Agapē

[cabinwench]

Happy fifth birthday to the bpal.org forum! To commemorate five years of camaraderie, love, and unbelievable kindness, we present a scent comprised of notes that encapsulate the essence of friendship: carnation, apple, sweet pea, vanilla cream, passionfruit, sugar cane, tonka, and guava.

This is very apple in the bottle and wet on the skin, then the creaminess and vanilla/tonka comes out to add depth. A comforting, luscious scent, subtle, stays close. Not tremendous throw, and it does not last long at all on me . I was a greedy girl and got backups, which is a good thing-I suspect I'll be going through this fairly fast. It makes me feel very sweet and maternal, even though it fades too fast. I have layered it with scents (alcohol-based) that have honey notes, and it makes a lovely foundation.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Strong apple with moderate guava and flowers over the softer elements. It’s very fresh and fruity. Wet: My skin really ate this. Mostly apple with a hint of the other elements. The sugar cane makes it sweeter and smoother than the average apple blend. Dry: It opens out and deepens given time, turning into a rich fruity, sugary blend with a hint of delicate flowers. I would love to eat something that smelled like this. The Guava/passionfruit are really unusual over the apple.

[thewondersmith]

Okay, so initially, I wasn't too sure about Agape, despite lusting after a bottle for a while. I was expecting more guava and maybe more sweet pea, but mostly I just got apple and florals. The apple was really nice, though. Very green, clean and crisp- more like biting into a fresh apple, rather than apple blossom or juice. I'm not a huge fan of florals, but didn't really mind the carnation in this. It tickles the back of my nose a little, which is pretty nice.

 

After a while, the vanilla starts to show itself, turning this into a rather delicious, creamy apple-carnation-vanilla blend. I can't really smell the sweet pea, except for maybe the slight powdery, soapy note lingering around the edges. Still can't smell the guava though, but ah well. There's still this lovely fresh greeness to it, and I think it'd be absolutely lovely for warmer days.

 

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Creamy tropical fruitiness with a bit of crisp apple.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells fruity, bright and sweet. There’s a definite bite of crisp green apple as well as hints of more tropical guava and passionfruit. The main floral note I get in this is the sweet pea, which always smells happy and sweet on me. But there’s also a hint of carnation that reminds me of the carnation note in Pink Moon 07; it’s almost “sugared” by the other notes, as opposed to spicy like in a lot of other blends. This is sort of a creamy scent, but it’s more bright and fruity than anything.

 

After a little while: As this fade, it gets more fruity and sweet. I’m left with a mix of apple, generic fruit, and sweet pea on my skin. It’s not unpleasant, but it’s rather sweet for me.

 

Overall Impressions: Out of all of the notes, the only one I don’t love is the apple. Sure enough, that was the strongest note on me! The other fruits and sweet pea make themselves known, but mostly this is a very pretty, sweet apple, sweet pea, and tropical fruit fragrance.

 

[isisonearth]

Bottle: A wonderful sugared cream note that makes me instantly happy. It reminds me of Milk Moon for some reason but sweeter.

 

Wet: A nice tart apple that blends into a subtle fruitiness. It is a perfect fresh, juicy note. The vanilla cream remains very true to the bottle scent.

 

Dry: The cream is richer but still sweetened with the fruits. There is a moment after about 10 minutes where I start to smell the sweet pea and think "oh no here is where it goes wrong" but is doesn't it just fades into the whole. I never really become aware of the carnation but that is ok. As much as I love carnation to much floral would make Agape more ordinary instead of extraordinary.

 

Mr. Isis says: Smells like butterscotch candy.

[Iceblink]

I was worried about the carnation here but I only get a whiff of it when this is straight out of the bottle--then it becomes a lucious fruity cream! Tangy apples and tropical fruits and vanilla, oh my. Very pretty, very flirty, and will be absolutely perfect for spring!

[MCS4096]

I picked up a bottle from the lovely Delphinine. I waffled over getting this until I read some reviews and gave in!

 

in the bottle: sweet peas, apples and cream. At first it seems very foody, but it's really not-- it's quite floral.

 

On: Mmmm here's where it gets tropical! It's like the first chew of a piece of tropical flavored gum Actually, it's like this fruit salad my mom makes with ALL kinds of fruit in it, mixed with a little whipped cream (REAL cream). Others have said they get green apple from this, but to me it's actually more of a crisp pink apple-- they tend to be a little floral. This is definitely a springy blend! Carnation is probably my favorite note ever, and unfortunately I don't get any here, and the vanilla does fade out fast, leaving a sweet floral and fruit scent.

[veronicafranco]

the fruit notes in this are tangy, bright, juicy, all that wonderful stuff. it's neat how the sweet pea melds into the fruit here.

i do get my beloved tonka, always a good thing.

there was one fleeting whiff of carnation early on - so far, that's been it.

sadly, the caramel-like sugar cane plus the rich cream is what really dominates on me, making this a gooey fruit pie type scent. not my thing.

i will hang onto it for a bit and see if it mellows...

 

eta: after my shower, during which i didn't deliberately wash this off, i was left with tonka and carnation. so it was lurking in there! now i am more determined to see if this improves for me with time.

Edited March 8, 2009 by veronicafranco

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle, this is all delicious cream and a bit of fruit that smells citrussy to me. It reminds me of Cheshire Moon.

 

I expected the vanilla cream to either fade quickly or go plasticy/powdery, but it doesn't (yay!). The vanilla cream is actually the strongest note here. The blend lasts about 3 hours total on me and near the end, all I can smell is the delicious, soft, sweet vanilla cream.

 

I don't get any florals at all from this blend. For a while, it's just vanilla cream paired with a fruitiness that smells like tropical citrus (the guava?). Then it dries down to just vanilla cream.

 

I wish that I could smell the apple, but other than that, I have no complaints about this scent. It's really lovely, and I'm happy about the strong vanilla cream note.

[sprocket21]

On me, this is all light creamy apple, which I see a lot of others are getting. It's very lovely, but I was hoping that the apple would be a background note. I have a lot of apple scents and was hoping for more of the carnation and other fruits to interact and make the scent very interesting and unique. I suppose I can try tucking it away to age and hope that the apple goes away.

[puck_nc]

Origin: straight from the Lab

 

Initial Thoughts: I love the flower choices--carnation and sweet pea-- and I love vanilla. I wasn't sure about the tonka or the fruit notes, though. Apple has been hit-or-miss on me.

 

In the Bottle: Fruity-sweet! At the moment I think I'm smelling a candied apple, but one made in spring and not fall because of the floral notes or maybe the tonka. It's very cheerful, a friendly scent indeed.

 

Wet: Apple and tonka, I think. Definitely apple and a sweet smoky note that starts amping like incense usually does on me.

 

Drydown: Darn it. All the wrong notes seem to be coming out strong. I get a bit of the carnation that I want so much, but overall it's a dusky-sweet scent since the tonka isn't letting any of the other notes really speak.

 

Verdict: I may try again in a week or two, but at the moment I'm thinking this should find a home with someone who would love it as it deserves.

[Yoginispirit]

I wanted so much to love this! The label is very pretty and the notes sounded amazing but it was not to be.

 

The cream I think, is what did it. Cream gets VERY thick and weird with my chemistry. It smelled like cream that had been sitting out too long with tiny chunks of apple floating in it.

 

It got a wrinkled brow from the disapproving bf (who LOVED 13 btw yea!) which says alot since he loves apple on me.

 

So yea, rotting creme with chunks of apple. Not appealing. Will definately be finding a new home for poor agape. *sniff*

 

[lothien]

I have to admit I went into this one with a lot of trepidation.

I love the concept; this is easily the coolest forum I have ever been involved in

 

(dood! I send money to very-nice-but-total-strangers and they send me smellies! Sometimes I send them smellies. Sometimes we go together on a purchase. They listen to me ramble about something no one I knows cares about and gets excited, too, instead of staring blankly. How cool is that? )

 

and a forum scent that celebrated that camaraderie is a wonderful gift from Beth.

 

But while there are a lot of things in here I like, it's not grounded in anything I can usually count on to keep a scent from becoming screaming meemees on me.

So when I got this imp today and opened it and it screamed CANDY! at me in the imp, I cringed. Sugar (especially with vanilla) is like Jasmine. Lovely or Very Very Not Okaygedditoff. Then I prayed to the Scent Goddess, and I said "Oh please let this not go horribly, painfully wrong," and I put some on.

 

It started out all kinds of sugared flowers and fruit. None of the vanilla that I was afraid of, an no bad sweet pea or cream reactions (unknowns in this one) just a big damn bowl of candied flowers and tropical fruit. A little bit of apple, but not enough to overwhelm anything else.

So, sweet, to start with, yes, but not what I feared. I was not going to run for the "oily skin" towelettes to get it off fast.

Thankfully, I got more guava - a RL fave - and not so much passionfruit.

And while it was pretty intense while it was wet, that stage was not very long, and once it dried I got a wonderful soft creamy vanilla with the fruits and florals in the background - I can't really separate floral notes in this one, especially once it's dry, they all play nice and nothing amps uncomfortably. Dry, it's very comforting and sweet and soft. The horrible sugared-vanilla thing that ruins so many other BPALs for me doesn't happen here - Maybe it's the kind of vanilla I like, maybe the cream is the helper here, but it works. I also need to test it again when it's farther away from the mailbox, if you take my meaning. It might be even better with a few days to adjust.

 

So, for an opium and musk and incense girl (well, carnation is always good), this one is a surprise winner. I don't think I'll wear it a ton, so my decant is probably sufficient, but when I've had a really sucky day and want something relaxing, this is one I will reach for.

 

 

 

[yeahbutnobut]

Agape

 

In the bottle: sweet fruit salad with ice cream/custard, I smell apple and guava.

Wet on skin: ok, now this is going weird. The apple is souring, and why am I getting banana?

Dry on skin: sour, sharp apple, mushy bananas and cream. This isn’t working the way I hoped it would. Where are the guava, passionfruit, carnation and tonka? This has the apple note that doesn’t like me…not the warm baked autumn apple I do like, from blends like Fearful Pleasure, but the sharp green apple from the likes of Punkie Night. It completely takes over this scent, stomping all over the other fruit. Also, something in here has turned to banana on me. Not too unpleasant, but it is a little cloying. This actually reminds me of Coral Snake, my least favourite of the Snake Pit.

After a while: the sour apple scent does eventually fade. What I’m left with is much more pleasant-a sweet, gentle mix of banana custard, sweet pea (no soap, yay!), vanilla and tonka and guava, with hints of apple peel. It’s not perfect, and I much prefer Cheshire Moon’s take on guava + sweetness + flowers, but it’s much more tolerable than the sour overwhelming apple from before.

Verdict: this scent broke my heart. I love the forum. I love the fact that Beth made a scent for it’s anniversary. I love the fact that the label here is of the skin I use! But I don’t love this scent. This has a lot of great notes in it, but also some dodgy ones. And sadly, it was those dodgy notes that dominated, especially the apple. I have such a troubled relationship with apple notes, and the one here is the apple note I dislike most because it turns to artificial acid apple air freshener on me. and for much of the time, this is what this smells like-sharp green apple with a weird undertone of banana. Not good at all. I quite like the drydown when the vanilla cream eventually comes out and mingles with the guava, but it’s not worth waiting through 5+ hours of evil apple to get to that stage. I’m so let down with what could have been such a beautiful scent of friendship and fun!

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Sadly, no.

If you like this, try: Coral Snake, Hesperides, Cheshire Moon, Aeval, Punkie Night

[sharybaby]

This is fresh, sweet, creamy apple blossom at first. Then it dries to a cream 'n carnation combo. I actually quite *dislike* carnation, but I like Agape. This will DEFINITELY be a super spring/summer scent: light, feminine, playful.

[empi girl]

I am so glad I got thsi at the alst minute. It's a beautiful scent! On me, primarily caramel and spun sugar, and lemon, with a hint of floral sweetness. I don't get a distinct "apple" note, though that might be what is creating the feeling of "freshness" that this has.

 

It does go a little dusty after a bit, but that's not noticeable unless I'm sniffing where I've applies. What wafts remains clear, sweet and cheerful. The scent reflects it's inspiration perfectly, I think.

[voodoocatwoman]

WOW. Apple! Tart but sweet at the same time... it's those little red and yellow speckled-y apples I get by the bag... the ones that are juicy and mouthwatering... except for the one I gave my boss which just happened to be rotten and I didn't even do it on purpose, although I am sure that the universe spoke volumes at that instant.

 

Apple. YAY.

[jehrichardson]

Happy fifth birthday to the bpal.org forum! To commemorate five years of camaraderie, love, and unbelievable kindness, we present a scent comprised of notes that encapsulate the essence of friendship: carnation, apple, sweet pea, vanilla cream, passionfruit, sugar cane, tonka, and guava.

 

Ack! Um... yuck!

 

Wet, it's butter flavoring and fruit candy.

 

Freshly applied, the butter goes away quickly... thank heavens! It stays sharp and sweet and fruity for a while.

 

Okay, this is better now... sharp and crisp apple. Very nice... this is growing on me.

 

Right then, I suppose I do like it. The first couple of minutes are, to my taste, awful. Gross even. Luckily a fresh and tart apple scent quickly swoops in and saves the day

 

[fireflower]

This is all nice, creamy, and soft apple vanilla on me, from start to finish, with just a teeny bit of a floral undertone. Love

[diamondstars]

This is all nice, creamy, and soft apple vanilla on me, from start to finish, with just a teeny bit of a floral undertone. Love

 

(What she said!!)

 

Floral/apple, gorgeous.

 

Edited to add: I smell the vanilla now too.

Edited March 11, 2009 by saracakes

[azndragoncrimson]

Sweet, creamy apple! And it seems like the greener variety, but in sorbet form. Then something popped up that makes my eyes itch like crazy. *sigh* Maybe that will go away with time?

[anomie]

Could there be a more perfect spring scent? Possibly, but this is waaay up there. A thick blanket of vanilla cream slowly melts to reveal a pile of crisp apples, with hints of passionfruit keeping things interesting. My sister says it smells like a candle store, but I think it's sweet and lovely. Nom!

[Argentwolf]

Much thanks to Ralenth for sending me a sniffie of this.

 

I get lots of fresh, green apple from this, with just a hint of carnation. It's pretty, but just a wee bit too fruity for my taste. It faded pretty quickly.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Vanilla cream and the sweet pea with a slightly tart edge from one of the fruits

 

Wet on me - The fresh, greeness of the fruit overlain by the sweetness of the vanilla cream

 

Dry on me - Ashes. Unusually instead of going entirely to ashes the fruit stays true, but sadly it doesn't really help matters

 

Overall - *Pouts* Another highly anticipated blend destroyed by my skin chemistry

[AuroraLlew]

Mmmm, Agape really is love! From the bottle I get lovely apples in a base of cream. On my skin the apples disappear and the sweetpea really comes out, playing with guava, all still in that lovely vanilla cream. Lucky for me sweet pea is one of the rare florals I like! I am not getting a lot of carnation, but I do feel like it is in there, grounding everything. Lovely! I can't wait to try this in my scent locket.