Hecate

[ccelaya]

Magnificent three-faced Goddess of Magic, the Dark Moon and the Crossroads. She is the Mother of Witches, and the midnight baying of hounds is her paean. Her compassion is evidenced in her role as Psychopomp for Persephone, and her wrath manifests as Medea’s revenge. Deep, buttery almond layered over myrrh and dark musk.

​Bottle: Sweet Almond (the top note reminds me of Voodoo)

Skin: Dark Musk

Dry down: Sweet myrrh

This dries into something sweet and powdery. It's not as strong as I thought it would be. I'll keep the imp, but no bottle purchase.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Mostly almond, with the myrrh note lingering in the background.

 

Wet: The almond note reigns. The myrrh and dark musk do not appear until the scent begins its drydown. I believe this is the same dark musk note found in Cheshire Cat, and the almond and myrrh combination remind me of Bastet (but less complex, and not nearly as awesome). The almond note's butteriness is emerging more over time.

 

Dry: The almond has calmed down significantly, so that the myrrh and musk are now the dominate notes, and the almond is adding a bit of sweetness in the background.

 

Verdict: This one is okay, but it's very powdery on my skin, so I'll be getting rid of my imp. I prefer Eclipse for an almond scent.

[Soupy Twist]

Sigh. Just like every other BPAL almond: a beautiful cherry-almond in the bottle and for the first 10 minutes, and then... it's gone. Fades to sour musk and then sickly-sweet myrrh.

[Cali]

Big nope for me, I can't stand almond. A very sweet, semi-dark concoction with sO MUCH ALMOND.

[Casablanca]

Wand: A rich, buttery almond with a little darkness. Almond haters, beware. This is not friendly ground for you.

Wet: An engrossing buttery almond. Its trace of darkness keeps this from becoming foodie for me.

Dry: The black musk and myrrh emerge as this dries. The almond steps back but still contributes some nutty sweetness. The early dry stage seems best.

Likable. Uncomplicated. This is to almonds what Haunted (amber and black musk) is to ambers. I bottled Haunted and may eventually bottle this.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Super sweet almond (aka cherry to my nose). Hoping this settles down and the musk and Myrrh emerge.

 

 

Dry: All the notes are present and in balance. It's quite a sweet scent, and a bit of an odd combination. I like it, but I don't think it's very "me" and I can't really see ever wearing it.

[Bamels]

Frimp. The almond is the dominant fragrance in the imp. On and wet, it smells like a slightly boozy frangipan. The myrrh is becoming stronger as it dries. I'm almost liking it, but the buttery almond is too gourmand for me at the moment. The smell has gone within 10 minutes. What a shame!

[Psuke]

When i first put this on I was not a fan. Creamy, sweet, plastic. No myrhh, no musk, practically diametrically opposed to what I was hoping for when I bought my imp.

 

However after 20 minutes or so, the myrrh and musk have come more to forefront, making this a smokiefm spicier scent. It is stil creamier and sweeter than I was aiming for, but it's much more wearable.

[theredkilt]

This smells like the beautiful black musk from Haunted with an undertone of almond. The myrh gradually makes the black musk turn powdery and the almond disappears. In the end it's a delicate powdery dark musk.

Edited January 19, 2017 by theredkilt

[lizabelle]

Wet on my skin this is dreadfully sharp, and I was worried it would be another no from me, but then it morphed and it's glorious. This is a different almond note than I've ever smelled before--not the sweet cherry-esque marzipan note that I recognize, but one that is deeper, darker, and truly buttery. It almost verges into baked goods territory! Underneath is dark spice and musk warmed by the almond to be creamy and borderline-sweet. It's faking my nose out a little and making me think there's vanilla, actually. I love this and definitely need a bottle.

[galahad]

In the Vial:

Yep, it's almond and rancid butter alright (butter notes instantly turn to rank, rancid butter on my skin)

On the Skin:

Marzipan and then the musk turns it to evil marzipan. I actually do get the myrrh coming through.

On the drydown:

Didn't let it get that far. Not a full on almond fan (it's OK in moderation as a supporting note)

[joopjoop]

Gorgeous almost salty almond to start. This quickly morphs into an almost SN Black Musk on me with a touch of almond and little bit of myrrh peaking around the edges. The Black Musk is nice, but not really my thing. I'll stick with Queen of Sheba and Eclipse when I'm in the mood for a deep rich almond-forward scent.

[DiZZysTARdust]

I was very hesitant to try this because of the description. I kind of dislike food scents, especially sweet, baked-good types, which the word "buttery" really evoked for me. In the end curiosity won out because I really wanted to try a perfume based on the mother of witches. I'm glad I did because I really love it. In the bottle was straight maraschino cherries, which was also a little perturbing. Once I put it on the cherries became much less sweet but stayed the dominant note. I feel like this is perfectly blended because I sense the musk and myrhh without them becoming too incensey. Others have described this blend as "smoky" or "dark" and I think that is a perfect description. Smoked cherries. It's not foody or fruity imo, which seems a little backwards as it is cherries but works nicely. I accidentally applied this a little heavier handed than normal but it worked out, the scent has a medium to strong throw and lasts upwards of two hours without morphing. The cherries fade away after that but the blend stays sweet and reminiscent of them.

[achildoftime]

I try to at least give every scent a try just in case there is a pleasant surprise. This was not one of those for me. Almonds are rarely my thing and myrrh and I have a contentious relationship. And this pretty lived up to my expectations. It was like sweet almond oil soap, so that's kind of a bummer.

[roseus]

In the imp: sweet almond. Smells like pastries.

 

Wet: grape candy borderline cough syrup.

 

Dry: dark musky almond, which stays nutty and doesn't go into cherry territory. I quite like it though it's not something I'd really wear as a perfume.

[Candlewight]

At the very start, it's definitely almondy. It takes only a second for another lovely scent to take over. It feels different breathing in than breathing out. The intake is a kind of generic musk smell, but the out-breath makes it: herbal and heady, which I'm guessing is the myrrh! With more time, the musk and herbs mingle, with more herbal on the out-breath (does this only happen to me?) Sadly, I find it mellows into a simple musk within 3-4 hours. I miss the myrrh!

Edited April 2, 2018 by Candlewight

[biggnerd]

in the imp: amaretto over soap

 

wet: amaretto and maraschino cherries over a slight soap

 

drying down: amaretto and cherry are battling with soapy myrrh, who is going to win?

 

dry: oh fie, dark musk and your ash tray scent plus myrrh and your soap.

 

dang, the almond smell was so lovely.

Edited September 6, 2018 by biggnerd

[milo]

I am an almond fiend, so I was excited to get a frimp of this one. Right away, almond, strong, but doesn't last long. The myrrh and musk make an appearance, but it turns the blend more to almond soap to me, which I don't mind, as I've been digging soapy scents lately. I will use the imp, but it probably won't be an upgrade.

[Eis Hexe]

In the bottle:  extremely strong almond scent.  I have almond oil based polishes for wood furniture and floors by Method and they smell exactly the same.

 

On the skin:  the almond is still the strongest scent, crowding out the rest.  Even after drying a few moments all I could detect was almond.

 

Drying:  I want to say that there is amaretto in here.  I can begin to detect the musk, which melds with the sweeter nut scent to become buttery as amber tends to be.

 

Dry:  Warm musk that has melded completely with the almond and myrrh.  It's sweet, but not a cloying sweet.  Rich, buttery and comforting.  More Hekate Soteira than Hekate Mastigophorous!

 

I absolutely adore this scent and I think it's perfect for the winter season, as well as being perfect for wearing mindfully to honor those aspects of the goddess.  I can see this as being suitable for everyday use, honestly.  It's blended in with the natural scent of my skin and isn't jarring or overpowering.

 

[monocainsheresy]

Super sweet and smokey with a floral/boozy edge from the combo of almond and musk. Very nice, but not my favorite almond.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Ooohhhhhh yes. Sweet almond-cherry with myrrh. I love almond blends, so I have high hopes for this gal.

 

Dry: Darn. The myyrh and the dark musk seem to have taken over the blend completely; there is NO almond coming through now. 

 

Dry-down was a bummer, but since the wet stage was a winner, I might try this in my hair!

[muined]

This was the imp from my initial waters-testing order that made me fall in love with BPAL, and I still think of it as my scent. I get very little myrrh or musk from it either in the bottle or on my skin. Just, like, a bearclaw. But last week a girl in my Paleontology class asked if I was the one who smelt like incense (and sniffed my neck; thank you, BPAL!). As it dries it gets a little baby powder-y, but I like that; maybe a colloidal oatmeal lotion from a childhood memory. I put Hecate on after showering, or on cold mornings, but there is an aspect of nighttime to it. I first tried it on while reading Nabokov's Laughter in the Dark, and it reminds me of the (original) ending of that novel: “Everything was as before–dark, velvety dark–and someone’s hands, many hands, grabbed him from all sides.”

[niffler]

In the imp: Almonds. All the almond extract and every almond tart ever. The myrrh and musk are desperately trying to take it somewhere, but right now we’re stuck with almonds. This was a frimp and one I didn't know anything about, so I got a bit of a surprise when I opened it. 

On...everything? A drop must have leaked onto the table because something's contaminated with sweet almonds and my skin suddenly seems determined to amp the heck out of anything vaguely almond related. Took a good long while for the scent to calm down even with washing. This was an experience for sure, and probably not one I'll repeat. 

[puellacaerulea]

In the imp and once on: Almond! Lots of sweet almond; having a hard time picking out the other notes. As it dries down, the myrrh amps up a lot more. It is slightly powdery, but that and the hint of dark musk balance out the sweetness of the almond. Overall, dark (but not overpowering) and subtly sweet; worth trying if you're into almond or myrrh. Not yet sure if I need a full bottle (Wander Darkling in the Eternal Space will be meeting all my moody myrrh scent needs for the foreseeable future), but I like it and will hang onto my imp.

[Laughing Seagull]

I purchased an imp of this from a forumite.  In the vial:  The cherry-like almond scent that I know and love!

 

On skin: The aggressive cherry-almond backs off for the most part and the myrrh and dark musk take over with a memory of an almond croissant (yum) hanging in the background. As an enjoyer of both myrrh and dark musk, I'm not disappointed by this outcome.

 

I don't have the issue that others seem to have with it going powdery.  Hecate remains lightly sweet but not too sweet with just a little wisp of smoke.  The scent sticks fairly close to my skin for several hours and on the whole feels quite cozy.  I expect to at least use up the imp; we'll see how I feel about a bottle later.