Fracas with Eleven Kabuki Actors

[zankoku_zen]

Hay absolute, almond blossom, mimosa, bourbon cream, and toasted sandalwood.

[frizzlechicken]

On my skin, I get an immediate burst of lovely candy-like cherry almond, but within an hour it settles into what I can only describe as strongly reminiscent of a certain conventional perfume with the word 'sugar' in the title. I don't know why this isn't working on me, but it's not and I suspect it has to be the mimosa? I love literally every other note to the point that I'd blind-bottled this, but it becomes plasticky and cloying. I don't smell any hay absolute or bourbon cream. I'm giving it another week to settle, but this one may be a sad skin chemistry fail. 

[starbrow]

Fracas leads with ALMOND but not poisonous almond. As we all probably know by now, bitter almond and cherry share that cyanide chemical component that is so recognizable. My brain registers it as poison almost all of the time. In Fracas, I can smell a very strong sweet almond oil leading, but it is kindly even from the start. Then, as it sits on the skin, the cream starts to emerge, a sweet warm kind of cream that is effortlessly blending with hay to create richness without the sourness of milky creams.

 

The more this one dries down, the more the almond turns toasted almond - that sandalwood note is definitely helping lock in the toastiness and nuttiness and helping me to smell what most people probably smell from almond! Just short of gourmand, but this is almost bready. I get a soft floral in the background, but nothing very strong or high-pitched, thank goodness. I think I like mimosa?

 

It's very pretty and also quite strong. I like the whiffs I get of it wafting around me more than I do the actual close-to-the-skin smell of it. But I keep going back for more sniffs in spite of that. I like my decant. I don't know if I'll go for a full bottle of it, because unlike others, this almond does not burn off in the first thirty minutes but sticks around in a different form for a long time. However, it is very appealing and the best almond I've smelled. Decant is a keeper, just to see what it does!

[Casablanca]

Freshly applied, Fracas brings out a sweet, creamy toasted almond with a side of hay. I get a soft, cushiony floral in the background surprisingly early — the mimosa sort of waggling her fingers "hello" — but the creamy almond dominates the scene.

The blend softens a lot after drying, becoming something relaxed and warm, albeit still mostly about creamy almond and hay.

I love that Fracas succeeds in smelling like both spring and autumn at the same time.

 

[doomsday_disco]

Fracas with Eleven Kabuki Actors starts off with a wonderful sweet almond note, and that's all I get for a while. Then the warm hay and sweet, almost candy-like mimosa joins in, along with the bourbon cream (more bourbon than cream) and sandalwood. It then becomes a warmer scent, with the almond never fading (like it usually does) as it cozies up to the hay.

 

I was curious if this would be like a warmer version of Comparison of Comparison Beauties (vanilla cream, mimosa, and almond blossom). In a way, it is, but this one is less creamy and not as sweet, since the mimosa isn't as strong as it is in that scent. So they are different enough to warrant trying both.  

 

Although I really enjoy the almond in this, I think the bourbon in this is adding more astringency than I'd like, so I don't think I need more of this one.

[VetchVesper]

It's sooo puh-retty.   This reminds me of an older Shunga, Comparison of Celebrated Beauties, but the sandalwood and hay lend a bit of grit and incense underneath the sweet, creamy almond and mimosa. The almond blossom feels a little airier and less sticky-sweet than the in CofCB, and mingles gorgeously with the mimosa which is on full display here.  

 

CofCB, though lovely, was a bit disappointing for me b/c the almond and vanilla cream were the main notes. Here, the syrupy sweetness of the mimosa and almond blossom really meld to create something gorgeous.  I love mimosa and am happy it's getting a star role. 😍

Edited May 13, 2021 by VetchVesper

[zankoku_zen]

Almond, bourbon cream, smoky hay. This has a burnt sugar edge to it which is delightful and unexpected. Oddly hovering toward the gourmand edge. Medium throw and wear length. So far, this may be my favorite 2021 Luper.

[Vanesa]

If you, like me, amp sandalwood, you should skip this one.  I took the risk on an imp because hay is one of my all time favorite notes and sandalwood was listed last, but the hay is completely absent for me. No hay, no almond, no bourbon cream.  Just sandalwood for days and not in a good way.  In an "oh god, who is wearing such strong perfume?" way.

[puellacaerulea]

This starts out with intense almond and bourbon cream -- sweet and boozy. The sandalwood comes out as it dries down and tones down the almond and bourbon cream -- at this stage it's reminding me a little of Judgmental Longhorn, but then the mimosa amps up and adds a little extra floral sweetness that puts an interesting spin on the bourbon cream + woods situation. Eventually it settles to a creamy sandalwood blend. It's pleasant, but I have enough similar things in my collection that I can pass on a full bottle.

[theseagrows]

ooh i really like this at the beginning-it's all sweet almond, bourbon cream and a hint of toasted sandalwood. it's a really interesting mix of notes-warm and comforting and more like something i'd want to wear in the fall. the bourbon cream and sandalwood become the strongest notes for me and it leans unisex/masculine now that the sweetness of the almond faded. honestly, it smells just like this 'dupe' of tom ford's tobacco vanille that i recently got. i can't remember tobacco vanille all that clearly, but i am guessing this could be similar then (?) i really like this one. one of my favorites from this year's lupercalias so far.

[freyasfae]

Wet this is almond, and I want to say cherry, but I think that could be either the mimosa and bourbon cream, or just the fact that almond so often is paired with cherry and it's hard for my nose to separate them. As it dries, the cherry/mimosa recedes more to play in the background, and the hay and sandalwood come forward. Like others, I see this as more of a fall scent - it's almost gourmand, but not quite as there is a sense of floralness to it. I may need a bottle.

[rivetted]

it's nice!

but for me, this is really similar to "Travelers Under A Tree Observed By Foxes" from the same collection, and I think I prefer Travelers! 

[artisjok]

Sweet almond cream and a strong hairspray smell, which I’m sad to say is the hay note. *cries* Hay has been great on me before, and then I got Rendezvous with Her Lover last year and had that go weird on me, like Fracas is doing now.
There is a touch of mimosa, but the scent is primarily the creaminess with a chemical twang. I wonder if it will age away, or not... 

I can tell this is a pretty scent, otherwise! 

Edited July 28, 2021 by artisjok

[sunreachesout]

uhhhhhhhh....... Hmm.

cherry cough syrup. creamy cherry cough syrup. something in this gets loud and nauseatingly artificial on me, and i have no idea what. im a little familiar with mimosa and find it a bit soapy, so its possibly that, but ive seen the comments on the relationship between cherries almonds and cyanide, so it could be something there too. very upsetting. even more upsetting is how in the bottle and every so often on my wrist i pick up a Hint of what this is Supposed to smell like, with the toasted sandalwood and bourbon cream and hay. i wish it would just smell like that consistently!!! but i'm being waterboarded with robitussin. to make it even more of a crazy chemistry moment: i had friends try it on who Loved it- i could tell they were picking up more of the intended scent than what I'm getting when They gave it a whiff- and it Still made me nauseous, even smelling it on them. i couldnt let them keep it fast enough. 

[Rane.]

Received as a swap. Smells so good! The hay & almond are a bomb combo. Super fragrant. The cream & toasted sandalwood with the almond give this a candy smell too. & the mimosa is in there singing shyly, but wow. I get faint hints of Coyote & La Petite Mort. The creaminess is creating the skin musk note. Has incredible throw & length. This bottle is one of the top 3 Shungas I absolutely would buy/swap for again & again if I came across it.

Edited August 18, 2021 by Rane.