Krampus' Shadow

[Atrous]

Birch tar, patchouli, and blackish-red musk.

All win notes so I had to have this.
I could smell this even before I ripped open the parcel. Its that strong and stays strong.
Wet, I got a big whiff of Patch and a musk that smells more black than red.
As it dries down the Musk and Patch stay strong but a charred wood note starts to make its way through. Since birch tar is the only other note I'm guessing that what is causing the charred wood scent.
It pretty much stays that way after its completely dried.
The notes are perfectly balanced, no one of them takes center stage, but they all have attitude.
Krampus' Shadow is what I thought it would be: dark, brooding, and gritty.
A great blend for Patch and Musk lovers.

[patina]

Red musk and black patchouli are my OTP though normally I prefer a third element to soften them up.

 

This is dirty and sweet and a little goes a very long way. I do get a faint something sweet and a little charred which I think may be the birch sap. That element's faintly like tempra paint. Imagine red and black tempera paint poured out and blended a bit. That's a good visual representation of the scent. Or imagine a red and black vintage Krampus postcard in the expressionist style. It's amazing how well the scent captures the subject.

 

All the Krampuses have been amazing.

[AmyO'Shields]

This is awesome! Smells like Smut '10 + patchouli...om nom nom need more!

[LiberAmoris]

This is totally Yule Smut. The birch tar and patchouli darken Krampus' Shadow quite a bit, and render it a bit sooty in the best way. There's definitely a pitchy, charred note that's really evocative and nice with the patch and red musk. As it dries down, that note lessens and this is a shadowy patch/red musk...really nice on me and pretty damn good on the man. I might try to get him to wear this out one night when I wear Smut.

[Allumina]

Nom nom. <3 At first this is all dark red musk, which is fine for me. Then it dries down to a nice mix of rough patchouli with a strong woody note under, which I'm guessing is the birch tar. I'm sad that the red musk has disappeared, but then after a bit I start getting some red musk wafting up...from my cleavage, which is apparently more red musk friendly than my wrists. Ok then! (I'm still not exactly sure what black musk smells like, so if it's present, it's melding with the other notes for me.)

 

This is dark, sexy, and unisex, and still lingering on me the next day. Lovely.

[zankoku_zen]

Birch, patchouli, a ton black musk and just a hint of red musk. This smells black musk with hints of something that has been burned to a crisp and little leftover wooden twigs. I suppose I would consider this slightly manly on me. I think mainly because of the black musk. Average throw, average wear length.

 

Dark, woodsy, black musk.

[b00cat]

Wet: super smokey burnt wood. Stays that way for the first hour or so. Something about this reminds me a bit of Sin...

 

Dries down to a black musk. I definitely get a masculine vibe from this as well,and I can still smell it the next day on my wrist. I definitely prefer the dry down stage to the "smoky" beginning. Very nice!

[sunqist]

Really? Birch tar is a thing I'm loving now? Something about this is magical, and I'm guessing that since I've seen plenty of musks and plenty of patchouli, birch tar must be that magic ingredient. It smells like I'm wearing a boy's sweater, you know, like a new boyfriend or a crush. I love it on me, but I'm going to have to buy a bottle in case I get a boyfriend, because I would make him wear it all the time. Not the most compelling review, but I have always had a problem with other non-resin wood saps and tars going badly on me, I'm just so excited for this to be as amazing as it is.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Lots of gritty patch, like the patch in OWS, some musk, and a woodsy note that might be the birch tar.

 

Wet: Much as on cold sniff, but the three notes are starting to blend. Smells good.

 

The dry-down: The patch, and the musk, and the birch tar have blended together to create a wonderful masculine scent that's greater than the sum of its parts. It is great on and just as good on the bf, so I've gifted him my decant. We're contemplating a bottle; it's just that good.

[Poenari]

I love this! My skin always amps red musk and patchouli, so those notes are prominent on initial application. As it dries down, the notes merge and blend together into a swirl of musky woodiness. It is not too masculine for me, but I wish I could convince my husband to wear BPAL, as I think this would smell amazing on him.

 

Half an hour after application, this smells exactly like Krampus on me. While that is still a really good thing, I have several backup bottles of Krampus, so I guess my decant of this will suffice. Otherwise this would be multiple bottle-worthy. My wallet is happy for once.

[milo]

Yup, this is a little darker than Krampus at first, but basically dries down to Mr. Krampus. I love him, and have a bottle, so don't need anymore.