Port-Au-Prince

[StevenBoatman]

Dark, decadent and incomparably exotic: the rich scent of buttered rum flavored with almond, bay, clove and sassafras.

On me, this is a slightly sweet tea. O.o In fact, it's like a softer version of Plunder-not that that's a bad thing mind you. At least this one doesn't leave red marks on my skin!

However, it really shines as a room scent-it's a spicy/sweet scent, with a hint of fruit. Mmmmm-mmm.

[perzephone]

I can't express how much I freakin' love this blend!

 

I'm not one to pay attention to 'gender' when it comes to perfumes & colognes. I've worn Polo without getting any nasty comments from anyone, and if I like a scent I'll wear it. I love Bay Rum, always have, but I feel strange about wearing pure bay rum cologne because most of the men I work with wear it. I avoid it simply because there are too many implications in wearing a cologne at work that could imply a physical transference of scent.

 

Anyway, the initial notes of PaP was heavy on the bay rum, which made me hesitant, but it settled down into a gorgeous heady cloud of sugar and spice. The almond and sassafras kept the perfume from being too cloying and heavy, and gave it a playful kick. I was expecting dark drums in the night & instead I got a day frolicking through rum distilleries. It smelled extremely edible, too.

 

It wore off very fast, and left no lingering whisper of its glory. That was a disappointment, but I still ordered the big bottle It's light enough where I wouldn't mind reapplying it as the night wears on.

[angelmecha]

In Imp: It's suuuuper sweet! The almond takes on a hyper-sugared marzipan-syrup quality... maybe it's the sassafras making it more syurpy.

Wet: Sweet sweet sweet. A bit of the bay rum starts to come out as it settles, and the almond and other notes slowly begin to separate just a bit. Yay, clove to the rescue, adding a hint of spiciness that was desperately needed to this really sweet blend.

Drydown: Y, halo, clove. All the sweetness rushed out of this one quick. All I'm getting now is clove with a little roundness that I think is probably the sassafras (my only exposure to sassafras is soda-- and it does have an inkling of that soda flavor in it). Almond is doing it's usual trick... powdering.

Verdict: Moody and ends in disappointment. I already swapped my bottle, but I was kind of glad to have a new imp to re-test... yeah, Port-au-Prince and I were just not made for each other...

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Sweet liquors, amaretto and something w/ cherry perhaps?

 

Drydown: Spicy and fresh! I'm mostly getting the sassafras and bay. It's tingly!

 

Dry: It's a spicy Christmas tree! There's pinecones, mistletoe, sparkly lights and a touch of cinnamon and clove

 

 

 

I love it! It's sooo not what I was expecting but it's fabulous nonetheless. Spicy yet cool, warm and tingly, yum yum yum

[Incendiare]

Ok yeah, this is totally spicy almonds. It turns a bit weird on me, however. Like an overly strong alcoholic beverage and sharp spices. It's actually alright, but it's not balanced on me at all. The alcohol goes wacky and the spices are kind of vague.

[karykeion]

This is going to be dangerous since I think I amp clove, but here goes!

 

In the imp: Ooh, that's gorgeous! It's like a marketplace! Almonds and spices and yum.

 

On me, wet: Dat clove is definitely standing out, but I like it, it's so spicy-sweet! I'm especially loving the combination of almond and bay, it's very nice and tasty-smelling, but in less of a foody way and more of a "standing in a place that's selling lots of delicious exotic things" way. The whole blend is very sweet because of the almonds and whatever note makes the rum buttered rum specifically. I really like this, the clove isn't giving me too much trouble and it smells like I've been out in a sunny city street all day with spices swirling around!

 

On me, dry: Spicy, sweet, and warm. I'm not sure I'll wear it often, but I do like it and it's definitely getting a full test!

[yakiguri]

All clove, all the time! I'm thinking I amp clove. Boo.

[sunlitgarden]

In the imp: Boozy almond and... banana? Some kind of fruit in the rum.

 

On my skin: Almond predominantly, with some spicy clove. This is surprisingly light on my skin. I accidentally got a bit on my face while sniffing and it burns. >_< I'm pretty much just getting pure clove as it dries. Basically like I'm huffing the spice jar. I like clove, but not quite that much...

[heartbeast]

This starts out a little sweeter than I usually like, but very quickly the bay steps up to ground the blend and render the scent spicy and slightly sweet without being foody. It really lasts for me, all day, and today it was perfect for our first chilly fall day. Non-foody foodies are one of my favorite BPAL tricks, and I love this one!

[theredkilt]

this is the brother of #20 Love Oil. I can't make myself wear this. I get bay and clove emerging from my skin. Nasty nasty nasty

[boomtownrat]

The Lab sent me this as a frimp sometime last year and I tried it only once before moving on to other new smellies. Then I misplaced the frimp for a while. Today I've been on a small cleaning kick and I found the ersatz imp case (read: Maxalt container) that contained Port-au-Prince and several beloved imps that I'd been missing. Now to review it, finally.

 

In the imp, this smells like a rum and Coke. Wet on my skin, there's a brief period when I get a whiff of Dr. Pepper, of all things. That might be the sassafras and clove. On the dry-down, there's a buttered rum feeling for a while and then it settles into a lovely, warm bay rum with the sassafras, clove, and almond in the background once it's fully dry. Now I can't stop huffing my arm. Even though it's a boozy scent, I still think I could get away with wearing it to work because the spice is more predominant, it doesn't have a powerful throw, and I work in an unconventional office in a creative field.

 

This would have been perfect on the cruise to Haiti and Jamaica that my husband and I took in January, and I would have taken it along if only I had found it in time. It reminds me just as much of Jamaica as it does Haiti. Whenever I want to evoke the feeling of that cruise, I'll put on some Port-au-Prince. I also think it would layer fantastically well with Snake Oil or Morocco and could even give an alcoholic boost to even Smut, which doesn't go very boozy on me. I'll wear it any time of year. Thanks for another brilliant blend, Beth!

[Deliciousness]

In the imp: Oh, wow! This is a super sweet marzipan mixed with booze and a slight kick of clove.
Wet on skin: This stays very true to the imp, with a little more clove coming forward ... yum!
Dry on skin: Clove

Wow, this scent starts out so promising on my skin, but turns into pure clove. Don't get me wrong, clove is a nice scent, but this screams CLOVE, CLOVE, CLOVE!
Too bad the almond only appears during the wet stage, as that is the most wearable part of this blend. I'll guess I'll have to keep searching for that special almond scent.

[WidgetAlley]

Imp: Amaretto, spice, and a gorgeous aftershave.

 

Wet: Cloves and almond cookies and manly soap.

 

Dry: Clove soap and a hint of almonds. This promised to be nice, with cologne cutting through the extreme foodiness, but alas, 'tis not to be.

[themeaningofV]

Received an imp from the lovely zewtsuit!

 

Mmmm. Cloves, rum, and sassafras, with something musky and pleasant underneath. I think I might amp clove, but I like how this smells so much that I'm not bothered. I just want to nom on my wrist! Looking like a big bottle in my future. I am in LOVE.

Edited May 13, 2013 by vthesiren

[Zii]

This swings wildly between Red Hots (I was stunned that there was no actual cinnamon in this) and that potpourri that has orange and clove in it.

 

It has a sweet and interesting dry-down, but is just simply not me.

[Morsigne925]

Wet/Imp: First impression is of a less spicy Hellcat. Boozy almond, plus clove. Lots of clove. Starts to smell like a boozy cider even.

 

Drying: Smells like one of those oranges with cloves stuck in them. I feel like I would love this if the clove would just calm down. On the other hand this is another one that would make a nice candle. Don't dislike, but probably wouldn't use as a perfume.

[dementia_divine]

In the imp: Almond, sassafras, rum, and a bit of clove. It smells wonderful. Almond tends to be very fleeting on me, though. I hope it sticks around this time. I am not familiar with bay, so I can't comment on that note.

Wet: The almond, rum, and sassafras are the most prominent notes to my nose. The clove is present as well, and it is getting stronger as the scent sits on my skin.

Dry: Sassafras, clove, and rum. There is still a bit of almond, but it isn't as strong as it was in the imp/during the wet stage.

Verdict: I like this. I'm not sure that I need a bottle of it, but it is nice!

[Veronica]

This starts off as sugary rum and sassafras. It dries down to a more herbal, clove scent.

[DiesMali]

In the imp: Spices!

 

Wet on my skin: Warm, deliciously spicy booze.

 

Dry: Yesssss. Gorgeous. This has the clove note I fell in love with in Arachne of Lydia. It's a rum-soaked, spicy clove with just a hint of sassafras and herbs, and I love how it warms up on my skin. I'm not surprised that I like this, given the notes in it, and glad I have another (paid) imp coming in addition to this free one I'm reviewing from.

[LizziesLuck]

I don't get any of the booze in this, which is a shame, I love the lab's rum note. Wet I get all almond - which is god awful on me. Luckily that fades quickly to sweet sassafras and cloves. Very spicy and sweet. I wouldn't wear it on a regular basis, but it's fun!

[Sue Dribben-Dickson]

This one threw me for an amazing curve. In the vial I smelled almond, yet as soon as I put it on it morphed into bay rum and spicy cloves. I can actually feel the heat of the clove on my skin, in a very neat way. It was so amazing that I re-applied it several times during the day, just to experience that whole morphing thing over and over.

[Casablanca]

Almond is impactful, and behaves that way here. The first impression on my skin is a burst of buttery almond, like marzipan, with a rocks glass of spiced rum on the side. After a minute, I find the sassafras, and it’s a nice touch in the blend.

 

The spices are fairly subdued on application, but amp considerably on me as Port-au-Prince dries. Dried, this is a clove-dominant scent on my skin. The rum, meanwhile, fades quickly.

 

I like this as an occasional foodie holiday scent. The buttery bay and clove contribute much to a Christmas vibe.

[Soupy Twist]

Starts as almond, ends as clove, disappears in an hour. Nothing else. I'm disappointed; this sounded really good on paper.

[pegasus]

So many things I loved about this one. I actually wanted to put it on last night because I was drinking White Russians spiked with nutmeg and clove and it reminded me of this scent. As soon as I put this on I feel like I'm indulging in a fancy dessert drink or a delicious spicy oatmeal.

There's a lot of a consensus around here that there's a heavy initial almond note. I can agree with that. The first impression for me is definitely sweet. But it doesn't take too long to be followed by spicy. Nutmeg (one of my favorites), clove (one of the more noticeable to me) and cardamom (one I sometimes miss noticing because it's different but always enjoy once i recognize it) It hangs on as one of those scents I'm not sure is for everyone but for sure is for ME! I may purchase a full bottle.

Overall rating: 8/10

[gloame]

Oh almond... you are so delicious and yet sometimes you do whacko things on my skin. The almond does fade down and let the spiciness come through, but on me, it's always there in the background, keeping me from getting the bay rum or the true spirit of the cloves.

Where I'd use this: Spicing up the house before a holiday party