Carnal

[Miss Landau]

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

 

I love this. The orange is definitely stronger than the fig for me - very sweet and juicy and mouthwatering, and it tempers down after about 45 minutes into a warm sweet spice.

[Coldfire]

Imp: totally getting the mandarin.
Wet on Me: citrus...sweet citrus but not sugar sweet. soft tempering the sharpness that citrus can bring
Drying Down: I think the fig is adding the softness almost a powder-y type note to the mandarin
Dry: light, happy, sweet soft mandarin.

[Soupy Twist]

Spicy dry orange peel in the bottle and on application. The dried fig note comes in shortly, although it's reasonably fresh for a "dried" fig. This continues into a fig note with potpourri and orange peel, becoming more artificial and Tang-like as it dries. I'm sort of shocked at how long the orange is lasting on my skin, though; BPAL citrus tends to vaporize on me. The Tang eventually turns to soap.

[gloame]

First sniff: aww, pretty orange! Like a brand new summer. Gets creamier as it dries. It sparkles, but on my skin, never reaches towards any earthiness or figgyness.

[Cali]

From the imp: Very candy-bright. Reminds me a tad of iridescent pastel basket grass but less lime-y. Exactly what the label says.

Nice! Very hyper and happy and bright.

[marilyn eyre]

I really liked this, it was citrusy and fizzy, almost like a citrus Bon Vivant with some fig in there, but my skin just eats it. A pity, I like it. I'd like a hair gloss of it, maybe it would last longer.

[kajacana]

Bright mandarin, fresh and juicy, just a twinge soapy -- reminds me of a scent you might find at Bath & Body Works or The Body Shop. I'm not getting much fig. It's surprisingly strong for a citrus scent, and not high-pitched at all -- maybe that's the fig helping out? It's a simple, clean, and refreshing citrus scent.

[achildoftime]

It reminds me of these foaming fizzy candies I used to have as a kid. It's really bright, intense orange for me. It has oodles of throw and staying power! It feels slightly artificial, but only because it's so intense. I wasn't really expecting to think too much of this because I'm not really a fan of fig, and oranges are probably my least sought-after citrus. I think this scent is a lot of fun and I think it will be perfect for the summer.

[Lucchesa]

This is bright and fruity and upbeat. I initially thought summer scent, but mandarins and dried figs are things I eat in winter, so I think it would be good for brightening up a dreary day as well. I only had a sniffie with just barely enough for a skin test, so either it doesn't last long on my skin or I just need to apply more generously than I was able to.

[VetchVesper]

This makes me think of those orange gummy slices, the ones that are soft and sprinkled with sugar. The fig steps in shortly and adds a bit of maturity, rounding the fragrance nicely and taking it from candy to actual fruit. I will enjoy my imp this summer, but it's not complex enough to be a love. If you're a fan of sweet, bright, and fruity though, give this one a go.

[fizzbangdangcharade]

Smarties are what come to mind first when I smell this. There's something decidedly candied about the fruit notes. Except not so much candied fruit as actual candy. I like it, don't get me wrong! It's simple, and sweet, and I do actually like smarties. It sort of reminds me of wearing a smarties necklace as a kid. The soft, sugared fruit scent that lingered beneath my nose as I sucked on the candies. It's not something I'd associate with the word 'carnal' though. It smells too much like something I associate with youth and innocence.

 

In the bottle, wet, dry, the scent never changed. It also managed to last all day, at the same throw level as well. Just slightly further than my skin, a close aura of powdery candy.

[donkehpoo]

Wet: Oooo, mandarins! Sweet, juicy, and almost candy-like.

 

Dry: While I still can't smell the fig, there IS an added warmth and muskiness to the scent that wasn't there prior. I'm guessing this is brought on by the fig. Otherwise, it's quite similar to the wet stage, minus the throw. The throw is much weaker than the wet stage, and wears very closely to the skin.

[torischroeder9]

In the vial: Mostly fig, brightened by a touch of mandarin. The fig is very earthy in this; it definitely reminds me of the fruit directly rather than any sweetened or candied variation of it.

 

On my skin:

 

On the initial wet application, the mandarin comes out very quickly and brightly. It's pretty great, probably as close as one can get to happy sunshine in a bottle. After a few minutes, the fig comes up to meet it. At this stage, it feels really balanced. I can see where some people described it as candy-like because it's so well blended here, I can't quite pick out the individual notes. It's a fruity smell that's sweet and just a bit tart at the same time.

 

Ultimately, that's where this scent stays for me -- seamlessly bright and grounded. It's a great energizing fruity scent that doesn't smell like any kind of cleaner (a problem I sometimes have with citrus). It would be a great scent for a long workday.

 

My only complaints are that it wears very close to the skin -- it's not faint, but there's almost no throw -- and its wear life is relatively short on me. Both mandarin and fig are virtually eaten up within a few hours.

[sarandipitee]

Gorgeous, juicy mandarin. One of my favourite notes. I don’t get much of the fig, it’s mainly effervescent mandarin. I like it a lot. Debating a bottle.

[spookyumbrella]

Juicy, bright, cheerful mandarin with a bit of fig in the background. Nice and strong too! If you like scents to be potent, you'll be over the moon!

[melandie]

I've been frimped this twice now so I guess I should review it! I'd forgotten about the first imp I received about a year ago. Might be worth an aging comparison.

 

On initial application (of the fresh imp), wow is this ever bright, fizzy orange candy. So far I'm not getting any fig at all. 

 

One hour later: This has softened quite a bit to a vague orange scent, no fig, and it's a bit soapy. I think this doesn't quite work on my skin chemistry, but I'm glad so many people like it! It might be a good room scent. 

[Laughing Seagull]

When wet, this is a radioactive orange lollipop.  As it dries...  That's an orange pomander ball!  How festive!  It takes a while for the fig to come out and I really have to shove my nose against my skin to smell it.  Fades quickly, as citrus sometimes does.

 

This definitely strikes me as more "Christmas" than "Carnal."  It's enjoyable and I have no doubt that I'll use up the imp, but I prefer Belle Epoque as a mandarin scent.

[bambi]

This is pretty. In the bottle I get a very perfume-y orange. It's not quite a fresh or natural orange, but it's nice. When I put it on my wrists, the orange gets more natural, and I can't make out the fig, but I know it's there, grounding the juicy orange. The overall scent is like a citrus-scented candle. A little fresh, a little earthy.

[a_bear]

I don't get any fig from my imp, just slightly cleaning solution-y orange. Bummer. Low throw and wear time.

[freyasfae]

This was a pleasant surprise. I wasn't expecting it to be citrus, I kept focusing on the fig which is mostly a backnote to the mandarin, but really gives it some nice depth - hard to describe, because for me it doesn't stand out as a scent exactly (the fig), but it makes the mandarin less of a floaty citrus (as many citrus scents feel like on me) and it just gives it more substance. Gives me late summer, early fall vibes.

[dancingchair]

A straightforward orange smell, almost exactly like peeling an orange. The fig is there beneath the bright, zesty orange adding subtle spice and molassesy caramel, but the orange is definitely the star of the show.

[biggnerd]

When first applied, it is very strong, astringent mandarin - all peel. It's very orange cleaner on me. It takes a while for the mandarin to chill out. When it does, a lovely, sweet, non-powdery fig steps up. The fig note is really great. Unfortunately, the mandarin note doesn't change into something less astringent. It stays strong peel. I let this rest about a month before testing. I'm wondering if aging it will bring the fig out more.

[roseus]

This smells almost fizzy in the imp, but as soon as it goes on the skin it is all bitter (in the best way) orange. It gets a little juicier as it wears, with an earthy sweetness from the fig rounding it out. 

[ShadowEtienne]

Fig is normally something I avoid, but I was frimped this. Remarkably, while the fig is definitely doing something it is really nice to and on me.

 

Mandarin - rich, juicy, fresh, tangy - is the bright shining star of this scent. But it's not a one note. There's an earthy richness that reminds me both of gardens and brown sugar underneath grounding it and warming it. I would not have guessed fig, but I guess it makes sense.

 

This is a lovely, unexpected delight of a scent!