Men Ringing Bell with Penises

[Gwydion]

Green sandalwood, rice wine, black tea, tonka, and moss.

 

In bottle: yum. Tea, moss and green sandalwood with the other elements present, but softer. I was not previously familiar with green sandalwood, but it is enough like the regular to pick out, just. It does indeed smell green and woody and gentler than normal sandal wood. The black tea and tonka sweeten it, the moss adds to the feel of it. I am imagining a monastery garden with moss covered wood. I am thinking of tea ceremony in a garden glistening from recent rain. It is not floral at all. I am thinking of plants though, and wood and rain, and a sense of mono no aware. This is beautifully blended stuff. Wet: I am definitely in love. This is slyly sexual, rather like the naughty monks of the concept. This stuff is amazing on my skin. I just keep sniffing it. Dry: vaguely citrusey, but not in a bad way. Since it's not actual citrus, my skin doesn't amplify it, but there is a pleasant tang as the scent evolves.

If I've somehow missed someone else starting this thread or have messed up the format, I apologize. I've never started a review thread before.

[DangerInRed]

Mmmm...

 

This blend reminds me of both Hungry Ghost Moon and Tamamo-no-Mae. A lot. I think it might be the rice wine/tea/tonka/sandalwood combo? Did HGM have tonka?

 

Anyway, both in the bottle and upon application, it's HGM/Tamamo-ish, but still retains its own sense of identity. It isn't grapefruity citrus like HGM or peachy like Tamamo. It's subtle, soft and possibly a bit florally, although that could just be how my nose is interpreting it. It isn't sharp or sneeze-inducing at all! I think it's also the most unisex of the three. I'm glad that I got a bottle of this one!

[Eutectic]

Wet--Green tea and something sweet. Maybe the sandlewood?

 

First on--Holy god this is sweet green tea yum....WOW...I'm loving this one. I read green in other reviews but this is moss green and a slight green tea too. Not melon or cucumber or grass green but sultry green, fresh without being sunny if that makes sense.

 

Drying--I think the rice wine is coming more to the front now. The tonka too. It seems a bit floral but not in a specific flower kind of way and a bit sweet. Does not in fact remind me of a bunch of men smacking a bell with their pen*ses but reminds me of a grove of bamboo in a temple in Kyoto....A very spring scent. I think I may have to wait till the weather warms to wear this. It would be perfect to wear when the flowers just start blooming in the spring.

[sarada]

I was hoping this would be something along the lines of Hungry Ghost Moon & c., with the sharp green wood of Faiza, and I am not disappointed. It's just as I imagined!

 

Green sandalwood if I'm not mistaken smells much more fresh than any other sandalwood -- almost bamboo-like in its tart, sharp wetness. The familiar sour-sweet scent of rice wine that I love in HGM and Tamamo is present in here though the green sandalwood keeps it from getting too strong. Tonka adds a hint of sweetness and moss adds a damp earthy softness. Poured over the other notes, the tea is faint, more like green tea than black.

 

Fans of HGM, Tamamo, Foxfires on New Year's Eve, Holiday Moon, and similar Asian-themed scented with tea, rice wine, and bamboo or other wood notes, would definitely be advised to pick this one up. I don't think about penises at all when I smell this! I think about a bamboo tea house in the rain, similar to what the other reviewers described. More fresh than woody, and a lovely gentle mixture of naturally sweet and sour notes.

[edenssixthday]

Men Ringing Bell With Penises - This is a gorgeous, soft blend. It's highly Asian in character, with the rice wine being by far the strongest note in this blend. I'd definitely put it in the same scent category as Tamamo-no-Mae and Hungry Ghost Moon. Upon smelling it, thought it was loaded with green tea, but looking at the scent description, I think that's the combo of black tea and green sandalwood. The tonka is giving this blend a slightly creamy feeling, too. It's really gorgeous and surprises me with how amazing it smells. It's a soft, subtle scent that doesn't have much throw, but if a breeze hits my skin, it definitely lifts the scent and softly swirls it around me. This is a lovely blend that I will be wearing. And when my mother asks what I'm wearing, I think I'm just going to call it "Ringing Bells."

[scarletgenesis]

In the bottle- similar to Hungry Ghost Moon, but a bit sharper. I can't pick out individual notes.

 

Wet and dry: Wow, this is really lovely! Sandalwood, rice wine, black tea, and tonka are all making an appearance. No moss yet, but I only put this on a while ago.

 

When I first applied this, I thought it was like a cross between Hungry Ghost Moon and Mechanical Phoenix (there's a sharpness/metallic note here that reminds me of MP). That sharpness has backed off a bit now, but it was great while it lasted.

 

Overall, this is a wonderful scent. It's sort of quiet and relaxing, but somehow energizing all at the same time!

 

I hope it lasts a long time on my skin, because I want to sniff myself all day.

[hkhm]

bottle: sandalwood and moss with a hint of sake.

 

wet: the tea appears once applied, tea and sandalwood with an almost minty touch.

 

dry: this smells very green. moss, tea, sake and green sandalwood the only thing i can't quite catch is the tonka.

[dawndie]

Wet: green incense

 

On skin: the tea comes stomping to the forefront over the greener notes

 

Half-hour later: up close is darker and mossy, but the waft is gorgeous! Light green incense with a bit of creamy tea

 

In conclusion: I thought this would be too dark and green, but further away is a beautiful waft that reminds me of some garden incense I bought -- these are jumbo-sized 24" sticks of incense that you burn outside. Refreshing!

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: tea with lemon!

 

wet on skin: the citrus comes to the front a bit, but the tea is still very present.

 

dry down: *very* much like the original Bulgari green tea perfume, if anyone has tried mainstream perfumes.

 

in all: very pleasant, gender neutral, something that i could see being worn on hot summer evenings, but not something i'll be seeking out obsessively. love the illustration, tho'!

[slave1]

MEN RINGING BELL WITH PENISES

 

In Bottle: Tea and sandalwood

 

On Skin: The black tea stands out the most on me… it reminds me of White Rabbit right away. The sandalwood is very clean and just slightly woody. The moss gives a earthy aquatic tone. The tonka helps sweeten everything up, and I can’t really smell the rice wine… it is the faintest of the notes but starts to come a little more forward over time. Over all, this scent has a very Asian feel. It’s dignified and I see it as being more masculine. My husband had to smell it after I told him the name, but it’s not really his thing. He’s more into leather and muskier scents. I love how all the notes blend, and of course the title creates a wonderful visual. It has a pretty light throw and short wearlength.

[alicia_stardust]

This comes across as a highly Asian blend, gorgeous in its presentation. The green sandalwood is light and raw; the difference I find in green sandalwood is that it is not as dry or sharp as other types of sandalwood. It goes so well with the black tea and the rice wine. I find that the rice wine really dominates this blend, but it is not hard to pick out the way that the tea mingles with the tonka and the moss. This one has a strong throw and long wear-length.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Moss, tea, and a touch of alcohol.

 

Immediately on skin: This is very fresh, crisp, and green. The green note is definitely moss, but there’s also something else there like the smell that comes from fresh green stems. There’s a bit of alcohol in this from the rice wine as well.

 

After a little while: The alcohol rice wine note has faded almost completely, and what's remaining is a sweet, creamy and fresh moss scent. I don't know if I smell the green sandalwood, but the black tea, tonka, and moss are evident. There's a cool and almost aquatic green or blue feel to this, but also a nice freshness from the tea. The tonka seems to be the base of this... it's slightly creamy and works beautifully with the moss. There's almost a fruitiness to this, but it isn't too sweet.

 

Overall Impressions: I really like this scent. It's fresh and mossy with a unisex feel and a slight sweetness. It's a fresh scent with an aquatic and almost fruity tone, and is green but not in a sharp way; this is a very smooth scent.

[AEris]

To me, this smells like green tea, a hint of sandalwood, and an air of freshness that makes me think "citrus" without really going there. It's a fresh scent, and it seems floral to me although there aren't florals listed in the notes. Clearly, I'm a bit stumped. : -D

 

Unisex, leaning toward masculine but not exclusively so.

 

3.6 out of 5

[tarotgirl99]

This smells like men's after shave on me. Mentholated. Weird.

[sookster]

 

straight sniff from bottle is very green tea!!

 

once applied this is absolutely wonderful!! fresh yet complex and sweet...the rice wine

and green sandalwood are stunning together...after awhile this gets a somewhat

creamy note...creamy and still green and fresh...adore it!

 

excellent sillage as well

[maribouquet]

Such interesting notes, and yet this is very meh on me. It just kind of lies there, smelling like men's hair gel. Limp dick syndrome.

[LauraB]

This is gorgeous on me - a lovely fresh green scent. It feels like Holiday moon, but fresher and greener with a touch of sweetness and a slight creamy note (not sure where that came from but I like it a lot). It lasts for several hours and doesn't really morph once on.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Fresh, green, and woody. Yummy!

 

Wet: A little minty and citrusy, I swear. It's a cool, aquatic scent. The moss, green sandalwood, and slightly boozy rice wine are prominent. A tiny hint of sweet tonka, but it's very light, more sparkling than foody. I'm not getting any tea.

 

Dry: Nooooooo! It is going to toilet cleaner scent of doom! I wish I knew what note this was; something in the mint family, that much I know. The scent is also much more blended now, and softer; it's nearly impossible to pick out individual notes.

 

Summary: Thank god, the minty doom was just a phase. In the final drydown the tonka really amps, turning this into slightly sweet, creamy tea & green sandalwood blend with a hint of rice wine. It's quite nice, complex and very unisex.

[euterpe414]

On me this scent is a very fresh, vibrant green tea (funny, b/c black tea is what is listed, I guess my nose is trying to fool me!). There is a hint of fruitiness but the blend never gets overwhelmingly sweet. I can detect the moss but it is not overpowering, it just contributes to the freshness of the tea. This blend is definitely similar to Beth's other Asian inspired blends like Neo-Tokyo, Hungry Ghost Moon and Tamamo No Mae. The green sandalwood also makes me think a bit of Faiza, too. It's the perfect summertime tea scent for me, in fact- not too astringent, not too sweet, just right! It lasts for a very long time on me and has a fair amount of throw. This is definitely a multiple bottle blend for me, I lovvve it!

 

[Heavenlyrabbit]

Hungry Ghost Moon is close to being my Holy Grail. I can sort of see the comparison but would add it's HGM but pared down to a make a Minimalist statement. This simply doesn't have the lushness of HGM.

 

And Minimalist this is.

 

It seems to me on dry down, to get to an urbane, subtle men's perfume.

 

The full bodied juice of the rice wine and the bracing lift of the tea give way to the dry wood and clinging moss.

 

I am reminded of Piet Mondrian's 'Tree Series' and his other work done around 1908.

Edited March 1, 2008 by Heavenlyrabbit

[cranberry]

This reminds me very much of Hungry Ghost Moon. With a dash of Holiday Moon.

 

This smells green, fresh, of bamboo and tea. There’s something tart there too. This is absolutely gorgeous and I’m so glad that I splurged for a bottle. It’s slightly sweet - not the super sweetness and citrus of HGM. It’s like a masculine version of HGM. There’s a slight creaminess there too. Beautiful!

[PurringPulsar]

Men Ringing Bell with Penises

 

In the imp: a lovely lush green tea and moss scent.

Wet on skin: tangy tea with a green mossy woody scent, and a hint of rice wine.

Dry on skin: a scent reminiscent of a lush Asian landscape of bamboo, and a tea ceremony. The tea is strong here, it smells more like green/white tea than black tea, with that astringent freshness. I agree with the comparison to Tamamo. The green sandalwood is really interesting, as it smells like young wood, fresh cut timber, still green and sappy, and I smell the moss growing on it’s bark. The rice wine is very similar to Hungry Ghost Moon, only this scent is simpler and more about the greenness. I don’t smell tonka yet.

After a while: the moss now becomes much stronger. Less like light powdery oak moss, this is a thicker, wetter, more humid moss smell now, a bit like Spanish moss. The tea isn’t as strong now, at this point the scent is all about wood and moss. Green moss covering a tree. Maybe just a hint of rice wine but no much. Not much tonka either. This is a very warm moss smell, like a humid summer’s night, close and a bit steamy, almost like jungle greenery, or a swamp. I must be having a nose-hallucination because at times I swear this reminds me of Whippoorwill. I think it’s the moss and the almost bamboo like scent this has.

The scent does seem to fade fast, leaving just a trace of moss on the skin as it fades.

Verdict: this is a lovely scent, and I love the name (I call it ‘Men Dinging Bell with Dongs’!) it’s not my favourite of the tea/moss scents, but it is very pleasant. It starts off as tea and rice wine with a hint of moss. Incredibly green but in a different way to the grassy scents, this is the kind of greenness I prefer. It’s one of those classic Asian scents, fresh and well balanced with notes of tea and bamboo. I really like the sandalwood here as well. I hoped this would develop a sweetness though, especially with the tonka, but it doesn’t smell sweet on me, and it gets a little bit too mossy at the end, when the moss seems to take over all the other notes, with it’s damp swampy scent. It doesn’t last long either. I like it but not enough to get a bottle. At least I have Glowing Vulva as my naughty Japanese scent of choice.

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Not really-I like Ding-Dong but I have other favourites.

If you like this, try: Faiza, Hungry Ghost Moon, Tamamo No Mae, Habu, Roux Ga Roux, Cathode

[steelxrose]

Men Ringing Bell with Penises... This will be my first time trying out a scent with a lot of these notes in it. All I'm getting out of Penises is...sweet. Possibly a bit of the Sandalwood, reminiscent of Hunger Moon.

 

Upon first sniff, I was rightly enthused about trying it. But after wearing it for a few hours, it almost fades to nothing on me. Nice at first, but the staying power just isn't there.

[the_cat_goddess]

Reviewing without looking at the notes or other reviews:

 

In vial: Rich, gingery, fresh scent. Maybe bamboo and some lemon?

 

Wet: Yummy! Smells almost edible. Like lemon ginger cookies. I still get some light bamboo pulpiness.

 

Dry: Not really morphing, just settling. I still get lemon ginger yumminess.

 

20 mins later: The foody aspect has disappeared and I'm getting a light lemon scent with bamboo. It's pretty, but not that strong at this point. Maybe good for a room scent. : )

[tartchef]

Mm, this is so close... a very green, clear scent, but with a trace of grounding woods & moss. Alas, the moss is throwing it off for me - it's a slightly funky vegetal note that just doesn't work with my chemistry. I'll try it on the husband, but I suspect this will go off to the swap box - I can't imagine him trying to explain Men Ringing Bell with Penises to his largely conservative Christian officemates...

 

ETA: Late last night, this suddenly revived itself into a fantastic citrus & bamboo scent... I kept catching whiffs of it & couldn't figure out where the hell it was coming from, hardly expecting it to be Men Ringing Bell - it was over 12 hours since I'd applied! Arg, now I'm torn...

Edited March 11, 2008 by tartchef