Hollywood Babylon

[Lexy]

The essence of innocence shattered: glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, infused with the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla - dragged into debauch by lusty red musk and a dribble of black cherry.

My 3 year old wanted to try this before I got to. On her it smelled adorable. Like those strawberry shortcake dolls I used to have.

I loved it so much on her that I decided I better try it. On me it smelled like an old used up drunk whore in the middle of a city at midnight. Not really such a good image. Besides that, it made me feel the way I did when I was 19 and I was having sex with people I didn't really like and then trying to think of a way to leave quickly the next morning. I had to wash it off. I got depressed.

I don't know what it was. The strawberry was nice, but the other stuff was just... sordid.

[Lady Ravenglass]

Ooooh... ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooo...!!

 

Mmm. Oh this is honeyed and sweet and smokey and fruity and yum. Too sweet and almondy in the bottle, but dry on my skin, mmmm. Just goes to show you don't trust first impressions where these little imps are concerned. This was in the swap box, now its a keeper for a cold day.

[enozgirl]

In the bottle: Flowery, sugary amber. Musky, fruity amber. I love the amber. It's a little overpowering in the bottle.

 

Wet: Berries and vanilla swimming in lovely amber.

 

Dry: This dries down to an amazing vanilla amber, with just hints of flowers and berries. I love this. I need this. I want to eat my wrists.

 

Final Verdict: Omg. Need big bottle of this. I'm so glad I got this as an imp to try it. I'm so in love with all the scents with Beth's egyptian amber....

[OdetteOdile]

Mango? Papaya juce? Vanilla and fruit - a tropical Asian islands scent.

I smell the strawberries, too. I like that it's got enough vanilla to be dessert-y.

 

A good scent to wear while reading Francesca Lia Block books.

[Splendid Molerat]

Hollywood Babylon: Heliotrope likes me, for some reason.

 

I've got Glitter on one hand and Hollywood Babylon on the other, to remind myself what the common note is about.

 

I'm getting the sunny innocence of the heliotrope, strawberry and vanilla (like a corn-fed farm girl just getting off the bus). This impression lasts for a long while.

The fragrance is a faint ghost of itself before anything like musk and black cherry make an appearance.

 

It would seem my corn-fed farm girl simply disappears in the desert before actually getting corrupted. The last dark notes are no more than the ink fading from her Missing poster...

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: Hollywood Babylon smells like cherry and strawberry. Mmm...yummy.

 

On Me: The cherry and strawberry make this scent candy sweet, bright, red, and sugary. The amber is only now just coming through, which gives it almost a malevolent tinge, just barely countered by the vanilla lightness. This is a very complex oil, sin and salvation, lust and chastity...but a very sexual scent to say the least.

 

Oh yeah, this is a bigger bottle. Blood Lotus is the only other scent that I deem this sexually charged. I'm totally slathering now and waiting until the hubby is done with his project buddy before I jump him!

[etherealchild]

In the Bottle Cherry and musk. Sweaty, sweet, and naughty.

 

Wet Strawberry and heliotrope are sparkling on the surface with cherry and musk simmering underneathe. Ooooh, I feel naughty in a very Lolita-esque way. Hehehe. I wish I didn't have a paper to write. I wish I was dressed in a revealing outfit, out drinking with the girls, flirting and turning heads. Makes me feel playful and girly.

 

Drydown Very fruity. Almost too sweet to be good. I smell like candy.

 

Two Hours Later Vanilla is now evident. Cherry and strawberry loud and clear, musk fading away. Where did the dark sense of defilement go? Awwwww. It's too sugary now.

 

Verdict I smell like a bonnie bell lipgloss. Too sugary and fruity for my tastes. It was fun when I first put it on. Hmmmm. I don't know....... I had high hopes for this one.

[Lina]

In the imp: I smell that juicy fruit smell and smoke.

 

Wet: Sharp and loud juicy fruit. Fruity and resin scents. Strawberry is hidden but I do smell it.

 

Dry: (3 hours) I think I like this. It is changing constantly and it is an incredible and wonderful blend.

 

Dry: (6 hours) I will be needing a 10mL of this. It is absolutly fabulous. I keep sniffing my wrists and OHMYORGASMATICGOODNESS!

[luxuria]

Ladies and gentleman, we have a winner, even though it has two notes that ruined other blends for me (red musk and amber).

 

It smells like some kind of fruit punch in the imp and wet on the skin, but darkened a bit by red musk. As it dries down, the amber starts to come out, but instead of ruining this and making it incense-y, the strawberry counters it and it just gives it some more sultry depth. Smooth and sweet. I'm a fan!

 

It doesn't morph too much over time and lasts a long time, also!

 

[edit] Somewhere along the lines, there's something overwhelmingly boozy. That's bad news, but thankfully it doesn't stick around.

 

This is soooo gorgeous, I love it more and more every time I wear it. I'm glad I have a 5ml on the way. I can't believe something actually made me enjoy amber..the heliotrope is very pleasant too, and I normally don't like any florals. Notes I dislike enhancing notes I love? Unheard of! but now I'm rambling, Hollywood Babylon is just that intoxicating.

Edited January 6, 2005 by luxuria

[Morgan]

At first this was PURE strawberry to me. Not strawberry candy, but more like fresh strawberries...very yummy!

And than after a few minutes it morphed into a cherry candy/smoky/incensy smell.

I definitley had high hopes for this one, but I wasn't crazy about the way it smelled after drydown. Don't get me wrong it's not a bad smell, and I'll probably still wear it on occasion.

[Diana]

In the vial, this is lush. I can pick up notes from the heliotrope and cherry, but there's an underlying depth from the amber and/or the musk.

 

I put it on, it starts to smell boozy. I think anything that can turn boozy will definitely do so on my skin. (you know that totally means I am a GOOD TIME.) Sexy!

 

This is really amazing and wonderful, but starts to morph into a scent, that to my nose, is very similar to Bordello. Which is fine, really, as Bordello is my favourite scent! This has a bit more of a smokiness to it, from the amber and musk (which happen to be some of my favourite notes!). The cherry & strawberry & vanilla contribute to a very sweet top note, which I think comprises most of the overall aura that is raditating from me. I really can no longer smell any floral component.

 

I really love this! I wonder, though, if it is too similar to Bordello. I think I'll have to wear this a few more times to determine whether it's worth getting a 5ml bottle, or if I should just hang onto the imp.

 

ETA hours & hours later:

This lasted amazingly well. I did retouch at one point about 5 hours ago, and it honestly smelled totally different with the 2nd application. This time it was way less boozy/fruity and way more musky and sooo very sexy. I think we have another winner!

[harlequin]

In the bottle: kind of reminds me of a non-menthol cherry cough drop.. er, actually, more like a throat lozenge, with a bit of a bite..

 

On: the fruit scents kind of fade down pretty quickly and it takes on a much more incense-y smell than I was expecting, but it's a soft and somewhat sweet sort, at least.. I think between this one and O, I can now pick out what Amber generally smells like.. I was curious about that.

 

 

I do like this one, and I'm not a big fan of incense-y smells (again, the headache thing).. I was expecting it to be a bit fruitier a bit longer, but it turns out to be a bit more mature than it starts out as... therefore, I'd say that the "The essence of innocence shattered" part of the description is very apt, actually.

[shelldoo]

Hmmmm, gathering my thought for this is tough. My 11 y/o has been bugging me to get her some so when a surprise imp of it came today she went all wooky. So as I have a rule that I must try it first we are now both wearing it.

In the bottle:

cherry bubblegum? thinking ok she can have it

 

wet:

on me: I don't really smell a berry scent, I was scared the musk would be amplified as it usually is not one of my favorite notes. but I do not detect the musk at all shew.

 

on mel: all strawberry and vanilla

 

drydown:

 

on me: I am going to be trying this one again it is not at all what I expected. I barely get any strawberry, no musk, but I smell a boozy scent? How is that? *scratches head*

 

on mel: strawberries, vanilla, and honey, like a totally different scent...these oils amaze me when they do that.

 

final thoughts: well if I end up not liking it so much I know someone who is dying for it

[fairywingmaker]

Vanilla, Strawberry, Musk...those are the notes that come to the top on my skin with Hollywood Babylon. The amber is staying down, and that is good, because it doesn't always work well with my chemistry. I like how this smells on my skin. And I think I may invest in a bottle.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

I got this as part of my prize for winning etherealchild's Blue Moon contest.

 

First sniff:

 

Hmm, interesting...I definitely smell strawberry...and vanilla and maybe cherry and a hint of amber. This one's a bit hard to pin down. The strawberry is the first thing I notice sniffing this. Combined with the vanilla, it reminds me very strongly of strawberry ice cream. There's definitely a black cherry vibe behind the ice cream smell, though, and a hint of something golden smelling that has to be the amber. Somehow, this is more of what I expected Jailbait would smell like than Jailbait itself was, but it definitely lives up to its description.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Strawberry ice cream again! It's a soft, creamy strawberry scent that screams innocence to me for some reason. I can also smell the amber quite strongly now, too, pushing up behind the strawberry and vanilla and making it slightly more grown-up smelling. The cherry seems to have disappeared now that it's on my skin, but I don't really miss it. Hollywood Babylon is lovely as it is!

 

Dry down:

 

Still strawberry ice cream, but lighter and softer. I wasn't sure I'd like this one when I smelled it in the imp, but this is lovely. It' not my usual style by any means, but somehow it still works on me. I'm not sure how often I'll wear it, but I like it.

 

The bottom line:

 

Very innocent smleling but at the same time grown up. Definitely not my usual kind of scent, but lovely in its own way.

[ianastar]

Hollywood Babylon - very sweet when wet and first put on the skin. Almost too perfumey for me. But as its dying down....i get more like strawberry and cream.....you can defintely smell the strawberry and vanilla combo....but still kind of more like a perfume smell. Im not sure about this one. I will have to wear it a bit more and see.

 

This is really strong. I smelled it all day. I was knitting for a little while...and when my knitter friend picked up my work to look at it....she said my yarn now smelled like Hollywood Babylon.

Edited January 17, 2005 by ianastar

[purely_cosmetic]

I got this as a freebie in a swap

 

In the vial it smells very much like cherry diluted with something green....I cant place it, but its quite a leafy cherry smell. It also has an edge to it which is quite grating....something that can be found in really old fashioned perfumes.....INTRIGUING!

 

I am currently too smothered in Golden Priapus, (HMM!) to test this on myself, and I take pity on my work colleagues Ill be joining shortly!

But I roped in my housemate and smothered her wrists in the stuff! hehe!

 

At first the cherry is the prominant note, as well asthe leafy undertone....soon that intrigunig grandma smells begins to disappear, and I think the strawberry begins to develop....Helen say sit smells like black cherry to her, and I can detect tht as well, although my nose is confused as to whether thats what Im smelling or if its mixd with the strawberry. I think it's the vanilla coming through actually, as it begins to have a warmth to it that I love. (AndI love vanila, lol)

 

I'VE GOT IT!!!

 

To all you UK'ers out there, this, to me sells almost EXACTLY like baby calpol. To all you USers out there that is a very VERY big compliment!!! In fact, I liked it so much that as a child I drank a whole bottle and had to go to hospital, lol! well done Harri! lol!

 

I would have never NEVER got this on my own accord, even though, looking through the notes, they all seem to be notes that I like.

I like this on Helen alot!!

 

Hopefully when I get back from work Ill give this a try and it will work just as well on me!

Edited January 25, 2005 by purely_cosmetic

[Nepthys]

I really hesitated on ordering this because I loathe sickly-sweet candy smells. But the amber and heliotrope convinced me to give it a go... and yay, it works! In fact it exceeds working to stunningly beautiful! In the middle of the drydown, for about a minute and a half, a synthetic cheap note emerged from the strawberry, making me cringe, but luckily it vanished. Bracketing that was a seductive velvety honey, strawberry and vanilla scent, sort of like O in the strawberry patch on a warm summer day. There is a very naughty fragrance and strangely connotive of both a trashy Lolita and a sophisticated film siren. I love the book Hollywood Babylon and I think this really does justice to it.

[tempete]

Hmm... I didn't think that I would find a scent containing red musk and amber that I didn't like, but apparently, Hollywood Babylon fits that niche.

 

The red musk and Egyptian amber notes are strongest when wet, although I can detect the sweeter notes lurking in the background. As Hollywood Babylon dries down, the strawberry and cherry notes beat the musk and amber notes into submission, and together with the vanilla note, turn this scent into a sweet candy-like mess on my skin. I was hoping that the red musk and Egyptian amber would keep the sweeter notes in line, but no such luck, alas.

[pekeana]

In the vial, Hollywood Babylon is strong, heady red musk with just a hint of cherry and a giant, in-your-face strawberry that screams to be smelled.

 

On me, it's powdery musk with an overtone of overripe strawberries. No heliotrope or cherry to be found here, alas.

 

It's similar in tone on my skin to Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo (but with major musk), but methinks I prefer Joy Mojo.

[Lucretia]

sugar glazed cherries... musks.... cough syrup? this is sweet in much more of a sexy way than say bon vivant or bordello, but meh... I just don't like sweet it seems. this scent is to me, a buxom lady in a red velvet dress. Sadly however, while i am buxom, i am not the type for red velvet dresses. This one was a bit too sultry for me.

[Aurelius]

In the bottle: koolaid! This smells like overly sugary fruit punch. Ick.

 

Wet: A little less koolaid, a little more actual fruit punch.

 

Dry: Ooooh, a nice fruity blend. Soft even.

 

Overall: Once it's dry it's lovely. Sadly, once it dries it disappears quickly.

[linaerys]

Somehow this smells just like Lust on me, even though a lot of the elements are different. I like it well enough, but I already have a 5mL of Lust, so I don't need more of a very similar scent.

[dawndie]

Okay, so I've never done a review before. My favorite bottles so far are Perversion and Bordello, and everyone loves those, right? No need for me to add further praise.

 

But tonight, after a long aggravating day at work, I find a bottle of Hollywood Babylon waiting for me at home from the lovely lorajc, and I'm so excited I open it up right there and swipe some on my wrist.

 

Oh!! This is nice! It starts out very sweet, like sticky fruits. Like the innocence in the beginning of the description. But then it matures -- it's telling a story! It gets older and more cynical. "Oh make me over, I'm all I want to be. A walking study, in demonology." I can smell vanilla and musk, like it's so over being cloying and sweet.

 

I'm typing this 3 hours later, it's still very strong and I'm still very much in love. What an amazing scent. I am an eternal devotee of Beth's fruity blends.

[Morgan]

In the bottle: I'm picking up mostly cherry, but I can also smell some vanilla.

 

On my skin: Very tangy cherry at first, if that makes sense.

 

After 10 minutes: Strawberries?

 

After one hour: Strawberries, vanilla and Musk...Where did the cherries go? This smells awesome!

 

Final Verdict: This scent is great..it is sweet, but the musk helps make it "adult sweet". I will be buying a big bottle of this