Masabakes

[persianmouse]

... Thick black currant with the darkest, deepest myrrh, a drop of bitter mimosa and the slightest touch of mandrake dust.

I love the smell of mimosa flowers. I have to restrain myself from rubbing all over mimosa trees when I pass them on the street (the owners of the yards they are in tend to frown upon it, or worse yet, encourage it).

I wanted to like this. Sadly, I did not. There is a note of crushed mimosa in there, but it's overwhelmed by the dusty-dirt smell.

Dusty dirt and decaying mimosa. And dirt.

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Root vegetables dusted with dirt, hints of green and floral. The bitter mimosa and crazy strong myrrh stand out.

[thatpirategirl]

Wow, it's interesting to see how many different descriptions there are here. This certainly is a unique scent. To me it's the kind that blends so well, I get more of a scene in my head out of it than a list of notes. And to me Masabakes is like being in the kitchen after lots of exotic pies have been baked. No pies I've ever tasted; the kind of pies you dream about when you go to sleep hungry.

 

I think the pie thing comes from the fact that black currant smells like nutmeg to me, to the point that I'm really baffled there was no nutmeg in there. Then there's a deep incensey fruitiness that just makes the whole thing delicious. I couldn't detect the mimosa at all... But I like mimosa so much, I feel like it's probably hidden in there, contributing to my mysterious enjoyment of the scent.

 

This was one of the first BPALs I tried, and still one of my favorites.

[savage_rose]

At first it's lovely, but then my skin starts amping something bitter and stinging (mimosa?). Ugh. Not nice on me at all.

[Lamia]

Where is Cantabria? On me this explodes with black vetivert (presumably the mandrake), and then settles neatly into a fantastic dark scent. Incredibly alluring and sensual, this is not a daily scent, but a scent that I might just need a 5ml of.

[voodoocatwoman]

I wouldn't say that I dislike Masabakes, but she definitely is not terribly fond of me.

 

In the imp: Sharply sweetness- currant and mimosa? I have no nose to speak of so I am just guessing on these. DAMN I wish single notes were still sold. I would love to have references.

 

Wet: Why am I smelling grass?

 

Dry: Mildly sweet and powdery. If I squint slightly, I detect play doh.

[galahad]

In The Bottle

Thick aromatic herbs and clove

 

On Application

Wow...sweetens up but is dry and dusty which I like

 

Dry Down

Gets very, very spicey and musty. At no stage do I get the black currant. This is a very mysterious blend to me - from a distance so spicey (cinnamon, clove, etc) but closer sniff aromatic herbs (sage, rosemary, etc). I like it.

 

Rating (0-5)

4

[Lethran]

In bottle: Given be strong allergic reaction to the mandrake fragrance, I opted not to skin test. It’s sharp and bitter. The effect is almost citrusy with myrrh on top. It makes me a touch dizzy. I suspect this would serve well in place of smelling salts. Seriously, this is the smell equivalent of an ice pick to the brain.

[Coldfire]

Another imp from a friend

 

 

 

Imp: Sharp herbal and fruity

Wet on me: Black current now but

with a sharpness

Drying Down: Incense now. All fruit

and herb are gone.

Dry: Incense and powder now.

 

This is nice but I'm not married to it. This one might need re-homing

[cam]

Pepper, smoke and menthol. Lots of menthol. This smells way too much like Hall's cough drops or Vick's Vapo Rub to me. Sadly, going to the swap list.

[milo]

In the imp, quite fruity and incensy. This reminds me very much of Midnight on the Midway, almost a dead ringer to me. I like both, a hit, but I have enough to last me awhile.

[vikitty]

Myrrh does not agree with my chemistry so sadly this just turns muddy on me.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Dark, bitter myrrh.

 

Immediately on skin: I smell the myrrh the most, but it’s dark and smoky and slightly sweet. It seems like a damp scent.

 

After a few minutes: This scent has become a little spicy now… the myrhh is there and perhaps the spiciness is the mandrake dust. There’s a heavy, thick sweetness to this, but I don’t get currant at all or any fruitiness.

 

Overall Impressions: This is a darker, spicy and resinous scent. It’s not over-the top spicy and is a bit of a comforting scent in my opinion. The black currant didn’t make itself known on my skin, but it might come out when someone else wears it. Basically, if you like myrrh or sweeter spicy scents, try this.

[caffinatedangel]

I've tried this scent out countless times. It wasn't an instant love, but each time I wore it, something new stood out and I just can't figure this scent out. It's so insane, and curious.

 

This is pretty much solid mimosa, for me. And a dab of mandrake strangeness. Although, a few of the times I tried it, it completely ignored mimosa and was solid black current. Completely bizarre.

 

this scent is never the same on me. I don't understand it, so I have to keep it for a "what will happen today?" moment.

 

Overall, it has the same sort of feeling and elements to it. It keeps a spiceyness each time, as well as a lightness that isn't empty. (Meaning it's uplifting, but not faint.) It's just bizarre, and I can't help but sniff it a million times a day to wonder what it's up to. It morphs during the day, from day to day, and I can only imagine what aging will do to it.

 

A completely unhelpful review, lol. But I love this scent for the pure insanity of it. My nose and skin just have a field day with it each time. That's worth wearing out this imp. lol

[siren6]

Masabakes was a disappointment for me, I have to confess.

 

I didn't get warmth, I didn't get darkness, I didn't get comfort, I didn't get spice or fruit or incense.

 

I got thin green perfume-y (mimosa?) powdery bug repellent. I'm not sure what happened, but Masa and my chemistry did not mix.

[jrk1857]

When it was wet this was a fairly innocuous fruit scent on me. So much so that I forgot about it while I was making my breakfast. Partway through eating, I thought: wow, something smells really nice. Then I realized that it was Masabakes, having completely changed its character in 20 minutes. Now it's delicious incense and a little spice, with just a bit of black currant behind it. Lovely, in a completely grown-up way.

 

Unless something terrible happens, this one is going on the bottle list. The lab's frimp system at its very best--I would never have tried this on my own.

[OhioSky]

I'm very envious of the other reviews here because this sounds like a wonderful scent for other people. I just got this as a frimp, and was excited to try it after I read the review of it, but bug repellent seems to sum it up pretty well.

[taramarie]

Wet on my skin, Masabakes starts out as black currant and myrrh. The mimosa lightens things up as it dries, and I think there's the mandrake dust coming through now that it's fully dry. I was expecting it to be darker, but I do like it.

[cherryontop]

Nope....this is NOT working on me at all. Twenty-five minutes into this one and I am getting a headache from the fumes. It's very, very strong; medicinal, acrid & somewhat like a commercial perfume that has gone rancid.

 

I got this imp because of the black currant and myrhh which I typically love on me. I have no previous experince with either mimosa or mandrake so I'm going to blame it on those notes.

 

Off to wash this mess off of me!

[themerrybaker]

Masabakes is bitter and woody on me in glowing-embers-in-the-fireplace way. I'm not getting anything especially fruity - just some clear aromatic sweet that plays off the bitter. Definitely a good winter scent.

 

Glad I got to try a Tentirujo of this.

[kawaiiferreto]

Wet this was quite bitter but I couldn't really pick out any individual notes.

 

Dry this is still pretty bitter, maybe a little smokey. It's also a little tart - maybe the black currant?

 

Overall, it isn't a very "me" scent.

[Jessaka]

I'm new to BPAL, but I must say I LOVE the smell of Masabakes. I got it as a frimp from a forum member and was a bit afraid of it because of the dark color, and I took a small whiff from the imp and was like O__o After putting it on, I didn't like it and smelled a bit mediciney to me. After a few minutes all I smelled were spices...oh the joy. It changes on me throughout the day, but it lasted the whole day. Lovely. Keeping it...I could use a bottle of this...

[hlinspjalda]

In the vial: Dark, sour-bitter, and fruity without any sweet.

 

Wet: Dark non-sweet fruit (almost like currant jelly) with a floral overtone. Heavy, with a spicy impression.

 

Half an hour: Oooh, sour and bitter now, yet warm like resin rather than cold and herbal like vetiver. If this were food, I'd likely give it a try, but it seems fairly off-putting on my skin as a fragrance.

 

One hour: Still sour-bitter. I suppose I should have expected this one to fail, since I never seem to have luck with the Lab's currant notes.

 

Two hours: Yup, fail. The floral is headachy, the fruit is sour on me.

[Suu4LC]

This is an herbal/woody type smell in the imp. The myrrh is very strong. Don't really get any currant in this-I do get a bit of mimosa though.

 

On my skin this is a strong myrrh with hints of currant and mimosa. Myrrh isn't my thing, so I'm not really digging this so far...as it dries, I get this weird chlorine-y smell I get once in a while with bpal blends...not sure what note is doing it, but it's kind of mildewy =/

 

Meh, yeah, this dried down to powdery myrrh on me. Definitely not a keeper.

[crebbsgirl]

This is another blend that defies the odds for me. Wet, this is extremely dry and fruity. Not something I would normally wear at ALL! As it dries however, the myrrh takes the reigns of this scent, adding a sweet depth to the blend that makes it enjoyable. The black currant and mimosa are present, but not as strongly as they were in the wet stage. I wouldn't classify the dry end result as fruity in the slightest. I like it, but I can't see myself reaching for it very often.