The Fruit of Paradise

[Amoraexcena]

The Fruit of Paradise, the Nectar of Death: bittersweet pomegranate.

FoP '07

In Bottle: YUM. Tart, bittersweet, delicious blood red pomegranate seeds and dripping crushed juices. No wonder Persephone couldn’t resist.
Wet on Skin: More depth, even better. A hint of spice and a touch of the dangerous black fumes of the underworld. Dark, almost murky but still amazingly yummy and sexy without being overly foody or simple.
Drydown: only minimal morphing, pretty true pomegranate throughout with that hint of underworldly darkness. Throw- not enough! Slatherable. Lasting power is pretty decent.

FoP '09
In Bottle: Slighter more fresher and crisper fruit. Bright ruby pomegranate.
Wet on Skin: Yup, the spice/smoke is still there. Almost no variation from the '07, YAY!
Drydown: This is probably my favourite fruity scent ever. Now the big question- do I need ANOTHER backup bottle of this before the Yules go down?? ...Most likely.

[ouch!]

This is a nice simple scent that doesn't have many layers..or doesn't morph. It's not very strong which is the only bad thing I will say about it.

 

Yes..pomegranite, with a hint of something else. It's almost like greenery or..something a bit sharp. It does smell a bit plasticy and fake but I kinda like that sometimes.

 

Where swank had fizz, this doesn't, where swank was sweet...this isn't. To a certain degree yes it's sweet but it's bitter at the same time.

 

Simple..juicy..slightly dark.

 

[SpookyBunny]

Smells like...lush, red fruit. Mmmmm...oh perfect. This definitely smells like pomegranite, but sometimes like cranberries - it comes across as some sort of expensive fruit juice. With the addition of a dark, spicy musk that makes it provocative and sexy. Smells like I have been up to some debauch in Hades, smells like I imagine Persephone to after she has corrupted herself and erupted with desire... she is sweet, but she has her darkness just like everyone else - and it stains her with the alluring and exotic scent of the pomegranite that got her into this...I feel like this is a Persephone that doesn't regret it, she gave in and she won't say it - but she wants you to know it, it's burning in her eyes. This, like so many BPAL scents, is completely true to what it is meant to evoke. I am in love.

[AlarmAgent]

This is for the 2009 version of The Fruit of Paradise.

 

In Bottle - Sweet pomegranate candy, but not very sweet. More of a tinned pastille than let's say, a gummi.

 

Wet on Skin, First Applied - Same, just sort of a sour-sweet, very juicy smelling pomegranate. It is nice, and just a tiny bit spicy--couldn't readily identify any of the possible spices.

 

Dry, on Skin - As it sits on the skin, more notes appear. Well, one more, really, to my nose: amber. This smells more like the amber I experience in non-BPAL amber fragrances--the lab's amber has turned to powder on me on most occasions, but this definitely doesn't. Maybe it isn't amber at all, but it smells like it to me. As a few other reviewers noted, it's got a lot of similarities to B&BW's Midnight Pomegranate, so if you are a fan of that scent, or you know someone that is, this would be a great oil to start them off with. The only difference I can see is Fruit of Paradise is a lot less 'synthetic' smelling, and of course, has no alcohol scent to it, like body splash in Midnight Pomegranate would. I like it!

Edited January 22, 2010 by AlarmAgent

[voodoocatwoman]

09 version

 

This is so strong I can taste it. It's super sweet but it has a vicious bite. There is something in the background that is razor sharp and makes my head snap back involuntarily.

 

I think not.

[MamaMoth]

(09 decant)

 

Tart red fruit with a base of.. something chemically and harsh.

 

Well at least it lets me pinpoint an off note I detected in Mme. Moriarty. That chemicalness ages out of Mme, but there's really nothing here that makes me want to wait it out in this one.

Edited February 9, 2010 by MamaMoth

[malaliath]

The Fruit of Paradise 2009

 

In Imp: Very red fruit. Interestingly, to me it smells like red berries that have been heated. There's a very distinctive warmth to this for me.

 

Wet, On Skin: There's almost something woodsy in this as an undercurrent. It's a sharp, wet wood, with mashed up warmed berries on top.

 

Dry, On Skin: Ruby red fruit and incense. I really like this!

 

Later: It's mild and lovely. I will really enjoy my half-imp of this.

[quinctia]

In the bottle, I get pomegranate plus some sort of...it really made me think of cologne as an undernote. It was very subtle at this point. On me, the pomegranate fades a bit and I can identify that there's definitely some sort of musk in here. I'm not entirely an expert on musk, it's definitely not white musk, but it's pretty vampy. My guess is a red musk.

 

The fruit doesn't last very long on me, but this might be a good scent if I feel vampy.

[DifferentDances]

(Testing from decant)

 

Imp: Juicy, slightly dark pomegranate.

Wet: Juicy pomegranate.

Drydown: Slightly faded, less juicy pomegranate.

Dry: And gone.

 

My rating: 4/5 This is glorious for the brief time it lasts.

[grrrlennyl]

Fruit of Paradise

 

On: Tart and sweet pomegranate. Candy-like.

1 hour in: Powdery pomegranate.

4 hours in: Powdery, tart candy.

Overall: This is pretty, but I have other pomegranate scents that I like more.

[Tentabunny]

I preface this by saying that I bought Fruit of Paradise early this year, and it got sent to the wrong address, and was lost, perhaps forever. It has been an obsessive journey for me to track down another bottle, probably because I somehow didn't think of signing up to the forums previously, but at last, today, by the grace of Maljen, I have gotten my grubby little paws on a bottle of Fruit of Paradise, 2007.

 

In bottle: whiff of pomegranatey juice. overtones of alcohol-y fumes, and a general feeling of coldness. Dark and heavy and heady, but not particularly juicy or sweet.

 

On me, wet: The fruitiness comes out more now, dark red seeds plump and tart. It's very subtle, though, and sometimes I wonder where the scent has gone. When I do catch the scent, though, it makes my mouth water.

 

On me, dry: It hasn't changed much, I think, although I can smell it clearer than just now. o_O Maybe my nose is wonky. There's not much throw, but this isn't an issue to me, because I'm weird like that. It smells pretty grown-up, in a way. I guess that's because I was expecting/hoping for it to smell like Pokka's pomegranate juice (which I love), and it came out less sweet, less bubbly. I must note that while it smells cold, it isn't the pomegranate that's been chilled, but that it's been sitting around in a cold place (technically you could argue that a fridge IS a cold place, but that's not what I'm trying to evoke here. )

 

Anyhow, I'm not disappointed by this at all, though I'm also not sure if I'd find it worth the trouble to hunt down another bottle of this.

[velvet]

on the intial dry down i get juicy pomegrante... then quickly it turns into generic "christmas" scent candle on me I'm hoping this has something to do with my cycle.When i first tried it 3 or so years ago I loved it. I will have to try it again.

[GoddesShel]

2013 version.

Cold sniff of bottle - bitter red fruit.

Wet, on me...EWWWWW PICKLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But thankfully, it dries into a lovely dark, deep, pomegranate that I adore. Not bitter, but dark and smooth and burgundy red. Imagine blood red garnets scattered on black velvet as a smell.

 

Edited to add - a year later, the bitterness and wet pickle has aged out of this. Now it's all deep, dark, smooth, juicy burgundy pomegranate, from wet to dry. Lovely!

Edited November 7, 2014 by GoddesShel

[zankoku_zen]

2013 version

 

Fruity, bitter pom. This has a decent throw, but almost no wearlength on me. 15 minutes later, and its gone.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: pomegranate, both bitter and sweet, just like the description says

 

Wet on skin: The bitter is a lot stronger now.

 

Dried down: A little closer to regular pomegranate, a little sweeter.

 

Throw: Almost none for me.

 

Verdict: *** Not bad, but I didn't really like the bitterness of the pomegranate during the wet stage, and in the dry stage, this just isn't special enough for me to want a bottle. I'll pass on this one.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Bittersweet pom.

 

Wet: Once applied, it starts warming up and growing sweeter.

 

The dry-down: I'll have to do a death match, but this seems to be similar to the last version, a sweet pinkish scent, not bitter or dark. I quite like it. This could be a nice scent for a little girl.

[milo]

Bright, cheery pom. I like the sweet and sourness of pom, and this one has it:) Unfortunately, the lab's pom turns dusty on me, and after awhile, I'm getting bright fruit and dust. They are fighting a bit for dominance, but even if the pom wins, this blend is much too fruity for me.

 

eta 2015 version. I love the smell of pom, and this one is too sweet to be a true pom imho. Sweeter than last year, I detect no bitterness, but this one is waaaay to fruity. It reminds me of those clear glycerine soaps from The Body Shop.

Edited March 30, 2015 by milo

[Missy_killer]

In the bottle: Smells very red and thankfully not overly sweet. i would say there is some bitterness involved?

 

On me: Still not too sweet and very red. I've never had, nor smelled pom so I don't know how it compares to the real deal. But it smells pretty good I have to say. The bitterness in it keeps it from going candy-like, which is a plus in this case. I like it, but I'm not sure I'm ever gonna use a full bottle of it. Probably not.

 

After two hours it smells like scented candles on me. Yet another good scent that my skin likes to call candle.

[Coldfire]

the 2013 Version

 

Bottle: Dark comforting pomegranate - the deepest of reds

Wet On Me: Still that deep deep dark red fruit in the shadows. And something I can't quite put my nose on

Drying Down: Deep Dark juicy red fruit in a dark shadowy candle lit cellar. this is making me swoon in love!

Dry: this is an ancient deep dark juicy red pomegranate fruit in a wine feel. No bitter. Smooth and ancient. Sitting in a room somewhere that had once had incense burning.

 

Such a love this is. So glad I got the bottle. So not trading away!

[astarinel]

2014 version. I've never tried any of the others.

 

In the decant and wet, it's very red, juicy, and tart. There's something in the lab's pom note that strikes me as a little powdery-floral, and that's present here as well. It is definitely a bittersweet scent, as the description says, and it's very simple: strong pomegranate with something else I can't quite put my finger on, maybe something incense.

 

I don't find this one changing much as it dries, it stays dark, sweet and sour pomegranate. Average throw and lasting power.

[thekittenkat]

This is for the 2014 version.

 

In the decant: Tart but sweetish pomegranate.

 

Wet: It becomes more fruity-sweet the moment it hits my skin.

 

The dry-down: This is such a gorgeous scent--I adore the way it blooms on my skin. This is the sweet yet rather tart pome, with a touch of something dark abt it, perhaps incense or a resin. I'm thinkin' that this version is richer, darker, fruitier than previous years--no longer a little girl scent, all pink and princess-like, but more suited for the young woman who longs to be Hades' Queen.

[LiberAmoris]

2014 version

 

The Fruit of Paradise is almost like pomegranate single note on me, a slightly bitter, juicy pom. It's very reminiscent of a crushed pip. Definitely for pomegranate lovers!

[Haltija]

This is just lovely.

 

Definitely a more sophisticated fruity scent. Basically a Pom single note for sure but with a deeper edge. This may sound strange but to me it smells like Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir. It's a keeper (:

Edited February 17, 2015 by Haltija

[agirlnamedfury]

2014 Version

 

This is not nearly as fruity as I expected... it's actually almost floral. I do understand why it's described as "bittersweet" though. There's something dark and woody in there. I don't think I would describe this as a pomegranate scent without knowing that's what it was supposed to be.

 

I'm pretty indifferent towards this one. It may go in the swaps pile if I don't like it any better on a second testing.

[shibagast]

v 2009

 

 

In the bottle, it reminds me of cold medicine. I couldn't even remember what fruit it was supposed to be haha. On me? ... It smells like Michaels Crafts around Christmas. I don't mind the smell, but it definitely makes me think of the holidays and the way that the store smells. I guess it helps me identify what Michaels smells like beyond apples and cinnamon? I'll keep it because I like pomegranate, but will probably reserve this for the upcoming holidays.

 

Edited for words.

Edited September 21, 2015 by shibagast