Caliph's Beloved

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Stimulates your own sexual energy and incites intense feelings of passion and desire.

I'm surprised I'm the first to review this. I figured people must be breaking down the Lab doors for it; I mean, look at that description! I'm giving it a good slather before DH gets home, since 'tis Valentine's and all...

In the bottle, Caliph's Beloved smells like smoky honey musk. Good enough to eat.

On me, there is a rich, almost yeasty smell, together with strong spice--this smells like baking cinnamon rolls! Seriously. That is *exactly* what it smells like on me (YMMV). Similar to Bengal, but with more dough, as it were. And what could possibly turn a guy on more than hot cinnamon rolls??? Nothing that I know of. Hot damn!

ETA: It does work, by the way. DH loved it, and it made me feel sexy to be that spicy-smelling but also a bit "musky" like...you know, your natural self when you're hot and bothered.

ET also A: I have had a bunch of PMs from people looking for this; I'm sorry I can't help you, but I received a decant as a gift and don't know where one can buy it (presumably at the Lab itself or Black Broom? I don't think TALs are anywhere else yet, are they?). Maybe it'll be released more widely eventually, and then the stampede can really start! Edited September 13, 2007 by Shollin

[Chaos the Crazy]

On me the cinnamon note comes out clean and strong, yet supported by a floral of some kind - this is so beautifully blended. After a bit it turns slightly resinous/incensy as well on me....no yeasty smell here at all.

 

This is what I wanted Arabian Nights to smell like. It makes you feel mysterious and sexy, which is all good in my book...really just downright f*ckable. I have yet to give this a magickal run as I've been sick and just not up for a damned thing, but I'm thinking candle work, wearing it and a few drops in massage oil should do something fabulous.

[zillah37]

I got this bottle as a complete surprise in an Ebay win. Someone out there totally and completely rocks as it was on my TAL wishlist.

 

In the bottle it smells a lot like Red Phoenix and Bengal. It's cinnamony and dark and mysterious. I think there's definitely patchouli in this and wow does it smell good!

 

On my skin, it's actually warm. I'm sure that's the cinnamon in it. Scentwise it's very sexy. It's not nearly as strong on my skin as it is in the bottle, but it's definitely mysterious and sexy. There's a bit of a powdery undertone which totally works for me.

 

God, I love this and can't wait to use this for nefarious sexing purposes.

[Wench457]

The cinnamon note in this strongly reminds me of Samhain and Red Phoenix. I think there likely is patchouli in there as well, but interestingly, it doesn't go all "dirty gym socks" on me as patchouli tends to. Like Samhain, the patchouli (if it is patchouli) is eminently wearable. This is a drier cinnamon to me than Samhain though, almost like Three Witches without the pepper.

 

I anointed my moon pendant, my throat and my cleavage, and all I can say is Hooooo Mama! This is some powerful stuff! I would caution that it should only be used if you really, truly wanna get some.

Edited April 30, 2006 by Wench457

[slave1]

In Bottle: Plastic and wood

 

On Skin: Wow, at first it smelled like a toy stright out of the packaging, pure plastic. After it develops on my skin, I get cinnamon, sweet and spicy. It’s also quite musky, it’s actually kind of sexy. There is a very sweet powdery note in the background. I get a similar feeling to Bengal (honey and spice) but much stronger in the spice department. I like the feeling it gives, but I can’t inhale too deeply because the cinnamon is quite overpowering and I actually really dislike cinnamon scents. But if I just left it waft by my nose, or get a slight whiff of it, it’s perfect. And yes, it actaully speeds my heart up and makes me feel a little flushed.

[PurringPulsar]

Caliph's Beloved

 

In the imp: cinnamon! This smells very much like Bengal without the honey. As right now, I have no man in my life, and therefore no sex life, I'm just testing this for now and keeping the decant for when the right time comes…

On skin: it's such a shame this can't be used as perfume, because this smells so beautiful to me. Think Bengal with the honey replaced by amber and with added cardamom, with a hint of musk and red sandalwood. A wonderful, golden scent, warm and sensual, reminiscent of spice markets in the romanticised Arabia of the 1001 Nights...it's such a gorgeous scent, incredibly exotic, and very sexy indeed, I definitely have nosegasms when I smell this! Right now I have no man in my life, but I definitely want to use this when I do-I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if I got laid when wearing this! (Review will be updated if needs be.)

[oedipa]

As far as scent goes (though I review TAL oils only as far as their "purpose" goes), I really love Caliph's Beloved. The scent is spicy and a little sweet - I can definitely catch the patchouli, which I'm not totally fond of, but it's not bad. Lots of cinnamon and honey.

 

I was preparing to go out to a party where one of my crushes is and so I thought this the appropriate time to finally get a crack at this ritual oil. Alas, it was not to be! I put the teensiest bit on my neck, continued to prep, and when I came back to the mirror not five minutes later...

 

ALL BOW BEFORE THE QUEEN OF HIVES!!

 

I don't know what in the blend caused this (I suspect cinnamon, the right bastard) but I had to immediately take it off. I'm terribly disappointed, of course, but still have hopes I can wear this in a scent locket or the like. To sum up - Caliph's Beloved = red rashy goodness.

[cuervosueno]

This is a scent only review of this.

 

This has a sweet creamy scent in the imp that is quite lovely, and I understand why Laurel compares it to cinnamon buns....there is something a bit foody about it. On me, the cinnamon doesn't come out until it hits my skin, but then it is lovely, but not overwhelming.

 

I smell no pachouli in this at all. It has a lovely golden sweetness with the cinnamon that is quite lovely. Although it doesn't smell like the white musk single note I had, I could see that there might be musk in it....I sometimes have a hard time picking that note out in Beth's incredible blends. On me, its mostly a sweet, creamy cinnamon delight, with just a touch of something underneath that I associate with the TAL blends....something slightly herbal.

 

This also lasts a long time on me, but after a few hours it fades down to a golden scent I thought was familiar--then realized it was amber.

 

Its quite lovely.

 

eta: 8/06

 

I found this again the other day and was going to a party where I was supposed to meet a man my friends thought I might be interested in, so I put it on (and a corset, but hey, it was a party celebrating a friend's five years in sex work). Caliph's Beloved was gorgeous--it smelled just like cinnamon red hots on me. Yum!

 

And did it ever work! And not as I expected. While the man my friends wanted to introduce me to was clearly interested, so were most of the other men at the party, despite the fact that some of them have shown no previous interest in me before.

 

This works so well, that I'd be a little hesitant to use some of the attraction blends that have a warning on them, such as blinding glory of love!

Edited August 11, 2006 by cuervosueno

[sofiaviolet]

This may be the most effective TAL I've ever tried. *fans self* It works amazingly well. I think I may be needing a 5 mL.

 

I cannot review its scent because I used it on a candle. I'm not sure what might happen if I used it on myself. I might ignite!

[abejita]

The scent: Cinnamon, musk, possibly clove, and something a little sweet. Though I didn't break out my decant of La Flamme to sniff test, it definitely reminds me of that scent, minus the citrus. Very pleasant. As always with cinnamon, be careful. I have sensitive skin, but this didn't seem to leave anything more than a very faint redness that went away quickly-- and I did apply heavily.

 

The effect: I chose to use this because Sexual Energy triggers a big allergic reaction, and Caliph's Beloved has that bit in its description about stimulating your own energy. After a very stressful week (hell, month) of twelve-hour days of training and classes, plus my chronic illness, my libido was shot to hell. Non-existent. I applied the oil to my wrists, neck, heart, and a tiny bit on my belly, then concentrated on things of an erotic nature. Right away, I felt a buildup of intense warmth concentrated in my diaphragm/solar plexus area, where no oil had been applied. It was a pleasant, interesting sensation, totally unexpected. I have never had the feeling of my energies being stirred up in quite that way. I woke my partner up and the rest of the evening was a stunning success.

 

The verdict: Wonderful. When my decant is gone, I may very well purchase a full bottle. I felt glow-y for a long time after, too.

[Little Bird]

Caliph's Beloved is such a lovely fragrance. It reminds me a bit of Voodoo (my all-time favorite scent), but a warmer, spicier sort of version. It has the same cola smell on me, and perhaps a hint of something like a warm, red patchouli and red sandalwood.

 

This reminds me of that holiday spice version of coca cola in the drydown, which was basically just cola and cinnamon.

 

I *love* that smell.

 

Cinnamon bothers me sometimes, but the cinnamon here isn't overly strong or sharp to me. It's just perfectly sweet and foodie.

 

As for the effectiveness... my sexual excitement is pretty much always at a fevered pitch to begin with, so I'm not sure that I noticed any difference that was out of the norm. I do love this as a perfume though, and will probably go through my bottle and buy more. It's very sexy and pleasant to me. Perfect for heating things up during the winter

[Alseides]

Wow, does this stuff work.

 

I applied some to my base chakra, throat, and heart and rubbed the residue on my wrists about five minutes ago, and already I'm getting butterflies in my stomach. In me, it seems to be inducing a dizzying sort of lustfulness, one where all your inhibitions are gone and it's a smoldering, seductive passion blossoming in their place. This may be due to the cinnamon-y note that I'm smelling. Hot, indeed.

 

I have said many a time that patchouli does not work on me, and that I despise it, and I do. Luckily, there are other notes in this scent-wise that seem to keep it from going to hell on me. But then again, this isn't meant for use as a perfume. I must emphasize the DIZZYING part, though that may be due to a sniff of White Light before applying this - I feel... not tired, but my head is in the clouds, so to speak. That said, Caliph's Beloved definitely delivers. I have yet to see if it intensifies over time...

 

ETA: It does. It even disrupted my sleep.

In the best possible way, of course.

Edited March 17, 2007 by Alseides

[girl_android]

A bottle of Caliph's beloved arrived a few days ago, it's joined my small collection of bottles.

 

In the bottle it reminds me of ... a liquid version of spices you might use in cinnamon-heavy gingerbread? I can see where cinnamon rolls might come into it ... mmm... (:

 

Wet on skin, it's lovely and warm and sweet and spicy. Dry, it's all that with a smooth creaminess mixed in too ...

 

DH got a waft of this, to him it's a cooler weather night time kind of thing - it might get a little cloying (warm sweet honey?) in warmer weather?

 

I do like the mood this evokes, and it's passed a few tests here (: Very glad I have a bottle of this!

[Hayet]

I love the scent of this one- it has a lot of similarities to Black Phoenix. There's definitely more cinnamon/clove in this one than BP, but there's a hint of rose underneath, and a whole slew of other stuff I can't identify.

 

But it works. I can't wear it on my body (cinnamon=nemesis), but having it scent my hair all day has left me very eager to see the DH this evening indeed!

[theseagrows]

this reminds me of bengal too, but is more spicy-cinnamony. it smells like cinnamon with some sort of musk, perhaps and maybe a honey or vanilla? i'm not sure, it just smells very cinnamony to me. not really wowing me scent wise, but i will try it out for it's suggested purpose soon.

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle, there is a definite sexy-response, like smelling pheromones of someone you're hot for. it's not like Smut, though. there's something more subtle, and yes, magickal about it.

 

on me, the oil morphed into a baby powder sort of scent, which i'm not really into.

 

the feeling is there, though, so i figure i'll either mix it with something that it'll layer well with, like Love's Philosophy or O and try that out or i'll put it in a burner for ahem...'romantic' interludes.

 

either way, i'm glad this is part of my cabinet of seduction!

[underline2]

I haven't tested out the effectiveness of this yet, but as for the scent...

 

It starts off as a cloying, sickening honey overload with a lot of musk. The cinnamon comes out a bit and it gets better. It doesn't really scream "SEX!" on me, but I definitely imagine it could give me the boost of confidence to scream it myself.

 

It mellows down to cinnamon and enraged honey. It's one of those scents that's nice in the air around you, but not straight from the source.

 

I'll write a review of the other effects when I get to test it out in that way.

[Nimthiriel]

Scent in the vial:

Hot stuff! Warm and sweet – something like cinnamon, cocoa and something else. Very potent, very sexy.

 

Scent “in use”:

I anointed my Voodoo Love necklace with this, as it's already a bit of a love charm for me. I also tried a drop on my skin, to get the scent better. It's not very strong, just sort of a background whisper. On the necklace, it smells sweet, like honey. On my skin, it's very faint, and sort of powdery with the odd dash of sexyness. It warms up and I get more of the warmth and spice – lovely. In fact, the necklace now has a spicy touch to it, as well. It's a very very sexual scent, yum! It sort of... invites naughty thoughts.

 

Effect:

I can't really review its effects on other people, because I'm not really in a relationship or such right now, so my sex life isn't exactly, well, alive. It does however have a lovely effect on me.

 

I originally ordered this decant when I was in a long-term relationship, so it made sense then. Alas, I didn't get a chance to test it under those conditions, so I'm not sure if it's worth hanging on to this decant... Hmm. Pondering selling it.

 

Edit: Oh, this stuff works. My beloved friend goes nuts when I wear the anointed necklace, every time! And I inadvertently attracted another friend with it – big time. Thumbs up!

[starrykitten]

This is indeed very spicy as far as scent goes. The spice doesn't feel as nuanced as in Arabian Nights--it's just a big oomph of spice.

 

I have to admit that it didn't do much for me as far as efficacy. I didn't notice any extra sexual energy in myself or others.

 

 

[lilacea]

Cinnamon and honey and roses. And sexy sexy sex sex sex. The scent isn't something I'm mad about, but the effect is.

 

I was overwhelmed by this. Used in a simple ritual, I am almost embarrased to elaborate on its efficiency, but it worked sooooo well.

 

 

A quick edit to add: I used this last night, both on my partner and myself. I annointed myself and I bathed him in a bath containing this. As we snuggled up on the couch afterwards, we got a little visitor . Kiku, our shyest female cat of the family couldn't get enough of us. She jumped up on the couch (something she rarely, if ever, does) and began to swoon all over my boyfriend, rubbing, purring and generally being quite smitten with him.

Edited February 1, 2009 by lilacea

[crebbsgirl]

I just got my first TAL order today, so I was very excited to try this. I'm 28 and my libido has been steadily declining for almost a year now. I've tried almost everything - stress-relief exercises, sleeping more, working out, diet change - and nothing is working. I was trying to avoid supplements and all that cause to be honest, they frighten me. Doctors don't take a woman's lack of libido seriously. I honestly got scoffed at when I mentioned it as an issue. So, TAL was my last hope. I came home today and was so tired, and stressed out, and all around grumpy there was NO WAY I was interested in any sort of amorous activities. Which is exactly what made me reach for Caliph's Beloved. I figured this would be the perfect testing situation. So I put some on. The smell was delicious. A honey, musky scent with a hint of spice. I didn't get roses at all. As for efficacy....

 

 

Let's just say it worked. Thank you TAL, for giving me hope.

[Bean Rua]

Scent note: my Indian friend smelled me wearing it, and swore it smelled exactly like betel nut. That's areca nut and betel leaf, which the nut is wrapped in.

 

Effectiveness: It's worked both in ritual and using it as perfume. I think overall, it helped me regain some measure of sexual confidence and assurance in my overall desirability.

[faylie]

I bought this as one of four to help me through post natal depression. I don't have any experience in doing things pf a magical nature but thought I'd give these a try as I really was wanting to avoid medication. While I didn't manage that I do believe the TAL oils I got have helped me.

 

One of the ways my PND was effecting was loss of libido so I thought Caliph's beloved was the thing for me as hubby was really missing out. Hubby works away from home during the week so I put it on one Friday night but nothing really happened, both really tired and the littlies (2yrs 3 months and 3 months) weren't being cooperative. I tried again next weekend and there was something going on. It wasn't like first being in a relationship where you just can't get enough of each other, it was more like a coal how it glows that bright orange when you blow on it, just quietly smoldering away. This was a month or so ago and I've been using it every weekend since then, this weekend just gone I've had some of the more memorable sex of my life and we have been together for 10 years so that is saying something.

 

Scent wise this is like cinnamon quills, maybe a little civet but I could be wrong there. It's quite a light scent, not a lot of throw, more of a cling to your skin one. I'm not too sure of wear length, but it lasts long enough to do the job