Scherezade

[tempete]

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.

This was an extra in my second BPAL order. At first I wasn't interested in it, because I thought that I wouldn't be interested in smelling like saffron, spices and red musk (the main notes in Scherezade).

I was dead wrong.

The saffron provides a lovely and unusual floral note that is grounded by the warmth of the red musk. The spices add an exotic texture. I will definitely order a larger bottle of this.

I recently had the opportunity to compare it to Old Morroco, and while it is a lovely scent, I prefer Scherezade. On me, the floral note in Old Morroco (which is provided by carnation) is more dominant while the musk is less apparent, and I'm not a huge fan of strong floral scents.

[Shollin]

First sniff: This is really beautiful, though I can’t pin down any of the notes. It reminds me of the spices in Old Morocco, without the sweetness. Scherezade definitely has some desert-sand heat to it, and it strikes me as the perfect scent for the Sunrunner princess Sioned, from the Melanie Rawn books – it’s what her firegold hair would smell like.

 

Wearing: I still can’t tell you what this smells like – I just know I LOVE IT. I feel like I’m wrapped in something flowy and silky, like I’ve suddenly become panther-graceful and my every movement is a dance. It’s mysterious, it’s joyful, it’s exquisite.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Scherezade makes a dramatic entrance, wafting a heady blend of powerful red musk and spices. I suddenly realize that I have no idea what saffron smells like--I was expecting the smell of the saffron rice Brian makes, but instead there's a floral note that others are referring to as saffron. Scherezade is very much stronger than what I usually like, but the saving grace is that she's not too sweet--she has the spicy exoticism I liked in Sacred Whore without that cloying hyper-sweetness. She gives me visions of a red silk tent filled with brocade pillows, incense floating down from a bronze burner overhead...the perfect place to weave stories. I bought this for my best friend (a Scorpio) and she is going to love it. It's unabashedly sexy and powerful, just like she is.

[Belladonnastrap]

First sniff

Ooof spices! Very incensey.

 

When wet

Mmm sweet spices wafting p, it's not as incens ridden as I thought it would be.

 

Drydown

Erk. Scratch that, incense smell is back and stronger and making my head dizzy. Very

 

strong and spicey.

 

Aftermath

IF you're an incense lover do try this out...however its just not for me.

[lemonlye]

Hmm, maybe I'm the odd one out, but I don't think this smells at all like Old Morocco. (Or just plain "Morocco" now, right?) On me Scherezade smells almost identical to Dragon's Heart, believe it or not. Has that same juicy, coppery, wine-like note--is that the red musk? I like it, same as I like Dragon's Heart: makes me feel exotic, like someone else entirely. Many of the scents with that juicy-cherry-almond undertone don't work for me, but those two I do enjoy enough to hang onto the Imps. Very intriguing! Can see why it's a favorite for so many.

[pekeana]

*slobbering all over myself*

 

I'm really glad I swapped for this one in a 5ml.

 

As much as I love (Old) Morocco, the carnation note just doesn't agree with my sinuses about half of the time. Scherezade is the musk and spice of (Old) Morocco, without the carnation or sandalwood.

 

Thus, this is a thick, heady, spicy golden brown scent that just envelopes you in its warmth and makes you want to curl up with a good book and read until your brain explodes. So lovely, and I will be using it all up.

 

[it would make an incredibly sexy massage bar, methinks.]

[pkwench]

Ah, Scherezade.

 

The first thing that I thought when I applied Scherezade today was that it was very much like Dragonfly Blue's Nag Champa. The similarity remains, but where DFBs Nag cools down into a powdery/spice state, Scherezade seems to warm up. I assume this is the musk. It's very much a warm, spicey blend that lends itself well to sweaty thoughts and steamy moments.

 

I love this!

[Nepthys]

On me this begins as a dead ringer for the smell of a New Age bookstore I used to go to in Massachusetts - it's uncanny. So to me this is the scent of descending deeper into credit card debt but the people around me just love it. My coworker told me this is the sexiest BPAL yet I've had her try. (To her this is the smell of an Indian goddess, Parvati maybe.) To me it's got the spice of Old Morocco so I can see that comparison but this is more sultry and womanly. This warms and deepens as time goes on, and winds up being almost a comforting scent like Velvet. This would be a good oil to wear when I'm feeling insecure.

[Ishtar]

Scherezade started off as a very smokey, incensey scent on me, that progressively mellowed into a beautiful deep warm musk. The saffron did not really make its presence known, except maybe at the very end, which may be a good think since it is a note that can sometimes be problematic on me.

 

This is a gorgeous exotic fragrance that can be quite intense, so I would recommend applying sparingly at first if you prefer your scents fairly subtle.

Edited November 10, 2004 by Ishtar

[Falathwen]

Sherezade is a subtle and dry scent on me...very warm. It is indeed somewhat like the scent of sand (though the scent of sand to me also has the tang of Atlantic salt.) I can pick out soemthing like tumeric which is possibly the saffron, but the rest of the spices are eluding me.

Sherezade is the first blend which really seemed like a "second skin" scent on me, that is, a scent that is close to your own, but better. It remains close to my body.

I ordered Sherezade and was given Old Morocco as a freebie, so I was able to do a sniff test right away. I agree with what has already been said comparing them, but I actually prefer Old Morocco because the spicy sweet carnation blends so beautifully and really rounds out the scent on me.

[Eris]

Hmm...I was very excited after reading about this in one of the 'sexy scents' threads, but it seems sexy scents are in the nose of the beholder, er, wearer. At first, I received an almost rounded berry smell that was rather surprising, as I had been ready for spicier notes like in Queen of Sheba. As it dried, the berriness faded to a mild spicy fragrance that I kind of liked. In time, though, that fragrance turned into what I've now come to recognize as my chemistry's blah reaction to red musk: sort of like a flat version of Opium by Yves Saint Laurent. Alas, I will have to stick to gardenia blends for my sexy scents.

[etherealchild]

In the Bottle Red musk, dark spices, and mulled wine

 

Wet It immediately gets smokey and almost masculine on me.Spice, smoke and musk are swirling around my skin. It is really smokey, I can actually smell fire. I almost need to check to see if my roomate set the kitchen on fire cooking! lol.

 

Dry Down Burning resin. It's a very mysterious and intriuging smell. The red musk is starting to take hold again. Very sultry. I feel like I should be sitting in a dark tent on cushions, feeding dates and honey wine to a dark stranger. It has almost a tribal feel.

 

Two Hours Later God damn I smell sexy. It's a very sultry, exotic scent. The saffron smells exquisite. I am about to start gnawing my damn arm. lol.

 

Verdict This sultry little number is deffinetly a keeper.

Edited November 23, 2004 by etherealchild

[yellowrose]

The Lab was generous enough to have provided this as a sample in my most recent order.

 

In the bottle: yikes! Extremely medicinal.

 

Wet: herbs and spices. Unexpected and undecipherable green note is pungent. Not enjoying the smell, which is very reminiscent of Ye Olde Head Shoppe.

 

Drying: I'm having trouble getting to the dry-down stage. There's one note I really, really like that I'm hoping will mellow out the medicinal note. It's very tempting to grab the soap for a scrubdown. ACK! What's being so assertive? The scent is getting bolder with and I'm suffocating.

 

Bracing. Masculine. Sensual. Not for the light-hearted.

 

I waited to read the reviews until AFTER I tested and wrote mine. What a different experience I'm having with this. Scherezade is a pass for me. And, for the record due to the large number of comparisons to it, so was (Old) Morocco.

 

yr

[diabolique]

i got this in a swap a looong time ago, and wasn't particularly fond of it, so i swapped it away.

 

the lab always knows best, however, and sent it to me as a freebie. i was pretty excited to try it again.

 

spicy, sensual musk is what i get from this out of the bottle. mmm, sexy. oh, how positively wonderful.. i just sniffed it again and can't really smell it at all. i guess she doesn't want me to review her. off of my skin right now, it just smells spicy, but that's because my nose has decided to stop working. i may come back and edit this when my nose is capable of smelling things again.

 

i've got a 5mL of this on the way from quinkel, and i'm SO happy. this is one i really love to slather.

[Astarte]

This is absolutely divine, its similar to Morocco's spices but Scherezade adds her own red aura to this blend. Its very soft and subtle, and I can see why people have mentioned it as a skin scent.

 

It reminds me of an alternative shop, the same smell when you walk through, that makes you realise that you really are in another world.

 

Delicious!

[feline.by.design]

Oh my stars, this is just wonderful!! I've always loved the tale of Scherezade, and I'm really delighted that her namesake scent smells so wonderful.

 

When wet and in the bottle, it smells like a nice little Wicca shop. It's incensy, but not overbearing in the least, with that hint of magic in the air.

 

As I smelled my skin later, I was reminded of how my Tae Kwon Do dobak smelled back when I was in high school. A weird association, not of sweat, but of a hint of incense that somehow soaked into the clothing. Very enjoyable.

 

At the moment, I can really see this one being worn quite frequently. I'd like to try it out wearing some of the Burt's Bees Milk & Honey body lotion I've got, as I think that the two would compliment each other very well. I'm not one who has yet had a chance to try (Old) Morocco or Snake Oil, so I can't really compare Scherezade to them, however for those of you who aren't terribly keen on the prominent rose in Seraglio, try this one! It's fantastic!

 

-doreen

[Lit Chick]

Yet another BPAL that went powdery, but in a nice way... heavy and sexy powder. Because the scent is so thick on me, it is not one I would wear regularly - it works, but it's not how I want others to smell me. BUT - for winter days when I plan on being alone with a good book, or some classic films, this will be my aroma.

I am starting to see the utter genius of BPAL - the scent conjures exactly what it should - the desire to be told a story.

[isyche]

Scherezade is definitely spicy in a very dry, un-sweet way – it does feel hot and desert sand-y.

 

At first, on me, the red musk is quite strong and I don't really like that. Then the entire scent practically vanishes and leaves just the spices, faintly. I like this phase better, but I can barely smell it. It is rather like Snake Oil without the vanilla sweetness, but I think I like Snake Oil better.

[Caitfish]

Saffron, spice and musk? I NEVER would have ordered this had I not been able to read the rave reviews on this forum. I love you guys! Everyone recommended this as the "guys love it" scent, and I can see why. It's so sexy and beautiful.

 

I really can't draw out any notes, it's just the softest, warmest, sexiest thing ever. I must have a vat of it. It's exotic, but completely sophisticated. I'm in heaven.

 

[Splendid Molerat]

Scherezade really reminds me of Spellbound, likely because of the red musk.

 

The spices add an inviting warmth, and I think it's the saffron giving this oil the peppery, dry heat. There's nothing overtly displayed here, just a whisper of "come closer" in the air.

[couscous]

This is my favorite BPAL scent.

 

It's red musk and spices I can't pick out, but I can tell you it's NOT cinnamon or any other "bakery" type spice. Nor does it have any note that smells even remotely artificial. These are spices as currency, not spices as candy

 

Exotic, golden, and like pure sex on me- plus it's really, really not that strong at all. My boyfriend has to lean way in to smell it, and an hour after applying I get small puffs of red spice, but no "cloud of scent".

 

I will order bottle after bottle until I am too old to carry it off anymore. This is the scent that made me never want to wear commercial perfume again.

 

A must-have- and would be LOVELY on the right man, as well.

[rhubarbbear]

i loved the description of this! saffron is one of my favorite spices, and i love the middle eastern spices (whatever they are!) in queen of sheba. unfortunatly, it turns to pure incense on my skin. and while i like incense reasonably well, i don't much want to smell like it. i'm starting to think that i don't know myself very well, since many of the scent descriptions that i *love* just don't work for me as perfume.

 

still, i can see how scherezade would be gorgeous on someone else! it's very rich and deep.

[phaedrine]

Mmmmm!

 

In the vial, and wet, it smells very commonly incensey, which isn't a bad thing at all.

 

On my skin, it smells exactly like I've rubbed Nag Champa incense all over myself. This is a good thing! Champa is one of my all-time favorite incenses, so much so that I've started buying big boxes of the stuff, as I go through the small ones too quickly.

 

It's not purely Champa, there's a sweet, floraly note that's got to be the saffron underlying it, which just adds to the beauty.

 

After some time, it becomes mostly musk, with a tang of the champa leftover.

 

I think that I need a bottle of this stuff.

[luxuria]

I thought I'd experienced incense-y BPAL before..nope! Not until now. It starts and very strong incense. I get a breath of some unknown spices every once in a while, and sometimes I can vaguely pick out the red musk, but it's overwhelmingly incense.

 

The reaction from other people..."Who is burning incense?" "Hmm, something smells like incense." It must be my body chemistry or something, I can't imagine this being a "man-magnet" unless said man finds incense really erotic.

[summer]

*SWOON*

 

This smells absolutely gorgeous and sextastic.

 

I was a little wary of it, because something about Old Morocco just did not work for me. I liked the idea of Middle Eastern spices, but sadly Old Morocco has some sort of heavy, musky element that makes me feel a little ill.

 

Scherezade, on the other hand, does not have that off-putting element, and I finally appreciate how utterly delicious and sultry a Middle Eastern-flavored perfume can smell. This oil blends into my skin, leaving it elegantly spiced. It's a little bit sweet, in the way that wafting inscence and argile smoke can be, but it stops just short of being too heady or overpowering. It's feminine, sexual, warm, and exotic. Not too heavy for work, but I definitely feel like a woman when I wear it.

 

This is the first scent of this nature that I've wanted a big bottle of. Absolutely stunning.