The Magician

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Burnt pine.

 

In the imp/bottle: Very green -- almost herbal, slightly aquatic -- with a bit of... anise?

 

On skin, wet: Slightly burnt pine or anise (I can't figure out which). It's still very green, but it's become a dark green. Also, beneath everything, I can almost pick out something floral.

 

On skin, dry: Burnt pine/anise and something floral, but something bitter. This is a very complex, strange, changing scent. It does seem to bring The Magician to mind, even if the smell isn't particularly pleasant.

 

Conclusion: I'll definitely be keeping this imp -- it will come in quite handy for various things -- but I'm not sure about a 10ml. Perhaps eventually, if I end up using the imp quickly.

Edited December 24, 2005 by Aredhel

[grrrlennyl]

at first: herbal and floral, with an aquatic undertone.

on: odd. i think i smell anise, but with something dark and herby.

2.5 hours later: warm and more masculine. the anise is still there, but there are other spices along with it.

overall: lovely. i think i will wear this occassionally as a perfume as well as while meditating.

[Little Bird]

First on this smells like very heavy lavender and anise. It's an odd fragrance. Somehow over the course of an hour this manages to morph into a spicy aquatic floral. In the drydown I think I smell carnation and a very slight watery note. Then the aquatic begins to get stronger and the floral starts to smell more woodsy.

 

Very strange. I don't necessarily like The Magician, but I am intrigued by it and can't stop smelling it.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Another sharp, herbal scent. Masculine. It smells familar, like I've come across it before. Lemongrass and lavender, perhaps?

 

On me: Pleasant scent that is NOTHING like it was in the bottle. It is warm and comforting, with hints of lavender and warm spices. Very unique and delightful.

[aidenraine]

When I sniff the imp I get some horrid animalistic musk.

 

Wet on my arm (it took courage) I get deep dark wet leaves and a hint of pine. It's very astringent. Slowly, a strong, dark lavender emerges. I don't think I like the lavender with the dark woods though. It smells kind of like rotting.

 

Pepper-something emerges to pair with the lavender and woods.

 

Now more lavender. I've tried a lot of lavender blends recently.

 

Um, guess it's going to stay there then.

[alicia_stardust]

Okay, when I got this I was so worried that it was going to smell too masculine for me. I don't know why I thought that, except that it was The Magician.

 

Anyway, this scent has such a magical power to it. I mean, it was warm but not too spicy. I can smell woods in it which makes me think of a soft woodsy incense. I could wear this every day. I will definitely buy a bottle once my sample runs out.

[cupide430]

The Magician

 

A medium strength lavender at first. Not the bad lavender that smells chemical on me, but a more gentle version. As it dries the lavender fades into a more generic herbal with a definite fennel undertone. There's also a hint of something slightly plasticy in the background.

[Shollin]

First sniff: The Magician is… mysterious. Citrusy and herbal, but shadowed.

 

Wearing: There’s a very strong, almost sharp wood note in the background during the wet stage, but it fades quickly. There’s a faint licorice scent, too. And – ooh, this is fun – it appears to be having some kind of adverse physical effect on my wrist. It’s stinging a bit. First oil that’s done that to me, and as far as I can tell there’s no cinnamon or anything else that generally bites people. The Mage and I are not destined to get along, it seems.

[cuervosueno]

It smelled very green in the imp--herbal, slightly astringent.

 

But on, what I got was a faint whiff of anise and lavender. I don't usually like anise, but this was soft and even the lavender isn't too overwhelming.

 

After a few minutes, it blends together very nicely, and becomes a creamy slightly sweet blend, with just a hint of anise and lavender. Its quite lovely, and somehow mysterious. Fitting for the card, somehow.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Herbs and a medicinal twinge, but it's not too earthy. It's still a bit mysterious.

 

First on: Lavender, but there's something that makes it deeper. A hint of earthyness, a hint of air. I really can't pinpoint the exact oils in this one.

 

Drydown: I get sweet earth now. Sadly, like with the fool, I can barely smell this one a mere hour later.

 

Overall: again, I'm disappointed with the staying power of this. The magician is one of my favorite cards and this scent was absolutely perfect, if it lasted longer.

[jidabug]

Fresh out of the imp this was nothing but sharp lavender. It eventually settled down to a powdery softness. There's something smooth in the background which was nice enough, but the lavender really is a turn off for me.

[filigree_shadow]

In the imp, it smells kind of woody. On, it smells a bit medicinal. Also kind of like Good & Plenty candy.

 

This is not at all the kind of scent I usually wear, but this is the sort of oil that smells good on my husband. When my friend and I were going through all the Tarot oils, she picked this one out specifically and said "The Magician would be a good one for [my husband]." Then she sniffed it, and said, "Yep, I think so." So I can see this being masculine.

[juniperus]

Sharp and fresh with a hint of resin. Fades into woody.

[Neely]

In the bottle: ummm plastic?

 

Wet: creamy, sweet plastic.

 

Dry down: maybe this is an old imp? This isn't super yucky on my skin, but it isn't nice either. Now it smells like creamy plastic dolls made to smell like rootbeer. You know, like those old plastic Stawberry Shortcake dolls.

 

30 minutes: OK, I can't believe I left it on for so long, but all for BPAL. This is something astringent and plastic behind something soft.

 

Conclusion: I am so disappointed with my skin. The Magician has been one of my favorite cards since I first found my mom's deck when I was a kid. The deck my dad bought her in New Orleans. Wrapped in silk, I remember The Magician was the first card I ever saw. I have been collecting Tarot ever since. Maybe one of the other oils will do, I intend to try them all anyway, just sorry that this one didn't work out for sheer sentimental reasons. Onward and upward!

 

Rating 1-5, on my skin this is a 2.

[Inanna9]

I like to use The Magician on days where I have very specific goals I want to accomplish, especially if it involves creative projects. I usually anoint my palms with and rub them together vigorously. It will often cause them to tingle for several minutes afterwards.

 

The scent is on the medicinal side it the bottle, and becomes a strong, root-beer like anise blend with a hint of lavender. It dries down to a warm, woody cedar note that lasts for hours. Very appropriate.

 

I've been really impressed with the Tarot oils. I think they're remarkably attuned.

[edenssixthday]

The Magician - When I first apply The Magician, it smells very lightly floral, herbal, and has a touch of something cool like light mints. I don’t normally care for mint, but in this blend, it is so light and sweet and cool, that I can’t stop sniffing my skin! It’s a gorgeous blend that is full of light. Oddly enough, after about an hour on my skin, the floral-herbal-minty qualities all disappear, and all that’s left is sandalwood. It’s a nice sandalwood, but nothing like the opening or middle notes. I’m incredibly surprised when I read the reviews where people mention that it smells like sassafras, lavender, anise, pine, etc. I don’t detect any notes along these lines at all! It doesn’t have any throw on my skin, and it only lasts about two hours, maximum. But I like it, and I think it’ll be the perfect scent when I want something very light and pretty.

[cranberry]

This is a slightly sweet, herbal scent. It smells like there could be a touch of anise in here. As it wears the anise gets stronger. After it’s been on a while, the herbal scent recedes and it becomes a bit spicy and slightly resinous. It’s familiar but I can’t place it at the moment. This scent really changes a lot.

[supremegoddessofall]

Herbal, with heavy spearmint. I also get a bit of either musk or ambergris. Maybe some amber as a base?

Edited November 19, 2006 by supremegoddessofall

[fiddledragon]

In imp: very sharp but not unpleasant herbal. There's a fennel/anise smell, some woods, maybe galangal?

 

On me: a kind of roasted/burnt smell jumps out but dies down quickly. There's definitely a wet fennel bulb scent, light wood, maybe some myrrh or other warm dark resin. It's a beautiful, very unusual herbal scent. The sharpness dies down and it's very calming. Like being in an herbalist's shop with the cryptic but kind and wise proprieter puttering around in the back.

 

I'm not sure how often I'd actually wear this, but I'm very glad I have the imp. I try to avoid being overly dramatic, but this really is more of an experience than a perfume. It could be quite lovely as a meditation focus, either working with the Tarot archetype or just as a centering blend. A definite winner for the Lab :-D

[ECAmber]

Oddly enough, this is what I expected and still a complete surprise. It's a strong scent, not in throw necessarily but just in inherent power.

 

Wet: sharp, very sharp. Lots of green, herbs, woods and a touch of citrus (and yes, a slight scent of butter - don't ask). Strikes me as an obvious masculine scent. Right after application the scent seemed to grab me by the metaphysical lapels, but in a completely non-malicous kind of way... more in the pick me up by my bootstraps kind of way. Not sure I actually like that.

 

Dry down: Mellowing out with a lot of grace. Here's that charisma the Magician is known for. Still has a lot of woods and greens in the mix, but it's more like woods and greens in late day, golden sunshine. Just a hint of liquorice. And yep, it's becoming more magnetic now that the display of power is fading.

[lapillus]

rootbeer with a kick, goes green as it dries. Ok but not great as a pure scent, interesting as a meditation.

[girl_android]

In the imp, whoa, lavender! This probably won't find a happy home here seeing as DH is definitely not a lavender fan...

 

Wet on skin, it's quite a green sort of lavender ... trying not to wave it too much in DH's direction...!

 

Dry, there's a little bit of licorice/anise amongst the LAVENDER, and the green-ness fades off a bit.

 

What can I say, it's got a fair whack of lavender, so it can't stay in this house too long!

[Vampy]

In the bottle: OH HAI. My anise. Let me show you it. It's a sweet anise scent, though, not bitter like absinthe. Very bright, too - I get the impression of glowing light.

 

On skin, wet: Black licorice jelly beans. Srsly. It's got maybe a touch of sweet orange at the edges - like someone ate all the decent non-black jellybeans but forgot a few orange ones. I do not find this smell unpleasant, but this isn't exactly what I was hoping for...

 

Drydown: The licorice dies down enough to let a little cedar smokiness come through, and meeeebe lil' hint of frankincense and pine? But it's still dominantly black jellybeans. So much so that the boy tried to eat my arm. (He's an oddball and adores black jellybeans.) It doesn't last long either - an hour, maybe two.

 

Overall, it's a nice smelling thing, I definitely don't dislike it, but it's not what I was hoping for based on reading the reviews. I was kind of hoping for less sweetness, less anise, and more woodsiness and resin. It does have an energy to it, a sense of purpose and a touch of mystery, I'll give it that.

 

I got strong color associations with this one - inky black and dark green, sort of glowing around the edges.

 

 

Incidentally, a friend was visiting and she tried it on as well - on her, it started out with the black jellybeans, and quickly morphed into... root beer. You could still smell the jellybeans a bit - we decided someone had left a pile of black jellybeans by a big mug of root beer. Then after a while the cedar started coming up through it, and we decided someone had knocked the root beer over all over the nice cedar coffee table.

Edited July 17, 2007 by Vampy

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: lavender, and strangely, a little chocolate. interesting!

 

wet on skin: the lavender is a bit lighter now, retaining it's sweetness but losing the sharp quality that the herb frequently has. there's a nice "green" vibe to this. i don't get any aqua from this at all at this point.

 

dry down: i'm getting a touch of the anise many folks have mentioned. to me it reads more like fennel- the basic component is the same, but this is more subtle, softer, better intergrated. normally i don't like anything in the anise-black licorice family, but this is really lovely.

 

in all: as complex and hard to pin down as all the Tarots, The Magician is warm and green and herb-y all at the same time. i'll have to try it a few more times before determining if i need to track down a big bottle, but for magickal purposes as well as focusing on the spiritual aspects of this Major Arcana card, i'm glad i at least have a full imp to play around with.

 

 

[zankoku_zen]

I'm guessing lavender, fennel and anise in this. I really get alot of lavender from this - and it's interesting mixed with the anise on the drydown.