Clockwork Couture: Male

[myth]

Leather, vanilla-infused sandalwood, East Indian patchouli, bitter clove, galbanum, and iron filings.

ETA to add the official description. For reference the original CC.com description said this "the male version has musky amber tones." Which... turns out no amber, but now you know why I reference it below.

This scent is reminding strongly of something I can't quite put my finger on. It is definitely musky, just barely leaning to lightly powdery. So far there is not much throw, and I have to sniff up close on it. Winding through it I can catch hints of citrus and metal, although it is neither citrus nor metallic. This must be the amber, because I've smelled amber with citrus tones before.

It's masculine without being cologney. But this is a working dude, not a polished gentleman. He's got some grease around the edges, but he's huggable... rugged yet friendly. It's very quiet and understated on me so far... I am testing on the day it arrived though, so it might need to catch its breath a bit.

It's going to drive me crazy until I think of which scent this is reminding me of. It may be one of the other Steamworks scents, because it does have something of the feel of the ones I've tried out of those, with an oil and metal feel in the background. I need to go sniff some other bottles and I'll come back and update this when I figure it out. Edited February 22, 2010 by myth

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the bottle, this scent is light amber.

 

On my skin, I'm getting a dusty amber, light skin musk, and a subtle metallic note. The amber is a little powdery, but not enough to ruin the scent for me.

 

The throw is light and the scent fades fairly fast on my skin, like the Female scent does.

 

This is a very gender-neutral scent in my opinion. It's not overly masculine and is easily wearable on a female without feeling too "manly".

[cfrancesca]

On my skin I'm getting only a slightly musky (almost animalistic type of musk), dark amber scent. It's cologney and quite masculine for me. It smells like expensive men's aftershave, it has a freshness to it, but it's also a bit cloying. I can't seem to figure out what other notes are in this, they seem very well blended with the amber, wait! maybe leather?

 

Mmm..perhaps I'll try layering this with the Female version.

[CitizenBree]

I'm still learning about individual notes and all so it's hard for me to detect what this scent is composed of. It is very masculine in my opinion. I would not wear this scent but I'm more of a fruity floral person. I do, however, LOVE it on my husband. I agree with the "working class" scent. Not to sound weird, but it kinda smells like my dad once he's cleaned up a bit after a long day doing construction. There's some cologne/after shave smell to it. Not the fancy stuff, but not the cheap stuff also. It's like...the genuine stuff.

 

Yea, the more I smell it the more it smells like my husband's shaven face. It's very sexy so I think that must be the musk coming out. I'm glad I took the risk and got him a bottle.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Creamy, slight cologney, softly sweet vanilla and light sandalwood jump out most, but I can smell the clove, galbanum (faintly smoky - or I think that's the galbanum, it's a sort of piney resin note with a fair bit of incensey smoke tone), leather and iron - which is rusty and pretty unique - each distinctly, too. The patchouli is lightest, very softly earthy.

 

Wet: Whoaa. WAY more leather, lots and lots of leather (it's the slick, chemically-powdery-plastic De Sade/Spanked style, alas - as in Female), and more iron, sharper and harsher, both of the aforementioned. More wood, less sweet vanilla. The clove too has a woodiness as well as a sharpness. More patchouli, which is still light, and has an almost mossy quality - it reminds me of oakmoss more than patchouli.

 

Dry: The iron metal (which is only faintly nutmeg-y) provides more sweetness than the vanilla now, though the scent is barely sweet on my skin and it was definitely sweet in the bottle. The leather and clover are just amping and amping on me like these particular types always do, heavily and unpleasantly smothering the other notes. The sandalwood has gone a bit drier and less smooth, the patchouli's a little rooty, and the galbanum's more smoky - basically, I am hating this more and more.

 

Later: Like Female, this is quite a morpher! The leather's still strong, but the iron has amped up enough to just barely overtake it, and it's by far the strongest and nicest and most realistic iron note I've smelled. It's both hard and metallic in a classic sense, with a bit of coolness, and it also has that fascinating rusty tang, and only a hint of nutmeg spice (usually the lab's iron note) is just 90% nutmeg to my nose. But the strongest note on drydown is definitely clove, which is that sharp sort - more piercing than spicy, though it is spicy - and almost medicinal with a mentholic quality. The sandalwood's still quite dry, but softer and more rounded, and sort of merges with the soft smoky resin of the galbanum. The patchouli has disappeared entirely and it was barely present to begin with.

 

Summary: Sharp, slightly spicy clove, tangy-rusty nail-hard iron, and intense, chemically-sharp black leather over dry wood and smoky-earthy resins with a very faint touch of sweetness if I sniff close to my skin. Good throw and longevity. Definitely masculine and totally fitting the description and general concept, but not something I can wear.

 

This reminds me most of Spanked of all the 1500ish BPAL scents I've tested. Which means I dislike it immensely but imagine it will be very popular.

[ami226]

On the skin: This is quite faint like the Female... Instead of the vanilla leather sweetness of the Female, I am getting loads of clove on this one. It isn't bitter though! It is a soft clove (probably softened with the leather like in the Female), with a hint of patchouli and sandalwood. I am not getting any metal from this! It is pretty good! I think that one night I am going to have to attack the SO with this one while I wear the Female....

 

I know I have smelled something very similar to this one, but for the life of me, I have no idea what it was!! I have a feeling it was one of the most recent Yules....

[edenssixthday]

This is another gorgeous blend! On me, it's heavy on the clove and leather, but there's a sweetness that must be the vanilla. It smells like a very simple scent, and layers gorgeously with Female. My husband can't wear perfume oils due to allergies, but this one makes me want to pin hiim down and force it on him!

[musichappens]

Oh baby, this is spicy! The clove seems to be going crazy on my skin. Unfortunately, nothing seems to have changed now that it is completely dry. I can detect a teeny tiny bit of patchouli and leather, but that's it. A very rough and ragged type of scent -- this would be absolutely amazing on a guy, but not-so-much on me.

 

ETA: Yowzas! This is actually making my eyes water a bit.

Edited March 2, 2010 by musichappens

[Wwindy]

Rich and spicy! This reminds me a little bit of Raven Moon -- only with leather instead of the chili note. The metallic overtones here are fleeting and don't last long on my skin, but the spicy musk keeps going strong with support from the patchouli. There is something a little cologne-ish about the clean musk/leather combination at first; as the clove and sandalwood come out they temper that impression.

 

I can see how this might read as masculine to some noses, but there's just a touch of sweetness and enough complexity that I think it's absolutely wearable by anyone!

[Suu4LC]

In the bottle this is a cologne-y cinnamony/clovey woody kind of scent. Very rich and masculine. I don't notice the leather too much, but it's the kind of note that comes out on my skin usually.

 

Very clovey/woody on my skin. I definitely get more of the leather/patchouli as well. I do find this to be a very masculine kind of scent. If my boy wore scent, I think this would be amazingly RAWR on him. It's very smooth and well blended-the leather is jusssst the perfect amount.

 

You know, when I sniffed this in the bottle I never thought I would want to keep it. Even just reading the notes there are so many I don't like-leather, sandalwood, patchouli... and I generally don't like earthy/masculine scents...but I...I think I really like this. It's warm and sexy, it dried down beautifully, not too powdery, the clove is gorgeous, the pathouli/leather/sandalwood all behave, it has just a hint of vanilla-y creaminess...

 

...I think I may end up holding onto it...

[zankoku_zen]

Leather, clove, hint of metal and vanilla. Very masculine, and yes its sort of like Spanked, and Raven Moon (without the chilli). I just know I've smelled something like this before.

 

This is for adventurous men, who wear leather because cotton and denim rips too easily, can build a flying apparatus from abandoned old Russian ex-missile debris, and knows the secret to making a good panna cotta that his grandmother taught him ages ago.

[beachbabealways]

Very nice. It reminds me a lot of Geek. Not a lot of throw and the clove is very soft compared to others such as Bandito. I know Geek does not have clove in it but it's amazing how much Male smells like it on my skin. Even with leather being the only common note between the two it really smells like Geek's younger brother.

[sirensea]

To my sniffer, CC: M is quite a bit like Aziraphale. It has that same light, airy quality, which must be attributed to the iron. The leather in this is not a dark leather like in De Sade, or the brown leather in Olisbos and Shrunken Heads... instead, it's a blonde leather, very smooth and professional.

 

I'll probably hold onto my decant for a while and see how it ages. It seems like the type of blend that will only get stronger over time.

[Dark Alice]

Definitely smell the vanilla Sandalwood. There are hints of leather in this...and it is spicy with hints of something metal. The metal in this is definitely the same metal from Carnivale Noir's Torture King and from Iron phoenix but it's not so harsh. These are iron fillings I can deal with. However, I think I can let this pass as it dries down and has virtually no throw on me.

[Lethran]

In bottle: The vanilla clove combination is striking. I’m liking the rich combination of more subtle elements and the way it works with the more dominant notes. Wet; More leater and… I’m guessing it’s galbanum, as that’s an unfamiliar note. It’s lovely. The leather quickly dominates, but everything continues to work together well, particularly the clove and vanilla sandalwood. I think the iron gives it an interesting edge. It’s reminding me of western diamondback, if it visited a head shop, only in a good way. Dry: mostly leather on the fade with a hint of vanilla.

[SeaMonkey]

I'm getting soft leather and clove. It doesn't have a lot of throw and I slathered it about 30 minutes ago. I agree with the previous reviewer that it reminds me a lot of Geek

[Dark Alice]

This is what I wanted Liz to smell like. Vanilla and leather with the barest hints of metal. I think my skin chemistry has changed enough to actually fall in love with this one.

[MCS4096]

Gahhh This is wonderful!

 

The clove is so yummy and spicy, there's a tad of citrus/resinous bite that might galbanum (?) The patchouli is squeaky clean. The throw has a kinda "stereotypical man" vibe (sweet leather and nameless spice), but up close it's ultra complex-- it's spicy and warm and deep. It reminds me of the smell of imported fabrics that have been exposed to incense for who knows how long.

 

mmm I love the clove in this!

[girasol]

Rich and spicy, with a metallic tang. I am in complete agreement with those who have said it smells like a working man (in a good way!). This is going to smell lovely on my husband, I think. The only downside is the amber does give it that usual amber powderiness - on me, anyway.

[Xanon]

Oh man, I really love this one.

Spicy and smooth, with some metallic tinges. The sandalwood is beautiful. It does get a little powdery, but not in an unpleasant way.

I don't feel like people are giving this enough love. If you liked Hell Gate of Ireland, then this is a must.

 

As some have noted, this is amazing layered with Female.

[Lirion]

On me this is leather, leather and more leather.

And while I like leather, it needs something more. I smell kind of like a saddlery at the moment, a dusty one. So it's not sexy leather.

 

ooo, the clove is piping up a bit adding some depth and bite.

But as it does the scent is starting to fade a bit, and it's the sort of scent that needs to be bold to carry the personality.

 

off to the sales pile

[Blood onmy hands]

This smells better in the bottle than it does on me. In the bottle it's spicy clove and vanilla-y sweetness with a hint of dry wood. On my skin, it goes slightly rancid and sour. It actually smells like bitter orange and sharp clove with a sour, dry woods smell. As it dries down, the sandalwood goes to baby powder and something smells hot and cologne-y-sharp.

 

I love leather, vanilla, and patchouli, and I usually enjoy sandalwood and clove, but this blend is just going all wrong on me. All of the notes seem to go sour, bitter, or sharp, and then they roll around in the powdery sandalwood together.

 

Female is lovely, but Male is not working for me...

[Aldercy]

Wow, I am having a hard time pinning this one down. It's one of those really well-blended oils that just doesn't throw one note at you more than any other. I was worried about sandalwood, patchouli and iron (in that order of concern), but somehow felt I wanted to go for it anyway. And I'm glad I did, because I don't get a whiff of the usual sandalwood powder or even much of the patchouli. The metallic influence is there, but it's a cool, glassy metal (not really like the harsh impression 'iron filings' might convey). Overall, it's a gentle vanilla leather with a lot of unidentifiable pleasantries going on in the background. It's very natural and unassuming.

 

I think I might even like it a little better than CC: Female.

[FelicityTwitchell]

wet: clove & sandalwood

 

1/2 way point: clove gets a bit strong/dominating then disappears, the sandalwood disappears

 

dry: soda pop, cherry coke

[nekogrrl]

On me this turns out to be a lovely worn leather scent with the tang of iron, much like the iron feel of Iron Phoenix. The woods are in the background, but add complexity and warmth to the scent.

 

It is very much a 'masculine' scent, and I'm going to decant the husband some for him to wear.