Shango

[Tramp]

The Wrath of God, the Most Beautiful Lord of Lightning, the Owner of All Palaces. He is the illumination of a lightning strike in the night sky, and is the retributive strike of the rightful king. Shango punishes those who are not living up to their responsibilities. He gives insight to the truth in all circumstances, and is the essence of the thrill and excitement in life that makes every day worth living. To love Shango is to live life to the fullest, no matter what pains the world inflicts upon you. He is Wrath, and his lightning bolts and gouts of fire remind all of his strength and power. It is said that Lord Shango only speaks to his children once; when the God illuminates an answer for you, you had best understand with no further questions. Shango is trial by fire, the honing and refinement of the spirit, the ability to distinguish between truth and lies. He is a dual-faced God: King and Exile, miser and philanthropist, just and ruthless, honest and devious. Shango is the Lord of Persuasion, and his glib tongue can intimidate, coerce, sway and seduce. He is quick wit, articulate words, and the ability to think on one's feet. He is the King that can incite and enflame the masses with the power of his speech. His words are the sensual murmurs of the lothario, the slick wheedle of the grifter, the convincing argument of the barrister, the dangerous charm of the pimp, the inspiration of the warrior general, and the invigorating exhortations of the monarch. The Roar of Shango is a Universal Truth. Shango governs all professions that cater to the needs and weaknesses of the people. He is the absolute and perfect Male creature, and the rain that falls to earth is His blessed, sublime semen, giving life to the world. His abundant seed washes the land and replenishes Earth's seas, rivers and oceans. He sneers at cowardice, and demands that all of his children have daring spirits, strength of will, nerve and *balls*. Courage is of the utmost importance, as it empowers us to face adversity with dignity and enables us to act decisively and with resourcefulness. Live, don't simply exist. Shango's gifts make it possible for us to find the shortest distance between two points, wring out the best from every situation, recover from every seeming loss and every defeat, and defy all odds to reach our goals. He teaches us wily strategies, masterful tactics, and shows us the value of friendship and camaraderie. His is the comfortable, casual friendship found in just hanging out and having a good time with the guys. Shango is Challenge, the concept of finding the best parts of yourself through conflict and adversity. Shango's weapon is the double-headed axe, and His animals are the black cat and the leopard. The Master of Lightning's ofrenda contains red apples, banana, chili pepper, coconut, pineapple, pomegranate and sugar cane.

In the bottle - tropical smoothie

On: this is a crazy awesome blend! Hell yeah! The pineapple, banana, and red apple scents jump out at me. This has a lot of throw - the fresh apple scent is really coming out on my skin. There is a "green" base that grounds the scent - maybe the coconut (black?) and almost a green pepperish waft coming out when I huff my wrist. Edited March 31, 2010 by Shollin

[harmonyfb]

I was really looking forward to trying this one, as it seemed the most complex of all the new scents. I wasn't disappointed.

 

In the imp, this was watered-down grape soda. You know, where you had a glass of it, and your ice has melted, but you can still smell the grapey-ness when you lift the glass? Like that.

 

I applied it sparingly, as I feared a reaction to the chili pepper.

 

Wet, my skin drank it down until there was no scent at all. Weird. That happens sometimes.

 

Dry, it smells...a little of apples, and some darker spice (the chili peppers). It's not too sweet, though it's fresh and pleasant. Very layered, and yeah, very complex. This is one of those that I'll be shoving underneath people's noses and saying, "No, really, try it on!" So far, a keeper.

[abitcoconuts]

I sprung for a bottle of this one because I am lover of all things tropical and could NOT pass up a scent with banana and coconut.

 

In the bottle I get mostly pineapple and banana with something else coming out too.

 

On the skin, the different components take turns...sweet banana and pineapple at first, then I can smell the apple. Something else is there that I don't really recognize, which must be the chili pepper. This is wonderfully blended, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of fruity scents.

 

Wow...this is another amazing blend from Beth & Co.

[niter]

Imp

The banana smell is a bit offsettling, but the coconut and the pinapple are very fun smelling. I cannot pick up the other notes yet.

 

Wet

Ooh! Surprise! The apple note is pressed to the top of the blend. I can pick up the chili pepper for a unique spiced apple. The pomegranate is quick to rise and this smells as a dark, spiced blend with an exotic flavor. The banana, thankfully, is *very* faint.

 

Dry

There are so many elements I love in this blend: the apple, the pepper, the pomegranate, the pineapple. Sadly, though, the banana is still there. While the banana works extremely well with this blend, I am just personally not a fan of banana often. Though I know this one does not work for me, I appreciate its fullness, complexitiy, and the excellence in blending and I highly recommend it for a try.

[sarada]

Banana and coconut are not my favorite things in the world to smell. Banana is probably the only fruit that I don't like in general and I really dislike coconut as a smell.

 

But I love pomegranate, can dig pineapple sorta, and am OK with apples, so what happens here? Well I do smell banana but it's pretty faint, more like the banana candy scent that I get from lotus scents and I don't smell coconut at all. Pomegranate and a general thick, fresh fruit cocktail are my impression.

 

Since I like fruit scents that smell like real, natural fresh fruit (not baked goods) it's pretty appealing. Chili pepper doesn't really jump out at me either, but it's an energizing blend, overall. I'm glad I overcame my fear of banana and coconut to give it a try, it's really quite a nice thick dark fruity scent. There aren't many occasions that I'd wear it, but perhaps during a thunderstorm, when lightning is in the air, it would be just the thing to dab on as I watch the skies.

[shelldoo]

in the vial: fruity goodness, namely banana and apple

 

wet: whooooo fresh apples, juicy and fresh and some banana thrown in for good measure.

 

as it dries the other fruits come out to pla, all oi can say is wowser, just an amazing fruity fun scent i am able to discern each of the red apples, banana, coconut, pineapple, pomegranate, yet not chili pepper, nor sugar cane although i imagine the sugar cane is mixed in fairly well w/ all those sweet fruits.

[Athenae]

THIS is what I was hoping The Hesperides would be. Beth's fruits tend to turn wax on me, but this is lovely.

 

Imp: Apple and banana, fresh apple like you get at a Farmer's Market, picked that morning with the leaf still on the stem.

 

Wet: Apple, apple, apple. It smells like fall.

 

Drydown: Now the apple turns more powdery, but not in a bad way, because the banana and spice come out to play.

 

Puttin' this one on my "get a bottle sometime" list. It's a great summer scent.

 

A.

[kiio]

I smell.... grape kool aid powder? It's not bad, but it goes strangley artificial sweetner when it hits my skin, and smells really odd. After about 30 minutes of dry, its has a more apple scent, but the grape kool aide is still there.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

BANANA!

 

On me:

It goes on wet very much like a fruit smoothie - I smell the apple and banana most predominantly when this is wet.

 

As it dries down though, it begins to soften up into a slightly different scent. It's got a lightly fruity feel to it, but it's very hard to seperate one note from another. I don't really get banana or apple or anything else, but it does have a very tropical fruit *vibe* to it. I can't smell the coconut specifically but I get the feeling it's there in that general tropical smell. I know that's kind of wierd to say, but it's true. Kind of like when you put suntan lotion and you get a coconut vibe out of it, but it doesn't actually smell like coconut? I don't know, but this is definitely tropical feeling. Behind it is a sort of faintly bubblegum smell though as well. I don't find it distracting, but thought I'd point out that it's there.

 

Two things I don't think I'm picking up on at all though is a bite of chili pepper or the tartness of pomegranate. Neither seem to be there to me, but again these notes are so blended together that it's just that I can't *pick them out*

 

Final note:

This is very pleasant and I think would be great for Spring and Summer. It makes me think of the beach and suntan lotion and fruity drinks. It is surprisingly subtle though!

[filigree_shadow]

I put a little swipe of this on my wrist and thought it smelled a bit like Scherezade, which makes NO sense. So I put a more generous amount on and sniffed again. Big apples this time, but that really only lasts for about 10 minutes and then everything starts to blend.

 

I'm finding out that I like these chili peppers. It's the right kind of spicy quality for me, I think. And the coconut gives it a creamy background. I thought the pineapple would be overwhelming, but to be honest I don't think I can even smell it. The weird thing is that I am still reminded of Scherezade, only sweeter. There's no red musk in this, so I wonder what combination of notes is giving me that impression.

 

This is a fantastic blend. I'm not nuts about the apple stage but I love it after that. It's quite intriguing -- one of the ones where I have trouble picking out the notes. Very well done! Shango is going on my "wanted" list for 5mLs...

[Little Bird]

I don't normally like fruity blends, but I was intrigued by the banana and chili pepper in this one. I love that this doesn't smell artificial or overly sweet on my skin, it's more like a real banquet of fresh fruits.

 

The apple is the strongest note on me, and it smells rather crisp and clean. I can also pick out the sweet banana and a medley of other tropical fruit scents in the background. The chili pepper adds an exotic spiciness that I really love, but it fades away considerably after an hour or so. After several hours, this is a smooth blend of tropical fruits, with no single note jumping out at me specifically.

 

Shango is definitely not a typical fruity blend. It's very crisp and refreshing, more of a cool scent. It doesn't smell nauseatingly artificial like fruits usually do on me. I definitely need a 5 ml of this one for the summer

[mandragora]

Straight from the lab. In the bottle, Shango is a fruity, tropical smoothie with an unusual minty kick. Wet on my skin, sweet, sweet fruits. All the fruit components just bust out and party. The apple boogies with the banana, while the pomegranate shimmies with the pineapple. And the coconut keeps everybody from becoming too wild .

 

As it dries down, it mellows to a well-blended fruity nummyness with some spicy chili pepper backround. Oh my, this is just beyond lovely. After my initial misgivings on the wet stage (like getting a Jamba Juice spilled on me), Shango more than made up for it when it morphed beautifully later on. It sticks close to the skin and lasts about 8+ hours on me.

 

Verdict: Two thumbs up! .

Edited April 27, 2006 by mandragora

[magpiedee]

Shango... is exactly like Lady MacBeth deep-throating a banana.

 

In the imp, I found it vile and reminiscent of cough syrup and hearth smoke, but after reading the reviews, I knew I had to try it. And thank goodness I did! It's got that deep, mellow, smokey aubergine-merlot of Lady MacBeth, but with a warm summer component of coconut and banana that makes it infinitely wearable. I almost ran off the road this morning sniffing my wrists. I was going to order a 5mL of Hell's Belle, but I will probably get Shango instead.

 

Huzzah for Shango!!

[fallow deer]

Hnuh? Fresh on the skin I get all the zappy fruity notes, and as others have noted it's nicely dark. However, as time progresses I am getting strong, almost offensive wafts of red musk from the back of my hand and it's rather too much. It's not listed as a note and I'm not one to swear a note is in a blend when it's not mentioned but... red musk...

[Medici]

In the bottle: OMG! Cocoa? Chilli? BANANA! Apple. Apple. Chilli! They're all elbowing each other out of the way and no one wants to make room for anyone else.

 

Wet: Banana and chilli seem to be tag-teaming everything else. Apple comes up second, followed quickly by a short pomegranate rush.

 

Drydown: I think I get a touch of sweet pineapple if I turn my arm just so, but for the most part, the apple is dominating. It's crispy and tart and makes you want to pucker your face.

 

it reminds me of the market where I buy my fruit and vegetables... actually... it smells exactly like that. Shango's a fruit market. (Not that sterilized supermarket crap... I mean the real deal... and actual market thankyouverymuch.)

 

Verdict: We likey. 4/5 on Medici's Scale o' Lurrrve

[Rock Goddess]

I was pretty sure from the beginning that Shango wasn't going to work for me, since I have an intense loathing of all things banana. But I had to give it a whirl, because it also has my magic note of coconut in it.

 

In the imp, I'm getting cough syrup and something very sharp...I'm guessing the chili pepper.

 

Wet on my skin, at first I was getting apple, lovely, juicy apple. But it quickly started turning into screaming banana.

 

Dry, it's still banana. The smell isn't making me gag like real bananas tend to do, but it's not a scent I'm fond of wearing. I'm not picking up on the coconut, or the pomegranate. After 30 minutes or so, it's sugary banana, with a hint of apple. And something vaguely powdery.

 

All in all, I think this one would good on someone else, but with my aversion to banana, it's just not me.

[slave1]

In Bottle: A Jamba Juice smoothie

 

On Skin: I smell the coconut right away… very sweet. Next up is the red apple, I can even smell the peels!! So fresh and crisp! The pineapple and banana jump out too, very tropical and very drinkable! I don’t smell the pomegranate yet, sadly, because I love that note. The sugar cane offers a sweet note as well, but also it has a slight watery note that helps even things out and prevents the scent from being to syrupy. The chili pepper gives a little hello from the back, it’s spicy but not enough to make me sneeze, just enough to give the scent a little more depth and slight warmth. This scent reminds me of the smoothie bar I practically lived at in Cozumel. So juicy and fresh… I must have a smoothie right now!!! And joy, about 20 minutes into the drydown, I smell the pomegranate!!!! Yep, that’s it… right out of Swank. Very nice!!!

[Magda]

Wet on the skin, this is pineapple so tart it makes my tongue curl. It stays predominantly pineapple on me, with tiny little hints of banana and sugar. The best part (for me at least) is that when I put my nose to my wrist I get tropical fruit, but when I get whiffs of it from a few feet away it's like a sexy, fruity red musk. Since I love red musk, this makes me very happy. I think this will be my new summer scent.

 

Edited because I can't spell, and because the longer I wear this, the more I'm starting to think that the lovely throw I interpret as red musk is really the chiles deepening the fruit. It's delicious, no matter what it is.

Edited April 19, 2006 by Magda

[iriedanym]

Holy moly! This scent hits you with the full force of fruit. The apples, banana and pineapple are at the forefront, and there is definately sugar cane and coconut. After the second sniff, I could pick out the pepper, which gives Shango a spicy edge. Knowing a little bit about Shango from studying different religions, I think Beth got his scent down pat.

[LiberAmoris]

Mmmm, Shango's like a tropical drink! I love the red apple note, it's so surprising but works perfectly. There does also seem to be some musk in play here, as it has that sexy throw that musk always gives off on my skin.

 

As much as I enjoy Shango, I'm just not a fan of bananas (the fruit or the note) and I think this might just be a little too much for me in that regard. But what an unusual and cool blend this is!

[sarahmarie]

In the bottle, this is kind of a fruity assault on your nose. Wet on my skin, I smelled apples and banana very strongly. It was pleasant and light and even though banana isn't my favorite thing ever, it was good.

 

As it dries down, Shango is becoming more musky. It has a warm musk that's reminiscent of Smut, a bit, and I can really smell the tang of pomegranate, a hint of banana, and just a hint of coconut close to the skin. I think I can detect the chili pepper, but it has more of an amping, warming effect that an actual distinctly identifiable note, if that makes sense.

 

I didn't expect the musk, and I'm not sure how I feel about it, so it's going to take a few more wearings before I'm sure, I think. But the temporary verdict: surprisingly sexy and masculine, but in a totally wearable-on-a-girl-too kind of way.

 

ETA: After a while, Shango got a little too...sharp on me. I'm going to give it another try on another day, but I had to wash it off. Stupid skin chemistry.

Edited April 24, 2006 by sarahmarie

[cupide430]

This definitely started out quite banana-y with an almost juicy fruit like edge to it. It has mellowed down into a sort of even sweet scent with a slight fruity edge. I want to say it is the pomegranate, but that might just be power of suggestion from having read the description. This isn't bad on me, for a fruity scent, but fruity scents usually aren't my thing.

[summer]

Mmmmm! A masculine, aggressive tropical fruit. Most fruity fragrances are girly, candy-like scents, but not Shango. Shango is bold, tart, ripe fruit. It almost smells a bit dry and slightly musky, but it is predominantly fruit with a spicy edge. It smells hot -- like jungles, like friction, and like ENERGY.

 

I love it! It is an energetic, powerful blend that makes me feel ready to get up & go.

[clover]

Shango

 

First impression: Tropical fruit lifesavers.

 

Upon application: Upon application it's the tart apple that is the most noticable note. None of the other fruits jump out at me, but they blend to give the impression of a bevy of spices - a la Lampades. Really lovely, earthy and bold.

 

A few minutes later: There seems to be a slight crystalizing sugariness to it, as well.

 

A while later: Shango surprises me by turning just a little bit watery. Not heavily aquatic, but defnitely a little bit...watery. It's really, really nice.

 

Conclusion: I was wary of a few of the tropical notes in this one, but it turns out to be a big winner.

[maewitch]

Whoa baby, banana cream pudding is what I get at first, followed by crsipy apples, with a sprinkle of something spicy. So sweet and yummy.

 

The banana fades somewhat, but this retains that wonderful sweetness. Delicious without being overwhelmingly foody, somehow.

 

It's tropical without being stereotypical.

 

Really like this.