The Hierophant's Benediction

[zankoku_zen]

A gentle blend, soothing, merciful, and compassionate: orris root, white sandalwood, coconut husk, bourbon vanilla, almond milk, angelica root, and storax.

[rhonorv]

I absolutely understand why this is described as a gentle, soothing blend: there's something almost balmy about it when it dries down, like I've put on a salve rather than a perfume oil.

 

In the bottle and wet, I get a creamy dreamy marzipan-y almond.

 

Once it's on the skin it shifts several times. It goes from almond to a phase that's very summery and beachy, like eating a vanilla ice cream cone after you've just put on sunblock. But a simple balm this is not, and after about 20 minutes it shifts again and becomes earthier and herbier, rounding out into what I imagine a sun god's holy oil would smell like. Or a very fancy, fabulously blended perfume!  I can pick out the coconut husk and vanilla and almond, but I can't pick out the other notes.

 

My only quibble is that the throw is fairly low (the gentleness, perhaps!), so I'll need to be slathering this on heavily all summer and will probably need another bottle. 

[zankoku_zen]

Soothing almond, vanilla, coconut blend. Low throw, and wear length.

[puellacaerulea]

In the decant, I get intense, marzipan-y almond and vanilla. Once I apply it, the orris explodes on me, and gets noticeably more floral and recognizably iris-y than I'm used to -- not sure if that's the orris itself or the storax playing with the orris. It gets extremely high-pitched and astringent on me, almost headache-inducing. The orris does chill out after drydown and leaves a soft vanilla-almond-floral. That initial stage is Too Much for me, though. This one's probably off to swaps.

[Casablanca]

The Benediction is a pale coconut-dusted almond note on me for the first moment or so -- a little like a coconut marzipan.

 

But very shortly it makes a wrong turn on my skin and wanders lost somewhere between expired suntan lotion and playdoh... Sadly, Benediction isn't a blessing for me.

[Estamets]

Comfort baking without being foody. This is soft, delicately almondy, and starchy. The coconut husk keeps everything dry. The sandalwood stays quiet on me. The overall effect is almost milky. Very “loving embrace from a lactating mammal who spent the morning making marzipan”.

[lilyluxe]

This scent is pretty deceptive in the bottle. Super strong almond on first sniff, which always scares me- it's like dipping your foot into a cold pool before wading in. xD

The almond burns off really quickly and leaves behind a gentle milky scent that is boosted up by the sandalwood and other notes into being a soft delicate blend. As it wears on, the orris root really shows up for me and kind of amps, turning the scent into a creamy floral kind of thang. I quite like it- it's not powdery or sharp at all. It's a relaxing scent that lingers but doesn't stab your senses. I don't really have anything like it, but the orris is definitely reminding me of Inspecting the Lantern. It was too overpowering in that one imo, and it's a lot more delicate here. It feel quite girly and a bit foody without being a super sweet gourmand. It kind of makes a great white floral for someone like me who loves the creaminess of white florals, but hates the indolic nature of them. It lets me luxuriate in that fantasy where jasmine and gardenia don't stab my nostrils.

Edited January 8, 2022 by lilyluxe

[skyturtles]

This is such an interesting scent! There is a soft sweetness due to the coconut husk, almond milk, and bourbon vanilla. Like a delicate pastry at an elegant coffee shop deep in Tokyo. The roots, which I'm not very familiar with, add an earthiness that prevents the scent from being gourmand, and the white sandalwood is clean. Sandalwood usually turns me off but it is blended so well here.

I'm glad I blind purchased this bottle; both my partner and I are fans! I also have The Divine Scientist from this series and I'm thinking I'd like to get my hands on more of them...