Shanghai

[hypothermya]

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

I wanted to try this one because of how similar to Embalming Fluid everyone said it was, and in addition, I love lemon verbena.

First Impression

This does smell almost exactly like Embalming Fluid! Um, only a little bit sweeter. I guess that's the honeysuckle.

Wearing It

There's something in here that I'm allergic to. Unfortunate. Also, this smells a lot more *green* than Embalming Fluid... The verbena's giving it a bit of a kick. And the honeysuckle is making this a very lazy, sweet scent. While Embalming Fluid does get some amount of sweetness from the lemon (which turns to a sherbet smelling entity on my skin), this is actually a lot more sweet, honey, floral. Otherwise, it's about the same. No musk, though.

I guess this would be perfect for someone who had issues with skin chemistry and lemons or skin chemistry and musks... Unfortunately, I guess Embalming Fluid will remain my favorite of the two. Although this does smell good (not just nice -- good), I don't think I'm enjoying the allergies, and the slight floral undertones aren't my thing.

[ylangylang]

This one plays tricks with my nose.

Gentle, exotic tea and herbal chrysanthenum compete with sweet lemon.

[Nepthys]

Loved this. Funny, I couldn't wait to receive Embalming Fluid and it didn't work much for me; this got slipped in as a nice extra and was exactly what I had been looking for in EF! I was really surprised by how much I liked it. It's a real wake-up scent, redolent of a sharp glass of lemon iced tea on a cool spring morning. Tea scents are very hit or miss with me but this was a hit all the way. I have been saving my sample to wear on sleepy days because not only does it make me feel alert, it really chases away my insomniac's morning grouchiness.

[Miggins]

Wet, Old Shanghai is gorgeous - lovely crisp green tea with a undercurrent of fresh lemon.

 

However, within seconds it dried down to smell exactly like the French lemon castile soap I am currently using. Not a bad smell, per se, but not one that I want as a perfume. Into the swap pile, I am afraid.

[malanna]

Tea and lemon. This one smells remarkably similar to Embalming Fluid, but it's even lighter and it's lighter on the lemon. The green tea is on equal ground with the lemon. It's more like green tea with a squeeze of lemon. It's not that weak--the smell is apparent when I put my nose to my skin--but it's still very light. It's faded a little in the second hour, but not that much.

[Dianella]

Lovlely lovely stuff! On first sniff this smelt to my nose just like lemon. Nothing special.

 

On my skin though it's really started develop. The green tea has really come out.

Like malanna said, the scent is pretty equally divided between verbena which is a very herbal lemon and the tea. The honeysuckle really sweetend it up but it's not predominate and on my skin the cranks up the florals that's saying something!

Not strong, this perfume is very light and clean. Really gorgeous.

[stardreamer]

Now *this* is the scent I was hoping to get with Kumiho! Even though the formulation is completely different, it struck me immediately as being like my B&BW White Tea & Ginger liquid soap. The honeysuckle isn't strong enough to blast me; I think most of what I'm picking up is the tea. It was so light that I think I might have put on too much -- for the first time, I had a headache threaten to develop, although that could also have been from lack of sleep. But I kept getting gentle whiffs of soft, flowery tea aroma all afternoon long. I was at an outdoor party in the evening, and it faded pretty fast with the heat[1]; I couldn't smell it at all by the time I'd been there an hour, but that was at the end of a fairly long day.

 

Unfortunately, R. reacted *very* negatively -- he didn't even want to be in the same room with me until it was several hours old. But I am NOT getting rid of it; I'll just put it aside with Siren, to be used when I'm not going to be near him for one reason or another.

 

[1] Yes, heat. I'm in Houston, where the high today was 90 and the overnight lows have been hovering around 70. In October. LATE October. The heat is one of the few things I really hate about living here. And it was a bonfire party, which made things even hotter.

[stardust]

At first: Strong lemon verbena, with the crispness of tea and an airy, linen-ish scent. Slight sweetness.

 

Later: The lemon verbena isn't quite so strong, but this remains pretty much the same on my skin. This lasts a long time on me.

 

I can't decide about this one. I love the cleanness of it, and it seems like a lovely, optimistic scent for spring days. But I can't shake the similarity to CK One, which I wore in high school. And I don't want to be reminded of high school.

I think I'll keep this one and continue to test it.

[inkstone]

This is a freebie IndigoWhatever tossed in with our last swap.

 

In the vial: Lemony tea. I'm approaching this with caution given my poor history with lemon. I'm hoping lemon verbena works a little differently on my skin than lemon proper.

 

Wet: Lemon tea laced with honey. Okay, looking good so far.

 

Drydown: Sweet lemon tea. This pretty much stays true from the wet to the drydown stages.

 

Final thoughts: I wish the honeysuckle would come out a little more. It smells more herbal on me than floral, which I don't mind. It is a very clean scent and unlike previous experiences with lemon, I didn't get the dreaded lemon-scented insect repellent so I think Hypothermya's dead on when she said that this is good for people with lemon-related skin chemistry issues. I'll have to try this a few more times. I almost don't believe it didn't become repellent on me. Admittedly it doesn't last that long & I want to make sure it doesn't start changing with successive wearings.

[FireInCairo]

Lots of green tea here mixed with citrus fruits. It's a very sparkling blend. I wear this went I just want to smell clean. There is not too much going on in this blend- very pure and simple- but highly eggective in its simplicity.

[couscous]

If you are in a Sephora, you can sort-of try Shanghai. Just go sniff Bulgari's Eau Parfumee green tea, because the two are very, very similar. Beth's blend is better because of the richness and the omission of alcohol, but, to my nose, they could be sister scents.

 

I used to wear Green Tea, but those days are long gone, and so Shanghai feels like its time has passed. But if you haven't gone through a unisex, I-want-to-smell-almost-like-nothing-at-all phase, get Shanghai. Its as light as you can imagine.

Edited January 11, 2005 by couscous

[tsarina]

Shanghai is very fresh, light and crisp. The green tea note comes out strongest with me, and fades into the verbena and honeysuckle smell of a private garden. It is amazing how much this smells like a cool cup of green tea.

 

ADDED April 18:

 

I think my nose is funny, because I can barely smell green tea even when I'm drinking it. It's the invisible odor! I'm not getting any lemon and only a bare trace of honeysuckle as it wears on. I thnk my skin just eats this oil. Alas.

 

Perhaps it will make a good freshening spray for the sheets?

[oatmealneko]

I tried this one again, the first time I wore it, I wasn't really paying attention to how it smelled.

 

This scent smells identical to Embalming Fluid. The lemon & green tea notes stand out on my skin, as they do in Embalming Fluid. I can't pick up the honeysuckle wet, but when it dries off, I think it's this oil that causes Shanghai to turn soapy on me (vs. Embalming Fluid where it fades away). This scent doesn't last that long on me at all - 2-3 hours, tops (Embalming Fluid lasts about 4 hours, maybe a little more).

[TheDarkMother]

Erk...lemon verbena. Uhoh. But I have a friend of mine that has the same affliction with lemon verbena as I do that simply bathes in this stuff, so I guess I shouldn't be too worried. Green Tea and honeysuckle smell divine on me so far. Here's to hoping!

 

In the Bottle: Mmmm....smells like a sushi night! Green tea and the sweet and sour tang of honeysuckle, which is a little close to ginger. Ah! My beloved ginger!! LOVES ginger!

 

On Me: OH! *faints and purrs* The lemon verbena is just barely noticeable but the green tea and honeysuckle are just heavenly!! I can see why ladyofdarkstar loves this so much! Its very faint and delicious, reminding me a lot of the green tea that I've been drinking here lately. So light and feminine, just begging to have someone's wrist nibbled and licked. *shiver*

 

I LOVE this! I must have a big bottle! Must! My precious!!!!

[nevermore]

Like oatmealneko and malanna, I find this one very similar to Embalming Fluid, but with a touch of floral. It's very lovely and light, but doesn't last very long. I'm not sure whether I prefer this or Embalming Fluid, but they're both quite lovely.

[Macha]

I ordered an imp of this from the lab, figuring I like green tea, I like lemon verbena and I like honeysuckle, so what could go wrong? Famous last words of course, since I'd just come away from that inexplicably horrible encounter with Chimera, a perfume I should have loved and did not. I approached Shanghai with a little caution.

 

In the vial: Oooh. That's quite nice. Lightly sweetened green tea with a bit of lemon. Uncomplicated and very, very soothing.

 

Wet, on skin: The green tea is gorgeous, and works beautifully with the smell of honeysuckle. This smells incredible! Oh sweet Mother! My boyfriend smelled this on my wrist when I readied for work this morning, and though he was still half asleep his eyes lit up and he said "oooh! I REALLY like that one!"

 

Dry, on skin: Calming, soothing, gorgeously light and energizing. Very much a 'spa' scent, so fresh and clean. It doesn't last nearly long enough, but I'm not surprised considering the citrus note. This is a perfume that makes you feel better just smelling it. It's not sexy, not sensual, just light and lovely perfection.

 

Conclusion: You can pry Shanghai out of my cold, dead hands. I am so desperately in love with this fragrance. It's just simple and gorgeous and I NEED a bigger bottle so I can really slather this on. As it is, there is the very real danger that my imp will run out before I can place an order.

[surf-tormented]

Smells really close to Embalming Fluid on me. The tea is a tiny bit stronger, but it is really close. A little spicer too. EF lasts much longer though, so I would buy that over this one.

 

I have so many green tea products, it will be a while before I buy a BPAL oil with tea in it. I am hoping when I do I find something unique. I am hoping for a black tea minus any milky or sugary notes. A girl can dream, can't she?

Edited February 9, 2005 by Madame Nyx

[byrdie]

Bottle ~ A sweet lemon with an underlying crisp, airy quality.

 

Wet ~ Lemon and ginger, I think. Yum. The crisp air has exited, stage right.

 

Drying ~ It's changing to a powdery lemon, like lemon bars or lemon cookies. Eh, this could have been worse. It's still yummy on me.

 

Drydown ~ The lemon is lighter but the crisp air has returned to the building. woo!

 

Dry ~ The lemon has gotten sweeter, but sniffing my wrist almost feels as though I'm catching the scent of a whisper.

 

Fade ~ It's still pretty much the same.

 

Final thoughts ~ This is my second or third time trying this imp. I wasn't terribly impressed with it before, but that may have been a body-chemistry / time of the month thing. Green tea and lemon seem to do it for me, judging from my fondness for Embalming Fluid. Lovely.

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Green. Green tea and the crisp lemon verbana as well. Not much of the honeysuckle comes out from this in the bottle because the green scents are a little overpowering. This just screams green. A rich, lush green.

 

Wet: Green tea and lemon verbana. Still a very nice green scent all around.

 

Dry down: The lemon verbana is mixing very well with the green tea. There's a hint of honeysuckle in the background, but it's not overpowering. The throw is very much the verbana and the tea. I think it's msotly the verbana, though it's less a lemon scent and more a herbal scent really.

 

Dry: Mmmm...now the tea is starting to shine through. Still no realy sign of the floral I was expecing from the honeysuckle. This is a very herbal scent, which meas it's surprising that it works on me because most herbals send me into sneezing fits something awful. This has become almost all green tea, which is perfect because that's what I bought this scent for. It seems heavier than the other tea scents I have but it's still very fresh and clean. And, oh, there's the honeysuckle lingering in the background and giving it a sweet note mixed with the tea.

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle- Ooh! Lemon Verbena!

 

After 10 minutes- I used to have a Lemon Verbena and this smells just like a fresh crushed leaf. It is fresh, crisp, green and lemony!

 

After 30 minutes- Absolutely wonderful. The fresh crushed Lemon Verbena smell is still going strong.

 

Summery- This is perfect for those who love spring time green scents. This would be wonderful as a shower gel or bath bomb.

[Julilla Regina]

This is very clean and crisp. It reminded me a bit of a White Tea & Ginger shower gel I have. It's really very light, so I think it's another one of the fabulous "all occasion" perfume oils that can be worn on any occasion. This moved to almost all honeysuckle after I put it on, but the tea in the background kept it from being too cloying.

 

Shanghai for some reason reminds me of a nurse. She's spotless, efficient and compassionate. When you catch a whiff of her, you're comforted.

[joseybird]

Mmmmmm!! Green tea, lemon and honeysuckle!! The lab's lemon note on me is sweet and creamy, which makes Shanghai smell delicious instead of sharp. Shanghai has almost a candied smell (proly due to the lemon--it does that to Phantasm for me too) which I really enjoy and which makes it slightly more gourmand than fresh for me. Love!

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: Mmm, green tea. This smells very much like The Healing Garden's Green Tea Therapy body wash. With a little wood? Odd, but very nice. Light and pleasant.

 

Wearing: OK, here comes the lemon. Prior to this I had no idea what lemon verbena smelled like...but on my skin it's quite like a plain lemon. I just wish the honeysuckle would make an appearance.

 

Later: Soap, but oh, it's a gloriously lovely soap! More along the lines of Irish Springs or something else that smells clean, but not like lye. The tea is still there and everything, but it smells like it just took a bath with something lemony.

 

Overall: This is a rare blend, in that it's light and clean and yet I like it a lot. Cooling and refreshing, I can totally see me wearing this in the summer. Keeping the imp.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Green tea and lemon extreme.

 

On Skin: Very fresh!!! This is an eyeopener. After the many sweet, musky and incense scents I’ve been reviewing lately, this is a welcome change. This is so pretty and feminine. Very spring and summery since it smells like a thirst quencher for hot days. The honeysuckle is very faint, so I don’t this a very floral scent which is a good thing. I love this scent!

[tesao]

i got this imp because lady ell likes it so much, and she has been a godsend in terms of being my skin twin -- not 100%, but preeeeeeetty damn close!

 

in the imp: green tea, lightly scented with lemon and a drip of honey. the way i would want to drink my green tea.

 

on my wrist, wet: pretty much the same as in the imp.

 

on my wrist, dry: the green tea scent is still uppermost, with wafts of lemon and something sweet. the sweetness isn't cloying, it is very subtle, and could easily be missed.

 

dry down: amazingly, this scent has stayed pretty much the same throughout this process. first one i have ever had do this. yayayay!! it doesn't last as long as the heavier scents that i tend to prefer thus far, but i am so happy to have found something that i can wear in summer that i don't care. i will just buy a larger size and use more.

 

i love this scent! clean, bright, fresh, soothing. it makes me happy. i think that it would also be good as a room scent, and for putting on guest linens and towels. maybe even having spare imps around to give to guests.