Ranger

[Penance]

RANGER
Untamed wilderness: buckskin accord with Terebinth pine, Russian birch, black ironwood, elder bark, hay, armoise, juniper, patchouli, galangal root, Spanish moss, and cabreuva.

Origin:

5mL from the Lab.

Preconceived notions:

I really like the prototype version of Ranger, but it tends to go peppery on my skin unless I apply it on the back of my hands and even then it's started to be iffy. So I'm very excited about the released version. It sounds a lot like v5, so I'm hoping it'll be similar but without whatever it is that gives me the pepper note of doom that made me take the proto out of my favorites box.

First sniff:

Very, very woodsy. I get strong pine (like the pine in Wolf Moon 2011 or even Hexennacht or Nocnitsa). An intense, deep green pine note, not the high-pitched juniper-like one that I sometimes get in some of the Lab's pine scents. Think deep woods, not Christmas tree. I can tell there's more in here than just pine, but the impression I get is of standing in an unspoiled evergreen forest in the middle of summer.

Wet on skin:

Intense pine with a backing of rich wood (I couldn't tell you what kind, but there are non-evergreen trees here, scattered among the pines). I don't get any buckskin yet, which is a little disappointing because I really love soft leather notes, but I still love this. I'm a lover of all things woodsy, although pine can be an iffy note at times. Ranger is one of the pine scents that really work.

Dry down:

Mostly the same before. This one's not as much of a morpher as the prototype. Whatever kind of wood gives the prototype the pepperiness seems to be missing from this version, too, which makes me very happy.

I finally get some of the buckskin once Ranger has time to settle completely. It's very subtle and adds just a touch of soft leather to the picture. There's also a faint sweetness to the scent that I can't identify. There was a similar note in the prototype that I took to be benzoin or maybe tonka, but it's not listed in the notes of the released version, so I'm not sure what it is. I suppose it could be the cabreuva, which apparently has "a delicate, sweet, woody-floral scent." I don't get any florals, though, just a soft sweetness.

This is such an evocative scent and it really nails the concept. If I close my eyes, I can imagine myself in the deep forest, a faint breeze stirring the pine needles at my feet. The air is full of the smells of wood, earth and moss. There's not another human being for miles around and everything is quiet and peaceful. The only noises are the sounds of birds calling.

The bottom line:

I love this. If you're a lover of intensely woodsy scents, then you need Ranger. But if pine and heavy woods aren't your thing, you may want to look elsewhere.

[meredevachon]

In the imp: Evergreen. Soft and warm, a deep green scent.

 

Wet: Juniper more than pine, but I get that too. I can't pick out anything else specific, but there's more hanging out in the background making things interesting, keeping it grounded. I like this.

 

Dry down: If I try, after a while, I can pick out the hay. I love the Lab's hay note. And a soft warmth from the buckskin. The evergreens get toned down a little as it dries, and while it's easier to pick out other notes, it becomes more about the blend of them together. Yeah, I definitely like this.

 

Dry: Once things really blend together, it doesn't change much. After, oh, 30 minutes or so. I can pick out individual notes if I try, but I'm just as happy wrapped in a close cocoon of them melded together.

 

Overall: If Coyote and Golden Priapus had a baby, this is what the cradle would smell like. And as GP is in my top 5 and Coyote is another really like, this is a very good thing. I'll try layering to see how it does, but I'm very happy with this one just as it is. *rolls around in*

[DeCuvieri]

Having had a lot of time with Ranger and a chance to acclimate to it, I decided to rework my entire review. While I was at first not sure about this blend it has since become one of my staples, and I realized the other night why: This is practically the unrefined base of Illustrated Woman. Layered with Neutral it practically is IW, though it lacks a certain note the CD scent has that irritates my throat. But I digress.

 

In the wet stage Ranger is a slap in the face of evergreens. Not Pine-Sol or cheap car air freshener though, just a lush green forest. This is the only point I ever detect the juniper as it evaporates quickly during the dry down.

 

The end product is a brazen woodsy smell softened up by the mosses and buckskin, but I think my chemistry mutes those too much for them to be very noticeable. The patchouli also never really comes to the front line -- which is good. This blend wouldn't benefit from the hippie vibe too much. By itself Ranger leans towards the masculine, though a woman can wear it well (Which I do often). Layering it with Neutral, Elf, or Lawful has produced some lovely results that can solidify it as a thoroughly feminine scent.

 

So if you enjoy Illustrated Woman, Black Forest, The Forest Reverie, ect. this may well be worth an imp.

Edited July 30, 2011 by DeCuvieri

[ajansuz]

In the imp, sharp evergreens, not just pine, although it seems to be the strongest note. Also something a little soft and dusty, almost like a layer of dry pine needles when they're hit by sun.

 

On wet, the pine and patchouli have about equal strength. There are other wood notes that I'm not sensitive enough to pick out individually. I just know they don't have that conifer scent. I get no leather at all, not ever, which made me sad, because that was one of the things that attracted me to this scent.

 

Dry down there's not too much morph. It stays pine, juniper, patchouli, and other woods with a little bit of dust. A very woodsy, earthy scent that I'd say is more unisex than masculine. I like it, and I think it will probably layer really well with some of the other scents. It's not quite enough on its own for me to wear it solo. Low throw. Medium last.

[Iceblink]

This went on wet as pure buckskin. VERY strong, clear leathery buckskin! On the drydown, I'm picking up pine, bark, moss--all grounded by earthy patchouli, with hay floating on top and the buckskin faded into the background. It's very outdoorsy/foresty, as is fitting. Men would smell amazing in this! ITA that there's something about it reminding me of Golden Priapus. Nice--not me, but nice!

[strahlend]

The pine and juniper remind me of Golden Priapus too, but where G.P. is layered over warm amber and vanilla sweetness - Ranger takes those notes and adds yet more woods and moss. This feels almost like it could be one of the Yule snow blends. I'm not picking up on the buckskin, hay or patchouli that might warm this blend up, to my nose it's more of a snowy forest scent. It's a very peaceful scent.

Edited June 2, 2011 by strahlend

[Little Bird]

My husband looked at all of the RPG scents and asked me to get a bottle of this one for him (so I did, of course ). Thankfully, he really loves the scent and I think it smells great on him too. Ranger is mostly pine and foresty tones. It reminds me of Golden Priapus and Voodoo, but not quite as sweet as either of those. It goes slightly smoky on his skin but is mostly sweet pine and hints of dry, warm woods and earthy patchouli. I think that this will age very well and I'm really excited about mixing it with other notes for my hubby (though it's a great blend just on its own).

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: Oh so very outdoorsy... this smells like an evergreen forest in late summer. This was what I was hoping Yggdrasil would be like before it turned to bathroom cleaner on me.

 

On: A whole forest on a tiny spot of my arm. This is, once again, incredibly evocative of its concept, like all RPGs have been for me so far. I get the barest hint of leather, this is primarily a dark-green forest scent. No patchouli is peeking out, which is surprising. I could totally imagine Aragorn from LotR to smell like this. This might be interesting for layering; I don't think I'd wear it by itself.

 

Later: Evergreen forest. Pretty good staying power. I wish the leather hadn't gone AWOL. Works wonderful as a concept, though I'm not entirely sure I'd wear it for anything BUT invoking the concept. As a perfume, it's too evergreen-y for me, I think.

[Sultaana]

All the great smells of camping without the bug bites. It didn't turn into any sort of cleaner or weirdness and it stayed true for a long time. Layers nicely with the sweeter perfumes, like Elf or Halfling, to keep things from getting to I'M A MAN IN A FOREST TRACKING THIEVES AND ETC.

[steelgossamer]

In the imp: WOOD. Lots of wood here.

Wet: Yup, more wood. This is a dry, warm, slightly peppery wood to me. It's very brown and a bit soft.

Drydown: It gets more complex and soft as it dries.

Dry: There's a slight sweetness coming through. It's woodsy, dry, peppery, a little smoky, and sweet.

 

I really like this one. It reminds me a bit of Dee or Voodoo, and those are two of my all time favorites. This is less leathery than Dee and less MANLY!/spicy than Voodoo, which makes it different enough to hang onto.

[a_llb]

In vial: A shady thicket of evergreens in a larger forested area.

Wet: Fresh pine needles, sappy bark & green undergrowth. The scent of buckskin wafts by, perhaps from a silent pair of tanned boots creeping towards their quarry.

Dry: Breezes blowing through the branches, airy & green.

 

Verdict: I'm not a fan of pine most days, today is no exception. A wonderfully fitting tribute to the ranger class, but not something I'd enjoy wearing personally. Ends up an Irish Spring clone after a few hours, which is sort of eh.

[astarinel]

This is definitely outdoorsy and appropriate for the concept!

 

Dark and woody, and a little spicy and sharp and bitter somewhere. It's definitely evocative of an evergreen forest, a little smoky and mossy, and not terribly leathery, surprisingly.

[zankoku_zen]

Pine, woods, sappy bark. It's definitely a green, forest smell. After the rain, when you get that sort of dirt/fallen leaves smell to it. Definitely edges toward the masculine.

 

I'd be interested to layer both Ranger and Neutral on mr. zee_zee.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Faint, light scent, slightly herbal

 

Wet: Soft pine and woods, serene and peaceful. A little sharp at first, but that dies down. Reminds me of branches dappled with sunlight, mossy bark, and crisp air.

 

Dry: The pine blends into the background and now I'm getting more dirt and ferns, like a forest floor. The woodsy note dominates. I love how the Lab can evoke a sense of place and this blend definitely has that quality. This is a mountain forest in a bottle, rich with plants and the scuttling of furry things underfoot.

[milo]

Wet, mostly leather and something astringent and medicinal. Dry, a bit more leather and some herbs. After a bit, the leather fades, and it's more resinous with maybe a bit of vetiver. This blend kind of reminds me of Hunter, but without the amber. This is just a bit too masculine for me, but nice to try.

[imaginepageant]

In the Vial: This is standing in the middle of a forest on a chilly day in early autumn, wearing a well-worn leather jacket. I'm surprised at how strong that image is in my head when I smell Ranger. I'm obviously getting the wood notes, though the pine is definitely trumping the others, and the bucksin accord. I'm also smelling some kind of metallic note in here somehow. This is extremely masculine, even for me - a chick who prefers wearing masculine scents over feminine ones.

 

Wet: Warms up right away, but then that phantom metallic note comes back and frosts it over again. After a few minutes, though, the warmth comes back, and it's a woodsy warmth, like you've gotten back to your cabin in the forest and have started up the old woodstove. I'm thinking that could be the hay giving me that impression. I must say, I'm liking this a lot more than I thought I would have, given that I typically dislike evergreens and leather usually amps on me. They're both really nice in this blend.

 

Dry: A bit more warm and toasty. And the other wood notes seem to be coming out more; the pine is still very noticeable, but there's more of a general woodsiness around the pine instead of it just being SUPER PINE! The leather is still there, too, playing nicely with everything else.

 

An Hour Later: Hasn't changed much, but there is a bit of spiciness to it now, which is really nice. Reminds me of the spicy wood of Port Royal, but without the sweetness.

 

Overall: Color me shocked! I like a blend with pine and leather in it! However, this isn't something I would wear on a regular basis, seeing as Port Royal has a similar feel to how Ranger ends up, and I much prefer it to Ranger. This will be going to a new home.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

I never wanted to try this because I didn't think I'd like woody-pine scents, but after falling in love with Black Forest and Hexennacht '05, I wanted to try it. Ranger is a mossy evergreen winter forest with a soft leather like the one I smell in Fetish.Goth. I just picture a majestic buck walking through the forest with snowflakes on it's fur.

Edited July 29, 2011 by mxtine

[Balame]

In the Imp: Pine trees in a forest! And bark. (Yes, bark technically goes with trees, but it's notably separate smelling initially. Deal with it.) How lovely. Very fresh and not at all artificial Xmas tree, as a few delicately sweet woodsy notes are sometimes wont to go.

 

Wet: The buckskin accord is incredibly spot on. Awesome. This is not cured leather or bike rider leather or anything man-made, this is literally a deer's hide. The hay is present in the background, as if said ranger made a little spot of bedding amidst his woodsy retreat, and the moss dries everything out just enough.

 

Dry: I'm liking this a lot more than I expected. I think this is perhaps the truest forest-oriented oil I've ever smelled, and far more refreshing than most others (which tend to be paired with musk, ozone, spices, whatever to dilute them). Really nice. It sweetens up a bit as time goes by, I suppose my skin wants to amp the juniper, which is always does when present. There's also something of a nutty note which is pleasant.

 

Overall: Honestly, I thought layering would be too much effort for what it's worth, but smelling such a true forest scent makes me wonder what a worthy addition would add. I'm a little sad I kicked the juniper up a few notches because I'd rather it stay less sweet, but perhaps another RPG that involves woods (like Lawful) would help balance it out again. I still like this by itself enough to keep the imp, though.

[edenssixthday]

Ranger - This is gorgeous! I think it's my favorite of the RPGs I've tried so far. It's got a really amazing sweet animalic muskiness about it that reminds me of Buck Moon, but the pine, juniper, patchouli, and moss are also quite evident and give it a really beautiful scent evocative of a nighttime forest. As it dries down, the dryness of the hay note also becomes evident, but it's subtle and doesn't make the scent smell like a barnyard (as hay typically does for me). This is one I'm adding to my bottle wishlist. There's something about it that's just so incredibly pretty even though it's not typically the type of scent I'd wear.

[Kolayn]

In the bottle, this is crisp, damp, wintery forest. It's smell is pungent and strong in the bottle, not bad pungent, just not shy!

 

Wet on skin, exactly what I smelled in the bottle...and I like it. I don't get any leather. This is sweet on me, like strong fir tree lightly sprinkled with sugar.

 

When dry, the fir/forest aspect has gotten more mellow. It's not pungent forest any more, it's mild woody, smoky, sweet scent. I sort of miss the pungent tree scent that occurs at the beginning. This is really nice, and I can see myself wearing this in Fall or Winter on the weekends when I spend lots of time outside with my little ones.

[Teggy]

In the vial: Potent, but balanced evergreens and buckskin. Very masculine.

 

Wet: It's like wearing leather in a northern forest. I have the problem of my skin amping leather, but this one is different. Sometimes I smell it, and sometimes I don't. This would be a stunning men's cologne.

 

Drydown: On me, this faded in a few hours, but I still get a light hint of woods and evergreens. Almost pencil-shavingish (but not as bad as Hexennacht '05)

[WidgetAlley]

Bottle: Heavy forest spice and a very strong, masculine new-car-smell leather.

 

Wet: A soft forest scent, heavy on the pine, moss, and juniper, with a spicy note (galangal) and a thick, almost slick leather. It's not quite as new-car-smell but it still doesn't smell like buckskin on me; it's definitely a big piece of tanned cowhide. Unfortunately the leather smells almost chemical in some aspect; although, props to Ranger for sure, because this is one of the very few BPAL leathers that actually smells like leather on me and not some weird melange of notes that ends up like a slightly sickening round vanilla. I just wish the leather were more of a bit player here and let the woods come out more.

 

Dry: The final settled scent is a soft but present leather backed by woods, moss, grass and a gentle spicy root-smell. It's fairly nice but I don't think I'll be keeping it. Sad that Ranger and I didn't get along.

[KissleMeNow]

This is the first big morpher I've tried, and it left me feeling mixed. When I sniffed it in the imp and put it on, my first thought was "This smells like Christmas!" It's full of evergreens, juniper, and green things. As it dried, the leather and patchouli started to come out nicely. A few hours later, it was still strong, but the "green" scents had faded, leaving leather, patchouli, and a bit of wood. This was a very nice, warm, comforting smell which made me feel somehow good, but it just isn't something I would wear myself. During the first two stages I was considering saving it and wearing it around Christmastime next year because of the evergreen/juniper combination, and I may do that. I didn't get any galangal, but this is the first thing with Spanish moss that didn't smell like a mildewed thing on me.

 

In conclusion, this could be a lovely scent on someone. That someone is just not me.

 

ETA: When I lay down to try and sleep, the patchouli got completely cloying and overwhelming. I ended up having to get up and wash it off. :/

Edited January 9, 2012 by KissleMeNow

[kaltomere]

This is a clean incense with a background of Christmas potpourri on me.

[sunlitgarden]

In the imp: Leather and herbs. Juniper. This is not clean leather - it's dirty, been trekking through the woods for weeks leather. Which makes sense.

 

On my skin: I am really getting the impression of dirty leather. Something in it makes the back of my throat feel dry and dusty. I think this is the same leather note as in Coyote (well, "doeskin" vs. "buckskin"), which did something similar... in that blend I attributed it to the grassy plains and dusty woods, but Ranger is having a similar effect on me.

 

I think I would wear this to a tabletop game session if I was actually playing a ranger. It would help me get in the mood. I don't think it's really something suited for everyday wear, though, so my imp is enough.