Io

[stellamaris]

Red musk, pomegranate, cranberry, blackberry, mango, purple sage, thyme, and angelica root.

This is very nice, light, very berry, in fact I often pair it with Berry Moon.
This is an OK for me but not OMG OUTSTANDING need five more bottles.

[DeCuvieri]

As a lover of red musk, pomegranate, and mango, I knew I had to have at least a bottle of this before testing.

 

Wet: Fresh on the skin it's mango, hedged faintly by the sharp thyme. It reminds me of Shango without the overpowering apple-banana combo, so if the mango in that didn't work for you (Some feel it smells plasticky or fake) that would be a good indicator if Io is a good idea to try out Io or not.

 

Dry: On the dry down the mango fades on me, leaving a sweet compliment to the blackberry and pomegranate. It's not sickly sweet or sugary like many berry blends tend to be on my skin, and I can detect the purple sage sort of wavering in the background. This is so lush and juicy, the perfect Spring/Summer scent.

 

Throw/Longevity: Excellent. I do lose some of the throw after an hour when applied on the skin, but in my hair Io lasts pretty much all day. My only complaint about this one is I never really smell the red musk or cranberry (At least not what I recognize as the Lab's cranberry note as used in Lampades), but I'm willing to bet that this blend will mature beautifully in time and bring those out.

 

Definite winner for me.

[Bluestocking]

In the bottle: Red, juicy, fruity, tangy-sweet. I can see where you might get an impression of SweeTarts at first sniff, but it isn't powdery at all to my nose, and I think the more complex fruit aromas stand out after a few whiffs. The red musk is evident, but nice and light, like it's just sort of holding the different fruits together and smoothing them out. The herb notes don't really stand out, at this point. I get mostly pom and cranberry—ripe, tart red fruits—with the mango floating over the top. It's sweet but sheer, unpretentious and very cheerful.

 

On, wet: MUCH less sweet on my skin, with a big, green, fresh blast of thyme and sage. (Not at all like a spice rack, but like you've just been harvesting in your herb garden.) It's a nice balance to the sweet fruitiness—in fact it's almost on the edge of taking over, but not quite—and it makes this a very refreshing blend, perfect for summer and hot weather. I still get tangy red fruits and mango here, but through a veil of herbs. The red musk remains very light, as does the throw.

 

On, dry: The sweeter, fruity character has returned as this has dried down, and now there's a just-right ratio of fresh and herbal to juicy and fruity. The red musk stands out more now, but it's not heavy or pure sex, the way red musk can be—it's just smooth and silky, blending nicely with fruit and adding another dimension that keeps this from being too lightweight. The mango is still the most prominent fruit, as the berries and pomegranate blend seamlessly into each other.

 

Later: More of the same, just smoother and better blended. The red musk is more of a feature now, while the herbal notes are softer. Still very lovely.

 

Overall: This blend is really very pretty, a nice balance of fresh, juicy fruit and fresh, green herbal notes, tied together with a lovely sheer red musk. It's tangier and fresher on me than I expected, based on some of the reviews, but that's not at all a bad thing—it just makes the fruit notes more realistic and keeps the blend from feeling sugared or candyish. To me, this is an ideal summer scent, light and bright and playful and colorful, perfect for hot days and backyard barbecues. I foresee Io getting a lot of wear in the last remaining days of summer.

 

It also has a similar feel to Berry Moon. If this ages as well as that one did for me, it's going to be a stunner.

[Akurarei]

IO

 

At first, this blend was just a sweet mess - just a pile of sugar with maybe a single berry intermixed.

 

after a few months of aging, this is one of the more interesting BPALs in my collection

 

In the Bottle:

Mango & herbs

 

On my Skin, Wet:

A huge burst of juicy & sweet mangoes - I pick up the thyme too

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Mango is replaced by Poms & Cranberries.

I'm not sure if I can distinguish the blackberry or the red musk, but I think they are lending themselves to deepening the overall impression

 

Verdict:

aging was well worth the wait!

I love the Mango/Thyme combo, and it's certainly unique in my collection.

[Incendiare]

This is one of the few moths and butterflies I tried out this year. Just couldn't pass up the red musk and fruits. Sounds like a great combination. In the bottle, it is a combination of mango and pomegranate, and basically, it is the same on me. I don't smell any red musk in this, unfortunately. When I catch a whiff of this, I get the pomegranate first, then the mango. It kind of reminds me of a tropical gum, and very juicy too. It's the kind of scent that I could reach for on days when I have no idea what to wear since I don't see needing to be in any sort of particular mood in order to wear it.

[Gateau]

I had a lot of trepidation about this one, because red musk and I do not get along. But the reviews here convinced me that the red musk is subdued enough to at least warrant a try. Also, I love fruits and herbs.

 

Bottle -- mango! Lots and lots of juicy mango.

 

Wet -- mango with a touch of red musk. It's detectable, and it does the slightly off dough thing it always does, but there's just so much lovely mango that I don't mind too much.

 

Dry -- Remains a mango-red musk blend. I don't get any identifiable berries, pomegranate, or herbs. While it lasts there is lots of nice fruity throw and subtle red musk, but it doesn't quite add up to enough for me. I wanted that greater, obviously intended, summer fruit-herb complexity. Gone in about 4 hours, too.

 

One for the swaps. Might keep a small decant I have.

[Suu4LC]

In the bottle this just smells so sweet and juicy! Juicy red fruits and mango! Yum!

 

On my skin, this is delicious sweet juicy fruity musk! Soooo yummy! I love the pom, cranberry, blackberry and mango. Ugh, so delicious! If those are notes you like, and you like fruity blends, then you have to give this a try! Red musk is hit or miss for me, but it goes SO well here with those fruits. Loooove it!

 

I really adore this blend-it's sweet and fruity and musky and red and juicy and totally wearable!

[Deidre]

I got frimped a sniffie of this from a lovely forumite, and decided to skin-test it.

In the vial, wet on my skin and dry, this is SWEET. I think it's time for me to accept that even though I love the scent and taste of fresh mangoes, the Lab's mango note just smells fake and overly candied to me. I mostly smell the mango here, its sweetness enhanced by the pomegranate and the berries, and a bit of red musk underneath...not for me, sadly!

[bpalscentsual]

Ah. I knew it was red musk making everything musky-sugary for me. Otherwise? Skittles. Dark Skittles. This is delicious and sweet without being little-girly or cloying or syrupy.

[GoddesShel]

I bought this bottle from a forumite *waves at Gateau*.

 

When I received it, and smelled it in the bottle I was afraid it was going to go all "Jolly Rancher" on me, like Midwinter's Eve did.

(For those not in the US, Jolly Rancher is a brand of fruit hard candy).

 

Wet - uh oh - very tart and candy-ish.

 

But I think it was the red musk to the rescue, because it dries down to a lovely complex musky fruity blend. I really like this and glad I have the bottle!

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Soft, candied red fruits and a touch of bark

 

Wet on me - Red fruit flavoured boiled sweets with a hint of cream

 

Dry on me - A faint, dry fruit note

 

Overall - It faded very quickly on me and never really developed

[Ishtar]

I tracked this one down specifically for the mango, and it certainly is front and centre in this blend! The pomegranate brings a hint of tartness and helps cut through the sticky tropical sweetness of the mango. The berries never really show up, and it's not until complete drydown that the sage and thyme introduce a faint dusting of savoury powderiness. You know how sometimes mangoes can taste a bit chalky? This is what this hint of powderiness reminds me of.

 

It's a nice twist on the usual berry / fruit + musk theme, but it is probably a bit too young and girly for me to wear often.

[PumpkinGuts]

Wet, this is almost entirely mango and pomegranate, maybe a lone cranberry in this fruit basket. I have to really sniff to find the red musk. The sage and thyme don't peek through until much later on drydown, at which point the fruits have transformed into SweeTarts.