Dionysia

[Ondine]

Wild plum, pomegranate, raspberry, Siamese benzoin, plum blossom, patchouli, frankincense, and mahogany.

This has aged into mostly patchouli on my skin, but a dusty, deep patchouli. It smells like a dusty incense at a new age shop. Very little plum left, not fruity at all.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: It's a bit drier than I expected at first. I thought I smelled some sandalwood mixing with plum, but this must be the frankinsence and mahogany. Pomegranate doesn't like me so it's turning sour with the mix of patchouli (patchouli is usually magic on me..). I knew this would happen but I keep getting pomegranate blends..!

 

Drydown: I can barely smell any benzoin because of the pom. maybe when I get older it will love me back..

[undream]

beautiful. sweet & plummy with a luscious little dusty/spicy kick, and very very head-shoppy(!). definite keeper.

Edited September 16, 2010 by undream

[Gold Dust Kitten]

Dark red fruits and patchouli. LOVE. I'm getting pomegranate, plum and raspberry, patchouli, benzoin and a little mahogany. It's heavy on the fruit now but I'm hoping as this ages the lovely patchouli intensifies. I love teh sexy label art.

Edited September 15, 2010 by mxtine

[Djaeno]

I purchased a decant off the forum and immediately fell in love, oh my gosh. Dionysia on me becomes a rich, heady assortment of sweet flowers and perfectly ripe plums. But underneath that is a woodsy, dry scent that I think helps keep Dionysia from being too sweet. It smells so yummy, I go off to la-la-land every time I smell it.

 

Which is fairly often, because this scent is STRONG on me. All I need is the tiniest dab on any part of my skin and I will smell it for the rest of the day. Good: it'll last longer!

 

Dionysia makes me feel strong and sexy, even when I'm in jeans and a basic shirt. I finally bought a bottle of my own.

 

EDIT: Like other reviewers mentioned, the fresh bottle scent is much different from the aged scent. It's definitely more fresh-fruit, with less of that beautiful woodsy note to balance it. I'll let my bottle age.

Edited October 30, 2010 by Djaeno

[voodoobaby]

Pretty and fruity. The plum blossom is detectable in the background but isn't overpowering; it just adds to the prettiness. This blend is very sweet! Some patchouli and frankincense make themselves known later, and that is an almost relieving break from the sweetness.

 

I like this and would like to smell like it, but I can't help but thinking that it smells a little superficial. Underneath that pretty face, Dionysia seems to be a little vacuous. That's alright, though. It would be really nice in the springtime when deep scents can be a little heavy for the warm weather.

[Larinessa]

Dionysia smells exactly like a potpurri that my mother had when I was a child. While it brings back memories, I don not care to smell like it. This unfortunately does not work as a perfume for me, but it is fabulous as a room oil.

[subtlesiren]

I thought I would love this scent, but after wearing it, I'm still not sure how I feel. Dionysia both in the bottle and on my skin is a very sharp, fruity scent. For a while on my wrist, I was smelling salon hair dye. If I sniffed my wrist, the scent was way to strong. The plum, benzion, frankincense and patchouli were all fighting for center stage and the result kinda burned my nose. However, the scent that wafted up to me when my wrist was in my lap was lovely. The plum was creamier and the other notes retreated to the background considerably.

 

Dionysia has lots of throw, so much so that I may not put her between my breasts where all my other scents go, but relegate her to my wrists. She also lasts HOURS! I'll keep trying this one out before deciding to get a backup bottle.

[b00cat]

I was frimped this by a lovely forumite last year. I was hoping I would get more of the patchouli/headshop that others mentioned from it as it aged. Unfortunately no My skin is mostly amping the raspberry and pomegrante and a bit of the frankincense.

 

After 4 hours at work: I smell like my Great-Aunt

 

At the end of the day: I can still smell it faintly as plumy incense.

 

Overall, a fruity scent with a smoky quality. I can see how others would love this but it's just not my kinda thing. Really glad I got to try it though!

[GoddesShel]

In the bottle: Dirt. Oh nooooooo!

 

Wet on me: Heavy on the patch (too heavy for my liking, ), but I can smell the fruits struggling to get out from under it. Praying the patch subsides and the fruit wins...

 

As it's drying: Better - the fruits are making a valiant effort! Please, come on, fruits - I really want this to work!

 

Five minutes in: Much better - the patch is receding into the background, along with the mahogany and frankincense, grounding the fruits. This still reads as really "dark" on me.

 

While not as fruity as I had hoped, still definitely a keeper. As it keeps on drying and my skin warms it up, the fruits become more prominent and the patch keeps receding (which is fine with me, but apologies to all the patch lovers!)

[EricthoDesalamander]

I enjoyed this scent so much that I had to buy a backup.

 

This is definitely a fruity scent, but the mahogany and frakincense keep the fruit in check, which keeps it from being overly sweet - it gives it a pleasant dryness, like red wine. Futhermore, ths addition of the patchouli gives it that extra dirty kick which tickles my fancy as well.

 

If I had to compare this scent, I would say that its similar to Bordello, but with an earthier/dustier feel. Very sexy, indeed.

[Atrous]

I was positive, judging from the notes, that this scent would be fab on me. So, I bought a bottle untested but Dionysia has been so fickle with me

I tested the scent out three times and gotten three different results.

 

1st Test: It was just raunchy from wet to dry. I was so upset I stuck her in the very back of my cabinet as punishment.

 

2nd Test: A month later something possessed me to try this scent again. Wet: this was just awful. I was thinking "Oh, no! here we go again". But dry, this morphed into a really light, fruity scent. Not my favorite, but certainly a nice scent.

 

3rd Test: Today, I decided to give her a third shot. Wet to dry, this scent is fantastic. I don't know if my skin chemistry has changed or what? I'm getting fruit and benzoin coming out strong, a bit of floral, earth, and resin. I know there is no wine note but I smell wine, red wine. I love boozy notes, so this is a bonus.

During the first test Mahogany was prevalent but this time around I can't smell it at all. Ummm, maybe the mahogany note was the culprit before.

So glad that I am loving this scent now but I will test it a few more times just to be certain.

[Missy_killer]

To my nose: Plum, pomegranate and woods. A ripe red sweetness with the woods there to darken and to take away any type of candy-ness. I'm quite curious to know if I will love this Carnaval-blend too, like the other three that I've tried.

On: Lovely fruityness and the dark tones from the mahogany. This is so very simple and nice!

There's not really much to say here. I kinda think that Dionysia is quite similair to Regina Erebi, but without the mint and the awful metallic myrrh. I might prefer Dionysia actually!

[ziggystardust13]

Oh Dionysia - how I love thee! The scent I reach for when I am craving the perfect plum. And I find that I crave this one a lot.

 

I love the combination of plum/berry fruits with the incensey notes. So pretty with a little something sexy underneath. Such a well balanced, yummy sent.

 

If you want a more grown up version of Bordello - Dionysia is the one.

Edited April 6, 2015 by ziggystardust13

[Malaena]

This one was the decant I was most looking forward to trying in my most recent order. I'm so disappointed. Dionysia on me smells like walking into Pier One. A melange of 50 potpurris coming together in that eau de Pier One. Where is the fruit?! Skin, how I hate thee!!!!!!

Edited May 25, 2015 by Malaena

[LizziesLuck]

This is the 2017 version -

 

Wet: VERY fruity! Lots of pomegranate. It's also somewhat boozy, which I was not anticipating. Quite tart- was thinking the benzoin would sweeten this up more, but if this were a fruity cocktail (which is really what it smells like) it would make your mouth pucker. Sour!

 

Dry: SO MUCH POMEGRANATE. I am not a big fan of pomegranate, it tends to be tart/bitter but also somehow dry and dusty on my skin. It's not pleasant on me. None of the other notes come through to round it out or soften it. This one won't be for me!

[Cali]

I was not expecting what I got applied wet to my skin! I think the benzoin and mahogany are the notes very strong at first on me. I'm almost getting something that's like vetiver. On drydown it gets slightly fruitier but remains very earthy and rough. And then, like magic... gone! All that remains is a very dim fruityness. It's nice, but unfortunately not for me.

[joopjoop]

Dionysia is primarily a fruit scent on me - pom and plum with a hint of raspberry - with some nice earthy grounding elements. After about an hour, more of the 'earthy' notes, particularly the mahogany and the patchouli start to peak out a bit more. It didn't make much of an impression on me the first time I tested it, but now I really enjoy it - it is a very pleasant red-purple fruit scent and a lot more unobtrusive than many of my favorites in that category.

 

Unfortunately, it is a bit too unobtrusive! Very low throw and fades a bit quickly - I'm thinking I can survive without a bottle. Still I am putting the decant in my work-scent rotation - for when I want something fruity but not too assertive.

[marared]

2017 review: not at ALL like the original. Dionysia was My Girl - everyone loved it on me, from famous musicians to bus drivers. Fierce and obnoxious with a ton of throw when fresh, smooth and mellow but still salacious with some age on it. I went through a LOOOT of bottles.

 

This? Is some faded reminiscence of what she used to be. The scent is so faint it's barely detectable in the bottle, never mind on the skin. Even with six months of age, there's still no personality to this new version of the scent. It's not a bad scent, but it's now a generic low-key fruity-patchouli-wood that has no layers or depth.

 

I have a sad.

[starbrow]

My bottle is aged but of unknown year!

 

A very odd girl, I was sure this had myrrh when I put it on because it was all powdery resin, but on the drydown as the band-aidy, buggy kind of bitterness emerged, I knew it was the Siamese benzoin to blame. I don't think the fruits have aged well, either. The red fruits here smell musty, past their prime, definitely the kind of fruit you pluck with two fingers from the fridge and immediately sweep into the bin. What I'm left with is the suggestion of dark fruits (plum!) on the inhale and a sour stinkbug kind of whiff on the exhale. I'm...puzzled. It doesn't smell terrible from afar, but up close I'm not enjoying it.

 

I'm going to have to try this one again and see, but so far aged Dionysia is not a winner in the plum game. I would like to try a new one and see the difference!

Edited May 31, 2021 by starbrow