Arabian Nights

[Shollin]

I was lucky enough to receive a bottle of the unreleased BPAL version of Arabian Nights. I haven't tried the TAL oil, so I can't comment on any similarities... but this stuff rules.

 

First sniff: This is so cliché, but the one word that comes to mind is: exotic. Spices and powders and maybe a little rose? It smells like faraway and reminds me a bit of Silk Road, minus any hint of almond.

 

Wearing: It’s still a bit rosey, but the primary floral note feels more like carnation – there’s a lot of spice under the surface. It makes me think of Aladdin’s marketplace. And it dries down to a glorious red-musk warmth. I adore this.

 

NOTE: This topic is for an unreleased, "perfume-only" prototype. If you're looking for the Twilight Alchemy Lab oil of the same name, those reviews can be found here.

[PurringPulsar]

Arabian Nights (non-TAL)

 

In the imp: very similar to the TAL-musky myrrh and rose with amber, exotic and rich.

Wet on skin: gorgeous amber, myrrh and rose with maybe a dash of frankincense?

Dry on skin: oh yes, this is very similar to the TAL, if not identical in scent. I suppose this one isn't ritually charged though so it's simply a perfume…and what a beautiful perfume. Sophisticated and mysterious, rose and resins with an undercurrent of spice and musk. I smell amber, myrrh, frankincense with rich red rose petals, maybe a little bit of wood as well, this is a wonderful scent, warm and seductive.

After a while: this really smoothes out nicely once dry-a smooth, gorgeous scent of amber and rose with a hint of spice and musk and sandalwood, it's superb! And very sexy as well, I must say. It also has impressive throw, I get little wafts of this scent every now and then.

Verdict: this, is very, very similar to the TAL version, I think it's the same blend but without the magickal consecration that TAL blends get. It's a wonderful scent-a beautiful blend of rose with amber and musk and spicy incense and sandalwood, and a bit of myrrh at the base. It's similar to a lot of musky rose and resinous rose scents, but much more complex, I think. I already have the TAL but if this non-magickal version of AN gets released, I'd definitely get a bottle of it as well.

Emoticon rating:

[midnight_aeval]

Will have the TAL one soon so I can compare later..

 

This one is exotic powder and myrrh in the vial, on my skin it turns to a soapy powder- eh, not my thing. I was hoping the exotic powder smell stuck around. This might be one that works best in a scent locket. If there's rose in this I can't tell (which is VERY good).

[Scylla]

Arabian Nights was all rose, carnation (I think) and amber on me. Which is bad, because my chemistry amplifies all three of those notes. What resulted was a cacophony of notes that don't work on me, all trying to drown out one another.

 

So now she's been adopted by a loving new home.

[storme]

In the imp: sweet rose and greenish carnation and resins, I think.

 

On me, wet: powdery resins and that green carnation note and some faint roses.

 

On me, dry: soft spicy powder and carnation - very soft, very gentle, but quite nice.

 

Verdict: Nice, but I think I'll trade this on and let someone else try it - Maiden isn't that dissimilar on me, if I want that spicy carnation feel, and I'm not really sold on the powderiness.

[Little Bird]

Much thanks to one of my scent cousins for a wee sample of this . Unfortunately, Arabian Nights isn't really my cup of tea. It starts off smelling like spicy florals (maybe carnation, maybe a spicy red rose, but it's not exactly reminding me of either of those particular flowers) and then dries down to a very powdery spice. This probably has one of BPAL's amber notes in it, because those often go powdery on my skin like this.

 

Spicy baby powder. Not for me

[theseagrows]

this smells like powdery, slightly musky roses. amber doesn't always turn powdery on me, but in some cases it does. but then so do roses in some cases, so i'm not sure which is the culprit here. or if it's something else entirely. anyway, i like both amber and rose, and this scent is ok...i might wear it from time to time, but not all that often i dont think.

Edited November 16, 2006 by theseagrows

[supremegoddessofall]

Spicy lemons that are slightly aquatic. Not for me.

[edenssixthday]

Arabian Nights - Purr purr purr purr purr!!! Oooh, wait.. I mean: Myrrh, myrrh, myrrh, myrrh, myrrh! This is very much a myrrh scent on me. Very much a dark myrrh scent. It's strong, resinous, sweet, and powdery. There may be a touch of amber and/or rose, but really, this is all about the myrrh. It's strikingly similar to TAL Arabian Nights, but that one is stronger, has better throw, and lasts much, much longer. Still, I like the fact that this one is just perfume and isn't ritually charged, but I'll bet it'll garner many people who wear it the same amorous response as TAL Arabian Nights. It's quite lovely and I'm thrilled to have an imp.

[wikkidraven]

spicy baby powder.

[slave1]

ARABIAN NIGHTS

 

In Bottle: Resin love

 

On Skin: I am a huge fan of resins and this one is the queen of resins. The dominant note is myrrh, a note that tends to love me. Quite similar to the TAL version, but a bit darker and sexier and slightly more powdery. I get a tart bitter floral in the background, most likely rose. But with the sweet myrrh, it actually stays in check and compliments it perfectly. I also smell the telltale spicyness of carnation, again a note that normally doesn’t like me but works very well here. I love this scent on me, but my husband thinks it’s a bit too incensy. Oh well, too bad for him. I love wearing it. Strong throw but fades to a soft skin scent, medium wearlength.

[shelldoo]

This is the second prototype for BPAL (as opposed to TAL) Arabian Nights. Its OOAK, but its similar to the one that went into circulation briefly. This one is a myrrh, lilac, mastic, fennel, and rose blend.

 

in the bottle:myrrh, something almost powdery, and hint of rose

 

wet: strong myrrh, slightly spicey. rose background, hint of lilac

 

as this dries it is a soft, spicy, resinous rose. very deep, kind of dark, and very sexy!

[jbzoellner]

*sigh* all I get is rose... rose rose rose rose ROSE... my skin amps any teeny bit of florals up to an unbearable degree... which sucks, cuz in the bottle this is GORGEOUS

[cuervosueno]

I've been wanting to try this after I discovered there were two Arabian Nights....the TAL version and the nonTAL version (was this a prototype then? I'm not clear on that)

 

Anyway, I bought a partial bottle on Ebay for a reasonable price, and wasn't sure if I'd like it, but wanted to try it....

 

It's gorgeous! In the bottle it slightly spicy, but also smells like myhrr and rose, but a soft powdery rose. Now, I'm a rose-hater as far as scents go, but you know, I used to adore this perfume that came in a black bottle called Ombre Rose, and this just slightly reminds me of it--powdery (an amber/musk mix?) soft rose with something spicey and resiny to ground it. Maybe it is is honey amber, because honey amber is soft, powdery and makes me swoon, while some kinds of amber (like the kind in Jacob's Ladder) are gorgeous but have a slightly pungent scent which this entirely lacks. I don't really smell carnation, but there is a tiny note of spice, so who knows? I am, btw, a fan of powdery scents, so this is all good with me.

 

And it reminds me just slightly of Crypt Queen, perhaps because they both have a soft rose in them. Wet, they smell nothing alike, but they fade down to a similiar powdery rose.

 

I had an imp of the TAL version at one time, and do no longer, so I can't do a straight up comparison, but I know I didn't like the TAL that much. It was more straight up roses, and I thought I got a hint of red musk. They are similiar, for sure, but this is softer, at least in memory.

 

I don't know if I'll keep all of what I got, but I will keep some. It is pretty and unlike my normal tastes.

[alicia_stardust]

I get a lot of myrrh. It is sweet and has that resinous kick to it. It makes this scent feminine, exotic, dark. Beyond that there might be a bit of warm amber and a bit of rose. I feel lucky to have gotten a sample of this and I will cherish every last drop!

[The_Merf]

This comes off as rose and myrrh--it's like if the rose from Rose Cross was mixed with the resin of Penitence. Both notes are really strong, and the rose is actually quite sharp (a pink/white/tea rose?), but it does come down a little bit. I'm surprised there's not more spice--when I smelled this in the imp I thought it would be a darker Othello, but it's really more of a Sin and Salvation scent!

[KaliVerra]

Exotic spices (OHHHH MYRRHHHHHHH!!!!!! SWOON!!!!!!!)... Rose... musk... amber... deep and dark, mysterious and sleek... I've seriously got the hots for this one

 

Very *seriously* sexy...

 

Mmmmmmm-hmmmmm!

[zankoku_zen]

This one is myrrh, roses and spices. It's a soft, kinda musky rose blend that stays close to the skin. I can see how people would find this sexy, but I'm not a rose fan.

[Dark Alice]

This is spicy, rose, and myrrh. It's gorgeous...but it also has a bit of burnt note to it. It passes...but I oddly do enjoy it. This is a definite keeper.