Shanghai

[shirasade]

The crisp, clean scent of green tea touched with lemon verbena and honeysuckle.

Ordered because I like tea and need a summer scent.

Imp: Tea and lemon. Hm.

Wet: Strong lemon, without smelling like cleaner. Then the tea comes out again. I begin to smell a touch of sweet flowers.

Dry: Remains a fresh tea scent, although the lemon recedes, making it less crisp, more sweet.

Overall: Lovely, all I'd hoped for! Just a pity that lemon doesn't stick on my skin. Still - a keeper!

[sofiaviolet]

I smell the lemon verbena strongest, but it calms down when I apply it. I love green tea! So I really like Shanghai. Unfortunately, my skin eats it, so I've given my imp to my mother, who likes green tea even more than I do.

[kwelge]

From my very first order with BPAL -- I read the reviews and decided to chance it and order a 5 ml of Shanghai.

 

Bottle: Lemon tea!!

 

Wet: Lemony tea, with just a hint of sweetness. Nice and crisp.

 

Dry down: Lemon fades a little, tea becomes slightly more prominent.

 

Dry: Tea with lemon and a bit of sweetener. This reminds me of hot summer days in Texas, when Mom would make iced tea, then add a few slices of fresh lemon and a packet of sugar. It's very close to the taste of that tea. Lasts for a few hours, and it's a more personal scent -- it doesn't waft much at all (good in a hospital environment, where I work).

 

 

Verdict: Ohh, I'm so glad I got a bottle. I'm not sure if I like this one or Kumiho better; I think they fit different moods. I see Shanghai more as an everyday scent, with Kumiho for the highlights -- presentations at work, days when you really have to be on and completely together. Mmmmmmm! These tea scents are fabulous!

[Gladtobemom]

Shanghai is nice, but somehow seems incomplete. It needs richness. I've been wearing it since 1 PM and it's now 8 PM, The whole time I have been aware that the scent is staying inthe center of my nose. I keep thinking it needs some vanilla or something else to balance the rest of my nose.

 

I don't usually smell "in the bottle." I find my nose gets saturated.

 

I somehow ended up with 3 imps, one from a sister, one in a trade, and one in an order. I decided t crack them open today.

 

The description sounds very wonderful because I love bamboo, green and white teas, and citrus.

 

I decided to use one half of an imp in my bath. I put some Turkey red in the water then put half an imp in a little cup and floated it on top of the water. That way the warmth of the bath would spread it through the room first before I mixed it with the water. Then I went to gather up my bath things.

 

The room smelled wonderful when I walked in. I got into the bath, then mixed a couple of drops of Turkey Red with the oil in the cup and submerged the cup to spread the oil in the water.

 

It's a wonderful bath scent.

 

When I got out and dried off, the scent still clung to me. I added a bit more on my tummy and my arms and the backs of my knees (my favorite places).

 

I'm sitting here 6 and a half hours later and I can still smell it. It's clean and very nice--but still incomplete. I think I'm going to put the second imp into a bottle with some vodka and just a drop of something earthy and green--maybe sap moss or green violet. Or maybe just a little ginger flower.

 

Alone--I think it's great for the bath and would make a great soap scent. It just needs something to richen it up.

 

The two other imps are going in my maybe box.

Edited August 13, 2006 by Gladtobemom

[WidgetAlley]

This is one of those Imps that I can just never quite get around to writing a proper review for, so here's one from memory:

 

Shanghai, on me, is bright and bubbly, all lemon-floral with a hint of bitter green tea. It's beautifully sunny and astringently refreshing and even lasts for a little while... but while I love it, I miss the slightly richer tones of white musk and aloe from Embalming Fluid. It's a lovely feminine version of the same thing, but, for me, the white musk wins.

 

If musk isn't your thing, though, and you still want something clean and totally refreshing and absolutely beautiful, then this is your Holy Grail.

[lookingglass]

Again, I was searching for the perfect summer honeysuckle. I just can't do lemon or tea. They just turn sour. That is not to say that this does not smell nice. It is just not at all for me.

[storme]

In the imp: TEA. Lovely crisp fresh tea.

 

On me, wet: tea and sweet verbena. God, I love how sharp this is - although it's pretty indistinguishable from Embalming Fluid on me right now.

 

On me, dry: yeah, this is pretty much Embalming Fluid on me - maybe a little sharper, but very similar.

 

Verdict: This is really nice, and if I *didn't* already have a sharp-citrus-tea love, this would fill that spot nicely. Ah well.

[porcelain72]

In the bottle: I'm getting ginger, not as sharp as Kumiho, but it's there, with a light, almost impercetible edge of green tea to it.

 

Initial application: no lemon, but the green tea is amping and the ginger is dying down. Nice.

 

Drydown: hello, green tea. Still not getting lemon, and I'm not sure about the honeysuckle, though that might be what's sweetening it a bit. This is a pleasant, clean scent good for warm weather, with a gentle throw.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

almost as if shub and dorian had a child...

 

all the tea-ish goodness of Dorian, without the lemon-vanilla-cookies

plus some herbs (borrowed from either Shub or Leanan Sidhe or some such)

 

but even slathered on, onto very well-moisturized skin, this scent didn't even last as long as the 20minute nap i took after i put it on. which is really a shame, cuz it is so pretty.

i wouldn't have thought i'd like this, but the lab knew better and frimped it. yay. [=

 

eta: i've recently gotten some very aged "Old Shanghai" and it is reaaaally yummy.

Edited December 21, 2008 by TrailerTrashPrincess

[Saliekat]

In the bottle -

Sweetened herbal tea

 

Wet on the skin -

Quite green and a little herbal, but with some round fruitiness, that must be the verbena. It reminds me of some kind of lemon drink from a health food shop.

 

Dry -

Fades mega quickly! Gets sweeter as it fades. A pity, because it's quite lovely.

 

Le hub says -

"It's unfortunate. Rotting honeysuckle smells a bit like piss, and this smells like that, mixed with superglue. If you want to go out and not be bothered by blokes, this is the one to wear. Don't put it on or I'll have to divorce you. Not worth rating."

 

 

Just as well it fades quick

[geolinguist]

This is my first review, so I beg your indulgence.

 

Initial impression:

Very pretty. Kind of reminded me of My Sin perfume my mother used to wear blended with the honeysuckle the grew wild behind my childhood home. I was impressed by how 'grown up' it smelled.

 

After application:

On me all I could smell was the verbena, and the scent was very fleeting--it was completely gone after an hour or so.

 

However, on my friend Ghost Light, the blend of all three scents merged together and was very sexy. (Can you really describe a scent as sexy?) I started calling her Mata Hari because was very magnetizing.

The ironic thing about this is that Ghost Light herself couldn't smell anything.

 

Would it work on a man?:

I personally don't think so. I like verbena, but I consider it to be a rather feminine scent. I would definitely get grief from the truckers if I wore it to work.

[juniperus]

Bottle: clean and slightly tart, like barely-brewed green tea with a fresh squirt of lemon juice

Wet: less tart citrus, the floral is emerging, overall a pale green and yellow, as if all of the components are nearly the same hue

Dry: still monochromatic, but it's quiet simplicity is peaceful, gentle, and calming.

Later: gorgeous, I never thourhg I'd find a tea blend without something that disagrees with me! subtle and lovely!

[supremegoddessofall]

On me: I predict I won't like this. *sniff* Ugh. This smells like a tampon. Seriously.

 

Score: 1 out of 5

[akabob]

Shanghai is an interesting smell for me. I sniffed it in the imp and was a little put off by the grapefruity/green teaness of it. It reminded me of this green tea-based perfume sample my grandma was getting from Estee Lauder, so I put it away for a bit and tried all the other goodies I received.

 

Coming back this morning to my pile of imps and bottles, I decided to put it on since I would be teaching little kids this afternoon and didn't think my usual slather of Red Lantern or Cockaigne would be good for little noses. It is a really clean, fresh scent. I'm glad the lemon verbena is in there to kick the other notes down a little, because I don't like that weird fakey green tea scent. To me, green tea should smell really....more like leaves and less like fake sugary green. Anyhow, the verbena gives it a nice citrusy/green scent. It is a REALLY citrusy scent to me...very much reminds me of these Japanese lemon sours I eat called SUPER LEMON!!! They're a little "off" from the standard american lemon flavor...and taste a lot like this perfume oil smells.

 

Anyhow, this will go in to my pile of imps to send off with packages or will be given to a girl at school I give imps to when I think she'll like them.

[aquazoo]

Fruity. This is nice, exactly as described. I like this!

[columbus]

In the bottle: green tea and lemon pledge (not that that’s a bad thing! It’s just a strong lemon scent).

 

On the skin: very, very lemon. But definitely not a fake lemon scent. Just a strong, sweetened one.

 

As it dries it gets a little sweeter, almost sugary. It smells like lemondrops, actually. Quite nice. After the drydown is complete, however, the tea comes back, and it smells just like a cup of tea with lemon. The scent doesn’t last very long on me, but while it’s there, it’s quite lovely.

[PilotKitten]

Just like the description says, it's a nice crisp, clean scent. The honeysuckle adds a slightly sour note to it for me, but the green tea and lemon verbena is quite refreshing. I'll have to send this sample off to my sister to try out as she likes these types. < nods >

[tempestteapot]

Wet this one was lemony and tea but as soon as it dried it turned into a very old lady's soap scent. :-( I wanted the soothing (and hunger-easing) propertys.

 

It makes me sneeze too.

[blackfelicula]

In the bottle: I can smell citrus, tea, and a note that is sharp like vinegar.

 

Wet: Thankfully, the vinegar-like note is subsiding. At the moment it smells like tea with lemon.

 

Drying down: The citrus is strong enough that the tea scent is more difficult to pick out. Something sweetly floral is just peeking through.

 

Dry: The overall effect is unconventional but pretty. It is light and clean without being overly soapy. As it mellows, the honeysuckle emerges more.

 

Later: Shanghai softens quickly, so reapplication while wearing is useful. I like it, though the mid-to-later stages are what I enjoy best.

[nancybridget]

All I get here is lemon-lime herbal tea. Meh.

[kwsix]

In the imp: Tea!

 

Wet on my skin: This is lovely! It's lemony tea with a hint of something woodsy in the background. Sandalwood, maybe? At least it smells like sandalwood to me.

 

Drydown: Shanghai stays true through the drydown. The lemon fades a little, which is fine by me because the lovely tea scent is coming out even more.

 

Overall: I really like Shanghai. It's a very clean, inviting tea fragrance with the barest hint of lemon and warm woods. It reminds me of the scent of a lovely old tea chest.

 

On me, Shanghai is in the same vein as Embalming Fluid, Kumiho, and even Dirty. Kumiho is one of my favorites, and I can't imagine wearing Shanghai much if at all since they're so similar on me. But Shanghai is a wonderful scent, and would do well for people who don't like the ginger note in Kumiho.

[keltic]

In the imp – not too strong s a scent, but rather very clean and crisp. a perfect mix of the lemon and green tea. it smells simply perfect for a scent – very “me”.

 

wet – this is a very faint scent, and vanishes on my skin immediately. even with another heavy slather, it seems to wafts away. it’s just pure clean, clear and fresh scent that i want to hold on to, but can’t seem to get to be strong.

 

dry down – sadly, the scent is gone completely. not even the honeysuckle or hint of lemon verbena remain.

 

i think the reason i love this scent to much in the imp is the very reason it doesn’t work for me – it is me. it smells the way my clean skin does so all it can do is get eaten and vanish. very unfair.

[starcr]

In the imp, I can definitely smell... exactly what the description says. Green tea, a floral touch, and a little sharpness from the lemon verbena. Pretty straightforward, and a pretty scent. The floral note isn't too strong, so hopefully it'll make a nice change from my current repertoire of "clean, crisp" scents (Veil and Muse, both florals).

 

When I put it on, I smelled... nothing. Literally nothing. Strange. I gave it a little bit and then put a tiny bit more on. After that, I still only got the occasional hint of it, and when I did, I could smell that it was too much--heavy and perfumy. Too little and I can't smell it at all, any more than "too little" and it's too much... This is just odd. I'm going to have to give it another go after I've tested everything else I got in this set of imps to see if maybe my nose was just having a bad day or something.

 

Trying again later: When I put it on, the immediate scent was the same as in the bottle. It quickly faded, though, into something more... powdery, I guess. That's the only way I can think of to describe it. The lemon was certainly gone, and I think what I was smelling was kind of the blend of the tea and the honeysuckle after it was gone. After a few hours, the lemon came back and the powder receded a bit more, but unfortunately the scent was already really faint by that time. (I've been having problems with scents fading quickly on me lately, though, even ones that used to last. So that might be me, not the perfume.)

Edited January 26, 2007 by SaraStar

[maribouquet]

imp: strong, astringent green tea with the tang of lemon (which at first I couldn't identify - thought it might be an unknown, bitter Asian fruit)

wet: the lemon is a bit more apparent

dry: lemony green tea

 

I can't smell the honeysuckle at all. Still, this is a very refreshing scent, like a new spring leaf with the sunlight streaming through, turning it a luminous, yellow-green.

 

I might try layering this with Garden Path with Chickens...

[asciident]

Wet: Crisp lemony herbal tea.

 

First on: It's a refreshing green smell with a layer of verbena. I like it a lot, but I don't think it's going to have any holding power at all.

 

Dry: A bit of honeysuckle and green tea is trying to hang in there, but the lemon verbena is completely gone. Not unexpected, but I still wish citrus scents could cling to skin a bit longer. Shanghai is a nice clean oil though.