Visiting the Temple of Auspicious Fortune Alone on the Winter Solstice

[femmefatale]

Deep at the bottom of the well no warmth has yet returned,
The rain which sighs and feels so cold has dampened withered roots.
What sort of man at such a time would come to visit the teacher?
As this is not a time for flowers, I find I've come alone.

Temple incense, rain, and dust.

Wow. I get to be the first to review this.

At first this is all salty aquatic (in the bottle and on the skin). It smells mostly like a typical rain cologne scent or rain room scent. Where is my beautiful incense??? Where is my dust???

As it begins to dry, I begin to catch the barest hint of something dusty. Still not much incense. There is something slightly sweet in the background, but I was really hoping for a deeper scent with a touch of rain, but nope, this is all rain on me. Hopefully with some time the incense will come out more. It's very nice how it is, just not the scent I was so hoping for.
Maybe it would work better on hubby.

ETA: I'm not giving up on this yet. After a while it has something interesting in the back I can't quite catch. And somehow, they really did get the dust in this. It makes me very nostalgic for when we used to live near the water, but it's not at all what I would call a summer scent. I can't wait to see what it'll be like after it's sat for a little while.

ETA again: After only a few days of settling, I do think I am catching a bit of the incense. It's more of a darker, slightly sweeter impression, ye is somehow stays very bright smelling. I keep sniffing it to see if I can pin it down, but I can't. It's a beautifully frustrating scent. LOL

[Lycanthrope]

Oh my.

 

I wasn't expecting this kind of smell, it's very much initially a lot like Christmas Rose, that sort of sweetish effervescent lemon-lime aroma, which does not to me pull out rain and dusty temple incense. As it dries down on my skin it starts actually smelling more like cola, as there is an undercurrent of something... spicy... but overall totally not what I was expecting.

 

Not quieting or calming to me, it actually is a very perky scent. I dunno. It's definitely running its own niche with Religious Soda!

[Halloqueen2]

This was not exactly what I expected, either. I was expecting less rain and more incense, but it seems the rain may have drowned the incense out! I get a really strong, really authentic rain note which is extremely nice. I don't think I've ever smelled anything that close to the real thing. It has a cold, lonely feel to it, but at the same time, it's sweeter then you would expect. I also get a bit of dust in the back of my nose after a big sniff. I don't particularly fancy smelling like wet dust, but it's not strong enough to really bother me. In spite of all my grousing, this really is a lovely scent. Very appropriate for November. If you like rain, night blooming flowers (this has no floral, just the general atmosphere you get with night blooming flowers), and are looking for a "sweeter" scent that's not floral or sugar, you might want to give this a try. Lovers of "The Shivering Boy" will probably like this, as it's in the same family, only this does not have the dreaded "grape koolaid" syndrome, and there doesen't seem to be any greenery or pine in it. Maybe some aging will bring out the incense. That would be lovely. Seems fairly long lasting with light/medium throw. (Mmmm....wonder what would happen if I did a little mixing with Cathedral?....)

[Gwydion]

In bottle: The rain and incense create an atmosphere of contemplation on a rainy day. It’s quite pleasant. Wet: I am surprised there is no wood in this. I am guessing what I’m smelling is “dust.” The rich round almost pregnant scent of the incense blends well with the sharp dampness of the rain. I’m fascinated by that strange third “dust” element which has a grounding effect on the more ethereal elements. Dry: Mostly sandalwood, but the other elements support it nicely.

[tartchef]

Just a mini-review, based on a quick skin-test at shelldoo's today:

 

Wet, this is grapefruit soda, of all things - white grapefruit juice cut with ice-cold seltzer. Once dry, it shifts quickly from grapefruit to a really gorgeous rain note - cold & high & wet, tangy-sweet with a trace of opium smoke. This was a big surprise, incredibly fresh without that "clean" masculine edge that I get from a lot of Beth's aquatics & ozones.

 

Really evocative, and quite possibly worth tracking down a partial....

 

ETA: Make that a full bottle Visiting the Temple... has quietly worked its way into my regular rotation, filling a void I didn't even know was there. My bottle has less Fresca & more dry ginger & grapefruit sparkler when wet, and the drydown reveals the big warm raindrops that later reviewers are noting. The opium is joined by a lovely dry sandalwood, very warm & round, not the needly-sharp white variety.

 

Beautiful, and a complete & total keeper - this will be fantastic year-round

Edited December 15, 2008 by tartchef

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i was so excited about this blend!

but, er, what i got is most assuredly *not* temple incense, rain, or dust. at least, not any incense, rain or dust i've ever encountered. maybe on some other planet where incense smells like 409, it rains Fresca, and the dust smells like a cosmo.

 

fans of Swank & The Hamptons will probably love this. possibly even fans of Dirty.

 

it is okay, but not for me. i'm glad i got to try it but i'll never reach for it.

[angelicruin]

In the imp: I get dust or dirt, not sure which. Not very pleasant.

 

Wet on the skin: Still just dust on my skin.

 

Drydown: Dust and a bit of incense. I get no aquatic with this oil.

 

Not for me.

[surlygurl]

I purchased this decant as a traveling companion to a scent I *really* wanted (which was icky on me). I got lucky with this scent

 

In the vial - kinda incensy, but mostly "rain"

On my skin - Rain. Sweet cleansing rain. Bright but not cheery, if that makes sense. As it dried, it all but disappears. I think "Oh damn. Well, it was lovely while it lasted". But then I fanned the area towards me, and I smelled something...... unique. Incense. But not heavy permeate-your-clothes kind of incense. Distant wisps of incense carried on the sweet rain. Very pretty.

 

Still, it's not long lasting and it doesn't have alot of throw. But it is very pretty. Is it bottle worthy? Maybe.

[Seismogenic]

I was very intrigued by this one, though more for the rain and dust than for the incense. Rain is not something we get much where I live, and yet it's a nice smell when it happens. We do, however, have plenty of dust, and that's geological enough to tickle my fancy even more.

 

In the imp: A cold and wet smell with a bit of citrusy bite.

 

Wet on skin: Still cold and wet, to the point where my nose feels cold when I sniff, but the citrus aspect goes byebye the second it hits my skin.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, the smell has already faded, though I still definitely get the wetness of the rain, and now also the dryness of the dust. No incense yet, though. At the one hour mark, it's still cold fresh rain on the dusty ground, or possibly even the dirty pavement. It's not citrusy anymore, and it's only incensey if I really think about it hard.

 

Five hours later: Cold rain on dusty pavement, still. One would expect the dust would be mud if it had been raining for that five hours, but this still smells like the drizzle started recently enough to still be able to find some dry dust.

 

End of the day: The slightest hint of something ozoney.

 

Overall: I didn't get any of the temple incense mentioned in this blend, but what I did get was an incredibly evocative temperate winter scent. This is "chilled" in the parts of the world that don't actually get enough chill for snow. If anything, this could be winter in Riverside, when rain finally comes late in the year and clears all the dust off of everything. It may be a little desolate, but it's also purifying. While I'm curious what the incense would have added to this blend, I also think it's fantastic as it is on my skin.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp i have to agree with the other reviewer regarding smelling a similar to xmas rose...

 

this is dusty incense....superbly dry...a touch of gin perhaps...

 

once applied i smell big, fat, raindrops with loads of dust...that is what is making the incense...this is just

too interesting....the throw is pretty good as well...

[stillalive]

ohhh, lovely! It's like a nice soap with a hint of a dusty citrus note... I actually really like it! I almost feel like I sniff an appley note, but I think it's just the incense or dust. Definitely an interesting imp, must try again later.

[MCS4096]

In the Bottle: I also get a primarily Sprite-lemon-lime effervescent quality, but the incense is definitely discernible. This is my first experience with the lab's "rain" note, so I can't really comment there. But it does seem much cleaner than I was expecting. In my mind what I hoped for was that "wet rain on a hot dusty parking lot" scent (by the way, if anyone can make a recommendation for a scent like that let me know ) mixed with incense.. this is almost it but not quite.

 

Wet: *sneeze* wow! There's the dust.. I guess! I think the effervescent lemon lime died back a bit and that's actually the "dust" note. wow.. one of the most interesting things I've smelled. Boy, it's amazing how scent brings back memories.. I swear this smells like a perfume I had when I was in grade school called like "Rain" or something, by the company that made "Love's Baby Soft" (I just googled it right now, and yes that's the name and I'm positive it smelled similar to this!) I never would have been able to describe that perfume if asked, but when I smelled this.. it just came into my head. I'm back at Christmas the year I got my first set of perfumes, which was a collection of Love's Baby Soft -esqe ones.

 

Dry: This dried while I was having the above walk down memory lane So I didn't really notice a transition. This still smells pretty clean to me, but there is a nose tickle to it

Edited December 5, 2008 by MCS4096

[diamondstars]

Fresh, aquatic and maybe masculine.

I certainly can't smell any incense unfortunately. I was imaginging something like All Souls.

Swap box!

[rayvn1]

This was the Yule I was most anticipating and I'm so happy with how it's turning out! I have Sturgeon Moon on one arm to compare the rain vs. ocean and Visiting is much less about sea water and more about cold (really cold!) rain with a darkness in the background that seems like the dust in the description. No incense so far, but I'm guessing that will crop up much later if at all. One of the reasons I got into BPAL was in a search for a "just when the rain is beginning" scent and this is great for that so far - best BPAL representation I've found so far

[themerrybaker]

This was and wasn't what I expected: I expected Asian incense as opposed to church incense and that was pretty accurate. I expected aquatic and got it - also pretty accurate. The unexpected: big fat warm raindrops!! Not a bad thing to get happy instead of dreary! I am also surprised at the amount of sillage and generally happy (in a big fat warm raindroppy way) with the Temple.

[marared]

Rain and dust. Not cold rain, though - warm rain, on a path somewhere in Thailand, Vietnam, etc, with a vague hint of incense in the distance. I can see how the scent translates into grapefruit for some people - it does have a mild tang to it that's almost citrus, but it's part of the rain scent to it.

 

It's a very pleasant and mild scent, and I think it would be best for evocative purposes - meditating, sitting down and writing, activities along those lines.

 

Oof, gotta edit - it ended up going sour on my skin after about an hour. Very sad.

Edited December 12, 2008 by marared

[iiinterstate]

I had no expectations for this scent at all, only curiosity. Aquatic, but not too light. The rain note smells more like ocean to me, but sweeter. I don't get the dust note... at least I don't think so.

 

Sadly this is a little too generic smelling for my tastes, but I'll hang on to the decant for a little while... just in case.

[Little Bird]

I’m always intrigued by rain scents, but the only fragrance I’ve ever had that really smelled like rain to me was CB I Hate Perfume’s “Wet Pavement London” (which I love and adore - it really smells like rain on pavement). I digress.

 

Visiting the Temple of Auspicious Fortune Alone on the Winter Solstice reminds me of an ocean scented candle that I had once upon a time. Very sweet aquatic. I get a hint of something like a sharp, refreshing citrus at first, that's also a bit ozone-y (which translates into something like grapefruit scented dryer sheets on me).

 

In the drydown, I can smell the dust. Some of bpal’s amber notes go to dry, powdery dustiness on me, and that’s what it smells like here. The Temple is an interesting concept, but I can’t see myself wearing this much, if ever. It seems more like a scent that was meant to be in a candle, not on my skin. It makes me think of rain/ocean scented candles collecting dust on a shelf, and fades pretty fast.

 

It's interesting, and I appreciate that it doesn't go insanely soapy on me. I wish that I could smell the incense, though. This is probably heading to my swap pile.

[slave1]

Visiting the Temple of Auspicious Fortune Alone on the Winter Solstice

 

In Bottle: Ozone and incense

 

On Skin: This is an interesting combination. The rain note is cold and aquatic, while the incense is warm and smoky. The dust is dry and powdery and all together this scent is alive with contrasts. The notes don’t seem to be working on me though, I can’t really *feel* it. There is a citrus note I smell as well, making the scent a bit sour on me. The scent is a bit effervescent, like a soda… maybe lemon lime? While it is an interesting scent that really makes me think, it’s not one I can see myself wearing. Average throw and average to long wearlength.

[forspecial_plate]

Out of all the Yule update, I chose this scent to order without hunting down a decant first. I really wanted a fresh rain scent, and the promise of incense sounded even better. Visiting smells pretty much exactly how I was hoping it would! It's fresh and uplifting, a little more cheerful than the title and description would suggest. I can't really pick out the incense separately, but it is present. I don't get a whole lot of dust. To me, this isn't so much a cold, wintry rain, as it is a mild March or April rain.......just as the cold of winter is lifting, but before spring has really set in. I do get a little of the effervescent quality that the other reviews are mentioning, but it stops short of being 'fizzy'. Visiting is a very light scent, and fades pretty fast, which is fine since I went straight for a whole bottle, and I can freely apply as much as I want. This is another one of those truly neutral scents as far as gender is concerned. I don't feel that it's masculine or feminine.

 

I imagine it must be difficult to make a scent like this, without having it smell like soap, shampoo, or shower gel. If that's true, this is a wonderful example of how it can be done. I have absolutely no clue of what the 'real' notes are in this scent, and I think it might be fascinating to find out, although it would take away the mystery, of course.

[Ginspu]

I chose to buy this unsniffed, too, both for the theme and the notes. It's strange, maybe, but I'm getting almost no rain or aquatic at all out of this. In the bottle, and at first application it was very strong inscense, almost overpowering. But as soon as it dried, it got a bit softer, and the dust note came out. It was at that point that I got a second or two of the aquatic note, which then dissapreared almost immediately. It remained a nice dusty inscense all day, even after Attack of the Chocolate Lab Puppy (who, when I wear BPAL, loves that I haz a flavr and licks me repeatedly on any spot where I may have applied BPAL). Also, very happily for me, this is reminiscent of Order of the Dragon - The Castle, but without the note that turned creamy on me. So yeah, a definite keeper.

[greenranger]

I bought this on impulse, as I had a sharp insistent craving for the scent of rain. We hadn't had much at the time(since then we have had lots, of course) and that clean wet scent was something I was missing rather intensely.

 

This actually does have a little bit of that clean wet scent, though certainly not as much as a real rainstorm. The rest of the scent, the incense and the dust, I find very like the Parliament of Monsters from the Carnivale.

 

My skin has been really dry lately and scents have not been staying that usually do, so my review of how long it lasts will have to wait for more typical local weather.

[MeiLin]

This is the BPAL that finally convinced me aquatics are not for me. Not quite to the GAAAAH! level of almond *shiver*, but almost.

[Argentwolf]

The good news: It smells exactly like it says it's supposed to. One instantly gets an air of fine, misty rain, permeated by the dust on one's sandals, and the incense burning in the sheltering temple atop the mountain. It's beautiful, and it sums up the concept of 'rain' perfectly.

 

The bad news: It lasts about six seconds on me, then evaporates.

 

I can see how some reviewers get a 'Sprite' vibe from it. There's definitely a citrus/lime tone to it, probably to preserve that fresh, purifiying aquatic quality of the perfume. I rather liked it.

[FallDaze]

Initial thoughts-> Hopefully the dust doesn't take over.

 

imp-> a very sharp aquatic, but I can easily detect a swirling cloud of incense and dust in the background.

 

wet-> the incese is definitely making it's presence known. Still very aquatic and almost lemony. Oh, and still sharp.

 

after a while-> the rain note is still the top note. The incense adds a soft and smokey-ness which tries to soften the edge of the rain note. The rain does eventually lose it's sharpness though, and the end result is very, pretty.