Changing the Shadows

[Ajila]

The dawning of hope and the blossoming of charity: vanilla, orange blossom, white sandalwood, mate, red tea, and carnation.

 

In the bottle - Quite a strong, sharp orange blossom note

Wet on me - Still very heavy on the orange blossom with hints of the sandalwood and carnation coming out

Dry on me - A clean white wood scent softened slightly by the vanilla

Overall - The notes that I was least keen on, the sandalwood and the orange blossom, dominate the blend

[brilliantcat]

Website Description: The dawning of hope and the blossoming of charity: vanilla, orange blossom, white sandalwood, mate, red tea, and carnation.

 

In the bottle: Sandalwood and maybe the red tea? Ahh, thank you wikipedia. Probably the mate too. According to wiki, mate is a tea-like herbal drink popular in South America. Neato!

 

Immediately after application: Now the orange blossom is poking its head out a little and my brain is connecting citrus with lemon even though I KNOW it's orange and making this smell very tea-like.

[Soniadevi]

The dawning of hope and the blossoming of charity: vanilla, orange blossom, white sandalwood, mate, red tea, and carnation.

 

I must admit that when I saw the description of this, I sprung for a bottle immediately. But when it arrived, I was more than non plussed. I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't it! I didn't even feel it was worth reviewing, so dissappointed was I with the result! It just felt like a strong blast of orange blossom and a load of other stuff- just couldn't understand it.

 

But now, NOW, it has aged for two years (really? does time move so fast?) and I hate to admit defeat with any of my oils (except when I can give them to a family member or friend who will love them so much more...)- and this one, I had wanted it so much that I was desperate to give it another chance...

 

So I tried it on last night tentatively in the crook of my left elbow before bed... and went to sleep with this divine scent wafting gently around me...

I wore it again this morning, and now I can finally smell clearly the effect that it was meant to have. I can smell every single one of the notes listed- this has aged extremely well, with the orange blossom coming out on top, followed very closely with the the sweetening effect of the vanilla- then the other notes start to come forth, with a final crescendo of spicy carnation teas, subdued slightly by the sandalwood. It has strong throw, and it sort of swirls around me, like a cloud of butterflies... changing the shadows indeed.

 

Sometimes, you really do have to let a scent develop, and become what it's meant to be. Is Beth really that genius that she has the foresight to know how good a smell will become once it's settled down? Her artistry goes beyond what I can comprehend. Amazing. I bow sincerely to such magnificence!

 

Now, I feel like my (extensive) collection of bottles is more at peace: because the black sheep that was Changing the Shadows has found it's place in my heart, and I no longer feel that stinging void of having a bad apple in the proverbial cart.

[mermaidsdream]

Aged, 1/2 decant I purchased from someone on the forum. The vanilla and orange drew me.

 

In the imp: sweet, soft scent. I can't really make out the orange, but the vanilla is there. Vanilla's always worked on me.

 

Applied: almost resiny-incense, almost waxy, but all in a good way. It's a soft, comforting scent

 

Dry down: I wish this lasted longer. I'm not sure what's going on with my skin lately, but it seems to be eating scents left & right. I wish love this, and wouldn't mind having a bottle (fat chance, I know). Honestly, I would smell this *all day* if I could.

[Riezky]

Wet: All I can smell on my skin is somewhat chemically orange blossom.

 

Dry: It mellows a bit and I smell mostly sandalwood and orange blossom, possibly the mate too. The cleaning solution vibe I was getting before has died down a bit, but still present. It's mostly a woodsy orange scent though.

 

I'm a little torn on this. There's aspects of it that I really like, but not sure if they make up for whatever is disagreeing with my skin. Will probably hang on to the bottle for a while and try it again.

[aquazoo]

Citrussy blossoms, sweet pea. Not bad.

[animalcules]

Mostly tea, orange blossom and carnation on me. Not very sweet - I can't detect the vanilla. Dries down heavy on orange blossom and sandalwood. I love this blend and have had it since its release! It's perfect for all seasons. My only complaint is that it doesn't last very long on my skin.

[DiZZysTARdust]

In the bottle this is sweetish. Fresh on the skin was a blast of sweet flowers. It's a thick dark oil with strong throw, my favorite. Freshly on i got a strong whiff of roses actually. Not like actual roses or even rosewood or rose geranium, more like a general reddish rosiness as if these notes combined just happen to mimic the scent of a rose bouquet. They pick themselves apart pretty quickly tho, and leave behind a lovely floral scent that i would definitely call white flowers, even though the scent is to my nose quite warm. Hard to explain but it's like a clean floral. I agree with some previous reviewers calling it perfumey in an elegant way, although i disagree personally with the soap comparisons. Looking at some of the reviews, i am guessing that the strong floral blast when wet is the orange blossom. I'm not really familiar with orange blossom, or neroli, as i'm not a citrus fan. I've always wanted to smell some straight EOs as i've heard it said they smell nothing like citrus but the comparison is made in my head and i can't undo it. However, i was curious about this blend and decided to try it, and now i love it. There is a sharp fruitiness (NOT in a citrusy way) that i think must be the tea combining with the orange blossom, which fades as the scent dries and is replaced by more vanillic undertones. The carnation is also i think more noticeable as it dries, making the scent even warmer and redder than before. Gorgeous blend

 

ETA the throw definitely decreases as it dries but is still p strong

Edited February 8, 2020 by DiZZysTARdust