The Hanged Man

[cuervosueno]

From the Tarot Circle Swap:

 

I've never really connected with this card. For me it means a time of introspection and inactivity (possibly forced). When it shows up in a reading, I know whatever solution I'm hoping for won't be quick in coming, if it comes at all.

 

So its not surprising, I suppose, that the first oil I try out of the circle I don't really "get" either.

 

In the imp: sweet. apples? no, not quite. Sweet, slightly acquatic.

 

On me: sweet and fruity but also very bubble-gum like. I've never actually smelled lotus, but I've read about it having a bubble-gum note on some people, so perhaps that's what I'm smelling? The smell is almost like a fake-berry note. I'm not taken with it.

 

And this doesn't really change. Just a sort of plasticy, berry bubblegum scent.

 

It doesn't recall the card to me at all, though when people said lotus that struck a chord, though only because one of my tarot decks--the herbal tarot--has quite a striking image of the Hanged Man upside down, drifting in a sea of kelp. Of course kelp and lotus aren't the same, but I could see there being something aquatic about the Hanged Man, especially since this is a card about hanging, waiting, drifting, thinking, not acting.....

 

anyway, this one isn't for me.

[aedes]

It's hard to write reviews for the Tarot oils. I love them and think they're one of the best "concept" lines the lab has to offer, but describing them can be tough

 

I really like The Hanged Man. It is, as others have said, a very unexpected scent. It's sweet, slightly fruity, with some radiant yellow and white floral notes, I'm getting some sort of lily, lotus, and maybe ylang ylang. I think there might also be a hint of cinnamon or some other sweet spice. It casts an achingly beautiful sort of halo around you, more so than the GC "light" sort of scents I've tried.

 

Given that, I think this oil really encapsulates the messianic side of the card. It sings with the notion of glorious sacrifice, like a big, swelling orchestral chord at the end of an opera. I especially like wearing it when I have to work on Saturdays to get that "I wasn't even supposed to be IN today!" vibe a la Clerks.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Berries, coconut, and a bit of mint.

 

First on: Bubble gum lotus and sickly sweet. There's also somehing herbal below it that doesn't sit well with me.

 

Drydown: I just get a hint of the berries leftwith a bit of the coconut underneath. It's mostly faded away. There's still something fighting the berry scent though.

 

Overall: There's a bunch of scents around and they're all forming together, which does represent the Hanged Man, but I don't necessarily get the uncertainty of the card from this.

[PurringPulsar]

The Hanged Man

 

In the imp: lotus! Sweet, pink lotus with other watery florals. Very pretty.

Wet on skin: sweet lotus with a hint of fruit. I like this a lot.

Dry: ooh, pretty! This now has a hint of other floral notes-maybe rose, or a lily of sorts? It could be wisteria, or maybe orchid? I think it’s a purple flower of some sort. It’s a sweet, crisp, yet heady and almost old fashioned. That, along with the lotus. The scent is a nice, traditional flowery scent but with a nice tartness which is almost fruity. A scent which is almost nostalgic, yet youthful and sparkling, but not as youthful as, say, Glitter.

After a while: I think there may be peach, pear, plum or apricot in here…I get a juicy, fruity aspect to this scent. It’s still lotus sweet with that other mysterious purple floral, but I think there’s a definite fruit note here, adding a rich, sweet and tart scent…yeah, I think it may be peach or pear, as I get a slight similarity to Titania here…this is like Titania meets Shattered or Glitter.

As this dries down, I get…white wine? I think that’s what it is. It’s a tart, pale fruitiness, still sweet, but also quite effervescent.

Verdict: I’m not sure what the card of the Hanged Man means (need to read up on my tarot meanings…) but this scent is surprisingly pretty. This is Shattered or Glitter’s grown up sister. The scent is very pink-purple to me, and more feminine than the name implies. The dominant note is lotus, sweet, floral, sugared and candy pink. I also get other notes which I can’t identify with confidence, but I seemed to get things like pear, peach, white wine, and a floral note which I know I’ve smelt elsewhere but I can’t put my finger on what it is…but it smells ‘purple’. The scent is a bright, sparkly fruity floral, with something almost traditional about it. I don’t think I need a bottle as I prefer Ace of Cups as my tarot lotus favourite, but I like this enough to keep the decant.

btw I just realised…after reading other reviews, I think that mystery note I’m getting with the lotus is ylang ylang! But the ‘apple’ note mentioned in reviews reads more as pear, to my nose anyway.

[QueenFae]

So much more delicate than I imagined it would be! It's very soft and smooth and floral. It's a little powdery on me, but in a pleasant way. Baby soft florals are undershadowed by a creamy, wonderfully delicious base. It's clean, calm, and collected. I likie!

[filigree_shadow]

I am quite fond of this oil and of the Hanged Man Tarot card.

 

At first it's kind of a stingy berry scent, it's not round and juicy, it's more perfumey. Like maybe a little bit of floral. Over time it becomes a rich lush creamy and slightly floral scent on my skin. Unexpected, but welcome. I like it a lot.

[Elrianra]

In the bottle, honey and... something reminiscent of florals. My reaction was, and I quote, "Oooh, this is... NICE!" Wet, there's something dramatically mellow about this; a rose or peony, possibly tulips... with a sugary note. Very nice and very sweet, almost foody in a garden sort of way. Others have said apples and berries and after it dries, I agree that there's a tart apple in this and the floral is toning out to a golden lotus and honeysuckle blend. This isn't a perfume-y type of oil blend, but is very thoughtful and precise. I agree with this one for the hanged man card essentially because there is a specific note of everyday struggle involved in it, I think. There's something base in this that has a slight conflict and repercussions sensation to it. For me, this is especially tactile and not simply olfactory. There is something so... commonplace in this and it's driving me insane, I keep going back for another sniff, hoping to identify it. But still, I can't. After it warms, still that mild un-namable note... fantastic! This doesn't have a long life on me... I may have to get a scent locket for it because it's so pretty but so shortlived...

[Shollin]

First sniff: Very fruity! Fruity and wet and crisp. Wow.

 

Wearing: I’ve always rather liked the Hanged Man… sure he’s in a bit of an awkward situation, dangling upside-down by one foot, but he seems to be pretty cool with it. The scent very much reminds me of his attitude – it’s very laid-back. I can’t pin down specific notes, but it’s slightly sweet, fruity and round. Very nice.

[nannan45]

The Hanged Man

 

Gee. This is a hard one. Got this as a frimp (thank you lab!), which is great since I would never have ordered from the Tarot set myself - having no descriptions, plus I have limited knowledge of the cards.

 

The Hanged Man is sweet and floral, fruity and green, all at the same time. It smells very familiar, put I cannot put my finger on it. When I sniff it on me I can see a beautiful white bloom with tinges of green, but there's also a warmness to it that makes me feel comfortable like when I curl up in my favorite chair.

 

Upon dry down it becomes green and citrusy - like lime, but there's also a contrasting warmness to it - like honey or honeysuckle.

 

The scent is beautiful and lasted all day inside my elbow.

[dnipbhsw]

This is very, very fruity and fresh, but there is something sharp that kind of stabs my nose the wrong way. I am terrible at identifying individual notes, so without a description, I have no idea what it is that's bothering me.

 

Like nannan45, this reminds me of something that I can't place, but in my case, I know that it's something I don't particularly like.

 

Unfortunately, this isn't for me.

[edenssixthday]

The Hanged Man - When I first apply this, it seems like a heavy floral, but almost immediately lightens up and becomes a clean, clear, and pretty water-based floral. The floral is most definitely lotus and possibly delicate white flowers in the background. It doesn't smell salty like most aquatics do, but rather has the scent of a crystal clear brook bubbling and gurgling with cold ice melt. It's a very simple scent, very refreshing and really uncomplicated pretty. The throw is really light and the wear length is about average.

[nightbird]

overly sweet - it reminds me a little of cough syrup in the bottle for some reason. I smell bubblegum when I put it on my wrists (is this lotus? I've read about people getting bubblegum from lotus notes). I'm also getting an impression of something watery.

[juniperus]

Juicy Fruit gum. Morphs as it dries to something less juicy, but still fruity. And very sweet. And Sweet does not like my skin. Alas.

[supremegoddessofall]

Vaguely spicy, but indistinct. Also a bit of leather.

[neuilly]

Very first impression on my skin: this smells like a fruity Glade scent. Like an air freshener...

 

no that pretty much stays my impression. It's a nice light and fruity scent but I can't shake that I smell like a room scent. I don't actually use tarot oils for any purpose so I'm going at it purely from a perfume oil stand point. Maybe if I had a burner I'd use this as a room scent.

[lapillus]

From begining to end, sweet, musky and mild. Very calm and clean and, well, not exactly cozy – it’s not that closed in – but secure. A meditative sort of enlightenment, not a lightning bolt. A moment one would enjoy pausing in.

[euterpe414]

This is a light and pretty scent- not what I would have expected (like everyone else says, lol) Definitely apple & lotus in here- it's very sweet but not in a sugary toothache way- a "natural" sweetness. There is something else in here that I can't put my finger on. Someone earlier said lime and I think that may be it, but I am not sure. it's a slightly sharp citrus edge but which citrus I can't tell...anyhow, I'm glad that it's there b/c it's cutting into the super sweetness a little bit and balancing out the scent.

 

This scent has the calmness that I associate with the Hanged Man, definitely appropriate for wear during the quieter, more meditative moments in life. In fact, I can see this one being good for when one wants to calm down and relax- it's making me feel calmer and quieter wearing it now

[cranberry]

Light, pretty, sweet. Apples I think. This is so light and pretty. It has a fizzy, bubblegum note so I’m thinking lotus is here too. Oh yeah, that’s definitely lotus, no question about it! – that’s the dominant smell here. This is such a pretty scent and I didn’t expect that from this card.

 

Six to seven hours later, I can still smell this strongly and it smells remarkably true to how it was when first applied. Most BPALS change like mad on me and lasting this long is a record. I really like this scent and the more I wear it, the more I like it.

[Vampy]

Wow. This smells so much like tears it's startling. There's lotus and some very soft, mellow fruits and florals, I think, but the really striking thing is that saline smell of tears. It's bizarre. Pretty, but bizarre.

 

(In the imp, I'll note, it just smelled like fruity bubblegum. I was a bit taken aback, as I was expecting something solemn, so I was rather relieved when it changed on my skin. )

 

It's a lovely and appropriate scent, but not very me. I'll be keeping the imp though, and wearing it when I want to evoke the relevant concepts.

[manusdei]

i've wanted this for awhile, since it's my personality card, and i was lucky enough to nab a partial of it.

 

this starts out crisp, green apples, almost like sour apple candy (yum.) but it quickly changes into something a little bit more sweet and floral - at first i thought it might be rose, since it's a little powdery, but as it goes on a bit it's definitely lotus. there's an extra sweetness to it, that could perhaps be honey as some others have mentioned.

it's light, sweet, delicate, calm. whatever it is i'm smelling, it fits the card very well. despite how feminine this is, i think i'll wear it. something about it suits me, which isn't surprising.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: apple potpourri in that glade-room-spray kind way. hmmm

 

wet on skin: picture the apple from SGA but with berries instead of snow backing it up.

 

dry down: it's a strange fruit/floral combination that i can't quite wrap my mind around. i wish i could be more succinct, and normally i am, but this oil is a total indescribable experience for me.

 

in all: fading away quickly and just leaving traces behind, this shares that trait with many of the Tarot oils, which makes sense to me because having a reading should give you the information you need and then just work itself into your psyche to digest as you need it. the Hanged Man also gives the feeling of limbo, and a need to stay where one is, not make any sudden moves. in that way, it is *perfect* for it's name sake.

 

 

 

[sirensea]

This smells like masculine apples. I'm not sure why saying that makes me want to laugh hysterically, but it does. It's definitely an apple scent. Apples rolled in testosterone and the natural musk of a man. Close to the skin, but I don't mind at all! It's clean and fresh and again, the scent of masculine apples.

 

If you need me, I'll be somewhere else, laughing even more hysterically.

[zankoku_zen]

Oh lord, this smells like toilet berry airfreshner on me. I am guessing lotus, wisteria, ylang ylang and something else. Perhaps sweet pea.

 

Yeah, this totally doesn't work on my skin.

[bheansidhe]

This Hanged Man dangles like ripe, meditative fruit on a windless day. Apples, thin afternoon sunlight, blonde woods (oak? maybe birch?), and some kind of flowering vine twined round its base. Goes lighter, sweeter, and more ethereal as it dries, but it's definitely made of apples. Well, mainly apples. [ /Pratchett mode ]

Edited November 19, 2009 by bheansidhe

[othelloperrello]

I feel the need to review this oil because it is my card, the one that most often means ME me of late when I do readings.

 

What intrigued me when I sniffed it out of the bottle was that the scent was the most totally repugnant bpal I'd ever sniffed. It was like taking a good huff of that brush-on wet cement you use out of the can, it smelled utterly toxic. It started that way on my skin, but slowly changed. Over about 5 minutes the sweetness grew and the foul stench seemed to dry up. After 10 minutes I am left with a well-blended, sugery floral, still somewhat pensive like those last few summer days that are just waiting to end.

Warm, comfortable, pleasantly spicy, one of those scents that feels like it belongs on my skin. It continues morphing and surging, and seems like it will stay fairly strong with a medium throw (it's been well over an hour).

 

Yay