Nasty Woman

[freyasfae]

Nasty Woman: black fig and patchouli, filthy bourbon vanilla, honeyed amber oud, and loukhoum.

 

Hello, patch! I thought I hated patch, even considering it a death note, but BPAL has taught me it's just really in combination with others that I may or may not like patch. Generally, black patch is a no, but this close for me, probably because bourbon vanilla. There's the general spirit of the scent which means so much to me, but I am pleasantly surprised by how much I like the scent overall. I don't see myself wearing it too much, so I am going to see if my patch loving friend wants it first. If she wants it, yay good home from someone who will appreciate it, if not, I may decide to keep it and see how often the mood strikes.

[Vythien]

I absolutely wanted to love this and thought I would based on the notes. However, I find it is rather overpowering in an incense-y and powdery way on me. The fig is totally lost on me and the patchouli doesn't really shine. It's a shame, as I know many others have greatly enjoyed this scent. But for me it wears absolutely nothing like I thought it would. Good staying power though, fwiw.

[Little Bird]

Gourmand patchoulis are my thing, so I thought that this was a safe blind buy, but I was wrong. The patchouli is very dry, sharp and ashy, kind of reminding me of the #occupywallstreet patchouli, which is one of my least favorites. Has a sour, dry, cedar-ish quality to it.

Nasty Woman dries down to smoky ashes, sour and woody patchouli, and a cloying, super sweet cherry cough syrup smell. I also think I smell burnt caramel every once in a while. It's way too sharp and smoky for me, and I don't like the cherry smell. It's a mess on my skin.

Edited December 18, 2016 by Little Bird

[zombiewench]

Finally getting around to *really* trying this one. It's all fig and honey and patch on me. It's much heavier than I usually wear, but I really like it.

[milo]

I like this wet. Fig and patchouli, warm, slightly fruity, and delicious. Dry, department store musk. It dries to a lovely vanilla with a bit of patch and fruit, but that is 3 hours later. *'sigh* torn, but the later stage is so long to get to, and rather faint. I will keep this for awhile, to see if the later stage lasts longer, but for now, its "no".

[lizabelle]

This perfume is just awesome. I love the concept, the name, and the notes, and basically had to buy it the moment I knew it existed. It's quite linear on me from bottle to dry-down, but that's okay because I love the way it smells in the bottle.

 

It's without a doubt the richest, dirtiest fig I've ever had the pleasure of putting on my skin--nearly rotting, but more like the way fruit is sweeter and more intense just before it goes bad than anything truly off-putting. The patchouli and oud are prominent, not as individual notes but as a dark earthiness in the base. The vanilla is also strong, but not nearly as sweet as I expected; definitely closer to a vanilla bean.

 

Overall this is darker, juicier, and less sweet than I imagined. This nasty woman goes all day and commands every room she enters!

[lucycat]

I ordered a bottle of Nasty Woman on principle. It didn’t arrive in time for me to wear it on Election Day, so I postponed testing till Inauguration Day (sigh), meaning my bottle has now aged a couple of months.

 

It’s rich, sweet, chewy fig and patchouli. Fig often seems like a more sophisticated fruit smell than many others, if that makes sense, and that is definitely the case here. The patchouli is not at all the sharp, cedary kind. I’m one of the many who gets a tobacco impression from this. I think it’s really the combination of the patch and the amber. On the back of my hand, the honeyed amber oudh smells just like Hesiod’s Phoenix, one of my favorites.

 

Incidentally, I’m very glad I didn’t know loukhoum was Turkish delight before I ordered. It would have put me off, but though Nasty Woman is a sweet-smelling blend, I don’t detect any rose in it, nor do I get the cloyingness I associate with Turkish delight.

[Zorra]

There hadn't been any reviews when I ordered this or the mentioning of tobacco and sweetness might have made me not order. Fortunately this is neither like tobacco on me (which goes very yucky) nor is it very sweet. There is an initial hint of loukhoum that I like, but it soon dies in only one note that remains and that is one I do not like. No fig, no vanilla, no amber, not even patchouli (although it may be below the part I don't like), and after that short moment when it was wet: no loukhoum. I must be amping something because there are more scents that are doing this to me. I'll give this one some time to age and hope for the best. (I could stop amping whatever it is, couldn't I?)

[ShannonElisabethJones]

I was a wee bit wary of this one, as patchouli, vanilla, honey and amber don't work well with my sinuses. But I just couldn't pass it up.

 

In the bottle, patchouli was definitely the first scent to pop out, along with something smoky. When I first put it on, I got a dark purple whiff of fig....but it didn't last long. After a few minutes, the herby patchouli is mixing well with the woody oudh. Maybe a touch of vanilla sweetness. The fig is waaaaay in the background...peeps out every so often.As others have said, it's not an in-your-face kind of scent,even though it's got some strong notes going on. It's good!

 

This scent reminds me of a friend of mine who wears patchouli and is a card-carrying feminist lesbian Hillary Clinton fan. I do like this scent (surprise!), maybe for occasional wear, but I might decant this and give some to my friend.

[tinyvulture]

Earthy, hippie blend of fig and patchouli. Very sweet due to the honey and vanilla, but not cloying. The closest GC is probably Gomorrah. This scent reminds me more of Bernie than Hillary, to be honest! But, hippie is totally what I go for, so I'm pleased to have a bottle in spite of the sad political circumstances it connotes. Nasty Woman is a winner just like Hillary with the popular vote.

[patina]

The richest, dirtiest Fig Newtons ever. It seriously smells like the fig cookies, except I never liked those and this is a lot better. It's not completely gourmand though. I'm surrounded with a halo of amber and fig, but the beige oude is keeping the richness and sweetness from getting out of hand and adding a dry element.

 

If you like purple fruit, patchouli, oude or semi-gourmet scents you might want to try this.

 

The only downside to this is that the environment you wear it in and possibly your skin chemistry can affect your perception of the scent. I was changing a vacuum filter and the sour dust smell blended in seamlessly with the oude. For hours afterwards this smelled sour to me.

[renfair]

I ordered this from the Lab in mid-November, so probably a couple weeks after it was released. I wanted to get it mainly for the principal of the thing, because I was so shocked and furious that You-Know-Who ACTUALLY WON, but when it arrived I was completely over the moon. I was in love with it instantly, from the first sniff.

First Sniff Impression: Like the first whiff you get stepping into an apothecary at a Renaissance Faire, maybe with a cup of red wine in your hand. Positively divine.

Wet in Vial: The patchouli is a little heavier in the vial than it is on application. In vial it has more of an incense smell than a fruity smell.

Drying Down on Skin: It definitely has a bit of a throw. For instance, I don't like putting it on if I know I'm about to get into a car with another person, because it's *really* strong for a bit (I believe my son, who's highly sensitive, told me at one time, point blank, "Mommy, I hate your perfume!" Lol). But I think the throw reins itself in fairly quickly. Then the patchouli and incense give way to a warmer, subtler note combination of the fig and bourbon, with a golden vanilla.

Dry on Skin: This one just gets better and better as it dries and sits on your skin. It even smells amazing the next morning, and on the cuffs of your clothes if you put it on your wrists. The patchouli really does mellow way out to bring forth the heavy, sweet, almost drowsy fig, bourbon and vanilla. I don't remember where I read it, but somewhere someone said it's like cuddling up in front of a warm fire, cupping a hot drink in your hands. It's very hygge, if you will!

Conclusion: I absolutely love this scent to death. It's more incense-y on the first application (sometimes, honestly, a little overwhelming) but after a few hours it fades to a warm, sweet, wonderful fig/bourbon scent. Love love love! I already bought a second bottle because I can't bear to think of not having this scent around. And I think that second bottle is going to be absolutely out of this world when it ages. It makes me almost a little sad to see so many Nasty Woman's for re-sale, but I completely understand sometimes skin chemistry just does NOT vibe right. But at least all the money is still going to charity, and that hopefully means someday when I DO finally run out, there will be someone willing to sell me yet another!

[gloame]

The patchouli goes a bit tangy on me and stays that way. It's really interesting. Not bad, but unexpected. Soft, warm, amber, tangy patchouli. After aging for a few months (6/17 and again 7/12) this feels like it has a watery-bubblegum vibe like I sometimes get with violet blends. No idea what's causing it. It's soft and sweet floral. Not sure I love.

 

Where I'd wear this: Pussy rallies

Edited July 12, 2017 by gloame

[Allison93]

All the notes listed are things I love, so buying this was a no brained to me. Let's see how it works...

 

Wet: patchouli and maybe fig? But I can't tell it's fig. I mean smells nothing like the figs I get off my fig tree but maybe that's what perfume fig smells like? Also a spicy note in there. So far not a bad fragrance

 

 

Dry: Ok I'm getting more of a real fig. I can't yet tell if I like it or not? I mean I don't not like it. I'm getting potpourri from it. Darn. Well at least the money from buying it went to a good cause!

 

Sell/Swap or give to grandma (huge Hillary fan, and at every pro-choice/women protest ever)

 

Edit: After many people saying to let this one age, that's what's I'm going to do and then try it again. Just yesterday I took it out and it already smelled differently in the bottle. Fingers crossed! I want to love it!

[sisterbastard]

First impression: Received a decanted half-bottle as a gift. Opened it in November for a sniff. It read as an overwhelming patchouli punch in the face followed by an instant headache. Put it away until February, when I had the nerve to try it again.

 

Wet: Can totally pick out the fig and bourbon through the patchouli now, but no ability to recognize the other scents. Doesn't feel as much like a patchouli steamroller it did at first.

 

Dry: Took the plunge and wore it for a day. Way more throw than the others I've worn recently. WICCA SHOP 1,000%, but nostalgic and nice. As it warms the fig softens and comes forward on the nose, and there's a bit of a raisins-and-honey smell feel. Very organic, earthy, and pleasant. After a few hours of wear: love it. Am buying backup bottle.

 

 

[Sharnig]

I'm reviewing this after about 5 months of aging. When I first got this I was one of the people whose nose read this as a gnarly, chewy and fruity tobacco, even though I know there's none in the blend. I liked it a lot but was a bit full on for an Australian summer. I just put it on again this morning and . A smoother but still chewy and deep turkish tobacco providing depth closer to the skin with this gorgeous classy, elegant, sweet, womanly rosy powdery smell over the top. Don't let the idea of powder put you off. It's like icing sugar! A suggestion of quality turkish delight without being foodie. Great throw and wear length as I did not put much on. It's one of those scents I came running to gush about because it's soooo good and I feel sad for anyone who doesn't get the smell that I do. Here's hoping it just keeps getting better though I can't really imagine it. It's gorgeously blended. Basically it's the perfect scent to wear with a white pants suit while taking over the world.

[DiesMali]

How is it that I've not reviewed Nasty Woman, seeing as it's become one of my favourites? My bottle's aged a few months now, and it's absolutely GLORIOUS. I'm going to have to pick up a backup at some point, because I never want to run out of this.

 

In the bottle: Thick, rich, chewy-sweet patchouli and fig.

 

Wet on my skin: I, too, am one of the people who gets chewy, fruity, rich tobacco from this blend, and I LOVE IT. It's like sweet tobacco and fig with a bit of vanilla when wet.

 

Dry: This dries into a gloriously spicy, rich, maroon/brown and warm gold cloud, and I wear it when I want to make a statement in more than one manner. Patchouli is one of the best notes for my skin, so this just takes it and runs with it. It does the tobacco thing throughout most of the wear, and it's very well blended in that there's no one note that's totally dominant on my skin. I can pick out the patch, Turkish delight, honey, amber oudh, and fig if I inhale deeply, but this is a perfume that is more than the sum of its parts. For those who are iffy about rosewater in the loukhoum: it's hardly noticeable on my rose-loving skin - I get the sweet chewiness, and I can tell there's a teeny bit of rosewater in there, but it's such that this isn't at all a rose blend on me. Warm, rich, resinous, sweet, and a little spicy.

[MadameSalty]

These are notes I usually don't go for! There is patch here! I will need to use a really light touch application but I will wear! I also think this will age gorgeously. Has a luper Venus vibe. This would be awesome layered with French vanilla SN. Very womanly and very nasty! I really understand Beth's scent story here. The woman part is very soft, warm, powdery, hint of rose, classic. And the nasty part just adds GNAR to that with the patchouli. I can totally smell the honeyed ambler oud and it's to die for! There is something about this that is really nostalgic and comforting. It remind me of both my great aunt who was a Lady with a capital L and my "auntie" aka my moms BFF who was/is 100% a bra burning hippie. I feel like I'll get s lot of wear out of this at home, being cozy. A just for me scent.

[rayvn1]

These are usually notes of win for me, but for some reason the whole combination doesn't really work on my skin. Very overbearing scent on me. Ah well, money well spent for a good cause, and I'll keep retrying it!

[quigza]

This smells like getting drunk on bourbon whilst eating fig desserts with your friend who just started school at Berkeley. It has a lot of nostalgia wins for me right off the bat (oh, university days). It dries to to a warm raisin cookie on me- excepting for the green patchouli which is just a tad sharp. - but that's something that rounds with age. I'm pretty sure this is going to age wonderfully.

 

Edit to add: So, it's May. The patchouli does start to get less sharp over time! It's still sharp, but not as bad as before. Pretty sure I'm going to love this next year.

Edited May 6, 2018 by Lemonlife

[mmcfa2]

aniversary review after aging, DRY! very dry patchouli and fig. It is odd to call Fig dry, but it is in this blend after aging. I get little vanilla, but I do get bourbon still. would be worth trying with a dab of vintage snake oil! You guys don't EVEN want to know what I found in my stash. Lets just say i have bottle dating back to tall and blue in decent volumes... I think Beth has my retirement in her bank account!

[theseagrows]

i'm delighted to finally try this! it starts off with patchouli. loukhoum and vanilla i think. it's an earthy gourmand, though those gourmand notes are very blended and do not stand out individually. it's not overly foody, which is good because i don't like most straight up foody scents. my gourmands have to have other elements, and this hits that sweet spot for me. a few minutes after being on the skin, it gets more sugary, which must be the loukhoum. at this point the strongest notes are fig and patchouli. after about 20 minutes i think i finally get the amber oud but it's still subtle. this is one of those scents where no scents really stand out strongly-it's just a fairly linear blend, though this one is sweet and earthy. a bit comforting. i think i like it.

Edited February 20, 2018 by theseagrows

[tomservoandcroooooooow]

Theoretically, I should hate this perfume. Of all the notes, the only ones I typically like are patchouli and bourbon vanilla. I dislike amber and fig and tend to amp honey and BPAL's roses unpleasantly. And yet I love this. Somehow all of this come together to make a warm, tobacco perfume? Somehow? Even though there's no tobacco notes?

 

This is easily the weirdest perfume I've had but it's also one of my favorites.

Edited May 19, 2018 by tomservoandcroooooooow

[Lucchesa]

Nasty Woman surprised me. I was expecting it to be a deep, dark hippie patchouli, playing hackysack in your personal space. Instead, it's the most sophisticated patchouli I've had the privilege of trying. Patchouli in a silk pantsuit. I'm getting a little bit of rose, so I'd agree with those who think there's rosewater in the Turkish delight. But while rose can be problematic on me, this is restrained, adding to the overall elegance of the scent. I'm able to make out vanilla and the warmth of amber and the earthiness of fig but absolutely no oud. It's beautiful and so much better behaved than I expected.

 

I get a little throw especially at first when wet, which is when the patch is most dominant. Then it wears fairly close to the skin on me, but it lasts quite a while. I applied it at about 8:15 this morning, and it's still hanging on five hours later. This is a scent that doesn't feel at all seasonal to me: I think it would be just as appropriate in the dead of winter as it is now at midsummer. I am so glad to have this!

[thecaitycat]

In the bottle

Patchouli. Fig. Rich. Expensive. Powerful. More than you can afford. This is what I had expected on first sniff when I bought this in 2016, and it's what I smell now.

 

Wet on skin

This is a deep, rich patchouli and fig tempered a little bit with vanilla. Amazing throw. A little goes a long way.

 

Dry on skin after 30 minutes

Still patchouli-dominant, but the vanilla and fig are swirling in along with it to make it thick and pillowy and luxurious. Expensive.

 

Thoughts

HOW have I not reviewed this yet? This is so, so good! It's the perfume oil equivalent of putting on my best suit, then driving to work where I'm in charge of everyone and everything. I lovelovelove Wool Phoenix, and this is like Wool Phoenix' older, more aggressive sibling.