Scherezade

[misscoldheart]

A master storyteller who possessed unfailing courage and compassion, a sharp, quick wit, and a true understanding of human nature. Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk.

I really love nag champa and that is certainly a big part of what I get from this one in the vial.
I used a little for the wrist swipe test and it starts out as smoky, musky, nag champa and quickly fades to something kind of powdery, but not babypowder (thankfully). I can still smell the nag champa and the spicy musky smell, but thus far many of the bpals I have tried have not lasted long on me. I am pretty conservative when it comes to applying them, though, so perhaps I just need to be a bit more daring.

I'll put on a bit more and see how it goes, but I really like this one so far!

----

ETA: I went for it and tried a bit more before I left for work. While the scent has faded considerably in the past few hours, it is still a faint pleasant powdery musk that is quite nice! I think I'll hang on to this one for now... Edited January 25, 2010 by Shollin

[Venneh]

In the imp, this is all red musk and spices, a vague cousin to Now Winter Nights Enlarge, only minus the sweeter end. Pretty much the same on my skin, only a bit sharper than I was expecting. Ends up being a bit too sharp for my tastes; swaps/sales.

Edited January 12, 2010 by Venneh

[impolight]

:::SCHEREZADE:::

 

The Amber and Saffron in Scherezade is at the forefront and is very smooth.

Quite possibly, there is Vanilla in this fragrance that lends a characteristic of sophisticated poise and charisma...

A glamour, an allure.

Scherezade is an off white, peach, and blush, spectrally.

It is easy to imagine the source of inspiration for this particular fragrance wearing flowing, silken robes of the aforementioned shades.

On the skin, Scherezade adapts a more floral aspect, along with a teaser of gourmet spices and... Is that sandalwood?

Scherezade is a killer intrigue. It is deceptively soft, and masks a prodigious gift for doing away with ill-intended skepticism...

This fragrance will weed out and expose the, 'unbeliever' and expose a ripe throat to satiate your generosity and return you to your silvery-tongued best.

This is very nice!

4/5.

[topaz]

Hmm, what can I add to the reviews? This is not in your face sex or smut. This is sensual and heady. It swirls through the room, trailing veils with a sway of the hips. It is exotic and powerful. When I wear this one, I feel like I smolder. I get more attention from this scent than any other in my 80+ bottle collection. It has literally stopped conversation, turned the mood of violent patients and gotten some bizarre comments ("Are you muslim?" "Are you married to a black man?" "Is that a Led Zeppelin perfume?" ). I've had people follow me to ask what I am wearing (and because I want to keep Beth in business, I gladly share even though I want to be selfish). In short, I love this scent but I am astonished by the emotion and response it evokes from others!

[sprocket21]

Why, hello there, red musk. Not much to add to the reviews - it's very musky on me, to the point that it reminds me of Smut. Very sexy; I don't wear such sexy scents often, so I'll remain happy with my imp.

[hkhm]

imp: spicy, almost incense-y red musk.

 

wet: very strong incense, very similar to nag champa with an undertone of red musk.

 

dry: the incense fades quite a bit but the red musk is still going strong. this is very heady/sexy, a definite hot date scent.

[SophieCedar]

Memory flood! Reminds me of when I was working at an eclectic hippieish/what-not shop in Harvard Sq.

 

Smells spicy in the imp and first wet. As soon as body heat has an affect on it, the red musk swirls out. This has a slight dragon's blood feeling to it (my friiieennd).

Drydown, the musk burns off of course and the spices are medium strength/throw and warm (think high quality indian incense.. like celestial spice). Very balanced warm scent. Anyone that likes dragons blood and egyptian musk combos will sure love this one!

[FelicityTwitchell]

Wet: astringent sharp with wood almost out of reach

 

Dry: smoky, overpoweringly so, a hint musk I think (I'm still learning to pick out notes), then the tang comes in to play but still no sweetness spice or complexity to it

 

Conclusion: So far I am disappointed but I'll try to remember to give it another chance at a different time since my skin chemistry varies a bit.

[meredevachon]

In the imp: Spice and musk, very warm and red and lovely.

 

On me: Almost immediately turns to soap. Every once in a while I get a hint of musk, but even then it's more like a men's scented soap. Unfortunately this isn't going to keep me coming back for a thousand and one nights.

[ajansuz]

This was one of my most recent orders. I liked the description, and I am a storyteller, so I decided to give it a try.

 

In the imp there's a sweet, spicy melange that's difficult to separate. I can smell the saffron and red musk. Something a little incense-y, too, but I can't place it.

 

As it warms on the skin, in addition to what I listed above, I think I get warm amber and golden champa. It starts to smell a lot more perfume-y, but not in a commercial way. It's a very sleek, sensual scent. I felt very confident in my skin wearing this. It stayed spicy and lovely, too. My only complaint is that by the time it dried down completely, my skin ate it. I had to keep reapplying to keep that lovely scent, and even after slathering, it didn't have much throw. I'd find it bottle worthy, except I'm afraid I'd go through that bottle in record time!

[mari4212]

In the imp and on wet: a sweetly spiced incense. People have mentioned nag champa in regards to this, and I can believe it. It's like standing in front of the incense table at someplace like Nirvana.

 

Initial drydown: I think the red musk is starting to come out, but the majority of this is still the scent of several incenses lying together on a table and mingling.

 

After a few more minutes, it developed a funky smell and I had to scrub it off. Not for me.

[steelgossamer]

This one went on sharp and musky, then toned down to a more spicy and warm blend. After drydown, this one was a slightly smoked spice chest. Exactly how I would imagine a big spice chest would smell being burned. Not sure about this one yet.

[yakiguri]

I really, really really wanted to like this.

 

The glowing reviews on the forum lead me to order an imp of this in my first BPAL order, and at first sniff all I got was ASH. Was even worse on my skin, ash and a sour note akin to wet dog. Left it alone for a month, figuring that the red musk (a favorite note) would turn this into a beauty like I experienced in other blends. Alas, it is no different. I think my skin REALLY does not like any sort of incense. Other reviewers mentioned nag champa, so I think that may be my note of doom.

 

EDIT 1/2013: Now that I have a few more years experience with my sniffer and understanding my skin chemistry more, I figured I'd give Scherezade another chance. Unfortunately I no longer have the original imp I purchased so I bought another. At first application I again got the sour BO/ wet dog note again which I now recognize as indeed nag champa. Within minutes though red musk slips in, sweetening and uplifting the incense. Fully dry Scherezade is a pretty, spicy red musk and incense blend. I'm still on the fence though on whether I'll ever invest in a bottle--it's not the immediate scrubber I initially thought it was, but those first few minutes of nasty sourness are rather rough to get through. I'll keep my imp though in case further aging reins in the incense more.

Edited January 27, 2013 by thatbrownelf

[DeltaCat]

Wet the incense is so strong it is almost too much. On dry down the red musk comes out more when plays very nicely with the incense. Where has this scent been all my BPAL life?! On total drydown this gets as close to a red musk single note as I think possible.

[DamnSatyr]

In the bottle: Very strong of musk, makes my eyes burn!

 

Wet: The musk was initially very strong, but quickly dried down.

 

Dry: The saffron is the prevalent scent, but there's a bit of a smokey, almost powdery underlying scent as well. Perhaps the musk? Very warm, spicy and inviting! I didn't think I liked this one at first but it's really grown on me quite a lot! It reminds me of the scent you always smell when you walk into those 'hippie' shops you can find in cities, sometimes. :x

[calivianya]

I love this.

 

I didn't smell the red musk in the imp, but it came out for me as soon as Scherezade hit my skin. Initially, the musk was totally overpowering, but after about five minutes the spices came out to play. I can't pick out any individual spices yet, but I do know that this is a glorious combination and feels rich and sexy, but not slutty, to me. I definitely agree that this is hot date material!

[cherrycherry]

I ordered a bottle of this unsniffed a few days ago (based on the reviews here) and then decided to go on a random hunt through my imps to see if I had some already. I was almost sure that I didn't, but lo and behold I found some right at the bottom of the bag.

 

YUM.

 

My first impression was 'incense' and I couldn't get the red musk. In fact, I still can't after two days of wearing it constantly. That's slightly disappointing because I am a red musk junkie and proud of it. But still - this is a soft and seductive blend, smoky and lustful and sweet all at the same time. I have a tendency to dab it on my wrists and sit there huffing until the drydown. I know my imp will be used up completely by the end of tomorrow (I simply cannot stop applying it) so by the time my bottle arrives I'll be absolutely over the moon. I bet this ages well too. Gorgeous.

[Drarra]

In the imp: This is hot and spicy, and it reminds me of something else (but I don't know what that something this). I love the spicy muskiness. This has a hint of something drier - could there be some sandalwood going on?

 

Wet on my skin: Oh, the spices are mixed in with this musk. I can smell the saffron now. This is heavenly.

 

Dry: This is consistent musky spiciness. Amazing on my skin. I need to hunt down more saffron now. And buy a bottle. Or a vat.

[Ella LaRose]

I loved this scent! I got a small amount in an imp. and I wish i ahd more! It was sweet, but resiny musk sweet and incency spicy. golden, dry and warm. I would definately buy a bottle of this!

[elinox]

First Sniff: Smoky incense and some sort of flower, plumeria perhaps? And there’s a whiff of vanilla.

 

Wet: Middle Eastern spices of some kind. Maybe saffron? It’s definitely a “dry” smell reminiscent of the dessert.

 

Dry: It’s delicate yet powerful in a quiet kind of way. As it dried completely I could smell a bit of the red musk which keeps that dry, strong underscent going.

 

My Reaction: After it dried completely, I felt calm and ready to listen to her stories for hours. I believe I can now smell sandalwood or something similar too. It’s not overpowering on me at all. It’s lovely, and makes me think of the dry sands that while dangerous are still beautiful. It also vaguely reminds me of a dusty library which I loved.

 

Rating 1-5: 4

[arrow]

Like many others, Scherezade's spices on me are very, very dry. Hot and intense with no enveloping humidity. I get absolutely no sweetness or vanilla, something I usually amp and that usually adds a lovely dimension for me.

 

At first, I didn't know if I liked it, but it really grew on me-- sometimes I even layer it with O to warm it up a bit and I find that combination pretty fabulous.

 

Hmmm, this one is bothering me, because I'm placing an order from the lab today and am undecided on it. I think in conclusion that while I love the smell, it is not yet bottle worthy at the moment, though I will treasure my imp. I would highly recommend it for someone wanting to try the rich, Middle Eastern-spice-y side of BPAL (and seriously, if you have O for layering try it out!).

[imaginepageant]

In the Vial: Oh, red musk. How I adore you. I never want to stop smelling this. This reminds me a lot of Dragon's Heart; is there a resin note in this, or is my nose just imagining it? As for notes that aren't imaginary, it's a little sharp on top, but creamy when I breathe deeply. Sweet, warm, a little spicy, a little woodsy. And very, very red.

 

Wet: There are those Middle Eastern spices the description talks about. They're mostly noticeable in the throw, and they're reminding me of Indian cooking - not that it smells like curry or anything, but it just has that quality to it. Up close, it's creeping toward baby powder territory, but with hot spices mixed in.

 

Dry: Sigh. It's pretty much nothing like it was in the imp. Still has that Indian cooking feel, and it's getting quite dry and smoky as well. And hot. My nose is tingling like I'm huffing a chili pepper!

 

An Hour Later: Still nose-tinglingly hot. But, it's smelling less like Indian cooking and more what I imagine Scherezade to be - exotic, sexy, and mysterious. The red musk is more noticeable now than in the earlier stages, but not nearly as prominent as it was in the imp.

 

Overall: Not sure I like the literal spiciness of this, but otherwise it's nice. I'll have to do a full slather test later before I decide if this is something I can wear or not.

Edited May 24, 2011 by imaginepageant

[Helas]

Scherezade is a gorgeous, musky spice blend on me when wet. Unfortunately, once dry, it loses all the promise that it held at the beginning and becomes a dry, dusty scent that makes me think of spiced clay. After having tried a few blends with saffron, I am beginning to think that it may be the problem note here, as it tends to dry out into an almost mineral dust note that smothers all the other elements in a scent. Scherezade does not smell of mystery and wonder to me; it smells like an old cupboard. Unfortunately, my Middle Eastern niche has yet to be filled.

 

The wet stage is beautiful, though; if only it could stay that way. Two out of five stars.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Red musk, laced liberally with spices.

 

On skin: Rich, sensual red musk forms the base; spices float above, adding a sharp, bright flavour to the full-bodied but light musk. The spices are a little biting and bright at first, but over time they smoothen out into the musk and the scent rounds out even more. Scherezade is a dry, spiced blend, exotic and sensuous, elegant in simplicity. And probably the purest red musk blend I've smelled so far. She reminds me of Mama-ji, which is similarly red-spicy but not as dry, and sweeter from the florals. Colour impression is the red-pink-brown of a desert landscape in the sunset, or in other words, the romance of Arabian Nights.

 

Verdict: What a beautiful, balanced, womanly and evocative blend; definitely a GC classic. I adore red musk and already have some more complex blends, but I love Scherezade's simplicity. Perhaps she will come home in bottle form on day.

[claudia6913]

At first this almost came off as a light spicy floral, and I just knew that couldn't be right. That initial wet phase didn't last too long, which, I wouldn't have minded it staying around. LOL

 

Now I'm getting the red musk and the spices. They are smooth, not sharp, but not sweet either.

 

I really like this scent, and can see wearing it in the cooler months. Maybe even layered with a nice floral - will have to find one that works well with this.