All Souls

[Soniadevi]

... An incense blend that invokes the higher qualities of mercy and compassion, mingled with the soft, sugared currant scent of offertory soul cakes.

All Souls 2010:

To me this smells exactly like it is described, and exactly how I imagined, which is quite incredible. I get a very clear picture of the offertory incense and sweet cakes. It's FUN! I like it very, very much! A good one to wear when you want something sweet and foody, but not TOO sweet and foody, if you know what I mean- the incensy notes stop it from being full on foody- and the foody notes stop it from being just another incensy blend. It's wonderful and makes me smile. Very happy to have a bottle of this so I can just use it and enjoy it!

[filigree_shadow]

This is the 2006 version, which is the only version I've ever tried, I think.

 

I remember it being more cakey than it is now. Now it's a soft, sweet incense scent. There's a sweetness to it that doesn't smell like sweet incense (like you know how frankincense is kind of high-pitched? this is different from that) -- it's just lightly reminiscent of some kind of food. I'm not a huge fan of straight-up incense scents, but this one has more with it. I like it better than most incense scents.

[Poenari]

I'm beginning to think the forum ate some of my reviews, because I was certain that I had reviewed All Souls! Oh well.... I have tried the 2007 and 2010 vintages, and this is a scent that must stay true from year to year because I don't detect any particular variation. The cake is very present, but this isn't the sweet cake that I love in Eat Me and Cake Smash. The incense dries that cake out and makes it stale cake with a dry sweetness, if that makes sense.

 

However, this scent perfectly evokes and takes me right back to the cemetary I visited in Romania on All Souls Day 2005, where the graves were covered in flowers, cakes, and candles and beautifully lit at night.

 

[tuesdaynexxt]

This is the 2006 version.

 

Soft, lovely incense. I think mostly myrrh, with a little frankincense spiciness in the background. I don't get currents or cake per se (which is good, because me + currants = not so good), but there is a definite, gently foody sweetness. The extreme drydown on me is musky. I'm really liking this one, probably not for every day, but I'm glad I swapped for a bottle!

[DahliaHayashi]

i dont know from which year mine is as i got an imp with a tiny bit left when i bought something from a lovely swapper.

It starts out on my skin as slight nail polish remover scent strangly but kind of good. not offensive. good nail polish remover

then it dries down to.....SNAKE OILS BROTHER why again? O also went soft non spicy snake oil on me. i love snake oil but i wanna know what makes all these blend snake oil like on me because i dont want 20 bottles of snake oil like scents

[Mechanical Death]

Got my bottle from a lovely eBay seller today. Upon opening the bottle I was immediately greeted with the scent of Eat Me. I even compared to my imp! It's a spicier eat me with some other sweet fruits. Yum! When I tried Eat Me my initial reaction was, "I wish It had some spice". I guess I got my wish! This is lovely! Foodie, vanilla, spicy fruity yum! I'm going to have to track down more bottles. Damn.

[tharsei-thanate]

Got an imp of the 2007 version from cyndaelle. (:

 

All Souls has a warm, round sort of nutty sweetness in the imp.

 

Wet on my skin the sweetness is predominant but there’s an unfortunate plasticy edge to it. I’m not sure if that’s from the incense or the currant note.

 

Luckily, as it dries the plastic slowly fades and the sweetness becomes something like cake batter.

 

Full dry it smells like cookies. It’s very light, however, so it isn't readily identifiable as such unless I put my nose close to my hand. From a distance it simply smells sweet. It’s a very pretty scent at this stage. I hope the plastic isn't a common occurrence because I really do like this blend overall.

[London]

2006 bottle

 

I don't get a lot of the cake or butter, but this bottle is well aged. It smells sweet and soft. The longer it dries the spicier the incense gets.

 

Edit. When fully dry it's a soft sweet incense, with a subtle smell of warm cookies.

Edited September 18, 2012 by London

[MiasmaResonance]

When first put on my skin, it's a sharp, floral like incense...it keeps drying down to that as well. It reminds me of Wings of Azrael for some reason, which did not work for me. Not my fav.

[ellocentipede]

2010 bottle

 

I received this bottle from a lovely forumite! First of all, the label art is absolutely adorable!

 

In the bottle, I smell nothing but a sweet cake-y (cake batter?) scent. It's really nice but not amazing. And then I put it on... Wowza. The cakey-ness lingers for a few seconds and then my skin warms this oil into a gorgeous soft incense. There is also a hint of the beeswax/candle note that I adore in Gypsy Queen and Saint Foutin de Varailles. When dry, it gains a dusty floral quality. It could be the incense reacting with the cake, or it could be a floral incense that MiasmaResonance wrote about. I'm also starting to smell a bit more of the currant note, which is absolutely lovely and complimentary to the scent as a whole. I am really loving this.

 

Edited for typos!

Edited October 4, 2013 by ellocentipede

[boomtownrat]

All Souls was one of the 2013 Weenies that I was craving the most, so much so that I layered Eat Me with SkekZok once or twice to satisfy my yearning for it during the time between placing my order and getting the package. I loved that layering combination and hoped All Souls would be close to it, but it isn't. The day I got the bottle I gave it a skin test and was disappointed by its chemical scent, but now it's almost a week later and things have calmed down enough for a second test.

 

With just a dab from the cap on the inside of each wrist, All Souls gives off a pretty impressive throw while it's wet and for about an hour after it's dry. Even with a lesser throw, it's still strong enough that I don't need to apply any to my throat or behind the ears. I get very little cake from All Souls, unfortunately, but its fruity incense aroma could age well. It smells almost exactly like an incense that I burned for a while in high school, but I can't quite place which one. This is true to its inspiration.

 

My bottle of All Souls will last for years, because I probably won't wear it often or need to apply much. I'd certainly recommend it to sweet incense fans.

 

ETA, 5 January 2014: I thought I'd wear a little dab of this to bed, but a wave of nausea and head pain struck and I had to wash it off within minutes. My body is currently in the throes of hormonal turmoil, so I won't put this bottle up for sale or swap until I give it one more test.

Edited January 5, 2014 by boomtownrat

[welcometothefamily]

In the Bottle: Cakey, but not overly sweet or rich. Can smell some light resins. No currants.

 

Wet: Very light cakes, barely sweet. Can smell the incense, but still no currants.

 

Drydown: The cakes have been gobbled down leaving a bare few crumbs strewn over light, rosy incense. A few wayward currants have finally decided to join the party, but sadly, missed the bus home.

 

Verdict: This is pleasant, but doesn't scream WOW to me. I'll let it settle down for a while, then try it again. Not sure at this stage.

 

3/5

[yakiguri]

I love my sweet incense blends, but for some reason All Souls reads as cake and then sweet plastic rubber, like the scented erasers you can get from Asian stationary stores. It has an almost pencil shavings edge to it that makes me wonder if cedar is a note, though cedar usually behaves on me.

[MuskWitch]

I think my nose is from a different planet. I really like this! I don't get any kind of chemical smell, and I don't smell roses. I just smell a lovely sweet warm incense. Tis is after being on my skin for about an hour. Before that it had a little bit sharper scent, but still very nice. I layered my All Souls '07 with Gingerbread Poppet the other day and it was sublime! A nice sweet GP with the depth of a resin blend.

[Gael]

OH baby. This is the one for Halloween. Buttery at first then welcome to a resiny cathedral where the fae and goblins dance till dawn. Get it and I mean that.

[dementia_divine]

In the decant: Cake and currants!

 

Wet: The cake note is the dominant note at first, but the currant note quickly claims its throne. I hope that the currant note doesn't dominate the blend the entire time that it's on my skin. I would like to smell the incense or the return of the cake note.

 

The incense starts to emerge over time, but the currant is still quite comfortable on its throne and refuses to end its reign.

 

Dry: Currant and incense.

 

Verdict: I was hoping this would be like a darker version of Eat Me, but alas, that is not the case. It's not bad, but I don't really foresee myself wearing this one again, so I think I will refrain from keeping the decant.

[Floria]

This is a very well-blended scent once it's had a chance to dry a bit. The cake here is buttery in the vial but not on my skin, and it doesn't have the odd red-musky quality of fresh Eat Me - maybe the incense dries it out a little? The incense is fairly subtle, not sharp or head-shoppy, and blends well with the cake base. There's a slightly heady floral quality when it's fresh, that could be the incense itself or the interaction between the incense and fruit notes. The currant is definitely present, but it doesn't take over like the currants in fresh Eat Me do - maybe it's a fresh vs. dried fruit thing? Sugared fruit notes can sometimes be too much on me, but this behaves itself.

 

Eta: I think there might be myrrh in this. There's a slightly bitter-almondy quality in the early drydown that I associate with myrrh.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Floria

[CiaoBonefish]

All Souls 2013

 

Wet on Skin: This starts off very food and bread like with a fruity edge. Pretty much, it smells like Eat Me, but the fruit here is a bit more robust and tart. Once this begins to dry I detect the incense a lot more. It is a pretty incense with a sweet edge to it, almost sugared, not unlike the one in Midnight on the Midway (the two scents have very different feels to them by the way, not dupes, just saying). I'm losing the fruit now and am mainly getting sweet slightly sugared incense with a hint of a food cake-like edge.

 

On the Way to Drydown: This is such a morpher! Now I can definitely smell the currant more and the incense is definitely sugared. The foodiness is definitely on the side now, barely noticeable.

 

Dry on Skin: This is all sugared incense all day every day, the same sugared incense from Midnight on the Midway and Fairy Market. There is a soft currant scent mingled with the sugared incense which gives everything a bit more of a juicy feel, but I don't get any more foody cake like notes whatsoever.

 

Overall: I am surprised by how much this scent did a one eighty. I was hoping for sugared incense + currants + cake/Eat Me, but instead I got an almost purely sugared incense scent. Now, don't get me wrong, I love sugared incense, but I have other scents I love more with the note like Midnight on the Midway and Fairy Market. I don't think I'll pick up a bottle of this, but I would be very tempted if I didn't have either of those scents mentioned above. The sugared incense note is very beautiful, I just wish there was more cake in this! I may try layering this with Eat Me though, and if that combination proves amazing, I may actually pick up a bottle of this..

 

The Weenies this year, man, they're killing me. So many amazing bottle-worthy ones!

[Bookgroper]

(2013 ver.)

 

I liked this when I first tried the decant, but wasn't sure I wanted a bottle. I will have to go back and order one now -- I wore it all day at work yesterday and it really is the sweet incense smell I wanted. A lot of the incense blends I've tried have been too dry and sharp to my nose. This one goes on with cake and a fruitiness from the currents, and dries down into the most beautiful, perfect incense.

 

If I have one complaint, it's that I wish it stayed a bit longer on my skin, but very few oils have good staying power on me.

[Gael]

<div class="bpal" style="background-color:transparent; border: 1px dotted #000033; color: #000099; padding: 5px; width: 90%; align:center;margin:0 auto 0 auto"><i><!-- bpal scent start -->ALL SOULS

A day of remembrance and intercession. Without the prayers and sacrifices of their families and loved ones, the faithful departed may not be cleansed of their venal sins, and thereby cannot attain beatific vision. On November 2nd, prayers are sung and offerings are made to aid lost souls in transcending purgatory. An incense blend that invokes the higher qualities of mercy and compassion, mingled with the soft, sugared currant scent of offertory soul cakes.<!-- bpal scent end --></i></div>

 

When I first put this on, I could mainly smell soft incense. I thought that it was my imagination until I re-read the description. I can smell buttery cake notes in the background, but mostly I smell soft incense and what I think is the currant note, rather sharp coming out from behind the incense. My skin will tend to amp the sweet, but maybe others will smell more of the foody notes. I think that this is a lovely combination of foody and incensy, which for me is the best of both worlds

 

That's a perfect description and I have little to add except to say that All Souls has been a warming influence through the colder weather. And that it has a certain reasonance with the longer nights. Makes it all bearable.

[Magycmyste]

2013 version

 

In the imp: Angel food cake or muffins and incense

 

Wet on skin: almost pure incense

 

Dried down: i sometimes wonder if the reason most of these oils soak into my skin quickly is because my skin is so dry. I have a bunch of lotions, but tend to forget to apply them on a regular basis. But this one is taking its time drying down. As it dries, a hint of the sweetness comes out again, like baby oil, or even a milder version of Snake Oil. I'll update later if it's different fully dried down, as I don't have time right now to wait indefinitely.

 

Throw: not a whole lot, but it's there, subtle and spicy and sweet. It's very pretty

 

Verdict: ****1/* as of now! I rather love this. I'll see how it plays throughout the day, though it might get lost in the Thanksgiving preparation smells. I think I may wait on getting a bottle, though.

[IambicDearie]

For 2013:

 

I don't get much of the incense, weirdly enough. I do love it, however, because I get slammed with sense-memories of baking and spiced cider and various other kitchen-based activities.

 

Quite nice, overall, definitely a keeper!

[Jangzonrice]

2010 release purchased from forum member. wet: sharp, herbal incense..this stage is ok, but reminds me of so many other incense blends without the pleasant round character. dry: loses the sharpness and the cakey sweetness comes out to mix with the incense notes...very pretty at this point. With further drying, a vanilla comes out so it becomes a slightly sweeter and lighter snake oil. I really like this blend after it dries. Throw is pretty good and I have had it on so far for 3 hours and it's still going strong. Overall, incense blends have excellent staying power on me and I expect this to be the same.

[JazzieCazzie]

Acquired an imp of the 2013 version in a swap ... I know I have tried an older version, most likely the original, but that was during a span of time when I wasn't writing reviews. My recollection was I sort of liked it the first time but then it didn't work for me anymore. I couldn't remember why.

 

IN THE IMP: Buttery and cakey.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: This is so weird. The salty, buttery cake is a note and the sweet incense is a note but they don't blend. It's like they're on two parallel lines to my nose with a wall between them. They're both very distinguishable yet they don't mingle.

 

DRYDOWN: This is a really interesting scent. I'm not getting any of the currants so that's a good thing because that is a note of mini-doom for me. It's cakes on one side, incense on the other, and the two want nothing to do with one another. They just sort of ... clash. Then on the late drydown instead of just being weird it gets distracting. And the long-term drydown is very definitely old-lady.

 

OVERALL: Definitely not a keeper. Interesting, intriguing even, but not for me. I also knocked down the rating by a full point-and-a-half when the final drydown went to "old lady."

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 2.

[Lady_Fire]

2014: Once this dries, it is a soft, sweet incense on me. There are currents and the barest hint of cake in the background that gives the incense a sweet, somewhat foody quality. It's very pretty but stays close to the skin. I have to get my nose right next to my wrist to smell it. Still, very pleasant and I'm sure I'll reach for it often.

 

edited on 12/15/2014: I am wearing this again after letting it settle for a bit and it is glorious. Soft, sweet incense and the currents and cake have really blossomed in the last 2 months. It is absolutely stunning. I imagine it's going to continue to age beautifully.