Tiphareth

[sihaya09]

Divine Beauty, Shemesh, Unity, the Balance of Justice and Mercy.

(Origin: Oblation caravan.) Cedar and sweet woods. I know next to nothing about Kabbalistic magics, and so therefore I’m reviewing this from a scent perspective. In magic, I would use this as a grounding and centering blend-- I would be interested in researching the meaning of Tipareth to compare.

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: I'm having a hard time smelling this one, but I'm detecting a faint woody smell.

 

On: Ah yes, very woody - dry, and not piney (thankfully)... almost cedary, but not quite. There's also an amber/frankincense note in there, adding a sweet resiny glow to the blend - and maybe some sort of light, golden flower (someone said perhaps heliotrope... I can see that). To me, this smells like sweet, fresh sawdust, which isn't a negative thing at all. A very unique and comforting blend.

[sarada]

Received via circular swap.

 

I really have no idea what is in this! At first I thought floral but after reading some other reviews I sniffed it again and I think I do agree with the resinous descriptions. Yes, that does smell like Frankincense. Maybe I was wearing something else earlier and didn't realize it.

 

I actually thought for a moment that I detected civet because it has a sense of something sharp and sinuous winding its way through the blend, tickling the back of my mind with a sense of vague alarm the way that civet does, but I think that must just be a trick that the other notes are playing on me.

 

A light resin with a trickle of something slightly sharp winding through it....something medicinal or evergreen. It fades rather quickly though and leaves me with a faint impression of some sort of musty flower.

 

I feel like this is an oil that you would want to do something with. It has the feeling of an occult shop...something that should be dabbed on candles or meditated on. Unfortunately I have no idea how to use it properly, and as a scent it fades very quickly and doesn't agree with me...I might have to do some research into how these oils can be used as they have very strong, unique and powerful fragrances that I think would work better on a candle than on my skin.

[Miss Lynx]

This is the first of the Sephiroth that I've tried. It's an interesting blend -- seems predominantly resinous; I'm picking up frankincense and amber and maybe something a bit more exotic, storax or galbanum or something? Definitely smells like an incense blend, very ritualistic.

 

It seems to pretty much suit the sphere it's named for -- it's got a definite solar feel, very golden, but a deep gold, with a touch of darkness. There's a faintly unsavoury undertone to it, as though it's been touched by its qlipothic equivalent... The bright/dark feel seems very appropriate for its position as the centre of the Tree.

 

I don't think I'd wear it as a perfume, though -- it smells much more like a ritual/magical oil. Not that it's unpleasant, but it inclines my mind toward serious magical work, not day-to-day living.

 

Grade: B

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Grounding. It smells sharply, but also of sandalwood and frankincense. Pine, perhaps - definitely some sort of hard wood.

 

On me: Smells very strongly of pine and frankincense on the skin. It has a holy, balanced feeling to it, very magical and potent. I think I'd be best off passing this on to someone who engages in magic, as this is just wasted on me.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Tiphareth is dark, mysterious and powerful, with a definite woody-resin overtone.

 

Wearing: It’s more of an herbal scent than a resin scent on my skin… dark and deep and full.

[roesmoker]

I was surprised by the fact that this didn't work on me, because I'm very fond of some of the wood blends - Black Forest in particular. Mostly it just smelled like wood, and not in a good way, more like pencil shavings.

Edited October 3, 2005 by roesmoker

[kettu]

In bottle: dark, dry, and resinous -- definitely attention-getting for me.

 

On skin: much the same as in bottle. Very Complex. Like a foresty church with a teeeeeeeeny hint of round, mellowy sweetness. Gods, I keep sniffing my arm, it smells SO GOOD!

 

Dry down: heaviness fades a fair bit and the sweetness comes more to the fore. It's all light and kinda herbally now, which isn't so great.

 

I'm gonna have to try this one a couple more times to make sure I like it enough to get a 10ml, but it's got serious potential for long-term happy-making, if I can figure out how to make the richness last longer.

Edited October 4, 2005 by kettu keiju

[Little Bird]

First on, Tiphareth is resinous. Sort of like Cathedral, but I like Cathedral more. After a few minutes it starts to smell a bit more woodsy. I'm not getting the pine or cinnamon that many others have smelled.

 

Half hour later. Wow, this is nothing like Cathedral now. It smells more green and herbal with a background of dry woods.

 

Every once in a while over the hours that I wore this, I would smell a spicy resin note. It shifts between that herbal woodsy scent and the resins.

 

I like this. I'll definitely be keeping my decant.

[Lycanthrope]

Impression: Citrus, Light Woods, Frankincense and Myrrh, Rose

 

A very light, faintly astringent herbal wood aroma, starts off strong on the deciduous, dry woods and has a slightly pungent thyme/rosemary aroma. Oh, wow! Then there’s frankincense! It just creeps up on the blend and it’s amazing… and yes, there’s myrrh deepening out that blend and I recognize those sacred incense notes… This dries down to a slightly woodsy, but mostly pure sacred resin note, like what I dreamed Penitence would have been on my skin. Ohhhh, wondrous. Later – oh, there’s rose in this. But there’s just a smidgeon, or else I would have turned into a giant rose. Masterful.

[aidenraine]

Hmmmm if a Christmas tree were poured into a blender with Nyquil and pureed, this would be the result. It smells just like an astringent cleaning product.

 

Gahhhhh

I've smelled this particular blend before- it's a specific herb that I cannot place.

 

Is it absinthe? Some kind of liqeur? It does smell like some manner of dark green alcoholic beverage.

[Em-]

This is a very calming centering blend for me...at first I cannot pick out any notes, other than to note that it is somewhat resin/incensy, but in a light, soothing way (some incenses can be a little more than my head can tolerate). As it dries down I get a strong vanilla note, which is really nice...I loke this a lot. I will have to see how much I use my decant, but I will not be at all shocked if this makes it onto my bottle list, as the description and purpose are as appealing to me as the scent.

[voodoobaby]

At first, I got lots of cedar and something that smells very hot--black pepper, maybe. It's hard to say. The more it dries down, the more a strong menthol smell comes out. I'm thinking...camphor...or something. Eucalyptus? It smells like Vicks Vapo-rub and cough drops sitting in a cedar chest. This would no doubt clear up some sinus problems. It's actually pleasant, but I wouldn't wear it for anything other than ritual or medicinal purposes.

[SeaMonkey]

Wood and resins! Yay! I love this. I'm getting some pine and perhaps frankincense. I love this

[Voleuse]

On first applicatin, this reminds me a lot of Jacob's Ladder. The resin and incense is the predominant note, thick and faintly sweet. As it dries, I get a piney note, but the resin stays in the forefront. This ends up being a very mellow, peaceful sort of scent. It's nice.

[minouska]

In the imp: pine and inscense

 

On my arm: more pine, but with a hint of sweetness, maybe some cedar? Very woodsy with a bit of something sweet.

[eviltemptressdq]

on me, this is a spicy pine... very incense-y. More of a candle or ritual scent, than a perfume scent. I'm not a big fan of the scent, but I may just try it in my oil burner later on, and see what I think then...

[edenssixthday]

Tiphareth - I have a strong physical reaction to this scent. I completely repulsed by it. The scent makes me nauseated. After first applying it, I thought perhaps whatever is in it that makes me sick would wear off, but after 90 minutes, it was still making me sick to my stomach. The scent is some sort of wood (pine?) combined with a powdery floral and probably some sort of resin, as well. All of the notes combine together to create an overall scent of burnt tires. Reminds me somewhat of really cheap scotch. It doesn't work on me, and I can't imagine having this near me ever again. It's just awful. It doesn't have much throw, fortunately, but it does have incredible staying power. I'm going to go wash it off now as best as I can so I don't get even more sick to my stomach. This is bad on me. Really bad.

[Diana]

Wet: very light & sweet; the note is familiar but I can't put my finger on it.

 

Dry: This smells like a distant relative of some of the Yule blends, all thrown together. There's a sweetness that smells a lot like (I'm probably crazy for saying this) my beloved Snow White, under a light spicey-piney-resin type of thing happening. It is kind of soft on me, but that will change if I can get my hands on a bottle. Slatheration will commence!

[LiberAmoris]

Tiphareth smells like Catholic mass incense to me, only much lighter and with a rosy or floral note that sweetens it a bit and takes down a bit of the ‘tang.’ It’s really relaxing and meditative. I agree that it smells a bit like Jacob’s Ladder---and I get that same note that borders on anise here.

 

I would love this as a room scent, for meditation, or in a pomander by my bed.

[filigree_shadow]

Woody and sweet. A little smoky. Also it's really faint. I like the scent a lot, but I guess my skin sucks up this oil... it nearly disappeared entirely after about 5 minutes.

[steffanina]

Tiphareth-

 

In Bottle: Faint; sort of sweetly resinous.

 

Wet: Resinous, hugely. Sweet and unaggressive.

 

Dry: Wow, I rather like this one! It smells like Christmas, and like the woods, and it's sweet and, well, if I want to smell like a wood nymph in the winter, this is what I'd pick.

 

Overall: I like!

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Astringent and sharp florals.

 

On me: Fairly indistinct florals. A bit spicy, too. I like it.

[QueenFae]

This is a warm, spicy, woodsy/resinous scent. This is really very pretty! There are definitely some strongly wooded notes on top, but there is also a hot spiciness, like cinnamon but not quite as strong. I think I detect some sandalwood in there, and maybe some mild patchouli. This would be a very lovely room scent. This has medium throw, and is strong but not overpowering. I like it!

[cranberry]

Spicy, resiny – like there’s frankincense in here. Amber too. As it wears it takes on the most amazing caramel – sugary tone. It’s not nearly as sweet as Sugar Skull or what’s in Trick or Treat. It kinda reminds me of the sugar-caramel layer in Anaconda. What ever it is, this is gorgeous and I’m so glad that I tried my imp. I have to get a bottle of this for sure!