Arcana

[elinox]

The essence of magickal enigmas and long-forgotten esoteric mysteries. Frankincense, rosemary, lavender, neroli, and lemon verbena.

 

First Sniff: Lemon and wood resin, I think.

Initial Wet Application: Soft lemon with a dusty, dark scent underneath. It makes me think of incense, so I’m guessing that’s the frankincense. I think the rosemary is beating out the lavender, but together they make this a warm scent and each is sort of indistinguishable from the other.

Beginning Dry Down (first 15 minutes) & Dry: As this began its dry down it was all soft, sunny lemon. But as this completed the dry down this went wonky on me. I think the verbena (lemon) is fighting with rosemary/lavender and its making this a weird, sort of plastic pizza sauce scent with some herbs in it (and not the usual oregano either!). Others have noted that this can smell like olive oil so I can understand that. But unless this turns around, its a no-go for me!

My Reaction: The initial scent was pleasant enough, although I already have several light lemon scents from the lab. But when this went wonky with the vaguely pizza sauce-like scent, it’s a nope.

Rating: 1

[brilliantcat]

In the imp it's mostly rosemary and lavender but once I apply it, there's a bright lemony note from the verbena. It actually smells like a bergamot EO I had long ago. Pretty decent throw, I can smell it from several inches away. I can smell frankincense if I sniff above my wrist, but close up it disappears. It smells like like bergamot as it dries down and more tart, sugared lemon. The lavender is still present but only just. Not for me.

[Zii]

Wet: I'm lucky I like lavender, because this is all this is right now. Maybe a little rosemary? But pretty much sharp, clear lavender.

 

Drying: And now it smells like Badger Balm bug repellent... All verbena and lemony herbs. Maybe a hint of incense hanging around.

 

Dry: A sharp underwhelming heryby scent. There are much better options out there for this category and I doubt I'll get much use out of this imp, even though it's not unpleasant smelling.

[Cazzadeathgirl]

Bought an imp earlier this month to try, I like most of the notes listed

 

In imp- ah yes...lots of lavender in this 1; maybe this could be a soothing bedtime scent...here comes the rosemary, perhaps not a bedtime scent after all...and lemon! Lots of it!

 

Wet on skin- the lavenders gone so is the rosemary that I love...mugged by lemons, not that I don't like lemons...it's went all sunny on me- summer scent then?

 

Dry on skin- something's went wrong, very, very wrong ;( and I liked this just on it's went over sharp bitter lemons on me. The throw is pretty strong too, which I'd not mind if it was something that worked on me. The faulty notes are either frankincense or the verbena.

 

Overall- looks like it's going to be a summer room scent unless any family want this 1. So nice in the imp but not on my skin

[mymymai]

ITI: I get rosemary and something that reads as golden - which I think is the verbena paired with the lavender. It's very pretty.

 

Wet: The lavender is much stronger here, so I'm not getting the nice balance between it and the verbena, but even as more distinct notes, the scent works very well. The verbena and rosemary end an mystic and pensive quality to the scent that I'm rather enjoying, which the neroli wafts gently underneath. Sadly, the frankincense has yet to show up.

 

Dry: IT's still bright and lovely from the rosemary, verbena, neroli and lavender. I just wish the frankincense was more apparent.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Bright lavender and sweetened herbs.

 

Drydown: Herbalicious! It’s juicy-green and a bit lemony. It smells a lot like herbal tea with lemon and a drop of honey. The verbena is most noticeable, followed by neroli (which I think might be causing the sweetness), after that comes lavender and rosemary, while the frankincense adds just a touch of spiciness and depth.

 

Dry: This is a stunning blend! Fresh, tart, sweet, happy, and planty. It smells like sipping lemony sweet tea while walking through the fairy garden at the Renn faire (i.e. being surrounded by herbs and incense!). Instant love ❤️

 

 

 

9 out of 10 bones

Edited March 3, 2022 by BoneBone24
(updated to include more recent impressions)

[Sarah Morehouse]

Rosemary, oh rosemary. I love you in food, but on my skin you are a nasty piece of work.

 

In the imp, this is herbal, fresh, and lovely, but a cloud has colored the air with portents, a breeze is coming up, an invigorating thunderstorm is coming!

 

On my skin, this is greasy ointment to get rid of foot fungus. The cheap, old fashioned kind that makes your sneakers smell like medicine forever after.

[Veronica]

Straight neroli and a hint of frankincense. Orange and amber and spices.

Edited December 21, 2015 by delighted

[LizziesLuck]

Frimp from the Lab.

 

Wet: Lemon! Not tart lemon. Not terribly sweet lemon. Kind of like lemon oil, or maybe lemon zest. Well, its lemon verbena, but to me that's smelling like lemon oil/zest.

 

Dry: it sweetens up a lot. More like lemon candy now. Not getting any other notes. This is fresh out of the mailbox so I think another test once it's settled is in order. I was hoping for the lavender to show up, lemon and lavender is something I'm missing in my collection.

[roseus]

This is herbal incense with bright lemon. The rosemary, frankincense, and lemon verbena are most prominent on me. This is a very natural scent to me, perfect for the hippie types who don't like patchouli (-gasp- could there be such a thing?)

[joopjoop]

When I tested Arcana the first time about a month ago, I really strongly disliked it, but during this second go, I’ve come around… a little, although there is still something unsettling about it to me.

 

Wet it is a mix of frankincense and lavender which is really unpleasant to my nose. On the dry-down it morphs into a sort of murky lemon furniture polish spiked with basil. I don't wait to see if it goes anywhere interesting - after about 3 hours I scrub it off. So I guess I haven't really come around at all.

 

I think this one is a basic skin chemistry fail on me. I knew that the frankincense was problematic, but I’m also finding that lavender is an iffy note for me. I love the scent of lavender in general, but on my skin it doesn’t always play nice.

Edited May 18, 2016 by joopjoop

[Cali]

On my skin the lavender and insence is very very strong at first, then turns into lemon, mostly. Really zingy, sharp and green. Not a huge fan but it's not unpleasant.

[Coldfire]

Imp: neroli and verbena
Wet on Me: ahhhh touches of lavender, and verbena with rosemary waiting in the wings.
Drying Down: lavender and rosemary and the neroli and verbena keep them from being too sharp. faint resin traces of the frankincense waft shyly all about.
Dry: this all smooths out to this herbal floral resinous love.

[Mermaid-on-Land]

My first impression is lemon and a bit of rosemary over a bright clear frankincense. I love frankincense and it's very sparkly here. At first I wasn't too thrilled with this, the lemon was the main note with a bit of rosemary and it reminded me of a kitchen soap I had once. Once the lemon settled I enjoyed it a bit more, but I thought it was a bit plain on me until something bloomed more (not sure which note). Anyway, it suddenly gave me a very vivid scent memory of the plants they landscape with in Frontier Land in Disneyland. Bristle cone pine- ish or something, very deserty. I can see how it's arcane and magical but in a bright, cheery way. Not dark magic, more cheerful, sunlit magic. Might be something to wear around the house! I wasn't initially too excited about this one, as it was pretty but not jumping out at me, but the hit of nostalgia was really nice!

[gloame]

Oh dear, this is alllll lemonbalm for me. What everyone else is smelling sounds lovely! I want some herbs to show up on my skin!

[Casablanca]

On the wand, I smell each note in the exact order of their listing. Wacky. This is pretty, but I fear that neroli and verbena will take over on my skin.

 

On my skin, this turns to a sort of washed-out, herbal lemon dish soap smell. It doesn’t smell like skin soap — just that sort of watery, slightly waxy lemon scent of dish soap, plus herbs, and a pinch of frank.

 

In early drydown, neroli blooms open and takes over, with lemon verbena second in command. I do smell a little frank, which is pretty, but neroli and verbena dominate. I barely smell any lavender now, and no rosemary. By the time this dries, it’s all lemon-tinted neroli, all the time.

 

I guess that kinda went as I thought it would.

[Lucchesa]

Arcana is unusual and lovely. Wet it was sharp and dry - lemon verbena and lavender and rosemary? I'm still not certain I can identify frankincense. Neroli is usually good on me, and it showed up in drydown. This feels very Renaissance to me and kept my interest over all of its stages.

[Samuraibrarian]

Not unpleasant, but not what I wanted out of a scent of its description. On me, Arcana is pure frankincense, neroli, and verbena, with the latter two coming together to make a note very similar to rose geranium. I was looking for a bracing, herbal, lavender and rosemary, and this isn't it.

Edited November 8, 2017 by Samuraibrarian

[Lunasariel]

In the imp: To borrow Samuraibrarian's words, a bracing, herbal scent - rosemary and lavender, mostly in that order. I do get whiffs of something a little sweeter and more floral from father out; I like how elusive that element is.

 

Wet: The verbena takes a BIG step forward, only lightly accented by...mostly rosemary, I think? I'm still getting intriguing floral elements from afar, but up close, it smells like the hippie herbal remedy store in my hometown.

 

Dry: A wonderful, softly herbal scent. I almost want to say sage, but I think it's mostly rosemary. It's kind of an omnidirectional herbal, though - think a witch's kitchen or an apothecary. The frankincense is subtle at first, but blooms over time. And huzzah, this is the second blend I've ever found where frankincense doesn't go sour on me! If this is what y'all are smelling the rest of the time, sign me up. It's a wonderful warm, mellow, resinous scent, perfect for a cold January night like this.

[cassiejaynebunk]

Arcana is like the essence of Kitchen Witchy herbalness. I get the lavender and verbena right away and it smells so clean and witchy and comforting. I would like to use this to scent some kitchen soap or something.

[VetchVesper]

The first thing I smell in this is a sweet mix of lemon balm and neroli, but the lavender and rosemary clamber up my nostrils behind the intial sweetness. They smell sharp, herbal, and mentholic together, almost like eucalyptus. Once this goes on my skin, the frankincense starts to come out. It lends a grounding dustiness to the fragrance. As this wears, it becomes more and more of a frankincense scent on me, with a faint tinge of sharp green herbs in the back. I like this as a sleep blend, or maybe as something for a restful day lounging about the house. I could also see this being very nice on a man or as a home scent. I would be all about candles that smelled like this.

Edited April 12, 2018 by VetchVesper

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: This one is all about the herbs and citrus. The rosemary note is the strongest in the imp, followed by the lemon and lavender, a bit of neroli, and then some frankincense that's lingering in the background.

 

Wet: The frankincense is stronger on my skin than it was in the imp, but the lemon, rosemary, and lavender, and neroli quickly push it back into the background. The lemon, rosemary, and lavender are the main players on my skin.

 

Dry: The lemon is the star of the show, with the rosemary right behind it, and then the lavender. The frankincense seems content with its background role, but I do get a little more of it now than I did during the wet phase of the scent. It just adds that warm, resinous vibe beneath the citrus, rosemary, and lavender. Neroli can be a problem note for me, but it's not causing any problems here.

 

After a while, the lemon and rosemary calm down enough to let the frankincense shine through, leaving me with lemony frankincense and some rosemary.

 

Verdict: I wanted to try this because it had lavender in it, but this one is mostly about the lemon verbena and rosemary. I think it would make a good atmosphere spray, but I don't think I want to smell like it myself.

[Greenwoodtree]

VERY lemony, rosemary, herbal - reminds me of kitchen herbs. Its interesting and Ive been waiting to try this with high hopes, but its not wearable - an atmo spray would be REALLY nice though! Especially for winter when things get stuffy!

[FebruaryOwen]

Imp from around 2011.  I love rosemary, lavender, and lemon verbena, so this should be nice!

In bottle: lavender, lavender, lavender

On skin: starting to get the rosemary; reminds me of a living history museum I used to work at when we would distill the oils from the herbs.  

After a few hours: woody and lavender scent.  A bit like summer sunscreen.

One of my favorites, for sure!  Hoping to snag a bottle someday.  

 

[clockworkcrypt]

Unsure of the age.

Starts off a barely there lemon, than cycles into an herbal frankincense lemon before quickly dying down through a stage of powdery herbs to frankincense herb to mostly lemony herbs with a titch of frankincense. It's less than I hoped for and I think I'll be safe with just a decant. It reminds me of altars and cleansing, and I see why it's called arcana, and honestly this might just end up being mixed into some water and used to clean the wood floors in my room, as I think that it would suit some sort of cleansing ritual better than a daily wear.