Tombeur

[Venneh]

TOMBEUR
The Interfectors’ cousins in savagery, the Tombeur, are much more complex in their hunting habits and their perceptions. Like the Interfectors, they perceive their vampirism to be an initiation into a higher state of being and relegate humans to base foodstuffs. Unlike the Interfectors, however, the Tombeur are not straightforward predators, and there is a secondary purpose to their hunt: sexual gratification. They take full advantage of their saliva’s hypnotic and psychotropic effects on humans, the mystique that surrounds vampires, the seemingly unnatural attraction some humans have toward vampires, and the potency of the Tombeurs’ own sexual drive to lure humans into complex carnal relationships that culminate in feeding. They are consummate seducers, and some Tombeur feed, completely and terminally, on their conquests, while others create henchmen that are little more than sex slaves. Neither fate is something we would recommend to any of our readers.

Deadly and seductive: vanilla-infused sandalwood, blood musk, antique patchouli, vetiver, lavender, bitter almond, amber, and a trickle of Snake Oil.

I'm getting the antique patchouli and vetiver first and foremost in the bottle (NOOOOOOOO). On my skin, this is primarily the antique patchouli, what I think is the blood musk, and a bit of SO. We'll see what this girl does. This is going really light really quick, which I think has to do with the lavender (DAMNIT), and I think I'm getting the sandalwood and amber, only it's going borderline soapy. Not quite for me, I think, but worth taking the risk on.

[Cheri]

Tombeur is a cross between Snake Charmer and Panther Moon on me. It's warm and sexy, and I like it better than SC or PM. It's a really dark scent and definitely smells the way a vampire might smell.

[ami226]

I seriously love this one even though it should not work on me.

 

I get very little earthiness from the vetiver and little lavender. Mostly I think I smell the sandalwood, but that is alright with me! I also get a bit of the blood musk which smells similar to dragon's blood to me, but thankfully it does not turn into suntan lotion! Everything together is smooth and has great depth. It has the same feel as Snake Oil and Lilith Victoria, but is definitely a completely different scent.

[angelicruin]

I've got to echo the comparison to Snake Charmer meets Panther Moon. This is very resinous, heavy, & sexy. Another scent that is just a bit too much for me in the summer months, but I plan to slather this come Fall.

 

The vetiver is extremely subtle and, truly, I really don't even smell it. Same with the lavender note. The patchouli note is quite smooth and not the OMG dirty hippie slap in the face that it sometimes is on my skin.

 

I predict this becoming very popular once people have a chance to try it. And I think it will age wonderfully.

[yokaitenchi]

I would love to experience the SC x PM child, but unfortunately, I get:

 

Almost no throw--started off relatively nice with vanilla, then turned into the inside of a balloon or talc-covered gloves, and now...lavender gone bitter and vetiver. A big morpher or me, but not at all my thing. Still morphing after 20 minutes (NOW I start getting some of the sexy scent out of this), but wrist is beginning to itch >_>

[Fury]

Unfortunately I missed out on Panther Moon, but I agree with the Snake Charmer comparisons- the blend FEELS very similar to Snake Oil and Snake Charmer, sexy, warm. The sandalwood reminds me of SC's amber, very soft and understated, the supporting act in this blend. I will say the antique patchouli isn't the same golden patchouli I covet in blends like Mircalla and Melainis, slightly dirtier, which I suppose makes sense considering the scent inspiration. It's an incredibly well-blended blend, difficult to pick up notes, but it's very rich oil, dark and sexy with a bit of fruitiness I suppose coming from the blood musk- not fruit, but a similar feeling I get from fruity-patchouli blends.

 

Later on in the drydown I can detect more of the almond and lavender- or at least I'm blaming them for the slightly weird disruption in programming, suddenly powdery and a little sharp- but it goes away after a few minutes and reverts to its roots. Lovely.

[verbranden]

In my decant, I can really smell the Snake Oil, but once it's on my skin the patchouli and vetiver are what are really noticeable and the Snake Oil, while still present, settles into more of a background note, with just a touch of lavender and blood musk to spice things up. The notes play very well together on me. It is very smooth, dark and sexy. I'll be getting a bottle of this of this for sure.

Edited July 21, 2010 by verbranden

[Dark Alice]

I don't know why I need this...but I do. The antique patchouli is delicious the vetiver plays really well...but I don't smell too much snake oil. Since Snake Charmer never worked for me...I can't make the comparison...I also don't see the Panther moon reference either...but this is pretty delicious. I think Tombeur stands out on its own. This will definitely find its way into my fall rotation.

[CitizenBree]

To me, this is a long lost member of the snake pit, in that it is really SNAKE OIL plus some other things added in. It is not a trickly of SO in my imp...it's a tidal wave. It's really an amped up version of snake oil. the spice is much heavier. I agree with the snake charmer comparison. I didn't really dig any of the snake pit but this one i do like. I think because all of the snake pits were much more the other ingredients on me whereas this is much more the snake oil. funny how that works.

 

It is 90 degrees here today and I probably should have stuck with snow white instead of this, but i agree that this will be perfect for cool fall nights.

 

I'm trying very hard to cut back on bottles, but i'm strongly considering getting this one.

[hlemonds]

Straight out of the mailbox to skin testing. Why on earth am I getting a heavy dose of the Champaca from Panther Moon? It isn't in the listed notes, but damned if that isn't what I'm smelling. After about half-an-hour the champaca recedes into the blend and now I can smell a bit of the vanilla-sandalwood as well as a warm current of Snake Oil underneath. Completely dry I find this to be a wonderfully warm and inviting scent. I can see why some folks would prefer it in cooler weather, but I've been loving Snake Oil, Mme. Moriarty, and Paduan Killer Swarm lately, so this seems to fit into my current scent profile very well. Still unsure of why my nose tells me Champaca! for the first 30 minutes to an hour. Maybe it's some combination of lavender/bloodmusk/bitter almond? I don't get the vetiver much at all, and I don't really detect the lavender or almond. The patch is there, but it's very mild, and really GOOD patch.

[strahlend]

In the bottle this smells like a lightly lavender tinged snake oil with dragon's blood. During the dry down on my skin I feel like I can detect many of the components for brief moments - lavender, amber, hints of vetiver and patchouli. I never did notice sandalwood or almond. Eventually it dried down to simply a softer, gentler snake oil.

 

Edit: either aging has really changed this bottle, or my nose has changed. This is a strongly snake-oily, vetivery, woody, and even musky-spicy scent. Wet on my skin the red musk pops right out, but later it blends in with all the other dark, rich notes. It's a potent scent, lasts all day and the little bit that got on my shirt lasted for days. It has a sort of cologny feel often associated with products geared toward men. I had sniffed this and then forgot about it, but I'm glad that I rediscovered it. Tombeur has been in heavy rotation this last week and I know I'm not going to forget about it again.

Edited March 24, 2012 by strahlend

[zankoku_zen]

On wet, I get the Snake Oil/Snake Charmer vibe best with giant blast of red musk, but as ti dries, I get the lavender, amber and hints of sandalwood. It's definitely a kissing cousin to Snake Charmer, but on me it wasn't as heavy as say Panther Moon was. Dark, sultry, femme fatale sort of blend.

 

If you like Snake Oil/Snake Charmer, give this a whirl. SO and I haven't always gotten along, and it is best behaved in this blend.

Edited August 11, 2010 by zankoku_zen

[Blood onmy hands]

Smelling this in the bottle, Tombeur is all Snake Oil and lavender. I usually like lavender, but this lavender smells very astringent and almost like it has an edge of vinegar to it. I don't know how to describe Snake Oil exactly (oily, incensey, dark). I don't like Snake Oil at all (smells like dirty hair on me), but I like a lot of the Snake Pit and Snake Oil blends.

 

On my skin, this loses its sharp/vinegar edge and actually smells quite nice. The lavender is strong, but it settles into a sweet, cool, smooth lavender that's very pleasant. The blood musk and Snake Oil blend together in a warm, red, incensey way.

 

As it dries down, the lavender fades and the blood musk/Snake Oil combo gets stronger and slightly sour & smoky on me. I can smell hints of earthy patchouli, which I love, but it's mostly a warm red musk and incense feel.

 

I feel like I own a lot of red musk based blends that smell similar, but better, on me than this does. The drydown has a sour, perfumey, smoky edge that I'm not loving.

[crebbsgirl]

Patchouli is definitely at the forefront here. You know, this smells a little headshoppy on me. And normally I don't get that from patchouli. As it continues to dry, I can definitely smell the lavender and Snake Oil a la Lilith Victoria, but the musk and patchouli make this infinitely more dark.

[HighPriestessIce]

Ok I need some sort of disclaimer here. I tend to write my reviews by what ever pops into my head at the time it's going from wet to dry. On to my review.

 

-Weirdly enough on me it smelled like my beloved Loviatar T.T

-Then BAM! dry sandalwood out of nowhere.

-It's now morphed to something that reminds me of a dryer smut minus the grape sugar smell.

-It's gone just a little warmer and creamier.

-It's now a warm, soft, creamy red musk. A dry spice edge but very smooth and cuddly.

 

Hot damn! Brb selling soul for more.

[gypsyjolie]

The antique patchouli and blood musk, and that "oily" smell that vetiver has when it first applied start out this scent. Yuck, it's fairly awful on me when wet. But I know to wait for vetiver to chill out, so I do.

 

15 mins later this it TOTALLY different. The vetiver has become sweetgrass, the patchouli smoothed out, the blood (dragonsblood) has calmed into an almost fruity red smell, and this is now a deep dusky red musk-y blend that you can't hardly tell what notes make it up. The lavender is definitely a player, a topnote that tickles the edge of your nose, but it works here to add complexity without being all medicinal. The sandalwood just adds a dry woodiness. Sexy!

 

This totally reminds me of Snake Charmer now, but comparing the two side by side, this is a more herbal (lavender) and SC is more plummy. Since plum doesn't really love me, I might like this better, especially with a bit more aging.

 

Sadly, not a ton of throw on this (or Snake Charmer either for that matter).

Edited August 13, 2010 by gypsyjolie

[bloody sore]

This one reminds my wife of a dank indoor swimming pool she used to visit as a child.

To me, it's all the bad things about panther moon and FRM mixed together. Fuzzy and sharp at the same time and not good at all. Gives me a headache.

[violetblue]

I really truly wanted to love this one. But it turned into a shot of weird men's cologne with a snake oil chaser. I prefer Snake Oil/Charmer to this and swapped my bottle.

[meredevachon]

In the bottle: Very faint. Ambery without being just amber, but no other notes stand out.

 

Wet: Dirt and plastic. Something that seems very very familiar, but I can't identify it.

 

Dry down: Slowly shifts from the wet scent. Amber and patchouli first. Then sandalwood starts to come out. It's like every few minutes a veil is removed, revealing another aspect of the blend. Almond next, and something kind of sickly sweet. Hint of florals, but only just, and not enough to pick anything out specific. Plastic-y smell is back. Then finally getting some musk, but it seems old (more like the musk that lingers in a den than the musk on whatever lives there). Then the sweet kicks up another notch. Then it's knocked back down a little by vetiver coming out.

 

Dry: this keeps morphing, and mostly it just seems muddled. Like it can't decide what it wants to be. I'll move my arm and the waft is lovely, then the next time I catch the scent it's completely different and I'm not sure if I like it or not.

 

Overall: This one's going to have to have a full day test, probably more than once before I can make up my mind. And even then, I have a feeling a little age might help this blend find its identity. (n.b., I'm actually a BPALer who's never tried Snake Oil (I'll get to it eventually, it just hasn't happened yet), so I can't compare Tombeur to either SO or Snake Charmer...or any of the other blends with SO in them.)

 

Impressions: Muddled, muddied swirl. Mix of greys and browns with hints of brighter red and amber. Weighty.

[SeaMonkey]

This is straight out the mail box, so I will edit once it's had time to settle, but I'm getting honey??

 

I'm getting honey, lavender, and dirt that is sweetened by musk. That doesn't sound too appetizing, but it actually smells really good

[rinster]

Sexy as hell. This time, patchouli and vetiver actually like me! I'm not getting lavender, which is fine. I am getting vanilla, musk, and amber which reminds me of Ecstasy of Passion, but with a snake bite.

[lookingglass]

Oooh, I like it! It is like Mme Moriarty's vampire lover (slathers it on DH). It smells musky and red, deep and dark, almost fruity but not quite. It is only slightly sweet, and more herbaceous than I expected-more masculine. DH loves a little lavender in his scents to give them a little lift. This is brilliant.

[raaven]

Strangely, for me, the BPAL scent that this compares most closely with is Smut. It may have a little more root beer tendency, like Laudanum does on me. If I think hard about it, I can smell the tiniest bit of Snake Oil, but mostly, I smell Smut.

 

Which sadly, is nice on other people, but way too overwhelming on me. ::sigh::

 

ETA: After about 2 hours, I started sneezing and got a headache. Washed as much off as I could, and about an hour later, found it smelled pleasantly almond, wood & ambery. If my skin amped this less extremely, I could love it, but...no. Not to be.

Edited August 18, 2010 by raaven

[lahdeedah]

I had a feeling Tombeur would be the VILF for me, and I was right, though I question whether it's unique enough on me to warrant a bottle purchase. I really only pick up the vanilla, patchouli, musk and amber (that smells more like ambergris than resiny amber to my nose). It definitely smells akin to both Snake Charmer and Panther Moon on my skin--the latter in particular--though I'd say it has a more masculine feel than either. I do quite like it, so further testing will be in order. If you missed out on PM, I would definitely give this one a try, and if you happen to have Snake Oil Bath Oil, layer it on over that.

[Lorelai1945]

Hmm. Wet on my skin this smells a lot like the dreaded Smut disaster- latex and weird nuttyness and all. It has to be the almond/blood musk combo. I just can't do nuts (yeah, yeah- in scents). This smells dry and quite manly on me. Nutty and dry and that same musk from Smut- and I have to say it kind of makes my head hurt and my stomach a bit queasy. Once it's dry it does sweeten up, and I can almost tell there's Snake Oil in there. But not quite. I could see this being sexy on a man with the right skin chemistry, but not on me.