Tzadikim Nistarim

[SeaMonkey]

... The scent is one of unadulterated spiritual purity, with a taste of the world's eternal pathos, and the joy of suffering with grace: frankincense, olive, spikenard, hyssop and galangal.

I had several dreams about this scent....just the name, like I could see myself writing it in my dream, so I added it as an imp in my last imp pack. Its very much like tropical fruit, which I wasn't expecting. I thought there would be more olive. It almost smells like pineapple and mango juice (*sings "freshly squeezed mango juiiiiice"*)

There's a slight wood undertone to it. I'm glad I got it........I just wonder why I kept dreaming about it Edited December 31, 2005 by Shollin

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Woody, but sweet.

 

On: Like the majority of people, I get a fruit scent. My first impression was banana-ish, but juicier... then pineappley-peachy. Then the woody and green notes make a subtle appearance, underneath the sweet, fresh fruit smell. I'm reminded of an entire fruit tree - the branches, leaves and blossoms as well as the fruit. And the fruit itself is something familiar, but nonexistent - I'm picturing golden non-citrus fruits, with the texture of green grapes - very juicy and slightly transluscent.

 

I never would have ordered this based on the notes. What a great surprise!

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 5/5

Summarised in a word or two: Herbal melon!

 

In the imp: Hmm. Fruity, but not sweet, and just a bit herbal.

 

On skin, wet: Just a tad sweet and fruity, like melon, and very fresh and herbal. Very, very nice.

 

On skin, dry: I really, really like this. I really don't know what olive is supposed to smell like in this, and I have very limited experience with spikenard and galangal. I might not know what exactly I'm sniffing, but I know I love it.

 

Conclusion: I never, ever would have ordered this myself. Once again, the Lab surprises me in a most wonderful way. I definitely see a 5ml in my future.

Edited May 10, 2006 by Aredhel

[TrinitySydney]

I wanted this oil specifically for mood---I love the story it's dedicated to. Because of the story I was expecting something a little more...somber.

 

What I do smell right off the bat is peach, cedar (!!) and more peach. Not a soft juicy peach like in Fae, but more a sharp not-quite-ripe peach. The first five minutes are not beautiful to me. But after about ten, I think that's the olive jumping in as the peach and cedar are softening up.

 

After 20 minutes, there's something else too (this is getting complicated). It's sweet, but I can't identify it so I wonder if it's the spikenard. Whatever it is it really takes the edge off the cedar (which I don't like in a perfume), so it's a welcome savior.

 

1 hour: these things have really melded together nicely, despite the fact that they definitely don't sound like they would. This is an interesting creation. I don't know if it will be the comforting, holy scent I'd hoped for, but it's an interesting and pleasant one nonetheless. I have a 5ml and I'm not sorry I got it.

[GemmaCat]

In the imp: a sweet, unusual smell that I can't place.

 

On my skin, initial: still sweet, a hint of something floral, and a green undertone like freshly cut saplings.

 

Drydown: sweet and fresh. Really quite beautiful. I still can't place any of the individual notes, though!

[fiddledragon]

Scent in bottle: So, by "unadulterated spiritual purity", they apparantly mean "mango". I am deeply confused. Sniffing further I can distinguish the frankincense and galangal, but the combination of all those ingredients results in a remarkably accurate fresh mango scent. Yum....but....huh??

 

Scent on me:

Wet -- Still mango. I have no clue what olive, spikenard, or hyssop smell like, but it's herbs and resins and ginger and combined it still becomes mango.

Dry -- Now it's not quite so overpoweringly mango and the individual scents are distinguishable. If only I knew what they were! It's a lovely sweet herbal resin fruit kind of smell.

 

Conclusion: Mango. Bizzarely lovely mango and herbs and resins. I like it. I may have to get a bottle just because I find it so deeply confusing. And it genuinely smells good on me.

[Celestyna]

When it first goes on, you think of spicy Peach Schnappes.

 

Thenn... it gets more herbally, i'm smelling the frankencinse.

And looots of smooth fruit... mainly peach (although it doesn't say peach, that's what it ends up as on me).

 

This is the fruitiest scent i've ever liked.

[Miss Lynx]

This one had been on and off my wish list a few times, as I debated whether or not I would like it, but I eventually got to try it at the most recent Toronto Meet'n'Sniff.

 

It wasn't bad, but I was fairly underwhelmed, on the whole. It's a slight sweet, slightly spicy herbal scent with bitter medicinal undertones. Odd that so many people in this thread seem to have gotten fruit from it -- I didn't get that at all.

 

It's not unpleasant, but not very exciting either -- nothing really makes it stand out on my skin, it's just sort of there, and smells vaguely like I'd been playing around with random herbs or essential oils with no particular purpose in mind. The different notes just sort of sit there without really interacting or ever forming anything greater than the sum of their parts.

 

Grade: C

[Eunice]

This reminds me of the pink medicine I had to take as a child. It isn't nasty or gag-inducing though. Tzadikim Nistarim is really rather lovely with the light sweetness. All the ingredients are blended so well that I cannot make out individual scents. Slightly fruity, slightly creamy and just barely floral and green. I am more attracted to this the longer I wear it.

[ajcj213499]

I was able to try this as a part of Quikslvr's GC Cicle Swap.

 

I wasn't very farmiliar with many of the notes in this, so I wasn't really sure what to expect...

 

TZ is sweet and slightly fruity, but different from any other fruity blends that I've tried. Very different and nice. This one requires further testing.

[moonarcana]

reviewed courtesy of Quikslver's GC circle swap

 

 

Tzadikim Nistarim

 

first sniff: fruity - very clear and fresh like white grape juice.

 

tested wet: there's a mixture of things going on here, overall still fruity but there's a slight incense whiff and a mild bright floral note overlayed with a nice leafy herbaceousness.

 

tested dry: I really can't quite describe it...it's a very 'live' kind of herbal smell.

 

conclusion: I very much like this and will put it on my imp wish list.

 

3/5

[portalkat]

I tried this because I was looking for something that I might like as much as Manila which has been my true love.

 

In the bottle - Fruity and slightly floral with sweet woods.

 

On skin - I can smell the Frankincense in the background and it reminds me of high mass in the Catholic church.

 

I like the combination of the fruits and sweet resins with the bit of spiciness. I will definitely be buying a bigger bottle - or two even though I am still faithful to Manila. This a really gorgeous scent.

[edenssixthday]

Tzadikim Nistarim initially smells sweet and floral when I apply it, but as it dries down, it becomes sharp and sour on my skin. It smells like a rotten vegetable. I’m not familiar with several of those notes in this scent, so I’m not sure which one is the culprit, but I’m going to be keeping a close eye out for them to see if I can find out which one turns on me so much. It fortunately sticks very close to my skin, although the staying power is moderate.

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Peach - or maybe that's pineapple.

 

On me: This is a very strange scent, but I like it. I definitely smell the fruit, but there's also a musk that cuts the juiciness, and something else that's sweet - that must be spikenard. This smells warm and sweet on my skin, almost like a sweetened skin musk. I like it.

 

Verdict: Unique, complex scent. Keeping the imp for sure, but I don't think I need a bottle.

 

Rating: 3/5

[filigree_shadow]

This smells exactly like a weed smelled in the field behind my house growing up. I don't know why, I have no idea what note is causing that. It's a sweet weedy scent. It's a little unsettling to me. I think it may be the spikenard -- I smelled spikenard oil once and thought it was revolting. But anyway, I really don't like this blend at all.

[juniperus]

Bottle: the green of that spikenard is right at the front, and sharp. behind I can catch the olive, but the other notes are far back - like extreme perspective in a drawing.

Wet: the floral behind the green is more evident. this is terribly interesting.

Dry: I'm catching the frankincense now, and another note, although I'm not sure if it might be the hyssop or galangal...it's a brighter floral note.

Later: the sharpness of the green has softened some, but this is still an unexpected and very complex combination to my nose. jury's out on this one.

[euterpe414]

In the vial, this smelled very "meh" and fruity to me but when I took the plunge and applied it to my wrists....

Oh yum! This smells like fresh olives and frankincense on my skin. There is a woodsy smell, which i am guessing is the galangal, that comes into and out of the smell intermittently. I can't stop inhaling my wrists! This has moderate lasting power, thankfully, for I think I will need a bottle in the near future.

 

ETA: This has become my favorite blend for mixing with bath and body products. It works fabulously in lotion, scrubs, what have you- it adds a luxurious scent that is not too heavy but definitely exotic.

Edited April 7, 2007 by euterpe414

[kakiphony]

In the imp: Interesting. This is sweeter and lighter than I was expecting, with less bitterness. I'm getting more of the "purity" than the "pathos". It's very golden.

 

Wet: Still light and sweet, but with an herbal undertone that is green and reminds me of how it smells as I walk down through the woods to the lake on a summer day.

 

Early dry down: This just keeps getting sweeter. At this point, it's a sharp, high, and sweet, yet green, floral. It reminds me of Litha.

 

Late dry down: This is really gorgeous. After an hour, the sweetness is still there, but has faded into my skin. It's a sweet, green blend with a slightly spicy base note that just smells fresh, clean and really delightful. It still reminds me of how Litha develops on me, and that's a very good thing. Yay! Another one that works!!!!

[kwelge]

Imp: Is that.. pineapple? And peach?? So confused.

 

Wet: Slightly sweet, golden PINEAPPLE!! YUM! (I ADORE pineapple. I find it slightly weird to smell it on myself, though.

 

Dry: The pineapple-y scent is tamed a little by something more solemn and also golden -- maybe the olive leaf or some wood note? Not sure, but it's herbally/leafy. The two notes kind of cycle - one sniff is pineapple, the next is the more restrained note. Interesting!

 

Verdict: Still kind of confused, but this is cool. How brilliant! Might be worth a bottle later, but definitely keeping the imp for now.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Soft woody tones and a little bit of pineapple peel, yes!

 

Wet: Very woodsy, and oooh, olive tree. That's a lovely scent! It smells just like the South of France. It starts sweetening with frankincense, and developing all kinds of vegetal scents.

 

Drydown: This smells like all kinds of things... olive trees, incense, wood, and generally it makes me think of the scent. It does smell a little bit like a pineapple fruit, including the peel and leaves, but that's not the first thing it makes me think of. I'm reminded of wooden boxes from a market that have taken on the smell of the herbs they contained, early in the morning.

 

Overall: It's a nice scent, but the incense does come on a bit strong after a while. I think I'm allergic to frankincense, so this'll probably be going bye-bye. Still, it's an interesting pleasant scent, with a vegetal feel that reminds me of bananas, pineapples and other things you'd find on a fruit&veg market. It's soft and comforting.

[strangemusic]

Tzadikim Nistarim is the clarion scent of trumpets, ringing triumphant. I smell a balsamic sort of pine, freshly crushed; overall, a glowingly ripe, goldenly peach-colored scent, akin to fullest sunrise. Benevolent, encompassing jewels, spinning, light catching their polished facets, with the balsam-like scent more elevated than the resins (well melded and faint in the background, reminiscent of the same effect that the labdanum had in Magdalene.)

 

So I put this on, already entranced by both the story and the scent, and got sucked into these lovely forums for a good, long while. I'm reading along, chuckling over rants about the films we all love to hate, when I smelled something ... really good. I flailed around a bit trying to find the source of the scent, and finally realized it was me. My goodness, this is delicious-- resonant, full, swirling at the very rear of the space where nasal passage and esophagus meet, with an odd yet fitting ring of near-citrus, a fantasy of holiness and world-enfolding compassion.

 

CP from my LJ, dated 2 Sep 2006 and slightly edited

[The_Merf]

In the imp: I see where people are getting the pineapple scent, but I'm pretty sure I recognize the spikenard and some of the olive.

 

Wet: This smells very close to the oils that I work with in church, but not exactly. The olive is strongest.

 

Drydown and wear: The herbs--I'm guessing the hyssop in particular--start to emerge as the scent dries. I'm actually reminded a bit of Neftertiti here. There is a very pure and sanctified quality to this oil. It's also got great throw. I'm having great luck with the imps I'm trying on this go-around; this is another one that I'll be holding onto.

[tinyvulture]

A surprisingly fruity scent. Pineapple, peach and grapes maybe? There are also some soft spices, but nothing that screams ‘frankincense’ or any of the other notes that are listed! So I’m a bit confused. But if I ignore the description and my expectations, and judge the scent for what it is, I do like it. Spicy fruit. Not bad.

[steffanina]

Tzadikim Nistarim-

 

In Bottle: Interesting! Creamy and fruity.

 

Wet: A burst of evergreen.

 

Dry: This stayed light evergreen on me the whole way, though it faded fairly quickly. Wish I'd had more of that creamy/fruity bottle scent.

 

Overall: Not bad. Will keep.

[Malista]

I’m surprised I haven’t posted a review of Tzadikim Nistarim yet. It’s my guaranteed-to-lower-my-blood-pressure blend, and one of my rotating sleep blends.

 

This and TAL’s White Light are the two best spikenard blends I have ever run across. Spikenard is a complex scent – I have a small amount of pure spikenard oil, and it’s amazing all by itself. I can understand why it has been loved and used for both sacred and secular purposes for more than 2000 years. Most of the fruit and the deep, thick sweetness y’all are smelling is the spikenard (olive may add some fruitiness as well, but the sweet fruits are part of how spikenard smells). That said, it’s soooooo sweet that blending it with the olive, sweet-herbal hyssop, spicy-incensy frankincense and very green, slightly gingery galangal was the perfect way to go. Considering that only the spikenard and the hyssop could be considered as florals, it’s surprisingly floral on, but not a classic floral bouquet type scent; it goes deeper.

 

And that is how TN presents on my skin; perfectly balanced, sweet but not cloying, uplifting but not insipid. It smells, to me, ancient, clean, and relaxing. If Spiritual Purity has a scent, I can very well believe that this is it. It’s certainly the nearest I will ever come to emitting the Odor of Sanctity. Its effects are very similar to those of White Light, on me; I put it on (a little goes a very long way; this is a scent one wears like a halo) and feel the sharp edges rounding, and the rough bits smoothing out. I’m not kidding about lowering my blood pressure. It’s the only non-TAL oil I consciously use to mood alter. That it smells so gorgeous is a huge bonus.