Christine Daae Report post Posted May 14, 2008 White sandalwood, pikaki, 'umi'umi-o-dole, and plumeria. Got this in hopes that it would be a scent that screamed Hawaii at me. I do miss Hawaii, even after only going there once. I'd hoped that the floral notes + the grounding notes would = Hawaii smell. Sadly, this is not to be. Something goes sharp/astringent on me, and I'm not sure what. Oh, well. Maybe if I give it a few days to rest... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wwindy Report post Posted May 23, 2008 Sometimes it's really hard to describe the play of notes in a BPAL blend, but this one is easy for me (me = some combination of my skin chemistry, nose, and brain! ). It's a hint of smoky incense-y sandalwood plus a handful of white-to-pale-yellow Hawaiian flowers. I'm not really detecting anything else, but the overall effect is very airy and pretty. I'm not a floral fan in general and have been wondering what to do this summer when it gets too sticky hot for my beloved resin/spice blends -- if you're in the same boat, Tupapau might be worth trying! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cute_toaster Report post Posted May 25, 2008 I've been looking for a scent that captures the smell of the tropical flowers that hit me like a wall when I got off the plane on my first trip to Hawaii in November. This came very close. The scent stayed close to my skin, and lasted a long time...unfortunately there is something in this that I am terrible allergic to. Within two hours I had an angry red rash on the places that I applied the oil. I love the scent, but can't wear it...yet another reason to get a scent locket! //Laurie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sofaking6 Report post Posted June 26, 2008 In the bottle: kind of sour and woodsy. On right away: loads of sandalwood and bitter florals, but from arm's length I do smell the tropical florals in here. On dry: PLUMERIA! Sometimes my skin really does right by a scent! I adore plumeria, it's so sweet and joyful and so is this blend. The moss keeps it very green. I can smell the sandalwood for about an hour, and then it's down to straight florals. It does fade @ an hour after that. I have noticed that to entice out the florals it really helps to warm it up a lot. The more I rub my wrists the more the sweetness emerges. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Heeroluva Report post Posted July 25, 2008 In the bottle it's a sharp floral. Wet it turns a bit bitter. Dry it turned to soap on me like floral scents tend to do. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lunaticana Report post Posted July 27, 2008 well.. so.. this is my FIRST BPAL BOTTLE. ever. yes oh yes, and it is what I wanted it to be! florals, creamy dreamy florals, tropical lush islands far far away from where I am now.. I usally don t really like sandalwood, but there are more flowers to smell, than there is sandalwood, so me is happy I hoped for that offcorse, I didn t have a decant, just tryed my luck! it s fresh in a way to, but still oh so 'wash myself under a waterfallish' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
edenssixthday Report post Posted August 10, 2008 Tupapau – Well, I have no idea what ‘umi’umi-o-dole is, but it is obviously something I like because this is a beautiful scent. I’m surprised the sandalwood is white sandalwood, because it doesn’t have the overall sense of arid dryness that I usually get from white sandalwood. I also don’t smell the pikaki. It smells like a soft, gentle breeze filled with the fragrance of sandalwood and plumeria. It’s really gorgeous. Once it dries down on my skin, it smells like wispy, liquid sunlight. Something tells me it’s going to age beautifully. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zankoku_zen Report post Posted August 21, 2008 Ah Tupapau - you smell lovely - white blossoms, not too lush, not too sweet, breezy and in general, very tropical without being in your face. And then you disappear. You have no idea what kind of pain this causes me. I was so excited. All the others were so aggressive with their leis and their fizzy drinks and their suntan soaked perfume - and here you are, a breath of natural fresh florals, and then you're gone. Oh Hawaii, you break my heart. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hlinspjalda Report post Posted August 27, 2008 In the vial: White fleshy flower, closer to honeysuckle than anything else, but with a tartness too. Wet: Definitely smells like sweet tropical something, but that lingering tartness doesn't bode well. Twenty minutes: Much better now. The tartness has gone away, along with the sharper high notes of the florals. This is pleasant. One hour: Still a pleasant tropical. Some of the sweetness has declined, and there's more of the original spiciness obvious. It smells rather like an Easter lily now. Two hours: Still fleshy white floral, but the sandalwood is turning a bit sourish now. Three and a half hours: Sourish sandalwood and a sweet floral. I think this one is over too. I'm looking for a good plumeria for sentimental reasons, and this one isn't going to be it. "Thalia" works better on me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
filigree_shadow Report post Posted August 31, 2008 Very floral, very tropical, and hoo boy is it strong! Goodness. I should not have put quite so much on. It's not a heady overwhelming floral, it's more in the breezy category. Maybe that's because it smells so tropical to me, I'm not sure. I'm not getting the sour/sharp/astringent scent other reviewers described at all. It smells clean and pretty and quite feminine to my nose. This is not the sort of floral scent that I normally wear but I don't object to it at all. It smells unusual and alluring, to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aquazoo Report post Posted September 21, 2008 The plumeria jumps out immediately — It fades and I'm left with a floral. Not bad, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
innocent Report post Posted September 24, 2008 Sandalwood (esp white sandalwood) is one of those notes with which I have to be careful. Small amounts are nice, but if I wear too much it becomes very dry and dusty on my skin. I feared for Tupapau. I was pleased to discover that, as long as I only applied it lightly, the sandalwood here behaves itself. This ends up being a slightly fruity, slightly dry floral, very different from the rose and violet blends I usually wear. I quite like it, though its so different from my usual scents that I can't predict how often I'll be wearing it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Emma2403 Report post Posted October 22, 2008 Light flowers (gardenia somewhere?) and some distant tropical fruit. Not bad, but I've got the feeling I've smelled that 100 times before, so, I wouldn't want more than my decant. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
voodoocatwoman Report post Posted November 9, 2008 Oh, wow. I adore plumeria and when wet, this scent is chock full of plumeria goodness. The sandalwood comes through after it dries and plumeria moves into the background. That makes me sad. The scent takes on a powdery quality that I am not nuts about. *sigh* Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Iceblink Report post Posted December 30, 2008 Mmm...nice tropical flowers, but as this dries the sandalwood takes over and it's the variety of sandalwood that smells like sandalwood soap on my skin. Bummer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shollin Report post Posted February 19, 2009 First sniff: Soft-sweet flowers and greenery over dry wood. Wearing: It’s very “perfumey” on me, far more so than in the bottle. It’s a sweet-white-flower scent, but a very perfumey one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
asciident Report post Posted February 23, 2009 Wet: SOAP! First on: Terrible, horrible soap. Is this what 'umi'umi-o-dole is? Dry: Unchanged dry. I had to scrub this off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Malista Report post Posted April 20, 2009 I bought a bottle of Tupapau unsniffed last year when it came out because I was pretty sure it would work for me, but I was doing chemotherapy at the time and not wearing any scent at all ('way sensitive to everything, and not liking anything much), and I sort of forgot about this and the other two Flotsam blends I picked up, after sniffing them and deciding I had made good choices. It's in the 80s today, though, and will be nearly 90 tomorrow, and it seemed like a good time to break out the tropical goodness. Lovely florals, not too sweet, more like breezes from the shore than leis around the neck. The moss lays down a nice clean almost bamboo base, and the sandalwood does its slightly dusty but sweetly aromatic thing, mixing with the flowers to make an understated blend that is very light and works wonderfully on a hot, sticky day. I don't want my perfume to sit in a cloud around me; I'm having enough problems feeling crowded because of the heat; when I move, the gentle wafts I get of tropical sweet and green are just perfect. If I had more than one bottle of this I'd make a body spray out of it and some formulator's alcohol, for cooling purposes. I love this , even though I need to reapply after about three hours, which is unusual for me. Sandalwood often does that sort of fade on me, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gin Report post Posted May 26, 2009 Tupapau Freshly applied, the flowers are muted to a disappointingly low level. Moments later, it absolutely blooms on my skin. I smell the plumeria most of all--it has a sort of clean, floral shampoo scent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lamenteuse Report post Posted June 21, 2009 in the bottle: delicate florals. Not very "tropical" to me.. dry: um...kind of like my grandma's bathroom. just a lot of perfumey florals. this is my least favorite luau, but if you want something light and very flowery, this is a good choice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Monster Report post Posted July 10, 2009 In the bottle: Girly sandalwood Wet: I'm smelling plumeria with sandalwood. The sandalwood isn't feeling smoky or incense-like to my nose, the floral notes make this smell more femenine. I'm not used to smelling sandalwood in this way...I like it though. It keeps the floral notes grounded. Dry: Awwwww booooo! :'( This went to bathroom spray on me. The sandalwood is still there but the plumeria just sort of wilted into a powdery smelling Glade air freshner. Overall: Not for me, but I'm still glad I have a partial bottle of this to complete my Luau collection Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kimocean Report post Posted July 13, 2009 This is primarily a lovely tropical floral on me. It has just a hint of a smoky scent when it's wet and then the flowers come forward with the plumeria being most prominent. The sandalwood is gently present keeping the flowers from getting too high-pitched. This is a great scent for summer days. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayvn1 Report post Posted January 19, 2010 Sweet, sweeeeet floral! Big tropical blossoms throwing off a perfumed cloud. Not my thing, but I bet it's fantastic for tropical floral lovers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
impolight Report post Posted July 24, 2010 :::TUPAPAU::: Thrillish! That's a pretty decent way to sum up the sentiment upon finding a Frimp of Tupapau waiting when the box of goodies was pried open. There's been a good deal of mystery surrounding the goodies from the Atomic Luau Lounge. This seems as good a place as any to start. From the Imp: Can't say that Dole's beard has ever been available for a sniff, but Plumeria's not a familiar note, from personal experience, either... It's hard to guess at what the dominant note is. The Pikaki's there, alright, but not at the front of the line. Sandalwood is present, almost as an afterthought... Which is nice, because the Lab's version of the stuff is infectiously beguiling. On the Skin: Holy Hula-skirts, Batman! Tropicaloric! Obviously, the floral notes are intended as beguiling perfumery, but this certainly is alot like of one of those $20 Polynesian cocktails that blinds you just before you neck with a throw-pillow. A deliriously sexy scent for her. Ocean-blue 4.5 out of 5. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cali Report post Posted April 4, 2016 A lovely warm floral scent. I can imagine walking on hawaii near a beach passing walls of tropical flowers. On the skin it gets a little more floral. Not as in-your-face as I hoped but I still love this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites