Intrigue

[kerikeri]

A sultry, exotic scent that inspires devious plotting and clandestine affairs. It is a scent painted in artifice, veiled in deceit, and slithering with whispered secrets. Black palm, with cocoa, fig and shadowy wooded notes.

I can't usually wear anything with too much wood in it, because most of the time I amp wood to headache-inducing proportions. But I've discovered that fig is great on me, and here it sweetens the wood and makes it behave. If the cocoa's making an appearance, it's very subtle-- I'm not getting anything that screams chocolate, and it's not a foody scent at all.

I second the comparison to Eden above-- this is Eden after dark, shadowy and mysterious but with that same lush fig note. It's a good gender-neutral scent, a little masculine but not to the point where I walk around all day looking for the guy wearing the great cologne before realizing it's me.

[hlemonds]

Wet on skin: Whoa, pickle juice....really?

 

Ten minutes later......um....going back and forth between pencil shavings and pickle juice. I can smell a hint of something more pleasant under the woods that are going horribly wrong on me, but i can't get past them. Ahhh well.

[topazphoenix]

Light fig, something slightly fruity, a whisper of wood...this scent is quiet and subtle in every way. It stays extremely close to the skin with little to no throw.

[benthic]

Cocoa is a really bad note on me, so I almost didn't try this after I got frimped it by someone in a swap. It smelled tasty in the imp, though, so why not? I'm really glad I did, because Intrigue is very yummy. This blend is difficult to describe; the best way I can think of is that it's like taking a walk through the woods in the summertime, overlaid with a smooth creaminess. Intrigue is unique to me in that it smells like "the woods" but not like "wood." The woodsy smell I get is definitely the smell of the air itself, not of tree bark or leaves. It's not sharp at all on me, but mellow and creamy, probably due to the fig--that seems to be what fig does on my skin. I get almost a whisper of coconut from this, but it doesn't smell "fruity" either despite that and the fig. And I'm not picking up on the cocoa, thankfully, because usually I amp it and it's not a good thing. This one's a keeper! It's extremely light and subtle with little throw, but it's delicious.

[Victory]

In the imp, wet, and as the oil begins to dry, Intrigue is an intriguing (sorry, sorry) blend to try to pick apart. I can't really discern any of the notes. It's a tan, almost furry scent. Maybe it's the date palm, woods and a smidgeon of cocoa providing some color? I smell a faint coconutty scent but the palm note is distinct from it. Much later, the fig pops out, and it's perhaps the clearest fig note I've smelled from BPAL. It's such a lovely fruity note here, and I'm not always a fig lover, but it really works. The other notes die down under the fig, just providing a whisper of support for it. The furry scent is warm and makes me think of a cloak around me, and the fig is cooler. The woods aren't very woody to me, the cocoa isn't chocolatey, it's warm, it's cool... Intrigue has many secrets and contradictions.

[Yoginispirit]

Intrigue is a dirty tree. Really. All I smell is gritty dirt, harsh wood and plasticy fig. Ahh- so sad.

[loubric]

Minty, creamy pencil shavings and lip stick. Reminds me of primary school!

Not something I’d like to smell like though!!

[Sunscorched]

Sadly, I can't pick apart the different scents in each perfume, but never mind.

 

I tried Lightening and Caliban first, then this and ohhhh!!! Yummy goodness in a bottle!

 

My first sniff of this in the bottle quickly led to another and then another and then another. It was my housemate who said "Put it on for God's sake!" So I did.

 

It was very overpowering and quite incensy on me at first, but settled down after about 20-30 minutes and then yum! The incense fragrance faded into something warm and comforting and lightly smoky. It fit with my skin so damn well, I've been sniffing my neck and wrists since I put it on.

 

This scent just makes me wanna go mmmm everytime I catch it.

 

I'm gonna try it a few more times before I decide whether it's bottle worthy, but so far? Oh yes!

 

P.S. I've also put a dab of it on my jumper!

[Katherynne]

My goddess. I thought I had reviewed this, but it turns out I haven't.

 

I was frimped this by the lab and I have to say, it is the best frimp I have ever gotten. I am in love, love, love with this scent. It's on my bottle list, it's so good.

 

Intrigue is spicy, dark woods and chocolate on me, with an herbal dustiness and air of mystery that lasts for a long time. The fig swells underneath giving it a fruity depth, and the palm is smoothing the whole thing out. I applied it five hours ago and the scent is still going strong. A++++++++++++++++++++

[moosue]

Frimp:

I smelled this in the imp and thought "Intrigue indeed. What IS this stuff? What are the notes?"

I put it on and the scent was familiar to me. It came to me that it smells like camping. Pine or juniper, or eucalyptus or something like that, and a whoooole lot of wood. There`s quite a bit of warmth here too, sort of like the summer sun beating down on pine trees, and warming up the earth.

Overall, it smells like trees (a LOT of wood) and warm dirt (not wet dirt or anything earthy like that, just warm, dry dirt).

 

Verdict: I'm not too sure. The nostalgia of the scent is lovely, since it's winter and camping memories are of summer. It's just not something I want to smell like though. Pencil shavings does sort of describe it a bit. It's intriguing all right, but I don't think it's something I want to wear.

Definitely more of a masculine scent I think. I can see my dad (a logger) wearing this, if he wore cologne. It seems out of place and out of character on me.

I'll let my boyfriend try this one out, and if he doesn't like it, it can go age for a little while and I'll see if it grows on me more. I do hate to part with it because of the nostalgia, but it's not something I'll reach for.

[skyelyric]

Another member of the *sniff sniff*...'what is IN this stuff?' camp.

 

This is actually my friend's order, so I really was whiffing cluelessly...

 

In the imp I got this fascinating sweet creamy woody...something, so I had to skin test it.

 

It's still sweet creamy wood, plus something almost coconut-like (maybe the palm and fig mixing?), and something that leaves a cool sensation in the back of my throat, like when you breathe in after having a mint (I get no mint from this, just that sensation). The cocoa doesn't come out on me at all.

 

This is definitely a WOOD scent, but it doesn't strike me as masculine. Wet it has a lot of throw, but once it dries it stays a lot closer. Definitely not a fast fader though; the scent seems to be settling in for the long haul on my skin. I keep going back and smelling my arm, thinking I might have to get an imp of my own, and really hoping my dear enabling friend likes it this much once I forward her stash to her.

[starfish327]

pencils and chocolate.

 

i don't think i'm having a good bpal month...i'm going to hang onto this and try again later.

 

*as i'm typing this though it's getting sweeter. maybe there's hope for this one yet.

[impolight]

:::INTRIGUE:::

 

What an obsessive fragrance... Hence, the name intrigue!

Things that do make up this fragrance are certainly deceptive.

Upon opening the Imp and testing the oil on the wrist, the scent seemed broad and clean: Apple peel meets Cedar meets Coconut meets Magnolia...

Referring back to the Lab's notes came as quite a shock! Cocoa? Fig? Really?

The Black Palm makes the most sense between what was picked up and what was listed... A tropical sedutress.

Intrigue reels you in and leads you ever on and on with a sweet, adventurous allure you can't ever quite place but are dying to know.

A smoldering fragrance for her.

4/5

[Invidiana]

I had high hopes for the cocoa and fig, but sadly I don't get much of either and I'm amping the palm and other woods in this like nobody's business, and it just comes out very, very masculine. Kind of like being in the lumber section of Home Depot or one of those kitchen showrooms with all the wooden cabinets. Something gets a little sweeter as it dries down further, but only to a certain point. I generally tend to amp sweeter notes like fig, but then again I don't know what type of fig or the proportion, so that's probably making all the difference in this case. Unfortuantely I also tend to amp masculine woods like cedar (there definitely has to be cedar in here), and that ultimately won out in the end.

Edited February 28, 2010 by Invidiana

[Amoraexcena]

Imp: a vaguely sweet syrupy oil with a hint of cedar.

 

Wet on Skin: The woods, definitely some cedar in there, are amping like whoa! But I love the smell of cedar so that's fine with me. The fig's in there just lightly sweetening this blend, but it's not fruity really, just a mildly sugary presence. It's a really relaxing blend.

 

Drydown: Definitely cedar-dominating, with a hint of sweetness from the fig and touch of dark cocoa spicing things up that comes out in drydown. Not foody by any means. I think it's a pretty good gender-neutral scent, slightly on the feminine side. I quite like it, and once this imp runs out I'll consider a bottle.

[topaz]

Another frimp turning into a bottle want. Reminds me of Black Pearl in some way...this is a sweet coconut smell. Once it dried, I get figs and coconut. If this could be made into a drink, I'd never touch soda again!

[grnwoodtree]

Was hopeful by the notes listed, but of course the cedar has to overpower everyone else, and make this just too much a dry woody sweet scent that reminds me of Home Depot.

 

Phooey.

[GeorgeJr]

Man , this is just a great mix of notes . The fig & cocoa come out on me , with the woods & coconut happily dancing in the background . A nice blend where no one note overpowers . It's so nicely blended , in fact , that I can sniff it & actually pick all of them out . Can't do that very often with BPAL , not every note . I'd call this unisex , would smell great on most anyone .

[SophieCedar]

Whoa tropicaliness. On first sniff the other day, this smelled stronger of cocoa and fig. Now the palm seems to be giving it a floral essence and I can smell a touch of brown moist wood.

 

In imp and first wet I thought I smelled some teaberry? that could have attributed to the pickle juice comment above. this burned off quickly and was replaced by warm brown fruit and wood.

 

Drydown: interesting. not sure if palm works with me. still getting an underdeveloped teaberry with the mix. The meaty fruit is there but getting obscured. Spicy floral element with fat fruit and not really getting any cocoa... Need to try this again later.

[Balame]

In the Imp: Cedar and a bit of chocolate - what a unique combo.

 

Wet: It's rather tropical, I swear I can pick up some fruity notes in this. I suppose it has to be the fig, but it's much juicier than fig notes in other scents I've tried have been. Combined with the woodsiness of the cedar and the warmth of cocoa it's definitely bringing to mind a paradise beach getaway in some sort of alternate universe, where instead of only palms you get cone-bearing trees in the surroundings as well.

 

Dry: This is definitely different from what you would expect, at least in my case. I would have never imagined "forest" and "tropical sweetness" going together but it works surprisingly well. It's a scent that stays true to its name, conjuring up starlit nights and shady undertakings, not always of the harmful sort.

 

Verdict: I think this is great (it vaguely reminds me of Black Pearl which is my favorite BPAL ever, so it gets bonus points for that), but it's just not me. A bit too... this is going to sound strange, but I think of a loner when I smell this? Like someone who has shared the bed of many lovers but never found their one and only. A little sad, a little bitter, and yet a little proud of that lifestyle too.

 

[animalcule]

For me this is pretty much acrid woods from start to finish, with a little bit of sweet spiciness hidden in there... chocolate also seems to go very bitter on my skin, that's probably not helping the situation. But woods and me don't seem to get on, at all.

[ajansuz]

This was a generous frimp from the lab.

 

In the imp, yeah, wow, this was seriously living up to its name. My first impressions were of something very tropical and lush. It smelled very coconut-y, but not in a foody, wet coconut way. More like the dried meat. Kind of woody. A little sweet and juicy, and something almost minty or like eucalyptus, but just a touch. I'm not super familiar with fig, but I'll go ahead and say that fruity sweet scent must be it.

 

Wet, this smelled exactly like the furniture section in World Market! I have no idea why or how. I'm not complaining or saying that in a negative way. It smelled like polished teak wood and palms. Maybe that's where the coconut part of it was coming from? I dunno. Wild.

 

On the dry down, more wood came out. Still made me think of teak. That mint-ish/eucalyptus-ish note was back, too, cooling off the warm wood and coconut. I still didn't smell any cocoa.

 

Man, this stuff lasts and lasts. Medium throw. It got much more woodsy after a few hours. Kind of like cedar and teak. The coconut went away. I'll probably use up the imp just because I really like the whole tropical vibe, but it's not "me" enough to buy a bottle. Very neat, unusual scent! I'm not at all sorry to have gotten the chance to try it. Thanks, Labbies!

[Edeniade]

I bought this imp from someone who had a box of goodies they forgot about for ages, so my little imp of Intrigue has been aged at least 2 years.

 

In the bottle: Exotic and sultry for sure! On the first whiff I was instantly transported to a 50s era spy flick. My first impression was that it was Titus Andronicus' mysterious sister. I could smell some woody notes but they weren't too strong. The fig was on top but all together it is beautiful. It's like something I would wear if I was sitting alone at a swank bar and wanted to be mysteriously sexy. Kind of like what Balame said of a loner that had shared the beds of many lovers but never found the one; a little sad but proud.

 

First swipe: Curious, it smells fruity but with a darker base of woods. I think I can smell the palm, but I swear there are more fruits in here than just fig. A bit tantalizing but masking something very evil.

 

Drydown: It still smells very fruity but dusty in a way. Every once in a while I get a whiff of old wood but it's in the background. I kind of feel like I smell like a Bond girl.

 

After wearing this for a day, I realized that I amp sandalwood like woah. So much so that it drowns out most of the other notes in this scent, not that I mind terribly because I love the scent of sandalwood, but it negates the whole point of this scent. I think in future I will be wearing this in my hair or dabbed on my clothes to get the best out of this oil.

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: hatching dark plots in the palm trees! the cocoa and shadowy woods are a bit threatening. I would've figured it would be christmas-y, but it's much too threatening for that. there's a lot of resin in this.

 

On my skin: the pine comes out more on me and the cocoa disappears entirely. deceitful woods, a spot for robbers to hide out. I thought the fig might sweeten it, but it remains dark and dangerous. I do like heavily wooded forests, but not on me.

 

Last thoughts: another one of those that's just not my thing. it's quite masculine and though I expected to hate this, it was a surprisingly complicated and interesting scent.

[AnyseLawsBray]

In vial: Wood and dry cocoa powder.

Wet: Dark laquered wood, scattered with cocoa beans. Dry, rustling black palm leaves in the shadows.

Dry: The fig really comes into play, with rich brown and blush skin, sugary sweet and firm. The sharp palm has dissapated, leaving a smooth wood base with just a hint of cocoa.

 

Verdict: I'm afraid I'm just partial to sweeter scents- Intrigue is fascinating, but for a wood/chocolate scent I much prefer How Doth the Little Crocodile. This would be perfect for those who want a chocolate scent that's raw and not foody.

 

ETA: Upon a second test after a few weeks of aging/settling, I must say- it has deepened into an absolute gem of a scent. I adore how the black palm has smoothed out even more, the perfect platform for the gentle stickiness of the fig. And the cocoa- when I sniff that glorious dark dustiness, how my pupils dilate & my pulse quickens! I am caught in the web of Intrigue and don't ever want out.

Edited July 17, 2011 by braybrigade