San Cristóbal de la Habana

[Lycanthrope]

Mod Note: This topic name will remain 'San Cristóbal de la Habana', despite the post-release provisional name change on BPAL.com to 'A Perfume That Tells a Story About My Daughter But Had a Name That Made Our Payment Processors All Feisty and Stuff So Now We Have To Change It and This is the New Name Yay'.

 

Cubas white ginger blossoms, guava pulp, and mango with a touch of white tobacco and sea salt.

Wet, this is warm, white, sweet ginger lilies. I have some 10% diluted white ginger lily essential oil, and that is a glorious top note. I have come to realize that the current sea salt version that is being used in some of the more recent aquatic/oceanic scents, reads to me as 'warm tortilla chips and salt,' which may just be the unfortunate behavior of my skin. After the oil is on my skin the ginger lily note recedes and gives way to the more interesting warm saltiness. This is significantly less fruity than I expected it to be, as I'm looking for the mango and the guava, and mostly getting a gentle, spicy tropical 'pulpy' note, without the abject ferociousness of artificial mango/guava 'fragrance,' This is good, but I'm surprised that what I thought would be a fruit-heavy scent is more a close to the skin, spicy, warm tropical 'haze' or 'aura.' The white tobacco is not terribly potent but I've only had experience with the darker tobaccos, I'm terrible at identifying the white version (was it in... some Moth?).

All in all, definitely not fruity. A warm scent, close to the skin. Somewhat salty, tropical, with the sea salt note that sometimes does a little tortilla moment, but in the end lends a salt-kissed skin type of scent. Fruits in the background, present to give a bit more tropical feel. This is walking down a boulevard with all the commingled scents of a city, the ocean, the markets, all around.

[RaasAlHayya]

Straight from the Lab, so not aged; allowed to sit for a few hours. Tried on left wrist.

 

In the bottle:

Fresh juicy coconut meat and some other soft scents, with a hint of soapiness. I don’t get any salt or fruit.

 

On, wet:

The notes all blend together and I can no longer make out any specific scents. Overall impression of sweet nuttiness, but still soft.

 

Drying:

Getting a little more soapiness, but otherwise about the same. Not much throw.

 

After 20 minutes:

Only a hint of coconut soap remains.

 

Overall impressions:

I am a bit hesitant to try slathering while the bottle is fresh (hate soapy notes so much), so I think I’m going to let it age and see what it does.

 

Jo

[Convallaria]

The opening is ginger - almost cookie-like - over guava/mango background. it goes even more spicy after a while, tobacco deepening the ginger. After that initial stage, it morphs into a sweeter mango/guava combo with some tobacco aftertaste that lasts moderately long - and longer than I expected from the notes. Sadly, salt is barely noticeable until barely-there final drydown.

 

It wasn't what I expected, but it works for me and it's unique.

Edited September 27, 2016 by Convallaria

[non_boingy]

Like Lycanthrope, I expected this to be a loud, strong tropical a la the Tiki scents, but instead this is a very soft and feminine fruity floral that remains very close to my skin. I do not get any ginger at all. I definitely can detect the same guava note that is in Golden Wave, but it is much less "brighter" than GW--I wonder if it is the tobacco that does that? Unlike the juicy mango of Nymphia, the mango in SCDLH is considerably less present, sort of rounding the edges of the guava and making it creamier. Thankfully I don't get any green pepper-type notes that I sometimes get from the sea salt!

 

I love my tropical scents but am sometimes afraid to wear them on the bus/to class because of how heavy the throw usually is on me and the boozy notes. This is just soft enough that it will be totally wearable, but still give me that same summery, feminine feel. This is a total hit!

[LizziesLuck]

I didn't think this would be for me (because of the fruit, the other notes sound divine!) so I didn't get a decant, despite being sorely tempted by the ginger blossoms. My lovely Decantress included a tester of this, so I am getting to try it anyway!! <3

 

 

Wet: Hmmm, salty! The salt and tobacco are combining to make a scent that smells....almost savory? Not getting the sweet fruit or ginger blossoms at all. It's an odd smell. Very unique. I don't think it necessarily agrees with me. It's getting more beachy though as it dries.

 

 

Dry: The fruit comes out! And it smells like salty fruit, which surprisingly is kind of pleasant. Like a margarita made with mango instead of lime. Not for me, but glad I got to try it!

[Little Bird]

Slightly soapy, salty aquatic and white florals. I smell a light sweetness from the fruit, but not really much fruit at all, and I don't get any tobacco. A light, clean, primarily floral scent on my skin.

[roseus]

Normally I don't go for fruity scents but I will make exceptions for some and I love tropical scents. I also love tobacco and this combo sounded very interesting! This reads as tropical and clean to me. I get ginger blossoms and salt at the front, with a little bit of tobacco for some earthiness. It's an interesting combination.I get very little fruit, which is normally okay but here I was kind of searching for it. There is just a soft undertone of mango. It's absolutely gorgeous and different from other white florals I have though and am considering a full bottle.

Edited October 19, 2016 by roseus

[Balame]

Pretty and refreshing. As much as I normally dislike florals, this smells fresh and white without pushing into cloying, cleaning fluid territory.

The ginger blossoms are really smooth and there's some ozone and saltiness mixed in, but its washed over by the (very light) fruitiness.

 

Definitely tropical and much more sedated than Tiki Lounge blends.

It's like an island breeze with the suggestion of blooms and waves, instead of a lei smashed into your face.

Highly wearable and inoffensive. Tobacco is low key and barely noticeable so don't let it scare you off.

[zankoku_zen]

Ginger lily soap with a touch of guava and salt. I get a lush tropical juicy fruity floral soap. Great throw and wear length.

 

*sigh*

[freyasfae]

Hello summer! But not like suntan lotion summer, this is a sophisticated summer scent, like intellectuals hanging out in Havana, sweating, smoking cigarettes at a cafe right near the beach, talking literature. This is right on the verge of a bottle purchase (I got it in a decant circle).

[joopjoop]

I was a little underwhelmed at first, but this one is really growing on me. It starts off as a sort of salty ginger blossom and later settles into a lovely fruit and floral blend.

 

The guava and salt give it a certain freshness that reminds me of 51, which is one of my mainstays - although they are quite different. For such a light scent (particularly at first), it has a good throw and lasts quite a long time.

 

I'm leaning towards a bottle, but want to try it out again before deciding.

Edited November 16, 2016 by joopjoop

[shibagast]

All I'm getting is soap that makes me think ocean. >: Fresh from the mail, though! I hope I get the other notes once it settles.

[tinyvulture]

At first I get salt, like a salted caramel almost. Or salted tortilla chips as Lycanthrope said. A touch of ginger floats in the background. The white tobacco is eluding me. The tropical fruits are surprisingly understated. I was anticipating more guava and mango since they're kind of uncommon notes. I haven't been to Cuba, but this reminds me of eating fruit for breakfast in Mexico under the warm sun by the beach. 10 minutes in, salt spray and gingery floral perfume is what remains.

[whisperstilled]

Strong ginger flower and very salty aquatics. I wouldn't know guava to my nose, and I only get a little tobacco in the background, but this is definitely an ocean with tropical fruits with bright sharp ginger. Sweet, but not too sweet.

[torikitty]

I feel like I can smell each of the elements, which is nice. And they blend together really well. This feels like a good spring/summer nighttime scent for going to an outdoor party. It's not terribly heavy on the tobacco, which is why I'm giving it up.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Salty ginger blossoms; like smelling ginger blossoms next to the ocean.

 

Dry: Salty, soapy ginger blossoms. 😐