Opuhi

[gwynhwyfar]

Ginger blossom and vanilla orchid.

This is my favorite Tiki scent on my skin. I'm definitely going to get a full bottle of this because this is a wonderful summer scent for me -- it's a beautifully light scent that's a little sweet, a little sultry, and a little powdery. Usually, when a scent goes to powder, it turns into baby powder, but this just has that slightly 'honey dusty-like' powder to it, and it doesn't have any affect on the sweetness of the fruits and florals.

I can see this getting a lot of wear over the summer when I still want to wear scents, but don't want anything too heavy because of the heat. Yum.

[nappunkitty]

I got an empty bottle of this along with my Luau decants, and my first thought was "Ooooh." So I was hugely disappointed when I applied my decant and could smell only a hint of vanilla and sweetness. Even that faded within ten minutes. About half an hour later I started smelling baby powder. So, I'm thinking it's a good thing I only got a decant (this is the one I'd have ordered a bottle of based on the description), until another 30 minutes or so has passed. All of a sudden, I'm going "Holy moly--what is that FABULOUS smell...oh, wait, that's me!" Finally I'm getting the vanilla, sweet, slightly gingery goodness everyone's raving about!

 

Since I have to wait so long to get anything out of this, I probably won't go after a bottle (though I still have time left, so we'll see--I do smell awfully good right now), but I won't be giving up my decant, either!

[Suu4LC]

Upon first sniff of this from the bottle I knew it would be love. Beautiful soft vanilla ginger.

 

I am so happy this doesn't go plastic-y on me at all. It's a slightly creamy vanilla mixed with a light sweet ginger-not too spicy or strong for this blend. Perfect! I can tell this is going to be a summer favorite of mine and a staple for my Hawaii trip in the fall!!! I CAN'T STOP SNIFFING MY WRIST!

Edited April 21, 2008 by Suu4LC

[maribouquet]

Sorry to say the vanilla note in Opuhi does not get along with my chemistry.

[whimsitini]

Warm but sharp, which is always how I find orchid. I like it but not going to need a lot of it because it reminds me so much of Siren.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Foody, sweet french vanilla - almost caramel-like - with a hint of underlying, fresh ginger blossom.

 

Wet: Creamy vanilla ice cream with invigorating, refreshing ginger. Sparkling. Surprisingly fresh and much less sweet than in the the bottle.

 

Dry: Dries and fades in potency rapidly, and becomes less sparkling, a little more creamy. The fresh ginger note is fading and the vanilla note is amping.

 

Summary: Vanilla completely takes over and does that cloying, overwhelming thing it's so prone to on my skin. Had to go wash off. Medium throw and lasting power, otherwise.

[kelpsoda]

I wanted to like this so, so much, but it came out smelling like baby powder (?!). Wet, it smells overwhelmingly sweet, like sweet tarts. Dry the tartness fades and it smells exactly like. . . .baby powder. phooey.

 

ETA: I retested and I got no baby powder! yay! this mellows out into a tart, spicy, sweet vanilla.

Edited May 2, 2008 by kelp

[Ina Garten Davita]

Delicate and pretty vanilla tempered by gorgeous, soft florals. This goes a bit powdery on me on the dry down, but not enough to make in unpleasant by any means.

[Little Bird]

I normally love vanilla and orchid, and I like ginger, so I'm not sure why Opuhi is so bad on me. Love's Philosophy also went funky and bad on my skin though.

 

In the bottle this smells like baby powder and... buttermints? I also got a powdery, minty quality from Love's Philosophy. I don't care for whatever vanilla note is popping up lately. On my skin, this morphs into funky floral (my boy actually said it smells like "flowers... that got peed on") and something like cherries.

 

In the drydown, this is baby powder, dust, and sweet tarts. It's just dry and bad on me. I'm glad I resisted the urge to buy a full bottle of this and just waited on my decants, because this isn't a keeper for me.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is an elegant vanilla; slightly floral...

once applied this is very disappointing

it turns into straight play-dough...to prove it was not just

me, i asked the boy what he smelled...he sniffed and immediately

came up with "playdoughy 'nilla wafer"...off to the swap pile she goes....

[Eemia]

My first thought is to call this sultry and seductive. And it is. But it's also light enough and simple enough to wear during the daytime without feeling like I'm oozing perfume. It's light enough that I have to reapply every couple of hours.

 

The ginger blossom has a little bit of a bite. It works really well with the sweetness of the vanilla. Vanilla can go odd on me once in a while, though generally I don't have problems with it. Only when vanilla is the main note or front runner do I have to worry. But the vanilla here isn't candy sweet or plastic or unnatural. It's very smooth and mild.

 

This is perfect for when I need something stunning and feminine but subtle. Beautiful.

[fantasmaglow]

my first review (bear with me) :

 

Am I the only one who gets orange out of this? In the bottle it smells like an orange and vanilla cream Popsicle. I'm assuming it must be the ginger flower, but my nose is registering it as faintly orange or citrus, which is not a bad thing, its very refreshing! Wet on skin, it still smells like an orange cream sickle, but it gets more creamy and vanilla-y and slightly more floral. Dry, the orange disappears and it becomes a light, pleasant, floral, vanilla that smells absolutely beautiful.

 

I love this.

Edited April 27, 2008 by Coin

[VioletChaos]

in the bottle: heavy cream and caramel-drenched citrus. this is Cheshire Moon's sexy cousin all grown up!

 

wet on skin: the ginger is gorgeous, turning this blend into a ginger ice cream milkshake

 

dry down: the ginger has emerged more and more, but it's also got a citrus tang to it. not much, but enough.

 

in all: i stick by my original assessment: if you like Cheshire Moon for daytime use, Opuhi is PERFECT for late that same night!

 

 

 

 

 

[jessu]

This smells heavenly in the bottle, but the vanilla behaves exactly like the vanilla note in Perilous Parlour and becomes the most nasty plastic smell in the world. If Perilous Parlour didn't work for you, stay away from this, no matter how good it smells in the bottle!

[crazyredhead17]

Wet it was a creamy and lightly spicy scent, but on me it quickly morphed into ginger and plastic.

 

And because I often misinterpret vanilla and my skin, I had my husband weigh in and yep, plastic.

[DogNPonyShow]

In the vial: Delicious vanilla, but the ginger is far in the back keeping it from being too foody.

On: I get a whiff of bitterness and powder as soon as this is applied. It's very musty and quite unpleasant.

Verdict: I had really high hopes for this one. Maybe I'll try it in a locket later.

[xoe]

On me, Opuhi is fantastic! Which is strange because BPAL Vanilla usually gives me problems. Maybe because it is Vanilla Orchid instead.. or maybe because it is balanced by the ginger, whatever it is this is beautiful! It is a blend for smooth confidence. This is so far the one Tiki blend that makes me wish that the decants had arrived in time to order a bottle. oh well, I'll use the imp and search the swaps!

[Kiera]

This is a gorgeous sweet, creamy, spicy blend. I tend to not like the lab's ginger on me- it always smells wonderful in the bottle but morphs into cat pee once it hits my skin. I decided to take a risk and buy a bottle of Opuhi and I'm so glad I did. I've been wearing this almost every day. I love the spiciness, and it totally smells like ginger and vanilla without being reminiscent of baked goods.

 

I may even try to find a back-up bottle, and I'm normally not that type of girl.

[evanescence]

This is Teenage Cannibal without the orange-y cake note to me. Just beautiful and OMG I can't wait for it to age!!! Throw is decent and it lingers nicely. It's just lovely and a total Tiki WIN!!!

[theseagrows]

omfg this is BEAUTIFUL. like a tropical floral-vanilla with a slight sugariness, but it is not overly sweet, cloying or foody. actually, i realized it smells like a tropical dorian!! i want to bathe in this, and i might have to track down more bottles...ahhhijsajhdsadjlas.

Edited May 1, 2008 by theseagrows

[Mamacat]

When I first opened the bottle it reminded me a little of Teenage Cannibal.

On: oh.my.God. How lovely. Vanilla ginger plus a hint of tropical floral.

Dry: more of the same loveliness. My favorite of all the Tiki blends.

[euterpe414]

I really, really love Regan, so when I saw this blend had the lovely vanilla orchid combo plus ginger, one of my most favorite notes, I had to go for it and order a bottle. This scent is just incredible. The ginger is very very light and just adds a bit of zest to the rich sweetness of the vanilla orchid. Sometimes when I sniff it from far away I swear I smell orange, but then up close I don't get that smell at all. Weird. I would say that on me this is a very similar vanilla to that in The Perilous Parlor (yay!)- very creamy and a bit on the light foody side (i.e. not buttery but a tad foody still). Even though it is a vanilla orchid, it does not really smell all that similar to Regan on me, I think simply b/c there is a different vanilla being used (perhaps? it would be funny if it was the same one and my nost is just crazy, lol). This scent just lasts and lasts on my skin, and I can't wait to see how it gets as it ages. I am so happy I went for a bottle of this- it is definitely my favorite of all the Tikis I have tried so far, and a hoarding scent for sure!!

[penemuel]

Testing this right now (it's one of the ones I didn't get a bottle of, because I was worried it would be too floral. Now I'm regretting it a lot because it's not floral at all!)

 

It starts out as a kind of fizzy vanilla, and as it warms up, the fizziness fades leaving behind a slightly spicy and very warm vanilla scent.

 

It's so nice! I really hope I like the ones I did order bottles for as much as this one...

[LunaLovegood]

I will agree with the person that said Opuhi reminded them of Marshmallow Poof. Its a lovely sweet scent, slightly floraly but not overpoweringly so. Its a more sophisticated version of the Poof. Unfurtunately for me it doesnt last long... not that it will stop me from hoarding

[hkhm]

bottle: this is like diary of a lovestruck teenage cannibal but with out the fruity cake feel. it's that same grab-your-nose ginger and vanilla scent. so pretty.

 

wet: really, this is much nicer that diary of a lovestruck teenage cannibal and it smells heavenly! why did i only order one bottle of this?

 

dry: this dries light and so pretty, gingery vanilla heaven. by far my favourite of all the tikis.