The Hessian of the Hollow

[sarada]

The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the revolutionary war; and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind. His haunts are not confined to the valley, but extend at times to the adjacent roads, and especially to the vicinity of a church at no great distance. Indeed, certain of the most authentic historians of those parts, who have been careful in collecting and collating the floating facts concerning this spectre, allege that the body of the trooper, having been buried in the church-yard, the ghost rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head; and that the rushing speed with which he sometimes passes along the Hollow, like a midnight blast, is owing to his being belated, and in a hurry to get back to the church-yard before daybreak.

Such is the general purport of this legendary superstition, which has furnished materials for many a wild story in that region of shadows; and the spectre is known, at all the country firesides, by the name of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow.

Grave moss and bone-white sandalwood, with vetiver, gunpowder, artillery shrapnel, and blood.

Few things are more lovely to me, in autumn or any time, than vetiver and sandalwood. The slightly burnt, sweetly earthy quality of vetiver and the dry, fragrant sandalwood are a perfect match. They are also the most prominent notes in this blend, which initially reminds me of the smoky wood qualities of last year's Death of Autumn. A few tufts of powdery, dry moss make this a blend you might want to nuzzle, on the right person. Smoky burnt earthen vetiver with layers of dry moss and wood, and perhaps just the slightest metallic hint lilting over these earthy-brown notes of blasted earth and ominous smoke. I worried that there would be much more prominent, cologne-like metallic notes, but nope, it's all lovely earthy burntness! Add another to the magnificent vetiver ensemble. Distinctly autumnal in the family of Death of Autumn and Samhainophobia.

[cam]

This smells great. The scents are very well integrated and difficult to differentiate. I definitely get the blood, sandalwood and vetiver notes, maybe a hint of something metallic. I really like this one.

[ImperatrixMundi]

Smells much less acrid and smoky than I was actually hoping for

While wet the sandalwood and vetivert mingle nicely but it goes a bit powdery on drydown and the metal notes again smell like oily cologne. I'll try and see what it smells like on the man of choice later and I also guess I will warm up to it a bit more when the weather gets cold and wet and dirty in November.

[DarkMouse]

The Hessian of the Hollow started out really well on my skin - masculine, smoky, musty (like my beloved Kathmandu) but with a tinge of metal & blood- but sadly it ended up with something that I can only call "BPAL men's cologne smell" because I smell it a lot in the more masculine toned scents like Wilde & Dorian. Unfortunately, this one really isn't for me but I'm thinking it might work on my hubby.

[Cereus]

In the bottle there's blood and moss in a thick swirl of gunpowder. Smoky and sweet.

 

Wet the sandalwood, vetiver, and shrapnel are more obvious, but the gunpowder is still very noticeable. Still an earthy-sweet masculine scent.

 

The vetiver was a little overpowering for me at first, but it softens as it dries. I'm getting almost an alcohol tang, like some one's flask of disinfectant on the battlefield [perhaps the shrapnel]. This fades quickly as the drydown proceeds and the moss and blood become more prevalent.

 

Dry down is a soft, mossy, sandalwood and vetiver cologne. I seem to lose the blood as soon as this finishes drying. The smokiness of the gunpowder and the tang of the shrapnel persist, but take a back seat to the other notes. This has a short throw on me, but is still quite distinct at close proximity.

[Apple]

Opening the imp, I get a blast of vetiver, which is not my favorite note. But I know there's gunpowder in here, and I'm excited. I'm hoping it will be like Agnes Nutter, but... different.

 

And it is! Um, like Agnes Nutter slathered herself in CK One before hitting the town, that is. This is not necessarily a bad thing, at least for me. I get smoky-burnt vetiver initially, but it yields to a citrusy freshness with a hint of gunpowder beneath. The gunpowder note intensifies over time (which I love), and if I close my eyes and sniff deeply, I can imagine the copper penny tang of blood is there, too.

 

But mostly it's sparklers and CK One. I like it; it's very clean smelling.

[greenranger]

Wet, on me, I get the blood, shrapnel and the gunpowder. Also, vetiver, woah.

 

Drying, it is smoothing out and blending.

 

This scent feels very dark and brooding. Probably a fantastic one for those who love smoke and vetiver. I'll have to be in the right "take no prisoners" mood to wear this, I think.

[forspecial_plate]

This is just wonderful. Just the right balance between the different notes. Not too metallic, but it's there. I love vetiver, and it's there too. I smell the moss, too, but not so much the sandalwood. I was slightly worried that the white sandalwood would be papery, but it's not at all. I love this scent!!

[jade_starlight]

This scent is dark and dry and smoky, and I absolutely love it. It's the kind of scent you wear when you put on your clunky boots and go into battle. Or when you just want people to instinctively know you're the boss. *g*

[Iceblink]

Dark and creepy--it's all vetiver while wet but then the blood note comes out (eeeee!) and a metallic note. After a while I get the sandalwood as well. It's all a bit unsettling.

[butcherbaby]

dang...in the imp i get the vetiver and blood notes. it's kind of, eeyew, maybe not so fresh blood. and kind of pukey too. it make me queasy,

on it turns into a heavy and i do mean HEAVY man's cologne, pretty overbearing, like the ones that sell at department store counters.........IN HELL.

no i won't be trying this again.

 

BUT since it wasn't meant for me but my hubby, lets hear what he has to say :"hmm,interesting, what's it supposed to be"

i look it up and read off the notes.

"well, it smells like soap"

soaP? *sniff* well i'll be damned, it DOES smell like soap on him.

 

so i got the evil twin vetiver and pukey blood, he gets SOAP. can you tell our body chemistry's are VEEEEERRRY different?

 

either way, not a keeper

 

ETA: i really wanted this to work because my man loves all things sleepy hollow and i was planning to enable him for our anniversary. *sigh* maybe goblin rider & shattered pumpkin will work out better.

Edited September 30, 2008 by butcherbaby

[Lamia]

So disappointing!

 

This started magnificently, with a male musky tone. It quickly became spicy and so alluring that were a man wearing this around me, I'd be all over over him. I thought to myself "this is what spicy brains must smell like to zombies!" because it was so delicious, so utterly irresistible.

 

Alas, that which burns brightest burns fastest, and within half an hour, this became cheap soap bought at a department store - the kind that is part of a men's colonge line and you receive free as a gift with your $30 purchase.

 

This started so well...

[Bangles]

I love this one.

 

Wet, it starts out SHARP. But it's not a bad sharp - it's very evocative, a true metal scent, all shrapnel and gunpowder. This doesn't last very long. As it dries down all that metal's swallowed up by the earth, deep and dark and heavy, and with just a drop of blood. I adore the lab's blood notes and picked this scent up in the hopes that the blood would be fairly prominent - it's not, but the notes are so perfectly blended that I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

ETA: The longer I wear it (and it's lasted all day and night at this point), the more I'm appreciating just how evocative it is; it definitely sets a certain mood. Not a blend I'd want to wear every day - but I think I've found my perfect Halloween blend.

Edited September 30, 2008 by Bangles

[Little Bird]

I didn't have high hopes for The Hessian, but it's not as bad as I thought it would be. First on, I get a slightly smoky, charred wood smell, a bit of powdery sandalwood, and a metallic, rusty, almost red wine sort of twang from the blood note.

 

In the drydown, I get that clean cologne smell that others have mentioned, and I'm not sure where it's coming from. It's still mostly earthy vetiver on me, but with clean, powdery edges and an overall feel of men's cologne. The sandalwood goes more powdery on me than usual.

 

The Hessian is a bit too much for me (too smoky/earthy, too metallic, then too powdery and too clean), so I don't think I'll be keeping my decant or searching out more of this one. It's weird that it's both a bit too dark and a bit too clean for me...

[rayvn1]

Hooray! This is a dark green scent with metallic blood and biting vetiver. Just what I was hoping for! I'll be tempted to get a bottle...

[zankoku_zen]

This is a very manly cologne - manly in the way, fur caps, wool capes and rattling swords are. The vetiver is dark, but not overpowering, it's got a certain man-fume to it. Sophisticated, sleek, elegant.

 

This is Clive Owen in a leather jacket. That's what it smells like.

 

And seriously... Clive Owen. Hubba hubba hubba.

[Schmoozy]

This is a dry, metallic scent. I get whiffs of sandalwood every now and agian, but the metallic from the gunpowder and the feel of blood overpower everything else.

 

There is definite masculine feel to Hessian, but unfortunately the metallic note is ruining the masculine cologne scent.

[gwynhwyfar]

This is a very biting, masculine scent. The vetiver is almost overpowering in this blend, though the moss and sandalwood hold their own. Very strong, with a lot of holding power.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Vetiver with a cool herbal tone over it.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells strongly of smooth, herbal vetiver to me. There’s a bit of smokiness to this as well.

 

After a little while: The other notes seem to have come out a bit. There’s now a sharp almost metallic note along with the vetiver, and a definite overtone of moss. This is a sharp, herbal vetiver with a very evident dry metallic note.

 

Overall Impressions: This is unisex but definitely edging into masculine to my nose. It’s strong, dry, and rather thick-smelling. The vetiver is the strongest note so if you don’t like it, avoid this blend. The moss gives this a slight freshness, but the gunpowder makes it more sharp and metallic. It’s an interesting blend, but not something I personally would enjoy wearing.

[Argentwolf]

Initially, it's a very dry, smokey scent; it doesn't have the sharp tang of cordite that I was expecting -- it's more like the last traces of smoke after a flame has been snuffed or blown out, sans the wax.

 

This is very fleeting, however; after that, I swear that it smells like Axe Body Spray. Not really my thing.

 

This does strike me as a very masculine scent, and I'd recommend it, along with Brom Bones, for anyone seeking out a late 'Weenie purchase for their male companions.

[smokey188]

i was worried this would be to manly on me as it smelt very masculine out of the bottle but alas once it hits my skin it becomes a lovely sweet perfumey scent, more like an elegant rich ladies day perfume. I can pick out the lovely sandalwood and vertiver notes as well as lavender and vanilla? Defintely smell the leather in this one. I was thinking of giving this one to my boyfriend or one of my male relatives but i love it too much for that!

[tinyvulture]

Another winner in the family of vetiver-laden BPAL autumn blends. The Hessian's dry, raspy sandalwood and sour blood notes set it apart from Samhainophobia, Chant d'Automne, etc. I love how these oils can share a few of the same ingredients, yet are each entirely their own thing. I mustn't forget to mention the artillery shrapnel -- there's a definite metallic note, but none of the heavy smokiness I had anticipated. That's fine, I have plenty of smoky scents already!

 

Also, while moss sometimes turns a scent into unwearable "men's cologne" on me, I don't get that here.

Edited January 17, 2009 by tinyvulture

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Deep golden oil. Super, super dry sandalwood. Sooo dusty. Reminds me of the sandalwood note in Dragon's Bone. It's really sharp and masculine and not pleasant. Lots of sort of dank/musty moss, too.

 

Wet: Yep, still dank, dusty, musty and dry. Now a little soapier, with the vetiver coming through cleanly - it's sort of saving the day. I think maybe part of the 'acridness' is supposed to be gunpowder? I am not a fan. A little bit of metal now - not any blood, yet.

 

Dry: I think this is Spanish moss, which is a type I really dislike because of how dusty and moldy it smells, like a rotting basement. More and more metal - a really tangy, sharp, awesome metal, chrome-like as in Torture Queen emerges, as well as a sort of irony-salty blood note.

 

Later: The moss has faded a lot and the sandalwood has settled into a pleasant fragrant creamy note. I find the vetiver a bit strong and cologney-masculine, but this could work in a man's favour. The metal and blood notes are DELICIOUS.

 

Summary: Tangy silvertone metal and salty blood with dark, slightly soapy vetiver, creamy dry sandalwood, mildewy moss and a hint of something acrid - it improves a lot on my skin, but I still can't handle those last two notes. Powerful throw & longevity.

 

 

[voorishsign]

I've just gotten a decant of this, and it's funny how reactions can change. The first time I put it on, it was almost entirely burnt wood in the bad way, and I considered putting it up for sale.

 

Trying it again today, it was completely different and absolutely wonderful, and I've no idea why it differs so much from the first try - either way, I would probably consider cutting someone's head off for a 5ml of this!

 

Absolutely gorgeously blended. In the bottle it's very strong, smoke, gunpowder and a sharp scent, probably the metal. On wet, the metal dissipates somewhat, and the sandalwood comes into play. Drying down, all the scents harmonize beautifully and it becomes this smoky, dark, beautifully masculine scent. Absolutely fantastic. I don't think it's something for everyday use, it's very dramatic, but god, have I fallen in love with this little decant. Must find more.

[doublehelix]

Ah, while digging through my imp box in search of some autumn-goodness, I stumbled across this little one. Goes on quite masculine, it's dark, reminiscent of those cool fall evenings when you are enjoying a lonely walk. I couldn't quite smell the leather (disappointing as I love leather scents). There is definitely some smoke and the forest moss, which leaves me longing for a bonfire. If you like dark, moody, smokey scents, give it a try.