Herr Drosselmeyer

[darkitysnark]

Magus, toymaker, and Godfather to Klara. An enigmatic man, seemingly somewhat sinister, but bearing a gentle air and a sincere love for children. This scent is dignified, refined, but dark, and hints towards esoteric mysteries and the secrets that tie mechanics to magick. Pipe smoke, sweet leather, woods and linen.

From my crazy generous Autumn Switch Witch kmasden. This one stayed pretty much true to form from the get go, so I'm dropping the usual review format to give a more whimsical impression:

The cold winter rain that smeared through the village all weekend remains a constant drone, lulling everyone in the house into napping around the fire.

Mamma is nodding slowly over her knitting. Pappa snores softly from his corner of the room. My own eyes droop and snap back open every time the fire pops.

But he is still awake. He is watching us, and I feel his regard like a sudden pulse of cold through the now stifling heat. His face, which was friendly and open when he entered the house, is darker now. I can barely make out the glimmer of reflected firelight when he moves his eyes -- the only movements he's made since conversation slipped underneath the hiss of rain.

I want to run -- away from him and straight to him at the same time. Nothing has changed. Everything has changed. Edited November 18, 2007 by Shollin

[sideviewhotel]

This is leather, but sweet with smoke. When it was wet it had a distinct anise note to it. But, now it's all leather with a hint of pipe smoke.

 

I like it, but I don't think I like it enough to keep it.

 

Once this totally dried down, a note similar to one in Gluttony popped up and this got as washed off as possible at that exact second because this is a note that gives me a monster of a headache. To swaps with you!

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

This was a Yule gift for my sister's boyfriend. He wasn't mad for it, so I've put it on my Swaps page, but I want to have a small sniff since it's here now.

 

Cute label! Looks like the tree ornament series I have of the Nutcracker characters.

 

*sniffs bottle* Well, now, I think this is really nice! The linen note from White Rabbit dominates, mingling nicely with what smells like horehound candy but must be the pipe smoke. Warm, cozy, but not too sweet due to the balancing linen note. A bit masculine for me, sure, but I think Beth did a great job on this one.

[Rewth]

personally I love this. The pipe smoke is quite rich, layered over a very good quality leather. The woods are very subtle after drydown. However, T doesn't really approve, just scowls at me. she thinks it smells like old man BO.

[lizardling]

Review:

In the bottle:

MOLASSES. I've smelled molasses, and this is what it is. Weeeeird. But fair point, I don't know anyone who actually smokes a pipe, so I'm not too surprised that this is the scent association. (And of the smokers I know, they're all Marlboros or Camels. Ish.) I was pretty dubious about it -- I was actually wondering if I'd have to find something to trade it for, but I said what the hell, and dabbed a small bit on my elbow.

 

Wet:

More molasses, sharp and wet... Ech.

 

Drydown:

My nose is starting to be able to pick out the wood notes grounding the lot. Top note is something faintly fruity. Red-brown. Cherry? Dried cherries, the kind that're really amazingly sweet. In the middle... I guess that's the pipe smoke and leather. Hey. If I get my nose really close, I can smell definite tobacco.

 

15 minutes:

It's become a really nice and complex scent, without the wackiness of the wet/drydown. Definite leather scent (sans saddle soap sharpness). Smoky leather with, again, a bit of fruitiness. And very, very warm in feel. The throw's decent on this one.

 

So yeah, it's a pretty complex scent. Unfortunately, for all that I gravitate toward not-so-girly scents, this one is a little too masculine for me. Too bad the Boy is off the other side of the country right now, or I'd make him try it.

[theseagrows]

i think i am mostly smelling the tobacco and woods. it's very woody on me (or it could be the linen..). something in it definitely smells like trees or vegetation. i love leather and tobacco, so i thought i'd try this out, but the woods are too prominent for my tastes, so i think i'll swap it.

 

it's an interesting scent though! ive never smelled anything quite like it. it's just not very 'me'.

[Caltha]

Herr Drosselmeyer

There's a scent quite common in perfume oils, often of the halloweeny or christmasy kind, a sort of burnt sugar scent. I get that scent from Herr Drosselmeyer quite strongly. It is perhaps masculine since it's strong and somewhat "dark" and boozy, but it's also very, very sweet. A scent in the vein of Devil's Night (but much stronger), Gingerbread Poppet, Atropa's cottage's Sweet shoppe, Sugar Skull and many others. On the verge of nauseating since it's so very sweet and strong but cosy, a comfort scent. I definitely don't need more of it though.

 

Edit: But what is it? There's no caramel or sugar in this, not even booze... I'm guessing the sweet leather and maybe it could be the pipe smoke as well.

Edited May 2, 2006 by Caltha

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i love this scent.... it isn't something i'll be able to wear much... but i'll treasure these bottles! this smells like my first stepfather. he smoked a custom blend of cherry-vanilla (and something else) pipe tobacco...

 

and was quite a bit older than my mom (his youngest son is just a few years younger than my mom -- my stepsisters had kids my age)

and this smells JUST like him. add in a touch of coffee oil somewhere, and i'd probably cry just from the missing him

(he stepped on a rainbow in 88)

 

this has the leather and the cherry vanilla and the pipe smoke and, yes, the "old man" smell that isn't actually all that pleasant, probably. but to me, yes, this is a precious memory.

 

Thank you for giving it back to me.

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Benzoin with maybe a little oakmoss.

 

First on: Benzoin, just pure benzoin

 

After a bit: Same thing.

 

A bit more: Yup, this is mostly benzoin, with a slight smokiness from I'm thinking oakmoss.

 

A little single noted on me, same with my husband, but he really likes it, and he's who I got it for, so it's all good.

[edenssixthday]

Herr Drosselmeyer - When first applied, this is all armchair leather and sweet, cherry pipe tobacco. It’s a very warm and comforting scent and doesn’t just smell like “old man” as much as “intellectual, distinguished, and sophisticated old gentleman”. The pipe tobacco scent fades within the first 30-40 minutes leaving only a warm, leather scent behind. The leather note has moderate staying power and a slightly above-average level of throw. I’m a big fan these days of finding scents that layer well with my LUSH Karma Kream, and this one layers surprisingly well with it. In fact, I love them together. I don’t think I could pull off wearing this scent by itself as it’s too reminiscent of an older gentleman and I prefer feminine scents. I don't have much inclination toward this myself as a perfume unless I’m going to layer it with my Karma Kream lotion to give the lotion a bit of depth.

[urbanruralferal]

herr drosselmeyer:

 

sweet pipe tobacco and buttcrack.

 

Too bad.

[littlefarmgirl]

Pipe tobbaco. Really vile pipe tobbaco.

Yuck.

I don't get any mystery and it's not sinister.

If I wanted pipe tobbaco (which I don't) I'd prefer Hellfire.

[Naamah_Darling]

Sweet, smoky, and almost nutty in the bottle, a delicious, warm scent.

 

It goes on in a waft of sweet blonde tobacco smoke, with a rummy undertone to it. It is indeed dignified and dark. It's very contrasty and warm; this is thick shadows and golden highlights. The throw is almost foody, like caramel or butter pecan ice cream. A woody note comes out more as the scent progresses and develops, the smell of lacquered furniture wood. Beneath it all there is indeed a very deep-buried crisp and clean scent like bolts of cloth. This is still a warm and comforting scent, like an old coat; something you'd want to put on before going out into a cold winter's night.

 

As it ages, the smoke fades out a little and takes a seat next to the woody notes. It becomes a kind of spicy wood blend, very subdued and masculine, very adult. It's quite persistent, too, and though it doesn't have much throw, it lingers. I really like this one.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Ick! Very powerful cherry!

 

Wet: Ooh nice... sweet smoke, wood and leather.

 

Drydown: Clean linen, and a sweet, slightly spicy wood and smoke mixture. It smells of liquorice, strangely. As it develops, the smoke becomes more obvious, differentiating itself from the wood, I think it's cherrywood. I don't get very much leather, but the blend does get deeper.

 

Overall: It's spicy, woody, a teeny bit leathery, and most of all, it smells of cherry and smoke over clean linen. It's comforting and warm, a perfect smell for curling up in a warm place when it's cold outside. Lovely!

[Ryvre]

In the imp: Sweet and chocolatey, like the tobacco isle at Walgreens.

 

Wet: Heavy tobacco.

 

Dry: Still heavy and chocolatey tobacco.

 

This isn't something I'd wear, but it might not be bad in an oil burner.

[fiddledragon]

This is a lovely warm musky-leathery-tobacco scent -- comforting and homey, not sexual. It's a bit masculine for my taste, and fades rather quickly, but I'll keep it around for a while.

 

On the other hand, it make my boyfriend smell *exactly* like a comfy leather armchair.

[Teggy]

Herr Drosselmeyer: Hello! I'm The Black Tower!

 

Ugh...hate it. I thought I'd like it but it's just pure yuck on me. Even my friend who likes tobacco and leather scents didn't like it. I did give it a real shot. I didn't just wash it off right away because I know some blends have changed for the better on me. Not this one unfortuantely. Off to swaps!

[ND¢]

In the bottle: Like sweet tobacco.

 

On me: A bit of leather, a bit sweeter and less spicy than Dee, which is what it reminds me of. I have a bottle of Dee, but I'll probably seek out more of this as well. Not herbal, definitely confined to scents like leather and sweet pipe smoke. A dry, evocative scent. I want to say it's vaguely Eastern, and recommend it to a friend who didn't like Kathmandu.

[furygrrl]

In the bottle: Like herbal...paint?

 

On wet: A sharp yet decidedly warm scent combination - I'm getting leather, spice, and something burning. Definitely keeping true to the description!

 

Drydown: Pretty much the same as above - woodsmoke (which has morphed into the dominant note), leather, and I want to attribute that soft, spicy undertone to a liberal dash of either clove or nutmeg, though I'm probably way off. Could I somehow be misinterpreting the tobacco? As a former - though longtime smoker, how lame would that be?

 

Overall: A slightly smokier, drier, less sweet version of Dee, like some of the past reviewers have mentioned. A good fragrance for when it's cold n' snowy outside, you're inside, bundled into a squishy sweater or blanket, curled up on the couch with a good book, drinking something cidery, chocolatey, or otherwise winterlicious. Very evocative of the season it was created for. 3.5/5

Edited August 20, 2006 by furygrrl

[steffanina]

Herr Drosselmeyer-

 

In Bottle: Mm, there's a booze-and-cinnamon smell in here. Warm and masculine, yes.

 

Wet: Pipe tobacco, definitely. Not too masculine!

 

Dry: This smells exactly like I hoped it would--like sweet pipe tobacco without all that unpleasant smoke, and it's not too dark or elderly-smelling.

 

Overall: I like!

[supremegoddessofall]

It's somewhat masculine. There's something underneath that's sharp and tangy that's making me not like it so much. It has a bit of a wood scent to it, not really spicy so much...it's hard to describe. It's not atrocious, but there's just...it's just not me. Note: it did get a bit better later in the day and ended up smelling mostly like tobacco, but it's still not great.

[redlisse]

I really wanted to like this. I knew I would like this - I was so sure, in fact, that I passed up an almost sure-thing (Krampus) to get a bottle unsniffed. Tobacco, leather, woods and linen? It still sounds perfect.

 

Unfortunately, all I get is cherry. Not even cherry-fruit; cherry wood - which means that by the time it fades, the whole scent is gone. I can smell dry woods and leather underneath, but I can't appreciate them, because the cherry is overwhelmingly sweet and...kind of icky. The Boy won't even come near me until I wash it off - he says I stink. Which is quite the statement, because even when he describes a scent as 'cheap eighties hair gel' (Punkie Night - boy's sniffer is broken, says I) he's always pretty tolerant.

 

But much as I've tried to convince myself to love the good Herr Drosselmeyer, I have to face reality...he's kind of a jerk.

[owensm]

In Bottle: Maple Syrup

Wet: Maple Syrup

Dry: Maple Syrup

 

AS you can see, I din't get any tobacco or leather or woods or smoke, but i still LOVE this one. I just smell like pancakes!

[blackfelicula]

In the bottle: I smell tobacco, with wood, leather, and something sweet almost like anise or licorice.

 

Wet: This smells like someone smoking a flavored cigar or preparing a pipe for lighting.

 

Drying down: More of the sweetness comes out. This is a masterful, confident scent and a masculine one (to my nose). I'm smelling less magic than machinery. There is craft, artifice, and self-assuredness. It is more logical than sensual.

 

Dry: The scent is melding more. It represents Herr Drosselmeyer well. This is where the scent on me diverges from it on my husband. I am starting to smell the linen, which I do not get as much of on him. He smells yummy in it anyhow.

 

Later: As my skin warps this scent, it takes on a maple-like quality. My husband jokes about smelling like a pancake. I think that's part of the play between the tobacco, leather, and linen scents. Still, it is a neat blend. The bottle is my husband's, and it suits him.

[fairy]

This reminded me of a sweeter Quincy Morris.

 

I absolutely love it. I got part of my Yules today and it's in my top two with Haloa.

 

I smell the tobacco and it's lovely. Slightly leathery ala Mr. Morris, and something deliciously sweet, almost chocolate. Gorgeous