Cathedral

[VelvetSky]

Venerable and solemn: the scent of incense smoke wafting through an ancient church. A true ecclesiatical blend of pure resins.

On first sniff, this is powerful in-your-face wood; yes, definitely the scent of polished pews and choir stalls in an old church.... The sharpness of the cedar gradually mellows and I start to catch the faint smoky notes of incense and the sweet lustrous fragrance of beeswax.
There is almost a buttery softness in the dry-down of Cathedral that, perversely, makes this seem like a distinctly un-Holy place.
This is an extremely well crafted perfume...it starts out sharp, dry and cold on my skin and develops into something warm, sweet and wicked.

Velvet

[amberbella]

FAS-CIN-AT-ING! I'm amazed that I have the option of smelling like this.

 

To me it smells exactly like a campfire. I couldn't imagine wearing this on a daily basis, but it's so interesting that I'm a bit tempted to keep it.

 

I think this is a must try for all....It's just filled with memories.

 

Now it's trick or treating on Halloween in the Northeast. How fun. Think I'll swap it so someone else can try.

[Vaniclion]

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this yet. I got it in an auction on Ebay before I even got my first order, I was that impatient for it! So, since it was in my first order, I actually ended up with two imps of it. I was a little disappointed in it, honestly, on me.

 

Fresh out of the imp, it's a very dry wood, like a pale green. More pine than cedar. On drydown, cedar comes out more till it's the predominant scent. I wanted more incense smoke in this. Who knows... maybe I'll try layering it with Caterpillar! I do like this as a scent, but I'd have to be in a very specific mood to wear it.

[jonobie]

I got this as one of my "extras" in my box.

 

I like it! I couldn't remember what the description of it was, but my first thought after putting it on was, "Hey, this is great, for those of us that think Cathedrals should be in the deep of the forest." It's a *very* earthy/woodsy smell. Kinda like wet dirt *ought* to smell like, if it's going to be made into a perfume.

 

It's a beatiful scent. Smells a bit like patchoulli and sandlewood to me at first, and then warms up into something more sweet smelling.

 

Possibly a big bottle scent, although I'll probably wait until I get through my imps to decide for certain.

 

Cheers,

Jonobie

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Cathedral was one of my original Imps--I'm obsessed with Gothic architecture--but I knew at once it was way too resiny for me to wear, so I put it aside. Then today I noticed that a lot of people use it as a room scent. I'm pretty stressed at the moment, so I put Cathedral in my oil burner and put on a CD of chanting monks. Ahhhh. I won't say it turned my apartment into a cathedral--er, despite all my gargoyles, stained glass, etc.--but it helped. "Venerable and solemn" is the perfect description.

[Thanatopsis Azraelis]

Alright. I have no idea what note it is, but one of these resins is vaguely wet and sweet, and it stands above all the others the entire time I wear this scent. I'm pretty sure this same note was the one that made me like Antony so much, too.

 

In any case, I've only been in a Catholic church twice, and I didn't smell any incense burning while I was there, so there's no churchy memories attached to this for me. To me it's just a nice, smooth, resiny scent with an undertone of incense, and as I happen to love the smell of incense, I also love Cathedral.

 

I think I'm one of the few who actually likes this as a scent to wear, and not burn.

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: vanilla, woody and sweet

 

Wet: very resinous, with an layer of musky, spicy sweetness.

 

Dry: strong sweet frankincense and sharp woodiness (is that cedarwood?)

 

Verdict: I really love this oil - I couldn't stop sniffing at myself!

[LiberAmoris]

If there was ever a fragrance to capture the hearts of lapsed Catholics, this is the one. As others have noted, it smells just like the swinging sensers used in special Masses. My BF was raised Catholic and later defected, but when I dabbed a bit of this behind my ears he perked up like he was about to receive the host.

 

For me, it connotes less religiousness and smells more of polished wood, incense resins and the delightful reed-y quality of water damage on old books. (I realize I may be alone in treasuring the scent of water damage on books.) There’s a natural sweetness to Cathedral that’s also tremendously relaxing and meditative.

 

I plan on keeping some Cathedral on hand for when I need to tap into that kind of drowsy, ‘pax vobiscum’ atmosphere.

[Falathwen]

Cedar or perhaps cypress seemed to be the strongest note on me when this was wet, though it was softened by something almost sweet. My husband remarked that this stage of the scent reminded him of turmeric, and once he said it I had to agree. As it dried, the scent became more complex, warm, and dark. Dry, the scent reminded me of a combined frankincense and myrrh incense I have used and I agree with the person who compared it the mood set by this one to the midnight mass. I was thinking of the Easter Vigil when the church is dark, except for the fire, and the incense surrounds you.

Falathwen

[NoirRosaleen]

I got this as one of the many extras thrown in my box, and I*m starting to kick myself for having traded it away in favor of Aureus. I just realized what it smelled like in the bottle...a grove of trees - redwood? pine? cedar? - I can*t tell. However, I think I might try and trade for it again, as I didn*t realize how much I missed that smell...even if it*s too much on my skin, it should be fine in my burner I have no idea what a Catholic church smells like, since I tend to avoid churches as much as possible, but oh how I miss the smell of those trees!

 

Kethry

[Witch's Dagger]

Cathedral

 

I got this in a swap from diabolique. Thanks!

 

Preconceived notions: (taken from my notes after reading reviews): incensy and woodsy - maybe a general circle blend? And someone said there was an earthy/dirty smell - perhaps for Earth? Plus - incense, woods, church - Sounds lovely.

 

In vial: Cedar - true, good cedar with the sweet sokiness of resins there, but way off in the background.

 

On me:

Still cedar, and after a few seconds of wear, there's the frankincense rising up in the background. I pause in contemplation. Yes, sweet, sticky resin on cedarwood, almost as sticky as the pine resin I got on me the other day. In fact, it smells a little piney to me now. Oh, this is lovely. This is definitely a good scent for ritual and meditation. As it dries, I get more frankincense and myrrh, and the cedar just blends in perfectly. I now want to make this incense (frankincense, myrrh, and cedar), as it is very peaceful, yet powerful. I love cedar, and it adds such a wonderful bite to the frankincense and myrrh.

 

After an hour: No real change, it’s just gotten quieter and softer.

 

Final impressions: I love it. It will be great as a meditation, purification, or circle blend, as well as for times when I want to smell mystical.

 

Edited to add: Uh, what? I typed this on WordPerfect first, and I admit to having *no* idea what I meant by 'sokiness'. Stickiness, maybe? It was sweet, sticky, and a little spicy, so that's a possibility, or maybe it was spiciness... Hmm. The mystery remains.

Edited September 27, 2004 by Witch's Dagger

[Penance]

To me, this is almost indistinguishable from Penitence, the only difference (on me, at any rate) is the dry down, which is much sweeter on Cathedral.

 

First Sniff:

 

This smells exactly like Penitence. Putting them side by side, I couldn't tell the difference between them. They both smell like the inside of a crumbling cathedral, a deep, dry, resiny smell that really appeals to me.

 

Wet on Skin:

 

The same as the bottle, it smells stronger than Penitence now, not by much, but stronger all the same. There's a growing sweetness to it (it must be one of the resins that's not in Penitence that I'm smelling) that's rounding it out and softening the edges.

 

Dry Down:

 

It's still dry and musty but it's become sweeter, reminding me now of Anne Bonny. I really like this, it's softer and sweeter and less harsh. This is what a cathedral should smell like. I feel like I've just been to confession and can still smell the lingering incense smoke on my clothes. I love this!

 

The Bottom Line:

 

Gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. It's Penitence with a sweeter dry-down...a sort of feminine version of Penitence. It's a very comforting scent; I feel unburdened wearing it, like I've just been to confession. This is a real feel-good scent for me, and one I'm sure I'll keep returning to time and again. A definite winner!

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Incense. Wood. This is such dignity in this scent. It's gorgeous.

 

On me: I would never wear this, so I'll just babble about how great it is for home

fragrance. It stirs such memories in me. I am reminded of chapel on Wednesdays in elementary school. (I went to a private school.) We'd sit on wooden pews gazing forward at a wooden cross and stain-glass windows, and while the priest spoke we'd flip through the pages of hymnals and Bibles to amuse ourselves. That's what this smells like – the inside of a church. Not a new building, of course, but an old one with a very high ceiling. There's a certain mustiness (I don't want to use the word as it sounds negative, but there's no other way to describe it) but it's such a wonderful scent to fill the house with; it lends it a certain power, like it's a sacred place.

[Eris]

Judging from the number of reviews, I suspect I'm one of the few who came to this one by first trying Penitence. So, I think a lot of my impressions of Cathedral are affected by that.

 

My first smell of Cathedral on my skin is almost the same as Penitence: that not-quite-sweet-but-almost incensey smell of frankincense and myrrh. Whereas Penitence rounds itself out with more of a resinous feel, the scent of Cathedral lingers on into fine filaments of wood. Over time, the initial sweet-ish scent fades considerably, and only the wood remains. It's very pleasant and long-lasting, definitely putting one in mind of a church, but I can't decide if it would work well as a regular perfume. I still might keep it anyway and use it as a home smell or a candle scent.

[Scylla]

In the vial: Smelled like incense, wood smoke and beeswax candles

 

Wet, on my skin: Very resinous. It definitely does remind me of the incensey smell of a Catholic church, along with the polished wood of the pews.

 

On drydown: Doesn't change much. This is a powerful, solemn scent that makes me think of a Catholic church. I'm glad I got to try it as a freebie imp because I never would have ordered it. But, I will probably swap it because a) I don't like it as a personal fragrance and I'd use it as a home fragrance, but I don't really want my home to smell like a church!

[Nepthys]

This was a freebie from the lab. It's not offensive to me, but it's not something I really cotton to either; scent-wise, this is just a neutral woody smell to me. However, the emotional associations are just dreadful - that oppressive church smell of old carpeting, heavy incense, and too many people stuffed into the pews on a humid rainy Sunday morning. Yikes.

[Lina]

In the bottle: interesting! Smokey, sweet, maybe green or herbal.

 

Wet: This reminds me of the doorway of an Old Catholic church while it is rainingg.

 

Dry after 2 hours: Cathedral is beautiful. It changes quickly and warms up nicely. I am not sure that this is a big bottle but it is a keeper imp.

[Ishtar]

Cathedral was one of the many generous extra imps I got with my last order.

 

I guess I would never have ordered it, because for some reason I kept associating it with Aureus, which was nothing spectacular on my skin. Now that I give it a fair chance, I have to say that Cathedral is really nice.

 

For the first few minutes, I get the polished wood smell that several people mentioned. Yes, it could definitely be a old pew in a church. If I smell it closely and carefully, the wood scent that predominates is cedar. Red cedar. It is quite nice if a little one-dimensional, far less dusty and stuffy than I would have expected.

 

After drydown, I start getting resiney notes (myrrh? Frankincense?). Far from making the blend heady and forbidding, they actually turn it into something very pure and cleansing. I think this would be stunning layered with a white, cristalline floral.

 

Cathedral was a very nice surprise. However, there are only so many woodsy scents I can use, and Intrigue already captured my heart. I think I will try to swap this, and if it has no takers, I will either layer it or use it as a room scent.

[larkredblade]

On first sniff it was a little too strong for me, but I thought it would make a great room scent.

 

Once applied, the scent changed a bit and started to smell familiar. I spent a few minutes trying to place it -- but it smells like the spray you use on artificial xmas trees to give them that pine/woodsy smell.

 

I would use this as a ritual oil -- there is something about it that is purifying, clean, fresh... something perfect for use before entering circle and taking your mind to that higher plane needed when doing ritual work.

 

It is still a bit strong for my own day-to-day use, but definitely something I'll keep in mind to use when I'm doing any kind of purification work.

[Finny]

Ah, this was a freebie in my first order from the lab. Thank you lab!

 

In the imp I smell cedar, and then the frankincense and myrrh. It morphs into a dry, woody, spicy scent on my skin. I have to sniff my wrists all day. It smells a bit like Penitence to me, only deeper and richer.

 

 

Wonderful! I am going to need a bottle of this one.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Incense. This one could be a problem for me as most incense gives me a splitting headache. Hmm...I'm tempted to skip this for now but I'm on a roll so...

 

Wet: Gah, too much. Oh, my god, what have you been putting in your cathedral? Incense but also...it smells like the earth, like grass growing and just clay. This to me is a very brown scent. It evokes images of brown pews made of wood. An old catherdal in olden days. Dirt on the floor, relics in the altar, dead priests in the walls. Like Lincoln Cathedral. With the light wafting on incense.

 

Dry down: (This does not want to dry much so I'm blotting some off as I smeared my wrist to the point where it resembles an oil slick.) This reminds me of the moss scent that was so prevalent when I put Bayou on only this blend is giving me a headache. It's not bad. It's a very visual oil in that it brings lots of images into the forefront of my mind. Now it reminds me of the poem about abandoned churches where the man wanders through their bones thinking about what people in the future will think when they see the rubble.

 

Dry: More of the incense is peeking out. It gives it a very slight lemon note, but I still smell dirt and moss and maybe a trace of whispy smoke rising from candles on the altar. The click of rosary beads in the darkness as someone lights incense and prays. It's not that I don't like it. I think it's an expert blend and shows very fine craftsmanship. But I don't like it either. And I think I'm slightly allergic to one of the notes, which means that this is going into my swap section. Now I can smell some resin and wood peeking out. And it's itching. Washing off now

[pekeana]

Cathedral, in the vial, is very much cedar and frankincense, with a touch of copal and a bite of amber.

 

On me, for the first hour or so, it's all cedar, then relaxes into a soft, warm scent that really defies description. It isn't really resinous or woody, nor is it overwhelmingly any one note. It's just a soft, warmth that's vaguely comforting and soothing.

 

It seems to be a lighter, more wearable version of (Old) Kathmandu.

[sihaya09]

This, to me, was Aureus Light. The cedar took over once more and didn't leave enough incense behind on my skin to make this at all like a church to me. My boss described it as "someone's dusty closet." Although I sent it down to Pekeana for Yule, if I am gifted with another imp, I will try it as a room scent. It occurs to me that maybe it's just my skin chemistry twisting all of these cedar scents.

[sarada]

Cathedral is one of those that I had to buy a big bottle of from the description alone. My favorite oils are those that smell like incense. I simply love it when people tell me, "You smell like incense." That's the greatest compliment! So with that spirit I eagerly awaited my bottle...

 

In the bottle, it lives very much up to its description. Actually it's a little lighter than I expected. I had envisioned something thick and dark that would smell as though it were viscous resin running down an ancient split tree trunk. This is shot through with beams of light, there is a lot of airy room for movement among the strands of incense smoke in this blend.

 

Cedar stands out very strong -- it's the smell of the old carved cedar chest in my parents' house, freshly oiled with sunlight pouring in through the window. Frankincense, I'm sure that's in there as well. It's hard to pick out exactly which resins/incenses this is.

 

It dances happily on my skin as all resinous scents do, and lingers, releasing scent throughout the day and not changing too much. There is that sense of extinguished candles, of layers of ancient wax encrusted on a wooden altar. It is a well-lit cathedral in daytime. I will not ever want to be without this fragrance! But I would also like to find something even darker and deeper.

[wolfie13]

This scent was pretty much the same in the bottle as well as wearing for me and it was really a fairly straightforward cedar and frankincense type of thing.

 

I didn't get any of the sweetness that others have mentioned - in fact it's more of a "thin, dry"

scent on me as somebody else said.

 

And don't get me wrong - I normally really like this kind of scent - but it's VERY similar to Aureus for me - but for a woody, incense-y scent I like Aureus better. Aureus has more depth and a warmer, rounder feel to me. Cathedral comes off as more one-note.

 

It would work best as a room scent for me (if i don't swap or sell) but won't be buying more as I already have a 5ml of Aureus.