Tzadikim Nistarim

[stillalive]

... The scent is one of unadulterated spiritual purity, with a taste of the world's eternal pathos, and the joy of suffering with grace: frankincense, olive, spikenard, hyssop and galangal.

I actually ordered this for the name more than any of the ingredients... but on, it smells so beautiful and makes me really nostalgic. It's sort of a sweet smelll... reminiscent of queen of sheba sans the almond. Very lovely and sacred and old, a hint of modern relavance. Not dusty or musty at all.

And is it a coincidence that my Hebrew worship music popped up right as I sniffed my hand? I think not....

[caffinatedangel]

I have no idea what any of the notes in this are -suppose- to smell like. I ordered this purely because of the name and the story. (I've been writing a story of my own that had strange ties to this tale, which I'd never heard before. So I felt drawn...)

 

The scent is just lovely. It was sweet, but not sugary gross sweet (unlike other reviews, the sweetness didn't get syrupy or too intense on me. It was light, and felt like a very natural sweetness to me). It had a floral something but yet not quite floral. I couldn't pin down a single note (I felt quite hopeless) but I loved every note I found and wondered about. There was a sort of sweet, blooming smell that had a small bit of a spicy something to it that was most prominent. It was delicious and unique. As it aged on my skin, there was a resiny/incense-y feel that started to grow. But it never got to be TOO much for me (and "powder" smells make me gag ^^'). It was really unique and strange. It was also ancient and wise, but pure. Really unique emotions in the scents.

 

If I use up the imp, I'll be buying a bottle (or coercing someone to buy one for me ). I really adored it, and could see it becoming an every-day scent that I make into "me".

 

ETA: The throw of this isn't very strong at all. I felt it lasted, however. But only in wrist-sniffing. Then it was very much like an incense stick with a very natural syrup (Read that as a non-sugary disaster, just slightly sweet...) dribbled over it. Which I enjoyed.

 

But this is a private scent. Not something those around you notice unless you stick a wrist in their face.

 

Edited a year later: tried it again and fell in love with it. It's now sharper, fruitier, and really a win. Also with LOTS of throw and staying power. What changed, me or the imp? Who knows. But I'm in love now.

Edited July 13, 2009 by CaffinatedAngel

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Sharp herby yet with a sweet, slightly tangy top note.

 

Wet: Hmm, it really does sort of smell like green olives to me, with some other herby notes too. But there's also a floral note, unfamiliar, that must be the spikenard.

 

Half an hour: Sweet herb or wildflower. That interesting olive-scent is still there, and there's a pleasant warm resin-y base.

 

One hour: This one is so frustrating! The spikenard is delightful, but there's that odd little tang of olive. It smells Biblical, in a way that I particularly enjoy, but it's so non-traditional a perfume that I'm not sure when and where I'd wear it. Perhaps to a kabbalah study session....

 

Two hours: The olive has fallen way back, leaving mostly the frankincense and that floral. There's a warm woodiness too, probably the galangal because it reads like a root.

 

Three hours: Frankincense and light floral. This one haa a different quality from most, though; I think it's the spikenard. I like it, although it's kind of understated.

 

Five hours: Mostly gone now. An interesting one, I'll probably keep it.

[heathercaley]

After reading the scent description, I was totally taken aback... how the heck does this work exactly??? I smell fruit! Like a ripe melon type of fruit. It's sooo juicy and delicious that I did the whole thing after reading the notes listed. Maybe there's a tad amount of incense, but it's so hidden by juicy nummy fruit. What's really the kicker is that I usually haaaate fruit and food scents.. but this is made of fantastic.

 

As it dries down, I now get more of a slight fruit incense. It's got amazing staying power, and a nice throw!!! oh man.. this is a possible bottle purchase!!!

[porcelina]

i didn't think i'd like tzadikim, but it is surprisingly pleasant- earthy and slightly sweet. the olive is really nice and i like the frankincense. i like it, but i don't think i will wear it.

[mylogicsaysburnsendmeaway]

On me, this was very citrus, fruity. Pretty, but not astounding and not really me.

[Iceblink]

Very sweet. An undertone of olive and a slight herbal scent. I don't think I've smelled anything else quite like this--the olive is definitely an interesting note! A bit fruity. I'm not nuts about this but it certainly is unique.

[ouch!]

This smells like Blackberries on me when it's wet. Like.. resinous blackberries, or some sort of dark fruit. It's really quite nice in the wet stage.

 

But....true to BPAL history...the morph happens on drydown and this becomes more green, earthy and sort of woody. It's almost like there's pine in here somewhere even though it's not listed as an ingredient.

 

It doesn't really change much after this, I would say that there's not much throw to this oil. Onlt the intital burst of when it's first applied.

 

Not really a stand out scent for me though...

[cymbeline]

One of my frimps!

 

Smell alike: It’s quite close of the powdery scent I smelled in some antiquarian shops (in particular clothes one)

 

Color impression: Fading orange and verdigris

 

On me: I also got the melon-like note others have stressed. But this fruity scent isn’t really strong or overwhelming. Soon, it shifted to a rounder and softer fragrance with frankincense and olive standing out strongly.

 

Wearing: A comforting, sweet scent. I don’t see myself wearing it as a perfume (even if it’s light -yet smart- enough for an everyday use) but it’s gonna be a nice room/linen fragrance.

[crebbsgirl]

I was going to blame skin chemistry here but after looking at the reviews, I'm not so sure. I can't for the life of me figure out what's causing this but on me, this blend smells EXACTLY like Fuzzy Peach Slices. That gummy peach flavoured candy. I know what frankincense smells like on me, and when I googled spikenard all I could get was "warm and earthy". Not very descriptive, but definitely not the cause of the peach smell. So I'm stumped. Its a warm, golden blend. Bright and friendly. Sweet, but not sugary. Nice, but not my cup of tea.

[toomuch]

Someone posted that this smells like uplifting pineapple. It doesn't list that in the ingredients, but it's a great description. This one really made me want to get moving in the morning and get things accomplished. If it lasted longer on me and was stronger, I'd buy a bottle. I'll definitely use the imp.

[zankoku_zen]

I go get a sort of pineapple vibe from it. It's bright and citrusy at the beginning, but as it dries, I get more of the frankincense and olive combination. It's still bright, and shiny, and a very golden scent. It has a light floral overtone to it.

[milica]

this is some kind of tropic fruit scent on me, like pineapple/banana/mango hard candy, with a touch of pine, or maybe cedar. a bit like cough siryp. nothing like frankincense or anything like olive on me. and it isn't light and comforting to me, it's very strong and very very sweet.

 

swap pile.

[Saya]

In the Imp

I have no idea what these notes are this should be fun. Passion fruit and Sprite. LOL...wut?

 

On My Skin

Passion fruit with a bit of zip on it. The ‘zip’ is a sharp scent almost like a touch of citrus.

 

After a Bit

It hasn’t really changed much, it’s still a fresh passion fruit/citrus scent.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being best)

Scent - 3 Throw - 2 Longevity - 3

Overall (not an average) - 2.9

 

Final Thoughts

This is an interesting blend, I’ll keep wearing the imp to see if I’ll need a bottle or if the imp will be enough.

 

 

[awesomeoverlord]

Mmmm this is nice - I got it as a frimp and I have to say, it's not something I would have opted to try on my own. In the imp its a rich, fruity herbal scent. On application, it mellows out very nicely...I'm thinking herbaceous melons. Not my usual fare, but lovely.

[diamondstars]

This is a very lively one! Fruity, something else I can't quite pick up and some coconut in there too.

It's nice but not for me. Off to the swap box for someone else to love!

[Reedsong]

I love every individual note in this blend, so I'm very puzzled that it not only doesn't work on me, but really doesn't work. Instead of the lovely fruitiness that the other reviewers are getting, I smell...penicillin. Yep, goopy pink penicillin, or maybe those chewable aspirins. I put it on my skin, hoping it would work better there, but...penicillin. A very generous frimp from the Lab, but a disappointing failure on me. :/

[kelpsoda]

In the imp this smells sweet. I don't know which of the notes that would be. On my skin, it's very herbal. I smell the frankincense and galangal, which smell a bit dusty to me. There's some sweetness hanging around in the back, and it makes me think of rosemary for some reason. Not because there's any in this blend, but because it's sweet + herbs.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Peaches? And a slight olive bitterness

 

Wet on me – Again with the peaches (is spikenard something to do with peaches?) This smells incredibly resonant of something from my childhood, but I can’t quite place it

 

Dry on me – It becomes very faint, but keeps the peach sweetness although now it’s tinged with the bitterness of the olives and the herbs

 

Overall – I like it more than I anticipated, but it is very faint

 

[kjirstiben]

Upon first putting this on, I'm struck by its interestingly pungent character--fruity, spicy (that's the frankincense), floral-herbal all together in one aromatic swirl. Upon drydown, the olive comes out smelling like fruit (but not like candy, which is what fruit scents tend to smell like on me).

 

Over time, this develops into a peppery olive and herb scent, then the peppery edge of the frankincense gradually wears away. The end stages of this scent are simply gorgeous… a lovely herbal-resiny subtlety that hovers just above skin level. The late stages of this were definitely my favorite, but the whole process is delightful. Very different than anything else I've smelled yet, though at a certain level I'm reminded of Hanerot Halalu (the olive oil?), without the beeswax.

 

Recaplet: Pungent olive-herbal that softens into a resin-herbal skin scent.

My rating: 4 of 5 (I really like this!)

Color impression: Olive green.

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Clean. Maybe a bit of olive and resin

 

Wet: Wow. This is *nothing* like what I expected. It's very clean and sweet

 

Drydown: LOLmango. Seriously what the heck is going on with this scent. It's pretty nice, but seriously throwing my nose for a loop with the listed notes

 

Overall: A very calm, smooth fruit scent with resin to brighten it up. It's nice, and kinda tropical, just not something I'm going to be reaching for

[aquazoo]

This starts a little sour. Maybe that's the olive? I can smell a number of lovely things in there, and hopefully the sour will fade. It ddn't.

[melrose]

In imp and on, wet: Sharp herbal softened by a little bit of sweet. I'm having an extremely difficult time identifying any of the components of this.

 

Drydown: Apricot candy. Not so much me, but it really lasts.

[levelek]

I received an imp of this as a gift.

 

In the imp: perfumey. I don't like it much.

Upon further sniffing, an osmanthus-like note emerges strongly. Must be the olive.

 

Left wrist: pale melon. Too sweet and fruity for my taste.

 

Right wrist: Melony osmanthus blended with frankincense, with a very faint sharp echo from the hyssop. Very interesting. As I strongly dislike both melon and osmanthus type scents, however, this one is not for me.

[liquidtrance]

Ooo, strangely peachy. Slightly, ever so slightly, spicey. The peach begins to fade off and gets replaced with something a bit more herby. Green, but more of a dry green than living, juicy green. It might be the olive coming out, actually. I couldn't name frankincense, spikenard, or hyssop, so who knows otherwise. Overall, a keeper.