Octopus

[raisin]

Pale moss, white kelp, sea buckthorn berry, ambergris accord, Somalian frankincense, rose geranium, and salt.

I mostly get the salt water fragrance, but it's a feminine kind of salt water. Wouldn't be able to pin down anything else in it, except that it's vaguely greeny-floral. Reading that there's some kind of berry in it, I could believe it, but it's nothing I pulled out on my own.
Reminds me a LOT of Thalassa. It's close enough on me that I'm not sure I need a bottle of both, but this one is really nice. I'd recommend it to fans of the salt water scents.

[Lycanthrope]

I'm always quite afraid of rose geranium, as it totally annihilated a few good scents for me.

 

This smells very watery and salty, aquatic, in the bottle. On my skin, it plays totally different and turns into a very strong resinous salt scent. The strongest notes on me are the moss and salt. This does almost remind me of something more that I would eat, maybe how Tako smells in a good japanese restaurant, or the kelp salad with a touch of brine.

 

I wish this were more like Thalassa to me, since I found that scent to be a beautiful combination of water and the almond-type scent, lending it a kind of foody aquatic nature that worked out really well. I'm not certain Octopus is doing that. I may consider diffusing it, or wearing it in a locket, to capture that airy ocean scent.

 

Also, for now, I will wear it so that when people ask me what I'm wearing I can say, "Oh, don't you know... it's octopus!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[KawaiiKai]

In the bottle strong white soap. On my skin, the lingering scent of strong white "marine" themed soap, slightly salty with ambergris.

Most of the ingredients listed work for me, the only thing I can think of that may be giving me this impression is perhaps ambergris + rose geranium. Salt, sea buckthorn berry, moss, kelp, and frankincense normally work for me. However, I don't smell any sea buckthorn berry nor frankincense at all and this one gave me a headache.

I'm so disappointed this one didn't work for me. It was the one that appealed most to me from the Song of Nature collection.

[Antoinette]

HeeHee. The second image Octopus conjured in my mind after applying (first image was the salty ocean) was of a fancy pants Ms. Octopus all gussied up in eight high heeled shoes, a bow and some lipstick on her way to an undersea ball.

 

 

This blend is certainly a marine aquatic but it evokes a feminine feel. It's mostly salty ambergris on me with the frankincense and other notes swirling in the background. It's soft and watery and very pretty. I find it quite refreshing in the summer heat. Love this one!

[LiberAmoris]

It's been a really long time since I bought an aquatic—I love them, but I find I just don't wear them that much on my skin. But I'm glad I took the plunge with Octopus. At first, it's like a wave, with the watery notes crashing hard. But receding, the drydown is subtle and nostalgic. I get as much ambergris after 10 minutes as I do the moss and kelp. It's clean and warm and elegant.

 

Reminds me a bit of House of Mirrors, but Octopus is much softer, like something lovely seen at the oblique. I'll enjoy every drop of my bottle.

[OctoberGwen]

I'm not always a fan of aquatics, but this is a very feminine take on them that I rather like. I can't smell it specifically, but perhaps it's the rose geranium that's giving it a feminine edge. Salty, soft, and clean; I get the ambergris for sure.

 

This is not something I would wear often, but it fills that oceanic niche in my BPAL box very nicely. I'll likely keep the imp.

[stellamaris]

Why do I keep calling this one (in my brain) Octopussy? there is something wrong with me...

 

Anyway! Clearly I need a bottle of this, me who up until about six months ago could not be convinced to even try an aquatic, I though they were going to be like the ones that were all the rage in the 80's? in department store perfumes...what did I know?

 

This is very much like Mommy in a Boat to me, so much so that I had to Death Match them, and unfortunately for my screaming wallet, it's different enough that I need a bottle. This is a haunting, pretty watery thing, but with a lushness that makes it a real statement fragrance.

[kajacana]

Soooo I don't actually know what ambergris smells like. I ordered this bottle because a) I can't resist octopus-themed things, and b ) it sounded all kinds of ocean-y and that really appealed to me.

 

This is such a unique scent, I can't even think of what to compare it to! It's much too strong sniffed straight from the bottle, unpleasant even, like a bad bathroom air freshener. But once it's dried on my skin, everything mellows out and it becomes soft, cool, smooth, vaguely plant-like, with a hint of salt. Honestly I'm looking at the list of notes and salt is the only one my nose can recognize, but the combination is really lovely. It makes me think of a beach - but not a tropical beach... more like a New England beach. Cold water, warm breeze, rocky shores.

 

I probably won't wear it very often but I like it!

 

[Edited for typo]

Edited July 26, 2013 by kajacana

[Katlyntje]

I got a decant of this knowing I probably wouldn't like it at all because aquatics just don't appeal to my nose. But for something called Octopus it was worth a try.

 

In the imp this is salty, aquatic, soapy, and a little musty. It reminds me of a bathroom in an old summer cottage by the sea. Sun and salt-bleached wooden siding outside the whitewashed window sill, a bar of floral soap that has been used by cottage occupants for three summers running, and perpetually damp shower curtains that could REALLY use a good airing out. Wet on my skin the floral soap gets stronger as well as the musty curtain smell. Luckily the mustiness goes away as the floral soap gets stronger. Like the scent of the ocean and wildflowers are being wafted in through the sun-drenched window on the cool breeze that is ushering the banks of fog in off the bay. The quintessential summer on the Maine coast.

 

I had my husband sniff this and he completely agrees with my comparison. I'm not really sure if I really would wear this very often but I might have to get a bottle anyway.

[poetoftragedy]

This was the first time I stepped off the ledge and ordered a bottle without testing it first. But I love octopus themed anything and I couldn't resist.

I think it's paid off quite well.

 

In the bottle and wet, I got a salty, brine-y smell. I could find the hint of frankincense under there.

Dry, it got so very clean smelling-- teetering just on the edge of being soapy but not quite there. The hint of floral and salt keeps it interesting.

[tacey]

Bought unsniffed, but I'm disappointed. There's an off note that's making me a bit ill - I think the ambergris. (Haven't tried ambergris since my first round of imps. I didn't like it then, but so much has changed I didn't expect it to be a problem.) I'll give this bottle some time to 'rest' and try again, but this isn't looking good.

 

The aquatic part is beautiful and delicate - even to a non-lover of aquatics - but I never smelled the rose geranium or frank that I bought it for.

[zankoku_zen]

Moss, kelp and salt.

 

This reminds me to a softer version of Ebisu, from the Shungas. It's got an Asian aquatic vibe to me.

 

Fun.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Ack! As I was afraid of, the rose geranium is the dominate note.

 

Wet: Still mostly the geranium.

 

The dry-down: There's hints of the salt and berry notes, but mind you, just hints. I adore all the notes except for the geranium, which has basically taken over the seashore club. Very sad.

[milo]

Kind of a mild mint at first. Dry, the ambergris comes out, and the mint fades to the background. It ends up being ambergris with a touch of something dusty. Not getting any berry, moss, or kelp. This is kind of nice, but fades fast on me.

[The Poison Queen]

In the bottle: Surprising. Almost foody, like buttery salt.

 

Wet: Foodie floral ambergris, ugh! I almost washed it right off.

 

Drydown: Beautiful aquatic salt, this is a HUGE morpher on me, I dunno where the foodie butter smell came from but the drydown is just lovely and wet and salty! A little soapy, but still very pleasant. I am very glad I didn't wash this off!

 

Dry: Still a lovely aquatic but with just a hint of that "doctor's office" smell to it. That's not a bad thing for me!

Edited September 30, 2013 by The Poison Queen

[mymymai]

ITI: It's like artichoke and salted ambergris. I know this sounds really strange, but I like it. It has an umami quality to it and it makes my mouth water.

 

Wet: Yep, it's very much the same on my skin, although I do pick up on the aquatic tone (kelp, probably) as it starts to settle. Regardless, this scent is unconventional and oddly interesting.

 

Dry: Once dried, I get more of the buckthorn berry, kelp, and salt, and less of my lovely ambergris. It's still an aquatic I like, so that's a huge win for this scent.

[cyborgutena]

I was kindly given an imp, so I got to sample this interesting scent! It really is fresh and kelpy and and salty going on. Aquatics always start a little soapy in my opinion, but it's never unpleasant! It has a mild floral sweetness all the way from wet to dry and a mossy background. It's refreshing and pleasant, and I especially like that salt is detectable to me because it isn't always!