Prosperity of a Country

[tativa]

Frankincense, orris root, asuhi, leather, and ginger-infused cream accord.

This actually makes me think of a masculine glowing vulva... the cream almost comes across as a very mild coconut, but is at the same time milky. Neither of leather or ginger is over powering... tho together with the cream make up the dominate notes of this scent.
It doesn't strike me so much as a 'pretty' scent as a raw animalistic scent. Its soft enough to be worn by a woman, but rugged enough to be worn by a manly man.

But like glowing vulva, the scent blends together to a warm coming off the skin glow.

I am not sure how self conscious I would be wearing this to class ect... because I don't know how well it would be received as its more along the lines of an true earthy scent, but its perfect for cuddling up with a book.

[edenssixthday]

Prosperity of a Country - This is gorgeous. I can't stop huffing away at my skin!!! On me, it's predominantly frankincense layered on top of a smooth, dark leather. For a good hour or longer those are the only two notes that I can detect at all. My skin amps frankincense (in a good way), so it's not until it starts to step back a bit that I can detect the orris, and that's only when I'm sniffing my skin very closely. The orris gives it a light, almost powdery rootiness, and compliments the other notes perfectly. I never do smell ginger or cream -- they just don't make it past the frankincense at all. Also, I have no idea what asuhi is, so I have no idea if I can detect it or not. I don't think I smell anything that I can't identify. Anyway, this is a really awesome fragrance. It's something I would love to smell on a man, but since I wear frankincense really well, I fully intend to wear it myself, too.

[kerikeri]

I had high hopes for this one because of that ginger cream note-- I was hoping for something more like Glowing Vulva, but instead it's earthy and harsh with barely any creaminess and no ginger at all that I can make out. At first it's a very sharp cologne, but the drydown is more of an almost "dirty" skin scent (in the working-in-the-garden sense, not in the haven't-showered-in-days sense).

 

If you like unisex earthy scents, I'd definitely recommend this, but it's not what I was hoping for and not my kind of thing.

[fiddledragon]

In imp: cream and leather.

 

On me: Ooo! A very nice soft warm leather with sweet frankincense and a hint of creaminess. There's a nice hint of ginger at the back...a powdery ground-ginger smell rather than fresh ginger root, which can go sour on me. This is very unlike most other BPALs I've tried. It's leather without being either harsh and biker-dude-esque or making me smell like a leather armchair. Nicely warm and spicy. There's a touch of something that makes me think of Japanese candy stores...sort of like those salty licorice olive things. I'd describe this as "butch androgynous" in terms of gender, if that makes any sense. I'm definitely keeping this imp, though it's not something I can see buying a bottle of. It's a great fall/winter scent.

 

(Score! One of the non-embarrassing-named ones works on me!)

 

Edit to add: this vanishes within a couple hours, but I expect it will get stronger with age.

Edited February 25, 2010 by fiddledragon

[MamaMoth]

Frankincense and ginger are the top notes. Sharp, resin-sweet, and a little citrussy. I don't smell the cream exactly, but there's something there tempering the sharpness of those two top notes that could be called "creamy." (But it doesn't do what a straight-up cream note does on my skin.) I can tell there's more behind it, but I can't distinguish anything in particular. It's reminding me a bit of what I remember Sudha Segara to smell like, but I don't have any SS on hand to compare side by side.

 

As it dries, I can detect a sharpish-smelling woodsy component. Asuhi is likened to cedarwood, so that works. The ginger bite fades to just a nippy citrus note. The frankincense is still out front. Orris and leather have yet to put in a solid appearance.

[musichappens]

Warm creamy leather. Once completely dry, this becomes more dark and more masculine. I think this would smell absolutely *amazing* on a guy, but on me? Not so much.

[Pottersville]

On me, this is all dry orris root and ancient leather. And perhaps some of those old tymey Band Aids. Not a hint of ginger or cream, or even of frankincense. If I could give it three thumbs down, I would!!

[Blood onmy hands]

I'm loving a lot of this year's Lupercalia blends, but I think that this one is my favorite. I'm sad to see that people don't like it and are calling it masculine, because I totally tried it on and thought, "Yay! A beautiful, feminine resin scent!" lol.

 

In the bottle and on my skin at first, this is all smooth, resinous, golden frankincense. It makes me think of blends like Cathedral and Faustus (which are two blends that I love). I can smell a little bit of sexy black leather as well, reminding me of the leather + sweetness in Liz. This dries down to the most wonderful, golden, warm, resins/incense & vanilla type of scent on me. I guess that the cream note is actually playing nice on my skin.

 

I was toying with the idea of getting a custom blend from another company, and I was going to ask for warm, golden resins, vanilla, and incensey, dry flowers. Now I don't have to, because Prosperity of a Country is exactly what I was looking for. Golden, feminine, resinous vanilla with an exotic, almost dried flowers dusted with gold impression. So gorgeous.

 

I love this (and my husband gave it a 9 out of 10 rating). I only have a decant at the moment, but I'll get a full bottle or two of this before the Lupercalias leave town.

Edited February 27, 2010 by Little Bird

[greenranger]

Resin and ginger, with a little leather and possibly a little cream.

 

Drying there's a citrus-like note coming forward....asuhi perhaps?

 

One of the stronger, brighter shungas that I have tried.

[hespera4523]

First impression is of Frankincense. I loves me some Frankie in a big, big way, so am very pleased. Then from out of nowhere in comes Leather, heavy sexy dirty leather that overpowers everything, like an olfactory whack on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper. Before I can say, "Hey! What for you whack me onna nose with a rolled up newspaper?" the Leather settles down and just ... purrs. The kind of big-animal purr that makes the backs of your knees tingle, like when you show a certain kind of girl a leather flogger...ahem, getting off subject. Behind the Leather, Ginger Cream and Orris sidle in, peeping coyly behind their perfume veils like harem dancers to whirl with the Frankincense while Leather watches, lord of his domain. This scent, it dances. I loves it something fierce.

[megank4]

Dislike.

Smells like something that has turned bad.

I think it is the Frankinsense. Never seems to be good on me.

[hkhm]

bottle: creamy frankincense and orris.

 

wet: very beautiful orris and spicy cream with a wonderful background of frankincense.

 

dry: this dries to a soft, lightly creamy orris and frankincense. a definite love.

[windbourne]

This was fascinating on me, the first scent from the Lab that has really had that ginger ROOT scent -- that heavy, sharp, almost woody gingery flavor that you find when you're chopping it up. It didn't last, and I didn't really like where the leather and orris took it after that, but those first damp moments were a little bit magical.

 

I'd put this on someone else and hope that the ginger lasted longer so I could huff them. On me, the rest of it made it thoroughly meh, but ...yeah. Ginger.

[Invidiana]

By all indications this was supposed to be magical on me (frankincense! ginger cream!), but then my skin decided to take it for a joyride and turn it to an extremely manly woody gingerroot scent with a touch of equally butch De Sade-esque leather. Note to self: Orris root is second in line to cedar for the rank of Ungodly Wood of Death on my skin. No cream, no resin, nothing, and I have no idea what in high heaven asuhi is but it can't be doing anything good with my chemistry. It basically ends up resembling a spicy men's aftershave, like an amped-up version of the Old Spice that Hod turned into on me.

Edited March 12, 2010 by Invidiana

[angelicruin]

Oooh this is nice. Orris root, leather, and cream on my skin. Need to re-test this again and see if it's worth a bottle.

[Dark Alice]

Have you ever smelled something that was so completely different that you fall in with it? Yep..this is how I feel about Prosperity. It's just gorgeous ginger cream (which is light) with hints of leather and frankincense. On the right day this will be gorgeous. So I will keep this bottle and enjoy it.

[fairnymph]

Pale gold oil. I get a lot of fresh, invigorating ginger and super creamy yet delicate and not at all buttery cream right off the bat - yay! - with not really any leather, only a bit of orris root (and it's definitely 'rooty'), something sort of citrusy-woody (the asuhi?), and unfortunately I do get the frankincense which muddles and darkens the blend, but it's not THAT strong.

 

Delicious, glorious ginger cream is still ruling - I love this mix of ginger and cream, it's genius - with the cream even stronger and more creamy on my skin, in fact, I think it's the best cream note I've ever smelled in a BPAL blend. The citrusy wood note is a bit stronger, and it reminds me of oude and bamboo - it's a rather light, refreshing, green sort of wood note but with a drier edge. I get a bit of powder now from the orris and it's still unpleasantly rooty, but that aspect is light enough to be tolerable. I actually like how the powder aspect blends with the cream, though. The frankincense is less distinct with the ginger, cream, wood, and orris amped - no leather at all.

 

This dries almost instantly on my skin, and I quickly start to get a little leather, but it's not the type I fear and loathe - the De Sade chemical-powder-sharp sort - but a rougher, more textural, suedey, and drier sort - it reminds me of the type in Western Diamondback, Sacrifice, and Ü - this is a leather note that DOES work on me, not as lovely as Dead Man's Hand 'worn' leather note, but still nice. This blend feels a lot more masculine now that the leather's emerged, and the ginger has really amped even further and without any sweetness in this blend, it has a fairly masculine tone to it as well. The wood is also stronger and still bright and fresh - which describes this blend overall - I am pleasantly surprised!

 

More and more leathery (with a bit of the harsh De Sade style edge), and more and more woody - this just gets all the more masculine. The cream and orris have nearly completely vanished, while the frankincense has amped a bit, though it smells almost more like myrrh here - musty and dusty and dark, but not as smoky, woody, or sweet as I typically find it. Plenty of ginger still, but I find it's turned sort of sharp and harsh. Actually, sniffing closely I can still find the cream clearly, but it's very close to the skin, hiding - the orris I don't feel I can clearly pick out anymore but the blend does have its powdery edge still.

 

This has faded a lot. It never had strong throw, but it was clear enough when I brought my arm to my face - now I have to almost put my nose to my skin.The final drydown is slightly sharp ginger, slightly dry and citrusy-turned-sour wood with dusty incense and dry, rough, manly leather. The cream is lovely but extremely faint, and the orris completely evaporates. I think this could be lovely on the right skin chemistry, but it doesn't quite work for me; I've yet to find any blend with frankincense that does, alas. Low throw and poor longevity.

 

Sadness! But I'm not that disappointed because I expected as much, and the leather was in fact NOT bad as I feared. Those who fear cream and leather - don't! They are not overpowering notes here, nor are they the typical BPAL cream and leather notes.

[ami226]

Huh, this smells very manly to me with a creamy yet cologne like quality. I think I can smell some frankincense and something herbalish which must be the orris root.

[hlemonds]

This is so different than the usual scents i would choose. And I think it is growing on me. I get a hint of warm, soft leather (it is more harsh when wet, but it calmed down very quickly), a velvety resin that must be the frankincense, and a soft creaminess from the ginger-cream accord. I don't think i'm getting the ginger, or the orris root all that much. Surprisingly, i don't find this masculine on me. I might call it unisex...but the frank and cream are so sweet and a tad powdery, it almost seems feminine on me! It is very soft, not a ton of throw, but i am catching little wafts of it. Overall, i think this is quite enjoyable, and a pleasant surprise. It seems leather often overwhelms a blend for me, but not in this case. I'm unsure how the average person smelling this on me would react, but i don't know that i care overmuch, since it is quite a pleasing scent for me!

[azurephoenix]

UGH! ! I get tons of leather and a really deep smoky tart wood note. Nothing feminine comes out, this is not for me!

[thekittenkat]

First things first. I'm not sure what asuhi is. I am excited about ginger cream. I don't usually like orris root.

 

In the imp: The frank and the orris root are very loud.

 

Wet: The frank and the orris root are still very loud and overpowering, but slowly I'm getting a hint of the ginger deep in the blend. And some sweetness that must be the cream accord.

 

Dry: The ginger cream has come on strongly and defeated the evil orris root. The frankincense is keeping this from being sweet, so at the last it settles into a nice gingery scent. The leather note has come out to play, but it's mild, as though someone had some ginger-scented saddle soap and was cleaning up their lovingly cared for but rather getting close to be being worn out tack (saddle and bridle).

 

If you like a light leather scent and also like ginger, this may be a good choice. It will smell amazing on the bf, I bet. Could be bottle-worthy.

[Schmoozy]

 

Dry, dusty orris and well worn leather with ginger. It's slightly creamy, with resins and spice. While I love the blend, I have many other leather ones that work better and I don't think Mr. Schmoozy will like this. All you have to do is add white sandalwood and this would be really close to the White Rider.

[devilot]

Prosperity of a Country

In the Bottle: *blinks* Not sure just what I'm smelling! Seems sharp. Herbal, almost.

 

Wet: Peppery. I"ll blame the "ginger-infused" part of the notes. No clue what asuhi is, but frankincense hasn't been peppery to my nose before (nor leather) so it's surely got to be one of those two notes.

 

Drydown: The very sharp aspect starts to mellow out, which I'll attribute to the "cream" and the leather, but it does still seem "medicinal" to me.

 

Verdict: Bummer. Big time. I had had big big hopes for this blend. All in all, glad I only sprang for a partial bottle, and glad it's found a new home to go to.

[blu°]

This is my favourite of all the Lupers this year (so far). I almost cannot believe, there is leather in it, since I usually don't like leather scents much.

 

Prosperity on me is a smooth complex scent that somehow smells woody without having any wood notes, lol. It's not too heavy, neither too light. As far as colour associations go, I get a not-too-dark beige-orange glow with a reddish tint to it. Somehow the scent's structure (what I'd imagine something that smells like this would feel like to the touch) reminds me of Pinched with Four Aces, that grounded yet not too heavy smoothness.

 

At no point makes this think me of leather. Only after realizing it should be in there, I can sniff it out among the other notes. It is very light, airy and gentle, though.

 

I've already ordered two back-up bottles.

[wl552]

I've been putting off reviewing this because every single time I wear it, I get peaches. Or rather a one of those little wood incense blocks that has been saturated with peach oil. I can't figure out why I think it smells like that. And every time I wear PoaC and think about reviewing, I read the other reviews and it seems like they are completely different than what I'm smelling.

 

I even went so far today as to put the actual full strength oil on one wrist and Peach Moon on the other just to compare. Having them side by side helps a lot, but though Peach Moon is woah!Peach! Prosperity is like a more refined, more gentlemanly cousin.

 

I still can't get the peach idea out of my head. I even looked up the strange notes listed... orris root is basically iris and asuhi is a Japanese evergreen, so those can't be it. So very curious.

 

Anyway!! As I mentioned above, this smells like peach saturated wood incense block. Thank heaven and earth I don't detect any leather, (it usually is plain awful on my skin). I'm not sure if the other notes are just super well combined, but I do believe the cream is giving it an overall... well, creaminess; and, again, thank goodness it's playing nice on my skin as well and I'm not smelling the actual cream note.

 

I can't keep from referring to Peach Moon again... where that one wants to lean toward the icky side, Prosperity is wonderful! It is, to me, a very low key, understated, subtle-sexy sort of scent. I can see wearing this pretty much year round... hot weather or cold. The only down side to it is it just doesn't last long, (even diluted in a spray, which usually makes them last longer), and leaves without a trace, even sprayed on my clothes; it flat disappears in about an hour or so. If I wear this even rarely, my bottle is going to go pretty fast because I'll have to reapply often. Still, though it's not as strong as I like, nor as long lasting as one would want, I like it very well.

Edited April 5, 2010 by wl552