rivetted

i really thought i'd like this one more as the description had me thinking "dark & mysterious lavender" but..... it's kind of fallen flat for me. 

to be fair, i could see a lot of people liking this one.

it's very feminine - the comparison to a department store perfume counter is pretty accurate for me, unfortunately!

the lavender in this is the dominant note & it lends itself to be a somewhat sharp top note too, which i think is part of where that dept store perfume association is coming from.  

it could also be that the leather note in this is one of the sharper types. 

in any case - i dont get much from this that i was looking for, like "smoky", or black tea, sweet oud, cashmere musk, oakmoss..... they're in there, but they are hiding too much for me!

i adore this scent. it's the calming, light, and sexy "opium den & lavender" scent.

someone in a flapper dress would wear this. someone who looks HOT in a flapper dress would wear this. 

ALSO

i don't get the whole "chocolate"/opium references. i dont get any of that - i think it may just be how certain people's noses perceive it tho? 

to be quite honest, this smell is on the exact opposite range of "chocolate" smelling things to my nose.

this is light, delicate, "almost-floral-but-not-quite" 

honestly none of these descriptions do this scent justice. it's simply gorgeous. 

need a backup bottle 100%

EDIT: 

i just woke up & i had a better description of See Thyself -

hummingbird sugar water

does that make sense???? you know those hummingbird feeders that you put sugar water in?? slightly floral ambiance but mostly sweetened sugar water???

okay that ALSO doesnt *quite* do it justice but honestly it is kinda accurate lmfao

like it NEVER goes powdery.

its ethereal (lavender) and fresh (sugar water) but still heavy (the opium) 

like i probably never wouldve "picked" a scent with these descriptions but here we are. it's so smooth. 

one of those "overall sum of it's whole are greater than the parts alone" type of things

flappers, hummingbirds. she's got it all.

a peaceful & refreshing scent. definitely a cold scent.

also a lot less sharp than i thought it could be, honestly. it feels softened or rounded out by something that is almost creamy - like white tea perhaps? perhaps it is the davana? im not very familiar with davana, but the internet tells me it smells like tea! 

this really strongly reminds me of one of the Lupers from this year, Since There's No Help. People who liked that one would be happy with this as well, I think. 

oh my god it's amazing

lavender cardamom cookies. i swear i made lavender cookies that smelled just like this once. i adore it so much!!

this one was so subtle & light when it showed up that i wasn't sure if i'd ever use it.

however, i can now say that as it's sat, it has developed into something quite smooth and lovely.

this is predominantly a sandalwood scent. very calming, grounded, peaceful. 

kinda love it.

smells like stepping out of a fresh bath that is full of fancy lavender bath salts!

wow am i glad i read that first review and decided to snag myself a bottle off the forums here. 

i absolutely should've jumped on a bottle from the release when i had the chance.

i can be a little skeptical of "fruity" scents - but this one is kind of amazing. i totally didn't expect to love it so much!

the pomegranate is dominant, earthy and red and dark.

the "peach pulp" keeps it very fresh and ripe smelling.

the black musk however, centers it down in this really lovely & heavy way.

dark and juicy and ripe. mmm. 

((it doesnt smell like a recognizable floral to me - but i think im not super familiar with (spicy) geranium either.))

absolutely vibing with the "dark indian summer romance" description from above. 

this is hot, and lana del rey would wear this in her video of the song "Ride"

Very fresh. Cement and water, some moss. 

I would describe this as a very clean & refined aquatic! 

A hint of cucumber water, clean metal. 

I don't get very much smoke or murkiness from this one unless I really look for it, though it does have a complex background. The top notes remain very clean.

Definitely unisex, easy as a daily wear scent.

I think this reminds me a bit of Juniper Hairstreak, except less fruity, and just more of a refreshing and clean aquatic. (from what i recall, that one has cucumber & smoky brown musk, so i feel like they are related!)

i sent a tester to llanval because it's so worth the scent experience, even for folks like me who hate foodie scents - and i just had to come back and add - i swapped my bottle with someone, and immediately regretted it, and went and got myself another bottle. i dont even wear scents like this!! but i want to just open it and smell it again because it's just that unique and lovely~

go try it!!

Quote

17-year aged black patchouli, champaca flower, cardamom bud, green coriander, Haitian vetiver, red vegetal musk, black pepper, night-blooming jasmine, and leather.

i have to admit, that when this arrived fresh from the lab a few months ago, i wanted to get rid of it immediately. 

the black pepper was INTENSE.

i could tell there was something really beautiful behind it, though, so i stashed it away and remained sad but slightly hopeful. 

i pulled it out again recently and started getting very curious. it wasn't nearly as harsh anymore, and seemed smoother, much more blended. the black pepper had figured out how to not scream so loudly, and some dark patchouli had come out to play.

i finally gained the courage to try it out today.

this is a heavy scent. it is dark & powerful, moody & sexy.

i can't see myself wearing it all the time, but definitely when i want something really heavy. probably more often a wintertime scent, when im wearing lots of layers, as i'll want something that i can still smell through all my clothes. it is a very comforting smell when i'm in the mood for it, and i could see it bearing some resemblance to The Witch/Strega, though less sweet. 

2 hours ago, Llanval said:

I read your full write up and definitely changed my mind on Imayo Irokumi No Ito, lol.  I really am looking for stand-out scents and "fancy grass" isn't high on my priority list, especially as it sounds like a skin-close, low throw scent. I'd much rather roll the dice on something more unique. Now, I'm switching it for Ripping Water in a Stone Basin.  I had this one initially as a purchase but several reviews said it turned into men's deodorant or arctic blast, which ew no thank you, but I love juniper berries and mountain pine scents (fav being Theoi Nomioi). So the pine scent over the grass scent is likely a better bet.

 

BUT!!! I scrolled your swap list/wishlist and would be very happy to potentially trade away some bottles.  I will be picking up Rippling Water in this August order, which I see is on your duplicate bottle list.  If it goes men's cologne/arctic blast on me, I would be very happy to trade for Imayo Irokumi No Ito.  If that does not work, I am picking up Altarpiece No.1 - Group X in my September or October order and if this scent does not work on me or I am not thrilled with it, I would again be happy to trade this bottle as well. Any scent that has reviews tending towards "this went cologne on me" are always scents that I seem to consistently end up not enjoying/full on hating. If either of these bottles go cologne on me, I am more than happy to swap.

 

Genuinely I have no idea what I'm doing, ahaha - I haven't even put up a list of my own stuff, as I'm only *just* starting to be a more frequent collector.  I don't understand decant circles or swaps, so if I've missed an etiquette step, sorry!

 

Thank you both for sharing your experiences with Shunga 2021, I really really appreciate the in-depth suggestions, they've been super helpful in adjusting my orders (and expectations, lol) and planning for future orders!!!

Hah! I really wanted to like Imayo Irokumi No Ito - but yeah. Really fancy spa grass? No idea, man.

But I'm glad my notes could help provide some insights on the bottles! I will say Rippling Water wasn't an immediate hit for me - I think the "bright" note they are talking about is pepper. But once the pepper calmed down, it was suddenly my absolute favorite? out of all of them?? i really do love that one. (but i also enjoy when pepper is blended well with scents i enjoy! not all pepper is crazy strong)

and as for if you end up wanting to swap with me - i'm not too picky, and it doesn't *need* to be an item on my wishlist that i swap for. (though if it ends up being either one of those bottles i will absolutely be stoked)  

you can also just share a list of any of the bottles/imps you've got on hand that aren't your keepers - i like trying new stuff, and i was also absent from paying a lot of attention to collection releases for a number of years, so i don't even know the names of every bottle i'd like to try yet! (at least that's how i see it)

feel free to message me about shungas or other questions!

i'll admit i'm also newer to the forums, but i have been lurking here a *lot* the past few months hahaha

@Llanval

i made a blog-thing where i went through my impressions of *almost* all of this year's shungas (i skipped out on three of them) which you could find here: 

I've also got a swap post up - if you wanna swap shungas with me, i've got some i'm moving along.

i know i could swap imayo irokumi no ito, & kimi ga dai wa at the moment - link to full post is in signature  

i'd say - on some of the other ones you're curious about -

- i left ecstatic dancing penises at my boyfriend's house - he likes it! i like it too, actually - but i'm not sure it's one i'd wear super often personally.

- butterfly dancer is really lovely! one of my first stand outs, but i also still can't decide if i actually would wear it. it's very feminine - *not girly* but feminine. i would suggest that butterfly dancer does not smell like a victorias secret (havent been in one in years) because the only smell i can conjure up when i think about victorias secret is very fake-perfume-smelling, and butterfly dancer is so much more subtle, complicated, and lovely than those denatured/diluted fake mall perfumes.

Allow me to digress for a moment;

I've been learning recently that I dislike leather. 

Which is such an odd thing for me to say, because - I was primarily a leather worker, for years.

I carried around large rolls of leather through many different studios and living situations - even sleeping with large half hides rolled up in my bed next to me when there was no where else to put it. Simply put: I *love* the smell of leather.

And yet.

Leather as a perfume note is often harsh and chemical smelling to me. As if they were only trying to recreate the scent of chemical dyes, sadly.

One more thing I love that I simply can't stand as a perfume, I guess. (that, and like, any food smell, really)

Alas. 

This perfume is **gorgeous** smelling.

The entire digression is because I was so keenly aware of the leather scent - I had ordered a leather-scent-heavy heaping of bottles recently, only to learn that most of them are quite harsh smelling to me. BUT NOT THIS ONE.

This one is the winner out of many leather-heavy scents.

It is the perfumed essence of wood & skin & blood & ink, & somehow reminiscent of sitting in a tattoo parlor, watching a lady who is having a massive backpiece worked on. Really striking, honestly.

It's comfortable, the type of thing I could wear on a cold morning as I make my tea, or on a warm evening as I sit reading a book, or just before I head out to a date.

Unisex, and sexy.

Mmmmmm i adore this indigo scent so much. It's*almost** powdery but not quite, as it somehow remains smelling wet, slick, swampy. That might not sound delicious but it truly feels victorian and seance-y to me. It feels spiritual in an inky, dark-as-night type of way. 

It doesn't have the longest staying power on my skin, but I don't mind reapplying it. It also works just as well right before crawling into bed when i don't need it to last as long anyway.

This smells like evil bubblegum. 

There, I said it.

Purely evil evil bubblegum.

No idea what's going on here.

i left this one at my boyfriend's house! i think it's more for him than me personally. he tried it on immediately once he smelled it, so i'd call that a hit too.

it's quite nice, and could certainly be described as unisex however.

smells like an expensive, woody, subtle men's cologne.

but the "cologne" note that i sometimes find to be off-putting is not present in this one, as it's much more natural smelling & pleasant. no harshness.

 i actually really like this one.

i just keep wishing it were stronger, as it seems to be in the "too faint to be noticed much on my skin chemistry" category for me

maybe it will age to be a bit stronger!

 i really love forest smells, and i was excited for this one, but i think the rose throws me off? I honestly thought i'd like this one more.

the forest isn't quite strong enough for me, and the rose is disappointingly powdery. 

i could really see a lot of people liking this one though, i think it just wasn't quite what i was expecting or looking for personally!

i was excited about this one, and it is lovely, but i think it may be too light to stand out on my skin chemistry.

very soft, subtle & fresh green tea smell. pleasant, calming.

still really nice, so i'll wait to see if it ages into something slightly stronger.

oof, this one is too sickly sweet for me. very girly, very pretty.

i couldn't try it on my skin - too too too sweet for me. 

WOW BAM FLORALS! super fresh & springtime. i like it a lot, but i'm personally hesitant to wear florals this strong, as they're not quite my thing!

definitely more of a "freshly showered" floral or even just "freshly bloomed" floral than a "powdery" floral though! that's definitely part of what makes this so good.

my boyfriend described this as a "fancy japanese spahouse" scent, and after some consideration i have to agree with him. 

i don't think i was quite into it at first, but i do like it more now.

there's the fresh cucumber water at the spa, smoke & light incense, a bit of a "greenery" backdrop.

i left this one at my boyfriend's for him to try, but i may steal it back 👀

gender-neutral scent, leaning towards the masculine side perhaps.

 I initially hated this one but I will say this one has calmed down a lot in the past month! It's already gotten much nicer, so I'm still a bit curious about it tbh

it's strong, the pepper comes through right away. once the pepper has faded, i can feel the more subtley blended "japanese barhouse at night" smells. 

warm, resiny, & foresty. definitely in my favorite categories of smells, so i knew this would be a winner.

i love how sophisticated this one is, the green tea & smoldering pine really come through.