Smokestack

[rayvn1]

Creosote, coal, and industrial waste.

This is so wearable! Vetiver, but not a the thick, greenish-black smell I usually get from vetiver, but a light, gritty grey ash. Somewhat compelling with an organic, herbal, vaguely cedar scent. Really interesting and strange but beautiful

Edit to add scent description Edited January 22, 2009 by Shollin

[milo]

This is quite strong wet, but if fades pretty quickly to what I would say is a fire that had burned stuff that shouldn't have been burned. It is quite faint, however, and not overpowering at all. This would probably be great layered with something to give it a "smoky" vibe. On the right person, it would be phenomenal (perhaps a guy!), just not me.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – To me that smells predominantly of vetiver

 

Wet on me – Soapy vetiver but now there is a ‘fumey’ background and there’s something that seems to hit the back of my throat

 

Dry on me –Predominantly vetiver; smoky, oily vetiver, but vetiver none-the-less

 

Overall – I don’t really know what to make of this, but I doubt I’ll wear it often

 

[Monster]

A sweet and smoky scent against a background of crisp blue sky. As this dries, a scorched vetiver comes through. This is very masculine, smoky, soapy and sharp. I can appreciate this but I won't ever wear it. I usually can get away with wearing more masculine scents but this one is very very manly! This sort of reminds me of mens deodorant mixed with aftershave.

Edited February 4, 2009 by Monster

[bubblefish]

Ohh my, this one is amazing. The bottle smells very strong and almost unpleasant. Wet on my skin it does sort of smell like hot concrete in the middle of the summer here. And then it dries and becomes this gorgeous smoky ash with a touch of cedar. Far more pleasant than I would expect a smokestack to smell, but such an awesome and amazing smell!

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, it's all smoky, harsh brimstone.

 

Wet on my skin, smoke & vetiver are the predominant notes I smell on my skin.

 

Dries to to a softer version of the 2 notes above, but not soft enough to work on my skin.

 

 

[devilot]

In the Vial: V-v-v-vetiver of doom!

 

Wet: Vetiver! Ooh, quick-shift. Something almost brassy. Now something I'm associating with leather, but it's not. Maybe it's the coal?

 

Drydown: Creosote (googled) definitely is what I'm smelling. Charred wood.

 

Verdict: This is such a bizarre blend. It's actually a lovely scent-- if I were actually standing by a bonfire. But I can't imagine this as a perfume for me personally. I think I'm still tempted to keep the imp, but I'm not sure.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Chalky and chemical, which suits the concept. I’m picking up vetiver and already have a headache from a previous test, so I’m not chancing a skin test. It is sweeter than I expected and might make an interesting scent if one has the right chemistry for vetiver.

[blackbirdpie]

I just got frimped this and I LOVE it. It is the experience of standing on the El platform in Chicago on a cold November day, bottled. It smells like "city" to me. I'm going to put this on whenever I'm homesick.

[surf-tormented]

Reminds me of a lighter version of Djinn. It has a lot of the same smokey and dark notes, yet Smokestack drifts away from my skin within an hour of putting it on. I'll probably stick with Djinn instead of this one to get my smokey fix though the end of the scent is a chilling ozone.

 

Wow, it's gone. Less than an hour. I wish it would have stayed around!

 

 

Edited February 8, 2010 by Madame Nyx

[voorishsign]

I got this imp mostly because everyone keeps raving about Smokestack's heavy vetiver, and I am a certifiable vetiver lover This is also my first Steamworks scent. I'm catching up with these, I don't know why I've ignored them before.

 

In the imp - dark amber oil - always promising - and deep vetiver with a metallic touch.

 

On wet - vetiver, coming out to play! Smokey, dark, but with a certain warmth. This is, I think, what Lost's smoke monster smells like. No lie.

 

Drydown - this lightens unbelievably quickly and fades fast. Why D: The metallic note comes in full-force. I was hoping for consistent vetiver.

 

Gorgeous wet phase though.

[Blithgunde]

Smoke when I first put it on, scary smelling smoke from something that is burning but shouldn't be. The smoke seemed to die down but then come back in unexpected little whiffs.

 

Then a very familiar smell that I couldn't place at first but every time I sniffed it I had happy childhood summer by the sea memories. About two hours into the day I had a visual flash of the Town Dock and realized that I was smelling sun-warmed creosote without the other Town Dockish elements (salt water, long dead fish, salt marsh and outboard engine exhaust). The creosote by itself is tangy and rich and supports a third element, the industrial waste.

 

It's an odd, sweetly twisted odour like the smells from a chemical plant. I used to commute by the big BASF plant on the Jersey Turnpike and amuse myself by giving names to the various smells it produced. This is similar to the Buttercreme Icing for Robots one, only more of a Lemon Icing.

 

I have to add that the first time I wore Smokestack synchronicity kicked in and there was a small fire in the building where I work! No damage but we spent almost two hours in the parking lot while the fire department checked things out.

 

All in all I really enjoy Smokestack; it smells good to me, it brings pleasant associations to mind, and it's exciting to wear.

[hmelt004]

In the province where I live, they mine and burn a lot of coal, so I'm familiar with the smell. This oil is right on, of course, and I'll keep it to remember Shandong, but not to wear. A dusty, gray and green scent, a bit acrid, tired and burnt up. This could work on the right sort of guy, I think.

[hkhm]

imp: dark, dusty vetiver.

 

wet: this is wonderfully spicy and warm on my skin. alongside the vetiver, this has a cozy, wood-burning fireside feel. there's even a slight sweetness, almost like fresh pine wood being added to the fire.

 

dry: this is smoky in the best way possible. rich, warm, inviting wood burning on a warm autumn day. i feel that this would be one of the best vetiver scents to enable others with.

[Suu4LC]

Yeee. Got this as a lab frimp-never would have picked it out for myself. Then I saw the reviews saying this was vetiver which is my doom note. It has never worked on me. But in the interest of bpal and science, I have to try everything at least once.

 

In the imp this is a very dark, thick vetiver scent.

 

Yep...on my skin...there be vetiver. That's basically all I can smell tbh. Same on drydown, though not as heavy and dark when it dries fully. Not for me!

[kikithepirate]

Definitely a manly smell. Though I really dislike vetiver in general and can definitely smell it here, I actually think that I would find this scent really sexy on a man -- there's an undertone of a gentleman's cologne, almost. Definitely not something I would ever wear myself, though.

[Sultaana]

Vetiver and I are not friends, but after buying Smokestack I can say that we're not enemies. It's so harsh in the bottle and even louder wet, but as it dries I can actually smell something other than vetiver for once. I would absolutely adore this scent on a man - that thick smell of a hard day's work shoveling coal and stoking the fires.

 

ETA: This has officially started to give headaches. Curse you, vetiver!

Edited July 11, 2010 by Sultaana

[thelaurenator]

This is lovely. The bottle I have is super aged, and the lovely BPALer who sold it to me claims it has mellowed a lot with age. On, I get a cedar-y woodsmoke smell, and very, very subdued vetiver. It really smells great mixed with a more feminine perfume, and gives me a really nice perfumey bonfire scent. It has great throw, and I smell like I've just been to a bonfire out in the woods, which was exactly what I was looking for. I love this.

[renadams]

I as very intrigued by the unusual description. I actually like the smell of real creosote. Sort of a heavy scent, laden with black tar and oil-treated wood (think railroad ties or telephone poles--they are coated in creosote).

 

 

 

In the Vial: Not dark creosote and coal at all. Bright, even. Something vegetation-like. As others have said, I am catching the vetiver, but I don't like it. I wanted dark, burnt wood with tar. I'm also hit by a bright layer of cologne, which is also a turn-off. But, as with some fragrances, they can change a lot out of the vial, so...

 

Wet on Skin: The same as the vial, with an amped-up, indeterminate cologne scent. Not looking good for me.

 

Dry on Skin After 5 Minutes: The brightness has calmed down just a tad, but I am not getting any tar, dark wood, oiled wood, black clouds, or anything heavy and mysterious. It smells like cologne and aftershave, with no obvious individual tones. I'm not even getting the usual awesome BPAL ozone in here.

 

Dry on Skin: While I enjoyed trying it, I am beginning to think none of the Steamwork scents work for me, or on me, or even for scent lockets. They just don't match up with the descriptions so far, and I just am not connecting with them. This scent is seriously men's deodorant, aftershave, cologne--middle ground vetiver and alcohol type layers. Not dark to me at all.

Edited January 15, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[Clavis]

Okay.. this is odd.

 

Everyone talks about the smoke and mineral quality to this and I don't get that at all. On me this is spice and brandy and molasses with a big chunk of exotic wood and a touch of resin. Dark and warm and sexy as hell... but NOT mineral or smoke.

 

It was sweet enough on me that I layered it with The Red Rider. Wow! I wanted to throw my honey on the bed and have my way with him. Twice. At least.

 

Definitely something I'll have to go easy on.

 

Addition: 12/12/10 - Okay... I hit the PMS phase of my cycle and NOW I'm getting the smoke. Its woodsmoke and tobacco with a bit of clove now... Lovely. Gonna have to get a 5ml of this.

Edited December 12, 2010 by Clavis

[SophieCedar]

I'm with the previous reviewer.. I triple-taked the imp because I though maybe they filled it with antikythera mechanism by accident.. This is rich warm woods, a sweet dark smoke, and a liquor note. No vetivert singularly notable. I actually had to get out my bottle of AM to compare and be sure. it's not AM but definitely a drier version of it! Completely unexpected. I really like it.

[virusq]

BOTTLE: I'm not going to lie. It smells a bit like an ashtray. It's smoky and ashy and ... oh, there's a sweetness there that I think may be the cresote. I kind of want to roll around in it, but at the same time, I can imagine the commentary my mother will have about smelling like an ashtray. Smell deeper! It's not cigarettes! Swisher Sweets, at it's worst! D:

 

WET: The sweet smell is amps on my skin. The acrid smoke is still there (and I do NOT recommend eating after putting this on -- everything tastes like ash), but it's very sweet and alluring. Cedar, maybe? Cresote? Maybe even ... nutmeg?

 

DRY: Holy crap. A scent that doesn't turn into baby powder in the dry down. I think I'm in love.

 

LATER: Stilll smells smokey and ashy and ... I'm pretty sure that's cedar. Cedar or tobacco. Either way, I'm not complaining!

Edited May 17, 2011 by virusq

[primadonna]

Smokestack was definitely one of those scents that caught my attention while browsing, but I didn't have the balls to order an imp to try. Luckily, fate helped me out as I received a freebie imp of it in my last order.

 

Out of the imp: WOW. This...is...so...GOOD! Really, not what I expected at all. It has this firewood vibe to it that I looove. When I take a big whiff I'm almost suffocated by the thickness of the smell, but in a good way.

 

Dry on my skin: The intense smoky smell out of the imp has smoldered down to a dark, slow burning fire. There is also a nice bright tang of metal that hits the back of my nose.

 

This scent is absolutely intoxicating. It is a relatively masculine scent, but I can definitely see myself wearing this regularly. I tried it on the hubby and I have to say that I think I like it better on him. Maybe I'll get a bottle for us to share

[grrrlennyl]

Smokestack

 

On: Dark and dirty and a bit metallic.

1.5 hours in: Sweeter now, almost syrupy, but very, very light.

5 hours in: Mostly a dirty smell with something metallic.

Overall: This is very evocative, but not something I would reach for often. I was surprised by its sweetness.

[achromance]

Wet: Salmiakki (aka salty liqourice, a Nordic/Dutch delicacy)! I definitely get a strong salmiakki vibe from this, alongside some somkiness. Can't wait to try!

 

On my skin: I still get the salmiakki, but it's less prominent. The smokiness is still there, but I am also getting a surprising subtle, sharp, metallic quality, that goes right up my nose like strong menthol, except sweeter and warmer. There's even some sea water there.

 

After a few hours: Deep, smoky, warm, somewhat sweet and humid. The sharpness is gone. Not at all dirty, and not even gritty. I get sensual more than anyhing. I would not recommend this scent to just anyone, but personally I love it.

 

I'm listening to Tom Waits' album "Alice" while wearing this, and the two go together excellently. I feel like I'm sulking at a smoky, dead, run-down seaside tavern with moist wall boards of dark wood, and there's a storm outside. You know, in a good way. Recommended listening for this scent:

 

Edit: It did turn soapy after longer wear, so prepare for re-applying.

Edit 2: I wore this a second time and probably applied too much (one drop), because this time around I got the industrial waste smell and it was strong. So as long as you only wear a touch, this should be lovely.

Edited July 11, 2011 by achromance