Kathmandu

[jade_starlight]

The scent of sacred incense swirling up the steep slopes to Swayambhunath Stupa. Saffron, blessed sandalwood, Himalayan cedar and the miraculous lotus of the Buddha with chiuri bark and Nepalese spices.

Wow. After trying several softer scents this one nearly knocked my socks off. It's very strong cedar, incense and *sniffs again* yep, Vicks. The medicinal smell might go away as it dries, but I don't think I could stand it that long. Definitely passing on this one.

[zankoku_zen]

This was a surprise blend for me. It was sweet, but the lotus didn't go bubblegum on me. It was a sweet, almost rosy, scent with a base of spices. I very much enjoyed trying it.

[megank4]

Cedary- Pepto Bismol.

I think I will keep Clod and Pebble as my cedar blend.

[sqwook]

Wet: Sandalwood/cedar

 

Dry: ARRGGHHH - I had such hopes for this! Unfortunately, no. Somehow I get a hint of wintergreen and it is totally distracting to me. How strange is that?

[crebbsgirl]

Fresh on my skin this is pure lotus bubblegum. Then as it dries, the cedar comes out. As it dries more, the cedar smacks me over the head! Wow, this is pretty much single note cedar on me. I also get the wintergreen undercurrent the previous reviewer had. Boo.

[kjirstiben]

Kathmandu was a surprise. Initially on, it was all about WOOD! Wood and... eucalyptus? Mint? It was certainly something almost minty, anyway. Saffron? I don't think it usually has that smell... Otherwise, the most distinctive top note is cedar. (which I love--Tombstone is my #1 BPAL)

 

Cedar and woods--the eucalyptus/mint scent goes away pretty quickly and leaves me with a swirl of wood and incense. I like this very much.

 

Unfortunately, this one faded on me very quickly. Where did it go? I've been noticing a slight tendency for wood notes to disappear on me... without any of my long-term amping notes, this one sort of faded into nothingness on my skin. Gorgeous, though, simply gorgeous! I shall certainly be hunting down more scents with these notes.

[odalisque]

I tested this on purpose without refreshing my memory as to the note descriptions. I'm not familiar with any of the notes named for this one, though (except for sandalwood and that can vary so wildly anyway) so I don't think it made much of a difference this time.

 

In the vial: sweet and very similar to Sri Lanka.

 

On the skin: the woods of Sri Lanka with something green, sweet and mildly camphoraceous. It's not my thing, but it definitely evokes cool fresh mountain air and the sweetness suggests the incense in the description.

 

This is sort of like Sri Lanka's minty green cousin.

[rayvn1]

Mostly sweet flowers and some cedar (I really wish I didn't amp dried cedar all the time...). Some spiciness as well and decent throw. Not a bad blend, but not the incense love-fest I usually look for. Worth trying again.

[toomuch]

Initially this evoked an exotic, foreign, open-air marketplace. It dries down into a slightly sweet, spiced cedar. I've been wanting something foreign and exotic. I'll have to try a few more times to see if this is it or if it's too much wood. I keep sniffing my wrist because the spices are delicious.

[lothien]

The first thing I thought when I tried Kathmandu is how nice it would be for a scented winter steam, like a bath, or a facial or general head-clearing or crabby sinuses.

I'm not sure I'd want to wear this - the cedar and menthol is too strong for me as a perfume - but it will be definitely be nice as something else. Hm. Bath salts, maybe.

[MCS4096]

In the Imp: Peppermint toothpaste and pencil shavings

 

Upon wearing this amps to SUCH strong cedar it's unbelievable. I can do cedar in other scents, but in this one it is truly overwhelming. The spices and lotus are somewhat present, but I never get any saffron or sandalwood. And the throw is all cedar all the time. Blah! When I want well behaved cedar I go for Cathedral.

[Bluestocking]

In the imp: Very dry cedar and holy incense with soft lotus and a touch of something tangy, almost citrusy. It does smell a bit like Cathedral, but the lotus sweetens the dry woods, and makes it smell less like a stodgy church and more like a temple. Still, there is an incense-of-ages quality to it.

On, wet: A big whoosh of lotus, and then it's almost a dead ringer for Cathedral… and then it becomes less so with every minute. It has the same bone-dry cedar and incense quality, but it's sweeter and spicier, as the saffron and spices wake up and the lotus rounds everything out.

On, dry: Mmmm, I've never been to Kathmandu, but this does indeed smell the way I imagine it would: ancient and sacred, exotic and yet comforting. I'm getting mostly the sweet lotus, with glorious wafts of spices (especially the saffron). It's grounded by the cedar and sandalwood, which are still there, just not as dry and sharp as they were to start. For a wood-incense scent, it's surprisingly light.

Later: Spice and lotus, with lingering wafts of wood and incense smoke. It's very light already, but it's lovely.

Overall: I had high hopes for Kathmandu, and it didn't let me down. It has the things I enjoyed about Cathedral, but it's lighter, sweeter and less dry, which is perfect; it smells like a living marketplace and not a crumbling building. It has a serene, mystical quality that I really love, which comes from the combination of those ancient-smelling woods and that sweet, hopeful lotus. I've been looking for the perfect incense-type blend, and I think this might be the one for me! It might make for a beautiful room scent, too.

 

 

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Extremely pale yellow, nearly colourless oil. Light/fresh and almost aquatic, with clean sandalwood and slightly sweet but not bubblegummy lotus. A bit of dry cedar. Lots of saffron, and...root beer?

 

Wet: Still light, almost crystalline feeling. More cedar, but it's behaving. Slightly sharp-medicinal saffron, and that almost medicinal root beer, maybe even wintergreen note.

 

Dry: Less sharp/medicinal, and a bit more sweet lotus. The cedar is a bit dry and masculine, but not overpowering. Still clean and fresh despite the woody/spicy notes.

 

Later: Reminds me a bit of Bony Moon, with a similar sort of lunar feel, and the sandalwood/cedar combo. The saffron and root beer notes smooth out further with time into pleasantly exotic nuances, and the lotus is just lovely.

 

Summary: Final drydown is white sandalwood and light, dry cedar with faint spices and soft floral lotus. Unisex, a very slightly more feminine twin of Bony Moon. Low throw.

[liquidtrance]

WHOA INCENSE, sharp cedary incense. Reeeally sharp. Smells a little minty almost. Clears your nasal passages for sure. Oh! Not mint-- WINTERGREEN. Wintergreen and wood. Definitely a unique scent. It's getting less ass-kicking as it dries, and more woody spicy with a hint of creaminess. Perhaps thats the sandalwood or saffron in the background? Still very cedar/barky though. The sandalwood seems to get more prevalent for me-- to the point where I can almost distinguish it specifically, which Ive yet been able to do in other blends. Really it seems to be coming out in strong force. Awesome?! Reminiscent of the "sandalwood" Shikai lotion, but better and less fake. Mmm. All thats left is definitely sandalwood, sweet, sweet sandalwood.

 

...I think I may have confused the "pure" sandalwood with CEDAR and sandalwood. Compared to Cathedral this blend is not ALL cedar, but the cedar definitely had a distinct influence over everything else.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

A frimp from the Lab...lotus has never been good for me, but then, I love saffron and other spices, so we'll see! Dabbing it on, the lotus immediately makes itself known, in the guise of bubblegum. It is very odd to smell bubblegum over sandalwood! I'm afraid the lotus is ruining an otherwise very rich wood/spice blend; it just isn't a note I can wear. It smells like Cathedral underneath, but I can't get past that topnote. Drat.

[djsiberia]

this one is interesting. it reminds me of root beer soda.

 

[Aldercy]

Imp exploded in my face when I opened it (cap was a little tight, applied too much force, cap went flying, spray of oil all over)-- that's never happened before. Anyway, all over my face is not where I want Kathmandu. Turns out I don't think this is really my type of scent.

 

Serious, elderly cedar (perhaps a whole forest of it) with dusty, pale whorls of smoke, musty woods, and something burnished and metallic... like a slightly sour bronze. Not bad conceptually, but I feel like I'm dragging a novelty tapestry/incense/Buddhist statuary store around with me. It doesn't smell like a scent for a person, you know?

 

Reminds me of a heavier, cedary version of Hay Moon, surprisingly. At least on my skin.

 

Later: So, I went out to my vegetable garden and mucked around weeding and pulling radishes. Something about the addition of fresh air, sun, heat (and a dash of sweat?) made Kathmandu smell significantly better (much the same, just richer, mellower, sexier). The strangest variables sometimes seem to affect oils, and this is not the first I've come across that changes with a rush of extra warmth.

Edited June 6, 2009 by Aldercy

[tajana]

Kathmandu smells really pleasing to me in the imp. Nice and woodsy. Freshly applied, it's a wee bit of saffron and cedar, but mostly jarring eucalyptus/menthol. Very cooling and strange, but if I keep the name in mind it makes more sense... gives it an outdoors, high in the mountains kind of feel. The lotus note is really lovely, it's light, a bit watery, and sweet. Too much lotus can be bubblegummy, but there's not enough of it here to give that effect. It just gives some unique floral balance to the dry woods and incense. Love the cedar and sandalwood, but the mentholated note is bothersome... it sticks around through the drydown, and it blends very strangely with some incensey smell I can't really parse (chiuru bark and spices, maybe). It's light, crisp, and almost wearable, but my sister had an extremely negative reaction (she said it smelled like a weird herb and car shampoo, ie. horrible) so I won't be giving Kathmandu another shot.

[blacklacestatic]

Initial unsniffed impression: I have a feeling I might like this as a scent, but not to wear as a perfume. I really don't care for saffron, nor cedar, but I was generously frimped with this so I may as well test it out.

 

In the Imp: Herbal, medicinal, bitter. Strong saffron and spices, but not the sweet kind of spices.

 

Wet on skin: Strong medicinal saffron is all I really get here. There is a hint of cedar, but not much else going on. I think I amp saffron because it's all I smell in Love's Philosophy too.

 

Drydown: The sandalwood is stronger now, but still a whole lot of saffron and cedar. The whole thing has a savory kind of feel, like cooking exotic food. The scent as a whole is calming down a bit, it's not as strong as it was initially. It's a nice scent now but, as I expected, not really nice for me as a perfume. Very, very woodsy, reminds me of a church or of summer camp in wooden bunks.

 

Overall: I love the images this evokes, the feelings of strolling through an exotic marketplace. It also has a very spiritual feel. However it is just no good on me.

[aislingeach]

I really liked the smell of this one in the imp, and wanted to like it on me, but it was not to be. Something in here turns to ammonia on my skin, and it's `loud' enough that it totally wrecks the scent.

 

ETA: Apparently, the icky ammonia was just a phase. 20-30 minutes later, it's become a deep, dark woodsy scent. I like it, but I'm not sure whether I like it enough to deal with the drying process...

Edited June 28, 2009 by aislingeach

[angelicruin]

Inside the imp, cedar and exotic spices.

 

On my skin, this starts out as spicy cedar and saffron. I'm really liking this so far...

 

On drydown, I get a bit of root beer scent.

 

Dries down to spiced cedar, saffron, and lotus.

 

Very resinous and good throw.

[SlySionnach]

 

Imp: Spicy. Something is also kind of smokey? I’m not quite sure.

 

Wet: Ah, the spiciness fades and the saffron note comes out. I never thought it’d be a scent I’d like, but it’s a nice, warm, yellow scent.

 

Dry: The sandalwood remains flowing underneath the saffron, but doesn’t overpower as it often does in other scents. It’s really kind of comfortable for a spicy scent.

 

I’ll definitely keep the imp. No need for a bottle…yet.

 

[strahlend]

Wet On: BUBBLEGUM!! wtf?? guess it's the lotus? it smells like pepto bismol with a hint of cedar off in the distance.

 

I went looking through the reviews because I wondered if anyone else smelled bubblegum. I thought maybe my nose was crazy or something, but it looks like I'm not alone.

 

On my skin a little later the cedar comes out and things seem much more woodsy and there seems to be some incense drifting around, a whiff of pine - but whatever made that bubblegum or pepto scent is still hanging around.

 

I don't think this one is for me since if I'm going for cedar I want something a little more intense, but it was fun to try.

[arsenicsauce]

Wet: Fresh cedar shavings that suddenly shift to... wintergreen gum? Where does that come from?

Dry: the mintyness recedes, leaving slightly sweet, dusty cedar shavings. It's a very dry, homey scent, and not something I particularly want to smell like, but not offensive. I definitely see where the vick's vapor rub comparisons come from, there's a low-lying note in there that's dead on for it (maybe the remnants of that wintergreen mixed with the saffron?). Low throw, medium wear length.

[Stormslegacy]

In the imp: almost medicinal. Chocolatey toothpaste?

 

Wet: Cherry cola. I almost want to lick my wrist.

 

drydown: as it dries, it smells more like cherry-cola incense then just cherry cola.

 

Dry: Light incense and cola.

 

Conclusion: I don't love it as a perfume, but I'm planning on using this to scent a sugar scrub using the recipes in the "Beyond perfume" forum. This will smell lovely in a cleanser.