Anubis

[monet]

He Who Counts the Hearts, Jackal Ruler of the Bows, He Who Is In the Place of Embalming. Jackal-headed guardian, protector and psychopomp of Egypt’s dead, he guides souls to the underworld and holds steady the scales upon which the deceased’s heart is weighed against Ma’at’s Feather of Truth. He is the creator and master of funereal rites, He Who Opens the Mouth of the Dead, and is the sentinel that watches over the sanctity of tombs and the virtue and privacy of his charges. His scent is a blend of holy myrrh, storax, balsam, and embalming herbs.

Oh, great I am the first. I am not the greatest scent desciber so I apologize in advance. I was very excited to try this as I am a huge Egyptian God/Goddess freak. Anubis has always appealed to me.

In the bottle - ick. I did not like the way it smelled yesterday when I got my order. So, I did not immediately try it. I put it on today instead. I liked it right away - not love - like. At first it had an unusual smell and not something I could immediately pinpoint. After a while, I could smell the myrrh for sure and something sweeter - not sure what. Now it smells like Gonesh Love incense on me. It reminds me of 1986 and I am in the small record store I worked at and I am so in love with this guy......Oh, sorry where was I? It is so cool. I have not smelled Gonesh Incense for years. I am not sure I could wear this often but I do like it. I associate death with incense (geez, being raised Catholic how could you not?) so it is appropriate that it would turn incensy on me. I also like that it is the Love scent since I also associate Love with Death. Now that I gave you my psyco babble word association review.....
I like it - try it yourself. Post a review here...PLEASE!!

[sarada]

Anubis is an entirely unique scent, one which I can't put neatly into any little niche. It is dark, rich and golden -- it hints of incense and ancient secrets. I feel as though I am participating in some great occult mystery simply by smelling this. But in the vial, it's not nearly as complex as it is when it hits my incense-friendly skin. The balsam becomes ancient wood, the myrrh turns slightly sweet -- oh, I DO recognize something like Gonesh in here! -- and I have no idea what storax smells like, but this is just a delightful funereal dirge of a scent. I go back to sniffing it in the bottle and, yes, it's nice, but it doesn't quite get across all of the complexities that reveal themselves on my skin. This is a religious scent, indeed -- not like the stained glass windows of Cathedral or Penitence, but something from a far more distant past. I get the feeling that this is a fragrance that has not been smelled for thousands of years. Except for that slight Gonesh similarity! I'll be getting a big bottle of this one ASAP.

[Nepthys]

I was hopping with excitement to try this because I love Anubis beyond words... and wasn't it just a nice Yule gift to find this is a beautiful, ancient and reverent scent. I agree that this is much simpler in the vial than on the skin. All kinds of contrasting scents emerged, a golden-spicy scent overlaying a dustier, religious fragrance; this smells like deep, old magic. I've tried enough BPAL by now to usually find related scents for whatever I try, but this one really stands out to me. There's something original in here I've never smelled before. It sounds crazy but you really can believe this is the scent of an ancient Egyptian funeral rite, incense, tomb dust, sacred oils, mummification, etc. I intended to order a big bottle just for working with Anubis but I'd do so for the scent alone now.

[FireInCairo]

This scent is rather hard to place. Is it grapefruit I smell in this? I can see how the scent related to the mythological Anubis. This scent is quite strong and I can see it being associated with the embalming process. It is rather alluring...musky/fruity

[clover]

Anubis

 

I know I am a complete and utter scent whore, and no one is going to believe this...but I'm going to say it anyway:

 

I think Anubis is the best smelling perfume I have ever come into contact with.

 

Seriously, after (I believe) 429 oils, I think I've found the scent that feels like it was made for me, and only me. Oh, I know it wasn't, but I still feel that way. Of course I adore many, many BPAL scents, but this one is something special.

 

Enough about me, though.

 

I looked at the description of Anubis, and nothing really jumped out at me. I thought this would be a heavy incensy scent.

 

Nope - I opened the imp and it was all sweetness and light. Golden. In fact, in smells, in the imp, like a big ol' carmel apple.

 

Upon application: I can't even describe what a perfect blend this is. Sweet and slighlty fruity, but not too sweet, but not floral. Just very pure.

 

This scent is GLORIOUS. I will be buying a 10ml ASAP.

 

And I can't help noticing - it only has five reviews. If you are reading this review, do yourself a favor and order Anubis.

[MissAnthropy]

First whiff: Oh no. This scent is already right up my alley. Myrrh, woodsy, a little heavy, herbal, what I call a "sticky scent", which means... it stays, it lasts, it grabs a hold of you, and doesn't let go. Even with the imp closed and none ON me, I can still smell it around me. This is a huge bonus point for me when it comes to scents.

 

On (still wet): My chemistry has really locked on to that Myrrh, but... now I smell something.... fruity? Almost cherry-like? I don't know much about storax, I don't think I've ever even smelled it, so maybe that's where the fruity hints are coming from? The balsam may be helping create that, too. Not sure though. But it's really pleasing.

 

Dry down: Ahh, just as I suspected (and hoped). 'Anubis' has really hung on. The scent hasn't changed much, except that it's lightened up, but... that magical Myrrh (and fruity scent) is still very much there. I don't need to do a re-ap (and it's been about an hour). I even had a friend ask me what I was wearing. I told her, and she said, "It's really pretty and feminine." - but I told her about Anubis, and she said, "I wouldn't have thought such a beautiful scent would have such a dark description!"

 

LOL!

 

'Anubis' is a keeper! 5ml please! STAT!!

 

 

-Leslie

[paschat]

My description: This opens up on a very sweet note of Myrrh. As it dries down, I can smell sweet herbs and a balsamic note. This fragrance smells quite 'sacred' to my nose, as it has a honeyed sweetness that I tend to associate with Myrrh. I feel calm and peaceful wearing it. It is a sublime and beautiful oil - simple, yet complex at the same time. If you love Serge Luten's La Myrrhe (as I do!) you will probably like Anubis. Notes include: myrrh, storax, balsam, and embalming herbs. I can smell a note of lotus, honey and rosemary in this too, although they are not listed as notes.

 

An interesting aside is that Thyme is an important ingredient in modern embalming fluid and may have been part of the mysterious oils and herbal infusions used for that purpose by the Ancient Egyptians. Thyme is reputed to have an invigorating effect and to cure headaches, although these uses were not noted in surviving Egyptian texts.

[phaedrine]

In the bottle I got mainly myrrh with a shot of green from the herbs

 

As it dries I'm smelling more of the balsam, which smells sweet and honey-like.

 

It's making it very rich and warm, yet still green. This is a really unusual one, I'm reminded of something, but I'm not sure it's something bpal.

 

It's very strong and rich. There it is! It very strongly reminds me of Athens, but the red wine replaced with a greener note. A green honey. As I just got a whole bottle of Athens, this one will probably end up in the swap pile.

[Penance]

First sniff:

 

I think my sense of smell is off today. The first thing I smell in Anubis is what smells like an orange or maybe a clementine right after it's been peeled but not sectioned. If I concentrate, I get myrrh and a bit of herbalness but mainly I get that strange, slightly bitter orangey sweet citrus kind of scent.

 

Wet on skin:

 

A lot more myrrh now and that's a very good thing. There's still that fruit note here, too, but Anubis is more resinous smelling now. The balsam is also quickly coming out, giving a very nice soft wood note to the blend. I think I expected something stronger, but Anubis still doesn't disappoint.

 

Dry down:

 

It's hard to pick out individual notes now. Anubis smells like wood and incense smoke to me with a slight deep herbal note in the background. These aren't light herbs, they're strong, richly fragrant dried herbs. I really like this a lot!

 

The bottom line:

 

Anubis is lighter than I'd anticipated, but beautiful regardless. On me, it's a wood/incense/rich herb scent that's beautiful without being overpowering. Definitely a winner.

[surf-tormented]

Ok, this one is weird on me.

 

Sometimes it smells so rank on me I feel like I may want to wash it off.

 

Then, the next time I wear it, it smells divine.

 

Are you confused? Well, I am!

 

In the bottle it smells overpoweringly sweet, like maple syrup candy sweet, a deep brown carmel sugar sweet coupled with incense resin. It doesn't act like anything I would want to put on myself, but some days it works.

 

Need to experiment more with this one.

[wolfie13]

I have had no prior affinity towards Egypt or the gods and goddesses of that pantheon, which didn't make me that excited to try this immediately. (Yes, my scent choices are often initially persuaded by certain names/associations that appeal.)

 

Not to mention the whole "God of Embalming and Guide and Friend of the Dead " thing being not so much something I feel like evoking these days.

 

But I guess I can't deny my dark side - i love this stuff.

 

In the bottle, this smells balsam-y and herbal-y - almost, but not quite medicinal.

 

However, upon wearing I get a real blast of sweetness that totally reads as honey on me. Maybe there's some in the blend, or maybe it's the storax, which i think can lend a sweetness (though I could be wrong).

 

The sweetness mellows and blends with the balsam and myrrh and other goodies and creates a truly unique resinous scent - words are kind of failing me. Whoever has mentioned that it reads as "golden" and "ancient" are dead-on. (hah!)

 

Edited to Add: I still like this, but it's no longer in the "love" category. Everytime I wear it, it's gone sweeter and the sweetness lasts longer. My skin loves the bpal honey/sweet notes - too much at times.

Edited March 16, 2005 by wolfie13

[Reinaluna]

Anubis, This blend is just AWESOME!! It does have that ancient holy aroma to it. When first applied I just smelled honey, then the herbs and myrrh creep through. This is another blend that is right up my ally. It is an exotic scent that takes one back through time to a place with temples, statues of deities and spice markets. I love this, I just might get a 10ml when my 5 runs out.

Edited February 26, 2005 by Reinaluna

[amrita]

In the bottle: sweet dark berries.

 

Wet on skin:

Sweet, vaguely perfumy, very sharp, and resiny. A beautiful sharp floral starts wafting, which reminds me of jasmine. I can't smell it when I sniff my wrist directly.

 

Drying:

Sweet sharp myrrh and intriguing herbs. Suddenly... I'm getting honey and rose. What?

 

A half hour after application, this has turned to very strong rose, faint berries, and the barest twinge of myrrh on me. Skin, what are you doing?

 

I will keep this to use for meditation, but I won't wear it for its scent alone-- rose and I don't get along...

[Macha]

I bought this...well...I bought this because of Kebechet. That's a bit of 'duh!' I know, but when I found out that Kebechet was the name of one of the daughters of Anubis, it began to cross my mind that Beth must have put quite a bit of work into this oil. The oil for her metaphorical "father" would have to be perfect, wouldn't it? A labor of real love (which is not to say that's not true of all her oils.) Still, it seemed to me that Anubis would have to be something very special...I ordered a 5ml bottle, unsniffed.

 

In the Vial: Sweet, resiny...is that honey? Gods, I hope not. The honey Beth uses in her blends doesn't tend to like me at all. It would even be appropriate, now that I think about it: the antibacterial properties of honey and its use as a preservative were well known to the Egyptians. Imhotep was quite fond of the medicinal use of honey. Despite this promise of honey, I annoint myself.

 

Wet, on skin: Myrrh, and insense, and the slightly anticeptic woody smell of balsam. The sweetness is still there, but it's an afterthought rather than an over-powering top note. The herbs...hmm...how very hard to describe. I would expect a complicated mix, which may be why I'm having trouble isolating specific notes. A little research reveals that amongst the many, many herbs and spices that are mentioned in connection to funerary rites are: aloe, cassia, thyme, camphor, beeswax, fir resin, pine resins, palm wine, raisins, sandalwood, cedar, juniper, cardamon, fig, saffron, ritual "kyphi" insense (itself a complex mix of ingredients) and attar of rose. No wonder I'm having problems picking out individual notes!

 

Dry, on skin: What a wonderful fragrance. Warm, sweet, glowing, comforting, and quite beautiful. I'm picking up a little bit of a rose scent too, but it may be my imagination since I'm hardly a pro about picking out notes. I think it's quite lovely though. The spices and incense have mixed in a thoroughly delightful way.

 

Conclusion: Why doesn't Anubis get more love? This is a glorious scent, rich and resinous and wonderful. It's not morbid or dark at all, which is as it should be, in my opinion.

 

ETA: Add stupidly long-lasting to the list. One application on me stayed true and strong for 24 hours. I woke up the next morning smelling Anubis wafting around me in a glorious and comforting cloud of golden scent. Divine!

[quimerula]

Wet on skin it's a balsamic note over some light herbs (very light, yellow ones).

As it dryes down the balsamic effect and the storax are getting stronger, ending with a thick feeling. It's deep and rich without being overhelming.

I don't get myrrh on this one (and I wish I have, because I love myrrh), and it stays quite true.

Will be nice for summer nights.

[tempete]

Although Anubis dries to a gloriously complex resiny finish, it is almost nauseatingly sweet and has tremendous throw in the initial stages. It's too bad that Anubis pulls so sweet on me and that I can't stand extremely sweet scents because I've gotten compliments wearing this. However, I can't get past the insulin shock and I'll regretfully have to swap Anubis away.

[JazzieCazzie]

Am I the only one to think FIG?????????????????

 

I love this ... it reminds me A LOT of Nemesis. And at first I couldn't figure out why there was such a sweetness to it, since I had only written down "woods, herbs, balsam" in my brief notes before trying it ... but once it dried down I was 98 percent sure that there is fig in here ... which is a good thing. I was getting figgy throw all day.

 

Still working on my next big bottle list because I'm on a real roll now with the scents I've been trying and like SO many of them (Tushmanatay is SO on my top 10, for example), but I am thinking Anubis may get a big bottle as well!!!

[Northernminx]

I really really keep getting lotus from this though I’m not sure if it’s just my brain or not, but this had the fruity red floral I usually associate with that note and my chemistry. Herbal but not dry herbal. This was a very complex blend to pick apart and I really missed most of the notes I admit. As the dry down hit, myrrh popped to the forefront. Calming and mysterious

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Whoa! More BPAL nostalgia.

 

Second Impression: This scent, oh my, is just like the scent of the very first envelope of imps I ever got. A dozen imps tarted with the twine sticky with different scents, that headshop smell. Thick and bronze, but not heavy. Nothing like I expected. And the myrrh is not going funky, thank goodness.

 

Final Analysis: So unusual, can't even classify it, but I know I really like it.

[Lucretia]

Ok. I don't even know what the things that are listed to be in here smell like in their own. But I do know that this smells like the perfect match for Bastet.

I get alot of the same notes in the two, or maybe they just feel the same somehow. But to me this is the masculine counterpart of Baset.

 

Incense, yes!

Honey, I think so!

Sweet, sticky smoke, and herbs! Yes!

 

This smells sweet one, not like candy or fruit sweet, but a sweet smoke. Very interesting, very warming, and almost a bit nausiating.

 

I can see how people are undecided on this one. At certain points this smelled amazing on me, and at others "whew! Why do I smell like a bonfire of crazy magical wood?"

 

Definitly will keep the imp until I figure this out!

[Finny]

Out of the imp:

Woody, sweet herbal. I like this one a lot.

 

On:

It has a sweet herbal scent, the myrrh, I think. And I can definately smell the balsam. The blend smells wonderful, it has a very "old" feel to it. It is a bit smoky oo, but not in a heavy way, more of a wisp of smoke scenting a breeze.

 

I am keeping the imp, it is probably going to be a future 5ml purchase.

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle-Strong sweet resins and herbs

 

After 15 minutes- The myrrh is really strong in this one. I love myrrh, so I am loving this. The storax and balsam give this a sort of amber like kick. The herbal smell went away pretty quickly leaving this wonderful sweet myrrh/amber/honey like scent wafting up at me.

 

Summery- Gorgeous. If you like honey or amber scents you will love this.

[olympia301]

Here is a scent that really grows on you. The first time I tried it I was underwhelmed, but then again I had just received a big shipment of imps and my nose was pretty worn out. Tried it again and found it a very good scent. I am not so sure that it has enough character to be in my 5ml lineup, but it is pleasant and a keeper as an imp. Who knows, I might change my mind tomorrow.

[PurringPulsar]

Anubis

In the imp: sweet resins and green herbs. Very nice. I think I can detect a bit of myrrh, and something lighter.

Wet on skin: the herb note gets sharper, but not in an unpleasant way. There's something that reminds me of honey in this, but it's very faint. The scent is quite green and herbal but there's a sweeter undercurrent.

Dry on skin: this reminds me of incense, with sweet amber and honey growing stronger, and green herbs. I'm sure I can detect frankincense there, but that could be the herbs. I'm sure I can smell the myrrh too. There's also something there that reminds me of camomile or apples-something fruity, that's for sure, but that just be my skin acting bizarre. Or maybe this aspect could be something similar to kyphi incense-which had honey, raisins, resins and spices or herbs. I like it. it's a very pleasant, sweet, calming, yet sacred and mysterious smell.

After a while: the scent becomes truly 'ancient' and grand, like the sort of thing they would burn in an old temple. It's sweet, but it's a refined, mature sweetness that makes me feel calm and would be lovely to meditate with. It's also quite solemn, now maybe I can see the Egyptian funerary associations, I can imagine priests using this scent in ancient rituals, maybe to embalm pharaohs-because it's a rich 'golden' scent.

Verdict: amazing. A sweet, resins and greenery sort of smell, with something slightly tangy or fruity, and honeyed notes giving a golden feel to this, like an Egyptian sunset, which then mellows into a sacred and holy scent of ancient resins. A whole heap of gorgeous ingredients mixed together nicely. It's not a scent I would link directly with the jackal god of the dead because it hasn't got any stereotypically 'dark' or 'melancholy' notes one would normally link with funerals, but it's a scent with a very sacred ambience, golden and ancient. Maybe it evokes how the Egyptians saw death-not as something morbid but as something positive? Definitely a keeper for me.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Very sensual and gentle. Myrrh is strongest.

 

On Skin: I can’t believe how pretty this scent is! I thought it would be masculine, and it is slightly, but it is also beautiful! The storax gives a nice deep woody feel to it as does the balsam. I’m not sure what herbs are in this, but they are not too pungent… just kind of soft and spicy. I amost smell clove… I would love my husband to wear this. It does have that Egyptian royalty feel to it… very nice!!