Pleasure Boat

[zankoku_zen]

Golden amber, sandalwood rose, Kerria japonica, golden carnation, vanilla absolute, plush green mosses, orris root, and myrrh.

[supreme_c0rt]

The amber and sandalwood rose remind me of The Little Wooden Doll, while the carnation and vanilla give it a gentle, creamy peppery-ness. It's warm and soft, but the mosses are bringing a simultaneous coolness to the scent, very much like riding in a boat on a warm sunny day and picking up a crisp breeze on the water. The drydown is slightly powdery from the orris (mostly cream, not dust) and it's nearly identical to the drydown in The Little Wooden Doll. There's not a ton of myrrh in this. 

 

Pleasure Boat has the same understated elegance that is representative of the Shungas line, and it's charming and universal, perfect for spring. Fans of the Little Wooden Doll should try this. The carnation adds a spicy complexity and I really enjoy the cool breeziness that the mosses are adding.  

[AprilB]

I posted a review of this in the Luper Stalking thread, and it occurred to me that I probably ought to post it here, as well, so:

 

I managed to get a partial bottle from decanting leftovers, and gave this a try yesterday. I really, really love it. It's got staying power, and I kept stopping throughout the day to close my eyes and just breathe it in. The golden amber and the sandalwood rose are the stars of the blend, but the moss does give it the "plush" quality described in the scent notes, as well as helping to ground the florals. The orris and vanilla add a bit of creamy sweetness.

 

Overall, it's luxurious and golden. It's like a silk brocade that has been stored in a sandalwood chest packed with rose petal sachets, but now it's been taken out into the freshness of a spring day, and is gleaming in the sunlight.

[zankoku_zen]

Alice, is that you? I get a ton of carnation, amber, vanilla and a whiff of resin. Honestly, this smells like a grown up Alice from MTP. Alice, post Wonderland, and going off on sexual adventures. Good throw and wear length.

[Lucchesa]

When I retested Pleasure Boat, it was pleasant but I wasn't sure why I had adored it so much on first try.  I do love carnation; the carnation here feels like a fresh-cut greenish note rather than a spicy clove-like carnation.  I got amber and vanilla (not overly sweet) but I wouldn't have said rose.  There's also understated sandalwood and some green notes.  It's nice.  But an hour later, it's amazing.  It's still carnation-forward, but everything has melded together into something that transcends the individual components, and it lasts a long time without morphing further.  AprilB's description of this as like a golden brocade is spot on.  Definitely a spring/summer scent (which are underrepresented in my collection), mood-lifting, my favorite so far of the Lupers (though many of my decants were delayed and I'm still waiting...).  Definitely bottle-worthy.

[theseagrows]

i get something green and a little spicy (maybe the kerria japonica?) and a bit of amber. i get a bit of sourness from the greenery. later on i get carnation and some myrrh. it's like a warm golden scent with greenery. aquatic mixed with resins/vanilla, which works oddly on me. i think it's that green note that is keeping me from liking this...it's just too aquatic for my personal tastes.

[Dancing Raven]

Wet: The first five minutes are very light. I got an impression of sweetness amd what smelled to me like orange blossom. 

Drydown: Thankfully, it really amps up in strength. I still get the mystery orange blossom, but carnation comes in. It's floral and sweet from the amber and vanilla. I am getting just a touch of powder from the orris and mosses. The moss is going slightly dryer sheets/ozone on me, but hasn't tipped over into full blown laundry room.

30 minutes in this is aquatic and sweet. The ozone has disappeared. This is one of the rare ozone/aquatics that I can wear. I think myrrh and sandalwood are blending to create a sweet, resinous note, but this goes away after about 45 minutes. 

This stays sweet, aquatic, and slightly floral perfection for hours. I didn't think it could get any better, but then about two hours later a salty note emerges. 

3 1/2 hours after applying, the carnation becomes the top note. It's creamy and slightly peppery/papery. It blends seamlessly with the amber. This is just a really beautiful scent. I was sad that I had to wash it off in the shower. I can't wait to wear it again to smell what the final result is. I am so glad that I blind bought the full bottle.

5 out of 5 stars. 

[VetchVesper]

Really nice in the bottle.  Mossy and floral.  Complex.  It's reminding me slightly of Silenti from the VILF's (Spanish moss, lilac, wisteria, myrrh, and olibanum).  Similar vibe, but more exotic and less melancholy. 

 

On my skin, it immediately becomes very discordant.  Less moss, more incense and something golden and sharp.  Now, it's sorting itself out, becoming more of a dark, lush floral.  I'm definitely getting that myrrh, which is usually a note that stays in the background on me.  There's a weird, dirty-spicy - sharp note coming through that I am not familiar with and I'm not sure I fancy.  It kind of reminds me of dry ginger - sort of?  Perhaps the japonica?  I'm not familiar with the note.  Carnation can be spicy, but this isn't usually what it smells like, and I don't really get any recognizable carnation.

 

The weirdness starts calming down after about 5 minutes, and again, I'm getting a mossy, dark floral that still reminds me of Silenti.  I kind of like it, but am suspicious of what it will do next.     Those who like The Madame might also appreciate this, and supreme_c0rt's reference to Little Wooden Doll also works.  The sandalwood has sort of a dusty, Oriental feel.  Pleasure Boat isn't a love, but it's interesting enough that I kind of want to keep my partial and see if grows on me and where it goes with aging.

 

Overall, a languid, mossy floral.  Dark, plush, and exotic smelling.