Robin Goodfellow

[Wren12]

Dark musk, moss-covered wood, ragwort, heather, and sage.

Love this, no surprise.

In the imp sage is prevalent, along with a soft green moss note, complete with the old wood that the moss is growing on.

On wet...the dark musk blooms, with something that is almost floral. Something with high, sweet tones. The moss and wood provide strong base notes for the higher tones.

Dry...here this really shines. Supple leatherand warm wood waft through a simply amazing musk note. It's not an animalistic musk, more skin musk. The wood is a nice, dry wood, not mouldering. The moss smells fresh, not dank as it can at times.

The whole combines to evoke a rugged huntsman, trekking through a verdant forest, with a warm breeze wafting through wild flowers some yards away. That being said, I think this is very much a unisex scent thanks to the strong interplay of the high and base notes.

This one is really quite amazing.

ETA: after several hours the high notes in this die down significantly leaving the wonderful dark musk and a 'clean' moss. The high somewhat floral note completely dissapates and it is still amazing.

[jkfagtongpun]

This is a gorgeous, soft, brown musky scent to me.

 

I think it would be very sexy on a man (alas, my husband says he has too many BPAL scents already - does the man not know, one can NEVER have too many?!?).

 

I find this one quite warm, and almost sweet. It's definitely a skin musk and the woody-mossy notes keep it from going too soft.

 

If you like that manly-man that somehow works hard all day yet comes home and smells woody-sweet-musky - try this.

[BlueberryPie]

This is another one of those scents that's so finely blended that my newbie nose can't pick out the notes at all. It just all merges together into a dark, but still wet and fresh green scent. Like dawn just breaking out over a summer forest covered in dew. I was worried this scent will be too masculine on me (and I'm a very girly girl type), but it didn't smell bad at all. Granted, I don't think it's very me, it's just a little bit too dark, even though I like green scents. But I can see myself loving this scent on someone else.

 

Sometimes, I put it on anyway after a shower, when I know I'm just gonna be staying home, and huff my wrist happily in front of my computer.

 

Score: 8/10

[tinyvulture]

Hello, sage! How fresh and green you are against this dark, woodsy, mossy backdrop. Strong moss note...I would've guessed there's a drop of vetiver too, so dark and earthy is this scent. Is this the scent of Sherwood Forest? I'm not usually taken with mossy blends but I'm considering a bottle of this. Sage makes all the difference!

[Zii]

This is a powerfully evocative green, spicy scent. I'm getting the sage and moss first, deepened by what I assume is the musk. This scent is very sharp, getting even more peppery, with a bit of powder from the heather. This is definitely on the masculine side of things, but I love this and will be wearing it a lot.

[brilliantcat]

It smells like a forest floor! Mossy, woody, dark, herbal. It's got a definite masculine vibe, it's clean and fresh and foresty and it would smell amazing on the right guy. The herbs remind me of those from Mutter Museum U. After a bit, the musk amps up and it's a really nice green/musky/foresty scent. I think I'll pass this on to my husband.

[symbiosis]

This is an interesting mix of three or four things to me - the musk is what anchors it on my skin. I love musks, but this one isn't strong - in fact, it's barely there. If you're not a huge fan of musks, this one might be worth a try.

 

The moss gives it a cologne-y presence - but not in an overly strong way. If you're not a fan of moss, this one might be worth a try.

 

The sage makes the scent a bit dry and the heather makes it a touch sweet and floral - I know I wouldn't be a big fan of either heather or moss by themselves most likely, but I enjoy this scent. I'm definitely going to try it on the hubs when I get home, as the moss is what is keeping me from getting a full bottle - but I bet it would smell divine on the man!

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Dark, sweet herbal

 

Wet on skin: Less sweet, more woodsy, but nice. The sage is strong, but not overpowering, and the musk has an almost dark floral edge to it

 

Dried down: The floral's gone now. This is kind of a dusty, dried herbs and incense scent now. Very pretty, and much better than I'd imagined. Darker, woody blends seem to often go sour on me, but I think it's certain types of woods.

 

Throw: This has a little bit of throw on me, focusing on the sage and incense.

 

Verdict: **** This is very, very pretty. I don't know if I want a bottle or not. I doubt I'd reach for it very often. But it's very nice.

[Trix]

I've got a deep-seated interest in all things Puck-related. When I saw that bpal had a Robin Goodfellow oil, I had to try it, as a matter of principle, even though I'd placed my order the night before. They were kind enough to include it as a frimp, and oh.

Oh.

 

Sniffing the imp was the exact smell of the wet woods behind my mom's house, where I used to play. Perfectly evocative of its namesake.

 

Wet it's a sharp green smell, almost too much like a man's cologne, but it quickly dries down into something I love. It's weird, because I usually prefer sweet foody scents, but there's something gently woodsy to this. It's aaalmost, but not quite, the disappointing dryer sheets I get from Glasgow, but cozier, greener, more natural.

 

I keep using this imp. Still not sure if it would be an every day scent (though once work starts up again this week, it might be a nice comforting one), but I love applying it a little before bed or nap time. Cozy, green (but not Too green), and lovely. Probably need a whole bottle soon.

Edited January 4, 2015 by Trix

[Veronica]

Mm, this is fresh, green and woodsy. Not exactly a perfume scent, but I enjoy it. I would also say this is lighter and more gender-neutral than some of the other "wood" blends the Lab has--this is a sunshine-y enchanted forest, not an ominous dark grove.

[freyasfae]

Mossy florals and one of my death notes - I think it's vetiver.

[Casablanca]

What a curious woodsy scent -- musky but evocative.

 

I smell black musk first, but it's thoroughly infused with subtle smells from the woods, and I can pick out each note in turn -- even the ragwort. The whole, though, smells to me like dark musk and lichenous woods.

This is a close skin scent and will be a wonderful fall scent. I hope it comes back in stock. It reminds me of Carlin.

[Elspethdixon]

The imp was in my jeans pocket for an hour or so before I applied it, so the oil was already warmed to close to body temperature when I cracked it open.

Wet/in imp - herbal/forest-y outdoors. Sharp/clean without being citrus-y or pine-y.

Freshly applied - sharp/sour and fusty. I can still catch a hint of the clean/herbalness, but the sour fustiness is mostly drowning it out. Also my skin feels tingly-weird on the inside of my wrist where I applied it. This is my first time trying anything with oakmoss in it, and I'm starting to suspect oakmoss might not be my friend.

Five minutes in - The fustiness has become soapiness with a hint of outdoorsy showergel. This was so lovely in the imp. Where did that clean outdoorsy herbal forest go? No visible redness like with cinnamon, but my skin still feels weird where I applied it, as if I rubbed icy-hot there. Looks like oakmoss is a definite no for me. (ETA: And I've just remembered that Faiza from the CD line also has oakmoss... and IRRC also gave me a mild skin reaction and I couldn't figure out why. I guess now I know).

Ten minutes in - On the one hand, the soapiness has faded somewhat and I can smell the clean forest again, if only faintly. On the other hand, my skin is starting to turn red and itch slightly.

My arm stopped itching/burning a little while later, and then I forgot to take any notes on the scent for the rest of the day. The soapy, outdoor-forest-themed showergel scent lasted on my skin for hours at a low-throw/skin scent level, nowhere near the lovely crisp herbal-forest smell from the imp, nut not unpleasant, as manly soap products go. I'm not sure what turned it into soap/showergel, since the notes don't mention any pine or ozone or aquatic notes, which are the usual soap/dryer sheet culprits on me - maybe the black/dark musk? I wouldn't be able to wear it even if it the wonderful early wet stage had stuck around, though, since I'm apparently allergic to it.

[theredkilt]

A warm earthy mossy woody sage blend. Very manly and suitable for men over 35 yo. It feels like an old school cologne for men from the 70s.

[achildoftime]

I think I'm going to need a locket for this one. When its wet, it's mossy woods after a rain so everything is supple and green. But when it dries the sage goes a bit soapy for me. Sage is one of those hit or miss notes for me, and this time it missed. It's not awful, but I really adore this when first applied. It was such a near perfect forest for me.

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: Really herbal, with some dark musk in the background.

 

Wet: The herbal notes dominate. I can smell the moss part of the moss-covered wood, and the sage, but I'm not familiar with ragwort and heather, so I'm not able to properly pick them out. After a few minutes, I do get the wood note, and the scent is warmer than it was before.

 

Dry: During this stage, the scent is really soft and stays close to the skin. It's herbal and floral. I think it's the heather note that I'm smelling the most, backed by some soft, dark musk, like the kind in Cheshire Cat. It's somewhat powdery on me, but not in a bad way.

 

Verdict: This one is actually rather pleasant, but it's not something that really grabs me.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Much sweeter than I anticipated. Something really floral? I guess the ragwort of heather, neither of which I am super familiar with. It's also got some lovely green notes. HOWEVER it smells like a cat peed on it. So, a garden with some interesting greenery and florals that your cat took the liberty of christening. Lovely. I don't get any musk. Unless it's cat musk...?

 

 

Dry: Dries down much nicer, sans cat pee. Smells like sweet plants. I don't want to say floral, cuz it's not really. But it's not really herbal either. Or green. It's just...planty. A nice sweet planty smell. I enjoy it, but don't think I would reach for it.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: The exact scent of a coastal redwood forest during/after rain: sweet, slightly floral, living greenery. I get a bit of musk at the back if I really sniff for it, but mostly it just smells like earth and wood.

 

Wet: A much muskier, softer scent. There's an interestingly elusive floral element, but not ethereal like Zorya P. Just elusive in the sense of faint and far away - maybe hidden under some ferns around the next bend in the trail. Overall, there's very much a feeling of damp ferns and shade.

 

Dry: Primarily a dark, definitely fruity musk, with the sage also still going strong, and maybe some woods? I'm surprised by how fruity-sweet this turned out to be, although the woody-herbal-ness is as lovely as I'd anticipated.

[Lucchesa]

I had Robin Goodfellow once before and it didn't do much for me, so I swapped it away. What was I thinking? Fortunately a generous forumite (thanks, HerbGirl!) frimped me another one, and I am really digging it. Wet, it's surprisingly light and floral, given the notes. Must be the heather and ragwort, notes I'm less familiar with. As it dries, it darkens, with sage and moss and woods making themselves felt. At one point I even thought there was vetiver in the blend. It is absolutely beautiful at this point, a dark mossy forest with flowers and toadstools, where anything might happen. The musk is gentle and not prominent, despite the fact that it's listed first. I'll need to test this a couple more times, but this may be going on the bottle list.