Morocco

[ajansuz]

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.

This was a frimp from the lab with my latest order. I guess from the description I was expecting something very exotic, and I adore carnation. However, in the imp it's kind of sharp and high, generic "sweet", and fairly more perfumey than spicy. What spice there is also smells pretty generic.

Wet it's reminding me a little of Scherezade without being as sensual. It's still more commercial perfume than what I associate with BPAL.

Dry down the throw sinks down just to skin level, which honestly is OK by me. Any stronger, and I believe this would give me a headache. I can't toss it up as a skin chemistry issue because it didn't really morph all that much from imp to skin. I'll stick to Scherezade when I'm wanting this kind of vibe. Sadly, Morocco isn't working for me at all.

[child of drought]

In the bottle: The first thing that hits me is vanilla, which is a little weird as there isnt any in the blend but at the same time nice because its a very subtle dessert vanilla. Next is a nice undercurrent of the musk that DOES smell just like the spices they describe. There’s just a tiny final hint of the carnation and cassia, the sandalwood to me isn’t present at all.

 

On wet: Flowers! The flowers become really strong then quickly fade into a vanilla/musk mix.

 

Dry: It’s staying mainly the dessert vanilla with just a hint of the undertone of the flowers, mainly the carnation. Weird!

[OctoberGwen]

I have no idea why it has taken me this long to try Morocco. For some reason, I think it was in the back of my head that I'd already tested it at some point and couldn't remember it because it was a forgettable scent experience for me. Boy, was I wrong!

 

When first applied, this smells extremely familiar to me - like a classic perfume from my younger years, although I'll never recall which one.

 

The top part of Morocco is very sweet, but not in a foody way at all. It's also a tiny bit creamy and very spicy, delicious and exotic. This is not a subtle, cozy, I'll-just-hang-here, don't mind me oil for sure. Morocco is something to wear when you're going out on the town and want to smell like a WOMAN. It has very good throw.

 

I quite like it. Not an everyday scent for me, but I would pull it out for the right mood and occasion.

 

[tharsei-thanate]

Got this as a frimp in a forums purchase! Super excited, as this was a wishlist item.

 

In the imp: Wow, this is very smooth and perfumey. It has that almost vintage perfume thing going on that Lurid Library '12 did. I'm thinking this a musk and sandalwood combo? Because I'm not catching a lick of spice.

 

Wet: Still vintage, but with stronger sandalwood and added carnation. I can't get over how smooth this is. It's like silk.

 

Drydown: Less strong than it was, and not quite as silky smooth, but the smell is still similar. I feel like I can smell the cassia, though I don't know if I'm *actually* smelling it.

 

Dry: It's sweetened a little. It almost smells like vanilla (and luckily not a plastic vanilla) and it's a tad powdery.

 

Not what I was expecting at all, but still pretty nice all the same! I'm gonna keep the imp but I won't pursue a bottle unless spices start coming out with subsequent tests.

[JazzieCazzie]

Hard to believe that I had never tried this before ... or if I did, I didn't review it. Certainly looking at the notes it seemed like it would have been a no-brainer for me at one time or another ... but instead I ordered it in an impapalooza/big bottle buy and am testing from that fresh Lab imp now.

 

IN THE IMP: Hmmmm. Slightly plastic to me, which isn't usually something I get from any of the notes listed. But not unpleasant.

 

Dabbed on wrist and in crook of arm.

 

WET: Still plasticy. And very sweet. My first thought is vanilla and myrrh, the two notes that tend to go plastic and powdery on me respectively. That smell is overpowering anything that might be musky, carnation-y or sandalwood-y. Not getting ANY of that.

 

OVERALL: Sadly, not a scent that works for me but still one that is complex and fascinating.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 3.

[Deliciousness]

Received this as a frimp from my last order ... thanks Labbies!

 

In the imp: Sweet spices. It's like I've walked into my local spice shop and I'm luxuriating in the the beautiful fragrances of indian and eastern spices.

Wet on skin: It's a potent blend of spices within a mixture of soft sweetness, amber maybe?

Dry: The spices calm down and the amber amps up, making me think of vanilla whipped cream with a sprinkling of sugared spices.

 

Yum! This is a wonderfully foody blend, without being foody, if that makes any sense

I really love this scent! It's soft, sweet and the combination of spices give this blend a distinctive edge. Big bottle for me!

[Cactus]

Morocco:

 

At first this is sweet spices. Saffron is definitely at the forefront. But underneath that there's a hint of baklava. Honey, nuts, almond extract, rosewater. Beautifully realistic. There's also a warm edge to it, like sun warmed skin, and a bit of a creaminess.

 

I don't get any sandalwood at all in this stage.

 

After few hours - the baklava disappears (mostly) but there's still a hint of the nuttiness and honey. Still spices with the warm creamy musk. Sandalwood *is* showing up now, but it's definitely in the background.

 

The scent doesn't change much after that, just fades away, but lasts quite a few more hours.

[EricthoDesalamander]

I'm really surprised at how light this scent is, given the ingredients.

 

It's very warm and lotion-like when it starts out on my skin, with a floral undertone. The longer it sits on my skin, the more it blooms into a spicy sweet scent. I wouldn't neccesarily say chai, but I would say it's a spicy floral scent.

 

It's very sexy, feminine, and very womanly. Highly recommended.

[welcometothefamily]

Oh wow....I love this. This is probably my favourite GC perfume so far. I need a bottle, stat!

 

In The Imp: Sweet, crystal clear and sparkling. This is gorgeously spicy, but in an exotic way, not hot like cinnamon.

 

Wet On Skin: Pretty much same as in the imp, except the musk comes out to play a little bit.

 

Drydown: Sweet, spicy, and slightly powdery....I'm in LOVE! This is very subtle...the perfume itself is quite light smelling, so I could definitely slather if I wanted to. I wore this to a meeting swiped across both wrists, and collarbones. Every time I turned my head I was getting this gorgeous scent wafting around my nose!

 

Verdict: I absolutely love this, and I'll be buying a bottle with my next order. Gorgeous! 5/5

[kajacana]

Got this one as a frimp in my first order over a year ago. It didn't strike me as anything special at first, but I just re-tested it and WOW. This goes complex, incense-y vanilla on my skin and it is WONDERFUL. This might sound weird, but Morocco is more along the lines of what I was expecting from the famous Snake Oil. But where Snake Oil failed for me, Morocco delivers.

 

It smells like... a more sophisticated version of the old Bath & Body Works scent Warm Vanilla Sugar... laced with church incense. (I have both Midnight Mass and Cathedral, and neither of them captures my familiar Catholic church incense - but this note in Morocco is spot on. It's a beautiful smell and it melds perfectly with the somehow-vanilla-but-not-vanilla.)

 

I'll have to test this one during the day. It seems like a perfect blend for colder winter weather. I have a feeling this might end up being a bottle purchase.

[IambicDearie]

Morocco was weirdly counterintuitive on me. Even though all the notes screamed 'cold-weather fare', I wore Morocco for days when I was in Athens a few weeks ago. 95 degree blazing heat, but it didn't feel cloying, too sweet, or make me feel warmer than I should have been! The spice was a wonderful touch and it stayed with me for hours.

[Erinofhere]

Frimp from the lab

Oh I have to have a big bottle of this. This reminds me of clean hair. I know that probably sounds odd..But I want this smell all around me. This is a very special blend. I love it!

From the vial I smell mainly spices and musk.

On my skin I pick up on musk, spices (not harsh spices, subtle spices) and a hint of floral.

Later: red Sandalwood and musk and spices with a very pretty floral background.

I only wish this had better staying power. After a few hours it vanished.

I am ordering a big bottle just as soon as weeenie madness dies down. I think I saw Morocco over at BPTP as maybe a room spray or something...I may have to buy everything this scent comes in. I want it that bad.

[hexnut]

MOROCCO

 

Frimp, colorless, blind test.

 

 

In Vitro A very sweet floral or powder scent.

 

Wet Some throw during application. Very sweet and tantalizingly familiar. After a minute it was possibly a 'white floral'.

 

Drying This remained an unspecific and very sweet smell reminiscent of powder. It faded over the next hour.

 

 

The label reveal was a letdown. Fabled and exotic Morocco, favorite of so many, on me was as bland and pleasant as a suburb.

 

 

94

[darkeyedfran]

I am almost out of my precious imp of Morocco! I wore this the other day and I was in the car with my dad, he said "damn Fran! You smell amazing!" and then we had a conversation about BPAL....I never thought this would happen. I amp the sweetness in Morocco, it smells so much like sugar on me with just a hint of spice, I love it so much.

[Lorna Brigid]

Morocco is in my top 10 and probably always will be. It is as necessary to me as Snake Oil is to a lot of us....hell, it is almost as necessary as air itself!

 

I cannot begin to describe how good it is, which is probably why I have not yet reviewed it all this time. But I shall try!

It is like a warm, sweet, fresh breeze. That's the best way I can describe it. I always get complimented when I wear it.

I don't get much of the red sandalwood or cassia. On me it is all musk, carnation and spices. The musk and carnation are what keep it from being TOO warm, and the spices are what lend the sweet and yet exotic parts.

It has decent throw on me, and lasts and lasts. It is both comforting and alluring at once.

[Eemia]

So many things prevented me from ever being interested in trying this one out. The vague "spices" mentioned in the description made me cringe as I pictured cardamum or cinnamon or clove or other kitchen ingredients which generally don't work on me. Also, carnation is usually a powdery, cinnamon scented mess with on my skin, so imp after imp of this was given away without even a sniff. But after seeing Morocco in the Pumpkin Patch in the Halloweenie update I was curious. Now I realize I was was screwing myself over in not giving this a chance sooner. It's so alluring and unexpectedly soft, none of the ferocious, spiked kitchen notes I was dreading. I don't have anything like this in my collection.

 

It's sort of sweet in an understated way, and smells like a mixture of saffron and incense and other faded, wispy things that I can't place. I never find any carnation or any true sense of a floral in here. The musk is as non-musky as can be, but it's there. It sits close and leaves an impression of sultriness that keeps me glued to my wrists. It's lingers for a long time and stays sweet and filled with that beautiful unintimidating spiciness. It's so light too, never becoming suffocating thick or heavy.

 

So I'm a complete Morocco convert now and I absolutely need a bottle.

[lucycat]

This was a frimp in my first Lab order back in February. I ordered an imp pack, and vacillated between O and Morocco. I picked O, and was delighted that the Lab seemed to have read my mind.

 

The Lab knows best. I’ve worn Morocco many more times than O since that first order.

 

I’ve put off writing a review because I don’t know how to usefully describe something that’s so lovely, it makes me sigh with contentment when I smell it.

 

On my skin, Morocco is vanilla (even though that’s not a listed note,) sandalwood and spices. There is a little musk, but it’s very soft. The sandalwood is also soft and smooth, not sharp at all. When my first imp was new, I did get carnation for the first hour or so, but now that the imp is more than eight months old, I don’t smell that note. Despite the vanilla and spices, Morocco is not foody, though it is creamy and sweet.

 

Morocco feels very classically feminine; the drydown reminds me of Shalimar, which my mother’s sister used to wear. It’s also extremely comforting. I wore this on the day of a snowstorm specifically because I wanted to feel warm and cozy, but Morocco also works in warm weather for me, because it’s subtle and wears close to the skin.

 

I don’t always get color associations for scents, but to me Morocco is creamy pink with gold around the edges.

 

If for some reason, I had to limit myself to five blends to wear for the rest of my life, Morocco would be one of them.

 

 

This is crazy, but I promise I'm not making it up: in the middle of writing this review (I draft my reviews as a Word document and then copy them to the Forum) I got up and went to the kitchen, where my roommate had just made some herbal tea. I remarked on how good it smelled, and we started chatting about herbs and their smells. She said,

 

"I've been looking for a good sandalwood vanilla."

 

I went to my bedroom to get my extra imp of Morocco, and handed it to my roommate. When she smelled it, she said,

 

"Oh, yes. THIS."

 

I gave it to her, because it is an extra, and Morocco is so lovely that I just had to share.

Edited November 9, 2013 by lucycat

[XShear]

I'm a in-betweener about this scent. It smells like someone threw eggnog with some other spices into a fire. Very cozy, yet some how light scent. I can see this being more of a room scent than a scent one would wear. But, I think I may keep this and test it out in my fragrance burner...

[misscoldheart]

I took a bit of a break from trying new scents but I decided to go through some old imps and decants and see what's what. I know I tried this before and I'm glad I didn't review it because I think I didn't like it before.

I think this is pretty nice!

 

At first it is a huge blast of bubblegum carnation. It isn't bad, just kind if odd and not something I usually wear. There's also something that smells kind of "watery" to me. I can't quite describe it, but it mutes the carnation enough so it doesn't go out of control.

 

Once dry the carnation fades and it is a delicious light spicy musk. I get a little vanilla but that might just be the musky cassia. Either way I am a fan and could see myself wearing this if I want something subtle and comforting. I like it a lot!

[Jangzonrice]

Got this as a frimp. Wet: vanilla with a slight scent of spices. Disappointing, I hope the vanilla backs off as it dries. Dry: strong vanilla with a tiny bit of spices at the end...not for me, but I will keep the imp. I think it will be good for layering. Throw is good, I can smell it without huffing my wrist. I have had it on for 7 hours and it's still going strong. Nice overall, I can see why it is a favorite for many others, I'm just not crazy about it.

[Monster]

I have been collecting BPAL for almost 9 years now and I am JUST getting around to testing Morocco. Why have I waited so long? This stuff is bottle worthy.

 

Morocco is a sugared musk on my skin with the faintest wafts of incense in the background. I'm not getting any carnation at all. This hugs my skin, has a low throw but long wear. Hours later I can still smell it on both of my wrists. There's definitely a baked goods quality to this, I have a tendency to amp sweet notes though. The final dry down is a sugary, pastry-like musk with a wee bit of incense.

[MammaJamma]

I'm so glad I got an imp of this in one of my first orders. I very promptly ordered a bottle, and then another to back it up. It is what I never knew I'd been looking for. Creamy, sweet sandalwood and the warmth from the cassia makes it delicious. I'm not very experienced with musks, but this one is divine. I was surprised at how Morocco wasn't as dry as it's description, but so happy that was the case. It's spiced ever-so-lightly, and does have a vanillary overtone, and I wish my skin naturally smelled this tasty.

[BoneBone24]

Wet: Deliciously spiced. Soft and slightly sweet.

 

Drydown: If root beer came in a powdered form, it would smell something like this. Not as good as this, but similar. Like the astronaut ice cream version of a root beer float, plus some sandalwood incense. It’s very smooth and definitely dry, but sweet and spicy too. There’s a slight creaminess that reminds me of tonka, or possibly benzoin.

 

Dry: Exotic, enticing, and sophisticated. The balance between the resins, the spice, the carnation, and musk is simply perfection. I could wear this anywhere.

 

 

 

 

8.5 out of 10 bones

[Heaven_Star]

In the bottle: sweet, spicy carnation

Wet: it gets woodier and sweeter but the carnation is still dominant. It's really warm and comforting right off the bat.

Dry: This is a really sweet, warm carnation blend. I don't get a lot of spiciness from it dry, it's much more sweet and warm. The sandalwood and cassia don't amp on me, either, they just round out the carnation.

 

This is a classic for a very good reason! It's creamy, sweet, floral and incredibly wearable. I can wear it every day and it's never inappropriate for the location or event and it's often my go-to when I'm dithering about which scent to pick or I've got no time to choose. I've gotten lots of compliments on it, it's just a lovely sweet floral that hugs. I would love a candle of this from BPTP - it's a really, really versatile and non-offensive scent!

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: Exactly as described! It's not hard to see why this one is such a popular scent!

Wet on skin: Sweet, musky carnation, sandalwood, some mild/sweet spices & something sugary! MUCH sweeter than it smells in the imp!

Dry on skin: Musky carnation, a faint hint of sandalwood &... sugared almonds! I don't understand where the sugared almond smell is coming from, but I like it!

After a few hours: Sugared almonds with some musky carnation. I'm pretty sure this is NOT what it's supposed to smell like, but I like it!

Verdict: I'll definitely get a fair bit of use out of this! Now I really want to try the matching hair gloss!