Chintamani-Dhupa

[themerrybaker]

Pound well together sandal-wood, Kunku, costus, Krishnaguru, Suvasika-puspha, white vala and the bark of the Deodaru pine; and, after reducing them to fine powder, mix it with honey and thoroughly dry. ... A fumigation for fascination! A strangely sensual blend, exotic, compelling, and commanding, adapted from an incense recipe found in the venerable sex manual, the Ananga Ranga.

Chintamani Dhupa is my favorite of the new 2007 oils. It is very sweet in a sharp resin (as opposed to foody or floral) way.

At first it has a pronounced weedy, gamey component. After while, a woodiness develops.

Despite the above observations, Chintamani Dhupa gives an overall mood of light and purity. A perfume to wear when you are taking the high road.

[dawndie]

In bottle: sharp perfume, like Stardust

 

On skin: lots of light, dusty resins and a bit of wood

 

Half-hour later: the honey blooms and mingles with the resins very sweetly and demurely

 

In conclusion: in contrast to the "dark incensey" blends that are favorites of mine, this is lighter and more sophisticated. Instead of club-hopping with Perversion, I'm going to an art gallery with this one. Nice!

[Sistinas]

In the bottle, this scent is a blend of sandalwood and just slight bit of pine, it smells very beautiful.

 

On my wrist, the honey blooms to the forefront and there is this bit of spiciness to it, that blends so well together. The pine seems to have stepped back to let the other ingredients stand out more.

 

As it has dried on my skin, the scent has not changed. Now to see how long this beautiful fragrance will linger on my skin. After about an hour and the scent has faded a little, but what lingers is still spicy and lovely. On a scale 1 to 5 -> 5

[mooncityminx]

In the Imp: Woodsy sweet florals.

 

Wet: Florals and something cool and fruity.

 

Dry: Woodsy and sweet. I really expected this to be more resinous or down-and-dirty like O. It's very clean in comparison. A little too clean maybe for me, but still quite nice.

[laslibres]

In the bottle I get some honey and white flowers, but on me...yep, we got another vanisher. My nose has to touch my wrist in order to smell it, and I like things with a little more throw.

 

It's very woodsy and incensey, but it's not heavy like some of those blends are. I get a really nice light pine, and something that smells like olive leaf but probably isn't. I have to reeeeally slather it on in order to get the honey to stay with me in the drydown, also a very light airy honey, just adding a touch of sweetness.

 

Also strikes me as being a bit masculine, but I like it on me anyway...I just wish it was stronger! *slathers a lot*

[abejita]

This one just doesn't stand out to me. I am just getting sandalwood and other woods along with a generic (though high quality) incense smell. It's pleasant, but nothing I'll ever reach for. I'll probably pass along my decant at some point.

[PurringPulsar]

Chintamani-Dhupa

 

In the imp: a sweetly honeyed woody incense-it’s almost like a mix of Svad and Luperci.

Wet on skin: mmm, now the honey and sandalwood are very noticeable. It’s very reminiscent of Svad at this point, but maybe sweeter.

Dry: sandalwood and honey, with a hint of something softly floral and a clean note which may be pine. This is really pretty! I agree that it smells clean, but it’s not soapy or washing powdery…this smells like a cool mountain breeze scented with exotic incense-it’s not heavy or resinous, just softly woody and sweet and fresh, like a mix of the smell of trees in the forest and Indian incense.

After a while: eventually the ‘clean blast’ settles down and the scent I then get is a beautiful sweet sandalwood. Very soft and lightly spicy, this is a gentle exotic wood, very sandalwood-y, but maybe with a little oude lurking nearby, with other spices and honey too. But it is subtle, in the best way-it’s like the smoke that lingers after burning good quality sandalwood incense…but it’s not headshoppy/hippie-like either. This smells like something I’d expect to smell in an Indian temple, not Camden market. And the throw it gives off-unexpected wafts of spicy sandalwood-is even more beautiful. This is really growing on me…it gets richer, spicier, sweeter, more fragrant and warmer with time, there are times when this smells like a spice market, it really is a ‘spices of the orient’ scent. there are times when the sandalwood even develops a slightly lemony-spicy scent, reminiscent of some other ‘Egyptian sandalwood’ scents from other companies. After a while I get an almost frankincense/saffron like warmth at the base of the fragrance. It also reminds me of Tushnamatay, Ahatoor and Kathmandu at this point-a warm, soothing, golden incense. This is beautiful! There’s a lotus/frangipani like floral sweetness to it at the end after a few hours, giving a softly pink blush to this golden scent…and at this point the scent is reminiscent of the drydown of Sol Invictus, for some reason.

Verdict: I have a feeling this will become one of my top favourite sandalwood scents in BPAL, right up there with Underpants and Morocco. It does start with that clean scent other reviews mention-though it’s more like clean linen and mountain air than washing powder. But after this moment of cool airiness, the scent warms up and the sandalwood begins to work its magic. It then turns to a wonderful sandalwood incense, warm and spicy, it smells just like eastern spice markets and the scent of incense that has burnt and just lingers in a room-it’s not very smoky though. Delicious tones of sweet honey and spices as well as a beautiful creamy floral wind their way through the scent, and the gorgeous golden-pink drydown of spiced sandalwood resting on soft flower petals is beautiful. It’s a subtle scent-sometimes too subtle but I also like the gentleness of this scent-it’s like the whisper of incense lingering caught in a perfume. I love this and need at least two bottles!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Definitely. I think I need to stock up on this.

If you like this, try: Svad…, Luperci, Kathmandu, Sri Lanka, Khajuraho, Tushnamatay, Sol Invictus

[savage_rose]

I was trying to pick notes out of this without looking at the description, but after failing miserably I know why . It smells like sweet, resinous powdery (but not in the bad way) cologne. It smells so sweetly sexy, sexy in a fun, flirtatious way and not in a "down and dirty" way. It's very complex, and so light yet rich. I'll be getting a bottle of this before it goes away, because it is just that fabulous. It even made my husband involuntarily raise his eyebrow, and get that heavy-lidded look like he was under my spell and ready to become my slack-jawed love slave. Hmm, maybe I'll put on a little less next time .

[juniperus]

Bottle: pleasantly incensey

Wet: much the same, a little sweeter

Dry: not a dusty incense, a little sweet (and no amping honey, I'm glad to say), and multi-layered

Later: very interesting, not the sort of incensey scent I'm usually drawn to, but this is really very lovely - I think I need to acquire a larger bottle.

[Brianne]

This one just doesn't stand out to me. I am just getting sandalwood and other woods along with a generic (though high quality) incense smell. It's pleasant, but nothing I'll ever reach for. I'll probably pass along my decant at some point.

 

 

I had pretty much the same experience. When this was first released, I was only mildly interested, but passed on it. Then I started reading reviews and I thought... honey incense? Sign me up! Unfortunately, the honey does not come out on me AT ALL. It's just sort of woody and vaguely floral - it smells like a nice incense scent but wasn't quite what I was hoping for.

[curly girl fla]

I absolutely LOVE this. I cannot give a professional review and pick out specific notes, however, here's my take.

 

In the bottle it has the smell of a sharp but sweet woodsy incense. On my skin it softens to an oriental-spicy-honey incense blend. This is very asian in nature to me, and, although there is a very slight floral hint, it is definitely in the background and the amazing honey spice in the forefront.

 

A keeper for me ...must stock up quickly!

[supremegoddessofall]

In bottle: Incense with a touch of pine.

 

On me: Fruity incense. Strange but pretty. I'm getting apple and sandalwood, with an incense base. I think there's honey in here somewhere, too, but it's not amping on me as much as honey usually does.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: fruity, exotic sandalwood.

 

On my skin: Incense all over. Fresh, clean incense, while I was expecting something smokey. I don’t mind smelling like that, but that’s pretty much it, I’m not so keen either.

 

After a couple of hours: now this is a morpher. It’s all floral now… therefore, definitely not for me.

 

Verdict: no.

[edenssixthday]

Chintamani-Dhupa - This is a very dry sandalwood on me. The pine note, which is one I rarely like, was the first note I smelled when I applied it, and I found the odor quite appalling; however, after a few minutes, the pine receded and sandalwood became the dominant note. It's a very dry, arid sandalwood. One of the notes in this blend is a really strong, sweet powder scent. The sweetness seems to most likely be the honey note, which I don't normally care for, but which work nicely with the powdery-sandalwood scent. This is not the type of scent I would find myself wearing. It's definitely exotic and earthy, but the sandalwood is too dry and the sweet, powdery note is too sweet and too powdery. Average throw and wear length.

[lightgatherer]

This is what I'd hoped Svadhinaopatika would be - sweet honey and soft woods. I don't get any incense from this which is surprising - just honey and wood. I keep sniffing my wrist whenever I can and am quite charmed by the scent. It's possible I may need a second bottle of this.

[SultryWolf]

in the decant: Sharply herbal.

on: Warms quite a bit; no one note dominates.

[Miss Lynx]

Initially, it's very pungently herbal, and a bit bitter. It smells more like something ritualistic or medicinal than like something you would wear as a scent. I don't find it especially sensual, but it definitely does have an air of dominance to it... It's definitely more Mars than Venus.

 

But once it settles in for a while, the pungency is toned down a bit, and it becomes more of a spicy incense scent. Very Indian, and very nice. Not especially feminine -- a man could definitely wear this, but a woman can too, as long as she's not in an especially girly mood. It smells a bit like a cedar chest full of Indian incense and herbs -- deep, woody, spicy and aromatic.

 

Definitely keeping the imp, but not sure if I'd need a bottle of this or not. If it smelled like that nice spicy-incense-chest phase from the start, I definitely would, but the initial phase is kind of off-putting. I'll experiment further and see where that takes me...

 

Grade B/B+

[presotm]

Wow! This is a warm lovely sweet woodsy incense......not cloying, not overpowering, just perfect. This is a masterful blend and I need as much as I can get my hands on.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: incense with sandalwood and something a bit sweet.

on: a cold, almost metallic sandalwood scent. odd.

1.5 hours later: sweet incense with super-dry sandalwood.

3.5 hours later: very, very dry sandalwood with a hint of something sweet.

4.5 hours later: heady sandalwood incense with a bit of sweetness.

overall: this is ok, but there are other sandalwood incense blends that work better on my skin.

[HappyLoveJoy]

I almost gave up on this right away because I got the overly sweet clean note that was in Enraged Bunny Musk. Luckily it vanished almost immediately and left me with a beautiful sweet woody incense of pure white smoke. There's something a tad lemony in there but it's very far in the background because I can't say it smells lemony. Maybe it's some other fruity note. I get no pine whatsoever but something more like cedar. This is beautifully blended and I'm so glad I was able to get a bottle in a swap.

[Mary Mayhem]

In the bottle: Fresh wood, I'm not getting a huge pine scent which is great for me, but there is definitely something fresh in there. ALMOST lemon, but not.

 

Wet: About the same, but it morphs and I smell more of the florals and an incense, not a smoking incense, a dry, sweet (not cloying) one.

 

Drying down: there's a waft of smoke as if you just fired this baby up, I hope it goes away, I like it wet!

 

Downward Spiral: This would be a nice spring scent for me, wet, it's outdoorsy and pretty without being FLORAL and WOOD, if that makes sense. I almost smell dandelions, or some sort of wildflower and maybe a little grass, a tiny hint of dirt. There is some pine in there after all and it's starting to turn dirty and darker than I'd like.

[whitemyrrh]

I purchased a partial of this from the lovely cuervosueno.

 

Wow, I've never met a BPAL blend that confused my sensors as much as Chintamani-Dhupa, and, dude, I've been Whitechapeled.

 

First sniff from the open bottle, I can hardly smell anything. A curious distant aquatic smell, as though this were emptied of most of its oil and then refilled with water without rinsing. What I can smell is enigmatic; it isn't sweet, it isn't dry, I can't pin down any one note for sure but it reminds me of something that reminds me of... something.

 

Whooooooo this sucker's gonna make me real articulate-like, huh.

 

Wet, it disappears for a minute or two and re-emerges as--GLORY BE! Karnataka Mysore Sandalwood Soap, that scent it puts into the air around the bathtub edge on which it is set. Or maybe it is--is this specific? Specifically unburned sandalwood incense of a particular variety that I am appreciative of, if not enamored. At least it is not the kind of Indian sandalwood incense that, specifically unburned, smells like urine. What it becomes over the course of a half hour is pure buttery sandalwood powder, and it is glorious. For that half hour I am dancing for joy, smelling of pure buttery sandalwood powder.

 

Then the sandalwood vanishes. Kinda. And this other smell emerges... kinda. It drops back, very close to the skin, and it isn't... anything I can get my nose around. I think the blend doesn't have any of my chemistry's footholds (amber, musk, vanilla) so it never really takes off, it's indistinct and incoherent. It's all over the place, but it doesn't go anywhere. There's little throw, there's no... hook. Strike one? It's the empty perfume bottle smell, except it is on my skin. It doesn't smell like chlorine (at all!), but something in the way the top note delivers reminds me of that pungent inside-elbow "went to the pool today" drydown you'd catch when you were watching TV later in the evening.

 

Then: it's gone.

 

I don't like it, but I find it very appealing.

 

My cat is licking my arm with an intense fevour that means he either really likes it and wants to eat it or really hates it and is trying to make it go away.

 

I'm wondering what a few months of age will do for Chintamani-Dhupa.

 

---

 

ETA: 10/02 What will a few months of age will do for Chintamani-Dhupa? Give it a foothold, and even a little bit of throw. There is a honey sweetness to that dry sandalwood that was not there before. An indescribably fruity quality I can't remember from my first attempts, either. I'm still not getting a lick of pine, but I could see wearing this a bit more regularly, now. A refined incense smell--just lovely.

Edited October 2, 2007 by whitemyrrh

[QueenFae]

This is a very lovely and unique scent! My first thought: soft pines and amber with a spicy incense undertone. This is a very "soft" yet sexy scent; I just can't stop sniffing my wrist. There may be a hint of smooth honey running through the undertones, but this is pretty much an amber blend on me. The resinous incense notes are somewhat of an afterthought.

 

This has very good lasting power on me, which makes me very happy. I love this, I will wear this often.

[Dinerdulcinea]

imp: Resin, sweetness of some kind of food, some kind of floral. All blended together really well into a musky sweetness.

 

wet: Same

 

dry: same. A well-balanced scent. Becomes "drier" smelling with wear.

 

We'll see if it ever gets to the dreaded "powdery."

[jasmine]

Chintamani-Dhupa sent me into a sneezing fit just after I applied it. As a result, I don’t have any immediate impression for this scent.

 

Once on my wrist, it smells very plant-like... not like a flower itself, but like the bulb of the flower, or a cut stem. Very un-perfumey and realistic. Interesting. There’s a faint brown hazy smell surrounding the plant-like smell, but I can’t be certain what it is from the list of notes provided, since I have no idea what half of them are.

 

After a bit, the plant-like smell fades, and what remains is distinctly incense-like. It doesn’t smell like an ashtray, which is appreciated, but it smells majestic and reserved and slightly condescending. I really preferred it in the prior stage; this is a bit overgeneric.

 

From there, it fades into generic Lab incense. A shame -- it was so interesting for a little while.