The Mountebank

[Dark Alice]

The Hustler, the Scoundrel, the Grifter, using the magic of misdirection, charm, and subtlety to swindle his way through this world, and through all worlds, seen and unseen. Eloquent and glib, he is the quintessential knave. He is the Guardian of Gamblers and the Protector of Con-Men.

A confidence trick: leather, sweet balsam, white sandalwood, thieves’ rosin, and dusty lavender.

This is a lovely lavender, with sweet balsam, and thieves' rosin. I love it. Need a bottle. Stat!

[Balame]

What an exceptional lavender blend. This is very sexy and somewhat foody to me, even though there aren't any gourmand notes listed.

 

Smells like lavender, boozy vanilla, dark chocolate and dirty ambery rosin. There really is a "dusty" feel to it as well, as if The Mountebank has been on the road for a few days and still has a vague amalgamation of market spices, old books and tavern smoke about him. This is more roguish than Rogue to me, with its sultry sweetness hiding something sharp and glinting. A kiss or a sting? Is this dalliance worth the danger? YES.

 

The Mountebank thrums and soothes and seduces. It's a smirk, a gloved hand against bare skin, a knife sheathed in leather. The intoxicating night that you never want to end.

 

Another very unique, standout offering from The Magician series, and another I need a bottle of.

[Casablanca]

I received The Mountebank as a birthday gift. It had been on my list and I cut it with regret, and someone knew that. Wonderful gift!

 

I put it on remembering only that it had lavender and leather. I could smell those, but also thought, "Resinous beeswax vanilla? What is that?"

 

All the thieves' rosins. Ambery, and balsamic with... well, some sweet balsam.

 

After drydown, I find a trace of white sandalwood, but it's not a big player on my skin. The blend also has a bit of that dust note from Quintessence of Dust. In Quintessence, the note overwhelmed me, and I had to rehome the blend. Here it's restrained and not troublesome.

 

The Mountebank is Rogue++, a travel-wise rogue with a lavender edge. I've gone from cutting it -- out of some try at fiscal responsibility -- to wondering if one bottle will be enough.

 

 

ETA the dust note. Forgot about it. Dusty brain...

Edited May 31, 2018 by Casablanca

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: This is a lot sweeter than I was expecting! I can smell the sweet balsam and the lavender the most in the decant.

 

Wet: The sweet balsam note is the dominant note on me, but I can also smell the leather now, what must be the thieves’ rosin, the white sandalwood, and the lavender. The balsam, rosin, and lavender stand out the most to me, followed by the leather, with the sandalwood in the background. The leather in this is either a softer, worn variety, or being tamed by the other notes. I am really enjoying this so far.

 

As it begins to dry, I start to get more of the thieves’ rosin, and I wonder if it contains amber. I think the white sandalwood is contributing a slight dusty quality, but it is not a super dry white sandalwood. I think it’s the same one used in Mouse’s Long and Sad Tale.

 

Dry: The sweet balsam and thieves' rosin reign, and I think this is the balsam from Tombstone, which is one of my favorite scents. It’s backed by the soft leather note, which I think may be the leather from Outlaw, and then the lavender.

 

Verdict: I bought this one on a whim because it has lavender listed as a note and I was curious about the thieves’ rosin (as I haven’t tried the RPG scent). It ended up being a big win on me! Now I’m not sure if my decant will be enough. I may need a bottle of this one before it goes away!

 

*edit* I have amended my review after trying the GC Thieves' Rosin, as I noticed that it creates the fluffy, sweet resinous vibe I get from this scent and is actually a main player here.

 

I also want to say that this is my favorite scent from The Fool's Journey: The Magician.

Edited June 28, 2018 by dementia_divine

[zankoku_zen]

Rosin, balsam and sandalwood. On wet, there's a whiff of lavender. This is sweeter than I expected. It's pretty much a sweet balsam and sandalwood blend. Would be very in line with the Shungas. Medium throw and wear length.

[samanare]

On me, this is equal parts balsam and lavender. I find them to balance each other really well. This strikes me as more of a winter seasonal scent though.

[Aveya]

Source: Decant Circle

Preconceptions: I'm unfamiliar with most the notes really. But lavender is a fav of mine so I figured why not!?

 

Vial: Herbal sweet leather.

Skin: Lavender I loooove you. Comes across very sweet. It reminds me a lot of Daybreak! Swoooon. It's got the same fuzzy sweet lavender thing happening. mmmm

Drydown: There's no coconut bloom like in Daybreak, instead it stays pretty solid. Absolutely beautiful. Sweet vanilla-esq resin olfactory-ly dyed with lavender.

 

Weirdly the leather feels absent on me. But it's not. I think my nose just merges it with the other scent and I forget it's there. It's in the sniffing equivalent of aftertaste where I smell the leather. After a massive inhale and slow exhale it's there tingling. But other than that it's not a big note to me at all.

 

Verdict; Daybreak, - coconut, +sweet resins

[saint_gawain]

This starts off as a sharp leather, rosin, and lavender scent on me, then deepens into a gorgeous sweet balsam and sandalwood. I think this is my new everyday scent, I adore it that much.

[bheansidhe]

It's always fun to run across a BPAL blend that doesn't smell like anything you've ever tested. I get the lavender when the blend is wet, but on my skin this is a billowing dusty-sweet rosin, balsam, and white sandalwood, sharpened by a bit of worn leather in the background. Whoever's wearing the leather might have just sauntered through a sun-warmed field of lavender, but it's just clinging to the background.

 

The blend has an almost foody vanillac warmth while still coming across as a mix of rosins and resins. White sandalwood can be powdery, but the sappiness of the balsam keeps it from going to baby powder.

 

It cuddles down warm and low on the skin. This is a great everyday scent, gender-neutral, and office-appropriate.

 

Sadly, this rosin seems close enough to the beeswax/honey notes that inevitably doom a blend. For me it's the Alan Tudyk of notes.

[ShleepySnorlax]

I applied the Mountebank to my inner elbows, throat hollow, & scent locker this morning around 6:30. I could still smell it on my inner elbows late morning, but I'm not sure when it faded after that, but it was at least 5 hours.

 

The scent is similar in my skin as it it to the locket, with maybe a smidge less lavender.

 

Lavender is the dominant note, partially because it's the one my brain most easily recognizes. I think that the thieves rosin matches, and I get a defined leather with a hint of balsam. I don't detect the sandalwood, but maybe it's part of why this scent is so smooth.

 

As someone with a preference for fall/winter leaning scents, I'm so happy that this one stands up beautifully during this awful muggy summer weather. I can see myself wearing this a lot in spring and summer especially.

[artisjok]

The Mountebank is so good! I forgot how much I enjoy it, and I was hesitant to wear, as I’ve been avoiding lavender blends recently. 
The scent is heavy on the thieves’ rosin, almost all that on me, which is waxy and almost vanilla sweet. The lavender is very present and I’m finding it doesn’t bother me (My senses are in a weird phase...). 
I don’t get much leather or sandalwood or balsam, though I think there are touches of them all that keep this from being straight up RPG Thieves’ Rosin. The sandalwood gives it a little road worn feel, for sure, and the leather a touch of the rugged charm expected of the Magician. 
 

I wore this to a doctor appt. today, and was content and comfy feeling in my scent cloud, despite generally abhorring the medical industry & all the sterile spaces associated with it. Thanks, BPAL. 

Edited July 21, 2021 by artisjok