The Vortex

[alicia_stardust]

THE VORTEX

When used in conjunction with the oils that correspond to the four basic chakras [Muladhara, Swadhisthana, Manipura and Anahata] the Vortex helps one to reconcile, conquer and break free of the circular patterns of consciousness without knowledge that are associated with that chakra.

 

 

In the bottle: All I get is lemongrass. I can't detect any other notes but I know they're in there.

 

Just applied: Shortly after it dried on my skin, I started to get a more mellow version of the lemongrass. It was once sharp, and now it's "wider" and softer. There's a slight spiciness in this as well, but it's subtle.

 

After 30 minutes: Whoah, I am getting more of a soft, creamy tone the longer I wear this. It's not like vanilla, but almost. There's just something creamy or milky that's tempering the lemongrass. I love it! And then after about an hour, I also started to get some soft, white florals in the background. Overall, though, the lemongrass rules this blend.

 

Rating: For effectiveness, I'd give this a 5 out of 5 stars. For scent alone, I give this a 3 out of 5 stars. It's nice, but I obviously view this as a working blend in much the same way as the TAL oils.

[Lycanthrope]

Lemongrass, baby! I’m sure there’s other stuff mixed in with this Vortex, but I mostly get a pure lemongrass aroma. There’s definitely something else blended in with this oil, but nothing deep and grounding like woods or the like. Maybe mint? Or other citrus oils? It’s quite lemony, very herbal, and not unlike Nanshe. I can see how this represents something in motion, something blending and twisting, airy, and whirling.

[Blood onmy hands]

The Vortex has a very odd and distracting smell on me. It smells of lemons and, uh, fish. Perhaps fish that have been dead for a few hours, that strangely pungent odor that they get. I’ve tried it out a few times now, and had to wash it off before reaching a half hour mark every time, though the lemon does get stronger over wear. I just can’t think about anything but rotting fish when I have this on, and it makes me feel nauseous and anxious.

 

Strange. Sometimes I hate my skin chemistry.

[aidenraine]

This Vortex is really strong. It slaps me upside the head immediately with a full-on-lemon assault. I can't decide whether it smells more like lemon-honey throat losanges or Froot Loops.

 

It is.. very yellow. Somewhat like Lush's Back for Breakfast, which I also thought was a bit overly simple and brash. The more this sits on my arm, the more it's all... Froot Loops. Sugar and weird citrus flavoring.

 

As far as a meditation blend, well, I do a lot of yoga and try to meditate when possible. This is a better scent for me trying to get work done/ be productive than sit still. It's very stimulating.

 

I do really like lemon but this particular blend is just a bit much on my skin. It's not a good working oil on my body.

Edited March 28, 2006 by aidenraine

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Hm, I hope this will work on its own, since I may not put on all 4 of the other blends every time...I like to envision the vortex as an energy that can swirl around all the Chakras and balance them. It's pale yellow-gold in the vial.

 

Whew, this is strong and really unexpected! Lemongrass and...vanilla?? Reminds me of a couple of the voodoo blends that smelled like lemon pound cake on me--the Vortex has a *dense" quality to it that I can only compare to cakiness. It stays close to my skin but is very strong there. This is a truly strange combination of scents, but it's not at all bad. I won't wear it as perfume, but I'll dab some on for yoga when I want to set an intention of overall balance.

Edited April 9, 2006 by Laurel the Woodfairy

[yeahbutnobut]

The Vortex

 

In the imp: pure lemongrass. Nothing else for now, just lemongrass.

Wet on skin: still pure lemongrass. This reminds me of TAL Concentration. A piercing, intense lemongrass scent.

Dry on skin: pure lemongrass oil. I can't smell anything else so far, apart from the lemongrass, which is very strong and powerful. It reminds me of Thai restaurants (both the food and those little refreshing serviettes they give out) and the oil my old physics teacher used to burn in class…it's a scent which clears the mind and awakens me.

After a while: over time, the lemongrass scent becomes 'dirtier' and grittier, almost earthy, slightly herbal, but still piercingly lemony.

As the lemongrass tones down after a while, I detect a little bit of pepper underneath, maybe some ginger, but mainly pepper. Maybe some herbs too. It reminds me of lavender-less Nanshe.

I'm surprised at how long the lemongrass in here is lasting on me-usually it fades pretty fast, but not here. It sticks around for a very long time in this.

Verdict: this starts out as a pure lemongrass single note. Almost like wearing lemongrass essential oil-which is incredibly strong stuff (I've not done this with the e.o. in it's neat form, but I've made an e.o. blend with lemongrass, and dang, that's one powerful oil! One drop took over the whole scent!) so it's all piercing and intense lemongrass and not much else, and it lasts a long time…but after a while, it gets grittier and a bit dirtier in scent and something spicy/herbal appears, probably pepper. This is definitely not something I'd wear as perfume (but it's not a bad scent!) this to me seems more like a working oil. I would like to know exactly how to work with this oil in conjunction with the Chakras, but I also think this oil would also help with keeping the mind focused, an aid for concentration…since it smells very similar to the TAL of the same name (but without the mint). But I would like to know how to use the Vortex with the other Chakra oils.

(I'm also wishing I got vanilla from this…I get none whatsoever.)

To sum it up in a smiley:

Edited April 19, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Efficacy (if applicable): N/A

Summarised in a word or two: Lemongrass.

 

In the imp: Lemongrass!

 

On skin, wet: Lemonrass and... sugar? It does actually kind of smell like Froot Loops, though I never would have thought of that if aidenraine hadn't said it.

 

On skin, dry: Hmm. Creamier now. It's not vanilla (I don't think so, anyway), but it has a similar, soft, almost... wide quality. This is the rare sort of lemon/lemongrass I don't dislike!

 

Conclusion: This is surprisingly stimulating -- but then, for such a fresh, bright, citrusy blend, that's not surprising. I haven't used it as intended yet, so I can't comment on that aspect.

[edenssixthday]

Chakra - The Vortex - When I first apply this, all I smell is lemon. The bright, sweet, sugar-lemon of lemon drop candies. It's not unpleasant, but not a scent I want to wear on my body. After about an hour or so, the lemon scent mellows out and a green herbal scent becomes noticeable, and it becomes evident to me that this is a lemongrass blend. It's very light and herbal and sticks extremely close to my skin. It's a nice scent, but not one that really suits my tastes.

[LiberAmoris]

The Vortex smells like lemon balm and green grass to me, and as such, is perfect for a vicious-circle-breaking blend because it's so energizing and bright. It smells like waking up in the morning to sun coming in through the window and realizing that the day is new and fresh and that it's a clean slate---a perfect opportunity to stop repeating unhealthy patterns. Lovely.

[Diana]

Wet: sharp citrus, very lemony

 

drydown: softer lemon, something bitter in the background. I'm not getting anything I can describe as creamy or vanilla, unfortunately. Smells mostly like a lemon-flavored lollipop.

[fiddledragon]

I get almost nothing but lemongrass from this. It's a sweet, creamy lemongrass, but incredibly strong and refreshing. There's also something else raw and spicy underneath that might be ginger or pepper. This seems like an excellent blend for breaking out of spirals of negativity and mindlessness, and could also work as a perfume.

[supremegoddessofall]

Lemon and strong herbs. I don't usually like lemony scents, but something in this one is compelling.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Bright citrus with a resinous base.

 

Wearing: Very strong lemon, and possibly pine or cedar underneath – something sharply woody. It’s a wake-up sort of scent.

[emzebel]

This is a very cleansing scent - lemony, herbal, almost astrigent.

[hkhm]

imp: lemon and something else that is quite herby (perhaps it is just straight lemongrass).

 

wet: smells much more like lemongrass once applied but there still a hint of some other herbiness here.

 

dry: still that lemon-herby scent.

[ymmat]

In the bottle, this smells beautifully of lemon, resins, and it seems like there's something musky hiding in there.

 

On my skin, it blossoms into a lemon grove. The smell is unadulterated lemon - incredibly powerful and pure.

 

After a few minutes, the lemon settles a bit and some of the darker notes come to the fore. It blends into something lovely and well-centered. It's a very light, but rich lemony sandalwood.

 

This is a fabulous, soothing scent. I'm curious where it will be in after a few hours.

Edited January 19, 2008 by ymmat

[Olerica]

Lemongrass up front with the tart floral lemon on dry down. This is a very happy scent for me.

[Ondine]

This smells much like LUSH's Avobath bath bomb: Bright, clean lemongrass! Not the most long-wearing on me, but beautiful while it lasts.

[zankoku_zen]

Yum! This one has a strong lemongrass on wet, and dries to a pleasant lemony floral.

 

Tasty.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Strongly lemony over mostly herbs. Wet: Mostly lemon with something floral I can barely make out over the tart lemon. I’m thinking iris, hyacinth, one of those purple flowers, but I’m not good at identifying florals. There’s something that smells the way sticky feels that I’m not placing. Dry: Lemon, lemon, lemon.