All Saints'

[Voleuse]

Based on a venerable French pontifical incense blend: monastic frankincense and myrrh, Damascus rose, Russian gardenia, cassia, and lily of the valley wafting on a chill Autumn wind. A celebration of the glory and suffering of the saints and matryrs of the Church.

2004 Version

Oh, this is pretty. The incense blooms right away, and underneath there's...corn bread? Why is there vague corn bread? Maybe it's an odd component thing.

After a few minutes, the odd note fades away, and it's all incense and burning leaves after that. I don't get any of the floral notes at all, though, except for a faint tinge that keeps the scent from being overpowering incense. A little dusty, like brittle petals. After a while, I get a stronger hint of rose, and resin, but that's it.

I'll be getting an imp of the 2005 soon, hopefully. I'm curious as to whether the incense and florals will be stronger in the revisiting.

[Scarlettfish]

2005 version

 

This is just as gorgeous as the 2004 version, although slightly different.

 

The bread top note of the 2004 version is gone. Rather, in the wet stage, this is a full and luscious rose blend, with a bit of lily there too. Overall, I found this far more floral than the 2004 version, but the drydown is oddly similar. The incense really comes out after an hour or so, and it smells like exactly like flowers sitting in church at the altar, surrounded by wafting incense. It's just as lovely and atmospheric as the 2004 version, but is probably slightly more floral and I don't get the hint of the Eucharist that I did in the 2004 version. I loved 2004, but 2005 is even better

[zenvodunista]

i never had the '04 version.

 

opeing the bottle i smell the roses very faintly. this is one of those scents that i can't smell in the bottle for some reason. weird!

 

on: rose rose rose for the first 45 minutes or so. i don't mind that, because i love rose.

 

then slowly, i start to smell the resins. they get stronger and stronger as the rose gets weaker. after about 2-3 hours, all i can smell is frankinsense and it is now 100% gone.

 

i'm not sure what i think of this. i'll be testing again, but i could see my BF doing really well with this one.

 

n.

[coulrophobe]

Preconceived notions: I have an imp of the 2004 version somewhere, but I've misplaced it - I recall that on me it was a light and pleasant floral. I'm hoping this will be similar, but a bit heavier on the incense.

 

In the bottle: Ack... rose.

 

On: Very heavy roses. Nothing but roses. Rose is a note that works on me very rarely - and only if it's a minor player in a complex blend - and this is not one of those blends. As it dries down it gets slightly more tolerable... but with so many more scents that are amazing on me as opposed to "tolerable," I can't see myself wearing this. But rose lovers should be quite pleased with it!

[gdogs]

i don't know why i'm surprised about all saint's. . . .the description said roses. . .

 

to me, this is all rose. nice rose. there is a touch of foody under it when it is wet. sugar. . chocolate. . .

 

as it dries, the roses dry out, too. they soften, but it is still predominantly rose. i realize that the foody is probably the woody resins. frankincense, definitely. but still dusted with sugar.

 

it stays this way for a long time. only after a couple of hours does the rose fade, and i get left with a musk scent on my skin. i really like that phase, but don't like wearing rose scents enough to wait it out.

 

this will probably be swapped.

[shelldoo]

all saints 05

in the bottle: roses and something a bit green

 

wet: fresh roses

 

as it dries it deepens, i get the frankensince and myrrh, w/ the roses. it also has a bit of a "dusty" type note. i love dusty roses. i still also detect a hint of something green not sure what exactly it would be though. anyway on me this is basically a resiny deep dusty rose. beautiful

[demjuli]

I get all the incense, none of the floral notes. It's nice, but I wanted to smell the roses

[lookingglass]

ROSES, roses, roses.........mixed with the sharp resinous tang. On the drydown, it softens with the white florals. A perfect blend to use for the night's ritual work, but not a perfume for this soul...

[ChupaChup]

I never got to try the '04 version but All Saints '05 is gorgeous. It reminds me a lot of The Empress but in All Saints the myrhh isn't as sharp as it is in The Empress, it's just perfect. Because of the soft resins, this is a floral blend that really works on me. Love it.

[sideviewhotel]

I'm getting roses, roses, roses, and a bit more of the roses. I've had this on for a little while now and I'm still getting pure rose. I was hoping for a bit more of the incense and a bit less of the roses, so we'll see if it morphs at all. I don't think it will, but I'll hold off on throwing it to the swaps because it might work next week.

[aidenraine]

Whaaaaaa? Roses? Roses?! Where's the frankincense and myrhh?

I'm not smelling anything but rose and argh, I hate rose. I was hoping for more of a church incense with an undertone of rose, and yeuch, when this is wet it might as well be a single-note on me.

 

 

After some time, I'm getting... more rose.

 

Rosity rose rose rosity rose.

 

It never changed, even eight hours later I could smell rose on me.

[gingersnapp]

I had tried an imp of the 2004 blend early in the year and wasn't very pleased with it. But I decided to give the 2005 version a chance.

 

It was primarily lily and gardenia, very soft yet heady, and at times smoky. I didn't get too much of the other notes out of it, which was kind of disappointing, but I liked it enough as it was that I think I'll be hanging onto it.

[Galen]

All Saints'

 

Wet on the skin - flowers. Rich, slightly spicy flowers

 

and as it dries I get rich florally incense. Overpowering roses. To me, this is reminiscent of a blend with roses in it, but I cannot remember which one. (sorry - I know that's not very useful!!)

 

And then as it dries down further I get the sharp note that with my skin chemistry often accompanies certain rose blends and then the roses seem to alternate between spicy, perfumey and sharp with every sniff I take... I suspect this one might only show it's true beauty after it has settled down and aged for a while...

 

Overall, I get rich roses.

Edited November 4, 2005 by Galen

[LushNatty]

Roses and metal. That’s about it. Definitely smells like rose incense being burned in a metal chamber. After a couple of tries, I really can’t describe it any other way.

On a scale of 1 to 5: 2.

Edited November 5, 2005 by LushNatty

[Chrysantza]

2005 version:

 

In the bottle: Floral-y incense, with prominent rose and gardenia, like bouquets on the altar

 

Wet: elegant, sophisticated florals over an incense base.

 

Dry: Am I the only one who gets frankincense like whoa? The gardenia and frankincense are having an epic battle over who gets to reign supreme in Scentland.

 

As time goes on, this gets more resiny. My skin loves resins and amps them right up and this is no exception. Good thing I'm a resin fan. And this is a sweet, spicy, incensy smell on me; the flowers still manage to mingle with the very pushy frankincense. ETA a little later: Heeeeere's Myrrh! All I need is some gold and I'm a walking wise woman.

 

Verdict: Keep. It smells sophisticated and warm; and it will also be a good ritual/purification oil.

 

Edit, one week later: I've upgraded this from "nice" to OMG WONDERFUL SQUEE! I don't know if it's the time of the month or the fact that I wore this again tonight after it had sat and marinated for a week - but the resins have toned down a bit and I can smell more of the gardenia, lily and rose. The florals and resins blend together beautifully - it's rich, creamy and spicy all at once.

Edited November 16, 2005 by Chrysantza

[PurringPulsar]

All Saints 05

 

In the imp: a floral-frankincense scent, like a lighter Rose Cross. Very nice.

Wet on skin: the resins come out more, as do the floral notes-with rose coming through strongly.

Dry: oh wow. This is very beautiful. It reminds me of Rose Cross and Penitence mixed together. If I remember rightly, last year’s one was slightly buttery/foody in scent, but this one keeps more to the description of flowers and church incense. Frankincense and myrrh are strong in this, with a deep, dry rose note which is gorgeous. I can’t really make out the gardenia or the lily of the valley, but this is a wonderful scent none the less.

After a while: this stays consistent as a gorgeous resinous rose scent, very heady, but in a good way-I love rose!

Verdict: this is a beautiful floral resin scent. Very similar to Rose Cross, but with a deeper rose note and a frankincense-myrrh combination reminiscent of Penitence. It’s rich, deep, resinous and headily floral, but that’s all good to me. I think I may have to succumb to buying a bottle of this!

[Nox Eterna]

 

Absolutely FABulous!

Of course yet another L.E I can't live without....I guess I'd better order another one, soon!

[metaldog32]

All Saints-2004 version

 

I got this late last year..or maybe it was early THIS year..from a wonderful forumite...this was one of the very first fragrance oils I ever got from BPAL..and I waited for the right time of year to wear it. November 1st has come and gone..and I have been wearing All Saintsoff and on since then..trying to figure out if what I "thought" I was smelling..well..was accurate..at least to my nose.

 

Well..enough stalling..I have SO many more wonderful smellies to try!!!

 

________________________________________________________________

 

Initial sniff:Notice..I said sniff..not sniff from bottle opened..no..I just mean sniffing the bottle. Yeahbutnobut put it aptly..All Saints sort of reminds me of Rose Cross...something about the frankincense and myrhh obviously..and this is what had me stumped for so long..I THOUGHT they smelled similar..but I wasn't sure if it was actually true..or just me and my wonky imagination. Glad to know..some other people made the same association.

 

Sniffed from open bottle:Okay..so it smells very resinous..yep..the frankincense and myrhh...interestingly enough I also get a floral..but not so much rose..more lily..and the buttery/foody note some people register clearly with the 2004 version..I don't really get that much at all...just barely. But I do remember when I smelled this the first time I got it..I registered the buttery/foody note immediately..hmm..maybe my nose is broken???

 

Applied wet on skin:Incense/resins are forceful..yet beautiful..and interwoven in that is the rose/lily..and here at this stage..at the tail end I do register indeed that buttery/foody note!! Most dominant here are the resins and that buttery note..not so much floral.

 

Couple of minutes drying on skin:Incense still here..but now the floral is warming up into the mix a bit more prominently..again..I get more lily than rose..if I inhale deeply the buttery note is gone and it is replaced by a bit of smoky sweetness..I don't know if this can be attributed to the lily or rose...it is beautiful though...

 

Drydown:Incense with a touch of smoky sweetness..and the lily/rose wafting in and out softly...

 

I did a comparison of All Saints and Rose Cross. On me All Saints had more of the lily making it's presence known..so although they did share a similar feel..they are two definitely distinctive fragrances. Funny..on me Rose Cross is the more diminutive of fragrances..while on my sister..she just radiates that fragrance beautifully.

 

Lasting power is very good...7+hours..and throw on me is impressive.

 

Bottom Line:All Saints 2004 is a beautiful incensy blend perfect for fall and winter. Think I might have found my scent that encapsulates autumn to a "T" for me..a definitel keeper.

[kilobytesprite]

2005 Version

 

In the bottle: When I got the order, I was stuffed up to no end, so I had to pass off the bottle to a co-worker to test sniff.

 

"Church", said the Latin mass-going-Catholic.

 

Boy, was she right. When I got my senses back, I was immediately reminded of the time I was celebrating the Easter midnight Vigil. All of the sudden, I was twelve again, standing in a small, dimly lit church next to Father as he starts to swing the incense burner.

 

There is another scent in there that's a touch sweet and with another sniff it's striking me more and more that it's the rose.

 

On the skin: Florals - namely rose - and those incense-spicy smells. I'm not super scent sensitive, as in getting headaches and the like, but it does happen, much to my chagrin. This one works out, thankfully. It's not too 'loud'. I can smell it but I'm not suffering for it.

 

Dry down: I lose some of the florals and I'm back in church.

[sookster]

2005 version

 

Extremely unique blend this goes on wet with a very medicinal quality...I was rather

taken aback at first

 

I cannot stress enough how you really have to let bpal scents "morph" with one's

chemistry....

 

This one warms up into the most delightfully perfect autumn scent!!! Very incensey

and warm woodsy with a hint of deep red wine....Good Lord this is one

beautiful

 

I am simply astounded with the complex beauty of this amazing scent!!!!!!

[AlaskaSnows]

Wet: Rose, musky and slightly spicy.

 

Dry: The rose mellows into a cool floating scent, rose, but a watery cool rose flotaing over a base of musky spicy incense. Later if becomes one lone cool watery rose floating above a pit of scent which alternates between musk and spicy incense. Sometimes that rose turns pickley, sometimes the BPAL roses do that to me, I have no idea why.

Edited November 18, 2005 by AlaskaSnows

[DiamondHeart]

This smells just beautiful in the bottle... still smells nice on my skin... a bit of an acrid note, perhaps the leaves? There's a bit of spice, I think that's the cassia. It smells like a very subtle cinnamon. Some florals are trying awful hard to get through it... this will definitely be a keeper. I'm not too sure on how much I like it at the moment, but I think it'll only improve with time!

 

~Diamond~

[Orodemniades]

Erm...I smell like a cookie? Should I be smelling like a cookie? A cookie with rosewater...and strong florals, but as it dries down, it's all cookie...with rosewater. Reminds me of cooking with rosewater and saffron...it's okay, nothing I find the need to buy a bottle of, however.

 

Oro

[13bodies]

At first this was a very strong, almost harsh incense scent, but the florals soon came out and sweetened the blend. It turned into a sweet, but not too sweet, floral grounded by spicy incense. Beautiful!!! This is what I'd hoped Rose Cross would be.

 

I love this! I almost didn't buy it, but I'm so glad I did. I think this is my favorite of the Halloween LE's.

[Voleuse]

2005 Version

 

Unlike the 2004 version, I get a strong rose right away, and then a hint of the incense and resin in the background. The rose fades to the background after a while, but the floral note is still evident, and it blends perfectly with the incense.

 

Warm and floral and a light incense, with the slightest green note. I like this much better than the 2004 version.