Galvanic Goggles

[Ghost of a Rose]

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

In the imp: Oil is a beautiful light yellowish green. Metallic, perfumey, floral, a hint to tobacco; with a clean, green mood.

 

On me, wet: Metallic, sweet, floral, very perfumey. It is sweeter on me than in the imp.
I agree with the reviewers who mentioned Irish Spring soap. I always did love the scent of that and didn't care that it was supposed to be for men. GALVANIC GOGGLES brought back memories. When I was in my early teens, my mother signed our family up to be consumer testers. We got a lot of free products to try and then answered questions about what we thought of them. Often they were things which were still in the testing phase and not yet on the market. Irish Spring soap was one of those. We got several bars in plain white wrappers. Our entire family of six (of which my dad was the only male) went crazy about the scent of it. It wasn't until the soap came out on the market that we realized it was a men's soap, but by then it was too late - we girls were addicted. As a young woman, I used to buy it for myself. So of course I love GALVANIC GOGGLES. It takes me right back to that time as well as being a wonderful scent.

 

On wet, just dried: It loses the initial sharpness, but is still decidedly metallic and just the same.

 

After 1 hour: Still smells fresh and clean, pretty much the same, but also has taken on some soft muskiness.

 

After 3 hours: Same as above. This lasts well, and remains more consistent than most perfume blends once on the skin.

 

I always like floral scents best, and this is no exception. Very fresh, light, and bright - it would be great for summer. It smells like an expensive designer perfume. I vacillate about it. At some moments, I smell this and think of it as a more feminine aquatic (due to the distinct floral presence); but at other moments I sniff it and think "men's cologne." And of course I totally get the Irish Spring references. So I guess I'd call it unisex. In any case, I love it.

 

My rating: 5 stars

[WidgetAlley]

Woo, Steamworks!

 

Imp: This oil is green! That's so cool. I smell a lot of sweet citrus notes, and a ton of metallic florals. There's definitely some ozone-y, cologne-y aquatics backing it and lots of very spicy musk.

 

Wet: Very quickly thickens into a spiced-musk and tobacco scent, along with cool green aquatics and a few sweetly lingering florals. Unfortunately there's something in here with a citrus edge that smells like floor cleaner to me at first. But it fades fairly quickly, hurrah! Definitely strong and sharp on the top notes but that Indian musk is pure sex behind it all. This is tremendously 'steampunky' for sure! It's also really strong. Like, trying to give me a headache strong.

 

Dry: Eventually this dies down to a heady, sexual musk with an overlay of oiled metallics, citrus-green balsam and light tobacco flower. It's downright intoxicating and I don't mean in a booze way. I would be hard-put to resist someone who smelled like this, but I'm not sure I could wear it. I like masculine scents but this may be too masculine even for me! It is, however, extremely unique and gorgeously sophisticated-sexy. Trying this one on my man for sure!

Edited October 31, 2011 by WidgetAlley

[milo]

Heavy metallic is right, and the tobacco is right along for the ride competing for dominance. It's not a smooth tobacco, like Perversion, but a 'rough around the edges' one. This blend is biting, abrasive and masculine. Really not my kind of scent, and I don't think I'd even like it on a guy. Much to aggressive and metallic.

[stellamaris]

Oooooh just got the Big Bottle of this for the DH, and it is full of win. It's rich, and thick but soft and greeney. He says it reminds him of Polo, but so much better.

[ShinoTenshi]

OOOOOOh, WOW! This is drop-dead sexy gorgeous in a bottle. I'm just going to sit quietly in the corner and huff my wrist until I pass out.

 

Someone had mentioned that this is what James Bond would wear? YES.

 

Both in the bottle and on me, I get a beautiful warm metallic with a spicy edge that makes you want to swoon into someone's conveniently-placed arms. And hopefully that someone is wearing Galvanic Goggles too....

 

It's definitely not an exclusively male scent, but it would be smoking on a guy. It makes me feel sexy, strong and powerful when I wear it.

[theredkilt]

i associate the smell of this oil blend with bath foam. It's bath foam on my skin from start to finish

[undream]

an early reviewer described this, aptly, as "cologney, masculine, very clean, verging on soapy." it's the kind of delicious scent that gives me butterflies in my tummy when i smell it on a boy. too masculine for me to keep & wear, so i will be passing it on via swaps, but i love it for you men out there!!

[BoneBone24]

Wet: A clean and golden cologne. It smells very familiar for some reason.

 

Drydown: Oh! It smells exactly like Dune. Glossy golden metal and a dry, amber-like musk. There’s a floral element, which must be the tobacco flower. Dry and smooth, like suede.

 

Dry: The balsam comes out now and it the metallics lose their sharper edges. Velvety woods and golden musk. Warm, gleaming, and smooth. Gender-neutral, but I imagine this would have more of a wow-factor on a man than a woman.

 

 

 

 

I would categorize this as a special occasion-scent, unless you happen to be fancy everyday. I definitely agree with the idea of this being something James Bond would wear, especially the Daniel Craig version.

 

7 out of 10 bones

Edited July 16, 2013 by BoneBone24

[madscientistdh]

Purchased from Babypopje!

 

In imp: Metal, sweetness of maybe a motor oil? Patchouli... very clean scent, musky pennies in my mouth. Bright copper.

 

On skin: Slight nuttiness peeks out, with an undertone of ozone, otherwise this is the same scent... from far off I get coffee? Interesting.

 

Drydown: I'd compare this to a male Kataniya The Clockwork Woman. He's a musky metallic ozone and I love him!

 

Verdict: Galvanic Goggles is divine. I'm discovering that I'm a fiend for this steamstuff, and this scent didn't disappoint! Makes me long for more leather-metal scents.

[fufu_berry]

Gah, I think metallic notes really do not work on me. I can smell just the faintest hint of a lovely balsam trying to peek through, but it's almost completely nostril-searing, sinus-hurting aluminum foil cologne. Had to wash it off. :/

[tinyvulture]

Metallic cologne, lots of balsam. Green, clean, alert. One of the better cologne blends.

[Veronica]

Wet, this is a zesty men's cologne--clean and fresh, slightly aquatic over green notes. As it dries, the aquatic note calms down and warms up a bit--this is the metal. A surprisingly good men's scent!

[tallan]

Soap! No, wait. Cologne! Quite nice cologne without sharp edges, masculine but not macho. As it dries, it softens further, becoming more unisex but never losing the cologne association. It's... nice, but doesn't evoke anything in particular for me. Inoffensive. I wouldn't hate smelling this on someone else, but... eh. It doesn't excite me.

[agirlnamedfury]

In imp: metallic, wet. Don't entirely know how to describe this one, it's actually not that strong.

 

Wet on skin: clean and fresh, but again... just not much there.

 

Drydown: same as above. This doesn't seem to change on me much at all.

 

 

This doesn't really have a lot of draw for me, but I think it would be great on a man who wants a simple, light cologne.

[Naomi Kelsey]

A beautiful and well balanced scent. Like the other Steamworks scents, it seems to be more masculine than feminine (at least traditionally speaking) but that doesn't stop me from liking it a lot. Fresh and green from the bottle, then woodsy and warm in the drydown. Woods, herbs, a touch of citrus, this is like the scent you smell on an extremely well groomed gentleman in Europe and think "Where did he get THAT?"

[LizziesLuck]

I love of musk, so of course am excited to try this, but I tend to amp tobacco flower to high heaven and turn anything containing it into a single note - hoping that doesn't happen here!

 

 

Wet: Interesting! This tobacco flower note is different from the one I amp - this smells closer to actual tobacco. I also immediately get the metal note, which is similar on me to the one in Kataniya. The balsam is almost smelling like Patchouli to my nose. Very interesting! The musk is lending a sweetness, I think, but I can't really pick it out. This is very unique.

 

Dry: really interesting. The metal is most prominent. The musk is almost non-existent (sad face). I can hardly smell the tobacco flower at all, which is odd. The balsam smells really earthy. So this ends up smelling like metal with some sweetness and dirt. An old metal box, dug out of ground on a warm day. It creates a weird imagine in my head, and is somewhat evocative. I don't think I could ever wear it as a perfume, but I am really glad to have tried it!

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Metal and engine oil.

 

Wet on my skin: Oiled metal.

 

Dry: It's...pretty much oiled metal through the entirety of its wear. There's a hint of musk and maybe a tinge of balsam giving it a more masculine cologne feel than just plain metal. It's a nice, clean, masculine scent, but not quite my thing (metallics just don't do it for me, usually). I shall be passing this to my S.O., who does smell quite nice in the metal/oil Steamworks blends!

[Casablanca]

The first impression for me is of a thin balsamic musk. Very thin. The notes list had drawn me in, and I was looking forward to this, but I hardly smell anything here. It's like the components have mostly checked out of the motel.

After a few minutes, I smell something a little like curry, dry as a husk. A bit later, I get a faint tobacco stink. Not a good tobacco.

But the fragrance still smells thin. Insubstantial, other than the curry odor. I don't care for it.

[whisperstilled]

In the imp, sharply metallic.

 

Wet: The balsam and musk are very strong and sharp, backed by the metal notes. This may be a little too oily and bright even for me.

 

Dry: Mellows into a nicer musk as it dries, closer to my Phoenix Steamworks favorite, Robotic Scarab. The tobacco comes out on the drydown and sweetens things in a pleasing way. I don't know if this would work on me, but I can see it being divine on the right person.

[galahad]

In the Vial:

A faint almost soapy musk

On the Skin:

Cool spiced musk and tobacco. Thin and refined. Definitely more brassy metallic as it settles in

On the Drydown:

The slick coolness becomes drier and more powdery. Sniffing the wrist becomes a hunt for the scent but it actually has great throw so it's one of those ones which creates an aura of scent but indefinable when smelled directly. Quite nice.

[Lucchesa]

Galvanic Goggles is my favorite of the scents that start out cologney on me. I have learned to tolerate that initial discomfort of feeling as though I am wearing men's cologne and wait for the beautiful drydown. I get more tobacco and musk than metal at first and the metallic notes gradually emerge over time; I get very little throw, and the wear time is average.

 

I have very positive emotional associations with metal lubricants as something my father used in his woodshop when I was growing up, so that adds to the pleasure of this scent for me. It's more masculine than I typically wear, but in certain moods it would be golden. I am a fan.

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: I smell all of the notes in the order they appear: something metallic, the musk, the tobacco flower, and finally, the balsam. The metallic aspect isn’t as sharp as I thought it would be -- maybe the other notes are helping to tame it? And I’m really looking forward to the balsam note.

 

Wet: The metallic notes have a cologne-y feel to them, as they usually do on my skin, but I’m also getting a lot of the Indian musk, which is a soft, somewhat powdery musk to my nose. As the scent sits on my skin, the metallic notes become sharper -- alas! The tobacco flower comes out after a few minutes, adding a smokiness to the scent, and while I can smell the balsam, it is not a main player on me.

 

Dry: This is sharply metallic and smoky. The metallic notes and tobacco flower are now the stars of the show. I am getting far less musk than I did before, and the balsam has remained in its background role.

 

After several hours of wear, I do end up getting some more balsam than before, but it is still no match for the metallic part of the scent or the tobacco flower, the latter of which has become the most prominent part of the scent.

 

Verdict: The sharp, cologne-y metallic notes and tobacco flower aren’t really my cup of tea. I was hoping the balsam would take the center stage, but that was not the case. It was really nice to get to try this one, though!