All Saints'

[Mrs. K]

Based on a venerable French pontifical incense blend: monastic frankincense and myrrh, Damascus rose, Russian gardenia, cassia, and lily of the valley wafting on a chill Autumn wind. A celebration of the glory and suffering of the saints and matryrs of the Church.

Thanks to Bernadette aka"fairywingmaker" for my imp!!!!! She is a wonderful person to deal with!

In the Bottle: A rich & sweet, slightly buttery aroma.

On me wet: Definitely frank & myrrh (sweet & smokey) with white florals. No foody smell whatsoever.

On me dry: The white florals come out more with a very slight powdery edge upon first whiff and the frank & myrrh pops out on second whiffs.

I love it! Perfect winter/cold weather scent.

Now off to search for a bottle!!!!!

Edited to add: I have a bottle and am indulging in this wonderful scent!

[jessamynit]

not sure about this one yet. buttery, almost caramel popcorny in the bottle. once I put it on it was very "perfumey" at first, then quickly became a bit more gentle. soft but not too powdery, something familiar's there... I think the lily of the valley? kind of reminds me of a note in desdemona.

anyway, I'm going to have to try it again to figure out if it's me or not... right now I'm just scratching my head...

 

update!

I put on just a teensy bit this morning and am loving it much better than when I slopped a bunch on. so I guess in moderation, this is lovely! in overindulgence mode, it's too much for me. now why didn't I think of that first?!

 

EDIT: Copied the "update" part in from a separate post immediately following this one --Shollin

Edited November 20, 2004 by Shollin

[surf-tormented]

This one smelled greasy-buttery in the vial. Flashback of my bad run in with Jack that gave me headaches.

 

I put it on and the fragrance was very faint, like floral incense. I suppose this one would be nice worn at work or some place where you don't really want to be noticed and fade into the wall.

 

Much like Nephilim, it didn't strike any kind of impression, bad or good, with me. It just was there and faded fast.

 

This one is for the trade pile. Another disappointment. I had high hopes for something that smelled more like Kostnice and less like light incense.

[pkwench]

All Saints

 

All Saints, All Saints. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways! First, there's an unexpected buttery sexuality bursting out from the bottle when I open it. Didn't expect that one coming, but I'm not complaining. Secondly, there's the soft, smokey sweetness of incense at its perfection. It's so pure, so damned perfect in all of its monastic glory that, well, let's just say I'd never be a good Catholic girl with this oil on. It evokes the sense of a smoky candlelit room and makes a girl feel sensual, happy, and way relaxed. Each sniff of the wrist (stuck my nose down my shirt too, just so ya know) produced a happy sigh and a smile. I need MORE!

[Aponia]

This is by far my favorite limited edition scent. In my top 10 scents in general.

 

All Saints smells exactly like what I thought it would, like a church. I'm not normally a fan of floral scents, but this one is so different. The florals are so muted and blended so well, no particular flower note stand out. It smells more like incense that has been burning in a room. There is a soft note behind the floral, it has a warmth to it. Maybe its wood? It smells like a wooded room with candles and fresh flowers.

 

I can't even say enough how lovely this scent is. I only wish it was a permanent scent and not a limited edition. I'm hoping they bring it back next year.

[tempete]

Although I love myrrh, I didn't jump at the chance to get a bottle of All Saints' for some reason, possibly because of all the floral notes (not much of a floral person). However, I did manage to snag one of fairywingmaker's decanted imps and it made me relieved that I didn't spring for the bottle. It turned very soapy on me, and I think that this was because of the lilies (Juliet does the same thing and lilies are the common denominator). I will be passing on my imp to someone else who will hopefully have a better experience with All Saints'.

[VelvetSky]

There was absolutely no doubt in my mind the minute I read Beth's description of this perfume that I'd love it. And I do.

 

This is a strong, incense-based floral. Sweet but dry. Innocent but sexy. I always get an extremely strong sense memories of churches and prayer books when I wear this. My skin really amplifies the resins in this blend, and I adore BPAL resins. The smokiness of All Saints tempers the usual sharpness of the myrrh.

 

I am absolutely addicted to this fragrance, and I BEG Beth to bring it back next year.

[ashtonrose]

The description is perfect. I won't wear this scent, but it is great in an oil burner and in candles. I love it as a house scent.

[miss apple]

All Saints - in the bottle I get a mixture of flowers and incense.

 

Once on, it becomes a bit more incensey. The scent reminds me of this incense that I used to buy from Pier 1 years ago called Primavera. It was a favorite of mine and I was sad to see it go but this brings back a nice impression of that scent. After an hour I notice an undetrtone of something that reminds me of rain-dampened slate. It's an interesting contrast that keeps All Saints from being too flowery. This is a lovely oil that puts me in a reflective mood.

[Nadirah]

Eoywin Kindly sent me a sample of All Saints to try out.

At first It has a hint of chocolate, but it doesnt last. It really has that thick mryyh smell to it. Oh and the initial Cinnamon that floats lightly in the backround. I don't really smell flowers but it has an aqautic feel to it. This really blends together so well. After an hour or so it has a more powdery feel to it. Its there after 2 hours but is very light. I'm happy to have tried this but I can't imagine wearing this too often.

 

I need to add that this is one of those, the more you try the more you like kinda scents. I still have that generous imp left because this baby is steerong!! If this comes back I will be getting a 5ml!!

Edited April 8, 2005 by Nadirah

[Ishtar]

Many thanks to the wonderful Brownbat who decanted this for me!

 

In the vial, All Saints smelled extremely buttery and a little heady, a la Hellcat.

 

On my skin, it immediately turned into a very sweet and thick scent. In the early stages, this didn't smell ecclesiastical to me at all. There was a chocolate-tobacco foodiness to it that reminded me of Dia de los Muertos. This works much better on me than Dia de los Muertos did, though. Very well-balanced, maybe because the florals cut through the sweetness.

 

After one hour of wearing, the resins start coming through and completely change the mood of this blend. The foodiness is gone, All Saints becomes much more solemn and closer to the description. Wood and incense.

Once it settles down, All Saints is a serious, spiritual scent, maybe a tad austere for me to wear on its own, but that should be stunning layered with a rose blend. I am currently wearing Black Cat on my other wrist and the combination of both is simply beautiful

[Finny]

Mmmm, incense. I love the incense smells.

 

Frankinsence, myrrh, and florals. On first applying it is warm and sweet, but after a short soapy stage, it settles down into a deep smokey floral. It is dark and mysterious, I love it.

 

This scent made me want to try it out in an oil burner. (bought one to try this )

 

It scents the house beautifully, the different aspects come out more. You can smell the smoke, the florals, the incense.

[Theravada]

Everyone has already said it, but I just wanted to pipe up and agree that All Saint's is a rich, incensy, slightly buttery floral.

 

I usaully consider myself a fan of incense blends, but I think I'm starting to lean away from frankincense. It's just a bit too much. And here, when it mixes with the florals, it just gives me a headache. This one is just too heavy and cloying for my tastes. I was baptized Russian Orthodox, and this really reminds me of the heavy incense that they burn in the censers at church. Which I've always hated.... Just a bit too ecclesiatical for me to handle.

 

But if you like florals and/or frankincense and don't have creepy Orthodox church associations, this would be a good one to try!

Edited January 17, 2005 by Theravada

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

An odd blend of spicy, smoky notes and the buttery-ness I remember from Harvest Moon

 

After Wearing It:

Wet this smelled incredibly buttery which wasn't what I was expecting from the description. Butter, a bit of smoke and dry leaves. The butter notes backed off once it was dry though, and the smokiness was kicked up several notches and some of the floral notes began to peek through. Didn't smell much myrrh, but I smelled lots frankincense which bummed me a bit as I'm not too wild about frankincense in large doses as it's a bit too dry for me. The floral notes that I could make out were the lily of the valley and the rose, which really had me thinking that All Saints would not be the scent for me as those are the two floral notes I hate the most. Disappointing because I wanted so much to like All Saints!

 

Very fortunately, the scent morphed again after an hour or so. The myrrh finall made an appearance and drove the dreadful rose and lily of the valley notes away, creating the most gorgeous incense blend I've ever been exposed to. Smoky, deep, & rich with just the right touch of sweetness. Utterly lovely, and this stage lingered for hours until it finally faded away.

 

Final Thoughts:

While the opening stages of this blend didn't appeal to me, my bottle of All Saints' is definitely a keeper! So glad to have it!

[phaedrine]

At first, the description didn't do anything for me, so I didn't order this one. Later, I decided that I was interested, and ended up getting a bottle for my birthday from Caitfish.

 

In the bottle, it's a smokey, resiny floral with that chill wind bit. It really does smell a bit like a chill wind, wafting through a church.

 

On my skin, it becomes a very unremarkable smoky floral.

 

However! This stuff is FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC as a room scent. It gives the perfect combination of floral/smokey/resin, wafting about my room and making me comfortable and relaxed. So beautiful.

[Witch's Dagger]

All Saints

 

Preconceived notions: incense, flowers... sounds good too me, but I hope it’s not too floral...

 

In the vial: I kid you not, this smells just like dishwashing detergent to me.

 

On me: Dish soap with the caramel gooey-ness of Samhain. The dish soap isn’t leaving, which means it’s somewhat tolerable. Why do I have such bad luck with Limited Edition scents??????????? (Okay, enough with the excessive punctuation).

 

Later: Okay, good, the caramel goo is gone, and now it’s dish soap with spices.

 

Later (less than 1/2 from applying - maybe even less than 15 min.): Fading quickly to watered down dish soap. I can tell it’s going to be nonexistent in 5 minutes from now.

 

Overall: Dish soap.

[diabolique]

i wouldn't have caught the dish soap comparison if i hadn't read vorona's review above mine.

 

i wasn't impressed with this on first sniff, it smelled like white flowers and something else very light. it morphs drastically within the first 20 seconds and i get whiffs of buttery, cinnamoned caramel.

 

now.. yep, vorona's right, cooking spices and dish soap. i don't think i'll keep this one around for very long. i love the initial stages where it smells like the dry leaves from hunter moon and the buttery spices of dia de los muertos, but i'm not digging this part of it.

[darkling]

Wet: All Saints' is an intermingling of buttery and spicy elements periodically interposed with something sharp and flowery/herbal.

 

Dry: There is still a slight edge of some buttery food but the scent is not predominantly resinous. It reminds me a bit of Cathedral but it is much lighter and more delicate.

 

This is an interesting scent but I can't see myself wearing it regularly and it is fading very quickly.

[fragrantgrasse]

On me, All Saint's meandered back and forth through many phases. With the absolute first inhalation I got in rapid succession: coffee-butter-spice.

 

What followed was a slower evolution into a rich floral AND deep plummy stage which was full of wistful old memories; through that and into a period of smelling something akin to damp stone.

 

Wait, there's more.... I loved the brief moment of ancient & polished wooden pews. The fact that it reminded me of my Catholic childhood, well

 

Then, just when I thought it had finally settled, I got a heavy dose of.....pencil shavings.

 

....weird and unrelated olfactory hallucinations!

 

I will cut to the chase on All Saints.... After a slow afternoon shuffle through the snow, during which time I kept catching tantalizing scent glimpes of it all warmed up and evolved.... I decided I was totally enamored at how enchanting & complex a scent it had become.

Give this one time. It completely changes. From pencil shavings to a worshipful celebration of venerable old saints!

Edited June 1, 2005 by Shollin

[Reinaluna]

All Saints, I find this one very resienous. I can smell the incense with just a little floral. This is very nice, a keeper.

[Muppetk]

Interesting.

 

In the bottle and initial on my skin: ick. There's a burnt peanut smell going on.

 

5 minutes later: Different! Transformed entirely! Reminds me of... LEx Talionis or maybe Rapture. Smells like "perfume" with a slight warm undertone.

 

5 min later: The "perfuminess" has faded slightly and the soft warmth underneath (I'm guessing the myrrh) is slightly more pronounced.

 

5 more minutes later: (No, I am not able to stop sniffing for more than 5 minutes at a time.) This is starting to smell very familiar. Maybe because I'm sniffing every 5 minutes? Maybe it smells like one of the local pagan-type stores? But it's nice. And once more the upper floral scent has taken the lead over thebase/myrrh scent.

 

5 min later: Now there's a slight spicy undertone. Very very interesting.

 

5 min later: morphed again. Now there's a pronounced rose scent.

 

45 min after initial sniff: Wow has this gotten pretty. Very rich!

 

Ok, I officially like this one. I'm not as in love with it as some other scents, but I like it very much!

[Shollin]

Thanks to Sheila for the decant!

 

First sniff: All Saints’ is much lighter than I expected, and very aquatic.

 

Wearing: The resin comes out more on my skin, but it smells more like spice than like incense. This is an intriguing scent. It kept shifting throughout the day, ending in a wonderfully warm enveloping resin. Very, very nice.

[cuervosueno]

I got this imp in swap. I remember wondering if I should buy it,. and though I like it, I guess I didn't need 5 ml., because it fades on me SO fast, though it is lovely while it lasts.

Starts as a powdery, slightly spicy floral. Complex and sweet, and even after reading what was in it, I couldn't pick out an individual notes. Not even the frankincense and myrrh. though as it fades there is a bit of resin there. It fades to sweet powder on me.

Nice, but not long lived.

[wickedgoddess]

Origins - decanted imp, received in a swap.

 

Wet - it smells pretty and somewhat sweet, almost buttery, but I don't get any notes in particular.

 

Dry - First the frankinscense comes out. It smells nice but rather perfumey. Much later I finally get a bit of the floral tones. There's a bit of incensey smell to this, but mostly it smells like a typical perfume. Nice but excepting that initial waft at the beginning, nothing extraordinary.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 2.

[Chirp]

In the Bottle: A heavy, buttery note mixed with incense... the frankincense and myrhh are definitely noticable and lend a dry autumnal spice to the blend. The florals lurk in the background for the moment, but I can detect the mild soapy scent of lilies.

 

Wet: The soapy florals sweep forward in this stage, conquering all. (My boyfriend actually yelled "smells like crappy soap" from the other room.) The buttery note deepens and takes on a nutty quality. The delicate, spicy incense, reminiscent of fallen leaves, continues to float above the other notes in this blend.

 

Dry: The gardenia and rose have tumbled into the spotlight, causing the florals to lose their soapiness and become surprisingly sweet. While the scent of incense continues to waft from my skin, it has lost much of it's initial spicy quality. When dry, the resin notes are drier and more fragile than ever... an interesting counterpoint to the suddenly lush florals. The clean, smooth scent of wood lies beneath the mix, grounding the blend.

 

Overall this is a lovely scent, but my boyfriend can't seem to stand it, and the sweeter florals that come forth in the dry down eventually get to be a little much for me. Thus, I will be sending All Saints off to a home where it will receive the love it deserves!