Jacob's Ladder

[sarada]

JACOB'S LADDER
And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;

And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

The meeting of Heaven and Earth: golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka.

I was expecting something like Aureus for this blend, but it is quite a different take on amber actually -- fairly light and perfume-like in the bottle, a glorious amber color when I apply it, and an almost frosting-like sweetness when it first goes on. I'm not sure what the individual notes smell like other than amber, but I know that I like most blends that contain these ingredients....resiny, warm, slightly sweet.

It is lightly sweet without being cloying or honeyed, and it is amber without being powdery (that's not generally a problem that I have with amber anyway, but I know some people do). I've only had this on for the morning but it has stayed strong so far and not morphed too much. The gentle, light golden sweetness is really what impresses me. I think this one will be a hit because it is a nice compromise between the people like me who are crazy for resins, and the people who like their scents a little sweeter. There's just a tiny floral hint that I can't quite place. Perhaps that's from rockrose?

Oh yes. I think we might have an amber scent for almost everyone here! Think Haunted without the musk, Aureus without the gritty earth or patchouli notes, but then add a veil of pale, luminous sweetness. It's a little "perfumey" the bottle (and I really wish I could come up with a better adjective than that) but if your skin likes amber then this should do marvellous things when you put it on.

[cranberry]

Jacob's Ladder was the first oil I reached for when I picked up my box today. It's taken me a while to get my mind around it other than to be able to say, "wow, I really really like this and want more..."

In the Bottle:When I first opened the bottle, I really didn't smell much at all. To me, in the bottle, it's a very faint, but beautiful scent - warm, ambery. But a light amber.

 

On the Skin: When I first put it on, it remained very faint. But it immediately reminded of the Lion, not quite as spicy, but it's the same amber. A soft, glowing, warm amber. This is the amber I love - some ambers tend to go powdery on me, but this stays true.

 

The longer I wear it, it seems to get deeper, richer. I can really smell the tonka - it adds depth, richness and makes me think of sex for some reason. It doesn't have the spiciness of the Lion, nor the grassy musk in Coyote, but Jacob's Ladder is in my mind in this class of scents, but more feminine than either. Its almost like take those scents, mix them up, throw in a dash of Black Opal, and now you've got Jabob's Ladder. When I wore it earlier, I almost got an incense like vibe during the drydown but I'm not getting it here. Because it's a rather light scent on me, I can see that addition bottles are in order.

 

Overall impression: Just amazing. I....need...more.

[UltraViolet]

 

Bottle pic: http://pic7.picturetrail.com/VOL202/154131...8/120643295.jpg

 

In the bottle

The sweetest thing ever, it's a beautiful perfume of resin and something else.

On

Oh my God, it's foody goodness, like some subtle sweet almond?

I've always loved Lush bath products which have benzoin, and galbanum and this BPAL blend is no exception. It's incensey and warm, and coupled with the further sweet loveliness of the Tonka and rockrose it's just stunning.

30 minutes

It hasn't changed thank the heavens.

It's warm and it's hard to describe this one, get some, you won't be sorry.

Throw:

No, but the fact that you have to cozy up to smell this lends to the "Ohhh" quality about this scent.

Scent category:

Resin

Summary

This is like no BPAL blend I've tried. It stand alone in that "this is another BPAL 5 star, classic beauty" scent like Black Opal, Horus, etc.

It's subtle, it wants you to come closer to it so it can tell you it's beautiful secret.

Purchase again?

Yes. I'm the hindsighted one who got only one bottle.

1-5 rating (5 being best)

5

[nineveh]

I'm still very unfamiliar with the majority of the notes in this. Everything besides the amber and tonka is apparently some kind of herb/flower. And yes, this blend does smell slightly plantlike to me. Mostly, though, it's glowing amber with a touch of sparkling freshness.

 

The amber feels light, but it's not faint. It's definitely rich, but soft. There is a little bit of a "perfumy" aspect to this, but I think that that edge actually adds more dimension.

 

It's moderately sweet on me, and feels very uplifting. What a lovely blend.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Swet sweet sweet!

 

On Skin: This is beautiful. Oh my god! I had no idea it would smell like this. The amber is bold but not heavy. The tonka sweetens it just right. This scent is not cloying, the sweetness is measured perfectly. The other notes don’t stand out, they meld in nicely and help the overall balance. I think I have found another favorite. Why did I buy only one bottle?

[lorajc]

Wow.....this is really a gorgeous amber scent. It is very unique. It is one of my favorites so far. This is an ethereal amber scent. I have never smelled the other notes on their own, so I can't comment on which one stands out in particular, but I really like this. I only have 2 bottles and more are going to be on order soon.

 

I have a cold right now, so I may update this once my head unclogs a bit. I think this is going to be a favorite in the 05 Yules.

 

Great job Beth on making a unique amber blend that is absolutely heavenly.

[summer]

Jacob's Ladder confuses me. I can't decide whether I love it or not. In the bottle, it truly is a glorious, golden amber. On my skin, however, it reminds me strongly of Old Scratch, in that it feels like a very refined, sort of "dandy" men's fragrance. It is a sweet, smooth amber, which is lovely, and it's definitely made more sweet and round by the tonka. Underneath all that, however, is an almost earthy -- or is it airy? -- "outside" sort of smell, which is pleasant, but which is registering as "masculine" to my nose. Not ruggedly masculine, but rather masculine in the way that the men's fragrance section of a department store is masculine. Refined and beautiful, but in a masculine way.

 

I am enjoying this fragrance and it's juxtaposition of sweet & golden and outside air & earth. However, it's not a perfume that I see myself wearing very often.

[Loligo]

An instant BPAL top ten. This is so golden, yet cool, smooth, and ethereal. I cannot believe how well this captures the image of the Biblical passage. It begins with lemony, vanilla, and rose-floral notes highlighting the amber, and dries down into the most perfect, refined, elegant amber ever. There's a brief stage in the middle where there's a nose-tingling "perfumy" quality to it, but never enough to make me sneeze, and it doesn't last too long. And amber isn't always a winner on me, so I'm doubly pleased with the success of this.

[wickedgoddess]

First a caveat. With the exception of Snake Charmer, amber scents as a rule, don't work on me, in fact, they have a tendancy to turn to baby powder on my skin. I still wanted to give Jacob's Ladder a chance though, because it has the potential to be gorgeous.

 

Wet - a very light amber scent and something else, benzoin perhaps? It's a light, creamy spiciness mixed in with the amber.

 

Dry - this is absolute perfection; a light, sweet amber scent. The only problem is that it is so very faint that I must put nose to wrist and sniff deeply, but I don't know if that is because amber doesn't usually agree with my chemistry.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

Edited December 7, 2005 by wickedgoddess

[quikslvr]

Only because yellowrose requested, I'll review this one first:

 

Upon first whiff, this is very similar to Snake Charmer. It's lighter, to some extent, though. There's also a tangier undercurrent. The medicinal edge to that tang fades fast, and the tonka comes out some. The light amber is simply gorgeous, and very pure-seeming, though I know it's not, given the vanilla-y additions of tonka, and a spice-y touch as well. Because it's so light, it strikes me as "perfumey," but that's not a bad thing. It's a very fragrant, soft waft that's subtle until you get close.

[paradoxicaljlb]

Of the five Yule blends I ordered, Jacob's Ladder is the one that I can see myself wearing the most, and needing another bottle (or ten) of. As a Leo, this one seems like it was made just for me.

 

Wet, Jacob's Ladder is warm, golden, glowing, and creamy. Obviously, the amber and tonka stand out, with something akin to spiced oranges tinged with a drop of rose, but that aspect passes quickly--or rather, wafts by occasionally.

 

On drydown, Jacob's Ladder gets more dusty and earthy, but still has something keeping it sweet and round. I personally wouldn't dare call it incensey, but there's something airy about it, too.

 

Jacob's Ladder goes strong for about 4.5-5 hours on me, and has a bit more than average throw.

 

All in all, I can see this working well on men and women. Furthermore, I can picture myself wearing Jacob's Ladder in the heart of winter as much as the dog days of summer. If you're a resin lover, you will perpetually kick yourself in the butt if you miss out on this one while it's available. I could cry over the fact that this is an LE.

[Nadirah]

This is a beautiful blend, it is almost spicey, but I'm not sure where this comes from on me. There is that amber, but its not too heavy on the amber, the tonka/vanilla seems to even it out nicely. It has excellent throw and everyone around me seems to be sniffing at the air when I walk by. Oh! the looks on their faces! At least I know they like it! Beautiful blend, it seems to evolve very much into something better as the hours go by. At first it was a tough amber, now its coming together, at least on me.

I'd give this 4 out of 5 stars because I'm not sure if it is truly A scent I would wear alot. Though I can see the lovelyness in it and it could just change my mind. Great throw, not too overpowering, sweet and a bit spicey. It is great for the winter because it evokes a warmth around you, as you may be out and about on a chilly day.

[wolfie13]

Wow - I almost feel like I got the wrong scent in my bottle, my experience has been that different from other folks'.

 

This was a thin, dry, perfumey amber on me. I got no sweetness or spiciness from this and no real depth to it.

 

As a huge amber lover, this was a real disappointment for me. I am starting to feel even more like a skin chemistry outcast than I have previously! I am the Kali of beloved Bpal.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: soft, creamy, sexual

 

wet: amber, this is stronger on, it "blooms" i still find it incredibly sexual

 

as it dries. it becomes more demensional, deeper, there is a spiciness to it that gives it some spunk but it is still more amber then anything else, there is a definite tonka note also. it is golden warmth, sweet, soft like wrapping up in a cashmere blanket scented w/ love (if love had an actual smell).

 

this is one of my favorites so far

 

and i wanted to add that i agree w/ the above statement that this shares some similar note w/ black opal.

Edited December 9, 2005 by shelldoo

[gdogs]

Wow - I almost feel like I got the wrong scent in my bottle, my experience has been that different from other folks'.

 

This was a thin, dry, perfumey amber on me. I got no sweetness or spiciness from this and no real depth to it.

 

 

 

oh, thank god! i was wondering the same thing. .. i got a sharp, dry, perfumey cologne smell. it ia a cold smell. no sweetness. no spiciness. no creaminess. nothing like snake charmer, no tonka, and no golden amber. and i LOVE amber. .. .

 

after a while, it dries to a white musk on me, but still nothing like i expected.

 

however, i am going to blame it on my hormonal skin chemistry, and will be back to give an update in about 5 days. . .

[aessedai]

I read a review in which the reviewer said that Jacob's Ladder strengthens over time. Sort of the reverse of a fade. It's the truth- so hold on, folks!

Upon initial application it smells sort of faint and perfumey.

So, I sniffed my wrist and put up a bunch of decants right away!

After a while, though, I was catching whiffs of something yummy. I assumed it was another oil somewhere around my computer. Turns out Jacob's Ladder really blossomed- both deepening and intensifying in fragrance. I love it now, and am out buying (back, in some cases) decants!

[lysithea]

This blend is creamy and warm. The tonka, ambrette, and amber make for a beautiful combination.

 

Initially, it goes on a bit "cologne" like, but I knew that there was magic just waiting beneath the surface. I was not disappointed. Take the lovely vanilla musk of Dorian, the spicy depth of Snake Charmer, and add more than a liberal dash of Black Opal and I think that *might* approximate the feel of this scent. There is still an edge that is just slighty reminescent of Blood Moon. I can't really discern the more exotic notes listed because they are so well blended offering great support to the roundness of the heart notes.

 

Cashmere wrapped around a body still flush with heated skin might be a worthy description for this scent. It does feel rich, elegant, warm, and totally indulgent. I'm loving every second it spends on my skin.

 

Another clear winner and excellent example of our Beth's alchemical genius. Bravo!

[tinyvulture]

I thought this would be like Aureus, but there’s none of that solemn church smell here. It’s very warm and golden. It’s also really sweet, from the tonka. And, it’s just a touch pine-y (from the benzoin?) which I love. And the amber! I love every BPAL amber scent I’ve tried and this is no exception. It’s resinous, powdery, heavenly. There’s not a lot of throw; this is one of those “quiet” scents that doesn’t jump out at you from across the room but is a treasure just the same.

[LiberAmoris]

Mmmmm, Jacob's Ladder on me is all amber and musk. It definitely is a 'lighter' scent and has very little sillage on me, but it does not disappear---it just stays very close to the skin. I love amber and here it is shown to advantage.

 

This reminds me less of Snake Charmer and more of The Lion, which is one of my faves. Although Jacob's Ladder is not a complicated blend on my skin, it's very enjoyable, and I'm glad I have 2 bottles so I can slather away.

[Silverstrike]

This was one of the Yule scents that I was most anticipating. . . with that said, I'm not sure I'll be keeping this bottle.

 

In the bottle, it's spicy, creamy, yummy. After it gets onto my skin, however, it morphs into something that is neither creamy nor yummy; it's sour-sweet and reminds me of baby powder or something related to babies. I think there's still a little spiciness there, but it's barely discernible due to the sour-sweet smell. It's not offensive (I'm wondering if this is what amber smells like? The only other BPAL amber fragrance I've experienced has been The Lion, in which my skin ate the amber and I was left with a Big Red cinnamon scent) but it's not quite what I would term pleasant either, so I'm on the fence with this one. But maybe it'll grow on me, we'll see.

 

Edited 28-Mar-06: I pulled this bottle out again to try, and I must say it's improved with age. I really have no idea how to describe it--it seems musky without musk, perfumey without perfume. Something that smells like yummy skin. I'm really glad I didn't get rid of this bottle, because I think this is in my top ten now.

Edited March 28, 2006 by Silverstrike

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Warm, sweet amber with a hint of florals.

 

Wearing: This starts out true to the bottle scent. As it dries, it warms up and the light floral notes and sweetness become a little more prominant. Then it fades, and I am sad. But then it comes back! And it is glorious. A slightly sweet, lightly spicy, deliciously warm amber that I can still smell 12 hours later.

 

Final Impressions: I was so excited by this description, and it has totally lived up to expectations. A gorgeous, gorgeous blend!!

[Little Bird]

Jacob's Ladder reminds me quite a bit of The Lion at first. Then it sweetens up a bit and I'm enjoying it. Then...

 

In the drydown this smells like dust on me. It's very strange. It's like leaning over the top of a book shelf that hasn't been cleaned in years and inhaling. It is the dryest scent that I've ever tried. It's enough to make me feel sick and make me sneeze. Thankfully, it is a very light scent.

 

Dry dusty amber. BPAL's amber so rarely works on me, and Jacob's Ladder definitely doesn't. I'll probably be swapping/giving away decants of this one.

[pranashakti]

This is tearfully beautiful. Absolutely warm, sweet, and full of radiating light. Either the tonka or benzoin keeps the amber from going to powder on me. Not alot of throw, but a very enveloping scent. I feel like it's there for me. I'm trying, but I really can't describe this objectively, or pull individual notes or make comparisons. This is too evocative for me to do that, but I'll tell you this - wearing Jacob's Ladder makes me feel grounded, safe, and oh-so-very loved. Wow.

 

I'm so going to need to stock up on this one.

[SeaMonkey]

Sweet Amber!

 

This reminds me very much of The Lion, but sweeter. I get the Amber, benzoin, and tonka. I think this is an amber scent that I like. I think I might have to snag a bottle before it goes away

[joseybird]

Pure soft, golden mineral powder, very much reminiscent of heliotrope, actually, and particularly Tarot: The Sun. I definately get the Egyptian Amber, but it doesn't smell "fluid" like the single note does...instead, I get a crystalline powdered tranparency.

 

This is lovely--cozy and warm. Not quite as OMFG!!! as I had expected (I had hoped for something creamy, and this certainly isn't) but it's surprisingly comforting nonetheless.