Kuang Shi

[hangingfire]

Bust out the dzang dzi! This scent honors the zombies of Chinese lore. Mandarin orange, white musk, mango, and white sandalwood.

In the imp: White musk and sandalwood, mostly -- the effect is of a light, musky floral. Not really getting the mango or the orange.

On, wet: Ah, there's the orange. It adds a nice light note to the musk and sandalwood.

Drydown: Primarily sandalwood, with a hint of musk and orange. It also seems to have gone a bit harsh on me.

A very pleasant blend, actually, but as much as I like sandalwood, this one doesn't seem to be working on me. It's also very light, and seems to fade quickly. This one will be swapped, I think.

[shayelea]

How could I pass up a scent named after ZOMBIES? Zombies are the BEST EVER.

 

This scent didn't like me so much, though.

 

In the bottle: Sharp. Citrus-sharp, but also perfumey-sharp, which I think is the white musk. It's the same sharp note that didn't agree with me in Zephyr.

 

Wet: A bit milder, a bit sweeter, but still too sharp for my taste. Didn't really mellow any on drydown, so, off to the swap pile we go.

[Phaedra]

Wet this is bitter orange and cherry, sharp. It smells the same when first on. This an aquatic springtime scent. The bitterness fades very quickly and there’s almost no scent left!? After a few minutes it starts to sweeten a bit and there’s a hint of pale green grapes in the background. After a few more minutes it becomes all grapes and is also powdery. Interesting but not really my type of scent.

[white_jenna63]

I'm new to scents, so I can't identify everything as well as I like.

 

In the bottle and on first application, it's very sharp and bitter. Then a burst of mangoyness. On me this dries down to a soft fruitiness that I absolutly love. I did have to reapply after about four hours and my skin seems to have eaten up the second application. But this is a wonderful keeper!

[SeaMonkey]

I almost smell curry. It dries to a white musk and white sandalwood with mandarin orange on the top. Its very pretty, but also very bitter

[blaqpearl]

This one is sharp and tangy. I wished I could smell more of the mango and white musk. Bitter orange jumps out at first. It reminds me of a pomade my mom used to put in my hair when I was a little girl. Amazing how I can remember scents that far back.

[jazlyn]

Kuang Shi is really strong in the imp, but on my skin it isn't so much, thankfully. I get the bitterish orange and sandalwood, but not so much the mango (too bad!). This scent makes me think of hot summer days and... potpourri.

[space girl lost]

dusty fruit.

 

I can definitely smell the sandlewood in this. Amazingly it doesn't bother me as much as I would have thought since I am not a fan of sandlewood. More than likely this is because of the mandarin orange and mango butting in and sweetening things for me.

 

It is a somewhat neutral scent. Not too musky and not too fruity. I'm not getting any sharpness from it. In fact, I find it rather calming and perhaps even somewhat feminine without being girly-girl.

 

I don't think i would buy a bottle, but I could see myself getting another imp in the future when I run out of ideas on what to order.

Edited January 15, 2006 by space girl lost

[sookster]

dark, dusty orange incense

after about 15 minutes, this sweetens and warms up ....i get some

muskiness....very different....this blend is short lived ....

personally, just not what i am looking for.....

[grrrlennyl]

at first: fruity and lovely. i can't wait to try this one out.

on: lots of musk and citrus. heavier than i expected.

1.5 hours later: musky, fruity, and sweet. lovely.

3 hours later: softly fruity.

overall: this is gorgeous. i think i like it even more than fruit moon as far as fruity scents go.

[AlaskaSnows]

Very soft, very light, and little throw. Citrus peel and some soft musk, and not much else. Almost the idea of a scent, I can barely smell it.

[Thaleia]

Yum! Sharp mango and orange in the bottle. It's pretty much the same on me, initially, and then the sandalwood comes out, giving the scent even more sharpness. And finally ... the white musk softens it all just a little bit. Great for a pick-me-up scent whenever you're falling asleep the night before a big exam and need to wake up, or if you're on holiday somewhere fun and want to get into the spirit of things.

 

Very exotic and tropical. It reminds me of when I go to the Philippines on visits. I like this a lot. 8/10.

[graycat]

wow, i can really smell the mango but not like the flesh of the mango but the skin, which has always smelled kinda pine-ish to me. the mandarin orange also smell more like peel than flesh. the white musk and sandlewood balances it out nice though. i love musk and sandalwood but add the word white in front of it and it get a little too perfumey for me.

[PirateMaggie]

When will I finally realize that white musk is not my friend? I loved the concept of a hungry ghost perfume, but upon application the white musk starts jumping up and down, beating its chest and pummeling the other notes into submission. No mango, no sandalwood, just unclean-smelling musk with a slight hint of citrus.

[mandragora]

In the vial: Sharp almost piney.

 

Wet on me: Piney. Oh wait, drats, pencils shavings. This is not good.

 

Drydown: Pencil shavings gone! Thank goodness. It mellows, turns musky with a very faint traces of the orange. Hardly any mango. Almost minty, but mint is not listed as a note

 

Verdict: A complex blend. Lovely drydown despite the off-putting pencil shaving start. I'm keeping this and may give this a second try.

Edited February 18, 2006 by mandragora

[Wench457]

Kuang Shi ITB: acquatic floral with a faint hint of something spicy. Ginger perhaps?

 

On: oh, pretty! Fruity and gingery - like a compote - this is delish!

 

Dry: Something smells so familiar - almost like lemongrass. Light and clean smelling, very nice indeed!

[Ryvre]

I picked this up for the mango- I love the smell of mango. It's fruity and citrusy, but the fruit is tempered by the sandalwood and musk. This is one of the most wonderful scents I've tried. It reminds me of summer, which is a good thing in early March.

[PurringPulsar]

Kuang Shi

 

In the imp: yum, this smells citrus-y and fruity! I get mandarin, mango, and something reminiscent of orange blossom.

Wet on skin: bittersweet mandarin peel and sweet juicy mango, a delightful fruity mix.

Dry: not bad! Fruity, sweet mango comes first, with the tang of mandarin, and with a background of something slightly green and a bit dry, probably the sandalwood. The musk, I think, seems to smooth the scent and bring the notes together, and adds it’s delicate pale touch to the scent.

After a while: musk and mango may seem an odd combination, but it worked with red musk in Corazon, and it works with white musk in here. I get juicy, sweet, delicious mango with a soft background of musk, which is slightly reminiscent of Mi-Go Brains without the jasmine and other fruits and flowers. I also get a little bit of sandalwood, and a hint of something almost orange blossom like, I don’t know where that comes from, but I like it.

Over time, the musk and mango merge nicely, this particular white musk is quite a fresh and bright scent, almost cool, and with a gorgeous smoothness.

Verdict: I really like this scent. As usual, the mango note is delicious, sweet and juicy, and at the beginning of the scent there’s a burst of mandarin sharpness which does fade, and also a hint of something like orange blossom. The drydown is reminiscent of the mango and white musk scent of Mi-Go without all the other fruits and jasmine, the mango merging nicely into the smooth, cool musk scent. It’s not a favourite but I like it enough to keep the imp-this is a great scent for summer.

(oh, and I can’t stop thinking ‘drinking fresh mango juice, goldfish shoals nibbling at my toes, fun fun fun, in the sun sun sun!’ when I smell this and Corazon! )

[brownbear]

At first I was getting orange blossom. Then it morphed into this orangey golden, light musk. It's very nice. It reminds me of something I can't place. It fades a bit fast on me. Not sure how much I'll actually wear it.

[Brianne]

In the vial:

SHARP musk

 

On me:

Oh how I love Kuang Shi! It's so unusual, I'm honestly surprised it's not more popular. It's also perfectly gender neutral and would work great on anyone. The white musk is beautiful and soft here and the mango is a great bedfellow to the musk and sandalwood - instead of being fruity and sweet, it's just a nice juicy kick to a scent that is otherwise dry. The sandalwood in this comes off as really *crisp* and dry, and it all pulls together for a really neat scent.

 

Final note:

This is so wonderful and definitely different than anything I've ever smelled. It's a beautiful musk, but that mango really *makes* this scent.

[HoneyHoneyNY]

When I first got this imp in a swap, it's because I was on the search for a HG musk scent.

 

When I opened the imp, it smelled so sharp, that I didn't want to test it. It smelled like orange peel, and something else sweet but also almost bitter. I was sure I was going to hate it.

 

On my skin it was only slightly less sharp, but much more fruity. At this point, it reminded me of Akuma, but without the orange clean and kool-aid feeling akuma gave me. After about half an hour the fruitiness really fell off.

 

Much later, this morphed into exactly what I'm looking for. A soft, dry, and slightly sweet white musk based scent. I like this quite well, however it's kind of a tease. The drydown is exactly what I'm looking for in a white musk scent, but the initial stages are something that I like, but not my HG. I wore this imp on and off all last summer, it's refreshing and soft, not too heady. The more I sniff at it, the more I think I'll end up getting at least a 5ml, but the search for the perfect musk goes on.

[undream]

in the imp: cold, sharp and biting.

 

on my skin: warm, sharp and biting. hah.

 

there is, to me, something almost eucalyptusy about this oil? but not. but i know that no such note is in it, so i am thinking it is the mandarin orange giving me that idea? regardless, despite the sharp, herbal note, it is also rather sweet and creamy. a very intriguing oil!

 

i do like it. i think i may need to try this one again.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Nearly pure mandarin.

 

Wet: Wood and mango and orange. Nice!

 

Drydown: It's a pretty discreet smell once it's dried down - I had to reapply. I get some nice tangy mango and orange together, and it's grounded by the sandalwood and white musk. It smells very slightly green, which is pleasant. There's also a juiciness to it from the mango, which really smells just like a mango tastes, nummy! For a while, the mango dominates completely, then it lets up and reveals the bone-white sandalwood underneath.

 

Overall: It's a tangy, energetic scent that will make the day of fruit lovers. It doesn't last very long at its fruitiest stage (mango), though, and quickly declines into sandalwood. If only zombies did smell that nice, but honestly I'd doubt it very much!

[populuxa]

This is a little overpowering for my tastes, although it is a very successful "Oriental" sort of fragrance. It's a crisp fruity white floral in the bottle. I love the juicy mandarin and mango, which are sadly trampled to death by the stale powderiness of musk and sandalwood.

[moon_lemming]

Oh, there's no rose in this! I could have sworn I smelled rose -- this smells weirdly similar to Bess on me. Oh well, I do have a pretty amateur nose.

 

Well, now that I've seen the notes, I can definitely pick out the mandarin. Yes, the mango is there, too. Amazingly, the sandalwood is nowhere to be found; usually my skin amps sandalwood like nobody's business, but I guess white sandalwood is a different sort of creature. The musk is hiding, too.

 

This really does smell like a paler, less floral version of Bess. Probly just my nose being weird, but there you have it. It's very pretty, but I think I like Bess a little better, just because she has more staying power and is more lemon-y than orange.