Tombstone

[strangemusic]

Lab description: 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.

 

Clear and a little viscous, I smelled hot, dry dust, vanilla, a hint of sweet oranges?, and tobacco... slapped me back two-plus decades to my Grandma Marie's porch, her spit bottle, and her ever-present pack of Red Man chewing tobacco.

 

Took me a while to come back to the present day... and imagine my shock when I looked up the description (on break at work) to find no tobacco in this one at all, or citrus. However, balsam does have a sweet, fresh, and earthy odor; some say it's close to vanilla. Knowing this, I'm not surprised I got orange peel/tobacco... and the tobacco and sweet vanilla are what came out first when I tested this. Not one hint of cedar came through, which, if it had, could have given this scent a base instead of all the swirling vanilla/balsam. Unless that dusty... oh, wait, that is the cedar. I'm not sure how to describe it, exactly... it's sort of sliding/pushing against the vanilla and balsam, mixing and moshing with it, blending but pushing it away.

 

Dry: Just before the last bit of wet oil dried, the sassafras rushed up, all sweaty and "Am I late? Have we started yet OMG YOU STARTED WITHOUT ME" and POW. Sassafras scooped up the vanilla, scooped up the balsam, jiggled 'em around a bit and now I smell like nothing so much as a fresh, home-brewed root beer.

 

I love root beer!

 

But I do not wish to smell like root beer.

 

Sadness and pouting!

Edited June 27, 2006 by strangemusic

[McKay]

This scent evokes the feel of the Old West; when I smell it, I feel like I've walked into an upscale saloon. Not a bawdy, wild saloon where unwashed cowboys fight and drink, but something more classy. It's a warm scent, and while tobacco doesn't seem to be a note in it, it reminds me of the rich, plummy scent of pipe tobacco. I think the vanilla and cedar blend on me to create that. It's sweet with a hint of wood to keep it from being cloying.

 

I don't particularly like it for me, but anyone who has good luck with scents with vanilla (I'm thinking Snake Oil, for example) would probably like it. It's one of the heavier scents, and it wears really well.

[shahrazad]

Tombstone morphs a bit on me. Wet, there's a little root beer with a whole lot of cedar. Then the cedar disappears, leaving that warm, spicy/herbal root beer scent. About 3-4 hours later, it smells exactly like vanilla extract - there's a very, very faint medicinal or alcoholic quality that keeps it from smelling like straight-up vanilla. I love this and would wear it anyday except in the heat of summer, when it would probably be a little too rich. Great staying power also.

Edited July 6, 2006 by shahrazad

[edenssixthday]

Tombstone - The first note I detect is vanilla followed almost instantaneously by the scent of harsh, dry wood. Cedar and I have never gotten along, and this isn't any exception. This scent is a paradox to my senses, on the one hand being warm and sweet (vanilla and sassafras), which are the only notes I smell wafting about me. On the other hand, it is dry, acrid, arid, and woody (balsam and cedar), which are the only notes I smell when I sniff my skin up close. After about 30 minutes, I realize the vanilla, sassafras, and the woods are blending in a way that makes me almost think of leather and/or the inside of a barn. In fact, oddly enough, it shares some qualities to Dead Man's Hand, but I can't figure out how/why since they don't share any notes. DMH is leather and dust, and Tombstone is more outdoors scents. Either way, they are both highly evocative of the Old West. The throw is pretty strong -- I wouldn't go overboard with this one! The staying power is about 4 hours on my skin, although after the 2 hour point, the vanilla has completely dissipated and all that's left is the dry scent of wood. This scent is so perfectly named -- I definitely see the association between "tombstone", "the Oild West", and this perfume oil blend. It's not a scent for me, but since I live in a state full of cowboys, I imagine quite a few cowboy types could pull this scent off wonderfully. It was meant to be worn by a man who is wearing a cowboy shirt, cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and who is most likely chewing on a piece of hay.

[PilotKitten]

Cedar! Definitely cedar!! Wow, does my skin ever amp up woods or what! I’m also getting an anise note as well… is this what sassafras smells like I suppose? Gah… just not working well on me. The cedar note is overpowering everything eternally.

[Kittyflop]

In the vial & on wet: Very much vanilla. I'm worried that this might be too straight-up vanilla.

 

Drying down - Oh, yay, the sassafrass is showing up! As it continues to dry, the cedar and sassafrass take front stage with occasional cameos by the vanilla. This is just delicious. It's got a strong throw and serious lasting power on me.

 

Several hours into it, the sassafrass recedes and I'm left with a lovely cedar skin scent.

[pixievixen]

hmm. i almost didn't try this one, as it didn't smell like "me", but i gave it a shot.

 

on, this is rootbeer and pipe tobacco in a old wood building... i am from northern california (gold country) and this totally reminds me of visiting shops in the old mining towns in the foothills. it's a comforting scent, but i am not certain i want it on me all day.

 

that said, i'll likely keep the imp, but i won't be buying a big bottle.

[fiddledragon]

From the GC Circle Swap.

 

Tombstone: Ooo, a tarted imp! I can pick out all the notes, but they're very well-blended. The cedar's going a tad dry and pencil-y on me, and something about it and the sassafrass make an almost tobacco kind of note...I never thought I'd say this, but I may want something sweeter and more vanilla to layer it with. *rummage, rummage* No, not vanilla -- honey! Honey Moon layered over it is absolutely decadent. A similar GC like Sudha Segara or Osun would probably work just as well.

[BlackWingedRoses]

I, like some of our other reviewers, was surprised there was no tobacco in this blend. I got a very smokey smell right from the bottle, which scared me a little, cause i can't stand the smell of smoke. But it was a woody smoke. I can imagine this is the cedar. Kinda strong for my liking, but it morphs.

Vanilla is definitely present. It's dry and sweet, like a cigar.

But I must say I adore the drydown on this. It smells like a spicier rootbeer float! Reminds me a bit of Voodoo, but with more woodiness.

I'm on hour 4 and can still smell it.

[gaai]

Kind of a woody vanilla.......( I know I'm not the most sophisticated reviewer and I'm still learning to sniff out different notes...)

I don't know how balsam or sassafras smells ( I have yet to open my can of rootbeer I bought for comparing the scent, because I read it smells like sassafras ) .

It's like nothing I've smelled before, but I really like it! The vanilla makes it sort of familiar.......but it's still different......I let the husband have a sniff and he liked it too, so I might put some on him next time. I can imagine it smelling *very* good on him.

[Syzygy]

This is a warm, rich, comforting blend. The sassafrass and vanilla make it smell like a good, creamy root beer, but a touch of woods gives it more dimension. It's got some pretty strong throw, too. Not something I'd usually wear, and I don't think a bottle is in the works, but it looks like I'll be using up the imp anyway: it's a terrific bedtime scent.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Smoky, husky vanilla. Hints of sassafras.

 

On the wrist, wet: Smells like an old fashioned candy that I can't quite identify. Something spicy peeks out as it begins to dry.

 

On the wrist, dry: Getting the root beer-esque scent of sassafras (technically that's sasparilla that we're smelling, not root beer ). Getting something slightly reminiscent of anise as well, maybe a sharper aspect of the sassafras, or the cedar.

 

Final Analysis: I smell like an incredibly sexy cedar chest that possibly had a root beer float spilled inside it. I also get whiffs of cotton candy and other carnival treats. This lasts for a very long time (over twelve hours now and still smellable, though faint now) and it has a good bit of waft. It's also strong, a dab will do ya. All in all, I like this and I'm going to hang on to it for a fall scent.

[Diana]

Wet: dry woods, leather(?), just a hint of sassafras

 

Drydown: sweet, dry woods. the sassafras isn't really detectable as a single note, but along with the vanilla (almost gooey-seedpod-like) adds a lift to the cedar note, which on its own is usually darker & drier. I really like this a lot. It also reminds me a bit of Chokmah.

[gypsybaby1]

plastic. just, burnt plastic. I can only assume it's the Balsam and Cedar.

 

off to swaps it goes!

[midnight_aeval]

Another second time around imp; I figure, if it comes around again I should do the imp justice and review it!

 

the first time I tried Tombstone it was like one of those Rootbeer Candies you got from A&W back in the day.

 

This time it's much more woodsy.. Like walking through the swing doors of an Old West tavern... sassafras is prominent, but I'm loving that woodsy note. I might keep this imp around... and accidently spill it on my husband. hehheh

[Jia]

Two words: Hell's rootbeer. My skin seems to amp this like crazy, turning it into a very strong vanilla-sassafrass scent. Over the few months I've had it, I've found that it's actually a kind of nice soothing scent. You know, accidently put on a scent that hates you in the morning, suffer through part of the day, and then sniff this and it perks you right up. It certainly smells... clean. Though not soapy.

 

I don't like it, but... I like it a lot.

[portalkat]

Tombstone starts out with a strong blast of sassafras. I knew that it was in there, but I didn't expect it to be so loud. I can smell the vanilla along with it and I'm wondering when the other notes come out to play. Aaah, now that it's dry, the sassafras recedes and the vanilla mingles with the wood notes. This is really pretty because I love vanilla and wood, but it wasn't what I had expected from a blend called Tombstone. Oh well, I love it.............and I need a bottle of it

[steffanina]

Tombstone-

 

In Bottle: Very faint; not much that I can smell at all.

 

Wet: Smoke, very strong woodsmoke.

 

Dry: The smoke overpowers. I wish it dried down into something warm to mix with the faint hints of cedar and vanilla that I can detect, but it just doesn't. Smells like someone lit the hamster cage on fire (save the hamsters!).

 

Overall: Not for me.

[Toby]

My immediate reaction to this is moss, or a bitter lichen of some sort. It's unpleasant and rather displeased, like a grumpy uncle glaring at you. This immediately fades into a sweet milk chocolate note, which morphs almost immediately into mint chocolate. It seems to be staying there for now, but it's more of a menthol-mint than mint mint. This is weird. Also morphing again.

 

The menthol is now dominant on my skin and I can only get a slight hint of chocolate. I can smell a bit of sweetness underneath the cold, but there's not much left. I do wish it had stayed at that chocolate stage, which was sweet and absolutely gorgeous.

[maijasu]

Tombstone is such a morpher on me!

 

Just applied, it is all root beer. Strong, wafty root beer. Uh-oh. I don't wanna smell like root beer!

 

Then, as it's drying, the throw becomes more of a syrupy sweet vanilla, while a sniff up close to my wrist reveals that the root beer is still hanging around.

 

Later, the cedar peeps out, but it's well-tempered by the vanilla and doesn't turn into eau de hamster cage or pencil shavings.

 

The longer I had this on, the more I liked it...and, wonder of wonders, my extremely picky husband liked it too! I wear scents for my own enjoyment, but finding something we both like is a very rare occurrence, so this will be a big bottle purchase!

 

[Taniwha]

Damn, I smell good!

 

I put this on my wrist, then went outside to do yard work. Even under my glove this was wafting out very strong, and oh-so-wonderful. At first, I got the vanilla and sassafrass. While I like the latter, it's not a foody scent I really want to wear. After awhile, it faded in to the background, and I'm left with a warm, rich, vanilla cedar that is knocking my socks off. My inclination is to say it's too "rugged" for me, and I can't wait to smell it on my husband, who liked it on me. I think I'm going to buck convention, however, because damn, I smell good!

[spaceprostitute]

It took me a long time to try this one due to a fear of cedar (I'm looking at you Namaste!) and vanilla. Vanilla is growing on me though, and just in time.

 

This is mindblowing and this review can't do this oil justice.

 

It's rugged, but not overly so that I can't wear this. In fact, I wear this all the time when I want that nice warm feeling or to be reminded of my favorite guy.

 

In the bottle, it's a bit reminiscent of pencil shavings, but there's a warmth behind that begs you to try it on. Once you do, it's just the warm, rugged amalgamation of cedar tempered by a rich aged vanilla and with just a note of sassafras to add just the slightest hint of a rugged bite, but doesn't make you think "Mmm, rootbeer." This scent is Clint Eastwood in a bottle. It's wonderful on me and just envelopes me when I wear it, and it makes me want to nuzzle every nook and cranny when the favorite guy wears it, too. If I could buy it in a 10 gallon drum, I would, it's just that good. Definitely in my top 10 scents.

[Naamah_Darling]

This is very light in the bottle; vanilla and balsam (a kind of sweetish, powdery, woody odor), with the sassafras and cedar all brown off in the background.

 

On, it's thick cedar and a robust, dark vanilla, with a medicinal jolt of sassafras that, in combination with the cedar, smells the way latex gloves taste. Faintly rubbery; reminds me of the dentist. It's pleasant enough despite that; I can definitely see it being a rugged, outdoorsy scent, alternating shade and light. About all it's missing is a hint of leather – this is a smell that should be riding pillion with Dead Man's Hand. It's civilized and gentlemanly but in an old-fashioned way, lightly unisex but on the masculine side, and . . . yes . . . that's sexy. Not in an overt way, but subtly. You know the type. Someone who just has that way about him.

 

The sassafras isn't overwhelmingly root-beery; it's at the subtle center of this scent. The vanilla is off to one side of it, and the creaminess of the two of them is lovely. Off to the other side, though, is the cedar, and that's what gives this its rugged edge. Cedar is a very unpolished and raw scent, and it brings up the jagged edge in the sassafras. The balsam is woody and also creamy, so it blends with all three scents without ever really poking its head out.

 

Earthy, slightly foody, but with an edge to it. This one reminds me of O's big brother who moved out of the city in favor of frontier life. What with the smell of dentists, this definitely reminds me of Doc Holliday.

 

What? You didn't know he was a dentist? You're no daisy at all!

[illyriajem]

Well this one fits the description just right.

 

Wet: The cedar is more pronounced with vanilla right behind. A dusty, woody vanilla is my best description of it. meh

 

Dryed down a bit, the vanilla becomes more pronounced on my. Still a slightly woody scent, but definitely mostly vanilla. Since I'm not a huge fan of vanilla this goes in the swap pile. But it is nice.

[supremegoddessofall]

Tried this at a meet and sniff. This smells like old, dry leather. It's exactly what I imagine a "wild west" scent to be like. I like it!