Arcana

[countessmouse]

The essence of magickal enigmas and long-forgotten esoteric mysteries. Frankincense, rosemary, lavender, neroli, and lemon verbena.

In the imp: spicy citrus. Wet on my skin, I got an odd whiff of...chocolate?...briefly and then it was all spicy citrus and verbena with just a hint of the lavender. Not getting much of the rosemary, other than it adding a touch of sweetness.

Overall, a light, pleasant scent.

[grnwoodtree]

Okay - Im totally confused. Wet and dry on my skin this is first and foremost a clump of moist, semi-rotten mushrooms, and after that frankincense and verbena. It does not change...and although I LOVE the forest and the smells of decomposing forest floor, I dont see it as a wearable fragrance - not even in ritual :-P

[ajansuz]

This was a frimp from the lab.

 

In the imp: Mostly lavender with a hint of Frankincense and something refreshing I can't pinpoint. A crisp odor.

 

Wet: More lavender and Frankincense. I'm having a hard time picking out any other note. Could be because I'm still a little congested.

 

Dry down: The lavender is just really beautiful and pleasant. My skin seems to have eaten everything else.

 

Throw low. Lasting power, medium. Maybe five hours or so before it faded to something faintly herbal. It's really nice, but I don't think I need a bottle.

[BuxomM]

It smells like lavender, frankincense, and verbena. It's sweet a bit floral, and a bit citrusy. It leans a bit to lemon cleaner but I like it.

[esmetutu]

Hello, Loves Baby Soft Lemon!!! (Actually called Loves Fresh Lemon)

 

Wet: Fresh and sweet. Creamy from the frankincense. So lemony! I also get the green from the verbena and the lavender. Really nice wet. Yum!

 

Dry: Baby powder-y, very lemony. Too(?) lemony! Is that possible? Wish there was more of the fresh notes left.

 

Missing: Rosemary, neroli.

 

Bottom line: Nice blend, just not for me at least when dry. Perfect for someone who likes baby powder and lemon.

[subtlesiren]

Freebie from my first order. Arcana smells like an unkempt flower and herb garden with something sinister under the soil. I'm beginning to discover that I don't care for frankincense at all. It's too dark and gritty, and if I wore it too long I think might be headache-inducing. I'm not familiar with neroli and verbena, so I can't distinguish them from the other notes, but I read up on them and can't imagine liking them on their own or in a scent like Arcana. Not sure aging would make me like this one more, and my mom didn't care for it either, so I'm not sure what it's fate will be as of now.

[Incendiare]

Weird. This blend caught me off guard at first whiff. It's a sharp lemony lavender. It has a medicinal quality to it but I am not sure if it from the lavender (as lavender can time and time again smell medicinal to me) or the rosemary or what. The verbena is more pronounced when wet and the lavender is still hanging around. This is alright, but it's just not me. The verbena makes this blend more interesting. Nice if you really like anything citrusy.

[sparkleyturtle]

Loving this scent. I am a fan of rosemary, lavender and verbena, but they can get a little strong. I think this is where the frankincense takes part (maybe the neroli too) and mellows it out with a touch of warmth.

 

Definitely going to use up this imp and ponder a bottle.

[TheFrenchWaffle]

In the imp: lemon and herbs (lavender is prominent)

wet: lemon verbena really plays up on my skin with soft herbs

dry: sweetened lemon

Final thoughts: This is a lovely scent but it is a bit redundant as I have a bottle of limoncello from Possets that I love, so that rules out ordering a bottle.

[WidgetAlley]

I have a cold, so this is probably going to be all kinds of wonky on me, but I have to say, what is even the point of lying around all day if you can't test BPAL while you do it? So let's press on.

 

Imp: Sweet musky lavender and lemon verbena with a hint of bitter-floral neroli. I'm sure there's bottom notes in there somewhere by my clogged sniffer can't pick them up!

 

Wet: A sweet candy-herbal lemon verbena and orange peel (neroli), with touches of gentle florally lavender and that green piney rosemary I like so much, backed by churchy frankincense. This smells like a very nice, sweetened herbal tea in a roomful of incense. It's clean and soft and pleasant and floral/herbal/green/incense all at once! It reminds me of a more gender-neutral Santa Eularia des Riu. I didn't expect this to be so bright and cheerful.

 

Dry: Sadly the frankincense does the thing where it goes salty on my skin and I end up with a still surprisingly nice salty incense with touches of warm citrus and herbs. While I don't think I'd wear this one as a skin smell this is basically exactly what I'm looking for in a room scent and I plan on putting a few drops in my oil diffuser tonight! Definite keeper.

[alyelle]

One of the umpteen freebies I've got waiting to be tried. Today is gloomy, overcast and oppressive for about the eighth day in a row. This sounds bright enough to combat that some, so on it went.

 

In the imp: almost pure lavender, with the slightest touch of herbs and incense underneath. Promising! The name is fairly apt; makes me think of Diagon Alley and old libraries.

 

First on: my skin has a tendency to amp lemon, and it has amped this to high heaven. Thankfully not in the same way that it did with Lolita (that resulted in an instant migraine) - it's softer and cleaner, but it's still pure lemon. I smell like an old fashioned lemonade stand. Not quite what I was hoping for. Where's my frankincense, skin?

 

Dry (10mins): well. Still not frankincense but the rosemary is coming out. Instead of lemonade and popsicles, I now smell like the Greek marinade I put on my lamb. Lemon and rosemary, while delicious on baked goods, is perhaps less so on me.

 

Dry (2hrs): a faint blend of lemon and herbs. Sadly still none of the incense I was hoping for.

 

Overall: this stays very light and reasonably herby until the end (where, I'm happy to say, the lemon is almost entirely gone). The throw isn't strong, but I can still smell it if my wrist is close enough to my body - I get wafts every so often if I'm typing, for instance. I don't know if it's something I'd have ordered from the description - verbena and I were never close friends. Regrettably, it's not something I'll ever buy a bottle of either. Though it's pleasant enough in the final stages, there's just too much lemon in my face for me to really enjoy this.

 

Stars: ★★

Edited February 4, 2014 by alyelle

[Cthulhuesque]

Frimp from the lab.

 

I loved the way Arcana smelled in the imp. The lavender and verbena were both very prominent. It struck me as something that would make an excellent, calming sleep scent.

 

As it dried, though, the lavender started to fade very quickly, the frankincense/neroli combined to smell kind of old-ladyish, and the verbena started to smell more like orange... sorta like dusty orange baby powder. It just didn't work with my skin chemistry. This is the first BPAL blend that I've had to wash off. Shame, because it seemed so fresh and mysterious when I first put it on.

[eastbriar]

Got this one as a freebie with my last order. This isn't one I'd normally choose but it's a rather interesting scent.

 

In the bottle: I get a lot of lemon, and the rosemary and lavender is rather strong. There is kind of a medicinal edge to this as well.

Wet on the skin: Very strong lemon, the rosemary has died down so it's mainly just lemon and lavender.

Dry: I still just get lemon, although thats starting to mellow down. And there is just a hint of spice or incense....I'm assuming that's the frankencense starting to come through.

 

Yeah, I'm torn on this one. It's interesting and very fresh, but I can't see myself wearing this one too much

[Psypomp]

Wet: This smells almost exactly like Nanshe! I am getting primarily lemon and verbena with green tea.

Dry: It's settled into a refreshing citrus, like lemon squeezed into a glass of iced green tea. I'm starting to get the lavender as well. This would be a good spring/summer scent.

[bpalscentsual]

1/17/2012: Arcana (Bewitching Brews)

 

Previous scents: None.

 

In the bottle: This smells sharp and woody. Something sweet lingering, but I’m wondering if that isn’t just from opening my box and getting residual sniffs of whatever’s in there.

 

Testing method: One swipe of the wand against the inside of my left wrist. This is a strong one, and I didn’t need more than that to get a good idea of what I was getting into.

 

Immediately: Pine-Sol. Some kind of pine cleaner. Pine. Evergreen. Pine. Blech.

 

Fifteen minutes: Okay, not so piney, but still very woody. This is calming down to what the inside of my chest of drawers smells like.

 

One hour: Only now am I getting the full bouquet of notes that’s in here. The rosemary’s been the thing funking with my nose, but the frankincense is coming in now and telling it to behave and let the verbena and lavender have a turn. This is half-woody because of the rosemary, half herby because of the verbena, lavender, and, well, the rosemary. This smells like a full branch of rosemary, not just the little flecks you put on your Italian food.

 

Several hours: Yes, this gets much softer and more bearable over time, like walking into an old wooden shop that uses dried herbs to scent the shelves where they lay out their wares. The rosemary is still the most prominent thing for me, but I don’t mind so much.

 

Overall: Not emotionally attached to this, since it was a frimp from the Lab, and I don’t like the funky pine cleaner thing it’s doing to me at the beginning. Lovely, but not for me. Need to make room for more smellies, so into the swap pile it goes.

 

DISCLAIMER: Due to differences in skin chemistry, inherent olfactory powers, and other scents that an individual might use throughout the day (i.e. scented deodorants, shampoos, room sprays, cooking odors), these oils will smell different on every individual. This review is only intended to illustrate my personal experience wearing it throughout the day.

[Innocuousmold]

Wet, Arcana smells just awful on me. There's something funky, woody and plastic going on all at once. It starts fading down and the herbal qualities come out- I can smell the rosemary and lavender.

 

Once it actually dries it's pretty light. Oh, and GORGEOUS. It's a beautiful woody, herbal, slightly sweet scent. I can't believe what I had to smell while it was wet to get this, though!

[symbiosis]

Arcana: Ordered this one from the lab as an imp (my first lab order!) and I'm super excited to try it.

 

In the imp: Oh green...like I was walking through the woods, breaking twigs off of green shrubbery and pressing them to my nose. The lemon peeks through, as does the lavender - it's all three of those, muddled together in a big marble mortar.

 

On my skin: A burst of lemon sings forth at once, bright and clear and a little tart. This is NOT a sugary lemon! After a minute or two, the sweetness starts to creep back in - like once you get over the shock of a lemonhead, the sugar allows it's presence to be known. I was beginning to worry that this would only ever smell like lemon/verbena on me, but thankfully after about 5 minutes it's beginning to calm down and let the other notes show through. The rosemary starts to poke her head into the blend, asking for her dry, slightly warm smell to take part in the verbena party.

 

After a while, the rosemary is pretty much the only thing left, with just a hint of the verbena sweetening it up. Where's the lavender, the neroli, the frankincense? I think my body ate them right up, and left me smelling very faintly of rosemary.

 

Minimal throw, largely a rosemary scent on me.

[Scorianelle]

I love lavender and this was the first BPAL scent I've tried that includes it. Such a pity it didn't show up on my skin. I set myself up for a bit of dissapointment.

 

First Sniff: Greeny scent. Lavender, soft and astringent. Overripe apple.

 

Second sniff: A whiff of lavender, followed by jumbled herbs. Thick and a little sweet.

 

Wet: Sharp green and medicinal. There's a lemon tang over a softer floral/herb, probably the rosemary.

 

Dry (30mins): Starts with strong verbena on top, then turns smoky, dried herbs as the frankincense warms up.

 

Dry (1.5 hours): Calmed to a mild, sweet herbal. The verbena is still the only individual thing I can make out and it's presence is a lemony twang.

 

Dry (3 hours): The herbs have gone a bit dusty now, not as much of a smoky/vetiver scent, but it's still there. The lemony tinge is softened, but can be found relatively easily.

 

Throw: None.

 

Colour association: Sage Green.

 

I'm not really a fan of lemon balm or lemon verbena. This isn't really me, but I'll try and find it a nice home and in the meantime keep a lookout for other lavender blends.

[Quillifer]

I really wanted to love this because I loved what I perceived as the idea of it. But it smells exactly like what it says it does, and - like Highwayman - it was an oil that made me re-think my ideas a bit. Highwayman smells of danger, fear, and violence. This smells of serious herbs and things I'm not really familiar with. So there... that's me told.

[milo]

Quite medicinal at first, then gradually the citrus comes out, so it's kind of a citrussy/herbal/medicinal blend. This is not me at all, but may be a good utility blend. I'm not getting any lavender here at all, and that's a note that loves me.

[Gateau]

I've always loved lavender, and I'm addicted to TKO for sleeping purposes, but have been looking for a BPAL that features lavender in a non-sleep-inducing way for daytime wear. Arcana might be a contender.

 

I get a lot of lavender at the top, smells like freshly picked lavender I've crushed between my fingers. That is accompanied by a strong lemon verbena, which is both lemony and herbal. The lemon is quite aggressive at first, but it settles down and then I also pick up a small hint of the rosemary. I was expecting the rosemary might come on stronger, and I'm glad it didn't. All three herbs stay distinct, and overall it's quite a natural, herby, garden scent. I can't pick out the frankincense or the neroli, so I'm guessing they're just rounding out the top and bottom of the scent while letting the herbs shine through.

 

I'm going to keep testing this as we get into the spring and summer and see if it's what I'm looking for. It seems more appropriate for those seasons, or for a little breath of outdoors in the winter.

[Bookgroper]

I'm really not good at picking out fragrance notes, but this one has so many that I'm familiar with, it was a shoe-in to get an imp to try.

 

I really loved this scent, both in the vial and on my skin, but it didn't last too long at all - 2 hours at most.

 

When it first went on, I got a strong sense of the sweet neroli and lemony-tart verbena with the lavender underneath - never lost anything but I think they receded a bit as time went on, but not totally. It just sort of faded sweetly.

 

A lovely, calming scent. Definitely on my "get a full bottle" list regardless of the short life it has on my skin!

[Atrous]

I got Arcana as a frimp and didn't really expect to like it, but my, is it nice.

It's a light herbal and floral scent tinged with lemon. Ethereal is the best way I know to describe it. There are no dominant notes to Arcana but a swirling mist of all the notes. Very calming. I can see wearing this after a stress filled day or apply right before sleepy time. This scent goes straight to my must buy list.

[hexnut]

ARCANA

 

Blind test of a Lab frimp. The oil is pale orange-brown.

 

 

In Vitro Nothing at first sniff. Inhaling deeply got possible mint.

 

Wet Fresh on, I got lemon balm if I inhaled deeply and close up.

 

Drying Fifteen minutes after application the lemon balm smell dominated but I got hints of other notes. At this stage it was rather nice. A half hour on the lemon balm was gone and a woody scent remained. At the one hour mark it was very faint, sweet, and mild.

 

 

Underwhelming, and more evidence that I amp verbena like crazy.

 

 

81

[welcometothefamily]

In the Imp: Bright lavender, a teensy bit of incense and something a little lemony. Surprisingly pleasant .

 

Wet: Goes on very lemony, and a little herbal. The rosemary has come out a bit more, and the lavender is still lurking.

 

Drydown: Veeeery herbal. The lemony tinge has disappeared. Someone else mentioned olive oil, and I totally get that reference. This smells like herbal infused oil. Actually, it's pretty much a dead ringer for the lavender and rosemary massage oil we have.

 

Verdict: This isn't too bad. The lemony herbal smell I get when it's first on is actually quite nice. The dry stage is alright too, might be good for layering? Not a bottle for me, but it's not too bad. Not sure yet whether to keep the imp.

 

2.5/5