Jongleur

[Darkersolstice]

Wherein the Magician and the Fool are one, spinning the story and juggling the knives that drive a man’s fate.

Frankincense and star anise, bergamot and clove bud, rue and green cinnamon, saffron and carnation, cedar and vanilla absolute.

In Bottle: The saffron and cloves and green cinnamon dominate; it doesn't smell sweet at all, instead being a wild spice blend. Of the three bottles from the Fool collection my datemate J sniffed for me, this was the one she didn't say was a very 'me' smell. Too confident, I think.

Wet: As I was walking to the train station after putting it on, the dominant notes were the saffron and the cedar, to my surprise. The woody note behind the saffron was rich, and took over the spices for a bit.

Dry: By the time I got to work, the spices were poking back out, including the bergamot and anise that I hadn't caught, at the 'edges' of the smell. The cedar died down quick, yielding to become a grounding bottom note.

 

End of Day: I was catching mild spicy whiffs all day long, and at one point thought I caught a hint of tumeric. Maybe the saffron interacted with something interestingly? I liked it, though.

I'd love to try layering this with Wrath at some point, to stoke more of the cinnamon clove note. This didn't go sweet on me, like most scents do, but the end result was still very food-y. In all, a nice scent I'll be wearing again.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Darkersolstice

[starbrow]

Holy star anise. Maybe this isn't a note that works on me after all? Jongleur is all black licorice and spice cabinet on my skin. Bold is the right word for it, with actual herb-spices like sticking your nose near some opened jars. I didn't get anything sweet from this, no carnation or vanilla, just straight up whiffs of cooking spices.

 

This one isn't really for me, but it's an interesting and pretty unique take on spices.

[crimescenecleanup]

This smells like a street fair run by hippies, and I mean that in the nicest way possible.

 

Incense-soaked handmade batik scarves, artisanal herbal teas, and exotically spiced snack food beguile the senses while a handsome young juggler dressed in patchwork hemp flirts with you for tips.

 

Yep, it's that in a bottle.

Edited April 23, 2018 by crimescenecleanup

[Lucchesa]

I tried this yesterday, and it may not have stood a chance against Fate's Jester, which was on the other wrist and was fantastic on me. But Jongleur felt like a scent that will need a little more aging to develop properly. I got a dry frank and the star anise clearly, the clove and cinnamon faintly, and the other notes didn't really show up on my skin at all. I think they will, in a month or a year -- it didn't feel like a skin chemistry thing so much as a not-quite-ripe sort of thing. I'm keeping my decant to try again in a few months because I want that hippie street fair experience CSC is describing.

[RedPersimmon]

Wet: A burst of star anise/clove/saffron, then bergamot and cinnamon. Made my eyes water a bit lol.

 

Dry: Herbal, black peppery ginger beer.

 

Dry-down: The spices (especially star anise) are dominant throughout, but eventually take a backseat to saffron and frankincense. There's a bit of sweetness here that reminds me of the sweetness of Sin, or that of ginger beer.

 

I bet this will age nicely and smooth out the eye-watering top notes.

Edited April 27, 2018 by RedPersimmon

[JazzieCazzie]

I bought this as a last-minute impulse buy to go with the Black Light 420 scent and am IN LOVE.

 

Anise is absolutely amping up a storm on my wrist (not as much in the crook of my arm) but in a really good way ... kind of mellow and incense-y and golden spicy.

 

Pretty much EVERY note in this is working for me and working TOGETHER without anything other than the anise on my wrist jumping out to make itself known. And, happily, the vanilla is NOT playing badly with the others (which vanilla often does on me) but may help in some of the mellowing effect.

 

I can't stop taking whiffs of my wrist and arm.

 

If you are a lover of BPAL's incense-y spicy "can't really put your finger on what it is" scents, this is for you! I know it's for me.

[zankoku_zen]

Frankincense, anise, cinnamon, and cedar. This smells like spices and a whiff of resin. Spicy, resinous, good throw and wear length.

[Aveya]

Source: TPP decant Circle

Preconception: I honestly saw Carnation, Vanilla, "Spices", and "Other" and thought heck why not. Little lazy on my part but hey!

 

Imp: Pine anise. I was a bit scared.

Initial Skin: Cedar & Pine.

Drydown: Balances out wonderfully. I think people waiting for this to be less spicey might be disappointed. Aged carnation will just replace the notes that temper down with time, imo.

 

So early application I was SURE I wouldn't like this scent. But in the drydown something happens and I just... yum. This is RIGHT up my ally. The notes all start to play together artfully and I'm left with this eclectic mix of spices. Some "spice" blends can get dry/incensey, this one stays full bodied. I really like how this plays with the idea of the Fool Juggler. It feels active, dangerous, haphazard, but alive and strangely happy.

 

Verdict: Bengal Light. Eclectic and vibrant spices. Medium throw, strong staying power. Scent likes to dance around from note to note - just like a juggler would. I only wish it had a stronger base note, it's not AS full bodied as I like, but makes it a less enveloping version of Bengal for me.

 

Like it a lot. Going to try out a few more times then probably grab a bottle.

Edited May 12, 2018 by Aveya