Baghdad

[dreadeddragon]

Amber, saffron and bergamot with mandarin, nutmeg, Bulgar rose, musk and sandalwood.

In the bottle: Oranges (bergamot, neroli, and I think mandarin), clove, and maybe sandalwood, with a hint of nutmeg.

First on: Anber & sandalwood. I smell like a Middle Eastern incense. This is the feminine counterpart to Kathmandu.

Drydown: It really is just like Kathmandu, only more feminine. It's a combination of smokey incense and woods. It's not something I would wear often, but I'm keeping it because I like it.

[brownbear]

To me this smells a lot like Bengal, which I like very much. The spice smells the same. It is warm, sexy, sweet, spicy, and delicious and close to a skin type smell. I'm not getting the rose, which surprises me. Usually my skin amps up rose a lot.

 

ETA: I'm trying this one again next to the old one. I think the old one may have been mislabeled. The new one I'm trying has a lot of sandalwood in it. I get mostly sandalwood and musk and a little something salty. I like it. I'm still surprised that rose isn't coming out though.

Edited January 7, 2007 by brownbear

[gangstaknitta]

This one totally threw me for a loop. It smelled just like a freshly baked spice cake, still warm and moist from the oven. I like the touch of saffron, it kept it from smelling too sweet. It is a very warm and comforting blend for the cold weather months. It dried down very nicely, making it a very distinctive smell that you have to get close to smell and then it explodes in your nose (in a good way!).

 

:runs off to the kitchen to bake!:

[LushNatty]

In the bottle: weird. I’ve noticed that people have sometimes said this about other scents, but this is the first time I have ever not been able to smell a scent in the bottle.

Initial application: very cinnamony, with possibly some clove, and a fruit/honey background. Smells like Christmas cider—or, as I finally identified—Market Spice tea. Dead ringer for Market Spice tea (with a little honey in). I have to say, since I couldn’t initially smell it too strongly, I applied a little more oil than I normally do (although still in the usual spots) and I am still not getting a lot of throw off of this. This might be a slatherer.

I actually tried a bit of this about a week ago when I was wanting an initial sniff of each of a new batch of imps, and I remember that, at that time, I didn’t like it. I don’t know what I was thinking, because now that I am wearing it, I can say that there is absolutely nothing objectionable about this scent. Maybe it was a hormonal thing.

WAIT—an objection—it’s making me itch. First time this has happened…

Damn. I really like this scent. I’m not sure what component could be causing this itch but I’m really bummed because this is a very nice scent and the rose and amber are starting to really add a wonderful complexity to it all. It's no longer straight "Market Spice" now-- just the most gorgeous blend of spices and a rich sweet base. Ooo-- there's the sandalwood peeking out a bit (this is definitely extremely light on the sandalwood).

I’m going to see how successful this is as a room scent—if it works in my oil burner I might order a 5 mL for room use despite my itchiness.

On a scale of 1 to 5: 4.5—almost the ultimate spicy scent, with a foody base that makes you want to lick your skin.

ETA: Now, given the few most recent reviews, I am curious as to why the reviews are so different-- are these two different scents? Is this the correct Baghdad?

Only time will tell...

Edited October 26, 2005 by LushNatty

[glampyre]

Baghdad

 

On first application, I thought there was cinnamon in this...but it must be the nutmeg. Baghdad is spicy, creamy, Reminiscent of "Morocco", but creamier. It's very deep and decadent, and I imagine it would make for a great massage oil scent.

 

I LOVE it, both on application and drydown!

So glad I ordered 10mL!

[TroubleDoll]

This had a strong cedar note on me at first. It mellowed out to a sort of dusty-spicy wood scent. Very earthy and sophisticated.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Oh, wow. Baghdad reminds me of an incense-ier Scherezade. It’s very warm and resinous, and I’m betting the musk is red.

 

Wearing: Sandalwood, red musk and warm florals. This… yeah, this is good stuff.

[SeaMonkey]

The amber and saffron was winning me over, but then the bulgar rose and the mandarin came out and it became a little too strong for me.

 

It all mingles together beautifully, but its just too strong

[Fishwomon]

I get honey-ed, spicy cinnamon from Baghdad. The amber blooms a bit in the drydown, but the honey and cinnamon last on me. This would be warm and spicy on the right person, but on me it smells too much of cinnamon gum.

[sophia_helix]

Yikes. My decant of uncertain age must be a rose-amber batch. There's only the faintest whiff of cinnamon and nutmeg, and I wish they would come out more, but this is the type of amber that on me turns into that yucky-diaper smell. (I really wish I knew how to pinpoint when that would happen -- Florence is fine, Brisingamen is evil. What gives?) It's also giving me a bit of a headache.

 

It gets spicier and more pleasant as it dries, but that bad amber note is always lurking, so, away with this imp.

 

ADDED June 17:

 

This is the second imp of Baghdad I've had. I swapped the first to someone who was looking for "rosy" Baghdad, and now that I've had the other kind, there's a marked difference.

 

This one is spicy and delicious, with barely even a hint of rose. I'm getting all the nutmeg, amber and saffron my heart could wish for instead. The throw isn't great, but I will certainly try to hunt down more of the spicy variety. I wonder if the difference is in the blending or the aging?

[Thaleia]

Frimp from the Lab, and I'm always open to trying something new.

 

In the vial: Spicy and foody, like cookies and tea. Cookie dough with tea brewing in the background.

 

Wet: Bitter spiced almond? 'Spiced' I can understand, but almond? I'm still smelling cookies - almond cookies - and mmm, Earl Grey tea, which is undoubtedly the bergamot. It's a Middle Eastern tea party!

 

Drydown: I'm getting more nutmeg now, warmed by amber and musk. It's still foody, but more citrus as the mandarin comes out and then ... cinnamon spiciness that's making my mouth water. It's really strong, too; I ought to put less of this on (and I didn't even put on that much) lest I get lightheaded as I am right now.

 

Dry: Less cookies, more tea, but the cookie-dough scent is still lingering. And it's kind of beginning to smell like Play-Doh - spiced Play-Doh, if there is such a thing - but mostly just spiced almond cookie dough. I didn't get rose at all, which is funny because my skin loves the rose.

 

I really don't know what to make of this scent. It smells good, but I don't know if I could actually wear it. I may have to try this again some other time and decide how I really feel, and will update as needed.

 

For now, though, I give this a 2.5.

Edited December 19, 2005 by Shollin

[Aharona]

in the imp: Warm nutmeg, amber and orange. Mmmmmmmmmmm

 

Wet on Skin: The amber is the first scent to come out.. It blends with the nutmeg in the most perfect way. This is such a sexy secent!

 

20 Mins in: Still warm spicy wonderfulness, but the orange and sandalwood have come out now. I am a bit dazed when I smell my skin right now because I am getting a huge blend of notes coming out. I actually feel warmer when I smell my skin.

 

Overall: Spice and warmth. This is the perfect scent for cold winter days. I would get a big bottle of this in a heartbeat.

[white_jenna63]

I'm not familiar with several of the listed notes, so I can only say in the bottle and on first application, it was a sharp, oriental scent. Within about a minute, it turned to pure powder. And there it stayed. This is the first scent with rose in it that I've tried, maybe that's it. One for the swap pile!

[greywind]

Baghdad is now number 1 in my personal top ten.

 

In the vial I smell amber, sandalwood, saffron, orange, and spices.

 

On, it becomes richer and spicier, and stays amber/sandalwood/orange/and spices for many, many hours. I was astonished by this because I don't like rose -- and the rose never appears on me. Certain musks also make me sick but the musk isn't a problem. I also love sandalwood, orange, and spices, and Baghdad delivers in spades.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is pungent nutmeg and something like honey, almost unbearably sweet. As it dries, the dryness of cedar creeps in, and the amber warms the overall scent. The throw is amazingly strong on me, too. Wow! I don't get any mandarin or rose at all.

 

After a while, the sweetness is balanced by the spices, and there's a hint of dust as well, but not in a bad way. This is warm and complex and a little crowded, and I think it works perfectly.

[amrita]

Wet, I got the amber, rose, and sandalwood-- but within minutes this is 100% rose soap. I never smelled any mandarin or nutmeg, unfortunately. It sounded so pretty... I wish it worked on me like it does on other people.

[Phaedra]

I got this as a freebie from the Lab in one of my recent orders. Wet this is a mix of honey, musk and spices. When first on it smells like dry cinnamon with some warmth underneath. At this stage it reminds me of Harvest Moon 2005. The cinnamon fades a bit and it becomes a lovely spicy floral blend. This is really pretty! It lasts about 6 hours on me. I will use the imp of this one for sure.

[WidgetAlley]

A frimp from the Lab. I've been dying to try it. *crosses fingers*

 

In the Imp: Strong amber. Whoa, this is the first time I've been able to smell amber without putting an oil on my skin.... I'm also getting some yellow spice (saffron?), some lovely musky-velvety rose, and mandarin. Bergamot, too, a high citrus floating on top. Mmm, this is nice. A little fruity, a little powdery without being annoying baby powder. The nutmeg makes it smell almost like the desert equivalent of mulled wine.

 

Wet: Sandalwood and saffron! Very warm and sweet and dry. This isn't juicy, ripe mandarin and lush, womanly rose, it's dehydrated orange peel ground up with spices and the desiccated petals of wild roses. There's something in here, possibly the amber, that gives it an almost honeyish edge, like a really good tea. Ohmigod! Yes! That's what this reminds me! Celestial Seasonings' Mandarin Orange Spice tea! The similarity is remarkable... it's that scent, almost exactly, heady and heated and delicious, but made wearable by the fuzzy backing of the musk and the sweet golden scent of the amber. This makes me feel extremely sexy in a very womanly sort of way... it's a bit sweet, a bit spicy, a bit smoky, a bit fruity, a bit floral. It smells, not like incense itself, but like a room in which the best incense in the world has been burned for years. A muted but still very present scent, this conjures up images of a tumultous marketplace, tent flaps billowing amid endless sand dunes, and a dark-eyed beauty wearing a long loose kaftan and a veil. Mmmmmm......

 

Dry: What? No! What happened? Something fruity and powdery has risen up and is staging a rebellion-- the mandarin? What happened to my desert spice-market? This is much more honeyish now, too... It's still very pretty, but it's not the scent ot was forty-five minutes ago. There doesn't seem to be any throw, either. Awww, man. I was all set to fall head over heels in love with this one, too. It was going to be my newest summer blend, until it went all sweet orange powder. Woe!

 

Verdict: I'm not ready to give up on this one yet. I don't mind the lack of throw-- I'll slather if I need to-- but my skin treats the drydown in a disappointing fashion. Hopefully it's just a phase, and my Middle Eastern goodness will return in another hour or two. *sigh* If I can get that gorgeous first stage to linger, it'll be a 5mL for sure. If I can't.... well.... I guess I'll hang on to my Imp.

 

I waited about twenty minuets before I submitted this review and.... gues what? Spicy goodness is back! I suppose I'll just have to get used to the alternating sweet and dry. Oh well. I can live with that.

[this machine]

I'm very anti-rose, but with bagdhad i tried to branch out and try a scent that sounds great but has a bit of rose in it. Unfortunately, i'm of the group with this one that it turned to rose soap. I still smell the beautiful sandalwood and musk in the distant background, but the spice is gone on me and it's soapy rosey. Too bad. Maybe some day i'll stumble upon a rose element that works for me, but this one has made me gunshy again.

[lookingglass]

This is like a more complex Chimera on me. Very spicy cinnamon with a sweetness underneath that must be the amber. I don't detect any citrus or rose; OK, it gets a little bit powdery at the end~that may be the rose.

[LiberAmoris]

I bought a bottle of Baghdad back when it came out, tested it out, was not terribly excited about it, and tucked it into the back of my box for another day. Eight months later...I thought I'd try this again, and am finding that a little time has been kind to Baghdad.

 

The rose has really mellowed, and the formerly sharp bergamot is now much less prominent. There's still a powdery side to Baghdad that I'm not crazy about, but only when I sniff my skin. In the air around me, it's candied roses and oranges with amber and musk. I still wish I got more spice here, but it's very nice.

[terrierhead]

In the imp, this is strong cinnamon with a citrussy backdrop. Wet, it rushes forth as cinnamon gum with an international tinge - like a more sophisticated gum with a lot of stamps on its passport. Drying down, I get a glimpse of the rose every now and then before the whole thing turns into spicy baby powder. Off to swaps for this one, I think.

[Chrysantza]

In the bottle: Orange juice + pumpkin pie spice.

 

On me: It starts off very perfumey, almost like Guerlain's Shalimar. Then it dries down to a lovely blend of spice, floral and musk with a touch of citrus. The latter is usually a disaster on me but this is a blend with citrus I can wear.

 

Baghdad is very much in the mold of Morocco, Scherezade and even Othello - they all have that spice + musk "Middle East bazaar" feel to them.

 

Verdict: A keeper. Baghdad is lovely on me.

[AlaskaSnows]

This is a very light scent with little throw. It smells, to me, a lot like Chai with lots of milk and honey, which for me is very pleasant. I just wish it had a lot more throw.

 

About an hour later this has little more throw, but has morphed into an incensy sweet floral tinged ECSTACY!!!!!!!!! I LOVE this!!!!

Edited February 9, 2006 by AlaskaSnows

[seamor]

Wet: Dry woods and spices, a hint of curry.

 

Dry down: The curry note faded very quickly. Now there is the warm sweetness of amber seeping through exotic spices. Gradually, as it dries, it is becoming sweeter – the mandarin and nutmeg come up, joined after a moment by a touch of rose, still with the spice base. Oh, this is too gorgeous! An Indian spice market with a few tangerines and a huge bouquet of deep red roses somewhere nearby.

 

Later: Oh, this is soooo lovely! :swoon:

 

Lots later: Still loving it! It morphs a little, sometimes more rose, sometimes more mandarin, but always with that lovely musky spice. A gentle throw – there’s an exotic “air” about me, but I don’t reek. Perfect.

 

I do wish it would last a little longer - only went about 3 hours on me - but I'm happy to re-apply whenever necessary.