Tibetan Mountain Temple

Oh my, this one is heavenly. It's not heavenly in the spritual sence the name implies, but just... delicious. It started, for me, with those crisp little ginger snap cookies that can be had for almost nothing from the dollar store... not much to them, but they are so... crisp, and perfect. So, ginger snaps, and then almost immediately, Djarum clove cigarettes. The ones I smoked in high school, because they crackled and the paper was black and they smelled good. The next phase is the one that varies a ton, for me. On its own, the clove cigarette- ginger snap thing mellows and sticks around with a bit of chai, for about 2 hours, until the show is over completely. Layered with Nemat's vanilla musk, it becomes a bakery full of all things spicy such as carrot cake, pumpkin roll with yummy cream cheese goo (I swear, a bit of vanilla causes both pumpkin and cream cheese goo to be present, vivid as day)my huband mentioned date bread, and so on. With egyptian musk, the whole thing is soaped up and the tea element shines, like sitting wrapped in a towel apres shower with a steaming cup of chai. To think, this magic tiny tin set me back a whole $11 is just unreal. This is definitely love.

This is truly one of my all-time favorite fragrances and I'm so sad that it's so hard to find now! I wish I had bought 10 bottles because I miss this one so much. It's the coziest, most delicious spice perfume I've ever smelled. I wore it when I played Desdemona in Othello- it was perfect for her holy, innocent but enchanting character- and my director asked me if I was wearing Opium when he got a whiff of it. To me, it smells like a heavy, intoxicating incense, or like a stroll through a spice market with only the most delicious spices, cinnamon, ground ginger, black pepper, cardamom. Interesting that some reviewers felt it had a "cold" element to it, because I felt that too, although that may have just been the imagery of a remote temple in the Himalayas. It's close and cozy and draws those who like scents closer because they just want to keep smelling. I felt like I was anointing myself every time I sprayed it. Unfortunately, I did get complaints from those with sensitive noses when I wore this, so I was sure not to wear it unless I knew I would be around those that could tolerate scents, but I loved this fragrance and it was my signature throughout my 20's.

This I LOVE. Sorry, I just love it. I go through bottles of it, but mainly just to wear at home by myself. It does smell an awful lot like chai tea, but it does also have a slight cedar/vetiver scent that is pure --- not fake smelling, and is balanced with a tiny bit of citrus. These compliment the "chai" spice, and make it *sigh* so much fun to wear. It is very sweet. I think the only real issue with this perfume is the name. The manufacturer must have been reaching for something earthy and exotic to sell consumers on the fact that this is spicy. However, this will appeal to those who like sweet scents and a little bit of earthy woods, with some spice up front. The smell is romantic, and instantly transports you to a late summer, early fall night. It's sweetness balanced with the woodsy gives it a cozy feel, while the spice gives it an assertive sass appeal. Love. I love that Pacifica is a more natural-based type scents. These are also more blendable with other scents, if there is something more you want to express about yourself by using two or three scents, perfumes from natural essences are the way to build your own personalized mark.

Here's how this breaks down on me: the first minute or 2, I get smoky, incense and spices with some sweetness from the cloves. For the next 15, straight up gingerbread, with 10 minutes or so of sweet vanilla at the end, if I practically stuff my wrist into my nostril. That being said, those 27 minutes are glorious! It smells different than I thought, sweeter. I'm surprised by how much I love it. And love it, I do! I do have the solid, and I'm hoping that's the excuse for the instant disappearing act. I plan to buy the spray in hopes of prolonging the experience. Update: I recently went for the spray version as well. I don't love it nearly as much as the solid. it seems a bit more incense-heavey, less sweet. I wasn't looking for gingerbread sweetness originally, but that turned out to be my favorite part, and the spray lacks that. Something to note, if you are looking into this scent.

I think that this smells like a mountain temple in the summer. There are flowers blooming somewhere, their smell carried on a warm breeze. The incense is coming from inside the temple and you are touring the orchard. The orange smell is that of the tree fruit and some fallen fruit, not juicy. The warmth from the vetiver is an embrace, a touch, the holding of hands with the person next to you. The total smell is comforting, exotic (not in the floral or fruity sense), and olden-days spiritual. Great for every room, amazing on some people's skin. On a few people it smells like Christmas or almost stale and needs either an addition of something floral or something aromatic/aquatic. It is a scent that I love and return to over and over. I have to layer it on myself, often with a men's aquatic scent or jasmine/lavender or iris. This makes it more feminine on me.