The Hermit

[sophia_helix]

This was just heavenly for the first five minutes, in an indescribable way. Sweet, spicy, herbal, earthy... I wish like hell I could pick out the notes, although I do think someone earlier in the thread was right about oakmoss and carnation. Then it started to get a sort of lily/aquatic thing that was reminiscent of Bayou and Dunwich, and neither of those scents worked at all on me. And then, alas, the gardenia from hell reared its ugly head, and made this sickening.

 

I will try this in a burner or locket, because I am determined to make it work. The initial scent of this was the best new-to-me BPAL scent I've smelled in absolute ages.

[juniperus]

This starts as a very light herbal/floral. There is a hint of aquatic, perhaps citrus as well, but the aquatic note is, as usual, not letting many others show themselves.. But this is very subtle, reserved. Contemplative - yes, I think that can be applied as descriptor here, as well. Despite being my life card, I wear no aquatic well, unfortunately.

[riddel]

Oh, this is pretty. Really pretty. I swear I'm smelling blackberry and rose. It smells a lot like Bewitched on me, actually, only this doesn't go all berries when it dries down. Love. Big, big love.

[edenssixthday]

The Hermit - This is predominantly carnation and herbs on me with the slight touch of something cloyingly sweet that seems almost aquatic in nature, but which I then decide is some type of melon due to its fruity sweetness. This scent has amazing throw and the tiniest drop leaves the scent wafting all about me. In fact, the waft is chock full of melon. I only smell the carnation and herbs when I sniff my skin up close. Up close, this scent is too cloyingly sweet, but the lovely wafts of sweet, fresh melon around me are quite nice, actually. I'm not exactly sure how I feel about this scent. I'm going to have to give it another test run and also use it in my burner before I make up my mind entirely.

[nightbird]

this is a very light, somewhat spicy scent. very warm. it doesn't last very long on me, but I like it quite a bit.

[metaldog32]

I have had The Hermit for quite some time..it being my tarot/life card. It is the first of only two tarot oil(s) I have purchased.

 

Figured today was as good a day as any to try it on for some introspection.

 

Intial sniff from bottle: I get a lightness from first whiff...floral..a touch soft herbal way in the background..and I get some sort of fruit..at first I think it might be grape..but it could be some sort of melon like other reviewers stated...I am confused...but the overall effect is light and pretty.

 

Applied wet on skin: Fruit forward...with the floral behind..the fruit is at it's strongest here..but still..overall..it's a very subtle fragrance. I have no idea what the floral is in here..but I do get a hint of spiciness..so if that's carnation then so be it.

 

Couple minutes on skin: Markedly subdued...with now the herbal note making more of a presence with the floral right behind it...the fruit note is nowhere in sight. All about herbal/floral weaving going on.

 

Half an hour: This has almost become a skin scent on me..but I can still get traces of the herbal/floral coming in and out of focus on my skin. Surprisingly when I applied The Hermit in my hair, I kept getting whiffs of it..even though it was pulled back..and the fruit note stayed in the mix much longer.

 

Throw is minimal

 

Drydown:Just the spicy floral echoes...at least to my nose.

 

Bottom Line: The Hermit is definitively a contemplative fragrance..surprisingly pretty and extremely wearable. I felt good wearing this..because I knew it was for ME. I didn't care that nobody was commenting on whether or not what I wore smelled nice..I liked it and I liked thinking that it was a fragrance for ME..to center myself and my thoughts. That it actually smelled really good was bonus..and I plan on wearing this to work tomorrow.

[theseagrows]

i really wanted to try the hermit becaue it's a card i closely identify with, even though the reviews sounded iffy. i can't tell what notes are in here at all. it smells fruity, but not too sweet, with an herbal-ness to it and maybe a teeny bit of spice. it smells closest to grapes, and very familiar, but i still can't place it. an hour later it smells similar to white wine you spilled on a tablecloth and let sit for a day or two. not for me.

[supremegoddessofall]

Sharp and yet earthy at the same time. I get a bit of whatever I didn't like in Queen of Sheba here, with maybe some vetiver and jasmine? It's fairly light, but that "earthy" note is off-putting to me.

[fiddledragon]

In the imp: A nice sweet tangy floral, with a hint of an ozone-like note. The floral is maybe lily? Or some carnation?

 

On me: Is that apple blossom? Or possily plumeria? I know, specific, isn't it? It's a spicy, heady floral that has a jasmine-like overtone but definitely isn't jasmine. There's something almost aquatic about it, but not the usual BPAL aquatics (which hate me). It's quite calming, which I suppose is appropriate for the card.

 

I'm very happy with this :-)

[Electra]

The Hermit is one of my favorite cards, along with the Hierophant, so those two were the imps that I ordered back when the Tarot oils were impable. I wore the oil today (after a very quick mindfulness meditation this morning) because I desperately need some Hermit energy in my life. I'd completely forgotten what it smelled like and hadn't read reviews of it in ages, so it was a surprise.

 

It smells like fruity bubble gum on me. I'd have expected something...I don't know, woodsy, perhaps? Possibly mossy, or a bit of smoke...but fruity? Hmm. I don't know anything about the scents/herbs/plants/what-have-you that are traditionally associated with this card, so I'll need to do some research into that. I'll also need to meditate on the card and the scent in order to see if I can reconcile the two, because at the moment I'm finding them a bit discordant.

 

It's a pleasant scent, though, and I have noticed that I'm feeling a bit more aloof and watchful today. It's a good start, at the very least. I'm going to keep working with this oil and see where it takes me.

[filigree_shadow]

A pretty foral scent, it kind of smells like yellow flowers. Maybe something like gardenia? It's light and not overbearing. A little bit floaty. I like this one.

[flco]

It reminds me of my father, who is pretty much a hermit when he's doing work. As soon as I smelled it, I thought of his office which smells like books and cigarette smoke. But this fragrance is far more mysterious than my father, and, as other people pointed out, there is a purple quality to it. I was drawn to this fragrance and purchased it unsniffed because I do appreciate my alone time.

Edited March 9, 2007 by FlyingCoffin

[blu°]

This is primarily floral on me, too. And I agree that it's probably yellow flowers in here. I'm quite surprised because I always figured the Hermit to be rather herbal woodsy and a kind of dry scent. But it's a vivid springtime floral.

 

The first thing I smell when opening the decant is narcissus. It's very obvious and the only note I can discern from sniffing the vial.

After application, there's still narcissus alongside a note that reminds Prague - so I guess it might be crocus or snowdrop. I'm leaning towards crocus.

Maybe there's a faint trace of herbs underneath this - but really all I can make out with certainty are florals. I'm thinking there might be an itty bit of rose thrown into this as well, but I might be wrong on that one.

A few moments later the scent is turning surprisingly creamy - there's something soft and mellow and sweet hidden underneath that is starting to define the character of the whole blend. I'm thinking an amber of some kind or something milky...

Then I start to smell the carnation. It's definitely carnation in here. I'm reminded of Alice and Gypsy Queen now.

 

While it's still not completely dry now, I can see that the carnation is taking over. The even smooth surface that had been there a moment ago has vanished and the structur is rougher now - kind of sparkling and a tiny bit powdery.

 

This is a lot like Gypsy Queen meets Prague on me - probably with a dash of green herbs or woods or maybe just white musk that is making this lighter and less cloying than an actual mixture of those two would probably turn out.

 

It's a lovely spring time scent which to me is rather yellow in feel than purple, but I admit there are some pink shades mixed into it. And some green. Really nice and kind of dreamy and innocent. I like it.

[cranberry]

Sweet florals, sugary fruit juice. This smells like a TAL. I think either Aunt Caroline’s Money Bag or AC Money Draw. There are sweet flowers, something like grape, carnation. This remains that sweet, spicy, fruity smell.

[Koukla]

My skin eats. this. up. Seriously, it's like I applied water, and I have to wonder if this is supposed to be a zen exercise in asceticism through the absence of scent. Eventually, after the drydown, there's some sort of weird stinging (but still no scent?!) that I usually associate with cinnamon - a reference to the stinging lessons of life? Then long after that stinging fades and I've forgotten I still have it on, I catch a faint whiff of beautiful flowers when I cup my face in my hands. It's almost a full minute before I realize that's The Hermit finally showing his face.

 

Damn - I wouldn't buy it as perfume, but as a meditation on the card itself, it's perfect.

[tartchef]

Oh.

 

My.

 

Heavens.

 

This is incredible, if only because for the first time in recorded history a floral blend hasn't gone bathroom cleanser & dishsoap on me. To my nose, it's freesia & paperwhites - white, sweet, & faintly spicy, with a fresh greenness underneath. I'm getting just a hint of paper & mild incense, too, like a vase of flowers on a library desk... As it dries, there's a hint of orange zest, bitter & juicy.

 

It fades so quickly, barely 2 hours start to finish, but it is absolutely worth wearing. Infinitely glad I got a bottle before it disappeared...

[euterpe414]

This is very fruity/floral sweet on me. It reminds me strongly of a blend like Hades or Morgause, but with a bit more sweetness to it. Despite its sweetness, this is a very mysterious and complex scent. There is also a hint of fresh air/ozone in this lingering in the background as well. It reminds me strongly of sitting outside in late spring with the wind blowing and the smell of flowers all around. Very lovely and evocative. Like others, I'm glad I snagged a bottle before it disappeared.

[Vampy]

To me, this smells like the TAL White Light with a bit of spice and dusty books.

 

This is unfortunately not a particularly good thing since I don't like the smell of White Light. :\

 

At first it's not bad, I do get the White Light note from it but it isn't too strong (but then, White Light itself isn't too strong when I first apply it either...) But then it flares up with that sickly sweetness, just like White Light does. Sigh. I'm kind of sad, I really wanted to like this one.

[Czarina]

In the imp: SweetTarts. WTF?

Wet: white floral.

Drydown: floral with complex spices. Not at all what I was expecting to convey the essence of this card. I will have to think about why this scent is an expression of the Hermit.

 

I agree that it does smell a little like White Light.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: yep. whoever said grape-y was onto something. but not foodie at ALL, if you can puzzle that one out.

 

wet on skin: the grape remains and some floral enters the picture, whoever said Gardenia has my vote.

 

dry down: it reminds me specifically of being in my backyard in the late spring when i was little and the next door neighbor's pink magnolia tree would be in full bloom, with the fragrant petals fluttering by on a soft warm breeze. that's what this smells like.

 

in all: a gorgeous floral, speaking as someone who doesn't care for too many florals! i have to thnk about how this relates to the Hermit, a card that speaks to me of something more austere and cold than this scent- but that won't stop me from wanting a bottle of this anyway!

 

 

 

 

[b8g8]

I just got an imp of this, so keep in mind that it's very aged, but if I'm not mistaken that "fruity/grape" note everyone keeps mentioning is currant. There are slightly spicy carnations on the dry down.

 

EDIT: Upon reflection, it could very possibly be blackberry. There are Bewitched-like overtones.

Edited March 27, 2009 by Nat

[Pottersville]

Another random draw from the imp shoebox o' doom turned up the Hermit today. I tested with trepidation, as I was afraid the notes would be all unwashed cave dweller ... dusty, musty, rotted woods, etc. etc. Nope. This Hermit is spicy with ... cinnamon? That gradually fades to a lovely floral waft ... carnations? Mmmmmm. Good.

[rayvn1]

Not sure what's in this one, but it is very sweet and fragrant. Quite pleasant! I've tried it a few times and couldn't for the life of me remember what it smelled like the next day so I held off revieweing until I'd tried it three or more times Nice, but not distinctive enough for me.