Tabula Smaragdina

[motdakasha]

TABULA SMARAGDINA
True, without error, certain and most true.

Rosicrucian incense.

In the bottle:

Rating (1-5): 4
Notes: Woody rose, sandalwood or frankincense?, incense powder
Comment: Smells very similar to my Chinese brand of rose soap, but powdery smelling like incense. There are other notes present but I cannot identify them.

Wet on skin:

Rating (1-5): 4
Notes: woody rose, frankincense?
Comment: Less rose and more incense-y on the skin.

Dry on skin:

Rating (1-5): 4
Notes: woody rose, incense powder
Scent Intensity (1-5): 3
Comment: Very consistent scent that hasn't changed much from bottle to skin. I need to be in relatively close proximity to smell it -- I don't have an aura of it surrounding me and I don't have to place my nose on my skin before I can smell it.
Update: There is still residual incense smell on my arms after I bathed. I'm quite surprised by that, really.

Misc:

Duration: N/A
Keyword(s): wood, rose, incense
Color: Mahogany
Smells like: Chinese rose incense scented soap.

[sarada]

Oils that smell like incense are the whole reason I got into BPAL -- and now I have so many of them I hardly need to burn incense anymore! So things like this really get my attention. I was not sure what Rosicrucian incense would mean, specifically, except that I imagined there might be a rosy element, maybe something like Rose Cross, but this is even more beautiful. I don't know if I can ever get enough wood/resin-plus-rose blends, but I love every one and this is no exception.

 

It smells almost exactly like a patchouli-rose incense called Mayan Temple Blend that has long been one of my all-time favorites. Neither of those notes is prominent, but together they blend into something faintly rosy, rich, earthy and woody. In my locket or on my skin it smells just like I have a stick of that incense burning. As soon as I put it on my husband asked what I was wearing -- and if he says anything other than "God, you're giving me a headache with that stuff!" it's a good sign. He immediately recognized the rose and thought it smelled like really good incense.

 

In my locket as it dries a little I catch some strong deep sweet resins -- I swear it smells a bit like Cathedral at times, but again with that pinkish glow of rosy incense dust. And on my skin it becomes more radiant and warm with time, growing in intensity.

 

Yet another winner in the fabulous Wunderkammer set!

[alicia_stardust]

This is a beautiful rose incense. The woods and resins are gentle and well-blended and the rose is soft. It almost reminds me of Parlement of Foules but this one is better. I can't quite place which resins are in this but it's gorgeous. It wears well both on the skin and as a room scent. Just as Sarada said, resin and incense blends really drew me into BPAL and this one is a stunning new offering.

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: rose incense, the type i buy when i go to India Way in jersey city- warm, powdered rose incense.

 

wet on skin: it's opening up, becoming more 'indian' in that it reminds me of Diwali and Khajuraho- stuff that would be in the same family as this to my pseudo-trained nose

 

dry down: yup. rose incense.

 

in all: a wonderful variation on incense oils, i think i'll use this in ritual.

 

 

 

 

[AliBabble]

pretty much what everyone else has said - this i s a light, rose incense. it reminds me a bit of black rose, but lighter in feel. it's pretty and simple, and i like it because it is not overwhelming, but rather light and uplifting. nice.

[Brianne]

What the hell was I thinking when I bought this? I saw Rosicrucian incense and just thought... oh okay incense. I like incense. It never really dawned on me at the time that Rosicrucian (rose cross) would most certainly have rose in it. And I hate rose. Sure enough, I got it and opened it up and went, "DUHHHHH ROSE CROSS! *smacks forehead*" as I was assaulted by rose.

 

It is what you would pretty much expect (unless you are me and just did not think about it lol) - it's rose incense. But strong on the rose. I will say this, I think it's one of BPAL's nicer rose scents, it has a more classic feel to it. It makes me think of my great-grandma's house which always smelled of roses, and those little Crabtree & Evelyn rose hand soaps they used to make (still make?) that in the late 80s could be found in the bathroom of most well-to-do women. It smells almost purely of rose - it's more clean than incensey.

 

If you fear rose, stay far away from this. If you love rose, do definitely give this a shot!

[Lycanthrope]

Pwrhrrhrhhrhhr..r. Rose'd.

 

Also... akin to above, after I dabbed a little on, I was like OH NO.

 

But it is very beautiful, like Rose Cross (resinous rose) but it actually dries down to a less rambunctious rose on me.

 

Seriously... Rosi-crucian... yeah. *smacks paw to head*

[savage_rose]

This isn't nearly as "in your face" as most rose blends...it's very light. There's a bit of a vetivery- smokiness to it, but it's so light that it doesn't really detract from the desert rose sweetness. It's a bit more complex than Rose Cross, but it smells very similar to me.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: incense and roses and baby powder. L Wet: Roses and mixed incense. Too sweet, too much rose. This is my fault. When I read Rosicrucian, I think Templar, not roses. Dries to pure, boring rose.

[greenranger]

Rose.

 

Rose and resin.

 

Hopefully my skin's love of resins will keep the rose in line. Unfortunately, I feel the rose amping up even as I type...

 

Oh, yeah. Waaaaaay too much rose on my skin. Ah well.

Edited July 1, 2008 by Aerinha

[slave1]

TABULA SMARAGDINA

 

In Bottle: Rose incense

 

On Skin: This is pretty much a rose incense single note. Pure 100% rose and incense. Very sharp and sour, with a smoky spicy background. I like small amounts of incense, but rose is my worst enemy so sadly I have to wash it off. If you like classic rose incense, plain and simple with no bells and whistles… this is the perfect scent for you. This is a great scent for fans of Rose Cross. Very strong throw and unsure of wearlength since I washed it off.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is soft rose and incense. When first on this is the same wonderful blend of rose and incense and maybe some myrrh too. This has a lovely warm wood and powdery sweetness to it. This doesn't change much more on me. On the drydown this is a really soft, creamy rose, myrrh and incense blend. I think this is probably similar to Rose Cross but I haven't tried that one in a long time. This blend is perfect for anyone who likes incense and rose!

[Scylla]

I got the whole Wunderkammer in a decant circle (thanks, SueDonym!), but I pretty much knew that Tabula Smaragdina wouldn't work on me because of the rose. To me, it smells like rose, amber and incense (which it's supposed to!) But my chemistry amps the rose and makes it Attack of the 50 Foot Rose Bouquet!

[tinyvulture]

a glorious blend of rose and incense. i was expecting something similar to Rose Cross, but this isn't nearly as sweet -- i don’t think there’s any myrrh in it. the rose smells freshly cut and slightly tart/soapy, and it’s absolutely lovely combined with the woodsy resins (sandalwood?) i love Rose Cross, but this is even better. a lot of incense blends go very sweet on me, which i don’t mind, but it’s nice to have something different.

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is deep, dark rose incense...

applied this is positively glorious~~sweetly smoky but never overpowering...

the incense in this wafts gently and has great sillage...

a winner

[nekogrrl]

In bottle: floral incense.

 

On skin: rosy incense.

 

Dries down to a rosy powder. In this, the rose is so strong I don't think I'll be ordering a full bottle of this.

[blu°]

I tested this last night, and while it brings to mind the same rose oil soaked frankincense that I love to burn as Rose Cross does, it's very distinct from that blend, and even more from the other rose-incense blend I own and cherish, Parlement of Foules.

 

Rose Cross is basically a sweet, heavy rose, possibly Bulgarian, and thick, smoky-steamy frankincense/olibanum. It's a simple, pure blend, quiet and deep. Parlement is a slightly sparkly younger rose with a lot of myrrh. It's youthful, romantic and a little excited.

 

Now, this has something else going on, and my guesses are

1) the rose is Damascus rose,

2) the incense includes labdanum or something similar as well as possibly some precious wood notes,

and/or

3) that there is rose geranium added(?)

 

It feels way more stately and formal than the other two rose-incense scents, and it reminds me a bit of The House in that aspect. It's a lot less emotional and more official. On the other hand, it seems to be more interesting in that you can discern more layers/different notes in it. The rose is slightly tart and not very sweet, the incense isn't smoky and doesn't have a lot of body to it on my skin.

 

I kind of like it, but will yet have to decide if I need a bottle.

Edited July 27, 2008 by blu°

[voodoocatwoman]

This is the same fragrance I would get if I picked up a cone of rose incense and sniffed. Not bad but not my thing either.

[Little Bird]

On me, this is a sharp rose that threatens to turn soapy and hints of a smoky incense. It dries down to something like rose dusting powder with a spike of sharpness and a hint of smoke...

 

There are definitely rose-and-incense blends that I like a lot more than this one (Parlement of Foules, mainly <3 but I like Rose Cross more than Tabula Smaragdina as well). I prefer a sweet rose and smooth, glossy resins. Tabula Smaragdina's rose is sharp/soapy and dries down to powder on me, and the incense aspects are smoky, so I'm not loving this...

[edenssixthday]

Tabula Smaragdina - This is very pretty, but it's the lightest incense scent I've ever encountered. It sticks very close to my skin, has just about zero throw, and when I'm wearing it, I never catch even the faintest waft of it. As much as I can like incense scents, this one is too light for me.

[herbhealer]

This smells like a delicious musk incense I used to burn as a teenager, something I can no longer do due to asthma. It must have had a bigger floral component than I was aware of at the time, if the two scents are close. I am jumping up and down inside because I bought a bottle unsniffed from a fellow forumite, and now I know I will love it! Incense is one of my favorite scent components, and I get all excited when one of Beth's incense blends melds with my chemistry. Madame Moriarty is my favorite so far, but can you really have too many incense scents?

[naeelah]

Clearly I just saw "incense" and went with that, because I didn't expect this to be a rose incense. Luckily I like rose.

 

It smells like you'd expect. It's a very classic, wood based incense. Not dark, no sweetness. Just soft, non-evergreen woods, resins (myrrh is there for sure), and rich rose.

 

It's very similar to both Rose Cross and Parlement of Foules, but the addition of woods makes is a little bit better rounded and also lends it more of a classic perfume quality. Rose Cross is a very deep, voluptuous rose, and Parlement is light and gentle. This one is, happily, somewhere in between.

 

There isn't much more commentary to be made. If you like other rose incense scents, you'll like this. If the idea is appealing, give it a try. I think that this is my favorite of the three I mentioned, because it has an extra dimension. Perhaps it's because I amp rose, but this seems to emphasize the rose more than the incense. It isn't as deeply smoky and resinous as Rose Cross.

Edited August 15, 2008 by naeelah

[Wwindy]

Yep yep, rose and incense! No surprises here.

 

This one did fool me a little, actually. I put a quick swipe on one wrist to see what it was going to be like, was thrilled to find it mostly incense-y, and therefore slathered with abandon... then I got hit with the Rose Bomb! It's a fairly elegant, non-powdery rose on me, but it is the dominant note.

 

The staying power on this is excellent -- my initial application lasted hours longer than I generally expect BPAL to stick around. The throw seemed good to me too, but that may just be because I so seldom wear rose that my nose kept reacting to it!

[AEris]

MMmmmmm wow.....Rose and incense!

 

This is a sexy deep rose, and it takes a little while for the incense to show up.

 

When it does, it's just a lovely combination!

 

I could use this to get-it-on ; -)

 

4.2 out of 5

[Czarina]

In the bottle: straight-up rose.

Wet: incense, candle wicks (?!), and rose.

Drydown: clouds of smoky rosy incense.

 

Particularly nice in a scent locket. I am not a fan of non-BPAL rose scents, but Beth's are . . . different from my mother's Tea Rose.