Asphodel

[edenssixthday]

The grey and ghostly flower that fills the fields of Hades.

Asphodel is very light and pretty. It’s a gorgeous floral scent that I think a lot of people who don’t like florals might find they actually like. It’s very subtle and has the tiniest hint of a soapy quality, but mostly, it’s just a beautiful floral that has a hint of green-herbal in it. It stays very close to my skin, but I imagine it’ll be perfect for those days when I don’t want a full-on perfume but just want to smell lightly floral and sweet. I bet it would work really well blended with some unscented body lotion.

[erikasilverstein]

Soapy, aquatic, slightly earthy floral. Light and airy on the skin. Not really my cup of tea.

[Tess]

I know for a fact that this was a frimp from the lab, since I made a point not to order anything from the Garden. Floral and herbs scents just don't work on me unless they're mixed with other notes. However, since I have it...

 

In the vial - I'm getting an icy plumera from this or perhaps freesia.

 

Wet - There's a dusty floral in here that I can't put my finger on. Something that's related to the rose family, but isn't a rose...

 

Drying - I have to join in the "I know this smell from somewhere" group. This is the scent of some flower that I've bent over to smell, one that I think was yellow. There's that cold tinge to it that makes me understand why it is a flower in Hades.

 

Dry (30 minutes) - Yup, I'm sticking with the freesia and plumera scent. It's... giving me a headache.

 

Overall - Now I remember why I don't do the floral gig. Ah, well, it's a nice one for the swappage.

[SultryWolf]

imp: Green, like fresh-cut flowers

on: Much the same; crisp and light, with an ethereal throw.

 

First time I tried this, I found it too perfumey. I must have been smelling something else, because it is quite light and crisp!

[ashtoreth]

At the risk of sounding like the goth I am most adamantly not, I was really excited to see Asphodel as one of the offerings, since I have always loved the flower (it has a very unusual bloom) and the mythology surrounding it (sacred to Persephone, planted around graves as it was the favored food of the dead).

 

In the bottle, this is a very floral scent, but light and surprisingly refreshing. I was a little worried that it would be too heavy, but this looks like it might be one of the few florals that I will be able to wear with impunity!

 

Wet on the skin, the florals quickly start turning to baby powder. A light and refreshing baby powder, mind you, but powdery nonetheless. A little disappointing, but I'm willing to cope, hoping that the dry will be better.

 

Drying and dry, the scent has nearly disappeared already... and four hours after application, it is all but gone, the barest ghost of the scent still lingering on my wrists. This is disappointing, but not altogether surprising. I keep hoping for a good floral scent that will linger as more than a breath, but Asphodel isn't it for me.

 

--Ashtoreth

[filigree_shadow]

Light and floaty, but extraordinarily floral. Like I just stuck my nose in a flower. It's one of those heady floral scents that would be cloying if it were stronger. (Luckily it's not very strong.) I'm not a floral gal, so I can't say which other flower this smells like because I'm not very familiar with floral notes. I can say that it smells kind of pale pink, rather than yellow or purple. I like this better than some of the other floral blends but not well enough to want to wear it.

[jarvenpa]

Rec'd a wonderful tiny amber bottle of Asphodel as a gift; it was highly recommended in early spring when I was seeking a daffodil scent for my dearest daughter (ha, I have yet to let her try this...but I haven't had it long) (still, I thought I'd reviewed this. Hmmm.)

 

Wet, faintly spiced flowers, pale ones, on slender stalks. Perhaps hyacinth, but the Roman ones with the smaller, delicate bells of flowers. Perhaps daffodils, the very pale and sweet early ones.

Cool and remote and delicate, very poignant.

 

Yes, must let daughter try it---it has a quality of lost innocence about it; very crumpled muslin gown and petals scattered.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is a gorgeous green meadow...

 

once applied the green has a harshness that fades into a very delicate

floral...a white floral...perhaps lily of the valley...a touch of dandelion as well...

 

lovely

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: White flowers and green boughs.

 

First on: It's slightly sweet, but very garden in the rain, I'm pretty sure I'm getting egyptian gardenia, some sage, maybe a bit of magnolia and lilly of the valley.

 

After a bit: Stays pretty true to initial, whatever I feel is lilly of the valley comes across as the dominant on me, which is great, I adore LOV.

 

A bit more: This is a very pretty, light floral with the faintest aquatic feeling to it, more of a dampness or humidity from a tropical garden.

 

I really like this, it fades rather quickly on me though. I'll have to try rubbing it through my hair to see how it'll stay there.

[fairy]

I smell lilac and gardenia. Unfortunately it smells great in the bottle but lacks an "ooomph" on the skin. It almost feels like the scents dont want to get along. It didn't work well for me :/

[noumenon]

I'm not sure how many of you are lucky enough to live in an ecosystem where honeysuckle grows wild in every playground and backyard in town, but if you are, Asphodel will smell awfully familiar. On my skin, it's the scent of unripened honeysuckle nectar, from a pale blossom with too much green on the long trumpeted base of the flower, but you pluck it anyway, and try to siphen off nectar from inside the blossom, and the green, medicinal taste chiding your tongue for being so impatient....is Asphodel. I wasn't expecting it, because in the bottle it smells just like green apples.

 

It's the gorgeous green scent of an unripe flower. It's absolutely marvelous, and makes me feel like I'm a kid again.

 

In Margaret Atwood's new book, the Penelopiad, Penelope and the other denizens of Hades eat the Asphodel that grows in the Underworld. This perfume is exactly what I imagine them tasting.

[theseagrows]

this is a sweet funereal floral scent. i am getting the feeling of a white floral too, like a lily-jasmine. at the beginning this reminds me a lot of sepulcher, which didnt work on me, but it's not as cloying as sepulcher was.

 

i figured this might not be for me, but the description was so pretty that i wanted to try it!

[Miseraya]

In the imp: This smells like a florist shop! That green and crisp smell you get when you first walk in. I love that smell!

 

On the wrist, wet: A delicate floral. I think it's gardenia, but it's not amping like crazy and choking me to death so I'm not sure. Definitely a waxy floral but bright and beautiful. Not overpowering or stifling like most florals on me.

 

On the wrist, dry: A very pleasant clean and crisp floral on me. Makes me think yellow.

 

Final Analysis: All in all this is a definite winner on me. Love it. I would say anyone who wants to love florals but can't should try this one.

[porcelain72]

In the bottle: sweet floral, almost verging on cloying. It reminds me a bit of that "funeral parlor" smell, which I normally don't care for (and why I tend to avoid a lot of florals in the first place). But onward anyway...

 

Initial application: oh no, the dreaded stench of gardenias, my least favorite flower! Now I worry more about smelling like a grandmother than a funeral parlor.

 

Drydown: okay, whew. Gardenias have gone away, and though I'm still leaning towards a "swap this" vote, I'm willing to continue giving it a chance.

 

A bit later: powdery floral. While I'm not getting a sense of deja vu while wearing this, there is a nice...old-fashioned feeling to it, I guess would be the best way to describe it. It seems like something you would have seen a lady of breeding in the late 19th to early 20th century spritzing on her throat with a cut-glass atomizer. I'm still not completely sold yet, but if you're a big fan of white florals, this should do it.

Edited August 18, 2006 by porcelain72

[columbus]

In the bottle this is very floral, which is a bad sign for me. But I’ll give anything a chance once!

 

Once it’s on and drying, it *is* very floral. Not cloying or overpowering, mind you, but very floral. However, I don’t think I can wear this because it smells exactly like a funeral home when there’s a funeral going on. I guess that makes sense, considering Asphodel is meant to be the flowers of Hades, but it still doesn’t give me good memories.

[Nadirah]

Yellow Flowers, Oxalis, Dandelions, field flowers, Weeds. This is what Asphodel brings to mind. Like I'm on an open plain with tons of blooming yellow flowers.There is almost a wax smell to this, maybe even honey could be in this. Its not something I would wear very often, but it is a sunshine smell to me. Lots and lots of sunshine.

[GemmaCat]

Wet, this is the most delicate, pretty white floral. Soft, feminine, and very fresh as if it's a flower that has just opened.

 

Once dry, it develops an airy, almost dusty, quality that really compliments the overall floral note, and definitely makes me think that 'ghostly' is a good description for this flower.

 

I don't wear florals, but this might just change my mind.

[Elemcee]

I certainly get a silvery-ness in this scent; it does make me think of colourless, ethereal blooms.

 

Wet, it's sharp and fresh. Dry, it softens and a somewhat 'dusty' note becomes apparent underneath.

 

It also makes me think of a dress, with quite a plain cut, in a silvery grey, but made of a delicate, floaty material.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: This smells like a floral. I'm really awful at picking out floral notes (except for some of the more obvious ones like roses or orchids), so I can't be more specific.

 

Wet: This smells the same on my skin as it does in the bottle.

 

Drydown and wear: I can see why lots of people say that this is a very floral scent. I think that this oil manages to smell like FLOWERS as opposed to a floral scent. As others have said, it's very fresh and green, and I particularly agree with the person who likened it to a florist's shop. It's lovely.

[RaeiNarcissus]

Asphodel is definetly a very grey scent. It's the sort of scent you want to wear when you intend to think on the past. A very thoughtful scent.

[nancybridget]

Ugh - smells like chemicals mixed with an orange lily.

[steffanina]

Asphodel-

 

In Bottle: A very soft floral..."grey and ghostly" seems apt!

 

Wet: Hmm, what is that. Wisteria? Freesia? Not quite freesia, no. This smells like grass and something a little more floral. It matches the description nicely!

 

Dry: A light pleasant floral. If I liked florals better this one would be right up there. It's not so much my thing but if it were it would be high on my list!

 

Overall: Pleasant.

[PilotKitten]

Hrm... definitely a floral nightmare. By nightmare I don't mean it smells bad.... it's just a creepy, slightly bitter scent. Not for me I think.

[Emma2403]

This is a frimp. I seem to attract only floral frimps those days. I'm not thrilled by this, but let's give it a try anyway.

 

In the bottle: ooh that's lovely. It reminds me the florist shop I wanted to open when I was younger (I love flowers scents, they just often don't work on my skin)… there's freesia and some green boughs.

 

On my skin: freesia and yellow daffodils. This is very joyful, very pretty and unlike many florals, it's not too heady.

 

After a couple of hours: it gets a little powdery but I don't mind…

 

Verdict: a very good surprise… I probably would not have tried this one if I hadn't been lucky enough to get it as a frimp. Nice, very nice.

[supremegoddessofall]

Very herbal and somewhat astringent. I'm also getting a touch of a dust note. Also a touch of rose? Interesting. I'm not sure about this one - it'll need a retest before I decide.