Strangler Fig

[Champagne]

A glorious parasite! Once the seeds of the Strangler Fig find root in the bark of a tree, snakelike roots erupt and reach graspingly at the sky. The Strangler Fig then sprouts numerous epiphytic vines that strangles and surrounds its unwilling host, and finally snuffs the life from it. Rooty, woody, with deep green tones.

I didn't review this delicious blend immediately cause I was too busy enjoying it!

In the imp: deep and fresh green like when you enter in a humid and lush greenhouse

Wet: the leaves and the fruit start to raise without killing the green tone

Dry: after 1 hour the green is gone to leave a golden sunset-like sweet fragrance, sunset on a beautiful greenhouse.

I already loved figs but now it's for life


Total love

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: I'm generally a little iffy on the Garden scents - I'm not actually a huge fan of 'plant' scents or single note florals, so those that're on my wishlist do not rank highly. Mind you, I've surprised myself with a few scents recently (And yes, Alecto, it's you I'm looking at) so I guess this could actually work.

 

In the imp: ... either this is a mislabelled imp or that's the least accurate descriptive text I've come across so far. This is doing a damn good impression of runny honey, with some sweet, wet green grass underneath.

 

On the wrist, wet: This is actually more like a sweet floral on - but a sweet green floral. It's greener but still not what I'd describe as a 'green' scent as such - not woody, nor rooty on my skin. Sweet crushed flower stems, that's what this smells like. I actually quite like it - it's a bit tropical, sweet and cheeky.

 

Twenty minutes later: This has got more floral, not less - now it's a sweet, dusty pollen-like scent. It's a bit more respectable dry, but still an impish little scent - I'm almost expecting it to misbehave for the hell of it. This is really rather pleasant, although I don't know when I'm going to wear it.

 

Verdict: Keeper, potentially a bottle but I'm not sure.

 

Tl;Dr: Honey sweet, dusty pollen and a little wet green - impish and cheeky.

[kittycatpurr]

In the imp: You say woody and green, but I say chewy and sweet.

Wet: All right, it's green. This is the green smell of a climbing vine or sapling, which you are trying to uproot. When you split the vine, it shows some white sap, and gives up a bittersweet smell. Both woody, and underripe. That's this. Deepening as it dries, and throwing a gentle spice combination.

Dry: There is too much fruity folding around the spicy thing.

[thelaurenator]

Ooooh. I love BPAL's fig note. It's sweet without being hideously so.

 

In this, I smell fig, mostly, patchouli, and something... deep green smelling. Great throw on this. It's pretty when my nose isn't pushed up to my arm, it smells like a garden of fig trees. Close up, this smells dark and green and lush, but it's not really me.

[theseagrows]

smells like dusty figs with a hint of greenery in the background. i get something almost powdery/cocoa-y too, but not quite really powdery. it's very fall-like and the fig isn't too sweet or fruity to be cloying. a strange scent but i think i will like it for fall.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Oily green figs.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells like fig, but it’s not smooth and sweet like I normally get from this note. Instead it’s green and woody, and very lush. Almost like a scent cross between bamboo and fig with a touch of woodiness (though this isn’t fruity like bamboo is). This scent also smells very thick to me.

 

After a little while: As this settles, it becomes this rich and slightly green fig scent with a light woodiness. The scent is very pungent and strong, with an almost prickly quality to the green and woodiness of the blend.

 

Overall Impressions: I enjoy this blend, though I don’t think I would wear it. It’s fig, but with a lot of thick greenness to it and hints of wood added. I would classify this as unisex, especially since it lacks a sweeter tone. This is earthier than it is fruity.

[skepticism]

I could not trace any rooty, woody notes and especially not any green ones. The minute I uncapped the imp and applied it to my skin all I could smell was a brown sugary, heavy warm smell that kind of just oozed into the air around me. Since I wasn't keen on the smell, I dabbed about 2/3 less than I usually do. The foody/sugary smell was still very, very strong. Don't think this scent is me, even as a sniffie.

[gingiemay]

Hee, this is the same imp that skepticism tried!

 

Wet in imp - A dark, leafy, woody forest. A very faint fruity tinge, but it fits in with the “natural” theme.

 

Wet on skin - The fig is amped, with a little wood and leaves in the background. Guess my skin amps ripe fruits!

 

Dry on skin - A deep, woody fig. Much figgier than in the imp. Not for me.

[voodoocatwoman]

This is way too sweet for me. It reminds me of figs drenched in honey, topped with brown sugar. I get nothing green or woody at all.

[Iceblink]

Very sweet sugary figs with an earthy background. I get no green here, but I don't care because the figginess is so good! Quite strong too. Tasty.

[waternight]

In the imp: Oh yeah. Fresh figs sitting on a tree. So far, this =

Wet: Um, and again with the Sweet, sugary figs - sweeter than I expected. But those sugary figs are in a living basket formed of dry woody roots and sprigs of greenery. Oh my God. Oh... this is so wonderful I can hardly stand it. I became obsessed with the Lab's fig note when I tried Gomorrah, and have hunted down every blend with fig in it since then. Most of them disappoint when it comes to the fig. But this... this is pure, unadulterated figgy goodness. I seriously may need to toss a bottle of this into my next order. Good lord. Oh yeah, review... so, as this dries, the sugaryness tones down and is balanced by the rooty-ness. It's a fairly strong scent with impressive throw. This is a Gaia scent - strong and proud and yet simple and humble. Confident in its purity.

Dry: Dry, it takes on a strong alcoholic note. And becomes headache inducing. Yeah... still amping like hell, and not in a good way. Damn and blast!

[rayvn1]

Mmm sweet, spicy vanilla. Dark, slightly woody, and delicious

[FeatherQwill]

Wet: Odd, very greenery-ish, not unpleasant

 

Dry: Sweetens up with the floral notes. Nice, unique.

 

 

Overall: Not a bottle-buy, but I'll keep the imp around for variety.

[WidgetAlley]

Frimp from the Lab. I was expecting a fig scent until I remembered that strangler figs aren't figs at all, so we'll see about this.

 

Imp: A very watery, faint smell of crushed greenery and honey. The oil runs down and beads on the end like water, it's so thin-- the very first BPAL I have seen do that.

 

Wet: A strong, green, unripe, but sweet fig and honey and the oozing sticky sap from fresh-cut stalks of green growing things. It is an outdoorsy sort of smell, but a very light one, not strong or earthy at all. It's a little spicy too. Maybe like a handful of crushed green leaves. Pretty, but I miss the coconut and milk I get from Eden.

 

Dry: This, to me, smells kinda like carmelized figs with cream, which is a great idea in theory (and the kitchen), but not so much on my arm. It's not that I don't like it, because I do and it's very nice, but I think I like Eden a good deal better. This is really delicious but just not engaging my interest.

[magikalbrownies]

how come i smell cedar and PLANTS lush green plants. reminds me of the florist when they're pruning leaves...very fresh green.. with loads of wood...

[twofoxes]

Starts off really earthy - wood notes, really green, maybe a little patchouli in there? As it dries down it gets alot softer - still pretty earthy, but the sweetness really comes out. Not so sweet you wanna hurl, just a very pretty, sweet-earth scent. It makes me think of drinking spiced cocoa around a campfire in the woods. Really great scent!

[crebbsgirl]

This is the closest to Figs and Leaves that I've found. I love it! Figgy with a very earthy base, this isn't a foody fig, but rather a deep and earthy one. It's sweet with an herbal/woody tinge to it. I don't get overwhelming dirt, but there is a dirt note in here. Very wearable.

[silvertarna]

I was a little dubious about this one, because the fig is generally something that can go weird on me. In this one it stays good, and the green plant smell puts me in mind of a garden just after the rain. This is a great, fresh, waking-up scent. Might not be a bottle, but I'll definitely use up the imp and am glad I was frimped it!

[laslibres]

How interesting...I get zero green from this at all. It's really sweet right from the imp, and smells like baked goods and not foresty like I expected! Huh.

 

On me...I guess it does smell sort of woodsy, but it's a very light wood, like cedar, not a deep, damp, rootsy wood. Something in it is making it very warm and sweet, too, like vanilla. Maybe I'm just smelling figs...I actually don't know what figs are supposed to smell like, and my nose might just be confused. But it's really sweet and sugary! Hints of tobacco, also...?

 

Yeah, so not at all what I thought it would be like, but pretty nice anyway. It's sort of comforting...warm, spicy, sweet woods. It's a cuddle scent.

[ahoythere]

In the Bottle: Sweet, green sappy wood. Very fresh. There's no earthiness but the fig note gives it depth.

 

Wet: Sweeter, more fig, a bit creamy, and there's still that sappy new green scent.

 

Dry-down: Well-blended, the sweetness of the fig perfectly matches the green sappiness of the woods. After five minutes, the sappiness almost completely disappears and I'm left with sweet, creamy fig. It's soft and not at all overpowering.

 

Uh oh, after twenty minutes, it's going a little soapy on me. After half an hour, I get the wood coming out and it's saved me from soapiness. An hour later, I still get the creaminess, though it's gone a bit too sweet and powdery for me. Still very figgy, though. The sappy green is gone and though there's a bit of nice woodiness, it's not enough.

 

Final Thoughts: After all that, I'm left with a creamy fig dessert that smells like it's being served on a platter carved of dry wood. Not bad, just not for me. It did go a bit soapy on me, too.

[wildgratitude]

Wet, it's all sweetness and green.

Now that it's dry, I'm getting the fig but also...baby powder?

 

I think I'm going to have to own a bottle of this.

 

ADDED Oct. 1:

 

I don't know that I will ever love another perfume the way I love Strangler Fig. Wet, it's green, sticky, and sweet. It dries down to powdery figgy perfection - the smell of standing under a fig tree in Marseille during August.

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Very green (I think this is the fig... I don't recall ever smelling a real one), with a dash of spicy darkness lurking behind it. Intriguing.

 

Wet: Woody and green. Like my neighbour's overgrown backyard when the mulberries were not in season.

 

Dry: The woodsy is starting to go away and the green is stronger. The dark background spices are coming out to play, stronger than in the imp.

 

A while later: Spicy and warm, with just a dash of what I guess is the fig. But mostly spicy. This is what I imagine freshly baked fig newtons would smell like.

[cupcakegernade]

FIRST SNIFF: The fig is the most dominant note. Right behind it is something green and leafy, evergreen perhaps, not sure.

 

WET: This is very warm and spicy on on the skin. At this stage the root note comes into play, and it reminds me of the way fresh ginger root smells. There is also something reminiscent of nutmeg.

 

DRYDOWN: It has become very woody and spicy. The fig smells nice mingeling with the other notes. I am also picking up a slightly musky note. It is like taking a walk through a beautiful forest with lots of trees and the wind blowing through, rusteling the leaves. There is the sent of the woods and lush green leaves in the air. You find a small grouping of fruit trees in the center, fig trees, and their fruit is ripe and juicey, yours for the taking.

 

OVERALL: This is very nice and I really like the fig and spice in this. I may get a bottle of it.

[angelicruin]

Inside the imp, wood and root.

 

On the skin, fig and root are top notes. Wood note emerges on dry down.

 

Not really getting anything "green" in this blend.

 

Dries down to faint fig and root.

[tajana]

Fig... ripe, earthy, and creamy in its sweetness. I can vividly imagine the texture of a real fig when I smell this perfume freshly applied. Bright, fresh green sap adds an energizing tartness. As it dries down, big green leaves shade the fig and sap note. There's a bit of sharpness to it. After it dries down the rooty, woody aspects peek out a little, with a tantalizing suggestion of spice, but it's still mostly creamy figs with a sunlit green feel. It has great, throw, too. Yep, definitely a keeper. I like it even more than I expected to. I can't stop huffing my wrist.

 

ETA: And this is long-wearing, too! I really, really love this. I've been looking for an awesome, brighter green scent, and this is it. I got a bottle and I love it. This also layers well with spicy scents.

 

Compared to other wood and fig BPALs: Not as "dark" in feel as Intrigue... Intrigue is a night-time scent, Stranger Fig is the sunshine-infused counterpart. The creamy fig is very similar to Eden, but where Eden was oversweetened, cloying, and funky on my skin, the Strangler has some moderation and more greenery.

Edited September 14, 2009 by tajana