Succor

[blackrayne]

Relaxation, calm, finding center.

In the bottle and wet: There's a sharp crispness to this scent... something I can't fully distinguish the culprit of. Faint undertones of something mellow and relaxing.

5 minutes after aplying: The sharpness fades on me, and I smell something still very crisp, but more green and herbal.

p.s. I will be editing this to add more of a description when my sinuses stop throbbing... it's not a perfume related sinus pain, it's the crappy weather that's doing it this time.

[Northernminx]

I would love to say that this worked really well for me but truth be told something in my nose and skin is making this into a very medicinal scent that I can't quite get by enough to actually _use_ it. Straight robitussin cough medicine to my addled brain, I'm sure this has a lot of wonderful herbal qualities but after about 20 years of frequent bronchitis and pneumonia I just can't quite get past that first smell.

Oh well

[Morrighana]

In the bottle: Hmm, I get something very smoky whispering to me out of this bottle. There is something sharp and green underneath it, I think, but primarily...smoke!

 

On my skin: The sharp green note comes up from underneath the moment Succor hits my skin and dissipates the smoke entirely. I'd probably think I imagined it if I didn't have the bottle here to sniff! Anyway, I smell nothing medicinal, like Northernminx did...just green.

Dry: Succor is sweeter now. Softer, and warmer, too. It puts me in mind of crisp mornings in the mountains: waking up just as the sun hits the frost on the trees in the forest and inhaling deeply the scent of the world. The smoke I detected before is back, I think, but it is a very, very soft woodsmoke, just lingering around the edges of this scent like the remnants of a glorious fire in the pit the next day.

 

Overall: Wow. This is such an evocative scent! I am instantly transported to the epicentre of the calmest times of my life. My head is clear and everything I see looks a little brighter than it did just a short while ago. Wow.

 

I probably won't wear this blend very often, but I will definately use it as a meditation blend and room scent whenever I need to be calmed and chill out.

[sihaya09]

Baby powder. This scent is not sharp to me at all, but rather a duller and comforting, like the scent that lingers on a baby's blanket. I've not smelled Antique Lace, but to me, this reminds me of what the reviews of that scent evoked for me. If this scent had a color, it would be palest ivory tinged with age.

 

There are faint wisps of smoke that emerge with time, as if I'd entered a room shortly after a fragrant candle had been snuffed out. It is incredibly calming and comforting. If ever I should enter a tumultuous time, I would want this on hand-- it's like a hug from something unseen, something beautiful and antique and just slightly ethereal.

[sarada]

I was very curious about this, given the decription and the reviews...and I'm still at a loss for how to describe the scent, but it is a very familiar, and grounding scent.

 

In the vial, it actually smells a little like green olives to me. It comes across as slightly resinous, a bit of a smoky herbal or perhaps a damp, burnt wood. That fleeting impression I have of something pickled, like olives, burns off very quickly. It immediately brings me into the moment and makes me feel, well, somewhat grounded.

 

I tried this on my skin...it begins to sweeten somewhat. This reminds me of something from childhood. I think it's similar to an incense my mom might have burned when she was doing yoga when I was little. It could be any combination of things though -- herbal tea, moth balls from the wooden chest she kept her yoga mat in, cedar chips, sage -- but overall a sweet resinous quality begins to emerge from this and it becomes even more comforting. Kind of appropriate that whatever it is, it reminds me of my mom.

 

I think this would work well in an oil burner to create an atmosphere of calm. It is a very grounding scent and I feel very still when I smell it as it warms on my skin.

 

This is undeniably a scent with therapeutic properties. You probably would not want to wear it as a perfume but it is definitely a calming blend -- not the kind of calm that lavender might bring, but more of a nostalgic calm...it brings me back to myself.

[minilux]

I'm glad I'm not totally crazy, because it smells like olives on me, too. Not pickled at all, but like olive oil, warm and golden green. Very mellow. I do have extremely corruptive chemistry, though, so I wouldn't be surprised if few people get the olives.

[Scylla]

Count me in as one of those who smells olives! But it was driving me CRAZY because it smelled familiar and I couldn't place it.

 

The really weird this is, when I smell Succor in the bottle I can't smell ANYTHING! But then when I put it on my skin the smell develops. It definitely has a green, earthy, raw olive oil smell. But then there's something herbal that makes it smell sweet and a little medicinal. Chamomile, maybe? And then there's a smokey note also, way in the background. Succor smells very comforting and outdoorsy to me.

 

There really isn't much throw on me, but I don't think I'd wear it as a perfume, anyway. I have been wearing it on the back of my hand for sniffing and also rubbing a little into my temples.

 

It evokes the feelings of serenity and closeness with nature that I get when I go camping. Wonderful aromatherapy!

[yeahbutnobut]

Succour

 

In the imp: church incense mixed with dry white wine and olives??? Bizarre. A bit sharp, but, then again, never judge a BPAL by it's imp.

Wet on skin: the salty sharp olive smell fades, and now there's something that smells of incense. It's like either church incense or new age shop incense, or a mix of both.

Dry on skin: same really as wet, a resiny incense smell. I can see why this is touted as a meditation blend, it's a spiritual smell reminiscent of churches or temples. There's probably frankincense and/or amber in this, but it's not a sweet amber, this is not a sweet blend. There might be woodsy smells in this too, maybe cedar or sandalwood? There's something there that brings to mind wood.

After a while: this smells a bit salty? like olive oil or the brine that olives are kept in? I like the resins which remain, but I don't really want to smell like salad...

Verdict: another interesting smell-at first the olivy smell put me off, but the dry down is nice. It brings to mind a great cathedral, or one of the new age shops I frequently visit, or something that would be burned during yoga, or a temple of some kind which has had incense wafted through it-it's resins and woods, that's what it's like. There's something calming about it, I think, and I love the smell of frankincense or resin incense in general. It's a very soft smell, and quite comforting too. But, I'm afraid, it's a bit too 'savoury' for my liking, like olive oil and salt under the nice resiny smell-I like the smell of savoury food, but not as perfume!

Edited May 23, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[Muppetk]

How odd that this is different for everyone...

 

Wet on me: faintly spice (incense resin maybe?), faintly plastic ala Snow White. Upon reading other reviews, it does indeed remind me of green olives, but without much sharp/bitterness. And the olive scent is light.

 

2 minutes later: less olive.

 

Later: mostly a light incense, but still a hint of salt. A light scent, but I'm being drawn to bed. (I was tired before though, so this might just be enhancing it.) Odd and interesting. I think I'm going to need to try this several times before I can make any decisions.

[joseybird]

Olive...that must be it...I couldn't really identify the dominant note before

 

A very warm and comforting scent, but also mature and almost...faded? Like an old blanket, like a soft, stern voice telling you quietly to calm down...calm down...it isn't a sedative like the somnium scents are (as in, I don't feel like I'm inhaling a drug ) but it definately does encourage the desired effect Like the rest of the Panaceas, Succor is both unique and theraputic.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: There is something extremely sharp in this - I have no idea what it is.

 

Wearing: The unidentified sharpness quickly dissipates leaving a lovely warm amber behind. This becomes like an amber single note on me and lasts a really long time!

 

Final Impressions: I love amber.

[cranberry]

I've tested Succor a few times and figured I'd chime in and post a review. So far I've only used this at night when I need to sleep. I've only tried one of the Sominum blends but Succor gives Somonus a run for it's money.

 

Like many of the others, I get a strong whiff of green olives. Something ambery or incensy or resiny is underneath and nicely supports the sharp tangy olive smell. The olives are fairly longlasting to me - and remain the prominent note but blend pretty well with the amber/resins.

 

I've not stayed awake long enough after applying to see how Succor changes over an extended period of time but overall very nice. I wouldn't use as a perfume - I don't want to go around smelling like sharp green olives!

 

I do find it to be very calming and soothing. I imagine that when I'm going through a stressful time and I need to be calmed Succor would be perfect.

[madelf]

I had a really hard time narrowing down scents in Succor. In the imp it smelled very green and a little medicinal, although it didn't smell like that at all when I put it on.

 

I get a very light incense smell, and something a little powdery. It reminds me a little of my grandmother's face cream, in a nice, comforting way. There is a little tinge of something woody in the background, but I'm not getting a lot of depth from this oil.

 

This is really light, and I had to hold my wrist right up to my nose to smell anything after the first twenty minutes, but I also didn't put much on. I probably wouldn't get a large bottle of this, but this seems like a really nice before bed scent.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Very well blended; it's nearly impossible for me to pick out individual notes. I would describe it as medicinal, with a somewhat spicy base. Like eucalyptus and mint floating over cinnamon. There are hints of green mingling with the rest of the blend. I wouldn't be surprised if there is some sandalwood here.

On me: This is an extremely calming scent. I've been quite high-strung all day, and after applying this oil I am finally beginning to calm down. The bottle scent and the skin scent are quite similar; this isn't a heavily mutating fragrance. I am still quite mystified as to what is in this blend - but the point isn't to know, after all. This potion achieves its purpose, and that is what matters.

[wickedgoddess]

In the bottle - I can barely get any scent out of it at all. It smells like nothing, with the slightest trace of what is possibly lavendar. Olive oil, there is olive oil or something olivey in here too.

 

Dry - The olive goes away immeditely, but what's in this? It smells milky like Milk Moon with a touch of something herbal. Lavender? Chamomille? I don't know what it is, but it's milky and absolutely beautiful. I love this and feel very calm and relaxed while wearing this. I will probably be adding this to my big bottle list.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

[scourgeotheseas]

Succor - from a swap with Muppetk.

 

In the bottle: Green olives and resin.

 

On me/wet: I'm surprised to admit that this does smell like green olives, but it does! This is also a strong hit of resins behind it - dry and woodsy. This is a hillside in the Italian countryside. The green olive fades almost immediately on me.

 

Drydown: The sharp olive note fades, but does remain in the background. It is replaced by a warm woodsy note, a heavy resinous wood. I can also smell the olive oil someone else mentioned.

 

Well, it does seem to have a calming effect, although I wasn't particularly anxious to begin with. This isn't one I'd wear as a perfume (kind smells like "church" to me now), but may use as a relaxation aid.

[emzebel]

Ouch.

 

Evidentially my center is painful, because this blend actually hurts my nose. It is sharp and acrid and is the only BPAL I've tried of close to 50 imps now that has started to raise welts on my skin.

 

Perhaps I am just a troubled soul.

 

The end result is that I honestly cannot even begin to start to identify notes. I really wish that I could, so that I could avoid them, but while something in Succor is familiar to me, I cannot sniff it long enough to place it (it might be what folks are identifying as the "olive" note, but I love olives...then again, perhaps not rubbed on my arm! )

 

I'm always a little sad when a blend just jumps up and says "No, I hate you!", but alas, that is what Succor did for me.

[darkling]

This scent was driving me crazy as soon as I sniffed it. Succor smelled like something from the kitchen, something foody . . .

 

All of a sudden, it came to me. It smelled like a muffuletta sandwich. In particular, the olive salad portion of the sandwich.

 

While it is nice that Succor can remind me of my one trip to New Orleans, smelling like olive salad just doesn't appeal to me.

 

Although, maybe this would be a good kitchen scent

[Thorne]

I swapped Joseybird for an imp of this, and I was in dire need of it today, after a day from hell at work.

 

In the imp, and wet on the skin, this is straight up olive oil on me. I was kind of disappointed. It was nice, but bland, olive oil and a tiny hint of spice.

 

After an hour or two, this really morphed into something else. It's green and metallic - almost exactly what I expect Bed of Nails to smell like, in fact. I actually get that "metal in my mouth" feeling from sniffing this. But I like that feeling, so it's a good thing. It's a very clean scent to me, a little bit of spice and salt, with some resiny woody tones.

 

As far as being effective, after a day in which I handled hundreds of dollars in cash (which is not a normal part of my job, and made me feel totally stressed), making plans for over a hundred english-as-a second-language students to ride out a hurricane in another city, and the terror attacks in London, I really, really needed something calming and grounding. This was a good choice for me. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to relax enough to sleep tonight, but I'm feeling a lot more peaceful and settled than I was before I applied Succor, so I'm thinking it will be ok.

[tempete]

Succor was initially burnt wood on me, with perhaps a very wee hint of something herbal, and then it morphed into that sharp green note that I get from Snow White, Spooky and Miskatonic University. Unfortunately, Succor was not very relaxing or calming for me .

[Shollin]

First sniff: Pinestraw. How very odd… Succor smells to me like nothing so much as pinestraw mulch – that heavy, earthy, almost pungently sharp scent. (I wrote down my “first sniff” impressions quite a while before seeing other reviews – sniffing it again, yup, that’s olive all right.)

 

Wearing: Boy howdy, is that ever olive. I don’t like eating olives and I don’t like smelling like them either. I can’t really speak to the aromatherapeutic properties of Succor – the olive scent is just too distracting.

[Ajila]

Wet on me this smelt odd, my first thought was bacon, but reading the other reviews has convinced me it's olives, as I've been known to get the two mixed up in real life. It's bitter and very green. When it dried, it became quite harsh and metallic. I didn't really get on well with this, I was too put off by the smell to see any benefits from it.

[Penance]

First sniff:

 

My nose is stuffy, but I smell...citrus? It could be ginger since my nose confuses lemon and ginger on a regular basis. There's something slightly musty or dusty here, too, but I can't place it. It's a pleasant sort of smell that really is calming somehow. I'm desperately in need of some relaxation right about now, so hopefully Succor keeps up the good work.

 

Wet on skin:

 

It's not citrus I'm smelling. it's...kind of green smelling. It reminds me vaguely of Tzadikim Nistarim, so I'm thinking...olive? That sounds all wrong...well, not really. Succor means assistance and olive branches represent peace, but I'm probably reading way too much into that particular connection (I'm good at doing that). It's also a bit spicy smelling, almost like there's a hint of clove in here, too. It's actually surprisingly pleasant smelling.

 

Dry down:

 

Just like with Quietude, I'm not sure if it's the power of suggestion or a real aromatherapy response, but I feel wonderful. I've been extremely stressed out lately, but, wearing Succor, I feel very calm and relaxed. And to make a good thing even better, Succor smells wonderful once it dries, like clove and something I can't place, something deep green and ever-so-slightly herbal.

 

The bottom line:

 

Another winner from the Panacea series. Smells beautiful and works beautifully.

[shelldoo]

in the vial: smokey resinous

 

wet: olive oil, and a hint of smoke

 

dry this is soft yet still a smokey olive type scent butvery very light.

[grrrlennyl]

succor

at first: this reminds me of something. not sure what. thin and somewhat salty.

on: salty and vaguely smoky.

half an hour later: still smoky, but not quite as salty. warm and comforting. this isn't something i would usually like, but it is very calming.

1 hour later: still that smoky scent. i adore this. it's very relaxing and simple.

2 hours later: lighter, but still the same.

overall: this is pretty much the same from when i put it on until a few hours later. i like its consistency. it's different, but simple. it's definitely calming.