Xiuhtecuhtli

[empi girl]

Patron of the Aztec pantheon, he is the personification of light within darkness, warmth in the cold, and life in, and after, death. He is a creative and destructive God of Fire and Light, and is appeased only by sacrifice, trial, and the slaughter of his people's enemies. Copal, plumeria and sweet orange and the smoke of South American incense and crushed jungle blooms.

This is very soft and sweet and light on me. There is a hint of orange and a hint of flower, and definite powderiness. No real incense. I thought originally it was like orange talc powder, but that isn't quite right. On me it smells like children's chewable aspirin. And that sounds like a bad thing, but it isn't. It's very nice, but too powdery for me.

[siriusstar]

I got two orders and several LJ purchases today, and was just sniffing along when I opened this little freebee Imp from the Lab...

 

Instant lust!

 

I love clean-feeling scents and they just don't get better than this one. It is a very natural, not sharp or 'perfumey' at all. It was mostly smoky incense and a touch of orange on me, although the orange faded quickly into a lovely soft incense. My nose has been returning to my wrist frequently all day!

 

This one hit me much the same way Saint-Germain did, although looking at the ingredients, I can't say why!

[nineveh]

I've found out that plumeria is a floral that I like.

 

This starts as a light, cool, floral scent that is sweet and exotic. My boyfriend thought it smelled manly, and I thought his nose was insane until it dried a little more. Then it dried, warmed up somewhat, and turned into Angel on me too, which I think has a bit of a masculine feel.

 

I never really got the incense that other reviews mention, but I still like this one a lot. I will probably buy a bottle sometime.

[Janie]

Somewhere in the drydown for this one I get a disconcerting note that I also get in Shalimar. I can only identlfy it as a Raid note - I have no idea what it is.

 

Otherwise this is a well-mannered, interesting oil that does bear a fleeting resemblance to Angel, but I like it more. The orange lasts and lasts. The sillage is soft, but the scent wears well and is still softly evident 6 hours later.

[gingersnapp]

This is creamy and exotic. The plumeria and sweet orange are the most dominant, but I keep feeling like I smell vanilla even though it isn't listed as one of the notes. There is something kind of.... elderly (?) about this blend though. It is lovely, just reminds me of a grandma.

[TroubleDoll]

OMG, this is...Perfect.

 

Cream and fruit dries down to light wafting incence and edible flowers. It seems like it would taste good, but it's not foody, if that makes sense.

 

Very sensual, bright, and unique.

[brownbear]

Hmm hard to put my finger on...

It seems lemony and sweet. It got sweeter as it dried on my skin. There's just a tiny bit of floral in here and something deeper and richer underneath. I'll have to test this again when my period is over. (sorry tmi)

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Hmm. I can't decide what to make of this. A hint of sweet. Something not quite sharp.

 

Just On: Hmm, cocoa? Bunches of other stuff that is too well blended to identify.

 

An hour or two later: Wow, this has like, cocoa'd flowers. It's really unique, and I can't say that I've smelled anything quite like it before, though a couple of the notes seem familiar, it's so well blended I can't pick them out.

 

Around 6 hours: A well blended scent, I can't really pick any notes out. It's maturing nicely, maybe a bit of cocoa, and some flowers that aren't soapy on me.

 

12 hours: It's all gone.

 

Overall: I really like this one.

 

After reading other reviews: Only one other person got cocoa? Maybe it's come combo of scents that gives the impression of cocoa, but I could have sworn that's what I was was smelling. A nice scent all in all.

[blaqpearl]

Several weeks ago I tried an imp of this and loved it immediately. I acutally placed an order of it at the next lunacy which was several days away.

 

I couldnt wait and saw someone selling a bottle of it (thanks andromedii). I snagged it. I finally received it and this morning I slathered. WOW!! is all I can say. It is even better than I remembered in the imp. This is so well blended. I love the incense quality it has. I almost gave up on florals...but this has given me hope not to be prejudice against them.

 

I am glad to see that I am not the only one who sees an Angel by Theirry Mugler association. (see reina's post) But for me this smells exactly...and I mean exactly how Angel Innocent smelled on me. I am glad I found a BPAL replacement to my signature scent.

 

I am going to have to let my mom try this one. She loves alot of my bpal, and i am looking for something for her. She may love this one too since regular Angel is her signature scent.

 

I think I am going to have to start hoarding this. What if it were discontinued? I think I would cry. So this has to go on my 10ml list pronto.

 

And lastly...I wish the description had more clues to what is in it. Which jungle blooms is in this. Boy do I love the tropics.

[QueenFae]

It's a heady, perfumey scent. I love plumeria, which I can smell, and it mixes beautifully with the undertone of incense smoke. It has incense in it without being what you would typically classify as an "incense" scent. The crushed jungle blossoms really give it that womanly, perfumey feel. Sort of like a woman in sophisticated perfume walking through a room where incense has been burning all day. It's lovely, sexy, and complex.

[lissamc]

Wet: A very light citrus. I smell like orange juice and flowers.

 

1 Hour: Lovely. The orange settled in, the plumeria started peeking out, everything melded into each other, and something in there is soft and furry. I want to tuck a flower in my hair and run around barefoot.

 

2 Hours: Blended together beautifully, and still going strong.

 

4 Hours: Going strong, mostly floral now.

 

11 hours: It stayed at that lovely floral all day. I can still get a whiff of it now and again. Very long lasting. Two thumbs up. This is a bottle candidate.

[Orodemniades]

Wet: High and sweet, orange-y with honey.

 

Drydown: Oo, interesting, not something I would ever have picked out as something to wear. It's a fruit-ish floral, but not fruity, and I know that doesn't make any sense, but there you are. It's wet and lush but not aquatic.

 

Overall: I really like this.

 

Oro

[Undine]

My first review!

 

Put on, Xiuhtecuhtli smells primarily of orange backed by something chocolatey or smokier. It becomes a lot sharper and more citrusy than in the bottle. As it dries down, the florals come out a bit more, as well as a spicier scent and the incense. Then it becomes muskier, with the orange backing off. Maybe some clove, coconut?? When I looked up the description of copal (supposed to smell like a combination of pine, amber, and vanilla) I realized that scent was what was coming out more and more. Over time that piney note really comes out, and the orange comes on and off.

 

At that point my husband said it smelled like baby powder--sigh.

 

A very complex and interesting scent, and very evocative. I would like to try other scents that use copal. Overall, I liked it a lot, but it wasn't quite right for me.

[sookster]

upon application this smelled almost dead on to Thierry Mugler's Angel....or so I thought......

 

in actuality it smells almost dead on to the Prada fragrance.....I love it!!!!!!

 

I have finally found a rich, perfumed oil to make my Prada last and last for hours....very, very beautiful

[arabella]

First Impression: Lime gel.

 

Dries down to: A fresh, bright, aquatic. There's probably a resin in here and a floral but I can't identify them.

 

Additional Comments: I'm not familiar with copal but I should have spotted the plumeria and I get lime instead of orange. This is a nice blend for hot, sticky, summer days - very refreshing. However, I'll have to re-visit this one another day. I love Angel and didn't get that impression from this blend like so many others did. I also didn't get orange at all. I have a feeling I shouldn't have been doing any testing when I did this one, since my impressions are so off-base.

 

Lasted: Several hours.

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

[oatmealneko]

This was a very fragrant floral, yet somewhat fruity. Plumeria & sweet orange right out of the imp, when the oil hit the skin, plumeria came out first. It's very fragrant. After a few minutes, the sweet orange shined right through, & I smelled bits of smoke. Kind of a smokey chocolate, but it's hard to tell unless I'm sniffing the skin close up.

 

It strikes me as a rather masculine scent, but very fragrant. It's nice, but it also smells like it might go to soap at any moment, so it's one for the swap pile.

[L-z_Empress]

First off, I have to say that I love Thierry Mugler's Angel so that is why I tried this scent to begin with. When I first put the oil on I got a strong incensy floral that was really nice, but I was a bit saddened because it smelled nothing like Angel (which is what I was hoping for). After a few minutes of drydown, I got Angel but better. I got a strong, wafty, sexy as hell version of Angel. I like this soooo much more than Thierry's version. Everyone at work thought that I was crazy because I was sitting at my desk sniffing my wrist and smiling like a mad woman. I was so happy I actually thought that I was going to cry. This automatically went to my top 10 list (right up there with my beloved Dorian). I am buying two 10 mLs of this one.

 

THANK YOU, BPAL!!!

[dcmo]

Wow, Just Wow! Initial wet this is very tropical, big lush flowers dripping with rain. As it dries, I get a citrus note with it, and on further dry down this gets sweet and creamy, very reminiscent of Angel (which I love - my pre-bpal days perfume). This is just purely gorgeous! I do get a mexican or aztec feel to it as well...for those of you who have been there this reminds me of my visit to Xcaret. Love this completely!

[PixieSkull]

Bottle/imp: I smell orange covered in some sort of soft, fluffy floral

 

On me: BEAUTIFUL orange smell, sweet and ripe. The floral comes out a bit more and it's very light and still fluffy. There's a smoky note right at the end that is somewhat deep.

 

Overall: A husky but sweet feminine scent. I've already used some to make a tart for my oil burner and would love to smell this in my home all through the summer. I don't know if I'll buy any more of it, but the imp will be used up.

 

My mom initially LOVED the scent of this, so I might make some scented lotion out of this for her to wear. We're both pretty picky with scents, being allergy-headed, but this didn't do anything negative for me. Hope she likes it!

[DarcyPennell]

This scent convinced me to avoid anything with the word "incense" in the description. I wanted so much to love this. Wanted it to smell smokey and orangey and sexy. Instead it was overpowering, headache inducing incense. So sad.

 

Ranking: "ugh"

[maewitch]

I have a really hard time placing this one. On one hand it reminds me of Angel perfume, which I loathe. I can't figure out what the commonality is, or what even bothers me in Angel to begin with, but there's something here that's just rubbing me wrong.

 

On the other hand, this is interesting blend. I can pick up the citrus and something like a honey note (possibly the sweetness of the plumeria?). The rest is sort of a mystery to me.

 

Overall, this one might be a pass. I don't see myself wearing this.

[Savannah]

Xiuhtecuhtli = pure, sweet, soft white floral with a VERY gentle but pervasive and palpable orange sweetness to it, like orange sherbet. If citrus is strong Southern womanhood, and Moxie is Scarlett O'Hara, Xiuhtecuhtli is Melanie Wilkes. I get no incense, no smoke, no spice, and only the mildest, sweetest, smoothest possible resin. It's utterly different from what I expected, but oddly lovely. Possibly wonky menstrual hormones are screwing up my skin chemistry and blocking the incense notes; I'll try it again in a couple of weeks and see, but it's okay if it just stays like this. I shall dub it Sweetness & Light and wear it in according moods.

[lookingglass]

Let me say that I was about to give up on florals, and the thought of me wearing a 'green' scent was, like, "eh...no...". I tried this scent for the copal, a young amber that I am quite in love with but have only ever used in ritual work in its solid form.

 

OMG. I am in love.

 

This scent is green and lush, like a rainforest, with sweet orange right up behind it. It is fresh and alive, much like Eden is in the beginning, but citrusy: SO REFRESHING...and I don't DO refreshing scents!(??) Then, there is this very exotic floral, that is like nothing else...light, delicate, soft...it is one with the green. The really great part though, is the copal that holds it all together. It is like the SKIN of the scent...holding all that jungle wildlife and making it a PART of me! I have never had such a clean scent MELT like this...The smoke lingers in the background, keeping it mysterious, a little dark...something is looming...

 

It is on my big bottle list, for sure.

[Little Bird]

Xiuhtecuhtli goes horribly awry on my skin. I suppose it's for the best though. I couldn't properly pronounce the name of this to save my life.

 

First little disclaimer: I do not like the smell of orange. Or the taste of orange, in most cases. Xiuhtecuhtli smells like sweet orange juice on me for a good 15 minutes into wearing it. I hate that.

 

Then some perfumey white florals start coming out on my skin. I hate white florals. This reminds me of some department store perfume that I dislike.

 

And then after about an hour a smell like burning leaves comes out. Is that supposed to be the incense? I was so excited about the description of South American incense and jungle blooms. On me that apparently translates to white florals and burnt leaves.

 

Blech. I'll be giving this one away.

[Voleuse]

Copal is, apparently, derived from sumach. Not that I know exactly what sumach smells like, but it at least sounds familiar, whereas I kind of stare blankly at "copal" and think it's a typo. The rest of it sounds lovely. Plumeria, orange, smoke, jungle blooms?

 

Weirdly, on first application, I'm first reminded of Juicy Fruit gum. Not strongly, but there's a bit of that sort of sweetness there. It is also smoky, and kind of like sticky sap. That's probably the copal, I think. It's very strong on me, initially. Heady and rich, but not heavy. Complex.

 

As it fades, though, I get more and more Juicy Fruit. Agh. Not that I dislike it, but I don't necessarily need to smell like chewing gum, y'know? It's an interesting scent, and the smokiness isn't at all crowding. It's actually very refreshing, in a way. And, gum-like. Even a little minty, which again, not bad, but not what I wanted.

Edited October 19, 2005 by Voleuse