Delphi

[Miss Lynx]

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

Oh, wow -- this is gorgeous!

A little scary at first contact -- when it first hit my skin it had that overwhelmingly sweet grape candy note that Lilith also had. But thankfully that faded within a couple of minutes, into a really rich and complex honey/bay/wine/incense scent. Really, really evocative... If I closed my eyes, I could see myself in the Oracle's cave. It had an almost intoxicating effect, and also made my mouth water although it's not at all a foody scent in any normal sense.

And I can now confirm that Bay is the note I liked in Jolly Roger -- there, it just showed hints of itself that made me want to somehow pull it out from the rest of the scent, which I mostly didn't like, and smell it by itself. Here, it adds a beautiful spiciness to the scent and keeps it from being too sweet. Lovely.

About the only down side is that, like a lot of scents I like, it doesn't last very long. Within an hour or so, it had faded down to a very soft, subtle spicy-fruity scent. Still pleasant enough, but not nearly as lovely as it was at its full strength

Grade: B (was: B+)

ETA: Hmm, I posted too soon. Got to wait a few more hours, because some scents do keep on changing after that... In this case, after an hour or so more had passed, the spicy was all gone and all that was left was a vaguely grapey scent, like a diminished version of the grape candy note that it starts out with. Not so good. And that scent lasted until the following morning on me! I still like the full-strength version of the scent, and the beginnings of the fadeout, but I think I'm downgrading it to a B. Edited October 8, 2005 by Shollin

[sophia_helix]

In the bottle:

 

Honey and something strongly sour.

 

Wet:

 

Is that ... raisins? It's that kind of rich/sour/tangy thing. Ick.

 

Drydown:

 

The honey came out again, and then something else which wasn't recognizably bay so I'm pegging it as laurel. There was a brief period fifteen minutes during which I thought this was The Best (esp. given that it had a strong throw! I could actually smell it on myself!) but over time Wet Raisins came back. Now, two hours later, it's a fusty, musty honey-smell, still with the tang, and I already bet it won't come off unless I really scrub in the shower for a prolonged period.

 

This is the first honey scent that hasn't worked on me, boo.

[girlmadasbirds]

sour wine and bay. definitely not working for me

[Abbie]

In the bottle: Bay and... cardamom? No, that's crazy talk. Very spicy and sweet but kind of icky. A winey undertone. This was a frimp from the lab and not one I would have chosen from the description, and honestly: not loving it so far.

 

First on: Uck. This is day five of a week-long bender right around Christmas. Spices and recycled red wine.

 

Dry: You know, this actually dries down to something pretty okay. It's potpourri, admittedly, but it's not actively bad.

 

Overall: While the dry phase isn't bad at all, I can't ever imagine myself going, "Boy, I would sure love to smell like I've just been to the office christmas party and had WAY too much wine. Where's that Delphi imp at?" Swap pile

[zenvodunista]

i really, Really, REALLY wanted to like this.

 

but i don't. it's the second BPAL i've ever had to wash off, and the first i liked in the bottle, but not on me.

 

in the bottle is was sour, and astringent, and on me it blossomed into a sharp urine scent combined with the sexfunk my skin makes of honey, and burning old wood. not in the nice way of burning wood, but the bad way of burning wood.

 

i'm really sad about this, because i have been to Delphi and i have a pretty strong connection to it since my childhood.

 

but, alas, this was not to be.

 

n.

[LushNatty]

Bottle, and initial application: apricot, and a little bit of a smell I can only describe as “foot”. Slightly pungent and makes me feel a little bit sick. (Myrrh, perhaps, is the thing I have been ID’ing as "foot tang"? B/c I smelled foot in Lilith as well and this seems the likeliest common element...incense of Apollo contains myrrh, maybe? I know for sure that I love wine smells so that can't be it.)

As it dries down—still smells like apricot, and kind of also smells like stone. The foot smell dries off mostly, but there is still a tang there that is not entirely pleasant. Not offensive in the way that Villain was, but still something that I wanted to wash off of me because it has a heavy throw and I don’t, overall, like it very much. However, it wasn’t offensive and if I liked the smell of apricot, it might have been right up my alley. It’s funny how it smells so exactly like something that isn’t even in the description!

On a scale of 1 to 5: 2.

[Stumbeline]

There's a war on my wrist right now between wine and bay, and unfortunately I think the wine is losing. It's doing an admirable job, though. Beth's wine notes are my favorites, and I'm determined to try all of the wine scents.

 

In the imp I smell honeyed wine with just a hint of bay, and I love the way this smells. It's Athens but altered, drier and smokier. On me, the bay just gets amplified and amplified until it's dominating, but is slightly sweetened by the wine. I don't really smell the laurel, but that's alright.

 

This is scent I think is very evocative of its name, and I will use it in an oil burner as a room scent. On me, it's just too dry and herbal.

[Orodemniades]

D'you like wine? And incense? With a little honey? D'you wonder what it would be like to consult the Oracle of Delphi?

 

I used to, but no longer. This is holy smoke, and put me in such a mood that I don't believe I'll ever wear it outside of the house or, indeed, outside of ritual.

 

This is the oil I imagined Hecate would be. When I sniff the back of my hand...I'm in the presence of the Gods.

 

Oro

[Fefferbella]

Honey, incense and bay leaves. Intriguing and comforting at the same time.

 

I really love wine notes, but the bay is almost overpowering in this blend. Very unique. Deffinately a keeper.

[iriedanym]

Maybe it is the bay, but this smells strongly of grape juice to me. Not that I dislike grape juice. There's the note of honey, but I'm not sensing much smoke. It's tangy, which means it is a keeper for me.

[Sheila]

On wet: Flashback! This smells really strongly of grape juice! Not the watery, sugary grape juice you buy in the store, but the kind my grandma used to make, using the small, sweet, dark purple grapes she'd grow. Very strong and sweet.

 

Drydown: The grape scent has diminished, and now it smells like incense. Yum. Sweet honey, red wine, and incense combined. This scent smells ancient, and is very evocative of the name.

[Fleurdelys]

Hmmm.. I like this very much. This is the first of the BPAL honey note mixes that works for me.

 

I do get the grape scent initially, but only very briefly. My skin eats wine notes.

Then it settles down into a mix of smoke, honey, and dry bay. I tend to favor green or musky scents, and this is a great mix of the two. It's balanced well with my chemistry, so I'm not finding the bay or the honey overwhelming. This works just the way it should, without smelling like food.

 

This was a timely swap for me (Thanks Zenvodunista!) because I'm attending a formal wedding this weekend, and my dress is styled like a dark brown chiton. I imagine I'll be wearing Delphi, to go right along with it. And to think I was stressing over what perfume would be PERFECT with my dress. I should have known the BPAL gods would smile upon me and come through somehow!

[harmonyfb]

In the bottle: Ugh! Astringent! I really didn't want to put this on my skin.

 

Wet: A burst of sweet incense that I can't identify, but it instantly brought back memories from when I was six years old, and used to go to mass with my mother.

 

Dry: The bay really overwhelmed the blend, and it had a good throw, but the incense in it made it cloying. After a few minutes, it made me a little ill to keep smelling it, so I ran to wash it off.

 

Verdict: So very not for me.

[amrita]

Wet, I smell honey, wine (this actually smells like port on me, or prune juice), and a sharp green which is probably bay. Woah... the bay is way too sharp on me.

 

This is a pleasing and intriguing mix of warm kitchen smells and faint incense. I think it's a really interesting blend, but definitely not my thing. Hm!

[olympia301]

 

This one is a very unusual fragrance but in a subtle way. I can smell the notes of honey and green and I can detect how they combine to form a metal smell ultimately. I can say "smoke" in there somewhere which really conjures up the image of the Delphic oracle in her tripod jabbering away about the fate of the High and Mighty. Then things go strangely fruity and berry-fied. Finally they come back to a honeyed stand which is even Christmasy, in a good citron treat mode.

 

The honey note constantly takes the center stage with Delphi and the rest of them are in its service. It is a heavy and ultimately fruity concoction and it is another blend with is more than the sum of its parts. Very well done and if it catches your fancy, it just might be in your future if you like honey and a metallic/winy/strangely berry like perfume.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: wow. lots of honey and wine-like note, but mostly incense.

on: bay, wine, and honey. interesting.

half an hour later: this is all honey on me. bo-ring.

3 hours later: all honey.

overall: my skin really likes to amp up honey, which is unfortunate, since i really liked how this smelled on me at first.

[niter]

Imp

I dunno. I am gonna decline what I first thought when I sniffed this imp. I have read so many good reviews over this that I am still excited to try it!

 

Wet

Applied, this is heavy and thick...the way mead sits on the tongue. I can taste the mead. The mixture is stirred with the bay. This is the most cullinary blend I have sampled todate. It does have a very ritualistic aura to it.

 

Drying

As this dries, the bay seems to have been lit on fire and is slowly smoking as inscence. It is quite intoxicating...a mixture of thick, sweet oil and smoky religous sells. It is like a slice of history on my wrist.

 

Dry

The woodsy, bay filled, insence tipped mead lingers on my wrist. It has a very strong throw!

[UploadedLobster]

It just FIGURES that the morning after I placed a big order of woody, incensey, spicy stuff that I'd fumble blindly in the pre-dawn twilight and end up slapping on some Delphi instead of Envy.

 

*sigh* Gonna be another order in the offing.

 

Delphi has the same DEATH GRAPE topnote that Lilith has, and shares a tangy Sweet-Tart note with both Macchu Picchu and Madrid. There's some other stuff in the background which I suppose is the honey, incense, and bay. It's hard to smell around the DEATH GRAPE. I feel a little like tiny grapey X-wings might come and detonate me.

 

Actually I quite like it. The Sweet-Tarts calm down after about 15 minutes and it's just me, the grape, and the whatever-it-is in the background. The other stuff mellows out the grape without ever doing much on its own. Apart from the tartness fading, the scent stayed pretty much the same on me and lasted a good long time. After a full workday, I could still smell it on my wrists.

 

 

Update: SIX HOURS AFTER APPLICATION, THE REBEL ALLIANCE HAS OVERCOME THE DEATH GRAPE! Many Bothans died to bring me this dry-down, which seems to be the classic incense note. Nice.

 

 

Lobster Rating

Better than: Hawaiian pizza

Edited January 27, 2006 by Uploaded Lobster

[ocicat]

I couldn't even get this one onto my skin. The scent in the imp was enough to send me gagging. I usually love the boozy notes; Elegba and Kali are among my favorites, but Delphi just smelt like concentrated cat pee and I wasn't brave enough to try it on.

[Bagfish]

Oh God, this made me gag when I opened the imp

 

I had so wanted to try Delphi, the oil sounded wonderful. Anyway, I steeled myself to try it on my wrist. It was less gag-making on my wrist, but something still smells slightly rotten, and sweet - a proper sort of decomposition smell I have worn it all afternoon and it's not got any better so I'm off to wash it off my arm.

 

This one really isn't for me, I don't know which element makes it so unpleasant on my skin, possibly the honey and wine as I love the smell of bay, and didn't actually manage to smell it in the oil.

 

Boo. Off to the swaplist with Delphi.

 

B

[Thaleia]

I really like the description, and the Lab was kind enough to send me an imp with one of my recent orders. In the vial, though, it smells kind of weird. I didn't expect this to smell like a huge box of California Raisins when I opened it. I don't know the minutiae of Ancient Greek sacred rituals, but I'm pretty sure they didn't include raisin sacrifices.

 

On my skin, instead of bringing out something from the description (laurel would've been nice), the raisin smell intensifies, mingling with honey wine, which now makes me smell like ... raisin wine. My skin likes raisins, I guess, even though I don't. Why am I not getting any incense from this?

 

Wah. I don't want to smell like raisins. 2.

[darkitysnark]

Delphi

 

Another gimp from kmasden

 

This was unnerving in the bottle. She is a beautiful priestess in pristine robes burnished by the glow of dawn. She's hiding a knife under those robes, and you can tell by looking into her brilliant green eyes that blood will be shed.

 

There's a sort of culinary herbal bite, sweet boozy swirls, and an overwhelming need to run away right friggin' now.

 

I'm not sure from where this instinct to flight is coming, but it only happens when I'm sniffing nose-pressed-to-wrist.

 

After this alarming wet/drydown stage, she settles back into honeyed grace a little more. A little goes a long way with this blend, and the throw is pretty substantial.

 

Hours later I'm just getting a sweetened incense. No more daggers. Still, that phase at the beginning gives me pause. Definitely a re-try.

Edited February 2, 2006 by darkitysnark

[septima_pica]

The foody smells, interestingly enough, seem to come out on me exactly as advertised. (Vegetarian diet, maybe?) This one is lovely and ceremonial, honey and sweet grapes with laurel leaves. I don't really smell the incense, though.

 

Has a lot of throw, too. Walking around the lab, I could smell the places where I'd stood in the last couple of minutes. Wow. Oddly, though, it's faded in the hour and a half since I put it on. down to a faint fruity/herby sweetness that I can only smell by pressing my nose to the crook of my elbow. Then again, I didn't put on very much.

[sissa125]

I expected this to be gentle and delicate, mysterious and cryptic, like an oracle whispering prophecies. Alas, I got the olfactory equivalent of The Blue Screen Of Death (no one hears your screams).

 

A fatal exception has occured. This is actually painful to smell. It is harsh and metallic, like rust and acid with lots of sugar. I am suspecting the honey wine is responsible, but it could be the bay. I get hints that there is a sweet complexity underneath, but when I bring my nose closer to catch it, the ghastly metal monster chases me away.

 

An electronic oracle screaming about an apocalypse. Hie thee hence!

[Hawke]

In the vial: A sharp herb (must be the laurel), something fruity beneath it and something faintly sour. We'll see how this goes.

 

Wet: Er. Hrm. Initially, this smells of cat urine. Such a bad sign. It's not the main note, but it is there in the after sniff.

 

Drydown: Once it warms up, it turns into an almost-pretty fruit/floral. Grapes and flowers, tangy. I mean, I think I could really like it ... if it weren't for the salty, lingering pee smell that wafts around after the flowers.

 

No thank you.