Morocco

[Quillifer]

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 haven't read every single review, but I think I'm in a small minority for not liking Morocco. I find it just doesn't seem to show up very much on me. It's not so much that it doesn't last - it seems to disappear into me straight away. I also find the smell in the bottle to be mild musk, mild generic spice, and just not really very interesting. Very surprising really.

[Manon]

Having been to Morocco itself, I can't say that this smells anything like the place, but its a lovely scent. Very sweet and incensy. Definitley some vanilla in there somewhere or tonka perhaps. I thought that i would want to get a 5ml bottle of this but I definitely don't like it as much as Lady Una which I got at the same time...

 

I haven't read every single review, but I think I'm in a small minority for not liking Morocco. I find it just doesn't seem to show up very much on me. It's not so much that it doesn't last - it seems to disappear into me straight away. I also find the smell in the bottle to be mild musk, mild generic spice, and just not really very interesting. Very surprising really.

 

Yes THATS it... its a bit like those musky scents. definitely. Won't be getting a big bottle of it.

[Gateau]

From the listed notes, I was expecting something intensely incensy-sandalwoody-spicy with lots of musky warmth. To my surprise, it's a very light fragrance, requiring up-close huffing, and it's more floral on me than anything else. It smells like hand lotion in a creamy, perfumey way. I don't make out any spice at all, and no sandalwood (which often reads as cinnamon on my skin).

 

After a few hours it actually gets creamier, sweeter, more vanilla, and gains strength, but it still gives me a heavy lotion feel that reaches the back of my throat.

 

I don't think this is a good scent for me, but it might be good for layering.

 

P.S., this is a fresh imp from the Lab. I think I have something more aged around the house and will sample that too, in case age make a significant difference.

Edited February 3, 2012 by Gateau

[karykeion]

Third and last of the "what am I even thinking" test drives tonight, because hell, if I can put on a blend with three musks and not burst into flame, I can handle just the one. Besides, I have a huge thing for "spice cabinet" oils and I just could not let this one go untested, musk and all.

 

 

In the imp: It kind of just smells exactly like a chai tea latte. I don't have anything else to add. There's something creamy in here with the spices. It's just a watered-down chai tea latte.

 

On me, wet: Oh, that's why everyone likes this so much! It's kind of like Snake Oil without the initial sharp headshop-esque feel, and I like it. It's sweet and earthy and musky and spicy, and I kind of feel like any second now the musk is going to start acting up, but for now it's just adding a lovely kind of sensual warmth to the blend and I feel like this could be one of those scents that I don't think is very "me" at first, but that I then find myself reaching for all the time.

 

On me, dry: Wow, this is just a really lucky night for my skin and musk! Morocco dry is a lovely sweet, spicy scent with none of the BO that musk usually turns into, but...I don't know, I'm not really feeling it. It's a really nice scent, but I don't feel like there's anything particularly special about it? I'll keep the imp, though, for those days where I feel like something spicy and musky but I don't want to deal with the headshop phase of Snake Oil.

 

I don't know what's going on with the musk tonight, but I hope the trend continues!!

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Spices, musk. Maybe a touch of carnation, but it's hard to say--that could just be the spices fooling my nose.

 

On skin, wet: Much the same as in the imp. Definitely strong on the musk, but in a nice way.

 

On skin, dry: Same. Not a morpher, this one.

 

After an hour: And still the same! I amped neither the cassia nor the sandalwood, which is kind of a minor miracle. Definitely worth a re-test.

[Smaragdina]

Preconceived notions: First BPAL order. I bought this solely because I figured I needed a “spicy” scent to counter all the clean scents I was getting, and this seemed well recommended (after I ordered it I made a note to try Othello if it didn’t work out – I expected it would be too dry and biting).

 

In the imp – dark New Age shop? With red floral? Not as spicy as expected. I don’t like red florals. I’m not so sure.

 

Wet – Oooh, spice! Cinnamon and…clove, maybe? It’s hard to tell. This is straight up lovely spice.

 

Drydown – I went from liking this to loving this the day went on. The spices mellowed out and sweetened. I can smell some spicy unusual floral – that’s the carnation, maybe – but I’m almost getting vanilla? Not foody vanilla, though. This is warm, toasted, uber-spiced vanilla. Like soft gingerbread and clove-spiked cookies – served on a silk cushion, maybe, in the foyer of a sultan’s harem. Equal parts cozy and mysteriously yet approachably sexy. It stays close to the skin and just keeps getting better and better all day. It’s a spicier version of what I imagine Snake Oil to smell like. I usually don’t go for spicy things and I just bought this as a “what the hell” scent, but now I want to wear it ALL THE TIME. It is GORGEOUS.

[becca_s]

This is so much muskier than I expected. I have tried a few musk scents lately and apparently my skin amps it and it drowns out the other notes. On me, Morroco is dominated by musk and almonds, it makes a really unusual combination. I wish this worked on me ...but my skin turns this into something strange and I have other musk scents which smell better on me.

[Antoinette]

It has taken me over two years to take the plunge and skin test this one (got an imp from the Lab). I always wanted to try it but shied away because of the musk, which I've never been able to stomach in any other blend. But...Morocco smelled sooooo good in the vial that I caved and dabbed some on. To my amazement, this smells just as good on me as in the imp! I smell the musk and it's beautiful. Morocco is the exception to the rule for me and it's so good.

 

It's hard to pick out individual notes, but I get a strong vanilla and spices feel with the musk softening everything up. I'm bowled over by it and the fact that I actually found a musk blend that I love.

 

I already ordered a bottle.

[whitsunweddings]

idgi

In the imp: Very sweet musk.

Wet: Intense sweetness with the teensiest bit of spice.

Dry: Overwhelmingly sweet musk witht the barest hint of spice. I don't see what all the fuss is about, quite frankly.

[lizardqueen]

I am really glad that Quillifer and Gateau's reviews are up there, because I definitely didn't get anything incensey or Snake Oil-y or even particularly warm out of Morocco--to the point where if it weren't a lab-fresh imp, I might doubt whether it was actually Morocco. I got kind of light-ish florals, maybe in the "Oriental" vein, but definitely way more like garden-variety (erm, no pun intended) perfume than I tend to go for. And then some combination of my stomach and something on the TV and the scent made me fairly overwhelmingly nauseated, so I had to go wash the scent off. Maybe I'll age the imp some and then give it another try, but so far this is a big NO for me. It's disappointing, but it's not like there's any shortage of YES scents out there!

[sargeismydog]

This smells like a cozy blanket, warm sweet tea with cream... Fuzzy, warm and comfy

[KittyHawk]

I keep trying my little imp of Morocco, always hoping that I'll experience the scent that so many people rave about, but it's not meant to be. I love the sandalwood in the background, but it's far too sweet for my liking. Inez and Othello are in the same family of scents - warm, spicy, and musky - but both are far superior to Morocco, on my skin at least. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

[Vega]

Sniffed: Spicy-resinous-musky-floral warm and sweet.

 

On skin: I can definitely smell the carnation -- a red, rich and sweet floral -- mixed with gentle spices, warm musk, and a hint of rich red sandalwood undercutting everything. Cassia (cinnamon) tends to overwhelm other notes, so I'm thankful that it's barely perceptible here. Morocco is dry, warm, rich and smooth (stops short of being syrupy), gently feminine and exotic. Recognizably in BPAL's Middle-Eastern category -- other scents with the same feel are Bathsheba, Scherezade, Baghdad and Three Brides -- and reminds me of standing just outside a desert city in the late afternoon, with spices and scents wafting on the warm wind from the bazaars. Morocco is very similar to Baghdad, but is gentler, smoother and richer. Both are wonderful variations on the Middle-Eastern city. Colour impression is the pink-salmon-gold of a sandy desert in the sunset.

 

Verdict: Now I understand why Morocco is so popular and loved, for it is truly a beautiful scent. However, it stops just short of being exceptional, especially since it's so similar to Baghdad, which I already love very much. If I found Morocco earlier in my BPAL experience, I may have bought a bottle; nevertheless I will hang on to my imp.

[KatharinaNordh]

I'm SO disappointed now. This smells so beautiful and fantastic that I...oh, I wanted it to work on me - and it does. That's not it - it smells incredible.

But the headache!

 

First, I tested it with a few others (13 and Candy Phoenix) and something gave me a monstrous headache, so I went out, had some air, had a shower, changed clothes - headache passed and I felt good - put som on again and Bam!

 

No, not for me, no matter how lovely it smells

[Kuba]

It's got to be one of my biggest disappointments.

It's smells really amazing in the imp, just how I imagined it to be. There's that sharp sweetness, almost sugary and I can definitely sense the desert breeze. It's got that authentic Arabian/desert vibe to it. It's sweet and spicy, baked in dry heat .

But here comes the disappointment. The moment I put it on I can't smell anything. It just simply disappears. It has virtually no throw. And I used about 1/3 of the imp in my desperation. I really loved that fragrance so much and I wanted it to work on me but nope. It's barely detectable even if I put my wrist to my nose. I don't know what's the deal about it. It's quite faint in the vial, it's also very light and the consistency is much more watery than of my other oils. I'm really so sad about it.

 

I wasn't sure if maybe my skin's chemistry was playing tricks on me so I put a drop of Mme. Moriarty on and bam! I was surrounded with thick, fragrant fumes.

Edited August 3, 2012 by Kuba

[bellumed]

Oh! I somehow expected this to have a “sandy” feel like Bastet did, but it doesn’t. It’s actually very creamy. It has plenty of spice, and it’s not just sweet but sugary, close to the sugar I get from High-Strung Daisies, but not as strong at all. In fact, everything about Morocco is very light and close to the skin. The spice (cassia, I suppose) keeps it from getting really boring, but I’m not in love with it. Morocco is fine, not great. I've heard plenty about how much aging improves this blend (my imp is not much more than three months old, I believe), but I'm not sure I really want to bother with that.

 

EDIT 8/25/13: Well I have held onto this, and a year later it has grown on me some. It's still a very subtle, creamy skin scent, but now lovely and well-blended.

Edited August 25, 2013 by bellumed

[stellamaris]

Yes, OK, I like this, it's fabulous, and I have it as a hair gloss, fabulous, but I don't really need this as an oil as I find it quite similar to Al Azif, and I love him so...

[Rho]

I don't know how old my bottle of this is, because I bought it off the forum, but it's not brand new by any stretch. Should have some decent age behind it.

 

First off, this is intensely different from what I expected. I thought it was going to be spice cabinets and musk; strong and exotic.

 

What it actually is, is a close-wearing, subtle blend of scents. It does have a little musk, but it's not much on me. I get the carnation, and can imagine red sandalwood in there, too. Morocco is just a little scratchy due to a hint of spice. Overall, it's kind of faint and non-offensive; nothing stellar; hardly any throw.

 

I would define Morocco as snuggly, just because you have to snuggle up to it to even pick up on it. Definitely a cozy, warm concoction, but demure. It could serve as a second-skin kind of fragrance if you like the idea of your skin smelling like heated sand and carnations.

 

In conclusion, Morocco has its place in my collection, but I think I was hoping for something louder.

[sisi33]

Yum!

 

In the bottle: Yep, this is the description. And I likes it!

Wet: Yet agian, I have no idea what I'm smelling. Within a few seconds, this has changed at least 3 times, into a completely different scent- so fast that I cannot pinpoint what they are. Within a minute, it's gone to late-night warm milk, -with some citrus?- homey comfort.

Dry: I'm getting Nutmeg, Warm Milk, and a slight soapiness. Actually, he smells really nice! Late summer, early fall goodness! Medium throw, but fades to low throw within 45 minutes. Would make a nice sleep scent.

 

Defiantly Imp-worthy, but I'm going to have to wear it a few more times to see if it's bottle worthy.

 

5/5 (And the first time it was only a 2! It grows on you like a delicious mold)

UPDATE: Wore this last night to bed, and Wowza! This is bottle worthy for sure!

Edited September 23, 2012 by sisi33

[paintednightsky]

Wet and dry pretty much smell the same to me. It smells like pure musky baby powder. Strong. Reminds me of a generic old lady scent when I go out shopping. The kind that gives me headaches. Definitely not my type of scent. Although I think musk is really a personal preference-never really understood body chemistry when it comes to musk since to my perception it smells bad on everyone lol Some people love it and some people hate it. I hate it on me and on other people so it isn't too surprising my reaction with it.

 

Oh also just thought about this. When I worked in the perfume dept back a few years, it reminds me of those cheap metal can old style perfumes! Smells just like one of those perfumes. The canned perfumes all seemed to have the same musk note I never liked.

Edited October 25, 2012 by paintednightsky

[GoddesShel]

OMG this is incredible on me! Incredibly good, that is.

 

I received this as a swap, and one I wasn't too certain about, actually. It wasn't on my wish list at all.

 

I get the exotic spices, but with a sweet tinge. No carnation, just beautiful sweet spices, with maybe a slight dusty feel. It really does make me think of a Moroccan marketplace/exotic locales. Just gorgeous.

 

I'm going to do a side by side of this and Snake Oil - but from my memory, this is a bit sweeter than Snake Oil (even without the vanilla, odd...), and not as peppery as Snake Oil is on me. I adore both of them.

[Fuhrankie]

This imp is about two months old. Tried previously, liked it and took notes, but not in-depth.

 

In the imp: Very light. Hints of spices and vanilla, and maybe... butter? Sort of cakey. Yummy!

 

Wet on skin: Still very light. I honestly can barely smell a thing. What's going on here? Has someone broken into my collection and watered down stuff?

 

Drydown: I'm seriously getting next to nothing here, maybe a hint of play-do and butter with a spicy background? This was so nice last time!!

 

Dry: I'mma go cry. Must be a that-time-of-the-month scent that doesn't like me.

[beakerwill]

Posting from my old (summer '06) BPAL review journal; I will update as I retest

 

(circa July '06 - imp was bought on eBay, so imp age/freshness is unknown)

 

Anyhoo...

Initial thoughts:

Imp - dry, powdery cinnamon.. and spice cabinet? A warm, generically spicy/incensy scent.

Freshly applied, it is still generic "spice", with a muddle of incense - a bit powdery, really. Two hours after application, it is vanilla and warm spice, a soft, sort of comforting scent.

Eight hours later, it is gone.

 

Current thoughts (24 Jan 13):

 

OMG! I have a replacement for my beloved Antique Lace!!

Well,the imps of Morocco that I currently own all serve that purpose, anyway. With that said, all of my Morocco is older; I don't know exact ages, but anywhere from 1 to possibly over 6 and 1/2 years old; my first major BPAL acquisition was an eBay find of over 80 imps, with no age info. Also - On the "Aging BPAL" thread (don't know how to link it, it is under BPAL Chatter), several people have mentioned that (particularly in 5mls) Morocco can be heavy on the cedar. I have not had the misfortune to encounter an imp such as that, but I don't know if a cedar heavy version would fill my Antique Lace desires, even aged.

 

Overall, I find aged Morocco to be very similar to AL, but a bit warmer, presumably due to all the spices. I have no idea what fresh Morocco smells like, though!

Edited January 25, 2013 by pervs-toy

[TheMistWalking]

Source: Imp straight from the Lab, aged a little more than a year.

 

I first tried Morocco about a year ago. It was a little bit sweet, slightly soapy, mostly spicy, and it also faded pretty fast. I put the imp away to age... and then I forgot about it.

 

I'm retesting it now, and it's no longer soapy. It's also not particularly sweet. On me, it's primarily a spicy carnation scent -- which would be good if I loved carnation, but, unfortunately, I'm not a fan.

[mermaidsdream]

I need to start putting dates on imps when I get them.

 

The first imp I recieved of Morocco was actually a sniffy; not enough to test, just enough to have me fall in love.

 

Then I received an actualy imp, and a decant. I tried the imp this morning, discovering that it really didn't have that much in it.

 

It's pure baby powder on me. NOTHING like what I remember from the sniffy. It's a creamy baby powder, but baby powder none the less :(