Tombstone

[laslibres]

A celebration of one of the first commercially produced perfumes of America's Old West. A rugged, warm blend of vanilla, balsam and sassafras layered over Virginia cedar.

Wow, this morphed a couple times in the first few minutes of sniffing...in the imp, it's just light vanilla, and then on my skin it immediately amped the woods like crazy. But just when I started to despair, the vanilla and sassafras started creeping back in.

It balances out really well...the vanilla is not a dry vanilla, it's really rich and delicious, but it's balanced out from being too sweet by the balsam and cedar backing it up. It reminds me a lot of The Lights Of Men's Lives, but a more masculine version (Lights was mostly very sweet, vanilla-esque beeswax on me). It's really good, kinda sexy and almost unisex.

My only complaint is that it's a little light on me...I have to really stick my wrist right up to my nose in order to smell it very clearly. Not a lot of throw. However, this just means I have to test it on my man and see if it's stronger on him...hee hee.

[venusinfurs]

I hate cedar, so I have had this frimp since Halloween without trying it. I actually love it! It smells like root beer at first, then turns a dry, sweet vanilla. Yum!

[GreatWhiteFork]

IN THE BOTTLE: Very sassafras and vanilla. It almost smells like a rootbeer float with a bite. There is a sharp alcoholic undercurrent, like the vanilla extract you cook with.

 

 

WET: The same rootbeer float smell, but the wood definitely picks up and surpasses it. It almost smells like the inside of a dried whiskey barrel. Cedary and saloony.

 

DRY: The whole thing mellows out very nicely. The cedar and balsam come out wonderfully on my skin, and I described it to a friend as "an old wodden barstool with just a touch of perfume from the hooker who was just perched on it." The vanilla lingers on as the wood mellows, and the whole thing is slightly masculine with a touch of sexy lady. I feel like a madam in the wild west who runs her brothel with a smile and a shotgun.

 

- - - - - -

 

This was actually the reason I bought my first set of imps. Cedar and vanilla are my two favorite smells, so I was super excited to find something that merged them. Couple with the sweet bite of old-timey sassafrass and that can-can gal vibe, and I'm sold. I can't wait to try it on my best dude friend (thank god there's a benefits package with that one, because I have a feeling this is gonna be my own personal catnip)

[Erinofhere]

I thought I had reviewed this already.

This is my husbands everyday scent. It's okay, it's not my favorite on him by far, but it does suit him very well.

While I can pick up the sassafras mainly what I get is cedar, vanilla, balsam with a bit of leathery powder in that order.

My husband is an old soul. He shaves with a straight razor and was wearing a fedora before they were cool again. He listens to old music and reads old books...so tombstone suites him. He says he feels very comfortable in this scent. It does give off the feeling on "old man". Not the grandpa old man..but a dignified, slightly weathered but very wise and still viable and very virile older man.

As for me, well, it smells okay on him, but like I said it doesn't have the wow factor. Not like perversion or Antikythera mechanism. Obviously this will be a staple for him because he just loves it. When we ordered our sample imps he just kept coming back to this one.

[ferocissima]

In the imp: wet, fresh sassafras, vanilla ice-cream

 

Pulse points, 5 minutes: you know that children's rhyme about gender, "sugar, spice, and everything nice"? exactly how this oil smells on my skin. The wet sharpness of the sassafras gives way to a plasticky vanilla bean with a long throw. I smell like a brand new Barbie, like a scratch and sniff Lisa Frank sticker, or a maybe like a meringue cookie. If this scent were a fabric, it would be peach pink satin. This scent is so, so femme. It gave me a little bit of a headache at first, which went away as the scent softened.

 

Pulse points, 40 minutes: The cedar in this finally peeked out around 20 minutes in and is getting stronger. My skin is still amping the vanilla to the exclusion of almost everything else; the net effect is now crayons in a cigar box or clothes kept in a cedar-lined chest. The sassafras has come back and gives this smell a foody, warm, comforting depth. Sugar cookies baking, slowly morphing into marshmallow root beer float.

 

I was angry earlier, but I can't stay mad wearing this. It's too childlike! It makes me want to wear a tutu. Who's angry surrounded by the smell of comfort food and My Little Ponies? I doubt I'll be wearing this as a perfume-- Golden Priapus is still my favorite BPAL cedar/vanilla blend for serious adult purposes-- but this is perfect for playing dress up in big girl clothes and drinking tea on a rainy day.

[Chanteuse87]

I wish this had worked on me. It sounded so lovely... but alas, rootbeer from start to finish. The vanilla is overpowering, the sassafras smells just like root beer, and I get no woods or anything. It's wet, foody, cloying, and just too much.

 

14 year old me would have loved it.

 

25 year old me is a little more subtle

 

I'll try it again, or maybe use it in a bath, but it does NOT work as a perfume for me.

[whataboutprom]

Such a gorgeous blend. At first this is strong SASSAFRAS, but after it dries, the vanilla comes to the front. Vanilla usually goes very bad on my skin, but this is one of the few vanillas that works for me. I love cedar, but it's not strong enough for me to perceive as cedar specifically; it adds a general dry wood feel to the oil. Tombstone doesn't have a lot of throw, but I do get small whiffs of a warm, not to sweet vanilla throughout the day.

[ih8perfume]

Y. U. M.

 

Warm, sweet sweet sweet woods. Comfort and love and warmth.

 

Sassafras reminds me of my grandmother who would take me out on her property and show me the sassafras seedlings. Then we'd dig it up and collect the roots, take them home and make hot, syrupy sweet Sassafras tea.

 

Cedar is prominent at first, but mellows out considerable. The vanilla is very creamy, not the dark, resinous vanilla of Snake Oil, more the shnuggly vanilla in Velvet.

 

Come to think of it, this reminds me quite a bit of Velvet, but whereas Velvet has Cocoa and Sandalwood, this has Sassafras and Cedar. It smells a bit more outdoors-y.

 

I'm not sure if it is just an association caused by Beth's description, or if it's the combination of sassafras, cedar and balsam, but this makes me thing of Cowboys. Sweet, sexy cowboys.

 

I want to curl up with this scent like a kid snuggling into a lap or a dog on it's owner's bed. On me it would make a great Fall or Winter scent on those days when I just want to sit in front of the fire and not leave the house (or even change out of my PJs, don't judge me!) But I think if my Man wore this, we might have to play a little grown-up Cowboys and Indians.

[Jangzonrice]

Got this as an imp from the lab. Wet: sassafras and vanilla with a hint of balsam. Reminds me strongly of a weaker stimulating sassafras Strengthener. Dry: the sassafras is still strong, but it is deepened and rounded with cedar, the vanilla gives it a bit of creamy sweetness that makes this an amazing scent. If you love sassafras or root beer in general, get this pronto!! Throw is pretty nice, not too strong but sits on the skin. Staying power is ok, 4 hours or so, but I don't mind reapplying. I must get a bottle of this.

[Deliciousness]

In the vial: A warm sassafras, with hints of wood - must be the cedar.

 

Wet on my skin: Root beer with something a little sweet lurking in the shadows. There is also a "dry" note which I equate to dust.

 

Dry down: Um, why am I smelling down? It's like I've got duck butt in my face. That and a touch of B.O. Oh yeah, and root beer. So it's dusty duck butt, a touch of body oder and sweet root beer.

 

I wish this worked on my skin, but something just didn't translate well with my chemistry. I'd say give this a try if you like slightly sweet food, or even woody blends.

[agirlnamedfury]

In vial: Sweet and woodsy, but quite mellow. Yum.

Once applied, though, it's much sharper. There's actually something a little medicinal about it -- I get that cooling sensation in my nostrils when I sniff the drying oil on my inner elbow, similar to menthol or eucalyptus. I wonder if that's the sassafras or balsam or something else entirely? I'm not very good at identifying notes (yet!) so I'm not sure.

This really isn't anything like what I expected from the name or description, but I like it anyway. It's very fresh and soothing.

[greeneyedgirl]

in the imp: menthol-medicinal

 

wet: menthol-medicinal

 

dry down: cotton candy mixed with smokey spices, no thank you. However, about 10 minutes later, a miraculous thing happened. I got something completely different: a very soft, gentle vanilla with a whisper of smoke in the background. Then after about 20 it was almost completely gone. I don't know if it's the scent itself or if it's because my skin ate it up due to my period coming (probably) tomorrow. It could be my skin chemistry for just now, but it's not really my cup of tea any way.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: A dry, warm, spicy scent. I'm definitely getting the sharpness of the cedar and spiciness of the balsam, but the vanilla softens things up and rounds them out beautifully. This is an unfrivolous scent, the scent of someone who knows how to get shit done and doesn't waste their time. But he's still a fundamentally pleasant dude, because this is definitely a masculine scent.

 

Wet: Much sharper right off the bat, with the cedar and probably sassafras taking a big step forward. Thankfully, though, it avoids veering into either pencil shavings/plywood or foody/root beer territory. However, the vanilla and balsam start to creep back in, both to my delight. The vanilla takes the unpleasant edge off of the cedar's sharpness, and the balsam adds a wonderful spicy note that's almost cinnamon, but not quite. But then, after only a few minutes, disaster! It's gone straight to the pencil shavings/plywood that I was afraid of. Dammit, cedar, this is why we can't have nice things.

 

Dry: Thankfully, cedar eventually decides to start playing nice with everyone else, and it settles down into something sweeter, warmer, and less austere altogether, but still masculine. However, the sassafras and vanilla combine into an unfortunate (at least for me - I've never been a big fan of gourmands) sweet root beer scent right at the very end, but hopefully some proper aging will take care of this, and the rest of it is so lovely I don't even mind.

Edited March 12, 2015 by Lunasariel

[unxolve]

Wet on my skin, this is rootbeer with a hint of vanilla. (Must be the sassafrass!)

 

Away from my wrist, it's mostly the vanilla that permeates.

 

Wow, cedar chips are definitely coming through! It's like I'm in a hardware store! Mmm, cedar. (still with that vanilla) Very rugged.

 

Annnnd back to vanilla root beer. A bit of cedar, sometimes.

[somacat]

I find the sassafras and balsam to be really sexy, in a kind of Joshua tree vanilla way. There's something so evocative of the California desert about this scent. This is going to be a go to favorite for summer. It wears for a long time and doesn't get cloying like most vanilla blends for me. There's a dry richness here rather than a creamy one. This is going to be in heavy rotation.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Mmmm, sassafras and cedar.

 

Wet on my skin: MMmm, sassafras and cedar with vanilla!

 

Dry: I knew I'd like this, and I am not disappointed! This is a perfect balance of vanilla, cedar, and sassafras on my skin, with the balsam spicing it up enough to make it a sexy, head-turning cologne. I'm finding that I really like the Lab's sassafras and vanilla on me, and this blend is just heavenly delicious. It's a bit reminiscent of how Old Scratch smelled on me the other day, but maybe even better!

[BoneBone24]

Wet: That wonderfully effervescent and rooty sassafras note that I love so much, but a touch drier and woodier than I have smelled it elsewhere.

 

Drydown: The vanilla comes into play, bringing with it a strong sweetness and soft creaminess. There’s a touch of pencil-shavings cedar just beneath it, but not enough to really compete with the vanilla. The sassafras has lost its fizz and settles in a as a peacekeeper between the vanilla and cedar. The balsam’s probably in there too, but the other three notes are so distinctive that they’re not allowing it to shine. The top three battle it out for supremacy and the cedar’s slow and steady technique is starting to pay off.

 

Dry: Sweetened wood. The vanilla won the battle on the left wrist, and the cedar won the battle on the right. With their powers combined, I am Captain Planet, er, Captain Tombstone! ...Anyway, this doesn’t really work on my skin, but I do kinda like it.

 

A Couple Hours Later: Wait a second. Both wrists are now giving off a cozy-soft vanilla with the perfect amount of throw. Alert the presses: I’ve found myself a wearable vanilla!

 

 

8.5 out of 10 bones

[DoktorDandy]

In the vial: Slight mint tang with a tingle. A weird almost alcohol breathyness- like something that's left at the bottom of a glass bottle after everything else has evaporated.

 

Wet: My Immediate thought was old horehound lozenges. Straight up. Puts me in mind of tinctures, poultices and snake oil salesmen selling things out of wooden carts with their names painted on them and lots of words like PATENTED and RESTORATIVE. This smells like a cure for dropsy or brain fever or the vapors. Smells like I rolled around in an old Victorian chest that had a mysterious stain in it, and the chest has been sitting in an old west museum for about a century.

 

Dry: Okay, once I stopped going WHAT IS THIS it's very interesting. Sassafras/Sarsaparilla and vanilla were almost overpowering with bubblegum or root beer candy present when it was first on me for about an hour, and as it dried is morphed more and more herbal, less bright, darker and sweeter. It was always old fashioned and medicinal, something you'd find in an oak and glass case. Wood started to come out, very pleasant old oaky cedar, and settled contentedly with the vanilla for a long while. The next day, the scent was still there, and quite a warm, bustling vanilla, though almost all other notes had departed.

 

Note: Left a distinctive stain on my arm, viewable in sunlight the next day. Most visible in sunlight or florescent light, less so in incandescent light. Looked like a greeny-yellow healing bruise. This is the longest lasting oil so far, by quite a long shot.

 

Final Thoughts: Not the prettiest scent, and not one that makes me think of perfume, but it is hands down the most INTERESTING thing I have tried from BPAL so far. Makes me wish people would gather to smell things, like how people gather to indulge other senses like taste and sight. This would be a real centerpiece of a party like that. It really invokes.

Edited May 25, 2015 by DoktorDandy

[Soupy Twist]

Cedar in the bottle, which doesn't do it for me. It goes on as a blend of sassafras and balsam, with vanilla coming in and out. While I like balsam, and I like the root beer note, they aren't blending well. It ends as a simple vanilla, but I have other vanillas which last just as long and are more complex, and have a lot more throw.

[Veronica]

I was really hoping I'd love this--vanilla, basalm and sassafrass sound like a winning combination on me--unfortunately, the cedar note in this is completely overpowering.

[LizziesLuck]

I'm excited but wary to try this. Love vanilla, still searching for my "perfect BPAL vanilla", but wood is not my friend. Love sassafras though.

 

 

Wet: Creamy, smoky, woody. The Sassafras stands out after mere seconds on my skin. Mmmm. This is niiiiice. Like creamy grown-up rootbeer.

 

 

Dry: Mostly sweet woods. This is one of the first wood scents I have actually enjoyed wearing. The throw is decent and I keep getting whiffs from my arm and thinking, "mmm, that's not bad!" Very unusual for me to like something this woody, but I think I do. I can't see wearing it often enough to get a bottle, but I'm keeping the imp.

[radiantfracture]

One of the first BPALs I ever smelled, in an aged imp from a friend, and still a top ten. I didn't know the backstory of the perfume, and assumed it was supposed to smell like tombstones (which wasn't wholly unreasonable.)

 

Eventually, I bought my own bottle and then realized that I needed to age it to get the effect I loved. The "young" bottle was all sassafrass. My two-year-aged bottle, on the other hand, is perfect.

 

Right, right, so -- how it smells.

 

In the bottle, crumbling sweet pale purple stone (I don't know why purple -- that's just the colour I see. If you want to know, I see a pale purple tombstone).

 

On the skin: First, sassafrass, but the vanilla rises quickly through it. The woods seep in underneath.

 

If I rush the scent by rubbing my wrists together to heat them, I get much more cedar and balsam, a hot liquid sap-smell. Otherwise, the vanilla rules this, but it's a dense vanilla, not foodie or baby-powder-y -- like the vanilla smell of some wild plants -- with the hot cedarwood underneath.

 

This is a very tactile, deep scent for me.

[ziggystardust13]

I am really loving Tombstone! This is one I have tried years ago, and decided to try again recently.

 

I had a very negative scent association with this blend in the past which completely ruined things for me. I still get that smell when Tombstone is first applied wet. I have searched through this thread to see if anyone else thought that tombstone (when wet) reminds them of anything... because it smells just like something that I am too ashamed to admit I have done in the past. Anyway!

That wet stage is very short lived. So I guess now that years have passed and my troubled youth is far far behind me, I can wait this stage out! *holds wrists away and waves them in the air* lol

 

Upon drying, the magic starts to happen! Root beer float anyone? I also sometimes just smell the most wonderful vanilla wafting out of a cedar chest.

Edited February 1, 2016 by ziggystardust13

[RasAlgethi]

Oooh, I like it. In the bottle the cedar does give a dusty impression. I definitely get the vanilla and sassafras under that though. However, for me personally, it's just barely too masculine.

[Elspethdixon]

Wet - vanilla rootbeer, with the rootbeer scent in the lead. Pleasant enough, but not the kind of thing I'd want to smell like all day.

 

Dry - Delicious vanilla with a hint of cedar. This was another of those "apply, be iffy on the scent when wet, then a half-hour-to-an-hour later want to make love to my own wrist it smells so good" scents on me.

 

I'm almost through my first bottle of this and have already ordered a second. My sister, who is also a fan of foody oils and who loves both vanilla scents and root beer, bought it for herself immediately based solely on sniffing one of my open bottles and says she has no regrets.