Anubis

[Schmoozy]

... His scent is a blend of holy myrrh, storax, balsam, and embalming herbs.

Mysterious, resiny, herbally and I detect a touch of honey that sweetens it.
Unfortuantely the honey component which must be the storax is overwhelming everything else.
I long for the scent of myrrh and balsam.
As this dries down, the honey note dissipates (thank goodness), and the balsam starts to shine through.
I dunno about this one. I originally placed it in the keep pile, but have been retesting everything and I think my tastes have changes.
It is just a little too sweet for me. Edited October 23, 2008 by Schmoozy

[Iceblink]

Lots of honey, a slightly herbal tinge, and myrrrrrrrh omg that wonderful BPAL myrrh! This reminds me a bit of Petit Mort with herbs added. It's sweet but very deep and resiny--smells like really good incense. Very nice!

[LizzyLies]

I got this as a frimp with my latest order and while it isn't something that I'd pick out for myself, I love it and a bottle is definitely getting bought in the next order.

A little goes a long way and I get a load of honey mixed with a scent I'd (personally) call herbal; ah, I'm getting myrrh now too.

Where as I wouldn't use it for a day to day scent, I'd definitely wear it for winter days at home.

Edited November 22, 2008 by DeadlyDelicates

[tdgnika]

In the bottle, I get a general incense smell, which I assume is the myrrh.

 

Wet on the skin, there's a very strong smell that is incredibly familiar - sandalwood, I think? Or general incense?

 

Within a few minutes, it got into my throat the first time I wore it - damn. The second time, I was more careful not to smell it too much while it was drying and I avoided the smell getting into my throat.

 

On the second try, I really like this one - a dark, incense-y smell that isn't too sweet. A keeper.

[Saya]

In the Imp

Honey and herbs. This is very sweet and dry smelling.

 

On My Skin

Myrrh, herbs and a sweet honey scent are the primary players in this blend. The embalming herbs are doing a great job balancing the sweeter notes in the blend but it’s still pretty sweet smelling, yet it isn’t cloying.

 

After a Bit

It hasn’t changed much from the initial application, it’s a dry herbal blend that has a touch of sweetness.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent - 4 Throw - 3 Longevity – 3.5

Overall (not an average) – 3.5

 

Final thoughts

I like this blend quite a bit. I think I need to pick up a bottle but before I do I’m going to wear it a couple of times just to make sure (self restraint).

[lilirose]

In the imp, I mostly smell slightly sharp herbs and incense.

 

Wet on skin- Quite resinous. This is warm and very slightly acrid.

 

Drydown- Smooths and mellows completely, but is still strong and lovely and warm. Quite sweet. I would have sworn it has amber and vanilla, though they aren't listed notes. It definitely is strongly honey, which blends so gorgeously with myrrh. It reminds me of Anactoria, for some reason.

 

Verdict: Gorgeous. Adding to the 5ml wishlist.

[acidrica]

Honey and Myrrh. The Honey seems to act as the base, at least on me. It's a delicious scent that smells warm yet oddly empowering. It's lasts a good time, and has excellent throw. Most sweet things tend to smell sickly sweet on me, but this isn't. The honey in it doesn't smell like sugar, just honey. Pure, beautiful honey. I don't like it enough to get a bottle yet, but I'll be holding on to the imp.

[Suu4LC]

Strong sweet honey and myrrh with a hint of balsam. Way way sweeter in the imp than I expected O_o Incensey blends aren't my thing, and there other bpal honey blends I love, so I have the feeling this won't be a blend for me...

 

Yeah, wow this is almost ALL honey. Not what I expected at all. Sweet sweet honey and a hint of incense and herbs. Actually better than I expected!

 

Ok, on drydown, this really feels like almost a straight honey scent with a hint of incense. So not what I expected. I like it, but wouldn't need a bottle. So take note, this blend is FAR sweeter and more honeyish than the description would allow you to believe!!!

[femmefatale]

This isn't nearly as sweet as I was expecting. It is very herbal smelling with a touch of incense and sweetened a bit by the honey. It is a very comforting and warm scent. Very motherly feeling.

I think I like this and I think it would also make a wonderful room scent.

 

ETA: After drying even further, I've come to the conclusion that it's not something I would really wear personally, but I would love my house to smell like.

Edited January 11, 2009 by Femme_Fatale

[cinderfallen]

This is bright and light, a sweet scent that touches on herbal-floral but not quite, almost like muscadine grape if you pulled the skin off and smell that, but with a luscious, resinous bottom. It doesn't smell like incense at all to me. I really, really like it. I feel like this should be a super popular scent because it smells so. good. A bit green and plant-like at the edges, like a deep and honeyed plant sap oozing woody-green and amber. Pretty.

 

I know what it reminds me of! The original, old-school Herbal Essences shampoo. Uhm. In an awesome way.

 

Storax is another name for benzoin, so I'm pretty sure that and balsalm--as well as the myrrh--is where I'm getting the honey/vanilla notes from, though it's surprising that resins can be so sweet, bright, and uplifting. It never edges into "too sweet" because of that hint of plant sap quality.

 

Totally, totally, TOTALLY bottle-worthy. Come to me, precious!

 

The scent of the bottle is a bit different from the imp, sigh. But I'm hoping aging will take care of it. It's a bit softer, more diffused, with less of the sticky resinous aspect--but it does come out longer into the wear.

Edited March 20, 2009 by cinderfallen

[hkhm]

imp: like a very sweet, honeyed myrrh. i don't see honey listed in the notes but i would swear it's in here. perhaps the storax?

 

wet: serious honey. this is so incredibly sweet i'm glad i tested only the tiniest amount. and the throw on this is insane!

 

dry: this dries to something like a honeyed beeswax incense scent.

[zankoku_zen]

This one was lighter than I expected - I got the myrrh and herbs.

 

However, on the drydown, it smells like herby plastic.

 

Pass.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Mmmmyrrh! Surprisingly sweet and spicy, with notes of honey, sweet wood smoke, incense and the green balsam and herbs. Weirdly, it does smell funereal. What's weirder is that it's quite appealing and warm, almost golden.

On, wet: Still sweet, but I'm getting less honey and more of the balsam, wood smoke and incense, in that order. There's some fresh green bite here, but it still smells ceremonial, funereal. (I know, I keep using that word, but it does smell funereal—and I swear that's not a bad thing here.) It brings to mind the sweet oils and herbs and unguents used for anointing the dead, and maybe kyphi incense.

On, dry: Now the myrrh and resins are balanced with the green balsam and herbs, and they're blending together in a river of honey: sweet, woody, a bit smoky. (Better than average throw on this one, by the way--it's potent and lasts forever.)

Later: Warm, sweet, resinous and ancient, strangely comforting—which, given that Anubis is the protector of the dead, makes sense. The sweet/smoky/woody/herbal scent makes me think of clouds of holy incense and sacred woods and grand temple ceremonies.

Overall: Beautifully done and a great way to capture the concept. My only hang-up is that the smoky-sweet quality can be almost a bit too sweet to me after several hours, even though I love resins and incense—may need to dab this one on sparingly.

 

 

[tajana]

Oh man this stuff is STRONG! HUGE throw! When it's wet, and for some time after that, it smells like a jar filled to the brim with golden honey, sprigs of herbs suspended within. When this dries down a good dose of lovely smoky myrrh tempers the honey smell. It really fits the name of "Anubis" very well, it does smell religious and ceremonial and... well... funereal. This is actually really beautiful and evocative once it's had some time to rest on my skin, but I'm not sure if I'll keep this because it is so viciously sweet and strong at the outset.

[crebbsgirl]

As a myrrh and honey lover, this scent put me right over the edge. This was AWESOME!!! The myrrh was smoky, and the honey was sweet, but with depth. The herbs added a bit of an unexpected twist on the whole blend but really just added to the complexity of the whole thing. I agree with a previous poster that said it was dark and golden. I had always thought those two statement were mutually exclusive but clearly not. My fiance took a sniff and asked for the name. When I told him he made a face and I asked why. He said it should be called

Sexual Aftermath

. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing at first, but judging by the way he's been following me around all day, I'm going to say yes.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

Imp: heavy, and herby

Wet on Me: Still Heavy and herby with an ancient vibe

Drying down: Sweet herbal.heavy. dusty

Dry: heavy and syrupy and herbaly. Just about too heavy for me.

I think I’ll re-home this one.

 

[Aldercy]

Beeswax! There is the same wealth of beeswax in Anubis as in Ichabod Crane. I've been trying to find a blend with as good a honeycomb impression as IC all winter, and Anubis, a frimp with no explicit honey notes listed, is a huge surprise. I'm going to have to look for more oils with benzoin/storax and balsam....

 

Anubis is just the most beautiful resin blend. The myrrh is appropriately divine. It's very androgynous, and its foggy sweetness (it does get progressively sweeter as it dries) is not remotely sugary or overpowering. There's something about it that makes it feel physically calming while simultaneously sort of mentally cleansing/invigorating. It's a very decorous, respectful scent that definitely seems alien and ancient. I am blown away.

[rayvn1]

Strong stuff with a lot of throw. I get herbs in a thick, sweet honey syrup. A bit too potent for me. I'll stick with Mr. Jaquel and Eshe for my Egyptian embalming needs

[Seismogenic]

This was a frimp from the Lab...but it was also my wishlist. My first psychic frimp! Anyway, I was interested in Anubis for the notes and the mythology alike. We did a unit on ancient Egypt in fifth grade history class, and I thought their whole version of underworld trials and judgment was really interesting. I think I was particularly drawn to Anubis because I think jackals are cool, too.

 

In the imp: Sweet myrrh with a few herbs thrown in.

 

Wet on skin: Immediately more incensey than it was in the vial, though the incense is in addition to the sweet myrrh and herbs.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, this is mostly sweet myrrh with just a little bit of spice behind it. It hasn't changed much by the one hour mark - sweet and spicy and warm.

 

Five hours later: More of the same, though perhaps with a little more of the balsam peeking through now. It has faded from the one hour mark, but not by much.

 

End of the day; Still quite present, in pretty much the same blend it's had all day. Sweet myrrh, balsam, and a little bit of herby-incensey spice.

 

Overall: I can totally picture this as being the scent inside a stone cavern with gold-painted decorations, closed off from outside but still pretty darn warm, lit by candles to make the fantastic figures within seem all that much larger than life. In shorter terms, I can definitely see this as being the scent of the chamber in which Anubis does his work. I like the mix of notes, even though I think I missed few of them, but it's quite thick; it could almost be taken as a bit stifling, though that fits with the imagery of mummies and embalming, I guess! Not to mention with the extreme temperatures in a place like Egypt...On the whole, I liked this, and will probably hold on to the imp. Definitely won't be a thing to pull out and wear on those 100 degree desert days, though!

 

[Caerphilly]

In the imp: Sweet Fig and berries with slight bitterness underneath. Strange, because those aren't the notes listed.

 

Wet: Sweet. Can't put my finger on why it's so sweet. I guess I just don't know what myrrh smell like.

 

Dry: Smells like the fruit version of violets. Almost alcoholic fruit punch. It's complex in it's sweetness. Very heavy and close to the skin. Could give me a headache at the end of the day.

 

Overall: My skin's acting wonky. Everything's turning sweet, even the resin herb aquatics. Strange. I like this, but might be too sweet to wear often.

[Veronica]

Wow, this is a scent I never would have tried based on its notes. What I get is completely different from the image the description conjures in my mind. On me, Anubis is sweet, predominately honey, with an underlying sliiiiiiiightly herbal and minty scent. I like it a lot, but don't see myself wearing it often. I'll definitely keep the imp though!

[blacklacestatic]

I've had in imp of this and never got around to trying it. I'm so thrilled that I did!

 

In the imp: Not sure what to think here, it's deep and dark, but i can't make out any notes in particular. It's a little resiny and sweet. It's like nothing I've sniffed before.

 

Wet on skin: I definitely am liking what's going on here. I've always enjoyed the way Myrrh darkens ansdsweetens a lot of blends, but here it shines on it's own. It's so mysterious and has incredible depth.

 

Drydown: This is a whole lot sexier than I expected it to be, richer too. Sweet and sultry and so perfect for me. I never would have expected this but I am in love! A new underdog favorite.

[odalisque]

In the imp: Sour ... honey? Not really sour, though. Tart? Un-sweet? I know this isn't the Gaiman version of Anubis but I thought of Shadow's honey wine. Behind it, something resiny or perfumy. I wonder if this is the storax. I know the genuine stuff was an old time fixative for perfumes. Somehow this smells familiar, maybe something in common with Cairo or Bastet but I can't out my finger on it. And the slightest hint of camphor.

 

On skin: the sweetness blooms. Also, some kind of unfamiliar spices or something. It makes me think of saffron, not that it smells like saffron but in the same way that saffron is a spice that doesn't smell foody or appetizing to me. And there's that camphoraceous hit again. I think it must be a precious wood in common with Kathmandu, because I remember it from that oil. Not sure I like it at all.

 

Dry: Sweet, sweet myrrh, almost honeyed. Absolutely glorious throw. But up close to the skin, there's a medicinal smell that I don't like. It gets fainter as time goes by but I'm afraid it moves Anubis into "not for me" territory; I think on the right guy, though, it could be sexily masculine, and I'm going to try it out on Mr O. I could nuzzle up to it on him, medicinal hints and all.

 

That myrrh is really fantastic. So rich.

Edited June 6, 2009 by odalisque

[ricashaye]

This was a frimp, so I tried it earlier after having it for a bit. I was surprised. It's sweet, musky, and smokey all at once. It smells like it has hints of honey in it, and the myrrh really comes out once it touches the skin. It's strong but not overpowering. I really, really like it and I'm surprised I do!

[Yoginispirit]

I LOVE this scent and it is one of my top ten. I'd always thought this would be too heavy and incensy but it was surprisingly light and sweet. I found it by accident when I tried it on the boy and he complained it was too 'girly' on him.

 

I agree that it almost has a honey note from the resin and the citrus. The only problem is it's quite moody with my chemistry. One day I'll put it on and get all powder the next it will be all sweet and lovely. It's actually quite a sexy scent on me and the bf always seems to erm respond when I wear it

 

I think I've really grown to love myrrh and am now seeking out blends with that note.

 

Overall this is a very interesting blend that makes me feel mysterious and beautiful. LOVE IT!

Edited June 11, 2009 by Yoginispirit