Paladin

[claudia6913]

PALADIN
Immaculate white musk, sweet frankincense, bourbon vanilla, white leather, and shining armor.

First review ... wow. Okay, let's see here.

in the bottle: I get mostly a pine-like scent. Something akin to basalm, but not as "in your face" about it as basalm tends to be to me. It's a softer pine scent in the same family. It also has a twinge of sweetness under it. I wonder if all I'm smelling is the sweet frankincense in the bottle.

wet on skin: Okay, I know this is weird, but it smells exactly like OFF bug spray on my skin. And a bit weirder ... I like it. I've always liked the smell of OFF.

drydown: The sweet frankincense is still going strong, but the leather and armor start coming through a little bit. I can almost taste a metallic tang in my mouth. It's not unplesant, but it's not something I really smell with my nose it seems. The white musk slowly comes out and punches up the frankincense.

dry: This is sweet incense and leather, with hints of musk and the metallic tang of the armor still sits on my tongue.

Overall: I really like this scent. The frankincense is a bit much for me, and I'm hoping the more this sits the mellower that frankincense will become. I can see this aging beautifully.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I almost didn't order this one because of the "shining armor." Metallics aren't my thing at all, but everything else sounded so good that I couldn't pass it up. I'm hoping to get leather, incense, vanilla and musk without much (or, even better, any) armor.

 

First sniff:

 

Mmm, I like this. In the bottle, it's an incense and musk scent with some soft sweetness. The frankincense base really reminds me of Penitence, but there's more to Paladin.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Basically the same as in the bottle, but slightly sweeter. Frankincense tends to sweeten up just a little bit when it hits my skin, so that might be the case here.

 

Dry down:

 

I'm happy to say there's no metal to be found here (for me, anyway). I absolutely love this. I'm a big fan of church incense scents, and Paladin definitely falls into that category. I don't really get any leather. Just sweet frankincense and a touch of vanilla and musk.

 

The bottom line:

 

I never would have expected this to be my favorite of the RPG scents I ordered, but it is. Paladin is downright beautiful and if I didn't already have several church incense blends in my favorites box, it would have gone in immediately.

 

Edit: Grammar fail.

Edited May 2, 2011 by Penance

[Dark Alice]

Shimmering metal with white leather. The frankincense and bourbon vanilla are no shows. Layered with half elf...the bourbon vanilla comes through and the white leather dies quickly and still no frankincense....but it is gorgeous.

[HerbGirl]

Paladin is my 3rd favorite of the RPG's so far. I forgot to write down what this blend smelled like before it dried down, but dry it is amazing:

White Musk and Leather are most prominent to my nose with just a touch of Frankincense sweetened a bit by the Bourbon Vanilla. Glorious! 4/5

[meredevachon]

The one time I played a paladin (long story and not worth getting into here, but the character class wasn't entirely my choice), I hated it. So I probably wouldn't have ordered this except that all the notes looked so much like me. Just based on the description, I should love this.

 

In the imp: Softer than I expected, chemical tang from the leather, a little bit of sweetness.

 

Wet: I get the frankincense, and not much else at first.

 

Dry down: Now I start to get some musk and leather with the incense. No metallic, no vanilla.

 

Dry: This one seemed to take a really long time to dry, but the scent itself didn't morph all that much.

 

Overall: White. Polished. Not much throw, which I like. I would have liked getting some of the vanilla, because it's one of my favorites, and some of the armor, since that's what would really make it say paladin to me. I like it well enough, but it's probably not one I'll reach for often, given the scents I've got which do those notes better (either individually or together). Still, the simplicity leaves it ripe for layering.

[ajansuz]

In the imp: Very metallic, a hint of leather, and a sweet base of Frankincense.

 

Wet: It's so metallic I actually get that taste in the back of my mouth. Frankincense amps really strongly, very sweet and incense-y. The leather also begins to amp. No sign whatsoever of the listed musk or vanilla notes.

 

Dry down: The metal goes away, leaving Frankincense and leather. It doesn't morph much after that at all, though after a few hours the only note really left on me was leather. I'm imagining this will layer well. It's not something I think I'd wear a lot of by itself. I like it OK but can't say I love it. I was really, really hoping for the vanilla to do something.

[countessmouse]

White musk and leather here. It is slightly sweet, perhaps the frankincense? Bourbon vanilla is a no show, which is slightly disappointing.

 

A very nice, soft scent. Funny, I thought it would be stronger.

[calivianya]

I sprang for a bottle unsniffed based on the reviews, and I'm glad I did. This scent is a gorgeous, resinous scent that goes a little high pitched from the white musk. The leather starts to come out for me on the drydown. Unfortunately I am never able to detect the vanilla, but this is still a gorgeous resin blend without it. If resins are your thing, you should really pick up this blend.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Faint, light leather, with a sharp tang

 

Wet: Weird, there's something citrus, almost lemon here, though I don't see those in the official notes. The leather is definitely cool and light, with an artificial chemical note. It does have an overall metallic tone. I don't smell any vanilla at all.

 

Dry: Not a very strong scent, with little or no throw. It becomes less sharp over time and leaves a pleasant light musk, with a hint of incense and leather.

[Aldercy]

Yep, very "white knight" with the soft ivory leather note and bits of ethereal ozoney metal and distant musk. I get no vanilla at all, and only a hint of "dust" from the frankincense. It's extremely light despite a heavy application-- kind of feathery and translucent. It's a shiny, bright, clean scent, but I don't find it boring or overly generic. I think it will probably be better if layered with another RPG or three because it's just so, so light, but it is still a nice scent.

[StevenBoatman]

This is still relatively fresh out of the box, so my opinions may change later.

 

Imp: Chemicals. No leather. No metal. No incense. Just sharp, bite-y chemicals.

 

On, wet: Slight hint of leather, like those leather jackets you can buy that still smell like chemicals.

 

On, Dry: Where'd it go? I can't smell it anymore!

[Little Bird]

I liked this oil when I first got it, but my bottle seems to have gone off after having it for a year (now reminds me of baby oil and has a sickly, bland sweetness to it.. smells very golden and base oil-y, if that makes sense to anyone. I don't get the leather or cologne feel from it at all anymore. So weird). My original review when this was fresh and not 'aged':

 

The list of notes for Paladin sounded so good to me, and this does not disappoint. I get mostly frankincense (and it does smell sweet on me, almost more like sweet myrrh than frankincense) and rich vanilla with a bit of a creamy, cologne-like feel from the white musk and metal. The leather is barely there, though it gets stronger as this dries down on me; it's just a whisper of something darker and dangerous lurking underneath the other notes.

Edited November 7, 2012 by Little Bird

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: White musk and frankincense are predominant here, with a hint of vanilla. I don't get the leather or the metal from the armor. It's kind of faint.

 

On: This BLOOMS as it warms up on my skin. Still predominantly white musk and frankincense, with some vanilla and oh! There's a hint of leather!

 

Later: VERY faint and close to the skin. What's there is very pretty, but as a standalone perfume, it's just too faint. Will try layering it with some of the other RPGs and see what it does then!

[Gin]

If I had to guess at notes, the only one I'd guess for Paladin is some sort of white musk. I can't pick out anything else. It's light and clean but doesn't smell like cleanser or commercial "clean" fragrances. A few minutes in, the vanilla seems to come out more, and it smells like baby products. I wouldn't say it's powdery, nor does it smell like baby powder, but it has the same sort of light, snuggly scent that I associate with baby-oriented goods. Maybe this is what the fabric softener bear would smell like. On its own, I think it might be a little too cloying and sweet. Layered with Good, though? Amazing.

[Sultaana]

Very soft, almost couldn't smell it in the vial. This is another gorgeous leather that ACTUALLY WORKS ON ME without turning foul, but it really needed some layering to let it stand out. Pretty soft on it's own, and it's nice enjoy the frankincense in the background for a change. Evil paladins, though, are sexy.

[steelgossamer]

In the decant: Sweet frankincense, clean.

Wet: This smells clean and a touch incensey and sweet. But mostly CLEAN. Like, freshly scrubbed with a bar of zesty soap clean. Which I find a little strange.

Drydown: There's the musk! The musk comes through and really warms up the scent. I can also pick up just a tiny bit of vanilla as it dries, along with a touch of leather.

Dry: Once dry, it's still a very clean scent with a little bit of leather, a bit of vanilla, and a lot of musk. I like it a lot, though. I think it'll layer nicely with Half-Elf and Neutral.

 

[a_llb]

In vial: Leather & sharp white musk.

Wet: The leather does indeed seem white- very soft and protective. Truly a shield, I can't smell anything else. Maybe a just tiny glimmer of armor. 

Dry: As it wears on, the leather breaks in to allow the bourbon vanilla to shine, thin and clear. With the white musk reappearing, it reminds me of a vanilla soda more than a creamy vanilla. Don't get me wrong, it's really not foody at all, I just didn't know how to describe it otherwise. It's really beautiful, and the frankincense peeks in every so often to add the barest trace of sparkling golden sweetness. 

 

Verdict: Pure of heart and full of righteous strength. Not a lot of throw, but that doesn't diminish my enjoyment of it. The vanilla/frankincense combo to my nose seems to be the same pair as in Red Lace- but this would be the white version naturally, and is much more discreet even with the leather. Utterly, utterly gorgeous. 

[Iceblink]

This smells almost nothing like the description to me. It's very light and when I think musk, frankincense and leather I think of a much heavier scent. The leather is faint and there's something almost herbal/woodsy here. White musk tends to be quite sweet on me and I don't get any sweetness from that or the vanilla. I wonder if the armor, whatever it's meant to smell like, is taking over all the other notes! Odd, odd blend. Not bad but not what I expected.

[astarinel]

This is really quite faint, which is disappointing.

 

I love paladins and I wanted to love this. The leather is very light, and this isn't the kind of white musk that sweetly amps on my skin. It's shiny and white, a little fuzzy from the resins. I was really hoping for a heavier, sweeter musk and a more prominent vanilla, but those notes (and practically the entire scent) disappear on my skin. I tried layering it with some other scents, but they totally took over and I ended up not smelling anything really from Paladin.

 

I'm going to keep my decant around and see if the vanilla peeks out more with a little age on it, but for now I won't be looking for any more Paladin.

[Ryokumuji]

First applied on my skin, it's all white musk with frankincense and vanilla coming up the rear. As it dries down, the white musk calms down a bit and I do get what I believe is a tiny peep of leather playing in the background. I'm not sure what shining armor should smell like, but I really love this! Paladin is my favorite class in World of Warcraft and on top of that, this one had a lot of notes in it that play very well on my skin. Love it.

[Antoinette]

At first sniff, this is sharp and white. I can't really pick out individual notes.

 

Dry - this is shining metal and leather. There's a sharp/sweet scent still present and it sort of comes and goes.

 

Not sure about this one, I waver from liking it to thinking maybe it's not my thing. Will try layering it with other RPGs.

[tkannon]

So light as to almost not be there... paladin is sitting close to my skin and giving me little puffs of sweet leather every once and awhile. Not a favorite by itself but the layering potential is huge!

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Very soft, and more perfumey than I was expecting. I do like the way the musk, leather, and vanilla complement each other. The frankincense is understated, but gives it a bit of edge. Wet: Rather vanilla powdery. The vanilla and musk are strongest, with a touch of leather in support. The other elements are very soft. The whole effect is delicate and there is not much throw. Dry: Mostly vanilla musk.

[stellans]

This is a very gentle scent, far more so than I might have a scent representing a Paladin, a battle warrior, would be. The leather is soft, more suede-like to my nose than hardened leather tack. I don't get the metal note others have, though the frankincense is definitely there. The vanilla only shows up for me after the dry-down, and even then it's very soft, just barely there. It doesn't last very long, but while it's there, it's lovely. Two of 5 stars.

Edited June 27, 2011 by stellans

[whisperstilled]

In Imp: Leather and something sweet. This is surprisingly soft, even in the imp. I get the musk and the frankincense and just a dash of the vanilla, which I think is what's sweetening it up. So far, so very good.

 

Wet: Oh good god. Sweet vanilla and leather with a dash of spicy frankincense and white musk to give it bite. This is just to die for. If anything, my only complaint is that I can tell it's a slatherer, but that is A-Okay by me, because this smells amazing.

 

Dry: Come back Paladin! My skin eats this scent in record time, but I can't even complain because it's so delicious. I'll have to layer this one with some of the others later, this is one beautiful light leather scent. 5/5