Jareth

[captnklaus]

Ethereal lilac fougere and gleaming leather with ti leaf, tonka absolute, white musk, and oudh.

 

My first thought when trying this one was damn, this is Dorian with Leather and Glam!

That said, I LOVE this! I passed on trying this for a while because the word 'lilac' scared me away and for a short time I had the misconception that leather was powdery on me (but thankfully it is not), but I got a sample of Jareth at NYCC and decided to give it a try. And then proceeded to punch myself in the face for waiting so long to try this.

There is a bit of sweetness in here from the tonka, a slight bit of oud and white musk, and a whole lot of LEATHER. Sexy black leather. It's not at all a dark scent though; it makes me think of a white light shining behind a darkened figure sauntering towards you, and you can almost hear the sound of his leather pants and the click-click of the heels of his shoes getting louder as he gets closer. There might also be a smoke machine and a fan blowing his hair back.

In other words, this is Awesome.

Now I just need to decide if I want a bottle of Jareth, or his sweeter and less leather-clad 'brother' Dorian.



Or just get both. Both is good.

[crebbsgirl]

White musk is a standout here. I was a little concerned about the leather, but it's very understated on my skin, and doesn't amp to screeching chemically grossness like most leather notes can. It does smell remarkably like Dorian on me, with just a hint of something else. Leather, maybe, but I think on my skin it's a little more floral than Dorian. This leans a little cooler on me than Dorian does. I quite like this. In fact, I think it suits me better than Dorian.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Whoa! This really does smell like Dorian. It’s much sweeter and creamier than I was expecting.

 

Drydown: There’s definitely some tea mixed with plenty of sweet, creamy tonka. A hint of pale, ethereal notes - probably the white musk and lilac fougere. The sweetness is beginning to tone down at this point. Overall it’s airy and creamy and shimmery.

 

Dry: A spec of leather adds a pleasantly grounding warmth to this otherwise floaty and iridescent blend. Tonka and white musk dominate, with bright ti leaf close behind. The lilac doesn’t stand out on its own, but as part of the fougere it does lend the impression of a pale purple swirl weaving through the opal and pearl tones of the other notes. It's rather glam indeed.

 

 

 

To me, Jareth smells like a cross between Dorian, Casanova, and Snow White, perhaps with a dash of Lady Amalthea in there too. If you like any of those, chances are you’ll like Jareth too.

 

7 out of 10 bones

Edited October 3, 2013 by BoneBone24

[Octopuddle]

I've got a soft-sweet thing happening with my skin by default, so this is feminine enough that I'll wear it, even though I would never typically consider wearing a anything even remotely masculine. I read the reviews around here before making a leap and buying a full bottle- my first from BPAL, actually. The reviews scared me a little, because I have a habit of turning most fragrances into these cloying white musk-meets-synthetic-vanilla smells. Turns out it's great- best scent I've received so far. (I have something like 6 or 7 imps.)

 

Big leather note right at the top, fine by me though, since I love a bit of leather smell. As it dries, the tonka bean in this fragrance takes over (tonka adores my skin, turning into a light coffee/vanilla note) and mixes beautifully with the leather. Funny,I barely get any lilac in this, even in the end, and I cannot smell the oudh at all on my skin- it's a huge punch in the snout in-bottle, though. Lovely, and though I'm a cutesy girly girl, this makes me feel sexy- like a femme fatale. It's a soft scent on me, without any of the synthetic nose burn I've been experiencing with my imps.

 

Oh, and it would smell great on a guy. Probably quite a bit harder than it smells on me. Probably extremely sexy.

[Eemia]

My boyfriend ordered this for himself but too bad for him because it smells amazing on me too. I kept stealing it so much that the next order we placed he had to add another bottle of this in along with everything else. I get all the comparisons to Dorian and I definitely smell that too, but actually it reminds me so much of His Station and Four Aces (from the Dogs Playing Poker series), one of my top ten all time favorites. This has a touch more sweetness but other than that they're very close on my skin with the lilac fougere and leather combo. The fougere is always very distinct on me, screaming Dorian! and Villain! and all things favorite. I had no idea what a fougere was until bpal and now I can't imagine not smelling it. Here it's sexy and masculine and sort of clean with that beautiful lilac note. It's perfect with the sleekness of the leather, which is strongest at the beginning and gives way to the fougere and general sweetness towards the end. But even on drydown I can still find some leather peeking through. There's some type of smoky tone that underscores everything, which I can only smell on myself. On my boyfriend it's more leather dominant.

 

Gorgeous scent.

[LateOne]

Got this as an imp at Dragon*Con. Who doesn't want to smell like Bowie?

 

Wet/in bottle: Lilac and musk.

Drydown: Becomes muskier and a bit leathery over time, but with the same flowery sweetness.

Dry: A very musky leather with a bit of spice.

 

Damn. DAMN! This is excellent. A good cologne for men, but this would also smell great on a woman. Highly recommended for anyone/everyone! It's definitely on my bottle list!

[Beckiemort]

WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO TRY THIS?????? I love David Bowie, I love Labyrinth and I love Dorian and leather -WTF was I thinking? I know I was worried about the lilac, but no need to fear, this is beautiful.

 

In the bottle: I totally understand the Dorian's big brother comparisons. I get mostly the floral boquet, but it's definitely not lilac-y it almost feels lavender like. There's a little sweetness here as well as musk and leather. Swoon.

 

Wet: It's the same as in the bottle. The leather begins to emerge a bit along with the musk. Tonka normally does really weird things on my skin, but thankfully is behaving just like vanilla.

 

Dry down: This is gorgeous. It's what I wanted Crowley to be on my skin. It's a little sweet, musky and leathery with a hint of men's cologne almost like 'his' scent rubbed off and mingled with my perfume. It makes me feel a little naughty in the best way and adds a little sass to my attitude. It's beautiful. Don't fear the lilac (or the tonka if it usually smells terrible on you).

[Magycmyste]

Ooh, looking forward to this.... mmmmm.....Jareth......

 

In the bottle: Something sweet and tempting, with an edge of floral and leather. I can definitely smell the similarity to Dorian, but that's such a small part of this smell, though enticing, like a sugar cookie with that creamy, melt-in-your-mouth sort of frosting...

 

Wet on skin: The sweetness is still there, but I'm getting the leather, and something almost incensey, even more. Is that the oudh? I think it might be. The lilac and ti leaf blend together beautifully into a pleasant sour note (sounds a bit more oxymoronic, doesn't it?)

 

Dried down: About the same as before, although the leather has faded to a bit of a back note. I'm still not really familiar enough with tonka to be able to place it in this scent,if I can smell it.

 

Throw: The throw is sweet vanilla sugar cookie, while sniffing my wrists gives me the incense, lilac and ti. The throw is decent and enjoyable.

 

Verdict: ***** Oh, I am SO glad I snagged a bottle of this. I'm going to have to keep getting it, too. I like it well enough on me, but I am so tempted to see if I can get my SO to try it (he doesn't really wear cologne at all, but I didn't really wear perfume before discovering bpal either. It was hard enough to get him to try Wilde, but he seemed to like it once he did try it. ::shrugs:: well, whether he'll wear it or not, I'll happily keep the bottle.

[Missy_killer]

I finally got to try this and I'm sooooo excited!!

 

 

To my nose: Oh, this smells very nice. I smell leather, a pretty new and unworn one, but not sharp at all and some lavender, the awesome sweet and fuzzy one that I really like! And then my nose tells me there's a sparkling-quality to the scent. Like a champagne or something similar. It doesn't smell cologne-y or typically manly either. Just a very gorgeous mix!

 

On me: This is just as good as I wanted it to be, wow! Usually when I feel incredibly hyped by scents it will turn out that they don't smell as good on me as they do in my head. This is just spot on! I can definitely see the link that people draw to Dorian, but this is, IMO so much better. Dorian doesn't really work on me, it's a little too sweet and sometimes I think it smells like dill, and I do not want to smell like dill. But Jareth..mmmmhhh.. The same almost sparkling scent of leather and lavender as in the decant with just a touch of a wonderful vanilla sweetening it up, I just want to snuggle up next to it and nuzzle my face in it's chest.

 

It's going strong for a few hours, then while it's dying I see a little bit of lilacs finally showing their faces and some tonka too.

I really like Jareth and I'm so happy I got to try it! Might want to get a bottle of this one!

[Aviatrix]

I was frimped this by a very nice forumite, and as I love Labyrinth and David Bowie, I of course had to try it!

 

 

This is perfect!

 

I can definitely see the comparison to Dorian. This is light and gleaming, not unlike a good earl grey blend. It also reminds me quite a bit of the Carnaval Diabolique blend Theodosius the Legerdemain, which I also adore. It has a similar feel to it , I think.

The leather is dominant, and is smooth and a bit smoky. It's a very sexy blend, and one that works very well as unisex, in my opinion. I would love to try it on a guy, but I also absolutely love it on myself.

 

Overall, a very fitting blend for the sexy Jareth, and a blend that really lived up to my high expectations. I will probably get a bottle at some point, but until then I will be happily hoarding my imp!

[bellumed]

I wouldn’t normally think “masculine lilac,” but yes, it is. Mmm leather and musk and oudh. It’s not bad at all on me, but I want to smell this on a dude! *happy sigh* It’s not a traditional heavy cologne male scent—there’s a distinct sweetness and softness that replaces the fougere when it settles down—but nonetheless it’s clearly masculine and it is nice.

[cemeterypolka]

In the bottle: Lemon sugar and sex. This smells like Dorian!

 

Wet, on skin: The sugary aspect fades immediately. This turns into that scent I love in aged Severin, that dry and subtle bergamot-leather-musky smell that I find incredibly sexy, only with the medicinal, almost band-aid like smell of the oud as the base, which adds a bit of masculinity. This is stunning.

 

Dry, on skin: This becomes a powdery version of its former self, which is still amazing. I need to buy many, many bottles of this. This lives up to its character inspiration, which is really saying something!

Edited August 31, 2014 by cemeterypolka

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Leather and black tea!

 

Wet on my skin: Leather, tea, and creamy sugar. I like this already. Mmmmm.

 

Dry: I bought a whole bottle without even trying it, because the notes are all things that my skin loves as much as I do. I may or may not also have had an infatuation with Jareth when I was younger. Ahem. This lived up to all of my expectations and then some! I actually tried this before Dorian, despite writing that review first, and it's definitely similar. Black tea and vanilla sugar cookies, with a waft of lilac and pale musk...and leather. Mmm, the leather is amazing. It smells like my well-loved black leather jacket. What I assume is oudh also gives this a slightly sharper quality than the soft and pretty Dorian, which to me gives it a sense of being...dangerous, somehow.

 

Instead of a refined Victorian gentleman drinking tea and eating sweet biscuits while reading a naughty romance novel, this is a leather-clad power metal singer doing the same. With a bouquet of lilacs in the next room. This scent is absolutely gorgeous, and I foresee more bottles in my future. It's definitely in my Top 5 BPAL scents so far.

[SleeplessSky]

Having never smelled Dorian, and having been a large fan of Labyrinth for a few years, Jareth was my first BPAL purchase. I really enjoy this scent.

 

Straight in the bottle, I get a lot more of the pale musk, leather and a little of the lilac. Everything is a little more concentrated, and smells more masculine in the bottle.

 

Wet on my skin: Leather, tea, and lilac. The musk softens to become more feminine on my skin.

 

Dry: The musk starts to waft back in and balance out the lilac, but not in an overpowering way. Once I let this one air out a bit, I was extremely surprised to find my mum even liked the smell! It has just a little kick that I assume might be the oudh - like DiesMali stated, it gives it a nice rounded effect. This has a nice "throw" - it doesn't fill a room, but it doesn't sink into your skin and disappear, either. It hits that perfect area where the smell will make people want to come closer. I actually try to not use this one too much as I don't want to get too used to the smell and lose the sensation of having this glorious scent waft from my skin. (I also want the bottle to last!)

[vanilla323]

I wasn't sure this scent would be a winner for me but I love Jareth so I had to try it. Love that he is on the label too! :love:

 

In the bottle: didn't smell much sadly maybe a little tonka and tea

 

Wet: the leather came out more but it was a soft light leather. Reminded me more of suede. The fougere is there and it is lovely. It comes off and a light tea scent. The oudh and musk is there too...

 

Drydown: sadly this is when the musk and oudh mess things up for me. They get kinda powdery and take away any sweetness that there was earlier in the scent. It's all very light though too. I thought this scent would be much stronger and masculine. I actually really wanted it to be. But it's light, leathery, and powdery. It's nice but not a total win. Sorry Jareth we cannot stay together lol

[SimplySyra]

On me, Jareth is the softest, most understated leather I've ever worn. This is slick black clean leather just as he wears in the movie. Not worn, dusty, or brown. It has a very smooth, airy almost smokey feel. It's not at all heavy and comes off as almost even ethereal which until now I didn't think was possible for a leather.

 

The fougere is present as a gentle undercurrent. As many have already said, this fougere is reminiscent of the one in Dorian but softer and gentler. Just at the edges hovers a faint powdery sweetness that must be the tonka mingling with the oudh and/or musk.

 

The leather really is the star, though, and the most dominant note. Everything else is just a support.

[vthesiren]

First of all: this is SUCH a fitting scent for Jareth. It's very glamorous and almost effervescent in feel. Whoever can pull this off should definitely have glitterbombs exploding upon their arrival.

 

Unfortunately, that someone is not me.

 

There's something in this that reads as juniper to my nose that really reminds me of Golden Priapus. I was hoping this would fulfill my wishes as a less-sweet Dorian, but alas, the vanilla/tonka turns rich and cloying on my skin in exactly the same way. The leather note is VERY nice, but doesn't do enough to ground it. There's another note that punches me between the eyes - the white musk/ti leaf combo, maybe? I've tried this three times now in the hopes it would improve, with no luck - I'm going to have to pass this along.

[Aviatrix]

Have I really never reviewed this before? Well, time to make up for that, then!

 

I love Jareth.

The fougere is similar to Dorian (I am not really getting the lilac), but as others have mentioned, this is a little more badass Dorian, because the leather is quite strong as well. It is a gleaming kind of delicious new leather, not dusty or worn in, but not too overwhelming either, like leather can sometimes be. It all blends together very beautifully. There is a sweetness that could be either the tonka or the oud as well.

 

Although the overall concept is rather masculine, I would say that women with a certain attitude could definitely pull it off as well. If you like Dorian, you will probably like this too, but it is a less sweet kind of Dorian for sure.

 

It fits the character very well, I must say! It feels glamorous and sexy, but refined and elegant and badass at the same time.

I am glad I finally got around to getting a bottle of it!

[kakiphony]

Like so many of the reviewers before me, I find myself asking: How did I wait so long to try this? I think the lilac and musk scared me. Florals tend to make me sneeze and a lot of musks go old man... But not this one!

 

In the decant: Complex, perfumey, sweet and herbal, with a little of something dry in the background that might be the leather..

 

Wet on skin: A little musk and a lot of leather, but somehow also this reads as very herbal to my nose (this could be the ti leaf). The lilac is there I think, but is NOT a sweet blossom scent if that makes any sense...

 

Early dry down (about 20 minutes): As this fades on me the throw gets closer to the skin and the scent becomes more blended and complex. It is hard to pick out individual notes, but I smell good. It's more feminine that I imagined, and it has grown sweeter with a bit of really dry leather in the background that makes it almost powdery (or sueded).

 

Late dry down (a couple of hours): This is a very light scent and quite traditionally feminine on me. The lilac never did come on too strong -- it reminds me of blossoms that were left in a vase to dry out and crumble. It's the top note, riding on a base of powdery leather and quite sweet skin musk. Overall, the impress I am getting is of a sweet, subtle floral and herbal blend that soaked into the collar of a suede blazer years ago, and that you can still smell when you hold it up to your nose and sniff.

 

This is pearls worn with gray suede. I think I love it.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Very much cologne. Really nice, spicy cologne. It's growing sweeter and less masculine though. It reminds me of something (from LUSH I think) that I can't put my finger on. It's a bit peppery.

So, I had to go back and look at the listed notes - because I have no clue what the heck I'm smelling here. The base could be Tonka, but where is this sweet spicy pepperiness coming from?? I'm not getting any lilac. I seriously have no clue what I'm smelling, I guess that's how well it's blended! I can't pick out any notes, none at all. It's sweet. And really nice. Sort of clean. A mix of warm and cold notes.

 

 

Dry: I think this is oudh that I'm smelling. I've never really been able to pick it out before. But this is rich, woody, a little spicy. It smells like really expensive men's cologne. Very nice. Clean. I would like this on a man very much, but I don't think I can wear it myself.

[Pyretta]

Bought this in honor of David Bowie - it took forever for the Lab to restock but it finally came today and I'm so, so happy!!

 

Bottle: I can definitely see where all the Dorian comparisons are coming from! Jareth has a similar sweet fougere going on, except his is less lemony and more floral. I'm getting a citrus note, though - almost orange - which is strange because there is nothing of the sort listed.

 

Wet: This is so, so gorgeous - definitely more complex than Dorian but with all the foundations I love right there. The sugary vanilla is exactly the same and I'm loving it. Jareth smells sweet, sexy, and androgynous in his balance between a sharper fougere and the lilac/citrus note, which is stronger than it was in the bottle. I'm starting to get a hint of musk and leather in there too.

 

Dry: At this point I'm compulsively huffing my wrist every few minutes. It's that damn good. This is one scent that I'm really glad hasn't morphed on me much past the wet stage (if I inhale deeply the leather really comes out, it's delicious and very sexy!!). It's layering at its absolute finest: all at once, I get fresh men's cologne and that gorgeous lilac fougere on top, sweet vanilla throughout and that deliciously naughty, musky leather to ground it all.

 

Verdict: Sooo worth the wait! It's shocking - I really think I love this more than Dorian... or at least it perfectly fits the bill when I'm craving a little more complexity. A scent that seriously holds up to its inspiration, it absolutely oozes androgynous sex appeal. I can't wait to let my boyfriend try it out, but something tells me that I'll have to keep my eye on it!! A million thanks to the Lab

[SongOfStark]

So I've clung onto my bottle for a couple years, and now that I've finally joined the BPAL community, I figured I'd throw in my two cents.

 

Like the man himself, this scent only gets better with age. It was a blind buy with almost ZERO knowledge about perfume other than, "This is Labyrinth based. It's Jareth. It has leather and white musk. SOLD." and I will never regret it!!!! I've yet to actually smell Dorian so I can't confirm/deny the similarities, so here's my review:

 

In the bottle: Leather! Black leather! Think biker jacket, brand new, never exposed to a smoky bar but instead worn fashionably on the streets. Mmmm.

 

Wet: Still leather. But softer. Starting to sweeten up.

 

Dry: The leather eventually gives way and a beautiful mix of well blended notes come out. I don't ever actually pick the lilac up on my skin, but the white musk comes out and it becomes fairly sweet, maybe with a touch of vanilla?, without being a food-like or flower-y sweet. There's also a hint of spiciness that pops out as well. Hmmm it is fairly hard to describe... Either way it's an extremely well blended mix and even if I were a pro at picking out individual notes (I'm not by any means, haha), I still think it would be hard to find them!

 

I'd also like to note that the lasting power of this scent is INCREDIBLE. I've woken up once after not showering that night and could still smell it on my wrists. It's very vaguely there and consists mostly of a vanilla-y note, but oh man. Mmmm.

 

Overall I'd definitely say it's a unisex note that just vaguely leans towards a more masculine side. The dry down, however, morphs to you. It definitely becomes less "masculine" as I go throughout the day!

[PrinceofcatS]

I'm discovering that everything is much sweeter and amps the feminine notes on my throat than on my wrists. Huh.

 

So, because it's a fougere which means Too Masc 4 Me generally, I never had any intention of purchasing Jareth. But I went to Gothic Renaissance in NYC today, and I really wanted to get something, just to have it to remember this trip to NYC by. Imagine the fortune of this store showing up just a couple days before me!! (I'm in rural Western New York, there's not a lot going on.) They didn't have any GC things I already had on my big bottle list, though I smelled Titania which was prettier than I thought it would be, and sadly none of the Lupercalias they had were the ones I wanted, and the only unimpables they had that I noticed were this and Fairy Bites (which I ordered recently).

 

I've owned Dorian in the past in an imp, but as sweet as the sugary vanilla tea of it is, it's always seemed too masculine for me. I feel like maybe that's in part because when you expect a sugary sweet tea, you expect it to be sugary and sweet, not cologne-y. Somehow Jareth feels more solidly unisex than Dorian ever did, I don't know; maybe I'd like Dorian better now were I to try it again. In any case, this did remind me of Dorian right off the bat. If you've never tried that, picture an almost ambery warm scent with a sharp, almost citrus note and strong tonka (which is a lot like vanilla, but woodier). Fougeres generally also have lavender, but in Jareth this seems to blend with the lilac.

 

This reminded me of the gorgeous golden chypre in Fairytales and Lies, which was one of my favorites of the Crimson Peak collection; chypres and fougeres both generally have citrus and oakmoss in them, so that could account for that. F&L also has lilac in it, so I think that's the other connection.

 

The leather, white musk and oudh notes are so light in this one, they all sort of blend into a sort of "clean" white scent with tonka dominating the blend.

 

I can't explain it, because I didn't get much on my wrists earlier, so I didn't really get the exact notes I was smelling, but from wearing this at the base of my ears today I kept getting hints of this. It's gleaming all right, strong-willed enough to not quite be sweet in spite of the vanillic tonka being the main note, but pretty and so, so enticing.

 

I can definitely see why this would work fantastically on a man, who might, for all I know, amp the oakmoss, leather and oudh more than I do or something, but on me this is so well-blended it's almost more of a feeling than a specific series of notes. For lack of better description, it smells like lilac-colored smoke. I'm generally better at describing perfume than this, but this one eludes me.

 

Now I wish I hadn't given my imp of Dorian to my little brother for Christmas!

[Lambent]

I really like BPAL's fougeres. I like Jareth, as well, and all the notes in it sound so amazing, but I find that the scent has a feeble throw and longevity (most likely my skin is to blame). I can hardly smell the perfume after the first hour. But from what I can smell, it does remind me of Dorian without the sugared lemon tea aspect. I hope Jareth's strength improves with age. In its current state, it's likable, but greatly underwhelming.

[ziggystardust13]

I second what Kris said above. I apparently love the lab's fougeres! And I love it in Jareth.

 

At first sniff, I got Dorian all the way. I think Dorian is wonderful, but wasn't expecting it to smell so similar! But as the oil dries on my skin, Jareth comes out to do his magic dance...

The leather and oud come to the forefront, while Dorian's fougere lend the notes an ethereal quality. The leather I'm getting is not strong or black, but more of a soft brown or suede. This is definitely gender neutral.

 

This is THE scent of Jareth! Love it