Hua Mulan

[Verios]

Pink musk, white ginger, tea leaf, night blooming jasmine, bergamot, and leather.

 

This is one of those scents that I've been keeping an eye out for awhile for, and managed to snag a bottle recently of--having just applied it for the first time, I'm getting a citrusy floral (it's not a strong in-your-face citrus, or floral, but a really gentle, pleasant combination of the two)...I'm hoping to get a bit more leather and such on the drydown, and will update if the scent morphs much on me as time goes on. Overall, this seems like, if it stays true to initial application and drydown, a scent I'm going to really enjoy on these hot summer days where I want something light and refreshing!

[countessmouse]

I didn't pick up any of the leather in this one (unlike the inital "slap you in the face" of VILF), but lots of lovely, citrusy florals with just a hint of the musk. Very light, but very pretty.

[filigree_shadow]

Weird. This smells like a bright tropical floral on me, quite similar to Vasakasajja. Nothing like what I expected from reading the notes. No heady jasmine at all -- more like almost a fruity floral with a cute musk under it.

 

As I was reading through the reviews, no one else mentioned that. Makes me wonder if my decant was mislabeled or something.

[theseagrows]

this pretty much smells like shampoo to me. it's very very sweet with my skin chemistry, kind of an aquatic-floral. i think maybe it's the pink musk, i love musks of all kinds but blue and pink musk seem to give me a bit of trouble and be too cool and/or aquatic for my tastes. i get no bergamot or leather. i'm not even sure i get night blooming jasmine. it's very different than i imagined.

Edited August 5, 2014 by theseagrows

[mistressfizz]

Sniff: Faint floral, hints of resin

 

Wet: This becomes lighter on my skin, developing a soft astringency like white tea. There's a kick of spice and lots of pink florals, with an undertone of murky resin. An interesting mix of feminine flowers and sharp masculine ginger cologne.

 

Dry: When dry, this is earthy floral tea over light musky tones. I like it, but it fades very quickly on me!

[tangibilia]

Good lord, this woman. As a BPAL newbie, I wasn't sure what people meant when they said a scent could evolve. Perhaps it is appropriate then that Mulan was my first BPAL toe-dip, because she dragged me on a ride and then some.

 

Upon first application, Mulan starts out as a pretty pink floral that moves to being sharply ginger-ish fairly quickly. Then the leather kicks in, she goes to war and it's gloriously rough around the edges, all citrus-ginger-y. Too soon though, the leather rides off, leaving behind a conundrum that constantly shifts between a quiet citrus-tea hybrid and a generic floral perfume for two straight hours. It's rather as if, having won her war and returned home with a dozen bouquets, Mulan spends her days floating between taking baths with Marks and Spencer toiletries and enjoying ginger tea.

 

The floral section is too heavy for my tastes - I rather wish it'd settle down on the subtle ginger or the leather. Nevertheless, this has been a pretty dynamic perfume journey, and was worth the try!

[Aviatrix]

I was hoping for more leather from this one, but I can't pick it up really.

The rest of it is a lovely scent, though.

 

I am mainly getting the white tea-ginger combo, with a whiff of jasmine and bergamot upon drydown. I can't say I am getting any pink musk (I keep comparing it to Vasilissa, but they don't feel alike at all), but I guess it is in the background holding the notes together.

 

It has a light throw, but lasts a fair amount of hours.

[Lambent]

Hua Mulan is such a beautiful scent. Jasmine haters need not fear. The jasmine in this is neither indolic or animalic in the slightest. It's a tame, soft kind of jasmine that blends well with the other delicate notes. The leather isn't strong in this--more like a "white" leather. It has a low throw, hangs very close to the skin, is a soft floral/tea leather scent that dries down to a soft, clean pink musk/skin scent.

[Anita]

I love this scent. It is remiscent to me of Aizen myoo, but without the fruity-ness of AM. It just sparkles as a nice clean floral, it's beautiful. Going on my wishlist for a bottle for sure.