Eros

[melrose]

Myrrh, lilac, and honey wine with crimson tea leaf and sweet resins.

 

First on, wet: I'm not crazy about this. The lilac rides high above everything else; there's a spicy sweetness that's the meat of the scent, and is interesting; there's a sharp, vegetal smell underneath. It smells fresh, but the scents aren't blending together.

Drydown: winey, spicy, sweet, lovely.

The drydown lasted about 15 minutes. There really is no far drydown, as it fades quickly.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: This oil is a lovely golden color in the bottle. The smell is, initially anyway, Sweet Tarts and incense, which usually means a berry note.

 

Wet: Bright floral lilac, a lot of light, sweet incense, and myrrh and wine notes that, astonishingly, don't go sour/salty/sweaty on my skin, but rather stay crisp and bright and tart and rather candy-like. I get a slightly darker, almost a vegetable smell underneath. Tea leaf?

 

Dry: Aaand it's almost gone already! I get faint whiffs of honey, incense, and florals, but this one didn't really grab me. I'll try it again but I'm not thinking it's a keeper.

[hexnut]

A blind-tested frimp, the last remaining vial in the order.

In Vitro Yuck! A musty sharp note.

Wet This tried to be sweet, but an unpleasant "curry" smell pushed in and stayed, making me grimace with every sniff.

Drying The nasty part became fainter but was still dominant over a sweet base. An hour after application there was only a faint and undistinguished sweetness.


Interesting. This was the same "curry" note that I complained about in my review of L'Examen de Minuit, which has only two component listed in common with Eros: myrrh and lilac. The former is a known malefactor in my case, and the latter is not something I would have guessed would go bad. So I'm glad that the Lab gifted me with this blend because it narrows down my list of suspected Death Notes.

[Magpie]

In imp:

 

Woody, floral and almost a bit licorice-like.

 

On:

 

Grows more herbal. Green and still quite woody. There's a breath of flowers underneath.

 

Warming:

 

Ugh, not sure I like how this is developing. It's lost some of the sharpness of the licorice smell (possibly the tea leaf or resins?) but I still can't smell the myrrh, lilac or honey wine.

 

Dry:

 

The woody scent softens and the lilac comes out more. Other than that, it doesn't really morph much. It's certainly nicer than it was initially.

[mymymai]

ITI: It's sweet with tones of roobios tea, thick honey, and myrrh. It's soft and lackadaisical.

Wet: Sweetened roobios tea in a myrrh and incense infused room is what the scent brings to mind. It's lovely while wet!

Dry: The honey emerges more once dried, but the roobios, myrrh and sweet resins are still warm, dreamy, and comforting. I think this may be the first wine scent that I really, really like. This will be going on my "to-buy" list.

[Sidhechaos]

Usually Myrrh and I get along well but I have never worn something where myrrh was evidently a primary scent. In the bottle this smelled kind of funky and weird, on skin was pretty much like in the bottle. There was sort of a burnt charry odor that was dominant with a little bit of floral and sweetness beneath. I'm not a big fan of the smoke, burned, gunpowder, cigarette and similar type scents so I was feeling not so great about this one.

About 20 minutes into drydown the burnt odor has shifted two more of a strong smoky incense, perhaps the influence of the resins. It is still somewhat of a dominant odor but has become much more pleasant and bearable. Beneath it you can pick up the sweetness of the honey wine and the faint tinge of floral. Not sure that this is something I would wear often but it is interesting to have around as something to wear as a break from my normal patterns. I could see this working well as a winter time fragrance. Probably will not be a regular order from me but not something that I would turn down if someone wanted to pass off an imp or a bottle. It would be put to use.

[Xue_Bai]

Was a frimp!

 

Imp- Something sweet and sightly medicinal. I can pick out the florals but nothing clearly defined.

 

Wet- SO MUCH RED TEA! Omg! It's lovely! There's a hint of lilac and something lightly boozy, all over some myrrh and resin. Also, strong! I can pick most of the notes out from arms length.

 

Dry- The tea and wine become mildly astringent, which must have been the medicinal I caught in the imp. However, it's still a lovely warm scent! The lilac comes forward more, but it's delicate and not overpowering. Catching the honey notes now, though they are light and not sweet. The myrrh is much more present, at least on the one wrist! All together it's spicy wine and tea.

 

Later- More wine, less tea. Lilac still very much there. There's a lightly smokey quality now. It's yummy without being foodie.

 

Overall- It's strong, but not heavy or overbearing. I seem to get a slightly better wear out of it than others (an hour in and still strong). I like it, but I don't love it. Glad to have tried it and to have an imp for odd occasions, but I won't be seeking out a whole bottle. Lilac, while nice, just isn't my thing...

[bubastis]

In the bottle,this smells herbacious with a sweet undertone. On my skin however...celery and...leek?? I find the smell of those repulsing as it is (even though they are reputed to be aphrodisiacs,so maybe that's the 'eros' part )and smeared on my skin in combination with honey it's downright nauseating. This is the first bpal scent I've tried (I've only tried seven so far) that I've hated enough to go wash it off.

[symbiosis]

Wow - wet Eros is all celery! Celery! No kidding!

 

Once it dries, though the celery falls out of the lineup entirely and the sweet resins come forward. The lilac is very subtle, and I don't really get wine at all except in the sense that way in the back there is something going "fruity!" The myrrh I wish was a bit more forward with the resins - all in all it's a very balanced blend, even if it's not my favorite cup of tea.

 

Despite the florals, honey, and "sweet" descriptor in this blend, it's not nearly as sweet as I was fearing. I'll be keeping the imp, but doubt I'll buy any more once I run out - it will be nice for those days that I'm wanting something a little sweeter and fruitier than normal

[Ajila]

In the bottle - The sweet rich honey wine with the berrylike undertones

 

Wet on me - The lilac comes through over the backdrop of honey wine

 

Dry on me - A light sweet almost candied floral

 

Overall - Pretty, delicate and feminine

[poofie]

I applied a whole smear from an imp wand to my left wrist. It's a light scent, even wet i have to get close to my wrist to smell it. Like a few other reviewers before me, this smells exactly like celery on me wet. Once dry, if I really huff my wrist I can get a bit of sweet and spice under the celery. I don't hate it, but to me it smells nothing like the description and I don't know that I'll be reaching for a celery scent.

Edited February 22, 2014 by poofie

[Ishtar]

My imp of Eros dates all the way back to 2009... and either my skin chemistry has changed over the years (which is entirely possible), or the aging process has worked wonders for this blend!

 

When I first tried Eros, I got a hint of the celery others have mentioned. My impression at the time was of a disjointed, herbal, almost savoury sort of scent. Not exactly what I was expecting based on the description!

 

In spite of this inauspicious start, I tried it again today on a whim (same imp). Wow, what a surprise! This time, I got honey wine in all its splendour, with a touch of sweet myrrh and a lovely tea note that cuts through the sweetness and imparts a certain freshness to the whole. This is a very soft scent that stays close to the skin and melds beautifully with it. It is cuddly, warm, and sensual - I am smitten!

[strahlend]

Skin testing – upon application I think this smells really good. The resins blend really interestingly with the honey and wine and lilac. It almost seems chaotic, but there's something holding it together. The lilac is pretty and warmed with the honey. The wine and crimson tea leaf must be adding the bright note here that is keeping things bouyant. It's warm and sweet and a bit on the resin side. The lilac's warm resiny sweetness reminds me a bit of Lysander.

Lysander - Lilac musk, tonka, wood violet, and urbane lime rind, with a Venus-kissed tangle of myrtle, blackberry leaf, and benzoin.

Looking at the notes, it kind of makes sense... maybe? I put on Lysander on the other wrist and they were remarkably similar with Lysander having a more powerful presence and more longevity.

[Veronica]

Beautifully sweet floral (lilac) over honey that for once is not powdery on me, with just a hint of incense at the end. A very sweet scent, but not overly foodie, spiced at the end.

[greeneyedgirl]

In the imp I get the lilac and honey wine. On my skin it's the same, though the resins are coming out and balancing the floral sweetness. So far, so good. Fast forward 20 minutes, here's something pointy and cloying left. The sweetness is still there but I don't enjoy it.

[Teaker]

Surprisingly nice! I tried this without looking at the notes, and my first thought was myrrh, with a tart element that I thought might be orange, and possibly a light floral.

 

I was right with the myrrh and the floral, not sure what makes this read as citrus though... maybe the honey wine? I definitely get the sweet resins here. This is actually really really nice, and the only bpal with lilac that wasn't a disaster on me. The myrrh is very predominant, the other elements just serve to brighten it a bit. Myrhh lovers, check this out!

[filigree_shadow]

I like all those notes except that "honey wine" would be iffy on me, and it does seem like the honey wine is the strongest. Like how that usually works when there's one death note in the whole bunch and sure enough, that's what it smells like. Buuuut, actually... not bad! I'm not super crazy about that wine scent, but the rest of it is pretty. No celery. Sweet, vaguely leafy lilac, that smells strangely fresh and almost green. Not quite green, though. Kind of a blue-green. Hard to describe. You know, I actually like this. I'm surprised. It's one of those pretty, sweet, fresh scents that I like wearing in the springtime.

 

And, just as a note, this decant I have is from 2009. So it's for sure not fresh, it's aged and blended at this point. It's very nice.

I just looked up through the reviews and noticed that Ishtar had the exact same experience. Aged = fantastic. Probably something to keep in mind!

[Malaena]

It's a lovely honey wine for a couple of hours and then turns into musky potpourri. Arg!

[Lilah Wrote]

free imp! i'm going to need a large bottle of this, and SOON.

 

in vial: wasn't excited, just smelled sweetness of a nondescript nature.

 

on me, wet: candy gummy cola bottles! this is actually a wonderful thing because i love that particular candy.

 

dry: there is the tea and the honey and the lilac.

 

i wish i could eat this.

 

reasonably long throw on me as well, still smelling on wrists and put on around 11 am.

[Hystrixia]

In the Frimp: Eros is a dark golden, almost amber colored oil in the imp. When sniffed it has a similar bouquet to a chilled glass of muscat or ice wine: honeyed white grapes and floral notes with a hint of citrus. It smells sweet and delicious.

Top Notes: A mix of honey wine, rooibos tea, and bitter myrrh are prominent immediately after application to the wrist, with the lilac being present in the background. The lilac is very clean and sweet.. but mixed with the myrrh it takes on a sharp, soapy quality. The smell is similar to one of those honey and goat milk oatmeal soap bars you might find at a farmer’s market; clean but still earthy. I'm guessing this might also be the infamous celery note other reviewers were talking about?

Middle Notes: The soapiness has subsided for the most part. The rooibos has gained a very subtle grassy note and the resins have started to come out. The lilac and honey are still present, just not as loud as they once were.

Base Notes: Two hours later, it has morphed into a soft base of floral lilac, rooibos, and sweet warm resins. It is very pretty now but incredibly light on the skin and can be hard to pick out at times. A pity as I enjoy the base notes quite a bit.

Overall Impression: I like the sweetness of the honey wine and resins with the vegetal fruitiness of the rooibos tea leaf, but the union of the bitter myrrh and lilac ruins it for me by becoming overly soapy… And if it’s one thing I don’t generally enjoy is perfume that reminds me of straight up soap. That being stated, I find it interesting how this scent manages to be clean and earthy at the same time. It’s a shame considering I generally like most of these notes; if it had been more of a warm honeyed floral on my skin I would’ve enjoyed this a lot more. Eros’ scent colors are terracotta red, ochre, and mauve.

The sillage is weak, as is the longevity, so if you plan on wearing this all day, you’ll need to reapply it at some point.

Final Verdict: Eros is nice but not something I could really stand wearing because of the astringent soapy quality on my skin. I’ll be passing on this one.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Not at all what I expected. The honey wine is dominant so far, and it's almost effervescent - like sparkling wine. Really nice, actually, just not what I was expecting! It's quite light. If I huff on my arm hard, I can get hints of the Myrrh, but no sign of lilac. I do think I like it though!

 

 

Dry: Same as wet. A light honey wine scent, slightly effervescent. Nice, but not wowing me.

[Mermaid-on-Land]

Oooh this smells good! I immediately really get that honey wine note. Strangely it's not just honey, it's different and more watery than honey in a bear bottle. This smells sweet but not cloying or heavy; it's actually a very fresh variety of sweet.

 

Omg reading through the description again it hit me what this smell reminds me of! It smells (to me) just like a cup of tea sweetened by honey.

 

I really like this one. I think the lighter freshness is from the lilac? I can't quite pick out the myrrh in this one, and only the slightest hint of sweet resins. I do get the smell of tea leaves though, which I love. The tea comes out a bit further in. It starts out pretty strongly honey and then morphs to mostly tea, then they kinda combine. On second thought, it's not so much tea as damp tea leaves. The whole scent has a damp humid quality actually, it really vividly makes me think of taking a sip of hot tea with honey and the steam creating humidity. The throw is really good, i can smell it without really trying. It eventually fades to a watery sweet floral about 5 hours or so in, and I can somewhat pick it up at around 12 hours if I sniff my wrist. The color association to me is clear dark amber, like tea in a cup. Another favorite!

[MischiefofRats]

I didn't get any of the green/celery thing mentioned in other reviews. Wet in the imp, this is all two things: booze and grapefruit. There's no actual grapefruit in this, but I still smell it. There's also something indescribably red to it, but it calms down fast and turns into that honey wine note mostly, but the tea in this is STRONG. Ever walk into one of those Teavana stores at the mall? It smells like that, plus fizz and booze and sweet. Fizzy alcoholic fruit tea. I get basically no myrrh, which is cool with me because I don't love it. Dry on skin, it's pretty much the same but quieter, except with more lilac and just a little tiny bit of resin. Honestly, really interesting. It's not very me, but it is really pretty.

[Casablanca]

Oh, well, hello. I saw "crimson tea leaf" and feared a rooibos experience, but that's not how this leaf -- prominent both on the wand and my skin -- smells to me.

 

Instead, I'm getting a kind of red raspberry tea scent, just a bit tart, with fizz and a light, playful booze vapor. Alongside that, I smell a floral myrrh. The lilac blends cunningly with the other notes, and I find it hard to pick out, but it seems to trail right behind the raspberry, like some clinging shadow of it, when I inhale.

This doesn't change its balance on me once it dries.

[gloame]

Where is the Bit-o-Honey in my imp? I love Bit-o-Honeys and I'd totally love that! ...Reminds me of Hamptons at first sniff. Almost effervescent and champagne-y. Anyone else? Light, sweet, little girly, kind of like bubble bath. You know, it actually kind of smells like bathroom spray to me. My skin is just not working with this one. Bummer!