Tamora

[Abbie]

Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean.

In the bottle: Sweet artificial fr00t. Reminds me of Lampades, without the cranberry. This was a frimp, because I have learned the hard way that I don't like fruity scents, and this so far appears to be no exception.

First on: It gets less sweet and more peachy, with an odd undertone of... coffee? WTF? Actually, when on, this is pretty good. It's not at all what I would normally choose, but it's intriguing nonetheless.

When dry: it's just too sugary for me. Shame, that drydown was quite nice. But Tamora is swap-pile bound

[aedes]

Ah! Here! A vanilla I can wear!

 

I think this is just super-rific, especially since more popular vanilla blends like Snake Oil tend to smell a bit plastic-y on me. This smells like a more feminine version of The Lion. Just as golden and rich, but less animal, more sweet. I think I can smell honey in here, pretty strongly.

 

Darn you, lab! Making vanilla harder and harder to resist!

Edited April 2, 2006 by aedes

[niter]

Imp

Soft florals resting upon the subtlest of peach notes and a base of cream.

 

Wet

I really enjoy the soft peach scent. It is not a cloying or overwhelming peach. Wet, the blend is already well mixed and each note favors the next.

 

Dry

This proved to be a gorgeous, subtle blend of florals and peach. I adored it, but found it did not persist as long as I would have hoped for.

[pennydreadful]

In the imp: Fresh, juicy peach with a hint of amber and vanilla.

 

Wet: Luckily, the same as in the imp. Although I don't think the peach is supposed to be the primary note in this, it comes to the front on my skin. I'm not complaining!

 

Drydown: Hours later, I still smell the warm peachy/vanilla/amber. My husband, however, told me I smell like Play-doh?

 

Verdict: Tamora is definitely the spring counterpart to Jack, and I like the way the peach in both of them works on my skin. I was planning to get a bottle but since the Play-doh comment from my husband, I'm not so sure.

[joiedecombat]

In the bottle and the early wet stage, it's the peach that's most prominent, with some added sweetness from the vanilla - peach syrup, golden and sticky-sweet. Almost too sweet. It's certainly potent.

 

As it dries down, thankfully, the amber and sandalwood come out, giving the fragrance depth and smoothness and calming the sweetness of the peach. It turns into something that's very warm, sweet, and comfortable. I'd like it better if it weren't so crawl-up-my-nose sweet at the start, but applied carefully, it's very appealing.

[juniperus]

Wet: Vanilla. And sweet, not fruity sweet, but almost syrupy sweet.

Dry: Amber and sandalwood peeking through, but still very sweet.

Later: Primarily sandalwood and vanilla. And sweet. A hint of heliotrope here and there, and a bare hint of the amber. Still a very golden blend, but on the sweet side, and really not for me.

[MistressTera]

Fresh From The Imp: Golden sandalwood. That's definitely right.

 

Wet On My Flesh: A bit of peach under the wood now.

 

Drying Down: It's odd now. There's no peach, but a bit of sweetness from the vanilla and what I'm guessing is the amber is giving it a scent that reminds me of some medicine I've had to take in the past. Or maybe that's the heliotrope.

 

Hour To Integrate: Sweet sandalwood and medicine.

 

End Of Day/Final Report: No thanks. I'll swap this.

[BrightRedScream]

In the bottle - sandalwood, a hint of vanilla and fruity, peachy type scent.

Almost TOO sweet for me.

 

Wet on skin - VERY peach....that's all I smell! Where did all the other smells go? I keep smelling it to see if I can get anything else - but nope..just peach.

Wierd.

 

Dry down - Sandalwood really comes out now, but then slowly gives away to some peach.

 

I really don't like this on me...it starts to smell a bit like B.O. according to my sister and fiance. My skin chemistry just says NO!

 

Into the swap pile!

[RavenVelith]

I smelled this - and couldn't even put it on my skin.

The peach and the vanilla lone in the imp were combining in a way that made my stomach lurch.

Very sweet.

Very candy.

Very sickening.

 

That's all I can write about this one...

It was just too sweet for my nose. X_X

[Celestyna]

Wow. This is the most transient scent I've ever tried of BPAL's.

 

In the imp, it was an overpowering honeydew/peach scent only not supercandy sweet.

But all I smelled was fruit, no florals.

 

As soon as I put it on, same thing.

 

After 10 minutes, wow... the honeydew/peachy smell died down to a more berry-type scent, but very subtle. I can't smell any amber in it, but i do smell really light florals with just a hint of fruit.

Because of the immediate overwhelming of the peach scent out of the bottle, you might be tempted to apply just a little. Don't give into the urge, it's actually really light and sort of wears down quickly.

[CapricornSister]

I love Tamora!!

It took me awhile, but it has grown on me in a big way. I have a 5ml on order, I hope my imp can make it until then!

In the imp it is a sweet peach. Once it hits my skin though, it becomes very warm and creamy. I have no idea why, I'm still not great at picking out notes (maybe it's the vanilla?). It lasts quite a long time and has good throw, I keep getting wafts of peach ice cream around me . It is the perfect spring/summer scent, especially during the day. Also, sandalwood has a tendency to smell like pencil shavings on me but it's mostly quiet in this blend.

[brownbear]

Well there is vanilla in this. And yes, the vanilla took over, turned to weird plastic, and then ruined it. When it's not on my skin, it's nice. It's very sweet and melony and juicy.

[eviltemptressdq]

hmmm...

 

Ok, for me... Tamora smells incense-y. Is that the amber? not positive... i do like it, but it isn't really "me". I smell the peach & vanilla, but that incense smell is really over powering those 2...

 

Ah well, off to the swap pile!

[Melantha]

The notes alone were enough to make me happy, and the scent was not a letdown.

 

Sweet, beautiful, and lasting. This is a definite big bottle purchase.

[Teggy]

Instant love!

 

I'm a huge peach fan, and my sister swapped this to me. While wet the peach was very prominent, but as it dries, the scent is fading to a sweet, but subtle aroma. It reminds me a lot of the hippie stores I'd find in Ithaca, NY. I wish the peach was a bit more prominent, but I still find this scent very warm and inviting.

[edenssixthday]

Tamora is a classic blend with a twist. While it has a lovely sandalwood scent that I actually enjoy (surprising since I'm rarely a fan of sandalwood) and which makes her reminiscent of any number of sandalwood oils sold by any number of stores, BPAL's Tamora has splash of peach blossom added and a swirling undercurrant of vanilla, making this prettier than any other sandalwood scent I've smelled. Tamora is confident, yet unobtrusive. She's like the fragrance equivalent of sliding on a pair of expensive silk stockings -- she helps you look and feel sexier and more refined, yet she's not the first thing you notice when you look at (or in this case, smell) the woman wearing her. On that note, I don't recall if this is a gender neutral scent or not, but I think it could be worn very well by a man as well as a woman. Unfortunately, if I wear Tamora on my wrists along with a watch or a bracelet, those accessories seem to interfere with her scent and it disappears within five minutes of application. If I wear Tamora on my wrists sans jewelry, she lasts a good two hours or more. I like Tamora. I particularly like aged Tamora, as that's when the sandalwood really comes out. New Tamora isn't as sandalwoody, and the peach scent is much stronger than it is in aged Tamora. I bought a full bottle of Tamora in April and have set it aside to wear after it's aged enough that I can smell the sandalwood from the get-go.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

i got this from a forumite as a gift along with some other imps i'd bought... this one is in a spray bottle, but there's no alcohol in it that i can smell, so i don't know if it is diluted with a carrier or is just the oil in a spray form...

not trying to say anything bad about her (she's wonderful!) just that this was a gift, and as such... don't know if i'm sniffing a dilute or not.

 

sniffed from the bottle: sandalwood

 

skinsniff, wet: sweet sandalwood

 

skinsniff, dry: we had an orchard when i was in high school, and had peach trees among others (Georgia Peaches!)... so i know the smell of peach blossoms well, and they're in this! i don't get the powder amber usually dumps on me, but i do still get some sweet sandalwood (i guess the vanilla is what makes it seem sweet cuz i don't smell any vanilla)

 

i would never have ordered this, and if it were a regular imp, i'd probably swap it. but as i'm a junkie for things i can spray, i'll use this. and i *do* like it.... its an early spring in Georgia sort of scent...so i think i'll really enjoy it in the cold, cruel months to come. who knows? i may wind up needing a full bottle.

[euterpe414]

This is definitely what I would imagine the ultimate innocent feminine scent to be. Light, sweet with a touch of fruit and vanilla. Very much a feminine version of The Lion, as others have said. I like this, but I am not really the overly sweet and frilly type, so I'm not sure that this scent suits me, although there is absolutely nothing wrong with it on my skin. Ahh!

 

I guess you could say that I really like this, I just don't know if it will turn into a bottle for me. I'm definitely going to keep the imp just in case I am feeling sweet and gentle one day .

[Eunice]

Boozy peach candy. Usually I don't like fruit scents but this is an exception. It isn't too peachy to make me gag. Tamora is lightly sweet and lightly peachy. Very intriguing but in a good way!

[neuilly]

This is lovely! It reminds me a fair bit of Aglaea (mostly because of the strong peach). However, the combination of other notes ensure that this scent doesn't become too sweet. It's fruity and feminine, but not extremely light. Really nice, I may have to get a bottle of this when it's closer to spring.

[treska]

I love this. It works so well with my skin chemistry. It's a lovely, warm, sweet amber, but there's also the peach (not too much, just enough to make this smell juicy) and I think I can pick up the vanilla and maybe some other notes my non-refined nose can't quite parse. Lovely, lovely, lovely. Everything blends so well. I've already ordered a 5ml.

 

This is also the only one out of dozens of BPAL scents I've tried that caused The Boy to spontaneously remark "mmm, you smell good". That denotes a winner in my book.

[porcelain72]

In the bottle: light floral peach.

 

Initial application: the vanilla softens and sweetens it a bit.

 

Drydown: oh, this is lovely. A sweet, but not cloying creamy peach, this a delicately feminine scent. Odd, because when I think Tamora I think Jessica Lange's performance of the role in Titus, and I'd have expected something much darker. This is light and gentle, my favorite of the Illyria line so far, and another addition to the "buy as a 5ml" list.

 

Smiley rating:

Edited September 10, 2006 by porcelain72

[Clementine]

This is like putting fresh peach juice all over my arms--ripe, fresh, sweet, delicious. I like this so much more than Katharina. It doesn't have that sharpness or bite. It's just peachy! I don't know if I will buy a bottle, but I will definitely use my imp.

[klavierbarrette]

imp: PURPLE!!!!

 

skin: purple, vanilla. i guess this scent is mega heliotrope for me. the sandalwood is barely there, but it's mostly heliotrope and vanilla. very pretty.

 

ETA: after seeing the reviews, it's sad i didn't get any peach. i love peach.

 

now i am getting peach. wtf bpal! it's pretty though.

Edited October 8, 2006 by klavierbarrette

[Naamah_Darling]

This Shakespearian scent is sweet in the bottle, amber with sweet, fruity florals right on top.

 

This goes on very amber with a fresh vanilla aura, and flowery sweetness hovering around the edges. It's quite nice at first, a very fresh fruity/flowery/incensey scent that I have high hopes for, but the flowers are doing something not-so-nice with the sandalwood and they smell alternately dirty and like sweet dill pickles. The pickle smell comes in little whiffs. It's a sad day for my skin chemistry. I don't have time to wash this off before I go out, so I must now smell like the pickle bar at my favorite burger joint.

 

Thankfully that fades quickly and it becomes a nice sandalwood blend. Sandalwood is rather pedestrian on me, sadly, so this isn't going to be a keeper, but it's a very pleasant scent. The amber warms it up, and the flowers sweeten it, while the vanilla brings it a kind of velvety warmth that, with the sandalwood, is reminiscent of root beer and tobacco shops. Sandalwood often does that to me . . . that cola/tobaccanist's smell. If not for the florals, this would be masculine, but the sweet, purply golden edge to it really makes it a ripe, female scent. The smell of a smart chick who reads for fun, but has a lot of freaky sex toys.