My Own Private Teahupo'o

I also got my 8th A Lab On Fire perfume. I like this one, though the first spray smelled of rubbing alcohol for the first 7 seconds. It quickly turned in to something lovely and enchanting. It doesn't smell anything like tea, which is what I originally thought the perfumers were referring to with the name (I am so ignorant! Haha.) As it turns out, I just learned that Teahupo'o (tear-ho-poo-oh) is a surfing destination in Tahiti, which totally makes sense, given the fragrance itself. It is Salty, fruity, vanilla/Amber. It has a quality of softness/gentleness to me. Comforting, like a mug of hot tea and a cozy blanket - moreso, in my opinion, than By The Fireplace by Replica. The name of the Replica perfume evokes the same imagery to me that My Own Private Teahupo'o's actual fragrance does. Fascinating stuff. The name of a perfume, to me, is really very important, as it sets the tone and mood of the fragrance within. While it is not my favorite perfume name, My Own Private Teahupo'o is at least a somewhat appropriate name, since it makes you think of exotic beaches and hot sun. This perfume has the amazing wide appeal I have come to expect from A Lab On Fire. Another win for them, and another win for me!

Do I love My Own Private Teahupo'o, or does it make nauseous? There's a LOT of sweet tiare. The classic combination of amber and vanilla is well-executed, but while my nose highly enjoys the added salty/marine notes, my brain remains somewhat unsettled. You know when you have the munchies and end up combining various foodstuffs in ways god never intended? The resulting Franken-meal may taste great on the way down, but in the stomach... MOPT is like that. Salty ozonic meets beachy floral meets gourmand oriental amber-y vanilla... Somehow the notes work; MOPT is a highly wearable perfume with very good performance and my friends adore it. Most of the time, so do I, though on occasion all I can think is "Franken-fragrance, Franken-fragrance".

The formulation is impossible to compel which adds to it's lure! I don't get much tea from it but the phantom of sea (a very salty sea like Celebes) changes the pot-pourri of sweet, potent notes of amber and vanilla into an unusual melancholia scent; imagine John William Waterhouse' nymphs emerging from their waters and gazing into the eyes of men. Tremendously delightful on my skin, but I can understand the negative reviews and dislikes, definitely a risky formulation, unfortunately (it's quite expensive and I cannot purchase a full bottle, have to take a little pleasure with my tester for a couple of puffs more) it agrees with my skin and haunts me like a beautiful reverie of Sicilian holidays on a work-day.

I MISSED IT 😫. I slept on a decant during a no-buy and it got discontinued. We are having a drought-stricken hot autumn that made me try hot salty ‘fumes as the day went on. The floral lilt of this was divine, but I am now remembering how I had to hunt for it on the skin. Then came Guerlains Embruns de Ylang and I moved along. These perfume styles and movements are as fascinating as art and literature, as music and dance. The hot beach day perfumes as beautiful as any, as beautiful as Rothko, Impressionism, and cock rock.

Definitely something I will repurchase once my bottle runs out - which is high praise since I have a pretty decent size collection, and running low is rare. But this is the ultimate sexy summer scent - balmy tropical flowers and hot sand. Like you're wrapped in garlands of frangipani. It's very warm and damp ambery vanilla and the salt is more a hint at the ocean breeze. This is heavy, heady, strong - will last you all day and then some. Transports me to summer immediately, even in the depths of a cold Netherlands winter.