Smokestack

[BoneBone24]

Creosote, coal, and industrial waste.

 

Wet: Sweet soot.

 

Drydown: Ashy, but not sharp. Deep and dark, but actually kind of light. This is a dusty-dirty metallic that is somehow quite pretty! There’s a spice in there that smells sort of like a dry-spicy cousin of sassafras. Smoky, sooty, and slightly sticky.

 

Dry: Soft, but dark and edgy. I know this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but to me this is amazing. It’s the scent of art supplies (charcoal, pencils, rubber cement), a printmaking studio, a bonfire pit the morning after, and my mechanic husband, with just a bit of sweet black musk to smooth it all together. YUM.

 

 

If you like Dwarf or Le Pere Fouettard, check this one out next!

 

8.5 out of 10 bones

[mymymai]

• ITI: I know that it's supposed to smell slightly industrial, but I'm getting just a lovely blend of rosemary, eucalyptus, ozone, copper and coal. It reminds me of a smokier, sexier Loup Garou.

Wet: Yes, this really is darkly resinous, with strong swaths of gleaming, oiled copper. The smoldering base does evoke smoke, it is rich, perfumey, dark, and enchanting, like incense and copper in the middle of a dense, woody, eucalyptus-laden park.

Dry: Yummy, incense-y goodness. There surely is myrrh here with dusky coal, a bit of musk, gilded oil and a touch of fir or eucalyptus green. This is brilliant and will be a bottle of mine in the near future.

[keileya]

In the imp: vetiver. VETIVER.

 

Wet on skin: ....in thirty seconds on my skin, it lost all the glorious vetiver and turned into a gallon jug of maple syrup.

 

I gave it 10 minutes to see if the maple syrup went away, but nope.

[Teaker]

I was scared to try this because of the "industrial waste" part of the description, but it's really quite nice. It's hazy,smokey, and metallic. Warm and almost spicy, but not quite. I'd say this is unisex, but would smell really great on guys. It's not something I'd wear but it's interesting and would be a great choice for men who don't like the smell of traditional cologne.

[annemathematics]

just dabbed on a little from a frimp at the end of my workday. it's smoky and resinously sweet and pretty although there's something in the background that would keep me from reaching for it often. it is mostly smokey on my skin, with a bit of resiny stickiness, but under that there's a layer of something floral, something spicy. reminding me of myrrh+lily+cassia+vetiver+apple where nothing is actually amping (and in fact none of these notes may even be present, but this is the best way I can think of to describe what I'm smelling underneath a creamy haze of smoke). smokey djinn didn't work at all on my skin, so it's nice to find a smoke scent that does.

 

Dries down to a very apple-y myrrh.

 

a little goes a mighty long way.

Edited February 2, 2015 by annemathematics

[hammy]

In the imp - Sweeter than expected based on the listed notes, but … vetiver and ozone? No way this is touching my skin. I’ve learned from my mistakes.

[unxolve]

Sweet resiny-incense + smokey. A little too sweet. Underlying note is...cinnamon, sticky gum, brown sugar, and the faintest whiff of soap flakes. I think I prefer Rumpelstilzchen.

 

Was in the mood for something with a little more smoke, ashiness, and soot! I wanted to be roughed up. Definitely enough smoke to satisfy, too much resin.

[DoktorDandy]

Wet: Nothing floral, something almost.. dark and herbal. Hay? No... Oily. Heavy. Swiftly followed by a burning scent that I associate with creosote, maybe? Not certain. The burning turns, becomes more like burning wood than a distant brushfire. Eventually leather starts blooming, very slowly, coming from underneath everything. Is there musk in here? Hum!

 

Dry: Consistently a sort of pretty, mildly burnt, slightly masculine scent. Sweet without sweetness, wood without resin, leathery without it being the most prominent note. Slightly bitter, pleasant quality that I associate with vertiver, maybe? But lighter? Nice. Curious.

 

Overal Impression: Interesting, yeah. A curiosity.

 

I will keep the imp for now. I didn't like it enough to buy a bottle though, I don't think.

[aquazoo]

Definite smoke up front. I get something sharp and just the slightest bit floral.

[roseus]

I got this as a frimp from the lab, definitely not something I would have bought but very happy to try it!

 

In the imp: vetiver, smoke, leather.

 

On me this is pretty much the same wet and dry, it just softens a little bit. There is something almost vegetal about this. It's smoky, leathery, and almost woody. There is something green, but not at all fresh.

 

It's pleasant, but something I'd maybe use in the shower. I'd gladly put it on a man. If only.

[radiantfracture]

(Imp from the lab, aged)

 

In vitro: Sweet smoky aftershave, metal, and something almost caramel or (as above) syrupy

 

Wet: Syrup, smoke, aftershave -- or specifically the round, billowy smell of shaving foam

 

Smoke takes over. I can visualize the clouds others are talking about.

 

Dry: Smoke fades back.

 

Finally: Aftershave -- clean, soapy -- with a sweet metallic tang and a smoky undertone.

 

This isn't for me, but it would be nicely wearable for someone who wants an inflected version of a traditional masculine scent -- on me, it's recognizable enough to be good for everyday, but has the interest and tang of smoke and other unusual notes.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Ashtray smoke. That means vetiver! Yay!

 

Wet on my skin: Rich, chewy, smoky vetiver. I liiiiike it already.

 

Dry: This is reminiscent of one of my favourite "black and dirty" LE scents, A Grievous Swarm. It's slinky vetiver and spicy/incensed wood ash, and I'm fairly sure there is tobacco and maybe a little touch of anise in here as well. It's got that smoky-sweet-chewy sort of thing that the Lab's tobacco does on me. This is a really, really nice scent. It's dark and masculine, and just a touch on the aftershave/cologne side of things, but in a very very sexy way. While I don't need a bottle of this yet, due to its being so similar to A Grievous Swarm on my skin, I am so happy to know there's a GC go-to for when I eventually run out of that one. Actually, maybe I should pick up a bottle of this one so it can age...either way, I WILL need some of this eventually.

[Casablanca]

Oh gods. I love this.

 

Smoky vetiver-myrrh goodness and something from the brown sugar-maple-caramel department and I love the art because it reminds me of playing City of Heroes and yay!

 

I'll write a proper review when I calm down. I mean if.

[Mermaid-on-Land]

The color of the oil is perfect for the name, it's a clear ashy brown. On application my first thought is, 'oh dear it smells like Djinn' I'm getting the same cigarette note. A few minutes later, that cigarette note is fading and turning into more of a sweetly smoky smell. Ok that I'm cool with. There's a kinda cola-ish note that's almost but not quite sassafrasy. Hey this might be a wearable smoky perfu- wait... is that... Damn it eucalyptus YOU DON'T EVEN GO HERE! Luckily about 10 minutes later it listens to me and disappears (unlike in Djinn, where it was all I could smell. I would actually say this is very similar to Djinn but more wearable to me). I start to get some of the scorched cumin from Dracul that I liked, but without the sweetness that made that so wearable on me. I'm also maybe getting some of the toasted spices other reviews mentioned. It all kinda has an incensey vibe without being really incense smelling. I don't get burned plastic or chemical smells, and I'm not 100% sure what creosote smells like but I do get a definite burning smoky note. This is far more masculine and cologne-smelling on me than any of the other blends I've tried that have been reviewed that way, I think it's way too "dude" for me to pull off actually. I might try it once more with a whole lot less swiped on, I tend to apply really enthusiastically and I think this one was too strong for that.

[Cali]

Bleh. Not for me. That aside, this is kinda like a cabin-in-the-woods-in-winter type scent to me. Or maybe that wood/burn smell if you walk into a hardware store (where they happen to be cutting wood).

 

On drydown, it goes a bit more 'stone' on me if that makes any sense. Kind of the stone note in dwarf. Still smell the burnt wood, but also stone and warm water.

[LizziesLuck]

Not really expecting to like this, but I love trying everything! And it does sound interesting.

 

 

Wet: What? This is sweet, totally pleasant, and smells mostly like really expensive cologne. It's really nice! A bit smoky, yes, but I expected sour grossness, and that's not what I got. This smells good. There's actually a weird, almost maple syrup type note in there. Very sweet and rich. Yummy. Huh, Who would have thought?

 

 

Dry: Maple, with hints of wood smoke. So far from what I expected! It smells like a sugar bush, lol. I like it. Not sure I want to smell like it, but I like it. I would LOVE it as a room scent!

[MischiefofRats]

This scent has become a favorite for me. I find myself reaching for it even over Antikythera Mechanism and my beloved Unicorns. It's strong, and has good wear length and throw. It's all smoke and coal, definitely vetiver (but a nice one, not the super aggressive Haitian vetiver), and I definitely get something in the leather family from this. It's smoky and dirty, but in a fragrant way, not in a BO way. It is not the same note as Bonfire SN, for sure--this is far more industrial and complex, but it's coal. Don't think chemical or like, plastic. It's coal smoke. It smooths out beautifully on my skin too, sweetening and mellowing into something really gorgeous. Most scents I really have to be on the mood for, but this one is always stunning, in the bottle and with my skin.

[TheresaRedSkull]

I. Love. This. Scent. I love it so much that I can't imagine another human finding it unappealing--I am untouched by rationality in the face of Smokestack!

 

Once in a while a perfect scent comes swimming up out of the bell curve and makes you fall in love with BPAL all over again. This, for me, is that scent. It's the rich incense smell that I've been searching for--Christmas mass performed in a pine forest. Normally evergreen notes amp on me, to the point where I smell like a hamster cage, but in this the pine is balanced out by the sweet complexity and the tiniest hint of smoke.

[Coldfire]

Imp: (Dark in color) dark and smokey
Wet on Me: definitely dark and smokey but not acrid, a masculine vibe
Drying Down: okay still masculine and dark smoke-y but getting an industrial soot vibe
Dry: Masculine soot-y coal smoke and strangely...not unpleasant!

[VetchVesper]

Mmmmm... forgot how good this one is.

 

Yah know that thick, sticky residue that builds up at the bottom of your censer, or whatever you burn your incense in? That's what this smells like - smokey, tarry leavings - sweet incense sludge. I like it, but I can definitely see how some might find it off putting.

[achildoftime]

So, I was really not expecting to enjoy this. You can add my voice to that chorus. I get a bit of pine, but there is so much more going on here. It manages to smell dark without being too heavy, if that makes sense. It doesn't feel like it's weighing me down, just a mysterious air. I'd venture that black musk is a player here as it often gives me the same feeling and tends to work well. I don't think I'm getting vetiver because it usually does nothing but amp to the skies on me. If it is in here, it's behaving incredibly well. This is one of those surprises that makes me glad I try everything I come across.

[cassiejaynebunk]

Vetiver and... cedar? kind of like those cedar mothballs you buy for the closet... mixed with something metallic and sweet. I like smoky scents but this is definitely evocative of it's description!

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: Ozone and smoke.

 

Wet: Really strong ozone, possibly some musk (maybe grey), smoke, and what I think might be the same bourbon vetiver note used in Bram Stoker (which isn't a really gnarly type). It's a lot cleaner smelling than I had anticipated. I'm also getting tobacco from this.

 

Dry: Unexpectedly sweet! Maybe from sweet tobacco and opoponax. And there's some spice. I'm thinking cardamom. I do get a bit of a root beer vibe, which I see other reviewers have mentioned, but if there's sassafras in this, I can say it isn't full-on root beer. But it's definitely dark and sweet. Maybe molasses? After a while, I start to think there may also be something leather-like in here as well, but it's not straight-up leather.

 

Verdict: This isn't nearly as menacing as I had anticipated. It's still too strong on the ozone for me during the wet phase, but I enjoyed the dry phase. I'm not sure I'd reach for this one, because of the strong ozone in the beginning, but I'm glad that I was able to try it.

Edited March 22, 2018 by dementia_divine

[AraliaShine]

Vetiver, birch tar, sweet black musk and myrrh, pretty much in that order. The vetiver opens powerfully-- a

smoldering dry grassy type. As it gives way a bit, the scent deepens and sweetens with the richness of birch tar

(and possibly some terebinth resin? a bit like in The Language of Crows) accompanied by a dark almost syrupy musk.

Drydown is myrrh heavy on my skin, the cola type but not fizzy here at all. What started out feeling harsh and smoky

mellows down silky smooth (think confectioner's sugar + soot) or maybe a coal dust similar to the candied charcoal

vibe from La Befana. This smokestack belches forth initially, but ends up raining down the finest feathery ash.

 

Lampblack snow.

 

Might be a diamond in too much rough for some but, to me, this one's beautiful in all of its facets.

 

Going on the full bottle list!

[quigza]

When wet, this smells like campfire ash, a touch of smog, and damp dirt/earth. as it dries down, it gets a touch cedary. The cedar smell and ash smell go back and forth. Throughout. The earth smell dries out, but somehow theres a wet note that comes out as the smog note dies down. I guess ozone? I keep searching for the sweet note others are describing. But, I mainly get something that smells like my own skin, but more.

Overall, it reminds me both of camping, and something post apocalyptic after a rain. Like I said, weird.

 

 

As a complete aside- I do have to note that if you were eating a nectarine, then smell this on your wrist after dry down, you are going to get a surprise.

 

 

Edit to add: after about an hour, the sweet note came out - smells like fenugreek on me. Almost everything else has faded but the fenugreek and a touch of incense

Edited May 18, 2018 by Lemonlife