Eclipse

[Electra]

All the glory, warmth and majesty of the sun -- darkened. A delicious blend of bitter almond, vanilla, frankincense and heliotrope, with a drop of cinnamon.

In the bottle and wet: strong, sweet almond.

Dry, initially: sweet cinnamon, but not Big Red sweet like Chimera. I like this version of cinnamon better.

Drydown: Hmm, has become really boozy. I mean REALLY boozy. I smell like I spilled Goldschlager or Aftershock on myself.

Not perfect for me. The best cinnamon blend I've tried so far is Three Witches - all the gorgeous spice, none of the overwhelming sweetness.

[Pookstrell]

In the vial: A bitter, almost chemical almond which scared me somewhat.

 

Wet: Very strong, astringent almond. I am still afraid.

 

5 minutes later: This has now become an ‘OOOOooh Almonds!’ rather than ‘Almond, Yikes!’ This greatly differs from the almond note present in Dana O’Shee.

 

15 minutes later: The bitterness is steadily abating until I am suddenly and inexplicably reminded of incense sticks. Not a smoky, burning incense, but the smell that one gets when opening and inhaling from a new box of sticks. Interesting.

 

Later on… The incense and any traces of bitterness have been replaced with a deeply pleasing, smooth almond scent. I say smooth rather than soft as this more potent than Dana O’Shee and doesn’t possess the same creaminess.

Dana makes me sleepy, whereas Eclipse is a good daytime scent.

 

I can certainly see myself purchasing 5ml of this scent.

 

Bpal almonds seem to love me and the feeling is quite mutual!

Eclipse hasn’t knocked Dana off my top spot, but it certainly made her sweat a bit. Now I can’t wait to try Queen of Sheba!

[asa805]

This is very sweet and foody on me. At first it is overpowering almond essence reminicsent of black phoenix. Thankfully that dies away immediately upon touching my skin. Shortly after a nice mix of vanilla and cinnamon come through. This is pretty much where the scent seems to linger on me. Its nice but very very foody and reminds me of a nice cinnamon marzipan flavored cookie. I will probably end up swapping this away as this is a less likeable and less wearable hellcat.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: The heliotrope and almonds are the most powerful thing I detect, followed closely by frankincense. I can't quite smell the cinnamon, but I can smell it's influence, if that makes sense. And cherries? I really think I smell cherries in this.

 

On me: This isn't one I was expecting to like on myself, but I do. It's sooooo sweet, tho – super sweet almond. I expected the different spices to temper it a bit, but that didn't much happen. The vanilla and almond mingle into a very bright, happy scent. I think I detect cherries too; there's quite a bit of fruit with the almonds. After an hour whatever was making me think cherry seems to have faded and the cinnamon has become stronger. I really like this mellowed scent.

Edited August 30, 2004 by k00kaburra

[xoe]

SUPER ALMOND! After a few minutes I can sense, rather than actually smell the heliotrope and cinnamon. It is much lighter than I originally thought it would be. And much less almondy. Which is a very pleasant surprise.

[Nepthys]

So pretty. My only worry with this was the frankincense, but that turned out to be needless: it is firmly in the background. At first the cinnamon dominated on me for about 30 minutes, then the almond came through and I felt I was smelling a warmer, sweeter Queen of Sheba. Then the scent kind of morphed into the perfect blend of the two and well, it's beautiful. Although it fades more quickly than I'd like, it's rather energizing and I really like that.

[metterklume]

When wet and for about 20-30 minutes after, this is purple. Heliotrope swarms around in stompy purple boots, and then someone flicks on the frankincense switch and all is lovely warm incense and a bit of almond. My skin eats almond-scent; in every almond-containing Lab oil I’ve tried, it becomes a very minor note, if at all. Very sad, but Eclipse is lovely anyway, and lasted hours on me. Eventually a little spice comes out to warm it up even more, and I never really get the vanilla but it’s probably there adding a little sweetness. I have a feeling I will be wearing this more in the colder months coming up.

[BellaCrow]

I took a whole bunch of imps over to a friends house tonite and saw for the first time how body chemistry can be so different.

 

We both thought Eclipse smelled ok in the bottle, not great, just ok.

 

One swipe for each of us

 

5 min later on me it had warmed up and the scents had come together in this warn, lovely, spicy way while doing nothing on her.

 

20 min later it had gotten deeper on me, I really loved it and will buy it in a 5ml or make a massage bar out it. But it turned on her and smelled very ugly so she had to wash it off.

 

It was a very interesting lesson!

 

 

Bella

[luxuria]

Wet- HOLY ALMONDS! I love almonds, so I was in love. Almost smells like a single-note.

 

After that, the frankincense came out a little and the heliotrope came out a lot. No cinnamon whatsoever. This smells very familiar for some reason. It's definitely not as sweet.

 

A few hours later, I smell the faintest whiff of spicy vanilla. I love this and wish it were stronger.

 

I'm undecided on this one. I like the beginning almond-crazy phase and this last worn-off smell, but I'm not crazy about the middle phase, which was the bulk.

[reina]

I got an imp of this thanks the wonderful Cinder (thanks! )

 

I was really looking forward to trying this. Unfortunately, I can only say that I probably don't get along with almond too well. I didn't particularly like the initial phase, and sadly as the fragrance went along it didn't do anything for me. I'm glad I tried it, though.

[Northernminx]

Cinnamon over almonds in the bottle, and a hint of something incensey. This is a little more serious than Dana O'Shee or Hecate in that regard. The almonds are predominant for a while, but then this lovely vanilla incense scent comes through, very calming, but still almost somber. I love this one but as it ends up very similar to my beloved Dana O'Shee with my chemistry, off to swaps it goes.

[closedacct]

Eclipse is almonds at first whiff. For about 3 minutes on my skin it is pure almonds and then it turns into a lovley cinnamon and vanilla. I love cinnamon, vanilla and almonds.

 

Sitting here at the computer I actually looked around a couple of times trying to figure out what smelled so good. Delicious!

[feline.by.design]

Gaaaaah!

 

Eclipse has now taught me that I really, REALLY can't deal with almond oil. It's very similar to cherry, which is another one that doesn't work for me.

 

I almost feel bad for reviewing this, but... duty calls! Well, not really, but I feel if I wore the oil, I may as well write a review.

 

In any case, Eclipse was one of the rare, rare oils that I've smeared on my wrist and then regretted it instantly. The smell to my nose was akin to a sicky, syrupy smell of melted plastic. I must emphasise that this is a very personal phenomenon, as my boyfriend actually didn't find the scent that bad, whereas I felt it was wretched. He compaired it to incense that he used to have, which probably was due to the combination of the frankincense and vanilla. I caught none of it, though, as I was just choked on the almondy kiss of death!

 

Once the oil dried, the almond oil & co did temper a little, but for those of you looking for a long-lasting oil, I think Eclipse is a good candidate. Too sticky-sweet for me, though, definitely not my cup of tea. For those of you into almond oil, though, I think this would be a top pick.

 

As for me, I'll go over here and hang out with other wonderful BPAL scents, if you don't mind....

 

-doreen

[Caitfish]

I guess I'm a weirdo, everyone I know HATES almonds, but I adore them. Love love love. Queen of Sheba is my favorite almond scent, and I have a big bottle. I've also smelled Hecate and now Eclipse. If almond is present in a scent, it tends to dominate it. Hecate wasn't different enought to warrant a big bottle purchase, and I am waffling on Eclipse.

 

It's primarily almonds, sweetened and softened by vanilla. This is kind of what I hoped O would be. I smell cinnamon in the bottle.

 

On, it's extremely warm. Warm almonds, warm creamy vanilla, and a splash of spicy cinnamon. The cinnamon doesn't dominate this scent as most spices do on my skin. It's so exactly what I envisioned this would smell like... it's the sun! It's beautiful. Still waffling on a big bottle, though. It doesn't have the staying power or throw of my beloved Queen of Sheba.

[VorpalBunny]

Out of the imp and when it first goes on, I smell overwhelming sweet cherry. Not sure why, since it's none of the ingredients, maybe it's the almond and vanilla. As it dries down the cinnamon comes out more, and I even smell the heliotrope (ooh!). I was a little worried about trying this one after my allergic reaction to hamadryad (figured it was the cinnamon) and after hearing about a lot of people reacting badly to it. However, no huge red welts. I love the drydown, it still has a bit of sweet foodiness, but between the heliotrope and frankincense it adds more complexity. It has a bit of the light sweetness of Dana O'Shee with more intensity and more of a kick.

[diabolique]

almond and cinnamon, just like inferno. that's all i could smell at first. generally, my nose is very sensitive to the smell of cinnamon, and it always reigns supreme over other present notes in a blend.

 

i was cautious and didn't test this on sensitive flesh; i swiped the wand across the part of my hand where my palm meets my wrist. this dried down very lovely. the bitter almond and cinnamon remained at the forefront (i really don't like that combination), but the vanilla and heliotrope came out to play, and they turned this into a playful golden scent. the frankincense definitely made this resinous. if bits of the sun were to come flying into the earth, i'm convinced this is what it would smell like.

[summer]

Oh yum. In the bottle and wet on the skin, this smells very sweet and almondy. However, it quickly warms up and the cinnamon starts coming out. Sweet and spicy is one of my very favorite scent combinations, and Eclipse nails it. A gorgeous sweet scent that's not heavy, cloying, or too foody. It faded fast on me, but it's one that I want to keep slathering on. I can see wearing this VERY regularly.

 

[shelldoo]

In the bottle all I get is almonds.

 

wet: almonds

 

dry: surprise, the almonds move to the background, the heiltrope is the top note for me, w/ vanilla and a touch of cinnamon almond, w/ the frankinsence just peeking in to say hi, in the background. after dry down the almond was kind of hard to pick out*shrugs* which is funny since it is all I smelled for the first 15 min. I love this one *contemplates bigger bottle*

 

eta I have super sensitive skin (hives virtually all the time and welt easy) and this one did not bother my skin at all

Edited January 9, 2005 by shelldoo

[byrdie]

First sniff ~ Perfume-like, but sweet somehow. I tried sniffing again to place it, but only got my next impression.

 

Wet ~ A shocking, sickly, pink scent. Oh, help.

 

Drying ~ It's faded dramatically. It reminds me of ... baby lotion. My mom had a pink bottle of sweet-smelling baby lotion that she kept buying through the first half of my elementary school years. It's a perfectly okay scent, but somewhat distanced from where I am in life now. (I should hope.)

 

Drydown ~ Okay, why am I picking up on a floral here? It doesn't smell like a floral, so there shouldn't be one. Kind of a somewhat sweet, but old and dusty potpourri smell trying to start up.

 

Dry ~ Good grief, it's almost gone. I guess it used all of its fragrance-power when it lept off my wrist while wet. I can now see why it's been recommended for the enthusiasts of Lush's Snowcake and Creamed Coconut Almond Smoothie; it's got that sort of marzipan thing going on towards the end.

 

Final thoughts ~ You know, this is what I imagine the highly anticipated Pink Moon smelling like. It would probably make Lush Creamy Candy/Rockstar line fans very happy with the initial blast. However, I'm not sure if I'd be able to get past that part for the promise of the post-drydown. whoo.

Edited January 17, 2005 by byrdie

[allelujiah]

Almondy goodness out of the bottle! This is the first almond scent that I've tried that maintains the almond note strongly throughout the day. The almond is very creamy/buttery. It isn't a sweet smell, less foody than I expected.

 

Seven hours later - the almond has melted a bit, and the cinnamon has come out as the dominant note. The smell isn't very strong, doesn't have much throw. After a few minutes I had to hold my wrist to my nose to smell it, but that sweet cinnamon doesn't seem to be going anywhere.

 

I'm intimidated by cinnamon, but in this scent it is nice. The vanilla and heiltrope and almond are still back behind the cinnamon. It isn't a burningly warm scent, just a brandy colored one.

 

I think this may go into my must have pile. I really like it. I would LOVE it if it were a bit stronger.

[dcmo]

Opening the imp, I love the smell. Very sweet Almonds and a slight scent of vanilla. Same thing going on wet, I really liked this scent. But unfortunately it had no staying power on me. Within half an hour, I couldn't smell anything on me at all, and while I didn't bathe in it, I was quite generous in my application.

 

Very nice scent but would have to be touched up very regular for me.

[The Ace of Spades]

First sniff: Like Dana O'Shee's spicier, badder sister. The almond could have been cloying, but it's tempered beautifully. Mmm. Smells so good right in the imp…

 

On application: This isn't very strong, but it morphs nicely and quickly, and the small amount of floral actually adds to its scrumptiousness. Only one problem - a stray drop on my forehead started to burn and get red! A cold-water cloth got rid of the problem, but I was surprised, as every other place I applied it didn't have any bad reactions at all, and I've never had a bad reaction to a cinnamon BPAL before.

 

After drydown: Oh, oh, oh! This loves my skin - loves it so much, in fact, that it sinks in and becomes a second-skin scent. Note to self: Apply liberally. The combination of foody, spicy, incensy, and a touch of floral is just wonderful on me - it smells complex, and clings like a warm memory. It also has a lot of lasting power, even if the scent doesn't throw very far, because the application I did at 9 AM is still there like a warm and slightly provocative memory.

 

Verdict: Big bottle. As soon as possible. I want, want, want to slather this (keeping it away from my face, of course).

[gingersnapp]

In the vial: It initially smells like it will be too sweet to wear, but I really love the vanilla and almond jumping out at me. Brings back memories of Nutrition / Home Ec class in high school, making Snickerdoodle batter.

 

Wet: Holy cow, almond! This is a gorgeous sweet scent, with a warm bite. I'm curious to see how it dries down because it is so sweet and almondy.

 

After 30: Ouch! This burns on the skin quite a bit. I've worn cinnamon blends before and never with this effect. The skin has also turned quite pink. I'll have to be careful where I put this. Smell-wise, the almond is still the strongest note, but the vanilla is coming out a little, as is the heliotrope. While I definitely feel the cinnamon, I can't really smell it.

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Bitter almonds. This smells just like Black Phoenix to me.

 

After 10 minutes- Now the cinnamon, heliotrope and frankincense are coming through. Aahh, much better! Very bright and sunny indeed!

 

After 30 minutes- At first I didn't like this, but now I love it! Once the almond phase dies down this is gorgeous! Heliotrope and cinnamon are so fantastic together.

 

Summery- Eclipse is a pleasant surprise! I might need a big bottle of this one.

 

Edited to say that I am absolutely in LOVE with Eclipse!! I have heard others say that a scent was 'second skin' on them. I never could relate to that but now I can! Once past the wet stage Eclipse smells like 'me'. I am so thrilled!

Edited February 17, 2005 by requieminblack

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: All I can smell is almond with a touch of cinnamon. This smells yummy.

Wearing: The cinnamon really takes over and dominates for a couple of hours, after which I can finally smell the powdery heliotrope. It remains a sweet and foody scent throughout the day.

Final Impressions: I like this, but it is nothing overly special on me.