Beltane 2005-06

[Rhowan]

... It doesn’t matter where your faith lies, Beltane is sacred to us simply because we’re human. It is a celebration of new growth, rebirth, of the fertility of our land, our spirits and our bodies, and is a reminder of the joy in simply being alive. Celebrate life! Wind some flowers into your hair, dab a little oil behind each ear, toss the first petals of springtime onto your yard, and bless your garden the old fashioned way!

In the bottle and wet on my skin, fresh clean spring!!

As this begins to dry down, I am starting to smell an almost citrus note somewhere that is mixed in with water and greens.

Completely dried down, I find myself in love!! I live in Boise, Idaho - City of Trees and we have a river that flows thru the center of town. In the summertime it is common practice to float the river in inner tubes or small rafts. Smelling Beltane gives me an instant scent association to floating down the river: The smell of the cool river and all of the trees that line it. Very green and aquatic.

Conclusion? This is by far a keeper! The scent association it gives me, roots me to my home town, the river, the trees. I LOVE IT! Good throw - GREAT wear!

[eviltemptressdq]

i got Beltane because I went to a Beltane festival type thing this year, and I had a blast... so it was sort of in honor of that

 

ok, the scent is very floral... and even a bit musty, which I normally don't care for... but it was like the musty smell KNEW I didn't like it, and stayed far enough away that I truly LOVED this scent! it seemed really relaxing, and made me happy.

 

sniffing that makes me smile? Sounds good to me!

[BlueSakura]

First on: The first whiff I took on my skin was… pollen?? But upon closer inspection, maybe that’s the herbal smell that everyone’s talking about. I smell herbs, with very faint floral undertones~ the herbs take over this one. I’m a bit disappointed that my skin chemistry worked out that way, since I love florals and Beltane sounded so promising. I’m not smelling any fruit at all.

 

After a while: The pollen/herbal smell has died down, and I can smell the flowers a little more… still no fruit though. It’s a blend of herbs and flowers, neither one overpowering the other.

 

Verdict: Quite nice, but the herbs aren’t my taste. This one will be frimped away.

[AliBabble]

i really love this!! especially out of the bottle, and wet on my skin, i get something really tangy and juicy - tart apple, quince, or even tangerine - i don't think those are beltane-y fruits, but that's what it smells like to me. bright and happy! juicy juicy! when the fruit wafts away, the florals present themselves - very natural, and not at all soapy, just sweet and airy. hoorah! reminds me of skipping through a field of daffodils and buttercups. very bright, yellow, sunny and childlike. happy and lovely. i will wear this a lot!

[gingersnapp]

This review is for the 2006 reformulation:

 

I like this so much better than the 2005 formulation that I tried last year when it came out. I don't remember much about that one, but this one isn't quite so floral on me.

 

It starts out very bubble gum sweet on me, which makes me think lotus, but this is not really like any of the other lotus that I've smelled. It's kind of fruity, almost like apple or pear or some fruit of that nature.

 

There's a little bit of herbal undertone, so it's not all flowers and fruit. But it is definitely springtime. This blend makes me very happy, especially on a sunny day.

[Ajila]

'06 version

 

In the bottle - Grapefruit? and something green.

Wet on me - Still graefruit, with fresh grass, not mown grass, but the smell when you lie on the lawn on a sunny day. My mum thinks it smells like Concentration, but I don't get that.

Dry on me - It dries a sweet, sugared lemon, almost vanilla but not. I don't know how often I will wear this, but it's a very refreshing room scent.

[themerrybaker]

The 2006 Beltane is wonderful.

 

 

 

Happy, tart, fresh and a bit fruity. And it even comes with wearing instructions! I'm so thrilled to have a bottle of this.

[gwyllgi]

This is such a pretty, pretty green. It's not just a scent impression; the smell is the color green, the bright leaf green that announces that Spring is finally here to stay. It never goes grassy but stays sharp and bright, with lovely notes of light. It smells like a fresh-plucked leaf and makes me think of catching wooly bear caterpillars on oak leaves.

 

My favorite use for this scent is in a locket. It's stays so beautifully clear and is understated but long-lasting enough that I can smell it just as frequently after two solid days of wear. It's such a happy scent that I can't help but smile every time a whiff of it rises up to my nose.

[Imptress]

*sigh*

 

I wanted to like this... really, really I did. I like florals. I like herbals. I even occasionally get whiffs (I think!) of osmanthus, something I L-O-V-E. The aquatic edge to this, however, is what is killing it for me. I don't know why I don't like aquatic notes-- I just don't for some reason. To my nose, the aquatic notes amp up the sweetness of this almost too much for me to bear.

 

I may keep this around to try later, but I'll probably have to find a new home for it. It's lovely, but it's definitely not "me".

[sophia_helix]

Last year's Beltane was too sweet for me, so I tried an imp of the '06 vintage. And alas -- still too sweet, not enough of the new "herbal" scent, although at least it didn't go soapy. But I don't find it different enough that it works for me, damn.

[Neely]

In the bottle: sweet, fruity, green, almost bubblegummy. Hmmm, I am not so sure this is going to work...

 

Wet: still sweet, slightly fruity, and just this side of bubblegum. Like gum that has been chewed awhile, ewww that sounds gross. What I mean by that is gum that is still sweet, but not SWEET, like it is when you first chomp down on it. It is pleasant on me, surprisingly so, with my and florals hatred of each other.

 

Dry down: sweet, soft florals with green. Like green grass blanketed with small flowers that you would miss if you didn't look for them. And a breeze that wafts some distant flowering bush your way. It also smells of dew, like those little flowers in the grass are covered in dew and a jar of honey, or a beehive is nearby. Lovely, absolutely lovely.

 

30 minutes: same as the dry down.

 

Conclusion: I love this and I didn't think I would. Nor did I think it would love me. Florals and I tend not to get a long at all. But this, this is different. This is honeyed, green floral. My only problem, my skin eats it up in a few hours. Luckily, I am not adverse to slathering and reapplying.

 

Rating 1-5, on my skin this is a 4.5 (due to skin eating it).

Edited June 6, 2006 by atropos

[euterpe414]

I wasn't quite sure if I'd like this (although my compulsixe ordering complex made me do it anyway) since I am not the biggest green floral lover, but I was quite surprised when I got this. It smells on me like a more floral version of Dorian. I swear I get this this hint of vanilla! I love how fresh and sweet I feel when I wear this!!

 

That being said, Beltane makes a FABULOUS room fragrance. I'm finding it adds some elegance and peacefullness to my domain during these hot early summer days (yay desert living...). Glad I took a chance and ordered this.

[couscous]

The Beltane of 2005 was all spring flowers, sharp grass, and the mix of a home herb garden in the window. It captured a moment and ranked as my favorite floral blend of all time.

 

Beltane 2006 has a grassier base, and an aquatic edge. While I normally love aquatics, I'm an absolute purist when it comes to them.

 

It's also much more fruity. In fact, do I smell watermelons here? It smells more like a sun-warmed picnic feast than the serene, pure sunbeam in a field of 2005, and I don't enjoy it at all. There's definitely something ripened in here.

 

2006's Beltane may be more joyful and celebratory as a scent concept, but I'll take the quiet dryness of 2005 any day of the week.

[mirutai]

Beltane '05

 

I've got '06 on order, so thought it would be interesting to get hold of '05 for comparison, as the general consensus seems to be that they are quite different.

 

To me, '05 is a bright heady jasmine, whith a mix of other unidentified light florals and a tiny hint of green. The jasmine isn't _too_ piercing, sweet, or overwhelming, like it is in some blends, making this wearable for me (I'm not a big jasmine fan). I don't get any herbs - this is 99% florals with just a hint of grass.

 

Nice, but not special for me. I was looking for something very green and fresh - I hold out hopes for the '06 edition to be that scent!

[terrierhead]

I just got an imp of Beltane in a "surprise" pack I'd ordered from a kindly forumite whose name I can't recall. I'm pretty sure this is the 2006 version because of its grassiness. I'm fond of it because, once on skin, it smells like a walk through an actual spring garden. I detect small white flowers (baby's breath?) and a soft dirt note along with the grasses, and the barest suggestion of earth. I've got an imp of the 2005 Beltane as well which I haven't touched because I was afraid I'd fall in love with it and not be able to get more. I'll have to try it now, though, so I can compare the two. I hope it's as lovely as this one.

[HennaFairy]

(2006 version)

 

bottle:

yum - fresh floral

 

wet:

fresh green floral - really nice!

 

dry:

wildflower florals- a little grassy but not much.

 

overall:

great blend of course perfect for the sabbat!

 

rating: 9/10

[harmonyfb]

This is a beautiful aquatic floral, all wildflowers and rain. Where I disliked the 2005 Beltane because it was all jasmine, I love this one. It's a very happy scent, it didn't ping my allergies, and it lifted my spirits whenever I caught a whiff from my wrists.

[MrsSoup67]

In the bottle: fresh cut lawn in the spring time

 

Wet: Sweet and spring like I usually do not like florals becasue they make me sneeze.

 

Dry down: smells a bit like juicy fruit gum and reminds me of being a child

 

Two hours after: Still juicy fruity with a bit of dried flowers added

 

It is nice. Not a scent I would wear all the time but a good soft scent.

[GemmaCat]

2006 version:

 

Initially this smells like soapy grass but it becomes more true to freshly cut grass over time. It's even a little sweet, and reminds me distinctly of a bright, sunny day when it's time to mow the lawn.

 

I do like the way this smells, and I think it's a perfect scent to embody Beltane, but it's so true to real grass that it's reminding me of my hayfever! I might send this bottle to a new home.

[Katinka]

Beltane '06 is a combination of the best elements of The Unicorn and Calliope -- sweet herbs with a touch of refreshing citrus. It didn't last terribly long on me, but it is a very nice, clean scent.

[Inanna9]

Beth has put Beltane in a bottle.

 

Beltane '06 is really, really lovely. I'm not getting green grass so much as sweet clover, which I think is even more befitting. There's a light fruity note (apple blossom?) in here and soft, soft florals--but not headache-inducing ones. It's blended so well. The bloom of spring and new life distilled. I will wear this all spring and whenever I need to feel pretty, innocent and hopeful.

[BrightRedScream]

In the bottle: Light florals...a tiny bit of citrus, and a little bit of a green type of smell...It makes me think of being outside in a park. There's a sweetness under it...it's very strange. I'm not sure how this will go on my skin.

 

Wet on the skin: Grapefruit? Grapefruit and flowers? Tangerine? I get something soft and citrusy here...this is a very light and very clean smell.

 

Dry down: I'm really torn...part of me likes this, I enjoy the notes, but another part of me is feeling that this is kind of soapy. That this isn't really a scent for me.

I don't love it, and honestly I don't think I'll ever wear this..

Even as light and pretty as it is.

 

It's just....not my kinda scent.

This WAS totally an impulse buy though...lol

 

To the swap/sell pile!

[ajcj213499]

Beltane 06

 

This is different from last years version, although I can't really say how since I swapped my 05 imp a while ago...

 

This remnds me a lot of Peony Moon. It has the same sweetness PM has, like maybe it has just a touch of lotus. I'm not getting any jasmine or citrus as others have mentioned, just sweet pink blooms.

 

It does seem to last a few hours on me (which is rare), but on my skin I just don't think it's "me" enough to hold on to.

[PurringPulsar]

Beltane

 

In the imp: green grass, wonderful grass with a hint of something sweet and herbal, slightly fruity, maybe some camomile too.

Wet on skin: beautiful grassy scent, with a hint of herbs…

Dry on skin: what a delightful scent! This is green and grassy and smells like a multitude of green plants and wildflowers, meadows in springtime, with herbs and soft floral notes and a hint of evergreen. This is predominantly grass, but I also get something sweet, though I can't tell what it is yet-possibly a floral note, maybe honeysuckle. I can smell camomile here, possibly some lavender, maybe a little hint of rosemary, possibly even some honey. This is a warm and lively scent full of the vitality of spring.

After a while: the grasses are still there but now they are less sharp and are a lot smoother now and I get a gorgeous camomile-like scent behind it all, with honey. There may be musk in here, making this scent smooth and quite sexy with a hint of flushed skin that's been rolling in the grassy meadow…in fact, there's something almost Buck Moon-ish to this, only this is more of a daytime scent and the musk (if any) is softer and sweeter. It's much more floral and softly herbal, but still with that lively freshness to it.

After a few hours, the scent has dried down to a beautiful soft sweet musk with a bare hint of grass and herbs. I love this stage of the scent and it also reminds me of Hymn to Pan…it also has a hint of something marshmallow like about it, which I love.

Verdict: I wasn't too keen on last year's Beltane-though I liked the wet stage, the late drydown stage smelt too much like Raid bug spray for me. This, on the other hand, is so much better and has a drydown to die for! A vivacious and lively scent so evocative of the sudden bursting forth of life that occurs at springtime, an explosion of green grasses (what a fantastic grass note!) and many wildflowers. This is a celebratory scent, so perfect for a Beltane scent. And then the scent slows down a bit, becomes less energetic and much more laid back, smoother, and gentler. The grasses tone down, letting herbs and flowers come out and then at the very end…a delicious, smooth, sweet light musk. this, to me, is the daytime equivalent of Buck Moon, and I think Beth did very well to capture the very peak of the spring season as a scent. I love it and am so glad to have a bottle of it.

Emoticon rating:

[Elrianra]

In the bottle, softly floral with herbs and a touch of heated wood... very pleasant if a bit "girly" to me. Wet, honeysuckle and pansies with blackberry and possibly oak or birch. As it dries, there's something softly woody and sweet - like a honey wood... OH, it's a light amber, I see now! Odd, by the time this has dried, there's only a very faint trace of berries and florals left on my arm - this one doesn't even live 20 minutes on me. How very disappointing.