Helping Hand

[pekeana]

A very warm, positive blend. This oil brings happiness and harmony to a rocky relationship and grants peace of mind. Use only at night, in conjunction with the powder and incense bearing the same name, on white and pink candles.

Hmm, what to say about this one?

Helping Hand, in the bottle, is very minty and has a deep boozy undercurrent, and the first thing that entered my mind was, "Hmm, this smells kind of like I thought Spooky would". It's also got an undercurrent of something that smells almost like chocolate, but I can't tell what kind of mint or what kind of chocolate, if it's chocolate at all. This is a very strong, astringent scent.

On me, it's a domineering mint that eventually backs off and something soft and spicy comes up beneath it and rounds it out. As it fades, the mint stays strong but balances well with whatever else is in it. It's a very pleasant scent on dry-down.

And as far as the helping bit of it, it did relieve some of the headache I had brewing.


ETA: I just realized why I've fallen in love with Helping Hand... it smells just like the cologne a guy I really like was wearing not too long ago. Mmmm, yummy.

[pkwench]

Helping Hand

 

Firstly, big thanks to Pekeana for the impage!

 

When I first put on Helping Hand last night, it was all mint. More of a sharp pennyroyal than just mint, but it was quite nice. Then it went straight to Doublemint on me. You know, Wrigley's green package gum. Well, Americans you know what I mean. So, still that was pleasant. Then out came the voodoo twist. It was dry and earthy. At this point, for reasons wholly inexplicable, I started thinking of it as Anita Blake's chewing gum. Because, yeah, there it was. Here's your little bag of various and sundry voodooesque spices and nasties, over there a chicken is chickening, and, why, here we have Anita's big pack of chewing gum just in case her mouth gets dry later. I know, my brain, I just go with it. So, silly analogy, but it was quite pleasant. And then, this morning, the dry down. It's pure hemp. Not the open ended O of pot, but that dry, dry ropey scent of hemp. Which didn't quite work for me. However, before I pass this one to the swap pile, I'm going to wait and try it again when I don't have hellish girl hormones firing.

[sihaya09]

Peppermint Patty candies. Or rather, some boozy, alcoholic shot made with peppermint and chocolate liqueurs, with maybe the faintest spice of cinnamon on the drydown. I absolutely love this stuff, and I can testify that it does work. I wore it to work and vocal juries on a day when I had three hours' sleep and I was PMSing, and it got me through the day with minimal damage. It kept me perked up all day long because honestly, this stuff lasts. Thanks to Pekeana for the tester of it, which made me want more.

[minilux]

I just got an impling of this from clover and it smells so freakin' awesome I barely know what to say. It's minty in a light creamy way and I guess what's making it so yummy (meaning yummy in a non-foody way) is whatever spicy notes are under the mint. I am extremely grateful that I am not getting chocolate at all, since I think then it would definitely be a foody scent and I would not be this excited. This is my favorite minty scent by far and my favorite voodoo scent as well. If it brings some good luck and good vibes, then that's an added bonus. .

[clover]

Helping Hand

 

On me Helping Hand is not sweet at all. It's minty at first, and then it turns into a very almondy/vetivery mix. Like Queen with mint.

 

After a while, it's almost all vetiver. Vetiver happens to be one of my very favorite notes...so I LOVE Helping Hand.

[Lady_Ell]

I think Helping Hand will have to be a room scent for me. It smells nice and minty sweet with a bright pink edge in the bottle but once it's on me it goes papery-chalky and reminds me of the bubble gum toothpaste grit they use on your teeth at the dentist's office.

[Macha]

I've been meaning to buy a bottle of Helping Hand over at Black Broom for a while, and finally managed to hit the store when they had a bottle in stock. I don't know much about any traditional voodoo/hoodoo oil formulas called "Helping Hand," but I have found out that the image of "The Helping Hand" is a pretty traditional symbol of such.

 

In the bottle: Mint and dark chocolate. It's not a very foody chocolate though, more like the darkest unsweetened kinds. Still, this smells extremely delicious. There some other spices playing with this too. You know, the more I smell this, the more I wonder if it's chocolate at all. I think it might be something else, but I'm not quite sure what...

 

Wet, on skin: This is a very dark colored amber liquid, similar in color and texture to Snake Oil. I suspect it would stain clothing. The mint hits my skin and simply explodes. This is one of the most invigorating "wake up!" mints that I've ever encountered, and I can well see where it might help someone with focus and mental clarity. I really like this.

 

Dry, on skin: The mint fades as it dries, letting the predominant background scent peak through. I've been scratching my head all day trying to pin down what it is I'm smelling, because it seems to have notes of chocolate and caramel, dark musk and perhaps even Balsam of Peru. Then I realize, and it makes perfect sense for a voodoo oil: it's tobacco. It's a wonderful rich, warm smell, and goes extremely well with the lingering mint.

 

Conclusion: Besides just liking this as perfume, I should mention that a LOT of things went right for the day I wore it, including finally nailing down some nagging problems that have been worrying for many months now.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

Happy little nudist 5mL from harlequin!

 

Preconceived notions:

 

Before I knew what Helping Hand was for, I wanted it for what it smelled like, but then the description finally got listed and I had to have it, pure and simple, so I'm very eager to try this.

 

First sniff:

 

I don't know what I'm smelling, but I like it! There's definitely mint in here (the same sort of soft mint I get from Spooky and Juke Joint, so peppermint, I'd imagine) but there's more to it. I think boozy would be an accurate term to describe it with...it's actually somewhat similar to Juke Joint. It does smell a bit like bourbon but that's not quite it...close enough, though. I keep thinking I smell vanilla and maybe some sort of herbs, too, but it's hard to tell for sure.

 

Wet on skin:

 

The mint tones down quite a bit and I get something akin to bourbon with a hint of something herbal that tickles my nose. I still smell vanilla, but it may be an olfactory hallucination. I love the smell of bourbon (or in this case a close approximation) and I love mint and vanilla in small doses, so this smells damn good to me.

 

Dry down:

 

No real change from when it was wet. I love this. I really, really do. It also seems to come through on its purpose, too. Most of the voodoo blends generally seem to give me at least small results, but Helping Hand seems to be one of the handful of ones that really flat out do what they're supposed to do.

 

The bottom line:

 

No ambiguity here. This one works and smells fabulous doing it. I think I'm going to be needing more of this.

[wickedgoddess]

Origins - Bottle purchased from Black Broom, unsniffed.

 

Wet - this is kind of stinky.

Dry - okay now this is smelling delicious! Tobacco is the prominent note, along with unsweetened chocolate and a sweet spicy smell that I can't quite place. I smell a trace of mint, but it's very subtle. This is incredible! It makes me feel warm and content and smells so delicious. I can't stop smelling this; it's addicting! A new favorite!

 

Efficacy - I wore some of this when I needed to ask my husband a favor. It unfortunately didn't prevent us from fighting, but I felt amazingly calm and never lost my temper once. Which is really unusual, because I AM a Scorpio. It must have been the oil

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, this rates a 5.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Ooh, minty. Yes, very minty. A lot like after dinner mints without the creamy/butter/sweetness.

 

Just On: Wow, lots of minty freshness in here. Not like toothpaste (although I guess it COULD be). Just a nice pure mint scent. It smells like what I would imagine peppermint single note would be.

 

An hour or two later: Now there is something else coming forth to dance with the mint. I rather like the mix.

 

Around 6 hours: Now it's faded mint, and other things I can't identify, but not bad things. It's almost like old mints, past their prime, but in a good way.

 

12 hours: It ends up fading mostly gone by this point, so I can't say I still smell it, but I can smell the memory of it, if that makes any sense.

 

Overall: This not only smells good, but I can see some major potential in using it as a trigger for some spellwork. Use it in ritual, then wear it for better effectiveness when I can't be all "booga booga" and dance around naked (please don't think I'm disrespecting spellwork, but it's not like you can start casting full out rituals in court or anything). I wouldn't mind getting a hold of more of this so that I can put it to magickal use.

 

After reading other reviews: Sounds like I'm not the only one who sees potential with it, and like it as well. Matter of fact, I'm putting some on today, not only to smell good, but because I've had a HORRID day so far (and I've only been up for 3 hours!) and I want it to go better. I already feel a little better (mint is usually a good uplifting scent for me). And at least I can't lose the debit card TWICE in a day.

[janelle_hell]

This is scented fabulously,and works well for its intended purpose.

 

Helping Hand smells like dark-chocolate-covered mint fondant candies,some type of very strong liquor (i'm guessing it's rum,but i'm not quite sure),and an old-timey cigar shop (think sweet,heady tobacco-not stale old cigarette smoke or anything!). i love,love,LOVE the smell of this one,and it's too bad that it's not available as a catalog scent,cos there's just nothing like it anywhere. (the "Helping Hand" oils i've purchased in the past have,for the most part,favored Pine-Sol)

 

i'm guessing that it may contain catnip as well,because when i've worn it as a perfume,my kitten went CRAZY with her purring and snuggling and wanting to be carried around like a baby

 

10 out of 10. Perfect.

[k00kaburra]

I will try the recommended ritual later tonight (sans the same name incense, which I haven't got) and I'll report back with any interesting results, but in the meantime here's a scent description.

In bottle: It reminds me of Girl Scout cookies - specifically the thin mints. There's definitely some sort of mint in here, and something dry and earthy.

On me: The chocolate note is dark and unsweetened, but beautiful with the mint. There's still the 'other' notes which I can't really define beyong 'vague spice' but when I read someone's mention of tobacco, I knew that was in the blend.

[Ajila]

Wet on me this was very minty, but with a creamy background to it. As it dries it goes through a vanilla and a nutty stage, before settling into vetiver. I don't really know about the effectiveness of this blend, but it certainly seems both calming and comforting, which may be what you need.

[darkling]

Helping Hand is a very sharp, rich mint that strongly reminds me of York Peppemint Patties. It lasts for a few hours before it fades.

 

This blend is the perfect balance between feeling comforting and helping me stay focused.

[~AmusedMuse~]

Sharp, herbal minty EARTH...a little goes a long way. This is only the 2nd Twighlight Alchemy oil I have had a chance to try and after trying only 2 my only thought remains....I WANT more of this line..True to its description, it is AWESOME

[laochodia]

I have a tiny tiny amount of this thanks to a lovely forumite (whose name escapes me right now)who threw it in as a gimp during a swap. This scent is a-freaking-mazing. I get pennyroyal and a bit of spearmint from this. As to what it does, well, I put it on as soon as I saw it (and after I finished sniffing everything else), and all of my worries sorted themselves out. My going on 5-day headache dissapeared. I resolved my questions about dogsitting (most of them. I'm still not sure about some of the finer points, but who ever is?). I'm calmer about calling for jury duty. My bird is a fluffy burr on my lap. This is amazing and calming and a tiny bit goes a LONG way. I put a teensy drop on and its filling the space around me.

[roesmoker]

Wow. I couldn't have named the notes in this one to save my life, but now that I read the reviews I recognize the mint, bitter chocolate, tobacco and pennyroyal (like the Fool, another one of my favorites). But the scent (nice as it is - and I don't even really care for mint) is really hardly the point here. What I felt today when I was wearing HH was like things were being facilitated for me, "luck" or in a sort of Jupiterian sense "fortune" was smiling on me - minor annoyances either went away or solved themselves, I won an auction I had had little hope of winning (based on what happened the last 3 times I really wanted the item), and bought another bottle that I lost the auction for before for less than the other had closed at (including shipping). So all in all, I went home happy. Then I got home to find my boyfriend had made me spaghetti sauce - out of the blue - and he never cooks for me. Soooo nice.

 

The only down side is that I did spend way too much on BPAL today! But if that's the worst that can happen to me, bring on the Helping Hand.

 

Edited to add - there is DEFINITELY a sense of "be careful what you wish for" with this blend - it will make your desires come true - but are you really prepared for that to happen? I just make sure to direct my thoughts in a constructive manner when I wear this.

Edited August 24, 2005 by roesmoker

[tesao]

provenance: a decant from the lovely lady ell. muito obrigada!!

 

yesterday was delightful. the phone people finally came to fix the phone that hadn't been working correctly for almost two weeks. it was an easy fix and didn't cost a thing.

 

then i went to an interpreting job that the client never showed up for. i still got paid, for four hours work even though i didn't do a thing except read my book.

 

minor annoyances didn't annoy.

 

the day flowed smoothly.

 

and i slept like a dream.

 

bam! this morning is the pits. i wish i had used the helping hand two days in a row!!

 

i need a bottle of this!

 

(and yes, scent notes are mint, chocolate, vanilla and spice. yummy smelling, too - but realy, who cares what it smells like if it has this effect every time???)

[PurringPulsar]

Helping Hand

 

Courtesy of the TAL circular swap.

In the imp: mint! This smells very minty, yet sweet. It reminds me of a cold remedy, it's a menthol-mint scent. There's also a resin or sugary smell in the background, or maybe some pine? It's hard to tell…

Wet on skin: oh I know what this is-I think its vetiver! And mint, of course. And possibly some camomile? But it's sweet mint with vetiver and a dark sweet scent-dark chocolate or syrup maybe.

Dry on skin: very piercing, camphor-like mint, vetiver and something dark, sweet and deep, something herbal, something smoky. This is an unusual, yet pleasant scent. It smells quite medicinal, healing even. Like an old fashioned herbal remedy.

After a while: there is a hint of something herbal and soothing here, as well as the prominent vetiver. I think there's a little waft of tobacco smoke there as well. And it reminds me of After Eight mints now!!! Like After Eights in a smoky lounge after dinner, and some vetiver oil is being burnt to fragrance the room. It's the scent of relaxing and lounging out, and makes me feel calmed.

Verdict: this is a very unusual scent. At first, this smells powerful, medicinal, and you can tell this isn't a perfume. And yet, it's pleasant-there's a fresh mint scent with a soft dark vetiver base, possibly some pine or camphor, maybe some herbs, something smoky-possibly tobacco, and dark, dark chocolate-at one point, it even smells a bit like After Eight mints! It's a very interesting scent, and it does calm me down. I am not involved in any rocky relationship, but I do need some peace of mind…so maybe one day I shall get more of this.

[quimerula]

It starts quite medicinal with a green edge, and I can smell something dry behind... vetiver, maybe?

 

Calming and sweet, I can smell a bit of honey when it's dry.

[turbojenn]

Wow - am I ever happy to have this one today! I got this delivered at work on a most unsettling day. So I ran back to my office, closed the door, meditated for a few minutes on my intentions for the rest of the day, and applied Helping Hand.

 

I felt held and uplifted by the mint in the scent, and there's a sharpness lying underneath, and I felt focused and refreshed after applying...the scent seems to work well on me, just lingering at the edges of my day.

 

I lucked into a 5ml of this one on the forums, and had been keeping an eye out for a couple of weeks. I'll be bringing Helping Hand to my brother's wedding on friday (they're bpal addicts too), and have been coerced into a quasi-catholic wedding. I'll be writing a ritual up tonight, and hope to catch a few quiet moments before their ceremony to set up a few intentions for their special day and life together, and share Helping Hand with them. I can't wait to tell big bro that I have it for them! YAY!

[helarctos]

Helping Hand smells of sugared mint. It reminds me of a sweet mint tea, something soothing and refreshing at the same time.

 

(Disclaimer: This review was written in a circular swap, so I did not use the oil for ritual purposes. I can only report here on its scent. I believe this is valuable information so people know if they will find the oil physically/aesthetically uncomfortable when they use it for its intended purpose, BUT I do not believe TAL oils should be used as simple perfume. )

[Eros]

Although this is only supposed to be used at night, I decided to use a dab for the purpose of review. Besides, it's night somewhere, right?

 

In the imp & just applied, soft, herbal mint. Not at all "foody" on me. It dries to an even softer, slightly sweet mint... it's there but not at all overwhelming. I want to say I detect a *very* subtle hint of dragon's blood, like a whisper, but I can't say for sure. Maybe more of a soft honey/vanilla w/very little mint left after about 30 minutes.

Very nice as far as a perfume, however, I agree completely with helarctos above...

 

"I believe this is valuable information so people know if they will find the oil physically/aesthetically uncomfortable when they use it for its intended purpose, BUT I do not believe TAL oils should be used as simple perfume."

 

I have to admit, when I read TAL reviews that mention *only* the perfume aspect, I tend to twitch a little. lol

 

It's definitely had a nice, calming effect. We'll see how it works when used as intended.

 

eta: Although I dabbed mostly for reviewing, I did make it a point to keep it's intention in mind while applying/wearing

Edited October 2, 2005 by Eros

[Em-]

Part of the TAL Circular Swap.

 

Like Eros, I dabbed a tiny but of this during the non-night time for review purposes.

 

This was a very woodsy blend for me, with maybe a little creamy something, but no mint. The woody note was so strong that I ended up having to wash off the tiny tiny amont that I dabbed on this morning.

 

Perhaps it was trying to tell me something - like read what you are doing before you put this stuff on.

[olympia301]

 

Just as a scent, I love this. Real minty but with baby powder out of the imp. I can make a case for a slight bitter chocolate scent in the background. This reminds me a of mintier Follow Me Boy without the jasmine opening note.I also feel like there is a good shot of the voodoo oils in here as well, bringing luck and bending the rules so you can slip through. As a scent, it is lovely. If it works, too that would be a minor miracle. No, come to think of it that would hit the majors. Great stuff!