Taurus 2016

[LiberAmoris]

Fixed earth: the essence of ownership and possession. This blend assists you in seeing the truth of what you need while highlighting destructive desires that wound your soul so that you may purge them. It is the scent of determination and persistence, devotion and drive, bound by silks of raw sensuality.

Rose absolute and Moroccan jasmine with ylang ylang, red sandalwood, black pepper, and red patchouli.

Taurus is a study in two parts. On one side: petal-soft, gentle rose and jasmine. On the other: a dash of spicy black pepper and sharp ylang ylang. The red sandalwood and red patchouli make a bullish base for these forces to play out against. The notes that end up winning on my skin in terms of strength are the rose and jasmine and ylang ylang—these are the notes that last well into the drydown. If you love the rose and jasmine combo in Mata Hari, this might work for you...they smell similar in concert here as they do in concert there, at least to my nose. Very nice!

[VioletChaos]

In The Bottle: Mostly the jasmine, the rich, heady kind, like the stuff one can procure in tiny beautiful bottles in Indian neighborhoods.

 

Wet On Skin: The rose is coming out, and it's a fresh, still on the stem kind of rose. The jasmine os still being heady and dense, making for an incredibly sultry floral combination.

 

Dry Down: Bits of the pepper and sandalwood finally come out to play, though it's for sure in a background, supporting role kind of way. The jasmine is still definitely the star of this show, with the rose getting softer, less on the stem now, more like a rose musk, or the kind of rose in a Victorian face cream.

 

In All: Honestly, I'm not one for florals. I'm extremely picky about them, even when I love them. I don't know that I will keep this, as the jasmine has asserted itself in a very dramatic way. But the scent is certainly a floral-lover's dream, not to be passed up.

[zankoku_zen]

Heady rose, ylang ylang and sandalwood. Excellent throw and wear length. This to me is a more spring-time version of Fresh and Blooming as a Rose.

[joopjoop]

This was my first blind bottle purchase (a birthday gift to myself). It seemed like it was worth taking the leap as I am a Taurus and I love jasmine, ylang ylang and rose and, of all the sandalwoods, red is by far my favorite.

 

I tried this on as soon as it arrived (and before it had a chance to rest) and it was a bit disappointing. On the first try it was JASMINE! and then all patchouli and sandalwood on the dry down. I set it aside for a few weeks and tried it again tonight.

 

All I can say is WOW, this is a beautiful multi-layered scent. I think this is the one that is going to send me right down the LE rabbit hole (so sad for my poor poor bank account!).

 

For me, the jasmine is the star of the show, supported by rose with just a tiny punch from both the ylang ylang and the pepper. As it dries down, the florals remain, but they soften and the base of patchouli and sandalwood come forward. Together these two notes add a richness and depth that I find almost intoxicating.

 

This is not a daytime scent. It is very deep and sensual to me. I will be wearing this on hot summer evenings - when I want to feel like a queen. So glad I took the leap and that I have a full bottle of this particular bull.

Edited June 1, 2016 by joopjoop

[madscientistdh]

The first time I tried this, it was just as floral-heavy as I was worried it would be. It had great throw and great staying power, as it overwhelmed well into the night and nearly stayed through my shower the next morning. I'd hoped the patchouli, sandalwood, and pepper would have asserted themselves in this blend, but my skin really just kind of projected FLORAL with maybe a touch of woodiness underneath. None of my beloved patchouli stood out. The combination of florals really reminded me of my mother though, with her jasmine hair oil and ylang ylang rollerballs.

 

I blind-bought a bottle with high hopes because I'm a Taurus (and because my birthday was the upcoming Friday the 13th so it felt like a sign to BUY ALL THE SCENTS) but I don't think it's my cup of tea. I think I'd enjoy an earthy/herbal-focused Taurus better, myself. Maybe some mellowing will do it good?

 

I'll be back when I can brave another skin test.

Edited June 7, 2016 by madscientistdh

[Little Bird]

I keep trying Taurus blends from perfume oil companies, hoping that one will work for me, but they're always so floral . Where are the vanillas and orientals and gourmands that are usually recommended for my sign? Why always the flowers? I digress. This is perfumey/musky/sharp floral and the rose and jasmine lean towards being slightly sour on my skin. I don't really get any patch, sandalwood or pepper, but the drydown is baby powdery. Has a heavy, drugstore, cheap floral perfume feel to me.

[Lycanthrope]

HAI I'M A BULL AND MADE OF ROSES AND YOU WILL SMELL LIKE ROSES (do you want to? no? MOO BAD!!!)

 

 

 

 

So much rose. It overpowers everything else, even the jasmine (which is probably there but I can't tell, it's all floral!) Please be aware my skin amps rose.

[Teamama]

Taurus was a blind bottle must-have, containing the holy Trinity of rose, jasmine, and sandalwood.

 

In the bottle: Bitter rose.

 

Wet: Rose & jasmine are in front. The proportion of each is just right, for me, balanced so that neither one dominates. The sandalwood, pepper & patchouli add a spicy, slightly bitter layer to the blend.

 

Dry: The sweet florals have stepped back, and the wood & spice are to the front. The sandalwood and rose are combining in that smooth, sexy way that I love.

Starstruck Taurus is somewhat similar to Dawn: Priestess.

 

My kind of fragrance, for sure! Very glad I got my bottle.

[achildoftime]

For the first minute or so rose and patch had quite the tug of war to see who could win. Rose won out by a mile. It's almost all rose on me for the first five minutes after that and then, after asserting dominance, lets the other notes out to play. I get jasmine and ylang ylang now with a much friendlier rose. Under that it does smell like there is something keeping it grounded, but nothing that is distinct enough to say "Oh, it's ___ doing the thing".

 

It's my star sign so I had to have it. I don't think I'll reach for it often, but it is quite pretty and has a nice traditional feel to it.

[doomsday_disco]

I am a double Taurus, so I wanted to try this for that reason alone, and not due to the list of notes, which aren't usually my thing.

 

In the decant, I smell heady jasmine, followed by the rose, ylang ylang, and some black pepper.

 

On me, it's super heady jasmine, rose, and ylang ylang, with a splort of black pepper and a little red sandalwood in the background. This is a super heady floral scent on me, and it doesn't seem to have any intention to let the other notes really come through.

 

...yep. After a few hours, it's still a floral party, but there's a bit more pepper in the background.

 

I am with Little Bird on this one. Why can't Taurus blends feature some vanilla, gourmand, or oriental notes? Then they'd be much more my thing. I enjoy some floral scents, but prefer ones with something sweet in the mix, and this is just too intensely floral for me. I am glad that I got to try it, though!

[Lecter]

For me this was almost pure rose. Then coming in just after jasmine. This is just a bit too rose for me sadly