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Showing results for tags 'Shungas 2015'.
Found 17 results
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PLEASANT EMBRACE Lemon-silvered musk and white pear. In the bottle: Whoa PEAR! Wet: Still pear... The words that came to mind were "glittering pear." Something is coming off as almost "sharp" like glass. I'm not digging this right now. The sharpness and pear are kind of harsh. It's like the pear is a big bully and musk is trying to stand up for itself by turning into shards of glass. Dry down: Just when I was about to give up on this, magic happened. The white musk and pear decided they really were meant to be friends. The musk starts to deepen and calm the pear. My nose interprets this as "spiced" pear. I know there aren't any spices, but that stunning musk really gives me the vibe of an autumnal pear. I get no lemon in this this. This is going to be stunning in the fall when I want fruit but not bright fruit. This might be good for those who feel most fruits give a "too young" vibe but really like the actual scents.
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SERVING TEA AFTER COITUS Green tea, heady honey, white plum, ambergris accord, and vanilla flower. Fresh out of the mailbox! I tried this lovely oil first because I love the image so much. This is a very light and delicate perfume that evokes a satisfied sigh and sunlight coming through sheer curtains in early spring. The scent hugs the skin and reminds me of honeyed vanilla green tea. Very lovely!
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STARTLED TOAD Golden amber and coconut with frankincense, frothy vanilla, carnation, sweet aged patchouli, and lemongrass. I looooooooove this. Startled Toad is like a who's who of notes I adore: coconut, lemongrass, amber, patchouli...I get all of those (and they blend together beautifully), along with just a touch of frankincense's bite and maybe a hint of vanilla. The carnation is just adding some spicy sweetness. This is really lovely, not too sweet, and smells like classic Shunga to me. I am so glad I bought a bottle.
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COMPARISON OF CELEBRATED BEAUTIES Vanilla cream, mimosa, and almond blossom. In The Bottle: Mostly almond. A tiny, tiny hint of cream. Tiny. Wet On Skin: More almond, a bit more cream. Almost as an afterthought, the mimosa. but it's literally as I move my hand away from my nose that I get a small whiff. Noting more. Dry Down: Oh THERE you are, mimosa! Wow, that certainly morphed. The mimosa has gone quite powdery on me, a thing that's happened between me and this note before. It *is* held in check by the appearance of the vanilla cream, giving it some density and toning down the floral so it's not quite so baby powder-y. At this point, the almond has disappeared from my skin entirely. In All: Low to medium throw- go easy, I could see this becoming too much if you slather. A sweet, soft springtime scent. I'm personally on the fence about how much I'll wear it, but the vanilla cream is really making me consider. I will wait to see how I feel once it's warmed up outside- this might be the perfect thing for an evening spring stroll.
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MOUNT FUJI REFLECTED IN LAKE MISAICA An oakmoss chypre with black cypress, wild mint, labdanum, pine needles, white sandalwood, and white cedar. I'm reviewing Mount Fuji Reflected in Lake Misaica because I'm a little worried that it will be lost in the shuffle amongst the other Shungas this year, and I think it deserves a shoutout. This blend is like the palate cleanser to all the sweets and florals in the Lupercalia release. The best way I can describe this is green, as the most prominent notes when wet are oakmoss, black cypress, mint, and pine. The labdanum (which smells a bit like green-brown ambergris here), white sandalwood, and white cedar anchor this blend and come forward on the drydown. Wet, this is a cavalcade of mouthy greens, a little tingly due to the mint and the camphorous spangle of evergreens. As it dries, the oakmoss pushes forward like a marathoner. Fully dry, this is oakmoss chypre with white sandalwood and white cedar—pale woods and oakmoss. The mint and cedar do not amp on me in the slightest—the mint burns off early and the cedar is held in check by the oakmoss. If you love oakmoss...definitely try this one! It's like the cologne version of walking through the woods in early, early spring, when a cold snap is still possible and the evergreens are still bleating their song of survival over the trepidatious spring herbals. I'm going to put this bottle with my husband's collection, and convince him to wear it on our next evening out...and wear it myself, from time to time.
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A COMMENTARY Ripe apricots and neroli-tinged red musk with bergamot, bitter clove, and vetiver. This is really delicious. The vetiver is sort of like an "earthy " or dirt note, but it's tamed by the red musk. The apricot is sharp in the best way. The clove is there but very tempered also. This is fascinating, very different from anything I have but I really like it. Very lush. Not foody.happy to report the vetivert takes a hike pretty quickly, and the apricot remains with a gentle but present red musk. I love the drydown.
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White coconut, thick wildflower honey, and threads of saffron. this starts off with something a bit rubbery and sweet smelling, then out comes the coconut and honey. the saffron is sweet bordering on fruity. it smells like a pina colada to me. the honey seems to be just hanging in the background adding richness. this scent is very, very sweet on me, but i tend to amp sweet/fruity notes, so maybe that's why. it takes awhile but after about maybe 45 minutes the sweetness is tempered some and it's getting a little more honeyish, which improves the scent on my skin. it smells very tropical, honestly. not really what i was expecting, but my skin chemistry does strange things sometimes.
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IVORY VULVA Marshmallow root, coconut, macadamia milk, cream accord, and a drop of golden amber. This is definitely a creamy coconut scent. I've had it on for about 30 minutes and it's stayed the same. The other notes don't stand out to me but I think they're what's making this a warm coconut as opposed to just coconut. If you like coconut you will like this. It reminds me of the coconut in Goblin without the patchouli.
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JOYFUL ROMP Plum blossoms and white sandalwood with indigo, tuberose, plum musk, and a drop of vetiver. I have been looking forward to testing this and it arrived today! Disclaimer: i don't like vetiver. I *almost* didn't get a decant because of it but i love plum so very much that i crossed my fingers that it would behave. If there's a way that vetiver could improve a blend, i would say it does here. I can smell it, but the way it supports the plum is exquisite...just lends a smooth bitter/reedy quality to the blend. It smells like the plum musk is infused with vetiver, if that makes sense. After 10 minutes, the tuberose comes through and the vetiver remains and the plum takes a backseat to the tuberose. Dry? Well, to be honest, i am still sniffing my hand in disbelief that i love it so much and it has vetiver and i can smell it and it isn't killing the blend! This is stunning, almost breathtaking but comfortable...and i need a bottle. The drydown of this reminds me so much of the Evening on the Veranda atmo spray...they don't really smell that similar, but the vibe is the same to me...i love this!!!
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THE WET NURSE AND THE OLD MONK Red sandalwood, peach, white tea, and champaca. Ok this gets my vote for Name Which Inspires Most Horrifying Images... But I had to buy it because it sounded so delicious, and yes, it is. Very fruity and lush at the top, peachy but grounded, I guess that is the red sandalwood, champaca is present in the background but not aggressive. I can't smell the White Tea yet, but I didn't wear it that long. Fresh, lush, not cloying.
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PROSPEROUS FLOWERS OF THE ELEGANT TWELVE SEASONS Patchouli and honeyed saffron with labdanum, leather accord, and wood vanilla. In Vitro A very rich honey and resin kind of scent. I should mention that I have not checked the notes list recently and all I remembered going into the test was patchouli, honey, and saffron. Wet The oil is light orange-brown. Freshly applied it was slightly less intense but gained and almost creamy sweetness. This subsided after a minute or two and and the overall scent was more spicy. Drying It became less sweet and hinted at a woody or even musty quality, but was not at all unpleasant. ETA: Two hours after application, the leather is prominent but not harsh, with underlying sweetness. This is both lovely and sexy.
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ARISTOCRATIC COUPLE Bourbon vanilla, preserved apricot, and cardamom. In the bottle, this smells like an juicy apricot floating over a spicy vanilla base, with a tickle of cardamom taking over at the end. Creamy and sweet with the nutty warmth of cardamom--absolutely lovely in the bottle. Wet, the cardamom comes out full force and this is all spice over a vanilla base. On dry down, the caradamom loses its edge and settles down into a barely discernable background note as the apricot takes center stage and I'm left with light, sweet apricot over musky vanilla. This scent hangs very close to the skin and dries down faintly on me (but I'm also not a slatherer). Really lovely, but the apricot note turns ever so slightly plastick-y on me, so I might have to give this one a pass after all.
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SEATED COUPLE LEANING ON HIPS Sake, skin musk, and ambrette seed. I love this! In the bottle it's a super strong blast of sake, it's insanely boozy and way more upfront than other sake blends from the lab. Wet on the skin the sake stays dominant but it's now supported by gorgeous musk that almost goes along the lines of floral. It has a tiny tiny second of smelling a little soapy but it fades the more it dries and when it begins to completely dry it is a lovely softened floral musk with a touch of sweetness. I think this would be great for a hot Summer day and I am very glad to have a bottle of it.
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A PECULIAR SPIRIT Tobacco absolute with neroli, oudh, benzoin, and black tea leaf. Black tea leaf = Licorice/anise. I sniffed the decant and knew it would go wrong because it always does. Interesting that black tea doesn't smell a bit like any black tea i've ever smelled. :-/ I had to atleast sniff it though, since the other notes sounded like a nice combo.
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RIDING IN THE PALANQUIN Lacquered wood, mother of pearl, bamboo, silk, ho leaf, and jasmine blossoms. In the imp: Bright and fresh, slightly lemony, with echoes of jasmine and bamboo (I think). It really does convey the impression of lacquer, which I think is awesome. Wet: Straight out, it is still very green and crisp, although the lemon seems to be just about staying in check. Somewhere in the depths, I can catch the animalic undertones of the jasmine. It's very strong at this stage (indeed, it seems to be clearing my cold somewhat...), but luckily it starts calming slowly and getting more multi-dimensional rather than just GREEN. Drying: Jasmine is hiding somewhere inside the thick veil of greenery. It definitely brings to mind green bamboo shoots; there are also undertones of other unidentified grasses somewhere in there. I'm not very good at identifying green notes yet, but I find this mix sophisticated and reminiscent of some classic perfumes. I think at this stage it is also rather unisex. I got some of it smeared on my fingers and here, while on my wrist it is still overwhelmingly green, I am getting a sweeter, polished kind of white flower scent. Dry: This really morphs! This is where the 'mother of pearl' and silk kick in. Somewhere in the drydown, a creaminess appears and suddenly, it's no longer a green lacquer scent but something very smooth, sophisticated and a touch sweet. I'm having trouble identifying this accord - it's cream with something animalic underneath so at first I thought it might perhaps be ambergris. Equally, however, it might be a combination of some tonka over a really earthy, woody base (like damp earth or driftwood - but dry at the same time.. :/). I feel like I should really know what this is, but can't quite put my finger on it. This blend stays quite close to the skin, strangely I think even in the intense opening stage (although this might be my cold). It's unusual in all the best ways - clean, sophisticated, complex and above all surprising. I'm really liking it!
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THE ONNAGATA AND THE PILLOW ROLL White musk and Himalayan cedar with bergamot, rose absolute, white patchouli, pink peppercorn, and hay absolute. The cedarwood, oh the cedarwood! It was all i could smell two nights ago, and it is still very heavy. (I think this is a softer handed use of the cedar used in Our Hearts Condemn Us?) Dry, the white patchouli, hay and white musk are starting to peak through. This is beautiful but i want to smell the pink pepper...i am hoping some age will allow it to surface. As of right now, the rose, bergamot and pepper are mia. Eta 01 March 2024 Wow, I was the first reviewer for this one, too?! Anyhow. I'm wearing this today and it is just so beautiful. The cedar is very prominent but the hay is what I'm smelling most with a bit of the white patchouli. Still no rose, bergamot or pink pepper for me and this is a different bottle from my original review, so it must just wear this way on me since folks after me got those notes. Almost a decade later, this is still so lovely. The hay absolute really shines here.
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MINAMOTO NO YORIMASA AND THE LOTUS FLOWER Lotus root, lotus petals, and blue lotus absolute with frankincense, black amber, and blackcurrant. I love me some Lotus so a scent with the first three notes listed as Lotus was a no-brainer. Doesn't really morph from wet to dry but there were a few moments where this scent threatened to go in the direction of Lotus scented soap. Thankfully, it pulled away from going in that direction. So, yes, the star is Lotus. Quiet, serene Lotus with a very, very light dose of Frank and Amber supporting it. Currant is my favorite of the Lab's fruit notes and it's perfect in Minamoto. It lends some fruity sweetness. It's not fruit candy but candy-ish in the sense that I smell the fruit and the candy aspects together. Also, this scent oscillates between powdery and slightly creamy. Light, close to the skin, feminine.
