The Arabian Dance

[pinkgyrl]

Leather, coffee, hazelnut, tobacco, and Middle Eastern spices.

This is just love If you like Le Pere Fouettard or Bah (is that the Licorice one? hehe - I always forget!) but have difficulty finding them, then definitely grab a bottle. The leather note is very astringent when first applied - but after about 20 minutes, it blossoms into a sexy warm leather with a hint of sweetened coffee in the background. It's incredibly sexy - adore!

[kirakira]

When wet, The Arabian Dance smells like wet leather and is astringent. On drydown, it smells like the inside of an old leather purse (not in a stinky way, but in an "it is what it is" way). That may not make sense, but that's what my skin is revealing to me. I'm not getting any tobacco or hazelnut. I'm just amping leather with this blend.

[Pepperminx]

Awful boozy mess in the bottle and wet on the skin (where does that come from?), but after about 5 minutes that has evaporated and what is left is a gorgeous soft leather. It smells to me like the coffee is creamy, or it's the hazelnut (I'm thinking the creamyness of Nutella.) Am very pleased, I can't always do leather. I love it, but only a few don't give me a headache and this is one of those few.

 

It feels soft, snuggly and warm. Like a cashmere sweater.

[minnalavender]

 

I didn't try this while the Yules were live, and lived to regret that decision after reading the rave reviews here. Well... I have a feeling that The Arabian Dance is one of those scents that will soon find a new, more loving home.

 

Wet, it smells like sharp leather and the Middle Eastern spices were all cloves on me. D: Clove is my Note'o Doom, and I amp it like 10 Marshall stacks at a metal show. Once the clove died down I could smell the pretty coffee note, but not for long! My skin apparently eats this oil, too. Within 3 hrs no trace of it is left on my skin.

 

I envy the people for whom it works! I hope I can trade it for another Yule I like better.

 

EDITED: I'm so glad that I kept a decant of this, because boy, what a difference some aging makes! This is the sexy spicy leather and tobacco scent that other people were raving about, and both the throw and the length of wear are stronger, too. I ended up buying another bottle on eBay. lol

Edited August 24, 2014 by Mattie

[FathomBelow]

Continuing my effort to catch up with reviews:

 

In the bottle: Gack! Really, really sweet! Think smushing a chocolate covered caramel all over your nose! This is comparable to the heavier Lupercalia chocolate box scents in sweet chocolatiness.

Wet on skin: Same tooth-achingly sweet chocolate and caramel scent, but with nuts. Think of some sort of ridiculously decadent ice cream flavor.

As it dries: The nuts fade as the leather comes into play. The leather isn't as soft as in Dee (my all time favorite leather scent) but it's not overbearing either (as in Whip, for instance). In strength, it rivals the chocolate and caramel and is extremely distinct and easy to pick out to my nose against the foody background.

After it dries: All three components, chocolate, caramel, and leather, in about equal proportions.

 

Final opinion: The leather does a good job of holding back the foodiness and taking the scent in interesting directions, but the leather and foody aspects are so clearly distinct that I can't call the scent well blended. But overall, it's an intriguing and wearable scent.

[mxtine]

I didn't buy this when it was live because it just didn't sound good. Leather with nuts and coffee? Yuck. I'm going through a tobacco phase and now that I found out that coffee and leather can smell good in perfume, I wanted to try this. I've read that there are 2 versions of this floating around, one that's more leather and another that's more coffee. I have no idea what I have, but it seems more coffee than leather.

 

In the bottle, the coffee note is a lot more friendly than the almost single-note coffee in IXHV4, it's more like a rich coffee ice cream so I figure this will be more wearable. This is delicious on skin! The leather note is there, but it's not sharp or chemical-like, and the hazelnuts and sweet tobacco are creating this lovely caramel-hazelnut liqueur note. It's like eating coffee ice cream while drinking Frangelico and smoking a pipe in a leather jacket.

 

Instant WIN.

[valnillarose]

I bought a bottle of AD from a lovely forumite not too long ago, thinking it sounded perfect, and was underwhelmed. It was sharp, almost bitter, and leathery, with no sweetness that I could find. I tried it several times and came to the same conclusion, that there was no coffee, hazelnut, or spices to be found. Shortly after, I read that there were suspicions of two versions of this, and I wondered if mine was the leather-heavy one.

 

Fast-forward to last week, when another lovely forumite frimped me a decant. Wow! Sweet, rich, slightly spicy coffee, with leather peeking out but not overtaking the rest of the notes. It's like a completely different scent. I wonder if something was left out of the one batch, or if too much of something was added to the other. I plan to layer the leathery one with a sweet scent and see how that does.

[aleciarivas]

Until dry down this was a lovely slightly coffee slightly leather scent, but something (I think it's the spices) takes over and the rest just literally disappears. If I could keep this fresh I'd love it, but as it is, the spices make my nose itch!

[inurbanus]

I'm fairly neutral on the Lab's leather notes - sometimes it does wonderful things (like in Miller Vs California, Mmmm!) and sometimes it smells like a chemically mess. The leather in The Arabian Dance is deep and smoky but it blends really well with the coffee. Luckily, it doesn't smell like a big mug of the stuff (which would be too strong for my taste) but has a lovely, lightly roasted aroma. It's like inhaling the aroma of coffee and spices in a coffee shop. I can't speak of the hazelnut except that it's unobtrusive but I have a feeling it was contributing to the yumminess of the coffee note. Usually, I wouldn't go for something like this but it is really good. Love it!

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Leather and coffee and almost something boozy

 

Wet on me - Clean musky leather with a spicy undertone. I still think there's something boozy about it

 

Dry on me - Clean, dry, musky leather

 

Overall - I really like leather, but I need something to go with it, either sweet or spicy, and the other notes just don't come through. Maybe the leather will mellow with age

[CrazyPretzel]

This starts off as a gorgeous, exotic leather & spiced coffee scent on me. The leather is very smooth and sexy. This is sweet but I think it would be lovely on a guy regardless. The far drydown is like a lightly spiced vanilla that stays on the skin for hours. I can smell it in the morning after a previous night application.

 

I just had a little of this to skin test; now I need more!

[Alia Kaitan]

Holy canoli this stuff is amazing. The person I bought by bottle from thought it was coffee heavy, but my skin has this as this absolutely DIVINE balance of leather and spices with a coffee feel that reminds me much more of those little cups of potent turkish or arabian coffee than starbucks. Individual notes are hard to pick out, but wow. The combination is just rapturous, sweet yet full bodied. It's sultry and truly conjures the image of being in a tribal desert camp, fantasy Bedouin or something like that, surrounded by tents and dozing horses and their saddlery, sipping on coffee, watching the stars and dancers by firelight... Must find a backup of this... somehow...

Edited May 13, 2012 by kaitan

[AnyseLawsBray]

In vial: Sharp, ozonic, nose-singeing chemical-laden leather. Strong is an understatement. Tones of faint coffee on the side.

 

Wet: The leather seems much more like rawhide at this point - stiff, dry and new. It is quite overwhelming and I only dabbed a bit on one arm!

 

Dry: Once the leather gets worn in, it changes the blend completely. Warm, sugary suede with a hint of creamy nuttiness. Simple & pleasant, with just a touch of cool spice.

 

Verdict: I don't drink coffee and it doesn't work well on my skin, so I am glad it was all but undetectable. At first I was very surprised at the leather's reaction upon application, but that may be the tobacco which doesn't always sit well with me. In any case, the drydown is beautiful, reminding me of Liz, Lyonesse and others in that vein.

[OctoberGwen]

The Arabian Dance started out in such a promising fashion; I love the Lab's coffee and tobacco notes, and initially the leather was behaving and the hazelnut was barely discernible as just a wisp of smokiness. (My skin hates that evil little nut.)

 

As I sat happily sniffing, wondering when the (I imagined) glorious Middle Eastern spices would kick in, it began to happen...hazelnut's takeover.

 

I ended up smelling like I put a cigarette butt out in my coffee and then spilled it all over my leather coat.

 

Stupid hazelnut.

[fufu_berry]

Very sweet, but not too sugary. I'm getting a lot of hazelnut and a little bit of the same "Middle Eastern spices" from Queen of Sheba. Leather was prominent at the beginning, but wore off completely after a few minutes. No coffee to speak of. It's nice, but not life-changing - glad I don't have to hunt down more!

[Magycmyste]

In the bottle: Mmmm... sugary coffee..... It's actually not overly sweet, there's another note playing around in there - possibly the leather, or the Middle Eastern spices. But the coffee is definitely there.

 

Wet on skin: It smells almost like sweet spices on me right now (I tried it once before without reviewing it, and I could have sworn I'd gotten more coffee out of it). If the leather is there, it's a very soft leather.

 

Dried down: This is about the same as it was wet, but a little softer.

 

Throw: It's got a decent throw. I do not need to hold my wrists up.

 

Verdict: **** 1/* It's not my absolute favorite scent, but I think I'll be getting a backup bottle if I find one. I love the smell of coffee, and this had it the first time I wore it, though not as strongly this time. For that matter, I feel kind of energized just smelling this one - like it has a more immediate "coffee" effect for me than coffee actually does. I'm hoping next time I try it, I'll smell the coffee better again, but it's still a lovely scent either way.

[Heatherzilla]

I think my skin chemistry is broken. I don't any leather or coffee at all. It's pretty much just pure tobacco with the slightest hint of spice. =[ Tobacco and I just do not get along.

[brilliantcat]

In the vial, it's soft spices with a hint of leather. On me, the tobacco amps and it develops a manly cologne-y vibe. No coffee, no hazelnut. It smells like an old men's club full of tobacco smoke and leather chairs that have had ash ground into them over the years. I remember loving this one when it was new so either my chemistry is different or age has caused it to cease working on me

[tinyvulture]

I've wanted to try this scent for ages and I'm so glad I finally swapped for a decant! Leather, coffee, hazelnut, and tobacco are favorite notes of mine, and they all shine here, equally balanced. Like curling up in a leather armchair with your hazelnut latte, this is a warm, inviting blend. I can't pinpoint what the "Arabian spices" are, maybe a hint of cinnamon. A unisex blend that smells great on my husband as well.

[everanything]

Bottle: Syrupy sweet, light coffee, maybe spices. This smells immensely sweet for the notes listed. I have to blame the hazelnut.
Wet: Spiced coffee spilled over leather, the syrup note has faded but the spices saturate the leather.
Dry: There's a bit of the syrup again, the coffee gets a little sweeter, like the hazelnut has punched back through.
20-30 mins: Cologne?! Oh no no no noooo. I think tobacco does this on me, sadly.
40 mins: Ah, there we go, it's settled back to a heavy leather with spices over a slightly sweetened dark coffee.

Hour+: I cannot stop huffing my wrists. This is such a rich, complex leather, it's delectable.

 

The best of scents create images for me, and this smells like a rich, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop cup of coffee spilled over a well-worn leather jacket. A tiny bit of the spices, sugar, and coffee have sunk into the threads, but the leather remains the dominant note. I'll be reaching for this a lot, as a thankful stand-in for my imp of De Sade. It's so close to a pure leather without becoming chemical or 'new'.

[Soupy Twist]

Starts promisingly with tobacco, but the hazelnut sadly doesn't work, and then cardamom comes in, turning the whole thing bleah. There's a suede/leather note, but I amp the cardamom so much that the tobacco is totally gone. This sounded so good on paper and I love tobacco and coffee notes. Apparently I need to stay away from "Middle Eastern spices" or any variant thereof.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Ermagerd. Coffee and tobacco and spices and HEAVEN. Oh that's good. BUT there is a hint of chemically leather under there that wants to ruin it all - I am praying it behaves.

 

 

Dry: There is a lot of leather in this, but it is awesome. There are few leather notes I can wear, and apparently this is one of them. It's not the black leather of Whip, to me (one of the few I can wear), it's softer, like well worn leather. It's amazing with the coffee and spices. I often amp tobacco, but it's just a hint in this. I love this. Love.

[LiberAmoris]

I tried The Arabian Dance years back when it released and felt a little overwhelmed by the leather-hazelnut-coffee combo. After many years of aging, things have really softened in the blend and I find it really appealing. That leather and hazelnut coffee mashup still feels unsettling to me somehow, but the blend quickly morphs into a leather, tobacco, and spice scent. The drydown smells like very fancy soap or aftershave on me, in a nice way. I can absolutely see how this is a favorite for so many people—it is sexy as heck. I agree that the leather here is buttery soft and very upscale.

[VetchVesper]

This is much smoother and lower key than I was expecting. I'm wondering if that was always how it was, or it's due to aging. At first sniff and application, I get a mellow spiced coffee with something vaguely animalic to it. Like, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a teensy drop of oud in here or maybe some Arabian musk. That goes away though, and then it becomes this soft halo of spiced coffee warmed by a nutty browness from the hazelnut. The leather I get is very subtle, the barest hint of kid skin. I DO like this, and would love to see it show up for a rerelease. It reminds me a bit of Cafe Mile et une Nuits and is more spiced on me than gourmand.

 

Thank you for the lovely BPALer who gave me a chance to sniff it!