Bengal

[DarcyPennell]

A sultry and unruly blend that emulates the ambient scent of the markets in ancient Bengal: skin musk with honey, peppers, clove, cinnamon bark and ginger.

On first application, all I get is sweet and cinnamon. Not just cinnamon but CINNAMON! After about an hour the cinnamon fades down and I get a yummy honey spice scent, a touch powdery. It's really lovely, but I don't know if it's worth the first hour of cinnamon candy. I'm going to try it a few more times before I decide. Hamadryad was nothing but cinnamon on me too. I guess my skin just amps up cinnamon. Dang.

Initial ranking: "like."

[gothiccastle]

In the vial and wet, honey cinnamon and ginger. Quite spicy.

 

Dry: My chemestry does nasty things to honey and cinnamon. So, you don't want to know.

[darkwitch]

In the imp gorgeous spiced honey, but then it hits my skin and it's gasoline, yuck. I think it's the combination of the ginger and clove with my chemistry. This one will be a good room or locket scent but it must stay away from my skin.

[Alannah]

They might as well have named this oil "Alannah" because it's almost like I told them what I wanted and they made it for me.

 

In the bottle, it was not exactly what I expected but somehow even better. Not sweet (thankfully), but there is definitely something soft in there balancing with the hot spiciness of the cinnamon (it has to be the honey). I could smell the pepper right away--my nose tingled a little bit when I sniffed it.

 

When I tried it on, I was terrified that my skin would react to the cinnamon (I've never tried such a strongly spicy oil!), and I did get a little redness where I'd applied it but nothing else happened (YAY). It stayed pretty consistent scent-wise from the bottle to my skin. It's mostly cinnamon, pepper in the background, and honey blended well to balance all the spice. I don't really notice any ginger, and I definitely don't get the "vanilla" that some people in this thread seem to get.

 

It went on a bit softer than I'd expected--I thought it would have MONSTER throw--so I was worried it would fade quickly, but it's still going strong 4 hours after application.

 

I'll be buying gallons of this. <3

[Sheila]

At first, strong cinnamon--in fact, it smells just like those red cinnamon bears candy for the first hour or so!

 

Then the cinnamon mellows, and I'm left with a spicy, sweet scent--very warm and deep. Like spiced chai tea or a spicy Christmas cake. Yum!

 

ETA: I just realized what this reminds me of: Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea. The perfume has a bit more cinnamon, but otherwise they're almost identical.

Edited October 11, 2005 by Sheila

[mmcfa2]

this one reminds me very much of hamadyad. Where hamadryad is cool to me, though, this one is hot. I get dry hot cinnamon, pepper and clove, but the honey or musk never seem to arrive, or they are in such low supporting roles that i never smell them. It's a very lovely spicey scent with amazingly close to the body wear, not lots of throw which I would have expected from the strength of the scent close up. Lovely scent, no skin reaction btw..

 

If you like silk road, this is a good next try as well, it leaves a similar memory, but is more direct.

[Muppetk]

Wet: Cinnamon! Mostly cinnamon anyway. Everyone I know was hoping his might be a nice substitute for Three Witches, and to compare the two -- much less clove and a hint of honey. I'm not getting the musk.

 

Drying: The cinnamon has calmed a bit and is melding nicely with the other spices. Ginger is definitely making it's presence known. Still no musk. I'm not sure how I feel about the honey. I love honey scents normally, but I think I'm confused at finding it with the spices. I suspect this is a psychological resistance to change more than a problem with the perfume.

 

Just dry: More clove, more honey. Hmmmm. I'm definitely starting to lean to the "ooooh, pretty" side of the force.

 

Dry longer: Spiced honey. Methinks I'm going to be sniffing this one all day and evaluating. But definitely nice. Bottle potential for sure.

[brownbear]

Wow this is hot and spicy. It keeps making me think of black spice tea with honey. Like chai but spicier. As it dries more of the honey sweetness comes out. I like this one a lot better as it mellows out. I think it might be making my nose a little stuffy though. I think I'll be good with an imp for now and maybe a bottle down the line.

[Buttercup]

My very first review, y'all! I must be inspired.

 

I was so transfixed by the description of this oil that I just went ahead and bought a bottle. I think this was overcompensation for never ordering a bottle of Three Witches.

 

In the Bottle: Ginger hits me the hardest, like sucking on a ginger Altoid. Then the pepper (strong!) and some cinnamon.

 

Wet: Wow! The cinnamon has really turned it up a notch! The other scents are almost totally overpowered, to my nose. Also, some pinkness on the skin patch I applied it to.

 

Dry: Much more mellow after about 40 min. The cinnamon fades away to blend with the tea and ginger. There is a hint of sweetness (honey?) but not at all cloying. The pepper tones the sweet down nicely. The scent is now more warm like a nice cup of chai, than a cinnamon "red hot."

 

Much, much later: At the end of the day, I was followed by a trail of musk, tea and spice. Very pleasant. Many scents fade away on me leaving only musk (my skin soaks up musk like a sponge), but this has a nice residual sweet/spicy mix. Hellcat is the only other BPAL oil I've found that work likes this on me.

 

Verdict: Yup, I like it. Bunches. In terms of a scent, I'd call it Djinn's sophisticated sister. I never got the clove that I miss from my beloved Three Witches, but an awesome blend in its own right.

[LiberAmoris]

I had the same experience as MsBraz did---Bengal is like baklava!

 

Baklava is one of my favorite desserts, and Bengal captures it perfectly...I was a little worried about how the honey would play out in the blend, as honey can go either way on me, but here it is definitely kept in check by the spice notes. It's sweet but not cloying.

 

This dries down to second skin honey and cinnamon on me, and is actually quite a comfort blend, although I also think it could play off as quite sexy. It's like Chimera with honey instead of milk.

 

A perfect blend for curling up with a cup of tea and a good book in bed...

[LunaSea]

I was very excited for Bengal as a great scent for fall. In the bottle, it is spicy, with a creamy sweetness underneath. Very yummy.

 

The first time I tried it, I dabbed a bit on my wrist, and the spices really came out. Very cinnamon, with other spice in the background. I couldn't put a name to it, but it must be the clove, because it didn't strike me as pepper. The spices fade out a little as it dries, and the creamy scent of the musk comes out. After about an hour, my skin seems to have eaten all of the spice, and left me with a musky scent that reminded me a bit of Hexennacht.

 

However, I hit a snag today when I did a full application of Bengal. The crooks of my elbows, hollow of my throat, and behind my ear all turned red, and boy did my elbows sting!! I've never done much more than dab any cinnamon blends on my wrists, so I never knew I was sensitive to the cinnamon oils. I will be careful with the cinnamon blends from now on and only apply them to my wrists.

 

I really love the way Bengal smells in the bottle with the spices over the creamy honey and musk. Very beautiful, warm and comforting for autumn. So, since the spice fades pretty quickly on me and the tiger bit my sensitive skin, I finally ordered a scent locket. About time, I'd say.

[Firewaver]

Wow, in the bottle this is just gorgeous, sweetened spices and ginger. Smells like a spice rack!

 

 

On my skin, the pepper really stands out. The honey eventually sidles over and lends it's golden sweetness. Unlike most people, I don't get too much cinnamon from this. I smell mostly pepper and ginger.

 

It's actually a surprisingly faint scent, I really have to breathe deep to get an idea of what it is I'm smelling.

 

I kinda feel like this is going a little sour on me, I think it's the honey. Honey and I have had our difficulties in the past. Grr.. I'm going to give this a good amount of tries before I even think of getting rid of it. I managed to snag a 10ml, and I'm not giving up on Bengal so soon! Oww.. i got some on my lip and man does it sting!

 

If you like spices and honey, this is for you. Your chemistry might decide otherwise, though.

[Little Bird]

My grandmother lives in Arkansas. She is a very strong and feisty woman who cooks lovely things form scratch. Anyhow, Bengal smells like my grandmother's house.

 

First on when it is still wet it is a wonderful honey and cooking spices smell. Sweet and lovely. In the drydown it smells mostly of cinnamon on me (reminding me of the potpourri that my grandmother uses) but there's something else going on here. It's like being in my grandmother's house when she is cooking a pie or some other sweet dessert.

 

I wish that the cinnamon weren't so strong, it's drowning out all of the other wonderful notes. I was really hoping for more clove and pepper, but I only catch brief glimpses of clove every once in a while under the cinnamon. No pepper at all.

 

All in all I will probably end up swapping my imp of this one. I don't like fragrances where the cinnamon is this strong and in the forefront, I like it more as a note in the background.

[aidenraine]

Imp: Cinnamony-sweet something or other.... a cinnamon ribbon candy. This is just so familar somehow, and maybe a bit too sweet. Timidly it goes onto the skin.

 

 

Wet: Definitely cinnamon sweets. Red hots. I'd have expected to love this combination of spices but I am being bowled over a bit. It's kinda overwhelming. It smells like there's glue under the cinnamon.

 

Something chemical... rubber cement and cinnamon?

 

Drydown: Alas, the glue and cinnamon never morphs into anything else.

 

 

Verdict: Imp up for swap!

[Eros]

Another amazing blend

 

In the bottle, heavily spiced tea w/a stick of cinnamon & sweetened with honey. A touch of pepper and even lighter on the clove. Drydown, it becomes fuller, richer and rounded with the musk starting to show it's lovely self.

After a few hours, there's a beautiful creamy spice wafting around me. Lasts forever, the throw is soft and subtle, like a snake or cat slinking & slithering around, but definitely there.

Exotic, langourous...beautiful!

[luxuria]

Wowza. Cinnamon! Burny sort of cinnamon, too- I've never had a reaction to a lab cinnamon blend before but this is definitely a little unpleasant on the skin when its wet. It's very sweet cinnamon as well, as sweet as Chimera- the difference is that this isn't syrupy-sweet like Chimera is, it's drier. Unfortunately I don't get anything except for a slightly musky cinnamon. The drydown is mostly the "musky" part.

[ChupaChup]

Aw, too bad, I was hoping for so much from Bengal, especially considering the rave reviews. I've been trying for ages to find the perfect chai tea scent but this doesn't do it for me. There is something off about the honey in this, it never ends up smelling like honey and honey is usually a great note on me. Maybe there is too much pepper? I can smell the other spice notes, the ginger, cinnamon and clove, but the pepper seems to be the strongest. After a couple of hours, this ends up smelling a lot like Chimera but I prefer Chimera, it's sweeter and prettier.

Edited October 1, 2005 by ChupaChup

[Aredhel]

Edit: Trying this again on 10 June '06.

 

Rating (on skin): 4/5

Summarised in a word or two: Plastic!

 

In the imp: Musk, sweet honey and cinnamon! Sharp, but lovely.

 

On skin, wet: Vanilla? Something creamy and very much like vanilla, as well as rich honey, musk and strong cinnamon. This really does remind me of good chai! Ten times better than the first time I tried it.

 

On skin, dry: Very cinnamon-y and peppery, but with that rich, sweet undercurrent of honey and musk. With such a strong honey element, it reminds me of spicy O. It's almost addictive, again, much like a favourite chai. There's a chai I'm particularly fond of from a local tea bar. It's made primarily of black tea (duh), cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, allspice and ginger. I always drop in a tablespoon of organic honey, about a quarter teapsoon of brown sugar and a drizzle of vanilla soy milk. It's perfect. This smells very much like it, emphasis on the pepper. It gets progressively sweeter as times goes on, and the honey that much stronger. I really, really like it. Problem is, the pepper burns my nose a bit, and on a strong whiff, I'm tempted to sneeze.

 

Conclusion: Damn it, I'm torn. I like it quite a bit, but the burning/sneezing bit isn't good. Hmm. Regardless, this is not a Summer-Weather scent. I'll revisit this in August or September. If it doesn't actually make me sneeze, I'll probably throw a bottle in with my Stocking Up For Winter order.

Edited June 10, 2006 by Aredhel

[Brianne]

In the bottle:

Spicey honey

 

On me:

This is sweeter than I had imagined, but still grounded enough so that I still really like it. The skin musk is exactly that - skin musk. It's like the smell of warm, clean skin - it's comforting and touched by warm, sweet honey. The cinnamon and ginger add a wonderful spice to this but it's soft and earthy. They also lend a slight smokey quality as well.

 

Final note:

A beautiful sweet musk, it's playful and I plan on wearing it often!

[DarkMouse]

In the bottle: cinnamon, ginger and pepper -- this stuff is STRONG! Its actually almost too strong for me to put my nose into again.

 

On my skin: Cinnamon & hot, hot pepper. I was hoping that this would smell like Chai on me and I'd want to bathe in it... think again. My wonderful chemistry decided to do a whammy on me since I opted to buy a bottle of Bengal un-sniffed. My skin amps up the pepper part of the blend enough to make my head feel like its caught in a vice that is slowly being tightened. The honey part of the blend is beautiful.. its almost like a spiced version of "O" - but it doesn't last enough on me.. it goes right to almost a powder scent (the musk.. lab musks go powdery and lab ambers go soapy on me) just as I'm getting the "Chai with honey" scent others raved about.

 

Verdict: I'm thinking of layering it with O to bring out the sweetness and keep the pepper in check but I'm starting to learn that me and cinnamon scents don't actually get along. While I love them in my house, its a different story on my skin.

 

Edited to add: both my husband and MIL said that this smells like spicy baby powder on me. WHAAAAAH!

Edited October 9, 2005 by DarkMouse

[grrrlennyl]

at first: chai!

overall: i'm not doing a blow-by-blow review of this because i just adore it. it's spicy and warm, and is totally chai. it's quickly become my cool-weather favorite.

[Hawke]

I could just cry. In fact I think I will.

 

In the vial, this is so gorgeous. It's ginger and cinnamon and *honey*, oh my gosh, the honey. It's warm and beautiful and I am sure that I'll love it.

 

Wet: Cinnamon, honey, creamy, yummy goodness.

 

Drydown: ... and baby powder? What the heck?

 

Dry: Pure baby powder. No, I lie. Baby powder with the occasional lick of cinnamon. Headache inducing cinnamon baby powder. Did I mention the crying part?

 

I may try it again. I want to love it. Well. I want it to love me, but it was a terrible, terrible first date.

[zenvodunista]

Bengal, on me? "meh".

 

in the vial i can smell that dusty pepper, but on me it goes all ... plastic and potpurri and faint at that.

 

i'm sad that i don't get Chai like so many other people, but my wallet is immensely relieved!

 

n.

[maewitch]

This went from one extreme to another. From the bottle and wet, the spice was ridiculously overwhelming - and smelled like something I'd fry up for dinner.

 

But a couple of minutes in, the spices ran for cover as the honey came raging out. I felt like I'd literally dipped my hand in honey.

 

But now it's balancing out - possibly due to the influence of the skin musk - and becoming a much lighter honey scent, lightly dusted with an indeterminate but very pleasing spice.

 

EDIT: Ok, this is pretty much the dry-down of Honey Moon - that is, honey. ALL honey.

Edited October 7, 2005 by maewitch

[cranberry]

In the imp: slightly sweet & very spicy. The pepper, ginger, cinnamon and clove blend together very well so all I get is a "Wow - this is spicy!"

 

On the skin: Don't put Bengal on right after coming out of the shower (**ouch!**). I only put a dab on, and for that I'm glad. Spice was the predominant note, with cinnamon coming to the forefront. The cinnamon and ginger combo reminded me a bit of something pomanderish. That vanished pretty quickly and the spices begin to mellow. As it dries, the honey and musk comes out. It vanished pretty quick on me, but I think that's because I only put the smallest amount on. I imagine that it would last a lot longer had I been more liberal in application.

Overall: Very nice and I'm glad that I got to try it. It seems like this would be an excellent scent for winter. I'm not super crazy about the wet phase, but as it dries it turns into this beautiful spicy honeyed scent. A honey that likes me - amazing!.