Shadow Games

[Seajewel]

Toasted honey, black pepper, bourbon vanilla, and sweet oud. 

[marared]

First thing I smell in the bottle is black pepper in oudh. Pepper usually burns off with a little time, but this has held on for 15+ minutes although it is less sharp. The oudh is very gentle but is clearly the "shadow" part of this. I would probably have mistaken this for patchouli rather than oudh. It takes a minute for the honey to peek out but it's barely noticeable, and I can't even smell the vanilla in this. Very soft, gentle, low throw.

[LavenderCoffee]

This is an incredible but subtle skin scent, even though it is bright and peppery when wet. Shadow Games dries down into a barely there honeyed vanilla oud, with just a breath of pepper. Wasn't sure if my skin was eating the notes, but my experience is basically the same as marared.

I imagine this would knock someone's socks off if they leaned in and got a whiff of it on your neck.

[melandie]

I'm so thankful 1) to my friend who, 3 days after I placed my Luper order, asked if I was placing an order because she wanted to place her first order in ages and could we combine and 2) the labbies who graciously combined our orders! I had initially reluctantly passed this one over, and decided to add it in!

 

I agree with the others that this is a very gentle, close scent, which is surprising given the pepper and oudh. In the bottle, the main element is pepper, but once on, this becomes a faintly sweet, slightly spicy, gorgeous scent that feels like it's just for me, and anyone who gets super close. The oudh is super soft, the pepper adds just a tinge of the edge and the honey  and vanilla combine for a sweetness that's not cloying in the least. This one is just gorgeous.

[starbrow]

Right now, I'm getting big Tire Store energy + black pepper. It makes me wonder if there isn't some opononax in this blend, since opononax is one resin that smells very tire store in its purest form. Well then, the oud is leaning in that direction, the black pepper is doing its thing in a preground, conventional box of black pepper kind of way. Toasted honey, you are actually missing in action and you would be nice right about now. There is so little sweetness. There is no vanilla. The oud does not smell sweet to me; it smells rubbery, which is good if you like rubber, bad if you were here for resinous sweet spice. 

 

I will definitely be resmelling my decant as it ages, because this is one that could age beautifully, but at the moment I'm not leaning towards a bottle upgrade.

[becca_s]

This was an instant purchase for me because I like all the notes and it was love at first sniff.

 

First applied I get pepper, toasted honey and sweet oud. The oud is as described and lends a sweetness and warmth to the honey. It doesn't morph too much over time except the pepper settles into the background.

 

Overall it is warm and spicy and I can't stop smelling my wrist. The toasted honey, sweet oud and vanilla are so well blended and the pepper just adds that extra spiciness.

 

I need more than one bottle! I think it will age beautifully too 🥰

 

 

[VetchVesper]

Reminds me of a gentler Entertaining the Heian Court Maiden; I actually like this better.  Musky, woody spice from the oud and subtle honey.  It's not super sweet and feels unisex to me.  It's a bit too light for my tastes, but I strongly suspect this blend will blossom with age, as oud tends to do.  That would make it pretty nigh irresistible.  I'll be dithering on whether to buy a bottle while my decant settles in.  

[doomsday_disco]

The black pepper is the strongest note out of the gate, followed by the oudh, which is a soft, smooth, non-poudh variety. The bourbon vanilla in this is very light but acting more like a skin musk further softening the oudh than it being noticeably vanilla. Strangely enough, I'm not getting any honey from this, although there is a toasty aspect to the scent that might be the honey's doing, but I'm not getting any sweetness. This ends up being a soft peppered oudh with some sheer, skin-musky bourbon vanilla that stays close to the skin on me.

 

If you're looking for a gentle oudh, give this one a shot. Sadly, this one is too soft for me.

Edited April 20, 2022 by doomsday_disco

[dancingchair]

Primarily a sweet, musky oudh. The vanilla is there, making the oudh a little bit creamy. Black pepper adds a bit of spice, but it's not very strong to me. I can sometimes detect the honey, sweetening up the oudh and adding that delicious funky oozy quality that I love in some bpal honey perfumes. It's mostly in the background, though.

 

I might have to upgrade this one to a bottle. It's unique enough and I actually like how close to the skin this one stays.

[scentedbythesun]

This is simply the sexiest perfume I've ever smelled.

[tinyvulture]

Black pepper and oud, what a clever combination. It’s like a cloud of powdery honey-vanilla sweetness with just a hint of peppery spice. I’m gonna try layering it, maybe with coconut? It’s quite nice on its own as well, though!

[MamaMoth]

this is wonderful!  starts off with a snoot full of black pepper, but quickly settles into a sweet honeyed oud and vanilla, with a little zing of pepper.  the oud does remind me of patchouli... a little woody, a little resinous, deep and rich.  but with a musky quality.  the toasted honey is just a wee bit smoky around the edges.  dead sexy. 

 

surprise hit of the lupers for me. 

 

[milo]

Pretty amazing stuff.  I’m getting mostly pepper throughout stages, but other notes dance in and out.  First off, kind of masculine, maybe the oud, but still holding a creamy sweetness.  Later on really peppery, but there’s the vanilla, bringing it all together.  It’s a bit too masculine for me, but I’d love to smell it on a guy.

[puellacaerulea]

In the decant: A strong whiff of black pepper, with a soft oud behind it. Woodsy and a bit traditionally masculine. As it wears, the pepper softens considerably and the toasted honey and bourbon vanilla amp up more. The toasted aspect keeps this honey note from getting high-pitched and adds some extra sweetness to the vanilla and oud. Overall, a sweet, musky, woodsy blend; it's almost like a more gender-neutral version of O that swaps the amber for deeper wood notes. I could see myself wearing this a lot in cooler weather and haven't ruled out a bottle purchase.

[Lucchesa]

I’m avoiding oudh these days, but this decant was gifted to me, and it’s really lovely. Everything is understated on me — the pepper and oudh balance out the honey and vanilla, and nothing stands out, like a perfect ensemble cast where no one is showboating and everyone shines. Utterly unisex. I think this would be appropriate for work because it is understated, but yes, it’s sexy too. 

[zankoku_zen]

Peppery musk with a touch of honey. Medium throw, good wear length.