Forbidden Fruit

[moon_lemming]

As light and innocent as your first time should have been. The fresh scent of lotus hidden behind lightly scented flowers, amber, and citrus.

I'm not sure what went wrong with this one, because not a single one of the notes that make it up sound bad, but . . . uh, I really don't want to revisit Forbidden Fruit, so I'm gonna just copy and paste from my notes:

Forbidden Fruit
imp: ass with a sharp marker bite and an undertone of fruit
wet: sharp ass
dry: salty sharp ass
note: floral of doom maybe? appropriately, this DOES smell like fruit when the imp is shut tight.

You see? It was just a bad scene. Worse than Sybaris because it smelled SO GOOD when I sniffed the closed imp. I might try another imp just to see if this one was somehow "off." I will have to wait til this scent memory fades a little, though. Edited March 30, 2006 by karen

[QueenFae]

This is a gorgeous blend. Strong, heady lotus drowning in an undercurrent of florals and amber. There is a hint of something citrusey, but it's very faint and just gives the blend an energizing kick. This is definitely the best BPAL lotus blend to date, amazingly innocent, feminine, and enticing. It has a fair amount of throw when first applied, but doesn't last as long as I would prefer. All in all, a certain keeper!

[sophia_helix]

Pretty and fruity at first, then soapy as hell, with headache-inducing flowers. I didn't realize this had lotus until I tried it on, but I'm not getting the traditional bubblegum, just bubblebath. I really can't wear mystery florals, though, so the problem with this one is all chemistry.

[LittleGreyKitten]

Well, huh. I usually like lotus- it isn't bad on me I swear!- but this has a weird undertone under the lovely lotus. It actually gets better as it dries but it's still there, bugging me. It's a harsh note, a weird dissonance. No amber, not really citrussy. Oh well, off it goes!

 

2 out of 5.

[maijasu]

Forbidden Fruit smelled a bit, well, fruity in the vial and wet on my skin, but once it dried, it turned very musky on me. There's no musk in the scent description, but that's what I smelled. It was pleasant enough, but not unique and certainly not full bottle worthy. My skin also ate it up; it was gone within one hour. Sadly, this one is just not for me.

[eviltemptressdq]

*sigh*

 

Unfortunately, Forbidden Fruit is TOTAL jasmine on me. Am I the only one? i didn't get one hint of fruit at all!!

[kunoichi]

In the vial it smells exactly like the pink bubblegum I used to eat as a kid. It makes my mouth water slightly, and I feel like I should be putting some gum in my mouth!! My skin gives it a darker kick, but it still smells like bubblegum. It’s still pink gum, and I still want to eat it, but it’s not quite as light as it seems in the vial. Even after it fades, this still smells like bubblegum even after many hours on my skin. It is much softer than how it originally smelled. The whole way through, it’s kind of like eating bubblegum without the gum!!

 

For the life of me, I just can’t smell the other notes – it’s all mixed together and cries ‘bubblegum’!

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

fruity and sweet

 

wet:

fruity floral- lotus I guess is the floral- the amber mellows it out, I can smell the citrus, melon isn't listed but there's an aura of it.

 

dry:

mellower - lotus and amber, hint of citrus but it's almost gone. Really nice! I'm learning that amber loves me, and I love it!

 

overall:

really nice, but almost too sticky sweet… even with that, it ranks high.

 

rating: 8/10

[Diana]

Wet: Fruity... bandaids? No, wait, it's bubblegum + fruit.

 

Drydown: I'm trying to convince myself I don't like this, but every time I take a sniff, I can't be so sure. After a little while, some of the floral notes come out, which are soft & sweet, and there is just a tiny bit of a hint of a resin basenote, that warm, spicy nose-love. There's a wee sharp note of citrus, but it's fairly faint. It keeps getting better the longer it sits on my skin. It's mostly a sweet floral at this stage, and it's really growing on me (WHO AM I??).

 

Later still, the florals pick up a slightly artificial smell. I can't really explain what it is, or name a specific component that could be a culprit. It's an almost "green" note that is kind of throwing it off for me. However, it's mostly undetectable unless I stick my nose right up against my skin.

 

Still, it's not a bad scent. I don't know if I'll need a 5mL right this minute, but it's one to contemplate for later.

[audesapere]

In Imp: Cotton candy fruit. Seriously. A little bubble gum.

 

Wet: Bubble gum. Must be the lotus, and that fruity smell, which seems like apple. Very, very sweet. It actually aggrevated my headache.

 

Dry: Just the fruity, spun sugar sweetness, which is good on some but cloys on me.

 

Later: I may have a slight bias against this, due to horrible childhood trauma involving guerilla spritzes of cotton candy body spray, but this is super sweet, and sort of little girl. Not me at all.

[Galatea]

In the Imp: Sweet fruit with a hint of grounding supplied by the amber.

 

Wet: Juicy Fruit gum! I can catch just a hint of something more earthy, must be the amber.

 

Dry: It's still very fruity, but teh lotus gets a bit stronger and gives it a bit of a watery feel.

Thirty or so minutes ito the wear and it smells like juicy fruit gum that's been chewed for thirty minutes. Ugh.

 

Throw: All showy at first, but fades really fast.

 

Overall: I don't know what to say about this blend. At first it's all sweet fruits, but it quickly waters down. It ends so light, even the amber doesn't stick around (amber usually goes totally powdery on me), all that's left is a sweet hint of lotus.

 

Rating: +/- (neutral)

 

[edenssixthday]

Forbidden Fruit - Forbidden Fruit sat near the bottom of my imp pile for quite some time, as a first whiff of the oil in the vial told me I wouldn't like it. It had a very strange scent. I didn't smell bubble gum like other reviewers did, but it was a bit too sweet-and-sour for me. Well, I tried it, and the instant it touched my skin, it turned into candied fruit. After about 30 minutes, the sweetness of it faded, and the amber and lotus notes danced to the forefront. It was a very nice scent, but incredibly overpowering. I didn't use much, and I could have easily used half as much and still had a very strong veil of scent surrounding me. I sat in a meeting about two hours after applying it, and was highly conscious of the fact that my coworkers on both sides of me had to experience the overwhelming scent of Forbidden Fruit for a good half hour along with me. It finally settled down and when it did, I was left with a soft, sweet-floral-amber scent that stayed close to my skin. The next time I try it, I will use only the tiniest amount, and apply more only if and when needed. But I will be trying it again because it was surprisingly pleasant, and shouldn't have been left near the bottom of my pile of imps. Only time will tell if I actually purchase a full-size bottle or not.

[Demeter]

Source: Imp

 

Bottle: The very first whiff of it was definitely floral. And then I got the orange but not orange. I think of orange, but it’s a bit spicier than what orange would smell like to me. It smells warm, kinda of like a hot shower with one of those body scrubs. I can’t smell the lotus, but that’s due to the fact that citrus is coming out really strongly!

 

Wet: Oh, wow. This perfume has a long throw. I’m typing on my computer and I started to realize that the scent is just swirling and dancing around me… um, almost a bit too much. My eyes are kind of watering. ACK.

 

Drydown: Better. After an hour, the scent drifts out and about; this is definitely a scent that would go a long way in scenting a room or a large area. I’m still not so sure about it being on me, even though at this point, the citrus smells absolutely lovely and I’m feeling like eating a big juicy orange right now.

 

Dry: After a few hours, the scent is just so pleasant and fresh and sweet, but not too sweet.

 

Overall: I’m feeling mixed about this. I LOVE the scent but it definitely takes a little while to die down, even with just a few drops. Granted, a bottle would last a very long time. I may get a 5ml purely to keep around to scent the corners of my (tiny) apartment. I think that would work quite well.

[midnight_aeval]

Wow, this one smells like fruity bubblegum on me. Like Juicy Fruit, no joke!

 

This, as you can imagine was very surprising.

 

*finally scrolls down* oh, ok, I'm not the only one lol

[eoifemacbeth]

I opened this one and almost passed out. It smelled like rotting fruit and a lot of sugar. It gave me a headache when I put it on my skin and I had to wash it off immediately. Luckily, someone else wanted it and I got a good swap out of it. *bemoans terrible chemistry*

[WidgetAlley]

Jasmine and lotus. Could be interesting. *waggles eyebrows*

 

In the Imp: Watery florals, faint juicy fruits, and that weird, round, sticky lotus note that smells simultaneously yummy and kind of repulsive. It's light and pretty and reminds me of Black Lotus without... well, the black. Or Undertow without the sharpness of mint and juniper. In other words, lotus.

 

Wet: Jasmine! And lotus! And something else, a liquid floral.... tuberose? Lily? Hrrm. It's humid and very flowery. It sort of reminds me of some super-concentrated bubble bath or something... kind of a spa-like scent, but rich and heavy. Fairly good throw and nice power to it, though, especially for something that seems to be pure floral.

 

Dry: Something in here is going a bit soapy on me. Wah! Where's the fruit and the amber? Or the lotus, really, for that matter? I can only catch it as a hint around the edges; mostly this is jasmine and assorted florals on me, with a touch of lotus and maybe the tiniest hint of amber.

 

Verdict: Quite pretty and summery, but pretty and summery aren't my deal. If I want lotus, I have Black Lotus or Undertow, and if I want jasmine, I have Santa Eularia des Riu. I may keep this around and test it once or twice more just to make really sure, but I'm almsot certain this just isn't my sort of thing.

Edited July 31, 2006 by WidgetAlley

[fairy]

I liked this in the bottle...on my skin it got too overpowering and perfumey. It's a nice floral scent if you like the flowers. Just didn't work on me :/

[neuilly]

The lotus in this really overwhelms everything else. It's a pretty floral but nothing too amazing on me. There is a hint of amber in the background...but otherwise it's all lotus on me.

[fiddledragon]

This is a wonderful sweet musk-floral on me. There is a strong jasmine note, with the lotus taking second place, and citrus behind that. The lotus and jasmine combine to produce something almost white musk or civet-like (bearing in mind that civet goes wonderfully cozy-fur on me). It's much heavier than I'd anticipated from the notes, but in a down-quilt kind of way. The quilt-jasmine is more similar to Somnus than anything else, but the citrus adds a lovely freshness that keeps it from being stifling. The amber isn't particularly noticeable, but may come out to play once the jasmine tones down a little.

[space girl lost]

horrid! horrid florals! off off off! i cannot even give this one a chance on my skin! horrid florals in the imp is enough for me! florals! ew! that's all i smell! very very stong perfume-like floral.

 

gave this one to my mother who wasn't crazed about it either. i just don't want it near me i dislike florals that much!

[smellyface]

Wet: Sharp fruity bubblegum

Dry: fruity bubblegum and twizzlers... with some green and gardenia?

 

Conclusion: 2 out of 5... I may use up the imp, but I don't think I will buy it again.

[buzz23666]

dirty socks, peaches and lily of the valley

 

Ok - none of those are notes listed in the description so WTF!!!!

 

Dry - this baby is heavy! Please someone tell me that the dirty sock smell is not Lotus. I will weep. God, this one is so strange. It is like a combination of Shalimar, slightly dirty socks and jasmine.

 

Ugh. I can't get this off my skin fast enough - it reminds me a a blue haired old lady.

[Dinerdulcinea]

This says it is light, but on me, it is VERY heavy and smells like rotted fruit bubblegum. I have to go wash it off.

 

To the swaps!

[gypsybaby1]

I don't know why, but as I read the name and the description, I had a mental image of honeydew melon chunks, ripe peach slices, exotic fruits and all of them drizzled with honey.

 

Sadly, that's not what I got. I can't really pick anything out, but it's obnoxiously cloying; left a sick, slick 'taste' in my mouth after sniffing it.

 

off it goes!

[zombiegrrl]

In the bottle and on wet I got the whiff of bubblegum as some others have---Bazooka Joe, specifically. Once it dries on me it just smells...kind of weird. Like sickly sweet amber. This would probably smell much better on someone else. Anyone else.