Nephilim

[euterpe414]

... Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress.

Woah nelly! This is an incredibly strong scent. It is all lavendar and pine in the vial, and on my skin. As it dries, the frankincense comes out....but where is the fig??? I love fig....drat! I think this would make a good room scent for me, since I love piney and woodsy smelling rooms, but this is not cutting it as a fragrance for me to wear. ah well.

[Eris]

I loooove frankincense and patchouli but the green/pine in this one is too overwhelming. That initial 'whoa' does fade once it's dried on the skin, leaving kind of an herbaly scent behind. It's not anything that really jumps out at me, but I know some people find that kind of thing to be a really nice, fresh scent. So hopefully I can swap this away to a good home.

[edenssixthday]

Nephilim - Oooh, I don’t like this one at all. It’s very earthy, and full of notes I don’t like. This scent reminds me of one of Beth’s many graveyard scents in many ways. When wet, the oakmoss, lavender, and rosemary dominate the blend. Once it dries down, however, it mellows out and while the lavender remains strong, the scents of hyssop and fig now join it in front of the other notes. It has average throw and its staying power seems to above average. However, it’s just not a scent I’m drawn to, as I don’t normally care for earthy, oakmossy, lavender-type scents.

[juniperus]

Bottle: dark and damp, sharp and slippery. chilling.

Wet: the vetiver and cypress, neither of which care much for me, are foremost at this point, with the sharp edge of the lavender and rosemary identifiable only with a little effort

Dry: vetiver amping like nutz - it does gross things on me, yes it does.

Later: you know, screw 'later', I need to wash.

[buzz23666]

wet - holy mother of jesus where the hell are these menthol crystals coming from. I nearly fell over.

 

dry - the menthol dissipates and is replaced with eucalyptus and the strongest sweet cherry. Now where in sam hell is cherry mentioned in the notes?!!!!! Then the cherry dies down and is replaced with faint pine and cypress and an unidentifed floral.

 

Ok - all I can say is WTF!!

 

I might actually like this one if the menthol crystal small wasn't the start - that kind of ruins it for me.

[gypsybaby1]

I got this as a frimp from a purchase a while back and haven't had a chance to test it out yet.

 

This is definitely on my not like list. it's rosemary, rosemary, vetiver and more rosemary. Took me a while to figure out just what the sam-hell was singing the nosehairs, and it's the rosemary in combination with the vetiver.

 

Off to swaps it goes!

[supremegoddessofall]

Much weightier description this time, yes? This is definitely a patchouli-based scent. Very earthy and rich. I can't pick out all the individual notes in here, other than a touch of evergreen. It's okay, but nothing I'm loving.

 

Score: 3 out of 5

[wanderingredhead]

in the imp, nephilim is very herby, sweet and sharp, with a dry, dirt smell underlaying it.. Once on, the herbs amp up a bit, and the scent becomes thinner, airier, reminiscent of but still grounded by the the thick earthiness. Within a couple of minutes, my skin amps the fig and I'm liking this a lot more than I thought I would. The mentholiness fades into the background, but stays around. The combination of fig and earth with the high sharp menthol is intriguing.

 

I can't make up my mind on this one. Like so many BPAL blends, I feel that I MIGHT like it. Will keep it around for a while.

 

ADDED Jan. 29:

 

This oil confused the heck out of my nose:

At first it's a swirl of earth and menthol- like darkest crimson purple shot through with aquamarine. The two components seemed to stay separate. I didn't have the notes in front of me when i tested it and I wondered if it contained juniper. It was sharp, but not offensive, and almost sweet.

About 4 hours later, it became really a really yummy, spicy oriental type scent, that felt bright, not dark, with flashes of spicy wetness. I wrote: Can water be spicy? if so it would smell like this.

I adore it, and really really want to smell it on a crush. that would be... gah.

[fiddledragon]

This is beautiful -- I'm enjoying seeing how differently it works on people, given how many notes are in it. On me, it's strongly tamarind, which I adore. The frankincense and rosemary and fig are in there somewhere, and it ends up being a warm dried-fruity sort of scent. It's actually a lot like a fresher, less actively-sultry Gomorrah on me. Sometimes it goes kind of sharp and vetivery until it dries; seeing how many notes are in it, I'm surprised it's as consistant on me as it is.

[Ilex]

Given the elements in Nephilim, I should adore it. The only thing I thought I might object to is the veviter. And, as it turns out, that note did sink the boat.

 

At first sniff, ooooh so yummy herby, lovely green.

 

Then it goes to civety cat smell. Which I've been having trouble with in BPAL blends as it means that it evokes bathroom cleaner on me.

 

The hubby says: "Its bathroom scent. Hip bathroom scent, but still bathroom scent. I kinda like it... but..."

 

I can see what he means, it has a funky undertone (I think the veviter doing this) which is sorta camp bathroomesque. Then, on the final leg of the dry down, I travel from the camp bathroom to the camp gift store. Cheap ol' christmas candle again!

 

Aargh. Still, it was so promising, I like it in some respects. Sigh.

[blackfelicula]

In the bottle: This is very astringent, like rosemary and lavender over a quiet sweetness.

 

Wet: The sweetness is coming out much more strongly, but the rosemary and lavender are still at the forefront for me.

 

Drying down: I have an incensey note picking up a bit more, along with what I think is the cypress. A fruity sweetness emerges a moment after.

 

Dry: Despite the medicinal quality that is lent by the rosemary and lavender, this is still sweet. Its richness swells the longer I wear it. Somehow the chaos all goes together well. I doubt my husband will appreciate its astringency.

 

Later: This is one of those blends that keeps my nose coming back to it. The earthy fruitiness of the blend reminds me of Mme. Moriarty, but with a sharp blade hidden beneath the folds of its robes. This imp is definitely a keeper.

[surlygurl]

Wow! All these different descriptions. If you ever want to prove a point about bpal & skin chemistry, this is the place to send people.....

 

In the bottle* & on me, this is straight up tamarind. Fresh and juicy, like opening up a pod and removing the pulp.

 

As it dries, Other Things come out and play, but I can't really describe them. The patchouli grounds the bright/juicy aspect while the fig sweetens it up some (less sour). The moss does what it always does on me - gives it a sweet furry undercoat. I don't get rosemary or cardamon or anything else.

 

Overall - slightly powdery tamarind. Not an everyday scent, but something I'll always want an imp of for those times when I need a sour fruit fix .

 

 

* this was purchased from a forumite. I have no idea how long it was aged.

[gravedigger]

initially, Nephilim made me cough. It smells woody and dirty and astringent, but there is a bit of fruityness underneath. There's the same wood note as Talvikuu, although that could be because I have both of them on my arm, but Nephilim is a lot sharper.

Yeah. Trees and dirt. After a rain, and after the loggers have been hacking all the trees down.

[forspecial_plate]

Complete revision of my review, because I was annoyed by my old review......

 

This starts out herbal/sharp, not what I was expecting, with the woods backing it up. Later it dries to a fruity sweetness, but still herbal, almost medicinal, almost cold. This seems to be a distant relative of Samhainophobia. There is an incense-like vibe that comes out more strongly as the scent warms on the skin.

 

The first few times I tried this, I wasn't crazy about it. I think it's a common thing for me: I tried so hard to dissect it and pick out notes, that I didn't let myself just enjoy the scent as a whole. When I finally gave up dissecting it, I found that I actually enjoyed it! I knew by reading the notes that it was worth another try, and I was right.

Edited November 12, 2007 by Forspecial Plate

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I think the concept behind this one is incredibly cool, but the notes scare me a little--sounds very *dark*. On me, Nephilim is really sharp and acrid--to the point that I can't distinguish notes right away, because my nose is shrieking! Once it settles a little, it's the vetiver/patchouli combo that's making it too "dirty" (not naughty; that would be great!) for me. I also can tell now that it's the lavendar that's continuing to be unpleasantly sharp. There's some nice incense on the drydown, but it just comes on too strong for me!

Edited December 21, 2006 by Laurel the Woodfairy

[n1k1ta]

Nephilim is not something I would label as holy despite the frankincense. This, of course, is quite fitting. I can see myself doing very sinful deeds with this perfume on. Since my body just loves turning everything into a dark secret, Nephilim fits right in.

 

There is a definite figgy note. It's a little tangy, but smoothed over by the frankincense. The herb bouquet is so balanced that it becomes a melange of spice.

 

The oakmoss and cypress add this lovely woody note. It reminds me of cedar. I instantly feel comfort because I remember hunkering down under aromatic quilts as a kid that hibernated in my cedar chest.

 

I'm glad to say that the patchouli and vetiver do not overpower everything. I know this took some real skill to get the gentle balance here. I'm so very impressed and I think Nephilim might become a bottle-buy for me.

Edited February 16, 2007 by n1k1ta

[filigree_shadow]

Yow. Dirty and herbal. Very earthy, but also sharp.

This is not my kind of scent at all.

I just took a big sniff of it and then involuntarily shuddered. That doesn't happen very often. I think I better wash this off.

[Extispex]

This was the first scent I bought from BPAL. I was looking for something complex and mercurial, and found it on my first try. Its perfection!

 

In the bottle, minty, herby and cold. It brings to mind great, mountainous heights overlooking a forest of evergreens.

 

Wet on my skin, the cypress dominates, leading a wild dance with the vetiver and the rosemary. Still very green, but warmer than in the bottle.

 

As it dries, still cypressy but grows warmer, spicier - I think thats the cardamom peeping through.

 

As the hours pass it tends to morph on my skin (never in a bad way). The figgy note rises and the frankencense asserts itself until Nephilim finally settles into a deep earthiness with the patchouli note dominating, but sweetened by the fig and softened by the florals.

 

It lasts a very very long time, and through the hours of wear Nephilim travels from the icy arid heights to the cthonic depths. If one could actually fall in love with a scent, I'd be sending out wedding invitations.

[Browneyes]

Imp: Oh yum LAVENDER! I like lavender, so this doesn't put me off

Wet: woody, herbal, fragrant. I wouldn't have been surprised if this were an aromatherapy blend, and I mean that in a positive way

Dry: This is one of the first times that the fig fruit note has not gone "overripe" on me, or smelt wonky. The herbs have a real zingy freshness, almost as if it were mint, although it's not mint. The lavender is there and I love it, but it's not overpowering. The darker notes, such as vetiver, linger in the background. The drydown is soft, earthy, herbal... and I love this scent

Thanks so much dart!

Edited April 8, 2007 by Browneyes

[curlykitty]

I totally get what the description says about warring scents. This scent is warring with my nose both in and out of the bottle. One moment I don't like it and then the next I do. Mostly Nephilim smells harsh to my nose, almost sharp. I don't think its the patchoulli, since I typically wear it all by itself, but I could be wrong. Its really weird. I should like this scent based on what's in it but I just cant say that I completely do. I do like the occasional fruit basket scent I get from it but mostly it is just too overwhelming to my nose, sadly.

Edited April 9, 2007 by curlykitty

[Jilara]

Wet, this is all frankincense and vetiver, and something very dusty and a little bitter that might be how the cypress and herbs morphs on my skin. At this point I wasn't sure I would like this. Just a bit overly dusty, like a bunch of old herbs in a cave in the desert, though the other notes were nice.

 

I shouldn't have worried. It dries down to a glorious fragrance. As it dries, it sweetens, and the fig comes up to play with the frankincense and vetiver, and the dust dies out. I can smell herbs now. Bitter herbs it would seem, but I love bitter herbs. (Confusing, though. Hyssop I understand, but rosemary plus oakmoss and patchouli = bitter herbs?) I don't get the lavender at all. There is a whisper of cypress in the background, blending nicely. This is very sophisticated scent, and I like it a lot.

[purplemoonshoes]

In the imp: Lavender and pine

 

Wet: There's the frankinsence, and it's strong

 

Drydown: Pine is back, with patchouli and a hint of lavender; it's sweet

 

Later: Light lavender soap. Darn.

 

Man, this is a morpher. I thought a jack in the box would pop up and say hi. But soon it settled down and it smells like I just washed my hands with lavender soap. Nice, but there are other scents I'd rather wear.

[jasmine]

This is extremely woodsy at first, with frankincense floating over the top. I’m not immediately enamored, but mints don’t particularly appeal to me, and the frankincense is getting stronger by the moment.

 

It stays minty. I point out to the scent that it isn’t supposed to be sheerly minty, and that there are, in fact, a variety of things it could smell like. It remains mostly minty. The woodsiness I first noted has gained a thin layer of dirt (which would be the patchouli) underneath, but the three strongest notes are frankincense, frankincense, and frankincense.

 

The frankincense finally fades back a bit, and now exists in a decent balance of wood and mint. This is distinctive enough that it would make an interesting signature scent for someone (someone who really, really likes mint), but it really does nothing for me personally. It isn’t actively repelling me, but it has no appeal.

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Resin, resin, resin, dark and bitter.

 

Wet: The notes separate into frankincense and vetiver. That patchouli -- he's in back of all this, I'm certain of it -- the same sweet, creeping patchouli as in Caterpillar, maybe?

 

Drydown: Ah, the fig, made tangy by the tamarind. The lavender and cypress, I think, are where the often-mentioned Vicks Vapo-Rub edge comes from. (Candy and Vicks... is there a rave nearby and I missed the memo?) The combination of the flowers, fruits, and incenses, once the Vicks goes away, reminds me in a pleasant way of dragon's-blood blends, down to the slightly smoky tang -- here, I'm guessing it's from the frankincense rubbing on the vetiver. I think I'll be holding on to my imp of this, oh yes.

[wren08]

On me, this is Hexennacht lite... not quite as smokey until the final drydown stage.

 

Initially, it's got a semi-cherry note that I have to get past but once that's gone, it's very much like an evening campfire.

 

When my Hex is gone, this may be a suitable substitute!