Flor de Maga

[puck_nc]

The national flower of Puerto Rico. The proceeds of this scent support the Hispanic Federations Hurricane Maria relief fund. They have a stellar four-star rating on Charity Navigator, and one-hundred percent of the money that they receive go towards relief and recovery for people imperiled by Hurricane Maria.

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: It's floral, it's for a good cause, I'm gonna investigate. And my investigation found it is related to hibiscus, a flower I love and don't see enough of in perfumes.

In the Bottle: A full blast of hibiscus! A bit of white floral to it, a bit of greenness, but lovely tropical hibiscus.

Wet: A bit more green-y at first, with some generic flower-shop overload thrown in.

Drydown: Excellent. Both the green and the flower-shop back off and leave a rich, tropical hibiscus in their wake.

Verdict: I love it. If you love hibiscus or tropical florals, you should try it.

[Scylla]

Origin: Straight from the Lab

Initial Thoughts: I had no idea what this was going to smell like and straight up florals usually aren't my thing, but I wanted to donate to the relief effort so I thought I'd give it a try.

In the Bottle: STRONG, in your face tropical floral. I'm a little worried! There is definitely some white floral to it, a bit of greenery, but mostly a lush tropical hibiscus.

Wet: Still a bit strong and tropical, but rather than a bright red hibiscus it smells more like a white floral to me. I also smell some tropical greenery. It kind of reminds me of The Hanging Gardens crossed with Tiki Queen (but it has been a while since I smelled the discontinued Hanging Gardens). I'm liking it!

Drydown: Definitely worth the wait --it's a lovely, not at all overpowering tropical floral. I'm wearing it at work today, and it is very pleasant and totally appropriate for the office.

Verdict: I like it quite a bit, and that is saying something since I am not usually a big fan of straight up florals! If you love florals (and especially tropical florals), I'd definitely recommend it.

[Casablanca]

This smells so pretty in the bottle. It smells to me there like an aquatic tulip sort of Luper, with a light edge of hibiscus.

My first impression from the bottle was "aquatic honeysuckle," but I don't get the same depth. It reminds me more of Qui Aime Bien Châtie Bien (daffodil petals and lavender tulips, blonde woods, freesia, and a touch of pale honey) from last spring. There's just a little honey to it, and it's very spring flowers. Also a bit like Amsterdam.

On my skin, it begins the same, but the aquatic tone and tulip thing soon fade. It becomes more its own flower: soft and golden-coral, somewhere between tulip, honeysuckle, and hibiscus, not quite like any of them.

It's very soft once dried, a skin scent. I'm suckered.

[zankoku_zen]

This reminds me to a cross between honeysuckle and jasmine, with a bit of tropical aquaticness thrown in. It mainly codes as a type of jasmine flower to me, but as it dries down, I get more of the honeysuckle-like component and a bit more of the watery-ness comes out. Maybe hibiscus? If you're into either honeysuckle or jasmine, give this a whirl. Great throw and wear length.

[LizziesLuck]

I remember Googling what this floral ought to smell like when I first ordered it, but now I can't for the life of me remember what I figured it would be like. Too lazy to look again, so going in blind!

 

Wet: Oh dear lord, why??? Ugh, that's so bad. Heady jasmine soap. That's what it smells like so far on me. Ugh, man I did a bad Google. ICK.

 

 

Dry: I keep thinking "OMG what stinks?" and then realizing it's me. It doesn't smell exactly like jasmine, because there is no cat pee or feces happening here. But it's got that overly sweet, heady, sensual but also barfy thing happening. And it also smells like soap. Sexy barfy soap. It's like my brain is confused about how it feel about this. I think I don't want to wear confusing perfume, lol. It's a pass, for me. If you like jasmine though, this stuff is likely like crack.

[Carolan Ivey]

On first sniff, this made me smile. The first word that sprang to mind was "beach!" A little ocean, a lot of sunny tropical floral, a touch of suntan oil. After a while it dries to a jasmine/hibiscus white floral with an aquatic touch. I like it a lot.

[torikitty]

I think jasmine/hibiscus white floral is a good description. It goes on light and powdery, but my chemistry really brings out the floral notes, and makes it not enjoyable for me. This is a bit of a beachy vibe, I can see this smelling amazing on the right person.