sarada

I love vetiver, but sometimes it takes a nasty turn on me and becomes very acrid. In Torment and Saturn, for example, it had that kind of overwhelming scorched scent that cancels out the usual wonderful deep dark smooth sweet wood that I get from other blends that include vetiver (I suspect Capricorn is the perfect vetiver blend for me....if indeed it contains it). This reminds me of some of the discontinued scents, like Torment, which did bad things. I think that the florals are messing up my vetiver experience. Gardenia makes me sick to my stomach and gives me a headache so you'd think I'd know better than to try blends that contain it, huh? So does jasmine. If this didn't contain those, the vetiver might be able to smooth out and do it's damp sweet dark woody incense thing but it just kind of floats in a sea of heady florals and makes me feel queasy. It's a shame that the supporting notes are such a nightmare on me because as this dries I can get some of the polished glossy dark brown vetiver scent that I love. Alas, it's not going to work for me! I don't know if vetiver and florals can ever play nice together. I don't get any cinnamon or leather from this...I don't like cinnamon so it's just as well, but leather usually works well with vetiver. This scent did, however, make me think of Adam Ant and that's never a bad thing!

Antique Halloween postcards??? Squeeeee, I've practically devoted my life to the worship of those! I wish I liked the Samhain scents, but damn my reaction to foody scents! (Still, I have Samhain and Devil's Night on the way...)

Lust is one of my favorite scents (well, it would be in my Top 50) but I don't have a big bottle of it so I've never reviewed it. When I first smelled it I went berserk and wanted a bottle immediately but I never got around to ordering, so I hoarded imps... This was one of the scents that made me realize that red musk is my best friend. It's a little too strong and sweet to wear too often, but WOW. This is a masterpiece of red musk. So gritty and sultry, almost berry-sweet but, well, musky. It's an earthy red sweetness, almost drinkable. I'd say it's similar to Lilith in some ways but without the wine element, just in the way that it absolutely personified DEEP DARK RED as a scent and makes you want to lick yourself. And the color! So dark! The color of dried blood! This scent really takes off on my skin, it's one of those incensy smells that I amplify to a ridiculous amount, and even after a shower it's still going strong. This generally stays around for 24 hours when I put it on. I don't smell the individual notes other than red musk -- I think the patchouli gives it the gritty, earthy feeling though, and since patchouli and my skin like to get married and have babies together this is a very good thing. I hate ylang ylang BUT in blends with patchouli it doesn't smell like nail polish remover. Instead, it transforms into something sweet and aromatic and all-around good. Myrrh too, I'm not wild about much of the time but it loses itself in patchouli. Eventually I will have a bottle of this. But for now my imps seem to keep me in good shape since I can't handle anything this strong and long-lasting on a regular basis. After all I also have Scherezade and Spellbound in bottles to keep me shrouded in red musk through the cold months!

I first tried this almost a year ago and liked it, but didn't hang onto it. It was mostly lavender on me and I figured I had enough lavender. But after trying Old Scratch and adoring it I decided to give ol' Gaueko another try. It has a similar feel, with lavender winding its way through incense smoke. And I like this even more this time and will probably be hoarding imps, if not eventually getting a bottle. The overall impression that I get is of being in a store that sells incense and soap. It's that overall "incense store" scent that I love so much...of the bar of handmade soap that you buy that has the scent of the shop clinging to it (as described in the review above mine as well!). The lavender comes off particularly soapy in this blend but in a nice way. Basically, it smells like nag champa soap. This lasts for awhile and goes particularly well on my skin, which tends to take incense smells and simmer them nicely, so they last throughout the day and cling to my hair and clothing like real incense smoke does. This is like the mellower cousin of Urd. They're both hippie store smells, but while Urd is the full-on attack of a heavy incense store, Gaueko is the soap aisle at Whole Foods, where I linger for a half-hour sniffing lavender and patchouli soap and shampoo. I really feel as though I've just taken a bath with a full range of wholesome hippie products. It is different enough from Old Scratch to warrant bottles of each if you like the lavender/incense combo, I think!

Crossroads was mostly allergy-inducing jasmine on me. A green scent...I liked it at first but it gave me a headache and now in retrospect I don't think I like it at all because I don't care for jasmine. To me, there's nothing that even comes close to Queen of Clubs (my favorite LE!), but if you take Persephone and layer it with Graveyard Dirt and something with amber in it, it might come close.

Oh no, now I want one just for the bottle! Thank you!

Are there any pics of the Beatrice label circulating now?...I'm very curious!

I first tried this about a year ago and really liked it...got a bottle, and never wore it once. As a result this really, really reminds me of this time last year. But that doesn't really help you to understand the scent, does it? This has that marvellous, incredible bright green colour that I love so much in the lab's herbal blends. It also has the slightly bitter scent that the herbals have, like Belladonna. Basically, this is like a lemony Belladonna and has similar qualities for me in that I really like it but I don't know that it works as a personal fragrance. It's more something I'd want to use to anoint things or, as others have said, a room scent. The pineyness is also very appealing to me but it is SO pine that it becomes almost lemon/line. To the point that when I present my wrist to others to sniff they just say it smells like lemon or lime candy. I'm aware of the other layers of fresh, slightly bitter herbs that are drying on a warm day...but they don't come through on my skin. This manages to be sunny and warm while also reminding me of the piney smells of Christmas time. It's a wonderful scent, but on my skin it just kind of hangs there like a piece of wet lime hard candy. I like it but I don't know that I want to smell like it. I like to keep an imp around to sniff though. I love the idea of these herbals so much that I wish they worked on me...if they came in clear poison bottles I might buy bottles just to look at them, all green and evil!

I first tried this ages ago but I have never really worn it for long...it smells rather like something I would have liked a long time ago, but not for the fragrance...rather more for the idea of having a bright green oil called Belladonna. I love the idea of this oil and I can easily imagine myself as a teenager with a bottle, anointing myself and arranging candles and crystals on my dressertop altar. It makes me think of drying fresh herbs and smelling them in the sun. But not any specific herbs...more the general scent of fresh, green herbs recently picked and hanging from wooden rafters in our kitchen. There might be something like sage or rosemary in here -- herbs that are used in cooking but might feel equally at home in magic. Then there comes a very powdery stage that could only be lilac...or perhaps violet. But probably lilac. A pale purple, very powdery flower. The combination is unsettling but I can still see myself as a teenager enjoying it, before I knew which kind of scents I liked to wear as a fragrance. I like the associations that it brings and I think it would be wonderful to wear if you were doing some kind of herbal or green magical works. As a fragrance though it is very very bitter and not the kind of herbal scent that I would want to have around me. It's interesting to smell and I keep a small amount for those associations and images that it brings to mind but it's more of a "thinking" oil than a "wearing" oil if that makes any sense at all!

Another one I thought I already reviewed! This is the 2004 version. I will want to try the 2005 version as well, in case the resin notes are stronger in it... I was surprised by the reviews that described this as having a foody quality since the ingredients would suggest nothing of the sort. I thought it would be something of an incensy scent with a touch of smoky florals. It does, however, remind me a little bit of bread with a touch of perfume about it. Strange, that. Like a richly perfumed woman taking little cakes out of an oven? I do get more of the frankincense as this dries -- I am very familiar with the lab's frankincense and myrrh, and I can sense a bit of that Penitencey aroma in this but it is much more peppery in this blend. It just takes the part of frankincense that smells like something baking, and spikes it with pepper....and then the florals come out in a warm sort of glow. Co-workers remarked on how they smelled flowers, when I wore it. I don't get much of the flowers myself out of it. This was great to test but I don't think I'll wear it again, now that I've sniffed it a few times...I'll just wear Penitence and Cathedral when I want frank and myrrh. I hope to sample this year's version to see if it changed at all.

Have I really not reviewed Samhain? I would swear it was one of the first reviews I ever wrote. Guess I forgot to post it! I had been afraid of Samhain at first because I never like traditional autumn scents -- pumpkin and apple, as smells, are among my very least favorite things. Ironic, because I eat a bag of apples and a pumpkin pie every week all autumn! So I LIKE them, but I don't want to SMELL like them, dig? Every year I dread when "pumpkin spice" scented things start popping up in all the stores that I frequent and I have to hope that no one buys me something that smells like that, knowing my love for Halloween and assuming that it goes with a desire to smell like pie. Enough back story though. Let's get to the point -- Samhain is one of the most incredible scents EVER and it has melted my evil heart. At my very first sniff I was a little worried about a hint of that thick, syrupy pumpkin/apple smell but it never really "took" on my skin in quite that way. Instead it unfolds into the most incredible bonfire of autumn leaves imaginable; a cold night, smoke in the air, dried pine needles underfoot and a dark cidery smell that never for a moment makes me feel nauseous. A single drop of Samhain sticks around with me all day, so in the past year I've barely used anything from my bottle and even managed to decant a fair amount. I only need one drop at a time so this will last forever. And one year later it smells just as wonderful. I rub it on the backs of my wrists and through my hair and throughout the day whenever I want to be transported deep into the forest sipping cider with witches and pumpkinmen all I have to do is run my fingers through my hair, and that incredible smoky scent is released all around me. I hope that Samhain 2005 is just like last year's, because this is an absolute treasure. It's so strong that I can't wear it too often though. Just a couple days each month in the fall and winter, and then it goes into the box until the weather turns crisp again. I almost want to drown in it but I think I can pace myself. It's all I can do to not just reapply it every 12 hours all autumn long but I'm going to try to vary it with some other favorites.....and cross my fingers that this year's will be a near match!

This is very pretty but I have no idea what's in it. No idea. At all. My notes on this were "warm, soapy jasmine" but now I don't agree with that at all. I don't smell roses much though, isn't it weird? Now that I am looking for them I guess I can sense them.....this reminds me a bit of Rose Cross now that I am actively trying to smell roses. Yes, something like rose/sandalwood or rose/frankincense but there is another sinuous floral note winding through it. Pretty but not for me, and yet another example of how very unique each of the Sephiroth is. These each have their own personality and I imagine that meditating with them would yield great results. As for wearing this one I can't see it happening! I actually am already getting a bit of a headache from it. Which is what 80% of rose blends does to me after a little while anyway!

Wow, sinus-clearing! This is...definitely medicinal. Cough syrup, Vabo-rub, you name it. Actually what it most reminds me of is this Chinese white flower oil my mom gave me so I could have it rubbed into my shoulders to help with my horrible upper back tension and resulting headaches. This is definitely not something you'd just splash on casually as a perfume. This is a dead serious oil! I'm going to have to agree with the sassafras and eucalyptus description. Actually, birch beer and things like that all smell medicinal to me and I sense something like eucalyptus or menthol in them. This smells like all of that. It would be great to rub into your temples if you had a headache, I think. Or onto sore muscles. I can't imagine wearing it because I wanted to smell like it, since this makes me think of muscle pain. But wow, that's some strooooooong stuff.

I like this a lot at first...it's the first one I tried of the Sephiroth and I think it could be my favorite though I still don't know if I would use it as a fragrance...like all of the oils in this category it has a feeling that it should be used for something, but I would not know what for. I definitely agree that cedar is what this is all about. Reminds me a little of Jupiter actually, which is the only other almost pure cedar scent that I've come across at the lab; I liked Jupiter too but straight cedar goes a little "hamster cage" on me, without darker woods to keep it down. This has something else in it though that comes out quickly, and I'd guess it's lotus. Something watery, slightly fruity, but still aquatic. Lotus is an absolute disaster for me so that kind of throws the cedar off. I wish this stayed cedar longer, but still it's one of the closest to a wearable scent among the Sephiroth for me. Again, I truly admire the strength and artistry of this blend, I can definitely imagine dressing a candle with this oil or using it to create an atmosphere for meditation and reflection.

I like this in the imp and when I apply it. It reminds me of something right in between Geek and Medicine Show...heavy on the leather, maybe some tobacco and some light medicinal herbs. Looking at the other reviews, it appears that I might be on the money with my leather comparison! That's refreshing, I usually am way off the mark. This one is actually kind of working for me as a fragrance but Geek and Medicine Show are still more up my alley as far as scents go...this is a slightly medicinal leather with maybe a hint of tobacco. It fades very quickly though there's still a hint of leather in the drydown...very much like Geek now. I didn't like leather in many blends, only with lots of woody scents to back it up, but I do like it in this.

Upon sniffing this I can't really identify what it is, but I don't care for it...it makes me feel slightly queasy. It has a slightly chemical spice smell...my stomach goes "bleah" for a moment but I'll try it out anyway. It gets spicier...not cinnamon spice but more like clove. Maybe it's carnation? I don't like carnation so that would make sense. Now that I think about it, this is probably like that undefinably spicy-but-not-spicy smell that is in Alice. More of that clove-like spice as it wears, and it still makes me feel sick. I like clove normally so yeah I'm going to have to guess it's another trick up the sleeve of our friend carnation! Hod went from making me feel uneasy to making me feel queasy, to indifferent so I am guessing that there's something in this that just doesn't agree with me. I wish I got amber from this...I don't get anything but stuff that makes me uncomfortable. I don't know much about the meaning of this Sephiroth but I don't think this is one that I would typically work with, if I did, so it's not too surprising that this doesn't agree with me.

The Supreme Crown, Rashith ha-Gilgalim, the Primordial Ether, Primum Mobile, the Source of All, the Origin of Will that radiates 620 pillars of light This makes me think of cherry or almonds at first, but it doesn't make my stomach clench like those notes normally do....so maybe it just smells ~like~ them without actually being them. It thins out quickly after that, and loses all of the almondy quality. It almost has that sinuous, creeping quality of civet where you can feel it snaking up through your nose and lingering there whether you want it to or not. Not exactly something that I'd want to smell regularly, I'm almost afraid this is the dreaded almonds and civet blend we've all feared. Now that my brain has decided that that is what this is going to smell like I can't make any more sense of it than that! It really isn't all that scary when it dries down, it's very light and airy, faintly sweet. It just has a few frightening moments before it gets there!

Call me crazy, but this smells like Mata Hari at first to me. Well that kind of makes sense, since many other reviewers have described the smell as jasmine and possibly rose. and those are among the main notes in Mata Hari. But I'd swear there's a little of the "toasted rice" scent I get from that as well (I think that's my nose interpreting tonka and coffee bean, in that case). I'd definitely say there's jasmine in here but whatever that grainy note is, hits me at first and stays for awhile. It becomes a nice jasmine...the kind that I smell when I go to this one store near where I live that sells everything from Chinese slippers to ninja swords, with a row of jasmine scented soap and candles right next to the throwing stars. Ahh, but I like it for some reason. I don't like jasmine typically but this has a really familiar, comfortable scent to me that makes me think of those stores and makes me want to buy an imitation jade Buddha statue. It's not something I'd wear but it's very comforting...I'd burn a candle that smelled like this, in a second.

This strikes me as a hot, fiery blend. Not spicy, just hot. Like wood heated red hot on a fire...a dry, blasting heat. Is there pepper in here? This kind of wood makes me think of myrrh, though that tends to be spicy on me...maybe there is something spiced coming out in this. It makes me think of a ritual incense or an occult store oil, as do most of the Sephiroth oils. Even though I tend to like things like this, there's something about it that makes me think that it wouldn't be worn as a fragrance, but as part of some sort of ritual. A hot, dark, spicy perfume. None of the Sephiroth strike me as something I would wear for the fragrance, as they are all very heavy and slightly medicinal but this is one of the ones that comes the closest to my kind of fragrance.

Whippoorwill smells like Dublin layered with Silk Road to me. Oakmoss is pretty pronounced in Burial and Omen as well maybe one of those layered with Silk Road would work as well... But Silk Road definitely has some of the same spices, to my nose!

This might be a little off topic, but on a related note...are there any catalog scents that have rose and tobacco or rose and smoke as main notes? In addition to LiTA, I am wild about Gypsy Queen...I can't remember if there are any smoky rose or tobaccoy rose scents in the regular catalog though. Most roses are too sharp and floral for me...even Zombi, it's just been too sharp of a rose for me to wear regularly. Roses usually give me a headache unless there's lots of amber or tobacco to smooth it out.

Woo, this is the first elemental I've been able to sample! As others have said, lavender is definitely there. Lavender is something that I associate mainly with either bath products or aromatherapy, though it does work marvellously in many blends (like old Scratch!). In this blend it is striking me mainly as the kind of lavender that would be intended for aromatherapy or a similar purpose. There's also a strong sense of...dust, actually. It makes me think of something musty and dusty...not quite moldy though. More like the scent of an old dusty bookshop, with motes of dust floating in the air on a sunbeam. Not an oppressive scent, just that musty old book smell. And there's a hint of a lemony fragrance as well. I think of a dimly lit room with some dusty sprigs of lavender hanging to freshen the air, a mug of lemon tea and shelves and shelves of old books. I'd enjoy this as a room scent in the morning (if I was ever awake in the morning) or as an after-bath scent.

This is the scent I was most looking forward to from recent updates because the description was so beautiful and evocative. I think of stretches of cave glittering white with calcified crystal formations reflected in perfectly clear cold underground streams. I think of the scent of cold rocks and earth. And I knew that whatever the scent wound up being, that I would have to give it a try. I think a lot of the other reviews have described it well: there's a chilly vanilla and a warm light musk, and a bit of a mineral smoothness. It strikes me as far more white than black. I think of rock formations that look like candlewax, dripping from the points of stalactites. I have always thought that if I were able to taste those sort of chalky white crystals they would be something like this. There's a faint whiff of powdery cold sweetness...then the nuzzling warmth of white fur. It is subtle and doesn't have a lot of throw on me but thanks to the musky underlayer it sticks around for awhile. I know that I'll have to use a lot of this to get the kind of cloud of scent around me that I like so I ordered a bottle after my first sniff, anticipating that I'll use this a lot in the winter. I think it would work all year round though, as a cooling blend when it's warm and a warming blend when it's cool! It has a very classic perfume quality to it (without being "perfumey") but I think that this will be a very popular fragrance...it's not my typical style but it's so unusual that I find it compelling. And it's the kind of thing that I've been favoring for nighttime wear lately so I look forward to really getting to know this fragrance.

I feel like this is something that, if it had been described in a fantasy book as some kind of marvelous magical potion, I would have gone mad with the desire for it. When I first read the description of that incredible rainbow bouquet of fruits, I thought like my head would explode...just looking at the names of all of those fruits summons up a vision of a juicy jewel-colored paradise. Every single time I open this up I get a different fruit. It is an ever-changing thing, this magic potion. First honeydew melon, then pineapple (which isn't even listed, I don't think!), then lime, ahh then there's something that I think is passion fruit or maybe mango -- mostly orange and golden colored fruit, with some pale green. I don't get a lot of berries, but sometimes they pop up...a wee bit of crackling fizzy sourness into the mix. It's very much like the fruity components of Mi-Go, just like Flower Moon reminded me of the floral components of that blend. But I much prefer fruits to flowers, so this will work a lot better for me. I can see this being a regular favorite in the spring and summer months, so it's a shame that it will be a few months before I get to put it to regular use. It has pretty good staying power but it's really the most exciting in the bottle and in the early stages, so this would be one to refresh regularly as it loses its oomph after about an hour. Right now it's so unbearably humid outside that I am probably not getting a good feel for how this would work in, say, April or May when I'd be the most likely to wear it. This is the thing to get if ever you wanted to open a bottle and be surprised with a different fruit every time you sniffed. It's truly magical and wonderful. While it's probably not my favorite lunacy blend overall (Buck Moon is looking like a fave right now), I haven't had a lot of luck with finding lunacy blends that I wanted to keep more than one imps' worth of so I'm glad that this is a "keeper" for me. I can't wait to use it in the spring!

Add me to the list of people in love with this scent!! I like lavender but it often overpowers all the other notes in a blend for me so I was a little wary. However, having loved Dorian which is also a fougere, whatever that means, I figured this was a safe bet...especially since I am a patchouli-crazed devil-lovin' hippie. This is so much more amazing than you would ever guess, by the notes. I was afraid it would be kind of cologney or floral but it's not...the lavender is strong and noticable but it does not overpower the blend. Tonka is always a good note in any blend though I don't know it well on its own. I think it must be softening the lavender's sharp edge and making it much more of a comforting and lasting scent. Amber helps it to last and disperse and adds a touch of incensy, resiny sweetness. It really loves my skin, too. The patchouli really adds a wonderful base to this, a little dark, a little gritty and a touch of incense. The way lavender and patchouli interact is really breathtaking...the sharp, strong floral is transformed by the woody, earthy base. The throw is amazing and it's an incredible mixture of lavender, resin, sweetness, incense and wood. This is already a favorite -- Top 20 for sure, probably working its way up as I wear it more. It's going to be hard to wait two months for my bottle but I should be able to keep myself busy with my other scents in the meantime! This also would work all year long, day or night, I think. It's a great all-purpose scent with a little bit of everything in it.