Manhattan

[voorishsign]

Sexuality, power, confidence. A meeting of modern, sleek elegance and rich, passionate history: sheer amber, black leather, white mint, lemon peel, white tea, grapefruit, kush, teakwood and orchid.

Not really what I expected Usually my skin amps leather, amber and wood so I was hoping for a luxurious, deep scent with splashes of bright fruit and mint, but alas - no. It's going to grapefruity soap and that's all. And my skin is eating up so fast I can barely catch up. Oh well. It might still work as a room scent but that's about it. Edited December 30, 2009 by Shollin

[Amaroq]

Imp: Classy. Very classy. I smell lemon, but it's not a floor cleaner lemon, it's a very elegant lemon.

 

On: Still elegant lemon. I'm trying to figure out what's making it smell so... rich. I'm thinking it's the white tea and orchid.

 

I can't even describe this. It smells so, SO good. I love it. Bottle! BOTTLE!!!

[Saya]

Citrus that fades within an hour of application. Swaps.

[superpopkid]

I thought I was going to looove this one based on the notes, but it got off to a bad start. Wet, this was all high sharp floral on me backed with an unpleasant citrus. Normally I love lemon; I'm not sure what went wrong here. I'm also not really familiar with iris alone, so I just have to presume it's a bad note for me. I didn't notice the leather, mint or wood. This is the first BPAL I've tried that reminded me in a bad way of conventional perfume. I get a headache from this type of scent if I'm not careful. After about an hour and a half of the same, I washed it off my wrists, but I still had some behind my ears. Of course, that's when Manhattan showed me its loveliest colors - over the next hour, the sharpness went down considerably, and it became a cloud of soft, slightly tangy herbal-citrus-floral. That was beautiful! I don't think I can deal with the beginning and middle stages to get to it, though. throw was very good and it probably lasted a total of 4-5 hours.

Edited March 12, 2010 by VitaminA

[jizatt]

I tried this one because I was excited about amber and leather and teak and orchid, with a top hint of white tea and mint. What I got was high pitched citrus. I want the base of this blend as a new blend

 

 

[ami226]

Whoa! Lemon and grapefruit. Not bad! It doesn't really change much. It is a slightly sweet lemon and grapefruit that is kinda good, but I don't see myself wearing it too often.

[sunlitgarden]

Manhattan

 

Frimp from the lab. In the imp, it mainly smells lemony. Wet on my skin, it smells lemony with some tobacco of the "dirty ashtray" variety (is this the black leather?) Fortunately, the dirty ashtray smell fades. After a few minutes, I mainly get citrusy mint.... then it turns soapy. Manhattan and my chemistry don't seem to get along.

[jiggahava]

Hmm...all I seem to get is the grapefruit and the orchid. A little soapy, but not obnoxiously soapy. I can smell a teensy bit of the white tea as well. Overall, a slightly high pitched fruity-floral. While I have other fruity-florals I like more than Manhattan, this is a nice, clean scent. Very unobtrusive. I think I'll keep my imp.

[biocarolyn]

This is grapefruit and orchid (the same orchid in Shadow Witch Orchid, to my nose) on me primarily, with an underlying hint of leather. I get whiffs here & there of shiny woods, which I guess is the teakwood. Sadly, no hint of amber or mint on my skin or in the bottle that I can smell-It's so funny how interpretations of the same theme can be so wildly different.

 

This is brighter, a lighter scent than I would have imagined for Manhattan (I live there), but I can understand where the impression is coming from. This is a confident, take-no-prisoners perfume that is light enough for me to wear to work, while still being something a little different. It is daytime, go-getter Manhattan, with a backbone from the leather and woods.

[Duck Mountain]

Floral on the imp, and even more so on my skin. Definite no-go on this one, which is a little disappointing admittedly, since all the notes sounded so good. I get the wood and amber later on, but by that time it's faded so much I'd have to reapply, which would kind of defeat the purpose.

 

I don't know if aging will help, but this is so boring on me anyway that I'm not keen to wait.

[Incendiare]

So refreshing and unexpectedly uplifting in the imp! I normally don't like leather so I was expecting it to darken things up right away. As soon as I pop the cap off and take a whiff, I can detect the grapefruit and lemon peel, with soft florals lingering in the background. There is a bit of tea too, but no sign of leather or kush. Wet, I swear I can smell a bit of kush, way in the distant background, but otherwise, it doesn't smell that much different on my skin. The grapefruit and lemon peel still remain on top. The mint seems to pop in and blend right in with the tea. This is a lot better than I ever would have expected!

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Floral and citrus, floating on top of something bronze and earthy

 

Wet: The citrus comes out to play, in a pleasant non-floor-cleaner kind of way.

 

Dry: This dries to Sophistication on Skin! I don’t detect the leather or teakwood specifically, but I suspect they’re holding down the citrus, which has backed away and now accents a woodsy dark floral. When I put my nose to my skin, I see old money penthouse, tailored wool skirt, silk blouse, pearls and gold, cocktail by an antique grandfather clock.

 

Elegant and mysterious, this is total love for me!

[calivianya]

Wet: This is a very high-pitched scent to me. If the darker notes, like the wood and leather, are here, they're playing hide and seek with me. So far, this is just a bright and happy floral/citrus kind of smell. It smells like commercial floral perfume. It reminds me very distinctly of something I've smelled before, but I can't think of what it is.

 

Drydown: More of the same, mostly. The scent is slightly deeper, but not obviously enough for me to figure out which notes are making themselves known. Manhattan and I were not meant to be.

[Ryokumuji]

In the bottle this scent is lemon and... chocolate? It smells kinda like dark chocolate to me! Is that the leather?! I'm baffled! Same on my skin on the initial application. As it dries down it gets more floral with the grapefruit over taking the lemon peel and the white tea lingering closely behind. That chocolate like scent has pretty much disappeared. This does smell very elegant. The wet and initial application phases made me iffy of putting this into my rotation but the dry down is very pretty. I do believe the orchid coming out to play helps since orchid seems to smell really nice on me.

Edited January 11, 2011 by Ryokumuji

[ajansuz]

This was a frimp from the lovely, generous lab.

 

In the imp, it's bright, popping citrus and white tea with a very pretty floral note from the orchid. I'm not getting any leather, mint or teak at all. It's really weird to me I can't pick out the mint, because that's usually one of the first things to hit my nose if it's in a blend.

 

Wet on at first I amped the orchid like nobody's business. I was a little afraid I might have to wash it off, because some strong florals can send me into headache territory fast.

 

On the drydown, grapefruit helped to tame the orchid and everything settled into a sweet, bright, sort of sparkling kind of scent. Unfortunately, it's kind of generic floral perfume now, reminding me some of Anais-Anais, a scent I loved when I was younger but feel like I've grown out of. I was glad for the chance to try it at least.

[Suu4LC]

Ooo...I love Manhattan the place-so curious to try this blend. Hmm...there are nots in here I LOVE (mint, tea, grapefruit, lemon peel) and notes I really don't like (leather, kush (is that the same as khus? or am I thinking of something different).

 

Weird-in the imp I pretty much JUST get grapefruit, white tea and lemon peel O_o No leather at all! Maybe a touch of orchid.

 

Seriously, it feels like it is missing some notes O_o Even on my skin, I don't get ANY leather at all-just all of the other notes-this is sweet and bright and lovely. Really has no "edge" at all, which I would have expected from the leather. As it dries, it gets a bit soapy, though not unpleasantly so.

 

I still can't believe there was leather in this. I never got it. It ended up drying to a light, sweet, slighly powdery citrussy floral soapy scent. Pleasant and enjoyable, but not a standout. No dark edge to this at all.

[puellacaerulea]

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the combination of citrus and floral notes with wood, amber, and leather, but oh man I love Manhattan so hard. It's very lemony in the imp and right after applying, but it's not a sweet or overly sharp lemon. There's a slight soapiness behind it that makes me think "day spa." I don't really get any of the leather notes until it's dried down, where it adds a sort of dark undertone to the otherwise fresh and citrusy notes. Very sophisticated, and I love it. The only downside is that it fades incredibly fast on me (after about two hours all I can smell are faint leather notes), which means I'm making my way through my imp rather quickly. Not that it'll stop me from a bottle purchase the second it runs out.

[Deceitfuldescender]

Hm, Manhattan. Though I feared you would end up far worse than you have... I must say on my skin you are unremarkable. Before dry down, the lemon is all angry pledge and overwhelms everything else. Once dried, it improves vastly, giving me a soft powdery wood like smell with something a little sweet and something a little musky. It isn't unpleasant but it definitely doesn't "wow" me. Off for frimpage!

[AnyseLawsBray]

In vial: Citrus, something green & maybe a bit of leather. I like it, but citrus tends to not like my skin so we shall see.

Wet on skin: Sort of herby, I am still getting grapefruit, rather bitter but not offensively so.

Dry: The grapefruit subsides a little, making room for barely minted white tea, possibly with a lemon peel. I don't get much else of leather, amber, or the other notes.

 

Verdict: It does indeed smell very sophisticated, high-end & whatnot. It wasn't what I expected, and the citrus actually wasn't so bad on me in this blend. Even so, it's too in-your-face, intimitadingly brazen for me to wear.

[Vega]

Sniffed: A cool citrus, darkened and tempered. A bit musky-fuzzy.

 

On skin: Manhattan is a fascinating blend. From start to end, all I smell are clear, yellow lemon and sweet, zesty grapefruit, mellowed by white tea. The deeper notes never really make themselves apparent, but they are clearly present, because there's a richness to Manhattan that can't come from a purely fruity blend. I think these deeper notes are grounding the bright lemon-grapefruit-tea, tempering the fruity sweetness, darkening and warming and making this lemon-grapefruit-tea and more. In fact, I wonder if there is musk somewhere, giving it this slightly fuzzy tone. The scent remains quite constant over time, sometimes lighter, sometimes darkened. Sadly, it fades quickly and doesn't have much throw.

 

This is a complex blend. Distinct too: while it is light and discreet and a bit "conventional", it nevertheless exudes class and sophistication and a glossy sleekness. Puts me in mind of understated, discreet but very real power and wealth. While I'm reminded of Bess (which smelled similar, but was much less interesting), I put Manhattan in the same company as Transeo: even though they smell very different, both have a strong presence, evoke understated power, and are "conventional" enough to be perfect for daily business wear but still have their own distinctiveness. I don't get a single colour impression, but a mish-mash of pale pastel yellow, vivid orange-red, and the sheer, glossy black of leather.

 

Verdict: I'm impressed. This blend faithfully evokes the people and the culture and everything I imagine when I think of Manhattan Island. It is also one of the rare blends where mint and lemon both behave and refrain from dominating the other notes and ruining the scent. Manhattan may not be a top ten favourite, but it's a solid love and I'll be keeping and using my imp.

[milo]

Wet, I get a fresh white grapefruit. Dry, much the same, but very faint with a bit of musk. I really like a good citrus, and while this is quite nice, it doesn't have a lot of throw on me, and I wish the woods, amber and other notes came out, though it seems like it is a 'warmer' citrus rather than a crisp one to me, so maybe this is the amber. I'll probably use my imp from time to time, but I'll stick to Embalming Fluid for a fresh zesty citrus.

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: I mainly notice wood, lemon, and mint.

 

On me, wet: A fine piece of wood furniture, recently polished with lemon oil.

 

On me, drydown: Teak, citrus and orchid, nicely balanced.

 

On me, after about an hour: Teak with a little orchid.

 

The final note is a faint orchid, once the teak has faded away.

After about 2 hours, the scent is almost completely gone.

 

My teenage son likes this a lot on me, but thinks it too floral for a male. On me skin, it is a more subtle scent than many essential oil perfumes. I agree that it is elegant. I don't really pick up the leather or the tea. The most dominant notes for me are the wood and the floral.

 

My rating: 4 stars

Edited August 8, 2011 by Ghost of a Rose

[Gateau]

The listed notes appealed to me so much that I included this in my very first imp order from the Lab, and then was disappointed when it was accidentally omitted. The Lab's wonderful customer service made sure to get it to me with my next order.

 

My expectation was something that would smell like when you walk into the shoe department at Bergdorf Goodman -- flowers, perfume, expensive shoe leather, cool air, polished wood. It wasn't exactly that the first time I tried it, and I was a bit let down, but that was in the spring and now that I'm thinking about fall fragrances I decided to try again.

 

In the imp -- nicely blended: a little orchid, a little something nutty, a citrus tang.

 

Wet -- lemony with a soft woody base and a burst of orchid. It's a true lemon, not a lemon furniture polish I sometimes get when combined with wood.

 

Dry -- the leather comes out, and it's a new shiny leather, but it smells more expensive to me than the hard black leather note I don't like in Whip. The citrus remains prominent, though I can't pick out the grapefruit vs. the lemon peel. No mint. The orchid is there, but recedes at bit. The woods are there but not dominating (hallelujah because I often amp them) and I think the tea and amber are holding it all together nicely.

 

Fades after a couple of hours, but I don't mind reapplying. This has turned out to be a keeper and something I can see wearing often, including to work.

[PumpkinGuts]

Prior to reading the notes, my nose was assaulted by what I thought to be lily with a citrus tang (lemon balm?). Ah, that must have been the orchid, whose smell I'm unfamiliar with. Now that I've learned me some notes, I'm definitely getting a big whiff of the grapefruit. It's dried down to the amber but the citrus is still prevalent, and the grandma-like floral has faded. Warm, mildly perfumey, and sophisticated... and totally not for me. It's a little mature for my tastes (after all, I'm still practically a baby at 22). I'm envisioning a secretary or someone who works in an upscale business office wearing this. As other reviewers have mentioned, this is a more conventional type of perfume.

[SophieCedar]

Wet: sharp lemon peel and grapefruit with white tea and something chemical smelling. Maybe the white mint is setting it off. Ugh I'll just hang on through this.. at lease I'm awake now~!

 

Drydown: the leather, orchid, and amber develop.. slowly promising. The grapefruit has turned very sweet and mingled with orchid and leather to produce this awesome sweet musky pungence. The sheer amber provides a light warmth in the background, but nothing beyond a color impression of light soft yellow. I can smell bits of the kush and teakwood however it just comes across as a type of ambergris when mixed with the citruses and tea. Further into drydown, they smooth out a make themselves distinct from the rest. Very soothing and sexy.

 

This is a wonderful chypre. (why spellcheck, do you only associate the word "preachy" with chypre? hahahaha!)