Tintagel

[changeling]

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.

In bottle: Warm, bright and berry
Wet: Warm berries--not fresh berries, but berries in jam or wine
Dry: Spicy and sweet, juniper and smoke

This is a great deal milder than when I first purchased it. At that time, I would not have worn it on my skin. Now it has the same notes, but 'tame' enough to wear, more smoothly blended. It can still be detected on my skin nearly twelve hours after application. I can't say how strong the throw was during the day because I was in a lilac-filled office (brought them myself, only myself to blame that I couldn't smell me). Perhaps worth acquiring another to age.

[sparkleyturtle]

Liking this one- starts out super sweet with, I believe, the Dragon's Blood. Once it dries down a bit, I get the leather, juniper with the added sweetness of the blood and possibly berries.

[holborne]

I kind of fell in love with this one the moment I put it on, and I think it's pretty much a must-have for anyone who likes wine scents. It starts out a little sweet, but dries down to a honeyed grape scent, leaning toward spicy rather than sticky sweet. It has a good throw, and it lasts forever; I could still smell it hours after I put it on.

 

I definitely need a bottle of this one.

[FathomBelow]

If there is such a thing as a generic BPAL, this is it. I get vague sweet spices and flowers and the scent, while pleasant, has no personality, at least not on me. I didn't get leather or dragon's blood at all, just a general sweet-spicy Christmas scent. Sadly, this isn't for me.

[ami226]

On the skin: Spicy! I can definitely smell some greenness. The greenness fades pretty quickly though. Now it's just.... spicy goodness with a hint of a sweetness that I think is from the dragon's blood. Wow, this is amazing.

 

I think there is a hint of grape as well, but it just blends perfectly with the spicy. I like it!

[sabrebabe]

In the bottle: Wine and dragon’s blood on top, quickly followed by something warm and spicy (the mulled part of the wine perhaps?). A very warm scent, and definitely masculine. It’s hard to pinpoint the specific scents, they are all blended very well!

On me: Spices! And woods! And I caught just a hint of juniper, but everything is still blending so very well. And wow, I don’t have to stick my nose on my arm to smell Tintagel. It’s wafting all over the place. Oh yes, the woods are definitely coming through now. Very rich, heady and warm. Late night celebratory revel in the lodge.

Dry: Still warm and heady, leather is coming through now and blending in with the spiced wine, woods, juniper and dragon’s blood. Just the smallest hint of bayberry, if I concentrate. (I *love* bayberry!)

Later: Mulled spices. Lots and lots of mulled wine and spices, with just the barest hint of leather. I don’t want to try anymore imps today, I just want to roll around naked in Tintagel (sadly, I only have one small imp)!

This is a keeper and on the Buy A Bottle list!

[lavenderfrost]

This brings to mind the ultimate Christmas candle - sweet, spicy and comforting. It's not really what I'd imagined for the birthplace of King Arthur, but it's nice. I probably wouldn't wear it, but this would definitely be one for my oil burner around the holidays. Keeping my imp for that, at least.

[aleciarivas]

This smells very resiny, not like resin, but like a big huge clash of lots of different resins competing for attention all at once. Slightly obnoxious, actually.

[Woollyworm]

I tried this on a cool, rainy day.

 

Sniffing from the imp: sweet dragon's blood, warmed by cinnamon.

 

Freshly applied: I applied liberally to wrists and clavicles. Wet, I get the spiced dragon's blood, plus a floral note that might actually be component of the db. I don't detect any leather, wine or wood at this point. This is very nice, but not mind-blowing.

 

Dry: Now I'm getting a hint of mild wood, holding the sweet resiny fragrance in place on my skin. Still the spiced db, now mellowed. I'm no longer detecting the floral note as much, the blend has smoothed out into an integrated fragrance making it more difficult to discern individual notes.

 

Overall: Very nice and easily wearable. Not much throw after the first hour or so, and needed refreshing after about four hours. A must-try for dragon's blood and/or cinnamon lovers.

[countessmouse]

Really spicy when wet. I detected a lot of cinnamon at first, which had me worried because my skin is sensitive to cinnamon oil, so I spent the first half hour obsessively checking my skin for irritation. Now that the initial panic is over, it has warmed up to a combination of spice, leather and wood which is quite nice, but just a tad too masculine for me. I may have to try this one on the guy.

[OctoberGwen]

This is absolutely delicious and smells exactly like it ought to. I want it in an Atmo spray, please!

 

The scent of mulled wine and juniper first, then all the other notes swirl into this amazing blend...close your eyes and breathe deeply, you really are in the great hall.

 

Another brilliant win from Beth and the Lab.

[Maleficium]

imp: mead and spices. very warm and very fruity.

 

wet on skin: oooh very heavy on the resin.

 

drydown: turns even more resiny and spicy.

 

A very warm and lovely scent.

[stellamaris]

I have to say, I think this is one of the Hidden BPAL Gems we've heard so much about.

This is warm and gorgeous, salty, and spicy. Very golden.

I have to admit, the first few times I opened the imp it smelled a little like ???cheese??? but getting past that and trying it was very worth it.

 

Just added the Big Bottle to my order!

[LightLikeKnives]

Tintagel is a fruity/musky/cinnamon/tobacco-vanilla kind of scent, anchored to a leather base. It is powerful, ancient, natural, and simply delicious. The only negative is that it lasts only 4 hours before becoming a skin scent -- but what a skin scent! RIP: 6 hours.

[yakiguri]

I think I amp whatever comprises the "spicy mulled wine" bits, as all I get is a muted Christmas candle scent. No leather, no dragon's blood. *sigh*

[Missy_killer]

In the imp: I smell mulled wine, musk and a little leather peeking through. It's just as good as I thought it would be!

On me: There is Dragon's blood in here, so I'm very nervous when putting it on my skin. Will it be amazing or turn in to cheap lipsticks?..It is amazing! Haha!

I still get mulled wine, and the other notes keep the DB in check, making it add some sweetness to the blend but no florals

After about twenty minutes: Huh, smells like a good tea actually.

After two hours: Gone. I wish it could have a little better staying power, but I really like it!

I knew from the first time I ever heard of Tintagel that I would like it. But when I found out that Dragon's Blood works horribly on my skin, I was afraid it would make this one smell like cheap makeup. Thankfully, every other note in Tintagel drowns the DB, so I can use it!

Edited April 20, 2012 by Missy_killer

[Vaudevillain]

In the bottle: oh my god- it's spicy and bright, with a sharp piney edge.

 

Skin: spicy and warm, conjuring up images of dancing feet in straw. Dries cinnamon-ey and beautiful. I love it. 4.5 out of 5.

[grashopper8]

Spicier on the skin than it was in the imp. In the imp, the sweetness of the wine and fruits is nice, but once it hits my skin the spices and musky dragon's blood take over. I love BPAL's dragon's blood note, but I prefer the sweet creaminess of Dragon's Milk to the spices in Tintagel.

I think I would dig Tintagel a lot more if there was more sweetness from the wine and if the spices were dialed down (although I wouldn't want them completely gone). Maybe I could layer this with Symmakhia or Montresor....

[KakashiMorph]

On my skin: A pleasant sweet note with a hint of spice (DBR again? also, is there any cinnamon in here?) and berries. It is cozy and slightly woodsy but not too much (sadly, because I love woodsy scents ). I also get a whiff of mulled wine spices after a couple of minutes; this is just lovely. It is transforming to a warm, cozy, Christmas scent that makes me want to snuggle up with my beloved and drink hot chocolate/cider/cocoa.

About 5-10 minutes after the application I get the mulled wine spicyness (cinnamon I love thee) and, faintly, the berries.

Drydown: Berries with a hint of spice.

[elinox]

First Sniff: A deep booze scent, wine with maybe some dark cherries in it.

 

Wet: I can smell the patchouli in this and this proves to be a complicated smell with lots of notes.

 

Dry: At first it made my nose tingle from so many notes, as they seem to be vying for dominance in it. There’s a dark red smell underlying everything which I’m guessing is the wine. As it dried, I got berries which were nice: Similar to my reaction to Frumious Bandersnatch, although not as strong, more like they’re matured berries.

 

My Reaction: Despite all the notes described in this, it’s maturing into a pleasant all-around scent. It’s not particularly strong, and I did not get any ‘castle’ or ‘armor’ out of this sadly, but the image of a large feast is definitely there. Once it dried completely it was still a complex scent; I think I even got some of the wood described and it didn't turn saw dusty on me, yay! The mulled wine and dragon’s blood reminded me of calming cinnamon. It’s nice and definitely autumn/winter appropriate; however, the complex scents don’t really appeal to me all that much. It’s interesting, but on me I think too many different notes want control.

 

Rating 1-5: 2.5

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Slightly sweet and deep red.

 

Drydown: Bubbly dragon’s blood and spiced wine, with perhaps a touch of cool bayberry and smooth, well-worn leather. Rich and festive with spikes of cool green moments. It grows spicier and sort of resinous. Speckles of metallics dance to the forefront and back. At the base of the scent is a lovely and charming red-brown musk.

 

Dry: Warm glowing musk with cinnamon, clove, sweet evergreens, and the smoothness of the leather and wine. Festive, comforting, and regal.

 

 

 

 

 

Tintagel is well-balanced and depicts the theme perfectly. It would definitely make a great holiday scent, but I could see myself wearing it year-round too.

[ianastar]

I dont know why but this is pure cinnamon smelling on me. Its very spicy and smells a lot like an Atomic Fireball.

[White_rabbit334]

In the bottle: Cinnamon and thick berry tones, obviously mulled wine and bayberry

 

On the skin: Oh wow, cinnamon! Dragon's blood lingers in the background, and wow, bayberry amps really strongly on me. There are faint hints of leather, but they mingle with the pine-notes in this blend very smoothly. I can see this as being absolutely perfect for around Yule, it certainly feels that way from the cinnamon-clove-bayberry.

 

20 minutes later: Oh wow, the cinnamon isn't so much center stage; at first this scent cried out CINNAMON like a toddler screaming in a crowded store---it's hard to ignore, whether it's your kid or not, and it is very, very demanding for attention. The hawthorn, wine and blackthorn are all merging beautifully to take control of the situation and put cinnamon in its place. Now it's a much more behaved scent---spicy and sweet, with leathery-tobacco notes, full, round berries, with the bayberry still evident on my skin. Bayberry and elm are the green contrast that elevate the berry notes to an entirely new level. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how often I'll be wearing this in the spring or summer, the bayberry notes and pine notes remind me too much of Yule. I guess it's good that I'm wearing it now.

 

 

After an hour or so, the spices are there but faint, it's all bayberry and berries on me. Not a bad thing, but certainly unlike anything else I've ever tried. =)

Edited January 10, 2013 by White_rabbit334

[starfish327]

in the imp-sharp. very sharp.

 

wet-wow. this is not what I was expecting at all. Sugared greenery. This is actually very nice. There doesn't seem to be the white musk that sneaks into a lot of green blends, and little to no florals. Whatever is making this sugary on my skin is also keeping it out of migraine territory.

 

Dry: Warning-this is the first day of my cycle so I want to retest this later and see if this is the problem. It keeps alternating between this gorgeous sugared woods and greenery scent with a hint of berry and bug repellant. It seems like the longer it's on the less bug repellent I'm getting and it's settling into gorgeous. I need to retest this when my hormones aren't at their most unbalanced because I'm going to put money on that being what's amping one of the herbs into Cutter repellant territory.

[Quillifer]

This has been on and off my order list for months, and I finally sprang for an imp about 2 weeks before it was DC'd. Given that, I guess it's just as well I'm not keen on it

 

In the imp this is sharp green. On, it warms a little, but just stays very meh - no big strong power, just rather nothingy. I guess if you like delicate scents it could work much better. (I got Black Tower in the same package and I feel the same way about it).

 

So - pity, but at least I don't have to now madly hunt down a bottle

 

PS out of interest I get absolutely no dragon's blood in this. It's a note I love and would have helped (I might try layering with it). But if you were avoiding the oil because of that note, might be worth trying it.

Edited May 25, 2013 by Quillifer