The Wild Men of Jezirat al Tennyn (2006)

[Heretic]

You are shocked out of the torch song's melancholy mood by shrieks, hoots, and yowls. You move to your left, and see that instead of a stage, a gigantic iron cage has been hung, hovering a few feet off of the ground. Elaborate, delicate silver sigils are engraved upon huge iron disks that have been mounted to the sides of the cage, and they flicker and spark whenever one of the wild men touches the iron bars that imprison them. The backdrop depicts a blistering volcanic eruption, spiked with thick luminescent bolts of lightning. Several beings are held within the cage, male and female, spanning every age. They flash their razor-fanged smiles at you malevolently as they anxiously crawl, pace, and stalk the length of their prison, stopping occasionally to pose and preen as they gossip with one another in an unrecognizable guttural, grinding language. Their tattooed skin glows an angry crimson, curving horns protrude from their skulls, and their eyes blaze with unholy light.

Fiery, primal, and precociously diabolical: red amber, Spanish moss, Indonesian patchouli, ambergris, red pepper, two cloves, and vanilla flower.

In the bottle: Very green and mossy.
On my wrist, wet: Cloves and a little amber. A lot different than the original whiff out of the bottle.
After 20 minutes: This isn't so wild. It's very pleasant and the amber retains a wonderful slight spiciness instead of turning powdery.
After 40 minutes: I love the Wildmen. I ended up with amber and some green (must be the moss), a hint of patchouli and that subtle clove spice that keeps everything a little lively. I'm not usually one for a spicy-hot type of scent, but this one has all the right ingredients to be spicy and yet still have several layers of notes. It's not an "in your face" spice, but one that smolders quietly as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Wear this one in the snow and you'll melt it. Would be fabulous on men or women.

[sarada]

The artwork on this one just delights me so much -- it smells just like it looks! I imagine a clearing in a dark jungle, with these laughing, tattooed figures leaping over flames. While it doesn't smell like the GC scent Jezirat al Tennyn, it reminds me of it with the way it combines the forces of heat/flame with humid, dark greenery, the impression of hot stones and tropical flora.

 

In the bottle it is deep and swirling, with clove throbbing in the foreground among a heady blast of Spanish moss and a rich mixture of woods. If you've smelled the single note, you'll recognize its heady, damp aroma -- it tends to give me a bit of a headache so I have to go easy on this one.

 

On my skin, it's like a horde of cackling little demons have been let loose and are running up and down my arm. Strong clove and a blast of pepper are almost too much for my sinuses, so I think I put a little too much on. But it is tempered by the smooth sweetness of amber and grounded by patchouli, which does not step out on its own but just gently calms things down in the background with its earthy tones.

 

It's a bit on the masculine side, in that woody-spicy way, but I mostly wear masculine scents so that works...this is something that, if someone else were wearing it, I'd want to get closer to them. It smells a little dangerous, but inviting. If I went out I'd say it would be good to wear to a club, but for my purposes it's a nice warming scent on a cold winter night.

 

Oh and also the red-skinned figures with horns and tails remind me of Hellboy, so I'd better keep this one around to wear when the next movie comes out!

[aine]

Mmmm, this is hot red skin. No flames, or burning, but you know if you caught a Wild Man in your wet hands you'd hear a loud 'kkkssshhhh' and the cackling demon would be off in a spiral of steam.

 

This is mostly cloves, peppers and amber on me. The grounding complexity of the moss, patchouli and ambergris take this blend to a whole new level. This is the kind of scent where you just know people will sit next to you and go crazy trying to work out why you smell so hot. It is fabulously wearable though, and although unique, it isn't gimmicky in the slightest. And despite my trepidation over the vanilla flower, I'm not amping it (miracle!) and it isn't until long drydown that I would even pick it out of the blend. I love the Wild Men. They're hot. ( Did this just make me channel Paris??)

 

 

This is persistently spicy with a little 's'.....

 

 

.....but Sexy with a big one.

[QueenFae]

Spicy, firey, throbbing. The top notes on me are the red amber, cloves and the ambergris. It's a spicy, red musky scent that is deepened by the earthiness of the spanish moss and ambergris. The Indonesian pathcouli is floating along underneath, which gives the blend a bit of an incensey feel. I don't know the difference between regular patchouli and Indonesian patchouli, but I can tell the Indonesian variety is quite a bit deeper and spicier.

 

This is definitely a masculine blend, and probably drop dead sexy on the right man. This has a lot of throw and sticking power. This is not the kind of blend I would wear, but I would love for my man to slather on this one.

[edenssixthday]

The Wild Men of Jezirat al Tennyn - This is SEXY! It's slightly cologne-like, but not overwhelmingly so. The Spanish moss, ambergris and red pepper are the most dominant notes, with a hint of vanilla flower in the background. I'm amazed that the clove doesn't amp on me -- it just lends to the spicy sexiness of this blend. I bet this would layer gorgeously with Snake Oil. It's a gorgeous, resinous, spicy, masculine, warm scent. It surprised me by how much I dig the scent. Sadly, 30 minutes after I apply it, I can't find a trace of it anywhere. Still, it's a really fabulous scent. Love it!

[mountainwitch]

I was expecting something flat-out hot and spicy with this . . . Instead I was pleasantly surprised! This is a more subtle spiciness, like the light in the wild men’s eyes . . . These wild men are wearing well-tailored suits, horns hiding in their perfect hair.

 

It smells pretty good on wild women, too.

[cuervosueno]

In the bottle, hello, Spanish Moss!

 

strong masculine note, like men’s cologne. Not as dark as vetiver. Ambergris? It also has a nice spice....My god I’d be crazy about a man wearing this.

 

I like it best after the spanish moss fades, and I get the delicious spice--cloves and pepper....mmmm...Still, even after that there is a bit more spanish moss than I like. It makes a little too masculine for me. I'll have to try it more. it may be ok once i get used to it.

 

It is very much a wild man scent....in the best sense.

[forspecial_plate]

I tried this and for the first half hour or so, I was so excited because I loved it so much! This scent is fiery and full of vitality, warm and spicey, a very orange-red scent. I smell the amber, moss, and spices...but really the notes blend to become something more than their sum. Something hot! After a few minutes there is a sweetness emerging which I think is the vanilla flower. All is well until about 30-45 minutes....then the scent goes a little flat on me. It doesn't turn bad, it just loses a lot of spice and heat, and what's left is the sweetness of the amber and vanilla blossom. Kind of disappointing but I'm not giving up on it...maybe it was just my skin on that particular day, or maybe it would work in a scent locket. Definitely worth playing around with to try to find a way to make it work.

[blu°]

Wow, clove was pretty much all I could smell in this for most of the wear length. Very STRONG clove. But nice. In the very end I could smell something mossy, but that was only after several hours after applying. All the other notes probably changed the quality of the clove, probably softened it, but I wouldn't have known that they were there if not from reading the description.

 

When I first applied the Wild Men, I thought: Huh, masculine! But it mellowed and later on I found myself with my nose stuck to my wrists. Such an amazing, gorgeous heat and spiciness. I don't usually like strong spicy scents as various spices smell bad on my skin, also I don't like very dry scents. Somehow though, cloves manage to smell fiery and hot, yet a bit humid/juicy to me.

 

As I walked home from work that day (having applied an hour before I left), I noticed several people on the metro and in the street turning their heads... sniffing... trying to find out where the scent came from.

 

So: it's kind of spectacular, very warm, very cozy, if you think spicy = sexy, it's very much so, too. I love it lots, but am a bit unsure if I'd really wear it that much. However, I'll put some on my beloved man right now. He's teh spice man. lol.

Edited February 16, 2007 by blu°

[femmefatale]

At first I thought that this was going to end up being too masculine for me and that once again another oil was going to huby.

 

But then I was pleasantly surprised! The vanilla and amber came out and sweetened it. I wish it stayed spicier longer, but it could be that I'm trying it on the top of my arm instead of my wrists. Now I'm going to go wash off the scent I tried before and I'm going to reapply it on my wrists.

Either way though, it's quite nice and I'm glad I picked up a bottle.

 

(yes, that was the most useless review ever LOL)

 

ETA: For a little bit it went flat but then all of a sudden in bloomed into something very sexy. I really can't wait to try this on hubby. mmmmm.....

Edited February 16, 2007 by Femme_Fatale

[emzebel]

This has the unmistakable almost watery scent that I associate with traditionally masculine cologne - which I think is how I interpret the combination of amber, oakmoss and ambergris - but the addition of the vanilla and patchouli, cloves and pepper, make this a very intersting, wearable blend for me - moving it out of that powdery aquatic realm and into a spicy/creamy/resiny land that I love so much and wear so well.

[maijasu]

This smelled so strongly of sweet patchouli in the vial that I almost didn't test it, and what a shame that would have been! It actually dries down into a sexy, slightly spicy, slightly sweet scent that isn't too strong. I'll definitely keep my decant around and maybe try it on the husband too.

 

If you liked Count Dracula, you may like this too. Give it a try!

[wikkidraven]

whoa, spanish moss.

 

too masculine for me, but i'm thinking it will be lovely on the boy. this just screams MALE at me...spicy yet aquatic. what a strange mix.

[Alchemy21599]

This scent is drop dead sexay in a manly way. Very swoon worthy.

[supremegoddessofall]

Pepper and cloves and yummy! Not really getting much in the way of vanilla. Little bit of patchouli. Very nice.

[GypsyRoseRed]

The Wild Men turned out to be my biggest surprise from the latest Act of CD. This would be irresistable on the right guy, and while it smells wonderful to me I think it's a little too sultry and sexy for everyday use. It's so spicy and distinctive. Definitely a special occasion scent.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Husky clove and ambergris

 

On me:

This goes on very masculine and cologne like - the ambergris is strong and the clove (which I normally like) is husky and dry and in this instance actually adds to the masculine feeling.

 

As it dries, the patchouli starts to come out so it's becoming a little more complex and then the pepper comes in and spices this up. It's just not spicy in the way I had imagined (I think I was expecting a spice similar to Three Witches with the cloves and pepper but this is more of an astringent spice to me).

 

I wish the vanilla was amping more in this one, I think it could use a dose of sweetness to keep it from smelling generically masculine.

 

Final note:

Sadly, not for me. It's just too masculine for my tastes!

[Blood onmy hands]

The Wild Men actually reminds me a bit of the LE Count Dracula at first, but without the Count's heavy leather note. The spice here is more of that bitter spice, not as sweet as I would like. Bitter cloves and hot, spicy pepper.

 

In the drydown I'm getting some astringent moss and some bad patchouli. I normally love patchouli, but I think the patchouli here might be the funky, red variety that tends to smell like dirty hair on me. Blah.

 

I was hoping this would be vanilla sweetness and spice, but this is more on the bitter, dirty-earthy side of things. I could see this being awesome on the right man or the right skin, but it's definitely not for me.

[lightgatherer]

This was so close, and it had so many things in it I did love. The musk, the vanilla flower, and the cloves were gorgeous. Something smelled strongly and a bit sharply off during wear from beginning almost to the end, though - I suspect it was the red pepper, the patchouli, or both. Unfortunately, as lovely as the rest of the blend is, that sharp note is enough to make me send these wild men off to swaps.

[em_h]

Wow. This ... actually smells like a big sweaty guy. A big sweaty guy who's been running around in the woods.

 

Which is to say, high points for concept. But not really what I want to smell like myself.

 

Interestingly, my husband thought it didn't smell like anything at all, so there's obviously something pheremonal going on there.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Whoa, this one is unusual! The spices, which remind me strongly of Three Witches, hit the nose at exactly the same time as the patchouli and moss--my nose is going spice! murk! spice! murk! Not bad but not very "me". Definitely very wild though!

[The_Merf]

This certainly is an unusual scent. It smells very much like a jumble in the bottle, but I can pick up on the red musk, vanilla and ambergris. When I first put it on, it smells, of all things, like a slightly warmer version of men's cologne: the ambergris, moss and patchouli are the most dominant notes while the oil is wet. As it dries, the red amber takes over as the base, and there is a bit of a creamy edge provided by the vanilla. I don't pick up on any spiciness from the pepper or the clove, and I did not have any skin irritation while putting this oil on. Unfortunately I'm not crazy about the wet stage, and red amber smells vaguely off on me, so I'm going to have to swap this one.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Wild Men of Jezirat Al Tennyn

 

In the imp: exotic, richly spiced ambergris, almost musky, golden and warm.

Wet on skin: mmm, spicy ambergris. I smell Spanish moss too-but it’s actually being nice in here!

Dry: wow, this is amazing stuff. It smells like mossy amber sprinkled with warm spices. Normally I’m not crazy about Spanish moss but it seems to work nicely in here, providing a cool, wet contrast for the spicy warm amber. The pepper is hot and fiery, backed up by the sweetness of clove, all surrounded by the exotic aroma of amber and a deep, earthy patchouli. Like the GC blend named after the island where these wild guys come from, this scent unites the elements into one scent, but this smells better and warmer than Jezirat Al Tennyn.

After a while: oh dear, the moss is now dominant! It’s not bad, at least it’s not becoming oppressive like it can do, there’s still that peppery warmth prevalent in the scent, and a hint of rich resinous amber. It’s just that the scent has moved away from the almost sophisticated and slinky amber tones into something more primordial and swampy, damp and marsh-like…but with sparks of pepper all around. Then, after the mossy blast recedes, the spices return. It’s mainly pepper (which smells like chilli meets regular peppercorns) over a warm skin scent of ambergris. This would be fabulous on a man. It doesn’t have the amber sweetness it had before but now the patchouli is a little more evident.

The drydown to this is very nice indeed, a dry, golden patchouli sprinkled with warm spices and with a glint of ambergris, and the remnants of moss.

Verdict: whoa, this scent is intense, complex and full of contrasts. The two dominant notes in this are ambergris and moss, both are very different (the ambergris is warm and golden, a little musky, the moss is cooler and wetter and dirty-earthy), and over it all is a hot, fiery scent of spices and a deep patchouli undertone. The scent is a battle between the moss and the amber, when the amber wins the scent is like an exotic perfume spiked with pepper, and when the moss takes over the scent becomes green and wet and swamp-like. That being said, this isn’t oppressively mossy, I’m not a fan of Spanish moss but in here the other notes stop it from becoming a rampaging swamp-monster. It’s a scent of earth, fire and water mainly, very elemental and primal, quite wild as the name implies, and with a gorgeous spiced patchouli-amber drydown. I admire the complexity and facets of this scent, almost like Luperci with amber and a sprinkling of pepper, I’m debating whether to get a bottle though. it does smell a little too manly for me at times, but there are stages in this scent which I really like. But for now, I’m keeping the decant.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Maybe. It does get a little masculine and really mossy at times but I love the spicy amber-patchouli. Maybe one bottle, but not yet.

If you like this, try: Jezirat Al Tennyn, Luperci, RM Renfield, Bayou, Cathode, Omen

[savage_rose]

Sweet and spicy. Perfectly balanced, and the sweetness undercuts the pepper and patchouli (two notes that can easily overpower a blend). It smells like a wild bacchanal, festive and yet slightly menacing. I am so surprised by what a great blend this is!

[Doomramen]

In the Imp:

My first sniff today made me think of the wild men from the painting dressed to the nines lounging around in a posh victorian parlor.

My second sniff today (I was clarifying that initial impression) was cola. Definitely carbonated, either Mr. Pibb or too-syrupy rootbeer.

 

On me, last night:

clove studded soap.

 

On me now, wet:

clovey, spicey aquatic

the aquatic vanishes! it is just cloves. possibly cloves and a splash of cola.

And the aquatic is back again. I'm not sure if its the ambergris, or the moss, or just me misunderstanding my nose.

Cole slaw? wierd. and undertone of coleslaw, possibly pickles. (buh? I liked the clove studded soap better...)

And suddenly it's nice! It's gone full circle back to the evil in the parlor scent. I imagine this is close to what it is supposed to smell like. After a moment, I'm pretty sure the amber has turned feral and started eating the gentler aspects of the scent. For a moment it was amber, spice, and pepper. The oakmoss is fighting back!

This scent really morphs on me. The one consistent aspect is the cloves.

Its back to clovey aquatic. There is a burst of vanilla and it smells like christmas cookies!

It's quieted to a clovey skin scent, like after washing with last night's clove studded soap. I'm pretty sure the change in soapyness had to do with switching test arms.

 

On me, the only reliable thing about this scent is the cloves, which are just a bit much for me. Where on earth was the patchouli? I'll have to try this on the girlfriend. She has more spice tolerance than me, and amber doesn't go weird on her skin like it does on mine.