Gomorrah

[wolfie13]

One of the Biblical Cities on the Plain, destroyed by God with fire and brimstone because of its people’s pride, prosperous ease, deceit, hedonism and indolence, and their callous, uncharitable hearts. A gritty, sordid and languid scent: ripe fig, date and currant with black herbs.

This is my first FIRST review and I'm probably not so great at it, but I figure any info is better than none if you're waiting for new stuff to be reviewed.

In the bottle: I get mostly fig (it's neither a super-sweet "fig newton" fig nor a super-dry leafy Diptyque fig - somewhere in the middle) and the sharp dirt scent of vetiver.

Upon initial application: It's pretty much the same as it is in the bottle for the first 10 minutes or so. Then the more astringent aspect of the vetiver recedes leaving a warmer earth background - with a touch of pepper perhaps - and the date and currant pop up, sweetening and rounding things out - but it's not overly foody or sweet at all (and on me there is absolutely nothing floral about this - or incensey for that matter).

Conclusion: I LOVE this. It definitely has a languid feel as described. And damn - maybe it's just me, but it's sexy. (ETA: Again- this could just be me- all the other scents, and I mean pretty much ALL of them - that other folks find sexy are horrible on me - Lust, La Petit Mort, O, Dorian - the list goes on) I can't stop sniffing my wrist or imagining myself coated in this stuff and lounging around on fine sheets with a fine lover for a lazy indulgent afternoon. I could see this on a girl or a guy.

Post Script : This is everything I had hoped Hetairae would be, but wasn't. It is now my favorite bpal fig scent. (ETA: Still lovin' this and have a 5 ml on the way!) Edited July 7, 2010 by quantum spice

[Finny]

A sweet scent greets me out of the imp.

 

On this is fruity and sweet, as it dries the herbs come out and add an earth note to the blend.

 

I like this a lot, the fig is a very dry fruit to my nose, with the date and current it really brings a lot to this blend. And whatever the herbs are, they are fantastic, earthy and brown, is there patchouli in here?

 

It is definitely a keeper.

 

ETA: And it would have been a keeper, but my Mom has it now. She loved it and it was Mother's Day.

Edited May 10, 2005 by Finny

[Scylla]

This is fruity, sweet, tangy, earthy and spicey all at once. It kind of reminds me of a cross between Morocco, Samhain and House of Night. I love Gomorrah! After one wearing, it has rocketed to the top of my Top 10 list.

 

ETA: Gomorrah is what I wanted Intrigue to be, but intrigue turned into pure cedar on me.

Edited May 11, 2005 by Scylla

[darkling]

In the vial and on my skin, Gomorrah was sickly-sweet fig and date as if the fruits were just about to spoil. It was incredibly strong for a fruity scent.

 

I didn't get a hint of currant or black herbs.

[Digital_Hypoxia]

In the imp, this was sharp and smoky.

 

On my skin: sharp and somehow even smokier; a bit too much for my tastes.

 

On the boy: That’s more like it. He smells every sort of mysterious and sinister (as much as a quiet math geek/bassist can, anyway).

 

Perhaps this will be the hook; he’ll have to stop teasing my addiction

[Jasminepearls]

very sweet, the fig overtook my skin almost immediatly.

5 minutes later, it tempered into a soft figgy currant smell, with a hint of spice in the background.

an hour later it was all sweet fig, and almost completely gone.

I liked the scent of this blend in the bottle very much, but alas, my skin would not let it develop to it's full potential.

[Unseelie]

Gritty, yes, languid in the opium dark sense, with a sharp green floral.. oh "black herbs"! Fig date and currant are sweet but not excessively so, and not particularly juicy - and thankfully not artificial. This is a dark one, herbal to the extreme; quite nifty and should go on anyone's "Fig" hit-lists.

 

It starts out sharp, and softens on dry-down; this is one to wait through the first scent to get to the lasting quality of it!

 

I'm going to want to roll in this as summer turns to fall..

[twistygirl]

Finally, something I can wear when I use my LUSH Figs 'n' Leaves soap.

 

I love figgy smells, but it has to be just the right sort of figgy... not too sweet, not too earthy. This is it. It's deep, green without being too fresh, there's just a hint of sweetness to it... it's absolutely delectable. There's an exotic mood to it. It is, in a word, spectacular. Beth, once again, you have outdone yourself.

[shadow]

This is another one of those weird blends that smells completely different in the air around me than actually on the wrist. Right on it reminds me quite a bit of intrigue - strong fig and something grounding. I thought it might be cypress, but I don't see it in the list and it's not woody at all. Plus that's not quite right, maybe it's the vetiver someone mentioned? I don't know what vetiver smells like, but whatever it is, it's something I associate with classic, expensive, bold perfumes.

 

That doesn't fade much, and it's like I got perfume right under my nose or something, because I can't not smell it. But when I put my wrist to my nose, something weird happens. I get a whiff of something absolutely lovely. Warm, rich, ripe, deep. I don't know why only the other smell lifts off my skin, but the one close to me is the one I love. I'll have to try this again when I don't have a headache.

[minilux]

Gomorrah is definitely the closest to Hunter Moon that I've found. On me at least, Gomorrah has the exact ripe fruitiness of Hunter Moon and actually seems to have a bit of the smokiness, too. And it's not turning into an overwhelmingly sweet fig like the other BPAL fig scents have done on me. It's lovely!

[fathom]

In the imp: Like Intrigue's little sister. A dark fig scent, but with a warmer, friendlier undercurrent.

Wet: Dark fig.

Dry: Still similar to Intrigue, which is good, since that is one of my favorite scents. The woody notes of Intrigue are missing, though, replaced with a faint herbal scent. And the cocoa is replaced with blackberries. Or blackcurrants. Delicious.

I think this would work as a good lighter version of Intrigue for me, when I want to wear Intrigue but it seems too intense.

[amrita]

For some reason this goes overwhelmingly figgy on me. I do like fig, but the other notes don't bolster it enough to make it interesting to me. (No date or currant, either!)

 

There is something acidic and astringent that I can't identify which doesn't appeal to me. Something almost salty or aquatic. hmm...

[Belladonnastrap]

First Sniff:

Figs. And incense. It smells DARK and seedy and a bit offputting actually.

 

Wet:

Incense? And something resiny...it reminds me a bit of Scherezade with that.

Dry:

Ugh. It's gone total headshop on me and I smell like I've been in the desert wit

Aftermath:

Not for me as I hate resiny incense scents sadly. It's too bad, I wanted to freak out my folks by saying I was wearing Gomorrah!

[Macha]

I will admit I had some hesitency about this fragrance. It sounded like it could go very, very sweet and I wasn't at all sure I'd like that.

 

In the bottle: Is that patchouli? I think it might be. I know other people have mentioned vetiver, but truthfully I'm just horrible at picking out that note, so if it is in here I wouldn't necessarily notice. I can definately smell fig, and it is indeed a very juicy fig, not the green variety.

 

Wet, on skin: On my skin this turns dark, earthy, spicy, and a little sweet. I can't pick out the date or currant, but I rather imagine they're backing up that fig note, adding more depth and roundness to the sweetness of the fig.

 

Dry, on skin: The scent has mellowed a little, but still harkens to sex parties in the garden and being fed Mediterranean fruits by the nubile slaves. I can see where some chemistries might take this over to the head shop, but I happy to say my chemistry keeps this in the boudouir -- although I'm sure the neighbors complain about the noise.

 

Conclusion: Wow. Scylla's right. This IS everything that I'd hoped Intrigue might be. Just a gorgeous dark, earthy fig scent and sexy as all get out. Quite amazing. If you like the darker fragrances, this should absolutely go on your 'to try' list.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

Very darkly fig with a bit of date. Bittersweet but smooth.

 

After Wearing It:

Huh. I don't know what it is about Gomorrah, but I can barely smell it on me. I've worn it three times, the last two times I all but dowsed myself in it, but I could barely smell it on. There was no throw at all, and when I pressed my nose against my wrist what I *could* detect, smelled like an exaggeration or amplification of what my skin normally smells like without perfume when I'm not freshly scrubbed. And when I say that, I don't mean it smells dirty. When you hop out of the shower, you've soaped away your natural oils and the scent of clean sweat, and you smell more of your soap (even if it's just Ivory) than you do of the essence of you. And it's not like my skin naturally smells of figs or dates, it just like my skin sucked up all of the oil I applied and what was left was a very light glaze of slightly warmer, muskier skin scent. Disappointing, but in a way, it makes sense to me. Gomorrah was a city supposedly demolished because of its citizenships overindulgence in pleasures of the flesh. The essence of bare, heated flesh seems equally as appropriate as something more flamboyant and decadent.

 

Final Thoughts:

Nice in the bottle, and I suppose if I wanted a "my skin but better" scent, this would be great. But as I like bold perfume that I don't have to make an effort to smell as I wear it, Gomorrah doesn't do much for me. A real pity, because I liked the description so much I ordered a bottle unsniffed!

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Very herbal/incensey in the vial. I don't really smell the fruits.

 

Wearing: The fig and date explode on my skin when the oil hits my wrist. Huge over-ripe fruit lurking above me... After it dries for a while, the dark herbs come back out. I think it is predominantly patchouli.

 

Final Impressions: All of the fig blends I have tried have a really sickly near-rotting fruit smell to them once they get on my skin. I think I need to stay away from that note.

[Spanglemaker]

First on and in the imp: dark and herbal smelling, sharp

 

On: As someone already said, this what I hoped Intrigue would be. The sharp herbalness fades and the dark fig scent comes forward. There is a slight fruitiness but it's more spicy than fruity.

 

Conclusion: I really really like this. Dark, figgy and sexy.

[sarada]

Figgy figgy fig, I like fig. I didn't know that I liked it, but there you go -- I like every scent I've tried that contains fig. Which is also why I should order Freak Show, but that's another story.

 

But I like currant even more. I don't get a lot of currant from this unfortunately, just fig. This is a gritty, earthy, fruity scent -- at first I catch a little of the fruit that I get from The Hanging Gardens but it's a sharper, spikier scent.

 

This doesn't strike me as a scent of debauchery, though. It's more of a warm summer orchard -- rich soil and deep, dark figs. It deepens and becomes even more rich upon wearing, but it doesn't have a lot of throw. This is one that I can only smell when I make a conscious effort to sniff it -- most fruit scents do that to me. I like them but I have to either slather, or just sit there sniffing the bottle, to get the full effect.

 

This is a must for fig fans -- the underlying note in Nemesis and Mata Hari that I find very compelling is present in force here. I don't know if I'd use a whole bottle but I like having some around to sniff from time to time I think!

[madelf]

This was a pretty interesting scent for me. It smelled almost astrigent-y on me at first, and my first horrible thought was patchouli (which I hate). It did fade after a little bit into a more herbal/cedar type scent which was better. I didn't get much of the fruit smell until about a half an hour after it had been applied, and then a lovely fig and spice smell blended in with the herbal scent.

 

This seemed a little too strong and almost pungent for me at first, but after the drydown I really liked it. It felt very energising to me, and lasted all day. Next time, I will apply a little less, though. My boyfriend was afraid to come near me for a good twenty minutes.

Edited June 5, 2005 by madelf

[harlequin]

This is much darker than I was expecting, actually. First sniff is definitely "black".. I just tried Loviatar, actually, and I definitely pick out a similarity between the "black herbs" and the "black amber" parts.. I would pin this one as leaning more to the languid part of the scent than the hedonism.. the idea of fig, date, and current to me suggests a sort of luxurious feast.. people lounging on chairs being fanned and fed juicy delicious fruits.. This was definitely not that part of the story.

 

I'm actually quite sad I didn't get more of the fruits out of this..

[Tesseljoan]

from the description, I expected Gomorrah to smell like a fruit-explosion. It isn't, it is fruity, but there's definitely that 'gritty' scent underneath, which is dark and earthy. The fruit becomes a bit powdery after a while, but overall, I really like this scent.

[joseybird]

Wet, Gomorrah is heavy on the black herbs, and I can smell an almost sandalwood-y cast to the oil that somehow reminds me of a fired-black, elaborately carved ritual bowl....

 

The dark, green, lush fig soon emerges and blends with the herbs (the woody note dissapearing. This is Evil Fig More accurately, this is the offering to some dark, primal Goddess with a corrupted edge.

 

It will be interesting to see how Eden compares to Gomorrah. I can very much imagine Eden as Gomorrah's lighter, gentler counterpart

[olympia301]

 

I only have one problem with Gomorrah, I don't care for the smell of fig, and gritty earth smells don't do much for me either. It is very complex and earthy so if that is what you are looking for, and you just love fig, you might want to consider a condo in Gomorrah!

 

My review of Gomorrah is not all dust and ashes and a pillar of salt, I like it's staying power, and certainly liked its name. I think the scent fits the concept (how disappointing it would be to have Gomorrah smell like white flowers).

 

So, though I can't say that I love it, I can say it is very well done and deserves to be liked at least.

 

The icon is so small it's hard to see the details, it's Sodom and Gomorrah being destroyed. At the lower right you can see Lot and his family fleeing and a bolt of lightening coming down. I think it's fun to supply a caption to the concept: "Damnit!", "Damnit, there goes the best pizza parlor in these parts.", "Insurance? I thought YOU paid the premium this month.", and the ever popular "Thinks: My Mother-In-Law!"

[Ajila]

This was a very faint scent on me, I slathered twice, but it was still barely distinguishable. What I can smell, if very much the currants and a background green and earthy smell, that I would associate with picking black currants in my Grandparents garden. On the whole this stayed true throughout the life of the blend on my skin. It's quite a dark scent, which at the same time manages to be quite pretty, but I wish it was a bit stronger.

[OdetteOdile]

Gomorrah

The description made me nervous (I imagined a sort of fruity brimstone) - but this turned out to be the seductive, sensual side of Gomorrah - hedonism parading itself around proudly.

What I smell most is the current - black current, tart and lovely - with a nice juicy base of fig.

There's a sort of wine undertone that likes my skin.

I'm not smelling any grit - this might be seconds before Gomorrah's destruction, when the city swelled with power and self- congratulatory pomp.

 

1 hour later - smokiness emerging - like the first hints of chaos to come. Now I'm getting, ever so faintly, that promised grittiness. Definitely a dark scent.

 

3 hours later - grittiness took over. Grit, smoke and wine.

It's got a bit of brimstone in it, but not overpoweringly.