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Showing results for tags 'Shungas 2014'.
Found 27 results
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Champaca magnolia, bourbon vanilla, blonde tobacco, and white honey. This is from a bottle straight from the lab. First impression- Wow. Definitely a cousin of Red Lantern, or maybe even a closer family member. That's the blonde tobacco, and it's all sweet and lovely on the first skin application. Next on the dry down, I'm really getting a sugared floral, which must be from the champaca magnolia. It reminds of something BPAL that I've smelled before and loved, and can't quite place. I hate when this happens. The tobacco and honey seem to anchor this with a warm heat- there's no giant honey overtone like Womb Fury, and the vanilla is not sticking out, it's an all around player. At this point it just seems to be a Day Walker, or lighter, version of Red Lantern. I tried this last night before I went to bed, and this morning right when I woke up, I thought, Midnight on the Midway. That's the other BPAL this reminds me of, and on today's retest, I can definitely say they share similarities. Overall, it's a fantastic blend and I'm glad I didn't hesitate on this blind bottle purchase. Since it's lighter than Red Lantern I'll get more wear out of it, so a backup may be necessary before the lupers come down.
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Rice flower, white cream, tea roses, abalone accord, white moss, beeswax, tuberose, and red currant. I think this might be my favorite of the Lupers I ordered this year. It feels opalescent to me, with hints of color—like white streaked with fine pinks and reds. The rice flower, cream, and rose are the most recognizable notes, with the abalone adding a hint of salty tang and the moss gently grounding everything. The beeswax, tuberose, and red currant are very subtle. In the bottle I can smell the florals much more clearly than on my skin. On the drydown it's absolutely beautiful and incredibly delicate—and the kind of blend that even people who are a little wary of floral notes might enjoy, because everything is so well-blended. It has cream, but it's not foody. It has florals, but it's not stridently floral (at least on me!). It has abalone and red currant, but it doesn't smell of the sea or dark berries. It smells like cloudy light through white, pulled-down shades, and the intimacy of skin on skin. The closest comp I can think of is To Helen, from the 2008 Lupers...also a favorite of mine. And it reminds me a bit of Chaste Moon. It shares a creamy, dreamy quality with both of those blends—and yet, of course, it has a distinct and luminous voice of its own. Tough to describe but definitely worth trying. ETA: Absolutely my favorite from my Lupers order, and it's hard to keep myself from wearing this every day!
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Peach blossoms and cherry blossoms with red musk, Oaxacan amber, copal, lilac, and white sandalwood. In the bottle: lovely soft peach and amber, yum. On my skin: soft peach mixed with soft cherry with my favorite red musk. The red musk is not screaming here but rather playing nicely with the peach and cherry blossoms. So far everything is going very well. The amber is also light and so is the copal (resin) and the sandalwood. Only at the very end do I smell lilac at all and that swirls in and out. This reminds me of walking through the tea gardens in San Francisco, a very calming and peaceful blend. Not only would I wear this during the day, I would wear this to bed to help me sleep. It it soft and comforting.
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Vanilla orchid, black amber, coffee bean, labdanum, champaca, and oudh. In the bottle: a soft creamy floral followed by a resiny light coffee note-yum. On my skin, I first smell a light creamy, resiny cafe mocha like scent mixed with a woody note. Surprisingly, I get no orchid here at all. I thought that this would be a heavier scent on me but it is predominantly a light creamy, lightly resinous, slightly sweet, scent. When it completely dries down I am left with the essence of the cafe mocha scent with a touch of the vanilla orchid ( more very light vanilla really)finally making an appearance and blending with the woody goodness of a simplistic Oudh. I can't believe that with all of what seems like dark notes, this can be such a light and airy scent on me. Another beautiful scent!
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King mandarin, green mint, green tea leaf, and white musk. I was very excited for this as I have fallen hard for King mandarin and must try everything that has it as an ingredient. I have tried this three unique times and each I get something different, so hold on, it's going to be a bumpy ride! In the bottle, mint is the most prominent. I'm not a mint lover (but I don't hate it, either) and not very familiar all the varieties. It's not soft like Go To Sleep, Darlings, Ded Moroz, Green Tree Viper or Snow, Glass, Apples, but sharper, ice-inducing mint, take-a-deep-breathe-and-feel-it-in-your-nose and the back of your throat. But the mandarin is there, tempering the cool with sunshine. I was most worried about the tea as it seems to overtake most scents on me, but this is not the case. It wants to hide, buried deep under the mint. Right now I'm not getting any musk (white musk, like in Fae, is one of my favorite notes). Now for a caveat: I always step outside to test my perfumes. Normally, it's very humid here (Florida) and it helps me judge sillage. But a wonderful thing happens as I step out (and it's cold for Florida today with low humidity); the mandarin steps up and now I am getting a perfect balance of mint and mandarin. A perfect scent for summer; cooling and refreshing. As this dries, there is a battle for dominance between the mint and mandarin, each in time taking the lead. The mandarin stays on top; the mint closer to the skin. The mandarin is crisp, clean; the mint, cooling; a perfect reflection of the battle of nature and season, yin and yang, finally melding together as one. Tea is making a quick appearance and stays close to mint; very fragile leaves needing a slow, steady warmth to expose its true nature, too afraid to take the lead. I am hoping with a little age the musk will help to temper and keep everything in check. The first time I tested (right out of the mailbox) I thought this needed less mint and more mandarin/musk, but today, after sitting for three days, it feels absolutely perfect and is an accurate representation of the image chosen for the label; quickly aggressive, calming, soothing and then, surrender and passion. eta: After several hours of being on my skin, the tea made itself know. A light, close-to-the-skin scent of tea, orange and a hint of musk. No mint to be found.
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Vanilla orchid, vanilla absolute, and black tea leaf. When I read the description of this one, I thought for sure it was going to be a multiple bottle purchase. The scent sounds gorgeous, and I'm sure it is, but it's so light that I feel like I really have to work to smell pretty much anything at all. I'll use the single bottle I have and get more Castitas instead.
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Florentine iris, white almond, and golden honey. I am using testing this on my skin as opposed to using it in the bath. In the decant: This smells like Dr. Pepper to me. Letting it sit for a few days didn't change that. It still smells like Dr. Pepper to me! If I inhale really deeply, I can detect a trace of the almond. The boy originally thought it smelled like “really good cough syrup.” I don't get that at all, and besides, how could cough syrup smell good? Wet: Dr. Pepper. It starts off that way and stays that way for a really long time. I am not familiar with Florentine Iris, but I think it must be that note giving me that impression. I looked it up online and discovered that it used to be used to flavor soft drinks. Dry: The honey has emerged, and the Dr. Pepper scent seems to have dissipated. It is now a very light floral scent that stays close to the skin. Verdict: Well, that was interesting! I won't be needing a bottle of this one, but I am glad that I was able to try it.
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Rosewood, red currant, green tea, and caramelized sugar. I'm horrible at reviews but thought I should write one because no one else has yet. Lovely, simply lovely. I used it as an after shower moisturizer. I was a bit nervous about the rosewood taking over because it really isn't my favorite but it was nicely balanced. I could smell each individual note and they blended well. I feel cuddly like I want to go hide under my covers but it isn't a heavy scent. It definitely has a early spring feel to it. I have a decant right now but am strongly considering a bottle should I have the funds before they go down.
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White frankincense, ho wood, Himalayan cedar, sweet myrrh, beeswax, and bamboo. In the bottle this smells very woody and sweet. I love ho wood scents so this really interested me and I was anxious to try it. I am not disappointed at all. It is warm and sweet on, with the predominate notes being the ho wood, sweet myrrh and beeswax. I amp cedar like crazy so I was a little leery of that note but I am happy to report that it is almost non existent on me. There is a soft, rich, earthy spiciness that makes this one of my favorites of this year Lupers the and I will definitely be getting a second bottle.
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Aged patchouli and ambrette with burgundy pitch, labdanum, orange blossom, gurjum balsam, and white sandalwood. I'll pretty much try anything with patchouli, so this hopped right into my cart. The patch pulls ahead with the ambrette, but it's brightened and softened by the orange blossom and the sandalwood. The balsam gives it a tangy touch that keeps it from being too relaxing and sleepy—make no mistake, this is a sexy spray. But I can also see myself spritzing a room just to be surrounded by its happy, hazy radiance. I think a lot of people will dig the incensy vibe of this atmo spray—it reminds me of some of the wonderful Fred Soll sticks I've burned. Earthy, sensuous, blood pressure-lowering stuff. Like the spray equivalent of a smoky eye done in copper, gold, bronze, and dark brown—smudged a little after a long kiss. Or y'know, a tortoiseshell dildo. One of my favorite atmos yet.
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Polished ebony, ho wood, apricot peel, patchouli-infused vanilla husk, Lebanese cedar, and vetiver. I love all the notes in this so bought a bottle unsniffed. I particularly love apricot and was hoping that since it was the peel, it would really stand out. When I opened the bottle, I was blasted with was PATCHOULI. All of you patchouli lovers can rejoice and just buy multiple bottles right away-you will be happy. Everyone else that is hoping that this is a subtle patchouli, no such luck here! This is a very heavy scent with strong woody notes, strong patchouli, no apricot anything including no sweetness, no vanilla that I can detect, and a trace of vetiver. Don't get me wrong, I am a lover of patchouli so I will keep this bottle, but I will not slather this, little goes a long way.
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Rosewood, silk, kōki wood, smoked bamboo, and bone. Shamisen is a beautiful, light scent that can be worn anytime. I was surprised by the shear lightness of the scent. This is a little sweet with just a little bit of spice in it. It took a good half hour to warm up on my skin but when it did, it was really fantastic! I could also detect a very faint touch of smoked woodiness coming through, not overpowering at all just blending in and adding to the overall appeal. Towards the end of the drying down period, the dryness of the bone came out. It rounded out the scent quite nicely. Overall, an exceptional scent that should appeal to everyone. To those who are not aware of it, rosewood is not a rose scent.
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Black tea, bergamot, red patchouli, peru balsam, and bourbon vanilla. In The Bottle: I get a sharp sliver of bergamot with a hint of the peru balsam- though the peru is also more sharp than I would normally expect. Wet On Skin: The tea note blooms spectacularly on my skin pretty much on contact. It's a really lovely, unmistakable lemon-y black tea. Dry Down: All black tea (with a hint of the bergamot citrus) all the time. In All: A light, close-to-the skin sort of scent. Although I'm slightly disappointed (and frankly confused) that the patchouli, balsam and vanilla have all chosen to simply not show up on my skin, I am really excited about having a straight-up tea scent. This is definitely the same tea note from Time's Infliction and my sadness with that scent was that I just wanted the tea. Now that Furo is in my life, I can have my tea and my Infliction too
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Sweet pea, cherry blossoms, and sugared cream. In the bottle when it first arrived: Upon opening the bottle, I get the sweet pea note. I have the single note, so I know it is the main floral I am getting in the bottle. However, the sugared cream note makes it a sweeter sweet pea (if that makes sense). I can smell another floral in the background that must be the cherry blossom. This is really promising! In the bottle a few days later: The cherry blossom note is far more prominent after the blend has settled for a few days. However, I can still detect the sweet pea note. Wet: I can detect all of the notes, but the cherry blossom note is the dominant note on my skin at the moment. It is really lovely. Although it is cherry blossom, I can detect cherry in the note (much like I get apple from the Lab's Annurca Apple Blossom single note before the blossom dominates). The sugared cream note is emerging more over time. It is more cream than sugar on me. Dry: Ah, the 'sugared' part of the cream has made an appearance! This has dried down to a sugared cream (like the kind one would eat with a scone) with cherry blossom. Verdict: Absolutely lovely. I will definitely be keeping my bottle and may get a back-up bottle if I don't fall in love with too many scents from this Luper update. *edit* On second wear, the sweet pea is more prominent on me than it was during the first wear, and the scent is even more gorgeous than it was before! I think this is going to age wonderfully. I may need a second bottle.
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Sake and matcha tea with amber incense, golden sandalwood, and yōkan. Straight out of the bottle is a light boozy scent (sake) followed by a sweet amber scent. On my skin, it is beautiful. The sweet light boozy scent fades somewhat but the amber lingers and the lovely sandalwood comes into play and mixes with the yokan, which I found out to be a jellied dessert made out of red bean paste, agar and and sugar. This scent seems almost slightly creamy, and I can almost detect a bit of citrus although no citrus is listed. This is a light, breathtakingly ethereal scent. If you are on the fence about this at all, but it, you won't be disappointed. This is absolutely stunning and I'm thrilled to have it.
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White sandalwood, Italian bergamot, Siamese benzoin, tobacco flower, and caramelized honey. In the bottle this smells so familiar to me but I just can't place it. It is warm and inviting, tantalizing with an underlying subtle sweetness probably from the caramelized honey. After wearing it I find that it is very light and not as heavy as I expected it to be after smelling it in the bottle. There is a light (very light) spice, some gentle whiff of citrus that is really soft and pretty. The warm sandalwood combined with the other notes makes this a beautiful fragrance that wears almost like a high end perfume. This is light and airy and delightful!
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King mandarin, passionfruit, Moroccan rose absolute, labdanum, and amber musk. I bought a bottle of this unsniffed because I adore King Mandarin, and generally fruit + musk equals win on me. I am not disappointed! I would put this in the same family as my beloved Sumai No Sechie. It's fruity, but the musk gives it a beautiful, complex anchor on which to do its thing. I'm not getting rose per se, but I think it's also serving to deepen the fruit notes. The mandarin and passion fruit are really lovely together, and I'm not getting any labdanum now (I did smell a bitter sharpness when this first came out of the mailbox, but it has smoothed out wonderfully.) Sometimes labdanum does unpleasant things on my skin. This is a very pretty, close-to-the-skin scent that I think would be perfect for everyday wear, especially in warmer weather. While the King Mandarin is very dominant when wet (which is fine by me), the dry down is far more blended and subtle, slightly musky with just a faint sweetness. Really lovely.
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Green tea, tobacco absolute, and agarwood. In the bottle this smells very rich and tobacco like. On my skin, it lightens up and it is warm, woody, a bit resinous and earthy. The green tea gives it the lightness and airiness it needs to make this a great Spring and Summer fragrance. The touch of warm tobacco and rich agarwood (Oud) gives it richness and depth. This is a gorgeous scent and will get better with age. I might need a second bottle of this.
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Sweet tonka, ambrette seed, golden musk, and smoky myrrh. I had to have a bottle of Playful Cat just because of the label art. I also wanted it because of the sweet tonka note. In the bottle, it smells incense-y. I mostly get the smoky myrrh note, and a hint of something that reminds me a bit of a note in Hair Loosened and Soiled in Mid Orgies -- it's either the ambrette seed (which I know that Orgies contains) or the musk note. When it is first sprayed, the myrrh note is quite prominent, and then it turns into a very powder-y scent. I had the boy walk into the livingroom to smell it, and he said it smelled like baby powder. (Note: He does not normally say this about scents.) I actually have to agree with him on that one. Once he said it, I couldn't stop smelling baby powder myself... well, a more expensive baby powder. Then, the myrrh note (and the note that reminds me of something in Hair Loosened and Soiled in Mid Orgies) returns. I will update this review if the scent ends up changing after settling for a few days, but at the moment, I am not loving Playful Cat.
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Green tea, yellow sandalwood, apple blossom, and white bamboo. This is yet another amazing scent from this year's Novel Ideas. In the bottle I smell lots of fresh apple and a hint of green tea and bamboo. Wet on my skin I get a lot of apple and green tea. It's sweet, like a spring shampoo that lingers in the bathroom after a shower. There's a hint of bamboo underneath, grounding it. I don't get any sandalwood. Dry: The apple has faded a lot, and is now a background note with its lingering sweetness. The green tea is strong, along with the bamboo. It's not as sweet now, instead very fresh, like a Japanese garden in the sun. Every now and then I'll get a whiff of something deeper, most likely the sandalwood. It's almost creamy at times. The notes have balanced out beautifully. None of them is overpowering. They harmonize gorgeously on my skin. This is definitely a win, and I'm highly considering a second bottle!
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Cypress boughs swaying in a crisp night breeze, with red sandalwood incense and blood grass. Well, I guess I will give my impressions since no one else has...its SO good. I think its the blood grass (whatever that is) that makes me think of red musk...not the cherry/grapey sort but a true red musk. The sandalwood incense is to die for and I don't get much cypress, though I can tell its there. My impressions are from a decant, just in case it matters. And I will be buying a bottle of this.
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White fig, tea leaves, oakmoss, and lilac blossoms. Such a lovely atmo for Spring! I mostly smell the moss, which has the same dusky, fresh, and floral quality of the Spanish Moss SN, and the lilac. The fig note is delicious, sweet and unripened, and there are gentle hints of tea. It's very fresh in a good way!
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White tea, golden apricot, and orange blossom. I didn't expect to love this nearly as much as I do, since I'm not really a lover of fruit scents. It is such a happy scent! The apricot (perfect, ripe, and juicy) is the strongest note and is sweetened, but not overly, by the orange blossom, which nearly smells like honeysuckle to me. There is a hint of greenness as well, which I think is the white tea note. So so good. If I get a BPTP backup from this collection, this is the one.
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Discussion on the First Climb of the Mountain of Passion Atmosphere Spray
doomsday_disco posted a topic in Atmosphere
Sugared vanilla rose, pink carnation, pink peppercorn, cistus, Oman frankincense, white peony, white moss, and lemon peel. In the bottle, the pink carnation is the dominant note. It pretty much dominates all of the other notes in this blend. After much sniffing, I can get a bit of the rose, moss, and frankincense out of this. This scent does seem like it would be appropriate for spring, and I'm hoping that I get more of the sugared vanilla rose and pink peppercorn out of this once I spray the scent all over the room. Once sprayed, the frankincense note is one of the prominent notes, and it smells like a frankincense and floral blend at first. I also sprayed this on a blanket, and I can smell the lemon peel note when I sniff the blanket, mingled with the floral notes (especially the strong pink carnation), moss, and frankincense. The scent on the blanket is sweeter (thanks to the lemon peel giving it a candy-like quality), and I prefer it to the scent of it in the room (which has mellowed out into frankincense, moss, and florals). The pink carnation is the strongest of the florals in this blend. I like this, but I'm not in love with it. I will keep my bottle, but I won't need a back-up of this one. -
French lavender, white plum blossom, white ginger, and rice wine. I just got this in the mail and wanted to share my initial impression, this usually changes but: Lavender is most prominent in bottle and wet on skin. Its not a TKO lavender but closer to the lavender in Needlework and A Nocturnal Reverie. Actually, this has a very similar vibe to Needlework. Dry - I get a hint of ginger and a nice soft hit of the rice wine. In short, if you think you will like this, get it. There are no surprises here if you like the notes involved. I think it is pretty now and may very well turn into a drop dead stunner in a few months time. ETA: After an hour the plum comes out! This scent has a gorgeous waft...it will certainly age well!
