Umbra

[quikslvr]

The deepest, darkest point in a shadow; the area contained within the shadow of an eclipse. East African black patchouli, cedarwood, vetiver and a dribble of cinnamon.

Dark woods (with a hint of vetiver), smoke, damp soil, with cedarwood on top. No cinnamon for me. Patchouli and cedar rises as it dries. Soft cedar/patchouli kicks in last. Pretty, but not my absolute favorite.

[hologhost]

For me, this and Aureus are the light and dark sides of the same coin. Both have a very dominant wood smell on me. Whereas Aureus is a new cut plank, this is an old growth forest. I live in the Pacific Northwest and it reminds me of our rainforest. (If you've ever seen an X-Files with deep woods set - that's us.) Mossy and dark - slightly damp. It starts out with the wood smell as primary then slowly the wood sinks into a generalized smell of green.

 

I like this a lot.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Patchouli and sandalwood.

 

On Skin: Very earthy. The sandalwood is SUPER strong, and the patchouli is a close second. I don’t smell cinnamon at all yet… wait… after about 10 minutes it surfaces lightly in the background. This isn’t my taste at all so it’s going straight to swaps.

[blood*rose*flowers]

(This is my first review so I hope it comes out ok)

 

In the bottle: Woodsy patchouli with a touch of cinnamon. Smells wonderful!!

 

On my skin: Immediatly way to overwhelming!! A almost leather smell with a heavy note of the patchouli.

 

About 5mins later: I smell like a cedar chest but not in a happy way like I remember a cedar chest smelling as a kid. I think its the patchouli which is odd because normally I love the smell of patchouli but its just blending to earthy and masculine on me. And sadly no notes of cinnamon But at least its not sooooo heavy as it was at first.

 

About an hour: Thank goodness this has faded I still am not in love but I can handle it. Thank goodness this scent smells amazing on my FI so he now has his very first imp (ok that and Rome).

 

For my second round of trying BPAL (this time they are mine and not my friends). I am overall happy though this wasn't my fav.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Earth, mossy stuff, and shit? Oh wait, that's Vlad in the litter box. Dear lord my cat is stinky. *gag*

 

First on: Lots of vetiver. I think maybe almost too much when combined with patchouli. I get a hint of cedar, and the cinnamon is starting to peak out. This should end up nicely.

 

Drydown: It screams earth. The cinnamon has gone away completely, mostly cedar & vetiver. It's very nice, and reminds me of a cedar box I used to keep letters in. But I don't think it's one for me to wear.

[cuervosueno]

I see this one hasn't gotten a lot of attention...

I got this in a swap, because for some reason I had it in my head that it would be like Eclipse, which I find to be a darkened version of the Tarot: the Sun. Why I thought that, I don't know--some wierd brain fart I guess.

Interesting in reading these that many people noted sandalwood though there is not sandalwood in the blend. When I openend the imp I also thought pure sandalwood, and was surprised to read the description. I'm guessing then that it is the pachouli and cedarwood that blend together to make a sandalwood-esque scent.

After a few minutes, something green and sharp comes out that is familiar--that I like--but I'm not sure about it in here. When I read the descrip., I figured that must be the vetiver. I don't get cinnamon at all, but it is a dark woody scent--like...dunno, an exotic wood slowly decaying in the jungle? I enjoy the elements, but doubt I'll wear this. Still, glad to try it, and its nice, just a little too woody for me.

[Witch's Dagger]

Umbra

 

Preconceived notions: This sounds like something mysterious, sharp and earthy; possibly a good scent for rituals involving Darkness.

 

In the vial:

It smells just like Malediction to me, at first - vetiver, mostly.

 

On me:

Yes, very much like Malediction - there must be some vetiver in this. And like Malediction, it’s getting smoky and insensey... dragon’s blood, but also frankincense and maybe some myrrh (while Malediction was dragon’s blood). Note here that I’m talking about the way dragon’s blood smells when it’s burning, which is very different from the oil. Smokier, spicier, and darker, and it doesn’t have that cherry thing. I don’t think there’s any dragon’s blood oil either in this or in Malediction. But they both seem to have something that smells like dragon’s blood does when it’s being burnt on a charcoal.

 

In 10 minutes:

Incense. Sharp, smoky, deep, and dark. Wonderful!

 

In 30 minutes:

Still incense, but fading a bit. It’s really quite a generic incense smell.

 

In 1 hour:

The same.

 

Overall:

I love this. I’m definitely keeping the imp, and I may get a bottle.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Vetiver and cinnamon. Swamp spice?

 

Wearing: It’s a very true cinnamon, but it’s just mired in the green darkness that is vetiver on my skin. Sigh.

[nineveh]

I can mostly smell the patchouli and cedar. My boyfriend and I agree that it is a woody and warm scent. He thought that it smelled like evergreen sap before knowing that it was cedar. We can't smell the cinnamon distinctly, but there is a spicy sweetness here. It's not a sexy scent, but it's comforting. I don't like it enough for a bottle, but I'm keeping my imp.

[wolfie13]

Let me preface by saying - i love this!

 

In the bottle: First quick sniff - the combination of notes actually gives off a sort of evergreen-tree-and-the-rich-earth it's standing in type of thing.

 

Wearing: The dominant note on me is initially the cedar, but the patchouli and vetiver are definitely there, filling in the gaps with their earthy splendor. (heh, heh - i love these notes, though i know many folks don't). The touch of cinnamon is there warming and spicing things up a touch.

 

Drydown: Much the same. Definite overall lasting power.

 

I think Hologhost's comparison of this to Aureus was a good one. They have a similar quality on me - both wood/incense/resin types of scents - with Aureus as Day (warm, bright, even a bit sweet) and Umbra as Night (cool, spicy, mysterious).

 

I've tried nearly every Bpal of this genre and if I had to choose, this may well be my favorite. I strongly recommend to anyone that likes this scent category. (And maybe even if you don't think you do!)

Edited October 8, 2005 by wolfie13

[slugbait]

Another imp from my fiancé.

 

I can smell vetivert, with a slightly sweet patchouli background delicately intertwined with cedar. Vetivert is the dominant note, but it seems gentle and more relaxed than the other vetiver oils. The cinnamon is slightly noticable, giving Umbra a subtle spiciness. It isn't smoky as Iago and Brimstone.

 

As this dries, the vetivert mixes with the patchouli and cedar giving this a dark, earthy feel. It makes me feel grounded, calm and serene. Yes! A vetivert blend that works on me!

Edited July 22, 2005 by slugbait

[QueenFae]

First sniff, ewwww, not for me. Overpoweringly strong and smoky gray. It smells like pepper in a used fireplace. Definitely not my kind of thing, but my man liked it on me, he said it smelled like strong chocolate. Ahh well, I'll find my impie an appreciative home.

[olympia301]

Redolent with vetiver and sandalwood, Umbra is an earth lover's dream. It is dark as pitch and expresses the thought beautifully, the darkest part of the shadow of an eclipse. I don't think I could identify the black patchouli in it, but that might be what I am taking as sandalwood. I cannot detect the cinnamon in it, a feature of its "sister" Eclipse (which does not smell like this at all). It is very long lasting, and the drydown is exceptionally beautiful in a mournful sort of a way. If you like vetiver, you will love this one.

[Northernminx]

Dark, deep, earthy and warm, like a cooling forest floor at night. Patchouli and cedarwood were the predominant notes of this though I also get a touch of vetiver (although it never goes rancid in this blend like vetiver tends to do on me.) This is very grounded, very dark, and very rich. Not quite me but fun to try

[joseybird]

Patchouli. Cedarwood. Vetiver.

 

:icon_eek:

 

This is indeed, as one would expect, dark and earthy, but the cinnamon gives this a nice warm spiciness

 

This smells like, quite literally, Tarot: Death...warmed over

[oakmoss]

Let me put it this way..... I just had the impulse to bite my own wrist. Just imagine how much I'd want to bite this on someone else's wrist. That's how good this is. You want some. Trust me.

[Tesseljoan]

I got this as a freebie from he lab. I would never, in a hundred million years, have ordered Umbra myself. Patchouli, cedarwood and vetiver? No way.

 

I'm glad the lab threw this in, and I'm glad that I'm so stubborn to test every single blend, no matter how unappealing they may seem to me.

 

Because Umbra is stunning. It definitely has a sandalwood-esque-ness to it, because it smells dry, but it is so deep, dark and velvet-y and simply beautiful. From the amount of reviews, I'd say this is a very underrated scent. Try it, it deserves more love.

Edited August 9, 2005 by Tesseljoan

[PurringPulsar]

Umbra

 

In the imp: dark, dark patchouli. Maybe a hint of vetiver.

Wet on skin: oooh, cinnamon! Now the cinnamon comes out to play, amidst the dark patchouli, vetiver and possibly a hint of cedar.

Dry on skin: mmm, the cinnamon adds a very nice spiciness to this dark, shadowy scent. I can smell all the notes in this clearly, and they are all very well balanced. It's a very deep, rich, sombre scent, mysterious and quite earthy. But I like it.

After a while: at one point, the vetiver strengthens, adding a dirty, more earthy and mulchy green feel to the scent. That could also be the patchouli, but it's a deep green scent, so it's mainly vetiver. Then it becomes more balanced and the notes settle down nicely.

Verdict: this is a very deep, dark scent. Very shadowy, befitting to the name. I can smell all the notes in this, the cedar, patchouli, vetiver and cinnamon are all nicely balanced, and the cinnamon adds a lovely warm spicy touch to this scent. This is an interesting scent, certainly unisex, not sure if I'll get a bottle yet, but I will definitely keep the imp.

[Thorne]

This is like, the ultimate dirty hippie smell. Which is a good thing, at least in my world.

 

In the imp, this was sharp cinnamon and patchouli. Interesting. On my skin, the cinnamon vanishes, and is replaced by strongly strong cedarwood. Like, Anne Bonny on steroids strong. The patchouli sticks around, too, and the vetiver peeks in from time to time.

 

This is an unapologetically earthy, woody scent, and I think it would be fantastic on either a woman or a man, although the notes are more traditionally masculine.

 

I'm going to hang onto my imp and see if I need a bottle when the weather cools a bit, as I think it's too much for 90+ degree heat. I bet it's awesomely warming in the fall, though.

[Blueelm]

Ack! I smell of hippie.

 

This was patchouli overkill on me. Very very dry and spicy. Earth(vetever), patchouli, and cinnamon. Later, in the drydown... cedar. I like all of these things, and I can't say that I hate this scent. I find this really different than Tarot: Death. It's spicier, and without the smoke and floral notes.

 

On me, this fades quickly, and an hour later only the softest hint of dry spice is left on my skin. The drydown is pleasant, but I'm not sure if I can get through the commune phase.

[tempete]

I put Umbra on without checking the notes first and picked out cinnamon, vetiver and some kind of wood (that's about the limit of my ability to identify wood notes, since the only ones that I can reliably pick out are red and white sandalwood). <runs to check notes> Wow, my BPAL education is paying off!

 

The cinnamon is strongest when wet, but it never leaves completely. I can smell the patchouli gaining strength as the scent dries down. Umbra is amazingly well-blended and balanced - I normally loathe cinnamon- and cedar-containing scents since these notes tend to get amped up on me. Still, I know that Umbra is not something that I'll wear often, so I'll be passing it onto someone who will.

[Julilla Regina]

This is definitely not for me, but let me tell you why this is beautiful. This is a very deep patchouli, and the undertones of cinnamon and cedar are definitely there. In other words, it's not a "dirty hippie" kind of patchouli. It's the way patchouli should smell, I think. Very complex and really very sexy on the right person. It's all about attitude, and sadly, I don't have the attitude to pull this one off. For those of you who do....wowza. Fortune favours the bold!

[valentina]

In the imp -- Mmmmm. Earthy, warm, mysterious. Nuanced.

 

Initial application -- Wow, I adore this, the dark patchouli and herbal elements are gorgeous.

 

Dry down -- Oh no...the vetivert. It has taken over and it's call that I can smell. I wait another hour. Even stronger vetivert. It doesn't smell bad on me, but my body's response to vetivert has overwhelmed the wonderful nuances of this blend.

 

I gave the imp to my husband, because he loves vetivert, and on him, Umbra keeps more of its subtle qualities. This is certainly not a light, girly scent, but I think the balance of the component parts is rather delicate. On the right person, Umbra could be simply awesome.

 

valentina

[gangstaknitta]

I couldn't even try this one. The overwhelming combo of black patchouli and cinnamon in the bottle was enough. Very woodsy, smoky and pungent with a spicy bite that lingers in your nose.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: I smell the patchouli, and the patchouli only. 'Tis as shame, as I like vetiver and cinnamon.

 

Wet: I had a strong negative reaction at first--as many other people have noted, the patchouli is strong with this one. I don't dislike patchouli, but I prefer that it mix with other notes.

 

Drydown and wear: The scent mellows out nicely, but it also faded away in under 2 hours. I was considering Umbra as a substitue for the sad day when I run out of Geek, but Umbra isn't as complex as Geek, and I love that complexity. I think I may move this to the swap pile so it can go to someone who really likes patchouli.