The Hanging Gardens

[evilbee]

This perfume is an interpretation of the Hanging Gardens by night, based on further accounts of its fruit and flora: date palm, ebony, fir, pomegranate, plum, two pears, quince, fig, and grapevine with plumeria, three gardenias and dry rose.

 

In the bottle: Sweetly peach with maybe a hint of rose.

 

Wet: A lovely wet peach with a little hint of floral and rose.

 

Drying: The peach is smoothing out, but it's still juicy and so real. The florals are rising, especially the rose. And I detect something soft and sweet, like vanilla.

 

Dry: This is a lovely soft peach complete with peach fuzz, and plenty of not-overwhelming rose. It's lush and sweet and lovely. Now... here's the question. Why is there no mention of peach in this...?

 

Definitely one of my faves.

Edited September 13, 2006 by Shollin

[nerdcraft]

in the imp:

Really fruity and juicy! All I can smell is fruit right now.

wet:

Hmm. This is really nice, but hard to describe. It's definitely still fruity, but in a spicy-fruity type of way, rather than a fresh fruit way.

dry:

It does smell much more gardeny as it dries - a nice mixture of fruits, florals and earthy woods. On me, the ripe fruits are still the dominant notes, but the other notes are brilliantly blended to make this not just a simple fruit scent. This is very, very nice.

 

 

overall:

One of the more complex BPAL scents I've tried so far, the Hanging Gardens is really balanced and lovely. It's lush and rich without being heavy. I think this would be a perfect anytime scent - by that I mean it would be appropriate for work or a fancy event or hanging out.

[nannan45]

THE HANGING GARDENS

 

This is such a beautiful blend! I smell a lot of sweet tropical fruits, flowers and something earthy, which could be the fig. It keeps this blend well rounded and prevents it from being too sweet. Mmmm. I also smell sweet ripe banana in the background?

[Emma]

Ripe, sweet fruit is what I smell in The Hanging Gardens. Not as complex and surprising as some of the other Bpal scents I've sniffed but it's such a harmonious, well-balanced whole that one can't help but appreciate this fragrance. It doesn't last on my skin, alas, but just smelling it makes me feel very good, as if all's right in the world.

[Alchemy21599]

I received this as a frimp from the Lab

 

In the vial: tropical fruit and blossoms.

 

Wet: a warm, slightly humid evening in a tropical garden.

 

Dry: really beautiful. This scent is a gorgeous blend of tropical fruits and flowers. It has some earthiness to prevent it from being too sweet and it does not have any of the dreaded "dirt" smell.

[populuxa]

This is absolutely bursting with deliciousness. It goes on very juicy and fruity. Then the fig/quince warm it up a little, with a slight spicyness following. Finally, a slightly woody, earthy floral it rounds out. Wearing it really is like walking through a luscious garden. As the notes dance around each other, I can imagine myself passing by fig trees, then under some baskets of tropical flowers, and finally sitting on a bench by some rose bushes.

 

I'd say this is in the same family as Pannychis or the Perfumed Gardens, although it is definately brighter and juicer than both, making it a little more wearable in the summer.

 

I'd also like to state for the record that in spite of this having a noticable rose note I still really enjoy it, which is a rare miracle in my world of sniffing.

[mountainwitch]

Why is it that I can take something as complex as this scent, with all of these different elements--grapevine, pomegranate, even old friends plum and date palm--and end up with plumeria shampoo? That's just not right . . . I want to smell all the other great notes!

[noumenon]

Hanging Gardens is spectacular! I'm crazy about the Lab's floral and fruity scents, and this is the best of both worlds. When I put it on, all the fruits come out at once, giving off a strong, juicy scent. After a while, the delicious fruits were still there, but I also started to pick up the flowers, which smelled exotic and Persian to me. It's got a lot of throw and sticks around for hours.

[gaai]

Very fruity indeed.......I like it, but I don't love it......And I know why: I don't care very much for peachy scents and this ( while I don't think it's listed as a note ) smells *very* peachy to me...

I think I'll hang on to my imp for a while, but it won't be a bottle purchase for me.

[fairy]

I knew I was going to like this one by the description and I was right. This is amazing. Fruity, flowery, clean, pleasant, uplifting and just plain pretty. I need a bottle of this one.

[Clementine]

This is potpourri on me--not unpleasant, but who wants to smell like potpourri? It also reminds me of Christmas as another reviewer mentioned. I get little to no fruit. PASS.

[thecaitycat]

In the bottle: I think I get more fir and peach than anything else. I was hoping for more sweetness though.

 

Wet on skin: Less fir (thank Gods), more peach and pear and other sweet fruits. There's also a hint of sweet floral in there; I think it's the plumeria. It's got some apple-y crispness to it as well.

 

Dry on skin: Oooooh! This is a complex floral and fruity fragrance once it dries down. It's hard to pick out which notes are stronger, but I detect everything from peaches and pears and apples to plumeria and rose and more. It's something very tropical.

 

Verdict: This one is nicer once it's dry than it is in the bottle. It's probably better for Spring or Summer, given the light fruity florals, but personally I'd wear it any time of year when I need a pick-me-up.

[RaeiNarcissus]

*sigh* I wanted to love this scent, it smells so good in the bottle. But, alas, tis not for me. The fruit and floral scents mix into a mesh on me, and it turns into smelling like those perfumes you can buy from Estee Lauder, that give perfume the adjective perfumy.

[midnight_aeval]

I get a green, sparkly, boozy floral from this scent.. My skin is not picking up any of the great fruits in the description. Even on the drydown it's all boozy! Darn!

[charmingdetails]

This scent is very complex- a lush, romantic blend of fruits, floral, and... something? Something mysterious and exotic that keeps this scent from being syrupy sweet- perhaps it's the fir note. On the whole, this scent is warm and bountiful... perfect for late summer. It's quite fruity on first application, and then the florals come out within ten minutes. Its staying power is decent; it's still detectable on me almost four hours later, though just barely. Lovely!

[steffanina]

The Hanging Gardens-

 

In Bottle: Froooooty floral. Sweet and yummy!

 

Wet: Strong sweet fruity burst.

 

Dry: Hmm, this is a pleasant fruit/floral scent but...it doesn't really grab me or make me want to keep sniffing for more. I can't pick out any one thing in the blend to pique my interest.

 

Overall: Nice but not extraordinary.

[maijasu]

This is a strong fruity floral with some serious throw. It would be a great scent for springtime. Unfortunately, the rose amps on my skin and turns a little bit old ladyish, but for people who can wear rose, this is a beautiful blend.

[Elemcee]

In the bottle, this is very much the vibrant, fresh smell of a flourishing garden.

 

On my skin, however, while it is flowers and fruit, it's dried flowers, dried fruit, pot-pourri and filled fruit bowls, all in a cozy room in the middle of Winter. My skin certainly seems to like the spiciness, so it's probably that that's creating the dryness.

 

It's a lovely scent, though, certainly. There's just a big different between THG in the bottle and THG on my skin.

 

[indicolite]

Fruity-floral, with a little bit of fir giving it depth, but I cannot pick out any other notes right now.

 

I do not think this one is one I want to hang around, though. I have tried it twice and have no memory of it afterwards. It deserves going somewhere where it can get more love.

[PilotKitten]

Mmmmm... yummy! Another wonderful fruity scent. This ranks right up there with Fruit Moon and Shango. With the faint floral in the background with a dominant fruity sugar overtone, this is just gorgeous! On wet and in the vial, it smells like a real fruit punch (none of that Hawaiian Punch or Kool-Aid stuff though, this actually smells like a bunch of fruit juices). After the initial drydown, more of the floral comes peeking out. I'm pretty sure the gardenias are the heavier note as I'm finding it hard to sniff out the rose or plumeria.

[supremegoddessofall]

Strong berries with a little fig. I can't pick out the other fruits individually. There are some florals hiding in the background, but the rose is staying surprisingly quiet. This is a springtime scent and very pretty.

[swilde]

Chewing Juicy Fruit gum in a flower shoppe. There are just too many different sweet smells here, and though it makes a great room scent, I feel like I smell like Carmen Miranda's headdress.

[theseagrows]

this is a very sweet, tropical floral. it reminds me a lot of shampoo. i think i mostly get the grape and plumeria with a bit of bubblyness to it. this is blended so well though, that no notes stand out greatly. pretty scent, but not really my thing.

[mtlaise]

This was one of the first BPAL's I ever tested, so my nose can't pick out all the notes. To me, this was just a really well blended mild fruity-sweet smell. It's not one that screams my name, but it's definitely lovely, and I'll probably buy at least an imp of it to have around, for those more formal occasions when i don't want to smell like the foody or spicy smells I normally wear for casual days.

[oh_the_horror]

In the bottle: Strong sharp floral, with juicy fruity bubblegum.

 

Wet and drying down: Blehh, my skin is making this sharp and bad instantly. It's so strong and floral. It seems very colorful. Purple, gold, orange, maroon, and dark pink thrown together in a mish mash. Every once in a while I smell something kind of nicely clean and fruity but overall, this is almost unbearable and is irritating my sinuses.

 

Dry: Dark purple fruit with sharp floral. This perfume hates me and I return the sentiment.