Orange

[HennaFairy]

No description. This scent was available to VIP guests at a special reception with Neil Gaiman at the NYC Comic Con 2008 as a fundraiser for the CBLDF. After the VIP meet&greet, he read for the general admission crowd a selection of pieces including an unreleased short story titled "Orange". This scent set was create to go with the story.

 

 

I have stage fright up here all by myself

 

Orange is actually a set. An orange burlap bag contained a 5 ml of Orange, and an imp of Dark Chocolate.

 

Photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/k8et/2424691042/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/k8et/2424690102/

 

 

The imp label reads: "Inspired by Neil Gaiman's short story "Orange". Use this to feed your perfume. (Inedible for humans, please use only to feed supernatural orange lifeforms!)"

 

(I'm not going to give away the story. It's one of those that you have to read or hear to fully experience. I'm sure youtube will have tonight's reading at some point!)

 

Orange: Not surprisingly, it smells like orange! But it's a soft orange, more like orange sherbet. In fact I almost think it's creamy, especially in the drydown, and reminds me of an orange creamsicle. No obvious cream notes that I can tell, it's just soft and not a harsh citrus at all.

 

Dark Chocolate: This is that magic ingredient in Wulric and Boomslang. Like those, the dark part separates out - I can't tell how much is the dark oil because the label covers the imp, but it seems more like Boomslang in color once it's mixed up and put on. Not bitter chocolate, just a dark creamy cocoa, it's wonderful.

 

Together: Should I lie and say it's horrible? You know it's not true. It's the perfect blend of orange and chocolate. sweet but not candylike. soft and refreshing.

 

It's a fairly straight forward scent meaning that you probably know if you like orange, and chocolate, and I doubt this would change your existing opinions on it either way. But it is beautifully executed, especially how the orange is soft and refreshing at the same time.

 

 

I tried both on together before Neil got around to me at the reception. I told him I put both on together, and he sniffed my wrist then he said another girl had only tried the orange, and he made her come over and sniff too!

 

Hours later, I got in my car after taking the ferry home and taking photos of the NY skyline with an almost full moon. My wrist was faint (I tested sparingly) but just wonderfully soft, barely orange as you usually know it, but leaving the impression of orange as a concept, with a hint of dark chocolate.

 

 

Love Neil, love "Orange", it was a fabulous night!

 

(More photos will be posted to my flickr account and a report of the whole evening in my blog. If not tonight, early next week.)

 

ETA: it's possible there's a subtle floral in here, maybe orange blossom? I have no idea. But I'm not huge on strong florals, and it's not strong floral... I hope more discerning noses can help me later...

Edited April 19, 2008 by HennaFairy

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Sweet-tart orange, fresh and light, a combination of just-squeezed juice, mashed pulp, and oily orange zest. Overall very faint.

 

Wet: Sweeter, brighter - a bit more like mandarin almost. This is not at all sour or sharp, but bright and ripe. Juicy, and only a tiny bit tangy.

 

Dry: Woefully faint, and/or my skin is eating this. Despite immense slathering, I get only a very light scent. I do detect a detect some other notes, not just orange aspects, but a wee bit of orange blossom (reminds me of orange blossom water used in cooking) and a hint of a herbal spice, maybe ginger. If this weren't the faintest oil on the planet, I might be able to pin things down more.

 

Summary: Something warm has emerged, maybe heliotrope and/or ti leaf. The drydown is a bit more floral overall, with amped orange blossom, light ginger and possibly some mild dianthus. Faintly sweet orange pulp and mandarin-zest, but the fresh juiciness has long gone. This has the same mild, floral sweetness, mellow citrus, and exotic warmth of Lover's Parodies. Dismal throw, but semi decent lasting power.

 

I'm really disappointed. I love citrus and the juicy freshness in the bottle excited me, but my skin entirely devours that crispness, and most of the scent on the whole. I doubt this would be a strong scent on anyone, however - it's just SO faint.

[CiCi]

HennaFairy graciously gifted me with some Orange, and I have to first thank her and say I was so surprised and shocked at her generosity!

 

In the imp: it is dark yellow in color and smells like strong orange zest.

 

Wet: It smells sweet and strong and reminds me of orange extract I use in baking. I can also pick up sweetness, like honey or honeysuckle blossom and maybe a touch of spice.

 

Dry: I have been wearing this for three hours now and it has not lost it's tangy freshness. It has mellowed a little and become sweeter if possible. There is a more floral fragrance now.

 

Normally, I don't care for citrus blends because they are too sharp, but Orange is not like that at all. It is refreshing and the scent softly lingers for hours. It reminds me of cool summer nights, and walks in the park, and relaxing with your feet in the pool.

 

This was everything and more than I thought it would be. I loved the sweetness in it combined with the tangy too. When I wore it, it could imagine orange blossoms falling all around me. I really liked how it went from strong to light and then lasted for hours.

[KaliVerra]

Thank you, marvelous GoldenRubee, for giving me the chance to give this puppy a test spin! (And passing the thanks on down to HF for makin' it all happen... sounds like you had an AWESOME TIME!)

 

In the imp: ORANGE ZEST... In your FACE orange zest! Supahdupah juicy and tart with a wee bit of sweet.

 

Wet on skin: A good pop of that initial orange - with a burst of orange blossom and what smells EXACTLY like the honey in L'Occitane's Eau de Miel (soooo gooood!!)

 

Early dry: More orange blossom/honey water than anything... a teensy bit musky - but I can't place what is riding the undercurrent...

 

3 hours in: Very faint hint of that *musky something*... the floral/honey bit phased out about 1.5 - 2 hours in... Wondering if the musky something is an oddball remnant of the honey??

 

On a sidenote - my DH said it smells EXACTLY like a spray deo he used to use in the '70s... not a bad thing - just an odd coincidence

 

I think it's purrrrrty

[nursekins]

I have been blessed enough to have a wonderful friend like goldenrubee who gifted me some.Thanks my dear.This is also my first formal review...so be kind:)

 

wet-A mellow citrus scent.This is orange like but not sharp like a naval orange...this reminds me more of a nectarine or honey tangerine...sweet and soft...I do not get any hint of the pith..

 

initial application-this is soft and sweet...A beautiful mix of that nectarine/tangerine vibe...I get a little honey from the sweetness...maybe even a hint of the rind after it has been dried a bit...lovely

 

drydown-Gorgeous,the orange has morphed a bit into a orange blossom scent...airy light and fresh...no tartness ever pops through...the citrus note takes a backseat to the floral blossom like note...I still get a honey type note...orange blossom honey.

 

I feel so lucky to have had the chance to try this...lovely

[strangemodegirl]

Because KaliV is an amazingly wonderful friend, I got the chance to test a wee bit of this.

There was just enough left in the imp to test a small patch on my skin.

I usually suck at reviews, but I will try a bit harder for this!

 

In the vial..it was hard to tell color for me because there was literally just a drop left in, but it seemed like it would have been a beautiful golden color.

The smell was like pure, fresh orange pulp.

 

Wet on skin...this reminds me of those orange slice jelly candies, the ones that have a coating of sugar on the outside and are both super sweet and tart as you bite into them.

 

Dry...I am getting more of a honey/floral, like orange blossom now.

 

I am not normally big on orange smells other than very fresh oranges. This however, is simply GORGEOUS!

This is an orange scent I would wear, and wear often.

 

I am so grateful to get the chance to test this. It was totally unexpected and when she told me that she would be sending it to me I was almost speechless.

Thank you honey!!

Oh, and I plan to pay it forward and pass the sniffie along to my witchee in the Switch Witch round.

Edited June 8, 2008 by strangemodegirl

[pinkgyrl]

A generous soul gifted me with a tester of Orange. In the vial and upon initial application - in your face, gorgeous, juicy orange! It's as if I just ate an orange and ended up with the citrusy pulp and stickiness all over my fingers. Upon drydown, it's more of a soft floral orange - still maintaining a hint of an orange's bite - but evolving into a multi-dimensional scent as a softness peeks out - adding creamy and musky notes into the blend. I had thought this scent would be like a single note of orange - but it's so much more!

 

It's gorgeous

[wren08]

This is lovely, I'm so excited to get to try it!

 

On me the orange is not a sweet orange, it's an orange with all the white stuff still on. It's very ORANGE... like the juice oranges I used to love as a kid. You can smell the zest, the pulp and the juice... all with their own brand of orange scent... andthe memory of orange blossoms. This is more tangy than sweet on me and I just love it!

 

The only bad thing is that it clings very close to my skin and it fades far too quickly. The scent only lasts about two hours and then there is the memory of a scent for a while longer.

[Monique]

A wonderful and generous friend gifted me with a partial imp of this and I must say I was blown away! I am a huge citrus fan, orange especially but have never had a scent that just smelled "ORANGE" to me. Even the single notes from back in the day pretty much disappointed me although Mandarin Orange does smell just like mandarin orange but that wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted a juicy navel orange smell and I didn't want other spices or anything like that in my scent.

 

Orange is unbelievable in its pureness! It is fresh, juicy and lovely. I am not great at describing notes but I will say that on drydown, it did mellow a bit into an orange creaminess which I still loved and lasts for hours on me which is a good thing cause I only intend to use it on very special occasions since I have so little of it. I just wish BPAL would release it or something similar to the general public. I don't remember them every putting out anything close to this.

 

This is my new #1 scent!

[yeahbutnobut]

Orange

 

Thanks to dpoulsen for generously including a sniffie in a swap!

In the imp: orange, of course…but this is more complex. it’s like orange and heliotrope and amber with orange blossom.

Wet on skin: juicy orange, orange peel, neroli, and golden sweetness.

Dry: oh crap. I feared this would happen. In other words, I think I’m in love! This, to me, smells like a bold, full bodied Seville orange, the scent of its peel and the scent of its juice. I say that because it reminds me of the aromatic and bittersweet orange juice that I drank when I was in Seville, squeezed from local fruit. And it reminds me of marmalade (like Down the Rabbit Hole). But not only that…I also smell the orange tree’s blossom and leaves, and also a wonderful sweet and golden backdrop which to me smells like amber, vanilla, and a dash of heliotrope.

After a while: ok, so the original orange ‘zing!’ has faded a little, but that’s citrus for you. However, this orange note is pretty persistent, its juiciness has gone but its bitter peel scent still lingers. Now I also smell more of the orange blossom/neroli and the sweet base notes that seem to anchor the volatile orange notes, to ground them. Now this smells a little more perfume-y, I’m guessing there’s some white amber here…or maybe white musk and tea? And something vanilla-like.

The final drydown reminds me a bit of Lady Lilith, but stronger, sweeter, but also a bit more citrusy. It’s white musk and a sharper, effervescent citrus which is either kumquat or mandarin. And some amber too.

After a few hours I swear I even smell a hint of frankincense! And I love that!

Verdict: this is, without doubt, the One Orange Scent to Rule Them All. And I’m smitten by it. Sunny and vibrant Seville orange backed up by orange blossoms and gorgeous sweetness. The drydown is a little more sophisticated in feel, less zesty but still wonderful. This makes me realise that there are too few ORANGEY scents in BPAL-there’s this and Huesos de Santo, but this isn’t as sweet and sticky as Huesos, this is fresh and bright, not sugary and indulgent. The closest thing I have to this is Ra, which I adore and have lots of, and also to a lesser extent, it resembles Sol Invictus, but this is also very different to those-the orange is more ‘out there’, fresher, juicier, more dominant and straightforward. There’s a similar ‘fresh orange juice’ thing in Lustration as well-maybe I can try layering Lustration and Ra to see if I get a similar scent? I’ll have to see if I can track down more of this (easier said than done!) because my sniffie, it seems, is spent. Dammit, another rarity that I’ve fallen madly in love with…

Emoticon rating:

Is it a keeper? Oh yes-and I crave more. I think I’ve tried as much from my sniffie as I can.

Edited December 10, 2008 by yeahbutnobut

[tarotgirl99]

I know I'm lucky to have a bit of this...really, I do know. And am grateful.

 

BUT. It just smells like orange essential oil to me. And I have a lot of different orange essential oils.

[Lamia]

Yep. Orange. Lots of it.

 

It's a deeper orange, rather than a squirting-in-your-eye orange, but still allllll orange.

[thewondersmith]

This really is a gorgeous, gorgeous scent and I can see why it's so coveted. It's delicious, fresh orange without any sharpness or bitterness, and a lovely base of... I think it's vanilla? Very creamy and smooth, and the throw is wonderful. I can see where people are getting the creamsicle thing. It's absolutely nommable. However, it's not particularly -my- sort of scent. I'm not a fan of citrus unless it's paired with tea ala Shanghai or Dorian, and while this is gloriously foody, it's a bit too much for me on some days. I was lucky enough to scrounge together a couple of decants to make my own little DIY bottle (after much puppydog-eyeing at my very indulgent bestie <3) but I'm down to my very last ml after swapping most of my bottle away. While I'm sad that it's so rare, I don't feel right holding onto it when there are so many other people who haven't had the chance to share the love.

[ljaylh]

 

Yummy orange with a very slight vanilla-amber sort of vibe behind it.

 

Juicy and bright, sweet but not sharp, rich but not 'fake' smelling. Thank you to downloadstone for swapping with me so that I get to try this, it's lovely!

[zankoku_zen]

Ahhh... Orange. In theory, I should love you. Really. You are supposed to be the pinnacle of all ORANGE. The orange so perfect and rare, you MUST work.

 

In the vial, you are deep, orangey, the kind of just squeezed orange smell you love. On wet, you pretty much are that.

 

On the drydown, the orange zest comes out.... and it's bitter. Perhaps a touch of ginger in there as well? No mind. I think I may sill love you.

 

But really, you drydown to some sort of bitter orange flavored PEZ candy. The kind that is powdery, sugary and FAKE. Oh, and dismal throw. My skin eats this up. Crunches you down like some sort of Pez candy pellet. Which you smell like to me. Orange PEZ.

 

Another EPIC fail.

 

But yeah for dodging a bullet?

[edenssixthday]

Orange - candy-sweet orange, almost like orange soda without the carbonation. Wait...this isn't just any orange, this is mandarin orange! And there are definite hints of amber in this and possibly vanilla. Something about it reminds me distinctly of 51. In fact, I wore Orange yesterday, and wore 51 today and I definitely get a similar feeling, however, Orange is the most awesome BPAL I've tried and while 51 is reminiscent of it, it doesn't come close to it in awesomeness. Orange has incredibly long-lasting staying power and throw. I'm really amazed because citrus blends usually wisp away on me in a matter of minutes, but the amber (?) in this grounds the fresh mandarin scent and it behaves as if I glued it on and I can smell it swirling around me all day - and that's just with the tiniest dab of it applied (because a tiny dab is all I've got. Boohoo!)

 

Orange is amazing. There's absolutely nothing in my collection I wouldn't give up for more Orange. (note: this is not a swap offer, just a statement to show the extremity of my love for this fragrance!)

 

ETA: I think there's green musk in this. There's something in it that reminds me so much of 51 and Lincoln Tunnel Vortex that I think it must be green musk. Or something.

Edited January 9, 2011 by Edens Sixth Day

[Upstart Crow]

I was fortunate enough to get a sniffy of this today that had just enough oil on the wand cap to test.

 

Orange goes on smelling exactly like what's on the tin: ripe, juicy oranges. As it dries down, the orange calms a little bit and I smell a rather tart floral. I'm thinking ylang ylang, which I usually don't like, but which works beautifully here.

 

This is a gorgeous blend that is perfect for orange and orange blossom lovers. It's such a pity that it's so hard to find .

[saralaughs]

I feel like this should be titled 'The Life of an Orange; Backward'

 

First application is bitter orange; the zest. But that quickly goes away and is replaced by the juicy and it's not just oranges but mandarin. YUM. Juicy smelling and realistic, it's about the only kind of citrus I look forward to in blends. This is really the star for a bit and then it softly and slowing transforms into this glorious blossom. OMG. I love orange blossom. It's beautiful and heady and light and fresh and just floral enough. This is the note I get in Ravenous. ETA: I wore Ravenous today and it is dead-on to the orange blossom in this. Those that can't get Orange should definitely give that a go.

 

Just beautiful. And a huge thanks to the lovely (crazy bitch) lady who sent me this.

Edited May 11, 2011 by saralaughs

[grrrlennyl]

Orange

 

On: A beautifully smooth and slightly sweet orange scent.

3 hours in: I think this is more of an orange blossom scent on me. It's going kind of weird and vegetable-y.

7 hours in: A powdery, sweet orange scent.

Overall: This is a really pretty orange scent. I think it would be really great for warm summer days, since it's not overpowering.

[Dark Alice]

Orange...yeah...you smell like orange. Orange essential oil that my skin eats up and leaves nothing behind. I am not huge fan of this and I am glad that I dodged a bullet.

[countessmouse]

I have to agree with saralaughs on this one - it is truly the life of an orange in reverse. I tested the tiniest bit on the back of my hand and I've been huffing it all evening. It's absolutely beautiful!

 

And now I'm crying because I've been bitten by the Orange bug and I'm pretty sure I'm doomed to hoarding the precious quarter imp I've been able to get my hands on.

[fetish911]

I never thought I would get to try this one... thank you to Out of Focus for the tester!!

 

Yep. what everyone else said. Orange! Its got a bit of a floral edge to it, like orange blossoms. Its such a true orange scent its amazing. Its very pretty though not tons of throw. If this were avail for sale I would def buy some, but I wouldn't pay the crazy prices this goes for on ebay. That said I will cherish the tester I have and wipe the sweat off my brow cause I dodged a bullet on this one thank god.

[bpalscentsual]

Empty sniffie of this with just enough left on the wand to rub on the inside of my elbow? Yes, please.

 

Not a comprehensive review because I have to wrap my arm around my face to get this scent, but oh my goodness, I can see where the hype was coming from. This is Orange Crush. Straight-up Orange Crush cut with a splash of tangy, pulpy orange juice, and yes, I can smell a promise of orange blossoms and orange zest. Orange, orange, orange, orange, orange. It's freaking delicious.

 

I feel so awed just being able to try this, knowing how high the demand was for it. And now I know why. This is fantastic in so many ways. I can only imagine what it would have been like with the imp of Dark Chocolate!

[OctoberGwen]

I never thought I'd get to smell this, never mind wear it. Thank you so much to Em- for the decant.

 

The smell of oranges and their blossoms are two of my favorite scents on earth. Orange the perfume smells different from the King Mandarin single note, though mandarin is certainly the type of citrus fruit that's in here. I'm pretty sure there's some Egyptian white musk, too. The undercurrent present in Orange is very similar to another beloved of mine, Sumai No Sechie.

 

Orange is beautiful. Soft, sweet but not cloying, deliciously orange. It does fade quickly on me, but in the scent locket it stays true and is just perfect.

 

I am so happy to have some of this.

 

:love!: