Tushnamatay

[PirateMaggie]

Pure internal harmony and spiritual bliss: the perfected meditation blend.

This was so lovely in the imp: sandalwood with something sweet and vaguely floral in the background. I like sandalwood and sandalwood usually likes me, so I was surprised and a little dismayed when when the sweet floral whatever-it-is amped way, way up once it hit my skin, running roughshod over the sandalwood and turning sticky and cloying and saccharine-like. I had to wash it off and apply Hades, figuring that the bitter, regal Lord of the Underworld would be the perfect antitdote (and it was!).

I do really like Tushnamatay in the vial, though. I've smeared it on my lightbulbs for a room scent, and it does smell pure and light and sweet (but without the nauseating overpowering quality it had on my skin). Edited September 29, 2007 by Shollin

[kettu]

Let me begin by saying that is is one of the most beautiful scents I've had the pleasure of trying and wearing. I was hoping beyond all hope that the Lab would include this as a freebie in my and MissLynx's coming order. We got that order yesterday and lo, there was a Tushnamatay frimp! It was meant to be.

 

Now for the fun part: trying to figure out what's in it!

 

On me, Tushnamatay starts with a floral high note. My guess is champa, but I'm honestly not certain. When that dies down, there is a beautiful blend of sandalwood, carnation, saffron, tonka, and faint chiuri bark (teeny hint of woodsy soft buttery warmth). Those are my hypothesized ingredients.

 

No matter what the actual ingredients are, they blend so beautifully well, and I am so very in love with this scent!

 

Thank you, Beth! Tushnamatay is superb!

[nancybridget]

I guess I expected it to be more smokey or incense-like or something. I don't know....

 

Well, it smells to me lie clean laundry - like my boyfriend's fresh t-shirts out of the dryer, or off the clothesline in the summer. It's not a bad scent, actually quite cozy, it's just not something I'd wear.

 

Maybe I'll pick one up for him!

[Miss Lynx]

Ooh, lovely! This oil quickly became one of Kettu's favourites when it arrived, and I thought I'd better try it quick before she blasted through the entire imp. And it seems to be one of those rare ones that we both really like.

 

In Toronto, there is a little Indian boutique on Bloor St W which stocks all kinds of incense as well as Indian clothes, jewelry, etc., and the incense scents the store enough that everything you buy from it smells of this sort of every-type-of-incense-combined scent. And that is very much what Tushnamatay smells like.

 

I think sandalwood is the dominant note, and it's a really nice warm, aromatic sandalwood. But there are also faint overtones of flowers, though never enough to overpower it, and other incensey notes as well. It really would be good for meditation -- it's a very calming, peaceful blend. Only problem is it's not so good with the staying power, at least not on me.

 

I think this is definitely going to be heading up our next 5 mL shopping spree...

 

Grade: A

[yeahbutnobut]

Tushnamatay

 

In the imp: a light, sweet incense scent. I think it's sandalwood…

Wet on skin: ooh, is that frankincense I detect there? I smell a tiny amount of warm spice coming through.

Dry on skin: oh, this is gorgeous! It actually reminds me of an Egyptian Sandalwood scent from another e-tailer, combined with the spicy drydowns of Kathmandu and Ahathoor, and a hint of one of the frankincense scents-maybe Cathedral? It's a wonderful light incense scent, warm, dry, resinous, woody and spicy. It makes me think of meditating in the desert under the blazing midday sun. I think there's sandalwood and/or cedar in here, with frankincense. I think there may be saffron here as well, there's that unmistakable dry golden warmth to it. I think there may be a pinch of cinnamon or clove or maybe a light pepper as well? Maybe some herbs as well…and possibly a touch of sweet amber. Whatever is in here, it's beautiful and exotic and calming, and indeed, a spiritual scent.

After a while: I think there may be a smidgen of mild vetiver at the base of this scent, because I'm getting hints of it wafting when I smell this. However, this could be rosewood, as I'm reminded of Lush rosewood products and the e.o. I smelt of it. It still smells of frankincense and sweet sandalwood with spices but they've toned down a lot and seem to be fading…

After an hour or two, it's faded a lot and there's not much of the scent left on the skin. What a shame, it was so lovely before!

After a while, a faint scent of frankincense and wood still lingers, but it can only be smelt close up. But it's very pretty.

Verdict: at first, this seemed very promising-a truly glorious blend of spicy, woody and incensey notes including frankincense and sandalwood, possibly some cedar and rosewood, and some spicy notes-I'm guessing saffron is one of them, maybe some cinnamon or cloves too. It reminded me of Ahathoor and Kathmandu and also an Egyptian Sandalwood scent I have. It was warm, luminous, dry and calm, like a meditation in the desert. But this didn't last…the problem I have with this wonderful scent is that it fades so fast on my skin! All the spices are gone within an hour or two, I'm still left with a lingering frankincense and wood scent (and possibly a light vetiver) but I have to sniff hard at my wrist to smell it. I won't get a bottle yet because of its short duration on me but I'm keep the imp I have.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Soft incense

 

On Skin: A beautiful soft and clean woody incense. I’m thinking sandalwood since it’s so sweet. It’s a light scent with very little throw. I like the description because it is so calming and mellow. I could see this as harmony and bliss very easily. I can’t really pull out many specific notes other than the sandalwood, there might be a light resin in here too because I’m getting that trademark velvety softness… maybe amber? I get a soft golden white feel from this, nothing dark or bright… muted actually. A beautiful soft scent to help you relax but sadly it only lasts a little while.

[MistressTera]

Fresh From The Imp: Kind of sweet.

 

Wet On My Flesh: This is very quiet, very light. I can see this being used for meditation.

 

Drying Down: I'm trying to pick out the notes in this, and am having no luck. There's a sweet flower that I want to say is white, and something else.

 

Hour To Integrate: Nothing left but powder.

 

End Of Day/Final Report: As I like to know what I'm wearing, and since I'm not a big floral person anyhow, I'll be swapping this one.

[juniperus]

Bottle: creamy floral, very interesting.

Wet: this reminds me of linens line-dried in the sun. calming, fresh without bring crisp, and I'm having some difficulty separating the notes. valnilla, I think, which stikes fear in me that this will so nuts), plumeria, maybe, or some other higher/lighter floral I can't quite put my finger on, and maybe a white musk...and a pale sandalwood, I think.

Dry: same, more powdery. hint of..clove, maybe? I get this odd whiff of clove cigarette, it's barely there.

Later: yep, vanilla. Now it's all vanilla, all the time. Damn, I hate the way my skin amps vanilla.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Sandalwood and cedar chips.

 

In the imp: Bright, white, creamy flowers. I normally detest floral notes, but whatever is in this is divine.

 

On skin, wet: Sweet, soft and a bit powdery. There's something like sandalwood, and maybe spice? Still very floral as well, but more of a waxy-petals floral.

 

On skin, dry: Sandalwood and cedar. This warms up something awful as it dries, and becomes very strong and woody, like cedar chips left out in the middle of July. In Texas.

 

Conclusion/Notes: I adore Tushnamatay in the imp, and it's high on my "to try in scent locket" list, but on my skin it becomes too heavy and cedary — I like cedar in small doses, but not when it smells as though I've rubbed cedar chips all over my wrist.

[GemmaCat]

It's so weird to me that people detect sandalwood in this as all I'm getting is a delicious sweetness blended perfectly with the fresh linen scent of Antique Lace sans gooey vanilla.

 

This is honestly a dead ringer for a vanilla-less Antique Lace to my nose, and is simply fabulous!

 

Soft, sweet, and fresh this is the ultimate comfort scent. Beautiful!

[olympia301]

 

Very pretty sandalwood which is very very peaceful and stays close to the skin. There is at least one other part of this but I cannot identify it. A calming blend and one which I think would do very well in an oil burner or a scent locket or both, if you were inclined to meditate, this is perfect for the atmosphere around you, or if you had a yoga class.

[sarada]

I tried this one a long time ago and it didn't make a huge impression on me, but in trying it again -- after two years of constant sniffing -- I am in awe of the gentle beauty of this blend. It's a shame that notes aren't listed because I think a lot more people would try it if they knew what to expect.

 

My first impression is: frankincense. But a soft frankincense, with a touch of floral underneath. Like Arcana without the sharp herbs, in a way. Or a very faded Penitence or Cathedral, with a powdery layer of florals just beneath.

 

There might be a hint of a faint vanilla as in Antique Lace, but that blend had a very harsh, chemical phase to me and this is just very soft and natural.

 

A wonderful resiny scent but not too strong or churchy -- if you don't normally like resins this might still work for you. Whatever this sweet creamy floral bouquet is, behind the radiant resins, is just gorgeous. It's a soft, warm, glowing, comforting light.

 

A lot of people mention sandalwood and that could very well be in there as well. Sandalwood often gives things a dusty, powdery quality and I get that in the drydown as well. So I'm going to say: frankincense, white (?) sandalwood and some sort of gorgeous faint florals, maybe with a touch of vanilla, I'm not sure. I even think I get a quick hit of pepper for a moment there but frankincense is often "peppery" on me.

 

I think this is going on the short list for big bottles that I will eventually want to get. It's been in the catalog for awhile but hasn't gotten a lot of reviews...so please try this one out!

[edenssixthday]

Tushnamatay - I don't know why I waited to try this one! I guess I just had no idea how good it was going to be. This is a foody scent without being traditionally foody. The dominant note on my skin is most definitely vanilla, but I wouldn't be surprised to find a tiny touch of milk chocolate in the blend, as well. Underneath the golden vanilla is the lovely scent of sandalwood incense. This is such a calming scent, so beautiful and serene. It has a lovely level of throw, and I catch wafts of it as I go about my day. The lasting power is pretty good, but the vanilla fades long before the sandalwood (sandalwood always lasts long on my skin). Fabulous scent and it may very well go on my list of bottles to buy.

[Diana]

Wet: sweet, sandalwoody blend

 

Drydown: This smells a lot like blend of sweet, almost honeyed (Egyptian?) musk and sandalwood. Why have I gone this long without really trying this blend? Wow. It's a clean, light, fresh scent. The sandalwood is really light, and pretty, without the usual woodsy-spice note to it (which I do like), which just blends so wonderfully with the other mystery notes.

 

I can't really say anything more, other than to repeat "wow" about 76576 times. It's a bit lighter than scents I usually would wear, but it's just so beautiful!

[Naamah_Darling]

In the bottle this is a sweet incense blend, sandalwood with a hint of nutty almond cream and something fruity underneath, like berry-flavored bubble gum. It's very soft, very light, and very pleasant. There's a floral in here, and it smells vaguely like the floral note in Khajuraho that I like so much. Lotus? Jasmine? I'm not good with florals.

 

I put it on and it opens out. There's a bit of spice in there, ginger or nutmeg or cloves, it's very, very hard to say, but it's spicy and piquant. Saffron, maybe. There's a round yellowness here. I'm pretty sure the nuttiness I noted was myrrh or balsam, I'm not sure which, since I'm new to both those smells. There might be amber as well; usually I only get round, soft scents like this from combinations of amber. The berry scent is mostly gone. There's honey, I think, but not very much, though again it could be myrrh or balsam.

 

Really, this is so smoothly blended and so flawless that I can't pick apart where one note ends and the others begin. It's very calming, fluid, and relaxing, while still being just barely interesting enough to hold my attention. Like the drone of a meditative chant.

 

I generally prefer more overt, out-there scents, but this is a very nice neutral blend that is neither too ethereal nor too sexy. I'm going to try this one a few times before I make my mind up about it, but overall it seems like a very well-balanced, gender-neutral scent that is neither overpoweringly sweet nor overpoweringly earthy. A comforting, cerebral scent, quite light on application and very, very pleasant.

[Summerpixy]

This scent is an intoxicating slice of heaven. Ever since I swapped for an imp of it it's been in my top ten, and I'll soon be ordering a bottle of it.

 

It's light and calming and has just the perfect balance of sandalwood without being overpowering. This is one of the older catalog scents, but it really does deserve more attention than it gets.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

Sweet smell, faint almonds

 

On me:

I am so SO surprised that no one has yet compared this to Bastet! It is extremely similar in my opinion, and I really like it. I would guess frankincense was in this giving it that soft incense smell, and also an Egyptian musk and perhaps jasmine. I don't really get sandalwood, but it is soft and sweet and incensey so I can see where people get that. I do wish I knew what was in this!

 

It's very pretty - a little on the sweet side. Like others have said, it makes me think of blends like Morocco, Antique Lace and Bastet because it's warm and sensual but soft and sweet as well. Just a tad bit foody but not too much so.

 

Final note:

Very nice blend. I like it quite a bit, but it does remind me a lot of Bastet so I think I'd probably just reach for Bastet in the long run.

[Trish]

In the imp: light sweet incense with a touch of cloves and sandalwood. Mmmm I love both.

 

Wet: Oh so pretty! Very similiar to the imp. Maybe a little frankincense too.

 

Dry: Is that a floral in there? Carnation? The sandalwood is dominant, but it's a very light and soft sandalwood. It's still a little spicy and incensy, but it's fading.

 

And sadly within an hour it's all gone . It's such a stunningly beautiful scent, much lighter than my typical favourites.

[portalkat]

Aaah, nag champa - sandalwood and champa flower and

 

perhaps some frankincense. Since I have been into incense

 

scents lately, this is just perfect. This is a very delicate

 

blend, but I can smell it wafting up from my arm so it does

 

have some throw. This is very lovely, calm and peaceful and

 

think that it must go onto my next order. Hmmm, perhaps I need 2 bottles since it

 

doesn't seem to last very long.

[harmonyfb]

This was a beautiful, clear fragrance that was in fact very calming. It was refreshing, but I couldn't begin to pinpoint what the notes where. As it faded, I detected the scent of sugared lemon. It's definitely a keeper.

[Shura]

This really is wonderful, I like it a lot!

 

In the Imp: It's smells like an old, faded vanilla. ^^ It reminds me of my grandmother, which is nice.

 

Wet: Now, it smells like sage and vanilla. Ah, what a great scent.

 

Dry: Still smells the same, but it's fading now. Ah, well, it's still very, very nice.

[steffanina]

Tushnamatay-

 

In Bottle: Lightly medicinal sweet whiff.

 

Wet: Hmm. Kind of powdery-sweet nondescript. Not sure if I like, though it's not noxious.

 

Dry: Almost gone in a few minutes and remains nondescript. A tiny incense-y lemony note was all I got from it.

 

Overall: Unremarkable.

[Eros]

Slightly powdery sandalwood with a touch of herbs and a softly sweet lemon/citrus. Definitely has an incense-like quality to it, which is good, imo. As it dries, the sandalwood comes through a bit more but never overpowers. Nice throw without being too strong.

Lives up to the description in that it brings on a peaceful calm.

Very nice

[fiddledragon]

I go through periods of loving this scent and mildly disliking it. There's definitely sandalwood and vanilla, and maybe some sweet amber or frankincense. It's a very sweet, comforting, fuzzy kind of scent. Sometimes it's exactly the warm soft vanillaresin that I need, but other times it goes just over the edge into cloying-land. I can't actually tell if it's my skin's shifting chemistry or changes in scent preference that are doing it. It's more of a relaxing blend than a meditative one to me -- I need something with more backbone to do any kind of serious inner work with.

Edited October 2, 2006 by fiddledragon

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I'm just looking for some Tush...namatay. C'mon, someone had to say it! On me, Tush is like a cross between Regan and Antique Lace, which I really was not expecting. Vanilla and floral--much softer than either of those blends, though. It's not *bad*, but I associate meditation blends with incense--this doesn't put me in that frame of mind.