and obnoxious into a classy golden softness.

 

Enkhespalos, you almost had me fooled. You're not a scary warrior at all, you're a big cuddly guy who wears suede undies.

[MCS4096]

LOADS of leather it's the supple soft kind certainly. I can almost feel it's texture when I smell this... There's also a lot of wood and tobacco, but those two notes are kinda blending together for me and are very secondary to the leather.

 

The feeling is freshly scrubbed clean and slightly medicinal (it reminds me of something but I can't put my finger on it.. betadine maybe.) And the color is definitely pale yellow-- blonde is a major impression this gives off.

 

I feel like this is a pretty masculine scent on me, but it's unique enough not be TOO masculine.

[PeshaRocha]

I was hoping for lots of wood, a fair amount of leather, some cognac and only a little tobacco. Unfortunately, on me this is almost entirely tobacco with just a tiny bit of leather and no wood at all. No cognac either.

 

If you love tobacco, go for it. Otherwise, ummm, no.

[MamaMoth]

Tobacco and clean leather and a little bit of dark smooth wood. Those sound like warm kind of fuzzy notes, but this actually strikes me as very clean and almost watery. The tobacco here has a different kind of characteristic than I'm used to with BPAL tobacco. It is golden and slight and very lovely. I want to search out blonde tobacco in other blends now. Leather can go very bad and a little cloying on me, but whatever kind of leather this is I could actually appreciate and wear it. I really can't note any cognac at all.

 

This blend is not rich... it has a sparse feel to it. Like a modern chair carved in sleek wooden curves with a leather seat. It's a pleasant scent, but not really me.

Edited March 1, 2010 by MamaMoth

[megank4]

This is maddening. It reminds me of another scent, but I can't pin it down. Another BPAL? A commercial scent? Not a perfume at all but something else?

Argh.

I could swear that there is some cedar in there. No? really? are you sure?

So, cedar with tobacco smoke, some leather, and maybe a drop or two of Dee.

 

ETA: I don't think this is a perfume I would wear out. More like something to sprinkle on while sitting at home, and imagine I'm with a sexy cowboy.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Megank4

[fairnymph]

Dry, sharp, woody, with a little boozy, rich sweetness from the cognac to soften the blend a bit. I get a lot of wood and leather and light tobacco. It really does feel like a light-coloured blend despite its drily sharp intensity.

 

WHOA leather. Sadly, it's the chemically-sharp and powdery sort of De Sade, that I rather expected from the smell in the bottle. And I hate this sort of leather and I amp it insanely, of course. The wood is still really strong and dry, in an almost herbal way, and it has almost a dustiness to it. The tobacco and cognac are gorgeous, but are both very much not able to stand up to the leather and the latter especially is woefully faint.

 

90% De Sade awful sharp powdery LEATHER, 8% dry, sharp light wood and 2% other. This is also has INSANELY strong throw on me and it's making me feel quite ill, so time for the sink (oh yeah, and of course it doesn't want to wash off). Boo evil leather ruining my pretty blend. At least it's appropriately sharp and masculine?

 

[Little Bird]

In the bottle, this smells like green, smoky wood and a hint of soap.

 

On my skin, the blend softens and smells like soft, brown leather, dry wood, and sweet, slightly smoky, incensey tobacco. It really reminds me of Dee. As it dries down, this is mostly soft leather and sweet tobacco (almost smells a bit like sugary vanilla smoke).

 

I like this a lot, but it doesn't have very good throw on me. I'm not sure if it would ever win out over Dee when I'm in the mood for a soft leather scent either. Maybe I'll keep my partial bottle and layer it with Dee...

[voorishsign]

I expected this to be a lighter version of Mr. Hyde, which I love, but this is actually pleasantly strong in the bottle. Leather, tobacco and cognac come out after just the first whiff. Wow!

 

On wet - whoa. Masculine, and how! Deep tobacco and leather, with just a tad of cognac. I'm impressed.

 

Drydown - very nice! Very bloke-ish, I recommend this to any guy. A perfect blend of the four ingredients. I really like it. Will keep the decant, but still prefer Mr. Hyde, which is a bit nastier - and I like nasty

[gypsyjolie]

This is mostly soft leather, with a rich wood and slight smoky tobacco. I don't get cognac, unless it is just a hint that is keeping this scent from being too dry. Very manly in the best possible "my boyfriend's leather jacket that he never takes off and I want to borrow it on a cool summer's night and just sniff it the entire time" kind of way.

[musichappens]

Lots and lots of tobacco, wowza! I don't seem to get any of the other notes until it completely dries and even then they are pretty faint. This blend actually makes me think of those rough and rugged cowboys from the old classic Western movies; definitely more of a masculine scent.

[ami226]

I couldn't put this one on my skin. Still feeling kind of sick to my stomach and this is the first one I have tested that has made me feel even more ill.... Quite bitter and smokey. Not for me.

[Dark Alice]

Wet: Smells like burnt tire rubber in the imp. Now I am scared.

 

Drydown: Strong leather and cognac.

 

This one is too manly for me.

[cfrancesca]

I really like this one, definitely my favorite from the Ode to Mars, a very comforting, sexy and masculine scent. It's a man sitting in his leather couch, next to his bookcase, smoking tobacco and drinking cognac..

Edited March 11, 2010 by cfrancesca

[crebbsgirl]

YUM! This is absolutely sex in a bottle. The leather, woods, tobacco and cognac blend seamlessly here so that the end result is a really smooooooooth scent. I'm interpreting this as a really masculine scent, but I'm not caring much about it because it is THAT. GOOD. I want to roll around in this like a cat. I'd love my husband to wear this, but honestly, I don't think we'd be ever leaving the house if he did.

[MeiLin]

In the imp: WHOA LIKE MANLY. Manly men! Manly men in raw leather! Just this close to Tom of Finland manly men!

 

Wet: Oh I want the man this smell belongs to. New leather, wood, tobacco. No cognac has appeared. So far this reminds me of a more butch Brom Bones. And I bet you thought that wasn't possible.

 

Dry: As it dries, the cognac starts to emerge and it mellows. I would say "softens," but this is a MANLY MAN! No softening! There's more tobacco, and something almost bookish--I think it's the tobacco, wood and leather combining to smell like a well-bound book.

 

Verdict: This might need a little sweet to work well on me, but I'm not sure. I definitely want it on Sir for a sniff test.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Wood and tobacco, mostly, with leather support. It’s surprisingly green and yet utterly fierce. It’s a dark androgynous scent tat does bring warriors to mind. Wet: The cognac is understated, but present. The leather strengthens a lot as it warms. I’m finding the elderwood fascinating. It’s just on the right side of attractive, but vicious and wild. I think it’s making the tobacco rougher and less cozy than in other tobacco scents. Dry: much gentler and sweeter than when fresh. I think the cognac gentles the tobacco and leather while the wood softens. I’m really liking it in the dry down.

[angelicruin]

The wood and tobacco notes take center stage as soon as I apply this to my skin. I do start to smell the leather as it dries. Wood and tobacco remain strong notes throughout dry down.

[milo]

Wet, I get a lot of wood and leather. Pretty much stays this way when dry with the leather dominating. Defininetly a masculine, leather blend with a touch of wood. The kind of leather that would be a saddle, perhaps. I'm finding I don't like woody, leather masculine blends. Olisboos is similar to this, and also a fail. I'll pass this one on...

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i included this bottle in my order as soon as these scents were released. i got to try it at DSWC before my order arrived, and i tried a drop from the bottle once my order got here as well. and i got the same thing both times, which seems very different from what everyone else got. yay freaky skin, me!

 

in the bottle : band-aids.

on skin, wet : burning band-aids

on skin, settled in : band aids, dusty/stiff saddle type leather, something woody (but not hamster cage or lumber aisle type wood), and a faint whiff of booze.

 

were it not for the overall Band-Aid-y-ness, this might be nice, but i think even then it would be too manly-man for me.

happily, this bottle is about to voyage off to a new home, where hopefully it will be more loved!

[Schmoozy]

 

I had high hopes for this and it was everything I expected and more. Slightyl boozy, very leathery with a kick of tobacco and wood. This smells fabulous on Mr. Schmoozy. I love the leather stays softly in the background letting the cognac and tobacco stand out.

[Suusje]

A lot of wood at first, it actually screams WOOD!! but with a bit of leather. It quickly transforms into the blonde tobacco and it smells incredible. I do worry that when I slather it I'll smell like I've been chain-smoking but it has a definite sexy quality. So I'll just be very careful with applying it, just a tiny amount will do it.