Seraglio

[Scylla]

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.

In the vial: Whoa! Pure almond oil!

Wet, on my skin: Very almondy. I like it, as I really like almonds. I smell the sandalwood in the background, but I don't notice the spices or orange.

On drydown: Darn. The rose pops out, amps up and completely takes over. Rose and I don't get along. Ever.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received as a frimp from the Lab ... I had not ordered it on my own because of the almond and neroli, which tends to go bubble gum on me.

 

BOTTLE: The almond scent was so strong it almost made me cough.

 

WET: This reminds me of almond cookies, a specific kind that I can't think of what they're called offhand. MUCH nicer on when wet than in the bottle. And the orange note is surprisingly pleasant.

 

DRYDOWN: Just kind of eh. Not bad, not a washoff, but not really me.

 

On a scale of 1-5, I give it a 3.

[Ajila]

My first thoughts on this when I opened the bottle was almonds, this continued when I put it on my skin, and it was strong, almost too strong. Fortunately that only lasted for about 10 minutes, but when it faded the almonds disappeared entirely leaving me with a gentle slightly woody, slightly herby aroma, which stayed very close to my skin. Nice, but not all that exciting.

[wickedgoddess]

Origins - imp received in a swap

 

Wet - almonds, with a bit of orange and clove.

 

Dry - As it dries the sandalwood comes out. This is a beautiful sandalwood, one of the nicest I have tried. The almond calmed down and the rose is coming out now. Rose and sandalwood, always a good combination, along with spicy orange. Decent amount of throw too. This is spicy and sexy without being overtly sexual. Yep, I need a big bottle of this alright!

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being best, this rates a 4.

[amissa]

In the bottle: Initially, almonds and disinfectant - eek.

 

Wet on skin: A lovely smell of cocktail cherries, with that little hint of alcohol, as well as almonds still.

 

Dry: The cherry smell has faded slightly, and oddly, some kind of crushed, fresh geranium leaves scent has emerged, but the main smell is candied peel. Reminds me of fruit cake ingredients gathered on the kitchen side at Christmas.

 

Not exactly me, but still lovely to sniff.

[HoneyHoneyNY]

I got this decant imp in a swap (thanks bloodlotus1!)

 

In the imp it reminds me a bit of the Jergens lotion that my grandmother used to wear, with a bit of a spicy undertone.

 

On my skin, I get a serious initial whiff of almond, followed up by something soft, spicy and powdery, but not in a bad way. Kind of like potpourri, but not that aggressive. I was surprised that the rose in this didn't rise up from my skin and take over like it normally does. I only catch a faint dried rose petals smell in this, not a fresh rose at all. Ocassionally as I sniff I get a bit of citrus peel somewhere, but not much.

 

As it dries it softens further to a pretty incense-y base. It's lovely. My only wish would be that the almond-y note would last a teensy bit longer.

 

I like this scent very much, though I think it's a bit spicy and complex for summer.

 

Edited because I can't see spelling errors until after I've clicked the go button.

Edited July 14, 2005 by HoneyHoneyNY

[telesilla]

Why I have it: Another that I ended up with before I realized that rose and I don't mix.

 

In the bottle and wet: Mmmm almondy and orange and sandalwoody.

 

Drying down: Oh for heaven's sake, can't it give me any time at all? It's still damp and yet, it's soap. *sighs*

 

Nancy wants to try it. Hope it works on her.

[misfitroxy]

The candied almond/marzipan scent is what emerges most strongly while Seraglio’s wet. There’s something warm and floral lingering behind it but it’s extremely faint at this stage.

 

A deep citrus scent comes forward after I’ve swiped it on my wrist. It’s not incredibly bright or sharp, but it is clean and blends nicely with the other elements in the oil. I can catch a hint of the neroli along with the rose but both are fairly light.

 

My skin is absorbing this oil extremely quickly. I catch whiffs of the spicy elements from time to time, but I really have to stick my nose up to my skin in order to sense even that much.

 

I enjoy this fragrance and my absolute first impression was that it would make a terrific belly dance performance scent. However, I’d have to practically bathe myself in it to achieve much of a lasting effect, I think. Maybe it’s meant to be more subtle than I’m expecting. Or perhaps the back of my wrist is slightly too absorbent. Either way, it’s pleasant, sultry without being heavy, and unlike any mainstream Western perfumes I’ve encountered.

 

On a last note, after I sit with it for a while, it starts making me crave a tray of Southern Indian sweets. Hmm…

[girlmadasbirds]

at first, this was all almond and rose and i was thinking...oh no! as it dried, the rose moved to the background and i began to smell the orange peel and spices. now that's more like it...

[Lilithlefay]

In the imp: wow hello almond. Unfortunately I am not a fan of almond so lets hope it changes on my skin.

Wet: still very almond. Very almond, can't smell anything else really.

Drydown: here is the rose, and almond, but the rose is sure kicking the almond to the curb. I think I detect a tad of orange but it is so faint I am not positive. I can also smell the sandalwood now.

 

This is pretty but not something I would really wear. I'm going to try it again though.

[arabella]

First Impression: "In your face" almonds.

 

Dries down to: The almond disappears and a combination of lemon butter and splinters of sandalwood make an quick appearance. Within a minute or so, they also leave and rose makes her entrance and settles in to stay.

 

Additional Comments: Another scent dominated by rose - too bad. I already have enough "rosy" imps. I'd love another almond that works on me. So far, the only one that has is Alice. I'll have to try this in a scent locket.

 

Lasted: Several hours.

 

Rating: 2 out of 5

[mayhap]

Break out the harem pants, because I never want to leave the Seraglio!

 

In the vial: Curiously strong marzipan. Not what I would have expected at all without checking out the reviews first.

 

Wet: Mmm, sandalwood and spice and everything nice, and the roses are starting to bloom!

 

Dry: This is lush, fresh, sensual roses on me, with lots of spice and a tiny hint of a tart citrus bite. The roses fade in a few hours on my wrists, but they have greater staying power on my neck, especially when I slather.

 

I can't wait until my big bottle arrives!

[reina]

I am so wary of rose. Usually it turns really soapy, not my thing. Roses are not me. However... somehow, this one works.

at first this smells like marzipan with candied orange peel. sensual and sexy in a sort of "castelbajac" way, only much, much bolder.

The the orange zest and almonds recede and the rose fades in. At this stage it smells like turkish delight, which I really love.

As it dries, the roses take over slowly but surely. They're much less soapy on me than in other blends (although the soap does peek through).

All in all, this is a very, very ladylike oriental. I wear it when I want to wear my makeup and bindhi dots on my face or body. Dressy and exotic.

 

I'm not sure this is bottle material, but I definitely like the imp.

[Phaedra]

This one was included as a freebie in one of my recent orders. Wet and when first on this smells like sweet almond marzipan with a hint of orange. After about five minutes the rose comes out. Something in this made my skin red and blotchy! I never had this happen before with BPAL. It could just be that my skin was irritated when I put this on. The almond fades pretty quickly and a jasmine or gardenia note develops. This one is okay but not as sensual or exotic as I had hoped it would be. It smells like a generic BPAL blend. I will probably pass this along in a swap.

[imaginepageant]

In the vial: Oh my god, it smells so familiar but I can't put my finger on what it resembles. Some sort of food, I think. OH! IT'S CARROT CAKE! Oh my god, it's carrot cake. I suppose that's the mixture of the orange peel, clove, and nutmeg, which are all fighting for their chance in the spotlight. I am also strangely smelling cherry, although cherry isn't mentioned in the description.

 

Wet: It doesn't change much from the vial to my skin, except to get softer all around.

 

Dry: It no longer smells like carrot cake. The cherry note has also died away. The orange is more genuine, and overlaid with gorgeous spice and musk. As the drydown continues, the rose is finally peeking out, much to my dismay; I'd love this to stay fruity and spicy instead of going floral.

 

An hour later: What is it with the nonexistant fruit notes? I'm smelling apple now. This is reminding me a bit of Verdandi, but in a much less woodsy and herby way.

 

Overall: Another blend that I loved in the imp, but which changed completely on my skin. Still, it's very pretty, fruity and nutty in a beautiful way, so I'll be keeping this.

[jewelbug]

Bottle: Almond and orange with an undercurrant of neroli. Yum. Smells like an exotic cocktail.

 

Wet: Almond! Its mostly amaretto smelling. Mmmmmm…. Something citrus in the back? Maybe even some musk.

 

Drying: Muskier floral scent coming out. Uhoh. Crap. All rose. Where did the almond go?

20 min: Yup, rose, but something underneath that is so familiar, but I don't identify it as any of the listed notes. Actually, it smells a lot like the Lush henna hair dye bars. Weird. Let me explain that while I love the effect of that henna, the smell is a bit funky to me. I think it’s the clove and nutmeg, actually, but they don't smell like what I was expecting.

1 hr: Mostly rose--less of the henna funk now. Sigh. Rose is so tempermental on me. It is mean and bullies the others from the playground.

 

Overall: This fades to distant floral powderness in about 3 hours. I really wanted that almond, dammit! To the swaps.

[Firewaver]

Holy moly.. orange-almond cake madness.

 

Almond at first, which kind of reminds me of this weird little shop in downtown fredericksburg called Corky's that sells little pots of solid scent (and just about everything else under the sun). Someone had spilt a little pot of "African Queen" that had melted all over the carpet and the store forever smells like almonds and oranges.

 

Unfortunately, it's kind of a trashy hippie outpost and the sandalwood that's peeking out as I type this reminds me of that aspect of the store.

 

I dunno if I want to smell like Corky's.

 

It's not bad though, if you want to smell like a freshly baked orange muffin with almonds on top. It's pleasant in a hippie kind of way.

[erikasilverstein]

I already swapped this one, but remember strongly why:

 

In the bottle, it's all almond syrup with a light floral background.

 

Wet on my skin, the delicious almond scent is strong, but it fades very quickly into a powdery honey-rose. Then PURE rose.

 

As I am not a fan of florals, and particularly not a a fan of rosey florals, this went straight to a rose-obsessed forumite.

[vyvyan]

Seraglio goes on pure almond. After half an hour, though, I'm really not smelling almond any more – lovely spices with a thin edge of soap. Soap? No rose? Oops. Perhaps this is not meant for me!

[coulrophobe]

My latest kick has been going through my collection and "braving the almonds." While I hate almonds with a seething passion (just almond scent really - I can eat them, as long as it's not almond paste/marzipan or anything else that brings out their cyanide-y taste), I've noticed that the scent burns off within about 5 minutes... at least with my chemistry.

 

So... *bravely pops open Seraglio imp*

 

In the imp: the predictable "Ack! Cyanide!" response.

 

Wet on skin: *waits for the almond to dissipate* OK. Now I'm getting the orange and rose, but it's not as spicy as I would have hoped... this just doesn't make me feel like a harem girl. As it dries down, the roses kind of take over, and I can't smell much else. So, while it's not the dreaded almonds that kill this one for me, it's just not my kind of scent.

[sophia_helix]

In the bottle:

 

Straight almond, maybe a little clove or nutmeg behind it.

 

Wet:

 

The first time I tried this, I took a big sniff and got a shot of pure PAIN up my nose, making my eyes smart and water. Then the smell disappeared (I think i killed my nose temporarily. )

 

The second time, I sniffed with, er, less eagerness, and stayed back. Still a little too sharp (guessing that's definitely clove or nutmeg), with strong, sort of sickly almond.

 

Drydown:

 

...unimpressive, I guess. Still almond, with a little cherry for a while that went away again. Still sort of sickly. Definitely too sweet, and not sexy in the slightest. Would make a nice candy, though.

[Luleh]

I'm the rose obsessed forumite mentioned above and wouldn't you know it, but this doesn't turn rosey on me at all.

 

Wet this was all almond. It reminded a bit of almond cookies. As it dried, the clove and the orange peel emerged, turning it very spicy. Interesting! I might have to do some layering experimentation with this one.

[niter]

This one has to go!

 

I tried it on with hubby Saturday night. It was good on him, but not as good as other scents that he has worn. Then I put it on me and all I could smell was roses. We both thought it was nice on each of us but not the "best scent" so it was to go to the swaps.

 

Today, I decided to give it another go since I have made progress on my headcold. I still have it, but now I cannot smell rose at all but a scent that should not be there. I cannot figure it out. It smells very awesome for a man, very strong but so not me.

 

I am sitting here in class thinking everyone can smell me and it makes me squirm. It is just too strong of a scent for me. I keep thinking I am sitting next to my father just after he has shaved and put cologne on.

[LyndaM]

I didn't like Seraglio at all the first time I tried it; it smelled of pure almond oil, and I didn't give it a chance to fully dry down.

 

After my shower this morning, I sorted through my imps for something to keep the dreary, rainy day from affecting my mood. I chose Seraglio, and this time let it fully dry down. It was past the almond oil within a few moments, and I wondered what I could have been thinking when I decided I didn't like it.

 

Mmmm...delicious and spicy, like dark candied orange peel and cloves, and the barest whiff of sandalwood holding it all together. Warm and exotic. I felt like I had put an aura of gentle heat and spicy sweet goodness around me like a blanket. I really like this. It's going on the eventual bottle list, to be purchased after I buy my must-have favorites. I can see this one growing on me more and more this fall, it was a great mood lifter and brought instant warmth.

[gangstaknitta]

In bottle: a soft spicy floral

 

Wet: spicy rose with a big bite of clove. I think the sandalwood is keeping the rose from going powdery

 

Dry: the orange tames the rose and clove a bit

 

I'm going to continue testing, but I think this is a winner. Even my husband likes it, the picky boy.