Dracul

[84trillion]

Named in honor of Vlad III, Tepes, of the Order of the Dragon. Black musk, tobacco, fir, balsam of peru, cumin, bitter clove, crushed mint, and orange blossom.

This reminds me of incense smoking in the dark. It's very appropriate for a scent titled Dracul. I'm not sure how much wear I would get out of this on a daily basis, but I'll be keeping my imp handy for times I want to smell a bit on the evil side!

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Golden smoke.

Drydown: Glowing, resinous smoke deepened by clove and brightened by orange blossom and fir. After 10-15 minutes, the smoke becomes less resinous and more woodsy and tobacco-like. There's the vaguest impression of evil that I think must be the cumin. Towards the end of the first hour, a minty freshness comes out to play.

Dry: Cool, earthy, and fuzzy. Minty fir/balsam softened by musk and generously spiced with tobacco. It alternates between being cool woods-dominant and spicy tobacco-dominant with each sniff. Enticing, sexy, and fresh with just a hint of danger. A winner.

I've had my eye on this one for a while and I'm happy to report that it did not disappoint! It reminds me of The Night Hag Visiting the Lapland Witches (in all its earthy, Alpha glory) but Dracul is slightly lighter and gobs more attractive. I could wear this everyday.

9 out of 10 bones

[MandyCassandra]

In the imp: A lovely, multilayered tobacco-centric scent with a masculine tang, but not totally salty/testosterone-y. It's just a little sweet, and it's got a dark, quiet, ominous dignity about it. When I was in my early teens and I first became obsessed with medieval studies, I had a sort of idealized image of the Middle Ages I carried around. Dracul could fit that idealized image; musk and assertion of power, and ancient warrior traditions kept very much alive. Wow, and the Order of the Dragon was mentioned in the official description. Odd. And of course, Wallachia had only recently (one hundred years or so before Vlad) come into European Civilization proper; in his time, the traditions of the pagan Pechenegs were a recent memory, a vast, barbaric darkness lurking just around the corner in the Wallachian mindset. Somehow, that's conveyed here. I couldn't say how, but I get that from this smell.

 

Application - 5 min - There's the pine and fir, just a hint. One could easily see the forests of Wallachia...

 

10 minutes - It's beginning to sweeten, and become smoky and resonant. Again with the idealism, I'm imagining dark, torchlit corridors of castles and the musky scent of battle-worn leather. It's easy to imagine the association of this scent with the dying crusader ethic, kept alive by Vlad as the Turks loomed over the horizon. And is that a hint of...incense? Oh, yeah. Definitely incense. Or is that burning villages...?

 

My girlfriend's opinion of this on my wrist: "It's got enough neroli to be feminine, but it's right on the border. It could go either way." Incidentally, on her it smells lovely and sweet and beautiful. She makes tobacco do lovely things, where my skin amps the musk. >.>

 

20 minutes - The cumin has been there the whole time, but now some of the other notes are calming down enough for me to pick it up in a particular way. I'm reminded of a medieval noble's kitchen; lots and lots of smoke and through it all, hints of exotic, expensive spices from far away. After this, the scent begins to sweeten and fade, its dark deeds losing their sharpness as they're forgotten in the mists of time.

 

Final verdict? I don't know if I'll wear it often, but I'm definitely keeping this for the imagery it invokes for me. I love it. If someone ever offered me a bottle in trade, I'd gladly take it.

[ladymeag]

This scent morphed a bit on me and turned into something I would have never expected with the notes listed. Once I gave it a try (because someone suggested it, repeatedly and heavily) I was in love!

In the bottle: Fir! Is there even anything else in this bottle?

On me: Wet, smells like a nice, rich shaving soap - I think the mint and orange blossom are playing tricks a bit and making me think of lavender. It's not too sharp or soapy, just a little more pungent than expected. Then something wonderful happens and on dry down smells like exactly what I hoped Midnight Mass would be - it smells like High Mass at Latin Rite churches when I was growing up. The only thing is, it seems to include the men lined up on kneelers with their aftershave and hair tonic. A lovely scent, all told.

On my spouse: Wet, there's that shaving soap smell again. Where's the soap coming from? As it dries down there's wood smoke, incense, molasses cookies, and orange. Spouse says: It's like orange pekoe tea and molasses cookies by a wood fire.

[carbonatedmariticide]

in the bottle, i feel the scents mix oddly. this was a scent i got an imp of out of excitement after a recommendation, and i actually put it off for a long time due to how it smelled in the bottle. it smelled like neco wafers to me, and i really wasn't willing to put it on my skin out of fear it might keep like that.

 

wet, i find myself immediately relieved-the fir, clove, and balsam come out. woodier scent than what i expected.

 

now, a fair hour or so later, i smell the mint and orange and some of the tobacco-my fiance says it reminds her of the beach? life earlier reviews, though, i do smell a similarity to hellfire in this. very good scent! not very sexual on me, and probably not one i'll wear again until warmer weather.

[Circaea]

Got this as a frimp in a trade. I don't like men's scents, normally, and this one has a couple of deathnotes, but surprisingly, it works. The fir and tobacco that I was afraid of are softened by smoke and spice. This isn't a musky sharp manly scent. It's refined, courteous, and seductive. The main impression on drydown is woodsmoke, clove and a faint breath of conifer. I think anyone who really likes smoke will probably like this one.

[Acayde]

Bottle: Spices and oranges

 

Wet: It smells like one of those oranges that you stick cloves in. I was very surprised, it is EXACTLY that smell.

 

Dry: Hell has broken loose and ruined this for me. By hell, I mean my body chemistry. The cumin finally reared its ugly head and killed it for me. Otherwise, this scent is super warm and comforting.

[brilliantcat]

Pine and... lime? Huh. I think the mint/orange are somehow tricking my nose into thinking lime. Very cologne-y at this stage. The masculine edge softens pretty quickly and I get piney forest with a smidge of mint. Minty-fresh and less foresty. The cologne is back. While I like this, it's very masculine on me. I think I may slap this on the husbeast and see what happens

[Mokiefraggle]

Well, this is certainly not at all what I expected. Interesting, that's for sure; might be one to go in the "for the fiance" pile, though I don't think I quite dislike it on myself...

 

It smells quite a bit incense smoke--not the actual scent an incense might have, but that distinct smoke scent that's behind the scent of the incense--and I'm definitely able to pick out the cumin. The fir isn't as strong as I expected, nor is the mint or clove; I'm used to BPALs with clove having a stronger spicy quality. There's a definite depth there that I associate with tobacco, but not quite the usual sweet quality I've seen in most tobacco-laced BPALs. I could possibly wear this once in a while, but I don't know if it's quite a "me" scent. Had a feeling it was going to be a bit too masculine for that, but I had to give it a go. Definitely think it's for the fiance, though at least I do like it in general. Always good to have something I'm putting on him be something I like the smell of, too.

[gentle-twig]

This starts out all orange blossom and fir on me, with the tobacco adding a little warmth in the background. As it dries, the tobacco note becomes dominant, rounded out by the fir and balsam. There is a little spice coming from the clove and cumin, but I don't think I could have identified those notes specifically. The mint is nowhere to be scene on me, which is okay by me.

[Teipu]

Dracul starts very spicy on me, almost like pepper. I also get some smoke when it's wet.

During the dry-down I get a strong, spicy tobacco and clove which overpowers the other notes, but that fades once it is dry. In the dry stage it's still spicy tobacco but mellowed by the mint. I can even detect the fir in the throw.

When it has faded to nearly nothing (about 7 hours after intial application) it's sweetened by the orange blossom.

 

Complex, warm and less masculin than I expected. Has a sophisticated feel to it, like I need a Whisky glass in my hand when wearing this.

[Veronica]

Even after drydown, something about this stays kind of hot and red. I think it might be the mix of orange blossom, clove, and basalm. Not for me.

[Malaena]

ITP: Chemicals.

 

Drying: Early on in the drying stages it smells fairly burnt and has a lot of tobacco. In an hour it has calmed down and is now something I don't have the nose/knowledge to describe. A bit of spice, a bit of tobacco, and a whole lot of sexy. I never detect mint or orange blossom and up close to the skin a bit of that burned quality remains. After a bit more time the burned quality disappears and is replaced by fir and balsam.

 

Verdict: We have a winner. I'll wear this when I want to feel powerful, confident, and sexy!

[vthesiren]

This is SO well blended - the cumin's up front on me, but the other notes aren't washed out by it at all. For once, I'm not amping the conifer aspect! This is a sexy, spicy scent with depth that would be perfect for the fall.

[Pyretta]

Got this as a frimp with a BPTP purchase on Etsy!

 

Bottle: Like standing in the middle of a thick, dark forest. Tons of fir, mixed with musk and orange. I can sense a minty undertone as well, adding to the sharpness of the fir. I can tell it will probably pull too masculine on me, though.

 

Wet: Transforms into a sweeter orange scent as the fir fades into the background. The mint undertone is getting stronger, and I sense the tobacco coming out. Still quite masculine, though not as blatant as I'd expected.

 

Dry: This is such an enigma of a perfume! Something in between tobacco and burning wood takes up the foreground, with all the other ingredients coming together in a dark, spicy blend. The sweet orange still lingers, and I can't smell the mint as much as "feel" it tingle as I inhale. The smoky tobacco/wood dominates over time.

 

Verdict: Deeply complex and layered, this is a scent that I was very intrigued by in the imp and became more so as it dried down on my skin. I'm very glad I got to experience it as it's not something that I would seek out on my own; it's definitely too smoky and masculine for me to wear out (though maybe that'll change in the late fall/winter), so I'm just keeping the imp. I'm very curious as to how it will smell on my man, though.

[LizziesLuck]

Got this as a frimp.

 

Once dry it reminds me too much of Old Spice and brings back memories that sicken me, so I had to wash it off.

[freyasfae]

The cumin was really pushy on this scent for me. At first, the cumin and clove was strong, but then as it dried down, the fir and balsam came forward and the clove dominated the cumin, but then cumin kept coming back like a damn jack-in-the-box - like the creepy ass melody that plays as the jack-in-the-box prepares itself to shock the crap out of you EVEN though you totally know it's coming, but it still makes you jump back! That is what the cumin does to me on this scent - it lingers, menacingly, reminding me it's going to come back and make me jump, then it pops out! I can shove it back in and try to focus on the other notes, but the cumin just starts to build back up again.

 

I like cumin in my food. I do not like wearing it.

[Naomi Kelsey]

I can really smell the cloves, fir, and mint. It's a strong, astringent scent but not unpleasant. Slightly woody, smoky dry down. To my nose, a very masculine scent, so not something I would generally go for, but I like it. 3 out of 5. Like, but not enough to buy a bottle.

[Soupy Twist]

wow, this is vile. Nasty foul black musk with a wee waft of fir and balsam. My eyes were watering. I was hoping to get the other notes but I couldn't wait long enough to see if they'd show up. Given the other reviews here I was really looking forward to this, so I have no idea what my skin did to it.

[Joyleaf_]

Another favorite of mine that I have forgotten to review. Something about my skin loves black musk. On me this scent dries down to a dark incense wafting though a deep forrest. Utterly sexy, like an evil lumberjack as silly as that sounds.
I need to find all of the black musk scents apparently.

[Mermaid-on-Land]

Haha I'm a total dork. I ordered this one thinking of Nosferatu with the wine notes (I totally got my vampires mixed up Oops lol). So I was kind of intimidated to try this one. A lot of reviews mentioned it was very masculine and I wasn't sure it would work on me. But the notes sounded interesting and I still wanted to try it. Right away when applied, this smells like burning smoky incense and spice with quite a bit of the orange blossom. No pine on me at all. I get no pine notes which is surprising since so many reviews say that's the dominant note. This has fantastic throw. I really like the cumin, it adds depth to the scent. Eventually the burning note begins to go away (no, stay! Come back!) This doesn't seem WAY overly masculine on me, at least I don't think. The floral orange blossom adds sweetness and I think it's very wearable on me. It starts getting more freshness from the mint later on. No musk that I've noticed and still no pine. I wonder if tobacco is the burning note I liked. I somehow expected that to smell like cigarettes and was prepared to dislike it, as I hate the smell of cigarettes. But I liked the burning note in this. Now towards the end it's more oranges than orange blossom. I like it actually, it's quite strong on me and I feel mysterious wearing it

[roseus]

A dark and sinister scent. I get a lot of balsam, fir, and cumin wet, as well as orange blossom. It gets damp and musty in there somewhere too. The musk isn't sweet here for me. Or maybe it just is too faint to detect. The bitter clove comes out when dry, but I never get any tobacco. This is too musty and dark for me personally.

Edited August 23, 2016 by roseus

[SolarEclipse]

This was a frimp from an order made a few months ago, and from the get go it was a ride.

 

In the imp, the orange note is overpowering. It definitely had a bite from the other notes in the background, but the orange conquered all.

 

Wet, something very unusual happened. The orange and mint inside combined to make this smell like a orange toothpaste on me. Something my body chemistry amped up?

 

Within the next 30 - 45 minutes, during the drydown, the cloves and other notes ramped up, and I got wafts of a warm, masculine scent following me around, but sniffing my arms, I still got the toothpaste smell?

 

This smell is maddening.

 

The orange / mint soon fade entirely, and what remained was a heat, a spicy musk that followed me around all day, and having one of the most intense and lengthy durations, this scent is going to be a full bottle order the next time around!

[Casablanca]

Oh my. Dracul is potent. The first impression I have on my skin is the black musk and, actually, an unlisted blood orange. Orange blossom is listed, but I'm somehow smelling blood orange mingling with it, forming a bridge between the blossom and the clove. The balsam is blended well with that, too. I should smell the fir off the top, but there's little here -- I only find it because I saw it listed. The tobacco is also subtle. I don't pick out cumin at all.

This lasts a while on my skin, hardly changing at all. It's like dirty, evil orange blossom. Or at least morally conflicted orange blossom. My skin loves to boost neroli, I think. This isn't for me.

[Coldfire]

Imp: dark almost medicinal sharpness which I chalk up to the evergreens and the clove and mint are the medicinal over the orange blossom
Wet on Me: This is a dark forest in the middle of the night. a touch spooky. more mint now over the tobacco and trees
Drying Down: ahhhh there is the powdery notes of the black musk. black musk, evergreen, faint faint clove, smells dark and 'old'
Dry: I can't hate this. Smells 'old' 'ancient', dark, hypnotic, mesmerizing!