Aureus

[k00kaburra]

True, perfect golden light, refined into an incomparably glorious scent.

In bottle: Smells like a special, hallowed place or thing. If I were to stand before a wooden cross, or hold a wooden box that contains some sort of relic, I would expect it to smell of Aureus.

On me: There's a very strong wood note that further reminds me of the wooden beams of the church I grew up by. I could never use this as a personal fragrance, but it would be a great fragrance to make my home feel like the sanctuary that it is.)

[TrayLynn]

This one just smells like fresh cut wood on me. Not a bad scent but not something I really want to smell like. I can't find one of the resiny scents that work on me, I just end up smelling like Cedar.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Glossy and golden. Aureus is polished woods rather then raw and unburned incense rather than wafting smoke. A clean smell for something so warm.

 

Second Impression: Aureus seems to be a marriage of Cathedral and Anne Bonny. Deeper and longer lasting than either of them.

 

Final Analysis: This seems to be an answer to the problem of the lack of staying power of the lovely Anne Bonny and Cathedral. Well done.

[pkwench]

Aureus

 

Vial: Warm and woody. It smells like black amber and sandalwood or cedar to me.

 

Wet: It instantly gets more woody and more resiny. Definately cedar and it's NICE.

 

After 10: This is just gorgeous. It's the perfect wood scent. It's so clean and golden. It smells so costly and refined.

 

After 20: It's still perfect. It reminds me a lot of the sandalwood blend from Dragonfly Blue. It's truly lovely!

 

And now, after a bit, the amber is peeking back though. I love this scent and want a big bottle of it. It's such a comforting and warm smell. It's sunlight, it's fresh, and it's clean in a very natural and wooden way.

 

Edited September 14, 2004 by pkwench

[NoirRosaleen]

Aureus reminds me of Cathedral too, but in a less resiny, sharp sort of way. I actually traded Cathedral because it was so similar to Aureus, and Aureus blends much better into my skin - a very warm scent, much more unobtrusive than Cathedral, and mostly consisting of amber, I think. It*s hard for me to pick out specific notes, usually, but that one I did get. Not sure if I*ll hang onto it, since I*m not madly in love with it and there*s so much more to try, but...for now it*s nice.

 

Kethry

[tigerlust]

This is my first review,so bear with me; only because it's hard for my nose to detect distictive scents; but here goes:

 

Out of the bottle it smells wonderful, intreaging; but then ALL of these wonderful oils do.

 

On me first I smell cocoanut!, ever so lightly, but blends well with a kind of smokey, light resiney air.

 

Dry down: I still smell the cocoanut, but with a fresh powdery smell.

 

I am lovin' this one!! My only regret is; like so many; it doesn't last long enough on me for me to enjoy !

 

That's o.k. I love reapplying!! It gives me a new wonderful attitude, no matter what disturbances might intrude!!

 

This is my first sample of my 2nd order of 12 imps (with many generous additions ), so I can hardly wait for a new day to endulge in another decadance!!

 

I might just have to get more of this!!

Edited September 24, 2004 by tigerlust

[glampyre]

Aureus.

 

A friend gave me a bottle of sandalwood oil as a birthday present several years ago, and I used it as a calming aromatherapy during late nights studying in grad school. Aureus smells just like that. It's deep, sandalwoody, soothing, incensey, relaxing, meditative...I love it. I could wear this every day.

[TheDarkMother]

This was a freebie in my last order and wasn't on my wish list at all.

 

In the Bottle: I smell cedar, some amber, a musk perhaps. This is a little peppery than I thought from the description, a musty scent of sunlight cutting through the dusty air.

 

On Me: This reminds me of another oil that I had a long time ago for ritual. White sandalwood, cinnamon, I still think that maybe there is a touch of a white musk and some amber in here. Maybe a touch of vanilla as its sort of reminding me of a lighter version of my Chaos Theory.

 

Its a warm scent, a resonating scent, powerful, golden and glowing. At first I wondered from the smell of the bottle why thay would call this Aureus, but on me you can really tell. This is the smell of gold and everything that it signifies: regalness, power, welath, and a spiritual bond.

 

This is definately a big bottle. I'm slathering now!

[Azrhiaz]

I hardly know how to review this one.

 

I'll start by mentioning my experience with Baobhan Sidhe (which smells nothing like this, of course). I stated that I nearly cried when I smelled that, because it smelled like so many things that reminded me of my beloved grandfather-- his daily grapefruit, his tea, his candied ginger.

 

This? Smells like him, and within moments of putting it on I burst into tears. I have all his cedar furniture-- now it's my clothes in the armoire and the chest. He always put fresh cedar chips in there, to discourage moths, and so his clothes always smelled very strongly of cedar. But there's more here-- there's the faint catch of his old-fashioned shaving soap, too, and I swear I smell his skin. I keep expecting a hug.

 

Unk's been gone since 1985, when I was fifteen, but I smelled him again today. And for that...thank you, Beth. Thank you.

[byrdie]

Wet ~ Smokey and sweet, which seem to be merging into its own subtle form of spice. I wish I'd had pen and ink ready before I'd put this oil on, because I think its morphed significantly within a single minute.

 

Drying ~ Definitely a woodsmoke component here - somewhat resiny. As I love woodsmoke, I'm quite happy. Still has a sweet finish, though.

 

Dry ~ A sweet resin. I also like sweet scents. Bliss!

 

Final impression ~ If Barbie dolls could come alive and be sexy, they'd smell like this. The resin and the sweetness have blended almost perfectly, but there's just enough of that plastic scent to make me think, "baby dolls."

 

Verdict: I like it! I'm tempted to hunt down a copy of "Barbie Girl" and see if my hunch is right.

Edited December 24, 2004 by byrdie

[pekeana]

Hmm... I like this, but it's very heavy.

 

I get oak, sandalwood, cedar, and a touch of amber and incensy resin -- it smells very much like a nice, warm bonfire...

 

But it's so heavy.

 

It might layer well with something floral or boozy, though.

[sihaya09]

This is much, much heavier than I expected it to be. The cedar jumps out immediately, and is almost overwhelming. A few incensy/musky notes come out after some time. This smells like wooden cabinets or an old cabin with late afternoon sunlight lazily seeping in through a dusty window. I don't think it's a scent I'll wear on my skin, but it might work well as a room scent.

[Penance]

First sniff:

 

Mmm, earthy and resiny at the same time. I definitely smell patchouli in here which is wonderful since I love patchouli with a passion.

 

Wet on skin:

 

The earthiness drowns out the resin notes, leaving an almost pure patchouli smell that I absolutely adore. I love resins, too, but patchouli is my first love and the one that I pick over all other smells. This is fantastic.

 

Dry down:

 

Very earthy and musty. I don't smell any resin notes anymore, only patchouli. This is so wonderful. I never would have expected it to be so earthy from the description. To me, it's not golden, it's a dark, earthy brown, very grounded and calm smelling.

 

The bottom line:

 

An instant favorite. This is definitely going on the big bottle wishlist immediately!

[feline.by.design]

Seems like patchouli and cedar to me. When wet, is is very cedarish, which later dries out to be more like the patchouli in Virgo. Although I love Virgo, patchouli isn't really my thing when it's by itself or not lightened up by a brighter fragrance. The scent is very heavy and dark, reminiscent of the wooden beams of dank basements. I get none of the amber that others claim. Sandalwood? Nonexistant on my skin. As it is, Aureus is more suited to someone wanting to project a more masculine persona.

 

This doesn't really seem like a personification of 'golden light.' Maybe my dark personality has tainted the oil and transformed it to, say, damp wood or deep earth.

 

Aureus, as it's performed for my nose, isn't for me. It's a scent I don't really hate nor love, one I'll likely pass on to someone else during the holidays.

 

-doreen

[Scylla]

In the vial: smells like sandalwood incense

 

Wet, on my skin: sandalwood and something smokey and resiny. \

 

On drydown: Musky, and kinda powdery with sandalwood and amber (I think) peeking through. I am getting "a golden light" feel with this one on drydown. Or maybe I'm just impressionable!

[Ariella]

I got this in my most recent order and I've only worn it once, but it left such in impression that I couldn't wait to review it.

 

It seemed very sharp when I sniffed it out of the bottle, and I was a little wary about putting it on.

It totally changed almost as soon as it touched my skin (I'm growing to expect this). I immediately thought of wood and incense. Remeniscent of, but very different than a church smell. This was brighter, warmer, and as Shollin said in the first review, very much wood rather than stone.

It made me think of sneaking into an ancient, musty library. Just a few rays of sunlight penetrating in, illuminating scattered streaks of dust.

Something about this gave me a strong, settled yed adventurous (?) feeling, not at all cozy as warm scents usually do.

I like it very much. Grounding.

[Fyre_in_Winter]

Aureus is a very interesting blend, I'll give it that. It's a brother to Voodoo and Virgo, and is maybe Perversion's nephew. (Hmm, a BPAL scent family tree. A thought for another day) This review is pretty much going to end up a comparison chart.

 

In the vial this smells very similar to Virgo. A damp, herby/earthy smell. Wet on my skin I got the same whoosh of woodsmoke as I got from Umbra, Voodoo, and Virgo. That is usually a sound indicator of patchouli (on me). This woodsmoke was also slightly drier, as in Virgo, rather than the sweet woodsmoke from Voodoo. I don't find this necessarily unpleasant, I'm just not sure how much I like it, if that makes any sense.

 

That slowly lightens to reveal a very soft base note. I would describe it as equal parts the soft woods of Hamadryad and the smooth musk of Virgo (minus whatever component to Virgo that causes it to smell like Avon Rapture on me) mixed with the barest drop of the creamy note that Perversion has. I can definitely see where previous reviewers have gotten the sense of coconut. There might even be a hint in here. As time goes on the smoke is fading more and more and on the whole it is sweetening up a bit.

 

I'm going to have to sit down with Voodoo on one arm and Aureus on the other and ouright compare. Not only to see the difference, but also which one I like better, as I needs only keep one in my scent chest.

[rhubarbbear]

this is a very wood-y scent, as others have mentioned. i don't get sandalwood from it, but boy is that cedar wood alright! cedar and patchouli are the dominant notes on me. cedar reminds me of hamsters, and the lovely old chest i use to store woolens (an odd combination, i know!). aureus does have a kind of sunlight attic scent to it for this reason...it brings up images of childrens things, stored away, and pulled out from time to time to remember.

 

if you like warm, wood scents, this one is a winner!

[Northernminx]

I expected this to be a lot sweeter than it was. Warm and glowing, certainly, but in the way of wood and incense. This reminds me of an old book store I was in during a New Orleans summer, slightly dusty, lots of warm cedar smells and sun slanting through the windows. It is definitly warm, but a little too earthy for me. Off to swaps.

[gdogs]

oh, heaven!

 

i received aureus in a swap this week and do i ever like it!!!

 

this is a wonderful mixture of sandlewood and cedar. beautiful, sweet sandlewood, with a touch of warm amber under it. heady and thick and devistating. perfectly balanced. very earthy and it makes me feel like i'm home - safe and vulnerable.

 

really, this is the best sandlewood scent i've smelled so far. as it dried down, the sandlewood mellowed and the amber became more prevalant, softening into a slightly powdery scent. but in a good way. some spicyness to it, like morrocco. i think this will be a wonderful scent to wear to bed on a cold rainy night, because of the sandlewood. or out to the fields on a beautiful spring morning, because of the amber. . . or walking in the leaves on a crisp fall afternoon, because of the cedar. there's so much goodness in here.

 

damn it! again, i am in love. . .

[sun_set_bravely]

Aureus

 

In the bottle: Smells kind of like an old lady's house. The color is a beautiful, rich amber.

 

Wet, on skin: I smell the resin of an old piano; a little sharp; a little sweet; almost like a bandage in some places; sharp like Absorbine, Jr. in some whiffs

 

1.5 Hours on skin: Still strong; an old wood smell wafts after me; the resin is strong

 

Drydown: Turned a little sweet after time, but the resin is still strong. It now smells like I put my nose to an old church pew and breathed in deeply. Subtle.

 

Conclusion: I sometimes think it smells like an old lady, but the jury is still out. Also, this smells AWESOME on my partner (male).

Edited August 26, 2005 by clover

[sarahjay]

this is lovely

 

I have to say I do like resiny, amber-y scents. this does smell a wee bit like Lush's middle earth soap/cosmic dreamcatcher massage bar to me, but is more warm and sweet. I can smell wood, patchouli and amber - I think, but I'm not very good at picking out the individual scents. it really does seem warm and golden - in a resiny way.

 

I like this a lot.

[mandalyn]

I get two images/feelings with this scent:

 

A.

 

 

An off-the beaten path museum in Europe dedicated to someone famous maybe only in that town or area.

 

The museum, of course, would be located in the X-Famous Person's childhood home (which, of course, dates back to the 16th century...at least). You walk in, and it smells ancient, like the windows haven't been open since, well, the 16th century. I get a distinct image of climbing up steps to see X-Famous Person's bedroom and walking into the room. The light is shining in through a window in fron of X's writing desk, and you can see the dust I've disturbed dancing in the sunshine. I have the urge to open the window and let in some fresh air.

 

B.

 

College. Flea Market Wednesdays. Pot. Incense. My wake-and-bake friend who seemed to think that incense would cover up body odor (and make up for lack of bathing..in Florida..in August...).

 

Neither image is something I'd choose to smell like.

 

(too bad, as I had really high hopes for this one!)

 

 

ETA: My parents both LOVED the smell of this. I was visiting them one weekend, and I had my mom take a whiff from the Aureus imp. She smiled and said "Mark, smell this." I duly walked over to my dad, who is pretty adverse to any kind of scent (and was about to refuse to take a sniff). He, too, was soon sporting a grin and said to my mother "Smells like 1973. Brings back some memories, doesn't it?" Not something I expected to hear from my retired military father.

 

I'm mailing this to my sister, who I know will love it to bits...and the BPAL familial enabling will begin.

 

How true it is that what may not work for one person, will probably be bliss for at least three others. I remain amazed by Beth's talent.

Edited April 17, 2005 by mandalyn

[LiberAmoris]

I'm learning that if Beth makes a resiny, incensey, ambery blend with patchouli in it, I am a sucker for it. Aureus falls into the same mental category for me as Sin, Cathedral, The Coiled Serpent, and Anne Bonny. I just love these blends as for some reason patchouli really relaxes me.

 

Aureus is like wearing an aura---a deep golden glow. It's very warm and enveloping. There's a note in there that I'm not crazy about in the beginning, but within minutes it's burned off like the sun burning through clouds. Then it's just all kinds of patchouli goodness.

[joseybird]

To my nose: very dry woods and incense...I don't really smell the amber, unfortunately =( This is a scent that could proly do with a little aging...