Araw Ng Mga Patay

[edenssixthday]

ARAW NG MGA PATAY
The first half of Undas, this is the Day of the Dead in the Philippines. It is a time to remember those who have passed before you, and to do honor to your ancestors. Crypts are whitewashed, cemetery plots are weeded, cleaned, groomed, and decorated with bushels of bright flowers. Offerings of sweets are made to the departed and shared with the living, and toasts are made in remembrance.

A cheerful, raucous celebration of life and death: bouquets overflowing with gerbera daisies, waling waling, sampaguita, ylang ylang, hibiscus, night-blooming dama de noche, santan, and everlasting flower with piles upon piles of bibingka, ube halaya, rice muffins, champorado, purple yam cake, and turon, and plates of gooey kalabasa leche flan.

Araw Ng Mga Patay - In the bottle, this smells like boozy banana and flan and rice cakes and all sorts of deliciousness. I couldn't believe it didn't seem to be more popular, because it's so foody and sweet and delicious. However, the moment I put it on my skin, another note comes out that I can't smell in the bottle. It's sour and bitter and I've never smelled anything like it before. As it warms up on my skin, that bitter sourness gets stronger and stronger until it has completely overwhelmed every other note in the scent. I have no idea what it is, as there are so many exotic ingredients I've never heard of before. Whatever it is, it smells almost sweetly rancid, like decaying flesh, and it makes me gag. I'm so sorry the first review of this scent couldn't be more positive, but it's just a terribly foul scent on my skin. I washed it off after about 45 minutes because I just couldn't stand it any more.

[Ghost of a Rose]

My imp is a decant from schackjj, The Goddess of Decanters (to borrow a quote from another participant in our decant circle!)

 

In the imp: Oil is clear and a medium yellow color with a peachy tint. The fragrance is very sweet, and is hard to describe, although tantalizingly familiar. It's definitely a dessert, together with a touch of florals. Wait, I know what this dessert is - butterscotch pudding!

 

On me, wet: On my skin, it is far more complex and fruity. Sort of like pineapple, but not exactly - very unique, and with a caramel note. And maybe some brown sugar. I am loving this so far, although I don't usually like foody perfumes. This is just so complicated and unusual that I can't help but be fascinated by it.

 

On me, just dried: Still rather fruity, but becoming more floral. Underneath all the dessert-y sweetness, there's some kind of dry, musty, non-sweet note that I can't begin to identify. Or maybe I can - could it be the daisies? They don't smell sweet, and people sometimes even describe their odor as unpleasant. That must be what Edens Sixth Day was smelling. But on me, it's just a faint undertone, not strong enough to be unpleasant - just enough to add nuance and bring some balance to all the sweetness.

 

After 15 minutes: It now smells completely different! It's now a bright, sharp, metallic, perfumey fragrance.

I've been basing my descriptions on what I smell up close on my wrist, but I just noticed that when I lifted my head away to do something else, there was a cloud of the most heavenly, gorgeous, floral scent hovering around me. Wow! I am more and more impressed all the time by this! I'm ordering a bottle right now.

 

After 30 minutes: Same as above, but with a bit more emphasis on the florals.

 

After 1 hour: No further change.

 

After 1 1/2 hours: The scent on my wrist has lost most of the sharp metallic note and now smells more like the gorgeous floral scent that is wafting all around me.

 

After 2 hours: Now all of the metallic note is gone, and it is 100% the heavenly floral fragrance, although now rather faded.

 

 

Verdict: I never noticed the ylang ylang (which usually overpowers everything) in this at all. This blend is the most unusual perfume I've ever smelled (um, of the pleasant ones, that is, LOL.) It's delicious, and it's gorgeously elegant, at different times. And always complex and utterly fascinating. I didn't even wait to finish this review before I ordered a full bottle.

 

My rating: 5 stars

[tajana]

Kicks off with a lacquered burnt brown sugar caramel, swerves into alcoholic dark chocolate ganache, waxy white flowers, and intense banana candy wrapped in big dark green leaves, with coconut rice and butterscotch drizzled pumpkins. It's just a great big, foody tropical jumble! I was very interested in trying this because I thought the floral bouquet could be beautiful, as long as troublesome jasmine and ylang didn't go all loud and nasty - but actually... I don't get anything metallic or sharp or unpleasant out of this like the previous two reviewers. It's just a whole lot of dessert, with enough dry cakey, ricey, gourdy, and starchy notes to somehow damp down the sweetness a little. The floral notes are present, but they're just sort of waxy and mellow and in the background. I had fun testing it but the cakey foodiness is overwhelming for me.

[Antoinette]

At first sniff, this was pretty magical. It's a big mix up of tropical plants and desserts, heavy on the desserts while wet. As it dried, it became more floral and my nose became overwhelmed. My verdict is still out, but I do know this - this blend will take your nose on an olfactory adventure!

[Little Bird]

The mentions of muffins and cake suckered me in with this scent, but it's mainly a heavy, cloying floral to my nose. I think that I'm getting something like lotus (creamy, heavy, pink bubblegum smelling floral) and dry, burnt/smoky smelling leaves (which turns a bit like burnt coffee on my skin), and the combination doesn't work for me at all. The drydown is more perfumey, sharp floral.

 

Perfumey, sharp, heavy florals and burnt coffee on me.

[Mountaingrrl00]

Smells like a walk through a tropical nursery -- banana leaves, then creamy, waxy flowers, then a ripe, burnt-sugar scent, followed by the scent of dry autumn leaves outdoors. Very pretty and unusual.

 

Edited to add: dries down to a warm and sweet vanilla-caramel scent. Stays close to the skin.

Edited October 27, 2011 by Mountaingrrl

[Leopard403]

On my skin this is a lot nuttier than I expected. It is complex--a little foody, a little floral--and unfortunately I just find all of that confusing. It really is a gorgeous scent, but there is something too busy and slightly generic about it.

[MissMercurial]

I'm half-Filipina so I just HAD to get an imp of this.

I can only report on wet stage rn, so edit TBA.

 

First impressions: Plantains! Bibingka! Turon! Sago! OH MY GOD, THIS IS AMAZINGLY ACCURATE.

It smells like Goldilocks (a Filipino bakery/restaurant) when they've just finished baking, with flowers (mostly sampugita & daisies). Maybe a little langka (jackfruit)? Not getting any champurado (chocolate rice porridge), though. It kind of all blends into a sweet-flowery-foody-starchy scent. For reference, I'm usually not on the foody end of the spectrum; I gravitate to white musks and clean/grassy/fresh smells. But omggg this is amazing so far. A lot of caramel-y-ness, which I expected (turon = fried banana "spring rolls," i.e. has eggroll wrapper around it; leche flan = caramel-y custard goodness; bibingka = Filipino equivalent of pancakes. All adds up to lots of caramelized sugars, haha.).

 

I'm not sure if it'll perform differently once I test it when my body chemistry's back to normal, nor am I certain I want to smell like this, but Beth/BPAL, you blow my mind. This is pretty much exactly like the description; I'm floored that all of that could be so accurately recreated.

 

In the words of my mum (my Filipino half): "It smells like you've been making maruya (fried plantain fritters)."

PINAY APPROVED.

[rivercitylizzy]

Got a decant of this to test out in my effort to "narrow down" a Weenie 2 order

 

In the Vial: Wow, rice cakes! Starchy plantain! Tropical florals. Caramelized sugar. This smells like a seriously foody scent and--at least at this stage--very raucous. Lots going on here, hard to pick out the rest...

 

Wet on Skin: Rice cake and starch all the way at first, then some of the chocolate pudding and buttery caramel custard comes out as it warms up on my skin. The florals are there too but seriously in the background. It would be great--amazing that all of this is in here!--but I'm really starting to wonder about the OMG RICE CAKE!!! and not sure if I can wear this.

 

Dry on Skin: The caramelized sugar note is taking on a burnt edge that is blending with the starchy plantain and rice and chocolate and becoming overwhelming--like a pudding left on the stove too long and hopelessly burned--burnt microwave popcorn, anyone? Throw on this is pretty strong (it's beating out Nothing But Death, which I was testing on the opposite wrist) and though the DH next to me thinks something smells pretty yummy ("is that butter mochi??") I don't think I can do this. SCRUB.

[Incendiare]

The plethora of notes initially scared me, but this actually smells very pleasant in the vial. It's all banana flan with whipping cream. On me, it immediately starts to change. There's a hint of floral and a vague red fruitiness to it. The addition of notes at the wet stage reminds me of Blood Countess, but the two scents are still worlds apart. I actually quite like this, but still not sure if I'd like a bottle of it. The fruits and florals blend together magnificently, though.

[countessmouse]

Blech. I think I could like this one if it were minus the flan element. In general, I don't like to eat caramel, and now I know I don't like to wear it either.

 

Off to the swap pile.

[angelamaria]

One of the first things I had to test!

 

In tester: floral and foody. Whoa. Yummeh. Sweet, bright flowers. Banana. Boozy kakanin (general term for Filipino rice delicacies). Yum!

 

Wet on skin: floral and foody, does not change from the tester scent, although deeper and darker flowers also emerge. Hints of kakanin: rice, banana, syrupy leche flan. Some florals are going soapy.

 

Dry: hmm, one of the florals--or the blending of the flowers here--have suddenly reminded me of that beautiful, haunting floral in Annabel Lee which I loved--bright and sorrowful at the same time, sweet and cheerful but quite haunting. Which, I suppose, is quite apt! Not as foody--this is more floral on me by far, with a hint of the foodies and a syrupy sweetness.

 

Verdict: I was thinking maybe it was a mistake to get a bottle, but now, I don't think so! I will probably not need more than that, though.

[Monday]

<---this was my facial expression on sniffing this oil in the vial. Casali Schokobananen! One of my favorite candies, for some reason only available in Germany and Austria (grr). Basically sugary banana-mousse covered in chocolate. Yum.

On my skin it morphs quickly from banana to banana-booze then some kind of cake shows up. Still yum.

Dry the tartness of the banana burns off quickly it now smells slightly like a boozy bananacake which has been left in the oven for too long and got slightly burned. I'm not sure if I need a bottle of Araw Ng Mga Patay, I need to retest it by itself to see if I can go an entire day smelling of boozy bananas.

This is a very strong scent which probably explains why I wrote almost all of this in caps on my notepad...with exclamation marks.

[ladyflash]

I just had to get at least an imp of this, because Araw Ng Mga Patay comes from my parents' homeland. My mom has been back to the Philippines a few times for this special occasion, which is this ridiculously large party involved celebrating everyone's lives, dancing, fireworks (in her district, anyway), and of course, fantastic food. I've never been, but I've heard it's a blast.

 

Anyway, on to the review.

 

Initially, I get this warm caramel, as if the flan is coming straight out of the oven. Over it I can smell white floral: jasmine and sampaguita, more specifically. I don't really like jasmine on its own, but when blended with other notes it smells incredible.

 

About five minutes later, the perfume gets warmer and warmer. More caramel & more sugary treats. I'm not a big fan of sweet scents, but this reminds me of my aunt's house in the Philippines when we come over and stay in the little guest house in the backyard, behind the main house. This smells very much like said backyard, when we eat meals out on the patio. The floral is still there.

 

It's pretty heavy and slightly musky, like the humid air when you walk outside. The heaviness reminds me more of summers in the Philippines; their monsoon season starts in July and ends in either August or September. It rains at least once every other day, and that musk hangs over like rain clouds.

 

There's an interesting balance between the caramel and the floral. Those are the only two I can really smell. The caramel gets stronger and somehow spicier.

 

At about the 4-hour mark, the caramel starts to fade into the background, and the floral takes precedence. By the end, all I can smell is the sampaguita. There is a lot less caramel.

 

The strength overall is not bad. I like that it only lasts anywhere from four to six hours. I probably won't get a full bottle, but I'll definitely keep my decant and wear it whenever I miss summer vacations in the Philippines.

[Rho]

My preconceived notions: I love the idea of this one. All those sweet offering notes are making my mouth water. Can't wait to see how it blends with the unusual florals!

 

Wet & in the decant: My brain decodes the foody complexity as banana bread.

 

Drying: There's so much going on here that I can't isolate individual notes. I'm just getting a general impression of brown baked goods, and something becoming slightly burnt.

 

Dry: Overdone banana bread with some tropical florals (they smell edible too, somehow). Sorry my description isn't more specific, but I am unfamiliar with so many of these notes, and this is all my nose can figure out. The scent is still juicy thanks to the florals.

 

Overall: Well, I didn't know what to expect with this one, so I wouldn't say it's a disappointment. I just don't really care for the burnt banana bread vibe I get here. It's not a bad scent; it's rich, and spiked with moist flowers, and it has a tropical feel that's relaxing with all the baked goods. It's just not one I'll rush to grab a bottle of.

 

3/5

[stardust]

Initially, this smells a lot like Sugar Skull on me, with the addition of bananas. The bananas go away, leaving a very Sugar Skull-y scent. While I don't normally like foody scents (I got it for the associations), I do like this.

[stellamaris]

Really really heavenly, Big Bottle of this will be on the next order. So happy this is wonderful (foodie haters stay away), as I love The Philippines, and anything Filipino. Including this weenie.

[Ondine]

Smelled beautiful in the vial but on my skin, it started out smelling like Diwali and then quickly morphed into heavy flowers

[zankoku_zen]

Boozy banana flan and a smattering of sugared flowers. There's a bitter burnt edge to it though.

 

Floral, caramel, warm.

[surlygurl]

It starts off as warm bananas with a drizzle of caramel. Then someone opens the doors and takes the caramel bananas outside into the lush surroundings. Eventually the bananas/caramel cool down while the foliage heats up and the flowers bloom. Sharp heady tropical blooms are now the main scent, but there is a light foody smell. The muffins, yam, bananas- all are dense carbohydrates, and that comes across as kind of a grounding note (with a touch of flan). It's odd and confusing, but pretty.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: There's flowers in a vase on the kitchen table; on the stove, a pot of caramel is slowly cooking.

 

Wet: And now something sharp has appeared.

 

The dry-down: A hint of sweetness has returned, probably from the flan, the muffins, and the cake. The wet stage just does this in for me, though. I'll probably wear what I have in a scent locket, even though the dry-down is pleasant. I like the strong caramel note that I get from sniffing the bottle.

[ami226]

On the skin: Sweet scent. Raisins? Why do I think raisins? Or maybe that's cherry.... Either way, it is a dark, sweet fruit with a thick drizzle of sugar sauce. Yes, sugary fruit. That is definitely it.

 

Not for me.

[filigree_shadow]

Smells like a sweet, tropical floral on me, with a hint of banana. Not too much of the caramel scent others are describing. It reminds me a bit of some of the Mexican-themed BPAL perfumes, in that it is an unusual sweet floral.

[milo]

This is juicy fruit gum at first! This quickly disappears, and a dried fruit, caramel, breadiness is the main notes I'm getting. Really not my thing at all, and I hate anything that remotely smells like caramel.

[yakiguri]

Oh man, as a half-Filipina who can't cook and has been seriously craving the cooking of her mom and plethora of aunties, this brings back memories. Ara Ng Mga Patay smells exactly like my mom's kitchen, with its smells of sticky sugar, warm jasmine rice, nummy ube, warm turon, and thick leche flan. Minus of course the smells of lumpia and pancit. Mmm. Curse you lab, now I'm craving mom's cooking. Good thing I have a Filipino market nearby, and this decant for nostalgia.