Giant Vulva

[MCS4096]

Skin musk, sugar cane, honey, beeswax, vanilla flower, and copal.

In the bottle: mostly the skin musk and copal, with slight beeswax and far away florals. MUCH lighter than I thought it would be!

Wet: Pretty sharp.. almost citrusy. Similar vibe to Hanerot Halalu, but not as strong of beeswax as with that one. Very clean and brisk.

Drying down: almost a lemon Joy soap scent Its not as beeswaxy/musky as I'd hoped, but still lovely. it's sweet and tangy in the throw, and soapy citrusy up close. I think this is a nice fresh scrubbed clean scent Love the label! Edited February 26, 2009 by MCS4096

[Ceri]

In the vial: I'm not very good with notes and all I can get from this is a lemony soap with musk.

 

Wet: This is what I get from aquatic blends that went wrong! Lemony soap that's slightly aquatic.

 

Dry: Creamy, soapy floral. The soapiness fades after about two hours and the sugar cane and honey becomes more evident.

 

Overall: This is the nicest of all the blends I've tried that ended up soapy. I don't like smelling like soap, but this has grown on me. I quite like it. Will keep the imp!

 

ETA: There's something in Giant Vulva that seems so familiar and I've finally gotten it! I dab a smudge of Kumari Kandam on my other wrist and realized that they smell quite similar on me after they have dried for a hour or so but Giant Vulva continues to morph into something more delicate.

Edited February 27, 2009 by Ceri

[gchris]

in vial: sweet and woodsy

 

wet: very perfumey. To me skin musk is perfumey and is carrying this blend. In the background I smell the honey giving a sticky sweetness to the mix. I cannot distinguish the other notes at this point.

 

dry: Has not changed much. Has gotten stronger maybe and is still very perfumey with a sticky sweet background. This reminds of a mature woman's perfume.

[awesomeoverlord]

Imp: Wow -- not what I was expecting -- I'm getting a touch of musky sweetness but, overall, this is really fresh...almost citrusy.

 

Wet: Holy LEMON! Or is it grapefruit...in either case, there's something weirdly citrusy going on here and I don't really know where it's coming from. I'm inclined to say that maybe it's the sugar cane? No vanilla flower...unless you count that slightly floral sharpness in the background, no beeswax, and certainly no honey, which is surprising given that honey is usually beastly on me.

 

Dry: I feel like I should be writing a Vagina Monologue...my vulva is a fresh spring meadow...Still no beeswax or honey or anything resembling vanilla of any sort. I'm getting sharpish citrus grounded in the lightest musk with something almost green wafting around. Very springy.

 

I have to say this is totally NOT what I was expecting. The first time I tried it, I was kind of disappointed -- I'm not easily skeeved out by genitalia and bodily fluids and the like...hell, I'm doing my Ph.D. work on a religious tradition that tries to achieve immortality via the mixing of semen and menstrual blood. Actually, I was really hoping this one would work just because the name is so ridiculously appropriate right now.

 

So, I was expecting something sweet and musky and warm...which, I suppose, this kind of is. Except totally not in the way I was anticipating. I was thinking soft and secretive whereas this is bright and fresh and totally out there. I can't say this conjures up images of a vulva for me, which might be a plus for some people but, like I said, I was kind of into the concept. I did like it a lot more the second time around when I let go of my expectations, slathered it on and hoped for the best...we'll see it it grows on me...

 

ETA: So I ended up buying two bottles anyway, because...hello...the name? And it has indeed grown on me. The lemony thing I was getting initially has mellowed out a bit. Actually, I've found that this blend is at its best when worn in sticky 80+ degree temperatures. I was in Texas visiting UT Austin the other week so I had the occasion to wear this in an environment other than the typically frigid NJ spring temperatures. Holy vulva! You know that icky feeling you get when you've been walking around in the sun on a hot day for a while? That sticky, sort of sweaty uncomfortableness? Well, this perfume takes that feeling of hot yuck and turns it into something ridiculously sexy and naughty and arguably not quite appropriate for public nostrils. The skin musk really comes through (it's a hot sweaty day, after all)...but that weird citrusy edge? It's this blend's saving grace! It takes the whole thing from "I feel gross and sweaty and beaten down" to "hell yeah, it's hot, but I'm cool and collected and totally basking in the sexiness of it all."

 

Enough said.

Edited April 14, 2009 by awesomeoverlord

[tartchef]

Sweet, dewy & fresh... not at all befitting the label art! Lots & lots of skin musk, that which I recognize from Bengal & the Illustrated Woman, but with lashings of vanilla orchid nectar. I can totally see where folks are getting something lemony or aquatic... I think it's the sugar cane & orchid together. If there's any beeswax in here, it's barely a trace. The copal is beautiful, just a trace of smoke curling around the edges...

 

The clean, fresh-air quality of Giant Vulva makes me think of the original Dragon Moon - they have no notes in common, I don't think, but both have that spring-sunshine-on-a-dancing-brook-in-a-Japanese-garden feel... Absolutely lovely

 

ETA: Whoa, hello staying power! 10 hours later, the skin musk is still working it, and the copal has filled in where the lighter notes have faded... the end result is reminiscent of Anactoria, smokey & musky & a bit of The Sexy...

Edited March 3, 2009 by tartchef

[pacifick]

Aquatic beeswax. Aquatics give me a headache and beeswax can go either way, in this case badly. I wish I had seen the reviews that mentioned aquatics before I ordered it, but somehow I missed them. Maybe aging will help, but I suspect in a few months I'll be looking to trade this off.

[GalaxyLei]

This smells like a flowery citrus...sharp and lemony. I don't get much sweetness at all, which is what I was expecting. Possibly it'll mellow out a bit as it ages. I hope it does, because right now it smells a bit too much like soap.

[zankoku_zen]

I agree --- this is sweet, dewy and fresh. A light, almost citrusy aquatic smell with nice clean skin musk. There's an almost 'green' tinge to it. A very spring scent.

 

This is lighter and more innocent than I would have thought.

[amanderinorange]

In the bottle: Musky, but a light musk which I find pleasant as musks normally turn my stomach/ give me headaches.

 

On my hubby: Nice and still musky. After a few minutes, it goes slightly lemon sugar cookie on him, but that only lasts for a little while. Then it goes back to a nice musk.

 

Overall: I really like this on him. Didn't try it on myself though. He ended up liking my reaction to it and ordered himself another bottle.

[binkin]

In the bottle: Slightly sharp -- not what I was expecting.

 

On me: It warms up to a nice, musky, beeswaxy honey scent with... something else going on. Sadly, it faded after about two hours so I think I will have to try it again to get a better idea. I really expected to LOVE it though, and I just don't.

[dreadpiraterustypants2]

expectation-

beeswax has become one of my favorite notes, and musk as well- a honeyed musk please~

imp-

gorgeous, exactly what I wanted. Like a less metallic/insense heavy Engine No.9

wet-

copal comes out right away with the beeswax-almost pine like. not too sweet- perhaps the sugar cane? a green sweetness-

drydown-

odd- less beeswax

verdict-

uncertain, need more time with you!

to be continued....

[lacyjae]

The notes in this one made me really, really excited for it, so I was pretty sad when it decided to be kinda generic perfume. I mean, it's nice enough, but it's like the 'nice enough' store ones - just not what I want out of my BPAL and not what I find pretty.

 

The two buds who also tested quite liked it, though, and I must say it was very nice on their skin. Very glad others worked on me, but I'm really quite sad that this one didn't!

[Dinerdulcinea]

Ok...

 

I thought this one would be the best fit for my chemistry, but I was so very wrong...

 

I have tried some previous blends with "skin musk" and it has always taken a back seat (ha ha) to the other notes before...

 

not so in this blend.

 

All the other notes are generally good on me and might have been fine without the skin musk in this one.

The skin musk note is SOOOO heavy that the overall effect is of innocent and sweet perfume (too much on the powdery side for me) after a night of heavy sweaty dancing (and petting) in a nightclub.

 

In short: I smell like a sweaty tramp.

 

If that's your thing, I'd say this might be the blend for you.

 

For me...alas, no.

[catatonic1242]

In the imp: A delicious blend of musk, sugar and beeswax. The musk smells light and gentle.

 

On, wet: I'm really getting something floral out of this, with bits of the honey underneath. It's a really nice, light sweet smell that almost gets a little lemony.

 

On, dry: Sugared flowers. This is what I imagine White Chocolate and Sugared Violets would smell like without the white chocolate. I really am getting something clean and citrusey from this as well. I like it, but I think maybe some aging will do it good.

[astarinel]

...?

 

Where are, uh, all the notes I was envisioning? (en-smelling?) I was expecting this to be rich and sweet, and while it is kind of sweet, it goes on light and tangy with sort of a citrussy bite to it. I'm going to agree with the previous reviews that were getting something aquatic out of this, because that's the sort of feeling I'm getting from smelling this.

 

Honey and beeswax are some of my favorite notes, and try as I might, I cannot find them in here anywhere. It smells like a citrussy aquatic floral and would have had me emailing my decanter to make sure I had the right scent if I hadn't read this thread first.

 

This one kind of puzzled me, because I fully expected to love it and only barely restrained myself from ordering a bottle unsniffed. I'm glad I did, because as it turns out, I'm not going to even be keeping this decant.

[birdiefu]

This one doesn't really smell like the notes listed on me, but it is still spectacular! When I first put it on, it seemed like what Glowing Vulva *should* have smelled like on me (I get uber sweet fake vanilla, no wood or smooth cream)... plus oranges.

 

First applied - It is woody in a delicate, asian way, making me think there is some bamboo or reedy wood in addition to a touch of smooth, polished teak or mahogony. And I really get a bite of fresh tangerines or mandarins - yummy! It is fresh but not sharp, and delicate even though the throw is crazy.

 

As it dries - The orangy bits get creamier, almost like a creamsicle, but just shy of being foody. This is over that warm, woody base. It just gets richer and smoother, the notes blending more into an absolute swoon-worthy scent. Late into drydown, I get a touch of what seems to be vanilla flower + light musk. Very nice indeed, and the throw is still glorious even though the scent is not overpowering. In fact, I think I smell it more when I went outside and the breeze picked it up and swirled it around, than when I was in the house huffing myself.

 

I am surprised that this is so different than I expected, but it is happily so! This scent to me is a combination of the best parts of The Antikythera Mechanism and The Maltese Cross of Sanctus Germanus (both of which I love), rolled into one. Much better than Glowing Vulva ever was to me, I am in love with my Giant Vulva!

[nekogrrl]

This scent is so not what I expected.

 

Wet on skin: Very musky, with hints of honey and beeswax.

 

Dry on skin: Still musky, but with more beeswax and vanilla flower.

 

Verdict: I'm not sure if I like this on me. Will have to get a second opinion.

[theseagrows]

i was almost sure this would work perfectly on me, and i was mostly wrong! it's quite a morpher, and i do enjoy the underlying notes- i can sense the sugar, vanilla and copal. but something in here just amps up in a very department store-perfumey sort of way and i don't know what it could be. i think maybe the skin musk, but i can't be sure. this one is strange-i'll sniff and it'll smell bad, then it'll smell good a minute later...my skin chemistry is a mystery sometimes. i will set this aside and try it again at a later date.

Edited August 5, 2014 by theseagrows

[mgrazulis]

There is something very luxurious and decadent about this one in the vial--thick dense honey, the sugar cane aroma and beeswax. Totally alluring until it hits my skin. That's where the powdery scent of vanilla flower tickles the back of the throat and burns the nostrils. The citrusy copal resin is lovely and does tame the vanilla flower somewhat. But never enough for me to enjoy all the elements. Sadly, this flower is not meant for me.

[freneticfloetry]

In the bottle: Sweet, creamy, and a little boozy somehow... Reminds me a bit of Red Lantern.

 

Wet: Oh wow, this is lovely. The beeswax and sugar cane are at the forefront, with a sweet floral behind them that can only be the vanilla flower. And there are alternating whiffs of something citrusy that is totally unexpected.

 

Drydown: The copal and skin musk come out strong here, taming the sweetness - during this stage, it smells almost exactly like Inez on me.

 

Dry: This may be the most well-balanced blend I've ever tried. Dry, nothing takes center stage - everything plays well together, and supports everything else.

 

This is gorgeous (and dare I say better on me than Glowing Vulva). I'll be ordering another bottle before it disappears.

[MisterShrapnel]

I basically would have wanted this regardless of the notes, 'cause I get a huge kick out of the bizarre picture. I still have no idea of what the hell those guys are doing.

 

Much lighter than I predicted! I was expecting a more ooey-gooey, viscous golden honey scent like O, but instead this bears the character of the artwork's predominant color--that light parchment hue. I can smell some very light honey in the early stages and pale sweetness, and not so much beeswax. As time goes by the copal moves toward the center stage, with the lovely skin musk slinking around underneath. Oddly copal seems to remind me of that "Angel" perfume and gives a cologne-ish feel to blends that contain it. The floral adds to that more conventional perfume feeling, but it's quite nice.

I don't know how much I'd wear it, actually, but I'm curious to see what happens as time passes by, and I'm definitely going to hold on to the bottle itself. 8D

Edited March 12, 2009 by MisterShrapnel

[RaeiNarcissus]

I think a few other ladies who reviewed this had the same problems I did. Every note in this is pure win, perfect notes, and on the skin, it turns into a faint nothing. I get a little sugary skin musk, but it's really light, and that's it. I think I might pick up a decant of this just to see how it ages.......but right now it's made of fail.

[SeaLady]

Alas, Giant Vulva!

 

Here are my notes, taken at the very time I was trying it on:

 

Starts out sharp, and slightly chemical. not what I would usually wear. If I were to wear something "perfumey" this might be it, but I don't usually. Definitely try again. Giant Vulva, how can you be so wrong, when Glowing Vulva was so right? I guess it's giant but unhappy. Not enough attention?

10 min later - still pointy. Smell like junior high :/ It does get better, but not great.

Later later - Things mellow, and get less sharp, but it's still unappealing. Like everything's painted over with a sickly sort of beeswax. Erlack.

Verdict: Unless this turns itself around in a serious way the next time I try it, meh. Might not even wear it.

 

 

[lothien]

I get the salty/lemony/aquatic thing, too. Almost furniture polish. No creamy, honey, beeswaxy anything.

Like nearly all the Lupercalias, this one will go in storage to see if age improves it on me. If not, it's too citrussy for me and it will go away to someone else.

[aquazoo]

Starts spicy and citrus. It gets softer and sweeter, but the edge is still there. It gets a little soapy near the end.