Midnight Bakula

In a region of India, namely West Bengal, where I come from, delicate, tiny white, fragrant Bakul flowers grow in profusion. The flowers have a special place in our hearts and minds. Their hypnotic fragrance have captured the imagination of our poets, songwriters and indeed lovers, through the ages. So much so that our beloved poet and Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore mentions this flower often through his melodious poetry... in one verse where he describes a woman walking through a midnight garden, here, I can give you the translated version... “Full blown bakul flowers floated down in ones and twos and shadowy moonlight shone through the gaps in the branches on her face.” The beauty of their scent is so captivating that even the ancient Indian sages regarded these trees as gifts from God and Bakul trees are more often than not found growing at temple entrances. That said, I was delighted to see that The Body Shop has decided to share the beauty of their fragrance with the western world. For me, this fragrance is like a home-coming and a warm welcome to secret places of the heart where poetry resides.

Yes, it's plain, yes it's linear but it's perfect for those simple days at work. When you don't want anything too complex,no-suprises-today-pls-kinda-mood, with better longevity and value for than other more expensive counterparts. Perfect size bottle to carry around in the bag. It reminds me a bit of niche costume national 21. Only on a lighter note after the dry down. CN 21 is more spicier and muskier. This is lighter and less spicier. Lovers of Amarige/Gucci Rush and costume national 21 should try it. It's limited edition apparently, wish it wasn't so, but very affordable. So for that reason I have stocked up!

I recently came across a bottle, not in the body shop but some other shop... my god it was LOVE at first smell Yes it gives me a headache the first hour but then it calms down. My bf loves it, the 1st time he noticed a scent on me without me having to tell him im wearing something new, lol. it smells exotic, peppery, dark, saucy, seductive, mysterious....just lovely!I wear it to work everyday. Perfect for both day and night and winters and summers so sad it has been discontinued

For me, this fragrance is perfect. I had been looking for a spicy floral, preferably one that fit my budget since I usually wear sweeter or fresher scents. And voila, this little gem was so cheap and so wonderful. It reminds me of India... it's spicy and powdery, a little heady but still soft. The nectarine lightens things up. And the dry down smells smoky, like incense. It makes me feel exotic. This is truly beautiful and different. Gotta give kudos to the Body Shop!

This goes on as berries and deep, bitter tobacco (patchouli?). The rose peeks out a bit in the dry-down, where the tobacco smell settles into a nice, rich, sweet patchouli (I assume the sweetness to be the nectarine note I see listed here). This is deep, mysterious, and quite simply amazing. It's a shame this is discontinued, but I found 3 bottles at the Body Shop on clearance for $5 each and will be enjoying this lovely little gem for a while. Very well done indeed.