Jacob's Ladder

[papermaker]

The meeting of Heaven and Earth: golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka.

This is the 2008 version. In the imp it is amber and incense. Wet it is sweet golden amber with resins peeking through. As it dries it is a beautiful golden amber resin, with what ssems like vanilla peeking though(assumed to be the tonka and/or benzoin).

[violetblue]

In the bottle and first application: Men's cologne. Hubby to be said it reminded him of urinal cake smell. As it dries, the vanilla peaks through as stated above and it gets sweeter, but this one is sadly not for me. I prefer Snake Charmer for this type of resinous scent.

[MCS4096]

2008 Version

 

In the bottle: Yes it's a bit cologney.. I believe that's the rockrose, costus etc.. whereas underneath that you can smell this amazing spicy resinous scent. I'm cheating here.. because I've already tried this and know it turns out good

 

Wet: Slightly sharp, but deep and dark as well. Smells crumbly.

 

Dry: Mmmm... AND this will be even more amazing with aging I'm sure. This is a very straight up resin scent, and I love it!

[pinkstardust420]

Sweet indeed it is! Sweet amber, resiny. There is something cologne-like when I initally apply it, but it seems to soften up as time goes on, almost powder like. A beautiful scent, but not sure if this is a keeper.

[voodoocatwoman]

Jacob's Ladder 2008

 

This is such a lovely scent. My beloved amber is the main note that I detect. The overall scent is sweet and resin-y but not cloying or overpowering. It goes a bit powdery after it dries but it is still lovely.

[jencallisto]

(2006 version)

 

In the imp: Mmm. Sweet, round, spicy -- very amber.

Fresh on the skin: Amber, spicy, a little floral, a little soapy.

10 minutes later: Spicy-sweet amber-floral, a bit sharp.

20 minutes later: Yup, just about, with the sharpness gradually fading. I like this well enough, but it's not particularly unique.

2 hours later: Amber, amber, amber.

4 hours later: Light, spicy amber. Very nice!

8 hours later: Amber, amber, amber! A little spicy, a little soapy.

 

Verdict: Nice enough, but it doesn't quite distinguish itself from other amber-dominated scents, at least on my skin.

 

One word: Amber.

[savage_rose]

I tried the 2005 version during early 2006 "OMG, must try everything" period and loved it...it was masculine but not too much so, was spicy, and just all around wonderful. But I never needed more of it.

 

I decided to try 2008 though through a decant circle...and yuck! All I can smell baby powder and a bitter note that smells off (it smells faintly of poo. Ew). It makes my nose burn a bit, too. I'm so glad that 2005 didn't smell like this, or my BPAL involvement might have been cut short. Very, very short.

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Once this dries down it's the most gorgeously gilded amber blend ever, like there's gold leaf in the oil itself. This radiates glowing warmth off of my wrist and reeks of decadence and class, like an angel's halo in a renaissance painting with a gold filigree frame. How's that for a review!

[asciident]

Wet: Clean, almost like water with some flowers.

 

First on: Fruity? What's fruity about this?

 

Dry: Sour fruit. Weird.

[stellans]

2008 release: Lovely bright combination makes me so very happy! As I’ve said in reviews of other blends, amber is not always my friend, but when amber plays nicely the result is amazing. There is a wonderful earthiness in this blend (the tonka, no doubt), and I’m not exactly sure what costus is nor what galbanum brings to the party, but the slight sweetness that is the rockrose makes this a sunny blend for a sunny day. Edited May 26, 2009 by stellans

[sunshinedaisybliss]

 

Reviewing the 2008 version.. and, well, I'm disappointed - this had all the ingredients for win and I was hoping for golden resin-y browns, but on me this is quite white, floral and cologne-y. It had moments of lovely amber richness and for a moment there I thought the tonka was finally coming out to cancel that cologne thing, but nope.. it didn't happen. Sad

 

[Eucatastrophe]

(2008 version)

 

I got all excited about this because some of the notes are right up my alley, but as soon as I put it on something just smells wrong to me. My nose wrinkles and just... no. I wish I could put my finger on what in this blend has such an effect on me, but my nose just says no.

[raindragon]

This is my first review, even though it's on a scent I didn't care for. It left one of the strongest visual images in my mind.

 

I picked Jacob's Ladder as one of my first imps because my husband's name is Jacob and because all of the individual components sounded like they would be scents I'd like.

 

To me, the scent was very sultry, almost too sultry, and as others described it, very warm. Every time I breathe it in, I see a woman smoking with a cigarette holder, sprawled over a chaise lounge and beckoning a man to her side. In my mind it's a dirty gold color, a hazy opiate scent. By the time the scent dries, the woman is less insistent and more satisfied, but still over-indulged. All I can figure is that it's the golden amber grabbing my attention more than anything, but I don't have a lot of scents to compare it to yet.

 

 

 

[kohimame]

Jacob's Ladder '08

 

Sigh, the moment I saw the words 'masculine' and 'cologne' in the reviews, I knew that Jacob's Ladder would be a bad idea. Manly scents and me just don't get along. As far as one goes, though, it smells pretty nice. It pretty much smelled the same in the vial, and on me skin; men's cologne with a smooth base of tonka. A very dark golden scent.

 

It's a very nice scent, but I tend to like sweeter, more feminine scents.

[heathercaley]

I've let this age for about a year now, and tis the season and all that fuss, so I broke out ye ol' Jacobs Ladder 2008.

 

This has aged beautifully! This is the amber I love so much. Earthy, dark, sweet, warm, and full. It's hovering on the edge of powdery, but it doesn't fail... it stays right on that border of rich and beautiful. If you like Inez, you'll love Jacobs Ladder. It has that same sensual amber note.

[childoftime]

It's definitely a strong amber, and while this isn't as bad as, say, Baghdad on me, the amber in this blend was powdery. Not overpoweringly baby powder, but definitely a light, powdery scent. It's very golden and a bit spicy, but the powdery amber is definitely the throw.

[misscoldheart]

I have the '08 version...

 

At first, in the bottle and on the skin it is very, very light and "perfumey." The florals really come through first and this beginning wet stage is my favorite of this blend. After not too long, the florals fade and the amber and tonka really seem to come forward. The blend sweetens up and also amps quite a bit until all I get is sweet tonka-vanilla-y overpower.

This is not unsimilar to what happens to me with black lace, but the difference is that BL will back off eventually and tone itself down over time...JL really starts out light and not only strengthens, but really hangs on to that tonka note...

I don't mid deeper blends, but I require scents that stay closer to the skin and don't pollute all of the air around me. It is a nice scent, but I'm just incredibly picky about things like throw and such.

[voorishsign]

I've got to admit I've always been curious about this oil. No movie has ever quite traumatized me like Jacob's Ladder (starring Tim Robbins, watch it if you don't want to sleep for a week), but I know the name obviously usually has better connotations, just not to me.

 

However, I'm going to try and push away bad memories by thinking instead of Lost's Jacob, a far more comforting thought.

 

In the imp - very pleasant and golden. I can sense the amber, benzoin and tonka.

 

On wet - Lots of amber, galbanum, lots of tonka.

 

Drydown - A masculine, spicy amber. Love this! A great summer scent.

 

Thank you again to rawgirl75 for gifting me this

[jizatt]

Im testing the 06 version, and reading through the reviews before I post. FASCINATING to read and compare. This should be a holy grail for me. I love golden, sweet amber scents. What I get is pretty, but its so pale, I almost have to work to smell it. Wet this was a pale, spicy amber. Dry, I get hints of what might be floral. Dry, this is pretty, but I may have to layer up on it to make a decision. Wish it was quite a bit stronger =(

 

(sidenote - most bpal does this on my skin, so I dont think its a Jacob's Ladder problem)

[Truelove]

2008 Version:

 

In the bottle it smells very much like old lady perfume, put it on and it’s very strong, very sweet, almost too sweet for me. Dried down to have some very nice undertones. My husband liked the smell of it

[Gold Dust Kitten]

2005 version

 

I expected this to be the glorious, golden amber scent I've been searching for, and it delivered! It's very light in the bottle and upon first application. I barely smell the amber, which is thin and dry, with a bit of sweetness from the benzoin. It begins to bloom after a few minutes, and the amber is sweet, rich and golden with a creamy lemony note reminiscent of Joyful Moon--could that be the ambrette seed? It's truly lovely.

 

I wish it had more throw, but it's a great scent to wear when you want to feel like you're snuggled in a fuzzy blanket.

[Mountaingrrl00]

2010 Version:

 

It's a light, thin amber in the vial. It blooms quickly on my skin. The amber becomes richer and a bit sweeter, and there are also smoky and leathery notes as it dries down. I remember previous versions being more citrusy. This version is more resiny, spicier and sexier. It doesn't have a lot of throw, but lasts a long time and is wonderful for sniffing my wrists throughout the day.

[capncait]

Jacob's Ladder 2010

 

This is a lovely amber blend.

 

The amber does develop into that powdery, dusty note, but there is a hint of creaminess and spice that help to balance the amber. I get the sweet leather the previous poster noted.

 

Like I said, lovely.

[SophieCedar]

When I read the description, my fingers were trembling and scrambling, because of excitement, when I typed to my favored decanter to order this. Being this is my 1st full year w/ bpal; and last year I was too distracted by the overwhelming lovely chaos of kicking off my bpal habit, I didn't try any yules. This is like hearing about a new movie coming out on your birthday where all your favorite stars are in your ideal setting. Needless to say, this scent is perfect for me. Amber, benzoin, and tonka together? Yes, please. Plus the sweet gummy pine-like smell of the galbanum and the costus are perfect. The rockrose is incredibly mellow. This is awesome and causes me to daydream.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Amber, benzoin, rockrose, and tonka for sure.

 

Wet: The tonka has come forward, but is being tempered by the amber.

 

The dry-down: Ambrette is musk mallow (amongst many other nic-names), hence the faint muskiness that has appeared. Costus can refer to a number of plants; I'm not sure which one is present in this blending. Resin from the galbanum adds in a nice depth. I've liked this scent in previous years, and it's just as light and elegant this year. This is one Yule, besides Snow White, that I am happy to see return whenever possible. The amber may be getting a little powdery, but that's just an occupational hazard between me and amber. Unisex, and good for an office environment. If I huff a bit, the tonka and benzoin exhibit their gentle sweetness.

Edited January 18, 2011 by thekittenkat