Manila

[zankoku_zen]

A tropical, humid, lush scent, with a faint echo of Pacific breezes, jungle blossoms, and deep wet woods. Sampaguita blossoms, banana leaf, palm, and narra.

Wow, I get banana floral. It's sweet and light.

And then the banana takes on almost a peppery edge and the floral aspect drops to the background.

Being a girl that does not enjoy bananas, I was still intrigued about this scent. Unfortunately peppered bananas are not at all what I want!

ETA: To insert description. Edited April 8, 2008 by zankoku_zen

[matokie]

I smelled the sweet banana when I first opened the imp, and it stayed pleasantly fruity on my skin while it was still wet. Now the banana has almost completely faded and the scent has gone slightly musky, with just a small tug of the tropics wafting my way every now and again. I live in the Bay Area and we're having our first truly warm weekend this weekend, and I feel like keeping Manila on to celebrate!

[savage_rose]

Evidently my skin eats banana like it does, cherry, almond...only this time, it's a good thing. Not a banana fan really. This is a light floral with a lightly tangy note I can't recognize...tropical, but not overwhelmingly so. It's nice enough, although it's too light a scent for me.

[gypsysingleton]

Does not smell like banana on me - smells like jasmine on me which usually goes off on me. Not going to translate into a bottle purchase which is fine with my wallet. It quickly went to incense, meh.

Edited April 24, 2008 by gysysingleton

[gchris]

In Vial: mmm. yummy fresh fruit

 

Wet: light, fresh and fruity. Like others have said this smells tropical. It is becoming more floral now, more floral than fruity.

 

Drydown: This smells similar to other bpal scents I have tried. Not exactly what I was looking for, it becomes more floral than tropical.

[ladyver]

this was my favourite imp test today!

in bottle: sweet, banana, floral, tropical.

wet on skin: smells like fresh food end of an asian grocery store, probably from the banana leaf and palm with the flowers; then I get a floral and a woody scent (I am wondering if the flower or the wood of the narra tree is used here? as i am not sure what i am smelling exactly). i also spot that faint peppery thing briefly in the background that others have mentioned.

Bit later: becomes sweet in a soft pretty way, not confectionary like at all...

This is soooooo pretty! seems to reflect the descriptions i have read on sampaguita blossoms and makes we want to go and see them and the narra tree in real life!

 

i am loving the couple of tropical flower scents that i have tried so far

[anardana]

I didn't think that I would like this- but I do! I usually hate florals of any kind, but this is lovely banana-floral! Not as heady as I feared either. A light summer-y not-old-lady-ish scent.

Edited June 2, 2008 by anardana

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Pale honey coloured oil. Sweet, wet, fruity, floral, green, woody. A complex and lush tropical assault. Sweet fruitiness dominates.

 

Wet: Instantly far more floral, vastly less fruity - but I do recognize the banana leaf. A bit soapy, a bit sharp. Warmer and less aquatic - amber, I think. A tingle of ozone. Oriental woody-spicy notes.

 

Dry: What a morpher. The florals have softened, balancing the fruit nicely, but the woods (dry, hot) have emerged in full force. Strong smoky and spicy notes accompany the woods. The sampaguita - ie pikake - is beautifully sweet and floral, but overwhelmed.

 

Later: This sort of reminds me of Machu Picchu - it has that same hot, tropical feel with sweet florals. This is far woodier, though - the narra smells like a cross between mahogony and cedar - both deep and dry - and also recalls rosewood.

 

Summary: Narra's spicy, oriental heat, much like cedar and rosewood and a few other dry woods, takes over completely on my skin; only at close range can I detect the sweetly floral pikake, a bit of green-fruity banana leaf, and a faint hint of soft amber. Strong throw.

 

Not a fan of this one.

[lunaticana]

wow love it!

bloomy jungle~fever!

it s a morpher. thats for sure

from the Impy to me it smells like bubblegumballs! weird, but true

on my skin it s turning (& turning & turning) into a real jungle thing

this is how I would smell if would be playing in a movie like Apocalyto (and I wish, cause the guy is HOT )

it is what I expected from it, and am very happy!

it s not to woodsy for me at all, it s arelaxing & summerish happy scent! perfect for the sunny moments around here!

Edited July 3, 2008 by lunaticana

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Sweet and softly fruity

 

On Application

Spicy, fragrant flowers and fruity

 

Dry Down

Woah! The wet woods really emerge as it warms. Definitely not a dry scent. This a really nice and unusual scent. Worth considering for a bottle.

 

Rating (0-5)

4.5

[ouch!]

This to me is more like a green/fruity smell than a floral. In fact..I don't think it's floral at all. I can't say I know what Sampaguita blossom smells like, or what the other blooms are. But I'm getting when it's wet, a fruity smell that's alot like pineapple. There's a green tinge to this which I'm presuming is the Palm... It's really nice, I like it alot.

 

I'm not sure if there's supposed to be an aquatic element to this (Judging by the Pacific reference) but I'm not getting that either when it's wet..or when it's dry..

 

I've had the imp for ages and only just got round to picking it out!! It's a fun smell..

 

As it dries. I do get a faint woody smell, but it's not too strong and the scent turns alot muskier. Now it's like musky fruit.

 

If I walked through the jungle and smelled anything like this...I'd be smiling happily!

 

It's perfect for the sunny day we're having in London today, which is such a far cry from anything tropical!!!

Edited July 22, 2008 by ouch!

[brsis]

Initial thoughts: Hmm. Hmmm. I'm quite into tropical scents at the moment, but this one might be a bit too leafy/woody for me, as it has no fruit.

 

On the wrist, wet: BANANAS. And now sharp, acrid SOMETHING. This smells like banana incense. I... I hate bananas.... I thought it said 'leaf' in there somewhere...

 

Twenty minutes later: Well, it doesn't smell like bananas anymore. This is woody and leafy, but sharp and slightly astringent. It's bright but not a 'happy' scent. I quite like this, but it's a tad medicinal for my tastes.

 

Verdict: Keeper... I don't know if I'll get a bottle.

 

Tl;Dr: Dark green, slightly sharp and astringent tropical leaves and woods.

[Iceblink]

Bananas! And tropical florals. Manila smells *humid* and really feels tropical and lush. It's very sweet when wet, almost like banana candy, but the florals come out more as it dries and keep it from feeling too sickeningly sweet. Really interesting, this one.

[Dark Alice]

Humid Banana flavored candy. I am not a fan. I don't like bananas and for some reason my skin does not like hot flowers. Off to the swaps for this one!

[skyblues]

Imp: Woodsy banana bubblegum. Yeah, definite fake banana scent. The funny thing is that even though I hate artificially banana-flavored things, it really doesn't bother me with Manila and I had no misgivings about applying it.

 

On me: Fabulous. Deep, rich, warm, sweet, substantially woodsy but not masculine. This is a definite floral-Oriental, the woodsy sweetness giving an overall impression of almost amber (which works very well for me), but still definitely tropical. There's no fruitiness in the drydown, banana or otherwise. This is not a light scent, or a delicate one - it is rich, lush, seductive, like a tropical forest on a humid day. The sweetness I've mentioned twice already is perfectly balanced, not saccharine, just right.

 

I have tried dozens of scents, and there have been some that I've liked more in the bottle, but none has translated so well to my skin. Oh, and it lasts for ages and ages.

 

My body chemistry is deranged, so I can't say you'll get results even remotely like this, but it's totally worth trying.

Edited August 4, 2008 by SpaceCowgirl

[gingiemay]

Wet in imp - Banana and some tropical blooms.

 

Wet on skin - Banana and flowers and a light freshness, perhaps like a sparkling lagoon. There is a tiny undercurrent of sunscreen, but it is not unpleasant.

 

Dry on skin - mostly fresh, humid smelling blossoms, an undercurrent of bananas and faint wood--the narra.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very green and fruity with a hint of jasmine.

 

Immediately on skin: As it was in the imp, on my skin this is very green and fruity, almost like bamboo. But there’s a thick feeling to this scent… the green smells greener, and the fruit smells fruitier, so it’s probably a combination of notes as opposed to just bamboo. There’s also quite a strong jasmine note in this blend (aka Sampaguita blossoms in the notes) and it kind of smokily wafts above the green fruitiness of this scent.

 

After a little while: What? Pine? Where did that come from? Breaking it down, what I’m really getting is some strong green and wood notes plus the jasmine. But it’s totally coming across to my nose as sticky, thick pine sap. Very odd…

 

Overall Impressions: This scent is… odd. It starts out nice and green and fruity, but then the notes combine in a way that strikes me as almost SN pine. It’s complex, and well blended. Odd on me though… I tend to amp jasmine so others may not have the same issues I did with this blend.

[skepticism]

Smelled heavily of banana. Ick, banana = foody = . It was also a bit too fruity for me, but I did feel a touch of of the PI humidity, which made me .

 

It wasn't quite what I was expecting, but taking into consideration that I already have mental associations with Manila and the heavy parfums my aunts and grandmas would practically bathe in. Couple that with the smoky, polluted city smells and vulcanized rubber shanties down the highway medians, a sort of juxtaposition of scents I suppose.

[Deyja7]

In the vial, this reminds me of when i've been cooking and had to mash up some bananas. I don't know what any of the other ingredients are supposed to smell like though. At first on my skin, Manila smell's like that small hard banana-shaped candy. Pretty soon it morphs though... and i can't really pinpoint what it smells like, with my unsophisticated nose. It definitely moves onto a more tropical light jungle scent, i get a sense of what must be the blossom's, and the banana had pretty much disappeared.

Overall, as more of a dark, spice girl.. this one just isn't for me. But hey, it's worth trying everything once.

[maika]

In the imp, assuming banana leaves smell the same as bananas (and there is no reason to suspect they don't) the n that's all I smell...sweet, ripe bananas to be precise.

 

Wet, the banana note is still obvious, but is joined by florals, and some very fresh green notes. This is smelling very close to how it's described - bring on the jungle!

 

Dry, it went all lush foresty for a while, but now it's kinda very sweet florals, and not doing it for me. I do think it would make a wonderful room fragrance though!

[blacklacestatic]

In the imp: tropical, bright , fruity.

 

Wet on skin: OOh! Bananas! this is probably the first bpal banana I have encountered. It's done really well. I get a definite sense of hot, lush tropics with this one. It's a paradise kind of scent. It's really nice, great as an atmosphere type scent, would be lovely diffused into a room. Especially in the Summer. It's got kind of a creamy feel too.

 

Drydown: It reminds me a bit of Lady Una or Hony Mone. The leaves mixed with something sweeter perhaps? It feels a little drier, yet kinda syrupy sweet and golden. Still really pretty. I KNOW WHAT IT REMINDS ME OF! A Sex on the Beach cocktail!

 

Overall: This was definitely one I would reccommend checking out. Maybe not one I need a bottle of, but I can see myself running the imp dry. It's worth testing out for the idea-into-fragrance factor. A great representation of a tropical jungle paradise.

Edited November 29, 2008 by BlackLace

[hkhm]

imp: banana. it's the same yummy banana scent i get from shango.

 

wet: wet fruits (with banana) and a floral scent.

 

dry: this dries to a lush, floral fruity scent. not strong on banana, but it's still there, lurking in the background. bottle-worthy.

[Saya]

In the Imp

This smells like banana snowcones I used to get when I was a little kid mixed with light breezy tropical florals. Very cool.

 

On My Skin

This is a really lovely mix of florals with a bit of banana in the background. It’s not sickingly sweet, or cloying, it’s more of a light whispy scent. It smells like laying on the beach with a mixed drink flavored with bananas.

 

After a Bit

I like this blend quite a bit. An hour and a half later it’s mostly florals (jasmine?) with just a hint of banana giving the blend a juicy feel to it. Two thumbs up!

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being best)

Scent - 4.3 Throw - 2 Longevity - 3

Overall (not an average) - 4

 

Final Thoughts

I can see myself reaching for this blend quite a bit in the summer. It’s a really lovely floral blend with the greenery and fresh, ripe fruit adding to the mix. After I use up my imp I’m getting a bottle of this one!

[Seismogenic]

Huzzah for Wanderlust frimps! I'd somehow managed to totally overlook this one in past skims through that section, but now it is here! I figure it's a good one for today, since we're in single digit humidity here, and humidity is listed as a key trait.

 

In the imp: That's humidity all right! Wet foliage, with a sweetness that falls somewhere between floral and fruity.

 

Wet on skin: Still very humid, though now I get more of the foliage and forestyness, with maybe a little less overt fruitiness. I've never been to an actual rainforest, but this is pretty much how I'd imagine one would smell.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, more actual wood is coming out in comparison to the foliage and fruit, but those other notes are still there. An hour later, the southern California air seems to have taken some of the humidity out of the scent, though it's still bright, warm, slightly fruity woods.

 

Five hours later: It's fainter, but it's still warm sweet wood. The sweetness has a fruity character, but it's more subtle; no banana peels to the face here.

 

End of the day: There's still a little bit of the sweet wood smell left.

 

Overall: I was initially worried that this was going to turn into all fruit and flowers and nothing else, but my fears were unfounded. Manila is a warm and humid outdoor smell, like fruit hidden among lots and lots of leafy trees. Though the foliage in the rainforest is surely very thick, there's still something distinctly warm and sunny about this oil. It's summery, but not aggressively so; it seems like the kind of scent you'd consider wearing in the winter to remind yourself of summer. I'll be holding on to this one!

[diamondstars]

Ooh, how peculiar!

 

Banana/floral - reminds me of holidays! Yay