Shakarri

[zankoku_zen]

White pear and absinthe, sea moss and patchouli, labdanum and crushed coral.

This one is such an interesting scent. To me, the patchouli reads as licorice, which I think is the presence of absinthe. I get absinthe, licorice, moss, and a touch of labdanum and pear. I think the pear and coral end up giving it a tropical edge without it being coconutty, and its a very warm blend. But yeah, I swear this has licorice in it. Medium throw and wear length.

 

[Sangria2]

In the imp and first on, all I get is sweet fruit, more berry like than anything else. After having worn it for a while, now it's predominantly patchouli/labdanum. Before I checked the note list I would have SWORN this one had coconut in it, and like the previous reviewer mentioned it feels a bit tropical. I'm guessing the sea moss gives it a slight salty twist.

 

It is pleasant enough, but I am so very sad there is no pear to be found anywhere.

[galahad]

In the Vial:

Sweet pear and patchouli

On the Skin:

Surprisingly dry and dusty moss and patchouli with a mineral edge. Interesting and not as fruity as expected. The labdanum rounds out the scent eventually and the pear is a very subtle sweetness in the background

On the Drydown:

The pear gets a chance to play a role as this dries down but never gets too much exposure, just sweetening the blend. The patchouli takes more of a lead as it develops on the skin. The overall effect is quite compelling and I like it. There is a subtle nod to the marine.

[VetchVesper]

Hoo! This is all kinds of weird. The oil is very dark, which surprised me. In the imp, it smells tart, sharp, and slightly soapy. I definitely get an aquatic vibe, but it's different from the one I usually get. It's dark and the anise makes my nose tickle. It's reminding me of a murky Robotic Scarab.

 

It starts sweetening up a bit after a few minutes on my skin. It seems less aquatic and more resinous now. I still get an anise nose tingle. I'm not sure if I love it or not, but I'm glad I tried it. Very interesting.

 

If you like Robotic Scarab or Mary Shelley, you might check this one out. If you are looking for a light, juicy pear scent, this one might disappoint.

[BoneBone24]

Expectation: Incensey Aquatic Pear

 

First Sniff: Wow, ok, so I caught an initial whiff of what can only be described as a sour pungency, then that went away, leaving a far mellower essence of... jungle? Yeah, it basically smells like jungle. It seems like this one’s gonna be a wild morpher and I'm curious to see where it goes.

 

Wet on Skin: Yeep. There’s that intense note again. At first I think dill pickle, then I realize it’s olive juice. Just as I figure that out (within the first 5 seconds) it calms down a bit and a cleaner, sweeter aquatic note presents itself.

 

Drydown: I get an ‘aha!’ moment and realize that it basically smells like a dirty martini. For the first 15 minutes or so it continues in that vein, becoming cleaner and crisper as it dries. Finally the olive turns to salty brine, and the rest of the blend sweetens up, settling into a wearable, yet complex aquatic.

 

Dry: A deep, briney aquatic with a hint incense and pear. I’d classify it as a gender-neutral all-year-round scent. I have to say, the transformation from first sniff to the dry stage is pretty incredible. My advice is to bear with this one, because the endgame is worth it.

9 out of 10 bones

[Aveya]

Imp: Wet, astringent, licorice

Initial Skin: Licooooorice. I mean, sure it's absinthe. But I'mma call it astringent fennel.

Drydown: Gets a touch sweeter and less astringent. There's an aquatic dampness to everything. Moss is blurring the edges a bit and making everything a better blended, more depth kind of scent. But on my skin the front runner is.. oh you guessed it? ANISE.

 

No obvious pear. Patchouli is not the black variety, so I can barely detect it. I think this might be a skin chemistry kind of thing. Fun to know I might amp absinthe?

 

Verdict; Green Fairy single note, accidentally dropped in some sea water. Genderless. Seasonless.

Edited April 25, 2018 by Aveya

[Cali]

Thick, gooey and dark in the imp. Labdanum overload. I can pick out all the notes, but that labdanum, coral and absinthe are the strongest on me so far. Very licquorice-y on me on drydown - cough syrup! Interesting. But! Not for me. I don't mind smelling like candy, but not so much licquorice, d'aw.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Labdanum, patchouli, and sea moss. The labdanum is the strongest note to me. It smells very thick, and dark, yet slightly.. fizzy. Not getting any absinthe/licorice notes yet (which is a-ok , but I'm really hoping that white pear note pops up later!

 

Dry: Still no absinthe or licorice, which I consider a win. It's kind of a labdanum and moss mish-mash. They're not really working harmoniously on my skin. It's not a bad scent, it's just.. an odd ball. Like a fizzy sea moss scent.

 

I dunno, man. It's worth a try, though; I think this is one of those scents that can smell crazy different on one person vs another.

[Lucchesa]

I didn't have any interest in trying Shakarri because I thought sea moss + coral = too aquatic.  But then I saw all the reviews mentioning licorice, and I am a whore for the licorice/anise/fennel family of scents, so I gave it a try.  It's an odd duck, all right.  It doesn't seem aquatic at first.  I get a hint of pear, the limey anise of absinthe, and the labdanum, and if it stayed there I would be delighted, but as it dries down, the sea moss comes into play, and gradually it moves closer and closer into dryer sheet territory.  Aquatics and my skin just don't get along.  I never get much patchouli, and I have no clue what coral smells like.  I'm really glad I got to try this one, but it doesn't work for me. 

[Vaporeon]

I can see what ppl meant by liquorice but my first thought was chili pepper 😂

Definitely an odd scent

I wouldn't call it aquatic or particularly fruit

I assume the liquorice is from the absinthe??

Its more boozey spicy/resinous to me

 

Edit: yes apparently absinthe smells like anise

Edited October 1, 2021 by Vaporeon

[Fefi]

Oo! This is really nice. I bought this along with Parthenope to try out the mermaid like lady scents from the grind house. This scent in the vial smells strongly of the Pear and absinthe and moss to me. On the skin its the same however as time passes the labdanum comes out and finally what Im guessing is the crushed coral note. The crushed coral note to me is aquatic/ a bit soapy ( not in a bad way) its a note Ive noticed in other BPAL aquatics like Ryleh and Thalassa. Im really really enjoying this scent and I feel it might be full size worthy.