Lovers with Rutting Cats

[TheOneTheyCallLuna]

Vanilla, red ginger, oakmoss, palm date, and oud.

This starts off kinda cakey with a weird undernote, but ends up being nothing but the cloying sugary sweetness that went bad on me from Dark Choc w Pepper Smoked Caramel, plus a strange dustiness. I was really afraid that I had made a mistake in passing this one up, so I got a decant, and upon closer inspection it turns out my first instincts were correct. Not for me.

[zankoku_zen]

Hmmm. In the vial it was very buttery... and then I get a rich vanilla/sandalwood PLASTIC. Yup, this vanilla is one of the ones that goes to plastic on me.

 

Pass.

[Jilara]

Okay, is it my chemistry, or does this one just have a weird undertone? Especially with my chemistry.

 

Vanilla is scruptuous, and Love's Philosophy is great on me, so I decided to spring for a bottle, based on the description and reviews. This is nothing like Love's Philosophy, and I can't even really find the components in it.

 

Wet: stale cigarette smoke and bitter melon. My first thought was "Ohmigod, was this a mistake!"

Drying down, it gets green and spicey, and the cigarette smoke thankfully drops out. There is still a bitter melon undertone. The ginger starts to take center stage in the later drydown.

Dry: hard to describe. Still very green, but with a creamy undertone that makes me think of vanilla mochi ice cream. A hint of ginger and sweet sweat.

 

I'm not sure if I like this or not. It's one that I think I'd wear if I was going to need to be a royal bitch in a meeting or something. I get a similar feeling to Jolasveinar, something you wear with a snicker and a gnashing of sharp teeth. It's not at all sexy on me, which is weird for something with erotic theme.

 

[Nightgaunt]

Damned if this doesn't smell exactly like the glue they used to use on envelopes! It's weird, but I like it---it gives me a nostalgic glow.

Now if you could come up with an oil that smells like ditto paper, you would really have captured the scent of my childhood.

[rayvn1]

Yum, yum yum! This is probably my favorite of the Shungas other than Giant Vulva The creaminess of the vanilla mixes with the red ginger really well! Spices it up considerably and is rounded out with the slightly bitter oakmoss. Great oil with good throw and staying power.

[iiinterstate]

I ordered a bottle of this on a whim based on the reviews, and I am glad!

 

I half-expected something foody and heavy like so many others seem to be getting, but LWRC is almost...earthy on my skin. My husband says it smells like dirt and leather and vanilla. I have to agree, and I'll be hunting down at least one more bottle.

 

 

[milo]

In the bottle and on, this smells like caramel. Not a good sign. After a bit, the caramel changed to vanilla, and the oakmoss tempers the sweetness somewhat. I really love ginger, and I don't get any of it. This actually smells pretty good on me, but I don't know if it IS "me", a little too sweet. I may cellar this for awhile and hope that the spice comes out more.

eta: I'm liking this more and more, I'm gettting a spicy creaminess as time goes on. I though Red Ginger was supposed to be very strong, but maybe it's a milder ginger. I do believe this is better suited for cooler weather. A mild foody blend with a bit of spice. Nice!!

Edited April 13, 2009 by milo

[drmomof2boys]

Ooooh…. Sexy. Reminds me of O, but more complicated. Heavy sweetness from the vanilla and the palm date (not at all fruity, though). Just a hint of spiciness from the ginger. Smells like sweet, drippy sex. Love it.

[Blood onmy hands]

In the bottle, this smells kinda weird. I think it's that vanilla that I didn't care for in Love's Philosophy, plus a fresh, sharp ginger and a hint of earthy oakmoss. It smells a bit sour as well, like soured milk.

 

I was hoping for a bakery, foodie sort of smell with an edge, and this is not. This does seem to have the same vanilla that was in Love's Philosophy, which smells more like chalk & spearmint on me than vanilla. It's dry and powdery in a way that makes me think of chalk dust & beating the chalk out of erasers after school. Bleh. There's a bit of something weird underneath that (burnt rubber? but not quite?), but I would never be able to pick out any of the listed notes from this. It smells nothing like the listed notes on me.

 

Chalk dust

[tacey]

Lovers with Rutting Cats, despite the vivid name, somehow slides to the back of my mind. I'm always somehow surprised to find it in my drawer, but I do love it. Could easily become a favorite, if I could just remember to wear it...

 

It's clearly a vanilla scent, but not sweet or foodie at all -- very soft and touchable. I'd say furry, but you'd assume I was just being influenced by the title. Well, of course I am! <img src="http://www.bpal.org/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/magtongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="magtongue.gif" />

 

Vanilla and oud -- that gorgeous, velvety, glowing oud -- with perhaps a touch of the palm date beneath everything. No ginger on my skin, which is fine by me. Oakmoss I'm less sure of. I think I would recognize that note, and once in a while there's a hint of something...sleeker than the rest. Not cool, but a different texture. Oakmoss? You decide. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="icon_smile.gif" />

 

This is super-wearable, almost comforting with a hint of sexy. I feel pettable!

 

ETA: after about a year, this started going to playdough on me. I waited several months, but as of Jan-2011 I've decided it's permanently unwearable.

Edited January 15, 2011 by tacey

[ouch!]

I am loving this one!!

 

Vanilla amps on me so, it stays strong on me throughout. Creamy and very sweet at first with the Oud quite prominent. It's foody but not too foody. It's just gorgeously sweet and lickable!

The other notes come through a bit when it's drying, and I can detect a slight drier note somewhere, almost like a light wood or something. This is so nice I want to slather.

The sweetness of this reminds me of Love's Philosophy. It's along the same lines.

 

When it's dry the vanilla is still strong and sweet, but there's a blend of something less sweet behind, but it doesn't take anything away from the blend at all. It stays gorgeous all the way.

 

Brilliant!

 

 

[milica]

vanilla ginger, this is only going to get better and better as it ages. this is all I wanted, ginger smelling vanilla that is not sweet.

Edited May 30, 2009 by milica

[catattack]

I had to wash this off. It smelled like pepto-bismol without the mint.

[edenssixthday]

Lovers with Rutting Cats - I sniffed this in the decant vial and didn't care for it, so I didn't try it on for a long time. What a shame, because on my skin, it's lovely! It's vanilla-sweet, and the date is really strong and gives it a fruity feel. The oakmoss is strong, but not overwhelming. It's a gorgeous base for the date and vanilla. Red ginger is usually strong, spicy, and unbearable on me, but I don't smell it at all in this blend! There must just be a small amount that keeps the other notes interesting. I really enjoy this one and am so glad I finally tested my decant!

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Vanilla and something very earthy, I suspect the oude

 

Wet on me - An initial burst of vanilla followed by a smoky, earthy, slightly green scent

 

Dry on me - Dry, bitter smoke

 

Overall - It just becomes too smoky for me

[cam]

I really like this scent! I hadn't worn it in awhile, and decided to wear again last week, and wow! My bottle is really aging nicely. The vanilla creaminess has become more prominent, and really softens the ginger and oakmoss, without completely overpowering them. This one is on its way to becoming a favorite.

[pseedie]

~~Lovers with Rutting Cats~~

 

I should have known that anything with rutting cats in it would have a strong note in there somewhere.....yeah, I have cats. I should have know. But I had to try!!

 

In the Imp: Interesting....i smelled vanilla and moss. A bit intriguing....

 

Wet: Oh my. Oudh. I didn't know what it smelled like, but I sure know now!! And it clings to my skin like...well, skin!! This must be the rutting part. Nice choice for the literal translation, but I reckon I was hoping for a more artistic translation on the rutting cat theme.

 

Dry: The oudh has completely taken over my office, and there are several tomcats sitting outside the office door trying to hit the big silver button with the wheelchair on it that automatically opens the doors. I better hide. This could be bad.

 

Verdict: This is WAY to mouldy/musty for me. I guess oudh is the mold that grows inside some specific sort of tree, and that's EXACTLY what this smells like. But I am sending this to my patchouli friend that loves earthy smells....and yes, I'll warn her.

[outcrazyophelia]

On a whim I tried my imp again today. I have to say that I really love this. The vanilla isn't cloying or sticky sweet but it reminds me of buttercream. The ginger reminds me of lemon. It's a tasty scent that isn't super foody or cakey. I don't pick up anything green and I'm not sure where the oud is--maybe it's the age of the imp? In any case, I'm not complaining. It reminds me of irish potato candies.

[cinnamonster]

I was dying to try this, but now I have I am sad to report that it smells EXACTLY like Christian Dior Hypnotic Poison on me It is not what I expected.

 

It's like uber-strong Playdoh, and I like the smell of Playdoh, it's just TOO strong in the exact same way that H.Poison is, and I don't necessarily find the scent of Playdoh all that sexy. I should have realised by now, the Asian influenced scents do not like me. Like me, they do not. Ugh.

 

I'll keep trying them though.

[voodoocatwoman]

Ickity ick ick.

 

This started out wet as cotton candy- sweet and beautifully foody. I am not a foody but I thought I could make an exception for this. Unfortunately, when it initially dried down, it began to smell like adhesive bandages. Great... I smell like a giant band-aid. Later, it still has a plastic-y smell but it's a bit more spicy. Spicy plastic. It's what I've always dreamed of smelling like.

 

NOT.

[suki]

i loved this tremendously at first. all sweet cream cheese frosting.

 

unfortunately, it turned on me after an hour or so had gone by and became unbearably cloying. overly sweet, though strangely less foody, with a wicked undertone of moss that turned to gross decay on my skin.

 

sigh.

 

well, they all can't be won, i guess...

[bLissKite]

alright then. we've been over this plenty. you know you're getting the boot tomorrow in a swap sent from heavenz.

 

but while we get you packed, talk to me, LWRC. who's responsible for this mess? because at the outset, i thought we were going to sync rapturously with one another. that's why i threw down on ebay to make you mine, in the first place!!

 

i've given you three chances, but you've remained committed to showing me a bad time, and i can't, in good faith, ante up for more of what's been pretty crap treatment outta you. so, out you go.

 

1. you remind me of 'vanillaroma,' the terrible little yellow tree-shaped air-freshener from 7-11. well, i turned to toxic car scents only once, during a road trip long ago, when i desperately needed to drown out the deadly exhaust fumes seething into the air supply from my sweet old squareback and his craptastic engine. but that's not at all pleasant. my eyes still sting just thinking about that trip, if you wanna know. and turtle wax + coconut suave shampoo + plastic "vanilla-scented" baby doll skin was not my olfactory aim, then or now.

 

2. red ginger, is that you causin the ruckus? is your scent analogous to the 'exotic flower arrangements' from the flower cooler at the florist? those supposedly "masculine" arrangements w/ you and red anthurium (who naturally smells of fake and florists' wax)? b/c that's what i'm getting here. your root's the bees' knees, but your blossom...?

 

3. palm date, are you like yummy dates, like the medjool dates in my smoothies, so buttery and rich. or might you be a more astringent, inedible, yucky incarnation? a poisonous, wretched variety, perhaps?

 

4. we know each other well enough that i can trust your involvement here, oakmoss. ...right?

 

5. listen, oud, i understand you're a special substance, but gimme a freakin break.

 

somebody fess up. tell me who's to blame for this scent-tragedy!!

.

.

.

.

.

ME?!

 

OMG!STFU!!

 

 

edited to reflect the unfolding of our whole interaction.

but i'll be the bigger person and end this stupid blame-game claptrap.

Edited April 11, 2010 by Shollin
Removed Lab description --Shollin

[alioth]

A lot of the forum reviews called this foody, but on me it really wasn't. There was warm vanilla, and then spicy ginger, but with a dark undercurrent of something that I don't really want to call animalistic muskyness, but sort of is. I guess it's the oud? It does smell something like what you get breaking open old, rotted wood. Which makes it sound bad, but I don't mean it that way. I guess it's the rutting cats.

 

I like this because it's complicated like that--on the top it's all warm and comforting, underneath there's this primalness. Lovers with Rutting Cats is the third Shunga I've tried, and so far I've loved them all.

 

[HamletsKeeper]

The vanilla in this one is rich and syrupy, combined with the palm date and it almost smells like butterscotch in the bottle. Ginger never comes off as spicy on me, mostly it smells like cardboard if it shows up at all. I'm getting a bland kind of but not quite woody backdrop which may be the ginger. The oud is indeed strong on skin contact but quickly fades to become a white wood that just adds depth the way oakmoss does.

 

Overall this is a nice scent. I can't say I'm head over heels about it, but it's nice. It's one of the first vanilla scents which has worked on me. Ordinarily vanilla is more boring than the boringest bore on me. But it has a chance to shine here owing to the depth lent by the palm date. I'll use up my bottle but won't mind when it's all gone.

[reynardine]

In bottle: getting a touch of the date and the ginger

 

Wet: the vanilla plastic strikes again! Hoping this will dry down into something tolerable…

 

Drydown: A woody scent is coming out. Complex and hard to describe. This must be the oud. The fragrance is morphing quite a bit.

 

Later: Subtle wood scent which might be okay, but that vanilla plastic is still in the background. The wood part reminds me a lot of Bezoar (from Carnival Diabolique). While this would work very well on some skin types, and might layer wonderfully, it is just sort of limp on me—the vanilla and ginger I was looking for just didn’t work on my skin. Going to trade pile on this one.