Eden

[midnight_aeval]

... 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.

 

In the vial I get cherry. Just cherry.. kind of odd.. Then again, my nose apparently can't distinguish cherry from almond- so I might be smelling almond along with everyone else. I sniff again.. no.. it's cherry LOL

 

I applied it and I get a figgy sandalwood scent. It dries down and the coconut really comes out. Overall, it's nice, but way too sickly sweet even for my tastes!

 

ETA: I applied it once more, and now I'm getting more of a green, sweet, almond, coconut sniff.. it isn't making my head hurt from the sweetness, but I really can't do green scents. C'mon, can't I ever win???

Edited July 3, 2006 by Midnight Aeval

[Galatea]

In the Imp: Toasted coconut and tropical fruits.

 

Wet: The coconut is slight and the fruits are more powerful, but overall it's rather difficult to pick out individual notes.

 

Dry: There seems to be a note of tobacco coming out at first drydown, then a bit of cocoa comes out to play with some greenery. About an hour past first applying this one I finally get a bit of the fig scent I love so much!

 

Throw: Great throw. I could smell it occasionally while riding in a car with all the windows open.

 

Overall: A wonderful blend. I don't know why I initially parted with this imp and gave it away so quickly. I think the coconut scent straight from the imp turned me off. So glad I tried it again! It is very tropical smelling overall, and a bit sweet and foodie, but I love it. The ingredients work so well together, and in the end it's just a nice mellow sweetish sandlewood. Perfect.

 

[edenssixthday]

Eden is a really pretty blend, but very sweet. The coconut and honey together make it just way too sweet for my preference. I did, however, find myself constantly sniffing my wrists when I wore it because despite being overly sweet, underneath that sweetness was a beautiful blend of savory fig (one of my favorite fruits and favorite notes) and wood that would have blended just perfectly with either the coconut or the honey, but not with both – it was just too milky sweet. I know many people love this, so I’m sorry I couldn’t enjoy it, as well. It doesn’t have the best throw on me, but it did last for several hours before it faded.

[Miss Lynx]

Hmmm, it's nicer than I thought it would be. I tend to fear coconut and (especially) almond in scents, but they aren't too strong here. Overall, it's fairly nicely balanced, kind of a figgy/nutty/woody hybrid.

 

I keep getting slight incensey notes mixed into it too, but I'm not sure how much of that may be the Fortunato I was already wearing before I dabbed some of this on so that I could try it before Kettu consigned it to our monster swap post.

 

But putting my nose right down to it to keep away for the Fortunato'ed spots, it's a nice, natural-smelling, not-too-sweet scent. However, I think it may be a little too foody for me. Plus, the elements of it that I like are close to Strangler Fig, and I already have that, so I don't think I need to impede Eden's passage into the swaps. I'm glad I tried it, though.

 

Grade: B

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i'd always thought that the fruit in question was a pomegranate ?

 

either way, on me, Eden turns into almonds and coconuts.

[Aiglet]

I really wanted to love this, but it just doesn't work on me.

 

When I first put it on, it was all pretty almonds and milk and honey, but the fig went really sour and kept amping and then dying back and then amping again.

 

Apparently fig just doesn't work on me at all, so no more Eden for me.

[Seanan]

Wet, this is almost overwhelmingly sweet sweet sweeeeeeet, which rather drowned out the individual notes; the honey and fig kept fighting the stickiness to rise briefly to the top, then giving up and dropping back into the mess.

 

As it started to dry, however, it began to complicate itself, the sweetness amping back to allow the honey and the sharpness of the fig to fully emerge. Once it finally finished drying and mellowing, it settled into a sweet, delicate, complex scent that reminded me of fig trees in the spring, all buzzing bees and opening flowers. -Very- nice.

 

The one issue I had with this perfume is that it didn't last more than a few hours once it hit dry-down, which meant reapplying and living through the sweeeet again if I wanted to keep smelling of figs in spring.

[lilfaerywingz]

In the imp: very almondy! almost amarettoish

wet: I'm getting the almond still and lots of coconut. smells YUMMY.

dry: still almond/coconut but a bit of fig. About an hour later the sandlewood REALLY pops out.

 

nice scent. I'd say even for a guy it would be divine

[Dymphna]

I've been putting off posting any reviews for ages because I can be absurdly shy about the silliest things. I've kept them all saved on my computer, though, so I'm just going to start posting them, and my beloved Eden must be the first! (Of course, then I check my review file and can't find it. Good thing I know this scent by heart!)

 

In the bottle: This has the sharp, almost-sour smell of coconut milk. I know it's supposed to be toasted coconut, but it smells like coconut milk to me. It does not entice me, and every time I open the bottle or an imp to put some on, I have to remind myself how good this will get. Sniffing a little more carefully, I can smell the dryness of the almond milk (non-sweetened almonds smell dry to me, don't ask me why) and the sandalwood.

 

Wet: Still sharp and almost-sour. Half sweet honey and coconut and half dry almond milk and sandalwood. There's also a bit of thick sweetness from the fig, but it's very faint on me. The coconut in this is fabulously real. It's not the "suntan oil" type of coconut (which I also love) and it's not overly sweet. It smells like a real coconut, creamy yet dry and only slightly sweet.

 

Dry: This is the best part! As the minutes pass, Eden develops more and more body and depth. After a half hour, the coconut and almond milk blend beautifully into one creamy, slightly sweet, delicately rich scent. The sandalwood sits in the background like a sober duenna, keeping an eye on them so they don't go too far. This lasts for quite a while on me, sometimes several hours, and has a nice, moderate level of throw.

 

I love this scent. LOVE IT! Eden was my first big bottle purchase and is one of my go-to comfort scents because once it dries down it smells kind of like my skin, only better. I hope it's never discontinued. I'd cry.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Interesting, not at all what I was expecting. I guess this must be fig I am smelling? I wish I had more experience picking out single notes. This is pungent (in the good sense of the word, I know it has negative connotations, but not here). It almost smells like vegetable matter decaying, but it's not a bad smell... Hard to describe.

 

On the wrist, wet: It's hard to identify any single notes in this, probably because I suck at single notes to begin with. This is earthy and pungent to me, not a dirt smell, like Zombi, but a growing things smell. Slightly foody with a hint of something sweeter. I think that must be the honeyed almond milk.

 

On the wrist, dry: This makes me think of beautiful hippie women. For some reason this scent just screams sexy hippie to me. It's nurturing and empowering, it gets sweeter the longer I wear it and it's such a thick, rich and complex scent. It keeps getting stronger as well. I get a sense of the toasted coconut now, I had to read the description before I could identify it as coconut, I thought maybe hazelnut. A really beautiful earthy woman scent.

 

Final Analysis: Alas, there was something in this that sharpened on me over time, much like berries tend to do on me. This is a gorgeous scent but my chemistry won't allow it.

[neuilly]

Wet: Wet almonds...touch of milk.

 

Dry: Such a creamy rich blend! Almons, coconut, honey, milk...I don't get much fig or sandalwood. I was hoping for lot sof fig because I love it but this is still a wonderful blend! Definitely getting a bottle!

Edited August 10, 2006 by neuilly

[marlatiara]

My second review ever:

 

In the imp: Oh, this is really strong. VERY strong. Overpowering. I don't think I'm going to like this one...

 

Wet on me: Yummy! Very sweet, I almost want to lick it. Very coconut (my husband and I agreed it smelled like the beach - tropical, sunscreeny)

 

Dry: Now I can smell the flowers, the fig, and still the coconut. It's still strong several hours later and I could see myself bathing in this one (for today I just have a drop on the crook of my elbow, but that seems to be plenty to start with). It's all sweetness and deliciousness. I like it a lot.

[bifemmefatale]

Oh yum! Eden, where have you been all my life?

 

I was excited to try this one, because coconut and almond are two of my favorite notes, and I am not disappointed.

 

First sniff out of the bottle reveals the green fig leaf--at once both grassy and earthy-sweet, teamed up with my familiar beloved almond, but not the soft milky almond from Dana O'Shee, which the description had led me to expect, but bitter almonds like Eclipse. After a few minutes, the almond dies back as it almost always does, and the coconut and fig come to the fore--the coconut is wonderful! Not as sweet and overpowering as in Elegba, not as mild and fleeting as in Obatala, just pitch-perfect, with the warm dark figs backing it up. I'm surprised at the relative lightness of the fig note. I expected it to be very sticky and heavy, but it's really lovely! Eventually the sandalwood shows up too, adding a hint of perfumey depth to the scent to keep it from being entirely foody.

 

Medium throw and staying power. Thumbs up!

[fiddledragon]

This was not at all what I was expecting. Normally, both almond and coconut have the risk of going horribly sweet on me -- especially almond. Fig goes all dusty-dark, which I love, but it didn't come out and play at all. No, the almond and coconut were on top, very green (which was probably aided by the bitter green that I assume is fig leaf), and the sandalwood added a bit of depth. The milk added a subtle warmth, but otherwise it and the honey were also not very strong.

 

Somehow this translated to an almost exact aroma of Thai lemongrass coconut milk soup. With cilantro.

 

I am deeply confused.

[m13]

On me, this starts off overwhelmingly almond but that fades within seconds.

 

Then a wonderfully odd green note manifests, as others have noted it smells like freshly crushed leaves. Shortly after that this morphs into a scent that's very reminiscent of Hungry Ghost Moon, green and fresh but with an underlying sugary sweetness. It's a perfect balance between the fresh/sugar notes and I'm thrilled that I may have found a worthy sub for my beloved HGM.

 

Edited because hitting the correct keys on the keyboard is very difficult when your right wrist is fastened to your nose.

Edited August 16, 2006 by arcadia

[nsomniak6]

Ok, so I'm not so good at picking out individual notes, but I I definitely picked up coconut in this one! In the bottle it was lovely, but as soon as I put it on...WHAM, instant headache! (To be fair I was already strting to get a headache but this sent me over the edge!)

Wet: It was a bright, nasty green smell, that I can't descibe, but I usually don't mind green.

 

Drying: All I wanted to do was wash this off, but that was no dice-- it is persistent! It is this rotten sweet scent that reminds me of old lady perfume! Not good!

 

After washing and dry: It is still rotten, but powdery with a coconutty-sandlewood scent.

 

I guess I am in the minority...

[mountainwitch]

A fig scent that goes super-sweet on me. Just over-the-top figgy sweetness--actually, I smell like a dead ringer for a Fig Newton. I used to like Fig Newtons as a kid, but I don't really want to smell like one now.

 

This one smelled way better on my boyfriend; the sandalwood balances out the sweetness and gives the whole fragrance a little more bite. Funny, because I figured the sweet notes would have made this one very feminine . . . That's not always the case! I guess Adam can do this one as well as Eve.

[fiddlehead]

This is my favorite of all the figgy oils I've tried. It actually does remind me of the scent of cut fig branches when I trim my fig tree back. Swirling amongst the green notes are easily discernable notes of coconut and sandalwood. I don't get a lot of almond, thankfully. It's a fresh, green, slightly sweet scent on my skin. Very nice! Reminds me of the end of Summer.

[kryshki]

Almond and coconut, very very sweet in the bottle. Didn't care for it at first, smells too fruity-sweet.

 

Still wet, it is very sweet, but not overly so in my opinion. Honey more noticeable.

 

Dry: interestingly still sweet, but stays on longer than usual for me with sweet. The sandalwood is now discernible, but not overly so.

 

I like it a lot more than I thought from the initial smell.

[Faeried]

Very coconuttish and very strong. There were flowerish hints as well. Overall it's not an unpleasant scent, just reminded me a bit too much of tanning oil.

But if you like coconut, this would be a good choice for you.

[storme]

In the imp: almonds! actual almond smell, rather than the marzipan scent I usually get from BPAL almond. And coconut.

 

On me, wet: coconut cake of some sort, but moist and rich and sweet instead of dry. Interesting. This is the kind of scent folks mean when they like cakey scents, isn't it?

 

On me, dry: coconut and fig cake. This is nice, but making me sneeze. And it's fading fast.

 

Verdict: Interesting, but I think I'm still not sold on smelling like a cake even when it works okay on me.

[MrsDevilDog]

my favorite!

 

at first sniff, eden is very bitter on me. as soon as it's dry, however, it becomes a very complex, sweet, sexy, grown-up scent, with each note blending so that no one is overpowering any other. it's very strong and lasts forever on me, too!

[akw]

Recently arrived frimp. Thank you lab, as I might not have tried it otherwise!!

 

In imp and wet on skin - strong toasted coconot over some background almond and honey. I don't get the green that many others have.

 

15 or so minutes later (still a little wet), the coconut fades a little and the fig comes forth. The combination of the coconut, almond and fig is just gorgeous with none of the notes taking over from the others. Sandalwood starts to come forward but not too much yet.

 

Early dry-down, it stays about the same -- beautiful, well-blended, sort of round and luscious.

 

Later dry-down, that lushness fades a little and the sandalwood is more noticeable, but it stays lovely for hours.

 

Bottle on the horizon!!

[Ghost_Light]

My friend, Eden, came over to look at my imp collection and asked what Eden smelled like. I told her it smelled like Coconut. All coconut, all the time. That was my first experience with it at my sniff party, which is why I have made a habit of trying every imp at least twice. Today was the day for Eden.

 

In the imp, I smelled all coconut with just a trace of something darker and sweeter behind it. The fig perhaps?

 

As soon as I put it on, almond ran up and punched me in the nose (luckily, I am not opposed to that), then ran to hide behind the coconut. Twice I started to offer my wrist for someone to sniff, then changed my mind and had the person still remark "Ooo, coconut!"

 

As I wore it, the coconut (with that meaty, rich maybe-fig sweetness still lurking behind it) began to mingle with a whisper of sandalwood. I was in heaven for a good 7 hours. Then something else began to creep in behind it. It was undefinable at first, I thought it might be more of the sandalwood, which grew stronger by the hour.

 

Could it be? No, no. I'm going to deny it. I like this scent far, far too much for it to be THAT.

 

About 9 hours in, there was no denying it any longer. It had moved in to stay. Candle wax. I smelled exactly like a fat, waxy sandalwood candle.

 

Farewell, Eden. Would that honey were kinder to me, we could have been life-long companions.

[maribouquet]

Paradise must smell like buttered popcorn...!

 

That's what Eden goes straight to on me, with a bit of coconut peeking out in the drydown.

 

Yummy, but not what I'd choose for a personal scent, I'm afraid.