Umbra

[Nadirah]

Bewitching Brews

The deepest, darkest point in a shadow; the area contained within the shadow of an eclipse. East African black patchouli, cedarwood, vetiver and a dribble of cinnamon.

 

MMM< this is a masculine earthy scent, dark but warm. I can see myself wearing it on special occasions, but I'd much rather sniff it off of a man.

The scent seems to last pretty well, I wore this a few nights ago to a dinner party and got many compliments on it, people I didnt know coming up close to sniff me. I can't belive no ones posted about this one yet. Its a good one. Not sure if I would buy a bottle for myself but it is definatly a sample I will keep, we'll see where it takes me from here.

[Alice Aforethought]

This is a very deep, spicy, dry scent which is warm like very dark, smooth wood, rather than mellow and velvety warm.

 

It makes me think of big old libraries with hushed atmospheres, echoing footsteps and creaking floorboards, and leather highbacked chairs for studying.

[stitch of bloodh]

this is one of my favorites . Masculine, mysterious, needle sharp linger to it. Once this scent is picked up by the admirer, it sticks likes spikes into the nasal tract.

In conjuction with Sin, the feeling it grants is euphoric.

There's no single note that jumps out about Umbra. The Patchouli and sandlewood jump at the same time, the spikes of vetiver follow like a backlash.

 

I cherish and adore this blend.

[AnimeKitten]

First sniff from the bottle just HIT me with the deep, wet earth scent of patchouli. Something sharper and lighter if you sniff hard enough- maybe the sandalwood?

 

When I first put it on, it was still that same damp ground scent, but as it dried down it became lighter. It's around an hour after putting it on now, i still smell patchouli as the main note, but it now has a spicy smoky feel to it as well. It smells warm- What I imagine every time I sniff my wrist is a warm summers day in a forest, preparing for a storm. The sun is beating down, the scent from the soaked earth is rising, the air is muggy and waterlogged and everything just smells and feel ready to break free in a torrent of warm rain and lightining.

 

That's what it smells like to me.

 

ADDED Oct. 31:

 

In the bottle: bitter sweet fruit. Odd, but very VERY nice

 

On the skin: Smokier and musky, still with a slightly sharp, bittersweet top note.

 

After 30 minutes: Woodsmoke and pine. Like this very much. To me it smells like the sadly discontinued lush Bath Ballistic Deep Forest- like someone burning their old christmas tree and the smell of that sap permeating everything just above the scent of burning wood.

It's fairly masculine, but not in any way agressive- more supportive and uplifting. I imagine you could wear this when feeling a little fragile and it would help you get through the day. Jos thinks it smells 'good' and he nibbled my neck and pronounced it tasted good too! I don't think it's a spectacularly 'sexy' scent, more of uplifting, confidence giving, and arresting. That's it, actually. Rather than being typically 'sexy', it's arresting and handsome, attracting peoples noses to you and interesting them.

The scent lingers ages. I was still smelling faint traces on my skin the day after- but only the woodsmoky scent and none of the pine.

 

I love this, and definately want a big bottle.

[Hallows_Eve]

In the bottle: smells like a thick forest right after it rains, woods scent that cuts to the senses.

 

On me: for a while it smells alot like the bottle- reminds me of a nearby Pennsylvania pine forest, then the patchouli comes out and makes it seem more exotic instead of a nearby forest. I saw it as a gender-neutral scent by that point, neither masculine nor feminine, but very earthy.

 

One for my bigger bottle list.

[ViolentKitten]

Crunchy peanut butter! Wood!

 

Then suddenly they're gone and I'm 10 years old, in the spare room at my Grandparent's house; sitting by the old wooden drawers with a handful of tiny pink musk candies. That's exactly what it smells like to me: distinct cedar of old wooden drawers (dusty in a good way) and candy musk (at least that's how the cinnamon goes to my nose, or maybe it's the patchouli mixing with it). Memories of my Grandma’s kitchen and sitting in the lougeroom with Grandad reading history books....This is such a vivid scent for me and one of the reasons I’m so addicted to Beth’s magical concoctions. And it's not just memories with this scent, it smells good! The vetiver I think is what gives it that nuttyness at the beginning, but it quickly blends in with the patchouli (which I couldn't really smell at first, but I had a comment that the patchouli was very pleasantly distinct, but not an overly earthy patchouli). They then blend in with cedarwood and cinnamon seamlessly, to create a drydown that's a softly spicy dry cinnamon wood with a hint of sweetness. I'm surprised how much I like it actually, because Umbra was one Beth chose for me! My man really likes it too, said he finds it really...ahem...anyway, he thinks it's really nice! I can imagine it on him too.

[TheDarkMother]

Ok, I'm gonna fess up, I'm a gaming geek. Why do I say that now? Because I really wanted to try Umbra because of White Wolf's Werewolf game. I know...that's pretty stupid, but that's why I got it. And it really isn't simply because of the name, but because of everything that the Umbra is supposed to represent in the game: spirituality pouring off f the world around you, a place where one could go to be re-energized with the love of Mother Earth.

 

I know, I'm a geek. But I just wanted you all to know my expectations before I open the bottle.

 

Here we go...

 

On first sniff I can smell everything together, the patcholi (which I first got to smell in a pure form at a little candle shop in Islands of Adventure last weekend), the sandlewood, and that little afterscent of cinnamon. Its an extremely outdoorsy scent, and I am loving every bit of it. In the bottle the scent is meeting my expectations, but will it remain the same on me?

 

Let's find out.

 

Mmm. More of the cinnamon comes out now that its on my wrist, and I adore this fragrance! There is a definate woodsmoke scent to it, like a small forest fire with cinnamon actually being brought to the forefront. In fact, I can't keep my nose off of my wrist! This is one that I like so much that I'm going to stick some on my earlobes and pass the wand through my hair.

 

There done. And oh my do I smell good! I smell like I have been walking in a forest that has been struck by lightning and had a small fire that is just starting to cool. Now that its begun to die down, my wrists are smelling a little sweeter than before, but it is SO hard to tell what the scent is because I can smell it in my hair the most right now! I think its more of the patcholi and cinnamon smell once it dies down, but its still woodsy in my hair. *sigh* I'm in heaven.

 

But I still haven't answered the question: Does this fragrance live up to my expections? The answer is yes, perfectly! When thinking of the "Umbra", I had always envisioned a spiritual area where Creation, Formation, and Destruction would try to exist in harmony in its purest form, a direct viewing of the Circle of Life if you will. This blend does just that bringing the cinnamon to the forefront at the beginning which I have always taken as being quite energizing, the patcholi in the middle but seductively silent, sneaking in from time to time to let you know that its there, and the woodfire smell being destruction so that the world can be reborn. This scent caught the symbolism just perfectly, and I do think that tomorrow, when I run my Garou game, I will be wearing this to help show the players what I mean.

 

Thanks for living up to my expectations on this, especially since they were so high! I'll never doubt you again, Beth, and if you already didn't have me so loyal, you certainly do now!

[lorajc]

This is a lovely blend with depth. I thought it would be too strong sniffing from the bottle, but this went lovely with my body chemistry. The cinnamon is barely detectalbe and the cedarwood and patchouli blend together with perfect intensity. This is a highly underrated fall/winter scent that really smells amazing on! You must try it if you like the deeper blends. Not for those that dislike wood/resin scents though.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Cedar and more cedar.

 

Second Impression: My wrist smells like dark cedar drenched in lemon-ass. I can't smell the cinnamon.

 

Final Analysis: Ok, I've finally figured out the note that turns to lemon-ass on me. It's the vetiver.

[grrrlennyl]

umbra

 

at first: heavy, in the same way the three jacks is heavy. i don't think i like this.

on: very, very thick and heavy. a bit like cigarette smoke. a bit like alcohol.

3 hours later: wow. this is completely different. a very sharp, biting floral. almost painful to smell.

8 hours later: softer. barely there. fading has been the best thing this oil has done on my skin.

overall: i don't like this at all. i'll be getting rid of my imp.

[Penance]

I wanted this because I'm head over heels in love with Yankee Candles' Witches Brew which is a combination of patchouli, cinnamon and cedarwood and while it's not a Yankee clone, or even a close cousin, it's absolutely gorgeous.

 

First sniff:

 

I smell patchouli and cedar and the barest hint of cinnamon, three of my absolute favorite scents. It doesn't smell like Witches Brew, but it's gorgeous all the same.

 

Wet on skin:

 

This reminds me of Typhon with cinnamon added even though there's a lot of differnence between their notes. The patchouli, cedar and vetiver are most prominent and the cinnamon is just barely there, creeping around in the background. Oh my God, why did I wait so long to try this?!

 

Dry down:

 

Patchouli is the strongest note now (I'm guessing it's black patchouli since I'm doing this without the scent description) with the cedar drying it out and making it less earthy and more like dry wood sprinkled with loamy soil. This is the kind of scent that I absolutely adore.

 

The bottom line:

 

Since I can't wear Sin anymore due to my skin chemistry's bad reaction to amber, I think I just found a new everyday scent. This is absolutely gorgeous and absolutely me.

[JazzieCazzie]

IN THE BOTTLE: Brown, dirty and spicy. I know the woody is in there but it doesn't hit me right away like a pile of pencil shavings.

Applied reasonably generously to wrists and crooks because I have good history with all of these notes.

WET: Woody, sweet, spicy and even a little chocolatey in a muddy way. Slightly medicinal but pleasantly so. And the lovely familiar scent of pencil shavings that I've come to associate with my favorite BPAL wood/resin scents.

DRYDOWN: The cinnamon comes to the top on drydown and blends really nicely with the other notes.

This is probably not something I would buy in a bigger bottle simply because it is quite similar to Kathmandu which I already have on order ... but since I love this particular BPAL family, it is something I will keep using happily in its imp until its gone.

[Fyre_in_Winter]

This one is quite interesting. The description (and name) had intrigued me, but not enough to buy it, so I was very pleased to get it as a giftie imp.

 

In the vial it smells like a New Age shop to me. Not incense, but a combination of incense, raw resins, and herbs, with a bit of dampth.

 

When placed on my skin, some kind of magic happens. It morphed into pure, sweet woodsmoke. Not necessarily what I want to smell like, but it was neat to smell it on me. As time went by, a woodsy-citrus smell creeped into the mix. It is familiar to me, but I can't place it, just that I associate it with guys. This would be a SPECTACULAR scent on a man. I would nuzzle and eat him alive.

 

I'm undecided about keeping it. It smells pretty dang good, but isn't "me."

[sarada]

Oh yay! My search for the perfect vetiver blend continues. Thanks to LunaSea for throwing this in with a swap we did!

 

My recent vetiver experiments have been Malediction and Sloth, both of which I like but both have an uncomfortable period early on where there's another heavy note lingering that I have to get through before it settles into warm, smooth, earthy vetiver.

 

Umbra is a very gritty scent, like rich soil in an ancient forest. The touch of cinnamon assimilates perfectly into the blend and takes some of that bitter tang out of it that vetiver has when it's very strong. In the bottle it's very heady and sweet, it brings up mental images of chocolate and coffee even though it doesn't smell quite like that. Unless it was very thick and tarry without any foody associations.

 

Once on, the cinnamon continues to propel this blend and it crackles with dark energy. I do not like cinnamon on its own, but in the right blend it adds just the right dry sweet sparkle that can liven up something that would otherwise be stagnant.

 

An hour or so later it mellows into a creamy earthy vetiver -- all vetiver blends end up in this stage on me eventually but this one is the most pleasant. I think I may have found my vetiver blend. The patchouli and cedarwood are present as well but they are dominated somewhat by the other notes, for me. But they keep the blend woody, rooted in earth, dry and dusky. This is the best of the fragrances like this that I've tried, I think.

[Splendid Molerat]

Umbra.

 

When I was little I used to play with a pair of bongo drums that had belonged to my brother. This is like the inside of a wooden drum, with weathered goat skin stretched over it.

 

Cedarwood and patchouli have a welcoming quality for me.

[inkstone]

This was a giftie from the Lab.

 

In the imp: Patchouli.

 

Wet: Patchouli and cedarwood.

 

Drydown: You guessed it! Patchouli & cedarwood. And I've just confirmed that vetiver gives me a headache.

 

Final thoughts: This is a warm, dark & masculine scent. Alas, as such, it's not very me. And the headache really didn't help at all.

[puol]

I got this one as a freebie with my order of Loup Garou. I love it. It's very dark and earthy. I smell a mellowed patchouli and wood and a manly vetiver. And on the top is the cinnamon. This is a very sexy blend. I have amazing dreams when I wear this at night.

[Theravada]

Although I usually enjoy the darker scents, this one is just a bit too dark. It reminds me of Sin's evil twin brother. A very dark, resinous scent with a wicked cinnamon core. I'm sending it to my friend who adores Sin to see her take on it.

[byrdie]

TMI ~ My period is in that last, dribbly stage that seems to go on forever. I'm not sure of how much of an effect this will have on my skin chemistry.

 

Note ~ I got this in a swap from the wonderful VivLush!

 

Vial ~ Liquid Smoke, memories of Malediction and Christopher Walken's glowing coal posterior.

 

Wet ~ The Liquid Smoke scent rose and blew away almost entirely. Now what I'm getting is sharp enough to raise my nose hairs and almost astringent-like.

 

Drying ~ Band-aids roasting over an open wood fire. It smells like Hell's first-aid kit.

 

Drydown ~ The adhesive bandage scent is starting to turn sweet, and the smokiness is rising again.

 

Dry ~ It's developing into that hickory fire scent I got from Malediction. I think I'm beginning to learn that "smoky" doesn't necessarily equal "good" as a personal skin scent.

 

Fade ~ Several hours later, this has faded to something sexy - smoky and musky, with enough sweetness to smooth it out. Not a combination that I think I've encountered before.

 

Final thoughts ~ Put on very lightly and away from the face, this could fade into something rather seductive on the right skin type. It'd take practice, though.

[gdogs]

well, i guess some vetivers work on me, which throws my latest resolution (don't even TRY anything with vetiver in it) right out the window. this is delightful!

 

 

i get cedar and cinnamon. . .and i thought it was sandlewood until i looked at the description and saw patchouli. the cinnamon fades out after a while, which is too bad. but it is still beautiful. this may become my favorite woody blend. . .

 

 

this is a sexy, warm heavy scent. i want to curl up with it. umbra is thick and heavy. secretive. i'm feeling somewhat vulnerable right now, and this comforts me immensely.

 

 

 

i'm really surprised that the vetivert doesn't make this dirty and gritty on me.

[fragrantgrasse]

UMBRA....I love an old, leafy patchouli, but mixed with a dark, cool vetiver AND a wild and woody cedar, it was just all too overwhelming on me. I smelled like I couldn't get out from under the pile of damp wood chips.

 

I would love a more prominent sense of the cinnamon to lighten the load of vetiver and her friends, so ultimately Umbra is too masculine on me. I did mix Chimera, which I adore, and Umbra together and that did the trick with the addition of cinnamon but Umbra got lost, so I dabbed more Umbra on.....

 

Unfortunately, after just a few minutes, I started to smell like freshly shaved pencils & chai tea spices. Wasn't quite the effect I was going for.....

 

Off to the swamp piles with you!

[HappyLoveJoy]

Umbra-

I imagine a dark cave filled with warmth and moisture to smell like this. One that has the remnants of a campfire still warm with tiny embers. It's earthy, smoky, salty and warm. I don't consider this a pretty scent and I can't say I like it even a little bit. It's like witnessing a natural disaster; I respect it's existence, but I'm fearful of it. (my mom said it smelled like a wet brick )

Edited November 3, 2005 by Shollin

[Faerykin]

Umbra

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone … and a little in the cleavage.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): Thankfully, it didn’t take long for BPAL to remove the negative association of patchouli to “dirty hippy.” This is divine … warm, earthy, and a bit spicy.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): This continues to warm as it dries. The notes blend in such a way that it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. Warm, earthy, a very nice late-winter scent.

 

Throughout the Day (10am-on): This dissipates slowly throughout the day – much like an eclipse only lasts a short time. It remains warm and earthy. Definitely keeping the imp.

[shelldoo]

deep, resins w/ a touch of spice when wet

 

as it dries it softened and became slightly powdery (not in a bad way) and spicey resins, this one is earthy and sexy, very grounded

[empi girl]

Got this as a freebie, and would never have ordered it because of the patchouli.

 

In the bottle it smells like wet earth and leaves, with a hint of cinnamon.

 

On application: The pathcouli comes out strongly at first, with cedarwood and cinnamon underneath. Very strong at this stage, but it passes quickly, and leaves a very nice deep cinnamon with a hint of the cedarwood. If cinnamon was a huge tree, this would be the smell of it's cut wood...I don't get any vetiver at all.

 

It is a deep and quiet scent, not a cinnamon red-hots bright scent. It has the woodiness and depth that I wished Hamadryad had had on me (instead, it was red hots, and never anything else...)

 

I really like it. I don't think it is too masculine at all, though I think it could smell really good on a guy, and might have to try it out on mine.

 

And what surprised me most is I like it, and the patchouli didn't bother me at all. If this keeps up, I may have to reconsider patchouli.