Namaste

[ObliqueRed]

... 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.

 

On both me and my husband, this smelled exactly the same - like lemon dish soap. It isn't unpleasant, per se, but - I don't need perfume that makes me smell like Lemon Joy. Oh well!

[Eemia]

The lemongrass is killing this for me. It's not that it's overpowering, it's that the it's pairing with everything else in a weird way. It's making the rest of it smell odd and I feel like I'm wearing two different perfumes. The astringent herbal quality of the lemon is underscored by a stale floral incense. It's dry and very rosey and feels old. I love jasmine and usually it really shines on my skin but it's going into a rare latex territory in here.

 

I really, really wanted this to work on me because the description sounded very peaceful but this is an utter disaster with my chemistry.

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from the Lab.

 

In the imp: Greenery with a touch of ginger. That must be the lemongrass.

 

Wet: GREEN. It’s almost overpoweringly green for the first few moments. It smells like being inside a florist shop, with the cut greenery, water, and flowers all mingled together.

 

Dry: As it dries down, Namaste smells like old lady perfume. I think the jasmine and rose are interfering with the cedarwood and sandalwood, notes that usually work well on my skin. If I put my nose right against my arm, I do get a much nicer, sweet jasmine.

 

I may try this in an oil burner as some reviews suggest, because it doesn’t work well on my skin.

[Deliciousness]

In the imp: Lemony herbs

Wet on skin: Wow, this goes on and is all lemon.

Dry down: Still lemon, but with a bit of something fresh and green lurking beneath.

 

An hour and half later: the lemon is gone and is replaced by a dry woody cedar/sandalwood combo. It's a little too "wood" smelling for my tastes.

 

Intersting blend, although not for me. It's too lemon, then "wood", at least on my skin. I was hoping the jasmine and rose would have come out more, but with my chemistry, my skin just amps "wood" notes.

[tacey]

Not peaceful on my skin at all! Maybe the interaction of the jasmine and lemongrass, but something is sharp and aggressive and I think it's trying to kill me...

 

From a little distance I get mainly lemon with something harsh behind it; the occasional waft of beautiful sandalwood won't stay in focus, and I can't pick out the rose at all. I think the cedar is contributing to the sharpness I keep getting. Just not going to work for me, sadly. I've always thought it sounded like a beautiful blend.

[batsy]

In the vial: lemon grass with a tiny dot of rose.

 

On the skin: Wet, it's overwhelming lemon, much like a strong dish detergent. Then, as it dried, it became froot loops. While I like froot loops, I don't want to smell like them. Oh well, off to the swap pile.

[radioaction]

Received as a frimp in my last Lab order. Rose is iffy, but the other notes I like a lot.

 

Wet: Lemongrass single note.

 

Dry: The woods and the rose come out a bit; lemongrass is still strong. The rose is verging on sickly/old person, which it tends to do on me. No jasmine or patchouli that I can detect.

 

Verdict: I wish the jasmine came out more and the rose less! It's still a very nice, soothing blend. I will likely keep it and use it in bath products or a room spray to see if the rose less gross not directly on my skin.

Edited November 12, 2014 by radioaction

[Veronica]

In the imp, this is all cedarwood tempered with lemongrass--dry and woody and clean. On the skin, the lemongrass is most prominent, but the rose and jasmine are there, well behaved in the background. There's just a touch of dryness from the woods. This is lemon, with a bit of rose and wood. It is very soothing.Not sure if I would wear it as a perfume, but it would make a great linen scent.

[tealeaves]

I normally like all of these notes, but something about the combination of them is not playing well with my skin!

 

It goes on very strong and masculine and woody, like the sandalwood and the patchouli are taking over. Within a couple of minutes it goes full lemon, less lemongrass and more lemon zest. I don't get the floral notes at all. A couple of hours later, it dies down into a warmer patchouli and sandalwood scent, softened a little by the rose. Although the dry version of this is quite nice on my skin, I don't think I can deal with the initial blast and the hour or so of lemon zest in order to obtain the final result.

[hobbitballerina]

Oh, I wish I liked this one -- or rather, that it liked me!

 

In the Imp: Lemon Pledge. Nothing else, just aggressive Lemon Pledge.

 

Wet: Wet is actually gorgeous. It's earthy and almost masculine, probably the sandalwood and cedar and patchouli playing together. If only it stayed this way because ...

 

Dry: Now it goes all old lady perfume, and a touch rancid to boot. It's decaying jasmine and sickly Lemon Pledge, heavy and musty and just off. My husband noticed it was smelling weird and told me to go wash it off. I'm glad I did, because when I went to go clean it off, there were red patches wherever I had applied it. It won't give up the ghost, either -- I can still smell it on me. I might have to shower to get the rest off, and treat the allergy patches with topical stuff to get the inflammation to go down.

 

This one is no good for me. At all. It should have been. I love jasmine and cedar and patchouli and sandalwood. It's that damned lemongrass, I think. This one is getting sent off to someone else post haste. Alas.

[Teamama]

I love sandalwood, patch, jasmine and rose, and I was really looking forward to Namaste.

 

The imp smelled like 100% lemon.

 

Wet, it was mostly lemon. It didn't smell like lemongrass, more like straight up lemon extract. I could hardly detect anything else.

 

The lemon dominated for over an hour. Eventually, I could smell the other notes, but faintly.

 

This isn't a good one for me.

[sunlitgarden]

I think Namaste was a frimp at some point, but I'm not sure how old it is. Jasmine and patchouli are both pretty iffy notes for me, but I try to test all the imps I get, so I will try this one out anyway.

In the imp: This smells quite "tart" to me. The lemongrass jumped out at me first, then the florals, but the more I sniff at it the more the woody/earthy notes come out. Something in here kind of reminds me of roasted coffee beans or very dark chocolate. The lemongrass combined with this note made me think "fancy herbal chocolate" for a second.

On my skin: Lemongrass is the dominant note when this is wet (it's more like the unspecified "lemon" note than the usually gentler lemongrass to me). The patchouli is behaving -- no BO, just a kind of earthy, grounding scent. The jasmine is also okay too, tending more towards soapy-floral than indolic. The wood is coming out more as it dries. I'd say it's about equal parts lemongrass and woods with the florals in third place.

Dry, the wood has a musty sort of quality on my skin. I don't like this stage as well.

Overall, I don't think this scent meshes with my chemistry very well. It's like a bunch of pieces that don't quite fit together rather than a unified whole.

[joopjoop]

Fresh imp from the lab.

 

I had a feeling about this one - a feeling that it would be special in some way. And as soon as I opened the imp I knew I was right.

 

Namaste is pure unadulterated sense memory to me; it is every wonderful smelling thing in Thailand all mixed together in a beautifully blended oil. In the imp and for the first 30 minutes to hour I want to roll around it and just be transported back in time and space.

 

I've learned I amp cedar and patchouli is touch and go for me (I like it, but often find it too dirty and musty smelling, particularly blended with myrrh or musk), but the lemongrass cuts through the patchouli smell and uplifts it. I love lemongrass but often find it too 'lemon head candy' when combined with other citrus, so this works well in my opinion.

 

A few hours later, the patch and the woods do amp up a little bit too much for my liking and I don't really get the rose and jasmine other than a suggestion just after application (which is too bad - I really love the lab's rose note and don't mind the jasmine). I'm going to try it again a few more times to see if it settles a bit or varies with skin chemistry

 

In conclusion: I'm not sure how much I will wear this oil, but I will use it as a room scent and possibly in the bath and be transported to a warm, happy place. It's magical.

Edited March 29, 2016 by joopjoop

[VetchVesper]

When I first tried this scent, several years ago, I detested it. All I wrote in my notes was "Yuck! Lemon Pledge and Dirt." Recently I got another chance to try this one out from a friend whose imp had been aging over a year, and you know what? It wasn't half bad. Mind you, cedar is a note that is always terrible on me, but my rating went from a 1 out of 5 up to a 3, and I could actually see wearing this. I'm even considering buying my own imp.

 

I think Namaste might smooth out and improve greatly with aging, which patch and cedar both tend to do. Just wanted to mention that since it seems there's a lot of negative reviews. This one might take a while to come into it's own.

[lizabelle]

In the imp: Wood with some citrus

 

On skin, wet: So much lemongrass, wow. Also some wood/patch coming in below. The opening reminds me a bit of Van Van with the warm lemon/wood mix. This is slightly brighter and Van Van is more resinous, but they're pretty similar.

 

On skin, dry: Still quite a lot of lemongrass. The rose comes in over time along with the sandalwood, making this a very fresh (almost green) spicy scent. The rose actually stays in the background, for once, and is very fruity. Something (lemongrass and cedar mixing?) is tricking me into thinking there's green cardamom in here, which is not a complaint. The sandalwood is also pretty spicy and is a lovely background to the lemongrass/rose combo. Over time it settles down to be less citrusy and more powdery, but still retains the spicy quality. One of the more unisex rose/sandalwood combos I've smelled.

 

I like this a lot and think it may replace Van Van in my wish list. They're similar on my skin (at least at the start) but this is fresher and feels more versatile. It could easily be a year-round scent.

[freyasfae]

Okay, new lesson learned - I just don't like cedar on me, and the sandalwood only emphasizes the woodsiness, which I tend to like in small doses. Once the lemongrass comes out to play, the woodsiness dies down a bit, but it seems to emphasize the indolic qualities of the jasmine on me. I have found I really like jasmine, but I have to be very careful with it. This one is definitely jasmine with woods and lemon.

[Lucchesa]

Testing Namaste blind, I got lemon and floral. But the lab's lemon note so frequently goes into lemon pledge territory for me that I should have guessed it was lemongrass. The patchouli stays in the background, thankfully; the rose and jasmine settle under the lemon, and the sandalwood becomes more apparent in drydown. It is really upbeat, a pretty summer scent that could probably be worn year round as a pick me up. I wasn't using this as a meditation scent, although I will definitely be experimenting with it in the future, as I can always use joy and peace in my life.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Ermagherd, so much lemongrass!! I bet this would make awesome bug repellant, but so far it's not something I want to smell like. Blerg.

 

 

Dry: Not a mopher, still a big pile of lemongrass. Love it in my soup, not so much in my perfume. This one is not for me!

[achildoftime]

Wet it's lemony sandalwood. I'm also getting some of the cedar. It's like wearing a chest of drawers that has recently been polished with a lemon cleaner. It's not much different dry and really isn't to my taste.

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: Lemongrass first and foremost, but made interestingly woody or earthy, almost nutty, by patchouli. I also get a breath of florals, but I'm having trouble picking out which. If pushed, I might say rose, but I'm far from sure at this stage.

 

Wet: Still mainly lemongrass, but the rose is now much more prominent. The patch is now dialed back to the point of invisibility, alas. At skin level, I get occasional whiffs of something spicy - sandalwood? From afar, it's a sweeter scent, with the lemongrass and the rose about equal.

 

Dry: Woodier and woodier. The lemongrass burns off first, as expected, but the roses hang around, but much softer and mellower. I agree with lizabelle - it's a unisex take on the sandalwood/rose combo.

[trinitysite]

I got this as a frimp from the lab. It smells very incensy in the bottle, and I think I was hoping for a sandalwood-heavy incense blend. There is something just not right about it: maybe it's the rose/jasmine/patchouli combo, which did not work with me in a different blend recently, maybe it's the rose eventually becoming dominant (not my thing), maybe it's the lemongrass being too astringent and sour, or the jasmine going wonky...after it settles it's mostly rose/sandalwood (ok!) with cedar/lemon (not ok!). I agree with the assessment that it feels like two different perfumes. Unfortunately I don't like one of them.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: The lemongrass note stands out to me the most, with the other notes lingering behind it.

 

Wet: Lemongrass and jasmine are the first notes to emerge, with the lemongrass being particularly potent. After a few minutes, I get the rose and patchouli.

 

Dry: This is still lemongrass like whoa, followed by the jasmine and rose. I get some of the patchouli in the background, and some cedar behind that. Then, the sandalwood and cedar notes start playing more of a role, and the sandalwood ends up duking it out with the lemongrass on my skin.

 

In the end, the sandalwood wins the battle, so that it's mainly a sandalwood and lemongrass scent with some cedar, patchouli, and a bit of rose in the background.

 

Verdict: This one isn't really my cup of tea, but I'd recommend it for fans of sandalwood and lemongrass.

[monocainsheresy]

Fresh on the skin this is jasmine and CANDY (no idea where that's coming from, maybe the rose). A tiny bit of the cedarwood and lemongrass. As it dries the sandalwood and patch come out. A smoky, woody blend lightened by lemongrass.

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Um. Okay. I have tried this three times. Each time, the first whiff I get is of... fried food. Like, the frying oil and breading. If I keep sniffing, I get lemongrass. But if I recap the imp and pull it out again -- fried food. 

 

On my skin:

 

Okay, wet, I can pick out individual notes better -- jasmine, sandalwood, rose, and lemongrass. I'm not getting anything that's distinctly patchouli or cedar -- and I'm used to those two notes being pretty distinct on me. As it dries, lemongrass comes to the forefront, backed by jasmine and rose, and underscored by a base of... stinky wood? I'm guessing that last bit is the combination of sandalwood and fresh patchouli (and maybe cedar?) on me. As it develops more on my skin, I get... citronella. 

 

If this repels mosquitoes, I am keeping it. If not, it will probably head to the swaps. 

[spookyumbrella]

I can sense the jasmine and lemongrass, backed by sandalwood. The lemon makes it kind of fresh, but the jasmine kept taking over more and more as the wear went on. I'm beginning to think that BPAL's jasmine is just like that, though. As the name would suggest, it is quite relaxing - I can see this making a nice room scent. 5/10 - A nice, peaceful floral.