Corrupt Chancellor

[The Poison Queen]

Are you over your liege lord’s shenanigans? Do you think you could do one better? Look no further! We have the perfect Power Cologne for you! Overthrow the rightful regent with style: smoky vetiver cologne with black leather, black pepper, smoky coffee bean, Italian bergamot, and Mysore sandalwood.

In the bottle: A dark, smokey vetiver with just a hint of leather.

Wet: Oh ugh, my boy will love this A very sour vetiver with a bit of a sharp green edge, still a little smokey. This is the vetiver I like to call "hateful vetiver", it's dark and twisted and definitely makes me think of misdeeds.

Dry: Sour leather and more hateful vetiver. I really can't wait to smell this on my fella because I think I am ruining it.

[ladymeag]

Corrupt indeed. If Wormtongue wore something, this was it. This feels a little like something that the guy who won't stop asking you out at the office might wear. A bit sleazy, but in a good way in this case.

 

In the bottle: Leather and bergamot. Bergamot usually rules my nose though.

 

On my skin: The vetiver and leather took a holiday somewhere else together. Which is sad, I love vetiver and leather. What I do get here is sharp bergamot and bright pepper, and that kind of sandalwood every guy thinks they can pull off the first time they buy cologne. Very sharp, lots of throw, lots of staying power. Even after washing this off, using alcohol pads, washing it off again, and taking a shower, it's still here, sleazing up my living room.

 

If you like this try: Bram Stoker, A Countenance Foreboding Evil, Czernobog

[patina]

This seems like Iago's smirking, more relaxed, and far more diplomatic cousin. Of course it doesn't smell like Iago since leather is much, much less prominent. The coffee note comes and goes.

 

The bergamot and pepper get a lot stronger on the drydown and then it's a bit disturbing. For one thing the rest of the scent is a toasty dark brown and it makes the bergamot seem almost soapy for a moment there. Also, bergamot seems like such a bright, fresh men's cologne scent to me. The contrast is a little offputting, like an otherwise normal guy at the office who has dark designs. Ladymeag nailed it, this is a bit of a sleazeball scent.

 

The bergamot and pepper eventually fade a bit and I get more vetiver and a little black coffee. I'm a fan of the warm-brown-darkness-and-coffee stages of the scent. Not so much of the sandalwood and bergamot colonge stage.

[HighPriestessIce]

Did I even get the same perfume? I am getting a strong black licorice with lilac and something that makes me think of pee :c I am not getting any leather at all. There's also something sickeningly sweet in here. I'd like to note I am not skin testing since my skin is actually allergic to perfume. I test on strips of paper.

[bheansidhe]

I would love to know what a Corrupt Chancelor smells like.

 

Unfortunately, I am allergic to something in this blend. Horribly allergic. Not on my skin; I mean that as I bend to sniff the oil, my nasal passages slam shut like a pair of twin airbags have just deployed in a high-speed collision with a candy-apple red Man Turbo. All that comes through is a faint trickle of nebulous guy-scented oxygen.

 

Can't smell a thing but vague... stuff. WHAT SISYPHEAN TORTURE IS THIS?

Edited December 23, 2013 by bheansidhe

[mymymai]

ITB: The scent starts with a smoky cologne (thank you , vetiver), followed by leather and bergamot with a slight dash of coffee. It's somewhat masculine, but very interesting.

 

Wet: Smoky vetiver, cologne with something like anise in it, bergamot, smooth sandalwood, a subtle hint of leather and coffee This is really nice!

 

Dry: A number of hours later, the scent is a very subdued combination of sweet sandalwood, , bergamot, a dab of coffee, and vetiver cologne.

[Dark Alice]

Cologney vetiver. Then something in this smells dark, decadent, and corrupt. This scent is aptly named and works amazingly well on my skin. Damn it puddin! You broke the rule....I found a vetiver scent that likes me!!!!

[zankoku_zen]

Smoky vetiver, hint of leather and bergamot.

 

Corrupt Chancellor is a dark, brooding, male cologne. If you like smoky leather blends, give this a whirl.

[Astarial]

In the bottle, this is very strong, peppery vetiver and leather - worrying, since I don't tend to like either one. Once on my skin, I found myself double checking the listed notes, since it morphed into a stage that smelled like a strong scotch. That in turn morphed into a dark, smoky, woody coffee, with the vetiver lightening up a bit.

 

Definitely corrupt, and fairly masculine IMO. A little too manly for me to want to wear much.

[Roogna]

sweet, fruity bergamot and blackvetiver, hint of licorice? No leather. Turns a bit sickly sour under the sweet fruit

[vthesiren]

Sniffed at Will Call and couldn't get farther than that - I thought "vetiver?" before my eyes started stinging and watering like crazy. Maybe it was the black pepper?

[aquazoo]

I’m getting some decent leather to start. Something sharp gets in there, though.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Honestly, I'm getting an almost sweet scent. Like anise.

 

Wet on skin: Sandalwood and leather. And maybe hints of that coffee bean. If there's vetiver here, it's actually staying nicely in the background for once.

 

Dried down: plain cologne? not bad, but not particularly special anymore.

 

Throw: Almost none for me.

 

Verdict: *** I think I might give this a second try. I have to admit, it was a pleasant surprise. I like a lot of these notes (leather, pepper, coffee and sandalwood), but vetiver has a habit of going sour and taking over on me, and it didn't do that here.

[MCS4096]

I was a little scared by the "hateful vetiver" discription

 

Especially when I dont get much vetiver, hateful or otherwise! I get mostly sandalwood and bergamot with some well-behaved pepper. The coffee, leather, and vetiver arent really distinguishable to my nose and must just form the dark base of the blend.

 

I agree with the reviews above that this is quite sweet and definitely could be interpreted as anise-like. It's a lot more pleasant than I was expecting honestly. It's sweet, a little tangy, fruity/floral, deep and lush. Unfortunately, for such a potentially imposing scent it has no throw on me whatsoever(on my other wrist is Knight in Shiny Armor and it's all I can smell as I type) and fades to nothing within an hour.

[Zii]

Wet: This smell is so evocative of someone for some reason and it's really strange. This is very much a bergamot and pepper scent on me, with the vetiver giving it a smokey background kick that's very nice.

 

Drying: This smells exactly like my family friend Lucy's house! She burns a lot of various incense so it's probably the sandalwood and bright fruity feeling. The leather is much stronger now, so it's very peppery and warm.

 

Dry: Lots of bergamot. This is much sweeter than I thought it would be, but the vetiver, leather and pepper are a stunning chorus of yum in the background that makes this scent complex and deep in a really amazing way. I think I may be getting the slightest hint of coffee now, but if so, it's very faint and not at all obtrusive.

[milo]

Not getting a lot of vetiver here, surprisingly, as it normally seems to take over a blend. Yes, it's a cologne, but a GOOD dude one. I'm having a hard time picking out notes, but there's the cologne along with dry sandalwood, smoke and citrus. This is a sophisticated, rich dude blend, the kind worn on Wall Street. I really like this, and would like to smell it on a guy, though I would never wear it.

[Teaotter]

Sweet sandalwood, grassy vetiver, and bergamot floating over the top.  It's a little sour if I push my nose right up against it, but the throw isn't sour at all. Not a hint of pepper to my nose. I can only identify the leather if I try, and it might be my imagination, or maybe just part of what makes this read as 'cologne' to me.

 

This is masculine in a dapper, sophisticated way, and much sweeter than I was expecting from the notes.