Dracul

[RainyDayGrey]

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.

In the bottle: I wasn't overly impressed. It smelled alot like generic mens colonge to me. I was pretty sure I smelled musk, but I couldn't remember the specific notes when I sniffed it and first put it on.

Wet: And this is where I fell head over heals for Dracul. When I first smelled it on my wrist I about fell over, it sure as hell didn't smell like generic mens colonge any more. It smelled piney, but I could tell it wasn't pine, it wasn't nearly as strong as that. A more mellow evergreeny type scent, with a faint hint of spice. It reminded me alot of Black forest actually.

Drydown: I thought the first few sniffs were good, this stuff just kept getting better. the balsam and fir (it smelled so good that once I got it slathered on I had to run right out and check the notes) remain the top notes, with the clove, cumin, tabacco and musk, mingling in the back ground. I didn't get any mint or anything floral, but that is just fine by me. The scent didn't change much, it just kind of mellowed out. It's pretty strong and long lasting too. If you like spicy foresty scents, get some, now.

Overall: I could kiss the labbie that packed my last order. Seriously, this wasn't even on my wish list, I probably never would have tried it (or at the very least it would have taken me a long damn time to get around to ordering some), but now it's one of my favorites. I imagine it would smell fab on my husband as well, but I'm stingy and am not about to share any of my precious imp. Maybe when I get a bottle.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Musky pine.

 

Preconceived notions: Another "could be good, could be bad" scent. Black musk usually ruins any blend it touches, but the tobacco, clove, mint and orange blossom sound promising.

 

In the imp: Fir and mint.

 

On skin, wet: This reeks of fir, mint and tobacco, and it's a weird combination. Oddly, I get no musk yet.

 

On skin, dry: Dark, musky, minty. The tobacco's all but gone, and if I sniff and sniff, I catch a hint of orange blossom. Very strong and dark, not not at all bad, but very dark and heavy.

 

Conclusion: Way too strong on the dark musk and fir to ever want to wear this as a perfume. It might be interesting on a boy, though.

Edited June 20, 2006 by Aredhel

[feline.by.design]

Oh, now this is interesting.

 

On the skin at first it seems like the black musk, or some other dark element, is mixed with some sort of lemon balm. Is that the balsam of peru, or am I smelling the orange blossom?

 

The fragrance immediately morphs into a sort of dark scent mingled with the brightness of, what I at first thought was eucalyptus, but now that I see the list of ingredients, it must be the fir and mint mixed together.

 

Within two minutes, there's another metamorphasis on my skin. Dracul then brings out its tobacco note, coupled with the cumin and some residual orange blossom. It's very dark and mysterious. The musk makes a good background scent.

 

This would probably smell amazing on a man, however it's hard for me to wean my little darlin' off of Calvin Klein's Eternity (bleh!). So, for those of you who lean towards masculine scents, like I do, give Dracul a go.

 

Dracul is dark, but not too dark. It's like being in a forest in Transylvania, with the leaves dense and thick save for a few shafts of light bursting through. I find the fragrance incredibly appealing, although I could see how some might criticize it for being "medicinal."

 

For me, though, the imp of Dracul from the Lab has found a home with me, though if I get a bigger bottle, I'll pass it along to someone else who might find it appealing.

 

-doreen

[Diana]

This one has piqued my interest for a while, and has been on my "to try" list for some time. I finally gave in & bought a 5ml off of a forumite. =)

 

Wet/in the bottle: it is strong pine smell. Reminds me a bit of Loup Garou minus the eucalyptus, or Skadi times 10. I can kind of pick out the astringent note of orange blossom too.

 

Wearing: the pine softens incredibly, as does the orange blossom. It starts to smell of oranges a bit, rather than orange blossom. It starts to take on a woody scent rather than evergreen. There is a barely faint minimal trace of mint, but I have to really inhale deep & think to look for it to even get a hint of it. I'm not detecting much of the clove at all, nor the cumin. I think there is a basenote of the musk, which is quite nice. I musk!

 

Overall, this is a lot softer than I expected. I really really like this! Then again, I'm a sucker for traditionally masculine scents.

[coulrophobe]

I admit it... it probably would have been a long time until I got around to giving ol' Vlad a whirl, had I not received him in a large imp lot I purchased. But despite my misgivings (mainly the fir - that's what ruined Samhain for me), I gave it a try.

 

Preconceived notions: Masculine; likely to be heavy and woodsy (in the coniferous way, not the lovely dry wood way)

 

In bottle: Sharp, astringent, and herbal/fir green

 

Wet: Sweeter than I anticipated (I can smell the orange blossom) and not too heavy on the fir - dark/heavy, yes, but much more perfumey than I thought it would be.

 

Drydown: The woodsy notes don't completely die, but at least they linger in the background. The tobacco, clove and orange blossom come to the forefront, and the result is a very interesting earthy/spicey/sweet scent, with a hint of warm musk.

 

I like Dracul MUCH better than I would have imagined. Maybe not enough for a 5 ML, but this one definitely reinforced my notion that I need to try every blend that happens to cross my path, no matter what my preconceived notions are.

 

Interestingly... I never smelled the mint at all. Weird thing, chemistry.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Strong! Green! I definitely smell that fir!

 

On me:

This is pretty damn sexy. I'm already really diggin this scent. It is very masculine, and oh so nice. I smelled the fir quite strongly in the vial, but on me that fir is way way in the background. This is musky, warm, with clove creeping in around the corners and mint seeping through that musk just ever so slightly. The tobacco gives this a nice heady, smokey sweet vibe. I can even smell the orange too, but it's very very faint, just a nice compliment to the other notes.

 

Final Note:

This imp is actually going to my brother since that's what I bought it for, but a 5ml of this is getting purchased for my fiance in the very near future. Even though it's quite masculine, I'd probably consider wearing it myself even.

[eleventhousand]

Musk and sweet spices. A little forest-y. I don't smell the mint. I was afraid it would be too manly...it is perfect though, warm and sweet and dark.

 

I think I smell cardamom, even though it's not listed.

 

Dark chai musk.

[slugbait]

At first this smells like orange blossom with a bit of spice and some greenness. I can detect a smidgen of mint. Immediately fiancé decided he didn’t like it and washed it off. I wish he would let it on long enough to dry! Gees.

 

Anyway, I put some on my wrists and I get the same notes as he did, with a bit of pine. It’s not bad, though. As this dries it gets warmer and the orange blossom gently fades away revealing notes of clove and cumin laced with tobacco.

 

Completely dry this is warm, complex and masculine. I can smell faded tobacco and musk, and I love this stage. I would love to smell this on a guy. Unfortunately this is too masculine for myself, and my fiancé doesn’t care for it. Either my brothers are getting this one or it’s up for swaps.

[sookster]

positively astounding!!!!!

 

all these scents come through on me loud and clear...black musk, tobacco, fir, balsam of peru, cumin, bitter clove, crushed mint, and orange blossom....

 

OMG, this is definitely a big bottle purchase for me and dear boyfriend....while this truly smells like more of a traditional dude scent, it works ultra fantastic with my chemistry as well....i'd love to smell this on me in the dead of winter....gotta be killer

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression: Oh how complex, sexy and dark...I would love to smell this on a man. This was a frimp from the lab and thank you for letting me enjoy this. Alas, I would not use it often enough to warrant keeping it, so off to the swaps it goes to find a good home.

[BlueStar]

In the bottle: Strong fir, mint and tobacco smells, I conjure images of a coffee house from the 60's with Beatniks reading poetry, finger snapping and smoking clove and menthol cigarettes.

 

Wet on the Skin: Oh hell yes! The fir definitely is the strongest scent here. Testosterone level rising! At this point I almost mistake this scent for Golden Pryapus. Very, very manly! Conjures images of Vlad Tepes winter hunting lodge. I can almost feel the bitter cold and see the endless expanse of the carpathians from the window.

 

Drydown: (The best part) Here is where the notes all come through when it warms on your skin. Now I imagine I am Vlad Tepes riding hard across the Romanian countryside. This scent makes me feel larger than life and sexy. It puts me in the mood to take on a rough day at the office or to take my wife to bed! Muah ha ha™ It is a very versatile scent and I have received many compliments on this one.

 

I jealously guard the secret of where to buy it though. Sorry BPAL but if I smell someone else wearing this there is likely to be an enormous "BF" complete with stomping, crying, screaming, fist pumping, whining, sighing, coughing, sniffling and bloodshed. I guess I treat Dracul like my favorite little black cocktail dress. It is what makes me feel sexiest and if some B*#CH shows up wearing it I will pull all her/his/it's hair out. LMAO.

 

Final Verdict: *orgasm*

Edited July 30, 2005 by Dracul_Man

[Lycanthrope]

Beth's blending genius never ceases to amaze. Her men's blends are like... miles above any other men's colognes I've tried, and so rich and nuanced.

 

Dracul makes me think of a roiling mix of earth and fire. The mood is definitely predatory, and the color that pops into mind is a rich, deep and sultry royal purple.

 

In the Bottle or Imp:

Fir and pine, definitely a sharp woods aroma comes chugging out of the imp, and I can smell that musky sweet tobacco leaf right off the bat. Those topnotes are most of what I can catch, because they are strong.

Wet, on Skin:

Here, there's a definite mintiness or freshness coming out to play after Dracul strikes my skin. The pine and fir of course, on me, briefly overpower everything but then step back to allow a deep, unobtrusive muskiness and warming sandalwood to come through. A very warm fragrance.

Drying Down:

Drying down, the minty aspect retreats and it's mostly a sweet musky amber with fir needles at this point. I get a sweet spiciness, which I believe is clove, and a what pops to mind is something akin to Lush's Skinny Dip (although by no means does Dracul smell like that, it's just the clove aspect)!

Over Time/Longterm:

Ah, here I get a very sweet herbal vanilla, touched off with the twist of clove, but the primary notes of fir and musk are most definitely present. This has finally settled and on my skin is maturing into this very attractive, masculine, growling scent.

Final Verdict?

It's good. Very good. I'm not a predatory guy, as I tend towards aquatics and the more scientific, metallic and sharp, ocean scents, but this imp is for those moments when I want to feel like I'm on the prowl.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: the lab included this in my order. it's very odd. i can smell the fir and cumin, along with the orange blossom. i don't think i'll like this.

on: this is really strong. all of the notes seem to be fighting with each other. i can pick out the fir, mint, musk, clove, cumin, and orange blossom. this is one crazy scent.

1 hour later: this has calmed down a little, but is still really strong. it's definitely masculine. i think that the musk, fir, and mint are strongest right now.

1.5 hours later: still strong. pungent.

overall: this is, clearly, not me.

[Firewaver]

Oh my goooodnesss.

 

If I were a man, I would absolutely die for this scent.

It's so spicy and musky. I love the extra kick the tobacco gives it. I don't smell the mint much, but I suppose I can live with that. It smells a bit like Old Spice ( I notice someone had mentioned that before) but it's got more of a sexy edge to it.

 

It definitely has staying power. Though I loved this scent, tt's a bit masculine for me and I tried to wash it off...only to find that Dracul wasn't quite done with me yet.

 

Like a brooding, mysterious lover.. you know he's not good for you but you just can't let him go.

[sarahmarie]

I love evergreen scents, but I don't like orange very much. And musk can be an issue. So, I came to Dracul uncertain. At first, I thought there was hope - wet, it smelled strongly of orange, but a light orange I could see myself liking, along with some clove and mint.

 

As Dracul dried, the musk came up, and what was left in the end was mostly musk, with orange and maybe some mint. It smells nice enough on my spouse, but the combination is really too strong for me and might be headache-inducing. Sadly, I don't think it's meant to be.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Hmmm, this is very interesting. It smells rather wicked and sinful.

 

Just On: This is masculine, yes. A very sexy guy scent. A bit spicy.

 

An hour or two later: Oh this fades down to a gorgeous scent that is pretty gender neutral. Quite interesting this one, and very nice.

 

Around 6 hours: Gorgeous. I think this makes my big bottle list already, and I *really* wanna smell it on The Mate.

 

12 hours: Mmm, last vestiges of tobacco.

 

Overall: What a great blend, and this is really nice.

 

After reading other reviews: I think the only thing that I didn't get was the mint. The rest was great.

[absinthe21]

OMG...... this smells absolutely fabulous on the guy!! I am stockpiling imps until I can afford a big bottle purchase. It smells so sexy on him and makes me want to snuggle into the crook of his neck, which I am sure he doesn't mind at all!! lol

[tesao]

provenance: lab lagniappe!

 

in the imp: whoa. strong -- and i mean strong -- tobacco.

 

on my wrist, wet: my instant reaction to this was ICK. i really like tobacco, and this was just too much for me. but i should know better by now.

 

on my wrist, dry: hmmm. the tobacco has been soothed by crisp cold fir trees and soft, pretty orange blossoms. not girly. just soft. but underneath that softness is a hardness that is aaaaaaaaaaall male. musky, sexy, animalistic man.

 

drydown: i think that this is the very first time that i've tried a bpal scent and thought: this would be so much better on a man. there are spicy notes popping out from time to time now. everything blends and yet i keep being reminded of individual notes. as though i were sniffing a man that i knew in my skin, down to his bones, down to my blood, but keep finding new discoveries as i am engulfed further and further into him. ensorcelled, as it were.

 

::shakes head to clear it::

 

hmmm. as long as no one calls me lucy tonight, i think i'm safe.

[olympia301]

Strange and wonderful is Dracul. I smell fir when I first put it on, that is quickly followed by a tumutous profusion of other things including orange blossom. Wow! What a collection of things to process before you can say,"I have smelled Dracul."

 

I know there is something suave lurking under all the other things, vanilla is there...it's GOT TO BE THERE! I smell it. Black Musk always plunks on the happy strings of my nose, and I'm almost exhausted thinking about Dracul at the moment.

 

Dracul is really lovely and really masculine. Another of Beth's men's scents that isn't femme enough for me. This is guy stuff and I think it is a great blend. So, bite me!

[urraca]

A kind lab frimp. On me it's musk and sweet spices. These are actually my two least favourite notes. And it reminds me a little too much of my Roumanian ex-husband.

 

I will say this though after spending several days with some of the lab's masculine scents, sent to me as frimps: It is actually possible to find decent perfume for women that isn't BPAL. Hard to believe, but I'm convinced it might be true. But I have absolutely no idea why any man would wear anything but BPAL. We all know Beth's a genius but her masculine fragrances, as someone who doesn't much like masculine scents. blow me away with their talent.

Edited September 4, 2005 by urraca

[AngelFireHeart]

Dracul – Straight from the bottle the first thing I smell is eucalyptus & burned wood, also some other deep woody scents like bay, a soft pine & maybe clary sage too, although the eucalyptus is the most prominent by far. This is a very clear cool scent, which smells remotely like floor cleaner. Now on the skin the woods & trees start to come through more. This is definitely more of a men’s cologne, & smells rather like the radox men’s shower gel.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Wood and orange.

 

Him:

Wet: Woodsy (a lighter wood--balsam, I think), with a good bit of bitter orange, and mint slightly detectable. So far YUM.

Dry down: Incensey, kinda powdery, with the sweetness of orange. In 2 hours, this is just strong, woodsy, incensey (in a good way) musky goodness. It's downright lustful. We both like it, and it inspired wild monkey sex (okay, TMI, I know).

 

Overall: Lust. He likes it and says he will consider a larger bottle of it, but he wants to try other stuff before committing. Typical man, eh?

Me:

Wet: Woodsy, (cedar?), slightly powdery, hint of citrus.

Drying: OOOOOH! Coves--I love cloves. This is musky and dark. There is also the slightest hint of something refreshing--mint? And something that smells a bit….creamy?

Dry: Uh oh, the orange blossom is exerting. Yup, I'm not pumping powdery orange blossom floral. And its still a bit manish for me (even with blossom pumping).

 

Overall: I liked this on hubby, and so did he. It certainly was not for my wearing, though (I hate overpowering blossoms). As much as we liked dracul on him, we've since found ones we like better, so dracul has made its way to my swaps.

[Eros]

This is beautiful!!!

 

In the imp, sharp woods & herbals. Once on it turns into a chilly, lush forest of fir trees. As it dries, a very subtle, tart orange peeks through along with a touch of cumin(one of my favorite smells ). There's more of a *feel* of mint rather than an actual smell. After another little while, the balsam comes through softly to add to the overall depth and feeling of deep woods.

 

Not a heavy perfume but not exactly light, either.

Absolutely gorgeous!!

Edited September 24, 2005 by Eros

[Little Bird]

First on, Dracul has a very chilly smell to it. It is mostly fir, mint, and tobacco. There is also a sort of earthy dirt smell in there. It reminds me of a dark forest as the sun is beginning to go down and you're lost and feeling a bit nervous.

 

Anyhow, after a few minutes the orange blossom comes in and the tobacco gets stronger, making this more nauseating on me. The orange blossom turns into that burnt orange rind smell that it always does on my skin. Then the overall smell is of too sweet tobacco and burnt citrus.

 

Dracul will be one for the swap piles. The orange blossom just doesn't work with my skin chemistry.

[niter]

I thought this smelt great out of the vial and I immediately picked up all the woodsy scents. Hands down, I would have been certain this was the scent for my hubby (too manly for my wearing).

 

On him, "This smells like old lady perfume."

 

A few minutes later, I sniff it and it smells oh so woodsy and manly. He says, "I smell like my grandmother," and proceeds to start violently wiping his wrist on his tee shirt (while I think to myself what good is that doing you).

 

Sigh. I really thought this was great for him.