The Wrestler Onogawa Kisaburo Blowing Smoke at a One-Eyed Monster

[windbourne]

THE WRESTLER ONOGAWA KISABURO BLOWING SMOKE AT A ONE-EYED MONSTER
Peru balsam, Mysore sandalwood, bodark bark, tupelo gum, black pepper, tobacco absolute, and white honey.

This one's very...strange. It's dark and woody and sweet and peppery and I can't figure out whether I like it or not? There's a licorice-y aspect that I like, but a citrussy one I don't. The pepper and tobacco are -very- peppery and tobacco-y, but unlike a lot of scents, on my skin they don't go crazy and beat everything else up; they stay restrained and just add a rather lovely dark undertone. It's got a sweet vanilla-like note (the basalm, probably) that I really like, but....it's just so -weird-, and not in way I think suits me.

In the bottle, I get a lot of sandalwood and pepper. On my skin, it veers all over the place and doesn't seem to want to settle down; (see above. ) different things vie for Biggest And Best in rapid succession, which is an experience I haven't had since Delirium.

It didn't last that long on my skin, either, maybe a couple of hours, and the throw wasn't excessive. Noticeable, but not violent or loud.

...I still can't make up my mind. I'm really looking forward to seeing more reviews of these, and this one in particular.

[yewberry]

There's nothing about the individual elements I don't normally like (with the exception of bodark bark, which I've never smelled). Sadly, my body chem seems to want to turn this into a weird conglomeration of black pepper and bread-and-butter pickles. Tragic...

 

ETA: Settles down into a mediocre men's cologne-y affair. Meh. But at least the pickles are gone.

Edited April 4, 2010 by yewberry

[Rheliwen]

The Wrestler smells like sweet pepper in the bottle. It hits high in the nose with that pepper. On, its got a really tart candy/pepper thing going on. It's one of the strangest scents I have tried, but it's oddly compelling. It smells like peppered pomegranates w/ a weird vetiver twinge.

 

This is not something I typically go for, but I am oddly compelled to keep sniffing. It's kind of in the vein of fresh Hand of Glory, with more pepper and less smoke (and no leather).

 

I can't usually wear honey blends, but this one works. The pepper balances it out, but is a little too sharp at times. Fortunately, this dries to a skin scent that is quite haunting.

[Jenn2D2]

In the bottle: pepper and effervescence, with a honeyed note in the background

 

Wet: the pepper fades a bit, and the peru balsam and sandalwood come to the fore

 

Dry-down: beautiful, sweet, peppery effervescence with a mild woodsy grounding note. On my skin, this morphs into something halfway inbetween No. 93 Engine and The Black Rider -- there's no leather, but it has that same sweet, but not cloying scent.

 

This has pretty good throw, but in that enticing, curl-your-finger come-hither sort of way. I keep catching a faint whiff of scent and following it. This is a definite favorite.

 

[EDIT] My poofy white cat seems to think this is the most bestest thing he's ever smelled. EVAR. He's currently laying over the arm I tested it on, hugging tight and sniffing my arm. I guess this is a winner.[/EDIT]

Edited April 7, 2010 by Jenn2D2

[Gwydion]

In bottle: This is a little weird in the bottle. I’m thinking it’s the balsam interacting with either the gum or bark, neither of which I’m familiar with. It’s vaguely medicinal and alcohol scented. Wet: Starts out much as in the bottle, but quickly sweetens. The softer notes emerge. I’m definitely picking up the two new notes as separate entities, though I’d need more samples to really pin them down. The whole blend shifts more towards the woods and is vaguely spicy. I’m liking the use of pepper in this. It’s been shifting steadily away from the effect that wasn’t working, but I’m still ambivalent. Dry; Sandalwood and balsam. It’s not bad, but not right for me.

[Thursdae]

The Wrestler Onogawa Kisaburo Blowing Smoke at a One-Eyed Monster really resonates with me. I love the woodsy/balsamic backdrop sweetened up by white honey and the ticklishness of the pepper. On me, its throw is light, a bit heady, but still very grounded.

[fairnymph]

Sweet, dark, woodsy, a little spicy, and INTENSELY musky - the sandalwood here is responsible, I think and it's very strong. It's almost too musky, like men's athletic BO - very intense, like I said. Or it smells a little like a used jock strap - eek. I definitely can pick out the tobacco (both a bit gourmand and bit smokily dark), the exotic woods and gums, some quite piney and a bit sharply woodsy-green dark balsam - and light, delicate but still definitely distinct white honey. The pepper is the usual black pepper note - stale and dusty and makes me want to sneeze.

 

Even stronger, muskier, darker, more woodsy and spicy. A very potent scent. The musky-jock strappy sandalwood continues to dominate, with balsam fighting for dominance in a tight second place. I never though I'd find a sandalwood that was TOO musky but either I was wrong or there is another note that's giving the strong BO odour here. I get more of the bark and gums, which to me smell very resinous and almost medicinal - again, potent. The tobacco absolute is sweeter and richer and more lovely, and the honey is stronger, brighter - a really lovely shining note amidst everything else. The black pepper is still strongly dusty, biting, harsh and yucky. This is much stronger, sharper, and more masculine than I anticipated, and the black pepper is as distinct and unpleasant as I feared - but I didn't expect the sandalwood to turn on me like this.

 

This has evolved and blended into something much nicer, though still not my style. The eau de jock strap has dissipated leaving a still intensely musky, but much more rounded, smoother and slightly drier sandalwood note that I now quite like. It and the balsam, which has also softened into a dark green piney resin note - very much like dark deep woods, but not fake pine at all - are now in a tie for first place, but not as dominating as they were earlier. The black pepper holds throughout, stale, dry, dusty and spicy and perhaps the most unpleasant note in this blend,

 

The amping of the almost chocolatey-foody rich tobacco note has helped smooth everything out, especially the bark and gum that were quite sharp and dry earlier - they're still not notes I like, but they are more subdued though still distinct. The white honey, still lovely, has faded a bit but it to helps to ameliorate this blend. Overall, far too masculine for me which is unpleasant for hours before it settles into something tolerable. Spicy, dark, resinous, intensely musky, woodsy and woody with a dry edge and glints of sweet honey and tobacco. Strong throw and even stronger longevity.

 

This was, after Giant Squid, the one I had the most hope for...and it is also a major FAIL for me. Sadness!

Edited April 11, 2010 by fairnymph

[Invidiana]

Smoky, woody, and sweetly resinous. I love scents like this. When I first put it on it's very smoky and woody and I was fearing it would end up being pure man on me, but it the resins and honey emerged and quickly sweetened it up, with the woods still present but behaving and giving it a smooth background, and the tobacco smoke acting as a wreath of smoke and not overwhelming like the smoke in Djinn is on me. The pepper is a bit sharp in the bottle but thankfully it calms down after drying down on my skin and just adds a slight kick but nothing too masculine or sneezeworthy. The honey isn't a prominent note that really announces it's honey but mixes well with the resins, acting as a sweetening agent. All in all, very sexy for a sumo wrestler!

Edited April 11, 2010 by Invidiana

[lavender84]

Smoky pepper alert! Okay so that's the first impression from the bottle.

 

About an hour later, mildly sweet honey peeks out, taking center stage. By now there's hardly any throw and becoming more of a skin scent. I wish it has more throw, it's almost disappearing as time passes (about 2 hours).

Edited April 12, 2010 by ScentedDreams

[Katherynne]

Wow, I love this.

 

I got thick pepper as soon as I put it on, followed immediately by a soft sweetness that I think comes from the white honey. Then it gets smokier with tobacco and woods, and it dries down into this beautifully rich, sweet-woody-smoke smell, spiked with pepper. I knew I would love this because pepper is a love note for me, but I am happy that this is so heavy on it.

[Wwindy]

Hoo boy. OK, I'll give this my best shot...

 

In the vial, this smells super sharp, almost lip-curlingly astringent. My first skin swipe smells like... PICKLES! Wait, no, it's not exactly pickles; maybe capers? Something pickled. As it dries down, it starts getting a smoky note -- smoked pickles?!?

 

After full drydown, the pickle aspect dies back a little and I start picking up more wood and tobacco notes, but the overall effect becomes very cologne-y. I'm getting something a little plastic, plus the smoked pickles, plus cologne... in short, NOT GOOD. Alas!

 

[tartchef]

Mmmmmmmmnyomnyomnyom

 

I adore Beth's white honey note - it's gorgeous in The Oblation, & I was so excited to try it in a completely different setting...

 

The Wrestler is that gorgeous clean honey note, almost whipped or crystallised, front & center, underscored by smokey, cedary woods & resins & a delicious snap of black pepper. It's almost chewy, like a lump of tree gum stuck in your molars... There's a medicinal edge that calls to mind Kathmandu - that same mentholated bark-iness. It almost reminds me of aged balsamic vinegar.

 

As it settles, the honey melts into the woods, letting the dryness of the sandalwood come forward. The tobacco is really shining at this stage, rich & brown & sticky - it's the same almost caramelised tobacco note I get from A'arab Zaroq, but here the balsams & gums keep it from getting quite as sweet & edible.

 

Oh heavens yes. Not the kind of thing to wear every day, but a deliciously complex scent that I will savor on cold wet days...

[sirensea]

On me, this is very masculine and very yummy. It starts off as a OMG IN YOUR FACE balsam and fades out to something cologne-y and mild. My skin devoured it pretty quickly. I guess it was just too yummy!

[zankoku_zen]

In your face balsam - really, this does smell like balsamic vinegar with a hint of menthol. I don't care what is in it, that's what it smells like on me.

 

PASS.

[heathercaley]

Hmmm.. when I first tried this out, I didn't like it too much in the bottle, so I put it off to the side and thought that I might swap it off to someone. Today, while going throw my box of bottles I sniffed it again, and thought to try a little on.

 

Once applied and it's wet, I smell something sweet and sugary (obviously the honey) but then when the "aftertaste" of the smell hits, it's woodsy for sure. It isn't unpleasant, and honestly it's unlike anything I've sniffed by the lab before. The honey cuts into that balsamy note. It isn't the same balsam as U at all. This is more woodsy and bbq-esque. That might be the bark note too. It kind of reminds me of St. Johns eve in a way? Maybe?

 

 

Dry now, and the balsam has really calmed down. Left behind, I pick up a slightly honeyed dark and woody scent. The wood isn't dry though, which make this preferable to me than a drier woody scent.

 

Very nice. I'm curious as to how this will age. I hope the honey note pops a little more.

Edited May 11, 2010 by Purrsnikety

[Little Bird]

This scent is really weird on me, especially at first. It's like a mix of green, bitter wood, medicinal menthol, sharp pepper, sweet honey, and a touch of resinous smoke (but I guess that's the tobacco I'm smelling). I don't like the overall medicinal feel, and it smells like the notes aren't really getting along with each other.

That said, the bitter and medicinal qualities do calm down for me after about a half hour. The drydown is slightly smoky, dry wood (kinda reminds me of cedar plank bbq smell) with sticky-sweet, honeyed tobacco and the sharpness of the black pepper trying to keep things from being too sweet (and failing at points).

The smoky sweetness + spice & wood smells oddly bbq-esque on my skin... and at points I found the honeyed tobacco to be a little cloying. I don't know if I'll keep my decant to see how this ages or just pass this along to a new home :/.

[Epiphany]

Really...REALLY? Pickles. Like...Ivanushka was somewhat pickle-y in the bottle, but settles down to this lovely musky scent on my skin. This...is ALL pickle in the bottle. It's been awhile since I was really scared to skin test a BPAL blend--I mean REALLY scared. There have been a few where I sniff it in the imp and know that it won't work on my skin, but try it anyway in the name of science (if it comes across my path, it goes on my skin...it's the only way to be SURE). This...I had to FORCE myself to skin test.

 

I was really hoping that it would completely morph and that the honey and...something would come out. Well, something does come out. On my skin this is pickle and...menthol? There is a woodsy note in the background...but the honey note is nowhere to be seen (or is so blended with everything else that I can't differentiate it).

 

In a way this is a fascinating scent and I'm actually quite curious to see how it would age. However, I have too much perfume, I want too much other perfume...off to swaps this goes.

[Ina Garten Davita]

This scent is blowing my mind. It starts out like I spilled my very dirty martini (just the way I like it with half a jar of olive juice and like 6 huge olives) all over myself. I'm not sure what note is making this scent like full on olive brine. I kinda like it. But once the olive scent dries down and fades away, I'm left with this absolutely gorgeous spicy, smoky and honeyed incense. I can't stop sniffing and slathering. LOVE!

[edenssixthday]

The Wrestler Onogawa Kisaburo Blowing Smoke at a One-Eyed Monster - This is a strange scent on me. It actually reminds me a lot of Voodoo Queen, yet more woody and peppery. The scent starts out with the sharpness of black pepper, and it's very strong and biting. However, the sharpness of the pepper quickly fades and the overall scent becomes woody, smoky, and resinous. The honey is faintly identifiable and adds a subtle hint of sweetness to the blend that is highly complimentary to the various woods. It's a very unique scent -- very woody, darkly masculine, and debonair.

[mimosa]

Wet- sinus clearing, sauna scented.

Skin- this is all mentholy balsam to begin with, but there are wood shavings too. This still reminds me of a Finnish sauna with damp wood and herbal oils on the coals.

Not sure how often I would wear this as perfume but it is an amazing blend to keep and sniff.

Edited May 31, 2010 by mimosa

[crebbsgirl]

Ok, I feel a little badly for doing this review, but honestly, this was the absolute grossest scent on me ever!! I have no idea what my skin did to these notes, but observe:

 

It was exactly pickles, and then settled into funk. Pass.

[surf-tormented]

In vial and on skin, wet: Doctor's office? Menthol, anyone? It would be a nice blend when you have a cold!

 

Drying on skin: Rich woody menthol goodness. It does have a slight sweetness to it, like a honey tobacco. The wood and menthol are keeping it from going to sweet on me. It's thick feeling, which I like. It doesn't last on my skin though...once it is dry, it's is only the remnants of honey tobacco...what was that, like 15 minutes? Strange!

 

Overall: I wish it would last longer. But then again, where would I find a reasonable priced bottle of this now? The dry down reminds me of Cobalt's Scorching Entity.

Edited June 22, 2010 by Madame Nyx

[NicoleJoy]

This scent is very interesting - the opposite of what I expected though. It's very smoky, with pepper and woods in the background. I think this would be incredibly sexy on a man, but I'm not 100% sure about it for me on it's own. When layered with various scents though, it is incredibly beautiful. Right now, I'm using it to add even more depth to "For Men Loved Darkness Rather than Light," and it's perfect.

[grrrlennyl]

Wrestler Onogawa Kisaburo Blowing Smoke at a One-Eyed Monster, The

 

On: Wow. I'm getting a lot of licorice in this, but an alcoholic sort of licorice. Very strong. It's almost veering toward cough syrup on me.

Half an hour later: This was STRONG at first, but has toned down some. I'm definitely getting wood, black pepper, dry sandalwood, and tobacco.

1.5 hours in: Wood.

2.5 hours in: Wood with something sweet.

6 hours in: Wood.

Overall: I'm not big on wood scents, so this isn't really for me.

[Clavis]

Not pickles... spanish green olives.

 

It stays Spanish olives for a while. I was almost ready to wash it off and write it off as a bad deal when some of the other notes came out to play.

 

Something musky and woody with just a hint of black pepper and the merest hint of honey lurking at the back to tickle the nose.

 

After about 30-40 minutes, the brined olive note disappears and its just a faintly sweet wood with a bit of ticklish resin and dry spice... It stays quite close to the skin. It actually smells rather like a really good men's cologne. I wonder how it will go on the boy...