Tyrannophobia

[achildoftime]

Fear of Tyrants

This has jack all to do with Yule or winter, but it sure does apply to current events. Proceeds from Tyrannophobia benefit the ACLU, thereby helping stem the imminent assault on civil rights. Birch tar, tea leaf, and black raspberry strangled in an iron fist.

In the bottle it smells really strongly of raspberry tea. I may as well have stuck my head in a tea chest full a raspberry black tea, it smells just the same. And it stays this way wet and dry. It's really distinct raspberry, not the vague berry smell that sometimes happens. I don't get much of the birch tar till it dries. Even then it's not strong. Again, it's like sticking your head in a wooden tea chest. You notice the tea first, then the wooden container. It's simple but beautiful. I don't get any metal notes for those worried about that, but I'm sure YMMV.

For those who are looking for a berry tea, this is strongly advised.

[Upstart Crow]

Normally, I wouldn't have bought a scent like this. I don't like foody scents for the most part, and as much as I love raspberries, I don't want to smell like them. But the fact this scent benefits the ACLU made up my mind for me.

 

In bottle: Sharp, dark raspberry. This doesn't smell like fresh raspberries or even overripe ones, but more like what a perfumer's impression of a raspberry would be. I assume the darkness comes from the birch tar and the tea leaf. This just smells black, rather like the dark label.

 

On me, wet: Pretty much the same. Pretty sure the darkness I'm smelling is the birch tar, as I drink tea a lot and can usually detect what the leaves smell like. I also get a small hint of something metallic. I guess this is the iron fist from the description?

 

Drydown: The raspberry calms down and the dark birch tar comes out to play. I do wish it amped more on me and stayed strong longer, but this is definitely a keeper, as I don't have any raspberry scents and this one isn't all that glaringly foody.

 

Definitely pick up a bottle if you think at all that this might work for you. It's an unusual scent and the money goes to one of the best causes it can these days.

[sailthetethys]

No questionable attempts at describing notes on this one - this is all raspberry and black tea.

 

There's probably birch tar as well, but my uneducated nose can't pick it out.

[Casablanca]

I had been concerned that the raspberry would stand out too brightly against the dark backdrop of the other notes, but it’s definitely a black raspberry and fits in. On the wand, this is tangy black raspberry tea. It hints of smoke from the birch tar, but the tar is a light touch. (I have a bottle of a birch tar component, and the stuff gives a strong sort of leathery-smoky campfire punch, but it shows up delicately here.) My immediate impression of the blend is like.

 

On my skin, this is about the same, except I think I might be picking up on a little dark grey iron. It’s like the note from Ganymede. Negligible or imagined, I’m not sure. Black raspberry is still the most potent note, followed by black tea, and a hint of smoke. Tangy, dark, slightly smoky and bitter.

 

I started out liking this, but not immediately addicted, and it’s grown on me. Probable bottle for the cause.

[AmyO'Shields]

At first, the raspberry was lovely, light and tart. Then the tea that I hoped wouldn't be the licorice tea of doom turned out to be the licorice tea of doom. It does soften a bit but I cannot wear that tea note so it ruins the blend for me. I never smelled birch tar or any iron /metallics. Glad I got to try this.

[zankoku_zen]

I get a weird licorice heavy rootbeer with a brush of raspberries, and an oddly metallic tinge. It sort of smells actually like rootbeer gummi bears with a brush of licorice. More wearable than I originally thought. Medium throw and wear length.

[Blood onmy hands]

Starts off as a sour, herbal raspberry, made more astringent and bitter by the tea notes. As it dries down, the fruit and tea fade more and more and I'm left with birch tar, which is a bit ashy and reminiscent of sharp woodsmoke on my skin. The whole thing is very bitter and harsh.

[kattalog]

Wet: Raspberries! Strong scent of raspberries: not fresh but rather dry ones.

Dry: Still raspberries. Like a bunch of freeze dried raspberries in granola or… tea. And something else dried. Probably the tea. In the background a hint of a sour-metallic note, which grows when the raspberry fades later on and goes almost silvery.
An hour in its still a heap of freeze dried raspberries, maybe in the bottom of a cup of raspberry tea. Its not as metallic as it was earlier, instead its a raspberry scent with a hint of tea.
Ends as perfumey tea, a stronger metal note with the raspberry being very weak post the third hour.

Tyrannophobia is to me a fruity scent, and it really does reminds me of raspberry tea. Its not fruity in a fresh fruity way, but rather the scent of dried berry pieces added for flavor in various foody things. At times, it even reminds me of the scent of the raspberry flavoring in raspberry soda... in a can. The tea note adds to the dried berry-feeling and the metal note can be found if one is searching for it. It works well, even though I think it would be even more interesting if the raspberry wasnt this strong.

Dominant notes: Raspberry!
Type: Gourmand-y/fruity

Lasting: 3.5h

[Coldfire]

Decant: dark raspberry and metal \m/\m/
Wet on Me: dark raspberry and no metal but getting tea leaf now
Drying Down: mostly raspberry and tea leaf. really nice!
Dry: a soft raspberry and tea leaf blend. Nothing to really 'fear' here!

[faifai]

Like raspberry iced tea. Fresh, clean and very spring or summer friendly. I got no dark or metallic notes.

[lady_pandora]

This is one of those scents where I just really love what Beth did on a conceptual level. The dominant note here is a light, perky raspberry, which will remind women of my generation of B&BW's Sun-Ripened Raspberry, but underneath it there's always this other note that is "off." It's like metal or rust or blood. You start relaxing into the simple pleasure of the raspberry note, and then you smell that. It won't let you forget that this blend is referring to something serious, despite its surface pleasantness.

 

I don't smell anything identifiable as birch, but symbolically I like that it's there, because one of its associations is with punishment.

 

I wore this for my Dolores Umbridge costume.

[Lucchesa]

Somebody frimped me Tyrannophobia a while back and while I liked it enough to keep the imp, it didn't get into my notes at all. I decided to retest it when I saw a sales listing for it at a bargain price. It's a strong raspberry note and really a nice one -- it doesn't go fake, it doesn't go candy, it's tangy and realistic -- overlaying the tea and tar and metal notes, which are faint. Tea never lasts long on my skin. Fruity scents are not my jam, but this is such an enjoyable raspberry that I would think about buying that bottle if the tar and metal were stronger and this were a grittier, darker blend. It's just too upbeat for me, particularly given what this particular tyrant has done to our country. I'm really glad I got to try it, though. Thank you, frimper, whoever you are!