Morocco

[yakiguri]

The intoxicating perfume of exotic incenses wafting on warm desert breezes. Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia.

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this scent yet, Morocco is definitely one of my top 5 blends. It's a spicy, musky, intoxicating blend that has just enough sweetness in the background to keep it from veering towards either Red Hots or spice rack. It's deep, but most definitely strong with amazing sillage--definitely dab, and I wouldn't apply to more than one area or risk a headache. Yet even so, it doesn't strike me as perfumey, more of a skin scent, but that of a person obviously not from boring suburbia.

Definitely invokes the exotic. My husband, who loves the Conan universe, says this is what he imagines a female Stygian would smell like; alluring, graceful, dangerous.

EDIT: Added Lab's description. Edited July 27, 2011 by thatbrownelf

[ziggystardust13]

I don't get it. I can barely smell anything! Its so so so soft with no throw at all. On me anyway. Velvet did the same thing.

 

I guess I expected it to be "spicer" like everyone has said. If I sniff REALLY hard it is pleasant and yummy though.

 

Wonder if my imp was just unusual? lol Or perhaps because it is fresh from the lab?

 

 

 

Update: Ok so I got a bottle (aged) I was wrong. Morocco is beautiful. Glad I took everyone's advice and gave it another chance.

Edited October 12, 2011 by ziggystardust13

[jkfagtongpun]

This really is a beautiful scent. However... it reminds me way too much of my former mother in law. Whilst I love her dearly, I do not want to smell like her. Shame because it's a gorgeously warm, soft, soothing scent. Ah well.

[Mickeymammoth]

After trying 63 imps ears, smelling, trying, and sorting, then resmelling, retrying, and resorting many times, I finally concluded that my favorites were: Othello and Morocco. (I guess there's a theme there!). I'm very fond of incense smells, sandalwood, musk and such, and these fit the bill. I also like the spicier roses and carnations. There were plenty of scents I tried that were "fine" or started out great, but became cloying. I'm a little disappointed I only found 2 scents, but I set the bar very high: it has to trigger immediate happiness in me. An attraction to the scent that is purely visceral. They are neither too weak nor too strong; too strong of a scent gives me a headache. Too weak: why bother?

 

These two scents are not dissimilar:

 

Othello: Arabian musk, two roses, Middle Eastern spices, Indian spices

Morocco: Arabian spices, warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood, cassia

 

They smelled different enough for me to purchase both, though.

 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Othello and Morocco. But given a preference for one, I choose Othello, maybe because I'm not as fond of the sweet, honey-ish smell that's in Morocco.

[Circaea]

I had high hopes for Morroco, but, as with Alice, carnation ruined it for me. It isn't that I think carnations smell bad. It's just that the smell reminds me of something I don't want to be reminded of. Anytime I get carnation, my mind pulls up "cheap drugstore perfume" as an association, and I'm back in junior high: short, underdeveloped, invisible, insecure, and desperate to be liked.

 

Morroco, I'm sure you're a great place, for someone else, but I'm leaving now and I won't be coming back.

[Klolly]

I have been longing to try Morocco for some time now. I was engaged to a Moroccan once, and I used to belly dance, so I was pretty sure I would enjoy this.

 

In the imp: Of all the imps/bottles I've sniffed, this one smells the best. It's very creamy. Kind of like cream soda.

 

Wet on: Still reminds me of cream soda, but with a rounded softness. There is something a bit like cinnamon, maybe that's carnation. I've never smelled a carnation perfume note that I know of so I wouldn't be able to recognize it. The whole scent is very well blended. Nothing stands out alone, it's all one luscious, creamy beautiful blend.

 

Dry: This scent barely changes from imp to wet to dry, except in the dry stage it is even softer. This reminds me a bit of b&b works twilight woods scent somehow. They both have the same musky, soft note in them that reminds me of a soft blanket. It's a very sensual scent, like golden syrup with soft spice mixed in. The spice in here is not spicy, it's soft. Lol. It's difficult to describe. This also slightly reminds me of moroccan oil, which I love the smell of. My husband had a very positive reaction to it. It is very sweet on me and I don't recognize any incense or sandalwood. Someone compared this to mouses long sad tale, but I wear mouse a lot and on me the only similarity is that they are both soft, gentle scents. Other than that they are very different to me. At first I thought I'd want a bottle of this but I think it's just too sweet for me. Mouse has that tartness from the sweet pea which keeps it from being sickly sweet, but Morocco does become a little cloying to me after awhile.

 

Eighteen days later: I take it back. Morocco seemed too sweet at first but I just wasn't used to it or something. Whatever the case, My imp has only a drop left in it and I'm so sad about that. I love Morocco! Everytime I wear it I get whiffs constantly through the day and sigh. It is the most creamy, sensual, and cozy smell ever. I can't believe how gorgeous the musk smells on me sometimes. My husband has not directly said he likes this perfume, probably because it doesn't smell like a perfume, it smells like I have the most lucious pheromones in existence, and he has reacted very favorably every day I've worn it. I honestly think he's oblivious as to how much he likes it. Lol. This is 100% for sure a bottle purchase. I think I will be buying bottles of this for as long as I am able to.

Edited August 25, 2011 by Klolly

[sabrebabe]

In the bottle: Mmmm, warm musk, red sandalwood and just a touch of spicy carnation. Very masculine. Very nice.

On me: okay, there’s the cassia, on top of the nice warm musk. It’s a bit sweet, definitely losing it’s masculinity. Lost the sandalwood, but picking up a smidge of the carnation.

Dry: Oh dear, it’s gone very, very sweet. Cloyingly sweet, with no sign of any of the spices or the sandalwood. Just honey-sweet and carnation. Or maybe cassia. No, wait, there’s just a tiny hint of clove. Teeny, even. Have to put my nose on my arm to smell it, though. But the sweetness is almost sickening.

Later: Okay, this has gone seriously sweet. Too sweet for my liking.

I loved this initially, but it’s too much. Like slathering honey and cotton candy with a dash of vanilla on my skin kind of sweet. Imp goes into the trade pile.

[Cdrake]

Oh my, I loved this one from the first moment I smelled it in the imp I got. I just couldn't get enough of it but had to wait forever before I was able to purchase a big bottle of it & boy am I glad I finally did & just got the bottle with my latest purchase. I got it a few days ago and it had the same effect on me that the imp did. I can't stop smelling my wrist! I can't quite figure out exactly what it is that calls to me with this scent but it is soft, very exotic & amazing with out being over powering even after it's been on my wrist for hours, which so far all of the scents I have tried have incredible staying power. It's been one of my favorites from the imp & top of my wish list, it may end up beating out my top favorite Rapture!!

[whataboutprom]

I can't pick out any single notes in Morocco, and it keeps morphing on me. Wet it is a sweet, spiced floral. As it dries, it goes back and forth between a fruity floral that I don't really like and a subtle eggnog-like scent that is actually beautiful and not all that foodie. I can't decide how I feel about this one, but as my imp is fresh from the lab, I may see if I like this more after some aging. Morocco is definitely mysterious and sensual, and I can see myself warming up to it.

[arrow]

I had really high hopes for this one, but sadly Morocco is a pretty big NO for me.

 

The scent isn't bad-- actually quite lovely-- but really reminds me of something my grandmother either did or would wear. I can appreciate the balance of floral and spice (and some kind of nice creaminess in the background that I can't identify), but florals can be really dangerous for me. I guess I can list carnations along with roses as headache triggers now, because I think if I wear this any longer I'm going to get a migraine!

 

Perhaps I will let it age a few months and then give it another whirl.

[Kolayn]

This was my very first bpal scent, and it is still my favorite. A smooth and luscious blend, when I apply it, I can smell it all day. It' s not a heavy scent, it's just THAT pleasing and noticeable to me I suppose. It makes me feel beautiful and comfortable. I can smell a certain spiciness, but it's kept under control by the sweeter notes underneath it. I am always looking for scents that capture the similar feel that Morocco gives off. I don' t smell vanilla, exactly, but some sweetly spiced thing mixed with sandalwood and musk.

[a_llb]

In vial: Spiced.

Wet: Velvety, sun warmed carnations. A hint of incense. Powdery smooth sandalwood. I think the cassia must be what is giving the 'spicy' feeling to this scent.

Dry: Even more powdery, in a good way. I can pick out each note, but they blend seamlessly at the same time. I think that may be the musk at work.

 

Verdict: Lovely. Gently floral, it brings to mind a vintage dusting powder. Very feminine, it a definitely a 'skin-scent'- it blends so well on my skin that it seems like I'm not wearing perfume at all, like I just naturally smell divine.

[Alethia]

Thoughts before testing: I've seen Morocco being raved about in various places here on the forum, and the notes sound pretty awesome, so I'm not sure why it took me so long to try this!

 

Wet: Oh. My. GOD. Sandalwood and carnation with just the barest breath of musk. This smells absolutely amazing.

 

Dry down: The carnation and spices are coming to the forefront and mingling with the sandalwood. I can't get over how great this smells.

 

Dry: This stays true to the dry down stage, with the addition of a hint of vanilla. I am in total and complete love.

 

Final thoughts: I spent this morning working on graduate school applications and kept having to take breaks to smell my arm. It's been a full 5 hours, and the scent hasn't faded at all.

 

Verdict: Morocco has catapulted to my top five, and I will be ordering a bottle of this in my next lab order.

[ianastar]

This is as intoxicating as I would imagine the country and it's culture to be. It's very incensy but not an earthy incense. It comes across a little sweet, must be the carnations. The musk does not over power it all. I'm actually loving it and it's very similar to my beloved Snake Oil but not as sweet. It's different than anything I have, and I will probably track down a big bottle of this.

[boomtownrat]

I received this as a frimp with the order I just received, and I ended up liking it more than what I actually bought.

 

Morocco is not quite what I was expecting. It's soft, creamy, lightly sweet spices from the moment I smell it in the imp until it's dying down on my skin a while later. There might be a hint of musk way at the back there, hiding under all the sweet spices. Picking out individual notes in something this well blended is beyond my capabilities this early in my BPAL obsession, but I have to agree with Klolly that it's very similar to cream soda... maybe a slightly spicy one. It's strange that I don't smell more sandalwood or musk, as I tend to amp those scents (and I love them). Maybe this imp is really fresh or hasn't settled from the shipment yet -- I did just get it yesterday.

 

All day I've been huffing myself, trying to suck in as much of this delicious fragrance as possible. It's a warm, irresistible scent that isn't very strong on me. That's probably a good thing due to my fragrance sensitivity; the wrong kind always triggers a migraine and too much of a safe scent will also trigger one. Morocco reminds me of a sweeter, softer Baghdad. It could probably be a little stronger and it doesn't last as long as I'd hoped, but I can't seem to get enough of it. If I keep loving Morocco on subsequent tries, then I'll be getting a bottle for sure.

 

ETA: I've already worn this three or four times since I got it, so I'll probably be buying a 5ml before the imp runs out. It has to wait in line behind Snake Oil now that I've tried that scent.

Edited December 4, 2011 by boomtownrat

[Morsigne925]

Last review of my first order of imps!

In the imp: Sweet and spice - smell reminds a bit of Scherezade once it dries and mellows out; also reminds me of this powdery vanilla deoderant I once had.

On skin wet: Smell the warm musk and spices, a hint of the sandalwood and just a little light freshness that might be the carnation. I was worried when I saw this had sandalwood in it because I've only ever had bad experiences with sandalwood, but in this it doesn't seem to be too prominent at all - it's there in the background, giving everything else a little toasty zest. Perhaps it's just my nose but the combination of stuff in here reminds me of a powdery vanilla. I'm kinda hoping the powdery part calms down a little bit, because I otherwise am loving the scent. Discovering that I seem to love combinations that include red musk (or any musk, but particularly the warmer ones.

Drying: The overall smell is very warm and cozy, I second the "toasted" feel to to it that others have experienced with it. Sweet and spicy.

End of the day: The spices did come out more as the day went on, but not as much as I had really hoped. I'll probably give this another try another day - for now it gets 4 starts because I think I like Scherezade and Snake Oil a little better - for some reason this seems sweeter than Snake Oil on me. I'll probaby get Snake Oil and/or Scherezade before I get this, but I still quite like it, especially on these cold winter days.

 

Revisit Aug 2014:

 

Bottle/wet: The smell is fairly subtle to me, dunno why - I get a light sweetness, not too much spice; a very subtle light incense vibe.

 

Drying: Still stays pretty mellow to me. This one doesn't seem to change much as time goes for me, unusual compared to my other scents. Still love this one though! It's like...and exotic clean smell. Best way I can describe.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Morsigne925

[countessmouse]

I honestly can't decide if I like this one or not at the moment. While I love the underlying spice, the musk is really kind of off putting.

[orata]

I love this! I stupidly turned down an offer of a sniffie at a Meet 'n' Sniff after just sniffing from the imp, and then ended up ordering an imp from the lab after reading more reviews. Now I have a bottle on the way (I could have skipped the trouble and just gotten the bottle after the Meet 'n' Sniff! I just hope the bottle smells like the imp, since it seems like there are a lot of batch variations in this scent.)

 

I thought this would be more like Baghdad, which was way too much sandalwood for me, but it is something else entirely, closer to Alice, a soft, creamy, gentle carnation scent with light hints of spices and sandalwood. I have a lab-fresh imp and I have to say it leans slightly towards plastic territory without ever quite getting there; I suspect though that it will only get better with age.

 

I see people have compared it to cream soda, but I also smell a bit of Dr. Pepper in it!

 

It's creamy without being milk-like, vanillic without being exactly vanilla, sweet without being sugary, a slight cinnamon scent without being too spicy or overpowering. I don't find it particularly incensey, more of a warm and gentle, immensely comforting skin scent with low throw. All I wanted to do when I got my imp pack was pour Morocco all over myself. The other very anticipated imps I'd ordered (Lyonesse, Mouse's LAST, Obatala, etc.) all got cast aside in favor of this one. Cozy and warm, it is wonderful to put on before bedtime. My only complaint is that I wish it were a bit stronger.

[rhubarb3point14]

This is one of those vanishingly rare instances when I think a scent is going to be lovely on me, and am actually right.

 

When I opened the imp, I actually said "Ooh!" aloud, because it was so pretty. Very sweet and creamy and spicy. Cassia, saffron, carnation, musk. Mmmmmmmmmm. And it stayed that way on me! It's just consistently spicy-creamy-sweet.

 

I'm one of those people who does well with carnation. I can see how it would spoil things if carnation went powdery-floral on you. On me, it's peppery and keeps the blend from becoming cloying.

 

I don't get much sandalwood. I was surprised by this -- my body often amps sandalwood to the point of excluding all the other notes, but now that I think of it, that mostly happens with white sandalwood, not red.

 

All in all, a home run. Yay!

Edited December 4, 2011 by rhubarb3point14

[elka_knits]

I have been wearing this one for a few days now and loving it! Not much a review is it? It has a dry feel to it to me... and lasts a really long time. I put it on last night around 6 my time, for example and woke up today and am still smelling sandalwood today. Which is pretty much the final impression/overall impression for me.

 

It does have a sweetness and incense feel to it. A bit spicy from the carnation. I always love those if you love this then try that scents and I guess I could say if you love Mama Ji {my all time favorite} then this is a less in your face skin scent. Mama is more exotic and in your face with the sexy sexy and morocco is more subtle.

 

My bottle is pre whenever the label changes went through. I haven't purchased anything from lab or on second hand market since 2008[ maybe even 2007 but definitely since before my last two moves] so very aged although given the fact that it doesn't really morph on me and what I smell in bottle is what I get I am not sure if aging is necessary. Just beautiful

[hellok80]

After Snake Oil let me down I thought Morocco would be the answer - it reminds me of Snake Oil, but without the vanilla that turned all sickly sweet...

Nope. It starts out lovely and warm and spicy and I absolutely love it but I can't smell it on me after half an hour, though I do get a whiff of snickerdoodle cookies every once in a while. Don't get me wrong - I love snickerdoodles - but smelling like them is not on my to-do list.

Even if it won't stick to me, it sure sticks to my sweaters! I won't order a bottle but I will use the imp on various warm and fuzzy garments. =)

[Drae]

In the imp: A warm scent indeed, yet light and not too sweet. The carnation and cassia hit me first. This reminds me of either one of my mom's or grandma's perfume.

 

On my skin: Craziness happens, I am having a small reaction (to the cassia I think), because my skin where I applied it kind of burns a little. Also this has gone very sharply soapy on me? Not the floral-soapy, but I think the warm musk is doing weird things here.

 

Drydown: The burning has stopped and I still smell the spice, but the weird soapy element is still hanging around and messing it up.

 

Dry: Soapiness has been replaced by powder, which I can dig.

 

Verdict: I was very excited about a spicy warm scent which DOESN'T have vanilla or amber, but Morocco just did weird things with my skin chemistry, and I basically have to touch my nose to my wrist to smell it. I will test it again for sure but with the weird burning sensation, I will probably have to pass on my imp.

Edited December 21, 2011 by Drae

[Alia Kaitan]

I got my imp of Morocco straight from the Lab, and it was the first one I tried:

 

In the imp: Sharp spice. Can definitely smell the carnation.

 

Wet:Hellloooo vanilla! What? It smells amazing, a warm, spicy vanilla... but not what I was expecting! Very good though. Not really foody; there's definitely some other scents in the background, but I can't pick them out. The throw at this point is really good, as in, it's definitely throwing far but not overwhelming.

 

Drydown: Throw has settled down a bit, and now I can smell the carnation again. Red musk is coming through, too, in a vanilla-y way. It's definitely a dry vanilla. The sandalwood is in the background and giving a nice base, but not really distinct as a note.

 

Overall this is a fabulous scent that is, on me, sensual without being overwhelming. It almost has that 'second skin' now that its been on me for a while, in that it doesn't shout 'I'm wearing perfume!' but rather 'I just naturally ooze deliciousness from my pores'. It's a little elusive, yet definitely present. I don't mind at all that somehow it had a vanilla note on me.

 

4 stars! Will definitely wear regularly, subtle enough for daytime, sensual enough for night.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Alia Kaitan

[archergrl]

Yum yum yum! I love it... the bf loves it (mimed that he wanted to eat my wrist after smelling this hehe) Definitely on the need to get a bottle list for sure

[KakashiMorph]

In the bottle: This is a spicy scent, but not as dark as I expected it to be. There is a light element that keeps it from becoming dark, but I have no idea what it is. Otherwise it smells like a light, pleasant musk, a bit like fresh soap.

On my skin: The moment I wear it, there is a spice explosion and the mild soap is gone. It recedes fast though, and in just a couple of minutes I smell the musk mostly, with a touch of the spices or the sandalwood (it is too faint to make out which) but the main note reminds me of a perfume my mother used to have when I was little.

A few more minutes later, I can smell mostly the musk. Morocco is now cloyingly sweet on me and reminds me of milky musk with sugar and just a touch of spice. It is heavy and warm, a comforting winter smell, although I might have been deceived by the lightness of the bottle scent and put too much on my skin because now it

caused me a light headache.

Drydown: Just the milky musk, maybe with a touch of spice. It is not to be underestimated though; this is not a light perfume - on me, anyway.