Implacable Beautiful Tyrant Hair Gloss

[EmpressPixie]

IMPLACABLE BEAUTIFUL TYRANT
When, with flame all around him aspirant,
Stood flushed, as a harp-player stands,
The implacable beautiful tyrant,
Rose-crowned, having death in his hands;
And a sound as the sound of loud water
Smote far through the flight of the fires,
And mixed with the lightning of slaughter
A thunder of lyres.

Golden amber, frankincense, white ginger, and oudh.

In honor of apparently being the first review, I unscrewed my bottle to sniff the hair gloss (which I've never done before). It smells almost like a very sweet patchouli in the bottle. It definitely sent me back to the notes saying, "is there patch in there?". I wanted this as an alternate (less sexy) hair gloss to wear to work and patch is definitely not my-office-friendly.

In my hair, it's sweet but with an almost watery quality to it. The oudh is very strong at first and there is a smokey note that I was hoping would stick around (it didn't). The ginger is definitely what's contributing to the "almost watery" quality I'm getting.

Now that my hair is drying, it's got a watery/earthy/peaty sweet quality. The biggest standout notes for me are white ginger and oudh. The frankincense is calling in support from way back in the back (it's a note that tends to disappear on me) and the amber lays out a nice sweetness to pull everything together.

It feels like a very feminine gloss, definitely more work friendly than Snake Oil (my current go-to gloss). And definitely very spring/summery -- almost floral or tropical in its sweetness. Also, work appropriate! Yay!

[stellamaris]

Hmmmm, it's mysterious. I can hardly smell this one, it's the Gaslight Hair Oil for me. Today it was sort of very Frankincense Light, which is fine, if I can't smell it, it can't possibly clash with my perfume, right?

[OctoberGwen]

I absolutely love this; it smells so quintessentially "BPAL" to me. Not too heavy, not too light, just a delightful, delicious scent for the hair. It's perfect. For those afraid of ginger: try this. It is not gingery at all; I think the ginger just serves to lift the frankincense and amber, keeping it from being too powdery or heavy. It's still a rich and deliciously resiny scent for the hair, with a nice waft. Like all the hair glosses, it creates a nice shine and tames flyaways like nobody's business.

 

I was trying to convince myself that my decant would be enough, especially since I am so devoted to my Snake Oil HG, but...I really think I need a bottle of this.

 

Ten out of ten for me. Divine.

Edited March 19, 2013 by OctoberGwen

[milo]

Lovely musk and amber, very sexy and NOT work appropriate. It reminds me of something, but I can't think of what off the top of my head. Most likely a dark blend, maybe it's Wilf it reminds me of, though more dark musk. As with most hair glosses, the smell fades when my hair becomes dry. I wonder if I need to use more, as it is still pretty fly-away. I used 7 squirts, so you'd think that'd be enough. Maybe other people can smell it on me, but I certainly can't.

[cherrycherry]

I love, love, love BPTP hair glosses and I was super excited about some limited edition scents. IBT is very earthy and very sexy and has a gorgeous incense tone to it. As always, my hair is left super-soft and smelling amazing without even a hint of residue. The scent has amazing throw and is very strong, as I like it. This is gorgeous

[kashmira]

I adore this hair gloss. The frankincense isn't too heavy, the amber smells perfectly golden and most importantly, my hair looks fabulous. Total win.

[Alethia]

This was a last minute addition to my recent Trading Post order due in no small part to some serious enabling in the BPTP forum! Boy am I glad I caved, because this is a fabulous product. First off, the formula for the gloss is perfection. It tames my frizzies, gives my hair loads of shine, and is just all around a fantastic hair product. But the smell is easily the best part of this. I get equal parts frankincense, ginger, and amber, and it makes for one sexy-smelling head of hair. It's not overpowering, but it is definitely noticeable: I had three different people (two of them men!) follow me to ask what perfume I was wearing. If you're hesitating on grabbing this, put it in your cart right now because it's just that good.

[Poenari]

Gahhhh... another lovely lovely scented hair gloss! The ginger is just there enough to brighten the incense and the amber warms it. This smells so wonderful on my hair, and the scent lingers through the next day. Because the spray top on this bottle actually mists instead of spurts (three for three on my latest order so I hope the spray tops continue to be misters) I not only applied in my usual way, combing through/detangling my damp hair, but also finished it off with a light mist over the top of my head and a little more on my dry ends. The shine is fabulous, and the finish coat of scent...

[elka_knits]

I die... seriously I die. This is heaven in a bottle. I love it love it love it. Perfection. I may have to give up trying other hair glosses for this one. Or maybe it is just that I think it will be awesome sauce come fall and winter and it is weenie stalking time so yeah ....

 

the ginger is reading as a faintly zingy fruity scent to me. The oudh is adding a wee bit of smokiness and then bam in yer face resin. Sweet sweet resin~~ those little nuggets of golden olfactory bliss.

 

I need another bottle.... why 6 months shelf life? Is that once it is opened? How can I hoard it if I have to throw it away in 6 months? Oh no....

 

wibbles

[brilliantcat]

Swapped for a decant of this and omg I opened the spray bottle to sniff it and almost swooned it smelled so good! Beautifully resiny, smoky, spicy. I usually apply hair gloss to my hair by spraying in my hands and smoothing over dry hair, so what was left on my hands got brushed all over my arms and the most delightful scent is wafting up as I move. It's so very light because this is HG not a perfume oil... and boy how I wish there was a blend that smelled like this! As have all the glosses I've tried thus far, my dry, frizzy, winter hair is sucking these up and actually glowing. One of these days I'll try one on wet hair, I usually don't bother blow-drying my hair so I skip it and just apply when it's air-dried.

[Amoraexcena]

This is perhaps my favorite scent since Antique Lace. It's a gorgeous sweet resin-centered blend, with oudh adding depth while ginger gives it a slightly airy top note. In its golden feel it reminds me of Haloes, Morocco, and Lyonesse. The throw works a lot like Haloes too. It doesn't really smother you in scent like some BPALs do, but more of a wafter - you won't smell it all the time (and thus desensitizing you), but will waft when you move. I only used 2 squirts though, so if you wanted to be enveloped in this, I'm sure you could use more.

 

Brilliant, 10/10. A must-try for anyone who likes sweet amber. I got a bunch of Silkybat as well this order, and I had overinflated expectations for that one and IBT. The former was nice and I'll definitely use my bottle, but IBT exceeded my high expectations. THANK-YOU PUDDIN' for making this a GC, because I'm sure I'll get one with every post order from now on.

[Viridian]

So glad this is sticking around! I sniffed a bottle at Dragon Con and immediately ordered some upon returning home. To me it's just a lovely sweet amber with a little spicy freshness from the ginger. It's subtle - like my hair just smells "good" without smelling like something identifiable. I can't imagine it clashing with anything.

[Lucide]

This is my first HG ever and I really like it. At first, smelling the gloss directly from the bottle, it was very strong. I could smell the warm, slightly smokey 'golden' scent and found it a bit overwhelming. In my hair, it is totally different though; a very subtle and nice smell.

 

For the best effect on my thin hair that is on my shoulders, I put 2/3 in my hand and run it through my damp, just showered hair. When I apply it directly it makes my hair too greasy. And It really makes my hair super smooth and shiny! No frizzy hair for me this winter!

[Teaotter]

How have I never reviewed this? Luscious warm resins, a hint of spice, grounded by the oudh. It doesn't throw the scent very far, but I can smell it on me for hours, which is exactly what I want -- my own personal cloud of amazingness. I am so glad this is GC, because I want to smell like this for the rest of my life. *hearts*

[zankoku_zen]

Touch of ginger, warm resins, and a oudh. In general, I find it a heavier scent than say Dorian, without being in your face sexy like Black Clove Tobacco, which I also adore.

 

I would put this down as sophisticated salon hair. Warm, sexy, fun.

[Balame]

HNNNGH

 

Thank you so much, MuskWitch, for frimping me a super generous sample of Beautiful Tyrant. It is SEX IN A BOTTLE.

 

I can't say I've smelled such an unapologetically sexy BPTP blend since Nefarious Plan or Red Lantern.

Don't know why I didn't hunt this down sooner. Probably because of the ginger, which I was worried would smell like Red Hots.

Oudh is also a little iffy because while I generally like it, sometimes it smells like ash and weird fruit.

 

Well not here! When I first huffed this it made me think of some upscale commercial blend, but not in a bad way.

It's like something a new-age Russian tzarina would wear - it smells expensive and evokes nobility to me, but there's an earthiness that keeps it from being too foofy.

While I love amber and frank I really can't find any note by itself. This is blended beautifully.

 

It's warm and sweet, slightly resinous, but bright. I might even say there's a bit of a metallic bite in it, most likely thanks to the ginger I was concerned about.

There is indeed a bit of fruitiness as well, but it's like honeyed fruit? Then there's a fresh peaty background, as others have noted.

 

Basically, it's got a heck of a lot going for it and if you're on the fence you must give it a shot! It's fierce and gorgeous.

Edited December 23, 2014 by Balame

[LiberAmoris]

I'm nearing the end of my bottle of Implacable Beautiful Tyrant, and can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet! It's absolutely beautiful. A scent that I would happily also buy in perfume oil form—the frankincense and white ginger here seem to meld to create some kind of supernote that's just stunning with the amber and oude. Lovely on its own, or great with Snake Oil, Morocco, Lyonesse, or any amber or ambergris blend that I have on tap.

 

This leans in the sexy direction, but I wear it to work all the time where I regularly receive compliments on it.

[blacksambuca]

This stuff is goooooooorgeous. It's warm, soft, subtly sweet... I agree with what others have said, it definitely has that quality of smelling "expensive". Also, it lasts and lasts, at least for me. I use a fair amount of it (5-6 sprays) because I have thick hair and I'm a slatherer anyway, and I'm surrounded by a wonderful cloud of loveliness all day! Often I can still smell it the next day. I love when I tie my hair up to eat lunch because I forget how good I smell, then when I take my hair down again I just get enveloped in a beautiful whooooosh of scent. I wear different BPALs/BPTPs every day but I definitely get the most compliments by far when I'm wearing this hair gloss.

[xeia]

Least helpful review ever: I love this and I want to smell like this forever and it's awesome. I can't pick out a particular note, the blend is sweet and warm and somehow delicious without being foody. Probably the most helpful part of today's test was my husband's opinion. He said things that I initially had a hard time understanding about how this one didn't smell "sharp" or "burny," but I think what he meant was that it already smells like it's dried down to a blended awesomeness, and I totally agree. I'm off to try to find a complimentary perfume! (And so grateful I fell for a GC!)

[SpookyBunny]

All I can say is.. woah. This stuff! All of the notes combine to make a seamless, (to my nose) airy honeyed patchouli scent.

 

A couple of spritzes is definitely enough, this one mists and I didn't realize how much I was putting into my hair. Too much is acrid up close, but generates a cloud of warm-baked-cookie, enclosing syrupy femininity. It's an 'I don't know what I'm smelling but it's so good I can't stand it' goodness. Familiar, luscious and womanly.

Edited December 3, 2015 by SpookyBunny

[Ishtar]

I am with stellamaris on this - I can hardly smell it, alas.

 

In the bottle, it is an unusual combination of airy, dry and cloying that is a bit offputting. As I apply it to my hair, I can tell it starts blooming to something else - there is an appealing dry leaves / smokiness autumnal theme going on here... and then - poof! It's gone. Oh well.

[LizziesLuck]

This was a no-brainer for me - ginger, amber etc - of course I was eventually going to add this to my collection! It just took me forever to get it, because there were always so many shiny LE things taking my attention.

But I finally got around to getting it. Even then - took me forever to test it! I was just so sure I would love it, I almost thought why bother, I will just put it in the drawer and wear it. But then I thought, well what exactly will I wear it with...guess I had best test it. So I sprayed some on my shirt. What happened next is totally inexplicable.

You see, it started to smell really familiar! Like, so familiar, but not like a BPAL or any other fragrance I had tried. Something from my childhood. I closed my eyes for a while and sniffed and sniffed and finally figured it out:

 

 

It smells like her. The weird Blueberry Muffin doll I had in the 1980's. Which didn't smell like blueberries, btw, and neither does this. But I swear, that's what it smells like to me, that creepy doll, and now it's ruined and I can't wear it, because I have zero desire to smell like that doll. She seriously freaked me out....

Edited June 7, 2016 by LizziesLuck

[Greenwoodtree]

Testing things I dont wear...

 

In the bottle its very sweet - the amber sticks out as the main note. Sprayed in my hair it went from a dirty kind of sweaty note to a white ginger predominance. It is kind of bright and clean. Although it's nice, I dont see myself using this one.

Edited December 19, 2016 by Greenwoodtree

[theseagrows]

i tried this on my hair first, not on skin. i definitely smell the amber and oudh as the strongest elements with hints of ginger. this is such a pretty HG. i love it even more than i thought i would. bpal seems to have different oudhs, from my limited experience. this one is fairly soft and reminiscent of the one in the first love fades too atmo spray. the overall effect is a cloud of amber with some oudh. so pretty.

[Casablanca]

This is my go-to when I want an oriental HG.

 

On my hair, this is mostly golden-ambery frankincense. It's so golden that I sometimes think I'm getting a wisp of champaca, too. I also get a hint of ginger, but no oudh.

 

Goes nicely with House of Unquenchable Fire atmo and lots of oriental perfumes.