Eden

[agirlnamedfury]

… This oil contains the innocence of the Garden, coupled with the Truth and Erudition found in the fruit of the Tree of Evil: fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood.

I got this as a frimp in my order and I am SO pleased. I was a bit hesitant about it at first, thinking it might be too green or floral (that's what I think of when I think of the garden of Eden, after all!) But this is amazingly delicious. I get mostly coconut and almond on the skin. A bit like a light, sophisticated suntan lotion with some fresh fig thrown in. It's definitely much lighter than my usual scents, so I'm astonished that I love it so much. I think I need to get a 5ml before spring comes so I can wear this every day!

[CiaoBonefish]

This is mainly toasted coconut on me and sandalwood with a touch of almond. I really am not fan of the Lab's coconut note and it turns into gross dishwater on my skin so this scent is a no on my skin. Very dry and just gross wet mop smell. Bleh. Me + coconut = NOPE.

[terminallyCapricious]

Eden is, hands down, my favorite BPAL scent. I nabbed an imp ages ago because the honeyed almond milk had me curious and oh. My. Goodness.

This is Eden. On my skin the almond milk is sweet without being overpowering and the honey is surprisingly soft on my skin. I don't get so much coconut which is fine by me but the fig balances out with the almond to give it a deeper tone. It's hard to describe, but it's like there's a light sweet overtone on top of a dark sweet figgy base.

I'd on the foody side, but not some much as, say, gluttony.

 

I put this on eeeeverything. When I'm in an iffy mood I dab a little on the top corner of my pillowcase before bed I really do need to get around to a bottle...

[tealeaves]

I got this as a frimp from a decant circle, and was cautiously intrigued. I'm not really a fan of sweet scents, but I was hoping that the fig would give it a crisp, greener depth and the sandalwood would make it smoky. No such luck. All I get is honey, almond and coconut. It smells like a warm cookie. If you like sweet scents, you'd love this one. Sadly, it's not for me.

[Mellifluous]

Just got the bottle from a lab ebay auction, ans so glad i did! I dont know if its the age or what, but this smells like an amazing coconut marzipan. Its not super cherry, like a lot of almond scents are on me. Just a nice sweet milky almond and a bit of coconut in the background. Maybe a bit of the fig coming through too, but not much. I'm assuming this is from around 2005 as its a 10ml and in a cobalt bottle, but Idunno. I might have to get an imp of it next order to see how this is fresh.

[Chelse]

P.u.

[whataboutprom]

Wet, I can smell mostly the honeyed almond milk with juicy fig fruit and green fig leaf. It's interesting and sweet without being foodie. After about half an hour, this morphs into a gorgeous woody oriental perfume blend, and I can no longer discern any individual notes, (I never do smell the coconut.) I never thought this was a class of perfumes I would like, but it's so amazing with my skin chemistry that I just ordered a whole bottle. The smell is very grown up and sensual, sweet and woody and a little spicy.

 

I love actual foodie scents, but they are terrible with my skin chemistry. I think I will try more sandalwood based oriental blends similar to this one. I get the sweetness and warmth I wanted from foodie blends without the dust or play-doh smell.

 

Eden doesn't have much throw at all and doesn't last on my skin more than an hour or two.

Edited August 14, 2011 by whataboutprom

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: This oil even looks like something from paradise! It's a beautiful clear, pale violet-tinted oil. The smell is strong and super sweet: first almond and then toasted coconut especially, with an undertone of figgy fruitiness.

 

On me, wet: Pretty much the same, but nutty rather than fruity. Overpoweringly-strong and cloyingly sweet right at first but it settles down very quickly.

 

On me, just dried: It transforms completely as soon as it has dried, into a sweet, creamy perfume scent! The strong almond/coconut has largely disappeared, leaving behind just a hint of nuttiness. It must be the fig leaf, milk, and sandalwood I'm mostly smelling now. I haven't noticed the honey specifically, but that's undoubtedly where the sweetness is coming from; along with the fig, which is more noticeable now that the competition from the almond and coconut has gone.

 

After 45 minutes: The nuttiness comes out more strongly over time. For a while, the perfume notes are still there with enough weight to balance the scent and keep it from being too foody. But eventually the nuttiness (which makes me think of hazelnut rather than coconut) takes over and becomes the last lingering note.

 

Verdict: I'm kind of ambivalent about this one. It is interesting - both in concept and in the way it morphs so much. And all of its manifestations are pleasant. But it is a little too foody most of the time for me to wear very often as a perfume. It isn't as in-your-face-eat-me as some, so I might enjoy wearing it from time to time as a change from my usual favorites. But most of the time, I'd probably prefer it in the oil warmer as a room scent for the kitchen.

 

My rating: 4

 

Thank you for the frimp, labbies!

[Amalthea]

Imp: Sharp fresh grass, fruits, almond.

Wet on skin: Oh, hello toasted almond! Still something fruity. It's not quite fig but it smells yummy.

Dry down: I smell the green again but it smells sweet yet bitter, like the sap from something green freshly cut, it's morphing a bit already. The almond is gone again and the fruit is still there. A little soapy. A little like air freshener. Now foody. Sweet almond and fig. What the heck. Fickle fickle!

Dry: What on earth happened, it's so sharp it hurts. Hello air freshener with a hint a almond. Weird.

Verdict: Eden, I am disappoint.

[Klolly]

Got this imp in a swap today. I've been wanting to try Eden for a long time. I have discovered I don't like almond much though, so hopefully that doesn't ruin this for me.

 

In imp: Smells a little weird. Like Strangler Fig with ketchup mixed in. I definitely recognize the fig note though.

 

On wet: Similar to the in imp smell only less weird. I definitely smell the coconut now. I don't totally recognize any almond. The fig in this smells very green though.

 

Dry: I think this is a pretty nice scent. Nothing spectacular for me. It smells almost identical to Strangler Fig on me, only it is sharper and has a sour, green note that Strangler Fig lacks. As it sits on my skin it is developing a more interesting blend. More green and almost sort of floral. This is quite nice actually but it is starting to irritate my sinuses for some reason and I may have to wash it off.

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I love fig, but the coconut and almond have me worried.

 

Wet: Strong almond milk (but not the type of almond that is strongly cherry), very creamy and pretty with a lovely sandalwood base. This is surprisingly nice.

 

Dry down: The scent hasn't changed, but it smells exactly like a lotion my mother used to use after we had been at the beach.

 

Dry: Still creamy almond and sandalwood. I get no coconut, fig, or fig leaf.

 

Final thoughts: This is pretty, but I'm missing the other notes, and I don't see myself reaching for it often if at all.

 

Verdict: Nice, but not for me.

[SadariEvenstar]

When this first went on it smelled of sunscreen and toasted nuts. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't something that I would want to wear. As it dried it all settled down to a very pretty, warm, creamy blend. I'm not really detecting many individual notes anymore. It's just pretty and feminine. The throw is very light.

[rhubarb3point14]

When I first applied Eden, the scent was absolutely heartbreakingly beautiful. There was a burst of fresh green fig and sunlight and dew that was like a whole summer morning concentrated into a moment in time.

 

Then it shape-shifted. The main body of the fragrance became a pleasant mix of toasted coconut and sandalwood. Yet I could still catch whiffs of that first , haunting beauty when I least expected it. I would get little glimpses that I couldn't quite lock onto. It was like seeing something out of the corner of your eye, then whipping around to look at it and finding it gone.

 

There’s some kind of lost-paradise metaphor here. I can't help but wonder if Beth designed it this way -- elusive. A place you always want to go back to, but can never quite reach. If she did this on purpose, I am both in awe and slightly frustrated!

[nome]

At first, I get hit with the strong, sweet, green fruit/floral smell of fig which my skin adores. Underneath it I think there's a hint of coconut. After only a minute, though, honey (dripping, sweet, fresh honey, not sugared or ambery) comes through. Sandalwood gives this a bit of dryness, so it's not as eye-wateringly sweet as it sounds. Amazing smell.

 

This sticks around for most of an hour before tapering into a straight fig. I do think I amp it, so it probably just needs something else I amp harder to mesh with (Strangler Fig did that beautifully, with the woody/green notes to balance the sweetness) over time. A bit of coconut creeps up around the edges, and the dry sandalwood seems totally gone. Not sure what happened here, but it faded by hour four, so it wasn't a keeper for me.

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Toasted coconut and almond. So very beautiful.

 

On skin, wet: Coconut, almond, and a touch of sandalwood.

 

On skin, dry: Coconutty sandalwood. It borders on "coconut incense," but falls short. This gives me hope!

 

After an hour: Still much the same. I'm going to let this imp sit for a few months, see if the sandalwood gets stronger over time--if it does, this is not a winner for me, but if doesn't, I am in love!

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Almond and fig.

Wet: Sweet almond, coconut and sandalwood.

Dry: Fig, coconut and sandalwood. Eventually the fig takes over, as it is wont to do on my skin. Gettin' figgy with it, yo.

[ami226]

Almond and milk are normally death notes for me, so here goes!

 

On the skin: Wow, that is some extremely strong almond. A strong buttery almond.

 

Huh, after a bit this makes me think of popcorn! Buttery popcorn.

 

This one is really bad on me!

[Circaea]

I've been wanting to try Eden forever- it just missed making my first ever imp order, and it's been languishing on my wishlist from the beginning. So I was thrilled to get it as a frimp from a recent forum purchase. Can't tell how old this imp is, but the label looks new.

 

First impression: fruity coconut cake. This is like Dana O'Shee and Eat Me got together, and one of them brought green figs and coconut milk to the party. It's sweet and creamy and a little cakey, but with a green edge to it. I like it a lot!

[GoddesShel]

This is divine!

 

When I put it on today,at first it was strong enough to nearly knock me over. And it was giving off wafts of heavenly fragrance every time I moved my arms. But the dry down? Oh My....it is SO GOOD.

 

I get mainly fig and honey with the sandalwood grounding it all. Maybe a faint hint of coconut. It is what I wanted, and so much more!

 

And Circaea, now I want Eat Me and Dana O'Shee even more than I already did! They're both on my overflowing Wishlist.

[ouch!]

Hmmm strange, I get NO fig from this whatsoever.

 

What I smell when I first apply it is a blast of Almond and Coconut. I am not too find of the labs's almond note and have never really like marzipan and things like that so..it's a bit iffy for me.

 

Once the almond has faded quickly which it always does on me, then this blend becomes much more wearable. It now smells like a beautiful musky, sandalwoody coconut. The coconut is very realistic, alsmost like there's coconut milk in there too along with mashed up soggy coconut meat.

 

It's a very sexy cocount smell. It's not the strongest of BPAL's I've tried in my time but it's still pleasant enough. Not a 5ml purchase for me though.

 

[AlectoFurious]

This was supposed to be epic. Figs, almonds, coconuts? Perfection in a bottle for someone who likes foody scents. Alas, twas not to be. Not sure why, but this has a very acrid, almost burnt sugar smell on me. It fades with time but never reaches the yumminess others have experienced. Curse you body chemistry. I agree with a previous review that it has a beautiful pale violet color to the oil, which is lovely.

[carbonatedmariticide]

110% honeyed almond milk on me, and it's pretty overbearing. not a big fan of overly sweet scents, but it's not my least favorite. the scent itself is pretty pleasant, but it really takes over me!

[JazzieCazzie]

Working my way through the alphabet of my BPAL collection, reviewing and re-reviewing everything. I know this is not my first imp of Eden but already can't recall if I've had this awhile or may have been lagniapped with it during one of my recent flurry of swaps/purchases. The imp is about 2/3 full. I know I've tried it before, liked it, didn't review it and didn't like it quite enough to keep it. So here goes again for the first time.

 

IMP: Smells like candy. The coconut and almond definitely are the prevailing scents to me, though it was the fig, honey and sandalwood that attracted my hard-earned dineros when I first ordered it.

 

Dabbed on wrist.

 

WET: Coconut-honey-almond. It smells like the honey-flavored macaroons I just bought for Passover (I know, it's not for a few weeks, don't judge). I may have to find a recipe for macaroons that has honey and fig in it for the homemade batch I am making for family mini-seder.

 

INITIAL DRYDOWN: For some strange reason, this goes TOTALLY wonky on me. Though all five notes generally play pretty nicely with me, with except of coconut (which is problematic for me because it's TOO SWEET), this is salty and a scent or evocation of something that I can't place at first. Then I realize WHY I can't place it, because it's something I wouldn't normally associate with perfume -- I SMELL LIKE THAI SEAFOOD. Maybe it's because I am so not a fan of Thai food that when I'm dragged along somewhere I stay safe and order coconut-milk something or other. The fig is just barely evident -- despite being first note listed, it's completely drowned out by the coconut and almond.

 

LATER DRYDOWN: Huzzah, huzzah. Fig is a latent but powerful note here. Now? Figgy fig fig fig with some mellowing sandalwood and slightly sweetening honey and almond. Bye bye coconut.

 

OVERALL: I don't think I'm going to keep this because, much as I LOVE LOVE LOVE me my BPAL fig, I plan on buying big bottles of Nemesis and Nephilim on next order (or swapping for them), and they fit the bill better for me.

 

Score on scale of 1-5: 3 on final drydown but off to lagniappe box (imp not full enough to offer as full imp in swap but would make lovely extra).

[Alainn]

Received in a swap with a forumite, vintage unknown. I'll be honest, this has been sitting in the "to be tested" pile for a long time because honey and coconut usually hate me, but I'm alphabetically testing all the random imps I have lying around, and it's next in line, whether I like it or not.

 

In the imp: Creamy smooth almond, sweet, sticky fig, a hint of green from the fig leaf, and warm, dry woods. There's a lot going on here--I can't specifically pick up the coconut or the honey, which makes me happy, but the overall impression is really warm and sweet and comforting.

 

Wet, on skin: Almond, tempered by coconut, I think--it isn't the sharp extract variety from Bastet or Hecate, but just a hint of nuttiness that warms things up. The fig is there, lending the whole thing a dark, sticky feeling without screaming fruity at all. The sandalwood is a little sharp--hopefully that calms down as it dries.

 

Dry: This is gorgeous, and a wonderful surprise success for me. The whole thing comes together to form this warm, slightly sweet, creamy scent with the wood grounding it and keeping it from being too foody. It has decent throw, but isn't overwhelming; it feels like a blend that would be appropriate for a cozy sweater or a an airy sundress, and everything in between. It's so comforting, and manages to be sensual at the same time.

 

Bottle? Yes. Bottle bottle bottle.

[Erinofhere]

the innocence of the Garden, coupled with the Truth and Erudition found in the fruit of the Tree of Evil: fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood.

Mainly what I get is the honeyed almond milk and the toasted coconut. I didn't pick up on the sandalwood or the fig all that much. I didn't pick up on fig leaf at all.

meh..

It also didn't last very long at all and had no throw on me whatsoever.

I really enjoy fig and I adore coconut..but unfortunately fig wasn't strong enough and so far the lab's coconut note doesn't suit me (hopefully it's not how it will always be with the labs coconut note, I have only tried two with coconut listed in the description)

This imp is going into my trade bin.