Bien Loin D'Ici

[metaldog32]

The Scarlet Woman, aglow with sensual indolence: red musk, benzoin, caramel accord, golden honey, and spiced Moroccan unguents.

I think what prompted to me to buy a bottle outright was the following:

Red musk, benzoin, caramel, and honey.

That’s umm…basically the fragrance; the spiced unguents is what made it intriguing. Red musk works really well on me and the benzoin/caramel/honey power team just made me think this was a no-brainer for me.

Initial sniff from bottle: Hmmm..definitely sweetness…almost fruity…I can’t differentiate the notes yet but if I had to take a wild guess it would be the pulsating red musk under the caramel and honey. Benzoin tends to sometimes smell vanilla-like to me so I can’t say for certain I smell it..but it’s there and lending itself to the wonderful waft I keep sniffing. If I keep sniffing I kind of think it smells a tad incense-like but I can’t be sure. Push on!!!

Applied wet on skin: Wow..not what I was expecting; it’s a bit herbal and well..it reminds me of nag champa. I can still detect the red musk..but I’m pretty surprised because I think I was expecting a throbbing foody-like scent tempered by the red musk and spices..and I just got walloped with incense-like notes..wow. It’s not bad..just not what I was expecting.

Couple of minutes on skin:-Caramel is practically MIA which is startling to me because that note usually amps on my skin like nobody’s business..this is all slightly herbal dry and sweet incense..how amazing is that??? HAHAHAHA..this is such the morpher. I guess the unguents are what is dominant on my skin and I like it. I have to say though..this was NOTHING close to what I was expecting from this blend. I figured this would run akin to Red Lantern or maybe The Masque; clearly I was wrong. I’m still digging it though.

Ten minutes later: 8:53am-Still the dry sweet incense going on. Not really registering the caramel or even the red musk which still fascinates and shocks me. This kind of reminds me of Temple Viper sans Snake Oil; that blend was very much nag champa on me.

Two hours later: Same as above..softened considerably.

Drydown:Dusty slightly sweetened incense.

Lasting power: Although the throw on this was soft..it lasted 10+hours.

Bottom Line: Nothing I was expecting..but the end result was pretty good nonetheless. I never did get the caramel or red musk; they were both blended in here pretty seamlessly and played backup to those unguents; all in all a nicely done incense fragrance. Perfect for winter and chilly gray autumn days..when the air is damp, the leaves are turning and I am wearing my favorite black turtleneck.

[theseagrows]

this doesn't smell all that great on me, though it sounded like it would. it smells like generic sandalwood incense on my skin. as an incense that's ok but i don't really want to smell like it...it is very "headshop" on my skin. i'll definitely be swapping this one.

[blacklacestatic]

In the imp: Very strong, Heady, Intoxicating

 

On me: This is a very classic fragrance. Heavy on the musk. It reminds me a lot of Clinique's Aromatics Elixir, although I don't think any of the notes are the same. It still has the heaviness of a perfume created in the 1920's. It's very much not me.

 

Dry: It goes a little more powdery. I smell the honey now, as most bpals get sweeter on me as they dry. It's prettier now than it was, but this is still not something I could wear often.

 

Overall: Not a favorite of mine. It reminds me a bit of something my Mother and Grandmother have worn. It might be a nice gift for someone older. It's not bad as a fragrance but doesn't work on me.I give it a 2 out of 5.

 

ETA: I don't know if my skin chemistry or taste in perfume has changed, but Bien Loin D'Ici is currently a favorite of mine. Maybe it's nostalgia, maybe as I've smelled more and more fragrances my nose recognizes things differently. Either way,I love this scent. The initial wet phase is still not the best for me, but after it dries I am left with sexy honey yumminess and can not stop smelling my wrist. Just goes to show you how your first impression of something can very well change over time.

Edited May 29, 2009 by BlackLace

[lefthandmade]

wet it reminds me of urd, it has the same headshop-feeling that urd does (and i love that -always have).

 

when it dries it doesn't go sweeter as most scents do on me. this one is very strange and very interesting. if i smell it from a little distance it's pure caramel, like the scent that comes back to me from inside my scarf, but the closer to the wrist i put my nose, the less sweet it gets. it must be the spices. i'm not really getting honey, unless that's what adds a certain smoothness to it.

this one is nothing less than gorgeous. oh yeah. we're looking at a 5ml bottle here.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Musk and caramel

 

Wet: Musk, spice, caramel and a touch of honey. I'm glad I don't get much honey, not a fan.

 

Drydown: Ooh, very musky and spicy now. It's very strong! I don't think this is for me, but I might try it in a scent locket, I think I amp dark musks.

3.0 outta 5

[alicia_stardust]

This is mostly benzoin and red musk on me. Those two notes share dominance so this doesn't become a straight-up red musk blend, nor does it become a resin blend. They play off of each other well. The spices are really noticeable and the honey adds a touchy of sultry. This is an amazingly hypnotic blend of feminine sensuality. I fell in love with this immediately.

[MaeKitty]

In the Bottle: Honey, spices, musk.

On Me: The benzoin comes out a bit more and reminds me of the incense I used to burn during rituals. It is warmed by the caramel accord, honey and spices. I can juuuuust barely smell the rosemary in this. This is a beautiful blend and perfect for Bellydance. I think I might invest in a 5ml at some point. Very exotic and lovely.

[girlygirl]

Swoon. This is a heady honey/resinous blend that makes me feel sophisticated and alluring.

[hkhm]

imp: caramel and musk and reall naughty honey.

 

wet: honeyed musk with a hint of caramel. this is heady stuff, very strong even with the small amount i applied for the test.

 

dry: honeyed, sweet, spiced musk. the spices smell like very strong incense spices yet without the smokiness of incense.

[GingerGunlock]

Previously, I was under the impression that benzoin and I did not get along. I was apparently incorrect, or perhaps that was only benzoin's evil twin that I had encountered, and this oil contains the good one. Wet, it smelled like roses, or a lot like roses, anyway, and had quite a throw (I put a single line of it across my left wrist at work, and both of my coworkers, across the room from me in opposite directions, could smell it). I'm not very familiar with musks, so this could be what red musk and "Moroccan unguents" do on my skin?

 

Dry, I get a whiff of caramel, but only in the throw. On my skin, it's sweet and musky and very slightly spicy. Hours later, the caramel is hugging my skin with the spicy muskiness. I'm not sure if I ever separately smelled honey in this, but I know it contributed. Absolutely lovely.

[Suu4LC]

This is more...floral than I expected in the imp. Kind of like a floral Smut. I have the feeling this will be too musky for my taste, but I gotta give it a shot!

 

OOf, wet on my skin something goes way floral and funky on me. I don't get caramel or honey from this at all! Just very strong musk and even stronger floral. Weird! This isn't what I expected at ALL.

 

Ok, time to wash this off. Total fail on me!

[Dracoo9]

This was the strongest scent I have ever tried on. I washed it off at around 10 am and the following morning at 11 am I could still smell it on me even after all my scrubbing! That being said....

 

This is a very potent scent on me. I was trying on a few other scents at the same time and I had difficulty blocking out Bien. I know what all of the ingredients smell like except for benzoin and 'spiced Moroccan unguents' so one of the two amps up like bad on me with a side of caramel. I cant really say that I hate it but I cant say I like it but its so strong that its all I can smell and it just seems to haunt me. To swaps is goes.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

I decided to try an imp of Bien Loin D'Ici based on the notes--sweet, spicy, and exotic should be yummy. In the vial, it has the rich, red color that I associate with some of the foodier, muskier oils. On me, the red musk and spice come right to the forefront--very pretty. I don't get a strong honey or caramel, just a slight sweetness to the spice. It's nice but not "wow", like a less-assertive younger sister of some of the really knock-em-out scents like Storyville, Snake Charmer, or Khajuraho. It *does* have throw; it just doesn't have as much...oomph, for lack of a better word...as those scents. Since those are all LEs, this is worth a try if you want to see what this family of scents is like. I'm underwhelmed though.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Red musk and powdery resin.

 

Immediately on skin: This is musky and powdery on me… very powdery. There is a bit of red musk though, and some light spices. Otherwise this is a very dry scent.

 

After a little while: This smells musky and medicinal. I get no caramel or sweet honey from this… just dry musk and medicinal smelling resin. There’s even some plastic in there too. Very disappointing.

 

Overall Impressions: This is so very wrong on me… I love sweeter blends but this has no sweetness on me whatsoever, even with the caramel accord and golden honey notes. This is dry but somehow thick at the same time, and musky with a plastic medicinal tone.

[ryokokoro]

It smells like musk and patchouli incense burning in a luxurious temple with a little hint of sweetness, but it's not something I'd like to wear on my skin. Rather, I'd love it as an incense.

[savage_rose]

Something, the honey probably, is amping on my skin like crazy. It smells like really nice incense and something shrieky and sweet. Ugh, good God, no.

[gchris]

in vial : strong perfume

 

wet:I smell the carmel, honey and spices. I don't really smell the red musk like I was hoping to. This still smells strong and perfumey.

 

drydown: This is so strong. It is just not for me.

[penemuel]

This starts out as a dusky sweet musk with some resin, but very quickly it seems to morph into a dusty scent that loses most of the sweetness. It's a pity, because it does seem like it would be wonderful for a little while. I wonder if it would do better in a locket or in my hair...

 

I think I'll stick with Smut

 

ETA: After a while, the sweetness comes back, but it's still kind of dusty. It tickles my nose. I'll still stick with Smut, but this isn't as disappointing as I thought it was.

Edited April 19, 2008 by penemuel

[veronicafranco]

When I first put this on, I smell the honey and caramel. Then it goes through a sharper perfumey phase – I’m guessing this comes from the benzoin – with an almost gritty undertone of slightly-unwashed girly bits. It takes like 2 hours to get past this and into a phase I like – honey caramel, with just a faint edge of spice if I really inhale it. Will try it again.

[bellacalla]

I love this. It's very intriguing. It smells sweet and deep and SO sexy. There's something a little bit wrong about it, but in a good way, in a way that makes it totally sexy. Definitely not really a daytime scent, but I would feel so hot wearing it at night.

[jizatt]

I hated this when I put it on. It was so strong and it smelled like barfly left over in the morning. It was extremely boozy, and I was a bit concerned as I was wearing it to school today. It took two hours to calm down, at which point it smelled DIVINE! Apparently I love red musk, and the sweet and spice just made it even better. I've been wearing it since 7am now, and its 7:40 pm. Thats officially the longest lasting of any that I've tried. I'm not sure about those first two hours, but I'll try it again to see if it was me that was wonky =) This is the first one thats gone through major changes on my skin over time.

 

final decision: love it, kind of impatient about the two hour wait

[tziporra]

Thanks Lab for the frimp!

 

GAH! This is GORGEOUSLY YUM and totally different than any other BPAL I've tried.

 

For about 30 seconds.

 

Those 30 seconds are complete bliss. On me this is nearly a commercial "floriental" (a category I love but haven't smelled many of) while wet, but so much better because of the no-alcohol BPAL-ness of it. I'm in LOVE.

 

But then a sharp floral note which I swear is Jasmine (I don't see ANYONE else here complaining about the Jasmine, so I could well be mixing it up with some other floral which goes all wrong on me) takes over for two hours. Wah. No good.

 

But if this is what Smut smells like I'm definitely hunting a bottle.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

[Salendire]

Ok, the bottle i got is aged so i am not sure how this smells fresh.

 

In the bottle: Sweet, strong incense.

 

Wet on skin: The incense is hardcore strong! It's lovely and sweet, i can make out something resinous and some spices peeking through.

 

Once dry: It's much the same as above, just not quite as intense. This is one of those blends you don't really need to apply much of.

 

A few hours later: This is much more subdued now, all of the above elements are still there although i suspect there may be something very slightly floral in there as well, only very slight. I'm a floral hater but this is slight enough to not bother me at all. The blend doesn't smell as overwhelming now, much more innocent although i do prefer the heady, strong stage this is also lovely.

 

 

The review was from my second testing of this scent, because the first time i could not handle how strong it was, i think it may have been a bad time of the month. All and all i am glad i re-tested this, because it really is lovely!

[inurbanus]

Why is it that the scents I want to try the most turn out to smell the worst on me? It's not fair! All I got out of Bien Loin D'ici was dirty diapers. I'm not sure if this is because the perfume was interacting poorly with my floral shower gel, or there is a mystery problem note lurking in it. The second theory disturbs me a great deal, since I thought I'd already identified all the notes that don't work on me. I'm gonna try this in my oil burner, since the description is so gorgeous that I can't give up hope on this quite yet.

 

1/5

[zankoku_zen]

Hmmm, I have no idea why I thought this would work other than hope ever springs eternal? This started out as sandalwood and red musk.

 

And now has moved into peanut butter.

 

I kid you not. It smell like peanut butter on my wrist.

 

GAH!