Persephone

[theredshoes]

Beautiful, radiant daughter of Demeter... her loveliness was so exquisite that even Hell itself could not resist her. Pomegranate and rose.

 

Persephone is my girl -- she's sitting on a shelf between her husband Hades and BFF Hecate. ;-) (Yes, I am a mythology geek.)

In the imp: YIKES, that's a very sharp strong chemical scent -- it doesn't even smell like perfume! A little scared here. I don't remember it smelling this way when I first wore it, years ago.

Wet: Thank goodness, as soon as I put it on the rose started coming up and softening the tang. Still kind of sharp and unpleasant.

Drydown: Still tart and wet -- I guess that's what people are calling "juicy" -- but the rose is amping more. It's also fading a bit. This is a little more harsh and faint than I remember -- I'm not getting that really fruity richness. The rose comes out more and more as time goes on, like Persephone returning to Demeter in the springtime. Recently I've been trying some "concept" scents that seem designed to go through various stages -- Wilhelmina Murray, Poisoned Apple -- and I'm really impressed. It's as if this little story gets told on your skin. For me Persephone goes from sharp pomegranate softened by rose, to faint rose with pomegranate tang. Definitely sweet but there's almost something a little melancholy to it.

Hours later: A sweet but tangy juicy delicious smell. It does fade more quickly than I'd like, but that's a good excuse to keep slathering it on. Persephone and I are reunited again!

ETA, eight hours after I put it on: Actually Persephone has great staying power for a perfume this subtle, and pretty reasonable throw. It's now a very delicate, faint almost sad rose -- I think the pom keeps it from going powdery. Husband termed it "pretty, perfumey" (heh) and "haunting."

[vanillabean]

In the imp: Rose and lavender.

 

Wet on skin: Rose, lavender, and citrus? (Where is citrus coming into it???) Overall a very soapy scent, but pleasant.

 

Dry: Sweeter rose soap. But more soap than rose. Not a headache scent by any stretch, but not one of my faves.

[Gwydion]

In bottle: The pomegranate is strongest and the rose goes really well with it. I would drink this in a heartbeat if it were juice. Unfortunately my skin does nasty things with rose, but if you want a good pomegranate with a touch of the floral, this is your fragrance.

[filigree_shadow]

Very pretty, light rose scent. Not complicated -- just a simple, sweet rose. The pom isn't strong, which for me is a plus.

[ringmaster-red]

In the vial: VERY strong rose. I don’t typically like rose, so I was actually dreading trying it on.

 

Wet: The pomegranate and rose actually mixes quite nicely. This is a rose I don’t mind. It’s very juicy and fruity and fresh and a little sweet. It’s a very young-woman-all-grown-up type of scent. I actually quite like it. Lots of throw. I hope it stays like this on my skin as it dries.

 

Dry: The smell is softer dry. After 20 minutes dry, it goes slightly medicinal. After a while it calms down into a soft, slightly sweet, fruity rose. I don’t typically like rose, but I think the pomegranate helps to keep it fairly pleasant. Long lasting, average throw.

[IambicDearie]

Yes please more of this forever.

 

I may actually have to snag a bottle of this, I don't do that very often.

 

Rose and pomegranate have done some very nice things on my skin and I keep getting compliments!

[Atrous]

I don't get any of the Pom. It smells like rose potpourri to my nose.

I like my roses to smell fresh, so I'll pass on this one.

Edited February 5, 2014 by Atrous

[hiddentwilight]

I don't get any of the Pom. It smells like rose potpourri to my nose.

 

I couldn't have said it any better myself. I love pomegranate (there are two in my fridge right now), so I was really hoping for that bright tanginess. I can smell it a bit in the bottle, but on my skin it's rose forever. *sigh*

[rinster]

This is a beautiful balance between rose and pom. I like "juicy" roses (i.e. Snooty and Blood), but this one is just a little more subtle and very demure, so I would feel comfortable wearing this in any situation. This will get much wear from me!

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Juicy, juicy pomegranate tinted with rose.

 

Wet on skin: Same as before. The rose is adding an almost dry bubblegum tinge to the pomegranate. Normally, I don't think that would be a good thing, but it works here.

 

Dried down: Still the same

 

Throw: This one has a little bit of throw.

 

Verdict: **** I really like this a lot, and could see myself wearing it a lot in the fall and winter (I usually start craving pomegranates around then, anyway). I think I'll be getting a bottle in the future, but not immediately.

[Monster]

Out of the vial, Persephone is medicinal, cough syrup-like scent.

 

When first applied this is a juicy burst of pomegranate and a soft breath of red roses.

 

As it dries, the pomegranate steps back and allows the rose to dominate. I amp rose like crazy! After about 15 minutes, this settles in and turns into a sweet rose reminiscent of those japanese beetle bags my mother keeps near her blueberry bushes. The rose is almost syrupy, sickly and once again, medicinal.

 

This scent is not for me at ALL. It's not often I have to wash off a BPAL perfume but this one is getting scrubbed. I think the scent memory/association of the japanese beetle bags is grossing me out. Asa kid, it was my responsibility to empty them and replace with a new bag and it was the most revolting/creepiest thing I have ever seen. A bag full of hundreds of beetles, pulsating, writhing and moving. *shudder* No thank you.

[GoddesShel]

When I saw the description, I was like, "Why on earth didn't I have this already? My freakin' COMPUTER is named Persephone, you'd think I'd have jumped on this!". And pomegranate and rose are two of my favorite notes. So I managed to get my hands on a bottle, finally.

 

In the bottle - I get lots of rose and a little red fruity pomegranate. Sniffing the cap gets me more pomegranate. Mmmmm.

 

Wet, on me - straight up red rose. Wow, that's strong. I'm wafting roses everywhere!

 

I don't usually amp rose, but I seem to be with this. It's all rose, all the time, no pomegranate to be found, on my skin. My skin seems to have eaten the pom. Darn it.

 

I'm not sorry I have it, and I'll wear it, because I do really like rose, but I was really hoping for more pomegranate. Darn chemistry! This one may have to go in my scent locket.

[agirlnamedfury]

Definitely STRONG rose. I'm not usually a huge fan of florals, but this one really isn't bad. I do get a hint of fruitiness too, though I don't know if I would immediately identify it as pomegranate.

 

A classic, romantic scent.

[DevilsCandyCane]

This has been overlooked in my imp box for ages, given I don't do fruity, but right now, at this precise moment, while rather stoned, I'm in love with it!

 

My initial thought was apple, until I read the notes - wet it smells like a bright green apple, just bitten into, sweet and tart and completely natural, and as it dries the rose comes out, freshest, dew-dripping-est rose ever, with just a hint of fruitiness in the background. Sexy in the most natural, summery way possible, but sadly it fades to almost nothing within literally 3 minutes of application on my skin

 

...I may have to try it in my locket. If it stays that good all day, I will be needing a bottle!

[JackiePaper]

Omg, I LOVE this!

On my skin the rose and the pom come out very well balanced and add up to a juicy, fruity scent that's very sexy in a flirty and playful sort of way.

Staying power is great. After putting it on in the morning I can still smell it the next day before I shower. And the Mr. likes it, too (I knew he would. He's a fan of fruity scents and he likes scents that contain rose, although he doesn't really know about that.). Men in general seem to like it, my male colleagues tend to hang around much longer and closer to me when I wear Persephone.

I will definitely get a big bottle of this!

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: The rose note jumped out at me first, but the pomegranate is present, making this a fruity, but tart rose scent.

 

Wet: Again, the rose note jumped out at me first, but the pomegranate note became a lot more prominent after sitting on my skin for a few seconds. The pomegranate note is very tart, and the rose note is a sharp red rose, not quite as fresh as the rose in Rose Red, but it's also not the velvety, mature rose found in Peacock Queen.

 

The rose note is beginning to soften as the scent dries down, but it still reigns.

 

Dry: Mostly rose, made sour by the pomegranate note that has been forced to remain in the background.

 

Verdict: I usually have success with rose scents, but I wasn't too fond of the pomegranate note in September Midnight, and I am not very fond of it in this scent either. Of course, I'm not particularly fond of fruity scents, and this just smells rather sour on me. I won't be keeping the imp.

[Kmye Chan]

I can't remember if this was a frimp from the lab or whether I impulsively added it to my order.

 

In the imp: strong, sweet rose, more rose jam than fresh flower. There's something chemical and slightly unpleasant about it.

 

Wet: okay that's nicer. A rather juicy rose.

 

Dry: pretty much straight rose on me. The pomegranate sweetens it a bit, without lending any real scent shift.

 

No throw or lasting power review because I washed it off. I don't like strong rose notes, which tend to get a distinct toilet cleaner smell on my skin. Persephone is no exception. Swap.

[LizziesLuck]

I love rose! I like the idea of pomegranate, but it's not always great with my skin chemistry. Still, I am really excited to try this.

 

Wet: Both notes shine equally. Simple and lovely. The pomegranate is sweet and tart at the same time. I believe the rose is of the red variety - reminds me of the rose note in Peacock Queen and Whip. I really like this so far. I do have a TON of rose in my collection though, so it would take something quite special to make me want a bottle, at this point.

 

Dry: The rose stays beautiful and true, doesn't go soapy or sour on me at all. The pomegranate is beautifully balanced with the rose. I really like this, I think it may be up there with some of my fave GC rose blends. I have too many to justify a bottle of this right now, but I will be keeping it in mind for when some of my other rose scents start to run low.

[joopjoop]

I'm on the fence about Persephone.

 

In the imp it is pure pom, which is not unpleasant but I'm not sure I want to smell like a juice bar.

Once on, the rose comes out and it is a lovely rose indeed - the pomegranate does keep things nice and fresh and keeps the rose from going powdery. It is very well balanced.

 

I waver between thinking it is a bit too sweet and really really loving the way I smell. It smells especially nice in my hair, but it is fairly consistent on the skin as well.

 

Once thing I've learned is that between Persephone and my girl Catherine is that I love the lab's rose note. So for now I'm keeping my imp of Persephone close by, but my next batch of imps will be rose-intensive.

[PrinceofcatS]

This is very close to what I wanted Rose Red to be like on me. The tartness of the pomegranate doesn't seem to do much but add a sweet greenery to the rose that is like the chilly sap note in Rose Red, but where Rose Red is, on my skin, majority cold green sap, Persephone is sweet red rose and tartness. All the same, I do recognize it as pomegranate, i just don't find it does much besides deepen the rose - which I like! It just smells like a dewy, glistening red rose, fresh in from the garden. I've been planning on trying a bunch of rose scents to try and find the One Perfect Rose, but I already feel like this is a strong contender.

[Danielle DiFusco]

After testing this out in the imp I feel torn on this scent. In the imp it smells beautiful, like pomegranate and roses, almost like undernotes in a great red wine. When on the skin the pomegranate develops this sharper note to it that isn't BAD but isn't my favorite. However the drydown is once again this sweet and mellow pomegranate and these beautiful roses that have me sniffing my wrist.

[theredkilt]

Rose always goes foul on my skin. In this blend, i get a powdery rose. No sight of pomegranate.

[sarandipitee]

This is beautiful in the imp - fresh rose with a juicy hit of pom, but on my skin it's just a soapy rose with a hint of fruit (more apple than pom like others have mentioned).

 

It's a very fresh and bright scent, perfect for rose lovers, or those who don't amp rose like I do. Off to the frimp pile.

[PeculiarHeroine]

When I got this as a Frimp, I was excited. I love rose, I love fruit, I love the story of Persephone. So this was going to be right up my ally.

But I leave disappointed. I get the rose, and a hint of pomegranate, but it lays flatly upon my skin, when I wanted it to dance.

Ah well. I'll wear the Frimp, but no bottle will come to me of this.

[Casablanca]

Wet on my skin, Persephone emerges as almost pure pomegranate, tart and dark red, but with an unpleasant artificial note that smells like clear vinyl.

Thankfully the vinyl fades as this dries and the rose blooms open. This rose has less potency than the pom did, lacks the depth of some other roses in blends, and takes a lightly soapy tone on my skin. I think I pick up a feeble musk beneath it.

 

The blend turns weak and a little dusty in an hour.

I'd like to find a good rose-pomegranate blend for my little gang of rose keepers, but it didn't happen today.