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BPAL Madness!

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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.

 

Got this as a freebie with my order.

In the imp: ALMONDS!!!! Wow, overwhelming and very Christmas.

Wet: Still this sticky almond scent, with a hint of cinnamon. I like it

After 10 minutes: Hmmmm... goes a bit plasticky on me.... less sweet, more sticky yuckie. Don't like that very much...

After an hour: Vanilla... something sweet / vaguely reminds me of frankinsence.... Hm. Hm.... Not really sure about this one....

After two hours, the scent is gone...Awww... too bad! I really did like the beginning of it all, but this is disappointing.... :-(

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Eclipse is a lab frimp, and I just opened and decided to try it out.

In the bottle: Cherries. So cherry that I thought perhaps I should wear red today.

Wet: Cherries. Bright, red, ripe, delicious, juice, sweet cherries. I felt cheerful and smiling just smelling it.

 

Then, wait... is... is that vanilla? How did vanilla get into my cherries? Why would something called "Eclipse" smell like cherries or vanilla? Perhaps I should look what goes into this...

 

As it dries, the almond is replacing the cherry, the vanilla fades somewhat, and I suppose I'm picking up more of the others, but I'm lousy at picking them out. I'm not really picking up enough cinnamon to call it, though.

 

It is VERY foody, which for me is a nice thing. However, it's also a little strong; maybe I shouldn't have been quite so liberal. I'm getting a migraine. :(

I can't part with it yet, though. Watch for an edit later.

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In the imp: ALMOND. It's strong, but I love almond notes. If I inhale really deeply, I get a bit of cinnamon, but I'm mainly just smelling almond.

Wet: Creamy almond and cinnamon. The almond is the dominant note. I am glad this only contains a drop of cinnamon, and that it doesn't burn. The cinnamon seems to be becoming more prominent, and the creaminess isn't actually part of the almond note at all. It's the vanilla note complementing the almond. After a while, the frankincense starts to peek out. The almond note does register as a bitter almond to my nose now.

Dry: At first, it was bitter almond, frankincense, and cinnamon.

Later on, the vanilla has decided to announce its creamy presence again, and the cinnamon is the dominant note.

Verdict: I like this, and I'm surprised that I didn't try this one sooner. The combination of the almond, vanilla, and cinnamon give this an icing-on-a-spiced-cookie vibe, but the frankincense keeps it from being distinctly foody. I will definitely be keeping my imp, and I will probably end up getting a bottle of this one some time in the future.

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Wet/Imp: Hit-you-in-the-face almond, with some sweet vanilla-ish spices. Now, I love almond, but it tends to smell a little harsh and boozy to me if it doesn't calm down. Something else seems to be fighting its way to the front, and I hope it does because this has the potential to be just wonderful from what I can tell so far.

 

Drying: Actually starting to remind me a little of white rabbit for some reason - smelling like a toasted almond cake/cookie or something. I actually *really* love this. This would make a great Winter scent. Something about it also reminds me of the mainstream perfume Boyfriend. It's almost a little musky. This is going into the big bottle consideration pile!

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In the vial: Unpleasant. In better descriptive terms, super bitter almond, heliotrope and frankincense.

 

On the skin: It smells like almond muffins on my skin. That bitter taste. Yeah, all I get is almonds here. Swap pile.

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Wet: Mmmm, marzipan! This is mostly sweet almonds first off. I get a little hint of cinnamon but only if I'm really looking for it.

 

Dry: Still getting the marzipan-y scent, but it mellows out and gets more creamy over time. Finally getting some of the vanilla, too.

 

Love this, as I love most sweet foodie scents. Possibly a big bottle?

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This is the BPAL almond I have been searching for! Not sugary sweet like Snow White and Dana O'Shee or overwhelmingly creamy like in Queen of Sheba. This is perfect almond syrup, sweetened by heliotrope and a dash of cinnamon. A grown-up, sophisticated but warm and inviting vanilla, spiced almond.

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Wet: Straight up artificial almond extract, which reads as slightly cherry-ish to me.

 

Dry: Yum. I amp the cinnamon, and it's sweetened nicely by the vanilla and almond, and quite creamy. I like this a lot and can see wearing it enough to get a bottle.

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In the bottle: almond.

 

Wet on the wrist: marzipan. mmmmm

 

Two minutes: still a lovely cherry almond. oh, hope.

 

Five minutes: Oh joy, oh rapture! Is this finally the delicious rounded almond I've been searching for?

 

Ten minutes: Oh NO, frankincense! No, don't cloud up the lovely almond with your terrible musty bitterness! Wait, marzipan, come back!

 

Twenty minutes: Well, it was nice knowing you, Eclipse, but my skin has apparently disposed of you entirely. There's not even any frankincense left.

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Bottle: Almond and vanilla, a little cinnamon.

Wet: Amaretto – the almond goes boozy on me. The vanilla smells like a rich vanilla extract. The cinnamon goes strong and bright. What seems like the heliotrope is a faint floral behind everything, kind of cherry-like. I don’t find frankincense.

Dry: Cinnamon mostly. Vanilla amaretto lingers. This is the scent of a cordial.

Delicious, but too foody for me.

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This smelled like almond extract in the vial. I was a bit frightened, but bravely put it on anyway. Wet, it was all about the almond. Not sweet, not bitter as some descriptions state, but sharp... As it dried, I picked up the cherry/vanilla of the heliotrope and for a very long while, this just smelled like classic Jergen's body lotion on me. Not bad, but not anything to write home about. Growing up, the only lotion I wore was Jergen's. After about three hours, this turns into spiced almond cookies. I was hoping that it would do the skin scent thing that some other wearers described. No such luck. Sad face, sad face. All in all, a pleasant, inoffensive scent, but I'm not certain that I need or want a full bottle.

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Imp: cherry almond
Wet on Me: cherry almond with vanilla almost like an almond sugar cookie
Drying Down: still cherry almond sugar cookie
Dry: cherry almond sugar cookie. never got any of the cinnamon or resins. I'm so not a foodie. Off to the no keep bag for you!

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Wow, I never would have pegged this as "bitter" almond--it starts with the usual cherry > marzipan progression and then blends with the vanilla to remain candy-sweet. This is nothing like the buttery almond note in Hecate, for example (which I love), but it's not bad. The frankincense/cinnamon blend is spicy, warm, and a bit dusty, and it kind of makes me want to sneeze. The heliotrope is subtle and I'm guessing it's blending with the vanilla and adding to the creaminess of the scent. This smells like a creamy, spicy almond custard, and while that should be exactly my kind of scent something about it is putting me off. I wish it were slightly less sweet!

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In the bottle this is straight up almond extract - gorgeous!

 

on my skin however, it turns to plastic cinnamon with no trace of almond to be found - not so gorgeous!

 

I had high hopes, but it's off to the swap pile with this one.

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Oh no no no. I love the scent of almonds, adore it in fact. I love anything almond. In bottle this is pure almonds. On, however something sinister happens. Here's the rub. I get motion sickness fairly easily, and planes are no exception. And now that churning in my belly has forever been associated with the scent of airplane bathroom soap. This is airplane bathroom soap on. That blend of cherry almond oh gosh. I felt queasy just sitting on the couch with this on. I washed it off but this guy stuck around just enough for me to pick up on it throughout the day.

I can't seem to see past the fact that this scent makes me physically ill. I really thought I would love this too!

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For what it's worth, my nose lumps almond together with cherry on the olfactory register. Where one is listed, I often smell both.

 

Source: Frimp with recent order

 

Wet: Oof! --the dark, gooey filling of a chocolate-covered cherry cordial spilling at me, oh noes!

 

Drying down: Mellowing out, thankfully! On my skin. this goes through a powdery stage where it reminds me of a baby powder

deodorant product I used to avoid :run: in the girls' locker room back in the aerosol spray days.

 

End result: After all that, I actually find myself enjoying the subtle, warm, spiced vanilla dusting that lingers on my skin.

Growing up, my little sister used to have a thing for Stella D'oro breakfast treats (she called them "S cookies"). It's as if she

borrowed my favourite flannel shirt for a covert :ninja: cupboard raid and later when I found it and put it on there were still some

almondy crumbs clinging to my sleeve.

 

Cherry/almond are not notes that I usually enjoy, so I doubt I'd have ever sought this one out. I don't pick up any bitterness

and get no skin sensitivity to the cinnamon. All in alI, I'd be tempted to call this a shadowy, drier sibling of Dana O'Shee.

If that's your thing, give this one a sniff.

 

ETA: in the late drydown I got more of the frankincense which makes this one even more likeable, for me. :wink:

Edited by AraliaShine

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Skin, WTF are you doing? This started out with a lovely almond note, and then I started noticing I was wafting a musk note that's not listed at all. Like pure Jovan from my high school days. It doesn't smell bad per se, but it's not necessarily a time I want to evoke! 

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In the vial, almond dessert. Very foody and delicious.

 

Wet, it was utterly magic, creamy almond delight. I was nervous about cinnamon, but there wasn't enough of it to trigger my contact dermatitis.

 

Sadly, as it dried down what I was afraid would happen happened. Frankincense swallowed everything delicious and left me smelling like Catholic Mass, not in a nice way. I wish my skin didn't do that with that particular note, but it does. Every time.

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Eclipse:

 

Wet: Juicy, almond-cherry-fruity with a subtle undercurrent of spice and vanilla.

 

Dry: A warm, gourmand vanilla with a subtle note of cinnamon.

 

After 30 minutes: I smell like a Yankee Candle Co. kitchen candle of some kind—cinnamon rolls or baking cookies. It’s a pleasant, homey, foody smell, but not what I was hoping for.

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I got this imp from the lab from a recent purchase.

 

In the imp - definitely smell the almonds. I worried almond can overwhelm too many other notes in a blend and I usually stay away from it.

Wet - I get the cherry smell from the almonds but thankfully not overwhelmingly so. 

 

This is better than I was expecting! Though some is a little perplexing as my experience is a little different than others.

I smell the almond but it is tamed by the vanilla. Giving it a nice creamy quality. I don't know enough of what heliotrope smells like to identify it and not really picking up any cinnamon. Maybe a very light spice to it. Which I am guessing is coming more from the frankincense than the cinnamon.

 

Picking up on the heliotrope but it is barely there a slight floral scent.

 

What is unusual is that when i sniff close to my wrist I get a slight blast of coolness. Kinda like if you opened your freezer and stuck your head in that blast of cold air that hits your face as you open the door. I wonder what is doing that?

It makes me think of being outside at night to watch a lunar eclipse the sky is crystal clear but there is a slight chill to the air and a light fog on the ground. It is quiet out and it feels like the world is sleeping except for you.

Mysterious and strangely comforting.

Edited by AngelinDecline

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It is a delicious smell. Bitter almond blending with a small drop of cinnamon, & vanilla. Frankincense lends a delicious smell too. As for Heliotrope, she is there singing, just not too loudly. I would probably buy my wife a bottle of this since she enjoys almond blends.

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In the imp: So very much bitter almond.

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, it's basically alcoholic almond extract, bitter almond with extra alcohol bitter at the end. As it dries, something -- I'm guessing the frankincense -- makes it go a little powdery. I also get some of the vanilla. This stage is considerably nicer and softer than the bitter almond extract first act.

 

A little cinnamon comes out later, but it's not much. While I'm happy the almond doesn't end up taking over, the final scent is pretty but not terribly remarkable on me.

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Sweet vanilla-almond with a bit of cinnamon in the imp. It smells deliciously foody, but not in a straight up pastry sense. On my skin it is similar, this almond stays nutty on me and doesn't push cherry. It's a little less sweet on my skin, and the frankincense comes out and gives more depth. I don't think I can pick out the heliotrope specifically, but I think it is what is helping push the blend away from foody and to perfumey.

Edited by roseus

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Cookies, but not super gourmand.
 

Low sillage but it doesn’t need the huge throw. It works as a nice cozy scent bubble when I want something just a touch sweeter than musks for everyday. 

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Wet: Fruity and resinous. Like evil bubblegum.

 

Drydown: The almond is the big note here. It's quite boozy, with both bitter and cherried aspects. The cinnamon is dry and understated. The frankincense is adding a sort of glittery smoke impression, and it's steering the whole scent outside of foody territory. I'm not sure I smell the heliotrope, but it might be adding to the fruitiness of the almond. The vanilla just kind of softens things, without adding much sweetness. The more it dries, the more the notes start to blend into one another.

 

Dry: Frankincense and spiced almonds, with a hint of fuzzy vanilla. It has a dry, but cozy heat to it.

 

 

7.5 out of 10 bones

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