Kabuki

[Lucretia]

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

I was dying to try this one, but I guess I should stick to anise in food, cause it smells icky on me. I get some sort of odd almond cherry which is pretty nice at first but then it gets sweet and anise(y) all at the same time and I'm not too keen on it. I guess sweet smells just arent my thing.

[requieminblack]

First sniff from the bottle-Amaretto!

 

After 10 minutes-All I smell is Amaretto. Like someone poured a glassful on me! The ingredients are listed as cherry, star anise and red musk but I can't smell anything but BOOZE.

 

After 30 minutes- Now that the overpowering boozy smell has faded I can detect the licorice scent of the star anise. It is a light licorice sent, more like tea than the candy. I can also detect a faint powdery scent that must be the red musk.

 

Summery-This one is for the swap pile. I like Amaretto, but I don't want to smell like I have been drinking it all day.

[gingersnapp]

In the vial: Like drinking the juice of a cherry Jolly Rancher out of the mouth of a smoker.

 

Wet: Ooh, the musk is too strong. This stings my nose... I can't really smell the cherry at all. The anise is also really amplified on my skin.

 

After 30: The anise is definitely in the forefront. The musk isn't as strong as it was in the bottle, but there isn't much in the way of cherry. Kind of smells like Sucrets sore throat lozenges - medicinal watered-down cherry.

[sarahjay]

I've just received this in a swap from andromedii & I like this very much.

 

I've also got (old) kyoto and in all honesty they're quite similar to me, but kabuki is 'darker'. It was very strongly cherry/amaretto at first, but that's mellowed out beautifully now. I think I like it better than kyoto as it's not as sweet. the anise seems to like my skin & it's not liqourice-y at all on me, just warm and a wee bit spicy.

 

not sure if I need a big bottle - but I'll be keeping the imp & trying it out a few more times, definitely.

 

edited 15 march - I was tired on this by the end of the day - it went very powdery. I've since established that it's the red musk that doesn't agree with me. c'est la vie.

Edited March 15, 2005 by sarahjay

[oatmealneko]

I wanted to like this one, but Kabuki didn't work out for me. I can't wear anything with cherry notes. I had tried The Red Queen, but I thought that it was the wood note that didn't agree with me, but I guess not.

 

In the vial: sweet, ripe cherries

Wet: Cherry cough syrup

Dry: For a short time, I smell the cherry & musk as separate notes, & it's lovely. Then it turns back into cherry cough syrup.

 

Arrrgh. Another note that utterly despises me.

[summer]

Where has this been all my life.

 

I think that whenever I think I want "berry," what I really want is "cherry." Cherry is THE quintessential red, sweet, fruity smell to me. And Kabuki is heavy on the cherry.

 

Thick, rich cherry. It's not like candy on me. It's like a luxuriant cherry syrup (perhaps a liqueur), with something slightly dark and deep about it. This is a velvety scent. Not old velvet -- new, PLUSH velvet. I think I'm smelling the star anise as well. I'm not sure exactly how this note smells, but there's a very subtle touch of black licorice.

 

Overall, this is lovely and unique. It's a sweet, lickable scent, but not childlike in the slightest. I have just ordered a 5ml.

 

[Digital_Hypoxia]

I can sum up my impression of Kabuki in three words:

Cherry Industrial Disinfectant.

 

'Cause that is exactly what it smelled like to me. We used said CID in the animal hospital I work at once. It was promptly returned to the distributor.

 

Needless to say, Kabuki will be leaving my collection.

Serves me right for bidding on a 5ml unsniffed.

 

You live; you learn.

[Idlewild]

I'm trying this out as a room-scent in an oil burner. The first thing it reminded me of was plum wine. My bpal pusher danuv, who sent me the imp, said "Oh, that's good for you since you like plum wine." Yessss. I love plum wine. Sweet, exotic and intoxicating. I'll be interested to see how this takes when I try it on my skin, but I'm adoring it as a room-scent.

[amunnefret]

Its taken me ages to get round to trying Kabuki. The idea of smelling of cherries doesn't appeal and straight out the bottle the scent is heavily reminiscent of cherry brandy (love to drink it, wouldn't want to wear it!).

 

However once on and left to work its magic Kabuki takes all manner of exciting twists and turns as the saucy top notes can-can vigorously off into the distance. I get that very dry phase for a short while - almost tempted to say reminds me of plastic in some ways but not unpleasant, then a curious green phase followed by a luscious blossoming into something richly creamy and slightly sweet that lingers for a good many hours. Its a coquettish scent, with the right person quite seductive, but buttoned up enough to wear to work without screaming "take-me-now".

 

Ooooh yes this little beaut will have to be bought in a bigger bottle.

[ianastar]

In the bottle this was very sweet.....

 

As soon as I put it on I got a whif of the cheeries. Very cherry scented.....

 

Now as it is fading and wearing down....Im picking up an equal combo of the cherries and the licourice (which I am guessing is really the anise).

 

This is nice, by the description you would think it would be like Cherry Twizzlers, but its heavier than that. More powerful, more licourice smelling.

 

Very complex. Very gorgeous.

[jett perilous]

In the vial: sweet, sweet cherries, also a bit of a sharp note.

Wet: The cherry scent does stick. But the cherry I smell is darker than a maraschino, a little heavier and less syrupy. I can smell other tones too, but I'm a BPAL newbie, so I'm not sure exactly what it is I'm recognizing.

Dry: The cherry smell keeps up a bit, but it's dried a bit to a root beer smell. I don't particularly like root beer, per se, but I do enjoy this scent.

 

Overall: The scent stayed warm throughout the day the first time I wore it. As I wear it today, it's fading quickly, and a lot of the scent was washed off when I accidently got a bit of water on my wrist when I washed my hands. It also has an vaguely metallic scent now. Hmm.

Anyway, this isn't my favorite ever, but I will definitely use the imp.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Cherry and musk, VERY sweet.

 

On Skin: The cherry is overwhelming, it smells almost like cough syrup. The musk does make it darker though which I like. I think it is a bit cloying and strong so apply lightly…

After about a half hour, I like it. It’s pretty and warm.

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

spicy raisin-like cherry

 

On

This is mellower then I thought. It's a warm scent.

Wow, this is fruity but not acidic at all. It's warm and rounded and gentle, not acidic and bright and candy like. This reminds me of a dark muted plum red color.

 

30 minutes

It's faded but not alot. There's little change from when I put it on, except it's a little more muted. It still smells fruity but licorice-y and sexy too.

 

Throw:

Little

 

Scent category:

Foody/Spicy

 

Summary

I wouldn't have thought Cherry and Anise went together so well.

The star anise and musk are ever so gentle not overpowering the cherry at all. It smells like dark swollen cherries with a touch of a "star anise in a cookie" scent.

It reminds me of The Red Queen a bit, because of the cherry and the warmth. In The Red Queen the warmth comes from the mahagony wood smell, in Kabuki it comes from the musk I think.

 

Purchase again?

Yes. Perhaps a 5ml but another imp for sure.

 

1-5 rating, 5 being best.

4

Edited April 8, 2005 by UltraViolet

[cuervosueno]

Where DID I get those? No idea. A freebie, I think, from the lab, because it has anise, so I would never order it myself.

In the bottle what I get is cherry sucrets and anise....NOT good.

and wet, it still smells exactly like that.

the thing is, it morphs on me. I wore it a couple of times to try it out before I figured out what was in it...I mean, I was guessing, but couldn't tell. someone said plum wine, and that's what I thought--I was convinced it had plum in it, I don't know why. And that was ok, if not a favorite of mine. It did have an interesting complexity, and it is likely the only anise scent I can wear, because it just adds a sharp, spicy complexity, and is not pure licorice, thankfully.

But the cherry sucrets anise phase lasts too long for me.....

[Faerykin]

Kabuki

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone ... and a little in the cleavage.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): Mmmm … I could eat this – cherry and anise … mmmmm. My two favorite licorice flavors. Then … cherry cola. Where did that come from?

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): Well, the cherry cola has thankfully calmed down. I still mostly get hints of cherry and anise … must be the red musk making it fizzy.

 

Throughout the Day (10am-on): This is quite unusual. I’m not certain if I like it or not … I know I don’t not like it. I can’t detect any specific note, just this thick sweetness.

 

I’m not certain if I’ll hang onto this or not. I appreciate the initial wet stage – mayhaps on another day, the cherry and anise will stay longer.

[Aurelius]

I'm not a fan of cherry scents, so I'll admit my review is totally biased. But I did want to try this gimp from the lab! At first I smell cherry. Thick ripe cherry. Dark and rich. Not pleasant for me, but it's a very true scent. Then I get cherry cola. Bubbly almost. And then...cherry cola and bactine! Yup, it smells like bactine. Not good. Strange.

[Phaedra]

Wet this smells like very strong, sweet, thick cherry. When applied this is VERY STRONG CHERRY!! It is cloyingly sweet. Did I mention the cherry??? Very quickly it starts to calm down and smells almost like root beer on me- strange. It mellows into a nice soft floral. I like the drydown on this but the cherry is just too strong for my taste.

[Diana]

This is one that I ordered a 5ml, untested, just because of the way this smelled in a gifted imp!

 

 

Today I decided to actually try it out before the 5ml comes.

 

 

In the bottle there is a sweeeeeet cherry-anise scent. Smells so devine. I really love cherry scents, so I am drooling.

 

Putting it on, initially it is mostly cherry. The cherry does fade a bit after a while, not completely, but enough to let the anise come to the foreground for a bit. The anise does have a very slight licorice smell to it, but its mostly a soft, sweetness that complements the cherry very well. It actually reminds me more of fresh fennel bulbs rather than licorice candy. Fresh & sweet. YUM.

 

After this has been on for a while, the red musk finally makes an appearance. The three components are all still recognizable and mingle into a perfectly sweet, yet slightly spiced, soft scent.

 

Another huge winner for me.

[Finny]

Very cherry.

 

Sadly for this one I get cherry, and it is a sharp cherry cough drop cherry, not a yum, cherries.

 

Off to the swap pile.

[brownbear]

I agree with the cough drop cherry verdict. Out of the vial that's all I could smell. On my skin it got nicer. It turned into fakey candy cherry with a smoky incense type scent. The cherries went a little too dark and heavy for what I like. My friend said that she thought I smelled like "an old lady". Oh well.

[Orodemniades]

Imp : Cherry 'n' stuff...kinda reminds me of birch beer, with a hint of root beer

 

Wet: Ooer that is strong!

 

Drydown: Do I really want to smell like this? It's awfully cherry, with an astringent woody note at the very very end, way in the back of your throat...

 

Dry: Say, what's happened here? This hasn't morphed into something odd, it's still the same scent, but the cherry/root/birch/sassafrass has mellowed, and the woodiness has come through.

 

Overall: I love this! It morphs from incredibly strong to mellow, sweet (but not foodily sweet, despite the birch beeriness), and woody. Absolutely gorgeous, something I can definitely imagine wearing to work. Must get a 5 ml, I think!

 

Oro

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 1/5

Summarised in a word or two: Liquorice

 

In the imp/bottle: Musky, dark, candy-like cherry.

 

On skin, wet: Cherry... liquorice. That would be the anise.

 

On skin, dry: Musky cherry liquorice. Weird, and not something I like.

 

Conclusion: I'd hoped -- vainly, apparently -- that the anise wouldn't be very strong in this, as my skin tends to, thankfully, usually devour anise. Not this time.

Edited December 19, 2005 by Aredhel

[Krista]

Wet: yummm. Sweet cherries with a hint of anise. It stays true to the bottle on my skin. As it dries, more anise comes out and fights with the cherry. I recall having an imp before that was much lighter than this one. It was a light red, and this one is almost black. Although this one obviously has more anise, I like it a lot more than the last one. It’s a really deep, sexy scent. I like it.

[BitObsessive]

I got an imp of this as an extra in a swap, and it hadn't make my wishlist yet.

 

In the vial, this is very fruity and sweet, and it stays that way on my skin for about half an hour, then the anise and musk come out to temper it and make it spicy. On me, this is a sexy, full-bodied kind of scent, the sort of thing I'd hoped Bordello would be, and it lasts all day, though after the first hour it doesn't have much throw. I've got a 5 ml on its way to me now.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Smoky sweet. It's a very dark oil.

 

Just On: This is very smoky and dark on me so far. It's lush, but not in a fresh pretty lush kind of way. I think I smell licorice (anise!).

 

An hour or two later: Resin and dark and smoke. This is the scent of the hangman coming up and placing the hood over your head.

 

Around 6 hours: There's the faintest hint of dry smoke, and nothing else left.

 

12 hours: It's all gone now.

 

Overall: What a dark and ominous scent this is. I like it.

 

After reading other reviews: Wow, I really didn't get the cherries in this at all. I like this scent. Luckily, the musk was not too strong for me.