The Great Sword of War

[bergamot_bliss]

Mandarin, tonka, saffron, black tea, cocoa, tobacco leaf, sanguine red musk and five classical herbs of conflict.

 

In the imp: Tobacco and red musk fighting with each other, some cocoa, and there’s the sharp mandarin.
Wet on skin: The mandarin is the most prominent now, and now it’s getting more herbaceous and spicy. The tobacco leaf is quieter now, and the cocoa and musk are barely there. I still am not getting black tea, and I don’t know what tonka smells like.
Drydown: Previously mentioned notes that I picked up are settling down and mixing more evenly, but I still am not getting the tea.
Dry: It’s gone very herb/spice. I’m glad the red musk isn’t jumping out, because sometimes it goes rather bubble gum on me. The mandarin and tobacco are still present, but still no black tea and the cocoa has faded, both of which are disappointing. It also fades quickly. I don’t think I’ll be getting a bottle, but I’ll try to wear what’s in the imp again.

[Teaotter]

Origin: This was a frimp of some age, if the thickness of the oil is anything to go by. I have no idea what the notes are.

 

Wet: Gingerbread? Um, no, wait, there is definitely a sexy musk here, I'd say red and maybe black -- it reminds me of Satyr, or possibly Smut. But then this lovely spicy gingerbread.

 

Drydown: The musks are more evident as the scent dries. But there's still a spicy vanilla baked good sense to this, kind of like... ice cream cones? Tonka, is that you? It very much reminds me of Smut without the grape/fruity notes.

 

Utterly gorgeous!

 

Looking at the notes, I can only say that I'm clearly not very good at identifying them. Tobacco often gives me a sense of warmth, and tonka is pretty much always 'that vaguely spicy ice cream cone smell' so maybe they went together to make me think 'gingerbread.' But I got no sense of citrus or mandarin from this at all, and I can never identify tea notes anyway.

Edited December 1, 2013 by TeaOtter

[Atrous]

Surprised I haven't reviewed this until now. TGSOW was the first frimp I ever tried from the lab, immediately fell in love, and bought a bottle. Now I'm glad I waited. The oil has aged nicely into a dar copper, syrupy thick liquid.

 

In the Bottle: Mandarin and Red Musk heaven

 

Wet Stage: This morphs quite a bit. While the Mandarin and Musk are always present I get a hint of something medicinal (not in a bad way). It must be the 5 herbs of conflict that's causing the medicinal smell. Saffron and Black Tea come out next pretty sharply and then fade into the background.

 

Dry Stage: Everything comes together. The scent takes on a sweetness that I attribute to the Cocoa. Tonka comes into play softening up what might otherwise be a scent that is too sharp.

 

Verdict: I love this scent more now that it is aged. I get why this is called The Great Sword of War. On my skin the notes seem to 'war' with each other bright and astringent vs. dark and mellow. Huff it once and I get all bright citrus. Huff it a second time, I get musky sweetness. Huff it a third time and I get smoky tea and herbs. This scent is strong and has tons of staying power. A little goes a long way.

[mermaidsdream]

In the imp: I get musk & … roses? There's definitely something sharp & tangy in there.

 

Applied: The sharpness of the tangy note quickly dissipates.

 

Drydown: tangy, almost candy-like. It doesn't lose most of the tang until several hours later, when it becomes delicious red musk. Staying power is quite something – lasted after a shower the next day. Sadly, the tang is too much for me. Another one for the trade pile

[Mokiefraggle]

Ooh, I like this. I really, really like this.

 

In the imp, I got a little of the mandarin, but mostly musky chocolate and tobacco. It smells a lot like a really good bittersweet dark chocolate--one of those 80% cacao bars, all dark and a little biting on the tongue. The tobacco was sweet, like the blend my stepdad used to smoke when he'd favored a pipe, and softened the dark chocolatey bite. It smelled amazing even before it hit my skin, and I had to try the Great Sword of War first out of the dozen imps I just received.

 

On my skin, it gains a bit of the black tea...or maybe that's the "herbs of conflict"? Something lightly bitter and smelling of dried plant, at any rate. The tonka also comes in, giving it a bit of spicy vanilla to round the whole thing out, and keep it smooth. Very nice, somewhat dense smell; there's a lot going on in this, but not so much as to be discordant. Every scent blends and resonates well with one another, and it's oddly not a heavy throw on me like I thought such a strong, assertive scent would be. Very nice, and yet another I may have to test on my fiance...though he's not getting this imp from me, that's for sure.

Edited January 22, 2014 by Mokiefraggle

[Deliciousness]

In the imp: Sticky sweet molasses with lemon and something medicinal smelling. Just a note, the oil in the vile is viscous and dark amber, the coloring is like iodine.

Wet on skin: An interesting combination of cocoa, lemon and sticky molasses. I find that the sweetness in this particular blend hits the back of my throat - not too sure I'm enjoying this.

Drydown: I think I may be smelling something akin to Chinese five spice powder in this blend. Weird right? Maybe it's those "classical herbs of conflict".

Wow, this is not what I had expected from this scent. Although, truth be told, I'm not too sure what I expected. I guess I was hoping the red musk would come out more prominently, along with the cocoa and tobacco. But I'm getting some sort of spiced molasses lemon head candy ... like Ricola. Reading thru other people's reviews, I think I either have a very strange sense of smell or my body chemistry is seriously messed up. Ah well. Glad I got to try this!

[icecreamcone]

The Great Sword of War started out sweet - kinda chocolate and oranges.

After dry down it has a slight hint of incense and floral.

Edited December 26, 2022 by icecreamcone

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Red musk and a tiny bit of cocoa, maybe. Or tonka? Something foody, anyway.

 

On skin, wet: Red musk and baked goods.

 

On skin, dry: Now it's mainly red musk and sharp, smoky tobacco. There's still a hint of baked-goods-sweetness, but not as much as before.

 

After an hour: This reminds me a lot of Perversion, actually. The tobacco takes over a bit too much, sadly. I'll let the imp age to see if that mellows out the tobacco and lets the sweetness come back out, but sometimes it goes the other way and becomes more incensey.

[Morsigne925]

Wet/Imp: Spicy chocolate

 

Drying: Smells like a fruity-sweeter, less smoky and less tobacco Antikythera Mechanism, with musky chocolate. Indeed, it smells the way some mochas I've had at Dilettante chocolate bar taste. I actually love this smell, not quite sure if I would wear it regularly, but good grief I would love to have this as a candle, or a potpourri bag in my closet or something, particularly for winter. As it sits more it becomes a more powdery baked chocolate smell, with the mandarin close behind and the tobacco lingering in the background. Lovely, and unique. 4/5 stars

[batsy]

In the vial: Orange spice. Reminds me of a spicy orange tea.

 

On the skin: super mandarin on me, which I like. It's spicy warm, with the saffron popping as it dries down. I get a whiff of tobacco, a lot more red musk and mandarin, and a hint of tonka. Really, this is a nice blend though it's quite pungent. I would caution a little goes a long way with this.

 

In the end, it's kind of a toss up on whether I'd want to wear this alone or layer it with another blend. It's quite strong to my nose and while I like it, I'm not sure I'd wear it often.

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from the Lab.

 

In the imp: Mandarin and spices. It smells like a delicious spicy cookie or dessert: not at all what I expected, given the name.

 

Wet: Still that spiced orange cookie smell. It’s not a juicy mandarin smell: almost like dried orange peel? In fact, the combination of these notes makes me think of some idealized, old-fashioned pantry: the saffron, tea, cocoa, and those unnamed herbs combine into a dry, sweet blend.

 

Dry: it still smells very edible, though the tobacco and tonka have come out. Also the red musk.

 

To my surprise, the red musk doesn’t intensify as I wear this, which red musk usually does on me. While The Great Sword of War remains a spicy orange cookie scent close to the skin, the throw is like old-fashioned, dry floral soap. It’s not bad, just not what I go for in a perfume.

 

I like this blend and it suits this time of year. I just don’t know how often I would wear it.

[ResinManiac]

Warm, spicy and a little overwhelming.

It kind of smothers on the skin, musty and murky. Not what I expected, not really my scent. Saffron makes everything go yuck on me anyway.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Dry, bitter, earthy scent.

 

Wet on my skin: Still dry, bitter, and earthy. It's very much tobacco and musk on me, with hints of dark cocoa and herbs. I don't get much of the other notes, except for a vaguely powdery note from the saffron.

 

Dry: Exactly the same as wet, did not morph at all. This is a very brown, dusty scent. It isn't bad at all, but I may give it to one of my male friends who enjoys this kind of dry, masculine scent more than I do.

[Veronica]

This smells strangely like coca cola on me. Beneath that, this is a warm, rich foodie scent with spiced notes. Something akin to the Halloweenie or Yule foodie scents, not for me personally.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Immediately intriguing and not what I was expecting. Sweet and kind of resinous, and I had to go back and check the notes. I think it's maybe the Tonka that's reading as Amber??

 

Dry: This morphs a lot as it dries. I can't stop sniffing my arm. This is incredible. The cocoa eventually comes to the forefront, but it is so complex and well balanced. I'm not sure I can see myself actually wearing it - it reads a bit masculine to me. But god it's incredible! For sure keeping the imp.

[Soupy Twist]

Good gravy, this is more like the Timid Toothpick of Not Wanting to Cause a Fuss. Musk in the bottle, which goes on as such a faint tonka I had to apply it twice to make sure I was getting anything. There's a brief herbal note, but the whole thing barely lasts five minutes. The color is a gorgeous orange-red worthy of the god Mars, but I've used hand soap which is more aggressive than this.

[Casablanca]

Great Sword is a rare red musk blend that seemed at first to work for me. It really drew me in at first sniff, but the love wasn't to last...

Freshly applied, the blend puts a bright red-orange mandarin in mind, with other notes mingled in and blending together. I can pick out tonka and tea and red musk, with a little saffron blurring the edges. I seem to smell basil and tarragon; maybe they're a couple of the herbs from the notes list. I don't pick out cocoa or tobacco.

Once Sword dries, I start to smell a little tobacco, but the notes really blend into a complex whole at this point, and I don't pick most of them out individually anymore.

Hours later, though -- oh, dear. I'm getting the unfortunate BO smell that the lab's red musk does on my skin.

 

I was considering upgrading this one to a bottle at some point, but the red musk stink struck again.

[Coldfire]

Imp: mmmm dark, comfroting, tea and red musk
Wet on Me: still getting the tea and the red musk but getting the faintest traces of the mandarin. holy tish this is addictive and good
Drying Down: more red musk than tea right now. faint traces of the tobacco. Still adoring this one!
Dry: seriously lush, and sexy! heady but addictive. KEEPER!!!!

[Elspethdixon]

Wet/In the imp - Red musk and tobacco. The oil is thick and dark, and actually stains my skin slightly - either my imp is well -aged, or this is just a really thick/dark oil.

 

Freshly Applied - Now it's red musk, tobacco, and a musty sort of incense. As soon as it hits my skin, the mandarin starts to come out, and for several minutes adds a note of bathroom cleaner to the blend. Then it dies down/resolves into a sharp, almost metallic tang, which is actually kind of cool. It really does smell reminiscent of a sword now, or maybe of sweat and blood. Not my thing, but definitely evocative and interesting.

 

An hour in - the metallic note faded relatively quickly, and now this is all musty incense and red musk, like a really stuffy/poorly ventilated new age shop. I'm not sure what the classical herbs of conflict are, but I don't think I like them.

[gloame]

Smells so red and yellow, like the last 2 stages of Alchemy.

 

At first I thought "Lemon!" but no, it wasn't that at all. When it starts drying down, it sweetens up and the mandarin becomes obvious. It has a resin-y spiciness to it—that dry, desert-y spiciness that feels like it's been baking in the sun. The tobacco is enough to keep it warm and smouldering, but not enough to remind you of Granddad's cigar. Tonka is light. Tea is light. Everything still shines through. Beautiful, beautiful blend.

 

This blend glows. I'm buying a 5ml right now.

 

ETA to add where I'd wear it: When brewing up the final 2 stages of making an Alchemist's stone

Edited June 28, 2017 by gloame

[lizabelle]

Looking at the notes list I am very confused, because this smells nothing like the description on me. I get lots of dry, baked ginger (like in a ginger snap), with maybe some citrus rind and vanilla. This is actually very close to Solstice Scents' Lemon Ginger Creams, which I bought around Christmas. It's shockingly similar. Mandarin likes to turn into lemon on me, so I guess that's why; however I also get no chocolate, tobacco, tea, or whatever those herbs are supposed to be. I can see the fuzzy bakery feeling being the red musk, and the vanilla tone being tonka. This may end up in my collection once I've used up its twin!

[agirlnamedfury]

I can't entirely decide if I like this one or not. The black tea is most present but there are also nice warming spices, vanilla, and tobacco.

 

Okay, yeah, I do really like this one.

[torikitty]

I can't believe I haven't tried this before! It's heavy, but in a sweet way. I think musk, cocoa, and citrus with tobacco in the background is apt. I think my skin is eating it. Within 5 mins of applying a tiny amount, I can hardly smell it. I guess it needs time to blend. Citrus is becoming more apparent, and the musk. It ends up smelling like honeyed-musk on me. Maybe a bit of the tonka and tea, not sure.

Edited August 1, 2017 by Carrie

[achildoftime]

Red musk is the strongest player in this for me, but it gets evened out by everything else. Mandarin is probably it's biggest supporter making things a little sweeter. There's a fine thread of saffron weaving its way through making sure that it's not too sweet. When it dries I get a little of the tobacco. I was hoping for a bit more tea, but that's okay. It's quite strong and wonderful as it is.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Tobacco leaf like whoa, followed by the black tea, cocoa, some mandarin, and something sour (perhaps the herbs?).

 

Wet: Tobacco, black tea, cocoa, and some mandarin. I'm getting more mandarin on my skin than I did in the imp. The tobacco and mandarin combo sort of remind me of Eastern Comma, only this is a different tobacco, and Eastern Comma has sweet orange instead of mandarin. These notes remain as the main players until the scent begins to dry down. I'm surprised the sanguine red musk hasn't reared its head at me yet, although the smattering of herbs mingling with the mandarin create an unfortunate sour quality on my skin.

 

Dry: Argh, there's the red musk. This ends up being mostly red musk and mandarin on me, with some smoky tobacco, dusty cacao, and some herbs. The combination isn't exactly pleasant smelling on me.

 

Verdict: This one is not my cup of tea.