[Sarah]

About Oshun
Oshun is the goddess that is associated with love, passion, sensuality, beauty, wealth, and diplomacy. She governs waters that are sweet to the tongue--the rivers, brooks, and streams. Oshun is a virtuous goddess, generous to all and possesses a kind disposition, unless you cross her, in which case her temper is terrible to behold. As luck would have it, Oshun is difficult to anger. She is beloved by many, restoring health to the sick, and bringing prosperity to those who need it. Sometimes she is shown as a young and beautiful charming woman; at other times she is pictured with a fish's tail.

Oshun was taught by Obatala the art of divining. Upon learning this power, she taught it to neighboring village of her own will. She also teaches people to resolve differences through kindness and compromise. Because of this, she is also known as the sacred whore. "Sweetwater" is another one of her names.

Sources: Wikipedia, Pantheon.org, About.com, Thalia Took's Goddess Gallery, SpiritualNature.com.


In the Bottle
This leaked a bit in transit, and when I received my package, I thought to myself, "Oh, someone sent me Persephone!" Very rosy and lush. Opening the bottle, there was something slightly boozy--perhaps a splash of wine. A slight peppery undercurrent, possibly from the rose, though pepper grass is one of the plants associated with Oshun.


Wearing
Comparisons to Persephone is apparent in its wet stage. It's rose blended with something juicy and sweet. I don't smell the sweetness tanginess of pomegrante, however; maybe orange? It's a bright, cheerful scent. It makes me think of warm, sunlight on a beautiful day. If I could describe this blend in colors, yellow and gold would come to mind. Incidentally enough, today's weather was gorgeous, and wearing this blend made me felt content and buoyant, provocative and sensual. I wanted to stand close to the businessman reading his newspaper on the morning commute. I wanted the scent to waft around the people sitting by me on the subway. It made me feel beautiful and womanly.


Final Thoughts
Oshun made me appreciate being a woman. It may be too closely related scent-wise to Persephone for some people. With Persephone you do get batches that are incidentally more rosey, and it takes a while for the pomegrante to temper the rose. Oshun is Persephone in its state of sweet florals--lush and juicy and tempting.

Even though Persephone is one of my favorite scents, it never envoked this feeling of femininity. With Persephone, I think, "I smell great!" With Oshun, I think, "I feel beautiful, and I enjoy being a girl!" Beautiful, beautiful scent, just in time for the coming of spring.

[Diana]

I got this in a trade. Yay!

Like the previous poster stated, it's very juicy-floral. I can definitely see a resemblance to Persephone, but to my nose it's a fraternal twin to Blood Rose. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my imp of BR to do a side-by-side comparison, but from memory, they are VERY close.

The vial->wet->drydown doesn't really change at all. It stays a floral + wet & juicy & tangy fruit scent. Very luscious and mouth-watering. This also lasted ALL day with not one touchup. It's very potent, but not overwhelming either.

I'm so glad to have recieved a bottle of this. I want to try all of the Twilight scents!

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Reminds me of Persephone but with a bit more fruit and sugar. Persephone has a very rosy smell but this rose seems to be balanced by the sweet fruit with it.

Wet: Fruity, juicy, lush with the rose more in the background than the forefront, which is the opposite of Persephone. I'm not sure what fruit might be in this, but it's sweet and...hmm...almost smells like mango on me the more that I think about it. The rose is so background in this, though, which makes it nice and lovely. Persephone has a slightly jaded quality to it that isn't present in Oshun. This is a fresh fruit and fresh rose smell. Quite nice even though it does have the tendency to smell a little like gum to my nose in that it has an artifical sweet quality to it.

Dry down: Hmm..well, it doesn't seem to be mango anymore. Now it does have the kind of citrus tangerine quality to it that has been mentioned in other reviews. In fact that tangerine is almost drowning out the rose, which is very background in this always surprising on my skin. Although I have the slightest fear that there might be lilies in here because the floral is getting some of the same musky smell that usually happens when I have lilies on my skin. There's still that tangerine sweet to it, though. And now more citrus and less floral than I had expected in this blend. It's not that I don't like it because I think it's very nice and it still ranks number one of the scents I've tried lately. It's just that I have an awful lot of rose blends and this one doesn't really strike me as something I'm gonna wear much. I like the juicy rose but this has an odd background note of...it reminds me of Moxie and Persephone blended together not that I'm smelling it. Like there's some cardamon or cinnamon lurking under the surface of the cirtrus/rose top scent.

Dry: Yeah, this is Moxie meets Persephone on my skin. It's nice but not really me. Plus something in it is causing that Ingenue-caused headache to start kicking around again. I'm lucky to have had the chance to try this, but I don't think I can keep it.

[wickedgoddess]

Origin - part of the TAL circular swap

Wet - very soft and feminine. There's fruit and a light floral.

Dry - I am trying to figure out what the fruit is. At first I thought it was melon, but now I am leaning towards pomagranate. I haven't tried Persephone, so I can't make a comparison to that. Whatever it is, it's lovely. The floral, obviously rose, has come out, but it's hiding behind the fruit. This is a lovely, feminine scent. There's not a lot of throw here, but it does seem to last a few hours. If this were a non TAL oil, I would probably buy a big bottle for scent alone.

[yeahbutnobut]

Oshun

Courtesy of the TAL circular swap.
In the imp: fruity rose. yes, it does remind me of Persephone, but more 'grown up', like there's wine in there as well.
Wet on skin: fruity rose, with a twinge of tartness, like the petals of the rose are dried, and the fruit juice has fermented into wine.
Dry on skin: this is nice! Very rosy, with a bit of fruit. Not sure what-possibly pomegranate, or grape maybe? This is a very feminine scent, it's fresh and moist, yet has a tangy bite to it. The roses in here smell drier and crisper than most rose blends, and there's that fruit note too.
After a while: I'm wondering if there's lotus here too, as this is now starting to remind me of Kurukulla. There's a sweet, candy-like scent in this now, which could be lotus or maybe that fruity note. It's also got that tart, tangy, wine like scent balancing out the smooth sweetness. It's very pleasant.
Verdict: I'm not too familiar with the Orishas, but I do have the story of Oshun in one of my old children's story books…it states that Oshun is a goddess of love, wealth and beauty. (and indeed, the description given above confirms this.) And this scent is very appropriate for such a deity. It's a feminine, floral-fruit scent, rich and full, juicy and tangy. It's similar to Persephone and Kurukulla, however, whilst those two scents are youthful and girly, this scent is more grown up, more mature, very womanly. The dominant note in this is rose-and lots of it. A good thing, since I adore rose. There's also a fruit scent I cannot place-it seems almost wine like. This is a lovely scent, which resonates with wholesome, plentiful femininity. If this wasn't a magical oil, I'd get more of this.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Quite sweet.

Just On: Very sweet, and there is a hint of something else I can't name.

An hour or two later: Sweet and spicy.

Around 6 hours: Fruity sweet.

12 hours: Gone.

Overall: Gorgeous as a fragrance alone.

After reading other reviews: Goodness, I didn't get roses at all in this. Guess that's good, my skin usually wrecks roses.

[sihaya09]

Sweet orange that barely covers the crush of florals in the oil. Soft and feminine, almost like more motherly version of Persephone. This kind of feels like getting a hug from a beloved aunt that you don't see very often. This has become very useful as I've committed myself to learning more about the Orishas.

[shelldoo]

wow, wow, wow...ummm ok review. must focus on review

in the vial, heavy juicy fruits not getting florals i am thinking maybe it is plum?

wet: still heavy juicy fruits, actually making my mouth water, delicious.


as it dries it is a fruity floral. the roses are slowly appearing, not a deep red rose, more of a brightly colored rose. juicy, sexy, sweet. when tals go live i will be ordering this one for sure

[helarctos]

The scent of TAL Oshun to me is heady, sweet, somewhat fruity. And really beautiful.

(Disclaimer: This review was written in a circular swap, so I did not use the oil for ritual purposes. I can only report here on its scent. I believe this is valuable information so people know if they will find the oil physically/aesthetically uncomfortable when they use it for its intended purpose, BUT I do not believe TAL oils should be used as simple perfume. )

[Em-]

From the TAL Circular Swap.

My first reaction to this was fruity! I like fruity, so that is good.

I definitely can see a floral background, but I, thankfully, do not sniff the comparison to Persephone, which was a lovely blend that hurt my brain.

I wholeheartedly agree with Wickedgoddess that were this not TAL, I would hunt some down for perfume, but alas.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Very sweet and watery. It is a cross between lotus, watermelon, and sweet aquatic florals. It makes me think of Empyreal Mist.

On me: The roses that weren't too apparent initially are blossoming on the drydown. In fact, it's becoming the dominant note. It isn't a green rose like with Rose Red, and it doesn't remind me much of Persephone either. The rose is a little bit creamy, and surrounded by slightly watery fruit. Wonderfully feminine and girly!

[Northernminx]

Very sweet and fruity with a touch of floral. This did remind me somewhat of a lighter, more playful blood rose in many ways. Very femine and fluid and lovely. I can't review this in regards to ritual aspects as I didn't use it as such, but the scent itself is lovely, heady without being overpowering and ultimately very girly.

This post has been edited by Northernminx: 06 December 2005 - 08:52 PM

[Little Bird]

Something in this blend goes very sugary-sweet on my skin. It reminds me of some sort of fruit punch drink with way too much sugar added. Thick, fruity, tropical, and hyper on the sugar. In the drydown, the fruity note takes on a boozy quality that reminds me a bit of wine... spiked fruit punch. I'm also getting hints of rose in the drydown, and the rose goes a bit sharp on me. This isn't a favorite smell of mine, but it's an interesting fruity scent with hints of floral.

[Reedsong]

This is the perfect Oshún blend in every respect - soft, sweet honey, beautiful and indescribably elegant. I've done several river rituals for Oshún and have made certain to bring a little of this lovely oil for her each time. In fact, it's my feeling that she likes it and requests it (though, of course, that's debatable based on what you believe! :D).

This TAL oil is good for anointing, offering, or both, and each time I've used it, the sense I've had is very positive and loving. I would definitely recommend this blend to anyone interested in working with orisha Oshún. :P

[slave1]

In Bottle: Gorgeous fruit!

On Skin: This scent is dripping with a beautiful fruity juicyness! I LOVE this scent!! I get honey right off the bat, that AMAZING BPAL honey that there’s no missing. Also a touch of wine and a little pomengranate. There is also a floral note, I’m thinking rose because it’s slightly sour. I could live without the rose, but the rest of the notes are gorgeous! I get a red/pink feel from this scent with a golden halo surrounding it. I would love to wear this scent if I had more of it, but I’ll treasure the imp I have. Light to medium throw and short to average wearlength on me.

[Mattie]

Oshún is amazing. I was originally attracted to Her because she is a Goddess associated with so many qualities I greatly admire and would like to bring into my life. When I read that "...Oshun is difficult to anger... she teaches people to resolve differences through kindness and compromise," I knew I had to have Her ASAP. My relationship with a dear friend has been very troubled the past month and I've been uncharacteristically hostile and amazed by my lack of compassion when dealing with her. She's recuperating from a near-fatal illness. The same stubborness and orneryness that helped her live makes her miserable to live with, these days.

I applied this oil this morning before spending the day holiday shopping with her, an undertaking I was really dreading for its potential to drive me to homicide. :D I didn't focus intent as I applied it, as I was rushed and just trying to get ready to go on time. We ended up having a wonderful day together talking, laughing, and totally getting along! It was just like old times, before we took everything we said to each other the wrong way. What a blessing and a healing.

As a fragrance, Oshún is faintly rosy with a strong honey note that, thankfully, doesn't go honeybun on me. :D It goes on strong but quickly fades very close to the skin. It's both feminine and exotic, a great bonus as I wasn't really purchasing Oshún as a perfume. As it's a very subtle rose and I love florals, I'll enjoy wearing it all year 'round.

I can't wait to discover the other ways She assists and teaches me! Thank you, Labbies! :P

[ElizabethOSP]

Oshun worked with me when my husband and I were first getting together (as a couple) about 20 years ago. We're still together, making music, art, wild sex, and...oh! Did I say that out loud? Heh. http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/default/wub2.gif Umm, anyway...since then, I've always felt a love for and from Oshun, but didn't do more active work with her. When I saw the TAL oil, I couldn't NOT get it! Last night, I did a quick ritual and anointed my easel with Oshun and Hymn to Pan before working on a painting that I was starting to fight with. They sang to me as I painted, and helped me release my fears about ruining the effect I was trying to get. I liked the results last night, but when I went and looked at the painting again tonight, I was taken aback--the results were GREAT! Suddenly you could see the spaces, there was more depth, the modeling on the hands jumped out like I wanted...yessssss. The emotion was there. The answer to the visual problem had been two-fold and extremely simple. Oshun and Pan danced me through it and out of it and teased me about having ever let myself get tied in a knot! I love 'em both!!!http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/default/whoo.gif