Temperance

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Fresh and light and clean.

 

On me: Calming. This is a nosegay of a fragrance, a small collection of light florals. I can't identify any of them individually, at least off the top of my head. It's definitely a light, delicate spring bouquet, whites and creams and yellows. I imagine Amy in Little Women would have smelt something like this. Very feminine and youthful.

[yeahbutnobut]

Temperance

 

In the imp: sweet greenish florals, like the scent of a florist’s shop, or a spring meadow!

Wet on skin: ohh, this is lovely! It smells like honeysuckle! Pure, greenish, damp and dewy honeysuckle and maybe lily of the valley.

Dry: holy honeysuckle Batman! This reminds me of a lighter, brighter Asphodel. It’s predominantly honeysuckle, with possibly a lily note, maybe lily of the valley. It’s also got a greenness, and also a moistness that brings to mind dew or rain. It’s like the scent of spring or early summer…

After a while: it’s lost that lovely dewy aspect it had before and now smells a bit dry and sharp. It’s still quite nice, but I much preferred the original, just dry stage.

This dry stage doesn’t last…and now I smell, oh my goodness, could it be? I think its hyacinth! Yes! I’ve been looking for something with a smell of hyacinth and this is it. Yay!

Verdict: this is the scent of spring and early summer encapsulated…fresh dewy flowers and greenery is what I smell here. First I get a big hit of honeysuckle, and possibly lily of the valley, covered with raindrops and with green notes like grass or leaves. Then it goes through a phase I’m not so keen on-where it smells dry and sharp, but this doesn’t last long. The scent then makes a final transformation into the smell of hyacinths…and I’ve been looking for a BPAL with hyacinth (other than Stardust) and this is it. This is another lovely tarot scent, and another lovely ‘moist flower’ fragrance that will be great for springtime.

[Brienze]

I got this as a frimp from the lab. My weird chemistry may be able to shed a bit of light on the components.

 

Wet in vial: Honeysuckle! and wetness (aquatic)

 

Wet on skin: Still honeysuckle, gorgeous and wet and green. It's a greeny damp floral, not cloying like this heady flower can sometimes be. The reviewer who said it reminds her of the South pegged it... this has the feel of a really humid day in the South, when the motion of air in and out of your lungs is the only breeze around, and the atmosphere feels more solid than gaseous. For me, this ties in to the concept of temperance nicely, because it makes me very aware of my movement in the world, and I'm inclined to be more cautious and appreciative when I can feel things that are usually autonomic.

 

15 minutes on: The honeysuckle is fading, the aquatic wetness is gone, and oh no, the green is turning to bugspray.

 

1 hr: Still discernably a floral, but the 'eau de Off' is pushing the honeysuckle into the background.

 

This lasted at least 4 hrs on me (I went to bed at that point), and it never did get to the OMGBUGSPRAY level of badness; it was just the green component gone wrong.

 

I had the same bugspray effect from Envy and Lolita, so I'm inclined to blame lemon verbena. That would explain why some folks get lots of lemons from this... just a difference in our chemistries. Still, I'm glad I got to try this, and it really was lovely wet.

[cuervosueno]

When wet, this is a lovely acquatic floral. Really heady and gorgeous. Also naggingly familiar.

 

While it doesn't seem quite like honeysuckle, its a good guess, and I could believe there might be dandelion in this as well. But it also has the headiness I associate with white florals.

 

I like it, and it does embody the card for me--the beauty of the woman pouring water from vessel to vessel.

 

It's quite lovely.

[merebrillante]

In the vial: Lovely fresh flowers.

 

Wet: Oh, my God, how beautiful. A bouquet of daffodils and hyacinths and irises. Springtime in a bottle.

 

Drydown: Ooh, underneath the flowers, there's a bite of spice. Where did that come from? Is that cinnamon? It smells like Red-Hots.

 

Dry: The flowers are reasserting themselves and blending with whatever spice that is underneath there. This is exquisite. I bought this oil because this is, numerologically, a Temperance year for me. How lovely, how perfect a scent to waft across one's nostrils after being dead for a year. I wish every year could be a Temperance year.

 

On looking over all the reviews, I don't see that anyone else noticed cinnamon. After careful consideration, I've come to the tentative conclusion that what I was picking up on was the peppery note present in hyacinth. Don't even try and tell me there's not hyacinth in here, because it's been my favorite spring flower since I was a child, and the first flower I planted when I moved into my new home five years ago.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Green florals. It's like getting a boquet of mixed flowers.

 

First on: I can pick out a bit of rose, and what I think is dandelion and daisy with greenry added. It's very light & refreshing.

 

Drydown: It's a powdery floral now, still very green. It's very fresh and calming, like a bouquet in a country window.

 

Overall: I think it captures the essence of Temperance fairly well. It's blending the different scents until a calm freshness is reached. Smelling this just makes one much more relaxed and calm.

[juniperus]

Watery floral, reminiscient in tone to Asphodel. I'd even hazard a guess of water lily, and another note I'm familiar with but can't quite place out of context - dandelion, maybe? Translucent and lovely, but not sitting well on my skin, I'm afraid.

[nightbird]

flowers. sooooo many flowers. I don't really like overly flowery scents, so this one's a no-go for me.

[edenssixthday]

Temperance - This is a heavy, wet floral on me. It’s pungent and green like dandelion, and there’s a soapy floral blended with it, and I have a hunch that it’s sweet pea (since sweet pea is the only floral I’ve found that goes soapy on me). There is a watery backdrop to the floral, but not salty and aquatic. Rather, it smells like a vase of bright, freshly-picked flowers, water and all. This scent is too heavy and soapy for my personal tastes. The throw is above average, as is the staying power.

[supremegoddessofall]

Soft florals - rose and lilac.

[fiddledragon]

In imp: happy bright flowers, with a touch of cinnamon.

 

On me: At first there's a whiff of bread-dough smell like I got in Silk Road. But it quickly dries down to a very fresh yellow flower smell. Honeysuckle and dandelions and...almost lilies? It's not sweet at all, but very fresh-cut flower.

 

I really like this one :-) I think it would be even better layered with something honeyed.

[filigree_shadow]

A green floral, but the green seems to be from some gentle herbs rather than smelling like a usual green floral. Not too strong, kind of soft and pretty.

[Inanna9]

This was my outcome card in a very helpful 3-card spread I did today with my beloved Thoth deck (which has yet to steer me wrong). So I thought I'd cap it off with a dab of its corresponding perfume oil. What a great idea these Tarot blends are. Muchas gracias to Beth.

 

Temperance is a lush floral, mostly white. It smells a lot like White Moon, as a matter of fact. There's even a green note in this like in the Lunacy blend, only slightly more muted. I'm catching a whiff of the sweet pea in Annabel Lee, which goes a little sharp and almost sour on me. It's held in check nicely, though.

 

Very beautiful, and perfect for a sunny day like today, one after several of gray gloom and rain. Mirrors my head space lately, and this lovely waft of floral is making me feel very spring-like and hopeful

[mountainwitch]

Of course I expected this one to be an aquatic. But it's a very fresh, clean, green scent. Very nice; I can almost envision the water pouring down like a creek through the grassy hills. Hints of flowers, but mostly very fresh and meadow-like.

[storme]

Bought untested from lab in panic at discontinuation:

 

In the bottle: fresh-cut florists-shop flowers, green and bold.

 

On me, wet: yellowy-green spring flowers, soaked with dew. There's honeysuckle and daisy and sweet pea and something a bit more peppery.

 

On me, dry: a bouquet of freshly picked flowers in spring.

 

Verdict: Gee, this is pretty. 10ml is far far more than I need, but it's nice nonetheless.

[ladybird]

I got an imp in one of the farewell decant circles, and just got around to trying it today.

 

It's lovely! I agree with everyone who smelled light, springy, green florals and aquatics. It smells like trees after a spring rain. Linden, maybe? Something very delicate and green, almost familiar but not quite identifiable.

 

It's so delicate that I'm worried it won't last on me, but I'm definitely going to keep it and hope.

[theseagrows]

i think this is possibly honeysuckle with daffodil and maybe a touch of sweet pea and grasses. the honeysuckle doesnt go too sour on me as usual, and it is quite nice. this is a pretty light, sunny floral-this would be very nice for spring. i will definitely keep my imp.

[dronzeka]

Oddly, this initially says tropical fruit to my nose - I think mango or maybe canteloupe or the like. But as it dries down it does turn into the dandelion scent that others have mentioned - something green-yellow and spicy in that slightly airy dandelion way - not hot or peppery, but just a kind of brightness or snap. A nice light green grassy-floral scent.

[ECAmber]

Wet on the wand and straight on the skin: White flowers with little petals with very mild weather, fresh air and lots of sunshine. Lillies, lilly of the valley, honeysuckle, dandelion, chrysanthemums, sweet water. Very open, spring scent.

 

Fading out: This one stays true throughout pretty much to the end. The last notes are the same with a hint of spice or amber in it.

 

 

I normally don't care for lillies of any sort, which is an understatement. They absolutely hate me no matter what. This one somehow manages to muster up some genuine friendliness for me which is very pleasant. The warming at the end gives me the mental image of the early summer/late spring sun just starting to go down giving the whole cloudless day a golden glow to it. Very pleasant indeed.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Very very pale yellow oil. Strongly herbal; grassy and woodsy. A hint of light sweetness. Rather masculine.

 

Wet: Flowers, whoa - jasmine, in particular, and carnation too - maybe others. But the green notes/herb are still strongest - thyme?, ivy, grass. I'm getting a Garden Path With Chickens feel. This definitely has quite a kick, but it's also sweeter and more feminine.

 

Dry: Floral notes have amped to take over the greenery. Definitely some soapy jasmine, some spicy carnation, and honeysuckle, as well as other florals, I'd guess maybe daffodil, daisy, sweet pea, lily and gardenia - it's quite complexly floral. I get both classic white florals and wildflowers from this. It's sweetened more too -quite likely a musk emerging.

 

Later: The flowers back down a bit, such that they and the green notes balance each other evenly. The jasmine has gone more soapy. The carnation kick holds, and this has lost most of the its sweetness - the must has softened. And there's some woody clove in here.

 

Summary: What a morpher! In the end it's a very feminine, soapy, spicy floral with light herbal notes. Soapy jasmine and spicy carnation, dominate, followed by sweet-light honeysuckle (amongst other possible similar florals), woody-sweet clove and soft musk, and lastly very faint fresh, green ivy and grass notes. Powerful throw & lasting power.

 

I love the carnation, honeysuckle, and green notes, but the jasmine and clove make this unbearable for me. Also, I did not get any dandelion from this, unless it was in the early stages. I amp dandelion in Fairy Wine for example, and it's the primary drydown note, and this doesn't remind me of FW at all.

 

Final drydown resembles all the following to some extent: Taurus 2007, Eternal, La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Midnight

Edited July 1, 2008 by fairnymph

[Monique]

I really should have reviewed this long ago!

 

To me this is an almost perfect expression of my inner self. Very light floral with some citrus thrown in. Sweet Pea, honeysuckle and maybe a touch of lemon?....It is so beautiful! I too wish the scent stayed around longer but it is still my top, everyday scent. Just makes me feel very balanced and happy!

[RaeiNarcissus]

In the bottle: Smells foody, why not!

 

Wet: Apples? Wasn't expecting apples.

 

Dry. It's..... temperance. I'm getting a very very faint wiff of the apples, and it's a scent, but ti's kinda just....there. Nothing specific about it.

 

It's temperance.

[zankoku_zen]

This definitely has jasmine in it, because it's got a bit of a cat pee quality to it. It's a bright bouquet of flowers - I'm guessing, jasmine, a touch of rose, honeysuckle, hyacinth and perhaps daffodil and lily in it. It's grassy, green flowers with a hint of aquatic.

 

The jasmine give its that cat pee overlay that I don't enjoy, but I think I smell a honeysuckle/hyacinth combo the most.