Ra

[merebrillante]

Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy rising, even unto Thee who art Ra in Thy strength, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the Uprising of the Sun.
Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor abideth at the helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Night!

In the vial: Green! Woody!

On the wrist: Still green and resiny, but with a hint of a flower way down deep there, something sweet hiding in the bulrushes. Me likey! A few minutes later and I'm smelling the cinnamon that others have mentioned. This is a gorgeous scent. I can't stop sniffing my wrist.

Later: Now it's all powdery warmth. It doesn't have a lot of throw, but I do love this scent, and it's perfect for the Yuletide. Perhaps I'll mix it with some lotion. Edited December 29, 2005 by Shollin

[aedes]

Oh, Ra, what do I do with you?

 

Starts off very green, with odors that are unfamiliar to me in perfumes. Smells like the sun rising over a meadow. I think I smell grass and hay, something very vegetal. I didn't like it at first and put it in the swap pile.

 

Now, after about 10-15 minutes: Clove! Oh my goodness! *sniff sniff* oh this is beautiful! *sniffy sniffy sniff* a well-accompanied clove smell.

 

So now the question is: is the clove worth the 15 minutes of smelling like Farmer Brown's backyard? I do have 3 Witches on order. Maybe I'll hold on to it until then.

[olympia301]

 

Very difficult blend to describe very well. I fancy I smell amber in here, and a flowerly sort of scent but it's like a hay flower, if that makes any sense.I can say herbal and perhaps there is either frankincense or myrrh. I am as much at a loss as some of my other colleagues. It reminds me more of a ritual than a perfume blend, but you wouldn't be considered freakish if you wore it to work.

[llachlome]

Received this as a frimp in my last order. It smells like burning. Not like burnt woods, not like burnt grasses, not like any specific thing being burnt, just… the quality of burning itself. It's an interesting scent, and fits its description and purpose very well. It's a little too harsh for me to wear it on it's own, but I think it could be great layered with something sweeter. Perhaps I could even use it to make O wearable.

[sarada]

Oh it's so hard to describe the Stations of the Sun!

 

I can't remember if I tried this a long time ago but I am taking notes this time!

 

Like Ahathoor and Sol, it smells like HEAT without smelling like what we'd typically think of as a "hot" scent. Not spicy, just...intense, and focused. I would guess that there would have to be clove in this, to create that kind of focused heat but it doesn't smell overtly spicy. There could be frankincense or red sandalwood amping that up because this wouldn't last this long on me if there wasn't a wood or resin in it...and those are particularly "hot" wood/resins to me.

 

But there's also a strong citrus and an herbal component. I'd say rosemary, because I keep running into rosemary and thinking it is a sort of menthol/eucalyptus scent, but after a few minutes it goes back to being herbal. And as I think I mentioned in a review of Catherine it makes me think of the beach -- a scorched, exposed herb scent.

 

Whatever that citrusy note is, helps to lighted this up and make it really shine. Lemongrass? Plain ol' lemon? Verbena? Something in that family.

 

Good staying power, a bit of throw, and overall a really nice blend but not necessarily something you'd wear because you wanted to smell like it. I'd think that I'd use this more because I wanted a little sun power on my side.

[summer]

My bottle of Ra is fairly aged, and it just keeps getting better and better. I bought it specifically to use while doing sun salutations in the morning. However, it has started to smell so beautiful -- so golden and resiny and sweet -- that I am going to start reaching for it as an everyday perfume!

 

It is a sweet, slightly golden-orange incensey fragrance. Warm, close-to-the-skin, and demure.

 

I love it.

[Mountaingrrl00]

This one grabbed me at a meet & sniff. I think it came from Babylon - thank you! I wouldn't have tried this based on the description. I am so not a morning person. Turns out I love Ra, though.

 

Ra really is sunny. To me it smells like light amber, carnation/clove, some other woodsy and spicy notes, and some unfamiliar citrus. It reminds me a bit of my fave Tenochtitlan, though hotter and less sweet. I agree with those who smell something herbal, but I don't find it astringent in any way. It's more of a dusty herbalness to me, and just faintly there in the background.

 

Really beautiful, unusual and cheering.

[rhubarbbear]

this was on my wishlist forever, and then a lovely swapper frimped with it!

 

smells like heliotrpe in the vial to me. that and something green. i didn't try it for a few days bc it wasn't overly exciting.

 

on, its definitly heliotrope. goes powdery on me, that and amber. maybe amber? but then...a few minutes later it starts warming. now it's a beautiful, glowing light spice scent! amazing! it's gray and cold here in brooklyn today, and ra is like having a mini little space heater on my arm (but not in that red welt buring way)!

 

amazing! i love it!

[Galen]

warm certainly, like all the Stations of the Sun, but this one starts out fresh and bright. On the skin it gets warmer and brighter, but there remains a herbal predominantly fresh note making it almost sharp.

 

Dries down to a sweet balance between warm resin and fresh herb...

[AliBabble]

oh boy, i was excited to get a frimp of Ra - thanks to the lab for this.

my first thought upon sniffing, out of the imp, and on my skin, is that it reminds me of succubus - that's neroli

i think? or is it orange-blossom? or both? anyhow, it's a lovely golden-orange smell, like the glowing sun. as it dries down, it sweetens some, and i can smell a bit of spice...not sure if it's cinnamon or clove ..or.. it's not that distinct to me, maybe even patchouli? i'm really not sure. there's just something sweet and spicy which begins to come out, a bit. anyhow, it's a really good one. the feeling i get from it is powerful, and regal. this one would be good when i'm needing strength of some kind...it also just smells really beautiful.

[LadyWilde]

I am so confused about this scent.

 

Wet, it's sharp and herbal. As it dries, it sweetens and I think I smell amber, lightly, in the backround. Then, it goes a bit powdery with a strange vegetal note. A few hours later, it goes through a brief period where it smells like decaying flowers over damp, freshly upturned earth. Right now, hours later, Ra has settled into a soft, lightly sweet floral/powder/resin scent, and has completely lost any traces of herbs/dirt/vegetables.

 

I think I rather like it.

[Rhowan]

In the vial and wet on my skin - wow! Good Morning! Neroli, herbals that are both bright and warm.

As Ra dries down, the herbals start to wane, the neroli is still bright and I would venture to say there is a hint of patchouli in the mix.

Ra completely dries down to a warm, bright orange with a hint of herbals and a breath of patchouli. I love this! It is very "good morning, bright sunshine , happy day" and just brings a joy to the morning.

I am definitely buying all four stations of the sun!

[fiddledragon]

Scent in bottle: Standard perfume-smell, with maybe a hint of sandalwood and something that's almost black pepper. Where's my pretty frankincense-resin base? The reviews said they all had the lovely resin base! *stares forlornely into tiny bottle*

 

Scent on me:

Wet -- Sharp perfumy evil. *sad puppy eyes*

Dry -- Ok, there's a bit of the resins. And the sharpness has faded. There's a lot of sandalwood in here.

 

Conclusion: The final drydown is ok, but not brilliant. It's not nearly so beautiful as Tum. I do feel like I might be getting sick, so I'll try it again in a week or two. Otherwise, back to swaps it goes.

[MistressTera]

Fresh From The Imp: Lemony.

 

Wet On My Flesh: Lemon with a hint of flowers, like sunshine.

 

Drying Down: Lemon's gone, soapy undertone remains.

 

Hour To Integrate: Just a hint of soap, and a bit of musk seems to be peeking through. Nothing like when I first put it on.

 

End Of Day/Final Report: Nice, but not a keeper.

[QueenFae]

A bright, spicy, floral blend. There is a deep, resiny sort of note there, like a strong spicy incense. There is a bright underlying floral there as well, could it be frangipani? This is a nice blend, but just not my cup of tea.

[Eunice]

In the bottle: Dry sweet grasses. The florals are very crisp.

 

Wet: There is a cirtus hint on my skin and some sort of resin. This is a very full orange scent. Only, not orange the fruit, orange the color.

 

Dry: The spiciness comes out now once the oil dries. There is the faintest hint of cinnamon. I am reminded of Constant Comment tea when I smell this

 

Overall: This is really nice! I like it most after it dries. It's a fall scent to me where all the leaves have turned to red and orange and the air smells cold.

[abberlaine]

When I close my eyes and breathe in Ra, I think of the sun rising along a stretch of tundra, the low-lying dwarf shrubs and sedges set momentarily aflame.

 

It's got that thick, warm anointing oil feel I've encountered in several blends now, and falls on the sweeter end of bitter. I don't get the explicit greens, freshness, or spice that a lot of other people are talking about. Mainly, I get... an amber? A resin? Heliotrope? Something from that gang.

 

It's a very well-blended, thick, low-lying scent. I'm glad I got to try it, and it was indeed evocative, but it's not something I'd wear.

[juniperus]

Bottle: sharp greenness, like the stem, not the flower.

Wet: a warming behind that, a golden note alongside the fresh green.

Dry: resinous incense (my friend frank?) and floral, and something that reminds me oddly of earl grey tea (is there bergamot here?)

Later: a red-gold, very warm, very bright. I've enjoyed this station of the sun, and ahathoor..might need to seriously consider a complete set...

[empi girl]

Quite a morpher. At first, the sweet, powdery scent of heliotrope, then after 15 minutes it becomes this very sharp, astringent green plant-like the green sap from a stinging nettle bush-and then, 10 minutes after that, it morphs a final time into clove. Each stage is very distinct. If you like clove, this is a scent to try.

[indicolite]

Of all the Stations (and I bought the collection) I cannot decide whether I like Ra or Khephra the best. Ra was definitely a great persuador to get up this morning, when I was in that "still time to sleep some more, don't feel like getting up, but can't go back to sleep either" mood. He is herbal, definitely, but like other reviewers have said, a very warm, beautiful golden herbal. I have smelled this once before, in another of Beth's blends, only I cannot recall which one - maybe, probably, I am just thinking of my previous sniff of Ra.

 

In summary, Ra, welcome to my parlour, I am very happy with my bottle of you, and if you are that good at getting me out of my dreary morning mood, you are going to see lots of use.

[noumenon]

Ra turned out to be such a delightful surprise! When I applied it, I picked up strong golden notes of cedar and orange - two beautiful scents I think of more as room smells than perfume. I sniffed and sniffed, loving it so much I began to think about putting it in an aromatherapy diffuser, or maybe even decadently dabbling it onto some wood and throwing it into the first fire I set in my fireplace this fall.

 

But then I sniffed and sniffed some more, and realized I couldn't tear my nose away from my wrist because it was so delicious. It's an unexpectedly magnificent perfume that finishes as sweet caramel or honey when it dries.

 

It is pure warmth, brimming with golden scents.

[sofiaviolet]

I swear I smell vetiver. This does not bode well. On my skin, Ra becomes murky and heavy, not what I want in a perfume. It's so dark, weird for a solar scent. I suppose it's a good thing I only meant to use it to anoint candles.

[edenssixthday]

Ra – This scent is not one that’s pleasant on me. It’s smells strongly of citrus, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s ylang ylang in it, too. I also distinctly smell rosemary in this blend. Once it starts drying down, I am positive I smell the tiniest bit of frankincense in the background of this blend, as well. This blend has an almost bitter tang to it, and I don’t find it appealing at all. This is a fascinating scent, but not one I’d really choose to wear for fragrance. The throw is a little lighter than average and it has really good lasting power.

[jarvenpa]

generous gift from a forumite.

 

Ra starts out as many of the sun related scents I've tried with a burst of lemon. It isn't fresh lemon, and I don't think it's lemon verbena--lemongrass is my theory, but whatever it is, it is nice, and a clear, sharp note.

 

But it becomes quite a surprise, going through at least--oh, probably 4 distinct phases even my relatively undiscerning nose gets. It's as if the sun is warming the ground, and there is first a bit of green--the trees are warming up--and then a garden of flowers (and I am so bad at telling what the florals are, but there is a sweet note--not jasmine, not gardenia--maybe carnation?) and some drifts of something spicey, and then, when I have forgotten what I am wearing (and it is a good couple hours later) there is a triumphant flowering of deep sweetness (amber? and spice?).

 

It feels like a strangely--encouraging scent. Very appropriate for Ra.

[forspecial_plate]

Ra is an elusive blend for me. I'm sort of on the fence about it.

 

Initially it's sweeter than I was expecting, and I can smell sandalwood in there. Warming up, the sandalwood (if that's what it is) backs off and it smells sweet and resin-y to me, although I'm not sure I'm correctly identifying resins here. That's just what it's reminding me of. Resins and incense, and maybe a little golden citrus. It's still sweet too, and that's putting me off just a little, but I do like it, enough to keep the imp and continue to try it. It's a fascinating scent.

 

edit: Roughly a year later, I still have my original little imp of Ra....I really love it! It reminds me of the resins in Midnight Mass, except this is like the daytime counterpart to that scent.

Edited June 4, 2007 by Forspecial Plate