Machu Picchu

[RockstarGirl]

Sweet tropical fruits burst through deep, wet rainforest boughs, enormous steamy blossoms, over thin mountaintop breezes, mingled with the soft, rich golden scent of Peruvian amber.

In the vial: It smelled flowery and fruity, but more fruity...I like this.

On, wet: I smell like...lemon pledge. Uh oh.

Dry: Ooh, this got much better. It smells...warm and humid. It's flowery, but not powdery on me (yay!) and not *too* flowery, I think the fruit tones down the flowers. When I sniff it, my brain sees big green leaves and tropical blooms...I may have to get a 5mL of this one...

About an hour later: The amber in this has really come out, when I sniff my wrists I get a creamy, thick, sweet smell...but it's not overwhelmingly so, because there's just enough floral and fruit left to keep it from being sickeningly sweet. When I catch a whiff without actually sniffing, I can smell the fruits and florals better. Now my mind is seeing a beach bonfire when I sniff myself. I am really loving it.

Verdict: I need a 5mL of this. It will probably be in my next order.

ETA: I applied this around 2:30pm before going to work, it's now 3:26am, and I can STILL smell it. It's nowhere near as strong, but it's still there...it definitely has staying power, and on me, that's saying something! Edited April 23, 2008 by Shollin

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Tart exotic fruits, light tropical florals, ozone, a hint of warm amber.

 

Wet: Sweet, almost too much so; heavily fruity. Citrus, passionfruit, papaya, mango, maybe even pineapple. Orchid, but also more delicate flowers, maybe some hybiscus and plumeria. The ozone is very light, and the amber is distant.

 

Dry: Tart, juicy tropical fruit, soft, feminine florals, a bit of warmth from the amber, but amazingly, this is not powdery or dry - it's still lush and fresh. Green in a way that is not sharp but is pleasantly planty.

 

Summary: Some woods and musk emerge, blending with the ripe tropical fruits and lush feminine florals. A very warm, sexy, summertime scent. Definitely one to retry - and the first amber blend that has worked on me at all!

[PurityAlighieri]

Well, it started out as very floral to me in the bottle. Some of the fruit was coming in, as well as the ozone. But mostly flowers. Wet on, still the exact same thing. Then it dried... three words: death by flowers. Damn, my skin just took the flowers and OVER powered it. I seriously thought I'd had a thousand different flowers shoved in my face at once. Not very pleasant. And' it didn't mellow at all.

 

So, unfortunately, this is swapping.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Soapy, of a tropical variety.

First on:

On my skin, it's mainly msk at first. Musk and... something like melon.

Dry:

After about 10 mins, it's much more fruity and varied – very yummy.

 

Another 20 mins later, it's a ”skin-like” musk that disappears very quickly.

 

Finally:

No throw on me. And I had such high hopes of this one...

[couscous]

Wow. Talk about a surprise! I was running late this morning when I'd heard that New York was FINALLY going to get spring sunshine for more than one isolated day in a row, so I was frantic to find a floral scent for the occasion. I don't own many, being a resin girl, but I spotted the imp of Machu Picchu, which came as a gift in my recent order. Two unsniffed seconds later it was on me. I metaphorically crossed my fingers and hoped it wasn't so sickening that I'd get a migraine at work.

 

Not only did I not get a headache, but I also didn't get "sensory overload" like I do with a lot of florals. In fact, I could smell this one for hours on end! It's one of the nicest scents Beth has ever done. Honestly- it's creamy and so, so slightly fruity (green melons and watermelon?), with a bit of green grass and that lovely, lovely amber base. I got a compliment on it right off the bat, and my subway trip in hasn't been such an olfactory orgasm since the very first days of discovering bpal. It doesn't last too long, which is a real shame, but I can live with that. It's just so pretty.

 

I love this one. I'm going to have to buy a bottle right away (and before spring ends, since this one is highly seasonal). I might have known this one would be good- the wanderlusts always are for me. Highly recommended for nearly everyone.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Yum, fruit

 

Wet: This is so good! It's fruity and green at the same time, but also sexy because of the amber. I love it when the lab frimps me with something that I never would have tried myself, but is 'me'

 

Drydown: I can even smell the 'steamy boughs' note, this is amazing.

3.5 outta 5

[Katherynne]

Bottle: Sugary sweet fruits

 

Wet: Almost SICKLY sweet; this one smells too honey-like for me

 

Drydown: ... still too sweet. I'm really sad about this, but I blame the amber. I don't know if it's just me but all I am getting from this scent is SWEET and I like things a little heavier & muskier than that.

 

Finally: Swap pile, or else I'll pour the whole vial in a bath and not think twice about it

[alicia_stardust]

To me, this is fruity and wild, with an almost aquatic/damp/rainforest quality to temper the fruits. There seems to be an almost green woodsy hint in there, too. All of these things sit atop a glowing, golden amber base. It perfect for Machu Picchu!

[thatpirategirl]

Mmmm, it's like a lush, wet jungle filled with all sorts of exotic fruits. I mainly get cantaloupe, with a little bit of pinkness that might be papaya or something. Perhaps there's a hint of ozone, since I definitely get a sense of altitude, just like Machu Picchu! It melds together so smoothly, bringing to mind a scene that's more deeply exotic than your usual "tropical" scents.

 

Overall, fantastic! Perfect for exotic adventures, or pretending I'm having them.

[jiggahava]

On my skin it smells like wet woods. Then the amber comes out and the steamy jungle blooms make their appearance. very bright and pretty. Unfortunaltey, it goes all soapy after an hour. I don't want to smell like I rubbed floral soap all over me. Then another hour later it softens up and the amber takes away the sharp edge of the florals. I don't mind it so much at this stage, but I don't think this scent is for me. I'll probably swap it.

Edited June 7, 2008 by Hava

[porcelina]

oh wow, something about machu picchu smells SO familiar (like something from my childhood) and i can't figure out what it is. it smells wet and fresh, like a forest after it rains- oh wait, maybe the RAINFOREST, which would make sense, wouldn't it? i'm dumb. but it's all laid over this gorgeous amber base. i love this amber. i want to roll around in it. unfortunately as it dries down everything sort of blends together and gets muddled, but the initial scent is gorgeous.

[trollgirl]

In imp: Hello banana and pineapple! This is definitely tropical--fruity and green.

 

On me: This blend goes through three distinct stages on me. First I get fruit. Citrus, and my guess would be lime. It's clean and fresh and wet. Love it. Also bananas and pineapples, maybe mango. This is very tropical fruit punch-like. Then the florals take over. They're light, and absolutely gorgeous. Orchids are in there I think, but I'm not going to try to name the others. And then finally I get the smooth, sweet amber scent that I love. Stunning. This also smells like something my mother used to wear. It's a nice scent memory.

 

I'm definitely getting a bottle of this at some point. This would be a great summer scent for hot days.

[voodoocatwoman]

I get no fruit from this blend. I can smell light florals and clean breeze. It reminds me of being on top of a mountain in the spring. The majority of the scent fades fairly quickly and leaves me with just a tiny hint of amber.

[prettybird]

I got this scent ages ago from a friend who didn't care for it. I can't imagine why I haven't reviewed it yet.

 

I find it quite heady, in a lush, tropical kind of way. There's something in it- guava? that cuts through the heavy floral with a crisp fruity smell.

 

In the end, though, it's just too floral heavy for me. I'm sure it would be very lovely on somebody else.

[Iceblink]

Ooh, I like this. Tropical fruits (mmm, reminds me of Manila) and golden amber, with some green notes and flowers...this is just a really nicely blended fruity floral that doesn't go all soapy or overly sweet thanks to that gorgeous amber. Makes me think of the jungle! As it should. Nice!

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Floral and slightly fruity. The flowers are creamy and lush - just how I like them.

 

On Application

Earthy tropical flowers

 

Dry Down

This is a cool scent...the cool after a warm day. Surprisingly woody. Beautiful but very soft and ephemeral

 

Rating (0-5)

3

[femmefatale]

Wet, it's a very hot, humid, tropical floral scent with something very earthy mixed in. As it dries down, my skin really begins to amp the amber. It becomes less tropical and takes on a more perfumey scent and ah yes, there is the powder making an appearance. My wonkychemistry strikes again.

 

I think this would be lovely in my locket, so I'll try that before deciding whether or not I need a bottle. It's doubtful because I can really see reaching for my Caliban or Manila before this when I need something hot and summery, but we'll see.

[Greensleeves]

In the bottle: Pale yellow oil. Soft herbs and faint suggestion of bananas. I know there are no banana notes in the blend, but that's what I'm getting.

 

Wet: Tangy fresh yet sweet greenness, a field of grass accentuated by very mild wildflowers.

 

After a few minutes on skin: Flowers and aroma of banana amping up, along with some of the freshness familiar in Envy. Hints of citrus, and now I'm getting a suggestion of pineapple.

 

After first hour: Powdery soft herbal green with faint, mild florals that are sweet without being overpowering. Quite pleasant.

 

After two and a half hours: Same as above, with a faint, spicey, sagey note beginning to filter in. Rather than fading over time, the scent has actually gotten deeper and richer, which is very unusual to me in my experience with green blends.

 

After 5 hours: Soft, sweet herbal with faint green floral with a hint of banana.

 

Final Verdict: Really quite nice. I can't decide if this is one for the top ten or just another honourable mention, but it definitely deserves some recognition.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: sweet wetness

 

wet on skin: wow. like eating tropical fruits under a waterfall. seriously.

 

dry down: ok, the fruit aspect has toned down a lot. now it's more like...aquatic lemonaide.

 

in all: a light scent, good for the warm months. i just wish the juicy fruit aspect had hung around longer on me. oh well...

 

 

 

[vikitty]

I had such high expectations for this scent and I am SO happy it met them! I love rainforests and Machu Picchu is just perfect. It makes me feel like I'm surrounded by trees and fruit, and wet leaves. Lovely. Need a bottle pronto!

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Green notes, light florals, and a little ozone.

 

Immediately on skin: This is a very lush and complex scent. It smells very clean, with an underlying fruitiness and soft florals with some green notes peeking in.

 

After a little while: This is an interesting scent… it’s green, flowery, and fruity without being overwhelmingly any one of those. It’s soft and lightly sweet with a nice freshness that isn’t really ozone or aquatic. There’s also a light warmth from the amber that’s almost earthy when blended with the fresh notes that make up the rest of the blend.

 

Overall Impressions: This blend is a nice surprise… it’s unexpectedly fresh and light with the warm golden feel from the amber underlying the fresh, clean notes of greens, flowers, and fruits. It almost reminds me of Dirty, but this is a bit more complex and has this beautiful warm amber in it. Overall, very pretty, but I don’t think I’d wear it much.

[Salsa Shark]

This is a really lush, tropical scent. In the imp and for the first hour or so of dry down it's all tart fruits and fresh green plants and a hint of light florals. It's light and sweet without being cloying or sinus tickling.

 

I never really pick up any amber, even though my skin tends to hold onto those notes well. There's almost certainly something citrussy in here though - the fruits are too well blended for me to identify any specific notes, but after about an hour or so there's that strange flat sour smell that some citrus notes like grapefruit and lime become on my skin. It does fade after a few hours, as a citrussy top note would, but it does hang around for a little bit too long for me to wear the blend over, say, Pele or Xanthe. On someone who didn't have my citrus issues though, this would be a perfect high summer scent.

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Sweet fruitiness with just a hint of some pungent evergreen.

 

Wet: Very green; the evergreen has ramped and overtaken the sweetness. There's something about this scent that brings back a wonderful memory I haven't put my finger on yet; perhaps it's the smell of a Christmas tree from my youth. If so, that would make this a cedar note. There's something citrusy about it, too. I could happily spend a lot of time just sniffing at my arm, trying to locate this memory.

 

Twenty minutes: Still predominantly evergreens and citrus (lemon? lime?), with floral underneath. I'm not noticing any amber.

 

One hour: The citrus has faded, and that leaves more room for the florals. The evergreen has soured a bit, and underneath it I'm finally noticing the amber. What I remember about the first time I tested this scent is the way it smelled two hours later; we'll see whether it gets to that point again.

 

Two hours: Sour evergreen on top of amber, with some florals in the middle. That's so strange: before it went all honey-amber on me. Maybe I'm just not sweaty enough in a lab testing scenario as opposed to a field testing one!

 

Three and a half hours: Ah, there's the smell I remember, florals and amber. There's still just a trace of evergreen in it. But it has practically no throw now.

[mgrazulis]

In the imp: Warm wet woods, breezy air

 

Wet: Slight fruitiness in a green background.

 

Dry: Warm ambery breezes! Still green, but with something vaguely floral.

 

This is how I imagine a rainforest would smell. I get hints of tropical fruits but I don't perceive distinct fruits. Lots of verdant plants, golden humid breezes and a hint that fruits are teeming and ripe---just waiting to open. The amber is soft and warm and stays at the forefront. Nothing too complicated. It's enjoyable and more of a mood scent for me.

[goth_huntress]

I think I'm cursed from living in Hawai'i, but this reminds me of cheap touristy perfume. Do not like.