Sekhmet

[blackrayne]

(I am hopefully going to have a description to add here soon.)

 

Sekhmet is lovely... slightly minty, definitely cinnamony, and completely hot and sultry. Perfect for feeling seductive on a hot summer night.

 

Unlike most cinnamon blends, this one doesn't bother my skin. Maybe it's possible that the sensitivity I had to cinnamon has decreased since this is the third blend with it I have tried in the last month that hasn't bothered my skin.

[UltraViolet]

Firstly I've gotta say Blackrayne's imp labeling is the best thing I've ever seen in my life.

 

In the bottle

lovely lightly minty scent with a bright fruity sweetness

 

On

This is so different smelling but Krikey this is good. It's sort of herby/foody smelling. A light smattering of cinnamon with some spearmint and it's just most perfect blend of hot and cold.

This does not smell odd in the least as you'd think it's absolutely yummy but not too foody because of a subtle herbiness.

 

30 minutes

It doesn't change much but the cinnamon isn't quite as light as it was initially.

 

Throw:

more than average

 

Scent category:

Herby/Spicy/Foody

 

Summary

Initially it's almost like those little buttercream mints (kind of smells like Snowblind) sort of bright and cheerful.

Then the warmth creeps in from the cinnamon, there's almost a sweet creamy note too that's wonderful. This is what I would call a medium cinnamon scent, not strong like in other blends.

When dry, the sweetness from the mint but not neceassirly that nasal brightening power of it, is there still and the cinnamon also has good staying power. There's almost a light perfume and incensey note trying to come out but it could be my imagination. Mmm.

Leave it to Beth to combine these two things. If scent were a color wheel the cinnamon and spearmint would be sitting opposite each other on the wheel. Who'd of thought it would be so different and good.

 

Purchase again?

Oh yeah, most definitely if it were possible someday.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

[Blood onmy hands]

Sekhmet reminds me of a type of candy that my grandmother used to give me when I was little, but I cannot for the life of me remember the name. I didn't really like the candies, because I don't really like the taste of mint or cinnamon. But that is neither here nor there, because Sekhmet smells lovely.

 

Spearmint is one of the only mints that I really like because it seems lighter and softer than, say, peppermint. I smell spearmint here. It is mostly mint with undercurrents of cinnamon. They are both light and subdued and mingle perfectly.

 

In the drydown this is so creamy and lovely. So creamy that I'm wondering if there is vanilla here. The mint is the main thing that I smell, but it is not overpowering at all. And it is all dusted with a bit of cinnamon.

 

I really like this, it's nice and foodie on me... but I don't know if I'd really wear it a lot. I never see myself reaching for minty blends. I'll gift my imp as it was gifted to me and think about ordering a bottle if it is ever available.

*ETA: For those who keep asking me... I was given a chance to try this from a friend who won an imp of it in an auction*

Edited August 29, 2005 by Blood onmy hands

[yeahbutnobut]

Sekhmet

 

Again, many thanks to Ultraviolet for letting me try some of this.

In the imp: soft smoky mint. Reminds me of Helping Hand. There's something woody/spicy in the background.

Wet on skin: this is quite nice-it's still a smoky mint-and is that chocolate I smell???

Dry on skin: this is really good-I can now smell cinnamon, though it's not too prominent-it warms the scent up, adds a touch of sweetness. It's still minty…in fact, it has that same 'After Eight' dark chocolate-mint scent as Helping Hand!! I love After Eights! And in the background, I get smouldering incense, that same bonfire-smoky scent as Djinn…and is that vetiver? It can't be, but there's something here that reminds me of vetiver. And possibly tobacco leaves as well. It's interesting because the scent is warm and quite fiery/smoky but the mint gives it a contrasting coolness.

After a while: the mint has faded slightly, leaving a dark, brooding scent of smoking woods, incense, and dried aromatic spices and leaves. Something about this scent reminds me of gently smouldering embers. I can make out vetiver or tobacco here, and also a little hint of cinnamon, some dark chocolate, maybe some resins too? It's a very complex scent, I can't really place what's in it!

Verdict: I have a great affinity for the Egyptian pantheon, so it's no surprise that I've been dying to try this scent, named after the fearsome lioness goddess of Egypt. While not as incredibly 'omg wow!' inducing as Horus, Nuit and Bastet, I really like it! It's an unusual mix of minty, spicy, smoky, dark and sweet. I can make out a scent of mint and something that reminds me of dark chocolate, and also some vetiver or tobacco which makes this similar to Helping Hand-but in here there's an even smokier scent, reminds me of smouldering woods and incense, or bonfire smoke. There's also a little bit of spice, probably cinnamon. The warm, smoky and spicy aspects of the scent contrast with the piercing mint, yet there's a dark sweetness to the scent that rounds it all off. It's a fascinating fragrance, a brooding and smoky fiery scent yet with many contrasts, it's complex and unusual (and also reminds me of After Eight mints, which is always a good thing!!!). I really hope it gets released some day, as I wouldn't mind getting more of this.

[Scylla]

In the vial: Definitely minty and herbal. I'm not getting any cinnamon.

 

Wet, on my skin: Still minty, but the mint is fading back and, wait...is that pine I smell? It's quite sharp and "in your face."

 

On drydown: I smell myrrh. The same myrrh that is present in Velvet, I think. And I don't know if my nose is tricking me, but I swear I smell something like cedar, too. So the finished product, at least on my skin, is pine, myrrh and dry wood. Not really what I would normally wear, but, oddly enough, I can't stop sniffing my wrist! It's THAT interesting a scent.

 

ETA: The cinnamon note has "popped" out after about an hour of wear. Surprise!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: peppermint and something else.

on: a very natural mint scent.

half an hour later: still minty, but warm, too. interesting.

1.5 hours later: salty and odd.

overall: i'm not sure about this one.

[slave1]

SEKHMET

 

In Bottle: Sweet menthol

 

On Skin: This is a strong scent! This is the number one blend you should use if you want to clear your sinuses. The dominant note is mint, peppermint I think. It’s sweet with a little spice that might be cinnamon… it’s so neat because it has the brisk coolness of the mint with an afterhit of warm cinnamon! A very nice contrast! I also get a bit of bite to it, maybe white pepper? There is a sweetness to this, and I am reminded of a candy… I’m not sure which one, but the moment I smelled this on my skin, I knew I had smelled it before. In the background there is a woody smoky note, maybe an incense of some sort. Another beautiful contrast. This is an amazing scent, full of levels and opposites… I love the conflict that really seems to work together! Thank you to my sweet enabler for letting me get a chance to review this. Strong throw and average wearlength.

[supremegoddessofall]

Very soft. Light florals, soft baby powder feel. Touch of some cinnamon or spice.

[edenssixthday]

Sekhmet - I got a testable "sniffie" with just enough oil to test on the back of my hands. I am thrilled that I got the opportunity to try such a rare and coveted scent! Despite being an earthy, herbal, and spicy scent, it's soft and not overbearing in the least. The scent opens with the crisp, clear scent of spearmint, which is not my favorite note and which kind of makes me worry that I won't care for this blend. But after just a few minutes on my skin, the scent of cinnamon starts to creep forth. It's warm and spicy, but not overpowering at all. On the tail of the cinnamon is a lovely herbal note that smells a lot like lemongrass. Once the oil dries down, the spearmint disappears and the cinnamon is very subtle and blends gorgeously with the lemongrass to create an herbal and softly spicy scent. And then, after about an hour on my skin, it changes completely and the dominant note is none of those t hat I'd smelled before; rather, at this point, I smell vetiver! And it's an absolutely gorgeous scent! I just love how vetiver smells after it's been sitting on my skin for a while, and this has that dark, herbal, grittiness about it that I love so much. What a fabulous finish to a fascinating morpher of a blend. I'm just so delighted I had the chance to try.

 

ETA: This review is for the "original" unreleased Sekhmet, not the Sekhmet prototype sold at Clearing Out the Cobwebs III.

Edited August 22, 2009 by edenssixthday

[filigree_shadow]

A sweet minty wood scent -- I think the sweetness is from some kind of mint. It seems like there's a wood underneath it (maybe pine?) giving it a nice grounding, but mostly it's a sweet minty scent. I got to try a sniffie of this from a generous BPALer, so I didn't do a full-out test of it. Just a sniff. I'll probably try an imp of it when it's released, but I don't like the sniff enough to want a bottle of it when it comes out.

[Surreal]

Sekhmet

 

In bottle - Minty

 

On skin - A strong mint combined with a sweet cinnamon, with a slight smoky undertone to it. It definitely has some dark tones to it. Oh, how I wish I were better at identifying specific notes! It's very pretty though and I will cherish it as it works very nicely with my chemistry.

 

A definite keeper!

[zankoku_zen]

A generous soul sent me a sniffie of this. SENK YO!

 

What a morpher. So on wet, I get that menthol/smoky/cinnamon thing that everyone gets. It's like hot arid desert air. Perfect for it's namesake.

 

As it dries, I get like the bitter zest of a grapefruit over hot sand. I think that's probably lemongrass that gives it that citrus jolt. And yes, hints of smoky wood in the background.

 

I can see how the Ifrit is in the same vein as this blend, but Sekhmet's citrus/lemongrass + mint makes this better than Ifrit in my mind.

[Dark Alice]

There is a lemongrass, citrus thing going on here. But there is also something warm going on here...and slightly sweet. No cinnamon thankfully, but warmth, from the sand and heat of the desert perhaps. I really really like this and I am so glad I got a bottle.

 

 

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Deep amber, very viscous oil. Sour, spicy, acrid. Reminds me of Kinnabari a little bit, actually. Sort of dusty, like clay or sand.

 

Wet: Almost minty? Maybe hyssop? Some sort of medicinal-mentholic herbal note, and I'm pretty sure some saffron, which can go that way too, along with providing the spicy edge. This is a little sweeter. Maybe some cinnamon or cassia?

 

Dry: Increasingly sweet in a strange way, like artificial sweetener - saccharin, specifically. Along with the dusty ground feel, and something sour-acrid that burns the nose, maybe acid or vinegar. Still strangely minty, but less spicy in feel.

 

Later: More incensey, but in a vague indescribable way - it could even be a wood, like rosewood or something else dusty and aromatic. Still oddly minty in a way that must be hyssop, with what I think is cassia. Also a weird soapiness?

 

Summary: I don't really know how to categorise this or compare it to anything else once on my skin. When I wash it off, dry smoky incense remains. Not a pleasant blend overall and it has strong throw and longevity.

[Corvidchaser]

My introduction to minty notes and I LOVE this! Refreshing yet mysterious as it mixes with the cinnamon/amber middle notes. I get lemongrass but not in a dried herbal way, a wet kind of freshly crushed way. I adore this!