The Arabian Dance

[RaeiNarcissus]

THE ARABIAN DANCE
Leather, coffee, hazelnut, tobacco, and Middle Eastern spices.

I was looking at this and going...omg.... leather, coffee, hazelnut.....TOBACCO!! NO!!! Cause I amp tobacco in a horrible way......but I decided to gird my loins and try it.

In the words of one of the fellow will call goers "You smell like sex."

[ltrittipoe]

This is just gorgeous. The leather is very much at the front of this, but it is more of a soft, suede scent - that deep rich buttery smell from really good, really thin suede? This is that. There is a hint of coffee and hazelnut, and the tobacco is there in the background as well, and the spiciness. This isn't "sweet' in any way, but rather rich and deep.

 

Oh, and for the record, not only do I not amp leather, but I have a hard time picking it out in blends. And when I can pick out out, if the blend is fresh it usually is "sharp" on me. This is not.

 

As it dries, I am getting more of the tobacco, not a burnt tobacco smell, but just the tobacco plant smell mixed with the suede-y leather.

 

I think as this ages, it will become evne more beautiful.

 

I also think this will layer really well with Snake Oil.

 

 

 

ETA: As I was looking for a leather comparison, I realized... this is the leather from Bow and Crown of Conquest. In fact, on me, this blend is a non-lavender Bow and Crown of Conquest. No other notes in common, but there you have it.

Edited December 5, 2010 by ltrittipoe

[Dark Alice]

Oh my goodness! Seriously....we need to have a full blown discussion about this blend...not a review.

 

This is the perfect blend of leather, tobacco, coffee, and Spice. There is no hazelnut. Just yumminess. The leather is well balanced with the tobacco. It is lovely. This leather reminds me of the leather from Hunter...just lighter. The coffee is not so heavy that it makes you sick. It's just right. Perfect even. Seriously I could drink this minus the leather. I need another bottle. It's just that good. I need another bottle just for back up purposes.

Edited December 9, 2010 by Dark Alice

[edenssixthday]

The Arabian Dance - It's like Spanked and Arabian Dance are brothers of another mother. Twin brothers. Not identical twins, but pretty darn close enough. It's amazing! It's awesome! It's effing spectacular! It smells soooo good! Arabian Dance goes on as mostly a spicy leather scent, but as the scent warms up on my skin, the spices soften up and the coffee scent comes out, giving the leather a hint of creaminess it didn't have when it was wet. I don't smell the hazelnut or tobacco at all, unless the hazelnut is what's giving the coffee a creaminess as opposed to a pure coffee-beanness. All I know is it's close enough to Spanked that anyone who loved Spanked should snatch up a trillion bottles of this and huff it to their heart's content.

[Xanon]

As ltrittipoe said, this is like Bow and Crown with out the lavender. I smell almost no coffee at all, and the middle eastern spices only faintly. I get no hazelnut, but that is fine by me as it tends to go sickly sweet on my skin.

 

When I initially put this on I smell a hint of coffee and a little bit of the spices. After about 5 minutes though, its all leather. Don't get me wrong, I am a leather freak, so its not a bad thing. I just wish that there was more coffee to this.

 

Also, I am not sure how much use this will get as I already have a bottle of Bow and Crown... If it develops more spice in the aging process, that I will get more. Otherwise, I'll enjoy this and not freak when I run out.

 

ETA: After letting this sit for a few days, the spices have come out more. It actually has much more depth to it that I had through originally. Also, this layers with Snake Oil Bath Oil like a dream. I lusted after myself when I caught a sniff.

Edited December 18, 2010 by Xanon

[greenranger]

In the bottle I can smell the hazelnut as sort of a sweetness, but, on me, this is leather with a hint of tobacco. It's a rich sweet supple very slightly spicy leather scent.

 

Or, that's what it is right now.

 

My prediction is that it will get more foody and coffee-like over time, on my skin, since those are the notes that just won't quit on me.

 

Still, this is a damn sexy scent.

[ami226]

I just got this in the mail 20 minutes or so ago, so it hasn't entirely had a chance to settle. I just really wanted to test it anyways!

 

At the moment, this is almost entirely tobacco on my skin. I think there is also a slight sweetness as well as a hint of smoothness that I definitely attribute to leather. So far, this reminds me of how A Bachelor's Dog smelled in the bottle before it went icky/smoky on my skin.

 

A few minutes later I am definitely getting a stronger whiff of leather while the tobacco has backed down some. This is lovely worn leather coat type leather that I just want to bury my nose in!! Reminds me of the jacket my SO used to wear when we first started dating.

 

Definitely don't get much in the way of coffee, hazelnut, or spices, but the bottle might need to sit for another day before they show up. At the moment though, I love this scent! The tobacco doesn't smell like burnt cigarettes to me and the leather in this scent doesn't smell chemically.

 

 

-ETA-

 

Trying this again and... I get sweet tobacco, a bit of coffee, and... That's pretty much it. It is sadly not for me at all. The sweet tobacco always seems to throw me off.

Edited February 4, 2012 by Catseyes

[maproot]

gorgeous-just received it today and wanted to wear it tonight but thought I might smell too smoky; I do tend to amp the smoke, but the leather & coffee are grgeous, and I think of this as a nighttime scent. It's smoke and not cigarettes, and I am really enjoying wearing it-it's a soft tobacco, but nighttime instead of daytime, except maybe in winter-like now-

 

this scent makes me go wow, and on drydown it's much softer, and I hope it sticks around for a long while!

[Antoinette]

The notes in this blend are not my usual thing, but it sounded way too interesting to pass up. In the bottle I get mostly the leather, but the deeper I inhale those spices and the coffee peek out. Super interesting!

 

Wet on skin: Leather and coffee, plus what I think is the hazelnut making it all sort of creamy. I'm not sure if I'm picking up on the tobacco or not.

 

Dry down: This is sultry. That's the first and best word that came to my mind to describe it. It's really different from the sweeter scents I'm normally drawn to and I think that's what's making me like this. Not an everyday scent for me, but really special. Final impression is of a dark, creamy, sultry coffee and leather scent with exotic spices flitting around in the background. Really nice.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I'm a little nervous about the leather in this blend, but the other notes sounded too good to miss so I got a decant. Mmmm. MMMM! It's like Gluttony with more bite, or a more wearable Herr Dross. Nummy spiced hazelnut coffee, with just a whiff of tobacco. Definitely gender neutral, but I like it on me. The drydown is more leathery and therefore not as much to my liking, though. I may try it on DH just to see what it does on him.

[midnight_aeval]

Leather is definitely the dominant note here! Upon initial application I got much more of the coffee and hazlenut, but about an hour later I'm smelling mostly leather, some tobacco, and a hint of spice.

 

I was hoping it'd be a little more sweet - not sure why, as the notes are pretty spot on, but would love if it had a dirty vanilla note to pull it all together - or maybe that's just me wishing it WAS Spanked

 

In any event, I'm going to let my husband try this one.

[Venneh]

Spicy leather, which I think is just the general spices and tobacco interacting, and not so much the coffee, but, still LEATHER. And the sexy kind that works really well on me. And, dare I say it.... similar to Spanked at first sniff?

 

On my skin, oh sweet Jesus. Beautiful tobacco and leather and spices combining in a manly way that's not cologney on me, and I may end up humping my wrists here. Mmmmph. Dries down into a spicy, sexy leather that works wonderfully on me. And yes, there is a similarity to Spanked here. Mine. Forever. Second test, and possibly a backup.

Edited December 20, 2010 by Venneh

[KesHiro]

Oh my goodness! Seriously....we need to have a full blown discussion about this blend...not a review.

 

This is exactly how I feel. I got it today and it was love at first sniff, which is good because I have no previous experience with coffee notes and I was afraid Middle Eastern spices would translate to cassia, which turns into cough medicine on my skin. Still, it seemed full of win . . . and it is for me!

 

The notes are incredibly well blended; no one particular component overpowers the others. The leather is very soft, almost suede-like, and the hazelnut, spices, and coffee help sweeten it up, though not in a foody way. The tobacco is very faint. I can barely smell it and while I don't amp tobacco, it also usually shows up on my skin. It's closer to pipe tobacco than ash trays.

 

I think this is a truly gender neutral blend. On women it probably wears sweet but with a bit of an edge thanks to the leather and tobacco. On men, I suspect it would wear manly but with a softer side peeping through. I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be one of the top three Yules, if not the hit of the update. That's saying a lot, given that I belong to the Snow White cult.

[Veronica]

sniffed in the bottle: the softest leather suede (calfskin or lambskin, the kind you want to rub against your face, its so soft) with a hint of tobacco.

[angelicruin]

Wow. Tobacco, leather, and just a bit of hazelnut coffee. I agree that it's damn close to Spanked that I have only known in sniffie quantities.

 

I predict this will age marvelously.

[Gryphon]

Oh, wow! The Lab's leather notes usually go to all sorts of funky nastiness on me, but this one does not and it's amazing. The leather note totally dominates the others, though the tobacco is a close second. I can't pick out any coffee or hazelnut, but I do swear I can smell nutmeg. Yummy stuff!

[RhinestoneHousewife]

So I'm not sure what happened but I didn't experience any of the awesome sauce that everyone else did. On me, it smelled just like the used metal and bean bag ashtray that used to live on the dashboard of my mom's 1976 Monte Carlo. Boo.

[Mountaingrrl00]

I love it. The strong cardamom and nutmeg give it an assertiveness and brightness that gradually melds into the richness of the leather, coffee, hazelnut and tobacco. This is heady stuff, quite sexy, and yummy without being overtly foodie.

[hlemonds]

DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYUMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.

 

 

This is THE leather I've been looking for. Warm and soft, a tiny hint of sweetness. This is the wonderful scent of snuggling up to someone (man or woman, this is very unisex) wearing a very well worn, supple suede coat that has THEIR scent infused into it. You have your face nuzzled into that perfectly warm leather, and it smells like home. Seriously. This is so well blended that no one note stands out, but they're all there. I think the sweetness may be from the tobacco, since tobacco tends to lean towards sweet on me. Or perhaps it's from the hazlenut and/or coffee. The spices are there, but I can't define exactly what spices they are, only that they are gloriously warm and welcoming.

 

Bottom line: If you are scared of chemical leather, please try this, because it isn't the chemically leather note. If you are scared of coffee, please try this, because the coffee is not at all "in your face". If you are scared of any part of this blend, please still at least try it, because I think no one should miss smelling this. It makes me think of everything that is good, and warm, and snuggly in the world.

 

Also...I am a freak. Things most people tend to consider sexy generally fall in the category of comforting for me. So wear this with caution! Many folks may find this incredibly hump worthy.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from the Lab.

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I originally passed on this because the coffee and hazelnut scared me (and leather is hit or miss; sometimes I love it and sometimes it makes me a little queasy). I can't stand the smell of coffee, but I'm learning that BPAL's coffee scents can and sometimes do work for me, so I softened that stance after trying (and really) liking both Miskatonic University and Miskatonic University v3. I also hate nut scents, but as long as the hazelnut isn't overpowering, I think it'll be fine.

 

First sniff:

 

Whoa, coffee! Seriously, this is ground coffee plus a bit of leather. It's dark and almost smoky and surprisingly appealing to a coffee hater like me. I love the darkness of this in the bottle.

 

Wet on skin:

 

Identical to the bottle scent. Deep, dark coffee and a little bit of leather. It's a little bit smoky, a little bit leathery and a lot of coffee. It makes me think of well-worn leather chairs in someone's personal library, mixed with the smell of fresh-brewed coffee and unbrewed ground coffee bits.

 

Dry down:

 

Oh, this is good. This is really, really good. I can see why people are going crazy for The Arabian Dance now. I agree that this is the leather note from Spanked, but I don't find them very similar otherwise. The Arabian Dance (on me), is soft, smoky leather, dark, rich coffee and just a touch of spice and tobacco. It's a dark, serious blend. And I love it!

 

The bottom line:

 

I thought I might like this, given my changing attitude toward coffee, but I didn't think it was going to be a favorite. Well...it is. I had to order a few more bottles because this one's going to be one of those scents I wear year 'round.

[Cheri]

I love The Arabian Dance! It doesn't smell too much like leather on me, or it's a leather I can wear. Most leathers don't work, but this one works so well. The spices here remind me of aged Raven Moon, but warmer. I really can't smell coffee or hazelnut individually, but as a whole the scent smells gorgeous. I think this will age superbly and it will be a highly sought after scent after it's gone. I just might have to get another bottle or two.

[cherrycherry]

This is really nice. In the bottle I can get the coffee and leather and it makes me want to just sit there with the bottle under my nose, huffing at it. It's so complex, dark and refined. It has me call to mind well-read and handsome men who enjoy coffee houses, good books and adventurous sex. Some of that? Yes please! ^__^

[ofthegood]

At first, this was leather, like I'd just walked into the leather store at the mall and was surrounded by hundreds of items made of tanned cowhide. Whoa. It was like putting on a new leather jacket for the first time. Then the coffee stepped up, and a bit of the hazelnut, and I was teleported from the leather store to a coffeeshop, still wearing my new leather jacket.

 

Drier still, the tobacco and spices came out to play. This scent is so rich and warm! It's the vaguely fruity smell of unlit cigarettes and some nice exotic spices. The more this settles, the more I love it. Mmph.

[spiresinthesnow]

Eh, I didn't really like this so much, it reminds me of Interfector. Its weird cuz I thought I loved tobacco in blends like Velvet Dogs, I really like that one. Its just this one is a little too cloying sweet. I could hardly stand the first stages, so I washed it off. The scent that was left barely lingering on my skin afterward was much better only then I could detect more leather and faint spice. Just not for me I guess.

[ljaylh]

I just love it when a BPAL turns out to be as wonderful as I'd hoped it would be

 

The Arabian Dance is a stunner - it definitely suits its namesake, for me it feels exotic and warm and mysterious. And the one note that I was worried about - hazelnut - thankfully is a minor player here.

 

On my skin, this is all about the leather and spices. The leather is gorgeous - warm, soft, but not a wimpy leather at all - it definitely has substance and it's the most prominent note on my skin, and it's not the harsh/chemical smelling leather - it's the old, supple, soft and slightly sweet leather. For the first little while, the spices are almost equal in presence to the leather - at first it was slightly pepper-y on my skin, but after a few minutes the spices have settled and mellowed. I do detect a hint of cinnamon, and nutmeg, and I think perhaps some cardamom and/or caraway. Maybe a teensy hint of aniseed? In middle eastern cooking they make a spice mix called 'sebah baharat' which literally means 'seven spices' and it does differ slightly depending on who makes the mix and the country it's made in - that's what the spices in The Arabian Dance are like.. hard to distinguish the exact smells, but you get that overall feel of the spice mix associated with that type of cooking.

 

The coffee comes out after about 15 minutes, by this stage the spices have settled a lot and gone behind the leather more. So now I have a gorgeous blend of leather and coffee with the spices just sprinkled throughout. Still no hazelnut really (just a slight hint of creamy nuttiness) so that's still just fine with me.

 

Re the comparisons to Spanked.. well.. I just LOVE my Spanked, it's one of my all-time-fave BPALs. And yes, there is some similarity between Spanked and The Arabian Dance. Comparing the notes, and doing a side-by-side comparison of the two on my skin, I think my guess of cardamom in TAD could be right (since it's a listed note in Spanked) and the leather is very similar in both. TAD is missing the bourbon of Spanked, but the coffee adds a similar depth. So whilst they're not a direct match I do agree that they are very close. Very close! ETA: Also.. to me, this has a lot of similarity to Pinched With Four Aces - the coffee note is almost exactly the same

 

I can see that I'm going to need a couple more bottles of this - it could very well become a strong favourite, and I just know it's going to age beautifully.

Edited January 15, 2011 by sunshinedaisybliss