Tintagel

[BuxomM]

According to legend, the birthplace of King Arthur. The scent of a castle's great hall in the midst of joyous feasting. Spicy mulled wine flowing through the musky heat, warm leather and bright clash of armor, the damp branches of Cornish hawthorn, blackthorn, juniper, English elm and bayberry, and the magical tingle of dragon's blood resin.

At first it's juniper and leather then it's bayberry and dragon's blood resin. It's a little sweet and spicy, not overpowering and well balanced.

[marared]

Goodness. I'm not sure I would ever have tried this based on the description, but it was a lab frimp, and I usually give them all a go. I thought it had wood and fruit - vaguely appley - without looking at the notes. I got the hawthorn, obviously, and I sometimes get apple from dragon's blood. The leather is there, but it's not as overwhelming as it is in prior blends. Spicy woody leather with a slighty fruity finish. This is going on my "maaaaybe a bottle" list, but I'm going to keep trying it over the next couple months to see how it ages, first.

[b94new]

wow---all i got was what i thought was pine...couldn't smell any of the listed notes and was disappointed in the lasting power :-(

[AlarmAgent]

In Bottle - Cherry coke. Well, more specifically, Wild Cherry Pepsi--which always had a stronger cherry scent to me. Cherry, fizzy, with the slightest herbal quality at the very bottom.

Wet on Skin, First Applied - Cinnamon and Dragon's Blood, which is awesome. There is that herbal touch as well, I get wee whiffs of pine and general 'outdoors' type smells. It isn't "green" as much as it is "woodsy", without being heavy on trees or the actual scent of woods. It seems like all the extra stuff one may find in a forest, moss, assorted grasses, that sort of thing. It has been a long while since I came anywhere near smelling juniper, the last time I recollect it was in middle school--and it was Bath and Body Works' 'Juniper Breeze', so it may not have been that accurate...anyway, cut to the chase, I can't identify the smells here too well--except cinnamon and Dragon's Blood.

 

Dry, on Skin - The 'forest scents', the cinnamon (which is more likely the spiced wine making an appearance), and the Dragon's Blood are all so evenly represented. There is a smoky overlay to the whole thing, which I've got to assume is the leather. I'm very happy that the wine itself never really becomes evident on me, because it isn't a scent that I really care to smell like--because of that, I never would've tried Tintagel, which would've been a shame as I'm really enjoying it, so thanks Lab, for frimping me with this one. It would also be a really great room scent, especially around the wintertime, and the holiday season. It has got that sort of warm home feel to it, but it works as a wearable fragrance as well. Really enjoying this one!

Edited June 12, 2009 by AlarmAgent

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: Lovely woods and greenery with spiced wine in the background

 

Wet on skin: The juniper is amping just a tad, but it's being held back from getting too sharp by the other wood and wine notes

 

Dry on skin: Spiced wine sipped languidly in front of a roaring fire while a storm rages over the moors outside the window of your snug English inn...

 

I love this one.

[Monster]

In the vial: Spicy wine

 

Wet: Ohh very complex! "warm" leather is the first thing I smell mixing with a light, boozy fruit note and a gentle background of flowers. There is an autum spice feel to this one.

 

Dry: More juniper now, it's adding a chilly breezy feel to the perfume. "Spicy autumn wine" is still tthe nominant note I smell in this. The leather has subsided. Really pretty!

 

Verdict: This is soo soo close to being just a room scent but it works very well on my skin. I like this one a lot! Notsure if I need a bottle yet, I'll ahve to play with my imp a bit more

[ephemera]

In the bottle, this is complex and wine and dark undergrowth. On my skin? Soapy soap soap, with a side of soap!

[topazphoenix]

Mulled wine and dragon's blood and....cinnamon? O.o Unless my nose deceives me. I wasn't expecting this one to be so sweet. It reminds me of peppermint candy, a less potent version of Inferno, but Tintagel has a fruity tinge that makes it unique. Oh and there's the leather! Yum.

Edited August 27, 2009 by AmandaKay

[theandorran]

I hold the village of Tintagel very near and dear to my heart, since my father and I went on a road trip to Cornwall while we were in England. So many fond memories are associated with the place that I was both excited and nervous to try it.

 

First sniff, I wasn't so sure about it, but I set it aside, and then I loved it, loved it. Of my first set of scents, it's by far my favorite. Warm and spicy with just a touch of greenness to it, a rustic and mystical scent. The only thing that I think would some up Tintagel better is just a hint of sea air.

[stardreamer]

In the imp and fresh on: Spices! Nothing that jumps out, just a pleasant mix. I think I can catch just a bit of the leather and woods underneath, but the mulling spices are definitely predominant.

 

Drydown: Maintains the pleasant spiciness for quite a long while. Late in the game, the juniper and dragon's blood come up a bit more, turning the feel somewhat more autumnal.

 

Bottom line: I sometimes have trouble with dragon's blood, but this isn't one of the times. Staying power seems about average -- still present after 10 hours, but the throw is mostly gone. This is a very nice blend, and a definite keeper.

[Calligrafiti]

This smelled wonderful in the imp—all warm spices and cool green notes. Upon application an underlying sweet floral came out. While the spice stayed around for a while the greenness faded almost immediately. Sadly, the spices faded on dry down, leaving a sweetness that turned to baby powder. The scent didn't have much staying power, but given that the parts I liked were the first to fade, I was ok with that.

 

If I could find a scent that smelled similar on me to the way this smelled in the bottle, I'd wear it for ever. Oh well.

[Darbla]

From reading all your posts, this is one wildly varying scent. The imp I got from the Lab awhile back is all sweet fruity mulled wine. The first time my best friend smelled it on me she said "I smell Christmas!" and it's been my favorite Christmas scent ever since. So recently I bought an imp from another forumite and it is a lot different than my original one. It is not as heavy on the sweet mulled fruits and has a patchouli-like earthiness to it. Really NOT as Christmasy as my first one.

[atyourcervix]

oh god, yes.

 

this reminds me of the very first time I walked into the pagan shop downtown. distinct Dragon's Blood. absolutely alluring. a multitude of implacable incenses. something I adore, as a newbie to BPAL.

Edited January 4, 2010 by atyourcervix

[SophieCedar]

This was a huge surprise after it opened.

In the imp it smelled syrupy with an herbal sharp undertone, cherries and honey.

 

Wet: this blossoms beautifully and the juniper really works well. Never had experience with hawthorn however it's lovely. Truly lovely, deep, and pure. Dark green and burgundy color sense.

[girasol]

This falls into the "I don't hate it, but it doesn't really excite me either" category for me (it's a big category!). I had trouble picking notes out of this, there just seemed to be a very warm, softly spicy sort of character (the mulled wine?) and something with a soapiness to it (juniper? dragon's blood? not sure). Nice enough, but I'll let the imp go with no tears.

[CiaoBonefish]

Initially on my skin and in the imp I'm getting woods that have a slight edge to them (juniper probably), leather and a hint of wine that's adding sweetness to the blend. There is also a hint of Dragon's Blood that is making everything lightly spicy, but in a good way.

 

As it dries the leather scent pretty much disappears and the woods become much more melded into everything else. They've lost their edge. I'm not detecting much juniper anymore either; it too has dissolved into everything else.

 

When the scent is pretty much dry I'm getting dragon's blood and wine (but not too much wine, just enough to sweeten and add some depth to the blend) fused together with warm comforting woods; I think there is a touch of leather there too deepening the blend and adding to the warmth. I can hardly pick out the notes anymore. It's just such a complex and well blended scent. I did not expect to like it this much.

 

The scent is extremely evocative of Tintagel too. I can smell the feasting and the leather and clash of armor and the wonders of the days of King Arthur. Truly glorious! A wonderful comforting scent

 

[Finch]

All I get from this is a wonderfully spicy, almost cinnamon-y, Dragon's Blood. I like it!

[mymymai]

In the bottle: I smell leather, juniper, dragon's blood resin, and mulled wine in that order.

 

Wet: Mulled wine is very much making its presence known. I can smell some grassy/woodys scents barely underneath, and just a little resin finishing it off. Right now, it reminds me of mulled spiced rum. Yum!

 

Dry down: The dragon's blood now seems like the primary scent, toned down just slightly by the mulled wine. I can smell hints of leather cured in juniper berries and damp woods. I'm still adoring it!

 

Final: Mulled win and dragon's blood as primary notes, followed by the woodsy scents, with leather just sneaking under. This will be a scent that I need a bottle of.

Edited April 14, 2010 by mymymai

[ModderRhu]

Tintagel

I don't get any leather from this, but I do get lots and lots of dragon's blood, which is nice. I also get...Christmas?


I think I'll like this way more during the colder months.

2.5 out of 5

*This was frimped to me from the Lab! Edited May 10, 2010 by ModderRhu

[Dharklady]

In bottle: Mulled wine is dominant with a touch of juniper and berry.

Wet: The woods play tag with the sweet dragon’s resin. One of the notes however is not playing well with the others on my skin in a disagreeable way. I’m thinking it’s the wine which smelled so nice in the bottle.

Dry: I really wanted to like this one as I love King Arthur, however one of the notes added a mysterious sour tang that just did not suit me well.

Notes: It has a lot of potential, but sadly does not work well for me. Seems like a wildly varying scent and worth taking a risk on if you like any of the description notes just in case.

 

[voorishsign]

A frimp! I never really thought to try this but the leather, musk, wood and dragon's blood sound good. I must've completely overlooked this while browsing through the site.

 

In the imp: red, warmly-coloured oil; leather, dragon's blood, the spices of the mulled wine and light woods.

 

On wet: More of the mulled wine and dragon's blood than anything, very warm and soothing.

 

Drydown: Musk, the spices from the mulled wine and dragon's blood. No leather and very little in terms of wood, but I really like the warmth of the scent, it's very comforting. The imp is definitely a keeper, though I'm not yet sure if it warrants a bottle.

[Lorna Brigid]

I got this as a frimp from the lab.

I want to like it. I will give it more time.

But really what I am getting is CHERRY MENTHOL COUGH DROPS.

[Altaira]

Tintagel reminds me of a sweater. Not that it smells like wool, but that it wraps you in soft, comforting warm and makes you want to curl up inside of it.

 

The woods are strongest on me; not fresh forests, but well used and lived in furnishings and smoke. The spicyness from the mulled wine and dragon's blood is there, but stays mellow. Leather scents often turn bitter on me, but I don't get that at all here; the leather comes out as the light smokyness and nothing more.

 

When I tested this as an imp, it was light with very little throw, when I bought a bottle, the scent was much stronger and the wine a bit more prominent.

 

(Layered with No. 93 Engine, this smells like spiced Christmas cookies!)

[Victory]

In the imp, I smelled a distinct bubblegummy/kool aid note, which worried me. Immediately upon application, I smell the musky leather, which was really good. Leather can either be fantastic or abysmal, so I am happy to have found another good leather. Unfortunately, as the oil dries, the musky leather is consumed by the bubblegum/kool aid note (which I think is the wine + dragons blood) and it becomes something I don't have much interest in sniffing. I really wanted to like this since so many people do, and I do really like the leather but the wine and dragon's blood don't work well together on my skin.

[calivianya]

I received this as a frimp from the Lab. Wine, musk, leather, and metal notes are usually win, woods are good... but dragon's blood usually will completely ruin a blend for me even in miniscule amounts.

 

Wet on my skin, the spicy mulled wine is the dominant note. It is much nicer than I was expecting. Not even five minutes in, the dragon's blood begins to amp and turn this into that piercing floral SN that I always get from dragon's blood.