No. 93 Engine

[Gwydion]

Balm of Gilead, benzoin, frankincense, balsam of peru, beeswax, saffron, galbanum, calamus, hyssop, mastic, lemon balm, and white sage.

In bottle: I love the frankincense dominant incense in this one. It’s got a complex woody incense effect. Imagine a wooden cabinet with an altar in it, beeswax candles and a sensor prominent. Unfortunately, the lemon balm is a touch unbalancing. Wet: Significantly weirder on the skin. The lemon balm seems to curdle the other elements into something pungent and strange. Dry: This is one of the most complex and comforting incense blends I’ve ever sniffed. The other elements do rally and fight the upstart lemon balm, which still causes trouble now and then, but it smells really neat. It’s heartbreaking that it takes so long to get there.

[Ohmaude]

Powdery, delicate...steam engine? This is very soft, delicate frankincense, beeswax candles and a touch of herbal lemon. Resinous and gorgeous. Yet still, there is a hint of the mechanical..and it's lovely.

 

Normally I don't really like metal-notes. Honey and beeswax can also be tricky notes on me, but here the beeswax plays nice. There isn't much change from wet to dry down, minus the resinous notes coming out more with longer wear. A really fantastic scent for when you want to wear something warm and soft.

Edited September 8, 2009 by Ohmaude

[Graphica]

in the bottle: Smoky and sharp, resinous, metallic. I can smell beeswax and something reminiscent of Vicks VapoRub (not a bad thing). The rest of the scents are strong and completely meshed -- I can't pull them apart. An assertive scent. Masculine. I like.

 

on wet: Metallic Vicks, with strong, skin-like warmth underneath. The sharpness has faded, and my impression is now of a more gender-neutral scent. Definitely strong resinous undertones -- makes me think of sticky, hardened sap.

 

drydown: The Vicks has moved to the back, leaving me with a lovely warm scent which is, unfortunately, going a bit incense-y. I'm guessing the frankincense is asserting itself. Less than an hour later: Frankincense and other components have combined in exactly such a way as to make this scent a hybrid of headshop and candle store. I not like.

 

one hour later: Straight incense. I'm going to wash this off. I really don't like strong incense smells, not even in a room scent. Other oils have given me different impressions when tried again later, so I'll give this one another shot on another day.

 

end of day: Didn't make it.

 

compared to official description: There are a lot of components to this oil that I'm not familiar with. I have to rely on general impressions only, because I can't say "the calamus stood out" or "the balsam of Peru supported the rest", since I'm not familiar with those scents (or half the ones listed, actually). I got wax, frankincense, benzoin (the Vicks smell), something like warm skin, and a melange of indescribable scents that fused into a strong, sharp, warm, pleasant whole in the bottle, but that went almost pure incense on my skin.

 

notes: This one would definitely work in a locket. I'm not tempted to get a bottle, but I'll keep the imp.

[Aldercy]

Do I need another frankincense blend? Yeah. I do.

 

No. 93 Engine is a great peppery, warm brown frankincense with some lighter resin notes and a glaze of lemon water (not aquatic, just a very diluted, thin lemon-- which is good because I amp it). It's complex, woody, energetic: I feel like this is a serious but productive scent... good for accomplishing things.

 

A great steampunk scent (slightly gritty but still elegantly beautiful) and a great scent in general. Thoroughly unisex, in my opinion. Would be to die for on a man, but I do not feel uncomfortable wearing it myself.

[semuelle77]

I just receive this is a swap and was dying to try it, yet slightly apprehensive considering how complex it is.

 

When I first applied the oil it went on fairly sharp, but with so many layers of scent that I knew I needed to wait it out. As it began to dry down, No. 93 Engine started to turn into what is hands down the spiciest BPAL I've tried. Holy cow!!! It was spicier than Scherezade or Bengal, and less sweet. (Which is a very good thing, considering I amp sweet to high heaven.) There is a slightly woodsy note anchoring the scent and an inscence or resin that reminds me of high holy days at church. Since I love the smell of the church inscence, this is a very good thing. (Does anyone know if that is the Balm of Gilead, the frankinsence, or a combo of both?) By the end of the day most of the resiny/inscence/woodsy goodness had faded away, leaving behind a rich sweet smell (saffron and benzion, perhaps?) It ended sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. I adore the middle phase so much that I immediately reapplied when I got home (a little over 9 hours after first application.)

 

No. 93 Engine has a medium throw and long wear. This scent gave the feeling of being wrapped in your favorite cardigan. Not bulky or flashy, but comforting and slightly decadent.

[milo]

I'm discovering that I like certain woody blends, and this definitely fits the bill! Wet, it is very medicinal, kind of like Vics. It dries to a gorgeous, sweet woody blend, kind of like subdued cedar and beeswax and a bit of incense. I really like this, and bet it will age pretty phenomenally. Definitely contemplating a bottle!

[Janegodzilla]

Like most of the Steamworks scents, No. 93 Engine is warm and pleasantly unisex. It's a bright, busy sort of scent -- the word "bustling" comes to mind -- with different notes zipping in and out to play. The balsam, cedar, beeswax, and sage are the notes that stand out the most on my skin, with everything else merging into a rich, busy backdrop that tosses up a hint of smoke or sweetness every once in a while. It's a lovely blend overall and I like it a lot, and the only thing that gives me pause is how strong the balsam gets after it's been on my skin for some time. I'm not sure if it's a one-off thing based on the particular day I was testing it or if it's because I'm prone to amping pines and firs and the like, but I'm definitely going to hold off ordering a bottle until I know for sure. The first hour of No. 93 Engine was amazing.

[angelicruin]

Wet on the skin, it's frankincense and sage. As it dries more, goes more to sage. I know this blend has a lot of different notes in it, but the sage seems to overpower just about everything else on my skin.

[Leopard403]

All I get here is cinnamon potpourri. Weird.

[SophieCedar]

This is wonderful. Thanks to the BPAL forum members for helping me at the beginning to find scents that I'd truly enjoy! I love this one and will be buying a bottle.

 

This is perfect. First waft when wet is lemon balm, sage, benzoin, and gilead. It just gets better and better. The beeswax takes until drydown to come out but it's worth the wait. Totally smells like floral mead drank in the warm late spring evening air.

 

Some of my favorites are the ones that can spark nostalgia. This is one of them and a total keeper.

[sbengston]

In the vial this is all lemon and herbs. I don't love it. On my skin, dry, it smells a little like baby powder but the beeswax is starting to come out. A few hours later, I get more of the beeswax. A really nice scent in the end, but not necessarily one I'd want to wear on my skin, especially since it takes some time to get to there.

[impolight]

:::No. 93 Engine:::

 

The fragrance that is No. 93 Engine is really and truly a bonafide masterpiece. By removing any sense of wonder and suspending the fun of free-association, one can, of course, detect much of the notes represented within; most noteably, the Honey, Sage, Frankinsence, Evergreenery and Benzoin.

No. 93 Engine is an intoxicating swoon of an experience, somehow contained in a teensy-weensy 5 ml. bottle.

Upon first unscrewing the top all conventional associations vanish... It's like visiting a faraway planet governed by hyperintelligent, robotic bees. Their palace being an insanely convoluted honeycomb of Gold and Brass. The spice of their incense fills the cavernous cells and sets the tone for a decadent feasting.

Just when belief that this couldn't possibly get any better was accepted, a drop was applied to the skin and there was actually a sense of terror at the beauty that is No. 93 Engine...

The spiciness explodes! This is majestic! This is like being there to witness the birth of the of the universe!!!This is a whirling galaxy, packed with inconceivable beauty and intelligence. This is a rite of deification. This is blissed out mind expansion...

There is something in this, just outside peripheral perception that is almost, yet not quite familiar... In the medicine cabinet or shaving kit and grandma and grandpa's house... Something close by the Cameo-topped bottles and the Badger-bristled shave brushes.

A man or woman could wear this fragrance with equally unsettling effect... This stuff is magically disorienting. A must have.

Bow down, one and all, to the ingenuity of BPAL's Phoenix Steamworks line.

Edited February 4, 2010 by impolight

[surf-tormented]

It has a solid metal odor to it once applied to the skin. It's metal with lemon, which is more sour than sweet.

 

Then that morphs into a spicy incense based blend with a green herbal kick.

 

I'd buy a bottle of this, but the downsizes to it are that I already have perfume oils similar to it and the throw/lasting power isn't very good. I put it on about a half hour ago and can barely smell it now.

 

It reminds me a lot of Valentine of Rome, except less floral. It makes me really want to try what the person before me tried, because my imp is very low key and is sort of average more than being a full-on steampunk experience!

 

I tried it just now and it's already gone on my skin...it must be a quick moving engine...hopefully in a few hours I will be wowed, I just don't think it is going to happen...

 

I do have to say I like the concept of mixing steampunk with Thelema. I may consider buying a bottle of this once my Valentine of Rome is gone, probably years from now.

Edited February 9, 2010 by Madame Nyx

[skyelyric]

Got a frimp of this with my last order. Clearly No. 93 Engine is srs beesness. In the imp it's almost straight up beeswax to me. On my skin it turns into a sweet, dusty beeswax, which is really lovely, like sunlight hitting dustmotes and making the air sparkle--weird, but that's the impression I get. After a while the beeswax fades into a faintly spicy, woody, soft honey scent. I don't get any of the metallic impressions on this, just something delicate and sweet.

[wolfensong]

I accidentally purchased this shining engine on ebay, mixing up the scent description with the Antikythera Mechanism, which I new I already loved but whose name I couldn't remember.

 

I am SO GLAD I made that mistake! This is an absolutely glorious scent, warm and shining with some very deep glimmering reflective notes. It almost -glows-. I'm still trying to pick out individual notes, but like the steampunk aesthetic this is a scent that involves you, that feels like it has a soul, like it's something you can interact with, touch and shove and shine and push buttons on. There's almost a texture to it: it's like rough-grained wood and oily polishing wax and mirror-smooth brass. It has a heartbeat: albeit not necessarily one of flesh and blood, but still. It's like an old rolls royce or astin martin, a standard shift you can talk to and luxury with a character all its own.

 

A delightful scent, and well-worth a bottle.

[MissVulpecula]

In the imp: Hot polished brass, oil, steam and a bit of beeswax.

 

Drying on my skin: Same as wet.

 

Throw and staying power: Strong! throw, about 10 hours

 

Colour impression: golden brass

 

Verdict: WOW!!!

This smells exactely like a new polished steam engine to me!

Unfortunately this is WAY to strong for me... I prefere lighter scents and closer to the skin.

But nevertheless - this is a BRILLIANT and EVOCATIVE scent!

[dreamingjune]

In the bottle I smell the subtle sweetness of the beeswax, the almost evergreen note of frankincense, and the herbal richness of the balsam.

 

On the skin this is absolutely amazing. For me it has the perfect fresh herbal top notes (not even remotely soapy) that I don't get in a lot of bpals. Then there is the perfect balance of yummy balsams and not too sweet beeswax that I love about Luperci as well. No 93 Engine is nothing like Luperci, though. Then there is something wonderfully peppery about this. It's like a soft beeswaxed white pepper. It is not too strong to the nose but gives this scent the perfect unique quality. I don't get any of the metallic notes that other people are getting, but my skin chemistry turns everything sweeter.

 

Overall this is one of my top 5 bpals. If you love beeswax, balsam, or frankincense, this is a must try.

 

[ModderRhu]

No. 93 Engine

There are really no words for this. It's perfect. I'm astounded.

GO BUY SOME. NOW.



5 out of 5

[FathomBelow]

No. 93 Engine

Wet on skin: I have no idea what most of the listed components smell like, so I can only describe this as an aromatic, spicy, woody scent – maybe from the balsam of peru? Smells like cedar on hormones. Quite masculine.

As it dries: Gets fractionally sweeter – I hope that’s the beeswax and/or benzoin coming out, because right now this is just too much for me. A little later on, I can detect the lemon balm, very high up in the nose.

After it dries: Stays pretty much the same until it fades into a sweetish/spicy scent.

Final opinion: I guess the Steamworks line and me were just not meant to be - appropriate really, as I've never been a machinery sort of person. There is something about both this and Ether which makes my stomach churn. This will be going to my giveaway pile.

[rinster]

Although cedar isn't listed as a note, this really reminds me of the inside of my grandmother's hope chest!

[sarielswish]

In the vial, it's very resinous. I'm going to give it a chance, but I don't have high hopes. Color, copper.

 

Wet on my skin, I smell beeswax, saffron, hyssop, lemon balm, and sage. Reminds me of a new age shop - that would be the white sage. Problem is, 99% of the time saffron will turn to melted plastic with my body chemistry. Here's hoping it doesn't.

 

10-15 minute drydown - And there's the melted plastic. Damn. It smelled quite nice, too. I'll try it out on the hubby - the Steamworks stuff seems to work on him quite nicely.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

In the vial: Lemon and spices

Wet on skin: Lemon, beeswax and saffron

Dry: Beeswax, hyssop, honey, saffron, balsam, cedar, nutmeg, ginger and sage

 

 

It's a sweet, masculine scent and I love to wear those. This is going on my must-have bottle list.

[meredevachon]

In the imp: Spiced gumdrops. Not what I was expecting, but bpal often surprises.

 

Wet: Still spiced gumdrops, this smells almost exactly the way I remember them tasting. Of the good, I always liked the smell better than the taste, and that seems to be holding true.

 

Dry down: The spice turns more resin and wood, and after about five minutes I start to get hints of beeswax to further soften it. Lemon balm starts to peek out too, little hints of fresh and bright against the deeper, darker resins.

 

Dry: Once it dries, there's a metallic note that doesn't seem like it should blend with everything else as well as it does, but really, it all works together. Throw of a couple of feet, enough so I don't have to sniff up close but I don't feel like I'm going to call attention to myself by wearing it. Of course, when I do sniff along my skin, it's even more delicious and enchanting.

 

Overall: Spicy resins with beeswax to soften them, lemon balm to brighten them, and metal to ground them. And it works.

 

Impressions: Polished wood and brass chest filled with incense and candles. Warm golden brown.

[milica]

I've been wearing this for a while now, every single day, can't get enough of it. Unexpected discovery, since I've been trying some of my older imps and I remember not liking this one... But in it's aged form it is just perfect beyond the words.

 

I don't think I can describe it very well, it's very complex. At the same time, I get the steam from a hot steam engine, incense, beeswax and just a touch of something bright. It's not one of those temple like incense scents and it's not calming, it's pretty much rough and loud and blows of incense steam in all directions.

 

The best thing you can do is try it, since the feeling of wearing it is indescribable, you feel like you have the power to do anything. Love!!!

[Suu4LC]

Mm...this is really pretty-I get a lot of frankincense and sage, with the tart lemon balm glazed over it. Definitely incensey-Normally I don't love the way incense smells on me, as much as I enjoy the scent of it in a room...

 

Oh yeah, on my skin this is strong incense and balsam...kind of reminds me of that blue swirly bubble bar from Lush. Yep, this is totally what this smells like to me...a spiced frankincense. It is lovely and very relaxing to me...I just couldn't see myself buying this or wearing it. However, I think it is one of the most lovely frankincense bpal blends and would HIGHLY recommend it to frankincense lovers!