Marae

[hmelt004]

Vanilla orchid, Monoi tiare, gardenia, and light incense.

I bought a partial of this unsniffed because the price was right. I was hoping for a nice light floral for summer, something like Regan. Regan, however, has no gardenia. Marae does. Do not try Marae if you do not like gardenia. The incense gives it a bit of a sour edge that I don't like for a reason I can't quite put my finger on. I'm going to hold on to the bottle until the weather gets warmer, retest, and then swap if nothing has changed.

[TheIceMaiden]

I'm not a fan of incense, generally, as it smells sour on me. But I adore the Lab's tiare note so I decided to give this a try.

 

Wet, yikes! Sour incense over potent gardenia. Thankfully, that fades away quickly and I get just gardenia for a while. On the drydown, I get lots of soft lovely tiare with vanilla. The tiare drydown is worth the sketchy opening stage, and I'd love to see that note used more often.

[quintessentially]

On skin, it smells very wet and very, very green. There's something almost medicinal about it, which worries me. I hope that goes away.

 

And it does! I LOVE the scent it becomes: vanilla floral with a faint hint of incense. It is creamy and not nearly as heady as it was when I first applied. Very light and tropical and remains fresh and feminine. I just have to be patient for it to mature. I'm really in love with this one and I'll be on the look-out for more bottles

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Dense and floral, definitely getting some strong gardenia

 

Wet: Mmmm, this is very pretty and dreamy. The florals soften and become warm and humid, with a hint of incense. I can imagine the curl of distant torches floating in the air, behind a beach bordered with luscious tropical blooms.

 

Dry: Soft amber, flush with white florals. Lightens over time, so the florals aren't quite as heavy as the wet phase.

[KittyHawk]

Bottle: Sweet gardenia and a touch of incense.

 

Wet: Lots of gardenia, but it’s more of a foody gardenia that’s very heavy on the sugar, as opposed to a heady floral note. Gardenia is one of my favorite notes, but it’s a bit strange here and not what I was looking for. The incense is VERY light, but it grounds the sugary gardenia and

 

Dry: Huh, I’m baffled. I’m getting a bubblegummy lotus note now, which must be the vanilla orchid. It’s a hit or miss note on me (hit in Regan, big miss in Opuhi), and while it’s a bit waxy here, I enjoy it. I’m surprised that I enjoy this blend so much, despite the fact that none of the notes are doing what I expected them to. This is a tropical blend alright, but while most of the Atomic scents are best suited for daytime, Marae is what you’d wear for a midnight walk on the beach or a luau at dusk. Very pretty and evocative.

[brilliantcat]

This has nearly all my must-have florals, and I am not a floral lover in general. In the bottle, I can definitely smell the orchid and tiare with a touch of smokiness. On me, it blooms (haha so punny) into a sweet, incensey floral that's heavy on the tiare and orchid with very little gardenia. The vanilla lends some sweetness. This is lovely and feminine and I can see myself wearing it for "date nights" on the regular.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Bottle obtained in a swap

 

Initial Thoughts: I don't remember if I simply didn't have money at the time or saw the incense and immediately said "nope". As a rule, incense amps badly on me and eats up the other notes. But when negotiating the swap, my swap partner said that the incense was truly light, letting it be a nice floral. And I love all the florals involved.

 

In the Bottle: Gardenia and tiare and oh, so sweet! Richly floral with just a thread of incense.

 

Wet: And here comes the incense, charging up. But it's not so strong that it drowns out everything else. There's still quite a bit of floral, mostly gardenia, making its presence felt.

 

Drydown: The gardenia cools off and the incense is the strong note for me. But the florals are still there, making this an incense with a tropical feel. It is indeed a light enough incense that I can wear it.

 

Verdict: This definitely works on my skin and I'm glad I had the chance to try it. We'll see how much play it gets.

[MonkeysInk]

I am writing this review, fascinated that this perfume is now 12 years old.  It smells light and less floral than I suspect it did when it was younger.  The incense has moved further forward with orchids behind it.  It’s lovely like flowers at dusk, lit by a barely smoking tiki torch.  I diluted a bit in my palm with some liquid coconut oil and drenched myself in it, and it’s just perfect for a warm summery date night.