Rakshasa

[LiberAmoris]

This haunting, exotic scent is named in honor of the shapeshifting demons from Hindu mythology. Sandalwood with rose and patchouli.

Rakshasa smells just like polished wood to me. I think it's quite lovely and very relaxing, good for meditation and long weekends. Unfortunately, on my skin a sour citrus note comes out---quite different from the scent in the vial.

I'm going to use this up in my oil burner, as it is just gorgeous until it hits my skin.

[Silvertree]

I've wanted to smell Rakshasa for quite some time. I love resinous scents, and I'm getting more and more into florals thanks to BPAL. So here goes....

 

Wet, in bottle: I smell... orange rind? Not the fruit, but the fresh, slightly bitter oil that oozes from the rind and coats your fingers when you're zesting an orange for cooking.

 

Wet, on skin: There's still some orange, but the bitterness is tempered by the gorgeous roses that unfold. There's the sandalwood, too- this is like lounging in a grand pavilion out in the wilds, with yards of silk rippling in the breeze and bouquets of roses thirstily sucking up precious water in huge enameled bowls. You lean back on the cushions, which release the scent of the sandalwood chests that hold the pillows and rugs and draperies when the tent isn't set up; the notes all blend into a harmonious whole.

 

Drydown: A true shapeshifter, Rakshasa changes from orange to rose/sandalwood to almost pure, dry wood. I still get hints of the oranges and roses, so I hope that those will return. If not, since it's just a bit too woody, I'll pass this on to my mom, who dearly loves sandalwood.

 

Wait a moment. Did it hear me? Now the roses are back, and some patchouli, as well as the orange. Now I'm getting wood polished with orange oil, a little bit of rose, and just a hint of patchouli, like a fresh (not dried) potpourri in a little wooden bowl. How peculiar that it morphs in this way... I quite like it, either way it decides to morph, but it's not the head-over-heels love I feel for some scents.

[pranashakti]

Wet - lots of roses! Gorgeous, dew covered, freshly cut roses (btw-not a rose fan per se-but trying to be!). And then there's lemon... Lemon? What the heck? The citrus disappears even more quickly than the roses did. No spice, sandalwood, or patchouli love for me. It very quickly morphs into a dusty, powdery, dry scent with just the slightest underpinning of rose and citrus - with something else "funky" and un-fun that I can't quite put my nose on. My quest for a rosy friend continues...off to a happier home!

[Muppetk]

Wet: Sandalwood, light rose, and lemon soap. I guess the lemon soap is the way patchouli combines the other notes, but wow. Sharp & instant headache.

 

10 min later: Okay, now this is more like it. Sandalwood rose the way I love it from bath & bodyworks, only woodier, and with a hint of patchouli. Very interesting. I hope it stays this scent!

 

20 min later: the lemon soap has lost its sharpness, but oddly rose is the first note to have worn off. It's usually one of the longest lasting ones on me. Mostly lemon (no clue why) & patchouli. Light, fresh, airy. Not what I was expecting.

 

2 hours later: and mosly light patchouli remains.

 

Overall: nice, interesting. Not quite what I was expecting. Probably a swap-pile imp. On the other hand, it would probably layer well with something rich and rose-like.

[Tesseljoan]

Rakshasa was a freebie from th elab. I honestly didn't think it was going to be any good... I mean, I hate roses and patchouli, and especially in combination (Zombie, Burial), and Sandalwood isn't a big favourite with me either.

 

This is pleasant and dry. I guess sandalwood and patchouli are the prominent notes, because I smell a pleasant earthy scent which isn't to much for me, and the roses are nowhere to be seen. I am surprised and I stand corrected regarding my thought s on patcouli and rose blends.

[tempete]

I seem to be on the prowl for a good rose and patchouli scent, so naturally I jumped at the chance to swap for Rakshasa. It starts out promisingly enough as a very beautiful blend of rose, patchouli and sandalwood, but unfortunately for me, dries down as a duet between patchouli and sandalwood with very little rose in sight. The search continues...

[blaqpearl]

At first sniff I can smell the sandalwood and patchouli and a few seconds later I smell the rose. On my skin all I smell is the rose which saddens me since I wanted more patchouli. Why does rose turn to nail polish remover on my skin. Now I know for certain, I can really do rose in large amounts.

[Shollin]

First sniff: The rakshasa I’m familiar with are weretigers, and there’s a certain feline slyness here, a contrast between cold rose and warm wood.

 

Wearing: When first on my skin, it’s very very rose. At a closer sniff, the wood comes out… they aren’t playing too well together, and that’s probably a skin chemistry thing.

[Scarlettfish]

This is all patchouli on me, with nay a rose in sight. Which is sad, because I love roses and am so-so on patchouli. So therefore I am so-so on this scent.

[nineveh]

I really like this one. The sandalwood is recognizable, but thankfully doesn't turn overly dry or powdery like it sometimes does on me. There's a good balance between the rose, sandalwood, and patchouli here.

 

This is an exotic, spicy, floral incense blend. It's a little bit sharp, but not offensively so. It also has good throw. Usually I can't smell oils unless I sniff right where I put them, but this one actually wafts on me.

 

Definitely a keeper.

[QueenFae]

This is a very clean, woodsy scent for me. The sandalwood is the top note, and the rose quietly shadows underneath, accompanied by the patchouli. It's a cedar, wooden chest type scent. It makes me think of those scented wooden eggs my mom used to put on drawers and trunks to keep them fresh. I like this one, its simple, but also has a bit of moxie to it. This would be a lovely room scent, I'm gonna try it in my oil burner.

[Xiabelle]

Bottle: Sharp sandalwood and patchouli. Isn’t there supposed to be rose in here?

 

Fresh on: Helloooo patchouli. I guess the sandalwood is in here too. Somewhere. It’s very woody, and it almost gives me a headache. This smells like a lumber store, after they’ve been cutting wood, or going into a new house after they’ve just sanded the hardwood floors, but before they’ve varnished. I’m not sure I want to smell like sawdust. It’s very masculine to me so far. An ex of mine would have been fabulous in this. Not so sure about the current one, since he doesn’t know how to wear scent or what he likes. As it’s drying, it’s really not changing any, either. I still can’t smell the rose. Maybe I’m just overwhelmed by the rest of it.

 

Is that rose? Hrm. Maybe. I still can’t quite tell as there’s still some really strong sawdust going on. But it’s rounding a bit. Sort of like crushed roses buried in sawdust, then lit with a stick on incense. It’s very incensey to me. It smells a bit like a scent I was given to mix in with my oil burner years ago. That might have been patchouli rose. I’m not sure. I didn’t like it.

 

After an hour and a half it’s finally got some recognizable rose, but too much patchouli still. This combination doesn’t seem to be working for me. It’s like the thorns of a rose rather than the rose itself.

 

I really wanted to like this, because it sounds so wonderful Such high hopes – my favorite commercial perfumes all have both sandalwood and patchouli, and one I made myself at Garden Botanika had a gorgeous sandalwood base. Maybe I'll try it again later, but it might have to be swapped.

 

I think I need to buy some single note oils so I can actually identify scents better.

[Dark Seraphim]

Ah! Another scent I have fallen in love with!

 

Bottle: Reminded me of Belle Epoque with it's lemon-like scent, but Rakshasha did not remind me of any perfume. It had a more powerful, feral scent.

 

On skin: Right here, the scent just pounced on me. It could have punched me in the face, and in a very good way too! Rakshasha just floored me. However, it was little different than what was in the bottle until drydown. Upon drydown, I get a very animalistic musky scent thrown in.

 

Overall, I just loved this scent to pieces. I felt like the being itself knocked me out. There's better scents out there for me, but I don't think there'll be too many. 8/10.

[olympia301]

I smell orange in here though it isn't named specifically in the description. Deceptively soft, this is a very lovely scent. I think the sandalwood goes very well indeed with that sort of orange-y start. The idea of polished wood, as was stated above, does give you a good idea of what's going on in this imp. On me the scent fades pretty quickly and it's not the soft and creamy sort of thing I fall in love with, but I am sure that a good home will be found for Rakshasa without much effort on my part.

[dcmo]

I also get the lemon scent in the first initial wet stage but it dries down pretty quickly and I'm left with a soft, sweet, tea rose with a gentle spiceness to it. In quite a few other perfume oils, my skin has really amped up the patchouli but it didn't happen in this case. In fact this has very little throw, and I have to sniff my arm directly where I've applied to smell anything at all. This is really pretty, feminine, delicate. I would say it would be perfect for spring.

[magdalene]

in the bottle: this is a very lemony rose, with sandalwood.

 

wet on skin: Patchouli and sandalwood warm up the rose, briefly elbowing the sweet-ish lemon scent out of the way. This is so creamy, it's ungodly.

 

dry: This gets a bit musky towards the end of the dry down, but other then that, it's nigh on perfect.

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

Too yummy for words. Smells like oranges but kicked up a notch.

 

On

OMG this is beautiful. It's a spicy orange (I swear I smell orange) and then the rose is underneath and becoming a bit more strong, and then this smell like cinnamon tea or something. Thus far I'd be getting a 10ml of this soon. Where am I picking up the orange smell, is that the sandalwood and my nose is twisting it around? *scratches head*

 

30 minutes

Now it's more like yummy candied orange peel but with spices and rose added. The patchouli's there but it's not the primary note, it blends into the background in this blend.

*slurp*

 

Throw:

a bit

 

Scent category:

fruity/spicy/floral

 

Summary

It's citrussy spicy with a the rose not being primary but sort of supporting the other notes.

 

Purchase again?

Yes, a 10ml. Best "orange" scent since Seraglio.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

5

[HoneyHoneyNY]

I thought that I didn't like patchouli, but BPAL is giving me choices that change my mind. First Imp, and now Rakshasa.

 

In the imp, this has a sharp citrusy smell that makes me think "oh no, does this have neroli in it"? I'm afraid because I just had a bad neroli experience with another scent, but I bravely dab it on.

 

On my skin I sniff it suspiciously, but there's no neroli here. I get a strong note of citrus rose, like rose jam, or rose syrup, or honey and rosehip tea. It reminds me of the rose in persephone. What keeps this strong juicy rose from being too cloying is an underpinning of dry spiciness. The dryness I attribute to the sandalwood and patchouli, but I don't know where the spicy smell is coming from.

 

As this dries, the rose looses some its juiciness, and moves gracefully into the background blending nicely with the sandalwood, patchouli, and undefined spice. It's soft, exotic and sensual without screaming out "Hey I'm sexy" It's also not too rich, so that this could be worn every day.

 

I've been trying various rose scents looking for something like this. It's rosy, but not too floral or sweet. This is definitely going on my bottle list.

Edited August 15, 2005 by HoneyHoneyNY

[Blueelm]

Oh this gives me a headache. Just realized this is my standard reaction to rose. I'm not surprised. Rose, but it also reminds me of this dried orange and cinnamon pot pourri my mom used to make. Maybe I should give this to her to try.

 

The spices in this are nice. This would make a good room scent around the winter holidays.

 

As the scent progresses the rose fades into the background and the spices come out more.

 

A good scent, but not right for me.

[Miss Lynx]

Mmm, I like this. On me, it's strongly rose (I think I've mentioned elsewhere that my skin tends to amp florals), but a rose that I can actually wear, because it's tempered with earthy notes that keep it from turning into floral overkill.

 

It's interesting -- I think I can smell various things in it that aren't in the description. As some people have mentioned, there's a tea-like edge to it; one of the things it brings to mind to me is a limited-edition tea that Twinings once released that had dried rose petals in it. I really liked that tea, and almost cried when mine ran out, so it's nice to be reminded of it. And there do seem to be faint notes of fruit, and spice, and something decidedly green. It's kind of a cross between that rose tea, the scent of an Indian store selling incense, and the smell of fresh roses out in a garden mixed with scent of grass, leaves and earth.

 

Quite nice, and close enough to a "normal" perfume that I could probably wear it to business meetings, as long as I put it on lightly -- it does seem a bit strong (at least for the first hour or so -- it dies down considerably after that).

 

I still don't quite see how it relates to shapeshifting tiger-demons, but hey, maybe they like roses.

 

Edit (a couple of weeks later): Having tried it a few more times, my enthusiasm for it is waning a bit. It's still not a bad scent, but it suffers a bit from my skin's tendency to amp florals, which makes it more rosey than I would really prefer. I think I would like it better if it had about half the amount of rose in comparison to the other notes. Oh well, maybe I need to try something earthier with just a little rose -- Burial or Zombi or something.

 

Grade: B (was B+)

Edited September 3, 2005 by Miss Lynx

[PurringPulsar]

Rakshasa

 

In the imp: woody patchouli with a hint of rose.

Wet on skin: mmm, sandalwood! And patchouli, blended nicely together, with just a bit of rose.

Dry on skin: the sandalwood is really strong in this, quite 'green' smelling in fact, with the patchouli darkening it a bit. This is a lovely, exotic woody scent. The rose is in the background-it makes the blend interesting by adding just a hint of something floral.

After a while: I dunno, but there's something about this scent that's smelling a bit off, a bit strange, for me? It's weird because I normally adore sandalwood and rose, and I like patchouli, but this smells a bit astringent, a bit sickly, on me? Maybe it's hormonal? I dunno, but I really wanted to like this scent.

However, this icky stage doesn't last, and it dries down to a nice soft sandalwood scent.

Verdict: at first this was a lovely sandalwood-patchouli scent, with a bit of rose, but then it went all weird on me. There was something about it I wasn't keen on, despite the fact that I get on with the notes in this blend. But this doesn't last, and it dries down to pretty much just sandalwood, which is nice, but I would have preferred the other notes to remain. Maybe I should try this blend again at another time in my monthly cycle? Sometimes I hate my skin chemistry-which usually stays stable but tends to surprise me by turning unexpected scents off at unexpected times…I really wanted to like this scent, and maybe I might give it another try another time, but for now, I think it'll be swapped off.

[brownbear]

I tried this one about a month ago and couldn't decide if I liked it or not. Now after trying it a second time I love it!

 

This is really weird, but when I sniffed the imp I got a strong orangey note or maybe oranges and neroli. I know there isn't any orange in here, but still.

 

After the spicy orange stage it goes into beautiful rose and sandalwood. Not too girly and not too floral. Just right. The patchouli doesn't come out all that strong. Thank goodness. I don't like a heavy patchouli.

 

yum yum yum I can't believe I was thinking of swapping this.

 

ETA: ha ha I just read some other posts and I'm not the only one to get oranges.

 

E again TA: I was just given another imp of this and it smells so differnt this time. I get very very very dry wood. No rose and no orange. Weird.

Edited November 11, 2005 by brownbear

[Little Bird]

I love patchouli and I like sandalwood, but roses sometimes do bad things with my skin chemistry. Not so with Rakshasa. The rose doesn't go soapy or powdery, it is a lovely sweet rose. Delicate and has an almost candy-like smell to it.

 

The rose is the main thing that I smell for the first half hour. Sweet rose with spicy patchouli and incensy sandalwood behind it. Then the rose starts to fade away and the patchouli and sandalwood come to the foreground. I love it. It's sweet and spicy and sensual.

 

This might be a 5 ml purchase for me.

[slugbait]

I think this was a freebie from the lab. Thanks to whomever this came from!

 

In the imp this smelled like a sharp floral. My aunt was visiting from Texas and tried this one out. It smelled beautiful on her, like sandalwood, rose and orange with a bit of spice. On me, it started out a bit spicy, but then turned into pencil shavings.

 

I ended up swapping it to a good home.

[Orodemniades]

Ah.

 

Admittedly, I've only been wearing this for about 15 minutes, but dear gods, something in this has gone to soap. And whatever it is, it's the same note(s) that's in Spellbound and makes that equally unwearable.

 

 

ETA: yeah, wet, this is all bitter orange with 'stuff'. Sandalwood became predominant as it dried, then sandalwood with a hint of rose, then my nose fell off. I don't know what's gone soapy, but, it's very annoying.

 

Oro, glad she only bought an imp

Edited October 7, 2005 by Orodemniades