Highwayman

[Celtic Goddess]

Stand and deliver! Vetiver with gardenia, blood red rose, night-blooming jasmine, a dash of cinnamon and a faint hint of leather.

I thought I'd post my first review about the first scent that made me a fan of the Lab. First, let me say, I couldn't resist trying a fragrance called Highwayman (it's the weird professor in me). Second, I love smoky scents and this is definately smoky. I didn't realize I was vetiver fan until I tried this one...and warning to those who aren't, this is heavy on the vetiver.

I don't really get the cinnamon but there is something floral in there...more rose than gardenia on me. The leather is drop dead sexy. This has a soft, worn in leather smell...not the whips and chains plastic-like smell I get from Vixen. When it dries down it's all soft leather and smoke with just a tiny hint of flowers. Gorgeous.

My imp is empty and I'm depressed but I am waiting on a bottle so there is good reason to think happy thoughts.

[Helas]

When I first got my imp of Highwayman about three months ago, I liked it well enough but interpreted it as single-note vetiver and neglected it in favour of more complex woody blends. It is a testament to the increasing sophistication which BPAL has allowed me to develop that I now love it and can identify most of the notes listed in the description.

 

The note that stands out most to me is still the rich, green, loamy vetiver, backed by a strong and slightly smoky leather note. It is quite sexual and commanding in a very masculine way. I still can't find rose and jasmine in the blend, but get wafts of gardenia whenever I wave my arm in front of my face. The cinnamon is pretty subtle and mostly comes out in the drydown for me. The wildness and exuberant greenery of the scent makes me think of a roaming in an overgrown English garden by moonlight.

 

Highwayman is definitely not for everyone, but I'm glad I gave it another chance. Four out of five stars.

[angelamaria]

In imp: this is a definite floral scent. Hello, rose, and hello, gardenia. And yes, you too, jasmine. It's a sweet-spicy floral. No leather.

 

Wet on skin: wow, totally heady. I expected that from what I got on the imp, but yeah, definitely in-your-face floral, strong and powerful and assertive (well, it's the Highwayman, what do you expect?!). The jasmine is a bit more prominent, slightly edged out over the rose and gardenia I was getting in the imp. Not so much leather either, and the spicy cinnamon is also a lot more subdued. Not a fan of this floral combo, it's...so...disorienting. But oh wait. No rosy powder yet. Ooooh.

 

Dry: gardenia and jasmine, and amazingly, no powder. Or it's there somewhere, because the rose has gone, but the rest of the notes are holding their own instead of hiding, terror-stricken, behind the powder that rose has put up. Interesting! The cinnamon is all gone, and I can't get any leather either, so this is pretty much just plain heady floral.

 

Verdict: I'm pleasantly surprised that the other notes didn't get utterly destroyed with the rose in there. But aside from it being way too heady and way too floral for me, honestly, I would have liked to actually see the Highwayman, y'know? I'm not sure where the poem came from, as it certainly isn't in Alfred Noyes' poem, but it's beautiful and seems to fit.

[Verios]

I can only assume that this is vetiver (I've always been somewhat cautious of blends where vetiver is a strong note), when I first apply-right off the bat, it's all I could smell, and I wasn't sure I liked it. However, BPAL has taught me the smell on initial application can be deceptive, so I stuck it out..and I'm glad I did!

 

I don't pick up as much leather as I'd like, but the florals start to come out quite quickly...no cinnamon yet, either, but then I only applied it a short time ago (I will update later, if it morphs). It's smokey but with the florals tempering that, which I'm finding makes it totally wearable, for me.

 

I never thought I'd describe a scent thus, but this is definitely a more masculine sort've floral--I think I really do like it, though! Not sure this is one I need to have a bottle of, but I'll definitely be using the imp!

Edited June 23, 2011 by Vashtya

[achromance]

I am not too keen on florals, but I'm going to give this one a try because of the vetiver and the leather.

 

Wet: Chemical florals and something green. Not too tempting, but my skin always morphs scents a lot.

 

On my wrist: The florals have turned soft and beautiful, but I can't pick up much else. It's like walking through a well-kept garden of flowers. After a while the cinnamon comes through. It's an unusual combination, almost smelling of melted vanilla ice cream for some strange reason, with the leather giving it softness. That soon fades though, and it's all floral again. Still no vetiver.

 

After a few hours: A pretty floral scent, but nothing special. A bit perfumy.

 

Edit: My mother really liked it, so I gave the imp to her.

Edited July 12, 2011 by achromance

[sparkleyturtle]

I thought this one would really work for me, but I can only think that it is the vetiver that is totally overwhelming the rest of the scent. Pity - it sounded like something that I would really like.

[virusq]

I really wanted this one to work out. Leather, cinnamon, roses -- a faint foppish smell? Sounds like a bizarre fantasy. But it hits all the wrong notes on me. The leather and roses are great in the bottle, but the gardenia amps like crazy and absolutely hates me. Better luck for someone else!

[Gateau]

In the imp -- vetiver and leather with a touch of floral

 

Wet -- leather, smoky vetiver. No trace of flowers.

 

Dry -- and thats all she wrote. Leather and vetiver, period. The leather is fairly soft and nice, my preferred sort of worn-in brown leather rather than the new, black, shiny, sort of plastic leather in Whip, but it's simply that and vetiver and no other notes. I know I amp leather, but this is insane.

 

Reading the reviews, this one is particularly interesting to see how very different this oil is on different wearers. Seems much more variable than many.

[milo]

At first, this is resinous smoke with a touch of leather. As it dries, the florals take the forefront, and are they strong and heady! The vetiver and leather are pretty much drowned out by the florals, but either way, this is definitely not my type of scent.

[a_llb]

In vial: Vetiver, screaming bloody murder!

Wet: This reminds me very much of the vetiver in Orc- very substantial, stern & no-nonsense.

Dry: A peek of leather, then back to business with vetiver robbing the scent blind.

 

Verdict: I was disappointed that the florals never showed up, but their constitution just wasn't any match for the vetiver. Oh well.

[KittyHawk]

This is my very first experience with vetiver, and I'm pleasantly surprised! My skin cannot handle very dark, masculine notes. Even patchouli misbehaves, regardless of how much is in a particular blend. I had high hopes for Highwayman, but I wasn't holding my breath.

 

It's so fantastic! In the imp, what must be vetiver was very strong; I interpreted it as cigar smoke and dirt, with a faint hint of leather.

 

Wet, it's trodden-in-the-dirt, smoky gardenia. I am in love. I don't detect the rose, jasmine, or the cinnamon, but I'm hoping they'll come out!

 

As it dries, the gardenia fades quickly. It was gone completely within 45 minutes or so, but what was left was still nice. Dry, Highwayman smells like how I wanted Dee to smell; it reminds me of studying in the graduate stacks late into the night every Wednesday and Thursday. After a couple hours, I layered this with Lady of Shalott, and

 

It was that good. I'm really not convinced yet that this merits a bottle, but it very well may get upgraded sometime in the future.

 

If nothing else, this blend reminds me of

, which makes me cry every time I hear it.

[Mokiefraggle]

While this one sounded intriguing in its description (gardenia, cinnamon, jasmine...all love!), I'm not so sure I like it once I actually got it. It's not bad by any means, but I got a strong wallop of what I'm guessing is the vetiver and a sharp undercurrent of cinnamon in the imp and on my skin while wet, which seems to hang on for a fair while before the faintest whiff of sweetness comes out in the dry-down. Otherwise, it seems to have pretty much vanished over the course of an hour or two, unless I'm just not noticing it without the kick-in-the-face of the vetiver.

 

I'll give this imp another go after I test the rest of them, but I don't think I'll be buying more. Not unless a second test yields marked differences. And I think I'm going to give things with vetiver as a distinctive note a slightly wider berth.

 

ETA: okay, I tried this again a couple weeks later, and this time I'm smelling new leather (in fact, rather reminds me of the scent of the tack shop I went to when I still owned my horse) and the sort of gardenia I usually smell in fancy soaps, with no cinnamon or jasmine at all, and much less biting harshness. Still not sure I like it, but it's fascinating me nonetheless.

ETA2: and now, after a few more months, it's not quite so sharp and smokey with the vetiver, but instead smells like a spicy men's cologne. And yet, it's not too bad on me; a little bit close to the edge of being too masculine, but not too bad.

Edited May 12, 2012 by Mokiefraggle

[theredkilt]

After a 5 months time - i have finally figured out what Highwayman is about. On my skin upon applying it i get a burst of flowers and leather and as it dries down the leather settles in and looses some its edginess and the flowers, mainly gardenia gives it an aromatic touch. I've become to appreciate it a lot more than i used to and once i use up my imp, it's on my to buy list. Actually Highwayman is a serious contender for Chanel's Cuir de Russie or Lancome's Cuir de Lancome!

[curlsandpearls]

Bottle: The vetiver and florals come stampeding out of the bottle like they're on a race track.

 

Wet: The sweet florals and sharp vetiver/leather combo definitely compete for attention. There’s a spicy grit sending the sweet notes—the gardenia and the rose, most notably—into a tailspin; it’s like a tornado of scents refusing to settle down and coalesce. No cinnamon yet.

 

Dry: I can't detect the jasmine, the rose is subtle/supporting, and the gardenia becomes really strong as it dries. The florals settle down after a while; they fold themselves into the vetiver, which is a really nice effect, but it’s still just a mite too floral for my taste. I can't smell the cinnamon, but the cinnamon has to be what’s warming the scents, helping them gel together. It’s a very warm scent, like you’re walking through a wildly overgrown garden bordered by the woods at twilight.

 

Later: Someone who can do scents that are both vetiver and gardenia-heavy would probably love this. Personally, I love the vetiver, but the florals take too long to settle down, and even in that lush dry stage where the scent unfolds, the gardenia is too strong for me.

[sabrebabe]

In the bottle: Oh, yum! Vetiver and leather! And a smidge of cinnamon for a spicy bite!

Wet: Still vetiver and leather, less cinnamon. Much more jasmine and a hint of rose. Something slightly medicinal in the background, like rubbing alcohol, but not quite. Rich, green and loamy. And smoky. A bit sinister.

Dry: A spicy musk, with something that hints at old leather, and dark nighttime forest. Still something slightly medicinal, like bloodied bandages, and smoke. Very secretive. Definitely a keeper! Wonder what it will smell like on the hubby? Or the sons?

[brilliantcat]

In the imp, I get leather and vetiver. Somewhat promising despite my absolute terror of the jasmine and rose. Once on, it's definitely leather in the forefront (yay!) with some smoky hints of the rose and jasmine. Thank you vetiver for keeping them in check! This has turned into dark, smoky leather. No hint of the florals and I like it just fine that way. I'm glad I braved this blend, it's really quite spectacular on me!

[sunlitgarden]

Highwayman:

 

From reading the notes, this doesn't sound good.... vetiver and jasmine? And gardenia is iffy.

 

In the imp.... yeah, definitely vetiver. And leather too. The notes may say a "faint hint" of leather but in the imp, that's all I'm getting - leather and vetiver.

 

On my skin, the florals are coming out, yes. The jamine is somewhat behaving, but "night-blooming" tends to work better on me than "true" jasmine (they are different plants, even though they smell similar.) Wait, I just smelled poop. Crap, here comes the jasmine-poopiness. Now this is smelling like ashes of a campfire with an outhouse next door. O_O *runs to scrub*

[symbiosis]

Highwayman (this imp has been aged for over a year.)

 

In the imp: Mmmm, loamy vetiver. Green and brown, with just a nod to the florals that linger in the background.

 

On my skin: the leather comes through with a soft brown, rich smell. The vetiver is still there, and those are pretty much the only two notes I'm getting. If I sniff for it really hard, I can smell the cinnamon, but gardenia, red rose, and jasmine are in the background so much as to be behind the scenes. This is definitely not a floral scent, folks! Thankfully the leather isn't going powdery on me like it does in Rogue, which I am perfectly happy with! I want to try this one on my fiance and see what he smells like with it.

[Leviathan]

Sadly of those I've tried so far, I enjoyed this one because of its complexity, but my car pool full of women have said this one stinks. My deskmate won't let me wear it anymore, and the lady on the other side says I smell "like a cheap whore" in terms of the rose scent that permeates off me. I gave her a witty comeback, but still point taken. I lose every other scent with this one except for the roses, and thats what I'm left with and its too much.

 

In the bottle: a complex scent which the roses, and leather scents stand out.

 

Wet: It's a very fragrant aroma, but still roses mostly.

 

Dry: Everything but the roses disappears and instead I'm left smelling like " a cheap whore" as my dear friend let me know.

 

Verdict: I enjoyed the scent, but no one else did and as I have to see these people 5 days a week, I doubt I'm going to antagonize them with it.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): Wow, strong leather followed by vetiver and cinnamon. This paints a picture of a rogue clad in leather riding down a forested trail.

 

Wet: Wet, smoky vetiver and leather are most dominant, with hints of jasmine peaking through.

 

Dry: The scent stays true to its wet notes, never straying from the leather and vetiver. It's truly a masculine scent.

[holborne]

Wet on my skin: I got sort of a weird resin-y, quasi-floral note and I didn't quite know what to make of it. Then I figured it out: ah, vetiver. Not my favorite.

 

Dried down: smells precisely, and I do mean precisely, like the horseradish we use at the Passover seder. I'm sure there are some people who want to smell like horseradish, but alas, I am not one of them.

 

Verdict: Nope.

[mangotea]

I smell like a furniture store.

 

Granted, a high-class, department furniture store, but a furniture store nevertheless. The leather scent is very dominant. There's also something floral mixed in with the leather, but it's well-blended so neither scent really competes with the other. I don't detect any cinnamon however. It seems like a clean cologne and reminds me of getting into a brand-new car. Which is appropriate, because I smelled like a car as it was drying.

[boomtownrat]

Highwayman was a frimp with my most recent Lab order, but it's not something I ever would have picked for myself. I love cinnamon. Vetiver, red rose, and leather are all notes that I like depending on what notes are paired with them. Gardenia and jasmine, though, I just don't know about those two - many florals are not my friend.

 

While wet on my skin, it's giving me nothing but a pale green/lavender colour impression and a general men's cologne scent. I can't even detect any cinnamon or rose and I'm not really sure I'm getting vetiver. Gradually I realize I'm getting the impression of flower stems. After it's just barely dry, somewhere off in the distance, and I mean way far off, there's a whiff of brown leather. It's only after I've had it on for nearly an hour that I get an ever so faint hint of cinnamon. Vetiver and red rose, two notes that tend to amp on me, are not showing up yet.

 

It's important to note that hormones are probably wreaking havoc on it and it's most likely still unsettled from shipping.

 

Now that it's dry, I like it more than I did at first, but it's still not really "me." I'll put it away to age.

[ringmaster-red]

In the bottle: biting, leathery, very bitter, almost medicinal. Probably I’m smelling the vetiver.

 

Wet: The vetiver comes out immediately and is very bitter for a moment, and then the rose and cinnamon bloom and sweeten the blend so that it’s not as caustic. I typically amp rose, so that and the vetiver are strongest on me. I can smell the gardenia, jasmine, and leather in the background, giving it depth, but the cinnamon is like a little tiny barely noticeable pinch of warmth and sweetness. I think this is a pretty gender-neutral scent, but the rose is pushing it into musty powdery old lady perfume on me. The jasmine gives it a small clean note that gives it a high white tone, almost moonlight-feeling, if that makes sense. Still very bitter overall, though.

 

Dry: Still bitter leathery powdery vetiver-rose. I can taste it in the back of my throat. Lots of throw. I love the poem, but I really don’t like the perfume at all. I’ll give it a chance to see if it morphs, but I’m probably going to have to wash this off. Edit: After 20 more minutes, it goes straight up medicinal and stays there. Washing it off.

 

I figured this one probably wouldn’t work on me in the first place, given the notes, but I had to give it a try out of my love for the poem. Oh well.

Edited July 7, 2013 by ringmaster-red

[yakiguri]

Thanks to Highwayman I've learned I like vetiver but NOT if it's front-and-center, like it is here. The first few minutes were torture as the vetiver was so strong and sour I nearly retched. I stuck it out though, and as Highwayman dries I get more of a smoky leather dusted with rose and jasmine, though vetiver still lurks menacingly in the background.

 

I like my scents dark but this is too dark even for me. Though I imagine this might be incredibly sexy on the right man...