Robin Goodfellow

[sarada]

Now the hungry lion roars,
And the wolf behowls the moon;
Whilst the heavy ploughman snores,
All with weary task fordone.
Now the wasted brands do glow,
Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud,
Puts the wretch that lies in woe
In remembrance of a shroud.
Now it is the time of night
That the graves all gaping wide,
Every one lets forth his sprite,
In the church-way paths to glide:
And we fairies, that do run
By the triple Hecate's team,
From the presence of the sun,
Following darkness like a dream,
Now are frolic: not a mouse
Shall disturb this hallow'd house:
I am sent with broom before,
To sweep the dust behind the door.

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

I had to go right ahead and order a bottle of this because I love moss and wood blends, I love dark musk and sage scents are just amazing. I thought this might be something like Carfax Abbey, which also prominently features mossy wood, and yes, it is just a bit!

Dark musk actually has a tendency to sort of sweep scents up and add to their throw and staying power, so I am immediately surrounded by a dusty cloud of pale mosses and paler woods. It is not a wet, earthy moss, but rather the dry pale moss that clings to the sides of trees -- and the dusty pale trees we also see in scents like Yggdrasil. It is beams of dusty light illuminating a quiet grove, and coaxing bursts of fragrance from the herbs that grow along the edge of the forest.

Sage is also pale and dusty in this blend, lazily floating on the air, blown in on a breeze. It is the dry, herbal scent I have been waiting for -- set against a backdrop of an enchanted wood. While Carfax Abbey brought to mind an abandoned wooden church covered in wood dust, this is purely an outdoor scent, though similar in feel as far as the muted, dusty tones. Solemn and dreamlike, with herbal flourishes that are the olfactory equivalent of a movement in the woods that you catch just out of the corner of your eye.

[shadesong]

In bottle: Oakmoss, with a green-plant note to it...

 

On me: Ooooh. This is delicious. Lickable. A well-rounded musky greenness, sage lifting it, heather lending sweetness. Almost slightly fruity. A forest in spring, and Robin Goodfellow hiding among the leaves and making sport.

[edenssixthday]

Robin Goodfellow – Ooh, this is mossy and so dank as to be almost sweet. It's woodsy, yet doesn't smell like a forest. There's also a hint of something softly spicy in the background of the scent. It’s very well blended and it’s difficult to discern the various notes. It’s hard to describe except to say that as much as I like the scent, it’s not the type I would choose to wear. However, I think this will smell amazing on my husband and will give him that warm, man-scent that I just adore. I’m definitely passing this one to him.

 

ETA: I put this on around 7:00 p.m. last night. This morning at 8:00 a.m., I was still catching wafts of it off my skin, and it was still quite strong. I think it would have lingered for much longer, but I don't know because a shower was a little more important than finding out how long I could keep this scent going. It had become a little bit of a "musty old man" scent at this point, but not so much that I don't still want to pass it on to my husband!

Edited June 14, 2007 by edenssixthday

[Extispex]

First sniff from the bottle, mossy and deep and inviting, like slumbering on a forest floor.

 

Wet on the skin, this is incredible! Everything I hoped it would be and more. The mosses and woods and musk combine to create something stunningly wild and beautiful. Its not the freshness of an evergreen forest, but deep forest, ancient and virgin, untrod by men.

 

The wet stage is my favorite, but the drydown is gorgeous too. It grows sweeter as the heather begins to assert itself, gains a hint of the ethereal. I love it, I just love it. And it just made my top ten list.

[oakmoss]

This blend surprised me, because I was expecting something more forest-y, and instead it rather reminded me of stone at first, like moss growing on damp stones. I was reminded of Black Opal (but was too lazy to go get it to compare). On drydown, a delicate spiciness emerged, wending its way through the moss and undergrowth, like a strain of faery music barely heard on a midsummer night..... I think this would smell great on a man, but it's very suitable for women who don't like "masculine" blends too (like me). I wore it to bed and had strange and vivid dreams.

[bombus]

The first note to hit my nose was the moss and as soon as I put it on I thought of men’s cologne, but then it dried down and everything changed. It’s woodsy but not foresty, if that makes any sense. I am liking it more and more with every smell, which I can’t stop doing. Do I want a full bottle, maybe, I will have to see how fast it takes me to use the imp.

[Shitow_Haruka]

first sniff: The dark musk is prominent, with green herbs underneath.

 

wet: My skin amps the dark musk like crazy (as it does with most musks). This smells like the same dark musk as Haunted to me.

 

dry: As it dries, the musk calms down enough on me to let the greenness of the sage come out. The heather adds a sweet floral underneath.

 

I like this a lot. I think I'll eventually end up with a bottle. And I think this would smell great on a man! (Off to find my mate and pin him down )

[taramarie]

In the imp, Robin Goodfellow smells strongly (but pleasantly) of wood and green plants. On my skin, I get the same, but with enough musk to balance out the blend. While Robin's not really my usual kind of scent (I prefer florals and food, mostly), I do like him and I'll put a bottle on my wishlist.

 

This scent is definitely gender neutral.

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Sharp, green herbs.

 

Wet: Foresty, but forest undergrowth, still with the herbs. I want to say something sage about this, but I can't think what.

 

Drydown: Initially, it's just deep, deep green, sweet forest, and I've got my nose firmly clamped into the crook of my elbow. oakmoss mentioned a stony note, and I agree that it's here -- indeed, the stone/moss combo reminds me inexorably of Shanghai Tunnel, and if you can't get your hands on the Convergence goodies, this might be a nice GC to try instead. Finally, what's left is sweet musk, still with a bit of the heather and moss -- almost reminiscent of the "And if we spirits have offended" speech at the end of the play.

 

Verdict: A Goodfellow indeed! A morpher, but not necessarily one with a puckish sense of humor. Drat, I've fallen in love with another trickster scent! Fairy well done, Lab.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: black musk and something herbal. Masculine scent.

 

On my skin: it gets lighter and much more green (herbal). It's not unpleasant.

 

After a while: it vanishes extremely quickly, I cannot smell anything anymore.

 

Verdict: well, no, unluckily my skin seems to eat it.

[shonensamurai]

I was gifted an imp of this a few days ago, and I have to say I love it. It started off very herby--I could smell the sage coming off of it strongly. Then, as it dried, it got sweeter, and now there's a very very pleasant spiciness to it as well.

 

Definitely a keeper. If you're wondering if it smells good on a guy, consider this your evidence.

[readiness]

for me I was disappointed - I think I wanted more like Jersey Devil or Dublin. Very herby with a sour undertone.

 

on it turns soapy

[supremegoddessofall]

Very clean but barely there. My only real impression is "fresh." Not particularly musky.

[funkmoppet]

This is nothing short of perfection when wet.

 

It hits the skin and it's an honest-to-god forest! Warm, dappled sunlight filtering through the trees, dry wood and the most fantastic smell of leaf-litter!

 

Just.

 

Spectacular.

 

But noooo! On the dry down it all goes away! It morphs into a light floral, and the forest vanishes. So heartbreaking - it was my dream forest scent when it was wet! It's by no means an unpleasant floral, but when teased with such a gloriously evocative beginning, it's such a dissappointment!

 

Woe! Robin, I was ready for love!

[cvelis]

quickly...either I have a weird bottle or I'm blindly in love with Robin.

 

Sniff from bottle...yes, woods and mossy

 

On skin: OMG, this turn into sweet stuff! Not sure if it's the heather but I don't get overly floral notes in this at all.

 

Verdict for now...I will hold on to this and properly start hoarding imps to fill my lovely bottle.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is earthy musk...a bitter green as well...

 

once applied the green turns sweet; sage i suppose...

 

this is really well-rounded and quite dreamy...

 

i adore it and am thrilled to own a bottle

[emzebel]

I am very surprised as I review the notes for this, as on me, it is very rich and sweet, not at all dank and cologney, as mosses sometimes turn on me. I thin I must be amping the musk and sweetening it with the sage and heather.

 

Either way, this is a gorgeous, almost golden scent on me, with just a hint of woodsyness around the edges - but on my skin, Robin is most definitely playing in the light. A real winner.

[Blood onmy hands]

I expected this scent to be aggressive and hateful on my skin, but it's surprisingly light and floral. I don't like dark musk, and moss is pretty sharp and powerful on my skin. I usually amp up both of those things, but I can't even pick them out of this blend.

 

First on, this is all light, herbal, softly smoky sage. I really don't like sage (bad scent associated memories there). After ten minutes or so, this dries down to a floral soap on me . Sweet and clean. It disappears entirely on me within a half hour. The only other scent I can remember trying with heather in it was Glasgow, and this is nothing like Glasgow's floral aspects on me.

 

On my boy this starts off as a more sharp and acrid herbal note, and then dries down to a much sweeter, perfumey floral scent. He was very upset and thought I put "girl perfume" on him. Weird.

 

Robin Goodfellow is... an odd one.

[Jilara]

Wet, Robin is mossy and foresty, but with a slight hint of something spicy.

 

As he dries, I think of a wildflower meadow, rather than heathered hills, herbal and a bit sweet smelling. The BPAL sage note plays well with me, but this isn't like any of the other blends. It's...a playful sage, wafting in and out with the woodsy notes. This is a hardwood forest, rather than connifers.

 

Dry, it's very sweet, but still with the wood/herbal. The musk has come up, finally, and added a nice background finish. Robin Goodfellow plays nicely with my chemistry, and seems to last a good while.

[JennyGardener]

This smells like the woods - deep and dark and green. It's a deciduous woods, not a coniferous one. There are flowers growing. The sagey note was wonderful and enchanting. Robin Goodfellow was playing among the leaves and flowers, leading us further into the woods. It would be easy to get lost in this one. He softly faded away after a while. I wish he would stay longer, for his company is lovely to be in!

 

(Faerygirl's review)

It's very happy and playful.

 

Since it smells so good on both of us, I think we just might have to get a bottle!

[filigree_shadow]

OK. I now have 3 BPAL blends that should have smelled terrible on me but turned out to be wonderful. Whippoorwill, R. M. Renfield, and now Robin Goodfellow.

 

I really dislike herbs in perfumes, and sage is like the kiss of death. Moss is generally blech, too. However... when these notes all come together the end result is gorgeous.

 

I thought this oil smelled horrifying in the imp and I was reluctant to even try it. When I first put it on I thought it was terrible. Smelled like wet weeds. Then I ignored it for about 10 minutes and came back to it. Woah! What a difference. The musk and moss came out and stomped out the herbs, and it turned into a rich, deep mossy scent. Dark, and with an edge.

 

I'm still amazed that I like this so much. It's not something I'd wear every day, or for every occasion, but I will definitely wear it.

[GypsyRoseRed]

I could swear that Robin Goodfellow has a note in common with Shub-Niggurath, because whatever it is, I amp it, big time. This smells kinda green and mysterious in the bottle, which should be two signs that it's never going to work for me.. except somehow it does. In fact, it's outstanding. The dark musk and heather dominate on me, making it a slightly sweet fragrant and spicy blend with a decidedly masculine slant. I never would have picked this for a winner, which just goes to show that BPAL is full of surprises!

 

ETA: I never would have bought this, but I'm glad I got a bottle on impulse because this is *gorgeous*. One of my favorites!

Edited October 18, 2007 by GypsyRoseRed

[Medici]

Huge surprises with Robin Goodfellow. I had intended to steer clear of it entirely, thinking the musk would make the blend very animalistic, and perhaps a shade too masculine.

 

But there's something about BPAL's moss note that just loves my skin chemistry. Overall it's a very fresh, dry green scent with barely any musk underneath at all. I really like this a lot, since to me, it smells like the dry counterpart to Bayou (which I only wear on rainy days.)

 

Methinks a bottle purchase is in order.

[Thursdae]

Robin Goodfellow is one of the blends that brings back an instant scent memory. This memory is of high-school gym class. I'd shower and sprinkle baby powder all over myself, and walk away all clean and sweet and a little bit crunchy from the talc.

[aestien]

Bottle: musk and earthy greens

Wet: masculine musk, a little incensey, a little sweet, greens

Dry: this reminds a little of Coyote, but more forest

 

This scent doesn’t change much throughout and is a very pleasant light masculine scent, slightly earthy, slightly incensey, green, and a definite musk overtone without smelling dirty, it’s more of a natural, clean skin musk.