Jump to content
Post-Update: Forum Issues Read more... ×
BPAL Madness!
Sign in to follow this  
zankoku_zen

Coy Mermaid with a Vulva-Shaped Head

Recommended Posts

Wet, this is all jasmine and incense. The jasmine isn't indolic though; it has a sheer quality, like a gauzy veil that obscures the other notes. The dry down is slow but beautiful, with the sweeter notes emerging and gaining strength over time. This isn't as sweet or vanilla cream dominant as La Prostitution or Poinsettia Gown IMO, but it's definitely in that same family. I'm also excited to see how it ages.

 

Strong jasmine can sometimes make me headachey, but wearing this under my shirt makes it the perfect amount of strength. Throw and longevity are great. I took a chance on this one but am definitely enjoying it. "Coy" is a good descriptor; the scent is bold and playful, with hidden depth. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Great blend for a full blind bottle buy. Expertly blended and well balanced, this lacks the typical "shriek" of white florals nor the heavy, soporific quality of my usual fall/winter amber/patch/sandalwood faves. I'm not a huge fan of typical gourmands (I don't enjoy smelling like food) but this has a sweet and fresh quality that feels quiet and comforting and very femme.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Jasmine, vanilla, rose sandalwood. This one smells gauzy and incensey. Medium throw and wear length.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the bottle - hot-house flowers 🌺 with something resinous

 

Wet - Incensey Floral BURST!! 

 

Dry down - oooh. Warm and resiny - deep heady rich  floral but also classically “perfumey” - like something expensive and chic that would come out of a Parisian Fashion House. This is just stunning! 

 

It makes me feel like a glamorous, beautiful movie star ️ 

I am so glad I got this!! 

 

***edit***
I can really smell the White Patchouli now. God this gorgeous!!!  (In fact - if you are a fan of Tom Ford’s White Patchouli perfume - this has a very similar feel to it - but way nicer and much more complex!)

 

***edit 2***
Oh and here comes the Pink Champa!! 
OHMYGAWD - I need 6 bottles of this!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

This starts off with pretty stinky white florals. Lots of champa and jasmine. Warm, sultry hothouse flowers and a tad of incense. But, funny enough, the sweet vanilla cream and the vegetal patchouli (two notes that don't normally appeal to me) save it from going too far, and the rose sandalwood and amber add some nuance and depth. It's definitely a bit indolic on me, and not for the faint of heart, but it's not a one-note unbearable indole either.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Gosh, I really kindof love this, it's retro and smells like very expensive incense. It's also giving me Cacharel vibes - dark girly gothy incense burn and Norma Kamali swimsuit summers spent tanning by the pool. I could totally see Nina Hagen, Siouxsie or even Robert Smith rocking this scent. It definitely has an edge to it and in the end, the jasmine might be too much for me, still testing. Perfect for date night when balmy out, taking a midnight walk, noses nuzzling on necks. Needs a fancy antique crystal bottle just to keep it in.  

Edited by Jenjin

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

first i get the jasmine incense, patchouli and rose sandalwood. it's mostly jasmine and sandalwood i'd say. something smells like cucumbers (?) on my skin. that sort of tart smell fades off after quite awhile. the champaca blooms later on and really adds more volume to the incense. in the end it's mostly incense and sandalwood with a melange of florals. i like it but it's not a love.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

the initial whiff i took of this bottle, straight out of the mail one week ago, felt un-blended, and a bit harsh still. i couldn't tell if i would like it yet, but i was curious.

 

it's been slowly growing on me, & after many sniffs from the bottle this week, curiousity struck. I tried it on finally this evening, and I love it.

this has been the best slow burn out of my box of shungas so far.

 

coy mermaid is somehow light, crisp, & refreshing, while also full of incense smells. The scent of the freshest incense that hasn't been burned yet. 

 

this is one of the first sandalwood scents i've found recently that actually smells strong - most of them i've found a bit too "tame," or "pale" maybe, as I typically like heavier scents.

this is a very wearable sandalwood, & feels feminine without being too floral or girly. 

 

really looking forward to wearing this more, & seeing how it ages. ❤️ 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I did not expect to like this as much as I did, I mostly picked up the decant because I love mermaids. It starts out as a beautiful jasmine rose incense with a little amber and vanilla. As it dries the rose fades a bit, I didn't get any patchouli. Rose and jasmine tend to get a little soapy,  but that did not happen at all here. It does smell clean, but in a floral way not like soap. Plus, the incense makes it slightly smoky.

 

It's close to the skin with not a big amount of throw, but it's soft and lovely. Honestly, the jasmine and incense are the main players on me. I can't get over how nice this is, I may be upgrading to a bottle!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

In the decant the notes clash a bit. There's a sweet smoothness and then a clang of sharper notes. On wet this smooths out a bit, I think it was just the champaca reading sharp for me. Wet it's very incensey, I pick out a teeny bit of jasmine and rich amber and patchouli beneath it. As it dries it gets earthier and just a bit gritty. I get a bit of rose and sandalwood, but most of the florals sort of fade out dry for me. It's very much about the champaca, patch, and sandalwood in the end on me. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I took a chance on a decant of this, because jasmine typically never works on me. Each of the other notes is a winner and the fact that it's described as jasmine incense gave me hope. I wasn't wrong!! This is a lovely sweet tropical floral incense on my skin! Yes, I can tell that it's jasmine on top, but the other notes keep it in check from going wrong. TBH, I can't really separate the other notes, as they are all blended together so well. I'm doubtful that I would reach for this often enough to buy a bottle, but am so happy that I stepped out of my comfort zone to give it a chance! 

 

I'm going to NOLA in mid-August and this will be perfect to wear then! 

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My first Shunga! As far as creativity goes, this one is certainly up there design-wise 😂 But as for the perfume, it is a solid winner for anybody that enjoys incense fragrances.

 

In Bottle: A strong, fruity floral hits you right in the face as you inhale, which is likely the champaca. Once you get past that there is a bouquet of earthy incense notes and the vanilla provides just a hint of sweetness. 

 

On Skin: Becomes very incensey and fruity note tones down. I can't detect the vanilla anymore, so it's primarily an incense, patchouli, and sandalwood affair. Smells of an occult shop that sells the good incense. 

 

Dry Down: Doesn't change much from initial application, but I am totally okay with that.

 

Wear Time & Throw: This has amazing throw and lasts all day (8+ hrs). It clings to my clothes as well and creates a great scent bubble.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wet this is a lot of jasmine (which I tend to amp it seems), but give it some time and then it becomes an intriguing combination of this traditional jasmine perfume meets counterculture hippie which rounds out the jasmine. I am on the fence as to whether or not the jasmine may be too much for me, so I think I'll keep it a bit and see. I feel like this would be really nice to wear in late winter/early spring when I want the comfort of those more resinous scents, but I am little eager for spring.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

i got to sniff this one too and I have to say I did not dislike it at all.  Natch, the jasmine bullies everything else in this bottle and on my skin so it isn't a blend for me. BUT I totally get the whole, gauzy veils of incense vibe, and that part I really enjoyed.  I put a few drops on the inside of my elbow and it just bloomed out in big lovely waves of jasmine incense, with all the other ducklings hiding under mother Jasmine's wings.  Only jasmine incense hates me, and I hate it, which is too bad because pink champaca is great, and I actually like rose sandalwood despite not liking rose in general. This baby has incredible throw and crazy lasting power.  If this incense had been anything other jasmine, I would have snatched this up, as I love BPALs with big time throw!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wet: Jasmine incense, with a small amount of vanilla cream. 

 

Dry: Very, very strong jasmine incense. Jasmine basically punted most of the other notes. It feels very much like a "spring incense".. if that's a thing. 

 

As someone who tends to amp jasmine, I'm not really surprised here.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

First on, the amber and rose sandalwood meld together into this floofy, lightly sweet, powdery, pink cloud with a dry soapiness at its edges.  I kept thinking that I smelled something dark, murky and a little gross, like seaweed (the mermaid in the name playing that trick on me, I think), but it was probably the patchouli creeping in around the other notes.  As it dries down, all of the original notes and impressions disappear and I'm left with a dry headshop incense.  It smells exactly like walking into an incense store in the mall with that dry, hazy, cheaper incense scent and something that reminds me of salty tortilla chips.  It falls flat on my skin.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't even know why I went for this being a jasmine-despiser but I am so so glad I did!

Jasmine always, without fail, smells public bathroomy to me. I don't know what it is (well, okay, I do understand the science behind indolic scents) that makes it so tough for me, but I have never had a BPAL jasmine work for me, or any other for that fact.

 

The jasmine in this is so subtle, smooth, and silky that it doesn't do any funny business to my nostrils at all!!! Huzzah!!!

This is a PERFECT spring/hot weather incense scent. Very light and airy, like incense wafting from way in the distance over a spring garden. It does kind of have that incense shop scent to it as well, reminds me a bit of visiting occult bookstores with my mom as a child.

 

A lovely incense that isn't suffocating in hot weather like so many can be.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Very incensey rose and jasmine, like a new age store. Unfortunately the rose in this goes very sour on me - it might be the cream. Otherwise, I’d say it’s the perfect spring/summer counterpart to Poinsettia Gown’s winter.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I would NEVER have tried this except that a decant was passed on to me by a super generous forumite.  It confirms that I cannot wear champaca, pink or otherwise.  Not even the jasmine troubled me here, just the champaca.  Oh well, I tried. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

so admittedly, I picked this up because I am mermaid-obsessed. and it is indeed very pleasant.

 

at first it totally reeked of white florals reminiscent of my grammy's bathroom...but just WAIT. my oh my, does it transform.

 

it is a little indolic on my skin, but I LOVE that. it morphs into this beautiful hot house incense-y floral that is downright seductive. nose to skin, you do get a whiff of that vanilla cream scent that ties every other note together. perfect for a hazy summer day. smells expensive too. 

 

seriously cannot stop sniffing. unf.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Wet out of the decant I immediately get the jasmine, followed by the vanilla cream and rose sandalwood. It's so light that I'm reapplying in hopes of getting more throw and strength.  With a second layer, I'm getting some patchouli as well. This is definitely a floral-incense, with the vanilla cream just giving it a hint of sweetness. 

Drying down... I'm getting a slight whiff of something stanky. Not Czernobog level, thankfully.

I don't like this nearly as much dried down as I did when wet. What happened?

 

EDIT: Had an allergic reaction about 5 minutes later. Whoops, that's new!

Edited by skyturtles

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I SO want to like this one. All the notes, separately, are win for me, and the artwork always makes me giggle.  Also, pink champaca sounds amazing. I held off a year to review it, b/c I figured most of these notes would get better with age.  But it's still very "musty-fusty" on me coming out the gate.  Very incensey.  The jasmine is the most prominent floral on me, though it's still just flavoring the incense.  This smells like those cones of Indian incense you can buy scented with different florals -- the one's that are so strong, I can't burn through the whole cone without starting to feel suffocated.  😕 

 

5 mins later, it's starting to settle down a bit and suffocation doesn't seem quite so immanent. So... more promising.  

 

Ah, there we go.  15 mins in and the incense is softer; the florals have stepped in to balance things out. It's pretty now - less harsh - and getting prettier by the minute. Still, very much an incense blend but now, fancy, high-dollar incense.  I do like this enough to keep my partial, but it's not an everyday scent, and "coy" doesn't speak much to this mermaid's interactions with me: subtly isn't her thing. 

 

I like the jasmine here, but I can see how some folks might be getting something "funky" from it.  I'm not getting cat pee, but I do get a "suggestive" indolic quality from it. Hardcore incense lovers should check this one out and I think people who like Little Wooden Doll might really like this.  Coy Mermaid has a similar feel with the rose sandalwood - much more sandalwood than rose. I don't get any vanilla cream.

 

P.S.  I actually had something similar to @Little Bird's seaweed experience at first, but my thought was "wilted spinach." Luckily, the note went away quickly.

Edited by VetchVesper

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Almost 9 months later and jury's still out on this one. On me? Clean pink cotton, loves babysoft, champaca incense and a slight oceanic saltiness. Its nice...? I think? I still can't figure it out. Well, if staying power and legacy are due to feelings like enigmatic confusion, not just postive raves, this scent has it in spades. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×