Durian Fruit Infused Honey with Brandy

[angelicruin]

Durian fruit infused honey with brandy.

Well, I guess I'll be the first to formally review this scent. I'm not sure exactly what Durian fruit is supposed to taste or smell like on the inside, though I have heard it's rancid smelling on the outside shell.

This scent is definitely NOT rancid. It's sweet fruit brandy with honey. This is actually quite lovely on my skin. I like the fact that it's not too boozy despite the brandy note. In fact, the notes are quite balanced on my skin with no particular one taking over.

[Invidiana]

I love this one. They say durian is supposed to smell like the amped-up version of sweat socks, but I get no such thing here. Straight out of the bottle and all through the drydown it remains the same lovely custardy cream and honey with a delightful shot of brandy; not incredibly boozy, just well rounded out. I'll definitely need a backup of this; if it's already this good now, I can't wait to see what it will be in another year.

[hlemonds]

Hmmm....wet there is something quite sharp....probably the brandy. And behind the sharpness is a very O like honey. Unfortunately It seems that (as with Womb Furie) this particular sort of honey base goes a little wierd powder-playdoh on me. Thankfully that seems to be fading fairly quickly. There's also a fruitiness that sort of makes me think of coconut (??) in that it is sort of creamy, but my nose is also telling me that something in here is a bit cherry-ish. As it is drying....uh-oh....something is a wee bit funkeh. Nothing so awful as sweat socks or rotten onions, just a tiny hint of something off.

 

Now that it seems to be completely dry....Wow, the funkeh has receded so far into the background I'm really not certian it's even there anymore. The throw is light, but incredibly lovely. A little fruit, a hint of sweet booziness, maybe just a tiny bit of creaminess still. The brandy gives it a zestiness, but I wouldn't say that the scent is overly boozy, just enough for a little zing. And if I try really, really hard I can still sense the playdoh effect, but I know now (from experience) that this usually fades with a little aging. It's already quite minimal, which means that a month or so should see it gone all together.

 

Overall I think this is a really unique twist on honey. I think the initial wet stages might put some people off, but it will come down to skin chemistry as to whether or not any "funk" comes through, and whether or not it is enough to be bothersome.

[edenssixthday]

Durian Fruit Infused Honey with Brandy - This is probably my favorite of the new honey blends. The fruit is completely different than anything I've ever smelled. It's sweet yet tangy and blends beautifully with both the honey and the shot of brandy thrown in. The brandy is absolutely the perfect touch to top of this scent. Once it dries down, it stays very close to my skin but it does last for a number of hours. Up close, there's a bit of a dusty, plastic type thing going on, but it's not bad enough to scare me off. Overall, this is a lovely fruity-honey fragrance.

[Venneh]

Testing this while I'm decanting stuff out. In the bottle, this smells nothing like the ass-fruit that I've been told that durian smells like; sweet fruity booze, not getting the honey. On my skin, sweet, quickly fading fruity booze and honey. ...Fuck me. I'mma getting the ass fruit as it dries down, and I need to get this off, now.

Edited May 18, 2010 by Venneh

[saralaughs]

This one confuses me.

 

It went on fabulous. Juicy fruit that smelled delicious with a bit of a sweetness going on and the brandy digging deep. Just mouthwatering.

 

Then it starts drying. I still get the juicy fruit and brandy but the ACK sweetness is receeding. I'm not sure this is a good thing even though I'm not a total sugar fanatic. It's just that with the sweet receeding, something else comes up in the background. It's a powdery, sharp note. It doesn't take over the blend but it almost kills it for me.

 

I dunno. I may have to wear this a bit more to see if I need a bottle.

[izile]

Wet this smells almost identical to Suck It, to me.

 

As it's drying, the honey is coming out more, but the "fruit+brandy" aspect smells just like Suck It to me.

 

[MerriAnneStowe]

This was my one must-try among the Rappacini's Apiary scents.

 

At first, and into the middle stages, I could mostly smell the durian. No, not the stinky fruit of legend, but a smell like how durian tastes - quite nice. In the middle stages there was also an almost plastic-y smell - the honey, perhaps? Later on, I'm left with a sweet smell. It's probably the honey, shedding the plastic component; I can't really identify the durian any more. I never did really pick out the brandy, unless it's part of the underlying "sweet" scent.

 

Not bad, but not as outstanding as I'd hoped.

Edited May 29, 2010 by IridiumFlash

[Schmoozy]

Instant love. I have never eaten/smelt durian before, and I have to admit after reading various comments about durian had me turned right off - even before giving the blend a chance. That said, it was the first one I ripped into upon receiving my decants and OMG it is delicious. This is honey that drips with brandy and surprisingly they meld together fabulously. It's not too boozy, if anything brandy manages to up the sex in a bottle vibe that O has but only after months if not years of aging. Add in durian fruit which is slightly citrussy(?), sweet, yet tart but very familiar. I can't pinpoint what it reminds me of, only that it's comfortable and familiar. This is one hell of a blend and instant upgrade to bottle worthy.

[Blood onmy hands]

The fruitiness here smells like a cross between watery apple, melon, perfumey berry (like a Bath and Body Works sun ripened raspberry, I think), and a hint of wintergreen on me. It's clean, watery, cool, and slightly sweet. I don't get a strong honey smell from this or the strong sweetness that I usually get from honey.

 

I'm not so fond of this one. Something about the minty fruitiness smells slightly medicinal and cough syrup-y on me at first, and then something like soft, fruity shampoo after a half hour.

[milo]

This ends up being a lovely fruity honey with a touch of brandy of course. I'm starting to love a certain note of the lab's honey, and this blend has IT! There is no rank odor here, just a great blend overall. I'm just a bit concerned about the brandy, as it is just a teeny bit too boozy on me, and a bit of powder is developing. I'm pretty sure the lab needed the booze to temper the durian (or so I read somewhere). I am contemplating a bottle, but will see if I like any of the other honey blends better.

[LunaClaire]

I love durian; yes, it does smell of old dirty socks (valerian on steroids!), but the taste is amazing! An intoxicating blend of banana custard, mango, coffee, chocolate, and...onion or garlic - yes! But it works!

 

Happily Beth captured the taste, not the scent. The brandy is quite sweet and strong initially, and the durian is fruity with the honey. The dry down is golden golden spicy honey.

 

Overall yummy - but alas, I'm a Yew girl!

 

Edited because i can't spell!

Edited June 4, 2010 by LunaClaire

[femmefatale]

At first this smelled just delicious. Super juicy with a hint of sweetness from the honey. Then the brandy came out and killed it for me (brandy tends to smell rancid on me after a little while).

If it wasn't for the brandy, this would be a definite bottle purchase.

[ljaylh]

So this is the one we all expected to smell like a mix of vomit and dirty socks.. I'm kinda scared to try it

 

There's something weird in here that's creating a halo effect of scent above my skin.. it's like there's layers in the smell. The top layer has a waxy and slightly chemical-ish smell to it.. not unpleasant, just a bit clamorous at first. The on-my-skin layer is all fruity goodness, but the boozy kind of fruit that you'd find down the bottle of your tall glass of trifle - under the layer of sponge cake that's been soaking in brandy. That's actually the best way I can describe this one.. it's very trifle-ish, fruit and something brandy-like and something custard-like.

 

Once it's fully dry (about half an hour after applying), that harsh top layer has gone away and blended in with everything else. The fruitiness has mellowed down quite a bit, and there's something slightly rank smelling when I take a big whiff up close on my arm. I think I'll have to refer to Venneh's previous title for it.. ass-fruit. Yeah, sad. I just don't know about this one - I like it, but it's just on the verge of being a bit stinky and not in a good way.. I liked the early fruity custard stage much better.

[heywilma]

I had such high hopes for this one. Oh, it's fantastic at first, an amazing freshness that I never would've associated with Durian Fruit (not a fan; I dislike the smell and the taste). About ten minutes later, wham, the fruit turns sour and the brandy comes out in force, so it's cloying sweetness + wet smelly feet. And then it attracted a midgie (ofc it could've been not the perfume, but I am hellbent on blaming it), and IT'S NOT EVEN MIDGE SEASON.

[MeiLin]

Durian fruit infused honey?! I know!

 

In the decant: Faint fruit, like black cherry. No honey, some brandy. Not optimistic.

 

Wet: OK, now no brandy, just a sort of weak fruit punch. A little honey to the back. So far: meh, but not wash-off meh.

 

Dry: Now I'm smelling honey. The fruit punch/black cherry smell is dwindling.

 

Verdict: Eh to meh. Definitely not a bottle, possibly a trade.

[Lethran]

In bottle: Yum! It does indeed smell like durian fruit meat and honey with brandy. It’s richly sweet and decadent. Wet: The brandy is a lot stronger on the skin, but continues to blend well with the honey and fruit. Dry: Sweet, sweet Durian. Delicious.

[CitizenBree]

In Imp and Wet: very strong cough syrup. I know very little about how durian fruit smells so I can't say how that factors in. I do know honey and it doesn't come across

 

Dry: on dry down, this is still all fruit. I'm not sure what fruit...maybe a peach/apple mix? Still no sign of the honey though.

 

Doesn't last very long. Maybe 2 hours tops.

 

Overall: if you like fruity scents, give this one a try.

 

 

 

[SophieCedar]

Wet: tangy fruit and brandy with a touch of the lab's honey note. It's very strong during this phase.

Drydown: the brandy booze smell mellows and I'm left with a green/brown/maroon tangy honey. Interesting but a bit sharp for my taste. It's a bit like sour patch kids rolled in cherry brandy.

[reynardine]

In the decant, I can really smell the honey. Upon application, the scent turns very sweet, almost candy-sweet. The brandy peeks out a bit, too. As it dries, the honey comes back. A bit cloying for me, so probably won’t get a bottle of this.

 

 

[proserpine]

From wet to dry, this smells exactly like a strong rum and Coke on me. I have no problems with the smell, but cannot think of when I would want to smell like a mixed drink.

[aquazoo]

I get a fruity brandy. With honey, of course. It's a candied fruit with a slight alcohol. It competes with the honey.

 

[ami226]

Sweet and creamy with a hint of sour. Not too bad, but not for me. I think it is the slight sour hint that is throwing me off.

 

Interesting blend though.

[Ajila]

In the bottle – An almost cherry/almond fruit flavour with a hint of alcohol in the background

 

Wet on me – A warm, almost herbal honey still with hints of almond and alcohol in the background

 

Dry on me – A rich, incensy honey

 

Overall – As with Doll’s Eye Infused Honey this is a surprisingly masculine honey. Deep and rich and quite unusual

[capncait]

i am an avid fan of food and travel shows, so when i was first read this as a limited edition, i wasn't clamoring to get it because all i could think of was, "i recognize that note... you mean that custard-like spiked fruit that smells like rot? no thanks."

 

well i got this as a tester in a swap, and i am glad i tried it.

 

it has this beautiful sweet custard smell with just a faint touch of apple to fruit it up a bit. initially, there is this really intense booze note, cause brandy wants all the attention and doesn't care where she is getting it from, but fear not, this bawdy lady calms down in a couple of minutes and realizes there is enough attention to go around.

 

after the booze fades, this is all sweet custard and honey (custard without being a dairy product. charmingly mellow and lovely).

 

if it lasted for hours, i would buy 4 bottles of this. sadly, it does not last on me. i always seem to be looking for a scent that puts me in an all-day alcohol-induced stupor, a la SMUT, but alas, this is not the cocktail for me.

Edited July 30, 2010 by capncait