Brahmin

[Heavenlyrabbit]

BRAHMIN
Rose otto, red ginger, caraway seed, myrrh, orange peel, mandarin leaf, black peppercorn, and vanilla orchid.

WHOA! The Caraway pops out on opening the bottle. Wouldn't have known what it was without having read the notes. It is a sort of herbal "dust" note to my nose and is immediately succeeded by warm rush from Ginger, Peppercorn and Orange.

Very quickly the Florals present themselves and they are complemented quite well.

Really, really unusual Floral.

If Florals often overwhelm your skin chemistry, you might try this one.

ETA- ultimately this dries down on my skin as Ginger Incense with a mere suggestion of Floral.

[countessmouse]

Plasticky gingerbread in your face! Five hours post application and I'm just now able to smell something else other than myself. Interesting, but waaaaay too strong for me! This gets to go to someone else.

[filigree_shadow]

The red ginger & caraway seed are pretty strong. If you like spicy (without being HOT spicy), this is one to try! The orange peel comes in after a few minutes and sweetens up the spice... I don't know how to describe it, but it's very interesting. The florals show up after 10 minutes or so, and they basically just soften up the scent. They aren't super noticeable.

 

This smells exotic and fascinating to me. It's not the kind of scent I usually wear at all, but I find it so intriguing.

[Mellifluous]

When I first put this on, I got a cinnamon pinecone smell. (like the ones from craft stores and markets). It must have been the ginger and orange peel. Hmm, not my favorite so far.

After another minute it gets a bit dusty, and then turns into Indian curry. Lol I was wondering what that could be, but see its the caraway and pepper now that I've read the description. Definitely interesting, I dont know of many scents that feature caraway like this one did on my skin.

It stays in curryland for a good hour or so, and then the caraway fades and i get a nice spicy-sweet skin scent.

 

It would be nice if the whole dry down process was a bit more like the final dry down stage, as that was really nice. I just amped the caraway for too long to enjoy the bottle.

[ami226]

This blend starts out quite sweet and peppery on me. Hmmm, not liking it at the moment...

 

Still sweet and peppery. The sweetness reminds me of black musk, though, which always smells kinda sickening on me.

 

Definitely not for me!!

[invisible iris]

In the vial: Ginger, pepper, and caraway. A hit of powerful spice.

 

On skin: Hot and dry black pepper, ginger, and orange peel dominate this from the beginning… I keep waiting for rose to take over. But it doesn’t.

 

Dry: Black peppercorn, caraway, ginger and orange peel are still the most dominant notes for me here. It's not a foody kind of spice, at most it's a dried spice cabinet, a woodsy and unsweet sort of spice. Myrrh is present as the body of the scent, although it's not very strong. I detect a faint sweetness from vanilla and maybe a hint of green from the mandarin leaf. I never get any rose at all, which makes me happy but at the same time confused. As time goes by I can sense the myrrh sweetening and that enhances the slight creamy effect of the vanilla, making the blend as a whole more complex, warm, and pleasing. Brahmin smells similar to The Great Sword of War, which I really like. But it's not as dark or foreboding as TGSoW.

 

Verdict: I like bitter spice/orange blends like this, and I might try doing a side-by-side test with TGSoW because they seem so similar. I like Brahmin. I can see myself wearing it, so it may find its way onto my bottle list.

[Antoinette]

Whoa! The caraway seed seems to get carried away on me!

This smells yummy, but not something I'd want to wear. It's more like - mmmm, something smells delicious and I want to eat it.

[SophieCedar]

Uhm.. I'm the only one so far that thinks this smells like cologne? My nose isn't blocked up at all. I swear.

 

Wet: the rose otto, orange peel, myrrh, and caraway gang up to almost perfectly replicate something like Eternity or uhm not sure uh some other Calvin Klein cologne..maybe a Marc Jacobs. What the hell? Mainly smells like rose, ambergris, and orange peel. I like it for the nostalgic memories of being a teen in the 90's (guys dowsed themselves in cologne then! agh!)

 

drydown: the rose otto burns down a little, so the spices start to take over. Warm spicy with a rose otto back. Myrrh is still going too. I still can't shake the cologne feeling but this goes from Eternity to Old Spice to spiced rum. Finally, and most strangely, it ends smelling like Perversion. Like exactly like Perversion. What a strange journey. I like it but how weird!

[strahlend]

Sniffing from the decant - my first impression was musty orange peel, then pepper. Lots of pepper. Not what I was expecting at all.

 

Skin testing – first blast is rather pungent and unpleasant. Strong on the caraway, I'm guessing mandarin leaf is the green citrus I'm smelling, and peppercorn. Intense. This is some seriously strong stuff that is wafting up from my arm. Wow. I smell like a pomander rolled in pepper.

 

Later - this scent has mellowed out considerably. It hasn't changed since the wet stage but it has become much softer and cohesive. I mainly smell the citrus components, the pepper and the caraway. The other notes never show up. It has kind of an exotic, almost woody kind of feel to it. It's an unusual spicy scent and I ended up liking it more than I thought I would.

[Blood onmy hands]

I was really surprised to realize that there aren't any tobacco or woods notes listed for this. Brahmin reminds me so much of the sticky-sweet tobacco and warm, dark woods of Interfector. It's like Interfector plus a hint of dark red rose, which makes me think of Pulcinella and Teresina as well.

 

The drydown is like rich red rose and sticky-sweet resins with a light spiciness to them and a hint of sun warmed hay. It smells exotic and very good, but it also smells like a lot of blends that I already own. I was curious about the mandarin leaf, black pepper, and vanilla orchid, but I can't pick out anything of those listed notes.

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: WOW caraway! I also get the sting of black pepper. This smells like a spice rack with a few flowers nearby.

 

On: The flowers have fled. It's now CARAWAY! and PEPPER! It certainly doesn't smell BAD (I love the smell of a good spice rack), but I generally don't relish walking around whilst smelling like one myself. This scent does make me crave a good curry though

 

Later: Still spicy, but now, there seem to be some flowers! This is now rather interesting, although I don't know that I would leave the house while the scent is in its initial stage of SPICE RACK! So, I don't think I'll need more of Brahmin.

[yeahbutnobut]

Brahmin

 

In the imp: ohh, this smells resinous and spicy. Reminds me of the very spicy amber of the Lamia prototype.

Wet on skin: spicy myrrh! It’s extremely spicy, it crackles with peppery fire.

Dry on skin: fiery pepper explodes through this scent like a firework, backed up by equally heated notes of caraway (which in here smells like proper spice, not like pencil shavings) and ginger. This scent is dominated by the pepper but it seems like it is rooted in resin and vanilla, and I love that, I love how the sweetness stops the spices from smelling savoury. I’m surprised there’s no clove in here because I swear I smell it. Maybe it’s the mix of myrrh, vanilla and pepper. The myrrh is stronger than expected and it’s gorgeous and has amber-like qualities. However I smell none of the rose, orange or mandarin.

After a while: this doesn’t change much, if anything it becomes smoother and more resinous, the myrrh gets stronger, but the pepper is still dominant. It’s a bit smoky at times, like spicy incense. I still can’t pick out any rose.

Verdict: this is one of the most beautiful pepper scents ever. It shows off the black pepper note to the max, whilst enhancing it with resin and vanilla and other spices. I love the fiery bursts of spice here, so different to other spicy scents in BPAL because it’s not about cinnamon or cloves or ginger, but pepper…and it’s so unashamedly, blatantly spicy and I love it! However this is spicy enough but stops short of smelling like Indian food. It’s more evocative of an Eastern spice market, the pungent scents of all the spices mingling around you, overloading the senses. It’s a very exotic fragrance, and it’s very hot, I could see myself wearing this a lot in the winter.

Is it a keeper? I want a bottle!

If you like this, try: Copper Phoenix, Mama Ji, Al Shairan, 13 (April 07 and May 11), Interfector

Edited July 16, 2011 by yeahbutnobut

[midnight_aeval]

This definitely reminds me of a floral Interfector which is odd because they don't appear to share any notes. Also, slightly reminiscent of the St. Lucia proto.

 

I really don't get any ginger; caraway seed, myrrh, and peppercorn are the notes that dominate on me. It's a nice scent, but very close to Interfector which I have quite the stash of... heh

Edited July 17, 2011 by Midnight Aeval

[Clavis]

Okay... evidently my skin chemistry is pretty wonky because what I get is TOTALLY different than anyone else's experience.

 

Wet: brown sugar and spice. Like I'm mixing something up for Christmas cookies...

Dry: very much the same. Brown sugar/caramel and spice. None of the spices stand out, they all just meld together.

Much later a soapy note comes out (the rose otto) but melds well with the rest.

 

I like this one! However, it smells very much like some others on me and I put it in the same class as Egg Nog 2010, Gypsy, Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil, Mama-Ji, & Bad Luck Woman Blues.

[AnyseLawsBray]

In vial: Spiced, spicy, spices.

Wet: Caraway, that must be what is so overpowering. Maybe a bit of pepper.

Dry: The smallest bit of orange pel comes out, before being clobbered by the caraway again.

 

Verdict: Too intense for me, but I can see it being deliciously attractive on the right person.

[milo]

From the notes, this isn't what I expected Brahmin to turn out like. At first, I get a blast of spice, and cologne, it really smells like nutmeg to me. Dry, it is a lot like Antikythera Mechanism/Osiris V4 type blend. Quite woody, with spice a bit of vanilla. I like this, but it is too masculine for me. I'm sure it would smell great on the right guy.

[zankoku_zen]

Caraway seed, ginger and black pepper. This one is spicy, masculine woodsy. It really does end up smelling like nutmeg on me as well.

[angelamaria]

In decant: wow, definitely a cologney floral, which is a bit weird in my book. Spicy, and very "present". My brain cannot compute.

 

Wet on skin: huh. Peppery caraway and ginger? There's just a dash of orange. This has a bit of the golden Brood XIX feel, only with a lot more punch; it's like the shimmery gold with slashes of orange or something. Sadly, I can already tell that I'll have a headache with prolonged use of this blend. It's very spicy, and very strong floral.

 

Dry: again, a very spicy floral, with a good dash of ginger now. To me, this is a lighter Gingerbread Poppet, with more complexity and more floral notes than the straight-up foodiness of Gingerbread Poppet, but it has that same feel (well, duh, ginger).

 

Verdict: better than Gingerbread Poppet for me (I love my florals), but still not something I would wear, due to the aforementioned strength of the florals/spice and because I'm not a big fan of overwhelming ginger.

[theseagrows]

whoo this is really citrussy at first. after just having applied it, i get the mandarin leaf, orange peel and ginger, i believe. maybe a hint of the peppercorn too. it's very citrussy-spicy like a yule scent. or, that's what it makes me think of.

 

after it dries a bit, the caraway and peppercorn become even more strong and the citrus gets a bit more subtle. the notes i was looking MOST forward to, rose otto and vanilla orchid, are not showing up at all!

 

 

 

 

[cinnamonster]

I knew I'd love this, I thought it'd be more floral due to rose's inclusion, and my skin's ability to single-note-rose anything usually.

 

It's spicy but not foodie in my idea of foodie which is more of sweet cakey scents, this is darkly peppery, underscored with red ginger and caraway, with nary a hint of rose at all, or orchid, it says 'I'm naughty, don't you want to sniff me again and again', to my nose anyway

[yakiguri]

Nothing but caraway when wet--ugh. I was worried I wouldn't like it due to the comparisons to Interfector (which I tried SO hard to love, but it just wouldn't work), and yup, Brahmin is EXACTLY like Interfector on my skin--sharp tobacco-y woods that veers slightly into curry territory. However Brahmin is a tiny bit softer/sweeter on drydown, though the rose otto and vanilla orchid never show up. I'll keep my tester to try it again in a few months and see if the caraway calms down, and I'll also try it on white elf and see if it works better on him.

 

EDIT: Nope, Brahmin's getting stronger by the second--must scrub off!

Edited August 4, 2011 by thatbrownelf

[Kamanjah]

My notes:

Tried 8/4/11 – 9:05 AM smells clean in bottle, goes on with tartness, almost bitter or sour. Changes a lot during drydown. Don't smell any rose or orange peel. 9:15AM myrrh makes quite a loud appearance, huge throw. I'm really liking this now. I only put on a couple of swipes from the imp and this is still with me at 1:00PM. Like this very much, maybe a bottle is in my future? 5:05PM still smells nice but is starting to fade a bit. Reminds me a lot of Interfector. Reapplying for the evening! Definitely need a bottle! Next morning – faded, but still softly fragrant, this lasts and lasts!

Myrrh is the dominant note on my skin.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: The caraway seed, the myrrh, and the black peppercorn just pop right out under my nose! Intense.

 

Wet: Lots of pepper, backed by the sweetness of the rose otto and the vanilla orchid. Thank goodness the caraway seed has disappeared.

 

The dry-down: Still lots of pepper and myrrh, but the rose otto and the vanilla orchid are still trying to soften the spices. I like this a lot, but I think that this will work better in the autumn.

[InvidiaBlue]

Oh gods... from the bottle, I wasn't expecting this to smell like it did. I suppose if I knew what caraway smelled like, I would have. Presumably, that's what gives it the nasty stench that reminds me of Spicebush Swallowtail, one of the worst scents I've ever had from BPAL. I think that was the clove. I'm being brave and putting some on my wrist anyway, just out of curiosity as to how it will morph.

 

 

Eck... it's not really changing. It seemed to be changing for the better at first but went back to that awful smell. I knew it was a long shot. I'm keeping the bottle for my Metamorphosis collection but the oil is GOING.

Edited August 9, 2011 by InvidiaBlue

[WidgetAlley]

Bottle: Mmm, caraway and maple syrup! I wasn't expecting that-- is there fenugreek in here? I think it's the combo of ginger/orange/pepper vanilla, but it really smells exactly like a caraway-scented maple syrup! Not bad at all.

 

Wet: A dry, spicy, lovely maple syrup still. I get a huge hit of caraway, a big blast of pepper, what must be vanilla orchid, some incensey myrrh and a citrus zing that must be the orange peel or mandarin leaf, but the overall effect is a deeply spicy maple. It's a bit woodsy too. I'm really really not a foody/sugar scent person but this might be balanced enough to let me wear it.

 

Dry: Much the same-- a woody spice-syrup! I'll have to give this one more skintime before I make a decision, but right now it's just... odd. Not unpleasant, but certainly not what I expected!