Jolly Roger

[VelvetSky]

Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods.

Not much I can add to these great reviews for Jolly Roger...this is just a wonderful, strong, sexy, masculine fragrance. I wish the men I know smelled like this.

[Gabrielle]

In the Bottle: Salt, sand and something sweet. Not exactly appealing, but I'm going to test it anyway. Just in case.

 

Freshly Applied: There's still that sweet tone, and I also smell something powdery .. musky, almost. (as you can tell, I'm not good at picking out single notes very well.

 

Dry (30 min. later): This definitely reminds me of De Sade, and it must be the leather. It has that same sweet, sinking feeling, though Jolly Roger is sweeter still ... hmm. This has a bite to it like De Sade, except the Jolly Roger bite is more like sharp, crisp seawind rather than metal.

 

will edit to add further possible scent change

Edited August 14, 2004 by Gabrielle

[TheDarkMother]

So, I am hoping that the fact that I am totally sick doesn't interfere with my imp testing today. Its hard for me to smell, so things might not be right at all. You have been warned.

 

Jolly Roger smells a lot sweeter in the bottle than I thought that it would. It smells like a sweeter version of Lightning actually. I like it. Not only do I like it, but I think that my friend that swears that she would love to bathe in Lightning would like it too. I need to keep this in mind for Christmas.

 

3 swipes of the wand on my wrist today, since I'm having so much trouble sniffing. On me, I can smell the leather a lot more clearly, but it isn't real heavy, like in Iago. Iago is very much a male scent with the leather, but this is a lot more feminine. There is a woodsy tang to it that I like as well. Hmm...is it drying down to a floral on me, or is that just the fact that I have a headcold? Regardless of which, I love this scent. This is very nice indeed. On me, it isn't much like Lightning after all.

 

This is a nice perk up for me since I feel so crappy.

[Bard]

In the bottle: This scent grabbed me right off the bat. It was the first of the thirteen scents I received that I truly adored. It's sweet, but not pampered.

 

On my skin: I still love it. Out of the bottle, the sea scent, the leather and the rum separate and become more distinct, but at the same time they have enough cohesion that none of them become overpowering. It's fresh, and it makes me feel awake and alive. This could easily be made into a wonderful after shave, if one really wanted to dilute this with alcohol.

 

After a few hours: The scent has backed off some but it remains very stable. It might not last an entire day, but it'd put in a good evening's work. I'd definitely call this a masculine scent. It's more on the casual side, but it could pass for a formal scent. Especially for a guy that's particularly rugged.

 

The right woman could wear it, but it'd probably throw me at first. I find that prospect rather intriguing actually.

 

Well done, Lady Elizabeth!

 

 

Jolly Roger Haiku:

"He smells of the sea,"

She thinks, in his arms. He thinks,

"But why's the rum gone?"

 

 

Your humble and obedient Renaissance Man,

 

Bard

[Vicious Mistress]

This started out ozoney and soapy on me, and as it dried it just turned soapy. I didn't notice any leather at all, which is odd, because I can usually pick out the leather very quickly on my skin.

 

Unfortunately, this was not me. To swap it goes!

[lemonlye]

Arrr! You perfumers are geniuses. You captured salt air and leather and worn planks and rum, and somehow stuffed it into this teeny little vial. Says it's more a masculine scent, but I'd happily wear it. It just smells clean and exciting on me. Pirates. Yum. But I warn you, if you're tempted to buy some: this is not a genteel, sophisticated, romanticized impression of the salt air and the open sea. This is sharp and resinous and wild and real. It would surely not be for everyone. But if you like the smell of those creaking old ships they let you tour at some ports, where the ocean spray is misting over the decks - or if you want to smell like Will Turner might have (if 'Pirates of the Caribbean' had been anything remotely resembling reality) - then I recommend giving it a try.

 

I ordered more after testing the Imp. It was my favorite by far. Also, I went down to the waterfront (I live near Puget Sound) while wearing some, and compared: I sniffed the genuine salt air, then sniffed my wrist, and yep, they blended quite well. Fabulous job!

Edited August 28, 2004 by lemonlye

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: For the landlubber that wants to smell like a pirate!

 

Second Impression: Ye be warned, wearing Jolly Roger makes you start spouting lines from Pirates of the Caribbean. Spicy bay rum tinged with fresh salt air, very nice indeed.

 

Final Analysis: This smelled nice on me, but this is one gent's blend that is getting passed on to a man friend of mine. It will suit him ever so well.

[patashoqua]

Jolly Roger is the first of my imps that I tried on, and I wear it almost daily. I will be buying a bottle of this when I can afford to. It blends well with my natural scent without disappearing. It makes me feel like smirking and swaggering.

 

In the bottle: it's a more synthetic scent than the other oils I've smelled: very sharp and tangy, not like anything organic.

 

Wet: the first thing I smell is the rum combined with the sea air- the rum alone would be cloying and the sea alone would be too sharp, but the combination is gorgeous. I catch a faint undercurrent of something like cocoa-butter too.

 

Dry-down: as the scent fades, it mingles with my natural scent and becomes (on me at least) an almost subliminal scent, with a rich, almost buttery undernote and that sea-air and rum tang still wafting off the skin.

 

Interestingly, of all the scents I've tried, this one varies most depending where it's applied. Under clothing, the scent lingers much more; it actually evaporates rather quickly from my wrists.

 

This is just about my favorite thing ever. My girl likes it too.

Edited September 15, 2004 by patashoqua

[NoirRosaleen]

Jolly Roger...

 

...doesn*t like me. Or my husband, who I bought it for.

 

Not in a bad-smelling way, just a gone-in-5-seconds sort of way, and even for those 5 seconds it was too faint even to smell. And I had such high hopes!

 

Already in the mail as a trade...

 

Kethry

[serafina pekkala]

It's very nice and masculine, changing subtly but mostly staying the same while I wear it. Salt, leather, marine-y with something sweet underneath: the rum. Apart from the wood of wreckage washed ashore I also smell those hard pieces of dry seafoam. I'd love this on a guy, but my brother thought it smelled like a women's scent.

[malanna]

At first, I get beach. Sort of like the John Frieda Ocean Waves, but without the coconut. This is just a tangy, salty breeze by the shore. However, after a while, the salty breeze impression fades when the leather comes out. It's salty leather. Nice, so far. What I think really makes the scent masculine is the wood, which shows up in the 2nd hour or so. It's the plank of a pirate ship, washed over in the salty waves of the ocean and rotting in some places, although the rotting impression is more from parts of the wood being completely soaked in the water. The salty wood is a bit stronger than the leather scent, but it's not like either is at the forefront, nor any single scent for that matter. The wood is just more apparent when I really sniff myself. Everything balances out nicely, but it's just too masculine for me to love on myself.

 

On lasting power: this gets a bit faint after a few hours, but it seems to fit, sort of like the breeze blowing over a whiff of the plank and salt and leather.

 

Edit: the coconut ain't a count.

Edited September 28, 2004 by malanna

[roisnoir]

Ohmy. Teak and salt spray. I need to smell this on a man. It's not that yummy on me, but I bet that I'd love nuzzling someone to find out all the spots he's applied it. I think I need to watch Pirates of the Carribean again. Mrowr!

 

Oohh. It morphed. More of the spicy bay now. I'd still like to smell it on a man, but he may have to fight me for it. This is delicious!

[EvilKitten]

In the vial

Oh. My. God. It smells just like I'd hoped! Salty and oceanic and everything wonderful. It's just what i wanted in a scent.

 

And then, I dabbed a little bit on ....

I can't stop sniffing my wrist. Christ almighty, This is wonderful. It reminds me of some body wash an ex of mine used to use that I loved so much.. but he never pays attention to what he buys, so he gets something different every time.. but this is so much better than that...

 

It's salty, swarthy, and makes me want to go put on Pirates of the Carribean.. Well, not really, since the game is on.. but I will be sniffing myself all night.

 

[Vaga42Bond]

First review ever written by me. Yah. Probably not using the right terminology, but here it is.

 

Games played while testing it out: Battlefield 1942 w/ Battlefield Pirates Mod. Later on swapped to Tropico 2: Pirates Cove.

 

In the bottle: Has a very sharp sweet scent. A bit sharper than I like, but AlectoNox said that the concentration is so high, that one drop is enough. (As it turned out, she was right.) On the plus side, it's the thing to go with booting up a game and steeling yourself for pillaging and plundering.

 

On the wrist, first though: Saltwater on leather anyone? I wish there was more rum in the inital hit, but neverthless, you can't miss the sea. Dear Gods, there needs to be more saltwater based stuff. I hope there is, must search for more later. Meanwhile, I'm busy sailing a sloop out to find the vile Red Team and send them to Davy Jones's locker. Arrr. Good timing of the stuff really.

 

After Some Mins Have Passed: Plenty of Saltwater, which is where the villainous curs are now that I've managed to send one of their ships down to Davy Jones. Leather seemed to have faded quickly, a bit of a pity, but not too much, as the rum is kicking in. Mmm, rum. My crew seems to want to make for a raid on shore, to pillage the enemy village and flag. I let them do so, and they emerge victorious after a fierce battle.

 

Some Hours Later: The leather's faded to a faint background noise, it seems, and the strong sea spray is now but a gentle sea breeze, but the rum's become more fuller, and kinda reminds me of Spiced Rum. A pleasent thing, given that I switched over to the slower paced, more sedentary game of Tropico 2. Perfect scent for lazy days on a ship tied up at dock, awaiting fresh supplies before pillaging and plundering once more.

 

Duration: Good enough for a game or two, the full body scent, but probably won't hold out for an all day raid, at least with me. The spiced rum seems to last nearly forever, tho. But it is definatly a good mood setter, and very evocative of standing on a sloop, the wind at your back, and the spray in the air; settling down to pulling into harbor to spend your ill gotten gains at the tavern and wench houses.

 

One thing tho, maybe it's just me, or is the wood very subtle? I had a hard time picking it up.

 

Definatly a masculine scent, BUT I could imagine it working on some women, if they want to go the Anne Bonny or Mary Read way.

"Had you fought like a man, you need not have been hanged like a dog!"  What was rumored to have been what Anne Bonny snarled to Calico Jack as he was taken to the gallows.

 

Edit: Forgot to add the song of the moment:

 

The Daniel Indart Project (Tropico 2: Pirate Cove Sountrack) -- Caribbean Voyage

Edited October 25, 2004 by Vaga42Bond

[Penance]

First sniff:

 

Wow, very masculine! It puts me in mind of the covers of those harlequin romance novels where the pirate's holding up the swooning young woman in the artfully torn dress with the wind blowing in his hair. Now, I've never read those things (honest to God, I really haven't) but it's the immediate mental image I get when I smell this. I smell salt predominately and behind it I can pick up a hint of leather and maybe the lightest touch of rum. I like it and so does my mom, who almost didn't give me the imp back after I let her smell it.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Salt air. I can almost feel my nose burning from the salt and that's a very good thing. There's also a hint of leather and something spicy which must be the rum. This is the most masculine BPAL scent I've smelled yet and it's gorgeous.

 

Dry down:

 

All the scents have merged together perfectly, none of them overpowering the others. It's manly and rugged and sexy as hell. At the same time, I can see myself wearing this. A lot.

 

The bottom line:

 

Sexy. Rugged. Masculine. Perfect for my inner pirate!

[Caitfish]

I only had the pleasure of wearing Jolly Roger for the littlest bit of time, so my impressions may not be entirely accurate, but I think it's a pretty straightforward smell, so here goes.

 

This isn't a "classic" aquatic scent. As has been said before, this is more the smell of actually being on a boat for a while, out at sea, or on the beach, drying down after a while in the salty waves. I went to the Bahamas last January, and this scent encapsulates my afternoons. Swimming in the salty but perfectly clear water, then drying off on the hot beach with an uncorked bottle of duty-free bahamian rum and my knitting. Mostly the salt - and it smells like the wood that you might find on the beach more than the beach itself.

 

As it wears, this becomes very salty - and I'm not certain that I ever detected the rum note at all, which is kind of disappointing - but I *was* smelling a lot of different stuff when I tried it.

 

Overall, this is a very interesting scent, extremely accurate - but not something that I can see myself wearing.

[JazzieCazzie]

So what with my dozen imps I ordered and the additional dozen freebies the lovely Labbies threw in for good measure, I made a list of all the notes of my imps so I knew what I was trying ...

 

Cazzie Lite decided she wanted to get in on the action, but she is very picky so I asked what she'd be looking for in a scent and, surprisingly enough, she said "something beachy" (I say surprisingly because she hates lying in the sun and we have to drag her to the beach by her ankles ... but I guess she loves the beach itself).

 

The description of Jolly Roger intrigued her so we opened the imp to sniff ... and wow!!!!!!!!!! We both fell in love immediately. I couldn't try the scent on because I still can't wash off the remnants of the Masabakes I tried on this morning, but I daubed some on her wrists and this is officially the first 5 ML on my next wish list (post Christmas rush when the Labbies have a chance to recover) AND my daughter's first BPAL 5 ML as well.

 

I just sniffed her wrists again for early drydown impressions ... and it's so lovely. It's beachy, but also very clean ... almost like being at the beach after you've been lying in the sun all day and have gone back to your room and taken a wonderful shower and are sitting outside on your balcony, letting your hair dry and watching the sun set over the ocean.

 

Can't wait to try it on me next!!!

 

ETA: Tried it on me today ... and though I know it's not listed in the ntoes I am convinced there is some coconut in here! I definitely see the John Frieda comparisons!

Edited November 10, 2004 by JazzieCazzie

[phaedrine]

In the bottle, very fresh and clean. I can definitely smell the salt and bay rum.

 

On me, it smells like I've been swimming the ocean. It has to be very oceany to make me think of that, I haven't done more than dipped a foot in the ocean in 20 years!

 

It definitely makes me think of pirates, and I wear it when I'm feeling piratey and want to say "ARrrrr!" a lot.

[purely_cosmetic]

I was lucky enough to be able to test this - before ordering- courtesy of Laura.....

 

I have to admit, I really disliked this when I smelt it in the imp. To me it smelt like cheap old man's aftershave. I think that might have been because the leather seemed to be the most predominant scent in the bottle.

 

HOWEVER,

 

When I put it on, and flapped my arms around to dry it, it smelt *wonderful*

 

 

This comes out very salty on me, with maybe a tiny bit of pine. But to me, it smelt like the sea.

I can see why people might compare it to air freshner, because it does have that "fresh" smell to it, but I'm not complaining! I'm not a fan of the more 'incensey' smells, so this one for me was wonderful.

 

The thing which suprised me the most was how much the smell CHANGED when it had dried on my skin. Im a BPAL virgin, (first order soon to be made!) so the difference between love on me, hate in the bottle really really shocked me!

 

I'm ordering myself an imp, and my good friend, (nicknamed 'pirateben!') a whole bottle!! If he doesnt like it, Ill gladly take it off his hands!

[shelldoo]

I wasx very afraid this would be "aquatic". It smells like a fresh clean carribean beach, not the ones around here it is slightly salty but the beachy sunny smell balances that out. This scent is not one I personally would wear but I am definitely gonna douse the dh w/ it

[surf-tormented]

Wow, manly.

 

MANLY. MANLY. MANLY.

 

A oil for a men's man. A pirate. Shiver me timbers, matey. Where's me parrot?

 

It smells great but as a woman, I could never pull this off.

 

The ocean breeze, the spice, the rum, the leather. I would love to put this on Boy. He'd probably go wash it off though.

[glampyre]

Jolly Roger

 

I'm fascinated reading the above reviews of Jolly Roger! On me, it's a light, clean, oceany scent...slightly amped up by the leather and rum. Very beautiful.

 

I'm always so amazed by how much variaton there is in how different scents smell on different people. LadyLatemar and I almost always like the same ones...Aureus, Old Morocco, etc...so it's interesting that though most things work similarly for us, there's some ingredient in this one that reacts totally different on us.

 

huh. ()

 

ADDED Nov. 8:

 

Gorgeous!

 

Light blue in a bottle! (would be great for chakra work!)

 

On me, it's not masculine at all, just a light, fresh, clean scent. Incredibly aqua.

[TheMuses]

When this first went on - wow, I smell just like my uncle! So, I didnt get any images of ocean, salt or rum - but just of male after shave. It goes on crisp and clean and strong and slowly morphs to something deeper and darker as the leather note pulls rank. After wraking my brain in trying to figure out what this was I ran and put it on my brother. He nailed it - Jolly Roger smells very much like Royal Copenhagen cologne for men, and I mean really similar. Brother is keeping this one.

Edited January 16, 2005 by TheMuses

[siriusstar]

This is my first review, so hopefully I can do this correctly!

 

I just got my ebay lot of Imps today. (Along with my first C 'N S.) And the two I was most anxious to try were Jolly Roger and Tempest, as I just love ocean and water scents.

 

I like this a whole lot. It smells like Cape Cod on a windy day, with a bit of a bite. It's definitely unisex, I like the way it smells on me, but I imagine it would be lucious on a man. It's like Escape, only darker and more 'adventurous', if that makes any sense. It's got a definite rougish quality. A perfect adventurer's scent!(or adventuress!)

 

I'll definitely consider a full size bottle!

 

ETA. It's also very strong on me! I only used a tiny drop on my wrist, and I can still smell it without effort hours later.

Edited January 19, 2005 by siriusstar

[summer]

It's amazing how a scent can grow on you. I got Jolly Roger in one of my very first BPAL orders, and didn't care for it much. I found it too aquatic, too masculine, and a little bit too sharp and cologne-y. Of course, I think that back then I was on a quest for "my signature scent," and when this one wasn't it, I immediately moved on from it without appreciating it for what it is.

 

So, recently I got curious about Jolly Roger again, after hearing people talk about layering it with Snake Oil. This morning I woke up and it was raining. Normally I steer clear of aquatic scents on rainy days, because I prefer to counteract them with something warm. However, Jolly Roger was calling to me. It's watery, but not in a dreary, rainy way -- it's more watery in a festive, "Ahoy Matey!" way. There's something alive and feisty about this water. It most definitely is a sea spray.

 

Now that I've got it on, I am so glad that I never traded it away. It *is* masculine, but in a delicious, outdoorsy way. The sea note is there, but I love how salty and rugged it is. I daresay it's my favorite aquatic blend! I was planning to try the Snake Oil experiment today, but I'm enjoying the smell of Jolly Roger alone on my wrists so much, I may just have to leave it.

 

 

Edited to add: OMFG -- This is lovely on it's own, but absolutely mind-blowing combined with Snake Oil. It sounds like a weird combination, but it's SO very good that I will be ordering a 5ml of Jolly Roger. Done.

Edited February 3, 2005 by summer