Oblivion

[plainjean]

Salvation found in darkness beyond darkness, the blessed sleep of nothingness. Dark musk, wood spice, labdanum, patchouli, dark African woods, and saffron.

First off, let me just say that the color of this oil is amazing. It's this crazy blackened olive green.

Anyway, when I first sniffed this, the thing it brought to mind was Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male. Now, I kind of actually like Le Male, as long as it's in small, small doses. That's not to say that Oblivion is exactly like Le Male, but they had a similar vibe to me. Very masculine, but not completely clean-cut.

On me, it's really great. Really, really great. It's dark, sweet woods with something bright (I assume the saffron) hanging out in the back. And a bit of labdanum for good measure. I think I get some of the spices..Nothing too spicy, though, which is good for me.

This sort of scent is definitely a comfort scent for me: manly but not overpoweringly so, with a light sweetness to keep it from veering into generic cologne territory. Overall, it's very cozy and warm.

Possible bottle in the future? I think so.

[pteron]

This was a frimp in my latest order. (Thank you, Lab!) Unfortunately, I've had bad experiences with oils containing patchouli in the past; I usually amp patchouli like crazy and do not enjoy the smell of it. Nevertheless, the name and description sounded interesting, as did the dark musk and woods.

 

A number of users have already commented on the unusual colour of the oil, but the greenish tinge is indeed striking and the hue is darker than any of the other BPAL oils I've seen.

 

Both in the imp and on my skin, the initial smell is of wood and spices. The wood aspect almost reminds me of sawdust without the dryness, or perhaps pencil shavings. Of the previous scents I've tried (which isn't that many, only 8), it brings to mind Dee the most, but without Dee's lovely leather and tonka. Dee's woods also strike me as richer and the incense stronger than the woods and spices in Oblivion. I'm not sure what labdanum or saffron smell like, so can't comment on them.

 

After a few minutes on my skin, the patchouli creeps in and takes over until it's nearly all I can smell, turning Oblivion into a very perfumy, almost cloying, scent. Twenty minutes in and Oblivion smells much like how Mary Read, another oil containing patchouli, ended up on me.

 

Both before and after the patchouli takeover, I'm surprised by the warmth of this scent. It's not at all what I was expecting based on the description! There's nothing dark about the smell to me at all and Oblivion would probably be comforting - like curling up in front of a fire - if the patchouli didn't come along to ruin everything. Still, I'll be passing this frimp off to a friend who I think will appreciate it and I've learned that my avoidance of patchouli is indeed justified, so I'm glad to have had the opportunity to try this scent even though it's not for me.

Edited February 15, 2011 by pteron

[frecklestars]

Full disclosure: I am not a patchouli fan. I spent too much time at UC Santa Cruz, smelling everyone around me wearing layers upon layers of patchouli and never showering. It is not for me. If patchouli is also not for you, I imagine you will not be a fan of this blend. However, if it _is_ for you, you'll probably love it (yay you!). I don't hate all you folks who like patchouli, I just can't do it on myself.

 

In the bottle: o hai spicy patchouli! how I didn't miss you. it's very masculine and dark, like deep forest. only someone spilled a spice rack on the ground. it's very mysterious, and that forest aspect makes me want to breathe in as much as possible. until I choke on the patchouli. oh forest hippies, you ruined patchouli for me forever.

 

On my skin: oh, yup, lookatthat! more patchouli. turns a little ashy, almost like burnt out bonfires from drum circles the night before. again, I appreciate the deepness of it that's so like a very foreboding wood, and the masculine aspects of this scent do it well. it reminds me of pine trees quite a bit, with that sap-and-needle vibe. that's quite nice. but...well, I'm sure you know what I'm going to say by this point.

 

Last thoughts: I hate patchouli. hate it. with a passion. I love forests and drum circles and dancing and all those other nice things, but I do not like people who don't shower. and those were the people that wore a lot of patchouli and ruined it for me.

Edited April 18, 2011 by frecklestars

[Drarra]

I got this imp with my first lab order, tried it and set it aside. I liked it, but it didn't have staying power on my skin. Today, deciding what to wear, I grabbed it, thinking it needed another chance. I'm so glad I did - it is full of winning notes just waiting to shine (figuratively - this is a somber scent) on my picky skin!

 

In the imp: Woods and spices swirl about in a green murkiness. I love woods, and I find it a little odd that I can't identify which woods are here. Must develop nose further.

 

Wet on my skin: The saffron strikes me first, oddly enough. This is not a note I would have expected to love in my perfume, but skin chemistry is an odd thing. Lots of woods, but these are not polished, dry woods. They are somehow dingy. They aren't wet, but they're not dry, either. And "wood spice". Seriously, where do I find more of this "wood spice"? I'm loving it!

 

Dry on my skin: This isn't a morpher on me, and the saffron settles down fairly quickly. I get consistent dry, spicy wood with a tinge of patchouli. I've had this on for around 7 hours, so I can't complain about staying power at this point! It has rather limited throw, but it's still pumping out Oblivion-y goodness.

 

Final thoughts: This just became a love! It's going to be a bottle purchase. I've always been vaguely disappointed that this blend didn't work, so I'm SO HAPPY I went back to try it again. This is a dark, bleak scent, and I love how it conveys Oblivion. A winner brought to you by Sin and Salvation!

[mxtine]

Sexy man's cologne, very much like JPG Le Male. I love the olive colored oil. This is classic spicy patchouli, woods, resin and musk. Saffron is a nice touch in this otherwise dark blend. The woods in the dry down remind me a little of Haloes. I wouldn't have expected to love this but I do!

[lookingglass]

Yum, yum, yum...this is reminding me of Raven Moon but thinner and woodier. I'm glad it's GC.

[RedRoseMaze]

In the bottle: I know I’m not the only one who mentions the colour of this sample, but... It’s green! It’s spicy, musky; and yet, I smell a mix of wet wood and patchouli.

Wet: It’s still warm, spicy and woody, but with an herbal quality, from the patchouli and labdanum, with a note of saffron.

Dry: Suddenly, as it dried, it turned into peroxide (I’m not kidding), to come back to spicy patchouli. Of all the skin chemical reactions I’ve experienced so far, this is the most unusual...

Verdict: Well, at first, it reminded me of my father’s cologne when I was a kid; then, it turned into something medical, to finish as a spicy man’s cologne. Since it has such a strange reaction on my skin, I think I’ll leave the final verdict to men...

[KatharinaNordh]

Just as I realise that me and Patchouli are enemies, this shows up - and it smells like Green Chartreuse.

 

My favourite drink, even over Mead, which I am crazy about.

 

But I don't want to smell like it All the time - it smells awesome and dark and slightly sinister and the patchouli is - for the first time - not nasty and foul on me.

 

I Really enjoy this smell, it is fantastic, and someting I will wear when intimidating my little brothers new girlfriends; it really fits the part of scary, insane but magnetic and powerful, which is something I like to imprint on his women (this sounds bad; but he has lousy taste in women and always ends up with little babydolls who cheat on him or just want him for the money, which he has a fair amount of - I like to make them aware that even if HE can be used, there's far worse things around the corner...and this is that smell; the far worse thing around the corner <3 )

[Alia Kaitan]

Frimp'd this from the Lab, and of course I had to test the funky looking green oil right away!

 

Oh my gosh. How come this has never been on my radar?

 

First on, there is something almost almondish, but that quickly gives way to deep, smooth, draw-you-in and steal-your-soul darkness. It's a earthiness and musk and woods with just the right hint of sweetness. Very black without being smothering. If anything, I do get a sense of space from this, even if I can't see a damn thing. I find the individual notes hard to pick out, and am very content to just bask in the overall effect.

 

I can has bottle?

[neuilly]

Well this wasn't what I expected! I was going through my giant back of old frimps (trying to weed out what to give away and what to start using!)and I almost put this in the give away pile without even smelling it! Granted, I thought I had already reviewed it but I was wrong.

 

This is like an empty airy darkness. I thought it would be very heavy or cloying but it's not at all. I can definitely see how this could be unisex (although I don't tend to go for those scents) but I think I will have to slather my boy in this to see how it takes to his skin. I love Resins and that's what I think gives this a lighter quality, but there's still something "empty" about it. I think it's super yummy and very hard to describe!

[Cactus]

Got this as a free imp - and whoever chose it made a very good choice!

In the imp: Patchouli? - and incense-y wood and spices.

On the Skin:

Wet: I smell much less patchouli now. It's a mix of very dry woods, spices, and something sharp-green and herbal (like sage or rue maybe). I can smell a lot of the saffron - it's really lovely (then again I really like saffron, your tastes might be different). It has a very dry, warm scent.

On the Drydown: It doesn't really change much - the herb scent seems to come and go a little but that's it.

This smells like a combination of the fire of some great magical working and the hearth fire of a kitchen. Surrounded by a (not unfriendly) darkness. This isn't just kitchen witchery - this is kitchen magecraft of a high order.

P.S. ...And the oil really is an interesting color.

 

Edit: With aging, whatever bits of patchouli were there have really toned themselves down. Interesting.

Edited November 19, 2015 by Cactus

[JazzieCazzie]

Purchased an imp of this from the Lab on a recent impapalooza spree which was part restocking dwindling imps and part trying scents I had not tried. I am sure I must have tried this in the past, based on the notes, but no longer had it and had not reviewed it, so what the heck, right? Working my way through the alphabetland maze of ALL of my BPAL so I can finally come up with a comprehensive swappable list with which, I hope, to further expand my collection.

 

IN THE IMP: Sweet and deliciously spicy with some woods but not a deep dark green-type woods on first sniff (despite the color).

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: I really, really like these wet notes. Very sweet and woody when I bury my nose in my arm or to my wrist, yet I somehow get a slightly fruity throw. Not sure what it's from. Maybe more foodyish than fruity per se, so it could be the saffron. When wet, this is just a lovely light resiny/floral blend.

 

DRYDOWN: This is where it starts to lose me and I'm not sure why. It just goes a little ... off. The musk, which so often is a great note for me, amps up and it all goes a little too perfumey and less spicy/labdanum/saffrony.

 

OVERALL: This could qualify as a potential keeper were it not for the fact that I have SO many scents I do love that I know, realistically, I would simply never wear this. And so instead it goes into the swap box for future listing.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a fair 3.

[milo]

Dude blend alert! Masculine, LOTS of woods and musk at first. After a bit, it gets sweeter. This is really a great blend, only a bit too masculine for me.

[urbantravels]

Damn you BPAL you may be converting me from my dislike of patchouli. I was never on the extreme loathing end of the scale -no over-exposure to bad patchouli on unwashed hippies - just didn't care for the stuff. But this...

 

I like woods, spicy dark green notes, and some musks, so this seemed like a no-brainer. I forgot about the patchouli when I tested it. My first impression was a powerful reminder of Antikythera Mechanism and/or Araña, both of which I own. I could swear I got vanilla! But vanilla isn't listed in Oblivion. There must certainly be some wood notes in common, probably the oak, maybe teak? And "wood spice" could mean a lot of things. I don't have a clear mental picture of labdanum or saffron, but I think I can pick out the saffron.

 

My skin really likes this musk, and the patchouli is really behaving itself nicely here. Reminds me of shopping at Pier 1 when I was a kid and it hadn't yet had its 80s makeover into a housewares store. It used to be an eccentric import place crammed full of things like wicker baskets, Chinese fans and gewgaws, bamboo wind chimes, scented soaps, and LOTS of incense.

 

Come to think of it I may be getting a whiff of the ol' Nag Champa so there may very well be sandalwood in here too.

 

This is the kind of thing I like, and I like it.

 

ETA: But whoa, it seems to be giving up the ghost pretty quickly. I'd think something so resinous would have staying power but it seems to be evanescing. Have to try again later to see if this is a fluke. If not I'll have to try gluing it down with a bit of shea butter.

Edited October 30, 2013 by urbantravels

[Monster]

I'm not sure why Oblivion hasn't hit my radar until now, it's totally the type of scent I love and it's full of win notes.

 

In the vial the color of this oil is actually a dark olive green. It's a little darker than Hemlock.

 

On my skin wet, I'm getting wood notes with the slightest hint of balsam or something coniferous. There's also a healthy dose of musk. I'm absolutely loving this experience right now. As it dries, I amp the musk. When I inhale deeply there's s tingly mossy-like sharpness on the edge of the musk and wood notes. Im laying in a thick, dimly lit forest, I smell pine sap, incense, moss and maybe the memory of an extinguished fire in the distance. This is a bold Viking-like scent. I can see why folks would say this is a masculine blend but this is something more suited for a warrior woman or even someone with a pure heart and strong personality like Kahlan from the Sword of Truth series. I am in love with Oblivion. Love love love.

[MuskWitch]

I am re-testing a bottle I've had for a couple of years. I know I love it, but haven't paid much attention to it for a while. Too busy trying other newer stuff.

 

The color is delicious, I've never seen such a beautiful color. I think it matches my eyes!

 

Deep, dark, musk (but not quite "black", and not brown, just very rich and grounded), sweet woods (not the pencil shavings type, not the pine-type, but the rich dark sensuous aged meaty woods), spice, a hint of saffron, and patchouli so well blended it doesn't even register as PATCHOULI, but as some shadowy, intense, mysterious anchor for the other notes.

 

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

 

You gotta try this.

[Veronica]

Looking at the note list, I'm not really sure why I wanted to try this, but it's nicer than expected. In the bottle, this is musk and saffron spiced wood. The patchouli in this is one of the only blends I can tolerate from the lab--it lurks in the background adding a spiced depth to the scent without being overwhelming or the main note.

 

Dry, this is musk with a sweet, sort of sticky-honey note and spiced wood component. Super interesting and kind of cool, but not my kind of scent. Not sure why so many sweet/foody scents turn "sticky" smelling on me. A nice masculine leaning blend.

[DevilsCandyCane]

This stuff is weird, in so many ways! The green colour of the oil is very strange, I've rarely seen an imp that colour! Initial testing, I'd completely forgotten what the notes were - my initial impression was a hint of absinthe, and a splosh of something weird and medicinal, and I kept finding that every time I sniffed it, I would get this wave of uneasiness/anxiety. It reminded me of something, during the wet stage, but it took a while to figure out exactly what. When I sniff it, wet, it somehow makes my lips feel a bit numb, it's just this empty, cold, faint-medicinal nothingness, and it reminds me exactly of the moment when intravenous cocaine hits you - the numb mouth, the numb everything, the ringing in the ears, that moment of surfing the thin line between a soaring rush and a fatal heart attack. Which is something I haven't done in around six years - even the thought of it makes me feel nervous, and this scent is just...too weird. Weird, unpleasant, nervous-making!

 

Now it's dried down, I'm bemused by the list of notes - it sounds as though it should be strong, earthy, spiced, masculine, but all I get is a very, very light, very clean soapiness with a subtle trace of spice. And it still makes me feel nervous. Think I'm going to wash it off!

 

All in all, fascinating, but...nope!

[Shadowdawn]

What on earth?? I would have never reached for this blend in a million years, as patchouli has been, in the past, a death note for me. In fact any chance i get to sniff a pure patchouli note.. I hate it. With a passion. Like straight up vetivert. Urghh.

So, then, the question is.. why do I find this blend so comforting?! In the sense that it wraps me up safely and I want to drift off to sleep. I wonder what part of my brain this is triggering, because I certainly feel like I've never smelled anything like it before...

 

Wearing this I honestly feel like a grey cashmere blanket has been wrapped around me and I can be at peace and forget everything. It really feels like a comforting "oblivion", somehow. And the longer I wear it, the softer it gets, until it just slips away into.... oblivion. And I almost forget what it smells like immediately after I can't smell it anymore. It smells a bit ethereal and like something that you can't capture because it keeps slipping away between your fingers. I have no idea how any of those notes could come off as remotely gentle, fuzzy, or soft, but they do. It does smell like the incense of a wood that you can't pin down what kind of wood it is. But it smells dry, very dry. Maybe a tad masculine, but it's still comforting to me. Gentle giant comes to mind, because there is a hint of murky "darkness" to it (and the color is just perfect), but in a soothing calm way. It's like slipping away in a dark, calm place. A little earthy, but somehow manages to be clean. Which is another paradox lol. I wouldn't wear it all the time, but I guess if I felt in need of comforting I might. For some reason this strikes me as a funeral blend...

[freyasfae]

This almost reminds me of Black Moths from CP without the dusty quality - it's a slightly fruity, spicy scent with woods and lovely patchouli. I am very picky about patchouli, but finding out in certain combinations I like it more and more. BPAL just does that kind of magic.

[bulletslc]

Received this as a frimp from a swap partner. A swap partner who knows me very, very well.

 

First off dark/black musks LOVE me, and I them. Also, I've been discovering that patchouli does as well.

In the imp this smells musky and a little herbal. Not promising, but not off putting.

Wet on skin it smells a little too bright at first. Maybe the labdanum or saffron?

Dry down the musk blooms and melds with the wood spice and African woods. Patchouli adds a rooty, dark element. The whole scent blends together in a deep musky and spicy wood scent. This is dead sexy on me and has become an instant GC favorite. Need a big bottle.

 

My favorite oils are Minotaur, Streets of Detroit and Ninon if that helps anyone who loves those to know Oblivion might be for them.

Edited September 2, 2016 by Bulletslc

[Coldfire]

Imp: dark and sleepy. powdery whisps from the musk
Wet on Me: only thing I can slightly pick out is the musk
Drying Down: oh c'mere shy patchouli I smell you in the shadows
Dry: this is dark and sexy and luxe but not sinister. It's dark temptation leading you on to....

[SecondDreemurr]

I bought this as an imp recently and my first sniff it reminds me of one of the favorite new age shops.

 

In the imp: Spices and herbs, musky and maybe a bit of patchouli

Drydown: About the same, a few more spices and for a few minutes started to smell very perfumey but mellowed out.

Dry on my hand: Its mellowed out but still holds a warm comforting scent to me.

 

I'm glad I do enjoy this because its color is simply amazing too.

[kajacana]

This oil is the prettiest olive green color -- never seen another BPAL like it!

It smells dark but not heavy. Masculine, but not cologne-y. Patchouli is definitely there, but BPAL's patchouli is like a different level of sophistication than your normal run-of-the-mill type.

As it dries down, it gets a little soapy, but... okay, I'm just gonna say it: like "clean man" kind of soapy. Like you'd expect a freshly showered dude to smell. And it's still musky and spicy and woodsy and I like it a lot, it's just not the sort of scent I would wear myself. But I'd love to smell it on someone else!

[Moth Dust]

I received Oblivion as a frimp in my first ever BPAL order, and it immediately became, and has remained, one of my favorite GC scents. It's a bit hard to describe without falling back on the "vibes" it gives me; It's dark, warm, cozy, spicy, with something slightly creamy about it - almost verging on foodie. It's very sexy, in a dark, mysterious, yet very comforting sort of way. This is my go-to oil when I want to feel relaxed, it's like the scent equivalent of being inside on a rainy fall day, wrapped in a warm blanket. Lasts all day on my skin. Nothing short of gorgeous.