Basket of Abalone

[Atrous]

Pink grapefruit, yuzu, pink pepper, ambergris, and seafoam.

 

Not sure how I feel about this one.  

It's grapefruit and ambergris with a bit of something briney in the background.  I'm grateful that the seafoam didn't go in the direction most aquatic notes go, meaning it usually smells like rot/decay on my skin.  The seafoam note actually smelled like distant sea water.   I didn't detect any pink pepper which is disappointing because I feel the pink pepper would've kicked the scent up a notch.

I think I need to retest after a little while and see if the pink pepper comes out and how it changes the scent.

Right now the scent is nice but a bit dull. 

 

[Casablanca]

On the wand, and fresh on my skin, I get lots of fresh grapefruit. Grapefruit SN.

 

In drydown, I get a faint salty air hint. Still mostly grapefruit, with faint ocean air. 

 

Once this dries, I get fading grapefruit and a breath of faint ambergris.

 

Then it fades out, leaving a dot of nondescript sweetness.

 

My skin eht it.

Edited March 20, 2019 by Casablanca

[zankoku_zen]

Grapefruit zest, ambergris, and powdery white musk. This is a citrusy white musk and ambergris blend on me. Medium throw and wear length.

[roseus]

Oooh sharp and bright citrus (grapefruit most apparent to me) but not too sour, with the rosy kick of pepper. The salty seafoam and ambergris is a really interesting counterpart. It's like smelling the sea air while cutting up a grapefruit. 

[doomsday_disco]

I almost bought a blind bottle of this, but I restrained myself, since there have been several grapefruit scents released as of late.

 

In the vial, I get the pink grapefruit, yuzu, a slight kick from the pink pepper, and a little salt from the seafoam.

 

On me, the tart grapefruit and yuzu reign, but behind it, I smell the salty seafoam. The seafoam becomes more prominent as it sits on my skin, making the citrus sharper and verging on soap. (Aquatics typically do not play nice on me.) Ambergris usually takes a while to show up on me. I can smell it as it begins to dry, and suspect it will gain prominence later, but it is light at the moment. I also get a slight kick from the pink pepper, which is not like the one in High-Strung Daisies. After about an hour, this becomes more aquatic than citrus. The ambergris is now the star of the show, accompanied by the salty seafoam, and just a hint of citrus. It remains that way after a few hours, with just the barest tinge of citrus by that point.

The lovely pink grapefruit and yuzu notes were too short-lived on me, sadly, making this a predominantly aquatic scent on me. I prefer Bellicose Clam for a pink grapefruit and yuzu scent, but I am glad that I was able to try this!

Edited March 31, 2019 by doomsday_disco

[donkehpoo]

Wet: First thing out the gate is grapefruit, followed by seafoam and a small kick of pink pepper! I'm really digging the grapefruit and seafoam combo; it's a fresh grapefruit-aquatic scent.

 

Dry: In short; this went from being citrus-dominant, to aquatic-dominant. Getting something a bit sour smelling now. Most of the grapefruit is gone, as well as the pink pepper. I'm still getting some seafoam, along with ambergris, but compared to the wet stage... not a winner. I'm super disappointed this didn't work well on my skin. The wet stage was big bottle worthy!

[DizzyGinger]

I purchased a bottle of this on a whim because I didn't want to miss out! I was expecting spicy, fresh, and aquatic, and sadly ended up disappointed. In the bottle I get pink grapefruit juice, a bit of salt, and heavy powder, which I guess is maybe the ambergris? I didn't notice any pink pepper, which was a little disappointing. Once applied and dried any freshness, citrus, or aquatic notes fade and I was left with pure powder, which I really don't care for. Sad day! 

[samanare]

Grapefruit and ambergris. The grapefruit is the strongest of the two, on me, upon first application. A while after it dries, the ambergris becomes more prominent, until it and the grapefruit are pretty equally matched. A briny grapefruit scent, I cautiously think I enjoy this one.

[sunreon]

Wet, I got a nice smack of citrus, delicious and juicy sharp, with a tiny kick of the pink pepper to keep it exciting and not just acidic hell.

 

But that basically flied out the door as it tried, and it became a soft soft powdery musk. I didn't get basically anything briny or salty or aquatic about the seafoam. Just sort of a .... soft foam feel. A nose texture of soft dense bubbles, but not a soapy smell. It felt like the smell of the color seafoam. (i'm from an oceanside town. Real seafoam is digusting.)

 

The ambergris was very nice, and there was the tiniest weakest hint of something in the background trying to shout and add its voice in. Perhaps it was the grapefruit zest, perhaps it was the pink pepper.

 

Either way, it was pleasant but not remotely what i wanted it to be. I need to try it on over lotion and in a scent locket, but as usual i'm pretty disappointed with how my skin makes lab grapefruit just goddam vanish.

[Lucchesa]

I was hoping Basket of Abalone would be a lovely bright invigorating citrus scent.  And indeed it started out that way on me, but unfortunately it turned into a really clean aquatic.  The tartness of grapefruit and yuzu couldn't hold their own against my skin chemistry's tendency to transform seafoam into laundry detergent.  I actually use a laundry soap that smells a lot like this does after about 45 minutes on my skin.  But I'm thrilled to have gotten to try it as one of the bounteous goodies in my 13 Nights of Halloween box.  

[bambi]

This ended up not at all what I expected. In the bottle I immediately get pink grapefruit, pepper, and salt. The grapefruit smells so fresh. Sometimes we get grapefruit as a dessert in the lunch provided by my work, and this smells exactly like that. Immediately upon application, I get a sharp burst of citrus before it abruptly vanishes. Something musky and sweet makes its way into the mix, which I think is the ambergris. The consistent note here on me is the pepper. I can't smell it so much as I can feel it. It leaves my nose a little itchy-tingle-y. It's fun. The overall impression I get of this scent is a sweet, powdery distant ocean with the tingle-y pepper.

[Rane.]

A juicy, bright, Summer scent. Matter of fact, this scent makes me hear "Juicy" by Doja Cat in my head everytime I smell it. The pink grapefruit, yuzu, & pink pepper really make this one stand out strong. The ambergris def adds more musk & depth. I get the faint seafoam which is complementary to the fruits. A forever favorite in my list.