[viciousviolet]

From Tarot Oils

Black pine, patchouli, honeysuckle, oakmoss, almond and other soft earthen tones.

Oh my, this is EARTH. Warm, comforting, nurturing, sometimes stolid EARTH. It doesn’t have the gritty dryness of Zombi, it’s more like soil used to cultivate crops or fertilize your garden, or the scent of a forest path. There is a slight floral sweetness too, like fresh summer flowers still in their garden bed.

EDIT: Added Lab's new description. --Shollin

[jj_j]

Definitely dirt and timber. I like the forest path analogy, as it's more of what my nose smells - some crushed pine needles in there.

Not an overwhelming smell at all, and in fact, the Ace of Pentacles faded very quickly on me.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:
Earthy, but not in a fresh dirt kind of way. Has vetivert or patchouli in it maybe? Seems to have a slight incense tinge to it as well.

After Wearing It:
The smells very earthy to me, but not in a dirt sort of way. It's heavy and pungent with a sharp note piercing through the center, something like pine maybe. I smell patchouli and rich fragrant woods. Vaguely reminds of the smell of an old redwood box my mom had, only richer and a touch sweet.

Final Thoughts:
Very nice. I think it captures the pure energy of the Earth element without just taking on its most obvious physical form. It carries everything that lies in its sphere of influence. Would be nice for where when concentrating on earth energies.

[Shollin]

First sniff: The Ace of Pentacles is gorgeously piney and earthy, with a hint of round wet sweetness.

Wearing: The pine pops out right away, but it’s not at all sharp – more like you brushed past a low-hanging pine branch and the needles tickled your skin, leaving a very soft scent. I can’t quite identify anything else in this scent, but it’s very round and balanced, earthy without smelling like dirt, piney without smelling like PineSol. I also can’t quite decide whether it’s a warm or a cool scent. It’s a bit of both, I think – walking in the woods on a hot muggy day and suddenly feeling a cool breeze from the river. There's a lovely sweetness that develops throughout, more of a honey-ish sweetness than anything overly sugary or floral.

I like this one a lot. Thanks for the rec, VV!

[Lady_Ell]

This is a very comforting smell. It reminds me of warm composty topsoil (in the best way) and is reminscent of early summer - like when you're planting a vegetable garden in the sunshine.

In the bottle it smelled like cherries and topsoil, the former of which dissipated immediately on contact with my skin. The earthy smell is in the foreground when wet and for the first 1/2 hour or so, but after that I was getting a dusty, sweet baby powder scent on top of everything that I sometimes get with the earthy/piney scents, which overpowered the earthy scent.

I put in on before I went to bed and slept deeply and peacefully. I think I'll experiment with putting it on before bed to see if keeps my sleeping so nice (usually I am a light, jumpy sleeper).

I want my husband to try it out, because he's been talking about that Demeter "Dirt" fragrance (I think it's Demeter) for like 10 years now without actually buying it, and I think this might be a good analog for him.

This post has been edited by ladylatemar: 24 March 2004 - 04:19 PM

[twistygirl]

This is Earth, alright. And I think it's totally gorgeous. VERY comforting. I normally don't like pine in my fragrances because I don't want to smell like the Pacific Northwest, but this is such a soft pine and blends so well with the other notes. This is very, very grounding, a masculine scent but not so masculine that a female couldn't wear it. There's a real power to the earthiness of this scent.

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF: herbs and pine

WEARING IT: the pine makes its way to the forefront with the sweetness of the honeysuckle dancing behind it. i can smell oakmoss doing its part but can't place exactly where it is in the scheme of things. this is VERY earthy - almost like zombi in a way, but prettier. i'd like to smell it on a man :D

VERDICT: i thought this was going to be more autumny than it actually turned out to be, i think i would have liked it more on me if the pine was less defined and the honeysuckle and almond had more of a role. next to try it on kev :P

[TheDarkMother]

From the bottle, Ace of Pentacles smells like a light floral completely overshadowed by DIRT! Not a mossy scent, not a nice woodsy smell, but DIRT! It kind of reminds me of biting into a Bernie Botts Every Flavor Bean and it tasting so much of dirt that I expected to hear my teeth grind afterwards. It lingers in my nose a lot longer than any other scent so far, and it kind of reminds me of those clouds of dirt that followed that Peanuts cartoon character all around.

On my skin, it is so decidely dirt smelling that it just throws me off. I don't mind an undertone of dirt, but this is a dirty smell that just makes me feel like I have to wash. There is a slight other sweeter note to it, but the dirt scent just lingers too long and too strongly to ignore.

However, this time I tried it, I didn't go running off to the bathroom to wash right away, so I finally got to smell what it was like on my skin after it began to dry more. Whereas I had put this in my swap pile (although I can't really say that it is a pile considering that I only have one in there right now as a maybe), I think I will keep it afterall. If I can get past the dirt smell long enough to let it dry, it is simply perfect! Once it dries it smells just like the smell that is in the air right before it rains! There is the smell of Florida flowers, humidity, and the ever present threatening shower in the air. The dirt smell, which is still there, has finally lingered just enough to make a nice "coming rain" scent. THis reminds me of being in the backyard at my grandmother's house, watching the rain start to come down the street, get to half of her backyard, and then stop. We would run in and out of the rain into the dry sunshine and just laugh! It was like having our own sprinkler system without paying for the water:)

You know, I think I will keep this after all. My skin even feels like its expected to get wet even though I'm in the house! I haven't had a scent invoke such an emotional memory before! I am so totally impressed!!

As if I wasn't hooked on BPAL enough, now I think I am totally in love! Thanks guys!

[VelvetSky]

I so totally agree with all of the beautiful descriptions so far: dirty, piney, comforting, earthy, sweet, gorgeous.

This is fertile, moist soil...the way I imagine the dirt in Middle Earth must smell. Wood is definitely at the forefront, with the sweet honesuckle toning down the sharpness of the pine . The patchouli and oakmoss don't really make an appearance on me until the final drydown.

Ace of Pentacles makes me feel safe, solid...grounded! I think this will be my scent of choice when I feel as though I need to be on a solid footing about some issue.

I ordered this imp on a whim, and I'm so glad I listened to my inner voice. :P

[ChupaChup]

This is the prettiest of the earthy scents I have tried so far (The Caterpillar and Burial being the others). I find it soft and comforting, very grounding. However, the little tinge of "dirt" that I smell makes me think this is a little too masculine for me.

[ewalk]

I absolutely adore this.

I have been looking for something that smells like this forever. I can close my eyes and smell my forest. It is soil and slightly rotting leaves and wind.

When I lived in Michigan I used to lay in the fallen leaves in the woods where I lived in a tent. I loved the spicy, crackley smell of the leaves and the soil. It was during this time of my life that I found my earth based faith. Those few years shaped who I am and Ace of Pentacles is exactly the smell of those memories.

Thank you so much, Beth.

[xoe]

Ace ofPentacles is totally different from the other tarot blends I've tried. It is all Pine. Strong Pine on my skin. It is very comforting as others have said.

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

Oh man, I just read the description at the top of this thread which I hadn't seen before because it wasn't on the site and it mentioned almond. Almond is very bad news for me, but because everything else about this sounds right up my alley, I'll risk making myself sick. :P

First sniff:

I don't trust my nose right now, to tell the truth. Just the suggestion of there being almond in this is enough to make me think I'm smelling it, so I'm going to assume I'm hallucinating and ignore it. Apart from my hallucination of almonds, I smell patchouli and pine and wet, loamy dirt. This is a very sharp forest kind of scent, with the same edge that Loup Garou and Black Forest had.

Wet on skin:

I wish I could tell if I was imagining the almond or not. I'm almost positive I am because I don't feel nauseous even though I've had my nose right up to my wrist for the last 30 seconds or so, but it would be nice to know all the same. Ace of Pentacles smells like the forest to me in a very realistic way. None of the notes are overpowering or artificial in the slightest and it's very comforting smelling and peaceful.

Dry down:

I'm not as wowed with this as I was with Death, but it's certainly a very nice woodsy forest scent all the same. For some reason, Ace of Pentacles fades extremely quickly on me, unlike Death which lasted literally all day, but I don't really mind reapplying. The almond note (be it real or imagined) has disappeared and left a soft, generic earthy forest kind of scent that's quite nice. :D

The bottom line:

While I'm not as wowed with this as I was with Death, I still got a bottle anyway. I have a feeling once I have time to forget the mention of almonds I'll be more receptive to it. :D

[scourgeotheseas]

Ace of Pentacles

In the bottle: I get cherry and cinnamon, I think. It’s very sweet!

On me: A dry cinnamon, like a cinnamon stick. :P

(Upon reading the reviews, was I on crack? Alas, the imp is gone, so I have no idea if my nose and skin were just wacko when I tried this.)

[brownbat]

Smokey, woody and piney. Something medicinal is coming out as well. It smells a bit like vics vapo rub now. After the mentholy scent dies down a bit a resiny scent comes out. Myrrh maybe? Patchouli? Overall, I would like this scent quite a bit if it wasn't for the menthol smell I got from it (and where it came from, I have no idea;-) )

[sarada]

Received a sample of this from Penance!

Ace of Pentacles is one I've had my eye on for awhile but I was also unsure if I'd detect an almond note -- something that does not generally agree with me.

Happily, this is woodland bliss!

It come across as a dark green piney scent at first, rather like Nocnitsa but not quite as syrupy and dark. The patchouli does assert itself quickly, all of the ingredients are taking turns -- pine stays strong, but I get that nice patchouli dirt smell that I love so much, just under the surface. This is a pine forest in the summer after rain. The honeysuckle is warmed by the sun and drifts lazily through the humid air. If there is an almond note, it combines with the honeysuckle so perfectly that I do not detect it.

It moves very quickly from pine to patchouli to honeysuckle before settling into a faint murmur of tree branches and a breath of sweet, warm air. This is definitely a cousin to Nocnitsa for me, not quite as powerful and dark but very beautiful. I think I will have to reapply frequently if I am wearing it but this could be a great scent for me in the green months of the year!

[Muppetk]

First impression: slightly sweet + something pine but not pine. Maybe it's Patchouli?

2 minutes later: all patchouli.

15 minutes later: The patchouli is toned down a bit, and the slight hint of something sweet is back.

Later: Still primarily Patchouli, but smells clean somehow. Maybe that's the forest-like description that others have mentioned. Interesting and intriguing.

(minor edit made for poetic purposes.) :P

This post has been edited by Muppetk: 26 April 2005 - 06:49 PM

[Witch's Dagger]

Ace of Pentacles

This was a part of the Tarot swap - since I need to review all of them in a very short time, this will be a brief review.

In the vial: Definitely Ace of Pentacles: there’s an earthiness, dry and woody, but mingled with the greenness of growing things, and blooming flowers hovering there just slightly. This is lovely.

On me: I cannot explain this scent, but I must have it. It’s life. Vital life energy, green and growing, yet somehow soft and forgiving, at the same time. I wish I could describe it better for you, but I can’t. I can’t even pick out any notes. It’s just green. Green life.

Ordering likelyhood: Very.

[fallow deer]

Wet, the first note to hit my nose is the earth, quite damp and mixed with almond.

As this dries, it's like leaf mold in a decidious wood, friendly smelling and full of life. There's a medicinal note at the back somewhere that I think is the patchouli mixed with pine, which gets sweeter as the scent dries.

It's a lovely representation of earth, warm and inviting.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): This is very herby and a little spicy. Maybe some kind of evergreen?

Just On: Spicy herbs. I'm thinking patchouli, but I've no clue if I'm even close.

An hour or two later: It's already pretty faded, but I can still smell a bit of it.

Around 6 hours: It's kind of turned to a body odor thing, but not so terrible as some others.

12 hours: It's pretty well all gone.

Overall: This is a nice scent, but not one that jumps out and grabs me by the nose, so to speak. I don't know that I'd actually order a bottle of this, but might like to have an imp around.

After reading other reviews: Well well, pine and patchouli, I had some of it right. I wasn't getting the oakmoss, or the earthy parts.

[UltraViolet]

~Ace of Pentacles~

In the bottle
Mmm. Earth, eucalyptus. oakmoss, pine.

On
Same as in the bottle. Damp earth, wet dark green leafy things, pine, eucaplyptus. It's nice to breath it and feel the calm.

30 minutes
Not alot of morhping, still the same as when sniffed out of the bottle, only richer.

Throw:
average

Scent category:
Earthy/Green

Summary
The epitome of the earthy blend.
Nothing odd, or off, just earthy, deep, quiet, stillness.
I'm a fire sign so this is really centering for me. If I want to focus and stop all the erroneous chatter in my brain, this is what I would wear.

Purchase again?
Yes. This is th earthiest blend I've tried yet from bpal. It's earthy in a comforting, grounding way, just as sitting in a quiet forest would be.

1-5 rating (5 being best)
4

[tempete]

I get a slight tang of citrus, and then Ace of Pentacles dries down to an earthy finish. This is a very comforting and grounded scent.

[Nisaba]

In the bottle, this is sharp, sweet wood.

Wet, this is the smell that used to greet me when I went down to my grandfather's garage in the summer. Sawdust. He used to build a lot of wooden furniture, and I used to love helping him. This scent takes me straight back there.

On drydown it becomes loam, earth. Really a very incredible scent, very comforting in it's way, although I'm not sure I'd want to smell like this when out. An amazing creation though :P

[grrrlennyl]

at first: very, very earthy. i think i smell pine. very nice.
on: definitely earthy. waaaay earthy. i think i'm getting some vertiver, along with a lot of pine and other earth-type things.
1.5 hours later: softer, but still earthy. it has a bite to it, which i'm attributing to the oakmoss.
overall: not a perfume for me, but definitely something that i could use.

[brownbear]

Hmm this one doesn't really change from wet to dry. It just goes softer.

I get a lot of green, earthy, herby, minty pine out of this. After reading the description I notice the almond in the background too.

I don't think I'll be using this as perfume, but I do like the way it smells.