Malkuth

[Longstofly]

The Kingdom, Olam Yesodoth, Shekhinah, God's Presence in the World, the Throne of Glory.

I was very interested in trying this blend although I have no idea why. I was really drawn to the name.

In the vial, the oil is a very dark golden amber. This made me a little uneasy because the oils that are that color are usually way too heavy for my skin.

What a surprise when I sniffed the bottle! Malkuth is very sticky sweet strawberry on my skin. Not the same strawberry as in bon vivant but more like a wild strawberry you'd find in a grassy field. I can also smell a little bit of floral or musk underneath.

This is a very light sweet scent. Very pretty.

As it dries down I swear I smell clove or cinnamon. Now, instead of strawberries it reminds me of those little Cinnamon Imperials candy.

This is really sad because I hate cinnamon with a passion! Oh well, I am sure that someone will be happy to get this in a swap!

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

cinnamon blackberry

 

On

Well how lovely and unexpectedly subdued this is. Blackberry? Plum? Definitely alot of cinnamon. It smells like Malkuth. I mean, Malkuth is of the element of Earth. And that's exactly what you smell when you first sniff it.

It’s the color of dark earthy purple, muted purple like a ripe plum and it smells that way too. The plum-y scent is combined with cinnamon. There may also be something herbal in here. Aside from the strong cinnamon the middle note is this dark muted rounded fruit note.

It’ reminds me of “Hamadryad” but it’s less green and citrussy bright and more muted, quiet and earthy.

The cinnamon is turning bitter and is strong as to make me not want to smell it anymore, but the wonderful bottom or middle note is pulling me back for more.

 

30 minutes

It's basically the same, dark red/purple fruit with cinnamon and some vague middle note. This is one that gets better for me the more it dries. It's a good lasting scent too.

 

Throw:

Little

 

Scent category:

Spicy/Fruity

 

Summary

The Sepiroth scents, like the Tarot scents, are blends that I buy to "work with". Not necessarily to wear to work, etc. so I usually review these types of blends on that basis. So as a Kabbalah meditational blend Malkuth is outstanding. A fabulous representation of the energy of Malkuth for me. If this had a little less cinnamon however, I would buy a 30ml of this just to wear ALL the time.

 

Purchase again?

Yes.

 

1-5 rating, 5 being best

4

[Penance]

First sniff:

 

Fruity, definitely fruity. I think it may be pomegranate I'm smelling, but for some reason I can't quite decide. I'm reasonably sure that's what I'm smelling, though.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Cinnamon and fruit? This actually reminds me of apple cider, which is great since I was just thinking that I'd love an apple cider scent. I don't think there's apple in this, but it does smell like apple cider anyway. Strange.

 

Dry down:

 

I still smell mulled cider and it's gorgeous! There's definitely cinnamon in this. It's leaving a nasty red welt on my arm where I tested it, so those who are allergic to cinnamon might want to steer clear (I don't normally have trouble with cinnamon, but this is really causing a reaction). I love this, allergies or no allergies.

 

The bottom line:

 

My new favorite Sephiroth, even if it does provoke a nasty allergic reaction. I'm actually surprised by how much I like this one.

[darkling]

In the vial: Malkuth is dark, ripe fruit and just one shade from being sickeningly sweet.

 

On my skin: The syrupy sweetness fades away and leaves a lovely spicy scent. It reminds me strongly of the spiciness in Yuletide. However, the spice is tempered by very sweet plum.

 

This is a lovely scent as the sweetness of the fruit and the underlying spiciness blend together perfectly. Malkuth is definitely my favorite of the Sephiroth that I have tried so far.

[JazzieCazzie]

There's definitely cinnamon in this. It's leaving a nasty red welt on my arm where I tested it, so those who are allergic to cinnamon might want to steer clear (I don't normally have trouble with cinnamon, but this is really causing a reaction). I love this, allergies or no allergies.

 

I had the EXACT same reaction, my first ever to a BPAL scent, and I have LOADS of cinnamon blends because it's one of my favorites ... so I wonder if it is another note causing this? Maybe strawberry or whatever fruit it is? Because I generally don't "do" fruit so if I were allergic I might not know ...

 

Anyway, that said ...

 

In the bottle: Yup, fruity ... and though I generally, as I said, don't "do" fruit, I want to sample all 10 Sephiroth fairly so I forge ahead and dab it on wrists, crooks of arm, pulse points on neck and cleavage.

 

Wet: Though it's fruity ... and I would also guess strawberry ... it's also rich and deep and a bit spicy ... more like a strawberry daiquiri than the Strawberry Shortcake doll ...

 

Drydown: A little cinnamony and spicy but really, the fruit is still the prevailing scent.

 

The funny thing is I actually rather liked this, more so than most fruit scents. But within five minutes I had HUGE welts on the crooks of my arms and my neck (like three-four inches long and two inches wide), but none on my wrists or cleavage.

[helarctos]

Malkuth is definitely spicy, with maybe a hint of woody base notes -- cedar? It reminds me somewhat of Hamadryad, but deeper and less sweet.

 

Those who are sensitive to cinnamon should steer clear of Malkuth. It turned my wrist red, as other cinnamon blends (e.g., All Night Long) do.

[Ishtar]

Yum! Even though the Sephiroths are probably not meant as perfumes as much as ritual oils, I am really enjoying them a lot and Malkuth is no exception.

 

It is a little pungent and quite tangy out of the imp, but as soon as it settles down, it turns into a wonderful fruity/woody/spicy blend. It is hard for me to pinpoint any individual notes, though. If I had to guess, I would say pomegranate/sandalwood/cinnamon, maybe?

Whatever is in Malkuth, it achieves a small miracle in that everything in it speaks of the earth without smelling earthy.

As it dries down, the cinnamon becomes more prominent without affecting the overall balance of the blend.

 

Malkuth is a warm, grounding, intensely dark red scent that gives me the same feeling of depth and safety I so love in The World. Beautiful.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

Smells like cinnamon gum, but in a good way. Spicy, but sweet too.

 

After Wearing It:

When I put this on, it definitely tingled. On my neck, it was insistant, on my wrist it was almost an itch. I'm not especially sensitive to cinnamon (which I'm pretty sure is the culprit), but occasionally I feel it as much as I smell it, though fortunately the effect always fades after a few minutes and never leaves a welt. And on the sting meter, Malkuth's not nearly as harsh as Mercury.

 

I adore the smell of this though so I don't mind a little sting! Wet this smelled of spice and syrup. Rich, thick and sweet, but not in a foody way. I don't smell the berries other have mentioned (though I suppose I could believe there might be a bit of pomegranate), it's more of a round resiny sweetness to me. Yet it's ever so slightly fresh smelling too. Maybe there's a touch of pine? Whatever it is, it adds a real complexity to the scent that's droolworthy and in a way, reminds of the oil for The World tarot card. Appropriate of course, as Malkuth is the sphere associated with the kingdom.

 

As much as I adore this scent though, I was almost equally disappointed to as it doesn't have much throw. I know the Sephiroth are more than perfumes, but I adore the scent and would love to wear it, but I don't like wearing scents that I have to make an effort to smell on me. It defeats the purpose of wearing scent for me. But! as I said, I adore this smell, I'd so make the effort to work with it and find a way to make its presence more powerful on me. But as the vial I'm testing came from the sephirith circle, I'll have to wait.

 

Final Thoughts:

I will be buying a bigger bottle of this. Even if I don't find a way to give it more throw, I'd adore it in the burner both from ambiance and as a meditation aid.

[nephthys_lvx]

Definitely cinnamon blackberry, the same blackberry that I smelled in Glasgow. Very strong, but didn't burn my skin. It's not something I wear, but it's nice in a diffuser.

[sookster]

sweet, spicy, positively luscious with my chemistry.....smells like cinnamon toast with some sort of fruity preserves on top....a touch of butter & sugar as well.....a comforting and perfect scent for the fall/wintertime months but i am digging it now as well....

 

great throw for me and the scent is lingering just beautifully.....

 

i will be purchasing the 10 ml of this baby without question....

 

Edited July 6, 2005 by sookster

[grrrlennyl]

at first: definitely cinnamon. possibly with some sort of fruit.

on: definitely fruit and some sort of berry. it reminds me of some sort of muffin or something.

overall: this is very nice, but i tend to react badly to cinnamon blends. i could see myself buying this at some point for use in my oil burner.

[coulrophobe]

To preface my review - I'm completely ignorant of the meanings behind the Sephiroth scents (besides what's posted in the descriptions), so I am reviewing this as a fragrance oil, rather than as a spiritual/ritual/meditation oil. I just ordered it because the reviews said spice and fruit!

 

In the bottle: Very fruity; berry with a bit of apple.

 

Wet on my skin: Whoa! Cinnamon! I can just smell the tiniest hint of fruit/berry in the background, but it's mainly just a wallop of spicy dryness. A very autumnal scent. Luckily, I'm not sensitive to cinnamon in blends - I've worn straight essential oil with no problems, but evidently it's not recommended.

 

Drydown: The fruits come to the surface again, mingling nicely with the spices. I definitely get a comforting, home-y apple cinnamon scent from this. I'd put this in the same category as Queen of Spades some of the autumn holiday scents - this is beautiful.

[shelldoo]

in the bottle: wow, my mouth actually waters when i smell this one spicey, mulled wine

 

wet: holiday spices, w/ a hint of what? hmmm plum? and something green

 

as it dries it mellows. this is deep swirling velvety red. spicy for sure but there is a mature almost over ripened fruity scent to this this will be gorgeous and perfect for the time between thanksgiving and yuletide it actually smells winey and joyous

[inkstone]

Sweet cinnamon. However, I couldn't keep this on for very long because my skin showed its intermittent cinnamon allergy and started to itch. I had to wash it off before the burn started.

[scourgeotheseas]

Malkuth

 

In the bottle: Spicy and fruity, but not cinnamon.

 

On me: It's almost cinnamon, but not quite. Cinnamon's earthier, dirtier neighbor, perhaps. I'm also getting whiffs of...dog. Or maybe another large furry animal.

 

Drydown: It's turning into sweet spices and wood! Kinda spicy, kind nutty (almost), this one is getting interesting! Dry and yet sweet - I like this one!

 

EDIT: It's turned into a sweet, dry cinnamon stick. Not bad. Not bad at all!

Edited August 12, 2005 by scourgeotheseas

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Spicy. Sultry.

 

Just On: Spicy sultry and smooth.

 

An hour or two later: Spicy and sultry.

 

Around 6 hours: Muted spices.

 

12 hours: All gone.

 

Overall: This is lovely.

 

After reading other reviews: Goodness, I didn't get nearly the sweetness that others did out of this one.

[quimerula]

This is a very odd scent.

I just can't describe it, but if I had to say a word it would be medicinal.

[sarada]

Received via swap circle. I'm just reviewing these as scents, not taking into account their symbolic meaning.

 

This one particularly interested me because I thought it might be earthy.

 

I like it the most of the Sephiroth on first sniff, but that might just be because I'm drawn to the dark brown color. On my skin it's an earthy spice...becoming more and more cinnamon but fortunately it doesn't make my skin hot. Perhaps it's clove, which I vastly prefer to cinnamon anyway. It's kind of a gritty, dark spice, and as it fades it makes me think of mixing batter for some sort of spiced raisin bread. It's got an almost gritty dried fruit quality to it as well. As it fades I think more and more of thick, dense fruitcake or raisin bread (neither of which I like at all so that's not something I care to smell like).

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Cinnamon and a bubble gum note. Very peculiar! It is an unusual blend of spicy and sweet.

 

On me: Cinnamon and a fruit note. It becomes cinnamon gum on my skin, which is a great scent and all but not something I care to wear. Cinnamon fans, please investigate this blend further - you won't regret it!

[roesmoker]

Got this in the Sephiroth imp auction I won on eBay. The only one I had tried before was Binah, so I was psyched to try the others.

 

Wet: Malkuth was very fruity, berry-like. Not being a fruit fan, I forged on to see what the dry-down would be like.

 

Drying: It got better as it went on, but I didn't get a whole lot of cinnamon, more like a light dusty floral. There was a period of about an hour or so when I almost liked it, but that phase didn't last too long.

 

Also, it faded relatively fast - I put Malkuth on my left wrist and Binah on my right (a known favorite, as a control), and after 6 hours Malkuth was completely gone, while Binah was going strong. (I sound like a deodorant commercial! Also reminds me of that quote "the food was bad and there wasn't enough of it".)

 

I definitely see the Queen of Spades comparison, though there must be some different ingredient because I like QoS (don't love it, but liked it enough to keep an imp) and don't particularly care for Malkuth.

Edited October 3, 2005 by roesmoker

[Little Bird]

Malkuth smells like cinnamon and mandarin orange on me. Over time the cinnamon just gets stronger and stronger until I smell like a bowl of red hots candies.

 

I like cinnamon, but not when it's this strong and overpowering.

[Lycanthrope]

Impression: Spices, Patchouli, Amber, Incense

 

Definitely a smoky, woodsy incense note with a big whiff of patchouli on top. Maybe a hint of mint? On my skin this is all sweet and pungent woods united by a subtle honey sweetness. As it dries further, it starts becoming more and more spicy – I can kind of feel the heat of the blend as a subtle ginger cinnamon creeps up (wow!) and now Malkuth crescendos into a spicy, smoky, magical incense made of enchanted woodbark and swirled through with freshly ground cinnamon and a whiff of ginger. This is akin to Hamadryad – spicy woods, without the floral. A very heated, potent oil, so spicy it kind of burns my skin! But amazing nonetheless. Dries down similar to Chimera, without so much floral. A pure spicy wood fragrance. A half hour later, there’s an underlying sweetness that grounds the spiciness wondrously.

[aidenraine]

Oh yum, oh sheer deliciousness *wiggle*

 

This is awesome and musky in the way that some of the best patchouli and sandalwood blends are, and sweet in the way Silk Road (or even a touch of Urd), mixed with Snake Oil are.

Sweet and musky at once. I even smell a faint hint of cherry when this is wet.

 

*wiggle wiggle*

 

As it dries it becomes a strong cinnamon scent, but in a natural gingersnap kinda way, not overpowering.

 

Lovers of Geek must try this and v.v.

 

*swoon*

 

[Undine]

An interesting mix of dark fruit with cinnamon and, yes, Silk-Road-like spices, maybe cardamom? And patchouli. A dark brown, spicy scent.

 

The cinnamon dominates, sweetened by the fruit and given more depth by the patchouli. Although I have experienced The Burning before, this just tingled a little, which I don't mind. However, this ultra-spicy, Bengal-ish kind of scent just isn't my style. I am one of many who amp cinnamon, and I could see liking this better if it were more fruit, less spice. As it is, it's a bit too much potpourri for me. (All overly cinnamon blends reminds me of potpourri.) And on drydown it just gets more cinnamony and less fruity. The patchouli also goes much more undercover, which is kind of OK with me, because it was sort of dirty-hippie on first application. Weird; I usually do very well with BPAL patchouli.

 

I know next to nothing about the Sephiroth, unfortunately, so it's hard for me to interpret how this scent interprets its namesake.

 

I really do like the idea of fruit and cinnamon, and would like to see it again, balanced more away from the cinnamon.

 

Throw is average.

 

On my scale, this scent is a 2 out of 5.

Edited November 10, 2005 by Undine

[Galen]

FRESHLY APPLIED - A smooth olive-like smell.

 

DRYING, DRYING - Masculine, spicy and a little woody. Still very mellow but with a slightly bitter note making its presence felt.

 

No, it's not a bitter note; it's the emergence of a slightly herbal, slightly sweet note that I *should* be able to identify, but it's beyond my memory just now...

 

DRY DOWN - Ooomph! It's shifted on me... Now all that I can smell is that lighter sweeter herbal note with just a hint of a darker base underneath. How bizarre...

 

 

OVERALL IMPRESSION - It starts out very smooth, very sophisticated, very unique. and rather masculine. It turns into something much lighter and herbal