The Maltese Cross of Sanctus Germanus

[Delirium1009]

Golden amber, blood orange, ambergris, lilac, frankincense, and agarwood.

In bottle/imp: Orangey, clean and herbal, with a salty kick from the ambergris.

Immediately on skin: This isn’t really a warm amber scent… It’s more like salty and slightly creamy ambergris with the powderiness of the amber and a hint of flowery lilac. There’s a hint of resin too, but it’s blended well into the other notes.

After a little while: The golden amber seems to be coming out a bit more now and is taking control of the blend from the ambergris, though that saltiness is still evident. However, this has more of a warm, powdery amber feel now with the ambergris blending into that a bit. There’s a nice hint of lilac giving this a slightly cooler undertone, and the frankincense adding almost a richness to the background of the scent. But this is definitely a more powdery scent.

Overall Impressions: This scent isn’t anything fabulous on me, unfortunately. I really love the golden amber note, but it stays quiet for perhaps the first 20 minutes or so. And I’m also not a big fan of ambergris and that comes out quite a bit in this blend. I’d imagine this will be fabulous on the right person though, and I have to admit that the combination of golden amber and ambergris is really interesting.

[starwild]

I'm trying this immediately after trying my decant of The Chapel--thought I needed something to clean my nasal passages after that one!

 

Imp: Oh, wow, this smells a bit like my beloved Sea of Glass, but with fruity notes.

 

Wet: O_O Dude, it's Sea of Glass with fruity notes! Hah! I love it!

 

Drying: Now it deepens out with the amber. I really do like this, perhaps enough to get a bottle. I like the fruit and wood that backs up what seems like a salty-sweet aquatic.

[innocent]

In the interest of full disclosure... I love amber. Before BPAL I wore amber single note - sometimes I still do. Amber loves me. I love the Maltese Cross. On my skin its blood orange and warm amber with no more than a hint of watery floral. The ambergris behaves itself... I love this one. Bottle!

[Iceblink]

I put this on before I checked out the notes and immediately thought "Aquatic??". Which I wouldn't have expected, and which I expect even less after reading the lab description. Blood orange? Amber? I got nothing. This is a salty, watery, trace-of-lilacy scent on me. How odd.

[Blood onmy hands]

I was hoping that this blend would be reminiscent of The Haunted Palace + lilac on me, but The Maltese Cross just isn't working for me.

 

First on, I get the watery, salty aquatic smell that other reviewers have mentioned. Then, a bit of sharp, watery orange (not as sweet or rich as blood orange usually is on me) and sweet, buttery lilac creep in. I love lilac when it's a good, natural smelling lilac, but this comes off as too sweet at first, and has a sharp, chemical, hairspray quality in the drydown. As this dries down, the amber starts to turn everything to baby powder.

 

This goes from watery orange, sharp musk, and sweet floral to sharp, fake-y floral and baby powder on me. I usually love lilac, blood orange, ambergris, and frankincense, but this turns too sharp and powdery on me.

Edited January 31, 2012 by Little Bird

[butcherbaby]

this one seemed like a sure fire winner....yet, i can't seem to make up my mind. in the imp it is a very sharp, delicious smelling blood orange. i love it, i think i would even wear it as a single note.

on the skin the orange predominates for just a bit, then that's when things get weird.

this scent just goes morph-morph-morph on me. one whiff is a yummy insence scent, the next is sweat...but a clean sweat, that i can only compare to the way my palms smell after i have been driving on a sunny day with a warm steering wheel. (i get that sometimes with other BPAL's, and i haven't yet determined which not causes it.) the next sniff i might get nothing, or a distinct "vanilla" even though it's not in there at all.

i like it, though i'm still on the fence.....i might put it away for awhile and see how it does in a month or so....

 

ETA three months later.....2nd and 3rd testings have confirmed...i REALLY like this. it satisfies my incense tooth AND is unusual to boot. definately going to be a big bottle purchase.

Edited November 14, 2008 by butcherbaby

[blu°]

This didn't work on me at all, I think. I might want to give it another try, because maybe I just had a bad day for it, but something in it went really nasty with my skin chemistry, kinda sharp and biting, at least when I sniffed the spot where I put it close. Possibly the blood orange doesn't work for me in a similar way that pomegranate doesn't work. Ambergris can also be a problem sometimes.

 

Shame, as I was looking so forward to the incense notes in this, especially the agarwood.

[maribouquet]

This goes very sharp on me, sort of an alkaline/lily vibe. I think it might be the agarwood or more likely the ambergris.

[tartchef]

I knew this'd be a gamble, and I was right - the lilac & ambergris conspire to drown out what is a lovely combination of smoky amber & blood orange... it's thisclose to working, but ultimately, the citrus & super-clean floral clash & I end up smelling like a very posh urinal cake

[Saya]

In the Bottle

What a fresh scent, the blood orange and the amber smell great together. I hope this smells as good on me as it does in the imp.

 

On My Skin

Wonderful! The Amber is dominant with the blood orange now in the background giving it a hint of citrus. The lilac in this is just what I like my lilac to smell like, it’s not in your face, but very mellow and smells just like the real deal. Agar wood keeps this from being too sweet or smelling like the fake smell of commercial dryer sheets. So far this is a beautiful blend!

 

After a Bit

I can’t stop sniffing my wrist. It hasn’t changed a whole lot from the wet stage; it just has a beautiful golden, sweet smell with a hint of wood and smoke.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent – 4.5 Throw – 3 Longevity – 3

Over all – 4

 

Final Thoughts

I think I need to pick up a bottle of this soon! The Maltese Cross is a great blend for spring or summer; it’s just so light and refreshing. I’m glad I tried this one out!

[zankoku_zen]

Wow, this one doesn't work on me. At all. The lilac combines unpleasantly with the citrus and the amber, and they really do make a horrible mess with my skin chemistry.

 

I don't think I've had such a bad experience since The Dodo.

 

Yup, not for me.

[MeiLin]

In the imp: No1 Daughter says it smells like marmalade. She's right; I smell the orange and then the amber right off the top.

 

Wet: Lilac to the fore. Lilac doesn't always work on me, which is sad because they are one of my favorite flowers and I wait every spring for the neighborhood to burst out in them. This is a tricky stage for this scent.

 

Dry: Amber, ambergris, orange and frankincense with a teeny whiff off the lilac, but so well-blended. The longer it sits on my skin the better it gets.

[grashopper8]

At first, this is all orange. After a little drydown, the orange calms down a lot as it is joined by frankincense, lilac, and amber.

 

It's an interesting combination that ends up smelling like powdery, orangey incense.

 

3.4 out of 5

[Czarina]

In the bottle: mmm yummy blood orange.

Wet: oranges and amber.

Drydown: oranges, amber, and frankincense/agarwood. I can barely detect the lilac. I think I can detect it only because I know it is there. Not sure I could pick it out otherwise.

 

Very short wearlength, but holding its own in a scent locket. The lilac seems a little more prominent in the locket than on skin, but not enough to annoy me.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Orange, ambergris, and something warm beneath.

 

Wet: Amber-orange, strong ambergris, and then the lilac blossoms. This is going to be complex.

 

Half an hour: That's interesting: lilac first! Then orange, ambergris. Then there's a blend of other things all at about the same intensity. I expected to like this, but I expected it to be more resinous.

 

Two hours: Still notice the lilac first, but it's only a smidgen ahead of the resin. Very nice, with just a touch of something bitter (either the ambergris or the wood, I don't know) to balance it out. I'll keep this, at least for a while.

 

Three hours: Lilac still outpacing resin, with orange right behind. This is a really great, unexpected kind of blend, different from my other amber blends.

 

Four and a half hours: The aura it gives off is orange, but mostly what I smell is lilac. The resin is what holds it together, I think. I usually can't wear lilac scents, although I love the flower, so this is quite welcome.

 

Six hours: Still a hint of lilac over a light base of resin.

[tinyvulture]

A lovely cologne with gorgeous frankincense and agarwood resins, golden amber and warm ambergris, and just the right amount of fruity citrus in the form of blood orange. Can also smell the lilac, but this is not a "floral" blend. Sweet and slightly powdery, yet strong and masculine. Usually not a fan of citrus, but it complements the other notes perfectly here. Definitely one of my top cologne scents -- can’t wait to try it on my husband. And if he thinks it’s too sweet, I’ll have no problem wearing it myself!

[TereFaerie]

Wet this is nothing but acidic orange peel, but the sweetness (like gummi bears, as someone mentioned above) does poke up its head. There is something else that smells sharp to me, maybe the lilac.

Ebentually it warms, but I don't get the traditional powder from the amber or a pepperyness or resinyness from the frankincense. I had hoped this would be deeper and smoother, but it is mostly orange.

There is too little throw and the morphing is just not as warm as I wished it would be.

The absolute final dry down is a little like orange powder, or melted creamsicle.

I was hoping for something less cologne-like and more balm-like.

[voodoocatwoman]

No fair. Everyone gets blood orange from this. All I smell is amber. It's OK but it does not stand out.

[tdgnika]

In the bottle, this smells like oranges and commercial perfume. Eek! Me and orange = bad.

 

On the wrist, it's completely different: the subtlest of lilacs! Which is lovely… until it starts drying.

 

As soon as it starts drying, it smells just like commercial, chemically perfume. I'm not sure what note that is - I'll have to do some cross-checking to ferret out what my nose identifies as that vague smell "commercial department store counter perfume."

 

Once it's at full dry, I can smell the wood or maybe the frankincense? This is lovely for the moment that it's there and then, without a warning, gone...all gone.

 

Overall, a few lovely hints here and there, but not worth wading through that chemical smell.

[Emma2403]

Frankincense and orange.

Quite unusual but... there's something wrong for me, and I don't seem able to find what.

 

When it dries down, it's 100% incensey.

[auburnette]

The Maltese Cross of Sanctus Germanus

 

In the imp, wet: Oooh, this is nice. I can smell a sort of citrusy thing that I really like. It's quite hard to detect notes in this one. It smells clean.

 

On skin, wet: Jasmine? Something very yummy...

 

On skin, dry: This one will take a long time to dry down as it has amber. Smells so clean and fresh. I'm really liking this. Looking at the notes now, I incorrectly identified the lilac as jasmine. You can't really smell the blood orange (aka "citrusy thing") any more...it's all lilac and amber now. Frankincense loves me and I don't know what agarwood smells like, but I think this is going to be a definite keeper. The amber in it isn't going evil and lemony/ammonia-like, it's just hanging around in the background being lovely and golden. The lilac isn't as strong as Ashlultum (which is perhaps a good thing as I thought Ashlultum had the potential to be headachey even though I loved it), but people who liked that scent should definitely try this.

 

The sort of amber that's in this reminds me strongly of Blood Amber (is that golden amber too?) - yet that's weird because I think Machu Picchu has that sort too, and it went to lemon hell on me. Perhaps one of the other notes that doesn/t work.

 

As predicted it's still wet and shiny on my arm. Mmm, delicious lilac...Lilac triggers really strong scent memories of childhood for me (there was one in my parents' garden) so I am enjoying it. I already know that I love this; I can't get my nose away from my arm. There's just the right amount of lilac tempered with the amber.

 

5ml? Definitely. And it hasn't even dried down fully. It may even bump Ashlultum as my favoured lilac scent.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Maltese Cross of Sanctus Germanus

 

In the imp: blood orange and amber! ohh, I love those notes…

Wet on skin: oh no, lilac, please don’t ruin this amber-orange, please…

Dry on skin: it seems the glorious amber and orange aren’t letting the lilac ruin this. This is predominantly amber and orange, which I adore. Blood orange is one of my favourite orange notes and this shows it off to the full. And of course lots of amber makes everything good. I can also smell the ambergris, and maybe a hint of frankincense. The lilac is lingering, it smells a tiny bit bitter, and I fear it will jump in and smell wilted as it sometimes does, and I hope it doesn’t because the golden citrus-resin scent, reminiscent of Three Gorgons, is wonderful.

After a while: it seems this scent is going faint on me, sadly. Though when I smell it close up, the amber (and ambergris), orange and lilac are the most obvious notes. This reminds me slightly of Bruja, only not as sweet or heavily resinous. The amber-orange combination is still as lovely as ever, and the blood orange now reminds me of Kunstkammer. The ambergris has added a slightly salty skin-scent to the amber which is lovely. But that lilac note…it seems to be turning wilted, which I really hoped wouldn’t happen in a blend so full of resins and bold citrus.

The amber is desperate to shine, as is the orange, but the pesky lilac in here seems to get in the way. it’s the only note that’s preventing this scent from being complete love on me. however I absolutely adore what this turns into after a few hours. A golden scent of amber and ambergris, rich and resinous and edged with hints of frankincense and orange.

Verdict: this was another lilac-y CD I wanted to love-I mean, it has gorgeous golden resinous notes in it, and my favourite citrus note, blood orange! And I could smell the incense and the orange and the amber in the bottle…but once on skin, lilac suddenly goes mad on me! And it’s not a nice, discreet lilac, but the kind that smells bitter, acrid and wilted. It keeps itself restrained for a little but then it almost ruins the scent-though not quite, not with all that wonderful resin and juicy orange in here. Only after a few hours wear does this become the perfect citrus-resin. But sadly, the lilac means that this isn’t one I’m jumping for joy over. I may have to retest my decant to see if the resins get stronger with age, or I’ll have to stick to Three Gorgons for my orange-amber fix.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Maybe...

If you like this, try: Three Gorgons, Haunted Palace, Kunstkammer, Ecstasy of St Theresa, Lucy Westenra

[shadith]

For the first few minutes this reminds me of a gorgeous oil I had for my oil burner- a somewhat christmasey orange blend. Unfortunately my skin chemistry turns the lilac into soap and amps it up, so that's it for me.

[rayvn1]

Yay, blood orange! I've been craving them since I tried my first one this summer. That's what comes through first and foremost in this blend, then a nice and spicy frankincense note comes through. Spicy, warm and good. Keeper.

[GardenCat]

One of my favorites - a terrific combination of orange & amber. Like the grown-up sophisticated sister of Lush's Champagne Snow Showers! It's strange, but some of the notes (Golden amber, blood orange, ambergris, lilac, frankincense, and agarwood) are ones that I wouldn't think I'd like - but the combination with the others makes it magical! Wearing it with BPTP Incendia oil & they combine wonderfully!