Gypsy

[edenssixthday]

GYPSY
Bourbon vanilla, Egyptian musk, tonka, white sugar, and cardamom.

Gypsy - I AM SO CONFUSED BY THIS SCENT! When I first opened the bottle, all I could smell was caraway. TONS and TONS of caraway. It reminded me significantly of Khrysopelex. I wondered if since "caraway" and "cardamom" are possibly next to each other if you have oils stored in alphabetical order, if they perhaps got mixed up, because the caraway is so freaking strong! And then I came here and read reviews, and someone else mentioned that this blend reminds them of Khrysopelex and all the cardamom in it...but there is no cardamom in Khrysopelex, although there's tons and tons of caraway in it. So color me really confused. No matter what, this opens up with a REALLY SUPER STRONG caraway note. It's overwhelming and it would smell delicious if it were on rye bread on a plate in front of me, but as perfume, I'm not that into it. But I keep wearing it, and about half an hour later, I start to notice the cardamom peeking through beneath the caraway. And about a half hour after that, the caraway note is completely gone (thank dog!) and all I can smell now is my beloved cardamom. I love, love, LOVE cardamom soooo much I can't even put it into words, and this is another gorgeous cardamom scent. The Egyptian musk (which is another all-time favorite note) blends beautifully with the cardamom and the trace of vanilla and tonka, giving this blend an overall warm, creamy, smooth, sultry kind of scent and feel. It's awesome. But it is subtle with very little throw. Next time I wear it, I will have to put more on. Even though it doesn't have much throw, I still occasionally catch a waft of something really pretty, and smile when I realize it's coming to me from the places on my arms where I put Gypsy. Very pretty, and definitely a keeper. Edited June 23, 2010 by Edens Sixth Day

[astarinel]

I expected to like this blend best of the moths, but something in it just isn't working for me.

 

While wet, the vanilla is very rich and sugary, in almost a powdered-sugar sort of way. Unlike what many people reported, I get very little of the spice (good for me, cardamom can be a nemesis of mine) and leaving this a sugared musky vanilla. I do really, really like the musk note, I find the Egyptian musk very round and warm, but there's just something here that's off. It might be the vanilla -- there is one vanilla note that can go plasticky on me (the one found in Snowblind, Snow White, and Snow-Flakes, to my nose), and that could be the problem here.

 

Either way, it is a nice scent that is failing to play nice with my chemistry. I was definitely surprised to get so little spice, this is a very creamy white scent to me.

 

[strahlend]

At first sniff this smells like some sort of sweet and pungent spice and nothing else. It was quite a surprise. I went ahead and put a dab on to test and then it turned into a lightly spiced plastic vanilla that just doesn't work for me. I'm not having much luck with the moths or butterflys.

[Dark Alice]

This is one of the most unique scents I have ever had the pleasure of trying. The cardamom is strong at first and then the vanilla peaks out to say hello! This is bottle worthy!

[anomie]

The first time I tried this, it was a perfectly pleasant and sweet vanilla. Actually, it was how I wanted the Bath and Body Works scent Warm Vanilla Sugar to smell - that stuff smells like evil plasticky death to me regardless of who's wearing it. Gypsy... was sugared vanilla and delicious.

 

Today I gave it another full-day test, and maybe it's having a clearer nose or maybe it's being at a different point in my hormonal cycle, but I can smell the cardamom this time all toasty and delicious underneath the sweetness. Om nom nom nom nom. Might have to get a bottle.

[jamcde03]

i expected to like this a lot more than i did the first time- but i'm expecting it to get better. right now my bottle smells 'like a strudel' according to dr. boyfriend and just like a faint, powdered-sugar vanilla on me. i got no cardamom or tonka which are usually great notes for me- this faded quickly and just wasn't that awesome. it was pleasant, but didn't make me want to cuddle myself like the harp or mouse's long sad tale. it might age in to something nicer, so i'll keep it around for now.

[Pepperminx]

This one is not really working with my chemistry, as in, I can hardly smell it at all. There is something vague on my wrist, something that smells slightly of a dentist's office. I will have to get back to it at some later date because scents that give a bad first impression on me usually turns much better once it gets time to settle and my nose gets a chance to try again.

[hkhm]

bottle: very spicy cardamom. i get very little in the way of musk or vanilla.

 

wet: if you love cardamom (and i do!), then this blend is for you. it's well-blended with both the vanilla and tonka to make a creamy, spicy treat on my skin. i usually amp musk pretty strongly but this is so well blended, the musk is not taking over.

 

dry: as this dries the cardamom fades a bit and the musk takes it's place. still, very lovely musk and vanilla scent with touch of spicy cardamom.

[Lorelai1945]

To begin, I am completely perplexed by this one.

 

In the bottle it's very medicinal. Like watered down tea tree oil.

 

When I first apply it, it smells like waxy minty lip balm- anybody ever accidently eat some lip balm or lipstick? That same waxniess? That's the smell I'm getting. Slightly minty, mostly waxy.

 

When it dries down, it just smells dusty to me. It's faint and powdery- kind of. This scent is remarkably...unremarkable. It's not ghastly but it's not great either. I get no vanilla, no spice, and not really much in the way of muskiness or sugar. It's not really sweet. Just...dusty.

 

Pretty sure I'll be selling this one. I'll give it some time and see what it does.

 

 

ETA: Other people have made a "dentist's office" comment. YES! Ever get impressions made of your teeth? That goopy stuff that they put in molds that you have to let dry in your mouth? That smells A LOT like Gypsy.

Edited June 28, 2010 by VioletFemme

[ajansuz]

When I read the description of this, I knew I wanted a bottle, period. Skip the imp, no testing, no nothing. I'm so glad I listened to my gut. I adore this. I put it on last night about an hour before going to bed. In the bottle, the cardamom really popped and overwhelmed most other scents. I got a trace of vanilla under the spice, but not much. I couldn't detect the Egyptian Musk at all, even though it's my favorite of the musks, or the tonka. The scent was a lot more spice than I expected. I dabbed it on very sparingly, afraid that a cardamom wallop might keep me awake.

 

Wet the cardamom was still quite strong. My skin took it in a woodsy direction. However, more of the vanilla began to rise, and there was the tonka. Still no musk at that phase, but there was also something dry, a note that reminds me a lot of orris.

 

On the dry down is where this blend really began to shine for me. The vanilla got very warm and a lot sweeter. The cardamom settled more into the background, adding a delightfully spicy note that was not at all foody. At last, the Egyptian Musk revealed itself, and the scent went from comforting and interesting to complex and even sexy, something I very rarely associate with vanilla. My husband grabbed my wrist after I got into bed and inhaled hard. "What is that?"

 

"Gypsy Moth."

 

"Get a bottle!"

 

"I already did."

 

"Good!"

 

He almost never reacts that way to scent. It's just not his thing, so I know if he likes something that much, it's a keeper. My only regret is that this is a LE, so when it's gone, it's gone! As far as lasting power, I could still smell it on my wrists when I awoke this morning, and the throw for me was very good. That small dab went a very long way.

 

5/5

[FireWolf]

Sadly, the throw lasted maybe 20 mins on me. What I could smell was lovely, but the love was over far too quickly. Well, like most memories of summer, I suppose. I'll be swapping/selling my bottle.

[reynardine]

In the decant, it has this lovely vanilla, sugar scent. Immediate scent upon application is a bit, well, dry. Might be the tonka coming out? You can certainly smell the musk, too. Almost spicy? Anyway, as I don’t much care for musk or spice, I don’t like this part. On drydown, the spice calms down a bit and the scent smooths out. It’s interesting, but I’m not sure I want a whole bottle of this. Also, it faded on me very quickly—didn’t even last out an hour.

[sirbixby]

I have to admit I didn't like this out of the bottle and was going to pass it up, but once it dries down it is divine! Just wait and you won't be sorry because the vanilla really comes out on the dry down. This turns ended up being a warm vanilla musk on me, very cozy and comforting.

[Ruffian]

The first things I smell from the bottle are sugar and cardamom, and reminds me of a lighter spiced Pfancy Pfefferneusse. The cardamom is not loud or harsh, and the sugar I agree has a powdered sugar feel. Gypsy threatened to go plastic on me, but then vanilla, musk, and tonka came out later in the drydown and brought balance and body to the scent. While there is a cookie, gourmand feel in the beginning (my Pfefferneusse association), it never really crosses into that territory.

[portalkat]

I thought that my nose was broken until I read some of the other reviews. This was a no brainer for me because I am a vanilla fiend and I like all of the other notes, so I was totally shocked when I put it on, took a sniff..........minty toothpaste?!?!?! Okay, that threw me, but I was determined to love it, so I left it on to dry down. When it dried, the mintiness went away and the vanilla got stronger. I need to test it again, because I only put a little bit on, but I think that it is turning into what I wanted it to be.

 

Okay, I put more on this time and that note is smelling more like cardamom, but it's still a bit minty. After about 45 minutes, the vanilla is finally stronger than the cardamom. Up until that time, the throw was vanilla and I could only smell the cardamom when I put my nose to my wrist. It reminds me of the vanilla that is in Boo and when the two notes finally balance out, it smells like a dry, cardamom pod mixed with the vanilla. I really like this after about 45 minutes or an hour after applying. I think that this will age nicely and get more balanced as time goes on.

[Schmoozy]

 

Cardamom and Egyptian musk. I freaking love Egyptian musk it's soft, sensual and feels like velvet. The cardamom is dry, woodsy and spicy. Did I say dusty. Cause this blend is a whole lot of dust. After drydown white sugar appears and the dusty, spiciness is suddenly sugared, and the Egyptian musk is still going strong. Vanilla and tonka are really afterthoughts here. I can barely smell them and that's just fine with me, because all I really wanted was a spicy Egyptian musk and I got it and then some. LOVE!

[rinster]

This is a slow starter! When I first put in on, I didn't smell anything.

 

Waited. Sniffed. Waited. Sniffed. Pouted. Sniffed. Sighed.

 

Ah! Finally it bloomed into a sugary vanilla. I'm missing the cardamom, but I'm hoping it will develop with age. Morocco didn't knock my socks off at first either, but the best relationships take time. I'll be patient.

Edited July 2, 2010 by rinster

[MCS4096]

Ok.. This reminds me a LOT of Anna Sui's signature perfume (the one in the purple bottle). I checked the notes for that and nothing here is listed there but I swear...

 

Anyhow, this is f-ing fabulous Heavy on the cardamom with gorgeous musk and vanilla (that low! doesn't turn to plastic on me). Great throw!

 

Probably two bottles of this for me!

[CitizenBree]

Very different than what I was expecting. Vanilla, tonka and sugar are scents I love so much, but this is mostly cardamom. Smells like a sweet spice cabinet. It reminds me of an old smell. Like something in my grandmother's house. Like the mix of her perfume with whatever she was just baking.

[CreamyJade]

In the bottle: Sweet cardamom & tonka.

Wet on skin: Cardamom & tonka still, a faint vanilla develops in the background as it dries.

Dry on skin: Sweet light tonka & spices.

Final thoughts: This is very faint, yet oddly present, on my skin. It sticks close to the skin and is nice, but I prefer scents with more throw. I don't know what aging will do to it, but hopefully it'll deepen. I find it similar to Andreiphontes in its final dry stage of light spices, but Gypsy's sweeter.

[Ondine]

Like a sweeter version of Khrysopelex on me, it's a sweet cardamom scent. Super-cardamom. Not for me!

[proserpine]

At first the cardamom dominates, making it smell really weird on me. The throw was light, but it lingered around for a while. After all is said and done it smells like BBW Twilight Woods on me, which is a good thing.

[ami226]

On the skin: A light vanilla or tonka with a hint of cardamom. This scent is quite faint on me... Might need some aging?

 

It smells really good, but so faint.... Will need to test again!

 

-ETA-

Testing this one again, and I don't think it is going to stick around in my collection. This is a very dusty, slightly vanilla, spice scent. While that sounds good written on paper, the reality is.... the dust is not very pretty. It smells like an old house where I just dropped something behind the dusty television and need to retrieve it. Not good at all.

Edited July 8, 2012 by Catseyes

[rayvn1]

OmgOmgOmg

 

This is exactly what I was hoping for! The perfect storm of BPAL notes for me! Bourbon vanilla? check. musk? check. tonka, sugar, cardamom?? Eeeeee it's so good! Blending together perfectly. Rich, warm, sexy as hell. Going to be a go-to scent for me, I can tell.

 

[tailoredshirt]

Oh! This is prettier than I imagined. I don't usually like super sweet foodie scents, but somehow this just works for me. I don't get much cardamom, just maybe a suggestion of spice. Mostly it is musk and sweet, foodie vanilla. Very pretty! I will definitely be getting at least one more bottle before they come down.

 

The only downside is that it doesn't last very long. I applied it about 3 hours ago and had almost no throw after about 2 hours. It is still clinging to my skin though. Might need to keep a roller bottle in my office.