Ogun

[fiddledragon]

... Ogun's ofrenda is heavy and dark cigar tobacco, gin and juniper, melon, chili pepper and a touch of honey.

 

Ogun -- This stuff is weird. The chili pepper really jumps out at you, and there's something almost chocolate-y about the tobacco. As it dries, the tobacco recedes and leaves mostly melon and honey with a touch of pepper. I think it's not me, but I might get an imp and see if it grows on me.

[cybra111]

Ogun

 

At first I get a bit of the Runts candy similarity as with Shango. But that fades almost instantly. This is fruit but with tobacco (which I love) to deepen and enhance, not smoke, just tobacco. As I wear it, it becomes creamy with honey sweetness and a bit of wax. Like the kind one uses to can fruits and veggies. I like this!

[Tesseljoan]

Ogun smells like watermelon and tobacco in the vial. When it's on, it is a weird, hectic mix of chili, tobacco and said melon. The chili is at the foreground, making this scent spicy, but the melon falls in the cold scent category for me.. it's as weird and pleasant as eating gazpacho or drinking iced chai.

 

It is so weird, but I think I like it. I'll finish the imp and we'll see if it turns to a bottle.

[Voleuse]

The melon is evident straight off in this blend, but it's quickly chased by smoke and tobacco. It's a push and pull to my nose, much like Fee, but warmer. As it dries, I get a little more of the chili, but the smoke gets a little stale as well. It makes my nose wrinkle, actually. It's a fascinating blend, but it's not for me.

[maijasu]

This starts out as a bright melon with a bite from the chili pepper. Then it morphs into something smoky and a bit musty, but still fruity (although the melon disappears). It's a very unique and interesting blend, and I may keep my imp around to experiment with, but I don't think it will be going on the short list for a big bottle.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

this oil doesn't morph much on me, from vial to skin to hours later...

 

the white rind of a watermelon or an unripe canteloupe, cheap gin and a freshly opened carton of cigarettes.

i think my brain is translating the chilipepper as white paperboard and plasticwrap.

i keep trying to smell the Juniper....but either i'm misinterpreting it as something else or i'm just not getting it at all.

 

off to swaps.

[sofiaviolet]

I smell juniper, weighed down with tobacco. The melon comes through on my skin, making for a nauseating cacaphony of notes I don't like. I can't sniff this one too closely without feeling sick.

[LiberAmoris]

Ogun is one of the more unusual BPAL oils I've tried. First on, it is indeed a blast of melon, very strong. But a minute later it starts to get all smoky and hazy as the tobacco and chili pepper come forward. The honey appears last on me and takes it in a skin-scent direction. It almost smells like beeswax, which with the tobacco definitely does give the impression of a candle burning.

 

After a half hour, it's so different from the wet stage that I can barely believe it. It's almost like a melony Luperci. Or like waking up after a long night of Midori shots and chain smoking.

 

This isn't something that I need more of, but I'll use the rest of the imp on my boyfriend, because I have a feeling this will smell quite good on him.

[columbus]

When I first read the notes for Ogun, I really liked the concept of it. I ordered an imp, but as I’ve become a better BPALer, I admit I was a little dubious of the combination of scents that are at play here... but I already had the imp, so I might as well give it a try, right!?

 

Good thing, too. In the bottle this smells... well, complicated at first. It took me a bit to catch anything at all, but when I did, I eventually got the melon (what a lovely melon, too! Just like cantelope for me.), honey, and gin. When I put it on, these notes did seem to hang around in front, but as it dried the tobacco and gin seemed to be the strongest scents I got from it. It’s a great dark scent, and I will most certainly be using this for NaNoWriMo this November, because I have a character in mind who I've always imagined smelling just like Ogun.

[gingersnapp]

This is primarily honey and juniper, which pleases me because I bought it for the honey note. It is cool and green, with only the slightest touch of melon (again, a greenish melon... like honeydew) and maybe a hint of smoky tobacco.

 

Not what I was expecting, but definitely one that I am very glad I bought a bottle.

[spring heel]

Whyyyyyyyyyy. I probably would have LOVED this, and loved all of the notes, if I could have smelled them. In the bottle I only got gin and tobacco, wet I only got gin and tobacco and dry I only got gin and tobacco. I never got any melon or honey. The gin and tobacco on its own made me feel sick to my stomach and headachey. I had such high hopes for it.

[aquazoo]

Pineapple. Must be the melon. Settles down into something nice & wearable.

[steffanina]

Ogun-

 

In Bottle: Melon.

 

Wet: Melon. And is that the chili pepper? Definitely the juniper coming through, too.

 

Dry: There's a little juniper, a little must. I'm sorry I never smelled the tobacco; this just isn't interesting enough for me.

 

Overall: Not interesting enough for me.

[hologhost]

This is wild. Melon and aquatic. Not bad, but very not me. The melon is really strong and it's not a scent I'm fond of.

[Medici]

In the imp: It's making my nose tickle! Melon and sweet tobacco and chilli!

 

Wet: Chocolate melon? Spicy chocolate melon! It's the tobacco and honey mix, makes it sweet and smokey and fruity all at the same time.

 

Drydown: Much the same, but way too sweet for my liking.

 

Verdict: While this is definitely an interesting combination of notes, it's a little on the cloying side with my chemistry, which makes it a no-go. I am glad I got to try it, though. It's an experience to stick your nose up to your wrist and smell it morph.

[prettypinkkitty]

In the bottle: It's melon, Jolly Rancher style, and a hint of tobacco.

Wet: Sort of the same, but the sweetness drops off a bit. There's also an astringent, sharp note that blends with the melon. The tobacco picks up a lot, so it's pretty much equivalent to the sharper melon. I wish I could smell the chili pepper!

Dry: Pretty much the same. The sharp note fades a bit. It's incredibly unusual, but not quite me.

 

Edit to note - I just washed over both wrists with some strong hand soap (Pride on one wrist, Ogun on the other), and Ogun is clinging on and on. Certainly a stubborn scent.

Edited November 18, 2006 by prettypinkkitty

[theseagrows]

this is a strange scent. i definitely smell the melon, honey and tobacco in this but not the other notes so much. first it starts off as a fresh melon with something warmer underneath, then the melon fades a bit and leaves a warm tobacco-y vanilla with a touch of melon. it's pretty, but i think i'd like it better without the melon because i personally don't like fruity scents. i may keep this imp though, because the tobacco is just beautiful!

[supremegoddessofall]

What an interesting combination of notes! This is strongly gin on me, with a touch of tobacco. My nose is ticking a bit, so I suppose that's the pepper. My dear friend honey isn't amping on me for once - I smell it in the background trying to break free, and I suppose the longer this is on the more it will come out. Not getting juniper or melon here. I thought I would like this more than I do - I think I'll give it another shot before sending it off for swaps.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Melon and the boozy gin note, with a hint of pepper.

 

Wet: Chili pepper *cough* and the gin and/or juniper notes start smelling like detergent. I think that there's melon there, deep down.

 

Drydown: It smells like... er... a dirty lavatory that was sprayed with an inefficient deodoriser. Ick? On sniffing again, I think it also smells very metallic, which is the point of this ofrenda, I'd think. Harsh, cold, and steely. I really can't discern any notes, but it's mostly salty and weedy.

 

Overall: I think I understand the link with Ogun, it smells very harsh and foreboding, and not so far from gunpowder and metal. It's absolutely not something that I'd ever wear, because on me it's also reminiscent to something gross and organic, but it's certainly an interesting scent.

[juniperus]

Bottle: gin and melon and chili pepper. it smells like a bad time in the kitchen.

Wet: much melon. honeydew, I think, I'm not getting any cantaloupe from this.

Dry: tobacco and melon. and booze. and this is getting really unpleasant on my skin.

Later: really unpleasant.

[sookster]

firstly, my bottle label is incorrect...

while it does, in fact, say Ogun, written underneath is "orisha blend"

which is actually what the TAL Ogun blend is...

but the bottom says bpal so i know it is just that, esp, by the smell of this...

 

straight sniff from the bottle is fresh melon and pepper and so interesting!!

 

once applied this gets a hot, dusty edge to it...then some gin kicks in making

this wildly unique and fantastic!!

 

i am so glad i took a chance on this one...it certainly is right up my alley....

 

the lab's scents containing melon are so wonderful!

[Shollin]

First sniff: Decidedly unusual. I’m getting tropical fruits and chili powder.

 

Wearing: It’s a big ol’ burst of melon and something darker, liberally sprinkled with chili powder. Strange, but good!

[Jilara]

Tobacco and melon with chili sounded so promising, but no. This comes up as rotted fruit on me, right out of the bottle. It's nose-twisting, with an emerging hint of garbage and something metallic like vomit. Fortunately, within ten minutes, it disappears entirely off my skin, eliminating the need to scrub it off. (But I still washed my wrist thoroughly.) I was hoping it might at least morph to tolerable, but I'll settle for vanishing.

[QueenFae]

This is one of the strangest blends I've ever sniffed! The first thing I notice when I sniff it is a most agreeable note; I think it's the combination of the tobacco and the gin. That disappears almost instantly, and is immediately replaced by a cantaloupe melon note. The melon stays on top for a few minutes, and I thought this was going to be a fruity blend. Then, the pepper note comes screaming out on the dry down, and it becomes a strange combo of melon, tobacco and pepper. This is definitely not agreeing with my skin chemistry!! Strange things are happening, too bad.

[deleahrium]

This is like dirty cantaloupe. And I love the smell of cantaloupe so much that I love this anyway. I suspect it might end up being way to sweet and sickly if that dirty musky smell wasn't there. Interesting, for sure. Beth, more melon blends, please!