Storyville

[Sarah]

No scent description available.

 

The History of Storyville

Storyville was New Orlean's (and the nation's) first legalized prostitution district from 1897 through 1917. It was named, ironically enough, after Alderman Sidney Story, the man who wrote up the legislation concerning the "District," as it was called by locals. It was a flourishing area, where people of all racial backgrounds would gather for entertainment. The more popular brothels would hire piano players, known as "The Professor," to play in the parlor. There, many visitors to the city experienced the sounds of jazz for the first time in their lives. However, with the rise of Prohibition and WWI, the district was finally shut down (over objections of the city) by the federal government in 1917.

 

 

My first night in New Orleans, Diana took Jessica and I out on a Haunted History tour. She said we could choose between the vampire or the ghost tour, and I said I would be interested in a ghost tour. Our guide, Renee, was a personable man with a large German Sheperd named Xena. While we were going from haunted site to site, one man in our group asked about Storyville.

 

"Oh, I know a few things about Storyville," our guide replied knowingly, "but I shouldn't say it here. It's too raunchy."

 

We walk a bit more, and at last we come to a stop, and he tells us about Storyville. "Storyville was the red light district of 'nawlins. Can any of you guess how many men a prostitute of Storyville serviced in one day?"

 

"100!" guessed one person, while others suggested 32 or 45.

 

It turned out to be that one woman would service 180 men in a day. Being a port city, the prostitutes were never relieved from their duties--except for when they started menstruating. And being that these women of the night lived together, they would being menstruating at the same time. It was like taking a week-long vacation, said our tour guide. They would sit around, chatting, playing music.

 

"Guess what knd of music they played?" He paused for the punchline. "Ragtime!"

 

(Thus, ended my first foray into the history of Storyville. I kind of want my $20 back for the tour but that Xena is one big bitch.)

 

 

In the bottle, Storyville is a place of ill repute gathered into one naughty little bottle. It's debauchery and smut. It gives you that bodice-ripping-leave-all-your-inhibitions-behind kind of vibe--that "when you're good to mama, mama's good to you" feel. It's a sweet, dark vanilla, corrupted by tabacco, with a few lashes of musk. It's slightly foody, spicy, smoky, and seductive. Storyville is the Madam Pimp to Perversion and Morocco. She taught Scherezade a few tricks. Yet she's a bit rounder around the edges, and isn't all about flaunting her breasts at you. You'll find her in the background, pulling the strings, keeping a tight ship.

 

If you like Snake Oil, Perversion, Morocco, Scherezade, Smut, Spanked, or any oils that are similiar, give Storyville a try. However, like any lady of the night, you're going to have to pay a pretty penny for her time, and she's not going to stick around long enough for you to court her.

[TroubleDoll]

If Jazz had a smell, what would it smell like? Deep musk, steeped in mystery? Rich cocoa, indulgent and nourishing to the soul? Intoxicating booze, the scent of celebration? How about all three, plus a faint breath of earthy herbs? That's Storyville.

[shelldoo]

to me this is alazif meets m.u. it is sexy as hell, and captures nola perfectly, it even reminds me a bit of beth, i shall cherish every single drip of it! resins, sweets, a hint of coffee w/ some lusty musks....sounds liek s scent cooked up just for me (i wish)

[slave1]

In Bottle: Foody musk

 

On Skin: At first, this reminds me of “Sugar Cookie meets Smut”. It is foody, but a bit less sweet than Sugar Cookie. As it dries it becomes a bit yeasty, it reminds me of bread. I smell something smoky… I’m going to have to agree with Sarah (above) that some of the notes must be tobacco, vanilla, and musk. I smell the musk from Smut… very dark and resinous. The vanilla sweetens it up and the tobacco gives it that gritty smoky note. Hmmm… another morphing moment. I’m getting root beer… actually… a rootbeer float! Maybe ginger beer? That could be it... because I do get that ginger feel. Interesting! I think there might be some leather in this scent as well… and also cocoa… but not overly chocolate, just that sweet powdery note I can smell in other cocoa scents. The rootbeer moment goes away and it becomes a nice cocoa/musky/vanilla scent with a slightly dirty incensey background note. It’s foody but not overly sweet. I like it, but still think Voodoo Queen is my favorite.

2 hours later: Much sweeter, there has to be vanilla in this and it has come to the front. I still get an echo of the “rootbeer float”. Delicious, I love this even more as it progresses.

Edited October 6, 2006 by slave1

[Brienze]

I get butter and cocoa from this while it's still in the bottle. On, the cocoa is dry and not overwhelming. I had assumed from the inspiration that the butter was actually buttered rum, but I never really get a distinct boozy note. There's definitely vanilla, though, and as it dries down the vanilla dominates (as it usually does on my skin).

 

The musks from Smut are here, but Storyville is more her born-again cousin... trying to be a good, wholesome girl (thank you very kindly, Mr. Story), but still slutty underneath. She's sweet, but not as temptingly saccharine as Smut. I'm also reminded of what Beth first said about Smut, that it smelled grody in the bottle and we'd have to put it on our skin to really smell it fully. I never had that problem with Smut, but the bottle scent is definitely the worst part of Storyville. It needs a chance to develop, so if you swap for an imp, try it! Don't just let it sit in the imp box and take it out only for sniffing.

 

This has a lot of throw at first, but calms down within half an hour or so. By 4 or 5 hours the drydown is just clinging to my skin.

 

FWIW, I didn't get out of this any of the caramel that Misk U has for me, and I'd relate Red Lantern and Misk U to each other more than either of them to Storyville. My skin amps vanilla like crazy, so to me Storyville is more like what would happen if Antique Lace went on a bender and had a "lost weekend".

[madelf]

Yum - this is a musky, dry vanilla blend. I get little whiffs of tobacco and something else that I can only describe as dry, maybe some sort of resin.

 

When I first sniffed this in the bottle, I expected something sickly sweet. It is far from that on - really sexy, not overly foody at all. It really does seem like a cross between Snake Charmer and Perversion on me.

 

It seems to have pretty good staying power, too. I put a little on last night, and I can still catch little hints of it today.

 

Overall - Storyville has the potential to become a new favourite. I'll have to try it a few more times to be sure.

[Jessica]

Dark dark vanilla with a spicy, herbal musky smell running as an undercurrent. At one time its sweet, almost sugary. It's a really heavy blend both in and out of the bottle. Fans of Snake Charmer and Smut would love this. I just can't get my wrist away from my nose.

[cupide430]

Storyville reminds me quite a bit of Devil's Night, but without the perfumey note. Instead, it is creamier and more rich. I applied this to my wrists this morning and where it is under my watch (and much stronger), I'm getting spicy almost gingery hints along with the creamy sweet vanilla and musk. My other wrist is a much softer lighter vanilla. It has definitely faded some since the initial application, but it is absolutely gorgeous. There's an almost caramelly chocolate note going on amongst the creaminess. This isn't really a foody blend at all, but it has gentle hints. This is really quite exquisite.

[JessicaMelusine]

So, I was at Convergence and got some Storyville--

 

Day-um.

 

This may be my favorite BPAL yet. There's a sweet foody, booziness about it, much like a sweet vanilla cocktail with an edge of fruit (at least on me). However, the really excellent part is that it has a deep muskiness underneath. On me, the sweetness comes out first and then the musk; it's slow to develop and utterly enticing and delicious. If you like foody scents this is a winner--however, I'm most impressed with how it turns musky and sexy too. It's amazing--I've been smelling of Storyville all week so far and I like it.

 

(and I do hope there are more New Orleans scents in the works--I'm wishing for Beignet and King Cake myself:))

[bifemmefatale]

I get the musk, vanilla, tobacco and cocoa everyone else has noticed, along with coffee and a healthy dose of cinnamon. Someone else swore they got a hint of patchouli on me as well--I'm not sure it's patchouli but I do get some sort of incensey note-maybe that's the tobacco still? I swear when I put this on it's all warm soft cinnamon. I'm surprised no one else is smelling it.

 

OK, after comparison with my Gingerbread Poppet 05, it is ginger, not cinnamon, but much softer than in the Poppet.

Edited April 23, 2006 by bifemmefatale

[LiberAmoris]

I'm loving Storyville. On me, it's like Smut meets Velvet. I catch hints of vanilla, patchouli, musk (Siberian and red?), and cocoa. Hours after putting it on, it's still there, chuffing off that glorious musk like misdeeds.

 

I think immediately of the amazing photography of E.J. Bellocq, who photographed the ladies of Storyville in the early 1900s. There's a slideshow of some of his work here, although the images are NSFW (Not Safe For Work), depending on your workplace.

[Jettcat]

Storyville-In the imp:Good Gods it's Spanked!

Wet: still Spanked, but I'm not get the foodie scent everyone is talking about

Dry: Ah, here comes something new. The Spanked note has faded and the cocoa note has subtly taken control and it's soft not overpowering.

1 hour later: Yes, I do know what it means to miss New Orleans, Beth has outdone herself. This ranks in my opinion with Snowblind and Misk U. Simply amazing!

[coulrophobe]

Wet, this reminds me a bit of the cocoa in blends like Freak Show and Cerberus (but without the citrusy bits of those particular scents); it's a dry, nutty cocoa and not too sweet.

 

As it dries down, warm spices and a hint of musk start to emerge, and possibly hints of tobacco and honey? Not a super-sweet cloying honey, but a light, dry one. I'm not a fan of foody scents, but once the cocoa settles down a bit and the spices amp up, this really works for me.

 

There is definitely a bit of musk - but my opinion is it's NOT the same musk as Smut (which was horribly stinky on me). I got much more of a Smut-like scent from Voodoo Queen, but no similarity to Storyville (thankfully!).

[TechnoKittn]

Aaaaahhhhhh Storyville...

 

Being as New Orleans is the most beautiful, magical city in the world to me, its no surprise that this is one of my absolute fave oils. And I have not done many reviews, so mine wont be as wonderful as most others.

 

It has been a while since I have smelled my smut (hehe), so I am not sure how closely they are related like everyone else has mentioned. It does sort of remind me of Red Lantern, but Storyville is more of a boozy, musky sweetness, not the thick, syrupy sweetness that Lantern is. And, am I the only one whose first thought upon smelling this was "Did they put some of those lovely N'awlins Pralines in here?" Thats what I get...Pralines, boozy musk, vanilla, tobacco, a hint of cocoa and some raunch. Someones earlier description made me think of exactly who this scent reminds me of...the character Stella from Anne Rice's The Witching Hour. Its like it was made as an olfactory description of her.

 

it is lovely, and definitely reminds me of the city

Edited April 25, 2006 by TechnoKittn

[jolarocknrolla]

I have to agree with the Smut comparisons, though on me it's slightly less sweet than Smut and has far less impact than Red Lantern (which was a bit overpowering for me). It's a fantastic scent though, complex and interesting with medium staying-power.

[Medici]

In the imp: Uhmmm… hi, Gingerbread Poppet? I didn’t think I’d see you again so soon. You keep coming back to haunt me. This reminds me strongly of Shub from SiA, there’s even a touch of citrus in there that’s making me uneasy.

 

Wet: Gingerbread and butter and musk. It’s sweet and spiced and foody. As it wears, it gets a little creamier with just a wee little bit of barely there resin in the background. I’m not getting the link to Smut at all, though I hoped I would originally. There’s almost something floral to it too, but it’s only there for a second before disappearing on me.

 

Drydown: TechnoKittn mentioned pralines. I’m going to agree – there’s a butter creamy sweetness that’s been hardened a wee little bit. In its final drydown, it’s that sort of smooth, smoked, drunken creaminess that comes out that is so insanely delicious. It took about ten minutes to reach that point, but holy heck, was it ever worth it!

[Rhowan]

Before I begin, let me thank a dear friend for the opportunity to give the Covergence scents a try! Thank you Sherry!

 

 

In the vial and wet on my skin I am getting a very spicy cocoa. Very nice!

 

As it dries down Storyville starts to morph. Cocoa, ginger, musk,honey, and tobacco. I am getting a tangy end note that I can't name - it's almost like the lemon in Freak Show.

 

Completely dried down, Storyville is ginger, mixed spices, tobacco, lemon and honey all on a base of musk and cocoa. I love this scent! Good throw, good wear. Very nice!

[GypsyRoseRed]

First off, this is a really sexy, unique perfume and while it may fall into the same boozy/sweet category as Smut and Red Lantern, I don't think they're at all similar. Both of those two become very heavy and sickeningly sweet with notes that I'm not fond of at all (tobacco!) coming to the forefront on me. By contrast, Storyville is (on me, at least) surprisingly elegant and lovely . I smell booze, but it's definitely a shot of the good stuff and the sweetness is all yummy pralines instead of a gallon of syrup. There's another note in there that may be tobacco, but it's not the yucky smoke I get from other blends. Overall, I think it's beautiful, sophisticated and somehow smells expensive. I'd give a non-vital organ for a 5ml of this, but unfortunately I don't think that's going to be enough.

Edited May 5, 2006 by GypsyRoseRed

[cuervosueno]

I was lucky enough to receive an imp of this from the very kind Clover, and I was so thrilled to be able to try it!

 

In the imp, it has a slight boozy note that others have mentioned, though it is also sweet, with a slight hint of vanilla. There is some spice there as well.

 

On me, it is sweet, spiced foodiness. I don't get a lot of cocoa, but wouldn't be surprised if it was in there. I kept sniffing my arms and thinking this is familiar, then I finally came up with it: beignets with sweetened coffee! Understand that's an impression more than an actual description of the smell: while it is sweet, lightly spiced, say with a dusting of cinnmon or more likely the milder allspice, it doesn't really smell like coffee or fried dough to me.....its just the impression I get. A light breakfast on a wrought-iron balcony in the soft air.

 

Its very lovely, but I'm not pining away for it, which is lucky, since I'll not likely get more. Now Voodoo Queen...well, that's another issue.

[Macha]

I've been sitting here with this bottle for several days now, wearing it and thinking about, because it's doing a very unsettling, very subliminal bit of poke and prod.

 

Damn, but I KNOW this fragrance.

 

Unfortunately, I can't seem to place it. Is it reminding me of a general catalog? Maybe. It keeps haunting me with the sensation that I know it, that I've worn it before, that we are old friends.

 

A bit unsettling.

 

To me, this is a warm, rich, vanilla-dipped, musky sweet fragrance that does a fine job of being not quite as gingery as Gingerbread Poppet, nor as vanilla as Antique Lace, nor as musky as Smut, but has connotations of all of the above. I absolutely agree with the Praline comments, for there is a slightly, lovely and fleeting feeling of desserts and decadence enjoyed in the humid, warm evening air. Sultry, sensual and a tiny bit foody without being cloying.

 

A pleasure, and a real honor to have ended up with a bottle. I will certainly savor it.

[GemmaCat]

Jola on Livejournal frimped me a partial of this when we swapped, and I am so very grateful!

 

This is all musky vanilla sweetness on me with a resinous background. I'm not getting any of the spice/gingerbread notes that others have picked up on, just a deep, sensuous musk and that womanly, exotic sweetness.

 

Sadly, this fades fast on my skin, though the drydown is a lovely almost candy-esque sweet scent.

 

I'm so thrilled I was able to try this since it really is beautiful. I think it's a wonderful embodiment of New Orleans erotic history.

[LittleGreyKitten]

I've had the pleasure of trying several sniffies of this, and there is a fascinating theme emerging. That is, that I suspect Beth hand blended these individually, or perhaps the oils settle differently. Anyway, there is slight but noticeable batch variation, and though most have absolutely knocked my socks off, a few were less to my taste and therefore only "very nice". The two I didn't absolutely love, one had a scent in the same family as Enraged Bunny Musk. The other had a stronger foodiness that reminded me of Gingerbread Poppet. After trying that one, it made a ginger note stand out to me in all of them, which I hadn't previously smelled specifically before having a very strong ginger variant. The ginger is the foody, buttery kind in Gingerbread Poppet, not the fresh smelling variety. I much prefer Storyville to GP, it just smells more intriguing to me.

 

Most of the others I've sniffed have been ones I've preferred to those- a smooth, somewhat foody, rather dark vanilla/musk scent that is just gorgeous. It has a depth to it, a sexiness, and yet it's still sweet and wearable, and feels very "me". Though I will admit I've never been to New Orleans I do find it evocative of at least how I imagine it to be.

 

Beautiful, beautiful scent, definitely high in my favorites, unfortunately. And the batch variation is a fun feature, too- while they're all quite similar, nevertheless each I've smelled has been unique, too. An individual.

 

On me this scent has major, major throw and lasts very well. I need only apply a small amount (yay!!) and it lasts as well as any BPAL has, which is about 6 hours on my dry annoying oil-eating skin. So my wee stash of this will last well I think. Which is lucky, because it has become a staple in my BPAL "wardrobe."

 

5 out of 5 for most variants, 4.5 for one or two out there.

Edited June 8, 2006 by LittleGreyKitten

[absinthea]

Storyville smells like a warm vanilla-hazelnut butter rum yummy-yum in the bottle. Immediately upon applying it really smells like a rich, delicious vanilla sticky bun...but with a little kick! I get a hint of carmelized vanilla sugar, but just a hint of the carmelized note.

 

Soon after applying on my skin, a lovely smokey incense note starts to pull ahead...WOW. Is this what you call "throw"? The carmelized sugar note is there, but just barely.

 

After drydown, I'm getting more vanilla and butter, but still with the smokey-incense in there to jack up the sexiness. On my skin it goes from totally foody to smoky-sultry with just a dash of comfort-food quality to it. There seems to be some light tobacco scent, and maybe a tiny tiny tiny bit of honey. NOTE: I smelled this on someone else, and didn't notice the smoky-incense notes. Just a really whopping strong but warm and delicious vanilla as the main note on them.

 

Storyville is definitely one of my favourites and one to be hoarded obsessively!! Please bring it out as a 1-day special forum-only scent or something, Beth!!

On the scale of 1-10, I rate this a 12.

 

EDIT: 6 hours later, it is still there...delicate smell of smoky church incense with just a wee hint of buttery vanilla with a pinch of spice.

Edited May 15, 2006 by absinthea

[VenusFlyTrap]

Wow.

 

I can see why everyone is raving about this scent and not merely due to its exclusivity. It's a bit of this and that evoking the historically magnificent NOLA.

 

Storyville contains a bit of sweetness, a touch of booziness, a hint of incense and a smigden of spice. Which, I would guess, it what New Orleans is all about; a melange of different cultures, cuisines and lifestyles. I really enjoyed the delectable foodiness in this oil. This makes it quite accessible to your nose on the first sniff from the bottle. (Slatherers be forewarned!) In addition, there is that essence of spice upon drydown that makes it a much more mature scent than initial top note.

 

I have not been to New Orleans yet though I have read about it in novels (yes, Anne Rice!). Wearing Storyville gives me the sense of having experienced it via an olfactory tour of the City.

 

Just gorgeous! I would love to see this scent make a reappearance.

[Little Bird]

So much thanks to 1demondog for an imp of this one

 

In the imp, Storyville smells warm, sweet, and light... sort of like a gentle waft of gingerbread cookies.

 

On me... gingerbread cookies, a cool and humid breeze, and a hint of smoky incense. It smells misty and cool to me somehow, like being under a waterfall where particles of water are crashing and floating through the air. But, mostly, this is foodie and spicy on me. After a few minutes, the sweet gingerbread scent fades to the background and this is mostly smoky incense and something musky.

 

After a half hour, Storyville smells like insanely sweet vanilla, bonfire smoke, and smutty musk on me. Unfortunately, the drydown is kind of making my head ache I love the way that this smells in the imp and on my skin at first, but the drydown isn't something that I could get away with wearing. It's too smoky, too sweet, too musky.

 

I'm grateful for the chance to try this... and maybe I will try to use the rest of my imp up in a scent locket and see how that goes.