Pele

[tesao]

Whimsical, temperamental, radiant and ravishingly beautiful Goddess of Volcanoes, Fire, Lightning and Dance. She is the Mother of Eruptions and the personification of destructive power. Volcanic eruptions are said to be a side-effect of her jealous rages and her epic quarrels with her siblings are legendary. This perfume embodies her gentler, benign aspect as the capricious Goddess of Dance: muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms.

pele reminds me of hawai'i. ginger. it is a scent i love, but i'm not sure i want to smell like it. it has faded quite quickly on my skin. it isn't unpleasant at all -- and the ginger scent is DEAD ON. my middle sister LOVES this smell -- she was born in hawai'i. i may have to send this imp to her to see what she thinks of it.....

[mmcfa2]

I never thought I'd like this, but when I opened it I was just in heaven! It's soft and gentle without a hint of powderiness or soapiness. The flowers are tropical, warm and drenched with sunshine and moisture. I can literally feel the flowers in my palms as I sniff, and everyone I have forced to sniff my wrist has LOVED it!!

 

This is the ultimate scent to share with a non bpal customer/fan because there is nothing sinister holding it, just wonderful sweet light freshness.

 

I'm not a light and fresh flowery gal, but I will wear this and share this and order more!

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Summarised in a word or two: Faint.

 

In the imp/bottle: ...Nothing. No, really: I get nothing from this!

 

On skin, wet: Very faint white flowers and a touch of ginger.

 

On skin, dry: A wisp of something bright and floral, and then nothing. Faded completely.

 

Conclusion: I love the lightly-spiced white flowers I get from Pele, but it's such a fleeting scent. I can't imagine how often I'd have to apply, and how many 10mls I'd go through in a month. Lovely, but ethereal.

Edited December 26, 2005 by Aredhel

[Orodemniades]

Eh, I had to double check to make sure I'd actually swiped this along my wrist.

 

It's a lovely, pale and soft floral, but it disappeared almost immediately on me. About an hour later it came back, and while tropical and warm, it's just too faint on me.

 

Oro

[Sheila]

Pele is a beautiful, tropical, lush white floral.

It's very pretty and feminine, and smells like moist jungle flowers.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Very delicate and light, like fairy laughter. Faint white ginger and white florals.

On me: Very tropical fragrance - it definitely makes me think of my trip to Hawaii. I smell warm tropical rain, white ginger, and amongst the multiple florals I can detect plumeria.

[QueenFae]

Ooooohhh! Sooo wonderful! It's a beautiful, "just rained in the jungle" type smell. The florals are fabulous; so seductive and lush. I can just picture them growing up the side of Pele's volcano. This is a very soothing scent for me, perfectly balanced and not too sweet or too green. A perfect tribute to Pele, another amazing masterpiece. Love it!

[elphaba]

Pele smells so much like real flowers, you can almost imagine having a lei around your neck and a flower in your hair. The flowers are light and fresh and just slightly sweeter than flowers are in real life, like they were injected with extra nectar to please the bees and hummingbirds.

 

This is a floral I can wear. On me, it lasts nicely for about 3 hours and by the fourth hour, it still hangs on with a bit of residual sweetness. On my skin, I consider 4 hours about the average lifetime for a blend, so I'm satisfied with the longevity. Pele is a keeper, especially for the summer months. She's a tropical beauty.

[madelf]

This started out as soap - lovely expensive soap, but soap.

 

However, after the drydown it became soft wet blossoms with just the tiniest hint of ginger. It seemed almost like a tropical mist over a flower garden. It is very light, but had good staying power.

 

This isn't what I expected - much more subtle than I thought it would be. It is still a beautiful perfume, and I am very glad to have received an imp of it.

[coulrophobe]

Bizarre... I don't get tropical blooms and ginger with this (and it doesn't smell like I remember Hawaii smelling at all).

 

What does it smell like? Pure, unadulterated dryer sheet. AND I LOVE IT. I'm one of those people that inhales deeply when I walk by dryer vents in buildings while someone's doing laundry, because I love that clean, warm, floral-powder smell. That dryer sheet smell is the olifactory equivalent of wrapping myself in a warm, fluffy baby-blue blanket.

 

For me, this is one of my ultimate comfort scents. I'm going to buy a bottle to use when I'm sick or stressed, or just need to sleep.

 

I didn't know much about Pele's gentler side, but if this scent is any indication, I'm betting she gives good hugs.

[BlackWingedRoses]

The first time I tried this I could barely smell it, but it could've been because I was smelling all sorts of other imps just before.

Today I swiped both wrists and I got the sweet sparkly scent of the white ginger. very true. breezy in a way. It reminded me of the pefume Avon put out called Haiwaiian White Ginger, only without the icky alcohol smell.

 

It's 3 hours later and I can only smell in if I put my nose right up to my wrist. It's a bit sweeter now and reminds me of candy raisins for some reason.

 

very pretty. I just wish it was stronger and longer lasting.

[puck_nc]

Pele was an impulse imp, taken in a swap when I offered an imp of something I didn't want to someone who had spilled her supply and lost it. I have a hibiscus perfume that I enjoy wearing, so the possibility of a new tropical-flower scent was appealing.

 

In the bottle: Yay! Hibiscus! And other florals and scents that make me think of my spring break on a beach in Mexico.

 

Wet: I think this is the first time I've had a scent stay true to my skin without morphing all over the place. Happy happy joy joy!

 

Drydown: Hey, where are you going, Pele? Stick around! And the weakness is revealed; Pele is a lightweight that vanishes quickly and has next to no throw on me.

 

Verdict: I've tried slathering and the scent locket, but Pele just doesn't like to hang around, which disappoints me greatly as it's such a pretty scent. I'll use up the imp, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to get more unless it's the occasional swap.

[grrrlennyl]

at first: the lab tossed this in as a freebie in my order. this reminds me of being at some sort of theme park. there's an overall sunniness to it, along with flowers and a hint of sunscreen.

on: yeah, definitely sunscreen. very astringent-smelling. weird.

1 hour later: yuck. this is awful. spray-on sunscreen and big spray.

overall: i had to wash this off because it was giving me a headache. what can i say? skin chemistry's a weird thing.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

tropical floral

 

On me:

Like a lot of other people, I don't usually find myself drawn to florals. This is really nice though - it's very light and airy, and even as florals go, it's rather understated. It's got such a feminine, tropical feel to it - I can definitely see this as being representative of Pele. This is, in my opinion, a perfect Spring or Summer scent. The kind of scent I'd wear to the beach, or to walk along The Strip to visit summer shops. It's mysterious and lovely.

 

Final note:

This is a surefire winner in my book, even for those of us who don't like florals.

[Ajila]

Wet on me this is a lush wet floral, very similar to Machu Picchu but without the fruit. Dry on me it's much the same, but with occassional spikes of ginger. On me this is quite faint and doesn't hang around very long, which is a shame.

[imaginepageant]

In the vial: This is amazing. It's Hawaii in a small glass vial, it truly is. I'm immediately reminded of Ka'anapali beach... the sun, the surf, the sand, the swimmers, the entire beach and ocean atmosphere. Oh my god. The description of Pele the goddess is entirely removed from Pele the scent: this is not tempermental, angry, jealous, or destructive. It's innocent, carefree, funloving, and beautiful.

 

Wet: It's so soft and faint on my skin, I want to cry. Even after slathering it on, it's very hard to catch. It's still frighteningly identical to how Hawaii smelled... when I can pick enough of the scent to actually tell.

 

Dry: It's ever so slightly salty now, in a very oceanic way. I'm also smelling a hint of suntan lotion, and that adds to the beach atmosphere beautifully. It's still very Hawaii, which is exactly what I was hoping for in this blend: a beautiful reminder of the best week of my life.

 

An hour later: The same, but a little sweeter, and a little... sweatier. Still extremely faint; I can hardly smell it at all now.

 

Overall: I can't believe such an exquisite scent is entirely sapped up by my skin. Oh, what a world! This is another blend I love too much to say goodbye to even though it doesn't work as a perfume; it is destined to be a room scent, or scent locket, or something along those lines.

Edited August 29, 2005 by decemberine

[quimerula]

A very soft and tropical bouquet.

So soft that it vanishes quickly on my skin.

[AngelFireHeart]

Finally I got my hands on a 5ml Pele (Thank you Apothecary's cat)

 

 

Straight out of the bottle this is a fresh quite gingery scent, but at the same time very delicate. On my skin it is very soft & cottony & I cannot pick out any distinct notes in it although to say it is a little floral but very fresh almost with a sea breeze. After a few minutes of wear this scent starts to warm up a bit with the ginger coming through a bit more strongly.

Sadly I don't think this scent is going to last on my skin, but maybe I'll be surprised.

After about 5 minutes of wear, this scent has now deepened quite a bit & I keep getting little whiffs as I move that remind me of ginger preserve & ginger biscuits like we used to have on the table at Grandpa's.

Well after an entire days wear this scent has stayed on me, although it has changed again into a fresh 'natural' scent, although due to the ginger it does have a warm depth to it. It is however still quite a light scent, so more of a daytime rather than evening perfume.

[Rheliwen]

This reminds me of home...

 

Fresh pikake blooming on the bushes lining my back yard. Gardenia flowers in my neighbor's front yard. Fresh hawaiian ginger. It smells like a lot of the touristy perfume they sell...but Pele is, of course, purer and more true to the notes in the blend.

 

I've never been a fan of pikake perfume, but pick them off the plant and they are like heaven! Same with gardenia. I like the way this smells but it's not me. I might keep it around to remind me of my childhood, but that's it.

[olympia301]

 

Very pretty pretty scent. Floral and a little bit old fashioned, like an unabashedly feminine woman a bit out of step with the "Modrens". I can't say that this scent is Hawai'i, at least the place I experienced but it is floral and beautiful. I think it's just itching to go into a scent locket because it won't last longer than a volcano's small explosion, such as *bang*; but I bet it is a great find for the scent locket because it remains true from wet through drydown.

[aedes]

This was a very generous gift from the lab. Thank you!

 

It's not a scent I would pick for myself based on the description, which is another reason I'm so grateful to have gotten it as a gift. Tropical? Floral? ho, ho, not me.

 

But, of course, once I smelled it, I fell in love. I smell mostly hibiscus and plumeria, and it's utterly captivating. There's definitely an aquatic, "dew-kissed" feeling about it, very tropical rainforest. I don't think I smell ginger, though there is a light, light earthiness lurking in the background.

 

The smell of the flowers is lush, sensual, voluptuous and womanly, but not heady. There's a certain benevolence and guilelessness to it as well. A playful, knowing smile all day long. It makes me want to make some leaf wreathes and dance barefoot. Perfect on a cold, rainy day like today when I'm recovering from a cold. Very transportive.

[Blood onmy hands]

I agree with those who likened this to the smell of awapuhi shampoo. It has that same tropical blossom sweetness with a slight aquatic edge, but definitely smells soapy.

 

In the drydown this gets a bit too soapy and perfumey on me. I'm not sure if I'll keep my imp or not. I think that I like Bayou more for my tropical floral yearnings.

[AlaskaSnows]

In the Bottle: Wet heady exotic flowers, very sweet.

 

Dry: The same, with a lush tropical greenery smell. A smell of sunlight warming flowers and really bringing out the scent.

 

I'm glad I bought this big bottle!

[Freyja Lux]

This summer I was learning to surf. I wanted a perfume that would make me feel like an oceanic goddess; playful, tropical and powerful. I love coconut and use coconut lotion and oils all summer but was tired of DHS Hippy Chic perfume. Pele sounded PERFECT! But, there is no accounting for personal chemistry. This turned bad on my skin: bitter florals and a weird powdery smell. Sniffing from the bottle smelled delicious, but on... it happens I guess.

[PennyPretty]

Sweet soft florals with a hint of plumaria, I feel like I am wearing a lei. I don't get any ginger from Pele. It does fade fast, I'm not a huge fan of florals, but if Pele had more plumaria and stuck around longer I would love it. As it is I will enjoy the imp and break it out whenever I need an instant scent trip back to Hawaii.