Fortuna Primigenia

[torikitty]

The Fortunes that Govern Childbearing, the Fortunes of a Child at the Moment of Their Birth

A hymn for blessing new mothers and newborn babies: white ambrette seed, motherwort, peony, jasmine tea, green tea leaf, Italian bergamot, and white cedar.

(If you are pregnant or nursing, please do not use this oil, and please do not use this oil on infants or toddlers. It is best used in a scent locket, or to adorn clothing or amulets.)

I'm the worst person to do the first review. I only tried a drop since I wasn't really excited about the first sniff out of the bottle. It's kinda like herbaceous pencil shavings once it's been on the skin for a bit. It's not strong, none of the elements end up taking over. It's kinda like a clean, green scent without thinking of SUPER green stuff.

[zankoku_zen]

Jasmine, green tea, touch of mugworth and herbs with some peony bursting through. This one smells like an aquatic herbal bath. It's cool, calming, and herby. Medium throw and wear length. It sort of makes me think of orange blossom water. That's the impression I get.

[sprout]

This was hands down my favorite scent of the Hymn to Fortuna. The motherwort and cedar aren't especially prominent or my skin noms them or they meld with everything else.

 

White ambrette must be similar to the Lab's ambergris or White Amber note because I just love this like other scents with those notes. The ambrette gives the top notes a musky base like sweet, clean skin.

 

Early, wet phase is floral green tea with restrained peony. As this unfolds, the jasmine and bergamot ascend in potency with the green tea holding it all together. This smells natural and feminine and I get the association with babies and young mothers. I am craving sweet and fresh but not straight aquatic fragrances for Spring and this fills that niche perfectly.

 

The beauty of the ambrette is it never becomes powdery or dry. Sometimes ambrette is sort of nutty but as this is identified as white ambrette, maybe it's different from the other kind? If you were worried about the cedar, it's not overbearing, as it sometimes goes hamster cage on my skinistry but I don't think I can detect it at all.

 

This didn't last more than 4 to 5 hours but I'm more than happy to reapply for the wet phase. I truly expected something more herbal and unwearable but this is gorgeous. The bergamot isn't sharp as I thought it was sweet orange or orange blossoms until I consulted the notes.

 

If you are a fan of ambrette, ambergris, or tea blends like The Dormouse, this is a must try. This actually smells like a more complex Dormouse with the ambrette.

 

Undoubtedly I'll utilize the imp and need at least one full bottle, perhaps 2.

Edited February 24, 2018 by sprout

[Casablanca]

I've been craving herb (and especially mugwort) fragrances lately, so I opted to try this. I'm so glad I did.

 

Freshly applied on me, the motherwort, bergamot, and a mild jasmine are out in front, combining beautifully, with hints of tea, ambrette, and cedar behind. This probably sounds like an odd combination, but it works.

 

I looked up motherwort and it's not mugwort, but this still smells like the Lab's mugwort notes I've tried before. It's quite potent in this blend on my skin, and that's just what I sought. The motherwort and bergamot are the strongest initial notes on my skin, the first note feeling gentle and healing, and the second uplifting.

 

This soft ambrette, which grows in drydown, smells very close to the Lab's ambergris to me, but without the ambergris saltiness. Its nutty aspect comes out on me in time, but I thought it was ambergris at first. The cedar also warms the blend more after a while; by that time, I've lost the bergamot and most of the motherwort.

 

I only get a hint of peony, a little pinkness, like the newborn theme.

 

This is a calming, comforting, and mood-lifting blend.