Highwayman

[jj_j]

A brace of loaded pistols
He carried night and day;
He never robbed a poor man
Upon the king's highway;
But what he'd taken from the rich,
Like Turpin and Black Bess,
He always did divide it
With the widow in distress.

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

First on, Highwayman hits me with a wave of vetiver. Since vetiver is a scent I prefer in small quantities, I'm a little anxious for the drydown and what other notes may come through.

The other notes do come through, and start to show themselves fairly quickly. There's a gorgeous floral decadence of jasmine and rose twined together, and the cinnamon is quick to warm up and meld into them. The leather is there, too - while it's just a hint, it's that fabulous pure leather note at work in DeSade - like rubbing your hands over a leather saddle and being able to smell the scent, mixed with everything else, on your fingers later in the day.

I had to try Highwayman twice to find the gardenia. Think of a gorgeous man standing next to a tangle of flowering bushes, and that's where the florals come in - they're not really even supporting cast; it's like smelling two distinct presences at one time but not being able to disassociate them.

Highwayman did end up seeming very masculine to my nose, because the leather became more definite as time went by, and the cinnamon gives it a different sort of earthy quality than the vetiver led me to believe it would have. If I stick my nose up close to the spot of this blend on my wrist, I don't care for it; the vetiver becomes the focal point and is more than I prefer. If I sniff a couple of inches away, though, it's wonderful - very clear, and surprisingly light.

I'll be slathering the imp on the man in my life, and then moving away from him for about three minutes to avoid the vetiver wave. At that point, if it smells as good on him as it does on me after drying down and warming up, I'll be investing in a bottle.[/font]

[Theravada]

In the bottle:

Woah! I usually enjoy vetiver when it plays a supporting role in blends, but the vetiver mixed with the leather in this blend is really wicked! I can't smell any of the other notes yet. The leather in this one is SO strong. I'm really shocked, because Severin is one of my favorite BPAL scents but the leather there is barely detectable. I haven't tried De Sade or Whip....maybe those are more similar to this.

 

Wet:I

Still vetiver and leather, but it is slowly mellowing in intensity. No cinnamon....very slight floral starting to appear.

 

Dry:

This is much more managable after it has dried, yet it still remains one of the most powerful, demanding, and honestly intimidating BPAL blends that I have ever encountered. As much as I tend to lean towards the traditionally masculine blends and scoff at gender distinctions for scents....this is really a man's blend. I just cannot begin to imagine a woman wearing this one. But a man wearing this would be nearly impossible to resist because the scent is just so demanding.

Edited January 3, 2005 by Theravada

[LupaWulf]

This one I got a 5ml of without trying first. The description sounded SO wonderful, and I really like masculine scents as a room refresher or just a dab on a pillow to sleep next to. (But use is another topic)

 

Sniffing the bottle:

WOAH strong! Very piney and woodsie scented. I like that. Tickeled my nose with the smokey notes too. Definatly I can tell it has aftershave scent properties and behaves like a very bad charactor. =)

 

Wet on my wrist:

Still strong, the smoke notes come out more, but I still can detect the aftershave and outside.

 

Worn for a while:

Doesn't change much from the wet reaction. I do like it, but after a while it can get sort of overpowering. That old slogan "A little Dab will Do ya" is very true here.

 

I'm pleased I baught this one. It's nice for that "Need the scent of a Man" moment, diffuseing around the apt, or on the pillows. I can't wait to try it on my mate too.

 

It's a little freaky scented in a way: Like a dark stranger in a cloak walking along a wooded path at night while smokeing a hand rolled cigerette. Sort of made me think of Stephen King's charactor from The Dark Tower Series, Roland. (of course that made it all the more appealing and I now must re read all of the DT series while sniffing Highway Man)

 

=)

Good stuff, but will last me a LONG time in the 5ml.

[Northernminx]

Herbal and strong in the bottle, the vertiver is...uhm overwhelming... at first. That's the nicest way I can put it as it practically punched me in the nose. I'm not getting any floral from this, no cinnamon, no spice. just ka-pow! vertiver. The leather comes in a bit after that but I was really hoping for the floral and cinnamon to mellow this on me and it never did.

 

Sadly, it's kinda turning my stomach with my chemistry so off to swaps.

[xochitl]

OH! Oh, my. The description of this sounds so wonderful. And on me it is pesticide. STRONG pesticide. And every single note usually works on me, but together, in this blend, no way.

[Finny]

Mmm, vetiver, gardenia, and leather. The leather is keeping this from going floral, while letting the floral peek out now and then. I can smell the spiciness of the cinnamon, but it has almost a woody cinnamon quality. I like the herbally smell, vetiver? It smells green and fresh, keeps those flowers in the background where I can enjoy them. I'm not a huge floral fan, as they usually go crazy and give me a headache, but this has just a wisp of floral, like a spring wind.

 

I like this, it is an interesting blend, the leather gives it warmth, the vetiver is green and fresh. The floral very light. It may not be a bottle purchase, but I'm keeping the imp.

Edited February 4, 2005 by Finny

[JazzieCazzie]

HIGHWAYMAN ... ordered as an imp by the notes.

BOTTLE: An odd floral. Something about it is stale and stuffy, probably the leather.

WET: A tiny bit fruity as well ... but the leather is strong, like sitting in a Laz-Z-Boy showroom or something.

DRYDOWN: It's kind of rancid guy cologne on me. I keep getting odd throws all morning.

Definitely to be regifted.

[gingersnapp]

I really wanted to like this one because of all of the beautiful ingredients, but I was hesitant because of the leather. I had a feeling it wouldn't work well on me.

 

Unfortunately, I was right. This started out smelling kind of pretty, but it's degenerated into perm solution on my skin. I feel like I'm back in elementary school and I just had my hair permed. It's sharp and keeps stinging my nose.

 

Definitely to be swapped.

[TrinitySydney]

All of the notes listed are notes I like, so why is it that all I smell with this one is pure smoke? Really. It smells like those smoke-chips my dad puts in the BBQ. And that's not bad itself, but I can't imagine wearing it. I tried it on my husband to be sure and see what it would dry-down like. Same. Smoke. Way too strong.

 

Too bad, because this is one I REALLY wanted to like.

Edited March 4, 2005 by TrinitySydney

[darkling]

The Highwayman consisted largely of vetiver and leather. It was very rich and smokey. It had the scent of sandalwood although this is not listed as an ingredient.

 

I definitely did not smell any of the flowers or the cinnamon.

 

This is a very masculine scent and just not me.

[Janie]

I'm a bit of a leather gal, so the fact that leather rode high in the notes was a a bit of a siren song for me.

 

When first applied I certainly copped a nose-full of vetiver - another favourite note of mine. SLightly floral with the leather peeking out from around the corner.

 

As it started to dry down the leather became stronger, and the flowers remained a subtle counterpoint.

 

Then I took up my swimmers and towel and headed off to the pool for my customary 40 laps in the late afternoon.

 

When I got out of the water I could still smell it (albeit faintly) after over half an hour in a chlorinated pool. In fact it was delightfully delicate and quite charming.

 

You have to respect a scent that has that sort of staying power!

 

Overall - I admit to being a fan of "men's scents" and leather in most things so my fondness for this one should be tempered by that admission, but I really liked it and will order a larger bottle of it.

[kmasden]

I loved Highwayman at first. And I do think it is lovely. I totally agree with the poster who said it was like the guy in the steven king novels. I decided to slather and then drive to work and unfortunately, this was just too intimidating for me. Really what it seemed like was salt. Like herbs that were covered in salt, left to dry. I don't know what was giving me that impression, but I just couldn't get away from it. Couldn't find the gardenia in this at all and have no idea what gives it that very salty feel to me, but unfortunately it has to go to the swap pile.

 

I am in mourning!

[tsarina]

The first sniff seemed to be pure leather. Leather and vertiver I suppose. It overwhelmed me. I waited a good thirty minutes, hoping it would mellow on my skin. From time to time, I caught whiffs of the flowers but they did not stay long.

 

I wonder if this would smell better on my husband.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This was on my wishlist at one point, but since then I've learned that vetiver is hit or miss and I don't particularly like gardenias, roses or jasmine, so I'm not really sure this will work for me.

 

First sniff:

 

No florals, thankfully, just lots of vetiver and some cinnamon and leather. This smells fairly masculine to my nose, but I tend to prefer gender neutral or masculine scents, so that's not a bad thing in my book.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Much less intense in the vetiver department, which is good since it can be overpowering. There's some vague florals here, too, mainly jasmine, but mainly it's vetiver, cinnamon and leather. This is really sexy smelling and I'm sure it would smell fantastic on a guy. I may test that theory on the boy if I decide I don't mind sharing.

 

Dry down:

 

Mmm, this smells good. I smell a little bit of everything now and even the flowers are sexy. The leather's quickly becoming more and more prominent and dragging the cinnamon along for the ride and I really like this. It's not too masculine for most women, I wouldn't think, it's just aggressive smelling and not for the sugar and spice kind of girls.

 

The bottom line:

 

Much sexier than I'd imagined. I was worried about this one, but I really, genuinely like this. Kudos to the Lab for throwing this in with my order!

[dreamingjune]

I want to love this one so much. From sniffing the bottle I had such high hopes.

 

Before it dries I can still smell a bit of the vetiver and leather. However, once it dries all of that fades and it becomes a huge mess of gardenia and jasmine with nothing earthy or masculine to hold it down. The violet is there a bit, but not nearly enough for me. It always seems that the scents we love never stand out enough, yet the scents we hate come to the forefront. I waited around for the gardenia to calm down but it never really does on me. Oh well. At least I have my beloved Saturnalia.

[theshapeshifter]

This probably felt like the biggest 'gamble' out of the scents I included in my first order. Jasmine and leather and cinnamon I knew I'd like; rose I tend not to like, gardenia I wasn't sure of, and vetiver scared me a little, since I know it's such a love-it-or-hate-it thing.

 

In the imp: Whoa. That must be vetiver. After the initial sniff on receiving it, it took me a few days to work up the nerve for this one.

 

Initial application: It's so GREEN, the smell, but like a murky, impenetrable green. A deep, wet wood, where everything's dark and a bit dank. I can smell the leather underneath as well. My brain's having a hard time wrapping around it - almost like it's pleasing and disturbing in equal measure.

 

After a few minutes: I can't stop sniffing myself! There's that unwholesome, decadent greenness that makes me think of Fangorn Forest or Anne Rice's 'savage garden', the leather, and now a sort of waxy, deathly-white floral that must be the gardenia. All the adjectives I'm using probably sound negative, but this scent is hugely alluring to me.

 

After an hour: All of the above, plus the jasmine's winding in around the gardenia. No rose yet. The cinnamon's there too, but it's a much more woody cinnamon than I've encountered before - it's not so much spicy as woody/foresty.

 

This really DOES embody the concept so well. Certainly a masculine-leaning scent, but I don't feel at all like I stole something from the men's counter. It's a very challenging scent - it jumps onto your skin and demands 'Stand and deliver!' It's not for everyone, but unless it does something totally unexpected over the course of the day, it's certainly for me! I foresee a bottle in my future... possibly two, if this works as well on the boy as it does on me.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: the lab included this as an extra, and they apparently really want me to get into leather because this was the third leather-containing oil they threw in. oh, wow. i really don't get along with vetiver and that is all i smell.

on: i'm getting mostly leather and vetiver.

half an hour later: more floral. the leather has died down a bit. very different.

1.5 hours later: much lighter. a general sort of floral. very light.

overall: this just isn't something i would wear. i liked how the leather blended with the other notes once it dried.

[cormeretrix]

highwayman was a birthday gift from a friend; i think that she picked it out for me, as i don't remember requesting this one.

 

at first, it's a rather strong, off putting scent. kind of bitter. but after it dries, it's not as bad. i can catch whiffs of rose, but mostly it's leather and gardenia, which are not scents that i like. to be honest, while it's not an unpleasant smell, the scents in it have bad connotations for me; also, it reminds me of the smell that lingers after you shoot off fireworks. with gardenia.

[Gin]

This is going to sound completely bizarre, but what first popped in my head when I smelled Highwayman was mayonnaise. Once I get past that, I smell the leather and the gardenia and the vetivert, and it reminds me of Scorpio a little bit. I'm very pleasantly surprised.

[Brianne]

Highwayman was the scent that made me order BPAL in the first place. I was so drawn to the description, and it sounded so unique and interesting. I had high hopes for this, which were dashed immediately, unfortunately.

 

In bottle:

This is the one time where I liked the scent better in the vial than on me. Very leathery here, hardly getting any other smell at this point.

 

On me:

I don't smell gardenia, or cinnamon. All I'm getting is overpowering floral (without the gardenia I love so much and also no trace of rose for me), and leather. But not in a pleasant way, there's a burning smell with this. Not a pleasant, smokey burning smell. An acrid burning smell.

 

Final note:

Though I was personally disappointed with this scent, perhaps it works better on someone elses skin. I could also see a man wearing this, though I wouldn't be that into it on a guy either, I think some people might. After this has been on me for a few hours, the acrid smell has toned down a bit, and I'm getting a little more woody/leathery smell. It doesn't come soon enough for me though for me to really like this fragrance.

[shadowsong]

ah, roses and dirty diapers.

 

 

i think i'll pass on this one.

[byrdie]

Note ~ Perhaps because I stated that I wouldn't touch this oil with a very large pole, it was included as a frimp along with the imp I'd purchased specifically for a friend. drat.

 

Vial ~ The wood note I'm smelling must be the leather. as to the rest: "the horror! the horror!"

 

Wet ~ guaaagh! The jasmine and gardenia have combined into something mere mortals should not know. Oh, help! Just smelling it has coated the back of my throat. Crap! I wonder if I have any coffee beans? Ugh. My tongue! *cough*

 

Drying ~ mother. Okay, that stage is over with. It's calmed down into something sweeter, which I suspect is just an excuse to lure me in for another close-contact sniff. When I do, my nostril hairs try to climb down my throat. This is amazing: I cannot take my usual snort of my wrist for fear of doing myself trauma. But I digress.

 

Drydown ~ It's turning from chalky to powdery, which is a blessing because that means it's softening a bit. For now. I think the cinnamon (sweet) and leather (base) have ridden into my rescue. I can only assume that the vetiver was involved in the initial assault, but I was too distracted by misery to tell.

 

Dry ~ Uh-oh. I think the vetiver heard me and is sneaking back out to bully me. There's an odd, dusty-green note that's taking advantage of the powdery floral stage. Great, now I'm coughing again. It's morphing into a random but strong, dusty, powdery floral.

 

Fade ~ It's fluctuating between a powdery floral and a dusty-dry green note.

 

Final thoughts ~ I shoulda just used the pole. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, but this was as bad or worse than I expected. Indeed, it pretty much justifies my avoidance of strong florals -- or, at least -- the strong ones with which my skin assaults my nose. I don't like jasmine tea, and I don't like jasmine oil. I don't like gardenia in Lush products, and I don't like it in BPAL either. Vetiver may actually cause me breathing problems. Rose tends to trump almost any other ingredient in an oil applied to my skin and just gets boring after a while. Together, they're the nectar of the damned.

 

5ml ~ Gods why?

Edited May 22, 2005 by byrdie

[Shollin]

First sniff: White florals and vetiver – two things that are generally horrid on me. Sweet and swampy.

 

Wearing: The aura of Highwayman is quite a bit nicer than the vial scent – it’s all jasmine and gardenia. On my wrist, though, it’s very vetiver, and there’s an almost alcoholic note. Yup – not for me.

[bellis]

So. I'm on a quest to find the perfect leather scent, and in my last order I got an imp pack of scents with leather notes. Highwayman smells NOTHING like the discription on me. I get the leather, oh my yes, but that's about it. The jasmine and gardenia do not show up at all. It's a very dusty, slightly smokey scent on me. As it was drying, I was convinced there was citrus of some sort in it, but that's faded as time went on. The leather is almost sweet now, which I suspect is a result of the florals, but the cinnamon never shows up at all. What's interesting though is that I think it is perfectly evocative; I'm thinking of the leather of a saddle and standing outside an inn smelling the smoke from the fireplace. Great throw, as well. I don't think I'd wear this often, but I'm going to have to keep the imp.

[Falathwen]

This was a generous free imp from the lab. I adore vetiver and enjoy cinnamon, but as I feared, the other notes "rose" up and attacked me. My skin amplifies rose and jasmine strongly and does terrible things with lovely gardenia. This blend of them all was incredibly intense and acrid. I think the smokiness was the leather. I tried to wait for it to dry down, but washed it off fairly quickly.