Hades

[sheepzeit]

The gloomy Hades enriches himself with our sighs and our tears. The Unseen. Eldest brother of Zeus, Husband of Persephone, Lord of the Underworld and Commander of the Demons of the Underworld, God of Wealth, whose epithets are Clymenus [Notorious], Eubuleus [Wise in Counsel], and Polydegmon [He who receives many / The Hospitable]. Though he is a dark, morbid and morose deity, fierce and relentless, and is stern, pitiless, and sometimes cruel, he is by no means an evil God. His justice is true, even-handed and absolute, and he is possessed of unbreakable loyalty, single-minded devotion to duty, and immense courage. A dark, palpably sacred chthonic blend: black narcissus and cypress, stephanotis, opoponax, labdanum, onycha and ambergris.

I was a little nervous about ordering this because it has florals in it and I generally don't do florals, but since it had an earthy side as well I decided to go for it. I like it!

Wet: Deep, subtle florals with something almost minty in the background. Reminds me of what a damp, hot swamp would smell like. Very earthy and organic

On skin: The earthiness that I believe was the cypress appears to have gone and the florals really start coming out. But not quite a POP! IN YER FACE! as most florals seem to do on me. I can smell something that reminds me of jasmine in this, and who knows because I have no idea what narcissus or stephanotis smell like.

I still smell something incensy, w hich is probably the opoponax, onycha and ambergris, which is just lovely. It seems to be the earth in which the flowers are growing. If flowers were make of smoke, they would smell like Hades.

Unexpectedly nice!

[ivyandpeony]

I had to order Hades based on the black narcissus alone - one of my favorite notes - although I was unfamiliar with some of the other ones. So I was a bit nervous to try it out. Not to worry though - this one is drop dead beautiful.

 

Out of the bottle and freshly applied, Hades is earthy, woodsy and a little smoky, with barely a hint of what's to come. The smoky note seems to fade immediately and within a few minutes subtle, sweet floral notes sneak to the surface, grounded by the deep woody base. Everything seems to work in harmony and the result is a spicy fragrance that hints at floral, hints at sweetness, hints at earthiness, but would be very difficult to describe without the notes identified for me.

 

This is one that would work wonderfully on women or men, truly gender neutral... in fact I would love to smell it on my husband, but we all know, he "doesn't wear perfume." So I will anxiously await your reports, men of BPAL (all 5 of you) and women who can slather it on their men.

[wolfie13]

In the bottle - a sharp mossy and balsamic scent. Probably picking up mostly on the cypress and labdanum at this point. Smells good!

 

Wearing: Uh oh. My chemistry totally plays up the narcissus and it becomes really dominant on me, to the point of pushing everything else to the background. It becomes

all floral with a bit of a powdery, earthy background.

 

This one is definitely not for me - off to the swaps.- quickly!

[jessamynit]

mmm! a nice, deep floral. I'm surprised, would've expected hades to be much darker and more blaring but it's pretty (although not as bright and in your face as some florals can be). soft, but not powdery. subtle even. or am I just not putting enough on? it seems like a lot. anyway, I love this, but I'm fond of anything that has narcissus, labdanum or or stephanotis in it. smells kind of narcotic, but mostly soft (though not "light"), gentle, and almost natural, like skin (beautiful skin). yum!

[shelldoo]

incredible, i am completely astounded by beth's genious

 

this is deep, woodsy, earthy, slightly floral, the floral is so very difficult to pin down, it is a wafting hide and go seek floral, the resinous evergreen type note is most prominent, followed by the ambergris, and what i thought was orris, but i don't see that in the description...huh? anway it is a gorgeous blend, i definitely will wear.

[darkling]

In the vial: Hades is dark, woodsy, and spicy.

 

On my skin: The dark woods and spice remain. There is an odd herbal element that reminds me of the unique scent of Masabakes. It is not exactly the same but it is bears a striking resemblance.

 

Drydown: As Hades dries, I experience a strange effect. It as is though I am smelling the scent through a barrier between my nose and my skin. I could still pick up the same notes but as if through a long distance. Very peculiar!

[Belladonnastrap]

First Sniff:

Dark, mysterious, sweet and earthy. Smells like Narcissus and ...moss? Something like that.

 

Wet:

Oh my. It's like Virgo's older brother who is brooding, dark and really fucking hot. I've always had this fascination with Hades and as I've gotten older it's gotten stronger...probably a combination of me embracing the "darker" aspects of my nature and a certain romance novel I keep rereading

 

Dry:

I love this. Most of BPAL's "masculine" scents I tend to avoid (excluding the suits) but Hades I adore. Absolutely adore. This has mellowed down into a lovely dark floral with a hint of masculinity, I very well imagine Hades himself smells like this. Earthy and...pure. A scent that may not get your attention at the first go but later on just becomes more and more noticable until you cannot ignore it. Wonderful.

 

Aftermath:

I ADORE this. If you haven't tried Virgo try and get an imp of Hades....it's the darker and wiser version of it. Outstanding, amazing and I'm so very glad I have a 5ml of it.

[sarada]

I went with an imp of Hades rather than a bottle -- I was attracted by the resinous and unusual notes (onycha??) but was not sure how I would like the black narcissus if it dominated.

 

On the one hand I was expecting murky, dark, incensy gloom but this actually crackles with an almost effervescent quality. I keep comparing things to Medea, but I noticed that this does share several notes with that blend: cypress and labdanum. Perhaps that accounts for the light, sparkling resinous quality, completely different from the resins that I'm used to (frankincense, myrrh, etc.).

 

It grows stronger as it dries, and the sharpness mellows somewhat but it is still a very high-pitched scent. I'm not sure what black narcissus smells like on its own but it must be dominating in this blend, along with the slightly sour, bubbly tang that I also get in Medea. I'm not sure if I'll wear this -- it's unique, but not really a scent that I can see wanting to have wafting around me. But it's so unusual that it probably deserves a couple more chances for it to really click with me. Plus, I'm testing like three fragrances in different places today! I may need to spend some time alone with this to get a better feel for its personality.

 

Incidentally, here's some background on onycha that I found when I decided to look it up online. It is listed as an ingredient in a sacred incense in the Bible:

 

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha and galbanum, these sweet spices together with pure frankincense of each shall there be a like weight."

 

As for what onycha is in this blend, I'm not sure -- it's sometimes described as a mollusc, and there are some resins that apparently substitute for it, so that will be a mystery of the lab for now I guess! Spikenard, labdanum and clove are all listed on one site as possibilities for what the onycha of the Bible was referring to. I have no idea, but there's a unique note in this that I can't place...something slightly salty, a little sour, and I wonder if that is the onycha.

[Penance]

Preconceived notions:

 

I'm not a floral fan, so I'm not sure I'll like this, but it appealed to me for some reason and I intend to try it regardless.

 

First sniff:

 

Interesting. Floral, sweet, swampy, resin-like and slightly musky all at the same time. I'm not sure this is going to work, but it's very unusual to say the least.

 

Wet on skin:

 

The resin notes really stand out once I put this on. It's incense, but with an overlay of swampy cypress trees and sweet flowers. This strikes me as being one of the most unique scents I've smelled in a long time, even in terms of BPAL, which is almost always unique to begin with.

 

Dry down:

 

This reminds me overwhelmingly of a church at Easter...a Catholic church to be exact. Sweet, heady Easter flowers and incense smoke with a background of wood. This is both very complex and beautiful and very unique. I don't normally do floral scents, but this seems to be an exception to that rule. Really lovely!

 

The bottom line:

 

Far different than what I'd expected, but beautiful!

[grrrlennyl]

at first: warm and a bit biting. definitely floral.

on: i really don't like this. it's making me uneasy. i think i smell some sort of wood.

half an hour later: wow. this is a lot sweeter now, almost like amber.

1 hour later: this reminds me of a sweeter version of the incense they used to burn at lenten vespers at my old church.

1.5 hours later: very pretty. i really like this.

overall: i'm so glad i have a bottle of this. it's so interesting.

[oatmealneko]

Bottle: Dark, deep floral. Unlike a lot of florals I've sniffed, it's definitely not a "happy" type.

Wet: Dabbed a bit on one wrist. I didn't think it was that strong, but my friend told she could smell Hades on the other side of the room!

Dry: STRONG floral. Lots of throw. It's dark & sinister. Narcissus tends to be very strong on me, but I think due to the opoponax, it's doesn't smell like a flower. Dark & murky, growing below the surface, a strange wafting scent that sneaks up behind you & wraps you in an evil shadow. That's Hades.

[lokelani]

At first sniff, all I get is an overwhelmingly dark, spicy scent with some leather in the background -- that would be the labdanum, I think. Whoa, it's like a punch in the olfactory nerve, there. Way too strong for me. Well, we'll see where it goes from here.

 

Okay, this has morphed into a sort of weird “leather and lace” scent – the labdanum and the stephanotis battling it out, I’d guess. I *love* stephanotis (that was one of the reasons I wanted this – I'm determined to try all the stephanotis scents) but the combination of the white feminine floral note and the dark, heavily masculine notes is making my nose and my head confused. It’s not bad – in fact it’s very interesting – but still, it just doesn't quite work for me. I will have to try this again another day. I’m thinking this is probably a swapper, though.

 

Upon second try, I decided this is definitely not for me. I just don’t like the leathery scent (actually, come to think of it, it smells more like rubber. This is reminding me of bike tires!! How random is that?) Ah, well. Away it went into swapland.

Edited June 23, 2005 by lokelani

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

A mixture of white florals and inky blackness.

 

After Wearing It:

Wet and in this first hour or so of this blend, Hades is aggressively floral on me. The narcissus and stephanotis are particularly dominant, making me think of early spring. I don't much like white floral notes (yes, it's black narcissus here, butit still smells white to me), as they smell almost astringent on me and that was really apparent here. There was a darkeness lingering in the background, making Hades less about the deity than the place. At this point, Hades smelled like an illusion of Spring in the dark, depths of the underworld. It's the smell of crisp, too perfect florals, swaying in the gloom of the meticulously cared for gardens around the palace of the king of the dead. It's feminine, in an older woman kind of way. Prim and unyielding. I didn't like it much.

 

Quite fortunately, the floral phase of Hades didn't last. The darkness consumed the garden and the scent become a lovely, deep resinous blend. I could smell the slightly sticky-sweet smokiness of labdanum and the earthiness of ambergris. A bit of cypress too but it didn't carry much weight. I'm not sure what onycha, smells like so I couldn't pick it out. Overall though, Hades became very warm, dark and mysterious. Still maybe not how I would have pictured a blend inspired by the god Hades as it's very inviting. I think I still associate it more with the place in later stage than I do the god. To classical peoples, Hades was the destination of all dead, not just to the damned, and not all areas were terrible. I wouldn't equate Hades nicer phase with Elysium, but it make me think about the more comfortable aspects of an afterlife.

 

Final Thoughts:

I manage to spill half of the bottle while putting this on, which is something I've never done. It got on my clothes, it got in my bottle basket, it got on my desk. *Everywhere.* And since I wasn't at all fond of the initial phase, I didn't mourn the loss, but after getting to know it better I'm kicking myself for my clumsiness. Makes my desk smell great though!

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Earthy, floral, spicy... odd.

 

Wearing: This started out as an aggressively floral perfume with earthy and spicy undertones. As it dries the florals... dry out, like they have been singed. The earthy spice turns into more of an incense, but again, it is very dry smelling - not at all sweet, either.

 

Final Impressions: This is very odd, and very unique. I don't really think it's me, though.

[olympia301]

In this version, Hades is such a nice place. Picket fences, immaculate lawns, scrubbed white mausoleums, and fountains playing ever playing for the dead.

 

I was expecting resin, astringency, solemnity and I got a rather happy mix of flowers and upbeat things. I am not disappointed, Lord knows I don't want to think of the Netherlife as all of us spooks flitting around one 20 watt light bulb, but this blend is more like the brochure vision of "the other side" than the Roman-style Kingdom of the Dead where there is Eternal Depression and everybody dresses in brown.

 

Maybe this is the version where Pluto finally gets the girl. "Whoopee!" he thinks, "Clean socks from now on!"

 

I have to put this one in the "pleasant scent" category. On me it's nice but doesn't stand out as being wonderfully unique. I like to keep the imp and actually would use it when I feel down, to pick me up. However, I don't think I will list this as a Top Ten.

 

The icon is a cemetary where there is a lot of money spent on the surroundings to make it as cheery as possible.

Edited May 28, 2005 by olympia301

[Reinaluna]

Hades: Well, I dont smell any of the supposed incenses that are listed in the decription of this blend. I just get a faint floral and I dont like floral. This is nothing like what it describes to me. Oh well to the swap mines this one goes.

[Tesseljoan]

I can't for the life of me describe what Hades smells like on my skin. It is resinous and a bit incensey, but I can smell a teensy bit of powder as well, perhaps the florals... It strongly reminds me of another one of Beth's blends, but I can't remember which one. It is deep and dark, but I don't think I'll wear this often.

[Orodemniades]

Bottle: Okay, I can smell a bit of ambergris...and stuff.

 

Wet: There's a sharp odor as well as something that reminds me of civet? Whatever it is, it's similar to something in Satyr. Is there rose in this??

 

Drydown: The floral, I guess it's the stephanotis?? I have no idea, but the...ashy? pebble-y? resiny? peppery?...undertone, whatever it is that hits the back of my throat and makes me want to cough whenever I sniff my wrist, eventually fades and I'm left with this gorgeous floral!

 

Overall: Fab, fab, fab. I'm so glad I bought a 5ml unsniffed!

 

Oro

[Aurelius]

At first all I can smell is cinnamon, although none is listed. This starts off as wonderfully spicy on my skin. It's dark and the first note I can make out is cypress. In the wet stage it's deep, dark, and completely drool-worthy. Then I start to smell florals, but luckily they're still dark and they aren't too loud on my skin. It changes again to a insence-y smell, still spicy, and a bit smokey. But upon total drydown it morphs into powder. *stamps foot* DAMN! This is amazing and utterly gorgeous, but my skin just isn't willing to let it be. Sigh. So wonderful. This is a great dark scent for anyone. I'm so sad it doesn't stay longer on my skin.

[quimerula]

Strong and dark, this is a commanding scent.

I get cypress, narcissus and labdanum (I love labdanum!).

Dry it goes a bit more floral, and the ambergris makes a nice bottom line for this scent.

I don't see it as "masculine", but maybe... *calls her boyfriend, imp in hand*

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Very sharp and crushed. Crushed is an odd word, so I'll try to explain why I mean - it smells like crushed stems and crushed blossoms that have been ground underfoot. There's definitely a dark earth note here. No distinct florals; there's only the crushed plant sensation I mentioned before.

On me: Everything becomes much more defined on the skin. The scent becomes very dark spicy floral. It is quite unusual and surprisingly appealing; not really my style, but I can see this as a signature scent for someone looking to stand out in a crowd.

[rosered]

I love it...very dark, dusty roses. Like lush roses aging on a grave. I know, this isn't supposed to be roses, but that's how it comes to me. My husband doesn't like it; to him it smells like RAID, which I don't get at all! Well, maybe I'll wear it to work, so he doesn't have to smell it. I need to get some Absinthe and Graveyard Dirt for him...

[Seraph]

first waft: "Oh, that's nice." Kind of spicy and kind of floral, yet not either of them. A hint of something resiny?

 

first on: "Wh...wh....WHY?!?!? VILEWRETCHEDEEEEWE!!" (and still I kept it on... hopeful...)

 

first hour: went through a nasty soap smell phase, along with some really wretched phases, and now in a more floral but not really phase. Each chemical shift triggers migraine type pain in the brain.

 

few more hours: "....my head is going to explode...."

 

verdict: Yeah, it was nice in the vial but it just didn't work for me.

[coulrophobe]

I had avoided my poor little imp o' Hades for some time - just too many other blends to try, and it smelled a bit masculine and earthy. But the neglect ceased this morning.

 

In the imp, and when first swiped on my skin, it does smell masculine and earthy - but then it morphs. Sweetens. Gets dusky. Oh my.

 

I've now discovered what that amazing soft-purplegrey-powder scent is... opoponax. It's in my beloved Noir, and makes itself quite evident in Hades as well.

 

Hades is lovely, and not at all what I expected - sophisticated, feminine and unique; a bit murky and mysterious, but not in a bad way at all. I need to smell like this more often.

[sookster]

Hades is resinous, smoky, spicy and sweet all together...quite nice

 

All the blends shine through beautifully but it seems to be more of a masculine scent....another scent dear boyfriend will be wearing for me