Terrae Massage Oil

[alicia_stardust]

Terrae (Massage Oil)

 

In alchemy, the archetype of earth represents practicality, the manifestation of thought and will, and material creation. Our blend of patchouli, myrrh, spikenard, oakmoss, and clary sage grants a sense of stability, and will help keep you grounded.

 

Almond oil, refined rice bran oil, fractionated coconut, rosehip seed oil, evening primrose, vitamin E, Pogostemon patchouli, Commiphora myrrha, Salvia sclarea, Nardostachys jatamansi, Evernia prunastri, and our Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab oil blend.

 

Terrae is in an 8oz. plastic amber-colored bottle with the most gorgeous little label that has a parchment-like background texture in an olive brown color. The color/texture graduates from light at the top to dark at the bottom. The CD Phoenix brands this and sits, along with the oil's name, in the center of a detailed black border.

 

This is the most perfect earth scent I have ever experienced. Patchouli and myrrh! Spikenard gives this a warm, aromatic, woody scent with a resinous tinge to it. Sage, are you there? That one tricks me but it is there along with an almost mossy tone. The overall scent of Terrae puts Aveda's earthly scents to shame. (I am a huge Aveda salon/spa girl, and this won me over bigtime.) I should note that I normally struggle a bit with earth scents but this one is absolute perfection. I cannot express just how lovely this is.

 

The aromas in this oil are calming, healing, grounding. It gives off a sense of stability. Permanence. I venture a guess that careful thought was also put into the base oils.

 

The massage oil is not too heavy and it was easy to work into the skin. It sunk in quickly so I didn't have to worry about where or what I was leaving smudges on.

 

Want. More.

Edited September 12, 2007 by Shollin

[edenssixthday]

Terrae Massage Oil - It's fairly impossible to expand upon alicia_stardust's perfectly descriptive and accurate review of this oil. I only have a tiny bit in an imp vial, but I definitely want to buy a full bottle. The scent is earthy and sexy and resinous. The myrrh is the strongest note on my skin, but it's also woody and earthy and just ... perfect. It feels highly therapeutic, like an aromatherapy oil and I find it both soothing and grounding. The scent also lasts quite a long while on me. Yes, I'm definitely looking forward to a bottle of this.

[Eemia]

I can't say enough great things about this. It has to be my favorite Trading Post product right now.

 

This feels so silky and is completely non-greasy. It doesn't sit on top of my skin or rub off onto everything around me. It just melts into my skin. It's incredibly decadent. I am usually very leery of massage oils because of the typically thick consistency and sticky texture. This had a light, thin consistency that's easy to spread, and no stickiness whatsoever. A little goes a long way. I have been using it as both a massage oil and an overall body moisturizer.

 

I agree with alicia_stardust: this is the perfect earth scent. It has a beautiful depth and richness that is intoxicating. But it never overwhelms or distracts. It's a relaxing fragrance, and very calming. My boyfriend loves the scent as much as I do, and it smells so good on both of us. Although I do think that the myrrh is slightly stronger on my skin than on his. And the scent lasts for hours.

 

Wonderful!!

[cranberry]

Many, many thanks to SueDonym for the sniffie-tester of this wonderful oil!

 

This has a wonderful texture – very light, it sinks in fast yet seems very moisturizing. It has a wonderful scent, spicy, peppery, resiny, it smells golden brown to me – very rich and sumptuous.

 

It’s completely relaxing and Alicia_Stardust described it perfectly. I too am a huge Aveda fan and this is better. Or at least like Aveda of the past. If anyone is familiar, this reminds me of Amazonia pure-fume spray, a fantastic patchouli-woody-spicy scent that has been long discontinued. It was my absolute favorite. I can see Terrae becoming an absolute staple and I’m looking forward to getting a bottle when finances are a bit better. What a treat to be able to try this – I want to bathe in this stuff!

[cuervosueno]

I like this quite a bit. It does have a very nice texture--light, almost thin--and it soaks into the skin well and does not leave it greasy, so I am using it as a body oil.

 

The scent is quite earthy (isn't that a surprise?) but oddly on me, it doesn't smell so much like patchouli as vetiver (which is fine since I like vetiver). It has that dark earthy scent of that much maligned grass. It is probably oakmoss that is adding some darkness to it, but sometimes oakmoss just smells like men's aftershave to me, and this is different.

 

I quite like it, and perhaps there will be a line of these? I'd live to have an incense scent in a massage oil.

[ariosa]

I absolutely ADORE this oil. It certainly fits the definition of grounded to me. I also love that I can smell it the next morning when I wake up. I get vetiver from it, as cuervosueno does, but also the oakmoss and sage. It's heavenly.

[AEris]

I love the texture of this oil, first and foremost. It moisturizes and then absorbs into your skin like it belonged there in the first place. It doesn't leave your skin feeling greasy or soppy - rather, it just sinks in and leaves your skin ultra-soft and soothed.

My hands have been drier this week than they've been in my entire life. They were chapped, red, sore....I used Aquae last night and Terrae this morning and they're back to normal. I've been using other lotions and balms all week and nothing helped; this stuff is like a miracle!

 

I got decants of Aquae and Terrae from the lovely Delphinine at a Meet & Sniff, and I can't wait to order bottles of all four elemental scents.

 

The scent of Terrae is true to form. It is very earthy and grounded. I sense patchouli, but also sage, and something that reminds me of clove. I can't really pick things out, partially because I'm not all that familiar with some of the notes, but it is a lovely earth scent.

 

It's comforting and warm, a bit masculine but not exclusively so. It smells familiar because of the patchouli, but the earthy woodiness is something I've never quite experienced before. It is quite perfect. 5 out of 5.

[bryghtrose]

It's very earthy, but the clary sage is a little too high and sharp for me.

[Little Bird]

I picked Terrae as my first massage oil purchase because I love woodsy scents. There's something about this scent that I really don't like though. Perhaps it's the clary sage, but something smells high pitched, medicinal, and menthol-like in the bottle and on my skin. My boy said it smelled like "manly potpourri," whatever that means, lol, then said it smelled more like "manly pine" when it had settled on my skin a bit.

 

I have mixed feelings about the scent. I like the earthy/woodsy/resinous part of it, but there's a lingering quality to it that I strongly dislike as well. The good part of this reminds me of Pulcinella & Teresina. It has a similar smell of peppered, rich woods and thick, sweet resins. Every once in a while, I also smelled something that reminded me of dry cedar chips. I find that pleasant enough. The bad part of this is the menthol, herbal sharpness that seems to cut awkwardly through the otherwise fantastic fragrance. It's almost like a rich woodsy/resinous blend with some Jabberwocky thrown in.

 

The texture of this is really lovely for a massage. It's not too oily and slippery, managing to sink into the skin quite a bit. It doesn't make a mess, which I appreciate, lol.

I thought that I might use this as a lotion/moisturizer to layer with some of my favorite woodsy/resin blends, but it's a little too sticky for me. I'm very picky about moisturizers, a lot of them actually make me feel dry and I can't stand the feel of something that is at all sticky or tacky. The massage oils do feel moisturizing to me, but there's a little stickiness that sits on my skin as well. I wound up having to take a shower after my boy gave me a massage with this. Bonus is that my skin did feel heavenly after the shower, soft and moisturized, and the unpleasant smell went away.

 

Overall... I don't think that Terrae is a keeper for me. That medicinal, herbal sharpness is too much for me to handle. I don't like these as a lotion either, but they do make for a fantastic massage, and I love how soft my skin felt when I showered after using this

[PurringPulsar]

Terrae

 

In bottle: vetiver? The patchouli is very similar to the patch usually paired up with vetiver in other BPALs. It’s dark and dirty.

On skin: whoa, this is amazing stuff. Now the spikenard comes out and, along with the myrrh, gives the scent a wonderful incense feel, mixed with a hint of dirt and musk. I smell the moss and patchouli, the patch here being much more intense than the one in Ignis. There’s a surprising light sweetness that I can smell here, I also think the myrrh here is sweeter and deeper than the one in Ignis (which is a little smoky). It’s also a little powdery (in a good way). This reminds me of the BPAL Dance of Death, and also reminds me a little bit of Lush Tramp (I think the two scents will layer fantastically) but with a bit more sweetness. I love the spikenard in here, and the slightly amber-like scent I get from the myrrh. This definitely is an earthy, grounding scent. As usual, I love the texture of the oil as well. a great accompaniment to the earthier, dirtier BPAL scents and a nice scent to unwind with.

[Pika]

I agree that this is a truly lovely earth scent, and I like it a lot, though it is quite strong compared to what I'm used to in massage oil. The texture of the oil is fabulous as well. I usually use plain almond oil, but this is lighter and soaks in very nicely.

 

Unfortunately, the Boy (who ordered this for me as a surprise gift and gives *great* massages) does not like the scent. I don't think he can handle the patchouli (he amped it when I made him try on some manly BPALs) and I'm guessing from his other attempts to describe, it's the clary sage he also doesn't like. (I happen to love the clary... too bad.)

 

 

ETA: The Boy has come around! We both love this scent now, and find it great for "unwinding" times.

Edited June 23, 2008 by Pika

[nekogrrl]

My god, I /love/ this scent.

 

As a professional massage therapist, I tend to stay away from oils because they're sticky and *goes into MT speak* I usually get too much glide for depth. (I usually slide over the muscles too easily, and am forced to work hard to get into the muscles.)

 

However, this oil is LOVELY. It's not sticky, it dries to a workable consistency, and yeah, I just love it. The first time I used it I was a little taken aback by the scent, because I'm not used to oils being so strongly scented, but once I got used to it, it was great. This is very grounding, and when I have it used on me, I can definitely feel my sense of balance returning. The prominent notes for me are the patchouli and clary sage.

 

I'll definitely have to get a full bottle of this.

[sookster]

first off, let me say how this truly keeps me grounded...it is a miracle...

 

the scent...well, it is nothing short of divine!! the patchouli and myrrh and heaven scent =-)

 

the clary sage and oakmoss add the perfect depth...i could not be happier with this

non-greasy, completely absorbing massage oil...

[Lycanthrope]

One: Texture is very good. Nice slip and it definitely absorbs well. I had been using my Estate Oil as a makeshift massage oil but it was not designed for it, and it wasn't absorbing in. This massage oil glides on quick and absorbs fast but leaves skin still slick enough to not drag.

 

The scent is absolutely evocative of the aroma of earth. Initially it has a slight mentholated tinge, which is probably the spikenard oil burning off, it's earthy but not 'Dirt,' you can definitely tell that this is a more of a functional, aromatherapeutic blend versus a perfume, but it still smells great, a burst of patchouli and gritty rooty herbs, followed by a soaring mint that is just bright enough, which fades to a mildly vetiveraceous (in a good way) and persistent, calming, soothing plant-resin scent.

 

Deep drydown is a glittery myrrh.

 

If you're a fan of Beth's grittier, earthy aromas you should give this a shot for scent and function.

[Venneh]

Got this as a free decant in a BPAL Santa package from fairynymph; thanks again! In the decant, I'm getting pretty all of my death notes. This is probably not going to turn out well. ...And on my skin it's pretty much dirt and herbs. Sadly, not for me. Swaps/sales.

[zankoku_zen]

I am amping the patchouli and clary sage, so this smells very earthy with a hint of green. Very apropos, but I don't find the scent enticing.

[milo]

Wet, this is quite medicinal. It kind of reminds me of Blistex lip treatment. As it dries, it takes on a vinegar-like vibe along with the waxy medicinal smell. I'd probably love a massage with this, but not to wear as a perfume.

[theseagrows]

i got a frimp of this in a swap! i am just testing it like a normal perfume, so i can't say anything for its massage qualities. it does indeed smell earthy to me. it smells like vetiver to me, though that note is not mentioned in the description. i think sometimes patchouli can smell vetiver-y on me though. i get the myrrh and the other notes are very subtle. i can see how this is grounding-it's very very earthy with a bit of warmth. i don't wear a lot of earthy scents, so i'm not sure i'd try this massage oil full-on, but i'm glad i got to try it.

[hlinspjalda]

I got decants of all the massage oils to see which one(s) I liked.

 

In the bottle: Woody and rooty. This reminds me of Badger. Yet there is a brightness, a spark in the middle of it somewhere.

 

On skin: These massage oils have the most fabulous texture, I just love that. This one reads very strong at first, and I doubt myself for wanting to use it. But the rootiness (I think it's the oakmoss, an iffy note for me) mellows away quickly, leaving behind the warmth of patchouli and myrrh. I don't get a lot of sage. I think the spikenard is the source of that bright scent; it reads as a secret core of almost golden yellow. The patchouli is unlike most patchoulis in the catalogue. It's not even like the patchouli in Ignis. It might be related to the "antique patchouli" in Schwarzer Mond. Maybe.

 

After use: The longer it's on my body, the more sweetly and warmly resinous, and the less herby-rooty, it goes. And it moisturizes so nicely, my skin feels nice for eight hours or more afterwards. I liked this enough to buy a whole bottle.

 

[ianastar]

I totally relate to this scent, and just connect to it. As it should be I find it a very grounding scent. Earthy, incensy, mossy notes that are comforting. I use it before sleeping and the oil absorbs quickly into the skin, and the next day I find my skin feeling very soft and smooth. The patchouli and myrrh are the notes that stand out the most to me.

[HerbGirl]

I used this last night to help calm my nerves so I should finally review it!

 

I love all of the massage oils so far (haven't tried ignis yet) and this is no exception. As everyone above has said, the consistancy is perfect for massage (I'm an ex-massage therapist) and nice enough to use sparingly as a moisturizer. I love the scent! Its a bit harsh at first but settles in nicely within 5 minutes. I mostly get Clary Sage, Spikenard, Patchouli (a super sweet rooty Patchouli), in that order.

Great stuff.

[mandragora369]

I love this scent! The oil absorbs perfectly on my oily skin. (Don't use lotions but love oils).

It smells earthy powdery and I just love this as an all over perfume. ♥️