Amaterasu v2

[fairnymph]

Creamy vanilla & sexy, musky mysore sandalwood (but not red or dark - definitely ivory-toned sandalwood): very similar to Jingo-Kogo but without any citrus and with a richer & stronger vanilla note. It also has great longevity and good throw, much like how J-K is on me. A personal favourite, perhaps the best from the event for my own wear.

Edited June 5, 2010 by fairnymph

[midnight_aeval]

I don't like this one as much as v3 - It has a floral quality to it in the background that makes it just smell 'off' on my skin. I can detect the similarities between the 2 versions (they aren't so different that they're in totally different scent categories), but I'm not a fan of this one Something in both of the versions reminds me of L'Estate, but whereas v3 was similar and better this one seems similar and not as good - for the record, I don't even own a bottle of L'Estate any more, it just wasn't my thing. There might be sandalwood in it because it's creating a dry/sour effect on my skin in the drydown stage.

Edited June 6, 2010 by Midnight Aeval

[Eemia]

I was going a little crazy trying to figure out what this reminded me of when I first tried it. It was immediate love, even just smelling it straight from the bottle. But it was a familiar kind of love. Finally I had my "ahhh yes!" moment and realized it was similar to my much beloved and adored Haloes. Not that they're obviously similar, but they have little moments. Maybe it's that creamy vanilla and sandalwood combination that's just so sexy. I'm not great at picking out specific wood notes, but usually sandalwood stands out to me.

 

But whereas I associate Haloes as being thick and rich, this feels lighter and more silky. The vanilla isn't gourmand or screamingly sweet on my skin. I wouldn't normally describe vanilla as being ethereal but this really does have that quality. It seems like there's some sort of soft white floral going on too. Maybe orchid? Whatever it is, it's captivating. It just melts into my skin and wears beautifully all day long.

 

Of the prototypes I bought there was no competition... hands down this is my favorite.

[Venneh]

Got a tester of this, so we'll see what it does with the other version of Amaterasu (v3) on the other arm. For v2 here, I'm getting a creamy sandalwood note. On my skin, it's pretty much all sandalwood with a slight bit of creaminess underneath.

[benthic]

On me this starts out as a super generic "perfume" smell, something light and feminine and slightly chemical. I was thinking I disliked it, but then it settles down into something very nice; I'm getting mostly creamy vanilla and a light floral, not too much sandalwood, though that may be because I was just testing my Vanilla CT bottle which is pretty much this same blend with very heavy sandalwood. This seems very light in comparison! It's nice, and the throw is better than I expected for a blend this subtle and weak, but it's nothing I feel the desperate need for more of, thankfully. It's lovely but a bit generic still, even as it sinks into my skin and settles.

[edenssixthday]

Amaterasu v2 - This is a dry sandalwood and a slightly perfumey vanilla musk. It's a very pretty scent, but a bit too musky for me.

[zankoku_zen]

Creamy vanilla, lots of dry sandalwood. This one has virtually no throw and sticks very close to the skin. Again, it's like skin musk but better.

 

ETA: I've been testing Amaterasu v2 vs v3 and what I said stands. My biggest problem with v2 is that my skin chemistry eats this up. It simply does not stick around.

Edited August 11, 2014 by zankoku_zen

[crebbsgirl]

Creamy vanilla sandalwood. This is just yummy!!!

[Little Bird]

I didn't have too much of this oil to test, but it's a perfumey sort of scent on me (like that sharp drugstore perfume muskiness). The drydown is like perfumey, musky floral and a base of creamy sandalwood. It's light, but still a little too sharp for my tastes. I don't get the vanilla that other reviewers have mentioned, sadly.

[saralaughs]

The drydown is like perfumey, musky floral and a base of creamy sandalwood. It's light, but still a little too sharp for my tastes. I don't get the vanilla that other reviewers have mentioned, sadly.

 

I have to agree with the above on this. It's a light, dry sandalwood on me that is a bit creamy but mainly dry. It is sharp, with a floral element that drives it into dry powder for me. The vanilla, if there is any in this blend, is very, very light and barely adds to the perception of 'creamy' to the sandalwood. Very refined though and light/airy feeling but without any warmth to me. That is the big difference in v2 and v3 to me.

 

ETA: The floral in both v2 and v3 is CARNATION! I have no idea why I didn't know that but I tested them side by side yesterday after I had just worn Hod the other day. OMG. DUH!

 

V2 is definitely the drier of the two; less creamy with the carnation note popping out on drydown. It's a pink carnation as well; not deep red or anything as the floral element is a bit more creamy instead of spice yet it does still add a bit of a spice element to it, you know that almost clove effect? Yeah.

Edited June 24, 2011 by saralaughs

[ellebelle]

To me, this is a cousin of L'Estate and Echo and the other musky/sandalwoody scents. It is not sharp at all for me. Very pretty!

[angelicruin]

Creamy vanilla sandalwood. This is just yummy!!!

 

I echo this review. Just an amazing scent on my skin. And a small dab of it goes a long way. Incredible throw on my skin.

[Deceitfuldescender]

Like most of the reviewers I also get a lightly creamy (but not sweet) sandalwood. If it were just that, this would be awesome.

Unfortunately I also get light florals on me, and that spells out headache. I would say these are probably white florals but are NOT sharp. They are actually quite lovely, and if they didn't give me a headache, I would keep them around regardless. The sandalwood is loverlyyyy.

[ami226]

Creamy florals.... Could be some sandalwood in there, but I am not entirely sure what sandalwood smells like. This is quite a creamy/sunny scent with floral. Makes me think of being in a flower garden in the sun.

 

Oh, that must be sandalwood! This blend starts to smell a little woodsy. Very slight, but it fits in perfectly with the creamy florals. Definitely not the kind of florals that cause headaches, but it is threatening to turn a little soapy on me.

 

Oooh, it's changing a bit more! Now I am seeing what others mean by creamy vanilla musk with sandalwood!

 

Hmmm, I am not sure if this one is for me, but it is definitely an interesting blend!

 

-eta- Oh! This reminds me of a floralish version of Saqqara v2!!

Edited June 4, 2011 by Catseyes

[Gold Dust Kitten]

I've noticed that the Lab's Mysore sandalwood note is not as sharp and woody as their other sandalwood notes. That must be what's in here, along with creamy vanilla and a faint sweet floral that's possibly orchid.

 

Amaterasu v3 is a drier sandalwood that v2, with some very light leather. I think they are both winners, but this one is definitely more feminine.

[tuesdaynexxt]

Let me say first that I think this is absolutely gorgeous!

 

However, it seems my experience is rather different from many reviewers.

On me, this starts out floral-y. In trying to figure out what it reminded me of, I finally came up with Winter Maiden bath oil! (Which I LOOOOOVE!) So, good!

It's drying down now, about a half hour later, into the creamy, vanilla-y sandalwood that people mentioned.

Slight throw, very light, at least on this first wearing.

 

But gorgeous! Wonderful!

[Diva Urd]

In the bottle: Definitely carnation, and quite a strong musk/sandalwood combination. This is what I was hoping "Inez" to be!

 

On: Carnation, cherry blossom, and that sultry musk/sandalwood... gorgeous!

 

Later: Now I get the creaminess everyone has been talking about. Still quite musky, the carnation is more in the background now, the cherry blossom has left. I like this and will hold on to the bottle.

 

Next day: Um, I tried a full day wear today, and the scent vanished after a very short period of time. This may be a hormonal thing considering my time in the cycle, but if it does this after Shark Week, it might have to leave my stash, after all.

[countessmouse]

The jury is still out on this one. Nothing but dry, musky sandalwood at first which was a bit offputting. Resisted the urge to wash it off, but it's taken nearly 3 hours for a tiny bit of vanilla and a sort of perfumy floral to show up. I just don't know about this one...

[biocarolyn]

Beautiful. I'm starting to think I shouldn't bother testing sniffles people frimp me lol, because I end up on wild goose chases. This is absolutely gorgeous, musky vanilla with sandalwood and some floral hiding underneath. It is very approachable, almost commercial perfume like, but deeper and throatier. On my skin this just glows, amber too I think maybe, and a tiny hint of something sharp and dry like cedar or something. Maybe just a different sandalwood note as others have mentioned....one of my favorites. Really beautiful.

[mymymai]

ITI: I get vanilla, musk, light floral, and something that reads as a perfumy note. - a light a feminine higher-end perfume, though

 

Wet: More vanilla musk with a slightly creamy mid-tone and something that smells like...daffodils, I think. It's rather feminine and sweet without smelling like a scent your 12-year old niece would wear.

 

Dry: Now, there is a faint sandalwood quality to the vanilla musk - light and gently resinous. There is still a floral quality, but it is much lighter than before. I like it and I'm considering tracking more than this sniffie down!

[LizziesLuck]

I recently acquired v3, and it became an instant favourite - I decided I needed to have v2 as well.

 

I am first going to try it all on it's own, but I imagine I will do a side-by-side comparison at some point.

 

Wet: Stunning. Feminine and elegant. Creamy, sandalwood, vanilla, and I think amber - which gives it a lovely perfumey, classic quality that I love. It's also making it want to go a bit powdery on me, boo! Amber doesn't usually go powdery, but I seem to remember another scent where it combined with sandalwood and went wonky. Hopefully this recovers as it dries - it was amazing when first applied.

 

 

Dry: My skin ate it, but not before it went a bit wonky. This is fresh out of the mail, so I will retest before coming to any conclusions. Thus far v3 is much better on me though.

 

 

ETA: Tested again today. It's sour on me. Actually smells more like bois de rose than sandalwood, which would explain why it went sour. I do get the vanilla still, but no real distinct other notes. I am glad I tried this (really I had to after how much I loved v3) but it's not really for me and will likely be swapped

 

ETA: Tried this a final time, because it is just so amazing in the bottle! But sadly no, my skin chemistry ruins it and turns it sour. The lovey vanilla not gets stomped on by whatever it is that's reacting badly with my skin. Boo!

Edited May 28, 2016 by LizziesLuck

[lilacea]

Floaty, creamy vanilla, a very delicate soft sandalwood skin musk, and some perceptible floral element I can't pin down. It's like boronia or frangipani, or a super, super subdued jasmine or mogra attar. There's something that reminds me of a really soft amber, but it's not amber-y per se. Sits very close to the skin.