The Blooming Flowers of Spring

[puck_nc]

Honey, mimosa petals, and white amber.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: I have known for quite some time that when it comes to musk, I need the lighter side of the spectrum: white/pale/skin/crystal all tend to work well on me while black/red/brown/dark all amp to a hideously stinky level. I would get the same amping problem with patchouli, incense, and amber scents as well. I only recently learned that such a thing as white patchouli existed--thanks to Butterflies, Flowers and Jewels Attending--and that white patchouli smells nice on me. So when I started seeing white *amber* as well, I definitely wanted to try that, too. This was the first scent in that quest that didn't have other deal-breaking notes along for the ride.

In the Bottle: Honey-drenched amber, with the mimosa creating an intoxicating floral zing. This is a sexy caramel of a scent without being the least bit foody.

Wet: Hello, honey! For a moment I might as well be huffing a bear-shaped squirt bottle. Then the mimosa springs out with a burst of pink-and-green springtime.

Drydown: I get the amber now, but hallelujah, it's playing WITH the other notes, not stomping all over them. It continues to be very come-hither, but with a light and playful tone rather than the in-your-face sense a darker musk or voluptuous rose would offer.

Verdict: I am giddy at the thought of being able to explore scent families that I assumed were closed to me because of my skin chemistry. The fact that BPAL can still surprise and excite me like this going on nine years later is a real testament to Beth's genius. More white amber, please!

[Alphakitty]

Mimosa is one of my absolute favorite flowers. I have a lot of childhood memories associated with it, so for me it is a very nostalgic note, and one that sadly is very hard to find. So when I saw this, it was an insta-bottle... which now I realize was a bit hasty, but oh well!

 

In the bottle it's HONEY. It screams HEY WOW DID YOU KNOW THERE IS HONEY IN HERE? With only three notes I am expecting more balance so I was hesitant to try this, but my inner mimosa-lover pushed for this to be the first 2014 Luper I try.

 

Wet, when it's first applied, I get... cinnamon. What even. Not harsh cinnamon sticks but baking cinnamon, after it's been baked. Kind of apple-pie like, without the apple. Or the other spices. Warm, comforting, but totally unexpected.

 

The cinnamon lasted for only about 2 minutes, and then it morphed to the WOW HONEY IS HERE from the bottle. And I do love me some honey. This is a gorgeous, rich honey note but it really does read as a single note on my honey-amping skin.

 

Thankfully, the drydown hits and the white amber pops up. I really love amber and this is an interesting one: I don't think I have ever tried a perfume with white amber. It's subtle and a bit musky, but very feminine and soft. It mixes with the honey perfectly.

 

On the tail end, there's just a hint of floral--bright and perky, but it fades quickly. I don't really get mimosa from it, and I'm wondering if it is just my body chemistry masking those initial mimosa note. This is basically a honey, musk & amber perfume on me but it is SO lovely I don't even mind. The mimosa is a bit missed, but not enough for me to regret a whole bottle of this lovely sitting on my shelf.

[tziporra]

Surprise hit of the Shungas for me.

 

From the moment I sniff the bottle and almost swoon with delight, I know this one is a definite buy now, buy often.

 

I think it is hitting a scent memory for me, because every time I sniff it I think, "this smells like....!" But I'm never able to quite put my finger on the scent.

 

On my skin this is the worlds sexiest juiciest floral. The honey is fruity and dirty at the same time. The amber reminds me of The Shadowy and the Sublime, but this is much hotter. It's like Sex and Candy (the song), really. Very sweet and floral, but just the raunchiest sweet floral ever.

 

Definite buy. Instant top ten.

 

Tzi

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: The mimosa is the most prominent note.

 

Wet: I'm mostly getting mimosa from this. The scent reminds me of candy... perhaps a candy necklace? Or maybe it is Sweethearts, Sweet Tarts, or candy wafers? It has been a long time since I've had any of those types of candy, but I know this scent reminds me of one of them.

 

Dry: Mimosa and a hint of honey in the background. This one is strong!

 

Verdict: Oddly enough, this might be too sweet for me! It really does remind me of candy. I don't need a bottle of this one, but I'm glad that I was able to try it.

Edited March 8, 2014 by dementia_divine

[Dark Alice]

The mimosa in this keeps the honey from going musty and nasty on me. It's a nice light scent and I am so surprised that it works on me. I love it...but I think a decant is enough.

[Aviatrix]

This one was a big surprise hit for me! I am getting a lot of mimosa, a note I wasn't too familiar with, but it is a beautiful floral. Something in this blend is almost spicy on my skin, and I'm guessing it's the combination of honey and amber that has that effect? Overall, it's a yummy, slightly spiced floral that doesn't have a ton of throw, but stays for a decent amount of time.

The notes combine wonderfully, and it is truly a beautiful little spring blend. I might actually consider a bottle.

[MCS4096]

This was a real surprise... in how much it changed anyhow. On my skin it dried down to nothing but musky vanilla and spice. The mimosa up and disappeared completely.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Honeyed tart floral. The honey's the top note here.

 

Wet on skin: Honey's still the top note on my skin. The floral and the amber blend together well, and they're beautiful.

 

Dried down: Light honey tinged with the amber and mimosa. This is very, very light. And pretty.

 

Throw: Very light and pleasant

 

Verdict: **** 1/* This is another scent that I like a lot, but I like some of the others better. If my order starts getting too big, I might cut this out, and maybe look for a secondhand bottle later.

[theseagrows]

this starts out with a zing of an effervescent light floral, and quickly the amber and honey come through. after the mimosa calms down, it becomes more honeyed and it's very light and beautiful. i think this is perfect for summer or spring. if you love honeyed florals, this might be for you.

Edited March 24, 2014 by theseagrows

[non_boingy]

On me, this is a beautiful predominantly honeyed floral. It does go through a stage when it's wet where it's almost entirely honey with very little mimosa or amber--that was just almost too sweet for me, but after a couple of hours the slightly powdery amber tempers the honey and makes it drier and much more wearable. It's an incredibly warm, comforting scent, and I think it would end up working pretty well as a cold-weather scent too! Absolutely gorgeous and I'm glad I have a bottle!

[zankoku_zen]

Mimosa, honey, and a brush of amber. Mimosa to me is a bit of a sharp white floral, and the honey + amber make a soft, powdery base.

 

Soft, amber, honey.

[Astarial]

I'm not sure what I smell in the imp - it's the mimosa or the white amber, but I'm not familiar enough with either on their own to be certain which nit is. I think it's probably the former though, perhaps with a hint of amber providing some creaminess?

 

Sweet honey comes out (as it always does) once it goes on my skin, and after a few minutes I almost get a hint of champagne. This is like drinking a mimosa at brunch, one which has been made with fresh orange juice and top-shelf champagne, and sweetened slightly with honey. Very posh.

 

I don't think I'm picking up on any explicit amber in this, but I'd guess it's continuing to play a gentle, rich, creamy role that keeps this blend from going cloyingly sweet. Interestingly, while most sweet and comforting blends read as winter scents to me, this one doesn't. The mimosa provides just enough hint of citrus to keep this bright and cheerful, perfect for spring.

[tinyvulture]

Lovely combo of honey and amber. There's also something "baking spices" about it as Alphakitty mentioned upthread, like a cinnamony floral potpourri. I'm not sure what mimosa smells like on its own, so maybe that's what I am smelling. I love honey and amber, but I guess this is one of those BPAL blends that turns into potpourri on me. Also it's not very strong. Oh well - all the Shungas can't be winners for me!

[milo]

Honey at first, a lovely floral honey. Dries to a floral soap, though, with a touch of honey. I love honey and amber on me, but this one just doesn't deliver.

[thekittenkat]

In the decant: Honeyed mimosa flowers. It's a light honey.

 

Wet: There's just a hint of something green, herbal, sharp now, but it's already mellowing.

 

The dry-down: Back to how it smelled in the decant. I like it. Might get a bottle, as we had a mimosa tree in the backyard for a while when I was a child, so this is somewhat evocative of old memories, long ago and far away.

[blu°]

This scent projects the most fantastic delicately sweet soft candied floral scent around me. It's powdery in a good way, like cotton candy or marshmallows without being exactly foody. A very pretty and happy scent. Pastel pink shades and white.

 

 

It smells wildly different close to the skin where I applied it. There I get a fizzy tart scent, which I guess is the mimosa more clearly. I don't really smell the honey, and only get a very light chalky-powdery muskiness that must be the amber. The amber in this is much lighter and much nicer than the harsh perfumey amber in Love Lay Upon Her Eyes. This is soft and mellow, no cologne smell at all.

 

After a while the fizziness and tartness close to the skin where the scent is very concentrated at first, dissolve as the scent unfolds and aquires more of the powdery sweet aspect that I found in its throw right from the start.

 

I find this scent hard to pin down. It's so different close to the skin, and when I try to smell defining features, they seem to elude me. But that sweet fluffy candy cloud around me does make itself known and is so damn delicious. It also seems to scent the room that I'm in nicely. Really liking this so far even though it's a bit unusual for me to wear something so soft and pink.