Obatala

[thebirdofhermes]

... Obatala’s ofrenda is soft, white and pure: milk, coconut meat, shea butter and cool, refreshing water.

In bottle: Clear oil. Coconut and cocoa butter and suntan lotion and a weird note. Like what all those beach scented candles smell like. Hmm. I don't know about this one.

On skin: Slightly less perfumey version of Palmer's Cocoa Butter formula. Quickly turns more towards a sweet coconut. Buttery, honey-like. Makes me think of cupcakes, actually. Huh. Actually, wait, try a little closer to bakery in general. There we are. Bit of a burnt sugar note to it at the bottom of the scent. Has pretty good throw to it, actually, but at a distance it is definitely more a cross between a suntan lotion and the Palmer's lotion. Which I honestly don't mind the scent of either and actually sometimes want to smell like. I do not need a bottle, but I shall keep the imp.

This is getting ready to go to the pool or the beach. Slathering yourself in suntan lotion so you don't burn to a crisp, and I do mean slathering. We are talking you are so white you make snow look brown, and you will turn redder than a lobster faster than you can say cheddar biscuit if you step outside without half a warehouse club sized bottle of SPF 80+ on you. Maybe when you get there, you have yourself a piña colada. Since it's the only thing you think you'll be able to drink that the sheer coconutty scent wafting up from you won't interfere with. Then you get home, and it turns out you burned after all, so you go take a nice cool shower and then apply a very generous coat of cocoa butter lotion so hopefully your skin doesn't peel off this time.

[loubric]

MMMMMmmm smells like chooclate covered in coconut.

On me it's less coconut more buttery beach goodness. Aquatic notes start coming through giving this a nice balance of coconut, butter and the beach. Very calming, it makes me wish I was on a beach suntanning and sipping Pina Coladas.

[starfish327]

just for the sake of honesty: i love the smell of suntan lotion. this may be biasing my review.

 

in the imp: coconut and suntan lotion. i wear a LOT of suntan lotion. this smells like the good stuff.

 

wet: more coconut and the shea note. the aquatic is sniffing around too.

 

dry: suntan lotion! yay! straight up suntan lotion, i feel like i'm at the beach. this may be my summer scent which means that this may be the first bottle i actually break down and buy. i love this. later the musk comes out and i'm left with this wonderful spiced coconut note.

[glitterlips]

LOVE IT!! I love all things coconut and I must buy a 5ml of this scent next time I order. I can't stop smelling my wrist, it smells like fresh coconut meat and I love foodie smells.

 

It's reminding me of a trip to Maui my hubbie and I took a few years ago for our anniversary and someone was selling fresh coconut meat on the roadside - it's exactly like that.

 

Definitely a great summery scent.

 

<3

 

-Mel

 

ADDED Mar. 10:

 

Okay, just got my 5ml Obatala - smells NOTHING like the imp I have! I am hoping it just needs to age a bit? My imp smells straight up like fresh coconut meat and nothing else, and the 5ml smells like the more suntanny aquatic coconut. It's still a very nice scent but not at all like my imp. I haz a sad.

 

Melanie

[laslibres]

Yup, the other reviews were right, this is a day at the beach in a bottle, or maybe day at the lake: coconut (like sunscreen almost, but also like Mounds bars) and cool water. I smell something else in there kinda nutty-vanilla-ish...is that the shea? If that's the shea, it's almost chocolatey, too, but it's a background note to the coconut.

 

The coconut is a fresh, shredded, slightly sweet coconut, with aquatics. It's really calming, while still being a little foody-sweet...not your typical coconut blend, but it’s still very tropical. I'm glad I bought a bottle unsniffed of this during the Haiti fundraiser! That was a good decision.

[Venneh]

Getting coconut meat and shea butter straight out of the gate on the imp for this, which I am betting will foretell DOOM AND DESPAIR AND OTHER D WORDS. Light application because of this. On my skin, I'm getting shea butter and a bit of coconut, it's not doing anything funky just yet, which is good. But I've got my eyes on this blend. And wow, that didn't take long to go to rancidness on me. Argh. Stupid coconut meat interplaying with the shea butter.

Edited March 29, 2010 by Venneh

[hmelt004]

This is a very sexy scent to me, a fine sweet coconut with what I keep identifying as skin musk, even though that's not listed as a note. This was one of the first blends i tried, and it's still a great favorite. It's a light summer aquatic scent without the salt note of many aquatics.

[obsidienne]

This is an odd disappointment -- Obatala smells like lovely milk and coconut and then 2 seconds later... dust. Like the kind of dust that comes out of the furnace after it hasn't been run all summer and you forgot to have the ducts cleaned.

[kunoichi]

In the vial this has a delightfully, fresh, cool and creamy coconut scent that conjures up images of tropical locals. It changes somewhat on my skin, becoming a touch warmer as the shea butter mingles with the milk and coconut, pushing the cool water to the background of the scent. After a few hours this leaves a soft, creamy sweetness with a touch of coconut on my skin. Lovely!

[angelicruin]

Coconut & milk, but for once the milk note is not going sour on me, like the BPAL milk notes tend to do. It's a nice blend on my skin, but probably not anything I need a bottle of.

[countessmouse]

Hawaiian Tropic suntan oil. Reminds me of cooking myself poolside in high school.

[heatherovka]

What I wanted was the scent of one of those creamy coconut ice cream bars. Yum...

This is close, I think.

 

When I first opened the imp and took a sniff, it smelled a little odd and off-putting... almost rancid?? It wasn't the creamy, milky coconut meat smell I expected. I don't know why, it just smelled a little tiny bit sour/rotten to me. I didn't hesitate to put it on anyway though. Luckily, that weirdness wasn't too apparent on my skin (maybe... unless up close? Is it the shea I'm objecting to?).

 

Wow, the throw was amazing. My husband could smell me clear across the room, and yet, it didn't seem strong to me at all. As it dried it seemed to get creamier. I do think it has a slight suntan oil similarity. I really like it - unless I put my nose right to my skin. At that point it smells strangely artificial, like some concoction you might get at the tanning salon.

 

Overall, very nice, very beachy and tropical feeling. I'm looking forward to wearing it again.

 

 

eta: Maybe I'm having a problem with the shea?? Hmm....

Edited May 26, 2010 by heatherovka

[mxtine]

I wanted the coconut to be more intense, but this is the perfect coconutty scent I was looking for. I layered it with Pele to get the full tropical effect I was looking for. I'm definitely going to buy Pele and Obatala to wear together.

[SophieCedar]

Not remembering the exact mix when I applied it and looking afterward, I was pleasantly surprised that it came across EXACTLY as the lab's order of ingredients. Very easily definable to my snooter. Creamy, crisp, smooth as silk, and SOOO soothing. Perfect for hot summer days! (not that we get many here in maine.. )

[Schmoozy]

 

This is perhaps the perfect scent. Coconut and shea butter. It's soothing, calming, and very refreshing. It's bottled summer.

[moosue]

I tested this in February and thought "meh, coconut. S'okay." and didn't look at it again until a week ago when I wanted something refreshing and appropriate for work.

This is gorgeous coconut. It's warm as coconut is, but there's a coolness about it, probably from the water. The throw is far, but it's not that strong. People will smell you, but the scent is pretty universally pleasant and it won't bowl them over.

I can't wear this in the winter, because it just doesn't have the same effect then. It needs to be warm out to truly enjoy this one. It's also one of those ones that smells much better on warm skin than cool skin.

[Kiraze]

imp: very sweet home-made butterscotch - almost sickeningly sweet

 

wet: same - hint of burned sugar and strong buttery cream and still not much coconut coming through

 

dry: coconut is finally taking the leading role leaving too sweet cream behind and same time some other innocently clean notes start to appear. This is beautiful and peaceful tropical scent that intenses nicely at heat outside without getting still overpowering

 

after several hours there is still pretty echo of sunny coconuts left - this could probably replace my first BPAL love Black Pearl as perfect coconut scent (though i still renewed my love to Black Pearl too but cannot get over bad associations related to it's name)

[Ashenrook]

In the Bottle

Coconut water! Yum.

 

On Skin: Wet

At first sniff? Suntan lotion, just like others say. However, that's not a bad scent, far from it, but it is definitely a scent that is associated with summer. For the first minute or so, it still seems very manufactured and false... But once it settles a little bit? It starts to unfurl a little and display that little 'tinge' of freshly cracked coconut meat just waiting to be eaten. This...is really making me thirsty and crave a pina colada like nothing else. My mouth is watering.

 

I am also starting to detect a bit of the water note in the background and the milk note is starting to surface as well. I'm not sure what to make of the milk, really, but thus far it's behaving on me. I really hope it doesn't go the way of buttercream and get all weird.

 

On Skin: Dry

The water note is becoming more prominent now, making it smell sweet and cool. The milk has dropped back and is now blending with the shea and coconut meat.

 

Afternotes

Pretty much the same as the dry phase, only that the water note is a bit more prominent but it's nothing at all offensive.

 

 

Verdict

On an American scholastic grading scale of A to F, A being best, I would give Obatala a B+.

 

I really do like this scent, but it is a very situational one – as I'm sure much of you can probably agree with. It's something I could only rightly wear in summer and, even then, given I've seen plenty of other tropical coconut-based scents out there I am not sure this would be the one I'd default to. Though I will say that I am very impressed... this is the first BPAL scent I've worn that has managed to make my mouth water. Haha.

 

But, anyway, if you are a huge fan of coconut and you want to revel in coconut-y bliss? Then this is definitely for you.

[Nymeria]

Mmmmmm... delicious, creamy, toasted coconut. Just a hint of suntan lotion, the slightest baby's breath of a hint.

 

 

Good for wearing: to the beach!

[windbourne]

Obatala is actually a first for me -- buying a GC 5 ml without ever having an imp to test. In fact, I didn't even skin test it. I just kept sniffing it. Every time I dropped in to knows perfume -- sniiiiiff. And it kept smelling delightful, cool and refreshing and, well, white, so I decided to go ahead and get it. It's a very pale scent. I've learned that I love pale scents.

 

This one reminds me of a river, on a very clear, warm day; the sort of river that looks practically still but has a wicked undertow. Powerful, with a lot of movement just under of your vision, bright and sparkling in the sunlight. There are probably a lot of fish, but it's impossible to catch them because the current is so fast, and you can't stand on the side and net or hook 'em because there is no side. It's spent the last several thousand years carving itself out a channel.

 

The notes are all present and accounted for (and this is one of the few milk scents I can successfully wear, joy!) and there are no serious surprises to this scent. It's just -beautiful-. For me, what I smell in the bottle translates perfectly onto my skin. The shea is a little bit herbal-nutty, the coconut is fresh and raw, the water is, well, watery and the milk is fresh from the icebox, so cold that condensation is beading on the side of the cup. It sits very close to my skin, and I have the pleasant option to either slather it on for strength and longevity or to use just a little and only smell it when I actually put my wrists to my nose, either way, the scent is the same.

 

Wearing it makes me feel peaceful and happy, so I think it may become my new sleep scent.

 

Not a purchase I think I'll regret. <3

[Ishtar]

I love coconut, and Obatala caught my eye as soon as it was released. I finished up my first imp of it pretty quickly and reordered another one - then for some reason I stopped wearing it for a while.

 

Rediscovering the imp in my box today, I was suprised by how green and watery Obatala is when freshly applied. For some reason, I always expect coconut scents to be sweet. The dominant mood here is fresh and breezy, which kind of throws me off.

 

The scent does become thicker and sweeter as is dries down; yet there is a kind of perfumy undertone to it that I am not too sure about.

 

Granted, early February is probably not the best time to be wearing such a summery scent. I will need to give Obatala another try once the weather warms up.

[Leafy Sea Dragon]

Obatala is a bit like getting punched in the face by a fist made of coconut. By which I mean, it hits hard and it smells delicious.

 

Wet, it smelled a bit powdery and artificial. I started getting a little nervous, but then it dried on my skin and blasted me with full-volume coconutty goodness. The scent is definitely "white."

 

As the perfume sits for a while, the aquatic touch quietly sneaks into play. The best way I can think to describe it is a glass of creamy coconut milk that someone just dropped some ice cubes in, maybe with a few Milkita candies on the side.

 

Overall, I'd call the scent sweet but not too sweet and creamy but not too creamy, and pleasantly calming - it'd be a nice oil for relaxing or hanging out on a sunny day. I think it'd also make an amazing room scent! Obatala will definitely be sticking around in my imp box, and I'll seriously consider getting a bigger bottle.

[girlcalledmoment]

Obatala smells as I expected, I suppose, though slightly more savoury. The coconut milk is a note I'm familiar with through The Body Shop's Coconut Oil, Harajuku Lovers' G and Estee Lauder's Azuree Soleil/ Bronze Goddess. The more coconutty scents I sample, the more I find the coconut accord is pretty alike in them all, and that includes the ridiculously expensive Creed's Virgin Island Water. Well, Obatala has the same note, I think, but it's the first one I've tried that is just coconut - no tropical fruit and flowers - just white. Well, I say that, but as I breathe it in, I can see the smallest similarity to BPAL's Black Opal, which to me has an almost undetectable veil of bandages and lime going on (not at all unpleasant). But then, moments later, that olfactory illusion is gone again, and Obatala is coconut meat, milk and cream once more.

I think Obatala's coconut is slightly less synthetic-smelling than The Body Shop's oil, which I do enjoy and wear from time to time. The creaminess is comforting, and the absence of sweetness somehow makes me think of Indian sweets, which makes no sense, because they are, of course, sweet by nature. I think I imagine a tiny bit of cardamom in Obatala, but I can assure you this is my imagination. I think it's more a ghee thing, but not buttery.

Obatala is equally appealing and strange. It's very white; rich and yet pure. I'm going to continue my dalliance and see how we pan out. So far, I'm intrigued.

3.8/5

Edited April 2, 2011 by girlcalledmoment

[Vega]

Sniffed: Sweet and a bit watery: coconut with a milky-aquatic base.

 

On skin: Obatala is exactly its scent description -- creamy, sweet and balanced. All the milky/creamy/coconut notes are smooth and rich, yet not too sweet or foodie. The aquatic notes give it a watery clarity, plus the very slightest of perfume. A well-crafted, simple blend, summery and cheerful. Colour impression is slightly translucent milk-white.

 

Verdict: While Obatala is a bit too simple and sweet for me, that's what makes it such a perfect milky-creamy blend!

[Monday]

Obatala is the first bpal blend that actually makes me gag..oh well first time for everything.

It must be the milk note 'cause there is a strong boiled milk scent underneath the coconut that my skin amps like anything. I always disliked the scent and taste of boiled milk so obviously this is just not going to work.

Has quite some throw ... unfortunately.