Voyeuristic Monkey

[Balame]

Three brown musks, galbnum, saffron, golden honey, myrrh, cumin, and patchouli.

Funny mental association with this one. You know magazine ads where you can tell some hoity toity photographer wanted to do an "edgy" photoshoot, and so there are all these "muddy" supermodels in varying states of disarray despite their chic dresses and suits? Their perfectly coiffed hair is just so slightly out of place and they have "dirt" smeared on their faces?

Yeah. This is like that. It's an eye roll and a, "There's no way these high class people were sweating or uncomfortable in the slightest."

This is definitely heavy on the musk. I imagine a lot of people will think of cologne because of that. But, behind it, there's a zap of green from the galbanum, a full sweetness from the honey and bite of woods from the patch. The combo of honey and woodsiness almost makes me think of chocolate, in fact... and this comes out more and more as the musk calms down.

This is in your face, but simultaneously "fancy." Like a spoiled rich boy trying to be intimidating but failing miserably because there's not a thread out of place on his tailored suit. You kind of just want to pinch his cheeks.

I like it.

[MuskWitch]

I have never written a review. I think it is mostly because I just don't have the sophisticated nose that most Forumites have, and I also have a hard time identifying scents. Most of the time I just think "Ooooo, that smells pretty" or "BLEAHCKGH!!!!!"

 

I'm slowly learning to recognize notes because of BPAL!

 

This one, this Voyeuristic Monkey, has me stumped completely. What I think I smell cannot possibly be what I'm supposed to smell.

 

It is "sharp", it is brown, it is almost "tarry". Like, uhm, er, smoked pot. You know that smell you get left-over in the pipe after you've smoked? That's what I smell. Now, mind you, most of my pot-smoking days were 25+ years ago. When I occasionally partake of the herb now it is through baked goods. (Actually rarely, after menopause I need all the brain cells I can get! )

 

Does anyone else get this association? Maybe the stuff smells really different nowdays. It is definitely a jolt of nostalgia for me, that's for SURE!

 

I'm not going to reject this one just yet. It just arrived yesterday, may be travel weary. I'm going to let it sit for a week or so and try it again. Maybe it'll settle down it its old age, like I did.

 

EDIT:

 

Okay, weighing in over a month later, I just tried VM again. It isn't as sharp as it was, I don't quite get the "smoked pot" scent, but it is still very gritty, I think I'm just going to have to decide it isn't for me. Off to the Sale/Swap pile! I wish it smelled as nice on me as some of the reviews are saying it smells on them! I'm sure I'd keep it if it did.

Edited March 28, 2013 by MuskWitch

[strahlend]

I see where you're coming from MuskWitch, there is something thick and herbaceous/vegetal happening here. I think that it's the combination of the cumin and galbanum. I also agree with Balame about the chocolate element. Sometimes a patchouli that incorporates vanilla comes across to me as chocolaty, I wonder if that might be happening here. All in all it is an interesting scent experience.

[tziporra]

Okay, I tried this one straight out of the box without checking notes, so I'm going to give my impression of it first before I go look. So if I am 100% off, now you know why.

 

In the bottle I get fruity sweetness and not much else. Bpals really have to be worn to be experienced, I guess.

 

Wet it is _leather_ with something dirty peeking around the corner and the lingering sweetness I got from the bottle.

 

Then, woah boy, an explosion of creamy fruit that takes over. This is probably the best bpal fruit I've ever worn, what is it?

 

Dry down (while working out, so that may affect skin chemistry) I get the leather, the fruit, and that hint of dirt at the bottom.

 

Now I have to go look.

 

Lol. No leather. No fruit. That was a success, wasn't it? At least I found the patchouli (the dirt). Okay, so brown musks equal leather, honey equals fruit (which makes sense -- I wouldn't buy a fruit scent, but I love the honey). Must be the green of the galbnum on top that read as fruitiness.

 

This is just a lot brighter than I would have guessed from the notes. Honey and musk and cumin sounds like sex to me, but I'm not getting that at all. Definitely "cologney" but without the spiciness I wanted. Soooooooooo....., I don't know what to think. It definitely smells fabulous, but I'm not sure if I will wear it. It might be a summer thing, so I'll hang on to it and see.

 

Tzi

 

ETA: yeah. A summer thing. I cannot get enough of this scent. I love waking up to the last vestiges of it too - so sweet and dreamy and absolutely YUM. My first bpal patchouli success story!

Edited August 9, 2013 by tziporra

[crebbsgirl]

This one was oddly sharp on my skin, and it didn't last very long! I got musks and galbanum which I think was the culprit regarding the sharpness.

[surlygurl]

This is better on my skin than I thought! I normally shy away from patchouli, but the patch here reminds me of Depraved, which works on me. Everything else is nondescript; they are just there to color the patchouli.

 

I do like it, and I will use what I have, but it's not a bottle purchase.

[zankoku_zen]

Musk, cumin, patchouli and honey. This one is warm, stinky, and kinda dirty. The honey sweetens the patchouli and musk up, the cumin makes it spicy.

 

It's tends slightly toward the masculine on me, and I can see the right guy carrying this off gorgeously.

 

I think out of sheer contrast, I have Voyeuristic Monkey on one hand and Angry Crab on the other and they are like complete anti-thesis.

 

Fuzzy, dirty, warm.

[hlinspjalda]

I was really unsure about this one because brown musk doesn't usually like me at all. But never let it be said that I wouldn't try a scent with honey, myrrh, and patchouli in it, so here goes.

 

In the vial: I think this is going to be too brown. I get galbanum, patchouli, and cumin.

 

Wet: Oh yes, very brown indeed. Brown musk is not good on me, and this one has gone over to animalic already. I'm getting the galbanum too, which smells like green asafoetida. But there is something else going on, something about the cumin, or possibly the cumin plus patchouli, that's actually making my eyes want to water with its intensity.

 

Two and a half hours: This hasn't changed much at all: pungent menthol patchouli with cumin, heavy aromatic galbanum, and brown animalic musk. The musk isn't the tangy weaseljuice ferret musk of the late lamented Frumious Bandersnatch, though; it's less domesticated and more powerful.

 

I never did get any honey or myrrh (two of my best notes) off this scent. Yet although I thought all day about washing this one off, I didn't. I am fascinated by it. It is the smell of the sneakiest, most obnoxious, poo-flinging, cute endangered species monkey you can ever imagine.

[ReallyZeb]

There is an asian foods shop in Crawley that Quillifer calls something like 'the mouse shop' and on me this smells like that ... dusty spices past their best and a hint of mouse musk

[imaginepageant]

Rather reminiscent of Banshee Beat to my nose. The brown musk and honey make the patchouli dusty and sweet in the same way that hemp and vanilla do in Banshee Beat. If you like Banshee Beat, you will probably like Voyeuristic Monkey. There's also something a little bright and a little juicy that brings Urd to mind, though it's fading as time goes on. This is definitely a hippie scent, that's for sure!

[Monday]

Oh yes definitely a dirty monkey. I get cumin, patchouli, saffron and myrrh. Animalistic and slightly gritty. Sticks around for a long time.

I wish it was just a bit sweeter but it’s perfect for it’s name. I agree with imaginepageant that it has the same feel as Banshee Beat.

[milo]

Animalistic and aggressive. Uber cologne in an ax kind of way. I wish the honey came out, it may have saved this blend somewhat.

[brilliantcat]

I thought this would be a no-brainer on me. Oh how wrong I was! In the imp, it smells deliciously musky with a touch of sweetness. On me, the cumin does something horrible to the honey which retaliates by smacking the patchouli and making it cry. It's one very ANGRY monkey, glaring at me and throwing feces. UGH. This guy needs to be locked up somewhere he can't see me or I him.

[tinyvulture]

Very strong throw...a mixture of patchouli and dirt and...cumin! Never have I tried a blend with such a strong cumin note. Although cumin immediately makes me think of Tex-Mex, I am putting that association aside because there's something really likable about this scent. It's outdoorsy, makes me think about gardening or camping. Funny enough, it smells exactly the same on my husband as it does on me. We both like this dirty little monkey!

[sunreon]

It was…….. golden and filthy.

I didn’t actually bother to read the description before or during while i was wearing it?

but that’s kind of the only way i have of describing it.

I know the dirty scent was the patchouli. Me and patchouli get along very well but we smell very wet dirty. very patchouli.

and it was….. golden. golden oil. golden dirty. musky. animal and rich. like wide sunbeam patches shining down on lazy indolent creatures. i didn’t get anything green from the galbanum, or woody at all, and no spiciness like i would have associated with cumin.

The image that kept coming to mind was a lion tamarin monkey (maybe specifically a golden lion) absolutely dripping with mildly dirty motor oil

All day I thought about gaga’s Beautiful Dirty Rich.