Titus Andronicus

[Bard]

Dark musk and black amber with frankincense, red sandalwood, neroli and bergamot.

 

Titus Andronicus is a bold, dark scent: warm and masculine, with a dash of anger and a tinge of anguish. It's a very rich, pleasing scent with, as many have said, a citrusy overtone. There is a smokiness to this scent that keeps it from being too cloying. This is a tough guy scent, but it's not a butch scent, if you get my meaning. It's not about machismo, bravado, or proving a point. It's the tough guy who is tough because he can either be tough or he can curl up and die. Life doesn't give him another option.

 

I'd recommend this to all the males on this forum.

 

 

Titus Andronicus Haiku,

Swift and merciless

their plots. Swift and merciless

His retribution.

Edited December 31, 2005 by Bard

[aidenraine]

Wow, on my wrist when I first apply this it's an instant blast of bergamot and then a sweet lemon candy aroma. I get a hint of amber and then this hovers decidely somewhere between tart/sour and sugar coated. It smells like a Lemon Drop. I am getting absolutely none of the darker elements, which is sad because I like every ingredient here.

 

After a bit of a drydown I do get the herby/woodsy aroma from this. The sandalwood comes out and dominates, with a bit of a lemon backdrop. It's sweet in a very natural way.

It's getting muskier and a bit more, hm... kind of a sickly sweet, resinous scent.

I don't like how this is changing on me.

 

It finalizes in a somewhat stinky, somewhat resinous and sweet place.

[Thaleia]

My frimp has no little tab thingy on it, so it took me a while to get it open.

 

Titus Andronicus, in the vial, is what I'd call a classy men's perfume. It's woodsy, citrusy, and elegant all at the same time. It does call to mind its warrior-nobleman namesake with a penchant for the worst form of revenge possible.

 

For those of you who have seen the film version, with Sir Anthony Hopkins in the title role:

 

[[I have to laugh, though - I can't help but think that this could've smelt like morbid baked goods, after seeing the scene at the end where he's going around the kitchen baking those pies, with the accordion music playing in the background, like it's out of an Italian pasta sauce commercial or something.]]

 

Anyway. *cough* When I first put it on, it smells like my mother's favourite after-dinner drink - Earl Grey tea with honey and a slice of lemon. There's a hint of sandalwood lurking in the background, but it's mainly bergamot and neroli. It stays that way for a while, which is nice; it gets a bit more citrusy as it dries down, but that's alright. Then, it gets sweeter and more musky, and I'm liking it more and more as it dries down.

 

Man, I wouldn't mind smelling like Earl Grey tea. I wouldn't mind smelling like I mean business. I give this a 4.25. I may have to get a big bottle of this once my non-tabbed imp runs out. This is definitely what I'd call a "step off, bitch, or I cut you" scent.

 

Titus would be proud.

[this machine]

I got my first "you smell great!" compliment yesterday (first bpal-related one, that is) when wearing titus. Yay! I was pleased. I can see how this is a masculine scent, which explains why i like it. Every time i see someone say "this one would be better on my boyfriend/husband/etc" i think oh, i bet i'd love it! It's fresh and clean without being soapy or sharp, and it lasted most of the day thankfully. Plus, i love the play itself too.

[QueenFae]

This smells very much like Snake Oil on me, which is strange because I know there is not any vanilla in it. It goes all sweet and rich and dark on me, with just a hint more muskiness to it than Snake Oil. It's sort of like Snake oil and Devil's Night had a love child. Very lovely, sexy, ultra yummy. I can detect a bit of sandalwood and earthiness under the sweetness, but its subtle. I think this would be lovely on a guy or girl, and I truly love it.

[Mary Mayhem]

This isn't at all dark to me.

 

In the imp, it's rather astringint, on I can smell the citrus and as it starts drying it smells like a sweet lemon drop. I can still smell the lemon drop in there dry, though it is pushed to the background.

 

Interesting scent. I must not lick my wrist.

[PirateMaggie]

A gift from the Lab.

 

This is fantastic in the bottle. One me, it smelled tough and clean and tomboyish-but-pretty until my skin started its usual "amping musk in unpleasant ways" thing. The citrus and resins work so well together.

 

I'd love to smell this on a guy...but as others have said, this wouldn't work on just any guy. This is a badass scent, and it takes some attitude and guts to pull off.

[snidegrrl]

My impressions, x-posted from my journal:

 

I am getting overwhelmed by the red sandalwood here. Although, since I don't know just what neroli and bergamot smell like, those could be factors. I have to wonder if my hormonal state could be effecting these scents and if I tried them on during another part of my cycle, they would strike me differently. Anyways, out of the bottle this was VERY green. Very much like they just chopped open whatever tree it is they get 'red sandalwood' from. As it settled any other notes seem to have bled out, and a sticky sweetness lingers. Not nearly as dark or spicy on me as I'd hoped. Considering it, maybe I get a little of the musk underneath, but it's not helping.

[darkitysnark]

Oh wow. My impressions while testing (during the forum down time, so my recall is imperfect) had nothing to do with the actual notes.

 

This started out, for lack of a better word, "manly" on me, a sharp flare of astringent cologne. But it dried down and warmed to a really lovely, creamy, almost ambery feeling. Much like QueenFae's phantom Snake Oil reaction, I'm picking up implied notes that just aren't there. But I like it.

[Naamah_Darling]

This is really nice in the bottle. A warm and citric cologne with just a touch of incense.

 

It hits the skin and the frankincense and sandalwood come out together. The musk and amber are both heavier notes, staying behind the others, and staying close in. The outer edge of the throw is a beautiful sandalwood/orange blend whose woody notes keep it from smelling objectionably citric. It verges into vanilla at times. Close in it's kind of sour, the sharpness of the bergamot and neroli only occasionally letting the other scents through.

 

Once it dries, though, the citrus does what it always does on my skin and vanishes, and this ends up smelling plain and powdery, like old incense that's lost a lot of its punch. I don't care for the scent of sandalwood by itself, evidently, though as a single element in a stable blend I like it perfectly well.

 

Titus Andronicus had a lot of promise, but my chemistry just isn't playing nice and letting its full potential through.

 

A solid blend overall. Unisex, definitely, but one that could easily go powdery or baby-oil if you have chemistry that dislikes any of the notes.

[juniperus]

Bottle: woody and oddly sweet - reminds me so much of something...wait I know - Stollen! How odd!

Wet: somewhat less sweet, but a definite candied fruit after aroma.

Dry: less wanton food-ness, thank goodness. the musk is coming forward, and a bit of the frankincense

Later: still rather sweet, but very nice. the musk and amber really ground the blend, the sandalwood isn’t' taking off on me like it has a wont to do, and the frankincense is holding its own. another I like, but would like to smell on Bri.

[Alchemy21599]

I received this as a frimp from the Lab

 

In the vial: sandalwood, bergamot, faintly incense-y

 

Wet: more resinous and masculine

 

Dry: the musk really amped once the oil was dry. This is a wonderful scent for men.

[eviltemptressdq]

hmm... this is DEF more of a masculine scent that I'm used to on myself. I smell something peppery? But a hint of something sour in the back, haunting me and making me keep on sniffing, trying to "catch" what it is! Can't figure it out...

 

oh well, not really for me... but caught my attention!

[brownbear]

mmm This is really good. It's deep and layered. I could see wearing this myself or slathering it on the boy. It's a little sweet, incensey, resinous, and just plain mmmmmm.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

musky and cologney

 

wet:

musky and a little spicey

 

dry:

Musk vs. amber/sandalwood…. It's a battle of dislikes and likes. As time passes it gets better and better/less musky

 

overall:

need to test alone sometime to really determine what I think - I like the drydown stage.

 

rating: 7/10

[m13]

Almost instant baby powder on me -- a slightly butch baby powder, but that's about it. Tried it three times because I wanted to love it, but it doesn't love me. I'm fine with the lab's sandlewood so i expect its the amber that's turning to powder. Sigh.

[edenssixthday]

Titus Andronicus is much too dark and masculine for my taste. The muskiness was beautiful combined with the deep amber, but the frankincense had to mix in with it and screw everything up. The frankincense made the scent too dark and bitter for me to even want to try out on my husband. The sandalwood was a nice touch, but I don’t wear sandalwood well (although I often enjoy the scent itself). Fortunately for me, it didn’t last long on my skin, which is unusual for most BPAL blends with amber. I have passed it along to a friend who loves it.

[forspecial_plate]

To me this was mostly musk with a citrus backdrop, although it's possible I just haven't learned to distinguish musk from amber or red sandalwood. But it kept reminding me of the balck musk in Mad Hatter, only with orange instead of minty-lavender.

 

It's another powdery sweet blend, although also very balanced and smooth. Something keeps it from becoming too sweet, and I really enjoyed it. It had a nice interplay between the dominant notes. I'll keep the imp around for sure.

[Faeried]

The name suggested that this was perhaps going to lend itself to be a more masculine scent, but I'm beginning to think it's more unisex. There's a darker musk, but not over powering, undertoned by the spice of wood, perhaps leather, and a smokey scent. I think I even get a little trace of vanilla, for just a touch of sweet.

 

I could see this being an everday scent for me, and one I'll definitely have to try on the boyfriend. Very nice.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

oh this is yum.

 

dark amber (no baby powder!), deep musk, bergamot, sandalwood...

 

not really all too masculine, to my nose/skin, but very resiny/incense-y.

and would probably work on either a man or a woman -- but not *every* man or woman.

something about it sortof reminds me of Snake Oil / Snake Charmer.

[klavierbarrette]

in the imp: some kind of fruit, probably the bergamont with the neroli, cause it smells sweeter than an orange.

 

wet on skin: still the same as in the imp, except amped up a little

 

about 5 mins later: the same, but a little vanilla maybe? D: very pleasing.

 

another 5 mins: i think i smell the amber. there's musk, but it's very sweet. i don't think i smell any frankincense.

 

overall this is a nice, sweet orange-y scent that i LOVE.

[steffanina]

Titus Andronicus-

 

In Bottle: Mm, spicy-sweet and musky. Not too cologne-y; sweeter and richer than that.

 

Wet: Strongly musky but in a good rich way.

 

Dry: What a great dry-down this is. This is such a comforting musk. This is the aging general, home from the war and taking his wife to bed after three years' absence. I don't know if I'll wear it a lot but this is definitely a keeper.

 

Overall: Conditionally like but like a LOT.

[supremegoddessofall]

Mmm. Numby! Spicy! Not as incense-y as some. Mama like. Kind of weak though.

 

Score: 4 out of 5

[billaguru]

I got a sample of this in my last order. It was one of two imps on which the caps had snapped, so I had it wrapped tight in bubble wrap when I took a bunch of imps to work to share with my "enabler".

 

Unfortunately, when I got home that day, I found the imp had emptied completely, the precious juice coating the plastic. Left with no other choice, I simply rubbed the bubblewrap all over my torso, smearing the Titus into my great furry chest. so I got to know this scent real up close and personal for quite a few hours.

 

It is intense: like grass trampled in battle, pine just ignited for a funeral pyre, old leather armor from which you could never clean off all the blood. It's fierce, prideful, even gloomy, like Titus himself, like his hard, ancient ways, like his violent story.

 

Nicely done; still on the fence about getting more...maybe if I run for office and need a scent to quietly intimidate my opponent with a two-fisted combo of gravitas and cruelty.

[ouch!]

So So So nice!, God I didn't expect this to be this nice. Someone near the top said it smelling like a more complex Snake Oil and I wholeheartedly agree! It's very very soft with a beautiful spicy edge to it. A bit more masculine than Snake Oil definately.

 

Unfortunately I can't pick any notes out individually, but there is a very sharp citrus smell when it's first applied (Probably the neroli or Bergamot) Then it's just gorgeous all the way until it fades.

 

Try it if you like snake oil!

 

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