Port Royal

[Babylon]

The Sodom of the New World! -- touted as the richest and wickedest city in all creation! Port Royal was the center of 17th century Caribbean commerce, a notorious safe harbor for pirates, and the site of our third flagship store, which was, sadly, destroyed in the earthquake of 1692. Spiced rum and ship’s wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute’s perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down.

I can smell every note in this - they come together perfectly! Sweet rum, (sandal?)wood, salty sea air (like standing at the beach), and a little floral perfume. Dominant notes are the rum and salty sea air.

I *love* this. Used up my imp and then bought a bottle. This is much quieter on my skin than Anne Bonny. Boyfriend likes the scent of it too, especially the yummy spicy rum it turns into after about an hour. Edited September 17, 2007 by Shollin

[vegasblueblood]

This is very interesting and complex scent. It's got the feel of ocean spray and I can detect the spice and the faint perfume in the background. I'm not really picking up too much of the ship's wood but I love how all the notes blend together to create the feel of Port Royal. It's quite lush and lazy and it's quite a lot of spice. Not so much spiced rum, just spice. The spice is similar to that which is in Port-au-Prince so I'm thinking there might be some clove in the spices that make up spiced rum. Very nice!

[aquazoo]

Mmmmn, leather, in the nicest possible way! Very light so far. Now it’s a bit fruity. Turning slightly sour, then back to spicy again.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Spicy wood.

 

On the wrist: Spices, wood and an aquatic note?

 

Drydown: Heavy, heavy spicy wood scent.

 

Alas, this one did not work out very well for me. And I think my body chemistry has actually started inventing notes lately, between this and Phantom Queen...

[Rouge]

Aquatics and I don't normally get along, but Port Royal sounded so wonderfully piratical that I had to try it!

 

In the vial - I definitely smell salt, rum and ... is that a hint of my beloved and coquettish Penny Dreadful?

 

Wet on the skin - Salt, spices and warm woods. I think I was right about the Penny Dreadful. There's definitely the thick, rich, chocolatey notes of my favourite "Dickensian harlot" scent in here.

 

Dry down - As the first notes of Port Royal warm on the skin, I'm struck by a terrible note of foreboding. Is there leather in this blend? I do hope not. (Some time later) Luckily my fears were unfounded. As the "prostitute's perfume" fades into the distance and the scent heads out to sea, the woody notes take over, along with the rich rum scent I recognise from Port-Au-Prince.

 

Hoist the colours and prepare to fire the cannons in salute - this is the perfect oceanic blend.

[jewelbug]

Imp: Woods, hint of spice, overall sort of perfumey.

 

Wet: Spicy woods and a leather note, though I realize there is no leather listed.

 

Drying: Slightly perfume-y woods, leather, and clove? If not clove, a similar spice note, and its really warm and lovely.

 

Dry: Spiced (still clove-like) leather with a bit of brown sugar sweetness in the background.

 

Overall: This is a sexy scent, but strikes me as masculine. It wasn't what I expected--i didn't get an aquatic or salty feel, and I like the reality much more than what I imagined in my head. I think I'll have hubby try this one one. Mmmmmm....

[Medici]

In the imp: Spiced rum and woody notes. (The spice being slightly reminiscent of Voodoo Queen. It’s got that same southern flair.)

 

Wet: (Guh.) This is slavishly good. There’s something musky about it too which I fully appreciate,

 

Drydown: As it warm, I’m damned surprise to find that with the woods, spice and booze, it edges this blend towards my dear, darling Voodoo Queen. It’s a little drier in terms of the woodsy base, but I think layered with a heavy musk, it’s definitely fall into the same family. (In short, me likey muchly!)

[Catmint]

I slathered this on my husband, and it immediately smelled of salt sea air with hints of leather and wood -- very piratey indeed! No rum, but the salty aquatic note was amazing while it lasted. After 10 minutes or so the saltiness went away, leaving a very clean, slightly soapy aquatic, with faint woody undertones and a bit of spice (like spicy soap). DH's summary:

WET: poufy Elizabethan pirate

DRY: very clean 20th century yachtsman

I like this a lot, and it smells great on my husband, although it doesn't last long (maybe an hour). I think this scent would be perfect as an aftershave (scuttles off to the Beyond Perfume thread for recipes....)

[grrrlennyl]

at first: salty wood.

on: very salty perfume.

1 hour later: something sweet is coming out, but this is still mostly salty. there's also a bit of wood.

5.5 hours later: a very salty ocean scent.

overall: this is really interesting and is nicer on me than i thought it would be.

[aleciarivas]

:urp: Ok, not on me!!! Not on me! Except that my DH kept sniffing me trying to figure out what smells familiar. LMAO! So I tossed him the imp- and he slathered it on his arm. Now let him sniff himself!!! Too leathery-smelling on me.

[Dinerdulcinea]

I let hubby try this one. A boozy top note with a very strong underlayer of what is like a vetiver-y "Old Man" men's cologne note.

 

Nah.

[MaidenGenevive]

Port Royal

 

I expected not to like this, so I put off trying it. But it's not like what I expected. This is predominately a pleasant spice that's a bit earthen. As it wears, it also has a mild metallic tang to it.

 

[ 3 - Like ]

[ranyart]

In the imp, the perfuminess is extremely strong to me, although I can smell the wood and rum as well. The saltiness is only barely noticable.

 

Wet, the spicy wood dominates, with the perfume making it rather heavy and cologney. I was afraid to put too much on for fear of having a very strong cloud following me all day, but the extreme strongness dissipated on the drydown. I caught whiffs of myself all day but never bothered anyone around me.

 

Dry (just over twelve hours later, at the moment), this is warm and spicy, with the wood and rum still present. The smell isn't as strong but I can still smell myself! I've spent all day sniffing my wrists and am extremely happy with how Port Royal behaved on me. This is one I'll save for days when I need something aggressive and more overtly masculine.

[AomoriJ]

As a foody lover I wouldn't have tried this on my own, but I'm so glad the Lab frimped me with this. Both in the bottle and wet, there was a predominantly salty wood scent that made me think of old Lahaina, Maui. (For those who don't know, Lahaina used to be a big whaling port back in the 19th century, now it's a tourist trap.) Anyway, a spice emerged during the dry down and I kept imagining being in Lahaina back in it's heyday with sailors and sea captains walking on weathered, sun warmed wooden sidewalks. I'm not sure if I'll use it enough to justify a bottle, but I will definitely use up the imp.

 

This gets a 4.5 out of 5 from me!

[puck_nc]

Origin: Frimp in my latest Lab order

 

Initial Thoughts: I've never been much into aquatics or booze scents, but I'm wondering if this one would be good on my husband.

 

In the Bottle: Old Spice! Heh, just kidding I get the rum and a lot of wood and a hint of ocean spray, just like the description says. But it definitely makes me think "manly".

 

Wet: A blast of spice that reinforces the "manly cologne" impression. I don't think I'm getting much rum...just the spice and woods and the tinge of salty sea.

 

Drydown: Something that I think is the rum is coming out, sweetening up the scent. It's more like a BPAL blend now rather than a cologne scent.

 

Verdict: I will try this on hubby's skin and see what he thinks.

[RogueBelle]

First impression: Nice, but not terribly unique – reminds me of a lot of other things. It's very green, though – feels a lot like plants. I'm not sure where the green scent is coming from. Will have to give another try.

 

Second try: The spiced rum and woods are coming out a lot more now. It's a very understated scent -- not terribly noticeable, but nice enough for everyday wear.

[joseybird]

Ooo this is nummy!

 

I get a warm ambery spice (think thick, luscious aged rum without the alcohol part) and a thread of the "perfume" note. I wouldn't call this aquatic; the "sea air" is more of an overall "breeziness", which is nice because it keeps the composition from getting too heavy. I get no wood notes, oddly. Very "Caribbean" in feeling =) I would definitely rec this for a cruise.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Dark water, dark streets, dark dealings. It’s very cold and ominous, not the raucous pirate town I was expecting. Definitely the sort of place where you shouldn’t be out at night. There’s a salt-air tinge, too.

 

Wearing: Ah, there’s the rum. Much more spicy than boozey, fortunately, with deep wood underneath.

[Lethran]

I was looking forward to this one as I've heard nice things about this and the ingredient list is appealing. In bottle: not promising. It is very woody, but a flat wood, like in Aziraphale instead of wood oils like in snake Oil, with cheap perfume on top. Wet: it blends way better on the skin. Oddly sweet, yet musky. You can really smell the spices now. It reminds me a pit of Plunder and count Dracula. I'm guessing maybe clove and nutmeg, maybe a touch of cinnamon. this is rich and appealing with a definite air of sea breeze. It is so much richer on the skin than in the bottle. Dry: spicey wood and sea breeze. Yum. Definitely a keeper.

[Cheri]

This was a lab frimp that I would never have tried otherwise, so thank you lab! I can smell everything that I'm supposed to smell in Port Royal. First I smell wood and salty air, then a little while after it dries, the prostitute's perfume is evident and I feel like I'm right there on the ship. This is the first time where a perfume actually made the story come alive. It's really pretty, but wild to have that kind of experience from a perfume.

[Northernskygal]

On me, Port Royal is.. spiced rum and wood.. but more like.. spiced rum that has been spilled over wood and has kinda.. soaked in, the woodiness dominates this blend for me. I am usually not a fan of woody notes in my blends at all.. but, I could see myself actually wearing this one on occasion.. This is the smell of adventure! There is a hint of perfumey sweetness, which is helping to tame the wood a bit, but it is subtle. I must say I am a bit jealous because on darling Eindwarg this is a sweet spiced rum.. with the wood in the background.. it's not so sweet that it smells feminine on him or anything.. it is just more.. skin sweet on him as opposed to sweetened wood on me..

[hkhm]

imp: wood and spice and... rubbing alcohol?

 

wet: that's better! woods and spices and booze and cloves. this is manly. i may have to try it on my husband...

 

dry: this has dried to clove and salty wood. excellent. i'll be ordering a bottle for myself and we'll see if my husband wants some as well.

[Phoenixx]

Port Royal

I received this free from the lab though I was on my list to try one day. I am so very glad I did get it.

 

in the imp: Rum, very strong boozy smell

 

On and dry down, A beautiful warm spice that mellows out to a rich spiced wood with a pinch of salt. The saltiness was very brief and I never got the perfume smell at all.

 

a few hours later: It is like an old wooden trunk full of spices and a little spilled rum. I love it.

 

Overall I LOVE this scent. I wasn't expecting to LOVE it but it was a really wonderful surprise. This was the second scent I have tried but it so far is my favorite. I will be buying a bottle of this once I am able to afford a lab purchase.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I LOVE Port-au-Prince but it has strong associations for me, so I'm hoping Port Royal will be similar but different enough, if that makes sense? On me, the spices *really* come out at once--rum with clove and maybe cinnamon? Really strong; I like it, but I'm waiting for the other notes to emerge. *waits* Hm, there is some leather after a bit, and a tiny hint of salt-aquatic; I don't really get the flowers. Well, I do like this and will pass it on to my boyfriend, but it doesn't have quite the lasting, sexy "oomph" of Port-au-Prince. I do appreciate the plethora of pirate scents that BPAL offers, though!

[CelestialNM]

It's taken me a long time to post a review on Port Royal because I wasn't sure what to make of it. To me it is more sweet than woody, perhaps that is the "perfume" note coming out, boozy rum and spices... almost cinnamon? With a watery, dark undertone. A very dark scent, subtly bawdy (if that oxymoron makes any sense)... It's a wonderful, wonderful, a sophisticated pirates scent and is definitely one of my favorites. But I love the boozy stuff.

 

It ages quite nicely, too. But, I got more sweet and boozy than woody... to this day I can't smell much woods. Oh, well, I love it like it is.