Awabi Divers

[GoldenRubee]

Polished ebony, ho wood, apricot peel, patchouli-infused vanilla husk, Lebanese cedar, and vetiver.

I love all the notes in this so bought a bottle unsniffed. I particularly love apricot and was hoping that since it was the peel, it would really stand out. When I opened the bottle, I was blasted with was PATCHOULI. All of you patchouli lovers can rejoice and just buy multiple bottles right away-you will be happy. Everyone else that is hoping that this is a subtle patchouli, no such luck here! This is a very heavy scent with strong woody notes, strong patchouli, no apricot anything including no sweetness, no vanilla that I can detect, and a trace of vetiver. Don't get me wrong, I am a lover of patchouli so I will keep this bottle, but I will not slather this, little goes a long way.

[Bluestblood]

Blue, you hate apricot. What were you thinking?

 

About the apricot...it's unusual. It not the sweet, juicy flesh of the apricot. It is indeed the muted, firm peel (i.e. it's not all in your face like "HI! I'm an apricot!"). Apricot peel, vetiver and a little patchouli were showing up for me the most when it was wet.

 

It got really interesting on the drydown:

The wood notes showed up more and the vetiver mellowed a lot. The apricot added a subtle sweetness to an otherwise dry and very sophisticated wood base (with the ho wood being the most subtle). There is barely a hint of vanilla (which is awesome in my book - sorry vanilla fans).

 

I was deluding myself into thinking I might be able to tolerate the apricot because of all the adored wood notes. HOWEVER, I can absolutely appreciate this blend which is more than I can say of any other stone fruit blend. It is a complex creation. It's just not for me.

[Jangzonrice]

Decant from ladymeag. Wet:ho wood, patchouli, vetiver, cedar, ebony (I think???). Dry: patchouli amped with ho wood and vetiver. No apricot....bummer, I like the lab's apricot note a lot. It's nice, but I don't need a bottle. Strong throw and lasted about 6 hours. Seems more fitting for cold weather than spring.

[Balame]

This is so pretty! I'm amazed by the other reviews because to me the vetiver is hardly here at all. Normally that would bum me out since I'm a fan, but this is a gorgeous blend of soft, juicy apricot, creamy vanilla and very well-behaved patchouli.

It's a surprisingly delicate scent. I imagined it would be rather husky with all the wood notes, but nope, it's dainty and romantic. If you love vanilla and apricot but are wavering because of the vetiver/ceder/patch then I strongly suggest you give Awabi a go, since if it plays nicely with your chemistry it's stunning. There is a slight woodsiness here, but it's mainly serving to ground the sweetened apricot. Totally lickable and refreshing; this would be a great summer scent.

Edited November 30, 2014 by Balame

[cinnamonster]

First off the vetiver is so minimal it has gone in seconds, then there's an apricot note in top of a woody vanilla-y scent akin to atlas moth. 30 mins later..Depraved is what it reminds me of most. If you like that there's hope if you miss out on getting a bottle of this. It's masculine but I like it.

[zankoku_zen]

Patchouli, cedar, vetiver with a dribble of apricot.

 

Oh, Awabi. The apricot is not strong or sweet enough to contain the patch/cedar/vetiver bully which just sort of reigns through this blend like a giant smoky bully.

 

So, not, this doesn't really work on me at all.

[skyelyric]

In the imp I get some patchouli, and a dry, tangy hint of apricot, but the overwhelming impression I get is the vetiver (which I was afraid of, I amp vetiver). On my skin it starts off bitter, nasty, fruity vetiver (think vetiver plus what Depraved would smell like with rotten apricots). It settles down pretty quick and loses the rotten soured fruit aspect, but the vetiver never mellows enough to blend on me, and the overall effect is unsettlingly menacing, it's like having a party with one guest who just looms and stares threateningly at everyone else. Not quite the perfume impression I was hoping for.

[MCS4096]

I personally find the apricot in this plenty sweet.. it's strongest on my skin, with cedar a close second and a bit of patchouli noticeable but well behaved. Fruity and woody.. drier, not really juicy. A little too woody in the end, for me, as that reads a little too masculine for my tastes, but I still find this lovely.

[tinyvulture]

Overpowering vetiver, we meet again! I used to love vetiver when it played nicely, but I guess my skin chemistry's changed, and now it just amps like crazy. It's the dirty, earthy undertone here to apricot and patchouli. Like if you took Depraved and layered it with single note vetiver. I will pass this decant to my husband, the Depraved lover and vetiver fan in the family.

[mymymai]

ITI: The wood notes here are gorgeous - rich in body, fragrant, and slightly sweet, while the vanilla note has a creaminess that it adds to scent as a whole. Gorgeous!

 

Wet: The vanilla and patchouli are so rich that they are almost buttery but at the same time are sweet, fragrant, and earthy. All of this overlays the wood notes, which are still fragrant and slightly resinous. There is a touch of apricot peel, finishing the scent off with an innocent sweetness.

 

Dry: The vanilla is much more pronounced as it dries, steering the scent more toward sweet and cloying than woody, earthy, or resinous. Thankfully, however, the other notes keep it just in check enough to make it a delightful, rich vanilla-infused scent.

[milo]

The description sounded lovely, but it seems like the vetiver is amping on me, with a close battle with the patchouli, though I certainly don't get any vanilla here, it would probably smell amazing. For now, this is 'no', unless something miraculous happens. The whole effect is green masculine on me.

[ModderRhu]

this is a marriage between depraved and banshee beat. with a little vetiver. I knew I would love this.

[doublehelix]

Wet, HELLO patchouli! Definitely very strong on that note. On the drydown, it softens up quite a bit, more vanilla and woody. This doesn't smell as sweet as banshee beat, but I can see the comparison! It is quite beautiful dry, once you get past the initial wet stage.

[torischroeder9]

Source: Decant from a fabulous forumite. 

 

In the decant: Woods, patchouli, and vetiver, with something lighter dancing across the top. 

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the base is patchouli and woods, with bright apricot peel as the top note. As it settles, it's more woods than patchouli -- and more ebony and ho than cedar. The apricot peel is just barely adding some brightness and a touch of sweetness to the blend. The quality of the apricot peel -- or maybe its combination with the patchouli and woods -- means that I don't get the sticky, syrupy sweetness present in some other apricot blends. It's a much fresher fruity type of scent. 

 

It's an interesting sort of blend, but I don't think it's for me. 

[Lucchesa]

Depraved is one of my GC faves, and Awabi Divers is kind of a more complicated, subtle Depraved.  Patchouli and apricot are the most noticeable notes on me, but I also get a lot of polished wood and a hint of vanilla, with only the tiniest suggestion of vetiver.  It's not overly sweet, and I suppose it's gender neutral, though to me it reads feminine -- not girly, but sophisticated woman.  I like it a lot. A death match with Depraved would probably bring out more of the subtleties inherent here.