Galvanic Goggles

[lmaunu]

Golden goggles fitted with zinc and copper plates dangle heavily by their leather straps from a hook mounted to the wall. Its crystal lenses are effulgent with residual electric energy.

Metallic notes with Indian musk, tobacco flower, and African balsam.

I was worried that the metallic notes on this would be too strong, but they subtly blend in with the musk and tobacco. The tobacco flower is also very light; it doesn't overwhelm the scent. I really like this one, and it's definitely gender-neutral. I'll report back on its wear length, but so far it seems to have really nice throw and wear length.

Edited to say: After wearing this one a few more times, I think that I'll pass it on to my husband to wear. It definitely worked on me, but it feels a little more like "cologne" than I'm used to wearing. It's a sexy, elegant scent, and the metallic notes definitely come out more after wearing it a few hours. If you like clean yet deep scents, you'll really like this one! Edited May 4, 2008 by BookGirl

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Oooh, this oil is sort of a light chartreuse colour. Extremely herbal, heavy on that balsam; a very strong green scent. The metallic notes are there too, sort of sharp-fresh, deeper than in Mechanial Phoenix, but still a touch ozone-y. This is also very lightly smoky and brightly floral.

 

Wet: Much more cologney, masculine, very clean, verging on soapy. A citrus note too, maybe petitgrain. Still that yummy intense green balsam. Hints of sweet, dark musk and that heady, slightly spicy tobacco flower.

 

Dry: I adore this. The tobacco flower has really amped, and it's a heady, nocturnal scent, very bold but still refined, with an edge of dangerous spicy depth. The musk too has amped massively, and it's amongst the most delicious musks I've smelled. As if vanilla and skin musk mated with dark musk and produced an exotic, deep golden sexpot. The fresher green and citrus note remain too, keeping this clean, but minus that soapy tinge.

 

Summary: This is surely the cologne James Bond wears, when he's in his tux, gambling and seducing and racing an expensive car. It's eminently masculine (that green, herbal balsam, the smell of oiled gunmetal, and bright, fresh, slightly bitter petitigrain), yet refined, luxurious, educated (heady, night-blooming tobacco); oozing culture, intellect, and wit. But it deceives a bit - the deep, sexy musk, spicy floral and eventually, earthy patchouli - suggest lurking violence and danger, as does that same male-metal note.

 

If you can imagine that virgin/whore paradox that is the ideal for women, this is the equivalent for men. The man who wears this thrills and stimulates you with insights, and showers you with luxury and fine arts, but when you get home (or perhaps shoved into a nearby supply closet), the veneer slides away slickly. Then, he's not sauve but rawly masculine, and he won't think twice about taking you roughly and leaving you disheveled, bruised, and thoroughly satisfied. He expects you to oil his guns and burn rubber to evade a villian, but never fails to replace the Valentino dress he soiled in his violent haste and buy you 10 more gowns to make up for it.

 

I think I could use this as a glass slipper, to reference the Cinderella tale. I'd go around, applying the oil to dashing men, and the man who could wear this would surely be the devious gentleman for me.

 

Oh - and great throw and lasting power, not surprisingly!

Edited May 4, 2008 by fairnymph

[galleywest]

Well hellooooo everyone! Welcome to the show! Tonight we're talking fashion--in particular BPAL fashion. As many of you know, Phoenix Steamworks debuted recently, and we were there to check out this new collection. With me tonight are fashion experts Mssr. Pince Nez, chronicler of the most chic scents on The Continent.

 

PN: Bon soir, and zank you for 'aving me.

 

Also with us is Flora Dora, fabulous fashionista and style advisor to the stars!

 

FD: Oh, I'm just so happy to be here! *giggle*

 

And finally, Leonard Cravat, handbag designer and co-host of the show, "Oh My God, You're Wearing That?!" Welcome, Leonard.

 

LC: Oh, it's just a-maaaaa-zing to be here tonight.

 

Now let's get right down to it--the looks in Phoenix Steamworks are, of course, steampunk-based scents. What do you think so far?

 

LC: Well, I have to say that at first I was really worried--who wants to smell like carburators and grease? Ew! But I was sooooo surprised--just shocked, really--by Galvanic Goggles.

 

FD: *squeal* Oh yes, me too! It's so uber-sexy!

 

PN: Ah am not sure ah would say zis, exactement, but yes, ah must a-gree. First of all, zere ees ze colour, yes? Very smart.

 

LC: Yes, it's a grey-green, very sophisticated. It's the new black--goes with everything.

 

PN: Oui. 'Zen when eet ees opened--

 

FD: *bounce* It smells divine! Veeeery manly.

 

LC: Oh yes--metallic notes and musk, too sexy.

 

FD: *swoon*

 

PN: Oui, oui, zees ees so. But my nose detects somezing else--the balsam, she is peeping out too.

 

LC: Yes, this is a masculine scent in touch with its feminine side. Once on I smell those metallic notes, but not dirty, greasy notes. They're clean and bright, almost golden notes. But not as flashy as gold, that would be tacky.

 

FD: I like gold!

 

*crickets*

 

LC: ANYWAY, this is the pinstriped suit of scents, don't you think, Pince?

 

PN: Oui, yes, I do. But ah do zink a woman could wear eet, too. It ees a scent of confidence for a woman, a woman in a sexy zoot, no?

 

LC: Oh my god, that would be to die for.

 

FD: Well, I'd like it on a man rather than a woman.

 

LC: Me too, honey--but that little bit of balsam and tobacco flower sweeten it just a touch.

So, final thoughts?

 

PN: Ah would definitely classify zis as masculine, but a lad-eee could wear eet too.

 

LC: Very chic, very sophisticated, very tasteful. Like an Armani suit or a vintage Ferrari.

 

FD: *pout* I still like gold.

[Sushi-n-Sake]

In bottle: Fresh, reminds me of Irish Spring soap!

Wet: Strong balsam and herbal notes, with musk in the background. I also detect the sharpness of the metallic notes.

Dry: This is when Galvanic Goggles really comes to life. The Indian musk amps up and it becomes an incredibly delicious scent with sweet, green, and spicy notes. The scent as a whole is unlike anything I have smelled before and is difficult to describe. The throw is quite strong and I am loving it.

 

Verdict: If you are not impressed with this scent in-bottle, fear not! The drydown is incredible. This is how I imagine an exotic, sexy, and dangerous man to smell like. Perhaps Naveen Andrews, who plays Sayid on Lost, smells like this.

[naeelah]

Ha, so I'm not the only one who thought, "Huh, Irish Spring?" when this was wet.

 

I will have to give this another try, but I fear my skin ruins it. I got soap from start to finish. Green, floral soap with some metallic and musky notes, but still - soap. I never got an overwhelming ozone-like sense, so the metallics, at least, are in check.

 

Naturally, the throw was quite strong, and it lasts a long time.

 

I'll try it again and update this review at that time, but I do think it's safe to say that this is a masculine scent. It's very fresh and clean, but in a way that's very unlike other fresh and clean scents. If clean musk, metallics and green florals sounds appealing to you, give it a try.

[penemuel]

This is a lovely scent! It's very herbal and sharp in the imp and when wet, but it quickly dries down to a warm, spicy, oiled metal scent. It doesn't lose the herbal sharpness, but it becomes more burnished and rounded. There's something very specific this reminds me of and I can't place it. I love it, though. Probably a bottle scent. I'm going to go broke on this collection...

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very metallic and cologne-y with soft musk and tobacco in the background.

 

Immediately on skin: This scent smells like a very clear, “fresh” type of note with sweet, warm musk and tobacco blending in. It has a very distinct cool/warm thing going on.

 

After a little while: The cooler notes in this have come out a little more and become a much stronger ozone/cologne type of scent. Blending into this (but taking a backseat to the stronger cooler notes) are soft musk and the tobacco flower. This is creating something very fresh smelling with undertones of sweet muskiness and tobacco.

 

Overall Impressions: When I smell this, I love it… but not for me. My husband tried this before me and fell in love with it, and now when I tried it I understand why: it’s well balanced, very “fresh” smelling, but has a nice muskiness to balance that cool cologne feel. A woman could probably wear this, but to me, this is just a great masculine type of scent. Definitely a winner!

[CiCi]

I am very mixed on this one. Normally, I either love a scent or don't, but with this one, I like it one day and the next it just isn't me. It is a very fresh scent, almost like you took a tree branch and broke in in half and smelled the green-ness of it with a touch of tang. After wearing it for awhile, the musk warms up and the the tobacco come out to play. I like this on me, but I think I will love this on my husband.

[alicia_stardust]

Galvanic Goggles is mostly unisex, but is possibly a touch on the masculine side. There is a phase where it gets a bit cologne-y and the metallic notes really enhance that. There is an overall balsamic tone to this. I find Galvanic Goggles to be a very smooth blend that is shiny, warm, and metallic. The Indian musk and tobacco flower do well to counter and compliment the metallic notes. This is an excellent representation of the concept and it has a very, very strong throw and long wearlength on me.

[scarletgenesis]

Echoing the unisex sentiments. It starts out more masculine with pretty much all metallic and musk notes. Not a problem, because I like some of the masculine BPALs. But now after it's been dry a while, it is taking on a hint of floral, though thankfully not OMG FLOWERS RUNNNNNN! It's more of a quiet floral that just hangs out in the background and lends a hand to the blend as a whole. I do get something that I think is the balsam..

 

Overall, this is like coming across a rusted engine in a forest. It's very outdoorsy, without losing the metallic edge (but it is not sharp at all). It's more of a soft metallic, much like Phoenix Steamworks, though that one is more incensey and this is more forest-y, if that makes sense.

 

I think I'm liking this one alot.

[savage_rose]

This smells very unisex to me...very interesting, too! It smells like electricity and florals. Fluorescent florals...there's a lot of energy, but the florals are cool and bright, not too heavy. This is really lovely, and I can imagine it being just the kind of moderately cheerful gorgeousness to pull you out of the doldrums on a rainy day. Cheering, but not obnoxiously so.

 

And just a note: I'm mostly through the Steampunks now, and there's not a loser among the bunch thus far! These are amazing.

[Iceblink]

I didn't like this wet--too cologney. After a couple of hours though it's gotten better. It's warm and musky and the metallic note is coming through in a pleasant way. This was my wild-card-I-have-to-see-what-the-hell-metals-smell-like imp and I'm glad I tried it, although I don't think I'd actually wear it. A man could get away with it though.

[Christine Daae]

This is very, very cologney in the imp, which I assume are the metallic notes, though I could be wrong - I'm not terribly familiar with any of the other notes, either.

 

Wet on my skin it is still a bit cologney, but with a sweetness that rounds it out - has my love affair with Hellfire started a trend? I think maybe - this is probably more "masculine" than something I would normally think of as "me," but at the same time it's quite compelling.

 

And on the other hand, it's not terribly masculine on me...the ozoney/metallic notes burn off quickly so I'm left with just a hint of cologney sharpness that brightens up the soft warm musk and the tobacco flower. The only basalm I'm familiar with is the scent of...some shampoo that I can't remember the name of, and it does have a hint of that, to me.

 

I will definitely have to try this on the fiance tonight, as it will probably be even better on him. Rawr.

[hipslike___cinderella]

I've witnessed some "cologne-y" BPAL's here and there... but THIS... this takes the CROWN. That being said, it is the pitch-perfect epitome of gentlemanly scent. It's drool-worthy. And hard to explain, too- the African balsam reminds me of African woods in Oblivion (the oil is the same bizarre greenish color, even), but with a jolt of metallic note. I'm not sure how the tobacco flower lends to this blend, as I don't detect any stereotypical tobacco. Just delicous, manly musk, balsam, and "cologne". Over my 16 months of BPAL wonder, my SO has purchased two blends for himself: Tezcatlipoca and Dracul, and I gave him all my Luperci when I realized how much better it is on him.

 

...I am BEGGING him to buy himself some Galvanic Goggles. STAT.

[tartchef]

WHOA. Man-fume to end all man-fume! Don't get me wrong, it's gorgeous, but too butch for even the mister to pull off... musky, steely, full-tilt testosterone

 

ETA: Fairnymph's totally right - this is Bond, James Bond, but definitely the grittier Daniel Craig version... a flawless tux, a Beretta, and a fleck of blood...

Edited May 14, 2008 by tartchef

[arsenicsauce]

Yeah, I agree with everyone who said it smelled cologne-y. It smells a lot like a very common men's cologne in the imp, but on skin it gets a little more floral. Not much. It's not very metallic smelling to me, and not really... interesting I guess, or different. I might wait a while and try it again, but I think this one is getting passed on to someone else who can hopefully bring out its zing.

[forspecial_plate]

Just for fun, I opened this w/out knowing what it was. I knew it was something from my new Imp-pack, but I didn’t look at the label, and I can’t remember the new descriptions yet anyway. The blind review:

 

"First on: very tart and citrus, dry like a citrus peel, not juicy. Very nice and crisp.

 

After some time: Golden resin and/or metallic notes start to rise majestically above the citrus. Beautiful transition. Something slightly soapy starts to come out, too. Not a huge throw….just strong enough. Yum. I hope the soapy doesn’t keep getting stronger, as sometimes happens.

 

Still later: I’m thinking this is Galvanic Goggles. It sure isn’t the Antikythera Mechanism.

 

Later: Well, this has settled comfortably into something like Satan And Death With Sin Intervening, except with metal instead of woods. It’s golden and citrus with gotta-be some resins, and probably some metallic notes. I think the metal is where the ‘soapy’ is coming from. It didn’t get more soapy, only slightly less as the dusky resins came forward. Almost dusty, but maybe you could say “time-worn”. This could be worth a bottle, I’m quite sure it will age with much grace and beauty."

 

When I read the description again, I wondered where the heck I'm getting citrus out of this?? I was really curious about the Indian musk, and I think I was hoping for a substitute for Black Lace which turned way too soapy. Maybe Indian musk is soapy? Anyway, this is a great scent, and I'll be wearing it again for sure.

[slave1]

GALVANIC GOGGLES

 

In Bottle: Clean and masculine

 

On Skin: This is gorgeous. So very clean with a nice masculine edge, although I love wearing it myself. It starts with a very strong metallic ozone feel and as it develops the Indian musk comes forward and really warms up the scent with a nice spice. The tobacco flower also helps soften the harsh metallic edge. The balsam adds to the sharp feel and is quite pretty. This is one of my favorite scents of the series for sure! This scent has a very strong throw and long wearlength.

[bheansidhe]

Well, I don't think there's any way I can improve on the reviews by galleywest and fairynymph. So I won't even try. :-)

 

A rich, heavy, polished scent. The balsam green gradually hardens to a metal-tinged musk. I would love it on a guy, but it's too masculine for me.

[gchris]

In vial: masculine and sexy

 

wet: strong mens cologne. Smells like a sophistocated man. Incredibly sexy, alluring and any other adjective you can think of. I cannot stop smelling my wrist. Incredible.

 

drydown:This is not quite as strong now but still sexy and so appealing. I'm not good with notes so I cannot be descriptive about them in this blend. This is one of the best masculine blends I have ever smelled!!

[greenranger]

The oil in the imp is green.

 

Which is appropriate since it starts out very "green" smelling. There are a lot of notes listed here that I don't know well yet. Green, strong, and cologne like.

 

Since so many of the scent notes are unfamiliar to me, I'll just say that this definitely could be the scent of a pair of metal and leather goggles, with enough electricity left in them to zing the unwary person who picks them up.

 

I'm not sure that I will wear this one much, but, the imagery is definitely there for me.

[tereshkova2001]

Picture burying your face in a man's shoulder; that scent of clean masculine skin, and perhaps whatever body products he uses. Mostly that distinctive testosterone-laced skin, not sweat or sex, just maleness. That's what this smells like on me. Luckily, I enjoy genderf*ckery. Although it does make me wish for a cute boy...

[carrickfergus]

I cast my vote in disagreement that it's a unisex scent -- it is masculine to me, because it is a lot like my father's cologne. That said, it is a sort of effiminate masculine, like Wilde, with undertones of girl-smell that make the overall impression very Victorian aesthete. I adore this one, I think it suits its name well.

[theseagrows]

i had high hopes for this, it sounded beautiful...except for the metallic notes, which i was a bit worried about. alas, they are very metallic, in an aquatic-men's-cologne sort of way. i definitely smell musk and maybe tobacco flower, but the metallic notes are overpowering and the musk in this turns musty on my skin. this smells too much like commercial perfume for my tastes, so i will have to swap it.

[waternight]

Damn! I lost my review notes for this one, but I DO remember that it blew me away. It's dead sexy. It's masculine-musky, but a women can wear it. Someone said that this is the scent of James Bond - but the grittier, sexier Daniel Craig James Bond, and I couldn't agree more. If this scent were a man, I'd be throwing my panties at him right now. I may need a big bottle of this.