Khephra

[luxuria]

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.

This reminds me a lot of a warm version of Somnus in the imp. I smell lavendar for sure, and some other herbs (I think?) but with some amber and other resins underneath.

On my skin, it's just frankincense and the ambery type fragrance with just a touch of the herbs. It's a warm scent but not bright. Nice, but not really my cup of tea. I might use this in an oil burner..and if I could make my own incense out of BPALs, I think this would make a fantastic one.

[isyche]

On me, Khephra is a dark, warm, smoky, resiny scent with some dry spices and herbs I can't make out. It's a black-and-gold/bronze-feeling smell, very appropriate for the midnight sun.

 

I like it, but I think I'd be more comfortable burning than wearing it – it has more of a ritual incense feel than a perfume feel.

[joseybird]

Powdery spices and resins...I can definately smell sandalwood and clove, and a touch of cinnamon...this is gorgeous--golden, "hot," slightly powdery...I would never have thought to try this, but it was a freebie imp from the lab. I want to try the other sun scents now!

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF - herbs, dill

 

WEARING IT - i don't know what it is with me and things smelling like pickles, but this scent does on me. all i can smell is the yuckiest dill ever. really wet dill and a mix of baby powder

 

VERDICT - disappointed 'cause i really thought i was going to like this one.

[yeahbutnobut]

Khephra

 

Unfortunately the imp of this leaked completely so this scent review is based on me rubbing it desperately on my wrist which is not the best thing to do!!! I have not heard of the 'Midnight Sun' in Egypt (isn't it too far south of the Arctic circle for such a thing to happen there? ) and for a scent named after a scarab god, I was slightly worried it would smell reminiscent of dung lol but of course, it smells far more pleasant! On to the review!

 

This is very interesting. It's a very heavy, deep, sweet, rich, dark and mysterious scent. The dark and warm aura of this scent does seem to evoke a warm Egyptian night or the contrasting aspects of the sun and the darkest hour of night. Very exotic, I can just imagine a luxuriously furnished tent in an Egyptian bazaar filled with magical potions and perfumes, or the boudoir of an Egyptian sorceress! This has an old fashioned, grandiose air about it, sort of reminiscent of a perfume that I smelt on someone else. To be honest this perfume may be suited to someone older than me and may be too heavy for me, (but that's probably due to me slathering the remains on my wrist in desperation as opposed to lightly dabbing the imp wand as I was hoping to do!) but I think this would be nice as a room scent. I can't really pick out any individual notes but I think I can detect dark Egyptian musk (I think), some woody notes (sandalwood perhaps?) and definitely some dark amber. I hope to get an intact imp of this next time to do a more in depth and detailed review. As a fan of ancient Egypt, I would like another imp of this, maybe not a big bottle but an imp, either as a sophisticated evening scent or a room fragrance.

 

Edit: after 2 hours, a mellower, softer, dark amber remains on my skin, which is very nice.

Edited April 18, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Frankincense, something resin, something herbal.

 

Wearing: The frankincense and amber (and possibly myrrh, too) ceate this dark, spicy backdrop around me. There is a little something sharply herbal (lavender? chamomile? both worthy suggestions) to keep that backdrop from being sleepy or oppressive. As it dries, it becomes sweet, but it still has the slightest sharp edge.

 

Final Impressions: Fascinating. It isn't a favorite, but I am very interested in getting to know this scent better.

[wolfie13]

In the vial I get frankincense, lavender, and maybe chamomile, with a vague sense of something herby or spicy lurking in the background.

 

Upon application: Keeps the orginal notes but a darker layer appears over the top- it gets a smoky quality and essences of myrrh and some herb or herbs - bay leaf?

 

At first the smoky/herb thing is really overwhelming - I don't like it much. After an hour or so it mellows out and everything blends together more uniformly.

 

I got Ahathoor with this too and I can really see the progression - I'm sure some of the ingredients are the same, with the differing ones b/w the two marking the difference b/w bright mid-day sun and dusky midnight sun. Both VERY evocative.

 

However, while I appreciate them both, I actually find myself much more drawn to Ahathoor which I would not have thought at all, based on what each represents and the reviews I had read of both oils.

 

So while I'm actually contemplating a big bottle of Ahathoor, i'm contemplating

swapping Khephra.

Edited April 26, 2005 by wolfie13

[Northernminx]

Lots of incensey resin and spice to this, dark and warm and bright without being "sunny yellow." As this dried down I got a lot of amber and then clove. This was a little too incensey for keeping but it was fun to try.

[wickedgoddess]

Origin - imp received in a swap

 

Wet - a pungent spiciness that is similar to Ahathoor.

 

Dry - oh no, this is that baby powder and dirty diaper scent I got from Haunted. I smell something herbal trying to break through, but the amber is overpowering it. The reviews sounded great, but this obviously isn't going to work on me.

 

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

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Nutmeg and resin

 

First on: Nutmeg and resin with a slight floral note and a touch of cardamon.

 

After a bit: This is very warm and dry, the nutmeg is still there but everything else has melded into a light dusty note, like dry sand.

 

A bit more: This is a very close to the skin scent on me, like sand baking in the sun.

 

Edited to add: After a few hours this did the same thing Debauchery did on me, turned into a pungent floral powdery scent that made me physically ill.

Edited May 19, 2005 by Spastik_Kitty

[shelldoo]

in the imp dark spiciness

 

on it smells like burning wood chips. the smell of just starting a campfire w/ kindling. as it dries i get a touch of coffee like smell, not sure what could cause that, there is also that spicey lurkiness hanging out, this one is drak, and yet comforting. i love it

[Barb25]

This is a deep, calming scent. There's a little floral too it, but it's more incensy/resiny. It is quite warming - this would be a great scent to wear on a chilly evening, cuddling up with a book in front of the fireplace. After a while it did go a little powdery, and a little more herbally on me, but still nice. It's not as strong as I would like.

[etherealchild]

In The Bottle olives, tomatoes, and something sweet.

 

Wet cypress, resin, olives...... ehhhhh. I don't really like this one. I smell very woodsy. Yuck.

 

Drydown olives, sap, cypress/woods, and something slightly sweet...... vanilla maybe? It's not quite so resiny anymore.

 

2 Hours Later It got powdery and fainty. Olives and baby powder. lol. Never would have come up with this smell on my own.

 

Verdict No thank you.

[VelvetSky]

I received Khephra from the beautiful and generous clover...I'm so grateful that she gifted me with a sample of this perfume!

 

This smells of sweet cinnamon incense with a wee spike of clove. I can definitely get the 'Sun' association (how does Beth do it??). It's pretty spicy and smokey until the final dryout, when it smooths out to a clean, soapy, dry scent.

 

I will have to wear this a bit more to really understand it. Khephra seems more like a ritual oil than a body scent, but I think it's growing on me....

[Eros]

This one is a bit hard to describe...

 

In the imp and for the first couple of minutes, sharp lavender...Quickly goes to spicy herbal w/a hint of sweetness...Myrrh & Frankincense maybe?

Also picking up a creamy, woodsy cedar, very yummy! After about 15+ minutes I can feel a minty tingle...but no...its cinnamon. A very light, warm cinnamon. As more time goes by, the cinnamon is still there but it's really soft. Overall this is a soft, warm & creamy incense w/a touch of sweetness scent. At least, on me it is.

I think this would make for a perfect ritual oil, as well.

Lovely.

[nineveh]

In the imp, this smells spicy and incensy, which is what I had hoped for.

 

When it's on my skin, however, it acquires an odd, oily, medicinal smell, sort of like olive oil. This is only temporary, thankfully. Once it starts to dry, it goes right back to being spicy incense.

 

Maybe there's frankincense in here, and clove. Whatever it is, it's dark and sweet and wonderful.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Hmm. I'm not sure what to make of this.

 

Just On: It's got a little spice to it, and seems pretty fresh. Maybe some sweetness peeking out of it.

 

An hour or two later: This is a sweet spicy scent, very light and airy.

 

Around 6 hours: Yum, light spices, a bit of sweetness, and beautifully airy.

 

12 hours: The last bit of sweet spices is still here.

 

Overall: This is a beautiful scent. It's the second of the Stations I've tried, and I'm impressed with both. I'm trying the others tomorrow.

 

After reading other reviews: Hmm, amber, and other yummy stuff. I can smell those. This is an excellent scent, and very evocative of it's name.

[Reinaluna]

Khephra: When I first sniff this blend I get something vinagary like Olive juice or something. Then the resins and spices start to make their way through. After 10 min or so it starts to get sweet and something like cinnamon starts to show. This blend is kind of interesting. Maybe a bottle maybe not I dont know yet.

 

Wearing this again today I can smell frankinsence and myrrh, I dont know if that is really what it is of course but it is very nice.

Edited July 10, 2005 by Reinaluna

[Ajila]

Wet on me this was a rich, creamy cedar. As it dried it became sweeter and more herby. At times I could have sworn that I smelt coffee, but I think it was more imagined than real. This was a very soothing scent on me, I think I may try this as bed time blend.

[girlmadasbirds]

hmm..this one's spicy and herbal...

it smells warm and calming...i can see why others have mentioned trying this one at bedtime.

[Thorne]

This was sharply scented chamomile and herbs when wet, but thankfully mellowed quickly into a warm, spice-spiked blend. I can pick out the frankincense pretty strongly, but there's other stuff in there too, something sweeter - clove, I think, and maybe some cinnamon. It didn't last as long as I thought it would on my skin, either.

 

It's a very exotic, heated scent - like the hot sand in the desert just after the sun sets.

 

I agree with those who said it has a very ritual feel. I am uncomfortable wearing this as a perfume only.

[Lycanthrope]

I don't know about this one. It's either the notes not agreeing with me, or the fact that I don't associate myself as a 'sun' person... it's just not my personality.

 

In the Bottle or Imp:

Faint light floral notes with a hint of frankincense. It's a sparkly, yellow wildflower fragrance.

Wet, on Skin:

Benzoin? I smell more sweet resins, and sweet woods, playing base to chamomile and maybe a hint of jasmine.

Drying/Drydown:

Sweet incense, with vanilla and guiaicwood.

Over Time/Longterm:

Fades fast. Gone in an hour.

Final Verdict?

Short staying time, and too light for my tastes. But, may be useful for brighter days out on the town.

[tinyvulture]

a dark blend – truly a great representation of midnight. it’s herbal – it smells kind of like root beer or licorice – but with a resinous frankincense base. it becomes sweet and powdery as it dries. i think it has a cooling effect, although most of the reviewers find it warm.

[donsixgun]

This was a very calming, herbal scent. I tried it via my sweetie's imp, and I really did like it. I need to get my hands on it again, and wear it for more than just a few minutes.

[Lori]

Sniffing the imp, this is very herbal and green!

 

However, as soon as it hits my skin it becomes very spicy smelling…like clove and cinnamon (or nutmeg?). There is also some lavender and maybe bergamot, as I am getting a bit of a lemony scent and bergamot does that to me.

 

As it dries, there is also the powdery smell that comes from some roses. I don’t have a nose for picking out scents yet, so I am probably way off, here...lol. Others have mentioned the spiciness, but I am not smelling myrrh or frankincense, as they do.

 

Some of us may not be so olfactory, but being visual, I can definitely see this as a setting sun, because of the colours invoked…the spicy oranges and golds, along with the pink and lavender. I am also extremely kinaesthetic and this feels nice and warm, like being enveloped in a blanket. Very nice, but I am not sure if it is for me, as I don’t carry off spicy scents on my skin well, and also don’t tend to burn them. But I am sure there are lots of people who would love to swap for this one. Thank you to the Lab for the free imp to try out!

 

*hee...edited to add that this has dried down to cinnamon baby powder on me. Definitely a grown up powdered baby! I am still not sure if it is for me, but I can't stop sniffing it...heheh*

Edited August 29, 2005 by Lori