Tombeur

[theseagrows]

Deadly and seductive: vanilla-infused sandalwood, blood musk, antique patchouli, vetiver, lavender, bitter almond, amber, and a trickle of Snake Oil.

i get a clear red musk when i put this on, mixed with florals? though it doesn't really smell like lavender much to me, hmm. i can see how this is reminiscent of snake oil, but i like this better, because snake oil isn't all that great on me. there's a bit of spiciness here too, very pretty and sexy. i'd file this under One of Those Sexy Red Musk Blends, like ecstasy of passion. i love those kind of scents, so i pretty much love this too, though now i have a lot of scents that are very reminiscent of each other, and this one is no exception. still i think the floral/lavender component is what makes this one stand apart a bit. i like it and will keep my decant.

[Helas]

I didn't fall in love with Tombeur at first sniff; it starts off high-pitched and almost strident, all harsh smoky vetiver and dry sandalwood and astringent lavender, with the amber and Snake Oil firmly in the background. A few minutes later, though, I perceived the most heavenly mixture of sandalwood, vetiver, and honeyed resins wafting up from my arms, surrounded by curls of delicate, spicy smoke that remind me of clove. The bitter almond is fortunately nowhere to be seen. The bitterness of the vetiver and the astringency of the lavender balance out the sweetness of the Snake Oil and give it a darker, more sophisticated feel. The resulting smell makes me think of an ancient Babylonian palace - opulent and golden and thoroughly corrupt.

 

Sexy as hell, and a perfect translation of the concept. This has already become one of my favourite scents.

[calivianya]

I'm not sure what exactly is going wrong with this scent on my skin, but I am very displeased.

 

I keep waiting for Tombeur to morph into something lovely and seductive, but what I've gotten from the minute I put it on until now is the faintest hint of Snake Oil under a weird chemical baby powder smell. I really can't pinpoint the source. I am not familiar with blood musk, so that may be the problem, but I think it's more likely that a combination of the almonds, lavender, vetiver, and blood musk contributed to this disaster. I did just get it in the mail today, so I'm hoping that this is a fluke and Tombeur will be much more agreeable on my skin after resting some. I will update after a re-testing.

[stellamaris]

I got this for my DH, he loves red musk (he wears Debauchery all the time, it's fantastic on him). We are both wearing Tombeur today, and loving it. I don't get much red musk however, mostly the antique patchouli (the same as Schwartzer Mon, yay!) and vetiver. This is a big big win for me! Oh and him, yeah I got it for him right??

[Teaotter]

I had to look up the notes, because I would have sworn there was honey and mandarin in here. Huh.

 

Wet: Sweet honey and patchouli, with a hint of something bitter underneath.

 

Drydown: Creamy beeswax (probably the almond and amber), grounded by patchouli and sandalwood.

 

Dry: A sweet honey note dominates, with the patchouli and sandalwood grounding it. I would swear there is mandarin in here, as well as some amber and just a hint of Snake Oil. Throw is low, and it fades quickly on my skin.

[VioletChaos]

I picked this up on a lark at the last Seattle Will Call, but today was the first day that I really tested it out.

 

In the bottle I get honey and a little patchouli mostly, with a slight bitterness as almost an afterthought.

 

Wet, and on initial drydown, it becomes sweet, light and very smooth. I was reminded most strongly of the non-foody sweetness of Hod, actually. at that point, there was a nice medium throw, and as I walked down the street, I'd get little wiffs of it again and again. Really quite nice.

 

It's now several hours later and what I'm left with is a wine note, like a daytime cousin of Gluhwein, even though there are NO notes to indicate such a thing!

 

In All: the throw died down as the scent settled. Because of how it morphed and because of the Snake Oil inclusion, I am theorizing that this is a scent that is going to do well to age significantly. I'm going to hold on to my bottle either way, but I'm willing to bet that by summer time, this is going to be a very sexy beast indeed

[subtlesiren]

In the bottle: A cross between The Infernal Lover and Snake Oil with a sliver of Inez. I don't smell any vetiver, lavender, or almond, all the notes I was worried about. This is almost too good to be true.

 

On my wrist: Sure enough, it is. The scent all but disappears on my skin. It reemerges with vetiver in the lead, with the other notes struggling to catch up. I'm getting a bit of lavender, mixed with the notes I smelled in the bottle. Still no almond. What started out as such a typical "me" scent has completely morphed and I can't decide if I like it.

 

Dry on my wrist: Slightly powdery musk, with a hint of lavender. What happened to the stunning, sexy scent in the bottle? Damn you skin chemistry!

 

In the land of amazing musky, sexy, woody scents, this one does not stand out. I will keep it for a while and retest, but I don't hold out much hope, especially since the bottle is from 2010 and has already aged a bit. At least I have VILF to fill my sexy vampire scent quota.

 

ETA: I take it back! Tombeur is GORGEOUS! Softer than VILF, but just as sexy. I need a backup bottle!

Edited February 23, 2012 by subtlesiren

[opheliatrey]

This is one I have really wanted to try and I am dancing flamingo happy. Dorian decided to become a fortune teller in the woods. He felt slightly naughty and slathered Snake Oil on to further tempt his customers. I love it so.

[cometgirl21]

I bought a bottle of this when it first came out and I did not love it, so I sold it. It was very bitter both in the bottle and on my skin. It was very sharp and unpleasant. However, I recently bought and aged bottle and boy what a change!

 

In the bottle: It still has some of the sharp, bitter edge I remember from the fresh bottle but it has significantly sweetened up. Aging seems to have done wonders.

 

On my skin: WOW! This is what I was hoping it would be and apparently all it needs is a little time. This is a sexy scent. It's like Snake Oil on aphrodisiacs. It's a lot darker than Snake Oil but still has some of the sweet qualities. I don't really know how to describe this other than This is that sexy vampire that brings you home to do very, very naughty things. Perhaps this is what Eric from the Sookie books would smell like I need to buy multiple bottles to start aging.

Edited October 23, 2012 by cometgirl21

[Magycmyste]

In the bottle: In the bottle, this smells dark, vetiver and patchouli.

 

Wet on skin: Tried this on just one hand, as I'm a little wary of vetiver. This is a pretty, dark red oil. It almost calls blood to mind,, as the bit of oil tried to run down my wrist. I think I'm getting a bit more of the vanilla-infused sandalwood and a hint of the snake oil. There's still the patchouli, and I can't really smell the vetiver anymore.

 

Dried down: As the perfume dries down, it becomes more of a lovely mix of patchouli and Snake Oil, with a gorgeous spicy blast of sandalwood if I sniff my wrists

 

Throw: Patchouli and Snake Oil, not too heavy but definitely present.

 

Verdict: **** I'm going to enjoy this bottle.

Edited May 8, 2014 by Magycmyste

[Haltija]

This was one of my very first bottles and when I first got it I was not impressed at all. It smelled like complete root beer on my skin and that smell makes me physically ill and incredibly nauseous and I scrubbed it off immediately because that wet stage was too much to handle.

 

So I talked to a friend of mine about it and she was really intrigued so I sent it off to her to see if it would get more love. It got way more affection from her than it did from me and she loved/loves it so much that she has 3 or 4 back up bottles now. She kept raving and raving about how INCREDIBLE it was and how it just smelt so sexy and beautiful and warm on her and my little mind went haywire and I figured "Hey, why not try it again" so I did........ I purchased myself another bottle a few months back and let it sit for a few weeks before I got it out to test it and MY GOODNESS IS IT JUST FLAWLESS. Deep, dark, sexy, smoldering and warm all at the same time and no root beer smell on me at all...... funny how things can change on you. I am just swooning over this and very glad I decided to give it a second chance and I will be getting a second bottle in the future.

Edited October 1, 2014 by Haltija

[Missy_killer]

In the imp: Patchouli and vetiver with something that smells very sweet, like honey.

 

On: It almost disappeared as soon as I put it on. I can't really put my finger on what exactly I'm smelling here... Might be sandalwood and Snake Oil. And just as I think that to myself a shy and very herbal lavender makes its very short appearance before disappearing again. And then Tombeur twists a little. It smells like warm, flushed skin. There's absolutely no notes to be seen here, it just smells like skin - which to be honest does smell weird and amazing at the same time. Especially the warm and flushed element, it does feel like blood is pulsing underneath it, it feels tempting but almost sick (not in a bad way).

 

I'm very happy I didn't get any almond in here and Snake Oil that usually smells like Play Doh on my skin is nowhere to be seen actually.

 

The warm skin goes back, and it smells spicy and sweet. I like it!

[Atrous]

I discovered Tombeur about 2 years ago and wear it often but I've been wary of doing a review because this is one of two scents (the other is Blood Popsicle) that are really sensitive to my skin chemistry. I never know quite what it will smell like until I put it on.

It never smells bad but I just never know.

For example:

Today its really strong on the Blood Musk (which comes off smelling a bit like a deep, rich wine) and Patch with occasional whiffs of Snake Oil.

 

Sometimes its Snake Oil and warm, creamy amber surrounding it.

 

Sometimes its Vanilla Sandalwood + Musk + a bit of Snake Oil.

 

Other times I can smell all the notes in this blend.

 

Anyway, you get the idea. The notes seem to play hide and seek with me.

[LiberAmoris]

I've had a bottle of Tombeur for years, but it lives in my husband's BPAL drawer. He doesn't usually wear scent unless I ask him to or it's a special occasion, but yesterday he was looking for something to go with an afternoon of drinking beer and playing Assassin's Creed Unity (otherwise known as 'Saturday' on his calendar) and this was what he picked out. And wow, it's aged so well! It's musky, lavendered vanilla sandalwood on him with a dash of Snake Oil. The lavender is particularly nice here...paired with the vanilla, there's a gentle, relaxing aspect of the blend that contrasts beautifully with the blood musk, patchouli, and vetiver. The vetiver is very light here, and I could barely pick up on it (although that could be due to the aging). So good!

[DevilsCandyCane]

This was a surprise bottle from the lab today, after a minor slip-up with my last order, and it is the best surprise ever, I absolutely love it! 3 vampires tried, every one of them fabulous, these are rapidly becoming Pokemon Vampires - gotta catch them all!

 

Reading the scent notes, I would've been scared away by the bitter almond, but happily I get none of that. My first impressions, before looking up his notes, were that Dorian & Snake Oil had had a baby, and wrapped it up in clean leather As it dries, it very much reminds me of a cross between Temple Viper and Western Diamondback, the 2 snakes that were my favourite from CD - it's got the musky spiciness of Temper Viper, but with that clean white leather note from Diamondback, and...something else, that initially made me think of...almost smelling the heat of my own blood beneath the skin, which is such a cool effect, and I guess can now be attributed to the blood musk - which is another note that would've scared me off, since blood in terms of dragon's blood is *not* my favourite thing.

 

Overall, this is lovely, and so compulsively sniffable! Absolutely gender-neutral, very elegant-yet-sexy. So Much Love!

[Poenari]

I could swear that I reviewed Tombeur years ago, but it's not here, so I will give it another go in simple terms. I ordered my first bottle of Tombeur when the Vampires line initially went live. The mention of Snake Oil coupled with other notes that I love made it a blind insta-buy. I love this scent and went through my first bottle very quickly, because I wanted to bathe in it. On my skin, Tombeur is my beloved Snake Oil mingled with an extra bit of vanilla'd sandalwood and lavender. I can wear vetiver, but I don't even detect it on my skin, so for those who fear vetiver, you shouldn't have to worry. This is just gorgeous! I have a couple of backup bottles aging in my stash, it's that good.

[GoddesShel]

This *should* not work on me. Three, no FOUR death notes. But I got a decant of it from someone who apparently knows me better than I know myself and tried it - and even though at first I was not overly impressed, it got Chris's attention IMMEDIATELY. He was over at my desk huffing my wrist before I even got the cap back on the vial!

 

And after it dries, I do like it. It's a spicy, heavy, sweet musky thng, that's incredibly sexy (or it is to Chris....LOL!) Definitely not an everyday wear scent, though.

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: OH MY GOD

 

Wet on my skin: OH MY GOD

 

Dry: OH MY GOD. Okay, this has instantly become one of my favourite BPAL scents. I knew I'd at least like it based on the notes, but oh my god it's so gooood. This a gorgeously sexy amber, musk, almond, and vanilla scent on me, with this seductively gorgeous spicy edge to it from the lavender and Snake Oil spices. And THEN it's got this dark, earthy sort of base to it beneath the golden sweet-spicy notes. This bottle is going to get a LOT of use, oh yes.

[Isper]

I agree. This is one of my favorites and the one I get the most compliments on.

[ziggystardust13]

From the notes listed, this seemed like it might be my perfect scent. And I love the bottle art! Sniffing out of the bottle, this also seemed sooo promising!

But on its a different story. I can only attribute it to my skin chemistry. This pretty much turned into a honey single note on my skin. And my skin doesn't like honey.

I think this scent would be so amazing on someone else though!

Edited May 12, 2015 by ziggystardust13

[LizziesLuck]

This is everything I wanted Snake Oil to be, when I tried it so many years ago. Alas, Snake Oil was (and continues to be, every time I try it) awful on me.

 

THIS however. THIS is everything. Sex in a bottle in a way I haven't encountered since Red Lantern (the two are nothing alike, the only thing they have in common is being sexy as hell).

 

I want to roll around in this. Naked.

 

I get Vanilla as a strong base, Hints of Patch and Vetiver. The Musk is in there too, and it's super sexy. I'm not getting Amber, which is great, cuz I usually amp it like crazy. This is so well rounded and well blended. The almond is sweet but understated. I can even detect the Snake Oil in it, but with all the other notes it's AMAZING.

 

I want to smell like this all the time. Well, that's not true, I enjoy smelling different every day. But I can see reaching for this a lot, and I will be getting a bottle in my next order come hell or high water.

[lexyOZ]

I think my decant might be off because this smelled so acrid and harsh to me. I almost physically recoiled when I took the top off the decant. I'm pretty sure it's not the perfume itself, but a chemical change that's occurred. I chanced it on my skin and it just got worse. It almost burned my nose to breath it in; it has an extreme chemical vibe to it, like an industrial strength insect repellent. Super disappointed because I love every single note listed and would love to be able to smell what others are getting from this.

I would not take this as any reflection of Tombeur since there is no way so many people would be raving about it if they were smelling the same thing as me, I think I just unfortunately got an iffy decant. Won't stop me trying to get hold of another decant and giving it a go

[Joyleaf_]

Oh man. Oh my friends this scent is so good. Testing the other, I kept getting a whiff of what I swear was smoke. It was warm and lush and felt naughty. Sifting through the many tiny spots of new smellies on my arm I immediately found Tombeur and started huffing it. I cant keep my nose away from my own flesh. Its this red musk party with vanilla, incense, patch and vetiver as distinguished guests. Im gonna have to limit myself from just dumping the bottle all over my head.

[FeralFae]

Oh wow. I thought I was going to hate this. After reading the description I was pretty convinced this would smell as bad to my nose as my nemesis, Blood Kiss. Thankfully a lovely forumite sent me a decant of this and wow... colour me impressed!

 

It does share some similarities with BK, which is fine by me in this case since it absolutely works. To my nose, this is the lovechild of a very well behaved BK and Dorian. I swear it must be the musk+vanilla. GOD. This is so deep and romantic and sexy. It just screams drama. It's not overly medicinal but there is definitely a bite underneath all the sweetness. I also daresay I love the almond here

 

I finally get the hype and I'm definitely getting myself a bottle.

[ramblingrambler]

Vetiver should have ruined this for me, but thank all things good and righteous, it behaved itself and made me rejoice at this scent. Tombeur is warm, sexy, and soft. It doesn't scream "look at me," but it purrs "ravage me" in the dead of night. Slinky, sultry, and full of sex. Yes, yes, yes.