Iambe

[Yoginispirit]

Daughter of Pan and Echo and dear friend to Demeter. When Demeter was mourning the abduction of her daughter, Iambe was the only creature in heaven and earth that was able to lend cheer and laughter to the grieving mother. Her scent is one of comfort, beauty and joy: Sudanese amber, patchouli, rose, gardenia, gladiola and white tea.

Wow! A patchouli scent I actually like!
Wet:This starts off as a spicy floral. I get more gardenia than rose thankfully. Its very moist and sticky at first.
Dry: Later the rose comes out and sweetens it a bit, toning down the initial patchouli burst. Uh-oh, its starting to go soapy.

Hmm. I'll have to retest. It's lovely in the wet stage but I'm not sure how soapy this will get.

[Diva Urd]

Vial: Very fresh (due to amber and tea, I assume) floral, a tad cleanerish, definitely cool.

On: Much warmer and very floral, almost fruity in its sweetness, but doesn't seem cloying. Amazingly, I don't get any rose from this whatsoever, and since I usually amp rose, this is a good thing (I don't hate rose, I just prefer that my perfume didn't turn into a single note of it!). Same goes for the patchouli (although this is not the first blend where it has eluded me). I hope it still provides the necessary "anchor" that allows the scent to stick around way past drydown (scents without a solid base note go "poof" on me relatively often and vanish without a trace/turn into powder).

Later: Hm, in the later phases, it turns into a relatively generic floral. It's still noticeable three hours later, which is a plus, but it lost its appeal. Maybe I'll like it more wearing it out and about, but as of now, I don't think I'll order more.

[pandorasmuse]

Received from a forumite.

 

In the imp: It smells very warm, with a touch of sweetness from the flowers. The sweetness is lingering in my nose, too. Very pretty, and very promising!

 

Wet: Sweet, sweet, sweet! With a touch of amber at the end, followed by something that smells a little citrussy. The initial sweetness isn't foody at all. It's more like blooms at their peak.

 

Drydown: Most of the sweetness fades, leaving the amber and patchouli touched with a hint of florals. It reminds me of Charlie, which is the only perfume my mom wears. I like the way it smells, but I'm not sure I want to smell like my mother...

 

Later: It's smelling more and more like Mom. Can't wait for later. Washing off now!

 

This is the most "perfumey" of the blends I've tried so far. Unfortunately, that perfume is Charlie, at least on me. I love Mom, but I'd rather not smell like her. Off to swaps (or maybe Mom will get it as an intro to BPAL!)

[Suu4LC]

Oof, in the imp this is really intense-a sickly sweet heady floral. Super heady and super sweet. Gah. I don't even like patchouli, but I'm hoping the patchouli comes out a bit when this is on my skin to even it out.

 

Oh yeah, this is wayy too heady floral for me-the gardenia is just overpowering. And it's STRONG. Like a grandma wearing far too much floral perfume. Not for me!

[Finch]

It starts out as an intensely sweet white floral, but the amber seems to soften it on the drydown and the patchouli adds just enough earth to keep the amber from going too powdery. Very nice.

[Venneh]

In the imp, I'm getting patchouli and florals, very sharp. Light application. On my skin, again, very sharp florals and patchouli. Ergh. Need to get this off.

Edited March 6, 2010 by Venneh

[RhinestoneHousewife]

This was a frimp from the Lab

 

In bottle: Gardenia! And is that a hint of watermelon?

 

Wet on skin: *very* heavy floral. Gardenia, Plumeria, Rose and Patchouli.

 

Dry on skin: Hmmmm, it's turned a little powdery.

 

Verdict: I really, really thought I was going to like this as I liked it in the bottle and while it was wet. So I'm going to let it sit for a bit and try it again in a couple of months.

[SophieCedar]

I have to say thank you again to the bpal swapper that so generously added a ton of my wishlist scents!!

 

This is another that is perpetually in my queue for next order however always got bumped in favor of something bright and shiny. Now I feel guilty about bumping it so frequently because it really is beautiful.

 

the amber is actually the most prevalent in the imp and first wet. however the rose gardenia and gladiola have enough oomph to push through. this is very beautiful and refreshing. reminds me of mid to late spring. Neither of the 3 flowers dominate. Surprising! The blend gives an appley essence to an untrained nose!

 

Now I'm itching for Maine's wildflower season..come ooonn lupines! Get on it!

[antihero]

This started out as a super sweet, lovely, springy floral on me. It's faded to a sweet amber smell. The patchouli is there, but not overpowering, and I can actually stand it! Not so sure on it's lasting power- not outstanding or terrible, kind of middle ground. I like it, over all!

[tailoredshirt]

Iambe is definitely not what I was expecting. It goes on really sweet, fruity and almost sparkling, which I think is the white tea. The tea note was very subtle on me, just lending the blend a tea-like quality. The bulk of the scent reminded me of a syrupy peach, which I think was the amber and the gardenias coming together. I tend to amp sweet smells like amber, and this was no exception. I see some reviewers have commented that it smells like watermelon or Jolly Ranchers, and I can see that. I am not a foodie scent person at all, and I don't tend to like super sweet things, but this one was not bad. Definitely very sweet in a thick, fruity syrup way, but very pretty. The patchouli wasn't strong on me at all. I just feel like it added a bit of earthiness to the scent to combat the sweetness.

 

Overall, this is a pretty scent. I can't see myself wearing this very often, since I'd have to be in the right mood to wear something so sweet, but I'm definitely going to keep my imp to test again later.

[mari4212]

In the imp: That's the tea note that always goes soapy on me. Erm, we'll see how well this works.

 

Wet and on: Gardenia, with something else underneath. I'm not getting the soapy tea note yet, and that's normally the first note to show if it is going to come up on my skin. I'm not hugely fond of gardenia, but there's something underneath toning it down a bit and softening. Probably the amber, as it's one of my skin's natural allies. Amber makes everything smell better.

 

Dry: It's a soft and spicy gardenia-dominant floral. The rose hasn't made an appearance yet, nor the patchouli, unless they're so soft they're undetectable, and just smoothing out the edges.

 

I like this more than I thought I would, but I'm still debating whether to keep it or not. Gardenia doesn't seem likely to ever be my thing.

[capncait]

what did i write in my notes after smelling the imp? BEAUTIFUL FLORAL.

 

what did i write down after the skin test? BEAUTIFUL FLORAL.

 

i wouldn't say anything about this scent makes gives it any real character to distinguish it from anything else. but it is very very pretty. and that's worth something.

[Ashenrook]

First review! WOO! Anyhoo, gettin' down to brass tacks...

 

 

In the Bottle

It's very sweet, but it's not punching my face in like Persephone did. The notes of white tea and gardenia are at the forefront.

 

On Skin: Wet

It has a very delicate start with the white tea, gardenia, and gladiola – where eventually the rose is starting to peek through. Oddly, I do not smell ANY patchouli, which is very odd since it's one of the few notes that's generally right there out of the gate.

 

On Skin: Dry

Still no patchouli... Odd. The amber is starting to manifest more, wrapping me up in a big warm blanket. The white tea is starting to fade to the background and leave gardenia and rose in its wake.

 

But... there is something that's showing up that's turning faintly 'plastic-y' on me... I want to say it's the gladiola, since this is the first time I've ever worn a scent with that note, but I could be wrong.

 

Afternotes

Ahhhh... THERE'S the patchouli – But even then, it is extremely faint in comparison to the lingering scent of gardenia.

 

Something about this scent makes me picture going out to afternoon tea in spring. Iambe has that refined, gentile, nature to it with its soft florals and firm, yet non-obtrusive, earthy backing with the amber and patchouli. It could make a lovely afternoon bath scent, though, since I don't see it very much being a 'bedtime' sort. Iambe is a soothing, yet reassuring, smell that is much like the being this is named after – It is of comfort, of love, gentility, and support.

 

This is, definitely, a tea and sympathy perfume.

 

 

Verdict

On an American scholastic grading scale of A to F, A being best, I would give Iambe a solid B.

 

While I would have entertained giving it a B+ or an A, the plastic-y note that showed up during drydown knocked it down a peg. However, this is something I could likely see in my slowly growing 5ML collection.

[elinox]

First Sniff: Amber and tart.

 

Wet: It has a musk sort of smell to it which is a bit strong, although not in an unpleasant way.

 

Dry: As it dried down, it becomes softer. The amber fades and now I can smell a tiny hint of rose. Mostly though there's sweet gardenia.

 

Throw: Like most things on my skin, there isn't really any kind of throw at all.

 

My Reaction: This is a very feminine scent once it dried; light and flowery. I liked the gardenia but I wish the rose would've stuck around more too.

 

Rating 1-5: 3

[Ryokumuji]

First sniff, all I can smell is the "dirty hippy" patchouli. No floral at all. It smells kinda icky in the imp. I gave it a chance on my skin. It gets muuuuuuuch more floral on my skin though. I smell a tiny hint of rose and tea, I'm guessing what I'm smelling may be mostly gardenia or perhaps the gladiola? It's a sweet floral but not in an over powering way, and both gardenia and gladiola are described as having a "sweet" scent. The amber is definitely there, especially on the dry down. Not really detecting the patchouli anymore.

 

My initial review was way too harsh and not as helpful as I thought it could have been so I'm revising it today. I'm still thinking this isn't exactly a "me" scent though. If I had to give this scent a color, I'd give it a kind of deep red. It makes me think of sleeping in a chair in the corner of a darkened room with long red drapes during a warm. sunny day, with just a little of sunlight cracking through the slightly opened drapes.

Edited November 20, 2010 by Ryokumuji

[milo]

At first this is all about the gardenia. After a bit, the gardenia still dominates, but a bit of what I thought was sandalwood, but must be the patchouli coming through. This ends up being a strong, tropical heady floral, with a bit of delicious patchouli. Too tropical and heady for me though, I wish the amber was dominant here.

[cinnamonster]

Watermelon?? And a kind of vase water smell, not rancid vase water, but still, greenish water. Not liking this at all, not tea no patchouli, no amber, just watermelon and vase water. Very odd

[Katu]

In the vial: Gentle, refreshing, cool.

 

On my skin: Up close, the patchouli is very distinct, but at a distance the white tea and the floral notes are fairly noticeable. This is such a sweet and hopeful scent, great for springtime.

 

Drydown: the patchouli and the amber are really coming through strongly now, but despite that it’s still got a nice cool essence.

[sparkleyturtle]

Initally, this scent is really sweet but it really smoothes out with the amber and patchouli with a hint of the floral. It is nice, but not something I would continue to wear.

[Corvidchaser]

When smelt in the bottle, there was something in the background I didnt like. Made me recoil at first, I still dont know what it is BUT once on my skin and dried it truly WAS comforting! Someone mentioned it was "like a hug from a dear friend or mom" I think I can agree with that.

I think Iambe needs to be given a chance. Warm up to her a little and have a chat, she isnt what she seems on the surface.

[aleciarivas]

Hm… I'm not sure if it is the rose or the amber in this that turned to powder- probably both. It's pretty-smelling powder but still powder (which I cannot STAND!). I wasn't really expecting anything else though so no big disappointment.

[melrose]

From first on, wet, all the way through far drydown: Someone poured motor oil onto a hay field. Then, cats walked into the motor oil, got irritated, and peed all over the place.

 

Were I Demeter, this would NOT bring me happiness nor laughter.

[mymymai]

In the Imp (ITI): The combination of all the scents smells like watermelon bubblegum. My nose is confused. On second sniff, I can just discern the amber and patchouli under the watermelon scent.

 

Wet: Yep, that's still watermelon. I get a little gardenia if I concentrate deeply, but it's watermelon bubblegum all the way.

 

Dry: Faint watermelon now, flanked by patchouli and gardenia. It's much more mature once dried.

[FriedaLove]

Wet on skin, this was all soft and floral. During dry down it quickly turned foody-sweet and floral. Now that it's been a few hours, it's a soft, sweet floral that is on the verge of being powdery. It's not blech but it's not amazing either. I think I'm satisfied with just having an imp. It's a good spring scent though so I'll likely wear it again soon. If it didn't want to turn to powder I think I'd really love this.

[radiantfracture]

I seem to be one of the unlucky sub-group for whom this smells really bad.

 

In the imp this smelt like… well… pumkpin and stomach acid. Or, yes, watermelon and urine.

 

On the skin, I definitely get the watermelon. Then the florals come up. The gardenia is the clearest, and in itself is pretty. The overall floral is too heavy for my liking, though. Then that almost-rancid note comes back -- could that be civet?

 

Un the drydown, this becomes a powdery, feminine floral with an under-layer of that sharp note, and at this stage it almost works for me -- the elements seem to settle in together. Then the amber comes up and softens the sharpness.

 

In the story, Iambe clowns for Demeter, making bawdy jokes until she laughs. For me, the scent is like that -- comic and grotesque.

Edited February 19, 2014 by radiantfracture