The Elephantine Colossus

[LunaLovegood]

THE ELEPHANTINE COLOSSUS
Perfect for a Victorian Seaside Fornicatress! The Elephant Hotel, or Elephantine Colossus, was a 122 foot high elephant-shaped hotel that opened on Coney Island in 1885. Though it was a marvel of its time, it was also sullied by it’s proximity to the Gut, a particularly seedy section of West Brighton that seethed with persons of ill repute, and the Elephantine Colossus soon became as famous for its prostitutes as it was for its unusual architecture. Seaside hanky panky: a strumpet’s red musk with a merry splash of root beer, a swirl of exotic pipeweed, and a whiff of sweets carrying over from the boardwalk.

Fist off the bottle I thought it was nice but not impressive. Definitely on the foody side.
Then I skin tested it, and OMG I smell popcorn. No joke!

So today I gave it a full drive and wore it all day. This thing is a beauty.

Lovely sweet and salty mixed together. Its loads of carny foods playing with each other. A bit of funnel cake, popcorn, maybe some cotton candy as well.
Its a sweet blend without being in your face sweet. After the initial popcorn scent I get when I first put it on, it mellows into the sweetness and you get an awesome foody scent thats incredibly well blended. No note overpowers another.

Love it!

[Invidiana]

This is seriously like the love child of Snake Oil and Midway. It smells almost identical to Snake Oil in the bottle but the notes that differentiate it really bloom once it's on my skin. It's got that same irresitably sexy red musk I recognize from Snake Oil combined with sweet and sticky background notes of root beer and what seems to be hints of funnel cake, caramel and cotton candy, especially the caramel. The root beer note doen'st really scream "root beer" in particular but may actually be what's adding to the caramelly feel. I swear if there could be a perfume translation of the song "Sex and Candy" this would be it. It's also the (highly addictive) miracle drug of perfumes for me because I amp just about every ingredient in it to the nines so a trace amount puts me in a scentagasmic cloud of happiness for at least 8 hours.

Edited October 10, 2010 by Invidiana

[porcelina]

ooooh! elephantine colossus smells like musky, sexy cookies with a splash of root beer. it's wonderful, and i think it will age beautifully. i'm glad i got, um, 3 bottles.

 

edit: three months later, this has already aged fantastically. i smell like an idealized carnival (you know, food and treats and a ferris wheel, minus the occasional whiff of vomit and, um, "carny musk"), with red musk, root beer and a hint of foody goodness- like funnel cake being served up at a cute, colorful stand. i adore this!

Edited January 29, 2011 by porcelina

[Geminirubyshoes]

I'm guessing this was the big hit of Event Exclusives. In the bottle it's nutty, sweet and red musk all the way. Once applied the red musk mellows and I get some of the root beer creaminess, its even a little smokey. Strumpet musk FTW!

[absinthetics]

Luna says it best. For me it's seriously snake oil, popcorn and rootbeer. A sexy foody's dream!

[Ravenclaw79]

In the bottle: A pile of root beer Dum-Dums, sitting next to an open bottle of Smut.

 

Wet: Smut-y, very Smut-y, but without the booziness.

 

Dried: Peanut Smut. I've heard of red musk going peanut-y on people before, but Smut doesn't go that way on me. Apparently, this one does.

[fetish911]

Yep. Little popcorn, definitely some Snake oily-ness and a smidgen of sweet rootbeer & a whiff of smoke. I dig it! I can't wait to see how this is going to age.

[hlemonds]

Hmmm....I love the red musk and root beer, but I'm not so sure about the popcorn. I do get a hint of smokiness, which is nice, but the salty popcorn is a little wierd on my skin. Not sure I need both bottles, but I'll give it some time to settle and see how things turn out.

[sfsassy]

I don't get any popcorn, but I do agree that it has a snake oil/midway vibe to it. I bet it will age very well.

[Aldercy]

Mmm, this is almost exactly what I imagined it would smell like! It's a bit like red musk frosting. With root beer froth (specifically froth-- it's a very airy root beer).

 

The red musk (which, to me, can have many different faces) is most like that of Kyoto (no cherry or anise, but it's a very thick, almost syrupy musk like that). It's whipped with an odd combination of vanillic candy (with a soft, taffy-like texture) and a general salty-sweetness. And a tiny hint of the cream cheesy note from Cake Smash. Hence my impression of red musk frosting. The root beer is there, but on my skin it's playing a supporting role. It's kind of dry, airy and woodsy compared to the gooey sweetness of the candied red musk, so it definitely helps to balance things out.

 

Very sexy, very playful, and I pretty much love it.

 

ETA: Sometimes I get pretzels from this. I think it's the hint of salt combined with the oddly dry, woodsy root beer.

Edited November 7, 2010 by Aldercy

[angelicruin]

Starts out as a gorgeous red musk scent on me. As it dries and mellows a bit, I pick up the root beer note and something else sweet...perhaps candy? Amazing scent and very glad to have a bottle. I can't wait to see how this ages.

[GypsyRoseRed]

I asked a sweet person to pick up a bottle of this for me from NYCC, but was immediately wary of the mentions of root beer and popcorn in the reviews from those at the Con. This is a richly smoky, creamy vanilla with sweet musk and root beer foam. Delicious, and so much better than I was expecting! It does bring Snake Oil to mind just a touch, but it's distinctly different.

[zankoku_zen]

Snake Oil, red musk and a touch of rootbeer. Unfortunately, SO isn't a scent I can wear.

 

But overall, foodie, sexy, warm.

[opticnerd]

To me, this is Eat Me, but heavier on the Snake Oil-esque red musk note and sans the sour currants fruity note. Also a bit more buttery, but overall very similar to Eat Me. If you like red musk blends, you'll love this one!

[mxtine]

There is a slight buttered popcorn smell to this upon initial application, along with syrupy red musk, root beer and creamy vanilla. The popcorn smell disappears and I'm left with Snake Oil, Smut and root beer. I also detect a metallic smell, but that's something red musk does on my skin sometimes. It's sexy-foodie, and I love it.

 

Thank you NYCC angel.

[bloody sore]

I'm kinda resenting the comparisons to my beloved snake oil on this one. This is awful. It's all the bad parts of red musk (that fake fruit smell) plus overly salty popcorn and a touch of rootbeer. Strong throw.

Blech.

It does remind me of midway: a much much worse midway.

[Ashenrook]

Thanks again to my lovely NYCC angel! I got this for a friend and...I stole a dab. >_>

 

In the Bottle

Smooth, buttery...popcorn? Almost something cake-y about it. It's like being on a carnival food strip.

 

On Skin: Wet

You know, I've never tried a BPAL red musk note until now. I'm unsure if I am a fan. It is a nice concept, though, with the spicy, yet fruity, musk... But fruity tends to do poorly on me.

 

There is a splash of root beer, but it vanishes rather quickly, and replaced with a somewhat herb-y scent that must be the pipeweed.

 

On Skin: Dry

 

And...there's candy floss? Yeah. Cotton candy. I like this part. It's starting to smell less like a strumpet and more like classic carnival foods (all it needs is some funnel cake).

 

Afternotes

Pretty much this...kinda annoying red musk (I have now determined I do not like this note), but the cotton candy note is lovely! There's a little bit of creamy root beer in the background again. Mm. Now I want a root beer.

 

 

Verdict

On an American scholastic grading scale, I'd give this a C.

 

While the red musk is not my thing at all (it reminds me too much of red currant, which does not get along with me at all), but I really liked the root beer and cotton candy. And as the usual rule of thumb goes, if it's "Meh" or "Ick" on me, without going foul, then I am nearly positive my friend will like it.

Edited October 16, 2010 by Ashenrook

[lamenteuse]

While there is that hint of sweetness that everyone mentioned, on me is a really dark, almost anise seed, musk scent. It pretty much stays like this for a while, not allowing anything else to really come to the top.

 

However, a quick experiment with it on cloth proved to work a lot better. While the heavy musk scent is still there, the sweetness pops up as does this great root beer scent at the end. Needs a scent locket!

[pinkgyrl]

Thank you to my pick up angel

 

When it's wet, it's like whoa musk and incense on my skin - it does remind me of the slight nuttiness of Snake Oil for a few minutes in this stage. This really didn't go foodie on me - after it has settled in, I get a touch of salty popcorn and rootbeer (the musk just disappears). It's a drier rootbeer than I expected - I was hoping it would be all creamy and foodie - maybe my skin is fighting it, so I will re-test!

 

Upon retest:

 

I still get the root beer - it feels overall like a cola and foody blend with a layering of almost a ginger musk feel on my skin. It still doesn't scream red musk to me (except in the wet stage) - it must be the "pipeweed" that is fighting the musky part of the scent on my skin. If you go into trying the scent thinking interesting - a root beer scent with a sexy edge, you get much better results than if you go into wearing it hoping to get a scent in the "Snake Oil" family.

Edited April 16, 2011 by GirlinDenial

[beachbabealways]

Many thanks to my pick-up angel

 

Smut mixed with a few carny treats. Salted Popcorn and a lil funnel cake.

 

I do not get any Snake Oil from this what-so-ever and I'm a huge Snake Oil fan.

 

Me likes a whole bunch! May try to track down another bottle.

[violetblue]

Whoa this has amazing throw which I love and it has that heavy muskiness like in BPTP, Lucy, Kissed. At first I wasn't sure, because wet it's almost bitter foody but as it dries, the musk calms down and I do get the foodiness much sweeter. The root beer is very light on me as well. I do not see the comparisons to Snake Oil either, but I do like this one, and even if I didn't, I would keep it for the label. I love elephants.

ETA: Much love to my pick up angel for getting this for me!!

Edited October 18, 2010 by violetblue

[femmefatale]

So Snake Oil, Smut, & Banned in Boston had a younger sister. This younger sister decided she needed to go down to the shore to find herself ("herself" aka hot guys) and discover her purpose in life (aka: get laid). She spent her days on the boardwalk and her nights under it.This is that sister.

 

It is just a lovely blend of red musk, root beer, and a hint of foody sweetness. It's a little sexy, a little youthful, and very fun.

I simply it and it makes me feel less like my mom-self and more like the girl at the shore I was when I met a certain hot lifeguard (who is now my hot computer guy hubby ).

 

I need gallons of this. And with the way it makes me feel, dh will surely support that.

Edited October 20, 2010 by Femme_Fatale

[jarvenpa]

Infinite thanks to the dear soul who picked up a bottle of this for me and then who said "I hope you like red musk" (she said this seemed to be the most talked about and adored scent at NYCC).

 

As it happens, red musk, like vanilla, can do no wrong. My skin loves it (and so do I).

 

I didn't read the scent notes or description when I first tried it, and what I thought was caramel/vanilla, with a sprinkling of seasalt (you know those yummy caramels with just a few grains of sea salt, coarse, on their shiny, sweet surface?). And then...whoa, so sexy.

 

It reminds me of Snake Charmer, but I only smelled a drop of that (and had a drop on my wrist, long, long ago)...so maybe this is a false memory. It doesn't really remind me of Snake Oil, but has some overtones of some of my other favorites (Snake Oil is not one of my favs, btw).

 

It is delicious and makes me feel wonderful. Lasts very very well, and seems to have a decent but not overwhelming throw. (even my partner, he of the "at least it doesn't smell like flowers" nose, likes this one)

[Pepperminx]

I was so lucky there was someone to pick up for a whole slew of people on LJ, so thanks!

 

I'm at the tail end of a rough cold, so my sense of smell is not the greatest, but my first impression screams Countess Willie at me. And a little Smut.

 

Wet it's pretty sharp red musk, a little sweetness rounds it out. After 20 minutes or so it goes through a salty phase. I could almost swear I smell bacon, but take that for what it's worth - not a whole lot, not with this cold.

 

I can't wait till my nose clears up and I can try this proper.

[strahlend]

Many thanks to the person who picked up this bottle for me

I'm in love with this scent! There is a prominant red musk component with this fantastic sweetness that is very noticable but not overwhelming. I can see how the sweet element could be root beer but it doesn't distinctively register as such to my nose. I don't get any particular sense of pipeweed. I wouldn't classify this as foody at all, it seems more like something that would be in the musky/woodsy family to me. I love how this is wafting up from my wrists, every time it catches my attention I feel delighted.

 

Two months later:

The longer this ages the quicker the sweetish candy notes blend into the musk. Now the sweetness comes in a hit upon first application but within minutes it has backed off and blended in. What remains is a red musk blend with a beautiful depth to it, very sensual. Since The Soldier has come out I would say that these two are for sure in a similar family, but where The Soldier has an obvious root beer component Elephantine Colossus has more of a suggestion of root beer as well as a sort of salty-musky element to it - which I think is what gives it the sexy flair. I'm still not getting any feeling of tobacco or smoke from the pipeweed, but I kind of wish I were.

 

 

Four months after last update:

I must have been kidding myself. This is totally a foody-sweet blend in the bottle and for the first half hour or so on my skin. After that the red musk becomes more apparent but it's combined with the popcorn and hint of rootbeer - so it's still pretty foody. I'm not a foody person, but I desperately wanted to like this blend. After six months and three tests, I guess I have to admit that this one probably isn't for me. Sad.

Edited April 26, 2011 by strahlend