The Temptation

[Heavenlyrabbit]

The Demon, in my chamber high,
This morning came to visit me,
And, thinking he would find some fault,
He whispered: "I would know of thee

Among the many lovely things
That make the magic of her face,
Among the beauties, black and rose,
That make her body's charm and grace,

Which is most fair?" Thou didst reply
To the Abhorred, O soul of mine:
"No single beauty is the best
When she is all one flower divine.

When all things charm me I ignore
Which one alone brings most delight;
She shines before me like the dawn,
And she consoles me like the night.

The harmony is far too great,
That governs all her body fair,
For impotence to analyse
And say which note is sweetest there.

O mystic metamorphosis!
My senses into one sense flow --
Her voice makes perfume when she speaks,
Her breath is music faint and low!"

An expression of love, adoration, and desire, of beauty that transcends mortal desire and piques the interest of hell itself: attar of rose, calla lily, palmarosa, peach blossom, wisteria, rice flower, and black musk.

This is a full bodied, classic perfume. Somewhat womanly and good for any occassion.

Reminds me of some of the better boutique blends I tried before finding BPAL. Sometimes you just want a beautiful floral that wears well.

The peach blossom works well with the particular musk used here and the florals have a deep, slightly sweet feel to them. Calla lily is a iffy note for me but it really works here.

This is very long lasting and a definite keeper. Edited November 27, 2006 by Shollin

[mmcfa2]

This is one in the same vein as Tamora and Katharina. I just love it and find it to be the most subtle and sophisticated among the three. It does a very strange disappearing act about 15 minutes into wearing, but then comes back lovely shortly thereafter. It is soft, definitely feminine and utterly lovely. No jarring or discordant notes to be found, they all swell up beneath the peach and support it to become more than it is, but still clearly peach blossom. My husband swears it smells vaguely of incense, but I don't smell that, I just get lovely, warm, fruity floral that is creamy without being too sweet. Another great one!! Bravo Beth, This is the first in a while where my whole order delighted me despite having ordered unsniffed

[filigree_shadow]

I agree with the previous reviewer that this is similar to Tamora and Katharina, although it's not as bold as Katharina on my skin. It has the subtleness of Tamora, but it's more complex.

 

To my nose, the peach blossom is the prominent note, and it also smells a bit creamy. Not like cream, but soft and full like that. I can't really pick out any of the other floral notes -- I'm concentrating pretty hard but I can't smell any rose, lily, or wisteria.

 

Very pretty blend. Will be great to wear in the spring.

[edenssixthday]

The Temptation - When I first apply this, it's incredibly light and it's predominantly peach and rice flower and little else. It smells like a scent that would wear nicely during the late-summer peach season. However, as it warms up on my skin, the sillage begins to increase, and it takes on a sweeter and fuller quality. The rose and lily begin to appear and lend the blend a smooth and round quality, while the black musk gives it a depth it didn't have initially. It still seems like a "light" scent, yet a tiny bit on my arm definitely scents the air all around me. The scent lasts surprisingly long considering how light it initially seems. I'm very impressed by this one and while I initially didn't think I'd be drawn to it again, I'm now convinced I'll be wearing it a lot next summer time. It's a perfect summer time scent. Just lovely.

[Blood onmy hands]

The Temptation smells heavenly in the bottle, like soft peach and a creamy, almost milky floral note.

 

On my skin... this is much like it smells in the vial. Juicy, soft peach and creamy florals. The florals here actually remind me of the cool, creamy florals that are in Snow White.

 

Of course, the drydown completely ruins this for me . Sharper, perfumey florals and some perfumey, smoky musk notes run to the front and completely smother the pretty notes. The juicy, beautiful peach blossom tries to hold out, but is continually beaten back by sharp musk.

 

This morphs from a juicy, milky-sweet blend into a sharp, classic floral that I hate. *sigh* So sad.

[LiberAmoris]

The Temptation is a very pretty, wistful floral. For some reason my skin is eating the notes with the exception of the peach blossom and musk, so this is mostly peach on me with just the tiniest hint of the other flowers. It's very gentle, the kind of BPAL that murmurs on my skin rather than shouts.

[slave1]

THE TEMPTATION

 

In Bottle: Peach floral

 

On Skin: Yay for peach! I love it! But sadly, after the first 20 seconds of wearing it, the peach fades quickly. The rose comes out strong and slightly sour. This is a very tart floral scent, with the rice flower and peach blossom sweetening very lightly. The rice flower is milky and the cala lily quite perfumey. The musk gives a very subtle depth which nicely contrasts the bright florals. I’d have to say this is a very feminine scent, quite pretty and playful. It’s not overly elegant, meaning I could see wearing this for any occasion. It has a light to medium throw and average wearlength.

[Thaleia]

Black musk and calla lily first, then everything else comes afterward. I can see how this can be a sex kitten scent for those moments where you want to feel sexy, beautiful, and naughty all at the same time. Once the other notes come out, I definitely smell peach blossom and wisteria topping the musk and lilies, which I love. It’s almost reminiscent of Kindly Moon, what with the peach blossom and wisteria, but headier and more sexy while KM is sweeter, innocent, and nostalgic. This dries down to a pretty, soft peachy floral. Peach is the note that stays on me the longest. It’s less musky and sweet than Katharina, and less floral on the final drydown than Kindly Moon. I love it!

[maijasu]

This is a gorgeous, slightly sweet floral. I smell the peach blossom most prominently, then the lily. Thankfully, the rose never amps up or becomes soapy. The musk anchors it beautifully, but the scent is not noticeably musky. It is just smooth, subtle, feminine, and perfect for almost any occasion.

 

I think a bottle purchase may be in order here!

[jasmine]

The first impression is one of fruit -- cherry with some florals on it, but not sour almond-cherry -- a low, plummy cherry instead.

 

After a while, it metamorphoses to smell more like florals, but the fruity undercurrent remains, to my surprise.

 

This was very impressive initially, but it faded rapidly into my skin within an hour. I can detect it, but only faintly, and I can tell that it’s vanishing. Ah, well.

 

Still a faint wisp of fruitiness left behind. Oddly, that wisp of fruit is fairly determined to stick around. Pretty... but very, very subtle. I liked the non-subtle stage better.

[storme]

In the imp: Mm, soft gentle creamy peaches with a hint of musk.

 

On me, wet: lots of wet, light, airy peach blossom over a trace of musk and some other soft, breezy florals that I can't quite identify. Very pretty and feminine.

 

On me, dry: A very faint, soft, peach blossom and musk scent. This is very pretty - perhaps a little too feminine, but not as cloying and sweet as some peaches are on my skin.

 

Verdict: I'll keep the imp and retest it, certainly, but I think it might just be too light to be much use to me.

[emzebel]

A fruity floral, very blossomy - the peach blossom is by far the strongest note in this for me. I get very little musk, and almost no rose or lily...alas, fruit blossom perfumes, while pretty, just don't really sing on my skin.

[yeahbutnobut]

The Temptation

 

In the imp: sweet peachy flowers! For some reason, this reminds me of Queen Mab, but with a hint of Fae.

Wet on skin: sweet peach with rose, and a hint of wisteria.

Dry: now I smell fresh, dewy, sharper flowers moving through the rose and peach. A hint of green, herbal, grassy palmarosa (this note seems to give an impression of dry grass and herbs on my skin) with white wet calla and a twist of wisteria. This smells like a rich, heady mix of spring blossoms upon grasses. I don’t know what rice flower smells like and I don’t smell black musk yet. I love the peach blossom and rose combination though.

After a while: the peach blossom has serious throw! All around I get a wonderful, wonderful sweet dewy peach scent, but closer to the wrist I get a greenish-pale scent which strikes me as quite Asian in feel, it might be rice flower. It smells almost like sake/rice wine in here, actually. I also smell dried wisteria blooms. It’s unusual and pretty, but not as nice as the peach-rose scent which wafts all around. And I can’t smell any black musk, which is odd because this note is usually very strong on me.

This scent remains the same all through the duration of the fragrance, with the peach being stronger at times and coming out more over time.

Verdict: this is a very pretty, peach-dominated scent. it has the fruity-scented peach blossom note which I am very fond of, in here it bonds very nicely with rose. This scent smells more peachy the further away from wrist I smell it…close to the wrist, the scent is more unusual, a mix of dry sharp grassy/greenness with a hint of rice wine and wisteria, different but quite pleasant. I was hoping for more of a musky oomph to the scent but the black musk is unusually quiet. I like the way it’s quite unusual compared with other floral scents, but there are other peach/peach blossom scents I prefer so I might pass this one on. I did enjoy it though.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Dunno, maybe. I have other peachy scents I prefer.

If you like this, try: Fae, Queen Mab, Tamora, Silence, Aglaea

[maribouquet]

imp: something pungent, like when you cut the stem of a dandilion; peach

wet: floral peach

 

The peach disappears as this dries, and then returns after about 10 minutes. This makes me think of James and the Giant Peach for some reason -- sticky, sweet peach juice with a smooth wash of light floral and a 'green' scent that I think may be the rice flower -- this smells like a peach just picked from the tree. The longer it's on, the better it gets, and the plant-like notes fade until I'm smelling just a pure, lightly floral peach. Very pretty.

 

I really like this, but it may be a little *too* sweet for me to enjoy as a perfume. I'm definitely hanging onto it, though -- it may grow on me some more, and peach makes me happy.

[Voleuse]

On first application, I get wisteria, rose, and the faintest breath of peach. This is very floral and feminine. Oddly, the blend gets a bit incense-like after a few minutes, a very soft, clean incense. Maybe the musk is the source? In any case, the florals are quiet in the background, letting the peach grow sweeter and more intense. This is beautiful, vivid and dreamy.

[Eemia]

I received a full size of this as a gift from my mom...she picked it out herself hoping that I would like it. It's sweet w/o being cloying or foody sweet. More like the natural sweet of fruit...perhaps because of the peach in it.

 

Wet this smells very strongly of just cut roses, and very very strongly of peach. Fresh and natural and wholesome.

 

After drying down for a bit the rose and peach are tempered by the musk, and the starchiness of the rice flower. Or at least "starchy" is what comes to mind so I assume that it's the rice flower that I am smelling.

 

This feels natural, fresh, youthful, and very innocent to me. This is a sure favorite, probably because that peach is so identifiable as true peach on me. It reminds me of something I'd wear on a sunny day, even though I am wearing it a lot now in the cold weather. Love it!

[theseagrows]

this is very sweet, smells like apples and honey. looking at the description i realize i am probably smelling peach, rather than apples. many a time, calla lily has ruined a scent for me, but i can't really smell it in this. still, this scent isn't very me, but interesting to try. it reminds me a lot of has no hanna, as well, but a little more vanilla-y and less cinnamon-y.

[glass_cat]

This is a beautiful scent... one of those ones that, as someone else before said, is simply very wearable and pretty. It's a perfect scent for warm weather, or to wear anywhere you wouldn't necessarily want your perfume to "shout". My only complaint is that it doesn't last as long as I'd like on my skin, but I suppose that's what slathering is all about. I could always try putting it in my hair or clothes as well.

 

To me this is very much a peach-scented perfume. I don't smell much else in it, although the peach does seem to layer itself over a general light floral smell for me. It's not a bad thing at all, but simply how I perceive it. I like that it's "peachy", because peach, or peach blossom, are notes I have never really given consideration to before, so perhaps I should do so in the future.

 

Would I buy a bottle of this? It's hard to say. It's still mighty cold out, and I just don't wear from this family of scent when that's the way the seasons are, but I would definitely consider it come spring or summer. I'm sure I'll be looking for some lighter, fruitier blends to upgrade then, and this one will certainly be considered if the imp continues to grow on me the way it has.

[euterpe414]

This is a spring scent in the extreme! On my skin I am getting sweet florals with a hint of peach. It's a very juicy scent, the peach in this is extremely fresh smelling and delectable! This one doesn't last too long on my skin, though, as some of the lighter fruity florals tend to do.

 

Overall, if you are a fruity floral lover and like Tamora or Marquise de Merteuil, you will love this scent. It's springy and dreamy and perfect for all occasions.

[Zeljana]

Beautiful peach and riceflower in the vial and wet on skin. As it dries down it turns more floral, roses come out and my skin chemistry destroys it. I need a scent locket.

[isisonearth]

In the imp: A giddy sweetness of apples and apple blossom. I assume it is the peach blossom and I don't know the difference.

 

On: I can pick out wiffs of rose and lily but the apple scent dominates among the fresh flirty florals. This is a great bouyant full blown spring/nearly summer sort of floral.

 

Later: A lovely soft fruity rose.

[ribcaged]

My first Rose scent without the blasted Jasmine I think the lily is the most prominent note though and lilies remind me of my 18th birthday and the glittering spring time when I bought loads and loads of them to dcorate my house.

(thank you for the frimp Beth!!)

 

This is so soft and floral, it reminds me of soft pale blankets. But it is very ladylike, if it wasn't for that dark musk in the blend this would be more bby rather than lady.

 

*Sigh* It's so romantic. I wouldn't have gone for this but most of the Love Potion blends make me react positively despite the ingredients being ones I would not go for.

[LadyCrow]

What, there's only one BPAL called The Temptation? Isn't BPAL, by its very nature... oh, never mind.

 

In the imp: Ooh, sour rose. Please don't go weird on me!

 

Wet: Sweet floral, with a background of something else. So this is what peach blossom smells like -- it's quite lovely. Okay, I'm tempted.

 

Drydown: The musk comes forward and makes a beautiful background to the peach note, but unfortunately I'm not getting any other identifiable florals here -- this is similar to the experience I had with The Perfumed Garden, in which the jasmine note was lovely but persistent enough to stifle all competitors. Average wearlength, minimal sillage.

 

Verdict: I have the kind of skin that eats scents like this alive, and it's doing that with enough of the notes that I get a pretty but unexceptional peachy-musk experience. I've had peach body lotions that threw harder than this on me -- so this is getting swapped to someone who will really appreciate it.

[neuilly]

A peachy floral - lily and peach mostly. In the beginning I did catch a brief incense note which someone else mentioned in their review too. Not really sure what it could be. A little rose in the background too. It's a pretty sense but there are other peach scents I prefer...and other floral ones too. Together the two types of scents are nice but nothing brilliant.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – Peaches

 

Wet on me – Warm green floral

 

Dry on me – Soft peach lying on a bed of herbs

 

Overall – Both the lily and the rose are not good notes on me, but this is quite lovely. It’s probably not something I’ll wear often, but I’ll keep the imp around