Strength

[Nisaba]

This reminds me of One to Tie, Two to Win, except that Strength is a lot more, well, stronger scent. Richer, deeper, like fresh cut grass after the rain. There's a light floral in there as well, adding to the lush meadow feeling. This scent brings back many happy childhood memories of playing in the grass. I love it.

[dronzeka]

Hmmm. Reviewing these is so hard! My first impression is GREEN, so green it's almost minty - a very fresh, light, cool green. As it starts to dry, it gets a bit sweeter, but not really in a floral way - almost like there's a hint of lime? This is really very lovely - fresh and green and cool, a nice clean kind of scent without being remotely detergent-y. Very nice!

[JenM]

Okay, I don't get any green, or cocoa, or anything like that. I get Hot. As in the temperature. Hot, hot, hot, much more succesfully hot than Ra was. Ra was hot without anything to back it up, but this has depth, and a hint of spice (I suspect it's resins, as I can't disern frankincesnse or myrrh, both of which tend to amp on me), and WARMTH. I love it. And I only have half an imp *cries*

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Fresh, sparkling, citrus with dry woods.

 

Wet: The citrus is orangey - tangerine, maybe. On my skin this is slightly sweet, but still fresh and tart. Faint florals, perhaps? This sort of reminds me of Lovers Parodies. The wood note reminds me of cedar or sandalwood.

 

Dry: A green, spicy note has emerged - cardamom, is that you? It could also be a spicy floral, like carnation or dandelion And that along with slightly amped wood makes this scent verge towards masculine. The floral note could be lilies.

 

Summary: Light tangerine and soft lilies over faint dry woods and spicy greenery. A scent that both invigorates and soothes - truly amazing. Low throw and fades very quickly, though.

 

I do feel....strengthened. I feel solid, grounded - rare for me.

[agnusdei]

I've been hoping to try Strength for a while, I have a lot of personal associations with the card's interpretations & imagery, & I later found out that it's my 'year card' for 2008 - very fitting.

 

In the bottle & wet it smells like rolling hills full of sunshine & dandelions. Not as bitter & leafy as, say, One To Tie, Two To Win, but still green & fresh with a bit of milkiness. There's a slight herbal quality as well, & the background seems to be a lovely glowing amber. After a few minutes of wear the green dandelion scent fades & a citrus note emerges, possibly orange or tangerine? It's a very soft, warm orange-colored citrus, not at all sharp. I keep thinking there also may be an understated floral component, which makes me think that there is some orange blossom instead/as well? The amber that was in the background in the wet stage gains dominance the longer I wear it, & after a few hours Strength has become a gorgeous amber skin scent, rich & golden with a gentle resinous spice & a hint of that pillowy orange citrus. This is the kind of scent I would go to if I wanted to feel comforted, empowered, & to draw on inner stability. It feels regal, but in an unassuming kind of way - I think it embodies its card well & I'm very fond of it.

Edited July 6, 2008 by agnusdei

[suki]

Strength is definitely one of my personally favorite cards, so I've been very anxious to get to try it. That said, here we go:

 

in the bottle: I'm certainly getting that "green" note some other folks mentioned. It's not mint to me, or even grass. It's more like...moss. Moss in a sun-dappled forest. In Autumn, after the air is cooled from a hot summer.

 

wet on skin: that wonderful green remains. there's a slight tang present now, as if i'm eating a very tart green apple while sitting on some moss in that forest. but it's not foodie, just very "green".

 

dry down: as with all the Tarot oils i've tried, this one morphs pretty dramatically once dry down is complete. the green is replaced with a sweet, but subtle resin. sort of like amber, but not like the BPAL amber i've smelled before, more like a natural from-the-tree sort of amber. definitely a "skin" scent- little throw, but very "warm" without being musky at all.

 

in all: all the various aspects of sunshine in a bottle form, this isn't the intense "orange" i got from the Tarot:Sun oil. it really does read like the Strength a person gets from being in touch with our brightest star, and all the strength that implies. totally unusual, and a total keeper.

 

 

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: This smells deep, in the sense of a hole maybe. It's green too, something like a tree, and there's something almost nutty underneath. It makes me think of something very organic, like a huge tree with deep roots in dark soil.

 

Wet: An aquatic note and a floral, a fleshy white flower similar to jasmine. Maybe night-blooming jasmine?

 

Twenty minutes: Aquatic still, and mossy, and I still get the impression of a flower. There's also a tinge of vanilla, maybe?

 

Three hours: This has mellowed quite a lot. It still has a green tone, but there's also floral and vanilla. I like this more than I expected I would.

[zankoku_zen]

Strength on me was a very bright, very floral blend. And it must have a trace of jasmine, because I could definitely smell that on the drydown. I think there also might be lilies in there.

 

To me this was a giant bouquet of sunny flowers.

[stellans]

This card, and the Empress, are my cards of the whole Major Arcana. And luckily for me, the BPAL interpretations of each works on my skin as well. Today, I'm wearing (and reviewing!) Strength. The light golden color of the oil is pleasing to the eye, and foreshadows the loveliness of the scent within.

Lilies! I get lilies on first sniff, and though there is definitely a hint of resin at the back of this, lilies hold center court from beginning to end. Which is fine with me, especially in this blend, because lilies are my friends. Strength has good throw, as it doesn't take a lot to give me delightful wafts as my hands go about their normal business of the morning. It also seems to last quite a long while, as I first applied my first dabs about 3 hours ago and the scent is still making my nose happy. 4 of 5 stars for this lovely Tarot Oil.