Mr. Jacquel

[cupide430]

Shadow looked up at the creature. "Mr. Jacquel?" he said.

The hands of Anubis came down, huge dark hands, and they picked Shadow up and brought him close.

The jackal head examined him with bright and glittering eyes; examined him as dispassionately as Mr. Jacquel had examined the dead girl on the slab. Shadow knew that all his faults, all his failings, all his weaknesses were being taken out and weighed and measured; that he was, in some way, being dissected, and sliced, and tasted.

We do not remember the things that do no credit to us. We justify them, cover them in bright lies or with the thick dust of forgetfulness. All of the things that Shadow had done in his life of which he was not proud, all the things he wished his had done otherwise or left undone, came at him then in a swirling storm of guilt and regret and shame, and he had nowhere to hide from them. He was as naked and as open as a corpose on a table, and dark Anubis the jackal god was his prosector and his prosecutor and his persecutor.

"Please," said Shadow. "Please stop."

But the examination did not stop. Every lie he had ever told, every object he had stolen, every hurt he had inflicted on another person, all the little crimes and the tiny murders that make up the day, each of these things and more were extracted and held up to the light by the jackal-headed judge of the dead.

Golden amber, hyssop, North African patchouli, and embalming spices.

Let me start out by saying that I'm usually a patchouli-phobe. I generally go for lighter scents, floral scents, and musks but somehow this weekend I've fallen head over heels in love with one Mr. Jacquel.

He starts out with a sort of dark patchouli herbal kick. Mostly deep and herbal really, but as it dries the amber rises up and up. I always have trouble describing ambery scents, but this has a bit of that dry duskiness that Ozymandias has, that almost nose-tickle-y goodness. But this lacks the cologne-y edge of Ozymandias. It's much deeper and spicier. This is amber, kicked up a few notches, deep and herbally. But soothing and almost comforting at the same time.

This one has skyrocketed right up to the top of my list. An unusual love for me, but really just amazing.

[GypsyRoseRed]

I am definitely not a big lover of patchouli. It only really works for me when it's one just note in a well blended scent, and Mr Jacquel is probably my biggest success story so far. At first, all I could smell in the bottle was a little amber and something slightly spicy.. very smooth, but mild. On my skin, it blooms into something golden and exotic, deliciously spicy amber, but very definitely dark and I think it's the patchouli that enriches the scent this way. It's the perfect embodiment of Gaiman's character and everything that goes along with him.. THIS Mr Jacquel is most definitely a force to be reckoned with. I love it. This could easily become one of my favorites. Especially if I tinker with layering it over vanilla or amber body lotion. Gorgeous.

Edited February 12, 2007 by GypsyRoseRed

[nineveh]

I'm so glad I ordered a bottle of this unsniffed! I'm also glad to finally have an Egyptian-themed scent that works for me; none of the others have been that great on me, which always made me sad since I love Egypt. But anyway.

 

On me, this is like a less spicy Sin with the unsweet aspects of Luperci. Sin was too strong on the cinnamon for me, but this has just the right amount of spice. This scent has a thick, soft quality in addition to being dry and a tad smoky. The patchouli is subdued, with the amber and spices coming to forefront on my skin.

 

This is definitely one to try if you dig warm, earthy, gender neutral scents. It's exotic, evocative, and so worth the extra money.

[ceej]

Not sweet; amber + warm spice. It reminds me a bit of the Lion in his golden warmth, though this isn't milky in any way. There's an herbal undertone, of crushed dried leaves. Warm and soft and dry. Grounded.

 

I'd also call it gender-neutral.

[sixthsentinel]

This reminds me of Schwarzer Mond! Don't remember seeing amber listed in the ingredients, but there it is, or so it seems to me; that warm scent that almost seems to sparkle or fizzle or twinkle like stars, if that makes any sense. The kind of amber that is in the Lion, I would say. In Mr. Jacquel, though, there is something with a hard edge that seems to be trying to turn this blend into hairspray (this is where the likeness to Schwarzer Mond ends). This hairspray element teeters right on the edge--to be or not to be; it shifts between hairspray & something softer & incredibly beautiful every second, it seems. I'm rooting for the latter, of course, but Mr. Jacquel appears unable to make up his mind. Is he facing some kind of internal conflict? It seems so here. I think maybe that is the doing of the egyptian spices, based upon previous experiences. Still, I Mr. Jacquel & could easily see myself buying another bottle when this one ran out.

[Khaman]

I need to wear this again when I'm not stressed and borking up my chemistry, but there's some note in it that's reminding me of Blood Moon. It's a grainy note that causes me to think of sweet macaroni - weird description, I know.

 

After a while it turns to dry paper and amber and I love that, but when it's doing its wet Blood Moon thing I'm kind of eh on it. Smells feckin' lovely in the bottle and it's probable it just needs to warm on me to enrichen itself. Or age a tich. I still like it, though.

[Medici]

I saw the patchouli and I leapt.

 

It's taken about two years of solid BPAL sniffing to get to the point where I really adore the Lab's note. These days, I can't get enough of it.

Combined with the fact that I really, really loved the character in American Gods, Mr. Jacquel was a non-decision, a must-purchase.

 

So I did.

 

What a good call.

 

It's dark, and resinous, and sombre, and all the things you'd expect a deity of the dead to be. My initial hopes would be that it would be close to Anubis from the GC, but it's not at all sweet. The amber is a secondary consideration with my chemistry, rising first and taking two minutes to settle into a light spiced patchouli. It's subtle. That's the best way to describe it. Very subtle, a little sweet towards the end of drydown with not a whole lot of throw.

 

Nicely done.

 

4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is dark green amber, patchouli and spice...

 

once applied this gets sweet and resinous and oh so grand!! tons of

throw and probably my fav of the carousel bunch...amazing and a

superb accomplishment...love this!

[Electra]

Mr. Jacquel doesn't like me.

 

Wet, he smells like boiled potatoes. (Some scents do this on me -- Snake Oil, Lampades, Sin. I don't get it either.)

 

Dry, he smells a bit like Luperci. I already have a bottle of Luperci, and that one doesn't go through a boiled potatoes stage.

[juniperus]

Bottle: amber, spices...mmm

Wet: lovely hyssop, and hints of the patchouli beneath

Dry: the hyssop is really fantastic, it's a floral that really seems to do well on my skin - and the spices? gorgeous!

Later: this is amazing, especially as the amber deepens.

[forspecial_plate]

Mr. Jacquel is a soft, spicy amber scent. For me, the spices seem heavy with either cassia, cinnamon, ginger, or all three. Reminds me a lot of Saw Scaled Viper. I can just catch hints of patchouli. I think I have yet to figure out what hyssop smells like. Strange...this isn't what I expected at all from this scent! Light to medium throw. I like it, however I am on the fence whether I need more or not.

 

Edit: I have to edit this because, the more I wear it, the more I like it. It's a golden scent with a quiet strength that is really growing on me. I think I'm finding out that amber works for me more often than not. In that case, I should probably embrace it, yes? Anyway, it works well in Mr. Jacquel.

 

Edit again, just to add: This is one of those great scents that took me by surprise in such a sneaky way. I went from 'not sure', to really liking it, to reaching for it more and more often, and on to needing a 5ml bottle. I think it needs to go into my top 10 now.

Edited April 16, 2007 by Forspecial Plate

[sarada]

I knew looking at the notes there was no way this could be anything but fantastic. And of course it is, in fact, fantastic!

 

Very much like Luperci, with a hint of Anubis. It's a little bit more spicy than either, but a very subtle, understated spice. It is dark golden, faintly honeyed, rich and earthy, glistening and resiny.

 

Like its cousin Luperci, I feel as though I have to put a ton of it on to smell it, but that's just because I love it so much I feel like I want to be completely immersed in it.

 

The deep, spicy resin scent of my dreams...beautiful both on skin and in locket, though I seem to need to reapply frequently to get that constant fix of the Luperci-like sweet earthiness. I'm so delighted!

[mmcfa2]

At first this was WAY too spicy and then... and then! WOW warm amber, no powder with a lasting throw that is way better than the sniff at the wrist. It becomes honeyed spicy incense about a foot away. To me it is akin to blood moon crossed with luperci minus the metallic tang of blood moon. Slightly less sexual than luperci and more androgynous.

[maijasu]

This scent is truly amazing. It's spicy, sweet, and dusty, just earthy enough from the patchouli, but not overpowering at all. Just gorgeous, and I'm so glad to have a bottle.

[Browneyes]

I got a sniffle of this from my lovely decant fairy, so I'm basing my review on the bit that I managed to smear on my skin

What surprises and pleases me alot about this blend is that in spite, or maybe because, of the amber (which usually seems to do something sharp and bitter on my skin) I am getting a lovely, softly powdery, warm and golden scent from Mr. Jaquel.

I really like this, in fact... it's gorgeous!

 

ETA: agree with the Luperci comparisons

Edited March 9, 2007 by Browneyes

[bodegaselkie]

In the bottle, Mr. Jacquel is very sharp and perfumey -- I almost regretted buying it. But as with all BPAL, and particularly amber, it changes very quickly on me to something warm and softly spicy. I don't get any of the herbs on drydown, just amber and spice. I'm finding that as it dries down it becomes quite faint on my skin -- I may just need to apply more. Lovely scent, though. And very comforting, to me -- not at all dark like others have said.

[Rat The Unloved]

Initial Impressions: Dry, sandy, leathery, spicy.

 

On the Skin: Pungent, prickly, strong sour notes (probably the hyssop) tinges of typical cologne musk. Harsh. Sour note simmilar to that of "Cracked Bell"

 

Dry: Mellows, strong sour note remains, though. Musk becomes gentle. A vanilla-like scent rises to the forefront. Overall reminders of "Dee"

 

Mature: The Sour note fades completely. A spicy vanilla scent is left that evokes more of a Carribean feal than an Egyptian one. Bare hints of the masculine musky scent lingers.

 

Several hours later: Vanilla and hints of spice.

 

Over all: Very masculine, a little strong for my chemistry.

 

Buyability: Having purchased a decant of this I did, indeed, like it. I do not know if it's one I'd wear a lot (maybe tempering it with another scent would help).

[euterpe414]

This is such a smooth, rich scent. Very much a spicy amber, but not as strong of a spice like that which is in The Lion. At times this almost feels like a foody scent- I am detecting this hint of vanilla. Yum. This scent definitely transports me to an exotic oasis in the desert- this is a very, very good thing, of course!

 

I love amber scents, and am very happy to add Mr. Jaquel to my menagerie of amber-goodness. Fans of Jacob's Ladder and The Lion definitely should pick this one up!

[jenrandom]

Mr. Jacquel is a dry patchouli on application, then that mellows out and the amber comes out to play more on dry down. It keeps switching back and forth between dry and golden. Neat!

[edenssixthday]

Mr. Jacquel - This blend starts off spicy, but the spice isn't red-hot, it's much more subdued. It's very warm and woody, but the spices are sweet and between the sweet spices and the touch of sweet floral, this is overall just a warm, semi-sweet blend of resins and woods. It's quite lovely, with great throw, for the first 20 minutes or so, but then it becomes a skin scent that I can barely smell, and after an hour, I can't smell it at all.

[Blood onmy hands]

This scent is deep, dark, dry, and slightly dusty at first.

 

There’s a dark earthiness from the patchouli that is reminiscent of black soil, while the amber smells like dusty, dry woods on me. The whole scent is wrapped up in something slightly warm, herbal, and spicy (embalming spices, I suppose). It is a light touch of spice.

 

I liked this well enough for the first fifteen minutes or so on my skin, then the amber went to baby powder and I had that lingering baby powder on my skin for several hours. Like baby powder, dirt, and something almost mushroom-like. Mr. Jacquel reminds me most closely of some of the soil/mushroom blends in the Garden, only more powdery and dry.

 

Jacquel clings close to my skin and doesn’t have a lot of throw. The staying power is about 3 hours on me. I don’t dislike this. I’m not fond of how powdery it goes, but it’s light enough to not bother me. It’s not full bottle worthy for me and I probably won’t keep my decant, but I don't feel the need to scrub this one off either.

[twistygirl]

Where you from, you sexy thing?

 

Yep, I'm talking to you, Mr. Jacquel. You're my new boyfriend, whether you like it or not.

 

It's just incredibly sensual. Warm and smooth and spicy and it makes me want to violate my own wrist. Soft but not timid amber and patchouli and spices. Mr. J, what have you done to me?

 

Moderate amount of throw, and similarly moderate amount of staying power.

 

This literally made me lick my wrists when I put it on. IN PUBLIC. It is quite possibly the most hypnotizing, most mesmerizing BPAL ever.

 

You may be a jackal, Mr. Jacquel, but I want to have your babies, even though that didn't work out too well in "The Omen."

[yeahbutnobut]

Mr Jacquel

 

In the imp: a wonderful spicy amber with patchouli, reminiscent of Sin and Aureus. Mmm.

Wet on skin: mmm, now an almost papery patchouli note surfaces from the amber, and I smell dusty spices like ginger and cardamom.

Dry on skin: oh, this is wonderful. This is dusty amber, so dry and warm, mysterious and soft and also brings to mind ancient papyrus and linens covered with the dust of ages, and arid desert sands. Golden and sunlit, yet shadowy. The patchouli adds a soft earthy feel whilst the spices add the perfect amount of heat. But it’s really the scent of dust and faded golden spices over golden amber and a hint of dry earth, ever so evocative.

After a while: there's definitely some cardamom in here, which is a good thing since I adore that spice…maybe a touch of cinnamon as well (but not 'red-hot' cinnamon!), and dry pale ginger. It actually reminds me somewhat of a dry chai mixture, but more discreet, without the outright hot spiciness, this is just gentle warmth, a dry, soft spice. But it still smells like the warmth and luminous gold of amber muted and softened by dust and sand, faded and aged, but rich and sweet.

This doesn't change too much over time, it does get a little sweeter and more amber-y, but really it just remains as a beautiful mix of dry desert spices, dusty patchouli and warm amber. It also has a soft 'fuzzy' feel to it, which seems appropriate for a scent with slightly canine associations, a little bit like Coyote but less woodsy and a bit dustier. It also smells a little papery. This seems like a softer side of Anubis (the god, not the scent-this is very different to the Excolo fragrance).

It dries down to a beautiful warm sandy furry amber-patchouli with spices all over, smooth and warm and so gorgeous…the sort of scent to snuggle up to. The patchouli and amber are very nicely merged together in this scent. At this point it is very reminiscent of Bakeneko, even though this scent is inspired by a jackal god, not a monster kitty. I wonder if this has a slight musk to it as well. I love the way this feels old and timeless but also strangely cuddly and cosy! And it wafts so nicely…and the amber really comes out after a few hours, like a warm sunset of scent. This now resembles scents like Jacob's Ladder and Ozymandias, and also a lighter version of Aureus.

Verdict: I knew this would be amazing, and it surpasses even my expectations. This is a beautiful earthy amber-patchouli scent topped with a dusting of sun-warmed spices. Like Beth's other Egyptian scents, this is incredibly evocative-as well as the listed components I smell ancient dust and sand here, I get vivid images of dark dusty tombs full of golden treasure, desiccated linen, fragile papyri covered in funerary spells. Whilst the Anubis scent is like sticky ancient embalming resins and fragrant offerings to the god, this evokes the character and domain of Anubis himself. The spices are wonderful-I smell cardamom mainly, a little cinnamon too, almost like chai at times, but not a blatant spice-more like a dusty warmth. As the scent progresses, it changes slowly to a furry, comforting scent, golden and sand-dusted amber with a fuzzy patchouli aspect like what I got from Lycaon, but gentler. And there are some points where it really reminds me of Bakeneko, it has that same huggable furry spicy amber feel, but with a more Egyptian-and less feline-slant. I don't see a similarity to Luperci like others do though, but even so, I adore this scent from start to finish. In fact, this is a hot contender to become one of my top favourite Egyptian themed BPALs. Now I really want to read AG.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Of course! This may even be better than Anubis. I want more.

If you like this, try: Anubis, Coyote, Ozymandias, Bastet, Bakeneko, Jacob's Ladder, Sin, Aureus, Shroud, Eshe

[akw]

Early on, wet, I get subtle herbs and spices. On me it might be mostlly pepper in the spice category, but it's not hot peppery. I'm not getting patchouli at all except maybe as the thing that grounds the herbs and spices. At this stage, it reminds me a little of standing at the edge of the road in Big Sur, Calif., looking out over the ocean. That kind of herbaceous, resiny thing. Maybe it's the hyssop doing all that.

 

Soon the amber shows itself, and it becomes warm and sunny. I have trouble keeping amber on my skin long enough to enjoy it, and I'm very pleased that I get warm, sunny, beautiful amber for at least an hour. It's subtle, but it's definitely there, along with the herbs.

 

This reminds me of a warm, spring or early summer day, being outside with herbs and resins rather than flowers. I sorta wish I got the desert that others have mentioned, but this is evocative and wonderful anyway. Lovely, and I'm really curious to see how this one will age.

 

Edited to add . . . I applied another layer and NOW I get all the other spices. It just keeps getting better!!

Edited March 20, 2007 by KateW

[Jilara]

Mr Jacquel doesn't do much of anything on me. Wet, I pick up a vague bit of amber, and something like undefined spices, maybe something almost like a hint of caraway. (A friend sniffed and confirmed the almost-caraway note.) On drydown, I get a bit of amber and a dry, dusty note, and that's about it. No herbs, no spices, not even patchouli (which usually aggressively hates me, anyway). Not really much there, there. Mr Jacquel is bored with me, and I'm bored with him. Maybe my decant will find a better home...