Tombstone

[carolinachiquita]

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.

I am in love with this blend, the vanilla is just amazing its a rugged vanilla that I thought was going to be really girly and feminine but actually it has balls! I'm not sure what cedar is like so I imagine that it is the cedar that makes it less girly. Absolutely divine, I want to be slathered in this!

[pranashakti]

Sex in a hope chest. Warm, woody, deliciously sweet on the drydown but with an edge from the cedar that makes it assertive and says with a gleam in the eye and a hair toss: "Oh, please...don't fuck with me. I'm fucking with you."

 

Love it. So much so I used profanity in public, and that's unlike me. Unless I'm drunk. 10ml to be ordered posthaste, and I'm a 5ml kinda gal. I'll be thrilled to share this with my man when that bottle arrives. Until then, it makes me feel too sassy and it's in HIS best interest that I not share.

[PixieSkull]

In the imp: Dusty sweetness, something not very familiar, but I can pick out the vanilla under the sweetness.

On me: At first the dust is all I smell and I'm assuming this is the cedar. Then it sweetens down to a Vanilla-scented cigar smell that I just don't quite like.

 

Overall: The scent is okay, but not something I'd want to wear. The cedar smell turned me off and the vanilla was so amped up it was way too sweet for me. Think this will go to swaps.

[allidavie]

Manly vanilla... who knew there was such a thing? This is very very sexy and very pleasant and warm at the same time. I love this one, but not for me to wear as a scent. Now where can I find myself a nice cowboy to douse with this?

[Inanna9]

In the vial: Sweet, really sweet--which would be the vanilla and sassafras I imagine. Funny, when I sniff the applicator, all the ingrediants combine to smell a little like leather to me. Hmm...maybe it's just a mental association.

 

Wet: Sweet and surprisingly foody. Morphs between vanilla and sassafras.

 

Dry: The cedar kicks in. That's nice. And mixed with the sweet, probably where I'm getting the leather from. You know that almost-sharp-but-sweet note new leather has, like the cheap craft leather? That's what the base of this reminds me of. But then I'm a little weird.

 

I like this, and masculine scents usually make me run for the soap and water. This is not uber-masculine though--but boy, I bet it would smell yummy on a man. I've got to get me one of those soon, if I only to have my very own guinea pig for all these great blends

[AngellicMystique]

I keep getting a weird phase that smells like the cedar chips used to line hamster cages. After an hour, it's a really sweet, rugged vanilla on me. The end product is vanilla and cedar. I like it.

 

My husband liked it with Honey Moon behind my ear. I, of course, could not smell it there.

[donsixgun]

The vanilla really came out in this, which I dont mind one bit. Though, where snake oil is spicy, this is sweet and a bit dusty...must be the cedar.

Ill be needing a 5ml of this.

[zenvodunista]

i have a bad history with cedar. it usually goes all .... B/O on me

 

surprisingly enough, that doesn't happen here. instead i get a manly sort of rootbeer type smell. but not bad sweet root beer, a dry rootbeer -- a root ale really.

 

i won't order a bottle, that Cedar BO thing is coming and going, and with batch variations, i'd be scared to own a bottle. but much better than i expected.

 

i think this would be absolutely stunning on a man.

 

n.

[Nachtwulf]

I admit, I bought this unsniffed, partly on the desc, and partly because I /live/ very near the real Tombstone.

 

I think this scent is a fine and fitting tribute to the Town Too Tough to Die. It possesses the same vanilla qualities as Snake Oil, but thanks to the balsam and cedar, it's not exactly foody, just sweet. There's almost an alcoholic quality, like fine bourbon and a cedarwood bar polished by the elbows of countless cowboys, gamblers, and ne-er-do-wells. It's not a raunchy sort of booziness like Bordello, though....(that's for later in the night, boys!) but rather, it's a veneer of culture over top of a rough and tumble no-nonsense prospecting town full of sagebrush, cactus, and unadulterated trouble. Somewhat masculine, it still doesn't smell odd on a female, and I do believe it's well within my top ten.

 

The throw is nice, but not overwhelming (you won't find the cloud-o-stank here), and it has both a good duration (three hours so far) and it doesn't morph much, if at all.

[merebrillante]

In the vial: Syrupy.

 

Wet: Gah! Leather and tobacco smell. It must be the sassafras.

 

Drydown: Formaldehyde.

 

Dry: If I hold my wrist far from my nose, I can get hints of the vanilla. But up close, it's starting to give me a headache.

 

ETA: By bedtime, all I could smell was vanilla, and it lingered through the next morning. I like vanilla, but not that much.

Edited January 3, 2006 by merebrillante

[brownbear]

This starts out smelling like dirt. Then it goes to dry dirt. It is very dry dirt for a long time, then it gets more cedar. Then after a while it gets really tasty. It's balsam and vanilla. I eventually like it, but not enough to make space for it.

[Hawke]

In the vial: Root beer, faintly. Without the bubbles.

 

Wet on my skin, it was yep, definitely root beer. Which means my skin likes the sassafras. Vanilla, I think, took the edge off. There's something that's a little smoky/tobacco-y here too. Interesting. I told a friend it smelled like a really hunky guy drinking a rootbeer float.

 

Dry and many hours later, it's a very faint vanilla root beer smell, but it didn't really change. It just faded but it's not entirely gone. It has the potential to be way too sweet, but it never got there on me. Thankfully.

[Xiabelle]

Mmm, I love this.

 

In the vial, it's vanilla and sassafras, like somebody mixed cream soda and rootbeer together, with a bit of something behind it.

 

On, it's more of the same, except the sassafras is stronger... and as it begins to dry down the cedar comes out in full force. This is my least favorite part, since cedar doesn't like me -- it smells fabulous, but too much and my chest hurts.

 

That stage is only a half hour, though, and then it's back to soft sassafras and vanilla. This is marshmallow sweet and soft, edged lightly with a woody backnote. It's gorgeous, and smells just fabulous on me.

 

And throw! I put this on at 6:15 in the morning, and at almost 4 pm, one of my (male) coworkers walked into my office to talk to my officemate, announced 'Something smells good in here', glanced at me, then moved his chair over next to my desk. My officemate agreed, which amused me.

 

Definitely a winner. I might just need a bottle of this, although I seem to have the sweet vanilla category overrepresented....

[elphaba]

There is something completely intoxicating about this scent, about the combination of sassafrass, vanilla and cedar. It's sweet and dusty and, when I close my eyes, I can almost see the saloon doors swinging open to reveal a cowboy with a pair of six-guns and a swagger.

 

I know the description says "traditionally masculine" but my skin eats the balsam (I can only catch the tiniest whiff if I press my nose to my wrist and concentrate) and this easily becomes gender neutral on me. I can't wait to slather it on my husband. Definitely a keeper and probably a big bottle purchase.

[AlaskaSnows]

Bottled essence of desert. It's like leaning against an old dry fence with a saddle on it while a tumbleweed blows by. Smells exactly like this, and I have been there many a time.

[couscous]

The vanilla note in this smells like AGED snake oil in the vial. I'm already wondering how I'll live without it.

 

If Tombstone had stayed this way, with the sassafrass adding a (yes) root beer tinge to sweetened, toasted vanilla, it would have been an amazing snake oil knock-off/alternative. Tombstone sets itself apart, however, by introducing twigs (balsam? brown, snappy twigs) and a very noticeable, very moisture-suckingly-dry cedar. I also think there might be some tobacco in this, though I could just be painting pictures based on beth's copy.

 

Within an hour, the cedar has taken over, slightly sweetened. This is, by far, my favorite part of the scent journey. I don't think I own a cedar blend- I'd forgotten how beautiful it can be. Tombstone is solemn and quiet and perfectly evocative. The sweet root beer vanilla adds a bit of sexy sway.

 

I don't find Tombstone particularly masculine, though- I'll have to smell it on my fenris-wearing pumpkin to see. Until then, this medium-feminine chick will be wearing it and loving it.

Edited January 15, 2006 by couscous

[Supervixon]

I am so in love with this scent! A friend of mine had decanted an imp for me, and I was actually rather afraid that it wouldn't smell as good if it came in a big bottle! SO vanilla-y, and almost balsam-y. I get the root beer smell in the bottle, but on me it's a gorgeous, gorgeous vanilla.

[sookster]

i have a true love/hate relationship with tombstone...the vanilla in this blend

is absofuckinglootleeee to DIE for....the sassafrass is root beer smelling and that is not

a bad thing....what happens is that it becomes so sharp on my skin and amps up

into almost all cedar....while the vanilla and sassafrass never actually lose their

edge, that blasted cedar just bullies itz way to the forefront and shoves the

other 2 behind.......

so you can see while i love this initially the cedar just does not sit well with

my chemistry and nauseates me to the point of having to wash it off....dammit.....

cuz the vanilla in this is one of beth's finest creations to date....*sigh*

[slave1]

In Bottle: Vanilla smoke

 

On Skin: I thought I’d like this, but there seems to be a smokey note not agreeing with me. Maybe the cedar? The vanilla is sweet, warm and gentle and tones the scent. The balsam is light, not overly piney or anything. The sassafras gives a light root-beer note that adds to the sweetness. I do picture the Old West, how interesting. I feel like I just walked into a bar in Deadwood. The smell of wood and dust… very interesting. A unique blend that is very masculine. The throw factor is low thow and the scent itself fades on me in about 10 minutes.

[Voleuse]

This is cedar and vanilla on first sniff, warm and a little dry. Even given the description, this is much gentler than I expected, and much sweeter, as well. There's a sweet spice in the background as well, which I suspect is the sassafras.

 

As it dries, the blend gets a little smoky, and the wood note gets stronger, though it stays sweet overall. This isn't a masculine scent, but I think it would be pretty damn sexy on a man. I love this. I almost wish it had a leather note, but it's near perfect as it is.

[bifemmefatale]

Not what I was expecting, but I like it anyway.

 

In the bottle: Myrrh (spicy root beer) with suede. On: same myrrh with suede smell, a softer leather than in the others I've tried, like Iago. After about a half hour, the vanilla peeks out, but it just amps the creamy root beer smell I always get from myrrh. I never really get the cedar smell distinctly, which is a disappointment, since I love cedar, but I also adore myrrh and vanilla, and for once the leathery smell doesn't go to burnt rosin on me. I think this is a big bottle candidate.

Edited February 5, 2006 by bifemmefatale

[LiberAmoris]

I want to love Tombstone, but the cedar is just too sharp for me here to wear on my skin. Besides having a bit of an edge, it elbows all the other notes out of the way. I love what I can smell of the vanilla and sassafras here, I just wish I got more of them.

 

I might try putting a little bit of this on the edge of one of my hoodies to see if it's better off my skin. I always put on a little perfume before I sit down to watch a film, and I really would love to have this for the occasional Western.

[kettu]

Vanilla = DOOM

 

On me, this scent is VANILLA with a teeeeeeeeny bit of sassafrass and cedar. The vanilla gave me a headache. I washed my hands three times in a concerted effort to remove the offending odor, but it's still there. Weakened, but hanging on for dear life.

 

I know now to stay well away from vanilla scents for they are evil on my skin.

 

Phooey.

 

I wonder what Tombstone smells like on someone who can do vanilla scents... I also wonder what Tombstone would smell like without the vanilla. :\

[WidgetAlley]

A frimp from the faboo HoneyHoneyNY. I love vanilla, but it's sometimes plasticy or playdoughy on me (as in Golden Priapus), and I'm unsure about cedar, so, um. This could be awesome. Or my skin could rip its lower intestine out, decapitate it and leap up and down on the mortal remains, cackling. (Whoa. Evil skin.)

 

In the Imp: Oh. Yum. I smell an almost honey-ish vanilla, pleasant (not overwhelming) cedar, something evergreeny... must be the balsam... and that shadowy rootbeerish sassafras note I love so much in Laudanum. Wow. This smells rugged and manly and really, really delicious. *crosses fingers*

 

Wet: Vanilla! Straight-up delicious vanilla that's not going all weird on me! Yeehaw. It's got a wonderful, earthy tingle from the sassafras, and the most incredibly delicious, dry cedar and balsam backing. It's like Christmas in the Wild West, or something. I'm reminded, somehow, of Firefly, which is never a bad thing at all. The vanilla is the most prominent note, sticky and gooey and somehow a little antique, but it's balanced extremely well by the other elements.

 

Dry: The same. The richest vanilla imaginable, layered with not-too-sharp cedar, and very slight hints of bubbly brown sassafras and green balsam fir. Hasn't faded a bit; brilliant throw (I'm getting hints of vanilla a good three feet away from my wrists); brilliant scent close-up... really it's just brilliant all around.

 

Verdict: I have a dilemma concerning this scent. Do I keep it all to myself, or do I slather it on my boy and jump him in the middle of an open field on a hot July day? This is one of the few BPAL vanillas I've tried that stays utterly true on me, and the other notes are perfect, too. Definitely a big bottle contender.... Oh, forget the boy. He's got his Golden Priapus for that. Tombstone is all mine, baby, aaaall mine.

 

"Tombstone: Because, when you get right down to it, who doesn't want to smell like Malcolm Reynolds?"

 

[edit] The late late final drydown of this is cedar-touched vanilla candles! For some that might be a heartbreaker, but only the other day I was thinking how much I love the smell of vanilla candles, and wishing I could find a BPAL that smelled like them....... so much for Tombstone.

Edited February 12, 2006 by WidgetAlley

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a word or two: Smoky!

 

In the imp: A wee bit of vanilla and cedar and a lot of sassafras.

 

On skin, wet: A bubble, fizzy sassafras soda. Not really digging this much at all. It reminds me more of teenagers at a soda-shop than it does of the Old West.

 

On skin, dry: Hmm. As this dries, it becomes deep, earthy and woodsy. Very rugged and dusty. I think if the sassafras died down a bit, I might really like this. So far, however, it's too sweet and fizzy. A few more minutes, it's not so fizzy, and the vanilla is stronger. I really like it at this point.

 

Conclusion: After about twenty minutes, I really like Tombstone. I don't know if it's something I'd wear regularly, but I'm definitely contemplating a 5ml.

Edited February 14, 2006 by Aredhel