Zombi

[smgudan]

Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth.

Mostly I smell rose...not sure what else is in it, maybe it's the dirt people have been speaking of...in that case...i love dirt lol! this one is very floral, pretty and elegant. maybe its different with others' chemistry, but i wouldn't consider this a unisex scent, it's very feminine. i love it and would definitely consider buying a bottle

[lahdeedah]

Drat. I can't understand how Zombi could let me down like this.

 

It all seems so perfect on paper: I've already established a love for dirt notes through Penny Dreadful and Premature Burial (much love for PB). AND I love love love roses. This should have been the one. But alas, it is not so. For whatever reason, Zombi on me is just musty and aquatic. Like cut greenery that has been sitting out too long in a vase that hasn't seen water in weeks. Not what I want to smell like! I get no rose here at all to speak of. How is this possible?

 

Oh well!

 

[hmelt004]

This is a really perfect dirt scent, like a plowed garden after rain. The roses are dry and papery and don't give my sinuses grief. I don't keep many rose blends, but this is definitely one!

[cherrycherry]

I ordered myself a bottle of this and then received a frimp before the order arrived. I am very pleased that I ordered it.

As soon as I saw the name 'Zombi' I knew it was going to be one of those perfumes that I had to have, being a HUGE fan of George Romero's zombie movies. When I opened the imp and took my first cautious sniff, a scene from the Tom Savini remake of 'Night Of The Living Dead' popped into my mind instantly. The beginning, where Barbara and her brother are visiting their Mother's grave and he is teasing her, setting an uneasy mood right from the off, came to me quite vividly. Soon, they are attacked by zombies and after her brother is killed, Barbara has to flee and fend for herself. The scent reminds me of that. The melancholy scent of funeral wreaths and flowers, dismal roses and freshly dug earth.

Zombi has a wonderful throw. I put the tinest bit on my wrists and when my husband walked into the room, he instantly asked what I was wearing. I find it to have a darkly sensual undertone, likely because of the florals.

Recommended highly. I know I will use my 5ml bottle very regularly when it arrives.

 

EDIT : I wanted to update my review on this because of a few reasons.

 

One - it has become an all-time favourite. It is so elegantly morbid. Absolutely darksome and evocative.

Two - it smells so funereal that when my best friend's Mother smelt it, it made her burst into tears. She asked me to never let her smell it again because it reminds her so much of funeral parlours.

Three - It is the *perfect* Gothic perfume. My tastes in scent have taken a distinctly darker turn as of late and I've found myself picking this one out a lot because it is just perfect for the romantic-gothic look I've been wearing.

 

This scent is just amazing, truly. A top favourite.

Edited July 22, 2016 by cherrycherry

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting dirt and moss, no sign of roses. Not having good feelings about this, therefore, light application. On my skin, it's dirt and wet moss. Not really something I want to smell like. We'll see if the roses come out to balance it at all. Nope, dirt and mosses and please get it the hell off of me now.

Edited March 29, 2010 by Venneh

[SophieCedar]

I didn't know what to expect... my skin loves this thankfully!

 

In imp and wet, smells of fresh stony dirt and sweet roses with a slight green note that could only be the rose leaf and spanish moss combo.

 

Drydown is the best. The roses soften to a sweet sugared confection with the dirt and the green hangs back after a hard burst in the wet phase. Now it wafts and hangs in a light fog around me. Really really lovely and what a surprise!

 

Thanks fellow Maine bpal'er!

[Dharklady]

I'm a firm believer in trying anything that comes my way though I'm not a huge fan of florals.

 

In Bottle: On first sniff the rose is almost overpowering. Second and third sniffs show a bit of toning with the mosses but the rose is worryingly strong.

 

Wet: Rose, rose and more rose.

 

Dry: The moss tones down the rose rather quickly thankfully. Except for that lack of a real earthy note popping with my chemistry, the description seems pretty dead on.

 

I can't say I'm a big fan of this one for myself though I can see how it would appeal to others.

 

[countessmouse]

Very earthy in the imp, so much so that I was tempted not to put it on. Did anyway, and wet it still smelled almost overpoweringly of wet earth and moss. After it was dry? The rose really popped, and now I smell like I've been digging in my roses -- rose and damp dirt. Still deciding if I like this one enough to get more of it.

[sunlitgarden]

Zombi

 

Freshly turned earth and dusty roses. I LOOOOVE this and it's changed my mind about dirt notes!

[Aldercy]

Oooh... this is a bizarre scent, and I like both dirt and rose notes.

 

I particularly smell the rose leaf, which you wouldn't think would be distinguishable. But it's really quite prominent to me. The floral half of the rose is definitely not perfumey. Crumpled, darkened, unnaturally warm, damp and almost disturbingly rich. Like some kind of incredibly concentrated, red-so-dark-it's-black rose paste that's been churned and whipped with wet, fertile earth.

 

That sounds kind of disgusting, but it's not. It's actually really cool.

[voorishsign]

Frimp from the lab! This one sounds a bit scary - I've had oils with funeral themes to them before and they always smelled sour on me. Also, while a certain amount of rose works on me, too much of it can go a little too wild - let's see.

 

In the imp - getting more and more worried here. Dirt, dirt, more dirt, and a bit of sour rose. Still, I've made it a personal resolution to try any and all oils I can get my hands on, so here we go.

 

On wet - oh god. Oh dear. Dirt. And how. This smells exactly like what you'd think it would, a disturbed gravesite . . . intensley dirty and with bitter rose. This is creepier than any zombie movie I've ever seen, and believe me when I say that I have seen a lot.

 

Drydown - it's calmed down a little but still . . . bitter roses, a hint of sweetness of the moss, and lots of dirt. It's a really great oil for people who like the dirt note, because it's really authentic and rich, but it's definitely not for me Thankfully I have a friend who loves it, so he's going to get it in his next BPAL care package

[ajansuz]

This sounded so intriguing to me I couldn't pass up the chance to give it a try.

 

In the imp it smelled so strongly of dirt that I thought there was no way I could ever wear this. I could smell the rose, too, but the dirt was just so strong that it overwhelmed the floral. The rose is also not wet, fresh rose but dry, crumbly rose. Maybe it's the moss giving it that dry quality.

 

Wet it smelled about the same as in the imp, crazy strong dirt and rose. Here's where it got a little interesting, though. I wandered into the kitchen where hubby was putting the kettle on, and he whirled around. "What's that smell? God, that smells so good!" He grabbed my wrist and sniffed.

 

"You don't smell dirt?"

 

"No. Whatever that is, it's amazing!"

 

So while I felt like I was being buried alive in dirt, my husband was climbing all over me. Disturbing mental images aside, I felt that this was not at all a bad thing.

 

On the dry down, the dirt went away. Rose, a deep, sultry, dark rose, amped up and combined with the mosses. It was complex and lovely. The throw is amazing. I dabbed very, very sparingly initially because the dirt scared me. Even so, several hours later, it's still going strong and getting more beautiful as it goes. I am really in awe of the talent at the lab. Since discovering BPAL just two months ago, I've been taken on some pretty amazing journeys in scent. I may really have to give Zombi a chance in bottle form, because I have a sneaking suspicion this one will age like a fine wine.

 

5/5

[killerklown]

I took a chance on this one because normally rose smells god awful on me. I was gladly surprised! It smells really wonderful and reminds me exactly of how my grandma smells. It's a pleasant thing to wear and have a reminder of her with me always.

[fairestrocza]

This was a frimp from a forumite, and appears to be quite aged.

 

In the Imp: powerful; dirt and roses (scent from closed imp); open imp - dirt with a green note; I hardly smell the roses with the imp open. The green note must be the rose leaf.

 

Wet on Skin: mainly damp earth, a hint of something else that I can't place

 

While Drying: this warms up as it dries

 

After a Little While: I'm picking up a bit of the roses now, in addition to the rose leaf, but the dirt scent is by far the most prominent. I love this dirt note, but it is almost too much for me. This has a _powerful_ throw. It is making me a little stuffy. The skin scent holds more of the notes, whereas the throw is mainly the dirt note.

 

Later: The throw calms down a bit. Mainly dirt, with a hint of roses. There is a faint, sour baby butt smell beneath the dirt and roses.

 

Final Thoughts: I'm not sure how often I'll actually wear this, but I love the dirt note so much that I think I'll keep the imp around for sniffing purposes at least.

Zombi earns a 3.5/5 on my skin.

[plainjean]

Oy. I so, so wanted to love this one. In the imp, it smells exactly like dirt after a rain storm. I have been searching for a scent like that! Sadly, that aspect of the scent doesn't last when it hits my skin. For a moment, I get it..but then. THEN! It turns into a rosy cleaning solution! I was devastated! I kept it on, hoping it'd turn back to that beautiful dirt from the beginning, but alas. It never does. Off to a better home it goes!

[Bunbun]

I didn't get the roses right away. The smell of dirt was just flying everywhere. I have several other hates, but none as strong as the one for the perfume of ROSES. Might as well cover me in garlic and throw horse poop at me.

 

So, .... There buried in the deep, dark, death hoarding presence of the finest and cleanest smelling earth, anywhere, are these tiny, dried up, blackened by time, hardly noticeable, decaying, ick, ROSES.... It's like a celebration held in honor of a successful anti-rose character play. Whole heartedly, I would fain improve every opportunity to wear this.

 

Bunbun

Edited September 7, 2010 by Bunbun

[Celune]

In imp: sweetened light oakmoss

 

On wet: sweet light oakmoss, hints of rose

 

Dry: pungent musk almost sour, oakmoss, dry rose

 

The scent didn't change to much on me, the oakmoss to me is predominant and the dry rose is the base.

 

 

Not a bad scent at all, however I want to layer it with a brighter scent. It would be lovely to ground other oils.

[puddingirl]

This is such an odd blend! It really does make me think of a zombi. When wet on me it smells the same as in the imp. The fresh earth is strong, and the flowers are in the background. It's like I am sitting near a grave that has a flowering plant growing on/near it, but the zombi has just pulled himself out of his grave. As the scent dries the earth calms down and the flowers come out. The zombi is slowly walking away from the grave and I am left behind by the flowering plant. By the time the perfume has dried the zombi is far away and all that remains is the empty grave and the flowering plant.

 

I do like this scent, I just wish that I was following the zombi instead of stuck by the plant. I'll keep hold of this to see how it ages.

[mxtine]

I received a frimp of this (finally!). Wet, it's sweet oakmoss, damp dirt and sharp rose, in that order. As usual, rose fights it's way to the front with the mossy dirt notes in the background. It starts to sweeten after several though. I can't see myself wearing this often, but it's nice to have.

[Michele my belle]

This is my first review...I'm sure my nose still needs much training, but I'll do my best!

 

in the (lab-fresh) imp: Smells like DIRT! Its a sharp dirt smell, like newly turned, moist dirt--and strong. There's something sweet (the roses?), but it is extremely faint.

 

wet on skin: Still the same dirt, and just as sharp, but a little sweeter.

 

after 5 minutes: I can definitely smell the roses now, and the dirt has calmed down a little. At this point I can kind of pick out the notes that are listed. This smells exactly how its described.

 

15 minutes: I can smell it on my arm as I type this, so it has some throw. Its harder to pick apart the notes now, since the dirt has kind of faded into the background and lost that "sharpness". I would describe it as feminine and earthy, it seems....gentle, and pretty. I think that someone who didn't know it was dirt might not recognize that immediately once its dry.

 

Overall, I think its lovely, and I plan on seeing if it grows on me.

 

ETA: upon retrying, rose was too much. my skin must amp it. oh, well.

Edited November 5, 2010 by Michele my belle

[calivianya]

This is very interesting! It really does start out as straight dirt in the imp and when wet, but the rose starts to peek out after about 10 minutes for me. This scent, combined with the fact that three of the other imps I received today had rose in them, convinced me that rose is not for me. It just doesn't play well on my skin. However, the dirt note is very interesting, so I'm definitely going to try some other dirt blends and see how they go.

[Aether]

Well this is my first post and this is my first fragrance ordered. Zombi didn't smell like I anticipated it to. Everyone made it sound like a slap to the face of dirt but it is a really elegant blend of rose and soil if you ask me.

 

Adopted from Valenth

Edited January 12, 2011 by Aether

[AnArtfuldodger]

Wet on wrist: roses, dried flowers in general

 

On the drydown: rose soap, very clean, very rose-y

[Lydialove]

I only catch the barest bit of dirt in the imp and my skin appears to amp rose so... it's outrageously rosy on my skin (I don't mind, actually. BPAL's rose notes are amazing.)

 

The rose itself is very much a dried rose, sort of concentrated and winey, like you can smell as much the rose hip as the rose itself. The leafy/mossy notes give Zombi character and depth.

 

I think I'll always need to have a little of this on hand. Mr. Love digs it on me and so do I.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

Very, very rosy when first applied. Not regular roses but dusty roses.

 

So far I'm not getting too much earthiness, which was the whole reason behind wanting to try Zombi. I was an archaeologist in my college days, and the smell of earth is one of my favorites. I hope it comes out in a little bit...

 

I like this a lot. I don't get any damp smells - mostly dry and dusty.