Adventuresome Encounters

[zankoku_zen]

Russet amber, tonka bean, oakmoss, sweet yam, cinnamon bark, and bourbon vanilla.

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: An unusual sweet-musky thing my nose can't quite identify in the bottle. 

 

Wet on my skin: I can smell that sweet yam! Sweet, chewy yam with an almost dessert-like quality due to the tonka, vanilla, and cinnamon. 

 

Dry: This is really unusual! Unlike anything else at all in my BPAL collection, but it would be since this is my only yam/sweet potato blend so far. It's actually a bit foodie-dessert like, though not quite into full gourmand territory. Sweet, chewy yam with gentle (not intense) cinnamon, tonka, and vanilla, lightened a bit by an unusual sort of amber, and I think the oakmoss is the herbal thing in the background keeping the whole blend from being a totally gourmand dessert scent. If you've ever had a baked sweet potato with dessert toppings like cinnamon sugar and melted unsalted butter, it smells kinda like that but even sweeter and slightly perfumier. Almost like...OH. I GOT IT. Baked sweet potato casserole with melty marshmallows and cinnamon on top, the kind you find at a Midwestern US Christmas and/or Thanksgiving dinner. If you want to smell like a slightly perfumier than foodie baked sweet potato casserole with melty marshmallows and cinnamon, this is your jam. Or your yam. Yum. 

[HerbGirl]

This is a sweet creamy cinnamon vanilla pastry. Nothing complex here, but it smells great.

On dry down there is a musky 'yam like' note, I guess. I think I'm trying to avoid the yam because the rest is really nice. It is a bit strange. The amber comes out more and masks the weirdness from the yam note, which is great. This reminds me so much of another perfume oil but I can't think of which one right now. 

And, once this has been on my skin for an hour, the yam note is gone and this is one of the most beautiful perfume oils I have ever smelled.

 

Eta: I'm wearing this beauty today and finally figured out which oil it reminds me of. The drydown reminds me of Golden Sunrise from last year (plus a hint of cinnamon). I think it's the same amber even though this doesn't list amber cream. I love it.

Edited April 30, 2021 by HerbGirl

[Missanneshirleyofgg]

Loved the lighter cinnamon yam on application and actually felt it was a better Sweet Potato Musk but dries down to a super loud clingy sweet (I wanted to say fruity, its fruit type sweet, not caramel or honey type sweet) amber where as Sweet Potato Musk is linear on me. If you want it for a unique amber the dry down is for YOU as I have not smelled an amber like this one, but if you were interested in the cinnamon and vanilla yam and excited for a Luper with an autumn flair, everything leaves around the forty five min mark except this very unique and extremely bright amber. Super longevity, I also applied twelve hours ago and still finding the scent in my clothes and crook of elbow. It *is* pretty. I might come back round to it when I modify my expectation and embrace this as an amber dominant fragrance. If there are other ambers in the bpal library which are similar I would love to try those! 

Edited May 1, 2021 by Missanneshirleyofgg

[doomsday_disco]

This is glorious. The light (non-burny, non-cinnabomb) cinnamon and yam notes are the stars on me for the first three hours of wear, and to me, it's even better than Sweet Potato Musk. I agree with HerbGirl's description of this having a pastry vibe. Amazingly, the oakmoss doesn't take over on me like it normally does and just resides in the background, grounding the scent. After several hours, the russet amber starts to emerge and ends up becoming the dominant note backed by what remains of the cinnamon and yam. It's a creamy, musky amber that I believe may be the same one from the amazing The Geisha and the Samurai HG. Swoon.

 

I'm going to need a bottle.  

Edited May 1, 2021 by doomsday_disco

[zankoku_zen]

Cinnamon, a touch of yam and vanilla, and amber. This one is warmer, and spicier than I expected. Much more approachable. Medium throw and wear length.

[saralaughs]

At first application, the oakmoss is prominent, with a vegetal background that is enhanced by a woody spice note.

 

Pretty soon, though, the oakmoss disappears while I cry.

 

The woody cinnamon takes over, along with a dry amber that I'm unsure I like. 

 

Overall, it finishes as a slightly creamy yet dry cinnamon that is warm and woodsy.

 

 

Edited May 8, 2021 by saralaughs

[Amber Tears]

On my skin, at least, the yam plays beautifully with the other notes. It's not unlike taking a whiff of a sweet yam casserole, albeit the subtle notes of oakmoss and amber make it perfume-y.

 

If you want a more subtle gourmet scent, I'd reccomend trying this out.

[VetchVesper]

Who knew we need more yams in perfumery? 

 

This is a gently spicy, gently foody, comforting blend.  The yam smells akin to pumpkin, but is less aggressive.  The cinnamon is noticeable, but is added with a delicate touch, just a warm, dry sprinkling.  There's a hint of harshness from the bourbon vanilla, but it's very faint and will probably mellow more with time.  I think the amber and oakmoss just give this a bit of a dry, creamy texture to lay on and keep things from being too sweet.  This is the perfume version of really good sweet potato pie, and will be a lovely fall alternative to the pumpkin pie note that hates me.  💖  It's lightweight enough though, that it should be fine in the summer.  Cuddly and yam good.   

 

ETA: Since others have mentioned the amber, I thought I'd mention that my brain wanted to compare it to Amber & Lace which also has a beautiful, raspy but creamy sort of vibe that smelled vaguely foodie.

Edited May 14, 2021 by VetchVesper

[Threemoons]

This one I almost didn't get and it was on my "second pass" list because of the cinnamon, which I tend to amp like a fiend and once in a blue moon get a rash from. Thankfully, it's quite delightful and morphs into a "split level" scent; ie a few hours after applying you can smell some notes close to your skin while others are almost somewhere else in the room, but still there. In the bottle: Really bottle-tight, I get a sort of dirty cinnamon with a hint of vanilla. On, wet: The cinnamon really does settle down almost immediately to the scent of dried bulk Mexican cinnamon bark (canella), and the tonka bean steps up to the plate. Then, the magic starts to happen. After about half an hour, the yam note comes up and at this point it reminds me of Sweet Potato Musk but less sweet. Then, a few hours later, I start smelling this green, clean, dry note in the background and I assume it's the trees outside because I have my window open. Nope, it's the oakmoss! So, close to the skin, you have this Sweet Potato Musk/Amber thing going on, with a veil of oakmoss livening things up just above the surface. Really fun! In keeping with the "group fun" theme of the scent, I bet this would layer fabulously with Sweet Potato Musk or any vanilla or oakmoss scent that you want to try it with.

[starbrow]

Given the notes, I really was expecting Adventuresome Encounters to be way more foodie than it actually is. Instead of a sweet punch of yammy gourmand, this is far more about a warm, heart-kindling amber wrapped in the soft fuzziness of tonka bean. In that respect, it reminds me very much of the Tonka Bean, Black Tea, & Vetiver trio, except with a light dusting of cinnamon instead of the black tea, and amber as the warming element instead of the vetiver.

 

Somewhere nestled into all of this is a touch of something that makes me think PUMPKIN. (It's the yam, duh.) But it's not pumpkin spice at all, and it doesn't scream fall. It's still very Shunga-y, somehow. It's elegant, tea-like, refined. Whatever oakmoss there is very delicate. It's not ruining the party for me. It's not cologney. Thank goodness! 

 

I could picture myself wearing this really almost any time of year, it's so comforting and effortlessly chill. It does really good things with my skin, far more than I was expecting. If you've had good luck recently with the ambers and tonkas of the trios, Adventuresome Encounters feels like an extension of those. Do not fear any sugary mess here - there is nothing to go caramel or sweetly rancid on the skin - it is so much tamer than Sweet Potato Musk in that regard. I am so pleased with this blend and will be picking up a bottle.

[rivetted]

Definitely candied sweet potato/yam.

 

This smells quite delicious, & although gourmands are not really my thing, I think I'll try holding on to this one for awhile - it may be something I enjoy wearing much more in the Fall.

[freyasfae]

A frimp from a decant circle with just enough for 1 test. Wet mostly smells like cinnamon, which I am not a fan of in my perfume, with cozy, warm vanilla - with a trace of yam like sweet potato casserole. The cinnamon becomes less prominent as it dries which I like a lot more. I liked trying it, but not really one I need for my BPAL collection.

[Lucchesa]

My first yam perfume!  And foodier than I expected, given the first three listed ingredients.  I don't really get oakmoss at all.  More like yams with brown sugar and cinnamon.  I suppose it's actually the vanilla I'm smelling, and I'm filling in the brown sugar.  But it's lighter than that description suggests.  Like a sweet potato/cinnamon mousse, maybe.  After an hour or so, the amber wraps around it all, moderating the foodiness somewhat.  So it's a Weenie with a delicate Shunga sensibility. 

[splendidissima]

This one's fascinating! I love yams and sweet potatoes, and I've never heard of that in a perfume before, so I really wanted to try it! And it is indeed very yam-like!

 

It's not as sweet as I was expecting/hoping - it's foodie, but it's a dry sort of foodie; it's a dry cinnamon bark sprinkled over the yams. I think maybe the oakmoss is adding something herbal? I don't get as much of the bourbon vanilla as I was hoping. (Wonder how it'd layer with something like Gingerbread Mummy or Ghost Milk?)

 

I do like it, though I don't love it, and I'm glad I have some - it'll be a good fall scent, I think: swirls of cinnamon and amber and freshly harvested sweet potatoes waiting to be turned into a recipe. It seems to last for quite a while on me, too, though it sticks fairly close to the skin.

[forspecial_plate]

This smells like sweet potato pie.  The cinnamon and oakmoss are very soft.

[spaghettysburg]

The amber is amping on my skin and this one just ends up smelling the sickly sweetness I associate with white amber. It has a tiny bit of an herbal aquatic edge as well, likely due to the oakmoss. I am sadly not getting any yam or cinnamon or anything that would read as foody. Just aquatic amber. So weird 😕