Sybaris

[Sierona]

The pinnacle of wealth, luxury, self-indulgent pleasure, voluptuousness and sensuality. Bright violet with sweet clove, Mediterranean incense notes and tonka bean.

First sniff out of the bottle was a nice strong violet scent (i love violet!), i couldnt put this one on fast enough! After putting it on my skin and waited a lil while, violet is still the main scent in this at least on me... a bit of spiciness due to the clove i guess... and i swore i smelled something watery (not quiet marine like), and deeply exotic. I didnt think i would love this this much, definately gonna be one of my favorites!

[Confection]

My nose may be totally off, but on me this smells like vanilla, violet, jasmine and honey.

 

This is a sweet, feminine scent--perfect for a summer night!

 

Whoops! Sorry Sierona--I reported you instead of replying!

[Nadirah]

WOW this is really good, almost edible, that tonka bean is different, spicy incense in a flowery breeze. Sensual wow wow wow. I really like this, it might have sandalwood in it? I would guess so, but its delicate and a warm breeze...

I likes

[Koumori]

After trying so many BPAL scents, I've come to identify what I think of as the "generic BPAL flavor" - what I get every morning when I open the box where I keep all of my bottles and vials. (Must be what the Lab smells like...) Old Sybaris smells just like that to me - it's nice, and I like it, but there's nothing special about it that jumps out and makes me go WOW. The violet is very strong in the vial, but less so once it's been on me for a while; I don't know what tonka bean smells like, but I wonder if that's the vanilla-like scent that seems to be dominant on me. I like it well enough, but there are other spicy/exotic scents that seem more distinctive on me.

[autumn24]

On first application, a bold, strong swath of bright purple violets-- nose-tickling and high-pitched. As the scent mellows, the sweet clove pinpricks the woody, slightly chocolate scent of tonka bean. I've been wearing this for a couple of hours now and the scent seems to get stronger and stronger, and take over the skin. This scent is like walking barefoot a very posh, richly-colored carpet of russets, amethyst, and deep blue-- and with each step, there is a strong scent of violets-- another step, the strong scent of incense and clove.

[sirensongsouth]

In the vial I thought this was some floral (I'm not very familiar with violets) tamarind and spices. Close but no cigar, I thought it had tamarind in it because of that tart/sweet note.

 

On it was a nice spicy floral. I agree it seemed to gain strength with time instead of mellow out. I only swiped the tester stick along both wrists and rubbed and I had to go over my wrists with a wet washcloth before my son's playgroup because I didn't want to blast anyone with my perfume. I liked it, but next time I will use more restraint when applying since I now know it will get stronger over time.

[jj_j]

Violets and clove. Violets and incense. Violets and creamy vanilla.

 

Decadent, and a bit dusty with the incense - perhaps like laying down on an old carpet that's spent years in a room that always has something burning or bubbling to scent the air and has simply absorbed that scent into all its fibers.

 

I love this scent, even with the clove, but can't wear it because of the headache clove gives me. This is a not-sweet, not-old-lady, not-springtime violet scent that's powerful and exotic.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

Sweet and slightly spicy floral. Smells of the spoiled and pampered as they lounge around waiting to be waiting on.

 

After Wearing It:

When I first applied this, ll I could smell were violets. Sharp, clear violets. As time went on, the violet note mellowed and that creamy chocolate/vanilla scent of tonka bean took over, smoothing the fragrance until it smelled the way satin feels. Wafts of the clove and other spices could almost be detected, but never really asserted themselves. The end result was sweet and powdery, in a way that the smells like it should be coming from a nice dusting power that has the texture of Silky Underwear rather than an oil. The scent itself vaguely reminds my of skinny dip, though it has more sweet and less clove.

 

This scent is soft and comforting, sensual but not aggressive in anyway. It's a lounging around in a rich satin robe with nothing underneath. It lasted a good while too so extra points!

 

Final Thoughts:

I really liked this one, though I'm not sure if I like it enough to add it to the list of 5ml bottles I must buy. I need to wear it on a gloomy day, so I can tell if its power to comfort and envelop is strong enough to make it a necessary accessory for bad days.

[ipb]

i can't say anything that hasn't been said, but i loooooove this. the incense and the tonka bean are the primary smells on me, but the clove and violet are definitely there, occasionally slipping out of the background to caress your nose. lovelovelove.

[with coffee spoons]

I am puzzled.

 

Snake Oil, I love. And Seraglio is absolutely perfect. But ever since I received it in a swap a couple days ago, I have been reaching for Old Sybaris every time I want to put something on. It's a funny thing, because as far as I consciously know, I really like Old Sybaris, but it doesn't inspire the same sort of devotion that Snake Oil or Seraglio do. I like it but don't think it perfect on me. "Think" may be the operative word, because I reach for this more often than for Snake Oil, and far more often that Seraglio, which I think is perfect, but can't see myself wearing more often than once every few weeks in very specific contexts. Perhaps the draw of Old Sybaris is that it slightly less perfect? Less context-specific? Perhaps. So...

 

I have another odd compulsion in regard to this oil. The day I received it was a glorious day, warm and sunny. Old Sybaris for me is more cool or overcast day, nonetheless I put it on for the first time. And immediately thought, "hey, this is nice, why don't I layer some Lemon Verbena over it?" And I did. Promptly before drydown. Now, of course I never do this, always test out every scent in relative isolation for the first time. But not for Old Sybaris. I have very strong layering impulses with this one. This afternoon I was sniffing my wrists and thought, "hey, wouldn't this be smashing layered with a touch of lavendar!" I didn't have any, so I decided to add a touch of Snake Oil instead, which brought out the Vanilla of the tonka bean, and slightly cut the sweetness. I am a dabbler by nature, but I haven't had such strong urges to layer BPAL with any other scent.

 

Old Sybaris with Lemon Verbena is, by the way, very nice, gives it a nice sparkle suitable for warm, sunny days.

 

The scent itself is initially a clear violet note, sweet but not overly so, over a smooth base of tonka bean. As the oil dries, the clove comes out a bit, as do the incense notes, warming it up beautifully. I don't think of violet scents as particularly warm, but this is a very warm, mellow fragrance, quite nice. I was not planning to get a 5ml of this any time soon, but I may have to reconsider, what with my compulsive application...

 

It is a puzzlement.

 

ETA: After wearing this for a couple hours, I've noticed everytime I end up with a sickly sweet yet sharp odor on my wrists and on my clothing, almost the sort of post-coital smell I get from O... I ended up swapping this on that account, too bad, since I really did like the tonka bean aspect of this especially...

Edited February 2, 2005 by with coffee spoons

[Ura]

Somehow familiar. Violet deeply hiding. Sharp and bright.

[roisnoir]

In the bottle: Hard to describe, but not promising.

On, wet: Sweet! Smells like violet gum tastes, with a good backing of clove.

Drying: The clove is gone. It's almost all violet. Far less sweet.

Dry: It's sweetened up again. It's not as violently so, but it's still sweet in a way that doesn't work on me. Slightly soapy. Still, very nice, and I think a few of my friends will adore it.

Some serious staying power, too.

[xoe]

very beautiful.

 

jj_j's description was definitely apt. I have a friend who lives in an old Victorian, and we are always hanging out in the attic with some kind of incense or other going. This smells like that.

 

I sniff my wrist and smile.

[Tesseljoan]

Violet comes out the strongest in this one, and I can't distinguish the other notes, other than some 'juicy' or 'wet' (not quite aquatic) note.

It envelops me very nicely though.

[paperdoll]

Initial sniff: In the bottle, this is all violet.

 

Wearing: When wet, this scent is incredible. It is violet sweetened by the vanilla/tonka bean and lightly spiced by clove and other unidentifiable spicy goodness. After about 30 minutes, this turns to baby powder on me (which I loathe). Stright up Secret Solid chemical baby powder horribleness.

 

Final Impressions: This started out so nicely. Body chemistry works against me sometimes.

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Chokingly strong violets. I usually keep an open mind and try not to anticipate what's going to be in the bottle, but I had scent-visions of this and it smells nothing like I thought it would.

 

Second Impression: Still violets, strong violets. Not until a long drydown do I sense a hint of clove. The violets seemed to have choked out the other lovely notes.

 

Final Analysis: Of the handful of violet scents I've tried Veil is the only one I like, because the violets ease off during dry down and allow the other notes to bloom. I had high hopes for this one so I will give it one more go before I decide to add to the swap list.

[Lady_Ell]

Koumori and with coffee spoons descriptions combined are how I feel about Old Sybaris. When I smell it, I'm like "eh, kind of whatever, everyday, generic BPAL smell" - the violets stay in the background, the incense and tonka bean are forefront, and the clove sits primly in the back and waits to be noticed (and is appreciated when it is). It's not something that I ever THINK about wanting to smell like, and I can't say I love the specific notes in it or seek them out in general, but I reach for this imp constantly. It's got terrific staying power and the powdery feel on the drydown isn't offensive to me at all (usually I hate baby powder and find it acrid/cloyingly sweet at the same time).

 

And yes, it's great for layering. It seems to work with anything, and the anythings round out the incensey waft. Right now I'm loving it with single note coconut.

[Eris]

Hmm. My first waft was kind of a soapy smell which is odd, since that usually comes with the drydown for me on other scents. I soon realized that was just the overpoweringness of the violet, and after a minute, the violet dimmed (slightly) and became more discernible, along with the cloves. The two seem to merge into a single note and meet somewhere in the middle: like a thick, purple clove smell or a smoky violet smell. I can't really pull out the tonka bean, which is too bad. All in all, this is an interesting perfume, but not one I'll probably go for very much.

[Ishtar]

I was really looking forward to trying Old Sybaris since I love violet scents.

On me it turns to a very soft and powdery sweet floral. It is nice if a bit too understated for my taste, but I have a feeling that this is the kind of scent that could easily grow on me. So I will wear it a couple more times and come back to update.

 

Surprisingly enough for such a soft sent, thumbs up for the staying power. If you like long-lasting oils, give this one a try!

Edited July 18, 2004 by Ishtar

[summer]

This is *very* sweet, girly, and powdery. To me, it's all bright purple and unicorns -- the kind of scent I would have loved to wear when I was 8 and I wanted to be a princess. It's definitely pretty. However, it's distractingly sweet, without any spice or dark notes or foodiness (apart from the fluffy vanilla) to bring it down to earth and make it wearable for me.

 

I can see it being beautiful on the right person, however.

[twistygirl]

Wet, I smell violets. Purely violets. This is fine, as Beth's violet notes are remarkable. There's something lingering behind the floral of the violet, though, and as it dries down, the complexity of this scent makes itself known. The clove is there, but it's subtle... not at all overpowering. The Tonka bean adds a creamy feeling to this. It's gone from almost a purely violet floral to a spicy/creamy/powdery floral. It's very sophisticated, not at all overpowering - it's almost perfect in its strength. Highly recommended.

[malanna]

Hmm, this is a sweet violet, for sure, so to me, this smells like Saturnalia. I don't like violet that much, but I think I could like it, if not for my horrific experience with Saturnalia.... This makes me think of a Persian princess, lounging along the cushions. This isn't very spicy; it seems to blend very well with the violet, so that it seems like you're just smelling the violet. twistygirl hit it on the head with the creamy--it's a creamy violet, which is why it smells sweet.

[Electra]

Headshoppy! (Guess that would make sense, with the cloves and the incense.) Sweet-headshoppy rather than patchouli-headshoppy, though. Smells exactly like walking into a vintage clothing store. Nice, but I doubt I'll reach for it much.

[nevermore]

In the vial, all I could smell was violets. And on my skin, it's the same for the first hour or so. After that, the tonka bean (I think) and the cloves come out making a lovely sweet violet. I don't think I'll wear it enough to consider a bigger bottle, but I will probably buy another imp once this one is gone.

[pekeana]

I'm still in search of a BPAL floral that doesn't get yucky on me... *sigh*

 

In the vial: I really, really like this. I can smell the clove and the violet, with a hint of the tonka bean. I don't smell any incensey notes at all.

 

On me: It starts off overwhelmingly clove -- there's nothing but the clove. Now, after a while, the violet comes through and we have World War III on our hands. Violet usually stays warm, sweet and smoky on me -- but in this blend, it gets sweeter and sweeter and even more cloying as the eternal seconds go on. After three hours, the violet goes bye-bye completely and all I'm left with is clove and tonka bean. And for some reason, it still keeps getting sweeter to the point I'm gagging. So, being glutton for punishment and knowing it had worn off almost completely, I reapplied a tiny bit. Bad idea. The second time around, it's been even worse. This time, every so often, I get a whiff of something soapy, and then it changes into something that smells like it's been flash-burnt, all on top of the gag-sweet.

 

The verdit: I want to love it, but I just can't stand it on me.