Agapē

[donnatron]

Happy fifth birthday to the bpal.org forum! To commemorate five years of camaraderie, love, and unbelievable kindness, we present a scent comprised of notes that encapsulate the essence of friendship: carnation, apple, sweet pea, vanilla cream, passionfruit, sugar cane, tonka, and guava.

Bottle: Warm creamy fruit with something powdery--the dread pirate carnation. Carnation is a note that definitely needs to age up before I can appreciate a blend and I was superpsyched this morning when I cracked open Agape and could smell notes other than carnation!

Wet: Very, very sugary sweet. I smell primarily the vanilla cream and the sugar cane. The fruit note that seems to be strongest is the passionfruit. I get a faint watery hint of the apple--I think it's green apple.

Dry: Fully dry the vanilla and the cream predominate and then I get a faint hint of sweet, tropical fruit in the background. The carnation is present but itss actually a little spicy rather than its usual sweet tart candy tone on my skin. This reminds me a lot of Milk Moon 07 but richer and creamier with better wearlength and throw.

Throw: Close to the skin but itss so sweet and creamy that I think if this had Snake Oil or Mme. Moriarty levels of throw it would be utterly revolting.

Overall: I think it's a wonderful idea and I love so many of the forum only scents. Agape is a fun, warm weather scent. It'sdefinitely not a new holy grail scent or anything but I'm glad to have the bottle and will probably break it out for barbeques and get togethers throughout the summer months. Edited May 24, 2009 by paperrose

[blacklacestatic]

I am so happy that I got a bottle of this, and that the lab blesses us forumites with treats such as these.

 

In the bottle: Fresh, crisp, orchard fruit. Juicy apple. Reminds me of apple-picking.

 

Wet on skin: The same, but creamier, more depth, luxurious. The vanilla comes forth a bit.

 

Drydown: Dreamy, Creamy, a bit of spice (I'm assuming from the carnation), still with the freshness of apple and other fruits. Delicious fruits mixed with sweet vanilla.

 

Overall: I knew I wouldn't want to pass this one up! Spicy fresh apples. Creamy, juicy and sweet. Great for vanilla and fruit lovers!

[Halloqueen2]

Admit I was a bit disappointed in this. Not sure what I was expecting, but with all the reviews about a creamy/vanilla note, I was right there...(into vanilla at the moment). I got absolutely no vanilla/cream from this at all...first impression was a strong fresh apple and another kind of fruit. I am not good enough with notes, but it's a rather tropical apple. Very shortly after, the apple/fruit note fades very quickly, and I get a very light floral, with just a whisper of apple. Then "poof"...it's gone. On my silly skin chemistry, there is almost no throw and no staying power. After about 15 minutes, there's a whisper of "something" fruity, but not enough to make the grade. It's an interesting scent, and I'm glad I got a bottle, but don't see myself ever wearing it on a regular basis...not sure what aging will do, but being a resin/incense note gal myself, I can't see that it will help. Need to keep it for a special romantic moment when I can slather and snuggle.

[tragedy]

This smells in the imp to me just like crisp sugared apples, of the green variety.

wet on skin the vanilla comes out, slathered over this reminds me of fresh apple slices dipped in vanilla fruit dip.

It would be great for summer.. while I’m not a foody scent person I cant stop sniffing this!!

Edited June 24, 2009 by tragedy

[Victory]

Wet, the apple is the starring player. I was a little concerned because I seem to amp apple- a note I like well enough, but not to the exclusion of everything else. Plus, apple scents always make me think of the Halloweenies. (Speaking of the apple, I too think it is a green apple, but not nearly so tart as the wonderful Punkie Night apple.) As the oil begins to dry, the apple remains in the forefront, but the cream creeps up and coats the apple. Gradually the cream supplants the apple and the apple backs off a ways. I never know what it is that's in the cream accords; cream and milk have no noticeable scent, maybe it just seems to smell like how they taste. Anyway. I don't smell the vanilla in the cream. Later on, the cream dims and the tropical fruit appears. I'm not at all a fan of tropical fruit, but I like this. I also like Milk Moon 07 too, so maybe it's the milk/cream + tropical fruit combination. The fruit's really subtle, not at all obnoxious. If I didn't know it was guava and passionfruit, I probably wouldn't guess it. The apple, cream, and tropical fruit finally come together, creating a really lovely delicate, creamy scent.

[iamblackbird]

I get vanilla cream and passion fruit out of this, mostly, and I couldn't be more pleased. It's a nice, light, tropical scent that lasts for-freaking-ever on me!

[caffinatedangel]

In the imp there's a tart sharpness of apple, and a... butteryness? of guava.

Wet on skin this is just delicious and mouthwateringly fruity. I dont know why I didnt order this when it was out, I wish I had now. It's turning to be a perfect fruit blend. With a spice overtouch, and a soft sweetness. Oh gawsh, is this lovely.

 

I managed to try a sample through a forum circle swap, and find it somehow amusing. lol.

 

But its so...deliciously perfect. I may have to hunt down a bottle of this now. ;_;

[BuxomM]

It smells fruity, sweet, and floral, like apple and sweet pea and as it dries vanilla cream.

[Monster]

In the bottle: Sugared apples!

 

Wet: Apples, fruit, sugar...oh my! This is delicious. There's a soft whisper of sweet pea and carnation, just enough to prevent the fruit and sugar notes from smelling too sweet on my skin.

 

Dry: This dries down to a lovely sweet, sugared apple smell. It's gentle, pretty and oh-so-delicious.

 

Overall: I'd say this is the springtime sister to Punkie Night. Agape doesn't have a lot of throw and it only lasts a couple hours on my skin before fading completely (which means I have to bring it along with me during the day and reapply after a while) but it's worth it since I love the way this smells so much

 

[rayvn1]

Lovely, lovely scent This is what I thought Xanthe would smell like (and it smells very similar to me, just much stronger and more comlex). Juicy, fresh apple scent with a creamy vanilla base and a sugary smack

 

[AEris]

This starts out a little cloying and buttery....the fruit is a little too bright and juicy. Once it warms up on my skin, it reminds me of Haloes - the delicious vanilla cream note is divine.

 

I really love this perfume after it dries down. It's worth seeking out.

 

Oops to me for missing out just because I hate carnation! This scent is gorgeous. I can't smell the carnation, thankfully!

[kerikeri]

Starts off as very strong passionfruit and guava, then apple takes over. As it dries, the vanilla cream comes out to soften and sweeten the blend.

 

This is a very pretty, feminine scent, utterly sweet and innocent, and... I just can't get excited about it. It's nice, and it sort of makes me miss the passionfruit-guava juice I used to drink all the time as a kid, but as a perfume I'm not blown away. If I keep this, I'll have to save it for next spring, because this is definitely a blend for the warmer months.

[saralaughs]

Starts off as very strong passionfruit and guava, then apple takes over. As it dries, the vanilla cream comes out to soften and sweeten the blend.

 

This is a very pretty, feminine scent, utterly sweet and innocent, and... I just can't get excited about it. It's nice, and it sort of makes me miss the passionfruit-guava juice I used to drink all the time as a kid, but as a perfume I'm not blown away. If I keep this, I'll have to save it for next spring, because this is definitely a blend for the warmer months.

 

 

I have to mirror kerikeri's comments.

 

Agape (which I got to try thanks to a very lovely forumite ) starts out very juicy and sharp smelling from the passionfruit and guava. After a bit the apple comes out and the sharpness starts to fade, leaving only juicy apple. While it continues to dry, the vanilla cream is there, rounding out the blend. The carnation then comes into play for me, adding a bit of floral spice. It's a very fun, beautiful scent. I just don't know if it's "me" yet.

[cinderfallen]

It's apple full blast at first, followed by a ton of guava+passionfruit and spicy carnation--so much carnation that at I was initially afraid this was going to do the craftstore candle route. Nope the tonka must give enough grounding because the scent reins itself back and becomes a really clear, creamed fruit scent. My pulse points make the scent a lot more vanilla while my cooler forearms retain that crisp fruitiness--probably due to the carnation which gives that edge. I think the combination of sweet pea and sugarcane is acting almost like honey in this, giving a soft nudge to cushion the fruitiness. The apple recedes enough that it's reminscent of apple peel, and the end of each fruity waft is softened by that tinge of cream.

 

I love that this a very soft scent, not too much of anything, and not too little girl at all. I get wafts of soft cream, gentle carnation, and very blended + harmonious fruits. Lasted for hours and hours.

Edited October 18, 2009 by cinderfallen

[Schmoozy]

Apple & spicy carnation mingle with vanilla cream and sweet pea. I can barely detect the passionfruit or guava whcih saddens me. Agape is creamy, full of vanilla, spicy from the carnation and just a teensy bit tart.

Unfortunately it has no staying power on my skin, which is too bad, because that is what has me skipping over the scent more often than I care to admit.

[opticnerd]

I love this scent. I ordered 2 bottles unsniffed, back when it was live, and am so glad I did! This begins as apple with a somewhat tropical and slightly bubblegummish tinge ala Xanthe. That must be the guava, but give it a little time to settle and a wonderful creaminess that is reminiscent of Alice begins to mingle with the tropical bubble gum apple scent. So that there must be the cream/vanilla/carnation. Its just delicious! Its fruity, and very slightly tropical without being sticky-sweet. In fact it feels very clean and fresh and a great spring/summer scent.

[loubric]

WOW OH WOW OH WOW OH WOW I this scent!!!

In the bottle it has a very tart apple smell.

On me … that’s a different story…. I smell like sweet crisp apples mixed with candy and sweet pea. The passion fruit and guava are there but just not as prominent!

If I close my eyes, this is what Jane Austen’s Emma or Jane would wear!! Very sophisticated and lady like.

 

PS. This was a gift from my lovely witch Tartchef!!

 

[reynardine]

In bottle: a thick, creamy scent, almost fig-like (although there’s no fig in this).

 

Wet: Divine!! Picking out the vanilla and some fruits.

 

Drydown: Now the florals and veggies seem to come into the picture. Still beautifully complex.

 

Later: It does fade into the background quickly, but the scent is still there, lovely and subtle. Obviously will have to slather this one.

 

Great scent! I love it!

 

[heathercaley]

Mmmmm delicious!

 

Once applied, I get the thick meat of guava with the crispness of apple, and softened with a floral based vanilla. The floral note is perfectly balanced with cream, making it just amazing. As it dries down, more of the sweetpea comes through, but not too much. Just enough to add another layer of girly flowers to match the cream and fruity charm of the other layers. I'm not usually one to indulge in fruity flower scents, but this one is one that I wear often. It's beautiful and sweet but not too sweet and not too floral. Yet throughout the day, it maintains a certain panache that only the lab can create!

[filigree_shadow]

I wasn't interested in this when it came out because I don't usually like carnation, sweet pea is generally a killer note for me, and apple is too overpowering. Well, I was a dipsquat. This doesn't smell like any of that stuff I don't like. I mean, yeah, there is apple in it, but it's not overpowering at all. More like an undercurrent rather than an in-your-face note. It smells great with the other sweet fruity scents and the vanilla cream.

 

I'm a dummy. Should have gotten more of this when I had the chance. It'd be perfect to wear in the spring and summer.

[doublehelix]

In the Bottle: straight up apple and carnation! smells like sweet apple juice.

 

Wet on skin: crisp apple with undernotes of florals

 

Dry on skin: florals are a little bit stronger now, with the apples and guava in the background. Very sweet, soft scent. The florals are definitely not overpowering. & I agree this could be the perfect spring scent!!

[Veronica]

I get crisp, fresh apples and very creamy, sweet vanilla and sweet pea from this. I'm not sure how much I like it yet--the creaminess of the vanilla is a little overpowering and too sweet for me. Fortunately, this mellows down into a more subtle, pretty cream-tropic-fruity scent reminiscent of Lampades on me. I don't know if it's worth keeping the bottle for me, but it certainly is lovely!

 

EDIT: On second try, wet this scent is overpoweringly sugary-sweet candy. As it dries, the sweetness mellows out and becomes more creamy and the apple and other fruits come out a bit, but still too sweet for my tastes, alas!

Edited May 20, 2010 by delighted

[Celenth]

This scent is one big ol' APPLE APPLE APPLE party on me. And I absolutely LOVE IT. It's got great staying power and throw on me, my skin loves it. It reminds me a bit of Les Bijoux, except... spicier. A lot more of the levels come out for me, and this was what made me put away my imps of Les Bijoux. Age has only improved it, adding to the spice and layers of it. The passionfruit and guava are there in a subtle way when it's dry, the carnation doesn't show up much for me.

 

It's definitely a very sweet and happy scent, and it lasts through a pretty iphysically active and sweaty workday for me, when most scents don't. Love it!

[lavender84]

Guava, sweep pea & apple with something dusty underneath for the 1st 4-5 hours then fades and the creamy vanilla comes through and the sweetness has also faded at this point. I needed to slather so it doesn't disappear in the first hour. Not a "me" scent.

Edited May 9, 2010 by ScentedDreams

[claudia6913]

This really is a very sweet, light, fruity blend. I've had the bottle for a while (from a forum purchase, so who knows how aged the bottle is, really). It never really struck me to wear it - perhaps because I got it in the fall/winter and this is very much a spring/summer scent. It's not overpowering, but it does seem to have a little throw to it.

 

The longer it dries, the more the florals come out to play and the sweetness is tempered by them.

 

I think if I hadn't forgotten that I had this and what it smelled like, I would've been reaching for it more often during these hot summer days.