Rumpelstilzchen

[hkhm]

Firewood and ash with an oddly otherworldly blend of patchouli, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper, tonka, vetiver, and myrrh.

imp: ash, vetiver, myrrh and a touch of pepper.

wet: ash. well, there might be a touch of patchouli but the ash really dominates this blend.

dry: ash.

[greywind]

In the imp: vetiver, myrrh, and patchouli

 

On, wet: it starts very woody, and then oddly enough smells like *straw*. I wasn't thinking of the fairy tale itself to make that association, I was thinking that it reminded me of a clean barnyard, and only secondarily made the olfactory connection.

 

Drying: the interesting staw smell goes away, and it's all bitter campfire, the smell of the ashes, not the smoke.

 

Dry: pepper and patchouli over myrrh. Not bad, but not fascinating, either. Maybe aging will help bring out the complexity.

[asciident]

Wet: So sour that I don't want to put it on. Highly disappointing. :/

[Kikkervisje]

Wet: Smoke and a smell reminiscent of pine tar. I can pick out a bit of cardamom and a general spicy background. Quick to dry down.

 

Dry: Ash left over after a wood fire. The various spices, etc. are noticeable but more as an undercurrent which lends the ash smell its believability, rather than as additional notes.

 

Wear Time: 8+ on collarbone

 

Overall: I find it pleasant, but I’m not sure how many people would. The initial scent is strong and a bit acrid, but the tar-ish bit makes me think of rigging and shipyards, which have positive associations for me. On the other hand, I can’t say that many people enjoy that smell. On dry down, it has a much wider appeal, I would think. However, this is not an appropriate choice for anyone looking for a light, feminine scent. So, if that’s your style, look elsewhere.

[sirensea]

I'm instantly reminded of mens cologne and the scent of burning wood. It's acrid and warm, deliciously masculine.

[DurAnorak]

For something that genuinely smells, on my wrist, like I have been standing too near people roasting a hog on a spit at a mediaeval fete, I really like this. Mind you, I've always dreamed of something that would smell like that, so~ It's more than just ash and spices, it's heated, ashy leather and smoke. I am craving a bottle. :x

[Monster]

In the imp: Smoky wood! Really...this is smoky wood!

 

Wet: Wow...I love firewood blends but THIS one takes the cake. This stuff is the real deal. Wowza.

When I waft my arm about a foot from my face I smell like I've been standing around a campfire. My skin has a wonderful smoky smell to it. Oh boy, my husband is gonna LOVE this one.

I don't want to dissect all of the notes, I'm enjoying smelling this as a whole...as a campfire scent.

 

Dry: Wood, ash, smoke...ahhhhhhh Dry I can smell more the the spices, like someone threw some food over the open flames and started roasting.

 

Verdict: Freaking amazing! If you like smoky scents, this is THE best one I've ever sniffed.

[caffinatedangel]

I feel stupid. I read over some of the other reviews before I wrote my own, and I thought "Smoke? Ash? Wha?". So I had to resniff the imp because when I tested it, I missed it. But I didn't miss it.

 

I just interpreted the ash and smoke as male. I would go camping a lot as a child, and over my teen years, and even now. And this smell, to me, is how the guys I crushed HARD on always smelled like. Smoke, dirt (cause guys do the fires, ya know) and a tart tinge of man sweat to make you swoon. With a splash of cologne or some kind of deodorant to try to say somehow acceptable.

 

I loved the scent. I'm going to go slather it on my man and gross him out for a while (then swap it. He's more a clean linen kind of guy. But it's my job in life to dirty him up ). But then, I love mansweat and nothing is more of a turn on than a smoky guy after a day of hiking and fiddling with fires so we don't starve while we're out backpacking. Yum.

 

I guess I have a thing for rumplestilzchen.

[spicyelenore]

omg this is amazing. On me it starts out like a spicy Pu-Erh tea. Then cedarwood starts to amp up and it starts to smell a little like a cedar sauna. By drydown it's a cedar bonfire. love!

It faded a bit but I will have no problem slathering this one on!

[arsenicsauce]

In the imp, smells like essence of ew. But in a way that makes me a little nostalgic- it smells like turning over a rotting pine log. I have always had a weird love-hate relationship with vetiver ("Ugh that smells disgusting! *sniff* My nose! *sniiiiff*") so I think that's what's coming through.

 

Wet: Wow, it smells like... a campsite. I can't even pick anything out, it just smells exactly like a campsite. Actually, that doesn't seem to be changing much on drydown either. Neat effect, but I don't think it's what I look for in a perfume.

[ClareDeLune]

This is very dry and spicy-sweet. Not much of a throw, but it's the kind of smell I'd want to keep to myself anyways.

[septima_pica]

Awesome! This is the fire-and-ash scent I've been waiting for. I've tried pretty much every one, looking for the smokey scent with just enough other things going on to really bring it out. This is even better than St. John's Eve, the previous winner (which I never bought).

 

There's the familiar wood-fire scent as featured in so many other BPAL blends, precisely like the smell of the ash plume that rises from the campfire after you dump water on it. But in this one, there's also a whole masala's worth of weird spices dancing around in the smoke (black pepper in perfumes always strikes me as a weird note) and a bunch of nice sweet resins to keep it all together. I'm not sure what the overall impression really says, but I sure like it. Not as headshoppy as the notes would suggest, somehow coherent and distinct at the same time. It's somewhere between Brimstone and Sri Lanka in BPAL-space. Lasts a good long time -- 6-8 hours on my dry skin.

 

This goes on my "next round of GC bottles" list for sure.

[Venneh]

In the imp, I get vetiver and a smoky fire, like leaves burning. On my skin, the smoke/burning aspect amps, and... it actually smells really nice, especially with the vetiver balancing. Not quite what I was expecting, this. It'll be a keeper, but I don't think I'll need more than this imp.

Edited October 13, 2009 by Venneh

[rawgirl75]

Yeahbutnobut's review of Rumpelstilzchen was right on accurate...

 

Vetiver is a hit or miss note for me depending on what it's mixed with. When it's bad, its bad.. and when it works, it's AMAZING. Luckily for me, Rumpelstilzchen falls in the latter category: OMG YUM!

 

THIS is the outdoors pagan firepit scent I've been seeking all this time. Yeahbutnobut mentioned that it falls in the same category as Djinn, Bonfire Night, Priala, Music of Erich Zahn and Chant D'Automne.. and it does, but it really doesn't smell exactly like any of them and I've tried them all: Djinn was too angry fire, Bonfire Night was too much straight SMOKE, Priala was too heavy spice, Erich Zahn was too masculine and Chant D'Autumne was too much wet wood/leaves. Imagine a little bit of fire, smoke, spice, androgynous, wood and leaves all blended together and you have it!

 

Definitely keeping my imp, and strongly considering buying a whole bottle.

Edited October 30, 2009 by rawgirl75

[KesHiro]

I got this as a free imp from the lab in one of my orders.

 

I should note right now that I have not worn this, so I cannot testify to what it does skin-wise. In the imp, this has a very strong ash odor -- not the ashtray kind, but a woody kind. I found it too strong and it's not something I personally wear. Having said that, I put it in an oil burner and it made the room smell fantastic, like a fragrant burning wood and hay. I've also used it to scent closets that have an "off" odor. So, while it's not something I would wear, I find it pleasant.

[skylarkza]

In the imp: Honey, wood and cat pee? I think that is vetiver.

 

Wet: Smoke. Wood. In fact it smells like smouldering wood - slightly acrid. The myrrh is rounding it nicely though.

 

Dry: Smoke and ash. The wood is burning now. This smells like my hair does if I have been standing around a braai (barbecue) before the food is put on.

 

A while later: Slightly sweet smoke. Wood ash. A drizzle of honey? The cardamom is adding a nice spiciness to the honey.

[impolight]

What a mischeivous little Imp! Here, there is fieriness, cedar and... Cassia?

At first sniff, there is an IMPulse to raise a ruckus. It seems like it would be the perfect scent to wear when planning to try on an atypical assertiveness... To mock authority. To stick a "Kick Me" sign on the boss's or pastor's back.

Swiped on skin: conflaguration! How DO they do it? Everything in this one amps bigtime. There is a sweet subtlety here that is rather difficult to pick out... It could be Eucalyptus. Should it be a floral note, it is one that is so far, unfamiliar.

This is an incredible, amazing scent...Think zip. Think zing. Think pizzazz.

This is a scent for an adventurous spirit. This is what it must be like to be a beekeeper having a psychadelic experience.

Hats off to the mischief makers that released this genie!

[Gwydion]

In bottle: Aiyee! Vetiver corrupted patchouli with sharp black pepper. No. Just no. I’m not skin testing.

[gingiemay]

In the imp this is a super intense scent. The vetiver is really smoky and almost like rotting cheese. The firewood and ash are very prominent and the patchouli gives this a raw, earthy edge. Once it dries, however, this is a deep, woody, ashy masculine scent. It's pleasant and comforting, like a sexy lumberjack. It's definitely not feminine or foody; if I had a boyfriend I'd definitely slather this on him.

[bibliophile]

I got this as a frimp from the Lab. Thanks, Lab!

 

I would not have chosen this for myself, because vetiver and I are just not meant to be. I tried this on before bed, and it was mostly strong smoky patchouli with a vetiver edge through the drydown and until I fell asleep. The next morning, I awoke to find vetiver perched expectantly on my wrist. "WELL, HELLO THERE!" bellowed vetiver. "I've been waiting forever for you to wake up! Smoke and patchouli got bored and wandered off, but not me! Here I am, stronger than ever! Tonka? Spices? No, haven't seen 'em. A headache, you say? Oops. Sorry about that."

 

So, yeah. Vetiver. If you love vetiver, you should definitely try Rumpelstilzchen.

[summertimecrime]

Another imp gifted by ephemera!

 

In the imp: HOLY SMOKES, literally!-this smells like damp cigarette butts left smoldering in an ashtray.

 

Wet: very smokey! Overwhelmingly so. There is a deep musk scent to this, as well as healthy doses of pine or something very..green.

 

Drydown: much the same as it was wet, just a bit lighter. This was not pleasant to me at all, but I will say this-it's a very interesting scent. I do not like it as a perfume oil, but perhaps I can find another use for it...

[hmelt004]

I was hoping that the spices would dominate in this so I could wear it, but I can barely smell them under the ash and vetiver. I cannot detect the tonka or patchouli at all.

 

I'm going to try this on The Boy. I think he could pull it off.

[obsidienne]

I smell ash over a bunch of other stuff, but primarily ash. I refuse to skin test this. Off to another home with you!

[eugmyers]

Ash and burned out campfire. Odd, yet compelling. I am still intrigued by this, though I cannot see myself wanting to wear it ever again. Also, I am unable to detect any patchouli. Glad I tried it.

[Greenwoodtree]

I was really hoping something good for this one, but none of the spices are coming out, which I think would offset the strong cedar chest smell.

Its not a nasty scent, its just rather boring at this point, and has a definite wintergreenish type zing in there...and I do not care for my perfume to smell like cleaner.

 

The best description for this is it smells just like those little log cabin incense houses...and the incense burned which was very much just plain cedar or hickory or other wood. I wish the vetiver or patchouli would come out and say hi. I would be happier with it.