Hollywood Babylon

[catiebloo]

Hollywood Babylon -

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 want this one and i want it now! I'm usually not a fan of sweet scents but this one is gorgeous! The strawberry, cherry & vanilla in this are very obvious, but they're fake...almost candy like, but in a very good, lickable way :oops: The Helitrope gives a nice floral undertone to stop it from becoming to sickly sweet. A keeper.

[Damask Rose]

I like this one! Again, it smells quite strong and sweet - almost like marzipan! The smell lasts quite a long time and doesn't really change throughout the day. There's a good chance I may get a full bottle of this.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

Fruity, but not candy like. Like too ripe fruit in the dead of summer.

 

After Wearing It:

When wet, this fragrance is really warm, juicy and fruity. The orange strikes out over the strawberry, though the berry tone is still evident. As it wears on, the scent cools down a few notches as the amber starts to recede and the vanilla becomes stronger. In its final stages, the scent has more of a powdery tone. Very sweet and more candylike than it was when first applied.

 

Final Thoughts:

Lovely, but not really my style so I can't see myself wearing it often. I really need to try it as a roomscent though. Seems like it'd be gorgeous as that.

[Glitzie]

I am not very good at descibing scents. But here goes, on the dry down I get a fruity vanilla that is not too light or sweet. In fact it is pretty much perfect.

A nice spicey vanilla. yummy

[akwill823]

I suck at describing too but I agree with Glitzie! I am so glad I ordered a 5ml bottle of this. I really like it and so does the hubby

[Becky]

when I first sniffed this in the bottle I thought it smelled like evil fruit punch. when on the evilness dies down and it becomes a kind of dark, sinister fruit punch. quite sweet and fruity. goes really well with Lush's Angel's deilght soap.

 

I really really like this one! so far, my favorite.

[nenia]

this is a totally cute girly scent, and it has surprised me at how addictive it is to smell! i had to keep sniffing it because it reminded me of something-- it smells so similar to the "lola goth" perfume that is sold at hot topic. seems like nearly a perfect match, and if not that a great compliment to each other. i think i might just have to go out and buy both now....eek!

the smell in the bottle is a bit strong/sweet, but on it is a beautiful scent, and is one of the longer lasting scents i have tried from bpal thus far

[ViolentKitten]

Delectable. I think I’m struck mostly by the red musk, Egyptian amber and strawberry/cherry, with the vanilla and heliotrope rounding it out, but I’m not sure, all the notes create such a beautiful melange! It becomes slightly powdery but in a fresh powder way and retains it’s sweetness but never becomes cloying. I wear it and I’m surrounded by a soft halo and I can’t stop thinking how delicious it smells!

[lucymoonstar]

When I first opened the vial I smelled strawberry first with a little bit of incense smell - when I applied this to my skin I LOVED the smell - strawberry with a hint of musk and incense and then as it started drying I could smell a little vanilla and the black cherry.

 

I am so excited about this one - this is absolutely one of my favorites and I will never be without it!

[byrdie]

A freebie from Elizabeth. *happy dance*

 

Wet ~ Unlike others, I picked up on a harsh -- almost artificial -- strawberry/cherry scent. It was cut slightly by something more earthy, but bits of me were smelling pretty harsh at first.

 

Drying ~ The berry scents yield a little bit to a more resiny / incensy scent, but not by much. This is still pretty darn powerful, and I'm not sure if I'm happy about it.

 

Dry ~ There's far more resin now then there is berry. It's rather nice, in a way. It reminds me of a oil-scenting shop in Seattle called "The Body Scent."

 

Afterthoughts ~ I wished I liked this more. I think that if the berry has smelled more natural to me, I may have been happier. Or it could be that cherry flavors and scents never did much for me, and that I prefer pure strawberry.

 

Final thoughts ~ At least at the beginning, this seemed like a good idea after showering with some Lush Angel's Delight soap. Both scents are pretty darned happy initially. However, I found that the perfume suited my mood as the day wore on. By the afternoon, I was mainly getting the incensey feeling from it, with hints of berry candy.

 

I know that some folks have been asking for oils that go with the "Weetzie Bat / Dangerous Angels" books. I think that this would be a good one to sniff to see if Weetzie hereself comes to mind.

[Jettgurrl]

This is my favorite BPAL scent so far! When I first put it on, you can really smell the musk and as the day goes one, the fruity part of the scent comes out! I can't wait to my full bottle of it arrives!

[Joey]

I love this!!! It smells wonderful!!! I smell cherry in this and it lasts for quite a while. Very wonderful. I would buy this one again.

[MissAnthropy]

Not exactly a "review", but, I wanted to say this one came as a freebie from Beth, and at first, the strength of it's scent intimidated me. The sniff I took from the vial struck me as smelling much like a car air freshener. So, I put her away with the rest of my imps, and pretty much forgot about it.

 

Well, I'm sorry I did that, because last week I snagged her up, and decided to wear her. And wow... am I ever glad I did. It was love at first sniff on my skin... the strawberry, and vanilla stuck me more than any of the other elements. Even after it dried, the strawberry and vanilla lived on... and strong.

 

And thus, I ordered a 5ml of "Hollywood Babylon", and am eagerly awaiting her arrival!

 

 

-Leslie

[Astarte]

Ah, this is wonderful. Initially it smells strawberry'ish and then it becomes more musky and melds with the vanilla. The musk keeps the blend from becoming too sweet and its definitely a winner!

[TygherRayn]

In the Bottle: Sweet, strawberry and almost overwhelming. It's actually kind of a grapey-strawberry oddness in the bottle at first. Very sweet, very possibly not a scent for me.

 

Wet: The grape fades and leaves a sticky-sweet strawberry. The vanilla, for me, is in the background .. way in the background. It's not mellowing this any, and while I can't imagine wearing this much, I just have to give it a try.

 

Wearing: The red musk and the black cherry are working to smooth this form me, and I'm happy they are, cos I was afraid this might not be a keeper. I won't wear it often, as it's too strong for every-day wearing, but for special occasions .. definitely.

[iris]

Its lovely on first sniff,not as strong or heady as I had imagined.Usually go for light,floral scents but,after wearing for a bit,the smell is so sweet,but not over powering.I love it!

Will be buying a larger bottle with my next order

[Northernminx]

Apparantly my skin does wierd things to this one as any sense of floral and vanilla was over-ridden by sticky sweet strawberry. I love natural strawberry scents, but the combination in this one kind of gummed up on me and let me smelling like sticky candy.

 

Sigh. Unfortunately not a keeper for me, though it might make a good room scent.

[AnnetteL]

This smells of delicious musky pink candy, remarkably similar to the overall rush of scent you get walking into the Lush store. I get a hint of apricot too, and a subtle earthy base.

 

It is sweet, but not too cloying - I probably wouldn't want to wear it all the time, but I will definitely use up the vial happily.

[feline.by.design]

Okay, when I saw this included as a freebie in my last order, I thought, "Oh no." Why? Cherry. From my trials with scents containing cherry in the previous order, I had determined that cherry fragrance is my mortal enemy.

 

Upon opening the bottle and taking a whiff, my anti-cherry stance was strengthened. Ugh! Sucrets anyone? The scent inside was sweet and reminded me of cherry Halls or maybe LifeSavers. I didn't want to try this one at all, I wanted to immediately plunk it into the swap pile untested. But, in the name of BPAL science, I shall be the guinea pig and test this odious scent!!

 

I put a bit on my left wrist and my left wrist only, so that way I wouldn't have to wash off much.

 

Then, something magical happened. The magic of body chemistry!

 

My skin took this scent and pretty much seemingly subtracted the cherry out of the equation, either that or it's hidden mighty well. Wet on my skin, I got a vanilla scent helped out greatly by the amber or the musk, so it was like vanilla beans squashed by stiletto heels. The strawberry smell was intermingled well, and later became dominant about thirty minutes after the initial application.

 

Now, an hour later, I get the Hollywood Babylon residue of sorts with the musk and amber, maybe a splash of vanilla, but not nearly as strong. No prominent cherry smell, already starting to fade a bit (body chemistry giveth, body chemistry taketh away...), but a good smell all around.

 

Hollywood Babylon gets the BPAL Surprise Scent award from me in being something I absolutely didn't expect: something I actually like. It wasn't until this oil sat on my skin did I get something deliciously decadent, absolutely gorgeous. I will definitely keep the imp, but I'm somewhat leery about getting a different bottle right away. For all I know, my body's chemical make-up could only be harmonious with the oil once a month or something. I'll do some more tests, purely in the name of science, to determine whether or not this oil will perform the way it does. But as of right now, a big bottle wouldn't be out of the question.

 

A bit of odd trivia: this scent inspired me to play "Lips Like Sugar" from Echo and the Bunnymen, inexplicably. It seemed appropriate.

 

-doreen

 

 

 

Edited to note:

 

a) MissAnthropy seemed to have a similar run-in with HB as I did. Very interesting.

 

Nearly a full four hours later and there seems to be a strawberry scent still clinging to my elbow nook.

Edited August 23, 2004 by feline.by.design

[Ancientgirl]

I've had this for awhile, but was so struck by the scent when I put it on today that I just had to write! This is one of the 5 ml bottles I bought sight unseen (scent unsmelled?) and I love it. I'm a sucker for anything with vanilla in it, and this did not disappoint.

In the bottle, I guess it is strongly cherry (actually seems rather cherry-almond to me), but not obnoxiously so, at least not for me. The vanilla and Egyptian amber come out after awhile on my skin, and the fruitiness takes a decided back seat. I don't get a lot of strawberry, just sort of a cooling afterscent that keeps the sweetness from being too heady.

Ancientgirl

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Hollywood Babylon is sweet and creamy.

 

Second Impression: Don't you hate it when the one note that doesn't like you, ruins the whole scent? Well it didn't happen here. The strawberries add a touch of fruity sweetness but stay well in the background and let all my lovely faves take center stage. This is a very balanced scent in that no one note overpowers. It's a harmonious blend of sweet, creamy, naughty and sexy.

 

Final Analysis: I'm thrilled that this smells lovely on me. It reminds me a long of LUSH's creamy candy bath. Very sweet and luscious!

[LiberAmoris]

Hollywood Babylon is what I really wanted Bon Vivant to be. I love the smell of strawberries, but BV was far too sweet for me and actually made me a little ill. With Hollywood Babylon, the sweetness is kept in check by the amber and musk, which deepen and balance the blend. It smells just like a strawberry incense I used to burn in college.

 

True to the name, there is a streak of darkness running through this one. I was reminded of Lynch's film Mulholland Drive.

[Larila]

Hollywood Babylon from Sin & Salvation,the notes are egyptian amber,heliotrope,strawberry,vanilla,red musk,black cherry.

 

 

Wet process it was strong, I smelled the notes of strawberry and black cherry and musk.

 

 

After drying down the scent was lighter and much more enjoyable. All the scents began to intermingle with each other, also I could detect a sweetness and light incense note. I like this one, going on the list for a bigger bottle.

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: Candy. Hard cherry candy, but sweeter. The smell reminds me of a freshly opened box of gummi cherries, but with musk hiding in the background. Strange?

 

On me: It starts out like strawberry/cherry candy (you know, the generic 'red' candy) but begins to morph into other things. Something pulls it into marzipan – I'm not sure what makes it turn that way, but it does. The musk starts sneaking in, subtly altering the scent. It becomes more grown-up, less of a neon pink and more of a sultry red.

[malanna]

Gack. This is so light on me. My skin just swallows it whole. At first, it's faint strawberries, with a bit of a soda feel. I can smell it faintly with my nose to my skin after half an hour has passed, and it wasn't strong to begin with. Three hours later, I think I smell a bit of sandalwood, but I think it may just be imagination trying to come up with a scent, since I now really have to press my nose to my skin.