The Hamptons

[ChupaChup]

The Hamptons

 

Diese Tage, die leer dir scheinen

und wertlos für das All,

haben Wurzeln zwischen den Steinen

und trinken dort überall.

 

. . .

 

But nothing's lost. Or else: all is translation

And every bit of us is lost in it

(Or found—I wander through the ruin of S

Now and then, wondering at the peacefulness)

And in that loss a self-effacing tree,

Color of context, imperceptibly

Rustling with its angel, turns the waste

To shade and fiber, milk and memory.

 

The scent of a Cosmopolitan cocktail.

 

I've never had a Cosmopolitan but this definitely smells like booze! There is no morph with this blend, it smells exactly the same in the imp, wet on my skin and dry, although the booze aspect tones down slightly after a couple of hours.

 

The booze note is hard for me to identify but it reminds me of gin. On top of that is a slightly fruity note, it's not quite cherry and not too sweet either but somehow I got the impression of red. I finally went and looked up the recipe for a Cosmo, it's vodka, lime juice, Cointreau (or triple sec) and cranberry juice. So since vodka doesn't have much of an aroma, I'm guessing the booze note comes from the Cointreau and the fruity part is a mix of lime and cranberry. I can't wait to see what someone who drinks Cosmos thinks of this scent! It's pretty amazing to have a cocktail on your wrist and this stuff lasts!

Edited September 15, 2007 by Shollin

[brownbear]

I love how this smells. Just like I thought it would. This is how I was expecting Swank to smell based on someone else's review. It has a bit of the orange, a bit of booze, and a bit of bitter fruit. yum. I wish it lasted longer on me. I might just have to really slather it on. I'll probably wear this a lot more in the spring or if I'm feeling springy.

[LiberAmoris]

I was so excited to see this blend's inspiration, which is from a fantastic poem by James Merrill called Lost In Translation. Merrill, whose father helped found Merrill Lynch, spent summers in the Hamptons and wrote his poem about the seclusion and isolation the Hamptons offered from NYC, long before they became an ostentatious playground for the misbehavior of the upper crust that they are now famous for. The poem turns on several 'translations', available here.

 

The Hamptons is absolutely a cosmo to me, heavy on the junipery gin with a splash of tart cranberry. It's a bit sparkling and effervescent and surprisingly refreshing and lighthearted. I'm keeping my imp for next summer.

[shelldoo]

this one scares me. my dh and i went to the shore a few years ago, he got me very very drunk on cosmos (i accept no culpability in the matter whatsoever) anyway after "several" cosmos very quickly i ended up a very sick person, i do recall the cold rough feel of asphalt under my cheek as i lost the contents of every organ in my torso but not much else i am hoping this scent brings back the fun i had while dancing insanely drunk to the beastie boys, and not the whole asphalt rendition of said night....well here goes

 

in the vial:

gorgeous, lime and cranberry shine through.

wet: on it is almost imperceptable, slightly cranberry yet very clean

 

as it dries: it does get a tad stronger, though i still wouldn't call it a heavy scent. it is cranberry ringed w/ fresh lime it is indeed a very well made cosmo. oh what fun. it almost makes me want to have another (something i have not done since waking up the morning after above incident w/ my clothing all over the backyard wondering just who on earth saw me in the nude)....now where is that beastie boys cd?

[Macha]

My boss walked in on me as I was unpacking this from the box, and insisted on having a little smell for herself. Without any explanation or prelude, she declared: "It smells just like a cosmopolitan!" So there you have it. I'm not so familiar with cosmopolitans, but if it can elicit that reaction from someone who didn't know what she was supposed to be smelling, then I suspect it's damn close.

 

Having come straight from the juniper-gin of Twenty-One, I recognized its presence immediately in The Hamptons, although it does hide under the cranberry and lime.

 

The interesting thing about this drink to me is how it ages, because while it's clean and crisp and sparkling, like the real thing there is definitely such a thing as "too much." Perhaps because it's so tempting to smell deep there is also the fear that too much can be a bit stomach-turning. I like it -- I just need to be careful I don't make myself sick by overdosing on it.

[sheepzeit]

Like everyone else here I dont' regularly drink Cosmos but I was curious enough to order an imp of this. When I wear it it doesn't change much, but it is lighthearted and fruity with cranberry. However as time goes on it lightens a bit and smells more like a Sweet Tart than a Cosmo!

[sarahj]

The Hamptons

 

in vial: LIME

 

wet: lime and orange

 

dry: mostly lime and a little cranberry...fades quickly, in less than 2 hours

 

verdict: I like this, but wish it would last longer...will use up my imp, but won't be buying a bigger bottle

[wickedgoddess]

Wet - very boozy, almost to the point of being cleaning fluidy, with a trace of orange. I think the booze note is a juniper gin, as opposed to the vodka, but after all vodka doesn't really have a scent.

 

Dry - The booze note softens, and this smells exactly like a cosmo! I love cosmo's and this captures one perfectly. Booze, orange, lime, cranberry, they all seem to be here. I doubt I would wear this enough to need a bottle of it, but I like this much more than I expected I would.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 best, this rates a 4.

[QueenFae]

I drink Cosmos all the time, and I can definitely say that this smells better than any Cosmo I've ever had! It's sweeter than cranberry usually is; it doesn't have that bitter bite. The lime is prominent, but again is very sweet, almost like it's sugared. The booziness is very subtle, which is fine by me, and it comes out as more of a crispness. Swank is one of my favorites, and The Hamptons is certainly a very similar blend. It has the crisp brightness and fruitness that characterize Swank. A very fun and fruity fresh blend, I think it's great.

[UltraViolet]

 

In the bottle

This is so much more of a real cosmo smell than "Swank". This isn't as berry like with the pomegranate. I've loved "Swank" as a top ten blend for years but this is the real thing, well it smells like the real thing anyway. This seems to have more of a citrus smell too.

 

On

It's so fresh and wonderful smelling. It smells clean, fresh, a bit Gin-like, a bit citrussy, a bit green. Love it.

 

30 minutes

Doesn't morph in any way, it stays that lovely, crisp, juniper/Gin, fruity, cosmospolitan scent.

 

Throw:

average

 

Scent category:

green/alcoholic/fruity

 

Summary

The Hamptons is:

Great in the bottle.

Great on my skin.

Great when it dries.

 

Purchase again?

Yes.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

5

Edited November 24, 2005 by UltraViolet

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Dish soap and lime... ack.

 

On: Yes... still dish soap and lime. And it doesn't change.

 

As someone who loves comsos, this is a disappointment. My skin finds absolutely no cranberry, and the soapy note is a bit disconcerting. I'm assuming the soap smell is juniper... which isn't a scent I associate with my beloved cosmos at all.

 

With my chemistry, this is a cosmo made by a novice bartender who puts gin in it rather than vodka, and skimps on the cranberry. I'm so sad this didn't work for me!

[Nemesister]

i love swank so could not wait to try this. it's got the fruity boozy punch to it but has a sharper tang to it.......it's another fav!

[malanna]

I've never smelled a cosmo, but this is quite fruity. The Hamptons, to a nose untrained to alcohol, smells like Sprite. Or ginger ale. Some clear fizzy soda. There's sparkling lime in here and a dash of orange. This smells like a socialite, dressed in a slinky dress, tottering around, splashing her drink every which way she goes. Booze scents aren't for me, and this has a very piercing sweet note.

[sarahmarie]

Sparkley! This smells really sparkley (sparkly?) in the imp. It's fruity and boozey and it almost tingles. On my skin, the cranberry blossoms and sweetens. Apparently, my chemistry wants to turn this lovely sparkley tingling thing into tart candy. It's still good, and when I sniff close to the skin I get more of the tingle, but I had hoped it would stay more true to the imp.

 

I'll definitely give it another go though - it's too much fun to pass up entirely!

[Finny]

Sparkling gin. It smells so good wet, but it dries down to juniper trees on me. Very rough and green, almost herbal. And not for me.

[Guest ExquisiteSiren]

This to me smells like the golden sparkle of chistmas lights hung on trees at night outside the fanciest hotel you can possibly imagine, while your sipping a very boozy cosmo...(way more vodka than cranberry) right next to chanel model.

 

Surreal huh....

 

It is festive festive ...yet exclusive

I could imagine myself wearing this on new years or something.

[Little Bird]

I'm really going to have to rethink my position on boozy scents. I thought that I hated them, but I've been really impressed with Jazz Funeral, Twenty-One, and now The Hamptons.

 

First on this kind of reminded me of sweet tarts, very fruity and, well, tart. The drydown is something like a limeade slush with cranberry juice. It has a slightly boozy edge, but it's not bad at all. It's boozy without making me feel like I got something spilled on myself at a drunken party.

 

Very refreshing and sweet. It's a sweet, zingy sort of fruity. This is another one that I'll need a full bottle of. My paypal weeps.

[aidenraine]

Well, Cosmos are my favorite cocktail (that I can order anywhere, i.e. that wasn't an experiment.)

 

This kind of smells the way yellow/gold gummy bears taste. It's that same sort of citrusy/fruity aroma.

It also smells like oranges mixed with balsam. I've never _sniffed_ a cosmo, but I do have maybe one per month.

 

There's definitelty something herby/spicy about this.

 

Actually, it seems somewhat festive to me. The balsam is making me feel like "deck the halls" and "fa la la"

 

The fruits, well, fruits are in keeping with the holiday spirit.

I like this, but don't love it, just as I expected.

 

ETA- my husband said "Sweet Tarts" when he smelled this.

[populuxa]

Mmmm. This is fantastic.

 

Growing up, my family had Christmas parties and my mom would made this fantastic hot cranberry punch. This reminds me so much of that! It smells very heavily of cranberry but also has a spiked, almost piney scent on me. This would make a fabulous room scent as well.

[mel_k]

On me this was juicy fruits and dish soap. If I could only get rid of the soap this would be great. Oh well.

[SoapyRN]

Great blend. Lots of effervescent notes and is bright. I get the juniper and lime, it is too sweet for the tart cranberry. It is a great, happy blend that will be awesome in the summer.

[Heavenlyrabbit]

I live out here in the Hamptons and just got my imp along with my Yule order, HURRAH!

 

The Cranberry, Juniper/Gin and Lime Notes used in The Hamptions take me to personal preferences and favorite places. Hopefully BPAL'ers will indulge my sharing some musings. Especially since I don't drink Cosmopolitans and stopped trying to keep up with the "In" crowd long ago.

 

Not far from where I live are the Walking Dunes with Cranberry Bogs nestled between them- remnants of days gone by when the cranberry industry prospered here. In amongst the Dunes, in the quiet and quickly fading Novermber sun I go to pick cranberries by scooping them out of the shallow, cold water with my hands.

 

As for the Junipery Gin-ness, most dunes leading up from the beaches around here are filled with windswept cedars (kissing cousins to the Juniper) as well as ground covering junipers. I used to make and sell Christmas Wreaths by taking some prunings from local junipers and cedars (and neighbors evergreen shrubbery).. but that story belongs is the "Mistletoe" Review Thread.

 

Then there's the Key Lime pie at Bostwick's, a terrific restaurant overlooking Maidstone Harbor. Even though Bostwick's gets the busy summer crowds hungry for its outstanding seafood, it also has a great bar where I can often find a familiar face having a drink and the BEST KEY LIME PIE ANYWHERE IN THE UNIVERSE>

 

Summing up The Hamptons as a perfume- I feel this will be a terrific pick-me-up in the summer when the heat and humidity are wearing you down. It'd also shine as a scent to wear to dinners with friends where the drinks and conversations will flow happily into the night. Since this perfume is called "The Hamptons" better make that a Lobster Dinner with friends.

[rainbow]

In the vial- sharp, like lime and gingerale. This smells like a margarita, boozy and fresh.

 

Wearing- this shifts almost immediately on me from margarita to martini, still boozy, but now with a strong scent of juniper berries. It's very nice, still sharp. As I'm wearing it develops some slightly sweet undertones, and then some fruity undertones, but still is a very fresh scent. It's a bit odd to think that a scent which smells like an alcoholic drink could be clarifying and head-clearing, but that's exactly what this is. It's a very grounding scent.

 

I'm liking this very much and I could totally do with a big bottle.

[Gin]

I agree with Rainbow, The Hamptons is lime and ginger ale and then a junipery scent. I'm a little disappointed that I'm not getting more cranberry/pinkness from this. Still, it's a bright, fun, bubbly scent.

[gingersnapp]

In the imp and after first applying it, this IS a Cosmopolitan. Light with bubbly citrus and a splash of cranberry in some juniper gin. However, my skin loooooooooves juniper and it absorbed every other note until that was all that's left. And now the juniper is turning soapy.

 

Sadness. It really was a fun, bright cranberry blend.