Labores Solis

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Nothing there is beyond hope,
nothing that can be sworn impossible,
nothing wonderful, since Zeus,
father of the Olympians,
made night from mid-day,
hiding the light of the shining Sun,
and sore fear came upon men.

On July 22, we will be experiencing a total solar eclipse.


This is the Labores Solis: the sun’s rays expressed through frankincense, amber, heliotrope, saffron, and chamomile, crossed with Luna’s Artemisias, manifesting in darkness.

Incense made from Summertime herbs. The Heliotrope adds its special touch, a slight vanilla sweetness, to the mix.

If there were an Incense made to resemble a Cottage Garden that mixes herbs with some flowers, it might be quite like this.

The Herbs are more predominant than any Florals that might be in this. Edited June 17, 2009 by Heavenlyrabbit

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the bottle, it's bright, sweet incense.

 

Wet on my skin, damn, this is NICE. It's herbal floral and incense, but also slightly sweet.

 

As it dries, the saffron and frankincense notes are strongest.

 

Good throw on my skin. Just a dab from the rim is producing a medium amount of throw.

 

I could easily believe this is bottled sunshine.

[hkhm]

bottle: all glorious amber and heliotrope. so warm and pretty.

 

wet: i'm getting a warm, sweet chamomile scent here. it's mixing with the amber and making me smile and huff my arm and sigh with happiness.

 

dry: the frankincense finally appears, making this a warm golden incense scent. so lovely.

[amanderinorange]

In the bottle: at first sniff, all I smell is frankincense and amber. Not my favorite, but I'm hoping that the saffron and chamomile come out.

 

On me: the frankincense fades down and the saffron definitely makes itself known. It's almost sweet, like saffron taffy. After about half an hour, the saffron calms down and blends nicely with the amber.

 

Overall: I just put this on, so I have to see how long the scent lasts, but it's a great scent and I don't normally like 'golden' scents.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very sharp, citrus-like herbs matched with very smooth saffron and amber. A biting scent.

 

Immediately on skin: This has a very herbal tone to it, and smells almost medicinal at first when I sniff it. The chamomile comes through, and smells a bit smoother but still herbal. Then I sniff the amber, heliotrope and saffron and that warm, smooth, and slightly spiced combination almost takes over my nose. Now it makes up the entire base of the scent with the cool herbs wafting above and finishing off the end of the scent. There’s also this very dry woodiness that flits about and keeps tickling my nose.

 

After a little while: This is definitely more of a calm, smooth scent after a while. The stronger herbal notes go away, and the chamomile really comes out and makes a nice base for the rest of the scent. The saffron, amber and heliotrope really blend into it nicely and create with this calm, smooth, warm scent.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a very nice blend with a bit of warmth, and some interesting herbal notes. It doesn’t feel dark, but it does have this odd sunlight/nighttime feel because of the balance of amber and saffron which I associate with drier “sunny” blends, and chamomile which I always see as a soothing nighttime note. It’s nicely balanced however, and has a very dry, soothing feel to it overall.

 

[kbrighton]

This is an eclipse in a bottle. Masterfully done!

 

Initial sniff from the bottle, sharply medicinal. It's the bitter scent of artemesia, what I get on my hand after brushing the leaves in my garden.

 

Wet: When first applied I did not smell a thing. I wonder if my nose was overpowered from the sniff from the bottle. Or am I witnessing the total eclipse of the sun?

 

A few moments later as it begins to dry the eclipse is ending and the sun emerges. The golden scent of frankincense and herbs. To my minds eye frankincense is a dark gold, not bright as amber. I look for amber and heliotrope in the scent but don't find them yet.

 

Later: Frankincense has faded and a warm bright herbal blend remains.

 

This is a wonderful blend that tells the story of an eclipse with scent. I am amazed at the artistry achieved here.

[MeiLin]

Me with the amber and frankincense, so high hopes.

 

In the bottle: Herbal. Bright. Frankincense, chamomile.

 

Wet: Sweeter, much sweeter. The heliotrope. Still herbal, but softer.

 

Dry: Amber is coming out, as is the chamomile. The heliotrope is there, but most of the sweet is from the chamomile now. And the frankincense is definitely at the base. Quite honestly, I don't know what artemisia smells like. Oh wait--maybe I do. There's a green woodiness that's coming out now. It's not sandalwood or rosewood. Perhaps that's the artmesia? Dunno.

 

As it dries, the "eclipse" becomes clearer, as it did with Lunar Eclipse--one of the most amazing pieces of technical perfume artistry I've ever experienced, that Lunar Eclipse. But it's not as dramatic, at least on me.

 

Overall: I love it. It's a bright, slightly sweet, slightly herbal resin. Yay!

[portalkat]

This is one of my favorite resin blends from BPAL. I am a resin girl, but I really ordered this because the eclipse is the day before my birthday. I was so happy when I tried this because it is so beautiful, resinous and the sweet wood notes. It reminds me of Aureus, but more orange than gold which is the color that I see when I wear Aureus. The combination of the frankincense with the herbs reminds me of Carceri d'Invenzione with the sweet redwood note. This is absolutely gorgeous.

[GreenSpine]

I get very little heliotrope or chamomile, but I can't complain because this scent is incredible. It definitely evokes the concept of an eclipse.

 

On my skin, the amber and frankincense are perfectly balanced against each other. From the beginning through well into drydown, a fantastic herbal (artemisias?) that reminds me a little bit (but not too much) of vetiver dominates. As the day goes on, the herbal note recedes and the saffron comes out.

 

Serious love for this - it will likely end up in my top ten.

[tartchef]

I will have to tread very carefully around Labores Solis, I think, despite desperately wanting to fling my arms around it. Wet, the amber & heliotrope pool their collective powderiness & wait.... One false move on my part & this will all go horribly wrong...

 

If I am patient, the frankincense sidles in & quietly smothers the worst of the powder. It's having to hold its own against the bitterness of the artemesia & saffron as well, though, and the end result is a bit of a muddle... bittersweet, oddly medicinal, all the notes smudging together without quite blending.

 

A few hours after applying, there's a tantalizing trace of warmth on my wrists - the silkiness of the frankincense, apple-like chamomile, and a shadow of what must be wormwood. It's akin to The Norns' Farmhouse at this stage, strange & herby, but with a resinous base. This makes me want to keep & age my bottle for a bit - I really think Labores Solis will be something magnificent, given some time to soften the edges a bit...

 

ETA: Oh huzzah! Three weeks later, everyone's playing very nicely. Still a powdery wet stage, but the fruity resinous stage is much quicker to emerge now, and the edges have definitely rounded out. Nyom.

Edited July 14, 2009 by tartchef

[CreamyJade]

In the bottle: Frankincense, herbs.

Wet on skin: Resins and bitter herbs (I'm thinking it might be the chamomile).

Dry on skin: The bitterness fades and the blend becomes sweeter on my skin (this usually happens when there's frankincense in the blend). I would describe this blend as others have done, as a "bright" blend of resins and herbs.

Final thoughts: I was very curious about this blend as I love resins, but I was unsure about the herbs along with it. It's a very nice blend, not as sweet as are the resins blends I usually wear, but not completely herbal and dry. I like it and will keep my bottle, but this is not a "must hoard" scent for me. Aging will also likely make it smoother and more blended, which will be interesting!

[zankoku_zen]

I find this to be a bitter, powdery blend. On wet, I get a hint of smoke, but as it dries, it definitely becomes more powdery, which can happen with amber. It's a resinous powder on me, slight herbal.

 

Not my style at all.

[megank4]

A surprise like. Normally, I dislike amber/sunny scents but this smells complex and intriguing. Warm, ambery, nice.

[sookster]

 

straight sniff from imp is quite the complex herbal mixture...lots of basil and chamomile...

 

once applied, warm and ambery...this one is a real morpher and the resins are nothing short of amazing...

 

i imagine this will age beautifully

[marared]

I like this a lot more than I expected I would - I was afraid of the artemisia, because I think that's what turned me off in another scent, but this is a nice herbal amber, not too heavy on the floral, very summery scent. I think I'm going to very seriously consider getting a bottle before it comes down - I kinda wish I had gotten this instead of Litha!

[bubblefish]

On me this is a warm scent with just this hint of smoked spices. I'm not sure I would call it incense like, as others have, because it just doesn't seem that strong. But it is definitely a great mix of herbs and florals, without really being too much of either. It's got a lovely balance between the two. Mmm... must get a bottle of this.

[YoakeNoKami]

Imp: bitter herbs, some sort of piney resin

 

On/wet: Huh. Powedery bitter herbs, still. Resin is still there, but a bit drier now. Odd.

 

Drydown: Whoa, hey, resin-baby powder, wtf? Oddly like laying under the shrubs in grandma's garden. Overall, still with that *sneeze* yeah, that's the chamomile, alright. Not really getting the saffron, the amber's there but gone to powder. Basically: Baby-powdery resin-- amber & frankincense + dried up chamomile flowers. Floral, and not in a good way, but in an allergy0inducing way.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Penetrating, pungent; I think that's heliotrope I'm getting.

 

Wet: That's a very disconcerting note, that thing I thought might be heliotrope. It's pretty instantaneous, though, being overwhelmed as the scent warms by resin and saffron notes. There's a bit of sweetness, too.

 

Twenty minutes: This has gone in an interesting herbal direction, and I think I'm getting chamomile. Not detecting the bitter saffron that's been in some other blends, though. There's a lot of resin beneath everything else, but so far the top notes are dominating.

 

One hour: Still that sharp herbal note. I don't think this is going to wind up being for me, so I suppose it's a good thing I didn't buy that unsniffed bottle I was contemplating. Heliotrope is just too iffy on me, and this time it's not going to the good place.

 

Two hours: It is very pleasant and well balanced, but there's a note in it that is definitely just not for me. It smells aggravatingly like something foody. Not saffron foody, but something more unusual, something maybe Indian and with a touch of sandalwood or something like it.

 

Three hours: This has a pleasant warm almost woody note in it that is very enjoyable, but unusual. My decant will be enough, I think.

 

[loverstreet]

Ah, how I love amber and frankincense! I love how they mingle together, skipping about in the sunshine. Unfortunately, they are very shy for me in this scent, being bullied into a tiny corner under the slide by ponderous SAFFRON and her bulky cohort CHAMOMILE. You'd think an herb and a spice (or whatever they are) would be friendlier, but apparently they want the playground all to themselves. (they got my lunch money, too)

Edited July 9, 2009 by loverstreet

[CynicalPink]

Imp: Glee! Chamomile herbs and the smell of being warm

 

Wet: Cologne-y. Amber, frank, and chamomile I think

 

Drydown:

Round 1 - Sweetening up. Thanks, heliotrope!

Round 2 - It's powdery without being powder. It's still pretty nice

 

Overall: So sad that I don't need a bottle of this. It's a touch too much amber for me. This scent is based on the eclipse happening on my birthday, so I was so looking to love this and give myself an excuse to buy a birthday bottle...Oh well. This decant should be more than enough for me

[edenssixthday]

Labores Solis - I love this! It's a gorgeous woody frankincense, sweetened by the saffron and softened by the chamomile -- slightly herbal, but not really. I don't smell the heliotrope at all -- sad, because I love that note. This is a gorgeous unisex scent, and one that I could wear any time of year. Lovely!

[thekittenkat]

In the imp: Heavy on the frankincense and the saffron.

 

Wet: Now I'm getting some of the amber and chamomile. Very spicy, but a warm scent.

 

The dry-down: A very golden and spicy scent. That being said, I'm not sure that this is a "me" scent. I'm picking up more of the sweetness of the heliotrope at this point.

 

The Wiki has an entry on Artemisias:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_(genus)

 

Wormworm and sagebrush. Interesting. At any rate, this is a complex scent, with different notes manifesting at points along the way. Sweet and spicy.

[bookandbroom]

This is quite odd, in the bottle and on; it's sort of sweet and sour, warm and spicy and cool, all at once. On, it's still a muddle - hot and cold, which is interesting and appropriate, but not a great scent on me. Something about it gives me a feel of menthol, camphor, something cooling and almost minty like that. Sort of medicinal in a very natural way. Warm amber and dusty frankincense, not a ton of heliotrope on me, the summery smell of chamomile if I sniff for it. It's interesting and definitely a perfect scent interpretation of an eclipse, the way the dark and light notes slide around each other, but it's not quite my thing. 

[iiinterstate]

Wow, this is lovely!

 

When I first opened the vial I got a big whiff of herbs, but on my skin it's smooth, sweet, and spicy. It does have a bit of a menthol vibe to it, but not enough to bother me. Lots of chamomile.

 

After a few minutes that menthol feeling is gone, and what's left is so well blended I can't decide which note is taking control. It smells like warm sunshine, and I want a bottle!

 

[jewelbug]

This test was courtesy of a MnS skin test—thanks, tartchef!

 

Wet, this was intensely resinous, golden, amberish with a wee bit of spice.

 

Dry, this was a beautiful resin scent, powdery, incensey, and well done. It does feel "darker" as it progresses, so artistically, very awesome.

 

Overall: I like this, but it didn't wow me enough to need a bottle. I do think that it will age wonderfully, though, so there's a seed of doubt in my mind about this decision....