Namaste

[Miss Lynx]

... 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.

Not as heavily floral as I would have expected from the description, though there's definitely floral in it. The cedar and lemongrass add a tartness to it, and the sandalwood-patchouli base give it an overall fairly incensey feel. Unsurprisingly, it's reminiscent of the scent of an Indian incense shop, which is not a bad thing at all, to me.

I don't know that I like it enough that I would actually wear it regularly, but it's nicer than I thought it would be, and might merit further experimentation.

Grade: B

[Kittyflop]

On wet: lemon, cedar, sandalwood.

 

Drydown: Interesting. It wafts lemongrass, but if I put nose on wrist, it is all cedar. If I sniff with focus I can detect rose.

 

It’s a very earthy citrus blend. Very calming and invigorating at the same time. It continues to morph over time and becomes well balanced between the lemon and the wood tones, with very faint jasmine here and there.

 

Much later into it, almost entirely cedar and sandalwood.

 

Very strong initially, but fades back to a close scent.

[HennaFairy]

in bottle:

flowers, I think lotus? A cross between lily and carnation…

 

wet:

lemon with patchouli and woods

 

dry:

same but jasmine and rose are there now, a nice meditative mix. Went through brief nose tickle phase but it passed. At times this is heavier floral than I prefer.

 

overall:

nice, I'll try again but it's not what I was hoping for.

 

rating: 6/10

Edited May 8, 2006 by HennaFairy

[juniperus]

Bottle: really sharp, the lemon is bite-y

Wet: Very lemon, with a bit of woody behind it. more sharp than sweet, definitely not a tangy lemon, tho.

Dry: lemon and cedar, with bits of the sandalwood wanting to come forward. I am catching bits of the sweetness of the jasmine. I can barely detect the patchouli or rose.

Later: More sandalwood with the cedar, hints of the patchouli, and the lemon is gone .. and while the edge of the sticky-sweetness of the jasmine is present, the jasmine itself doesn't stand out. It's complex and interesting in a rather generic Indian incense sort of way, which doesn't make sense..but it reminds me of the incense a gas station near campus uses..the woman who often runs the register in the morning during the week burns it....

[Tesseljoan]

Bug repellent.

 

So sorry because the idea behind the scent is so beautiful. Not on my skin though.

[damuddymeg]

in the imp: Lemony with an undercurrent of wood notes.

 

Wet: Still quite lemony, with touches of sandalwood and patchouli.

 

Dry: This scent morphs a lot. To me, the only notes I detect with regularity are lemongrass and sandalwood. The patchouli rises in the occasional small wave, present but not overwhelming. Cedar gives the occasional hint. At the very end (the scent only lasted perhaps 4 hours on me), the lemongrass dies back entirely, leaving me with a very faint sandalwood and an even fainter floral.

 

I hadn't read the notes before trying this today, and few of the notes are ones I would ordinarily want to try. Patchouli and cedar and sandalwood all typically go dirty-hippie or pencil-shavings on me, but they were all fairly light and moderate--nothing overwhelmed this beautifully balanced blend.

 

It's also one of the few scents I've worn that has elicited a random compliment from a stranger--so, this morning, I wound up enabling my phlebotimist!

 

I'm going to hang on to my imp, and see how often I wind up wearing this. I liked it quite a bit more than I had thought I would, and I'm rather sad I didn't bring my imp for reapplications today!

[spidersinmyhair]

At first Namaste is lemon mostly,with florals underneath.The lemon fades fairly quickly,leaving the florals to introduce the spicy woods.I can recognize the sandalwood,but not the cedar.

Namaste is a really nice incense,but not my choice for a perfume.When I used it in an oil burner,the lemongrass did not disappear.I actually preferred it on my skin.

This is a really nice scent if you like to wear incense.

[neuilly]

A lovely frimp which I would never have chosen to try but am happy to do so now that I've got my hands ona sample!

 

In the bottle: Lots of incense...guessing that's the patchouli but probably also the sandalwood. Some lemongrass in the background. I get the oddest note of hazelnut in the background but I think I must be imagining that.

 

Wet: Incense has faded a lot actually which is rather nice since I don't enjoy patchouli or sandalwood very much. A lot of lemongrass now, however. Also a rather warm wood note in the background...I kind of like it even though I'm not really into woodsy scents either.

 

Dry: Wow, this smells like lemon pine sol mixed with incense. Not liking this a bit. Will go into the swap pile...but this could be a nice scent on someone else. Someone who enjoyed incense would like this much more. I think my skin amps up the lemongrass as well.

[edenssixthday]

Namaste - I can’t express my delight at finding yet another BPAL blend with jasmine in it where the jasmine doesn’t overpower everything it comes in contact with. This is a gorgeous scent on me. In the vial, it’s predominantly dry and woody, but as soon as it touches my skin, the lemongrass becomes the dominant note, and it’s really fresh and invigorating. The jasmine is barely discernible and lends an odd twist to the overall scent, but it’s not unpleasant, just … well…unexpected. The rose serves to smooth and round out the scent, keeping the lemongrass from being overly-sharp and crisp. On my skin, the patchouli is nowhere to be found and there is the faintest touch of sandalwood and cedarwood that does little more than serve as a backdrop to emphasize the other notes that stand in center-stage. This is the kind of scent I would love to have in a body lotion that I apply after showing in the morning as an invigorating force that would help wake me up. Likewise, I think it would make a gorgeous room scent. It has a light amount of throw and lasts for hours. Phenomenal scent. I think I’ll hang on to this one for a while.

[Melantha]

I have now discovered that my skin amps up lemongrass like nobody's business, and it smells like Pledge.

 

[Galatea]

In the Imp: Very strong and incense-like.

 

Wet: Wow! Strong is right! Strange all I seem to smell is pine and orange. But they seem very-chemical like. Almost as if i sprayed Orange Clean and Pine Sol on my wrists. (why is it sometimes the cedar will be all overpoweringly Pine-like, then other times it will be all mellow and nice?)

 

Dry: The pine dies down just a bit, thank god, and there is a smidge of something smokey and incense-like. Much better now, but I can see how this blend might not be something I would wear much at all.

 

Throw: A friend of mine tried this one tonight. I put one tiny line of oil on his wrist and he rubbed it in. 5 minutes later I could catch whiffs of him from across the room. It's strong stuff.

 

Overall: I just don't think this is for me, the name to me implies something calming and at peace and this blend just doesn't seem that way to my nose.

 

[opaleyes]

Hmm. I'm just getting lemongrass on this one. I thought more would come out as it dried, but it's taking a while. There might be a tiiiiny bit of rose back there, but it's hard to tell. Still, it's a pretty scent. Actually, there's a tiny bt of sandalwood coming out, but the lemongrass really overpowers it on me. :-\

[Shannihilation]

When I first put this on, it was all lemon. Pledge to be exact. That didn't last long though. Then it turned very sweet and smokey. I've had it on for about an hour now an it's still smokey and sweet. I can definitely smell the woods in this. The cedar is the strongest. Mostly I get the cedar and the patchouli with the florals just barely peeking through.

 

I'm not liking this very much. There's just too much of that "smokey" note.

[melrose]

In imp: Bananas - Heh?

 

On, wet - Bananas and something fresh that my nose can't decipher.

 

Near drydown - Lemons and bananas outdoors in the breeze - this is a very interesting fruit orchard.

 

Drydown - Yes! This is what I wanted - here's my beloved sandalwood, with just a hint of something fresh and something slightly sweet in the background.

 

Bottleworthy.

[SultryWolf]

Got this one from a forumite (thanks!)

imp and on:

The predominant note smells to me like neroli, but there is no neroli listed, so it must be a combination of other elements. There’s a nice underlying sweet spiciness from the woods and resins; the florals barely peek through. It’s complex, and very yoga!

It really grew on me. I especially like to wear some in a line down from my belly button.

[fairy]

I sniffed the imp, thought, Hmmmm, interesting. Put it on my wrist, thought, hmmmm, interesting. Then placed it in my "still on the fence" baggie...I didn't make it across the room without having to come back and pull it out of there to add to my "i love it" bag.

 

So Namaste, you took me a few seconds, but I warmed up to you

 

It's bright, cheery, and I think of the color yellow. Another great "pick me up" scent (like Katharina). It citrus but not overpowering. And very clean smelling

[jarvenpa]

thank you to the dear forumite who sent me this!

 

Little package arrived this morning containing some imps of previously untried scents (so exciting).

 

And I tried Namaste first, on whim.

 

I am 5 years old, and can barely see above the crowded counter top in the dim little shop somewhere outside of Tokyo. My mother, elegant in her black clothing, is sipping green tea with the beautiful shop owner as I try to direct my little brother's attention away from the shining trinkets.

 

The fragrance is of tea and lemongrass to my nose, and a touch of sandalwood, with other scents stirring in the background.

 

I am in love with the glossy black hair of the lovely shop owner, who smiles at me and touches my own pale, pale hair. Outside the black and white Japanese bobtail cat rubs against my legs and purrs.

 

Obviously a very personal reaction to this fragrance, and wholly unexpected. Deep flashbacks to my youth in Japan, and all the fragrances of that time.

 

Pulling back to logical reality: first strong lemongrass, then quickly a mingling of other fragrances, read as "exotic", mostly sandalwood. Definitely a green tea note to my nose too.

[sapnak]

wet: almost overwhelmingly lemony (Pine-Sol comes to mind), with a hint of patchouli

dry: still smelling the lemongrass, but now I pick up more patchouli and sandlewood.

 

Wearable (6/10), but not what I hoped for a Namaste scent. Being Indian, I'm a bit baffled by why lemongrass is in there at all.

[steffanina]

Namaste-

 

In Bottle: Lemon! A very rich lemon. Can't identify the spices giving it that rich smell.

 

Wet: Sweet lemon, and not lemon furniture polish-y either. Lemon candies. Lemon fizzy sherbets!

 

Dry: Hmm. I think the spicy smell in this is sandalwood? That's the impression I get, anyway. Anyway, this scent is lemon sandalwood, all the way through, and it's interesting but not something I'm in love with. The end of the dry-down becomes extremely nice--sweet and powdery, almost like white musk--but that's a couple of hours later and I'm not sure the lemon sandalwood is that luscious, to be worth it.

 

Overall: Interesting.

[PurringPulsar]

Namaste

 

In the imp: lemongrass! With hints of the other notes, but powerfully lemongrass-centred.

Wet on skin: a punch of zingy lemongrass with cedar underneath.

Dry on skin: lots of lemongrass on a soft, gentle bed of woods, it's very piercing and bright, but herbal too. It's pretty much taking over the scent for now, not in a bad way, but I want the sandalwood and rose to come out. I'll wait a bit since lemongrass can act a bit like a hyperactive kid at first, screaming for attention, but then runs out of steam and calms down a bit.

After a while: ah yes, now the lemongrass has calmed down, and the jasmine comes to play, followed by woods. The scent is a citrus-spiked floral scent now, which is actually quite pleasant, and the combination of lemongrass and jasmine strikes me as a very Asian scent.

The scent then morphs into a scent of rose, jasmine and sandalwood with very little lemon left. It seems to stay that way-the scent is very soft now though, but it does have a feel of incense to it at times.

Verdict: at first this was uber-lemongrass, not as much as the Vortex, but heavy on the sharp lemony scent. It did tone down a little bit though, turning into jasmine-sandalwood, then a powdered wood and rose scent. It's a nice scent, but more like something I'd use as a room scent due to the woody incense vibe it has, but it's a little bit plain as a skin scent (after the lemongrass phase) on me.

Emoticon rating:

If you like this, try: The Vortex

Edited September 28, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[PilotKitten]

Hmm... this starts out sweet and lemony-herbal. And... it appears to stay that way. < astonished > I keep expecting the sandalwood or cedarwood to jump out and overwhelm me like normal but they stay away like they're supposed to. < scratches head > This stays with the lemongrass and actually reminds me a lot of LUSH's Avobath in that respect. Wow... I can't believe this blend smells so good on me! I might have to buy a bottle because of the shock value alone. It's a light and breezy, airy scent that is a bit soothing to me. After drydown I can catch a faint whiff of jasmine but it's still mostly that gorgeous lemongrass.

[valentina]

In the imp, and upon initial drydown, Namaste smells like sandalwood with a little bitterness, which is no doubt the lemongrass. I really don't pick up a lot of rose or patchouli, which is shocking, considering those notes can be very dominating for me. The lemongrass scent isn't bad, and in some ways is a very cleansing sort of smell. After the lemongrass burns off a bit and is less intense, Namaste starts to smell like jasmine incense -- very pretty! All the elements blend together beautifully to smell a great deal like a light, floral incense that might be burned in a yoga studio or a meditation center. It's lovely, subtle and calming.

[sarahj]

Namaste

 

received in a swap

 

in imp: lemongrass

 

wet: lemongrass and rose

 

dry: rose and sandalwood

 

verdict: a nice scent, but I don't need a big bottle

[Vampy]

Hnn. I got this as a freebie, and went and read the description before I tried it. Based on the notes, I thought I'd like it, but I was wrong. :\

 

It's not extremely unpleasant or anything - in the bottle it smelled sort of yellow and bright, a strong woody element. On me, it smelled... familiar, it a not altogether pleasing way. After a while, I realized it was because it made me think of the sort of scents old men wear, and I think I was specifically reminded of my grandfather's scent from my childhood. Not something I particularly want to smell like.

 

Meh, I'll be passing this on.

[Babylon]

Aw, this is the first time a BPAL lemon has turned to Lemon Pledge (a cleaning product, used to polish wood) on me. Now I wonder if all lemongrass will do this to me. Must test.

 

From the notes, I thought I'd love this. It smelled like a rose bush in a greenhouse at first, but quickly morphed to the Lemon Pledge scent. To make it worse, the sandalwood is creeping out so that it smells like Pledge freshly applied to a coffee table.

 

After awhile, Namaste peacefully settles down into a lemon candy scent.