Manhattan

[LizziesLuck]

Sexuality, power, confidence. A meeting of modern, sleek elegance and rich, passionate history: sheer amber, black leather, white mint, lemon peel, white tea, grapefruit, kush, teakwood and orchid.

 

Wet: oh-so-briefly like fish oil. God my chemistry is weird sometimes. Thank goodness that doesn't last!

 

Dry: This is super complex. For sure I get the lemon peel, and it's sweet but not too sweet, and smoky and dark. Kinda sexy. I could also see this being gender neutral. There's almost a black licorice note I'm getting. This is stunning.

[HighlyBell7]

In Imp: Red. Sweet and a bit serious. Citrus?

Wet: Citrus and perfume and hint of clean soap.

Dry: I actually really like this. Grapefruit? With some kind of musk? Smells like expensive perfume.

Later: Stronger perfume.

 

[joopjoop]

The first 15 minutes on Manhattan is the most perfect intoxicating grapefruit I have ever encountered. That alone makes it a keeper as far as I'm concerned.

 

After it settles it morphs quite a bit - it is so well-blended that I am having trouble picking out the notes (I'm not very good at that yet anyway). It smells expensive yet modern - like a upscale youth oriented designer perfume - very appropriate. It smells like someone with a more glamorous and interesting life than me. It smells like trying to make it in the big city when you are in your mid-20s and spring is tipping into summer and you have that electric feeling that at any moment things could start happening and you are ready.

 

And then after 2 hours.... it's gone. Poof. Too bad. This is stunning. I'll be keeping my imp and I'm seriously considering a big bottle on just the strength of the grapefruit top note.

Edited April 9, 2016 by joopjoop

[Casablanca]

First impression: minty lemon-lime and black leather. I can find the grapefruit, but mostly this is lemon-lime. Then I smell the amber, tea, and orchid. And then finally the teak, but it seems to hide in the leather and make it more sophisticated. Ahm, yes, please give me all the world's leather and teak together... This mix is fine.

Kush? I don't find it... Since I'm at work, maybe that's for the best.

I'm not a fan of the citrus top for this blend and, to be honest, nothing about the bright citrus makes me think of NYC. But the rest of the blend does... So I sit waiting for the citrus fruits to burn off.

Once they mostly have (though, they do linger on...), the tea amps up. Its not-quite-bitter scent always somehow smells "hollow" to me, like a space carved out of some natural material. The smell of leafy negative space. With orchid, amber, leather, and a lil teak.

Later still, the leather smells strongest.

[gloame]

First sniff: green lemons. Second sniff... can't find it. It faded fast.

[theatrically]

This is one of those scents I ordered on a whim and couldn't really picture what I expected it to smell like.

 

In the vial: Much more bright and citrusy than I had anticipated, although it's hard to pick out individual notes besides the grapefruit. Lingering underneath, there's a hint of a smell that's difficult to describe, but reminds me--in a very good way!--of an evening in early fall when it's slightly damp out, fresh air mingled with wet dead leaves. I suppose that might be the tea and leather?

 

Wet, on skin: Very complex, definitely warm but not in a spicy way. A hint of clean laundry. I'm definitely seeing how this could be the scent of a posh hotel bar.

 

Drydown: For a moment I was worried the citrus was going to turn into lemon pledge, but thankfully it doesn't. Getting the tea now, and what I think is the amber? This is very sexy, but not in an overt way--if it were a dress, it wouldn't be something skin-tight and cleavage-y, but rather a designer dress with a classic silhouette, immaculately tailored to the wearer. It smells...well, expensive. I wish it had a bit of a stronger throw, but it's gorgeous. I can't stop smelling my wrist.

 

Overall: Like no perfume I've ever smelled before, but I love, LOVE it. Thinking of purchasing a bottle. 5/5

 

 

ETA: As I think about it, this has some interesting similarities to the BPAL varieties I've used as "signature scents" in the past: Croquet and Envy. Both are fresh and citrusy, but a little bit complicated.

Edited February 9, 2017 by theatrically

[lizabelle]

I've actually tried this before, but back then I didn't know there were BPAL forums (or how obsessed I would eventually get with BPAL). It smells slightly different than I remember, in this case for the better. It starts out with a lovely citrus/amber blend, which begins as an interesting blend of lemon and grapefruit but settles into a soft powdery grapefruit. The leather is present from the get-go, softer than the "black" should suggest. The teak is dark and rich but still not overpowering. This is a good deal more feminine than you might guess from the notes (although that could be my chemistry at work), soft and sweetly powdery, but decidedly warm and with a classic leather/wood/resin base. The amber in this is beautiful and very prominent, which doesn't often happen with my chemistry.

 

I like this considerably more now than when I first tried it, and I'll probably get a bottle eventually. It's definitely a perfumey blend, very complex and well-layered, and it smells expensive.

[Lucchesa]

I love Manhattan wet -- classy and citrusy, the pink grapefruit note bright and clear instead of going all cleanser on me. The notes blend beautifully, no weirdness from the mint. And then... it's gone. My skin just eats it up. I will try slathering and hope it helps it last a bit longer.

[achildoftime]

It's a very light scent for me, which was kind of a surprise considering all of the notes. I mostly get white musk, white tea, and lemon. A bit of leather and teak come out when it dries down. It's very chic and almost feels like an olfactory power play. That's not to say that you couldn't wear it out for a grocery run, but it still has an energy to it.

[RavenintheWind]

Minty lemony green tea is what I get at first, and then the amber and tea add some warmth. I don't get any leather, sadly. I like this and am glad the Lab sent me a frimp of it. Not sure I'd buy a bottle, and I will share this one with a friend for Christmas.

[Soupy Twist]

Wood in the bottle with tea trying to get out from under it. Goes on as wood with grapefruit trying to get out from under it, and by the time it dries, the tea and grapefruit have won. Both vanish on me shortly because that's what the Lab's tea and citrus do on my skin, but nice until then. I will say there is nothing which says "Manhattan" about this scent to me — the city is electricity and asphalt and ozone and fizz and energy. I like this scent, and I love the city, but these don't match up for me.

Separately, I was worried about the amber and leather and wood, because I'd wanted this before I found out those notes were a problem for me, but fortunately this worked out. However, I have Kumiho and Baoban Sith for the tea and grapefruit notes, so I'm not sweating this one.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Strong lemon and mint.

 

Dry: It's like someone coated a leather jacket with a lemony-mint perfume. It's not terrible by any means, but for me, the combination isn't really doing anything for me.

 

If you like lemon scents it may be worth picking up, since the lemon is still pretty strong. The leather just isn't working with the lemon for me, though; it's reminding me of a lemon cleaning spray a little.

Edited June 16, 2018 by donkehpoo

[fizzbangdangcharade]

I got this as a frimp awhile back, and while it sounds lovely on paper...

 

In the bottle: wow, that smells like an expensive department store shoved into the space of a storage unit

 

Wet: I'm living vicariously through this right now - like I just sprinted through the perfume department of sears 40+ years ago

 

Warming: Still perfume. At this point I've asked a handful of people what it smells like. All answers are in the same 'rich old lady perfume' vein.

 

Drydown: Yet and still really expensive ladies perfume. Like I imagine a beautiful woman in furs and feathers shopping for fine china in this.

 

I really wish this had smelled more like the notes listed on me. And while what I got definitely made me think 'Manhattan', it made me think the Manhattan of a bygone era: everyone dressed to the nines, and department stores in their heyday of expensive gleaming items, coveted catalogs, and the prestige of owning three sets of china.

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: I smell the white tea, citrus, and a hint of mint.

 

Wet: The white tea, lemon peel, and grapefruit are the first notes that leap out at me. I also get a bit of the light mint behind those notes. The orchid note emerges after a few minutes, but it resides in the background.

 

Dry: The white tea and citrus notes (especially the lemon peel) continue to be main players, but the orchid is stronger now, and the scent has been darkened by the leather, teak, and khus. After a few hours, the amber becomes more prominent as well, so that I get the white tea and citrus, followed by lots of amber, and then the darker notes.

 

Verdict: I was curious about this one mainly because of the citrus notes. While they are prominent on me, I am not sure how I feel about them combined with things like the amber and leather. I don’t think that I’d ever reach for this, but it was nice to be able to try it!

[sarandipitee]

Very medicinal at first. Then the tea and citrus start to shine. Upon dry down this is very much an orchid/tea blend. I don’t get any leather or kush. It’s pretty but I don’t think it’s a me scent. I’ll pass on the imp, but happy to have tried. 

Edited January 3, 2019 by sarandipitee

[roseus]

Starts off with citrus and tea primarily, zesty and fresh. Deepens as it dries, definitely get amber and the sleek teakwood, adding warmth and depth and if I sniff deeply I get some humid orchid and light mint, which is coming off more crisp and green than menthol. This is really pretty and reminds me of really good commercial perfume, would be a good gateway scent for people new to indie perfume. 

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Lemon peel, white tea, and mint are prominent. I can also detect something softly grounding -- probably amber, possibly including teak. 

 

On my skin: 

 

Wet, lemon and tea remain prominent. As it dries, I get more tea than lemon -- though the lemon remains a main player -- while the leather becomes more noticeable as well. Ultimately, this remains a rather interesting high-low blend of lemony tea backed by leather on me. It's a very smooth, clean scent with just enough grounding not to be airy or flighty. I get the impression of it being unisex.

[artisjok]

Manhattan swings in with GRAPEFRUIT and white tea, then the lemon peel steps in for grapefruit after a few minutes. The amber seeps in quietly, and I notice the leather’s subtle presence. I’m realizing the orchid has been blooming all along, too. Everything is so well blended, apart from high tea & lemon notes, that I’m having difficulty prying their characters apart. The teakwood must be present, since I think “Is there wood?,” and I swear I notice wood when I didn’t before. I just thought, “ I guess mint is the only one I don’t smell (or imagine).” Yep, now I think I smell mint. Ahaha
The combo of brightness with orchid and the darker notes is compelling. The way they blend so seamlessly has my nose glued to wrist. Definitely upscale and could be totally sexy in the right outfit. Manhattan is one of my favorite GC scents, and I recently got a friend hooked on it. I’m starting to find orchid is a favorite floral. 

Edited March 14, 2020 by artisjok

[evil_laugher]

This quickly leaves me with the leather and probably the amber, with citrus in the background, and it's long-lasting. My imp has probably aged a bit. The profile is sophisticated, masculine, and high-income. I was watching "Insecure" the day I wore this, and it felt appropriate for the character Molly.

[DigitalCoyote]

I think my imp may be aged.  Pretty sure I got it as a frimp.  

 

Wet: I smell like a girl! Whatever that was before the flowers came in just reeked of "female."

 

Just dry: Lemon and mint zipped in and out as quickly as they arrived.

 

Dry dry: Flowers, tea, and wood are upfront but leather is lurking as a most alluring supporting player.  It's not in your face SMELL ME I'M SEXAY leather.  This is more that smell might be my bookshelf....or it might be something a bit more hands on but I'm classy and will never tell.

 

I.  Like.  This.

[melandie]

Initially, it's all lemon, then I start to get grapefruit, and then the teakwood and amber come out and round out the initial sharpness. I guess the tea and mint are kind of hiding in the background, and sadly, I don't get any leather.

 

Not my usual thing, as I don't really go for bright citrusy scents, it's nice. I could see this being nice as a room scent, or being really refreshing on a hot, sticky summer day.

[wordortwo]

I received this as a frimp from the Lab several months ago. To me, it smells like strong sweet orange essential oil mixed with green tea powder, and nothing else. Perhaps what I am smelling, rather than orange, is the mixture of grapefruit and lemon. Either way, I've worn it a few times waiting for the citrus to fade, as citrus top notes usually do, but it persists. If the citrus settled down, and the leather, wood, and amber chimed in, I think it might be smooth and bright and pleasant. But I find it cloying and suffocating -- in fact, the scent unpleasantly hangs in the back of my throat. Not a winner for me.

[fairybites]

Kinda getting a fruity and soft floral shampoo vibe from this. No leather, no teakwood. And the mint is pretty faint. It's alright but not what I hoped to get from this!

[proverbsofhell]

I'm not great at identifying scent notes, but here are my thoughts:

I like this, though if i wore it too often, I'd get sick of it. I'd apply a few drops. It's pretty strong and lasts.

If I was going to wear this, maybe a night out in dressed up jeans and a t-shirt.

 There's a bit of a funk to it.

[Rane.]

I have an imp of this. It's juicy, warm, leathery, minty, fruity/citrus, & grounded with kush & tea. The orchid & tea starts to blossom & mix with the citrus notes really well. This is a night out perfume. Gotta have a bottle!