Ace of Swords

[viciousviolet]

From Tarot Oils

 

Light and true to its airy nature, with a sense of peace in a way, but still sinister, like the cards of sorrow and defeat. I can tell that there is lavender and neroli in it and maybe sandalwood. Sharp, thin, and wispy, but with a definite edge.

[jj_j]

I get the lavender and neroli, but no sandalwood. Maybe just a drop of eucalyptus, as the lavender is sharper than usual.

 

Very airy and cloud-like. Probably the easiest of the Aces for my nose to "read" and understand.

Edited February 15, 2004 by jj_j

[Shollin]

First sniff: I swear the Ace of Swords smelled like cherries at first sniff too. Crazy nose. It cooled off after that first impression and now it’s more of a spice scent, a kitcheny spice like rosemary more than anything cinnamony/Christmasy.

 

Wearing: The immediate aura is herbal tea. I can still smell the cherry (or maybe sweet almond) if I sniff my wrist directly, but mostly it’s cool green spices – and now I do get a hint of lavender, again it’s the very firm, almost sharp, smell of real lavender buds and not the generically soft-soothing fake lavender you find other places. This one is really interesting to my nose – I suspect I’ll be trying to pin it down all night. I can see why this is an air elemental – it’s not a typically airy/floaty sort of scent, but though it doesn’t smell like smoke or incense to me at all, I can picture a light wisp of smoke from a censer trailing up to a wide-open sky.

 

I will be wearing this again – I just adore really complex scents like this that are slightly different every time you sniff so it’s really hard to pin down anything definite. Even if they drive me nuts.

[twistygirl]

This is by far the most difficult of the Aces for me to get a grasp of. It's so complex and changing, I can't get a good idea of WHAT this smells like to me. One whiff it's floraly, I can smell the lavendar, but then it's woodsy, then it's more soft spicy. Oh, the capriciousness of air. It's a GREAT encapsulation of the changeling aspect of the air signs. And it is an airy light scent. regardless of what note is showing up at any given moment. This is the perfect scent for somebody who has no idea what their mood is, because I'll bet you'll find it in here somewhere.

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF : ???

 

WEARING IT: i smell what i think is lavender mixed with something VERY sharp and off-putting. it reminds me of catching a whiff of grass that has spent too much time in the compost. it's a light scent, definitely airy but very difficult to put a finger on.

 

VERDICT: there's too much going on for my tastes...

[TheDarkMother]

In the bottle, this is very white sandlewood smelling, a deep woodsy burning scent that I just love.

 

But, once again, my body chemistry takes it to a whole new level. On me it is very candy smelling, reminding me of a purfume that I had as a child. Its very lemondrop smelling, a nice yummy scent. My friend says that it is the Verbena talking, but I'm not certain. I just love the lemon jolly rancher smell. Mmmm.

 

As it dries though, it becomes a Lemon Pledge smell. I still like the lemon smell, but there's an edge of pine in the scent as well. I always did like that smell, so it works just as well.

[lorajc]

I've only had this on for a couple of hours and I'm not sure if I like it yet . It is really a different scent. It's amazing the way everyone seems to interpret this one slightly different. I definitely smell the lavendar with something sharp or spicy also. It seems to me like it would be either a white pine or white cedar (if there is such a thing). It is airy and that is the reason I ordered it (I'm a Libra). I can't pick out any other notes in it. I'll have to see how this wears on me throughout the day.

[omly]

As a tarot oil I think this does a good job representing it's card. I found it to be a scent that was quite benefitial to clarity of mind. This works for me both for meditation on the card, but also as a way to encourage this kind of energy in my day. And it just smells good! The smell of lavendar and neroli mix to make a surprisingly cutting, clean fragrance. This is higly recommended for those who like lavendar scents.

[Nadirah]

Hmm Ace of Swords...

On me I first get a lemongrass jasmine scent. Its very light (air, makes sense). Maybe this does have a bit of white sandalwood in it too. It has that smoky incense feel to it after a few minutes. This would be a great slathering perfume but it smells just fine with a dab here and there. I'd say this lasted about 4 hours on me. I was a bit surprized since it is a light aroma, that the lasting power was still going on after a few hours.

[emmacrew]

Wet: Lavender. A sharp, somewhat astringent lavender.

 

Drydown: The lavender is softening up a bit. Some sweetness coming out. Bergamot, neroli, maybe a touch of lotus or jasmine? Still a green lavender behind it all. This is fresh-cut lavender from a field, with juicy green stems, not dried lavender.

 

Citrus notes are picking up a bit. Lemongrass? A bit of powderiness underneath. The lavender has subsided nicely into the blend as a whole. I also notice the mutability others have mentioned, it seems to change from whiff to whiff.

 

This is almost what I was expecting Paris to smell like. I think it will be a great sleep blend for me. It smells rather like a more sophisticated version of the lavender-bergamot-neroli blend I used to mix up for myself a decade ago, so it's like re-meeting an old friend, who has grown up. I'll definitely be getting a bottle.

 

ETA: A few hours later, it's sweet and spicy. With a little lavender in the background.

Edited March 5, 2005 by emmacrew

[scourgeotheseas]

Ace of Swords

 

In the bottle: Sharp, medicinal. Lavender mixed with something medicinal smelling.

 

On me: Warms on the skin, just a little. Strongly lavender, which is a smell I just don’t like.

 

Drydown: Still smells strongly of lavender, which overwhelms my nose to anything else. It does fade to a nice finish, however.

[brownbat]

Piney and fresh. Very clean smelling. It stays herby, sharp and clean throughout. Very delicious.

[Muppetk]

First impression: ooh, sandalwood!

 

2 minutes later: Where'd the sandalwood go? Now it's all light and airy. Very slightly sweet.

 

5-10 min later: and now a slight lemon scent has joined the party. And a very slight spicyness.

 

Overall: interesting scent that's hard to get a handle on. There's almost a coolness to it. Intriguing. Probably good for warm weather as it's so very light.

[Witch's Dagger]

Ace of Swords

 

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 perhaps some rosemary.

 

On me: More lavender, with something deeper underneath - perhaps rosemary, perhaps something else. I’m also getting something minty, though it may not be actual mint, but eucalyptus. It’s a tricky one.

 

In 15 minutes: It smells like air. Seriously - a warm breeze floating from a nearby meadow. I’m amazed.

 

Overall: I’ll get this if/when I want a scent for Air. This is absolutely perfect for that. As a perfume, it’s a little light for my tastes.

[sarada]

This is a really lovely blend, but as hard to pin down as you would expect an Air scent to be, in terms of ingredients. Refreshing, and stimulating -- mint and a tingle of eucalyptus, a little bit like Envy but not quite as "green." I can see there being lavender in here but it comes and goes. I've already sent this on so I'm going partially from memory here but it is a changeable scent that goes through several morphs before settling down. It reminds me a little of the drydown of Black Forest; I was thinking it was an ambery smell but I think that's just the drydown of that slightly evergreen or eucalyptus smell that I caught at the beginning.

 

I'd enjoy a bottle of this, I used to reprsent myself with the Page of Swords when I became interested in Tarot cards as a kid and though I don't have any Air signs going on, astrologically speaking, and I'm not a very "Air" oriented person, I appreciate this as a very stimulating and refreshing blend that I think would be conducive to creativity, focus and intellectual pursuits.

[aidenraine]

Lavender and rosemary all the way- this is a calming, soothing scent much like many of the herbal remedies I have for stress. It's gentle soothing presence is a contrast to the idea of Swords (I don't know my tarot, though, so I might be mistaken).

 

Hm, there are some other herby florals in here- none of the bright screaming display flowers but the quieter medicinal herbs... perhaps some chamomile? I wouldn't be surprised if there was a _touch_ of sandalwood? jasmine or ginger in the arsenal as well.

 

The lavender definitely dominates though. It's like the eye bag I put over my face at the end of yoga class... cooling and soothing.

[tempete]

On me, Ace of Swords is initially watery with a distinct anise note. It morphs into a lavender scent, and has a minty drydown which gives the impression of airiness.

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

green/floral

 

On

Lovely light lavender. Smells like a bath bomb I used to love called Ickle Baby Baff, my kids relaxed with it when they were babies. It's mostly herby lavender, bright and clean, and a titch of a sweet smell in the back, chamomile? Yarrow? Eucalyptus too maybe? I also smell sandalwood but very lightly.

 

30 minutes

It gets a tad sweeter as it dries, which is lovely. I always get disappointed with lavender blends because the glorious lavender scent doesn't last on my skin. Not so with Ace of Swords. I'm surprised at this since it's not the strongest lavender bpal blend I've tried. I am happy about that though. I mean most blends are way faded by this time, not so with this at all.

 

Throw:

average

 

Scent category:

herby

 

Summary

It's lovely, soft, dreamy and airy. It's one of the softer lavender bpal blends I've tried. Good for sleeping I think. It's also a perfect repsentation for the East corner too. Very cleansing to the head. It' also gives me a floaty feeling, even more so than Quietude did. Very nice. This reacts wonderfully with my skin chemistry.

 

Purchase again?

Yes.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4.5

[roesmoker]

Lavender/neroli/bergamot - to me it smells exactly like Nanshe but with a more powdery dry-down. Since I love Nanshe, this is not at all a bad thing, but I think one lavender/lemon perfume is enough for me.

[coulrophobe]

Wet: Lavender. I'm not getting the lemony scent others do - just lavender.

 

Drydown: I agree with those that think there's something softer and warmer in here. Lavender is generally pretty sharp on me (and often makes me edgy, rather than soothes me) - but this scent manages to be airy, subtle and soft. I could be smelling white musk, but that might just be wishful thinking. Anyway, there's something here calming down the lavender, rounding it out and making it mesh with my chemistry much better than normal.

 

I can see using this as a stress blend, or to gain a bit of clarity.

[Barb25]

I love lavender. Love it. Ace of Swords is my fav of Beth's lavender blends so far, and I have tried most of them.

 

It's lavender, a bit of sandlewood, and a couple of other bits of lovliness. I'm sorry, I am horrible at picking out notes, but I absolutely love it. I got a decanted shortie, and ordered a 10ml the next time I ordered.

 

Amazing!

[brownbear]

At first this started out more herbal. Must be the lavender. After drying it went to a soft, light, white floral. Very nice. I kept getting little wafts of it all day. Eight hours later and I can still smell a trace of it. Very nice.

 

ETA: just sniffed the imp and yeah, duh, lavender. lots of it.

Edited August 1, 2005 by brownbear

[DarcyPennell]

Fresh this smells like the cologne one of my best friends in college wore. I liked his cologne, but because of the association it seems too manly for me. The drydown is good though. It faded down to a nice light sandalwood, with a touch of neroli. It's pleasant, but I didn't love it enough to keep it.

 

ranking: "like"

[voodoobaby]

At first, oddly, this smells strongly of citrus, with some almond and what seems to be China rain. However, as it dries it starts going all air freshener on me. Not my cup o' tea.

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - Something astringent, citrusy, with a touch of lavender.

 

Dry - lavender and sandalwood. This is quite pretty when dry, but I don't like it as much as any of the Somnium oils, although it does last longer on me.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2.