Shango

[whoahorsey]

… The Master of Lightning’s ofrenda contains red apples, banana, chili pepper, coconut, pineapple, pomegranate and sugar cane.

 

Soooo confused by all the reviews talking about how tropical and fruity it smells. On me, I swear it was red musk single note, although musk isn't even listed in the description. Red musk and I do not get along at all, so sadly, this went into the swap pile. Still searching for my perfect fruity scent.

[joopjoop]

At first, whoa, total skittles on the skin... very artificial fruit medley. But after a few minutes it turns into a real-smelling fruit smoothie, creamy and delicious with pineapple leading and just a touch of banana in the background.

 

As it dries down, something is grounding things and making it less foodie and more wearable to me - I think it might be the chili, which adds a touch of smokiness, together with the pomegranate, which tarts things up a bit. The pineapple remains an important player - it's great and smells very realistic.

 

I can totally see where whoahorsey gets red musk - I get a little of that too, of the kind Beth uses in some of her other fruit scents (Kabuki comes to mind). The throw is medium and it lasts a while - it doesn't disappear within a couple of hours like many fruit blends.

 

Not sure if I will need a full bottle of this one - there are several of these tropical fruit blends that I've tried now that I quite like and I'll have to do a series of death matches to determine which one I like the best.

[Cali]

Whooaa this is really REALLY strong, fruit and sugary from the imp!

I don't miiiind it... or rather the concept of it at all, I just don't like banana or coconut at all, and while it's a good blend alltogether, I can still pick apart all the notes. It's lovely but not for me.

[torikitty]

Banana and coconut smoothie! This is a happy, tropical scent. I can't pick out the apples or chili pepper on me.

[Coldfire]

Imp: dark fruits with banana laffy taffy note
Wet on Me: this reminds me of a banana laffy taffy but with dark red fruits added
Drying Down: Ah ha! Hello coconut. you and banana are doing a tag team under my nose. less of that red fruit and more....pina colada?
Dry: this dries down very faint sweet. the banana and coconut calmed down and it became this faint sweet ghost scent.

[ramblingrambler]

I just got frimped Shango in my last Lab order and wanted to do a comparison between my original aged bottle and the new, unaged Shango, because BOY ARE THEY DIFFERENT.

 

Aged, Shango is spicy and sweet, like Hollywood Babylon meets a bottle of red pepper flakes. It is glorious. I love it. It's usually a little too sweet for me when I first apply it, but after it hits that fifteen minute sweet spot, magic happens.

 

Not so with the new Shango. All the way through this is a sweet, smooth blend with heavy coconut and dark fruit. I get no coconut in my aged bottle (thank goodness; I truly despise how coconut smells on me), but it's there all the time with the unaged version. This could be an excellent thing for coconut lovers everywhere, but count me out of that group.

 

I wanted to post this to show the power of aging. You'll either really love the aged blend, or you'll prefer the new version in every single bottle. I typically prefer aged blends, but there are some I'm completely fine with non-aged bottles (Morocco, namely. Yum either way!). Turns out Shango's also one of the "must be aged for me to love" fragrances. This lab frimp becomes a frimp for someone else.

[Nikki Scarlet]

This was a frimp. Reading the description, this sounds exciting and complex (and possibly yummy!)


In the imp:
. . . Bubble gum. This is bubble gum. Old-fashioned gumball from a 25-cent machine. Not unpleasant, but not what I was expecting from the notes list. o.O

On me, wet:
Starts to become a little more complex as the notes pull apart on my skin. I'm picking up the chili powder, banana, apple, and a liiiitle of the coconut I think. Maybe some pomegranate. Still mostly bubble gum, though.

On me, dry:
Okay, it's mostly not-bubble gum now. It's smelling like some other candy I had in childhood, but I can't put a name to it. Apple's pretty strong in this but the chili pepper and coconut ground it nicely to keep it from screaming. This is a fascinating blend, actually.

 

Dry, later:

Mostly chili pepper now, with coconut keeping it from being TOO spicy. Sexy! I like!

 

Verdict:
I'm not sure it's a *me* scent, but it's a fun one. I'll keep the imp.

Edited July 16, 2017 by Nikki Scarlet

[mishi-bear]

Shango is so sweet and fun.

 

The strongest note in this is the banana, followed by the pineapple and coconut. The sugar makes it extra sweet, and sort of blends in with all the other fruits, making them smell like candies. I get absolutely no chili in this whatsoever.

 

It's nearly a year old, but maybe with further aging it'll get a bit more spice to it.

 

As it is, I enjoy it, it's a very fun candy fruity scent. I do think if the chili shows up though, that'll just make it even better.

[sarandipitee]

This is a very cool oil. I get a lot of red apple in the beginning (realistic and juicy red delicious) and the banana arrives. The chilli pepper tingles my nose and adds some kick without being super spicy.

 

The other fruits are there but blended extremely well into the background.

 

Overall I like it. I need to age it more to get more of a kick but the imp will do me well.

[fizzbangdangcharade]

This starts incredibly sweet.

 

In the bottle it’s very ‘tropical mixed drink.’

 

On my skin, the banana immediately steals the show. It smells like banana liqueur, used to create a decadent frosting. As it warms a little I get the hints of cinnamon and sugar below that (that combine in such a way to smell like a dark rum cake.)

 

After it’s been on me for awhile the fruity overtones fade and become far more subtle, and the chili pepper, pomegranate, and sugar cane start to come out front and center. Something about the way the scents blend transforms this from rum cake slathered in banana frosting to a nice blend of Turkish Tobacco. (A transformation I was not expecting, but was actually really pleased with. It’s fragrant, and has a slight hint of spices that keep it in the realm of pipe tobacco leaves.)

 

All in all this scent makes me think of sitting outside of a small bakery in the Caribbean, beneath palm trees that shade me from the fading summer sun. It reminds me a lot of my old, preferred brand of tobacco on dry down, but not in an unpleasant way. I really like this one, definitely a good summer scent.

[achildoftime]

I genuinely can't pick out any single fruit. It just smells like a freshly opened bag of Skittles. It's overwhelmingly fruity and very sweet, and it lasts all day. If you think you might want to enjoy smelling like the fruitiest of Skittles, this is the one to try.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: A blast of banana! Behind it, I can smell some pineapple and apple, but mostly, it's BANANA.

 

Wet: The candy-like banana note is the most prominent note, followed by the pineapple. Then, I start to get the apple. Although I'm not actually able to smell the chili pepper at this time, I do feel its effect on my skin. It doesn't burn, but it does have a warming quality to it.

 

Dry: In the early part of the dry phase, the banana note calms down significantly, the sugar cane really shines, with some sweet apple and pineapple. After the scent has been dry for a while, I still get the sugar cane, but it is not as prominent as before. The pomegranate note has emerged and is now playing a major role, but I'm still getting lots of banana, pineapple, and apple, and there's more coconut during this stage.

 

Verdict: Far too fruity for me, but if you like the sound of smelling like tropical fruits, this is the scent for you.

[Joyleaf_]

I admit to not really enjoying the orisha blends I have been frimped or given in my time, and right off the bat, I can tell that Shango is on that list for me as well. I just dont like to smell like a frozen beach drink, personally. In the vial it's a harsh blend of banana, pineapple and alcohol, and on my skin the candy-banana note is so strong it makes my eyes water. Then it smells rather like fresh cut apples and...mens aftershave? I must be interpreting the coconut as aftershave. I mean no disrespect to Shango but I am very put off by the combined weirdness that is this blend on me.

 

On a positive note I suppose, the throw is incredible and I can smell the tiniest drop even if I have my hands out as far as they will go.

[Biocarbons]

This is super interesting because of all of the different descriptions.

 

On me this smells like banana flavored astronaut ice cream with that sugarcane, candied merengue foam structure, and some colorful embedded neon colored flakes of apple and pineapple.

 

Love,

 

A child of the 80s.

[neuilly]

Wet: 100% Banana straight off the bat but then quickly joined by coconut.

 

Dry: There's definitely more notes in the mix but harder to single them out. Banana-Coconut is still the most prominent for me. Definitely a smooth tropical sugary scent.

 

I'm definitely keeping my imp to try in warmer weather.

 

[RedPersimmon]

Mmm, tropical fruit! The banana was an interesting addition, too.

[spookyumbrella]

A happy, fruity blend - mostly apple and pomegranate with perhaps a whisper of banana. I didn't get any chili pepper, if you're worried about that (I was, I'll admit it.)

[Brigdh]

In bottle: A medley of ripe, juicy fruits, almost fruit punch-like. There’s a very slight smokiness in the background – I think that’s maybe the chili pepper.

Wet: Still mostly fruits. Apple’s coming out the strongest, but it’s a pretty complex blend.

Dry: Less juicy, but still rich and varied fruits, with some grounding and depth from the chili pepper. It’s the best fruit scent I’ve ever smelled. 

[Niniel0205]

In the imp: oh wow. This is strong. Bubblegum.

 

Wet on skin: Looots of apples. Very strong still. At other sniffs I smell only banana. Then I sniff again and I only smell apples. Strange but interesting.

 

After 5 mins on skin: everything has mellowed out a tiny bit, which is great as before it felt like all the scents were screaming at me very loudly all at the same time. Where before I could detect separate notes (apple, banana mostly) it now seems to be a little more blended together. I hope the chili pepper will come out later to make it more interesting. Up to now, it smells like a slightly chemical smoothy with a lot of artificial coloring. 

 

After couple of hours: has faded pretty quickly. Difficult to detect 4 hours later.

Edited August 28, 2019 by Niniel0205

[roseus]

This smells like banana taffy and a pina colada in the imp. On my skin I get lots of pineapple and coconut with maybe a tiny bit of apple behind it. It's juicy but also kind of musky. I think the creaminess of the coconut helps not be too sweet. Luckily I don't get much banana. Settled it's still mostly pineapple and coconut and I think I just get a tiny bit of chili pepper heat. This is actually quite nice and I could totally see myself wearing it poolside/to the beach.

[bambi]

This is such an amazing fruity scent. Banana and coconut are the first things I smell upon opening the imp, followed by a nose-tingling wave of chili pepper. As soon as I put it on, it goes through a phase where it smells like generic tropical hand soap, but then the notes start to separate and blend together in more harmonious ways. The red apple makes a strong appearance, backed by a soft, creamy, sweet coconut. I never do get much pomegranate, but I suspect it's there in the mix somewhere. I end up with a lovely, sweet coconut and pineapple scent with medium throw and good wear length. It's very energetic, and it will make a lovely scent in the summer.

[myrrhmyrrh]

In the vial: oh my! I’m excited! I honestly did not even want to try the frimp given the description of ingredients, that did not speak to me at all, but once the vial opened, it’s sweetness: apple, banana, pineappe and sugar cane, balanced with something sharper and muskier was intoxicating

 

On me, wet: banana and pepper and some apple and sugar cane

 

On me, just dried: ok the sweetness is evening out into something a bit dryer, maybe muskier, and this is a good thing, it’s kind of a banana musk or a banana incense

 

After 15 minutes: this just gets more intriguing, a mix of apple and banana incense now –the sugar cane has subsided. I’d love to get more of the chili pepper however, which is only faintly present on me. However much the different ingredients pack a punch, the sum of the parts remains something subtle and not overwhelming at all.

 

After 30 minutes: the description of the god Shango does not at all evoke what this, the ofrenda is like. Less incense/musk now than simply something soft and round and ripe, mostly banana, maybe, just maybe, some pineapple

 

After 1 hour: dry banana incense once more, maybe ever so faintly the pepper

 

After 3 hours: same

 

Verdict : this is a great blend. It’s not me, or for me, so I’d never purchase it, but it was an olfactory experience I’m glad I had

[Sunny the Wizard]

I got this one as a frimp, it's not a scent I would've gotten for myself as I don't think I'm that interested in fruit scents, but I was willing to give it a red hot go. In the bottle I got a lot of the scent notes that were on the description; apple, banana, chili, sugar cane

Unfortunately, my skin exacerbated the sweet qualities of this scent to a degree that was legitimately unpleasant. The banana smell took over very quickly, leading to what I could only describe as 'being pummeled to death by a very angry sentient stick of bubblegum'. As it dried, it got worse and more intense, until eventually I was forced to wash it off. I roped mum into testing it alongside me, just out of sheer curiosity to see if this was just a me problem, but she got a lot of the same notes as I did, except right in the middle there was a big hit of acrid smoke, like someone had lit a pineapple on fire. Definitely going to swap this one, I don't doubt that others got a good experience out of it, but I'm going to try to avoid any more scents with banana in it just to be safe.

[theredkilt]

Aged Shango is the best because is settles down and doesn't smell as overwhelming as when it's fresh.

 

The drydown on my skin brings out the red apples, very realistic and pleasant. I'm happy with the outcome considering the plethora of notes.

Edited February 13, 2023 by theredkilt

[Laughing Seagull]

I have a bottle of this frommmm I think 2008 or 2009. That's what this review is based on.

 

The initial wet application stage is pure banana and I love it. I didn't really think I'd be into the banana but I dig it. It made me start seriously considering a bottle of Banana Peel in a Graveyard, but I'm afraid it will be more graveyard than banana peel.

 

Unfortunately the banana fades off fairly quickly as it dries, turning into musky fruit punch. This is fine and I'm pretty sure it's doing exactly what it's supposed to do, but I miss the banana, bros.