Hymn to Proserpine

[maijasu]

The darkening amber of faith’s sunset, deepened by the dark fruits of Proserpine.

I love most BPAL amber scents, but fruity scents can go either way. Thankfully, the fruits in Hymn to Proserpine are a perfect complement to the amber. This really does smell like an expensive perfume, and it's subtle enought that I think it could be worn all year long.

Superb!!!

[porcelain72]

In the imp: musky fruit, sweet but not cloying.

 

Initial application: more of the same. Given that it has pomegranate in it I thought it would be more of a juicy, almost candy-like fruit scent, but it isn't. This is dark and sophisticated.

 

Drydown: a wonderfully interesting blend. The pomegranate is tempered with a surprisingly masculine cologne scent, I'm guessing that's the amber. The combination works surprisingly well on my skin, though it's fading quickly. I really like this.

 

Smiley rating:

[fiddledragon]

I really like resins, but "dark" fruits and berries can go off on me, so I was a tad worried about this one...

 

Not to fear! It did the same fascinating thing Gomorrah did, where almost overripe-smelling fruits turned to a warm, dusty, incense-like scent after they dried. It's as if someone burned dried fruits as incense...and it, y'know, worked instead of smelling like burned fruit! The amber is warm and round and doesn't turn sharp like it sometimes does on me. The overall effect is actually very similar to Midnight Mass plus a *very* dark pomagranate note.

 

A definite winner.

[beetiger]

In the bottle: Dark fruit and bright resin.

 

On the skin: This is gorgeous, dark and regal, a glimmer of light in the depths of the Underworld. Amber and pomegranate are primary on me, though I think I get some sandlwood. Sadly, the throw is not strong and I really have to get my nose right up to it to smell it. A beautiful, lowkey, winter scent, very appropriate for a meditative mood.

[gingersnapp]

This is warm and sensual. It's very resinous on my skin and in the bottle... there is this one deep base note that I can't quite place, but I know I've smelled it before (maybe in one of the Sephiroth blends?) and I LOVE it. It's almost woody, like a sandalwood, but I can't put my finger on it.

[Faeried]

Innocent and sweet, perhaps a tiny bit of darker notes, but their' not the most prominent to my nose.

 

This is one of my favorites, and very well made to fit a song to the goddess in question. :-)

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is a very fruity sandalwood...oh...how lovely!!!

 

once applied this stays pretty much the same....sandalwood and fruit...

.... i do believe i need a big bottle of this one...gorgeous!!

[girl_android]

In the imp: amber + fruits + a tiny hint of something floral. Then again, my nose might be going weird - at the tennis courts tonight there were some super pungent white flowers that kind of smelled like a cross between candlewax and burning rubber tyres... I think someone might've been burning stuff, but I'm not sure.

 

Wet on skin: amber + dark fruits... nothing sharp about this, kind of berryish but nothing specific in the kind of berry. Not purple coloured berries, if I had to name a colour I'd say dark red, maroon in the warm range heading towards orange/brown, rather than heading towards purple/blue.

 

Dry: I'm rather taken by this, it's lovely and warm and subtly fruity - it doesn't scream FRUIT!, it suggests warm berries basking in sun. It's a little syrupy to me, not super-sweet syrupy, but syrupy in ... smell-texture. That's likely not going to make any sense to anyone, much like how I freaked out our housemate by telling him I used to read the dictionary for something to do ...

 

I quite like this, with the number of imps I have (and am about to get.... eeeep!), I'm quite glad I have this one in my lineup (:

[supremegoddessofall]

Lightly fruity amber. Very pretty, very rich.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Stunningly beautiful. Deep, dark-golden and elegant.

 

Wearing: Rich and golden and regal and wonderful… but it’s just too much. The throw is seriously strong, and it’s a big scent to begin with, so it comes off as being too loud. Which makes me sad, because it really is beautiful.

[cuervosueno]

I passed this right over--never even thought about buying it--but then got a frimp. Which I was sure wouldn't work.

 

But when I opened the bottle....hey, now! What is that?!

 

this is a lovely very resiny amber scent, made richer by what I assume is pomegranite, thought that is a note I usually don't enjoy. This is golden, light, sophisticated, which a touch of something fruity underneath. Imagine a golden pomegranite, shining in the sunlight.

 

I don't know how much I'll wear this, but it is lovely, if a bit more perfumy than i usually like.

[phedre]

*wrinkles nose*

 

I'm going to be a dissenting voice here I see! I expected this to work on me like Persephone did, with its pomegranate and roses, but no chance. This is a completely unique scent! There's something in here that just goes way off on me. I applied it sparingly as the scent from the bottle was just offputting, and had to wash it off almost right away. It smelled rotten, that's the only way I can describe it, like someone had let a pomegranate rot and molder on the counter.

 

Not for me, I'm afraid.

[smallvoice]

Amber and fruits? I'm SO there. Except... all I can smell is the sandalwood. It's just not very pretty on me, I'm afraid. It smells like dusty, slightly sweet amber. It isn't rancid or anything, it's just not my favourite blend. I think I expected this to be juicier than it is.

[Alchemy21599]

In the imp: amber and a hint of pomegranate.

 

Wet on skin: a beautiful warm scent, mainly amber and pomegranate. Perhaps a tiny bit of musk?

 

Dry: Gorgeous! Moderate throw, I just wish it lasted longer on my skin. Big bottle ahoy!

[lady_pandora]

Persephone/Proserpine is my patron goddess, I love this poem, I love most amber blends, so I definitely got my hopes up into the stratosphere for this one. As I awaited its arrival, I decided that there was no way it could live up to how good I thought it would be. I was sure that, whatever it smelled like, I would be disappointed.

 

I was WRONG. Oh, sweet Goddess, I was wrong! *weeps for joy*

 

Everything blends so well in this that I'm having trouble picking out notes. The amber doesn't dominate the blend like I'm used to; it cooperates with the other notes and gives a golden warmth to the blend. The fruits are lovely--there's a little wine I think, and a little bit of something almost candyish, which is probably pomegranate. Pomegranate is often kind of candyish on me. There's also a bizarre resemblance to Monster Bait: Underpants in the background, which says to me that sandalwood lurks somewhere hereabouts. That's what sandalwood usually does on me: it never amps to the point that I can actually pick it out, just adds an extra dose of warmth and golden richness to the proceedings.

 

It doesn't change much over time; it loses a bit of the candy note and gains a slight powderiness, but not in a bad way. Elegant, womanly, sensual as all hell. If Persephone (the oil) is Persephone (the goddess) in her Maiden aspect, HtP is Persephone as Queen. And if she smells like this, no wonder Pluto carried her off. OMG.

 

This is seriously perfect. I have about 8 oils dotted up and down my arms, in various stages of drydown, and I still keep sticking my nose back into Hymn to Proserpine. This is beautiful and it's in love with my skin and it's me and I could really see this becoming a signature scent for me. I think if I made a Top Ten list right now, I'd put HtP in the first five slots and let the rest of the oils duke it out for the other 5. Seriously.

 

The image that comes to mind is kind of odd, but here it is: I picture an attic, maybe a little dusty, with late afternoon sunlight glancing through a small high window, with the dust motes dancing in the beam. I've found an antique gown up there, dusty rose, and it belonged to some long-forgotten ancestress of mine. I put it on and it fits perfectly. (I have an overactive imagination, what can I say?) I feel beautiful and sophisticated and timeless in this oil. I love it.

 

Its only flaw is that it doesn't have a lot of throw. Big bottle. Stat. Because there will be slathering. Oh, yes, there will be slathering.

 

ETA: There's more sandalwood a few hours after applying. And I am not complaining at all. Have I mentioned that I adore this scent?

 

ETA #2: I tried to wear this every day for the first week after my order arrived, and every single time, I got a splitting headache. I even had a headache the first time I tried it, but I chalked it up to sensory overload; I'd tried a lot of oils that day and figured I'd worn out my poor head! But the headache has happened enough times now that it can't be a coincidence. This sucks. I loved this oil so much.

Edited January 2, 2007 by lady_pandora

[storme]

In the imp: musky amber, reminiscent of Morocco.

 

On me, wet: a plummy, dark scent - actually, this is more like Oblivion than like Morocco, that same spice and musk feel.

 

On me, dry: this is very like Oblivion on me, still musk and spice and a warm dark sultry feeling. Which is a good thing.

 

Verdict: I think I'll hang onto this and try this against Oblivion - it seems a little more long-lasting, and if so I may switch allegiance.

[brownbear]

This one started out smelling so good! It was warm, a little honeyed, and fruity sweet. Then it changed on my skin. It went soapy. Soap with hints of fruit.

[Gale]

This is beautiful. I am a total fool for anything with amber. Amber and pomegranate? Why not?

 

Wet: Amber and deep, ripe pomegranate.

 

On dry: Amber and pomegranate. It's a gorgeous combination, warm, deep, dark, and sweet. Strong throw, as others have already noted.

 

Seven hours and counting: Still there, going strong and unchanged.

 

Love.

[couscous]

This is all light fruit and amber on me- very simple, very beautiful, in every sense of the word. Not too cloying, not too resinous, but very sweet and just a tiny, tiny bit dark. Persephone never worked on me, so I'm thrilled that Proserpine seems to be a more amicable sort.

 

The only problem with this is that it stays all of 30 minutes on my skin. Come back! Come back!

[Nidaba]

Wow. I love this one.

 

In the imp: Oooh, much sweeter than I expected.

 

Wet: Honey! Is there honey in this? This is making me very excited. It is very sweet, almost too sweet, but I think I like it.

 

Drying: Still very sweet, but there is something else that is dustier, it must be the amber.

 

Dry: Fantastic. It is the perfect blend of sweet with a dry warm amber. This isn't a happy go lucky scent to me, it has a more...luscious feel if that makes sense. Not a lot of throw on me. I may try to make this into a spray.

 

5/5 for me and a bottle will be ordered soon!

[tinyvulture]

amber and…raisins? i’m not sure what fruits are in this, actually. i don’t smell anything fresh and juicy…more like dried fruits. or currants, maybe? there’s a “baked goods” aspect to it -- kind of like fruitcake! there’s also a touch of soft floral. for me, amber is a winner whatever it’s combined with. my only complaint is that it doesn’t have a ton of throw.

[QueenFae]

Ohhh yeah, this is gorgeous! A beautiful, deep, golden brown amber scent. This is pure loveliness in a bottle!! There is a rich deep undertone of juicy, wet fruits. I love amber scents so much, and this is probably one of the best I've ever smelled. There is a hint of fragrant powdery softness as well, but it is not an icky or overwhelming powder.

 

What can I say? I love this one and I think I need a 5 ml!!

[cosmia]

This is the most amazing scent!

 

 

In the bottle it smelled a little old lady, but only for like a second. It immediately began to smell exactly like the description. You get plum, pomegranate and tons of warm amber. On the skin it gets warmer and richer. It is the most feminine thing I have smelled, but its in no way girlie. It never gets too sweet, because the amber really balances it out. It just keeps getting better with time. Also, I put a little in my bath water, and my bathroom smelled amazing for 3 days. I just bought a full size bottle, and I really can't recommend it enough!

[Musamea]

in the imp and wet: very sharp and spicy to the nose

 

drydown: still slightly sharp, a bit of floral peeking through the spiciness. this reminds me a LOT of the eventual drydown of the Lab's Come to Me. it doesn't seem very dark or deep, as the Lab description says

 

dry: eventually gets to be a spiced, sweet scent. The sharpness disappears and the amber makes its presence known. This blend and Anubis are really making me reconsider my conviction that I can't wear amber. It's interesting and vaguely comforting.

 

extreme drydown: it becomes a bit too overpowering; still beautiful, but too strong a scent for me to carry off

[Medici]

In the imp: Crushed berries and deep amber. Yum.

 

Wet: A really, really rich amber, with a light hint of spice, a dark, drooping florals to level it off. It's a very heady scent, the smallest dab'll do ya.

 

Drydown: It is really sophisticated, though it doesn't morph a whole lot with my chemistry. I feel womanly wearing it, which is a nice change since I have a tendency to stick to the dark and mysterious blends from the Lab. This, however, is quickly winning my affections.

 

4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurve