Kathmandu

[sarahjay]

The scent of sacred incense swirling up the steep slopes to Swayambhunath Stupa. Saffron, blessed sandalwood, Himalayan cedar and the miraculous lotus of the Buddha with chiuri bark and Nepalese spices.

I like this

the cedar was very strong at first, but it's mellowed out now to a smooth, sandalwoody scent. it's very dry and seems quite relaxing. I think I'd wear it to bed, when I want to sleep.

7 march - I tried a little on my hubby today (he was at my mercy & couldn't escape haha!) and it smells FANTASTIC on him - again very cedar at first then all blends in a mellow way. we both like woods & resins. I liked it on me but I like sniffing it from him even more

[Elanya]

Wet and in the bottle: ....This smells like root beer to me... how bizzare. I had to check the scent description again to see if there was any sassafrass in it, and then I was even more confused. I can get a hint of the cedar, though, once I know to look for it.

 

Dry: Okay, it is still sweet, but spicier, though I cna't distinguish the notes. There is no cedar for me, though. It's sweet, light, and refreshing.... like root beer ;D

 

I really don't know why I'm getting that particular scent from this, considering the actual notes!

 

Still, I like it enough to use up my imp, but probably won't buy a big bottle. It isn't a particularly *strong* scent, either. I can still smell it several hours later, but only if I sniff for it.

[Pixie-elf]

Old Kathmandu

 

In the Vial: Wow, in the vial it smells like Root Beer to me too!

 

Wet: Root Beer at first, then it morphs... the Cedar and the Lotus come out, and, they both stay equal. They don't change, or fight for whom is stronger...

 

Dry: Cedar and Lotus are Equal. I keep getting the scent of something snokey, like incense, or like a fire, along with the Cedar and Lotus...

 

Conclusion: I might get a big bottle of this, I will for SURE use up the imp and get another. It's really nice.

[bellis]

Damn, the cedar really just takes over on my skin. There's some incense and something sweet and spicy in the background, but mostly I just smell like pine shavings. I don't know if I'll have the patience to leave this on until it develops the creaminess other reviews have mentioned. Not for me, I think.

[Etaven]

In the bottle, it smells kind of smoky and wood-y, with a touch of underlying floral-ish spices. Not sure whether or not I really like it, but it could work.

 

On me, wet, the spices come out in full force in the first few seconds, followed by a sweetness that eventually overpowers the spicyness. The faint hint of incense is there as well, though the scent already seems to be a lot weaker than a few moments ago... but maybe that's just my nose. It's pleasant.

After a few more seconds, there's a piney sort of scent that reminds me a bit of Hemlock, and a kind of mintyness. It's definitely a complete change from how it smells in the bottle, and I think I like it.

 

It gets faint fairly fast on me, and hours after, I can still smell it a bit, but only very close to my wrist. It's a spicy sort of incense smell, at this point.

[quimerula]

Wet the cedar is almost too much, hidding the rest of the notes and giving the scent a tone too woody for my taste; a quick turn puts the spices and the saffran in the first line, followed by the lotus.

Drying the cedar goes softer and softer, blending with the spices and the sandalwood and keeping the lotus and the saffran in a leading role.

I think this one smells just like an ancient chinese shop with all those spices and laqued furniture, with that mixture of powder and a bit of incensy sandalwood in the air.

Lovely, I have to try it again to figure our how much it lasts.

[surf-tormented]

At first, this really reminded me of Kostnice, minus the lily note.

 

But all the other times I've worn it, it has reminded me of candy cigarettes and I love candy cigarettes.

 

Boy says it smells like a candy necklace to him.

 

It does mellow to a sweet sandalwood, but this wasn't what I was expecting.

 

My bf's nickname for me is Kathmandu, so I couldn't resist getting a 10ml from the much loved Penance. Thanks!

[sagitare]

This goes on very, very light. At first there's a predominately smokey scent - sort of sharp and vaguely unpleasant. It's only after this has been on a bit that the sweetness of the sandalwood comes out and that smokiness fades away. Speaking of fading, this doesn't last long at all - two, three hours, tops. I think in terms of incensy types of scents I definitely prefer Aureus - Kathmandu is just too bitter for me.

[tart]

I'd been curious to try Kathmandu for a while, but was wary of the cedar. The Lab was so nice to send this to me.

 

If I could separate out all of the woody scents from Kathmandu, and be left with the spices and everything else, I'd like it. But I hate woody scents.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: OMG. It's root beer. It's root beer with a little bit of an incense kick to it.

 

Wet: Root beer and incence. I can pick out the cedar and I know that slightly sweet scent is the lotus, but it smells like root beer on me. Root beer. It's just so weird.

 

Dry down: It's a slightly woody/incense root beer. It's not a bad smell by any means. It's just so...odd to me that it smells so much like root beer to me. It kinda makes me want to go to A&W and get a root beer float. Yummy. As it dries a little more, though, the smells start to separate and the root beer smell becomes less prominant. I can now make out the cedar as well as the lotus. The spices and the other wood notes are discernible in the background.

 

Dry: Oh, I kinda miss the root beer. The lotus and most of the spices have disappeared completely leaving me with a very cedar scented hand. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Yeah, cedar and sandalwood. I'll throw this at the boy. He'll love it.

[tinyvulture]

I definitely notice the cedar in this one. And yeah, it does kind of smell like root beer, the way that Tombstone does. Also very resinous, like Cathedral, but not as sharp thanks to the saffron and other spices, which add sweetness. It makes me feel calm.

[wolfie13]

In the vial, I get cedar, a bit of sandalwood, and a bit of something astringent-ish (think lemon, pine, eucalyptus - along those lines)- smells nice and woody, like some of my fave bpals.

 

Upon application - this turns immediately, and unrepentantly, into root beer (yes! just as others have said!) and STRONG cedar. And stays that way until the end.

 

Bummer - I thought I would really like this, but this soda-sweetness plus cedar is a no-go on me. I think I will attribute this to the "lotus hates me" factor.

Edited April 22, 2005 by wolfie13

[wickedgoddess]

Origins - imp received in a swap.

 

Wet - cedar and something kind of medicinal.

 

Dry - Cedar is the predominant note, but it's a spicy cedar. I smell sandalwood and other spices; I think I smell some cardamom. I really like this a lot, although I would like it better if it had something with a bit of a zip in it, cinnamon perhaps or a dash of patchouli.

 

I will definitely keep the imp, and it will go on my list of possible big bottle purchases.

 

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

[Loligo]

At first, this was a strongly smoky incense -- the top note was very much like the smell of the temples I visited in China, although there was an underlying spiciness that was different. As it dried, it went through sort of a sweet and sweaty stage, a bit too "unwashed hippie" for me, but then that note faded and some of the woods came out more prominently. Now it's mostly a sweet and spicy scent, with incense and sunny redwood groves drifting through occasionally.

 

Very nice!!

[elphaba]

I have to preface this review by saying that I always wear a pile of rubber bracelets on my left wrist. I apply perfume on my bare right wrist and then push the bracelets back to rub some scent onto my left wrist. Usually, the biggest difference I notice is that scent lasts much longer under the bracelets, but the warmth and moisture seem to have made a bigger difference with Old Kathmandu than with most scents I've tried.

 

In the bottle, Old Kathmandu smells much like the description. I can imagine walking up the steps of a temple deep within a fir forest, smelling wafts of incense intermingled with the resin from the trees. It is a very ancient sort of scent, that of a place untouched by time.

 

As soon as the oil touches my skin, it's cedar cedar cedar. It's not the subtle smell of the blocks I put in with my winter clothes, either. This is fresh-cut cedar. I can smell the wood shavings. I also get a hint of incensy smoke. It's nice, but I'm not sure it's me.

 

On drydown, I start to notice the difference between my two wrists. The arm with the bracelets morphs into a sweet, light scent that I'm guessing is the lotus flower. It's really beautiful and has convinced me to try more blends with lotus. My right arm retains the cedar and incense along with the lotus, but the whole mixture is much lighter than what I'm smelling on the other side. I guess, for me, lotus tends to be more assertive in a warm, moist environment. Unfortunately, because I really like it, I live in Colorado where cool and dry is much more the norm.

 

As nice as it is, I don't see Old Kathmandu becoming a favorite. The initial cedar blast isn't my style and the drydown seems too unpredictable to count on in my climate.

[PurringPulsar]

Kathmandu

In the imp: dark green woods, pine, cedar, fresh mountain air…and something sweet and spicy underneath.

Wet on skin: I think I can smell spices, probably anise and cloves, and cedar and other woods. It's quite nice, quite refreshing, but slightly medicinal.

Dry on skin: this is really nice, it seems to be quite a 'clear' smell, clears the nose and the mind, like a fresh blast of Himalayan mountain air, it then becomes warmer, thanks to the spices mingled with cedar and sandalwood, gently smouldering incense, and a hint of lotus. It's very soft on me though.

After a while: omg after a few hours, this has a lovely warm, dry, soft spicy-woody-sweet-incensy smell that reminds me of Ahatoor!!! Slightly more woody, but similar. And since I love Ahatoor I love this phase in the scent.

Verdict: woody, smoky yet clearing-this would be nice to meditate with. It's also not too heavy or overwhelming. But I quite like it, and I have a feeling my dad would too-he's been to Kathmandu and this is quite a masculine scent. It would be nice as a room fragrance, and it has calming, grounding feel. It's also the 'woodiest' of the BPAL blends I've tried so far. But the end phase of the scent, as it fades, is very similar to Ahatoor, maybe sandalwood, lotus and cedar are components of both scents? I dunno but I love Ahathoor and the end of Kathmandu is very remeniscent of it.

Edited May 5, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[Sistinas]

a review of Kathmandu

 

Vial ~ light incense of saffron and sandalwood, very light and not

overpowering at all.

 

Wet ~ It is pretty much the same, except that I am picking up the slight

scent of liquorice. Maybe that is just from the combination of the

ingredients, I am not really picking up cedar at all.

 

Drying ~ As it drys I am picking up the cedar, someone mentioned on the lush

board the term "pencil shavings" and that seems to be an accurate description

of what I am smelling now. Generally I have always been able to detect lotus,

as a bubblegummy type scent

 

Dry ~ It is more spicy, but still woody. It is an okay scent, not doing

anything to wow me. While I was hoping it would be more spicier than it is

and have less of a wood smell.

 

Fade ~ Figures, a scent that I don't care for that much, would have a

better lasting power.

 

Final thoughts ~ This is just meh on me. I would have to give it a 2. This

could be used in a oil burner and for meditation, maybe being more likely

be more enjoyable, but I prefer Tushnamatay more as scent to burn for

meditating.

[girlmadasbirds]

smoky wood, incense, and spice. i really like this one.

[QueenFae]

Ughh, I don't know what it is about this one, but it did NOT like me. I let my fiance smell it when it was first applied, and he immediately said "cat pee." Yep, unfortunately that's what it smelled like. On the dry down, it softened up a bit, which prompted him to then say, "kitty litter." I guess this one's not for me, lol. Kathmandu was a Kathman-don't.

[quikslvr]

1st try: Generally, it's an odd Tibetan-like incense smell. Didn't last too long on me.

 

Upon a 2nd try: Cedar and bright woods predominate. Settles down some, but not enough for my tastes. Smells like a new-age shop I know of in Madison. Confirmation of fast fade on me.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Hmm. Breezy, and a hint of antiseptic. It's actually kinda nice.

 

Just On: My skin amps up the antiseptic scent, but it's still pretty pleasant. That must be benzoin.

 

An hour or two later: Yeah, antiseptic. I guess I probably wouldn't wear this, but I certainly am enjoying the olfactory memories.

 

Around 6 hours: Now my skin has made this go kinda sour. I guess my skin just HATES the idea of me enjoying certain scents.

 

12 hours: It pretty much is gone now.

 

Overall: I think I would be more likely to use this as a room scent. It's a pretty scent, but my skin turns it sour, and then it doesn't like me so much. I guess you can't win them all.

 

After reading other reviews: I think if the sandalwood and cedar had come forward more, this might have worked on my skin, but they just weren't in the forefront. I certainly didn't get the root beer smell, which might have been really nice.

[yellowrose]

Old Kathmandu ... yes, Old.

 

Wet: Wowee! But this is saffron-y.

 

Drying: Lots of burning-wood scent here. Not like Dia de los Muertos, but an incense scent with lots of power from the cedar. This cedar is sweet, not sharp. There is some clear note somewhere, but it is elusive. Not sure what this particular sandalwood should smell like, but I'm guessing it's part of that spicy incense scent. Very unusual scent indeed.

 

Fades between the two and three hour mark to a whisper of lotus. Without the lasting power and with the funky melange of notes, this would be a scent worn on a whim or for a special event when reapplication is possible, but not particularly needed.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Cedar; I recognize it instantly because it doesn't get along with my skin at all. I am hoping the lotus will brighten this, and that the spices will diffuse whatever causes cedar to twist into a horrible shrieking note on my skin.

On me: It reminds me of a Buddist temple I visited several years ago. I believe the incense they burnt contained many of the same ingredients - saffron and sandalwood certainly were in the blend. For the incense/wood fans, this will be a real treat - this smells like fancy wood, the sort carved by dedicated craftsmen to decorate palaces.

[Orodemniades]

Imp: Oo, smokey, with a strong peanut undertone.

 

Wet: Still smokey, but of a fresh, dry log rather than a campfire you've just dumped a bucket of water on. I can smell something like cloves in here.

 

Drydown: It's gone all faint on me. There's a scent that I always associate with sandalwood (not one of my favorite perfumes), as well as cedar. This reminds me of incense burning outdoors, where the breeze can sweep through it and just carries it fainly through the woods. An after image of scent, if you will.

 

Overall: I can't say I like this, but I don't dislike it, either. Anyway, I keep wearing it, so that must mean something!

 

Oro

[delicate_fangs]

When I first put this on, I smelled a mint, almost a wintergreen, rising up with the woods. Then it turned to a mixture of sweet spice and woods. Very nice. I will have to try this several more times to follow it through its changes.

 

Keeper. Maybe a bottle, later. We'll see.