Aureus

[rockchickie]

True, perfect golden light, refined into an incomparably glorious scent.

Wet: Herbal and woody. I feel like I'm back East.
Dry: Dirt and woods. Some kind of conifer. It might be fun for nostalgia purposes but uh, I'm not getting anything remotely golden or amber, which is what I had hoped for. This is green through and through. And more manly than unisex.

I'll try this on him, in hopes that we don't amp the same notes. Edited September 29, 2007 by Shollin

[sabina_k]

Initial application: Like others, I'm getting pretty much nothing but cedar from this. Not a single note that registers as golden. I actually love cedar, but it needs to be paired with something distinctive and contrasting, and I'm just not getting that here.

 

A few minutes later: Oh thank goodness, I'm getting some amber now. Ok, amber and cedar is nice; however, the throw is fading fast on me already. I don't think this is going to stick around long. On someone with a different chemistry, this could work really well, but not on me, I guess.

[jarvenpa]

Aureus was a gift from the lovely Beazlebabe (thank you sweetheart).

As is my impulsive wont, I immediately dabbed some on my wrists, without even considering what it might be, and with no memory of having read a description (though I probably had).

 

My thought was "um, sandalwood, delicious warm dry sandalwood". Which, since I happen to love sandalwood a bunch, was great. And then there were a few drifts of something else, a sweetness (I didn't identify it as amber though it may have been).

And possibly a sense of patchouli.

 

When I came to read the reviews and found everyone mulling over cedar goodness (or badness) I thought...hmmm, could be cedar rather than sandalwood, I guess. Just put some more on a second ago to consider this. Okay, my verdict is "exotic woods".

 

It is really nice, and I think it would also layer well if I felt creative. I foresee wearing this a lot and enjoying it tremendously. (no visions of cathedrals..but, um, old libraries? definitely!)

[DifferentDances]

Got this in a swap. Decided to try it because the imp seems to be leaking, which translates into "Quick figure out whether you want any item in your room to smell like this ASAP~"

 

In the imp: Incense.

 

Wet on my skin: Incense.

 

Dry down: Itchy incense.

 

Dry: Cedar. Just plain cedar.

 

While I like cedar blocks to keep bugs/moths out of my clothes, I'm not so keen on first smelling like complete incense and then complete cedar. Might be nice if layered with something else, though. But it's really not my thing.

 

My rating: 1/5

[500ml]

I definitely get visions of old libraries located inside cathedrals Wet I get damp books, an ancient scent, earthy and dry. Dry it's turning more and more into cedar, but it's going slow and it's still staying very true to my first sniff. Love this.

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Sharp resin.

 

Wet: Patchouli. Yes, skin, you are still wrapped around a hippie.

 

Drydown: I hesitate to call this "dry" per se, as it's still kind of lying on top of my skin. I quickly get the amber, almost as a taste, then strong cedarwood, another note my skin amps, and a very dry sandalwood like the one in Dragon's Bone. And then amid the concentrated Eau de Head Shop, something almost like dill is poking out. When this scent initially made me think of "weed growing," I wasn't thinking of dill per se.

 

Verdict: On me, this is basically Patchouli and Friends... and while I'm all about all of these notes, I still prefer Coiled Serpent for a smooth patchouli and Malediction for the in-your-face kind.

[Sunshine the Werewolf]

Hmmm.... resin-y scents tend not too like me and this was sadly no exception. Shame, I liked the idea of smelling of golden light!

 

In good news however, I gave this to the boyfriend and he loves it (and I like the smell on him as well!) Sin chemistry is a very odd thing....

[dzurlady]

In the vial: Patcholi and a hint of rain

On me, wet: Patcholi - after a few minutes, I get hints of rain and mint. Nothing that reminds me of golden light.

A little later: All the notes from before have merged together a bit more, and what I think is frankinsence strike that, it's probably cedar (curse my uneducated nose!) has joined in. More evocative of golden light, but not hugely so. If anything, it's closer to dusty light!

Later still: And that's how it stays. Good throw. Interesting and not unpleasant, but not what I want to smell like. Off to the swaps.

[faylie]

First impression on: An ashtray

 

After reading some reviews to see other peoples thoughts as it wasn't smelling overly golden to me I can pick up the cedar a bit but still ashy. As time goes on the wood takes over but I'm really not getting any golden light which is a shame, Beth's blends are usually fairly true to their description on me.

 

Nope, just staying dry cedar, no golden light at all here

[morganwolf]

From my LJ today: "Today I'm wearing Aureus, and I smell like a dirty hippy. The potency of the patchouli smell is almighty, and while it doesn't exactly make me feel like I'm floating about in an incomparably glorious haze of golden light, I do kind of feel like putting on a broomstick skirt and some love beads and waving my arms around in a lackadaisical fashion while I stuff daisies down gun barrels or something. I guess that's okay. I think I'll keep the imp; it's not as sexy a patchouli smell as Vixen (I'm sorry, nothing is as sexy as Vixen), but maybe sometimes I want to smell like a dirty hippy. Keeps the sockless-loafer-wearing set away."

 

In the bottle: Patchouli!

 

Wet: Patchouli continues, but now I can detect hints of a coniferous resin scent. Reminds me of a spray I used to have, where the glass bottle contained pine sprays and river rocks. Driving to work the scent is a little overwhelming; sadly, too hot to leave the air conditioner off and drive with windows open.

 

Drydown: Ultimately it smells very resinous, a strong amber and patchouli scent. It's dried and mellowed so it's a tad more powdery, although it still has a powerful throw to it. The cedar's nice. A bit too strong for regular wear, but likeable. I do get a sense of golden light from smelling it: the thick, syrupy kind of sunlight that filters through the trees when you're in the woods on a clear day, just before dusk. That's my favorite kind of light, so I'll keep this around when I need a dose of sunshine.

[theGreatMissJJ]

Whoa. Whoa. So this is what resin smells like.

 

In the imp: Somewhat incensey.

 

Wet: Sharp and resiny. It smells like a wood chest. Not unplesant, but not something I like.

 

Dry: Okay this smells like a campfire. But instead of burning woodfire, I get this sort of camphorus resiny smell.

 

Throw is quite large. I don't really like this. Off it goes!

[GoldenRubee]

This is very incensy/smokey/woodsy and reminds me of a distant camp fire in the woods. It almost seems like there is a touch of amber in here too. I received this as a frimp and really like it! It really goes well with my body chemistry (hubby likes it too). After half an hour or so, the patchouli really speaks up but blends well with the other notes. This does bring back times of having picnics in the meadows with my husband when we were dating. I think I will have to get a bottle of this!

[spidersinmyhair]

Aureus smells like the red sandalwood in Anne Bonny.I do not like this at all.

[neuilly]

Wow, holy cow cedar!! I got this as a frimp and put it on before looking at the description or reviews. I got a whole lot of cedar but after a few moments there was also a dry musty smell which does indeed remind me of old books in a library. Cedar and books - one I like the other I do not. Into the swaps it goes!

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: I can smell a slight wood note with some brighter, sweeter scent.

 

Immediately on skin: Cedar, soft and warm… but there’s a cloying note there as well that I don’t like. And smoky as well… like charred sap.

 

After a few minutes: This is a light cedar, but it’s still the main note. That sharp, cloying note is still there. I’m not sure what it is, but it makes this scent unpleasant on me.

 

Later on: The staying power on this is pretty good, but unfortunately I don’t like the scent. It’s still cedar with an annoying, sticky cloying note.

[taramarie]

On me, Aureus smells like almonds and incense resins. It's like a less-complex Cleopatra Testing Poisons. I like it but I don't need a bottle of this.

[crushedstars]

Unfortunately, this scent did not work on me at all

 

When I first put it on, it smelt very strongly like pine-o-tar, which wasn't too appealing to me at all. After an hour or so the pine smell had faded, and the scent left on me was very minty, which remained for most of the day. It wasn't unpleasant, but it just didn't suit me at all, and I'm not very partial to really strong minty scents, so sadly, I have to say that this is the first Bpal scent that completely didn't work on me

[aquazoo]

Dusty dirt. This is, like, single-note dirt. Cool!

[bryghtrose]

There's nothing golden or light in this for me. It's heavy, dark, woodsy, and smoky. There's a strong cedar scent.

 

It's not a bad perfume--it's really nice and would be great in the winter. But the description so did not match up with what I smelled, so it throws me for a loop.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – I haven’t read the other reviews so I’m just guessing at the notes, but I would say myrrh and sandalwood

 

Wet on me – Heavy resins and woods

 

Dry on me – Warm, earthy resins

 

Overall – Not what I expected at all and not me

[darkblade]

Aureus (Bewitching Brews)

 

Wet: Incense and wood.. nice!

 

Drydown: Cedar, sandlewood, amber, patchouli? I think I named the scent bits right? I suppose you could call it light, sort of.. reminds me of a place I would feel comfortable going to service. An old, small chapel with sunlight beaming through clear windows onto smooth wooden benches.

 

Verdict: Definitely keeping this one.. and likely using it when I'm in a particular state of mind, and/or for meditation.

[spessartine]

In the imp Aureus is nearly all cedar and sandalwood for me. I was hoping it would warm up and round out when I put it on, but instead I got a very pungeant mix of cedarwood and damp, musty stone. It smells exactly like an old, mostly deserted church I used to visit from time to time with my grandmother when I was a child, to an almost unnerving extent. Very evocative, but not something I want to smell like.

 

The musty quality stays for around an hour then starts to die back, but beneath it is still that very strong cedar note. I like cedar when it's sweetened up with something warm, but this isn't working for me at all. Ah well!

[Gwydion]

It smells like chalk. Also, I suspect vetiver. So disappointed.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Mmm, smells like patchouli! Patchouli and amber, possibly.

 

First on:

Patchouli with a sweet background, almost like honey.

 

Dry:

20-30 mins after application, it's mainly patchouli with something in the background. I can't tell what, though.

 

Finally:

I'm a sucker for patchouli, so I might hang on to this.

[greymatter]

All I got was pencil shavings. No fun.