The Fruit of Paradise

[moonarcana]

The Fruit of Paradise, the Nectar of Death: bittersweet pomegranate.

 

Absolutely gorgeous!

 

Fruity, but without the sticky sweetness that accompanies most fruity scents. This is fresh and full force pomegranate, with something slightly darker lurking beneath the surface.

Sophisticated and very sexy - I'll be getting a bottle for sure!

[Medici]

In the bottle: Hoy! It’s all the hardcore, juicy pomegranate of Crypt Queen without the dust. Very tart, very juicy.

 

Wet: Juicy, juicy pomegranate – super tart.

 

Drydown: It’s resolved to turn into pucker-sweet, nose-tingling, lightly sugared pomegranate. Very nice, but it fades fast.

[shellyshells]

So gorgeous when wet! Its a darkened but ripe juicy pomegranate

 

As it dries I get subtle soapiness in the background... I might still get a bottle though, in case aging makes a difference.

[rainbow]

This is a big, red ripe pomegranate. There are distinct juicy pomegranate notes. When wearing, this is also has a lovely deeper undertone- I'm not sure what it is, maybe amber? or some kind of musk? In any case, the undertone gives the scent depth and makes it more than just a fruity scent. I really like this one!

[Little Bird]

I put off trying on The Fruit of Paradise because my skin chemistry seems to do awful things to bpal's pomegranate notes. It goes on as a bitter, tart pomegranate. The note tends to smell like sweet tarts on my skin (even slightly powdery and dry), which I don't really want to smell like. It actually does seem a bit juicier and chilly in the drydown of this scent, but it's still an overly tart scent for my tastes. After ten minutes or so it starts to get perfumey and I wonder if this has some sort of musk in it? The Fruit of Paradise, on me, is tart pom and hints of sharp musky-something. I wish I knew what was actually in this. Other reviews mention pine and spice, but I'm just smelling tart fruit and musk.

[akiko]

I've always been fond of the Persephone myth, so I had to get a decant of this to try it out.

 

Imp: fruity, with a hint of something dark behind it. Musk, maybe, or amber.

 

Wet: Ooh, pomegranate and that dark note. I noted a light floral behind it, which worried me (florals are my death notes.)

 

Dry: It's got a lot of that dark note, which I'm more convinced is amber, because my skin chemistry really likes amber, and a good bit of the pom. It's nice, and it evokes Persephone to me.

 

Verdict: I'm going to have to buy a bottle before mid-Jan. My wallet cries.

[bristlecone]

I just applied this a few minutes ago and so far it's a near dead ringer for the Midnight Pomegranate scent at Bath and Body Works. Seriously, if you want a very good idea of what Fruit of Paradise smells like, go to your closest B&BW and sniff Midnight Pomegranate. Though I must say that when I pull my wrist away from my nose, I catch whiffs of something that MP doesn't have... something almost citrusy. That may be some aspect of the pomegranate scent that Bath and Body Works wasn't able to capture. Or maybe it's the amber that at least one other reviewer has mentioned.

 

This is gorgeous but I'm wondering if I should have ordered it, seeing as how I have trial sizes of the MP lotion and body spray. Oh well... if nothing else, I now have a beautiful pomegranate scent to use in my oil burner.

[slave1]

THE FRUIT OF PARADISE

 

In Bottle: Tart pomegranate

On Skin: Ooo! A true pomegranate scent! Wow! So tart, bright, red and juicy. It is dark and has a perfumey edge to it. The fruit is ripe and dripping with it’s juices. I want to eat and drink it! Slightly powdery after dry down, but still gorgeous. This is a great oil to wear as well use as a room scent. It has that same sweet powdery candy feel Snow White has but amped and more tart. I love this and am sad the wearlength is pretty short. About 10 minutes into wearing it it has almost completely faded. I need to make a lotion and body spray of this to layer and enjoy all day. Light throw and short wearlength.

[Pepperminx]

Another Yule that I absolutely adore! I seem to amp pomegranate like mad, which is sad because I wanted to love Swank so bad that I bought a 5ml bottle, but I had to sell it off again because it gave me headaches.

 

But The Fruit of Paradise has enough of something else to take the edge off the pomegranate, yet all I get is sweet juicy pomegranate - if that makes any sense. It also lasts and lasts and lasts, and the throw is awesome! The smell still lingers in a shirt of mine, even though it was two days ago that I wore it and the scent.

 

I had some reservations about buying this as a bottle considering my issue with pomegranate, but I set out to buy all the Yules this year (I missed last year's, sniff!) so it made the cut, and I'm so glad it did. I might even get another bottle!

[The_Merf]

Much like the pomegranate in Swank, there is a fuzziness here about the fruit note, but the note itself is stronger. This does smell a lot like the juice from the pomegranate seed pouches that I pull out of the fruit itself. I don't get a touch of bitterness here--there is 'darkness,' but I think that is just the typical depth of a pomegranate (either that or it might be from some type of 'leaf' note like in Jersey Devil or Alecto or Crypt Queen). In fact, the more that it dries down, the more I think there might be a note like that added in (maybe even some pepper or other spice like that...my nose does tickle a little bit). The juiciness and 'true to fruit' sense remains while the scent dries down, but I think that I just have to accept that no matter how much I love to eat and drink pomegranate-based products, I can really take or leave the smell itself on my skin.

[oddment]

In the bottle: pomegranate with some less-familiar scent that in my relative inexperience I view as just "perfume-y."

On my skin: I smell like pomegranate tea! Just about exactly!

I applied this to my nape and hair slightly Friday night, and when I woke up this morning I found that I had my head nestled into a pillow that smelt very nicely of that same pomegranate tea. Ahhh. I had no problems with wearlength, but that may have been due to applying it to my hair; on my wrist I thought I could still pick up a very faint sweet scent.

This is really lovely and extremely wearable for me.

[Mountaingrrl00]

In the vial: This is the same pomegranate note as in Swank. In fact it smells to me very much like Swank but with less of the ozone factor that made Swank unwearable for me.

 

On skin: The pomegranate gets richer and earthier. I can almost taste the dark red, bitter juice.

 

Drydown: Strong and heady -- I could get drunk on this smell. I think this is one I'll want to apply judiciously in most situations. It's a very assertive scent. I bet it would be good for wearing to crowded clubs and that sort of thing.

[Miss Lynx]

There's really not much to say about this one other than: yep, that's pomegranate. It's pretty much like a single note -- there may be traces of other things in it, but they're very faint. I like pomegranate just fine, but this doesn't have the complexity I want in a scent. I guess I'm just not a single-note kind of person.

 

Grade: C+

[BlueStarGirl]

Oh pomegranate note, I want to love you as much as I like pomegranates, but I just don't.

 

Like Swank and Persephone this smells like fake fruit candy, bubblegum, and then baby powder on me.

 

Alas, I shall have to pass my imp on to someone who can truly appreciate it.

[edenssixthday]

Fruit of Paradise – Mmmm. Mmmmmm. Mmmmmmm!!! This is a deep, dark red, juicy, sweet pomegranate that’s warmed up by the scent of soft florals and mulling spices. It reminds me of something you might smell as you’re milling about at a holiday party in a secluded log cabin, wearing your favorite winter sweater, drinking sparkling champagne, and feeling the warmth of the nearby fireplace. It’s kind of like the scent of the potpourri aisle at Hobby Lobby at Christmastime – only not in a bad way. It’s the perfect Christmas scent. I want my house to smell like this. I want my kitchen and bathroom and my dogs and my car to smell like this. I want to drink a cocktail that tastes like this smells. I will be using this in my oil burner and I will also be wearing this to our family g athering on Christmas Eve. It’s gorgeous and lovely and a truly amazing pomegranate blend. It’s strong initially, fades quickly, and is totally worth reapplying. Mmmm!

[Gale]

Oh, beautiful!

 

Wet: Pomegranates, of course. Deep and strong and sweet.

 

On and dry: Wow. Pomegranate with something maybe a little musky and spicy that deepens it and keeps the fruitiness in check. This is absolutely gorgeous, and lasts for hours (and I wasn't even slathering).

 

This might require a second bottle. It's perfection itself.

[Tulliver]

In the bottle: Ooooooh, lovely pomegranate with maybe just a hint of something else - something a little smoky perhaps.

 

Wet on skin: Sweet but not TOO sweet. Definitely pomegranate, but there is that bitterness there too - I have no idea what it is, but it works. It works VERY well indeed.

 

Dry: Bah. My skin just eats this up. After only ten minutes all I'm left with is the merest hint of a sweet fruity smell. It's absolutely lovely, and I'll definitely keep my bottle, but it doesn't live very long at all. Maybe it'll do better at a different time.

[Iceblink]

Sweet, juicy, delicious pomegranate! Oh, I want to eat you up...hey, where'd you go?

This is beautiful and yummy and it lasted all of 30 minutes on me. There's only a faint trace of fruity sweetness left. Dagnabbit!

[Rheliwen]

Gah! Man, I thought pomegranate loved me. I thought the note in Crypt Queen that made it hate me so was the raspberry...but I guess I was wrong.

 

This is really sharp, tart, and somewhat bitter pom. Underneath it I do smell a little spice there but this is mostly the fruit. Too much of this makes me nose itch but it does smell nice in small doses.

 

As it fades it gets a crayon/waxy smell to it.

 

I'm undecided about this as of yet. I was hoping for a rounder, smoother pom than what I am getting based on others reviews.

 

ADD:

 

Ok, so I gave this a not so stellar review a few days ago. I tried it again, and slathered like hell (the original test was only a dab)...and I love it! That tart, bitterness is gone as it's a creamy pom now. So happy.

Edited December 20, 2007 by Rheliwen

[amyw]

I took a chance on this one. I say that not because I don't like pomegranate, since Persephone is one of my favorites, but because Swank was too tart on me and the reviews here talked about how much pomegranate they get from this. I thought I needed something more to temper the pomegranate the way the rose does in Persephone, so I wasn't sure I was going to like this one. Now I wonder if that wasn't the boozy note in Swank that made it too tart for me.

 

This doesn't last long, sadly, so it may be a good candidate for hair or a scent locket. While it sticks around, it's really really nice! I agree that it's pomegranate with something darker behind it. It's not too sweet and not too tart and not too fruity, but it's a bit of all three. Glad I got a bottle, for sure.

[myoubi]

I was gifted this from the lovely djnevermore

 

I'm not one for fruity scents (at all) but this is actually quite nice. Juicy red fruits, sweet but not oversweet or cloying. People have mentioned amber, and while I don't smell it meself, there's definitely something grounding the pomegranate and keeping it from flying off into the land of fizzy fruity overkill. If you don't like fruity scents, give this one a shot. I will treasure my partial for wear in the summer, and may need to supplement my collection with a full imp.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is sweet pomegranate. When first on it's very strange- smells almost like celery salt?? along with a buttery, nutty note and the pomegranate underneath. This softens very quickly. This doesn't change much more on me. This is a nice full bodied pomegranate blend, not as sweet as Persephone. Very nice.

[blktauna]

Initial sniff from bottle: Real fresh pineapple or star fruit but no acid hit. I taste something woody/pulpy. No pomegranate though.

 

Wet on skin: Grilled pineapple and brown sugar. Not over sweet, just enough to keep the fruit mellow.

 

Dry on skin: The same only almost vanished

 

Staying Power & Throw: No throw and no staying power. Gone in only a few minutes.

 

Overall Opinion: Sadly I was hoping for Indian restaurant pomegranate juice smell and this isn't it.

[Jilara]

Mmmm, wet, we're red fruit, red fruity jam made with red wine. Yes, distinctly pomegranite, since it reminds me a lot of sipping Pom juice. But there's a red berry-like note, as well. Sweet and thick like syrup, almost cloying.

 

Dry, it gets a tart-er note. There is just a skosh of apple cider in the very background. Pomegranite and apple, with a bit of red currants, I think. Hmm, wasn't it a red currant berry Marioya ate that got her with child and had her giving birth in the stables of Hisi, the negative force? Okay, maybe I'm reading a bit of Finnish mythos into the paradise myth. But red currant would fit. I'm picking up something in background that could be a musk, too, but it's very faint.

 

I think this is one of my favorite fruit scents so far, right in there with Spiked Punch. A lot of the apple scents go wonky on me (Both Persephone and Hymn to Proserpine, mentioned in other reviews, are absolutely ghastly with my chemistry), but this one is yummy, but still has a slight cider note. Definitely a good one.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, this is plastic-y at first, but it becomes clearer as I sniff.

 

On, it's a subdued fruityness - very much up my usual alley.

 

When it's dry - first off, this has AMAZING throw, I've never had a scent waft so much. It's sweet, but sullen - a little pouty, but still delicious.