Totem: Elephant

[Beccah]

 

Totem: Elephant

Elephants are immediately perceived as incredibly powerful animals, majestic in our sight. But their value is inherently rich in symbolic meaning, especially within Hindu mythology, the god Ganesha being the cheerful eradicator of obstacles. Ever mindful of their existence and exhibiting highly intelligent (and even ritualistic) behaviors, there is much inspiration for us to take from the soul of Elephant. A blend of floral and herbal aspects – storax, katrifay, zinnia, tea rose, clover and labdanum - with bright berry notes of huckleberry and elderberry, and fresh light accents of Tibetan white tea and pink grapefruit.

 

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Magickal Meanings of Ingredients:

CLOVER ~ (for Horton) ~ Protection, preservation of youth, fidelity. Healing, soothing, luck.
STORAX ~ Healing, mental acuity, relaxation, sensual, love drawing, deflection of negativity.
AFRICAN KATRIFAY ~ Fortifying, for aiding and restoring of physical strength.
ZINNIA ~ Friendship, innocence, affection, memory, to keep you in their thoughts.
HUCKLEBERRY ~ Dreams, wishes, luck, good fortune, deflection of negativity.
ELDERBERRY ~ A lure for the Fae. Long considered a highly potent magical plant. Healing, induces visions and dreams, creativity, twigs used as a charm against illness.
TEA ROSE ~ Memory, remembrance, renewal, hope, peace, higher virtues.
GRAPEFRUIT ~ Refreshes and uplifts the spirit, eases exhaustion; beauty and youth glamour.

Lends an aura of "sparkle" to the wearer.
WHITE TEA ~ Invigorating, refreshing, mentally and physically uplifting, lust. Riches, courage, strength.
LABDANUM ~ One of the oldest known perfume ingredients. Considered holy, used in tribute, and as a sense-memory tool to stimulate the subconscious. Said to revive long forgotten memories and feelings.

[vladmyra]

I love baby ellies! The thing about elephants is that no matter how old or young they are, they always seem both old and young at once.

 

I'm not sure what storax smells like, or African katrifay. Would this be a softer scent, or a very full-bodied one?

[Potion Master]

Uplifting fruity and fresh, with a touch of some resiny weight in the bottom.

[luna65]

This gives me a definite "exotic" vibe, though not in the usual way. I would say it has to do with how the fruit notes and the resinous aspects are blended. It smells like a place I have never visited and I'm envisioning what I would find there. It's such an evocative experience, and I really like it in that way even as this is not the kind of scent which I'd wear regularly, but I love how it stimulates my imagination (entirely appropriate for our friend Elephant, of course).

[Potion Master]

For Nutrix:

 

 

Horton and his clover.

 

"A person's a person, no matter how small." ~ Dr Suess

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horton_Hears_a_Who!

[NuTrix]

 

Oh wow! Used the wiki link.

 

When I read the ingredients I did recall thinking, "What (or maybe who) is Horton?" I was mostly thinking Horton was likely a 'what' though - like maybe the clover was a similar stand in note for something more exotic or expensive

 

I like the message in the story and it makes Totem Elephant even more endearing

 

Thank you for sharing!

[vladmyra]

Strums fingers while impatiently waiting for more elephant reviews... Luna's description makes it sound very intriguing.

[dolphindolls2]

I'm thinking that I know need to order this one with my next order.I love the concept behind this blend… Plus I love Horton

[NuTrix]

Strums fingers while impatiently waiting for more elephant reviews... Luna's description makes it sound very intriguing.

 

Sorry Vladmyra, I'm dying to try more of these myself.

 

I am able to read a little more this morning and what I'm getting is semi-sweet, bright and green and tea notes. I know it's a picture of a baby African elephant, but I keep thinking of India/Asia, jungle/floral/sweet tea...lush vibrant green...totally "feel" the exotic Luna mentioned above. I like the evocation of this totem!

[Just Ducky]

This one lives up to its namesake, as it is such a sneaky sleeper. You think slow, plodding, lumbering. But right when you think it's a pretty unexciting scent, it wakes up! And it's suddenly an elephant dancing on its toes, graceful, powerful, and awesome. The brightness lasts for a bit, then moves into an inexplicably uplifting yet ineffable fragrance that continues its metamorphosis through several more delightful phases. Does it ever "settle"? We're at the 30 minute mark and it's still playing strong. Very fresh.

I never thought I'd be wanting a bottle of perfume called "Elephant." Thanks to the enigmatic Mara, I still don't -- I want two bottles of a perfume called "Elephant"!

Thanks for creating this one, Mara! It's quite an olfactory journey!

[LoveStruck]

Dang I wish I'd at least ordered a sample of this in my last shipment. I was afraid it would be too green. Don't get me wrong, I love green smells, but with some "too greens" I seem to have a Pavlov's dog reaction... I'm terribly allergic to freshly cut grass so the slightest invocation of that scent memory kind of makes me panic. Perhaps the berries in this would be more prominent for me- it sounds perfect. And since my knees are starting to look like baby elephant knees, maybe this is my middle-aged totem, LOL. (if you don't get the baby elephant knees joke, let me know and I'll explain it to you) I say "joke" but it's not very funny to me, just another milestone I guess.

ETA: ah Naw... I must have divorced Mr. Kravitz and become a Looney Tunes character (or a gentle astringent) this post must've put me at 300

Edited June 2, 2014 by LoveStruck55

[Ivysaur]

I shall miss my sample when it's gone... I just received this as a freebie. This is exactly the aquatic scent I have been looking for! Most have either been too lotus-y (sharp), green, or masculine, or too emphatic on a single note for me to last a full bottle (I'll get 1/4 of the way through). Totem: Elephant captures the exotic oasis scent I have been feeling in the dark for. Reading the notes, I wouldn't have thought aquatic, but now I remember that elephants like to play in the water and drink through their trunks

 

There's a wonderful balance with the berries, grapefruit, and tea to provide feminine wear to this. I like niche fragrances and more unisex notes like Sandalwood, so Totem Elephant including an equal touch of sweetness meets my expectations.

 

If bottles were still available, this would be my go-to scent everyday to work. I'm noticing I like a lot of Mara's 'African scenery' scents. She does so well with the exotic notes and sophisticated balances! I'm really immersed in the experience.

 

I can tell I'd make good use of a full bottle whenever I keep opening my sample to sniff, and whenever my sample is gone within weeks.

[Eastwood22]

Wow, Ivysaur, what a lovely review! I bet someone out there has your bottle. A love affair like that doesn't need to end so soon.

[cheeseburger79]

I know this is off topic but I got you Ivysaur. Get my email address from Halo. I like this well enough but it's a little bit too light for me. I need to update my trade page, but you can have this one. Get at me.

[Ivysaur]

What an incredible community LPMP is. Thank you so much for reaching out, you guys!