Essence of Sunlight - What's the sunniest scent?

[fiddledragon]

(I hope I didn't miss a similar topic already here; searching on likely words didn't turn up anything):

 

I'm on a quest to find a scent that's sunlight-in-a-bottle, particularly now that it's getting really clold. Many of the obvious choices have a lot of citrus in them, which while not unpleasant, goes kind of lemon-fresh on me much of the time. So far I've tried:

 

 

Sol: nice and spicy-creamy-citrus, but not quite right -- it needs maybe honey or something warm.

 

Sol Invictus: almost pure dried orange peel; indistinguishable from Fortunato on my skin.

 

Et Lux Fuit: Very lemon-fresh cleaner...does it get any warmer aged?

 

Tum: Probably the closest so far, but the grape can end up being *too* fruity depending on where in its cycle my skin chemistry is. I do really like the sweet non-citrus fruit plus warm resin combination.

 

Ahathoor: The spices can be a bit too spice-cabinet on me, but it's in the right ballpark.

 

Ra: The wet stage is a very earthy rooty plant smell that I love, but it isn't sunny at all.

 

Kephra: Certainly works as the dark of the sun; a wonderful deep bitter resin. Now I want the opposite of that.

 

Tiger Lily: If I could find something like this plus frankincense and maybe just a touch of spice, it would be perfect. As it is, it's too fresh-flower to be sunlight, but still one of my favorite bpals.

 

Litha: Very lemony when wet, but gets closer in the drydown; then it's a nice polleny honey smell. Still too faint when dry to really work, and the lemon-fresh stage lasts for an hour or two.

 

I have, due to a slight lapse in memory, *two* imps of Sundew coming in swaps. Also on the list to try are Tarot: The Sun and Beltaine. Does anyone else have favorite "sunny" scents, particularly those that might not have an obviously solar name?

Edited May 6, 2007 by ivyandpeony
Tweaked title to help increase hits by search engine.

[PurringPulsar]

The Lion is very sunny, golden spicy amber.

[ajcj213499]

I second Mag Mell, and Sundew is very golden.

[PurringPulsar]

Also, try Ozymandias. It's like desert sunlight, dusty and golden and with hints of amber, incense and musk, a hint of warm breezes too. Some find it a little perfumey though, but I find it dryly sunny and gorgeous.

 

Lyonesse is golden and sunny, sweet vanilla musk with a hint of summery 'beach skin' to it-it's a very luminous, golden vanilla-amber-musk scent.

[olympia301]

I am in the same mind set as yeahbutnobut. I have always thought of The Lion as being the sunniest scent of all, more so than the citrus blends even.

[oakmoss]

In addition to those named already, try Tamora: Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean. Warm and bright. In fact, you might want to search for other blends with heliotrope, since you are following the sun yourself!

[Dinerdulcinea]

I like Eve and Thaleia for sun.

 

[lanablade]

I *counts* third the Lion recommendation. Very golden and sunny.

[PurringPulsar]

Other scents I find 'sunny':

Jacob's Ladder-I haven't tried the 06 version but the 05 version struck me as warm beams of sunlight playing on dust motes, or a subtle sunset. It's very ambery, like the Lion, but with other resins/incense notes.

Cairo-this has a bright fruit-incense sunny dry sun scent but it's got a lemony aspect so may not be for you.

Eclipse-starts off dark/almondy but the drydown is a wonderful vanilla-heliotrope-cinnamon which is warm and sunny.

Hymn to Proserpine-another amber scent, this has red/purple fruit tones, another warm sunset/sunrise scent to me.

 

I'm sure there are more but I highly recommend Hymn to Proserpine and Jacob's Ladder.

[macabre_fae]

Ironically,I say Embalming Fluid.It's citrusy,light and airy.It reminds me of having a picnic on a warm sunny day,drinking lemonade.Et lux Fuit is also very sunny,it's a scent that to me personifies a glorious personal moment,because it is so warm and not achingly sweet.

[Inanna9]

Tarot: The Sun. I've been on a sunny-scent quest for a while. I didn't like The Lion, ELF went to powder, Sundew was nice but turned "perfumey". I thought I'd found it in Sol Invictus until I re-tried my 10ml of The Sun I'd had in my TAL cabinet for at least 6 months (I got it for other reasons and hadn't been wearing it as perfume, but hadn't used it much). Turns out I'd had my sunny scent all along. (The Sun, who'da thunk, huh? )

 

It probably depends on personal taste though, but I find it too be bright, fresh and a bit citrus upon application, with maybe a hint of herbal, and a little creamy upon drydown (there's probably amber, orange and heliotrope among other stuff). But it's very happy and sunny.

[clover]

I think Sundew & Beltane are both good choices...I would also add Ides of March & Asphodel (which, while it's named after the ghostly flowers of Hades, I find to be like sunshine in a bottle). Maybe Eos, as well.

[sionnac]

Sol Invictus is sunny like the winter sun: bright, but not hot.

[Mountaingrrl00]

Tarot: The Sun is my favorite sunny scent.

 

If you want something less citrus, besides some of those already named, I find Al-Shairan to be a hot-sun cinnamony kind of scent.

[tarotbydiana]

While not necessarily evoking pure sunlight, the Penitent Magdalen has always cheered me. There's something about immortelle that's both golden and uplifting. It is the scent equivalent of the flame in the darkness that comforts.

[bettybaker]

When I first sniffed Kumiho, I thought "this is sunshine in a bottle!" It's like waking up on the right side of the bed and bounding through morning. I highly recommend it.

[klavierbarrette]

fourth? the lion

 

it'll wake you right up.

 

bengal is around that area too. of waking you up and being sorta sunny.

[empi girl]

I have to go against all the Lion sun-lovers! I like the Lion, and it is a warm scent, but it is a dry heat; more like"scorched sun" than "sunshine" (imho, of course).

 

For me, the complete essence of sunshine is Dirty. Whenever I wear it, I imagine golden sun-drenched green fields in summer, with children playing in them-sunshine and happiness in a bottle. It's not citrus, it's not spicy at all-it's fresh, light and bright, carefree and joyous, with a sweet edge that keeps it from being sharp.

 

my $.02.

[abejita]

aunt caroline's joy mojo! it's orange-y, bright, and effervescent.

 

TAL: lionheart. the ritual use is solar energy, the scent fits.

[smallvoice]

The Lion is the scent that is most evocative of sunshine and warmth to me. It is, as I've told others (Ms. Betty, I think), like wearing my own magnificant mantle of glorious sunshine. Or something incredibly superlative like that. So let me add my voice to the chorus of recommendations there!

 

The Mouse's Long and Sad Tale made me think a lot of summertime and light-heartedness. It has a very delightful and childlike tone to it. Brisingamen is another one that is warm and like sunshine, to me, as is Bastet, to a lesser degree.

 

Amber tends to be a very sunshiny note. Good luck!

[savage_rose]

Endymion seemed very summery to me, and it was the first one I thought of as "essence of sunlight".

[fiddledragon]

Eos! How did I ever end up swapping it?! I got it back and it is fresh warm morning sunlight in a bottle :-D *hugs little impling* I should give my Aureus another try...cedar's been less pencil-y on me of late.

[Galen]

aunt caroline's joy mojo! it's orange-y, bright, and effervescent.

 

 

I've got to second the Joy Mojo - it's my "wake up; it's morning!!" scent even in the middle of a dark Scottish winter...

[smallvoice]

Eos! How did I ever end up swapping it?! I got it back and it is fresh warm morning sunlight in a bottle :-D *hugs little impling* I should give my Aureus another try...cedar's been less pencil-y on me of late.

 

Oh! I forgot to mention this in my post. I think somebody else said it too, so I second or third this one. A gorgeous, soft sunshine feel.

[Miss Lynx]

I'll second (or third, seventh, or whatever we're up to) some of the above recommendations -- The Lion, Aureus, Litha, Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo and Hymn to Proserpine (though I agree that one's more sunrise/sunset than bright sun), and I'm looking forward to trying Sol Invictus.

 

But there are a few others that haven't been mentioned yet: Fae is extremely sunny to me, as is Coyote -- fresh new springtime sun in the former case, and warm summery prairie sun in the latter. Also, Bastet's Laughter from TAL -- bright, sweet, fruity sunlight, very uplifting.

 

And last but not least, for me the very sunniest scent of them all is Aglaea: bright, golden amber, drenched in sparkling peach wine. It's so sunny I'm surprised the bottle doesn't actually glow. And it's generally the first thing I reach for if I'm feeling depressed on a grey day -- nothing else has quite that transformative power for me. If I could only choose one sunlight scent, that would be the one.

Edited December 17, 2006 by Miss Lynx