In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.
But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:
And ‘mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:
And ‘mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!
The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves;
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!
A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight ‘twould win me
That with music loud and long
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed
And drunk the milk of Paradise.
Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine.
amerginwhiteknees –
I got this 100% because of the name. The clean linen and rosin are most evident to me, and if there’s tobacco, it’s still unsmoked (but really I don’t get much of a tobacco scent). It’s a lighter masculine cologne that is well suited to anyone in my opinion.
lillizp –
received this as a frimp with my last order & it has quickly become my favorite. i cannot stop reaching for it! wet it’s very clean – reminds me of tea tree oil. as it dries down it becomes deliciously sweet, which appeals to my preference for gourmand scents. maybe it’s the tobacco? i find it wears close to the body but lasts all day. i will be getting the full size.
suntannedcactus147 –
Clean is definitely accurate. If you want to feel like a fancy gentleperson, this is great. I don’t think this is a strictly “masculine” scent, but it wears nice on a man’s skin. It warms up to the skin beautifully. Mom said it didn’t smell much like tobacco, and I have to agree even if my only experience is secondhand. It’s still very sweet with spicy type smell, though, so I would recommend it for anyone looking for a mysterious, enticing, mix of dark and light to wear.
Clark –
This scent makes me feel like a fancy gentleman, but not a dandy. Don’t be scared of the Smoke – Cigarette, Tobacco note; that doesn’t mean dirty ashtray. It just works.
Jessica –
I ordered this because I’ve had good luck with some of the more ‘masculine’ scents that BPAL’s created. In the bottle, the leather mixed with a lavender-y and powdery scent stuck out to me.
After putting it on, my skin picked up the stronger scent of tobacco and a sharper, not quite citrus but definitely some sort of chemical smell. For a few minutes I was worried that it was going to turn sour on me (that’s always the worst!) but the tangy note faded rather quickly and I was left with a much more mellow leather, tobacco and faintly floral or cottony scent. After wearing for 3 hours, I can still pick up a soft powder and very ‘clean’ scent, indeed. Overall I’m very pleased with it! It’s probably my second favorite scent to Dee.
asgardianwolf –
In the imp I smelled a fresh clean scent, slightly like soap just ever so slightly muskier. After wearing it as it dried, I got the notes of tobacco and leather with a slightly powdery scent. Now, after wearing it for hours, I smell the strong scent of tobacco tempered by a hint of leather and something light, almost airy to it that I just can’t place.
Was included in my order as a ‘sample’ and I am glad it was! Whenever I do order again, I think this will be part of it.
Cesario de Rozlinde –
I’m wondering if I received the wrong imp? When I open this, I smell sweetness and menthol. I’s like a very candylike cough drop. The chief difference on my skin is that the sweetness overwhelms the menthol, leaving me with a smell that I can only characterise as ‘poisoned candy’ or ‘tainted birch beer.’ I couldn’t handle the sweetness. I finally layered it with John Watson (also reviewed). Together, I got a scent that I would call ‘well aired-out Victorian Parlour.’ There was a trace of tobacco, amber, dust, and something musky, and the ‘poisonous’ scent was more like some old-fashioned curiosity. Without Watson, I would only give Holmes a 2 rating.
dementia_divine –
In the imp: This is a rather clean scent with a bit of tobacco in the background and a very faint hint of leather.
Wet: A very clean scent, indeed! The clean aspect of this scent dominates, but I can smell traces of the tobacco in the background. After a while, I start getting hints of the leather, and every once in a while, the rosin.
Dry: While the clean scent is still present, the tobacco and leather (and I think I am getting the Moroccan aspect of it as well) are much more prominent now. I am not sure what greasepaint would smell like, so that’s why it hasn’t been mentioned in my review! The tobacco reigns after a few hours.
Verdict: I like this a lot more than I thought I would! I’m not sure that I need a bottle, though.
Velvet Lilly –
There is, foremost, a clean scent, fresh ablutions perhaps, and a feel of space.
As if he is sitting among the mullioned panes of a conservatory, light green fronded plants nearby, in the cool space of the room.
A fascinating sheer blend of Morrocan leather and whisps of tobacco play softly with the horse hair note, etc. and was told these are subtle remnants of his disguises……..brilliant!
Not masculine per se, but not soft either……this is an intelligent scent.
Gorgeous and enticing.