Amicitia

[Ina Garten Davita]

“We’ll be friends forever, won’t we, Pooh?” asked Piglet.

“Even longer,” Pooh answered.

A tribute to true friendship, and love that transcends distance and time: white sage and chaparral with sweet cedar, caramelized honey, warm fig, and carnation blossoms.

I ordered an imp of this purely because of the Pooh quote because fig doesn't smell good on my skin (though I love it) and honey doesn't always work. So I figured together it would be a disaster. Well, wrong again. Came away with a bottle and may need a backup.

Whenever I think of the perfect sage and cedar spa scent, this is what comes to mind. It's more warm than green. Centering, comforting. Very present. This is a beautiful scent that goes so well with the Pooh quote, it makes me teary as I sit here and contemplate it. The fig and carmelized honey lend such a golden glow of warmth without adding a foody quality. I can't stop sniffing it.

This needs to be a room spray and a candle and a bath oil!!!

[biocarolyn]

This is really beautiful. The sage note has something else that smells like the Southern California desert behind it... Maybe the chaparral? After that I get honey and fig. The carnation was more present in the bottle than this is on my wrist. I think calling it a spa blend was right on target. It's just gentle and loving and grounding in mood... I really like this. Very different from anything else in my collection.

 

ETA: the later dry down in very heavy on the honey and fig. The rest of the notes eventually fade behind these, keeping it from getting too sweet, or from allowing it to feel foody. Instead it's a warm golden glow.

Edited October 22, 2014 by biocarolyn

[ClockworkMoM]

Amicitia starts out very sharp and green. I wonder if aging will lessen the length of that stage. Once dry, it settles into a lovely cedar and honey blend on me. The fig is definitely there, but light- just enough to provide depth. I do not get any distinct carnation or floral. (But, I am fine with that!)

 

Peaceful and sweet without being sticky sweet. There is also a slight smokiness which lingers and helps to keep the blend soft and very wearable. I definitely like Amicitia!

[brilliantcat]

The sage and cedar blend so well together, it's such a calming, lovely scent and not at all what I was expecting when I read the notes! I get maaaaybe a hint of sweetness from the fig and a tiny little bit of spice from the carnation, but by and large, this is all about the sage and cedar. I don't think I need a bottle but I will definitely keep and use my decant on those days when I need some peace.

[Lycanthrope]

On my skin at least, this starts off a bit sage-y (chaparral), and then veers right into a very pretty Hetairae variant. It turns into a lightly spiced carnation fig in the drydown, hints of the reddish Spanish Carnation note keep wafting up to me. It's very good, and at least for me this is a very 'fall' type of fragrance. Surprisingly, I am not amping honey or caramel (both of which can be problems). The honey is light, and not at all overpowering.

 

I will nab a backup or two.

[zankoku_zen]

For me, carnation always ends up smelling peppery, and I think that I may also amp up that note. I wrote down that it smelled like a peppery resin. And I feel like it was carnation and sage, with hints of both fig and honey over a cedar base.

 

It was both somber and pretty, a sort of remembrance of happy days that are long gone except in memory.

[Lethran]

n bottle: This is lovely and more delicate than I expected. White sage and what I’m guessing is chaparral are strongest, with the cedar and carnations providing a striking accent. The honey and fig sweeten and soften it. As one of my favorite single note combinations is white sage and carnation, you can likely guess how much I like this. Wet: A bit chalkier on the skin. The chaparral really pops, with the cedar in strong support and sage softer. The honey and fig form the second strongest faction. I liked it better in the bottle, but it’s still interesting. Dry: Mostly sage on the dry down.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Sweetness, sage and cedar. The sage has a sharpness that's surprisingly pleasant.

 

Wet on skin: Hmmm...... rubbery and sharp.

 

Dried down: Still a little rubbery, though there's some minty sweetness there.

 

Throw: No throw on me, though at the moment, I'm ok with that.

 

Verdict: *** It's not bad, but this one just isn't doing anything for me. I may try it again later and wish I'd gotten a bottle, but I'm ok skipping this one for now.

[elbow]

Amicitia is my new best friend. It is just such an endearing scent, sweet without being cloying or sappy: Ernest Shepard's Winnie the Pooh, not Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh. It's so warmly well-rounded that I'm having trouble picking out notes... my wrist just smells like happiness.

 

This would be a lovely perfume for a little girl, but it isn't at all childish.

[theseagrows]

i am getting the white sage and chaparral at first, but it's softened a bit, probably by the honey. a couple minute later something a bit brighter comes out, maybe cedar and fig? for some reason the cedar is not turning to pencil shavings, yay! i get more and more fig, and this is a bright, green fig moreso than a sweet fig. and now i am getting something fruity and plummy which is turning plasticky. and no carnation whatsoever i think it ends up being a fruity, plasticky fig with white sage in the forefront, and it just smells so very odd on me, unfortunately.

[Ginspu]

There was a spicy note right off the top with this, which I suspect is the carnation, and then cedar soon after. For a while it was very green and spicy floral, like arrugula, but in a good way! That was the association my nose made, I swear, but I liked it. Now it's dried down and the cedar and sage have come out a little more, and the sharp spicy note has backed down. Pretty!

[alioth]

Amicitia starts out all about the sage for me, with a bit of something peppery that I think is the carnation. The cedar is there as a gentle backup--magical, because I often amp cedar to lumberjack-y levels--and as it dries the honey comes out to play, adding a creamy sweetness that plays excellently with the sage. Close up to my wrists it's a little sharper/spicier, but in the air it's a gentle sweet sage and honey with a hint of cedar. The honey is a very 'white' honey, almost beeswax-y. I never get anything that I could define as fig. There's something that's just very calming and gauzy and about this scent, almost a sense of purity.

[Jangzonrice]

In imp: sweetened sage and cedar

 

Will update when I get to try

[Alaeidrel]

Everything I get, straight out of the bottle, is honey and fig. There's maybe a little sage or cedar grounding it's sweetness but I can't find it. I amp honey and I love that this just smells like warm, sweet figs in the sun. So glad I got a bottle.

[hexnut]

In Vitro Sweet mild cedar.

skin test Two separate trials on my wrist, first on the day I received the bottle and then a few days later. The cedar was joined by a sweet floral note, and soon the cedar faded out to leave a very soft woody/herbal floral scent. Drying down, the individual notes became less distinct. During the second test it went through a phase of the dreaded plastic smell, but this passed after less than an hour. Many hours after application the scent remained very faint and skin-close but persistent. Sometimes I imagined I smelled white sage, and the cedar bobbed up again a few times.

scent locket A very soft but pretty floral with faint cedar and herbal tones, never strong but lasting a long time (almost 24 hours as of this writing).

room spray 1:1 mix with distilled water. A subtle but beautiful sweet herbal floral.

I chanced a blind purchase of this mainly for the chaparral and white sage, hoping that these two components would be prominent, but they are not. The remaining notes are proven winners for me in BPAL blends and if the overall result was stronger I would try for backups. As it is, Amicitia is an absolutely gorgeous blend and I want it to work so badly... but it's just too weak, and I can't justify the purchase of another bottle. However am glad that I bought this one, especially if it encourages Beth to use more chaparral and other California natives in the future.

[hammy]

In the bottle - This smells like my backyard right before a storm. That’s gotta be the chaparral at work.

 

Wet - Yes, that’s sage and chaparral. Oh, it’s just like being home. There’s even a hint of the old fig trees in the front yard! I hope the honey and carnation in this blend don’t make Amicitia morph out of my comfort zone. The cedar is coming out a bit now too, and thankfully everything else is behaving.

 

Drydown - I can’t pick out any one note. This scent is more than just the sum of its parts, and I adore it. For me, it’s the essence of central California riiiight before the first raindrop hits the ground. This is amazing and evocative and perfect. We just hit Top 10 territory.

 

Verdict - Beautifully executed blend. I almost cried because Amicitia was such a visceral reminder of childhood and home. It transported me through time and space, and isn't that the beauty of scent? I am going to track down every bottle I possibly can.

[Minh Scent]

This is so easy to wear, starting out with cedar and sage, as well as a light blend of fig and honey. The carnation came out after about 30 minutes. Six hours later, I am left with a soft, pleasant fig-scented honey. I am surprised the cedar took an exit, as I assumed it was a base note. So glad I have a bottle of this, as it is great scent to slather.

 

Edit after 1+ month. This is more beautiful than before, the carnation being stronger. The fig note is perfect, much softer and less sweet than in Strangler Fig or the Grave Pig.

Edited February 19, 2015 by Minh Scent

[milo]

Light, kind of sweet and a bit citrussy. Almost has a honey vibe after a bit, but fades pretty fast.

[cvelis]

A green mist rolling over soft summer sage fields with a hint of sweetness to keep the memories fresh. The throw is not huge, but definitely a comforting and meditative scent. One of my faves for sure! I've had this aging since I bought it last September from lab, and everything has deepened.

[Blood onmy hands]

A soft, lightly sweet, warm, woody fragrance. Woody cedar and fig, light hint of honey, and a green, herbal sage note. I expected this to be smoky with the sage and chaparral, but it's not. Doesn't last long or have great throw, and is mostly a lightly sweetened, woody scent.