Ozymandias

[coulrophobe]

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read,
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed,
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Desolation. The remnants of an empire, shivering with forgotten glories, a monument to megalomania, sundered power, and colossal loss. Dry desert air, dry and hot, passing over crumbling stone megaliths and plundered golden monuments, bearing a hint of the incense of lost Gods on its winds.

Preconceived notions: Anything with “desert” and “wind” in the description is sure to grab my attention – I just love scents like that. And incense? Added bonus!

In the imp: Sweet, dry and perfumey. This is reminding me of a vintage perfume.

On: I think Beth’s done a great job capturing the dry/windy “feel” of this one, but still having it be pretty. My chemistry turns a lot of things sweet and a bit powdery, and Ozymandias is no exception – but that’s fine with me, as “sweet and a bit powdery” suits me. To my nose, it’s a bit like a lighter version of Chanel No. 5.

Final verdict: I was betting I’d like this one, and I do.

EDIT: Added poem. --Shollin

[sarada]

My first impression upon sniffing was that I thought of my reaction when I tried The Cracked Bell. It has that perfumey quality to it, with something underneath...something sparkling just at the corners.

 

On my skin, it is very perfumey. It is rather like a classic perfume. I don't know which, since I've never dabbled in regular perfumes, but I think of the dresser where my grandmother collected her bottled perfumes when I smell it. Dry, bleached and floral, but very sophisticated...something you'd wear in a black dress to a formal event, that kind of thing.

 

When it dries, the incensy notes do come out, again rather like The Cracked Bell but not nearly strong as that. Still light, faint, dry and blown around by the wind. Just the memory of incense that's been burning.

 

Mostly a perfumey blend, but not a cloying floral. Nice for people who might be looking for something more classic or commercial in their BPAL arsenal. Not necessarily for me but I'm going to keep the imp around for the moment.

[zillah37]

Ozymandius:

 

In the bottle, it's a little sweet and a little dry. Kind of like a dry white wine actually, but without the alcoholic hint. It smells yummy in the bottle!

 

On my skin, it turns out to be soap automatically. That lasted for about fifteen minutes before it softened just a little and stopped being so soapy. I'm not sure it's something I really like and I can't quite place what it is that I'm smelling. But about ten minutes after that it becomes a very faint, soft scent that is very reminiscent of blowing sand and wins. The longer I wear this the more I like it. It's becoming something totally different from the initial soapy smell. It's definitely the afterthought of incense, not burning incense. There's a hint of golden sun and the windblown sand.

 

The verdict: I'm going to have to test this one a few times because it's not like anything I've smelled on my wrist. It's definitely very pretty, very light, and very evocative of the poem.

[shelldoo]

in the vial: dry, golden, resinous

 

wet:dry, resinous, incensy. yet golden and almost shimmery, not literally but in my mind, like when heat shimmers off pavement, that i s the vision i am getting

 

dry: yes that shimmery heat type vision is sticking w/ me. it is like a memory of incense, but i don't mean like stick incense or even cones, more like freshly ground resins, i don't even think they have been burned, i think it is the box the resins have been stored in, then when they were all used the lid was left open out on the deck, in a sunny spot, this encapsulates all of that, the sun, the heat, the remnants of resins, it is at once light and warm and golden, yet also aloof and beyond grasp. very intresting, and another i think will be a staple for me come summer.

Edited April 9, 2006 by shelldoo

[LiberAmoris]

The reviewers above have done a great job---they've seriously nailed it, and I can only agree that Ozymandias smells like a classic perfume, something vintage. It's funny that Sarada mentioned her grandmother, because the first thought I had was that it reminded me of my great grandmother's dressing table, which was always covered in fancy perfumes and powders.

 

I think I'll have to try this one a few more times before I decide if it's me or not. The nostalgia factor is interfering with my assessment of the scent. And it is a bit powdery, but in a way that works utterly with the rest of the 'feel' of it. It smells like another era completely. I have an urge to scent some of my antique tea-dyed linens with this oil.

 

And yet it also smells like an arid desert and temple incense carried on hot wind---Beth's done a fantastic job of capturing the spirit of the poem. It feels ancient and golden.

[hangingfire]

In the imp: A luxurious, dry sort of perfume. Reminds me somewhat of Yog-Sothoth, actually.

 

On, wet: Resemblance to Yog-Sothoth and Chanel No. 5 much more marked. It's got the same airy, light characteristic.

 

Drydown: The woody, incensey notes become more marked, perhaps a faint amber-y aspect as well. It's definitely in the same family as Yog, though, so if you liked that, you'll like this as well.

[bigeyedgirl]

I got this imp in a swap today....

 

Wet: perfumy, dry and feminine. I can't pick out any notes individually..

 

Dry: total Chanel no. 5. Which is great, as I would much rather give my money to Beth. It's light, airy, dry and ultra sophisticated and feminine. This is a woman's perfume, not a girl's.

[filigree_shadow]

[...]This is a woman's perfume, not a girl's.

YES.

 

It smells like it belongs on an antique make-up table next to one of those sterling silver brush and mirror sets. Quite perfumey, and a little bit powdery -- but in a good way. This is what I imagine upper-class women smelled like in the 1940s. The perfume of a woman who is feminine but strong. It's a take-me-seriously scent. Not sure if I can pull this one off, but I'm sure as hell going to try.

 

And this is nothing at all like the impression I thought I'd get from Ozymandias, but there you go.

[klio]

Quick sniffy impressions:

 

The colour of golden sands. Old-fashioned, expensive perfume. Incense, ambers, musks, rare spices? This says, "I am perfume, I am of important lineage, in this house we dress for dinner." If this wears well, I will need a LOT of it.

[Voleuse]

This is definitely incense on first application, a dry, warm sort of resin on my skin. It's a bit stronger than I expected, given the description.

 

As it dries, it gets more "perfumey," and a little soapy on me. Nice enough, but not really to my taste.

[paperdoll]

This smells like a posh perfume. (I'm not familiar enough with Chanel No.5 to know if that is an apt comparison or not.)

 

Definately reminiscent of dry, searing winds over a desolate, scorched plain.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Soapy incense

 

On Skin: This is quite interesting… I do get a hot desert, isolated and stumbling amongst ruins. Elegant and foreign, alone and overwhelmed. Very masculine, but freaking gorgeous. I am demanding my husband try this scent. I love how powerful it is, so regal. A scent for the king of the desert. The incense is light, not dominant at all. I get a more woody ozoney note as the front man. It’s also quite perfumey… or since it’s masculine… cologne like. It’s beautiful, if my husband likes it, I’m buying him a bottle.

[Babylon]

Alright, I bought a bottle of this unsniffed, right when it went live. It's RAMSES, man! omg!134253$%#! I'm a shameless Egyptophile, and majored in both ancient History and English (wtf? ). I swear my debit card helpfully leaped out of my purse downstairs and into my anxious hands the second I read Ozymandias and its description.

 

Here goes!

Wet: Perfumey! And I put a LOT on! It's on my neck, behind my ears, on my wrists, and in my hair. I'm coughing and argh... I smell like sharp cheap perfume. Oh no! It'll be hard to wear this one, and I was hoping to wear it pretty regularly. I'm horribly disappointed and want to go to my bedroom and cry and hug plush Cthulhu, but I have to go to work.

 

At work, within 15 minutes of slathering: This is just GORGEOUS, uncannily evocative of what it's named after, and, well... like nothing else (bpal or otherwise) that I've ever smelled! I smell a faded incense and something that literally smells like a crumbling, powdery stone. It's not a powdery smell, but rather gives me the visual image of ancient stone blocks and statues that are weathered and crumbling off at the edges. The next time I wore it, boyfriend said it smelled like myrrh and rock dust.

 

Staying power: Phenomenal. After the inital sharp perfumey smell, that only seems to last for about 10 minutes on me, it continually smells like incense and stone for at least a 9 hour shift at work.

 

Overall, I'm glad I just went ahead and bought a bottle. I seem to wear it on days when I want a quieter Anne Bonny or an incense blend.

[LittleGreyKitten]

I work in an antique store. We see lots of partially full many-decades-old bottles of perfume. They all smell strangely identical. Ozymandias captures that ancient perfume aroma perfectly. Sadly its rather rancid smelling to me, and very sharp/potent. I got the same feel off Khajuraho- while I doubt they're twins, I am sadly not loving Ozzy here. It sounded awesome but in reality the notes just don't work on me. Glad I just imped it!

 

For me, 2 out of 5.

[Meg]

In the bottle: A dry, hot, smoky and dusty scent with a perfumy base.

 

Wet: At first, the same as in the bottle, then it disappears and only leaves a slightly soapy scent. As it dries, the original hot smoky scent comes back, but there's really a soapy element to it.

 

Drydown: I don't get much more than slight incense, soap (still) and some dust now. It dries down to a powder, which is very appropriate for the stone. But the smell is really very discreet, it's hard to describe it. It would be the smell of dust and long-gone smoke in a tomb. Then it becomes sweet, and I'm reminded of Scarecrow.

 

Overall: Yes, it's very much like Scarecrow in its cologney component. It smells fresh and like a perfume, and on me it goes insufferably sweet. There's a very strong atmosphering component, a hardly describable scent of heat, stone, dust and smoke. But when the cologne takes over, it all goes to hell. Would probably work better one someone whose skin doesn't make everything go sweet.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the imp, smells very perfumey and kind of like cheap hairspray.

 

On me... yes, it does smell an awful lot like Chanel No. 5, which also doesn't work on my skin.

 

Baby powder, a slight hint of vanilla, and something soapy like my father's old shaving cream. On me, Ozymandias stays perfumey and heavy on the baby powder and soap.

 

I had to wash this one off. I wish that I had gotten the incense that some other people do from this one

[cupide430]

This just smells gorgeous, slightly powdery amber and perhaps some musk. It is a touch perfumey and definitely dry smelling. It is a more feminine cousin of Jacob's Ladder for me. Glorious resins and musks here, with a freshness to it. I absolutely adore this and can't wait to have a big bottle.

[moriae]

i love this one. it's timeless and classic. there's something in the powdery drydown that reminds me a tiny bit of unseelie.

[urraca]

I haven't been so excited about a scent since the first time I smelled O. I had to try it the minute I heard it was like Chanel no. 5. And it, it is! What is in this? Has Beth started using the aldehydes someone mentioned? It smells cologney in the imp, but it is Chanel no. 5 the minute it hits my skin, and then it slowly shifts into something slightly different, something all its very own. It smells like the '30s in a European city and elegance and my grandmother, definitely perfumey but light, not overpowering and fades to a soft floral. It is the kind of perfume that used to be a mainstay of the great perfume houses, but is never made anymore, or at least not the same way it used to be. This won't be for everyone. But it is for me.

[Chrysantza]

Whoa...this is WAY too perfumey and sharp on me. It smelled really nice in the imp, but on me the incense and warmth are superseded by an intense "store perfume" note.

 

I can see where it would be really nice on some people but it just doesn't jell with my body chemistry. Plus it is fading fast. Sigh.

[Medici]

In the imp: Amber and resin incense.

 

Wet: A very regal amber, and resin again, maybe just the barest touch of ozone in there - but truthfully, I was hoping to get the same sort of smoke signals like I get from Scarecrow.

 

Drydown: While this is an exceptionally warm blend (its full of hot air! Ha! Ha! I kid. ), its still really golden and a touch too resin/incensy for my liking.

 

Verdict: The imp's off to my dad. He's more into royal oils of this variety than I am. I think it would suit him well.

 

(Later) My Dad's Two Cents:

 

He can't pronounce the name, but he loves it and wants a bottle. So there you have it. Mr. Medici says its great.

Edited May 12, 2006 by Shollin

[provocateur]

in bottle: warm, resin-y, slightly soapy

 

on skin, wet: sharp, soapy. I think that's the "perfumy" quality people are referencing

 

on skin, dry: sharp, sharp, resinous and soapy. A bit to strong on the actual perfume based theory.

 

Overall - 0/5, I hate when things give me headaches.

Edited May 24, 2006 by provocateur

[parrot_suspect]

Ozymandias is a beautiful blend. It's hard to pick out the individual notes. I agree that it has a classic, almost "perfumey" quality along the lines of Chanel No. 5. In the BPAL lineup, I'd say it smells like a mixture of Numb and Antique Lace. I get something vanillic, a little powdery, a tad soapy, a little floral, and very musky. A lovely, very feminine fragrance; not at all what I was expecting, based on the description.

 

ETA: This has become one of my top 5 and is in regular rotation. It's so smooth and easy to wear, it's perfect for any occasion. Excellent to wear to work, out for a nice dinner, or for occasions where one's headier/more "headshoppy" scents won't do. And yet, you could still wear this with a T-shirt and jeans. Perfection!

[yeahbutnobut]

Ozymandias

 

In the imp: soft musk and something dry, airy and golden. Yup, it does smell a bit like traditional perfume- that's not a bad thing, but it does have that kind of feel to it.

Wet on skin: hmm…I can't really tell what this smells like note-wise, apart from musk and hot, empty air, with a hint of classic perfume.

Dry on skin: this is very interesting indeed! This scent is very well blended and yes, traditionally perfume-y, in feel, but it goes beyond antique and feels timeless. It's definitely dry, and powdery-though, I think in this case, it's more like dust and stone. And it's so warm and light. I think Beth has got her desert air scent just right-it's very evocative, right down to the scent of dust and stone. It brings to mind images of Egyptian ruins lying desolate yet starkly beautiful in the fierce sun, remnants of a glorious age…I get hints of amber underneath, glinting like long lost golden treasures hidden in the sand, and also little wafts of incense smoke here and there. There's an ozone note here, I think-though, it's not the stormy ozone which reacts oddly on my skin, this is more of an airy, windy note, fresh and clean but not soapy-in fact, it reminds me of that linen/ozone note in Antique Lace. And on top of that is the warm, barely there, yet slightly tangy scent of Egyptian musk-I'm sure it is because it has that second-skin subtlety that is characteristic of that musk.

After a while: no…please don't fade! I have a feeling this scent is going to fade fast, because it's already become very discreet. But the scent I now get on the skin is a warm musk-like the scent of sun warmed skin, with a hint of dust and air to it, just a little bit of incense/amber too. A second skin scent.

But after an hour, it seems the scent is sticking around, and gets stronger but still remains understated. But every now and then, I got wafts of it coming off my wrist, and wondered what that lovely smell was! Now, the scent is that of a sun warmed light musk, with aspects of smoke and dust and dry heat. Sometimes, it reminds me of warm skin, or warm fur (like a cat lying in the sun!) It's almost like the powdered smoky airy musk of another scent (maybe Stardust or Urania without all the floral notes? Someone mentioned Yog Sothoth, maybe it's that? Only this scent is that of daytime and golden sunshine compared with those, which are scents of the night. There are also times when this scent reminds me of a muted, softer Jacob's Ladder.) This scent too is also reminiscent of traditional perfume-it's a very grown up, and very unisex fragrance. Over time, I'm sure the smokiness becomes more apparent, under the dusty musk.

Verdict: another Egyptian themed scent that I am warming to, whilst this scent certainly has that classic perfume feel to it when I first sniff it, I take time to explore the scent to find that it also fits the description very well. Beth has an uncanny knack of being able to capture the climate of a place in her scents-like in here. It really is dry, hot, dusty, sandy and golden with a hint of something breezy and fresh, yet also empty, arid, barren…but also intriguing, and filled with secrets. Sunlight upon desert, winds blowing across Egyptian temples and statues half buried in sand-one sniff and I'm transported there. It's so well blended that it's hard to tell what the notes are at first, but I'm guessing there's Egyptian musk and that 'fresh air' note which may be a kind of ozone, but one which is good with my skin chemistry, and some dusty and golden notes, a bit of amber, some incense and smoke. The scent then morphs into an understated but delightful soft sun-warmed musk with hints of dust and smoke. This is a scent of subtle beauty, it is really growing on me, haunting and mysterious, and very evocative and timeless. I'm glad I have a bottle on the way.

Emoticon rating:

 

Edited to add: on trying this again (and loving it more second time around-it's a real grower!) I've suddenly realised what that golden, piercing, bright note is...frankincense! Of course! The revelation came when I smelt Heaven and Earth's Red Witch and realised that it smelt similar-like a spicier, less dusty and less musky version of Ozy, and the main note in there is frankincense and I think I smell that note in here. I also get sandalwood at the base-it has the wonderful smoky drydown I get from other scents with light/white musks and sandalwood in them.

Edited June 30, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[desu]

It smelled perfumey in the imp, a bit dry and sweet, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyway. Ozy instantly went from 0 to swap pile in 2 seconds, although my skin's reaction to it wasn't as bad as Hamadryad and The Coiled Serpent.