Sol

[dragonryder]

Authority - Creativity - Courage - Leadership - Abundance - Good Health & Healing - Illumination - Truth - Honesty - Wise Counsel - Prophecy - Pride - Revelation - Equilibrium - Mediation - Nobility - Generosity

Very warm and citrusy. Need the glasses for this one!

[edenssixthday]

Sol - When sniffed wet in the vial, this smells ... strange. I can't place the scent or what it even smells like to me. All I know is that I'm certain it's going to be unpleasant, so I put off testing it for at least a month after I received it. Finally, I decided to go for it, and applied Sol to my skin. Almost instantly, I am completely enchanted with the scent. It smells strongly of white sandalwood to me (although I've since read the forum reviews and no one mentions white sandalwood, so now I'm not sure what it is I'm smelling)! I also smell a really strong lemon note, but it's not the sharp lemon-Pledge-like scent of pure lemon. Rather, it's a little brighter and cleaner like lemon grass, perhaps. This is a fabulous scent that is bright, clean, and clear and definitely captures the radiance of the Sun. The scent is really strong on my skin when I first apply it, but as it begins to dry down, the thr ow subsides to a less-overwhelming level, and it stays on my skin for a couple of hours before I can't detect it any more. The staying power isn't the greatest, but it's a good scent that is well worth reapplying.

[karengypsy]

In the vial: A very warm, yellow scent - amber and something floral... maybe heliotrope? I'm not sure, really.

 

On me: I smell cinnamon now. Oddly, I'm just not digging this. Maybe it's the way the cinnamon mixes with the floral. It just smells weird to me.

 

Verdict: Off to the sell/swap pile.

 

Rating: 1/5

[chapatti]

First whiff: I can't identify it. It's citrus-y, there are orange rinds, definitely, and a dash of orange juice, but otherwise... some amber, I'd say, and a hint of pepper.

 

Drydown: Er, this is turning very much like The Lion, i.e., pepper over dried orange rinds on a background layer of amber, and I don't care for the smell much. It feels special, though.

The pepper does calm down eventually, and for a few hours, I'm fluctuating between "meh" and "not bad".

... and then something just happens, and Sol blooms on my skin. I don't know how to express it, except that it suddenly turns into olfactory... gold. I assume it's the amber finally asserting itself in full force? It's amber, and dried orange rinds, with still a hint of the pepper.By that point, it's intoxicating, and exhilarating... yet purely scent-wise, I - still don't like it? This is SO confusing

 

Verdict: Sol confounds me. I dislike the scent at first, still don't care about it all that much in the drydown - yet I invariably end up with my wrist firmly glued to my nose, as there's something I can only describe as surreal-ly exhilarating about it.

 

7.5/10

[jarvenpa]

a wee decant of Sol came to my hands via zenvodunista (thank you, thank you).

 

First sniff, wet on wrists: omigod, burning rubber!

 

fortunately that faded in seconds, leaving what my nose identified as a giant field of carnations: spice/flowers/heat. I love carnations (and spice and flowers). I am mildly suprised, because I thought (foolish me) that I had figured out a Beth pattern that went "sunshine and summer and such=lemon". No lemon here. I am not sad about it at all.

 

There is such a feeling of wellbeing about this oil; it is the Sun in all its glory as a life giving force (not the current scorcher that is beating my community to its collective knees).

 

After awhile a creamier note came along, softening the blaze of spicy red and white and pink carnations that are all happily growing on some heated terrace in the great world.

 

maybe...amber? musk? damn, I wish I had a sophisticated nose.

 

My thoroughly unsophisticated nose is just all "oh, this is GOOD".

[keltic]

I'm amused that I let harmonyfb try this when I saw her back in January, and she manages to review it right away, and I wear it for months, but can never seem to get over here to review it.

 

So here is to my very first venture into the Celestial realms, and what a wonderful welcome.

 

In the bottle, this is a warm and spicy scent, and I was eager to see how it lasted on my skin.

 

Wet, it is powerful and warm, with all the spiciness amping up to full force, and kicked about with cirus. It is white-hot sun personified, and gives me a burst of energy.

 

Dry, I find that Sol lasts for me, which is so exciting. The warm spiciness stays with just a hint of citrus and a whisper of cedar. It is definitely a strong and masculine scent, which I find work great on me for some reason. I actually got my bottle back in the fall of 05, just when my job begins to demand 60 hour work weeks, and my brain is exhausted. I discovered that when I wore Sol, I had a rush of energy and concentration that would follow me all day. This became my scent for the winter. It was warm and comforting on those dark winter days, like a nap in a pool of sunshine.

 

I happened to pick it up again this morning because my concentration skills this week have been lacking. In the summer, it is more of a white-hot scorcher kind of scent, instead of the warm and toasty image it creates in the winter. But the burst of energy and focus is still there, so this one remains one of my favorite go-to scents in a time of need.

[juniperus]

Bottle: bright, citrusy-fruity

Wet: somehow this sort of combination always reads as 'juicy fruit gum' on my skin. there is another note here that's lending itself to a stale gum affect, actually. rather...unpleasant. But before that stale thing started I could see the sun connection with the sparkly fresh citrus fruitiness, and even 'stale' it's a bright yellow sort of scent.

Dry: growing oddly sharper. I'm not quite sure about this note, it's familiar and yet I can't quite put my finger on it.

Later: and suddenly - it's gone. poof. ruh?

[theseagrows]

sol smells just like bengal with ylang ylang on me. pretty much i am sensing musk, ylang ylang and ginger. nice, but not really my thing.

[supremegoddessofall]

I...don't know...it has a "yellow" feel, and also a "red" feel. I have no idea what's in this. It's okay, but nothing is standing out to me.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: lemon, cinnamon and maybe pine.

 

On my skin: lemon and something fiery that I don't like. It must be one resin probably.

 

After a couple of hours: mostly faded, with just a weird mix of spices staying on.

 

Verdict: I must say this scent feels right for "sol"... it's bright, sharp, nearly burning.

I don't like it but then I don't like the sunshine either!

[steffanina]

Sol-

 

In Bottle: Ooh, aptly named--my initial impression is "fiery." This is all spicy and almost clove-like.

 

Wet: Resinous, intense, just a hint of clove.

 

Dry: I was keen to see what this did but unfortunately it's kind of a fast fader! I still like it, though, for as long as it's around.

 

Overall: Interesting but fades quickly.

[Athenae]

Citrus but not lemony, which is unusual because my skin usually amps lemon. More like an orange-cinnamon citrus, and then honeysuckle, one of the few florals I like, jumps out.

 

It's warm and sunshine-y and lovely. I feel happier just wearing it.

 

A.

[azhure]

In the vial: Citrusy. A very orange scent, appropriately.

 

Wet: There's lemon of some kind in here, but it's almost bitter. Weird.

 

Drydown: My skin eats this in about thirty minutes.

[emzebel]

I have tried both the original formulation and the revisited version - eventually I swapped for the revisited, which I failed to order the first time around, because I'm a dope, but nevermind that, on to the goods:

 

This is a bright, spicy floral blend - very fresh and evocative of bright yellow...sunshine.

[Silentlover]

In the Bottle: Citrus, orange perhaps? Whatever it is, it's strong.

 

Wet: Yep, citrus. I'd say there are a few going on. I can pick out what smells like orange and maybe lemon. It's a very spicy scent right now. Warm but almost too "hot".

 

Dry: The spice is still there. The orange citrus has faded quite a bit and I'm getting more of a fragrant floral. Not sure what flower in particular, just a floral. And now perhaps a tincy hint of that lemon I wasn't sure about. And *tiny tiny* hint of rubber lol. That's not a good thing.

 

Later: Now all spice. Just like fake cinnamon. I feel like I'm in a candle store lol. Perhaps a hint of incense as well.

 

Final Verdict:

 

Not impressed. This kind of scent I can get anywhere. It was nice to try an LE for once but I'm not keen on it. Great for spice lovers but I only get a craving for such a scent every once in a great while.

[batsy]

In the vial: Whatever it is, it made me cough.

 

On the skin: Burning smell, in a bad way. Pine tar, hardcore cinnamon... now my skin is burning. This is why I don't play with fire.

[PurpleHeather]

I got given this one as a freebie from a friend, and I'm very grateful. On me it is a spicy, smoky scent with an underlying sweetness, no pine at all. I liked it, but the wear length was only an hour or two. I'd give it about a 7/10.

[Nia]

On imp: this does smell golden! There's something like amber and ripe sweet orange.

 

On me, it just goes a bit spicy, like a freshly cut orange with cinnamon on top. Then, after a minute, most of the freshness leaves and I'm just left with the spices.

 

It's a very uplifting smell, something surprising in a blend so "heavy" with warm notes.

[tinyvulture]

a warm, fiery blend. there is sweet citrus in this, but also something sharp and almost acrid, like dry grasses set ablaze by the sun. truly scorching and solar. one of the more interesting blends i’ve tried and one that truly lives up to its name.

[LadyBug]

If you have ever smelled Psychodelic Bubble Bar by Lush this is the same scent almost! I smell a citrus spice. Maybe orange and cardomom. A little too warm for my skin but it's a nice bubble bath! haha! For whoever does like warm scents I think would like this! Just not my type.

[metaldog32]

I bought this bottle outright because my father was a Leo. I loved him dearly and get along with those regal cats. Purely for sentimental value..plus..what’s wrong with having some leonine authority when you need it??? That was my father…big smile, big voice, big ideas..and a big personality. You either loved him or hated him…but either way he made sure you would NEVER forget him.

 

Initial sniff from bottle:Hmmm..something slightly herbal medicinal??? On the edges I get something a tad…warm..maybe a wisp of sweetness..is there amber in here?? I can’t tell. Maybe it’s frankincense thought??? Hmmm…

 

Applied wet on skin: Something in here reminds me a bit of Mars..and that didn’t go well with me. Hot and dry…a bit herbal..with a faint tinge of something citrus-like. Surprisingly..this whole vibe doesn’t go full frontal assault on me..it’s a bit subdued on me..not invisible…but not overpowering either.

 

I want to love this..but there is something in here that I register that reminds me of Mars a bit..and that made me a bit nauseous. Crap.

 

Couple of minutes on skin:It’s softened a bit..and this is much better on me than Mars was..thank goodness.Maybe the initial notes..is it pepper??? Dryer than dry cinnamon??? Whatever it is..it never does well with me..but Sol managed to steer away from the nauseous direction I went with Mars; instead it kind of has settled close to my skin with a dry resin-like haze punctuated with either notes of pepper and cinnamon now softened..maybe clove??? I can tolerate this a bit better.

 

It definitely gives off a warm vibe; a bit herbal, a bit resin-like, definitely dry…wisp of something sweet..I still think there might be some amber peeking around in there.

 

Ten minutes later:Wafting softly..it’s settled into a warm and dry resin-like blend with some cinnamon/clove poking through along with either some amber or maybe heliotrope??? Something in here gives it a tad of sweetness.

 

Thirty minutes later:Same as above…but interestingly it has become much more of an intimate scent..and kind of developed a golden dry sweetness.

 

Drydown:Faint trace of the sweetness.

 

Lasting power on me is about 4+hours with throw soft.

 

Bottom Line: Sol actually worked better than I had thought it would. It started out a bit aggressive..but it ended up being sweet and cuddly. I like to think of Leos that way…they are larger than life and can be a bit intimidating..but they have a generous heart and if you get into their good graces..they are the best at showering you with love. The herbal dry pungency in the beginning ended up to be golden dry sweetness..and for that alone it’s a keeper.

[aleciarivas]

Fiery, resinous, cinnamony, etc.... Nice, but seriously warm. I can feel EXACTLY where I dabbed it on my skin. I smell the piney resin beneath everything. I haven't actually decided whether or not I like this scent yet. The sensation it leaves on my skin is very much weirding me out!!!

[The_Merf]

I don't know if it's the effects of age (I know that citrus based scents tend to age worse than some others), but this is really really metallic on my skin. It smells like the sort of metallic that one can sometimes associate with blood. I think at one time that this might have been lemon or orange. There's also some sort of powdery smell here that I recognize from other "sun" blends like Sol Invictus. As the scent dries down, it does go to citrus pledge on me. Alas, I just don't think that "sun" scents and I were ever meant to be.

[elphaba]

Being a Leo, I had to at least try Sol. I didn't get citrus or spices out of it, but rather an herby floral. I think I got a whiff of ylang ylang, but it's very light. The overall effect reminded me of sunscreen and summer days, but in a clean, bright way. It doesn't last long on me and I have to sniff close to the skin to smell it at all. Sadly, Sol won't be a keeper.

[ljaylh]

 

This was a surprise frimp from the very lovely BloodyDuchess - thank you! On my skin, this is a lovely bright and golden citrus with underlying tones of pine and herbs. It does have an invigorating quality about it. I shall enjoy wearing it, and hope that some of the qualities for which it was designed are enhanced in me