Kiss Amongst Discarded Tissues

[fairnymph]

Blackberry, white gardenia, burnt mandarin rind, Indian musk, khus, and white musk.

Dark, intense, a little smoky, masculine. Not what I was expecting! This is all about the musk and the khus (vetiver), though it's a nice light vetiver, not gritty or overwhelming. I definitely get the burnt mandarin rind, though it's light, and a bit of a 'cologne' feel which is probably due to the white musk. Some very light, fresh, and not at all sharp or sour gardenia. It makes me think on the whole of expensive financier's cologne, maybe one who does a lot of business in Japan. No blackberry.

Wayyyyyy more mandarin, mandarin galore! As well as some definite lime. Lots of tart, juicy, delicious citrus. Only a lingering hint of smoke. The musk is immediately more apparent, and I also get some sort of a tea note - black or green, it's both herbal and a little citrusy. I get the very faintest hint of unripe blackberries, the kind that make your mouth pucker, that are still hard. And the gardenia remains light, and while bright is not at all piercing but well-behaved. It's sort of a masculine Tis the Voice of the Lobster, but with way more citrus and must less jammy-sweet fruit, and more...suave refinement.

Hmmmm. I suspect a sake note in here as well as the tea, because this reminds me a fair bit of The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa, except much more delicious. And definitely black tea. I am getting both more of the vetiver and the white musk, so this is going quite manly, but everything's well balanced, no one note is dominating. Other than the fruit - the lime and mandarin and unripe tart blackberries continue to just blast on my skin - amazing! My skin NEVER holds citrus! Btw, if it's not obvious, this is not a blackberry note I've ever smelled before, and I don't know I'd even peg it as blackberry if I hadn't read the notes. The musk does remind me of Black Lace's, in that it's sexy, sophisticated, and incredibly smooth. It has depth but also subtlety.

Some of the citrus/fruit - well, the tarter, juicier aspects - is burning off, but a lovely bittersweet mandarin peel note remains, and the sake has burned off, leaving the mandarin peel, some light cologne-y vetiver, very faint unripe blackberries, and amped black tea (same note from Lantern Ghost, Severin, Famine etc to my nose), over that subtle, masculine Indian musk. I'm surprised because I usually amp musk but this musk, while definitely present, stays close to my skin. The white musk is brighter and more like cologne, and blends with the vetiver note to my nose.

Strongly brewed black tea, fainty smoky mandarin rind (and yes, eventually the peel turns to rind, a dried peel note), smooth Indian musk and clean, bright but light white musk-vetiver man-cologne with a whisper of tart, unripe blackberries. I'm not sure I can pull this off - and I like many a manly scent - but I put this in the James Bond category of uber sexy manfume. But more cerebral, much more sly. Another fabulous winner amongst this year's Shunga!

Vetiver, blackberry, and white musk fearers - fear not. This blend WORKS and is, like all I've tested in the line so far except for Pink Mood, incredibly well-balanced, seamlessly blended, and complex. Brava, Beth!

[hkhm]

bottle: rich, tart, orange musk.

 

wet: very crisp mandarin over vibrant florals and musk.

 

dry: once dry, this is a very tame blend. it's definitely musk, but it's light with a wispy afterthought of orange.

[Ravenclaw79]

In the bottle, this is cherries, and flowers, and a hint of grass.

 

On the skin, it's light, springy flowers. Oddly... well, did anyone ever have Perfume Pretty Barbie? This smells kinda like the perfume locket that came with her.

 

Drying down, though, the blackberry shows up to the party, which makes this pleasantly fruity as well. It's a really nice spring scent.

[edenssixthday]

Kiss Amongst Discarded Tissues - This is a really pretty fruity-floral on me. The Indian musk seems to be the strongest note, with the mandarin rind right behind it. The blackberry is stronger on me than any of the other previous reviewers noted, and blends quite nicely with the darker top notes. The gardenia is light and since I don't usually like gardenia, I'm surprised at how pretty it smells in this blend -- not heavy or heady at all. The khus is very, very faint, and gives the scent a nice earthiness about it. The blackberry fades after the first 20-30 minutes, leaving this scent smelling less juice, and more of a darker, non-juicy fruity-floral.

 

 

[ralenth]

Bottle: Sharp, musky orange.

 

Wet: Biting citrus, not much else.

 

Drydown: As it dries, Kiss Amongst Discarded Tissues goes sour on my skin. I get a bit of an herbal green undertone, but it's going antiseptic.

 

Dry: Orange antibacterial soap.

 

Overall: Sadly, not for me.

[marared]

Loud musky citrus. I don't really smell any mandarin, nor even blackberry, but I do get a bit of the gardenia. This is something that will probably age really well, but right now it's too young and brash and cleaning-fluid to be really enjoyable.

[MamaMoth]

Goes on very citrussy, but in a perfumey way rather than, say a fresh-fruit kind of way.

 

As it dries, though... this lovely smokey muskiness starts to come out behind the citrus. I know that khus=vetiver, but I never smell even a trace of it... just this lovely soft smoke. The citrus is always the top note, but it changes to very much the 'rind', with just a touch of bitterness. Lovely!

 

In extended drydown, that "perfumey" ness reasserts itself lightly. I don't smell the gardenia or white musk exactly, but I would almost guarantee they are the culprits. Nary a blackberry could be detected.

 

I liked the burnt mandarin rind, Indian musk, and khus very much. But the other elements turned this into something that, while pretty, isn't for me. It's just as well, because my skin ate it up and it was almost undetectable within an hour.

[musichappens]

Mmm .. this is amazing! Definitely a fruity floral on me since the blackberry and white gardenia seem to be doing the tango on my skin. The mandarin rind is definitely there as well, but its not as forth coming. Once completely dry, a soft muskiness comes out that helps to provide just a bit of depth. At the moment, I have a partial of this on its way to me, but I'll definitely be ordering an additional bottle in my next order.

Edited February 25, 2010 by musichappens

[morinpm]

Huh. I seem to be getting a LOT more of the blackberry with this than most of the other reviewers...certainly no citrus/khus/musk. How odd. Perhaps my nose is broken?

 

Still, I like blackberry--I think I would've been happier with Glasgow if it had been this blackberry-ish--so I don't mind this at all. At times it reminds me of this black raspberry hand soap my sweetie used to have, but not as overpowering or soapy (if that makes sense). Definitely a re-tester, though...I'd like to try it in a scent locket and see what happens, especially since it seems to be disappearing from my skin rather quickly.

[boxinghelena]

From the components listed I was this close in ordering a bottle right off the bat but decided at the last minute to go with a decant instead. Thnak Goddess I did because all I get is lemon???? I'm not a fan of lemon at all. Such a disappointment because I really love blackberry & gardenia. I get nothing of either of those.

[megank4]

I can't really pin this one down. I was hoping for more blackberry but this just smells like a mix of everything. Oh, and maybe some mimosa?

I was hoping for more like Tissue from last year.

 

[Saya]

Really citrus smelling with a hint of florals. Fades away pretty quick so I didn't get much other than the orange and flowers. Not for me.

[thekittenkat]

Let me state for the record that I adore blackberries. Also, my mother loved gardenias and gardenia-based perfumes. So, I thought that this would be a wonderful combination. Very, very wrong. I don't get either of those notes. Not even sure where the musks ran off to, but they must have been scared away by the khus and the mandarin rind turning into something like a burnt leather note. I like leather; I don't mind the scent of burning leaves; but this burnt leather note is nothing like. I can't say how much I wanted to love this, since the Lab's blackberry note is usually so wonderful on me.

 

ETA: After another test, I found the blackberries and the gardenias. The blackberries are sour, those tiny hard ones by the side of a dirt road (no dirt note!). The gardenias are the wilted ones that are fixing to fall off the bush, or already have. Still so sadly disappointed in this scent.

Edited March 27, 2010 by thekittenkat

[greenranger]

It goes on sharp with citrus, incense, and I could have sworn there was patchouli.

 

Drying, it starts softening immediately and becoming more floral. I'll need to try this again to make up my mind, but, I suspect this is a love it or hate it scent.

[Blood onmy hands]

This is a really light scent on me and only lasts about 15 minutes on my skin. It's hard to get a clear impression of it. I agree with reviewers that say this smells lemony. The mix of blackberry & mandarin smells a bit like sweet lemon drops on me as well. The fruitiness is the main player, with a little bit of cool, smooth white musk in the background. There's the tiniest hint of something earth-like and darker too.

 

Kiss Amongst Discarded Tissues mostly just smells like musky lemon candy on me. I was hoping for more of a true blackberry and gardenia note...

[Leopard403]

I don't smell any of the notes that are listed. Gardenia is usually very loud on me, and blackberry very astringent, but I don't get either of those scents. It is quite pretty, but vague; itsmells like an expensive perfumed soap that you'd find in a nice hotel bathroom, but nothing more grand than that.

 

edit: Okay, I've given it a full wear now, and this is actually quite lovely. Gardenia is the most notable note, though the blackberry keeps it sharp most of the time and a little less soapy than other gardenia scents. The throw is good and it is beautifully creamy on the dry-down. I'm SO glad I tried this again, because it has become my favorite Luper.

Edited March 7, 2010 by Leopard403

[theseagrows]

this is an interesting scent, and i am on the fence about it. it smells slightly...bubbly? to me. i think it's the mandarin, maybe. i can sense that, the blackberry and the khus mostly. i don't get much musk at all, and the gardenia seems to be supporting in the background. i wish i got a bit more musk, but i still like this scent. no need for a bottle, but i may wear it from time to time.

[veronicafranco]

my first shunga!

 

i get a very similar scent to what theseagrows describes. the sparkly mandarin/blackberry/khus that pops out when it's freshly applied is nice at first, though not at all what i was expecting. but i really wanted gardenia and musk. right next to my skin i can smell them, but the throw is all tart fruit/citrus/vetiver. i like the parts of this scent, but they haven't melded together yet, and i suspect aging will put them into a proportion with one another that works better for me.

[windbourne]

Ve--ee--rr-y interesting. It started out very cleaning fluid on me, and I'm very happy to see from prior reviewers that I'm not the only one! That's exactly what I put in my notes -- cleaning fluid, not soap or detergent. After a short while (perhaps five-to-seven minutes) it mellowed out into a warm, burnt smell, almost cinnamon-like, but without any actual spiciness to it. There's a slight citrus note that sticks around for a while, then it becomes a warm, brown, smoky scent that I find both appealing and repellent.

 

Overall, I'm really not sure what to think of it. It's very interesting, and I'm -really- curious to see what it does as it ages a bit and the musks mellow out.

[zankoku_zen]

I hit a giant hit of lime from this, and a good bit of mandarin on wet. I love that. However, it dries to a zesty, slightly citrusy gardenia + white musk blend. Pretty, slightly effervescent, but the gardenia kind of stabs my nose repeatedly.

 

Oh skin chemistry. You are made of lose, today.

 

ETA: Second test. Again, giant hit of lime/mandarin. As it dries, more of the blackberry comes out. On the drydown, it's a mix of blackberry and gardenia, but its kind of soapy.

 

Again, skin chemistry, you are made of lose.

Edited March 15, 2010 by zankoku_zen

[Invidiana]

Why is all I'm getting out of this pure lemon verbena? Damned skin chemistry, it really hasn't been liking many of this year's Shungas. Something, and I don't know what, turns the mandarin rind into pure lemon verbena with the magical touch of my skin, and I also amp it to the point of barely being able to smell anything else--maybe a tiny bit of blackberry in the extreme drydown, but that's it. I was hoping to really get mostly blackberry, Indian musk and khus, but my skin revolted.

[ellebelle]

Lemon with a touch of blackberry. I actually like this, but it is one of those scents that my boyfriend pronounces "floor cleaner" with an upturned nose. I'll probably hold onto the decant, but not sure how much wear it will get.

[MeiLin]

In the decant: They used Comet Cleanser in classical Japan?!

 

Wet: The bleachy smell disappears. Now I'm getting the citrus, a little blackberry...no, the Comet is still there.

 

Dry: The musks are coming out, but this still has an unpleasant cleaner-ish tinge that I don't think I'm going to get over.

 

Verdict: I'm going to let it sit for a little while and try later. I did just get this packet and everything needs time to settle, perhaps.

 

Of course, my not liking it means Sir likes it...

[anomie]

Imp: Musk and citrus and smoke. Uh. Ow?

 

Wet: Oh hey there you are blackberry and gardenia! How nice of you to come.

 

Drydown: Blackberry and citrus? This is confusing. And it doesn't last very long either.

[Iceblink]

I got the cleaning fluid smell from this when it was wet too--and it was STRONG. It softens and sweetens as it dries; now it's mostly blackberry and a bit (just a bit) of sweet gardenia with musks underneath. Better than I thought it would be based on the wet phase, but this probably isn't going to be my dream blackberry scent either.