Forbidden Fruit

[maewitch]

As light and innocent as your first time should have been. The fresh scent of lotus hidden behind lightly scented flowers, amber, and citrus.

Is this the lotus I smell, this strange, nose-tickly-sweet floral?

If it is, then lotus is on my list of things to avoid. Really, all I can smell is this note, and it is NOT working for me. I can't even pick up anything else in the blend.

I don't think this is a bad blend...I think I just don't like what lotus smells like.

[wanderingredhead]

This is the first BPAL scent I've tried. In the bottle it's very sweet, fruity floral.

 

Wet on skin it smells strongly of one note, I guess it's lotus, but it reminds me vaguely of honeysuckle. There is a hint of fruity tang in the background, but it's very faint. I can see why other posters mentioned bubblegum. That's pretty spot on.

 

I think my body hates this scent. The first time I tried it, I felt extremely nauseated, and now it's giving me a headache. I washed it off within minutes of putting it on.

It's just too sweet for me, so it will go off to the swap pile.

[sideviewhotel]

Damnit. Why is it that I love fruity scents usually (AKA Bath & Body Works fruity stuff) but fruity BPAL goes strong and cloying and.. generally 'ew' on me? This is such a bummer. Fruit Moon, Titania & now Forbidden Fruit all go kinda gross on me.

 

Yuck, yuck, yuck. To the swap pile. AWAY!

[Monster]

First whiff I smell fruit, scend whiff I smell the dirty, poopy diaper smell of jasmine in here.

 

I wasn't even going to attempt putting this on my skin. It's too floral and very not me.

[Orodemniades]

Wet: sweet like candy, as it dries becomes a little bubblegum-y

Drydown 1 hour: Much the same.

 

Nothing I feel the need to keep!

 

Oro

[LyndaM]

The citrus and amber aren't working for me here. I turn lemon into a cleaning product every time, however sweet it is, and amber turns right to powder and stays that way. It went cloying and headachey. I liked the lotus, but with the other issues I have with it, it isn't a scent I could wear.

[thefaeriegirl]

One of those things I wanted to love but just liked. It has a musky, (think it’s the amber), smell, mixed with very sweet florals that just seemed to be at odds with one another.

 

Not a favorite of mine but I’m happy to have it.

[Imptress]

No question that this is fruity when it goes on... I definitely got the previously mentioned "Juicy Fruit Gum" vibe. That initial sugary sweetness faded quickly though and the main thing I got after that is lotus. Pungent, almost cloying with a waxy quality that reminds me somehow of lipstick. I've gotten this from lotus before and I'm beginning to wonder if lotus and I just aren't destined to get along. Hubby, however, really liked this on me and commented several times today on how good I smelled (which he doesn't do unless he REALLY likes what I'm wearing). It faded rather quickly on me (for BPAL anyway) but just a few moments ago I was changing clothes and a wisp of amber floated up from my cleavage, which was nice but very very faint. This isn't bad but I'm not sure about a big bottle, unless hubby insists !

[Phaedra]

Wet this is strong bubblegum and jasmine. When first on this is jasmine and a weird plastic note which fades quickly. This is mainly jasmine on me, a bit sharp and bitter too. Something in this makes me wrinkle my nose and almost stings my eyes. I’ve never had a reaction like that before. There is some fruit note in here too- apricot? This one is definately not for me.

[Voleuse]

Strong fruit and light floral on first application. Citrus in a way that reminds me of Juicy Fruit--and that isn't a bad thing for a first impression. After the initial bloom, the lotus becomes evident, making this a sweet and airy scent.

 

I don't catch any hint of the amber in the beginning--this begins as a cool, breezy scent on me. Over time, however, it warms in tone, so I don't get amber itself, but the effects I associate with amber. Sun warming against a pool of water. A tropical orchard, a marble column, and a moment of peace.

 

It ends up being a warm and sweet floral scent. Lovely.

[Wench457]

ITB: Sweetened baby oil.

 

On: Ew. This is the first bpal I've tried that went seriously nasty on me. There's a strong smell, almost like gasoline, but dirtier. Like gasoline spilled onto the ground, forming a mud puddle.

 

Dry: Considerably better, but still not a winner on me. I'm beginning to think that lotus just doesn't work with my chemistry. I do start to pick out the florals, but still with a haze of gasoline, which pretty much kills it for me.

 

Also had a possible allergic reaction, as I developed a red rash on my wrists and the backs of my hands shortly after applying this. Nothing else in my environment changed, so I am guessing it was the oil.

[mockturtle]

Whew, my first thought, smelling the *unopened* bottle is "GAG! -- they mislabled this, right?" Ack, something about this scent smells gross and musky or musty to me wet in the bottle. It takes some nerve for me to put it on my skin, but I am really curious since the Lab's description is so different from my first impression.

 

Wet on my skin, it's essentially the same as sniffing the bottle. Thankfully, after a few minutes being on my skin, the gag inducing smell is fading. Now I detect more of a ripe banana smell amidst blurry florals. I think the gag smell is softening to a dark and cloudy floral scent, but I don't know what it is (maybe that's what Lotus smells like?) Damp and incense-like.

 

Was that a whiff of amber I just caught? The amber is really faint on me if there's any left at all. And the scent is turning more powdery. Unless something dramatic changes as more time passes that completely wins me over, this is not a scent for me. Heck, even if it does change, I don't think I can handle those first 5 minutes of ick time.

 

Edited to add that it's now hit the dry stick of bubblegum stage! Fun, but not something I'd choose to wear.

Edited November 29, 2005 by mockturtle

[AlaskaSnows]

Wet: Soapy flowers and sweet fruit.

 

Dry: Some overconcentrated flower, smells more like tuberose to me than jasmine. It is so strong I smell nothing else. I LOVE florals but this seems overly potent to me, maybe a dilution would help?

[SeaMonkey]

It starts out as bubble gum. Must be the lotus. It morphs to a fruity bubblegum scent.

[Meg]

In the bottle: A soft very sweet flower, with something slightly spicy and lemony. I don't have any idea what lotus smells like, so that's lost on me.

 

Wet: Oh dear this is so very sweet, at first it's so sweet I can hardly pick out a note. Then I can smell citrus, could be grapefruit or mandarin, and flowers that I can't name, maybe slightly reminiscent of carnations. There's a subtle fresh/watery quality to it.

 

Drydown: No more citrus now, but it smells like a fruit or a nut... I'd say some kind of sweet but very bland apple (it doesn't smell *of* apple, it just has that juicy feel to it), or a very wet almond. It also has a rich, slightly spicy amber coating and there are some very sweet nondescript flowers in the background.

 

Overall: I get the impression that this is moist almond, honey and amber. It smells... pale, and discrete, and really really sweet. It really does smell young and innocent, and I feel way too old to be wearing this, it's very cute and so not me. A nice, pretty blend, though.

[arabella]

First Impression: Jasmine.

 

Dries down to: Still jasmine.

 

Additional Comments: I know this is supposed to be lotus and other florals with some citrus and amber - but all I get is jasmine. It reminds me a lot of Lush's Godiva shampoo bar - which is a really good thing. I'm not as familiar with lotus but I've liked most of the oils I've tried that contain it. It must be very similar to jasmine, or at least to the jasmine version I've acquired a taste for (Jasmine's a love/hate scent for me). The citrus and amber, although undetectable to me, must contribute to taming the lotus on me - especially, the amber, which seems to be my "holy grail" note. This might be bottle-worthy if it had any staying power but it doesn't.

 

Lasted: A little over an hour.

 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

[white_jenna63]

Let me start by saying that I got this as a frimp in a swap, with part of the label taped over. So as I quickly (excitedly) try to read what it is, I get "orbid ruit". Which could be some diety or mythological character I'm not familiar with. However, I finally figure it out (go me).

 

On first application, this is a very heavy, stinky, floral. I'm assuming lotus? It lasts this way for a good hour and a half, gradually decreasing in strength. Eventually some soft fruits similar to Kuang Shi come out. All in all, not a keeper for me.

[tinyvulture]

lotus always smells like kool-aid on me. in this blend, the jasmine and amber are able to tame the lotus slightly, but it’s still pretty strong. i can’t pick up the citrus, which is surprising since citrus notes are usually also quite strong on my skin. final verdict: jasmine and fruity lotus are not a good combination for me.

[jazlyn]

Forbidden Fruit reminds me of something, but I can't put my finger on what that something is... Anyway, this blend of sweet/tart and jasmine blend just doesn't work on me. Boo, another imp that's going into my swap baggie!

[silver_springs]

This was all floral on me. I got only a light whiff of fruit when still wet.

 

I guess I was hoping for more a fruity scent. It's not bad but I wasn't crazy about it either. Not one of the better florals I've tried. And the drydown had a plastic scent to it.

 

Just didn't work out for me.

 

4/10

[jena]

In the imp:

Amber and Juicyfruit gum.

 

On the skin:

The amber amps waaaay up, too much almost. There's a fruitiness, but I can't pin it down. Really, I know it's not very poetic or descriptive, but I'm getting warm Juicyfruit.

 

After a few minutes:

It fades down quick to just amber, which is lingering pretty strongly.

 

It's alright, but it's too nostalgic smelling for me.

[strawberry_star]

WOW. I really thought this one would work on me. I must have overlooked the floral bouquet, crossed my fingers and hoped for the best, but no luck. There was a flower or combination of flowers that completely ruined it. Jasmine perhaps? I like blaming it on jasmine, either that or rose usually.

[Magda]

Mmmm, I like this one. I didn't think I would, since lotus often turns overbearing on me.

 

In the vial and on my skin all I smelled was fruit--not even fruit, really, an approximation of fruit like in gummy bears.

 

In just a few minutes, though, the amber took over (thank you, skin chemistry). It's warm and thick on me, amber with just a hint of lotus in the background. I don't get any citrus at all--it smells more like apricot.

 

This is not an innocent scent on me, it's a warm, golden, womanly scent, rich amber and apricot puree with soft florals playing over the top.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: lots of flowers and fresh, juicy fruits.

on: lovely, sweet, watery lotus with some citrus, pretty flowers, and sweet amber. i can actually smell all the notes in this, which is pretty cool.

2 hours later: all sweet, candy-like lotus, but drier.

3.5 hours later: a dry, pure, lotus scent.

overall: i'm so glad i nabbed an imp of this. it's very simple, but nice.

[lady_pandora]

In the bottle: orange bubble gum.

 

Wet: still orange bubble gum. I waited for the bubblegum to fade, getting really worried when it stayed longer than 5-10 minutes. If the bubblegum didn't die down soon, I'd be swapping this one.

 

I should have remembered: If there's one note my skin likes to amp, more than any other, it's amber. Amber sauntered in after about 15 minutes and whipped Orange into shape.

 

The lotus lurks underneath, lending this a lighter quality. This smells a lot like The Haunted Palace on me--except lighter, more summer-y. And it's good to have a reasonable facsimile of Haunted Palace, seeing as it's an LE and I'm rapidly depleting my decanted imp thereof.

 

This is a sweet, ambery, slightly fruity scent that will be good for warm weather. I just need to remember to put it on 15 minutes before I leave, so that the Bubblicious Gum of Doom is gone by the time I get anywhere.