Hunger

[mymymai]

Evokes sheer, unadulterated carnal lust. An undeniably warm and sensual scent. Black narcissus, orange blossoms, and vanilla.

 

In the Imp (ITI): I get the warmth of vanilla followed by the sharp, slightly cold floral of narcissus. Orange seems like a side scent, as I imagine the scent in 3 dimensions. I can smell it directly alongside the narcissus. This scent is womanly and father sensual.

Wet: The narcissus is now the top note, but it’s softened by the vanilla. There is a slightly spicy quality to this scent that I like. I almost want to slather it on my hands and smooth it through my hair.

Dry: Warm vanilla with a touch pf orange – an simplistically elegant scent even after 15 hours of wear. It does get a little powdery, but it is still something I would use on a regular basis.

[becca_s]

This was a frimp from the lab, I was a little hesitant to try it because orange blossom is one of my least favorite notes. It has a bitter, soapy smell on me and my skin amps it.

 

Initially, this reminds me of Vixen but without the patchouli. The orange blossom is definitely the most dominant note on my skin. However, the soapiness is toned down and softened by the vanilla. I think that they make quite a complimentary combination. I'm not sure what black Narcissus smells like but I am mostly getting orange blossom with the slightest hint of vanilla.

 

Overall, this was better than other blends that I have tried with orange blossom - the vanilla tones it down and stops it from smelling overly soapy. This would probably smell great on someone else and people who like blends like Vixen might also like Hunger.

Edited May 14, 2012 by becca_s

[Ella LaRose]

Weird, this is one of my new favorite scents but I don't smell orange or vanilla. To me itsmells like a dark carnation, spicy, reminding me of an old lush thing I had:))))

This is what I had hoped hod or maiden would smell like! Strong, long lasting, deep spicy carnation:))

[sunlitgarden]

In the imp, this is a sweet, creamsicle type scent. It reminds me more of orange fruit than orange blossom (they do smell different.)

 

On my skin, this is a bit effervescent-smelling. Reminds me of a cream soda with a bit of orange. It gets a bit spicy as it dries.

 

The imp is probably a keeper but I don't see myself getting a bottle.

[ami226]

On the skin: That is some juicy orange! Reminds me of orange juice right off the bat. I can smell a bit more of the vanilla as time goes on. I don't really pick up on the narcissus at all, but that is fine with me!

 

I'll have to try this again, but I think it might be a bottle purchase!!

[littlesparrow]

In the imp: Orangey orange with some ice creamy vanilla

 

Wet: On my skin, something else comes out to play...I still get the orange but not so much vanilla and there's this very grown-up, sensual and floral scent (narcissus I suppose) that balances out the sharp citrus very nicely. I feel compelled to inhale very deeply

 

Drydown: Heady orange and sensual floral...but not a foody orange at all. It does get a bit powdery after a whole day, especially in the crook of my arm, but it's still lovely.

 

The Verdict: I love this one, which I'm surprised about because I wasn't sure I would like an orange scent. So far it's second only to Snake Oil for me. Very sexy 5/5

[fiddlehead]

I just got this as a frimp from the lab. Based on the notes I never would have tried it. Not a fan of most florals.

 

I can't identify any of the notes listed. When I first put in on I get what smells like red musk to me. Then it starts to smell like Snake Oil. Then it's very close to Snake Charmer & WILF and Mme Moriarty. If you like that family of scents you're going to like Hunger. I think I'm going to want a bottle of this.

[lady_pandora]

I can't decide if I love Hunger or hate it, and it's for tangly emotional reasons.

Note-wise, this is a big blast of orange blossom and vanilla--I'm not sure if I can pick out narcissus or even if I know what narcissus actually smells like. But the orange blossom and the vanilla are BIG and BOLD and LOUD. They're not foody on me. There is no creamsicle here. They are both distinctly "perfumey" and not "foody" on my skin, while still being recognizable as orange blossom and vanilla.

It's a little powdery, very sweet, a touch cloying, and as I walk around wearing it and trying to sort out my feelings about it, I realize what it smells like: Emeraude. I realize I've been misremembering what Emeraude smells like on me for 18ish years because this is it. I even looked up Emeraude's notes to see if my nose was on crack, and among other things I turned up orange and vanilla.

The thing is, Emeraude and I have a Story. I got it as a gift in high school from my grandmother. I didn't exactly like it at the time--I felt it was too old for me. But I adored my grandmother for always giving me these gifts of grown women's perfume whether I liked the individual scents or not--she was the first person to take me seriously as a young woman. But then there's more. We were poor. There were always things wrong with our plumbing, laundry piled up, etc., etc., and to go into as little detail as possible, I did not shower as often as I liked at the time, nor always wear the freshest clothes, and to mask my stank I would slather on that damn Emeraude from my grandmother. So when I smell Hunger, I smell a kid who needs a shower and is marinated in this orange-vanilla perfume that's too old for her and other kids in class are asking what that awful smell is. It's like being haunted by my own younger self.

But then, I think it actually does smell good on me. If I could compartmentalize off the memories, I would guess that a stranger standing next to me would say I smell good in this. A little powdery, but there are worse things.

So I guess the question is, do I want to wear Hunger? Is this scent something I want to reclaim? I'm in my thirties now and have a good life, and maybe I do want to. Or maybe I want to never wear this perfume again. The jury is still out.

 

Update, retested ~2 years later: I find this more nostalgic than disturbing now, and a wearable blend. It's also changed some--I can smell the decadent narcissus more now

Edited November 26, 2014 by lady_pandora

[brilliantcat]

Imp: Quite frankly, it's scary in the imp. Funky rotting floral with a hint of citrus.

 

Wet: Much better. The narcissus still isn't quite behaving but it's infinitely prettier. The orange blossom and vanilla are in hiding for the moment.

 

Dry: The narcissus just dominates this blend. Every so often I get a waft of vanilla but up close it's rotting flowers. Definitely not for me.

[alyelle]

This imp is now around three years old, and like a lot of the Ars Amatoria scents, I think age improves it.

 

In the imp: Honey. Thick, dark, musky honey. Which baffles me every time.

 

Wet: Vanilla dominates but still traces of honey, very similar to the scent you get from Lush's "Honey I Washed the Kids" soap.

 

Dry (1hr): A slight citrus scent, but otherwise almost pure narcissus - it's dark and black and earthy. Nothing at all of the vanilla.

 

End of day: Mainly vanilla/citrus. The narcissus burns off faster than the other two, and what's left is still strong, but not overpowering. On the whole, I like this, certainly much more than I'd thought I would when the imp first arrived. It reminds me a little of O, which also took a while to grow on me. If I had to choose between this and O though, I'd go with O every time.

 

Stars: ★★★

Edited February 4, 2014 by alyelle

[Magpie]

Wet in imp

 

Quite sharp and herbal, surprisingly. An almost piney scent underneath, morphing into sweet tobacco. I guess that might be the black narcissus.

 

Warming up

Kind of syrupy, still quite herbal but softer. It gets sweeter and less sharp.

 

 

Drying

Has an odd sort of undertone, almost slightly burnt-smelling. Gloopy and indulgent like opium but also on edge.

 

As the description says, it is very warm and sensual, but it isn't particularly lustful to me. It had a decent last, a mid throw. Pleasant and a bit unusual but not absolutely stand out on me, alas!

[Inscrutable]

The only drawback to Hunger that I can see is that on my skin, it takes hours to dry down and settle.

It starts out like a big, ripe, juicy, sunny orange explosion that remains for a long time before the other notes can make their entrance. Beautiful hit of narcissus, which takes a while to get going, but then amplifies and grows and just won't quit. The vanilla is a little salty to me, which is exactly how I like it.

The overall effect is stupendous, my skin loves it, my nose loves it even more.

But if I have a big night out, I put it on early afternoon, then it's just right by the time I leave the house.

[claudia6913]

I get a very sharp scent in the bottle. On my skin it's like it's trying to go sexy, but this sharp note keeps getting in the way. Maybe another year to age it? Not sure really. Love vanilla but I'm not sure which scent is giving the sharpness.

 

It takes a bit, but once it goes into a good dry stage, it smells nice. It's a kind of dark floral sweet smell. It's on the verge of going sharp. I still don't know if I like it or not...

Edited March 24, 2013 by claudia6913

[russalka]

On my skin ...

 

There is a bit of a burnt and 'acrid' smell to it too as one reviewer here noted already. As a matter of fact, when I first applied it, I got a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth upon smelling my wrist. I can tell you I didn't like that.

 

It sure is warming up with time and getting a tad sweeter and more vanilla-y, but I don't think this one is moving anywhere from the 'no-go' zone for me.

 

Too bad, I always get a little sad when a scent doesn't work out for me ...

[Sidhechaos]

Evokes sheer, unadulterated carnal lust. An undeniably warm and sensual scent.

Black narcissus, orange blossoms, and vanilla.

Been wary of trying this scent ever since I saw the fragrance components as there is free imp I frequently receive that has always made me quite me feel rather ill, and it has very similar components.I'm not sure what the differing component is but it is a very strong sweet sickly fragrance.

In the imp I simply get a faint tease Of floral and sweetness, nothing like the overwhelming sick syrup scent my mystery nemesis gives me.

On skin: this is a very soft and rather mild innocent smelling fragrance wuth a very faint smoky dark undertone that I suspect comes from the narcissis. The vanilla is more of the orchid vanilla type and the orange blossom is quite fresh and very mild. The narcissus simply adds a slightly spicy are warmer note to the other two. All three blend together quite evenly and and make an excellent mild gentle fragrance. So far throw is medium and it seems to me holding up well. It is a very pretty light summer fragrance but I'm not sure it would inspire me to
pounce on someone and carnal lust however I can see how it can be quite a tease to wear something was only the tiniest hint of naughty among all that innocence and a fragrance guess it would depend on where you wore it and what you wore it with.

This is one of those I wouldn't mind having a bottle on hand amongst the " wear something one I don't have anything in particular in mind" days. It is a nice flexible simple fragrance that is not overwhelming and I don't suspect that it is one of those that would linger overly long our would clash horribly if you needed to change your scent later.

[GreatWhiteFork]

IN THE BOTTLE: This one is pleasant and warm. I get the orange very much, but more fruit than blossoms. It almost smells like an orange that has been left in the sun all day. There's also a deeper scent to it... at first I thought maybe a light amber, but I must be smelling the narcissus.

 

WET: It's still mostly citrusy and slightly biting. The vanilla and narcissus merge to almost a coconut on me, and the whole thing evokes white sand beaches at sunset and knocking back tequila sunrises.

 

DRY: The citrus lightens as it dries and the whole thing smells almost velvety on the skin. For some reason I still get tanning oil and a bit of salt, like I've been sitting under a beach umbrella being fanned by a hunky dude in skimpy briefs. There's a slight baby powder smell after a while, but it isn't at all unpleasant. Overall a very sultry, sexy scent.

[ObliqueRed]

The black narcissus in this was utterly foul on me. A sort of shrill, thin, sharp floral - a harridan of a flower that completely overcame the vanilla and orangeblossom, which I think could have been nice- after the narcissus started to fade I liked the scent more, but the narcissus sadly never really went away.

[Deliciousness]

In the vial: Sexy, musky orange.

 

Wet on skin: Vanilla, which goes a touch plastic, alongside narcissus with a wisp of orange blossom in the background.

 

Drydown: This blend is unpredictable, as each time I smell my arm, it seems to morph. I can detect a touch of orange in one sniff, yet in another, all I can smell is the narcissus. There is something that keeps peeking thru the background that is a little too "mature" for me, a hint of dusty old lady perfume. I guess I would describe this blend as deep, but slightly dusty (perhaps due to the narcissus?) and a little sweet.

 

This would be totally bottle worthy if this blend smelled on my skin, like it did in the vial. I mean who wouldn't want to smell like a sexy orange? Anyway, I think my skin chemistry may be to blame, making a potentially wonderful scent into something, very "meh". It's not a bad blend, but it just isn't "me".

 

 

 

Edited because "salsa omething" isn't what I wanted to write.

Edited February 8, 2014 by Deliciousness

[hobbitballerina]

This one is weird on me. I think my skin eats up vanilla, because while I got vanilla in the imp, on my wrist, it's all powdery floral. It has no throw, either. And it's all disappointing, because my two favourite notes in the world are vanilla and orange blossom. I put this on a few hours ago, and it's just kind of vague "perfume" scent, like scented soap, nothing standout about it.

 

If it smelled like the imp on my wrist -- luxurious vanilla and orange blossom with a sharp floral note in it -- I'd be happy. As it stands, it's just kind of "meh" with my chemistry, which I suspect might be rather strange in general.

[dottie_doom]

Hunger might be my favorite scent that I have smelled and worn as of yet (I am relatively new and have so much more to smell!). At first sniff I was unsure about it and set it aside for a little while. In the imp it had kind of a sharp, pungent smell that was not that appealing.

 

Luckily I came back to it and discovered that not only did it smell AMAZING on my skin but I kinda liked the sharp smell now. On my skin it warms up nicely and I can smell more of the orange blossom and vanilla. It doesn't get too sweet though, it still has a bit of that sharp musky smell which, in my opinion, makes it quite alluring and sexy. This scent is complex and stands out among some of the others, it is truly unique. It also has a good throw and staying power.

 

I ended up getting a bottle and am so glad that I did. When I wear it I am constantly sniffing my wrists!

[Veronica]

This does not like me. In the bottle, it's a warm, spicy scent with something else--almost cocoa or vetiver-y. As it dries, something smells like diaper and white florals on me. What, why?! The throw on this is also strong, moreso than almost any other BPAL I've tried--too bad it smells awful. After a few minutes, it's calmed down and it is spicy baby diaper powder. If I sniff veryyy hard, it is vaguely orange blossom scented. No no no.

Edited February 19, 2015 by delighted

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Orange juice? Oh crap, yep, orange juice.

 

Wet on my skin: Creamy orange juice, reminiscent of an orange Creamsicle.

 

Dry: I was just waiting for this to turn into gross dirty cleaning wipes on me, as most orange and grapefruit blends do. But...it never happens. Hours later, this is still this delicious creamy-vanilla-orange scent. It really is like one of those tasty orange and vanilla ice dream popsicles from my youth, when they were still made with real orange juice and not artificial orange-flavoured weird gunk. It also has this hint of slightly-powdery and sweet flower, which must be the narcissus, but it's mainly orange and vanilla on me. I can't really express through text how surprised I am that this works on me! I'd saved this for last out of my newest order, expecting it to smell as putrid on me as other orange/grapefruit scents, but it's actually...one of the nicer scents in the box? WHat? Maybe it's because of shark week. But if I can only wear this one week per month, that's okay, because if it's this delicious for a week, it's worth it!

[Anita]

So this one... this is odd.

 

in the imp: Snake oil, but snake oil with the *tiniest* bit of something sweet. My guess is the orange blossoms.

 

Wet: Now that it is on my skin, it has a chance to expand, and I can definitely smell the orange blossoms. But it's still snake oil for the majority.

 

Here is the odd part. My DH, who loves it when I wear snake oil, took a quick sniff and said, "No. Definitely a no." I was truly surprised. I asked him why it was a no and he couldn't give me anything specific at all, just that he doesn't like it. I said that it smells exactly like snake oil and he said it is NOT snake oil. So, maybe DH has a way more sophisticated nose than mine.

 

Dry: Still a sweeter version of snake oil. It hasn't changed at all except to get slightly lighter, which is what Snake oil does on me as well. I may try tricking him the next time he requests I wear Snake oil and see if he is just being silly...

 

Update: This doesn't have the same staying power as Snake oil. I don't have to reapply with SO at all, but through the first 3rd of the day it was not completely gone, but almost.

Edited June 24, 2015 by Anita

[Soupy Twist]

I would have called this "Logic": a pretty flower that smells bad. The narcissus is a sour, orchidy smell which drowns out the other two notes. I can tell they're desperately trying to come to the fore, but the well-named narcissus refuses to let them share.

[Malaena]

Oi, now I know I hate narcissus. Good information for the future.

 

ETA - Thought I should expand. Narcissus is like a funeral flower to me. Sickly sweet and cloying much like a lily (which I also hate).

Edited August 15, 2015 by Malaena