Beltane 2008

[coldandsleepy]

One of the holiest days in the Pagan calendar, Beltane [May Day, Cetsamhain, Floralia and Roodmas... also, Beltaine, Bealtaine, Bealtuinn, Beletene, La Bheltine] is the Day of Baal's Fire, and marks the midpoint of Sol's path between the Vernal Equinox and Summer Solstice. In Druidic tradition, need-fires were set atop hills in a symbolic gesture of bringing the Sun's light down to Earth. Celebrants danced around the fires in harmony with the Sun's seeming movement through the sky, and passed eadar dà theine Bhealltuinn, between the Fires of Beltane, to purify themselves. In Scotland, all hearth fires were extinguished, and the flames from the need-fires were used to rekindle their flames, bringing blessings and good fortune into the household. It doesn't matter where your faith lies, Beltane is sacred to us simply because we're human. It is a celebration of new growth, rebirth, of the fertility of our land, our spirits and our bodies, and is a reminder of the joy in simply being alive. Celebrate life! Wind some flowers into your hair, dab a little oil behind each ear, toss the first petals of springtime onto your yard, and bless your garden the old fashioned way!

Mugwort, French rose, Lily of the Valley, broom, frankincense, myrrh, benzoin, foxglove, woodruff, rowan wood, ivy, sandalwood, spring mint, thyme, iris, copal, and night blooming jasmine.

Okay mods and others... I have no idea if this should go in this post or if there should be a new thread since it's a new formulation (right?). And I don't know if the Lab description should be in here or not. (Edited it out because it's not the top of the page so it looks weird to me.) But, uh, here it goes anyway. Without further ado: Beltane 2008!

In the bottle: greeeeeeen. Minty. Mint often goes very very wrong on me, so this had me a little scared.

On me, wet: oh my! So green! It's a little bit herbal, a little bit floral, a little bit woodsy, and a huge bit pretty. The mint's still very present and way more vocal than I expected it to be, but, wonder of wonders, it smells GOOD. Along with that, I'm definitely picking up on the mugwort, the thyme, the lily, and the ivy big time. There's something delightfully spicy lurking under the surface of this.

On me, dry: same as wet, except maybe a touch more earthy. Delightfully consistent!

Throw and duration: throw's about average. Duration I'm not sure on-- it's only been about an hour and a half since I applied it, but it's still going just as strong as at the start.

Overall: I am so so so happy that I blind bought a bottle of this. I'd worried about the mint, and the jasmine, neither of which are problematic for me. (Can't even smell the jasmine, huzzah!) And I'd worried about whether or not it'd smell too similar to one of the other half floral/half woodsy BPALs that I already have, but no, this stands alone. Score one for the Lab. I think I'm in love.

Should note that I've never tried either of the other Beltanes, so I can't compare. Edited April 6, 2008 by Shollin
There's a new scent description, so it gets a new thread. --Shollin

[alicia_stardust]

Beltane 2008 is beautiful. I have tried both the 2005 and 2006 versions and this new one is quite different. It retains the same frisky, springtime vibe but where the older versions are a soft, muted medley of floral/tea, this new version has more oomph to it! Beltane oomph!

 

The spring mint is noticeable both on the bottle and as the oil dries. It's a mint that is has a gentler edge to it, and fresher; it smells as if I have rubbed my forefinger and thumb on on leaf of young, fresh mint and I am smelling the remnant that rubbed off onto my skin.

 

There are four lovely, lovely resins in here and they give this a nice base. So what I get is a layer of resins and woods with soft mint on top and IN BETWEEN those things (like a scent sandwich) I can smell, at different times, the rose and lily and iris and the faintest whiff of jasmine and greenery and herbs.

 

I spent time picking out notes to be able to write this review but in the end this is quite well blended and evocative. This is definitely springtime friskiness personified; it is lush and a bit heady and light and floral (but not too floral) and springy. A work of art.

[strangemodegirl]

This scared me at first because it screamed MINT! First, out of the bottle and then for the first few minutes on my skin.

Now, about 10 minutes later, the mint seems to have vanished, or at least, faded to the point that it's only whispering now.

Florals usually go horribly wrong on me, but this works. It's more greenery than floral and it's lovely.

I am usually not all that great at picking out individual notes, but I think this one is so well blended that even if I were good at it, I would have a tough time with this.

A perfect scent for spring!

[MeiLin]

The first thing I smelled, both in the bottle and on, is Baby Magic lotion! Which, luckily, I love! Now that it's dry, I get lily of the valley and thyme mostly. I like it, a lot, though it doesn't have much throw or staying power.

[porcelina]

i really hesitated about ordering beltane 08. i wanted a fresh, springy scent but i wasn't sure about all the mint and the flowers. but it's a really nice perfume! the mint does not make me smell like a tin of altoids, as i once feared. it just adds a really bright freshness to all the greenery and flowers. mostly this is like... green, fresh wood, on me. that's probably the best way i can describe it. i'm not sure if i will wear it, though.

[bryghtrose]

There's way too much mint here, unfortunately. I keep sniffing it and hoping that the mint will go away, because then it would be an absolutely lovely perfume. It reminds me so much of The Passionate Shepherd to His Love (must be the ivy and clover), and that's already my perfect "green" scent. Beltane is just not going to work out.

[Kimbernunk]

Like many of the reviews above, this was hugely mega MINT when I first put it on. The mint toned down prettty quickly and I went into about 15 minutes of ROSE. Once the rose decided to be more polite and calm down a bit, what I seem to end up with is something that is a combination of all sorts of plants growing around an enormous and very old tree. The mint peeks out a bit every little while and then disappears again, so it's definitely there but not screaming. I'm getting a little thyme, a lot of floral, and a lot of mossy woods. This is definitely very Spring-y and very different from the other 'green' springtime perfume I've been loving lately (Green Phoenix). All in all, I'm happy with it and glad I took a chance on it.

[naeelah]

Ostara is one of my favorite spring scents, so I was really curious how this interpretation of spring would compare.

 

Wet, its veeery minty, but the mint fades and blends into the scent as it dries. After this initial phase, it doesn't seem to morph very much. It settles into a soft, fuzzy blend: gently smoky resins colored with soft herbs and slight florals. Little by little (an hour or so into wear), some of the smoke and herbs soften further, and it takes on a more floral quality, but the smokiness isn't lost.

 

This is really lovely and comforting. Where Ostara is bright with a lot of greenery, Beltane is subdued and conjures more of a sage color. I can't really pick out many individual notes. When I smell florals, I can't pick out what's there. But it's a very pretty scent, certainly evocative of spring ritual.

[Sushi-n-Sake]

In bottle: Fresh mint leaves and herbs

Wet: Mint leaves, herbs, ivy, faint lily of the valley and soft resins.

Dry: Lily of the valley and white roses

Later: Soft florals grounded by resins

 

Verdict: I tend to amp rose and this is no exception, though happily it's not to the head-splitting degree it usually does. I really like the wet and late dry phases, but the jury's still out about that rose.

[LunaLovegood]

My first impression was recently turned dirt and freshly sharpened pencils.

On my skin I detec mint mostly and something else I cant really identify, maybe its something flowery and green.

I dont think I'll be keeping this one.

[meeow712]

In bottle: A delicious green Spring scent. I got a lot of mint from it, but it blended very well with the herbs and greenery. I sniffed no flowers in this one.

 

Wet: For a teeny tiny second, it smelled just like it did in the bottle and I was in heaven.

 

Dry: Oh my. The mint lost its sweetness, and almost turned to a soured mint? And I now smell like some sort of cleaning product. This is NOT good on me at all, my skin chemistry totally went wonky. And I'm sneezing my head off, so something in this is giving me allergies (which is strange because no BPAL has ever made me sneezey).

[windbourne]

No mint for me, sadly. This was a overpowering muddle of flowers and greenery that faded to a berserk ivy and jasmine. Somewhat evocative of the season, in some ways, but not clear and bright enough for my tastes. I think I'll pass this one on to someone who will love it a little more.

[tuesdaynexxt]

Beltane 2008 seems to me to have fewer competing notes than the other vintages. I don't get mint - I get florals with an herb-y background. After a while it becomes more muted, and I can pick out lily of the valley predominating. It lasts a good long while, becoming more and more muted until I'm left finally with a floral incense scent. I like it, but it's not a fave.

[savage_rose]

In the bottle, I was thinking "delicious herbal goodness"! It smells like a magic shop, herbal and powerful.

 

And on, it smells like...licorice? Yuck. But then something sweet and floral comes out (rose?). And it's licorice, rose, and something kind of plasticky. And then (thankfully) the plastic recedes.

 

This is the everlasting gobstopper of herbal-plant scents. I THINK I like it .

[Czarina]

First of all, mad props to the Lab for the label, which looks like May Day 1909 at Bryn Mawr, of all things. This is a complex blend of florals and mint that had people sniffing appreciatively in my office all day. I can't pick out the rose or jasmine at all (usually a good thing).

 

The mint is most prominent in the bottle; it recedes into the background somewhat on drydown, and the ivy and sandalwood (and all the other stuff) come forward.

 

I couldn't tell you most of the notes without looking up the description, but this is really nice.

[edenssixthday]

Beltane 2008 - This version of Beltane is very different from the previous incarnations of it, but it retains the same type of "spring" feeling about it - with all sorts of blossoming and budding going on. Beltane '08 is very green to my nose, and I'm amazed by the mint scent. I normally don't like mint and it usually smells like toothpaste or gum or candy canes on me, but this mint smells like fresh mint leaves - it's soft and green and slightly earthy. The woods and resins in this blend ground the florals, keeping them from being too high-pitched and in-your-face. I just love how all the notes blend together to create something spring-like, yet soft and floral and earthy and pretty all at the same time. This is a really lovely scent, although on my skin, the staying power is very poor, as I can barely detect the scent after only 30 minutes of wear.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is sweet, minty herbs...a delight!

 

once applied it becomes rosy incense with a touch of jasmine in the best way

possible...excellent sillage...after awhile this gets more herbaceous, incensey, floral...

 

absolutely soooo gorgeous that i scored a big bottle ... beautiful!!!

[nekogrrl]

First off, if this screws up the post, I'm sorry. I'm still getting used to the system here.

 

Anyway, to the review!

 

I -really- like this scent. Like most of the others here, I did smell mint upon opening the bottle, but after putting it on, the mint dried out, and while I'm not very good at picking out particular notes, I was put in mind very much of freshly turned earth, and the promise of fertile fields, with a hint of the flower scents.

 

So this one is a keeper, for sure

[asciident]

Wet: Sharp: mint, woody, jasmine/iris, benzoin.

 

First on: Lily of the Valley and rose are making an appearance, but it's still quite sharply floral, woody, minty. Evocative and springlike, but unfortunately also a little too much like floral soap. (I think iris often reminds me of soap ...)

 

Dry: Well now, this is interesting. Dry, it's significantly less sharp. I think the iris and jasmine have mellowed and the rose has bloomed. It's still quite minty, but I can smell a resinous and woody undertone. On the whole, pleasant but not my thing.

[Eemia]

I love the 2005 version so I had to have this. The 2005 version is all soft, powdery, and heady florals on me. The 2008 version is like a shock of freshness. All green and lively. It just has a spark to it that I wasn't expecting. The mint is so sweet and bright and lingers for much of the wear length. It adds this feeling of vitality. I didn't think I could wear mint so easily. But it really is fantastic. The jasmine is easily noticeable as well. It's so appealing, and has a soft perfumey quality that rounds out all that crisp mint.

 

It becomes less bright and intense as it dries and I notice the wood notes more. I love wood notes and while it's not very strong in this it's still enough to make an impact. There is a muskiness at this point too that's really pretty. Warm and close to the skin. Everything seems more gentle and mellowed down.

 

This is a perfect spring scent. So beautiful and festive.

[Little Bird]

The original version of Beltane turned into a soapy mess on my skin. I actually kinda like this 08 version though.

 

Initially, I thought that this was going to be way too minty for me. The only mint I really like is the original Lick It, which is a wonderful, candied mint. The mint here is sort of soft and herbal to my nose, which I hate at first. It's a strong mint in the vial and on my skin initially, but it mellows and fades away entirely after about an hour. There's a perfumey quality here that I don't like in the opening stages, probably thanks to the iris going sort of sharp and almost musky, but the ivy really seems to take over in the drydown, and I love the lab's ivy notes. The drydown is green, herbal, and slightly minty with a touch of powdery sandalwood and jasmine. I don't love jasmine, but it's herbal, sweet, and light enough here that it's not really off-putting.

 

This isn't really resinous or incensey on my skin, but I do get the greenery, herbal qualities, soft woods, slight earthiness, and touches of floral.

 

It's not something I need a full bottle of, but I think I'll hold on to my decant. This is something I'd actually like to have around when winter returns and I'm wishing for spring again. It's a lovely spring blend.

[seamor]

I have an imp of the older Beltane, and although I like it, it is very soft on my skin and just doesn't stay, so I could hardly wait to try the new one!

 

Wet: A distinct sweetened mint.

 

Dry down: Mint ice cream.

 

Dry: The mint has backed off some, and - Yup! I smell broom! Woo hoo! I probably wouldn’t recognize the broom separately if I hadn't been looking for it, though. This is very well blended - nothing is jumping out individually, now that the mint has calmed down. I’m getting an overall gentle herby scent with soft florals and a bit of a woody tang. The remaining mint lightens and freshens without being obtrusive.

 

Definitely a light, bright, decked-in-flowers-and-giggling-my-way-through-the-forest scent. I am not kidding about the giggling - this is a genuine mood enhancer for me. Exactly the right feeling for Beltane!

 

I will most certainly be wearing this one often! Hee hee!

 

 

Update: Five hours later, Beltane is still with me. A couple of hours ago I noticed it had mellowed a bit, becoming a bit warmer with a hint of incense, though retaining much of the original mood. It even kept a gentle throw which wafted by my nose several times during the afternoon, a wonderful surprise.

 

I can see that I am going to have to change my methods and start tracking my Top Ten. I had a Top Three, but too many beloved scents have been bumped downward lately, and with Beltane 2008 they are being bumped again... A Top Five isn't enough ... The Dormouse, Chrysanthemum Moon, Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, The Death of Autumn, Dragon Moon, and now Beltane 2008 have moved in and taken over - all new to me, each better than I could have imagined.

 

I can hardly wait to see what Beth will come up with next.

Edited May 2, 2008 by celtimor

[butcherbaby]

bought a partial bottle from another forumite on a whim.

 

WOW.....that's a whim that really paid off!

 

this smells really herbal in the bottle. it's heady and potent without being overpowering- an old forest lush with trees both tender and ancient, fragrant herbs, bushes & grass, and freshly bloomed flowers. it's very green in way that i like. it's not heavy, rank, sickly, or rotton..it is the green of this huge forest waking up after it's long winter slumber- that riotous green spring smell where everything from the oldest and hardiest of trees to the tiniest floret or blade of grass is bursting with the juicy fresh scent of new growth and life.

but what's this? where's that honey scent coming from? aaah, now i see it.....in one end of the clearing a group of mayday revelers are fussing over a small pot on a brazier, adding herbs, flower petals, and perhaps a mysterious colored powder or two? the scent of their warm magical honey mead is utterly inoixicating, filling the forest with it's sweet herbal scent without taking one iota from the glorious olfactory symphony the natural world has produced on it's own

that's what i smell in this blend....VERY powerful stuff, Beth!

the honeyed herbal sweetness softens a bit but still retains it's green sweet herbal aspects for hours. i wish this came in lotion, shower gel, hand soap, shampoo...i'd buy it all! :-)

 

i'll now need a few more decants's to fill & backup my bottle of course :-)

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Incense mixed with fresh flowers.

First on:

A surprisingly pleasant, down-to-earth floral scent – not at all the way I usually experience florals.

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it's a lovely scent that's both smokey and floral – this might be a floral scent I can actually wear. *gasp*

 

20 mins later, it's still a floral I can tolerate. I'm impressed.

Finally:

Keeping as a ”spring/summer Pagan” type thing.

[taramarie]

On me, Beltane '08 is ivy with a hint of floral. It's a very green scent. I think this one needs another try before I decide.