Obatala

[t_for_tau]

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

Remind me not to put scents on without re-reading the notes.

I got this as a freebie from a very generous seller, and though it was not one I'd ever pick out I thought it was worth a try.

In the imp: butterscotch. Terrifying for the guy who fears sweet scents.

On my skin: oh god, there's something in here that is making me feel really *sick*. For real. It's not that it's an unpleasant smell - I can see how people woudl like this - but it is making me seriously queasy.

And then I re-read what's in it and all became clear; it's the milk. I'm seriously lactose intolerant and have been made sick by milky things so many times that I just associate the smell of it with being ill.


Ooops.

Definitely off to swaps.

[gaai]

My first review.......I'm trying to get a feel for it, so it may be a little.....well......n00bish still

 

In the imp: Hmmm milky goodness, reminds me a lot of Milkmoon but with the mint replaced by coconut.

 

On skin: At first still a lot like Milkmoon but as it dries the coconut comes through more, making it reminiscent to some really nice suntanlotion to my nose

 

But......after about an hour and a half something goes wrong I get some sort of very green raw vegetable-type scent and i don't like it.......I don't like eating vegetables, let alone smell like them......

I thought for sure I had found a Milkmoon replacement for after I finished my bottle, but I guess not........

[dawndie]

I'm on a never-ending coconut kick and ordered a bottle "blind" from the Lab.

 

In bottle: sourish cream. Uh oh, this is how Milk Moon ended up on me, like sour breast milk

 

Initially on skin: more cream, which sweetens as time goes on. If I sniff real close it teeters on "yuck" but if I stay further away I begin to get a very pleasant waft

 

Half-hour later: luckily it stayed on the sweet side and didn't turn. Today, even in this extreme heat (107 in Dallas) it floats above my skin in a nice creamy haze. It's not suntan-oil, vacation-time coconut, but this is how I imagine natural island skin balm to smell -- from my previous life as a Fijian princess

 

In conclusion: a great scent for summer!

[Ms Density]

On me, Obatala is like coconut water and honeysuckle juice. Sweet, creamy and it smells absolutely delicious. Since I grew up with tons of honeysuckle growing around my house, I completely associate this smell with summer. I wasn't expecting to like Obatala half as well as I do. I've worn it three times since I got the order on thursday! The second time I layered it over some Snake Charmer to bring out the coconut.

 

This will go on the list for upgrade to a big bottle of summery goodness...

[blackwifey]

Obatala is beautiful but i'd urge anyone who didn't get on with it to give it a second try! I received my bottle from the lab about a month ago and when I first applied it it went to plastic nastiness stright away and I was sad

For some reason i've just tried it again before bed and it's absolutly beautiful, soft and all encompassing. It somehow manages to smell cool whilst simultaneously conjuring images of a sizzling beach.

I'm not getting the aquatic notes that many people are and i've never smelt Milk Moon so I can't compare it but to me this smells like a less in your face Spooky.

It has a feather light mintiness serving as a perfect undercurrent to the fresh coconut. It's nothing like the heavy sweet coconut in Elegba. I agree with the people who likened it to the Snow White coconut note although it is a bit more obvious. Maybe somewhere between the Snow White coconut and the Black Pearl coconut.

Their is one downside to it though. I feel REALLY hungry since applying it and i'm about to go and have a bounty bar

[bicyclette]

Milk Moon really didn't agree with me, so I was hoping for a bit more coconut and a bit less toothpaste note of Doom, but unfortunately it was not to be. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but the milky/coconutty blends go sickly sweet on me and invariably smell like pina coladas. More creaminess might have rounded it out, but it was more of a candy-sweet smell. This was definitely similar to the Snow White coconut note, although I know not everyone gets coconut from that blend. Off to swaps with you, Obatala!

[edenssixthday]

Obatala - Of the new Excolo blends that I've tried so far, Obatala is one of my two favorites (Shango is the other). It is a gorgeous blend that is full of sunshine, serenity, calmness, and peace. It is creamy and distinctly coconutty on my skin, and reminds me of standing on a deserted beach in the South Pacific with my one true love, and the feeling of being surrounded by beauty and being one with nature. Most of Beth's blends containing coconut are either too subtle or fade to fast for my taste, so I'm thrilled to have one that's strongly coconut, and whose scent is still discernible after 5 hours. I'm glad to have a strong tropical-scented blend to layer with my tropical lotions that I love to wear year-round. Two thumbs up for Obatala! (I bought a 10 ml of this. I just had to have a ton of it!)

[olympia301]

 

Milk Moon...there is one of the great components of Milk Moon in Obatala. It's the one that gives it character. Sort of a lime, with a nod to coconut but not quite.It's not like The Star because the lime isn't that limy, and the coconut isn't that strong. But they are here. It's very comforting, like the god it's named after. some people get mint out of it, I don't. Just the perfume of a real coconut which is at once subtle and tenacious. So, when I run out of Milk Moon, I will get Obatala and not worry that I have no more....

 

About the icon, Obatala is often represented as Our Lady of Mercy. The icon is the very famous Renaissance painter, Piero dela Francesca's Mater Misericordia (Our Lady of Mercy). It's my favorite painting of that entity, very quirky in a heartwarming and personal way.

[Demeter]

Source: Imp

 

Initial Impressions I can’t resist cream scents, and with this having milk, coconut meat, and shea butter, I had to try it.

 

Bottle: Sweet, so sweet and tasty! And it’s not the sickening sweet that was almost Pink Phoenix. It’s the warm sweet that makes you think of sitting by the fire. And making s’mores. I really like it.

 

Wet: There’s a slight bitter start to the scent, but that fades really quickly on me and it morphs into this indescribable creamy sweetness.

 

Drydown: SO GOOD. This is one of the best scents I’ve tried so far! I love the smell of the coconut and how it doesn’t overwhelm. It reminds just the slightest of coconut sunblock, but only a little bit and only the good stuff, like how this tall, lanky guy might have slathered it on himself and offered to give us all big bear hugs… without any clothing on. Oops.

 

Dry: It stays the same; it actually stays the same as during the wet and drydown phases. Coconut, tempered by cream and butter. I don’t sense any aquatic notes, but maybe there are. Maybe we’re all in an aquatic world and this is the start. Maybe aqua is... sorry, I see the word aquatic and I go a bit crazy . I wore it on one of those long night outs and I just about swam in the fact that everyone was stinking of smoke and alcohol by the end and I still smelled like Obatala.

 

Overall: I really adore this scent and I’ve already put it on the list of what I’m going to order a 5ml of the next time around.

[Tesseljoan]

In the vial this smells creamy and coconutty, but on my skin this is exactly like Milk Moon, but not as creamy. It seems like the watery aspect of this scent keeps it from being too creamy and greasy and ick. As it is, it is a beautiful Milk/cream scent.

[Voleuse]

This is lovely! On first application, it's sweet cream and coconut, with a bit of tang. It's clean and cool, but it reminds me of a sticky-hot summer day, with waves crashing and kids laughing in the background. And happily, it does not go sour or plastic on me, as other creamy scents have done. Beautiful.

[maijasu]

In the imp: gorgeous buttery coconutty suntan lotion. Yum!

 

On my skin: Turns plasticky. Wah!

 

Perhaps this is one to try in my scent locket.

[josja]

Lovely! Reminds me of my beloved L'Occitane bodycream. Creamy is the perfect word to describe this oil. For me this is a really comforting scent, and lately I've been wearing it every night before I go to bed.

[cuervosueno]

I put this on the other night as part of a purifying/healing ritual. Before that I'd smelled it, dressed a candle with it, but hadn't worn it. But I'd been thinking a lot about this Orisha so I decided to try wearing some of the oil.

 

It is lovely, and does exactly what I would hope Obatala's scent would do--comforts me, makes feel calm and at peace. It is mostly milky on me, and in that way it reminds a bit of Alice without the carnation spice. (I don't remember Milk Moon enough to make that comparison). I get a hint of coconut, but its not too much or too sweet (I don't like coconut as a scent). I also think I smell the shea butter, or at least the nice versions of shea butter, meaning that it reminds me of the base note of some shea butter lotions I've made.

 

It is a calm, white scent, very lovely, very comforting, and I have to admit that I like it so much, esp. at night, that I'm thinking I might need a bottle to both wear and use ritually.

[yellowrose]

This imp is part of the General Catalogue Swap.

 

Obatala has been on my wish list, so I was eager to try this scent interpretation of one of the Orishas.

 

OH. MY. ... OBATALA.

 

Let's dispense with convention. This scent is a true coconut scent. It is the smell of coconut meat, not the mad scientist's interpretation of what a schoolgirl thinks coconut should be -- sticky cream pie and hyper-candy sweetness. None of that cloying youthful pretense.

 

It's amazing.

 

Some sweet scents go plastic-y on me and I feared that. I was distracted and sweaty while I had it on and didn't pay great attention to the lasting rate or whether it eventually morphed. I enjoyed wearing it and the acquatic hint was nice, especially on a hot walk with the cottonwoods' rustling in the wind sounding exactly like a crisp, refreshing waterfall.

 

If I try it again, I fear censure or by the other participants, and, honestly, everyone should have the opportunity to try Obatala.

 

I'll surely buy an imp and do my own testing before investing in a 5 ml.

 

Safe travels wandering imp!

[Teggy]

....

 

.............

 

.....................Shea butter! That's it!

 

I bought an imp of this and forgot what the notes were before I tried it on tonight. I thought, "It smells like....not florals...not food...what the....?"

 

Then I realized that it smelled like skin. Not just anytime, but after I put on sunblock. Still, that didn't seem quite right. It wasn't coconut, but it was close. Then I saw this thread and BAM! Shea butter! It does smell like skin...MY skin!

 

I think I like it even more now that I know what it is. This one definately has potential to be a "buy a bottle" winner. I know shea butter isn't for everyone, but if you like it, you gotta give Obatala a try.

[ViolentKitten]

Oh…this is very good. When I first read the description for Obatala, I knew I had to try it. I’ve been searching for a lighter coconut scent and hoped that this would be the one. The “cool, refreshing water” note especially got me, water that I hoped would be captured by a feel of pureness and freshness and lightness, and I imagined a cool, trickling stream of water, somewhere on a remote, tropical island…and yes! Obatala has that note, the most beautiful fresh, watery note I’ve smelt, it really does smell of coconut meat, shea butter and water, like a stream of coconut water, clear and pure. I sometimes also get the barest hint of toffee and suntan oil, but it’s all very, very light. The coconut does go a little darker on the dry-down, but still, Obatala is just beautiful, so much so I had to order a 5ml, which I can’t wait to wear in the summer-time!

[angharad]

Very light, very creamy, very subtle. The main note I pick out is the coconut meat; it reminds me of vanilla, but I can tell the differenc. It has light throw, not strong enough to fill my entire office, but just enough for my fiance to smell when he comes in to give me a kiss. I can see why so many people like this and find it to be the perfect comfort scent. I'm just not sure if it's my perfect comfort scent.

[sofiaviolet]

Coconut. I really hate it. I'm going to try this anyway. It's slightly less nauseating on my skin, but I still don't want to wear it. That's got to be one of my least favourite notes and it's preventing me from sniffing closely enough to find the other notes!

[m13]

Coconut and shea butter, and on me this smells like my skin after a day at the beach. Since I haven't had a day at the beach in a long time, this makes me happy -- beach sans burning sun, sand and other annoyances (sans the breeze and sound of the waves though, sigh).

 

It's super soothing, so Obatala will be reserved for bedtime (when I want to sleep) or for lazy days at home.

[steffanina]

Obatala-

 

In Bottle: Very warm and buttery, and it's the coconut of coconut milk, not the shredded-processed coconut meat you get in a plastic bag. Subtle.

 

Wet: Rather the same! Butter more than the coconut, but that subtle coconut is still there. This is yummy and delicate.

 

Dry: Wow, it stays the same all the way through! Decent staying power, and it stays a yummy scent. Very nice!

 

Overall: I like!

[dorei]

In the bottle: Mmmm ... coconut, and a hint of butter.

 

Wet: Coco-coco-coconut! Yum. I always place it behind my ears, and every time I turn my head, I get a fresh whiff of it. So, so good.

 

Dry: The smell fades on my wrists pretty quickly (darn it) but those pulse points on my neck keep it going. It's not an overpowering smell -- nice sweet coconut milk with a hint of butter, and something else keeps peeking through, but I'm not sure what.

 

This is definitely one of my favorites.

[Rusalka]

In the bottle: a subtle hint of coconut; the tiniest sliver of ocean.

 

Wet: the coconut has almost vanished -- but then, so has everything else. There's a faint drift of pale florals, and a background of something so 'creamy' that I'm assuming it's the milk and shea butter. It doesn't sour on me, but neither is it particularly pleasant.

 

Drying: the aquatics erupt into the foreground. Someone described this as being beach first, coconut second, and that's precisely how it felt to me at this stage. These are sparkling, clear waters with a backdrop of subtle coconut that's not so sharp as Snow White's, nor so richly intoxicating as Elegba's. Interesting, but I'm not sure that it's something I'd wear regularly. However...

 

Drydown: this is where the real magic happens for me. Two hours after application, the scent has settled down; the aquatics have fled, and while I enjoyed their clarity individually, what's left behind is far preferable. This is a soft, creamy coconut, with just a hint of sweetness; this is coconut enfolded in milk chocolate, absolutely delicious and completely irresistable. My only regret is that it takes so long to advance to this stage. *g*

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is sweet and soft..something very coconut-

meaty/buttery

 

once applied this turns very aquatic and powdery.....but with that lovely coconut

 

after 15 minutes or so the coconut turns slightly plastic...not too bad; not too

good either ... sort of a love/hate relationship within 30 to 40 minutes....

 

i have to give this imp another try before i send her off to a new home...if i

even do

[eclecticaurora]

mmm...that is what came to my mind when I first smelled Obatala in the bottle. On - it becomes this light soft coconutty smell with something buttery melting in the background. For those who don't like coconut usually this is not the typical coconut that takes over, but a softer more friendly coconut. I am so thrilled with this scent I have a new favorite!