Urpflanze

Hm. Well I don't know the character, but Dorian seems like an obvious choice to me. The fougere means it is a classic 19th century British scent, it has tea in it and the overall effect is (to me) of lemon lavender cookies and tea.

This fella puts me in mind of a lighter, creamier, more feminine The Antikythera Mechanism without hardwood and with a touch of root beer. It also bears some resemblance to Tombstone. The tobacco and almond milk blended with sarsparilla are most prominent, I don't get very much patchouli or pine. A soft, sweet stunner. In fact, I find it a little too soft for me. Decent throw and wear length. Smells wonderful on DW. If you want sweet Wild West, I would check out Organ Grinder. To me, it surpasses Tombstone in every way (though I hear tombstone ages well...)

WILF does remind me of snake oil. They are very close, despite the many different notes WILF has, which is surprising. WILF seems to add furry and woody and has hints of juniper, cocoa, peppermint and of the sweet, almost cola like scent that schwarzer mond has(black musk and vanilla?). It is amazing that it has so much going on and yet smells like one whole. I like it better than snake oil; it is a little darker, a little more rugged. Unisex, but works just a little better for men than snake oil, imho.

It looks like Philologus is quite the heartbreaker around here. I almost overlooked him after the first wear. I'm not typically crazy about candle wax. I like no. 93 engine and lights of men's lives, but I don't love them. Philologus adds a metallic note to the candlewax and incense. Fortunately, I love the iron metallic in The Ninth Cage and Iron Phoenix v.2. This reminds me of them even more than the wax scents. Here the metal is married with something soft and bookish. A perfect mix of cologney iron metal, sweet dusty wax and soft faded incenses. Its just a little musty or dusty which I find comforting; also, it balances the fresh wet edge of the scent. Miskatonic University doesn't smell remotely bookish until a few hours in, but this one is masculinely bookish from the get go and softens to a wax and incense scent after three or four hours. Medium wear and throw. I wear it all the time. I can't get enough of it! You know how some scents you really love to smell but then never reach for and others you like just fine at first but then find yourself wearing them every day? Philologus was like that for me. It suits me. Bottomline: this is my favorite BPAL for day/work wear. Best suited for metal and wax lovers.

Tobacco question; keep in mind I'm a fella - I've been looking for things like Antikythera Mechanism - dominant tobacco with woods - I'm looking at Interfector and Carceri d'Invenzione and the notes look quite similar but the reviews are so different. Anyone tried both? Or other recommendations in the tobacco world?

A very nice basic for men. It starts out smelling like The Ninth Cage (which people compare to bed of nails and torture queen, but I haven't sniffed them so I don't know). Iron and Oak. It smells wet and a little sharp. Unlike Ninth Cage, however, there are some herbs or spices (sage or bay?) here that soften the iron and oak and make the scent a little sweeter and less abrasive. After a couple of hours, the sweet herb-spice smell clings to the skin and it smells a bit more like The Robotic Scarab or another spice and metal mix. I like the very masculine vibe of pure iron and oak in The Ninth Cage, but I also like this softer variant. I find it a little more wearable. This is still very clearly a bpal oil - it does not smell confused or like the cologne counter. Still, Iron Phoenix v.2 isn't as funky as many of the BPALs I've come to know and love. IP v.2 lacks the edgy quality of pushing a note farther than you think possible while still smelling harmoniously good (the way laudunum does with nutmeg, say) but it is perfectly balanced and a very solid choice for daily wear. The worst thing you can say about it is that it is pretty safe for a BPAL fragrance. But then again, I'm just looking for faults to feign objectivity. This scent is really, really good.

Mossy rocks and fiery lips! Amazing. This is a winner in so many ways. For me, red pepper dominates, followed by clove, moss, amber and vanilla. This is an amber scent where I really enjoy the powdery sweet amber thing on me (I like amber on my lady but on me it often seems too much like powdery women's deodorant; since I'm so lazy as to wear women's deodorant if it's the stick most handy, I know...) I like the amber here because it is balanced by this amazing red pepper note. I've never smelled anything like it. The clove comes in and gives the red pepper a spicy edge, but does not remind me of Christmas at all, which clove usually does. The red pepper and moss make this smell like a lava rock or or a freshly plucked dragon's scale. Or the most refined hot sauce you've ever smelled? Something dangerous about this one. It would make a very unique signature scent and turn heads, I think. Wild Men is just plain unusual in the best of ways. Spicy without being incensey or foodie, it packs a real kick. But it's lightly sweet and comforting and mossy as well. I dunno if this is my favorite BPAL ever, I don't think it is. But it impresses me more than any other - taking elements I don't usually like and making an astounding concoction that is more than the sum of its parts.

This smells like honeydew white tea. Lemon verbena and tea dominate. Somewhat astringent and cleaning chemically. I prefer Embalming Fluid, though I wouldn't wear either. Has strong throw and long wear. It mellows a little over time, smelling less like cleaning chemicals and more like honeydew white tea. A very brisk, clean scent for guys that want to smell sinisterly shower fresh. A definite pass for me.

I think I'm the first dude to write a review of Schmendrick. I was really indecisive about this one; I don't know the notes that well and the reviews are positive but not glowing. Very glad I tried it and I wish I had just gone for the bottle. On my skin, sweet, dried sage is most prominent, making this decidedly herbal, with light support from chamomile, tobacco and sandalwood. But the throw is mostly sweet tobacco (not smoky), maybe a little sandalwood and raisin. Very nice throw. Funny that you don't get much of the sage in the throw but it dominates up close. This has that dried herb sweetness to it, but no caramel that I can detect (unless it just bolsters that sweetness to the herbs that they have naturally). Tobacco is here, though it is mild to me, and it does seem like raw tobacco leaf, not tarry, pruny tobacco. And perhaps a tinge of golden raisin sweetness? It is very well blended so it can be hard to tell. It has a softness to it without becoming feminine. It is fresh without being remotely aquatic, soapy or metallic. I find it unusual and hard to explain this one. I've never tried a scent like it. Without the tobacco and raisin, I think I would find it to be a boring herbal. Medium throw and wear. ETA: I've worn this many times now and I have to say it is almost fruity - I would describe it very generally as a funky balance of raisin and sage. Very unique. I hate fruit in scents, but this works for me.

Admittedly, I didn't know how seriously to take the comparisons to a stable. But after 2 tests: oh, very. This smells like a stable. Hay, leather. Maybe even the lightest smell of hair or musk? maybe thats just the hay. I don't really get sandalwood, instead I get hay, but I'm sure it is sandalwood that I'm smelling. Smells more of the horse than the rider, imho. But what a nice horse! An incredibly unique and interesting scent. Everyone should test this just because it is so evocative of a stable. Did you really think you could bottle stable? I didn't.

Weighing in on some good scents for men who aren't into either dark/smoky/heavy stuff or light/aquatic/aftershave stuff. I, for one, am not crazy about many of the traditional man elements: vetiver, leather, aqautic/after shave, booze or lavender fougeres (so far, I'm open to the idea but Villain and Dorian didn't do it for me). I have found a couple blends with leather that don't smell like a leather jacket/saddle/leather store: Robotic Scarab (wow), Dee, Rogue and Ranger. There are several RPGs that are must tries for men. I'm guessing a great number of the classes will work well. I didn't pay them much attention at first but now I will try most of them. In general, if you are cautious about your guy (if, like me, he doesn't like colognes, has never worn them and you want to ease him into it) I recommend Steamworks first of all. Antikythera and Robotic Scarab and Galvanic Goggles are all very different; if he doesn't really like ONE of them I'd be shocked. For whatever reason I think Steamworks gels with the bookish man's profession and lifestyle better than any other line. Picnic in Arkham has many masculine scents but has been mostly a fail for me. I think aquatics are risky for a non cologne user right out of the gate. (Herbert West is interesting, though.) Next I recommend some Carnival Diaboliques (even though they are down right now): Wild Men is incredible. Wulric is worth a shot. Many of the snakes are good. Western Diamondback is the western scent I was looking for, Tombstone is too sweet (unless the man wants sweet or his skin swallows it). I'll have to try Doc Constantine (it gets mucho love) but I'm not hopeful (sounds pretty leathery). Oh Laudanum is amazing. Must try if the man likes the smell of nutmeg (if not, skip it). The Ninth Cage hooked me on BPAL, it is a simple, very manly blend of metal and oak which could impress the more skeptical. It actually smells like the reference - most BPALs are not so obvious.

Aelopile reminds me a great deal of Robotic Scarab, one of my favorite scents, which is strange because, as listed, they share no notes. They share a concept, though; golden steamworky goodness. They start out very different, Aelopile as mostly citrus, R.S. as mostly leather. But on my skin they settle down to very similar scents: combining spicy warm resin and fresh, clean, glossy, oiled metal. Very rich. Unisex. Stupendous.

Now this is what the lab is all about! Unexpected and wondrous. Nutmeg lovers, look no further. I have to respectfully disagree with the judgment that this is medicinal. The term is ambiguous, but seems to suggest that this is somehow either boozy or acridly herbal or antiseptic or sickly sweet. It is none of those things. I am pleased to find a nutmeg scent that is not foody at all. Laudanum is deep, smoky sweet, spicy, nutmeggy myrrh that steadily reveals more and more caramelly sassafras and tarry opium. Laudanum has subtle, natural, spicy sweetness that increases after two or three hours. The nutmeg is strongest at the outset but stays there throughout. All four notes are here now (after 4 hours) - good throw, great wear length. Drug, indeed. I think it does have a noticeable effect on one's wits, not unlike the effect of caffeine (i.e. the very mildest of manias). Clearly this one is a matter of taste, but if it suits yours, I predict you will not just like it but love it as I do. While I think this leans a little masculine, it is definitely unisex, especially in the later, sweeter stage which lasts for hours. Laudanum is a perfect basic for the adventurous type that craves a little bitterness, a little spiciness, a little mind-bending vegetal sweetness to liven up the mortal coil. It should be noted, however, that loving laudanum is one of the side effects of smelling laudanum and that I may not be in my right mind as I write this.

Magic shop ritual incense (I'm assuming thats the high john essence). Not sultry and sensual incenses, not austere churchy incenses but strange, almost indifferent magickal incenses. My skin eats this up pretty fast. Little wear length, little throw. If you've been looking for that magic store smell, give this a whirl.

baby wipes and vetiver at first. It mellows to a decent aquatic, a little more floral seeming than lightning. To me this reads like a feminine (almost elderly) aquatic, despite the vetiver. Not my speed.

On my skin this is sweet hemp and dirty leather with a hint of spiciness from the rosin (sorta like the soft spice of bay or, as one might expect, just the spicy edge of pine). Such interesting sources of sweetness and spice here, not at all expected and not like anything I've smelled from the lab. Finally a dark, slightly menacing, masculine scent from the lab without vetiver! Handily dispatches Iago, Highwayman and Bluebeard with a flick of his spicy daggers. With his shadowy affinities he evades the Riders, Dee, Shrunken Heads. As a pine scent I prefer it to Nero (both subtler and somehow spicier). I think I may amp the rosin more than other reviewers so far cos this is so pleasantly spicy. The rosin brings back memories of opening a viola case. And with the hemp like horsehair, this really does remind me of a rogue wielding a bow...to play some mean fiddle. ETA: I am not so keen on this one now. It is VERY strong and reminds me too much of instrument cases. I think I am sadly not a fan of leathers and this is definitely a leather blend. If you like it, try Captain Cully. Very similar leathers at work in these two.

I wasn't going to try Iago. After Bluebeard, Malediction, Umbra and Saturnalia I was reticent about vetiver scents, they're all smoked meat and dry grass. Reviews for Iago were mostly pretty good, so I picked up an imp. Gotta say, its just more vetiver to me. Leather is surely here too. Black leather. On an older man I think this could read better. It is the best of the heavy vetiver blends (runner up would be Umbra) but it is still just more vetiver to me.

On me, Lightning is a mild, fresh aquatic: ozone and a hint of citrus. It does remind me of the air before rain. I tried it against Cthulhu on the other arm and Cthulhu is the richer, more interesting aquatic. Lightning is a little cleaner, fresher, but the salty, murky water of Cthulhu is still very clean smelling, strangely. I don't think I would reach for Lightning over other Lab aquatics I've met. When I don't think about it, both smell sort of like classic bar soap.

Woah. So I tried this months ago, maybe the 2nd BPAL I tried. And I didn't like it then. It reminded me of halloween potpurri scented candles at crafts stores, autumn themed scented things. Maybe I am better at smelling or something like that. But this scent is awesome. I get strong wax and heady incense. The sage was more pronounced wet than dry, as were the machine smells and oils. Dry, it is really comforting. Admittedly, I would personally like a little more metal and machine oil in the drydown (like I get in Robotic Scarab). That would make it less wearable for most, though. If you like beeswax at all, get this.

To me, Dee is all tonka and leather with wood in a supporting role. I like it. It walks a line: maybe a little leathery for some ladies, maybe a little sweet for some gents. If I didn't pick up the weird preserved leather note (almost slightly sour) that I get from Shrunken Heads, I'd endorse this more fully. I don't get much parchment. I think Antikythera Mechanism is similar in some ways and better. I realize it isn't a leather scent, but it is a vanilla-wood old timey masculine/unisex scent. I guess I group all my sweet masc/unisex scents together and find AM to be the clear leader of the bunch. But I encourage everyone with an affinity for the notes to give Dee a whirl, it is well blended and really nice.

A nice, light aquatic. A little leather, rum and spice, but just smidges. Mostly the clean, wet scent. Maybe its too subtle for me? Nothing I object to, just nothing that wows me.

We've finally caved in to years of requests for vampiric scents. As soft as grave dust and as dry as a breath drawn within a long forgotten crypt, this is Nosferatu: desiccated herbs and gritty earth brought to life with a swell of robust and sanguineous red wines. Fresh, bright, light red wine (beaujolaisish) and dirt. A hint of herbs. Interesting? Yes. Wearable? Not so much. After a few hours it reminds of fresh blood scented shower gel. DW says it's creepy, like Klaus Kinski's lips in Herzog's Nosferatu. Anyway this scent is definitely on point... But not for me.

I don't get very many of the listed notes. I get smoky leaves (a vetiverish smell) over something vaguely floral (ivy maybe?). I don't care for it, especially as it dries down. Perhaps its the teak that I don't care for here - I smell like an old wooden box with dried flowers in it. Wish I got some patchouli and tonka. I am a big fan of Antikythera Mechanism and this does not remind me of it at all. Definitely evokes fall leaves, though.

Wet: tootsie roll absolute Dry: My skin eats it up; I get a light snake oil scent and a phantom whisp of cocoa. My skin is still stained yellow but I can barely smell it. I had hoped the teakwood would come out more, making this a little drier and less sweet than snake oil but no such luck. Ah well, my lady will be pleased. Since it was a birthday present it would be pretty shabby of me to start using it on the regular anyhow!

Miskatonic University isn't a favorite for me. I find it cloying and boozy. Wet, I get Kahlua. Dry: burnt caramel, coconut milk and rum (or whiskey). Perhaps I have a thing against boozy scents. I would prefer more unsweetened coffee and paper/books and library shelf/desk woods. After several hours, the sugar and booze mellow and combine and parchment or wood come out. One could mistake it for the dry, sour smell of antique books, the ones with yellowed, rough cut edges. To be fair, that is pretty amazing. Still kinda sweet and boozy for me though. My tastes aside, this is obviously a winner in its class, as all the WOW! reviews testify. If you like foody scents and don't mind a little booze this is highly recommended.