Obeah

[Shollin]

First sniff: Incense smoke with a bare hint of sweetness. Obeah is dark and mysterious.

 

Wearing: Dude. Patchouli. With maybe some incense, the good kind that doesn’t freak out on my skin within seconds, and the sweetness is more pronounced… but mostly it’s yowza dark musky patchouli. (Which I can actually get away with, so yay!) It is decidedly masculine, yup – but it’s good. Not nice, not pretty, but dark and smoky and good. Dragon’s Heart is my “bring it on” scent – I suspect Obeah might end up being my “don’t fuck with me” scent. I feel like I should be stalking about with my eyes narrowed when I smell like this.

[Dianella]

Initial sniff: Smells citrussy, with a patchouli base

 

Wet: Ok this smells soo familiar... what is that scent? And then it dawned on me - this smells like LUSH's Amazonian massage bar, which I adore. For the record some of the oils in that are Tangerine, Ylang Ylang, Patchouli, and Orange Blossom.

 

Drying: This patchouli deepens on me, this smell is getting earthier, I'm not sure that I care for it with that much patchouli

 

Dry: The pure patchouli phase hangs on for a while, then reverts to it's earlier form of citrus/light floral/patchouli. It's nice.

 

This wouldn't be a big bottle purchase for me, but I'll keep it handy for when I use Amazonian to moisturize and decide that I want to smell like that (which happens occaisonally) Ultimately I'm not a big patchouli fan, so I doubt I'll use it often but the imp is nice to have!

[northern]

I thought from the name this would be warm, powerful and spicy. Instead I found it cold and dark green. Almost unpleasant. Like murky, cold puddle water.

[Lady Ravenglass]

Uh-oh. I get patchouli eventually. Unfortunately, what I get first is TCP - an antiseptic ointment smell. Oh my. Medical cabinet meets hippie shop. It does calm down, but I think that its first effects are going to be hard to live down, especially since, after assaulting my senses, it vanishes with barely a trace.

 

Damn it - another for the growing swap pile. *sob*

[Caitfish]

Obeah is not very attractive to me from start to finish. In the bottle, I smell Patchouli defininately and perhaps some orange. Unfortunately this also has a green, almost piney edge to it - which makes this doubly unattractive to me. But if you like pine and patchouli, go for it! You'll love it.

 

When on, this warms up a bit, and begins to smell incensy in addition to the patchouli. It's nice, but still not me.

 

I really appreciate this freebie and hope that it finds a loving home!

[Ishtar]

I had to try Obeah two or three times before I could recognize any of the notes and even now I am not sure if I got them right!

 

The first application left my nose completey confused. It smelled utterly unfamiliar, yet I could have sworn I had smelled it before. Hrm

 

The second time, things became a little clearer: I could smell something green and dark at the same time, maybe evergreen? There was also something vaguely fruity, or maybe a sweet floral, with a definite metallic note to it that I could almost taste at the back of my throat when I inhaled deeply. The overall impression was an initially sharp scent that mellowed into something smoother but still with that green edge to it.

 

After reading the reviews and especially the comparisons with Lush Karma and Amazonian, I can (at long last!) recognize the patchouli and the ylang-ylang. I still have no idea what the green and metallic notes could be. I really hope Beth will let us know what is in this one!

Obeah is a little too masculine and dark for me to wear. I could see it used as a ritual oil.

[surf-tormented]

This smells like powdered candy on me. But not a strong grape or fruit, but that powdered root beer kind of sugar candy. Like root beer flavored Bottlecaps . I really enjoy those!

 

Root beer candy and some kind of resin. With something medicinal. Maybe some kind of spice or copal?

 

I get the idea of ritual, alcohol that smells a bit like root beer flavored rum, incense and spice offerings. Maybe even a little blood?

 

Then hay...Obeah, is curious, it is morphing into hay like scents now. Hay, blood, sweet alcohol and medicinal herbage. A good night out.

 

NOTE: I got zero patchouli, ylang ylang and orange out of this. I swear it is made out of other notes than those.

Edited January 10, 2005 by Madame Nyx

[oatmealneko]

Obeah smells strongly of patchouli out of the bottle. After I put it on, the patchouli was still strong. After a half hour, it mellowed out & I could pick up clove (I think, it smelled smoky on my wrist). I could swear I smelled a sweet floral (either orange or apple blossom, it smelled familiar), but that disappeared quickly. Patchouli is definitely the dominant scent in Obeah. I've been wearing it for two hours now, & I can no longer pick up the clove/peppery smell I noticed earlier, but at least the patchouli thinned out.

 

Another one I'm not sure if I would wear again.

[Gin]

Obeah

 

This is very strong and very masculine. I think I smell patchouli and something greenish. Maybe some orange too? And now jasmine. And back to patchouli! Fascinating! Just as I was deciding this is not excessively masculine as I first thought, just a very powerful scent, I read Dianella's review comparing it to Lush's Amazonian and it all clicked together. It is like Amazonian, which to paraphrase grrrlennyl, is the scent of a strong, fierce woman. I believe I'll get a bottle of this if it joins the BPAL catalogue.

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Patchouli and orange

 

After 10 minutes- This smells like an orange covered in dirt.

 

After 30 minutes- I am not fond of patchouli. This sort of smells like the herb isle of Whole Foods.

 

Summery- I am glad I got a chance to test this, but it is not for me

for me.

[Nisaba]

Got this in a swap, and I'm very glad I did!

 

In the bottle - spicy warm orange.

On me - warm, earthy, spicy, like an orange cinnamon candle. Smells just like Lush's Amazonian massage bar. Yum. I'd be seriously tempted by a bottle of this if it comes out.

[Stormcat]

I got this as an extra in my most recent (aka second) order. Wow. I'm not sure which variety of wow, but definitely a sincere one. I Googled the name out of curiousity and ended up afraid to try it out of sheer intimidation.

 

In the imp: Some sort of flower and patchouli. Yeep, in a good way.

 

Wet: Oh my. This smells... it's very, VERY strong. There's something very dried-herby in it along with the floral (jasmine? Ylang-ylang? I think more jasmine to me) and patchouli. It reminds me strongly of the scent of this occult shop I visited over a decade ago, that had half a billion resident cats who all decided to sit on me and purr at once. This is promising -- good association.

 

Ten minutes: There a tiny hint of citrus here. The floral's... shifting, it's still the same flower but it's combining with my skin and the patchouli to get rather overpowering.

 

Half an hour: This is almost too much. The occult-store smell is still there and it smells the same, but different, almost choking. I think I may start whimpering. But I still like it. And so does my cat, the black one. A lot.

 

Two hours (to give the scent time to settle down): Mmmmmm. It's calmed down, very dried-herbs-green colored scent with bits of dried orange rind and a spice here and there, plus incense, all over a base of patchouli. Is there catnip in here or something? The cat is paying more attention to me than normal.

 

I really like this. I wore it out in public and people treated me differently -- the best I can describe it was with respect instead of the usual careless indifference that leads to shoving past strangers in a crowded mall.

 

Perhaps because of what I found on Google and the association with that occult shop I tried this as a working oil, as sort of an amplifier. I would dearly love to know what on earth is in this or what the deal is, because the results were extremely emphatic. (The catch is that it seemed to be like boosting a car with nitrous; you can do it, but it takes a toll on the engine.) I don't think this is a casual perfume sort of thing, but it's wonderful to wear for getting things done NOW as long as sleeping in the next day is planned.

 

And what is WITH the cat attraction? Every time I've worn this now, my black cat has been showering me with affection. (The white and grey ones act normally.) I think I'll definitely be getting a bottle of this when (if?) it comes available; I'll have to see how fast I go through it (wheee, redlining racecar!) to determine the size.

[dreamingjune]

Oh wow. I want a bottle of this now. This is the perfect kind of well blended patchouli scent. It seems to be a different kind of patchouli than the usual. Less like pheromones and more like dry woods. There is almost a teak-like quality to this that I'm loving. It also has a hint of herbs and dry tree leaves and grasses. It doesn't go sweet, but certainty has a certain freshness to it. I don't get the citrus note that everyone is talking about, however. Either way I'm madly in love with it and want a ton more.

[Lina]

I don't get the citrus either. May have to try it again. My initial impression was this would be yum on a man. Bold and spicey with a touch of patchouli.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: weird. it smells like citrus fruits and something warmer.

on: weird, but i like it. i think i might be smelling ginger.

2 hours later: something sweet with patchouli and maybe some citrus or ginger. i think i may be getting a bit of pepper.

4 hours later: still strong. much sweeter, almost syrupy, but still with that spicy edge to it.

6 hours later: lighter, but still much the same. i love this.

overall: i will definitely be getting a bottle of this for myself at some point if i can.

[shelldoo]

in the vial i smell CIVET yes definitely civet.

 

wet the civet is still there, but i also get a peppery kick, i do not get much of anything else, the civet is burning my nose.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Fire!

 

In the imp/bottle: Musk, patchouli, citrus and... something I can't place. Reminds me of a dying fire.

 

On skin, wet: There's definitely some sort of citrus in this blend, or so says my nose. Wet, it seems to be nothing but dark citrus and musk, with what I think is still the patchouli. It's a very exotic scent, but kind of off-putting.

 

On skin, dry: This turns into a strange, musky kind of cat urine smell on my skin, once it dries. That, or wet, burning patchouli; I can't figure out which. Either way, I had to wash it off.

 

Conclusion: Definitely not something that strikes me in a positive way. Oh well.

Edited December 20, 2005 by Aredhel

[Hikaru]

I got this as a freebie and while it may not be an absolute favorite, I definitely get a dark, strong, vibe from it. Slightly-rotten orange with patchouli and something musky. Warm and a little scary. I agree with the person earlier who said it is a "Don' t f***with me" scent. The citrus was quite strong at the beginning, now a few hours later all that remains is the warm residue. A hint of secret strength.

Edited June 10, 2005 by Hikaru

[joseybird]

I agree with Penance--orange peal, lemongrass (defintely!) and patchouli. But Karma smells a bit fruitier to me (at least, the karma soap I bought 2 years ago did). This is very sharp and...yes...I do think I smell cleaning fluid in here! Lemon-flavored cleaning fluid! An unpleasent bitter edge =( gahhh...

[coulrophobe]

I was hoping to get the "orange + patchouli" reaction on my skin (I'm not a huge fan of patchouli, but really liked it in other fruity blends like Imp and Depraved) - but sadly, this was all lemon and pine for me.

 

Very cleaning-productesque, but with a very subtle underlying sweetness - something almost syrupy. It dries down to a pungent pine/cedar scent on me, which unfortunately is a bad thing. Might be nice on a guy, but not for me.

[tesao]

this was a freebie from the lab.....which i didn't realize until i went to look it up to figure out where to put the review....i am SOOOOOOOOO lucky to have this oil!!!

 

it is wonderful. when i first smelled it, i felt warm and ummmm...inhabited. i know that sounds odd but it really did feel the same as the one and only time i have channeled an orixá, pombagira. i literally felt like a goddess. confident. sure. desireable. sexy. unable to be refused. sought after. loved. worshipped. good.

 

so after the goosebumps and the warmth died down, and i could actually smell again, the first thing that i thought of was the orange and clove pomander balls that people used to make for christmas.

 

then the patchouli showed up. and i was really in love. spicy, warm, occult patchouli. after the dry down, there is something else which i would guess is amber but who knows? i'm so new to this i feel blindfolded most of the time...i have to go on how a scent makes me feel or whether or not i simply like it -- or not.

 

my CAT cannot quit sniffing me.

 

i think that this may be my current favourite. i love it, and want a BIG bottle and i hope it is actually released so that i can buy it. i would use it in ritual work, yes....but i would also happily wear it. and wear it. and wear it.

[fathom]

This oil evokes a strong and kind of strange reaction in me. I really feel uncomfortable just wearing it around-- like it is charged somehow. I smell patchouli and orange, definitely, but there is a lot more in there too. Even before I knew that Obeah was a word for sorcery I felt like this oil had a pretty intensely magical feel to it.

I have a lot of respect for this oil but I don't think I'm up to wearing it myself. Hopefully I'll find it a good home.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Jasmine/rose, and the voodoo herbs that seem to be in every Voodoo blend. Oddly enough I'm not really getting the patchouli note the early posters mention.

On me: Herby and voodoo green. Hints of what is probably pine, judging from what others say. It does smell a bit to me like cleaning fluid.

[evil_laugher]

I could've sworn I posted on here earlier...

 

This is for the most part pure cleaning fluid on me. Near the end, it starts turning into a swampy kind of floral like Bayou, but not as nice.

[Orodemniades]

I smell patchouli and jasmine, plus a really sharp note on top of the jasmine.

 

I luuuurve the patchouli, and I suspect that if I could just. Get. Over. the jasmine that I would love this, but so far I've been unable to wait for the jasmine to die down. I'll just have to grit my teeth and try again, because I must have that patchouli note!

 

Oro