Carnal

[filigree_shadow]

Bold, bright mandarin paired with the sweet, sensual earthiness of fig.

 

At first it's almost entirely an orange scent that's quite strong. Then that fades out as the oil dries, and it ends up being a wonderful and nearly equal balance of rich fig and sweet bright mandarin. These are both among my favorite notes (especially fig), so I had assumed I would like this, and I definitely do. It's lush, round, and sweet -- divine!

 

Also it reminds me a bit of Freak Show, so anyone who likes Carnal should check out that one.

 

 

ETA Lab's description.

Edited August 2, 2006 by filigree_shadow

[smallvoice]

Tested thanks to quikslvr's general catalog swap!

 

This one is reminescent of Freak Show? I must try some! I tested this without checking the notes first.

 

In the imp: Very sweet! Once it hits my skin, it's more sweetness. Sugary lemon? Is that right? I know there's citrus in this, and my skin seems to be loving it. There's not a whole lot of throw, near as I can tell, but I probably didn't use enough, either. I'll experiment when I get my own. As it dries, florals peek out, but the citrus dominates. I really love this, and that's unexpected. I do wish it would last longer, but again; that could be due to application. This one hits my top 10 right away!

 

I don't know where I get florals from fig, but there you go. I think the fig grounds the citrus note extremely well, and it certainly adds depth and complexity to the scent. I still love thinking of this as sugared lemon. Mmm. It's good.

[SoapyRN]

What an odd imp on me. I opened the imp, frimped to me by a kind swapper, revomed the tape and smelled...tobacco leaf. This newly discovered imp came to me around 11:30pm so I was not going to get on the forum and find out the notes. I just figured that we were looking at a sweetish blend with some tobacco, perhaps leaves.

 

In the morning, I find that this is fig and mandarin orange. How odd. I liked the spicy and warm throw the oil has. I even put some on and dh loved it.

 

I was a bit dissapointed that it did not contain tobacco, as that is a note I try to avoid, hoped that this one changed that.

 

Oh well. Nice blend though

Edited August 6, 2006 by SoapyRN

[em_h]

Okay, for the latest bit of freaky skin chemistry ... on me, this smells like stewed tomatoes. Which is not an awful smell or anything, but it's not exactly what I think of when I think "carnal".

 

This one suffered the broken-cap problem too (this happened to 3 imps in my current order, luckily none of the ones I really liked), so if I can't pry out the remaining bit of cap I'll have to discard it. If I can, it's heading for the swap pile.

[hologhost]

Sweet orange - not like candy, but real oranges in sugar. It doesn't have much throw, though.

[Nemesister]

I'm not sure what fig smells like, but I thought I'd be able to pick the mandarin out.

 

to me, this smells just like March Hare. I guessed the main ingredient as being apricot then looked to see the description.....Mandarin and fig....No cigar, then!

 

It is lovely though. Totally different to how I thought it would smell. I imagined a dark, smoky Perversion type scent so fruity is a surprise!

Edited April 13, 2008 by TofuWarrior

[edenssixthday]

Carnal - The first time I tried this, I didn’t care for it. The second time I tried it, I didn’t care for it. But I tried it again about six months later, and I really dug it the third time around, and have continued to enjoy Carnal since then. This is such a bright citrus scent and I have discovered I’m absolutely in love with mandarin. The mandarin takes center stage when the oil is wet, and for about the first 45 minutes. At that point, the fig starts to come out and the scent takes on a deeper, fleshier sweetness. It is absolutely perfect for summertime. The throw is about average on me and I’m quite surprised that for a citrus blend, the staying power is pretty moderate.

[steffanina]

Carnal-

 

In Bottle: I get a spicy candle scent. For a few seconds here and there I can't smell anything! It's like it just disappears.

 

Wet: I smell spice, like a clove orange, like Christmas! If this is Carnal, it's the carnal of an eastern harem, not of motel rooms or cute bubble-gum chewing young harlots. This is a not-ashamed, everyday, we-live-with-our-sensuality-most-naturally carnality.

 

Dry: I still get candles and Christmas. It's nice, though--it would be downright delicious, in fact, but I can't shake that waxy feeling, to go along with the candles, though. The scent itself fades before long.

 

Overall: Okay. I'll try it again in greater quantity.

[copyshopclerk]

In the imp: Orange, but sweeter - like a fruit salad

 

Wet: Sweet orange, but with a spice, almost like cloves. Definitely something Christmassy about it (I noticed I'm not the only one to think that!)

 

Dry: Somewhat reminds me of March Hare, though this one is lighter and doesn't remind me of candles as much as that one does

 

An orange I like! Very fresh.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is all fruit and metallic

 

once applied this is orange peel grounded with fig...amazing....

 

after 10 to 15 minutes this gets a spicy edge that is so lovely...

 

really unique blend

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

impsniff: a freshly opened pack of Marlboro Golds. (don't ask me, i don't understand it, either)

 

skinsniff, wet: sweet sweet orange slices (almost like the candy ones rolled in sugar), with a bit of the almost-black-coconut that is figgy goodness.

 

skinsniff, dry: figgy mandarin oranges. yum.

doesn't sound like it would be, but it is SO good.

 

it reminds me of something, though, but i can't quite place it!

[Medox]

An earthy orange -- to me it smells exactly like Bigelow's Constant Comment tea. Luscious and comforting all at once.

[UberAlice]

In the imp: oranges, a slightly darker fruity note (must be the fig), with a very very slight unlit incense note...you know how the perfume is sweeter on an unlit stick versus the smoke? It's kind of like that.

 

Wet: Definitely smell the oranges, and a little bit of the fig. It's a little bit overbearing though and starts to smell slightly plastic-y.

 

Dry (3 hours): Wow, that plastic note came out of nowhere...it's almost slightly minty now but doesn't settle well on my skin. The oranges are still quite lovely and the fig is just a whisper now. Not much throw at all. Sadly the incense note has disappeared.

 

I didn't hate it, but I wasn't crazy over it either, so I swapped out.

[fiddledragon]

I adore fig, and can generally wear citrus well, so I had high hopes for this one. But from wet to dry, this is the exact smell of a Michael's craft store...all those scented potpouri thingies and dried "flowers" and stuff like that. Or some kind of really generic scented fall candle. So sad.

[blackrosepassion]

Iniatial impression: Bright happy, sweey citrusy manadrin. A foody scent

 

While wearing: Creamy fig, sickly sweet almost smells like a childs lollie.

 

Conclusion: Too sweet I could only stand it on for about 15 minutes after that I had to wash it off as it was making me feel sick. Dissapointing as on first sniff all I could think of was Yum. Out of all that I have tested this is the first one to end up in the swaps/sell pile.

 

Rating: 2/5

 

Would buy: No

[nancybridget]

Pink bubblegum and orange lollipops. A dash of creamy vanilla accord swirled in.

 

Delish!

[supremegoddessofall]

Practically non-existent. I get a light fruity, but nothing distinct. I think my skin ate it. Will need a retest later. My girlfriend says it smells like dried Hawaiian punch.

[PilotKitten]

Mmm... bold mandarin orange with just the most wonderful touch of fig to settle it. Oh yummy! Another bottle buy for this one for sure!

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a few words/smilie: Orange fig.

 

In the imp: Orange, and something darker, almost... metallic? Odd.

 

On skin, wet: Orange! Not a sweet, cool, lush orange, but more of a darkened, earthy orange. Someone above mentioned it, but it really does remind me of Bigelow's Constant Comment tea.

 

On skin, dry: Oranges and earthy fig! As I distinguish each note separately, I love them, but together... well, there's something about the orange-fig combination that just doesn't settle well on my skin.

 

Conclusion/Notes: As I said, individually, the notes are lovely; together, they're just not. Carnal isn't for me, sadly.

[tempestteapot]

I had been putting off trying this one for a while. I just didn't think that I was going to like it all that much.

 

 

I put it on and I was in fruit heaven. The manderine was light and sweet, but the fig had a nice deep dark note to it that just make it more 'full' I love it!

[buzz23666]

Talk about expecting one thing an sniffing quite another.

 

I didn't look at the notes for this one beforehand. Maybe i should have. LOL

 

It's clementines when wet and then it turns into orange hard candies.

 

Not my cup of tea but quite a cheery scent.

[forspecial_plate]

Starts out candy-like orange that reminds me of some suntan lotion I remember from when I was little. As usual the citrus fades...although this one stays around a little longer than normal for me. The fig comes forward and yes, it does smell sensual. Still a little sweet for me to enjoy on a regular basis.

[zankoku_zen]

I get honest mandarin with whiffs of fig... from the start to the finish.

 

I have to love this one for it's simplicity. It's bright, sunny, juicy and comforting without being overwhelmingly sweet or floral or some strange deviation thanks to my wonky skin chemistry.

 

I'm not sure I would ever buy a bottle of this (I'm too much of a floral/aquatic girl at heart) but it's very, very pretty. And the more I smell it, the more I'll keep the imp!

 

ETA: Tried it again today and found that it was too "jam-like" for my tastes. Sniffing it also makes me very hungry. It's very pretty still. So torn about what to do...

Edited January 9, 2007 by zankoku_zen

[juniperus]

Bottle: baby aspirin. orange baby aspirin.

Wet: the same, moving slightly from aspirin to a foodier orange

Dry: much the same - no fig, yet, and still artificial-smelling

Later: a hint of the fig, but really it's still dominated by baby aspirin, not canned oranges, fresh oranges, or any other oranges. Alas.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Very bright mandarin indeed.

 

Wet: Mandarin, still, tart and sparkly

 

Drydown: Still very mandarin but there's also the thick and sticky sweet scent of fig adding to it. The two combine into a juicy sweet fruit scent.

 

Overall: It would make a good wash, but it's not a scent that I would like to wear as a perfume. It's maybe too bright and happy for me. A simple blend, but very pleasant.