Oya

[maika]

... Oya's ofrenda is a Nigerian potion of love and war, sweetened by darkest plum. Oya winiwini!

In the imp? Cherries, but sweet like cherry candy cherries.

Wet on me? Still cherries, but with a hint of almond

Less than two minutes later? Incense and still fruity, but no longer cherries. I think the other posters nailed it when they mentioned plums.

Man this changes fast, because now, I'm getting a hint of brandy.

All up though, I love this. I will probably have to come and add to this if it keeps changing though...

[Iceblink]

Sweet, plummy incense. I like it in the imp, but the lab's plum note has a tendency to smell like a plum candle on me. I wish it didn't because I love plums! But no.

[Argentwolf]

For the most part, I don't get any sweetness from this -- it's just spicy and warm. Granted, it's a pungeance that does have a bit of moistness to it, like rosemary oil, or when you crush sage leaves between your fingers...hmm, and I guess I can smell the plum, lurking around in the background there. So I guess there *is* a bit of sweetness there, but overall, to me, it's all herbs and drying fruit and a hint of incense. Come to think of it, it does fulfill its description quite well, in my mind.

[caffinatedangel]

I read the other reviews, and my Oya is not like most listed here. My impressions of Oya:

 

Leather. Incense. Xena Warrior Princess, minus the cheesyness. Unisex. Spicey but tempered. Musky, sweaty, sexy love.

 

Note I didn't notice (doesn't mean they aren't there, I suppose): Cherry. I didn't get anything that sweet or noticable. Maybe something in the background? maybe?... I doubt it. Ozone: No such luck. Almond: could be. I also think Almond could be blending/overtaking/mistook for Ozone. Compared to other scents with the ozone note, this lacks that metallic bite. Jasmine: No. I despise florals, Jasmine my Arch Nemesis. If it's in here, it's not doing anything on my skin (thank god?). Plum: Says it has plum... maybe it does. But if it is, It's a dark, earthy, non-sweet plum.

 

The other reviews make this scent sound sweet, juicy, berry yum. For me this is solid incense and a leather feel. Like a warriors attire. Maybe she took a bath in something girly before she put on her armor and started killing people. I don't think so, though.

 

Overall: Sex, musk, bood stained & plum stained leather, incense. Unisex, leaning towards a masculine female.

 

It didn't morph on me. It was slightly sweeter in the imp. It has a rather nice throw (not too much, not too little) and seems to last a while on my skin.

[arachne]

Oh wow. Thank you so much Beth, for throwing me this frimp. Not sure I would have ever tried it otherwise. This is a very complex, well blended scent that dries to a seriously spicy floral on me. I wish I could pinpoint the exact flower, but I just can't. Carnation maybe? I don't know, but whatever it is I'm in love. Wearing this makes me want to tell ghost stories. This is haunting. It's nostalgic, pungent and mournful, like a bouquet of flowers that was tossed in the corner of a basement and forgotten about years ago. I don't get any cherry or almond, thank the Gods. Those two notes rarely work well with my chemistry. But, that's neither here nor there. Getting back to Oya. OMG! How I love Oya. This is heaven in a bottle and I will be getting a full bottle.

[tinyvulture]

plum, cherry cough syrup, and green herbal notes. it’s extremely sweet, fruity, and medicinal. i don’t know if they make ‘em anymore, but it smells like these cough drops i ate like candy as a child, called Sucrets. smelling this practically makes the back of my throat go numb, the way those cough drops did. but after a few minutes, it’s more like cherry incense than a sore throat remedy. still very fruity – reminds me slightly of Urd. i like it when it gets to this stage.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Herbal resinousness

On Application

Strongly aromatic herbal. Actually quite pleasant but not astounding

 

Dry Down

Powdery herbal sweet. Absolutely no fruitiness here at all. Just a pungent herbal. Not unpleasant but nothing like I expected.

 

Rating (0-5)

1

[Andrea912]

Imp: ew; soapy plum with herbage undertones

 

Wet: oh yuck; cheap dollar store soap smell

[Sushiflower]

I'm really not a fan.

 

In the imp it smells like cough syrup. It took me a few days to get the guts to open it back up and put it on.

 

On me it smells like a head shop. Not the good kind of head shop either. But the dirty hippie that rolled in incense head shop smell.

[acedehorner]

Smells just like a new age shop on me. All incense-y goodness. Light throw, stays very close to the skin, and quickly fades to just a whisper on me, but it's a lovely barely-there scent. Not sweet at all.

 

7/10

[hellomoonglow]

Hmmmm. This is a morphing scent. First of all, it's thick. Like runny honey. And the oil itself appears iridescent. Or maybe that was because I was driving while I was examining it.

 

Goes on super strong incense.

Quickly fades to lemon/lime citrus/incense.

Fades about an hour later into Aramis men's cologne.

 

 

[crebbsgirl]

I was frimped this in a recent swap, and it wasn't even on my radar as something to try. I feel a little silly now because this is just awesome. I should mention that I don't like fruits or florals or anything ozoney, but this is just beautiful and complex on my skin. There is a sweetness that the plum lends here that is unlike anything I've ever smelled before. It doesn't go juicy on me, like plum usually does. It says light, with a hint of musk and spice. Truly beautiful, and I can see myself reaching for it often.

[tajana]

Oya smells very strange. Some notes I'd never expect to sniff together are rolled up into one place, and they're blended so that they would be very hard to discern if I didn't have past reviews to look over. I guess the best way to put it would be a general light incense smell. Now, I know that incense comes in a thousand varieties, but this just smells like, uh, one of them. There's this cherry note, and a plummy presence... two fruity scents which I adore in the right context. But they're paired with a light, sharp, airy notes. There's ozone (very odd paired with the fruit, to my nose) and a medicinal overtone, with some herbs I can't identify. When it dries down, it's similar, but a touch more floral and even more ambiguous. It's not bad, but it's not working for me.

[nenia]

Yikes, I received this as a frimp & it's actually one I had been wanting to try...but is definitely not for me. My first instant thought from it was truckstop restroom with stale air freshener smell trying to cover up........... POOpourri I guess is what I'm getting at here.

 

[samarablackcat]

In the imp, this smells very much like cherries (or almond, as I tend to confuse the two).

 

Wet, the cherry/almond scent is predominant. As it dries, there is a spiciness underneath. Fresh juicy fruit is making its way to the forefront. Definitely cherries now. But lo! it is changing into plum with a tad of nag champa or champaca flower.

 

Dry, the plum is but an afterthought, as the incense aroma wafts as from an altar. A scent that changes from sweet to sharp, much like its namesake. I can smell just a drop of pregnant skies, ready to explode with winds, rain and thunder.

 

A grand interpretation of all her aspects. As Shango/Chango's favorite wife, I am left wondering how these two will work together.

 

A new favorite scent for me.

 

[tragedy]

Wet: Do I even have the same Oya as everyone else? Its like a windy, dusty floral. I read the description... Yes, this fits. its very complex.. beautiful.

Drydown: I'm getting some of the plum, and something I cant put my finger on. Its a dusty aquatic windswept smell. Gah its so familiar. Something from my childhood. Its driving me crazy!

 

Verdict: I love it. I just wish I could figure out what it reminds me of!

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

 

Imp: sharp, astringent, like burnt wind

Wet on Me: woody, sharp pine resin/pitch WOWonderful

Drying Down: cedar for sure, but something else I can’t quite

put my nose on. Still get the trace of dry burnt winds.

Dry: really loving this. Even without a description. Even tho

I get a cedar note in this, it still smells of the air to me.

not getting the cherry or almond or fruit or floral in this at all.

 

[sweetpessimism]

In the bottle: Pale amber in color. Slightly herbal.. For a moment I thought I caught the same lettuce-y smell I got from Hurricane, but then it vanished.

 

Wet on skin: Oh, this one's strong. Some sharp herb.. Maybe mint in there somewhere. Somewhat like basil, maybe, but sharper. More pungent. Hmm.. Dark clouds. Crackling with almost-lightning. This is more what I expected out of Hurricane.

 

Upon re-reading lab description: Hm, that doesn't help a whole lot. I don't smell any of the plum.. It's quieting down now, and I'm glad - I was a bit alarmed at how strong it was when I first put it on.

 

Mom comment: "That's a nice one. Smells foresty. What's that one called?" "Oya. She's a goddess of storms and such." "Mm. Yes, smells like a forest after a storm."

 

On the drydown: It's pretty nice. Slightly leafy and slightly spicy. With some stormy tumult in there as well..

 

ETA: Over the course of a few hours, Oya eventually faded out to a pleasant pine.. Not too shabby! This scent definitely has the changeability of a weather goddess!

[sarajane]

Cherry cough syrup. And some herbs.

 

Not really my thing.

[sqwook]

On me: Smoky burning sage. Exactly the smell of a smudge-stick, white sage. Like the smoke itself, but not a flame, the smoky airy dry smoke spiralling in the air in billows. It feels powerful - like you would not want to mess with me. It's not something I think I'd wear as a perfume, though I can imagine wearing it if I were a spell-caster.

 

I feel like I have a different Oya than most others are reviewing. I get no sweetness, no almond, no cherry, no plum, no fruit, no floral.

 

UPDATE: Ok, I *did* wear this as a perfume today, and it's great. It does still have a very powerful, don't-mess-with-me feeling. I liked it when I first tried it but thought I wouldn't wear it; after giving it a try, I'm now in love with it.

Edited October 27, 2009 by sqwook

[hkhm]

imp: light musk and floral.

 

wet: this is very sharp, almost astringent once applied. it smells like sweet fruit over very fragrant, freshly crushed medicinal herbs.

 

dry: this ends up smelling almost like leather. not the usual leather scent, but what leather really smells like, with a dried fruit scent alongside. interesting. i may need to test this a few times to decide if a i need a bottle.

[patina]

In the bottle it smelled a lot like cherry syrup with vicks vap-o-rub, but I know better than to pay attention to bottle smells.

 

On- wow. Smoke, pungent musky smoke, with some wee plums and cherries hiding behind it. what is in here? Leather? Trace amounts of vetiver? Probably Sage. Oya is definately a war Goddess on me. This is a butch perfume.

 

Similar to Morganuse but without the screaming! jasmine. This may have jasmine, but it's not loud.

Also, Morganeuse's smoke is kind of sweet on me, more inscence than musk. Here, something is definately bitter. Almost like smudge smoke.

 

I haven't tried Carnival Diabolique's Stormclouds over the Midway yet, nor Blood Countess, but when I do I'll have to come back here to compare.

Edited August 29, 2009 by patina

[rayvn1]

Hrm. Not sure about this scent. I smell something very reminiscent to another bpal I just can't put my finger on. Sort of like strawberries...cherries?....Maybe Bordello since plum is listed in the notes, but not the kind of plum I adore in Prunella - cough syrup kind. Not for me.

[tartchef]

This is the smell of the fields & garden on the farm where I grew up - it's late summer, the earth & grasses & herbs are baked hard & dry. The sky has suddenly darkened, the temperature plummets, the wind hits me like a cold wave, nearly knocking me over. It's not raining yet, but a flicker of lightning dances on the horizon & the hair on my arms stands on end. I fling my arms wide & let the wind buffet me, reveling in the surge of power crackling through the air.

 

Oya winiwini!

 

...

 

Oh good heavens. This was a frimp from silvertree, one that I've passed over more times than I care to count. Now it's in my hands, I realize how utterly perfect this is for me, lover of wind & storms & change.

 

I have the same Oya as squook, Titian & Coldie - burning sage & herbs, maybe a trace of heliotrope & artemisia (there's a bitter powderiness akin to Labores Solis), and a zap of ozone. There's a similarity to The Norn's Farmhouse, too, that same dry stemmy feel, but I get no sweetness, just the glorious scent of cold air & dry fields.

 

[Venneh]

Got this as a frimp, recently. In the imp, it's a really vague, herbal mix with maybe fruit in there somewhere? Not sure I can pin down anything.

 

On me, Oya is a smoky herbal scent, vaguely reminiscent of how Mircalla was on me, and remembering what a kick that was to me and my skin, I'm keeping an eye on my wrists. Happily, it doesn't cause my wrists to go bright red like Mircalla did, but it's pretty much a dry, smoky herbal scent. Not really for me.

Edited November 12, 2009 by Venneh