Persephone

[maewitch]

Beautiful, radiant daughter of Demeter... her loveliness was so exquisite that even Hell itself could not resist her. Pomegranate and rose.

This is probably one of the sweetest and most innocent versions of a rose scent that I've smelled so far. The pomegrenate is succulant, sweet and just a little tart, and the rose is fresh and light.

I love rose, but can't usually wear it because it tends to stand a little too stark against my skin, and I associate it with more 'mature' perfumes. This rose is very distinct, but it actually works in with my skin, and is balanced by the juiciness of the fruit.

This smells EXACTLY like what I would associate with Persephone: a girlish form with something nebulously more womanly at the core.

[Miyabi]

When I sniffed the imp, I thought, "Where's the rose?" and then it bloomed on my skin. It's definitely juicier than London by far, but that might be the pomegranate, which, I should note, I can't smell.

 

It could be my allergies, but right now I can only detect a hint of rose--London was showier. But it's definitely there, and that's what counts.

[ashtonrose]

Persephone is just a crisp clear rose. It's not too much. Kinda like getting that single red rose and that initial sniff. It lasted for hours. It was such a nice freebie from an ebay purchase.

[olympia301]

A great rose scent which reminded me of why I fell in love with Tamora. It is simple, rose and pomegranate and very juicy...just as Pluto must have seen his prey. Well, he got a bit of yum-yum and clean socks, Ceres got a feckless son-in-law who felt compelled to send her an expensive Xmas present every year, and Persephone...well maybe she got an unlimited credit card to take the sting out of 6 months in gloomy old Hell with boring old Pluto. I like to think that just about everyone was happy once they got used to the idea.

 

The icon is one of the most remarkable pieces of sculpture on earth, The Rape of Persephone by Bernini. Pluto's hands are digging into the soft womanly flesh of Persephone's thigh and waist.

Edited September 24, 2005 by olympia301

[Aharona]

The sweetest, juiciest ripe rose that you will ever smell.

 

In the imp: I was overloaded with ripe fruit with a very strong rose, just as I was expecting to.

 

On my skin: The pomegranate was dominate until the rose came out. The two balance each other perfectly so that it was not too fruity and not too floral on me.

 

An hour later: Still going strong. It has a potential to be overbearing, but in small dabs it is one of my favorite rose scents.

 

Overview: I love Persephone, but tend to only wear this scent in my hair and in lotions because it is very strong on me. It makes me feel very sexy, romatic, soft and alive!

[Avery]

In the vial... agreed, juicy fruity rose. On my skin, screeching rose soap. Yuck! Even if it didn't scream soap, light florals (even as nice as this one smells wet) aren't really me, so all together this simply not my perfume.

[lohengrin]

In the vial: Sweet floral.

 

On, wet: Can't really pick out the floral as rose, per se, or the sweet as pomegranate, but it's nice.

 

Later: Smells very much like La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente, only stronger, and without the powdery drydown, which is a definite plus. Another winner, for me.

[LyndaM]

I SO love Persephone, from the very first sniff. I can see now why so many people rave about it. I got this as a free imp with a swap, and it was a lovely surprise.

 

In the imp, it was all sweet juicy rose. I can't really detect the pomegranate per se, but the rose smells so extra juicy and good, I know the pom is there adding something wonderful. My skin amps rose to the nth degree, which is a good thing, since I love it.

 

Wet on my skin, more of the same, a dozen roses, dripping with juice and sweet goodness. During drydown, it lost just a bit of the sweetness, and became more of a pure rose.

 

Dry, it is one of the best, if not THE best, rose perfumes I have ever smelled. It never becomes soapy or powdery, it stays beautiful. It really gives me a lift; I could wear this anywhere, anytime and feel great about myself. I feel gorgeous wearing this. If I were another person, I would want to kiss me.

 

It lasted well; I'm a slatherer, and it was a bit heady wet. After drydown, it wafted nicely and lasted at least 4 or 5 hours (a long time for me, my skin soaking up scent = desert sand absorbing water). I'm thrilled with it. This might be my rose Holy Grail, depending on how my test of Whip goes. Also depending on whether or not Rose Red is re-released for Yule.

 

Definitely a bottle, it will probably be my first 10 ml bottle order.

Edited October 2, 2005 by LyndaM

[gangstaknitta]

I agree with everyone else about the juicy floral scent. The rose is very clear and vibrant.

Sadly, like most roses, this went powdery on me, with a lingering super-sweet candy scent to go with it.

[Musamea]

In the imp: very sweet, almost a bubble-gum scent.

 

Wet: Still very, very sweet. Lots of pomegranate, with the rose blooming nicely in the background.

 

Dry: The rose came out very nicely. This is a fresh-cut rose scent, with petals, sepal, and stem. The sweetness of the pomegranate keeps the rose from turning into powder and in turn, the rose keeps the pomegranate from becoming too juicy and cloying. This one wafts very nicely. Up close it's still a smidge too sweet, but the drift is pure rose. Lovely!

 

After 5 hours: This scent has some nice staying power; it's mellowed down to mostly sweet pomegranate. I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to buy a 5 mL yet, but I suspect I will be by the time I've finished this imp. (ETA: My suspicion was correct. I've been wearing this scent in my hair everyday for the past week and will put in an order for a big bottle soon.)

Edited October 19, 2005 by Musamea

[midnightmuse]

In the imp at first sniff, it's fruit-candy-sweet, and grapey like grape bubble gum. Ick. But then almost the MOMENT I apply it to my skin, it changes dramatically: oh, roses! Fresh, dewy, living roses...beautiful. And there's just a floating hint of tart-sweet pomegranate. It's the perfect proportion of floral to fruit as far as I'm concerned, since I don't much like fruits as a dominant note. Succulent. I love it; and I didn't think I would.

 

Drying down, it's lost the dewiness (as if to warming sunlight) and has become a faint, warm, soft rose with just a whisper of pomegranate. It's clinging more to my clothes than it did to my skin. It fades very fast on me, but I enjoy the re-application so much that I don't even mind. I love following its progression of "Too sweet -- hold on -- it's changing -- there! Roses!"

 

I rarely think of rose as a melancholy scent, but this is just a touch melancholy somehow; melancholy without being nocturnal, a soft afternoon melancholy. It reminds me of the concluding lines from a poem I wrote, told from the perspective of Demeter after Persephone returns to the upper world but seems to be inexplicably pining for Hades:

 

She had crowned herself with darkest roses, my only child, my daughter;

her white feet were hidden in a cleft of the earth.

Edited November 15, 2005 by midnightmuse

[alishathekitten]

A very beautiful rose scent. This smells very elegant and fresh at the same time. I can smell both the pomegranate and the rose. However, I find the rose scent to be a little bit sharp, and the pomegranate a little bit sour. If this were a little bit softer, I would love this. It still is very good and unique, but it's just not me. So I wouldn't repurchase.

[wingedcorset]

I adore pomegranates. I love them to death. During the season, I eat at least one a day.

 

Rose, I am kinda meh about.

 

Sadly, on me, this is all rose. ROSE! My skin seems to really amp and project rose.

 

Alas. I had high hopes.

[BlackDahlia]

From the imp this smells so fruity and lush. A hint of rose creeps in that keeps it from being too fruity. On this smells really pretty. Sort of fruity with a bit of rose. The scent reminds me of something I can't quite place. I will update if I can figure out what it is.

 

A nice scent. I will try this again as a daytime scent.

[Cedar]

I really expected to love this, because I love Swank and rose is the only floral I like, so yay. When I put it on, I got a very equal balance of rose and pomegranate, but I found that the rose isn't the rose I like, for all the sense that makes. I prefer that my rose be sharp rather than sweet, and the combination of rose and pomegranate made this a little sweeter than I would like. It also faded in about five minutes. I think I'll make a perfume spray of the imp I got, but I'm not rushing to buy a 5mL.

[iriedanym]

Normally I adore the rose scents from the Lab. I also really like pomegranate. For some reason though, Persephone smelled like rose scented Nair to my nose, and I instantly went "blech!" I really wanted to love this scent too.

[ABrokenAngel]

In the Bottle: I made the mistake of opening this imp that I had just received at a house I frequently torment with my BPAL obsession. Unfortunately this house was full of 3 males who are dear friends of mine. I believe the exact comment from one of them when they smelled the wand was, "That smells like sex rolled up with finger lickin good candy fruit and flowers. You wear that around me and you'd better be wearing a chastity belt."

 

He hit it right on the head. This scent is .....ultra-feminine. But not a girly girl scent oh no this fragrance with it's mere two ingredients has much more power than that. It holds the power of simple seduction, temptation and LUST. If this scent goes foul on me I'm likely to scream.

 

Wet: I have no clue what just happened. The rose smells funny.....no pomegranate. It's not foul...just not what I expected. It doesn't smell yucky...just confusing. It's bright but it....not what I expected at all. I'm reserving judgement till drydown.

 

Drydown: Rose. LOTS of rose. It's a pale rose though, a rose that's dainty. I don't dislike it, I was just hoping for more Pomegranate. I'll be keeping it though. Mine! Can't have it!

[PeshaRocha]

In the bottle -- Juicy and tangy fruit, light rose

 

On me -- All of the pomegranate juiciness and tang disappear completely on me, leaving only the scent of rose. I like rose, but I wanted the scent I smelled in the bottle, which is gorgeous and perfectly balanced. Apparently my skin absorbs all the pomegranate and leaves none to be scented, very selfish of it.

 

If your skin leaves the pomegranate scent to do it's thing, this would be a fabulous scent for you, nicely balanced, not too sweet or powdery, just right.

[urraca]

This was a kind lab frimp. I was surprised to find it not on my wishlist because I love rose in all its manifestations. I think I feared the pomegranate and the dreaded scented candle smell. Not to worry. The pomegranate is lush and tangy and the rose is beautiful. Alas, somewhere in mid-drydown it goes kind of rotten vegetation on me. This may be my chemistry right now, so I'll wait and try it again when the moon is in a more auspicious phase before I swap it away.

[atthis_uk]

Vial: Soft, slightly fruity rose.

Wet: Distinct pomegranate smell, but with floral sweetness, not as acidic as the actual fruit.

Drydown: Gentle but fresh rose - the fruit keeps it from becoming cloying.

[SoapyRN]

Wow, Yummy!

 

This is the most tolerable sweet blend I think I could wear. The rose doesn't over power for me, only keeps it as a soft floral. The pomergranate is fantastic. My girlfriend is a HUGE pom freak and would love a bottle of this I think, I always wanted to get swank, but this will be the gift bottle for sure.

 

Lovely blend. My nose can't stay off my hand.

[Katinka]

Rose, rose, rose, and...more rose. The pomegranate poked its head in for a moment and waved hello, but it was quickly ushered back out the door by the overpowering rose. I don't think we're meant to be, but I do have to give Persephone props for staying power.

[oceangirl]

In the imp: A soft fruitiness. No rose, so this must be the pomegranate. Very nice.

 

Wet: Rose. Straight rose, like I just took a bath in rose oil.

 

Dry: The fruitiness comes back, but this is almost straight rose. Not too heavy, thankfully.

 

Not sure. I may keep this one for a while and try it again. I'm not too fond of straight florals, but something in this one seems to like me.

[aedes]

Yup. Pomegranate and rose! It started out candy-sweet on me, then went tart and juicy, then the rose came out.

 

I think the pomegranate compliments the rose very well and gives it this shy, sweet, vulnerable tinge. I can picture a sweet, young demigodess, her eyes pink with tears.

 

However, I think it's a little too whimpering and delicate for me to enjoy wearing, and I have The Lovers for when I want candy-sweet. But I recommend the scent.

[squishycat]

In the vial: a sharp, almost biting rose. I think the tang comes from the pomegranate, but that's all I smell of it.

 

Wet: It's rosy with a tang. I'm not sure I *like* the tang, especially as I was hoping for juicy.

 

Dry: mostly the same, though it's a little softer now.

 

4 hours later: It's still there, and it's softened to a juicy, sweet rose, with just a faint tartness to it. I like this a lot, but I'm not sure if it's worth the wait.

 

Verdict: I'm definitely keeping the imp, but I'm not sure if I'll order a bottle, and if I do, it'll be 5mL.