Lionheart

[jj_j]

Infuses you with immense amounts of courage and drive. Useful to help you recover from intense depression and ennui. Brings on a positive outlook, renews hope, and replenishes positive energy. Fills your spirit with the courage and nobility of a lion, warmed by the life-giving joy of its solar aspects.

I didn't use this blend with specific intent, but more of a "I'm going to put this on, knowing I have a lousy and crazy day ahead of me, and see what happens" approach.

From a purely scent aspect, this goes on with a trace of astringency that's not identifiably lavender, but has the feel of it. This blends so well with the slight green-stem scent that neither are really distinct, so I'm not able to offer any specific notes. Dry down is warm, fuzzy heliotrope with a hint of the green-purple surrounding it. Not leonine in the sense of The Mad Tea Party's Lion, but very definitely noble and "leader of the pack."

As for the oil's description, even with my no-effort approach, I: plowed through obscene amounts of paperwork I'd had no desire to tackle, smiled effortlessly at clients I typically want to smack up the side of the head, didn't even cringe at the thought of tomorrow being more hectic, and came home to dance in the middle of the living room with my three-and-a-half year old daughter. Imagine what this blend can do with a little focus!

[Ina Garten Davita]

Ivyandpeony brought her bottle of Lionheart over tonight and I had the good fortune of sampling it.

 

First Impression: Sweetness and light.

 

Second Impression: Mmmmm, it's like Crucible of Courage only with a different floral note. Rather than roses, heliotrope, yes, jjj, thank you! This scent is clean, sweet and breathtaking. It's one of those that you keep sniffing and sniffing and sniff some more. You just want it all around you.

 

Final Analysis: I'd like to add a bottle of this to my collection, it's a happy-maker.

[ivyandpeony]

I feel so lucky to have acquired a bottle of Lion Heart when the generous and lovely LupaWolf made a trip to Altered Realities. Like many, I was fascinated with the description of White Light and thought that was what I needed. It was sold out, and I think that was the universe's way of telling me, "No, you really need Lion Heart." I wasn't familiar with many of the Twilight Alchemy blends, but had suggested I'd like something to help with strength and positive energy as a back-up. I have to admit to feeling a little chill when I first read the description, knowing I had a bottle was on the way.

 

Lion Heart smells absolutely beautiful - in the bottle it reminded me a wee bit of Jezebel, honey and floral notes, though not orange blossom. The florals are green and fresh and the honey-ish note invokes a feeling of golden sunlight. These notes stay dominant for quite some time, but then become a little mellower and more herbal as it dries down. I haven't tried it in my oil diffuser, since I really like to have it within sniffing distance on my wrist so I can focus on its special purposes and concentrate on the things that I need strength to change. And you know, it's much easier to use your medicine when it smells so gorgeous and sunny.

 

As to its efficacy... The week that Lupa had mailed my bottle, I was having a very difficult time, recalling last spring when my beloved dog suddenly became ill, shaking, hiding from me, eventually stumbling and losing the use of his back legs... all of which was caused by the spinal tumor that eventually led to his death. I love spring, he loved spring, and it was horrible that he didn't get to enjoy his last one. Just the angle of the sun in the sky would bring a lump in my throat recalling the sleepless nights with him, emergency vet visits and drives all over town trying to get a diagnosis as well as get him some relief. I could keep myself together during the day, but I was having "procrastination" insomnia, and when I finally turned my lamp off my eyes would well up with tears and I would cry myself to sleep. And of course, all of this was exacerbated by the fact that I suffer from an extremely stubborn and hard-to-treat case of depression.

 

The day that I got my bottle of Lion Heart, I went ahead and applied some on my wrists and neck in the afternoon and again at bedtime... And that was the first night I fell asleep without crying in six days. Since then, I haven't had the night-time tears visit me once, I've just experienced a little of my usual PMS rollercoaster and that's it.

 

I'm still struggling some with my grief, and I will probably have to closely monitor my depression for the rest of my life. But I feel like I've been given a special and rare weapon to add to my arsenal and to open new pathways of thought in dealing with this joy-draining, soul-stealing disorder.

[chopchica]

I'm horrible at describing smells and identifying notes, which is why I've been avoiding reviewing like the plague, but I'm going to give it a try anyway, because the TAL oils have so few reviews.

 

Lion Heart is *amazing*. Out of all the TAL oils I've tried or sniffed, it was the one that I just couldn't leave without. The combination of lavender, honey, and maybe a touch of amber (remember, I suck at notes) is just lovely on me, and whenever I sniff it, I feel much more capable of handling the world. Unlike Dragon's Heart - which I wear when I need a mild boost of courage or energy, I save Lion Heart for the times that I need to bring out the big guns. It hasn't failed me yet. I've been decanting and swapping/selling off as much of it as I felt I could spare, because I really feel that this is an oil that should be experienced by as many people as humanly possible. I don't want to let go of too much of it though, because it's capable of making such a difference for me. In fact, I'm hoping to pick up another bottle the next time I go to AR.

 

Whew! I've survived my first review!

[Northernminx]

I would love to say this worked for me as it's gorgeous in the imp that Chopchica graciously swapped with me. However, whatever floral is in this does not like me much and went powdery and sickly sweet on my skin. Unfortunate, as even when I use thse oils in meditation or ritual, I tend to use them _on_ me. What was rich, ambery sweet, with a touch of floral spice in the imp just sort of wanders off into cloying powdery smells on me and the effect this might have in granting any sort of empowerment gets a bit muddled in my subsequent sneezing fit.

 

I think I'll send this into swap. Much with the sadness.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Oooh, a sweet one. Not fruity sweet, but very sugary to me. This would bring me courage, I'll say that.

 

Just On: Ahhh, sweet goodness.

 

An hour or two later: Not nearly as sweet now, but still nice.

 

Around 6 hours: It went away, I'm gonna cry now.

 

12 hours: I miss it, gimme more!

 

Overall: I am so loving this one as well.

 

After reading other reviews: This is definitely going on the big bottle list for me, and I will most certainly get many miles out of this scent.

[wickedgoddess]

Origin - part of the TAL circular swap

 

Wet - is this heliotrope? This is floral, but there are greenish notes too. It's like being outside in a field on a sunny day.

 

Dry - this stays pretty much the same on dry down and doesn't last particularly long. While the scent is only fair, I probably will pick up a bottle of this, because this is something I really need in my life right now.

[PurringPulsar]

Lionheart

 

Courtesy of the TAL circular swap.

In the imp: mmm…this reminds me of a perfume I've smelt somewhere. It's a sweet, soft, slightly powdery floral scent.

Wet on skin: rose! now I can smell rose coming through…there's also a soft floral scent, and something sweet.

Dry on skin: this is such a lovely scent. It's a golden rose scent, with another floral I can't quite place. There's also a musk scent in here, I think. This is a wonderful fragrance, it feels warm and welcoming, it makes me think of the sunrise-a pink-gold soft radiance.

After a while: the rose strengthens and warms up nicely, like with other rose scents, it blooms on the skin. I think the other floral note may be heliotrope, come to think of it. I don't get lavender and honey mentioned in other reviews, but I get really strong rose from this-but that's a good thing, I love rose anyway!

Verdict: this was a pleasant surprise. This oil has a gorgeous fragrance, of rose and maybe some soft warm musk, and some heliotrope, but predominantly golden, sweet rose. It's such a beautiful, glowing, warm and sunny fragrance. I may need to get more of this-not just because of the scent, but also the purpose-I am in need of courage, drive, and positive energy as I often get depressed and need a lift. This oil certainly seems uplifting to me! I love it.

[Shollin]

First sniff: What an odd scent! I can’t pin down anything about it – it’s just a warm presence in the vial.

 

Wearing: It’s sort of musky, vaguely soapy, but it really doesn’t smell like much – it’s more of an aura. I can smell the warmth (and I know that makes no sense) but can’t track down any particular fragrance. I do like the aura effect though.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Imp from jj_j and a 5mL picked up from BB by WickedGoddess.

 

Scent impressions:

 

Mmm, this smells beautiful...it's warm and comforting in the same way that The Sun is without being citrusy. It's sort of a warm floral, but not an obvious floral. It took me several minutes to even figure out that I was smelling something flowery. My initial impression is just one of warmth, like lying on my back in a field of long grass at the end of summer, when the grass is turning crisp and brown, but the weather is still warm and inviting. I would wear this just for the scent.

 

Effectiveness:

 

Lionheart ranks up there with Helping Hand and Fiery Wall of Protection in terms of effectiveness. I wore this to work (often a stressful situation and one that requires me to be strong and, for lack of a better word, domineering, and the effect was obvious. Several things that normally would have had me reeling on the edge of a panic attack didn't even phase me and not only did I make it through the entire day without the slightest hint of stress or anxiety, but I really felt like a leader for the first time in my life. This is perfect for me when I'm feeling in need of a little bit of help. I'm not a naturally dominant person and I need all the help I can get to stand strong sometimes and Lionheart does just that.

 

The verdict:

 

A definite winner. Lionheart is going to be a lifesaver, I can tell that right now.

[roesmoker]

Lovely, just great. In terms of scent, it reminds me of Tarot: The Sun a little bit - that may be the heliotrope mentioned above - and I also get a little lavender, and some kind of musk and/or amber. I don't get any honey or florals, thank god, because those usually don't like me very much.

 

In terms of effectiveness, it works. I feel very decisive and strong when I wear this - not afraid of confrontation at all, as I usually am. The name reminds me of Richard the Lionhearted, like I'm going into battle, armored and righteous.

 

Overall, this one is tied with Helping Hand for my favorite TAL so far.

Edited September 28, 2005 by roesmoker

[helarctos]

Interesting ... to me Lionheart smells of baby powder!

 

(Disclaimer: This review was written in a circular swap, so I did not use the oil for ritual purposes. I can only report here on its scent. I believe this is valuable information so people know if they will find the oil physically/aesthetically uncomfortable when they use it for its intended purpose, BUT I do not believe TAL oils should be used as simple perfume. )

[glampyre]

Lionheart

 

Like Penance, my work situation is quite stressful. Add to that the pressure of living in a foreign country and trying to make decisions as to life path, career, family...and it makes for one STRESSFUL life.

 

Since acquiring a bottle of Lionheart, I've used it with candles and on my skin. I find that it does radiate a beautiful warm glow. This oil is great for meditations involving positive visualization.

 

As to the scent, I agree that it is '...similar to Crucible of Courage only with a different floral note'

[Em-]

Tried very sparingly as part of the TAL circular swap.

 

I wish I had had the presense of mind to actually try to wear this with intent, but ah well.

 

Anyway, trying purely for asthetics, Lionheart was soft and soapy-floral to me, and not really terribly appealing as a perfume. There was a hint of vanilla that was nice, though, and the scent is pleasant, so I can see how it would have appeal on that basis as a ritual oil (when chosing between two with similar properties).

[ancilla_morte]

This scent reminds me a LOT of Follow Me Boy. I was a bit confused about that until I realized that both Lionheart and Follow Me Boy are very commanding, domineering scents with those intents as well.

I was so excited to get Lionheart. Because my totem is the mountain lion and I have had plans for years to get 'heart of a lion' in gaelic tattooed on my back.

I wore this to bed after a long hard depressing day. I even put some on the stuffed lion that I sleep with. However I did not remember to put out any energy/intents, so nothing extraordinary happened.

but I did feel rather safe and protected while I slept.

 

this is going to be a very important scent to me. definitely something I'll want to wear when I need extra courage and a kick in the pants.

It will be my next project to find a big bottle of this.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Soft sweet spice

 

On Skin: I smell myrrh or amber… very light and sweet and very warm. I also smell a spice and something a bit soapy. There are some floral notes… and maybe vanilla? I really am guessing here because it is blended so well, it’s hard to pick anything out individually. It really does smell warm and pretty though and it does seem to lift me out of my depression a bit. I am a Leo so I was excited to try this scent since the Lion is very important to me. Very noble yet humble at the same time. A beautiful blend!!

[themerrybaker]

I live with two couch-lions and wanted to have a little piece of personal lion-hood.

 

 

 

This blend works, it makes me feel more like a laid-back, queen of the savannah, cat while wearing it.

 

 

 

I accidentally spilled a good slather on myself this morning, but the scent is not overpowering. If anything it smells a little powdery in a good way, but even if it had reeked of tuna it would be a welcome addition.

[Voleuse]

I was expecting to have yet another grinding day of work, so I dabbed my wrists and throat with Lionheart.

 

Scent-wise, this is a warm, outdoorsy scent. There's a lot of green in it, and a floral that reminds of lavender, but it isn't. Is it heliotrope? Like others have mentioned, it is reminiscent of a sunlit day, and there's a round amber-ish note that lends a cleansing aspect to the scent. It could easily turn to soap on some, but luckily my chemistry didn't turn on me here.

 

In terms of effect, this blend helped me focus tremendously. The paperwork didn't get better, but I was able to dispatch it quickly enough, and with minimal grumpiness. Yay!

[Little Bird]

I think that Lionheart has amber in it, because it smells like baby powder on me (BPAL's amber notes often go to powder on me). Also a hint of something sort of soapy and green. It's not great on me scent-wise, but it's not that strong on me either, so I don't notice the scent too much after applying.

Edited September 6, 2010 by Little Bird

[oedipa]

As I said with my review of Ouroboros, I don't use magical oils for non-magical purposes so I won't really be reviewing Lionheart as a scent - except to say yum! It's warm and sweet and spicy, and were it not a magical oil I'd be wearing this puppy like nobody's business.

 

I used Lionheart prior to a job interview last week - anointing my hair (it's golden, curly, and massive and has been called a mane on more than one occasion) and my pulse points, offering up a brief prayer for courage, grace, and little bit of leonine egotism to impress my potential employer. With the Lionheart in my hair I'd catch a whiff of it on occasion and it bolstered my spirits, enough to the point where I firmly believe I kicked ass on my job interview. I haven't heard back from them yet, but I owned so thoroughly that if they don't hire me, it's their loss! Clearly there's a bit of egotism left over.

 

Long and short - Lionheart bolstered my spirits and let me stride with my head high, exactly what I needed exactly when I needed it. Also, you can read about my use of Lionheart in conjunction with Ouroboros here at my Ouroboros review.

[jewelbug]

This was a generous gift from someone (you know who you are, thank you!) during a rough time I was having this year--I had 4 detached retinas (partial blindness) and 4 surgeries in both my eyes over the course of 2 months. It was, obviously, a rough time for me....

 

Lionheart came to my doorstep quite unexpectedly. During those trying times, I wore it to my Dr's appointments to help me feel more bold (a nice way of saying "less terrified"). There are rarely situations where I need that much extra oomph,so I haven't used it much since, but those definitely qualified. I find I use White Light for more day-to-day boosting.

 

I wore this on my chakras to my most important surgery of the four (the only time i'd been in a hospital/gone under anestheisa, etc). While I was still scared, I really think it helped a lot. I found myself joking with the nurses and feeling much more high spirited than I would've expected. I'm quite sure that Lionheart had something to do with it. I wore this intermittently with White Light during my recovering, for days where I was feeling especially down.

 

The smell is not somethign that would normally attract me (i get a very sweet baby powder from this, actually), but I think that its power speaks for it, rather than its scent.

 

I have yet to annoint a candle with this, but the next time I need its great power, I will!

[Shannihilation]

I opted for this one today because it's supposed to storm off and on all day and I have errands to run. Which means possibly being out in the storms. Not cool. And how could someone not need a little boost to keep the blues from taking hold and some boost of positive energy?

In the bottle this is very soft and floral. Very pretty. On me? Baby powder. Seriously. Overwhelming baby powder. I'm going to have to go use a damp cloth and wipe some off I think. It's way too strong. And I didn't put much on at all. Wow. It's a nice scent, but it is very strong.

I do seem to be pretty cheerful this morning and I have alot more energy than I normally do on a rainy day. Those days make me very "blah" and sleepy and lazy. Today though I can't wait to get started and waiting for places to be open is frustrating me. I'm ready to go and start my day and get things done! I'll have to wait until it storms again today to see if I have more courage.

[couscous]

I'll be using Lionheart in conjunction with meditation and visualizations relating to the sun- healing sunbeams, strengthening rays, projecting, etc. I bought it because I'd figured it would be "sun-like"- fiery, warm, and comforting.

 

I am happy to report that Lionheart is exactly what I'd hoped. It is strong heliotrope and amber, very powdery, slightly sweet. It bears a reasonably strong resemblance to the Tarot: Sun blend.

 

Happily, though, there are some differences between the two. The most obvious is that Lionheart has no perceptible cinnamon, thank goodness. Instead, any fire in Lionheart comes from the slightest, slightest bit of Dragon's Blood Resin. If there isn't any in this blend, I'll default to my second guess and say Lilac. It is definitely a dry, powdery floral grounded by amber.

 

It is quite evocative; though not even a bit "beastly". If you're looking for leonine imagery to work with, you should know that Lionheart feels more like a symbolic lion, with a regal air, lounging in the sunbeam. It's a slightly offbeat take on "leader of the pack" chutzpah.

[edenssixthday]

Lionheart is sweet and warm. The sweetness smells like it could be date palm. It also has a powdery floral that reminds me a lot of what Jezebel does on my skin. I would also not be surprised if there is a hint of amber in this blend, because it is so warm. It is definitely an empowering blend, and when I wear it, I instantly feel uplifted. Due to events going on in my life that are tragic and out of my control, I feel like I will be using this blend a lot, as it does lift my spirits, and seems to keep me focused on positive things rather than all the “what ifs” and negative things. I think I’m going to get a lot of mileage out of this one in the near future, and I’m so grateful for the person who sent it to me.

[abejita]

The scent has been described pretty well throughout the various reviews. I get some bright, sweet floral (heliotrope is in there, I'm pretty sure) along with some pleasant powderiness (and I am generally not a fan of powder scents, but this works somehow).

 

As for its purpose, I anointed a candle with it a couple of days ago, along with my pulse points and mane, I mean, hair. I have been going through a lot of anxiety about my job search, as well as some painful lovelife issues. Unfortunately, when I am anxious and depressed, I tend to suffer from it physically as well as emotionally. Lionheart didn't solve my problems, of course, but the terrible, knotty heaviness I had been feeling in my stomach/diaphagm area has lessened by about 90%. I am still very worried, but I do have a sense of "This will be hard, but I CAN do it." That, I attribute to the blend.

 

ETA: I wore this blend to a couple of job interviews. I definitely felt more confident, and my Spanish was even more fluent than usual (I was interviewing for bilingual teaching positions and I'm not a native speaker). I felt really good, like I had a nice rapport with the people questioning me and I didn't falter under even their most "trying to trip her up" questions.

 

And today I got hired for the position I wanted most.

 

Lionheart wouldn't necessarily have been my first choice to use for interviews and jobhunting in general, based on the description, but it was what I had, so I worked it. I'd recommend giving it a try if you need to project confidence and cheerfulness.

Edited June 28, 2006 by abejita