Chanukkiyah

[vegasblueblood]

Olive oil, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig.

This is a glowing, sophisticated foodie blend. The baked goods smell just emanates from it while the underlying fruits give it a tart note that keeps it from becoming too sweet. Normally I am not a huge fan of amber but the amber in this is so soft that it simply gives it a gorgeous warmth that is really evocative of the holidays and the glowing candles of Hannukah. The beeswax gently comes out and adds to the golden quality of this blend. Really gorgeous and special.

[Dark Alice]

Alcoholic soaked sugared donuts. Yuck. (From wet in imp to dry down) Must wash hands, making me nauseated.

[Emera]

Rich pastry, golden amber, beeswax, and a touch of tart pomegranate. Yep, very glowy and warm!

Edited August 28, 2008 by Emera

[Megh]

Just started wearing this scent again, I so hope that Beth is planning on rolling out a 2008 version. Its warm and inviting.

 

It is a deep, foody, almost earthy scent that clings very close to the skin and doesn't quite sit on your body as much as it becomes a part of it. It is very sweet with an almost resiny undertone.

 

Very nice, one of my absolute favorites, even surpassing Red Lantern.

[stillalive]

my friends and I are pretty sure we smell the sufganiyot with honey, pomegranate, and beeswax. Maybe fig too. It's a really nice foody scent, though I don't see it being something I'd wear on myself. I might start scenting candles and my hope chest (which contains a headscarf, some candles, my own personal chanukkiyah, shabbat stuff, etc. with it because it smells just like I'd expect my holiday things to smell like.

[isisonearth]

Imp: Gorgeous pomegranate and fig with a touch of amber.

 

Wet: The fruits are sweetened with beeswax fragrant with honey. There is a touch of mellow olive oil too. The scent is warm and glowing and makes me think of comfort and abundance.

 

Dry: The olive oil and beeswax linger longest but there is a complex sweet undertone that must be the last of the fruits.

 

I'm a huge fan of this sort of ancient world foody scent. I really wish I would have bought a bottle of this. If it makes a reappearance it will be a must buy for me.

[gingiemay]

Wet in bottle - Fig, beeswax, amber and whatever sweet sufganiyot is.

 

Wet on skin - The fig and sweet sufganiyot are tempered by the beeswax and amber. I also get fig newton. We’ll see how this dries down.

 

Dry on skin - A fig newton-y beeswax. It definitely is an evocative scent, but I just don’t know if I want to smell like a fig newton. Swap pile!

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Buttery sweet, but not completely foody. I smell amber and a fruitiness coming through, and think its pomegranate.

 

Wet: Lightly spiced buttery baked goods with amber and a hint of dark fruit. Its butterscotchy, lightly smoky, with amber resins.

 

Drying: Boozy scent, like the rums. Buttered rum, smoky, with a little bit of fig. For a while in the early dry stage, I get hints of burning that are more than just smoky--that synthetic weird thing some of the buttery/rum scents do on me. It doesn't last too long, but its there. The later dry down is a pleasant buttery pastry scent with fruits and light amber. Sadly, I can never really pick out or feel the beeswax.

 

Overall: This smells good, but doesn't stand out amongst the other food blends that I already have/love, and since it has that weird burning phase, I think I'll find it a new home.

[Rouge]

In the vial - Amber, buttery pastry and a sweet, sticky note that's probably the fig.

 

Wet on the skin - "Glowing" seems to be the perfect word for this blend; it's warm and golden and somehow peaceful despite the mix of sweet and bright notes it contains.

 

Next stages - The beeswax note is tantalising; it hovers just out of reach behind the amber and fruit.

 

Dry down - Chanukkiyah is a very comforting blend. It's not overly foody or smoky or ambery (if that's even a word), it's just rounded and smooth and warm and lovely.

[Andrea912]

Bottle: warm; kind of gingerbready but without the sweet tone; dark

 

Wet: still warm, still gingery, but losing the breadiness; can't really detect the olive or beeswax notes...but there is a mellow, subtle undertone

 

Dry: fades quickly

 

Verdict: a nice subtle scent, but without any distinct "wow me" factors; also, since it fades so fast on me, I would have to overapply for a scent that just is really just kind of OK

[tereshkova2001]

Mmm, sweet and foody and rich. I agree with the pastry descriptions. There's just enough beeswax and amber to round it out and anchor the scent.

My girlfriend will probably approve of this one, if she doesn't want to steal it.

[thelaurenator]

Gorgeous. Foody, but it works.

 

Rich pastry with a lot of fig, beeswax and just the merest hint of pomegranate. Some of my favorite notes all rolled into one scent!

[caffinatedangel]

I can't decide what I think of this scent. It's a lot like other "foody" blends to me. Miskatonic U., Gluttony, Drink Me - they all do the same toffee thing on me and start to all smell the same.

 

But, this is the first time Ive had a scent like that and kept sniffing because I smelled something else. I think the problem with the past scents is that I dont know the individual notes well enough to unwrap it, so they just all smell the same. So, Im wondering more.

 

Fig and pomegranate give this oil a sweetness, a tartness, a uniqueness that the others similar to it really lack. It makes it unique. Sort of adds more than just that toffee-like maple syrupy genericness Im getting familar with.

 

But, that aside this oil has staying power. The throw isn't incredible, but it's a nice "glowing" scent. it just sort of swoops around you, comforts you, warms you... so cozy for cold nights.

 

Do I keep it or trade it along its way? Hm.

[rayvn1]

Started out as an "OMG this is amazing!" blend of amber and beeswax with a sweet layer. Once it dried it was just a perfumey sweet smell with nothing really standing out and very low throw

[silver_dollar]

This was in my swap pile, as I didn't like it when I first got it. Reading over the notes, I wondered why, because it sounded like it should be lovely. So I decided to give it another try. I'm glad I did; I like it lots now.

 

First on, there's a powerful buttery blast which thankfully goes away immediately. I'm not sure what sufganiyot is, but the sweet pastry top note must be it. It's a bit like waffles & honey. Very nice and unique. It doesn't really strike me as a wintery type scent; it's more summery than anything. It's very sunshiney; like sunshine filtering through glass, if that makes any sense. What it's mostly reminding me of at the moment is the beach; make of that what you will.

 

This one is out of the swap pile.

[Argentwolf]

Oh. My. God. Wonderful warm BEESWAX mixed with amber, and I think I'm even smelling the olive oil a bit...a warm, smoky sort of smell. Must...have...more!!

[Amoraexcena]

Bottle: concentrated honey and spice beeswax candle.

 

Wet on skin: a fancy, sugary, olive-oily donut in a fancy cafe with honey&spice beezwax candles and exotic tea.

 

Dry on skin: amber, honey and olive oil. Still lots of spice. I'm not sure if it's really for me and I have a whole bottle.... swap, anyone?

[fiddledragon]

In imp: Plastic! It smells like off-gassing plastic inflatable pool things. Ick. Color me confused.

 

On me: Bitter herbs and...if someone tried to make a donut-scented plastic squishy stress-ball, this is what it would smell like.

 

I've been feeling under the weather today and several things have gone bitter, so maybe I'll give this another try in a week or two.

[doublehelix]

I've heard comparissons that this one smells like dougnuts. It is very foody, and does almost remind me of those brown, sugar coated mini doughnuts you buy at fairs! Spicey honey and doughnuts. Yuuumm!

[TulaMontage]

In the imp - Woa! Pomegranite food cake?! Spicy, sweet and sensual.

 

Wet - Slightly herbal with the fig poking it's little head in, but its predomenantly grounded and sweet, but not too sweet.

 

Dry - Caramely? That must be the honey playing tricks on me. Fig honey? Thats interesting. Where did my pomegranite food cake go? I like this a lot... I like how it moprhs.

 

Verdict - I wish that it never changed from what it smelt like in the imp. That was delicate and not too overpowering. I will try to hunt for a bottle. I do like it a lot, but I wish it wasn't so herbal when wet.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Ugh! Sweet, thick gourmand -- the type that makes me nauseous. Sufganiyot are Jewish jam-filled pastries, it must be the culprit here. This doesn't bode well...

 

On skin: The gourmand backs off as the scent dries, and I can smell whiffs of the other notes now. A touch of olive oil. Beeswax sweetness. Something a bit sharp, maybe the amber. And other unfamiliar notes, which must be pomegranate and fig. All of which waft upon the solid backdrop of sickly sweet gourmand.

 

Verdict: I think I would've really liked Chanukkiyah -- if it did not have the sufganiyot. While I love eating these doughnuts, I certainly can't wear their smell. I've already swapped my imp.

[renadams]

I snagged a bottle off eBay of this as I was very excited about the potential scent combination, as well as the sentiment behind the bottle.

 

Olive oil, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig.

 

In the Bottle: A wonderful, complex scent--like I'm enjoying the aroma of rich, decadent, aged liquor. There is a well-rounded sweetness to it, darkened by fig and a pomegranate (more plum-like than sharp).

 

Wet on Skin: A triumph of fig and that wood-aged fruit liquor note. The amber is present here, peeking through waves of dark sweet. This is definitely a fragrance of the winter--yet winter indoors, warm and cozy.

 

Dry on Skin: Fabulous. The sufganiyot layer emerges briefly as a fully-defined pastry, then falls into the backdrop, adding to the handsomeness of the scent. It loses some foodiness and the coating, soothing scent of beeswax paired with olive oil (it really does smell like extra virgin olive oil!) balances the touch of amber (a tiny touch) and the soaked-in-run effect of the fig.

 

This scent throws really well and lasts a long time on my skin. I can put it on in the morning and wear it with little change all day, often getting comments about how wonderful I smell.

 

I am so glad I got a bottle of this!

[obsidienne]

This is sweet and warm, a rather sophisticated foody blend. It's not all pastry, but rather a delicate blend of the listed notes. Warm pastry, tart pomegranate, hints of earthy fig, and warm olive oil with lots of bright amber and honeyed beeswax. However, there is something that's turning out surprisingly tart with my chemistry, probably the pomegranate. The last time I tested this (via a testable sniffie), I didn't get so much of a tart note. I know my chemistry has been changing a lot lately, but geez.

 

I expected this to be a far foodier smelling blend on me, and although this is those things, it is also coming across as slightly perfumey, due to the tartness of the fruit and (perhaps?) the strength of the amber. As it dries down, the beeswax and olive oil bloom into a warm golden feel. The fruits are... um, fruity. This seems to be a different pomegranate than the one I'm used to. The fig is the lightest note in Channukiyah, peeping in but registering faintly with me.

 

When this dries down, the tartness fades and a sexy amber honey/beeswax scent emerges that is quite yummy. Of course, I have to get through the fruit stage to get there, and that's not a favourite.

 

Channukiyah is an elegant gourmand, but I really dislike tartness in anything, scents or food. Bother!

Edited October 7, 2010 by obsidienne

[loubric]

I was slightly skeptical because a lot of the reviews said warm and foody and those kind of scents do not work well on me.

In the IMP it is very warm and sweet.

 

At first it is surprisingly mellow and I can smell the pomegranate but seconds later it is overwhelmingly foody. Smells good enough to eat just not to wear. It still has hints of sweetness that make it less intense.

[Schmoozy]

I adore Chanukkiyah. Slighty sweet with overtones of oil and beeswax mingling together alognside fig and amber. The pomegranate used to be more prevalent, but with three years of aging, it has all but disappeared. It does add a hint of brightness upon drydown. Fig is the real star now, and with the beeswax and amber, it is kinda sweet, but not foody. In fact I never think of this as foody as I never did get the pastry note.