Hellfire

[Anubis]

A scent celebrating Sir Francis Dashwood's Order of the Knights of St. Francis of Wycombe, also known as the Hellfire Club. A swirl of pipe tobacco, hot leather, ambergris, dark musk and the lingering incense smoke from their Black Mass.

This scent definitely lives up to its description! The scent very easily conjures up images of a Victorian gentlemans' club- cigar smoke, fine liquor, leather, heavy carved wooden furniture and dim lighting. Upon initial application, it smells slightly musty and old, but in a good way. After an hour or so, the mustiness and smokiness seemed to fade a bit, and the scent of alcohol and leather became more prominant.

I picture men in suits playing a high stakes card game, cigars and cognac at the ready. Not nearly as diabolical as its name implies. It's a decidedly masculine scent. Despite my rather androgynous nature, I enjoy it anyway.

[zenvodunista]

I ordered 5 ml of this unsniffed on a whim.

 

I've been a little obsessed lately with ambergris. I know that it smells good on me, that I can wear it, but I can never pick it out in the blends. I can't seem to actually smell the note and so was fascinated.

 

Leather is iffy. Too much and it goes to slaughterhouse on me, too little and it fades away completely.

 

Hellfire is almost too leathery. It's probably the most leathery blend I can wear without smelling like an abbitoir.

 

In the bottle though, that Ambergris hits my face. I thought, "So that's what they mean!" Despite owning and wearing Two Monsters, and some other ambergris scents, I had yet to actually smell it. But here it was: musky, and a little salty like the sea. Reminiscent of sweet oysters, actually. BAM. And there are the ocean waves and musk and salt and sweat all mixed together, strangely seductive.

 

But the rest of the scent: masculine and structured. Smoke, leather and tobacco. A richer and more deep Perversion, Two Monsters without the incense with leather instead. A wonderfully rich scent. Highly recommended if you can carry it off. If you can't, I think a lot of men, particularly sophisticated men with a lot of experience, will enjoy this one immensely.

 

n.

[porcelain72]

Considering the first thing I smelled upon opening the vial was the unmistakable scent of nail polish remover, I had doubts about this one. However, shortly after application it mellowed into something very warm and boozy. This isn't the best scent to wear given the current weather where I am (100 degrees with humidity that makes it feel like 8000), because it does indeed remind me of sitting by a fireplace, perhaps holding a snifter of brandy (even though I've never drank brandy from a snifter in my life). This will be a good fall scent.

[ashtoreth]

First sniff of Hellfire is all tobacco. Since I love the tobacco in Santo Domingo, I am prepared to adore this, despite the leather notes that the description purports.

 

Wet, I can smell expensive booze and tobacco, and something powdery, which I identify as the leather - as the only thing that goes to babypowder on my skin immediately is whatever blend is used for leather.

 

Dry - It's not unpleasant, but the powdery scent is dominating. Every now and again I catch whiffs of the tobacco, but mostly... it's a spicy babypowder.

 

When I test a scent for the first time, I always plan for a full day of wear - I put it on in the morning when I go to work, and generally don't wash it off until I take a shower the following morning. Talk about staying power! By the following morning, my sinuses had clogged up and I had a terrible sinus headache that went away after I took a shower and had steeped myself in Roadhouse for half a day. I'm not entirely certain, but I think I may be allergic to something in Hellfire. Further tests need to be conducted to determine if it was just a fluke.

[silver_dollar]

In the imp: I don't know what's wrong with me that's making everything smell like custard.

 

On my skin: Whoo, that is strong. Kinda made me wrinkle my nose for a minute. Better after it dries down a little, but still sinister and intense. There's cigar smoke, and fireplace smoke, but everything else is so well blended I couldn't tell you any note just from sniffing.

 

On drydown, this sweet musky scent comes out, making this blend not so scary.

 

Drydown after a few hours: Omgsex.

 

Keeping it.

[ND¢]

In the bottle: Something sweet but not floral and underneath, alcohol (sort of vodka-ey or rubbing alcohol-ey.)

 

On me: Minty smell? What? Maybe that's pipe tobacco. I'm getting the leather. Okay, it's not minty now. A different leather than in Dee; a shiny leather. I confess I can see why people talk about it being lecherous, decadent.... It is sort of provocative, like it wouldn't be an appropriate smell for a business lunch. It dries down to a sweeter, incensy note. My impression is that this smells sexy in a classy/decadent way. I suppose I do get the sweet liquor impression, too. This is one of the most complicated I've tried yet. Glad I got two imps of this, because it's going to take some wearing before I decide to order a bottle even though, at the moment, the impulse is to order one.

 

ETA: I would test this against Dee and check the similarity if I was more motivated right now.

Edited August 12, 2006 by ND¢

[Avery]

I'm not sure what it is, but something (maybe plural somethings) in this blend and I don't get along. I don't really smell tobacco, or leather, or incense... but this blend turns musky smoky (not good smoke, as far as I go) SWEET on my skin and makes me feel a little nauseous. It doesn't smell masculine on me, but actually reeks of honey (which goes terribly wrong on my skin)--since it isn't in the notes listed, I'm uncertain but would like to pin down which other note goes so wrong with me. I wanted to like this one and tried it a number of times, all of which failed. I do have funky chemistry, for what it's worth.

[Diana]

Wet: Sweet, gooey pipe tobacco

 

Dry: The tobacco note becomes sweeter & nicer & a bit drier as it sits on the skin. There's also just a faint aroma of hot, sweet leather, which I totally love in almost every blend. It's a total guy smell, but I think that's part of the appeal. I just want to snuggle with it.

[The_Merf]

Why did I wait so long...

 

In the imp: Pipe tobacco and ambergris

 

Wet: Strong pipe tobacco. Strong, beautiful, sweet, fresh pipe tobacco. The incense begins to emerge very quickly after application, and a friend of mine said that she could detect the myrrh as well. I know that the ambergris is there, but it has faded into the background.

 

Drydown and wear: This is strong, it has great throw, and it dries down to a lovely, homey combination of pipe tobacco and incense. There is a sense of smoke from a crackling fire (much like what I wanted from oils like Djinn and Brimstone). There's more teeth in this blend, from the incense and ambergris, than there is in Herr Drosselmeyer, which is softer because of the parchment notes. However, I think it's the same, or a closely related tobacco note.

 

I'm glad that Kindly Moon is going up tonight, because that gives me an excuse to get a bottle of this right away. I've been searching for something like this for quite some time, and I anticipate that this will become one of my favorite scents.

[QueenFae]

Well, this delivers just what it promises, it smells just like a fireplace to me! I can pick out the leather note, but the backdrop is completely ashy, blackened, burnt out fireplace. There is a hint of sweetness in there someplace, but you really have to search for it. This is definitely not my kind of thing, but the boy sure loves it.

[cybra111]

hellfire

 

in the bottle: sharp liquor, maybe vodka, scent.

 

on me: Definitely smoke, like a campfire. Underneath is a hint of hot wood, not sure how else to describe it. I don't find the tobacco that I do in other scents. This lasts! Right before I fell asleep, I sniffed my wrist and could detect a sweet tobacco scent. Interesting, I am going to try this again!

[arachne]

I had such high expectations for Hellfire and it failed miserably on me. It started out fierce and powdery and dried down to something resembling play-doh. Bummer.

 

ADDED 2/1/09:

 

Love it! It smells exactly as described!

 

I knew I would love the tobacco as I loved sniffing the pouch my dad carried around years ago when he smoked a pipe. The leather is soft, not as prominent as in Loviatar, (which I also adore) but it's certainly in the forefront. The remaining ingredients, ambergris, dark musk and incense smoke are blended perfectly. This is definitely a skin scent. As it warms up on me it gets sweeter, a little more powdery. It's secretive, very sultry. This blend shrouds me in mystery and makes me want to dance beneath the veils. I will be getting a full bottle of this one.

Edited February 2, 2009 by Shollin
Removed Lab description --Shollin

[lanablade]

I got this based on many comparisons to my beloved Perversion, but sadly the 'incense' component must be myrrh, which doesn't get along with me at all. All I get from this is myrrh, myrrh and more myrrh. Very depressing.

 

I want to love this one, and I'm planning on giving it another try later, but for now I'll go sulk with Bordello, which is turning out surprisingly nice.

[supremegoddessofall]

Strong musk over incense with a very animalistic/raw feel to it. Somehow this is sticky and sweet and evil. Smoky. I almost get some cherry here, too. Maybe it's a cherry pipe tobacco?

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the imp: Sweetened woods (O_o I don't get it either)

 

First on: Spice and resin.

 

After a bit: Oooh, whip me with that leather, I'm also getting something minty along with the spice, resin and leather.

 

A bit more: Hmm, I'm wanting to blend this with Bengal, they'd marry so well. Leather with a hint of sweet spicy resinous smoke with any under belly spotted with some type of mint.

 

I can't wait to try this on the husband, but chances are I'll hide it away from him.

[neuilly]

Ok, I must have the weirdest chemistry because this turns almost completely into honey on me. Someone earlier on this page mentioned something similar so I'm not completely crazy. When I first put it on it smelled wonderfully like smoldering firewood...but then the honey (?) took over and it's just an overwhelmingly sweet scent. When I put my nose right next to my skin it smells amazing - musky and leather-y. It's smells like a perfect scent if you ignore that sweet top note that my skin is amping. Must convince a nearby boy to try this on...

[maribouquet]

imp: chilly smoke and ambergris

 

While this is intriguing in the imp, it quickly morphs into the scent of...smoke machines.

 

Not for me, unfortunately.

 

*edited for typos

Edited December 4, 2006 by maribouquet

[Luhtarian]

Hmm... I definitely smell the tobacco and resins... it's not really for me, honestly, but it lives up to its description. Nicely done but not something I'd wear.

[Voleuse]

On first sniff, I think of a study, the old-fashioned kind with heavy leather chairs, a roaring fire on the hearth, pipe smoke still swirling in the corners. The incense appears soon, a dark, sweet smoke. Interesting! The leather is definitely there as well, but it's subdued under the palette of smokes overlaying it. I don't know what ambergris particularly smells like, but there is a sweetish, almost musky note I don't recognize. This isn't really a heavy scent on me, but it definitely strikes me as masculine.

[juniperus]

Bottle: pipe and ambergris, mainly, with a hint of incense

Wet: heeeere comes the leather!

Dry: sweet, tobacco, leather - a gentleman's club, with old leather chairs, and pipe smoke, and sweet sherry lingering in the air...

Later: oooh. and old men. a gentleman's club complete with the decaying remnants of high society. I'll pass on this one, thanks.

[maijasu]

Mmm, sweet and smoky goodness! I thought, with all the notes in this one, that it might be too masculine or overpowering, but it's really not. I don't like it quite as much as Perversion, which I would consider to be in the same family of scents, but it's still very good, and I'll probably keep the imp around.

[CrystieSC]

From the name alone, I didn't expect to like this one. Once I looked it up on the website, I was intrigued by the idea of a tobacco note, since I love the smell of cigar shops (though I detest the smell of cigarettes when lit.)

 

In the bottle, I get a slightly pungent smell that I'm not so sure I'll like. But I decided to try a bit on my wrist anyway, as sometimes my nose misleads me. On my wrist, I can smell the tobacco and a faint scent of incense. Not too heavy though, which is good as incense will usually give me a headache.

 

Once it dries down though, Oh! I can smell sweet leather, and the tobacco is sort of in the background, but I still know its there. The pungent smell is gone, and I like this a lot more than I thought!

 

This imp will stay in the "keeper" pile, and I while I'd love to slather my boyfriend in this (if I had one) I will also wear it myself from time to time. Could possibly become a bottle purchase, once this imp has been completely emptied

[Elemcee]

Hellfire smells like leather and smoke on me, first off.

 

This is a man. It's a mysterious man in a leather coat and with a deep, velvety voice made slightly rough by cigarettes. There is something dark about him, but you're drawn to him, anyway.

 

On me, it softens a bit, eventually, and it's nice, but I think it would be fantastic on a man.

[filigree_shadow]

I like this a lot. Musky leather (not sleek black leather, but more like comfy broken-in leather), a sweet tobacco, and a little bit of smoky incense. The combination works beautifully -- it all goes together nicely and smells wonderfully comforting. Like a warm blanket and a good book on a snowy day.

 

I can't wait to get a bottle of this. I can't believe I don't have one already.

[grifyn_whiffs]

I liked this more than I thought I would! I was afraid it was going to be overly manly.

 

I get leather first, and then the pipe tobacco. I wish I knew what ambergris smells like on its own so I could identify if that's where my nose is getting licorice.

 

It has that dusty, arcane smell I associate with old libraries. Magus has a similar "feel" to it.

 

(Somebody walked by and asked if I was wearing Opium!)

 

It's not really a "me" smell, so I won't be getting a bottle, but I'm admiring the artistry of the notes and imagining rousing debates and scandalous behavior among sharp wits with the inevitable descent into drunkenness.

 

I'm not crazy about the drydown -- it starts to smell sweaty and musty, and then I thought: Well, that's probably the morning AFTER a Hellfire Club meeting.