Hollywood Babylon

[whataboutprom]

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.

I received this as a frimp from the lab. In the imp, all I smell is cherry, which is not a note I would ever pick out for myself but is a note that I think works okay on my skin.

Wet: I can definitely smell the red musk, making this a very assertive, sexy blend. The amber is holding everything together, and the cherry is quite strong.

As it dries, the amber comes out more and is just a teeny bit powdery, but not in a bad way. The overwhelming cherry fades really fast on me.

I've only recently realized that I like red musk, and I have been meaning to try more perfumes with it, so it seems the lab was psychic again in its choice of frimp. Hollywood Babylon is not something I would ever wear to work; the musk makes it extremely sexy, and this has a lot of throw on me. This is an intensely red fragrance all around; however I never can pick out the strawberry, and the cherry doesn't stick around long as a distinguishable note. I think both of the fruits add to the juiciness and sweetness of Hollywood Babylon without making it foodie at all.

I'm definitely going to use up my imp. It's possible this will grow on me enough to be bottle worthy.

[Rho]

A match made in heaven for me; Hollywood Babylon is top 10 quality stuff!

 

It starts off as a bubbly cherry/strawberry soda smell, warm due to the red musk. It's very flirty and whimsical as the cherry and strawberry smell very sugary instead of straight up fruit.

 

The amber really blooms after a few hours of wear, grounding all of the fruit and vanilla sweetness. I also notice the heliotrope from this point onward; it's a lovely golden counterpoint to the rest of the fragrance.

 

For the last few hours that Hollywood Babylon sticks around, my skin smells like pretty red musk and a touch of playful strawberry. Very cute, but with a womanly edge.

 

I'd feel comfortable wearing this one for pretty much any occasion.

[KittyHawk]

I received this as a frimp from the Lab (thanks, Labbies!) and I'm very happy with it.

 

In the imp, the cherry and amber are the most prominent notes. I think I detect a little of the heliotrope too.

 

Wet, I get a big, juicy black cherry swathed in red musk. YUM!

 

Dry, this gets more musky, and the amber starts to disappear, but the cherry and red musk remain the main players. It is a really well-blended scent and it lasts a really long time on me. Hollywood Babylon is going straight to the top of my bottle list!

[Deidre]

Hrm. In the vial and wet on the skin, this had some potential - it was a pretty nice scent, musky, sweet but not overpowering, with a touch of incense (I know it isn't listed, but it might be due to the amber/red musk combo). But then it dries down to something completely generic, like so many blends containing red musk. It is still nice, and not something I minded having on my wrist, but not terribly exciting. I guess that if an imp comes my way I might wear it occasionally, but it's nothing I'd buy myself.

[crebbsgirl]

Well, this pretty much went to plain ol' red musk on me. There was some non-descript sweetness in the background but mostly this went to all red musk on my skin. I was hoping for something with a little more complexity. Damn skin chemistry.

[calivianya]

Hollywood Babylon will knock you down with its sweetness if you're not prepared! It really is a straight shot of vanilla, cherry, and strawberry initially. It's a little too sweet for me. After a few minutes, I smell a floral, though I wouldn't have known it was heliotrope without reading the description. I don't ever really get the amber. Hollywood Babylon is just a very, very sweet fruity scent with a heck of a lot of throw on me.

[mxtine]

Why have I never sought out this scent? Maybe because I thought the strawberry would go plasticky like it always does on my skin? Hollywood Babylon came from the Lab as a frimp that I never got around to testing. When I opened the vial, I smelled a "red" nag champa incense, and I'm surprised I didn't know right away that it was red musk. I can smell the cherry and strawberry, and a smooth amber. The heliotrope lends a golden floral note that grounds the sweetness and as I type the scent that drifted up to my nose made me think of the berry-vanilla I get from both Celeste and XCDL13.

 

The dry down is almost pure red musk very much like The Infernal Lover but more candylike. I am the biggest red musk fangirl so this doesn't disappoint me. I may grab a bottle of this eventually.

[MadameFaye84]

Got this as a frimp in a recent order. Sorely disappointed T_T! Thought I would be able to handle the sweetness of Hollywood Babylon due to the red musk, but noooooo my skin chemistry decided to make this super sweet on me. Eeek! I can feel a headache coming on. *Goes to wash hands off.*

 

Anyone that loves fruity scents will adore this. Just sad that I couldn't .

[Larinessa]

This is probably one of the only times a scent has been so offensive to my nose I couldn't even skin test it. I suspect its the Amber mixed with the fruit, but whatever it is, its vile. Sorry Beth, but I cant abide this.

[GoddesShel]

Of all the things for me to like!

 

Wet, I get the orange/cherry candy, but the heliotrope comes out to play very quickly, on me, making it a really nice (though sweet) blend. Very "heavy", unlike my usual light florals/greens/fruits.

I do really like what it becomes when dry, though.

 

Will definitely finish the imp, don't know about a bottle. This seems like it would be a good "winter" scent for me. Maybe too heavy for hot weather.

[mimieux]

Hollywood Babylon is such a sweet, delightful blend. I LOVE strawberries and this has just enough of that berry note without being sickeningly sweet or even worse, smelling like the many berry/candy mainstream fragrances that make me want to gag. I LOVE Beth's red musk and this it comes shining through like a champ in HB. I only wish it lasted longer on me, but I certainly don't mind reapplying. It smells that good. I feel like a an old Hollywood glamour-puss when I wear this. It's really nice for days when I don't feel like wearing my usual monochromatic wardrobe and decide to wear :::gasp::: color! A very happy blend. If you like this and strawberries like I do, you may want to try Tis the Voice of the Lobster for Spring/Summer.

[SadariEvenstar]

This is straight up red musk on me. I don't get any other notes. Short wear time, it was entirely gone in about an hour.

[paintednightsky]

Sad I smell cherry cough drops/cherry medicine with slight vanilla- very artificial smelling with amber/musk smell which kills it for me. I wanted to like it since I like strawberry but I don't really smell that note. The cherry over powers.

[yakiguri]

From wet application to drydown Hollywood Babylon is a big wet smack of RED. Red musk, my on-again-off-again lover, is reigned in by strong blasts of juicy cherry laced with strawberry that never goes to plastic or artificial fruity cheapness. I don't distinctly get the other notes, but HB is definitely not a flat blend. Sweet and juicy, yet with something musky and dark lurking in the depths--love! I have nothing like this in my stash and may very well have to get a bottle.

[Deliciousness]

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.

In the imp: Sweet, smells like a fruit forward version of Snake Oil

On skin: Sweet Snake Oil (maybe its the musk scent)

Dry: Slightly sweeter version of Snake Oil (again musk?)

 

I don't know whats wrong with my nose, but all I'm getting is a sweet spice/musk scent. I wish I could smell the black cherry, strawberry and vanilla notes. I would totally be eating my arm - haha.

Don't get me wrong, its not a bad smell, I was just hoping to find the berries and vanilla within the mix.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received this as lagniappe in a purchase ... not something I would ever have chosen for myself based on the usual dealbreaker notes of strawberry and cherry, and sometimes vanilla, but the amber/heliotrope/musk part made me more than willing to at least take it as far as it could go for the sake of science.

 

IN THE IMP: Surprisingly nice! Sweet and slightly spicy floral with only the slightest touch of fruit, and the fruit seems to be the strawberry ... a note which has been known to work for me on occasion (I liked Strawberry Moon -- I like the "strawberries and sugar at Wimbledon" kind of scent).

 

Dabbed cautiously and sparingly on one wrist ... and am glad I did because ...

 

WET: Boom, here comes that damned cherry, barging into the party and knocking over the punch bowl. And apparently it's a Halloween costume party because cherry is all dressed up like cough medicine. Boo.

 

DRYDOWN: Never got there. Washed it off.

 

OVERALL: Um, yeah. Honestly, without the cherry, this could work for me ... and I will probably be more open to scents where strawberry is the ONLY potential dealbreaker for me in the future. But this wasn't it. I DO see why there are people who love it, though. If you like cherry, this could be a great scent for its complexity, etc.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 1.5. Into the swap box.

[mermaidsdream]

I'm fairly certain the imp I have is slightly aged, as I bought it off a forumite in December, and finally got around to trying it; not sure how long they had it. I'd put this in my "try me now" box, but something kept me from trying it (possibly because, as of yet, no Wanderlust scent has worked on me). I'm not sure what made me pull it out today, but I'm so glad I did.

 

In the vial I get a lot of sweet, but am unable to pick out individual notes. Applied, every sweet note comes to the surface, but it's not cloyingly so ... it's very much tempered by amber and the musk.

 

Drying, it seems to fade pretty fast, but my skin has been abnormally dry of late. I'll need to apply some lotion, then some HB, and revisit. OMG, I'm so thrilled with this scent though. This is delicious, without being overwhelmingly sweet. The amber definitely brings it down to a managable level, and the mix of the strawberry & the black cherry ... It's also one that promises to only get better with age. I'm going to have to 1) get a bottle and 2) let it age.

 

A Wanderlust scent that works on me.

 

I may cry

 

ETA: I looked back and saw the comment about it fading fairly quickly, but noticed this gorgeous, creamy vanilla scent still on my wrist the next morning -- and given I apply around 6am, that's saying something I've also determined that the red musk is what I was getting quite a bit of, out of the imp -- that could simply be a matter of mixing. It's still in my top 10 favorites, though.

Edited March 14, 2013 by mermaidsdream

[ScabbyLucy]

Alas, while this one is actually lovely on me, sweet and musky, my skin really powers up the musk, making me super uncomfortable wearing it to work.

 

Guess this is stuck as a strictly rare wild night out on the town scent for me.

 

It also has the longest lasting power I've encountered. I can still kind of smell it after SHOWERING.

[lucycat]

In the imp: fruity floral

 

Wet: Cherry candy

 

Dry: Red musk and sweet cherries. After hours and hours and hours, I get a bit of amber.

 

I really like this. It's like a lighter Kabuki on my skin: primarily red musk and cherries, though without the anise in Kabuki. I am learning that though I love vanilla, apparently I don't amp it, because I don't smell vanilla in this at all. Hollywood Babylon smells red, sweet, and delicious, and it lasts all day.

[Mechanical Death]

Very very sweet, but not cloying.

On my skin it's snake oil +floral grape/cherry. It's quite nice.

[BlueberryPie]

Like with a lot of other people, the fruity notes from this blend turned very artificial on me. It ends up smelling like bubblegum or lollipop, which isn't a bad thing, but definitely not MY thing. I'm sad because I don't get any musk or woods or amber or even vanilla at all. Just artificial, almost plastic fruit notes, particularly strawberry and cherry. I had very high hopes for this (I'd been on a binge for strawberry notes when I bought this off of a forum member), and I'm absolutely crushed that this didn't turn out how I'd hoped. This is probably the only scent I've tried so far that had amber, and yet didn't work on me.

 

I think I'm gonna let the imp sit a little and try again later. And if it still doesn't work, I'll hand it off to a friend who loves strawberry notes and hope it works out better on him.

 

Score: 6/10

[khemistry]

I've been determined to smell & test /without/ reading the descriptions on any frimps I receive. This way, I'm doing a completely blind test.

 

Here goes:

 

Wet: Omg *gag* cherry cough syrup. This is horrible. I wonder if I can get it off with rubbing alcohol.

 

Drydown: Managed to talk myself into letting it dry. Horrible, but I can't stop smelling my wrist. Sickeningly sweet cherry that I can't stop sniffing

 

Dry, 1 hour later: not so bad now, still fake cherry, but the amber(?) or something more complex has come out and it just smells sweet and harmless now.

 

Thankfully this mellows into something mild and sweet, but it's not worth the wet scent for me. This puppy is getting thrown as a frimp into the next available trade or sale.

[ljaylh]

It would be easy to say that this smells like pink bubblegum,,, and it kind of does - but it's so much more than that. This is such a beautiful fragrance - I love the innocent sweet fruitiness of the strawberry and vanilla, and I love how the red musk is so subtle, and I love how the black cherry adds a bit of darkess, but what I love the most is the gorgeous Egyptian amber and heliotrope that together turn this from just a pretty perfume into a lush, glowing extravaganza of pink glittery naughtiness.

[Miss Despair]

I think Deliciousness' description of sweet Snake Oil is pretty fitting. Snake Oil with fruity bubblegum when wet (I thought of Fruit Stripe, but I haven't had any in years so I may be totally off). My skin's not too good at holding onto fruit scents other than citrus, so after an hour it dries to pretty much just red musk, amber, a bit of vanilla, and a lingering sweetness.

[ih8perfume]

Several months ago, I managed to nab a few precious drops of a Snake Oil Chaos Theory with Heliotrope as the primary mixer. Thus began my current love affair with all things Heliotrope.

 

Bpal's berry scents can be really problematic for as I tend to amp them like whoa and they often turn very waxy and artificial smelling like bad scented candles. But I've had a run of good luck with some cherry scents lately and Strawberry is usually pretty good, so I wanted to give HB a try.

 

So glad that I did. While this is not a dupe of my beloved Chaos Theory, it does have the same dark, resinous vanilla, incense-y musk, and uplifting, golden heliotrope.

 

The strawberry is more of a head shop strawberry incense than a -real- strawberry, as those tend to smell a little sour even when dead ripe. This is sweeter and richer.

 

The cherry blends with the strawberry giving it a bit of dark juiciness.

 

The amber and vanilla drift up to meet the fruity berries, giving the blend the most gorgeous resinous bottom note. Its a rich, warm, sticky amber with less of the dry, powdery notes that don't work so well for me with a creamy, lush vanilla that stays surprisingly subtle.

 

The red musk NAILS this to my skin. It does not budge for HOURS. However, it also increases the throw by quite a lot. Just a few drops on my skin can fill an entire room with scent. That's wonderful when I'm alone, but I don't like to impose my scent on others against their will so I've got to be careful how much I apply.

 

Laid over this whole wonderful melange is a haze of golden heliotrope. It makes the scent so much rounder and more complex. And it mellows the red musk, adding an air of innocence and playfulness to the blatant sexuality.

 

I'll most definitely be buying a bottle of this scent. Love love love it.