Hymn to Proserpine

[Juushika]

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

Another magical frimp from the Lab—I've been curious about trying this one for a while.

In the vial: Well then, that's pomegranate—or at least I assume so, I've never smelled it before. It's a candied juicy bright red fruit, sweet and slightly cloying.

On me: After a short hit of sugary artificial red fruit, this calms dramatically. The amber settles the pomegranate, smoothing and darkening it into something softly beautiful. Rich but not too strong, warm and red, dimmed and shadowed, smooth and just a touch powdery. The longer I wear it, the deeper, darker, and more beautiful it grows. The throw is low, hovering at the skin and sending out a few stronger tendrils of scent; the color is a shadowed, slightly muted, deep dark red.

Verdict: In the imp the bright artificial red fruit scared me, but on the skin this is lovely. It calms and deepens to a remarkable scent, warm, dark, and intimate. The description is right on, this is dark amber and dark red fruits—but you have to sniff it to truly appreciate it. Though it hasn't jumped to the top of my favorites list, but I shall certainly keep my imp and I expect to wear this again. Edited December 24, 2008 by Juushika

[sajiaidoki]

To start, Pomegranate is a strong smell. Lovely, but I'm not sure if I can pull it off. Also, amber always equals old lady perfume on my skin. I usually like greens, woods, and foods.

 

That being said, I'm new to BPAL and this was a thoughtful frimp. So I gave it a shot, cause you never know where you might find a new favorite.

 

In the Imp: tart pomegranate and something sweeter and spicier in the background.

 

Wet on Skin: *sigh* old lady smell. I was kinda hoping this would work on me. Pomegranate is lost in the amber.

 

Drydown: I think it's dried down in to the notes it's meant to smell like, but unfortunately it's not for me. I can kinda see wearing this to a formal affair, orchestra, or museum gala.

 

This *might* grow on me but I don't think I should force it. Glad I tried it, though.

[KassiK]

In Imp: Fruity with amber

 

wet on skin: A very unusual fruity scent in that it's more dark and soothing rather than the usual pick-me-up I get from wearing fruit scents. It's seductive and I can tell that there is a more resiny or musky note hidden in the background that seems to be fighting for dominance.

 

Dry down: More well blended in that the notes don't seem to be fighting anymore. The note in the background never rises to the foreground and the fruity scent remains dark and soothing and takes on a more multidimensional feel while whatever that is in the background - resin or something slightly earthy that I'm going to have to go a head and peg as sandalwood holds the blend down to make it more "solid". From the fruit scent, it smells like pomegranate, but not just that fruit. Perhaps a berry as well. The amber is the middle note that holds it all together. There are no really high notes in this, so this is a very relaxing scent, something to wear after a stressful or over-stimulating day, something to wear while reading or doing a night routine (scrabble, crossword puzzles) and also something that might aid in sleep (as I'm already seeing it aiding me in sleep).

 

Completely dry: There is no doubt in my mind that this will be a big bottle. It's just perfect on me and I'm glad to have found another calming scent. I couldn't be more happy with this! : )

 

Edited to add:

1, the label on my imp says, "Hymn to ProsPerpine" - makes my imp feel more special hehe.

2, the berry that I was detecting before seems to be cranberry - that's what my body has been amping up at least.

Edited January 9, 2009 by KassiK

[thelaurenator]

mostly amber tempered with red fruit. nice, but I'm not really a fruit person... only very specific blends work for me.

[LizzyLies]

In the Imp:

Candied pomegranates, or some other red fruit.

 

On the skin:

Red candied fruit on fire? Red candied fruit candle? Nope, wait! Spicy fruit! That's what it is!

[catatonic1242]

In the imp: Red fruits and amber, the amber being stronger. I almost want to say that this is sort of medicinal smelling, because I feel like I get a slight touch of perfume alcohol.

 

On, wet: Gorgeous, mellow fruits -- this is fruity, not foody.

 

On, dry: A little bit more of the amber, which is probably what's keeping the fruits in check. It's a nice, spicy fruit smell, but there's an edge of sexiness to it. I'm not sure I like it enough to buy a bottle, but I'll certainly be using my imp.

[savage_rose]

This is deep and sweet...fruity, warm, lovely. But as it dries, something comes out bitter on my skin (maybe it's the pomegranate?). It's a lovely blend, it's just not me.

[CynicalPink]

I love pomegranates. Amber tends to go powdery on me, but when it works, it's great.

 

Imp: Fruit and amber

 

Wet: Pomegranate tartness is appreciated, but this amber is going straight to Powdery-Cologne Town

 

Dry: Powdery-Cologne Town - Population - Me. I'm afraid this isn't working out

[binkin]

Spicy, sparkly, and fruity -- I like it. The fruit fades quite a bit on me as it dries, so it just makes a luscious round amber scent. I've used almost all my imp now making sugar scrubs, and I think it's a perfect scent for those. Definitely going on my bottles-to-buy list.

[crebbsgirl]

Oooooh I really like this. Dark fruits (not juicy) and a little hint of powdery resin. This reminds me a little bit of the same vibe I get from Lunar Eclipse - but lighter. I can see myself reaching for this alot, it's complex and mysterious, but not overly dark. For the record, I'm not one for fruity scents, they go juicy and candy-like on my skin, and the scent turns a little juvenile. I don't get that at all here!

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

In the imp, this has a lot of promise, and actually smells like a dead wringer for L'Estate. It took a few minutes to really bloom on my skin, but once it did it was really gorgeous...golden amber, a bit perfumey, with some warm peachy fruit in the background. I like this, it is reminiscent of L'Estate with more amber and a bit of a new twist. I'll be keeping the imp for now, but as I have a truckload of L'Estate right now I probably don't need a bottle. If I ever run out, though, I'll be turning to Hymn to Proserpine.

[donnatron]

Imp: Dusky pomegranate. Maybe a bit of plum? Definitely purple/red fruits.

 

Wet: Yeah. That's pomegranate. Bright, screaming pomegranate. Acclimating amber. A very dark, golden amber.

 

Dry: Hot damn! I always forget how much I love this one. A really dark and sensual amber/fruit scent that is extremely simple but also extremely comfortable, warm and a little sexy. Above reviews compare it to Lunar Eclipse and I definitely get that vibe. This is less dry and refined than Lunar Eclipse although it's not really playful. It's a beautiful, warm, sensual scent. I want to wear this at sunset while sipping cocktails with an impossibly handsome man.

 

Throw: Good.

 

Overall: I need to remember that I have this. It's a gorgeous blend and exactly the sort of scent I got into BPAL for (or at least the type of scent that I learned I loved through BPAL). Just terrified that this gorgeous blend is due to the fact that I've had it a few years and when I use this one up the next one will be totally WTF? to my nose.

[Iceblink]

This is gorgeous wet--plummy, ripe fruits...but as it dries the amber really takes over. I've had good luck with the amber/fruit combination with Florence but here the amber is just too much and it overpowers the fruits. Might work better on someone who can wear amber a little better than I can!

[melrose]

Huh - this is different, in a really good way. Usually, fruits amp to high heaven on me, and I'm not a big fruit fan. This doesn't smell like amber, but like muted smoke - fascinating, but hard to describe. Nonetheless, me likey.

[stellans]

I first wore Hymn to Proserpine quite some time ago, and loved it then for its perfect blend of sweet/tart fruit and incense, and I detected no amber at all. This made me very happy, as I love pomegranate and can't do amber very well. I wasn't writing reviews at that time, so I only have the notes in my database to go on, but the wearing today is a bit different from that first wearing.

 

The pomegranate has all but disappeared, leaving behind a very nice incense blend, but not the Hymn to Proserpine I remembered loving for its fruitiness as well as its incense. The bottle I'm using now is a cobalt 10 ml, so it's older perhaps than the imp I tested first. I still like this blend because I'm a big fan of incense, and at least the amber didn't come out, but I do miss the pomegranate so much!

Edited June 13, 2011 by stellans

[Gin]

Hymn to Proserpine is far different than I expected from the name. It's red fruit, not bright or juicy, just red, and amber. It's a little "perfumey" because of the amber, but really beautiful.

[Diva Urd]

I received a testable sniffie of this in a swap - thanks so much, kind swapper!

 

In the imp, this smells somewhat sharp (probably the amber, it always smells sharp to me when still in the container) and... I don't know how else to put it, but "purple".

 

On me, I get some kind of fruit (I don't think it's plum, maybe pomegranate? It's tangy, dark and definitely not a berry, that's all I can tell) on a powdery amber background. Smells a bit smoothie-ish, surprisingly, I don't mind. I believe there is also a slight bit of musk in the background. The fruit note seems to turn a bit on me about 15-20 minutes into drydown.

 

About an hour and a half later: The musk I suspect to be in this in combination with the fruit really seems to turn on me - now it smells like fruit carried home in a bag with dirty socks - mostly sweaty and musty. Too bad, the beginning wasn't bad...

[topazphoenix]

This is lovely. Such a simple combination of fruits and ambers, but it makes my nose so freakin happy.

[rayvn1]

Surprisingly good! This started out with an overly sweet and strong fruit juice note tempered by a rich incense-y level. Settles down into strong, rich incense with just a dab of sweetening fruit. Very pretty! Confident and strong blend on me.

[batsy]

In the vial: The smell of the children's cold medicine I used to take as a child? What? *stares at the imp* Wow...

 

On the skin: Well, huh. If I push hard enough past horrible medication-related memories, I get fruit. There's a whiff of amber, but it's really just a bunch of fruits. Unfortunately, all I can think of is that junk they gave me to take, so I won't be keeping this. I hate when this happens! Eep.

[Usagi]

Imp: women's perfume and fruity bubblegum

Wet: bubblegum and talcum; very soft

Dry: sweet, light perfume-- kind of a similar note to Fae-- white musk, maybe? Much later it has most faded, but if I put my nose to my wrist, it seems as though the scent has gotten warmer, and added soft spiciness.

[Venneh]

I got a testable sniffy of this in a recent swap; I'm getting a scent reminiscent of L'Estate in the imp. Hm. There's enough to do a thumb test, and on my skin, it loses the immediate comparison to L'Estate, but there's definitely amber, and a bunch of vague fruits. Nothing I need to imp, I think.

[reynardine]

A kind soul frimped me some of this recently.

 

In imp: Intriguing. Amber and Pomegranate. Interesting mix. Not liking the amber

 

Wet: The amber is pretty strong here.

 

Drydown: More amber

 

30 minutes later, the pomegranate, which is what I wanted to try this one for, comes out. Absolutely lovely. The amber does hold it in check. It's a sophisticated scent. Proserpine as Queen of Hades, not as the happy maiden in the fields at play.

 

Very lovely. Not me, but lovely.

[ravenscanary]

Source: Lab Imp from swap

 

In the Imp: ...fruity cough syrup. Uh oh.

 

Wet: Okay, not cough syrup. Powdery, sugary fruit. Amber = powder on me, always.

 

Dry: Pomegranate and plum through powder. Not an unpleasant scent, but it smells like fruit doused in baby powder to me.

 

Notes: Not a long-wearing scent, either. A few hours, medium-to-light throw.

[Myrrha]

Wet: Blast of powder. It is too sophisticated to ever be baby powder. It smells just a little like pine. This must be the amber. It is nothing like the amber in Blood Amber. No bpal amber I've tried has turned to powder quite like this.

 

As it dries: the pomegranate comes out but is pomegranate the way my skin presents it which means sort of plastic smelling.

 

Dry: Still mostly amber/powder. If I focus on it I can smell the fruit. It isn't an awful scent. It is distinctive and has lasted for a couple of hours. I don't think this is how it is supposed to smell though. I'd better be wary of dark amber in bpal blends.