Pisces 2008

[zankoku_zen]

Mutable water: the essence of faith.
Hemp, opium poppy, sarsaparilla, grains of paradise, passion flower, wisteria, Irish moss, and gentian.

This on me was something that smelled like a musky rose. Warm, inviting, but somehow the florals combined together smelled like roses on me. I didn't really get the aquatic stage.

[Blood onmy hands]

I've been pleasantly surprised by a lot of the new zodiac-inspired blends, but I've put off trying Pisces. Opium poppy hates me more than any other note, and hemp smells too earthy on me, in a gritty, dirty sort of way.

 

Pisces is incredibly bad on my skin. Something about opium poppy just smells like cheap, sharp, drugstore white floral & white musk perfume on my skin. It's so loud, sharp, and cutting. I get that impression and then herbal earthiness from this blend. In the drydown, it's all floral sharpness and baby powder. I had to scrub this one off after a half hour...

[Mamacat]

I tried this blend for the first time a week ago and I thought it was nice but kind of generic.

 

Today I was in a testing mood so I put it on again. Wow! I'm getting quite a bit more of the sarsaparilla, a little floral and some opium poppy (which is "perfumey" on me). I love it today. It's like a root beer perfume to me.

[butcherbaby]

Still being really new to BPAL when this came out, i was really hesitant to buy a bottle unsniffed. then, when i finally made up my mind, i realized it was too late- DOH! got to get used to these things only being available for a few days!

 

got a 1/2 imp on ebay, to try. sniffed in the bottle, i wasn't too sure....it smells really earthy, kind of green, and peppery...not notes i do well with. wet on the skin, i am even more wary...i have no other way to put this- IT STINKS. whatever is peppery about it is amped to high heaven, and the earth & green just reek like a smelly swamp, or a rotten wet weedy ditch. i love the smell of fresh hemp (i always ask my 'smoker' friends for sniffs of their stashes) but i don't get anything like that pleasant scent. it's just, ugh!

still.....i leave it on to give it a chance.....

then i notice it changing...the spicy notes are settling down, the green is less prominent. still smells weird though. i wonder what the heck they were thinking when they made this. then ALL OF A SUDDEN everything just seems to come together and bloom into this WONDERFUL fragrance- it's sweet, creamy & spicy, warm & golden all at once. it's HEAVENLY, and i am in love! and totally amazed at the transformation. i get that same kind of 'yuk' to 'yum' with 'haunted' too...i wonder if it's my skin, or if the oils just need time to age & blend? either way, i realize that beth is a genius, and has come up with a piscean scent that isn't wet and wishy washy, but bold and grounding....just what this fish needs! i want to marinate myself in this, even though i don't need to- the throw and wear length are both fabulous.

i have a bottle of this on the way from a forumite, and i think i'd like one or two more eventually- especially if my husband (also a pisces) ends up discovering it too. he'll have to put up a good fight to get this out of my hands!

[Lycanthrope]

Wha? Fishes smell like flowers.

 

My mother is a Pisces, but she also does not like perfume, and the scent of roses really, really scares her. But I digress.

 

Fish oil time. The oil on wet bottle sniff is very light, not terrifically potent, sort of an airy, crisp, almost acidic vinegary scent with a hint, and I do mean a hint, of light florals. These are flowers of the tulip, gladioli, wet, frilly bulby flowers that are charged with dew and breathy exudations rather than drippy nectars or auras of glowing pop, like that diva jasmine. The flowers don't stick around much though, they step back into this hard to describe melange of smoot, there's the light floral above the main central part of the aroma, I'm getting a deeper thrumming snap from something... else, that is creeping to the front, and the entire blend has that kind of sweetness I've come to associate with Beth's poppy. There is also that cool, quasi-iciness in the back of my nose that signals the presence of poppy, as in Sleepy Moon, that is here. What a bizarre fish.

 

So, overall, the blend starts off in familiar floral territory, then those notes fizzle up and underneath it all there's one queen floral saying 'HAI I RULEZ and AI BE POPPY,' sitting on a tuft of dry grassy things that give the scent a touch more brightness.

 

Actually, I'm still scratching my head over this one.

 

Fishes confuse me.

[voodoocatwoman]

I just read the notes. I THOUGHT I detected root beer!! God bless sarsaparilla.

 

In the imp and wet: I smelled herbs with a bit of floral in the background... and root beer.

 

Dry: The sarsaparilla tones down with what feels like a pinch of vanilla and a few flower petals.

 

All the Pisceans in my life have been very disagreeable... this bottle may turn the tide.

[mgrazulis]

In the bottle: damp hemp, poppy, sarsaparilla

 

 

 

Wet: Irish moss (swoon!), another flash of sarsaparilla, florals

 

Dry: Wonderfully herbal and musky! Very calming...the florals are blended and watery. The Irish moss envelops the florals like seaweed. There is nothing cloying to this at all. The soft grains, the birchiness in the sarsaparilla and the nuttiness of the hemp lend some earthiness overall to this water sign.

 

My first astrological inspired scent from BPAL...although Pisces is not my sign, I had to try this for the Irish moss alone. I am not disappointed. This is just beautiful and gentle on me. Neither masculine nor feminine...this just smells fantastic!

 

[Lethran]

In bottle: Opium and flowers with moss. Surprisingly rich, though vaguely medicinal. Wet: Weirdly minty. Dry: Ugh. This goes rank and powdery at the same time on my skin. It’s such a shame as it was interesting in the bottle, but my skin chemistry is clearly all wrong.

[rayvn1]

I ended up with a combination of Lycanthrope's description of airiness and Tania's baaaaad poppy experience Not so good I'm afraid. I could be projecting, my ex is a Pisces and I get a little huffy with that sign - that's probably why I'd describe this one as nauseating airhead I think I need to let go of some Pisces issues though...

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Smells green and sharp; is that grains of paradise that wrinkles my nose like pepper?

 

Wet: Wisteria and tannic notes, with a warm resinous pungency underneath (sarsaparilla?).

 

Half an hour: Mossy dark green, with floral and herby overtones. There's something very familiar about it.

 

One hour: Complex but soft, mossy and herbal.

 

Three hours: Quite green, mossy and herbal. There's one sweet, almost spicy note, but it's pretty much buried in all the others.

 

Five hours: Still mossy-green-herbal. Not bad, just not me.

[Aldercy]

It took me a long time to know what to say about Pisces. At first I was convinced that was because it was generic... pleasant but shallow. But now I think it's grown on me and I'm smelling more going on here.

 

I get some quite unexpected notes from this. The main one is a sort of... white, smoky chamomile. Bitter-sleepy and warmly soapy. Odd. There's definitely an earthy, green-brown base under that, probably caused by the hemp and moss and such. It's a little floral, but poppy seems to treat my skin with a kind of quiet respect-- it stays in the background and doesn't do much harm. I like that this blend didn't take the obvious aquatic route for Pisces, but there's still a certain... flexibility? to it. I'm a Pisces and I like it alright.

[totheo]

I had to try this scent, what with being an absolutely mad Pisces myself.

 

Out of the imp, it was very complex and quite strong with a green smell I can't quite place. It could be the Irish moss but this is a familiar scent and I don't think I've looked under too many damp stones from the Isle of Skye recently!

 

On my skin wet, still very strong and difficult for me to place, I couldn't decide whether I liked it or not... the the opium poppy came through, as well as the hemp, but that could be because they're scents I recognise.

 

Dry on my skin, well - that's the best part. A very comforting, dreamy smell (unsurprisingly!) I get the sense of being at the beach, with my sunscreen already rubbed in, on a day with a light breeze bringing in the freshness of the water and not rotting seaweed or dead fish. Lying on my stomach, contented, on a towel on the sand, sun warming but not burning my skin and eyes closed.

 

This also got the thumbs up from our resident sceptic towards esoteric perfumes... she said I'm wearing a 'mainstream one'. Hm... well, it would be one of the few mainstream perfumes I'd actually wear, if it were!

 

And my mum likes it, too. Big plus (I think she has a sophisticated nose).

 

Definitely buying a bottle when funds allow

[yeahbutnobut]

Pisces 08

 

In the bottle: a deep, mysterious moss with opium and spice.

Wet on skin: now the opium really comes out, with a slightly citrusy spice.

Dry on skin: whoa, this is quite something. It’s a haze of narcotic notes dominated by the opium, an otherworldly and dreamy incense. I think I also smell the hemp, which doesn’t smell like weed but certainly reminds me of khus. I think grains of paradise are spicy, and this does have a spicy scent to it. the passion flower and wisteria make this a little bit floral, whilst the moss adds a green, moist and slightly powdery scent. This is a fascinating scent. it reminds me of Kanishta with the jasmine replaced by wisteria. It’s a purple scent (I keep thinking ‘purple haze’ when I smell this, lol).

After a while: I think I seem to be getting on better with wisteria notes. First Aquarius smells lovely on me, and now the wisteria here also smells really nice, not wilted. It’s become stronger, the soft flowery scent rising out of the opium mist. I also smell a bit of the moss too. Oddly, it smells a tiny bit salty or aquatic, reminiscent of the sea now? I don’t know why, but it’s fitting for Pisces. I also smell something musky and fuzzy here, and it’s a little bit sweeter too.

The opium smoke clears away and the scent becomes a lovely floral-mossy scent with a touch of ethereal incense lingering, and a seaweed-like scent. Something about the scent evokes not the smell of fish (thank goodness) but the appearance of fish, slippery scales flashing in the waters of a clear blue sea. This scent makes me think of mermaids.

Verdict: this is a strange, fascinating scent…a little mysterious and evocative of swirling shades of purple and blue and green. I gave this two test runs-the review above describes the scent when fresh, but I tried it again, aged a year and a bit, and it has changed a little-it has a fresher scent to it, almost like an aquatic note has fully materialised in the scent, which is fitting. The seaweed note and sea moss scent I got is also stronger which seems to fit with the whole theme, and I also get a coolness which is almost minty, and almost like anise. it also reminds me very much of Roux Ga Roux, the same mossy wisteria scent, but this is a little cooler and saltier in feel. It’s a very fitting scent for its sign, swirling and mysterious and dreamy, but also hard to grasp, at times it is hard to figure out exactly what I smell-is it moss, or florals, or spicy smoke? an intriguing fragrance!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? a little-I preferred it when fresh, but it’s still one of the nicer watery-themed scents.

If you like this, try: Opium Poppy, Darkness, Roux Ga Roux, Shanghai Tunnel

[strahlend]

I never would have guessed how much I would love Pisces. I bought it because I am a Pisces, but I didn't expect to like it. I'm not familiar with the notes, so I assumed it would be aquatic. Frankly, my expectations were low, I don't usually like florals or aquatics.

 

That being said, Pisces is a true love. It's soft but strong, floral but earthy, a little spicy musk but not overwhelming, it's watery but not like real water but more like the spirit of water... somehow the dual aspects of Pisces have been represented and united into one beautiful cohesive blend - the light and the dark, the inner and the outer, the aspect of Pisces that is both itself and the summation of the signs before it. I don't have the words to describe how deeply this scent moves me.

[DifferentDances]

Bottle: Wisteria and passion flower and something else that smells like a classic fruity perfume. A slithering sense of moss. And a weird hit of wet socks.

Wet: Insta-fade! This doesn't smell like much unless I push my nose up close - and then it smells like a limp floral. I was hoping for the sarsaparilla to pop up. The throw strongly resembles perfume store high-end perfumes.

Drydown: A deep, if generic, floral blend.

Dry: This is a very 'grownup' floral blend - nothing really sticks out, but it definitely feels like it'd go smashingly with a Versace dress.

 

My rating: 2/5 Not my thing.

[grrrlennyl]

Pisces 2008

 

On: Wow. A dense, lush scent that's definitely water, but also earthy, but in a hippie sort of way. It's a bit sweet, but it's hard for me to pick the notes out.

Half an hour in: I think I'm getting the sarsaparilla more now. Everything else is really well-blended and hard to describe. I'm digging it, though.

1.5 hours in: A bit of a more floral scent is coming out, but this is still wonderful and heady and lush.

4 hours later: This has faded quite a bit. It's still pretty, but not as strong.

Overall: Definitely a keeper. I'm sure if I put a bit more on it would work out fine.

[mazikeen]

This is the first LE I ever bought. I remember not liking it too much at the time. I wore it today on a total whim (I was late for work and decided that I was wearing the first thing I pulled out, no matter what) for the first time in years.

 

I like it! A lot! I'm not sure if my tastes have changed, or if it's the aging. Like a Pisces, it's hard to pin down and full of contradictions. I cannot identify a note for the life of me. It has nice throw (not too little but not too strong, either). I get nothing typically floral or watery (two categories of scents I tend to not like). This is earthy... and earth does encompass water and plants, after all, so they're in there somewhere. Dark and rich enough for the darker seasons and moods, but yet light enough for this sunny spring day. It's not remotely foody, but I could eat this.

 

It's nice to find a "new" scent in a dusty corner of my BPAL collection. I think I'll put Pisces into rotation.

 

Added--

I swear I get compliments on this EVERY TIME I wear it. The years of aging have turned this into PERFECTION. Bright and earthy, deep and inviting. No notes of anything-- it is its own thing entirely. Signature scent material, here. If I had an unlimted supply I'd wear it everyday.

Edited September 10, 2011 by mazikeen

[surlygurl]

SO I was going through my bottles, trying to cull my stash. Pisces kept jumping in & out of my sales box, so I decided to do a proper testing.

 

In the bottle, I could hardly smell anything. On my skin, it starts out a not-quite-mint(?) and a not-quite-aquatic, very soft and ethereal. As it dries, it starts to 'firm up'. That must be the opium. I never get the rootbeer vibe or the hemp. With even more drying time it loses the aquatic/mint thing and becomes a murky-yet-clean scent (yeah, real helpful, I know) with an opium/floral base. This isn't so much a perfume as it is an aura.

 

I think this bottle stays.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Sweet, musky, spicy, and floral.

 

Drydown: Opium smoke wafting over sweet wisteria and passion flower. A touch of sarsaparilla adding a bit of fizz in the background. Soft and grounded.

 

Dry: Sweet, gentle florals with touches of opium, greenery, and spice in the background. Soft and feminine yet complex enough for someone who’s not a big fan of feminine florals, like me. Definitely evocative of a Pisces persona.

 

 

 

 

7 out of 10 bones