Tristran

[kjirstiben]

Dust on your trousers, mud on your boots, and stars in your eyes: redwood, tonka bean, white sandalwood, lemon peel, patchouli, rosewood, coriander, and crushed mint.

Tristran was, for me, a scent that was green with something sweet underneath in its initial application. Over the next hour or so, it became increasingly more green in scent--the coriander and mint combined to give me an almost geranium-leaf scent (which I rather liked), combined with the softer woods making the backdrop of the scent.

After a while, the green goes dusty and hay-like, and only blends more smoothly with the woods in the background. There's still something smoothing it out, something sweet, almost like honey but not quite so distinct.

It was very faint after a few hours, and hard to pinpoint what I was smelling, at that point.

Tristran is a nice, outdoorsy, woodsy green scent that has a bright character to it. Woodsy without being dark, dusty without being arid. I keep getting the image of the Fool archetype... this is very appropriate to that sort of energy--innocence, brightness, starting on a journey all about fresh adventures.

[Iceblink]

Starts out green and grassy. Is that the coriander? Later the patchouli and woods start to appear--but that greenness is still here too and it's making this smell very masculine and outdoorsy, too much so for me. This does evoke the character and setting fabulously, though.

[levelek]

Initial application: very woodsy, sweet.

 

Drydown: the woods and the tonka envelop a sweet, warm patchouli core, with whispers of the coriander and sweet mint. Once again, I am amping the sweet notes!

 

A few minutes later, it smells more citrussy, although the sweet wood continues to dominate. Warm and bright. One of my favourites so far.

Edited December 20, 2008 by levelek

[rayvn1]

Sex in a bottle. I could have sworn, Sworn(!) that there was leather in this. I only remembered the "dust on your boots" part of the description when I tried this and that is what I got - leather and dust A light sweetness of something like meadow flowers so I would call this "sex in a field with leather pants." It's a new favorite!!

[ouch!]

Oh my gosh this is gorgeous!!!

 

I'm not a fan of the lab's masculine scents usually and don't wear them often. This has changed my mind though. It's the most sexy wood ever!!! Me wants bottle pwease!

The mint is there but it's so very faint. It still adds to the overall blend though. This is a spicy, sexual woodsy herb smell.

 

I can imagine this being the male equivalent of one of those womens perfumes that makes you turn your head! This will have women swooning.

 

Sex sex sex.

 

Me loveeeeees it!!

[Bluestocking]

In the bottle: Woody, fresh, green—this is a forest in a bottle, perfectly captured. At first sniff, the redwood/evergreen and extremely fresh mint and coriander stand out, but a longer sniff reveals lots of layers—again, like a forest. Then I get hints of sweeter sandalwood and rosewood, a light whiff of tonka and the patchouli beneath. It's a masculine scent, but definitely the scent of a boy or young man, as opposed to an older one. It's idealistic and hopeful.

On, wet: Mmmmm, it's a lovely green forest, but not a dark, scary one. There's a certain lightness here, and a warmth. The redwood and green herbs still stand out to me, but again, I sense the other elements layered beneath. It's actually filling me with massive waves of nostalgia for the hemlock-filled forest the last time I went camping, or the wooded area behind my house when I was a child. I don't know how, because there isn't a soil note, but somehow this really does bring a sense of muddy trails and evergreen needles crunched underfoot. (Maybe it's the combination of the patchouli and the herbs?)

On, dry: The richer, sweeter elements are moving forward and mellowing the green, herbal quality now—more rosewood than redwood, more sandalwood and creamy tonka than coriander. So now this makes me think of a polished roll-top desk in a book-lined study, rather than a sunlit forest glade—not a bad trade, though I love both phases. I don't get lemon in and of itself, but as with a lot of BPAL blends for me, the lemon can be detected more in what it does to the other elements. Here, it's adding that fresh, hopeful, bright quality. Patchouli grounds the whole thing, earthy and slightly rugged but not dark or heavy.

Later: Gleaming rosewood (with a touch of rose), white sandalwood and tonka: polished, woody, lightly sweet and gorgeous. I keep sniffing myself, or getting a whiff and wondering which man walked by me and smelled so good!

Overall: I've been lucky enough to be on a roll with great BPAL scents lately, and Tristran is no exception; it's everything I hoped Lysander would be. This is quite possibly my ideal masculine scent: rugged but not macho, youthful but not juvenile, fresh but not overly herbal. It's the scent of a genuinely good man, woodsy and bookish all in one, and I would immediately be drawn to a man wearing this scent—really, it's amazing. Now I just need to find a man to slather with it…

 

NOTE: I wrote this review before having read Stardust, so I didn't know anything about Tristran's character at the time. Now that I've read the book, I can only marvel at how completely Beth captured his spirit in this blend. It's a perfect fit!

 

 

[mhickle]

This is a perfect blend for Tristran. What excellent artistry!

It's earthy and a touch dreamy - the airy mint threatens to pull the wood and dust into the clouds, but it just can't get off the ground. Definitely a masculine scent, but one that I am just fine wearing myself. It's comforting and sexy -- not much throw but one of those kind of scents that you get a whiff of when you're pulled close to someone and you just go weak at the knees.

Mmmmm can you tell I love this?

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, it's a spicy sweet wood scent.

 

Wet on the skin, wood and roses initially. Mint note comes out less than a minute after application. I get hints of citrus occasionally as well.

 

Dries down to a soft herb & wood scent with a dash of rose.

 

Decent throw and lasts on my skin for several hours.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Patchouli and coriander and mint are very, very strong.

 

Wet: Now I'm getting the sandalwood. But those first three notes I mentioned are present, but hiding in the background for now.

 

The dry-down: A morpher of a scent! The tonka bean and the redwood have come out to play. There's also a bright crispness which must be the lemon peel. And a sweetness that's coming from the rosewood. The three woods are starting to meld together. In fact, this is a very complex blend, with so many different notes, yet all working together, but perhaps at different times. As it dries down, I'm beginning to get a dry and dusty feeling (dust on your trousers) but with still a bit of a sparkle (stars in your eyes). No mud here. I'd like to try this on the bf. These gender-neutral scents that smell good on me always seem to smell better on him.

[topazphoenix]

Hahaha. I loved the member who called Tristan "sex in a field with leather pants." Very woodsy and green, almost a pine needle quality. Very masculine and adventurous. I'm usually on the fence about wearing so called "masculine" scents but this is so fresh and forest like it's not an issue at all. <3

[tacey]

Oh, Tristran, you heartbreaker.........

 

This scent was so close! It went on for about the first 10-15 mins like the most natural match... Ever had the experience of a perfume just suiting you? It didn't smell 'like me', but it just seemed right -- almost familiar, and exactly what it should have been. Lovely sweet woods and a hint of spices and vanilla...love it!

 

But after about 20 mins, something new was added to the mix: a very masculine, almost aquatic note that I don't see in the notes list. At first, this note was at a distance, almost like someone wrapping their arms around me, while wearing it. That was pretty nice, actually. It didn't take long, though, for the manly note to take over everything. After half an hour or so, all I can smell is this one note -- very cologny, masculine, and totally out of place. Nothing else is even detectable.

 

Unless I can talk my husband into wearing this, and it works better on him, this one is too /fail. Very sad...

 

 

ETA 2/8/2010: Ok, I'm coming back to this one, because the notes just sound so beautiful, and I WANT it to work. It's been long enough that I think I've moved past the part where I whine that it's not what I expected. The question is, do I like what it IS?

 

This is such a well-blended scent, I really cannot identify any single note. It's very outdoorsy, so perhaps that's the woods and patchouli? But light and ... sunlit. Not a gloomy woods, but a warm afternoon hike with lots of sunbeams coming through the branches above. A bit cool at first, like a mountain breeze, but not enough to chill the day - just a breath.

 

It's lovely. I'd still consider it a bit on the masculine side, but not cologney or harsh in any way. There's an innocence to Tristran in Stardust that I think is captured here.

 

ETA 3/1/2010: I give up! I'll never make up my mind on Tristran. Wearing today, it's gorgeous, but very cologney (no, still can't work out the notes). I'm a bit self-conscious, actually, thinking people are going to notice and find it very odd on me. Nice throw, which is unusual for me. Sorry to be so utterly unhelpful, everyone!

Edited March 1, 2010 by tacey

[Gin]

Oh, Tristran, why? Why must you be ALL ROSEWOOD? You must know that I like rosewood, but that doesn't mean that's all I want. I want mint! I want lemon peel! I'd even take some patchouli. But no. Tristran give me nothing but rosewood.

[stonetotem]

I was so looking forward to meeting Tristran - I'd been waiting for him for some time. When I first smelled him, it was love, love, love... and I could barely wait to let him caress my skin. But our romance was not to be.

 

He came on very strong, though I can't say exactly what it was that I experienced so many hours ago (sorry!). I do remember thinking that he could go both ways. He did begin to change and changed quickly, and soon he smelled of a very familiar aftershave that I can't place, and shaving cream. Pleasant smells, but this freaked me out because I can't figure out why this scent is so familiar - it must be from my childhood. I'm left in a place where I'm not ready to accept him for who he is. Many hours later I am lamenting this, as he has turned smoky and incensy and is lovely and comforting. But until I figure out why he's so familiar, I can't do him. I do recommend him, though...

[doodlehum]

The most prominent notes for me are lemon peel, coriander (crushed seeds, not the whole plant), and gentle, mildly sweet woods. There's just the tiniest touch of fresh green mint, more green than minty and gone as soon as I register its presence. My impression is one of the dry, dusty outdoors. Not a desert, by any means, but a sparser, drier type of temperate forest on a warm, cloudless, windless day. Tristan also has the sense of light and elusive otherworldliness that I associate with the entire Stardust series. I love this. It's perfect for days when I want something light and nature-y smelling.

[tajana]

Wet: Green but gently woody. It just smells like bright green leaves and springy twigs, herbal but not overmuch. Absolutely lovely and alive smelling. I'm guessing that's coriander, mint, a hint of lemon, and woods conspiring to create that effect. It's only slightly sweet, definitely airy and refreshing (crisp coolness from the mint), and has a gently, barely there floral accent courtesy of rosewood. Off to a great start!

 

Dry: I've never tried a scent with redwood before, but I am getting some truly lovely, interesting woodsiness out of this that I'm blaming on redwood. The rosewood and white sandalwood add to the beautiful bouquet of woods, which are smooth and not at all sharp, and are meshed perfectly with an earthy hint of patchouli, a fresh infusion of greenery, and a gently creamy quality from the tonka. It makes me think of a late spring day in a deciduous forest, but it's not too literal: it has a subtle sweetness and smells recognizably like a perfume rather than just a scent experience. After a long while on the skin, it's a fresh woodsy smell, with residual hints of cool mint and green. Not much throw, and not the best lasting power on the block either. After four hours all that's left is skin-close tonka and warm wood.

 

Overall: I've been on a light, airy but herbal, outdoorsy scent kick, something that would remind me of meadows and forest clearings, but all of the ones I've tested have been lacking. THIS is what I've been looking for! It's breezy, androgynous, and young. I've got my hands on a little bit of this, but I will certainly be upgrading to a full bottle before long. This is gorgeous. It's not a loud scent with a lot of throw, but it is memorable...it smells quixotic yet exquisitely comfortable. The copy for this is perfect: "dust on your trousers, mud on your boots, and stars in your eyes". :love!:

[voorishsign]

I bought this for a fellow Stardust fan and best friend who's only just getting enabled into BPAL by me. Tristran is her favourite character and I just had to get her this oil - but I also can't help but want to try it myself.

 

In the bottle - exceedingly well blended and difficult to tell individual notes apart. Woodsy and herbal.

 

On wet - bright, innocent and foresty. Not the pine-scented, overwhelming wood-scented sort of forest, but the real scent of a pale, light forest in England - trees, wildflowers, leaves, distant wildberries. There's only a slight herbal touch to it, via the coriander and mint, but even on my skin, which amps mint big time, it blends well into the background. The tonka and patchouli grounds it very nicely.

 

Outstanding

 

This remains very close to the skin but smells natural, beautifully androgynous and wonderful.

 

Such a marvelous blend. I'm almost a bit sad to have to give it away now, but I know my friend is going to love it.

[Kimbernunk]

This is beautiful!

In the bottle, it's woodsy with a definite patchouli kick in the background.

 

On my skin, it starts out very patchouli and with a nice kick of the coriander and mint. The woods hide in the background.

Once it's fully dried, the scent says "outdoors" at me. Not really screams, not really shouts - this is neither screaming nor shouting scent - but merely points out that it belongs outdoors. It's like hiking through a forest (dry forest, definitely, not one that has been recently rained on) in the late spring or summer when the sun is out and there's a nice breeze (not that I think there's any ozone in this - there almost couldn't be). It's androgynous to masculine - it leans more masculine but not so masculine I can't pull it off.

 

I love it already, and I can't wait to see what it's like after some aging! I love me some aged woods.

[gingiemay]

A gorgeous, fresh, leathery scent that is warm and sunny in a grassy field. Delicious, I love it!

[tailoredshirt]

This is my first review, and I'm not very good at picking out individual notes, but I'll try my best!

 

In the bottle: Very sweet and woodsy, with a bit of incense and herbs. I can also smell the mint.

 

Wet: Strong and woodsy, with a sharp herbal note from the mint. Basically smoky woods and mint. The mint is a little strong, and overall it's a bit too sweet right now, but it smells nice.

 

Dry: After a while on my skin, the mint isn't as sharp. It softens into a really wonderful sweet-smoky woods scent. I've been wearing it for several hours now and it still smells lovely.

 

Overall: I think this scent is unisex. It doesn't feel too masculine to me, but it's not too sweet either, which suits my tastes. I seriously can't stop sniffing my wrist today. I only have a decant of this right now, but I'll be buying a full bottle for sure.

[raisin]

I get a very fragrant, sun-warmed forest.

I had to look at the notes to pick anything out, but the redwood is definitely the strong note. I couldn't pick out much else, save for a little bit of lemon (more sweet than tart here) and that only after I went looking for it.

This is a really fabulous forest scent. (And for anyone curious, it's absolutely divine layered with Yvaine.)

[heywilma]

So. I love myself some Stardust, in any medium, and Tristran is my favourite. It doesn't help that I had a huge crush on Charlie Cox, and will forever associate him with the character. They're both yummy, ok. Some time back, I RPed as Tristran, which I enjoyed way too much (it was AU-multifandom, and he was an agent for the BPRD. When fandoms collide, indeed), and mourned copiously when it ended. I would've bolded, underlined and italicised this scent on my wishlist. When I chanced upon a decant, I of course jumped immediately.

 

In short, basically I am like a strict Asian parent with high expectations, and Tristran is totally the high achieving maths nerd that I've always dreamt of having. He It is wonderful. It's so well-blended – mostly woody, but other notes I can't quite place come out to play too. Generally speaking, the lab's woodsy, masculine scents are not my favourites, but I would wear Tristran any day of the week. Just... amazing, and such a fantastic embodiment of the character.

Edited May 20, 2010 by heywilma

[Dharklady]

In bottle: A lovely mix of dusty woods, citrus and patchouli

Wet: A slightly sweet cologne.

Dry: As this dries the notes all sort of merge and it’s hard to really pick one over the other. Sadly it seems a bit too cologne-y for me.

Notes: I can definitely see this fitting Tristran, and I think it would be a lovely scent on the right guy.

 

[ReallyZeb]

Gorgeous, herby, woody and sparkly too ... I guess the sparkle is probably the mint. No one note comes reliably to the fore so each time I sniff it I get a different note. It reminds me of an old sun warmed desk in a dusty schoolroom with a window opening onto some deep green forest. I love it

[Balame]

This is amazing. The leather here is unlike any other BPAL leather I've ever smelled, and I've tested quite a few of them. I guess that's because there technically isn't any. But I swear there's a sweet, worn leather pant (boot?) note here. So beautiful. I've never wanted to eat leather before, but if I could it would be because it smelled like this!

 

I'm familiar with the notes but none are standing because they're blended so well. From the imp it was quite green but hazy, and on it's soft, a little musky and delicately sweet with a background of that fantastic brown leather. It doesn't evoke the scent of a forest so much as a sprawling field, much like the one that leads out of Wall. Except in addition to the fresh grass, there's a trade wind in the air. Full of warmth, magic, unusual herbs, sweet flowers and adventure on the horizon.

 

It's really pretty. I get the stars in your eyes and the anticipation of something great and wonderous. Cozy yet exciting. Extremely evocative blend.

[Magpie]

In bottle

 

Fresh, green, woodsy. A little bit of soil. Very fresh and full of possibilities! It does smell a little bit like furniture polish but not eniugh to distract.

 

On, wet

 

It warms to be quite velvety and fresh. Very nice. Not very like other scents I have, which is refreshing. It smells a little of pine and cedar but doesn't lose that freshness.

 

On, dry

 

It gets a lot warmer and softer, less fresh but still very outdoorsy and herbal. It's no longer so much like fresh, damp vegetation but more like the warm nature smell of an evening walk.

 

It is quite soft and doesn't have much throw, to the extent that I can't smell it passively without smelling my wrists!

 

It doesn't last very long, as far as I've seen. My skin either drinks it up or I've stopped being able to smell it!