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BPAL Madness!
janelle_hell

Zombi

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Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth.


In the imp: Dry earth and flowers, bit tangy.

Wet: Dirt. But not just any dirt, the kind that gets stuck under your fingernails and dries and generally is a pain in the butt to clean off so you pick at it. Bit of rose too. Strange.

Drydown: Roses and dry dirt, bit of a zing to it. It's making my nose tingle. There's something pale green and herby, like the stem of a flower that's been freshly cut right under that but it comes and goes super fast.

Verdict: Dirt, like vetiver, hates me.

Goodbye poor, cateract-covered, cobwebby Zombi. May you find a happier home somewhere else doing the bidding of some other person.

1/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve Edited by Shollin

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In the imp: *cough cough * leafmold and dusty earth.

 

On me, wet: rich earthy rose. The sweetness of the rose does nicely offset most of the dustiness of the earth, so it's no longer making me cough. I keep getting alternating wafts of earth and rose, and it's lovely.

 

On me, dry: Yum, earth and rose - it's like fresh blooming roses in a newly-tilled border. The rose in this isn't very different from the rose in London, but this has damp earth where London has damp air, so it feels warmer. An indian summer rose, rather than a springtime-after-the rain rose.

 

Verdict: I like this - I don't think it's a scent I could wear every day, but it's certainly something I might wear every now and then.

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Zombi

It surely lives up to it's description: Earth and dried roses! The combination of generic potpurri rose leafs (which I detest) and true damp earth bordering on compost is really fascinating. The earth makes the dried rose scent seem more "natural" as well, which it actually is, it's just so common as a room scent. Very evocative, the dried roses of the burial or of the long dead lady's room and the damp earth of the grave freshly dug up by the zombie. Very strong and very sweet and actually quite nauseating with the potpourri scent I've never liked, but very fascinating. I have to keep it. Perhaps it suits some moods or some outfits.

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My skin pulls the sweet and/or florals out of everything, which is definitely the case with this one. It smells like gorgeous pink roses smashed into fresh dirt. The roses are on top here, but there is no mistaking that undertone of raw, unabashed rotting earth. This one worked out a little bit better than I expected, because I'm really not into smelling like dirt. Nice, definitely creative, but not quite for me. I'll find my imp a better home.

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Oddly enough, I get a citrus note in this underlying all the rich earth smell.

 

It dries down to a dusty-rose, very perfumey, and therefore not really my cup of tea.

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Another example of why I love BPAL's rose notes. All I can specifically pick out are the rose and dirt notes. The dirt is most prevalent when I first apply, but it gradually gets softer the longer I wear it, allowing the rose to peek out a bit more. Unfortunately this doesn't last for more than a couple hours on me because I really do like this. I'm not sure how often I'll wear it, but I do like my Zombi! :P

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Imp: Earth.

Wet: Living/green dirt. Soil with dark greens. Can definately picture the rose leaves and dried roses tilled in with the soil and moss.

Dry: This is VERY nice on both me and my boyfriend. There's decaying greenery, a wet moss that I really do like (I'm assuming it's the oakmoss that is also in the woodsy Pumpkin Patch.)

 

Category: Moss/Decay/Dirt

Rating: 5/5; Beautiful and natural and rich

Overall: I didn't think this scent would be this lovely. Sure, I imagined dirt but it wasn't like this. It's not the warm soil of a field but a cold soil of autumn. It's very rich and deep and inviting. The decay of it is very lovely, I will be trying this on the boyfriend again. I will probably be wearing this, too.

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Bottle: Pungent. Spanish moss all the way. Good lord, like I stuck my face in it whilst standing on moist, fragrant dirt.

Wet: Same, with the addition of the sort of brown dampness of leaves that have dropped and have been tramped into moist earth.

Dry: Wet, brown/green dead things. Unpleasant images.

Later: Must wash, can't wait. I'm having a really visceral reaction to this one.

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Fresh From The Imp: Exactly like dried roses.

 

Wet On My Flesh: There's a bit of dirt now with the roses.

 

Drying Down: Lots of dirt now, and the musty scent of moss. The roses have seemed to disappear.

 

Hour To Integrate: The roses are back, and the earth has disappeared. They're switching back and forth on me!

 

End Of Day/Final Report: An interesting scent, and different from what I was expecting, but it's not really me.

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In the bottle: Green and acidic. I can't break it down any more in the bottle. Just very green and acidic.

 

Wet: This is so bitter at first. I can slightly make out some rose but it is so faint. The more this warms on my skin, the darker green it smells.

 

Dry: Reminds me of a New Orleans graveyard after a rain. The acid smell is still around. I can feel it on the back of my tongue with every sniff.

 

Overall: This is one of the more intriguing scents I've come across. It's so bitter and dirty. There is only a tiny bit of dried rose coming out to keep the scent from becoming pure horrorshow. I NEED a large bottle of this!

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This is my first Funeral Oil, I'm so excited to try it!!!

 

In the bottle: Roses, sweet and subdued; something greener but earthy that I have to assume is the mosses (and maybe the rose leaf?). I can actually smell the dirt, amazing.

 

On me wet: Mosses and dirt, very dusty and subtle. Sweet but in the earthy manner.

 

On me drying: The mosses are really coming out, the rose is there in the background, but it's so pale that it's nearly undetectable.

 

On me dry: Faint roses, dusty mosses, and a base scent of a garden just raked for the first time. It's like standing in a winter garden, beginning the process of turning the soil in prospect of the coming spring. When I say outdoors-y, I mean, it smells like you're standing outdoors.

 

Final conclusion:

1 Hour Later - Still faint and earthy, both pungent and soft. It's sweet and yet has that tang of earth and decay like an old garden. Bleak but beautiful...

 

Finale:

I love this, it's amazing! Bittersweet but gamely, I don't know what I was expecting but this blew me away. It reminds me so much of being outdoors and working in the garden with my mother that it's uncanny. I'm totally in love with this scent. Absolutely in love. I must get a 5ml!

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I agree that this is like the description.

Actually I smelled more of a leaf mold smell than turned earth, but leaf mold is simply on it's way to being earth, so...

also, it did smell a little soapy on me. But that is just me, I bet.

I liked this in principal, but I really don't wear rose, which was the predominant note after it was all dry, so I don't need to keep it.

off to swap.

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in the imp -- it smells like Redken conditioner.

 

and i got some oil above my upper lip from leaning in too close because it was so faint.

 

not a bad thing, necessarily, but, the whole world is highly scented now!

 

wet, ah! this is how i wanted Black Rose to smell.... real, true, in-bloom roses.

maybe there's moss, maybe there's dirt.... i can't smell it. all i get is roses.

 

this is like Emily Strange "black rose" perfume except less chemically and *better*

 

dry, doesn't change much. rose blossoms a little more, but not much

 

throw, i can't judge -- the whole world smells like roses!

 

quick edit to add:

as a few people have learned, this has become the scent i wear to work everyday... [=

roses and moss and dirt and YUM.

Edited by TrailerTrashPrincess

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Zombi - Oh, I don't like this at all. Not one bit. Wet soil and worms. That's what it smells like. Fortunately, my skin eats it up after only a minute or so, and it doesn't leave any trace behind at all. Definitely not trying this one again.

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In bottle: Moss and earth

 

Wet: Soil, mushy greenery, hint of mushroom

 

Dry: The rose comes out as it dries and the soil provides a nice frame for it

 

 

Overall: Not a favorite but it's nice dry.

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In the imp, this smells like dirt with flowers far off in the background, maybe lilies. Once applied, the dirt smell remains, along with a floral element. I’m also smelling roses oh so slightly.

 

There’s also something in here that adds a bit of an almost cologne-ish note. Looking at the notes I think it’s probably the oakmoss. Not in a bad way but it adds interest. This is a really pretty scent. As it wears, the rose becomes stronger and the dominant scent. It’s fairly long lasting and I can still smell it quite some time after I put it on even though I only used the smallest amount.

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Disclaimer: Rose and I do not get along, I amp up rose like... like a rose amping thing...

 

Zombi is just a gorgeous smell. it smells exactly like the description, but, lucky for me, the rose is not too prominent.

 

I tested Zombi in a unique sort of way, it went like this:

 

In the imp: Oh beautiful dirty, mossy rosiness, how I love thee!

 

On Penny the Stuffed Bear: Why Penny, you smell wonderful, like I just rolled you around in the cemetery and smothered you in rose petals.

 

On me: Oh, oh dear. Too much, way too much, ACK. *wash, wash, reapply gently* Ahhh... lovely.

 

In conclusion, this is a wonderful smell and I will be getting a 5mL. However, I will remember that a little goes a long way on me, lest I smell like I was on the losing end of a battle with a rose bush.

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a VERY small amount of this goes a long way on me. the first time i applied it i really went overboard and it actually started making me nauseaus after a while. so until you know what your chemistry is going to do, use a light hand. this stays very true on me to what it smells like in the bottle, but something about it is very STRONG on me, so i've got to be careful not to slather myself when i use it.

 

like most people have said, it smells pretty much exactly like the description. this is definately one of the most evocative scents i've tried so far. cemetary is definatley the first thing that comes to mind. but i've got to add my opinion that i feel this is a very goth scent. i mean, this one makes me want to light a clove cigarette and go read poetry in a cemetary, while listening to the sisters of mercy. even though i've loooong ago outgrown such things, heh heh heh.

 

the rose is definately a dried rose- dusty almost. if you've ever gotten a bouquet and hung them upside down to dry and preserve them, you'll definately recognize that smell in zombi. imo, zombi is very very dry. if it could make a sound, it would be the sound of those dried rose petals rustling against each other. does that make sense? :P

 

the dirt note starts out pretty overwhelming at first- it's almost sharp. and make no mistake, it is the scent of DIRT, not patchouli, or other plant derived smells that mimic dirt. it's uncanny how realistic this smells.

 

zombi is very unique and natural smelling. i enjoy it, but i don't find myself reaching for it very often when i go to the imp box. *shrug*

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Rose and mosses--two of my favorite scents together! Unfortunately, my chemistry did not give me mosses. It gave me a little rose dusted over dirt. Not a warm earthy smell, just DIRT.

 

This is all me, however. Apparently I just can't do "deep brown earth." I passed this one on, and Zombi turned out to be beautiful beyond description on two of my usual swapping partners. And on the right guy, this suddenly turns into an attractive, masculine, swoon-worthy scent. This may not be mentioned in the "Men's Fragrance Recommendations" on the BPAL site, but after smelling this one on a couple of guys, I am a firm believer that it should be.

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In Imp: Roses. Very prominant roses

 

Wet: Still roses, also wet, mouldy smell. I almost felt panicked.

 

Dry: It turned to mildew on me, with the rose smelling too strong.

 

I had such high hopes, too. Oh, well.

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I love zombies. Luckily, I also love dirt. Because...

 

In the bottle, all I smell is roses. Rich roses, rich dried roses, but roses. Carelessly, the perfume is applied.

 

Wet, Zombi continues to smell like roses. Smelling like roses is all it really wants to do. It's having a rose party, and it's doing it all over my wrists.

 

As it starts to dry, however, notes of wood rot and dirt start creeping out, like corruption eating away at the flowers. And eating. And eating. Until, after full dry-down, I smell like I plunged my hands first into potpourri, then into potting soil or mossy loam.

 

It's an awesome scent on me, but I can see where people who aren't into smelling like dirt all day might give this one a pass.

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I am not a person who can wear the dirt scents. This smells like pretty dirt, because of the roses, but still dirt. Fresh, earthy, black, fertile dirt. I find the scent interesting and intriguing, and I wouldn't mind burning a candle that smelled like this. But as a personal perfume it's not for me at all. It's all right after about an hour (mostly just roses), but it's still not something I'd choose over other BPAL blends.

 

I will say in Zombi's favor that I find this scent infinitely more appealing than Graveyard Dirt. And the dirt scent in this blend is not as overpowering here as it usually is on me. I think Zombi is my favorite of all the BPAL blends that have that earth note.

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A gift from a generous forumite (thank you!)

 

On first application: dirt, deep composty dirt, like the inside of a potting shed or a greenhouse (some of my favorite places on earth--I am a passionate gardener).

 

Then very quickly, roses.

 

Then, also quickly, with the roses remaining, a beautiful fragrance I don't know, but which I identify as something I have liked in other BPAL blends. I think and sniff and think and sniff. It changes into a sweet darkness overladen with roses: deep roses, dark roses, and something between spice and the perfume of an elegant courtesan.

 

And always, an underlying earth scent.

 

This is beautiful. When I check the notes I suspect it is the oakmoss that I am liking so well; I seem to recall it in some of my other favorites, where it meets my skin and starts singing the blues in a raspy, haunting voice, somewhere in the darkness.

 

Must have more Zombi.

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This sort of smells like men's cologne on me. I do smell the rose, but it's not the rose that works completely well with my skin. But I like this one enough to keep the imp...I just wont be upgrading.

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I am shocked at how much I like this. I didn't expect to at all. It is a very light, faded, green rose scent. The rose is amping a bit with my chemistry. Though I wish it stayed more like it was when I first put it on, I think it's a keeper.

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