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Post by Poodle
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Pikake (pee’ kah keh) means peacock and is the Hawaiian name for jasmine sambac, a flowering bush that is prevalent on the Hawaiian islands and often used to make leis. It was so named by Ka’iulani (1875-1899), the last crown princess of Hawaii. She thought pikake were beautiful, just like the birds she named them after. As a young girl she lived on an estate near the ocean surrounded by trees, flowers, and her beloved peacocks.
Photo Stolen Flickr
Iliahi is Hawaiian for sandalwood and since Hawaii was known for its native sandalwood, one can assume she was familiar with those fragrant trees as well. Ka’iulani also had a white pony (doesn’t every princess?) which she rode by the ocean. She referred to Pikake as the flower of love and once said that she would only marry if she were in love and no other reason would persuade her. She was known for her strength as well as her beauty and grace. It has been said that it was impossible not to love her.
Waikiki Pikake by Brook Harvey Taylor for Pacifica
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Pikake (jasmine), sandalwood
The perfume Waikiki Pikake is all about jasmine and sandalwood. There’s a definite tropical feel to the fragrance but without the fruitiness commonly associated with tropical scents. The jasmine here might just be a gateway drug for people who are usually afraid of it. There’s nothing here that says “dirty girl”, it’s more a beautiful jasmine fit for a princess. Never having been to Hawaii I imagine this is what the Pikake flowers smell like on an ocean breeze. Green leaves and ocean waves mingle with the jasmine and then swirl around a heart of warm, creamy sandalwood. A perfectly clear day in an island garden is what comes to mind but overall this isn’t a smothering white floral. It’s reminiscent of new love, fresh and innocent. On my skin it wears nicely in the heat without becoming overwhelming. Oddly it seems the heat tones it down but you might have a different experience. Waikiki Pikake wears somewhat linear on me, not changing much but gradually softening and fading away. I love it as a bedtime scent but I think it could be worn anytime.
Photo Stolen WikiCommons
My first sniff of this came from the body butter that I found at the discount store. That’s one thing I love about Pacifica, companion products. I love layering my scents once in a while and having a body cream that matches my perfume is so much easier than trying to coordinate which scent goes with which. That being said, you could easily get just enough fragrance from the body butter alone. I had the body butter first and loved the fragrance and the longevity of it so I bought the perfume to go with it.
Pacifica has Waikiki Pikake in $12/10ml roll on and loads of other stuff too.
So tell me, do you have a favorite Pacifica scent? Have you tried this one? Ever been to Hawaii and is it as fabulous as I think it would be?
Until next time…hugs.
poodle
Australian Perfume Junkies 
SO ANNOYING!! I wish everyone would send to Australia. You get me excited Poodle and then BAM.
Great review as always, you have created a lemming and I will find Pacifica while I’m in the USA in November.
Portia xx
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Darn, I didn’t know I was just going to be teasing you with this one. It’s a relatively cheap thrill too. I paid less than $15 for my bottle on Amazon. That’s almost free! We will have to get you stocked up in the fall.
Hugs
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We will make a special Pacifica detour.
Portia xx
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Some shops in my mid-sized Canadian town stock Pacifica products, but it’s always the same subset in the line – no Mexican Cocoa, no Spanish Amber (the two I really want to try). However they do have Waikiki Pikake, so I’ll have to give it a go… you make it sound so lovely!
The one I bought without hesitation was Pacifica Mediterranean Fig. It’s a fig soliflore, fresh and green, and (on me) surprisingly long-lasting. Perhaps not quite as interesting as Diptyque Philosykos, but lovely and very affordable. I have both the spray and the solid perfume; the latter is dryer and more woody on me.
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I have a tough time finding anything but the usual suspects in this line too. I was rather surprised to see the body butter for this at TJ Maxx so I grabbed it at first sniff. It was only recently when I was on a little trip that I was able to smell Tibetan Mountain Temple which I’d been wanting to try. They have a lot of scents but few stores carry the interesting ones it seems.
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Chamekke, which shops are you finding Pacifica in? I am in Montreal.
Poodle, Hawaii is paradise, I go there frequently for vacations, it is my most favourite happy place. 🙂 Coconut pancakes, wind rustling in the palm trees, and the smell of fragrant flowers mixed with the ocean air. Pure heaven!
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Coconut pancakes! Oh my! I am such a breakfast hound. I love breakfast food especially when someone else is cooking it. That sounds like its worth the trip just for that. It would be a long flight for me. I think we’d have to plan a stop halfway or there’s no way the hubband would make the trip. Someday…
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Winners will sometimes carry it. You can also order Pacifica products from Well.ca. if you ever go to Ottawa, the Whole Foods on Bank Street carries the line.
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My favorite Pacifica scent is Spanish Amber which, to me, smells like (in the best way) saddlesoap. The body butter, solid & spray perfumes, & soap smell great. Also the Mexican Cocoa soap is really good. My favorite of their florals was Tunisian Jasmine, sadly discontinued.
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I never smelled Tunisian Jasmine but maybe this would be a reasonable substitute. I do like Spanish Amber as well. I sniffed it once but didn’t buy. I should have because I haven’t seen it since. So frustrating.
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I keep going back to Tibetan Mountain Temple. I did not know that Pikake was jasmine sambas. You learn something new every day.
Hawaii is truly beautiful. I’m a tried and true city girl, but Hawaii is definitely one of my favorite vacation spots. My favorite island is Kauai. If you’re flying from the east coast it’s nice to make a stop over in San Francisco.
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Yes, San Francisco would probably make the most sense. I’m really more interested in going there after doing my homework for this review. The history is quite interesting on Hawaii.
TMT is on my wish list. I’m on a “no buy” right now so even though it’s affordable I’m trying so hard to not buy anything new for a while.
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I have never been to Hawaii but would probably love it there. I grew up in a fairly tropical area with lots of blooming gingers and plumerias so the scents attract me.
I love Pacifica for a cheap thrill. Several of the larger grocery stores in my area carry the line but I haven’t tried this one. I always keep a rollerball of the French Lilac in my gym bag. It is dryer sheet-y enough to almost fake clean and is probably my favorite lilac. I also have a couple of the little solids someplace. The lemon blossom I think and maybe another. I really need to stop and play next time I pass the display. They don’t have the full line but I know there were some I hadn’t seen last time.
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Confession time: I prefer French Lilac to Roja Dove’s latest lilac. I can at least smell the Pacifica scent. I’d love to live in a tropical area. I was just thinking last night that it’s totally possible that snow is only 12 weeks away. After last winter that thought is incredibly depressing. Anyway, I think Waikiki Pikake would be a good gym bag scent too. It’s got that sheer fresh feel and a little sweat might do it good.
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Whole Foods has the entire line! The next time you come, we will go food shopping and sniff.
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