Hunger

[Caltha]

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

Hunger

Hunger has a herbal/floral bitterness, the sweetnes of perhaps some berry, and a touch of patchouli or incense, something resinous like that. The result is sort of vintage-y and not unlike sweet and sour sauce. Yes, it does smell like chinese cooking, which I guess is weirdly appropriate for the name...

[strangemusic]

A clear, dark amber oil; a note I smell reminds me of another imp I've tried before-- it's dark, peppery... puts me in mind of Black Lotus. I wonder if there's a common note between the two. Gosh, that smells really... attractive, like a mulling spice. I smell a rich sweetness, deepest brown velvet, shot through with rare threads of ivory silk and gold. A slight fillip of something bitter at the very end of deepest inhalation... ah, that's an orange note. Ah, and that dark bite at the beginning must be the black narcissus.

 

A crawling, mewling, hollow-eyed mass of need, embodied in scent. This hit me right in the pit of my stomach, gnawing, searching for some surcease, for mindless escapism in appetite. Black narcissus loses its spiciness, takes a bitter, skin-musky tone with my skin... rings hard against my front teeth, hammers against my forward sinuses, writhes uneasily between harshness and wild abandon-- topped with faintest hint of orange (orange blossom, as it turns out.) The only element keeping this flailing maw together is the vanilla... holding on tight with bands of sweetness

 

At some point during dry-down, the black narcissus takes on what I can only describe as an almost... fecal undertone, but one that's not unpleasant. Earthy, yes; odd, very much so, but strangely alluring.

[buzz23666]

ok I amp vanilla way too much. This seems to take the fun out of alot of scents. Not that I don't like vanilla - just that I do not like TOO MUCH vanilla.

 

So wet - this is wicked thick vanilla, very ripe sweet orange and a hint of the black narcissus (so that's what black narcissus smells like!)

 

As it dries the vanilla calms down a bit giving the floral some space.

 

For me this is quite a grounding scent but not enough to merit a full bottle.

[Bluebody]

 

Frimp.....after getting as many 10 ml as I could in all of my favorites....now... alas....no 10 ml of a Frag that I simple HAVE TO HAVE.

 

"People Are Crazy and Thymes Are Strange, I'm Locked in Tight I'm Outta Range...I Used to Care....BUT! EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED"...Dylan 1999

Edited August 29, 2006 by BlueGod

[shadith]

Usually my skin totally amps up vanilla (in some blends to the point that I can wash and scrub my skin until it's red and wait three days and still can smell it), but here I get mostly orange blossoms and the narcissus. After a few minutes it all melds together and the vanilla comes into play, but it stays subdued and seems to hold the other scents together.

 

Overall it does smell really good, but orange blossoms tend to get up my nose (I had an 'overdose' once and since then I tend to don't like them anymore ), so it's nothing for me.

[Emma2403]

In the bottle: this is rich, very thick. I'm a light-scented girl but I like it. Vanilla mostly.

 

On my skin: gets even warmer. There's something I don't recognize at all. It seems it gets sweeter by the minute.

 

After a couple of hours: I smell some wood in there. It stays very heavy.

 

Verdict: nice one but too strong for me.

[grifyn_whiffs]

IN THE BOTTLE: I was excited about this one, because I love (in theory) when orange and vanilla notes are blended. But I don't smell either when I take the cap off this one. All that's left is black narcissus, which I don't believe I've encountered before. My feeling upon opening the bottle is, "Are you sure you want to do this?" But I've been displeased with the smell in the bottle before and had it turn out fine.

 

WET: Old grapefruit. Uhm… eww?

 

30 MINUTES LATER: So this is how you find out the notes that don't work for you. Nope, drying down doesn't seem to help.

 

ONE HOUR LATER: Okay, here's the orange blossoms and vanilla – where WERE you guys?! I was waiting for an hour! -- but it's not enough to soften the sharp, unpleasant black narcissus.

 

THROW: I really couldn't tell you. After the hour, I officially gave up and took a wet nap to my wrists and behind my ears. Then I burned the wet nap and buried the ashes in a field. After a protective chant, I was on my way.

 

COMMENTS: I'm toying with layering this one with another that might balance the black narcissus, assuming there is such a thing, but I'm afraid this is either a "bad chemistry" scent, or I happened onto a bad batch of this particular fragrance. I see where someone might like the fragrance, in theory, as I would've liked if the orange blossoms and vanilla had been a little more apparent, so I'm going to go with "bad chemistry" on this one.

 

NEEDS TO BE REFRESHED: Couldn't tell ya.

 

COLOR: Not black at all, but a sickly sort of yellow. If it had smelled black, I might have gone for it, as it would match 95% of my wardrobe.

 

PURCHASING: Gee, let me think. NO.

 

I just got a frimp of this one, and going on my "bad batch" theory or "bad day for my chemistry" theory, I'm going to try it again, and will update accordingly. Right now, I still run away when I see "black narcissus." It sounds like something that would work for me, dammit, so I'm not giving up.

[girl_android]

Wet - hmmm ... citrus? (lime + grapefruit? not specifically lemon). Nothing that instantly reminds me of cleaning products (which is definitely a good thing)

 

Drydown - florals + something that makes it a little sweeter, a version of vanilla that hasn't decided it wants to bring a plastic note to play with (how nice!), but there's something medicinal underneath it all.

 

Dry - There's a heady white floral in this, and something medicinal (green not brown, if it helps?) ... the vanilla has walked off, probably cos the orange blossom walked up and thumped it into submission ... I don't know what black narcissus smells like, is that what's making me think medicinal , slightly bitter smells?

 

It's quite sharp, yet still kind of musty ... I wish the vanilla didn't go away (I might try this with a dab of a vanilla scent I have ?), because it would've helped tame the sharpness on me.

[Precis]

Ohhh my gosh, in the imp Hunger smells EXACTLY like those chocolate oranges you occasionally see in stores, hahaha. It's crazy!

 

On, wet: it's more orange and an unfamiliar note that I'm not enjoying that must be the narcissus. I don't get any vanilla from this yet, except for just a hint of something that smells like Snake Oil. The chocolate orange smell is gone already -- too soon! I haven't seen any around lately and I want one now.

 

On, dry: Uh. Snake Oil. I guess the vanilla's here now! It smells great, but very very very much like Snake Oil. It has decent throw and longevity, too.

[nightbird]

instead of getting the lovely orange creamsicle I'd been expecting after reading this thread, I got something dark and heavy that yelled SPICES! after about an hour I got the orange/vanilla, but it wasn't worth sitting through the initial scent. yow.

[citharadraconis]

This smells like Snake Oil's tamer twin. I don't get orange from this at all. Nice enough on the right person, I suppose, but I already have Snake Oil and I like that better. The vanilla note in here goes strange on me.

[supremegoddessofall]

This is not a good combination on me. Something is very cloying about it, and the vanilla smells almost rancid. Definitely not for me.

[miss_mimic]

The jury is still out on this one...

 

In the bottle: The narcissus is very sharp in the first sniff… hmm… my first reaction is not sure if this is my sort of scent.

 

On skin, wet: Sharp narcissus… hoping that the vanilla will come out to soften this out a bit.

 

On skin, dry: Now the vanilla comes out warmly. It’s a brash scent. As the vanilla emerges more, bring a soft orange blossom scent with it, I’m beginning to like this more.

 

Drydown: It is a very sensual scent. Warm, verging on musky. While sniffing my arm, I got a sudden impulse to lick it (I didn’t though, probably wouldn’t taste as nice as it smells!)! Definitely a night scent for me… I think it might make me feel either very self-conscious if I didn’t feel that the sexiness of the scent fits me, or very bold and confident… I’ll have to try it out ! The vanilla is very nice and silky, the spiciness from the narcissus and orange blossom give it a cheeky turn.

 

Conclusion: I like this. It’s a very sexy smell… I’ll have to decide if it’s really me or not.

[Ahania]

This made my nose burn. I seem to get that from everything that has a black flower in the description. I didn't get any other scent from it, and I didn't wait for drydown.

[cinderfallen]

Reading all these reviews, I must have gotten a bad batch or Hunger ages *horribly.* I bought an imp of it, and when I open it--UGH! *Barely* some orange blossom, no *vanilla* (that's how bad it was!)--it was mostly this musty sort of...burnt, greasy old tire.

 

I was brave. Tried it... Turns to a car-plastic, same as in the bottle, and no use burning it either.

 

=/ The reason I got the scent was for orange creamsicle! I'll perhaps try again (with another imp!), but I am afeared.

Edited November 11, 2006 by cinderfallen

[tempestteapot]

This one smelled rancid and left a bitter taste in the back of my throat. (no I didn't try to eat it)

 

But I know the imp is probably old as I got it from a swap and it was only partially full. I might retry this one with a fresh bottle.

[Lucretia]

this smells like those scented cupcake dolls they used to have back in the early 90's. It's sweet vanilla, but also something that smells burnt which reminds me of plastic. I like this, but more because of the memories it evokes than because it's something I want to smell like.

[blackfelicula]

In the bottle: This smells buttery and resinous.

 

Wet: Hunger is warm, smooth, creamy, and rich. Vanilla sugars it. It reminds me heartily of Snake Oil.

 

Drying down: To my nose, the Snake Oil resemblance is growing, but with a strong vanilla note.

 

Dry: This is sensual, yes, but since my skin softens and sweetens it, it turns into an enthusiastic vanilla.

 

Later: I like it, vanilla is a note I enjoy. However, I do not see a lot of occasions where I want to smell like a giant marshmallow.

[outofrhyme]

In the bottle:

My first reaction is, "This is Snake Oil." After a moment, though, the orange starts to come out. If I concentrate, I can pick out orange, vanilla, and something exotic. I think the Snake Oil spicyness comes from the orange and from the black narcissus. As I pull away from the bottle, I get an "aftertaste" of chocolate, which is probably inspired by the vanilla.

 

Wet:

It's just divine!

 

Dry down:

I like what the vanilla and orange are doing together on my skin - it doesn't really smell "creamsicle" to me like you might expect from vanilla and orange; just, a softer, oranger version of Snake Oil. Spicy, but not as spicy as Snake Oil. It's also both warm and cool at the same time, if that's possible... I'm guessing it's the warmth of the vanilla tempered by the coolness of citrus.

 

Final thoughts:

I loved it immediately, both in the bottle and on, but it smelled so much like Snake Oil that I originally thought that the imp was mislabeled. However, I wore Snake Oil for a few days, and then tried smelling the Hunger imp again and applying it right now. I could definitely tell the difference. I love Snake Oil, but I actually think that Hunger works a little bit better on me. I'm ordering a bottle. My first bottle, in fact...

 

Edited to add additional info and to format properly.

 

ETA 2: I got a new bottle of this, and it's very different my aged imp - it's much sharper, much more orange peel. Don't give up on this scent - try letting it age a bit!

Edited December 6, 2006 by outofrhyme

[jessu]

It sounded so nice, and I wanted to love so much, but it just wasn't meant to be.

 

The narcissus is sharp, and the orange blossom (which I'm quickly finding out NEVER WORKS for me) is floral, and when you throw in the sweet vanilla... nothing good happens. I end up with bitter plastic. I'll just have to get my vanilla fix elsewhere.

[Elemcee]

Hunger starts out with that sharp, musky hairspray-like smell. My hopes were not high.

 

Eventually, though, it softened into a sweet, soft, somewhat foody smell. It made me want to spend my holidays wrapped up nice and warm in the sitting room with the Christmas tree. It has a very yuletide smell.

 

This could be sexy, I suppose. If I was in a sexy mood at the moment, I'd probably think so, too.

[zankoku_zen]

In the imp: Spicy and sharp, with a smoky edge to it.

 

On Skin: Spicy floral, which from the smell of it, is the black narcissus.... since it doesn't smell like orange blossoms!

 

After about ten minutes, I get hints of vanilla.

 

On Drydown: This is still spicy, although not quite as aggressive a scent as when I first put it on. I still get whiffs of the smokiness.

 

Verdict: Right off the bat, this isn't for me. Too spicy and smoky for my taste. On the other hand, I think it might be very aptly named. There is something very sensual about this blend.

[phedre]

in vial: spicy florals.

 

wet on skin: orange blossoms and saffron. there's something sharp in here too, almost like dust.

 

ten minutes later: warm vanilla musk and spices, floral, but not too sweet. The spices remind me a bit of snake oil.

 

an hour later: this is lovely! warm, sweet, and smooth. There's just enough of everything blending together to make it perfect.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

diaper

 

On me:

I don't know what note is going so bad on me but I'm getting the diaper smell I usually only get with civet or sometimes jasmine. Underneath it, I can smell a sort of Snake Oil like scent, but that diaper smell is overwhelming and makes me want to wash this off.

 

Final note:

Didn't work well on me, even beyond the bad smell though I can see the comparisons to Snake Oil are right on

[evilbee]

Just received this as a frimp, thanks lab.

 

HOWEVER!!! This was probably my strangest psychological scent experience ever.

 

This was high on my wishlist, because I liked the idea of smelling like creamsicles or chocolate oranges, which some of the reviews say. I couldn't keep this on my wrist for 10 minutes, though - I've tried to wash it off but it's still there...

 

Immediately it smelled like my Papa's house - which hasn't existed since I was 9. I don't know why or how or how in the hell I remember what my Papa's house smelled like since I was only there a handful of times more than 20 years ago.

 

I can't put my finger on anything, but I certainly don't smell oranges or vanilla. It's very floral, though.

 

I'm feeling rather freaked out that a scent can provoke such strong memories. The brain is a mysterious world.