Ahathoor

[taramarie]

Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy bark at the Mid-course of the Sun.
Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Morning!

Wet on my skin, Ahathoor is incense resin. Dry, it turns a bit powdery but still a nice scent. I like it but it's not a favorite. Edited December 18, 2007 by whiterosepetals

[septima_pica]

Octopod: Wet: Some kind of wood, sweet spices. Powdery -- reminiscent of Morocco. And then…eeeew. Sour amber yuck. I was afraid of that, based on people's descriptions. Amber is sour stinky DOOM.

 

Kalirren: Wet: Lemony! Dry: at first, straight-up Celestial Seasonings. Two scents eventually vanish, leaving something much better. Now it's a sweet incensey smell. Is this what amber is supposed to smell like? After 3-4 minutes, it's a bit reminiscent of citrus, but without the sourness. Sweet resins and spices. Eventually...what is fake sandalwood incense made of? This smells a lot like that fake money for burning at Chinese New Year.

[ophidiae]

IN THE BOTTLE: Some type of resin and citrus.

 

WET ON SKIN: Spiced citrus. Cloves. Beneath that, something soft and almost powdery, maybe amber?

 

DRYDOWN: Definitely amber. Citrus again, and a light, sweet note I can't identify.

 

DRY: I smell like a pomander. It's nice. It's also fading fast, and doesn't have much of a throw. I suspect my body chemistry has something to do with that, as I'm at a point in my cycle where my skin just seems to devour scent.

[Limelight]

Ugh, I wish I smelled like a pomander. This is nauseating. Bitter, bitter resin, not really anything else, and it never changes, just fades. If the noonday sun started smelling like this, I'd have to hide under the covers.

[AEris]

I get incense resin, citrus peel, spice/woods...

 

There's a hint of something unpleasant in this blend, I think it's carnation - a note that I just don't jive with at all.

 

This is earthy and spice rack-y, and is kind of masculine in my opinion.

 

I don't really like it, though. It's just not doing it for me as a perfume.

 

1.5 out of 5

[Babylon]

Wet: Root beer and wintergreen. Weird! But interesting!

 

Drying: Light menthol with root beer.

 

Dry: Hormel turkey pepperoni and root beer. And it had such unique promise when it was wet!

 

This is from a well-aged imp.

[Lamia]

This smelled like lemon bubblegum NO wait, the lemon is gone, it's cinnamon NO, that's not it, it's... *ambles off to read the forum, since there was no ingredient list posted on the BPAL site* ... yeah, I can agree with "creamsicle". But it's a hot creamsicle. This smells hot, yet sugary, and cinnamon-almost, and creamy.

 

Drydown brings out frankincense, which I LOVE. Sort of clay-ey, with mild frankincense. It's a subtle intruiging scent, not something that I would choose to wear every day, but quite pleasant. I think the creamy scent is amber. I may have *finally* found another amber that works nicely.

 

ADDED Feb. 12:

 

When I first tried this, all I could think of was WARM CREAMSICLE WOW!

 

It's one of the few ambers that work well on me, so I treasured that test. I was *finally* fortunate to get hold of a 5ml, and it's different (ah body chemistry!)

 

This time, fresh on skin it was quite minty. It warmed up, but for a while it was still mentholated, while being warm at the same time. It has settled into a warm minty pastey scent, which is exactly nothing like my notes LOL I will test again during my cycle and see if that makes the difference.

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: Wow, this is discontinued? I think I got it mixed up with another scent on my wishlist... I almost hope I don't like it now, so I don't end up wanting a bottle!

 

Ahathoor, unless I'm much mistaken (I might be a theology buff, but my mythology is not so good) is one of the unusual arcane or temple names for Hathor, the ox-headed goddess (A cursory search on Wikipedia tentatively backs this up). She's not a goddess I'm particularly familiar with, so I still don't really know what to expect!

 

In the imp: Low key spice (No cinnamon or clove, but something spicy), and a few others that are familiar to me, but I can't put my finger on them. Frankincense? Balsam? Beeswax, even. I have a feeling there's a floral in there as well, but it's not a sweet or a heady floral... it's not my beloved narcissus, but it's in the same ballpark, if you get my drift. I'd almost be inclined to say eucalyptus, but it's doing a damn good job of hiding under the other notes if it is.

 

On the wrist, wet: WOAH. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?

 

I really, REALLY can't place this at all and it's disconcerting. Damn my puny floral recognition skills! It also really, strongly reminds me of something - a semi-medicinal balm of some kind, maybe a beeswax lip balm...

 

...

 

... not CAMPHOR?

 

How bizarre. I have to go look up the reviews on this on the drydown... see if I can ID any of this weirdness.

 

Fifteen minutes and some surfing later: Okay, from surfing the reviews I've come to a few conclusions...

 

The general consensus with this is that the spicy note is actually carnation (Bleedin' 'enry - really? If this is so - not being a fan of florals, I'm only vaguely aware what half of them smell like - then I might have to seriously rethink some perfumes I turned down for containing carnation) and one or two people ID'd the hint of citrus as heliotrope, which I'm more that prepared to go for - I know what citrus does on my skin with disturbing consistancy, and this doesn't do it, so I'd guess if there IS any grapefruit or lemon in this it's INCREDIBLY minor.

 

I'm still on my frankincense balm theory, but now that the basic 'idea' of carnation and heliotrope have been explained to me, I can spot 'em too.

 

So what do I actually think? Well... I'm not actually all that sure. Having grown up with a mother into kitchen medicine, the 'balm' aspect of this is giving me a definate medicinal feel to it. HOWEVER, it isn't in any way actually unpleasant. The florals-that-aren't-really-very-floral, now I can pick up on them, is giving it a pleasant, outdoorsy feel. I feel odd describing them as 'floral' even though they're flowers, because to me a floral should be pink or white in tone, whereas these two are, scent wise, the colour of castoline (Sort of pale amberish ochre?)

 

D'you know what this is, actually? Motherly. This is sitting in the kitchen on a hot summers day with the door to the garden wide open, while some motherly apparition in a gingham dress tends to your scraped knees. This makes me feel like a little kid at the height of summer. I guess Hathor must be a mother goddess. It doesn't have heat, it just has light - and not blinding light, either, just brightness and clarity of colour.

 

Verdict: Keeper

 

Tl;Dr: Like being a kid on a perfect summer's day. Frankincense balm, carnation and heliotrope, probably.

[carrickfergus]

It's fresh and sharp, perhaps something like citrus, then fades in a few minutes to a subtle hint of a scent that made me immediately think of a grill -- that charcoal smokey smell, but in a pleasant way, not at all overwhelming.

[tartchef]

A white-hot, blazingly bright summer day - a fitting day to review the Midday Sun

 

My nose must be on strike - Ahathoor is a much milder, fainter scent than I'd expected... I smell the oil, but not the scent, if that makes sense... Once it's dried down a bit, there's a faint waft of lemony resin, almost a watermark-version of Bezoar, translucent & vague. Definitely a bit of frankincense, and something almost vanilla/coconutty... benzoin, maybe? And still that oily feel - strangely, it's not at all unpleasant... it's rather like I was rubbed down with scented grapeseed oil, instead of just having applied a few drops of perfume...

 

Ahathoor isn't a strong scent, by any means, but it's really growing on me - it's very wearable on a hot, stinky day, grounding & meditative without amping to high heaven with the heat.

 

ETA: Ooo. The late dry-down? Extra-dry ginger ale!

Edited August 4, 2008 by tartchef

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Something herbal and peppery.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a very low scent… it’s hard to smell it when I sniff it on my skin. There’s definitely amber in this, and I’m also getting something very pepper-like and herbal too. There’s something smoky and subtly sweet about it. It’s a pleasant and fleeting scent.

 

After a few minutes: This has really transformed into a lovely warm, smooth scent. It smells of warm, dry spices and amber, with just a hint of herbs in the background. It’s sweet, but only slightly so, and very comforting.

 

Overall Impressions: It may be winter, but this blend really brings heat to mind. It just smells like warm, bright sunshine on a very dry day. There’s no wet feel to this scent; it smells sandy and dry. It’s an absolutely wonderful sun scent.

[Allumina]

To me this smells like expensive ladies perfume. A warm, sort of sweet powdery resin. It's very strong, almost sets my teeth on edge. Very "exotic" smelling.

[Coldfire]

Not sure how I received an imp of this but I will treasure it:

 

 

 

Imp: Spicy…almost dragon’s bloodish spicy.

Wet on Me: still a spicy I know but can’t quite put my nose on it

Drying Down: spicy, rich, deep a tad resiny and incensy.

Dry: Smells ancient and mysterious and all knowing.

Feels like a scent I’ll save for ritual purposes.

[Schmoozy]

This is certainly a scent that is chock full of mystery.

I detect amber, spices, a sprinkling of herbs and maybe some mint.

 

The amber is dry, and the spices are resiny and full of flavour. The herbs give a medicinal feel

and the combination of all feels soothing, warm and very comforting. Just like the sun.

Edited October 23, 2008 by Schmoozy

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Rich and woody.

 

Wet: Still that impression of richness, like cream maybe. Another strong, spicy floral impression, perhaps also carnation? There's something sweet like cinnamon, almost a licorice impression too (fennel?), and the woodiness is still there underneath. This is very grounding, and I like it.

 

Half an hour: The same stemmy lemony woody fragrance as Ra, but much better balanced with other ingredients. The carnation is still there too, also the impression of creaminess and spice. This reminds me of a locally handmade soap my family purchased a lot of one year for Christmas gifts.

 

One hour: Softer and sweeter than Ra, and more noticeably floral, but this has blended down into something a lot more calm than I expected. Still has that creamy impression.

 

Two hours: Not much change. Doesn't stick around as well as Ra on me, either.

 

Four hours: Pretty much gone now.

 

[Saya]

In the Imp

Spicy, herbal smelling wood, with a touch of bright pink bubble gum for good measure. I know it sounds strange, but that’s the best I’ve got.

 

On My Skin

Double Bubble bubble gum (that really sweet gum that comes individually wrapped - it even captures the dusting of powder on the outside of it). Now that it’s on my skin the herbal element has deffinetly died down, it’s now been relegated to the background where it just pops up every now and again.

 

After a Bit

What an interesting scent, I’m still getting something pretty sweet. The herbal, spice and wood elements have died down and I’m left with double bubble on my wrist.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being best)

Scent - 3.3 Throw - 2 Longevity - 2.5

Overall (not an average) - 2.9

 

Final Thoughts

I’ll keep the imp but won’t go searching a bottle out. I’d really like to re-test it since some of the previous reviews have mentioned notes like mint and I didn’t get anything like that.

[zankoku_zen]

Oh man, incense resin it is. There's a certain sweetness and tiny hint of florals but the general impression is of dry woods and sand.

 

...

 

If you're looking for a nice substitute, I'd try the Ifrit.

[ClareN]

Sad that this is gone; it was an interesting one. It's a dark, spicy, herbal sarsparilla (root beer) scent to my nose. According to my notes from when I first tested it, I found it "too angry"; but I did come around to it later. I gave away my imp because there were some similar scents that I liked better - Hellhound on my Trail and Kathmandu, a still-available GC. Kathmandu in particular is very similar (and gorgeous, even if I'm the only one who thinks so).

[Dark Alice]

I legitimately have no idea what is in this. I can only decide that this is stinky....there is a fake mint scent to this...something cooling....minty and stinky. Not a fan...but I am glad that I got a chance to try it.

[mgrazulis]

Wet on skin, it tingles~could be clove. Spicy and carnation-like as it dries with a dry frankincense note. Just a tiny hint of Egyptian musk. Very close to skin. Not much to it on me...

[rayvn1]

Dry spice here. Not anything I can pick out and smells vaguely medicinal on me. To the swaps!

[Seismogenic]

Septima_pica gave me an imp of this one, and I actually hadn't initially heard of it. Once I figured out what it was, I thought it was pretty darn awesome to be gifted something that's discontinued and might be hard to get to try! I'm intrigued by its description as well - as a resident of southern California, I am well acquainted with the midday sun, so let's see how Ahathoor measures up.

 

In the imp: Bright amber, spices, and a bit of citrus. One of the spices in particular is familiar, and yet I'm not entirely sure what it is.

 

Wet on skin: Very bright sweet-spicy resin, still with a familiar note that I can't quite place. I think there's a subtle wood note under there, too, but I'm not quite sure.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, this is still bright, sweet, and spicy. I'm also pretty sure there's a wood note under there, though it doesn't serve to dry the scent out. At one hour in, I'm more certain of the wood note; it and the spicy resin are the most prominent things, though both have faded.

 

Five hours later: Very faint now - a bit of dry wood and warm resin. Still having trouble figuring out precisely which one.

 

End of the day: Gone.

 

Overall: I think this nails the bright hot sunlight thing. In the early stages of wear, this is absolutely hot and golden and intense. I suppose that, given it's the noon specifically, the fact that it fades quickly makes sense, but in terms of me wearing it more, that's not a point in its favor. I like the scent quite well, but the fading thing means I'm not devastated that I'll ever be able to have more than an imp of it.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: Sassafras, with its accompanying mentholated zing, and clove, and lots and lots of dry, unburned resins: amber, frankincense, myrrh.

 

Wet: Hot, hot frankincense, myrrh, benzoin perhaps? Cedar and dry timber and golden incense smoldering on a wooden table. This smells a lot like Sol to me, but without the fuzzy-inviting quality. This is just hot, spicy, ecclesiastical and dry. It's gorgeous! Very gender-neutral. Not sexy, just powerful.

 

Dry: Cedar and incense, very much like Cathedral without the odd banana note. I like this, but it's not hugely different from a lot of other resin-heavy blends, so I'll probably pass it on so someone else has a chance to try a rare.

[Reedsong]

To me, Ahathoor is the quintessential example of why some BPALs don't have official descriptions. From this one, I get benzoin, amber, sassafras, possibly nutmeg, fresh ginger juice, a little of Ra's carnation, and lime. If I'd read a list of notes like that, I'd have promptly passed on the fragrance.

 

And that would have been a shame, because Ahathoor is a bright, brilliant, energetic scent very well suited to the mid-day Sun. It goes a touch sweet on my skin and also fades more quickly than I'd prefer, but while it's not my favourite of the Stations, it's still a lovely offering.

[Ishtar]

Another very complex scent. Right after applying, the first thing I thought of was freshly dug clay or silt - not earthy or soil-like, mind you, but rather a rich, mineral and slippery kind of substance. This only lasted a few seconds, though, and it soon gave way to a fruity bubblegum note that, on me, usually signals the presence of lotus in a blend. That stage didn't last either, as the scent deepened and darkened before settling into a faintly lemony and resiny sweetness.

 

It's a nice scent, but for some reason I cannot seem to connect with it - it lacks emotional resonance for me, but that may well be because I am much more attuned to the traditional, dynastic Egyptian pantheon than I am to the Thelemic take on Egyptian deities. In any case, off to swaps it goes!