Umbra

[Ajila]

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.

In the bottle - patchouli, very dark patchouli
Wet on me - the patchouli is still prominant, but I can smell the cedarwood in the background
Dry on me - lovely warm and spicy the individual notes are indistinct but they go to make a wonderful whole. Edited September 29, 2007 by Shollin

[Eros]

This is lovely!!

 

In the imp, just applied and drydown~Cedar. A beautiful, rich cedar There's a bit of smokiness to it, as well. Like the smell of chimney smoke in a lush, damp forest.

Seems my skin likes to amp cedar...But that's okay, I adore it! The other notes are barely there, if at all. No cinnamon whatsoever. I don't know that this will be a big bottle purchase, but I'll definitely enjoy the imp

[Freyja Lux]

Hmm... more of a masculine scent I'd say. Woody, a little green (I don't know why that is, the vetiver?). It does wear off fast though, at least on me. I'm not a fan, although it is unique. Reminds me of cedar mostly. I could not detect any cinnamon at all so cinnamon fans- beware! But hey, everyone has different chemisty so who knows...

[LiberAmoris]

Umbra is like Sin on me, plus vetiver. I was really hoping that this would be a blend that would have me rethinking my position on vetiver, but it just does such weird things on my skin here that I think I'll stick with my beloved Sin.

 

Does smell a lot like Lush's Middle Earth soap, which my BF loves, so I think I will be passing this imp on for him to wear.

[LushNatty]

In the bottle: Mmmm! Cedarwood, and a faint hint of patchouli!

Application: Wow! Cedarwood that punches you in the face!

Actually, the cedarwood in here is very rich and nice, but the fly in the ointment for me is that there is a really, unbelievably strong smoky note to this that I just cannot handle. I noticed this on both the times I tried to wear this.

Offhand, I’d love to smell a version of this that was minus the smoke, plus a rose.

Anyway, I just can’t handle that acrid smoke smell, so off to swaps it goes.

On a scale of 1 to 5: 1.

[Kaygee]

Umbra's been on my list for ages...couldn't decide between ordering Omen and Umbra my first time....and now Omen is my main scent...but was still curious...so grabbed this imp straight out of the box when it arrived and sniffed:

 

Yow-zah. Actually quite similiar to Omen, with the combination of patchouli and green tones...but more complex, and less resiny...strong and dark and full of shadows.

 

On the skin wet...this is great...this is me, up to my elbows in the side garden, working peat into wet soil with flats of plants waiting to go in...the patchouli is there, which is fine with me (your skin either loves patchouli or not...mine does, so almost anything with it is fine on me, never soapy or powdery or too perfumey) but everything else is VERY organic and much earthier than Omen...like wearing one of the green scents layered with Graveyard Dirt.

 

Dry down: Softer, which is to be expected, and a bit sweeter...just a hint of cinnamon...a whisper...but still a drak green shadow, which is great because while I really only go for the earthy, herbal smells, very few of them last very long on me...Umbra lingers beautifully, and has good throw without being overpowering.

 

A wonderful choice for those on the Gaia side of the scent spectrum....if you're looking for dark and leafy, you're going to love this scent.

[Blood onmy hands]

I love patchouli... I really love patchouli when it is tempered by something sweet (as in Imp or Depraved, two of my favorite blends). This would be amazing if the patchouli and cinnamon were well balanced, but I don't smell any cinnamon at all

 

This is very dark, woodsy patchouli and vetiver. I get a sense of moss and decomposing leaves... like being lost in the darkest, thickest part of a forest.

 

I like this, but it's not sweet enough for me. I can't wear something this cold... it just doesn't feel right on me.

[Fishwomon]

Umbra has been on my wishlist, but I'd forgotten why, not having heard anything about it or read any reviews lately. Then today an imp arrived as part of a purchase I'd made from a forumite.

 

It strikes me that this is a seriously underrated oil.

 

I LOVE IT.

 

I adore vetiver essential oil, which I burn often next to my statue of Akwaaba, and Umbra is a perfect blend of vetiver, cedarwood, and a dark, dark (not "hippy") patchouli. I get a whiff of cinammon while the oil is wet on my skin, but then that just merges with the rest of the scent.

 

I'm listening to Bach's Cello Suites as I write, and Umbra goes perfectly with the rich, dark, smooth sound of the cello. Dark wood. Dark earth. Dark skin. Sublime. I can't stop smelling my wrist.

 

There is just a hint of sexy, sweaty smell. I've just started reading The Emperor of Scent, where Luca explains how the French like the scent of things overripe and slightly unwashed. In the most romantic and lustful sense, Umbra is that.

 

10 ml.

[Fefferbella]

Ooo.. this one got me excitied! I love patchouli and all the notes in the description smell lovely on my skin.

 

Umbra is a very dark patchouli, not the sweet kind I've found in other BPAL mixes, this is heavy and sexy.

The patchouli is very prominant on my skin, but hints of cedarwood and cinnamon in the background are starting to peak through.

 

Umbra is a lovely rich, warm and spicy blend.

[tinyvulture]

This is quite similar to Brimstone – I think it’s the vetiver. It’s smoky, gritty, earthy, and slightly herbal or bitter. It’s more complex than Brimstone, however. I can pick out dark patchouli, cedar and cinnamon notes which round out the scent nicely. Evokes being in a dense woods where the smell of the soil is strong, and the smoke and ashes from last night’s campfire linger in the air. After awhile, the vetiver kind of overpowers everything else. I’ll give this imp to my husband; vetiver smells really good on him.

[kettu]

This is love.

 

Lynx saw this on my wish list and asked theshapeshifter to bring it when we met to try and buy some imps she had. I had since taken it off my wish list, thinking that the cedarwood would be amped way too high and the cinnamon wouldn't work, but lo, I was mistaken. I smelled the imp and right away, I knew it was going to be love.

 

It falls somewhere between Dance of Death and Omen on the earthy dryness scale, and they're two of my favouritest scents in the whole wide world.

 

Umbra on me is cedar tamed by patchouli with hints of vetivert and a dribble of cinnamon to round it off. *looks at description* Holy crap! It's pretty much exactly how it's supposed to be!

 

Deep dry wood with a bit of spice. Rich woodsy reddish brown. Yum.

 

ETA: Much gratitude to Miss Lynx and to theshapeshifter!

Edited November 22, 2005 by kettu keiju

[Miss Lynx]

A very dark, earthy, woodsy, kind of scent. The kind I thought would be my favourite before I started trying a lot scents and discovering there are other kinds I like better, but still, not bad at all.

 

When I first put it on, the patchouli seemed to rise up and beat all the other notes into submission, as it sometimes tends to do on me. I like patchouli when it plays well with others, and just lends a nice depth and earthiness to a scent, but too often it takes over everything.

 

So I'd more or less decided "Oh well, another blah patchouli scent", but as the day wore on, I started getting little whiffs of a nice, woodsy, slightly incensey scent from somewhere, and gradually realized it was me. The patchouli had subsided a bit, letting the cedar and vetiver have more room to play, but the cedar never reached the hamster-cage-ish level it has in some other scents I've tried (Alecto comes to mind). It's got major staying power, too.

 

So ultimately I ended up liking it, though not loving it. Maybe if there had been more cinnamon, it would have made it to my favourites list, but as it was there was barely a hint of spice. Still, I could see myself wearing it now and then, and in any case, Kettu's in love with it, so it's not going anywhere.

 

Grade: B

[carolinachiquita]

This reminds me of two things! Firstly it reminds me of Brimstone but without all the smoke and secondly it reminds me of Lush's METTR or Waylander as it's called now. It is a gritty smell that is quite masculine, I do like it but its not me - I don't know what to do with my frimp now as I do like the smell (Hmm I might invest in some scent free shower gel and see how that works!)

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Hoo, boy - that's patchouli, all right!

 

On: Now I can smell the cedar, and a dusting of cinnamon, in addition to the "eau de hippie" - luckily for me, the vetiver stays in the background.

 

Definitely an earthy blend, with a little light spice - while this blend is not very "me," it's not offensive to my nose at all, either. I think if a man were wearing this in my vicinity, I'd be inclined to pounce and snuffle.

[Merlu]

In the imp: Smells like flower stems... or a greenhouse full of green, leafy plants.

 

Wet, on skin: The smell of wet soil and plants starts to fade, as a darker and drier earthy scent shows through.

 

Dry: Smells very strongly like black patchouli. It smells dark and mysterious, like a lush forest at night, in which you are lost. You don't know what could happen. There are shadows everywhere. You can't see them, but you know there are evil shadows everywhere around you. You're surrounded by strange sounds. You're heart's beating, your cheeks are flushed, you're starting to sweat...

 

Very, very dark.

[Aurelius]

Helloooooo vetivert and cedarwood! Very dark, almost wet, and somewhat creepy. As it dries I smell a tiny bit of cinnamon which adds a nice spicy layer. Rich without being overly strong, dark and earthy.

[zenvodunista]

:rips open latest package and rummages through frimps:

 

Lovely, dark and almost almondesque in the bottle. Lovely!

 

On: ugh! Ughbra! What is that smell?

 

:Checks List: Oh, cedarwood. That explains the sort of dusty B/O thing.

 

oh well.

 

n.

[Lizzie]

In The Bottle really strong Patchouli!!

 

Wet On mmm now that's better!! Patchouli with just a touch of cinnamon, but not sweet, just as I was hoping it'd be!!

 

Dry ah poo. Turned into patchouli and Cedar, not what I was hoping for. Well I'll keep the imp for now, but won't be getting a bottle. And the search for a match to Lush's Blue Skies continues...

[smelly]

I like this. Patchouli and cinnamon are the main notes that I smell. This is the kind of scent that I really like but that can give me a headache. I'm going to try to refrain from burying my nose in my arm all day, and see if I can get away with wearing it.

 

There is a rich-earthy smell in this (the patchouli), and food-spicey. I don't think I get much of a sense of cedar or vetiver.

 

Edited to say I've worn this a few times now, and I really like it. It is strong on the patchouli, and a really nice patchouli it is. Sometimes after a long wear, it is all patchouli, but sometimes remains spicey.

 

It is also strong in general. I jab the imp-wand into the tips of my hair, and it lasts all day and is fab. If I forget and apply it to my hair with my fingertips, then it's way too strong.

 

Oh yeah, and no headache, despite the strength.

Edited February 21, 2006 by smelly

[Wench457]

This smelled so strongly of patchouli in the imp that I just couldn't bring myself to try it on. Poor thing, off to swaps to find someone to love you as you deserve.

[mermaiden]

mmmmmmm I love this scent.

 

Reminds me a lot of the old "Woody Sandalwood" that Body Shop was selling as an oil some 15 years ago.

 

In the bottle it's a much different experience than on my skin - too much patchouli and sharp wood in the bottle. I was afraid to try it - but today I figured I'd give it a shot since all I was doing was some grocery shopping.

 

On my skin it warms quickly revealing the softness of the sandalwood. This wears incredibly well on my skin, the cedar and cinnamon lurking in the background, with the primary note being the sandalwood (my favorite scent of all)

 

I got this as a free imp, I may end up looking for a full bottle of this at some point. By far MUCH much prettier worn than in the bottle. If you like woody, earthy scents do not fear the Umbra - it mellows very quickly.

[Rhowan]

In the imp and wet on my skin I get a beautiful dark sandalwood.

 

As Umbra dries down, other notes start to come alive on my skin. I am getting a hint of cedarwood, the black patchouli, and the vetiver smells like it is supposed to smell to me, very woodsey. The very end note is a sharp note of cinnamon. It doesn't linger at all but just gives a great end to the blend.

 

I am a very earthy, woodsy person and some of my favorite scents are mens (I don't care, I wear them anyway!) This is beautiful, woodsy, without a single note being over powering. Awesome for your man, just as good for you.

 

Umbra at complete dry down is almost a part of you - as if walking through black as night wooded area, your skin had absorbed the scent. It is warm, soft, and sexy. It doesn't scream at people it seduces. Good throw (not overpowering) and long wear. I need a bottle of this!

[Wyndi]

Oh merciful heavens, this is divine. Opening the bottle, I first get smacked about the nose by a sharp woodsy odor that's not immediately identifiable. I know the listed notes specify cedar but there's something else in here that I know. I can't quite put my finger on it but it's something that should be completely obvious. That's the problem with being so new to this and not being more familiar with many of the ingredients Beth uses on a regular basis. Sometimes I'm just at a loss here.

 

Once on, everything blends together so that it's not just that one "what the hell is it" note. The throw is powerful and long-lasting, too, which is always a bonus as my skin tends to drink up my favourite scents. It's got a spicy overhang that's very relaxed and comforting, like being curled up in front of the fire under a blanket with a favourite book. This is so delightfully exotic I can't help but hear the score to "Lawrence of Arabia" in my head.

 

I got this as a frimp from the Lab and I can guarantee that I'll be purchasing an actual bottle of this at some point. It's such an unusual and gorgeous and complex smell. I feel lame for not being able to describe it any better than that.

[n0thing]

This is a terrible description, but all i can ever think with this is that it smells like cool, damp caves in the woods in summer. Which sounds horrible but i absolutely love it, will have to become a big bottle

 

(I don't know! ..wood, something dark green? It does just smell cool & dark!)

[themerrybaker]

For some reason Umbra reminds me a little of Midnight, which I also love. It is raspy/prickly when wet, then dries down to a woody cinnamon. The vetiver keeps it very dry, and the patchouli is true plant patchouli as opposed to the obnoxious perfumey kind.

 

Another that I didn't expect to like as much as I do!!