Shunga newb seeking Shunga stans for next order recs!

[Llanval]

Hello everyone!

 

Here's my question(s): Shunga stans, what is your outstanding scent from this year's collection? What's the one that stops you in your tracks, the one that made you smile or gleefully exclaim in either fear or joy when you opened it for the first time? What is the Shunga 2021 scent, for you, that transports you somewhere else entirely?

 

I am humbly seeking the expertise of long-time Shunga fans for recs for my August/September order.  I've never ever picked scents from the Shunga line before, so I'm a total clueless noob. Idk what I was doing in 2019 to miss that year's lineup, and 2020 was a mess, I genuinely don't remember why I didn't check the Shunga collection but 😤 I missed it.

 

So 2021, right? Time to try new stuff! So after an order with two 😭 kinda disappointing blind bottle LEs, I wanted to really step outside my comfort zone. And this year I luckily had *an singular atom* of sense in my head and checked out the Shunga for 2021. And oh boy! I was intrigued by half of the lineup. A solid 10 bottles.

 

So I divided my list up and blind bottled the ones that intrigued me the most. My order arrived Friday and I got:

Under the Footwarmer

Gokugetsu

Cycling for Pleasure

Levitating Phallic God (based purely on Tom and Galen's reactions to it, lol)

*Also blind bottled Buck Moon 2021 in this order

 

The bottles for my next order are:

Ecstatic Dancing Penises 

Imayo Irokumi No Ito

Discarded Sandal

Butterfly Dancer

 

Two I cut but might put back on the list:

Shadow Pictures

Kimi Ga Dai Wa

 

I'm not a fan of heavy florals, gourmand or fruit, but I'd still love to hear what the knockout Shunga was for you guys. I don't want to have overlooked something truly magical and arresting because I'm a noob who doesn't really Know Anything.

 

As you can see, I really love statement perfumes. LOVE THEM. But I am allergic to conventional and I'm very worried Ecstatic Dancing Penises is too much of a men's cologne. Samhain went men's cologne on me and it's the only BPAL bottle I've parted ways with yet! I love tomato leaf so much, I love smelling like a garden. I Do Not want to smell like eau du sauvage or polo, or boss.

 

Butterfly Dancer has been described like Betsy Johnson or Victoria's Secret adjacent and that makes me SUPER nervous. I have only one imp I've tried with oud in it (Yorik) and while I love it very much, it's not a note I'm at all familiar with - pink sparkly poo!? 😥😢 Scary! (chuckles) I'm in Danger meme here! But I'm so intrigued by Tom and Galen's review and the reviews here and really want to try new stuff. But again, allergic to conventional and not a big fan of super feminine florals. How conventional is Butterfly Dancer? Am I gonna smell like a Victoria's Secret fan? 😭

 

I'll start reviewing soon, lol, but I'm so excited for these Shunga I'm letting them rest without opening them for a few days. I want them to recover from the heat of traveling and being stuffed into a wee metal mailbox on a 34°C July day.

 

I'm so sorry for ALL that but I'm so intrigued by Shunga and would love to hear what long-time fans think is the best of the best!

Edited July 17, 2021 by Llanval
Spelling

[Teamama]

Levitating Phallic God, Butterfly Dancer, & Peach Vulva were my 2021 standouts. I had a stern conversation with myself, & agreed that since I had just bought ImPEACHment & Wisdom, Justice, Moderation, I was not allowed to buy Peach Vulva. BPAL peach blends are the best (thanks Beth!) 

Ecstatic Dancing Penises is fantastic. Unfortunately, it's not a blend I can wear, & my menfolk gave it a pass (they're all about rum, tobacco & patchouli.)

Levitating Phallic God starts out rough, & then smooths down into a deliciously subtle scent.

Butterfly Dancer was a bottle purchase for me. Oud has a lot of variants, so I usually buy a decant instead of blind-bottling because some if the more indolic oudhs don't work on my skin. BPAL's notes"sweet oudh," "honey oudh," & "golden oudh" are fantastic for me. Turns out Butterfly Dancer's "red oudh" is also very good. The rose is on the subtle side on my skin.

 

[rivetted]

@Llanval

 

i made a blog-thing where i went through my impressions of *almost* all of this year's shungas (i skipped out on three of them) which you could find here: 

 

I've also got a swap post up - if you wanna swap shungas with me, i've got some i'm moving along.

i know i could swap imayo irokumi no ito, & kimi ga dai wa at the moment - link to full post is in signature  

 

i'd say - on some of the other ones you're curious about -

- i left ecstatic dancing penises at my boyfriend's house - he likes it! i like it too, actually - but i'm not sure it's one i'd wear super often personally.

- butterfly dancer is really lovely! one of my first stand outs, but i also still can't decide if i actually would wear it. it's very feminine - *not girly* but feminine. i would suggest that butterfly dancer does not smell like a victorias secret (havent been in one in years) because the only smell i can conjure up when i think about victorias secret is very fake-perfume-smelling, and butterfly dancer is so much more subtle, complicated, and lovely than those denatured/diluted fake mall perfumes.

 

[Llanval]

@Teamama thank you so much for the recs, I am super intrigued by the Peach Vulva bottle not even gonna lie.  I'm scared of fruit because I'm not in love with smelling like cobbler or candy, but there are so many (30+) reviews just !!!!!!!!!!!!!! about how juicy and close to the stone the smell is, which no lie, makes me swoon.  All the gushing about the peach perfection at BPAL is making me really really want to try a peach scent.  I was genuinely looking at Wisdom, Justice, Moderation to pick up, before I'd even looked at the Shunga 2021 line so....  Now I'm going to have to choose, lol.

 

@rivetted I read your full write up and definitely changed my mind on Imayo Irokumi No Ito, lol.  I really am looking for stand-out scents and "fancy grass" isn't high on my priority list, especially as it sounds like a skin-close, low throw scent. I'd much rather roll the dice on something more unique. Now, I'm switching it for Ripping Water in a Stone Basin.  I had this one initially as a purchase but several reviews said it turned into men's deodorant or arctic blast, which ew no thank you, but I love juniper berries and mountain pine scents (fav being Theoi Nomioi). So the pine scent over the grass scent is likely a better bet.

 

BUT!!! I scrolled your swap list/wishlist and would be very happy to potentially trade away some bottles.  I will be picking up Rippling Water in this August order, which I see is on your duplicate bottle list.  If it goes men's cologne/arctic blast on me, I would be very happy to trade for Imayo Irokumi No Ito.  If that does not work, I am picking up Altarpiece No.1 - Group X in my September or October order and if this scent does not work on me or I am not thrilled with it, I would again be happy to trade this bottle as well. Any scent that has reviews tending towards "this went cologne on me" are always scents that I seem to consistently end up not enjoying/full on hating. If either of these bottles go cologne on me, I am more than happy to swap.

 

Genuinely I have no idea what I'm doing, ahaha - I haven't even put up a list of my own stuff, as I'm only *just* starting to be a more frequent collector.  I don't understand decant circles or swaps, so if I've missed an etiquette step, sorry!

 

Thank you both for sharing your experiences with Shunga 2021, I really really appreciate the in-depth suggestions, they've been super helpful in adjusting my orders (and expectations, lol) and planning for future orders!!!

[rivetted]

2 hours ago, Llanval said:

I read your full write up and definitely changed my mind on Imayo Irokumi No Ito, lol.  I really am looking for stand-out scents and "fancy grass" isn't high on my priority list, especially as it sounds like a skin-close, low throw scent. I'd much rather roll the dice on something more unique. Now, I'm switching it for Ripping Water in a Stone Basin.  I had this one initially as a purchase but several reviews said it turned into men's deodorant or arctic blast, which ew no thank you, but I love juniper berries and mountain pine scents (fav being Theoi Nomioi). So the pine scent over the grass scent is likely a better bet.

 

BUT!!! I scrolled your swap list/wishlist and would be very happy to potentially trade away some bottles.  I will be picking up Rippling Water in this August order, which I see is on your duplicate bottle list.  If it goes men's cologne/arctic blast on me, I would be very happy to trade for Imayo Irokumi No Ito.  If that does not work, I am picking up Altarpiece No.1 - Group X in my September or October order and if this scent does not work on me or I am not thrilled with it, I would again be happy to trade this bottle as well. Any scent that has reviews tending towards "this went cologne on me" are always scents that I seem to consistently end up not enjoying/full on hating. If either of these bottles go cologne on me, I am more than happy to swap.

 

Genuinely I have no idea what I'm doing, ahaha - I haven't even put up a list of my own stuff, as I'm only *just* starting to be a more frequent collector.  I don't understand decant circles or swaps, so if I've missed an etiquette step, sorry!

 

Thank you both for sharing your experiences with Shunga 2021, I really really appreciate the in-depth suggestions, they've been super helpful in adjusting my orders (and expectations, lol) and planning for future orders!!!

 

 

Hah! I really wanted to like Imayo Irokumi No Ito - but yeah. Really fancy spa grass? No idea, man.

 

But I'm glad my notes could help provide some insights on the bottles! I will say Rippling Water wasn't an immediate hit for me - I think the "bright" note they are talking about is pepper. But once the pepper calmed down, it was suddenly my absolute favorite? out of all of them?? i really do love that one. (but i also enjoy when pepper is blended well with scents i enjoy! not all pepper is crazy strong)

 

and as for if you end up wanting to swap with me - i'm not too picky, and it doesn't *need* to be an item on my wishlist that i swap for. (though if it ends up being either one of those bottles i will absolutely be stoked)  

you can also just share a list of any of the bottles/imps you've got on hand that aren't your keepers - i like trying new stuff, and i was also absent from paying a lot of attention to collection releases for a number of years, so i don't even know the names of every bottle i'd like to try yet! (at least that's how i see it)

 

feel free to message me about shungas or other questions!

i'll admit i'm also newer to the forums, but i have been lurking here a *lot* the past few months hahaha

[VetchVesper]

@Llanval I frick'n love Shungas, hence why I usually run a Lupercalia decant circle. 😍 

I'll say, stand outs will depend on your taste, BUT sometimes fragrances are so good or unusual, they just seem like crowd pleasers.  Last years Shungas were full of beautiful soft incenses, which had me squeeing in ecstasy.  This year, the green perfumes really stood out to me as being lovely.  If you love smelling like a garden, you should be really happy this year. 

 

Green smells, and my thoughts:
Inspecting the Lantern - This one was lovely, mossy, and lush.  I ended up with a bottle.
Imayo Irokumi - Sort of in between Dancing Penises and Shadow pictures as far as weight.  Juicy, green, pretty, fresh.  I'm still dithering on whether I need a bottle of this one or not.
Ecstatic Dancing Penises - really nice, but leans strongly towards masculine, so it depends how comfortable you are with that.  I'm a woman, and some of my favorite GC's are listed on the Men's sampler pack.  I don't smell like a man when I wear them.  I smell sexy as hell.  😜  So it's all up to your choice.  
Shadow Pictures - the freshest of four.  Really lovely, but it didn't last long enough on me for a bottle purchase.  If it had though, I probably would have grabbed it.  

(And I realized while writing these, several I haven't reviewed.  I'll try to do that this weekend.   )

Lovely Surprises:
A Karasu Tengu Copulating .... (I expected this to be super rosey, but it's really a lovely, foresty incense with just a bit of rose in the background.  Really lovely IMO
Adventuresome Encounters -  super fun comfort scent.  If you want to dip a toe into foody territory, I'd highly rec this one.  
Gokugetsu - a lot more gender neutral than I was expecting, and unusual use of red musk
Underneath the Foot Warmer -  LOVED this one.  Had no idea what to expect, and I was really happy.  The notes just blended into something I haven't smelled before.
Unsubtle Euphamism - This is very foody.  You will smell like bread.  It's very fun though.

Crowd Pleasers:
Peach Vulva (didn't do it for me  )
Adventuresome Encounters
Vaginal Tales from the Nocturnal Palace

Bottles I bought: Underneath the Footwarmer, Vaginal Tales of the Nocturnal Palace, Lighting the Lantern, Fracas with Eleven Kabuki Actors (keep in mind, I had leftovers from running my circle or I might have bought more.  😅

You said you're not big on florals, but you might still look into Blissful Domesticity, which is made very green by the juicy green apple up front. Florals and fruits covers an enormous dearth of scents and you might find yourself surprised. 
 

Butterfly Dancer seems to do different things on different people.  I could appreciate it, but it wasn't for me.  I would say go for it if you're comfortable with heavier, lusty, incense smells.  And no, you will not smell like Victoria Secret.  Hah.  Possibly a high dollar French Escort.  It did not got into poop territory for me or most people, I think.

 

P.S.  If you have decant circle questions, I'd be happy to answer them. 

Edited July 24, 2021 by VetchVesper

[Llanval]

@VetchVesper Thank you so much, your detailed reviews of the green scents really helped me finalize my next order! I love green scents, and smelling like a garden - that's what brought me to bpal.

 

Inspecting the Lantern Oil, A Karasu Tengu and Ecstatic Dancing Penises were all "late round cuts." But I loved my first Shunga order so much I'm going back for the balance of my cut list, lol.

 

I'm still very intrigued by Imayo and Shadow Pictures but I really really prefer scents with strong throw and long wear. Since shipping to Canada is a little $$  I want my scents to be noticeable, lol. But I love everything about Shadow Pictures, especially those hay and parchment notes. Imayo is still really really something I want for my collection, it sounds very ME. I get hung up on the review comparing it to Tennis Match 2018 so much I could cry. Cuz Tennis Match 2018 is 1000% a bottle I would have bought but I didn't even know about bpal in 2018 so 😭 💔 I'll forever be haunted by that bottle, lol. 

 

I also love Under the Foortwarmer a whole lot. I'm so happy I picked it up. It's such a beautiful, atmospheric scent. I love the way it feels like sitting in a room with ho wood walls and an actual footwarmer?! Love it.

 

I am super intrigued by Butterfly Dancer. Every review is a little different, with no unifying thread. I've read Betsy Johnson and Victoria's Secret's Pink adjacent. I've seen pink champagne jello. Khao San road in Bangkok. Just "Red". Galen called it spectral. Like what is this?? I'm looking forward to sniffing it, and maybe adding it to my collection. 

 

I'm very curious about decant circles, especially since Halloween and Yule are usually the seasons and lines I buy most of my LEs! Are decant circles limited to specific countries? I'd definitely like to participate in one for next year's Shunga, for sure. I'm just gonna go take a read through the forum's decant threads, haha 

 

Thank you so much for your reviews and suggestions, I really appreciate the specific extra info on the green scents, which still seem to be my fav kinds of scents. I'm definitely going to work on my floral bias because I'm very interested in the new releases for the Last Unicorn, which seems very floral forward but really lovely. 😅

[VetchVesper]

@Llanval Pink champagne jello?  Wow. That is NOT what it did on me. 😄 That's one of the things that's cool about fragrances though, they actually smell different on different people, AND our noses pick up the various chemicals differently. If you spot someone in the reviews who seems to smell things the same way you do, keep an eye out for them. It can be super helpful if you are buying bottles blind.

 

Some decant circles will ship internationally, some won't. Usually, they'll say so up front. If they don't specify, you can always ask. 😊 Shipping to Canada is less trouble than over seas, so you probably won't have too hard a time finding a circle. I do international packages. 

 

Tennis Match is on my wishlist. Lol. I missed that one too. Never got a sniff. You might also like Smug Yale, although it's not by any means a loud fragrance. Very nice though.