Namaste

[talula_fairie]

... This oil blend is a serene, soothing Indian blend, created to bring calm and joy to the heart and peace to the spirit. Sandalwood, jasmine, rose, patchouli, cedarwood and lemongrass.

This smelled like a beautiful, amazing, meditive blend in the imp and, for about five minutes, on my skin. It reminded me of Aurovedic products or the Whole Body section at Whole Foods. But then...as this happens to me a lot with rose blends, it turned into rose soap. I'm a sad panda because the first give minutes of this scent were amazing. If you don't amp rose like I do, this is a fresh, clean, slightly floral blend with enough woodsy notes to keep it grounded.

[Lirion]

In the imp: Sharp citrus. My first thought was grapefruit (I didn't have the notes in front of me at the time). There is some rose and it's definitely a white rose, not a red.

 

Wet: Hello citrus, yes you are very bright and shiny, this seems like a good Summer scent, very zingy and refreshing.

 

Drydown - Had to wash it off. The lemongrass grows until thats all there is - it not longer reminds me of grapefruit - and is overpowering enough that I have a headache. I now know I am sensitive to lemongrass I guess

 

I never got past the citrus and slight white rose of this scent. No Jasmine. If I huff really close to my skin way down there's something dirty which could be the patchouli but it's not prominent. It may be what took the clean edge off the lemongrass hwoever.

 

Such a shame, it was lovely in the imp.

[Turkgirl]

Ugh. All I picked up was the citrussy lemongrass. Smelled like some sort of furniture polish...aggravated my asthma, like so many of these exotic scents do, and I had to wash it off.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: the lemongrass is powerful. I can't really smell anything else.

Drydown: ok there's the rose.. and the lemongrass.. and who? I can barely pick out the sandalwood. The cedarwood is there but it blends right in behind the rose and lemongrass. There's little pops of jasmine here and there.. it's a bizarre one! It turns mostly jasmine and lemongrass with a breath of patchouli and cedarwood. It keeps morphing! This one will have me intrigued for hours.

[DamnSatyr]

The lemongrass in this is the strongest note for me. It's very light and airy, and the undertones of cedar really help build it up into something relaxing. It reminds me of a nice spicy cup of lemony tea, very fragrant and a little swirling.

 

ADDED Jan. 18:

 

I always make it a point to try and grab things with lemongrass in them, because it usually makes things really pop on my skin. This scent is no exception to that rule! It's light and relaxing, and I can really get how so many speak about using it for meditation and yoga.

[laslibres]

Smells okay in the imp...starts off as sandalwood and lemongrass, reminds me of going to a masseuse (they always seem to have massage oils with lemongrass for some reason). The woods and the patchouli in this scent kinda ground the lemongrass a little, make it smell less like Thai food, which is good.

 

Unfortunately, I do smell a little rose, though, and rose is not good on me. It's not super-prominent, but I dislike rose so much that my mind will make me think it's taking over the scent, even though it’s not, and that's all I'll be able to smell. It's weird. On most people, it's likely that rose WOULDN'T be dominant, but I just have a complex about it. Not the perfume's fault, just me, psychologically.

 

Namaste is a scent that's true to its concept, though, I will say that. It makes me think of relaxation, meditation, yoga...it WOULD be a good massage oil, or a good scent to wear while meditating. Has sort of a spiritual feel to it, or something, I dunno.

[Victory]

Yep, that lemongrass really pops when the oil's wet and in the first drying phases. It's really zingy. After it dies down, the scent dulls somewhat- sometimes I feel like it's the base of another oil. What I mean is, it is similar to other oils without the pop that makes the oils special. But then, as it continues to dry, Namaste reminds me more and more of Khajuraho, which is an oil that I love. I do smell the rose/jasmine, which is pretty, non-amping, and non-headache-inducing. The sandalwood is nice, and the cedarwood doesn't move into a headachey zone. I think I've wound up liking Namaste- not so much as Khajuraho, but as an alternative should Khajuraho never become available again.

[MaritzaCardona]

Wet it smells like lemongrass with a hint of orange zest. I absolutely love how it smells in the imp! I'm so thankful that the flowers do not show because that would have been the kiss of death for me. It's straight up lemony and woodsy and for me that's no problem at all. My only complaint really is that it fades rather quick on my. I guess my skin loves this scent that much. I will probably not buy a bottle but I'll make sure to find a couple of imps.

[Drarra]

The concept of an Indian blend appealed to me. Plus is has sandalwood and cedarwood.

 

In the imp: I smell a lot of jasmine and rose, but the next dominant scent is lemongrass. Oh, tasty lemongrass... I'm suddenly very hungry.

 

Wet on my skin: Jasmine.

 

Dry on my skin: The jasmine has a contender for most dominant scent in Namaste: and that is rose. This is not good. My skin amps floral notes. Nothing will save this from going sharp on my skin, not even the beloved woods.

 

Overall: This is not bringing any peace to my spirit. It's hard to be serene about scrubbing your wrists. This blend rather makes me wish I could wear floral blends better. My lesson is learned: jasmine, you are my skin's nemesis.

[Gateau]

In the imp: lemon and something softly woody

 

Wet: lemon Pledge furniture polish

 

Drydown: the lemon is dominating with white florals and wood underneath. Reminds me at this stage of Phantasm, and I don't love either. Maybe I'n not that into lemon fragrances on my skin. Better for room spray.

 

Dry: I am amping the hell out of the lemongrass and getting practically nothing else. Three people have come into my office and said they love the smell, and they are getting patchouli and sandalwood plus flowers, but i get pure lemongreass with maybe a touch of wood.

 

Even drier: The lemongrass/sandalwood combination is giving me a strong sense of a room in Southeast Asia with the tropical woods. Very evocative and distinctive, but again, it's a room, not something for my skin.

 

Lasted a really long time with a lot of throw. By the very end I was amping the heck out of the sandalwood and cedar.

 

Swap, but I'd consider a room spray.

[ami226]

A very interesting scent! Not sure why, but it immediately makes me think of this summer camp I used to work at. You know, I think it is because it smells a lot like the bug spray I used to use. Of course, in a weird way I liked the smell of it.

 

Hmmm, definitely not right for me as a perfume.

[biocarolyn]

This is really a beautiful scent on me. I don't know how my skin does it and I must be in the minority based on people's reactions, but lemongrass smells VERY distinct and different than lemon to me, and this is clearly lemograss- that added herbal quality rather than lemon oil from lemon peels or whatever. I think the cedarwood and/or sandalwood and secondary on me, with the patch behind that. Rose & jasmine are both well behaved- no screaming jasmine or ammonia rose here! (I am not usually friends with heavy florals) There is something about this that smells incense-y and grounding. The lemongrass is stimulating enough that this isn't sleepy, but it is relaxing, if that makes sense. Centered. Great expression of the concept, and really beautiful, delightful scent...

[Marie_Nightingale]

This is all rosy and lemony sunshine!! I think I'm in love! This smelled so good in the imp and did not disappoint on the skin. After five minutes the sandalwood and jasmine take the zing out of the lemon. It fades into a gorgeously soft yellow scent. I close my eyes and see soft, pale yellow cotton sheets on a clothes line, drying in the warm summer breeze. Very calming. Sooo pretty!! This is going on the bottle list for sure!!

[tdgnika]

Sadly, there was nothing peaceful about this on me.

 

In the imp, I get a bit of lemongrass over the other scents.

 

Wet on the skin, it's throwing rose and lemon pretty heavily.

 

On dry down, it just won't stop screaming rose with a little help from the lemongrass cheerleader. Citrus and old lady's bath salts - yuck.

 

Tried to wash it off with no luck. Blech.

[relax]

I don't know but in some blends I get this 'metalic, biting' note I can't get on with. My suspicion is that it may be Rose, but not sure. Anyhow, Namaste has the metalic edge, too. I's also pretty heavy on lemongrass. I gets a bit better after a few minutes and there is some kind of calmness about it, but so is the urge to wash it off

[hanabi]

In the imp and wet on my skin, the lemongrass and woods make it smell just like my favorite Indian restaurant. Which is not a bad smell, just not something I particularly want to smell like. The lemongrass fades fairly quickly and leaves me smelling more like a head shop when the patchouli and a little jasmine come out. Again, not bad, just not what I particularly want to smell like (although Maenad is pretty head shop-y in a different way and I love it). I was going to wash it off since I wasn't feeling it, but then I got distracted for about half an hour and when I sniffed my wrists again it was just about gone.

 

It's not as floral as you might imagine seeing the notes of rose and jasmine. There's nothing wrong with this scent for me, I just don't want to smell like an Indian restaurant or a patchouli and sandalwood incense laden head shop. I would much rather smell like Maenad's strawberry and opium incense laden head shop.

[joyfulgirl]

i thought for sure i'd reviewed this! ah well, might as well get to it.

 

in the bottle: lemon! lemon lemon lemon! like lemon pledge furniture polish.

 

wet on my skin: lemongrass like whoa. i remember when i first got an imp of this, i thought i wouldn't like it because i figured for sure i'd walk around smelling like pledge all day. eventually the lemon calms down and i start to get whiffs of other notes...mostly cedarwood at first, then a smidge of patchouli.

 

dry on my skin: the lemon has faded significantly and i'm now getting lots of cedar with a touch of earthy patchouli and sweetened (i'm assuming) by the jasmine. i do not get much in the way of sandalwood or rose.

 

note: i also put some in my hair and i am still getting a definite lemon vibe from my hair. i am guessing my skin either ate or burned the lemongrass.

 

overall: i really enjoy this blend. i think it's great for focusing (as most citrus blends tend to be for me) and fades to a lovely earthy scent. i'm glad i have a bottle, and i will probably replace it when i run out.

[FormerViking]

Damn you Rose , damn you to hell ! Yeah , that's pretty much all I'm getting from this ( rose is the bane of my BPAL existence ) , which is a shame as the notes for this one sound pretty damned impressive . Ok , not just me , the GF is pretty much getting rose off of me too . Oh well , on to the next .

[captnklaus]

This one was all Lemongrass in the bottle and on my skin for a while. Thankfully, I love lemongrass After it dries down the jasmine comes out to play and brings a bit of sandalwood with it. The rose thankfully stays somewhere I can't find it, and decides it wants cedar to keep it company (I actually do like cedar, but oh well). Overall, Namaste was a lovely scent and helped me to relax after a rough and stressful start to the day.

Edited May 9, 2012 by captnklaus

[sidhenecromancer]

ugh. All I get is lemon candies... off to swaps.

[ianastar]

The sandalwood is the main note I get. Luckily I did get most of the rose coming out of this. I need to wear this a bit more to see if I really like it or not. Im kind of up in the air about it right now.

[theseagrows]

this is VERY strong and resiny on me. the cedar, wood and patchouli combined smell kind of gross on me. plus the added jasmine- yeah this is a pretty nightmarish scent for my skin chemistry. at first it smells like slightly stinky incense and then mophs into a sharp lemony-jasmine with sandalwood? i dunno, this just did not work for me.

Edited February 5, 2013 by theseagrows

[JazzieCazzie]

Received an imp as lagniappe in a recent swap. I knew I had tried it in the past (although I apparently never reviewed it) because there were many notes in it that I knew, early on, I loved, whereas the notes that turned out to not work for me were ones I didn't realize were problem children until later. However, as I work my way through my entire collection, A-Z, I am reviewing and revisiting EVERY scent I have in my box and so Namaste, you're up today.

 

IN THE IMP: Pungent. Acrid. Even sour. An earlier review (maybe more) used the term vinegar and that works for me, too. Sweaty socks. I have to imagine it's the lemongrass and jasmine, even though the former seems to be the last note listed.

 

Dabbed a little fearfully on one wrist.

 

WET: For a brief blessed moment my lovely woods, sandalwood and cedarwood, amp and sweeten the blend to make it tolerable. But that lasts for mere moments. Then lemongrass and, I guess, jasmine (which often DOES work well for me) fight their way back up, like the girl bullies from gym class, and throw their nasty socks all around the locker room after a nasty game of prisoner's ball.

 

DRYDOWN: (Yeah, I got there). Guess who joined the game? Wonky rose. Annnnnd with that it was time to take a post-gym shower, because they're just not playing nice at all.

 

OVERALL: Still not a winner for me. And definitely, ironically, doesn't evoke the peace and comfort I think of with the word Namaste. Damn my chemistry.

 

On a scale of 1-5, about a 1.5. (And that's only because I save the 1s for scents that make me physically ill).

[ajansuz]

Namaste was a frimp, and all I could think was why have I never tried this before? It's all notes that play nicely with my skin and...yeah! Let's get to that review!

 

In the imp, my nose read the lemongrass as grapefruit, a sparkly, tangy grapefruit minus the bitterness that usually makes that a no-starter for me. The jasmine was very obvious with rose right under it. Strong sandalwood. This smells almost exactly like some solid perfume from India I had years ago and loved to pieces except that it never lasted more than an hour or so on my skin.

 

Wet it was pure magic. Sandalwood came out more strongly for me than it ever has with any other BPAL. The jasmine didn't get too sharp and still had rose partnered with it strongly enough that it didn't dominate. The lemongrass stopped smelling like grapefruit but also wasn't screaming lemon which will just kill any love I have of anything involved with it. It was a bright, sparkly citrus that blended really well with the wood and floral notes. No patch that I could detect. Maybe it was grounding it all a little to keep it from being too sweet, hard to say.

 

The dry down was also a good stage for me. Nothing morphed strangely. Instead it all just settled in. It was exactly like I had always wished the solid perfume would be, staying around with decent throw. This blend definitely made me feel peaceful and happy. It's different enough from everything else I currently own that I'd be insane not to snag a bottle. On my skin chemistry I'd give this a 5/5.

[Magycmyste]

I am Hindu, so I felt I had to get this bottle when I saw the name of it. When I read the scent notes, I expected a very comforting smell for me. I've grown up amongst sandalwood, jasmine, and rose, so those scents give me sort of a spiritual, homey feeling.

 

In the bottle: I get a very sharp smell, almost eucalyptus-minty, with a whiff of incense and lemon. The best I can approximate this to right now is kalpuram - it looks like rock candy, and my parents and the temple priests used to light it on fire during pujas (I used to think of them kind of like sacred charcoal - except translucent white. Apparently, it's a plant extract, and is sometimes used in Indian sweets). It might be the cedar - I'm not really familiar with that scent on its own.

 

Wet on skin: still the kalpuram, but it's faded, and I'm getting more of the lemongrass now.

 

Dry on skin: I'm getting the sandalwood almost as an undertone now, with lemongrass as the top note. There might be some jasmine in there, but I'm not sure.

 

Also, I've never really smelled cedarwood or patchouli, so I probably can't pick out those scent notes even if I am smelling them.

 

Throw: I don't need to hold my wrists up to smell this one - it's pretty strong on me - again, especially the lemongrass.

 

I see myself using this on days when I want to think of home, or get into a more spiritual mood. I love the scent, but I don't think it's an everyday one for me, just because it does evoke certain feelings in me.

 

Verdict: ****