Moscow

[Aveya]

 

A rich, bold blend of imperial rose, carnation, lush jasmine, lily of the valley, dark musk, amber, bergamot and gilded tangerine.

I'm making my rounds through all the GC catalogs just cause I think I should (and my GC box was overflowing, so it was time). So I'm trying out scents I probably wouldn't otherwise.

 

Sniff: Surprisingly sweet orange. Like a candy.

Skin: Musks up right away on application. Orange sweet musk.

 

Dry: A very floral musk blend. I anticipated as much so I won't go on my normal blegh-routine about floral musks. But that's what this is. Rose and carnation are not main players, it's more amber-orange-jasmine than anything else. I was a little hopeful carnation and rose would add a spiced beauty to orange? That could be cool. But that's not this.

 

Verdict: Orange Jasmine Amber musk. NOT my cuppa.

Edited March 23, 2019 by Aveya
Trying to add the lab description on the new forums XD

[monocainsheresy]

Very wet, hot florals - I get mostly jasmine and carnation on that front - and tangerine juice over a powdery base of musk and amber.

[artisjok]

The notes of Moscow really intrigued me, and I was hoping for a bright nuanced floral. It’s definitely bright, primarily getting the tangerine and jasmine. It’s old-fashioned and soapy on my skin. 

I really hoped I would get spice from carnation, warmth from amber and musk and delight from all the notes combined.... merrr Could be the Rose and/or lily making it soapy. 

Oh well, I’m glad to have tried it.

Another scent will have similar notes and fulfill my imagined experience! 

Edited April 19, 2019 by artisjok

[VetchVesper]

Moscow is a sumptuous, velvety rose on me. The musk is deep and slightly animaliic, conjuring up images of tzarinas bedecked in opulent furs.  I catch hints of jasmine and lily of the valley in the sillage, but this stays predominantly a winter rose blend on me.  If you are a fan of Peacock Queen, Elizabeth of Bohemia, or Black Rose, then you'll want to check this out. It's in that wheelhouse but still manages to be different. 

 

ETA: Random perfume nerdery.  Recently discovered there was a famous Russian perfume known as "Red Moscow" that shares similar notes with this lovely offering.  Now I'm curious if the is BPAL's nod to the classic perfume.  

Edited May 15, 2021 by VetchVesper

[Zorra]

I don't know how old my imp is, so I may be missing the more volatile notes. I am glad I don't smell something like orange candy, as I read in a review above. Moscow is a pretty floral on me, with not one of the floral notes standing out. I don't really find a link between what I smell and the city of Moscow, when I think Moscow I don't think pretty floral. It would be interesting to know what the link is. 

[daemonkat]

Moscow: soapy roses
On Skin: wet: roses and lilies
dry: There's a hefty punch of lily of the valley at first, hand in hand with jasmine. Reminds me of the fancy milled soaps you would give a grandma for Christmas. Later on there's a bit of orange that is peeking out. tiiiiny bit of musk. The bergamot is showing up as well.

 

After a bit of wear it still reminds me of that fancy milled soap for Grandma. Very nice, clean jasmine/lily of the valley scent with a tiny hint of roses and bergamot in the background.

 

I might be strolling down a marble hallway amongst ornate bouquets of heavily scented exotic flowers, skin smelling clean and fresh from the bath. Kind of posh "yes I'm clean, don't give me that look" feeling.

[starbrow]

Very soapy florals and a pop of something I thought might have been lemon peel when smelling blindly but turned out to be tangerine. The longer this dries down, the more grandma it gets. Like the grandma who wears perfume that she thinks smells fancy but actually faintly smells like her twelve cats. Sorry, Moscow. You get nothing. You lose. Good-day, sir.

[Old.cupcake]

This smells exactly what I think Russia smells like. It’s floral and very rose heavy when it’s first out of the imp but as it sits in the skin I can smell the jasmine and tangerine. I’m not a fan of florals but this smells very nice. 

[fairybites]

Boozy floral with baby powder and musk. The florals all blend together so they can be hard to identify, but the ones that stand out the most are rose and lily of the valley. Imp is likely aged, so I didn't get any tangerine. Weirdly, doesn't get soapy on me like some florals can. 

 

It's not horrible, I'm sure it'd be lovely on other people, but it's not for me personally. The florals are too strong, maybe if I got the tangerine and more amber it'd be more wearable. 

[torischroeder9]

Imp direct from the Lab. 

 

In the imp: Verrry rosy rose soap. Like, rose sometimes goes soapy on my skin, so I am a little afraid to try this on, it's so soapy already. 

 

On my skin (for science):

 

Wet, it's more rose and less soap. Whew. As it dries, I get a touch of something citrus, either bergamot or tangerine. It's still pretty rosy, though, and more than a little soapy. 

 

Finally, the soap dials back, as does the rose, and a bit of carnation, amber, and musk appear. It's still a rose-forward scent on me, but now it's backed by other notes that give it additional depth. 

 

This ends up being a deep and sophisticated rose -- "imperial" in the scent description is apt -- but alas, it is too much rose for me. Still loads better than soap, though.