Morocco

[Azrhiaz]

The intoxicating perfume of exotic incenses wafting on warm desert breezes. Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia.

My first 5 ml. purchase, a leap of faith. I was *so* sure I would adore this...but I'm going to have to dissent from the majority opinion on this one.

In bottle: soap, and overwhelmingly carnation. Not quite what I was expecting. I can't smell any spice or sandalwood at all. Not thrilled at all at first sniff.

Wet: sharp, soapy, heavy carnation. I definitely don't like this. I'm getting "funeral parlor" and not in a fun, gothy sort of way. Still, am trying to see if it improves significantly on the dry down.

15 minutes: oh, God, I smell like RAID. I hate this. UGH.

Went to wash it off and, of course, it stuck like mad. Washed six times and used alcohol and I could still smell it. Note to self: carnation is obviously not your friend, avoid in future.

*sigh* Off to swap pile. Fortunately, I got an Imp of Ouija and an Imp of Laudanum today too, and those are making me far happier.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Oh, purrrr! I've heard Old Morocco compared to Scherezade, but I like this so much better--I think it comes down to whether you prefer red musk or red sandalwood and if you like carnations. Sandalwood works better for me, and there's the dusky, spicy carnation note from Alice. It also depends on how strong you like your scents--I feel self-conscious wearing something as strong as Scherezade, because I don't want my perfume to invade others' personal space; I want you to lean close to me and breathe me in before you get to experience the precioussss. If you feel the same, Old Morocco will fit the bill--it's subtle and blends into the skin, a warm, spicy, creamy confection.

[lemonlye]

Sugar cookie dough. With a few spices. That's mostly what I'm getting - and actually, I rather like it, which surprises me since I'm not into "foody" fragrances. I think it's just subtle and warm enough to make it pleasant. My main complaint, really, is that on me it's too subtle - just not as exciting as I look for in a fragrance. But I think I'll keep the Imp around and try it a few more times. It's certainly nice enough for that.

[Tesseljoan]

I didn't expect this to be foody at all, but strangely enough it is. This smells like a great after bath lotion and a great dessert in one. Spicey, but gentle. Creamy, but not buttery. It is very delicately feminine, great for every occasion. This is the one I reach for when I don't know which perfume to wear.

[Penance]

Okay, I did this scent without having the description handy, so maybe it shows and maybe not.

 

First sniff:

 

Sweet, spicy, floral and powdery all at once. I'm at a loss to truly classify it. The only note I can clearly pick out is carnation, This really does remind me of the time I spent in Morocco my freshman year of high school.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Powdery and spicy. I can smell the carnation quite clearly, but the other notes are a muddle to my nose. I'm becoming leary of this one because carnation has about a 50/50 chance of making me nauseous the way almond does. This is pretty, but I'm not sure it's me.

 

Dry down:

 

The scent has almost disappeared, leaving behind a faint spicy carnation scent mixed with something that reminds me almost exactly of honey butter.

 

The bottom line:

 

Pretty, but not for me. I'm nervous about the carnation, so I doubt I'd wear this one often enough to warrant keeping it. Off to the swap pile with it. Hopefully someone else will be able to put it to some use.

[Rheliwen]

Oh Morocco, how do I love thee!

 

I've been smelling myself all morning and will try to describe it as best as I can, though I am having a hard time picking out elements.

 

Bottle: I can't really distinguish anything here, it smells a bit sharp but not unpleasant.

 

Wet: Oh my god! I almost bit my wrist off. It smells floral without being floraly and a bit spicey (but not cinnamon or clove spicey).

 

Dry: It's gotten a bit powdery but is nothing like baby powder, so it's still a good thing. I definitely smell musk in the background that gives it a well-rounded scent and makes it warm and inviting. I think the spice is coming from the carnation and if so, I think I need to order every carnation scent in the world! It gives me some of the same warm feelings Snake Oil does (I think the musk is playing a similar role that the vanilla does in Snake Oil, but Morroco is less biting) but it doesn't have any of that incense shop quality to it.

 

I was really expecting this to be more incensey, more like Scherezade, but it's nothing like that at all. This has officially made it to the top of my favorite list. Unfortunately, it doesn't last as long as some of the other scents. I'v already done 3 applications, but I do think my nose is a bit used to it and is probably WAY more powerful than I think it is.

Edited November 9, 2004 by Rheliwen

[Falathwen]

This is a perfect scent to wear on a chill gray day because it is so bright and warm. I can not pick out any of the notes individual because none seems to stand over another. Even though this is complex, it is not too heavy and remains remarkably consistent compared to shape-shifter blends like Caterpillar. The musk in this is the gentlest I have tried. I feel both comfortable and comforted wearing this and am so grateful to have received it as a freebie, because I would never have picked it out on my own.

[Lady Ravenglass]

Very warm, and kind of spicy, but not sharply so. It's soft and cosy. When this first arrived (Thanks Penance!) I dabbled it on immediately and then wondered where the funny smell was coming from. On first application it seemed to be another version of O, which might be due to the vanilla-sweet scent. It's dried down now to a creamy softness that smells positivly edible, though from my wrists I don't get much throw at all. Maybe I've sniffed it all off, but it's fading fast. It has a pudding-smell - definitely a foody scent! I think I'll be likely to finish the imp, but I don't know how much of a 'perfume' this one will prove to be. Like O and Le Petit Mort it is sweet and tasty, but it seems almost too unique and un-perfumey to wear; it's more of a second-skin scent. And ultra-sweet scents (Blood Rose, for example) have a tendency to make me go then a few minutes later (or right after I've ordered a big bottle ) to make me feel rather nauseous.At least it isn't doing anything unpredictable like turning into raw sex five minutes after leaving the house or something (looking at you here O...). It is making me want more dessert, though, preferably with custard. In fact, this smells like custard! Sweet, lightly rich and spiced with the barest hint of something from the store cupboard.

[yellowrose]

Well ... None of my experiences with Old Morocco are *anything* like any of those reports I've read in this thread.

 

I got this imp as one of the many generous extras in my recent order. When I read the description, I was VERY eager to try this. It should be "The intoxicating perfume of exotic incenses wafting on warm desert breezes. Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia." Sounds just like what I'd love.

 

Wet: This smells good, and a bit oddly familiar.

 

Drying: A ha! This is reminiscent of Estee Lauder Youth Dew. I've probably posted about this previously. For those who've escaped my rant in type, here 'tis: I cannot STAND, ABIDE or TOLERATE Youth Dew. I never wore it. Someone I knew did and there's a very strong scent memory/ies associated with it.

 

Minutes later ... I smell that. That note. What is it? Could it be the cassia since I don't know what that smells like? Wish I got more carnation. I like the maturity of the scent, so does the SO. It smells very womanly and mysterious.

 

After about 20 minutes, I couldn't stand to smell it -- whatever "it" is -- any longer. It is reluctant to come off even with much scrubbing. It sticks around.

 

Once scrubbed and still faintly reeking, I went in search of some cassia essential oil to sniff in comparison. I'm confused. I let the aromatherapy/beauty clerk at the health food store sniff my arm. She immediately said "vanilla and cassia." Argh. I wanted so much to like this and my body just doesn't express some component or note correctly.

 

Still trying to get to the heart of this.

 

I'm sad that this scent didn't work. It was at the top of the SO's list thus far. Above Dragon's Bone even.

[phaedrine]

Lovely. Spicy, but not cinnamony like Sin. Musky, but the carnation tones it down. I think I'm going to fall in love with this one, for sure.

 

Or maybe not.

 

The first two times I wore this one, it was perfect. Warm and golden and spicy and delicious. I was all ready to put a 10ml of this in my very next order.

 

Then it changed.

 

Halfway through the third wearing....I kept smelling root beer.

 

The fourth wearing, it was all root beer.

 

I tried it as a linen spray. I slept in a bed of root beer.

 

*sigh* It just didn't work out. Damn me and my weird sense of smell!

[Eris]

Sometimes I think instead of placing detailed orders, I should just send some money to the lab and a note saying, "Why don't you guys just go ahead and pick out some things for me; you seem to be better at it than I am."

 

Morocco was no exception. This came as an extra, and boy, am I glad it did. Love at first sight, er, sniff. Creamy and spicy, this blended perfectly into my own skin for a soft, oriental effect. I could pick out the carnation but was not adept enough to identify the others, though obviously, I knew something else good was there. I did not get the stale Opium smell that similar blends produce on me, so I'm guessing this did not have red musk--or, if it did, that it was downplayed compared to the other ingredients.

 

I love, love, LOVE Morocco. I want to be surrounded in this gorgeous, golden fragrance. Methinks a bigger bottle will be needed.

[monet]

This was one I figured I would really like when I ordered it. Boy was I riight! This is my favorite BPAL scent so far! I love it, I love it, I love it!

It is so rich, warm, sexy, mysterious and delicious. I want huge vats of this. I definitely think this will be a winter scent for me. I was very relaxed while wearing it. I get a very sweet vanilla musky, spicy oud (wood) like scent. I am very glad the carnation did not come out in it for me. It is absolutely fantastic. I will definitely wear this when I belly dance!

I am in luuurve.

[malanna]

Whoa, I just read a review that said there was carnation in this. I suppose, now that I think about it, there is something floral. It really makes sense. I was expecting Snake Oil sans vanilla, but that isn't what Morocco is about at all. Sure, Morocco is spicy, but it's not pure spice. It reminds me of Scherezade in that it's really smooth. When I think Snake Oil spice, I think of flecks, not something of a smooth consistency (because, y'know, spices have several small particles in them). However, Morocco is smooth and has something holding it together, which makes me think of saffron. Now that someone's mentioned carnation, I can say that Morocco's also a very sweet sort of spice. Actually, I wouldn't really want to use that word, because this is just a scent that has a Middle Eastern feel, which made me automatically assign the word "spice" to it. I don't really like the sweetness of it....

[wolfie13]

I was sure that I would like Old Morrocco, based on the descriptions and reviews, as well as people's lists of favorite scents that are similar to mine.

 

Well it just goes to show you that there really is no accounting for body chemistry and personal tastes.

 

In the bottle I get more of the exotic spice feeling, but wearing it, it's just sort of "fine."

 

My body may play up the carnation aspect a bit too much for my taste, which tends to go powdery, and it ends up coming across as a more generic sort of department-store scent (think Donna Karan Black Cashmere) than giving me that kick of the unique and exotic that some of my other fave bpals do.

 

Got the imp in a swap and glad to try it, but won't be getting more.

[surf-tormented]

I tried this oil and it is unlike anything I have tried from BPAL. I smell some very earthy tones and warm notes. Hard to place.

 

Even my boyfriend took notice of it and said that I smelled unique today. He hardly ever comments on the perfumes I wear, so I may put this in the "limbo" part of my favorites because he likes it on me. He is right that it is unique because I don't have anything in my perfume box that smells like this and I came to BPAL looking for change.

 

Maybe the carnation and cassia make it different, since I have never had an oil with those elements in it. I almost smell a little cardamom type spice in this. Maybe clove and pepper also.

 

My only complaint is that Morocco fades very quick on me. I applied it at 7:30pm tonight and had to reapply it at 12am to do this review because it was all gone. Even after a few hours it was down to a very down to the skin scent, mostly spice and a little musk and most of the other notes were flat.

 

So this one goes on the Limbo list, with a decision to be made whether I trade it or keep the imp. I doubt I will buy a bottle of this, but if I did want something out of character, I might. It might be a nice at work scent.

 

UPDATE 02/22/05: I got a bottle of this since the boy likes it on me and I have to say the imp I had smelled a bit like Snake Oil, but the bottle I got smells totally different-- smokey spices, carnation, woods...I like it a lot more. Let's hope its lasting time is better too or else I will be back!

Edited February 22, 2005 by Madame Nyx

[Morgan]

When I first put this on I can immediatley pick out sandalwood and maybe a touch of incense, but barely.

Than it starts to change into this lovely carnation/sandalwood/spicy harmony...The incense is pretty much completely gone.

It is very sexy and mysterious. It definitley reminds me of being in Morocco, walking around some sort of Bazaar.

Morocco is my absolute favorite scent.

[Caitfish]

Morocco:

 

In the Bottle:

Dominant notes: Saffron most of all - something surprisingly sweet, I have no idea where that is coming from, because usually carnation is a pretty spicy scent on me. There's also piles of spice. Can't really detect any musk yet, but I am certain that it will appear once my skin warms it up.

 

Initial On:

Dominant notes: The Saffron calms down, and the carnation that I know and love springs up with the musk, which tempers and smooths all of the spices.

Impressions: This is warm, definately spicy, and surprisingly sweet. I think it could be very attractive.

 

After a While:

Persistent notes: Spice, carnation, musk.

Notes which fade: I lose the saffron after a while as well as most of the sweetness.

Staying power: Very good! Long time with throw throw throw (very common of most spicy scents on me.)

 

Overall Impressions:

As beautiful and popular as this blend is, I don't think it's for me. It's very very strong because of the spice, and honestly it makes me a bit dizzy. It's a shame because I really thought that I would love this one, but I think Alice keeps me in the carnation just fine and Queen of Sheba handles the spicy edge without becoming overpowering. I'll give it another try and keep you posted!

[violetblue]

I got this as a freebie and I can see why it's such a popular one!!! I love how strong the sandalwood is in this!

Edited August 1, 2009 by violetblue

[nhough73]

This is one of those scents I can't seem to decide if its just ok or if I love.

 

Its a dry warm and spicy scent on me - the sandalwood is a prominent note, and it makes me think of dusty hot winds, pulling a scarf over my face to protect my skin from the whipping of sand. Exotic and mysterious, sniffing it very close to my skin actually makes me think of the smell when you blow out a candle and the wisp of smoke lazily rises upwards.

 

This fades really fast on me. I went to reapply it and accidentally swiped Hellcat over it.. ugh that was a nasty combination of booze and charred wood. But after fiendishly rubbing off that forsaken pair - and going back to Morocco its really growing on me. Sort of as a belly warming scent.

[ashtonrose]

I thought for sure that I had reviewed this, but I can't find one. I am reviewing my notes and placing reviews and updates to those reviewed if I felt differently.

 

Old Morocco was the very first scent that I ever received. SoapyRN sent it to me for my 30th bday this year. I instantly fell in love.

 

The Arabian spice, warm musk and red sandalwood were the scents that I could pick out, but that's probably because I didn't really know what cassia smelled like. I didn't smell carnation.

 

I haven't bought a 5ml of this, but I plan to after the first of the year.

[TheDarkMother]

Oooh, I've been looking forward to trying this one for some time, and it was a generous freebie in my last order. Beth rocks.

 

In the Bottle: Very spicey with a hint of the carnation in the background. Yum!

 

On Me: Thick spices through a haze of musk on my wrist, sweet carnation wafting up otherwise. This is gorgeous, very much the spicy smell of outdoor bazaars with products ranging from foodstuffs to silk, to all kinds of items, as the hot desert sun warms you through your light folds of cloth. I really love scents like this, it makes me feel more exotic as I wear them. This will be a bigger bottle in the future!

[harlequin]

This is interesting. From this one, I get a sort of creamy/slightly-vanilla tobacco scent.. It's a bit spicier in the bottle than it is on..

 

I know a lot of people like this blend, but I can't recall anyone ever mentioning tobacco.. If I had noticded, I probably would've been very nervous about trying it out..

 

If someone had described the way that this smells on me, I probably wouldn't have chosen to try it, but I actually am digging it.. It's a bit darker of a scent that I normally wear, but it's not too dark, if that makes sense.

 

In any case, it's perfect for a day like today that is pretty grey and dreary, with snow returning again after being gone for a couple weeks.. It's very warm and cozy.. makes me want to curl up in a blanket next to a fireplace with a worn leather book (too bad I don't have a fireplace, though).

 

Honestly, this is much closer to what I was expecting Hearth to smell like than what it actually was.

[sihaya09]

Warm, foody, exotic. I definitely understand the comparisons to Snake Oil. On me, though, this is actually lighter, sweeter, and more vanilla. It's got the same base of warm spices, but they lie beneath an almost "Vanilla Fields" heart of sweetness. It's a very nice, happy scent, and one I will wear often to work because though I love Snake Oil, my co-workers think it smells like talcum powder (smokers with broken noses, you see). This is very nice, and I'd like to keep an imp onhand at all times.

 

Whoa, though. My skin drinks this up. It vanished quickly.

Edited January 11, 2005 by sihaya09

[Theravada]

Yesterday I fell in love with Morocco! I did get the rootbeer scent for the first few minutes, but that quickly faded. Morocco is an exotic, spiced carnation blend. Carnation is one of my favorite notes, and I love what Beth has done with it here. This is one I'm going to have to buy a botle of. I can see why Beth is so proud of this one. It's really fantastic!

[leapylees]

I was really looking forward to this as I love carnation.

 

In the bottle: a little sweet but I'll give it a go.

 

On: This is really sweet and heavy. A very sweet floral, foody heaviness though I don't get any of the carnation I was looking forward to. I hoped that it would fade and evolve as it dried, and that the carnation note would emerge but it didn't. In the end I had to go and scrub this off as it gave me a headache and made me feel sick. One for the swaps pile.