Delphi

[Ina Garten Davita]

The smoke of Sacred Incense of Apollo twined through laurel branches, bay, and honey wine.

 

First Impression: Honey wine and bay.

 

Second Impression: This brings up images of the first Olympic games in ancient Greece and the celebrations that must have occurred during and after. You can smell each of the notes and they are lovely.

 

Final Analysis: I adore the honey scents but they do go a bit dirty funky on my skin on the long dry down. I hope this one will prove to be the exception because it's a beauty.

[isyche]

Delphi: Honey, incense, bay and laurel...complex and less sweet than I'd expected, the bay is quite evident at first. It's almost masculine on me, actually.

 

(a few minutes later) Damn, the drydown is gorgeous... spicy, honeyed incense smoke. I like it on me, but this is really the smell of a spoiled golden pretty boy, like Paris as depicted in the Troy movie. Another scent where I wish I had a boy to test it on.

[Nepthys]

Oh, this is too good. Delphi smells exactly as I hoped it would - gorgeous - but it vacillates at first between two personalities: it starts off as a confident, spicy green laced with honey, then gets deeper and heavy on the bay. Then it returns. Both are stunning. After about half an hour, the honey and wine come through more and it finally settles into a rich, almost cocky, scent of a sunlit forest. I agree that this is definitely masculine, but I like it on myself just as much.

[jj_j]

I wasn't so sure about Delphi out of the bottle - sticky-sweet honey wine was all I got. No matter what, though, I alway try what comes in my orders, and I think I'm glad I did in this case, too.

 

The honey wine keeps flickering back and forth with the laurel and bay leaves, and when those two are on top, I absolutely love Delphi. The incense is more of a wispy, light touch - it's practically floating through and something you look around for in a "What was that scent that I just ... wait, now I can't smell it. Did I imagine that?" sort of way.

 

When the honey wine scent is on top, though, I can't get my nose away fast enough. It's not that it's a bad scent, it's just that it's too sweet for my tastes, and by a long shot. Dry-down hasn't helped me much; I never know if I'm going to get the leaves or the sweetness when I put my nose to Delphi.

 

On me, Delphi does what Seraphim did ... it just doesn't ever settle into anything I can make my mind up about. Both scents have such gorgeous possibilities, but they don't turn into any sort of blend on my skin, so I'm left loving part of the notes, disliking part, and unsure if I'll be delighted or disappointed by purchasing a bottle.

 

I'm definitely using up the imp to find out if the laurel, bay leaves, and incense win out in the long run. If they do, I'm getting a huge bottle of Delphi; if it's the honey wine, the imp will be more than enough for me. I'll be interested to see other reviews as they come in, because I think this is probably just a skin chemistry thing.

[darkling]

In the bottle: Delphi is a green sharp scent. Perhaps, the laurel?

 

On my wrist: Ugh! It smells like a forest of sharp greens is burning. There is a hint of incense and smoke but it is almost toxic in its intensity.

 

I had to wash off this scent and it still lingered a bit afterward. I am not sure what element reacted so harshly with my skin chemistry. Usually, anything with honey turns to clay or powder.

 

This is definitely a scent for someone else.

[shadow]

Delphi is a scent I've been dreaming about almost since I joined the forum, so I nearly cried when I opened the imp and smelled something unpleasant and really strong. I sucked it up, quit being a big sissy bedwetter and applied. It only took like two minutes for it to morph into something beautiful. I get spiced honey, with something light and dry to lift it up and keep it from being heavy or cloying. It's really absolutely beautiful. I don't really get an incense like smoke smells, and I don't know what laurel smells like, but I'm guessing it's the laurel and the bay that balance it and keep it beautiful and wearable for me.

 

I once read a book that described an ancient temple scene vividly, stone steps, bright sun, vendors selling things to sacrifice to the gods, and this fits that scene perfectly - I see spiced honey cakes and fragrant herbs as offerings. Thank you Beth!

[AnnetteL]

It smells like a forest of sharp greens is burning.  There is a hint of incense and smoke but it is almost toxic in its intensity.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

This happened to me, too - when it hit my skin there was a really strong, bitter green note that completely overshadowed the hints of honey I could smell in the vial. I toughed it out for two hours but the acrid part never faded. I am guessing it was the laurel reacting with me somehow. It sounds like other people are having good luck with this one, but it didn't work out on me at all.

[Caitfish]

Woah, out of the bottle initially, the honey wine takes on a scent very much like that of fresh blood. Yeah. Blood, like WOAH BLOOD. Weird. I can recognize it as honey wine, I don't know why it gives me that impression, but it's a strong one. I think that the sharpness in the bottle may actually be coming from the bay.

 

Once on, it immediately softens and becomes pretty powdery. Still smells mostly of sweet, fermented honey but the bloody tang has almost completely disappeared. This is surprisingly soft compared to the intensity in the bottle.

 

Good staying power on me. Overall, it's a very unique scent - not like anything else, really. I can't decide wether I am fond of it or scared of it, though.

[Northernminx]

Earthy deep and green at first, this was a pleasantly dark and soothing earthy scent until something else wafted up and that burnt greenery smell came in followed by something a touch acidic. It's not the blend, but rather my chemistry which makes all the wrong things pop out in this and ugh. I ended up having to wash it off as rancid pine needles just aren't my thing. Hopefully someone else will be able to wear this one.

[nevermore]

In the bottle, Delphi smells mostly like honey with a touch of insense - reminded me a little of Athens, but slightly green. My skin turns it into something awful - overly strong, and amps up the laurel and bay so much that it turns my stomach. I though I would like this one, based on the notes in it, but my skin makes it terrible. Stupid skin chemistry!

[Splendid Molerat]

The green notes in Delphi wrestle each other for a while; I was initially alarmed by the bay note, which reminded me of the negative reaction I had to Nero.

 

However: at equilibrium this fragrance becomes a very pale green smoke, backed by the light spicy-sweetness of the honey mead.

 

I've never tried anything quite like it

[Lit Chick]

I knew this would be bad on me (honey hates my skin), but I had to try it anyway.

 

I got Bubble Yum. Original Pink flavor. It was that tooth-rottingly sweet.

But I was determined to wear this one. Honey be damned! So I waited... and then the rest of the notes came out. Unfortunately, it was a strange, strange combo. Did I forget to mention that I cannot wear green scents? Perhaps I was hoping two bad notes would combine into something harmoniously lovely.

 

Alas - this did not do anything nice on my sad, cranky, floral and musk lovin' skin.

Sigh.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Delphi is… very hard to parse. (Which, I suppose, is appropriate given the name… maybe I should sit over a steaming volcanic fissure and go into a prophetic fit to figure it out…) From the vial it’s mostly syrupy-sweet, but there’s an odd dry green note at the very center. Like a dried leaf dipped in honey. And after looking at the description… of course, it’s the same honeywine as in Old Athens, with a bay leaf tossed in. OK. That makes more sense.

 

Wearing: Waaaaaaay sweet when first applied. The scent has a thickness to it – not quite gooey, but viscous – and I can taste it in the back of my throat. After drying for a couple of minutes, the wrist-scent develops a smokiness that’s very nice.

[Phaedra]

I tried an imp of this because I the Athens blend and was wondering if this would be similar. Also being half Greek I just had to try it. It starts out with a sour, fruity note on me. I guess this is the honeyed wine. Then it turns into almost a sage note but I think that's probably the bay and/or laurel. It ends up turning very sweet and heavy on me which I don't like. I was hoping for something with more incense and smoke. Oh well. I'll stick to Athens for my ancient Greece scent.

[siriusstar]

This is one of only two BPAL scents that just didn't work for me. It smelled like I dumped a bottle of wine on my arm. It didn't seem so wine-y in the bottle, it was strongly sweet with a bit of wine underneath. When it was on I didn't smell anything but sour wine. I smelled like an alcholoic and I'm allergic to alcohol! I think I'll stay away from anything with wine in it in the future!

[tinyvulture]

this is sweet, tangy and sour, like overripe fruit. i was worried that it might be too much, but when it dries it's just right. the clean herbal scent of bay keeps it from becoming too cloying. i can just barely pick out the incense in the background. to me this scent is the "reverse" of athens, in which the incense smell is very strong and the wine and honey are faint.

[Finny]

This is almost burnt smelling on me, but in a good way.

 

The bay is sharp and pungent, the honey adds a sweetness, and the burning incense is smokey and dark. It has an herbal quality to it, very green smelling. I am not sure about it yet, but I am keeping the imp, I need to try it a few more times and see...

[surf-tormented]

in the vial, it smells exactly like yarrow oil. Bubblegumy.

 

Wet on my skin, I got a strong "my garbage is going bad" from this.

 

It smells sweet and decaying, like tea bags in the garbage...like rotting something. Whatever is in my garbage right now...banana peels, the aforementioned chai tea bags, bit of lettuce, eggshells, a wrapper from a brie cheese container...you get the picture...decay those and you got Delphi.

 

As it dries, it smells better, but it still has that rotting quality. I can sense a little bay in this and a little honey yet I don't think either of them is making the rank note.

 

Later, it is almost rotten tomato smelling...ok, that is enough for me, thanks, I am full.

 

I notice this one isn't my body chemistry because I tried it on my skin and then on a shirt without my skin and woo, horrid rank decaying garbage scent. Do people really like this? I keep smelling it and smelling it, hoping it will turn into something beautiful, but it keeps on keeping on the rancid tip. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!

 

It's just so rank. It's icky. Ok, I will smell the shirt one more time. Yes, it is disgusting. It's strong, rotten garbage sweet...oh I wish I could explain the smell...rotting fruit?...it's just rotten garbage smell...I need to wash that shirt because I have a feeling Delphi is going to last into next week and not smell any better.

 

Oh, Jack is not the worst BPAL scent I have ever smelled, this one is. Thank the God rubbing this into the skin makes it smell a bit like incense and then it disappears, I don't think I could take the rank smell any longer.

Edited March 22, 2005 by Madame Nyx

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a word or two: Honey wine.

 

In the imp/bottle: I nearly dropped the vial when smelling this one; I smell nothing but a sort of honeyed smoke smell, and I really, really don't like it.

 

On skin, wet: At first it still smells pungent, but it quickly starts to mellow out into something less smokey, leaving just honey wine and what I think is the bay. It warms and becomes sweet.

 

On skin, dry: It's still sweet, and now is mostly the honey wine, though I catch something that reminds me of the spice in Snake Oil. I'm surprised how much it's mellowed and warmed, and I still like it.

 

Conclusion: I'm shocked at how different the scent is in the vial and on my skin; Based on the smell in the vial, I hate it. On my skin, it's sweet, and very pleasant. I can definitely see myself wanting a 5ml of this in the future, though I must refrain from smelling it in the vial, for it makes my stomach turn.

Edited December 24, 2005 by Aredhel

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Wow. That's strong herbs. I can definitely pick out both the laurel and the bay. The honey wine is far, far in the back. I think it just adds a touch of sweet to it.

 

Wet: Well, I got interrupted in the middle but I see what eldritch means about the transformations. It started out very herbal and then went pretty and sweet from the honey wine I guess. Now it's got a sweet, almost chocolate smell to it.

 

Dry down: Sweet chocolate scent with some herbs in the background. It's making my eyes tear a little, though so I doubt that I'm going to be able to keep this on around for any length of time. I did want to try it. The herbs are there but they've been tempered by the honey wine scent. It's a nice scent that's not too heavy but has enough sweetness to keep it from smelling like an herb garden.

 

Dry: Now it has an overly sweet, almost floral smell to it. The herbs are still lingering in the background. And now a weird anise smell is coming out of it along with a headache, which is not good at all. Yeah, this is an odd herbal/anise with a light sweet to the back of it. And a headache. A horrible frontal lobe headache.

[antimony]

I love love love the scent of Bay... but I really don't want to smell like honey.

 

Unlike O, this honey scent actually smells like honey, but it's too foody. It smells kinda herby, like organic wild honey. I think it would be nice in a burner as a room scent

[Kleis]

Words cannot convey how much I love this scent. This surprised me, because it's the only one I've bought because of the name--I love the place that is Delphi very much. Not just the history and mythology, but the literal geographic area. It's very, very beautiful there. I would move to Delphi if I thought I could support myself.

 

I'd tried it on after sniffing an overly sweet scent. The initial green was a relief to smell and it cut through the leftover Hellcat hanging out in my nose. A soft green is what I initially get when I put it on--not the evergreen smell of Hemlock, but something a little sweeter. The honeywine comes in quickly and there's something which I almost perceive to be anise.

 

The whole effect is intoxicating and lovely. When I wear it, I find that I position myself at my desk so my hand is cupping my chin, just so I can continue to smell it. It's also long-lasting on me, which is a bit unusual. I don't get any smokey/burning forest scent, just a lovely, ethereal green honeywine. Mmm.

 

I've already ordered one 5ml and I may get another just to hoard it.

[gwynhwyfar]

The idea of this oil intrigued me, as did the description, so I was excited to try this one.

 

Out of the bottle: There was some note in the bottle that instantly seemed 'off' to me -- There was a lot of 'green' to the scent, but under the green was something that really didn't appeal to me. Despite this, I tried it on my skin.

 

Wet: The green was stronger, as was that 'undernote.' I tried to stop smelling it in the hopes that the whatever-it-was would fade and leave me with the green that I could smell from the bay and the laurel, and the smoky incense and a hint of honey.

 

With drydown, I was sadly disappointed. The 'off' note didn't fade at all and I ended up scrubbing this one off my wrist. I think this is the 'garbage' note that someone else mentioned -- to me, it had a sweet edge over the rest of the note, like sugar-coated-illness. It doesn't seem to be a question of body chemistry here and seems to simply be my perceptions of that note. I have a suspicion that it's the wine note that is being used here and something about it is just bad to my sense of smell.

 

Regardless, whether I like the idea of the oil or not, this one is destined for the swap pile and is the first BPAL oil I've tried that was something that I actively disliked. I'm sure that someone will like it and give it the loving home that I really can't.

[unmused]

In the bottle: Honeyed Incense

 

Wet: The honey is stronger when just on, reminds me a little of chamomile tea sweetened with honey, but that's the bay talking. A little something sharp in the background, indistinct but must be the laurel mixing about with the bay's top notes.

 

Dry Down: After a few minutes it's incense again, but sweeter with an extra hint of spicy goodness all blended into a luscious whole.

 

Final Thoughts: This one lasts 8+ hours on me, and for a week this was my favorite scent out of the whole 6 I tried. But then my period went away and something happened. Metallic notes came out in the vial and after application that I really, really didn't care for. Apparently Delphi only likes me (or vice-versa) during Princess Time . I really thought I'd get a big bottle of this, but if it's only going to work for me a week out of everymonth I'm not sure even keeping the imp is worth it.

[quikslvr]

I so didn't get honey from this one.

 

My reaction: Powerfully laurel/bay at first. Dark and smoky when it dries, with the overlay of bay, I think--smells a bit like the cooking herb. Name's accurate: something a mystic would wear. Not me, though.