Red Bean Paste and Wisteria

[doomsday_disco]

Fermented savory-sweet depth lifting sweet, hedonistic blooms.

[CrossRoadsCherokee]

I didn't know what to expect going in. I will admit, I was a little doubtful. I was wrong. This scent is absolutely beautiful. The red bean paste is only very present at initial application. Then the wisteria takes center stage. I feel like the red bean paste keeps the wisteria a bit grounded. It kind of lingers around the edges and peeks out shyly. These two scents work very well together. I am glad that I got a full bottle. I can see myself reaching for it often. 

[leptonpyr]

I too doubted and was pleasantly surprised. I expected the red bean paste to dominate and be a little too heavy and sweet, but this is a perfectly well-balanced blend and the overall effect is lovely in a way I could not have anticipated. Each time I sniff I can't tell whether the wisteria or the red bean paste is more forward, they seem to be rather perfectly balanced and equally present for me. It's a really pretty, light, springy wisteria that reminds me of catching a drift of blossoms on a passing breeze, woven together with a mild, chewy, almost nutty-earthy red bean (I think there's something about the nutty-chewiness that reminds me a lot of BPAL's rice accord, so if you're a fan of that, you may enjoy this one as well). The bean paste seems to keep the wisteria fresh and a little earthy rather than cloying. Red Bean Paste & Wisteria is very much 2 great smells that smell unexpectedly great together, keeping with the theme.

 

Very low throw, I can't really smell it unless my nose is quite close to my skin. Not sure about the longevity, I'm writing this within the first hour of putting it on. (Based on my experience with other BPALs with similar notes, I imagine it'll be short-lived, but I'll report back if I'm surprised again.)

Edited June 30 by leptonpyr

[OxfordComma]

Agreed, this is a really lovely wisteria over a nice creamy-crumbly red bean paste. The bean paste gives the wisteria a nice warm base to settle onto. Springy and fun! Decent throw for me, but nothing too crazy. Getting 'wafts from my wrist as I move around' type throw.  These duets have been really fun!

[doomsday_disco]

I blind bottled this one because I've been enjoying the Lab's red bean paste note and have found myself really enjoying wisteria in the past year, so since this features two notes I seek out, I figured it should be up my alley.

 

The wisteria in this is more heady than I'm used to and doesn't have the high-pitched quality it usually has in the other scents I have featuring that note. It's at the front of the stage, backed by the red bean paste, which again, is very accurate, and I believe it's the same one found in Peach and Red Bean Paste Hair Gloss. I also feel like there's a bit of breadiness with the red bean paste, like it's contained within a bun? But I only get that after it has been on the skin for several hours.

 

On me, this has great throw. I wore this to run some errands after sunset on a day with the temperature in the triple digits, and I'm sure the heat probably contributed to it having a ton of throw, but in any case, I was able to smell this scent on myself without having to lift my arm to my nose.

 

Although the headiness of the wisteria was unexpected for me, I do appreciate it with the earthy red bean paste and will be hanging onto my bottle.