Penumbra

[Invidiana]

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

I love purple musk, and it certainly doesn't disappoint here. It comes to the forefront along with the resins, smoke and dripping bloody pomegranate, creating one gorgeous crimson shadow that will certainly cast a spell on anyone who catches a whiff of it. Another one of those blends where I was always finding something new. Beautifully bewitching!

[rayvn1]

I had tried this a long time ago and never wrote up a review. I remember I really liked it but retried it today. I forgot to look up the scent description but my first thought was mmm musk! and it smells...purple Warm, yummy and almost bold, but still soft and nuzzly around the edges.

[Monster]

I finally have a bottle! I LOVE this stuff!

 

Penumbra is the love-child of Urd and Purple Phoenix to my nose (and you know how much I love Urd) It's all smoky, purple incense on my skin. As it dries, it becomes more and more fruity...I'm amping the pomegranate and PLUM (I swear it's in here) This hugs the skin and doesn't have too too much throw which makes it a great daytime scent.

 

Again, Penumbra! I'm THRILLED I was finally able to track down a bottle

[Gold Dust Kitten]

This is resiny, sweet, and herbaceous all at once. This blend could have easily been pomegranate candle on me, but the gorgeous musk, sensuous dark purple lavender, neroli, smooth sandalwood and delicious oakmoss keep the sweetness in check. It does have a bit of a nag-champa smell to it, but without any smoke. It's absolutely divine.

[strahlend]

Beautifully musky and powdery in that sort of way that opium always makes me think the word dusky - it's sweet and smells almost like a floral/fruity/smokey sort of musk. I think this is what other people are calling the incense element. The only listed notes I can detect are lavender and the pomegranate - and maybe the copal. Overall it's very well blended and no note in particular stands out. As other reviews mention, this scent feels like it might be in a similar family to Mme Moriarty.

It's very lovely and I find it to smell quite comforting, making it a great choice for an evening or sleep scent.

I'm just happy to have a bottle.

Edited January 19, 2011 by strahlend

[HerbGirl]

YAY! Another Pomegranate that works on my skin! YAY! This is truly beautiful...

 

Wet, I can pick out the purple musk, amber, oakmoss and pomegranate

 

About an hour later, the pomegranate is still going strong (but it's so beautiful) and tempered with tobacco, and the amber and musk. I think I can smell the red sandalwood...

 

This is one heck of a blend - another masterpiece, and perfect for the last month of summer. 9/10

[a_llb]

In bottle: Much musk, deep. Herbal, velvety lavender.

Wet: Mossy neroli, I am really liking this stage so far! The lavender has pulled back some, which helps a lot.

Dry: Now I can pick out the amber, the moonflower, and definitely the pomegranate, which makes my nose stuff up. I wish it woudn't make me so sneezy all the time, cause so many blends have pom! The end result (what I can detect through my sniffles, anyway) is a tart, feminine scent. Very vintage chic.

 

Verdict: I like it more than expected! I'm not sure if it's worth the sneezing fit, but it's lovely all the same!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i so wanted to love this... but it was just *almost*. but not quite.

 

somewhere between grape hard candy and black cherry kool-aid (both of which i love!) - but it was like it was all high notes, all the time, and nothing to give it any oomph.

 

sad to see it go, but happy it'll be going to a better home!

[Mechanical Death]

I really really really wanted to love this.

 

I was hoping it would be dark juicy fruit with musky goodness swirling with incense and exotic herbs.

 

On my skin it's just weak, despite how many dark and deep characters there are in the oil. It has no throw on my skin, the pomegranate goes bye bye within seconds, and it dries down to faint musty wood. Sigh. Second pomegranate scent that has bombed. Maybe pomegranate is a killer for me. Xp

[Vega]

Sniffed: Very gentle and floral, with an almost imperceptible depth.

 

On skin: I can barely smell this. Somewhat sweet in a fruity, rich floral way, but I can't smell much of it. Maybe I'm getting pomegranate, musk, red sandalwood and tobacco, but it's vague. Reminds me a lot of Red Lace -- many notes in common. Gets stronger over time, now it's gentle, rich and fragrant. All the notes are working beautifully together. Gentle, fruity, floral over a deep dark base. Smooth, cozy, rounded, gentle and friendly. Colour impression is deep red tinged with purple.

 

Verdict: Lovely, gentle and beautiful, though it's so very faint! May just miss out on needing a decant... but I definitely have to test it again.

[MCS4096]

Very well blended; no one note really stands out. The overall feeling is like deep purple velvet thrown into shadow.. it's rich and sooty and lush. At once fruity, incensey, and floral. It has loads of throw on me personally.

 

Edited to add: Very similar to Mlle. Lilith, Fortune Teller, which makes sense since they share several notes.

Edited October 21, 2013 by MCS4096

[Marla Moreau]

This is certainly interesting and complex.

 

In the bottle: herbal, astringent (prolly the moonflower), I can smell the lavender and tart pomegranate

Wet on skin: a little warmer, the tart fruit comes out more, at first it smells like fig which I love, then some of the other notes come out... fighting for dominance

Dry: Tobacco finally comes out and becomes the dominant note, fruits, musk, and moonflower in the background blending nicely. It's very unisex, but very pretty. I don't get purple from this, more of a smoky red.

 

It's unusual, but I like it. Not something I would wear everyday and not much throw when it dries, but the bottle is a keeper.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Sharp pomegranate at the forefront, which is sort of unfortunate, as it's typically not great on me. It is mellowing out though! There's hope. This is very rich. It smells like summer at dusk, if that makes sense. It's actually becoming quite lovely.

 

 

Dry: OK, this is the second Pomegranate scent that has worked on me in the last little bit! My skin chemistry seems to be magically changing for the better, and I love that. This is dark and fruity and rich, and I really enjoy it. It doesn't go sharp or powdery as pomegranate always used to. I'm quite pleased with this! The musk and moonflower turn this into a dark fruity floral, which I love. <3

[bambi]

This is lovely. Quite sharp at first, which would be the lavender and probably the tobacco? On the skin, the lavender is still in the forefront on me, with a woody note backing it up. I'm not sure what that would be. The pomegranate isn't terribly strong on my skin. The woody note then shifts to a floral and the tobacco makes a comeback. The copal, sandalwood, musk, and amber bring so many different layers of softness and a distinctly "perfume-y" feel.

[iskhavin]

This is my oldest BPAL, at 16 years (same age as my daughter!). I didn't have it when it was new, but based on the reviews, the lavender and neroli were stronger then. It's very smooth now, and still totally smells like purple - dignified, sleek, a little mysterious. I'd wear this on an evening out someplace fancy, or anytime I want to feel divinely feminine (but not girly).