Frederic

[heathercaley]

For some ridiculous reason, to which, however, I’ve no desire to be disloyal,
Some person in authority, I don’t know who, very likely the Astronomer Royal,
Has decided that, although for such a beastly month as February, twenty-eight days as
a rule are plenty,
One year in every four his days shall be reckoned as nine and twenty.
Through some singular coincidence – I shouldn’t be surprised if it were owing to the
agency of an ill-natured fairy –
You are the victim of this clumsy arrangement, having been born in leap-year, on the
twenty-ninth of February;
And so, by a simple arithmetical process, you’ll easily discover,
That though you’ve lived twenty-one years, yet, if we go by birthdays,you’re only five
and a little bit over!

Alas, poor Frederic the Leapling! -- bound to the merry Pirates of Penzance until his twenty-first birthday.

As his birthday comes around only every four years, so does his scent!

Victorian whimsy and piratical romance: a reluctant seaman’s chypre sloshed with a mix of bay rum, patchouli, amber musk, dark woods, tea rose, and red currant.

Beth must lurve me cause I seem to get my bottles before everyone else...or mebbe it's because I'm a hop skip and a jump away from the lab...

Anyway.. on to the review!!!

Though I usually am "eh" about boozy scents.. this one has me sniffin' away!! I smell like a pirate who wants to fit in but tends to care for himself by bathing, rather than say... the traditional bum pirate who would think himself manly by not bathing!! *Note.. my husband is snoring in my ear because he thinks he's manly. (I am reviewing in bed on my laptop)*

Anyway... on we go!! I LOVE THIS!! I get a very slightly woodsy rum, and a bit of creamy amber rounding this baby out, with the soft sweetness of tea rose wafting underneath. Was Frederic a bit of a dandy trying to prove his manlyness?? cause that's what I get. This totally makes sense! An actor!! He's a dandy posing as a pirate... this is great. I can see a clean cut gentleman behind the scenes dusting dirt on himself to become a piratical man's man.. but when up close... he's not quite the pirate. I bet this is what Johnny Depp smells like!! :::droool:::: But it's not too manly mind you.. so a gal can wear this just as well as a hunky pirate.

[hkhm]

bottle: patchouli and musk with a hint of woods. this feels like a halloweenine blend, sorta like samhainophobia.

 

wet: this is very slightly boozy with a hint of woods, lightish "dirty" patchouli with a smooth musk back. i'm glad the rose makes no appearance, it usually amps like crazy on me. this has a masculine feel to it but i know i'll be wearing it pretty often.

 

dry: this dries as a more bay rum and patchouli scent. there is a woodsy sweetness once this is dry that makes it seem flirty. definite keeper.

[twilighteyes]

In the bottle: Dark and woodsy. A little musky. Teeny bit of bay. No rum, rose, or currant.

 

Wet on skin: Woah, wood. Wood wood wood. (um? nm. Bad joke waiting to happen here.) Bottom of patchouli and musk. Dark. Deep. Moody. Lovely. Tiny bit of smokiness in the background. As it dries, a hint of rose creeps out. Mostly it just seems to bind it together and puts a sweet finish on it.

 

Dry on skin: Very masculine on me -- musky patchouli with a woody bottom. Slight sweet hint of fruity rose.

 

I *really* like it, but I think I would like it even more on the neck of snuggly hot guy. Sniffing my arm just isn't the same.

Edited March 21, 2008 by TwilightEyes

[Suu4LC]

Very woody (lol) and masculine in the bottle. Much more woody (lol) than I would have imagined! Hopefully the other notes will peek out through the wood (lol) when this is on my skin.

 

Ok, this is WAY too masculine for me to wear. The wood (lol) is still very strong, but I can detect some amber musk and patchouli in there as well. I don't notice the tea rose or bay rum at all. Of course, I just remembered that I amp wood (lol) scents like CRAZY! Dur.

 

Honestly, perfumes where wood(lol)/patchouli are the dominant notes aren't my bag, so this isn't really my thing. It's not unpleasant and there is nothing offputting about the blend at all, it's just not my preference. I am going to try this on my boyfriend and if that doesn't work, I will have to find a new home for poor Fred.

Edited March 21, 2008 by Suu4LC

[likie]

Bottle: At first shot, it was all musky patchouli. The more I inhale, it's growing increasingly woody. I'm getting some rum, too... it definitely makes me think of a ship, like a massive 17th century British naval vessel. A little abrasive for me, though.

 

Wet: Mmmm, it's warming up a lot. Way softer, too, almost immediately. The throw is surprisingly minimal, which I like. The abrasiveness of the wood is about gone, and there's a coy sweetness in the background.

 

Dry: After about 30 minutes it's a delicious, gentle, woody patchouli with a bitty hint of sweet. Very masculine. Pretty similar to how I remember the dry-down on Montresor, if I'm recalling it correctly. Throw is low to moderate.

 

As a side note, the oil itself seems to be unusually thin.

[dixiehellcat]

I got mine last night, but my review may be thin at the monent, since my nose is stopped up & I can't smell very accurately. That said, in the bottle I smell a crisp oceaniness, but not to the extent of other watery BPALs which I usually can't wear. On, I get the patchouli and rose, and a hint of the bay rum, which I was afraid would make it too guy for me to wear, but in reality...I think I like it. (My mom doesn't think it's too guy, and if she did, believe you me, she would say so. hehe) Will have to check again once the nose unstops fully.

 

(blows nose...sorry)

[galleywest]

Frederic is...a very surprising scent for me! When I read the notes, there were some things I liked, some thing that could go all wonky on me, and some things I normally hate. Okay, it's patchouli. Normally I really, realy, really dislike patchouli.

 

Wet, in the bottle: Very strong and woody. VERY manly. I can smell the patchouli and the woods and very little else. The patchouli has that slightly sweet unpleasant edge that I dislike so much about it. Hmmm.

 

Wet, on my skin: Yep, that's patchouli. And wood. Weren't there other things in this? The surprising thing here is that from the scent in the bottle, I thought it would be almost overwhelming when I put it on. It's not. It's actually very light.

 

Starts to dry: Hey! Wow! There are some of the other notes! In particular, there's the rose and, I think, this is what the "chypre" part is supposed to smell like. The woods and the musk are playing together in the background, and the patchouli is just visiting, maybe napping in the corner, while the lighter notes are taking control of the conversation.

 

Dry: It's an unusual, slightly woody, slightly floral, gender neutral scent on me. Although I can't pick it out directly, I highly suspect that the pleasing undertone of this perfume is the rum [insert "Where's the rum?!" joke here]. I am actually liking this a lot more than I thought I would. A lot more. I keep sniffing my wrist to see if I really do like it, I can hardly believe it works for me. I'm glad I have a bottle! I think it's very pleasant and confident as a scent. Win!

Edited March 21, 2008 by galleywest

[pensarepink]

Just got this today and wanted to post my first impressions.

 

In the bottle: sharp, woodsy, manly, demands attention. Sir, yes Sir!

Wet: Sandalwood, perhaps ebony wood, amber and smoke.

Dry: much, much more mellow. I'm absolutely loving this. I get the hint of bay rum but also musk and patchouli. At this point the woods/spice notes have stopped clamoring for attention. The very faintest hint of something sweet/floral is hovering in the background.

 

Why, oh why, didn't I get two bottles!?!

[hipslike___cinderella]

I could barely contain myself when I received Frederic today, and I sniffed it without the lab description in front of me. I forgot what was in it, and it was simply patchouli single-note to me... a good patchouli, mind you. A little lighter than I had expected. On my skin, it's still singular patchouli, so I assume I must wait awhile.

 

The first thing I notice is the similarity to this past fall's halloweens- someone else has pointed this out. Especially Samhainphobia, which is awesome, because that's like, my second favorite LE. It's a slighty damp outdoor scent. It's funny, tea rose and red currant had me apprehensive about getting this, but so far I have NO HINT of either of them.

 

Huh. This is surprising soft, musky, and just a teeny, weeny bit masculine. If I huff hard, there's a hint of cologne-like something lurking in there. It's sort of like the nautical Luperci... but I suppose that's a bad comparison since they have totally different notes. It's just seemingly familiar. No sight of tea rose and red currant, which is just fine with me. Nice!

[scarletgenesis]

In the bottle, Frederic is all men's cologne. Luckily, once on my skin, it gets much more complex. I get lots of notes here, bay rum, woodsyness, and something spicy (which may be the bay rum). After a bit, something sweet and soft tempers the sharpness; I'm guessing this is the amber. I don't get any tea rose, which is fine, since I'm not a huge rose fan. Also no patchouli for me, also ok.

 

I love the woody smells, and wish there was more of it in this blend. I don't seem to get any currant either, which I would have liked.

 

All in all, this is quite nice. It's sort of a more rough version of Dorian to me, but without the vanilla. It is very much a romanticized piratical themed blend.

[Shannihilation]

In the bottle this is very dark and spicy. The woods and the bay rum seem to be the dominant notes.

 

When I put it on my wrist it was very sticky and thick. Resin from the woods maybe? On my skin it's very spicy but not quite so dark. There's a light powdery sort of feel to it. But not like baby powder... like an after bath body powder sort of thing. I can't pick out the tea rose at all. But the rum, musk, woods, and currant are amazing. This is probably more of a manly scent, but I don't care. I'll wear this anyway. It's a bit strong though so I'll have to remember to apply it sparingly.

[perclexed]

I love this. Very masculine, as other reviewers have noted, and the first 20 min or so I wasn't sure it was going to be something I would want to wear. Thankfully, on the full dry down, it's a wonderfully complex mix of the patchouli with some spicy, smoky woods...just heavenly. I'm so glad a friend pointed this out to me! Otherwise, I would've missed out on a new favorite.

[Aika]

I'm going to also chime in and say the first 20 minutes are awful! The woods were overpowering, and I swear there's some sandalwood somewhere because I got the horrible, sharp spiciness that I always get with it. After it finally dries it's all dark weathered wood, a little sea salt, and cologne. I was hoping for more rose and fruit. Interesting, but not my taste. 2.5/5, swap.

[maribouquet]

Nnngh. I'll be in my bunk.

 

Seriously. This is so amazingly good and hot and from now on every time I fantasize about a man, he will smell just like this.

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle woody, but with a sweet/tart top note

wet on skin it goes a bit medicinal on the skin and is fairly unpleasant

dry on skin dry, this is woody, but very fresh and masculine liek whoa. strong, juicy lime comes jettisoning out of the woods along with the bay rum. i had to jot "nice!!" next to my notes because this is a very elegant, if masculine, blend. love it. my one gripe is that BPAL's bay rum tends to amp on me and simultaneously go a bit "stale" and wonky. i could wish for slightly less bay rum and maybe slightly more red currant.

[moonstonemama]

in the bottle: woody and slightly boozy.

 

wet: I definitely smell sandalwood, and it smells very stringent.

 

30 minutes later: this scent is handsome and dark. It's slightly spicy, not too woody, the sandalwood scent is all but gone, the bay rum has come out very nicely. This blend doesn't scream PIRATE, it's not overtly dirty or musky. It's not too masculine for me to wear, but if a guy were wearing it, I'd want to jump him.

 

 

I'm definitely keeping Frederic

[alicia_stardust]

Frederic starts out as a dark, almost swarthy patchouli and wood scent. The seaspray adds a light zest to it. However, as it dries it mellows and spreads. This is the stage I like best. It becomes a gentle patchouli with soft woods and a gentle golden musk. The sea chypre adds a genteel quality to this, and I only get a hint of the tea rose to round this off.

 

I am really excited about this blend. I don't necessarily find this to be masculine only, but it doesn't smell the greatest on me. However, it's wonderful in a scent locket and it is EXCELLENT on my guy.

[kirakira]

I love chypres - they are dear to my heart and I wear them frequently.

 

I bought Frederic because of the word "chypre" in the description. When I opened the bottle, I didn't sniff it, I just applied it and was shocked when the patchouli smacked me across the face! I was sad because all I could smell was patchouli, then I remembered that chypres morph on me and that I needed to wait for dry down. I was not disappointed. I'm not good with notes, but Frederic has a woodsy quality blended with subtle florals. Frederic does not smell masculine to me. It smells womanly - strong, complex and powerful. Fredrick is fantastic!

[coldandsleepy]

Frederic is nigh inexplicable: a musky scent that I actually enjoy. On me, it's sea salt, amber musk, and tea roses. It is fortunately not at all patchouli heavy on me and isn't really very woody either. On a saltiness scale, I'd put it below Calico Jack and above Pool of Tears.

 

This is the only one of three BPAL pirate scents (Anne Bonny, Calico Jack, this) that I've tried that's really worked for me. It's sort of an elegant scent; the pirate wearing this isn't going to be swabbing any decks he doesn't want to.

 

I doubt I need the whole bottle and will probably decant some of it off to send to other people. But I'm definitely keeping some of it for myself, because this is good stuff.

[lefthandmade]

At first I get wood, the sharp smell of wood floor with tar, or tjæra dørk, to put it in sailor norwegian. Or tarred deck is closer to it because I get a whiff of salt sea air too. Not as much as in other pirate scents I have tried but i can sense it there in the background.

 

As it dries a little, a citrus note rises towards the sky and disappeares, leaving a sweetness behind. Now i get the rose but it's very faint. No booze though. Looks like my frederic is a sober man.

 

After drydown it's a gentle but spicy rose scent with a lot of air. And I love it. I had no idea it would end up here. Man am I glad I got this one!

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Dark wood and patchouli with wafting bay rum and an undercurrent of rose.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a more masculine scent for sure. The spicy bay rum seems to be the highest note, and it is grounded by dark patchouli and wood notes. The musk in this is definitely warm and amber-esque, and permeates the whole blend. This is rather dry and warm, but the bay rum adds an almost crisp note.

 

After a little while: The patchouli and woods have faded a bit in this, and now it’s a mainly bay rum and light amber scent. It’s actually more unisex now, but still on the masculine side. The tea rose also sneaks in the background of this, but it’s not an overly rosey scent at all. This is a airy bay rum scent with a nice helping of amber musk wafting through, and then subtle patchouli and wood in the background and a base of smooth rose.

 

Overall Impressions: There are very few masculine fragrances I’d wear, bpal or no. This is definitely on the masculine side and not for me, but it is a very nice scent. The large helping of bay rum is very fresh, but the amber musk warms it up nicely, and the patchouli, wood, and rose give this a nice, solid base.

[LauraB]

This is a very smooth scent, woody with patchouli and something that I assume is bay rum. The whole is very well done, so the elements all complement each other. Unfortunately, it just doesn't suit me, but if you like dark, assertive, woody scents then this is definitely one to try.

[Eros]

First sniff from the bottle- Soft patchouli with a subtle booziness and hint of sweetness. After that initial whiff the currant came through just a bit.

 

On skin- This is gorgeous! Like others have said, it leans towards the masculine side but not so much so that it can't be worn by a woman. It reminds me a lot of Dorian, that sweet vanilla musk but richer...the amber musk, I guess? Has the same smoothness to it, as well. Very well blended this. Aside from what I've mentioned already I'm having a hard time picking out individual notes. One thing I'm for sure not getting is any rose, *whew*.

Lovely throw. While not overwhelming, it's everywhere. A sweet, musky cloud of loveliness. But yep, I definitely keep thinking Dorian. Dorian is foul on me but gorgeous on the husband. Frederic is beautiful on me. On him? Even better. I had my nose plastered to his neck until he tore himself away to go to work

 

Frederic is beautiful, elegant...but dangerous. Dangerous in that this is a *leaves you weak in the knees/he'll have his way with you* scent. Every man should smell like this. Frederic has only been here a day and already, I catch a whiff and I think of the hubby. Almost from the initial sniff I thought, "Oh yeah, this is him". I want him to bathe in this.

Edited March 26, 2008 by Eros

[grashopper8]

To me, Frederic is a classic men's blend, and I can't say much more than that because I don't have much of a nose for masculine notes.

 

I gave it to my boyfriend, and he wore it for a day, but wasn't really a fan. Not a keeper for us, unfortunately.

 

2 out of 5

[samarablackcat]

I received this bottle on March 20th and I want to tell you the scent has developed nicely since its arrival. The bay rum and patchouli have melded together in a most favorable fashion. I am anxious to put this away and try it in a month.

 

My first reaction was...why did I only buy one bottle?

 

I love most pirate-themed scents and this one is no exception. The wood note seems to come forward in a most pleasing way. No swabbing the deck for Frederic. He is a dreamer, watching the horizon, smelling the sea air and charting the stars.

As this warms on my skin, the smell of ocean crashing on the aged wood deck comes out. Just a hint of the tea rose and currant mixing with the musk; not too sweet, just a perfect balance. Frederic is not a dandy, but a man's man; confident and not afraid to speak his mind. Ladies find favour with him too; he is the one you dream of...the one who got away.

 

I am pleased with this scent, and I am glad I took a chance on Frederic!