Goblin

[Poenari]

Dab a bit behind each ear, and you'll be instantly inspired to alter street signs, shake fruit from your neighbor's trees, and hide your roommate's car keys. Black coconut, gnarly patchouli, and sweet benzoin.

From the minute Beth commented here that she had this blend coming soon, I couldn't wait. I just knew that Goblin was made for me. I can't believe I'm the first one to review this new scent! Here goes...

Upon opening the bottle, the first thing that hit me was the patchouli, but that was to be expected. I love patchouli, and by its nature, I expect it to come on strongly at first. I coudn't wait, and applied to each wrist. While the patch is foremost, there is a slight sharpness but sweetness mingled in which must be the benzoin and coconut. For those who fear patchouli, this is no dirty hippie scent. The notes are all mingling and swirling into a sweet, spicy, impish goblin. However, patchouli lovers- you must. try. this.

I cannot stop sniffing myself. Ohhhh, I am in love!

edited to add: Beth, thank you so much for making this a GC scent! Edited September 16, 2007 by Shollin

[Beatrice33]

On me this is mostly patchouli. I do enjoy patchouli, but I was really excited about a vanilla-y, coconutty scent deepened with patchouli rather than another patchouli single note to wear. I'm going to keep it around and try it again. It could just be my nose today, and the possiblities of this one are too good to let go of right away.

[abejita]

My first impression, in the vial, was patchouli plus. Patchouli, but there's definitely something else there. On my skin, that "something else" opened up into a really lovely scent. The benzoin and coconut do something wonderful to that patchouli. Every time I inhale, I'm struck by the feeling of texture I get from the blend. It's an interesting bit of synesthesia, the blend is the olfactory equivalent of nubby, raw, undyed silk.

 

Coconut-haters, take heart! There is no trace of suntan oil or plastic in this blend, at least for me. And, to the haters of patchouli, this blend has a very different feel than most patchouli blends. No one hates benzoin, so I guess there's no qualifier there.

 

I predict this will creep its way into a lot of top tens, and end up as one of those beloved GC blends that everyone snaps up any time an imp or bottle makes its way to a sales list. I am definitely planning on a bottle and can't wait to see how this one ages.

 

Thank you, Beth, for making it a GC blend!

[jewelbug]

 

I knew when this went up that I was ordering a bottle unsniffed. Afterwards, I had all sorts of doubts wondering if it would be ALL bad patchouli on me. You see, some bpal patchouli doesen't work well on me (I'm looking at you Mme Moriarty, you heartbreaker). Luckily, this was not one of those patchoulis, and I had no need to fear...

 

Bottle: Patchouli, yes, a deep woodsy patchouli. Really smooth, not sharp. But to me, in the bottle, the coconut/benzoin really cuts through to sweeten and smooth. Mmmmmm...

 

Wet: This is love. It reminds me strongly of my favorite coconut incense from high school. Dark, round, earthy patchouli, but with a sweet dusky coconut smell. Its not beach-y coconut at all. I can't stop sniffing my wrist.

 

Dry: This holds to a really smooth woodsy patchouli with dusky dark coconut. I really can't pick out the benzoin, but I'm sure that's part of the overall sweet roundess of the scent.

 

Overall: I'm in love with this one. I get a fair bit of coconut/benzoin with the patchouli. After some of the early reviews, I feared it would be all patch, but its far from one-note on my skin chemistry. Its dark and sweet and sexy, and befitting of the Goblin-King himself. I haven't bought a bottle unsniffed in ages, but I'm thrilled that I took a chance on this one. I really think this will age amazingly!

 

eta: This reminds me of Intrigue--deep dark woodsiness with sweet tropical scents over top. Goblin is less sweet and a bit more masculine, and obviously the notes aren't the same, but i'd say its the same sort of scent family. Or maybe I'm just crazy.

 

eta: its almost a year later and this has some age on it. Unfortuantely, the patchouli has taken over the blend, and the coconut/benzoin seem to have backed off. Bummer, but now it goes so woody that its almost pencil shavings on me. It seems that I only like FRESH goblins.

Edited August 23, 2008 by jewelbug

[slave1]

GOBLIN

 

In Bottle: Patchouli

 

On Skin: I almost oredered this as a bottle unsniffed. I see coconut and all the other notes don’t matter… lol! I’m glad I started with an imp, because the patchouli in this belnd amps to the millionth degree. Wow! Very dark, and very dirty, I do love the coconut note, but it is the more earthy less sweet version. And the benzoin is delicious! But the patchouli overpowers them both and that’s what makes it not work on me. It is a naughty scent, and I love the name Goblin… which fits it perfectly. If you like earthy scents with a sweet side, check this one out for sure. Strong throw and average to long wearlength.

[this machine]

This is almost entirely patchouli to me, and it is indeed dirty patchouli. To me it smells like the classic heavy dirty hippie patchouli w/ a hint of sweetness...and unfortunately despite my love for patchouli i can't take this dirty, heavy version. Maybe it has something to do w/ the combination of the benzoin. All i know is it's the only patchouli in a bpal blend i've ever had turn my stomach. Ah well, you can't win every time.

[lapetiteflower]

yes, the patchouli is down and dirty patchouli. kick you in the face patchouli~i think i need to let this one age and mellow. definately a dark brown scent. as it drys down it gains a sweetness though, so very promising....

[zenvodunista]

This is simply *divine* in the bottle - but my skin HATES wood with a mighty passion and this patchouli is WAY woody. Not in the bottle - where it is smooth and gorgeous and incredibly well blended, falling in the camp of my favorite scents: Snake Charmer (benzoin!) Perversion (tonka which is like coconut) and Tezcatlipoca (smoooooothe patchouli).

 

But sadly, my skin chemistry takes this particular patchouli and turns it in a no.2 pencil. With a lot of toothmarks on it.

 

This Goblin hates me and that makes me so very sad

 

N.

[SeaLady]

Yum, yum, yum!

 

In the imp: Cedar-like wood (that must be the patchouli?) and coconut - but not a sweet and foody coconut, a dry one - if that makes sense.

 

On, this is warm and dark and and a little sweet. Not foody, but still delicious and smooth. It's a really good fall kind of scent, and has a very grounded feel to it. The longer it's on, the more it melts into my skin. Not disappearing, but blending and smelling more like it belongs there.

 

Goblin gets a

[eleventhousand]

I get pencil shavings mixed with Coolaulin conditioner from LUSH.

[DenMother]

To me this is like Imp had a one night stand with Graveyard Dirt and the resulting love child was called Goblin

[euterpe414]

This blend is certainly for the patchouli lovers only! On my skin it is pure, strong, gritty, lovvvely patchouli with a hint of benzoin and coconut. The blend mellows somewhat on my skin and the coconut comes out a tiny bit more in the drydown, but all in all it stays very similar throughout. As far comparing other BPAL blends with coconut, this is like a dirtier, darker version of Brown Jenkins- if it took steroids...the patchouli is similar to that which is in Depraved, imo. I really love this, and am so glad I ordered a bottle unsniffed. It's a perfect addition to all of the wonderful GC patchouli blends, and one I will definitely wear often.

 

[fizzgig]

I knew Goblin was going to be a bit different. I'm realitively new at this but tried over a hundrend scents. The Jersey Devil is my favorite so I was looking forward to this one.

 

In the imp it smelled very organic. For the gardeners out there, it's that smell you get while tilling a new garden and you just added compost. It's very earthy and dirt smell. The coconut makes it a little sweet but still dry. After dry down, the coconut became a dominate note on me. Then the earthy woodsy smell came out. It's probably the patchoili.

 

If you need an earthy smell that make you feel grounded, this is one to consider. I found it comforting like digging in a garden.

[Tramp]

Very creamy coconut patchouli. I not at all a harsh/bitter patchouli - more of a loamy, fresh earth and woods scent. Goblin is so smooth. It's really good. There is a spicy incense note in the background and I think some vanilla as well. This would be a good intro blend for the Patchouli-curious. It also wears really well through out the day.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

very heady patchouli

 

On me:

When I read the description for Goblin, it sounded like it was made for me. I wanted to get a bottle without even sniffing it, but money didn't allow so I have an imp instead (an imp of Goblin? heh). It goes on like down and dirty patchouli, so patchouli haters beware! I happen to love patchouli though (which is funny, because I started off feeling very meh about it before) and so far, so good. Then the vanilla kicks in and sweetens things up a bit. The coconut is pretty subtle in this, it's very much in the background behind the patchouli and vanilla. This comes off as woody and warm, deep and just a tiny bit sweet.

 

Final note:

VERY woody, so wood and patchouli haters watch out, this one is not for you. I love how earthy and ... well, dirty it is lol. It's VERY similar to Death Adder on me, so I will probably hold off on a bottle. The difference between Goblin and Death Adder on my skin is that Goblin is definitely woodier. Love it though!

[Lionesse]

Ohmygoodness. Patchouli, down and dirty. And I smell creamy coconut and a bit of woodsy-ness too. I will be buying a big bottle for sure!

[erinn]

At first I was really unsure about Goblin, because though I am an avowed patchouli lover, this patchouli just smelled dirty in a bad way.

 

However, after swishing it about a bit to mix up the oil, I found that it's much, much creamier -- the coconut is much more prominent, and the benzoin is more obviously toning things down. I think anyone who gets a vaguely icky "gnarly" patchouli smell should try this before casting it off into swaps neverneverland.

 

I highly recommend this to people who like Brown Jenkins -- it is a similarly warm and comforting yet earthy scent. It skyrocketed into my top 10 pretty quickly!

[edenssixthday]

Goblin - I wasn’t sure about this one – coconut and patchouli? But wow, it’s so yummy! The coconut and patchouli are definitely the strongest notes, but the benzoin sweetens it up with an almost caramel-like touch. I would put this in the same general scent family as Brown Jenkins – if you like that one, you’d probably like this one. It’s woody, sweet, and long-lasting.

[Alchemy21599]

In the vial: ummmm. Patchouli love

 

Wet on skin: Patchouli nirvana!

 

Dry: I love this scent, but I don't think I can wear it in public since it is very strong on me. I may keep this to wear at home when I am feeling nostalgic.

[Xiabelle]

Alas, I had such high hopes...

 

Patchouli can be gorgeous on my skin. It depends on the patchouli, but sometimes it surprises me with how beautifully it sings.

 

Not this one, though.

 

In the imp it's woody patchouli with a hint of sweetness. I'm not so sure at this point, but things tend to morph a lot, so I forge onward.

 

Fresh on, I get woody patchouli with the undernote of coconut and benzoin. Hooray, a coconut that works on me! But I expected this one to, because it's the right type of coconut. The benzoin sweetens it up. But it still has this dry, woody undertone that I'm not sure of.

 

Dry... pencils. With dry flaked fresh coconut. Way too woody for me, way too cedary (which is bad), and just nothing that makes me particularly happy. Boo. I agree with a previous poster: pencil shavings and Lush's Coolaulin.

 

Oh well, you can't win them all.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: sweet coconut and strong patchouli. fabulous.

on: the benzoin and patchouli and blending really well and the coconut is on top of both of them, a bit buttery.

2 hours later: i bet tons of people are going to hate this, but it's fabulous. tons of heavy, dark patchouli with the slightest hint of something sweet.

3.5 hours later: wonderfully dirty patchouli and benzoin. no coconut.

11 hours later: sweet, warm patchouli

overall: i love this. the coconut pretty much disappears, but the benzoin and patchouli are wonderful.

[Ohmaude]

When I read the notes in Goblin I ordered a bottle unsniffed. I have never done that with a GC before, but I knew I loved coconut-patchouli-vanilla blends because my exboy's housemate had a handblended shower gel with those oils added and I used to sneak sniffs of it in the shower and swoon. I quietly wished Beth would come up with a blend because her coconut note makes me weep. When dudeboy and I ended things there was no more sniffing the gel, but who has the last laugh now, sucka! Ahem, uh..on to the review...

 

In the bottle: Dark, sweet coconut with patchouli

 

On my skin: POW! That is no-holds barred patchouli right there. That is get down and dirty who's-your hippie-daddy-where's-my-bong-lets-live-in-a-treehouse patchouli. "Gnarly" patchouli indeed. If patchouli ain't your thing, this probably ain't your scent. Did I mention there was patchouli?

 

On the drydown: This mellows, I can barely detect the coconut but it is there. The benzoin is present in the sweetness. The patchouli is still strong and earthy. I could def. go with more coconut.

 

I like this, I'm keeping the bottle, BUT I'm looking forward to seeing it mellow as it ages, since my experience with BPAL patchouli blends is they really need at least a couple of months to realize their potential. Coconut, I'm looking at you.

[Rackham's Vanity]

On first sniff Goblin reminded me of a Halloween bat scratch 'n' sniff sticker I collected sometime around 1982 (remember sticker collections?).

 

On application, it was all sweet, candied patchouli. Awww! What a cute little goblin!

 

But by the time I'd walked to university, only the patchouli was left, all the sweetness had gone, and the charming little goblin had turned into a real hell-raiser. Yeah!

 

If you like patchouli, you cannot pass up this blend!

[Nepthys]

So, so good. THIS smells like a fall night to me - making carmel apples and eating them outside under a tree on a cold night, smelling earth and fallen leaves. Oh my god, it's gorgeous. It doesn't change into anything weird or complicated, it has decent throw and it loves me!!! Strangely the coconut, while identifiable, mixed with the patchouli equals caramel to my brain. Odd.

 

Big bottle for sure.

[tartchef]

"Gnarly patchouli" is apparently the same on me as the black patchouli in Depraved.... lovely & hippy-funk at first, but quickly degenerating into pencil shavings. Not something I necessarily mind, as a rule, but the harsh dryness isn't melding well with the coconut.

 

I will say that this is a remarkably realistic, well-behaved coconut - not the sunscreen whallop that I got from the Star. I suspect it's the benzoin that's keeping it sweet, but grounded.

 

Oh, Goblin, it was fun, but off to the swap pile you go....

Edited October 8, 2007 by tartchef