Seraphim

[melrose]

A perfume sacred to the highest of the angelic hosts: calla lily, wisteria, white sandalwood, Damascus rose and frankincense.

In imp: Subtle, ethereal, flowers.

On, wet: White flowers, something sharp underneath.

Near drydown: Eh. Drugstore generic.

Far drydown: Weird herbs. Yuck.

[lunaticana]

wowza! wisteria attack

but hey, it's nice and pretty aswell

but really, still VERY STRONG on my skin, the lily is beautiful!

only the frankincense makes it a little to much for me to wear..

[asciident]

Wet: Strong florals, headed up by a big rose scent.

 

First on: WAY too strong for me.

 

Dry: Overwhelmingly rosy.

[rayvn1]

Very light and faint spicy white flowers. Pleasant and ethereal, but not lasting on my skin very long. Pretty, though!

 

[cinderfallen]

Seraphim is one of those blends where I blink and go, Huh. I have NEVER seen mentioned or have recollection of ever entering my mental register. But it's very pretty and sweet, and smelled charming right out of the vial.

 

It reminds me a lot of Queen Mab, maybe it's the white sandalwood? This smells like a creamy floral with wooden undertones, and refreshingly a bit tart on top. The floral itself isn't a dominance battle between the players, and at points I get a bit of young yellow rose that peeks its head out a bit farther than the other florals, except for maybe the wisteria which is the note that's slightly tart? I've never smelled it before.

 

Underneath, I can't tell whether it's a powdery note, or a charmingly woody note that tames the sweeter parts of the scent and grounds them. Not wood as in trees, but maybe more like sandalwood, but more homegrown, like a dried twig or branch, that almost dusty plant smell, dry and palate-cleansing for its simplicity. The smooth floral tartness is a good counterpoint to this.

 

I've got sinus congestion, so I'm not sure if my perception's accurate. I'll be back to edit the review if I remember.

[blacklacestatic]

Initial unsniffed impression: There is something about the scent of rose that I love. It's just the complete scent of old-fashioned romance. Wisteria and frankincense often make some blends too dry for me to enjoy. Let's see how this ends up...

 

In the Imp: Soft, sweet, rich, innocent, a bit dry.

 

Wet on skin: Mysterious, breathtaking, heavenly. I don't normally care for wisteria but here it lends a breath of ghostliness.

 

Drydown: Very pretty and light. It would be a great blend to wear to bed or as a stress-relieving aromatherapy. Very comforting. It also gets heavier on the sandalwood as it dries.

 

Overall: This would be a perfect comforting sleep scent. Unfortunately I may not be able to get much use out of it as a perfume because it makes me a bit drowsy. I think I'm too relaxed by this!

[donnatron]

Imp: Lilies and frankincense.

 

Wet: Immediately gets that sharp, searing Irish Springs edge. Takes a very long time to soften out and develop any secondary (primary, I guess, as soap is not a note listed) notes.

 

Dry: Mostly the lily with a touch of frankincense and a little rose. I get the wisteria more as a sense than a real note. Very floral, very heavy. Traditional. If not for the bit overpowering throw I would feel comfortable wearing this to church (assuming, of course, I was going to church which is a rare occurence for me).

 

Throw: Strong.

 

Overall: Pretty. Simple. Very light and delicate. Not my be all end all by any means. Definitely good for fans of white florals but just something that does not scream "special" on my chemistry.

[sarajane]

Lilies, strong rose, and frankinscense on me.

 

Pretty, but nothing special on me.

[tragedy]

When first applied I get a lot of calla lily with sharp green background.

Like being in a floral shop, very pretty.

On drydown it calms out a bit, becoming more spicy...

the wisteria comes out a bit, but its mostly lily and frankincense.

Strangely enough, I dont get ANY rose, which is usually something that amps so much it turns single note on me!

[Diva Urd]

Whoohoo, this was on my wishlist, and the clairvoyant labbies sent me a frimp!

 

In the imp, I smell lots of frankincense with a hint of floral.

 

On me, the rose insists on coming to the forefront and tangles with the frankincense for a while. Upon drydown, the rose has retreated in favor of lily and a floral note I do not recognize, which is probably the wisteria (I have never smelled this one by itself).

 

About four hours later, only the frankincense is left, and it is turning slightly dusty. It's not horrible, but I would have wished for a bit more elegance in the later phases. Will use the imp, but I don't think this one is going on my reorder list.

[topazphoenix]

I love how fresh and white this smells. Wisteria is a winner.

[amandette]

This is great! It's sweet (is that the wisteria?) and gently rosy, but not overpowering. I think the sandalwood and frankincense are quietly holding everything in and tying the notes together. It's definitely floral, but there's something more to it. Very well blended, nothing is amping on me.

[HamletsKeeper]

Bottle Sniff - Roses lily and a faint whiff of incense, the cheaper powdery stick kind. Not the expensive resin kind. Although all the notes in this blend point to a straight up floral I get a weird new age shoppy smell...ewww.

 

Wet On Skin - Calla lily amps and yes that's what smelling like a new age bookstore to me. Rose typically dies a quiet and quick death under the heavy, amping and now nailpolish-like calla lily. I can wear most florals but it seems calla lily is a feral one that I shouldn't touch.

 

Drydown - this becomes all calla lily, green astringent and overpowering with a hint of resin making it smell like a $2 shop joss stick and just when I thought it might drydown into something wearable rose comes back and gives me turkish delight. Mental note to self, Damascus rose = turkish delight.

 

Verdict - rose & incense is not for me evidently and calla lily just shouldn't be in a bottle of anything I apply to my skin. Smells exactly like a new age shop where traces of various cheap incenses have spoiled all the books. I had a sneaking suspicion that frankincense was that smell I didn't like in late drydown in my other scents and this one has confirmed it. I like resins, just not this one. Give me myrrh anyday. But if you love new age shops then this scent should be right up your alley. Far more incensey than fresh floral.

Edited October 24, 2009 by HamletsKeeper

[lunaticana]

wowza.. this smells even softer then Desdemona

I love it! very sexy and innocent, so good for sunny spring days

when you just wanna be with the dog near the beach

and listen to the birds

[Invidiana]

I can definitely see how this is evocative of angels with all the white florals. The whtie sandalwood and frankincense deepen it a bit without making it too "dark" for the theme, and the frankincense adds just a slight resinous sweetness. For those of you afraid of rose, it isn't too prominent at all, just hangs in the background. It's a lovely scent; not really my type of thing, but still lovely from an objective standpoint.

[ralenth]

Imp: Incensy, sweet floral.

 

At first, Seraphim is a soft, powdery floral on my skin, but as it dries, rose rears its ugly head and the sharp, green that I associate with my nemesis takes over. Sadly, this one is another victim of skin chemistry.

[Venneh]

In the imp, this smells really similar to Hymn; incense, florals, with a touch of sandalwood. On my skin, it's pretty much incense and sandalwood. Ehhh. We'll see if it does anything interesting on the drydown. The rose and lily amp, drowning out the incense and sandalwood. Nothing I particularly like; swaps/sales.

Edited January 4, 2010 by Venneh

[impolight]

:::SERAPHIM:::

 

The Rose and Frankincense in Seraphim give it the edge of light and reverence to put images in the mind of the Music of the Spheres and Winged beings sent to watch over the aspiring aescetic.

Seraphim is the essence of incorruptibility, of parable, of Psalm, of hallowed ground.Seraphim is statuesque in beauty; like animated, snowy marble.

When the skin is annointed with Seraphim, it introduces the element of humanised fallibility... It illustrates the running of fools.

Here, the Rose in Seraphim becomes lush, lurid, almost adrip with obscenity.

Here is an angel with a rouged mouth accompanying an audible swallow.

Curiously enough, this fragrance would be exquisite to experience while listening to, "Host of the Seraphim" by Dead Can Dance...

On purpose?

The Power of Suggestion?

Seraphim is phenomenal.

It ushers in an incomparable reaffirmation of relations that are beyond this world.

Righteous.

A beautiful essence for Her.

5/5.

[cherrycherry]

I adore anything associated with angels and angelic beings, being a big believer in how they can protect and send healing to us. I was very tempted to buy a big bottle of this when I put my last order in and as I only bought an imp instead, I'm kinda kicking myself now because I'm totally in love with it.

 

I've used many essential oil blends, incenses, bath salts and other associated concoctions that have been inspired by the angelic realm and I have to say that Seraphim smells exactly like most of those, which is no bad thing. I'm one of those who loves burning incense sticks and I have a big shoebox full of all sorts of different types and I can definitely smell that sweet tang of burning joss sticks. The scent, when it's settled on my skin, reminds me of a New Age shop I used to work in a few years ago. It's comforting, spiritual, calming and quite beautiful. I visualise the Archangel Michael standing with his sword and enveloped with pure, white light. This is also the sort of scent that I could wear at any time; whether going somewhere during the day with my husband or going out on a night with my friends. Lovely.

[angelicruin]

Soft, dusty floral in this one. I can really pick up the frankincense, rose, and something else, though I am not sure which of the other notes it is. This is actually kind of reminding me a bit of B340.

 

Very nice, even with it being a fairly heavy floral blend.

[sparkleyturtle]

This started out very rosy to my nose. That has eased off allowing the lily to come through. Meanwhile, I think it is all grounded out by the frankicense and sandalwood.

 

I think I will have to try this one out a couple of times or do a full skin test to see if it is purchase-worthy. Right now, it is just a pleasant smell.

[Saya]

This blend is okay. Light florals, well mixed so that not one thing stands out above the other notes. It's too floral for my liking, however, so I'll be passing on this imp.

[voorishsign]

I was going to just use this for focusing prayers and anointing, but I must know what it smells like, especially since I love sandalwood and frankincense.

 

In the imp - lightest rose and distant flowers, with a dusting of sandalwood.

 

On wet - This is exactly the kind of floral I adore, even if I'm not big on florals myself - light, serene, toned down by resins and just . . . it even smells sacred and elevated. The rose behaves beautifully.

 

Drydown - sanctified, beautiful, divine! Rose, lily and gorgeous resins. Utterly wonderful. Beth, you are a marvel

[DraloreShimare]

In the vial – Sandalwood and flowers.

 

On the skin – Same.

 

Dry – After a little, the incense pales a bit, and almost creamy florals come to the forefront. This one fades quickly on me.

 

[Caerphilly]

Heavy florals and spicy incense. Really strong on my skin. I don't really like incense and it's bothering me in this. Without it, though, I think the florals would be too heavy. If you like incense, this is worth a try.