Mata Hari

[synique]

... Her scent is striking and bold with a delicate yet dark undertone: five roses with soft jasmine, warmed by vanilla, fig, tonka bean and mahogany, spiced with a drop of coffee bean.

I so love this one in the imp. All the florals and then the vanilla, fig, coffee bean and mahogany.

Then it hits my skin. And becomes the spawn of Jasmine and Rose. It starts out very rose and dries down to very jasmine. Lovely florals, but I wanted some of the other scents to appear in a stronger form. Sigh.

Mata Hari, I wanted to love you wholeheartedly, but you and my skin chemistry just don't seem compatible unless one's only seeking the rose and jasmine. You're worth keeping the imp. I do like the florals.

-Jen

[Phaedra]

When first applied I get the coffeebean note but it is fleeting and fades within seconds. Then it smells like plain jasmine. After about 30 minutes a warm floral smell comes through- maybe this is the tonka? This ended up being mostly jasmine on me. I was hoping for more of the exotic notes to come through but they didn't. Oh well.

[quikslvr]

Mostly floral to start: smells more like ylang-ylang or gardenia to me than roses & jasmine. Darkens as it dries. Mahogany/fig, kind of a musk, comes out dry. A touch of dark vanilla (or tonka?) there, but not much.

[renaissancerouge]

Holy huckleberries, Mata Hari nearly gave me a heart attack. After waiting so long for this one, so greedily anticipating its sophisticated and artful fumes, I finally got my order yesterday. As soon as I opened Mata, my heart stopped and my eyes teared up. There was no swanky cabaret, rose-petal strewn Paris hotel room, coffeehouse cachet...there was only Wicked.

 

Wicked is my least favorite oil through no one's fault but my own. I think it's the jasmine/rose combo, and it's my misfortune to have categorized jasmine as "the smell of regret" during my angsty first year of college when I impressed its odor on my subconscious via an injudicious use of Crabtree and Evelyn's Jasmine Eau de Toilette. Wicked dredges up all that and more, also being possessed of a feral quality I can't really stand.

 

However, I was strong, and put a drop of Mata Hari on my arm, scrupulously not sniffing till it had chilled out for awhile. Imagine my utter glee fifteen minutes later when the jaz/rose had made way for sweet coffee, vanilla-ish tonka, and the soaring medicinal floral notes of Sacred Whore of Babylon!! I am relieved and delighted that I took a chance on another winner. The coffee/wood notes are balanced perfectly with the calmed-down florals, in a warmer and richer version of one of my favorite oils.

[QueenFae]

Ahhh, what a glorious scent. When first applied the jasmine and rose are the top notes. There's a wonderful, syrupy sweetness underlying the floral; vanilla and tonka swirled in with coffee. After a few hours, its still going strong, but the scent has changed to a soft vanilla coffee with the faintest breath of jasmine in the background. I love this one, I already bought a 5 ml. It's cool that the combination is floral/coffee and it really works!!

[nineveh]

Oh no, this doesn't work with my chemistry at all.

 

From the description, the rose, fig, vanilla, tonka, and coffee sounded wonderful. I love all those notes in other blends, except for cofffee, which I hadn't tried before but love the smell of in general. Jasmine is the one note that I don't much care for, so of course it takes over the entire blend once I put it on. The coffee is there, but it's bitter and burnt.

 

After a while, the vanilla/tonka emerges and sweetens this up a bit, but not enough. This one is just not for me, unfortunately.

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Is that.....diaper cream and dirty diapers? Why, yes it is. Somehow the awful smell coming from the vial gives me even higher hopes for what it will smell like on me, since so far the worst smelling ones in the bottle have smelled great on me.

 

On me:

Oh no, that's definitely a lot of rose right there. Oh no and jasmine. I'm scared. Someone hold me. I'm gonna ignore this for a few minutes and hope I'll come back to sniffing my arm to find that the tonka and coffee are coming through.

Nope, that's still diaper cream. Only now there's something bitter coming through. And it doesn't smell like coffee. This is positively awful on me.

 

Final note:

When I first came to BPAL, Mata Hari was strongly suggested to me based on my scent preferences, and after reading the description I really thought it would be great given the tonka and coffee. I was so desperate to LIKE this that I ignored what my gut was telling me about the roses. I know now that I should learn to trust that instinct, because this is awful on me. At least now I know that I do have a fairly good understanding of what will and won't work on me! If someone loves roses, this is probably a good bet for them!

[malanna]

I remember when Beth first released the scent, she'd posted that she couldn't get rid of the coffee note in the beginning, and for us to wait it out. Yes, there's a bit of coffee in the beginning, but it's intermingled with the jasmine. Actually, it's not so much coffee jasmine as it is brown/dirt jasmine. After ten minutes, the brown/dirt note fades, and there's jasmine in all it's glory (still, sort of a rotting jasmine on me...). It gives me a headache for about the next two hours. It's heady, but not in a headshop sort of way, but in a whoa-floral! sort of way. When it's faded a bit, it's not so headache-inducing, and the jasmine becomes a more generic floral with fig. I'm thinking the brown scent that was strong in the beginning would be the fig and tonka, with soured vanilla (I love vanilla, but some vanillas turn into the sort of smell you get when your lotions been sitting out in the sun a while and smells weird and gets brown).

[Sunbear]

Seems like I'm one of the few who actually wanted this to smell like coffee. I really liked the slightly burnt coffee smell underpinned with flowers that I got from this in the vial.

 

Unfortunately, though, as with every scent I've tried containing rose, this turned into pure rose pretty much the moment it hit my skin. Sigh. Into the swaps, and I must stop being tempted by scents with rose in them!

[brownbear]

In the vial and while wet this one smells like strong, burnt coffee. As it dried it softened up and went more floral. Usually on my skin rose really shows up, but this time it seemed like the jasmine came more forward. It smelled really lovely for a minute, then all the notes sort of mushed together on my skin. My skin makes this one go from a deep, dark, very interesting, slightly floral scent into just another ok, but nothing special one. oh well. *shrug* maybe I'll have to try it again on another day.

[Seraph]

First waft: "Ewe...yuck! I've smelled car oils that smell better... ugh... "

 

First on: "Ok... this is better..." As soon as it hit my skin it turned floral..ish... with a dark kind of undertone that I can't really place. Nice, though.

 

After one hour: "..... why the hell am I wearing lavender scented baby powder??" Luckily it didn't last much longer than the that first hour.

 

Verdict: Ugh. The Mister likes it. "It smells nice." It certainly won't be something I reach for very often, but it's not something I'm inclined to run screaming from.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Coffee beans with the hint of jasmine.

On me: Beth said to wait a few minutes, until the fragrance dries, for the full effect. When it has the initial flavorful burst of the coffee definitely fades considerably. Instead it is replaced with screeching flowers, bright roses and overwhelming jasmine. The food notes - vanilla, fig, tonka bean, coffee - give this a delicious edge, but the florals hog the glory and make it most difficult to appreciate the full intricacies of this blend. Alas. I'm so tempted to keep it anyway but I know I'll never wear it.

[orangepoppy]

From the description, I thought I'd love this. I've tried Mata Hari two times now in an effort to love it. Jasmine can be wonderful on me or it can go wrong. In this instance, it went wrong. I know lavender isn't an ingredient, but I could've sworn I smelled lavender throughout the drydown and in the end it's just all jasmine. Sort of a rotting, ill-tempered, cloying jasmine that is borderline nauseating. More rose, less jasmine might make it all better.

[DarkMouse]

In the bottle: I don't even have to open the imp to smell this.. its that strong. I smell jasmine, and.. jasmine.. and jasmine. For the first time today I actually caught that 'coffee' smell everyone was talking about.. but I never noticed it before. Florals and I don't get along.. I sour them something horrible... this doesn't look good.

 

On my skin: After smelling it in the imp I really didn't want to put this one on.. so much that I waited nearly 6 months to wear it (my order was in February and I just put it on today) - but I am being brave today.

 

I don't smell the rose.. but this stuff is definitely floral. The jasmine has calmed down a bit now and has given way to something that reminds me of flowers that are out at Easter. I smell the tonka a bit, and the wood.. its like a gigantic flower arrangement sitting on a big, old wooden table that has been polished until you can see your reflection. Maybe its a gift of flowers from an admirer, set by the dressing table backstage.. but it definitely takes me to a place indoors.. not flowers growing in a field.

 

In general: Ohhh Mata Hari - I wanted to love you! I have to admit that I bought this mostly based on the name rather than the notes inside it and I was also wondering whether I would like a Lab floral. This was another imp in the 6 pack of my first order.. and the definite "no way" of the bunch. If florals are your thing - its lovely. If I wore florals I would love this... but I don't.

[sookster]

i get flowery coffee

i am so not sure if i like this

the jasmine is really coming through now and completely taking over any other scent that might have been in the mixture.....

 

most def not for me.....

[Caltha]

Mata Hari

 

My conclusion so far is that things turn sweet on me, and so does Mata Hari. I get sweet, sweet roses and pralines and dessert and dark chocolate. And incense. Also something vaguely bitter that might be the coffee, but no apparent coffee smell, unfortionately. It's yummy, but it dries to soapy, incensey roses. Still nice, a traditional, sweet, heavy, oriental and ladylike perfume that suits Mata Hari, but not as yummy as the initial stage... It's like she's eating chocolate cake and candy and adoring the fresh, red roses from an admirer at first, and then she washes with rose soap and goes to bed in her oriental bedroom smelling of incense.

 

Edited to add: I have edited some of my reviews because the first time I tried on my imps they went a lot more soapy and incensey, while I now get a fresher, truer scent. When I retried Mata Hari I actually got some coffee out of it's wet stage - not delicious coffee beans unfortionately but, yeah, cold coffee. Perhaps I was just imagining though because my sister couldn't feel it. Then it turned into a truer floral than before, fresh roses rather than rose soap. I never quite got the dessert/chocolate stage again which is a pity. Instead it reminds me a little of The Red Queen, I guess it's the mahogany/sweet combo. Now, when it's as good as faded, the scent remaining is pure jasmine, like the roses a nice fresh, true jasmine. And I like jasmine, I have a bottle of "Beyond Paradise" which is all jasmine on me.

Edited September 6, 2005 by Caltha

[yeahbutnobut]

Mata Hari

 

In the imp: dry roast coffee! And also a flowery background, rose and jasmine.

Wet on skin: roasted coffee beans and flowers. It's an unusual combination, but not bad.

Dry on skin: I can smell the jasmine, rose, and sweet ripe fig. Still a hint of coffee, but this fades, and reveals a lovely blend of sweet flowers. There's something woody and dark, possibly the mahogany. I think the vanilla adds sweetness to the scent. Something about this reminds me of the florals in Kali.

After a while: this is very heady indeed! It's also incredibly sweet. There's a hint of darkness provided by the mahogany and coffee as well-I don't know, but this seems a little bit distracting. I never thought I'd say this, but I think here, the florals are a bit too sweet. Maybe it's the vanilla misbehaving on me…it can be temperamental! Or maybe that's the tonka?

Verdict: this is an unusual and intriguing blend. I love the floral blend in this, it's rich, heady and very feminine, and sweetened by vanilla and ripe fig. However, I'm not sure what to make of the coffee in this-it seems to clash slightly with the florals. But this does fade over time, to reveal a sweet flowery scent that is exotic and full-on. It's a lovely rich blend, but I'm not sure if it's a favourite yet. Maybe if it didn't have dry coffee and the vanilla was kept in check, I would love this more.

[~AmusedMuse~]

My Impression: While in the vial and in the wet stage, the coffee was a bit overwhelming to me (& I like coffee mind you)

Upon Drydown: the coffee has morphed and changed into something sweeter and much nicer...maybe its the rose and jasmine that softens this one up but I think it is the fig...The longer I wear it the more I like it. I am glad I did give this one time to develop on me... It is nice.

[arabella]

First Impression: Jasmine, nothing but jasmine.

 

Dries down to: Even more jasmine.

 

Additional Comments: I had high hopes for this one but the jasmine stomped everything in its path, even the rose, which normally comes out screaming on me. Too bad, because I don't particularly care for jasmine - she's too "loud" and "stuck up" for me. If only the coffee, vanilla, rose or fig hadn't been too intimidated to make an appearance, I might have, at the very least, tolerated it.

 

Lasted: Several hours.

 

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

[Scarlettfish]

I get no coffee at all out of this, just roses and jasmine. Which is surprising, because I thought the food notes would be amped up by my skin, which loves to make foody notes sickly sweet. But this was just a nice, pretty floral on me. I like!

 

ETA: I don't just like this, I may just love it. Really nice, smooth floral. Big bottle purchase for sure!

Edited August 5, 2005 by Scarlettfish

[tinyvulture]

Roses mixed with mahogany and coffee –- interesting. It's not as feminine as I expected, and the combination is unlike anything I’ve smelled before. The mahogany and coffee are quite strong -- I really have to sniff deeply to realize that this is a floral scent.

 

Uh-oh. After it dries, the roses fade out and the jasmine appears, and I don’t dig on jasmine at all. Too bad -- I liked how it started out.

[Lori]

Whoa…the imp smells like coffee! For someone who has never drank a cup of coffee in her life, and can’t stand the smell, this is not a good start!

 

Wet on my wrist…OH NOES….here comes the Jasmine!! Please, please bring back that coffee smell! Jasmine hurts my head!!

 

Drying down a bit, the coffee comes through again…ok, this might not be so bad if they combine equally.

 

Drier…OH NOES…the Jasmine again!! *must go wash wrist*

 

Damn, and I so wanted to embody the persona of an exotic dancer and courtesan with aristocratic elegance, matchless charm, an iron will and a streak of fearlessness, too! *Sob*

 

Oh well, the Lab will surely have a scent that will give me those charms without me having to smell like coffee grounds and jasmine, so off to swaps it goes!

[WidgetAlley]

In the vial this is strong roses and stale coffee. Bleeeech. But far be it from me not to test something from the Lab at least once, so....

 

On my skin and wet, this was bitter rose. I think it's the coffee that gives it that sharp edge, but it doesn't smell like coffee-and-roses, just... bitter rose. As it dries it calms down a bit, and turns into roses and jasmine, which I like. There's a faint hint of coffee in the background, too, grounding and very subtle: I can't even tell it's there unless I close my eyes and really search for it.

 

And that's it. A sweet, wistful, feminine floral with just a dab of coffee, until it's gone. I'm sure the vanilla, tonka bean and mahogany were in there somewhere, but my nose isn't well-trained enough to detect them. This kind of scent isn't usually my cup of tea, but I like this... not a 5mL, but a definite keeper. I'll wear it went I want to feel formal and womanly.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Rose, Jasmine and something earthy and almost burnt smelling. I think that last part is the coffee. I must be honest. I really don't like this in the imp. But I promised to try everything I got on my skin. Usually jasmine goes cat-urine on me. I'm dreading this. *swallows and applies* Crossing my fingers for fig and vanilla to dominate…

 

Wet: Yup, the jasmine is going kinda urine-y. In fact, that combined with the burnt coffee smell is invoking some very nasty bathroom that someone has tried to cover with rose and lysol. Oh dear….

 

Drying: Less burnt coffee, at least. Too floral (very very bad floral on me). And yes, still that tinge of jasmine urine, though it’s a bit less horrid now. There is also something vaguely anesthetically numbing in this scent. Is tonka a numbing smell at all? I have no idea.

After about 20 min, there is no more numbing, its still slightly urine, with rose and a bit of wood (mahogany, I guess). I am still getting a tinge of burnt coffee.

 

After 40 mins:

Husband: (walks up timidly) "Honey, I don't mean to be rude, but will you please wash that off?"

Me: "okay"

Husband: "And promise to never ever to put it on again?"

Me: "okay" I gleefully washed it off, cuz I didn't like it either.

 

Overall: Even if I loved it I couldn't wear this. When I had hubby smell me, he literally said "If that's what mata hari smelled like, she was incontinent". I was rolling. Good thing I don't love it. To the swaps. Perhaps someone has more friendly skin chemistry than I do.

[bodegaselkie]

I can't describe how Mata Hari smells in the vial, but on me, wet, it's jasmine (or as someone else said, almost like gardenia) with roses faintly in the backround. Roses are usually quite good on me, but jasmine much less so. Wet, the coffee/vanilla/tonka/fig thing is entirely absent. As it dries down I can smell the coffee VERY slightly; I think the vanilla and tonka are primarily anchoring the florals, rather than emerging on their own in this blend. Where is the fig? I'm glad it isn't here since I don't really like it.

 

Mata Hari is a very glamourous scent -- it reminds me of how the ladies smelled when I went to the symphony with my parents in the 1970s and 1980s, or perhaps of one of the perfumes my mom had on her dresser. I'd put it very near Black Dahlia, which is also lovely but not very me.

 

But I'm not much of a florals girl, with the exception of rose blends like Kurukulla, Alice and Zombi.