Aquae Massage Oil

[copyshopclerk]

In alchemy, the archetype of water represents cleansing and purification, emotion and intuition. We express that essence here through our blend of Roman chamomile, frankincense, sandalwood, helichrysum, davana, geranium, and lavender. This massage oil helps release emotional trauma, alleviates stress, and imparts a sense of tranquility and well-being.

Almond oil, refined rice bran oil, fractionated coconut, rosehip seed oil, evening primrose, vitamin E, Anthemis nobilis, Boswelia sarata, Santalum spicatum, Helichrysum italicum, Artemesia pallens, Pelargonium graveolens, Lavendula angustifolia, Citrus aurantium var amara, and our Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab oil perfume blend.

To start, the bottle is pretty! Kind of a neutral tan on the top of the label fading to a deep blue on the bottom.

The scent is very nice - so soothing! I can pick out the lavender, chamomile, and sandalwood the most, maybe a little bit of frankincense. It's relaxing and definitely a unisex blend - I tested it on my husband and he loves it. Now that it's dry on my hands, it lightly smells soothing and still gives the impression of water - a dampness that's not dank or unpleasant, but gives me the image of a quiet reflecting pool.

Texture-wise, it's amazing - sinks into the skin cleanly leaving no residue - my hands are soft from using this, and not at all greasy - I'm not leaving fingermarks on everything now as is common with other oils or moisturizers.

Overall - this is so luxurious and lovely! My husband loves it too I'm torn between getting a larger bottle of this when it's gone (I only got a 4oz bottle) or branching out into one of the other massage oils!

[AliBabble]

this is an instant favorite, for me. i can tell it's gonna be a staple. i love using massage oils for a general moisturizer, expecially if they are light and pure, which this one is. there is nothing sticky or heavy about it, and it smells and feels very healing and healthful.

the scent is primarily geranium, and chamomile. geranium sometimes smells a bit strong or tart to me, but in this case, it mellows out upon contact with my skin, and as it softens, i get a touch of the lavendar. in any case, this is just a lovely, peaceful oil, that makes your skin really soft. it also seems to have an uplifting effect, mood-wise. love it!

[Silvertree]

While I usually go for spicy, earthy scents in everything from soap to perfume to body lotion, something about Aquae's description caught my attention. My fella and I could both stand to have some stress alleviated, and it was with that end in mind that I decided to try Aquae last night— as the massager, not the massagee. (This time!)

 

My experience with Aquae massage oil was love at first sniff. While I primarily smelled lavender, the geranium and sandalwood added a lovely soft resiny quality that kept the lavender from being too overpowering. The oil was light and smooth in my hands, not greasy or sticky. It went on like liquid silk and absorbed quickly, soothing parched skin whereever it went. Even though I was on the giving end of the massage, I felt calmed and soothed as I worked with the oil. I could feel a sense of peacefulness creep back in, as the stress of the day gradually drained away.

 

I should pause here to note that my fella is a bit of an insomniac at the best of times, and currently has quite a bit of trouble falling asleep. After an Aquae back rub, he drifted off at once, no tossing or turning.

 

I am very much looking forward to taking a turn on the receiving end of an Aquae massage. I imagine that my stress will simply flow away under Aquae's influence.

Edited September 27, 2007 by Silvertree

[alicia_stardust]

AQUAE

 

Aquae is yet another stunning addition to the massage oils from BPTP. As with Terrae, I am impressed by the silky smooth, lightweight texture of the base oils. It is so easy to work into the muscles and it sinks in quickly, leaving no room for worries about greasy stains on the sheets or fingerprints on every surface.

 

In the bottle I smell a dual mixture of something sweet, blue, aquatic and something woodsy, almost herbal, and almost tea-tree like. On my skin the scent changes. I do smell chamomile first and foremost but my attention is quickly drawn to the frankincense and sandalwood. Beyond that I think it's the davana that lends a slight woodsy, balsamic twist and the helichrysum is fresh, sweet, and almost tea-like. The geranium is very uplifting especially in the way it combines with the sandalwood. My nose can't find the lavender in this, but I'm sure it's there. Overall there's something about this water scent that is bright yet relaxing. This isn't marshy water, nor is it high-pitched water that turns soapy. It is simply a pure, clean, uplifting water scent that has a salty blue, soothing herbal bite to it.

 

Scent-wise, Aquae is remarkable representation of the archetype of water and this is coming from a water sign. I find the scent of Aquae to be healing, purifying, refreshing, and emotionally cleansing. It is calming and therapeutic in the most stunning sense of those words. Beyond the therapeutic aspects of this, by nature massage oil is a medium that is sensual as well. I find both purposes fitting for Aquae. I will use this whenever I want to draw on any of the aspects of the water archetype. Whether I am applying this to my own neck and arms, or I am giving/receiving a massage to/from Axiom, this is a stunning blend to have at arm's reach.

[PurringPulsar]

Aquae

 

In bottle: mmm, rich bold geranium and a hint of camomile.

On skin: the geranium turns a little more herbal now, less 'rosy' as before, I also smell more of the camomile, but there's also something sharp here that I'm not sure about…it's almost bitter, and vaguely reminds me of hair dye? I was tempted to say ylang-ylang but there's none in here, it seems. However, this odd note is short lived and disappears within five minutes. Now that's gone, I really like the mix of geranium, sandalwood and lavender I get here…it is soothing. I don't know if it smells watery to me, though it does remind me of a herbal tea or a herbal bath-so more of a warm water smell, which is an interesting and different direction for a water scent. Eventually the lavender fades and the sandalwood really comes out and mixes nicely with the geranium, which now smells balmy and a little rosy, a bit more floral. I also smell that golden herbal scent of camomile, but I don't get too much frankincense-just a hint, but not too much. This is very soothing, I must say. It gives the same impression as taking a nice hot bath and just letting the tension float away, without getting wet. So that's the water association. So now I know what to use when I'm in my halls room, where I have no bath, and feel like I need to take one-I just slather this stuff on. As I said with Aeris, the texture of the oil and the way it absorbs into the skin and moisturises it is fantastic.

[edenssixthday]

Aquae - If this were available as a perfume oil, it would be only one of two perfume oils I would ever need again (the other one being Ignis!) Aquae's scent is so incredibly gorgeous, tranquil, soothing, and cleansing. I can't begin to describe how emotional this scent is for me. It makes me very honored to be a water-sign. The scent is predominantly chamomile, frankincense and geranium on me with the tiniest hint of sandalwood in the background. I can't get over how gorgeous these notes are together. The oil has a wonderfully smooth and sensuous texture and soaks into my skin without leaving a miserable and greasy residue. I only wish the scent lasted longer, as I would wear it all day long every day if I could. I'm so glad I bought this. It's really, really fantastic.

[AEris]

This massage oil is fantastic! It is not greasy or heavy, it moisturizes thoroughly and my skin just sucks it up. It literally healed a week of chapped, red, abused hands overnight.

 

The scent of Aquae is lovely, it smells like a spa or something. I was thinking citrus/bergamot, a hint of lavender, a hint of vetiver....and then I read the notes and realized my nose is certainly still unsophisticated

 

It's absolutely gorgeous. Many thanks to Delphinine for the decant, and I plan to buy bottles of all four elemental oils as soon as I can!

 

5 out of 5 - absolute perfection.

[bryghtrose]

My initial impression is chamomile, and it becomes very green on my skin. I get lots of herbal overtones. It doesn't remind me of water.

 

The carrier oil is very nice. It goes on thick, but it absorbs well, and isn't greasy. I'd love to have a massage with this oil.

[Little Bird]

I wish that I'd purchased a full bottle of Aquae instead of a bottle of Terrae. This one has such a soft, soothing scent on me. It's a very strong scent, but seems more mellow and comforting to me. I love chamomile and lavender though, so this is a good combination of two of my favorites.

 

Aquae starts off smelling like a burst of chamomile tea and something kind of sharply herbal and green (geranium, maybe? I dunno). Then it mellows down into a watery, warm chamomile tea with soothing herbal lavender on a woodsy base. It's a very grounding, comforting scent to me.

 

My boy gave me a back massage with my decant and I loved it. It did leave my skin feeling a bit tacky, but a quick shower took care of that and left my skin soft and lightly scented. Lovely...

[Lycanthrope]

Texture again is amazing like all the other oils.

 

This is definitely a mishmash of more strongly scented florals when they hit the skin. There's the slightly pungent aroma of chamomile that is twisted up with the signature scent of rose geranium, which appears to be the more persistent, central note of Aquae. This is most definitely an aromatherapeutic blend, it's a touch sharp to be a perfume. Over time there's a hint of resins and it starts to smell like... Well, it's smells like Aveda!

 

The rose geranium starts to intertwine with the sandalwood/frankincense and I swear I'm getting a scent just like one of their now discontinued (long time...) 'Chakra' perfumes.

 

I may use this as a replacement for when I want a more natural herbal fragrance.

[lunaticana]

Roman Chamomile? Geranium? Lavender? they all vanish on MY skin

too bad of the scent for me, the oil itself is good for a soft and hydrated feel

it is a little earthy so this seems good to use for a massage on the boy

 

[hlinspjalda]

This is extraordinary.

 

I was a little reluctant to acquire some of this, since lavender and geranium didn't sound all that friendly to me. Ignis is very much my style, and I was happy with my bottle of that. But I grabbed an opportunity for a decant of Aquae (being a water sign, I felt obligated), and am I glad I did!

 

In the bottle I get mostly geranium and lavender.

 

The dominant scents on my skin are the geranium with a deep, resonant underlayer of chamomile. It smells unutterably sweet yet at the same time somewhat bitter and green. There's an unusual, slightly pungent note in it; it must be the immortelle, which seems familiar from my bottle of Judith and Holofernes. After several hours, the frankincense is stronger than the geranium, and so it's a warmer and richer scent, less green. But it's no less wonderful.

 

The first time my husband used this oil on my skin, it made me want to cry; it had the curious effect of both stirring up and completely reassuring me about old memories that I couldn't even recall clearly. That's one of the most intense emotional reactions I have ever had to a BPAL fragrance.

 

The scent lasted all night when I tried it on my arms as a moisturizer before bed, and the skin was still happy 12 hours later. The texture of the oil is really great, and my skin just loves it.

[zankoku_zen]

I was generously frimped a decant of this, and I admit basically trying it for what it smells like.

 

Lavender, a decent bit of geranium (yeah!) and sandalwood. There is a very cool aquatic feel to it (probably from the salty lavender)....

 

And in general, I get lots of geranium. Yeah!

[HerbGirl]

I had a decant of this used it up and then bought a full bottle. This works better than TKO to relax me and help me clear my thoughts so that I can sleep. I smell every note listed which is wonderful, but the Chamomile is the strongest. I love this. It relaxes my muscles almost instantly and alleviates headaches when I have them. LOVE.

[ianastar]

I didnt connect to this one as much as I did to Terrae, but I find it a very calming scent. I get more of the chamomile note than any other, with a little of the lavendar. I was hoping for a stronger lavendar note. I need to use it a bit more to see whether Im in love or not. 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.

[bellumed]

To me Aquae smells like, well, massage oil! I think I associate this with a "typical" massage oil because the massage therapist I occasionally visit uses a lavender chamomile blend. Those are the main notes I smell, and the result is an herbal, deeply soothing oil that both my boyfriend and I enjoyed. The formula was not too heavy and absorbed easily on skin, leaving only light residue. It also spread well when I put too much on one area. I recommend using this before bed; after a massage with this oil and crawling into my pajamas, I feel like I'm in the cozy aftermath of a warm bath. I am ready to go right to sleep.

[roseus]

This a very bright floral/herbal blend. Not in a citrus way but there is a lightness and smooth greenness to the blend that does make me think of water. I have a hard time picking out notes in this one except lavender. My guy said it smells like a field of wildflowers. Very soothing scent. Absorbs fantastically, but has great glide for massage as always.