Tamamo-no-Mae

[fireflower]

Tamamo-no-Mae’s scent is soft skin musk, brushed by white tea leaf, rice flower, black locust flower, white sandalwood kodo smoke, dry ginger, benzoin gum, and Amacha.

Oooh, so pretty. Light and ethereal, like someone else mentioned. Florals, but not IN YOUR FACE! florals. It somehow manages to be creamy, juicy, and pleasantly floral all at once. Glad I have an imp, I might have to hunt for a bottle.

[mspixieears]

Ooh, this is glorious! Soft, floral and lightly musky, it’s also very hard to describe. I swear I get hints of peach amidst all the beautiful Asian florals. Probably what I can pick up is the white sandalwood which I’m a big fan of and the ginger as well as a greenness that reminds me of green tea. Delicate and subtle. I only put on a little bit and the throw is just amazing.

[Victory]

I've had my bottle of Tamamo-no-Mae aging since it became available because for the first several months there was a note that smelled musty to me that was unattractive and happily, it's finally gone away. (I remember Persephone was like this too- musty and then after a long aging period, not. They don't share any notes, so I'm not sure what causes this.) I bought the oil partly because I have a rice flower lotion that I love the smell of and I was hoping the rice flower would be strong in this. I don't smell any peach in Tamamo-no-Mae, instead I mostly smell the skin musk, which I think is backed up by the white tea leaf and the rice flower. I am not overly familiar with most of the notes though, so they are probably present as well and my nose just isn't "reading" them. When I press my nose to my skin, I think I can maybe smell florals. I'm extremely picky about florals, and while I like these, I am happy they stay on the periphery. T-n-M's label art is very appropriate for the scent- the scent is pale beige (if you think in terms of colors) and a little musky. I'm glad I kept my bottle.

[edenssixthday]

Tamamo-no-Mae – This is an incredibly soft and subtle scent that sticks very close to my skin even when first applied. What I mostly smell is white tea and rice flower, and perhaps a hint of white sandalwood. I’m not familiar with some of the notes, so I’m not sure if I detect them or not! It’s sweet and almost milky in that rice sort of way. It’s clean and pretty, and perfect for the person who loves a pretty, soft, subtle, Asian scent. On me, the throw and staying power are both minimal. Sadly, it fades from my skin very quickly.

[zankoku_zen]

This starts off smelling as a fruity floral (very promising in my book) and dries to a musky, slightly sweet, slightly sandalwoody scent. Pretty, soft, subtle, with a slight Asian vibe to it.

 

Pretty, but unremarkable on me. I think I'll pass this on to someone who will love it more!

[tartchef]

So light, so pretty... I'm getting a faint hint of peach, too, and traces of a lovely, almost milky floral - the tea & sandalwood are beautifully underscoring things, just a bit fresh & just a bit smoky. It's very similar to Tzadikim Nistarim, to my nose - that same pale botanical feel, but with a bit more sweetness behind it. Just lovely

[goth_huntress]

Absolutely fabulous. I have got to get another bottle of this one. It is just lovely.

[seamor]

Wet: Peach with warm depths - kind of reminds me of Mme. De Merteuil.

 

I have no idea what either rice flower or benzoin smell like, so please bear with me on this ...

 

Drydown: Peach still present, but something more herby coming through, kind of a dusty tea-and-herbs scent and a honey-ish floral sweetness (the locust, I think).

 

Dry: More of the tea comes through. Republic ginger peach tea with locust flower (kind of like a heavier sweet pea), honey, and maybe drop or two of vanilla. And a hint of distant sandalwood incense. Yum!

 

Later still the peach fades, leaving a flowery tea and incense scent, very sweet and almost edible.

 

Tamamo-no-Mai stuck around for several hours (even through a major parrot cage cleaning ).

 

Good stuff! I am so lucky to have gotten even a partial bottle!

 

Edited April 28, 2008 by celtimor

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Fruity-sweet, floral-herbal. Benzoin, strawberry?

 

Wet: Still fruity but less sweet, more herbal-resiny - the tea, benzoin, and sandalwood. Sort of warm, creamy, and soft. Definitely musky.

 

Dry: Soft, sweet, musk. I find this to be a very comforting scent. I want to cuddle into it. Average throw, good wearlength.

 

Nice, but I won't wear it.

[grashopper8]

GORGEOUS!

 

An understated, feminine, skin-hovering scent.

 

There's some citrusy-ginger tea overlaying a soft, lightly musky floral. The florals are really just delicately lovely!!! Black locust blossoms just bloomed here a week ago, and it was the most beautiful scent I've ever smelled. I can't say that I smell the locust flowers outright, but there's something soft and lovely swirling around in here and I love it.

 

Overall, it's a very pretty scent that gets better and better as it dries down and the citrusy/gingery note fades a little.

 

I'm obsessed with it just knowing that there's black locust as a note. It's heady and creamy but light and discreet, it's floral but citrusy, it's fresh but smooth. Perfectly balanced, and incredibly attractive. It smells like pure innocence.

 

Once my swapping and purchasing all lands in my mailbox, I'll have acquired 5 bottles. Can you say LURVE ?

 

5.0 out of 5

[suki]

in the bottle: a soft, slightly sweet smell. it reminds me heavily of the Burt's Bees "Baby Bee" line.

 

wet on skin: there's a very slight sweet aspect that has emerged. it's not really floral OR fruit. i would say it's likely to be the white tea. really lovely.

 

dry down: a beautiful close-to-the-skin kind of scent. light without being flighty- i can feel the Asian influence in this easilly.

 

in all: where i live we are in the middle of a heat wave and i now have a scent that i feel i can bear wearing in this heavy and oppressive weather. total keeper!

 

 

 

[Mishinka]

I'm not quite sure of what most of those notes smell like, but I definitely pick up the ginger and white tea in the bottle. There's something fruitier and sweeter than they usually are and sort of citrus or orange about it. It stays a nice, light, slightly citrus and/or fruity floral as it dries. After an hour or so the skin musk pops out, and I wasn't expecting to like it nearly as much as I do. "Skin musk" made me think of sweaty smell, but this is just the scent of warm skin, like the back of my hand has been out in the sun, soaking up the warmth.

[eatingthesea]

tamamo-no-mae makes my mouth waaaaater. i was not too terribly tickled by the notes description, and i usually find the oriental-type BPALs too light and likely to fade. but when i sniffed tamamo at will call, i just HAD to have her. i'd classify her as a creamy fruit-tea musk. there is a floral touch, but it's definitely not a "floral" scent to my nose. not too sweet, definitely not cloying, not heady. it has a bit of a "bite" to it, and that must be care of the ginger. i'm fascinated by the inclusion of black locust flower and i will keep my eye out for this note in the future, for i think it really adds a dimension here that has made tamamo-no-mae a classic BPAL...totally unique, evocative, yet a real crowd-pleaser. i will treasure my bottle

[Deyja7]

This was my first blind-bottle purchase, and i wasn't disappointed. I'm very glad that i ignored the fact that i don't know what half of the ingredients smell like, but i didn't need to. It's positively beautiful.

In the bottle, it's light and fruity. Wet, i can smell the white tea, but the musk starts to creep out on the dry down.

Every stage of this is gorgeous on my skin, plenty of body without being at all heavy. As someone who usually prefers dark scents, this was a pleasant surprise.

[outofrhyme]

In the bottle:

Oh my yum. Musk, sandalwood, white tea... something vaguely akin to lotus, which I guess is the black locust flower... just a slight hint of ginger, something gummy... Definitely has an oriental vibe. Delicate and wispy.

 

Wet:

Hello, ginger. Not really strong, mind you, but enough to be more identifiable. Beautiful, slightly sweet, still very delicate. PLEASE don't morph bad on me.

 

Dry down:

Still drying, but also still doing fine. A gorgeous, creamy, light, delicate, slightly fruity, slightly spicy, slightly floral blend.

 

Final thoughts:

My first thought is that this exactly lived up to my expectations from the lab description, and I think I'm glad that I snagged a bottle.

[inurbanus]

Tamamo-no-Mae is a tranquil, dreamy blend. It seems very "peachy" to me, not just because of its fruity sweetness, but also I feel very comfortable and relaxed when I wear it. I would say that it belongs in the same scent grouping as Haloes and L'Estate, which both have a warm, ethereal vibe. It also a great example of BPAL's Asian-themed blends. It's one of those blends that has to be experienced - no review of mine could do justice to it. On that note, I would recommend tracking down a decant of it if you're new to BPAL, since it's just so lovely.

 

4.5/5

[donnatron]

Bottle: Bubble tea. It kind of reminds me of the smell of a bubble tea shop--sort of the scent of all the differennt ingredients and flavours mingling over a bright, clean tea like scent.

 

Wet: It kind of reminds me of Hungry Ghost Moon at first. I think it's the combination of a light musk and ginger. The ginger amps out of control for a second or two but burns down leaving a scent that's a little reminiscent of peach blossom but more... creamy.

 

Dry: Gorgeous. It smells like soft, fresh skin just brushed with herbs and unguents. I think it's the benzoin/skin musk combo lending to the softness of the base and then the florals and the giner just sort of drift over. The sandalwood smoke is present more as a straight up sandalwood but there is a hint of incense to this.

 

Throw: Great.

 

Overall: I love the Asian moons and this is no exception. It's light, fresh and girly. I think it's a little better suited to the spring and summer months, but it's one of those scents that jibes so perfectly with my personality and chemistry that I can't really be bothered to consider the time of year when I slather it on. Definitely a winner.

[oneiromantics]

I am plagiarizing myself with this review. Last year, I announced via Facebook that I was having a moment of olfactory bliss, and a friend inquired the cause of said bliss, requesting that I provide both actual descriptions and a supplementary visual, and/or possibly aurally or tactilely related description for her olfactorily-challenged boyfriend. Here was my response:

The aforementioned olfactory bliss was caused by Tamamo-No-Mae, which smells like a gorgeous, creamy, citrusy flower on me and makes me think of evenings in early summer when the sky is lit up gold, and a soft, warm breeze brushes your skin, and you realize that you can't recall exactly what the cold of winter feels like. It's quite a nice feeling to have in February.

 

[Tracelina]

Ohhh I am so glad I took a chance and bought a bottle of this unsniffed! I'm having trouble picking out individual notes, but it's just gorgeous. It gives the feeling of aquatic, floral, grass, wood, cream, and some sort of fruit--all without having one note, or type of note, take over the scent experience. It's sweeter than the scents I normally favor, but nowhere near cloying. This will definitely be a wonderful spring & summer scent! :wub2:

Edited February 15, 2009 by Tracelina

[GalaxyLei]

This is light and fruity (something like peach to me) and creamy--I can't figure out much more than that, except for the fact that it is wonderful and I am so happy I got a bottle. It's not too intrusive as perfume, just a light beautiful skin sent. Wonderful.

[Ceri]

In the vial: Fruity...smells like peach or fig.

 

Wet: Still fruity, but more creamy and the floral is peeking out.

 

Dry: Lesser fruit, more creamy floral.

 

Overall: This is very, very lovely.

[Lyrical]

 

In vial: faint, pale, dusky, sweet, a little lemony and a little woody.

 

Wet on skin: WOW! *swoons* Must Buy Gallons Of This. Sweet, pale and musky and oh-so-beautiful!

 

Dry on skin: people say this is similar to Hungry Ghost Moon, and it's definitely in the same family, but softer and sweeter. It's quite faint on my skin, and smells very natural and very sexy! I'm so glad I got my hands on a bottle!

[moonarcana]

This is one of my all time favorite BPAL perfumes ever - creamy, floral, musky, oriental YUM! It's hard to not feel beautiful when wearing this scent.

 

Every May, the Black Locust trees here in Cincinnati, OH are heavily laden with the most fragrant blossoms you can imagine. My house is cradled on two sides by several of these trees and when the warming mid-Spring breezes start wafting, the air is magically filled with an intoxicating sweetness. My windows are open as much as possible so that I can take in every breath of it. For me, Tamamo-no-Mae captures the essence of this seasonal indulgence and presents the opportunity to enjoy it throughout the year. Beth definitely had 'Gaea's Touch' when she created this gorgeous blend!

 

Here are the trees along one side of my house...

 

I have an armload of blossoms piled on a tray scenting my living room right now...

 

 

[tajana]

I was hoping for a Hungry Ghost Moon relative with more tea and less citrus, and something light, gently floral, gently spicy and tea-infused to replace the hole Bakeneko left in my heart (the amber went too powdery). The glowing reviews piqued my interest, but I haven't seen a reasonably priced bottle until recently. Fresh on my skin it's soft and peachy. It's pale and light, but pretty. The ginger is just part of the mix, but it's what really holds the blend together and piques my interest. I wish the ginger was stronger, personally. It plays nicely off of the tea note. It's got a soft floral element, and seems quite "creamy", yet its neither vanillic nor milky. The sandalwood never really asserts itself, but the skin musk certainly does. Dry, it's a soft, subtle skin-scent with a delicate, Oriental sweetness. The throw is mild, and if I whiff it up close I still get the impression of white peach tea with sweet, creamy blossoms. Beautiful, yes, but too subtle for my personal taste!

[crebbsgirl]

This is very soft, and wears close to the skin. One of those "your skin but better" scents really. The skin musk and rice flower combine to create an ethereal creamy softness. The benzoin lends a vanillic sweetness while the ginger gives the entire blend an hint of interest. I really like this, but it's a little soft for me.