Hollywood Babylon

[phoefromelsewhere]

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 bottle: Grape kool aid.

Wet: Very fruity but not overly so. It’s darker and more grounded. I can definitely smell the cherry…wonder where I was getting grape? This is similar to Blood Kiss on me.

Drydown: There is a store in Sacramento called the Underground. I smell EXACTLY like that.

Finally: It softens nicely into a sort of decadent haze. NOW I get where the Hollywood bit comes in. Looking back it makes perfect sense. Genius! 5ml for me!

[Caitfish]

In the bottle, this is fruity (definately grapes or cherries or something juicy like that), effervescent (kinda champagn-ey) and a bit astringent. It also smells a bit musky.

 

On, this is definately pretty synthetic smelling (Hollywood!), but not in a plasticky way. I think the strawberry and vanilla notes are doing this.

 

AMBER + VANILLA = SO SWEET. Oh my goodness, this is sweeeeet. It's a warm sweetness. The musk really softens the blend.

 

Very sweet and girly. Which I am.

[Andromedii]

I tried HB last night and am just applying right now again.

 

Wha? Vanilla and strawberry fight for control with the black cherry. The amber lies in an undercurrent. Fruit City. Fruit City. Strong Fruit City. Heliotrope is popping out now. Vanilla/strawberry are flitting around and the black cherry has all but disappeared. This is mellowing even more, quite fast. The fruit is now mostly a creamy smooth strawberry with a hint of vanilla and a tap of black cherry. I'm seriously loving this one.

[warmfuzzies]

though certainly not offensive, i didn't find H'WOOD BABYLON to be anything exciting. definitely a fruity, clovey scent. then i read that it was cherry & incense. that's about right. doesn't morph much, or hold my interest. not one of the best, surely not one of the worst.

[aurianrose]

This is very sweet, but when I put it on, I got a really strong musky/incense type of scent. It's not bad, it's just slightly disconcerting, since in the bottle all I smelled was really sweet fruit. This isn't a "to-die-for" scent for me, but it is really interesting. It gives me a new appreciation for BPAL scents -- they're so complex!

[magikfanfic]

In the bottle: Strawberries but not fresh ones. No, this is kinda the way my Strawberry Shortcake dolls from the 80s smell now. Kinda musky and not-so-fresh. There this heavy, cough syrup kind of smell in the background that makes my stomach roll. I hope it'll ease off a little on.

 

Wet: Um...well. It still smells line cough syrup to me only it can't figure out if it's cherry or bubblegum. Neither of these are scents I care for. In fact, the only note in the whole list that I might like is the vanilla so I don't know why I decided to ever test this one out. For the experience, I suppose.

 

Dry down: Bubblegum throw with a musky smell close to the skin. Only now it's changing back to cherry. I have a horrible history with cherry scents. We don't like each other at all. I can smell the heliotrope when I get close to the skin, but it doesn't really make it into the throw. That's a pity because I do like the faint floral scent of it. Yeah, it's pretty much amber and musk on my skin. I don't like either of those scents. Why did I put this i my pocket for testing? It's been riding around in there for, like, a week. Cherry again.

 

Dry: Musky cherry with a slight cough syrup vibe behind it. There's a little heliotrope in the throw, but it's not nearly enough to make me think I could possibly want to wear this scent. I'm sure this scent is lovely on the right person who likes these notes. I'm not one of them. I test because I want to test everything I have. I don't get disappointed if it doesn't work. This is one for the swaps.

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Cherry cough syrup and something smokey

 

First on: Cherry cough syrup and burnt wood

 

After a few seconds: Synthetic red fruits, vanilla and incense.

 

After some time: Smells like sweet synthetic cherries and vanilla with a slight burnt/smokey note.

 

This is so similar to many other BPALS and carries that smokey note I'm just not fond of.

[helarctos]

Amazing. Hollywood Babylon morphs from a heady high heliotrope to the thick sweetness of strawberry jam. The scent isn't loud on me -- you'd have to sniff me to tell it was on -- but it does have staying power.

 

I'd like to wear this and watch Mulholland Drive.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Kind of bubblegum with a sweet tang to it.

 

On Skin: Still very sweet but a bit inscencey. I love it, but can’t breathe in too deep or the sweetness gives me a headache. I smell the cherry for sure and I think the vanilla is adding to the sweetness. The musk gives it great warmth and depth. There is a floral note in the background which gives this scent it’s femininity.

I like this scent quite a bit and think it’s worth getting a 5ml.

[VorpalBunny]

Ooh! This is very dark, very sexy cherry. It's very reminiscent of Kabuki, but I like it even better. I love it, because it is one of those sexy empowering scents, and the heliotrope is there just as a hint to add some kind of intensity and depth to the predominant cherry scent. And it's a nice cherry, not an artificial cough-syrupy cherry.

[tinyvulture]

this smelled a lot like strawberries when i first put it on. as it dried, it smelled exactly like cherry chapstick. maybe slightly more astringent. it makes me feel happy.

[britgeekgrrl]

In the imp: mostly amber with a generically fruity undertone.

 

Wet on skin: rich dark cherry, with the amber retreating a little, but still fighting for dominance with the fruit. Something else underneath it (red musk, I think) that I wasn't entirely sure if I liked it.

 

One hour dry down: *SWOON* Warm dark cherry, amber, a hint of vanilla and deliciousness that I can't describe. Love it!

 

It's surprising, in that I'm still not *entirely* sold on the undernotes to this one - I think it's the red musk and strawberry in this case, but I still really, really like it, despite that slight doubt, if that makes any sense.

 

Another reviewer on this thread mentioned that it reminds them of Blood Kiss and I agree with that - I'm getting a similar 'vibe' to my three or four dragon's-blood-dominated scents, but without the tendency to go powdery that DB does to me (sigh).

 

This scent went from 'meh, not sure' to "Must have a bottle, NOW!" so it's a hit.

 

- Johanna

[oatmealneko]

Vial: Strawberry & black cherry, very fruity & sweet.

Wet: Strawberry & musk, some black cherry also.

Dry: Same as above, but oddly enough, I don't pick up any heliotrope, which normally causes the scent to smell too sweet on my skin. I also don't get any amber or vanilla from this, which also works against me. It does smell too sweet overall.

 

I don't like the scent of strawberry on me, & I have a feeling if I let this age, the amber, vanilla, or heliotrope will come through & make this scent smell even worse, so I'm not going to keep this one.

[jj_j]

I wanted to love Hollywood Babylon - the egyptian amber and heliotrope are notes I enjoy, and I couldn't wait to see how the combined with the strawberry and vanilla.

 

When I first put this on, I'm delighted with the strawberry, vanilla, and egyptian amber; it's like Snake Oil dipped in ripe fruit, and it's nearly edible. It doesn't take long for the musk to come in, though, and taint this with the smell I've now come to think of as "three day old sweaty sex".

 

In all fairness, Hollywood Babylon is a perfect representation of "innocence ... dragged into debauch." The musk keeps it from being a scent I'll wear - but oh, that initial Snake Oil with a twist!

[Electra]

This one is STRONG. And very, very sweet.

 

I see where jj-j is getting the Snake Oil comparison at the beginning - for the first 30 seconds wet on my skin it threatened to turn into the same boiled potatoes smell that Snake Oil and Sin do. On drydown, it's strawberry incense.

 

Way too sweet for me, but I suspect that had I tried it when I was a teenage goth I'd have liked it very much indeed.

[girlmadasbirds]

what a wonderful blend! it's mostly strawberry and cherry on me with a light layer of vanilla and amber. it has a sweet and somewhat incensey smell. glad i got the 5mL!

 

besides that, it's fun to have a perfume oil with the same name as one of my favorite misfits songs.

Edited May 6, 2005 by angel sixgun

[Celogrl]

I keep saying that I don't like fruity scents, but here is another BPAL fragrance that I adore. It's complex, and as the scent unravels, I keep getting different dimensions. The cherry is pronounced on me, but it is not obnoxious. The amber is a faint undertone on me. I haven't even waited for the complete drydown yet, I am so excited about this one. I don't find it a youthful scent, especially. It's kinda lusty IMHO.

 

ADDED May 9:

 

Beautiful fragrance in the imp, very soon after I applied it, the lovely smell went away and left me with...nothing. It faded on me so quickly! Hubby loves it and I do too- when I can smell it! It must be a body chemistry thing, because I do not usually "suck up" fragrance so fast. It is everything the description said it would be though. It is truly lovely. Maybe I'll just apply more?

[Essay 28]

In the bottle: overripe fruit on a hot, humid summer day.

 

On skin initially: tangy strawberry with an almost overpowering floral note (heliotrope?).

 

After an hour: The floral note toned down finally, although by the time it did, my stomach was queasy. Now I can pick up a hint of the amber and vanilla and it makes me think of layering Bon Vivant with O and a floral baby powder. I wish I could say it was a good scent, but the fake strawberry scent is just not appealing.

[VSminimoose]

A winner in my book. I love the girly scents, and this is nice and feminine without being "childish"

 

A beautiful candy-ish scent with a hint of flowers (roses to me, fresh sweet roses) mixed with candy.

 

Im ordering a 5ml of this!

[leahcat]

Hollywood Babylon

 

in the bottle: Oo! I call this a ‘bright’ scent as it makes me open my eyes but not in a lemon-in-the-face sort of way. It’s.... goodness. There is a LOT in there and nothing I dislike, however I can’t quite ID it yet.

wet: Vanilla, deep something, cherry... yup, black cherry makes sense (this is NO cough syrup cherry!). A touch of spices, but barely there right now. Amber I like and can ID, not sure what heliotrope is like.

drying/5 minutes: sweetness, I can ID the cherry and soft vanilla. They both meld with the amber/spices very well. Reading the description it says a ‘lusty red musk’... which *might* be what gives it the semi heavy feel. I can’t really say. Too much in here to tell, but overall it’s a medium-heavy not overly sweet scent.

dry/25 minutes: the same. A lovely scent I shall have to play more with to see if it’s a keeper.

[Digital_Hypoxia]

This scent tried its best to warn me that we would not be friends; one sniff of the imp and I knew better. However, being stubborn, I tried it on. How could sweet and fruity not be perfect?

 

The only answer that I can come up with is that something in the blend hates my chemistry (probably the cherry). It becomes heavy, beyond cloying, and very artificial smelling. I can pick out the notes, but they all seem fake and medicinal, like children’s cough syrup, candy, and powdered sugar mixed together. When coupled with the Kabuki-esque hints I get (i.e. cherry industrial disinfectant), this is a definite no-go.

[joseybird]

The sweet sweet strawberry and heliotrope combine in this blend to give it a very cherry candy scent. The amber/heliotrope combo is gorgeous, and I recognize it from Tamora.

 

In fact, this reminds me a LOT of Tamora--Tamora with an added candy sweetness from the strawberry. Unfortunately, it becomes *too* sweet and candy-ish for me, even during drydown when the amber and musk become more promiant.

 

However, this is a scent insanely evocative of the sunniness of Hollywood, and thus I have to admit that despite my personal preferences this is a great blend

[innerellipse]

OH MY GOSH! I'm so in love with Hollywood Babylon. It's also lasting an incredibly long time on my skin. When I first put it on I could smell just strawberries, but not cloyingly. And it has so much throw! Strawberries ALL OVER THE PLACE. I didn't have to smell my wrist with this one because it was just wafting every where. We were going out for a picnic and even though it's a somewhat cold and miserable day, wearing this put me in just the right frame of mind. It's sticky sweet but also elegant (which is the same thing that appealed to me about Vice).

 

As it dried down I could smell vanilla and other unidentified deliciousness, and then a couple of hours later it was all...pink musk sticks! The ones I used to chew on as a kid. I never liked pink musk sticks really, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE smelling like them.

 

SO GOOD! I'll be getting a bottle of this I think.

[anmorata]

Hollywood Babylon:

Wet: sweet.. sticky, sugary sweet, like cherry bubblegum.

Drydown: faintly sweet, softly spun powdery sugar with cherry hints.. I don't smell the amber at all. Slightly musky.

Longterm wear: After an hour, Hollywood Babylon turned to amber-y baby powder. Holly Would if Holly Could, but Holly didn't stick around with me.

[paperdoll]

Initial Sniff: Yummy red fruits in a bath of thick, dark Egyptian amber. Mmmmmm...

 

Wearing: This starts out candy-sweet, with the berr/cherry fruitiness in the forefront. As it dries, the darkness and spice of the amber and musk balance that sweetness and then take over. This lasts all day long!

 

Final Impressions: Thankfully the vanilla and heliotrope never really assert themselves in this blend, because those notes both tend to go powdery on my skin. This is sweet, devious, and dark - very naughty!!