Hamsa

This is a beautiful, green, aromatic woody scent when first sprayed. It becomes even more herbal as it matures during dry down. And eventually, it becomes dryer and gains and almost peppery, spicy note as well. As someone who truly enjoys resins and woods, it's predictable that I would like this. However, I have nothing like this in my extensive collection nor have I smelled anything similar before. I keep Palo Santo essential oil around, so I'm very familiar with that scent. And I do smell it, in combination with the fruity citrus aspects, in this fragrance. However somehow this is very unique on me, and the experience is much more than the notes themselves combined. Because of the juxtaposition between spicy, warm woods and cool, green woods/fruits, I think you could wear this almost any time of year in any climate. The citrus aspect adds to both sides of this fragrance coin, and doesn't make it a distinctly summer or winter scent. I have to assume that the mastic note gives this fragrance its uniqueness, to some extent. However, I would recommend anyone who enjoys unique woody notes and warm, not sweet, slightly spicy fragrances to give this one a sample. On me, this is excellent lasting power and decent, but not overwhelming, sillage. It's uniqueness and complexity makes it an instant bottle buy for me.

I get a beautiful citron, a mildly fruity apricot skin note and what smells like pine sap in the opening. Then the resins and woods appear - mostly palo santo, mastic, olibanum and styrax. The resins are light and uplifting, not smoky, chewy or dense. I agree with the earlier poster who thought she smelled myrtle - the citron and woods do combine to smell a bit like lemon myrtle at points. With the accompanying soft fruity note and the lemony piney notes (which last well into the mid of the scent), this is a unique woody incense that reminds me of yellow morning light. Clear and calming. It does seem to fit the idea of a protective talisman scent. I would say that the dominant note is palo santo wood, though it is well blended with the supporting notes. There is a slight touch of something almost sweat like that comes from the resins I think - it reminds me of that slight scent in woodsmoke and makes the composition more realistic for me. Hamsa went immediately to my want list - though the scents are not that similar, I've been needing a pine-sap and resin replacement for my Diptyque L'Eau Trois. This is a very natural scent, so lovers of more smoky or perfumey incense scents may not like it.

This is just pure beauty like..... there is not a single soul on earth that could hate this I’ve tested it with damn near everyone i know and they’re shocked perfume can be this lovely. This has a perfect balance of everything. Creamy and dry, sweet warm resins and bitter cold greens. Wait i just realized that’s kind of the whole premise of the scent isn’t it. Contrasting elements merging in harmony and she nailed it. Aghh I have things to do but i keep wasting time smelling myself Update: I know Palo santo is the main note but on me that frankincense is leading the rest very loudly. In such a satisfying cool and mentholated and green way with a golden tinge from the apricot. It’s the kind of scent I could see myself choosing to keep if I had to pick just 1. I have a couple others I love more but this would never tire me or bore me.

Wow! This is one potent resin and woods party at the start. Finally it eases off a touch and I can just about make out the citrus and apricot. In the first 5 minutes or so I found it too much. I'm in a 29 degree room and it's calmed down quickly. It's a case of it just keeps getting better. It's VERY dry, woody with a little fruit, alcohol and citrus at the back. There is almost a nuttiness. It smells like autumn in an exotic far and distant magical city. A silver platter full of ripe apricots. A land of heat, dust, mosques and magic. It also reminds me of 4160 Tuesdays masterpiece Eau my Soul. The sillage was nuclear at first but it has calmed down to moderate relatively quickly. The more I wear it the more I love it. No surprise the longevity is very good. It's gone on the want list.

A very high quality (dry) wood and citrus mix here, they both hit you with separate strengths that dance back and forth creating a interesting harmony, with a soapy thick buffer of mastic and a drop of other balsams holding both sides back from fighting each other. L'Occitane Eau de Cedrat is the scent this one most reminds me of, but I'm almost hesitant to mention it as they really aren't in the same league. It's like comparing a solid mid-end restaurant chain burger to a Michelin starred version. The chain one might be great and good value, but it's not the same...although that said, you can pickup Hamsa for not much more $. This isn't my favorite scent I've tried from the house so far, but I think it's the one I'm most impressed with the balance.

Resinous and clean, Incense-y without any smokey-ness. Almost reminds me of the spirits used for oil painting? But it smells warmer and more comforting. Very much like if you used Turpenoid to make a perfume instead of perfumers alcohol. (Obviously thats an exaggeration for dramatic effect! Dont yell at me lol) Its little fresh and biting while also being hypnotizingly grounded and well-rounded. Not for the faint of heart, like most perfumes I've tried from this house. I LOVE this one though. So spicy and incense-heavy without being too much for me. Its perfect. <3

This scent is beautiful and atmospheric, moving back and forth between the slight sweetness of the palo santo and the bitterness of the resins. The citrus is more noticeable in the drydown, as well as the sandalwood. I can't really detect the cognac, it gets lost among the other ingredients. As beautiful as this is, I think I would prefer to use this to scent my home rather than myself.

I received Hamsa as a sample and tested it before looking at any notes. I was pleasantly surprised that my nose picked up on almost everything listed! I wrote down citrus, light incense, soft wood, and a mild sweetness on initial spray on paper. An hour later I was picking up on something peppery or herbal giving off a spice as the sweetness backs off just a tad. On my skin it’s initially even more citrus forward which I adore! It is bright but earthy. After a few minutes the citrus mellows, revealing the photorealistic palo santo and incense. After 15 minutes it starts going “churchy” with the incense combo, very much dredging up old memories of long robes and swinging incense burners. Half an hour in and the citrus has taken a nap in the backseat and only a teeny tiny bit of something sweet remains. An hour in and it is nothing but Roman Catholic Mass. This one is a reminder to me on how skin chemistry and fragrances can be so wild. The paper test still smells like a blend of everything I initially smelled. I agree with other comments that this would be a gorgeous candle! On my skin I loved the first 10 minutes and wish that could have stayed for the whole ride. The heavy traditional incense is beautiful and spot on, but doesn’t quite fit into my personal style. This is definitely worth a test though, Ellen’s fragrances are so much fun to play with.

I don't actually get a ton of citrus in here, or a lot of apricot. It's not overly fruity to my nose at all. It's a really dry, but clean and "aired out" type of smell, it isn't heavy or dusky at all. It feels deep, yet light and optimistic to me. It's interesting that some male reviewers think this leans feminine, because this it's a little masculine to me (not beyond the point that I'm comfortable wearing though). I get a strong balsam wood/palo santo wood, mixed with dry sandalwood (they all smell similar to me), along with resins...it's like 80% of it to me. There's only oud if you try and smell it, and intentionally focus on smelling it; this is a good one for the oud-nervous people. The citron (I have no idea what that is supposed to smell like), or citruses evaporate quickly, as they normally do, but this doesn't become darker with time...merely heavier and woodier. It's a very, very *light* (not to be confused with weak) fragrance and it smells like wood under sunbeams ☀️ I do agree that it seems like more of an atmospheric scent, but I'm enjoying it nonetheless, and I don't feel self-conscious in it, which is always what I ask myself at the end of the day. This leaves me feeling restful, uplifted and oddly soothed.

Dry wood, resin and citronella. There's a piney vibe to this and I smell olibanum as well. Though this has different notes I'm reminded quite a bit of D.S. & Durga's El Cosmico. Reading online Palo Santo is supposed to have a "unique woody, fruity/balsamic sweet, penetrating aroma with citrus, mint and soft spice nuances that is somewhat reminiscent of frankincense". I do get all of that from Hamsa. Like most Olympic Orchid scents the composition is interesting and the notes are high quality. Hamsa is a unisex, cool weather scent that's not really sexy or good for the office; you might come off aloof and austere to your coworkers (but who cares what they think right?). I want an adobe church in Mexico (I know it's supposed to evoke the Middle East) to smell like this but not my skin. The woods are a little too sharp for me and citronella is a difficult note to wear. From a dauber vial H performanced well for fours hours before becoming soft. Hopefully this lasts longer when sprayed. I'm a big Olympic Orchids fan. They make some weird and wonderful smells. Worth a test just for the experience but I don't care for this one. Love the mal ojo charm you get with the bottle!

I'm one of those weird people who burn Palo Santo and sage sticks to cleanse my space, so this fragrance is intensely spiritual to me, even shamanic. Still, it brings a meditative, introspective quality with it combined with an ancient vibe due to the resins. The citrus notes are delicate rather than astringent and carry the sandalwood as a shimmery light in the darkness. While I do get the forest vibe, this is much more woodsy than it is greenery. The one thing this is missing is incense. I think that would make this perfect. But then, that also might kill the heavily woodsy vibe. I don't think this is something I'd wear, but it is certainly a gorgeous room scent and I'll be spritzing it on my altar until I run out of my deluxe sample.

A walk into a wooded forest in an exotic location, a very strong citrus note greets you upon entrance. There’s also the unexpected wood note of Palo Santo which I have never heard of before I wore Hamsa and looked here on Fragrantica. I like this one quite a bit, and I’m thinking it will work even better in cooler weather. Oud is listed as an ingredient and I can’t identify it—but it might be the note that gives Hamsa legs. I’m getting an hour plus opening, drydown features the same green citrus note. It’s kinda “incense-y” And the other notes all meld into one, I can’t pull them out. So far I’m really liking Olympic Orchards. Hamsa is a like-able oddball, but I’m not sure I would wear it. Edit: ok, so Palo Santo is Guaiac wood, got it!

21st There is a vague celery(?) note that comes and goes at different times (dislike it). Spraying it in the air does not bring out its best side. However, it is a crisp, tart, citrus-like fresh, dry, green, resinous wood scent with something else that’s unique(note?). By my testing, I think it smells best on clothing and lasts and lasts. Sometimes I will get a whiff of it (what’s that interesting smell?) and then remember that I sprayed it on a blanket. For me, it’s too strong, too harsh, to have it on skin near the face or in hair. Spray it on clothing and then let it rest a bit before wearing. That’s when its uniqueness comes out of this scent. 7/10

There is a very green note here -- maybe pine or myrtle -- that latches onto the citron and makes it linger. Before I looked up the notes I was sure this was a green forest scent. Palo santo is clearly detectable although it may get lost among the other resins if I wasn't familiar with it and looking for it. The agarwood may be part of the greeness, it it definitely woody but doesn't scream oud, more aromatic woody. This is a scent that reminds you that resin is tree sap. I smelled like it all day and it was wonderful. I'm not getting any apricot or cognac

I really love how realistic the accords in this come off. The opening to me smells similar to fresh crushed lemon verbena, but the mastic makes it seem almost sugared or a candy. My roommate said the opening reminded her of a Turkish Delight. That citrus stays but fairly quickly you pick up the very realistic Palo Santo, resinous and dark. I don't think this would work well in the summer and could get cloying, but would be perfect for a cool fall or spring day or evening.

Thank goodness this settles. Palo santo has been a historically difficult note for me to love for extended periods of time, and out of the bottle, it comes off quite astringently to me here. However, it softens on my skin quickly, giving way to a rich wooded floatiness. When I think of right hand magic I think it would smell like this, if only it were perhaps a bit more green on my skin.

Bitter, clean citrus and sappy, resiny palo santo wood. Nothing too out of the ordinary, and feels like there are too many competing elements. 6/10

This fragrance is very wooding. He smells Palo Santo, resines and citrus fruits. It will be good to wear in summer. Very good parfum! 8/10

Hamsa is seriously musky in the opening, to the point of being a little off-putting. Then it opens out into something more recognizable: a light, dry, fragrant scent of woods and incense, neutral and meditative. It’s also quite lemony, in a dry, peel-and-pith way. Spiritual, hippie-ish, and generally lovely. The musk is still under there, though, warmed with a touch of apricot. It smells like skin, but vaguely sweaty and hazy. I like a lot of kinds of musk and animalic scents, but this one isn’t really working for me; I think it’s too close to the actual smell of unwashed skin. Over time, the palo santo/incense chord blends with the musk/apricot and we wind up with something muted, beige, atmospheric, but faintly unwholesome, like actually being in a space that’s both fragrant with incense and a little dingy. If you don’t mind the off-note, it’s a great example of a real-deal palo santo fragrance.

I love an incense perfume, but this is too bright and clean for me. A strong citrus start, and a clean woody dry down. Truly unisex. I'm sure there's plenty of people who would love this. It'd be a refreshing spicy scent to wear in summer, for sure. I find it pleasant enough, it's just not my vibe.

Maybe I got a bad batch, maybe this reacts catastrophically with my skin - but on me this was a rare miss from Olympic Orchids. It's a house I am a passionate fan of - 80% of their stuff slays me, 10% I just like a lot, and then there are the misfires... which can go really seriously wrong, but usually I can see what they're trying to do. So this might be a mastic mishap, but on me this has an unpleasantly old, wet-wool, lanolin kind of smell at the start, which mellows down to a frankly nasty stale-sweat stage for an hour or so ... and only then calms down to a gentle woody spicy. It's just wrong - waxy, over-aged cumin seed, dusty cinnamon ... and something like anise sneaking in, with unwelcome effect? Yeah, I think I just got a bad sample on this one. I hope.

In short: a tree sap and myrrh scent. The opening is very heavy on the mastic, personally I enjoy it more a couple of hours into the drydown where I actually get a hint of fruit in the shape of citrus and apricot as well. The cognac is lost on me. If you're a fan of mastic fragrances, such as Sisley's Eau d'Ikar you should check this out. If not, definitely try before you buy.

This reminds me very strongly of Carner Barcelona's Palo Santo, but more resiny and less like sour milk. It's interesting how I really don't care for the other, but like this one fairly well, even though they smell very similar to my nose. This one surely is more multi dimensional than CBPS, and although Hamsa is not my favorite, it has captured my interest. The milky wood (not too synthetic-y, as another user noted) does smell quite like real Palo Santo, a scent I enjoy, and the milky aspect is supported by the sandalwood in the base. I'll continue to use and enjoy my sample.

sparkling citrus upon initial application, but more bitter than sweet, which i really enjoy!! gives way to woods, but then oscillates back to the citrus until settling into a wonderful blend of the two. the dry down is also slightly waxy, almost as if the scent got encapsulated in a candle. i think this would be a really safe office scent as there's hardly any projection and i would be hard-pressed to see anyone being offended by this scent. it's really clean and pretty, if just a little boring.

To me, this smells like a more feminine spin on Penhaligon's Agarbathi, with a heart built around palo santo and resinous aromatics, smothered in a persistent fog of floral fruitiness. This is a shame, as the overall effect is like taking a bundle of gorgeous high end incense sticks and wrapping it with an overpowering dryer sheet. I feel like its creator was just trying too hard and added just a few too many elements to let an otherwise lovely perfume spread its angelic wings.

This definitely smells more like a talisman or spell rather than a perfume per se. It feels magical and purposeful. It also smells good! I actually this would be a great work scent: despite being so unusual and special, it's actually quite woody and clean. I get a lot of palo santo and other woods, but there's a lot of complexity there. It's definitely not a synthetic wood bomb like so many mainstream scents. It's so nice to able to enjoy woods that feel real.

A warm, spicy, woody scent with a hint of citrus rind. It almost reminds me of the discontinued Prada L’eau Ambree. I loved that fragrance and I love this one.