Highwayman

[jarvenpa]

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

I've been wanting to try Highwayman for a long while, and today a little package from the dear Kittyflop arrived, containing a few imps, Highwayman amongst them.

(thank you!)

I had, however, just slathered some Cairo, and so couldn't immediately dab myself with Highwayman. I hadn't put anything in my scent locket though, so...Highwayman into locket. Very very yummy. And much, much later, hours later, I washed my wrists, dried them, and put on some Highwayman.

This is the first time I tried a fragrance in locket and on skin at the same time, and I must say that mostly my experience with fragrances in my locket is nice, but I have missed the complexity that contact with my skin gives--the changeableness.

So: in the locket: a very warmly sensual combination of flowers, leather, and vetiver. Sweet, tender, and delightful. This is very nice indeed.

I wish that on my skin the same warmth had bloomed. On my skin what happened was an initial flash of almost a wine like fragrance (slightly fruity and boozy) which quickly developed into vetiver. A pleasant vetiver, yes, but pretty much full on vetiver. With, now and again--and this was strange--a waft of grapefruit, a certain bitterness. None of the pretty flowers I can still smell as I sniff my locket.

Even after doing a huge sinkful of dishes with hot water and lots of (apple-aloe) dishsoap, my wrists waft vetiver.

I'm delighted to have had the chance to try it, and am enchanted with what it does when it doesn't touch my skin. (I guess my skin just grabs floral nuances and hides them??).

Huge throw, and probably the longest lasting scent I've tried here. A pity vetiver isn't my very very favorite fragrance; I'd be so pleased.

(editing to add the scent notes, since this seems to be the first review on this page) Edited September 30, 2007 by Shollin

[QueenFae]

Normally, I hate vetiver blends, but the vetiver note in this is not overwhelming. This is what a sexy man smells like! There's a light hint of vetiver, overshadowed by the gardenia and the jasmine. The leather and the cinnamon are undertones, and I actually didn't notice them until I was looking for them. My husband loves this one and it smells awesome on him. Not my thing, but my man is happy! A unique, lovely scent for guys.

[GlowJob]

Vetivert and rose are two of my most hated notes so I might be biased in saying:BLEACH!

But this does bring to mind a nice image of the Highwayman.

[ouch!]

Firstly, I just wanted to comment on the amount of Throw this oil had on me, WOW! It literally lasted all day and night from one application. It's the first oil that's done that.

 

So ok, When it's first applied, I get Gardenia and The leather I think. I don't get any rose at all, while wet or when it's dry, or the cinnamon.

 

When it's dry that's when the vetiver and Jasmine make an appearance.

 

It's very strange smelling when it's first applied, almost medicinal or something but that changes.

 

 

LOADS of throw, I was very impressed with how long it lasted! I wouldn't buy a bottle though, There's something quite odd about it.

Edited January 2, 2007 by ouch!

[jasmine]

First applied, this is an incredibly, incredibly masculine scent -- the kind that sends some inner part of me fleeing into the distance wailing, “argh, my wrist smells like guy!” However, having tried it on myself (and deliberately, even) well... these things are expected and I should cope with them.

 

When wet, there’s a hint of rose... but it’s not girly rose, because it’s coiled up in a spiny, spicy leather mix. This is a low, rough scent, less the highwayman from Noyes and more a scratchy-faced villain crouching in the bushes and waiting to prey on the passersby.

 

Given some more time to settle, this becomes a spiny vegetative blend with a rose caught at the center. The leather fades out, and the spiciness settles down, reducing the raging masculinity somewhat.

 

Actually, this is calming down overall. I had been afraid that this would stay hard and rough, but it’s turning into a burry, dark green scent (vetiver, definitely) to which I don’t object.

 

As the jasmine wakes up, this becomes, weirdly enough, masculine jasmine. (I don’t think I knew that was possible!) It’s still a bit masculine for me to wear, but it’s pleasingly masculine, and the scent grows on me further the longer it stays. Interesting.

 

Later, this develops into something I could even wear, given the right mood -- it’s a dark green, growly, unisex jasmine. Bizarre, but nice.

[SeaLady]

The first time the boy put this on, it was very nice. Floral, but not girly- a little leather.

 

The next time was a huge disaster. I had to take him into the bathroom and scrub him, and it -still- didn't go away enough to get rid of my headache ;.; Alas, this is one he will wear when he doesn't get to see me, because I can't stand it.

 

This is is both lovely and gently masculine, unless Jasmine is your archnemesis.

[jessiesquash]

Oooh this is an interesting one! First on, I definitely got the leather and what I thought was lavender but I think is a combination of the rose and vetiver. I also caught the tiniest whiff of gardenia. Now that the it has dried a bit, I'm starting to detect the jasmine but its not doing anything strange for once!

 

I keep waiting for the cinnamon to emerge and possibly burn my skin but it never does. I can almost get it but its so well blended and so subtle, I can't get a hold on it.

 

I really like this! I can see how this would smell fabulous on the right guy but it's just right on me too. Neither masculine nor feminine and clean and fresh without being soapy. This would make a great everyday scent for summer.

 

*added to my bottle wishlist*

[lapillus]

Wet: sweetly green floral (jasmine/lily of the valley-ish on me), vetiver doesn’t show up by itself but I think is keeping it from being too mellow and rounded. Lovely and fresh so far it’s excellent and not nearly as masculine as some of the review lead me to fear. If it continues as is it will be in the running for a “wear with pretty dresses” scent for me.

 

Dry: The floral (and its greenness) recede into the background leaving a sweetish woody something with an edge (I guess the vetiver is lurking around the edges still) and maybe the tiniest bit of leather in the way back. Nice, clean, get-something-done sort of scent. I can tell it would be nice on a guy, but I’m perfectly content to wear it myself

 

Later: eventually the vetiver and leather win out but the moderating sweetness lurks in the background. Not as durable on me as things with amber, dragon’s blood or frankincense but was lasting four hours in just fine until I had to do dishes (and it’s ghost remains even afterwards).

 

 

Summary: I really like this one. Definitely finishing imp and depending on how that goes, maybe a big bottle. Would be interested to see what would happen to its longevity (and sharpness) if layered over something like amber.

 

In bottle: golden, and thick enough to coat the glass. sweet green with something sharp (I assume vetiver) underneath

[filigree_shadow]

Well, whaddya know. I have had this imp for quite some time and never bothered to try it because I usually don't like rose, and I almost always can't stand gardenia and jasmine. But I just tried it, and strangely it smells like vetiver and leather on me -- two notes I like. There are some florals in there too, but nothing overwhelming.

 

Oh, wait... as it's drying the florals are coming out stronger. Not the kind of floral scent that I like, either. The leather is still there, but I don't like the florals much.

 

My husband just tried it, and it smells too floral and feminine on him. So... too masculine on me (leather and vetiver) and too feminine on him.

 

Guess this one's for swaps.

[Jilara]

I hoped the vetiver would be predominant, but alas, this is all gardenia on me. Not only that, but my gardenia allergy causes it to go funky and give me a nasty headache within minutes. Scrub off.

 

I had a male friend evaluate it, in case he wanted it. He sniffed the bottle. "Leather, with a feeling of sweaty saddles and baseball gloves." On his skin, he said it was the county fair. Huh? Wet, it was leather and straw and animal droppings, particularily pig and sheep. As it dried, he said that the gardenia came out a little, but with a whiff of the agricultural exhibits building. But still a background of fresh dung, alas.

 

Maybe someone else will have a more successful morphing on this one. Neither one of us did.

[naeelah]

Yay, I just received my imp! I was really looking forward to this one, and so far I'm quite pleased.

 

In bottle: Very bright, green and floral. The gardenia really hits me.

 

Initial drydown:: Fresh on my skin it smells much the same as it does in the bottle, with the floral notes becoming better developed. Lots of gardenia, with the rose and jasmine rounding it out nicely. My first impression is that it's not nearly as masculine or as menacing as I thought it might be. (Maybe it's more in line with the romanticized highway man?) As it begins to dry, the leather note really begins to stand out, which blends beautifully with the floral notes.

 

Dry: Now the vetiver has come to the front. I smell vetiver first, but the flowers aren't too far behind. I can smell each floral note, but they mingle into a lovely bouquet that matches the vetiver really well. And in the background, yes, there's that faint hint of leather! I'm getting absolutely no cinnamon, but that's ok.

 

It has become more masculine, but the floral bouquet still makes it very wearable for me. It's a great unisex scent. (However, this would be dead sexy on a guy.) On the whole, I feel like it's very cool and confident, and is a bit like walking through a flowering field at night. The faint hint of leather is like the scent that might waft from my dashing highway-hardy clothing. Definitely suits the notes description well!

 

Later: It has softened but still has throw. The vetiver has let up, so now I smell more leather. Still no cinnamon, but the other three elements are in good balance. This feels very fresh and outdoorsy. Reasonable longevity.

 

As a final verdict, I really like this one. The final drydown isn't necessarily the type of scent I usually wear, however, it's a lovely fragrance and perfectly realizes the site description. (Which is exciting in itself, because my skin never lets things smell like they ought to.) I'll definitely be hanging onto the imp, and I'll have to play with it some more to reach a decision on a bottle. I think layering might better suit it to my usual tastes, but I could wear it as is.

 

EDIT: I tried layering it with Wrath, and this works very nicely, to my nose! The fruity and resiny quality of the dragon's blood blends well, and the spices help play up the intended cinnamon note. I like this combination. It's still very fresh, but a little richer and more my style.

Edited March 16, 2007 by naeelah

[Taurean]

It seems many people smell leathery, smokey masculine tones. I wish I did but from the minute I put it on I only smell overpowering gardenia and maybe Jasmin? At first it was so sweet it was offensive. It is starting to fade somewhat but still there is that sickly sweet and almost sour undertone... like a cheap car freshener. Well, at least I still have the other six.

[melrose]

Vetiver and leather only - and they're not playing well together, they're duking it out on my skin.

 

I loves me some leather, but vetiver always amps on me, and it's not one of my favorite scents, so this is a no.

[rien]

Before I start: I ordered this because I am settling into my newly-single status, and wanted something to put on the extra pillow (without having to go out and spend $60 on his cliche Polo, ha). And I needed some masculine inspiration to kickstart my muse for the erotica story I've been writing. So, I wanted a boyfriend in a bottle, hee!

 

In imp: errr ... ew. Smells like a man who's gone a few days without a shower (so I guess appropriate?) - was hoping for better, but will see what it's like on skin. Not thoroughly unpleasant, but definitely not what I was expecting.

 

Wet, on skin: errrg. I'm having the same wrinkled-nose effect as I had with Velvet. I really wanted to like this, have I mentioned that?

 

Drydown: maybe the leather/cinnamon combo? There's just something in this that does not agree to my senses. It does smell familiar, if I could figure out what it was to more accurately describe my unfortunate disdain. But, I can't stand to huff my wrist one more time to figure out what that is.

 

Dry: huh. is this the same "get it off me!" that I just put on? it's mellowing out, it smells like a man (which is the only hope I'd had when I ordered, hee!). I guess the leather? but an expensive leather that's been in a smoky dive bar with dimestore beauty queens hanging on him all night. amazing. maybe I won't put this on the swap pile just yet.

Edited May 8, 2007 by rien

[emerald_ibis]

I love cinnamon and leather, and can usually wear jasmine after the initial sharpness wears off, so I thought I had maybe a fifty-fifty shot at being able to wear this.

 

Unfortunately, despite an early hint of the florals, this is what I imagine to be almost straight vetiver on me. I can kind of smell the jasmine and the rose when I first apply, but this very soon wears off. This leaves behind a smell that I've only encountered once before: in my great-grandmother's cellar. There's dirt (which I can tolerate in a few other blends), but there's also a musty, unpleasant, almost moldy smell that accompanies the dirt.

 

Not for me, but might be good for earth-lovers.

[crimescenecleanup]

Oh dear. I had such high hopes for this one. but it appears that my body chemistry just doesn't play well with Highwayman.

 

Wet, I got this stinging, cold scent. Very sharp. Almost metallic. I have no idea where the metallic note is coming from. I never thought of vetiver or leather as sharp or cold scents but that's the impression I get from this. Like brand new, never warmed or broken in leather and cold soil. This is a thouroughly masculine scent, so far.

 

I know that in Eastern Europe, it's popular to put put bitter herbs into bottles of vodka to make tonic liquers. My grandfather called them sweet vodkas. That's what this turns to on my skin.

 

A few minutes after it dries it turns to leather and alcohol on my skin, like someone had dumped a bottle of sweet vodka all over a new saddle.

 

No florals, and no cinnamon, although cinnamon usually takes a long time to come out on me, and I probably washed it off too soon after I put it on.

 

I'm a little sad that the other notes don't come out on me, but maybe I just need to age this one and give it another chance later.

Edited May 27, 2007 by crimescenecleanup

[kwsix]

In the imp: I didn't like it at all. It was too rosey, and just too overwhelmingly floral in general. But I had to try it on my skin no matter what. It has leather and cinammon, and then there's my whole Adam Ant issue. Yes, I have an Adam Ant issue. And I am not ashamed.

 

On my skin: It went from bad to worse. I expected the night-blooming jasmine to go wrong on me, because it usually does. The cinammon and leather were nowhere to be found. Maybe they don't get along with night-blooming jasmine any better than I do.

 

Drydown: I don't know, because I couldn't make it to the drydown. My head was starting to hurt from the sharpness of the florals. This is definitely not a scent for me. But if you like rose and can tolerate night-blooming jasmine, you should give it a try. Do it for Adam Ant's sake.

[funkmoppet]

Whoa! Down, vetiver, DOWN!

 

I had to try this. Like evilmistressoftoast, I'm an Adam Ant fan. That man is single-handedly responsible for my 18th Century fetish.

 

Like the cedar in MB: Ventriloquist Dummy, the vetiver in Highwayman is like a punch to frontal lobes. I avoided my wrist until it had dried and settled down.

 

The dry down is better, the gardenia comes out, but the vetiver is still brutal. Finally the leather comes through. I wouldn't know night-blooming jasmine if I walked into it, but there's no cinnamon. Shame, as I might like it more if the yummy spice showed itself.

 

I don't hate this. It's not my kind of boy-scent (I prefer my fellows to be warmer and more mellow), but on the right man, with the right outfit, this would stop traffic (without the flintlock pistol).

 

Highwayman is a cruel, haughty and arrogant blend - a fantastic interpretation.

 

Verdict: Not for me, but it's unique.

[pepelutivursky]

In the bottle: Smells like a big bush to me, like a bush just starting to green up and bloom in the spring. I can REALLY smell the greenery in it.

 

On: The scent I smell strongest on myself is the jasmine. As it dries down on me, I can vaguely make out the leather in the background. There's a wiff of cinnamon now and then but on me, it mostly turns into a very floral scent. Like a big blooming bush in the spring.

 

Verdict: This is my first BPAL scent and I quite like it! I wouldn't mind a full size of this one.

[bryghtrose]

As I opened the imp there came a waft of vetiver strong enough to make my eyes water. As it dried it calmed down and the gardenia and jasmine came out, and soon after that, the rose. It was all sharp, though, not soft. Eventually it faded down to the leather, which quietly lingered in the background.

 

Again, this is another scent that I would love to smell on a man.

[Miladygrey]

Well, this is...not what I was expecting. I picked Highwayman for an imp because, yay leather and vetiver! It works in Iago, I figured it would work for me here.

 

Wet--very sweet. No leather, no vetiver, no cinnamon, just flowers and the scent of my skin underneath it. Fiance thinks it smells like incense, and maybe it does, but just a little.

 

Dry--Still nine-tenths flowers, mostly gardenia and jasmine. There's the faintest wisp of leather and vetiver underneath. No roses, no cinnamon. All together, the scent is that of a clean man, soap and skin and leather. I like it.

 

Verdict--I may blend this with Iago and see what happens. Definitely worth the trial imp.

[hushmesilent]

Uuughh, Highwayman! Why!?

 

I so wanted to like this, but just OPENING the imp seemed to give me a headache... Must be the vetiver. The leather popped out a little, but I don't think I'd want to smell this on me, or on the SO..

 

Off to swaps.

[Lit Chick]

Whoah vetiver!

After I get past that, it's clean leather and rose. Nice and bracing, extremely masculine. Whenever vetiver is in a blend, my nose says "meh, traditional". This really isn't - but it does have notes that have sort of a wide appeal for men.

I was trying to figure out why I dislike this, even though it smells nice - and it's very aggresive. It's the smell of a guy who would fight with me just to fight. Hah, but the person I'm now thinking of really could have used this - his scent was generic and dull. Sorta like his personality. Wow, this blend makes me cranky so off it goes!

[ericamouse]

I had to try this one because of the name - reminds me of the 'brotherhood of the wolf' and 'plunkett and maclene' movies

 

Initially this was quite floral on me, then the leather came through quite strongly 10mins in and finally for the rest of the day i can smell what i guess is the vetiver (smells like 'aftershave' to me)

 

Will have to convince my husband to stick around for the dry down on him as he has already dismissed it as too flowery - but that was based upon smelling it wet. Would enjoy this on him.

[aquazoo]

A bit of road dust kicked up by the coach. A little bit of leather coming through. Pleasant!