Monk

[zankoku_zen]

Sandalwood incense, ti leaf, and honeyed saffron.

[zankoku_zen]

UGH, Monk smells amazing. It smells like flowers and incense, and just sort of downright low-key sexy. It's got a suppleness that is understated, and actually would amp up the sexiness to any blend, and would definitely cozy up to your Lupercalia. Good throw and wear length.

[feyofthefellwood]

This one is low-key gorgeous---simple yet clear and bright. I could definitely see it being a helpful scent for studying, meditating, or any activity that requires mental focus. My mom liked it so much that I gifted it to her, though if she hadn't taken such a liking to it I'd definitely have kept it. ☺️

[roseus]

Beautiful bright green that dries down to more of a saffron-sandalwood incense. Fresh, but calm and focused. 

[Lucchesa]

Oh yes, Monk could totally be a Shunga. Aren’t there Japanese erotic stories about misbehaving monks? The sandalwood incense note is tied to earth with the honey and saffron. This has good staying power too — I can even still smell it after showering. Really nice.

[AirimirOfGondor]

I was worried I wouldn't like Monk, because this is my first blend with ti leaf so I didn't know what to expect, but I love it!

 

At first sniff it is weirdly aquatic and green at the same time, with a...kind-of creamy sweet note.

 

As it dries down the honey is more distinguishable, and the sandalwood is also a bit stronger. The ti leaf keeps it all green and fresh, without having one of those OMG-greenery! kinds of feelings (not at all like your oakmosses, or grass, or flower greens). It's almost like a bamboo kind of note, with a shade of eucalyptus. I can't really pinpoint the saffron, but the oil does have the most miniscule bit of an earthy quality, so I would chalk that up to the saffron. :)

 

All in all this one is awesome! It feels like a nice fresh spring/summer scent, or exactly the kind of fragrance you'd expect to smell at a spa~

[doomsday_disco]

Monk is mostly about the strong white tea on me, backed by the honeyed part of the honeyed saffron, and some sandalwood incense. It shares some similarities with a previous Shunga, The Mystery of Giant Testicles on a Brothel Visitor, but that one is warmer and creamier, with its beeswax and roasted nuts. I prefer that scent over this one.

 

My skin chemistry really amps the ti leaf in this far more than I would like. I bet this would smell much nicer on those that do not amp that note.

[Vaporeon]

This is gorgeous. I couldn't pass up trying even though the whole rpg thing is of no interest to me. Sandalwood is one of my favorite notes but i usually find bpal sandalwood to be sharp and unpleasant or completely undetectable. This is beautiful sandalwood incense smoothed out so nicely by the creamiest honeyed saffron. The ti leaf is the perfect amount bringing this into shunga territory. 😍

[theseagrows]

this starts with a clean sandalwood incense and ti leaf. it's clean and woody-very 'spa like' to my nose. after awhile the honeyed saffron takes over and it's really nice, and dries down to saffron and ti leaf, though it's quite subtle, i can see how it would be good for layering, but i'm not really into layering...anyway, still a pretty scent but also gives me a bit of a headache? so i'm not sure about this one. i think it's too cologne-y for my tastes. 

Edited September 29, 2020 by theseagrows

[ajansuz]

In the vial, I did not like this at all. It was very sharp and stung my nose a little bit. I've had decent experience with my skin taming down things like that as long as they aren't headache inducing, so I tried it anyway. Sadly, I amp the ti leaf like crazy, so it is green, green, green and not in a way I like very much. I get some of the creaminess people talk about. I think if my skin didn't decide to amp that one note to the heavens, this could have been better on me. I have also had pretty bad luck with the lab's sandalwood.

 

Sadness, because it sounded so lovely. It's a pass for me.

[Seajewel]

Absolutely gorgeous. Bright floral sandalwood that has my wrist glued to my nose. I've really loved the various iterations of sandalwood incense perfumes (such as Challenge of the Ascetic and Mystery of the Giant Testicles on a Brothel Visitor), they all manage to be quite different. This one is the bright beautiful one of the bunch. Showy but still elegant. I don't know how to describe it, but I'm glad I was able to find a secondhand bottle, and hope it comes back in stock soon. 

[Nemo]

In the vial this is sharp and bright, with both honey and saffron prominent and the sandalwood lingering behind, looking bashful. I love love love honey scents, and I know I'm not the only one. By the time I discover them, they're usually sold out. Dry(ing) down, the sandalwood is more prominent. There's a lovely, lovely dry, powdery sweetness with a wood note that I am infatuated with. Not just sandalwood incense but a GOOD sandalwood incense. I want more of this.   This is potent enough that I don't end up with my nose glued to my wrist while I breathe in the scent, but it isn't so strong that I'm afraid I'd clear out a room.

 

Never thought I'd fall in love with an RPG scent but I want a bottle of this, and probably more than one.

[skyturtles]

Fresh from the lab frimp!

The sandalwood is flowery; the honey is faint and not overpowering in its sweetness. I suppose this is a saffron-fronted scent. I don't hate it but I don't love it. Thanks labbies!

[ShadowEtienne]

Saffron in this is definitely the spicy floral note that reminds me of the whole saffron crocus. Its sweetened and made more floral by the honey, but it's a light, not cloying honey that is almost nectary. The ti leaf adds a vibrant growing greenness to the scent that really works (a lot of green leaf type scents just overwhelm anything else on my skin, but this melds well with the rest and is in balance).

 

On my skin, the sandalwood is nowhere to be found and I don't mind at all. This is bright and cheerful and soothing, and I'm very very pleased with it.

[monocainsheresy]

Sharp green ti leaf and honey, with the saffron and a bit of sandalwood coming out as time passes. Sweet, warm, translucent emerald and gold - like sunlight through leaves.

Edited June 12 by monocainsheresy

[HerbGirl]

The new incarnation of Monk doesn't smell like my older imps at all. 😞 Not an aging issue, completely different scent. That's the last time I will jump at a restock.

 

This is green and somewhat sharp, the original was all creamy saffron and sandalwood with a hint of ti and honey.

Edited July 5 by HerbGirl
More info.

[sudenmorsian]

23 hours ago, HerbGirl said:

The new incarnation of Monk doesn't smell like my older imps at all. 😞 Not an aging issue, completely different scent. That's the last time I will jump at a restock.

Could you tell how the new one differs from the original? 

 

I bought Monk lately so my sample is all new and fresh. It's green and lightly sweet, very much sandalwood incense dominant. I think the saffron is detectable. Crispy green honeyed sandalwood incense mostly, I can imagine that monastery could smell like this. This is nice and soothing, I really liked this on my significant otter.