Symmakhia

[ami226]

Ally in love.

Vanilla, heliotrope, red sandalwood, pear, black lily, white wine grape, and white rose.

On the skin: Ooooooooh! Light sweet floral! My weakness. Can definitely smell a nice pink rose and some vanilla. Maybe some pear?

Definitely getting a bottle of this one! Mmmmmm!

[angelicruin]

All I can say is Beth outdid herself with all of these Aphrodite scents. There is not one that I do not want to a bottle of.

 

This is no exception. It's all creamy pear, grape, and soft rose loveliness on my skin.

[astarinel]

This started out... pleasant. I know that sounds like faint praise, and I suppose it kind of is, but that's pretty much what I got out of it. It was soft and sweet, a little creamy. The rose behaved, which is something of a miracle for my skin, and it was a gentle fruity floral.

 

However, it faded quickly and became quite powdery. Not baby powder, really, but more like a very expensive dusting powder. Still pleasant, but too soft and powdery for my taste.

 

[marared]

I was a little afraid of this scent due to the rose, which I usually amp beyond tolerance, but surprisingly it's behaving, and what I get out of Symmakhia is a gentle floral vanilla pear. I think this is a great spring and early-summer scent - it's very tasty. I don't think I like it enough to splurge on a bottle, but I think I'll get good use out of the imp for as long as I have it.

[caitilarkin]

In the imp: White pear and light florals

 

Wet on skin: Oooh, this is deepening into a lovely pear orchard scent, thanks (probably) to the sandalwood.

 

Dry on skin: The vanilla is more evident, blending with the sandalwood to ground the gorgeous pear and florals.

 

I got compliments on this all day the first time I tested it--from strangers, my boss, my landlord...this will be another bottle purchase.

[nekogrrl]

Eeeeh, I didn't hold out much hope for this. I didn't expect it to be so bad though.

 

Wet on skin: The black lily and grape are immediately in my face. Ergh, not a good smell. The lily amps like mad, and I end up having to wash it off, it's so strong.

 

Obviously I won't be getting a bottle of this.

[aquazoo]

Oooh, this starts quite mild and pretty! I like what the vanilla is doing. Some other notes are coming up, and I don't know enough to be able to tell what's what... I thought the grape and pear would make it too foody, but actually they are hiding in the background.

 

 

[twilighteyes]

This is one of the surprise favorites from the Odes for me.

 

It actually reminds me almost completely of White Rose from the Trading Post.

 

Sweet vanilla, white rose, something a little tangy, perhaps the white wine grape? I love sandalwood but nothing in this blend screamed out sandalwood to me.

 

I really really want to stock up on bottles but funds are tight this month so I might be looking for back ups on the forum instead.

[Argentwolf]

It starts out with a bit of a sour kick, like wine gone musty...I'd have to assume that it's the pear and grape acting out, there. From a distance, it gives off a creamy vanilla vibe with some fruity overtones, while up close there's more of a tart pear smell. It's really interesting. Of all the Odes, this one had the most throw and lingered the longest. I'm actually sad now that I didn't buy a bottle.

[catattack]

Imp: fruity

Wet: This is very sweet when first applied, but morphed quickly into a heady floral. It is sooo strong. It's starting to smell like really strong room spray.

Drydown: I can faintly smell a grape-like scent.

Overall: This is too cloying and artificial smelling. I like it in the imp, but it is horrible on my skin.

[blu°]

Very much vanilla/heliotrope and pear on my skin. It's incredibly creamy and I get how it might produce a fake plasticky smell for some people. It's love from the imp, and a strong like on my skin so far. Still a bit undecided. It somehow reminds of other fruit-cream combinations (Bloody Mary, Miller vs California e.g.) that I wasn't too fond of in the end. But the pear and grape have a certain sparkle, possibly enhanced by the white rose, that is to die for. Alas, the longer it stays on my skin, the more of that sparkle is lost while the creaminess becomes stronger.

 

I think this might be even nicer with less heliotrope and a tad more grape and rose instead. For me, that is.

[edenssixthday]

I love vanilla, heliotrope, pear, and white rose, but put all of these notes together and sadly, this smells like fresh, powder-scented baby wipes on me. It's very strong, very sweet, very powdery, and makes me think of a freshly-changed baby butt. Not that clean baby butts aren't sweet and all that, but I don't want to smell like that myself. This has to go in the sale/swap pile.

[PurringPulsar]

the imp: a pretty ‘pink musk’ sort of scent, almost honeyed, and sugary.
Wet on skin: very nice! I now smell heliotrope and pear and maybe some lily too.
Dry: the heliotrope is surprisingly strong-usually this note is a background player but it’s very much a leading note here. The pear is also very strong in here. Overall this is vanilla (a vanilla that reminds me of shortbread biscuit dough!) and heliotrope with pear and it’s very appealing. There’s something to it which can only be described as a kind of ‘pink musk’. It hints at sugar and candy, but doesn’t have that sometimes oversweet edge. It smells almost honeyed, but not quite. It smells powdery, but in a pleasant way. I sometimes smell a hint of sweet lily-the sweeter aspects of the Black Lily blend-in here.
After a while: the scent becomes floral-vanilla pink musk now, and I really like it! It’s almost like there’s a hint of creamed honey to it, something in here reminds me of Alice and Dana O’Shee. The vanilla still has that soft doughy feel to it, and the heliotrope is delightful. It also reminds me of lip gloss, or lip balm, and that’s not a bad thing here. It smells sticky and sweet but not cloying or oversweet. I think I even detect a hint of stargazer lily-and I mean the real deal, pink heady blooms.
Verdict: this one has really grown on me, and it’s one of the prettiest pear scents ever! The vanilla and pear blend remind me of the Perilous Parlour, but this is much nicer because the other flowers here add depth and new dimensions to the vanilla-pear theme. It’s good to smell strong heliotrope as well, as this note tends to keep quiet. The lily is surprisingly lovely-sweet and rich but not at all soapy. And underneath it all is something which to me is a pink musk of sorts-the only way I can describe it is that it reminds me of lip gloss, sweet and sticky and pink, almost fruity, but not gourmand, though it does almost remind me of honey-though it’s undeniably pink in scent. I wonder if this is the rose reacting with another note? This scent is what I’d imagine the Teenage Cannibal to smell like once grown up (and out of her cannibal phase?) and I love it.
Emoticon rating:
Is it a keeper? yes-I’m very glad I bought a bottle.
If you like this, try: Perilous Parlour, Marotte, Black Lily, Eclipse, Dana O’Shee, Teenage Cannibal

[stellans]

hmmm....when I tried this blend out in a decant circle just a few months ago, I got no vanilla at all -- only heliotrope, pear, and sandalwood. I bought a bottle on that basis, because I’m not a vanilla fan at all though I do love pear, sandalwood, and usually heliotrope. Unfortunately for me and my paypal fund, the bottle is almost all vanilla and a sort of honey-type note as well...yes, that’s right -- honey, which is also not a favorite note. Ick. This is far too sweet a blend for me, and it’s rapidly inducing a sugar-high headache. For this particular bottle, my only hope is that age will bring out the sandalwood more to fight off the deadly (to me) vanilla. I have no such hope for the pear heliotrope, or rose. The lily and wine grape never even showed up. Doggone it, I go to the extra expense of decant circles so I will know what to buy in bottle-form, and when the formulation varies so wildly , it’s impossible for one to make an informed decision. This is enough to make me quit buying LEs, especially since this sort of ‘difference’ seems to be happening more and more often. Argh. And double-argh.

[rayvn1]

Ooooh. Creamy rose sweetened with vanilla and a touch of spice. Very sweet and feminine. Good throw, too! I'd be curious to compare Parliament of Foules to this one since I remember that being rose and cream on me as well. Keeper I think!

 

edit for spelling

Edited July 3, 2009 by rayvn1

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Powdery floral sandalwood, hint of fruitiness? Overall, this is “meh” to me--very heavy and perfumey.

 

Wet: Heavy perfume, very powdery, kinda musky, slightly vanillic, no fruits. Mostly, though, its just a dark, heavily floraled sandalwood. Its too pefumey for me.

 

Dry: It resembles the wet stage for a very long time, until about 3-4 hours in, when the super perfumey florals do fade off a bit, and I get more of a vanilla heliotrope with rose/sandalwood underneath. There's even a slight hint of white grape at this point. The faded perfume is wisps of vanilla nad baby powder.

Overall: I liked the very late dry that was more vanilla/powder, but was not keen on the heavy perfumey floral that the first 4 hours had in store for me. It was too heavy of a dark floral scent for my personal tastes. I wasn’t wowed by this when I first bought it, so I gave it time to age. Sadly, she's still not for me--I have found this a much more appreciative home.

Edited July 24, 2009 by jewelbug

[heathercaley]

This has aged into something so lovely.

 

Once applied, I smell vanilla and pear. It's gentle and delicious.

 

Interestingly enough though, as it starts to dry down, it morphs into a much more potent scent. It's vanilla laced florals with a slight smokiness wafting around. It's creamy, fruity and floral all at the same time. Though the floral note in this is a bit rough (strong florals and I aren't the best of friends) I still think that this is lovely as long as I don't huff too hard. Light sniffs make it much more agreeable, and light sniffs also help the pear pop out more. The rose is also a lovely companion to the pear. I'm going to let this age a little more and smell the magic that this blend can make in the future.

Edited December 15, 2009 by Purrsnikety

[ralenth]

Sweet pears and lilies. I get teensy peeps from the nasty green rose gallery, but mostly it's a creamy white floral. Once it's dry, it's very vanilla-y and the throw is incredibly strong. Symmakhia is lovely, but not really up my alley.

[Suusje]

I didn't know what the notes were in Symmakhia when I tried it and I really thought it smelled like Peach Melba. So I was quite surprised it was pears instead of peach. I definitely detect the pear now and no more peach, but I still refer to it as a peach with an identity crisis. Anyway, I love Symmakhia. It's quite fruity but creamy at the same time. Perfect for summer.

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting vanilla, pear, and what I think is the sandalwood and heliotrope. Really delicious. On my skin, an absolutely stunning vanilla/pear/sandalwood/heliotrope. Horray for blind bottle purchases based on gut instincts! Will probably go onto a second skin test.

 

...This scent seemed familiar to me, and I know why. This is similar to one of the Chaos Theories I got this year, vanilla and water lily. There's a definite vanilla/lily thing going on here that's made more awesome by the pear and the heliotrope/sandalwood, me thinks. Not an exact clone of the Chaos, but, WOW, like, my Chaos, but a bazillion times better.

 

Anyways. Second skin test sometime soonish.

Edited August 8, 2010 by Venneh

[lady_pandora]

I purchased this from the BPAL Etsy site. So I tested a virgin, but aged, bottle.

 

Symmakhia starts out wine/rose dominant and smells like Lilith's innocent little sister, but once it stabilizes at about the one-hour mark, the vanilla and I think the heliotrope team up to make a rather white-chocolatey note. I end up with white chocolate, a little wine, and a little rose. Very sweet and romantic! It teeters on the edge of being foodier than I like, but doesn't cross the line, and is really pretty.

 

I don't get any pear; I'm not sure if my skin's eating it of if it's blending into the wine or if it's simply aged out. In any case, I'm glad I took a chance on this! I like it.

[Aviatrix]

I am mainly getting vanilla, pear, grapes, and rose. Also a little lily. Not sure how heliotrope smells, though.

 

It is a very soft and pretty scent, not too fruity, not too floral, but somewhere nicely in between. The grapes work really well, and much better than I had thought they would!

 

Overall, it's really beautiful and I'm glad I went for a bottle!