Megaera

[PurpleHeather]

Orris, black amber, bergamot, plum and grapefruit.

In the bottle: I can definitely smell the citrus in this one, though it is more of the bergamot (very orange-y) than grapefruit. It also has a warm spiciness to it.

On the wrist: Definitely citrus, smells sort of like Christmas, very warming

Later: This has mellowed out to a nice, light scent, less zesty and more warm now. It's about 2 hours since I put it on, it has faded, but is still noticeable.

[stardreamer]

In the bottle and fresh on: Citrusy-sharp and very golden.

 

Drydown: As usual with citrus notes on me, the grapefruit fades relatively quickly and the sweeter notes come up. I don't think I ever got any bergamot, but the amber and plum blend nicely into a dark/sweet scent without much throw. Very late in the game, there are even some hints of spice -- maybe that's the orris root? Staying power is moderate, 6 to 8 hours, and the amber is the last note to fade.

 

Bottom line: A pleasant, summery amber scent for me (a lot of my ambers aren't really suited to warmer weather); definitely a keeper.

[jasmine]

This was a freebie from the Lab, and I’ve made a point of not reviewing the scent notes for it before I test it, so let’s see what I’ve got here. Checking Wikipedia, I am reminded that Megaera is one of the Furies (commanding jealousy, envy, and infidelity), so if this is a peculiar or unpleasant scent, it won’t surprise me.

 

It’s a light scent straight off the wand, but with a spicy undercurrent. Whatever is on top seems to be an obscure citrusy smell... nothing as simple as lemon, lime, or grapefruit, but... bergamot, perhaps, or citron. The citrus is yellow to my nose, but whatever lies underneath is broad and white, almost creamy, and then the fuzz of spice is underneath (though the spice is already fading down.)

 

This is actually a rather nice scent, and it’s good for the summer weather, too. It makes me feel calm and collected and in control... it’s a scent that inspires confidence. How unexpected and nifty!

 

So I finally tag the site and discover... that citrus on top would be bergamot AND grapefruit (no wonder I couldn’t place it!) and the white underneath would be the amber. I feel reasonably accomplished and fuzzy, and I’m happy with the scent as well. I will try to remember that I like this, because this scent would be great for work.

[modillian]

Okay, the grapefruit is a lovely topnote soaring over the main orris note. I suspected I would like orris, and yis, it is good -powdery sweet under the squirt of citrus. Part of the sweetness can be attributed to the plum. The black amber is interesting a kind of opalescent weight in the background. Amber smells to me like a mellowing scent -something to pull together the disparate scents in an oil and melt them together -while alone amber is quite a formidable skin scent in itself.

 

Oooh, after about ten minutes the bergamont pulls in, aiding the acidic tinge of grapefruit. It is a high, sweet and pink scent cut through with the citus/herbal burn. It lasts for the rest of the time as orris, amber and plum as the base with the citrus and herbs fading slowly. I love it! This is like my favorite Lucky You, only instead of a Lucky's You's jasmine and blue poppy there is powdery sweet orris.

 

The throw is a little above average for me. This oil lasts looooong on my skin, about twelve hours, but then it dissipates. That's about the length of time that I like my perfumes to remain, anyways. Three thumbs up if you like sweet fruity scents with a bite.

 

ETA November 2010: Unfortunatley, as with many oils the citrus weakens tremendously with aging and the scent has lost a lot of its complexity and throw in three years. Take my advice, to enjoy Megaera get a fresh imp and use it up within a year or two at most!

Edited November 11, 2010 by modillian

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

I get a really faint scent in the vial, no notes standing out... Better try it on!

 

First on:

Herbal and dark is the best way to describe it. I think there's a little grapefruit in there as well.

 

Dry:

After about 10 mins, I've already discovered this had no throw on me at all. It's nearly gone! There's a slight hint of plum, but otherwise, nothing.

 

20-30 mins after application, it's practically all gone.

 

Finally:

My skin killed this one instantly. Swapping.

[aquazoo]

Fruity in a good way. Oh, that turns soapy in a hurry! :-(

[n3m3sis42]

In the imp:

Citrus!

 

Wet:

Still more citrus! Pretty.

 

Dry:

Citrus, plum, and amber. Probably a big-bottle purchase for me.

[KassiK]

This is a very calming scent for me and I absolutely love about 90% of it. the other 10% is when the grapefruit randomly takes over and smells like stomach bile for some reason to me. If not for that, I'd be getting a big bottle. It's over-all creamy and as I said before very very calming. I associate this scent with a sleeping baby or curling up to read. I wish I liked this scent more because bergamont is one of my favorite notes.

[GoldenRubee]

In the imp it is very sweet and citrusy and I was eager to try it on. At first I smelled a little floral, some amber and citrus. It faded pretty quickly to a light powdery scent with citrus which wasn't unpleasant really but I probably wouldn't purchase a bottle. I would love it as a room scent though-it is very refreshing, it just doesn't work well with my skin chemistry.

[hkhm]

imp: warm, spicy, citrusy plums. this reminds me of canning day when i'm pouring the spiced syrup over plums that have a touch of lemon juice on them.

 

wet: oh lovely! the amber warms up to it's creamy, wonderful best and blends with the citrus beautifully. this is golden sunlight coming in the windows at an angle on a nice, lazy autumn afternoon. the plums have all been gobbled up.

 

dry: still creamy amber and citrus. lovely and relaxing.

[jessiesquash]

My initial impression of this in the vial is all citrus but very sweet. I thought it was orange but the notes say grapefruit and now knowing that I am getting grapefruit but it's almost as if it is sprinkled with sugar. Maybe that's the sweetness of the plum?

 

On my skin the citrus becomes a bit cloying, and almost plastic, for awhile but I can smell something really promising in it which I think might be the black amber. After just a few moments the plasticky smell fades and I get rich sweet grapefruit with something herbal behind it and just a touch of the amber. It's gorgeous! It reminds me a bit of House of Mirrors but with fruit, very clean and sweet.

 

As it continues to deepen it splits into two distinct layers, if that makes any sense. There is a deeper layer that I'm sure is the amber and then a light candy sweet layer. This doesn't happen often on my skin which really likes to mash notes together immediately. I don't think I like this phase because something is growing sharp and kind of weird.

 

Ugh my skin wrecked it completely. It's not really bad but that sharpness is hanging around and it's not pleasant. I tend to that a lot with floral/herbal blends so maybe it's the orris root or the bergamot. Either way, what a disappointment.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

hate grapefruit, don't care for plum and the Lab's bergamot doesn't agree with me.

orris & black amber, though = yay

 

frimpsniff: smells like all the smells on the laundry-products aisle combining together. feels like i just got a nosefull of either Cascade or powdered Tide. made me sneeze, even.

on skin: exact dupe of old-skewl powdered (no liquid. that's just wrong) Mr. Bubble. no more and no less.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, I get grapefruit very well-blended with plum - the plum keeps the grapefruit's sharpness, and the brightness of the grapefruit helps highlight the sweetness of the plus.

 

On my skin, it's a very sweet blend of plum, grapefruit and bergamot, tamped down by the orris.

 

When it dries, the plum wins out; it rides high over the amber and grapefruit. I love fruity scents, so this is a keeper.

[nightchild80]

In the Imp (wet): This scent is dark and sweet, a womanly scent that seems almost wanton. It speaks of heavy cream and juicy plums carelessly bitten into while wrapped in silk sheets.

 

On facial cotton (dry): The citrus is more cutting than when wet, which I take is from the bergamot. Its freshness is invigorating.

 

On me: I amp the thick sweetness of the plum and grapefruit, so while I am a little disappointed as I had hoped for more bergamot. This scent is a little heavy, which I hope will enable it to last a little longer. On the drydown, the citrus makes a brief introduction before bowing out to the more robust entrance of bergamot on the arm of orris, who demands an audience... much like a beautiful woman in her prime and knows it.

[alicia_stardust]

Megaera is mostly grapefruit, but the grapefruit is not sharp or bitter. It is emboldened by the bergamot and the plum adds a darkness and depth to it. The orris is a little sharp and the amber provides a nice, wide resin base. Again, the grapefruit gives this a nice jolt. It's a very fitting scent for the Jealous One.

Edited January 15, 2008 by alicia_stardust

[whisperingmachines]

I definitely get a LOT of the fruitiness here, but when it dries its much more mellow and a bit more sweet and incensey on me. Very pretty scent.

[djsiberia]

in the imp, floral and sweet. i can definitely smell the grapefruit and the plum is making it too sweet.

 

unfortunately it started giving me a headache, so i won't be trying this as it seems to be a sweet floral to me.

[donnatron]

Imp: Bright, fruity citrus. It's kind of candy-like.

 

Wet: HELLLLLOOOOOO grapefruit! Apparently you would like us to be the best of best friends. Everything else just starts hanging out in the background getting to know one another.

 

Dry: On me it's reminiscent of toilet bowl cleanser. The grapefruit goes big and there's a soapiness and it comes together to smell like a freshly cleaned public toilet. While I do appreciate a good clean public toilet, I don't want to be an olfactory tribute to one.

 

Throw: Huge. Naturally. I had to go to Safeway in between putting it on and writing this review and I walked the aisles sending of huge puffs of toilet bowl cleanser with every step. This did remind me that I was in need of toilet bowl cleanser, so that was a nice bonus.

 

Overall: Room scent. Definitely a room scent.

[gchris]

In Vial: Fruity

 

Wet: Citrus and something else, I think it's the bergamot.

 

Later: This really smells like the drink "sex on the beach" tastes. I like the drink but I'm not sure I want to wear what it smells like. This is not bad though.

[coldandsleepy]

This has been near the top of my wishlist basically since I started keeping a wishlist (and actually even before I started the spreadsheet!), so I was delighted when I received it as a frimp. Thanks Lab!

 

In the imp: delicious plum and something sinister that I can't quite pick out yet.

 

On me, wet: this is unfolding as a very tasty juicy scent on me for the most part. Definitely getting the plum and the citrus big time. But there's something sort of evil hanging out on the edge of this... maybe the amber? Smells kind of sharp and dark compared to the rest of the scent.

 

On me, dry: same as above. I can't figure out what the evil note is, much to my irritation.

 

Throw and duration: both about average.

 

Overall: on the one hand, it makes total sense for the scent of one of the Furies to have a dark and sinister note to it. On the other hand, I love everything about this scent EXCEPT that note, and I kinda wish it would just go away. I'll keep this one to test again... because it's so close to being a win for me... but unless that note grows on me, this'll eventually get swapped away.

[lmaunu]

Source: Frimp from the Lab

 

This is an usual mix of citrus and plum, and the grapefruit reminds me a bit of Vampire Tears when I first put it on my skin. What makes this scent so unique, though, are the amber and bergamot, which lend Megaera a richness that lighter scents like VT lack.

 

I really like this, but the throw and wear length are below average on me, so I probably won't get a bottle.

[XShear]

Cold, juicy plums with soft, white florals. Oh this stuff in heaven! This is a bottle MUST. Love.

[Coldfire]

Got this in an imp pack from my last order:

 

 

 

Imp: Sweet and Grapefruity citrus! Yum!

Wet on me: defined plum & grapefruit. each sniff I

take is different on me as to what note takes the lead.

Drying Down: Now more plum and amber and the

grapefruit seems to be going away

Dry: All amber and plum now and no grapefruit

Throw/Stay: Throw is minimal and stay is okay when you

get close to your wrist.

 

Pleasant scent. Wish there was more grapefruit when dry. I would not

say not to a bottle, but not high on the bottle acquisition list.

[DARKBEAUTY28]

Oh wow, I love this one! The grapefruit is the first note I get from it. There are some deeper notes swirling around though. The scent smells aquatic to me. I think I might have to get a big bottle! Ohhh I know what it smells like! It smells like B&BW Breath Happiness. Wow!

[mgrazulis]

I had to do some searching on orris. Its scent is said to be reminiscent of the smell of violets. This unique smell only wins over time in the drying process. After the drying process the root is ground, dissolved in water and then distilled. One ton of iris root produces two kilos of extremely expensive essential oil. The scent then is marvelous and incomparable, as powerful as it is subtle. It has been described as tenaciously flowery, heavy and woody. (from Fabienne Pavia's Lunivers des Parfums)

 

In the imp: candy-like grapefruit

 

Wet: still mostly grapefruit, less sweetness, bergamot

 

Dry: this sweetens again once it dries. Amber, plum and violet-like orris mellow the zingy grapefruit. Very bright and tangy.

 

Later: the grapefruit is more of a backdrop now. A plummy rich scent with a hint of orris. It's just barely sugary. It's very lovely. Hmmmm, this is a bit happy for a Fury!!

 

Verdict: Zesty, happy! I'm not sure how this suits the concept of the fragrance. Seems like it is missing some petulance. Regardless, I like the scent. Citrus blends from the lab are refreshing.

Hours later: The scent of Megaera is now all but gone...just a powdery sweetness. Off to apply again! The imp I have was only about half full, so I'll save the rest for another time. I like this, but I don't think it will be one that I would like a full 5ml bottle. If it had more edge, maybe so. It's refreshing, but the long lasting citrus and freshness of Bpal F5 is more suited for me.

Edited July 5, 2008 by mineralfairy