Morocco

[Brianne]

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.

In the bottle
Warm and a tad sweet

On me:
I have to admit, I was expecting something a little darker and exotic than what Morocco ended up being. But I'm not disappointed either, oh no! Morocco is lovely and soft, like a warm breeze, bringing the scents of the nearby market spices to you. It has the slight sweetness and warmth of sandalwood, but with spices to bring it down to earth. It's pleasant, and very light!

Final note:
Very light scent! Very nice though, definitely going to have to get a bottle of this at some point.

[squalorholla]

When I pried the cap off the imp I thought, gloomily, that I'd be the one person on the planet who doesn't like Morocco. Musk does atrocious things on me, and this was SWEET SWEET SWEET MUSK MUSK MUSK for quite awhile.

 

An hour after application, though, Morocco has calmed down into something very nice. The carnation adds a necessary floral bite to the mix, and the different spices keep wafting by my nose and making me smile. Overall it reminds me of fancy, unsmoked pipe tobacco, which is one of my favorite smells. I don't think this is quite me, but it's great.

[Rusalka]

This is not at all what I expected, but I agree absolutely with whoever described this as 'golden'. Golden it is, and warm and dry -- without being dusty or stagnant. Fascinating.

 

In the imp: absolutely overwhelming. I can't quite make out a single note -- just a clamor of spice and scented woods and light smokiness.

 

Wet: the smokiness threatens to overwhelm, but it must be the sandalwood keeping it at bay; that's the other dominant scent. I'm relieved, because it was the one aspect I was worried about -- usually sandalwood is pungent on me in all the worst ways.

 

Drying: it's slowly beginning to sweeten, a warm blend of light florals and stronger spices. The sandalwood is almost completely gone now, leaving gentle smokiness in its place; sadly, after a while this, too, faded until just the spiced florals were left.

 

This is definitely one of the stronger scents that I've tried: I only need two tiny swipes from the imp applicator to be enveloped for hours. I'm not sure that I'd order a full bottle of it, but I'll definitely hold onto the imp -- with care, for the husband's not fond of this one, either, and it really does last forever on me.

Edited August 19, 2005 by Rusalka

[fathom]

The very first scent I bought myself, when I was in seventh grade or so, was a Crabtree and Evelyn Carnation eau de cologne, and I still love the spicy floral of the carnation. Its nice to encounter it in such a sophisticated blend now that I’m (sigh) all grown up.

Morocco is very pleasantly incensey and spicy. I am really not into patchouli, and this scent is one of the select few incensey scents I’ve encountered where the patchouli is just right. It gets to be more carnation and less incense as it wears, I think, eventually going through a very spicey phase. Very nice— could be a wonderful everyday scent for the fall. For all year, really. This might be up in my top five favorites.

[imaginepageant]

In the vial: When I sniffed this upon its arrival yesterday, it smelled wholly different from what it does right now. Today, it's a popular perfume scent I've smelled many women wearing in my lifetime, but I couldn't name it to save my life. This is golden sunny warmth. This is sophisticated femininity with a hint of sensuality, the scent one should wear on a dinner date with a doctor or lawyer. The musk is definitely there, but it's jumping back and forth from being bright and wet and being deep and sandy. If I try really hard, I can pick out a floral note that must be the carnation, and the slightest hint of sandalwood.

 

Wet: Soapy musk... no, warm, hot, dry musk... a little sweetness... spice... smoke... good god, does this change rapidly! It has the same feel as it did in the imp, but the scent has changed, and to something much less generic and much nicer. It's incredibly sensual, but in a subtle way, like crossing your legs and letting your skirt slip a inch or two up your thigh.

 

Dry: This is surprisingly gorgeous! The sandalwood is popping out now and creating a lovely dry, dusty feel; there's also a soft sweetness floating in on a desert breeze. It's growing ever more exotic and less and less common.

 

An hour later: It's not quite been an hour, but there's definitely been yet another alteration in this scent that I need to mention. For reasons I can't imagine, it strangely makes me think of skin, made slick with sweat in the throes of passion. Morocco was already packed full of sensuality, and now it has a definite air of carnal sexuality as well.

 

Overall: When I initially sniffed this yesterday, I was pretty sure it would be hitting the swap pile, but now, there's no way I'm getting rid of this. This is by far the most sexual blend I've tried yet—it's the sparking chemistry and heated passion that comes before the afterglow that is Dorian. I can't wait to try this out on unsuspecting victims to see if they pick up the same carnal aura that I do with Morocco!

[aessedai]

Something in this really reminds me of Antique Lace. If you are missing AL, I strongly urge you to check out this fabulous oil!

[The_Merf]

In the imp: This smells nice, but the first thing that jumps out is sandalwood. I really hope that the sandalwood doesn't completely overpower yet another scent on my skin.

 

Wet: Hooray! I can smell the sandalwood, but wouldn't you know, I can smell other things too! I'm assuming that the beautiful golden warmth is coming from the spices and musks.

 

Drydown and wear: This is simply gorgeous. It's my favorite "light" BPAL scent so far. I'm so glad this worked, because after Dorian turned out so-so I was afraid that every perfume oil I owned would have to have myrrh, leather or vetiver! There is a very sensual creaminess to this scent as it dries down on my skin. I can't believe that I actually really love a perfume oil that has carnations and cassia lillies in it, but I do (Beth + lab=amazing). I would wear this as a perfume, a lotion--whatever! Anyone who likes sandalwood, but doesn't like their skin's annoying tendency to amp it up to crazy levels should give this one a try.

[Julilla Regina]

I am definitely a late comer to this one. This is hard to describe, except as a place. I've never been to Morocco, but this scent is warm, spicy and a little dusty. It feels like laying out on a very warm beach, but all alone and content to do so. There is nothing on the agenda, nothing you have to do anytime soon, no emotional baggage, no dramas, upsets, responsibilities.

 

Just you, laying out on the warm, spicy beach. And it just feels so damned good!

[sarahj]

Morocco

 

in vial: carnation and spices

 

wet: musk and spices

 

dry: soft sandalwood, almonds, and spices...a lovely, yummy, comforting scent

 

verdict: I think this may replace O as my favorite BPAL scent

[Chrysantza]

This arrived as a frimp from the Lab, and, ironically, my pending order has an imp pack which includes Morocco.

 

In bottle: Sweet, warm and spicy, reminiscent of a less overpowering YSL Opium.

 

Freshly applied: Spicy and musky; I definitely smell the musk, sandalwood and carnation as well as "exotic spices."

 

Dries down to: Mmmmm, a lovely warm autumn scent; the musk and sandalwood are what really stay on me. I also smell hints of the cassia and other spices, but the carnation flies away.

 

Verdict: It's like taking a deep whiff of spices from an opened sandalwood chest. Warm, seductive, and alluring. Definitely worth ordering a bottle.

[Freyja Lux]

Morocco is one of the most lickable scents I've ever had the pleasure of sniffing. My boyfriend and I fought over who got this one while shopping at Black Broom. I reluctantly allowed him to claim it, the bastard, but I have the priviledge of sniffing it on him almost everyday. Hmmm... soft, spicy, buttery... it is just. PERFECT. Beth should be canonized for this one. Absolutely heavenly, while still being sexy as hell! Who knew? It warms the skin and will keep a smile on the face of anyone who wears it. (I secretly wear it under my Scherezade sometimes... shhhh)

[LushNatty]

In the bottle: spices, definitely. Buttery spices, like I would want to find in a cookie. I think I detect a little nutmeg, for one thing.

After application: Wow! Pure vanilla bean. Mmmmm. That is a truly underrated smell—real vanilla. As it develops, some of the spice comes back into the mix, mingling with the vanilla.

Dries down to: vanilla, musk and can detect hints of the red sandalwood and carnation (aha! Finally I smell some of the notes that are supposed to be in there!)

Somehow I always seem to strongly identify a note that isn’t supposed to be in there—I see no mention of vanilla bean but it’s unmistakable to my nose. Making me hungry. I smell like a quality vanilla custard. Which is weirdly appropriate, because "vanilla custard" is an apt description of the texture of much of my body. Hm.

Light-to-medium throw. Pity it isn’t a little stronger.

Overall: the first couple of times I applied it, I thought it was a generically foody perfume, and I appreciate it more after a couple trials. However, you kind of have to work at discovering the complexity and since I am single right now, that is kind of a lonely enterprise.

NOTE: Fantastic layered with Arachne! This is how I will wear it in the future.

On a scale of 1 to 5: 4 (almost 5 when layered with Arachne)

[em_h]

Wet: Mild musky floral with a slight nutty overtone.

 

Drying: So far it's holding in better than I'd expected. Gets spicier as it dries, though still very much smoothed out by the musk (which seems to be one of the paler ones; I can't distinguish very well between the different pale musks).

 

Dry: In fact, to my surprise it gets stronger rather than weaker. Pale musk and spice, warm and sweet. Nice, but for me it's nothing exceptional.

[wingedcorset]

Spicy flowers? Yum. Exotic. A little bit of a warm pepsi smell, but not in a bad way.

-------

Woah. I'm always amazed at how much scents change when I apply them. This one has become very cedary/spicy. Or sandalwoody/spicy, I guess.

-------

Lipsmackers Dr. Pepper. That's what I was smelling wet, and that's what the drydown is smelling like. Still woody up close.

[Aharona]

Yum! I love this scent so much. I just got it as a frimp and nearly fainted when I sniffed it because it was so wonderful!

 

In the imp: Vanilla, not an overly sugared vanilla like in Dorian, but a pure natural vanilla. I can almost taste the bean!

 

Wet on Skin: Oooooooooooooh so many notes just rose up from my wrists. It's a perfect mix of a sweet musk, cinnamon and sandalwood. I can't believe how fast the notes changed.

 

On the Dry down: The cinnamon and musk are the more dominant notes, while the vanilla and spices calmed down a bit, but are still there. I get a small whiff of something powdery, but I assume this is the carnation.

 

Overall: I must get a bottle of this because my imp will not survive the week. It's sweet and warm spice. Comforting yet very exotic.

[evilbee]

In the bottle:

I’m not sure… I smell some kind of soft spicy, but there doesn’t seem to be anything there.

 

Wet:

I still don’t seem to smell much. Just a soft hint of spice.

 

Drydown:

This sweetened up so fast! I put on the tiniest dab just in case, and I was right. My skin is becoming sweeter and more fragrant every second. This is actually what I pictured Snake Oil to smell like from its description and reviews. Sugared oily and incensey, soft musk. I’m feeling a little woozy from it, we’ll see if the sweetness tones down.

 

When I was playing with scent concocting I made one that was all spices and a bit of musk which I called “Sand in My Toes”. This scent is more apt for that name than what I made. This is like squishing superfine sand in between your toes while a warm breeze filled with musky spices wafts past you. Oh my god, that’s the description. How the hell does she do it???

 

Okay, 15 minutes after that, I smell like sticky buns. Where is this yeast smell coming from?

 

Hours later, all I’m smelling is vanilla sugar. I think this is far too sweet for me.

 

Edited to add: I just thought I'd mention that I rediscovered Morocco when I layered it with some clove bud essential oil I have - I still smell like cinnamon buns, but hot damn are those cinnamon buns sexy as hell. DELICIOUS!!!

Edited October 10, 2006 by evilbee

[Merlu]

I'm not good at picking up notes, and when I'm asked to describe a scent, it amazes me how the name of the scent does the job perfectly.

 

Morocco simply smells like Morocco. I've never been the, but this smells exactly like the mental image I have of Morocco (okay, it's somewhat cliche, but still) : harsh sun and unbearable heat, the wind blowing dust and sand on your feet, the music of a snake charmers' flute in the background, huge bags of spices and dusty persian rugs everywhere.

 

On my skin, all I get from Morocco is dry, dusty spices, no sweetness at all. It has a lot of throw, and its smell stays on my fingers forever every time I open my imp. Amazing, gorgeous scent, but far too dry for me.

[Miss Lynx]

This is another I've been wanting for a long time, and finally got my paws on (in the same imp pack with Bengal and Masquerade, no less). And it's very nice. I am coming to realize that, while florals are mostly not good on me, carnation is relatively non-evil, for a floral. I seem to have found several scents with carnation in them that I don't really mind at all. It doesn't seem to be as sweet as other florals.

 

But this isn't predominantly carnation -- it's a spicy musk, a bit like Scherezade, although I think it's a lighter sort of musk, and also has the sandalwood to mellow it, so the overall impression is of a lighter, softer scent, though still not overly sweet. The carnation adds some sweetness, but not too much. There's a gentle, almost powdery feel to this, but not in a bad way. Compared with Scherezade, it's more something I could see as an everyday scent, with not as much of an overtly sexual feel to it. It's more comforting, less exciting.

 

It does have a slightly "perfumey" feel to it, for lack of a better word (and I know, that sounds awfully redundant when talking about perfume!). And I think I'm finally starting to figure out what it reminds me of -- The Body Shop's White Musk, only with a little more warmth and a touch of spice. But it's almost that sweet and gentle. Good for days when you just want to smell pretty and not necessarily Make A Statement, I guess.

 

Grade: B+

[zenvodunista]

a lightly spiced skin musk. I like my perfume to have bit more throw, but this is suble and lovely and warm. Very dry. There is a slight creamyness to it too which perhaps is in the carnation. Not very "me" but I'm glad I got to try this light oriental.

 

the best part? Cassia seems to be OK on my skin, and neither does the red sandalwood go bad (two notes i've worried over).

 

ETA: it's a been a bit of time now and i'm beginning to realize that this one has more throw than i first thought -- but tis' such a subtle "wrap you up cozily" scent that it was difficult for me to notice it, actually! a bit creamy with the faintest hint of almond milk.

 

i am liking it a lot more now, and will have to experment again.

 

n.

[wichapi]

I have two bottles of Old Morocco, quickly obtained because its the first spicy scent my skin doesn't devour within the first hour after application.

 

I love the warmth of the madagascar vanilla (? - sniffed the bottle of extract in my spice cabinet - pretty durn close!) with the undertones of amber and various woods (thank you Lab for NO patchouli !) I'm a huge fan of carnation and other "heated" spicy scents like cinnamon and clove.

 

In the bottle and on first application, Morocco is immediate coal-glowing heat without overt "fire," and very sexy. After an hour or so, the heat seems to calm down to a consistent ebb and flow of sultry warmth. My husband is not big on fragrances, but always makes a positive comment when he catches a whiff of this one me.

 

Its all here in Morocco, and it stays, both on my skin (for hours without overpowering the senses) as well as in my bottle and travel-imp stashes. Wanderlust INDEED!

[hypatia]

I love Morocco. It's perhaps my favorite BPAL so far. Wearing it is like wrapping oneself in a very fine, soft, lightweight, incredibly warm wool shawl and going to a spice market. It somehow manages to smell practically edible without being foody -- probably the combined effect of the spices, the carnation (which adds an almost creamy note to the mix), and the light buttery musk, with the sandalwood keeping it from tipping over into the "gourmand" family. It also has the advantage of always smelling lovely on me no matter what time of the month it is; wonky hormones don't seem to do anything to it (YMMV, of course).

 

It's sexy, but it's also become one of my main "comfort" scents. The last of my initial imp got me through an exceptionally difficult and draining week, and I promptly ordered a 5ml when it ran out. And the next bottle may have to be a 10ml!

[BlueStar]

I can NOT believe I have not reviewed this yet! Bad Mikey!

 

Oh this devilish little sinful blend makes me all weak kneed and happy pantsy!

 

When judas_kiss puts this on I am instantly aroused. TMI, TMI! I don't care. Warm desert breezes, spices musk, carnation, cassia eat 'em up yum! Oompa loompa duppity doo!

 

In The Bottle: Very warm and sultry in a sneaky demure lady on the street/whore in the bedroom sort of way. I imagine a beautiful courtesan who beguiles men with her snakey movements and lures them back to her budoir and takes their money in exchange for her intense, passionate, earth shattering, mind blowing, body breaking, head pounding, brain numbing, pulse thumping, good lovin' body rockin' knockin' boots all night long! I get warming sandalwood and carnation.

 

Wet On Skin: Mmmm this is just making me dizzy almost and light headed in an "I want to fuck you right now judas" sort of way. This one makes me all faint and "I do believe I caught the vapors". Yummy spicy musky horny sex Goddess!

 

Drydown: This blend positively exudes raw sex appeal. I am ready to run all the way home, several miles, to jump judas_kiss' bones just thinking about how good this blend smells.

 

Ver-Dick-t: There should be a warning label on this because if you put it on some man somewhere will fuck you. Better hope it's someone you want to have sex with nearby because this stuff is volatile! YeeeeeHAAAAW!

[maewitch]

I panicked in the first minute. The wood in this smelled like CEDAR to my nose. There are very very few blends that can make cedar work on me (ie: Tombstone).

 

But after a few minutes, the dryness settled into the softer tones of sandalwood. I think it is similar to the sandalwood in Blood Moon - drier, less warm. But there is heat in here as well, provided by the beautiful spices, none of which start screaming on me. Just this amazing musky body warmth.

 

And the creaminess. I really was blindsighted by the cream when it started coming out after a few minutes. It adds an incredible richness and softness to the mix.

 

This blend is one of the sexiest yet most refined and subtly appealing BPALs I've tried yet. It seems very biblical in some way - desert wind, exotic spices, promised land of milk (though not honey) and that Old Testament sensuality. Or to be more accurate, it makes me think if the passages in the Bible that refer to cultures and religions surrounding the Hebrews - and all the things they weren't supposed to engage in. This is the scent of sacred harlotry, of worshipping beneath fertile sacred trees amidst the desert austerity. This is most definately a courtesan's oil.

 

I think I have found my official Inara scent.

Edited December 16, 2005 by maewitch

[Katinka]

A friend told me that the Morocco experience was like putting your head in a sandalwood box (one just back from an exotic journey, I might add) and inhaling deeply. Rich, sumptuous spices! Unfortunately, it doesn't suit me much at all (I'm a bit more freckled farmgirl than Arabian princess), but it is truly a gorgeous scent.

Edited December 17, 2005 by Katinka

[jejunery]

Why don't I wear Morocco more often? It's delicious.

 

I can see how "spicy" could be misleading -- Morocco isn't spicy-hot, or spicy-firey, more harmonious-sweet-spicy like yummy cookies. While carnation tends to be tricky on my body chemistry and stomp on all surrounding notes, it plays nice here; the base of musk, sandalwood and cassia is really well-blended, and no note overtakes the others, or thwacks me on the head 15 minutes after application.

 

It's a changeable scent on me, though. Occasionally my skin amps up some background note and I smell really... musty. Like a book that's been in basement storage for too long. Most days, however, it's the delightly predominating smooth-vaguely-spicy mix. So cozy and comforting, but in a different way. Yum!