Shanghai

[outofrhyme]

The crisp, clean scent of green tea touched with lemon verbena and honeysuckle.

In the bottle:
Lemon and green tea. Reminds me of F5...

Wet:
Ooh. I was scared a little at the F5ness, but the honeysuckle is doing something really interesting, or at least, I think it's the honeysuckle... Lemon verbana and a muted floral over green tea.

Dry down:
This is going to sound really strange, but I swear that there's something in here that reminds me of milk scents, like Sudha Segara or something. Maybe the lemon/green tea smells gingery to me? Anyhow, I'm getting something creamy and light, with a true tea note in there - it's not as plastic as some of the other BPAL tea blends, but more like a leaf... not as astringent/potent as a real leaf, though. A slightly earthy leaf, which I think gets its feel from the honeysuckle. The lemon verbana has almost disappeared, which is fine by me.

Final thoughts:
When I first smelled this as F5 and WHOA LEMON, I thought I was going to hate it. I was pretty wrong about that - I do really like the dry phase, which is more toned down and more "tea." It reminds me of a cup of green tea with a lemon in it, somewhere outside. I understand why people feel that this is a summery blend, and I think it would be more appropriate without all the snow I'm looking at through my window, but it makes me feel a little brighter

ETA description Edited September 27, 2007 by Shollin

[The_Merf]

I could not distinguish this oil from Kumiho--I guess my skin amps up light teas more than I thought it did. This one is basically tea with the slightest hint on lemon. I can't pick up on the honeysuckle at all, which makes me sad, as it is one of my favorite florals.

[labeth]

This was the last of the scents in my order that I tried, as I was skeptical as soon as I sniffed the bottle that it would work on me. Well, in a way it does, but not in a way I'd like.

 

On me, this smells like fresh-from-the-shower fiancee, which was really off-putting while I was sitting in my office. It's not a smell I dislike, not at all, but I don't particularly want to smell like boy.

 

So I guess I'd have to say this smells either like Irish Spring or Pert Plus or a mix of both. I'd give it to my fiancee, but he doesn't wear anything, and besides, he'd just smell like he normally does, so it's heading to the trade pile.

[delicate_fangs]

In the imp, this smelled very light herbal and green. I have trouble describing it. I do smell some green tea in it in the imp. Unfortunately, on me, it becomes Windex (a window-cleaning product) from hell. The tea comes out on the drydown, but I can't make it through the Windex phase.

 

Drat. Oh, well. Somebody else will like it, and that will be good. Off to swaps it goes.

[rien]

In imp: oh, lovely! Very green, light, summery fragrance. This is gonna get the hell worn out of it - it's like the antithesis of humidity!

 

Wet, on skin: this is so fabulously green and fresh! Like if you mowed your lawn and got a lemon caught under the blades, but not in a room-freshener kind of way.

 

Drydown/Dry: lives up to wet expectations - the perfect answer to a sticky summer day!

[La Soldier]

Imp: Lemon with slight undertones of honeysuckle... hmm...

 

Wet: on the skin, it first smelled just like lemon candles or citronella, but there was honeysuckle in the background. reminds me of summertime.

 

Drydown: It began to lose the sickeningly sweet smell and transformed into warm lemon. very summery and yummy.

 

Dry: It changed again into a warm wooden box filled with blankets owned by grandma. very light! I love this.

[nightchild80]

In the Imp (wet): Oh, this floral sweetness is perfect. Not sickeningly sweet, but soft and still has that clean airy freshness I am beginning to fall in love with

 

On facial cotton (dry): I swoon! I looooove the delicate floral scent. It reminds me of Jennifer Lopez's Still, but less overpowering. And the green tea note makes the fragrance refreshing.

 

On me: Green tea!!! With sweet honey! Gosh, I'm drooling. The lemon note has more staying power, but sweetness trails after like a faithful dog. I've put it on at work, but it seems to disappear quite quickly and I couldn't catch a whiff of it it by lunchtime. Which is disappointing and I'm wondering if it should be slathered on instead (I'm a dabber).

 

ADDED 5/27/08:

 

In the Imp (wet): Oh, this floral sweetness is perfect. Not sickeningly sweet, but soft and still has that clean airy freshness I am beginning to fall in love with

 

On facial cotton (dry): I swoon! I looooove the delicate floral scent. It reminds me of Jennifer Lopez's Still, but less overpowering. And the green tea note makes the fragance refreshing.

 

On me: Green tea!!! With sweet honey! Gosh, I'm drooling. The lemon note has more staying power, but sweetness trails after like a faithful dog. This one is a keeper and I would definitely consider getting a 5ml bottle of this.

[belegwen]

It really does smell like green tea with lemon and honey. At the same time, it's got a faintly elegant touch that I really like. The lemon verbena seems to overpower the tea less than real lemon would, and the honeysuckle is light enough as well. Very, very nice.

[Nia]

on the imp: a very sharp, lemon-like scent.

 

On myself: I need to get all my fresh and lemon-like imps together for a sniffing session because I cannot remember a difference between this and Empyreal mist, Baoban Sith, and Embalming Fluid. It's frustrating that BPAL lemony blends are so mild. There is no tea, just a teasing lemon that hides behind a curtain.

Edited June 13, 2007 by Nia

[PersephonesChild]

Wet, this smells sharply medicinal to me, like antiseptic. On my skin, the lemon verbena becomes more prominent. I'd looked forward to the lemon verbena in this, but now I'm really unsure about it. Yes, this is a clean scent, but it's also an emotionless scent. It reminds me of hospitals and disinfectants, a general fear of germs, of touching. It doesn't smell bad, at all, but the mood doesn't suit me at all.

[CrazyPretzel]

This is one of the most chilled-out lemon scents I've encountered from BPAL. Phobos was overwhelming lemon sherbet; this, on the other hand, is just like a thin slice of lemon floating in a cup of steaming green tea. It's quite light, so I needed to dab quite a lot on various pulse points to get any throw, but it's so refreshing and airy that I don't mind. The colour of the oil is completely clear, by the way, which seems suitable. This is not the sort of thing I usually go for, but I might actually spring for a bottle of this one!

[laliloo]

Unfortunately, Shanghai isn't pleasant on me at all. The lemon just shouts over everything else and I get lemony toilet cleaner. It's a sharp smell in the imp and it doesn't really change much on my skin. I don't get the green tea element at all - it's sharp, sour lemon. So sad. I've discovered that despite loving lemon smells and flavours in the kitchen, most of the oils I've tried with lemon in them just end up turning to some sort of bathroom cleaner on my skin. What a shame. I'll put my imp in the swap pile for someone else to love.

[autumnbriars]

In the bottle, this smelled just like green tea with a little lemon--not enough to make it seem sharp, but just enough to add a little zing. It seemed soft and light and wonderful for a warm day.

 

On me, the lemon instantly overpowered the green tea, and now, a few hours later, the whole thing has morphed into something that smells exactly like Ivory soap. Sadness.

[Laughing-magpie]

I love love love this scent. It reminds me of when I was in love with the TV series Babylon 5 for some reason - which makes me love it all the more.

 

It's clean, refreshing and has the sophistication of tea. The florals are clear and womanly and neither too sweet nor powdery. I would wear this every day if it would last more than a couple hours on me.

 

I am keeping faith with it though, sometimes after maturing scents have a bit more throw on me, so we will see what Shanghai does with age.

[aestien]

Bottle: mostly lemon verbena

Wet: gorgeously light citrusy lemon verbena, with a hint of green tea, this is lovely, refreshing

Dry: it fades to a very light, gentle, honeysuckle and tea with a hint of lemon

 

This is great scent for spring and summer, delicate, clean, refreshing, reminds me of sipping lemonade on a sunny day, surrounded by honeysuckle.

[DifferentDances]

Imp: Bleach???

Wet: Oh, there you are, lemony tea.

Drydown: Turning a bit pledge-like, with a hint of plastic.

Dry: Sharper lemon, less pledge. This is so very faint --the green tea is only a thin line haloing the clean sharp lemon.

 

My rating: 2/5. Not bad, just...there are others I like more on my skin.

[n3m3sis42]

In the imp:

A very pretty herbal lemon.

 

Wet:

Apparently my skin amps lemon, at least initially. I can smell the honeysuckle underneath if I look for it. Oh, okay... apparently when my skin amps a scent like that right off the bat, it's actually making it blend in or evaporate--the same thing happens wirh patchouli blends. After 5 or 10 minutes, the lemon is mostly gone (boo) and this has become more of a honeysuckle/tea scent. It's still very pretty and very clean--it reminds me a lot of Come To Me, but less soapy. There is a still a hint of lemon. I love this.

 

Dry:

Hooray! This faded down on me so much after the initial lemony burst that I thought my skin was just going to eat it, but instead it popped back out maybe 10 minutes later, a perefect blend of lemon, honeysuckle, and tea. Just like magic! Totally buying a bottle of this.

[girl_android]

In the imp: green tea and lemon verbena. It actually reminds me of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea, although I haven't done a side-by-side comparison.

 

Wet on skin: still with the green tea and lemon verbena. Very fresh, non-cloying on a hot summer day. This is the second scent I've tried tonight that has me thinking of summer ... I thought Embalming Fluid would be the go-to lemony summer scent but there's something in that, that feels a bit cloying in high heat...

 

Dry: honeysuckle, with a green tea edge and a teeny bit of lemon verbena. I actually wish there was more of a green tea kick here... it's still something I'd be happier wearing in summery weather though ...

[Delirium1009]

This smells exactly as it’s described… like lemon laced green tea with a touch of sweet honeysuckle.

 

As it dries, the honeysuckle tones down a bit, but the crisp green tea and lemon verbena are still there. Unfortunately they fade and become very light after only a couple of hours, but the scent is a nice, crisp, bright one.

[JenM]

In the imp: light lemon blossom and maybe something aquatic?

 

On the wrist: very lemony, and what I though was an aquatic is tea. A very subtle scent. Very crisp, though, if you can be crisp and subtle at the same time.

 

Alas. Gone within an hour. Which is a shame, because it was nice and fresh and uplifting.

[YoakeNoKami]

Wow. Yummy.

 

Imp: A light, slight lime scent over green tea.

 

On/wet: The lime scent is still prminent, but the tea is holding its own. Vaguely reminiscent of something...

 

Drydown: Oh my god, delicious! It's like a light earl grey (lady grey) tea, with an underlying hint of lemon and pure white sugar. The only concern I have is that the scent is very light on drydown and has very little throw on me, but otherwise I love it. Don't think I will be investing in a bottle a this point, so I will have to use my imp sparingly...

 

Very clean, tasty scent.

[usamimi]

In the imp: Light citrus tea with a hint of flowers.

 

Wet: Much sweeter than I expected, with a nice balance of florals and citrus.

 

Dry: a very refreshing scent overall! I was worried that the lemon verbena might come off as chemical-y smelling on me like it has in the past, but it works very well with the green tea.

[MaidenGenevive]

Shanghai

 

Upon first application, this is so faint and delicate that I can barely smell it. I apply a second time, but it's still just as light. It smells like green tea. Fortunately, as it wears, it amps up. The green tea is still there, but the lemon verbena is louder. This reminds me of Phantasm, without the sweetness, although the honeysuckle keeps it from being completely tart. It's already starting to fade a bit. I have to press my nose against my skin and breathe in deeply just to catch it. I reapply. It's fresh and clean. It reminds me of my method hand soap.

 

[1 - Hate] .. [2 - Dislike] .. [3 - Like] .. [4 - Really Like] .. [5 - Love]

 

3 : What I can smell, I love, but it's so fragile that it's hard to appreciate, and it certainly lacks staying power.

[ravenfeathers]

in the bottle this is incredibly light and herbal. it smells bright and cheerful. definitely a favourite.

wet on skin lemon! but not a lemon you'd want to eat. it's herbal and dry with a healthy snuff of honeysuckle.

dry on skin hmm. i actually feel like i need another test of this. it sort of smells like soap.

two hours later just a tiny, tiny whiff of honeysuckle. so tiny, it's hard to really say "honeysuckle" about it, just a sweet floral.

[greencat03]

in imp: bright and green, green tea, honeysuckle, with a slight kick of the lemon verbana

 

on me: wow, this is all blending together so nicely, the sharpness of the tea, the brightness of the lemon verbana and the faint sweetness of the honeysuckle. Mmmmm.

 

after a few mins: awww it's faded a bit now. Come back pretty smell, come back! I shall put on more of you next time!