The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

[RaeiNarcissus]

After these things, surveying the entrances of the north, above the mountains, I perceived seven mountains replete with pure nard, odoriferous trees, cinnamon and papyrus.

From there I passed on above the summits of those mountains to some distance eastwards, and went over the Erythraean sea. And when I was advanced far beyond it, I passed along above the angel Zateel, and arrived at the garden of righteousness.

In this garden I beheld, among other trees, some which were numerous and large, and which flourished there.

Their fragrance was agreeable and powerful, and their appearance both varied and elegant. The tree of knowledge also was there, of which if any one eats, he becomes endowed with great wisdom.

It was like a species of the tamarind tree, bearing fruit which resembled grapes extremely fine; and its fragrance extended to a considerable distance.

I exclaimed, How beautiful is this tree, and how delightful is its appearance!

Then holy Raphael, an angel who was with me, answered and said, This is the tree of knowledge, of which your ancient father and your aged mother ate, who were before you; and who, obtaining knowledge, their eyes being opened, and knowing themselves to be naked, were expelled from the garden.

Whiffs of cinnamon bark, almond, and spikenard surround a perfect fruit, whose scent is akin to a tamarind, with the grace of a fine grape, as warm and rich as a fresh fig, glistening red like pomegranate seeds, and as crisp as an apple.

I tried this on at the lab, and I was feeling uncertain about it working cause it's that time of the month, but I sometimes have luck with scents that still work on me, so I gave it a shot.

It smelled great in the bottle, so I tried it on. Fruity yum! I kept smelling it, afraid it would disappear. At a certain point I was afraid it had disappeared, so I was asking the ladies at will call to smell me.

Cake was the response I got from two girls, and I was like....... CAKE? I was smelling myself and I was getting fruits, so I asked two more ladies what they thought, and they both couldn't smell anything. I was feeling flabbergasted, so I asked a few more ladies their response, and I got cake again. I didn't smell the cake, I was smelling fruit, and I still smell fruit three hours later, but I am getting some of the sugary cakey smell....... this stuff is really nice!

There were other girls there who were getting different fruit smells and even one getting woods from it, I recommend giving a try!

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle fruity and boozy, but incredibly heavy like ripe fig and cocoa

wet on skin i can smell all the individual notes here, but they blend incredibly well; exotically sweet and lush

dry on skin close to the skin, it's gone pretty standardly fruity, but the throw is where the real magic is happening. it's like those tatters of scent in cartoons that lift up the characters and pull them around by their noses. i'm not in love with the scent, but i can't stop sniffing around to figure out what it is and where it's coming from.

later: very grape-y and purple; strong. crazy, crazy strong throw. i had to stop testing other oils because there's an invisible purple cloud all around me. up very close, it smells a little like apples and cinnamon. O_o

really, really fun! this is tempting me greatly to get a bottle!

[fiddledragon]

Wet: Incredibly strong alcohol. Not really winey, more like maybe a strong fig schnapps.

 

Dry: The booze of doom dries down somewhat, but it's still weirdly sharp and alcoholic. A rather bitter almond lurks underneath.

 

Ok, if this is what the fruit smelled like, I have no clue what Eve saw in it Hopefully someone else's skin will like it.

[angelicruin]

Sniffing the imp, I smell chocolate and fruit notes.

 

I would definitely categorize this as "foody". It's a rich chocolate dessert with with boozy fruit sauce dribbled on top.

 

I can't stop sniffing my wrist.

 

I think know there will be a bottle of this in a future order.

[Iceblink]

Oh yum. Very foody and very fruity--this is delicious! The pomegranate and fig and grape jump out at me and I get a faint spiciness underneath from the cinnamon and almond. This *almost* reminds me of a lighter, sunnier version of Fruitcake. Really nice and lots of throw too.

[hkhm]

imp: lots of spices and pomegranate.

 

wet: this is fruity spicy heaven. there is a cakey feel to this but i suspect it's just all the spices.

 

dry: the fruits get much stronger as they dry while the spice fades. very nice.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Pale yellow oil. Sweet, warm, spicy, creamy. A bit foody. Much less fruity than expected. Almond and cinnamon bark for sure, and I almost get a cocoa note. Loads of fig, a really rich fig, and maybe a hint of grape.

 

Wet: A little tarter and fruitier - some apple and pomegranate, and more grape. Still, it's mostly warm/creamy/sweet/rich. Undoubtably the best almond note I've smelled - it's like raw almonds, very pure and white, not benzaldehyde-y or toasted. It's not really nutty, it's more like white coconut.

 

Dry: The fruits come out more and more, and they are really delightful and unique, very well-balanced. I think I'm even getting a bit of tart tamarind, though fig and pomegranate are reigning. The almond remains strongly creamy and...luxurious. That bittersweet edge of dark cocoa holds.

 

Later: This is one of those rare times I can wear cinnamon. It's not spicy here, nor foody, but more aromatic, fragrant - almost perfumey. It adds an exotic warmth, a lush tropical feel. Something earthy and musky here, too, that I find quite sexy - spikenard? Also, there's gotta be musk here, I'm betting white musk.

 

Summary: I struggle to describe this scent with words, because it's very complex and unlike anything else. It is rich and creamy, lightly earthy and musky, almost spicy but not quite, multi-fruity (tart, and juicy, and rich, and sweet and fun), and very fragrant without being floral - it has that light, wafting quality for all its velvety depth. It's also lush and exotic, above all, and perfectly evokes the desired concept. It evolves beautifully on my skin with time, becoming more and more nose-to-wrist by the minute. Great throw & good longevity.

 

Overall, I think this is a scent that is both unique in the BPAL catalogue, and likely to appeal to a wide range of tastes. I am not sure this scent is 'me', but I love smelling it. I would love this in a body cream or such.

 

ETA: Final drydown smells incredibly like Snow White! That exact same cool, white, creamy almond note.

 

Edited March 29, 2009 by fairnymph

[lysithea]

This was an odd combination of foody and floral. Initially, it was fruity, with a rich warm nuttiness. It almost had a chocolate feel. As soon as it started to dry it took on more floral qualities. I kept thinking that I smelled gardenias or honeysuckle - some kind of sweet floral.

 

I did like the scent. It is complex, lush and very rich.

My husband didn't care for it, however.

Most of the time my skin cannot do grape or pomegrante very well. Often pomegrante will turn harsh and almost take on an acetone scent to it. That didn't quite happen this time, but I wonder if that's something he picked up on that I didn't. I plan on giving it a few more tries to see if it was just wonky skin chemistry.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is delightfully ripe fruits .... mouthwatering really!!

 

once applied a whisper of cinnamon accompanies...wow...there is

the fresh fig and apple...

 

this is so incredibly beautiful and works amazingly well with my chemistry

[Jenn2D2]

In the vial: incredibly strong scent of fig, as someone else put it, really "boozy"

 

Wet: the lush fig and fruit scent is overpowering, almost intoxicating.

 

Dry: the incredibly strong fruit scent is overpowering all of the other notes, to the point where things don't taste right. At this point, it almost feels like an overpowering floral scent. Any of the subtle bits are lost in a sea of fig stench.

 

This one may be too strong for me to wear. I usually like food notes, especially lush fruit like figs, but this was simply far too overpowering. I may give it a second go on a later date, but right now, I'm going to scrub this one off.

[zankoku_zen]

Okay, so this was way more spicy on wet. It kinda reminded me to a floral sort of Plunder. As it dries, it's more of a fig/creamy almond.

 

Uhh... Damn. After about two hours, the almond kinda smells like plastic. Which I've had problems with in Snow White.

 

Phooey.

[ljaylh]

Hello, pomegranate, my dear friend. And salutations to you, Sir Fig, how lovely to find you here.

 

This is my favourite of the new releases in Rappaccini's Garden. As other reviewers have mentioned, it does have a cocoa thing going on when it's wet.. but I found that died down once it dried. Mmmm.. this is velvety, rich and lovely! I'd say this is more 'fruity' than 'foody' - it's not sweet or cake-like in any way, and the almond isn't doing anything remotely foody in here.. actually, I'm not really getting the almond at all. The cinnamon must be quite light in this blend - or maybe it's just my skin - either way, I'm not finding this to be spice-y. On me, it's 99% pomegranate and fig.. the other fruits are there, but quite faint.

 

There's something a bit Miller vs California about this.. I guess that must be the fig, although the two are quite different they both have that mysterious dark fruity balanced with boozy thing going on. I think the fruit from this particular tree may have been sitting on the ground for a while, it has that dark fermented smell about it, verging on a wine but not quite.

 

I'm really enjoying this - the longer it stays on my skin, the more velvety and soft it becomes and the lovely dark grape starts to come out more. If you've just got your imp/bottle and only just dabbed it on.. please give it at least half an hour before you make your judgement, because it does change quite a bit in that time. A very yummy and interesting blend indeed - I might need a bottle of this one!

[megank4]

This smells a bit chocolaty/boozy, with a bit of fruit and fig.

Okay, but not a love.

 

 

[Mishinka]

In the imp it's very earthy, almost chocolatey.

 

There's a lot going on there when it's wet! It's fun enough that my initial impulse is "let's put some more on!", though I think this is probably one of those where a little goes a long way. That's some really hot, strong cinnamon, almost too much. That chocolate/earth note is still there, and I can't figure out what that is, unless it's from the fig. It's very sweet and fruity; I definitely smell pomegranate and maybe a bit of grape. I don't know what spikenard smells like, but there's some kind of floral hanging around in the background. I like this a lot so far! It stays hot, fruity cinnamon for a long time, though it dies down to a mellow, sugary apple that seems like it ought to belong to a Yankee Candle something-or-other after a while.

 

I generally don't like fruity/foody scents, but this one is neat! I would totally eat this fruit.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Mish

[tartchef]

This makes me laugh The opening volleys are a dead ringer for a series of scratch-&-sniff stickers I had when I was a kid... that cacophony of fruits & chocolate & that one odd one (gasoline? sneakers? cardboard?)... Luckily, the chaos dies down very quickly, revealing a really fascinating scent.

 

The spikenard is really what made me want to try this, and it doesn't disappoint - there's that lovely creamy, almost waxy floral, married beautifully with just a trace of very dry cinnamon bark (very bark-y, not red-hots/Cinnabon) & a bit of very realistic almond nutmeats (again, not cloying & foody). The fruit elements are the big surprise, though - tart & tannic & juicy & crisp, but with a slight honeyed richness around the edges... it shifts & morphs almost constantly, and I can't stop sniffing my wrist. At various moments, I smell grapefruit, tamarind, dragonfruit, Asian pear, lychees, green figs, heirloom apples.. If this is what Adam & Eve were faced with, I can't say I could blame them for giving in to temptation. I am dying to know what this miraculous fruit tastes like... Through it all, there's the botanic muskiness of the spikenard, like pollen dusted over warm skin.

 

In the end, The Tree is very similar to my beloved Tzadikim Nistarim, with a healthy swipe of Freak Show's funky juicy fruitiness. Really lovely, totally compelling, very distracting. It isn't an overtly sexy scent at all, but one of utterly undeniable temptation... Bravo, Beth!

[Ravenclaw79]

Wet: Caramel? No, not caramel... Tootsie Pops, chocolate Tootsie Pops. And green apple candy.

 

Dried and settled: Green apple, like SGA without the snow part, heady and green-apple-y. When you take a whiff, it hits the back of your throat, like you just took a swig of apple juice. Nice.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the imp, this smells like gummi bears, or perhaps more like those peach flavored gummis.

 

On my skin... burnt sugar and a sharp citrus, like lemon drops. It's cloying and a bit sickening to me. Other reviewers mentioned chocolate and fig notes, but I'm not getting anything like chocolate, fig, or earthiness.

 

After fifteen minutes, this is just lemon drops with an edge of burnt sugar. It's a very candied smell, but it's too sweet and simple for me. This is a light scent that doesn't have lots of throw, but it's still making me feel a bit nauseous. The Tree is just too sweet for me.

[quinctia]

How crazy. I ordered a bottle of this, because how could I not enjoy it somewhat with the spices and the fruit, and we can't forget the almond. Eclipse was my first love for a reason.

 

In the bottle, it smelled vaguely fresh. Planty and alive, but sweet.

 

On me, it wasn't unpleasant, but still sort of fresh and green. With perhaps an undercurrent of spice/resin, but certainly nothing standout. Not even the delicious juiciness I get from something like Akuma.

 

I'm completely baffled. I was sure enough of the scent that, even though I was "testing," I went and wore it out and it never grew on me. I don't usually buy GCs unsniffed, but the last time I did that was with Cockaigne and it worked out splendidly. I'm jealous of everyone else and their fruity/foodie results!

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

almonds and fruit - something with coral-peach coloured flesh (mango? peach? apricot?). interesting, but not for me.

[Lucretia]

I don't even really know where to place this one, but it's lots of fruit and then something else lurking in the back. This does smell a little but like gummy bears or some sort of fruit candy. For some reason this smells very festive to me, sort of like a holiday scent. This sort of gorgeous and mellow. I can't usually do sweet, but I seem to be able to handle this one really well! I don't know if this warrants a bottle for me, but I'll definitely use the imp on cold rainy days when I can use something a bit boozy and fruit scented.

[veronicafranco]

so i guess almond and fig amp on me... i'm getting no spice, a vague pretty fruitiness, and most strongly something like honey mone smells on my skin. almond and fig. kinda gritty and kinda cocoa. the lovely ralenth sent me a sniffie of this - i'd been curious about it and i'm glad i got to try it!

[Lyrical]

In vial: wow - pretty much just what it says! A cacophony of distinct fruit notes, over a softly spicy, nutty base, and really rather nice!

 

Wet on skin: hard to pin down! The bark/almond/spikenard base is creamy and brown, and it embraces the fruit and blends with it. The apple and grape lend a crispy contrast, and this scent is really something special!

 

Dry on skin: I love this one too! Tamarind just joined the party and is mingling nicely with the other notes. I'm so glad I've got this!

 

This also passed the second wearing test. It's so hard to describe a scent that is creamy/nutty/fruity/brown/smooth. People who enjoy the lab's Autumnal scents, especially To Autumn, should try this.

 

Verdict - I could definitely buy and use a bottle of this.

[stardreamer]

In the imp and fresh on: Eewww, boozy cough syrup! It's got the same sharp, burning alcohol scent as bakery vanilla extract, over something sickly-sweet.

 

After half an hour or so, the alcohol note fades and the fruitiness comes out a bit; I think I can identify at least fig and apple. I'm betting that the cough-syrup note is the tamarind, although I suppose it might be the spikenard -- I have no idea what that smells like.

 

After two hours, the throw is virtually gone; after six, so is most of the scent -- but I can still pick up that unpleasant cough-syrup smell.

 

Bottom line: Definitely a swap.

[milo]

Odd, I kind of get a chocolate vibe from this oil when it's first on. I get the other fruits, and gradually the chocolate fades (I actually think it's the grape that is translating into chocolate), and dries quite "winey", for lack of a better word. The fig and cinnamon is giving this a "health food" bar scent along with the wine, and I'm certainly not a fan right now. I'm thinking fig doesn't work for me, as this is the 2nd fig blend miss. Damn, and I just ordered Bodaicea...

[tarotgirl99]

This is a disappointment on me. I was hoping for a rich fruity blend in combination with my favorite essential oil, Spikenard. I can't smell the Spikenard and The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is not very full-bodied on me. The fig from Carnal (which I love) is up front, but there are no backup scents to make it intriguing. I will try it again because I'm about to take a shower, so I won't know how it morphs....but I suspect this is swap-pile bound.