Beltane 2005-06

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

... It doesn’t matter where your faith lies, Beltane is sacred to us simply because we’re human. It is a celebration of new growth, rebirth, of the fertility of our land, our spirits and our bodies, and is a reminder of the joy in simply being alive. Celebrate life! Wind some flowers into your hair, dab a little oil behind each ear, toss the first petals of springtime onto your yard, and bless your garden the old fashioned way!

Squee! My bottle o' Beltane is here! I'm a little worried that it may contain jasmine (which I hate), but of course no one really knows what's in it, and I *had* to have it, no matter what it smells like. I need it for ritual use, and there's something perfect about having it in my bottle box next to Samhain, since together they represent balance--both sides of the Wheel of the Year. So I can't *not* love it!

::eyes the bottle:: Spring-green border on the label. Hello, little bottle of Spring! ::pets the bottle and coos:: Now for the ceremonial opening and sniffing. Ooo! Very complicated bouquet of florals and green foliage notes. Yes, this has Samhain's complexity, but on the other end of the scent spectrum--green/floral instead of gourmand/woodsy. Time for a careful dab to see how it is on me. Oh, Goddess, this is *gorgeous*. Wow. If there is jasmine in there, it's playing nice with me for the first time ever. This has some of the soft aquatic/citrus undertones of Water of Notre Dame, with the bright floral topnotes of Eos (I swear there's some buttercup in there). There's a hint of something almost candy-sweet...something innocent and playful amongst all the lush sensual notes and the cool water tones.

Overall: Beth has outdone herself. Beltane is a fresh spring bouquet drenched in dew, sparkling in warm sunlight. I may very well use this as my Handfasting scent...unless Beth comes out with Litha, in which case it'll be a very tough call. Andra's right--it smells pink and green, and I will be wearing pale green and carrying pink flowers. This is how a faery resplendent in her bridal finery should smell. This is just magickal.

[wolfie13]

This is a lovely, sprightly, green floral as most folks have mentioned.

 

In the bottle: Smells strongly of bright flowers tumbling around - hard to differentiate them at this point, though the one I mainly smell seems to be hyacinth.

 

Upon application: Still brightly floral (think hyacinth, tulips, daffodils). Then a sharp green note pops out (eucalyptus?) that quickly mellows and blends, and a very freshly cut grass smell makes itself present as well. It pretty much stays like

this the whole time wearing on me, and seems to be very long-lasting.

 

Unfortunately: I am so NOT a sprightly, green floral lover. WAY too heavy on the flowers for me. Sigh. Off to the sale board. Just another case of my misguided LE choices.

[poloponyrider]

I'm glad someone else mentioned smoky, because that is what I get... a fresh field of spring flowers, with a haze of wood smoke. Faint, but it is there. Green smoke maybe? I don't know how to describe it. I am fairly certain I like it... at least enough to keep and try a few more times.

 

eta: I plan on wearing this this weekend when I plant my garden, just seems right

Edited May 17, 2005 by poloponyrider

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Freshly cut foliage. This is stronly reminiscent of a floral shop.

 

First on: Fresh flowers and sweet-citrusy herbs.

 

After a bit: Snipped stems, lemongrass, and an assortment of spring flowers.

 

After a bit more: This turns into a fresher/greener version of Old New Orleans on me.

 

Not my cuppa tea.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Green florals with a hint of soap & liquor? WTF? I think my nose is broken.

 

First on: I think that liquor note is coming from Jasmine, which is so strong & sweet that it smells almost like liquor. Or there’s almond in here as well. The soapy smell is gone, other than that it’s pretty much the same as in the bottle.

 

Drydown: It fades into a nice clean floral that’s not too potent in any way.

[summer]

Mmmm Beltane. Just fabulous. When I applied it, I was instantly delighted by a cool, fresh jasmine and honeysuckle fragrance. Honeysuckle! I could swear that's what I was smelling. It really captures the scent of one of those cool, dewy, Spring days where everything is impossibly fresh and green. As the hours passed, it got a little sweeter and more tart, and ultimately I got what smelled for all the world like lotus -- that tart, tangy, watery, sweet scent of lotus. Although I love lotus, I was a little dissapointed to lose the honeysuckle scent to it, but nevertheless, Beltane is a gorgeous oil, and I felt very "springy" and alive wearing it.

[Fulltiltredhead]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one, since I've amassed three bottles of it. I love it, and I get compliments even from "straights" on it -- I can wear it to work!

 

Yes, green floral.

As to what florals, it's amusing to see everyone smelling one thing and another, from jasmine to honeysuckle to hyacinth. I have no idea what's in there, to tell you the truth. I don't get jasmine. I get a melange of bulb flowers (tulips, daffodils, hyacinths) daisies, and grass, some herbs, and I swear I caught a whiff of freshly turned earth. I'm guessing a rose or two. One of its several facets is a tad bit soapy, and I love that bit of clean smell, whatever it is.

 

It wears really well - I get about 8 hours from it - with quite good throw.

[Diviana]

Hmm...this started out very intense, very floral. I couldn't pick out any individual notes, I just know that it was like I stuck my nose in a gigantic bouquet of flowers. The drydown is nice, a not-as-intense floral with a bit of an herbal undertone. I like it. It lasts a long time too. Definitely a "spring" scent, but great for summer as well.

[e_miche]

I'm so glad that I decided to gamble on Beltane- I usually never purchase w/o notes, but I'm so glad I did. In fact, within five minutes of putting it on, I started to hunt down more bottles. Up to two and a half bottles now- I definately want this to last me through the summer and hopefully longer!

 

I wish I knew exactly what was in it- I don't think I could describe it better than Fulltiltredhead has though. Lasted about 8-10 hours on me as well.

[luxuria]

In the bottle this just smells like a BPAL floral..reminiscent of many catalogue blends. On my skin, it blooms into something much more crisp, fresh, and unique- it reminds me of New Orleans without the dampness. I'm horrid at identifying individual flowers, so I can't help there! Overall it's a very spring-y, crisp green floral. It has a lot going on, so the smells morph a lot, but the "vibe" stays the same throughout.

[cuervosueno]

I like to get the sabbat oils because I like to wear them on that day and in rituals, so I took a chance on Beltane, knowing it likely wouldn't be for me.

It isn't.

Wet and in the bottle: very floral, and green. I can't indentify individual notes, but like others, I'm thinking flowers from bulbs that don't usually have a strong scent on their own: daffodils, iris, etc. Its a mild floral. I also get a green grassy note.

It stays pretty true to to that on me, though as it fades it becomes a bit sweeter, more white floral.....

Not much throw on me which is fine because I'm not crazy about it, and it lasted about 4 hours..though I took a shower at that point so who knows.

Its a nice springy, subtle floral, but not my thing.

Off it goes to swap or sale....

[fallow deer]

I've got mixed feelings about Beltane.

 

In the bottle, its a fabulous mixture of many different flowers (I can pick out bulb flowers and blossom in particular) and greenery and it reminds me a little of a favourite Body Shop perfume called Focus, or Demeter's Wet Garden.

 

After about a minute, it dries down to quite an aquatic floral scent and it reminds me of the drydown of Danube, Bayou and Amsterdam but with jasmine as the strongest note.

 

I wish the initial lush and varied stage stuck around for longer, since the dry scent is rather less interesting, and a bit too cloying, although still quite pretty.

[RainyDayGrey]

In the bottle: flowers, and something green in the back, like grass or leaves.

 

Wet: jasmine city! I can still smell the nice spring flowers and green, but the jasmine comes out as the predominate note once this hits my skin. It only last for about five minutes before it settles down and blends back with all the other scents.

 

Drydown: OMG it's gorgeous! Once the jasmine goes away you can't pick out any one flower, it just smells like spring! It smells like sunshine, fresh air, green leaves and spring flowers. This is spring in all it's glory. It's the most perfect scent for this time of year, and i don't usually say this about florals, but I think it will be perfect for summer too. It's so subtle on the skin, not over powering or cloying at all. It's just, well, perfect.

 

Overall: I ordered this oil because I love Beltane, but some time between ordering it and it actually arriving in my mailbox I had started to wish I had ordered Hexennacht instead. I decided that if I didn't fall absolutely bonkers in love with it I was going to try and swap it for Hexennacht. Yeah, it's not going anywere. It really is amazing. It's my new #1 spring scent.

[Shollin]

2005

First sniff: Oh, happy smoldery scent. When I smell Beltane, I think of flowers, grass and herbs crushed under entwined bodies. It’s not screamingly floral – it’s not a big scent, or a loud one – it’s the sort of scent that would cling close to the skin and invite someone to lean in closer for a good sniff.

 

Wearing: Mmmm. Flowers and skin and life. It faded pretty quickly, but this is one to slather.

 

ADDED 11/21/06:

 

2006

First sniff: Very fresh and green! Cucumber melon grass? It’s wonderfully bright.

 

Wearing: Spring in a bottle. This makes me miss flowers. It’s bright, bright green and yellow, fresh and sweet and airy and delightful.

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

I fully expect to really not like this one. I ordered it completely on a whim (and out of LE paranoia) but flowers generally aren't my thing, so I have a feeling Beltane won't like me.

 

First sniff:

 

That's definitely flowers, all right. I'm terrible at identifying most florals, so I'm not even going to try. All I can say is that it's soft and slightly sweet (like honeysuckle), not heady and intense or powdery. As far as florals go, this is really very pretty.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Now this is veering into the territory that I'm not so fond of. This was more like Pele in the bottle (soft, unoffensive florals) but now it's like a garden in full riotous bloom. It's not a bad thing, just not me. I'm sure a floral lover would adore this, though.

 

Dry down:

 

Pretty much the same as when it was wet. Flowers, flowers and more flowers. I swear I can even smell the pollen this is so realistic, but it's just not me. At all. I'm just not a floral kind of girl, unfortunately, so I just can't give Beltane the love it deserves.

 

The bottom line:

 

For someone else, this would be beautiful, I'm sure, but for me? Not so much. Beltane's finding a new home.

[sh1mm3r]

Beltane reminds me of Bayou, but is lighter.

 

Kind of like Nuit during the day, walking away from the pond toward the sunlit clearing.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: flowers that are almost soapy and fruits.

on: hmmm...light and a bit fruity, in an apply sort of way. i smell a flower that i like; it might be lily.

half an hour later: weird. this is very heavy. beautiful, but...so heavy. not oppressive, but...heavy.

1 hour later: sharper, but with a bit of fruit to it. interesting and festive.

1.5 hours later: still very pretty. softer and a bit sweet now, too.

overall: this a really great spring scent. i'm so glad i have a bottle.

 

2006 version...

at first: sweet, but grassy and floral, too.

on: gorgeous and lush. still sweet, with lovely grasses and flowers. very nice.

2.5 hours later: very soft now. sweet and floral.

6.5 hours later: generally soft and warm.

overall: this is ok, but not something i would wear often.

Edited July 22, 2006 by grrrlennyl

[rainbow]

In the bottle- a lovely floral mix with a heady undertone.

 

Wearing- I get a similar undertone to what I get in other BPAL florals. I'm not sure what that mix is, but it is powerful and distinctive. I'm particularly smelling similarities with Eos, which is probably not surprising, given that both are floral oils that celebrate spring. There's one floral note that predominates, but I'm not able to pick it out. In any case, this really makes an amazing balance between spring flowers and strong scent with good throw.

 

As the blend develops and tones down I get a fresh green scent- grass, and herbs, and stems and all. This is my favorite phase of the oil. Unfortunately it's also the shortest lasting on me. I've sent this one on to a new home because it ultimately wasn't me, but it is complex and beautiful all the same.

[tart]

Floral, grassy, fresh. Beltane smells very much like truly being outside -- there is nothing artificial smelling about it at all. A lovely scent full of wildflowers to celebrate springtime. Good for someone who likes green floral scents. As beautiful as this is, it isn't my style.

[Nepthys]

Hmmm, not too sure about this one. Straight up it smells like wet tulips, grass and earth. But gradually some less pleasant floral, something a little more old-ladyish, comes out and takes the overall effect from a joyful outdoor garden scent to the smell of a rather fussy, old-fashioned perfume. It definitely smells better off my skin than on it, so I may use this as more of a house/car scent.

[lysithea]

First sniff: green floral, like the first budding spring flowers pushing up through the soil. Not overpowering or heady at all.

 

Wearing: I expected an explosion of floral on my skin, but did not get that. It remained green, herbally - maybe a touch of grassiness, understated flowers like tulips, the first bloom on a heirloom rose, buttercups - flowers that we don't often think about.

 

Drydown: The end came all to soon for this lovely. It bloomed quickly on my skin, but did not stick around. I was left with a soft floral musk - very understated. Perhaps, I will add more next time.

 

Final thoughts: All in all, a lovely scent. Wish it had more staying power, but this is so often my fate regardless of the scent. I would buy this one again.

[theshapeshifter]

In the bottle: A riot of flowers.

 

Wet: Tulip and fresh wet grass hits my nose first, with something underneath, not quite incense, but something resinous and occult-shop-ish. A few other people have mentioned maybe smelling High John Essence, but I'm not familiar with that note on its own, so I'm not sure if that's maybe it.

 

Drydown: This is incredibly well-blended, and smells just like a warm, wet spring evening. I'm getting tulips, and a bit of lotus, and possibly carnation, and other floral notes I can't put my finger on, as well as a strong note of crushed grass and freshly-cut greenery. In the background, there's a bit of musk or something, warming it all up and giving it a sexy undertone to ground all the freshness.

 

A perfect encapsulation of the sabbat!

[lorajc]

Beltane -

 

I have not officially worn this, just tested it. I will update this if necessary. This goes on as a pretty strong floral. I can't pull out any specific notes, as it's just a melange of MANY florals. I'm not a huge floral person, but this is pleasant and I think I really like it. It does, however, fade rather quickly on me. I'm not sure if this is necessarily a bad thing. I'll have to wear this for the entire day tomorrow and see if it fades and gives off much throw. I think it might just wear gorgeously. I'm not quite sure I needed multiple bottles of this though. It is a scent I must be in the mood to wear, but it's perfect for this time of year and it makes you feel very pretty.

[joseybird]

Very herbal and florally and fresh--I picture a huge spring garden in the early morning, the dew sharpening the cacophany of scents assaulting the senses...There's something very sharp-smelling in here, which is sad, because it ruins the blend for me =(

 

I had such high hopes for Beltane so high that I bought 5 bottles!! 2 are already swapped though, and I'm sure I'll find a home for the others.

[metaldog32]

Hooray!!! Finally get the chance at LAST to do a review. I admire anyone who has the time and energy to do reviews during the week. I am so doggone TIRED from work..the last thing I feel like doing is lugging my laptop out. But you guys inspire me...all you guys reviewing..it makes me want to write too!!

 

Anyway...here I am..at home..with my laptop..and finally getting to put my thoughts down about Beltane. Got a 5ml because I wanted to try to find a *spring* scent..and I have been wearing it for three days now...so here it goes:

 

Sniffed from bottle: Blast of something a bit herbal..but not in a medicinal way..nor for me is it sharp..but it is STRONG..and I do smell florals..but I am unfamiliar with the TYPE of florals..I have to assume they are the tulips/daffodils/hyacinth/jasmine everyone has been talking about. I have my 5ml bottle uncapped and the fragrance is leaping out at me from my dresser..it does have a LOT of throw..in a good way!!! Herbal floral..best way I can put it.

 

Applied wet to skin: Again the blast of herbal and floral...but now for me the floral is taking the lead..and gosh..it does smell wonderful..definitely fresh and new and spring-like. The florals aren't heavy or overly sweet...there is such a *freshness* or *green* feeling to this..without it being sharp..no it is a *new* green...all dewy and just...SPRING

 

Dry a couple of minutes on skin: This is really wonderful. I can sort of see the touch *aquatic* some reviewers described as part of the floral..but all in all for me it is just an amazing blend of spring florals with the soft somewhat sweet herbal note weaving it's way through it...this to me smells like renewal..like spring.

 

The throw on me is strong..case in point..my sis and I drove into work today..I wearing Beltane and she wearing Kali..Beltane drowned Kali out..how is that possible??? Plus..staying power on me is impressive..over 8+hours.

 

Drydown: One of the best I have encountered yet..Beltane softens to a floral..now a bit more aquatic..but so beautiful...I actually prefer the drydown to it's *wet* phase..that's how good it is..but the whole ride has been amazing.

 

Bottom line: Beltane for me is probably one of the best *spring* scents I have ever tried. It sort of reminds me in a sense of Oisin..I think the Irish herbal notes are what make me think they are similar..but only in that loose regard. Beltane embodies renewal and rebirth..I am so happy I purchased a 5ml. The first time I tried it I wasn't too sure about it given the strength of it in its wet phase..but BOY..does it deliver!!! A keeper for me for sure.