Golgothan Myrrh

[greenranger]

GOLGOTHAN MYRRH
I send thee myrrh, not that thou mayest be by it perfumed, but it perfumed by thee.

Myrrh is a sacred plant whose power has been explored for over four thousand years. It is an ingredient in the Kyphi of the ancient Egyptians and in Ketoret, which was used in the used in the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem. Myrrh was also one of the gifts that the Magi were said to have brought to the infant Christ. This tremendously potent and protective plant resonates with the Crone, and is utilized both to explore the Crone's spheres of death and wisdom, and as a tool to help lead the proverbial child of destiny through darkness to a place of enlightenment.

Myrrh, whose name means Bitter Tears, exists within the auspices of both Saturn and Luna, and represents loss and grief as well as the ability to heal and learn from painful experiences.

I love myrrh. I knew that I had to get this.

On me, warm, sweet, resinous, and deep. There's an almost floral bit to it, and an almost coconutty sweetness hiding in the center of it, though I don't find it to be either floral or foody overall. Lovely and complicated and it is lasting and lasting and laaaasting.

[The Poison Queen]

Oh how I wanted to love this. Myrrh is one of my favourite scents, I have a jar of the resin that I use constantly in my incense blends and a bottle of pure essential oil that I treasured for years- but this is all baby powder. In the bottle, out of the bottle in a scent locket, on my skin, on my boy's skin (it's bitter rather than sweet babypowder for him). It doesn't smell at all like myrrh, there's no deep resin, no richness, it's just a light, sweet babypowder. D: D: D: On top of that, this is the first BPAL to make me break out in hives. D:

 

Guess that's two bottles for the swap pile.

Edited December 12, 2012 by The Poison Queen

[lookingglass]

I love, love, love, love myrrh!!! This one is rich, bittersweet, and animalic, almost like a black musk with spice. Yes, it's a bit powdery, with a dusty soft floral top, but overall it's very potent, dark, and mysterious. I slather and I swoon....

Edited December 19, 2012 by lookingglass

[patina]

This is the myrrh note I've always smelled in blends. Dark, resinous, woody/bitter, sweet (without smelling like syrup), and with just a hint of cola. As people have mentioned, there's a dusty top note and this smells better as my skin heats up. Even though it's a SN, I might try wearing this alone.

 

For some reason, I also have a strong psychological reaction to this note. It feels very comforting, like being soothed after you've been crying.

 

Favorite note, yeah.

[Antoinette]

This SN conjures up a lot of scent memories for me. I absolutely adore this one. I find it tough to describe, but I'll try - it's like a high pitched and dusty resin that is warm, sweet and comforting. I was afraid it might go way powdery on me, but it doesn't and it lasts for hours and hours.

 

So, my scent memories with this one are really happy ones. I used to work at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose, Cailfornia and when I first opened the bottle of this oil I was immediately transported back there. Not only was that the best job I ever had (I was a tour guide getting to spend my time studying and teaching about something I love) but it's also one of my favorite places in the world. This Myrrh smells like parts of my experiences there. Specifically, one of the mummies!

 

The employees at that time all knew about this one mummy that gave off a sweet and resinous scent. One of my bosses showed me how to position my nose just so at the seam in the display case, where air could escape between the sliding glass door, and inhale deeply. That beautiful mummy smells like this beautiful myrrh.

 

Love. LOVE. Love.

 

Thank you, Beth, for bottling more magic!

[Aldercy]

This worried me when I first tried it last night. It was blandly baby powdery and sweet and I was kind of cursing myself for buying two bottles unsniffed. But I put it on again this morning, refusing to believe that one of my favorite notes could suddenly be so boring, and I'm happy to report that it's much better. It's still a little lighter than I expected, but it's now displaying the cloudy resinous warmth that I know and love. It's an ancient and mysterious scent, but close and comforting. I think it just takes awhile to warm up and bloom properly on the skin. Aging might help with that.

[dreamingjune]

In bottle: Not at all what I was hoping for. Very soft and almost rosey?

 

Wet: Ok, this is totally different on. I am getting some of what I love from myrrh heavy blends like Minotaur, with an almost resinous rose note. Note: I have funky skin, so I might be the only one getting rose here.

 

Dry: This is lovely. Rich resin with a delicate quality to it that leans into floral/herbal territory while still being highly wearable.

[Dark Alice]

Smooth, dark, sweet, and sexy. While wet! Dry: Smooth, dark, and resinous with a hint of powder. Just like I like my myrrh. This is a keeper.

[Little Bird]

I love myrrh, but I'm glad that I just went with a decant of this. I like the myrrh scents that smell sweet, almost dark and syrupy, and this has a high pitched, perfumey quality that smells bright & sour on me, and (as others have mentioned) a powdery edge to it that I really dislike. I prefer a lot of bpal's GC resin/incense blends to this one (Sloth & Cathedral are my go-tos for myrrh & resins lately, Brotoloigos for a LE).

[hlinspjalda]

I bought a bottle of this unsniffed on account of the number of scents I love that have myrrh in them.

 

In the vial: Dark, sharpish, a little powdery. Smells just like the myrrh note in Frankincense & Myrrh bath oil.

 

Wet: My skin takes to it immediately, warming and opening it up. It is still a bit on the sharpish side, although much warmer and spicier than before.

 

One hour: Still a little sharp and powdery, but it's overcome the slightly crittery note that I normally associate with lemon verbena. Dry, a bit tart, but with a warm stratum beneath.

 

Three and a half hours: Much less sharp and more mellow now. I might want to cut this with something so it's a little less strong, but it does in fact work well on me after a slow start.

 

After nine or ten hours, it was still quite evident on my skin, soft and warm and sweetly spicy. I think if I added some more carrier oil to it my skin would get it to the happy place earlier.

[zankoku_zen]

Dark, sharp, and smells like musky cedar.

 

Yup, musky cedar.

 

PASS.

[Ordo_ad_Chao]

deep, rich and resinous. On my skin it turned into a powdery dry myrrh. I like it, but it's not magical on me.

[GoldenRubee]

I have had my bottle a month now and it just keeps getting better and better.

 

The first time I tried it on it was good but not the deep, resinous oil I was expecting. I knew from Beth' s description at it would only get better with age, plus it was right out of the box. I tried it about a week later and it was a deeper, richer, more developed oil than the week before. It was sweeter and smoother.

 

Now a good month later, I love it. It lasts all day, it is deep and spicy and everything I had hoped it would be. It really warms up as I wear it and I have gotten compliments every time I have worn it. It is just hauntingly beautiful and will age wonderfully.

[OctoberGwen]

Oh, God, why didn't I buy a bottle of this?

 

Deep, sweet, beautiful myrhh. I weep.

[milo]

Now I know what myrhh smells like! I recognize the note in some of my favourite blends, I'd say more the 'darker' fall and winter friendly blends. This is perfumey in a good way if that makes sense, it really reminds me of King Cobra, and I'll have to check and see if this note is in there. Dries to a 'dark' slightly spicy sweet resinous powder, though in a good way. Not offensive in the least, and quite lovely on it's own. Glad to have a bottle!

Edited February 2, 2013 by milo

[mymymai]

In the Bottle (ITB): Delicious, sultry myrrh with a touch of citrus.

 

Wet: The myrrh on my skin still retains a very slight citrus quality while still being sweetly resinous. I'm resisting the urge to slather myself in this scent.

 

Dry: It's still gorgeous as even - sweetly resinous and evocative.

[brilliantcat]

There's been a lot of myrrh in blends I love but I never really knew what it smelled like on its own. It's resinous, slightly citrusy, almost reminiscent of leather. A bit musky, slightly dry/dusty, very sensual. I can see this only getting better with age and definitely something I could wear alone.

[porcelina]

this myrhh! AAAH! it's gorgeous. sweet, deep and resinous with a touch of citrus. myrrh can be smoky but i don't get that here. it is so rich and i agree that there is something here that reminds me of black musk. there is so much going on here- it is an incredibly complex single note. i love it.

[Aveya]

My first run-in with Myrrh was mixed with vetiver. And overall smelled like wet basement to me. Since then, I've struggled to be able to tell what Myrrh vs Vetiver did in scents. Well, I FINALLY got both Vetiver and Myrrh single notes in my possession so now I know.

 

They do the same thing in my nose. Bitter. Earthy. Myrrh has a wet roundness about it, but with a powdery-floral center. I'm impressed by how bitter and dusty it is. It's also strangely light and feminine, I can sense both the sorrow and growth. Overall I'm really intrigued by it, and am happy to explain to my nose what's been going on all these years. Unfortunately it does not assuage how I feel about Myrrh. Or Vetiver. They're made for each other in their bitter dirty earthy strangely sweet way. But I'll stay in the corner with my patchouli and sugars.

[Lucchesa]

Growing up singing about we three kings, I always wanted to know what myrrh smelled like.  Thanks to Aveya sharing some of her SN, now I do.  Actually, myrrh was a note I thought I had a pretty good handle on from blends like Penitence and Sloth, and it turns out that was true.  Unlike Aveya, I like myrrh.  It doesn't turn to baby powder on my skin, though it does add a softness, a blurring around the edges that might be considered somewhat powdery.  It's deep and dark and soft, like a warm blanket on a winter evening.  Ultimately in late drydown it has much more sweetness than I anticipated.  It's really beautiful, and I'm so glad to have gotten to try it.