Obatala

[imaginepageant]

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

In the Vial: A lot like what I remember of Milk Moon. The milk note is bright and sour to my nose. The shea butter sweetens it up, and the coconut is there but mild, and gives it more of a general fruitiness than anything else. The cool water is definitely cool, and it's a pretty nice aquatic for someone who doesn't normally like aquatics!

Wet: The milk note goes really sour for a few seconds before mellowing out, and then the blend gets really sweet. The coconut is starting to smell more like coconut.

Dry: Definitely a summery, beacy scent thanks to the coconut, but that milk note is keeping it from being Banana Boat oil. It's more like a creamy coconut cocktail. And the coolness of the water is gone; this is all sunny warmth now.

An Hour Later: Pretty much the same.

Overall: This would be a fabulous summer scent for those who don't find milk notes to be sour. Unfortunately, I do, and the coconut in Obatala isn't strong enough to make me love it anyway. Not for me! Edited June 2, 2011 by imaginepageant

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: Milky coconut. Oddly enough, this smells incredibly cool (usually, coconut registers as a warm scent to me). How'd they DO that?!

 

On: Milky coconut with a touch of shea, still very refreshing and not like suntan lotion at all. It's closer to coconut milk, but it's not quite the same, either... this is hard to describe. It does seem like a very good summer scent at this stage, though, since it's not cloying or heavy and has this coolness to it that would be delightful in ridiculously hot weather.

 

Later: Milky, shea-y coconut. This remains soft, but it does not get any softer than it initially is. Good staying power. I don't know that I need a bottle, but I'll make good use of the imp.

[ACVail24]

Obatala

 

In the Bottle:

Not much there - I can tell it's a delicate scent, but I don't pick up specific notes here.

 

On my Skin, Wet:

Awesome coconuts, a coolness that is probably the water, a touch of something sweet.

This is very soothing and calming in the wet stage for me. Just lovely!

 

On my Skin, Dry:

Still coconuts, but they have receeded a bit. I get a touch of the milk now, and it's blending with the shea butter. The shea butter is quite distinct on me in the dry phase.

This has morphed from a cool scent to a warm scent. It strongly reminds me of a rice dessert I used to have while visiting the grandfolks in Mexico.

 

Verdict:

This is a perfect summer scent!

it's light & refreshing then becomes soft and warm, welcoming, even.

just beautiful!

[Chelse]

Oh, like a day at the beach. Me likey.

[damonkitty]

I was checking out You Tube last night in search of some BPAL videos and came across the lovely WinterRose84's channel. She was opening a package that contained three bottles of the scent. After listening to her rave about how much she loved this blend I decided to bust out my 1/2 full bottle and actually give it a try. I have overlooked it in my collection for a long time.

 

This is straight up Georgeous . I can not believe I have not been wearing and hoarding this as well. My 1/2 bottle is not going to be enough. It is a different kind of coconut blend. I think it is softened by the milk and shea butter because it is not a strong tropical cocktail scent. It is a more grown up and sexy coconut scent. I find that it has a long wear time as well. I could still smell it after 10 hours of wear. This is mild and great for daily wear with the power packed wear power of really strong blends. I am so glad I ran across the You Tube review because this little gem would probably still be sitting unloved and I would have still been missing out on the joy of this scent.

[Balame]

In the Imp: I've actually tried Obatala numerous times trying to like him, but unfortunately I just can't get him to work for me. So, unpopular opinion here, finally breaking down for a review... in the imp it smells nice enough, like delicate coconut and almost like there's a white floral in there.

 

Wet: At first it starts out heavy on the shea, with rich creamy goodness. Very relaxing and sort of reminiscent of a really pleasant, all natural sunblock.

 

Dry: But then that wonky coconut comes out. And it is a wonky coconut to me. Somewhere in this thread I believe someone refers to it as coconut "crayon" moreso than a real coconut, and I wholeheartedly agree. Something about it feels synthetic. Not chemical, but simply not real, and it drives me absolutely nuts. It's a bit too watery for my taste and just... not pleasant, somehow. I wanted to love this, but it falls short.

 

Overall: I'm not going to argue that this isn't a relaxing scent, because it is pleasant. But I feel that for the description, it's less "purely" a tropical getaway and more of a bottled tropical cream trying to replicate that feeling.

[AnyseLawsBray]

In vial: Fleshy ivory slivers of sugared coconut.

Wet: A thick scent that registers as incense to my nose, but which my brain recognizes as shea. Almost caramelized, very intense.

Dry: Coconut, watery but still strangely deep.

 

Verdict: I have reason to believe the 1/5 full imp I have is quite aged, so that may be why it is so intense and thick on me. It is actually rather intimidating! I love coconut, but have discovered that shea is a stomach turner for me. I had the same reaction to Ochosi- the shea has a sickeningly sweet & bilious twang to it that I cannot bear. Thankfully there are other coconut blends I can enjoy, such as Black Pearl and Ashlultum.

[DeCuvieri]

This is just the perfect amount of sweet coconut for my skin (since I amp up sweetness), it's creamy and very smooth. Unfortunately it has virtually no throw even after first applied, and within a few hours my chemistry just swallows it up. It's nice, but I'll be passing this one on.

[milo]

Wet, aquatic coconut with a touch of creamy milk. I really like the wet phase, it's kind of perfumey in a good way, making this blend not seem all 'suntan lotion'. Dry, the aquatics and creaminess fades and we're left with dry, dusty coconut. It's really sweet now, and the dustiness does seem to fade in and out. This is quite enjoyable as long as the coconut keeps the dry dusty note in check, but I think the imp is plenty enough for me.

[Honey]

Imp: Fresh and slightly sour coconut milk.

 

Wet: Fresh, unsweet coconut and water that.. smells like distilled pine sap.

 

Dry: A bit.. wooden, sweet, spicy but mostly fresh, sour and light. Definitely creamy shea butter.. but.. not for me really.

[Missy_killer]

In the imp: Coconut-sunlotion and sugar!

 

On me: This is a lovely, sweet, creamy coconut! The sunlotion-feeling disappears as soon as this hits my skin! and the milk is not turning sour on me, thankfully!

 

After an hour: Still sweet, but it's more of a dry coconut now instead of a fresh-cut, fleshy coconut.

 

After two hours: Very faint coconut, still dry and not fleshy, and very sweet. I think I loooooove this one and will have to get a big bottle of it, yummy!

 

I applied this one last night, around 8. I could still smell it this morning (even though it is very faint)!

[Juushika]

In the vial: A sweet, cool, slightly damp scent that doesn't quite strike me as coconut, but could be milk, or coconut milk.

 

On me: Immediately on the skin there's a burst of buttery sweetness, not too thick, distinctly sweet. I find it difficult to describe what the scent matures into, and I think that's because I've never smelled shea butter—because this could well be it. It's a fleshy, full-bodied, palpable white scent, creamy, buttery, and sweetened but not foody; it stays on the safe side of cloying but is strangely oppressive. A white, milky scent seems like it should be faint, but this is anything but: throw if fairly low, but the scent itself is potent and powerful, intimating, like drowning in cream. I can't comment on wear-length—I'll wash it off instead.

 

Verdict: There's something here that I just can't tolerate—Obatala seems to do all the right things, but it overpowers and intimidates me with an unexpected smothering blanket of opaque, sweet, buttery milk. I've tested this twice now, and each time been surprised at the intensity and strangeness, and been forced to wash it off. This is definitely one for the swaps.

[ih8perfume]

I got a testable sniffie of this in a swap (Thanks Glitterlips).

 

I was really suprised by this one!!

 

It is a soft, cool, comforting scent. Like a delicious cool breeze on a hot day. Nothing sharp or shocking. Just smooth, watery coconut.

 

I agree with another poster who said coconut usually calls to mind warmth (sun tan lotion & whatnot). But this is more like the cool refreshment of cracking open a real coconut on a steamy tropical day, and drinking refreshing sips of the water sloshing around inside..

 

Yeah. Thats it. Coconut water. Cool.

[lohengrin]

This is a review of an aged bottle.

 

In the bottle: Fresh coconut and something else I can't quite identify. It doesn't smell milky or watery, so I'm assuming the shea butter.

 

On skin, wet: Still coconut and shea butter.

 

On skin, dry: No change, except maybe the shea butter has gotten a little stronger and the coconut a little weaker. They're very well blended, though, so it's hard to say for sure.

 

After an hour: Same as before. This is a hard scent for me to pin down--it's not at all sweet or foody, and thankfully it doesn't quite smell like suntan lotion or moisturizer, either, but I can't put my finger on what category it should go into. It's just unique.

[Drae]

In the imp: Yep, young fresh coconut and shea butter.

Wet on skin: Err, where'd the coconut go? The shea is taking over

Dry: All Shea, all the time. This smells exactly like 'Lay it on Thick' shea butter from Bath and Body Works, and my guess is layering this with the butter would just enhance that shea goodness.

 

I guess I expected this to be more COCONUTTY coconut, a very identifiable coconut like the extract. I do like shea, but it's a little bit too simple to wear as a scent. Will keep the imp for layering experiments.

Edited December 20, 2011 by Drae

[Incendiare]

In the vial, I can tell that this will have a very light throw. It's very straightforward with the notes: watery coconut but creamed with shea butter. It's light and fresh. On me, the shea butter amps a bit but still remains delicate and breezy. Not at all like sun tan lotion. Also, milk normally doesn't work for me but here, it's not sour at all. It's truly coconut milk and not cow's milk. I'd love to wear this on hotter days. I can see myself purchasing a bottle of this in the very near future.

[jkfagtongpun]

Frimp in an order and I was super excited about this as I would never have gone for it; it's the complete opposite of types of scents I like.

 

This is a lovely scent. Someone said it earlier but it really does smell 'cool'. It's all coconut and water on me. The coconut note the lab uses is lovely and not at all sun tan lotion-y.

 

However... I did grow up in a Hawaiian Tropic household and anything remotely smelling of coconut reminds me of suntan lotion. I'm hoping that I can find someone who likes coconut who also did not have a sun worshipping mother so that I can give some BPAL love away.

[becca_s]

Like someone else said, this smells like sour coconut on me. Reminds me of a coconut liqour we have or some kind of coconut cocktail.

 

 

ETA: This morphs! After about an hour it turns into creamy coconut - yum I wish it started out like that.

Edited March 21, 2012 by becca_s

[LittleMissAspie]

The imp I'm using is 1.25 years old.

 

This isn't sweet at all like coconut scents usually are, instead it's very warm and a bit green. Neither foody nor suntan lotiony. Unfortunately there is a plasticky whiff about it, it seems to be the same note I got in B Never's 1000 Kisses perfume. Reminds me of cheap green plastic garden furniture. The plastic is fading as time goes on and it's becoming sweeter and more buttery but the scent in general is fading fast on my skin.

 

It's a real shame about the plastic note, otherwise this would be a great winter coconut scent, warm and cosy.

[AlectoFurious]

It's a good thing I like coconut because this one is pretty much a one trick pony on me. In the imp it is the strongest note by far. But a very green fresh meaty coconut. Once it hits my skin it turns to suntan oil and stays there. Which some say is bad, but let's face it.....suntan oil smells nice! May be a tad cheaper for me to just buy the suntan oil

[melrose]

First on: strong coconut with a trace of spoiled milk.

 

Near drydown: completely morphs! Cool water with a touch of muguet de bois - love this.

 

Far drydown: have to put my nose against my arm to smell, but it's lovely, soft, sweet, and deep.

[PixieSkull]

Obatala, you amazing scent, you! Why did I take so long to try this? I mean, really! I adore coconut in all forms! Flour, oil, butter, flaked, sweetened, unsweetened, cream, freshly-scraped flesh, meringue, cheesecake, flaked in frozen yogurt, in rice... in every form. Lab description caught me with coconut, I LOVE coconut! "Obatala’s ofrenda is soft, white and pure: milk, coconut meat, shea butter and cool, refreshing water." So I expect a wet and oil-rich scent. It must have been the milk note making me wonder.

 

The imp smells like sweet coconut flesh and a slightly earthy note hiding deeeeeep underneath, I assume it's the shea. This is fresh, milky coconut with coconut water. I could drink coconut water any time of day, any time of year, if you put it in front of me.

 

On the skin, this blooms into a sweet and juicy scent I enjoy immensely! The coconut note is the sweet and rich scent of real coconut flesh, and adding the shea makes it smell like the whole coconut, husk and all, is present. The milk doesn't sour on me and just adds a bit of creaminess to the rich scent. A bit of a cucumbery, but not green, tang brings the juiciness up quite a bit for me. It smells like coconut cream and coconut butter and clean, bright dew. It's amazingly clean, rich and the slightest bit sweet.

[Ilex]

Got this as a frimp from the lab. In the imp: Coconut and butter. Uh oh. I don't like the smell of that butter.

 

Early dry down- it really didn't want to settle in, I think that must be the shea. Yeah, I concur with other folks that are mentioning natural sunscreen. The shea butter is pretty strong. There is kind of a hint of plastic somewhere, which may be the coconut.

 

Longer dry down- this isn't awful, its nice, but it is sunscreen-like and I'm not digging it as perfume. If you really like coconut, this might be for you. I think layering it with something chocolate might add positively, or maybe a light floral, or even mint. But it needs something to jazz it up a bit past sunscreen.

 

That said, the neutrality of the scent evokes white and fits the offerings, so points for execution of concept.

[neuilly]

At first I get a bit of that Milk Moon note that someone else commented on (as I have a bottle of it), but there's something distinctly less sour in this one. It's definitely a cool scent, and primarily coconut meat to me. There's something watery about it without being anything like the aquatic notes. It's really super refreshing. Perhaps a bit like sunscreen because of the fact that both have coconut in them, but I'm still really enjoying this! I will have to save my decant and possible get a bottle in summer. I can't believe I missed out on this for so long!

[delicatedisaster]

I got this as a frimp last year around Christmas, but I don't think the scent has changed too much. I wouldn't post a review, but my experience with the scent seems to be unusual to the point where I wonder if my bottle is mislabeled or i just don't recognize the scent of fresh coconut milk?

Maybe I'm just smelling the Shea, but to me this smells somewhat honey-ish, maybe even beeswax or something stronger? There is something to the blend that I really can't place, it smells really other-worldly in a hedonistic way. I keep thinking "nectar" is the word I'm looking for but I don't know why. I think I've had the imp for about a year and the scent has really remained the same. I'd probably buy a full bottle of it if it didn't disappear so quickly on my skin. It has a very faint throw on me, stays strong for maybe an hour or two (weirdly sometimes it fades immediately and sometimes it's a lasting scent for me) but then it fades to a very very faint honey scent. It could be the milk note that I'm smelling that makes it smell so rich.

 

Okay, for real though, of all the bpals I've tried, this one smells the most magical. It smells the way I would imagine the drunken revelry of gods and fairy to smell. It's thick and honey-tinged. If it wasn't an imp I would try it as a room scent.

 

:edit: Maybe a little bit almond-y? Not a straight almond but something sort of nut-like.

Edited October 27, 2012 by delicatedisaster