Hunger

[doomsday_disco]

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

 

In the imp: The black narcissus and orange blossom notes are the most prominent, but the vanilla is present as well, helping to soften and tame the floral notes. I tend to love sugary floral scents, so I hope this one cooperates. Orange blossom can be problematic on me.

 

Wet: The orange blossom jumps out at me first and takes the center stage. The narcissus note seems to be getting stronger as the scent sits on my skin, and the vanilla is content with its background role, adding a nice creaminess to the scent. I hope it emerges more on the dry down (as vanilla notes tend to do on me), because these floral notes are pretty strong.

 

Dry: The vanilla note is stronger now, but the floral notes are still rather strong, with the orange blossom being the more prominent floral note.

 

Verdict: The orange blossom note in this is too strong for me. Although the vanilla note helps soften the scent, there are other vanilla and floral scents that I like more. I don't see myself reaching for this one again.

[LizziesLuck]

Orange blossom is so iffy on me. I don't care for it in most things, but I like trying everything I can. You never know!

 

 

Wet: Not terrible? Not as bad as orange blossom sometimes is, but still bitter on me. It quickly turns chemically, and at this stage it actually is, truly terrible. Blarg!

 

Dry: Orange blossom is just awful on me. One of the most unpleasant notes for me. Bitter, chemical.

[tinyopaws]

This is so weird on me. I'm not getting any orange or vanilla, just this heady green masculine scent- I thought about it for a while and it made me think of visiting my friend's grandma's house on the fourth of July and stepping in from the back porch on a sunny day. Not very sexy. I guess it's a bit old/musty smelling, and warm like the sun on cement, with that green tinge. Pleasant though!

Edited April 6, 2016 by tinyopaws

[Cali]

This is very smoky? I'm getting helluvalotof smoke... is that really just me?

Anyway, it's basically a frothy, deep smoke and something floral. I actually don't hate it, it's just that I have no idea what to think of it!

[Coldfire]

Imp: dark and sexy orange blossom
Wet on Me: holy wow! really gorgeous, lusty dark orange
Drying Down: soooo gorgeous! This reminds me of nighttime in southern Florida in the summer. The windows open and the faint breezes blowing the scent of orange blossoms around in your room as you drift off to sleep ....or engage in other things only the faintest ghost whispers of vanilla but that keeps everything from going too heady
Dry: drop dead sexy! I need to start hoarding this!!!!

[SecondDreemurr]

In the imp: Poopy flowers, maybe hints of chocolate orange...

Wet on: Still poopy flowers but a bit more orange and creaminess, oh if that orange would take over it'd be divine!

Dry: the faintest bit of orange has gone and I'm left with I guess the black narcissus, which I don't like at all or just doesn't agree with my skin..

off to swaps with you.

[Lucchesa]

I wanted to love Hunger -- I found it gorgeous and lush in the imp and wet. And it is very long lasting -- I could put it on at night and still smell the traces on my wrists doing downward dogs in yoga the next morning. It dries to something deep -- the black narcissus? - which, as the previous poster mentioned, just doesn't agree with me. I can tell it must be fantastic on many users; I'm just not one of them.

 

ETA OK, I wrote that over a year ago, when I was just beginning to go beyond Alice. I retested it in fall and loved it. It's this devilish combination of virginally sweet, which I associate with orange blossom, and drop dead sexy. And given that my skin eats up so many blends, I appreciate its staying power. It's not 100% me, but it is damned fun to wear.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Lucchesa

[Nikki Scarlet]

I think I'm on a quest for the perfect orangey scent, and this one sounded yummy.

In the imp:
Earthy orange. Very strongly orange (not even orange blossom but full on orange), but the vanilla acts as a grounding element.

On me, wet:
This goes full creamsicle on me! Mmmm!

On me, dry:
. . . Turns more floral orange. The orange blossom becomes its true self and the narcissus amps up and sort of takes over. I miss the creamsicle, but this is still nice. Good throw, too!

Verdict:
Not likely to go big bottle on this, but I'll enjoy the imp! (and seek out a creamsicle scent! Hee.)

Edited July 8, 2017 by Nikki Scarlet

[mishi-bear]

As someone who loves vanilla florals, I had high hopes for this... that were unfortunately dashed.

 

On me this has a weird smokey smell to it. It reminds me of cigarette smoke. Slightly sweet, but not super pleasant.

 

It's pretty much all white florals, less sweet than jasmine, a touch green and bitter, with that cigarette smoke smell. the vanilla is really only detectable far, far in the background, and on a deep wrist sniff. this actually smells kind of masculine to me.

 

So yeah this is one that's getting rehomed. That cigarette smoke scent kind of kills it for me, and this bitter green note is not pleasant either.

[roseus]

This mostly fresh orange blossom and vanilla on me, but there is something dark and sultry lurking beneath.

[fizzbangdangcharade]

Basically Katharina on me, but not even remotely as nice (it's like Katharina's zombie sister.) Where the white musk in Katharina adds something to the sweet spiced apricot smell that I get with the apricot/orange blossom, the narcissus in Hunger does not blend with vanilla and orange blossom on me well at all. Something about my body chemistry just straight makes this horrible.

In the bottle: it smells almost sickly- like flowers and fruit left on a table in an abandoned house.

Wet on: pretty similar. I get the spiced apricots as an undertone but the overtone is still like rotting fruit trees.

Drydown: spiced apricots but with that same undertone I don’t like. It would be the scent in a horror movie that tips the detective off that the wife has been dead all along- the decay beneath the sweet.

This one also went straight to the re-gift pile.

Edited December 16, 2017 by fizzbangdangcharade

[Juliamon]

This was gifted to me as part of a welcoming swap, probably because of all the mentions of creamsicle. I can smell the orange and vanilla in the imp, and it almost seems like it's balanced enough against the narcissus that I figure it miiiiight be okay. I mean, my skin amps vanilla, so the worst that could happen would be this becoming a lightly floral vanilla. Right?

 

Wrong. The narcissus kicks the vanilla to the curb and steals the show, while the orange blossom looks nervously on, not wanting to interfere in whatever fight must have transpired lest they too get caught up in the drama. Even a layer of Bliss on top couldn't hold the narcissus down completely. And here comes that migraine. Ugh.

 

If you're looking for creamsicle, look to Gobo instead.

[nok]

I have always loved Hunger. It smells like the most BPAL-y bpal scent in existence. It's rich, sweet, syrupy, floral, heady, and super evocative and alive, almost like the scent itself has a pulse to it. The smell is a potent & rich syrupy orange liqueur made creamy with a deep vanilla note that, fortunately, doesn't make the scent smell too sweet. The orange burns off after 30 min leaving this incredible playdough/amber/cola/skin scent which I find very sexy, and it lasts and lasts going well into the next morning. I can't bury my nose deep enough in this one. I wouldn't change a thing about it. One of the most intriguing scents in the GC.

[Joyleaf_]

This smells like a mix of creamsicle and LUSH's jasmine scent.

Pretty, sweet and fairly simple. Probably a good scent for a teenager or anyone wishing for a good summer time floral.

[elinox]

First Sniff: Slightly fake vanilla.

 

Initial Wet Application: Soft vanilla. Not creamy, but still pleasant. So far, this vanilla is similar to my test with Snake Oil; although Hunger is a little more gentle.

 

Dry Down (first 15 minutes): As this dries, it stays a soft and light vanilla. It actually gets lighter and so I think it will fade, unlike Snake Oil’s vanilla which lasted all day.

 

My Reaction: I’ll be honest, I’m not impressed with the lab’s vanillas I’ve tried recently. Where’s my milky, creamy sweet stuff? I want the creamy goodness from Obatala, just more sugary vanilla cake!

 

Rating: 2

[torischroeder9]

In the imp: Narcissus and vanilla. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the narcissus dominates, and the vanilla basically disappears. I can also just start to make out the airiness of orange blossom. On the drydown, the narcissus is still the main note, with an undercurrent of vanilla rounding out the floral. The orange blossom sort of graces the top of the scent; right now, it's almost a separate element from the narcissus-vanilla combination, which blends very well. As the blend develops, however, the orange blossom seems to disappear -- which is fairly unusual on me, since orange blossom tends to be a pretty prominent note on me. 

 

After some time, the vanilla fades, but the orange blossom reemerges. (This is a common happening with my skin chemistry, the rising of orange blossom and the swallowing of vanilla.) On me, this finally settles down into a deep, heady floral. The vanilla gives it just a touch of grounding and rounding but isn't otherwise noticeable. 

 

Not sure how I feel about this one. I like the depth of it, but I feel like it might be more to my personal tastes if it contained a little more of a grounding note. 

[Suspiria]

Another very sexy scent! Floral and feminine, powerful and highly addictive. Orange blossom and vanilla definitely, with a mysterious note that must be the narcisus -- in love!  😍

[PixieMoondust]

In the imp: orange and vanilla, a very thick scent.

 

Wet: still orange and vanilla, very thick, but with a hint of smoke in the background.  Not much throw on me so far, as far as I can tell, but I don't seem to get throw with any perfume oils.

 

As the day went on, this settled into warm comforting vanilla and orange, still with that hint of smoke backing it up.  I put it on at 7:30 this morning, and by noon it had pretty much disappeared though!

Edited March 12, 2020 by PixieMoondust
more info

[Laughing Seagull]

I purchased a fresh lab imp.  I had wanted Ravenous instead, but it was out of stock and I thought this might be the next best thing.

 

In the imp and wet, Hunger is a nice floral orange. 

 

On the drydown, narcissus takes over.  If you've tried Kitsune-Tsuki, the narcissus in Hunger is basically like the daffodil in Kitsune.  The orange-ness from the orange blossom is extremely subtle.  Vanilla threatens to do the waxy-plastic-y thing that it sometimes does when I put it on.

 

This is reasonably nice, but I prefer Kitsune.  If you tried Kitsune and thought it was too fruity, Hunger may be a good alternative.  In my opinion, even though I did complain that Kitsune was overly sweet, the plum balanced out the daffodil better than the vanilla and orange blossom balance the narcissus.

[Permanent.Black.Ink.]

I got this one as an aged imp.  

In the vial: hits you like a really dark red wine--smells something like darkest chocolate or tannins with some fruit lingering just on end of the sip

wet on skin: this didn't meet expectation.  It's acrid.  It kind of smells like burning.  Maybe there is a leather note?

Dry Down: I got some low throw vanilla a few hours in, but this would not be worth the long walk through burning tires for me to get there.  It seems like there is a small minority of people whose skin chemistry just take the blend this way based on past reviews; I would recommend getting a tester first before committing to a bottle.

[donnaehm]

In the bottle

Oh dear, a vague plastic-y smell (insert brief traumatic flashback to Hades). Maybe a bit of a greenish note lurking around? Not off to a good start.

 

On my skin

Yep, plastic. I'm a bit shocked, actually, knowing the ingredients. Orange blossoms and vanilla would be right up my alley, so perhaps it's the narcissus that's causing all the trouble.

 

Dry down

Not a hint of orange at all, drat. It's all sharp plastic. This could be from the vanilla as I noticed a few reviews mentioning that it turned that way on their skin ('waxy' was a good descriptor someone mentioned).

 

Other reviews noted 'powdery' which I can see. But on me it's definitely not a soft, pleasant smell but rather very sharp and acrid.

 

Duration

About three-quarters of the day.

 

Verdict ❌

Nope. It's Hades-lite on me. Definitely a no-go.

Edited March 15, 2021 by donnaehm

[skyturtles]

Oh honey, no. *sneezes*

Out of the factory frimp, aged less than one year, I get a whiff of sweet cherries, unfortunately not long-lasting.

Wet: It smells like cavity fluid (high index formaldehyde) with some plastic-y orange and vanilla. Usually I'm a fan of that combination, but not here.

As it dries: it's mellowing out a bit, a wee bit softer, powder-ier, and more floral, but my nose is still not a fan and burns in protest.

[Frills]

Orange blossom, vanilla, black narcissus? Yesss

 

On my skin it's super smoky with a little pop of orange. Like having an orange around a campfire. I was not expecting a smoke scent but it fits what I'm wearing today (flannel! fall weather clothes!) that I'm enjoying it. 

[ittybitty]

Looking at the notes, this would be right up my alley. But I don't think this one is for me. While wet, smells like butterfingers and orange blossom! There's a distinct, sweet, nuttiness with a background of white florals. It's not bad, it's just...odd. When it dries down, though, the nuttiness turns into burning plastic and powder. It has quite the throw, so while I tried to give this some time, I ended up scrubbing it because it was too much for me to handle. I'll give it another shot after it's rested a couple of weeks. 

[AbbyNormal]

I was a little worried when I drew this imp for today and read the description. I tend to lean away from florals and go more of spicy, musky scents and this one didn’t sound too appealing, but I’m committed to trying everything I have so I didn’t have a choice other than open the imp. And bam! Orange! Not the fruit, it’s sharper like zest, but that’s still it quite it. I could get a sense of the vanilla in the background, but overall it was just very orangey. 
 

Then I put some on and the orange was nowhere to be found. It was the weirdest thing. I was mostly getting a smokiness with the tiniest undercurrent of plastic and just a touch of leather. Then the vanilla peeked it’s head out and brought it’s orangey friend along with it. 
 

It’s mellowed down (and I use mellow lightly) into something spicy and intoxicating. There is the tiniest hint of orange and a little vanilla, but other than that I can’t put my finger on what it’s doing, other than spicy deliciousness. It doesn’t remind me of Snake Oil at all, but my first SO was the most recent one so it could be similar to older versions. 
 

I don’t know if I need a full bottle but I’m definitely going to enjoy the hell out of the imp while I have it. 
 

*edit* 10 hours later and i suddenly got a whiff of Snake Oil! I don’t know how, considering the notes in this, but at least now I know why people were making that comparison. 
 

*edit 2*
 

I caved and bought a full bottle. I have no clue how old my imp was, but the full bottle smells so much different than what I fell in love with. It’s not bad, but I get an unmistakable yogurt scent from the fresh from the mail bottle. Gonna let it rest for a few days before sniffing again, but this might need to age for a while to get to the intoxicating scent I originally fell for. 

Edited February 26, 2023 by AbbyNormal