Cat Chasing Butterflies

[northatlantic]

Peach blossom and amber with almond cream and sweet musk.

Sniff from the bottle: sweet musk veeeery much forward with generic floral undertone; smells ominously like nail polish remover. Please, don't let me amp that musk...

Wet: The nail-polishy scent warms into a more pleasant white floral; I have never smelled a peach blossom, but I get the fruity undertone of peach blended with a bright springlike floral. The musk drifts above it definitely Up Front and Here To Be Counted. I can't tell if it's the amber swamping the almond, or the almond blurring the amber, but it has kind of a generically non-foody-but-sweet quality on me. There's nothing offensive here, but it's kind of a jangle to my nose.

Drydown: Better. As the musk burns off, the light floral is still present over a golden creaminess. I think I might cellar this one for a while in the hopes of mellowing out that sweet musk, see if it plays more nicely with its friends. I think on someone who doesn't amp musk, it would be a lovely soft skin scent, but with the amber AND the almond AND the musk, on me it doesn't reach its full potential.

Verdict: more pros than cons. Age and test again.

[Lucchesa]

Cat Chasing Butterflies was my husband's choice for me, though it did make my long list. I don't remember ever trying peach blossom but plum and cherry blossom are hit and miss on me. Still, I expected this to smell somewhat like peach, which can be overly sweet on me, and I got very little peach or sweetness at first. And I love almond and was disappointed at not getting any in the opening. Usually when almond scents are wet, I'll get a blast of almond that fades fairly quickly. So, wet, a creamy ambery pale floral, nice but not exceptional. And since Shungas tend to disappear fast on my skin, I thought I would put it away for a month or two and try again.

 

To my great surprise, the scent kept growing and developing. The sweet musk started to bloom once the oil was dry, and it works really well on me. And in the middle of yoga class, about 2 hours in, I started to smell a distinct and very beautiful almond. This had exceptional wear for a Shunga on my sponge-like skin; I can still smell it faintly roughly five hours after application -- and after a shower! I think I'm going to be turning to this beauty again and again all spring long.

[soniahgreen]

This scent took me by surprise. I expected it to smell much different based on the notes. It is definitely a peach blossom and not peach fruit scent. The musk is the star player and reminds me of the musk in the Anniversary Swift as Light. The almond peeks out as it dries. I think it gives the scent some creaminess. If you are a musk lover like me, you need to try this scent!

[SophieCedar]

Pretty straight-forward. The only thing I wish for more of is the almond cream (like marzipan or heavy cream almond pastry filling?) I see the hairspray thing during the wet phase, but just hang on. It lasts for like 5 min. Its pretty light on the throw, summery, bright light orange and amber colors. Mostly sweet musk and I bit of peach blossom on drydown. Revisiting this in the summertime.

[tarotgirl99]

Peach blossom is definitely less sweet and fruity than peach, which makes this scent more sophisticated and significantly less foody than you might expect. On me, it definitely morphs into something almost bitter at times and then comes back to center. The musk does make it perfumey or hair spray-esque, but not for long. It's just definitely a morpher, because when the musk and amber come out, the perfume isn't sweet enough for my taste. But after a few hours, it settles into loveliness. Not sure if this is going to be a keeper for me.

[astarinel]

Very perfume-y, especially wet, and definitely has that overtone of hairspray/chemicals at first that other people mentioned.

 

As it dries that backs off, and it's a creamy musky floral. Definitely peach blossom, not peach -- this is not a fruity scent. I was hoping for more of the almond cream, and I tend to find that my skin amps almond, but it's not really showing up at all in this scent. Perhaps the "almond cream" makes it come across differently on my skin.

 

I was also hoping this would be a bit sweeter, with almond cream and sweet musk, but I actually find it a mildly sweet, musky-creamy white floral. It's soft and very spring-like, but ultimately not for me.

[trinitysite]

It starts off creamy-fruit, definitely perfume-y and not particularly interesting to me. I thought it had faded entirely, and then suddenly the amber/musk came out. I originally didn't even think it was the same scent -- I was wearing a scarf, and decided that there was something in the scarf left over from the last time I was wearing it! Very confusing! So, I decided to try it again today (no scarf) and indeed the musk/amber shows up after a loooong time, with a little fruityness left over. I think I like it? Definitely good for spring, although there's something about it that's also a little too sexy for me to be comfortable wearing it to work.

[zankoku_zen]

Almond musk with a tinge of sweet peaches. This one is a sweet almond-peach musk. Very delicate and soft. Medium throw and wear length.

Edited March 19, 2018 by zankoku_zen

[neuilly]

First sniff was a bit acrid/bitter but faded quickly. What I assume is the peach blossom, smells similar to neroli to me. I get whiffs of the almond but not as strong as I hoped. and I don't find this milk at all which I was hoping for. Near the end it gets a bit powdery.

 

Very interesting scent and not at all like I was expecting. I would recommend trying it though especially to neroli fans.

[Dharklady]

Wet: Starts off with a definite floral note that varies between slightly green and slightly sweet on the fruity (peach). The musk adds both sweetness and amps the sharpness of the floral.

 

As it dries it smooths out and the floral note recedes without disappearing as a creamy sweet musk takes center stage. This feels light and fresh overall.

 

Ends up feeling like a musky soft floral with a hint of smooth sweetness.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Sweet, soft florals and musk. Lovely. Super feminine and soft. Elegant. Refined. Love it so far. There is a tiny hint of green somewhere in there that keeps it from being too heady. It hovers on the verge of powdery, but doesn't quite go there. I really like it. It's very light and springy.

 

 

Dry: Really pretty. Soft, slightly floral, sweet musk. Very spring appropriate. It's not one of those scents that I sniff and think "OMG it's stunning" but it makes me smile and think of sunshine and warm breezes. That's a win for me!

[doomsday_disco]

In the decant: Mostly musky peach blossom with a bit of bitter almond and amber.

 

Wet: Musky peach blossom and bitter almond. The peach blossom isn't as sweet and peach-y as it is in Tamora. The bitter almond is a little jarring. I thought it would be a sweet one. There's this element to the scent that it is like the Lab's dead leaf note (not the crumbling dead leaf one, but yellow and red leaves, some with spots of green that still remain, that have recently fallen from a tree) a bit pepper-y and cologne-y.

 

Dry: Eventually, it does veer out of that funky phase, and I'm left with a very light, almond-tinged creamy floral accompanied by some sweet musk, with a bit of amber in the background.

 

Verdict: I almost leapt for a bottle of this one, but I'm glad I opted for a decant instead. On a positive note, the peach blossom isn't nearly as strong or peach-y as it is in Tamora. But the funky wet phase is not something I'd want to endure again.

[roseus]

In the imp: peach blossom and cherry-ish almond

 

Wet: cherry-almond cream with amber and a little peach blossom.

 

Dry: bitter musky cherries and a bit of beautiful peach blossom. Well, they can't all be winners!

[thecaitycat]

In the bottle

Something about this smells sharp. Not unpleasantly so, but a little sharp. I think it's the musk. In the bottle this is the hardest one of my 2018 Shungas to pinpoint as distinctly floral, resiny, musky, etc.

 

Wet on skin

The sharpness softens a bit and the fruitiness of the peach blossom comes out. Not purely floral, but just enough to soften the musk without getting rid of the musk altogether, because the musk here is really pretty.

 

Dry on skin after 30 minutes

As this dries, the amber is more pronounced and the whole blend becomes creamier and more sophisticated. I know there is almond cream in this, but I don't detect it specifically. I think it's more of a tie-everything-together note because I definitely can pinpoint the peach blossom and the amber and the musk.

 

Thoughts

LOVE. Out of the four 2018 Shungas I tried, Cat Chasing Butterflies and Hojojutsu are tied for the very best. They are two very different blends, to my nose and skin chemistry, but equally beautiful. This is also one of my husband's favorites on me, which was surprising. This has really good throw for the first couple of hours, and then becomes more of a close-in wrist sniffer.

[mishi-bear]

This was a very non-offensive blend but honestly didn't appeal to me much. The peach blossom is nice, a mix between a fruity peach smell and a floral. The amber is bright, sweet, and a touch powdery. Unfortunately the almond is where this steers 'meh' on me, it's a bit too lotiony. I'm very picky about almond as a note, I prefer a more roasted almond smell, and in this it's absolutely not that. It's clean, smells like lotion, and is honestly a bit 'cool' in feel. This 'cool' feel is helped along by a vague sweet musk, which is clean, sweet, cool, and honestly a bit soapy. Low throw and short wear length. I didn't find this repulsive or anything but I'm picky about almond and feel like this would have worked better as some sort of lotion or bath product instead of a perfume.

[kelpsoda]

WET: very peach - almost fruity. I get almond cookies behind that!

 

DRY: an almond/amber/musk combo. Peach blossom has disappeared completely. The musk is actually pretty strong. A little sharper than I would like. . .

[milo]

Sweet and soapy at first. After a bit, the peach blossom comes out, but it is more like the peach fruit to me. It's pretty musky and soapy with a touch of peach. Not for me.

[VetchVesper]

This is soooooooooo purrretty! It is NOT a peach fruit scent. That's fine with me though, b/c I don't really care for peach. What this IS is a creamy sweet goodness with a tart, fresh floral dancing lightly over the top. It's effervescent and playful. It's a butterfly. It's soft, gentle, and light, and makes me think of a floral flavored cream soda.

 

I get why some folks are saying hairspray and what not, b/c the effervescence has sort of an aerosol nose tickling thing going on, but where as that smell is chemical, this is just all fluttery. Don't know how else to describe it. I'm hunting down a bottle, stat!

[LiberAmoris]

Cat Chasing Butterflies is a pretty, musky floral—light as a butterfly. Peach blossom smells sweet (almost like the floral note contains a drop of honey), slightly waxy, and slightly powdery to me. It blends with the amber and musk to make a delightful skin scent. The almond cream is used very lightly here, and I don't know if I'd be able to pick out the almond at all after drydown. Would be a great 'gateway BPAL' for the uninitiated who like florals, and it layers wonderfully with Snake Oil.

[Myrrha]

This is such a happy scent, I wear it and feel my heart lifted up, I feel "dancey".

 

At first it is a little too sweet, but somehow evanescent, active.

 

The sweetest part of the musk and the florals fade off and what is left is a mix of almond and musk, so soft and pretty. The cat got tired of chasing butterflies and curled up for a nap.

Edited October 14, 2018 by Myrrha

[tinyvulture]

Hey, it's the creamy almond milk note that I love from Organ Grinder! Here it blends with a pop of fizzy sweet peach blossom. Almost like a peach champagne, fun and flirty. No amber or musk that I can tell. This is a vivacious, bubbly scent. I think I prefer the earthiness of Organ Grinder, as far as almond blends go.

[Rane.]

I bought this for my wife & she loves it. Smells like a ripe peach almond croissant to me, minus the baked smell.

[Thuy]

This started off heavy on the floral and amber right behind it on me, which was almost too much and veering into headache territory. It's like a floral blast, but once that dries down, it's so much more tolerable (and likeable). About an hour in the cream starts to come through, and it's just a soft almond for me. I do love the sweet musk once everything settled down. I wonder how this was when it first was made, because I'm reviewing it after it's aged for some time. I like it and am glad to have a bottle.

[Little Bird]

I wore this the other day without looking up the notes and thought it smelled like fresh pear dipped in cool cream, breezy white blossoms, and a warm, nutty, grainy, golden quality.  It's what I wished Almond Blossoms had smelled like.  Very pretty and evocative of spring.  The "almond cream" is very beautiful and not cherry-like at all.

[saralaughs]

I get the hairspray. It's gone relatively quickly but it was sort of startling.

 

A very low throwing almond cream with a bit of musk.