Highwayman

[themeaningofV]

Stand and deliver! Vetiver with gardenia, blood red rose, night-blooming jasmine, a dash of cinnamon and a faint hint of leather.

 

Ahh, this is what I was hoping Cruelties Thrive would be like! There's an initial blast of vetiver, but after the first ten minutes or so, it begins to subside, revealing leather and soft florals. I am still not too sure about the jasmine, so I'm going to wait and see. I think this is one to age a few months and try again.

[nihil]

In vial: Gardenia, rose, vetiver.

Wet: Vetiver, mixed floral and a hint of cinnamon and leather.

Dry: Mixed floral, more cinnamon and leather.

 

Dissipates quickly on my skin. My wife really smells the leather on me and thinks it's a sexy scent. Me, I'm on the fence.

Edited November 12, 2013 by nihil

[Magycmyste]

I'll apply this with a light hand, since it sounds like it's a vetiver base, and vetiver doesn't usually play as nicely on my skin as other scents (although the other notes sound awesome).

 

In the imp: ::sigh:: Almost totally vetiveer. I did get a hint of the cinnamon and leather, though.

 

Wet on skin: In the inner elbow - Slightly aquatic vetiver? Ooh, something's going a bit funky on me here.

 

Dried down: Ew. No. Too. Much. Vetiver. Not enough everything else.

 

Throw: Enough that I'm actually going to scrub at this one a little to get it off before I go out. Although there's a slight aquatic feel to the throw that I like.

 

Verdict: * It's a shame. Granted, I had a pretty good idea what I was getting into when I saw the notes. I just really wanted to like this, since (I know it's not the poem quoted above) the title makes me automatically think of The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes (which usually pops into my head as sung by Loreena McKennit), which is one of my favorite poems of all time. ::sigh:: Are there any scents like this that maybe replace the vetiver with lavender, or lavender fougere?

[KakashiMorph]

This imp was gifted to me, so I am not sure of its age.

In the bottle: Vetiver and leather.

On my skin: Vetiver to the fore! It is clouded in leather though and not rogue by itself, like it usually goes. A few minutes in I can smell the vetiver growing in power, shedding the spiciness that kept him before. It has been about half an hour or more and I get a vague hint of spiciness that I think must come from the cinnamon. I can't make out the cinnamon, but I know that spicy feeling if that makes sense.

Drydown: Spiciness that must come from the cinnamon and I think a dash of gardenia.

Edited March 6, 2014 by Kashi

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Deep and damp. Earthy and slightly sweet, almost like candied vetiver (if such a thing existed).

 

Drydown: Earthy and soft as heady florals begin to bloom. The jasmine hums through the air first, then the gardenia sneaks in behind it, lending a soapy-clean vibe to the green earthiness.

 

Dry: Walking through a damp, unkempt garden, with rogue gentleman at your side. Heady, earthy, clean, dewy, and ever-so-slightly spiced.

 

 

 

 

7.5 out of 10 bones

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Slightly-sweet vetiver and a chemical, somewhat unpleasant smell.

 

Wet on my skin: Oh my god what is this WHY DID I PUT THIS ON MY SKIN? At this stage, this smells very much like I rubbed the contents of an ashtray on myself.

 

Dry: It took ten or fifteen minutes for ashtray to fade, but thankfully it DID fade. This is primarily leather, vetiver, and cinnamon on me, in that order, with a vague undercurrent of sweetness from the flowers. A teensy bit of the red rose is recognizable, but I cannot pick out the jasmine or gardenia at all. It's a warm, masculine, earthy sort of scent on me. Not a whole lot of throw to it. It's a snugly-fitting leather with earth on my boots and a vague, faint hint of flowers on the night air. This is very different from what I was expecting, but I still like it!

[DoktorDandy]

In the Imp: Leather! Straight up leather! Not too dark though.

 

Wet: Momentarily after the leather clears up there's a funny sort of greenhouse smell, like fresh cut rose stems- not the roses, just the stems. Family members who tried this retched and washed it off or recoiled at the smell. I'm really puzzled by that as I'm just getting a yo-yo-ing inoffensive leather and greenish stem of roses thing. They say it has a bathroom cleaner smell, rather strong, and I have to admit it smells weirdly sour on them, but I smell something completely different on me- and they claim it's the same. To me, it's just sort of a single note of leather again, and the momentary green whiff is gone.

 

Dry: I'm wondering if it's the vertiver they were reacting to? I don't know vertiver by itself enough to be able to locate it, if that's really the culprit, but they are accusing the gardenia of being the troublemaker. I am disappointed in that I can't detect the gardenia at all because I adore gardenia! I don't really get any floral notes on me, sadly. It's become warm and soft, sort of like a soft, well-worn brown leather. Maybe the florals are causing the fuzzy, warm edges? Undecided.

 

On another try: Didn't even get the green stems this time! Where are my gardenias? Boo! I'm keeping the imp though.. and I'm sort of curious to try a different batch sometime to be sure that I didn't just get a leather-heavy one. At least the warm, soft leathery note is really reminiscent of one of the notes in Dzing! in a way that no other BPAL scent has gotten to yet.. We will see!

P.s. Both family members who were disgusted by Highwayman last time found it disgusting on themselves again, though less so, and thought that this time it was ok on me. Quite a mystery.

Edited June 2, 2015 by DoktorDandy

[Veronica]

Starts off all vetiver--terrible on me--then the cinnamon comes out and its vetiver and cinnamon. Nooooooooooo thank you!

[hobbitballerina]

Oooh, Highwayman. I originally got this imp for my husband, since he loves leather, and it smells great on him, but I wanted to give it a try for myself today.

 

In the bottle: LEATHER. And vetiver. But mostly LEATHER. Are you here for LEATHER?

 

Wet: LEATHER. And florals. And what I presume is vetiver -- a sort of sharp green earthiness. A whiff of something sweet and heady.

 

Dry: The leather has stuck around, but it has mellowed and sweetened, which I think is the jasmine, since my skin loves jasmine. There's still that green earthiness, but it's sweetened, too. No rose that I can smell. There's almost a sense of floral incense to it -- perhaps that's the cinnamon working with the florals?

 

Overall, I love this. It has an incredible staying power on me. I keep getting whiffs of it as I move around, and it is so perfectly sexy and androgynous, which I love. It works on my husband, too, but it's a totally different experience on me, much sweeter. He gets more of the green earthiness, and I have this sweet incense note that he doesn't get. I can see how this is masculine to some people, but to me, this is a dangerous lady with a brace of pistols, a leather jacket, and a deadly smile. I love it. When we come into some cash, I suspect a full sized bottle is in order.

[t_for_tau]

From imp to drydown, screaming sharp indolic jasmine backed up by rose and gardenia with a weird waft of dryer sheets. Not a hint of vetiver, leather or cinnamon. This isn't a rugged romantic highwayman; this is an old lady with too many cats on laundry day, and she's giving me a blinding headache. Off to swaps.

[Casablanca]

Wet on my skin: Jasmine. I catch a whiff of gardenia and leather behind her, but she is distracting. On the third sniff I notice the trace of a hot dusty feeling in my nose, on the end of the inhale... cinnamon. Barely there, but I think it will make itself known more later. On the fourth sniff I get more rose...

...this is kinda in drydown now, actually, and the rose is coming out more. And there's more of the cinnamon. This is starting to smell like I imagine Harlot will, when I get to testing that sample. The jasmine has quieted down quite a bit, still present but no longer calling attention to herself. I like the balance of the scent at this point, except that I only get a little of the leather.

Later on, I also get what seems like a little violet or violet leaf. Not that any is listed. From start to finish, I don't smell any vetiver. That's odd since it usually stands out for me.

For this to truly feel like a highwayman to me, it would need more leather. But for a spicy floral, I like it OK.

[LizziesLuck]

Jasmine. We're still not friends. Though it's turning to soap rather than cat pee or feces, so it could be worse. Unfortunately, due to my skin chemistry, I can't smell any of the other notes I might have likes, like the leather/cinnamon combo that sounded like it could be nice.

[ziggystardust13]

Strange. I've never read so many reviews that are sooo different from what I have in this imp labeled Highwayman...

 

Let me first start by saying vetiver is one of my death notes. And I don't detect the slightest drop of it in this. Out of the imp it's all spicy floral. Dries down to a dainty jasmine soap. It makes me think of a light pink soap that is scented in jasmine. That is all I get. Certainly nothing masculine or even borderline unisex. Absolutely no leather. Perhaps there are some other florals in there that disappeared upon application. Maybe if I squint my eyes and inhale really deeply I get a dragons blood (the Bpal kind that smells nothing like real dragons blood but rather lilacs or something) waaay in the background. I don't get it. Is my imp labeled wrong? Batch variation?

 

Weird.

Edited January 16, 2017 by ziggystardust13

[lizabelle]

I admit I was skeptical with all those florals in there, but this is a perfect unisex rose. It starts with a ton of vetiver and some leather, both of which soften and take a backseat to the rose and gardenia over time. I don't get a whole lot of jasmine out of this until it dries down, but that's fine. The other two blend into a sharp, almost peppery and slightly green rose (with gardenia supporting quietly). The vetiver is still hanging out in the background and the cinnamon adds a touch of spice without taking over. In the drydown the same cool jasmine as is in New Orleans and Defututa comes in and the leather re-amps somehow to create a truly fascinating masculine/feminine clash. This is totally different than the other BPAL floral (and especially rose) blends I've tried and I kind of love it. There's definitely a rogueish feel to it, and someone more masculine than I am could definitely wear this.

 

Edit:

After (more or less accidentally) aging my bottle for nine months, an update. This has turned to dark, worn leather and honeyed, boozy florals. it retains that lovely 50/50 masculine/feminine quality that I so loved in it fresh, although the leather is quite strong so it may be more like 60/40. I couldn't say whether I like it better this way or fresh from the lab, as both are lovely. Either way I'll be wearing this tons this winter.

Edited November 16, 2017 by lizabelle

[Coldfire]

Imp: vetiver and gardenia
Wet on Me: vetiver, gardenia and the faintest trace of leather
Drying Down: the vetiver has receeded, mostly gardenia and leather with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Dry: I gotta keep this! sshhh don't tell rose. this is just a smooth leather gardenia!

[mishi-bear]

Highwayman smelled awful in the imp, enough to make me not want to try it at all. Very sharp and bitter.

 

Unfortunately, I splashed a bit on my thumb, so I got to 'try' it anyway.

 

It loses a lot of it's bitterness on dry down, but unfortunately still isn't great. To be honest, it just kind of smelled like a very old man cologne. Not unpleasant really, but just not a way I'd like to smell.

[joopjoop]

This was a frimp. Leather is not my friend usually, but the other notes sound good. Let's try.

 

In the imp: Leather. Nasty chemically smelling leather. Specifically Beth's black leather note, which does not work on me at all. Add to that a blast of vetiver - together they are so strong they almost smell like cured meat. Ugh.

 

On wet: The same. Horrible. Fortunately the vetiver fades back so it is just leather leather leather.

 

Dry down: more leather - so much leather. The leather gets softer and nicer but that's about it. I get none of the other notes.

 

Much much later: in the throw, a pleasant unidentifiable floral mixed with a much softer leather. Nice. Up close, still more leather than anything else.

I guess I amp leather?

 

Not for me. Too bad. Sounds dashing and romantic. But on my skin it smells like a Wilson's Leather sales rack.

Edited October 20, 2017 by joopjoop

[Cali]

Oh no. Vetiver. But I gotta be brave and review this like a good girl hm. Let this dry for a while; the vetiver calms down a bit after a good while but it smells like thrift shops. Now I love me some thrift shops, but I don't like the smell.

[Lucchesa]

Highwayman on me is all about the vetiver. It's gorgeous if you like vetiver, with great throw. I was worried about the jasmine, but the night blooming kind seems better behaved on my skin, and it's not at all able to stand its ground against the vetiver. After half an hour or so, the vetiver softens and the leather and florals begin to emerge. (I get no cinnamon from this, nor do I miss it.) I get mainly gardenia, just hints of rose and jasmine, but they mysteriously twine in and out of the vetiver and leather. A dashing, dangerous outlaw with a gardenia in his buttonhole. I love this one!

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: I smell the vetiver, soft cinnamon, jasmine, and a little leather.

 

Wet: The vetiver, gardenia, and cinnamon are the first notes that leap out at me. Then I get the night-blooming jasmine, rose, and some leather. The cinnamon in this is definitely a soft variety, and the leather is well-worn. As it sits on my skin, the cinnamon becomes more prominent, but the vetiver remains the dominant note. The floral notes in this are soft and well-behaved as opposed to heady. And as far as vetiver goes, this is a slightly smoky variety that doesn’t smell like BBQ or beef jerky on me.

 

Dry: Lightly spiced vetiver, well-behaved jasmine, and sweet gardenia in a well-worn leather jacket.

 

But after a few hours, all I get from it is smoky vetiver. Alas!

 

Verdict: This was a lot more pleasant than I thought it would be from the list of notes. It’s not really in my wheelhouse, but as far as vetiver and jasmine goes, the varieties found in this scent aren’t the kind to fear (although the vetiver does end up taking over completely on me after a while).

Edited July 12, 2018 by dementia_divine

[Ghost of a Rose]

Frimp fresh from the lab:

 

On the wand and in the imp: Instantly, a strong whiff of cat pee. Eueeew. None of the listed notes have smelled like that before to me, that I can recall. Must be something about the combination (I'm guessing jasmine plus vetiver). Fortunately, within seconds it changes to earthiness and leather. But there's still a hint of cat pee in the background.

 

On met, wet: I'm almost afraid to put this on. But I do. It's exactly the same. But the cat pee vanishes quickly, and this time, completely. Whew! Again I get the leather and earth. But on my skin, the earthiness carries a note of petrichor, which I love. And the florals, which I also love. Soooo much nicer than in the bottle! Quite nice, in fact.

 

At 5 minutes: Mostly gardenia and jasmine with a bit of petrichor. Loving it.

 

At 10 minutes: The leathery petrichor is now strongest, with a suggestion of sharp spiciness. The florals are still present. (The petrichor note I notice is actually the leather, and my nose does interpret it as new leather as well. It just depends on how I think of it. It's considerably realistic either way.)

 

At 30 minutes: The spice continues to gain momentum - it's now recognizable as cinnamon - as the florals fade. A few minutes ago I got the tiniest hint of rose but it's gone now. The leather/petrichor note is still going strong.

 

At 1 hour: Leather and perfume (blended notes). A high-fashion model in tight black leather pants.

 

At 2 hours: For a while, perfume (including the flowers and spice) took center stage, but now it's mostly leather. Broken-in leather now, rather than new.

 

At 3 3/4 hours: Tobacco is strongest, followed by perfume. It almost smells like I've been smoking pot, which is kind of hilarious since I don't smoke anything. Oh well, cannibis is legal is my state!

 

I love how this blend veers back and forth between the different notes and lets almost every ingredient have a turn at being the star.

 

Verdict: Given how nasty this smelled in the vial, who knew that I would end up liking this so much on my skin! It goes to show that you never know until you try it on. I'm so glad I gave this one a chance.

 

It's definitely not a rose perfume. The rose is virtually non-existent as an identifiable note.

 

It's not feminine enough to be on my Favorites short list, but I do like it a great deal. It isn't aggressively masculine, so I don't picture this as a Highwayman. But that's a good thing, it means I can wear it too. It's androgynous, but leaning a little towards the masculine much of the time. Occasionally the pendulum swings slightly towards the feminine, especially at the beginning. Overall, it depends on how I think of it. If I visualize the vetiver note as petrichor, ithe blend feels quite unisex. If I see that note as leather, it seems slightly more masculine. Never a "men's cologne" fragrance, though. I'm a girly girl, but wouldn't hesitate to wear it.

 

My rating: 5 stars out of 6

Edited August 28, 2018 by Ghost of a Rose