Intrigue

[kaori]

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.

you know, i really wanted to love this one. but all the things i love i can't find, no matter how much i sniff. no woods. no cocoa. it didn't even smell dark or heavy or anything like evil to me. and the smoke? old ashtray.



i am so so sad about this! heartbroken, really. but i tried, i really did. it's just that all i can think of is potpourri in an old smokey motel room. SIGH.

eta site desc. Edited September 29, 2007 by Shollin

[Trish]

This one had interested me for a while but I'd never got round to ordering it because I wasn't sure of the notes. Namely the cocoa because I wasn't overly fond of it in Velvet. Plus I really have no idea about black palm or fig. But the Labbies must have read my mind as they sent me a frimp.

 

In the imp: Cocoa, woods and something fruity which I assume is the fig. Quite strong and a little sharp.

 

Wet: Wow this softens immediately! Woods, a little cocoa, a little fig, a little smoky and incensy.

 

Drydown: It's getting softer and more subtle by the second, in fact I fear my skin might eat this completely. However I like it far more than I thought I might. All the notes are beautifully blended, with the woods just a tiny bit stronger than the others. Intrigue is definitely the perfect name for this.

 

Dry: Forget what I said about my skin eating it, this baby has warmed right up! It's fairly strong and has heaps of throw. It's mainly what must be the fig now, with some dark unsweetened chocolate and dry woods keeping it from becoming too sweet or foody. It's a little smoky, almost incensy, which I love. After an hour or so the cedar becomes dominant without overpowering the other notes completely - I love woods so that's ok! The throw however is the thing - it's a wonderful combination of wood and figs with a dash of cocoa. Heavenly in the extreme.

 

If I could get hold of a Labbie right now I would kiss them! I love this and it is definitely a bottle. It's a bit dark, a bit mysterious, a bit sexy and so very intriguing.

[filigree_shadow]

This is mainly fig on me with a slight shadow of cocoa. I love the dry woody notes, they make this scent smell more dry than other fig scents. It smells mysterious, but sweet and full too. The wood notes come out nice and strong when it's dry.

 

This is a great scent -- it should be in heavy rotation for my BPAL perfumes.

 

Smells good next to Depraved, too. (Something I just found out while I'm doing some testing. )

[bombus]

I feel like I smell black coconut, but I don’t see that listed, maybe it’s the black palm. Unfortunately I am getting a bit of pencil shaving smell from the wooded notes. It smells divine in the imp. I like this one more than it likes me.

[akw]

This was mostly fruit on me. Sweet, pretty fruit. There was a hint of underlying otherness -- probably cocoa or palm -- but very faint.

 

I found this to be a light, pretty scent, very work safe or mother-in-law safe.

 

Medium throw, short wear length.

[isabella]

chocolate in a hope chest!!!! it smells kinda warm and comforting. im not gonna get more, but ill keep this imp.

[lapillus]

Wet: cocoa and something dark and woody. It’s intriguing ;-)

Dry: Gets a bit drier and a bit dirtier than I really like. Will give it one more shot but will probably trade.

[eatingthesea]

another frimp that i never knew existed in the GC. based on the description, though, it seemed like it might be right up my olfactory alley. upon opening: deep, dark woods. wet on my skin: very chocolatey cedar! very curious indeed. wasn't getting any fig, and who knows what palm smells like (i have tried to pick it out in hanging gardens, too). i let intrigue alone for awhile and came back, and it was a beautifully sweetened wood...seemed a very aged wood, too, if that makes sense. i think the cocoa receded a bit and made room for the fig, though the fig isn't as prominent as i had hoped. also, the chocolate became more cocoa-like (i.e., less sugary, more earthy). i'm still waiting for that fig scent that will bring me back to that endlessly reproductive fig tree in my backyard of youth. maybe strangler fig? but anyway, intrigue is a pleasant surprise and will be an excellent choice on those days that i long for fall weather. thanks, lab!

[belegwen]

Really interesting, really nice scent. I love the cocoa, and the cedar smell in interesting.

 

Sadly, it's just a bit too much for me. After I've worn it for a while, it starts to grate on me. Some smells I like, but can't stand to wear all day.

[taramarie]

I don't get a sense of darkness and secrets from Intrigue, unless the secret is someone's drinking hot cocoa in Strangler Fig's fig orchard.

 

In the imp and wet on my skin, Intrigue is autumn leaves and woods. Since autumn leaves aren't listed, maybe that's the black palm. Dry, Intrigue smells a lot like Strangler fig, except less fig and a hint of cocoa. I think I'll age this one and see if it becomes more unique.

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Bright fig.

 

On skin: Very different. The first thing I get is the cedar; my skin always takes that and runs with it, so it takes me a while to get to the dry cocoa stage -- but it's marvelous to be there! Very dry, very subtle -- maybe a vague hint of the smokiness, but just sort of sultry and calm about it. Dark cocoa -- despite that and the fig, I wouldn't really call this foody any more than I would call Tombstone foody. It's just complex, sophisticated, and subtle.

[n1k1ta]

The first two hours of Intrigue was smoky wood with a touch of old-fashion root beer. It was the best combination! It was a little sweet, but not sugary. The wood and smoke notes were mellow and smooth. After the two-hour mark, the deep, almost bitter cocoa overpowers the root beer note. Intrigue becomes more rich because of that.

 

I wasn't sure about this combination at first. I mean, cocoa and wood?! It just didn't sound very yummy. But, man, was I wrong! Intrigue is warm, dark and definitely sexy.

[usamimi]

In the bottle: Warm and inviting. Woody with a hint of cocoa.

 

Wet: Still very warm, but a little sweeter. The fig gave it an almost citrusy tang, but the wood and the cocoa smells sweeten and tame it well. A good balance of sweet-and-sour.

 

Dry: Almost boozy, but sweeter. Still very deep and warm.

 

Overall: A great scent! It made me think of staying up late reading a book in front of a fireplace and drinking wine. My fiance even used the word "intriguing" when I asked him to smell it.

[sithwitch13]

Wet, the cocoa is easy to smell. It's more like unsweetened cocoa than chocolatey-type for me. As it dries, it's mostly fig and smoky woods, with little hints of the cocoa. It's a warm scent, but I love to wear this on hot days. Maybe it's the palm.

[Czarina]

In the imp: choking smoke.

 

Wet: pencil shavings, cedar, sandalwood. Cocoa, fig, something green that must be the palm.

 

Dry: the pencil shavings have calmed down into smoky woods without the graphite. The cocoa and fig have blended together smoothly. It’s hard for me to catch the palm because I don’t have a good sense of what palm smells like.

 

Very, very interesting.

[Lunaratu]

Very dirty smelling with something a little floral peeking out is how this initially smells. At least this has something sweet trying to peek its head through the dirt otherwise I’d know right away Intrigue and I would not suit. It becomes quite sweet but still gritty. This is only a meh to my nose sadly enough. Very very gritty though still very sweet too.

Rating: 3/5

[Lethran]

Smells a little like chalk. It has some fruity nuance to it, , though I doubt I'll ever really like it as it's not my sort of thing. I'm not sure where the deviousness comes in here though. It's as mysterious as a cheese sandwich.

[dluszcz]

The first sniff of Intrigue, in the phial, almost convinced me to chuck it out and not even try it- There seemed to be something dark-almost rotten- underneath the initial spiciness. When I gave it a shot anyway and tried it on, I had to agree with one of my high school students, that it smelled like a candle shop- that muddle of spice and woods and floral and sweets and waxiness. But I've always kind of liked that smell and felt warm and dipped in a sunbeam everytime I caught a whiff! It did fade pretty fast, so I reapplied every 3 hours or so but finally let it dim down to something like "paper candy"- very very soft and quiet and slightly sweet, but also evocative of licorice and something not quite identifiable, an acquired taste.

[tartchef]

I had the same visceral reaction that kittysdesire did - I had Intrigue sitting on my desk for weeks before I worked up the nerve to actually put it on my skin... I also agree with the candle-shop thing, but I can get even more specific - it's the basket aisle at the craft store at Christmas. There are layers of warm spice & fruit, but they're cloaked in a woody, stem-like green-ness, like baskets rubbed with a dark green stain, filled with dried moss & potpourri. It's very nostalgic, really, and not entirely unpleasant... I just don't know if I'd ever consciously choose to smell like this...

[Pottersville]

Hmmmmm. This is an interesting one that I keep coming back to try. It can either be gloriously rich & chocolately (without being foody) or it can go all BO and pencil shavings.

[aestien]

Bottle: sweet fig and cocoa

Wet: a hint of woods with sweet fig and cocoa

Dry: dries down to a sweet slightly wood cocoa

 

Not as woody as Velvet and sweeter than that blend, warm and lovely.

[lainevierge]

When I first put this one on today I could barely smell it, but my body heat really set it off. It seems to be a perfect scent for a cold day. It smells like a divine mix of cocoa powder and warm fig with a hint of greenery. I don't think I'd buy a whole bottle, but it's a nice warm cozy scent that's not sickening sweet.

[grashopper8]

Oh my this is smoooooth!

 

The fig in this blend is absolutely the best fig I have ever experienced. It is almost coconutty, with a tobacco-like warmth and a hint of wine.

 

Reminds me of Untitled #2 by Tristan Brando, which has a lot of coconut and vanilla.

 

If you like fig scents, you've got to try this....it's moist, rich, and sexy.

[Christine Daae]

So...this is the first of the Lab's cocoa/chocolate blends that I have ever tried. Ever. And it was a frimp. So I have no idea what cocoa/chocolate do with my chemistry...here goes!

 

In the imp, it's dry and woody with an "aftersmell" of sweetness that I can't really pinpoint.

 

Wet on my skin, I get INSTANT sillage as soon as it hits my skin. This hardly ever happens to me, especially with BPAL - they tend to stay close to my skin. The sillage is coconutty? tropical? That may be the palm. With a little bit of the woods and the sweetness (which I think is the fig, as opposed to the cocoa - it doesn't really smell like cocoa to me).

 

I kind of smell like really high-end sunscreen.

 

Eventually, I do get a bit of the cocoa, but mostly this just smells...sort of tropical and sweet. It evokes images of spy movies set in the tropics, especially old ones. It's shadowed and sweet and dusky. I like it, but it's not really my thing - I may try it on my boyfriend, though.

[ladyjc]

I love when an oil sneaks up on you...

 

Tried Intrigue for the first time yesterday and it immediately went on my "next order" list. In fact, I'm almost tempted not to wait for the next update to order a bottle. I just can't put into words the way this scent makes me feel. I just know that I love it It stays pretty much the same throughout the wet stage to dry down. Even hours later, it smells exactly like it does straight out of the imp....and it's gorgeous. Sweet fig balanced beautifully with dry, woody cedar. If you like sweet scents and you like cedar, I cannot recommend this enough. Some have compared it to Tombstone and I definitely agree with that comparison...but this works a tad better for me than Tombstone.

 

I can't wait to try layering Intrigue with other scents that I want to sweeten up! Yum...

 

tis love

 

Edited December 30, 2007 by Shollin