Namaste

[feline.by.design]

This oil blend is a serene, soothing Indian blend, created to bring calm and joy to the heart and peace to the spirit. Sandalwood, jasmine, rose, patchouli, cedarwood and lemongrass.

I know I've received an imp's ear before of Namaste, and I've looked twice now to see if I reviewed it, but apparently I haven't. I've forgotten what it smelled like on me as well, so I guess here's another go with Namaste.

In the vial and immediately on my skin, Namaste greets me with lemongrass, a fragrance I love in the discontinued Azazel and in the catalogue Somnus blend Nanshe. Lemon, lemongrass and lemon verbena scents work wonderfully on my skin, which makes me wonder why I got rid of Namaste previously.

Wait, maybe I didn't, and the original imp I received is buried in my music box full of imps. Hmm... oh well, back to the sniffing.

This is actually really nice. Namaste is not so bright and citrusy. There's a grounding note there that manages not to overpower the lemon or lemongrass. It manages to be both fresh and earthy. Frearthy?? No, okay, no making up words. All in all, I think Namaste is a nice scent when I want to feel both calm and focused. Since I'm in school for my BA, I think Namaste would be a good study aid or essay assistant to prevent massive freak-out due to deadlines and the horrors of certain subjects (what one will do to get a Writing minor, I tell ya...). I'd like to start bellydancing classes (again) once my life gets a bit more calm, and I think Namaste would be a great fragrance. It's not overpowering. Those looking for an earthy scent that isn't spicy or doesn't smell like moist earth may want to try Namaste.

-doreen

[LiberAmoris]

Namaste is one of those blends that I've had for a long time but never reviewed. It's one of my go-to blends when I'm feeling stressed out. There's just something about sandalwood that I find incredibly relaxing. I love the lemongrass and rose in this blend as well. I keep my imp in my purse to apply when I'm at work and things are not going well.

[Malista]

Namaste does the oddest things on my skin. I don't get the sandalwood nor the jasmine at all, just very strong and not very pleasant lemon grass and cedar, with the unfortunate bitter note that about half of BPAL roses turn on me. My skin does tend to amp bitter notes and suppress sweet ones, but this is the first time jasmine has never appeared for me!

 

SO many BPAL blends work so well on my skin I suppose I shouldn't lament the ones that don't. I love the philosophy embodied in the word "Namaste," though, and would have loved this to work. Chalk it up to Weird Adventures in Skin Chemistry. ::sigh::

[SeaMonkey]

I got this as a freebie in my last order. In the vial this is all lemongrass and sandalwood. Its spicy and uplifting. I'm going to use this in the morning when I do sun salutations.

 

On my skin, its still lemongrass, but the sandalwood gets deeper and the patchouli starts to peek out, but it still remains lemongrass, which is nice

[Fefferbella]

Namaste is sharp, crisp lemongrass at first.

 

The citrus/green notes are really very lovely. Normally this would be a scent I'd send off to the swap pile, but Namaste has a bit more complexity.

 

The rich, spicey sandalwood in combination with the citrusy, fresh lemongrass makes this a very unique blend.

 

Eventually the lemongrass fades, and the silky rich sandalwood is all that remains.

[enderfem]

I very much wanted to like this imp, and I thought from the description that I would.

 

But.

 

I didn't get any of the notes except the lemongrass and the sandalwood. The lemongrass was overpowering. Like Lemon Pledge. I think it might be a nice scent to diffuse in my apartment, but I don't want to smell like I've been polishing wooden benches in a Catholic Church.

[Orodemniades]

Sandalwood and jasmine.

 

Yeah, it's not working on me. All I can smell is sandalwood and lemon, nothing else, and I'm just not liking it...

 

Oro

[klowey]

Out of the vial and on the skin, the first scent apparent is the lemongrass with a couple of the woods.

 

An hour later it’s still very lemony and citrusy, a little of the soapiness of the jasmine is starting to peek through.

 

Later: Citrus gone, all soap. Bye bye Namaste.

[cupide430]

Namaste

 

This smells like Pledge. Furniture polish and lemon. Must be the lemongrass. Oh boy. Totally pledge-y to me.

[merebrillante]

In the vial: Gorgeous bouquet of warm spices and florals

 

On the wrist, first ten minutes: LEMON!

 

One hour later: Unsavory mix of lemon and sandalwood.

 

Two hours later: Mild sandalwood with fading lemon

 

Three hours later: Fading sandalwood and mild synthetic rubber Barbie doll

 

Four to ten hours later: ROSE!

 

Final verdict: The notes in this perfume never blended into an harmonious whole on my skin, but rather advanced one by one like individual squadrons of an approaching army. I'm sure this is nice on somebody, but I cannot stand single-note rose perfumes, which is what this one turned out to be on me. Chalk it up to bad chemistry.

Edited December 18, 2005 by Shollin

[TrinitySydney]

This was a frimp. Thanks, Lab!

 

Hmmm.....well, I was waiting for the lemon everyone keeps talking about, but mine morphed into something slightly different--a strong bitter orange. And that's what it stays for the first 10 minutes or so. THEN the orange becomes less bitter and the patchouli and jasmine come forth with a tad (and I mean the tiniest, almost-undetectable) touch of vanilla. Who'd've ever thought orange, patchouli, jasmine and vanilla would make such a mix?

Odd, but I like it very much. Good perfume for morning and getting off on the right foot, methinks.

[BlackDahlia]

In the imp ~ Sandlewood and Lemon zest.

 

Wet ~ Pure lemons!

 

On the drydown ~ lemons and roses. It is a very perky fragrance.

 

Not what I expected... this one is not for me.

Edited December 31, 2005 by BlackDahlia

[k00kaburra]

It's been over a year since I last tried this; at the time I definitely decided I didn't like it, but I had no review written up. So, I'll try it again!

In bottle: A lemon-tinted jasmine over an earthy base. The sandalwood is definitely there in the heart of the blend.

 

On me: Lemongrass is dominant in this blend. It is joined by the jasmine, which is more subdued than normal. There are the faintest hints of cedarwood and sandalwood, but by and large they are completely overwhelmed by the brighter, glossier jasmine. I can definitely see eastern influences in this blend, and it isn't unpleasant - but it isn't particularly distinctive either. It suits Namaste, in that it is serene and decidedly positive, but it isn't for me.

[AlaskaSnows]

Wet: Some sort of sharp biting incense. Almost vinegary.

 

Dry: The same but less strong, maybe a bit of curry... almost smells like a kitchen after someone cooked dinner. Yeah, very curry. Then the lemongrass comes out and smells like cleaner, so I get cleaned kitchen with essence of last night's dinner.

Edited January 18, 2006 by AlaskaSnows

[hangingfire]

In the imp: Lemongrass and sandalwood, mostly. Which I like, in fact -- the sandalwood keeps the lemongrass anchored.

 

On, wet: Jasmine is noticeable now, only definitely not the star jasmine that I had trouble with in Salome. Still primarily lemongrass; the woody notes are present, but very subtle.

 

Drydown: Still mostly lemongrass, with the rest of the notes as a well-balanced "backing band".

 

I find this a very soothing and pleasant blend. Interestingly, on the Kleenex that I used to mop up splatter from opening the imp, the lemongrass is less strong, and the wood notes are very strong. Definitely a scent locket candidate.

 

Edit, some hours later: The long-term drydown is jasmine, sandalwood, cedar, and patchouli -- no lemongrass left. I still like it, though.

Edited January 24, 2006 by hangingfire

[Voleuse]

This is both invigorating and heavy on first application. I get sandalwood on first sniff, but the lemongrass quickly overtakes it. Underneath, I can catch hints of the rose and cedar, but it's primarily lemongrass, sharp and sweet and tart.

 

As it dries, the entire blend mellows, becoming a complex interweaving of lemongrass and rose. It reminds me of incense, but it's not nearly as smoky. The patchouli lends a faint earthy note, and there's a bit of powder underlying, as well. At the end, an echo of jasmine finally appears.

 

I find this to be a very centering and clarifying blend. It's not something I would think of as perfume, but more of a Panacea-type blend.

[rinoastar]

In the Bottle: Lemon. Lemon, lemon, lemon, all over the place.

Wet: Augh, the lemon amped! I do enjoy lemon and the freshness it brings, but it's not my favorite citrus.

Dry: The lemon has sweetened up and is now lemonade. I think I'll keep this around as a novelty scent for the summer/spring, but it's all lemon, and nothing but lemon.

[fiddledragon]

Scent in bottle: Oooo, yum. Sandalwood, jasmine, patchouli, and lemongrass weaving in and out of each other on different parts of the breath. The rose and cederwood are probably in there too, somewhere, but that many different things are hard to distinguish. This is one of the first ones that actually smells like all the things in the description.

 

Scent on me:

Wet -- Lemongrass and jasmine, with some of the sandalwood and patchouli. Given how much my skin chemistry seems to like both lemongrass and galangal, I should avoid things with both of them in it, or I'll smell like Thai food for days.

Dry -- More lemongrass, patchoulie, with maybe the ceder coming out now? Or rose? It's something at the back that I can't quite identify.

 

This is a very lovely scent, but I can't decide yet whether it makes me smell like food. I'm hungry, so everything smells like food. I'll have some breakfast and then maybe the vague desire to stir-fry my wrists will go away.

 

(later) Now the lemongrass has faded back some more and the rose and jasmine are dominant, with ceder and sandalwood.

 

This is a beautiful scent, though not quite what I was expecting. The lemongrass is definitely dominant. As a room scent it's quite refreshing, and I'm fond of the floral drydown as a perfume.

[astridclaire]

From the description I thought I would love this, but all I get is lemon, lemon, lemon on my skin.

 

It is lovely as a room scent, however.

[fiddlehead]

First on wet, I get lots of lemongrass and some cedar. Later on I can catch a bit of Jasmine. At the dry down stages it's mostly lemongrass and sandalwood, now slowly fading into mostly sandalwood.

 

Nice enough, but I get my lemon-and-other-stuff fix from Arcana so I doubt I will wear this much. I somehow expected this to smell more exotic!

[QueenFae]

This one is very, very lemony on me. It smells very much like Lemon Drops candy, as it has a bit of a sweet, sugary undertone. I can smell a hint of the rose and sandalwood, but its pretty much pure lemon. I'm honestly not big on lemon scents, but I do like this one better than June Gloom. Namaste at least doesn't have the Lemon Pledge effect. Nice but not for me.

[sookster]

straight sniff from the imp is jasmine and lemongrass.......

 

upon application the jasmine takes over and everything else is gone with

the exception of the a lovely, lemony smell....

 

hmmmm.....i do believe this could possibly be another jasmine scent that

may possibly agree with my chemistry as it mellows nicely ........

[emshort]

Got this as a frimp and loved it so much I wound up buying a bottle. Initial impression is very strongly lemongrass, to the exclusion of everything else. Can't smell the jasmine at all (but that's fine, because jasmine often doesn't work on my skin).

 

After that initial phase, it dries into a combination of smells with sandalwood and lemongrass being the most distinct. Extremely soothing and comforting when I am stressed or upset. I put it on sometimes before bed as a calming-down scent.

[poppycocteau]

Oh dear! I received Namaste as a lab frimp and I would never have guessed the notes. It smells bitter, a bit woodsy and very antiseptic. It doesn't change on my skin, after half an hour it is still quite unpleasant on top of having a strong throw.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Somewhat bitter, grassy smell

 

On me:

I didn't expect to like this one, but it was a frimp and I try EVERYTHING the lab sends me, so when I put this on and discovered it wasn't quite what I was expecting, I was surprised! Someone had said somewhere else on the board that they felt Namaste was a good blend for spraying down their yoga mat with, and I have to agree because it has that kind of "vibe" to it. It's soothing in a way and energizing in another, and definitely unique.

That lemon is the prominent note on me, but it doesn't smell like pledge. Instead, it's bright and inviting and warm and it's surrounded by the soft warmth of a very subtle sandalwood. That patchouli sticks around to ground both of them and lend an earthy feeling to this.

 

Final note:

I don't know that I'd wear Namaste as a personal scent (though I just may!), but I want to keep my imp because it's a really pleasant smell in a way that's hard to describe *why* it's pleasant. I think this would make a great room scent!