Hades

[OriginalWacky]

... A dark, palpably sacred chthonic blend: black narcissus and cypress, stephanotis, opoponax, labdanum, onycha and ambergris.

Bottle (Imp): Dark earthy flames. I know that makes no sense, but it's the only way I can think of to describe it.

Just On: Dark flamey earthy goodness.

An hour or two later: Soft dark flames licking at a big tree in the dirt.

Around 6 hours: Soft smooth earth.

12 hours: The last vestiges of earthiness.

Overall: This is another earth scent that I'm adoring.

After reading other reviews: The flowers never really came out on me here, which is probably for the best.

[Shollin]

First sniff: This is very interesting. I was expecting fire and brimstone and I’m getting the Elysian Fields. It’s a light, warm, herbal resin.

 

Wearing: This is really nice – it’s resiny without being too incensey, with the slightest touch of sweetness. Unfortunately, it gets sweeter as it dries, and I’m fairly certain it’s responsible for the headache I had all last night at work.

[Lycanthrope]

In the Bottle or Imp:

Myrrh, sweet florals and definite evil, dark streak to it. There's something sharp, biting, and just amiss about these florals. Like it's a beautiful garden but something is just not right, there's something twisted below it all.

Wet, on Skin:

Something very unpleasant hits my nose first, like a sour resin, but it swiftly retreats and it shifts into a distinct floral and resin note. This is quite potent.

Drying Down:

Narcissus is another note I amp, so this is what I think I'm smelling. Underneath it, a powdery, slightly spicy wood base is trying to rein it in but it's not doing a very good job. Darned florals and my skin...

Dry on Skin:

The floral is actually retreating, and I can smell that sweet, resinous wood much better now. The narcissus is still driving me nuts though, and I cannot imagine wearing this in public without bowling over some compatriots.

Over Time/Longterm:

This smells like one of Aveda's discontinued chakra perfumes. Really. It's like a high-end blend of sweet spicy woods touched with a blend of exotic floral overtones. I really dig this drydown.

Final Verdict?

I like where it goes, eventually. But it's kind of unnerving to sit through the start, at least for me... cloying florals give me the mother of headaches. Absolutely rich and beautiful after about an hour however.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: Florals with something darker, lurking beneath. Probably the myrrh.

 

First on: Ooh, where did this smokiness come from? Like a wood smoke, with some light florals on top to trick you into thinking it's nice.

 

Drydown: Spicy wood, a bit of smoke, and a floral top to it. I really like this one, and from the description I wasn't so sure. Yay!

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - mmm…yummy! The only note I can identify is ambergris and even that is iffy, but whatever it is, it sure smells nice. I get a lovely floral note as well.

 

Dry - floral and resinous and absolutely gorgeous. The top notes fade after awhile, leaving a white scent that reminds me of orris. Whatever it is, I am pretty sure it's a component in The Moon. Ever since falling in love with both Noir and Geek, I have been on a quest to try the blends that contain opoponax, and this is another winner. I would consider getting a bottle eventually, but for now I will just stick with my imp.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 3.

[Northernminx]

Agh! Florals Allooooo? Floooorals where are you?

 

Nothing. Dark, resiny, thick and something in this reacts poorly with my chemistry and I get that stale, decaying smell I get from vetiver usually. Very apropos for Hades. Very not for me.

[magdalene]

in the bottle: I'm getting a slight black pepper scent from this, strangely enough.

 

wet on skin: There's something very resin-y in this, can't put my finger on it. No florals in sight, though.

 

dry: More resin, though the pepper smell-a-like has gone the way of the dodo.

 

ADDED Dec. 28:

 

in the bottle: dark floral.

 

wet on skin: there's a strange mintiness to this that I wasn't really expecting. Could that be the cypress? I'm not sure, but it's nice.

 

dry: in the great battle between floral and mintiness, the floral wins out.

[~AmusedMuse~]

This is a delightfully dark and sensual blend. To me it is masculine and being Persephone's other half seems to fit perfectly. An incesne like, and earthy type of quality while wet and upon drydown the floral notes appear subtle and steady. Is that jasmine? My untrained nose is not so sure, but I have decided that this would be lovely on a man whose attention I wanted. My scale of 1-5...4

 

ADDED Sept. 17:

 

My Impression:

I find this to be spicy, smoky and resiny. I don't really detect the floral and there is one note that I cannot tell what it is that is an end note that makes me somewhat nautious while wet. After drydown, I am no longer nautious and can finally detect a soft floral note. Actually the more it dries the more attractive it becomes to me. My sclae of 1-5...3

[urraca]

The psychic lab frimped me with this a couple of days after I put it on my wishlist. I'm delighted, because it is wonderful.

 

It reminds me a lot of Darkness, so much so I'm surprised that no one else has mentioned that comparison. The black narcissus in both is quite distinctive and Hades' onycha is probably a variation of the myrrh in Darkness, from what I have been able to google. But Hades has an added sweeteness from the stephanotis and labdanum. I seem to love anything with labdanum in it. The whole blend is incensey and it reminds me also of a Catholic church (though if they used incense like this, I'd be better about going to Mass!). Maybe a big bottle in my future.

[twistygirl]

So this is what Hell smells like....

 

Wet, I didn't care for it much. Cypress mixed with something medicinal. But as it has dried down, it has morphed into something much more complex and wonderful. It's very rich and full-bodied. Normally, my chemistry does not like ambergris at ALL - it smells like I was urinated on - but I get nothing putrid or urine-y from this. THIS is an ambergris I can wear. I can detect a touch of the cypress, I can detect a bit more of the narcissus. It's earthy and smoky and incensy without being overwhelmingly any of the three.

 

On me, it has very little throw, staying close to the skin. Good staying power, and as I've already mentioned, lots of morphing as it goes through the various stages of dry-down.

 

This is most definitely a gender-neutral scent, and in fact, it's unlikely that I'll wear it much, as it's a bit more masculine than I like to smell. I would LOVE this on a man, though. And it's not so masculine that I wouldn't wear it occasionally. I think this would smell spectacular in an oil burner as a room fragrance on a chilly night. There's something very comforting about the way it smells. Who knew Hell could be so comforting? It smells like a bear hug from a kinda big, kinda burly friend.

[Little Bird]

Hades actually disappointed me. I was thinking it would smell dark and incensey, maybe a bit woodsy. It smells like light perfumey florals. I keep picturing white blooms laying listlessly on a gray tombstone in a cemetary of nothing. You know those cemetaries that are not... pretty or done up at all? The grass is barely even growing on the scorched earth. There are no smells. No trees. Just these damned white flowers sitting here, entirely out of place and you feel like they're mocking you.

 

Umm... yeah. Something about Hades actually makes me feel angry. I keep picturing those white flowers on my father's tombstone and it makes me feel violent. I want to pick them up and tear them to shreds. I want to make them cease to exist.

 

Very odd. The floral smell isn't bothering me like florals usually do, but this blend is making me so emotional.

[Lori]

Sniffing the imp: Whoa! This smells lemon fresh! Huh? Yes, wet and green and herbal! Just the exact opposite of what Hell has been depicted as. Hmmm…now I am intrigued to find out why it starts off that way and what it will become!

 

Wet on skin: The herbal is still there, but there is also a spiciness peeking through. Like someone is about to drop a match on the lushness of a damp, green forest!

 

Drier: The spicy scent has really taken over now! Ahhhh…I get it. It is Hades up to his old tricks! Luring us in to the illusion of a rich, healthy, living green space, only to pull the curtain away and reveal that we are really in a dry, barren, hot Hell!

 

Dry: I must have passed some initiation, as now I have been rewarded with some sweet smelling florals. I guess there has to be some pleasures in Hell, eh? But uh oh…there is that spiciness again! First the forest, and the waters, and now the flowers, huh? You really are an evil ruler, Hades! I am glad I am going to the opposite place. :-P

[AliBabble]

this was a frimp from a while back (muchos gracias dear lab...). i like this a lot - it has a very protective vibe to it. warm and masculine - the image i get is of knight's armor! it is metallic yet earthy... i keep thinking of the word "gunmetal" as in gunmetal grey. it is like an iron cauldron which has been buried in earth. there is also a sweetness...but tempered with metal. like a cast iron hammered metal bowl filled with honey and ash...

[Smurf]

I have to admit, being new to the BPAL scene when I read descriptions I often have no idea quite how something is going to smell. I ordered this solely because I love the Greek Panthenon and Hades was always one of my favourites. I can't really describe it but it is a very mysterious, dark, masculine scent to me (and I actually prefer masculine scents to girlie ones).

 

Must...buy...big...bottle...

[aedes]

I'm really, really digging this scent. Wet on the skin it smells like Darkness + Yog Sothoth, which just happen to be two of my favorite scents.

 

It has the narcissus and myrrh base, but with an ozone smell and faint, crisp woods spread over all. If it dries down like Darkness, the myrrh will become warmer, creamier, and more dominant. We'll see. EE! I'm so happy!

 

Edit: Yes, this really is a beautiful, beautiful scent. At first I thought it a bit on the masculine side, but I'm wearing it more and more! I picture a suit of black and gold brigantine armor with a dramatic black cape when I smell this. I think if Sauron (as seen in the beginning of Fellowship of the Ring) had a favorite BPAL, this might be it. It's not mustache-twisting evil, just austere, calculated, and powerful. Dark and baroque, and it smells so so good! Big bottle! Now! *pounds fist*

Edited October 31, 2005 by aedes

[Scarlettfish]

I don't know if I love this or hate this. I love narcissus, but I'm not loving the myrrh. It smells dark and regal and mysterious, which I like, but it has a stale earthiness about it that I don't like. I have never been so confused by a BPAL scent! I think some notes in this work really well on me, some notes don't work at all. It's like there is a war happening on my wrist, which is pretty trippy. Anyway, it's very evocative of Hades - the place, not the person - and a really interesting scent.

[ancilla_morte]

in bottle: a very dark pine, very fresh smelling but not too overpowering.

wet on skin: getting a nutmeg sort of smell. gradually getting sweeter and lighter. it reminds me of the dragon's blood oil by Azuregreen. maybe that's the myrrh, as they are both resins.

 

I really love this. it smell really sexy and dark like my usual dragon's blood. I guess I'm just a tree resin kind of gal.

[pinkpoodle]

I originally chose this scent without knowing what most of the single-notes smelled like, except for cypress. I've had good luck with cypress scents before, so I figured I'd go for it. I LOVE IT. I'm not a floral person, but this was dark and spicy enough to keep me sniffing my wrists all day. At first, it's very strong, rich floral, but as it dries, it becomes deeper and more complex. I don't think it's "masculine" smelling, although it would smell great with a man's body chemistry. This is one of those scents that I could slather all over the place, but I have to be careful, because it's not the type of scent that everyone would like. After smelling this, I'm really excited to try more narcissus-based sniffies.

[LyndaM]

I'm very surprised that I like this one. It was a frimp from the lab, I would never have chosen it due to all the dirty words in the description...dirty words like opoponax, labdanum, and onycha.

 

The narcissus, cypress, and ambergris pull his together for me (even though at times the narcissus has an almost jasminey feel - not good). It goes on all dark narcissus, with cypress lurking, and the drydown is smoothed out by the ambergris. The scary-type resins blended right in and complimented this blend, instead of dominating it the way they usually do.

 

It's strong, with good waft and incredible staying power. It's not something I could wear every day like my beloved rose or lily BPAL blends, but I can forsee occasions when I would choose to wear this unique scent. It's strong enough that a drop or two is enough for me to get good waft, so I'll probably keep the imp rather than buying a bottle.

[PurringPulsar]

Hades

In the imp: darkly resinous, with a strong cypress note. Oddly salty as well. No floral notes yet.

Wet on skin: hmm, this is strange. It’s a resinous scent but not a recognisable one…it’s almost peppery, and very dark, and with that salt like note. Still prominent cypress in there, and no florals yet.

Dry: now the scent has something very dry to it, dusty, gritty, bone-dry…like death. There is certainly something underworld-like about this scent. It’s very dark, resinous, slightly smoky, slightly woody from the cypress, and with that strange salty note that really reminds me of the sea (is it that mysterious mollusc scent-oniycha? I know this variety is not made from molluscs but it definitely smells marine). I do not get much floral from this scent at all! If any, it’s just a very light, passing glimpse of a wispy flowery scent just a touch of narcissus, but nothing more. It’s also very earthy as a scent.

After a while: now this changes to a scent like dark incense, deep, smouldering, and with an odd bit of salty-peppery-nutmeg to it. It reminds me of church incense now, but much darker and slightly more sinister. There’s nothing bright about this scent, it’s almost disturbing, yet it intrigues me. It’s also very masculine in scent. There’s a narcissus note, indeed, but it just brushes the top of the scent before disappearing like a wisp of ghostly vapour and then the dark resins hit you, bam! I also don’t find this sweet at all…as I said before, this blend is very salty to me. Puzzling, but true.

And yes, at one point, it does smell Noir-ish, which I like. I think I can also recognise a strong labdanum note here…reminds me of the resin I smelt on the rock-rose plant at the Eden Project. I must also say that this scent is growing on me.

Verdict: this scent really does seem to be a fragrance taken straight from the underworld itself. Dark, deep, mysterious and slightly disturbing, this is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. The cypress is strong here, but the most prominent note is a mixture of dark, smoky resins, an odd scent which at times is smouldering, other times more resinous, and sometimes even pepper-like and with a definite saltiness which I cannot explain. The narcissus note graces the top of the scent, you smell that first, but that quickly lifts like a veil to reveal the resins underneath. I’m unsure whether I like this or not. I’m not sure what I think of that strange salty, marine like note, but this scent does grow on you a bit, it does lure you in, it’s so unusual and unique that it compels you, draws you nearer. Having said that, it’s not really something I’d wear much, and it seems a bit masculine for me. But I think with this scent, Beth has captured Hades perfectly.

[Fefferbella]

Hades has a unique dark, sharp herbal sweetness to it that really makes it stand out among the other BPAL scents.

 

It warms to a rich earthy scent with a sexy spiceyness. There is also a thick firey burnt herb note in the background.

 

I love this blend. Deffinately not for everyday wear, but certainly a keeper!

[Miss Lynx]

Weird. This is simultaneously dry and cloying, with an unpleasant undertone that's reminiscent of a lot of commercial perfumes and air fresheners - something vaguely chemical-y that seems to catch in the back of my nose.

 

I'm not getting any of the earthy, resinous or smoky notes others have mentioned, but weirdly, it's not all that floral on me either, despite my skin's usually tendency to amp florals. It's just sort of sweet, dry and for lack of a better word, synthetic smelling. It doesn't smell like any actual notes I can identify; just a sort of bland, generic perfuminess. It gets a little better on the drydown, but not by much -- the most it ever really manages is inoffensive.

 

It's not horrible, but it's not something I'd want to put on myself voluntarily, either.

 

Grade: C-

[populuxa]

I received a free sample of this in my last order, and had no idea what to expect.

 

To me it smelled HOT right out of the bottle - like cinnamon and black pepper. As it dried, the spice calmed down and turned more powdery, to a dirty musk.

 

I don't notice any floral notes previously mentioned, to me this is awfully dark and manly smelling!

[lookingglass]

The ambegris is really apparent to me in this one. It is almost tea like, with the resins. The florals just brighten the blend...they are not very flowery at all. Quite an odd combination. There is a bit of warmth here, but not the fire that I would expect from its namesake.

[Silverstrike]

I originally wanted to order an imp of this because when I went to Recommendations, I asked about a scent that would smell like Etro's Umbra. Hades was one of those that were recommended. And then lo and behold, it was a frimp from the Lab!

 

Like Umbra, it has opoponax and labdanum (not that I actually know what those are, but both have those notes listed). There's a hint of that same sweetness from Ambra in this, but Hades ends up soapy on me. It fades all right, but because it goes soapy, I'm not certain I'd purchase. I'm off to try Penitence and Cathedral next.