Diwali

[cranberry]

The Festival of Lights, a celebration of life, prosperity, and the triumph of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. The first day, Dhanvantari Triodasi, honors Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, Good Fortune, and Splendor, and Yama, Lord of Death and the Keeper of the Book of Destiny. The second day, Narak-Chaturdashi, celebrates Lord Krishna's victory over the demon lord, Narkasur. On this day, fierce Kali, the Great and Terrible Mother, is venerated, and she is entreated to grant her children strength. Narak-Chaturdashi also commemorates the birth of Hanuman, the vanara who helped Lord Rama rescue Sita from Ravana, the Rakshasa king. The third day, called Diwali, is wholly devoted to the worship and propitiation of Lakshmi, She Who is as Beautiful as a Lotus. The fourth day, Annakut, is the first day of the lunar New Year. Old accounts are settled, new ventures begin. On the fifth and final day of Diwali, Bhayiduj, sibling love is celebrated.

It is a time to banish ignorance and hate, and to dissolve jealousy. It is a time to renew our spirits through light and understanding, and to ask for blessings of prosperity and joy for the upcoming year.

It is a time where we embrace our friends and forgive our enemies.

Lotus root, mogra, mango, tamarind, cardamom, clove, almond milk, cashew, rice flower, coconut, supari, raisins, and incense crafted from aloeswood, red sandalwood, cedar, and spikenard

In the bottle this smells of sweet fruit and amber.

On the skin, this is reminding me strongly of how I remember Hymn to Proserpine – sweet fruit and amber.

Comparing the two, Hymn to Proserpine is much sweeter and stronger on the amber, but they are similar. This is a bit tarter and I can tell that it’s mango now and not pomegranate. There’s a touch of coconut but it’s very faint and something green and very fresh. This is a very well blended scent and everything is meshing together so well. There’s something similar here to Hungry Ghost Moon – I’m thinking it must be the rice flower. As it wears the incense comes out and mixes with the amber and fruit.

After it’s been on a bit, the spices are starting to come out – not in an overpowering way, but in a way that just hints at them. They are very soft but definitely there in the background adding so nicely to the incense, amber and fruits.

If I had to summarize in a sentence, I’d say rich dark fruits, amber, and incense.

I’m so glad that I got a bottle of this – it’s beautiful.


eta: OMG - I just tried this again and it's reminding me of Feminite du Bois (which I adore!)! It's not exact, but I think it may be better in fact. Woods, incense, amber and fruit. I have to get another bottle before this goes away.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is fruity and creamy....

 

once applied this is just so divine...the almond milk and coconut notes are superbly done....then this

turns quite spicy and woody...lots of sillage...a little dab'll do ya....dear partner came home

and asked if i was baking something...this has an almost foody feel to it...

 

this is the kind of blend i live for from the lab...

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Oh, another marvelous Yule blend.

 

We're in a kitchen as the women of the house prepare for a feast. Over there is the kitchen alter to Ganesh who is notorious for a sweet tooth. Incense burning, offerings of fruit around him and lots of love and laughter.

 

Fruity, floral incense.

Edited November 8, 2007 by Heavenlyrabbit

[heartlilly]

This is really lovely, but odd.

 

It starts out this coconutty fruit with a little bit of woods, but as it dries I'm getting a very sweet sort of floral.

It is really strong for a little while (almost too strong), then it mellows into a nutty, sweet, kind of creamy floral with a little bit of wood. Really unexpected, but pretty.

[AliBabble]

mmm this one is really nice...almost summery, really. it is quite incense-y on me actually, perhaps the sandalwood/ but i have to say i get a nice amount of coconut, and i am happy about this. it reminds me of being on a beach, with a coconut drink, and incense and spices blowing on the breeze. this is not overly fruity to me, but there is a touch of floral, perhaps the rice flower. this is quite lovely to me - rather elegant - like a delicate dessert made of coconut and almond milk - a bit like an indian rice pudding. after a while, a bit of fragrant woodiness comes out, which is great - it's the cedar, i think. now it smells like a wooden box that held incense. i could see wearing this to work. lovely scent.

[PersephonesChild]

Diwali has caused me to find new and amazing ways to bury my nose in my wrist.

 

In the bottle, it smells very foodie-- I get a strong whiff of the cake smell that shows up in many other blends. I was rather disappointed, but I decided to try it on and see how it went.

 

Wow, this thing can morph. First the foodiness expanded and grew creamier, then the rice blossom came out, and then a hint of the fruit mango quality. After that, incense smoke came breezing through-- a very light and non-churchy incense, if you know what I mean. Then the incense smoke settled down to that "after incense" smell you get of settled smoke, and an almost spicy, musky smell overtook the blend.

 

Mind you, this all happened in the course of about five minutes. I feel like I've just been through a ritual in fast-forward.

 

I just have to keep sniffing this to see where it'll go next

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

this one...some of the notes frighten me

(mango, tamarind, almond milk, cashew, coconut, cedar)

some intrigue me

(mogra, supari, raisins and spikenard)

and some i know i like

(Lotus root, cardamom, clove, rice flower, and incense crafted from aloeswood, red sandalwood)

 

so i'm a little nervous, because this could go in several directions.

sniffed from the bottle: joss sticks (unscented incense), cedar and toasted coconut

and i'm very unwilling to try this. but i have a bottle, so i must try it.

on skin: first thought is that it reminds me very strongly of Greed (the oil, not the sin) but perhaps slightly fresher - or cleaner.

 

after an hour it hasn't changed much - end result is how my hands smell after a day of running a cash register and handling countless paper money and coins.

Edited November 10, 2007 by TrailerTrashPrincess

[n3m3sis42]

In the bottle:

Sweet and almost foody.

 

Wet:

Much more incensey/musky than when I initially sniffed it in the bottle, but it's yummy. After a few minutes, HOLY INCENSE, BATMAN! My skin tends to amp those sorts of notes initially, but then a lot of the time it will calm down so I can smell other notes. I'm going to hope for the best with this one.

 

Dry:

I can't really describe this one well, because it has a jillion notes and they are all blended really well once it dries down. So, I would say it is sweet and a little creamy, but not really foody, musky, or floral. It's something that's a mix of all three. This one's a keeper.

[jessiesquash]

This is very sweet in the bottle but once on my skin, the clove and cardamom emerges along with a gentle waft of incense. Having stood in line at a traditional sweet shop in Chennai, I can honestly say this is so amazingly accurate. It captures the scent of burning incense and the underlying scent of baking sweets. Absolutely gorgeous! It's making me crave Jilabi and Gulab jamun like crazy. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

[copyshopclerk]

This one is fascinating!

 

In the bottle: Woods and coconut

 

On: The cardamom and clove start to come out as this warms on my skin - never too strong or overpowering, but just giving a nice feeling of warmth. The woods become more subdued and the rice flower comes out more. There is a sweetness to this blend, but the spices and incense give a nice base to the scent to keep it from going too sweet. The coconut is lovely too - a very crisp and fresh coconut, not sweetened or dessert-like.

 

Dry: This is almost soothing when it dries! I think the clove lingers the longest, but it's just very calming and well-blended. It's really unique - I don't think I've ever tried anything that smells like this, and it's really beautiful!

[Alchemy21599]

In the bottle: slightly sweet and nutty.

 

Wet: faintly almond-y.

 

Dry: where did the scent go? I expected an olfactory feast, but it never materialized. Other Forumites sniffed and tested the bottle and loved it, so there is just another example of the variability of skin chemistry.

[neuilly]

Well this morphs a lot but for the most part it's a sweet incense with a strong wood background. It's rather hard for me to decide how much I like it...don't know what Diwali normally smells like but I'd love to smell something like this, just perhaps not on me.

[Eemia]

This is a gorgeous incense fragrance on my skin. It's deep and beautifully complex, and the range of notes that amp on my skin is unexpectedly intense.

 

It starts out spicy and just a little bit sweet. The sweet sensation is not sugary or foody, it's more of a natural light sweetness. It enhances that creamy quality that is lurking in the background. The creaminess is only there for a few minutes and then disappears completely, but it seems to leave behind a lingering scent anyway. Very pale, faint almond perhaps and delicate spices. There's also an earthy quality in this that I am loving. It's not a dirt or ground note exactly, but it feels earthy nevertheless. Maybe it's the slight woodiness of the incense notes that is reminding me of that.

 

This wears for a very long time and slowly morphs and fades into mainly incense. I can barely make out what I think is the clove as well. This is hands down one of the best incense notes I've ever worn. It's borders on musky, but never truly reaches that point. It's still somewhat sweet too.

 

This one is really remarkable--I've been sniffing my arms all day long.

[themerrybaker]

Diwali was the one I most looked forward to in this update. Happily to say, it did not disappoint. It reminds me of the rice pudding that you get in Indian restaurants, but has an undertone of sexy sweat. I will definitely enjoy wearing it.

[maribouquet]

imp: spiced stewed fruit and coconut meat

wet: nice throw! sweet, peppery fruit

 

This morphs loads during dry-down and becomes a soft, earthy sort of incense. Very pretty and warm - with foody undertones of spices, coconut...I think I can pick out the spikenard.

[steffanina]

Diwali-

 

In Bottle: Resinous, and sweet, and spicy, and amberish. Mostly resinous!

 

Wet: Resin and spice. Something sweet and fruity. The resin seems to go away a bit in favor of the sweet fruitiness.

 

Dry: A very nice resinous scent! Not heavy or cloying, not at all. It really seems to be a rich blend; I can believe all the things that are listed as being in the ingredients, including the cedar, the raisins, and the coconut.

 

Overall: A very nice resinous blend.

[porcelina]

diwali is really pleasant- rich, sweet, smooth and somehow bright, a little spicy and creamy. haha- in other words, it's a little bit of everything! unfortunately it fades very quickly on my skin and doesn't really smell like anything after a while. boo. to the swap pile we go.

[alicia_stardust]

DIWALI

 

This starts out with a hint of mango and tamarind, but those very quickly fall back into the rest of the blend. Overall this is a very pretty incense blend. It is much lighter and brighter than most incense blends, and there is a touch of sweetness and foods/desserts. However, this is so complex that it is difficult for my nose to smell anything other than the "whole". It just sort of melds together into one lovely blend. It really is beautiful and glowing. I plan to keep this!

[mmcfa2]

This reminds me a bit of mi goh

 

fruit ah fruit and more fruit, mango and spicy and then sigh gone.

 

I got no other Christmas blends and this one is not for me. I totally missed the wood or resin stages that others got.

[girlygirl]

Wet: coconutty floral (do I smell jasmine?)

Dry: fruity, woody incense.

 

More delicate than I expected. Fades quickly on my skin. The way it changes upon dry down, it would be very fun to wear on my skin and in my scent locket simultaneously.

 

Yum.

When I close my eyes, this transports me to a white sand beach.

 

LOVE.

[flyingpizza]

Wow, everyone’s reviews of this scent are so different! I was excited by the mentions of sexy sweat and spiciness, but on me, it’s rather sweet. In fact, the dry down is very much like Hungry Ghost Moon or Tamamo-No-Mae on me, so there you go. Nice, but not a bottle for me.

[Bagfish]

Diwali has the throw of dooooom on me, it completely overpowered everything else (even El Dia de Reyes). It is quite sharp on my skin, and very strong and acid green in colour. Almost lush like a mangrove or jungle, this must be the mango and tamarind. However, the ingredients don't play nicely on my skin and I had to wash it off, I think I slathered too heavily for such a strong scent. The scent remaining after a scrubbing is a very pleasant amber! I shall have to try this again in much smaller quantities!

[ariosa]

I want to eat my arm! It smells heavenly -- but I think it is going to be one that overwhelms me as I wear it, because it is very, very sweet. I could be wrong, though.. I hope so. Because it's yummy, yummy, yummy! On me, it smells mostly mango and lotus root, though the cedar comes out after a while. Oh, this is very, very good.

[Medici]

In the bottle: At first sniff, this reminds me deeply of old Dia de los Muertos (circa 2004). It’s vaguely gourmand, lightly sweetened, lightly spiced, and slightly smoked – which makes for a deep, rich, sumptuous smell at first inhale.

 

Wet/Drydown: A combination of foody, floral, and spicey fruit that morphs like crazy. It’s sweet, and creamy, with a hint of mango permeating the spicey undertone. It’s rich and creamy without being heavy. There’s just a touch of mango juice in there, and the cardamom makes this blend sing. It is, hands-down, one of the most delicious blends I’ve smelled ever.

 

Verdict: I adore this. Diwali is one of the few blends I’ve tried that really defies categorization for me. My brain tells me it should be foody, but it stops just short. Then my brain argues that it’s floral, and my nose disagrees. Overall, it’s a lovely, morphing mix of things.

[tinyvulture]

on me, this is a creamy fruity-floral blend. i can definitely smell the lotus. i sometimes find lotus too cloying, but it’s pleasantly sweet and cheerful here. i also get hints of jasmine, fruit, and perhaps tobacco? really, the notes are combined so seamlessly that it’s difficult to pick out individual notes. the overall effect, though, is light, exotic and warm.