The Fruit of Paradise

[sarada]

While Persephone visited the realm of Hades, she tasted one single pomegranate seed, an act which compelled her to remain connected to the Land of the Dead for all eternity. Demeter's grief over her beloved daughter's absence that brings on the bleakness and barrenness of the winter months.

The Fruit of Paradise, the Nectar of Death: bittersweet pomegranate.

The story of Persephone was what first made me love pomegranates when I heard it as a child, and as the cold months begin and they start appearing on store shelves (in ever increasing quantities!) I cannot resist them. The rich, blood red, dripping fragrant juice is a delight, and I love perfumes in which it is a prominent note. This is a deeper, stronger pomegranate than something like Swank or Persephone, but it remains true to that sweet red almost berry-like scent.

It's given some depth and strength by...well, I'm not sure but it makes me think of amber. I was wondering if maybe this would have a strong earth or dirt note, but it is mainly pomegranate sweetened and deepened perhaps by amber or some other sweet, golden pale resin. A few notches different from something like Hymn to Proserpine, but it does recall a Yule time red sweet berry-fruit scent.

On the drydown there might be a hint of a rich, darker note, but that clear, bright red fruit is always on top.

[pugmom]

I get pomegranate, bright, tart and juicy. It seems to be grounded by something a little darker. It reminds me of crypt queen without the peppery notes. It is lovely, but my only complaint is it doesn't appear to last too long on me. However I didn't slather it, so ymmv.

 

It doesn't seem to morph on me much if at all during drydown.

 

Overall, I really like this, but I love pomegranate. I just wish it would last longer.

[willowlux]

The Pomegranate in this scent is gorgeous.

It's sweet but not syrupy sweet, tart but not pucker tart. Absolutely perfect in my opinion.

It's absolutely going to become one of my standards. (more bottles need to be ordered)

It doesn't last very long on my skin, but hte throw is nice, and it mixes well with others.

Edited November 5, 2007 by Willowm()()n

[sookster]

straight sniff from bottle is a single note pomegranate....

 

once applied this truly is a boozy, tart pomegranate scent...

 

absolutely beautiful and it lingers fairly well

[alicia_stardust]

THE FRUIT OF PARADISE

 

WET: Juicy pomegranate and a touch of berry spice.

 

DRY: This is a deep and complex pomegranate scent. While this is a predominantly red, juicy, tart, and vibrant pomegranate scent, it is still very different from other pomegranate blends such as Swank or Persephone. I find those to be bright and candy-like, but Fruit of Paradise is a much deeper and darker red. It is more grounded. It is layered with something I cannot pinpoint that lends it a dark and otherwordly feel and evokes images of the Underworld. As the scent starts to fade, I detect an almost-sharp sort of floral that is mingling with the pomegranate and other notes. Narcissus?

 

I have always been deeply intrigued by the Eleusinian Mysteries and the symbolic aspects hidden in the myth of Persephone. I am so in love with this blend!! Strong throw, average wear-length.

[RaTheCat]

Wet: Oodles of ripe, red fruit. I believe I’ve died and gone to heaven.

 

Dry: Yep, this must be heaven. To my nose it is single-note, ripe, juicy, red fruit, but with a scent this lovely, nothing else is needed. It is perfect.

[hkhm]

bottle: oh my. red, dripping fruit. this smells so grand!

 

wet: this is the scent i have been searching for! sweet and mysterious, just a hint of something spicy and a touch of something tart.

 

dry: this fades over the hours but remains sweet and beautiful. another bottle will be necessary.

[Wench457]

Oh, so beautiful! It is, as expected, ripe red pomegranates, dripping juice. Tart, but with an underlying sweetness to lend balance. As it dries, I start to get a hint of clove, and then I get a LOT of clove. I am a spice amper, so ymmv, of course, but on me, this winds up smelling like mulled pomegranate juice with the cloves left in just a bit too long. Even so, it's heartbreakingly beautiful, and I love it. Lasts about four hours on me, but it's so pretty I don't mind reapplying.

[n3m3sis42]

In the bottle:

Juicy red berries!

 

Wet:

Juicy red berries!

 

Dry:

This fades quite a bit on the drydown, but it's so lovely that I'm going to try a healthy slather approach and hope it will stay with me a bit longer. Beyond that, it's beautiful.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

another one i don't remember ordering, but my receipt says i did!

 

sniffed from the bottle: black cherry kool-aid powder

 

on skin: cherry kool-aid with lots of sugar.

i get nothing even remotely pomegranate-like.. but lots of generic "berry" and artificial cherry flavour.

(not the evil almondy-cherry, but like lollipop cherry)

...i will say it gets more interesting as time goes on.

 

 

this is nice and all, but not for me.

[lady_pandora]

There was never any question about whether I would order this. Persephone is one of the deities I feel closest to, and I've been fascinated by her myth since I was a little girl. Add to that the fact that I love the scent (and taste) of pomegranates, and Fruit of Paradise was kind of a no-brainer.

 

The very first thought that popped into my mind, upon opening the bottle and dabbing some of this awesomeness on my wrist, was "Very Festive Pomegranate!" I remember we had a thread going last holiday season about what BPALs were similar to Very Festive Pomegranate, a Bath and Body Works holiday LE. The first whiff was reminiscent enough that I ran to get the bottle of VFP body cream I've been hoarding all year, so I could compare. The result: VFP has more throw, but Beth's note is truer, darker, and more complex. But they're quite close, at least on me, so if you loved VFP last year (and I know there were other fans of it on this board), you absolutely cannot go wrong with Fruit of Paradise.

 

Fruit of Paradise is...well, it's just lovely. This is definitely a wintry pomegranate scent, not light and juicy like the Excolo Persephone. There is some spice here. I can't put my finger on exactly what spices, but they add a sort of Christmassy tingliness to the blend. The oil does not morph much, and when it does, it's subtle. It feels like it's cycling, almost imperceptibly, between tart/bitter and sweet, as though Persephone's thoughts are wandering from her mother to her husband, and I'll leave it to you, and your personal interpretation of the myth, to decide which thought makes her happy and which makes her sad. There's a serenity to both the sweet and bitter phases, and an almost "mulled" quality which I think comes from the mystery spices.

 

The only trouble with FoP is that it really doesn't have a lot of throw on me. Which means...well, I can see another bottle in my future, because this will need to be slathered pretty heavily.

[dluszcz]

When I took a first sniff of this in the bottle, it was garnet red pomegranate, sweet, but with a sharp tang. Actually, I wanted to run over to my favorite martini bar and yell "Barkeep! Make me somethng that tastes exactly how this smells!" But when I put it on my wrists and it started to warm up, it strongly shifted to spiciness, like a mulling blend, on top of a very gentle floral. Unfortunately, most of the juciness and tang vanished on me. After about 6 hours, I still get a very soft, sweetness with a hint of winter spices. I'm enjoying this one, but wish it didn't lose so much of its vibrance.

Edited November 10, 2007 by kittysdesire

[euterpe414]

This is soooo gorgeous! It is a deep, velvety, sweet pomegranite with a touch of resin (I am pretty sure it's amber since it's smells similar to Hymn to Proserpine, but I could be wrong...) underneath. I do agree with others in that it does not have a lot of throw, so of course I'm going to have to buy another bottle at least This does have a very 'holiday' feel to it, but one could definitely wear it at other times and not feel out of place. There is really not much else to say about this except that it is truly beautiful, and if you like pomegranite at all you MUST order this one!

 

[Eemia]

Vivid, and extremely deep pomegranate. It isn't sweet or thick, and it certainly isn't heavy. I was worried that this might remind me of a fruit concentrate drink, with that tinge of something that reminds you that it has been sealed in a plastic container for a long, long time. But this is like a glaze of fresh, dark fruit. It is not sharp or tart on my skin, only very rounded so that it feels settled somehow. I like the bitter note that keeps it from being too frivolous.

 

No morphing on this one, and it doesn't go musky or powdery as it dries. The throw is very faint, and it wears only a short time. But it's very pretty and sophisticated. A definite keeper.

[savage_rose]

I wasn't sure about this one...Pomegranate's never been one of my favorites. But this is gorgeous...a bright red berry scent as lovely as any I've every smelled. Juicy and amazing, it earns its name.

[Nidaba]

I love pomegranate so I was really excited about this scent.

 

This is very thick and deeply fruity, not a light and sparkly fruit like some. It was sweeter than I expected, normally pomegranate comes across with a strong bitter touch, but this one is just wonderfully balanced.

 

Yum. Not a lot of throw, but a keeper for me!

[themerrybaker]

I had reservations about ordering Fruit of Paradise because I thought it would be boring to smell like a fruit (acting like one is another discussion...).

I am really glad to have the bottle, because along with the tartness, there is plenty of spicy sweetness that has resulted in a real perfume as opposed to a room scent. FOP is a love-at-first-sniff for me even though I'm not really into fruity or foody scents.

[girlygirl]

A dark pomegranate scent. Not a single note - there is something dark in there with the pom. Juicy, mysterious, and yummy! It doesn't last long on my skin. I will test it in my scent locket next time.

 

This is gorgeous combined with Midwinter's Eve 07!!

[dawndie]

In bottle: sweet red juice

 

On skin: yummy pomegranate juice with a teeny bit of allspice

 

Half-hour later: not much morph, still slightly spicy red juice

 

In conclusion: I love the dark red fruit notes so this was a must-order. This is like Bordello without the the boozy bite. I have a nice pink cloud of fragrance around me, well worth a bottle

[steffanina]

The Fruit of Paradise-

 

In Bottle: I smell pine. That can't be because it's a Yule scent and I'm all influenced, can it? But I do smell pine and fruit.

 

Wet: Fruity pine! Juicy, dark fruit--pomegranate, yes. Pomegranate growing on a pine tree!

 

Dry: The pine hint recedes and I'm left with a dark pomegranate scent--it's really nice! I still like Swank best for my pomegranate needs but this is a close second.

 

Overall: Very nice! That pine hint works great for Yule.

[jade_starlight]

Now this one is nice. It's tart and juicy but not overbearing, though it fades a bit more quickly than I'd like. Still, I'd say this one is a winner.

[angelfish323]

This is SO pretty. It's red, ripe, juicy, slightly-but-not-too sweet, a tad tart, red fruits.

 

If you love pomegranate, you need to try this.

 

Gorgeous.

 

And like alicia mentioned, it's different from the pom note in something like Swank, which is very bright. This is deeper, darker red (let's pretend we can smell red for a moment! ), with something grounding it. It's not candy, girly red fruits. But the slightly more mature, grown up version.

 

It's only been a few moments since I put it on, but I love this so far.

 

ETA: Power of suggestion? I started reading up and noticed steffanina noticed a pine note. I sniffed my wrist again and . . . sure enough, could that be pine underneathe all that juicy pom?

 

I'm very susceptible to suggestion, so you may or may not trust me . . .

 

Not overbearing at all as it dries. Fades a bit, but it's so pretty.

 

Did I mention how pretty it is? I definitely need a bottle.

Edited November 20, 2007 by angelfish323

[taramarie]

On me, The Fruit of Paradise is slightly sweet pomegranate. It's not tart like the pomegranate in Persephone but just as enjoyable. I may need another bottle of this.

[alhbooks]

Yep, dark pomegranate here too, with warmth and depth. Very slightly bitter on first sniff, then softens and warms to a rich dark scent, more hot tea than chilled juice. For me, medium throw and average wearlength, but I apply everything pretty lightly. And the label art with the glistening red pomegranate seeds is one of my all-time favorites!

 

This is just strong enough too for clearing my senses after trying a scent that doesn't appeal. Not just a keeper, but worth another bottle.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Juicy, dark pomegranate.

 

Immediately on skin: In other bpal blends, I’ve found pomegranate a little sharp. Here, however, it’s nice and deep, dark, and juicy. It smells a bit like an equal part of pine and juicy red fruit, which smells just like pomegranate juice. It’s very crisp and not overly sweet.

 

After a few minutes: This scent seems surprisingly wearable. The pomegranate has settled down even more, and has become this fruity, red, and slightly perfume-y blend (in a good way!). It’s very strong and is also a very cheerful scent… it’s sort of crisp and is definitely a Yule fragrance.

 

Overall Impressions: I can see this fragrance fitting well into my bpal collection… it’s a great fruit scent when something like Sugar Skull is too sweet for the occasion. It’s perfume-y enough to be very wearable, and settles nicely into my skin. It seems to give very good throw and the sweetness and crispness of this blend is very well balanced.