Hunger

[Anneliese]

Evokes sheer, unadulterated carnal lust. An undeniably warm and sensual scent. Black narcissus, orange blossoms, and vanilla.

I got this as a frimp, and I thought I'd love the smell based on the way the cap smelled. Oh, boy.

As soon as I opened it, it smelled as if something was rotting inside. Despite that, I forged ahead, and the next ten minutes were spent hoping that the foul smell on my wrist would go away. I believe that the narcissus was the culprit, because I've never really had a problem with orange blossom, and I tend to amp vanilla. After those ten minutes, though, a sweet floral began to peek out. I can see where most people get the creamsicle feeling from, but all I really got was a strong vanilla with the slightest undertones of orange. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't worth it -- why endure a scent like that when the payoff is just vanilla?

[skyelyric]

Got this one as a frimp: uncork without looking up the notes, wave the wand around under my nose, stop dead. Burnt patchouli?

 

Being brave, I put a tiny bit on the back of my hand (this was seriously making me dizzy), and after it finally dried I got kind of a spicy woody sweet incense, which reminded me of nothing so much as an old tobacco shop in the mall (yeah, about 2 decades ago) that I loved to go into because they had all the little pewter dragons and interesting chess boards and such. So I dodged a headache and got a very cool memory from it.

 

Later I read the notes and reviews and got even more confused. Yay body chemistry? It's been sitting in the dark settling for a few days now and I got brave enough to be sniffy again, just in the imp, and this time the orange blossom poked up through the incense cloud, so I have hopes that this will age into something really nice if I just leave it alone for a while.

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: thick and syrupy; a heavy orange blossom of the candied variety

 

Wet on Skin: dusty and sweet

 

While Drying: orange blossom sweetness is starting to tone down; less aggressive than it is in the imp; a touch of floral-sweetness is starting to emerge, and the vanilla is beginning to come through

 

After a Little While: away from my arms I am sensing a… Rootbeer? Saspirilla? Cream Soda? vibe, probably from the vanilla - I like it; up close, I can smell the narcissus

 

Later: predominantly spicy vanilla with a hint of narcissus every now and then; orange blossom is detectable up close; lovely scent, even hours later (gets fainter with time, but lasts at least 9 hrs)

 

Final Thoughts: I should do a side-to-side comparison of Hunger and Vixen and Dracul; In the imp, I thought this was going to be terrible, but it gets better with dry down; similar effect to Vixen, but a bit more delicate. In general, I think I prefer the earthiness of Vixen, but this might be good when Vixen is Too Much for an occasion.

Hunger earns a 4.5/5 on my skin.

 

ETA: I tried Hunger again today (Aug 31)... Wet, there is an initial blast of what has to be vetiver (I am decidedly not a fan of vetiver), but it fortunately calms down after a few minutes. The orange blossom note is much nicer with a bit of age - no longer the almost sickeningly sweet candied variety, but the more mature, lovely variety. A dark, sweet, spicy blend. It may not graduate to my bottle wish list, but the imp will stay in my favorites box.

Edited September 1, 2010 by Rocza

[Suu4LC]

This is a darker scent than I would have imagined-almost like ashy patchouli, softened by the orange blossom and sweetened by vanilla. Not really a "me" scent, but sort of interesting.

 

Gah-this is really strong-the narcissus is really intense, and it's not a scent I am particularly fond of. I like the sweet creamy vanilla in this, and I adore orange blossom, but they are hidden under the black narcissus.

 

The drydown of this is actually better than the wet forms-I saw a review comparing this to Snake Charmer, I can see where they'd get that. It's sort of a creamy incensey blend-dries a bit powdery on my skin. Not really something I would wear because the narcissus just doesn't do it for me, but it really goes well with the orange blossom and vanilla. If you are a Snake Charmer fan, definitely give this a sniff!

[melrose]

Yum, drool, I love this! I don't get any of the individual notes listed - the magic on my skin is incense, woods, spices, a hint of ashes - man, oh man, this is in my top 10!

[Venneh]

This is definitely a darker scent; in the imp, I'm getting what I'm pretty sure is the black narcissus and the orange blossom combining. Light application. On my skin, the vanilla seems to be mellowing things out, while the narcissus and orange blossom amp. Hrm. We'll see what this does. Ends up being a sharp, orangey floral. Not really for me.

Edited March 2, 2010 by Venneh

[doublehelix]

in the imp: soft orange and vanilla

 

wet on skin: oh yum. I have to agree this is like creamy orange incense... very lovely.

 

dry on skin: smokey vanilla. can't quite smell the orange anymore, but it's still nice!

[SophieCedar]

As soon as I applied this it was instantaneous love. I found the way to wear bpal vanilla! The key to the lock has been found!

 

This mellows to a mouth watering amber on my skin. Very inviting and not suffocatingly sweet by any means. Thanks to BuxomM for sending this to me!

[kunoichi]

In the vial this is a dark scent of what is a mixture of vanilla and narcissus, with bright orange sparkling through the darkness. On my skin the scents merge and combine, and the orange receeds to the background, producing a dark, floral vanilla. After a few hours it becomes a soft musk-like vanilla, fading slowly...

 

[INFJ4w3]

I tried Hunger on one arm, Vixen on the other. As my SO says, they smell similar. Ultimately, I prefer Hunger. It lasts much longer and has more throw. The orange note reminds me of fresh-squeezed orange juice - sweet and sharp, somehow bright. The black narcissus, a dark, sexy note, really comes out on me. Hunger is definitely a favorite of mine. It's worth a try even if you don't normally like flowery scents. (I don't.) It would make a beautiful spring/summer evening scent. Great for a hot date! 4 1/2 out of 5 stars.

[FathomBelow]

Hunger starts of with a bang - a vivid, juicy orange note. As it dries, the vanilla shows up to sweeten it, but quickly bows to black narcissus. Perfect for the description, but unfortunately, I just don't get along with the narcissus - it smells like sweet plastic to my nose. Ultimately, Hunger isn't for me, although anyone who likes black narcissus should give it a go.

[ShannonElisabethJones]

In the imp: Sweet vanilla, spicy orange.

Wet on skin: I got a weird (but not unpleasant) licorice note. Still spicy. A tad sweet.

Drydown: Wow. Complex and spicy. Not super sweet. Resinous, like myrrh or dragon's blood. Dark.

Dried and settled: Still dark and resinous, a bit floral. Vanilla barely in the background.

 

I like this. Maybe too strong for work - I hope I'm not overwhelming everyone today! - but would work nice in a club or bar to cut through the smoke.

 

ETA: Ok, this isn't working. I started smelling like Old Spice about an hour after I reviewed this and it's getting worse. Poo.

Edited September 23, 2010 by Sionann

[antihero]

Pretty nice, a vanilla scent with spicy orange undertones. Right out of the bottle it did remind me a bit of Old Spice, but on my skin turned very lovely and amber. It reminded me a lot of Snake Oil and Vixen at first, but it's something about it is different.

[TastyMischief]

I looooove this one. I can't really make out the notes separately, everything is blended smoothly and seamlessly on my skin. It's soft, pretty, sensual, floral, yummy, just plain good.

 

ETA: My goodness. I kept it on all night, all morning, stayed in bed with my Honey, it is now 2:15 pm and I can still smell it, AWESOME!!!

My guy loves it, btw. He says it's impossible to describe, but very, very pleasant. A nuzzler.

Edited March 6, 2011 by TastyMischief

[countessmouse]

This starts out smelling like plasticky, menthol-infused glue on me, and I know it's that darned narcissus. Don't know why I even bother with scents containing it anymore. Was hoping for some of the other notes, but the narcissus takes over everything, unfortunately. Bleh.

[frecklestars]

In the bottle: black narcissus and a bit of a very dark vanilla. almost reminds me of the sweetness of anise - unexpected sweetness and not overly sugary, you know? the orange blossoms don't work for me in this, as they create this odd sugary aspect that doesn't work with the other two notes. oh I hope I hope I hope the orange blossoms stay silent on my skin! I know they don't get along.

 

On my skin: interestingly dark floral, slightly puzzling. the vanilla makes it sweet, but not too much (again, that anise sort of sweetness). it's a dark floral, there's just no other way to describe it. not bright-happy-girly-floral that most people expect. absolutely sexy, though a little strong, and sensuous. while it's interesting, the orange blossom shows through a little too much for my skin to handle. continues to warm and sweeten as it wears on.

 

Last thoughts: definitely warm and sensual, a dark floral. surprising, but not for me.

[KittyHawk]

I purchased a bottle (and then an imp!) of Hunger unsniffed because I love vanilla and orange blossom; my first experience with black narcissus was with Hades, which, much to my chagrin, went bathroom on my wrist. I'm hoping the same doesn't happen with Hunger. Eeep!

 

Imp: Yikes! Patchouli? Why does it smell like patchouli? Nooo! Maybe that's what black narcissus smells like? Either way, it is not good.

 

Wet: That's better. The vanilla and orange blossom are taking a lot of the bite out of the black narcissus, but it's still a nice grounding spicy note.

 

Dry: This just keeps on improving as I wear it. All the notes together are lovely, sexy, and mouth-watering. Hunger is indeed the perfect name for this scent!

 

I'm glad I already have a bottle of this; I would have added it to my list otherwise!

[rawgirl75]

I love to dilute aged Hunger in lots of coconut oil and then wear it as an all over body moisturizer. It leaves the faintest hint of dark smoky vanilla floral on your skin that is so sexy.

Edited August 14, 2011 by rawgirl75

[Honey]

Yay! Frimp I never would have picked for myself but..

 

 

Imp: Wow! Spicy orange vanilla with a floral undertone. Smells like.. Snake Oil mixed with dripping sweet orange juice and a waft of intoxicating flowers.

 

Wet: Omg, LOVE! Fruity Snake Oil!? So good! I hope it stays like this when it dries down.

 

Dry: Hmm, it has some sort of.. eggy note that appears now. Still spicy orange & dark vanilla, though, which smells yummy. Have to wait for a while and have to see how the scent morphs on me.

[Icekitten]

Gifted from the lab, and i always wanted to try this, so many lovely notes!

 

Wet: Woodsy creamy, this reminds me of Tombstone but much lighter.

 

Dry: soft creamy, now it reminds me of Black Opal

 

30 mins later: this is very good, light creamy vanilla scent, very good wonder if aging will make it a richer scent, but it seems to me i need to get me a bottle

 

Edit: this is beginning to smell a bit like MB Underpants! ohh my!!!

Edited August 29, 2011 by Icekitten

[AEris]

I have a very aged lab imp. The oil is thick and deep amber/crimson.

 

The scent is sweetly intense, reminding me of Dragon's Milk. The vanilla is musky and creamy and very deep. The narcissus and orange blossoms are the background - it's like a reversal of the typical roles of top and bottom notes. In this case, the top notes of the blossoms are backing up the deep creamy sweet base notes. I would think that there is black musk and dragon's blood in this, and also honey in the vanilla.

 

Wow it's gorgeous, but also bold. This is a perfume for a night when I have a juicy lip-glossed pout, tight party jeans, and wearing my hair down. Veeeeeeerrrryyyyyyy sexy.

[MidnightFury]

I love this scent!

 

Wet: Thick and dark, I can pick out the black narcissus, a hint of orange blossoms, a tiny bit of vanilla.

 

Dry: The black narcissus takes center stage...it's super sexy and spicy. The orange is blending perfectly with the black narcissus and I get a hint of vanilla every once in a while. It sweetens out an otherwise dark and spicy scent. Perfect

 

Throw: Good

Staying Power: Very good Usually it lasts all day, and sometimes more.

[a_llb]

In vial: Soft citrus.

Wet: Creamy, sweet orange blossoms, decadent and elegant.

Dry: A breath of defiled narcissus adds an experienced, flirty air to the blend.

 

Verdict: To me, Hunger is the grown-up version of Alice, to a T. Wonderful, however I prefer Alice.

[Vega]

Sniffed: A warm vanilla base, sharpened and clarified with orange and narcissus.

 

On skin: A tantalizing, delicious contrast of warm vanilla, juicy orange, and bright, biting narcissus. A bit creamy-sweet, a bit fruity, a bit sharply floral -- these three notes don't entirely blend, but instead stand in juxtaposition with each other. Hunger is a scent that's just slightly off-kilter: not unpleasant, but it isn't entirely harmonious and therefore jars a bit. The narcissus tones down over time and becomes vanishingly faint, leaving behind a vanilla and orange mix. I can see how the imbalance of these notes embodies hunger pangs, especially the incisive narcissus that cuts through the foody vanilla and orange background. Even so, this blend is playful, upbeat and coquettish, and evokes more of a peckishness (for sweet things!) than ravening hunger. Colour impression is a sparkling bold orange framed with dark brown and neon pink.

 

Verdict: Hunger is a bold, youthful blend, quite girly! Unfortunately it's a case of close, but no cigar: while I like it, it lacks that little oomph or somesuch, and just misses out on being a keeper.

[angelamaria]

In imp: warm, check. Sensual, check. I'm getting orange blossom, a hint of narcissus, and the vanilla creaminess. The orange blossom gives this an almost cologney vibe--very fresh and juicy but tempered by the rest of the notes.

 

Wet on skin: first on, the narcissus takes center stage on my skin, with a tart orange blossom trailing behind. The vanilla is nonexistent. It does soften up fairly quickly, with the orange blossom and narcissus coming together on the same level and the vanilla making its presence known with a sweet creaminess. Slightly dusty, although I'm not sure where that is coming from.

 

Dry: this one doesn't morph on my skin. I wish there was more vanilla--I'm really liking the even blend of orange blossom and narcissus, and while the vanilla does give this a creamy sweetness that is pleasant, if the vanilla was more recognizable (not so much to be foody--just recognizable), I would be all over it. The dusty note is still there, but it's not developing, thankfully.

 

Verdict: nah, I won't be wearing this much, although it is a pretty blend.