Knucklebones

[edenssixthday]

You hear a clatter on the ground, and a small bleached bone smacks against your foot. Cloaked in shadows between the tents, three men crouch playing knucklebones. Distress clouds the face of one of the men, while another bursts into a wicked smile and the last one sighs in relief. Scooping up his winnings and shaking his head, the victor makes a soft 'tsk' noise as he reaches towards the loser's chest, positioning his hand over the man's heart. Pressing forward, his hand moves through cloth, flesh, muscle, and bone to extract the beating organ. Tossing the heart onto the ground, he says to you, "Mind handing me those bones, buddy? I've got a game to run here."

Black musk, bay rum, lime fougere, orange blossom water, gin, and tobacco.

Knucklebones - Of the huge number of scents I tested at Will Call, this was my second-favorite of all of them. My first reaction when I sniffed this in the bottle is tht it's effervescent and fizzy. When I tried it on, the booze notes were definitely the strongest, backed up by the lime note. It's remarkable how it can be a fizzy, effervescent scent at the same time that it is kind of dark masculine. It strikes me as the masculine equivalent of Bon Vivant in its overall feeling. It's masculine, but not something a woman couldn't wear - God knows when I get my latest CD order in the mail, I will enjoy wearing this one very much! The scent is very long-lasting on my skin and just soo incredibly sexy.

[Josh]

This is indeed fizzy smelling, it almost reminds me of a bay/lime/gin version of Pruno.. spritely, fizzy and tingly to the nose. It almost has a bathroom air freshner vibe that Pruno, which I love, had.

 

After 45 min, the lime recedes and the black musk makes its presence be known. Knucklebones morphs into something considerably darker with time.

 

ETA: Two weeks later and I'm really loving this... it's a great scent for summer (along with Dorian and The Shivering Boy). I've been wearing Knucklebones daily and really enjoy it. It's uplifting and light.

Edited June 24, 2008 by Josh

[savage_rose]

This is so sexy and intense in the bottle. Unisex bordering on masculine. I expected it to smell like other lime-rum blends, but it's much richer. On me though...it dries to an incense smell. Evidently my skin absorbs almost everything! I'll have to try it again later.

[slave1]

KNUCKLEBONES

 

In Bottle: Sexy man

 

On Skin: This is a super masculine scent, but so damn sexy! I smell the lime, sort of a lemon-lime soda type feel. The gin gives it a nice boozy feel and the rum takes it even further and sweetens it with it’s dark yumminess. The black musk is soft, not harsh at all. The orange blossom water also helps sweeten the scent overall and adds to the citrus side. The tobacco is lovely and so very decadent and smoky. I think that it really adds to the more husky masculine vibe going on. I love this and really want to smell it on my husband. It has a medium throw and a long wearlength.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is lime, lemon and gin in that particular order

 

wow! applied this morphs into something so amazing to the schnoz!!

 

firstly very incensey with a touch of musk and spice...OMG...

it calms down to the most arousing scent and i am seriously in love with

this blend...rum and tobacco arise in all their glory

 

and girls, don't let this perfume fool you into thinking it is a purely manly/man blend...

it just ain't so...

[filigree_shadow]

LOL, I have no idea how to describe this scent. Seriously, I don't think I've smelled anything like it before. I think it smells like gin and lime, but not like a gimlet because of the tobacco. The tobacco rounds it out and sweetens it up and takes the edge off the booze notes.

 

I'm handing this one over to my husband so he can see how he likes it. It's an unusual and interesting scent, and it definitely has a certain allure.

[LadyLuckDoubt]

In the Imp

Masculine, astringent and cologney and with a hint of lime-- YUM!

 

On Me

Hey, check this out-- I apparently amp lime. It goes on, and it loses a fair bit of its darkness and maleness-- it turns into Te Po and Blue Fire's limey green sibling. The throw is great, and I smell fabulous-- not to mention, the life of this stuff-- it lasts AGES on me. Towards the end of the day, it smells remarkably similar to the Coke Zero I'm drinking, which is freakish and cool.

 

I think I still want a bottle, but I want to try L'Heure Verte first to see how they compare.

 

Note-worthy: Interestingly enough, my son tried some of this, and it disappeared on him in about three seconds. Seriously: no smell at ALL-- he was a bit disappointed, and I was just tripped out.

[theal8r]

In the imp: This one is sooo interesting!

 

I get a masculine, woody. I want to cuddle up with it!

 

Wet: Wood smoke -- old books in front of a roaring fire.

 

Drydown: ew. what's that? suddenly I'm getting... old man... ew.

 

This one my boy needs to try... maybe it will not go ew on him...

[LunaLovegood]

Oh my word! This is masculine and is a horrible scent on my skin. It literally amps inscence gone wrong. Its opium and patchouili and other similar scents that simply dont work with my skin chemistry. Definitely not for me.

[ClareN]

Okay, UNEXPECTEDLY AWESOME alert. Knucklebones contains six notes I think are okay and no notes that I really love, so I wasn't expecting much, but this is wonderful. Intoxicating. I'm having a hard time concentrating to write this review because I keep stopping to breathe it in.

 

Um, okay, what does it smell like? There's lime and orange blossom grounded by black musk, mostly; there's a little tobacco adding a smoky-vanillic edge to the black musk, and something that I think is the gin is making it smell kind of fizzy or sparkly, as others have mentioned. The throw (and it has lots of throw) is all dark-sweet-musk-lime-vanilla and up close to the skin it smells clean and soapy with more orange blossom. When I say soapy I mean that in the best possible way. This manages to be clean and fresh yet dark and sweet and complex and sexy all at the same time. It smells like a sexy boy who wears vintage suits, someone kind of pretentious yet down-to-earth, with a wicked sense of humor.

 

I love this. I will have to see how much I wear it to decide whether I need a bottle or three, but I think I will need at least one before the Carnaval leaves.

[alicia_stardust]

This smells a bit on the masculine side to me, and it's a very nice one at that! It has a definitely black musk bite with a gentle hint of the gin, rum, and lime just beyond that. After some of the booziness settles out and disappears I can detect a hint of the warm tobacco and orange blossom. It's a little on the masculine side for me, but it's one that I'd LOVE smelling on a guy.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Rich amber coloured oil. Sharp - almost a bit bitter - and fresh. Masculine. Lime, bay rum and gin are strong, with orange blossom and tobacco coming just behind. Notes amazingly distinct but work well together.

 

Wet: I swear there is ginger in this, it has a fresh bite that is just sooo gingery - it reminds me of ginger beer. Otherwise pretty similar to sniffed. It's perhaps fresher, brighter. The astringent bay rum and junipery gin blend wonderfully, and the lime sweetens this mix. This is almost potable!

 

Dry: The bay rum has amped, and is probably the strongest note now, but it's pleasant. The ginger and juniper and lime are just beneath, along with the tobacco which is grounding everything - it's light and smoky and earthy, really fabulous. Orange blossom has dissipated. This is the longest lime has ever lasted on me, btw!

 

Later: The fresher notes have faded a lot - this includes much of the ginger, most of the juniper and all of the lime. The bay rum has amped further, it's extremely herbal and reminds me of sage - it's almost medicinal and I don't like the edge it has gained, which seems embittered by the also-amped tobacco. Black musk, where are you?

 

Summary: Strong, sharply herbal and astringent bay and bitter, dark, earthy tobacco, with light spicy ginger and faint fresh juniper. I never got any musk, and this morphs from something fresh to something rather darkly sinister. Absolutely masculine. Decent throw, fades rapidly.

 

This could work really well on the right man, but it's not for me. And I'm super sad that black musk (my favourite sort) never appeared, but the fresh ginger note was a very pleasant surprise.

[innocent]

The longer Knucklebones is on, the more I'm enjoying it. It's a bit more masculine than most scents I like, but there's something very compelling about it - I just can't stop sniffing. The boozey notes were quite strong at first, but died down into a lovely mixture of musk and tobacco with the booze and lime just giving it an edge...

 

I was going to deem this "nice enough to keep the imp but no need for a bottle" - but I think I'll need to test it a few more times before I decide. If my DH was willing to wear perfume I'd -love- to smell this one at the nape of his neck.

 

This seems like a "lucky" sort of scent - the kind of thing you'd wear to play poker. Though that may just be the artwork talking!

[Iceblink]

I usually avoid bay rum but I have a new love for black musk, thanks to Tiki King, and I like tobacco, so I had to try Knucklebones. This was a good call. Wet, it's quite boozy and manly but the drydown...the drydown!! Dry black musk with a slight citrus bite and a sweetness from the tobacco, and it's sexy as hell. And not exclusively masculine, either. Not that I wouldn't love to cover a man in it! I'll definitely consider a bottle.

[ouch!]

WHOAAAA! This is black-musk-tastic! With a lime background.

 

It's really really nice and I keep going back and forth between...order a bottle NOW??? or..wait a wee while.

 

It's definately a masculine and sexy scent. It's extremley musky on me, and the lime is the other note that is predominant! I don't get any boozy notes really..I think my body chemistry must be eating them up...

Before this blend I didn;t know what a Fougere was...now I have researched..it makes a bit more sense!!!

 

As it dries the citrus element dissapears (which is often the case with me and citrus).

 

Once it's dry it just turns to a softer musk with no citrus at all...

 

It's very nice though...glad I got to try it out!

 

ETA: I just had an argument with the office dragon over knucklebones..

 

Her (To someone else but loud enough for me to hear: Tom has got tha godawful perfume on again.

Me: Ruth, I can hear you I'm sitting near enough...

Her: Yeah, well it's making me feel sick...

 

Usually I don't rise to her horrible remarks..but this time.

 

Me: You kno what? Tough...I don't care. I'm sick of your whinging..

Her: I can't believe your ignorance..

Me: You know what...your mouth is really loud and your mobile phone constantly rings and annoys everyone..sometimes you just have to get on with it.

Her: Well...I'm not making anyone feel sick..

Me: YOU'D BE SURPRISED!!!

 

I have to come to the rescue of my BPAL!!!

 

Edited July 21, 2008 by ouch!

[mazaru]

Initially, it's high, sparkling and boyish, almost too boyish for me to get away with. The smoky note - black musk, I guess? - starts coming out quite quickly, grounding it and making it much smoother and more rounded. Dries to a nice cologney scent, but I've lost the darker sides of the scent somewhere in the dry-down, and it's cologne with little else by the end.

[khiseer]

I love this!

 

mmmmmmmmmm Black musk! Not civet-y like debachery but still thick and delicious.. The lime is nice and doesn't make it too 'sharp' at all. Gin is keeping its distance which is just fine with me but i am hoping the tabacco will come out more on the dry down..

 

yum!

[Little Bird]

Trying on Aeronwen & Knucklebones in the same day has firmly cemented my hatred for black musk. Knucklebones & Aeronwen are two of my favorite carnaval artwork pieces (the dark haired fellow in the art for this actually looks kinda like my ex-boyfriend, lol), I was excited for the orange in both of them, and the black musk ruined both scents for me.

 

The bay rum and lime really try to save this scent for me. The bay rum smells almost bitter-spicy on me, tropical & masculine, with the zing of lime giving it even more of a tropical feel. Like Aeronwen, I never can smell anything even remotely like orange in this, but the black musk is crazy-strong and smells like smoky, cheap, musky-clean men's cologne. Black musk, on me, smells like the cheap and overwhelming cologne of men that I try to avoid, lol. The tobacco makes the black musk even more smoky and unbearable, and a little bit gritty.

 

Cheap, dark, musky men's cologne with a touch of smokiness and a bit of zingy lime and bay rum. I don't smell anything orange-y or any gin. It's masculine, and I'd probably think it was great on the right man with the right skin chemistry. Unfortunately, I can't pull this scent off myself. It smells cheap on me...

[surlygurl]

Whenever I see bay rum as a scent component, I have to keep myself from buying a bottle. "At least try it first!" Ahhh memories....

 

Anyway, wet on the skin this is bay rum all right. Oddly sweet (tobacco?) and with a touch of citrus. Sniffing up close this is powerful stuff, but the throw is YUM. Sweet, spicy, “fizzy”, and just a touch citrusy.

 

As it dries, it gets a bit sharp. The sweetness fades a bit and the black musk comes out. The citrus fades as well, leaving bay rum musk. Dark musk tends to go a bit powdery on me, which is fine. (No, really). Dry, this is as masculine as it gets, which isn't very much. Like a musky bay rum body powder.

 

A definite bottle.

[sprocket21]

In the imp: Sweet men's cologne

 

On my skin: Why hello, tobacco! It's a sweet tobacco - there's a hearty dose of lime in the background. As it dries, the tobacco settles down a bit, and I can smell some of the orange blossom. This is a manly scent, but not a big hairy macho man, it's light enough to work well for any guy. Thumbs up!

[AEris]

This has a masculine zing to it, but it's dark and a little rich, and the black musk adds a deep sweetness in the base. The orange flower fades too fast (as it usually does on my skin), and what's left is a slightly fresh incense/musk scent.

 

Sexy, but maybe a bit manly for my rotation. If you want a musk scent for your man, this is your best bet!

 

3.8 out of 5

[zankoku_zen]

I definitely got the lime and a slightly masculine cologne overlay before the musk and tobacco decided to have a sweaty wrestling match. Tobacco is no match for the musk though.

 

Extremely masculine on me. He smells good in the 'really bad for you' way. Erm. Yeah...

[rayvn1]

I personally love this one. In the imp there is a seriously strong lime and spice smell. I just opened the imp to smell and tested a tiny amount but poor husband is holding his nose across the room and saying his nose is burning and wondering if I just opened a bottle of cleaner. NOT a good sign...

 

Drat - because I still love it! The sparkling lime notes fizz and bubble on top of a smoky cedar tang. Invigorating! There are some great spices in the background too. For a masculine blend lover like myself this is heaven and I would require a bottle if my better half didn't hate it.

 

Edit: Oh dear! Husband appears to be allergic! He's complaining of headache and burning sinuses, poor little guy I tried hiding in the other room with my sleeves pulled over my arms, but to no avail. I finally had to wash it off after getting in one last good snuffle. I still love it, though! This joins Calico Jack for wear on days when my bunny is away. HAD to marry a guy with perfume allergies in his family...

Edited September 29, 2008 by rayvn1

[lilacea]

Sugared lime and manly musk undertones, with a touch of colonge. Mostly it's bright and sweet at first, which makes me think this could be a very unisex scent. The lime is bright and as others have metioned, effervescent. The bay comes out on the skin, making this a more masculine as it wears. The musk is deep and dark, but kept in place by all the lighter notes There's a slight sour note here, which could possibly be lilac or something similar.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Bay rum and lime with a very alcoholic undertone.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a very thick bay rum scent on me with the fizzy scent of gin underneath. It’s mostly thick spiciness and fizz, but the black musk sort of lays on top of the scent and definitely gives this an overall masculine, musky vibe. I’m getting pencil shavings from this a touch too.

 

After a little while: This has turned to a rather generic scent on me. It’s musky, spicy, and masculine. There’s still a light amount of fizzy gin, but it’s far in the background, as is a touch of tobacco.

 

Overall Impressions: I originally got this decant for my husband, as I expected it from the notes to be a rather masculine scent. I was correct. This scent is a lot of bay rum, a bit of gin and black musk, and a little lime and tobacco. I suspect a woman could wear this quite easily, as it might be more unisex to some rather than masculine, but bay rum always has a pretty masculine feel to me. Overall, it turned into a rather generic cologney scent on me, but I’m sure on others it’ll have a bit more depth from beginning to end.