Mars

[jj_j]

Dynamic Energy - Lust - Enthusiasm - Resolution - Courage - Physical Strength - Mental Acuity - Comraderie - Engineering - Any Work With Metals - Victory - Conquest - War - Power - Domination - Military Matters - Daring Deeds

<span style='color:black'><span style='font-size:10pt;line-height:100%'><span style='font-family:Georgia'>There's a little cinnamon in this one - it's a used-bookstore red, if that makes sense. Cinnamon, dust, paper, light spice, and serious cloves - with a hint of sandalwood. All business, to the point of forceful, and no question about the conquest aspect of this scent. Not an overpowering scent, though; this receded past the initial blast quite nicely, and clove typically expands on me.

Clove lovers will be entranced; non-enthusiasts will have an instant headache.</span></span></span>

[twistygirl]

This definitely captures the fiery, forceful, masculine energy of Mars. It's red (not just in color, but it feels and smells red), it's got the fiery aspects from the cinnamon and the clove. Wearing this definitely brings out my Mars energy, it makes me feel powerful and wanting to get something done.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Mmmm... cinnamon and clove. Warm and spicy - definitely red!

 

Wearing: Very cinnamon spicy at first, but fades very quickly... when dry it almost smells like carnation, a light spicy floral.

 

Final Impressions: When wet I find this oil distracting, and when dry it's nice, but... well, it's almost gone at that point! I liked it, but not enough to order a bigger bottle.

[friendthegirl]

Yep, I can smell the cinnamon.

 

It is a little dusty as someone described and there is another scent that I can't put my finger on, but I don't like it.

[Vaniclion]

What I get is jasmine and cinnamon, which I like... but as paperdoll said, it's distracting. I keep wanting to look around for it, like it has a physical presence. I'm not sure it smells so much red as it smells... smouldery. Like a banked fire.

 

It's very interesting. I never would have chosen this, but got some in a swap so I'm enjoying it

[lorajc]

When I first put this on, I didn't think I was going to like it. It was a little bitter and slightly cinnamony. As it dried down, the clove was more apparent, it became slightly powdery and dusky on me with a hint of some sort of floral in the background. Scents usually don't heat up on me and waft, but this one did. My office smelled softly delicious. I had a couple people comment that something smelled good. My initial thought was yuck, but the dry down made me love it.

[TygherRayn]

"Strawberries are red ..."

...

"Red and wild ... that's your theme!"

 

This .. like Wrath, and Dragon's Milk, is red. Pure, cinnamon-red-hot, strawberry, watermelon red. And it just -looks- hot, like an oil for Mars should look.

 

In the bottle: I smell cinnamon, certainly, and I'm quite certain my skin will draw that out, as it usually does. Luckily, I'm not one of those that gets a rash from cinnamon in an oil. There's something else, something a little sweeter .. maybe pepper? .. that keeps this from smelling like I've openend a bag of red-hots.

 

Wet: As I expect, my skin likes the cinnamon. And *poof* there it is. Sweet, spice, yum. Besides the cinnamon though, there are definitely other notes. I'm almost guessing ginger, but not certain.Ginger has a hot-sweetness to it that sort of matches this.

 

Wearing: This keeps to the cinnamon note, and I like that it does very muchly. This is certainly an oil meant for purpose, as well as scent, and I will eventually buy a bottle of this one, if for nothing else than Mars is a ruling planet for Scorpio, and I like the scent. But it's definitely not meek and mild. It's not necessarily overwhelming, but it's powerful. I can imagine I'll have to be sparing in my use of this one, as it can easily overpower my senses.

[pekeana]

Mmmm, I love Mars. It's very similar to Three Witches on me, but without the sweet that tends to rise up in Three Witches. I get a lot of clove and a bit of cinnamon, and just the barest hint of pepper...

 

But there's sandalwood and maybe a hint of patchouli down beneath the rest of it.

 

This is a very deep, sexy scent, and shouldn't be taken lightly because it's very strong and powerful with a forceful kick.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Ooh, bright red oil – is it dragon’s blood? Mars is darkly, broodingly spicy, with cinnamon in the afterscent.

 

Wearing: I love the initial darkness. The cinnamon is pretty loud right at first, but tones down quickly. Definite spicy kick. I didn’t think I was very impressed by it, but ended up wearing it to bed and it grew on me overnight – there’s a faint scent of ginger lingering this morning that I really like.

[pkwench]

I've had Mars on all day and I've been smitten with it from the get go. It was very up front and spicey in the beginning, but then it mellowed down to a red, spice cabinet sort of smell. It comes off as rich and somehow wise or learned, if that makes any sense whatsoever. It's a serious scent, but one that I think garners introspection and quiet enjoyment.

[ChupaChup]

Hmm, all I get from Mars is dragon's blood resin, I really can't detect anything else in it. It's nice but not all that interesting to me

[amaltheagray]

this oil is a pleasant surprise! it's all cinnamon and darkness in the bottle, with a weird tangy aftertaste that almost struck me as being animalistic. it lightens upon application and becomes dusty and soft, but still very powerful. as others have said, cinnamon and clove, sandalwood. maybe pepper is what's leaving that odd aftertaste, though that more or less goes away when it hits the skin. this is comforting yet makes me feel strong, and i like that. the imp at least a keeper, maybe i'll be on the prowl for more.

[Rheliwen]

In the bottle:

 

Tobacco and cinnamon. It smelled similar to blood amber but was bitter instead of sweet. I think Mars has dragon's blood so that's where the similarity begns and ends.

 

Wet:

 

Tobacco, cinnamon and pepper. The tobacco is a bit bitter at first and overwhelms the sweet/spicey cinnamon. I didn't have any other the lovely smells I got from the bottle. I can smell cigarette smoke all around me...I wasn't too pleased with this wet.

 

Drydown:

 

The tobacco is finally retreating a bit. I can now smell sweet dragon's blood and long with some yummy cinnamon with a dash of pepper. I kept thinking to myself, "this smells like yummy sweet tobacco! It smells familiar...what is it???" Then BAM: all cloves! It smells exactly the way cloves smell when they burn.

 

How fitting this scent is to it namesake. It's fiery, masculine and seriously makes me want to get out there an kick some butt! I wish I had this when I was in Kung Fu...I think I would have been a machine had I worn this to practice.

 

I think I'll enjoy my imp until it's gone. There are plenty other beautiful dragon's blood scents out there to replace it. Layer with Hellfire and there ya go! Not as good as the original, but it's a start

[cuervosueno]

I got both this and Aries at the same time. They are similiar.

When I put it on, what I smelled was cinnamon, very strong. Cloves too. And dragons blood. Nice! I could see that there might be pepper or ginger in there as well.

It is a very fiery scent...strong, red and masculine as people noted (though I see it as gender neutral scent). Like Pikeana, it smells similiar to three witches on me, which I enjoy very much.

This is quite nice, but it is similiar to some other scents, so I decided to swap it off to someone who may wear it more.

[Splendid Molerat]

Mars smells like hot metal. It's a combination of cinnamon and cloves, over something quasi-metallic (like violets).

 

For me it rushes right up the sinus, and flips a switch in the brain that's labelled 'F**k off and get out of my way!'

Sometimes a girl needs to put on that attitude to get stuff done.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received both this and Saturn as lovely gifts from the Lab in my last order as I am being sadly weaned off my beloved celestials ...

 

BOTTLE: Hot and spicy and red cinnamon. Always a good sign for me.

WET: Absolutely delicious, one of the woody spices (maybe sandalwood, not sure) kicks in right away and somehow softens the cinnamon and adds another layer. Though it was the tinest bit pharmaceutical at first, that dissipated the minute it dried.

DRYDOWN: I am crying that I have discovered this too late for a big bottle. I want to eat my wrists.

 

REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED MARCH 2013:

 

When I was re-reading all of my old reviews to make sure I didn't create second posts in the review threads, I re-read this review and was saddened again, 8 years later, that I never got that big bottle of Mars. But thanks to an AMAZING forumite, my DISO prayer was answered and we completed a swap that brought this precious back into my life. I don't know if this was a 2004 bottle or one from the brief re-release but I am pretty sure the scent was the same (unlike the zodiac re-releases of 2007).

 

IN THE IMP: When I first tried this in 2005, I was unfamiliar with Dragon's Blood so I was unable to identify it. Now, it's one of my very favorite BPAL notes, plus I've gotten a little better at identifying other notes as well. So, that said. DRAGON'S BLOOD DRAGON'S BLOOD DRAGON'S BLOOD with a tiny bit of spicy kick of cinnamon. Mmmmmmmmmm.

 

Was a little too daring and excited perhaps, dabbing on both wrists, into both crooks of arms, into cleavage and behind ears.

 

WET: So very very very very delicious. A rich red blend of the already-spicy floral of DB combined with oodles of cinnamon. I didn't get any welts but admit that my arms itched a bit for about 20 minutes. SO worth it.

 

DRYDOWN: I never got any clove from this, but on the drydown the sandalwood/woodsy note rose and quieted it down just a little bit, so that the throw mellowed. This was a good thing since I was out to dinner with hubby and brother-in-law and I didn't want the scent to be so strong that I would overpower the North Carolina barbecue.

 

OVERALL: This is just a gorgeous, gorgeous scent. I am so grateful to have it back in my life.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a definite 5.

Edited March 27, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[Northernminx]

Mmm cinnamon and clove. I've come to adore that combination and I hope this shows up again in a non-discontinued sort of way. A gorgeous, spicey, strong blend that has tons of presence. It's not foody - which I find wierd, just spicey. Yummy and definitly a bit volatile. The cloves add that distinct clove scent under a slight sweetness of cinnamon and the two combined almost have a metallic edge. War like? Definitly. Too bad this one's gone

[grrrlennyl]

at first: wow. very strong and unpleasant. acrid.

on: weird. i can't really pick any notes out of it. i don't like it, though.

half an hour later: i think i may smell dragon's blood and maybe cinnamon or clove. very nice.

2 hours later: i'm still smelling dragon's blood, cinnamon, and clove. very interesting and very red.

4 hours later: i think i'm mostly getting clove and a bit of dragon's blood.

overall: this was very nice, but not something i would wear often.

[LiberAmoris]

Mars reminds me a lot of Brimstone in that it smells as if it is about to burst into flame. It’s an incendiary blend, with what I detect as cinnamon, ylang ylang, clove and a spiky floral. It also reminds me quite a bit of Serpent’s Kiss, which was not a favorite of mine. All in all, it’s a perfect blend to describe the red planet and the god of war, but it doesn’t agree with me.

 

I think this would be amazing on a man. Somehow it seems like the kind of smell that would roll off of Vulcan when Venus goes strolling by.

[helarctos]

A too-strong cinnamon and clove scent that puts me in mind of gum or mouthwash, at first -- but fades surprisingly soon. The sweetness of the clove scent defies the traditionally-masculine categorization of matters martial, so this would be a good scent for a power-suited woman who wants a bit of aromatic oomph.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: The oil is brilliant red, like the planet. Cinnamon and clove, definitely, but it's lighter than I expected.

 

On me: This fades quickly. Besides the initial spicy notes I'm picking something else up in the background...I think it may be Dragon's blood, but I'm unsure. On me this is nothing special, so off it shall go.

[MissAnthropy]

I am so very sad that this scent was discontinued. I received it recently in a swap, and it's fabulous.

 

Cinnamon... but not over powering cinnamon. And, it's not a sickly sweet cinnamon based scent, either. That's what I find so alluring about it. Same with the clove. It's there, and it's perfect... not too strong, murky, or obnoxious.

 

There's such a balance to this scent.

 

There seems to be other notes in there as well, but picking them out is hard. I think I decent some sandalwood, but, the clove and cinnamon are the most prominent notes, and for me it's hard to sniff around em'

 

Either way, this was a great experience. I received one compliment when I was wearing it. When I was at the vet with my puppy, the receptionist said, "Ooh! Who smells good!!!" - and that made me smile.

 

-Leslie

[anmorata]

Mars:

 

Originated from: Celestials circular swap

 

Wet: Cinnamon-clove goodness!

 

Drydown: Oh, this is yummy. It reminds me of a pomander ornament, sans the blatant orange smell.

 

Longterm wear: I expected Mars to be red, but I didn't expect it to smell this good.

[inkstone]

Courtesy of the Celestials circular swap!

 

In the imp: Dragon's blood.

 

Wet: Cinnamon. As I expected from a blend named after Mars.

 

Drydown: This isn't the same red-hot cinnamon I'm used to. It's not even the cinnamon in Inferno that raised welts on my arms. This is a more mellow, dusty cinnamon. I don't know if that's a result of the clove and the dragon's blood mingling in this blend as well, but it's not as spicy biting as I'm used to.

 

Final thoughts: This is a fun blend. I'm glad I got the chance to try it.

[sarada]

The unmistakable colour and scent of dragon's blood, along with a spice of some sort...clove perhaps? Cinnamon tends to make me all burny (see also: my review of Mercury) but this doesn't, so perhaps clove is stronger in this.

 

This is very appropriate for Mars, I wouldn't wear it but I can see anointing a candle with this for the right purpose.

 

Actually, it makes me feel a little queasy, much like Sol did....cinnamon also has the unfortunate effect of making me feel a little sick to my stomach. Clove doesn't, but cinnamon does. Going to have to wash it off, even though I like the way that dragon's blood seems to dominate as it dries down.

 

It's not the kind of smell that I like (I like dragon's blood in other blends though) but I can definitely see where someone might want to anoint red candles with it!