Ylang Ylang

[Morrighana]

In the bottle, this is so sweet and lovely that I almost changed my mind about Ylang Ylang entirely! I'm crap at describing singlenotes, but to me, it smelled like a cool, sweet, citrus version of...gingerbread cookies? I know that makes no sense, but there you go.

 

On my skin, it morphs into a much more recognizable (to me, anyway) Ylang Ylang scent---herbal, tangy, and generally yellow-green. I still like it a LOT better than every other Ylang Ylang scent I've sniffed, as it's not...acrid...like most of them, but it's not a favorite in the end. Also, my skin eats Ylang Ylang up like it's going out of style, and I can't even catch a whiff after about two minutes. Oh well.

[JazzieCazzie]

I've found it interesting how this, as a single note, has morphed on me three times in three hours ...

 

Ordered this as part of my discontinued haul because I have found that Ylang-Ylang has added something ineffable and wonderful to two of my favorite Lush Ballistics, Waving Not Drowning and Softy ... so I thought it would make a great note to layer with other BPAL scents as well ...

 

First, though, I test-drove it today as a single note ...

 

BOTTLE: Just delicious. Such a pure wonderful spring floral, slightly tropical, slightly warm.

 

Applied sparingly to wrists because I am getting a ride to work from one of my bosses and don't want to blow him out of his own car.

 

WET: At first, much like it is in the bottle. I smell like spring and wonderful warm floral thingies!

 

EARLY DRYDOWN: I am getting a slight whiff of soapiness and something a little odd. A note that sometimes doesn't work in the scents I have bought that have YY inthem and am wondering if that is why ... it makes me temporarily sad until ...

 

LATER DRYDOWN ABOUT AN HOUR LATER: That soapiness and "off" scent is gone and my wrists are back to being yummy and floral. Yay!!!

 

I'm planning on adding this to something like Harlot or Silentium Amoris to kick them up soon ... this will be a fun imp to play with.

[nevermore]

Very exotic floral. I bit stronger than I like, but not too bad. It's a bit much for me to wear on it's own, but layered with other things it's quite nice. It reminds me a lot of La Petite Mort, in which ylang ylang is about the only thing I can smell in the bottle.

[shelldoo]

to me this is a biting floral, it actually burns my nose and makes my eye swim, it is very sharp, floral

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Smells kinda sweetwoodyherby all at once.

 

Just On: Yeah, pretty much like the imp.

 

An hour or two later: Okay, this has morphed to flowers.

 

Around 6 hours: Wow, it's changed into a floral woodsiness that's rather sweet, but not in the same way it was in the imp and wet.

 

12 hours: Well, it's gone now, but it morphed through another flower stage.

 

Overall: Interesting, and lovely.

 

After reading other reviews: Certainly not too strong for me, and I like this one.

[cupide430]

This started out with sharpness and smelled plasticky and a bit acrid. As it dries, it is turning into a lovely light floral with a delightful sweetness. Almost honeyed (but not cloying) and quite gentle and springy. Sometimes, when I sniff my arm, I still get the flat acrid notes with a plasticky undertone. There's also something very powdery going on here. A lot of different things are happening at once, making it hard to really "read" this scent. After searching for ylang ylang blends, I can now pick this out as a component of Eve.

[Lori]

Well, since I am about to part with all of my much sought after and hard won Single Notes from BPAL, I thought that before they go, I would do some reviews.

 

Imp: Tarted, won in Ebay auction.

 

I used to work at a store that sold a line of organic essential oils, which were absolutely beautiful, and one of my absolute favourites to put on from the tester was Ylang Ylang, so I was anxious to smell this!

 

I have only sniffed the imp, not tried it on, but I can say that this Ylang Ylang smells different than what I was used to! It has a far more tropical scent, rather than the floral I was used to. Yes, it is floral, but it has a bit of a bite or a spice to it! Quite lovely and I am so glad I got the chance to try it out. :-)

[Shollin]

First sniff: I’ve blamed ylang ylang for ruining a few floral blends for me, but this doesn’t seem to be the culprit. The vial-scent reminds me of frozen roses. It’s greener than rose, colder and not as soft, but their scents seem to be related the way cherry and almond are.

 

Wearing: Well, maybe it’s the culprit after all. It’s quite sharp on me, and much less rosy.

 

Incidentally, I have a very hard time seeing the name of this scent without bursting into song. "He's so fine (ylang ylang ylang), wish he were mine (ylang ylang ylang)..."

 

Ahem. Back to your regularly scheduled insanity.

[Blood onmy hands]

Ylang ylang is one of my most feared notes, and it has ruined quite a few blends for me. In the vial it actually didn't smell so bad, it was a cheerful, sunny-yellow sort of floral. It was tricking me into trying it on.

 

On me... ylang ylang is so viciously sharp and acrid. It makes me think of the way my hands smell (and taste) after handling dirty coins. That metallic bite that I always associate with ylang ylang.

 

I washed this one off after about a half hour, and it was still clinging to my skin after repeated hand washings, smelling like sharp, dirty metal

[edenssixthday]

Ylang Ylang - I was very curious to try this single note because ylang ylang and I seem to get along sometimes and not others. BPAL's ylang ylang SN is very different from the couple of ylang ylang essential oils I have picked up at Wild Oats over the past few years: it's not nearly as bright and citrus-like as some of the other ylang ylang essential oils I've used. BPAL ylang ylang is very herbal and bright, but it has a twinge of something just bitter and unpleasant underneath it that is what, I suspect, is makes it go all "poo" on me sometimes when blended with the "wrong" combination of other notes. Overall, though, the ylang ylang is really nice, and I can definitely smell the aspect of it that works well when blended with just the right combo of notes (like in Tavern of Hell, where the ylang ylang comes to the top and is the dominant note after drydown, and smells incredibly gorgeous, and I don't detect any of the " poo" aspect of it at all). I'm really glad I had a chance to t ry this scent. It definitely will help me identify it better now when I'm testing BPAL blends. The level of throw is slightly below average, although the staying power is just about average.

[supremegoddessofall]

Sharp floral, not me. 2/5.

[emzebel]

Ylang ylang and I have a sort of love/hate relationship - it is the sort of note that puts me on edge a little bit, but is not something that I universally cannot wear. Notes are weird. Or maybe my chemistry is borked.

 

Anyway, there is something very sultry and Oriental (as a perfume category) about this note - it evokes jasmine for me a bit - which could explain my trepidation - but there is a spicy note that endears it to me.

[puck_nc]

Origin: Tester won on eBay

 

Initial Thoughts: Ylang ylang isn't one of my favorite scents, but I can think of only one or two blends where it seemed to be the problem note. This was part of a set, so I am trying it.

 

In the Vial: A crisp white floral with a strong herbal element.

 

Wet: Now it's reversed--herbal with a strong floral undertone. It skates close to being acrid on my skin, but is not quite there.

 

Drydown: It's morphing a bit to take on a citrusy element.

 

Verdict: An interesting note, but definitely not one I would wear solo.