Shango

[gchris]

... The Master of Lightning's ofrenda contains red apples, banana, chili pepper, coconut, pineapple, pomegranate and sugar cane.

In Vial: Sweet cherry cough syrup, but without the medicinal scent.

Wet: I can smell the apple, banana, and pineapple. A nice fruity mix. Smells like something you might drink. It has a tiny 'bite' to it. I'm thinking this is the chili pepper although I don't smell anything that specifically smells of that.

Drydown: The notes are blended together to make a sticky sweet sort of scent. Smells like a kind of red fruity candy.

Evoking Color: Red

The color of the oil is a beautiful dark red

Later... I was thinking this is not a bad scent just something I would not wear or use as a house spray but I could see this being a great scent for children. Just a thought.[/. Edited February 2, 2008 by Shollin

[pinkstardust420]

WOW! Gorgeous fruit explosion, baby! Loving this!!! Initially I get apple, and then that quickly fades into a sweet bouquet of coconut, pomegranate, a *touch* of banana and pineapple. I smell no chili pepper in this and that's fine with me. A beautiful fruity scent, great for summer! A+

[waternight]

In the imp: Strong red apple on top, with sugar case underneath. There's a faint bite from the chili.

Wet: Apple, banana, and chili. Very fruity, with a spicy bite. A bit later, I catch whiffs of pineapple. This is yummy, like a spicy tropical fruit salad.

Dry: All the yummy fruity notes blend together so that I can't pick any one out, and the sugar cane really amps up.

[donnatron]

Imp: WOW! This is a dark oil. I expected it to smell like patchouli or musk. Then I cracked it and I wound up with an all inclusive resort's pool in Mexico. I get fruity booze and a sort of salt/chlorine scent.

 

Wet: Delicious. The banana pops out right away and is tempered by the more acidic fruits but kind of flirts with the coconut as well.

 

Dry: Surprisingly nice. Fruity without being cloying, sweet without dominating. I get a sort of lovely fruity/incense-y scent without being too perfume-y.

 

Throw: Decent.

 

Overall: Nice for summer nights. I feel a bit out of place wearing this in early March.

[megank4]

I was looking forward to this one, especially the banana and coconut. However, it just doesn't feel right. It actually makes me want to be *sick*. Maybe it is the chili pepper. I don't know.

[Nimthiriel]

Initial impression:

Pineapple, spice and apples – an intriguing mix I must get to know better!

 

First on:

Straight on, it's all apples on me. Peculiar! I didn't imagine I'd amp that fruit so much.

 

Dry:

After 10 mins, it's a bit more varied, but it reminds me a bit too much of potpourri, or soap. Hope it clears up!

 

Finally:

It didn't, really. It remains potpourri, which disappoints me so. I had such high hopes for it!

[writergal969]

This is a very weird one to me. I don't smell any fruit! I smell incense and baby aspirin, sadly.

 

In the vial it smelled good, yet still like incense, but when I put it on my skin it turned to pure sickly sweet baby medicine. Yech. Off to swaps:( 1/5

[CreamyJade]

In the imp: Pineapples! Fruits! Yay!

Wet on skin: Mmm, pineapples! Overwhelming juicy and sweet!

Dry on skin: The fruits calm down and the sugar cane and spices come out,

Final thoughts: So nice! I tend to lean towards the vanilla, musky, but this is such a nice scent, great for summer!

[Suu4LC]

In the imp, this smells just like a banana Now 'n Later candy. Yummy and fruity, but it may be a little candy-ish even for me!

 

Yeah...darn, all I get is an artificial banana candy smell and maybe a teensy bit of red apple! I was sure I was going to love this one but right now it's just meh. I'm going to give it a bit more time to morph...

 

Nope, on drydown it turns flat and powdery and kind of stale smelling I'm sure this would be an awesome blend on some people, but it was a dud for me!

[gypsysingleton]

In the Imp: Grape Soda

 

Wet: Still Grapey/Fruity

 

Dry: Sickeningly Sweet Floral Perfume - Where'd the fruit go?

 

No bottle purchase here.

[heathercaley]

I got frimped from the lab, and without reading the description, I was sniffin something that was like red musk, but wasnt, then I thought perhaps it was a patchoulish blend, but not. But I detected lots of juicy fruits. Then I read the description and it makes perfect sense!! Earthy from the coconuts, and crisp apple and poms.. YUMMY indeed! It's actually a thicker blend.. and very dark in the imp. I LOVE IT!! I get tons of deep dark apple surrounded by an earthy scent somewhere in there? Dont know what it is but I love it.. the chili isn't spicy at all.. it kinda add's a ZING to the whole mix. The "grape" that people are smelling is probably the tannens in the banana mix. I went wine tasting and said I tasted Bananas and they laughed at me and said its the tannens (grape skin) which is bitter tasting like the little peel thingys on bananas.

[brsis]

Frimped to me by Ebayer Melenass!

 

Initial thoughts: Concept wise, if I could pick ONE god in the whole wide world to follow, I think it might be Shango ^.^ (This is based on the fact that that Baron Samedi is not a god, although he's certainly the best-dressed metaphysical entity going). The actual notes I'm tentative on - I really, really want this to smell like bright, tropical, slightly sharp yummyness. I'm worried it's going to smell like sweets.

 

In the Imp: ... whoah, Jolly Ranchers. I'm mostly getting the apple, what I think is probably the pomegranate, and the sugar cane. This is also a really, REALLY dark oil - black treacle residue dark. It's interesting... gets less sweet as I sniff, and on the wand it's lower-key and much less sweet. But I hate, hate, hate smelling like a sweetshop.

 

On the wrist, wet: Well, here goes nothing. Goes on dark, fades in, give it a moment to warm...

 

... whoah momma.

 

This makes my eyes water, but in a good way. Holy cow. First up it's the chili pepper, then the brighter fruits - the apple mostly - and then the pinapple and the rest, and the coconut just rounding it out at the end. That's one hell of a scent. A moment or two more and the pinapple is starting to spike, making the whole tone lighter and a bit sharper. I smell edible. I am seriously impressed o.O

 

Five-ten minutes ish later: It's calmed down a bit now and is a touch less "C'mon then, if ya thinkya 'ard enough!" (I never thought fruit could be quite so aggressive). But it's still yummy-scrummy goodness. A touch sweeter now, but I've still got the chili. The banana is non-existant, the pinapple is figuring less and the coconut's barely noticable, but at the same time I'm sure I'd tell if they weren't there. This is good. This is reeeeeeally good.

 

A bit later (Seriously, I've lost track. It's that good): More chili, less fruit, still gorgeous. This one's a keeper. Hell, this one's a bottle. Yes, it's fruity and slightly sweet, but it's the most aggressive, manly, confident (Borderline cocky) tropical fruit I've ever smelt. Shango means business.

 

The verdict: I can has bottle?

 

Tl;Dr: Bold, cocky tropical fruit heavy on the chili pepper, hardly sweet at all after the first ten minutes or so. Surprisingly masculine.

[iiinterstate]

I had high hopes for Shango... I can't think of another blend with banana in it, but really this just smells like apple on me. Nice apple, but a bit plain.

[fireflower]

This reminds me a lot of Ladon, with something a little bit buttery behind it. When I inhale, I get mostly red, ripe apples. Before I exhale, I catch that something sweet and buttery. I'm not sure if I'll go for a bottle, but it's nice enough to keep the imp.

[Trixie]

In imp: exactly what I was hoping for: a huge bowl of tropical fruit sitting on a table for hours under the sun, softening to overripe.

 

Wearing? Almost immediately all the fruitiness was gone. On me it's musky powder and I'm sad as hell. I smell no banana, no pineapple, no coconut, no apples. Maybe something is just wrong with me though since other scents aren't working right with me today. I'm on my third day of clomid (fertility drug) so maybe that's throwing everything off.

[Kabooki]

I love the story so I really wanted to like this one, but saddly it wasn't meant to be. My Red Flag bells should have been going off when I sniffed the Imp and found to my dismay the strong scent of banana, and not just any banana but I was willing to give it a try, as I have learned you can't judge based on just one smell alone.

 

On my skin it went from Overpowering banana with a touch of pineapple, and as it dried in turned into Over powering waxy banana that started to smell like one of the cheap lip glosses you used as a kid (not the good tasting kinds!).

 

I know there are people out there that would love this, but saddly I think I need to aovid things with banana in the future

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Dark cola coloured oil. Sweet, heavily fruity, darkly syrupy - really ripe fruits, not fresh or zesty. Apple (quite bright, actually) and then banana hit first, followed by the almost molasses-like sugar cane. Can't make out other fruits.

 

Wet: Fresher, less heavy. The apple note is lovely - the same note from Snow/Glass/Apples, very crisp and fresh, and definitely red not green even though it's not a super sweet note. The banana is surprisingly natural, and stays behind the apple. Pineapple has emerged, it's quite sweet, very ripe and juicy. The sugar cane has brightened and lost the dark note. Coconut adds creaminess without standing out. No chili or pomegranate.

 

Dry: The dark sweetness of me reminds me of rum, I realized! Boozy, dark, sweet rum, and I'd say that's the strongest note, too. The apple has faded a lot but still gives some freshness, the banana and pineapple hold and are now the strongest fruit notes, with coconut and pale sugar cane behind.

 

Later: Ha, more mind-changing - that sweet boozy note? Is totally SMUT. There is definitely a strong musk note here that has amped majorly, and is super dark and sexy. So yeah, this is smut with fruit, pretty much. Still no chili or pomegranate.

 

Summary: Sweet, dark, Smut-like boozy extreme MUSK with light, ripe pineapple and hints of crisp apple (these fruity notes lie close to the skin) and creamy coconut. Deep, lush, and tropical. Very sexy and womanly. Decent throw, great lasting power.

 

I was totally surprised by this one! It's just a touch too sweet and boozy for me to keep, but otherwise I love the fruit and musk in this, and even the coconut (which is not really coconut, it just adds creaminess) is lovely, and it's not a note I usually like. I'm glad I got to try it and it just goes to show I should never presume with Beth's blends.

[greenranger]

On me, wet, the coconut was the first note I identified.

 

Drying, the coconut stepped back and the apple and banana stepped forward.

 

Now, though, it's just....blended. It's slightly fruity, but not too sweet. I suspect the chili pepper might be keeping the sweetness in check, even though I can't pick it out in the blend. At the moment, it is a really nice, rich, very well blended scent, with just a litle spicy edge, but, I don't know how it will last on my skin.

[CordeliaSeduced]

With this heat wave reaching tropical heights, I figured it might be a suitable time to give Shango a try. In the imp, this was all tropical fruit with a slightly punchy finish--the chili, I'll admit, almost frightened me out of it. But hey! I'm adventurous! So on it went.

On my skin, this was mostly banana and pineapple and milky coconut. It still had a slight zing, but not nearly as punchy as in the imp. Honestly, it was a smooth, lovely tropical fruit blend. My only criticism? It seemed to last barely half an hour. I'll have to re-test, however, when my skin isn't going wonky in uncharacteristically hot and humid weather.

 

Still, I think this might be worth a bottle.

[gnl]

So disappointed! I really hoped this one would work, but it's an odd combination of fruit punch and potpourri on me, all the way through. Alas, just ended up making me sneeze.

 

1/5

Edited October 18, 2008 by gnl

[grashopper8]

Fruity and fun, but with stormclouds on the horizon - this one has an undercurrent of mysterious darkness. Deep red scent, but not quite as juicy as it seems at the onset.

 

It's good, but I prefer Mme. Moriarty.

 

3.6 out of 5

[mgrazulis]

In the imp: apple, banana, pineapple, a dark musk.

 

Wet on skin: crisp apple and sugary pomegranate with ripened bananas, coconut, skewered and seasoned with chilli pepper.

 

Dry on skin: Intense fruits!!! First note is tangy, crisp apple with pomegranate and pineapple, with a little hint of banana underneath, a little coconut, and a definite warm pepper note. I'm getting a bolt of musk in there that has a resinous quality that grounds all the peppered tropical fruits.

 

Later: the scent is quite smooth! On my skin, the pomegranate wins out over the banana, the heaviness of head-on sharper fruits dissipates, leaving a blended warmth from the chili and musk. The coconut all but disappears.

 

Verdict: This is deep, intense fruit with a jolt of crackling chilli pepper. A sunny day with a thunderstorm looming. Sultry and tropical, the heat of the chili pepper threatening to penetrate the blended sweetness of humid tropical air. Not what I would pick for myself to wear, but a great sensory experience!!

After 3 hours: Now I am getting a ritual incensy note similar to Tezcatlipoca!

 

Edited July 6, 2008 by mineralfairy

[iheartbooks]

When I first smelled it in the imp, it smelled like cherry cough syrup to me. (!?) Okay then....

 

After applying, I read the notes list and saw that it had apple and tropical fruits in it and I think I can smell the apple now. It's too heavy of a scent for me. I think I can smell the banana and coconut, but it's just not something I would normally wear.

 

Now that I think about it, I think the sugar cane is what killed it. For me, sugar seems to overpower most other notes and leaves a scent too syrupy sweet.

 

After drydown, the sugaryness has disappeared and it's a musky apple tropical scent, and the throw is moderate to light.

Edited July 9, 2008 by iheartbooks

[Kimbernunk]

I had hopes for this. I really did. Unfortunately, my skin amps sugar in a really BAD way, so that really sweet, sugary blends tend to smell like burnt caramel on me. That ended up being the case here: I smell like bananas, apples, and a strong overlay of burnt sugar. This one is going to swaps.

[stillalive]

It's a dark scary red that had me smelling bloodlust, but I shouldn't have worried!

 

First sniff:

 

 

HELL. YES. Need a huge bottle NAO PLZ.

 

 

 

Fading: it's gone really, really fast on me. It ultimately dries down to a lovely sweet coconut... it's not that lovely flowery sunscreen like Black Pearl, more like to-die-for tropical drink. *drools* Definitely going on the top ten....