Kingsport

[urbanruralferal]

Salty ocean breezes touched by a numinous, incandescent mist.

I am sorry to say that this smells like....
one of those Swiffer wet pads...
and I can't even get past this association. I have to go run to wash it off.
Off to swap.

[PurringPulsar]

Kingsport

 

In the imp: barley water with salt. Yes that’s right. You know that Robinsons orange/lemon squash that is usually served at children’s parties? This smells like it, but with salt. How odd.

Wet on skin: still that sugary lemon/orange soft drink smell, but with sea spray underneath. a strange scent, but I quite like it.

Dry: hmm, this is like sweet, cool, lemonade mist drifting over the choppy sea. I can’t describe this any other way. It’s a mix of that almost citrusy ozone scent with a hint of sugared effervescence, with salty ocean waves crashing on the beach. It’s misty and humid, and I also detect hints of white floral. At times it reminds me of Sea of Glass, but whilst that was crystal clear and serene, this is cloudier and with a feel of spray, yet also warm…but it also makes me think of clean laundry on the beach, drinking lemonade at the seaside.

After a while: now I get a scent of laundry, a sweet clean laundry scent, like Dirty’s floral-fruity fresh washed linen scent, but with a strong lemonade note and misty marine ozone. I quite like this!

Verdict: this was a weird one, but quite pleasant! It smells like a diverse mixture of misfit notes-orange squash, sea spray and clean laundry with lemonade, sugared florals and ozone! It’s sweet and salty, fresh and humid, warm and cool-a scent full of contrasts. But, despite the oddity of such notes being together, the combination smells quite nice. It’s a summery and refreshing sea scent, not as crystalline as Sea of Glass and a lot more ‘muggy/foggy’ in feel, but the scent of lemonade on the beach with just-cleaned beach towels is just perfect for summer. I’m glad I have a decant.

Emoticon rating:

[edenssixthday]

Kingsport is a really pretty aquatic. Most of the time I can’t wear aquatics, but this one works. It reminds me of some years back, when I lived near the ocean, and the scent of the salt water would waft through my windows, and on foggy, June Gloomy days, the scent of the ocean would be carried inland a ways. This smells just like those foggy, June days when the air is chilly and fog is pervasive, and when you are actually on the water, the sea spray leaves a salty taste upon your lips. Honestly, I’m surprised that this isn’t the scent Beth created in honor of June Gloom. This smells so much more like the real June Gloom than the scent that’s called June Gloom. But really, I’m not here to second-guess Beth. After all, what do I know about making perfume oil blends? This one has a really nice level of throw and lasts for a couple of hours before I have to reapply.

[Reedsong]

On first application of Kingsport, I was immediately reminded of Sweet Tarts candy, for some reason, and while distinctly not pleased - if something smells like candy on me, I usually wash it off with a shudder - I decided to let this one lie for a while.

 

About ten minutes in, the aquatic/breeze notes started to emerge, and then, like the little imp creatures in Galaxy Quest, they went dark. This is the water that the evil sociopath pushes his girlfriend into in the Lifetime movie-of-the-week. This is the water into which a young child in a horror movie stares and solemnly intones, "Something bad happened in there." This is the water you wade in before diving deeply down to "Death's aquatic throne" in City in the Sea; in fact, I'd almost call this more deadly than City in the Sea, since it has a certain beguiling, tempting sweetness to it.

 

I get seaweed and deep water from this, as well as breezy sweetness, which is strange, given the description. I think my skin makes everything turn darker and more evil than it really is, though. There's probably a lesson in that.

 

Kingsport: Continuing my undefeated Springtime in Arkham streak! Woohoo!

Edited June 19, 2006 by Reedsong

[Diana]

This is very aquatic. But strangely, this is one I can wear! It goes on smelling fairly cool and aquatic, with a hint of sweetness & a small hint of something that smells cologne-like in the basenote (maybe a citrus?). It lasts all day, and has descent throw to boot.

 

I really like this, but I have but a wee imp, and tracking down more is difficult.

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Salty fresh ocean air!

 

On me: Oh, this scent on me is true to the scent in the vial. This is simply gorgeous! It reminds me of being out on the open seas, smelling the salty spray - but this scent is a tad stronger, and concentrated into a lovely bottle.

 

Verdict: Amazing. Never giving this one up!

 

Rating: 5/5

[forspecial_plate]

My first bpal scent, and my first review!!

 

first impression: Sharp, clean, almost dizzying soapy scent. Very reminscent of some men's cologne, or soap, or aftershave. Sporty and masculine.

 

settling in: The sharpness backs off pretty quickly, still a soapy smell, but the saltiness comes forward (wow...this is that morphing everyone talks about! cool!). As time goes by the saltiness remains, actually making me thirsty the first time I wore this! Also it made me long for a sweet/fruity scent the same way that salty food makes me want a sweet icy drink.

 

hours later: Faded faster than I expected. All that's left is this faint sex/salty smell, and honestly it *almost* reminds me of the play-doh smell that people talk about in here (which to me isn't a bad thing). Actually I can barely tell anything's there.

 

bottom line: Basically this reminds me of Irish Spring soap, or something similar. I can see wearing it in a formal setting. Very masculine to me.

 

edited: On second wear I liked this a lot more, and also put on more. So it lasted a lot longer. I will definitely enjoy the rest of the imp!

Edited June 29, 2006 by tom

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: This is exactly salty ocean breeze. It reminds me of a Body Shop room oil I had once, very refreshing.

 

First on: It's very strong and slightly cologne-y smelling, but it's still that room oil scent, perfect for such hot humid weather.

 

Drydown: The cologne-y scent is still there, unfortunately. It's exactly the same though, it doesn't change at all.

 

Overall: I think if it had lost that cologne scent I would have loved it as a room oil, but it's a bit too much for me and I'll probably just sit on it. To a new home it goes!

[delicate_fangs]

At first I got very strong high notes of floral, and something else, which turned out to be aquatic, salt spray. Unfortunately, while it is a lovely ocean scent, it's just too much in the high range for me. I'll swap it to somebody who'll give it a good home.

[steffanina]

Kingsport:

 

In Bottle: Pleasant, salty aquatic.

 

Wet: Aquatic, smells a lot like Pool of Tears, but a little more lemony.

 

Dry: Sigh. I want so much to like aquatics more. I keep thinking I should! I love water, I love the sea, I love beaches...what's my problem? But they are all a little sharp and eye-watering for me, and I will have to use them in limited quantity. This is not the fault of this scent, though--it's a nice aquatic, though Sea of Glass is presently my favorite aquatic.

 

Overall: A strong aquatic; a little strong for me.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Very sweet ozone, a bit like fizzy water with syrup.

 

Wet: Still sweet, light ozone. And ouch, freshwater aquatics headache!

 

Drydown: It's the sweetest ozone blend I have yet to sniff, slightly fruity somehow. It also smells fizzy, and I can smell the vanilla scent of dark musk. The aquatics come back to add a really fresh and misty touch.

 

Overall: It is evocative of its description, but it's not something that I find particularly pleasant to smell. Obviously it doesn't help that I'm pretty much allergic to the freshwater aquatic in this blend so it tends to give me a headache.

[supremegoddessofall]

Sounds like it's going to be an aquatic, which doesn't bode well for me. Yup, it's an aquatic, and a fairly strong one at that. Definitely has a salty feel to it. However, for all that it is strong, it's not overpowering, and there's something soft and pretty floating along with the aquatics.

[The_Witching_Hour]

In the vial: a salty aquatic mixed with a sweet ozone.

 

On my skin: this is so 'salty' I almost get a seaweed feel from it. It borders on fresh/sporty to salty and somehow dark. There is a note in here that lurks underneath that gives it an edge that I can't pinpoint.

 

Drydown: the murky and deep feeling faded off after an hour and I'm left with an ocean spray, slightly salty scent. This sticks close to the skin but has amazing lasting power. A must have if you like ocean-fresh scents.

[batsy]

In the vial: salty ozone. Kinda like a beach after a rainstorm.

 

On the skin: There's a citrus in this. And while most aquatics kill me outright, this one isn't. It's rather lovely, light and airy. The ozone and citrus are key notes. I can honestly say this aquatic didn't send me screaming!

[fountaingrl]

I can say wholeheartedly this is the most aquatic blend I have ever smelled. Unfortuantely, it has both the good aspects (salt tang, ozone, watery 'blue' feel) of an oceany blend, and also the 'ick' parts that a seaside image calls up. On me, this smells like water, and marsh/salt air, and sand, and maybe dry sea oats or waterside plants that are drying because of summer heat, but also there is a bit of brackish "underside of the dock" to this. I get a brackish, dank, almost mildewed undertone to Kingsport that turns my stomach. I swapped this away after only one try.

(edited for spelling because I am undercaffeinated today)

Edited May 27, 2007 by fountaingrl

[KaliVerra]

This is the water that the evil sociopath pushes his girlfriend into in the Lifetime movie-of-the-week. This is the water into which a young child in a horror movie stares and solemnly intones, "Something bad happened in there."

 

Excellent!

 

I LOVED Kingsport... at first... Back in the day, when Shub was a rarity to be bought with a slice of one's soul, Dreadeddragon was sweet enough to decant an imp for me in a trade... I found another imp on eBay (ahem, slice of soul + a couple of fingers), an empty bottle, and a partial of KINGSPORT! Oh happy hamburger day!!

 

I tried Kingsport and it was beautiful on me... when I closed my eyes, I saw deep, murky, blue-green depths... with swirls of midnight and sweeping milky tentacles of rubbery flesh reaching up to grasp squeeling girl legs... I saw a dilapidated shack and a ramshackle pier with salty old fishermen regaling the yeowens with tales of the beasts of the deep! Oh, I reveled in it!!

 

And then... THE INCIDENT occured.

 

There were a couple of drops in the Shub bottle... I wanted to decant them into the imp that Dreadeddragon made for me to make up for what I had used up... I was working in the half-dark... I had my SIA bottles next to eachother in the box... I GRABBED KINGSPORT and put it in my mostly full SHUB DECANT. I was beyond sad. PO'd at myself. The bottles looked practically identical and I GRABBED THE WRONG ONE. UGH.

 

So, my love of Kingsport is over for the time being... I still haven't gotten over it (and it has been quite a while). Just the memory of those two scents mingling... buh.

 

Dreadeddragon, I think I know the exact Body Shop oil you mean: Oceanus! It's a fave of mine...

 

Rambling on....

xo-

Kali

[jessu]

This is not water so much as the sky before a storm on the beach. Holy ozone! NOT aquatic, just ozone. I like ozone and all, but this just wasn't what I was expecting. It's like a stronger and slightly salty Lightning, and I like Lightning better. To swaps!

[zankoku_zen]

At me, this had an ozoney aquatic tang a la Irish Spring. Now, I get almost an incensey base to it - warm and strange.

 

This is definitely a masculine scent on me. Unfortunately, the husband is not into the ozones, so I know this isn't one that would appeal to him.

 

Dark murky seas that you don't know what is lurking in them? Oh yes.

 

I think I'm just going to stay a landlubber though.

[martiangurll]

At me, this had an ozoney aquatic tang a la Irish Spring. Now, I get almost an incensey base to it - warm and strange.

 

This is definitely a masculine scent on me. Unfortunately, the husband is not into the ozones, so I know this isn't one that would appeal to him.

 

Dark murky seas that you don't know what is lurking in them? Oh yes.

 

I think I'm just going to stay a landlubber though.

 

 

Agreeing with the above, especially the Irish Spring part. I so wanted to get salty seaspray from this. And I do like ozone, but I wonder if its possible to amp Ozone? This blend stayed the same on my skin throughout the six hours or so it was with me--straight ozone with a slight aquatic twist. I did not get salt or florals or incense. It wasn't quite soapy, but clean aquatic with MAJOR OZONE. I am wondering if it was just THAT TIME OF THE MONTH. Well, I will try it again and I hope I get storm clouds over the ocean--which is what I was hoping for instead of ozoney aquatic. I can definitely see the cheap cologne comparison also--which annoys me since I had to sell a kidney to get my partial bottle of this.

 

Well, I will try again at another time of the month, and report back if I get something different. If not, I guess this is going to swap pile. Darn you Kingsport--I wanted to love you. I guess Thalassa will have to do until I find my stormy ocean scent.

[nightbiscuit]

To my nose, this is a very simple, clear, bracing aquatic. Refreshing, and definitely unisex. I was expecting more saltiness , but this is actually very lightly sweet, from the ozone/mist note.

[CynicalPink]

Still searching for my perfect aquatic. And "The Festival" is one of my favorite Lovecraft stories (text from it is pasted in to my BPAL box) so I'm really excited to have a decant.

 

Imp: Sweet aquatic. Much less "in your face" than Water Phoenix

 

Wet: Still a nice smooth aquatic. Clear and cold. I must be fond of ozone, because I'm really quite enjoying this.

 

Drydown: Still a really nice, light aquatic. I can get the ozone on the tail end of a deep sniff and it's pretty cool.

 

Overall: I like it! I'd like to have a nice, wearable aquatic for those days that I'm looking for something along those lines. I think this will fit the bill quite nicely

[fairnymph]

Sniffed: Sweet, salty, and fresh! I get something minty, and some melon, almost a candied honeydew like in Earth Rat. A touch soapy in a nice clean way, and some sort of musk, maybe green musk, gives it a bite.

 

Wet: More heavily salty-aquatic. A little less sweet/fruity. Loads of ozone - this is really zingy and incredibly breezy. I get the same clean-breezy-airy note that is the bulk of Yog-Sothoth, overlaid with the musky ocean, ozone, and hint of fruit.

 

Dry: The melon is now more the watery-cucumber cool note that's in Blue Moon 04. I also definitely think there is green musk in this - I get the same sort fresh, slightly cologney and slightly sharp note from Serpents, Pollution & 51. I'm also getting a little bit of a fruity floral that I really think is freesia, which reinforces the 51similarity.

 

Later: Definitely some freesia - and it's holding so nicely, which is good because the melon note is sadly faint. This isn't going too soapy or harshly musky, and the saltiness is perfect. It's a little sweeter in a nebulous, clean-air sort of way.

 

Summary: It fades a lot, and is rather low-throw, which makes me very sad as I absolutely love it and find it very evocative, sort of soothing and refreshing and sexy all at once. It's oceanic and bright but also subtle. While it's like many scents I own and love, it's utterly unique, too.

 

A new favourite - oh why must it be so rare, and require such slathering? *wrings hands*

 

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Hmm.. very green and salty, and definitely evocative of that incandescent mist that you get on the ocean - I think its more a winter's day mist, rather than that early morning mist you get on the ocean - something about this is almost winter-y and cold feeling. On my skin, it's very "fresh" and clean smelling.. definitely not the icky kind of sea breezes that carry odours of seaweed and nasty things. One hour in, and it's softened up beautifully, but the green & salty is still definitely there.

 

I'm not sure I will wear this very much, but it really is a very lovely scent and quite unlike any BPAL I've tried before.

 

[Dark Alice]

Fresh Green Seawater. That is what came to mind when I first put this on. Completely dry it smells like the light blue waters of Koai that I have seen in pictures. I don't know when I will wear...but I plan on finding an excuse to where it somewhere.

[ShadowEtienne]

I've been trying to get my hands on some of the Springtime in Arkham scents for sometime because I'm slightly obsessed with BPAL's Arkham scents in general, and I love aquatics (especially Picnic in Arkham aquatics), so Kingsport was very high on my list. A kind kind forumite gave me the chance to purchase a bottle.

 

I'm kind of in love with Kingsport! This is a stunningly beautiful fresh aquatic. There's a swirl of sweet and tart coastal flowers and a sense of morning fog that has rolled in over the coastal headlands where waves crash in throwing up salt spray. There's fresh seaweed out in the water near the shore, but also a sense of depth, like perhaps there are ocean caverns that undercut those headlands.

 

This is going to become one of those scents that I would always be happy to get my hands on more of. I'm glad that I have Cthulhu and Yha'nthlei (and Nyarlathotep and Ry'leh) from Picnic in Arkham to fulfill some of the same slightly mysterious oceanic scents, because I would otherwise be very sad that this is a hard scent to get my hands on. Each of these scents is different and evokes its own mood, but they are very related scents.