Kabuki

[MiasmaResonance]

Compelling, complex, and utterly enigmatic: a luxuriant, exotic blend of cherry, red musk, and star anise.

Red musk is a hit or miss with a lot of scents, but definitely works for me in this one. In fact, I forgot there was even red musk in it, it's such a good blend on me! Lovely, sexy feminine scent.

[icecreamcone]

Kabuki is a deep cherry scent with something kinda sickly-sweet in the background.

On dry down the cherry seems to fade and the musk/star anise step forward.

Edited December 26, 2022 by icecreamcone

[lucycat]

Kabuki was a frimp from the Lab, and is now a little over a year old.

 

It begins as a sweet, rich cherry scent. Yes, it is more cherry candy than actual fresh cherries, but I like cherry-flavored things, so that's fine with me. When it dries, the anise appears, so Kabuki becomes cherry candy and licorice. Finally, the musk emerges, becoming more and more prominent with time.

 

It's delicious. I love black licorice, and Kabuki makes me want to eat my arm. The red musk makes this more than a foodie candy perfume, though. It's sweet, but not cloying. Definitely sexy, and it lasts for hours.

 

Thank you, Lab!

Edited April 23, 2014 by lucycat

[inhumation]

I loooooove this. Wet, it's all star anise, but when dry, it's this perfect blend of rich dark cherry, red musk, with a hint of black licorice. Red musk sometimes goes a little weird on me during certain times of the month (ha), but I didn't detect it in Kabuki at all. omg why don't I have more money.

[alianthe]

Bottle: Fruity, juicy, very red, very very forward. A little something ambery or incensy underneath.

 

Wet: Juicy and red, but nearly disappeared, with an odd herbal undertone.

 

Dry: Very very light, barely there, juicy incense.

 

Conclusions: A little jangly, not very smoothly blended together. Not for me.

[GlowJob]

I passed on trying this one for so long because I figured the cherry would be too dominant and I'd end up smelling like a bag of Twizzlers or lollipops. But this is much heavier on the musk and anise than I was expecting and it's totally wearable. The cherry adds a nice sweetness and roundness but it certainly doesn't translate as candy on me. Don't let the fruity note scare you off with this one!

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Cherry cough syrup.

 

Wet on my skin: Cherry cough syrup.

 

Dry: Gooooooorgeous. While this retains a spicy, almost medicinal note from the anise, it's no longer cough syrup. It's sweet, sexy, and sharp enough to mean business before pleasure. It's a RED scent. Juicy and a little dangerous. But! This isn't a heavy scent, despite the sometimes-heavy notes in it. It's cherry blossom light, wafting gently in the air. This might be another bottle scent (in case I don't have enough already).

[Greenwoodtree]

I usually like the cherry notes, and this was no exception - I guess I would prefer this as a candle -more subtle. The anise really comes out a lot. Makes me want a Dr. Pepper!

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Cherry and anise. Ugh, I hate anise. Oh well. Here goes.

 

Wet: Cherry, followed by the anise note. I'm glad that the cherry is stronger than the anise. I am not particularly fond of red musk, but it isn't as strong the other two notes at the moment. The anise note is getting stronger the longer this sits on my skin. Bother.

 

Dry: This might as well be black licorice single note on me.

 

Much Later: The red musk is the dominant note now, with just a hint of anise and cherry.

 

Verdict: Not for me.

[Malaena]

Wet - Cherries!

 

Drying - Sweet cherries bit a bit of an almond feel. It reminds me of red vines and I want to eat my arm. The red musk gives this one great throw and makes food sexy!

 

Verdict - Houston, we have a winner.

[Laura S. Taylor]

I got this as a frimp, and probably never would have chosen it for myself... but it's so great!

 

wet: kinda like cherry cough syrup, but not terrible

 

drying: still cherry but less cough syrup, a tinge of anise

 

dry: WOW! It smells like intoxicating black liquorice in my cleavage and honey of my wrists, love getting whiffs of it every now and then

[joopjoop]

After falling in love with the anise note in Absinthe, I thought I would enjoy Kabuki and I do!

 

In the imp: cherries! smells divine - I don't get cough syrup at all, just boozy cherry, which reminds me of almonds, and I adore them both

 

wet: cherry and anise, with something deeper underneath, must be the red musk

 

dry/later: very sexy, and lots of staying power - this one isn't going anywhere

 

verdict: I like it, and will use the imp, but I'm not sure this is really 'me' - I tend to enjoy scents with citrus and bright florals more. Will definitely test Kabuki out in the bedroom, however. :-}

[silkworm]

Kabuki is exactly as it says on the tin-cherry, red musk and star anise. In the imp and wet this is all cherry and red musk, which I find lovely. As it dries the cherry fades to a fruity (but still cherry) sweetness and the anise emerges to mingle with the red musk in an absolutely delightful way. The musk is the ground that the other two notes play off of on my skin. And this red musk is very very pretty-even though I love red musk, sometimes it can be a bit heavy and overwhelming. That is not the case here. All of the notes are identifiable but they harmonize just perfectly.

 

While I was testing this, my brain kept insisting that this must be a Luper and I kept thinking of spring and Lupers and it finally hit me-the cherry/red musk combo is a dead ringer for my beloved Smut 2012. The anise provides a substitute for the booze and sugar and makes this a lighter, softer Smut. As much as I love Smut, in the warmer months it can be a bit much so this is perfect for when I need that Smutty hit in the sultry summer!

[Miss Landau]

Just getting spiced cherry compote and almonds from this one - not that that's a bad thing IMHO. Nowhere near as heady on me as I was hoping, but this is only my second BPAL and I know my skin eats up oil. Like it a lot, happy I ordered a 5 ml bottle straight up. Will be converting into a spray perfume pronto.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Miss Landau

[roseus]

Starts off like cherry cough syrup, but dry it's a nice sweet red musk with a little cherry, followed by anise. It's nice if you like cherries and anise, but as I do not this will soon be relocated to a loving home!

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Cherry Sucrettes. Blarg. Cherry is so iffy on me. Only getting hints of the red musk, and no anise...oh, maybe a little if I really huff.

 

 

Dry: Wow, the anise really amps up! Which I do quite like, but I have other anise blends without the cherry cough drop factor. I can see this being good on someone else's chemistry though!

[gloame]

Smells like cherry coke in the imp. Dries down to an incense-y licorice with a touch of cherry. If you like anise or licorice, give this one a shot.

[Spaztic]

The mixture of Cherry and Anise comes across almost like a minty cinnamon (really loose comparison)

Then add the red musk and it's almost like a cherry cola on me

The anise become more prominent in the dry down, but doesn't take over which is nice

I love frimps because it gets me to try fragrances I never otherwise would have and I really like this one!

[Wolfpeach]

On paper, this scent should be gorgeous on me red musk and cherry are go-to's - and i was lucky enough to receive a frimp of it awhile back. I'm just getting to it now, wading through my ridiculous collection.

 

In the vial - sharp and...soapy? Pretty sure it's the star-anise, which my nose sometimes interprets as soap in certain blends when not anchored by something robust or if it's too strong. I was hoping the red musk would balance it out, but oof! Let's hope on the skin it's better...

 

Wet - Definite soap, with a tinge of cherry waaaaay in the background. This is not good, as i don't do well with aldehydic, clean/soapy scents at all. No hint of cherry or creaminess now. Weird. Perhaps a hint of the absinthe i've read about in some reviews? Meh. Chemistry is a weird thing.

 

Dry - Ok, in the drydown, the soapiness has backed down a bit, and some of the cherry and creaminess have peaked their heads out - the detergent scent eventually softens into a discernible, pleasant anise scent and the there is a nice powderiness that comes out to play. Not in a grandma way, which i generally dislike, but a nice, subtle way. I'm getting the "cola" references now, but sadly the cherry isn't very prominent on my skin. The creaminess is much more prominent now, which is really lovely; however, for me, there is still a thread of soapiness that persists which makes my nose itch, although not as strong as before - but just enough to make this a no-go for me.

[fizzbangdangcharade]

In the bottle: Cherry cough syrup. The kind you give little kids that's mostly sugar.

 

Wet: Maraschino cherries and a touch of spice

 

Warming: The cherries are fading and being replaced by..licorice

 

Drydown: Cherries are basically gone, this is almost straight black licorice on me (there's still that hint of sickeningly sweet in the background.)

 

This was a frimp, and while I like the idea....it's two things I hate with a passion: Maraschino cherries and anise/black licorice. Had it gone a more proper cherry/musk route I may have kept it, but this was immediately given to my (male) roommate on who it just smells like sweet cherry candy.

[ramblingrambler]

Kabuki is good stuff. It’s a blast of red musk and cherry wet, but it dries into a lovely anise-cherry with the musk giving it an almost incense feel. I’ve unfortunately become recently allergic to the Lab’s red musk note and cannot stop sneezing, so this is no longer something I can wear. It’s too bad, too, because I loved it. I hope to pass this beauty on to someone who will also love it.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Red musk and cherry. Two notes I tend to enjoy, so I'm hoping the star anise stays hidden!

 

Dry: Anise and cherry cough syrup. Not for me.

[garbagewitch]

Opens up with a strong, intense red cherry that’s just soooooo good, sweet and wet and red, somewhere between a real ripe juicy cherry and a fluorescent red cherry lollipop. If we could just stay right here, it’d be perfect, but it’s chased almost immediately by a sharp black licorice that just gets stronger and stronger until it completely takes over. As it settles, the anise starts to chill out and become a little more wearable, but it’s still basically straight licorice quite a while. The cherry finally comes back for the final drydown, with just a sharp hint of anise to contrast it — I actually like this phase quite a bit, but it takes much too long to get to it.

I wasn’t sure about the star anise, but I was hoping two notes I love up against one wildcard would be enough to balance things out. Unfortunately, the star anise kicked cherry’s ass, and red musk didn’t even show up to the party. I'm gonna give this one a couple more tries, but I think Kabuki is probably a scent for someone who likes licorice a lot more than I do.

[Bamels]

Frimp: This smells like Dr Pepper in the imp. I can smell aniseed as it's drying. This doesn't have as much throw as I thought it would do. It's a lovely soft, sweet scent. But I'm not sure how often, if ever, I would wear this.

 

A few minutes after writing this, and the smell is gone.

[supreme_c0rt]

Cherry almond macaroons with a star anise garnish. It's gentle, but still too sweet and foody for my tastes. This may suit for lovers of dessert scents.