Brass Balls

[Thorne]

Wear to increase courage, especially with regard to social situations. Calms the nerves, instills confidence, and brings your natural charisma to the surface.

Oh, I had to order this one just for the name, people. It just arrived today, and I haven't had time to try it as a ritual oil, so this is a review of the scent only.

Brass Balls smells earthy and fresh, sort of like newly crushed green stems, or damp, shaded grass and soil. It has an astringent, metallic quality to it, but it's not unpleasant. It strongly reminds me of living things - warm furry animals and clean bedding, healthy plants and rich dirt.

I have a couple of presentations to do at school in the next few weeks, and I'm going to ask for a permanent extension of my temp status at work, so I'm planning on wearing/using Brass Balls for those, and I'll update with my take on the effectiveness of the oil. I was pretty stressed out from work when I came home, and just from sniffing this, I do feel calmer, so I suspect it will work beautifully.

ETA: I wore this for my presentation in a class I REALLY wanted to do well in. I felt very calm and confidant during my presentation, which is unusual for me, as I'm deathly afraid of public speaking of any kind. I'm pretty sure I aced not just the presentation, but the whole class, and as I was leaving, the teacher told me I was one of her favorite students. Edited September 12, 2007 by Shollin

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle this is some seriously powerful stuff!!!

i applied the tiniest dab on my upper arm and the scent positively

bursts with aroma...and it ends up smelling like the way a postage

stamp tastes for those of you who remember licking stamps

even after some more time this has the scent of purple gumdrops...

slightly minty...lovely...

 

i can hardly wait to try this one out for monday morning at work...things

have been tense and everyone is so uptight lately this should provide

me with some much needed assistance in calming me and giving me the

courage to speak up when something needs to be addressed

[Tesseljoan]

I used this for a presentation. Me + social anxiety = need every help for presentations I can get.

I wasn't any less nervous, but I felt I spoke with authority, and my classmates confirmed it. One even said that I spoke 'with balls', so it works really well.

 

scent-wise, I'm not fond of it, I can smell notes which are fine and dandy indiviually, they just don't work in a blend. I don't give a rat's arse and will continue to use this, though.

 

Edited to add: I wore this again to a party. I applied to all chakra points, and put some in my hair. When I was waiting for my tram, I struck up a conversation with a stranger. I had another conversation in the tram, with someone else. I wasn't as chatty at the party, but I had a good evening. Those few moments I had no-one to talk to (you know, when your mate goes to the bar and gets a drink and everyone around you is deeply engaged in conversations of their own), I felt absolutely fine. No anxiety. Once again, great oil.

Edited June 4, 2006 by Tesseljoan

[theshapeshifter]

I tried Brass Balls on Saturday - we had a wedding to go to, and I was only going to know three or four people (and not know them very well - former coworkers of my husband's). The classic sort of situation where I'd normally spend the whole night hating the world and giving off 'please don't talk to me' vibes, since I have trouble with these sorts of events since I quit drinking.

 

I dabbed a little Brass Balls over my heart chakra, and I was AMAZED at how well it worked. Not only was I outgoing, charismatic and generally charming, but I enjoyed it! My husband even noticed and commented on it on the way home.

 

I'll definitely be getting a LOT of use out of this one. Oh, and for the record, I would NOT use this for its scent... I put the dab of it on, but then used another oil to be my perfume for the evening.

[roesmoker]

Scent Review: This smells very familiar to me, like a herb or spice used in Indian cooking, but for the life of me I can't remember which one. Coriander, maybe? Definitely not cilantro. I also get something metallic. I literally picture a big pair of brass balls when I smell it.

 

Ritual Review: I didn't do a ritual (I rarely do, at most a little candle magick) but as I put it on I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on the stated purpose of the oil. I felt a little snappish that day, which sometimes happens to me with the "confidence/power" oils (like High John for example). I didn't notice any more confidence. I think I prefer Lionheart and Crucible of Courage in this area. (It also helps that I greatly prefer the scent of those oils.)

[QueenFae]

Oh poo, this one is just not for me. Very Very strong scent, extremely earthy. Sort of like damp sod with an overwhelming herbal undertone. Unfortunately, this is a very disagreeable scent for both my husband and I. It reminds me of something that's rotting in the earth. Eeeek! I rarely find scents that are this icky on me, but this one takes the cake. I'm bummed because I really wanted to wear this one to work every day, where I need a lot of confidence. I'll find my bottle a more appreciative home.

[edenssixthday]

Brass Balls - Wow, this is a really strong black pepper scent. There may be some other spices in there as well, but the pepper scent definitely overwhelms almost everything else. I was attending my husband’s 20th high school anniversary with him. I don’t normally like parties full of even my closest friends (I prefer smaller groups), much less a potentially awkward social event where I would not know one single soul. Well, I dabbed some Brass Balls on my crown chakra, third eye, and throat chakra. I wore another BPAL for fragrance purposes (Shub, which goes quite nicely with Brass Balls, actually). We went downstairs to the room where the party was taking place, and I had a wonderful time all night. I never once felt awkward or insecure. I easily chatted with my husband’s former high school classmates as well as their significant others. My husband told me afterward that I was charming and everyone seemed to really enjoy meeting me. All in all, it was a total success, and I honestly doubt I would have had even a fraction of the fun I had if I hadn’t have used this TAL for this specific situation. Great stuff!

[tinyvulture]

This is the first TAL I’ve had the pleasure to try. I see that they are not meant to be applied in the usual way as a perfume. That’s good, because the scent that comes to mind when I smell this is… dill pickles! Very sour. Then it turns into a mixture of something metallic and maybe some kind of Indian or Ethiopian spice that I can’t put my finger on.

 

I read a quick explanation of chakras and it seemed my solar plexus was the one giving me trouble re: shyness in social situations, so I dabbed some BB on my tummy before going out to what I knew would be an awkward social occasion.

I'm not well-studied in this stuff at all, but I do consider myself open-minded. So this is what happened: it felt like I immediately stood up straighter, had a larger ‘presence’ if you will. I felt optimistic rather than a bundle of nerves (as I tend to be in these kind of situations). Over the course of the evening I was quiet (as usual) but at least I didn’t feel self-conscious. It’s like I was taking in my surroundings with a relaxed eye rather than worrying about how I came across to anybody. My husband didn’t comment on me acting particularly different. I think it was more of an inner thing. I’ll try this again and be curious to see if there are noticeable effects.

[Miss Lynx]

I couldn't even try this one on. Someone at today's meet'n'sniff had it, and Kettu offered it to me to try after she had tried it, but I took one sniff and knew there was no way this was going on my skin.

 

I may be biased because we have a sick cat right now, and had just come from visiting her, but to me this smelled exactly like an animal hospital -- metal and disinfectant and sick animals. It took me straight back to visiting our cat in the animal hospital right before the meet'n'sniff, and to previous vet visits, especially the two when very sick and old cats had to be put to sleep. It smelled like cold metal and harsh chemicals, with an underlying scent of sickness, rot and maybe death.

 

I seem to be one of only two people so far who have had a negative reaction to it, and I don't know why it struck me so differently from everyone else. Obviously, I can't attest to how it would have worked for me in a ritual situation. But it's strange how the same scent can evoke such veyr different associations for different people.

 

Grade: F

[kettu]

I was with Miss Lynx when she sniffed theshapeshifter's bottle. One thing's for certain: the scent provokes a strong reaction from anyone who smells it.

 

It was one of the oddest scents I've ever smelled and I had to keep smelling it because I couldn't figure it out. It was off-putting and captivating at the same time.

 

It's very evocative of slightly tarnished brass. I had a brass coin bank when I was younger and the scent would rub off onto my hands after holding it. It's intriguing in a repulsive kind of way.

 

I think if my anxieties were less controlled than they currently are, I would definitely get a bottle of this. I didn't try any on, so I can't say what it smelled like mingled with my body chemistry, but I certainly wouldn't have objections to doing so.

[shadith]

I can only agree with the others about the scent- there is something sharp and unpleasing about it. I noticed this too late and put on a little too much- the next time I know that a few tiny dots will be enough of this oil.

 

But damn, it worked so fine that I even didn't care that maybe anybody else may smell this oil on me Usually I'm so paranoid about bothering others with my smell, especially if it's a little off-putting like this oil. I additionally put a BPAL-blend on as my perfume, but of course it couldn't mask the smell of the TAL.

 

The reason I tried this oil was an event where I knew I'm usually nervous. I'm shy and always afraid of meeting new people- especially if it's a big group where my friend knows everybody and the only person I know is my friend. I have fears of not knowing about what to talk, and usually just stay in the background and wish there was a big black hole that would swallow me.

 

I was not sure whether to put on Charisma or Brass Balls, but I decided to go with Brass Balls since I thought I'd need an oil that has an effect on me and my confidence instead of giving the others a different perception of me (and me still feeling unsure).

 

And this is the third TAL where I can say 'hell, it worked damn fine'. I was not nervous, I said hi to everybody and smiled, I felt at ease even when I just sat there and didn't say anything, and didn't have the feeling that I'm invisible. I laughed with the others, joined conversation and sometimes said a few things myself to the whole group. I was able to look everybody straight into the eye and show my interest instead of hoping for a black hole, averting my eyes and staring at the ground.

 

I had a great time this afternoon and felt very confident with myself, all the things I usually worry about were not so important (and those are a lot since I have many hang-ups and tend to feel low about myself). This is a great oil if you need some help in situations you're usually afraid of.

Edited October 16, 2006 by shadith

[Athenae]

Scent: sharp and bitter, like saffron and greens. "Ugh," was my husband's reaction, and he likes pretty much everything I wear. I think this and Gluttony are the only two things he hasn't liked me to smell like.

 

Efficacy: He's gonna have to get over it, because this stuff is magic. I wore it as instructed, on chakra points, and I walked into a possible interview, really a low-key "pick up the application" kind of appointment, and walked out with A JOB. That never happens.

 

It's on the big bottle order list, which will be placed with the money earned at the job it helped me get!

 

A.

[mystery213]

This scent is reminicent of those purple or maybe white 'conversation hearts' that get passed around on Valentine's day and say things like "Love Me' and what not, with a very sharp polished brass undertone. It is not entirely unpleasant, but nothing I would ever pick as a perfume if that were what it were.

It does have an interesting mental quality to it that seems to impart a pick me up of sorts. My head actually feels a little funny after sniffing it, and I have not tried it in a social situation yet, but it makes me want to go tackle the world...

I'll have to play with this one a bit longer and see what develops...

[Ondine]

I really like the effect of this oil. I use it and definitely feel more confident and talkative.

 

However, something in it seemed to give me a rash where applied today. I saw mentions of mint above and mint is not problematic on me. Does this possibly have cassia or cinnamon in it? That's the one component that does make me react regularly.

[Bamels]

This smells like Lush's disconned Elixir bath melt. I can't remember what was in it but some sort of cinammon or clove is present. It smells quite strong so I won't be using much!

 

I will update with how it works when I have used it. I imagine that I will anoint myself before going into a social situation.

[russetfox]

I just recently got this oil. It is a very strong oil. I don't actually wear it out even with another perfume, but I wear it to bed, and it has helped me a lot at work.

[zankoku_zen]

Brass Balls has a brassy overtone, I get a hint of lemongrass, and there's definitely spices. It's somewhat metallic smelling.

 

I've worn this twice on my chakras, and I can say that while it doesn't smell like a perfume, its sure is effective. I wouldn't call this a swagger, as more as a boost. Like this is the more confident you out there. I would actually say that it has a fair amount of nerve calming.

 

I didn't think I needed this, since I have Wolf Heart, but the energies are very different. This one is definitely more social. Wolf Heart is more existential. I like the nerve calming aspect of Brass Balls.