Aureus

[ladymissspyder]

True, perfect golden light, refined into an incomparably glorious scent.

Apparently, my chemistry amps up cedar quite a bit. When I first but this on, it had a sharp and overpowering cedar + something sharp scent.

After about half an hour, it faded to a nice cedar + amber blend. I like this stage, and it lasted a long time: all day and overnight, until I took a shower. However, it's too masculine for me, and there are plenty of scents I like that don't have bad stages on me and suit my personality.

I imagine it would smell absolutely delicious on a man. (If they don't get that sharp stage I had).

[Little Bird]

First impression: Oh

 

This reminds me a bit of Sloth, only sweeter and more golden.

 

When I smell Aureus, I get a very specific imagine in my mind. There's an open window allowing a glowing ray of sunshine into the room. I'm leaning against an old oak cabinet and watching specks of dust glitter in the sunbeam. And it's all so warm, calm, and comforting.

 

Aureus is a bit woodsy, a bit dusty, a bit sweet, and a bit magical. I'm definitely getting a bottle of this one

[RainyDayGrey]

In the imp this smells like dust and metal, with a hint of something sweet, almost fruity. On my skin it smells like dust, coconuts, pickle juice and play-doh. My skin chemistry obviously does not get along with Aureus at all.

[PurringPulsar]

Aureus

 

In the imp: patchouli! Maybe some sweet resins, amber perhaps?

Wet on skin: now this smells like church incense, I’m sure there’s frankincense here…it’s like a lighter Anne Bonny or Cathedral.

Dry: this is amazing stuff…a bit darker than I was expecting for a ‘golden’ scent, this is a patchouli-amber-incense scent. I can now make out sweet golden amber poking out of the smoky patchouli, and it may have a light spice note to it. I think there are also some other resin notes here, as well as possibly some sandalwood or another woody scent? It’s a really fascinating scent, like a smoky gold scent rather than a luminous one, to me anyway.

After a while: this now reminds me of a mix of Anne Bonny, Sin, Cathedral/Penitence and the Lion…and I like that a lot! I get wonderful, glowing spiced amber with shadows of patchouli, possibly some bright frankincense and woods too, it’s a really nice warm resinous-incense scent, lovely for the cooler months, I think. It’s really growing on me.

Verdict: this one was really intriguing and has grown on me. At first, I was puzzled by the presence of smoky patchouli in a scent that should be ‘like golden light’ but I like patchouli and so I tried it…when wet/just dry, this seemed more like a smoky gold, the scent of deep patchouli with resins and a lovely sweet amber that was slowly rising to the top of the scent…and then this amber becomes centre stage of the scent, a delightful sweet and lightly spiced amber, with possibly some sandalwood and frankincense, with the remains of the patchouli around the edges. It brings to mind the image of the sun breaking through clouds, or a sunrise…it also smells like sacred incense wafting through a holy building-be it a church or a temple-with beams of sunlight illuminating the incense-clouded smoky darkness. This stuff is amazing and I think I might need more.

[Leda]

Aureus is hands-down one of my favorites. Although there aren't any notes listed in the scent description, I'd be willing to bet it contains cedar, amber, and patchouli.

 

This is too sexy to smell of church, but yet it does. Inspires many fantasies of stained glass, a naughty confessional booth, where the hot priest looks like Joaquin Phoenix in the movie "Quill" and has his own demons to work out......

 

And, top it off, this is one of those scents that its great sniffed up close, but the throw is AMAZING.

[ayelienne]

I've worn Aureus several times and wondered when I'd write a review.

It's a wonderfully warm, slightly overwhelming dry, rich scent. This is not at all a sweet smell.

 

To me, it's like being in a pre-19th century library of someone wealthy and incredibly well-read - wood paneled room and row upon row of books from multiple centuries; but I'm in the library during the "golden hour" whereby the sunlight entering the room bathes the room and all its contents in this beautiful light. It's quite an evocative scent.

 

I'd like to have my husband try this one and I'm also looking forward to trying it in the oil burner.

[kakiphony]

In the imp: This has a dry, woody smell to it. I was expecting a lot of amber, and maybe a little saffron, based on the catalog description, but I think that I'm smelling cedar and possibly a little sandalwood.

 

Wet: There is definitely cedar in this blend. On my wrist, that is the strongest odor, and it is a bit astringent.

 

Early dry down: The cedar is still dominant, but I'm starting to smell a heady spice behind it that I'm almost positive is amber.

 

Late dry down: The cedar has continued to dominate this scent for over two hours, and it has done very little morphing on my skin. It resembles Anne Bonny with its woodiness, but lacks the salt tang and doesn't seem to settle into my skin as well as that oil did. Instead, this one remains very assertive. Every time I smell my wrist I'm reminded that I put a fragrance on rather than thinking, "Gee I smell good" as if it was some natural process of my hormones and not the lab's genius. While the smell isn't *bad* (it smells just like the inside of a cedar lined closet, which is a perfectly pleasant smell), it smells artificial to me. This is definitely a swap.

[ajcj213499]

Aureus is like nothing I've ever smelled. It smells like the end of a fall sunset, full of golden light, but somewhat dark and rich. It's wonderful.

[gingersnapp]

This is woodsy, smoky and spicy. I get maybe... cedar as the wood? The spice, I know I've smelled in other blends and didn't really care for it in those, but with the woods and the smoke it's not that bad. I wish I could put my finger on what it is though.

 

I definitely get the golden though. This is a very golden blend.

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Patchouli-ish.

 

On: Like most, I get a cedary scent (could actually be cedar, or sandalwood mingling with the patchouli perhaps). A bit of underlying amber.

 

This is one I'd probably find irresistable on a guy, but on me... I just smell like I've been sharpening pencils all day.

 

This might be great to layer with something that's lighter and sweeter... I keep thinking of how it would add an interesting depth to something like Antique Lace. I might have to experiment a bit!

[Sunnicus]

I smell the amber right away, my skin has an unfortunate reaction to amber which is to turn it into a playdough smell, no matter how small a daub I put on.

 

BUT...once the amber dries, and mixes with the other scents, this turns into a lovely sophisticated blend. It reminds me of my mom getting ready for work. I could imagine her donning this, her houndstooth jacket and skirt, her hose and jewelry. This fragrance is not girly-sweet floral, and not too "headshop" either but a strong career woman scent. I love it.

[Voleuse]

This is absolute incense on me, warm and slightly sweet. As it dries, it becomes a damp, woodsy scent, with sunlight weaving through the trees.

 

The scent ends up being all cedar on me. I suspect resins and amber, but I can't pin them down. It's a little spicy and very warm. Pretty!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: church incense.

on: incense, but with something dark that i don't like.

half an hour later: incense. nothing else to say, really.

1 hour later: earthy incense.

2 hours later: very woodsy.

overall: i think this may have a bit of cedar in it. i didn't really like it.

[Wench457]

Aureus: I can smell patchouli for sure.

 

On: patchouli and sandalwood.

 

Dry: as usual, the sandalwood has been amped out of control on me. Had to wash it off.

[Rhowan]

When I took my first smell of Aureus in the imp I was overjoyed to find it smelled strongly of cedar - my favorite note.

 

Wet this really smelled like amped up cedar with a hint of amber and maybe a bit of patchouli. I was still loving this - yum!

 

As this dried down, it morphed for a few minutes. The cedar, patchouli and amber were still present but in the background I got an almost medicinal note - almost as if there is a drop of pennyroyal.

 

Complete dry down is not what I expected. I expected for this to stay true to the original wet smell of cedar and amber - it was close but I still get pennyroyal or some sort of note like that in the background. First smell of this is delish! but then the medicine kicks in and ruins it. Too Bad.

 

ETA: I layered a bit of Bliss over this and it is beautiful that way. I am going to keep this!

Edited February 9, 2006 by Rhowan

[UploadedLobster]

This is what I want to smell like when I don't want to smell sweet. God it's beautiful.

 

I know what the listed notes are, and I get lots of cedar just like the bottle says, but I get dust and sweetgrass, too. That may be the sandalwood and patchouli playing tricks on me but I really don't care because the resulting scent is uplifting, strong, and magnificently suggestive of wide-open land--arid fields and desert plains just as the sun starts to bake them. It's what I imagined Coyote would smell like.

 

The staying power of this blend is mighty. 13 hours after putting it on, I still get whiffs through two layers of shirt. It's all sandalwood and cedar at this very advanced stage of drydown. Definitely a very pleasant combination.

 

Aureus somehow conjures up a SPACIOUS feeling. I'm having a hard time thinking of words to explain it, but a foot and a half of personal space in an office feels much larger with Aureus on, and it's not because people are edging away.

 

EDIT: After aging for a couple of months, I am sorry to say that Aureus has changed its character drastically. The drydown is DUST. All dust, all the time. Thick dry dust. It's cloying--almost nauseating, honestly. I can't wear it anymore.

 

 

 

Lobster Rating

Better than: a tax audit

Edited April 3, 2006 by Uploaded Lobster

[Miss Lynx]

Oh, wow. Talk about your unexpected gems. This wasn't on my wish list at all, probably because the Lab description is kind of vague and doesn't list any specific notes, so it was hard for me to imagine what it would smell like. But we got it as a frimp in the order that came in today, and I think this is love, or at least serious like.

 

Picture a gentler version of Umbra, overlaid with warm, aromatic incensey tones, and mellowed out with amber. The cedar never gets strong enough to be hamster-cage-ish, and there's an earthy base to it but not so earthy that it feels heavy or sludgy. If this is patchouli, it's the kind of patchouli that plays well with others and doesn't dominate. There's a hint of spice, some rich incense resins, and a warm ambery glow suffusing the whole scent. Lovely.

 

Interestingly, it smells like it could do equally well as a ritual oil, a room scent, or a fragrance on either gender. There's nothing intrinsically masculine or feminine about it Aureus; it's just warm and resinous and gorgeous.

 

I don't think a scent has ever before gone from being nowhere on my wish list at all to being on my A-list, but this just did.

 

Grade: A

[blu°]

I've never reviewed Aureus, but it's been among my very favourite bpal scents ever since I first tried it.

When in the beginning of my bpal addiction I tried out all those resinous scents looking for Lush's Middle Earth equivalents, I was a bit disappointed by the heavier, more molassy resin scents like Penitence, Sloth, etc.

Aureus however, was instant love.

It's somehow silky and smooth, not molassy and dark, rather light and woodsy. Golden is a good adjective, too. It's never plain but maintaining a deep complexity, and it lasts really long, too, unlike Umbra, which was lovely, but super-short-lived.

I agree to what has been said, that this is a universally good scent that can be used in any way thinkable. I haven't worn it in a while with all the new scents to try all the time, but Miss Lynx's review just made me remember my precious 5ml of Aureus and I'm sure gonna wear it these days again.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Woodsy!

 

In the imp: Surprisingly woodsy. Cedar, I think. I was definitely expecting amber!

 

On skin, wet: Incense? Cedar, incense and patchouli, mostly. Not at all light or golden on me.

 

On skin, dry: Cedar (and maybe sandalwood?), patchouli and incense. Maybe a bit of amber beneath, but I'm not sure. This is very strange -- I was expecting something, well, golden. Amber! And definitely something lighter. This is woodsy and dark -- if it were a colour, it would be the very dark orange/amber colour of the oil itself.

 

Conclusion: Not really me. I've been liking amber lately, so I think I was wanting something akin to a less-perfumey Jacob's Ladder.

[Ydnic]

I love this blend ! It showed up on Saturday as an unexpected and very welcome frimp from a fellow LJ-er, from whom I'd ordered Phantom.

 

Here's the review I wrote that day in my LJ...

 

Aureus...OMG. It's frankincense and myrrh and amber and it is like pure astral light and goodness in a bottle, and after I put it on I swear I just smelled honey--just an elusive note, almost like a flash of brightness from the heavens. Seriously. Fabulous!!!

 

I'm wearing it today, and it has been going strong for about eight hours now, which is very cool. (I'm not sure about the frankincense I mentioned above; I'm pretty sure that it's actually, as other reviewers have mentioned, patchouli).

[Muppetk]

Disclaimer: I'm actually testing this scent from a tarted imp, so the oil I'm trying is fairly aged.

 

Wet: It's the woody aspect of sandalwood with a bit of baby powder sweetening. It feels raw.

 

Drying: The woodiness has become smoother and it's morphed into something... sweet and familiar. I'm thinking a touch of resins, but light ones. Maybe frankincense, maybe amber, maybe a combination. There's something to the smoothness of this that feels refreshing, almost makes me want to drink it. (yes, that is weird.) And as it dries a little further, the resins become a bit more prominent. This is acquiring a church-like feel, only lighter (no myrrh I think), and I don't believe most churches don't smell of sandalwood... though they can have a slight wood scent from the pews.

 

Conclusion: I have GOT to try this as an addition to both meditation, and to my qi gong exercises. I feel like this should qualify as a TAL oil, that it has a very centering quality, and makes me feel very present in the here and now. This has officially hit my "I like it" list, and I'm quite sure I'll want at least another imp's worth.

[ariansdreams]

First Sniff (in the imp): This smells very similar to Sherezade.

 

Wet: Oh wow. This smells like a combination of a library and a church. Maybe a church library. It is so lovely. I was raised Catholic (now a Pagan), but this is bringing back some major memories for me...of masses where they used the incense. It smells almost *exactly* like that incense. I seem to remember our Priest saying that the recipe for the incense was some sort of big secret...well...Beth must have found it out! It's a very warm, comforting scent.

 

Dry: The scent got more woodlike and less churchlike as it got drier, and mixed with my skin chemistry. Now it is kind of reminding me of opening up an old chest full of blankets...I'm not sure exactly what I'm getting at, but I really like this scent.

 

Overall: Soooo comforting. Aureus lives up to its name. I don't think I'll get a big bottle, but I will keep my imp for those days when I feel like I need a big fat hug from the divine.

[filigree_shadow]

I tried Aureus and Cathedral on the same day.

 

My impression was that Cathedral smelled like pencil shavings -- like new wood. Aureus smells like old wood. Wood that's been touched so much it's shiny. I have been in churches that were hundreds of years old and had this scent. My grandmother had ancient dining room furniture, and when I opened the drawers in the buffet, it smelled like this.

 

Cathedral was just a little too sharp for me, but I find Aureus to be lighter and extraordinarily calming. I think that's because of the images it evokes in my head. I expect to look up and see little flecks of dust playing around in the light rays from the window.

 

I will definitely be trying this as a room scent.

 

ETA: A couple of hours later, I put my nose to my hand and could smell only the faintest whiff of Aureus. It's not much like wood now, just soft and almost glowing. Strangely, the patch of skin where I smeared the oil is now exceptionally soft. Weird. I don't think I've had that experience with a BPAL oil before. Makes a case for using it as a skin scent rather than a room scent after all.

Edited March 13, 2006 by filigree_shadow

[storme]

In the imp: earthy and musky alcohol.

 

On me, wet: earthy and musky, sort of a gritty warm scent.

 

On me, dry: this warms up fairly fast, and gets sweeter and softer. For a while there I was confused as to how on earth this could be 'light', but nope, that's a fair description. It's nice - there's enough sweetness to make it feel golden, but not enough to make it cloying.

 

An interesting transition; my instinct is to compare it to a magic act - the lighter scent is there, quietly and carefully perched on the top of a solid and gritty chunk of earthiness which dominates at the beginning. Then the earth support is removed bit by bit until the light is left suspended in the air by itself, floating gracefully.

 

Verdict: I'm not so keen on the wet phase, but dry this is pretty enough. I certainly think I'll keep the imp around.

[moon_lemming]

In the imp, Aureus has an edge that reminds me of the wood shavings I used to use in my gerbils' cages. Ah, cedar, my old enemy.

 

Yep, once it hits my skin it's nothing but cedar. There's a shadow of something else -- sweet and incense-y -- that also doesn't get along with my skin. Definitely not a scent for me.