Eclipse

[Shollin]

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.

First sniff: Pure almond extract in the vial.

Wearing: Yup, still just smells like almond… but darker, shadowed. This is very interesting, and very pleasant.

[nineveh]

This is mostly almond and cinnamon on me, but I can smell the vanilla underneath. This is a warm, golden scent, but I wish the frankincense came out more. I'm still not sure that I can smell it. Too bad; I really love frankincense. I like this scent enough to keep the imp, though.

[Eris]

This is one I've been wanting to try for a looong time. The first thing that hit me was that glorious almond, which I love love love, but then, like every almond on me, it disappeared as the oil dried into my skin.

 

Then, out came the cinnamon, but it was a more subdued cinnamon than, say, Serpent's Kiss. The cinnamon in that knocks me across the room, but in Eclipse it was very light with an unidentifiable background that made it slightly creamy and remniscient of bakery smells, like cinnamon rolls or gingerbread.

 

A little while longer, Eclipse started going soapy on me, which I can't recall happening in a blend with so few florals. Soapy cinnamon? Yeah, I was surprised too. I waited a little longer to see what it what do, but the next time I sniffed, the whole thing had faded. Twas very short-lived.

 

This one might bear a second test later. I've been agitated and sweating a lot, which I think might be wreaking havoc with my (already weird) chemistry.

[Hawke]

In the vial: Coconut, like suntan oil. Maybe rum.

 

Wet: Oh yes, coconut. There's something else here, vaguely foody. Sweet. Can we tell that I am not a scent-identifying expert?

 

Drydown: There's some underlying spiciness that I can't identify. I like it. Also have no name for the softer scent that muffles it, but I find myself wanting it to get out of the way. Oh! No, it's vanilla! But a warm vanilla. You'd think that I'd have picked up on that note right away.

 

Dry: This fades on me very quickly. Nose-to-wrist, it's still quite nice and I get whiffs of it, but it's not all that long lasting. I like vanilla, but I sort of want the spice to stand out more. Might be worth keeping an imp around.

 

Edited: By the time I'd gone to bed, eight hours or so after applying, this had blossomed into a much warmer, stronger vanilla with my beloved spice beneath it. I'm much happier.

 

ADDED 9/3/08:

 

Extreme almond in the imp with a hint of spices underneath.

 

Very sweet and thick smelling, wet on the skin. It rises up from my wrists like palpable heat waves, but doesn't burn. There's something about the wafting scent that evokes curling pages in a paperback, or maybe even an old hardback. A dusty note. Not objectionable, just present.

 

As it continues to warm, a floral note comes out of hiding, faint for now. It fades *very* quickly into not much of anything. Now and then I get a whiff of something that's almost like honey. The dusty note peeps out here and there, as does that hint of a floral, and they blend into something like ...paste. But it's pretty much a non-scent within about ten minutes, which is surprising and sad given it's very strong start.

Edited September 12, 2008 by Shollin

[Ajila]

Wet this was sweet almonds, spicy sweet almonds. It was lovely and warm and I was very happy. Half an hour later the scent had some how gone flat and almost stale. Another 30 minutes later and it's fallen into that same ash tray smell I get from Spooky and Jack . I really must find out what it is that does that.

[telesilla]

This one sounded too yummy to pass up.

 

In the bottle and wet: OMG almond! I sure hope this calms down.

 

Drying down: The almond's receding some and both the heliotrope and the vanilla are coming out. Well I assume the floral is the heliotrope. There's a little bite that is probably the cinnamon.

 

Dry: The almond is still the underlying note, but the combination of frankincense and heliotrope are going kind of powdery on me. I normally don't mind that kind of thing but I want this to be a little more about almond and spice. I like the way it smells, I just don't know that I want to smell like this. It's not the kind of scent I associate with myself and although I'm broadening my horizons, I'm still not sure about it.

 

Turned out that a friend of mine was really trying to get her hands on an imp of this, so it's going out to her.

Edited July 13, 2005 by telesilla

[aidenraine]

Holy Christmas it's maraschino cherries!

 

I feel like I'm drinking a Shirley Temple here! Yes that's what is screaming from my wrist at the moment! It's still wet though so let's see what happens.

 

As this dries I smell more cinnamon... mmmm I like this better.

It reminds me of a cinnamon and nutmeg ice cream that I store I worked in for a while sold. Very creamy cinnamon.

 

I applied this wet a second time and got marzipan, possibly my favorite food ever.

*swoon*

Occasionally I get a nice zingy wiff of cinnamon! Yum!

[velvet]

almond for about 3 seconds

then lots of cinnamon. i think i like this better than chimera, it may go on my list for a nice fall/winter scent

 

its not a red cinnamon.. but an almost subtle sprinkling of it on warm apple cider (though it doesnt small like apples)

 

i definately dig this cinnamon scent

[Little Bird]

Eclipse is one of those scents that I can't trust at all. Sometimes it's great and I get a well blended bottle or imp that smells like warm cinnamon sweetened by the vanilla and vanilla-ish heliotrope. And sometimes I get a bottle or imp that smells like nothing but bpal's awful almond note (which doesn't smell nutty at all, but like sickly sweet maraschino cherries). These huge variations are one of the reasons I've been avoiding buying bpal lately... I can't stand not knowing what I'm going to get when I reorder a scent.

Edited February 27, 2012 by Little Bird

[DarkMouse]

In the bottle: Almonds & maraschino cherries

 

On my skin: When I put this on, it smells just like it did in the bottle but I get an under note of honey. As it dries down I can feel and smell cinnamon.. this smells like spice cake to me too. Its foody, but almost boozy - the almond smells slightly alchoholic to me (almost like almond extract) but I really like this. Its a very warm and cozy scent.. and very comforting.

 

In General: I really like it but I'm on the fence about a bigger bottle of this - mostly because its not something I typically wear. I would have to agree with other reviewers that this would be an awesome fall scent... it'd be cozy with a big sweater.

[empi girl]

Wet, this smells like ALMOND, with cherry added in. Then the almond almost dissapears, the cherry does dissapear, and the cinnamon makes it's presence known. Smells like cinnamon red-hots, with the barest touch of almond in the backgroung, barely there but lending a slight sweetness.

 

This was interesting to try, but not a keeper. There are other cinnamon blends I like more, plus, most important, this really irritates my sinuses and I had to go wash it off.

[miss apple]

Eclipse

 

In the vial this is sweet and fruity. I definitely had to wait until I was in the right mood to try this because I thought it might be a bit cloying. The ubersweetness tones down a bit once it dries down and suddenly there's an incredible depth. A bit fruity with some incense and a touch of floral. I'm glad it's not as sweet on my skin as it is in the imp. The two words I'd use to describe this are warm and layered. A big bottle is definitely on the list.

[sarahj]

Eclipse

 

in vial: almond and cinnamon

 

wet: same

 

dry: plastic-y vanilla with a tiny bit of frankincense...lasts about 4 hours

 

verdict: not for me...off to swaps

[AliBabble]

oh yeah, i like this one. at first it's a definite almond extract/marzipan smell. love it. the almond fades quickly and here comes some cinnamon! nice. i actually wish that strong bitter almond smell kept going. but i do love the sweet heliotrope in there. very smooth. sweet, a little spicy. not incredibly exciting, but pleasant and cozy. like this: a snuggly caramel-colored mohair sweater (turtle-neck) on the first crisp fall day. (?).

[DameBecca]

In the bottle this smelled soooo good. It smelled just like a Red Hot. I adore cinnamon scents so this was very exciting.

 

Sadly, about 30 seconds after putting it on, all the spots where I had applied it became seriously inflamed. Puffy, red, and BURNED. I had to wash it off immediately, several times and I still itched for a few hours.

 

Anyone with a sensitivity to cinnamon oil needs to be very careful with this one.

[AngelFireHeart]

Eclipse – Straight from the vial it is an almond marzipan scent. Very strong & sweet with almost a caramelised background to it of burned sugar. Quite alcoholic-like too. Not a favourite of mine.

[aessedai]

This one is a rich, almondy scent. Good for using in the burner.

Edited September 28, 2005 by aessedai

[fragrantgrasse]

Eclipse, to me at first is sharp, edgy and bitter. But I waited for the mellowing out and drying down period and now I love it! I compare it to Queen of Sheba: which is one of my favorites - I am reordering it, and Bastet, which I don't love as much but almost.

 

However the back of my hand is a wee bit red from applying it 3 times. I swipe the wand back and forth.... I am an enthusiastic wand-swiper, perhaps it is the cinnamon that is sensitizing or it could just be my skin.

 

Nevertheless, I do love the scent of Eclipse which mellows and warms over a short period of time and wears well. Nice for autumn: spicy, ambery with bitter almonds.

 

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

ALMOND AND CINNAMON TO THE EXTREME!!

 

On me:

Wow, with that overpowering scent in the bottle, I half expected this to be overwhelming on my skin. But it's not. I do have to say though that I am not at all sensitive to cinnamon and the like, but this made even my skin tingle a bit. So, if you're sensitive to cinnamon STEER CLEAR. This is delicious smelling. Despite it's notes, I guess I wasn't expecting something so foody. But it is definitely foody in my opinion. It's delicious almond goodness with cinnamon and a general sugary warmth to it. The frankincense must be in there somewhere but it's hiding itself quite well and so is the heliotrope.

 

Final note:

Much foodier than I expected, but I do really enjoy it. I think this would make a fabulous room scent, especially during these fall months when this type of scent is what makes a home seem like a home

[Freyja Lux]

On first sniff, a very strong scent; I'm going to guess it's the almond. Once it dries, however, it is much more pleasant to stick your nose into and get a good inhalation.

 

It reminded me a bit of spiced rum, and I thought it may be a relative of Al-Shairan. Must be the cinnamon. I don't know what heliotrope smells like, but whatever it is can't be all bad since this blend as a whole really works out nicely. Eclipse is also slightly woody... not sure why. Could be me. It's complex, would work on guys, and not too sweet despite the vanilla. I like it, however I don't think I'd wear it.

[lookingglass]

I usually wait until I have worn a scent a few times to review it, but this is one that I just cannot hold back on. I MUST review it here and now...

 

I am in love with Eclipse.

 

Yes, I knew better than to put her on straight out of the shower (cinnamon and all...), so I do have a mild skin irritation...but the scent is INTOXICATING!

 

Wet it is all almonds, which I love, and I haven't really FALLEN for an almond scent (except for Bordello~but that is ameretto, not ALMONDS). As it dries out it gets so sweetly vanilla, but the heliotrope makes all the difference: it is sweet, creamy, but slightly green...a LIVE vanilla scent. The cinnamon is so feisty and blends seamlessly with the frankincense, so that it is so like cinnamon incense, and not candy or baked goods.

 

Bitter, hot, and sweet...

 

Once it is dry, the redness fades, and Eclipse is then quite like my beloved O.

 

 

OMFG I LOVE this.

Edited October 29, 2005 by lookingglass

[theseagrows]

when i first put it on, it smells like burnt almonds. reminds me of hellcat minus the cherry (which smelled like burnt maraschino cherries on me.) once it dries down, it softens and smells like a smoky almond with vanilla in the background. it's a cozy scent. i'm not sure i smell the heliotrope at all, but then i'm not entirely sure if i know what heliotrope smells like. this is one of the few blends with frankincense that works on my skin.

 

2/15/18:

i got a frimp of this in a swap and decided to re-try since it's been 12 years and my skin chemistry has likely changed and my nose is more sophisticated now (to a degree): it smells like cherryish almonds, i don't seem to get the 'burnt' thing i got back in 2005 after a minute or two, i get the soft vanilla and heliotrope, and yes, i know what heliotrope smells like now and it's one of my favorite notes (and seems to be underused in perfumery but that's another story...) so it's a creamy almond heliotrope, it's nice. sweet and gourmand-cozy and comforting in winter, but the almonds lean cherry-ish sweet. (now i want to retry hellcat!) after about 5-10 minutes the sweetness calms down and it's this nice almond-heliotrope with a little hint of frankincense and cinnamon. i would love a bath oil of this-it seems so comforting. glad i got a frimp of this to re-try, which i will definitely keep.

Edited February 16, 2018 by theseagrows

[glampyre]

On me, Eclipse smells like warm, spiced butterred rum. Deicious!

[ichaicha]

in bottle: Cherries!

 

wet: Marachino cherries! Awesome! Almondy, yummy, very bright. Makes me want a Shirley Temple.

 

dry: Cherries are fading into something spicy with a little almond. No wait, all spicy. No wait, now it's red hots!

 

later: after about half an hour or so it completely stopped being cherry and/or spicy. Instead it became a weird scent halfway between those smelly candles that come in heavy glass jars with lids, and the sort of plastic/fabric that those cabbage patch kid dolls were made of. About an hour later, it was all about the dolls. How strange.

 

verdict: If this stayed in the early stages, I'd love it. Definitely a young sort of scent. Maybe I'll try again to see if the later smell was a fluke, or maybe just keep reapplying once it gets to the doll phase.

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: sweet and buttery, nutty with cinnamon. It's not too foody; I can't smell the vanilla distinctly, but it sweetens the whole mix

 

Wet: red hots (ugh cinnamon)

 

Dry: okay, so I take it back. for the first time every, the cinnamon actually faded and it smells like chimera did in the wet stage...which I really dug.