Pele

[undream]

… This perfume embodies her gentler, benign aspect as the capricious Goddess of Dance: muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms.

in light of my affinity with pele, this was an oil i just had to try(!).

&oh, wow. this smells nothing like i really expected it to. i went in thinking i was going to get that very specific tropical scent - you know, the coconut sunscreen & lush florals combo (despite the fact that there is no coconut notes even in this!) - but what ended up greeting me was easily one of the most beautiful florals i have yet to come across via BPAL. just. gorgeous. i keep attempting to come up with ways in which to describe it, but either i just don't have the BPAL vocabulary or it really is just a thing you need to experience for yourself.

after some time, it warms into a very creamy, humid scent, and honest to god it is not a thing i would ever consider a me scent? (beautiful, but moreso a thing i would normally wish to smell around me, perhaps on somebody else for example, as opposed to on me) but something about it is so lovely & so comforting, and i find myself with my nose in the crook of my arm over & over again. i'd say that's a pretty telling sign that this is going to be a keeper, for me.

[grnwoodtree]

I'm glad the florals didn't turn to powder for once.

This actually smells very much like the old Avon scent, Hawaiian White Ginger. Thats not a bad thing by any means, and it had staying power and didn't morph too much, and I kept catching whiffs of a pleasant scent throughout the day...so I think this is a keeper, if not a bottle, at least the imp

[Lill]

I have made 2 mistakes in my BPAL buying career: I got my first bunch of imps approx. a year ago and, although I remember being interested in Snake Oil and Pele, ended up ordering 6 others, none of which blew my socks off.

 

I finally tried Snake Oil for the first time in December, and I fell in (almost) instantaneous love. I have since gone through a few bottles-- I add it to lotion, oils, and bath gel. I ADORE it.

 

Today, I received a frimp of Pele and as soon as I sniffed it I fell in complete, utter LOVE. Why didn't I follow my instincts and order Pele (and Snake Oil) a year ago?!?

 

ANYWAY, onto the review:

 

In the imp: Delicious! Softly floral, it smells familiar. What does this remind me of?

 

Wet: A very well-behaved floral, soft and warm. Maybe it reminds me a bit of Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi shampoo? Must be the ginger.

 

Dry: About the same as in the bottle and wet. I know what it reminds me of-- Diorissimo! It's not exactly the same, just reminiscent; must be the muguet.

 

Lasting power doesn't seem too bad. It's a soft scent, and although it fades fairly quickly I keep getting phantom whiffs of it a few hours later. Definitely won't mind reapplying this.

 

Summary: This is the first BPAL floral that I absolutely, completely adore. Other florals such as New Orleans, Zephyr, Suspiro, and Euphrosyne just didn't agree with me and made me think that BPAL florals in general just wouldn't work on my skin. I am happy that Pele has proved me wrong!

[KesHiro]

Sample ordered from the lab.

 

As the daughter of a born and raised Hawaiian, it would have been unforgivable of me not to try this scent.

 

In the imp, I get soft white florals with a vague soapy note. Nooooo! Damn it all! Wet, I get the same but with a soft hint of ginger lending a bite. During the drydown, the soapy note morphs into muguet (huzzah!) and the fragrance becomes a mix of gingery white florals and lily. Dry, the blooms take over, leaving the scent white floral - lily dominant, with the faintest bite of ginger adding some character.

 

This is soft, pretty, and feminine, with the ginger keeping it from turning too girly and frilly. It's sophisticated and perfect for summer and those hot humid days. Staying close to the skin, this is not an overwhelming floral that will cause headaches and aching noses (as so many do to me) but one that is subtle. If I jam my nose against my skin, this does smell like high soap heaven (that darn muguet misbehaving again) but the wafts around me are pure white floral ginger bliss.

 

Kudos to the lab for depicting the gentler, softer side of Pele. Definitely going to upgrade to a bottle!

[girasol]

I really love Pele! It's a stronger floral than I usually like, and the first hour is a bit intense, but after that it's so soft and breezy and feminine - just beautiful. Definitely reminiscent of lush tropical forests and warm sea breezes. I will definitely be getting a bottle of this, and I can see it being the perfect go-to scent for a summery day.

[SophieCedar]

Very fresh and clean without be astringent or powdery. I just came from wading around in ocean water at sunrise and this is the perfect compliment to that. Soft, sweet, blooms. Smells like how you want to feel after leaving a salon... Renewed, glowing, and fresh to the world. Oh wait... this is much less expensive and way more guaranteed to please than a salon.

[vowsatsea]

I have no words to describe this scent. It's *gorgeous*. I'm not a HUGE fan of florals, but this is a soft, tropical floral that just takes you away to a lush tropical island with just once sniff. This definitely skyrocketed to my top 5. My only complaint is that it's very light and I feel like I have to keep huffing my wrists in order to smell it. But given the delicate nature of the scent, it adds to the 'softness' of it. I pay have to get a backup bottle, because if this gets discontinued I will cry.

[Invidiana]

I love this. It's like old-school floral sunblock and I adore anything in that category. Fortunately, it has none of the chemically smell that accompanies actual sunblock. Also, the ginger isn't in your face, just a very light complement to the blooms. It's light enough for a hot summer day but still dead sexy.

Edited January 14, 2011 by Invidiana

[FathomBelow]

Objectively, Pele is beautiful. It starts off as an unexpectedly warm, almost sugary tropical floral - and not tropical in a fruity way, but an unabashedly voluptuous way. As it dries, it becomes slightly muskier, which compliments the sensuality of the florals to produce a beautiful, dusky, quintessentially feminine scent.

 

Unfortunately, it also reminds me of public bathroom hand soap. Darn it, I so did want to like this one.

[Tiada]

I wore Calgon's Hawaiian Ginger all through high school so I when I got this as a frimp I was nervous to try it. I was pleasantly surprised!

 

It's warm, tropical and kind of sweet. It does remind me of the Calgon scent, but it takes the shared notes to a more mature, elegant and classy level! Truly a beautiful scent, I'm just sorry it didn't stick around very long. My skin ate it in 2 hours, tops.

[milo]

This definitely is tropical!! It reminds me a of a perfume my mom used to wear in the late 70's, which I can't remember the name of, of course. It may have been an Avon cream. This is mostly tropical floral on me, mostly gardenia. I don't really like blends like this, they are much too floral heady on me. That being said, I am really digging this blend today in the -38 wind chill out there, it is what I'd imagine Hawaii to smell like.

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: Soft, humid tropical floral

 

On: Very soft immediately after it dries, goes faint within half an hour. Also a bit soapy.

Pleasant enough, but no staying power whatsoever and VERY close to the skin after half an hour at most. Sometimes good for after a bath, but otherwise...

[JasminDreams2010]

Pele is very beautiful. It seems initially like a one-note pikaki perfume, and it reminds me of kuumba made's pikaki lei, however there is a subtlety and depth too. I don't think I'm getting a big bottle- it's a little light for my taste and it seems to fade in minutes on me but I am definitely keeping the imp. I just wish it were a little longer lasting and had more throw. 3.5 out of 5

 

2017 update: my skin chemistry changed, goddess bless! The white ginger is now heating up on me to make this fragrance a spicy hot bottle of awesome. My hands down favorite. Somehow I can smell this fragrance now. I'm so glad I gave this a chance, now that my skin isn't eating it, it smells like heaven. I now have a big bottle and want backups. So much love

Edited February 24, 2017 by JasminDreams2010

[biocarolyn]

Heady, feminine white sensual floral. But not screaming floral somehow- floral for people like me who don't love floral. Pele is absolutely beautiful, perfect for hot muggy summer days. Pikaki, ginger, hibiscus, and sand. I definitely smell sand. (Don't ask me what sand smells like, but it is here.) This smells like incredible perfect vintage silk lingerie. Vacation in a bottle.

[Ronnieroo88]

It's not bad but I find it kind of boring. All i smell is flowers. A little "different" but still white flowers. I think it would have been more interesting if it had some coconut in it :3

[karykeion]

Shark Week is over and my accurate testing mojo is back!

 

In the imp: Ooh, that's interesting, kind of soft and lush. I like it!

 

On me, wet: Well, endless improvement over the last time I tested it, when it smelled like burnt plastic. The muguet is really nice, it's one of my favorite smells, and it blends very nicely in Pele. I can't really smell the ginger. I do, however, definitely smell plumeria, which may turn out to be a problem since plumeria works fine on my skin but to me the flower itself just smells exactly like deodorant. Overall, it's extremely pretty in a soft tropical way that sort of evokes sunblock without actually smelling like it, but I don't know if I'd wear it more than once or twice during the summer.

 

On me dry: Eh. It's kind of just...soft flowers. I like it fine objectively but it doesn't do anything for me.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Fresh and sweet floral. Creamy.

 

Drydown: Soft floral (lily and ???) and ginger. Clean and tropical.

 

Dry: Similar to the drydown, but warmer. Delicate with a sexy tropical slant. Light and soft.

 

 

 

 

6.5 out of 10 bones

Edited June 21, 2013 by BoneBone24

[angelamaria]

In imp: yes on the tropical blooms, but this is quite far from being a bright cheery tropical scent: this is soft and gentle, almost ethereal. Very pretty.

 

Wet on skin: soft, creamy and gentle, the scent stays close to the skin in an almost sensual manner. It's amazing how these obviously tropical flower notes are so different in tone from what you'd expect from them. This is a PERFECT blend for lazy days on the beach with a slightly overcast sky. It's not "bright" or "cheery" or "vibrant" but it is very much a summer scent. Very, very lovely.

 

Dry: this doesn't morph on me until it hits about two hours onward. I'm not sure which note is bringing out this rather orris-y touch to this blend--orris on me turns into this sickly-sweet/oily/grandmother weirdness that this blend seems to have in abundance after that first two hours.

 

Verdict: honestly, I was so happy when I found how lovely this blend is, I've been feeling guilty that most GCs just doesn't stay keepers with me. But sadly, it's not meant to be--I was very sad when it turned into orris mess

[Incendiare]

Wow, this is really beautiful in the imp. Soft gentle florals, especially pikake. And very airy too. On me, it's the same. No ginger, just soft, innocent florals. Not sharp nor soapy at all. It's quite light though so I'd need to slather this on or else it would probably go unnoticed. After about ten minutes, the florals are still gentle, but leaning towards powdery. I still love it though. It smells humid. I just may need to buy a bottle of this someday.

[symbiosis]

Pele

 

In the imp: A surprisingly mellow floral that's sweet and creamy without being cloying or overpowering.

 

On my skin: The tropical heat hits me right away, and I can almost feel the sun warming the blooms of tropical plants as I stand in the middle of a Hawaiian garden. This is the smell of tropical nectar, sweet but low-toned and not heady. The white ginger adds just a touch of spice in the background that's apparent only when I think of it and inhale deeply.

 

I like this scent, but the throw is minimal and it's just not "me"

[Violet74]

I ordered a bottle of Pele quite a while ago and then immediately lost it ... It turned up today and I've been wearing it out and about on this warm, summer day. I keep getting wafts of prettiness and wonder where it's coming from and then remember ... It's me and my long lost Pele!

 

Wow, I'd forgotten how beautiful this is, really cannot get my arm away from my nose! Let me see, words that this scent conjures up to me: soft, creamy and sophisticated. I'm pretty sure tuberose is in there somewhere although I'm not too good at distinguishing the other tropical blooms ... it has a bit of a Jennifer Lopez's Glow vibe about it actually, although a little more subtle.

 

I think this is going to be my new favourite work-friendly summer scent

[hexnut]

PELE

 

In Vitro A blind test. The first sniff was perfumey, maybe aquatic or citrus.

 

Wet Pure blossoms! Fresh, not too sweet. In fact it reminded me of my mother's cherished old bottle of pikake perfume. This had to be the imp of Pele I'd ordered. For me the smell of Hawai'ian flowers is in a category of its own; terms like "waxy" and "creamy" come to mind, but don't quite capture the essense, which is also penetrating.

 

Drying Oh no, this faded fast! It didn't morph at all but neither did it last more than an hour and a half at the most. I put some on my hair but it didn't last any longer. The scent was so pretty and evocative that I carried the imp around for the rest of the day and applied to my wrist at least twice more, but alas! She would dance only a little while before slowly receding into the air, still smiling, while I stood longing on the shore.

 

Pele is a beautiful and nostalgic scent but also a fast fader on me, so I'm not sure I'll get a bottle.

 

 

30

[neuilly]

How have I not reviewed this? I own a whole bottle of this and it makes me a very happy woman! This is tropical without being TROPICAL. The flowers are lush yet soft, and I feel almost as if there's a cool breeze wafting the scent over to me. It's really so pretty and I think it would appeal to people who aren't usually a fan of floral.

[Wren12]

Pretty is the first word that comes to mind smelling this in the imp.

 

On wet...creamy and floral. Too floral for me, but interesting.

 

On dry...pretty much the same, the creaminess is intriguing, but too floral.

 

Swaps! I did learn that muguet is French for Lily of the Valley, which explains the 'different' floral I was smelling.

[Deliciousness]

In the imp: Faint and vaporous tropical blooms

Wet on skin: Slightly sweet, tropical florals.

Drydown: Humm, this is smelling more like dryer sheets the longer it sits on my skin. I can still smell the tropical flowers, but it's becoming a little soapy-ish.

 

I'm honestly not getting too much scent from this one, it's so very light. I was hoping to smell the white ginger, but it's not coming out on my skin. Oh well, glad I got to thy this one.