Bridge Trolls

[Seajewel]

BPAL’s Troll perfume (vetiver, pine pitch, troll musk, black basil, clove smoke, and scorched cumin) with a squirt of Lilith’s lovely lavender and my signature Dorian.

[doomsday_disco]

Pine and clove are the first notes that leap out at me, followed by some sweet Dorian and a bit of basil. The Dorian is quick to assert itself, and it ends up being this swoon-worthy blend of Dorian-sweetened pine with a bit of clove.  I could not stop sniffing my wrist. Dorian's vanilla is pretty prominent here, so this is much sweeter than the Dorian and pine combo in Go Hawks!, and I enjoy this more than that one (which had a lot of bergamot with the pine and not much of Dorian's vanilla). By the end of the day, it has a kind of vanilla musk and light, sweet cedar vibe to it, even though cedar isn't listed among the notes. I don't detect any scary vetiver or scorched cumin, and this isn't lavender-heavy, either (I thought there was some floofy lavender and vanilla action at one point, but it was fleeting).

 

I adore this and will need a bottle or two in my collection.  

[starbrow]

Oh, this is such a FUN, playful, spicy scent! I feel like most of these notes could go really scary, and when I tried Troll by itself, they really do go scary! But once they are tempered by some fluffy lavender and the comfort of Dorian, each and every note of Troll goes to a wonderful place. The vetiver is gloriously woozy, and the clove is sweet and comforting, with a brush of pine pitch that is woodsy and woolly. I am feeling the herbs down to my roots. The musk is adjacent to black musk, which I adore. A fortuitous intersection of cozy blankets (the vetiver/clove/lavender??) and musky spices brings me instantly to a feeling of snuggling down into bed on a cold rainy day with a cup of tea at my bedside table and a good book to read under the covers.

 

Smoky, spiced, and yet with a wonderful sense of humor and fun, I feel like this is absolutely what it's like to have Puddin as a dad. If you've ever tried Troll, Dorian, and a Lilith lavender, somehow Bridge Trolls is even more than the sum of its parts. It's so, so dreamy and delightful. I keep sniffing and sniffing and just want to sniff more. I've worn my decant more times than I can count, since I've gotten. At LEAST one bottle will make its way into my possession, so I can just revel in the good vibes. The throw already is scrumptious, so I can't imagine what aging will do to this treasure. GET IT.

[Casablanca]

Out of the gate, I get smoky pines and clove. It's a haunted woods, and darkly atmospheric for a moment...

 

Then my skin decides it likes this one a lot, and eats most of it up, leaving only a faint and pleasantly spiced smoke. Trolls live short lives on me.

 

 

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Fresh and earthy, like a muddy Spring day.

 

Drydown: I smell... brass? Yeah, there's a distinct brass (former brass instrument player here, I know the scent well) note, plus a bit of grass and lemon. *...waits while it settles...* There's a tale of two wrists situation going on here. On the right, I'm still getting the brass impression, though it's softened and has been joined by sugared cream and greenery. On the left, I can detect the clove, pine, and vetiver, though they're sort of muddled and sweet. *...waits some more...*

 

Dry: Okay, wrists are matching now and they've landed in a lovely place. Sweet, creamy musk over spiced earth. Essentially, it's sexed-up and sugared petrichor blend, and I'm here for it.

 

 

8 out of 10 bones

[hhelix]

I have not tried Troll or Dorian on their own, so I can't speak to that. Wet, Bridge Trolls is a formidable waft of musky clove, dark pine, and smoky vetiver with just a hint of lavender. It definitely morphs over time and becomes almost a different scent on dry down. I am not sure what notes are responsible, but I kept getting the suggestion of Shalimar -- a distinct vanilla-based oriental - later in the day. Really gorgeous. 

[fairybites]

This is a rainy forest scent with lots of tea. Green and musky, not very harsh.

 

Dorian is very prominent in this, especially the tea note. I like Troll in this blend better than on it's own, it's a lot more wearable to me. The Troll that I tried was aged, so I really like this fresher version. It's a little less dark and intimidating, but that could also be because of the addition of Dorian. 

 

I wish I got some lavender in this. Maybe with some aging it'll appear. But it's still really good regardless.

[Llanval]

I know this is akin to bpal heresy but I must confess: I cannot wear Dorian and I do not enjoy it. when I first started my bpal journey I got an imp in 2019 and had such a bad reaction I no longer know where the imp is, or if i still have it at all.  I don't think I'd find it anymore wearable now, BUT paired with Troll, I find this to be a stellar combo that cures what icked me both abt Dorian and abt Troll!

 

This is a quirky, fun charming scent. Troll and Dorian go hand in hand, lifting each other up into heights of sweet pine and vanilla musk goodness.  I agree that the tea note is very strong, and does read a little creamy on my skin - the suggestion of sugared, milky vanilla tea.  I find this genuinely captivating and am curious to see what age does to these two unlikely but deeply complimentary bedfellows. this is probably the only way I'll ever wear either of these scents.  The dry down is lovely, staying in this cloud of playful, spicy, creamy vanilla that never reads as fake or commercial. 

 

I also wish the lavender was stronger, that would make this even better, but I know this won't come back to the catalogue once it's gone so I'm probably going to snag a bottle just to see what happens. I'll do a third wear test and decide, but I would absolutely wear this as a daily scent!

 

Update: I've worn this 3 or 4 times since and every time, I find something else to enjoy. I got more smoke/char today and its still fab. I am still shocked I love this so much!! Quirky, unique and oddly joyful. If you don't like troll or dorian, give this a chance! 

Edited December 24, 2021 by Llanval
Update

[zankoku_zen]

This just smells like musky Troll with a whiff of Dorian. I'm not sure I love it, but the throw is amazing and lasts forever. So if you're looking for a Troll variant, this one is it!

[groovyrooby]

Well, I've never tried Troll, but I'm ordering an imp now! Got this as a swap for another Lilith that didn't work for me, and couldn't be happier with how this turned out!

 

In the bottle, it smells like dry, bitter, woods. Authentic woods smell. Then a cinnamon bark vibe appears... probably the clove in combination with others. Now, I adore cinnamon, but it usually gives me itchy red splotches. Any time I can get that smell without the burning, I'm a happy camper. This is that. It's dark & earthy, but not a dirt note. Then the Dorian comes along and sweetens everything, makes it a little more carefree and a little less somber. It's wonderful. Wore it to lunch with my husband today. It feels very content, serene, and a little bit renegade. Love it. 

[feyofthefellwood]

It took this a bit to settle into itself, but it's really gotten good in the past couple months. The pine and spices are at the forefront initially, then the lemony vanilla tea comes out and threads through the rest of the scent. Dark fairy forest tea party vibes. In terms of balance, this actually reminds me of Eve w/Sage a bit due to its sweet-spicy-herbal scent profile, though of course the notes are different. The lavender is there, but isn't the focus when compared to some other Liliths.

[dancingchair]

I was really nervous about this one based on the notes, but I managed to hunt down a decant. I'm very glad I did because Bridge Trolls is so unique and gorgeous!
 

Wet, I get a lot of basil and pine. It's very green and herbal at this stage. As it dries, the scorched cumin and smoked clove start to make an appearance, like ominous misty smoke curling from under the bridge. But then the Dorian appears and everything becomes brighter and sweeter. Dorian's sweet vanilla balances out the herbal, smoky notes of Troll so perfectly. Lurking beneath it all is a pillowy cloud of lavender that is gentle and floral.

 

I really love this. The herbal smokiness gives me the impression of incense without the usual sharp florals that pair with incense notes. I could see this being someone's signature scent because it's very unique and complex.

[firefae]

I've worn this a few times now, and I love it more with each wear. Wet, the spice is so prominent that I still have a moment of "what am I getting myself into here?" every time I open the bottle. I see in the notes list that the spice is cumin, but it consistently makes me think of the warm, sweet, cumin-AND complexity of garam masala (like, I literally have a batch of tandoori chicken marinating right now *because* of the smell of this perfume). Which is a great, cozy scent! And I'm also not usually here to smell like savory foods?

 

But! This settles into something really wonderful and not food-centric on my skin. After a very earthy-spicy opening blast, the musk warms up to shift and round out the edges, along with some...kind of smoked-vanilla vibe? Every now and then I get a whisper of "oh wait, was that a floral note?", but if that is the lavender then it's a pretty elusive element here, and mostly tangled up in the creamy smokiness of the vanilla layer (to my nose, anyway). I smell semi-feral, but with a sweet, playful edge? I'm struggling to describe this in a way that does it justice, but I'll be adding a backup to my cart before this year's Lilith's come down.

[LavenderCoffee]

Thanks reviewers! I took a chance on this scent even though I don't know Troll or Dorian, and I love it. I think the basil / pine is my favorite part of this, but there is so much else going on to make those notes shine. I have tested this several times - a small dot lasts and lasts! - and each time I couldn't stop sniffing it, and I don't have anything else like it in my collection. 

 

ETA, A year later: this is sweeter than I remember it and so, so gorgeous 

Edited May 29, 2023 by LavenderCoffee

[Little Bird]

Goes on as a misty, somehow juicy, cool pine with what smells like sweet lime on my skin.  As it dries down, the clove smoke comes in and smells so good, spicy and sweet with a warm, subtle smokiness.  Troll on its own is aggressively smoky and reminiscent of a pine forest on fire and the pine has a menthol edge to it.  Bridge Trolls is all around gentler, sweeter and cozier.  By the half hour mark, wafts of Dorian's smooth vanilla cologne join the sweet, misty pine and sweet clove smoke and I am swooning.  Dorian smoking clove cigarettes in a damp pine forest.  I wish that I had more than a decant.

[MamaMoth]

this is such an inspired combination, and i love it! 

 

starts with a lot of tangy pine and some soft herbal lavender. as it dries, it gets pretty musky.  the pine sweetens up and drops back, really twining with the lavender.  some clovey spice peeps out, and it gets a bit of vanillic fluffiness. it's a little herbal and sharp on top, but just enough to pierce that thick musk and keep my nose interested. the elements really counterbalance each other perfectly! 

Edited September 30, 2022 by MamaMoth