Aglaea

[Ishtar]

Three golden ambers, bright musk, peach wine and myrtle.

Aglaea was extremely fruity and smelled distinctly boozy in the vial.

The wet stage was a fun, sparkly, bright yellow peach extravaganza that had the bubbly quality of peach cider.

The musk and amber imparted their typical powderiness to the drydown, which faded to a soft yellow, intensely sweet peach scent. I suspect that many people might find it too sweet for their taste, but it faded fairly quickly on me, so I did not have time to tire of it.

Aglaea is a sunny, happy scent that screams summer. I must admit that I was a bit unsettled by its juvenile, giddy side. I would have expected something much more dignified to embody Splendour. Another try without preconceived ideas about the concept is in order!

[Lit Chick]

So pretty!

 

At first, the fruit does it's usual "I really, really hate you" thing on my skin - that being a rottenly sweet stink. BUT, as soon as I rubbeed my wrists together, the ick went away. Lovely!

 

The amber is most prominent on me - I get the same soft, silky feel as I do with Bastet. Musk is there, nice and light. The peach is almost indetectable... but it keeps the musk and amber for going too heavy and powdered.

 

The true perfume fades fairly quickly on me, but it does leave a light powerdy scent that lingers. Very nice.

 

Had I tried this earlier in my BPAL days, this could have been a bottle contender. It fades a bit too quickly for me to justify one now - but I will hold onto my imp (and that's quite the compliment, as I am going through a massive imp-purge!)

[Gin]

Sparkling peach! This is a playful scent, kind of bubbly, but there's also something else... an earthy note under the bright peach. Fun for spring/summer, but I think I prefer Tamora for peachiness.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Mmmm.... peach. There's a hint of the Deep South in here too - that must be the myrtle.

 

Wearing: This stays absolutely true to the vial scent on my skin. It is very sunny and peachy, but the amber is nowhere in sight. This lasted all day on me, which surprised me.

 

Final Impressions: While I definitely like a touch of fruit in my perfume, this is a bit too much peach for me.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Ergh, this is sweet! I *thought* I would like the idea of fruity scents for summer, but the Graces don't like me much. First Thalia and now Aglaea have been what I can only call the "wrong kind of sweet" for me. I love *some* sweet things (Sugar Skull!), but the amber + peach syrup effect is downright cloying on me. However, I loved and adored apricot in Depraved. Imp, which has some of the same notes as Algaea (peach and amber) was fine as well. BUT both of those contain patchouli. Apparently for fruit to work on me it has to be either served on ice (as in Titania) or...well...dirtied up a lot. Off to re-swap...

[synique]

Aglaea started out very peachy on me, another lovely luscious juicy peach, but settled down to the ambers and musk with a touch of peach. The amber gives it a lovely warmth, and the peach wine gives a nice bit of sweetness to go with the ambers' warmth.

 

This is definitely not a scent for those sensitive to fruit, but it's a nice combination for those who like amber and peach.

[PurringPulsar]

Aglaea

 

In the imp: peachy! This is more a bright, crisp peach, with a hint of sweet amber.

Wet on skin: still sweet peach, I think there's amber there too and something herbal and earthy-that could be myrtle? There's also a hint of musk. But I'm worried the peach will turn to 'air freshener' peach…

Dry on skin: same as above, it's very bright and welcoming, and now it's pure sweet peach-right down to the deeper tart smell that peaches usually have, with bit of powdery musk. Something in this reminds me of summer holidays, or summer in general. It's very cheerful as a scent, and quite edible, I must say…

After a while: the tartness of the peach is much more apparent now, but I was hoping for more amber, not just full on peach. But there's still the light musk attempting to tone down the peach, but not really succeeding...it's still purely peachy.

Verdict: when it was wet I was worried it would smell like air freshener but when it's dry, it's like a real, ripe juicy peach. It's sunny, cheerful, optimistic and so sweet, with a bit of tartness. I think the amber adds to the peach's sweetness, and there's a hint of musk there. it's a wonderfully summery, joyous scent, but I'm not sure if I would want a big bottle-I prefer Fae as my peach scent. But this is lovely as an imp.

[olympia301]

 

I have never ever smelled any perfume which reminded me so strongly of a mint julep. No kidding. I realize that everyone else has been talking about apricots and peaches, ambers and musks but I smell mint juleps. The herb myrtle has tricked my nose into thinking spearmint, but when I mentally try to chase it down and say, "Spearmint?" it changes into myrtle. Maddening, but one reason why I am fascinated by this blend. For the second time in my BPAL life I get this illusion (of something which isn't listed in the blend ingredients) only when I breath out, not when breathing in, and even then it is tantalizingly indistinct but definitely there.

 

I find this to be a pretty boozy scent, gives me the bourbon thoughts! That's the other mint julep component which is all the way there for me. The boozyness won't go away on drydown and I find it refreshing.

 

It does cling to me pretty well. One odd thing is that if I smell it close it reminds me of elements of other commercial perfumes I have smelled in my life, not the entire ensemble of a scent, but just some sub-compounds, like 5-6 essences which you would find in "Perfume X" circa 1989. Just a teasing fragment of something else.

 

Do I love this new and almost indefinable blend? The answer is hell yes. After a month with Aglaea it's wonderful. I truly love this scent, it's the sun the summer the best. Try it. It is grand. I unconditionally recommend this scent to anyone.

Edited June 21, 2005 by olympia301

[Thorne]

I smell like the peach of the Gods. Love, instant love. I must have a big bottle of this.

[quinkel]

Reminds me of a sparkling peach "champagne" i use to drink instead of the real stuff when i was a student

This brings so many happy memories of that time, the poor but happy sensation.

The scent is soft and bright and happy, perfect for sitting in the garden on summerdays.

a 5ml is required!

 

 

edited on 15 July 2005

 

I suddenly remember what it reminds me of exept the above mentioned: It has similairities with Shattered, and a perfume by Dior which i forgot the name of...

Edited June 15, 2005 by quinkel

[cuervosueno]

Aglaea is just absolutely divine. I'm in love. Its all peaches and apricot. I think the wine is what keeps it more Adult, rather than My Little Pony scratch-n-sniff.

 

first a salute to evanesce--this part of the review just cracked me up. Its the my little pony part that got me.

 

then a confession: I got this in a swap, and have no idea why I requested it. I think I'd simply decided to branch out and thought the ambers would be nice, but by the time I'd gotten it, I'd forgotten what was in it, so tried it without having a clue.

 

Wet: my god this is sweet. what does it remind me of? Tropical fruit. mango? that's not quite right. I like sweet sometimes but this is a bit much.

 

As it dries I get more citrus notes. Mandarin? Maybe. too sweet to be kuzu, but...something like it. What is it?

 

After 1 hour it goes wierdly citrus/sweet/men's aftershave. I don't like it. Don't hate it, but don't like it. What is it?

 

finally I look it up. Peaches! Of course! What's wrong with my nose not to get that right away?

 

Well, overall its not working, though I can now see how the amber and peach together would make this tropical fruit to my nose (I don't know what myrtle smells like so can't speculate there).

 

Guess this one might be a reswap. Not me.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Peach and wine.

 

On Skin: The peach is very light but still the dominant note. This is a graceful and pretty scent. The amber is very warm and the wine isn’t boozy at all, just full of berry sweetness. The myrtle offers a camphorous note. The only thing I don’t like is that it is so light, it fades very quickly. I do see this as gender neutral because the musk toughens and darkens it up a bit. I’d love to smell this on my husband.

[wingedcorset]

In the vial- Peach cider. Yum. It's 9am, and this makes me want a snakebite*. It's maybe a little sweeter than peach cider, very juicy. Tasty. I smell no musk, no amber.

 

On skin-Oh, hey, there's the musk. It's fairly unoffensive, but I'm not sure I want to smell like this. I can't pick out the amber, but my nose is pretty uneducated.

 

Drydown- The musk seems to have mellowed, and the amber dominates now, with the musk and the peaches peeking through occasionally.

 

Verdict- Pretty, but ultimately, probably not me. It's the first scent I've tried, however, so I'll hang onto it for a little while until I've tried more.

 

*Half beer and half cider. 'Round my house we make them from Heinekkin and Wyders Peach cider.

[Tesseljoan]

Mmm, fruity and golden. I can smell peach, but for some reason it smells a bit similar to the apliness of The Hesperides as well. I can't smell the amber that well, but I imagine that it's the anchor for this blend, as it smells much more 'grounded' then The Hesperides.

[lysithea]

Bright peach. The musk and amber ground it and give it some staying power. The fruit sticks around for awhile, which I didn't expect. A little bit goes a long way. I can still smell this in my clothes and on skin after a full day's work.

 

I concur with the "boozy" feel that people have mentioned. Something about this one definitely gives that impression.

 

A good interpretation for Splendor - bright, sparkling, and glowing for all the world to see.

[nineveh]

I normally wouldn't go for a peach scent since I don't like peaches, but the lab kindly gave me an imp of this.

 

It's such a beautiful scent, very happy and innocent. The peach isn't overpowering on me; it's light and just juicy and sweet enough. It's hard for me to pick out the individual notes, but I'd say that the ambers and musk provide some depth. I don't know what myrtle smells like, but together all the notes combine to a lovely hot weather scent.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a word or two: Peach

 

In the imp/bottle: Peach wine and an almost heady musk.

 

On skin, wet: This is a gorgeous peach scent. Very juicy and sweet. The amber and musk keep it from being *too* sweet.

 

On skin, dry: This reminds me of peach candy, or a quality peach candle. Just as I'm about to fall in love with it, it's gone. If I attach my nose to my wrist I get a whiff, but that's no good.

 

Conclusion: This would be great for scenting a room, or a lotion, or spray, but it just doesn't last on my skin.

Edited December 17, 2005 by Aredhel

[Racecar Gibson]

This was a frimp that I had *no* preconceived notions of prior to dabbing.

 

Wet, this had a very familiar feel to me. As it dries, it just gets to feeling more and more like a bit of my own childhood history. When I sniff to pick out individual notes, I can def. smell that same really wonderful musk that I smell in Dorian. (I'm not a musk person but I can appreciate a beautiful scent on it's own merits.) I want to say it's white musk but I really don't know that much about it to say for sure.

 

The scent itself is "golden" and would be a great summer scent, I think.

 

This reminds me so much of my father it's unbelievable. He was a musk cologne wearer and a sweet fruity pipe tobacco smoker. I thought he smoked cherry pipe tobacco but maybe it was peach? There is a sweet tobacco-y muskiness to this that is really beautiful. I was not expecting this sort of emotional response from an oil.

 

I'm really *not* a musk person for everyday (or night) wearing. However, I've recently started to do some inner work on coming to terms with the...complicated relationship my father and I had and his passing. It's amazing to me how much this conjures up the positive memories of burying my head into my Daddy's neck and sniffing.

 

I'm keeping the imp and putting Aglaea on my "Possible 5 ml...someday" list.

[sookster]

musk, peaches and amber all work fantastically on me and this is one scent to just die for ... blended to absolute heavenly perfection!!!

i don't know how beth and the labbies do it, but this frimp is another winner with me....

 

*note to self*: go buy huge bottle of this yumminess....

 

 

i literally cannot stop sniffing my knee.....

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression: Peach wine mixed with ambers and honey ..So southern, so sweet.

After drydown the honey is whatI smell with the peaches, and I didn't see honey listed in the description, so I am presuming that the amber is what it actually is, but to my nose it is honey. Lovely but lacks any staying power.

[arabella]

First Impression: Peach Bellinis.

 

Dries down to: Doesn't change much on drydown. It's a refreshing, sparkly peach scent with an exotic, underlying depth and richness - wonderful in the summer.

 

Additional Comments: I'm not familiar with myrtle but I'm guessing it's what's adding the "sparkle" to this blend, with the musk giving it the depth. Amber rarely lets me down and it's at its best in this oil. I loved Tamora but it faded so quickly on me - Fae didn't last much longer; this is their most worthy replacement as my favourite peach scent.

 

Lasted: Overnight, although it was very light by morning.

 

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

[jenavira]

I got this one just to fill up the order, but wow, I love it. Smells like peaches and musk for just a little while on me (and this is the first musk I've ever liked), but then it settles down and the ambers come out and I think I've fallen in love with amber. My wishlist just grew...

 

I don't know how often I'll wear it, though, it's very...not me. Lovely, but not me.

[Athena's Owl]

In the Imp: Golden. I'm drunk on it from one deep sniff. peach? what peach? I smell amber resin and musk and it's golden and soft, like the first spikes of dawn across the sky, golden that smells like the colour of a peaty whiskey, of warm honey pouring out in ribbons like glass. It's so heady and beautiful.

 

Wet: the peach wine pops out, but it is golden. a celebratory drink, drawn deeply from a trophy, sweet as victory on a perfect sunny day. amber behind it like resin insence offerings, burning from thuribles while we wait for a ceremony to begin - a happy one, with laughter and celebration. the peach fades back, and green comes forward - but a soft green, a barely green, a little bit herbal and a lot rounded like a garden around us while we stand barefoot in cool grass carpet and the shade keeps the heat off us while it sprinkles down a sunlight mosaic.

 

20 minutes: sweet, but not cloying. still peach wine, still sunshine--a joyous ceremony that breaks into dances as somebody has a pipe and someone has a fiddle and someone has a skin drum, and people sit in the grass and weave crowns of wild flowers, leaves and grasses, and give them to people who must forfeit a kiss and a dance on light feet and sets of four that circle and break apart and circle again with different partners, and every song is ended in cheers and calls for more, and the peach wine flows from each person to each, shared in a cup bathed in laughter and stolen kisses for luck.

 

Later: fading now, if a sunset could be considered fading. lovely amber and peach together, a bit of musk hints at people going away in discreet pairs once the lilac dusk steals over everything.

 

This peach is better than Fae's peach, but i think it's still too sweet for me. the scent is beautiful - it's just not me.

[oceangirl]

In the imp: Fruits and florals. Hmm. I'm liking this already.

 

Wet: Basically a stronger version of what's in the imp. Fruit and florals. It's not exactly peaches on me, but it's a bright, sweet fruit. Still good.

 

Dry: It goes powdery, but it's good powdery, if that makes any sense. Still lightly fruit, but more floral now. It's like sitting in the middle of a field of fruit trees in bloom. Warm, sweet, and utterly relaxing. I like!

[eisoj5]

*clears throat*

 

Millions of peaches, peaches for free

Millions of peaches, peaches for me

PEACHES!

 

I don't get any warm amber, sadly; the peaches are nice. It's not a "LOVE" imp, but it's pretty nice.