Pele

[jj_j]

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.

This up-and-coming scent is still listed as a work in progress, so the Imp I received with my order may or may not be what it turns out to be when it's released.

Absolutely stunning, Pele is the embodiment of Hawaiian florals. White blooms carried by the armful up a volcano slope, they're gently dusted with pale yellow pollen that leaves them with a pale golden sheen.

I'm guessing Hawaiian white ginger (pikake), a touch of hibiscus, and wisps of plumeria. Soft, creamy, and all woman. Lush and sensual, she's certainly not the kind of woman you'd scorn.

Can't wait to see what this turns out to be; even though I'm not a fan of white florals, this tropical gem is definitely on my to-order list!

[added official description ~qs]

[Gothabillywench]

I have a new favourite!!!!!!!

 

Pele is divine. So light & beautiful. It smells like you just got out the shower & stepped into a powdery boudoir clad in vintage silk lingerie.

 

Have no idea what's in it but it's stunning.

[Scylla]

I love it! It is a lush, creamy tropical floral with "beachy" notes. A perfect summer fragrance. This will be going with me on vacation (to Mexico) in two weeks. I can't wait for this to become available for sale. Please don't change a thing!

Edited May 24, 2004 by Scylla

[Cegirls]

this is so beautiful! i usually do not err towards the side of florals, but this is so smooth - enveloping you in natural and tropical lushness... a definate big bottle for me!

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

A very tropical floral. A breezy plumeria note really stands out.

 

After Wearing It:

From start to finish, Pele stays soft, warm and subtle on me. It smells like heat, though not in a sensual body heat sort of way. More like clean air on a hot day would. There are mild flower notes, mainly something like plumeria, mixed in with something I can't quite identify but reminds me of sunscreen. Not the ultra fragrant coconut scented tanning oil, but a gentle sunblock that mothers carefully apply to their little ones before letting them play in the tide. All and all it's sweet and serene, warm and lulling. Like a pleasant nap in the sun during a well desevered holiday.

 

Final Thoughts:

Nice scent, and it certainly does brings up images of Hawaii, but it's ultimately not for me. I prefer heavier, more complicated scents. Might make a nice linen spray though.

[friendthegirl]

This wasn't tropical to me at all, but more a nice, light floral scent. It smells like lush blooms and a wafting breeze. Very light.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Picks jaw up off the floor. Can't stop smelling. Addiction. Skyrockets to top of favorites list.

 

Second Impression: Pele, glorious Pele...I'm in love, love, love . I thought I would use one of my certificates for a 5ml bottle of this. No way man. 5 ml will simply not do. I want to swim in a cool, deep pool full of this scent.

 

Final Analysis: What can I say, you have to smell it to believe it. I don't think I've ever experienced such a feeling of joy from a tiny bottle of oil. Creamy, voluptuous, playful, sexy, clean, feminine mystique...I can't pick out notes, but this is perfection in a bottle. Beth you have outdone yourself and I am eternally grateful and great smelling!

[Shollin]

First sniff: Birdsong and bright, sunny flowers by the beach.

 

Wearing: Bright, sunny and cheery – exactly what I needed today. Pele smells like flowers without being typically floral, somehow – tropical flowers, huge pink hibiscus with bells wide open for the hummingbirds. Hibiscus-pink is just about the right colour, too – nothing pale about this lady. The ginger is tingling along the edges of the scent, not nearly as biting as Siren’s but still making its presence known. About ten hours later it’s still hanging on – faded but still sunny and cheery. Yay.

[Effluvia]

in the vial: Mmmm, a real beach scent!! I smell a lovely, swirly gingery floral in the background, too.

 

wet, on my skin: Ooh! This is no ORDINARY beach scent (and, really, how could it be?), this is Akira Kurosawa's BEACH SCENT. This is a brilliant, surrealist beach scent with breathtaking cinematography.

 

I totally feel the goddess vibe!

 

dry, on my skin: Very subtle golden beachy, ginger-y, floral-ness. Sigh.

 

I've already ordered a big bottle of this.

[TygherRayn]

In the bottle: Exotic flowers .. this one's exotic not in the way that Old Morroco is, but in a softer, less 'in-your-face' way. I expected something a little more fiery from Pele .. but after reading up on her more, I find this really works.

 

Wet: This scent to me is the beauty of the hawaiian islands .. not so much the capability of destruction the volcanoes lying dormant beneath them have, however. It's very beautiful .. and on those merits alone I think i'll love this scent. But it's not the fiery Goddess I was expecting.

 

This warms after a while, which is nice, as it tempers the strong floral that Pele starts out as. It remains whimsical, as Pele is known to be, but there's a slightly darker tone to her now. Anger, but it's masked in sweetness. It's a teenaged daughter masking her rage at her parents through a facade of sweetness.

[Vaniclion]

This scent has a decidedly feminine aspect, but I'm wearing it today and love it. Of course, I also have a decidedly feminine aspect... but there we go.

 

This is sunshine and fresh, warm summer rain with huge tropical flowers. Eden. You know... tropical paradise without all the bugs wildlife that bother you and shit. I love it. It's.... nurturing is the closest term I can get for it, and just very softly pink. Almost white.

 

I want my sheets to smell like this. It's a floral version of how I remember sun-dried sheets smelling. Very soft and mushy and comforting. The best aspects of warmth, light, soft florals without the pounding too hard on any of them. YAY Pele!

[pekeana]

Pele --

 

In the imp: I opened it and started crying, because it smelled just like walking out the front door of the house I used to live in when my family lived in Hawaii.

 

On me: The white ginger fades to the back, to be replaced with a combination of plumeria and baby powder.

 

Dry-down: The baby powdery smell has faded out to a sweet floral like honey over white ginger, plumeria, and bird-of-paradise.

 

The verdict: *adores* I'm in love. This is the floral to replace that $45 bottle of white ginger essential oil my mom wasted.

[twistygirl]

Once again, Beth has outdone herself. Although my tastes run more toward heavy, spicy, gourmand scents, this light, fresh floral is just stunning. This is the *perfect* summer fragrance. It is incredibly smooth and creamy and light. I can't stop smelling my wrist. This may be the first white floral fragrance I've ever liked, and I don't just like it, I LOVE it. It's really a perfect blend, none of the notes are too overpowering, and although I've never been to Hawaii, this is so evocative of what I imagine when I think of Hawaii. Yet another oil I will be purchasing in a large size.

[velvet]

divine! in fact im now craving it.... hang on....

 

its very aquatic and light. there is a sweetness but it is so beautifully done.

i usually dont like florals but this is a master piece

plus i've a weakness for ginger

 

this is permanetly on my list of must have scent for summer

 

i'll add more later

Edited July 14, 2004 by velvet

[Donnababe]

First Sniff

 

Very little aroma, it's very creamy.

 

Drydown

 

After applying this I panicked. I could hardly smell anything at all and I put lots on. From time to time I get clouds of a lovely sweet, clean smell. It's very light but it's there.

 

I cannot stop sniffing myself!

 

Hmmm.. I applied along my wrists and arms and placed a dash on my upper wrist (where you'd wear a watch.) I get the sweeter smell along my wrist and arms and a gingery note from my upper wrist!

 

After a While

 

Fading fast but still wonderful.

 

Final Verdict

 

I didn't know what to expect here as I was unaware of any of the notes but was eager to try it due to the reviews. As luck would have it Beth kindly included this as a freebie.

 

Please forgive me for rambling but this is now my favourite BPAL! It's strange because it fades very quickly on me but I simply must have more and it's going to be 10ml!

 

Gothabillywench has it exactly right, it's vintage lingerie. Or perhaps a really good quality expensive soap. I can smell rich, luxurious, silken lather.

 

I love, love, LOVE it. Thank you Beth!

[lucytalk]

Sweet, tropical, floral. I can't distinguish the ginger, but there is definitely something there which sets this aside from other florals and gives it a tropical feel. I usually only apply a very small amount of oil (especially if I'm trying it for the first time) and have to sniff my wrist to really smell it, but with Pele I was conscious of this delicious scent all the time, it lasted probably the longest of the oils I've tried. It didn't really change on my skin from the scent in the bottle. I think I have a new favourite

[Mitzy]

*shakes fist at sky*

 

WHY ME?!?!

 

I was so sure I would utterly love this... the wet oil is certainly tropical and fresh and lovely... but as soon as it hits my skin it smells terribly like Kuang Shi. anyone who read that review knows that Kuang Shi smells like my evil dead grandmother. well, so does Pele. I wanted to love this so much, and I keep sniffing the imp in rapture, but my skin hates this scent. I cant pick out any notes, just warm florals with a slightly powdery tone. I'm really sad I cant wear this scent.

[Northernminx]

Hellooooo? Pele where are you?

 

::peers at wrist and bottle:: I'm perplexed. I can barely smell this. I'm wondering if I have a dud or if my nose is drastically off today, but even in the bottle it's barely there.

 

But what is there...

creamy tropical honeyed floral...GORGEOUS. It smells very beach-like to me, like the scent you get after being lathered in sun lotion all day and walking along a bahama's beach (I say this because this is exactly what it smelled like, if much lighter.)

 

The good thing is - it _is_ like on me, which I adore as I wanted something not too perfumey to just add a little scent to my life on the hottest of days.

 

Definite keeper (and maybe it'll smell more later)

[reina]

straight on, during the first few minutes, this has a note that reminds me of Escada's "Margaretha Ley". A bold floral.

However, that softens into a magical, sensual exotic and very delicate ginger lily that sticks close to my skin.

 

Unfortunately my skin soaks Pele up, and within 2 hours, there's nothing left to smell. So I just applied Tisiphone where Pele used to be, and that's for another review.

[Ms. MSGirl]

Going on, this smelled pretty much just like a pikaki single note to me, and was pretty heavy about it, which I like. As it began to dry it softened just a bit into a sweeter, creamier floral scent and the sharpness of the ginger faded a bit. It was lovely but after about 1 minute I had to stick my nose right into the crook of my elbow to smell it at all. I thought, oh well, but THEN! I went to the gym, and the heat and my sweating really brought it out on me, and a lady at the gym came up to me and said "I really love your fragrance, I just had to ask what it is!" So, although this is very faint, it is very very pretty and if it's really hot out it will really attract!

[malanna]

In the imp, I smell a florally lotion sort of smell. On, it's lush, creamy blooms. To describe the creamy, it makes me think of big blooms plucked from a Hawaiian forest, soaked in cream, then, the cream with the blooms smell is used to scent a lotion. I didn't like it so much, because of that creamy lotion aspect. As it dries, it gets creamier and four hours later, it smells a bit creamy soap-y, with the blooms very faint.

[binkyboots]

mmm...ok

 

in the imp, it's gorgeous, flowery, ginger cream and wonderfull

 

on me, huh? where did it go? I really can't smell a thing, nothing, and usually my body grabs hold of ginger scents and sends them screaming.

 

I love it in the imp, but my chemistry obviously doesn't work with this one...

[Nepthys]

Very nice scent but not for me. For some reason a strong note of jasmine came through on me which is the one scent I can't handle. Even so, I still liked the overall blend. It is very tropical yet in an elegant, feminine way, not a blaring sex-and-sand way. This reminds me of a 1950's perfume your mother might have brought back from Hawaii. I will probably use the rest of my imp as a room scent.

[Electra]

Light, clean floral. So light and clean, in fact, that I can barely smell anything at all. I'll give it another try in a few days in case I have olfactory burnout from sniffing my new imps. It's pretty enough, from what I can tell, but not a keeper if it remains this elusive.

 

Edit: Upon second wearing, it really is lovely - a shame that I can still barely smell it. A bit soapy, a bit creamy - I agree with the reviewers above who said that it smells like expensive soap or lingerie. Very subtle and feminine. I like it too much to swap the imp, but it's too faint to justify a 5 mL purchase. Unless I can figure out a way to scent my lingerie with it, that is.

Edited August 22, 2004 by Electra

[UltraViolet]

The scent of Pele surprised me until I read that this is to represent her more gentle side. That's what this is gentle white flowers and cool breezes.

It didn't last very long on my skin but it was pretty while it lasted.

 

I probably wouldn't buy this but I will use up the imp.