Inez

[aedes]

Golden amber, vanilla musk, myrrh, cedar, carnation, and red sandalwood.

Oh yeah, this'll do. This'll do NICELY. Smelled a little caramel and foody in the bottle, which made me worry. I don't like my scents too sweet or recognizably foody. But on, it's an extremely well-blended, balanced and behaved scent. Rugged, but temperate and subdued, like the image portrayed on the bottle. A strong frontierswoman of few words, accustomed to hardship but still womanly. The vanilla musk gets the best of both worlds, without turning plasticky or powdery on me. I normally can't abide cedar, but I can't even pick it out of the blend. I think the amber and myrrh trump all on my skin, rounded out by the vanilla musk and given a glimmer of light by the carnation. What a beauty!

[CynicalPink]

Myrrh and I don't always get along, but there's enough good stuff in this that I have very high hopes

 

Imp: Carnation and amber. Niiiiiice

 

Wet: EEEEE! So nice! It's like femme-cologne. It's strong and warm....oh man please stay like this...

 

Drydown: The cedar is a team player here, instead of turning the scent to pencil shavings. The vanilla musk is SO smooth. The Myrrh and the Amber give it a feeling like dusty gold. Carnation doesn't do its usual spicy song and dance, but instead brightens the whole scent up. Red sandalwood keeps the whole effect nice and warm

 

Overall: Love. Must have. What I love most is how wearable it is. This is something I can put in to everyday rotation and it will fit in nicely year round.

[Ceri]

In the vial: Spicy & warm.

 

Wet: Sweet carnation & cedar - which turns this into soap on me.

 

Dry: Baby powder.

 

Overall: Sigh... Not for me.

[joseybird]

What a glorious, glorious scent!

 

Inez combines the light sweetness of Egyptian Amber with powdery, dried carnation, delicate vanillic musk and dry woods. The amber is the real star here, balancing out what might otherwise be an overly-dry blend (as ceder blends can too often be) and giving the composition a pleasent skin-scent lightness.

 

Like a lighter Storyville. Love

[WidgetAlley]

Received a tiny drop from ravyn1.

 

Imp: I definitely get the Morocco comparisons-- this is a rich, warmly spiced Egyptian amber shot through with vanilla musk and red sandalwood. Soft and almost powdery in feel, but still very sexy.

 

Wet: HOLY CARP AMBER, that strong, almost milky amber from Jacob's Ladder, but made much friendlier, warmer and sweeter by the vanilla musk and red sandalwood. I'm not getting a whole lot of myrrh, cedar or carnation yet... which is too bad, 'cause as nice as this is it could use some punch. I think maybe I amp sweetness of all kinds? I agree with the people who said it's kind of caramelly, though.

 

Dry: A sweet, vanilla-musk amber still, with tiny hints of spice. Pretty, warm, luxurious and golden, but it's a damn ringer for Morocco on my skin, so I don't really feel the need to track down more.

[asciident]

Wet: Sweet resinous scent.

 

First on: My skin is amping vanilla.

 

Dry: Strong vanilla incense. Nice as a room scent.

[magikalbrownies]

oh man we have a winner houston!

 

straight out of the bottle it smelled like caramel and vanilla!

 

geeezzzzz

 

glad i bought a bottle this one is sure to be gone!

[sqwook]

Lovely!

Wet: a women's "cologne" type fragrance. There's a note here that reminds me a bit of the vanilla of Black Opal, actually, but a bit more bold/bright (maybe the cedar?). (Though I did a side by side comparison to confirm it, and of course they're nothing alike when they're actually side-by-side. )

 

Dry: Others compare it to Lyonesse but I don't get that at all. For me, the drydown is very much like that of Death & Life Completed, perhaps even warmer/spicier/softer, and without the slight tinge of floral that Death & Life Completed has. Same resiny, delicious, warmth. Love it! For me, since I have a bottle of Death & Life Completed, I'll stick with that. (And please note - the wet phase of these two are nothing alike.)

Edited June 4, 2009 by sqwook

[iiinterstate]

How have I not tried Inez before?

 

This blend is certainly reminiscent of Morocco, which is a top ten favorite of mine, but there is something sweeter and more feminine about it. I love the vanilla. I love this whole blend. I will need at least one more bottle before the Carnaval goes away.

[Bluestocking]

In the bottle: Warm, sweet, golden, musky spicy—delicious, and a touch exotic. It reminds me of Fascinum a bit—probably the amber and cedar combo, although I much prefer Inez. Anyway, it's very smooth and incense-y, and I think I can actually smell all the notes making some contribution here—some dark depth from the cedar, spice and resin from the myrrh and carnation and sandalwood, soft, musky sweetness from the vanilla musk. None of them dominates, but the amber is the heart of the scent, very warm and sweet and resinous.

On, wet: Beautiful myrrh and carnation, layered over the dark cedar and sweeter sandalwood. The golden, musky sweetness of the amber and musk are much more subdued, making this a darker, woody-spicy perfume, but the carnation and cedar combo is fantastic, and the red sandalwood adds that sensual vibe that it often has. I seriously think I'm in love with this myrrh, too. Sometimes I can take it or leave it, but this is lovely.

On, dry: The vanilla musk really came out on the dry down, and it's blending with the carnation and cedar to make this a sort of dark, sweet, spicy, sexy and musky vanilla. This isn't quite as warm and golden as it was in the bottle, and it isn't a foody vanilla at all, but it is sweet and intoxicating—voluptuous, even.

Later: Vanilla musk, amber, cedar, sandalwood. Darker, drier and woody-sweet. This strikes me almost as a richer, more feminine version of the Bow and Crown of Conquest.

Overall: Darkly beautiful and effortlessly sexy, a real head-turner. The combination of cedar, vanilla and carnation really does bring to mind The Bow and Crown of Conquest, which is just fine by me. This is sweeter, I think, more golden and warm, especially in the early stages, but there are similarities. The amber and vanilla musk bring all the sweet warmth you could want, but it's the subtle way the dark wood and myrrh work here that I think makes it special. (I've noticed that every CD scent I've tried is really subtle and well-blended, and Inez is no exception.) She's a little heavy for me to wear during the hot summer right now, but she's going right into regular rotation this fall.

 

 

[MCS4096]

I think this smells an awful lot like joy dish soap in the bottle! When it's first applied it's not much different, but once my skin heats it up it does take on a scent a lot like Morocco, which is a fave of mine. It's fairly light and clean-- only a subtle spiciness on me, with a hint of musk and carnation and not really any cedar (except maybe that factors into the spiciness somewhat)

 

There other similar blends I like better: Morocco, Velvet Bandito and Lyonesse

[Evilynn]

The first time I tried Inez I got "pencil shavings", but it turned out this was because I tested Love's Philosophy at the same time, and LP was all "Bitch, go sit in the corner!" and Inez did as she was bid. So imagine my surprise when I tried her on her own and she turned out to smell like Morocco's bigger sister!

 

In the bottle: Myrrh and vanilla musk

On: Pretty much a dead ringer for Morocco, but stronger and longer lasting. The Lab's vanilla musk always smell a little cold to my nose (like vanilla ice cream, I get the same vanilla from Voyeurs Among the Cherry Blossoms and Black Opal), but the Egyptian amber and the myrrh warms it up a bit.

 

I don't have any Morocco to do a side by side (wrist by wrist?) comparison with, and I think Morocco might be slightly warmer, but that's made up by the fact that I don't have to slather Inez like I do Morocco.

[Ondine]

Weird. I have a bottle of Inez, unknown purchase date, that smells like Underpants Lite on me. Just like MonsterBait: Underpants, but it fades quickly and is a little lighter.

 

I also have a decant that smells heavily of carnations and spice. Completely different than my bottle. I wonder if it's aging or batch variations?

 

Both are beautiful, though I love the bottle version more.

[cinnamonster]

This undergoes a massive transformation on my skin, in the bottle it's all amber.

 

On my skin, it's sharp and slightly masculine. It also reminds me very much of both J-Horror and White Phoenix which smell extremely similar on skin to this, and identical to eachother. I don't really know why.

 

Inez:Golden amber, vanilla musk, myrrh, cedar, carnation, and red sandalwood.

 

White Phoenix:Frangipani, magnolia, cotton flower, osmanthus, crystal musk, ambrette, white orchid, sugar cane, davana, white sandalwood, petitgrain, lavender, and lotus root.

 

J-Horror:stargazer lily, white sandalwood, chrysanthemum, and shincha, with white mint, eucalyptus, licorice bark, and blood orange.

 

So, nothing in common between the three except sandalwood and not even the same kind, but I can smell lily in Inez, and no sugar in White Phoenix, but they do all smell much the same on me.

 

Someone mentioned Jacob's Ladder and I see the similarity there also.

 

It has given me a headache and I am glad I did not order a bottle unsniffed like I almost did once.

 

My mental picture is of some longish haired blonde guy who works in "The City", who thinks he is pretty handsome and laughs like a sealion as he gets drunk on expensive cocktails night after night in a glass and chrome 80's style bar.

 

I wish this smelt on me how it appears to on others. I need to wash it off.

[hlemonds]

Can't believe i haven't reviewed Inez yet! One of my favorite blends so far. Smooth, warm, and completely snuggle worthy! On me this is primarily a amber and vanilla musk with a hint of spicyness that i guess comes from the carnation? It is really lovely, and i can see myself wearing this a LOT as the weather cools.

[NoinHime]

Wow! This is a good one!

 

The Cedar and amber is more prevalent in the bottle whereas the vanilla musk and sandalwood comes out once it has dried on my skin. It's very smooth and warm and fortunately not an overly sweet foody scent.

 

[angelicruin]

Inez is gorgeous. It's this sweet resinous carnation, amber, and vanilla musky blend that plays so nicely on my skin. I will definitely be purchasing a full bottle of this amazing blend.

[symphonyinsilence]

I love amber and vanilla so I was hoping to try the carnation (not sure what that's supposed to smell like), but unfortunately all I got from this on my skin was sandalwood soap which lasted for about a minute followed by talcum powder.

[Venneh]

In the decant, I'm getting carmel and vanilla with a slight floral undertone. On my skin, she's very similar to Snake Oil, only with a sudden wood and floral note, and a stronger vanilla muskish note. Oh, wow, she's amazing. Bottle. Also, if I apply too strongly, the cedar comes out and dominates. Need to remember that.

Edited October 26, 2009 by Venneh

[revinn]

Smells like bug spray in the bottle, but on my skin, she SINGS!

 

Delicious creamy musk, non-powdery amber (a miracle!), sticky vanilla and a touch of spice. Perfection. This is one I think will get even more amazing with age. This might be my new clubbing scent!

 

Out of 10: 9

[tragedy]

When I first got this it was extremely light, so I put it away for a while to let it settle...

 

Straight out of the bottle it smells sweet and foody, almost caramel-ish.

First applied myrrh and that nutty thing in hearth that makes me ill... It goes away thank goodness and dries down to almost single note myrrh with a hint of powder.

 

Not really my thing.

[Seismogenic]

I'd been eyeing this one contemplatively for its notes for a while, which is why I picked up a decant in the first place, but it was the comparisons to Morocco that I started noticing that suggested that I try Inez now, the day after testing Morocco. I see similarities in the notes, certainly, but I'm hoping the balance of those notes will serve me better with Inez than with Morocco.

 

In the imp: Predominantly amber, with some dryness from cedar and definitely also some carnation.

 

Wet on skin: Still predominantly amber, smoother now than when in the vial. There is plenty of wood - not just cedar anymore - underscoring that, and the carnation has become a bit stronger.

 

Drydown: Freshly dry, this is a smooth blend of carnation and amber with a faintly spicy woody background. I suspect the myrrh might be responsible for the spiciness. At one hour in, it has become a little spicier and drier. The amber and carnation are still very obvious, but thereʻs also more myrrh and sandalwood now.

 

Five hours later: Largely the same balance as at the one hour mark, perhaps with slightly less carnation and more wood. Everything is fainter, but still quite present.

 

End of the day: A bit of dry wood and spiced resin.

 

Overall: This is very very good. Oh man. I like! Interestingly, despite all the note similarities, Inez works quite differently on me than Morocco did. Morocco went pretty much straight-up vanilla and musk, but Inez remains complex and dark with an edge of spice. The drier notes (cedar, sandalwood, amber) and the smoother ones (carnation, vanilla) balance each other extremely well, to the point where it's hard to describe the scent as being smooth or dry or what. Whatever it is, it has just the right kind of edge to make for a very interesting scent. I absolutely plan on keeping and using this decant, and I suspect that a bottle of this might have to make its way to my apartment before the Carnaval goes down.

[Geminirubyshoes]

The description of this was just too good for me to pass up. My bottle is a little over a year old now and has mellowed out considerably. Yet everytime I open it, all I think of is cheddar popcorn it must be the myrhh, which I always think smells kind of weird no matter what it's in.

On my skin its soft vanilla amber, so fortunately the cheddar popcorn thing never materialises (not sure if this is the right spelling or not). Inez is a beauty for sure and she rents a space in the box with Agrat, The Grindhouse and The Illustrated Woman

[kohimame]

I received a decant of Inez a few days ago, and I still can't decide if her and I are going to get along or not...

 

When I first applied Inez, all I got was carnation. It was so much like Hod that it made me cringe and want to wash it off (Hod and I didn't get along either). However as it dries, the scent softens somewhat, going from a sharp spicy scent to a soft, spicy floral. I don't get any cedar from this, nor any sandalwood.

 

Overall, it's an interesting scent, and I'll definitely keep the decant, but I don't know if I want to spring for a bottle just yet.

[lavender84]

This is one of the few scents I like.

 

To me Inez is a sensual lady, her sweetness not one that's young and sparkly but intense and seductive.

 

The only thing about her that's not making her my most loved is how she seems to play hide-&-seek with my skin.

 

When wet and during the first 1/2 hour she's quite prominent but then she hides away close to the skin and comes out to play every once in a while so that you get a whiff of her every now and then.

 

I'm hoping she sticks around more as she ages. That'd be one charming lady for me.

Edited March 7, 2010 by ScentedDreams