Shanghai

[Thaleia]

The crisp, clean scent of green tea touched with lemon verbena and honeysuckle.

Hee, this was on my wishlist, so imagine my excitement when I opened up my package today and saw this in there.

Yum! I smell fresh, sweet green tea with a dash of lemon in the vial. It's light and happy, and makes me smile. Ooh, honeysuckle, too. I think I'm really going to like this.

On me, it smells a lot like The Apothecary, only sweeter, with more honeysuckle than tea. Green tea keeps the flowers from getting too sweet, which I know honeysuckle can become on me, so that's definitely a good thing. The lemon, meanwhile, gives it sharpness without making it smell like Lemon Pledge or floor cleaner (the two aren't interchangeable ... I found that out the hard way), while still retaining the floral sweetness and the comforting scent of tea. The drydown makes the green tea fade to the back and lets the lemon and honeysuckle play together.

This isn't a scent I'd necessarily associate with Shanghai, which I visited last summer. I'd say this has more of a ... Xi'an feel to it, sort of traditional, not as Westernised as Shanghai, and still retaining that historical aspect that I found to be most interesting. Now, I don't know what I'd replace it with, so ... don't mind me or anything. Whatever, I love this scent, regardless of what people want to call it. My God, I need a 5ml of this immediately. 9/10. Edited February 17, 2006 by Shollin

[Abbie]

This is the last imp from my latest order! Fortunately I'm attending the Denver Meet n Sniff Sunday and can get some more schwag.

 

In the bottle: Definitely green tea... although I've noticed that RL green tea does not smell at all to me like "green tea" fragrance. But this is typical tea-scent as in Dorian. It's very light and not sugary, which I like.

 

On: This is very good... when I use up my current L'Occitane green tea fragrance I will buy a big bottle of this. It is wonderfully light and refreshing.

[bellis]

Very pretty. Slightly lemony green tea with a hint of honeysuckle in the background. This goes the way of The Dormouse, though, and all but disappears in half an hour. If it lasted longer I'd be smitten, because it's a perfect spring scent.

[k8tey]

Light and pretty lemon. Not tart, just fresh and citrusy. I don't really smell tea, but I can't pick it out in other tea blends, either.

 

After a half an hour I notice this reminds me of something. Not cleaning products like sniffing from the bottle, but like walking into a freshly clean and scrubbed kitchen or bathroom. Hrrrm.

 

I still like it, and could see myself being in the mood for this at times. (Maybe it would motivate me to scrub things clean?)

[sookster]

straight from the imp this is all lucious green tea

 

upon application the green tea is still in the forefront but the honeysuckle

and lemon verbena are apparent as well....so positively beautiful

 

i just wish this was a longer lasting scent on me as my chemistry just

seems to gobble it up.....i will be slathering myself with this imp and

most likely purchasing a big bottle in the warmer months

[abbycomix]

Shanghai is sooo good! I love how it smells in the bottle, wet, and dry. The green tea and lemon is what I was hoping for in Phantasm, but not overwhelmed by jasmine. Soooo good. Fresh, yummy, gorgeous. Love it. Would be especially great for Spring, Summer, or anytime you need a bright pick-me-up.

[batsy]

Honeysuckle. Watery wet honeysuckle. Honeysuckle and I do not get along.

[Heretic]

In the vial: Light, citrus.

 

On my wrist, wet: Lemon. Not lemon furniture polish or lemon candy, but a fresh lemon that has just been cut in half.

 

After 20 minutes: I expected to not like this at all, but it's quite beautiful. Crisp, bright, very clean. It's like a glass of ice water with lemon in it, or a weak glass of green tea with lemon and ginger.

 

After an hour: Shanghai is a very elegant blend of delicate and graceful scents. This not what I consider "my type" of scent at all, but I may order a bottle because I think it will be perfect for sweltering summer days when something light and crisp is in order. This was a frimp and something I never would have picked out for myself, so thank you, Labbies! Shanghai's a keeper!

[PirateMaggie]

Shanghai has replaced Sea of Glass as my favourite clean, warm-weather scent. The lemon in this is tart and juicy, like smelling a freshly-cut lemon, with smooth, nutty green tea beneath. The honeysuckle is sweet and mellow and slightly aquatic, softening the lemon's edge and lingering long after the citrus has faded. Throw is light as is the scent. I'm reminded of sipping iced green tea with lemon on a honeysuckly-covered deck overlooking the water, or one of my favourite tea blends, Earl Grey made from green tea instead of black. Shanghai manages to be both soothing and refreshing, a perfect everyday scent for summertime.

 

Big bottle, definitely.

[nancybridget]

The imp I have is actually a decant of Old Shanghai.....not sure if there's much difference.

 

To me this is cream and sugared peaches. I have an old decant of Old Shanghai, so maybe it's morphed a bit, but it's pure cream and sugared peaches. Reminds me of something Comptoir sud Pacifique would make. Yummy.

[arabella]

First Impression: A tart floral steeped in tea.

 

Dries down to: It becomes sweeter.

 

Additional Comments: You can definitely tell there's tea in this blend. It's a nice, fresh scent - reminds me of Elizabeth Arden's (I think) Green Tea Perfume. It's very nice but it's just not me.

 

Lasted: 3-4 hours.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

[draconix]

In the bottle: Oooh, very clean, light and fresh. It's a clear scent, with just hints of honeysuckle and green tea.

 

On my skin: Wet, it's instant lemon. Like a Lemon Drop actually. Dry, it's still lemon, but the honeysuckle and stronger tea smell have come out as well.

 

Final Thoughts: It's a good scent. I like it. Not sure if I like it enough to buy a bigger bottle, but I'll definitely be enjoying my imp.

[tamburlaine]

This oil is immediately recognizable as classic green tea with lemon. Maybe it's that flavor that's always a part of the green tea scent, but I detect a bit of jasmine? Florals appear as it dries down, in any case. I assume that's the honeysuckle in there, but I always forget exactly what honeysuckle smells like.

 

This is a very light, very Asian-influenced fragrance, so good job pinpointing the specific wanderlust. I don't get overwhelming lemon or citrus, just that familiar scent of green tea that I love with a pleasant breeze of florals. And it isn't turning soapy on me either! I'm very pleased with this one, most definitely, but it's floating away very quickly. Still: excellent.

[HennaFairy]

 

my first BPAL ever worn and my first review ever!!!!

 

(I got my first order yesterday and as i smelled all the imps, i am in AWE of how you guys can pick out notes!!!! i don't think i can come close with most of them, but i'll put in my 2 cents anyway!)

 

from bottle:

i get the impression of heather and wild roses - floral but not too heavy. (and wondered if i opened the wrong one...) (i didn't look up the official description until after smelling the bottles for my first impression)

 

on skin:

I love the clean light floral but fresh scent. Very light on, I can smell the honeysuckle now. So much lighter and better balanced than smelling the bottle. Love it!

 

later:

oh I wanted to love this. I did love this. But 5 minutes after I slathered it on (weaker than in the bottle!) I was going out the door and it went soapy/powdery. Not a bad soapy, but not good. I threw some black cat on to try to save the day, it helped but I now have to try that alone because the soapiness stayed a long time.

 

overall:

I may try again in another product or hair, not on skin. But I think I'll have to pass on this one.

 

sigh. not what i hoped for as my first BPAL experience. good thing there are another 500 or so to try

 

rating: 4/10

 

edited to add some notes, and rating

Edited May 8, 2006 by HennaFairy

[Delight]

I don't usually care for scents described as having citrus in them. I do love green tea and honeysuckle though so I opted to try an imp of this one. When I put my nose to the lip of the bottle I could feel a tingle, like when you are about to take a sip of champagne.

 

Otherwise, I think it smells exactly as it is described. Iced green tea with lemon and sweetness. I drink my green tea hot and straight but that doesn't deter me from wearing this scent time and again. It isn't very strong and I've noticed that it wears off a bit more quickly than Dorian, Alice, or Kyoto which I wear more often. You may need to reapply occasionally with this one.

 

I'm very positive on Shanghai and am curious to try other formulas with green tea in them.

[eviltemptressdq]

My three favorite things, almost... green tea, lemon, and honeysuckle. Out of the container, this smells LOVELY. I want to rub it all over me!!

 

On my wrist? hmmm... smells great at first. Then sort of shifts to something a little old ladyish? HennaFairy had said this in the beginning when she first let me smell it.

 

after an hour: Subtle... I'm back to liking it. I'll have to wait for my own full imp to come in the mail before I make a total decision on this. I should LOVE this! We'll see...

 

I give it a 3 out of 5 for now

[Beatrice33]

I don't have much to say about this one that hasn't already been said, but I LOVE it. The green tea gives it a refreshing bite and also somehow a soothing vibe, the lemon makes it sparkle, and the honeysuckle keeps it a little sweeter than some of the other scents with green tea. It also lasts longer than I might have expected. I just feel this "aura" of calm cheerfulness when I wear it. Definitely a fave for this spring and summer.

[Yagathai]

In The Bottle: There's definitely something sweet, most likely the honeysuckle, and also something lemony -- no doubt the verbena. I do get something vaguely tea-ish, but it's not a green tea. Rather, it's a peppery Assam-style black. Overall the scents combine into something that smells green and summery, but in a fancy ladies' tea-party kind of way. I was hoping for something more fresh, earthy and bracing.

 

On second and third impressions, the sweet note becomes a little too cloying, like paste. It's reminiscent of lemony cleaning product -- heavy sweet lemon scent covering an underlying astringency -- or one of those oversweetened canned or bottled iced "teas" like Snapple or Brisk.

 

On My Skin: Within ten seconds of hitting the skin, the sweetness disappears. I get a fresh soapy scent, very reminiscent of a bath soap like Irish Spring. Where did the lemon go? Where did the sweet go? If I sniff very deeply, I can just catch the faintest hint of honeysuckle, like an empty package of Valentine candy hearts.

 

As the oil dries and changes, the clean, simple soapy smell slowly becomes ever so slightly warmer and more spicy. The verbena reappears, though not nearly as strong as it was in the bottle. The sweet also amps up a bit, so as to be noticeable on the casual sniff.

 

Twenty minutes later, the soap has taken on a distinctly herbal tinge. It's still not tea, so it must be the honeysuckle and verbena interacting. Candy hearts and a garden party? Maybe.

 

That's pretty much where the scent stays for the rest of its run -- soap and candy and the faintest whiff of lemon. I get no tea out of it whatsoever, alas.

 

Final Verdict: The way it smells on me is fortunately very gender-neutral. It's by no means a manly scent, but it's not so effeminate that I'm worried about getting funny looks from people on the bus. Yes, that's happened. The things I do for my reviews...

 

I don't dislike Shanghai, but neither do I enjoy it. I prefer a scent with stronger character. I'm going to have to classify as a "very nice, but not for me".

[lysistrata]

Roses, light and delicate. Summery. A hint of lemon. Subtle.

 

This was similar, I felt, to Embalming Fluid. And unfortunately, it faded to nothing on me just as fast. I think my skin eats lemon.

[Eunice]

This reminds me of Embalming Fluid but softer. I think it is the honeysuckle that softens the lemon. This is only slightly floral on me. I think I like this better than Embalming Fluid but the floral notes. (Who knew I would finally enjoy florals?!?!)

[Meg]

In the bottle: Lemon and green tea heaven. Oooh! It's like a sweeter Embalming Fluid!

 

Wet: Green tea and honeysuckle.

 

Drydown: A lovely smooth green tea with honeysuckle over it and just a hint of lemony goodness. It's simple and fresh, sweet and zesty at the same time. Surprisingly, the honeysuckle doesn't go plasticky on me with this blend, yay!

 

Overall: It's a really lovely light and summery blend, reminiscent of drinking tea surrounded by honeysuckle vines everywhere. It's a pity that it doesn't have very much staying power, though it might do great layered in Embalming Fluid - it's really like its sweeter little sister.

[gloom bear]

This started off as a pleasant lemony scent, then sweetened as it mellowed. I am really liking this one, and it's reminding me of something that I can't pinpoint right now. Like this enough for a bottle I think.

 

Remembered...reminds me of the L'Occitane the Vert Menthe.

Edited June 23, 2006 by gloom & doom bear

[Bagfish]

I had a frimp of this with my Samhain order last year - tried it, didn't think much of it, a bit "meh", so swapped it.

 

So I get another frimp with my Dragon Moon order (thanks labbies!!) and decided to try it again. After all it's boiling hot here rather than cold mid-November and much as I love my resin-y incense-y smells, I need something cooler today.

 

Shanghai is just that, a cool refreshing not-in-your-face scent which has sat prettily on my wrist all day making me feel refreshed even though I have spent the afternoon cleaning out kitchen cupboards! I definitely get a mellow not too sharp lemon and a slight floral (which must be the honeysuckle). Can't smell the tea unless it is what is mellowing the lemon.

 

Shanghai has lasted very well - I also had Juliet and Opium Poppy on the other arm and can't smell either of those whereas Shanghai still smells slighly lemony and very fresh. Nice! I'm so pleased I got a second chance to try it

[Pachelbel]

This is my favorite scent of all.

 

When I did martial arts competitions I always used green tea shower gel and body spray, but the company that made those products has since gone out of business. I got this scent hoping it would be like those. It is, but better!

 

It's got a touch of lemon at first but that fades into just pure, lovely green tea. It makes me feel confident wearing it, reminds me of training and...ooh. I love it.

 

10 out of 5 stars. Because it is That Good.

[edenssixthday]

Shanghai - This is going to be a very short review because it smells like armpit-scented tea, and that's really all I've got to say about that.