Coming up on Halloween I decided that a "creepyish" sounding incense would be a fun one to do since next week I'll probably be posting something Halloween/Incense related instead of a review. I do intend to pick up some new samples to try very soon from a few new brands so I hope to add a little more variety into my diet. I'm very open to suggestions so if you'd like me to try a brand, or have any suggestions to make I'd love to check it out, just send me a link! :)
Name: Whisper
Brand: MoonDancer
Got it: RenFaire
Rating: **** (4 stars)
Why: Whisper is a good nighttime scent. it's subtle but still fragrant enough to let you know it's there. It's got a dusky musk scent and unlike some of the warmer scents this one has a crispness like a cool nighttime breeze (or a disembodied voice tickling your ear). It's not a natural smelling incense, and by that I mean sometimes you can pick our certain herbs or flowers that were used in the making of it, this one seems very "created" or put together so it's a scent that you'll either love or hate but it is quite distinctive and I happened to enjoy it :).
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Review: Wayfarer
Round about this time of year I get that burning desire to travel, just to explore aimlessly and see where the road takes me....this scent in particular seems to capture my "rambling" frame of mind:
Name: Wayfarer
Brand: MoonDancer
Got it: Ren Faire (Sterling Forest)
Rating: **** (4 Stars)
Why: I really like this scent mostly because it reminds me of a campfire which was the first thing I thought when I burned it. There are tones of frankincense and some other exotic elements I can't quite put my finger on, but they give the scent some depth. It's like when you come back from a vacation and you open your suitcase and your clothes have that "other place" smell that reminds you of all your adventures. It is a bit heavy and so putting it in a large room would probably work best for this one. Its not over powering but it does have a bit of a kick to it. It also burns really so one stick lasted me about an hour and a half, since all of MoonDancer's incense is handmade this will undoubtedly vary from stick to stick but I felt that it deserved some note. :)
Name: Wayfarer
Brand: MoonDancer
Got it: Ren Faire (Sterling Forest)
Rating: **** (4 Stars)
Why: I really like this scent mostly because it reminds me of a campfire which was the first thing I thought when I burned it. There are tones of frankincense and some other exotic elements I can't quite put my finger on, but they give the scent some depth. It's like when you come back from a vacation and you open your suitcase and your clothes have that "other place" smell that reminds you of all your adventures. It is a bit heavy and so putting it in a large room would probably work best for this one. Its not over powering but it does have a bit of a kick to it. It also burns really so one stick lasted me about an hour and a half, since all of MoonDancer's incense is handmade this will undoubtedly vary from stick to stick but I felt that it deserved some note. :)
Monday, October 10, 2011
Review: Green Tea
This review was a little difficult to get going since this particular scent had a hard time staying lit! So here's a tip, if you buy fresh joss sticks and they won't light or stay lit, they may be a little too moist. Try to lay them out on wax paper for a few days and let them dry out. It's what I eventually ended up doing with these guys and it worked like a charm, so without further ado:
Name: Green Tea:
Brand: MoonDancer
Got it: RenFaire (Sterling Forest)
Rating: *** (3 Stars)
Why: Green tea is a soft, subtle scent that borders on being a bit on the bland side. I suppose if you were sipping a cup of green tea (as I often do) you wouldn't want to be overpowered by the smell, but because it's incense you are burning it would be nicer if you could tell the scent was there. It has an woody, earthy quality to it and would be a nice clean morning scent to get you energized for the day.
Name: Green Tea:
Brand: MoonDancer
Got it: RenFaire (Sterling Forest)
Rating: *** (3 Stars)
Why: Green tea is a soft, subtle scent that borders on being a bit on the bland side. I suppose if you were sipping a cup of green tea (as I often do) you wouldn't want to be overpowered by the smell, but because it's incense you are burning it would be nicer if you could tell the scent was there. It has an woody, earthy quality to it and would be a nice clean morning scent to get you energized for the day.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
A Personal Moment
Right now, it's raining cats and dogs outside and as I sit at my desk at work I find myself pondering what would be the most relaxing course of action to follow the post-workaday druggery (it's not that I'm slacking off, I'm just idling between jobs).
Of course that means I'm thinking of incense in some capacity. What sounds great to me as my Tuesday winds down to a close, is an aromatic exploration, blending some delicious tea (or now I can even get away with hot chocolate since autumn is on its way if not already upon us!) with a lavender joss stick. It occurred to me that perhaps you, dear reader, would be interested in the mood effects of certain scents. Of course I'm talking about aromatherapy!
So here's a basic helpful guide to scents and their mood improving effects (alphabetically):
Basil- apart from it's culinary benefits the scent of Basil is great for improving concentration.
Jasmine- a great soothing and relaxing scent, but it's also great if you'd like to put some sparkle in your love life, since it acts as a great aphrodisiac!
Peppermint- for those who are down in the dumps, let peppermint pick you back up while lowering your cortisol (read= the chemical form of stress) levels! Not only is it a nice fresh clean scent that wakes you and gives you a little more bounce to your step, it's also great for relieving both headaches and stomach aches!
Rose- feeling amorous? We all know that the rose has many meanings but is generally associated with romance and love. It only stands to reason that the world's most romantic flower is also has powerful aphrodisiac properties!
Rosemary- apart from smelling delicious, Rosemary has also been shown to improve mood and performance, while relieving stress, it also doesn't make you drowsy so it's a good afternoon scent to keep you revved and ready to power through the 2-3 o'clock drowsies.
Ylang-ylang- a great stress relieving scent that helps ease hypertension, stress and promotes mental calmness. Be warned Has been known to lower mental processing speeds, and impair memory, also overexposure can cause headaches and nausea.
References:
http:// http://www.essortment.com/aromatherapy-scent-meanings-effects-15912.html
Of course that means I'm thinking of incense in some capacity. What sounds great to me as my Tuesday winds down to a close, is an aromatic exploration, blending some delicious tea (or now I can even get away with hot chocolate since autumn is on its way if not already upon us!) with a lavender joss stick. It occurred to me that perhaps you, dear reader, would be interested in the mood effects of certain scents. Of course I'm talking about aromatherapy!
So here's a basic helpful guide to scents and their mood improving effects (alphabetically):
Basil- apart from it's culinary benefits the scent of Basil is great for improving concentration.
Jasmine- a great soothing and relaxing scent, but it's also great if you'd like to put some sparkle in your love life, since it acts as a great aphrodisiac!
Peppermint- for those who are down in the dumps, let peppermint pick you back up while lowering your cortisol (read= the chemical form of stress) levels! Not only is it a nice fresh clean scent that wakes you and gives you a little more bounce to your step, it's also great for relieving both headaches and stomach aches!
Rose- feeling amorous? We all know that the rose has many meanings but is generally associated with romance and love. It only stands to reason that the world's most romantic flower is also has powerful aphrodisiac properties!
Rosemary- apart from smelling delicious, Rosemary has also been shown to improve mood and performance, while relieving stress, it also doesn't make you drowsy so it's a good afternoon scent to keep you revved and ready to power through the 2-3 o'clock drowsies.
Ylang-ylang- a great stress relieving scent that helps ease hypertension, stress and promotes mental calmness. Be warned Has been known to lower mental processing speeds, and impair memory, also overexposure can cause headaches and nausea.
References:
http:// http://www.essortment.com/aromatherapy-scent-meanings-effects-15912.html
Monday, September 26, 2011
Review: Peace and Protect
Name: Peace and Protect
Brand: MoonDancers
Got it: RenFair (Sterling Forest)
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Why: It's a clean crisp scent, that's very light and not overpowering with a subtle warm sweetness to it. It has a nice and relaxing effect so I highly recommend burning this in the evenings before bed because it does help me sleep (though we know that leaving anything burning while sleeping is a HUGE no-no and could result in you being homeless..or dead). It's not a stand out jumps out and grabs you kind of scent, and I guess for that reason I feel that it's kind of average as far as scents go. Some smells have certain evocative powers that just really grab you this isn't one of them but it is a really nice soothing scent.
Fun Smelly Fact: Coffee is used as a scent cleanser, so if you ever burn so much incense that you can't smell the difference put some ground coffee in a small bowl or saucer and take a whiff. It'll clear out all the jumbled, tangled smells bouncing around in your nostrils and let you enjoy the distinctive odors of whatever perfume or incense you're trying out.
Brand: MoonDancers
Got it: RenFair (Sterling Forest)
Rating: *** (3 stars)
Why: It's a clean crisp scent, that's very light and not overpowering with a subtle warm sweetness to it. It has a nice and relaxing effect so I highly recommend burning this in the evenings before bed because it does help me sleep (though we know that leaving anything burning while sleeping is a HUGE no-no and could result in you being homeless..or dead). It's not a stand out jumps out and grabs you kind of scent, and I guess for that reason I feel that it's kind of average as far as scents go. Some smells have certain evocative powers that just really grab you this isn't one of them but it is a really nice soothing scent.
Fun Smelly Fact: Coffee is used as a scent cleanser, so if you ever burn so much incense that you can't smell the difference put some ground coffee in a small bowl or saucer and take a whiff. It'll clear out all the jumbled, tangled smells bouncing around in your nostrils and let you enjoy the distinctive odors of whatever perfume or incense you're trying out.
Monday, September 19, 2011
New Review: Fall
Name: Fall
Brand: MoonDancers
Got it: Ren Faire (Sterling Forest, NY)
Rating: *** (3 Stars)
Why: In honor of Autumn (my favorite season) I knew I had to review MoonDancer's "Fall" scent sometime in September, and soooo here it goes! Fall is very smokey and a very heavy scent, which is almost overpowering. I was expecting more from it, but it seems to be STRONG without much else to it. I don't catch any subtle nuances of cinnamon or rustic cider or even perhaps an baked apple or the smell of newly fallen leaves. It's just BAM and then you're left thinking...well Autumn is more than that. I do enjoy it, I just think that you'd need a bigger room to scent it in, and possibly it should be renamed to BAM (of course I'm just kidding).
Brand: MoonDancers
Got it: Ren Faire (Sterling Forest, NY)
Rating: *** (3 Stars)
Why: In honor of Autumn (my favorite season) I knew I had to review MoonDancer's "Fall" scent sometime in September, and soooo here it goes! Fall is very smokey and a very heavy scent, which is almost overpowering. I was expecting more from it, but it seems to be STRONG without much else to it. I don't catch any subtle nuances of cinnamon or rustic cider or even perhaps an baked apple or the smell of newly fallen leaves. It's just BAM and then you're left thinking...well Autumn is more than that. I do enjoy it, I just think that you'd need a bigger room to scent it in, and possibly it should be renamed to BAM (of course I'm just kidding).
Monday, September 12, 2011
New Review: Aura Cleanse
Name: Aura Cleanse
Company: MoonDancer
Got it: Ren Faire (Sterling Forest, NY)
Rating: ** (2 stars)
Why: I imagined this scent being a little softer than it was, it's very smokey and there's not much to it's scent other than that. It's heavy and can be overpowering at times, but maybe in a bigger more open space it would be nicer? I always buy at least four sticks of any scent that I'm going to review, so I will burn this again and should I change my mind I will update the review, but for now I was a little dissapointed...It burned for about an hour so it was pretty standard.
Note: You'll be seeing a lot of MoonDancer's incense here for a while I just came back from the RenFaire and she's got great prices (16 sticks for one american dollar!) so since I'm poor I generally wait to buy some of her stuff every year. This year I spent two dollars haha so I have about 8 new scents to try out from her. This was just the first I've reviewed by her, but I have used her products before and she's great.
One last thing: Just because I rate something doesn't mean you as a buyer won't like it. Any scent can be extremely subjective so you can use my blog as a guide but keep in mind this is my opinion. Don't be afraid to try things I don't like. I'm all about being adventurous so by all means if you think something is different about a scent feel free to comment or disagree, just do it kindly, I would do the same for you. :) (also, I will delete and posts that flame either myself or other posters).
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