Khephra

[clover]

Hail unto thee who art Khephra in Thy hiding, even unto Thee who art Khephra in Thy silence, who travellest over the heavens in Thy bark at the Midnight Hour of the Sun.
Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening.

Upon first application: Very smooth, and calming. Slightly sweet. And vaguely herby. For some reason I'm thinking it smells like mallow - although that's strange becuase I'm not sure if I've ever smelled mallow before. Huh. Nevertheless, mallow is the impressions I get. An maybe chamomile??

After a few minutes: Stays pretty true...herby sweet with a background of resiny incense. And just the slightest floral...although I can't tell what floral it is.

Conclusion: This is very calming, and generally speaking I don't get along with calm scents. They make me nervous! But it works perfectly in the set, as the Midnight Sun.

[Astburygrrl]

In the bottle: Very deep and bright w/ resins and has an herbal kick to it

On the skin: Still very deep resins as topnotes..middlenotes are a spicy, sensual mix of myrrh & amber, perhaps a bit of lavender too.

Afterhours: This is going to sound crazy..but I can smell sun-ripened tomatos & a slight note of black olives. Its not enough to make me not like it though..its a very complex oil..definitely the most complex i've smelled to date.

This would be a really nice scent for a guy, too

[pekeana]

In the vial, Khephra is a blend of resins [frankincense and amber?], lavender, and a touch of cinnamon.

 

On me, it's nothing but baby powder, and the longer it sticks around, the stronger it gets.

[Nadirah]

At first when I put it on I smelled cloves, maybe some cinnamon. It morfs Like said above flower chamomile or carnations. It is almost creamy, the clove is still there, it came on strong but is now settling in the darkness. I really like this, its long lasting too. Frankincense and amber or something that gives it that texture. Really beautiful. Hopefully I'm not saying this too soon but it may just be my favorite of the Stations of the Sun 4. There is a note that I just can't place, it gives it a masculine feel while being nurturing. Definatley unisex. Very beautiful.

Wonderful.

[Theravada]

Khephra is my favorite of the four sun scents!

 

This IS a slightly masculine spiced resin scent with a subtle floral note. If I had to guess the notes I would agree that there is a slight lavander note, warmed by cinnamon and perhaps a bit of pepper, and a dusty resin that could be myrrh or amber. It's strong, smokey, warm and just sweet enough to make it comforting.

 

These are some of my favorite notes and Beth has done a wonderful job with this blend. I might try it at bedtime as an alternative to Somnus when I feel like snuggling up to something a bit deeper and warmer.

[LiberAmoris]

Like other reviewers, In Khephra I also smell frankincense and something herbal like lavender or chamomile. I also detect the spice, but it burns off quickly on my skin, less than a minute or so. I'm left with a warm, aura-ish frankincense, deepened with the herbal notes which give tension to the smooth resiny undertone.

 

There's something dark at the edges of the blend which makes it perfect for the Midnight Sun. There is the feeling that the warmth has been over-extended. Like Aureus, this is a blend that imparts a near glow to my skin and makes me feel cosy and warm. Definitely a keeper.

Edited November 28, 2004 by LiberAmoris

[nephthys_lvx]

Looks like I'm the first to review this one... In the bottle, I smell olive and something else, maybe wine. Very deceptive. On my skin, it smells like cinnamon with something floral underneath. In the diffuser, I smell storax with another floral scent underneath. This is a very complex scent, and it's hard for me to pick out the individual floral notes. But I think it will be a keeper, especially as a room scent.

 

EDIT: Merged with existing review thread. --Shollin

[Scylla]

To me this smelled a lot like Black Cat at first--there must be some similar herbs in here. I can see how it could be taken as a dark scent. I think I can smell some amber, but it doesn't smell as bad as amber usually does on me!

 

This is a darkly exotic scent. I think it's perfect for a scent named after the midnight sun!

[UltraViolet]

This is nicer than I expected. I love Ra The Rising Sun and didn't think the other stations of the sun would hold a candle to that but Khephra is also very nice.

 

5 minutes

As mentioned above it smells vaguely like cinnamon on the top, nothing like Hamadryad though. Underneath I definitely smell a warming blend of amber and perhaps frankinsense. It has a sweet note and there may be a floral in the background as well but I can't place it. It's like Ra-The Rising son but a bit spicier and less "bright" but both of them are very calming.

 

20 minutes

It does get mildly powdery (which I love) the longer it stays on.

Thusfar it's got good staying power, there isn't a lot of "throw" to this which is too bad as I feel others would benefit from smelling this.

It's decidedly feminine to me and also it's not "too" anything in my opinion.

I'd say it's a light-medium scent.

 

Update: I am definitely getting herbal note now that is nice with this. It's very light but it's there.

Edited December 7, 2004 by UltraViolet

[Shollin]

First sniff: I’m having a very hard time figuring out how to describe Khephra. It’s… a big scent. I don’t mean strong, or overpowering… but it has a certain presence. I think the main note is amber, but it’s hard to be sure.

 

Wearing: Warm, deep, musky and almost dark. It’s still just defying any attempt to describe the actual scent. I can’t even put a colour to it, and usually that’s where my mind goes when it can’t figure out the notes. I know it reminds me of The Lion, and I know I like it, but that’s all I can pin down.

[Nepthys]

A bright, strident gold scent, heavy on resins (especially amber) and a bit of cinnamon. There's something that tugs it in a sharp herbal direction as it dries down on me, and it dulls and flattens after about half an hour. But initially it's gorgeous.

[TheDarkMother]

This was another freebie from the Lab that I was really looking forward to trying!

 

In the Bottle: Cinnamon! I love cinnamon. There's something else there as well but I just can't place it yet.

 

On Me: Hmmm...the cinnamon is much more subdued by patchouli, I think. Yeah, I think that's patchouli. And...damnit, I didn't unstop the imp, the plastic top came off. Now that's a first. I better get some tape to plug up this bottle or else its going to be all over the place. That was dumb of me.

 

Some of the cinnamon is now starting to come through, but I'm still getting this overpowering scent of patchouli. Its nice, I'm not too terribly fond of this much patchouli though. It kinda reminds me of a stinky casavamelon. Blech. I'll use up the imp, but I don't think that there will be a big bottle of this for the future.

[omly]

I smell like one of the three wise man's gifts, but I am not sure which one. This is very resiny, which I am not a huge fan of. I think that there is either myrrh or frankinsence in here, though I am leaning towards frankinsence. This is a powdery scent, which I sometimes like. I am not such a fan of resiny scents enough to wear this one though.

[rhubarbbear]

let's see here. kephra: deep, dark, resiny. i don't get the cinnamon, which is unusual, as my skin LOVES cinnamon, but there you go. this scent is also herbal, maybe some lavender? its a rich, black plum purple- a very still night, with the world hanging breathlessly. i think this would be a good bedtime blend.

[reina]

there's spice in this, and resins, and maybe some herbs but by god I can't place any of them. it's like nothing I've ever smelled before. Very Unique. I know this review isn't very useful, but that was my two scents. I'll have to wear it again to see exactly what gives.

[Will]

Got this in a swap from Omly. I really like this one.

As others have said, overall this is an exotic, warm, dark scent. Interesting that a couple folks thought it feminine, since it reminds me a bit of some men's spice scents, although the resins make it more "magikal" than cologney in my mind. I imagine using this with a carrier as a candle anointing oil for ritual or as a consecration oil. Not that I won't wear it, but this impresses me with its energy as well as its scent.

 

In the bottle: Spice and resin - dark and sharp, but there is an undefinable sweetness in the background.

 

Initially on my skin: Spices and incensey resin, but there is also an herbal sweetness behind it. Not sure it is purely floral; I am not great with single notes. Could it be vanilla or tonka as well?

 

Drydown: The floral and sweet notes linger longest after the sharpness of the spices fade.

 

In my mind I see a brazier at midnight, a gathering of mages and mystics, candlelight and starlight on the night of the new moon. This is lovely. . .

[Julilla Regina]

The first thing I got out of this was clove. Bright, sweet/sharp clove, and then a darker underscent, almost frankincense'y. It later went powdery, so I suspect amber as the culprit...*sniff*. Before the amber(?) went to powder, this had a nice blend of dark and bright. For someone who can carry amber well, this would be an interesting choice because of the clove element. It's really interesting, and I can't think of anything that this smells like commercially. I've no doubt this will be someone's second skin scent.

[diabolique]

this wasn't as dark as i expected it to be and i definitely didn't get a dusky color out of this one. something in this went sharp and powdery on my skin (i'm glad i'm not the only person reporting this so i know my skin chemistry isn't THAT wonky) and it was a bit sweeter than ra and ahathoor, but definitely not as sweet as tum. i had a lot of difficulty picking out the individual notes.

[Witch's Dagger]

Khephra

 

This was a freebie from the lab. Thanks!

 

Preconceived notions: Out of all the Stations of the Sun, this was the one I was most looking forward to, for I am a woman of the night.

 

In the vial: Spices - allspice and nutmeg seem most prominent. This worries me - I detest allspice (though, oddly, I adore nutmeg).

 

On me: No, actually, I don’t think that’s allspice - it’s not actually causing the reaction allspice normally does. So, it must be cinnamon and nutmeg. I can see why it’s the Midnight Sun, too - not that it’s dark, but there’s a kind of soft peacefulness around it. It’s not quite glaring, despite all the spice.

 

In a few minutes: I think there’s something hiding in the background of this one that reminds me vaguely of Hunter Moon - a floral, aquatic, or fruit element, or perhaps a musk - something soft and gentle, that’s too shy to actually say what it is. Also, the scent on my actual wrist is extremely dark. I’m thinking now we’re talking about cloves and maybe some cumin. I haven’t smelled Eclipse yet, but the smell I’m getting is what I’d think of for an eclipse - it’s got the force of the sun, filtered through something dark (I know - that’s not actually what an eclipse is, but it is what an eclipse looks like to a viewer). I’d call it a burnt brown color with golden edges.

 

Later: No change. And it’s still pretty strong. But - ooh! I know what that background scent is - I think it might be almond. I was writing down my signature scents for various moods, and I realized that this reminds me somewhat of Hecate. It’s got a kind of burnt almond flavor, way in the back.

 

Later: Okay, it has definitely morphed from the original scent. Now the almond (ha! I was right, at least on my skin!) has definitely moved up to the foreground, with the spices supporting it nicely. It *is* the bitter almond from Hecate, not the sweet almond in some of the other scents. This gives it a kind of burnt flavor, which fits in well with the solar series.

 

Overall: A bright and strong cinnamon/nutmeg gradually morphs through a clovy-cumin stage into a burnt, dry, spicy almond. I love it, but I’m not sure when I’d wear it, since it is so very unique.

[phaedrine]

Khephra, oh my beloved Khephra...

 

I loved Ra so much that I bought all of the other Stations of the Sun unsniffed. I'm glad I did, for I adore all of them, for different reasons.

 

Khephra is warm, sweet and spicy. It hardly changes at all from the bottle to dry down to hours later. It's always that warm, sweet glow. Similar to the Lion, yet utterly different. I don't get any of the floral or fruity notes that others have mentioned, just lots of resins and spices.

 

The colors this makes me think of are a deep, rich burgundy, edged in gold.

[darkling]

Khephra smelled rather dull and watery on me although it was very sweet. I think of Khephra as a muted version of Ahathoor. It had the same sweet clove incense smell but it was not at all intense.

 

Kephra faded very quickly and left nothing behind.

[sarahjay]

I tried this last night after my bath & before bed. YUM - warm, spicy, herbal - does it have myrrh in? myrrh loves me......

 

I liked it so much & it did feel calming, but warm - I decided to apply some of Lush's potion body lotion and the two together was just wonderful. they did not smell the same, but complimentary.

 

I really, really want a set of the stations of the sun....

 

edit - 3 march - I'm still loving this & using it at bedtime as I find it very calming. I have ordered a solar collection today

Edited March 3, 2005 by sarahjay

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Warm spicy resins.

 

After 10 minutes- This smells like Egyptian temple incense. I smell a beautiful blend of Frankincense, Myrrh, Amber, clove, nutmeg and something very herbal. Wow. This is really nice and calming.

 

After 30 minutes- I love this! As it dries it smells very similar to how Eclipse smells as it fades. There must be heliotrope in this too. I also pick up something sweet and vanilla like. Maybe tonka?

 

Summery- Khephra was a fantastic surprise! I bought the imp randomly, not expecting to really like it. I need a big bottle for sure!

[Pixie-elf]

In the Vial - Dry. It smells dry and spicy.

 

Wet - Spicy and Herby, I think I can smell amber, maybe, and some incense... Maybe some sage, but I'm not sure.

 

Dry - Clove and maybe Carnations? It's spicy, with a tiny bit of sweetness, and herbs. Maybe sage. It's kinda masculine... The carnations aren't very strong at all though.

 

Conclusion: Not for me, but it's dry enough to be part of the Sun. It's spicy, and herby, but just not something that screams Me! I'm swapping it.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: very light and dry. maybe a bit spicy.

on: warm, but not spicy. i may smell some anise. i also think there are some mosses or flowers.

2 hours later: still warm. almost sharp, but not quite. floral, but herbal. not a "sunny" scent at all, more of a dark, warm scent.

overall: this is very nice. i'm not sure i would ever get a bottle, but i'll definitely like using up the imp.