Pink Mood

[fairnymph]

Vanilla, star anise, cherry blossom, peony, violet leaf, and neroli.

Interesting! The first wave is vanilla-licorice (the star anise is almost exactly like black licorice), followed closely by fluffly pink florals, the cherry blossom and peony, really tactile. Then it finishes sharply with the neroli, and a bit of an herbal edge which I'd guess is the violet leaf. It has a pink floral-licorice candy feel.

My skin absorbs this instantly despite repeated re-slathering, so there's no wet stage. The star anise is still front and centre, but it's more complex, a little more spicy-woody instead of straight black licorice, though it's still much more like regular anise - I wouldn't peg this as star anise blind. The vanilla's creamy and sweet but not too heavy or cloying, but it's overwhelmed by the anise, as are the flowers. Cherry blossom manages to sort-of assert itself, but the peony is struggling. I also get a distinct black tea note, even though none is listed. Definitely an asiatic feel. And sadly, the neroli is still sharp, and on my skin, as usual, a little plastic.

ANISE ANISE ANISE! I do not believe this is star anise. I am getting pure ANISE/LICORICE, which is not a note I find wearable in perfume. Especially not when it beats all the other beautiful notes in the blend into a bloody pulp. I can't find a trace of the peony, and the cherry blossom is faint. The vanilla still sweetens the blend, but doesn't really stand out individually. But tea, I get intensely brewed black tea strongly, and the almost leathery sharpness of the neroli, though it's lighter than it was earlier. Maybe I'm confusing violet leaf with tea...otherwise, I'm not getting violet leaf, either.

This reminds me a lot of Humbug, somewhat of l'Heure Verte, and a little of Manhattan. But it does still have a pink feel unlike any of those. Unfortunately it's developing the 'rotting floral' note that I associate with a particular iris, though it could be jasmine. The floral vibe is not dissimilar from Jingu, and this also reminds me of Hua Mulan - oh damn, I don't know which, but it reminds me of one of those. With huge walloping dose of LICORICE.

Mostly sweet, anise-y LICORICE over rotting pink-white florals with a little sharp neroli and strong black tea. The anise was too strong even in the bottle, but this scent just gets worse and worse over time on my skin. I really think it has the same jasmine note as Jingu which took a similarly distressing turn on my skin. This is not at all what I expected, and I've never had star anise behave this way on my skin, so I maintain some other true anise is in here amping to high heaven. Where are my lovely pink blossoms? Good throw and longevity.

[fireweaver]

I so wanted to love this, but all I can smell is a sweet, black jellybean scent both in the bottle and on my skin. no florals or vanilla to speak of. I'm going to let it rest a bit and try again and see if that changes the review at all.

[angelicruin]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this! But I am admittedly a lover of anise. On my skin, this is like the sexy, seductive version of Humbug. I see definitely hoarding of this scent in my future.

 

I get no floral in this. Just anise, vanilla, and a bit of spice.

[Lorelai1945]

Oh holy Jesus. I am so sad. This smells like nutty latex gloves and GACK licorice. I was so hoping for the vanilla to come out, but I don't get any vanilla from this at all. I can tell there's some floral in there somewhere, but the licorice is so strong. Sadly, I just don't like licorice. Definitely swapping this one.

[DeltaCat]

Yup. Straight black licorice.

[edenssixthday]

Pink Mood - All the other reviewers get licorice, which makes me sad because I love licorice/anise, and I don't smell it AT ALL in this scent! This is a really, really weird scent on me. It has an odd plasticky-band-aidy flatness about it that, I'm guessing, comes from the type of vanilla being used, since on me, "band-aid" scent can usually be traced back to a certain type of vanilla. (Although some vanillas are LOVERLY on me!) It's a very pink plastick-band-aid scent, and kind of creamy, but mostly just really weird. In the right context, every single one of these notes (with the possible exception of neroli) should smell great on me, but combine them together, and they don't blend well at all. I'm surprised this one made it past the prototype stage with the weirdness of the blend and the oddness of the scent.

[reynardine]

In decant: pleasant scent

 

Wet: Oooooh, the anise! It’s taking over everything, making it a rooty smell.

 

Drydown: Okay, getting the violet leaf and peony, but the anise is still very strong. And no vanilla to be found anywhere.

 

Later: No, not what I was expecting at all. Almost all herbal and medicinal at that.

 

[pandorasmuse]

This oil is so pale! It’s all but clear.

 

In the decant: Lots of the anise and vanilla. Almost like licorice and cotton candy.

 

Wet: Anise overwhelming everything. Whoa!

 

Drydown: Overwhelmingly licorice-y.

 

Later: Nothing but licorice. It’s really too bad. I was looking forward to vanilla and cherry blossom. It’s more or less a one note scent on me, and it’s one I’m not super-crazy about.

[Venneh]

Again, testing while decanting. Why hello thar, anise. My oh my, you're quite strong in the bottle. Applying lightly to my skin. Very much anise on my skin. We'll see if this changes at all. And the anise fades out real quick, and there's nothing left. Again, prolly going to pass this one on.

Edited February 23, 2010 by Venneh

[starfish327]

a rather confused liquorice all the way through. it's very pink though, i do have to say that much for it. it's not bad really i just don't see myself giving this the love that it should have.

[musichappens]

When I first read the description for this blend, I was really excited because all the notes sounded amazing. I had never actually smelled star anise before, but I thought maybe it wouldn't interfere with everything else. Boy was I wrong! It started off smelling exactly like black jelly beans taste ... and I hate black jelly beans. I left it on hoping it would fade and all the pretty floral notes would come out, but that never happened.

[Frills]

Anise works really well on me. Instead of turning to liquorice it becomes a nice, spicy depth to other notes, and it's the same here. At first it's BLACK JELLY BEAN SCENT, but after it dries, it's mostly cherry blossom with anise as a background. Cherry blossom is a fairly sharp scent on its own, reminds me of soap, so I'm glad the anise is there to temper it (and after a few hours, the vanilla makes it a little sweeter).

 

I hope the vanilla comes out a bit more as it ages, but I suspect it'll age beautifully. Love this scent, and I'm so glad it works on me!

[hlemonds]

Gave this one a couple of chances. It just didn't work out. Way too much Star Anise, it completely overwhelmed everything else. I could barely catch the tiniest hint of vanilla in the background. I can do with a bit of anise, but this was too much, and oddly sour on my skin. The second time i tested it i had to wash it off.

[kelpsoda]

The anise starts out soft, but slowly gets stronger. Yep - this is licorice, all the way. I'm keeping the decant for the novelty of it, but I don't think I'll wear it too often.

[moon_lemming]

I LOVE ANISE. I was hoping to get the same feel almost everyone else did, but no luck.

 

Pink Mood WAS heavy on the anise/black licorice in the beginning. I could pick out anise and a sweet pink floral, but it was mostly anise. Sadly (for me) but maybe hopefully? (for the anise haters) as it dries, it becomes a perfectly balanced blend of anise and a cherry floral. Once it's hit total drydown, though, the anise totally disappears on my skin, leaving a cherry-vanilla floral in its wake.

 

The drydown, the cherry-vanilla floral, reminds me of a Bath & BodyWorks scent, maybe a slightly less perfume-y Japanese Cherry Blossom? Sweet and pink and ANISE-FREE.

Edited February 26, 2010 by karen

[spiresinthesnow]

Definite anise/licorice introduction. I don't think of licorice candy, more like the raw spice. After the initial blast of anise the other notes seam to appear softly out of no where and stay pretty steady. I get the soft, sweetness of the cherry blossom but the peony seems to give it a brighter tangier quality then usual. Underneath the blossoms I get a light, fuzzy, herbal feeling. Must be the violet leaf sweetened by lashings of sweet citrus neroli. Through out the anise dances on top like a swarm of little butterflies that begin to flutter away one by one. This scent has a sweet floral tang.

 

I've never considered myself an anise hater or lover, but I happen to really like this one. Its woodsy and bright and has a lovely salty sweetness to it. The cherry blossom is not at all like last years Voyeurs Among the Cherry Blossom and surely isn't like BBW cherry blossom scents. The anise is noticeable and forefront but melds quickly with everything else. I've tested all the shungas and this was one of my favorites. The anise makes this scent unique.

 

 

[Yoginispirit]

Ohhh pretty!!

 

Wet: Very anise but not a black licorice scent like I thought it would be. It's a lot lighter than kabuki or kyoto which were slightly alcoholic black or red jelly beans.

 

Drying: Anise still but wait-omg vanilla!!! You have no idea how much this excites me because vanilla RARELY appears on me and when it does its plastic. There's only a breath of it here but its pure vanilla!

 

 

Dry: Oh my, the strength has faded quite a bit. BUT it smells absolutely beautiful and I can begin to smell the cherry blossom as it dries. I NEED to try this in a locket. It is just to die for. The anise is soft and the vanilla holds the blossom note so that it doesn't fade. THIS is how I had hoped kyoto would smell. GORGEOUS! My favorite Shunga of 2010!

 

 

[megank4]

Definitely licorice.

My husband chided me for eating candy. But I haven't been eating candy! What's that smell then? Must be my perfume.

Yep, it is.

Something "off" about this scent, but I can't put my finger on it.

So on me, it smells like licorice with a slight hint of cherry.

Not really for me. Prefer Kyoto, Voyeurs among the cherry blossoms, and Hanami to this.

Edited March 7, 2010 by Megank4

[Blood onmy hands]

I get lots of anise and sugary vanilla from this at first, which makes me smell like a sugary black licorice candy. I don't love the taste of black licorice, but I do love the smell <3. While the vanilla and anise take the main role in this scent, I can definitely smell the neroli and cherry blossom around the edges. As it dries down, I smell more of the neroli, so it's mostly sweet orange, with hints of black licorice candy and creamy vanilla.

 

Pink Mood is candy-sweet, playful, and orange-y smelling on me. I think that this will join Le Père Fouettard in my collection of favorite licorice scents . I can wear this one more in the summer and save Le Père for fall and winter...

Edited February 28, 2010 by Little Bird

[Cheri]

When I first put this on it smells exactly like the licorice candies, Good n Plenty. As it dries I get more vanilla and its a nice sweet vanilla. The anise becomes part of the background. I can't seem to find any cherry blossom or neroli, but that's ok because I like the sweet licorice scent I get from it. After its on for a long time I can smell some cherry, but only a hint. Its a fun scent.

[thekittenkat]

Where did the florals and leaf and fruit go? In the bottle, wet on my arm, now very dry on my arm, this is just vanilla and anise all the time. Like the vanilla, don't like the anise. Had hoped the anise would be tamed by the other notes, but this was not to be. Basically a two-note scent for me.

[greenranger]

Anise and vanilla, with a distant background of delicate florals.

 

I like this one now, and I can only imagine how it will age.

[dee255]

All I get from this is aniseed - I can't pick up any of the vanilla or floral at all.

 

I might put it aside for a few months and try again.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Salty vanilla, that morphs into the scent of a black jellybean.

 

Immediately on skin: At first sniff, this smells like some sort of yankee candle… cookie dough maybe. It’s almost like vanilla, but with a salty note. Then as I sniff that note morphs into strong licorice, or maybe just short of it. It’s… odd.

 

After a little while: This scent is just odd. It’s a bit like salty vanilla licorice, now with a little bit of pretty pink florals mixing in. Like flowery candy next to a big black jellybean and a piece of vanilla salt water taffy.

 

Overall Impressions: This scent is very interesting. It has these conflicting notes of vanilla, licorice, and pretty pink florals that just don’t mesh to my nose. I keep sniffing it because it’s intriguing, but I don’t think I could wear it.

 

[Leopard403]

Yep, black licorice; though there is a hint of something pretty and pink underneath. Too bad that the pink is so faint.