The Magician

[twistygirl]

What the Magician card represents: Creative power, manifestation, turning an idea into reality (please feel free to elaborate in other reviews, I'm just learning the Tarot).

 

This is a very complex, light, floraly-fresh-aquatic scent. I'm having a terrible time making out what particular oils are in it. I can see in the Rider-Waite deck that the card has roses and lilies on it, so I don't know if either of those notes are in it. If there's any rose, it's VERY light. I may detect some lily.

 

It's easier for me to describe what this fragrance feels like. It feels very positive, like something you'd want to wear to help you through a writer's block or when you're in a brain-fog. And even though it's quite soft, it's also got a feeling of power behind it.

[Imptress]

Tried wearing this for the first time today and didn't much care for it. I started putting it on and had a hard time placing the top note I smelled. The closest I could come to describing it was "Pine-sol-ish"... the smell reminds me of how the dorm I lived in at college smelled after the floors were mopped. It's not really unpleasant (on the contrary, it makes me think "clean") but not something I wanted to smell like at work all day. I added some Old Shanghai to it in a effort to sweeten and lighten it up a bit, and that seems to have worked okay. I'm going to try to wear it by itself on a weekend and see how the scent by itself develops over time... maybe I'll end up liking it after all!

[amberbella]

This scent gives off a sense of purpose. It's helping me focus after a monstrously stressful day. I was having trouble focusing on wht needs to get done, but this has made me feel more clear.

 

It's a lovely and very soft scent. Not at all bothersome. I could wear it in abundance and no one would know I was sort of medicating myself with it.

 

There is a bit of earthyness in it which is probably helping me feel grounded, but there are a few brighter, more aquatic notes that inspire.

 

Lovely concoction!

[malanna]

For me, my experience with the scent was more along the lines of Pine Sol. It's a watery sort of licorice (and anise?) and is very piercing. To me, this scent kept on shouting "Pull yourself together, woman!" I'm not using the Tarot oils for practical purposes, just going by the scent, so this really isn't for me.

[Lido]

Interesting... I've enjoyed this a lot, and last weekend got compliments from every single person I greeted... it also makes me feel good for other reasons. On me it's very incensy, spicy and warm, and not at all obtrusive.

Yum.

[xoe]

Well, I've only had The Magician on for a few minutes. In the vial, and still wet on my skin it seems very lavendar with something else astringent in there as well. Now, mind you, this is one of the old style imps with the cute little parchment tag and frayed string; I have no idea how old it is.

 

It definitely smells somehow magickal, not like an ordinary perfume. I'll have to wear it around for a while, and see if it changes or morphs or what happens.

 

*Later -

 

Wow! It did change. Alot! It became this really pretty, light floral blend. Words don't really do it justice. I was truly amazed!

Edited November 28, 2004 by xoe

[rainbow]

This oil is complex, and it's a bit mysterious too, though not in the way you might expect- I tend to associate mysterious with dark resins, etc., but this scent is light and airy.

 

In the bottle- I'm smelling a heavy herbal.

 

Wet on skin- okay, this smells just like pepto bismol on me, don't know how else to describe it.

 

I got a couple of hours of that Pepto scent. It's light, and it's a bit floral, but it really smells like Pepto to me.

 

On the drydown this turned into a very lovely lotus on me. I like the drydown phase the best of all.

 

Reading these reviews, this seems to smell different on everyone who tries it- intruiging.

[allamanda]

The Magician

 

When first applied: lavender, but calm and focussed rather than relaxed and sleepy lavender. Once dry the lavender fades and I can smell incense with faint florals, something heavier grounding it but very much in the background maybe sandalwood.

 

For a long time this remains a slightly incensey floral which I adore, then suddenly it morphs and becomes woody (my skin chemistry is prone to this). In this case the woody note is gentle and pleasant, like much-loved and worn furniture, rather than the overpowering pencil shavings I sometimes get. I had already put this on my “must have” list, now I’m not quite sure.

 

ETA: The Magician then disappeared!! The floral and incense disappeared after a couple of hours, then the wood vanished about 30 minutes later.

Edited March 13, 2005 by allamanda

[Nadirah]

1st impression: Cinnamon, anise, cardamom maybe? Smells similiar to Tum but better, maybe some light cedar or some kind of wood. This is a dusty herbal so far.

 

As I wear it 1st hour: It really does change, one minute I'm thinking it is an old dusty library sort of smell then it shifts in another direction, a bright light citrus (but I don't want to say citrus, maybe bergamot? Lemonbalm? Frankincense?) Oh how lovely this is getting.

 

...

[scourgeotheseas]

The Magician

 

In the bottle: Spicy and bitter. Herby. Already seems to personify a Magician.

 

On me: Much the same, at first. I can’t identify the particular notes, but it smells like a mix between a head shop and a musty antique shop. Now it’s startingt o smell like an herbal medicine…or soup base.

 

Drydown: Dry oriental spices. It kind of reminds me of Ahathoor! I wish I could figure out the notes, because it’s some kind of resin, or myrrh, or wood. Intriguing...

[brownbat]

Mellow but kind of pungent at the same time. It smells like a part of a library where the old books are stored. That old paper and leather kind of smell. Very interesting. I'm pretty sure there's some sandalwood in here. For a moment I was also thinking anise.

[shelldoo]

herbal, astringent, light, green burnt a bit as i applied it which rarely happens for me, there is a slight floral, but it is an airy floral like a whiff on a breeze, intesting oil

[Witch's Dagger]

The Magician

 

This was a part of the Tarot swap - since I need to review all of them in a very short time, this will be a brief review.

 

In the vial: Lavender and spice. This is definitely a strong, herbal scent.

 

On me: Yes, lavender, herbs, and spice - I think clove, mostly, with perhaps some cinnamon or nutmeg. This is a wonderful combination, and fits very well with the archetype of the Magician. It has the calm and control of lavender, with the will and fire of spice.

 

In 10 minutes:

Still about the same, but something watery is coming in, lotus, I think.

 

Overall:

Excellent blend for The Magician. I also like it for its uniqueness and mysteriousness. This is on the “to buy” list.

[summer]

First I should disclose that I would wear The Magician no matter WHAT it smelled like, because the energy of the card is something I often need to harness and bring into my life. I definitely wear the Tarot cards with intent, and this is no exception. Fortunately, The Magician happens to smell very good -- soothing, balmy, and slightly mysterious.

 

In the vial, it is very strong, dark lavender -- so strong that it reminded me of Oneiroi. However, as soon as I put it on my skin, an herbal aniseed note became predominant. As it settled in to my skin, it took on a slightly sweeter dimension -- sweet herbs and lavender -- with something akin to lemon or ginger giving it a slightly fresh "bite." Hours after application, it has a slightly sweet, round lemon feel to it.

 

This reminds me a lot of Arcana, but it's a little bit deeper and a little bit sweeter.

 

I really like it and am very happy to have a 10ml bottle of it. I only wish I'd brought the bottle to work with me to top up, as it's starting to fade, and I really want the full force of The Magician's energy with me through the afternoon!

[sarada]

This has always been a favorite card for me -- I love the symbolism of the card, the roses and lilies, the collection of the cup, sword, wand and pentacle on the table (going with the traditional image in my mind here), it's a very complex card and one that I have enjoyed painting in various forms over the years. I was expecting something that reflected those images, maybe with rose and lily and something wooden in it, but this is hard to put my finger on -- none of those are in it at all as far as I can tell.

 

It comes across as rather medicinal at first, maybe herbal. Eucalyptus? Lavender? Something like anise creeps in for a moment. Lavender, anise and eucalyptus? But then there's a stage where there's a strong sense of some sort of honeyed flower ... honeysuckle maybe, or perhaps it's just a resin that comes across like that. Then it goes back into an almost herbal smell. I could spend ages sniffing this and trying to figure it out. I imagine a wooden shack where someone dries herbs, while outside medicinal plants and flowers are growing. This is something I'd like to spend some time with, but unfortunately since this is from the Tarot swap I am only going to swipe it once and try to go on that impression. I don't know if I could use an entire bottle since I really only use oils for fragrance, and I don't know that I'd want to wear this as one, but it's great for study and meditation. It also seems appropriate for this time of year, as it makes me think of the smell of a warm herb garden wafting through the air.

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

medium light citruss floral

 

On

lavender-y and lightly citrus with a pinch of floral, maybe carnation or a bit of white lotus? It's bright cheerful scent with a magical undertone of lavender, resin/incense and/or fennel.

 

30 minutes

fresh, creamy, floral with a bit of sweetness and a minute fennel like spiciness underneath.

 

Throw:

a bit more than average

 

Scent category:

herby/citrus/floral

 

Summary

A very good representation of The Magician. Bright and sparkling on top and mysterious and dark underneath.

It's not too strong nor too light.

Similar to B Never's "B" scent.

 

Purchase again?

Yes! a 10ml

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

[quimerula]

Wet it's pine, lavender and resin on my skin.

As it calms down I get some incense and myrrh, with a sweet touch (lotus?).

Masculine, soft and misterious.

Woody with an aquatic touch.

[tesao]

i had no preconception of how this scent might smell.

 

it is other-worldly. it is creamy and reminds me of a thick mist on the moors. you cannot see the hand in front of your face.. but still there is a will-o-the-wisp to light your way. you can follow without one misstep, or even the hint of one. herbs crush and release their spice beneath your feet, and the warmth of carnation catches you by surprise.

 

i had been suffering a writer's block. i wanted desperately to write, but just.could.not.

 

the magician showed me how....without showing me anything except how to find my way. it held the key; all i had to do was follow it. without my usual senses.

 

this is a masterpiece in a bottle. obrigada, beth.

[tempete]

The Magician struck me as a very changeable, morphable scent. It was predominantly a water scent, with a hint of soap and anise.

[allidavie]

Lemony Lavendary Liquorice. Very nice, but kind of masculine for my tastes. I don't know very much about the associated card either, so I guess that's limiting my review here. As it dries down, become more herbal and liquorice-y. Nice, but not something I'd wear everyday.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Magician

 

In the imp: wood polish? Maybe not, but it's slightly reminiscent of it-but not unpleasantly so. It's resinous but not sweet. There's that 'tarot blend' I've noticed in a lot of these blends, but with an aspect of dark varnished wood-I think there may be frankincense in here too.

Wet on skin: whoa, this is really unusual! There's that sweet-floral tarot blend there, mingled with a herbal-woody-frankincense smell. It's mysterious, deep, with hints of resin and something that reminds me of lavender…

Dry on skin: now there's a sweetness that starts to surface. There's frankincense in this, I'm pretty sure of it. There's also lavender that I can smell here-which gets stronger and stronger. There are herbal and woody notes, some sweeter resin notes too, possibly myrrh as well? This is a complex and mysterious blend that is compelling to smell. The lavender eventually dominates the blend.

After a while: it's now lavender, with other herbs. My skin must be wonky, as something in this smells like olives? There could be thyme in this as well…this reminds me of holidays in the Mediterranean, it's very calming. It does also remind me of a herb garden or kitchen.

Verdict: this is very complicated and so fascinating, full of mystery. At first it reminded me of wood polish, but on the skin, a lavender note surfaces and mingles with the sweet-fruity-floral 'tarot scent' and possibly other herbs, and also resins like frankincense-then it turns more herbal, with a smell reminiscent of olives or thyme. I'm not sure if I'd buy a bottle but I do like this little quarter imp of it I have!

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Lagniappe from BPTP.

 

First sniff:

 

This is so familiar; it's right on the tip of my tongue. I keep thinking "herbs" when I smell this, like maybe rosemary or basil (I'm drawing a blank on this one for some reason), but there's something almost floral in the background, too. It's herbal and a little smoky and ever-so-slightly floral. Interesting, but I'm not quite sure if I like it.

 

Wet on skin:

 

I know this reminds me of something. I hate it when this happens. It's developing an odd sort of sassafras sweetness to it now that wasn't present in the vial and now I'm starting to think I really don't care for The Magician. Herbs are fine and so are sassafras-like notes, but together on me it's...odd, and now really my cup of tea.

 

Dry down:

 

Smells more like anise than anything now. Unfortunately, I hate anise, so that's not an improvement. It looks as though The Magician just isn't meant for me.

 

The bottom line:

 

I'm not having very good luck with the majority of the Tarot blends and The Magician is another strike-out (for me, anyway). Something in here just doesn't go well with...me, I guess.

[brownbear]

This one changed a lot!

In the vial I get herbal lavender notes with a little spice.

After it dried on my skin it turned very spicy, incensy, and resinous. hmm

It smells pretty good.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Herby with just the tiniest hint of mint.

 

Just On: Yeah, I get the herbs, and not quite mint, but something reminiscent of it.

 

An hour or two later: Herbs. Yum herbs.

 

Around 6 hours: It's woody herbs.

 

12 hours: It's gone.

 

Overall: I like this well enough, though there are others I like more.

 

After reading other reviews: Hmm. I guess I just got the herbs, and notthe rest of the stuff others did. (Footnote: I'm listening to music as I post these, and when I got to this one and was just writing these last lines, O Fortune [Carmen Burina] came on my player. I find that oddly appropriate.)

[pekeana]

The Magician started off for me all anise and herbs, and as it dried down, it picked up a sweet berry and aquatic tone -- all in all, I really like it.