The Hamptons

[rinoastar]

The scent of a Cosmopolitan cocktail.

For me, this one started out full of cranberry and lime. There was a sweet note that I'm beginning to realize is the lab's booze note (which has always gone sweet on me, rather than acrid or acidic). As it dried, it became drier and strange, like fake lime juice or lime-flavored candy mixed with a nosefull of old dust. This phase is brief, but enough to warn meaway from a full bottle. I'll keep my imp. Edited January 25, 2006 by Shollin

[ABrokenAngel]

In the Bottle: Oh god. What the hell? This has everything I love in it. Why does it smell but diapers? I just…totally don’t get it.

 

Wet: I think my nose was messed up last night. This is fantastic on. Every single element is balanced out and well blended and merged with the other scents.

 

Dry Down: Oh yes yes yes … very very nice. It’s all woman. Every last bit of it is womanly and not just in the sexual way.

[jena]

In the imp, it smells a bit like Pine-Sol with a touch of lime. Hmm. Strange.

On my wrist, wet, it still smells the same, but sweeter.

Let's give it a few moments, shall we?

 

About three minutes later, it's dry and very candy-like. Much more like a real cosmo, but sweeter. There is definitely lime in this as well as a cherry/cranberry overtone (as there should be). It's not as crisp a smell as I expected, but it's definitely a fun scent.

 

I don't detect the "booze" smell that others have mentioned, but that might be my chemistry versus theirs. A few more minutes later, it's candy candy candy.

[olympia301]

 

There is a fir/pine opening to The Hamptons, and it could remind you of the smell of expensive gin cooling in some sort of arcane chrome cocktail device on a hot summer day. The Hamptons started out that way on me and persisted for a long time unchanged. So, of you are into the scent of gin or something even classier like Pimm's Cup, this may be the thing for you. I think on the right person you could pull this off as hopelessly classy. It is not perfumy and would be great on a hot day (or around the ski lodge with your amazingly rich friends). It is not for those who insist on florals or sweetness or perfuminess in their potions. This is a unisex and big scent. It lasted forever on me, and if I were in the mood, it might encourage me to talk too loud, to walk around with my chin too far up in the air, to dismiss other people's statements with a wave of my hand or the roll of my eyes (as in "how unbelievably boring").

[Babylon]

On me, the Hamptons is purely Kool-Aidish or Pixy Stickish. I can even smell the sugar and almost feel the powder on my tongue. It doesn't change *at all*, but remains a strong Kool-Aid smell on my skin for hours. Can't really tell you what flavor Kool-Aid it would be, definitely a red one, but it's more a generic sugary fruit powder scent than any one fruit.

 

And you know what? I like it!

[valentina]

On my body, The Hamptons smells like I rolled around in a Cosmopolitan, but that would never happen, because doing that would be a waste of a Cosmo that I would wish to drink. This is why The Hamptons is such a tour de force. I get to have my Cosmo and wear it too.

 

The scent changes very little from initial application to drydown. I smell the cranberry, the Cointreau, the vodka, the lime. It's very bracing, mainly vodka-limey one me, with a tinge of sweetness. It has nice staying power on my body and a good amount of throw. This is going to be a great scent on hot summer days, since it's got an icy cool edge... love it.

 

valentina

[GemmaCat]

In the imp: sweet cherry-cranberry cordial, with a hint of booze. Actually, this smells a lot like a virgin Shirley Temple.

 

On my skin, initial: really fresh and pretty, with a tangy fruit-booze scent.

 

Drydown: much the same, but a little softer and less tart, as if the fruit is ripening slightly.

 

Overall, this is very pretty, very fresh, and the booze makes it sparkly and eye-opening. I want to test this again, though, before I decide whether I need a bottle or not.

[Shollin]

First sniff: I think the last time I had a Cosmopolitan was during the series finale of Sex and the City, so I don’t exactly remember what they smell like, but this certainly seems right. Very tart fruit and a strong booze note.

 

Wearing: There’s an unexpected freshness above the tart berry, a cool splash of something lighter.

[abbycomix]

The Hamptons has that bubbly smell I love in Swank, but is a bit sweeter and "younger" smelling. It also sometimes reminds me of ginger ale. Like it, but not as much as Swank. I will finish the imp.

[faifai]

Far better than Swank on me (Swank went all weird and candle/perfume-y). This is sweet, vaguely berryish, and crisp smelling. Good for summer!

[Spring Snow]

I sort of see this one as "Swank lite." It has the same berry/vodka tang, but a bit more subtle, and more "light pink" than "deep magenta" in the "color as scent" sense.

As for comparison to the drink, it's right on! But, fortunately, not in the sense that it makes you smell like an alcoholic who has been pounding vodka at 11:30 AM. It's lovely to bring in the springtime smelling like a cosmopolitan... without having to pour your drink on yourself, which has the disadvantage of getting you very sticky.

[strawberry_star]

I got this one because I try just about all boozy scents. I've drank a Cosmo before and wasn't that fond of the drink, but if I were to pour it on myself; I'd probably like it.

 

With that in mind... the booze really didn't come out on me. That's a shame. The juniper didn't come out either and that is GOOD, because I hate juniper. Actually it smells a lot like Swank. With Swank I had characterized it as orange sugary candy, and this is the same except cranberry instead of orange. Not my favorite, but I didn't dislike it. Keeping the imp.

[kourika]

The Hamptons is another very pink scent on me...I didn't smell any sort of cocktail or booze notes. It was just strong strawberry/berry scent with heavy amounts of sugar.

 

It's just a bit too sweet for me.

[harmonyfb]

I really don't know what's supposed to be in a Cosmo.

 

In the bottle and on initial application, this had a strong 'alcohol' smell. But in five minutes or less, it changed completely to a tangy cranberry scent, and stayed that way for a few hours. After a few hours, a gin-like smell began to creep up underneath the cranberry, until at the end of the evening, all that was left was juniper berries.

 

Since I hatehatehate that smell, this is obviously not for me.

[desu]

In the imp: Sweet pink booziness.

 

On my skin: The lime and cranberry are brilliant and bubbly for a time, then gradually start to fade away.

 

Later on: Juniper is more prominent now although the lime and cranberry are still hanging around. This is the perfect summer scent, so crisp and refreshing.

[cranberry]

Tried courtesy of the General Catalog swap.

 

In the Imp: cranberries and lime.

 

On the skin, wet: fruity, cranberry, lime. It smells very fresh and crisp.

 

On the skin, dry: as it dries, the fruit is subdued by the smell of gin. I generally like booze but I don't care for this. I think bourbon is more my speed.

 

Overall: it was interesting to try and seems very good for the summer season but this is not a scent for me.

[graycat]

in the bottle the gin, sweet cranberry and lime stands out nicely but it doesn't hit me as a smell i would really wear too often.

 

yet on the skin it warms up so nicely, the gin smell, which is super juniper berry, mellows out and the sweet cranberry and lime loss all the hard acidic smell.

 

it's not something i would buy a bottle of but i have a cocktail party coming up and i know what i'll be wearing!

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 3/5

Summarised in a word or two: Juniper-gin!

 

Preconceived notions: I'm actually fairly fond of Cosmopolitans, but I'm not very sure I'd care to smell like one.

 

In the imp: Why, hello, juniper-gin, how're you? Very good, apparently, so why the slap in the face, eh?

 

On skin, wet: Damn, what did I ever do to you, juniper gin? That's pretty much all I get: juniper gin, emphasis on the juniper. Boozey in juniper-gin's way. No sign of anything else that makes a Cosmo a Cosmo.

 

On skin, dry: Well, there's the sour lime, and just a whisper of the raspberry I remember from BPAL's raspberry SN. It's actually very interesting, and I find my nose glued to my wrist. But, would I want to smell of this? Hmm.

 

Conclusion/Notes: No, I don't think I want to smell all juniper-y, and raspberry/lime-y, and slightly booze-y. I'll down a real Cosmo or two, sure, but ideally while smelling like Morocco, or Dorian, or one of my other BPAL loves; The Hamptons, not so much.

Edited June 9, 2006 by Aredhel

[Nekomata]

Smells like a cosmo. Wonderful and pink. I really have nothing else to add about this scent-wise.

It's long lasting and has a pretty good throw.

[maijasu]

This scent is sweet, fruity, and fun. I detect the boozy note too, but it doesnt overpower, and the scent is surprisingly subtle once it dries down. I really like this one and will definitely keep my imp and test it some more during the summer. It may even be full bottle worthly--we shall see!

[misfitroxy]

Mmm. This is so light and nummy smelling in the imp.

 

The juice notes are so spot-on, they're making my mouth water. The gin hits you on the third or fourth whiff (isn't that always the way?), and it is turning very herbal/pine-like on me. It's not necessarily unpleasant, I just prefer the citrus and cranberry that I was getting when I first swabbed the oil on. Otherwise, not much booze from this on me.

 

Note-wise, this totally kills Demeter's Cosmopolitan blend and then some. Everything's much more real-to-life and vibrant. But I think my chemistry is rejecting it, as I smell more like I've been sucking down tree sap than drinking one of my favorite alcoholic beverages. ;{

[jakey]

The Hamptons

 

I've never had a cosmo before but now I'm gonna! YUM!

 

Fades quickly but I love the tartness of the cranberry while it lasts.

[edenssixthday]

The Hamptons - This is such an incredibly yummy scent! It smells exactly like a cosmo – orange, cranberry and even a touch of juniper gin, which in this case, I actually like (I don’t normally care for juniper). Incredibly fruity, refreshing and invigorating, this is a really nice blend. I am going to be very tempted to buy a full bottle of this!

[juniperus]

Bottle: sweet and boozy.

Wet: even sweeter, like cough syrup sweet.

Dry: ugh. and getting sweeter. it's...gotten naasty. it clearly is a Bad Thing on my skin. boozy notes usually are, tho. *sigh*

Later: no later, this has got to go.

[whitecrow0]

In the bottle: WAUGH! Alcohol! Pretty, fruity, alcohol, but ... definitely a cocktail.

 

Wet: Yup. Alcohol. I smell like I've been drinking. Well, perhaps not drinking so much as so tipsy I just spilled my Cosmo all over myself. It's very strong and heady; tart and sweet-alcoholic.

This is not the imp to give someone who has issues with drinking.

I have all but stopped drinking; I have a bit of wine every now and then with Scott - once every few months, pretty much. I am interested in trying some scents which contain red wine, but I don't want champagne BPAL, I don't want martinis, I don't want rum ... and I don't want a Cosmopolitan cocktail. I thought that since I did receive a FRIMP, which is gracious, I'd go ahead and try it, but ... I'm grimacing and my eyes are watering and I feel thoroughly uncomfortable.

It's not a bad scent; it's flirty, jaunty, mischievous. But I can smell the alcohol, and that's not anything I want.

 

Drying: I had to wash this off; I simply couldn't stand it.

 

Afternotes: N/A

 

Scott-sniff: N/A

 

Verdict: SWAP!