Moana

[Tramp]

Seaweed, awapuhi, and sea foam.

This is a hard one to wrap my brain around. Or my nose rather.

There is a sort of juicy/spicy sweetness that I didn't expect. I thought it would be an aquatic. There defiantly is a hit of some sort of nori but it isn't the prominent note once dry. Maybe ginger? Fresh ginger root. And something sweet but mellow. I don't know what sea foam smells like but it is a good analogy for this scent. Just when you think you have a handle on it it just bursts and blows away. Something tangible but ephemeral


ETA: I should mention that in the bottle this was more of a pungent sort of swirling ocean scent. More like a rocky cold water tide pool on a cloudy day. Edited April 24, 2008 by quantum spice

[Lycanthrope]

Hm. Interesting, verrry interesting.

 

This has similarities to Kingsport, but mostly in the drydown. From the imp it's an airy, misty, bubbly ocean aroma with definite sweet flower (that would be the awapuhi). None of the real seaweed scent of Windward Passage. It's not as aquatic as I thought it would be, but it has an almost translucent, ethereal quality to it that still says 'bright tropical sea!' as opposed to Kingsport's 'gray Atlantic seaboard' aroma. My sniffer must be off because I really don't get any seaweed from this.

 

I'd say... pleasant white tropical flower and sea spray, no lemons, no lemongrass.

 

I do like it. I'm not sure I will invest in another bottle but it's pleasant.

[GoldenRubee]

Every bottle of the new Luau Lounge blends smell one way in the bottle and another way on me. Moana is no exception. When I opened the bottle, the first thing I smelled was sand, seaweed, and whiff of salt. After applying though, the lightness of the florals and the sweetness of the awapuhi (ginger) comes out on me and blends with my skin chemistry to make me what to buy many bottles of this. Another must have for summer. A gentle, water sea blend, not a stormy Atantic Hurricane blend.

[AEris]

An aquatic scent with a swirl of tropical flower. Nice, but not for me.

 

3.7 out of 5

[akiko]

imp: sweet & aquatic.

 

wet: ginger & aquatic

 

dry: pleasant enough, reminds me of Amsterdam a little bit, but not really for me.

[Pottersville]

Mmmmm, lovely, ethereal, airy. The awapuhi is pronounced, but is kept from being cloying or pungent by the sea mist surrounding it. The ocean and seaweed are very much present, but in the background. So I'd say this isn't a walk on the beach scent where you're clambering over rocks, picking seashells out of seaweed, and getting drenched in seaspray .... rather one where you're sitting a bit inland, surrounded by tropical plants and flowers, with a yummy drink in hand, listening to the roar of the ocean in the background.

[Jessica]

This one is all tropical sweetness. It is not aquatic at all like I thought because of the sea foam/seaweed. It reminds me of red fruit punch. It's very heavy on my skin and I'll have to remember to be a bit more frugal in my application.

 

But it's gorgeous and fresh and tropical floral swirls. It has an excellent throw and is very long lasting.

[Em-]

Wow. I was so not expecting to love this, but damn, it's lovely.

 

I usually don't like aquatics, at least that's one of my perfume mantras, and with the seaweed and sea foam, I expected this to be a double punch of aquatic floral. But I forgot that awaphui is Hawaiian ginger.

 

Moana has a definitely juiciness - the sea foam seems to be more of an effervescent saltiness, not watery at all, and the sweet ginger blends fabulously. There is a greenness to this as well, probably from the seaweed, which I associate with mossyness, but that's not what comes out here. This blend is an effervescent mix of sweet/spiciness which I am absolutely adoring.

[suileach]

The awapuhi comes out much more strongly in this than I was expecting. I've only ever smelled it in shampoo, but it's the same smell here -- sharp, dry and grapefruit-like.

 

There's a salty undercurrent, cool breezes and saltwater drying on the skin.

 

The awapuhi becomes sweeter after a while...and stays strong for hours!

 

The throw is gorgeous and amazing, but up close the awapuhi is just too sharp for me. I really like to sniff my arm frequently to smell what I'm wearing, so I think this is a pass. Too bad, as the sea foam note in this is perfection.

[girlygirl]

In the imp: awapuhi - very sweet exotic floral

Wet: awapuhi

Dry: the sea foam and seaweed come out and the awapuhi is basically way in the background.

This is unique. Wet - a womanly fragrance. Dry - unisex. Very fresh and clean.

 

ADDED July 3:

 

Begins All Awapuhi, All The Time.

Dries down to something less sweet and more clean.

 

A wonderful summer scent, totally unlike any other BPAL I have tried.

[savage_rose]

My first thought was..."wait, they have a Mr. Sketch 'Blue Hawaii' marker perfume?" It smells a lot like the blue/purple Mr. Sketch markers at first...oh, how I loved those things! They're gateway drugs to later perfumery. If only my parents had seen the signs.

 

Dry, it smells much more like a perfume. It's more sweet than aquatic, although the aquatic notes are there. Awapuhi is a Hawaiian ginger, which is a bit spicy and reminiscent of coconut, but mostly sweet, and it's very much present here. It smells so delicious, I just want to drink it.

 

But I won't. Because even if I were I to survive, Beth would kick my butt.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: A salty but juicy scent. It’s green, but fresh.

 

Immediately on skin: This is very much an ocean/salt water scent. This is salty and fresh without being aquatic or having ozone notes and there’s the slight spice from the awapuhi blending in. This is very sharp and piercing and is definitely a more unisex scent.

 

After a little while: The sharp, piercing salty scent has died down… a LOT. On my skin this is now a light, fresh salty scent with the awapuhi (a type of ginger?) blending in. It’s crisp, refreshing, and a little spicy in that fresh way that ginger has.

 

Overall Impressions: This was something I didn’t really want to try, but the other reviews roped me in. At first the seaweed and sea foam are very strong and almost sharp, but upon drydown this is much more subtle and the spicy awapuhi comes out. This is a fresh blend, and a bit on the unisex side for me. It has a nice saltiness about it as well, and a tiny bit of sweetness. A definite surprise for sure.

[hepkitten]

Lots of sweetness at first, but that settles down after a while into a really interesting blend...possibly an aquatic for even those who aren't sure about aquatics.

 

When it's dry, I smell like a mermaid who has amazing shampoo. It's very fresh and clean, and will be wonderful for summer; I'm seriously debating a bottle.

[widdershins]

This is what the sea would smell like on The Little Mermaid movie. Colorful frothy water with strands of sea greenery. I'm not usually one for aquatics, but this is fantastic and breezy.

[Ina Garten Davita]

Moana was the real surprise out of the tiki lot. I adore the smell of awapuhi, but thought that it might be aquatic which is never good on me. But it's really not, it's fresh and sexy.

 

A friend described it as a "mermaid with sexy shampoo" which is the best description for this scent.

 

It's definitely a scent to wear on your beach holiday and then take it out in the middle of winter to revisit all the sun, surf, sand and fun.

[PersephonesChild]

From the imp, I got a strong, fresh jolt of ocean spray. I love it. It's wet and frothy and foamy and salty. Wonderful.

 

On my skin, it stays sea foam for the first half hour, and then starts to transform tom something dryer, saltier, softer. Inevitably, it smells very similar to 51, and I absolutely love it. 51 is one of my go-to, all-purpose scents, and I'm delighted to have this as a variant.

[galleywest]

This was almost a buy for me. It still might be, if I find it later on in swaps. I've decided to go with the decant I have for now and see if I use it a lot over the summer.

 

Wet, in the bottle: ocean-y! As others have said, it's certainly aquatic, but a kind of light, sunny, sandy aquatic. Like a beach, not a deep ocean. It makes me think of going out on the sand bar at low tide and climbing all over the reef.

 

Wet, on my skin: I smell the awapuhi now, and it's just lovely with the balmy aquatic. It's got a little bit of a soft soapy quality to it, but this isn't a bad thing at all. It's like a scrubbed clean kind of undertone.

 

Dry, on my skin: It's clean and aquatic and just a bit floral and just breezy. It's such a happy summer scent, and it's the ONLY AQUATIC THAT WORKS ON ME. Yes, this is a miracle. I really enjoy it, and like I said, I may end up hunting down a bottle in the end.

[Kippy]

A lovely, lovely perfume. I was expecting something less wearable based on the description, but this is a great day scent.

 

As others have said, this is a warm aquatic with a spicy floral kick from the awapuhi. If you are on the fence with aquatics, this would be a good one as the warmth really brings something different.

[alicia_stardust]

This is a warm aquatic. In the bottle it smells a bit fishy which I initially found off-putting, but as it dries it turns into a nice salty aquatic with a warm breeze on the air. It is truly the closest to actual ocean scent that I have ever smelled.

[Little Bird]

The 'seaweed' note doesn't seem to work well on my skin, because Moana goes just as soapy/shaving cream-esque as The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife went on my skin. That seaweed note mixed with the clean sweetness of the awapuhi reminds me so much of an awapuhi shampoo that I had when I was little. It's clean, sweetened shampoo on my skin. I probably won't keep my decant of this one, just because soapy/clean scents aren't really something that I ever find myself wearing.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is lots of seaweed combined with a lovely floral...

 

once applied i am in complete awe...this is a true beauty and probably the

most exquisite creation of a beach scent that beth has to date...very sophisticated; feminine

with lots of throw this was a big bottle purchase for me and i am pleased

as punch to say this will be my perfect summertime scent...

[edenssixthday]

Moana - I adore aquatics and so I was really excited to try this one. I was not let down. This is a wonderful aquatic. The dominant note is the seaweed and I'm amazed at how well the awapuhi blends with the seaweed. I don't usually like awapuhi scents, but the awapuhi in this is exquisite and used in the perfect proportion to the other notes. The sea foam note gives the scent a hint of effervescence. I imagine that if I were layering scents, this would be the perfect scent to wear after using a LUSH Big Blue bath bomb. I really love this and I think it's one of my top three favorite aquatic scents. Sadly, the scent doesn't last very long and needs to be reapplied after a while, but that's okay since I ordered extra bottles.

[akuaa]

(decant) this smells like a delicious tropical drink. a citrusy sweet mango drink. i think it'd be an appropriate scent to wear with a flirty flower-covered sundress. i wonder if this one comes out of the tiki bar.... nope! flotsam. funny -- this is one of the most drink-like scents i've smelled so far in the bunch. *reading the list* are you kidding!? if i flare my nostrils at it, i kinda get some salt, but i'm really not sure. totally strange! as it dries, the salty quality becomes more apparent. fascinating! it's a floral ocean, not an ocean how i think of it.

[Eemia]

Frothy and delicate. Seems incredibly light, like it just floats on my skin. Not the strong aquatic I expected. I can't even place what this smells like to me, and I can't seem to label what I'm smelling. I can only get an impression of fragility. This seems more air than water.

 

I wouldn't have even picked this one out for myself when I first saw the notes. But the minute I tried it I just loved it. I don't think I own a lighter, more gentle scent.

[hkhm]

bottle: this has a slightly sour seaweed scent to me, there is a background sweetness so i hope that amps once it's applied...

 

wet: phew! this goes to sweet, green seaweed as soon as it's applied. there is also a light boozy sort of feel that would not be out of place in the bar scents. very pretty.

 

dry: this dries almost fruity! a very green, lush scent that is perfect for warm, breezy summer nights.