Fighter

[ObliqueRed]

Leather, musk, blood, and steel.

 

Wet: mmmmm, brown leather with a cool wet steel hovering over it.
Dry: more metallic, but deliciously so, and with something that reminds me of a cool wind lifting your hair off your hot forehead. It makes my mouth water.

I think I'm going to have to get my husband to try wearing this when I wear Whip...

[ApothecaryScribe]

Oh, my.

 

Fighter, purchased from ThinkGeek, was my second-ever exposure to BPAL and to "character/concept" as opposed to conventional perfumes, and the first time I had encountered a "steel" fragrance note.

 

Initially it's all leather and clean armory oil. The steel springs forth a few minutes in, with vigorous throw. It shines bluely and vibrates, and makes me think of Luke Skywalker's lightsaber or that scene in The Return of the King when Aragorn in chain mail leaps off the corsairs' ship and Anduril is a whirling blur.

 

The early leather/steel melding seems straightforward and pure. As the musk kicks in underneath the warrior image becomes less medieval and more martial-arts-ascetic (reminding me of the Bloodguard in the Thomas Covenant mythos). It stays well out of traditional aftershave territory--essence of gender-universal prowess and integrity.

 

Several hours later the leather and steel have faded and clean musk and a salty undertone (the blood accord, subtler than it sounds in the official description) meld in the drydown. This remains detectable for 6-8 hours.

 

The way the 4 major notes blend, meld, and shift into each other is just amazing. This is a beautifully integrated scent all the way through its evaporation curve.

 

I wear Fighter to work frequently. It goes well with my office's commitment-oriented culture (we are an overachieving perpetually responsible bunch of Haruchai), harmonizes well with business casual attire without seeming like "she borrowed her husband's cologne again", and raises my gumption level when things get challenging.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Clean worn leather

 

Wet on me - A soft, hazy clean leather

 

Dry on me - Smooth clean washed leather

 

Overall - A really nice leather scent, for me I would want something else with it.

[BagOfGenevieves]

My oh my! this one is by far my favorite that I have at home as of now. I can really smell the leather and musk, and a little hint of steel, and a dabble of blood. some people say it smells like different things, but there's a girl I work with who loves it. my body works well with this to bring all the scents. it's like, "Oh you like that? SMELL THE AWESOME POWER OF MUSK, STEEL, AND BLOOD!!'

[Monster]

My boyfriends D&D character is a Fighter, which is why I tested it on him. His first reaction to the scent was "leather and blood" without having me prompt him with the note listing. He nailed it! (we high fived ). Oh his skin this is mostly soft brown De Sade-esque leather with a splatter of blood. In the background I'm getting the steel which feels bright and shimmering. After about 10 minutes it's almost a single leather note on him. I'm with Udit, this makes my man smell incredibly sexy…and as I'm finishing this review he's already running over to swipe it from me and stick it in his dice bag. lol

[SweetEpiphanies]

This smells like...a department store. In a good way!!! It smells like new polished shoes and high-end purses with their beautiful gleaming hardware and a wafting of all the perfume hanging in the air. It is beautiful and oddly feminine. I feel expensive when I wear it. A surprise frimp favorite!

[Tal Shachar]

Frimp from the Lab. Without looking at the notes, my thought was "wow, single note leather", but I can smell the metal now that I know it's there. No blood, or at least none of the blood notes that often give me pause--this isn't dragon's blood, or wine, or tomato leaf, or the odd barbecue-sauce note I got from scents like Valentine of Rome. So I suppose it smells like actual blood, which is to say like metal and a bit of skin musk.

 

It's a really great leather note, and like SweetEpiphanies just said above, "shoe store" really hits the nail on the head. I love that leather smell. Maybe this warrior just got himself a fresh new jerkin and gauntlets and he's ready to hit the town.

[Trix]

PURSE. LEATHER PURSE. That high-end department store my mom used to go to when I was a kid, with that sharp leather smell. You can practically hear it squeaking.

My brain interprets that as a little older than I feel, since I never went into a store like that on my own. Not getting the metal, musk, or blood though. Just leather. On its own, not so much my thing, but I can't wait to get some alignment/race blends to layer this with.

[ThreeFates]

An imp bought as part of the leather pack, it wasn't something I was especially excited about trying, 'though with hindsight I'm surprised at that due to my general love of metal, blood and musk.

Bottle: Firstly, WOW. I definitely got the polished leather through nice and strong, but the steel was especially hitting me... along with an antiseptic note.

Wet on Skin: OK, this is actually incredible. The leather is fighting through the steel and the antiseptic note has backed off a bit. It's actually really, really sexy. (Disclaimer: I have a huge thing for leather in every way, so leather notes will usually get similar reactions from me.) I'm also getting transported back to my childhood days working at a riding school, where one of my frequent tasks was to help clean the tack and/or the tack room itself. Lovingly cared for and polished leather and steel? Definitely. Still, it's a bit odd having feelings of childhood nostalgia mingling with what I feel is such a sexy scent.

Dry on Skin: The leather put up a valiant fight, but was just no match for the steel on my skin, which has become quite rich and ever so slightly cloying on me. I'm still not picking up any blood at all, and what musk I've snatched has been a suggestion at best.

Towards the End of the Day: Musk, you showed up! Pretty late to the party, but at least you showed up. Blood didn't even bother. The polished leather is also back, and I'd say is actually even lovelier than earlier (not as overly polished as it was). Not even a hint of that antiseptic-y note I was picking up before. I don't actually have much experience with metal notes on my skin, so I'm guessing that I'd amped it immensely causing it to overpower everything else, and now that's faded there's a softer balance overall. Unfortunately everything else has faded somewhat at this point ('though not as much of course), and I'm quite disappointed about that.

Conclusion: I'll be keeping the imp, but it's jumped from my buy-a-bottle list to my give-it-some-time list. I'll either try it on a certain someone and see how it works with his skin chemistry or I'll give it some time and try again myself at a later date. It was definitely a very enjoyable experience, however it just morphed a bit too far from what I was enjoying in places.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Leather and chemical/asphalt sort of smell.

 

Wet on me: Very strong leather and musk, with the coppery scent of blood and steel. Just as the description says.

 

Dry: I am a heavy roleplayer in the World of Warcraft universe, and my main and her future betrothed are both Warriors. This is what I imagine them - especially him - to smell like. Polished armor, leather straps and under-armor garments, sweat, and the smell of blood that never quite goes away after a battle, no matter how many times they clean their armor and weapons. It's not something I'd wear every day, but this would go absolutely fabulously on me when I wear my leather barbarian armor and longsword to the Renaissance Festival.

[Trassel]

I love this. I really really love this. I ordered an imp of it and... well... this might be my everyday scent.

 

From the bottle, it smelt somehow... chemical, strong and fairly unpleasant. But I put it on regardless.

 

It lasts forever! It smells like loved leather, like... polished leather. The slight steel notes makes me feel like I'm Conan the Barbarian or something, which is funny since I'm a skinny nerd in real life.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: Yup, that's new, slightly stiff leather right there. There's a sort of tang to it that reminds me of Paladin, so it's probably the steel. There's also a lovely sweet-ish undertone to complicate things, which could be either the leather itself or the blood.

 

Wet: The sharpness of the steel amps way down, and it settles in as a lovely accent to the dominant leather note. In fact, "settles in" is a good way to describe it - there was a definite feeling of "ahhhhh" as it sank into my skin, something like sinking into a hot bath on a cold day. Like several people on here are saying, there's a definite feeling here of department stores/fancy shoe stores/etc. For me, it's my paternal grandmother's closet, who wore designer everything until the end of her life and had a huge walk-in closet that my cousins and I sometimes commandeered for hide-and-seek, but mostly we weren't allowed into it. On that note, there's also a faintly, ineffably feminine edge hanging around that makes the whole thing veer more unisex than straight-up masculine.

 

Dry: A slightly drier, almost powdery take on the same - leather dominant, with steel providing an accent, and a sweet, faintly feminine note hanging around somewhere. The only big difference is that the musk very definitely comes out to play, but never to the point where it overpowers the leather.

[Ryan Hemphill]

I adore this scent, but it's not because of the "fighter" aspect of it. (athough I totally get it).

 

When I first smelled this it was just a small whiff from the imp. From opening, a little bit got on my fingers and I could not stop smelling it. It was such a familar smell--it reminded my of something so much and I just couldn't think of what it was. Then it hit me - VACATION!

 

This smells just like walking into the hotel lobby. You get leather furniture, the cleaning product smell from a freshly turned over room, the chlorine from the pool, and, yes, the blood, sweat, and tears of the thousands of guests who come in and out.

 

What's really awesome is that when you smell it you actually feel a coolness that is like walking into your room and feeling the air conditioner blowing on you. Even the ozone smell from the A/C is there.

 

It brings back such pleasant memories from vacations past.

 

Now, I do get how it all relates as a figther, too: leather, blood, sweat, metal--even the cool sensation is like the cold metal blade of the sword.

 

But me, it should just be labeled "vacation."

 

Such an amazing scent.

[nathanielhebert]

This was a purchased imp, and upon popping the top, I was pleasantly surprised. I may have even uttered a "Wow!" as I took in a breath.

This is moreso the fighter who scraps it out in the pits—a Spartacus, decked out in new leathers, baking in the heat of the sun as he duels other gladiators while representing house Batiatus. My initial scent memories that were triggered, brought me back to highschool gym class, sweating in our uniforms, tossing medicine balls, and trying unsuccessfully to do anything cool on the suede covered pommel horse.

The combination of the musk, blood and steel really recalls to mind the sort of skin musk that lingers after spending all day in the sun at the community swim pool, or the odour that's still present post-shower after you've just completed a grueling workout. It's funky, but also somewhat pleasant and feral at the same time. A few dabs on my inner arms, and I could smell the musk wafting up all day, even while weighed down in my winter coat. This is like Iago, but without the rude slap of vetiver—I can safely layer this over other blends that benefit from a little rough musk, breathing humanity into gleaming metals and other non-organic scents.

Big bottle worthy for sure!

[Allumina]

I am super torn about Fighter. The first time I tried it was all beautiful, brown leather, overlaid by a pretty musk that wasn't too overpowering. The musk/leather combo is a winner, and I like the leather note a lot. The second time I tried it, I still got lovely leather and musk, but the blood note came out very, very strongly, and the combination of blood and musk is err, let's just say weirdly realistic and evocative and not unfamiliar but not something I necessarily want to smell like all the time. I guess I need to try again?

 

I thought this was going to win my leather bottle buy, but it might go to Cully instead!

Edited July 15, 2015 by Allumina

[SimplySyra]

This is a musky brown leather. Oiled, polished. Quite realistic to my nose. For me, it brought back memories of horseback riding in the summer. Hot dust, creaking polished leather saddles, a hint of warm horse musk.

 

If I'm not delving too deeply, this come across as a leather SN. I can't imagine wearing this alone; this one is begging to be layered.

Edited August 8, 2015 by SimplySyra

[HighlyBell7]

In Imp: Metal, Leather, Male Musk

Wet: Band-Aids, then leather, like saddle leather not couch leather. Rugged leather.

Dry: Almost the zinc taste when you drink out of the water hose in the summer. A hint of all-male musk. Like pleasure trail musk from a guy that has been doing real manual labor – not just lifting weights while grunting and looking in a mirror. Maybe a hint of soap. Maybe a hit of shoe polish. And then a bit of warm spring rain shower. Not in the middle of the rain shower, but just before it rains and then right when it starts. That ionized air.

Later: Not even a hint of sweetness. Metal.

Much Later: Band-Aids again.

[aquazoo]

That leather is nice. And there’s leather. And more leather.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet - This is mostly steel on me, with some leather. Smells like my dad's workshop when I was a kid. Creates a sense of nostalgia, but so far not something I want to smell like.

 

 

Dry - The leather comes out a bit more, but I'm still amping the metal. Not getting the blood or musk at all. Not for me!

[Myrrha]

This is an utterly brilliant scent!

The first thing I smell is fear and then a kind of implacable ruthlessness. Not evil or even mean-spirited but the scent of someone who simply must win. Because it is kill or be killed. The fear is still there alongside the ruthless determination.

 

After about ten minutes the musk sweetens and blends with the leather. That uneasy "fear" scent recedes and I can understand why some people find this scent appealing to wear. now it smells like a fighter who is still in the business of fighting but doing something else at the moment.

 

I will keep the imp as I like how it stimulates my imagination.

[sunlitgarden]

I think this was a frimp from the Lab, but not recent. It's probably about 2-3 years old.

In the imp: Mostly leather and some clean-smelling musk. I can't say I'm smelling blood, exactly, but there is definitely a metallic quality to this scent. It smells "cold" and makes me think of a storage room full of weapons and leather armor.

On my skin: there's definitely something a bit "musty" about this scent, like the basement/storage room. It's almost kind of... mildewy smelling, but that might just be an association with the cold + mustiness.

As this dries, it continues to be really evocative of musty leather and cold metal - but not really something I want to wear on my skin. It's definitely a good smell for a Fighter though!

[Casablanca]

Bottle: Something cool -- like cucumbers but without the bio-matter. It smells like metallic blood spilled on blue-grey slate.

Wet: Cold steel (how does that have a smell?), like blue metal, and clean leather (compared with Orc).

Dry: The same, but some coppery asphalt now. Oh, new-car smell! With leather seats.

Interesting and intensely leathery. The sharp, clean leather gives a modern, industrial flavor to this.

Edited March 30, 2016 by Casablanca

[yakiguri]

Tested on Mr. Elf.

 

On its own, Fighter is COLD STEEL with clean leather in the background. No blood whatsoever. I guess he amps the metal note as the feel I get from this blend is cold and sharp.

 

Testing with Neutral, the coldness comes back a bit but it's still piercingly sharp. Mr. Elf likes it, which is all that matters, but it's too sharp for my own personal tastes.

 

Trying it on myself, more of the blood notes come out, but it's still too cold and sharp for me.

[joopjoop]

Another frimp, and not one I would normally think to try, so glad to have the opportunity!

 

Wow. Very realistic leather with a metallic edge to it. Smells like a high-end handbag. Or, as someone noted above, it smells like the ground floor of a nice department store as you walk in from the hot summer outside to the overcooled metallic air of air-conditioning and expensive leather goods. It reminds me of a popular men's cologne from the 80s or early 90s but I can't quite put my finger on it. I never get any of the blood or musk.

 

I rather like it, although it is not really something I would wear regularly. It's a scent experience - takes you on a journey. I will try layering it with the one or two other RPG scents I have and see what happens - but ultimately probably not a keeper.

[lizardskin]

Fighter is one of the few RPG scents that I've tried that I can't really imagine wearing on it's own as a perfume. As far as the concept goes though, it nails it.

 

In the bottle: Metal. More metal. Extremely Metal.

 

Wet on skin: Still mostly metal, but the leather starts to creep in. It took me a while to figure out why this leather smells so familiar, but it smells almost exactly like a soap I used to have from Villainess that has a leather note in it. It's a clean, new leather, with a bit of a chemical bite.

 

I didn't pick up on the blood or musk, but the leather and metal might just be overpowering them on my skin. I'm going to try layering this with some of the other RPG's and see if I can't find a combo that will calm the metal down a bit. It has a pretty strong throw--I tested a small amount and it's still very noticeable.