Uruk

[GypsyRoseRed]

A city of mystery, wonder and majesty, said to have been built by order of Gilgamesh. Thick bitter almond and heady night-blooming jasmine with saffron, cinnamon leaf, red patchouli, river lilies, bergamot, fig leaf and the sacred incense of Inanna.

Uruk is an interesting scent that does manage to be more than just almond on the skin, although that's the first note that jumps out in the bottle. I really wanted to try it because of it's name, but usually almond becomes really obnoxious on me. I can't wear Baron Samedi or Horn of Plenty ( waaay too sickly) but this almond faded into the background about ten minutes after application which is the first time that's ever happened! Maybe it's because it's 'bitter' almond? Anyway. I can definitely pick out the red patchouli, and a whiff of incense, but I can tell right away that this isn't for me. While this is really nice and very pleasant, it ends up a little too mild and dry for my tastes. Maybe I'll try an imp in the future, though. Edited September 15, 2007 by Shollin

[Gale]

In the bottle: Yikes! Almond.

 

On wet: Strong amond and spice. This is scaring me a little...

 

Dry after about 10 minutes: Whew! The almond has calmed way down, and I can smell a tiny bit of floral, saffron, and incense. No longer scared. I like it that the saffron hasn't hijacked everything like it usually does on me.

 

Uruk is a very warm, dry, spicy scent. It's along the same lines as Morocco, but not nearly as sweet.

[Diana]

In the bottle: sweet, sweet almonds. mmm. (am i the only one that like almonds??). There's a slight spice and very vague floral quality to it too.

 

Wet: Glorious sweet almonds. I can't really pick anything else out yet. It's just sweet, and almost juicy-smelling.

 

Drydown: NOW we have flowers! They're sweet, light, and cool, and blend nicely with the almond note. After a bit more time, some of the cassia comes through, adding a light, warm spice to the mix. There's a bit of fig leaf, adding a vague sweet, almost-fruit quality to it. The incense is really faint, but ties the notes together nicely.

 

I can definitely see the comparison to Morocco, but I can also see similarities with Eden (probably the fig leaf) and the Hanging Garden (omg complexity!).

[saralaughs]

Holy Almond!

 

In the imp: Total almond.

 

First applied: Almond soapiness.

 

Morphing: into an almond medicine smell that I don't know if I'll be able to sit through...ohh..there it goes. The medicine smell has turned into a floral/light spice that is nice. I think it's the jasmine and river lilies that I may be getting. Very nice but not me.

 

Off to swaps.

[zenvodunista]

Gosh, I haven't the faintest idea how to describe this. It's jasmine, which I love, but with a tart undertone that I've never experienced before. I can't pick out any of the other notes, not almond, not saffron , not red patchouli, not any of them. Maybe that tartness --- oddly enough -- that tartness reminds me of the stargazer lily? So, it's lily and jasmine and??? I don't know. I don't even know if I like it or not.

 

I'm going to let the imp mellow a bit, and come back to it. I am still on the warpath for a saffron scent that will work for me, and I"m not going to let this go without a fight.

 

n.

[filigree_shadow]

The almond is quite strong right at first, but it fades out quickly on my skin. While it's drying it turns into a light, very slightly watery floral, with just a little bit of smokiness underneath it.

 

My overall impression after it's dry is that it smells mostly like a powdery jasmine blend, but it still retains that earthy smokiness. The bergamot gives it an extra little kick of brightness, too. Also, when it's dry it's very faint. I can't smell it unless my nose is right next to my wrist.

 

I was a little worried about the jasmine in this blend, but it's not overly strong here. I think this is one of the few jasmine blends I can wear, so I'm happy to find this one!

[Athenae]

In the imp, spicy and a hint of something like lemon.

 

Wet: spicy, then lemon, lemon, lemon. Could it be the almonds turning lemony on me?

 

Dry: Lemon Pledge. Bah. Off to the swap pile.

 

A.

[SultryWolf]

imp: syrupy almond, almost sarsaparillaey.

on: quickly settles to a woody (even with all those spicy elements!) incense.

Wears close to the skin, and after a couple of hours has sweetened up a bit. Some might get 'soap' from this, but that never bothers me so I don't really interpret scents that way.

Wonderful! Could be a big bottle for me.

[olympia301]

 

This one starts out strong and just beautiful. Its almond opener is a cross between almond and anise to me. One of the prettiest I have ever been in the middle of. Once it dries, Uruk turns very masculine on me. It would be fabulous on a man, but it's a bit much for me. I think I am going to try this one out on the husband and see how it goes on him. It really is a blend too good to just say "too manly" and let it go. Real nicely done.

[sookster]

straight sniff from imp is sweet yet bitter almond...

 

once applied some florally incense takes over...finally a jasmine i can wear, too!!

*note to self: night blooming jasmine plays oh so nicely with my chemistry!*

 

wow...this is incredibly complex and gorgeous...stays close to my skin...i think i detect a bit of the saffron and cinnamon leaf intertwining with all the other notes in this fabulous scent...

[slave1]

In Bottle: Cherry almond

 

On Skin: It’s the sweet cherry scent of almond in your face. But it quickly morphs as the other notes catch up. Wow! I am so excited by how interesting this scent is! The jasmine and lilies are heady and sweet, the cinnamon leaf is spicy yet herbal and green, the patchouli is smoky and slightly dirty, the incense gives a beautiful soft spicy feel without being super smoky and the saffron, bergamot and fig leaf are in the background but weaving in and out of the blend. As the scent develops further, the almonds sweetness dies down and the smokier and spicier notes become more dominant. I get a very Moroccan feel from this scent, exotic and dark. Overall it becomes a spicy incense blend laying on a bed of sweet dried flowers. Because of that, it is quite powdery and not really a scent I’d wear often. But I did love watching it morph into different levels. Very light throw and short wearlength (it faded super quick on me).

[yeahbutnobut]

Uruk

 

In the imp: almonds! Lots of almonds!

Wet on skin: almonds remain but start to fade, with spices and flowers coming through.

Dry on skin: this is gorgeous! After the almonds have faded, I'm left with a warm, spicy-floral-incense-fruity-green sort of scent, it's so well blended that I can't really pick out anything. I can smell the greenish fig leaf, the warmth of saffron and cinnamon, a little patchouli or incense, with a hint of bergamot and even a floral-aquatic touch from the waterlilies, possibly also the jasmine-but the jasmine is very muted here. It's light but exotic and does have a slight perfumey-ness that really works here.

After a while: eventually the scent develops more of it's fragrant greenness, thanks to the fig leaf and possibly the floral notes, but the spicy scent still remains. There's a nice contrast of dry sunny spices with lush greenery here. This is lovely stuff. It's almost like a posh perfume at times, but that's no bad thing here. It also reminds me of another scent-either BPAL or not, that I've smelt before but can't remember. It does remind me very slightly of Mantis at times though, oddly. Maybe there's a musk note lurking here.

Verdict: I think this may be a new favourite of mine when it comes to Mesopotamian scents. Hanging Gardens is lovely once the evil gardenia goes-ditto with Sacred Whore, and I love my imp of Baghdad but my bottle smells odd (maybe it needs aging?), but this one has no flaws on me at all! An almond introduction leads to a very complex but masterfully blended mix of flowers, greenery, spices and incense that does resemble very good quality perfume. It's both warm, dry and deliciously spicy but also moist and full of almost tropical flora and greens, with the incense and patchouli grounding it all. It's so well blended that all the notes mix together and there's nothing that clashes here. Exotic and ancient yet it also smells very upscale, very chic. I should have just gone and bought a bottle straight up-and I will!

Emoticon rating:

If you like this, try: Salome, Bastet, Eden, Mantis

Edited September 28, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[AliBabble]

i dug this one from the first sniff. when i put it on my skin, i see why: almond! i love almond, and uruk at first gives me scent memories of the honeyed almonds of queen of sheba. pretty soon though, slightly sharp herbally notes start coming out, and i recognize the bergamot - another note i'm finding i consistently like. it's hard for me to sniff the other individual notes...the jasmine, red patchouli, saffron, etc...i'm not sure what i'm smelling exactly as it dries down, sort of like a middle-eastern spice market - not overwhelming or overly sweet, in fact it becomes increasingly lemony, which i guess is the bergamot? and then somewhere in there is the watery greenery of waterlily - more like green stems in water, than super-florally. really unusual, and i like this.

[akw]

I tried this twice before reviewing. The first time, I wasn't sure I was going to like it, and the second time, I realized it just needs to be saved for the right mood.

 

Rather than try to pick out and describe notes, I'll just say that this would go with jewel-toned velvet clothing, candle light reflecting off metal and glass, big, soft pillows and exotic music and a glass of intense, expensive cabernet.

 

If I were to take this out on the town, it would be to a quiet party with good friends rather than something big and noisy. Even though it's on the intense side, it's not noisy. Not big throw, but that seems to fit with the intimate quality I get from it.

 

Not sure I'll buy a bottle, but I'll definitely use the imp.

[Inanna9]

I instantly wanted a bottle of this when I saw it, since you know, "incense of Inanna" and all. But I have a serious olfactory aversion to almonds, so I played it safe with an imp.

 

I am discovering that almonds burn off rather quickly on me, and with Uruk, what's left after they do is utterly, perfectly gorgeous. It's hard for me to break this down into components since with each sniff all I do is swoon. Let's just sum it up by saying this is a sultry, regal incense blend. Very feminine, but not even a little bit girly. It makes me think of a sacred temple priestess who knows exactly what she's doing. Or the head shop where I used to buy my incense. Depends on my mood.

 

I'm getting a bottle.

[edenssixthday]

Uruk - When I first apply Uruk, it's predominantly a strong, sweet almond scent. It’s incredibly sweet, and I’m completely head-over-heels in love with the opening fragrance. However, as it dries down, the almond begins to fade on me, as it almost always does on my skin, but the warm, sweet scent of saffron becomes evident at this point. Beneath the almond, blending beautifully with the saffron, is the sweet, fleshy scent of fig and a hint of spicy cinnamon. I am very surprised that the jasmine, bergamot, and lily never appear as distinct notes on their own. Upon drydown, the scent sticks very close to my skin, but when I smell my skin up close, I can still detect a hint of almond, fig, cinnamon, and saffron and … oh! There it is: the tiniest touch of woody patchouli. Just enough to add a different dimension to the overall blend. The patchouli doesn’t dominate at all, as it often does on me. This is a beautiful scent, and although I prefer fragrances that have a greater level of throw, this is going to be perfect for those times when I want a subtle skin-scent that is unique and pretty. The staying power is fairly poor, unfortunately, and when I do wear it, I’ll have to reapply often.

[bodegaselkie]

As the others have mentioned, Uruk starts out ALL almond, very much like sniffing a bottle of amaretto. It changes quite quickly, much like the almond note in Bastet, and within moments it is more the floral-spice-incense scent that others have experienced. For me, the dominant notes are the jasmine, lily, saffron and incense -- the fig, cinnamon, and patchouli are almost undetectable 45 minutes after application. Which is too bad, because I love Beth's patchoulis. At any rate, I am still debating whether this is too big-p "Perfumey" for me. I suspect it will take more wearings before I determine whether or not Uruk is for me.

[Blood onmy hands]

Yup. Definitely almond. Boozy cherries drenched in sugary cherry syrup. After a few minutes, the psices and citrussy bergamot begin to cut their way through the cherries. For a while, this is a pleasantly spicy (but not overly sweet) incense.

 

Then this morphs into something that makes me nauseous . I'm assuming that it's the river lily in this that goes intensely soapy on me. Soap, smoky jasmine, and woodsy fig blend to make something very unpleasant on my skin.

 

This is very light and subtle in the drydown, but the strange mixture of notes were making me so ill that I had to wash this one off.

[rhubarbbear]

ALMONDS!

 

hmmm. yeah. i like almonds ok. not my favorite, tho. but i loves me some gilgamesh (my daughter's middle name is siduri!), so off we go.

 

this turns into a gorgeous skin scent on me. smells of honey...dirt...stone...little bit of spices. OMG, it's awesome! stays VERY close to the skin but it's super sexy love! must try putting more on and seeing what happens....

 

love, love, love it!

[LiberAmoris]

I've been a bit wary of Uruk because of the almond note, but the reviews here emboldened me. And I had the same experience as some of the reviewers above---the almond's present for a few minutes and then it dies down to the point that I can't even smell it anymore. And what's left is a well-blended incensey floral that does not smell muddled at all, even though the individual notes are woven into each other and all the threads tucked under.

 

In the end, it's a sophisticated, worldly melange. So much more than the sum of its parts. Definitely going on my list for a bottle at some point.

[maijasu]

Uruk is a very complex blend, and a real morpher. At first, as other reviewers have mentioned, it is all almond--and to me, it's a very sweet, almost candyish almond.

 

But then, it changes character entirely, and I'm not sure I can even describe it. It's a little bit herbal, a little bit floral, a little bit incensey, kind of sharp. There's something about it that's just not "me," although I'm glad I got to try it and would definitely recommend that others do so as well. I've just never smelled anything like it!

[aquazoo]

Starts almond but blessedly that fades fast and then it’s very nice. Oooooh! A little sharpness, not quite lemon. I really like what it’s doing.

[eanewsom]

After the initial almond rush softens, Uruk is complex and warm. When I look at my cat stretched out sleeping in the afternoon sun, the embodiment of luxury, I think that Uruk smells how she feels. It's very sensual, though not really sexy. It's a great daytime scent.

[JazzieCazzie]

I'm with SaraLaughs in the "almond soapiness" assessment. Not that that's a bad thing ...

 

At first I thought it reminded me a lot of Salome, but on further consideration I would compare it with Kether.

 

Sweet almonds crossed with Dial soap, giving it a light clean drydown.

 

I wouldn't buy a big bottle but I will definitely use up my imp.

 

REVISITED AND RE-REVIEWED APRIL 2013:

 

I re-ordered another imp of this based on the notes during a February impapalooza spree and am in the final stages (finally) of reviewing and revisiting every scent in my collection to compile one comprehensive swap list and another updated wish list.

 

IN THE IMP: All almond, all the time. But sweet almonds.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: I get an initial "play-doh" note but, surprisingly, not the soapiness this time and the "play-doh" fades very quickly and instead I just get this lovely, sweet sugary almond scent. There are, obviously, a lot of different notes in this blend and I feel like I can sniff each one individually if I try.

 

DRYDOWN: It's interesting to see which of the notes, more prevalent when wet, disappear or take a complete backseat upon drydown. I get virtually NO almond anymore, nor cinnamon, nor any of the sweet or sugary spices. What remains are the floral notes, the jasmine and lily and bergamot. Yet the lily is playing unusually nicely with me (there is no question that lily is the note that tends to go "soapy" on me but it has not done it this time). It's a little perfumey but not in a bad way.

 

OVERALL: Because I only like a few of the almond GC scents -- notably, Salome and Eclipse -- those were the two I had in mind when I wrote review notes, and this was much more like Eclipse for me than Salome. Yet I'd completely forgotten about Kether until I re-read my original review ... and can definitely see why I would have made that comp, since to me Kether was the ultimate "hot sugared nuts" scent.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 3.8.

Edited April 20, 2013 by JazzieCazzie

[Lucretia]

oooh! love! This is like Bastet light, or Salome without that irritating herbal note. Starts of strong almond, and after about 10 minutes the spices start coming out. I can see the soapy comparison at first, but it settles very nicely into a warm, light almond spice scent.

Bastet ended up being too heady for me, but I think this one just right! The florals really help mellow out the spices, and in turn, the spices stop the jasmine from going insane on my skin.

 

On the big bottle list for sure!