The Magi

[sarada]

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,

In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.

And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

An offering of frankincense, gold, and myrrh, with coriander, cumin, ambergris, white wine grape, and vanilla bean.

Now as at all times I can see in the mind's eye,
In their stiff, painted clothes, the pale unsatisfied ones
Appear and disappear in the blue depth of the sky
With all their ancient faces like rain-beaten stones,
And all their helms of silver hovering side by side,
And all their eyes still fixed, hoping to find once more,
Being by Calvary's turbulence unsatisfied,
The uncontrollable mystery on the bestial floor.

Wow, that's a long description.

I almost can't get to a keyboard fast enough to record my impressions on this one. Frankincense and myrrh embrace me right out of the bottle and knock me over with a gritty golden punch. Oh rapture! It's different from Midnight Mass though, and many other resinous scents -- there is a light, bright fruitiness to it, and an incredible freshness that I will attribute to the coriander. Bright, scintillating and slightly sweet. It smells like the little bags of resin (frank/myrrh) that I buy at the occult store to burn on charcoal, but it also smells of cold winter starlight, or of golden light pouring in through a stained glass window. Crisp, fresh, glowing warm embers when outside is the bracing chill of winter.

I would never have thought to pair my beloved resins with such a strange assortment of fragrances but they all play their part. A jolt of freshness and brightness from coriander, a bit of a warm smokiness from cumin...the golden amber light, sweetness of vanilla paired with the sweet-sour-crisp white wine grape. I may write more as I wear this. It feels too early in the season to be indulging something so very wintry in tone, but I will be inseparable from this one for awhile.

[Jadys]

I had high hopes for this and thought that it may end up being my favorite incense blend. Unfortunately, not so. There is something in this that overwhelms all of the other scents; I get no vanilla, none of the fruitiness that Sarada gets. And rather than the golden color she gets, this is pure, cold white to me. In fact, it reminds me of L'Inverno Bath Oil and all of the winter oils that I own (although they don't share any notes). None of those work on me either. It seems my body chemistry has finally caught up with me. Off to swaps.

[Dark Alice]

Coriander is strong in this.....it smells green and again I get a bit of eucalyptus from it! The vanilla bean stays hidden far away, the frankincense and white wine are missing too. This turns into ambergis...stinky whale smelling ambergis.....I am not a fan and I had such high hopes for this one!

[Lethran]

In bottle: Strong incense and ambergris on top. Surprisingly sensual. Wet: Much as in the bottle, with a faint metallic edge. Warmth brings out the spices a bit, but not as strongly as I had hoped. The ambergris backs down rather. It has an esoteric, Middle Eastern feel. I think it embodies its concept well. Dry: This is pretty much the apex of incense scents, long lasting, well balanced. The spice gives the incense depth. I am well pleased.

[Wench457]

Looking back at the notes, I am left wondering why I ordered this. I think it must have been the ambergris, white wine grape and vanilla. In the bottle, it's lovely and sweet, with a drift of incense floating over the top. Unfortunately, on my skin I get all frankincense and myrrh, all the time. Not for me, alas, although I must say the bottle art is stunning, and tempts me to keep it just to admire.

[greenranger]

Yeah, yeah, I got this in spite of the ambergris. I couldn't resist the lure of coriander.

 

Wet on me...fizzy Coca-cola?

 

Drying, faint metal and resin, with spice and wine in the far, far background.

 

Usually, ambergris kidnaps any scent and makes it vanish after about a half hour on my skin.

 

Except that I tried Lyonness again about 4 months after I sadly put it away due to ambergris' bad habits...and it didn't fade! Or, it faded slightly, and I could live with the fading as long as I got enough of the scent. Soooo....although this is, very sadly, very faint on me. I will put it away and try again...in about 4 months or so. *crosses fingers*

[Brianne]

This goes on a lot like Midnight Mass (a comparison someone else made also I believe) - it's very warm and golden, and definitely frankincense and myrrh. The difference for me here is that The Magi is sweeter and dries into an almost foody incense. On the other hand, nothing else really pops out at me in this scent so it may be similar enough to Midnight Mass to not warrant having both. I'll have to wear this again!

[tartchef]

Just a mini-review, based on a quick skin-test at shelldoo's today:

 

Wet & for the first hour or so of dry-down, the Magi is pure cola on my skin Sweet, fizzy, that strange lime/sassafrass combination that makes cola so unique... I was overjoyed by the notes in this, so to get nothing but RC is heartbreaking. After two hours or so, the tiny dab I'd applied had faded to a more palatable frankincense & vanilla scent - a definite improvement, but not worth the wait, I don't think.

 

So sad. I'll be stalking the reviews as the Magi ages, though, in hopes that the whole cola thing is temporary...

 

ETA: Decant in hand, doing a retest... not quite so sweet this time, more of a dry, home-made cola than cloying commercially-made stuff. A trace of something a bit more fresh is lurking in there, too, - I think it's the coriander & ambergris, sort of a clean, perfumed scent... OK, we can work with this. Still not the thundering choir of the heavens that I was hoping for, but charming in its own fizzy way

Edited December 12, 2008 by tartchef

[Jasminepearls]

The Magi smells like men's cologne in the imp to me, and on my skin it turns to a fizzy cola scent (My BF told me I smell like Sprite) and pretty much stays there. Faint whiff of incense but the cola note stays until the end...sigh. I do smell a hint of the grape on the drydown, but it turns sickly sweet on me, then fades away.

[blacklacestatic]

This is the bestest Yule ever!

 

Another instant favorite!

 

In the bottle: Intense incense ( ). It reminds me very much of church incense. Nice to sniff, kinda nostalgic, but i'm eager to see how this translates on skin.

 

Wet: Very close to the bottle scent, but there is something sweeter underlying. Also kind of animalic in a very sophisticated way. This is classy and gorgeous and glowy. I get the slightest bit of metallic from it, but it's nice.

 

Drydown: Oh I'm in heaven. Ambery, incensey heaven. This feels very "golden". It also distinctly reminds me of something from my childhood. Perhaps a fragrance my mother wore when I was very, very young. It's much sweeter in the drydown, but not foodie or sugary sweet. More like a soft golden amber-vanilla sweet. Oh I love it. It's got this feeling like a golden halo of light is eminating from any place i've dabbed it.

 

Overall: Bpal has created some recent blends that I am considering "instant favorites". (Lilith Victoria & Butter Rum Cookie are others) The Magi is right up there with them. I don't know if this is for everyone, but I am in love.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Frankincense and myrrh

 

On Application

Quite light on first application. I totally get Coca Cola as well. This is brighter than I thought it would be

 

Dry Down

Very, very strange but pleasant. Bright, light, fizzy cola with a resinous dryness beneath. I really don't know how else to describe it. I actually really like it but am hoping it develops a but more with aging.

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

[myth]

This one did not work on me... I got two distinct strains from this scent, and they did not pair well together. I can smell the frank and myrrh subtle underneath, but overriding the incense is the cola that everyone else has been talking about. It's weird. Very weird. And made me feel a little ill in the end, alas.

[surlygurl]

This scent is a whole lot different than what I expected. I expected darkness and strong incense like the inside of a church, but what I got was the 3 wise men riding through the clear night with bright stars above them. The cola fizz would be the shimmering stars, while the "gifts" and the herbs add a sweetness & joy to the occasion.

 

You know what it really reminds me of? If Knucklebones had a (somewhat) innocent younger sister who still believed in the mysteries, this would be her scent.

[Athenae]

I love the story of the Magi more than anything, so I had to get this unsniffed even though ambergris can go bad on me. At first it's all frankincense, threaded through with something thin and metallic and sharp, that might be the coriander. It dries down to this high lovely incensey coolness, evoking the story just beautifully: noblemen traveling, drawn by they know not what to the site of something extraordinary. I'm enthralled by it. Perfect.

 

A.

[milo]

I really like the bottle. The oil has a peaceful feel about it, kind of reminds me of something, but I don't know what it is. This is quite strong, very incensey and cologne-like as other posters put it. I only have a sniffie bottle, and the last teeny bit has an enormous amount of throw. I don't think I could wear this, a bit too intense, though I'll bet this would be great on a guy, or perhaps as a room scent.

[steffanina]

The Magi-

 

In Bottle: Citrusy powder--woo, right up my nose!

 

Wet: Powder and citrus.

 

Dry: Powdery citrusy fruity brightness.

 

Overall: A little too sharp for me, but a fascinating blend.

[kjirstiben]

The Magi went on smelling fizzy, very much like lemon-lime soda. But immediately after that I started to get a disturbing "men's cologne" vibe the likes of which I haven't gotten since I tried Fascinum.

 

As it dried down, I found that though I was still getting "men's cologne" from farther away, up close my wrists smelled nice. Sort of fruity-citrusy, and mellow.

 

Unfortunately, this is just too bright of a scent for me to enjoy. It feels sharp-edged, even after it's been on for hours. Funny, because I thrill to Midnight Mass... I think that the citrusy, fizzy aspect just isn't working for me.

 

Oh well! You win some, you lose some...

[isisonearth]

Bottle: Frankincense and a touch of vanilla.

 

Wet: Frankincense and myrrh with a touch of a metallic note I seem to remember from one of the Steamworks scents. A waft of spices...and here is where it gets weird...rootbeer. Not A&W the good stuff that is brewed at a microbrewery. I just has some last night and this is dead on. I both love it and find it not very christmasy.

 

Dry: Much more of an ambergris scent on the drydown. I still feel like the cumin and coriander are there just faintly. The grape interesting. The rootbeer...still there a bit.

 

Overall: It is not at all what I expected. It is what I call a challenging scent. It really makes me thing about what the heck is going on in it. My hunch is that this one will keep getting better with age and we will become good friends.

 

Interesting to see all the cola references in other reviews.

[amyw]

I smell cola (Diet Coke?) in the bottle rather than smelling it once it's on, and then when it's on me it's all frankincense and myrrh, with maybe a little bit of coriander and cumin. Actually, definitely cumin because I had forgotten cumin was in but it made me think of cumin. I'm going to let this age and see if the grape and vanilla come out at all.

 

About 4 hours later it's gone.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is myrrh and grape....

 

once applied the grape gets boozy and i get a touch of vanilla and pickle (?)...

yeah, myrrh tends to do that from time to time...

 

after this settles i get lots of spiciness

and wine...i think this is just too complex for my chemistry to handle...this scent goes

all over the place and does not play well at all...nice try

[blu°]

Oops, tested this yesterday at home and then again today, and I swear, I did NOT smell any ambergris yesterday. Today it was ZOMG ambergris gettitoffme right after application. Luckily the ambergris didn't stay so loud, but was made a bit more suave by the resins and spices, but it's still way more ambergris-y than I like to wear.

 

Apart from the ambergris I get a very light cold note (coriander?), a lot of incense, some of the spices, something that might be the gold (it's similar to some Steamwork scents) and after drydown a hint of vanilla.

 

It's actually a well-blended, nicely layered scent. I really like the incense notes together with the light cold and foody ones, but the ambergris is a definite dealbreaker again.

[indybear]

The Magi is a scent that I thought would be perfect on me - I didn't see any notes of doom. Much to my disappointment, it went directly to dishwashing liquid on my skin. There's a nice, clean smell, but with what's in it, that wasn't what I was looking for.

 

I need to figure out what the note-gone-wrong is and avoid it like the plague in the future.

[stillalive]

hmm... soapy soda. Not too bad, just not completely my thing. Very clean, kind of candley...

[ami226]

Wow.... I am getting a major whiff of the wine grape. It is almost hard for me to smell anything else. It kind of reminds me of sparkling grape juice. It has a light effervescent grape smell. So far it hasn't changed....

 

Drying... a bit of light greens are starting to show through, but there is still the overwhelming scent of light grapes.

 

I don't think this quite works for me, but I have to say that this scent is very interesting and everyone should try it once!

[Champagne]

In the imp is total cola, wet on skin and dry is soapy cola with some spices, I give up.