Hecate

[smallvoice]

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.

 

Tested thanks to the GC swap quikslvr arranged!

 

I tested this one without reading what the notes were first.

 

I think I want an imp of this, as my nose has gotten a little more sensitive since my first test. That being said, here are my notes on it:

 

In the imp: Fresh, clean. (It's that initial blast of almonds; I can identify it now. It wasn't buttery at all, to my nose. Isn't that strange?)

 

On my skin: Reminds me of Panacea: Seduction somewhat. Then it turns soapy, and ultimately it's just not complex to my nose.

 

I think I washed it off too soon. I think the myrrh and almond together would dry down beautifully together. Must retest.

Edited August 15, 2006 by Shollin

[porcelain72]

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite books was Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley and Me, Elizabeth. That has absolutely nothing to do with this review, it's just when I first heard the name "Hecate."

 

Onward.

 

In the bottle this was cloyingly sweet. It smelled sticky, for lack of a better description, and though it didn't smell fruity it for some reason reminded me of the syrup that comes with canned fruit cocktail. It stayed that way upon application, and, fearing I'd be a homing beacon for bees and mosquitoes, I briefly considered washing it off. I gave it a chance, though, and I'm glad I did, because upon dry down it's mellowed into a light incense mixed with baby powder scent (and I do mean light, unfortunately, less than two hours after application it's starting to fade). I wish I could have experienced the almond intensity that most of the other folks on here described, but I didn't get that at all, not even on initial application. Still, I'll hold onto this one.

[filigree_shadow]

The first time I tried this I thought it smelled smoky, hazy, and dark. Then I got a frimp from the Lab, so I tried this new one. It smells like cherries to me at first, not cranberries, definitely cherries. As it dries I think I can detect a little bit of ginger, but not much. There is something in this that strongly reminds me of the Glade air freshener (you remember those can-like things with the scented jelly-type stuff inside) that my grandma used to keep on the back of her toilet. So, as you can guess, I don't really want to smell like that. As it's drying it doesn't smell quite as much like the air freshener, but now that I've got that image in my head I can't get it out. The scent is getting better as time goes by, but now it's turning powdery.

 

I kinda wish this one smelled like that first imp I had... wonder what I did with that one. I'll see if I can track it down.

Edited August 2, 2006 by filigree_shadow

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is a very buttery, gourmandy almond

 

omG...once applied this stuff is pure heaven...a perfect balance of the musk,

myrrh and almond make this a delicious indulgence for me...

 

strong and long lasting i am certain i need a big bottle of this delightfully

gorgeous scent

[birdiefu]

I love myrrh, I love musk. Almonds and I get along in small doses, but too much makes me sick. So my first whiff of the imp of Hecate made me very worried- mega almond! Right after applying it was super almondy, way too much for me but I waited. Next sniff- oh my...moldy almonds . I was determined to see this scent out so I let it do it's thing a little longer. 10 minutes in, the moldy note turns into smoke. Better, but still too almondy. Another 10 minutes later and the almond magically faded away leaving the myrrh behind. One hour after applying, it's faded a lot, leaving a very light, smokey myrrh behind, and the musk never showed up.

 

All in all, I'm not sure if the short, nicer drydown is worth the almond blast in the beginning. I would send it to the swap pile, but its Hecate so I'm keeping her .

[wanderlustlover]

It smells warm and musky in the tube, but once it hits my skin I can finally smell the butter. About an hour later I can smell the softer, almost but not quite sweet scent of the almond. Sadly, the musk and myrrh never emerge from this scent. I never get a whiff or wave of the mentioned psychpomp, wrath, time, wisdom, magic, mystery or spice that should be associated with her. I'd say I could keep this and see how it ages, but i don't think I could where this scent with the deity connotations of the title.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i don't like almonds.

that being said:

 

skinsniff, wet: cherryalmond

 

skinsniff, dry: almost cinnamon and almonds. i feel the dark musk but i can't smell it.

 

skinsniff, an hour later: baby powder and almost-spice.

like the lost Spice Girl -- "Almost Spice"

[Aevalin]

This was my very first BPAL imp ever sampled (and this is my first review ! ). At first when I sniffed it in the imp I thought it was much too strong for me. I couldn't smell almonds at first, but as soon as it touched my skin it was very apparent. In the first few minutes I thought it was going to be too strong for me, but after 5 or 10 minutes it mellowed to a dark mellow musk with a touch of almond. This one is a keeper

[PurringPulsar]

Hecate

 

In the imp: whoo, heavy almonds. This reminds me of Bastet.

Wet on skin: dark, heavy amaretto. This is very boozy almond liqueur! The almonds do get more nutty though.

Dry on skin: as the almonds gradually fade away, I'm left with a deep, dark, sweet black musk with resinous, sticky, exotic myrrh underneath. This actually reminds me of Haunted, with a hint of the myrrh note that I've smelt in things like Wicked, LPM and Phantom. There's an almost amber like feel to this as well. I still get a hint of nutty (not cherry like) almond on top of it all.

After a while: this is still very similar to Haunted. It's less golden than Haunted, and has a slightly oily feel to it (no bad thing). It reminds me of a less complex Black Phoenix as well. this is actually quite a sexy scent, I think. It's warm, smooth, sleek and has a real 'skin scent' to it, with a delightful myrrh note. There are times when it does remind me slightly of baby oil. Eventually it turns pleasantly powdery, a soft, sweet, myrrh-musk powder.

Verdict: after the strong, boozy almond fades, this smells very much like Haunted with myrrh instead of amber. It has a similar smooth, slightly powdery resin-musk scent, sweet and exotic and deep. It's a lovely fragrance, uncomplicated in it's components but I really like the interaction of myrrh and musk, it's also the base for a lot of other scents in BPAL, I think (some of which are favourites, like Khephra and Arabian Nights). I like this but because it's so similar to other more complex scents, I may or may not keep the imp.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Might keep the imp.

If you like this, try: Haunted, La Petite Mort, Khephra, Bastet

[Dinerdulcinea]

imp: OMG! What a gorgeous, unplaceable smell!

on: ALMOND! It's a sweet almond smell I smell. I can smell cranberries too. I love it!

Later: meh. becomes a bit generic and too candy after a while. Oh well.

[Miss Lynx]

I got this in a swap not so much because I wanted it myself as because I know a lot of people who work with the goddess it's named for, and was reasonably sure one of them would like it. (I'm finding that as my wishlist gets shorter, the only way I can really swap for things most of the time is to pick stuff I plan to give to other people.)

 

The main reason I didn't think I'd like it was the almond. Almond is one of my least favourite notes in all creation. I like actual almonds, to eat, but I hate with a burning passion amaretto, marzipan, almond extract and anything flavoured with any of the above. I think I may have read one too many Agatha Christie novels at an early age (all the cyanide poisoning scenes mention the smell of almonds). And yet somehow, I decided to try it anyway.

 

Anyway... in the imp, and when fresh on my skin this was massively almondy, albeit with interesting dark undertones. But one of the things that occasionally redeems almond-containing scents for me is that it's one of those aggressive top notes that comes on strong but then fades away really fast. So within minutes after it hit my skin, the almond began fading down to a manageable level, so that soon enough it was not nearly as bad as you might think. The myrrh and musk came out to play, and considerably improved things.

 

Eventually, the almond subsided completely, and it dried down to a soft, dark, musky incense scent that did indeed seem very suitable for Hecate. But I don't know that it was worth suffering through the almond for.

 

And as luck would have it, I have not even been successful in giving it to any of my Hecate-loving friends thus far. One of them, upon trying it, sniffed her arm and said "The marzipan of the Dark Goddess? Now that's just wrong." But I continue to hope it will find love somewhere.

 

Grade: C+

[blackrosepassion]

Initial impression: Oh so yummy, almond smell with something hiding behind it but oh so strong almond. I could sit here sniffing it all day - Perhaps I will have to try it as a room scent.

 

While wearing: Sweet with something slightly bitter hiding behind, Musk and smoky like a ritual at the dark of the moon. Ethereal it is there but not there.

 

Conclusion: This is rich and sweet with a slight bitterness hiding in the distance. It is a witch at midnight on the dark of the moon, a quiet fey glade in the evening. On me it smells mostly of a smoky musk and almond.

 

Rating: 4/5

 

Would Buy: For sure.

[supremegoddessofall]

Tried this at a meet and sniff. To hell with what the notes say. This is chemical cherry vomit, and I couldn't wait to get it off.

[Ghost_Light]

When I tried this at the sniff party, I loved it.

 

As so often happens, the almonds ran up and took over my nose, but the myrrh and musk came in with a smoky sweetness that took over almost immediately. Geolinguist suggested that, while it was very nice, Hecate smelled more like my Ren Fair character than me (which was hours of hilarity as people demanded to know why Geolinguist knows what a pirate wench smells like).

 

I loved it, but there was something off about it. Not an off odor, it smelled divine, just something that made it not quite "fit".

 

When I flew home to surprise my mom for her birthday, I brought some imps for us to try together (Enabling? Me?). That is how I discovered why Hecate didn't fit me.

 

Where Hecate was huge on me, a real in your face "Hellooooooooo Nurse!" scent, on my mother it was subtle, brilliantly blended and...okay, I'm going to say it....sexy. Dead sexy.

 

Hecate didn't fit me because I was playing dress up in my mother's scent.

 

Keeping the imp? It seems to want to keep me. I've gotten 3 or 4 of them and I pass them along to mom.

 

Bottle? Only for mom.

Edited March 17, 2007 by Ghost Light

[lanablade]

In the imp: Aaaaaalmond. And something deeper, maybe the musk.

 

Wet: More almond. It's really strong for a few seconds, then poofs out of existance. The Myrrh really jumps up and says HELLO after that. I think I've finally indentified Myrrh as one of the scents that hits my nose as 'PERFUME'.

 

Dry: Yay. The almond came back, and brought a friend. The myrrh, thankfully, has stopped jumping up and down for attention and is blending pleasantly with the almond and musk. The longer I wear it, the more complex it gets.

 

I think myrrh is going to have to go on my list of 'potentially dangerous' scents because it makes my eyes burn if it's too strong, and (like Dragon's Blood) is too much to wear near my face. Once the myrrh was beaten into submission, though, this was a very pleasant scent. Just not for me.

[klavierbarrette]

imp: the almond oil my mom cooks cookies and stuff with! O_O

 

the almond is still there and i think i can smell myrrh. where is the musk! i would love this if i could smell the musk!

 

ahh there it is!! with money, this one might be purchased

[mtlaise]

I love foody smells, and was excited to try my first almondy one. Wet, this felt to me like I had poured a bottle of liquid almonds on my arm... yummy smell, but way too powerful; the throw was incredible. Thankfully, that only lasted 2-3 minutes, then it toned down to a comfortable level. The next time I sniffed it, about 15 minutes later, the almond seemed to be just an accent on top of a bed of musk and a bit of myrrh... This would be great if I liked either of those scents as much as I like almond - a great blend of the 3 notes at this point though. I think my skin amps myrrh way too much because about 5 minutes later, and until the scent faded away, all I could smell was myrrh - strong myrrh. At least the throw is less than it was when this was wet, so I don't feel I need to wash it off, but myrrh just isn't for me, I fear...

[Naamah_Darling]

This is all almond in the bottle, a cool, thick cherry/nutty smell bottomed out with a cola-like dark musk similar to the one in Smut.

 

On, it goes up in a smoky drift of incense; thick, spicy myrrh twining around the cherry almond and eventually consuming it. The musk is throaty and full, a good match with the incense. This is a very dark scent, very female yet not quite feminine. The musk and almond are for beauty, but the myrrh adds an unexpectedly sorcerous influence to the blend, a nice little thread of witchcraft.

 

It dries warm incense and musk; a brindled, copper-colored scent with just a faint hint of the almond off in the background like moonlight. Quite pleasant and very sensual.

[eafrancoeur]

Wet this is strong, almost sickly sweet almond with a slight hint of something deep and warm in the background.

 

As it dries the almonds quickly begin to mellow and the deep warmth starts to emerge. Then suddenly, out of left field, it turns to cheap dime-store perfume

 

This one's off to the enabling/swap pile.

[lightgatherer]

Ugh, this does not smell good when I first put it on. After a while the almond starts to come out, and I get a bit of musk and oddly enough, a floral note. The floral note dies away after a bit. About 90 minutes after application I get the most delicious buttery almond musk drifting up from my wrist. I was in a meeting at work when this scent hit, and I was eager to get out of the meeting to give my wrist a good huff. Sadly, by the time my meeting ended 30 minutes later, the lovely scent had died utterly. While I loved the way this smelled during my meeting, it's too short a nice period to make up for the icky starting smell.

[Ophelia193]

Out of the bottle: Very sweet almond

 

On skin: Still very sweet, more buttery almond. Hints of musk and myrrh. Too sweet for me.

[EauQue]

In the imp:

Smoky almonds. Dark and Intense

 

On me Wet:

Pure Almond Joy. Within 30 seconds, the musk is right there! Three minutes later, the myrrh comes to the forefront, leaving the almond and musk behind.

 

30 minutes:

I cannot identify what I am sensing. It must be the dark musk. Ah yes it is. And a hint of baby powder too. Musk always gets powdery on me, but in a GOOD way. Can sense no almond at this point; it's as though it's melded into my skin.

 

45 minutes:

why am I smelling lemon?

 

1 hour: the lemon went away. I"m thinking of adding a few drops to some unscented lotion. THAT would be best for me, but just not as a out-n-out Parfum.

[le fey]

In the bottle:

Almond extract with something spicy added.

 

Wet:

The musk joins the almond now, along with something biting and dark...the myrrh? Strong throw, dark and powerful. So far, I am loving this.

 

Dry (15 min):

Smoky musk, softened by almond. This is really good. Really really good.

 

Later (45 min):

The almond is gone now, or at least not detectable. What's left is a soft musk the smells lovely. I think the myrrh is doing something divine here but I am not sure what - the musk is much nicer than I normally find it to be. Something is cutting the gaminess and leaving it really lush and beautiful.

 

Wind Down (2 hours):

Soft, almost gone (rats), but lovely to the end. Exotic without being in-yer-face, and very, very sexy and mature.

 

Verdict:

Oh Hecate, I am yours! rawr.

[captainoats]

In the imp: ALMONDS, OH GOD. Also something else, but not the butter. Seriously almondy. A little bit boozy, almost.

On, wet: Ack, still almonds, almonds, almonds. Like some kind of almondy lotion, but more almond and less lotion. I smell no butter, musk, or myrrh.

 

Drying: Slightly less almond, a little bit of the musk (maybe?) is showing up now. Oh, it's getting nicer by the second, but none of the smokiness other people are getting.

Dry: Nice, but mostly like a dried baby powder with some type of almond-esque scent to it. It would be pretty if I were, um, older?

Verdict: Not at all what I was hoping for - I wanted something warm and buttery and golden. A definite for the swap pile. I'd give it a 2/5.

[LadyCrow]

Wet: If perfumes can be said to reflect subtle suggestions from the perfumer, Beth seriously wants me to chug some amaretto.

 

On skin: There must be some cinnamon in this -- it reddened my skin within five minutes of application. I must have the weird chemistry from hell (and I'll retry this at another point in my cycle, I guess), because it very quickly morphed into soap -- then, after a comparatively short time, vanished into myrrh-y powder. There was a nice nutty thing going on during drydown, where the three major notes were nicely balanced, but that stage didn't last nearly as long as I could have wished, and I got the musk only relatively late in the blend's lifecycle.

 

Still, I can see this having potential on my hair or as a room scent. But what the heck -- they can't all be winners, or we'd all be broke, right?