Sudha Segara

[Electra]

Named after the primordial ocean of milk where Lord Vishnu reclines upon the thousand-headed Naga. Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia.

Not at all what I expected. I thought that Sudha Segara would smell a bit like O, but softer and milkier, with a bite of ginger warming it.

What it actually does smell like on my skin is Origins Ginger Essence. And (don't hit me!) I think I like Ginger Essence better.

Up for swaps it goes! Edited July 30, 2007 by Electra

[miss apple]

Sudha Segara

 

In the vial this is soft and warm, a very comforting scent.

 

Once on, it softens into a delicious, milky, spiciness. There's a bit of effervescence lingering on the surface and it reminds me of ginger ale. This is a wonderful light scent however it fades very fast on me. I don't mind reapplying though - it's light and lovely

[Splendid Molerat]

Sudha Segara: Up front I'm tasting ginger syrup, maybe drizzled over sticky rice sweets.

 

In the background I've got a kettle of hot tea, made with cracked cardamum pods and creamy fresh milk.

 

It's a fragrance of quiet civility.

[jessamynit]

I'm loving this one! it barely lasts an hour on me (and I'm always scared to really pour these oils on as I never know when my sensitive boyfriend will end up with his head sticking out the window of the car) and reminds me a lot of embalming fluid (which I might like better, don't know yet) but it sure it gorgeous. it smells like something delicious but without being strictly a sugary scent (to me). yum!

[Belladonnastrap]

Sudha Segara makes me want to crack open my mythology books.

 

 

First sniff

I can't place it but something very heady yet sweet. I've smelled it before but I just cannot remember where,

 

When wet

Extremely subtle, I can barely tell its there. Sweet and a bit tart its very ginger.

 

Drydown

Ginger memory.This is really subtle!

 

Aftermath

I seriously doubt I'd ever buy a bottle of this but I may get an imp from time to time as its a lovely sort of calm scent.

[stardreamer]

It went on pretty strong (though that could just have been me not knowing how much to use); I was worried that it might give me a headache, but it didn't. Very sweet, but not cloying; I didn't pick up much of the ginger, but overall I like it. And 14 hours later, I can still smell traces of it on my wrists, so the stuff has real staying power!

 

Edit, after trying it a second time. I really like this; it's a sweet, creamy fragrance with good staying power. I still can't pick up a ginger note, though it does seem as though there might be something floral way down underneath -- maybe that's the ambrosia? R. is neutral about it, which is about the best reaction I'm going to get.

 

I think there's at least a 5ml of this in my future!

Edited November 3, 2005 by Shollin

[carolsag]

i lked this one very much, at first, i didn't think it was strong, but the scent did seem to linger.i think i might get more in the future.

[Reinaluna]

Sudha Segara: I smell streight ginger for right now. No honey, milk or ambrosia. After a few hours still just ginger.Its ok but I wish I could smell the other ingredients.

Edited October 28, 2004 by Reinaluna

[Azrhiaz]

I put this on before going to bed last night, wanting very much to experience the bliss-out others have mentioned. I love all the notes in it, and in the vial it smelled divine, gingery goodness all around.

 

On me, it was also lovely-- for about five minutes! It wins the record for shortest-lived BPAL on me so far, taking the spot away from The Caterpillar. It just completely vanished, sucked up by my skin. Which, waaah, because it smelled wonderful, but I think I'd have to take a bath in it to really get the effect.

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: "clean", almost scentless

 

Wet: vanilla and gentle floral

 

Dry: vanilla fading to nothingness

 

Verdict: a lovely scent. It's the first oil I've tried where the vanilla is more milky and ice-creamy than spicy and it's really unusual. I just wish it was stronger and lasted a bit longer

[Nadirah]

MMM I smell milk and honey, at first I thought this evapoated on myself but I can smell it on me as I move around. Its soft and comforting, Its like a sweet warm mug of milk before bedtime. Very calming, this is good stuff. I'm keeping my lil' ear but I'm not sure about a bigger bottle, its sweet, I'll have to try this and see how long my imps ear lasts! I didnt smell the ginger at all, just milk and honey. I had put some on last night before my meditations and I must've sat there for 2 hours in deep thought staring at the candle light. I went to bed and had a good sleep night, no nightmares or unrest. I felt really good in the morning. Give it a try, if you havent already!

[Falathwen]

Sudha is the ginger scent I have been longing for - my chemistry apparently LOVES milk based scents. This is as creamy, warm, sweet, as Dana O'Shee but with a real bite of freshly cut ginger. As soon as I put this on I thought - "I really wish there were a sea of this because I would dive in." I want to eat this, drink this, and bathe in it. Wow. As it dries it mellows, but remains consistent on me and lingers a long while.

[Lady_Ell]

Warm milk, fresh ginger slivers, a touch of honey, and something a teeeeeeensiest bit floral or stemmy/sappy, like ginger flowers or ginger stems.

 

A light scent but one with throw. It seems to fade but it will surprise you a few hours later with a little poke in the nose reminding you that it's still there.

 

I bought a 5mL unsniffed, and I am glad I did. It's light, understated yet present, appropriate for any situation, and lovely.

[grrrlennyl]

sudha segara

 

at first: the lab included this as a freebie. very clean-smelling. i can't really pick out any of the notes, but it's beautiful.

on: sour lemon and something powdery and sweet. i really like this.

1 hour later: still the same sour / sweet / powdery scent. this is lovely.

2 hours later: powdery and gorgeous. i still smell the lemon scent. i love this.

5 hours later: i love this. i looked up the notes, and i guess what i'm mostly smelling is ginger, not lemon. i'm so weird. the ginger is softer now, and the scent is very powdery.

overall: i am in love with this. i'm definitely going to get a bottle when i use up my imp.

[tart]

Sudha Segara smells lifeless on me. I'm not sure why, but it's like flat soda. This is very disappointing, as I was looking forward to this scent for a long time and it seems to work beautifully on other people. I'll give it a few more tries and hopefully I'll be able to update my review with good news.

 

ETA: Dana O'shee and Alice are my absolute favorite scents, but I don't get any of the creaminess in Sudha Segara that others are lucky enough to experience. I suppose my skin brings out the ginger too much. I could fully imagine this as a beautiful, milky-sweet ginger blend, and the color would be pale yellow. I wish Sudha Segara worked for me.

Edited November 19, 2004 by tart

[goddessrobyn]

I love ginger and vanilla and so I thought this would be the perfect scent for me... and I DO love it... but on me the ginger is non-existant... this is milk and honey all the way (not that thats a bad thing )

Its creamy, dreamy, warm, comforting... mmmmmmm

when I wear this I want to eat my arm... I want to smell myself constantly...

(note to self: not a good one for a job interview )

 

but... mmmmmmmm!!!

 

Easily my favorite so far... have asked friend for a 10mL for Yule...

 

my only problem with it is it doesn't last as long as I'd like... oh well.. cest la vie!

[ebonykawai]

I believe this has the same "milk" note that's in Dana O'Shee and Alice. Unfortunately, this note just doesn't agree with me and I end up getting a headache from it. But I can say that lovers of Dana and Alice will probably love this as well. Aside from the only note in all of BPAL that doesn't agree with me, the underlying notes are gorgeous.

 

Damn you, milk!!

[metterklume]

It's so sad. Loved the concept when it was introduced, was thrilled to have a freebie of it in my last order, loved all the ingredients separately, and...

 

bug spray. the really horrible chemically type, like OFF or something, that makes me ill. I've tried it three or four times now and it's the same thing each time.

 

*cry* Why must I be a freak?

 

Maybe I will let it 'mellow' for a few months and try again...

[Lucretia]

this one is so soft, and gentle. it smells like a milky warm soap, but not in that bad soapy way. It smells clean, and white. I like it alot! I think it may be a bit too soft for me though cause I like being able to smell what I'm wearing, but this one was really comforting and softly milky. Wonderful!

[AnnetteL]

Wow, NOT what I expected at all! I smell almost nothing in the vial, then on my skin the scent comes out but there's no milk or honey, just effervescent ginger. Not that it is a problem, in fact quite the opposite, it's wonderful! Fresh, crisp and tangy, a with touch of green sweetness.

 

It is a light scent, and I had to apply twice as much as usual, but once it was on it didn't start fading for at least six hours.

 

I'll definitely be getting more!

[eleventhousand]

The ginger comes through with a bit too much force on me...

[Dolly Dimple]

Expected this to smell a bit like a spicier version of Dana O'Shee, but instead, as Electra noted, it's more like Origins' Ginger Essence. But I definitely prefer this! The milk and honey soften the sharpness of the ginger beautifully. My only is that it faded so quickly on me; ah well, I'll just have to slather it on and then get some more...

 

ETA: I've had a grotty cold/chill since yesterday, and this is the perfect scent for warming you up and making you feel better in the face of the winter blues!

Edited November 20, 2004 by Dolly Dimple

[darkitysnark]

Sudha Segara

 

In the bottle:

Clean. I got a very light, soapy, clean smell. Hiding in the back of my throat is a slight sharpness, which must be the ginger.

 

Wet:

The ginger warms up and briefly shoulders the clean smell to the side, but soap wins out.

 

Drydown & Later:

Unfortunately, it was a crazy day. I didn't really have an opportunity to check myself every hour or so to see how it smelled. I remember thinking at one point that the scent was extremely light, and wondering if I had applied enough to last throughout the day.

 

Eight hours later when I met up with my Mr. he said that he could smell something reminiscent of Indian incense on me, but I had been slathering Avon's Christmas hand lotion (smells like bug spray to me) and had been around food all day, so I'm not sure if he was picking up my oil.

 

So, I reapplied, and got this reaction from him:

 

"Grandma".

 

This is the dread verdict for all bath/beauty/perfume products I test out. Being declared "Grandma" requires that I no longer use said product if I want to avoid being associated with older ladies. He hasn't really been able to qualify exactly what consitutes the "Grandma" but I have narrowed down some aspects: cold cream smell, roses, and now, apparently, whatever this is.

 

He did concede that to him, this smells like "Clean Grandma".

 

I did apply (more liberally) a second time since I felt like I didn't give him (yeah, this one's a him too) a fair shake. I'm getting the ginger, and even a bit of the milky smoothness, but the soapy smell overpowers everything. Ah well, it's off to the swap pile!

[JazzieCazzie]

IN THE BOTTLE: Sweet and spicy at the same time but no notes that jump out at me as recognizably predominant ... it is definitely not what I expected ... it's interesting.

Applied to wrists and crooks ...

WET: I get a hit of something effervescent like ginger ale (the ginger, duh) mixed with a strong sweetness which is not cloying or overpowering.

DRYDOWN: The gingery part fades, leaving a mild sweetness, slightly powdery (the milk?). This is really, really pleasant but that's it. It's nice. To me it's just not very interesting which is kind of disappointing. It may just be too tame for me as a keeper ... I plan, however, to try it as a bath oil which might be just the trick ... I have a 5 ML so if it works nicely in the bath, which I suspect it will, it would afford me several lovely evenings of soakage.

 

REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED MAY 2013:

 

Received a frimp of this on a recent purchase so am retesting this from that imp.

 

IN THE IMP: Still very light but there is something about the scent that I can tell is not going to work for me ... sweet and milky. Not sure yet what note is clashing with my tastes.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: Maybe it's the fact that in the 8+ years since I last tried this my body chemistry has undergone a significant hormonal change, shall we say, but what was a light, non-overpowering and non-cloying sweetness in November 2004 is now a very strong and slightly nauseating one. I know it's not the ginger that's bothering me because I loves me my ginger. And it's not the honey. So I am going to guess that it's the milk, since I can't think of any blends that have had a "milk" note that I've liked, but I've never narrowed it down to milk being the offender before.

 

DRYDOWN: As this dries, the scent gets stronger and more cloying to the point of "dreaded wash-off." Had I not known milk, I might have thought tea or some sort of fruit. And even post wash-off, it's still there, little bits of milky sweetness that kind of turns my stomach.

 

OVERALL: I can absolutely see why people who like this kind of scent would love this. There is a whole genre of BPAL scents that don't work FOR ME that are super popular ... and I understand their popularity. To me, I could totally see this being a Mad Tea Party scent.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 1. Only because for me, washoffs are 1s. Sorry

Edited May 4, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[tempete]

Clean.  I got a very light, soapy, clean smell.  Hiding in the back of my throat is a slight sharpness, which must be the ginger.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I was trying to figure out how to describe this odd chemical-y note that I detected in Sudha Segara when I read darkitysnark's review and realized that she had described it perfectly for me. I'm not fond of my perfumes smelling like soap, so I'll be swapping this one away.