Pothôn Mêtêr

[Dianora]

Mother of Desire.
Rose absolute, caramel, ripe red berries, pink pepper, Balsam of Peru, cognac, and benzoin.

Ooh, my first time doing a first review.

I got my package of new BPAL this morning, and in my haste before school I quickly grabbed a shiny new bottle and slathered some on before class. It smelled very green and sharp at first, and I drew my nose back from my wet wrist in confusion. I almost thought the lab had made a mistake and sent me Hemlock or some other spicy green from Rapaccini's Garden, but no, it was Pothon Meter with her pale skin and perky breasts smiling back at me. I didn't really have time to think about it, I grabbed my bag and went. I was in the middle of a Lit class when I suddenly caught a whiff of something lush and rosey and just absolutely divine. I looked around for a moment before realizing that it was me. The sharp greenery was gone, leaving something so delicious I had to restrain myself from sniffing conspicuously while in public. Now that I'm at home and can sniff to my heart's content, I am astounded. This has become something deep red, juicy and so sexy that I am just in love. I can definitely smell the roses and the red berries on top, giving this a sultry sweetness, while the smooth caramel lends a deep, delicious quality to it. Despite having foody elements, this is not a foody scent, at all. The closest thing I can think of to describe this is a wild Valentine's night; the candies and rose petals have been crushed in a sea of red satin sheets as two cognac-drunk lovers entwine amidst them.

Oh man, this stuff is good.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: I can faintly smell a bit of rose.

 

Dry: Rose, rose, and more rose. With an undertone of.. something I can't really describe. Smokey, almost. [Helpful, right?]

I amp rose like it's nobody's business. However.. usually rose turns to rose + soap on me, and this blend does not.

 

 

 

On a scale of 1-5, I'd give this a 2.5.

I'm hoping that the other notes will start to show themselves after a little bit of aging.

[AliBabble]

this oil is surprising....it smells cool in the bottle - i mean temperature-wise, cool. like, refreshing. yet it's rich. a strange combination- it's not that rosy, and it's not that caramel-y, which is a relief, as both of those can be overpowering. i'm actually getting a fair amount of the pink pepper, and it's lovely. the balsam of peru is there, giving this scent smoothness. ditto for the benzoin, just barely there, but binding things together. the berries are there, but faint, and the cognac, a little hard for me to pick up. this scent is well-blended. i think i was picturing something a little darker and deeper somehow, when in fact it's more sweet and playful...i do like it, but not sure how much...it's pretty, but a tad soapy and "fresh" on my skin. may not be me. lovely label, though.

[Leopard403]

This is really complex! I think every time I sniff my wrist I smell something different... and I am sniffing way too often.

 

This is very soft rose, not the ZOMG ROSE! you get in so many other blends. I also get a vanilla-y sort of note that is very creamy, and I assume that is the caramel which is not the "burnt sugar" note I sometimes get from caramel. I love the pink pepper in it, as it sharpens the other soft and creamy notes. The drydown is quite powdery.

 

I suck at descriptions when scents are like this, but I can say for sure that I like this. It feels sophisticated.

 

 

EDIT 2/6: I had to follow up because this gets even more lovely each time I wear it. Slightly powdery but sharp and peppery at the same time, it is very, very sexy.

Edited February 7, 2009 by Leopard403

[naeelah]

This is VERY peppery in the bottle, and strongly peppery on the skin. I smell pink pepper first, followed by lush red berries, rose, and a hint of caramel. When wet, the berries are stronger than the rose, but as it dries, the rose becomes much more prominent. However, even though I typically amp rose, I don't feel like this is an overwhelmingly floral scent. It's a deep, rich rose and it blends well.

 

The caramel made me hesitant to order a bottle unsniffed, but if you haven't cared for caramel in the past, like me, have no fear. It adds a light, creamy sweetness, and that's all. It's not at all heavy or cloying. Once dry, I hardly notice it. I would not call this a gourmand blend. (Though who knows what a little age will do to it.)

 

I'd forgotten it had cognac and I didn't get a boozy sense from it, but there is a sharp quality that I think can be attributed to the cognac. I suppose it could also be young benzoin (which smells pretty medicinal to me when fresh). I can't immediately pick out the balsam.

 

In short, I LOVE this. It's dark and sophisticated. It reminds me of Pepper all grown up. She's bolder and less sweet.

Edited January 31, 2009 by naeelah

[Bluestocking]

In the bottle: Well, hello there, pink pepper! Pothon Meter is obviously a saucy girl, to judge from all the ginger-spicy pink pepper that dominates the bottle scent. Behind the pink pepper are the berries, and I can also get a little rich caramel and a touch of the rose, but everything else is hiding. It reminds me of Hermia a bit, without the sticky-sweet nectar aspect.

On, wet: Still very spicy, still loads of pink pepper, but it's merging with the caramel and cognac now, so it's spicy-rich-sharp. The roses are still far off in the background, and there's something else there, too, woody-green—I'm thinking it's the balsam of Peru. On the whole, it's a very vibrant, feisty perfume.

On, dry: Oh, now this is nice. The pepper has died down a bit, and everything else has bloomed into this rich, full scent. The roses are the focus, sweet and the very tiniest bit powdery, but they aren't so dominant that they're crowding out the other notes. Caramel adds a touch of creaminess, there's some green from the balsam, the berries are juicy and sweet, and behind it all is that warm, spicy pink pepper. With some of these notes, you might think this would be foody, but it's still more floral; the foody elements just enhance it without dragging over into edible territory.

Later: Mmmm, better than ever. By now it's a very sexy, well-blended floral, red and rich and warm. It's big, fat, perfect red roses, scattered with berries, spiked with the pink pepper and topped with a fine drizzle of caramel and cognac. If that sounds decadent, that's because this is. The wafts I'm getting from this one are heavenly, too—the kind of effect where you get a whiff and think "Wow, what smells so good?"

Overall: Pothon Meter reminded me of Hermia in the bottle because of the pink pepper punch, but she's actually quite different—more like Hermia's voluptuous, sexy older sister. This is spicy and spirited, but also very sensual and feminine. It's also very well balanced, in that there are a lot of elements here that can be overpowering (berries, pink pepper, roses, caramel), but none of them dominates (if the rose or foody aspects scared you off, you might want to give this one a chance anyway). All in all, Pothon Meter is a knockout, and I suspect she's the kind of blend that will only get better with age.

 

 

[alicia_stardust]

This is a very warm and sophisticated blend to me. On my skin, the pink pepper really dominates. It warms and brightens and amps, but the other aspects to this blend are not lost. There are hints of berries and cognac beneath the pink pepper, and touches of rose absolute and caramel peek out every once in a while. This is really beautiful. Lush and full and warm.

[lefthandmade]

What? No spices but pepper? And here I was thinking nutmeg and cardamom and cinnamon and all sorts of things. It must be the pink pepper. I am getting the rose though, after I dries down a little, but it's a spicy rose and not a clean one. Maybe, just maybe caramel waay back there as a burnt sugar kind of smell and I can't identify cognac. The berries are really red and really ripe and makes this sweet and almost candy-ish but not quite.

When it's completely dry it reminds me of BAGHDAD, but it's more complex than that. It's really really gorgeous.

 

 

edited because it changed completely character after a few hours. i will wear it often...

 

 

Edited February 9, 2009 by lefthandmade

[greenranger]

In the vial, I smell the pepper.

 

 

On wet...Oh, God, Yum. It can't possibly stay that good. I can't pick anything out, but if it stays this way I need a bottle.

 

 

Drying, the pepper is strengthening. Actually, it's beginning to smell like cinnamon sticks. The spice is overwhelming the rest, and though it is still nice, it isn't quite as obsession worthy. I expect it to change again, though, so we will see.

 

Pokey twigs and cinnamon sticks. It's a cinnamon wreath with no cinnamon on the list.

 

Maybe it's a locket scent. *sigh*

 

 

 

 

[Ahania]

For not having any cinnamon in it, this smells very much like it! I guess the mix of the pepper plus the sweetness from the caramel is giving it that sort of scent? In any case, it goes from wet to drydown without getting much more complex than that- cinnamon, pepper, and sweet. It doesn't scream caramel like I'd expected, just sweetness. A nice pick for someone who wants to smell like chai, but it's not for me.

[Suu4LC]

I remember sniffing this at will call and thinking it was one of the most unique bpals i had had the pleasure to sniff. With bottle in hand, I remember why-pink pepper and cognac, with a touch of berry and caramel. Simply divine. I get almost no rose or balsam from this, but we shall see how it is on my skin.

 

On my skin I do get the rose, but it's not the sour kind of way rose usually melds on my skin. Good God this is divine. Pink pepper lovers you HAVE to at least get a decant of this, the pink pepper is DIVINE. The caramel is sexy and subdued, not sugary super sweet, the rose is well behaved and sensuous, the cognac adds sofistication...this blend is just out of this world-one of the most unique and gorgeous bpal blends ever.

 

I am going to give this some more time to settle, but the early stage is just divine.

 

Now, the bad news. This fades SUPER fast. On FULL drydown, it does get a lot more woody (LOL) and loses that sharp striking uniqueness. It ends up being a soft, slightly spicy wood. So this would be one I'd need to probably locket or reslather this one-which is fine with me because those early stages are so epic. I do not regret this bottle at all!

Edited February 11, 2009 by Suu4LC

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Mostly pink pepper, but also a little rose to sort of water it down.

 

Immediately on skin: Wow, there’s a ton of pink pepper in this. That’s the first note I smell and it’s this girly, fruity peppery scent. There’s also a large dose of rose which adds this watered down flowery feel to the pink pepper.

 

After a little while: After a few minutes, this gets very soapy on me. It’s a mix of rose mainly with hints of the pink pepper and red berries. But mostly, soap.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent was a huge disappointment. In the bottle, it smells of almost pure pink pepper, but as I wear it the rose takes over and it becomes very soapy. I’ll keep my decant because I might want to use it in a scent locket, but otherwise I don’t think I’ll wear it much.

 

[black_and_bloom]

 

I never, never would have chosen this based on the note list at all. Anything with rose as the first ingredient is usually terrible on me. But I sniffed this at Dirty South Will Call, then tried it, then fell in love... Isn't it fun to get to try things out in person??

 

It's very peppery in the bottle, and on first application. In fact, it comes at you pretty strong, and almost has a strange potpourri quality to it. But the rose and caramel immediately mellow the pepper and then the berries softly kick in. SO pretty. I don't really smell the cognac at all.

 

It dries into a soft resinous scent with some leftover pepper bite. 6 hours later, it's still here with me!

[Iceblink]

I got nothing but strong pink pepper from this for hours. Waaaaaaaaay too much! Once it settles down, though, this is a nice fruity, sweet rose with just a bit of the pepper remaining. If the heavy pepper stage didn't last so long I might like this better, but I think it's a bit much for me.

[windbourne]

This one is proving to be my surprise hit from my decant collection and will soon be joining my bottle collection.

 

Initially, it's largely spicy berry with a subtle but noticeable rose tint. After a while the pepper really comes out to play and it's sneezily sharp (though still pleasant) for about an hour -- seriously, it made me sneeze once. -- and after that it settles down and becomes this beautiful mellow floral berry tea-like scent with a hint of peppery vigor and a background of smooth sweetness (that'd be the caramel & cognac...). It really reminds me of one of my favorite tea blends.

 

I...just kind of love it. Unexpectedly, but without reservations.

[savage_rose]

"Oh it won't do...to dream of caramel, to think of cinnamon, and long for you..."

 

At first this is all spicy caramel. And then it morphs into spicy rose. Oh, this is beautiful! Sweet, spicy, and smokin' hot! Very sexy. Suzanne Vega would approve, I'm sure .

[zankoku_zen]

Hmmm... This blend is definitely the sum of it's parts. Rose is well-behaved, pink pepper is as well. It smells like a slightly rosey, slightly sweet, warm resinous blend.

 

It smells like a mature woman, voluptous, secure in her own self.

 

I like it more than I thought I would!

[AlarmAgent]

In Bottle - Sort of like some lipstick. I get that feeling with a lot of sweeter rose blends, though. One of the bigger cosmetics manufacturers does/did some rose scented lipstick, and I have permanently associated the two.

Wet on Skin, First Applied - A blast of pink pepper right away, pleasant and very girly-perfumey.

Dry, on Skin - Sweet, pink roses destroy all comers, but pink pepper fights valiantly and just refuses to stay down. This is a very girly fragrance to me, and I swear, it reminds me of Benefit's Benetint at this point. Sweetened up, sticky rose, with a little pink pepper, and as other reviewers have noted, a mysterious cinnamon bit. Not bad, but not something I see myself wearing that often. I can definitely see a younger girl, or a girl who just identifies herself more with gamine and youthful things really digging this, but I just feel too cynical for this blend.

[femmefatale]

*Note: I am coming off a very nasty, very long cold so it is very possible I will edit this in a week or so.* LOL

 

In the imp it was mostly lush pink rose, balsam, and a bit of caramel and pink pepper. Once on, the pink pepper is the dominant note, followed by the rose and the rest of the notes are way back there. After a while the rose fades quite a bit and becomes a tad soapy, which is very interesting with the pink pepper. And if I didn't know better, I would swear there was the barest hint of cinnamon. The caramel stays consistant, though very light, adding just a touch of sweetness. There is also just a hint of an incense vibe to this, perhaps because of the benzoin?

I don't get much in the way of berries here, but it's quite nice the way it is. I'll have to try it a couple more times though before deciding on a bottle.

[meaganola]

I had about a decant of this leftover from a decant circle, so I decided to give it a shot even though it doesn't look like something I would normally wear. Maaaan, I don't get *any* of the things everyone else gets. All I can smell is an odd spice that reminds me of long pepper, not pink pepper. No caramel, no rose, no other good stuff. This is definitely not for me, but my sister-in-law apparently likes spicy stuff, so I think I'll annoy my brother and give it to her in the hope that her body chemistry doesn't pick up on the caramel and do whatever bad things it normally does with sweet stuff.

 

 

[Gale]

I don't know why I'm writing this, because it won't be too helpful....

 

Except that this is so beautiful and unlike anything I've ever smelled. I can't identify any single notes--it's just perfection. I am not a floral lover, nor am I a rose lover, but this is so different and so perfectly balanced.

 

Someone upthread said it was "voluptuous" and that is the truth.

 

 

[phantasmmysteria]

There's little I can say about this blend other than it's absolutely fascinating. I was really skeptical about the seemingly random list of notes, but as the protrait on the bottle is my favorite of the Ode to Aphrodite series I just couldn't resist.

 

In the bottle: WOW, that's got some zing to it! The pink pepper is all I can make out -- not a bad sign IMO.

 

Wet: This sweetens up on the skin, but not overly so. It took me a couple of wears to register the scent memory, but the wet stage actually reminds me of my favorite chai. It's warm and a little kicky and just a tad sweet. The pink pepper remains in the forefront, and everything else just swirls together beautifully.

 

Dry: As this sinks into my skin, I can faintly make out some of the other notes -- a tiny bit of rose here, maybe a smidge of Balsam of Peru... I was hoping for a little fruitiness and dreading the caramel, but neither of those want to make an appearance.

 

Verdict: I can see why this blend was named Mother of Desire. She is beautiful and warm, arms open and inviting her lover into her bosom for comfort; all the while making her lover's body burn with passion and need. A definite keeper.

[heathercaley]

At first, I get pink pepper (mmm sweet spices!)mixed with a sweet slightly sugar berry scent (not overly fruity though.. just a pinch worth) But as it dries down (it's been almost an hour) all the sweet fruit and pepper fade away into a dusty rose scent. It's almost soapy but not quite. It sticks pretty close to the skin and doesn't have much throw. It would be so lovely if it could retain its initial blast of spices and fruit!! darn chemistry!

 

Well, it was lovely while it lasted!

[amanderinorange]

I was really excited to get this one as I love roses and berries.

 

In the bottle: Mmmmm, spicy roses.

 

On me: Yum, still spicy and rosy and now with a bit of berry! After a minute or two my skin started getting irritated from the pepper and so I put some lotion on. While that took care of the burning, it started making it smell a bit like a candle.

 

Overall: I really hope that I can figure out how to avoid the burn as this is a wonderful scent that I hope to wear often.

[Schmoozy]

Spicy, resinous, slightly foody berries.

Pink pepper, benzoin and berries. This is stunning. Rose is simmering in the background, but this is spicy pink pepper and benzoin playing together. It gives a slightly foody angle, and the cognac rounds out the sweetness.

 

The mention of chai is really bang on. I could sniff this for hours.