Rhinotoros

[thekittenkat]

RHINOTOROS
Skin-Piercing
Vetiver, patchouli, white pepper, and grapefruit.

I must admit that I was a little hesitant to try Rhinotoros. Pepper, patch, and vetiver? I imagined that they would all combine to overwhelm the yummy grapefruit. My fears were somewhat unfounded. The grapefruit tames those three notes to such an extent that this is not a dark and dusky scent. Strangely enough, for what I might consider a somewhat masculine perfume oil, this dries down to a balancing act amongst the four notes, with the sparkle of the grapefruit giving Rhinotoros a lighter feeling than expected. (This is not sweet at all; remember that a lot of people put sugar or honey on grapefruit sections to eat them. I'm reminded more of unsweetened pink grapefruit juice in the carton. No sugar or honey here, just the juice. Btw, I like unsweetened grapefruit juice.)

[greenranger]

Sniffed in the imp, VETIVER.

 

On me, this is another hot fragrance, in that it is almost the scent of heat. I can almost perceive steam or heat distortion. The vetiver is still the most identifiable note, but, it is becoming more blended. It's still HOT, and there is a sharpness to it as well.

[blktauna]

For a moment I thought his had benzoin in it, it's got that tang.

 

No grapefruit at all, just Vetiver and Patchouli making a lovely bonfire scent. I taste this more than smell it and I get just a touch of the pepper. Fades rather quickly, as have all of these. Not much throw either. I like it though, it reminds me of Pennsic.

Edited February 20, 2010 by BlackTauna

[MamaMoth]

What an interesting blend!

 

In the imp, the vetiver is very off-putting. (As is its wont.) On the skin it immediately calms. Vetiver and patchouli mingle to be earthy and a little bit scorchy, sweetened and freshened up by this lovely grapefruit note. I'm not crazy about the smell of grapefruit, and vetiver can be pretty scary sometimes. But it feels like their bitterness couples here to bolster the good aspects. After about 30 minutes most of the scorchiness has burned off, and it's just lovely and earthy. The grapefruit is tangy and a little sweet, but it doesn't actually smell like grapefruit at this point. I would have guessed some other kind of fruit.

 

Rhinotoros is earthy and rich, a little scorchy, bitter, a little sweet, a little tangy.

 

If you're a vetiver-hater, I'd avoid it. But if you're like me, and on the fence about vetiver... give this one a try! I'm not sure if I'll get a bottle, but I bet I'll enjoy my decant.

[Poenari]

Oh hai vetiver! Yes, it is right out in front, but that's not a bad thing to me. But this is an unusual scent... the patchouli and vetiver are sparkling, and lighter/crisper than usual. Must be the grapefruit. This really reminds me of something but I cannot wrap my mind around what it is. There's almost a leathery tang to this, too. It's ok, glad I've tried the decant, but not something I would wear. And definitely not something my hubby would like so no sense in having him try it either.

[ralenth]

Bottle: Vetiver and pepper, yum!

 

Wet: Pepper and a bit of grapefruit bite in a hot rush of scent.

Drydown: Rhinotoros goes a little tart for a bit, but it settles back into a smoky, gritty vetiver scent.

 

Dry: Earthy, but not too visceral, this is fairly light as far as vetiver scents go. The pop of grapefruit seems to lighten it.

 

Overall: Nice, but I like my vetiver with a bit more punch. I think this would be a good scent for people who are on the fence about vetiver.

[Katherynne]

VETIVER. Now, I am a gal who loves her vetiver, so that's not a problem for me -- but on my skin, my first impression of this is that it's almost a single note of vetiver. Once it dries a little from the wet stages, I'm getting patchouli and pepper. Not a shot of grapefruit in sight.

 

Actually, I quite like it. On me it's almost entirely vetiver and patchouli. As it dries further, the pepper is coming out, which makes this extra delish. I AM STILL NOT SMELLING ANY GRAPEFRUIT. I think my skin ate it. It's very smoky and, as someone else said, bonfire-like.

[Little Bird]

Rhinotoros is mostly vetiver on my skin. The vetiver and patchouli combine in this dark, earthy, smoky, ashy sort of way that I'm not enjoying (though I usually love patchouli). It makes me think of hot coals and ash. Every once in a while, I can smell a bitter grapefruit note, but the vetiver seems to be doing a good job at overpowering the other notes on my skin. After an hour, it's mostly earthy, dry patchouli and a sharp, smoky vetiver.

I don't really see myself wearing this one again. It goes too dark, smoky, and sharp on my skin...

Edited March 3, 2010 by Little Bird

[Blithgunde]

My dear friends Vetiver and Patchouli hop right out of the bottle followed by a whoosh of Grapefruit. White Pepper is a little shy and only joins the conversation when V. and P. quiet down. And a satisfying conversation it is: Grapefruit sparkles, Patchouli hums, Vetiver rumbles, and White Pepper leavens like a bon mot.

 

I can take this posse anywhere.

 

 

[musichappens]

Wow, the vetiver in this blend isn't so in your face as it is in other blends that I've tried. Perhaps the grapefruit helped in its taming? It's a bit more powdery and subdued to, but I'm okay with that! Once completely dry a tartness (again the grapefruit) comes out along with the pepper. I wasn't expecting to like this one at all, but I actually do ... just not enough to warrant full bottle.

[ami226]

I just couldn't bring myself to skin test this one. There is the very earthy vetiver note and not much else I can smell.

[edenssixthday]

Rhinotoros - Straight out of the bottle, this smells like some serious, major, hardcore VETIVER. As soon as I apply it, I can smell the patchouli, and once it dries down, the white pepper tiptoes in and gently accompanies the other two notes. I never can pinpoint the grapefruit, but there's a crispness about this scent that I am guessing must be a result of the grapefruit. The other three notes combine to create an almost leather-like scent -- a dark brown, worn, leather shoe type smell. It smells really, really good. I do love a good vetiver scent! It's a bit too masculine for my taste, however. The throw is really strong -- I put on a tiny drop while testing and 30 minutes later, I was caught in a gust of wind, and wow, you should have smelled the air around me. It was as if every molecule of air in that wind gust absorbed some of the Rhinotoros fragrance. It was the sexiest wind gust I've ever been caught up in! Really, really nice vetiver scent. Too bad my husband can't wear fragrance. This would be a nice one on him.

[ellebelle]

VETIVER. Wait, is there anything else in this? It smells like burning. I scrubbed and scrubbed, but it didn't go away.

Edited March 13, 2010 by Ellebelle

[Invidiana]

Skin-piercing alright, how about nose-piercing? My skin+masculine woods=epic fail. Apparently it has a knack for amping not only the vetiver in this, which was to be expected, but the pepper too, so it ended up a peppery vetiver with nary a trace of grapefruit in sight and maybe a hint of patchouli in the background. Blast my chemistry.

[lainevierge]

It seems like this scent isn't going over very well in general, but as soon as I saw the word vetiver I knew it was for me.

 

When it's first on my skin it is gloriously vetiver-heavy, and it dries into something reminiscent of Velvet Tiger. Then everything mellows slightly and it turns into the loveliest spicy, close to the skin, growly-vetiver scent. I don't really get the grapefruit or patchouli until a good hour into wearing it, but they are there.

 

I love this one. It's elegant and heavy, but not one of those scents that makes me feel like I need to save it for special occasions. So glad I got a decant.

[angelicruin]

Yeah, this is not a scent for vetiver haters. Smells like the bowels of Hell on my skin.

[MeiLin]

Patchouli is iffy and not one of Sir's faves, and I like vetiver.

 

In the decant: Hey man, it's the 60s in a bottle!

 

Wet: Patchouli, lighter and yet aggressive--a psychedelic purple rather than turgid and dark purple (I always think of patchouli as purple, don't ask me why.) Then vetiver. Teeny bit of white pepper. I never get much pepper.

 

Dry: Vetiver to the forefront, still much patchouli. Teeny bits of both the grapefruit and pepper. I'm betting this settles down into a mainly vetiver on a bed of patchouli.

 

Verdict: Eh. Patchouli. Whatever. Though it does match my outfit; my Inner Stevie is running rampant today.

[fairnymph]

Bright yellow oil. VETIVER like crazy, and it's the fathomlessly, dark, gritty, sooty, rooty and filthy and STRONG sort - the note I most feared in this blend, gah. Some black, rooty, soil-covered patchouli closely behind, and nary a hint of white pepper or grapefruit.

 

Okay, here comes a little grapefruit - and it's LOVELY! - juicy, bright, a little tart but more sweet - the same note from Croquet. Why oh why must it be tarnished by the dark evil notes of doom? I get a little kick from the white pepper, which is sort of 'peppy' and also bright, not too spicy, no heat or sharpness. But the VETIVER and PATCHOULI are still very much dominating this blend - though the patchouli has amped up to be on par with the vetiver, and the rooty aspect in particular has amped. I like certain vetiver and patchouli notes, but the two here are the absolute worst in their class, the types I abhor the most.

 

Dark, dirty, gritty Djinn-esesque vetiver and dirty, unpleasantly earthy, extremely rooty black patchouli smother a beautiful glimmer of sweet and juicy pink grapefruit with little dash of sassy white pepper. This scent would be like wearing a sheer, silk chiffon pink top perked up by darling little ruffles, in combination with grossly baggy, torn, stained, unwashed shit-brown polyester cargo pants, then rolling the poor girl in an open cesspool of sewage and mud. It's a fucking travesty.

 

Once again, grapefruit - and a lovely grapefruit that holds! - utterly overwhelmed, raped, beaten and brutalized by evil, filthy, nasty notes. I feel both violently angry and desperately devastated.

Edited March 23, 2010 by fairnymph

[Schmoozy]

 

Uh, yah not for me. This is all vetiver and patchouli.

[Indigo78]

At first this is very damp and warm. Yeah. It's the vetivert of Sunday Mass, funerals and, well, horny old guys. I get it from the vetivert in Crowley, too. But the good news is that while it's off-putting when wet, this stage usually dries down to something tolerable. In fact, that's why I like Crowley. The drydown is worth it.

 

I really don't smell the other notes until the vetivert moves, but once it does, this is beautiful. Smoky and somehow light, even with the note list it has. Amazing.

 

I probably won't seek a bottle because I don't see how I could ever get through it. A tiny swipe gives crazy throw and it lasts forever.

 

PS: I tested this while drinking lapsang souchong tea... and it's a killer combo. Try it!

[zankoku_zen]

Oh lord, this is vetiver, a hint of grapefruit and PEPPER.

 

Pass.

[Heeroluva]

Wow, so I've heard people say that things have smelt like weird foods to them, but never experienced this myself... until now.

 

In the bottle I get all the listed notes. But on me it smells like BACON, very smoky bacon at that. Very weird.

[nekogrrl]

WHOA vetiver. You do NOT have to prove your superiority by beating everyone else's face in.

[Monster]

This is ALL VETIVER and 100% LOVE! This stuff is amazing. Seriously. If you like vetiver this might be the holy grail of vetiver scents (imo). The grapefruit only shows up for a brief moment as a fresh top note and then gives way to the powerful and ferocious beauty of the vetiver. It's grounded (only slightly) by patchouli and is something my friends compliment me on all of the time.

Am I the only one who likes this stuff around these parts?

 

[sarielswish]

 

In the vial, *waaay* too much vetiver and I actually *like* vetiver. Color, bronze.

 

Wet on my skin, the amount of vetiver in this actually makes my throat itch and my nose burn a little. Oof. Too much for me.

 

10-15 minute drydown - I dunno about Skin-Piercing, but Nostril-Piercing is definitely accurate. The vetiver starts to take on a resinous, almost pine-y smell that I like, but it's just overpowering. I'm not getting any grapefruit at all. No thanks.