Jacob's Ladder

[astridclaire]

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

First of all, I have to say that I LOVE amber. So based on the description and the reviews alone, I ended up getting two bottles of this stuff. My first two bottle purchase.... and I'm so glad I did! The amber in this scent is sweet without being cloying and the rockrose blends with it wonderfully. On me, it doesn't smell perfumey at all and I would say that it would work for both men and women.

For me, this is an every day kind of scent vs. for a special occasion. It's comforting, warm, and has just enough incense to it to make it really interesting. Edited November 18, 2007 by Shollin

[darkitysnark]

Jacob's Ladder

 

A swap with hepkitten .

 

Sweet. Spicy. Whoa SPICY! Some flowers, an intense moment of "high-end store perfume" and then...

 

mmmmm. The hours later scent is glowing skin numminess. I want to slink up to people and whisper "I am a Golden God".

 

I would have enjoyed more costus and less rockrose (not entirely famliar with galbanum and benzoin... but I think they and the tonka and ambrette are all blending with the golden amber here) during the morphy part, but in all this is a scent to rival my usual private happy place scents (Tombstone, Queen of Sheba).

[filigree_shadow]

Initial impression: Amber and a bit musky. Smells like perfume, rather than food, flowers, spices, etc. Promising...

 

While wearing: Jacob's Ladder is faint, but I wouldn't call it light. When I catch the scent, it is deep and luxurious. Golden. On me, this does not smell masculine at all. "Glowing" is a good word for it. Unfortunately I'm not familiar enough with the notes in this one to be able to say which ones are prominent. But this one smells a lot more like "perfume" than other BPAL blends I've tried.

 

Mr. Gree is sitting right next to me and can't smell it, and I nearly slathered. I'm enjoying it, though. I like it more and more as the hours go by and it softens a little.

 

Hubby's reaction: First 30 minutes: "I like it, but Alone is better." After 3 hours, with a surprised look on his face: "Mmmm, that's niiiice. Can you get more of that one?"

 

ETA on 5/14/07: I got a decant of the 06 version in order to compare it to my bottle of the 05 version, and I can't really tell much of a difference. The 05 version smells a little bit deeper and a little less bright, but I think that's to be expected since it has amber, galbanum, and benzoin in it. It's a barely noticeable difference, and I wouldn't have been able to tell if I didn't have them both on, right next to each other. I like the 05 version better, but I always like aged resins best.

Edited May 15, 2007 by filigree_shadow

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Imp from my Imp Pimp, Diana.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

This one's a mystery to me. The notes, in principle, sound absolutely gorgeous, but amber hates me. It smells like sour milk 99% of the time and makes me cry. Will Jacob's Ladder go all wrong or will it surprise me and live up to the beautiful imagery it creates in my mind? I don't know. Yet.

 

First sniff:

 

Pretty, but not what I was expecting for some reason. I was anticipating something warm and amber-colored, scent-wise, but I'm getting something almost citrusy that makes me think I've lost my mind. What on earth could be creating that lemony evil I'm smelling?! I have no idea what costus is, so I suppose that could be it...or I could just be misinterpreting something in here as being lemony, like I do with ginger sometimes.

 

Wet on skin:

 

That's more like I'd imagined Jacob's Ladder would be like. It's somewhere between powdery and golden amber and it's (so far, anyway) not turning into sour milk! I'm not sure that it's me, though, unfortunately. I like amber, but I don't think this is really for me. I'm starting to realize that there's something about amber that doesn't quite sit right with me for some reason.

 

Dry down:

 

This is actually growing on me! The powderiness is gone and it's a soft, golden, warm amber that's like wrapping myself in a fluffy blanket and sitting in front of a low fire. This is actually a very pleasant surprise, especially given my history with amber notes in BPAL scents.

 

The bottom line:

 

I actually really like this!

[nevermore]

This is probably one of my top 5 scents. It's mostly amber on me, but not as strong or as heavy as some of the other "resin" scents can turn on my skin. I can't really smell any of the other components (well, maybe a little tonka), just lovley light amber. I love resin scents, but I dislike really heavy scents, so Jacob's Ladder is a perfect compromise.

[PixieSkull]

In the imp: Sweet resins, slightly powdery coconut mint smell.

Wet: Definately creamy, sweet resins. Slightly minty.

Drydown: Powdery sweet resins.

 

Category: Resin

Rating: 2/5

Overall: Went all boring on my skin. Reminds me strangely of The Star, even though it's not. I didn't notice really any of the notes in the blend except for amber. Don't think amber really likes my skin. It's lovely in the imp, just not my style in the least. Off to someone who will love it.

[elphaba]

Jacob's Ladder was beautifully warm and sweet when I first put it on. "Sophisticated" was the first word to come to mind and I was imagining myself wearing it with a little black dress and high heels. It kind of reminded me of perfumes my stepmom would wear to go out - the kind of scent I associated with grown-up women when I was a child. Something went wrong in the drydown though. One of the elements (my guess is either the ambrette or the costus, as those are the only two I'm not familiar with from other blends) went sour on my skin. It didn't stop me from reapplying on my neck so I could get another whiff of the glorious first wafts of golden sweetness. I'm going to give this another shot in a week or so, but I suspect the sourness will prevent it from earning a place in my keeper box.

[this machine]

This smells nothing like what i thought it would, and i have a very hard time defining it other than it is rather perfumey, and it reminds me of EO musk. I'm guessing it's the costus that has the distinctive smell here that is almost kind of floral, but not really. It's definitely very warm to me, and dry but not powdery. Man, this is a weird one, and i can't decide whether i want to wear it more or not.

[themerrybaker]

A nice amber with an short-lived citrus-thing going on. As it dries, it becomes a warm, deep, complex, perfume. At the end of the day, it becomes sweeter and a little powdery with a bit of citrus coming out again (probably the amber).

 

 

 

Sometimes you want to smell like a perfume as opposed to a chocolate cake, and this is a great scent for those days.

[aedes]

Hm. Well, I finally got an imp of this after The Lion and other amber scents turned out so well on me. This is a spicy, slightly sweet amber. But I don't think I like it. It smells too much like, well, like myself. Smells like my palms after working up a good sweat. I know, I should be so lucky that I smell like spiced amber when I sweat, huh? But seriously, there's a weird, BO twinge to this on me. I can't do it. Que lastima.

[Ryvre]

In the imp: Amber and a bit of tonka.

 

On me: Amber incense. Deep and heavy. It's very faint, and my skin ate it after only five minutes.

[bifemmefatale]

Omg, this is my favorite amber blend ever. Rich, honey-sweet, a tiny bit floral, a little "expensive cologne"...all in all just a scent I want to cuddle up to. Not a lot of throw but when you do catch the scent it's warm, luxurious and golden. This does for me what other people say O does for them. Lovelovelove. So glad I just found a bottle!

[ajcj213499]

I really thought I would love this one, because I love amber and the idea behind this oil. Unfortunately is was kind of a generic perfumey scent on me.

[kunoichi]

This is a spicy blend, and the word 'yellow' comes to mind when I smell it from the vial. It's bright and uplifting, yet also has a deep complexity to it. On my skin there is a citrus-like scent that takes over, so it's sort of like spices in lemon juice, with a something (possibly the benzoin) to smooth it out with a slightly vanilla-like touch. It becomes slightly sweeter before it starts to fade. After it fades it becomes a dry scent that seems like the spices have been mixed in with the other scents to give a warm, dry, flat smell on my skin.

Edited May 26, 2006 by kunoichi

[Shollin]

First sniff: Aaaaaaaaaamberlujah! With a wee touch of soft flower petals around the outsides.

 

Wearing: Uh-oh. It’s rosier than I expected, and the amber seems to be going a little powdery. It was a bit more me-ish in the drydown… I think I need to try it again.

[Syzygy]

Wow. This is just gorgeous. I can't pick out any individual notes; it's just a sweet, rich, golden scent with something in there giving it a quiet glow like a halo. Beautiful and calming. My imp (bought from LittleGreyKitten, who generously threw in a second imp for free!) couldn't have arrived at a better time. The night I first tried this I had to sit through a very long, very contentious meeting. Tempers were flaring all around me, accusations and veiled insults knifed through the air...and every so often I'd catch a whiff of warm, mellow sweetness, and it created my own little oasis of peace in the midst of all that tension.

 

It's perfect. And naturally, it's an LE. Guess I'll just have to hunt around for more and hope Beth rereleases it someday.

[absinthetics]

There is the golden, amberness that twinges a little.. sweet... but what Jacob's Ladder really reminds me of is beeswax candles. It smells sort of fresh like that... round and rich, but fresh. It reminds me like a subtler version of Bengal, both of which reminds me of candle smell.

[edenssixthday]

Jacob’s Ladder 2005 – I always loved the Biblical imagery of Jacob’s Ladder and the theological implications of the story so I had to try this scent and see how it matched up to the story. It’s not a bad scent. It’s nice. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best), I’d have to give it a 4. I mean, it’s not anything special at all, but it’s not bad, either. It’s a warm scent and slightly incensey. It’s something I would wear on occasion if it had more throw and if it weren’t so barely noticeable. I have to put my wrist right up to my nose in order to detect the scent and even then, it’s faint. But it leaves a burn mark on my lips and the little divet between my upper lip and nose. There’s definitely something spicy in here that my more sensitive skin doesn’t like even though it doesn’t bother my wrists. It doesn’t last very long on my skin and in general, is just not worth keeping. I know others love it, so hopefully my decant of Jacob’s Ladder will find a good, loving home.

 

Jacob's Ladder 2006 - Although I don't think the formula has changed since last year, I definitely know my tastes have changed. 2006 smells to me just like the 2005 version, but I'm able to enjoy it so much more this time around. It's warm and slightly sweet and is the kind of blend I love to use when layering to bring a depth and fullness to other blends. Very pretty. I approve.

Edited December 1, 2006 by edenssixthday

[Melantha]

Amber, I love you. And I really love you here. Warm, and the tonka gives you smoothness and sweetness that makes me ever so happy. I'm not good at picking out the other notes that make you great, but I don't care. I will wear you with joy.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

musky

 

wet:

a musky blend with notes I'm unfamiliar with - I can't smell any amber

 

dry:

smells a lot like tradiitonal perfume. I'm not crazy about it!

 

overall:

not for me.

 

rating: 5/10

[theseagrows]

hm. i was almost positive i'd love this one, as i tend to do quite well with many amber scents, but there is something off in this on my skin. i get the amber and tonka, but then there's a weird musty smell that is similar to what i sometimes get from the bpal honey note, except it's more sour. after looking up the other notes i am pretty sure it's the galbanum.

Edited June 21, 2006 by theseagrows

[Naamah_Darling]

Soft, light, and clear, this oil smells of amber and a thin, high perfume. Somewhat traditional in the bottle, and sharp with what I think is the benzoin, a common additive to many perfumes and incenses. This is sweetly incensey with an underlying velour nap of golden heat.

 

This goes on with a warmth like fur and a sweetness like feathers, a perfect synthesis of each ingredient into one unified odor that is redolent of rich, fine incense, and when I say incense, I mean liturgical incense. This has the mellow warmth of true gold, and just a deep-buried hint of something deep and throaty, like honey or musk, something just a little animal.

 

This is warm and cerebral and at the same time wildly sensual. It possesses a vivid warmth, a palpable aura of comfort and kindness, and a touch of sensuality, like a dust-starred ray of light vaulting through the church darkness, falling on silk-burnished skin.

 

I cannot pin this down in words. It seems nurturing, enfolding, warmly accepting. It does not seem passive. It is quiet but very alive. It is so very gentle, but not at all tame. It is innocent, but wise. Clean and pure, but not cold or empty. God damn, this is a beautiful scent, a heartbreaking scent, and I cannot express how radiant, subtle, and poised this is in its middle phase. Truly, truly profound.

 

Dry and wearing down, it's a pleasant dry, powdery amber/incense scent with just the barest hint of sweetness, like a very distant much-diluted floral that is so vague as to be unidentifiable. It remains distinctive at this phase, if not quite as rich as I would like. There is definitely an air of settling or repose here. I'm finding this very, very soothing.

 

For either gender, for any occasion. This is neither too sexual to be worn in public, nor too refined to be kissed away. Medium in throw, moderate in strength, and not at all sharp, yet very long-lasting. It's a crying, crying shame that this was a limited edition, and I deserve a stiff paddling for not buying three or four bottles of it.

[damuddymeg]

Amber and I are normally quite good friends. And so many people seem to love Jacob's Ladder. So I snapped up a bottle awhile ago, sniffed it in the bottle, and went "meh", and stuck it in the BPAL box, where it stayed until this morning...

 

Wet: Um. Well, kinda ew. I get the amber, but also a very traditional perfumey note that is totally taking over the rest of the notes. It's very high, very potent, and vaguely smells of urine.

 

Dry: The throw dies back, thank goodness. But sadly, it never warms up. It stays high, thin, and vaguely unpleasant. Off to the swap pile...

[jakey]

Jacob's Ladder

 

This is probably my all-time favourite scent as of right this minute.

 

Just got my hands on a bottle; love at first sniff. I begged for a bottle based on the reviews here and I have not been disappointed!

 

This morning I put an oil-soaked pad in my scent locket and dabbed a little on my wrists. I have to say that amber really works well with my skin chemistry, because as nice as it is in my locket, it's even more gorgeous on my wrists!

 

Not so much throw, but still going strong 4 hours after applied. A warm, sweet, very sexy scent that I can't wait to make into a spray. Every so often I get a whiff from my locket and I'm always thrilled to realize it's me making that nice smell!

 

Anyone looking to get rid of this, PM me. All your Jacob's Ladder are belong to me.

Edited July 13, 2006 by jakey

[Mountaingrrl00]

I put this on today and realized I hadn't reviewed it yet. Quite an omission, as this is one of my favorites! It's not a strong or showy scent, but it's so beautiful in its subtle way. I put this on when I want to be cheered up by its sweetness and elegance. The amber here is warm but not super-thick. I like the way it blends with the benzoin to make something familiar, but a little different. The effect is resinous without being at all heavy - just a lovely, golden glow of a scent.

 

I've found that Jacob's Ladder is a wonderful scent for layering, as well as standing nicely on its own.