Carnal

[eatingthesea]

Bold, bright mandarin paired with the sweet, sensual earthiness of fig.

i don't usually do fruity scents...especially citrus. but this one. whoo-wee. bold and bright, indeed. i can't see how anyone's mood wouldn't be lifted just by putting on a dab of carnal. i get the sweet tarts drydown that others have mentioned, too. and what could possibly be bad about that. unfortunately, i don't get much of the fig, it's a bit overpowered by the mandarin, but i like it nonetheless. i'm still wavering about getting a bottle but if i do end up doing so, it'll probably be a mood scent...for cloudy, unhappy days. highly recommended in this regard. (but i would say, if you're seeking out a good fig scent, carnal is not the way to go.)

[marared]

This is a bright and cheery smell that I like very much in the imp. Mandarins are a very spicy citrus by themselves, but the fig sweetens it up just a little - I think if I didn't know what was in it, I would have named it brown sugar. Unfortunately, the scent has zero throw - freshly applied, I can't smell it unless my wrist is right in my face, and it's gone within the hour.

[ErinZ]

This one confused me. I didn't refresh my memory on the site description of this scent before using it, and looking at it after I had tried it and taken my notes, I'm baffled with what my results were

 

Wet in imp:

spiced apricot

 

Wet on skin:

spiced pumpkin

 

Drydown:

still spiced pumpkin, but with a hint of berry

 

Wearlength:

hardly detectable 7 hours later

 

Final impression:

not sure where I'm getting the spice or pumpkin, but I think this would make a good winter or fall scent

[Raqassah]

Wet/Initial impression: Fresh mandarin paired with fig.

Dry down: Sweet fruity softness. Juicy.

Final thoughts: Soft and sexy. Warm skin. Nice to wear to bed – not overpowering.

[miri]

Gorgeous! Sweet and fruity. I wouldn't really call it a citrus-fruity, because the fig makes it so sweet and red and there's no tang to it... My sister was with me when I first got it and she fell in love with it somewhat, too. It's a bright, warm, happy, friendly scent that embraces.

[Katherynne]

Apparently the Lab's fig note smells like Irish Springs soap on my skin. In the imp this blend is all orange and figgy and GREAT and I was so excited -- and as soon as it started to dry, it started becoming soap. Pretty soon I smelled like soap.

 

Just soap.

 

And it wouldn't go away. Swap pile.

[Lyrical]

In bottle: just as the description says! Orange, but orange grounded in warm, sweet, earthy fig.

 

Wet on skin: mmmmmmmmmmmm - juicy and soft and sweet and rounded and absolutely gorgeous!

 

Dry on skin: oh the fig! I want to marry it and have little figgy babies! Carnal is just love at first sight on me! Tinned mandarin oranges in syrup (a favourite childhood dessert) with dark, juicy fig, yet somehow not too foody. It's tart and creamy and earthy all at once. This is going straight to the top of my bottle list! I wish it had more throw, though. Perhaps if I slather ... Ah - the answer is to apply on my neck just below my ears, where the distance from scent to nose is short and sweet.

[noumenon]

I am guilty of taking the general catalog for granted while I chase rare LEs and marvel at the new moons. I was just frimped Carnal by the Trading Post and now suddenly I wonder how many other better-than-LEs there are lurking in the catalog that I've been missing all these years!!!

 

Carnal is foody heaven! That mandarin is sweet and desserty, the fig is spicy and warm. Together they are really amazing. It's summer here, and hot, and I love smelling this in this weather, because the sweetness really cancels out the putrid air on the streets and makes me feel less wilted.

 

In Autumn, I bet this will really come into its element. But I refuse to wait that long to start bathing in this. I need a bottle of it, now!!!

[greenranger]

Wet, mandarin and fig.

 

Drying, the fig is fading, and the mandarin might vanish with it.

 

 

Within three minutes, it is pretty much gone altogether. My skin ate it.

[milo]

In the imp, fresh and citrussy. When on, it quickly dried to a jolly rancher kind of scent, though I couldn't place the fruit in it until I looked at the description. Yes, it is orange jolly rancher, or a orange popsicle. I like eating them, but don't like wearing the scent.

[diamondstars]

Can't say I detect any fig, 'cause I wouldn't know it if it grew legs and walked right under my nose! This does, however, smell very fruity and fresh. Indescribeable really!

[jehrichardson]

In the Imp: Bright soft orange

 

On the Skin: Bright soft orange and fig - finally I get a nice fig note from BPAL! They usually are hidden by stuff that amps weirdly on me. Mmmm!

 

After a While: Bright soft orange and fig. This is GORGEOUS. Sorry for shouting. Mmmm. Hungry now.

 

Verdict: I love orange! I want a vat of this please!

Edited August 7, 2008 by j4r

[starwild]

The mandarin from my loved Hell's Belle, separated and thrown in with fig. Fruity but not overpoweringly sweet--kind of a "mature" orange scent.

 

Not bad.

[crebbsgirl]

Carnal and I did not get along. At all. In fact, I feel like we got into a big fight and will never speak again. It was bad. In the bottle, it smelled delicious. Sparkly mandarin mellowed by earthy fig. Wonderful. On my skin, it turned a little sickly sweet. And then... the mandarin whacked me over the head and just kept hitting. The fig came out for a little while, but the mandarin beat it into submission. I really wanted to like this because I love Lush's Figs and Leaves soap. I have come to suspect that I cannot wear fruity notes. I think I may just have to make my peace with that.

[Caerphilly]

In the imp:Madndarin, allright. But there's another note, that makes this smell a bit like cotton candy. Very, very sweet.

 

After 5 minutes: Too sweet! The mandarin would be a lovely citrusy scent if the fig wasn't there. The fig overpowers. I could smell the one drop very strongly. Like candy.

 

After 15 minutes: I had to wash it off. It was giving me a headache. A very strong scent.

 

Overall: Sweet, sweet, sweet. Nauseatingly sweet. I couldn't wait to wash it off.

[ravenrigan]

In the bottle - a crystal clear liquid, smells of spicy orange peel, bit like a Christmas scented candle, or a pomander ball

Drydown -warm, fruity, christmassy, very foody

Finish - light warm foody fruityness.

This smells like Christmas pot pourri, nice, but can't imagine wearing it every day

[mgrazulis]

Lusty ripe figs thick with sugared cloves and sticky mandarin slices. I want more!!!!

 

On wet, Carnal is musky fig slippery with sweet juicy orange and dusted with sugary cloves.

 

As Carnal dries, the fig becomes darker, swollen and decadent, smoky with the clove, sticky from the wet orange. Plumped fleshy fig debauchery...sensual and warm.

 

The fig basks in the glow of the mandarin for hours...

[melrose]

Love this. Adore this.

 

On, wet: Bright, fresh orange, and smoke.

 

Drydown: Orange rinds thrown into a bonfire.

 

Far drydown: Some lovely spices have been thrown on the fire.

 

I never would have guessed fig, but OMG, must search out more fig scents.

[icecreamcone]

Really good scent, smells like pears and mandarins!

Edited December 26, 2022 by icecreamcone

[kawaiiferreto]

I can't believe it took me so long to get around to trying this one! My review is of a fresh from the lab imp.

 

Yummy yummy mandarin! It has quickly become one of my favorite notes since I started branching out my tastes. This is lovely bright mandarin when wet, and as it dries the fig adds a mellow and sweet grounding note (although I never outright smell fig.)

 

Unfortunately the throw is light and this fades very fast, but it's beautiful while it stays. I will have to let my imp age a bit to see if it stabilizes.

[waternight]

I had high hopes for this one, as I adore fig and I love a good citrus.

 

Unfortunately, the fig is non-existent here and the mandarin goes wierdly musty-plastic oranges. BOO.

[unlaced]

In the bottle this is totally spicy orange! It pops right out at me and makes me want to eat it. I can smell a tiny bit of what I guess is the fig in there but it's swamped bu the orange.

 

On my skin the fig is coming out a bit more now but the spice and the orange are still strong. And it's still making me want to eat my wrists! It's almost Christmas now, so I guess that's why this scent is making me think of those Christmas cinnamon-orange-and clove things.

 

I got this as one of 2 gifts from the lab in my most recent order, and i LOVE it. It smells SOO tasty and fruity. but with some spiciness this is going in the "order a big bottle" pile right away!

[Andrea912]

Wet: yup, its mandarin and fig...nice, but I'd like some cream of some sort...

 

Dry: pretty; a keeper

[mommy2gabe]

I love the Mandarin and the fig is a nice complement. This one is on my bottle wishlist.

[ami226]

In the bottle, I can definitely smell a few fruits blended together. Smells sweet and yummy!

 

When I put it on, Carnal immediately turns into bubblegum on my skin and stays that way. While I like bubblegum, I don't think I would like to smell like it all the time, so this imp is definitely going into swaps.

 

I really wish the fig had come out more and hadn't turned to bubblegum.