Eve

[DevilsCandyCane]

Her scent is one that travels through the eons: the Irish moss, yarrow, and hawthorn of the Iron Age Britons, ancient Rome’s omphacium and honey, myrrh and calamus from Egypt, the frankincense and damask roses of the Florentine Renaissance, white sandalwood from the Far East, Moroccan saffron and rose water, and a swirl of incense from the souks.

 

So I finally got hold of a sniffie to see what everyone's going mad about In the bottle it's *amazing*, like Morocco but just...richer and more complex and absolutely gorgeous. First applied to skin it's a strange mixture of chaotic warring scents that somehow still smell peaceful together, but then the moss and skin-hating-sandalwood conspire to give it a cold, dirty ickiness for a couple of minutes. Once it's thrown its little tantrum and settled down though, it comes closer to the bottle scent again - decent throw, warm rose and incense and spice, and it's very calm and comforting and pretty...buuuut I don't think I'll be chasing out a bottle, because to me it's just too mature and motherly smelling - it smells like my stepmum! That vibe admittedly fits very well with Eve in the film though... If it was GC I might grab a full imp for occasional at-home wearing because it *is* really pretty, but it's entirely not 'me' so I shan't be battling the waitlist queue and shelling out $30.

 

...and actually, on my skin, it is REALLY, really similar to Morocco, just with 3x the throw and maybe a hint more rose, so easy enough to duplicate!

[LiberAmoris]

Eve really is gorgeous, truly the worldly perfume of someone who's figured out how to live beautifully over time. The notes that I can smell and pick out are the moss, honey, myrrh, frankincense, rose, saffron, and incense. Eve sticks very close to me and within an hour or so, smells like warm skin and just a hint of rose, incense, and moss. There's definitely something mature about the scent—which makes complete sense for the character—but it's far from matronly. I find it calming and contemplative, and often wear a dot or two of Eve on my collarbone when traveling (makes a long flight for work much nicer!).

 

Agree with other reviewers that it's in the same 'family' as Morocco, and I would add Lyonesse as well.

[Acedia]

I was so disappointed with this one! The description makes it sound absolutely divine, but on me it just smells like floral baby powder. And I hate baby powder.

[Diane Bass]

I just put a short description of this one on Facebook, and realized that had very few notes on her, and had never formally reviewed her. Eve was in my first ever BPAL purchase (along with Adam), and a blind buy at that. Since I don’t really have notes on her (I’ve tried to take copious notes on all the BPAL I’ve tried), I can only assume that she is and has always been perfect. That of course means I can’t break it down by application and wear time. But I can give you my general impressions.

Eve is well-rounded, with a slight, sharp hint, but somehow kind of airy too. She’s both comforting and subtly suggestive. The base is a sort of deep, church-y incense, more like the lived in remnants of the fragrance left in the drapes, rather than smoky, burning incense. It’s not quite like unburnt incense, it’s more aged than that, fuller. The rose note (and rose water, I suppose) is very apparent on me, but not at all powdery, and certainly not sweet. After a few hours I can sometimes detect something cool and earthy-green, I think it's the Irish Moss coming through. A couple hours in I occasionally get a sense of something creamy and “not-green” (that makes no sense, just go with it). Hawthorn, maybe? Honey mixing with something else? That’s it, that’s about all I can pull out. Overall, this mix is so well-blended, and multilayered, that I generally can only pick out individual notes for seconds at a time before they swirl back into the fold.

Depending on the day OLLA Eve is my most favorite BPAL (Adam vies for first sometimes). She always works on me, and is the scent mostly likely to elicit comments “in the wild” (always positive). She lasts all day, probably 10 hours or more on me. The throw is…I’m going to guess about medium range, she’s not overwhelming, but it’s enough to grab attention if I move near someone. I’m a very, very happy camper that I gave into the impulse to buy her, and am working to collect the entire line (all of OLLA is amaze-balls as far as I have seen).

 

[Little Bird]

I get mostly white sandalwood and the rose notes from this. Bpal's white sandalwood, unfortunately, goes to heavy baby powder on my skin, and the rose water is a bit sharp and sour smelling. I don't get the incense, spice or honey notes at all. It's interesting that people keep comparing this to Morocco, because I've never understood the love for that fragrance either, as it also just goes to baby powder on me

[CreamyJade]

In the decant: Chamomile, sandalwood, moss; it's astringent at first sniff

Wet on skin: Strong burst of pillowy vanilla, sandalwood and light spices, the other notes are melting with the vanilla-sandalwood heart

Dry on skin: Rich, slightly spicy vanilla and sandalwood blend

Final thoughts: Well this is lovely! It's a great vanilla scent and I'd be happy to have more, but because of the rarity of this scent, I'll cherish what I have. It's worth noting that I despise rose scents and I really can't smell any!

Try if you like: Celeste, Morocco, Monsterbait: Underpants

[celestia]

♔ Eve (OLLA)

 

I guess it's about time I reviewed this. Should not have kept her waiting so long.

 

In the Bottle: Resinous incense and spicy dark red rose

 

Wet: This scent smells like years wise beyond its age. The resins in this are almost temple, and sacred smelling with frankincense and myrrh smelling soft and sensuous despite being the most easily detectable. And the spices are rich, warm, like the age-old trade winds used in Morocco. White Sandalwood pulls it altogether and affords this a gentle waft of soft woodsy incense. The result of all these carefully finetuned notes, is that the damask roses in this blend smell like delicately oriental-spiced, woodsy, dried, deep red petals. The rose note itself isn’t that strong at all, almost heavily disguised- but unmistakable.

 

Drydown: This warms up a great deal, the incense is richer, smokier… and the rose is more easy to find. I get more of the sandalwood and saffron here too, though they are still very well balanced. It’s predominantly a very cohesive blend of resins, incense, and spices against soft dried deep-red roses far into the background. Soooooo complex and intricate for a family of notes that otherwise (and generally) go well together. I don’t often venture into blends like these, so when I do, you can be assured that it transcends ordinary blends of a similar nature. Truly exquisite.

 

TL;DR: Sacredly rich smoky resins, gentle warm spices, soft woodsy incense and hints of dried red rose.

Edited May 4, 2017 by celestia

[LizziesLuck]

I can't believe I forgot to review this!

 

I didn't think I would like it at all, I thought I was fairly safe trying it. I was wrong. It's hard to describe, to me. It's so much more than the sum of it's parts. I can never pick out notes, even though they're all quite familiar. It's smoky and rich and absolutely enchanting. Of course I had to have a bottle. So glad I was to get one, thanks to a friend. I love Eve and will cherish her! (It also lasts sooo well on my skin!)

[whisperstilled]

Eve reminds me very strongly of Morocco, perhaps my all-time favorite GC, but there's just so much more to it. This is a rich and deeply sophisticated blend, heavenly resinous, with a sweet amber at the core. Something in it goes slightly baby powder on me, which I suspect is the honey. It's a deeper and darker scent than I remember from testing it a year or two ago, and I suspect it's darkened as it aged. It reminds me of something a deeply glamorous creature would wear. Enchanting.

[ziggystardust13]

Eve smells like the love child of Gothic Horror and Morocco. I do not care for Morocco and when I saw the comparison in other reviews, I was a little skeptical of purchasing. But this is so much better. Eve is so well blended and is just a beautiful scent. I love this when its first applied and as it blooms on the skin. Im going to have to test it a few more times though because the honeyed powder scent starts to take over on the dry down. Unfortunately honey ruins so many bpals that would otherwise be perfect for me.

Edited May 3, 2018 by ziggystardust13

[lady_pandora]

In the bottle, at first I smelled nothing! I was thinking, wouldn't it be awful luck to be anosmic to one of the great BPAL holy grails...and then the scent reached me: incensey rose, intriguingly complex, making me want to sniff more.

 

On my skin, it starts out spicy rose and gradually morphs into more of a spicy incense scent. There's also something in here that gives the impression of "skin"--not in a bad way. It doesn't so much smell like I'm wearing perfume, more like I just woke up like this. Or I cooked something spicy and then did ritual and now all of that is kind of clinging to me in a soft cloud. It's exotic, but relaxed rather than intense. I've never seen Only Lovers Left Alive the movie, but one of the stills of it has Eve languidly draped on a couch with Adam, and my mind's eye keeps going back to that.

 

It's very well done, very well blended, and has a "classic" vibe--if I'd tried this in my very early BPAL days, I might have said something dumb about old ladies. But what I really mean is that this is the kind of thing my actual grandmother really did like. Plus, I'm 40 now, I can wear this grande dame stuff if I damn well please.

 

I can kind of see why people compared Cicuta to it, and it also reminds me a bit of how I remember Psyche smelling, though it's been a long time. It's heavier than Sept, not as heavy as Deux. I'm glad I got a bottle.

[archaesophilia]

This is from the new run. Eve isn't a stand out in the bottle, but really blossoms and comes alive on the skin! For me, it is a gorgeous rose, herbal, incense over honey. It's a nearly perfect scent for a honey and incense lover, which I am. It doesn't throw a lot, and I found that it doesn't last all day. This is a really gorgeous, femininely powerful, scent and I'm thrilled that I got to try it!

[VioletChaos]

I missed her the first time around but snagged her on the second- and I am RIDICULOUSLY happy about it.

(side note, I was actually IN MOROCCO when this recent re-release went live and *knew* this was one of the OLLAs I needed to procure for just that reason!)

In the bottle, Eve is every bit the incense-laden souk I'd anticipated, which is *awesome*.

And then she warms up and becomes even better.

There is depth here and a life well curated. There's sweet desert sands and delicate perfumes sold in tiny shops and well-preserved, aged beauty. I am heartbroken that I only procured one bottle because I find myself with a deep desire to bathe in this scent, in much the way Elizabeth Bathory bathed in the blood of virgins- to preserve myself and indulge in that which is timeless and forbidden.

I. Am. In. Love.

[Deceitfuldescender]

This is definitely related to Morocco in big ways. Morocco is a little too intense for me, and this wears as Morocco but married to tea rose, which amps on me as sort of sickly sweet. I guess I am one of the unlucky few this perfume does not work for. It is pretty fresh from mailbox os I will retest after a few days.

[Jenjin]

I'm dead. I've been trying to hustle a bottle of this for eternity and a day. I was certain I would never experience it, so I combed reviews, trying to find something similar, getting an empty sniffy bottle in a package, never really coming close. When the latest release happened, I went into a panic, fighting the lab's server to finally get Eve.
Now that it is here, it is EVERYTHING I thought it would be and then some. The saffron is luminous next to the warm sandalwood. I'm almost getting something like opulent brocade fabric from it. A shining shroud that has been worn in tombs filled with thick blankets of incense smoke and long faded bouquets. The wet moss adds an earthiness, like some precious object that has been buried for centuries within the hollowed out earth. Flesh turned to cold marbled stone on the slab. The comfortable solitude of an empty synagogue, and the heavy scent of old wood and incense. I can assure you, I will be loving each and every wearing of this magical incense creation as it takes me through the cobblestone streets, with its haunting music and intimate hunger.

Edited May 11, 2018 by Jenjin

[roseus]

I'm definitely getting the relation to Morocco. This is drier and more spiced to me, with that rich rose component in the background. Morocco's older sister if you will. I let this rest a week to make sure I had the full impact. The rose fades quite quickly on me which was the part that made this scent stand out to me, and in the end I get a rich spiced vanilla incense that reminds me a great deal of Morocco. Lovely, but I think I will pass her on to someone who will love her more passionately.

 

ETA: I got a bottle in the restock because I totally forgot I had tried this! Well, I love it now! I feel like I get a bit more frankincense and rose this time around, but more or less still feel the 'older sister to Morocco' vibe is accurate.

Edited July 27 by roseus

[Poenari]

I purchased my bottle(s) of Eve as soon as the OLLAs went live in 2014. Unfortunately, that was during the Great Forum Crash of '14, and my review was posted on a FB page that no longer exists. I forgot to post it when the forum finally returned months later. So this review is for OG OLLA Eve, from back in 2014.

 

I love OLLA Eve. She is the exotic scent that I wish Morocco smelled like to me and on me. Unfortunately, given that Morocco is GC and affordable/sustainable, I am actually nose blind to it and can't smell it on my own skin. Thus my love for Eve. I don't actually detect rose as a distinct note in Eve, and I usually amp rose. She is a gentle breeze amidst the walkways and alleys in the bazaar, with hints of spices, flowers, and the exotic scents swirling together.

Aged now, Eve is as gorgeous as ever. I was tempted to add more bottles to my collection when the OLLAs were resurrected, but I decided to let others experience her. I don't wear mine often, as I prefer to really savor her as something Special, reserved for times when I am with loved ones and friends. She is beautiful, exotic, and yet unassuming and inoffensive. Just as ageless vampire Eve can intermingle with mere humans in the movie, present but not intrusive, so too can her namesake scent.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Poenari

[doomsday_disco]

This is a review of the original release.

 

When the OLLA line went live, Eve was not initially on my radar. I could not envision how all of the notes would smell together and was mostly interested in Ava. But people kept raving about it in the long gone official BPAL group on Facebook, and when someone posted that there were only eight bottles left in stock, I decided that I should not let it pass me by, given the hype, and I ordered a bottle.

 

I am so glad I did.

 

I often feel like I am too analytical in reviews, and so there are some scents that I have stayed away from reviewing even though I love them so. Eve is one of them. To me, it’s one of those magical incense scents (the others that come to mind are Fairy Market and the original Midnight on the Midway). Trying to dissect this scent by the notes would not do it justice, and it is so well-blended that I would fail at doing so if I even made the attempt. The resins, saffron, and incense are a stunning combination on my skin. Even though rose is listed as a component, I didn’t really notice it until I compared it to the roseless sage version. So don’t let the rose scare you away from this beauty.

 

I’d put this in the same family as scents like Morocco and Bast.

 

When Eve returned, I grabbed a back-up bottle, because I have already gone through almost half of the original.

 

I absolutely adore Eve, and I am glad that she was re-released so that more people can experience how wonderful she is (and of course, so I could have more of her in my life)!

[RedPersimmon]

2018 release.

 

Wet: frankincense, rose, then sourish spices.

 

Drydown: myrrh, light honey, saffron emerge. Milky chai with rose water.

 

Like Alice + Deux from the 2018 Lupers. Kind of like a... rose doughnut with sour spices in the background. I like roses and I like Alice, but Eve is not for me.

[Lucchesa]

A super generous forumite frimped me a tester of Eve 2014, and I get the hype now. It is essentially a rose blend on me, but rose with incredibly richness and complexity from all the other notes, which are hard for me to pull apart -- heady incense, spices on a warm desert wind. Morocco doesn't work on me, but this is stunning. It has average wear length on me and low throw, but that's characteristic of my skin. I have very few rose blends that I wear with any frequency, but if I had a bottle of Eve, I would wear it and love it.

[Minh Scent]

Being a big Morocco fan, I was after this since 2014 and so was thrilled with the re-release. It does not disappoint. It is a powdey light rose, with touches of spice and incense. Sexy, classic.

 

ETA 2 hours into drydown and this is nothing like Morocco or first two hours. Now it is an evocative warm spicy incense! Eve is stunning!

Edited July 7, 2018 by Minh Scent

[monocainsheresy]

I tend to stay away from scents with more than about half a dozen notes as a rule, but I'm soooo happy I went for a bottle of this.

It would seem that my skin has amped only the things that I absolutely love - frankincense, light rose, and a blanket of sugary vanilla

[cinderfallen]

Very subtle scent. Very befitting the character; it's not loud or opulent but understated and refined. 

[supreme_c0rt]

This is a powerhouse smoky rose incense scent, and it's a morpher. Top, middle, and base notes all have something to say, and will pop out and recede over the course of the wear. Nothing I can say will be a better review than what's been said before, and yes this is a special blend if it works on you. I'd suggest not touching it and letting it age for a few months, then testing it without any other scent distractions so it can take you for the ride. It made a world of difference in my experience. 

 

I smell the comparisons to Morocco, so for fun I tried to recreate Eve with Morocco and Harlot. It's sort of like the Cliffs Notes version of classic literature. It gets at the general idea, and it'll help you pass the test. But it's not the whole story. Eve is much... more. Smokier, definitely. Incense for days. 

 

I will definitely hold onto this imp and break it out for special occasions. This is a very sacred scent and would work quite well in the cold winter months when things turn introspective and still.

 

Fingers crossed Eve returns from the dead! She loved life so much. 

Edited June 10, 2019 by supreme_c0rt

[artisjok]

Creamy and dry, regal and comforting, Eve spans great distances and remains intimately near. The white sandalwood is the strongest on me, with soft myrrh and hints of rose and dusty green shades. When I wear Eve, I feel like I could cozy up to my partner next to a fire, or meet an influential leader at a banquet, or be strolling alone at dusk along a quiet path.

From what I remember of Morocco, it’s definitely similar, yet there’s more earthiness and complexity.

Not one of my top favorites, yet it’s appropriate for many occasions and draws to mind ancestral feelings and mystical lands that I’m pleased to have a bottle. If I went on a backpacking adventure over a great distance or time period, this is the scent I would take with me. 

Edited November 7, 2019 by artisjok