Jump to content
Post-Update: Forum Issues Read more... ×
BPAL Madness!
Shollin

Hellfire

Recommended Posts

A scent celebrating Sir Francis Dashwood's Order of the Knights of St. Francis of Wycombe, also known as the Hellfire Club. A swirl of pipe tobacco, hot leather, ambergris, dark musk and the lingering incense smoke from their Black Mass.


Oh my god, this is one of the best BPAL's I've tried so far :P An amazing, manly, warm and sensual blend of tobacco and musk with a sweet background, but not so sweet as Herr Drosselmeyer that had an edge of maple syrup to it. Perfect! A new favorite, hands down.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This is one of my all-time favorite blends. One that I keep coming back to over & over again. It could go on a man's skin without missing a beat, but on my skin it's powerful without being overpowering. The tobacco comes out and whispers around me, and it lasts throughout the whole day without turning thick or too-sweet or musky.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Unfortunately, this blend didn't last very long on my skin, so I'm going to try aging it a bit to see if that helps. This was tobacco and ambergris while wet, and the leather came out after a couple of minutes. This isn't the well-worn leather of Dee, but rather the almost sharp leather of Western Diamondback. The tobacco and musk do an excellent job of tempering it though. The incense note on me was fairly faint, more of an undercurrent to the blend. Overall, it was a dangerous kind of sexy blend. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

After reading the notes I really expected this to be a heavy, dark, masculine scent, but it's really not. It's rather pretty.

It's a somewhat sweet incense mixed with just a hint of smooth leather and dark musk.

I really like this and could see getting a bottle. The only drawback is that it's rather light and close to the skin, but it's worth slathering. It's also good for those who want a incense blend but find most to be too heavy.

 

 

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hellfire

 

Wow! This one socked me in the memory banks. No, I've never attended a Black Mass. When this oil is wet, it smells like the party room in the Southern Mississippi Sigma Nu house. Wow. I can smell the stale beer and cigarette butts. As it dries, it sweetens. The leather's faded and the tobacco is, suprisingly, lightening the scent. It's almost floral. How weird. I don't want to like this, but... I kind of do. I'll keep it for further experimentation.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

in the bottle - heh...at the above review but i totally concur the leather and the tobacco butt smells somewhat overpower

applied - i smell cigarette butts over everything but here comes the incense.

wet...the musk comes out a bit more, so does the incense, and the cigarette and leather somewhat go into the background.

 

i just didnt like this one, i smelled like an old man wearing black chaps and carrying an ashtray.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I got this one as a freebie with my first order. Thanks, BPAL!

 

Love the smell in the imp... sort of sweet-smoky-spicy. Sensual and decadent, mmm. Unfortunately, my chemistry seems to amp the sweet notes waaaay up to the point where I can hardly detect anything else. :( It hasn't been very long since I applied the oil, perhaps it will dry down to a more balanced scent. If not, I'll try aging it a few months and see what happens.

 

EDIT: Much better on the drydown; the over-sweetness fades somewhat. I still don't smell leather, but I do smell something rich and smoky. Tobacco, perhaps? Still debating whether to buy a bottle.

Edited by Electrogirl

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't get leather in Hellfire at all. What I DO get is the rich smoky hot metal note that I smelled so fleeting in No. 93 before it went haywire on me. Which makes me so happy I could cry. I am guessing this is the resins--it's a shared note with No. 93 if I recall rightly.

 

Out of the imp Hellfire is hot and wet and smoky, like damp ashes, but it settles down and mellows out pretty fast. Sadly, there's very little throw, but it appears to be amping as I warm back up from my shower. The end result is the sweetest, warmest, bluest tobacco smoke, absolutely gorgeous and not at all the angry, sinister smell that I initially got--although there is a lingering suggestion of something not-entirely-wholesome. THIS is the steampunk smell I wanted when I ordered from the Steamworks line, and that I got from my fluke imp of No. 93 before the disappointment came crashing down. Let's hope this one doesn't break its promises :(

 

Smoke, smoke, smoke.

 

I'd say that this warranted a bottle, but Othello and Loup Garou both came with this order and all three of them have me dying. It's going to be a hard call.

 

ETA: Throw is just right! You can smell it but you don't have a forcefield. Also today I scrubbed my forearms with alcohol and soap to get rid of Hellfire so that I could wear Othello, but Othello has worn off and there's a lovely dusty curl of tobacco smoke rising up off my wrists STILL. Awesome.

Edited by Mousesong

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I dont know why noone suggested this to me with my leather/tobacco fascination. This is gorgeoussss, for the hubby. I would put it up there with Geek, it actually reminds me of it quite a bit, not AS spicy but similar. (which is good cause geek is so very hard to find!)

Oooo *sniff sniff* I love this!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Ohh... AHHH. GAH.

 

I mean, this smells like hot smoky leather. The kind of leather that has recently been set on fire.

 

Debauchery my foot. This smells like arson.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Imp: Ambergris? It's actually surprisingly green in the imp.

 

Wet: Salty leather and incense smoke. I get a faint hint of the tobacco but nothing overpowering.

 

Dry: Oh baby. Leather and incense and tobacco and... GUH! THIS IS SO SEXY! It's actually not particularly feminine but it reads more as a dark, skin close, almost feral scent. The leather dominates with the incense and musk in the background. I keep going back to sniff my wrist--this is a very smooth and sexy scent. Almost smells like there's tonka in here.

 

Throw: Average to strong.

 

Overall: Why have I avoided opening this imp for so long? I think I had the vague notion that there be whiskey here but I was clearly mistaken. This is warm, sweet, a little sexy and mostly just a yowsa sort of scent. Love it. Will probably not think of it much this summer but come the cold winter months? Hubba hubba.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet! Seriously, this is one of my favorites. In the top 4 I'd have to say. This is unbelieveable. I don't even know for sure what I'm smelling. Must be the ambergris? Smokey, HOT, leather, amber, musk, ... And yet soft and a little sweet when it's dry. I LOVE this scent! :wub2:

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the bottle - Musky, smokey and almost... minty? There's an unwashed feeling to this scent, which I'm not sure I like very much.

 

Wet - Seriously, what is this mint I'm getting?

 

Drying - Wow, this is settling into a very... dirty scent. Not Graveyard Dirt dirt, but unwashed body dirty. And musty. It's so far very unpleasant on me. I'm also getting tobacco and leather, which is good. But it's just so unwashed on me!

 

Dry (2 hours) - Super settled. And it's nothing but sweet musk. And that's all.

 

Overall - Not for me at all. I thought it would be, but no.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wet: This smells like something died on my arm. Do not want!

Drying: Okay, let's take a step back here. I hate the smell of burning tobacco, so it shouldn't be surprising that I find just plain tobacco gross too. Ambergris is a musty scent as well, and when you add in leather and musk they're combining here to form some kind of super-B.O. scent on me that is just heinous. As it dries it sinks into my skin a bit and lets something else come out, something slightly soapy... sandalwood? I think it's sandalwood. That's probably the incense mentioned in the description. There's a little bit of sweetness to it that I don't associate with sandalwood, so that must be the "sweet musk" people are talking about, but it really smells to me like I'm wearing a sandalwood scent to cover up the fact that I haven't showered in days.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Sexy. Kind of wonderfully horrible, but sexy. Very dark, very atmospheric. Even though it doesn't feel like me, I quite like it. I like that it oozes around me in a halo. I feel very mysterious and womanly wearing it, even just in my ripped-up hoodie and jeans. I'm going to have to keep this one around for a bit.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the imp, yummy and delicious. Deep and rich scent.

 

On my arm, expensive pipe tobacco. It's much lighter and sweeter than it was in the imp. Not a bad scent, but I wish the other notes would come out to play. Off to the swap pile!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hellfire:

In the imp: Caramel.

 

Wet: Sweet, sweet caramel.

 

drydown: The scent becomes drier as the the oils themselves drydown. The caramel-type scent is most likely from the tabacco combined with the "hot leather." I'm a bit nervous as to what was used to make the incense smell--a lot of Beth's incenses jsut don't work on my skin, which sweetens them to cheap vanilla frosting consistency, blerg. As it dries it retains a somewhat sweet "aftersmell."

 

Dry: The smell of Root beer, plain and simple.

 

Conclusion: A masculine, foody scent. I can't say I'm a fan on my skin, I was hoping it would be drier. I could see liking this on a guy though.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I was given this as a freebie in my last Imp order. I was happy because I wanted to try it anyway!

 

In bottle: Sweet and spicy. Almost perfumey.

 

On skin: Light, sweet pipe tabacco and a hint of a darker floral. Very nice.

 

3 hours later: Beautiful spicy pipe tabacco with the floral note that I can't pick out. Some vanilla too cause it smells quite creamy on my skin. But unfortunately, my skin is gobbling this up. I really have to put my mose to my wrist to smell it. :cry2:

I do enjoy this scent though. Maybe I need more of a slathering.

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

When Hellfire is wet on, I had my doubts about it. The tobacco hides, and the leather is a little sharp for my tastes. But it seriously blooms as it dries down. It ends up a little smoky, a little musky, a tiny bit boozy, and with just the right amount of leather for me (ie: not very much.) Very evocative of its namesake. This would smell glorious on a man, but it's not cologney in the slightest. the tobacco is the star of this blend, and I looooooove BPAL's tobacco note.

 

I cannot stop sniffing this, which means I'll probably have a bottle in my hands in a very short time. >.>

Edited by MamaMoth

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the Imp: something a little off

 

Wet on Skin: leathery-sweet, a little 'off'

 

While Drying: leathery-sweet, a little 'off'

 

After a Little While: leathery-sweet, a little 'off'

 

Later: lingering scent better than initial

 

Final Thoughts: improves with time, but not enough to go through the not-so-nice phases

Hellfire earns a 2.5/5 on my skin.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow. Was frimped this in my last order and dear goodness I love it. The imp smelled oddly fruity and sweet to my nose with a dash of leather thrown in there and a tinge of incense and tobacco. Very interesting.

 

On my skin the fruity-ish note fades into a sweet pipe tobacco surrounded by warm gentle leather. I'm also getting the musk and incense now, but they're only attributing a soft smokiness to add some depth to the scent. When dry the leather was quite may be not sharp, but prominent and very warm, hot almost. As it dries completely it rounds out, though, and becomes wonderfully soft and dry and warm. Yes! Yes! Yes!

 

Overall this is sweet pipe tobacco and dry leather with a touch of incense-y musk on me. Smells like hellfire alright, but a very warm dry and inviting one! Depending on how fast i got through my imp I'll be picking up a bottle eventually! :P

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Reading all these reviews makes me REALLY want to try this scent. But wait, I just did. Big ol' frowny face here. I don't get ANYTHING out of this that the good reviews are saying.

 

First off, I smell sweet florals in the imp. What?

 

Ok, ok. Gotta put it on.

 

Bought it for the boy actually so he decided to wear it first. No go.

 

Musky incense-y baby powder. Mostly powder. No leather, no tobacco. Frowny.

 

Maybe he has funky chemistry. Let me try this.

 

Nope. The same. I'll be swapping this.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This was a blind bottle purchase, which is why, right now, I'm really nervous. I'm always nervous about blind bottle purchases. So far, the vast majority of them have worked wonders, and all these notes are sheer win as far as I'm concerned, but still . . .

 

In the bottle - is there a hint of whiskey in this? There must be. There's something boozy. Not that I mind :D

 

On wet - ohh, nice. Leather, tobacco, incense. Slightly sweeter than I thought it'd be. Let's see how it goes.

 

Drydown - a deeper version of the previous three notes, plus musk. Amazing. I'm giving this the full-on test today :D

 

Not regretting this bottle at all, no sir.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×