Shade

The wind ushers the aroma of woodsy, herby floral incense, rousing you out of your sleep underneath a largely comforting tree with ample shady branches. That's what this fragrance is like; unique, ethereal, transcendent. Like many Lush fragrances, it is an experience that transports you somewhere so specific and niche, simply sublime. I have this in the solid tin and the bottled perfume. Sensual sandalwood, frankincense and myrrh, freshly bloomed lavender that's still a tad green and fresh, subtle jasmine, or similar seductive floral to my nose⁠—definitely a fragrance for incense lovers. Very long-lasting yet intimate on the skin, darkly sweet and suggestive. An enigmatic unisex fragrance. This is what a mythical woodland temptress adorns themself with; they offer you a guiding hand through an enchanted forest. They glide effortlessly through the trees, while you stumble and falter, you lose sight of them in the shadowy bush, yet your feet instinctively follow this bewitching scent of theirs. You wound up in a clearing, a cabin illuminated from within by candlelight and outdoor lanterns, something enthralling is in the air. They turn to you, putting your hands in theirs⁠—it is electric, mysterious, yet familiar⁠—a smile on their face. What comes after is a mystery hidden within Shade. Darkly beautiful, very rare.

[Shade] ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ Colour: Pearl, Ivory Texture: Velour, Silk, Skin For me, Shade is a beautiful wearing experience. It plays with your attention, coming in and out of your consciousness. Soft pulses of powder cast in and out by the most subtle of movements. It is a gorgeous aura. Shade is a nod to the classical fougere without the citric top. Lavender is present but it’s almost like Shade alludes to lavender without speaking it’s name, as the fragile perfume will completely fall apart if it is mentioned. The illusion is broken. It is a travesty that Lush have marketed this beauty with just two notes (Olibanum and Sandalwood) as this perfume has so much more to offer. The sandalwood isn’t stand out to me, it just softens the base and aids the coumarin in the dry down from becoming too sickly sweet. The Olibanum adds to the phenolic nature and pairs with the herbal aspects of lavender. In short, it’s bloody gorgeous and a release that will hopefully stick around for a while. Next on my agenda is ‘Sappho’, however I would only need the 30ml which they for some reason made unavailable soon after it’s initial release.

I love Lush, but I have always overlooked Shade - I tried it for the first time today, and it totally blew my mind. I love sandalwood but often find that where it's included in a perfume, it kind of floats in the background without being front and centre how I want it. This is such a delicious, creamy, slightly sweet sandalwood dream. It has a resin-y and almost incense-like quality to it. On a tester strip, this has survived a good 10 hours so far, and I was catching a whiff of it from my handbag for the following 5-6 hours that I was out. £25 for a bottle is incredibly good value, especially considering how long Lush perfumes typically last. I will absolutely purchase once I've used up some of my existing fragrances and can justify buying something new.

as someone else said, it's quite cozy. warm and slightly sweet but not cloying or too intense. it's extremely pleasant. Update 5/16/25: After having the solid version for a few months, I finally tried the liquid version in-store to see how it would sit on my skin. Very little difference between the two, although I find that the liquid is a bit more nuanced and the notes come through a bit more distinctly. I ended up purchasing the full-size bottle because I adore it so much. It doesn't project much but it lasts a long time on my skin. Can confirm what others are saying about the opening being harsh, but it dries down within a minute or two.

Bare skin & white fur. Bed linens warm from sleep. Delicately balanced between creaminess & cleanness, sweetness & freshness. Not the squeaky clean of soap, but the clean-sweet balminess of skin. The opening can feel astringent at first, but this warms quickly to a creamy, musky, ambery sandalwood. Never a scent I would have picked looking at it on paper, but the experience is addictive once you know what to expect. Memorable but subtle. Everything I wanted perfumes like Glossier You to be & got nothing but oily chemical vagueness. This feels languid & daring at once, purring but not too pretty. Simple & indescribable; cool, intuitive.

This is such a lovely perfume, and quite complex despite only having two notes. It begins with fresh, unisex lemongrassy notes, then settles to a rounded, more feminine woody scent. There's some incense but it's very clean, not in a churchy way at all (especially with the initial zing of the top notes). That's over fairly quickly but remaining all day is the most delightful creamy, cuddly skin-scent, still smelling woodsy but becoming sweeter - I can smell some vanilla in there too at this point. The projection isn't very strong but up-close it lasts quite a while. Cool, calm and collected, but a bit sexy too.

Lush is not a company that I have tried before despite reading a lot of the reviews over the years. While on a trip we wandered into Lush and both my husband and I liked Shade. I struggle to put into words how pleasantly middle of the road it is to me. It is warm, woody, and spicy but in the most mild versions of each. It is sweet but only a whisper. It is not a beast projector but walking alongside me my husband would catch wisps of it throughout the day. I don't think I would reach for this in the heat of the summer but is is soft, cozy, creamy (but not lactonic), and very wearable.

Shade is one of those gems that doesn’t smell perfume-y. You know when you are next to someone and they smell super-good, but you don’t think it’s a perfume because it has this soft presence? Like a fabric softener. There is an aromatic note in the opening, maybe rosemary which fades away within 5 mins. What is left is a lingering woody, sweetish veil with an intensity of a good body lotion. An absolute gem. Edit: The comment on the mild intensity was for the solid version. The perfume has great staying power and strong projection! P.S. LUSH, please make a body lotion version

Subtly sweet,earthy. Hint of citrus and resin/incense Love this one from Lush. It's not too one-note heavy. It has sandalwood but not overwhelmingly so...its buttery-creamy,but not heavy as there is that brightness(citrus?). It reminds me of fresh earth with a gourmand slant. It personally evokes walking through dark thick woods with some illumination from sunrays breaking through the trees Sorry. I wish I was more clear. But this is one of my faves from Lush. Another one of my go-to on the daily,when I just wanna grab a scent w/o overthinking it.

Shade smells like a Mediterranean summer - creamy sandalwood, lavender and citrus. I’ve bought this for a friend and am starting to regret not getting a bottle for myself. This and Breath of God are by far the best fragrances Lush currently has to offer - Breath of God for autumn/winter and Shade for spring/summer. And at £25 for 30ml they're so goddamn affordable... you could build such a comprehensive natural perfume wardrobe out of Lush's past and present offerings and I will never stop singing their praises

I just want to bathe in that perfume. When I applied it the very first time I smelled strong older people perfumes. Although my nose had to get used to the difference as I was coming from years of wearing “Lord of misrule”. So not being any patchouli in there, was something I had to get used to at first. Once it settled, I couldn’t get enough of it. Just absolutely lovely. Since then, it seems to have opened up my love for finer, more distinct fragrances, that are not too heavy. Love it.

I love this perfume so much but the first time I wore this my coworker said I smelled like baby powder and also yesterday I went out to smoke a cigarette on my friend's balcony and when I came back my friend said I smelled like her grandmother < / 3 This is a targeted smear campaign against me but it's not going to stop me. It's actually making me stronger. I will wear this every day now and give you sense memories of your dead catholic chainsmoking grandma just try and stop me.

I wore this scent during a weekend spent in a friend’s summer cabin. I slept by myself in a guest house and it was raining all weekend. It was the perfect setting for this soothing and mellow scent. Shade is almost melancholic in a way, like a distant memory. The herbal opening is reminiscent of the smell when you open a bottle of gin. The dry-down is a gorgeous, barely-there sandalwood. The best Lush scent I’ve experienced so far, and oh so perfect for rainy summer days.

THIS IS MY NEW SIGNATURE PERFUME. oh my god it smells so good to me!!!!!! im not very well versed in perfume speak but on me it smells very sweet incense not too smoky. kind of woody but honestly it’s just sweeeeeeet like so sweet but that’s probably my skin chemistry. i love it so much so yummy i ❤️ lush edit: im wearing it rn and its dried down proper powdery like baby powder ugh it smells so good if ur hot and cool i recommend this perfume fr

This is very strong, heavy for me. It starts out aggressive and strange but settles into a creamy sweetwood incense scent, but there's one note that builds up after an hour or two that is so strong and a little bit sickening. It's a really strong sweet, but burnt wood note. It just hits hard, man. I love this scent, but that hardness is sometimes too much. If you have a weak stomach, I don't know if you'll wear it often. Do not overspray it.

I recently bought the solid version of Shade, and I’m absolutely in love. It's the perfect blend of warm, resinous, and ambery notes, with the sandalwood adding a creamy, almost vanilla-like richness. The scent has a unique twist, reminding me of a creamsicle, but with a deeper, more resinous complexity. It’s beautifully simple yet utterly captivating. Versatile enough for any season, I’m especially enjoying it even in the heat of summer.

This is comforting, and the person wearing it seems like they smell good without trying. It smells like what someone wealthy would wear. Reminds me of a la labo scent. Simple, classy, comforting. The notes are not reflected accurately. This has west Timor sandalwood, olibanum, and guaiac wood. It’s slightly sweet, woodsy, and clean without musk and aldehydes. Still one of my favorites in my 400+ collection. Can we worn for any occasion.

I only use the stick version but BEST LUSH PERFUME SMELLS LIKE DOVE SOAP AND SANDALWOOD SHAVINGS OR LIKE SANDER DUST... super clean but in this expensive way, but not trying too hard either... John Galliano bully relaxed nerdy sort of scent, just incredibly pale blue and light light beige! Heaven! Poor man’s Glossier You if you get the travel size.

I have the solid perfume and it is the perfect nighttime scent. The sandalwood is very alluring and comforting and although the scent doesn't last very long, the convenience of it being in solid form makes it easy to reapply throughout the day in your moderation. It is definitely a staple in my perfume collection and fun to layer on top of scents.

This is the best perfume Lush has ever came out with. Buttery sandalwood, lavender, palo santo, incense, touch of citrus. It delicious and so unique. This is also a very underrated product that I think deserves more attention. It’s warm and sweet but not sickly sweet which is right up my alley. Bravo lush! This is my current signature

Blind bought this and it’s now my signature fragrance. The opening smells like church incense with a little bit of freshness to it. The dry down is so gorgeous with the warm and creamy sandalwood note. It feels truly unisex, and I think it can be worn all year round (but that might just be because I love it sm).

Lavender and coumarin, some warm woodsiness and the olibanum more as a calming backdrop than «incensy». Lovely, soft fragrance to relax the wearer and their surroundings. I don’t know why this one only has two notes listed as they give the wrong impression of the scent. It’s a nice one none the less.

This is delicious. It smells sunny and warm. There is definitely lavender in here, similar to Lush Twilight but without the overpowering sweetness and tonka. It also doesn't have the head shop incense smell that a lot of "spicy" Lush products have, or the pickle smell a lot of sandalwood scents have.

Sampled this in-store when buying "HIWTK" today. This is the smoothest sweetest WOODY fragrance I've come across in a while!!! It might just kick "Kenneth Cole - Serenity" to the curb! I'll start planning on picking up a bottle of it soon enough...

this smells SO good. unfortunately i can never wear it because my first love/ex boyfriend wore it but GODDDDD this is one of the nicest simplest most delicious perfumes ever, i sampled it a few times and it really is divine. highly recommend

This is very nice, but I don’t think the predominant note is frankincense. I think this smells more like a herbal lavender in the top and benzoin/ vanilla (maybe tonka) plus soft white woods in the mid and base.

I love it so much, smells like my grandpa's house in winter when he fills it with incense. Cozy but in the way an empty church you're hiding in to escape the summer heat is. A dark hiding place.

All I can smell after 10 minutes is a soft, coumarin and with a hint of milky sandalwood . But it’s pleasant and I imagine it would make a good fragrance for sleep.

I pair Shade with Lush's Zesty body spray. This is hands down my FAVORITE edp from this house. Beautifully blended and absolutely bewitching.

Stunning fragrance it’s dry woody and super long lasting such a cozy scent that will get you compliments

Very much like Molton Brown Milk Musk.

Luxurious cocoa butter with added essential oils is what I got the first time and I was digging it. Once I got my own bottle and used it for a couple days I started to notice how it’s not as linear as I thought. The first spray starts with a medicinal lavender but it is fleeting. Within 30 seconds it’s gone and the sandalwood comes in. Nice and creamy like cocoa butter. The sweetness is a touch and that’s from the cinnamon. That lingers for a while until the olibanum oozes in. I say ooze because this isn’t a burning incense smell but a gooey resinous one. That steps side by side with the creamy sandalwood and the little piece of cinnamon. I really enjoy this scent. Definitely sits close to the skin and develops more beautifully on skin than clothes. Doesn’t last too long but hey, it’s luxurious cocoa butter.

I have this in the solid perfume version. The solid version has almost no silage, so you have to get right up next to your skin to smell it. I like how it gives the impression that it's just your natural scent, and it won't bother anyone around you at work. The longevity isn't great (or maybe I'm going nose-blind??!!), but I don't mind. The solid perfume was the cheapest option, after all, and applying it gives me a moment to appreciate the scent. I especially like to use this in the fall/winter layered with a vanilla based perfume. It gives a perfect warm, woody, slightly spicy note. On its own it's nice too, with a slight natural sweetness. I think this is a very nice scent for anyone! One last note -- I would not recommend this in summer, sadly. At least on me, it only smells good in cooler weather.

The drydown here reminds me a lot of Covet by Sarah Jessica Parker - citrus, lavender, flowers and gentle woods.... Super smooth, light and cosy. It has a similar level of sweetness but without the chocolate note. The florals smell like honeysuckle to me! So on my skin this starts with a strong lavender and citrus smell, but it dries down to smell like honeysuckle, sandalwood and tonka with a hint of a lavender incense stick smouldering in the background. Very soft. Not much projection at all, average longevity, but super pretty and comforting! This is what I reach for when I’m having one of those sensitive days and all my (non-lush!) perfumes are all smelling super chemically to me!

I always like this in it's later drydown, softer sweeter cedar sandalwood with a tiny bit of that almost burnt caramely smell a lot of Lush scents seem to land on eventually. The opening/first 20 min or so I alternate between loving and mildly disliking, and I really come here to get clues from the comments on what those early notes actually are. Something a bit lemony and bright, which with the cedar sawdust threatens to tip it into furniture polish or bathroom cleaner for me. Maybe that's just facets of some frankincense? I can see how some could get petrol, a little bit, but not overwhelmingly. Same with a camphor/medicinal smell - maybe a little.

honestly this scent is really nice. creamy but woody. I blind bought it because the notes really stood out to me. however, I can't get over this certain part of it that reminds me of hamster bedding, the sawdust/wood shavings lolol. however, my solid lost this note after having it for a few years. I started liking it a lot more, so I decided to buy the liquid version! then I was greeted by that familiar sawdust note again. I've gotten used to it the more I've used it though, now i can mostly look past it x) I think this would be a really nice one for layering (okay I decided to try it with a tiny bit of cinders body spray and this is heavenly ...)

Sandalwood, vanilla, frankincense and something woody/ambery I can’t quite put my finger on. Very nice fragrance that almost reminds me of “Chergui Lite”. Similar style as the Serge Lutens, but much more wearable. And Shade will work in any season except for very hot/humid summer days. It is a bit synthetic, but it is well done. Good longevity and sillage as well. I recently tried Lush fragrances for the first time and this was by far my favourite. I like that Shade is available in 30ml bottles as well. I am impressed with the Lush lineup. Well done for what I have always considered to be just a stinky soap store at the mall. 👍

Shade by LUSH (Store test, skin test) I really like Shade in the manner of Warm, Mild Balsamic Creamy Sandalwood with Slight tint of Powderiness. It is warmer due to olibanum, which on my skin, have quality of radiant warmth. Shade, can be worn in any occasion due to it Natural Wood profile without much complexity. But how natural profile of Sandalwood play out, this is so wonderful. Honestly I like this more than TAM DAO by Diptyque : the blue print of modern Sandalwood fragrance because I don’t like herbal, pickle undertone in that. I think, I will add Shade to Collection. This is very ZEN scent to me. 8/10

I get a medicinal note from Shade; not harsh, but definitely a bite of herbal-something? Certainly the sandalwood isn't at the forefront of this fragrance, although there is...citrus? Shade is kind of a funky fragrance; quiet, with little of the projection of other Lush scents (which envelope you for hours in a swirling mist of lushness that few can avoid). Instead Shade sits close...so close I'm surprised that other reviewers comment on being "commented on" wearing it. There's no sweetness here. Its 100% unisex and 'any season' too. And not a patch of other Lushies like Breath of God or Lord of Misrule.

Bergamot, lavender, ginger/cinnamon, lactonic note, tonka, resins, geranium, and vanillin....are what I get. Shade is lactonic, aromatic, spicy, and resinous, rather than woody. It does remind me of the ‘drydown’ in another perfume by Lush, 1000 Kisses Deep (like @maelleinrome said), so I feel Shade is aptly named as it could be called a ‘Shade’ or a shadow of that frag. Just that 1000 is heavier with myrrh and more citruses and is much more intoxicating. Shade is very wearable; also smells a bit like the whole Lush shop, outside the sweet bath bomb section though, which is a bit of a turn-off.

This is a perfume I really like but am almost afraid to wear, because I feel like it would almost be polarizing. It has an almost windy vibe. Like a breeze that smells like a Coca Cola meets Catholic Church incense. It’s kind of creamy. Something in it makes it harder to understand than plain coke scents or plain incense scents. It’s also a beast in terms of longevity. I do like wearing it in high heat. If it’s any other weather, I’m only wearing it at home for myself because I don’t think it’s universally likable whatsoever.

I got the solid perfume, since it’s quite affordable, but I found it completely different from the spray, a one-note buttery sweet lemon. The perfume proper is more clearly incense, earthy and woody with the evergreen facets you often find in frankincense. Definitely worth springing for at least 30ml of the spray, as it’s strikingly smokey and mysterious-- just don’t bother with the solid perfume.

i see others voting this reminding them of fm musc ravaguer, but no one talk about the"resemblance", so i just want to help others out by saying they arent dupes! even tho shade does smell nice, even at initial spray its way milder. Also shade smells spicy very differently and balsamic whereas fm mr does not! last but not least fm sillage n longevity is way superior. (i own a few backup of fm mr)

Bought the solid perfume so I cant speak for the vaporizer. Creamy and almost buttery sandalwood with a healthy dose of cinnamon and for some reason I pick up geranium though it is not listed in the notes. Friends loved it! Only thing I wished is that I wouldn't go scent blind to it as with most other lush perfumes that I try on myself. Maybe it's the vaporizer I need?

Starts with a moth killer, ugly lavender (saying that as a lover of lavender), continues to rage as hot pebbles in a spa, then dries down into an intriguing miracle that is resinous, salty, smoky, cozy, warm, and has slightly sweet after sex sweat in it. It is interesting to find an enchantress through all that mess but oh well, love is love.

I have this as the solid perfume, and it is surprisingly sweet on me, to the point of smelling almost gourmand. Cozy and fresh and not at all cloying. I am typically not a fan of woody scents at all, but this scent is bright and feminine, as opposed to most woodsy scents I have experienced. Very low sillage, but it lasts a long time for me.

Creamy sandalwood, lightly resinous with bright florals at the top. The sandalwood deepens in a very beautiful way as it develops. I’ve been testing the solid perfume so sillage and longevity are basically nonexistent, which I expected. I don’t have strong feelings about it but it’s a pleasant and inoffensive all seasons fragrance.

I was a bit disappointed at first, expecting something with al lot of sandalwood and a bit of incense. It turned out to be more of a warm lavender kind of scent. So I started using it as a pillow fragrance and that works excellent! It’s relaxing and cuddly and now I can’t go to bed without a few sprays. Really nice fragrance!

Recommended to me by a friend, the beginning is kind of sharp/harsh but it mellowed down pretty quickly on me and smelled like being at mass close to the altar. It doesn't seem to be super powerful either but that's okay if you like a subtler scent. I'll be giving it to a friend in a religious-themed gift.

Got the solid version first and had to buy the vaporizer a week later just to shower in it. Opens very sharp and floral, smelling like lavender and calendula. Develops into a creamy amber-like sandelwood with spice and incense notes. It's a comforting and natural sweet scent, perfect for rainy fall days.