Dee

[forspecial_plate]

... His scent is soft English leather, rosewood and tonka with a hint of incense, parchment and soft woods.

Dee is very close to love at first sniff for me. I smell woods, a bit of leather, and the parchment, which reminds me a bit of sawdust. But it all comes together. This scent reminds me a lot of a myrrh fragrance oil I used to get from Scentiments in Cincinnati. Never found another myrrh that smelled like that. For some reason it's here in Dee. After a few hours, the wood has become much stronger and almost smells like cedar. There's just a little sweetness/incense still swirling around, maybe the rosewood. I don't know for sure what rosewood smells like. Anyway, I like this a lot.

edit: When I wore this again, it lasted for hours and hours, to the point that I got kind of sick of it. It was almost overwhelmingly heavy and masculine to me. Next time I wear it I'll apply very lightly. Edited September 9, 2007 by Forspecial Plate

[xoe]

Dee came as a free sample from the lab. I have searched the forum and the lab site, and can't find it anywhere. If it is actually released, then mods please accept my apology and move Dee to its rightful place.

 

Dee is masculine. At first I thought maybe vetiver, maybe leather. But on my skin it's a nice manly cologne which smells of neither vetiver nor leather. I tried to get my spouse to try to suss out some notes... to no avail.

 

So there you have it.

Dee: a manly fragrance.

 

Merged with existing thread --Shollin

[Ghost_Light]

Boy - reading the notes from this one, I think my sniffer was broken.

 

This is one that Geolinguist picked up for us to try.

 

In the imp - floral and dusty...uh-oh, and there's soemthing similar to F5 (which I didn't like) and Usher (which gave me an asthma attck) Being a silly addict, I let Geolinguist put it on me anyway.

 

Wet - Really fairly plesant. Very floral but not obnoxiously so.

 

Dry - My skin amped the florals into a powerful muddle and there was something under that that made me feel as though I had stuck a stick of Sure into each nostril. I had a headache within the hour and the Sure aroma was one I could not wash off.

 

Keep the imp? Nope, it left with Geolinguist

 

Bottle? Oh hell no.

[RemAkimichi]

Dee if one of my all-time FAVORITE scents, and since I just got a full bottle, I figured I'd finally get off my butt and review it.

 

In the bottle: Incense-y with a hint of chemical sweetness that put me off at first.

 

On me (wet): Reminds me of umbra, but with a lighter touch and a note of sweetness. Makes me think of books and libraries and stained-glass bathroom windows over hardwood floors that look out on trees. Strong throw, boardering on the TOO strong, but not quite there.

 

On me (dry): Smokey and sweet, like the ending wiff of a blown-ot candle and honey-tinged tea. Much lighter than wet, but the throw is still good and lasts longer than most my other scents, Voodoo excepted.

 

Overall: A must-have for anyone that likes Voodoo, Umbra, or Hellcat. Sweet and smokey, with a touch of dried herbs and pressed paper.

[Pika]

In the bottle:

Very woody, hint of cedar? strong and masculine smelling.

 

Wet on skin:

Wow, I can't stop sniffing! I love it, maybe the rosewood? It's not so sharply woody anymore, more blended and sweet. Love it!

 

A little while later...

Still wonderful, blended, but more woody-incensy. Still masculine, but not so much I can't pull it off on the right kind of day. A touch drier, and becoming a *bit* powdery-incensy.

 

Much later...

The tail end on me tends to be very drily incensy, with tremendous staying power. But it's a sweet, woody incense, and I happen to like it.

 

 

I LOVE this scent. Will definitely reorder. Yes, it's a bit manly, but it smells so good, who cares? I bet I'd love it if a guy wore this, too. Wonderful!

[lapillus]

Wet: astringent evergreen over sweet woody spices

Dry: the parts balance better and woodiness gains some depth and roundedness. Sweet but not feminine but not so masculine it doesn’t work for a woman.

Summary: great for days when I want to feel like I’m in a forest or what to smell good but not sexy.

[vihanei]

I got this as a gift imp with a forum purchase, and am glad I finally got to try it!

 

Wet, it goes on straight-up woodsy. I want to say cedar (though I'm not certain), with some incense alongside it. Under that, there's a layer of rosewood; I recognize the smell from Seance. I like woods, but this - is a lot.

 

As it dries, this stays remarkably the same on me, actually. One of the least-morphing BPALs I've tried. There's a hint of a green something lurking somewhere beneath, but mostly it's various woods and a bit of incense. I'm not really getting leather, or tonka (which is odd, because tonka amps on me like whoa. then again, apparently so do wood notes.).

 

I put this on, just a dab, before heading out to work, and in the car on the way home it was still present. Not huge smell-it-everywhere throw, but definitely would have been if I'd put more on! Now that is staying power.

[porcelina]

lots of rosewood and incense. it is very evocative... like a library in some stately manor. hence, i would like it more as a room scent than a personal perfume- it also makes my nose tickle a little.

[kwsix]

I agree with Forspecial Plate. Dee is love at first sniff!

 

It smells completely true to the description, yet the whole is so much greater than the components. From the description alone, I never would have imagined I would love this scent so much.

 

I am a fan of BPAL leather scents, although many people are not. If you aren't a fan, don't let it stop you from trying Dee. In Dee , the leather note is on its best behavior. It's subtle and soft, and it doesn't hit you upside the head with a raw animal hide like leather scents often can.

 

The notes are extremely well-balanced. Everything is represented in the blend, and they're all playing fair. It isn't overtly masculine to me at all. Overall I would describe it as: woods, incense, leather, soft, gender-neutral, quietly sexy, warm, creamy, comforting, and complex. It's intellectually sexy, like a drop-dead gorgeous geek in skintight leather pants and glasses reading a thick and dusty tome in the rosewood-paneled library.

[Jheya]

In the imp: Deep, smoky woods.

 

On skin: Incense and woodsmoke. This definitely strikes me as a more masculine scent, deep, rich and smoky.

 

As this dries I can smell the rosewood coming through. The incense note is pushed intoi the background, and I can mainly smell rosewood and smoke.

 

It dries to a gorgeous warm blend of rosewood and woodsmoke. Not really a scent I'd wear, but it might be lovely on a guy... I think I may persuade mine to try it on at some point. If it doesn't work on him/he doesn't like it, then I may try it in an oil burner as it reminds me of summer and bonfires. It also makes me think of home as my mum has a large rosewood chest, and this puts me in mind of it, so I think this might make a lovely rich, cosy room scent.

[underline2]

DEE

 

First Sniff:

Soft and slightly sweet. Woody and complex.

 

Initial Reaction:

The rosewood, tonka and incense blend nicely on a background of leather. It's soft and wise, like a really well-stocked and classy library. It's sweetly woodsy.

 

After 15 Minutes:

It's peppery and slightly sweet from the tonka and rosewood. It mellows out a little from directly out of the imp.

 

After Time:

The throw isn't amazing, but it's not bad either. It still smells fantastic, though. The rosewood is the predominant scent after about an hour, leaving it slightly sweeter than before and... do I smell the parchment? I just might. The leather is completely gone, which makes it much a bit lighter, but still vaguely reminiscent of a woody molasses.

 

Overall:

I have to go around the world and when I find a place that smells exactly like this, I will know I have found the best library in the world (excepting, of course, the Beast's library from Beauty and the Beast). It brings to mind old manuscripts, mahogany bookcases, white marble floors with beautiful rugs and falling asleep over an excellent book in front of a fire. I want to LIVE in this scent. And my bottle is in the mail!

 

Season: Autumn, definitely. Possibly a snowy night in winter.

 

Rating (out of 5): 5!

[ceiswyn]

In the bottle: I can mostly smell rosewood, sweetened slightly with something (tonka?) maybe a little musk. It seems disappointingly aftershavey to my nose.

 

On the wrist: There's still an aftershaveyness, but it's instantly livened up. Now there's definitely a hint of wood, a hint of leather, the slight spiciness of incense. The rosewood fades a little into the background. Oh god, this is an incredibly masculine scent. I'm going to keep it just so I can try it on my boyfriend; it makes me think of him, a lot. As it dries the leather, wood and parchment come through more strongly, spiced up by the tonka. Oh god, I miss my man.

 

One hour later: I smell like a really good, old, library. The wood of the shelves comes through strongly, with a hint of rosewood. The rest is leather binding and dusty parchment, very slightly sweetened and spiced.

 

I'm not convinced I'd wear it as a perfume, but it's probably the most evocative scent I've encountered.

[prettybird]

This is going to be a short review, because I honestly don't know what any of the notes are supposed to smell like, except leather. Oops?

 

There's something about Dee that reminds me of a cologne my father used to wear, but better. It's overwhelming in the vial, but I just love it on my skin. Every time I smell it, I feel like I'm smelling something different, and I love that sensation. It's warm and inviting and just lovely.

 

In short, this is exactly what all men's cologne should smell like, but it's versatile enough for a woman. Now, if you'll excuse me, I can think of a few people I need to slather with this.

[funkmoppet]

Warm, sexy leather and woods, gentle and masculine. The whiff of parchment and a peppery note just underneath.

 

Here Dee, let me help you out of those trousers...

 

Bottle. Want.

Edited June 29, 2007 by funkmoppet

[modernsaints]

Very sharp, dry wood, with a leather undertone and a hint of... herbal? What? no. Something sharp. Maybe that's just my nose reading the leather oddly (I haven't had a leather scent yet! This is a first! Hurrah for lab frimps!)

 

Anyway, this is ENTIRELY too masculine for me. I'm not sure I'd even like a guy wearing this; he'd be too butch for me! I like my dudes to wear dresses and eyeliner But if you like your men manly, slather 'em, I guess.

[aine]

How could I not love Dee? The six notes listed are six of my favourites - I knew beyond a shadow of doubt that this would be sensational on me. And it is!!

 

It is sweet and lickable in a masculine way, but certainly not unwearable for a female. Warm and sexy. Dee smells like a huge soft leather armchair surrounded by books and antiques in a private library.

 

A Top Ten fragrance for me, I love wearing it.

[taramarie]

Thank you to the Lab for this frimp!

 

What I get from Dee is mostly the woods and a little incense. I think the leather's back there too. This is gorgeous and while definitely a masculine scent, it is a scent women can wear as well. Dee's going right on my wishlist.

[JenM]

In the imp: wood and incense, with a hint of leather.

 

On the wrist: a very masculine smell, with a woman hiding behind curtains. Oh, very strongly woody, and dark, like a library. But not burnt, like the library at Mortlake 

It reminds me of Wolfsbane, a bit.

 

An hour later: it had throw, but it faded very quickly. Only a woody, booky waft left.

 

Several hours and a wash later. Still present, slightly, but not enough to have an effect. Swaps. But not because I don’t like it. I just don’t like it *enough*.

[mspixieears]

I never realised leather could be so beautiful and subtle till I experienced it in BPAL blends. This is such a refined blend – the leather is very woodsy and fresh at the same time. I think this would be fabulous on a man. There’s something in this that reminds me immensely of Paco Rabanne For Men but a better version. As it dries down I get the loveliness of the rosewood (am a convert since experiencing it in Tristran). Ten minutes in and and the incense begins to emerge. Might it have a tad of red musk? I detect something like that too. Oh my gosh, this just keeps getting better and better – the tonka begins to emerge when it’s dry and really refines the blend further. Unfortunately as it dries down it loses a lot of its throw. A few reviewers have said they pick up something like pine and I suspect I do too. Definitely keeping my imp.

[alicia_stardust]

Dee is a very loaded scent for me. It defies words when it comes to trying to express how perfectly this scent pays homage to John Dee. I stumble when I try to explain the way this smells to me, other than that it brings to mind magic and incense; old dusty tomes, paper and fountain ink, shafts of filtered light that fall upon a messy table full of papers and leather bound books.

 

Dee has become my husband's signature scent. He is no stranger to John Dee, but he is also a math major. In the highest form of compliment possible, he says that Dee smells like "math homework". Namely, it reminds him of that point in the middle of the night when you've spent hours pouring over a problem and then, in a flash of inspiration, the answer comes to you and you fly through your papers to get the numbers down. Papers are piled about, pens, a candle burns at the edge of the table...

 

I smell mostly leather in Dee; it's mostly masculine but not so much that I can't wear it. The parchment, smoke, dust and incense surround the leather just perfectly.

 

5 out of 5.

[Kimbernunk]

My first BPAL, a frimp gifted from a friend.

 

In the little bottle, I thought it smelled mostly like incense and rosewood. Nice, but doesn't blow me away.

 

Once on, I started smelling a lot more rosewood. LOTS more. It's not my favorite scent, but it's really interesting. I think there might be some tonka after a few hours, because everything just got a bit warmer and creamier. Sadly, I lost all the incense scent after about an hour.

 

This stayed on for almost a full day - even after I showered the next morning I could still smell a slight hint of something faintly sweet and dusty. It's nice, and very much like a library (and I spend way too much time in libraries).

 

On the boy, it smelled a lot more incense-y - I like it better on him than me because I think it's a bit more complex. After six hours, all I could smell on me was rosewood...

 

All in all, I'm going to wear it tomorrow to teach in. But I don't think it'll be an everyday thing...

[PaganPup]

This is my first review, so bear with me. I bought a 5ml of Dee based simply on the name and description.

 

 

In the bottle: Sweet, woody, but with a musk underneath that makes it very intense.

 

Wet: Wow! The tonka (?) comes out. I'm not getting any leather, maybe some rosewood. Is this too sweet and strong? Maybe.....

 

Dry on wrist: Oh! Give it about 15 minutes and the sweetness drops significantly. Definitely smelling the rosewood and tonka, just a hint of leather and parchment. Something dry. I can see I will want to use this sparingly, as it is quite strong. But wow, what an evocative scent. Very manly, but not overwhelming.

 

Overall: Still waiting to see how it lasts, but right now I can tell this is a keeper. What everyone else has said about it smelling sexy and like a library, all true. This is such a treat!

[Electric Maenad]

(sigh)

 

In my opinion, this smells great on my husband - like an antique cedar-lined apothecary chest with drawers that still smell faintly of rare and expensive alchemical ingredients.

 

Tragically, he thinks it smells like Old Spice.

 

[purplemoonshoes]

Very strong woods, nice and cedary. Practically assults the nose out of the imp, but better on the skin. I think it'd smell better on a man though. Glad I've tried it, but I think it's a swap.

[desertwaya]

very strong smell to this in the bottle and the smell stayed as strong on my husband wet. as it dried though it mellowed some and was quite nice,he really liked this scent and is thinking about a bigger bottle of it.

 

my opinion...this is deff a mans oil thats for sure. very manly and powerful,but dont put a lot on or it will give you a headache

 

id say its a keeper though because it does die down to a nice smell and it lasts all day.