Penumbra

[hkhm]

The observer's space within a partial eclipse.

Rich purple musk, moonflower, red sandalwood, black amber, oakmoss, copal, lavender, neroli, tobacco, and pomegranate.

bottle: this smells herby, lavender and oakmoss.

wet: lovely. the sandalwood amber and musk warm the herby oakmoss scent.

dry: this dries to an ambery oakmoss with a hint of sweetness. keeper. Edited July 25, 2008 by hkhm

[filigree_shadow]

When I first put this on I wasn't sure I was going to like it. It smelled quite herby and a bit planty. Like plant roots? A little bit like that. I guess it's from the oakmoss.

 

However, when it warmed up, that herby/rooty scent pretty much disappeared. It turned into a sweet, deep resin scent. I can't really smell any pomegranate or lavender in it, and just a wee bit of neroli. Also, black amber is one of the worst powder culprits on my skin, and I get no powder at all from this scent. That's a very pleasant surprise.

 

I'm still not totally sure what purple musk smells like after trying Penumbra, but it doesn't smell black or red -- I think it's kind of in between. This is a lovely, softly resinous scent -- dry and slightly sweet. The moonflower comes out more after about 30 minutes or so and gives the scent a light floral overtone that I really enjoy.

 

This one ends up being a keeper for sure. Can't wait to see how it ages.

[thelaurenator]

Penumbra, when wet, is bitter, sharp, and STRONG. (Lavender and tobacco, I'm looking at you). Drier it becomes much more "perfumey" and piercing, but in a good way. It's very pretty. I can really smell the pomegranate. It's quite strong in the blend! Then I smell amber, musk, and lavender. However, the strongest note is the tobacco, but it is nicely tempered by the other notes.

 

Well done, Lab! I wasn't sure I'd like this when I put it on, but I do. I love it.

[porcelina]

in bottle: dark, earthy and herbal.

 

on skin, wet: i have to put my nose very close to my arm to smell this. it reminds me a little of midnight kiss. it's definitely purple!

 

on skin, dry: PURPLEPURPLEPURPLE. that's all i get! not that i'm complaining- purple is my favorite color.

[perclexed]

I can smell a lot of the notes in the bottle, but on? I get spicy grape Otter Pop. WOE!

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is herb-y purple yumminess...

 

once applied there's the sandalwood and amber and oakmoss...very lovely

 

i really like the tobacco note in this blend as well...

 

after awhile this actually turns very floral and slightly fruity...nice

[marared]

The dominant note straight out of the bottle is tobacco, but it's not in-your-face tobacco - the herby things start clamoring for attention almost right away. I can smell the lavender and the neroli in particular, and I'm pretty sure that's moonflower, but the resins and the woods don't come out so much - they seem to be *grounding* the scent, and the herbs/flowers provide the personality.

 

It's kind of like walking through wet woods at twilight.

 

 

I like it, but I'm not 100% sure this is a keeper - but I'm going to keep trying it every week or so for a while and see how it changes. (Mead Moon didn't really excite me at first either, but it just got better and better with time.)

 

 

Edit to add that I definitely like this better as time goes by. I've been layering it with Red Moon for a lovely close-to-the-skin numminess.

Edited August 7, 2008 by marared

[Iceblink]

Penumbra has a gorgeous bottle label. What's inside the bottle makes me think "purple candy"...but it's not grapey, just sweet and candy-like. I'm going to guess the neroli is doing this since there's almost a hint of Jester going on here. The musk and sandalwood give it a nice background so it's not tooooo sweet. It's a quiet blend, very pretty, and I like it a lot.

[Rheliwen]

This smelled generic black musk scent to me initially on. As it dries I get the oakmoss, black amber, pom and sandalwood. In the end I finally get the purple.

 

To me, this is a darker, less sweet, muskier version of purple moon with pom thrown in for good measure.

[greenranger]

Wet, on me, musk and oakmoss. It does feel dark.

 

Everything is blending together and I am giving up on finding the individual notes. The scent is dark, elegant but restful.

 

 

There are flowers coming out on top. The musk and woods are supporting it. This is really lovely. I get the purple, and to me it's an elegant purple...an evening gown that you know you look fabulous in.

 

I have high hopes for it lasting, since most of the notes listed last well on me.

 

 

It does last well. It does change somewhat, though...It becomes even more purple, and sweet, and less formal. Wearing a fabulous purple gown and stopping off for a purple slushee on the way home. Hee!

Edited July 26, 2008 by Aerinha

[IronMollyBlack]

Woody, herbal, musk, touch of resin with a bit a fruit and sweetness thrown in. Dark, but not oppressive. And most definately, as everyone else has said, PURPLE. I have never had a fragrance BE a color like this one. It is most definately a keeper, I am very glad I purchased a bottle.

[heathercaley]

Come to momma baby!!!

 

I put this bottled sex on and I started talking to myself... "you're a naughty arm arn't you..you've beeen sooo baddd..."

 

Yeah I know.. creepy.. but thats how it made me feel when I huffed this naughty oil. Not too musky.. just enough to make you want to huff it hard. I get tobacco and lovely pom.. sandalwood gives it that incense pop and the moonflower creams it up a tish tash... purple hard candy underneath all of that. I wanna bathe in this shit.

 

<~ Me when I wear it to go out

[starwild]

All you need to know about Penumbra is PURPLE.

 

Seriously, purple. It's so, so purple. It's synesthesia in a bottle.

 

It's not at all sharp, on me it's smooth as velvet and just as comforting. No one note stands out, it's simply a lovely blend of slightly sweet-slightly dry-slightly fruity.

 

This is much lighter and not as bitterly sweet as Lunar Eclipse. The tobacco is very light and doesn't roar, it just whispers. The lavender, often a death note on me, it just a twinkle in the background.

 

So very glad I got a bottle!

[savage_rose]

The scent is dark, and feminine and a bit cologne-y without being the slightest bit girly. It's gorgeous, like the scent of a great warrior queen. Boudiccea would have worn this quite proudly.

 

Note-wise, it doesn't smell purple or grapey at all to me. Oakmossy, slightly musky, with the light moonflower peeking out beneath.

[lmaunu]

This smells like a purple version of Midnight Kiss, which is one of my top 3 BPAL scents. In the bottle, it smells more herbal than anything else and it reminded me a bit of Dragon Moon, but once I applied it to my skin, the purple musk took precedence, as did very faint tobacco notes. The lavender is there, but it's very faint, and lets the other notes take the center stage. It's definitely a purple scent, but a purple without any violet in it.

 

Love it! So glad I bought a bottle!

[oakmoss]

In the bottle and on first application, this seemed rather too masculine for my taste, but very quickly it softened into a scent that reminded me very much of Morgause. The same purple-darkness and sense of luxury and mystery, but this blend has a spicy-wood undercurrent too. This is like Morgause's silken scarf that she has been keeping in an aromatic wooden box.

[innocent]

I don't really get the pom in this one - on me it's a spicy dark resin backed by wonderful musk and tobacco. The moonflower sweetens it a touch. It's a lovely mature scent - reminds me of incense without smelling like a head shop (not that I dislike the way head shops smell). I'm glad I got a bottle of this - especially since it's the first oak moss scent I've tried that seemed more feminine than masculine.

 

Not for everyday - this is a perfume to wear when you want to feel sexy and a touch immoral.

 

ETA: I wore this to bed last night (see the "touch immoral" comment above ) and though I didn't put any in my hair, some got there anyway and I was greeted by the most wonderful cloud of scent as I got up this morning. It almost made going to work fun!

Edited July 31, 2008 by innocent

[AEris]

There's such a unique combination of notes in this blend that I really had no idea what the overall effect could possibly be.

 

It ends up smelling lightly resinous, with a sweetly herbal/musk undertone.

 

I think this could only get even better with age!

 

I would consider this an evening scent, I will wear it when I want the boy to attack

[Pika]

I really love this one. A total winner, in my book.

 

I get a VERY smooth woody, resinous, lightly-floral, red-musky scent. I'm actually not convinced that it's all that "purple". When I think purple, I think Morgause, or even Lady Macbeth, with a bright, fruity, sultry kick. It is sweet, but it's almost a near-red brown to my nose; drier, darker, smoother, subtler.

 

Regardless of "color", it's a beautiful perfume. It hung close to my skin, and leaned a little toward cologne-y, but still made me feel ultra-feminine. Sexy.

 

For those who worry about lavender, I didn't get any. [ETA: actually I did on a third test, but it was NOT overpowering and bad... pleasantly herbal. I also got a little more pomegranate, which was subtle and lovely] And the black amber didn't go powdery on me, although amber and I usually get along pretty well anyway.And while I appear to be outnumbered by those who found this "purple", if that's not a color that appeals to you, try this one anyway. It's truly gorgeous.

 

Penumbra!

Edited July 29, 2008 by Pika

[simpsonmeredith]

Oh, I'm sad I only have one bottle of this!

 

How was I to know this would be the greatest combination of musk, amber, sandalwood and tobacco? Tobacco is often hit or miss with me, often overpowering everything else on the dry down. But not here! I love ambers, but sometimes the musk overtakes it and makes it kinda dirty. This is perfectly balanced where the four notes I mentioned are all there in happy harmony. The amber is beautiful and the musk adds an element that is turning me into a cat, rubbing my face/nose against my arm.

 

Sophisticated. Sensual. Gorgeous.

[dluszcz]

Wow! This is different from any other BPAL I've tried. At first, when it's still wet, this is herbal and a bit like an old school cologne, with tart/sweet streak in the center. After drying down, it's sweet, resinous, incensy, waxy, and purple purple purple! Reminds me a bit of a deep violet candle that a guy would light to set the mood for a night well spent by staying in. Absolutely not a daytime scent for me!

[cam]

In the bottle, very pretty. I definitely get the purple musk and.... maybe lilac? Must be the moonflower. On me, the musk softens and it smells fruity and sweeter. I think that's the pomegranate. It reminds me of Bordello, only muskier and less boldly fruity (definitely no bubblegum here). The tobacco comes through subtly, too. Very nice. I like it.

[inurbanus]

Penumbra is one of those really perfume-y blends that is suited more for night than day. It doesn't exactly scream PURPLE, like I was expecting, but I can't think of a color that would describe this better. There's a fruity element here, but it's tart and not especially juicy. The lavender is pretty prominent, and while I'm not a huge fan of lavender, it works really well here. What's really interesting about Penumbra is how it straddles the line between masculine and feminine. One minute I think it's really girly, and then the next it reminds me of men's cologne. For some reason this reminds me of Dionysia (could it be the pomegranate?), but I like this much better. It's a welcome addition to my collection.

 

4/5

Edited July 28, 2008 by inurbanus

[slave1]

PENUMBRA

 

In Bottle: Sweet dark purple musk

 

On Skin: I love how purple this scent is... purple is my favorite color and this is so regal and deep it makes me swoon. It is the purple cousin of the latest version of Red Moon. The neroli is soft, the sandalwood is deep and woody, the tobacco offers the perfect amount of dark smoke. The pomegranate just adds to the red/purple tone and gives a slight sweet tartness. It's not as strong as it normally is on me, and doesn't *quite* have it's characteristic sweet-tart note... hmm... I still love this scent and am so happy I ordered 2 bottles unsniffed. The amber is powdery and blends so well with the deep copal. The oakmoss is light and very much in the background. And the lavender also stays in check, it normally amps herbal on me, but here it's just a clean slice here and there. An overall gorgeous scent with a medium throw and short to average wearlength.

[TooMuchTemptation]

I got Penumbra despite there being several notes in it that I'm a bit afraid of. I'm definitely iffy about oakmoss, I've had some bad lavender experiences, and neroli can get poisonous smelling on me. But I was tempted enough by the other notes to go for it.

 

In the bottle it's a little sharp, a bit cologne-y and yes, herbal. Oakmoss, and lavender are right up front, but they're not making me run away yet. On my skin the herbal smell is still there, but now there's a touch of sweetness that I like. As it dries, I'm noticing the amber and the sandalwood rising up, being supported by the earthy base of the scent. I'm getting a bit of fruitiness that I think is the pomegranate and the neroli getting together, but it's not poisonous, it's just giving this very dark blend some sweet relief. Ohh and there's the purple musk, and it smells so sexy!

 

This is gorgeous. It's like velvet. It's regal and warm and sweet and there's an underlying sensuality as well. I'm soo glad I followed my intuition and got it.