Manhattan

[slave1]

MANHATTAN:

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.

 

In Bottle: Lemon and tea

 

On Skin: Weee!!! I get to write the first review!! The lemon jumps out at me right away. Lemon loves to amp itself on my skin. At first this reminds me of a less sweet White Rabbit. But it does have much heavier citrus tones whereas White Rabbit has the sweet creamy feel and the tea is more pronounced and is also a darker tea. Very sleek and attention getting, I like the boldness of this scent. The teakwood is very light but balances the tartness of this scent, and the orchid gives a beautiful bold kick as well. I don’t smell the amber at first and am also shocked the leather doesn’t shout out at me. Usually leather amps itself on my skin as well. The mint is a nice sparkle in this scent, just a dash but enough to give it even a fresher feel. The kush (which I’m assuming is Kush Incense) gives it a further exotic and slightly dark feel. As the scent develops, the tartness of the citrus fades and the darker notes come forward... ooohhh, sexy!! The scent is so very beautiful, but it doesn’t make me instantly think Manhattan. But of course I’ve only been there once so I’m not sure if I really know what I would picture a Manhattan scent to smell like. I think this would work for either men or women. It has a light to medium throw. but it fades pretty quickly on me. I may need to slather.

[Alchemy21599]

In the bottle: grapefruit!

 

Wet: grapefuit and tropical florals. So far this does not remind me of Manhattan.

 

Dry: Oh, another super morpher! Once this scent dries down the leather becomes more forward and the amber and teakwood start to shine. On me this is a very feminine leather scent. It reminds me of the scent of fabulous shoes purchased at a boutique or very upscale department store. I will certainly enjoy my imp and possibly purchase a 5 ml.

[LiberAmoris]

Manhattan is an oil I've been looking forward to for a long time. I work in the city and have lived there in the past, and the experience of the city is so rich---overwhelming, enriching, frustrating, wonderful, and full. I was really excited to see how Beth would envision the city through perfume, and I'm very excited to find that I really love it!

 

Manhattan strikes me as a very upscale and sophisticated citrus-floral centered on the solid base of amber, leather, and teakwood. It reminds me of a glossy, modern skyscraper. This is what living well in the city smells like (not that I'd know, ). The throw is mostly grapefruit-orchid-teakwood on me, but it's tempered by the other notes so it comes across as more complex than that sounds.

 

Because of the citrus oils, the top part of this blend doesn't last very long on my skin, but the drydown is warm and comfortable. It reminds me of when I first moved here and would get lost. If I walked a few blocks, eventually I'd turn a corner and recognize where I was and how to get home.

[Electra]

Hamadryad. Cinnamon version.

 

Full stop, end of story. At least on my skin.

 

It's a lighter and less in-your-face, but it's Hamadryad. This makes me a happy girl, because Hamadryad was one of my first true BPAL loves, and I was really sad to hear about the wintergreen Hamadryad that seems to be the rule now - I'm nowhere near the end of my 5 mL, but I was upset that I might not be able to get more if I needed it. And now there's an oil that smells like a lighter Hamadryad on me? AND it's named for the city that I just moved away from after spending three years there (so I bought the imp on name alone)? JOY.

 

Edit - and yeah, I know that my review is way different than everyone else's . But skin chemistry is a truly mysterious thing! And I did get some citrus in the wet stages...but the drydown is all Hamadryad on me. Go figure.

Edited September 3, 2006 by Electra

[edenssixthday]

Manhattan - This is a really pretty scent – very light and fresh. It starts out very citrusy, but as it dries down, the citrus calms down and the orchid becomes softly noticeable, and white tea swirls around the other notes, providing balance. I don’t ever distinctly smell the leather in this blend, but I can feel it there, giving the overall scent a depth it wouldn’t have otherwise. I’m amazed that a scent with white mint smells good on me! I keep going over and over in mind memories of my numerous visits to Manhattan, and this just doesn't jump out at me as all as something I'd ever associate with Manhattan itself, except for the fact that it’s sophisticated and classy and reminds me somewhat of the Upper East Side and a nice tea drink I had in a cafe there once. This blend sticks very close to the skin and doesn’t last long on me, but it is really pretty.

[hologhost]

In the bottle: Straight up lemon. Not lemon candy or nasty lemon pledge - just lemon.

 

On me: Ummmmm. Grapefruit has joined the party. And a teensy bit of floral. No tea for me.

[zenvodunista]

I'm also a Manhattanite, and a Native New Yorker. So, I was SO happy when this came out.

 

This is a complex scent but light. I am going to be aging mine for a bit, as my skin tends to eat scents that are light.

 

It starts out with a fresh citrus that feels cool and slick. This is not a bouncy citrus, this is a citrus that just left a high end day spa As it mellows, a smoothness comes in, it's hard to explain further than that. I get a bit of aged whisky but I think that's my skin chemistry mixing with the teakwood. For a bit it goes to a more commercial perfume scent, and then goes to a more floral moment.

 

IT morphs a lot, which is why I'm goign to give this multiple tries before I say anything more.

 

But it is complex -- just like this city.

 

n.

[olympia301]

 

At first I thought this blend was misnamed. It was so sweet, lemony and lilting it couldn't be the scent of such a robust city as New York! Well, this is a surely the true and attractive side of Manhattan. I can indeed smell the leather, put in with a deft but knowing hand, the dry sophistication of Manhattan is a real turn on. It does say Power, understated Power. I suspect there is a part of a drop of cassia in here which really makes it. I don't normally like cassia but this is done as it should be. I really like this blend. It is light, and I would love to put it in a scent locket. Real real attractive.

[filigree_shadow]

When I first put this on, I thought it smelled like lemon custard. I was beginning to regret my 10ml purchase of Manhattan.

 

But when it's drying, the grapefruit starts to come out, and I like grapefruit better than lemon. I love the scent that's underneath the grapefruit -- it smells like an amber and wood combination. The tea and orchid seem to give it a slightly feminine quality. I can't really smell any leather in it, though.

 

Manhattan smells sleek to me. Posh.

Glad I have that 10ml.

[midnight_aeval]

In Manhattan I get tea, lemon, leather and grapefruit.

 

Ah grapefruit.. you always turn everything bad on me! I bet this scent would have been spectacular on me without it.

 

The drydown was wonderful tho, sweet, the amber maybe? and leather mmm I really have to decide if this would be a full bottle purchase since the first 45 min on me is pretty ick

[PurringPulsar]

Manhattan

 

In the imp: crap, my imp broke. But this smells really good-a fresh citrus cologne.

Wet on skin: fresh citrus perfume with a hint of mint and tea.

Dry on skin: mmm, I really like this. It's less like cologne now, more like citrus peel. Like fresh lemon and grapefruit peel. A little tea as well. I'm surprised that it's a little faint on me though, I can't really smell the leather, just the tangy, bright notes. But this smells very pleasant-a refreshing and tart citrus blend with just a little hint of sophistication. It's a little faint though…

After a while: ah, now this is strengthening up nicely. The citrus has died down, the tea is still there, and now I smell a smoky leathery scent with a hint of green and teakwood to it, possibly some orchid in the background. The smoke is greenish and incense like. This now smells like a very upscale, unisex, well-blended and sleek perfume but without the sharp sting you get with perfume counter scents. This is a lot more 'modern smelling' than the other city-themed scents, it speaks of glamour and glitz but also has a pleasantly gritty undertone that brings it down to earth.

The problem with this scent is that it's rather faint on me, despite the leather. then after two hours, the teak really shows up-the scent becomes very woody indeed, but it's a gentle wood. There are also times when the amber really shows up as well. The drydown is a scent reminiscent of pale wood and dry grass. All the time, the scent is very subtle and, surprisingly, the leather never becomes dominant.

Verdict: I really like this, on me, to start with, it is a gorgeous natural citrus tea scent before it morphs into a pleasant, subtle leather-smoke-citrus-wood scent, a unisex perfume. It seems very classy and very modern, a sleek, urban scent with a smokiness wafting through it. Very fitting for it's namesake, I think. There are some moments where I really smell the teak (a first for me and teak scents) but the leather is so discreet-on me anyway. I like this scent enough to keep the imp but I'm not certain about a bottle yet-I wish this scent was much stronger on me-it lacked the confidence and power I was hoping for. But it's such a unique fragrance with nothing like it in BPAL, not even the likes of Severin come close, and I like it a great deal.

Emoticon rating:

If you like this, try: Theodosius, Dorian, Bow and Crown, Severin

Edited September 28, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[sofiaviolet]

I was kind of scared of Manhattan, there's a hell of a lot of notes in here and they don't make much sense together.

 

Very bright lemon and tea, calming down a bit on my skin. No amber, leather, teak, orchid, grapefruit, or mint. Maybe there's some kush, but since I don't know what it is, I can't say.

[storme]

In the imp: this reminds me of Nihil. A slightly sweeter commercial perfume, but still a commercial perfume. Sophisticated and elegant but fresh.

 

On me, wet: lemon peel becomes really prominent at first, but then calms down and becomes a generally citrus scent, very sharp. It lacks the edge of warmth it had in the imp, alas.

 

On me, dry: ah, there's the warmer amber/leather/wood, but it's fighting a losing battle with all the citrus. It never quite manages to balance out again.

 

Verdict: if it smelled as good on my skin as in the imp, I'd be buying a big bottle in my next order. As it is, it's just another citrus scent, and it's not as nice as some others of those.

[maijasu]

At first, this is all lemon on me. When it dries, it turns rather soapy, which is really confusing since there's no rose in this one! I usually love blends with amber, but this one just doesn't work with my skin chemistry.

[Little Bird]

In the bottle... juicy lemon and refreshing white tea.

On my skin... zesty lemon, white tea, and a pinch of sweet grapefruit. This is very citrussy and clean smelling on my skin. Normally I dislike citrus (it goes really sharp on me), but the smooth white tea is keeping this grounded and keeping it from going bitter on me.

I was expecting this blend to be more complex than it actually is on me. I never smell most of the mentioned notes. In the drydown, this is white tea with a squeeze of lemon. Sweet, crisp, and refreshing.

Unfortunately, I already have so many BPAL tea and lemon blends that this isn't a standout for me...

Edited September 27, 2016 by Little Bird

[summer]

This is a beautiful, beautiful perfume. It took me by surprise, as I did not expect to like it so much. It has a sweet citrus kick, but it is predominantly a smooth, cool, sophisticated floral that is just sweet enough and just lightly insensey enough to be perfect for me. A perfect workday perfume that keeps me sniffing my wrists all day!

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is a strong cup of tea with lemon in a big luxurious

leather chair

once applied this gets stronger and the grapefruit and orchid intermingle

making this just fabulous!!! this is the big apple! sensational!!

 

after 30 minutes or so this has faded dramatically

still gorgeous i think i will savor this little imp for dreary winter months,

curled up in front of the tube while watching studio 54 or saturday night fever!!

 

this is clever and fun

[crescentwench]

i was so excited about this one. Musk, leather and tea! yay!

 

in the bottle i get all grapfruit. I like grapfruit, but i want musk and leather!! On me it's all citrus, no musk or leather and smell vaguely of a body shop or gap scent that I"ve smelled before. It's very sophisticated but not me at all.

[rhubarbbear]

i was scared of this...cause leather ain't really my gig, and amber tends to go wrong on me. still...of course i wanted to try it

 

it's really beautiful! didn't move me much in the vial, but some got on my fingers and i couldn't stop smelling them. so pretty and grown up...but not too grown up to play tag in the park and roll around on the living room floor. or anywhere else

[forspecial_plate]

I like how this smells out of the imp, but as soon as it touches my skin it seems to just hide. It doesn't disappear completely but darn close. I can smell a fresh-ness that's a little bit citrus, a little leather, maybe some mint...it does smell sophisticated and posh to me. It seems to be very well blended and I have trouble picking out any individual notes, really.

 

Later as it dries/warms, a little more sweetness comes out. Ahh, there's a little more throw...but not much! Manhattan is a very subtle scent on me, but nice. I think I can smell the amber, along with the same notes I picked up earlier. This seems to be in the same scent family as F5, so maybe I'm smelling the tea also. But really, F5 has much more throw, even though it too is subtle...so I don't see a need to seek out more Manhattan. If I did wear it again, it would be for the subtlety of it.

 

edit: Later...this is strangely persistent, very present but so sublte as to be almost overlooked (oversniffed?). Sort of contradictory. I'm going to have to experiment with this some more.

Edited February 14, 2007 by Forspecial Plate

[The_Merf]

In the imp: Given all the notes listed, I'm not surprised at how complex this smells. There's no particular note that stands out here for me, though I can detect the lemon and leather.

 

Wet: The lemon is the strongest note in the blend at first. In fact, it is surprisingly dominant, and on casual sniffing, I can't really smell anything else specific...everything muddles behind the lemon.

 

Drydown and wear: This stays pretty consistent--I was hoping for more assertivness from the other notes, particularly the leather. Still, the overall effect of lemon with this complex background is still interesting. I will hold the imp, but I don't imagine that I will get a bottle.

[shellyshells]

Manhattan

 

In the bottle, I smell ambery lemon and tea.

On me, wow this is a really polished blend. The notes bloom with time and thankfully the leather isn't alllll up in my face.

The orchid, grapefruit, and teakwood in this blend really stand out but blend really nicely. Over time, the amber softens it up.

The other notes are a little harder for me to pick out.... but overall, I likes it..... it reminds me of a grown up and sophisticated Carnaval Diabolique.

[Bagfish]

Lemon amber musk with definite leather undertones peeking through. The leather becomes much more pronounced after 3 hours of wear.

 

I like the lemon-amber-musk smell, but the leather is becoming too defined. This started well, but doesn't suit as well as I'd hoped on drydown, my skin obviously doesn't like leather as I often have this problem with leather blends.

 

Ho hum, I think this will be going for swaps.

[theseagrows]

out of all the new catalogue scents that had come out a couple months ago, this was the one i was most excited about. all my skin seems to emit is the white tea, lemon peel and orchid (mostly). i get NO leather from this, and i think if i had i would've loved this more than i do. it's a mostly orchid scent on me, and i like orchid so i do like this, but it's sweeter and more perfumy than i had hoped. i will keep the imp, i am just not sure about a bottle.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: lemon and a hint of mint.

 

On my skin: lemon and musk. Unexpected and pretty mix. I guess it would be perfect in the summer! Very light-coloured, very luminous.

 

After a couple of hours: still mostly lemon, but it gets perfumey (amber and musk, I guess).

 

Verdict: very, very nice! No wonder as I'm a lemon-lover. Still, I'll stick to Embalming Fluid as my favourite lemon fragrance because this one's a tiny bit too perfumey for me.