Machu Picchu

[ipb]

Sweet tropical fruits burst through deep, wet rainforest boughs, enormous steamy blossoms, over thin mountaintop breezes, mingled with the soft, rich golden scent of Peruvian amber.

mmm, i could smell this out of the bottle. it's FABULOUS. the amber and the wetness helps to make this not be so overpoweringly sweet. it smells familiar, but i can't place it. somewhat similiar to the tropical fruits section at the supermarket, only not as rich and without the oomph.

[pekeana]

In the vial: It took several sniffs, but then I could smell the fruit and everything else. For some reason, I had trouble sniffing it out.

 

On me: It turns soapy and vanishes.

 

It's not fair. I liked this one. Oh well.

[Splendid Molerat]

Machu Picchu starts out with a distinct chill, a sensation that reminds me of mint or grapefruit peel, although I can't pick out either one in the fragrance.

 

There's a very juicy green element, sort of like aloe vera or succulent cactus, and the fruit and floral blend together in a way that's milky and not too sweet.

 

Overall I find this oil very soothing and dreamy -- it would go well with a long bath and a sleep in a hammock.

[VelvetSky]

Machu Picchu is soooo beautiful. It's tropical, but not totally. It's green and lush and woody, but it's not just that either. It's sweet, but with a touch of sharpness. It's fruity, but zesty. It's fresh, but it's also an extremely feminine fragrance.

 

Some of Beth's blends are impossible for me to describe well enough to satisfy me (Old Venice is another), because there is just SO MUCH going on in this little imp. Basically, it's a wet, fruity floral with a touch of green. It's incredible and it's going on my big bottle list.

[xoe]

I'm just doing a quick first impression right now. Will edit later when I fully take it in.

 

First Impression: apple & lemon & pink flowers.

[Astarte]

This is really weird, I cant pick out any note specifically =o It just smells tropical to me, its very smooth though.

 

This would be a wonderful holiday scent.

^^!

[Faerykin]

Machu Picchu

 

I received this as a bonus in my last order – thank you BPAL!

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone ... and a little in the cleavage.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): Mmmm … sweet, fruity, warm … yum. This scent reminds me of the botanical garden up at Central Michigan University. The main room was a tropical rainforest; complete with waterfalls, streams, bridges, and huge tropical fruit trees and blooms. This is the scent of that room going on for miles and miles with no rooftop to keep it all enclosed. *breathes deeply* Ah, paradise.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): This gets a little sweeter (yeah, I didn’t think it was possible either). Definitely tropical fruity ... mangos, bananas, coconuts … mmm … it’s making me hungry, I can almost taste it.

 

Throughout the Day (10am-3pm): This slowly began to dissipate, and by 3pm it was undetectable in the air around me – though still present on my skin. I am definitely keeping the imp, and shall have to remember to carry it with me for little touch-ups. Oh yeah, this is a scent for when I wanna feel spunky!

[babykitty]

Mmmmmmmm....good!

 

Fruity. Flowery. Rainy. Smoky.

 

In the vial: Yuck. I'm not going to like this...

Wet: Bright fruit--then Wham! Puff of smoke.

On my skin: Still fruity--like yuzu or starfruit.

Dry down: Flowers. Not sure what flowers. But light ones.

 

Good pick me up scent, but rats, doesn't seem to last that long. I think I might buy a big on! It really surprised me.

[Northernminx]

A flash of ozone, bright cleanness at first that mellowed into a soft, tropical fruit scent. I can't for the life of me place the fruit, but it's lovely, adding something juicy to the cool wetness of this scent. This is a lovely blend, a definite mountaintop jungle scent without the earthiess. It doesn't last long on me, however, and I'm not certain if this will be upgraded to a big bottle or not. I'll keep the imp around for a while until I figure it out.

[kimberlygem]

Oh my, this smells amazing. It's cool and tropical but not fruity more like dew or lush wetness in the morning on an island. I need a great big bottle of this.

 

 

Kimberly

[Effluvia]

in the vial: Fruity and tropical. Damp. Whoa. A tropical forest floor. Woooooow. Crazy. There's something a little dark about it.

 

on my skin: This is like damp, fragrant tropical plants. It's lush and sweet and juicy and delicious. If you dig the tropical thing, this is YOUR OIL. This is a sturdy one, too, it doesn't fade away the second you put it on. It doesn't turn soapy or powdery. It stays yummy through and through. I really like this.

 

Me happy.

[Sara]

Ooooohhhh damn.

 

I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo glad this was a freebie in my Harvest Moon order, or else I never would've ordered it (for some reason I shy away from Wanderlust scents).

 

Holy hell I'm in love. At first sniff in the imp I was like "hmm..this smells light and fresh, cool."

 

Initial application - very wet light fruit smell that is was very delightful! I want to bathe in it.

 

Drydown - Fruits are a little stronger now than initial sniffing and wet application. Still has a "wet" sort of smell/feel to it. Like a bowl of fresh fruits that were left out in a slight rain or something...with a very light hint of spice.

 

Overall - Seriously, Fuck a 5mL...I want a 10mL!!!!!!! This is an absolutely fantabulous fresh, clean, fruity, feminine, even suitable for little girls - scent ever!!!

[Lucretia]

this one is very light and smells sort of vanillaish with some sweet citrus and some tropicalness that I really can't put my finger on. It reminds me a little bit of a lighter snake oil with a tropical note.

staying power is so so and dissapeared after about 6 or so hours on me.

over all this is a really nice scent.

Edited September 28, 2004 by Lucretia

[Ina Garten Davita]

Machu Picchu: A fortress city of the ancient Incas, in a high saddle between two peaks circa 50 miles (80 km) NW of Cuzco, Peru. The extraordinary pre-Columbian ruin, 5 sq. Miles (18 sq. Km.) of terraced stonework link by 3,000 steps; it was virtually intact when discovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.

 

First Impression: Tropical fruits, wet and sweet.

 

Second Impression: Where is the amber? I'm not getting it... everything else according to the description is spot on. This is very strong and is giving me the start of a headache.

 

Final Analysis: Nice, real nice...but it's headache and sneeze inducing. Very rare for me to have a reaction like this.

[ChupaChup]

I love Machu Picchu for the first half hour, it's so well balanced on me during that time and I smell light tropical fruits, green woods and golden, sugary amber. But I don't do well with a lot of fruit scents and the fruits in this kept getting louder and louder on me. This lasted a good long time on me, too bad, as I will be swapping it.

[Red_Hot_Mama]

I like all of the elements, so I ordered a 5ml of this based on the description alone.

 

It doesn't smell "bad" on me...it just doesn't smell like much of anything at all.

 

There's an inital burst of the "Tropics" but after that, nada.

 

Off to the swap mines you go.

 

RHM

[Penance]

First Sniff:

 

I smell the rainforest after a thunderstorm. There's something very wild and untamed about it...I smell cool wind and tropical blooms and something green and lush. This is very nice!

 

Wet on Skin:

 

Smells the same as in the bottle. The lush greens are coming to the surface more and more and the flowers are blooming. I don't smell the amber in this, but I love what it is that I do smell. Very sultry...it makes me wish I was trekking through the forests of South America.

 

Dry Down:

 

This is a very linear scent for me. It remains more or less the same from the bottle to the dry down, with only an amplification of the greens and florals to let me know that a change has taken place at all. I really like this scent, it's not something I would have chosen for myself (I received it as a freebie in a swap), but I really love the way it smells on me. Very warm and sultry and exotic, but somehow comforting at the same time.

 

The Bottom Line:

 

I love how this captures the image I have in my head when I think of Machu Picchu. It's exotic and beautiful and lush. I probably won't be buying a big bottle of this, but I will finish the imp. Definitely a keeper!

 

 

ADDED Dec. 4:

 

First sniff:

 

Green and somewhat watery with a hint of amber. I expected something more lush and floral smelling, but this is pretty, too.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Once it hits my skin it becomes almost orangey smelling with a strong amber background. The green scent has disappeared, which makes me somewhat sad since I liked the green notes more than I like the orange scent I'm getting now.

 

Dry down:

 

Machu Picchu pretty much disappears on me as soon as it's dry (basically within minutes) which is very odd for me. Usually scents hang on longer than normal on me, but this one was going, going, gone in a matter of minutes. The good news is I didn't get the dreaded sour milk effect from the amber, so it's not a total failure.

 

The bottom line:

 

This one's apparently not meant for me since it disappears almost immediately on me, so it's off to swaps with it. Hopefully it works better on someone else.

Edited December 10, 2004 by Shollin

[tempete]

The green notes in Machu Picchu come out most strongly on me when wet. The luscious fruit notes emerge during the initial drydown, and the blend of the fruit and green notes is really amazing. I wish that this phase of Machu Picchu could last longer! After several hours, I smell the florals with an amber undercurrent. Although I prefer the green/fruit phase, this phase is quite lovely as well.

 

Smelling Machu Picchu makes me happy for some reason (especially when the green notes are prominent). I am contemplating purchasing a 5 ml bottle.

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF: steamy green notes

 

WEARING IT: when first applied this really smells like a hot greenhouse. after wearing it awhile the fruits come out and make the scent a little sweeter and rounded.

 

VERDICT: this is probably a scent i wouldn't wear, i'm not entirely fond of really green scents.

[AnnetteL]

Machu Picchu starts as I expected - golden fruits, with a damp woody base - but I quickly get a light menthol-type scent coming through. I suspect it might be the amber, though it must be either a special kind, or working in conjunction with another note, because amber doesn't usually do that on me. Either that or whatever blend the Lab uses to give the impression of "breezes". This note overrides the other parts of the scent for a little while, then calms down and blends into the whole, lending a slightly sharp, almost smoky quality.

 

At first I thought this was strange, but it quickly grew on me. The first day I wore it I ended up re-applying as soon as I got home from work so I could enjoy it at full strength a second time. It's quite complex and hard to pin down to any specific category - it does remind me a little of Old Kathmandu, because they share the note mentioned above, but isn't really similar otherwise. Unusual, but VERY moreish, definitely in my top 10.

 

[edit to fix wonky formatting]

Edited October 14, 2004 by AnnetteL

[evil_laugher]

Machu Picchu ROCKS. It's like mist and tropical flowers in fruits on... a nice big green, Machu Picchu-like mountain. Yes, it rocks that much. Very wet.

[fragrantgrasse]

Machu Picchu.

 

I expected a scent with the name of Machu Picchu to smell like altitude. Dry stone, mountains, wind and scrub brush - with maybe a few Chilean flutes piping up softly in the background. I was way off!

 

This imp is filled with a mix of tropical notes as the description says. It is lovely and so unexpected. It is fruity and sweet, there is so much going on in this scent as Velvetsky said. I really love the complexity of Beth's creations. How does she do it? Layer upon layer of mountainous vistas.....gazing at the verdant green and lush floral valleys below.

 

Gotta get more of this!

 

.....and visit Machu Picchu

Edited October 19, 2004 by fragrantgrasse

[diabolique]

i've just got to say that this is pele with big freakin' cajones.

 

i get the dreaded air freshener note my skin loves to do with florals when first applied.

 

there's a sweet note that takes the forefront, and it's gorgeous. this is the stage where the air freshener smell begins to fade into the distance, and a warm smell floats to the surface. there are brilliant, vibrant colors in this one: peachish-orange, lush green, pink sherbet, and maroon.

 

this smells very forbidden; it's the way you feel when walking through nature and discovering a path in the forrest that looks like it hasn't been taken for years.

 

i was going to order a bottle of this unsniffed, but i got an imp of it from miss chupachup! i'm positive i wouldn't have been disappointed had i ordered the bottle without having tried this scent, because it's just what i was looking for.

[inkstone]

Oh Machu Picchu, why did you turn into the vacation hotspot of hell?

 

In the vial

Wet, tropical fruits! Yum!

 

Wet

The amber comes screaming out, golden and warm, which I wasn't expecting given the previous reviews. I'm getting whiffs of the florals and fruits in the background, but they're being drowned out. I'm hoping the amber'll calm down, mellow or something. I want to smell the fruits I smelled in the imp!

 

Drydown

...I don't know if it's the amber note because amber always smells somewhat sharper on me than it does on other people or the combination of the amber with the fruit notes, but this turned sour on me. I can smell the amber, but I'm also smelling sour fruit and sour florals. Not attractive. And now it's giving me a shrieking headache.

 

Final Thoughts

I washed this off. I had such high hopes for this one. This will go up for swaps when I get my act together and start doing that. Le sigh.

Edited October 24, 2004 by inkstone

[sarahmarie]

This starts out so nicely - it's beautiful in the imp, and at first, it's even more beautiful on my skin. It's perfectly balanced and blended, very smooth - fruity without being too fruity, green and damp without being all about that, and floral - yes floral - but not too floral. It invokes beautiful imagery, and it's bright, but not loud.

 

But, as is the way of florals, it turns to floral soapiness on my skin after a while. I will give it one more try, but I bet I'm going to have to swap this to someone whose skin does not hate flowers. Why me?