Seraglio

[Ina Garten Davita]

In long-ago Arabia, harem girls rubbed an herbal poultice formed from a blend of sensual, luxuriant herbs and oils onto their bodies to prepare themselves for the Sultan’s pleasure. This lush, indulgent perfume is based on that ancient formula. Sweet almond and Mysor sandalwood enveloped by a heady veil of Bulgarian Rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove and orange peel.

First Impression: In the bottle I smell cherry cordials, those lovely dark chocolate covered cherries with the gooey center.

Second Impression: On my skin this is a gorgeous bowl of plump, chewy dried fruits and spiced almonds. No flowers here.

Final Analysis: I have come to love the almondy scents and this is no exception. It does not last long, unfortunately, but I don't mind dabbing on a bit more as it fades.

[Effluvia]

In the vial: Shirley Temples, as my friend observed. I'll definitely have to second that. That would be the almonds, I assume.

 

Wet, on my skin: Yeah, Orangina! Orangina and nummy spices. Mmm. Some kind of spiced orange cake...very foody. It's so exotic and intriguing...I do smell the rose after a bit, which makes me very happy. I think I smell the sandalwood and cloves, too...Oooooh, I think I'm in love with this!!

 

Dry, on my skin: This is very lovely, but it fades on me almost instantly. I may order a bigger bottle so I can slather it on, because I REALLY like it A LOT when it's wet. (sigh...)

[pekeana]

In the imp: Seraglio is nutty and sweet -- like almonds that have been dipped in sugar and roasted.

 

On me: Nothing. Not even a hint of sweet. My arm sucked this up so fast poor Seraglio didn't stand a chance.

[feline.by.design]

Seraglio was one of the few oils in my order that didn't have a citrus element to it, unless you count orange peel. For all I know, I might have when I was placing the order.

 

It smelled a lot spicier in the bottle than on me, and in my opinion, better. When wet, the sandlewood and nutmeg and cloves were doing a merry dance on my skin, and I was feeling good about this scent.

 

Then the Bulgarian Rose was all, "Wait a minute, y'all, I'm in this oil, too!" So she proceeded to knock all the other scents out of the way about twenty or thirty minutes after application. Although it smelled pretty, reminiscent of rose incense from shops, this didn't suit me.

 

I'm chalking Seraglio as one of the scents that would make a good room scent for me, but on my skin I just didn't feel up to carrying that much rose.

 

-doreen

[hypothermya]

Seraglio sounded absolutely lovely, and even though I knew that any scent with rose in it wouldn't agree with me, I had to try it.

 

First Impression

 

Sweet. Take that almond extract smell, and that orange extract smell, and throw it into the freshest/spiciest pile of rose potpouri that you can find. It smells both sexual and like candy at the same time. But...The sexual part isn't like the candy part, if that makes sense. The rose seems a bit strong though...

 

Wearing It

 

When I first apply it to my skin, it smells like a Victorian Christmas. Yummy marzipan, and the smell of orange cloves nearby, and warm roses. It's actually more like Christmas in summer, or thinking about an upcoming Christmas while sitting on a perfectly warm and sunny morning over a cup of rosehip tea. But, then, of course, my skin figures out that there's roses in here, and suddenly there's an overpowering smell of roses. Roses *everywhere.* I can just barely sniff out the orange (which smells a bit like a creamsicle), and the almond is even more hidden. Pity.

 

Well, I'm happy that I got to smell this in the vial. It's absolutely lovely. So lovely, in fact, that I wish my skin weren't so fickle about rose scents... Oh well... Off to the swap pile...

[asa805]

In the bottle this is really yummy almonds and oranges. Mmm im feeling im go ing to love this. Then comes the drydown and all i get is rose.. ahh humbug. What a downer. The scent i wanted to work the least on me was teh strongest here. Im not a huge rose fan. I prefer the roses in spellbound, eve and alice. This is also very very light. Ill probably end up swapping it which is disspointing because i had such high hopes for this (love clove, orange, nutmeg and almonds).

 

phewwy

[Lucretia]

sadly, i think it may have been the rose and almond together, this smelled like dryer sheets on me. I didn't get the spices at all.

[Nepthys]

I loved this from first sniff. At first I detected cinnamon but then it quickly turned more to a spicy orange almond. After about an hour the rose came through. I have a terrible time with rose scents but somehow with BPAL I can tolerate them and here I actually outright liked it. This is just the perfect blend, the spice-almond counteracting the sweetness of the rose, and it all comes together for a very exotic, sultry scent.

[tart]

This reminds me of Alice in a way, therefore I love it. I haven't even officially worn it yet and I already think it deserves to be purchased in 5ml form.

[Miggins]

I have to have a bottle of Seraglio. I need to slather.

 

Wet, Seraglio is such a mouth-watering blend - my nose (and my mouth) get roses, oranges and nutmeg. The drydown is such a lovely warm spicy rose but with so much more. When I first wore Seraglio, I felt exotic - an Arabian princess lying in a silken bedchamber being fed sweetmeats. Today, is a completely different experience! I feel very festive - mulled wine, open fires, being inside on a cold winter’s day, all snuggled up (maybe because it’s a rainy autumn day). And although it isn’t foody, I keep getting wafts of cake mixture (must be the nutmeg).

 

To me, Seraglio is a hug in a bottle - I can’t wait to get more of it!

[serafina pekkala]

In the bottle: smells like those Italian almond cookies, amaretti.

 

On applying: spicy fruityness, I get orangepeel and clove (yum!), the rose is starting to waft upwards.

 

Oh my god.

 

This is so sultry and sensual, I feel *incredibly* sexy when I wear this. The scent doest differ in the places where it's applied: a drier, sweeter almond on the wrists, orangy in my elbows, and Rose! on my neck and shirt. The rose is delicious, not too heavy but unmistakeable and voluptuous. Although the strength does wane after about four hours I could still smell it around me the next morning, twelve hours after applying it. I'm getting a bottle of this!

[Witch's Dagger]

Seraglio

 

I got this in a swap with diabolique. Thanks!

 

Notes listed: sweet almond, sandalwood, Bulgarian rose, neroli, nutmeg, clove, orange peel. (And as this review will prove, my nose is getting better!)

 

Preconceived notions: I thought this would make a nice spicy, almond, seductive scent

 

In the vial: Ooh, almond! Yay! (I've had good experiences with Hecate). And spices... And is that orange in there? Intriguing.

 

On me:

First whiff: Yes, definitely something citrusy in with the almond there, as well as something soft and powdery that manages to add an effect of sultriness.

 

10 minutes later: Rose? Is there rose in this? Luckily it's not taking over. I can still smell the almonds.

 

30 minutes later: Complete dry down, and hard to smell, but it's a nice powdery, almondy, spicy, scent, with a little citrus and rose in the background.

 

Final impressions: This is nice. I'll keep the imp. But it's nothing spectacular, for me. I like the unusual combination, though. All in all, a nice blend. It also fades *extremely* fast.

[hadaverde]

Initial contact with the skin produces a bouquet of roses and a warm cup of orange spice tea. The orange peel note is surprisingly apparent at first, but moves to a secondary position before long.

 

Fifteen minutes and it is almost entirely roses. There is a barely-detectable backdrop of spices, but the almond and even the sandalwood are pretty much entirely lost amid the florals. After an hour, the rose is still most prominent, but it is no longer drowning out the other notes. The sandalwood comes a bit more to the fore, and the spices again make themselves known.

 

This oil is a bit too rosy for me to use with regularity, but it has very impressive staying power, and will be nice for occasional wear.

[Faerykin]

Seraglio

 

Swiped across wrists and along collarbone.

 

Initial Wet (8-8:30am): This is a sweet, tangy citrus with an underlying dusty floral or a sweet, dusty floral with an underlying tangy citrus – as both notes are competing for the top. Indeed an invigorating scent, as it has definitely helped to wake me up.

 

Initial Dry (8:30-10am): This has settled down to a deep, musky floral. The sandalwood provides that muskiness, and I can detect some spices – and a bit of citrus – under the floral, but the floral is just this side of overpowering everything else. A very thick, potent blend.

 

Throughout the Day (10am-on): Oooh, I like this. This is a scent for the darker months, when a bright, cheery floral just won’t do. This is a dark, dusty floral … very sensual. I am envisioning a comfy room full of bright colored pillows with tassels and silks, and incense and music. *sigh* … and it is still present as I leave for home … Definitely keeping the imp!

[kimberlygem]

I am getting citrus , flowers and soap. Very clean but too soapy for me. Back into the swaps with this one. I tend to lean towards heavier scents but anything soapy I just can't do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kimberly

[ChupaChup]

I love Beth's almond scents but I took a long time to order Seraglio because I was concerned about the rose. Well, no problem with the rose, this is an absolutlely gorgeous perfume. It's all almonds and oranges at first, delectable, I just love the wet stage. When the rose note comes out, it's really warm, dark and musky, not sharp at all the way rose sometimes turns on me. And it lasts pretty well on me, good wafting power for at least 4 hours and still detectable on the skin after 8. I tend to refresh after 4 hours though because I love the wet stage so much. Looks like I'll be needing a big bottle of this one

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: Sweet almond and orange, which remind me of baking cookies for some odd reason.

 

On Me: Woah! That is sickeningly sweet and citrusy. I'm usually not a big fan of sweet almond like this, but the orange really tempers this very well! And now there is a sandlewood hint in the background that just wraps it all very nicely. And, is that Rose? Mmm...

 

This is a very sensual scent. VERY sensual. I can't keep my nose off of my wrist or keep my eyes from closing in ecstacy every time I sniff. The almond smell isn't as heady as it once was, but the scent remains faint but there...not too powerful at all.

 

This is definately a big bottle in the future.

[stardust]

This smells sooo good in the imp: orange, almond, and spices.

 

On me: Smells wonderful for about 5 seconds, then turns to dried roses and baby powder on me (I'm beginning to think that it's the almond that does this).

 

Too bad. I'll try it as a room scent.

[octopusgrrl]

In the bottle: soft, spicy almond

 

Wet: spices and flowers, reminiscent of Queen of Sheba but smoother and more rounded

 

Dry: gentle spicy vanilla with hints of floral

 

Verdict: very nice, but a bit similar on my skin to both Queen of Sheba and Old Kathmandu - I'll have to try them out against each other to see which I prefer.

[nhough73]

In the imp: Mmm... the waft of almonds and orange peel is delicious. I can't quite get the rose or the spices but it smells scrumptious.

 

Wet: Theres the rose, and the spice is starting to peek out a little. I'm hoping the rose stays in check but my skin tends to take the rose notes and amplify it to the nth degree.

 

Dry: Gah... rose... thats all there's left.. rose. Wait... the nutmeg and clove are peeking out which is starting to overshadow the rose, I'm liking it more long as I can get through that rose phase.

 

I'll have to try this after my period's over.

[rainbow]

In the bottle and wet on my skin- marzipan. This is sooo almondy it smells just like marzipan. Yum.

 

As it dries this becomes smokier. Oddly enough, I think that's the rose. In any case, it is definitely becoming rosier.

 

This settles into the scent of spicy almond cookies on me, and it's just lovely. It's the perfect blend of spice and sweetness, and the orange peel adds just the right amount of kick. On the drydown I get brittle rose with just a little bit of spice.

 

I'm in awe of Seraglio. I never like foody scents and they never work on me, but this is the exception. It's just gorgeous, and it's gorgeous on me. It's very warm and comforting. Another poster mentioned a hug in a bottle and that's exactly what this is for me, too.

 

Sadly, my skin eats this stuff right up and it hardly lasts on me. Oh well, it means I'll be getting a big bottle for slathering purposes.

[Barb25]

In the bottle - Whoa, hello almonds! Sweet almonds!

 

Wet - still very sweet and very almondy

 

Dry - the almond and sweetness have calmed down, and the rose and the orange peel have come out and taken over. It smells floral, with a sweet undertone, and a tiny, tiny bit of spice, but not much.

 

Nice, but I don't know if I'd order a bottle of it. It lasted about 3-4 hours and then needed reapplying.

[voodoobaby]

In the bottle: Sweet, spicy citrus. My nose is tricking me into thinking there's coconut in here, but I'm thinking it might be the almond.

 

Wearing: This is basically the same scent as in the bottle, only a little less citrus. A soft rose comes out as well, which kind of seems to conflict with the rest of it.

 

Overall: I would have normally done a "later" section, but this only lasted a few minutes on me (an hour at the most) before disappearing completely. It's definitely very Middle Eastern and foody. To my nose, though, it's kind of non-descript and nothing too special, so it will be passed on.

[Northernminx]

A slight undercurrent of clove with nutmeg and a touch of neroli. I get surprisingly little rose in this exotic and spicey blend. It’s nice but a little too spicey and not enough floral for what I was imagining. The orange peel is a great touch, a little bitter citrus in with everything else. Complex, intense, slinky, but not quite me once it mixes with my chemistry.

[tempete]

The wet stage of Seraglio is very similar to that of Black Phoenix: sweet almond backed by a woody note, although Black Phoenix adds juicy cherry to the mix. Some woody notes are really overpowering on me, but Mysor(e) sandalwood is not overbearing on my skin. Then, as Seraglio dries down, the rose note blooms, backed by the sandalwood note, sweetened lightly by almond, surrounded by soft spices and enlivened with a touch of tart orange. I'm glad that the clove note didn't clobber me over the head like it did in Sybaris.

 

I remarked in my review of Black Phoenix that although it is not anywhere near my top ten, I can't stop smelling myself when I wear it. Seraglio triggers the same feelings, but unlike Black Phoenix which smells very gender-neutral on me, it is more of a scent to wear when you want everyone to be very aware of your femininity. Definitely a candidate for the bottle list!