An Appraisal of Sensual Pleasure in the Four Seasons

[cfrancesca]

Wild plum, lemongrass, frankincense, honeysuckle, and teak.

I find this one a resiny, mildly fruity, tart, floral blend. I get soft, but very present, frankincense, lemongrass (I don't find it quite as sharp as it usually is), plum, and soft honeysuckle.

ETA: After a short while the plum really amps up and it started to remind me of Dionysia.

[hkhm]

bottle: soft, fruity teak. this is delicate and pretty.

 

wet: i'm not usually a honeysuckle fan but this is incredible! the plum and lemongrass give this a zesty sweetness, add that to the more syrupy sweetness of the honeysuckle and the warmth of both the frankincense and teak... gorgeous.

 

dry: i'd say this is a bit more teak-y once dry, the sweetness is definitely the backnote. it's a dusty, delicate scent as it dries.

[Little Bird]

This scent is way too perfumey and fruity, which I was expecting, because plum and lemongrass don't often play nicely on my skin. The plum smells strangely dry and potpourri-esque, the lemongrass is sour, and the honeysuckle adds a warm, perfumey edge to the whole thing. There's a darkly powdery something in the drydown that might be the teak, but it doesn't smell much like woods or resins on me. It's a very dry smell.

[Invidiana]

Alas, this was gaaaaaah lemongrass on me. I never fail to amp the stuff, never. Unfortuantely to add to that, the honeysuckle was amping pretty hard too, and I have a really awful memory association of honeysuckle because of this gigantic honeysuckle vine we used to have that was a real magnet for bees and wasps of all stripes and sizes that never failed to scare the crap out of me. I can barely smell the frankincense, plum or teak at all because of how my skin amps these two damned things. It's basically just lemongrass to the 11th power and honeysuckle to the 10th on me.

Edited March 7, 2011 by Invidiana

[zankoku_zen]

An Appraisal is an odd mix for me. Apparently, I must amp up honeysuckle.

 

On wet, I got a fresh hit of lemongrass that smelled almost minty, combined with plum and a dash of honeysuckle. As it dried, the lemongrass burned off and I got more of the plum/honeysuckle mix. Completely dry, its more of honeysuckle, with a whiff of plum lending it a fruitier edge and some of the frankincense is peaking at the bottom.

 

It oddly smells like if you made honeysuckle into a tea. Feminine, sweet, fresh.

 

I am oddly attracted to it, and yet wonder if honeysuckle is too sweet for me.

[Deek]

Bottle: Minty lemongrass frankincese. Where's the mild fruity?

Wet on Skin: Teaky, lemongrass... Not really getting the plum.

Dry: Oooh the honeysuckle comes out much more. This is much more a delicate warm scent than fruity.

Overall: 2.5/5. Was really hoping for plumy, plumness. I dunno. Completely undecided about this.

[Dark Alice]

Something has gone horribly horribly wrong here. The plum has turned sour and rotten with the lemongrass. This smells like bitter plum wine...oy vay! This has to get off of me! NOW!

[Gin]

I'm really striking out with the last few Lupers I've tried. An Appraisal is all industrial bathroom air freshener on me. I wouldn't have guessed plum, lemongrass, or honeysuckle were here--normally I love them and they tend to love me. I think the frankincense is to blame. I get a sort of generic, cheap winter-holiday candle smell. Curse you, frankincense!

[PurringPulsar]

An Appraisal of Sensual Pleasure in the Four Seasons

 

In the imp: this smells like proper frankincense, and a hint of floral. Gorgeously smoky and almost churchy incense.

Wet on skin: lots and lots of incense here, with sweet plum and flowers.

Dry on skin: ohhh!! This is beautiful! If the plum and lemongrass behave, this could be a surprise winner of the Shunga series! This is absolutely crammed with a stunning frankincense note that smells just like incense burning in a temple or another sacred space. The addition of teak and flowers makes it less like church and more like an Eastern temple. The honeysuckle is sweet and heady but not soapy, whilst the plum isn’t turning bad on me like it can do in some scents, it adds sweetness. I don’t smell any lemongrass which surprises me because usually that note is too intense. All I smell is a glorious mix of honeysuckle and incense.

After a while: frankincense still stays strong, and nothing turns bad. This is glorious. The honeysuckle doesn’t turn soapy at all, it smells like this floral note should, and the plum is very subtle. I still don’t smell lemongrass! Just a sultry, sexy scent of warm honeysuckle scented summer evening air spiced with incense. I don’t smell teak now but it seems to add a nice base to the scent.

Verdict: a beautiful and surprising scent. From reading reviews I wonder if my decant has a crazy batch variation because it's just amazing incense and no evil lemongrass or sour plums. I liked the honeysuckle in Anathema but didn’t like the opium and vetiver, but this takes that honeysuckle and substitutes a stunning frankincense note. Those are the main notes here, a glorious duo of floral and incense with a little bit of plum for depth and fruity sweetness, and some subtle teak and very minimal lemongrass. I love frankincense and finding a good honeysuckle scent is rare so I definitely need a bottle of this one.

Is it a keeper? Yes-I need more...I just hope my bottle smells exactly like my decant!

If you like this, try: Anathema, Lune Noire, Christine, The Sluggard, Chimera

[milo]

Wet, quite fruity, but in a good non sweet kind of way. Dry, the wood and frankincense come out and the fruit is even more subdued. It is now more incensey and resinous, as another reviewer noted. I don't get any sourness at all, it was a bit soapy at first, but not on the dry down. Not a whole lot of honeysuckle here, just mainly slightly plum tinged resiny goodness. I'd like maybe a decant but not a whole bottle, it's quite well blended.

[ReallyZeb]

Wet: Strong lemongrass and very little else.

 

Dry: This is far more floral than I usually would like but somehow it works. I think it's the plum coming in as a rich note rather than a fruity one. I do get a background note of lemongrass which I love as it cuts through the floral sweetness, and some base smokiness from the wood and the frankincense. Oh dear, might have to find a bottle of this.

[mymymai]

ITI: Honeysuckle is very clear as the top note, but it isn’t impressively overpowering like orchid or lilac are. When I inhale deeply, the smell of teak creeps around the lemongrass, which is just under the honeysuckle. It’s a surprisingly soft and delicate scent.

 

Wet: On my skin, the lemongrass nearly meets the honeysuckle, reminding me a little of a hot toddy. There is a touch of fruitiness, I think this time it is the plum, and a very slight contribution fro the teak. However, when I reapply, the teak is much more prominent.

 

Dry: The scent is very close to the skin after 8 hours, so it doesn’t have the lasting power of the more resinous scents. However, what is left is a very charming combination of frankincense, lemongrass, and teak, although I get some plum on my other wrist.

[plantashes]

this scent is an absolute dream. i received a 25% full frimp with a little bit of leakage upon arrival. i leave it on my windowsill as a room scent, and it smells just as lovely as the day i got it. i used it for my first date (ever) and i got a compliment on it. i wore it on friday on my wrists and behind the ears and knees, and on monday, my watch still smelled like it. i absolutely love this scent, and i need to find a comparable one ASAP

[naeelah]

This one was a bit weird when it was new, but I bought it on the good faith that teak ages magnificently and I kept it put away.

 

Now that it's about a year and a half old, the scent is definitely improved. Instead of being a weird, sorta masculine scent, it's a gorgeously balanced unisex scent, and it's really great for spring and summer. I LOVE it when it's wet, but unfortunately, it turns soapy on my skin.

 

What I love about this scent is the simple balance of notes. A flower, an herb, a wood, a resin, and a fruit. They work together beautifully to make a light, clean [without being like a cleanser], tart floral blend that is well grounded. I get very little frankincense, but I can definitely smell the teak. The frankincense just serves to fill out the base notes and make them a bit richer. The lemongrass and the plum are beautifully zesty, but they don't overpower the honeysuckle. The lab's honeysuckle is bright with a sweet edge, and I think it's a great match for the tart fruit and teak. On my skin, the honeysuckle was strongest, but YMMV.

 

 

The scent is relatively straightforward, so if you like the notes, give it a try. I have many other scents with these notes, and they all remain true or improve with age, so I'm sure this will be even better in time.

[roseus]

In the imp: tart and herbal. Getting mostly lemongrass and frankincense

 

Wet: Frankincense often smells sharp and almost citrus-like at first and that's the case here. It's very tart.

 

Dry: The frankincense warms up and is sweet and smoky. Teak is a very 'slick' smelling wood to me, and I am getting faint hints of plum and lemongrass with a stronger tone of honeysuckle over it.

 

Overall: a very fresh incense-y spring scent but not particularly me!

[bellumed]

In the imp, the first whiff is a bright and clear, springy lemongrass before I get the hit of heady honeysuckle and frankincense at the base. Well dang, this is nice.

 

On skin: POW! Lemongrass and honeysuckle are a LOUD combination!  I don't mind it, but they sure make themselves known. Honeysuckle comes to the front on drydown along with a fruity backdrop. Over time the base that reveals itself (first frankincense, then the barely-there wood) and lends a bit more complexity.

 

The vibe says "traipsing around in the botanical gardens." Not my favorite of all time, but this is a pretty blend.

Edited February 16, 2021 by bellumed