Playful Wooden Mallets

[Little Bird]

Black musk and Ceylon cinnamon.

 

I don't get any cinnamon or anything like spice from this at all, and spices are usually really strong on me. The black musk smells like baby powder and dark vetiver on me.
I wasn't sure what people were talking about with the mentions of lemons in this one, but my husband smelled this on me and instantly said, "Lemons, but really perfumey and strong." I thought that it smelled like intense baby powder, which my hubby doesn't get at all (though he said it reminded him of baby oil after a while).
Not for me... I don't really enjoy anything about this one. Reminds me of a powdery, simple vetiver. I thought that spice and black musk would be sexy, but this doesn't smell like spice or black musk on me...

[vanilla323]

I never reviewed this when I tried it but I will add my thoughts now...it IS a very nice soft warm cinnamon, not hot or naughty, with a soft rich wood scent as well. It was so nice but not nearly as strong as I would like it to be and had light throw. I wanted to amp the cinnamon more but my skin just ate it up. I really wanted to LOVE it but I liked it very much. I personally prefer The Gorobble for my cinnamon.

[OctoberGwen]

Playful Wooden Mallets proves that even if you think you hate every note in a scent, when it's BPAL you should probably try it anyway.

 

This is gorgeous, and sort of genius in its simplicity. The black musk is smoooooooth and sexy, with just that hint of lemon in the wet stage. The cinnamon is the same dry, spicy cinnamon bark from my beloved Kypria atmosphere spray.

 

Like crumbly dough - yes! That's a perfect description. It's like the texture of butter and sugar when you blend them with a pastry cutter.

 

Hours later, there's just a trace of exotic-bazaar spice on my skin. Fabulous. It also works very well with my Snake Oil hair gloss and bath oil. Big bonus.

 

I bought two bottles. I hope it's enough. I'm sure this will age really, really well.

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Dusty, dark, with a woodsy spice

 

Wet: Surprisingly thick and creamy, with an oddly milky note, like spiced yogurt. I was not expecting that! There's a kick which is not at all like the cinnamon spice from baking or apple cider. This is woodsy and dry, reminds me of roots and leaf tinctures.

 

Dry: Mmmmm, this dries smooth, the kick of the cinnamon has melted into a lovely earthy spice, deliciously dark and just the right amount of dusky powder. One of my favorites from this Shunga update!

[porcelina]

almost totally thick, heavy black musk with a touch of spicy cinnamon. i love this. it lasts forever- i wore it all day yesterday and couldn't stop smelling myself! black musk is not for everyone, but if you are fan, this is a must-have.

[fetish911]

As i was organizing my imps & bottles today, i came across a half imp of this and thought i would give it a try. I am not a fan of spicy or cinnamon blends usually. Usually I say, cause wtf?! This is awesome!! There isnt a red hot candy cinnamon feel but a warm woody kind, like chimera (one of the only other blends I loved). The musk in this instantly reminded me of Panther moon. Its rich and dead sexy. I love this damn scent. This is such a good example of how even if you don't think you will like a scent based on notes, still give it a try cause ya just might like it! Now to track some down....

[JazzieCazzie]

I was VERY excited about this and had it high on my wish list after reading the reviews. I <3 cinnamon and usually play very nicely with musk. After missing out on a bottle on eBay (dodged a bullet, it turns out), I was gifted with an imp from a WONDERFUL forum friend in a swap.

 

IN THE IMP: Interesting, unusual and intriguing. Not actually getting what I tend to associate with either cinnamon or musk from the imp but I like what I smell.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm ...

 

WET: My first reaction when it hits my wrist is "oh yes!" The cinnamon amps immediately. Then I smell what's coming from the crook of my arm and think ... "oh no." At first, it's just mildly "funky," the way myrrh tends to dry down in my arm crook, and I wonder if there's myrrh in here. But it's still WET and smells like that. Then, even my wrist takes on that same scent ... the cinnamon disappears. I don't get musk. I don't even get lemons ...

 

What I get is ... sweat. Stinky sweat. Apparently DahliaHayashi have similar chemistry.

 

DRYDOWN: Nothing but funky, stinky sweat. WHYYYYYYYYY?????

 

OVERALL: Not surprisingly, this is going into the swap pile. I am very sad and disappointed in my stupid body chemistry.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 1.

[Missy_killer]

In the imp: Very strong man's cologne.

 

On me: Men's cologne that quickly sweetens up with a citrus.It's not tart enough to be a lemon, and has some bitterness to it. I'm gonna go ahead and say that it's lime. I can't smell any cinnamon at ALL, which is what I wanted most out of this, I can't even smell the black musk right now, which has a tendency to not work well with my skin chemistry.

 

It doesn't change much from the first stage. I still get limes, but it has found a new friend which is Dragon's Blood. I think that's the black musk, and there's a very weak hint of tobacco too. No cinnamon to be seen anywhere, so this will go straight to my swap pile. very disappointed.

[sunlitgarden]

I've had this in my collection for a couple years but have not worn it in a while, nor reviewed it. Pulling it out to do so now...

In the bottle: I'm definitely getting the "lemony" black musk note, combined with a sort of dusty dry cinnamon. It's very strong and tickles my nose.

On my skin, the "dusty" scent amps a lot. Kind of powdery, still strong. I'm definitely starting to get a wooden note now. It's kind of reminding me of The Harp of Cnoc I'Chosgair. I could imagine the oiled wood of his harp and it's a similar scent here. This is a lot more "tree bark" cinnamon than "candy" cinnamon.

I'm not really loving this scent now, though. It's still very strong and tending towards powdery. There's an almost bitter, greenish note to this, similar to what I attributed to the tagetes in Harp. I'm not sure all of what goes into a black musk accord.

Drying: powdery, then bitter. Eventually becoming more dusty, woody. It's fairly masculine. While not terrible, it's not really my style. I remember liking this better when fresh. I think it's heading towards Swapville...

Edited June 29, 2015 by sunlitgarden

[Ishtar]

Playful Wooden Mallets has always smelled outrageously sexy to me and it is one of my all-time favourites. However, I would only recommend it to dedicated black musk fans. It does go powdery on me, but when powder is this warm, deep and sophisticated, I happen to love it.

 

One thing is for sure, there is nothing coy about this scent - it is powerful, both in mood and throw. A little goes a very long way on my skin, although I do tend to amp black musk. The cinnamon plays a supporting role, but it does so quite beautifully, adding a welcome edge and depth to the blend.

 

Wonderfully complex and gorgeous, especially for such a (seemingly) simple blend.

[LizziesLuck]

Often really simple blends are great on me, and I love both of these notes, so I am happy to have tracked down a bottle of this.

 

Wet: Mmm, powdery (in a good way!) black musk, with slightly sweet cinnamon. I was worried the cinnamon would take over, but this is much more musk dominant, with hints of warm spice. It's really nice. Gender neutral, to my nose.

 

 

Dry: The cinnamon is really just an accent, the star of the show is a truly glorious black musk. I like this even better than Black Temple Burlesque (blasphemy! I know). This goes less powdery than most black musk, which is nice, even though I do actually enjoy the powderiness most of the time. This also doesn't have than anise note that sometimes seems to appear with black musk (or my nose thinks it does at least). This is warm, and rich, a bit spicy, a little sexy. Pure black musk love! So glad to have it.

[Teamama]

Bottle from a forum purchase. Aged to perfection!  Sweet musk & delicious cinnamon.  The musk seems like a black musk variety. It's a little bit raunchier than the majority of BPAL black musks, with a hint of an animalic edge to it. The cinnamon is airy, spicy, & gentle. No burning at all on my cheap thin skin.  It reminds me just a little of the dry spiciness of Silk Road Resurrected.  On drydown, a hint of vanilla emerges.  An exceptional blend--I'm glad I got a bottle.

[fairybites]

Lots and lots of cinnamon with a touch of musk. It reminds me of incense and a little bit of a wood note. It's alright, wishing I got more of the musk, but I don't hate the cinnamon. Will probably use this for layering.