Eastern Comma

[fetish911]

Sweet orange with tobacco absolute and hay.

Orange is the first note I get. I can smell the tobacco underneath with a slightly caramel-y base. As this dries the orange fades (as orange tends to do) and I can now smell the hay. So tobacco and hay! It's a sweet , grassy hay and a nice caramel tobacco. I like this one a lot too. Very well done!

[jarvenpa]

It's ORANGE. It's very very orange. As if you are being plunged into a vat of freshly squeezed orange juice. Which is really quite nice and refreshing. And then it is Orange with a touch of tan (which seeing the notes is obviously the hay and tobacco). It is a very visual sort of scent for me, the colors seem quite clear. And it is also quite a refreshingly pretty scent--but you really must like the scent of oranges.

[EnchantedMoon]

Wow, I have had good experiences with all of the Metamorphosis bottles I purchased. This is just.....hoard worthy. I love how the notes in these beautiful blends match the appearance of the butterflies. This butterfly is orange with contrasting brown on it's beautiful wings. This perfume oil is very much orange and brown. It is a comforting scent, that at the same time is bright and uplifting. The orange in this blend is a true orange, no artificial crap smell here. It is bright, but not overwhelming. The tobacco absolute and the hay soften the brightness of the orange, but not enough to make it disappear. The tobacco reminds me very much of the tobacco in the French Tobacco Single Note that I adore. It has a sweet brown scent. Combined with the sweet hay it hugs your skin and envelopes you in a warm calmness. I really find this perfume oil comforting and therapeutic.

 

5 stars!

[Ina Garten Davita]

When I sniffed this in the bottle this morning it reminded me so much of Orange that I had to grab my bottle and test them side by side. The top notes of bright, juicy orange are so similar!

 

Once that burst of orange fades away, they change. Orange goes all glittering floral and Eastern Comma goes all sun burnished and bronze. The tobacco and hay are wonderful, warm and smooth.

[KaytiAnne]

This is my favorite buy of the summer. I get lots of the tobacco in the dry-down, but the orange never really fades. SO pretty.

[OctoberGwen]

I adore this.

 

I love orange, I love tobacco. Hay sometimes gives me pause, but here it does little more than ground things and keep them anchored. The tobacco and sweet orange are perfectly balanced and equally prominent, with neither overpowering the other.

 

This is what Heaven smells like.

[Balame]

So good. Very horde-worthy. I got a big smile on my face as soon as I smelled this. It’s nostalgic for some reason, like when you were little and playing in a sunny field without a care in the world.

 

At first it’s a great big blast of sweet orange, literally like you just squeezed some. The juice is sticky and yummy and dribbling down your hands. Then as it dries you get wafts of beautiful, rich tobacco deepening everything and making it more grown up.

 

Finally the hay peaks out as a sort of wispy, sun-warmed grass. It’s lazy and indulgent and so, so beautiful. If you like French Tobacco and are even sorta’ okay with oranges, you must try this. Gold, warm and bright, it’s a perfect summer scent. I’m getting another bottle (or 3).

Edited November 30, 2014 by Balame

[FragranceLush]

At first this smells orange - all fresh orange like when you open a ripe juicy orange and it's running down your hands before you can eat it, with just the faintest hints of something else in the background, if you really look for it. But after that orange blast settles down (and largely disappears), what's left is amazingly gorgeous hay/tobacco that is all win-win to my skin and nose both. There are a lot of great scents in this update, but this one is my fav by far.

[dottie_doom]

I LOVE this so much, I could bathe in it. I tend to like most orange scents so it was no surprise that Eastern Comma did not disappoint. I just received this in the mail yesterday and fell in love as soon as I opened the bottle. The orange is so bright and fresh and the tobacco and hay make it a little spicy and smoky. It reminds me of spiced orange rinds... or maybe even a spicy orange tea.

 

My one complaint is that it seems to fade pretty quickly, especially the orange.. Perhaps that's just because I love the orange so much I want it to linger forever. Overall it is a beautiful scent.

[annemathematics]

Driven by my obnoxiously obsessive love of the orange note in the tal attraction oil and the early reviews citing heavy orange in this, I blind bought easten comma.

Oh my stars... It is amazing.

 

Now I know I love tobacco in my nose if it's coming from a bpal. Sweet sticky almost like a resin note, this is chewy and golden and rich and divine. The orange is as wonderful as in the tal, but is blended into the mix, supporting the whole, not the star to my nose as it was in attraction. The hay seems to be contributing mostly in terms of texture, adding a touch of bright and an element of dry to ground the whole thing.

I'm in love. Sweet sweet love.

 

as enchantedmoon said above, this is hoard worthy.

 

it does fade within about two hours. i've had this with other beloved bpals, but so far, when I've let each one sit for a few months, the throw and wear length have increased significantly. the challenge here will be to not go through the whole bottle of EC before that happens.

[Zii]

Wet: I grate a lot of orange peels for cooking and this is exactly what this smells like. Clearly and very orange, but with a kick of bitter slightly green sharpness that keeps this from going overly candied.

 

Drying: I think the tobacco is making this a little bit bitter. Still yummy and very true to the basic notes, but something is verging on Citri-Solv here. Now, I adore the scent of Citri-solv, mostly because it's a very true orange note, but it does have a chemical feel that I am getting a bit from this perfume. I think the hay is also starting to come out, giving this a slightly musty feel.

 

Dry: Oh yes, there's the hay. This is much nicer now. The chemical ick hanging around the middle stages totally revolved itself, and I am really loving this. It's rather low throw, but most citrus is like this. I can't see myself wearing this a ton, so I may not get a bottle, but it will be a great warm weather scent for sure, and I'm super glad I got it.

[Ella LaRose]

Right off the bat I get fresh peeled orange! But shortly after applying, the tobacco comes out to deepen things up. The hay lies underneath, just a dry, golden, summer feeling to the rich, sticky tobacco and bright perky orange.

The longer the wear the less the orange and more of the beautiful chewy tobacco!!

This is a strong tobacco note, and a more unisex scent. I can see this being amazing on a guy and drop dead power sexy on a woman!

[missnix]

This has been my surprise favorite of the two Metas I ordered (the other being Question Mark).

 

It starts with a very sweet, juicy orange that has impressive longevity for a citrus note. The tobacco blossoms shortly afterwards, and I sometimes have a problem with tobacco being too heavy / dark for me, but this is just lovely. It complements the orange nicely. I can't pick out the hay distinctly, but there's a definite soft, warm, and fuzzy aspect to this that is probably courtesy of that. No dusty or dirty smell that I feared might be part of a hay note.

 

I'm not a synaesthetic, but some BPAL blends have an obvious color in my mind, and this is definitely a vivid, ripe orange / fuzzy dark brown. I love this scent quite a lot

Edited September 27, 2014 by missnix

[Ilex]

It is a super juicy orange to start with. The orange really smells like the juice, not pithy or sharp. But it doesn't stick around on my skin for more than five minutes. Which is a real bummer, because I love the orange.

 

The tabacco is nice too, but after the orange bails its all tabacco, and that is a bit much. The hay may be sweetening things. Hay is not a note I can usually pick out, so it may be there with the tabacco, but mostly I read tabacco.

 

If the orange had stuck around for me I would have really been into this, but eh, not sure I need a bottle.

[Blood onmy hands]

For the first half hour, this is a strong, realistic orange. It smells just like peeling an orange and getting the juice and bitter rind scent on your hands. Reminds me of the King Mandarin single note.
After a half hour, this goes through a phase on me that's very creamy and delicately sweet (like a not-too-sweet vanilla). It reminds me of an orange creamsicle. The tobacco and hay come out to play with the orange and add a toasted, warm, slight spiciness to the whole thing. The scent starts to turn more dry and cologne-like and less creamy into this phase, like a mix or orange creamsicle and spiced orange pomander over dark tobacco and dry hay.
Finally, after an hour, the fragrance has completely settled into a dry, spiced orange pomander, dark and slightly smoky tobacco (reminds me a bit of burning leaves), and dry hay scent.
I like this one. The orange is pleasant and then the drydown is dark, tobacco-y, masculine, slightly spicy and autumnal. I think that this would be great on a guy. In fact, I am setting the bottle aside for my husband

[zankoku_zen]

Orange, hay and tobacco.

 

On wet, the orange is pretty predominant. And then you get peeps of hay and tobacco. It dries down to a hay/tobacco blend on me.

 

And my skin totally eats this up.

[Astarial]

In the imp, this is a very very realistic orange - zesty peel, bitter pith, and sweet juice. It's stunning how real it is. Once applied, some grassiness comes out from the hay and a hint of smoke from the tobacco, but it's still primarily a slightly bitter orange scent. Varies a little by location, though - orange is stronger in the crook of my arm, while on my wrist it's played down a little.

 

Dry, the bitter pithiness fades off and the orange melds more closely with the hay and tobacco. It's a warm, slightly smoky orange. This is a really lovely and comforting fall scent.

[sariasister]

In the imp, I get the fresh realistic orange that everyone else is describing, but as soon as it's on the skin, that changes. It smells very sweet, almost boozy on me. On drydown I get the hay but it's a very sweet, platonic ideal of hay. I've spent a lot of time in barns and on farms and it doesn't smell like a farm. It's sweet and pleasant.

 

It doesn't last forever; later in the day I get just a faint smell of the hay note on my shirt.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: Bright, bright orange, with a spot of darkness in the middle - I'm guessing that's the tobacco absolute. Not bad yet, but I'm still wary of tobacco. I've smelled some that are alright and I can breathe normally around them, and others just make me run the other direction (And don't get me started on cigarette smoke - it's the reason I refuse to try Deathrock.Goth).

 

Wet on skin: Same as above. I think I'm getting the hay in thee, too, but it's hard to tell.

 

Dried down: The tobacco is definitely coming out more in this stage, but I can still smell the orange. This seems to be a sweeter tobacco, of the "Yeah, I can probably take this, and maybe even learn to enjoy it" type. However... I'm also starting to get a headache. This may not be the fault of the perfume, but it;s not really helping any.

 

Throw: Light, sweet tobacco, and orange.

 

Verdict: *** I don't know yet? I kind of really want to like this, and I don't want to run away from it, but... I'm not loving it either. At least, not yet. I might hang on to my decant for another test (I really ought to find my decant of French Tobacco SN to test, but to be honest, I've been scared to test that one, too). I think maybe a second test when I'm not tired might help me get a better idea of what I think of this. And, you know, maybe aging will change it up a bit.

[Gateau]

The first thing I smell is a strong orange oil -- what sprays off the orange peel if you squeeze it. It's got that bitterness that I find more interesting than something that smells juicier. This combines incredibly well with the tobacco, which is the same sort of tobacco in the French Tobacco SN, so if you're a fan, check this one out. Those two notes just complement each other terrifically -- both strong enough to not drown each other out, with enough in common that they blend, but still show their distinctiveness. I do not really make out the hay as a separate note, but it may be blending with the caramelly warmth of the tobacco on the drydown. Seems to last fairly well, with the tobacco being the last note to stick around on me.

 

This is a good example of why I prefer blends with fewer notes than the ones with the long lists of components. I like getting to pick out the interplay of two or three things that really work well together. This is an interesting one to compare to Geisha in an Orange Kimono, which also blended orange with two other notes (sandalwood and tuberose) that play really well together.

[milo]

I recognize the tobacco from French Tobacco SN, which was 'OK' but I wasn't wowed by it. Combined with the orange, though, this is rather lovely. It is just the right ratio or orange and tobacco to make a lovely, sophisticated and sexy scent. I like this, but not love, and for me it has to be 'love' before I buy a bottle. I certainly wouldn't turn down an imp of it though, and may seek out more in the future.

[mineralgirl]

You bad enablers talked me right into this one and Question mark (which is coming in another order). I had zero interest in the Metas this year but you wouldn't shut up about them. LOL Wet, it's more about the hay.. it kinda worried me wet.. I didn't like it very much, but when it's dry.. it gets amazing...... I get a sweet hint of orange but not too tart or too fake ,, it's sweet but not cloying or anything. It's just beautiful.. subtle and sweet enough for this foodie but not so sweet that non-foodies won't like it.. it's tempered well with the tobacco/hay but they don't seem overly strong to me once it dries. I like it dry much better.. thankfully.

[Jangzonrice]

I really was debating between a half or whole decant of this. I'm very happy I went with the half.

 

Wet: orange and tobacco= orange caramel tobacco scent...beautiful!

 

Dry: the same beautiful scent ruined by the hay which gives it an air freshener twist

 

If it stayed in the wet stage, I would buy a bottle for sure, but the hay note saves my wallet!

[Adikia]

This is too real and too fantastic. The other metas had orange blossom which I've determined smells like cleaner on me :/ but this. THIS. This is true, sweet, juice running down your chin after a bite of a warm orange right from the sun filled grove. I am not a citrus girl in general but hay and tobacco are two of my favorites and here they play so well together with this realistic orange. As it goes throughout the day it smells a little like when my mom and I made clove oranges. Pushing little clove stems into the fresh peel. I still get the juicy sweet orange with just a hint of spice which I'm assuming is the hay and tobacco combo taking over. I think I'm going to need multiple bottles of this.

Edited October 14, 2014 by Adikia

[doublehelix]

The orange note in this one is much more dominant in me than question mark. It reminds me of a freshly zested orange, not orange crush or fakey kind of orange. The french tobacco note is a lovely addition. I definitely adore this a lot more to question mark, I have to say. The hay note isn't noticeable to me until its completely dry, and it helps to soften up the vibrant orange zest.