Inez

[LiberAmoris]

Golden amber, vanilla musk, myrrh, cedar, carnation, and red sandalwood.

Like the other Ladies of the Grindhouse, I'm really excited to be, in some small way, a part of Beth's Carnaval and her art. Thank you, Beth. I absolutely love that in an alternate universe I'm whoring it up with some of the finest women around. And Jenn's portrait is stunning---I only wish I looked that exotic and regal in real life (read: wow, look at that décolletage)!

I was so excited when I saw the notes for Inez, because I am a complete amber fiend. I love the earthy sweetness and depth of it, and the way that it seems to ebb towards a skin scent over the day, until there's just a golden tracery of it around me and no way for me to tell where the smell of my own skin ends and the amber begins. BPAL blends that are amber-centric always fade like sunsets on me in the most lovely way. So I was hoping that Inez would be mostly amber with the other notes rounding it out and making it a little complicated and a little warm. And that's exactly what I get when I wear it.

In the bottle, Inez is undeniably amber. To me, amber always smells a little like caramel and honey with something almost fruity on top and something rooty or earthy at the bottom. It's sweet without being foody, although it can be almost buttery. It smells golden and warm and rich. It's a dense note, and one that seems to envelop and encompass other notes when it's paired with them, rather than allowing them to sit above or below it in layers. I can smell the vanilla musk as well, which makes a lovely complement. And then there's the carnation, which always strikes me as a bit spicy for a floral. It gives Inez a subtle kick.

On my skin, the bottom notes are more prominent. The myrrh, which I was most concerned about, is quite lovely here, beveling the edges of the blend with something pleasantly sharper. The cedar and red sandalwood anchor the blend from inside but do so almost invisibly---at times I catch wafts of the sandalwood, but it's not overpowering.

Because Inez is at heart such a resiny blend, there is something incensey about her, something calm and meditative and slow and sexy. Sexy in a come-closer kind of way. Sexy in a slightly disheveled, not-trying-too-hard kind of way. Sexy like when women pull their hair up without using a mirror. Or like waking up after a long night out---to sunlight pouring in through the window and the smell of the perfume worn the night before suffused in the sheets, like goodness spent and scattered. She's just lovely, and I'll be wearing her often.

[samarablackcat]

I am soo excited...Inez just arrived! With her own card! Squee!

 

I was most excited to try Inez of all the Grindhouse Women. I love amber. So without further ado...

 

In the bottle...yes, amber, just an undertone of spice. Same scent on the skin...the scent lies close to the skin. So delicious. I want to slather.

The myrrh is raising its sleepy little head, just a little. As it dries and warms, I cannot take my nose away from my arm. Just a little spiciness, which must be from the carnation. Just a tad of vanilla musk, so enveloping. A very warm scent. A come-hither scent. You may not smell me from across the room, but as you pass my proximity, you stop and wonder who smells divine? You want to stay close to this scent...warm, inviting and sexual without being overt. As LiberAmoris stated, where the scent ends and you start is difficult to surmise. It is one and the same.

 

I am very glad I purchased this. I have gotten better on choosing which notes work for me. I picked correctly.

I love the artwork for Inez. In my mind's eye, she is everything I want to be.

Her card reads:

 

Happiness lies neither in vice nor in virtue; but in the manner we appreciate the one and the other, and the choice we make pursuant to our individual organization

 

LiberAmoris, you smell like Nirvana.

[Tramp]

Inez is a rich, musky amber that is has just a hint of spicyness at the end. A really gorgeous blend that stays all sexy close to your skin rather than shout out "Smell me bitches!" it makes you want to snuggle closer for a better wiff.

[shriekingviolet]

Initial Impression:

Warm, sweet and slightly nutty.

 

After Wearing It:

For some reason, when I first looked at the note list, I was expecting Inez to be a powerful and heavy scent but it wasn't. For all the resin and wood notes, I found it to be like a stream of sunshine: full of warmth, gold and light. It was a very comforting fragrance, very sweet and a bit powdery. I didn't get the cedar or myrrh in this fragrance at all, maybe a bit of the red sandalwood, but it was elusive. It was mostly amber and vanilla musk with a touch of spice from the carnation.

 

The scent was fairly consistent and didn't do a lot of morphing on me, but after the first couple of hours, it got a little less powdery on me which made the scent smell more foody. Specifically? Like those animal cookies with pink icing that come in the hot pink bag. This is at least the third BPAL fragrance (Hod and Forbidden Fruit were the others that I can remember) I've tried that I've had that have smelled this way on me. I think I've finally figured out that fragrances that smell predominantly of amber plus one sweet note (usually vanilla, sometimes lotus) and not much else go "cookie" on me. Which isn't a bad thing at all, but not for every day. I like foody scents, but prefer them in bath products over perfume unless I'm just in the mood for them.

 

Final Thoughts:

Overall pretty good. On me it had good throw and lasted about 6-8 hours. And while it's not a scent I think I'll wear often (it's almost too yummy! ), I can see this one becoming very popular.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Warm sexy amber

 

Wet: Amber and musk make this very sexy!

 

Drydown: I can smell a bit of the sandalwood and cedar, but no carnation. Very glad I got a bottle!

3.5 outta 5

[jizatt]

I'm not good at picking out notes or I could tell you more I'm sure. This is smoky, slightly spicy vanilla on me. It's dark, but very warm. I can say it was slightly foody towards the beginning, but I don't smell that now.

 

 

edit: Oct 4th

I traded my bottle off awhile back, because I never got that vanilla darkness again. What I mainly smell in this is the myrrh =( This is also very faint on me - but most of the ladies were.

Edited October 4, 2008 by CaudaPavonis

[ivyandpeony]

I am a huge amber fan and Inez does not disappoint! My only fear was the cedar note, which I can sometimes amp into the world's largest pencil sharpener to the exclusion of everything else in a perfume. But it seems that the cedar and sandalwood just serve to anchor Inez and add to the amber's spiciness, which thrills me. I get a little spicy carnation and sweet vanilla, but the amber and musk steal the show here. This wasn't the longest lasting scent and didn't have a lot of throw - I'll be curious to see if that changes as my bottle ages, though. I know my bottle of Jacob's Ladder 2005 is thick and yummy now and much more intense than it was when it was fresh.

[Delirium1009]

In bottle/imp: Very strong amber and powdery vanilla.

 

Immediately on skin: This smells like amber and crumbled up sugar cookies on my skin. It is so golden, warm, and delicious smelling. Sniffing more though I get more perfumey rather than foodie notes. The main notes I smell are the amber and vanilla musk, but then the myrrh adds in its resinous, thick scent and the carnation and sandalwood peek in from the background.

 

After a little while: This is so gorgeous. It’s a nuzzling, sexy type of scent for sure. I get a really warm combo of amber, vanilla musk, sandalwood, and a touch of carnation and myrrh. That all combines to form a warm, creamy and slightly powdery golden scent.

 

Overall Impressions: This is my favorite scent of the new Carnaval acts so far. It’s warm, cuddly, and sexy. The amber and vanilla musk give the scent a very toasted, golden feel, while the myrrh adds a nice richness and the sandalwood and carnation bring it away from foodie and make it just downright sexy. For those people who love Hod, the amber in this is so similar to the kind used in Hod to my nose. The carnation isn't as strong, but the amber is just golden, slightly powdery, and completely lovely!

Edited June 17, 2008 by Delirium1009

[Eros]

Every one of the notes in Inez is a favorite for me so there was no way I could pass it up =)

 

First sniff both in the bottle and for the first few seconds after application it's almost lotus sweet. The sweetness fades and the musky vanilla and myrrh start to emerge with a beautiful, non-powdery amber hovering close behind. Another few seconds and I can barely smell a thing, then suddenly, a beautiful, spicy-sweetish carnation gently rises in a cloud of loveliness. The myrrh, combined with the amber and sandalwood add a gorgeous touch of incense, and along with a very subtle, barely there cedar(which I usually amp like mad), keep this beauty from being too girly. It has depth, it's rich...And while it's similar to Hod, Inez is much more interesting.

Delirium1009 describes it as, "a nuzzling, sexy type of scent", and it most certainly is Each time I've worn this my husband has reacted with, "Mmm, you smell really good", as he then proceeds to move in closer to nuzzle my neck

 

This one(along with The Illustrated Woman), absolutely multi-bottle worthy.

[scarletgenesis]

In the bottle, I could barely smell Inez at all...the same once I first applied it. I was actually wondering if there was something wrong with either the blend or my nose (I'm a little stuffy today). But after about 20 minutes, things started to emerge....first it was undenyably the woodsy cedar, then the amber, and a little later I got something slightly sweet and almost caramel-like. I'm guessing that last one is the vanilla musk, which is like sweet and sexy skin.

 

I would like to get more of the carnation, but there is a slight spicyness now so perhaps it will come out more as I wear this intriguing blend.

 

I also have some Inez in my scent locket and I have to say that this blend is much better and more complex when interacting with my skin chemistry.

 

A lovely winner!

[waternight]

In the bottle: Deep, smokey vanilla and a rich amber.

Wet: Amber and vanilla with a bit of spicy carnation. This is not a light, tropical vanilla - this is serious vanilla, deep, dark, and sophisticated. Although... what's this? Now it smells like spiced oatmeal cookies! Yummy. I want to eat it. A bit later, some sweet warm myrrh creeps in. Vanilla-amber oatmeal cookies. Delicious! Luckily, the woods are behaving, as sandalwood sometimes turns a blend into a single-note, powdery sandalwood. The carnation adds a steady spice that keeps the vanilla and amber from being too sticky.

Dry: Warm, sexy-snuggly, resinous vanilla. Deep and dark and soft. There's still a lingering "oatmeal cookie" note to this, but that's fine because it smells amazing. This will definitely be a popular blend.

[lookingglass]

I got a whole bottle of Inez unsniffed...and I love it. I will be using this up very quickly because I, the Sillage Queen, am going to have to slather! She reminds me of a combination of Morocco (light, musky, spicy), Sed Non Satiata (similar slight nuttiness...must be the myrrh, as it is the only note they share...but the amber in Inez may have some honey), and Shub (for the depth and sexy-spicy-cookie vibe). It is not at all overpowering. Inez is a skin scent for sure, slightly sweetened, warmed and spiced. This is the queen of ambers in the BPAL catalogue. Amber is in itself a blend of many components, and all of the notes here mearly support it, make it more sophisticated and sexy. This is not a strong incensey or "hippie" amber...it is creamy and entirely feminine, and because of it's light sillage is a perfect oriental for warm weather. It reminds me of my beloved Bellogdia by the house of Caron (my favorite carnation to date) before the dreaded reformulation. Thank you, Beth, for a new classic!

Edited October 19, 2009 by lookingglass

[savage_rose]

In the bottle, it smells like a nutty, lightly spiced vanilla cake to me, with an undercurrent of women's cologne. On, it becomes cologne...and then the myrrh powders out...and then the vanilla powders out...and then I cry.

 

It's an excellent scent locket candidate though. It's gorgeous, spicy, and focused. Inez isn't one of your wishy-washy ladies of the Grindhouse! She's all business .

[djsiberia]

wet/in bottle: sweet, nutty

 

amber dry: yummmm....sweet nutty amber

 

later: amber, vanilla and sandalwood and a small hint of something woodsy.

 

the sweetness dies down and it gets more spicey as time wears on.

 

i am so glad i bought this as i do think i'll need a couple back-ups.

 

 

delicious

 

eta: it doesn't really have very good staying power even with it being in the locket. maybe i didn't put a lot in the locket or on my skin, but i'm already just below the top of the label and i only used it 2 times.

Edited July 12, 2008 by djsiberia

[Brianne]

When this goes on at first, I got really excited because it goes on just like MB Underpants on me @__@ I mean honestly, smells exactly the same wet. That does change though lol. It quickly becomes woodier and more amber than vanilla (whereas the wet stage is very vanilla).

 

I'm sort of surprised that this scent is not screaming of cedar on me, since that note tends to get a little crazy out of control on my skin. It's actually incredibly subdued here and works well with the amber. I don't get vanilla past the wet stage so for the most part this scent ends up being very ambery and woody with a little bit of carnation in the late life of this scent.

Edited June 19, 2008 by Brianne

[SurrealReality]

My absolute favorite note is vanilla musk, and my absolute least favorite note is cedar..... we'll see who wins.......

 

In the bottle/imp: Unbelievably Gorgeous!!! Vanilla musk, sandalwood, myrrh, and amber

 

Wet on Skin: The sandalwood is at the forefront, still with quite a bit of vanilla musk, myrrh, and amber. Very pretty, but not as wonderful as it was in the bottle

 

Dry: Ahhhh.....and here comes the cedar It's quite a strong note too Cedar does one of two things on me - pencil shavings or soap. In this scent, it's turning to soap Several hours into the drydown, it finally fades. But right after it's gone, the vanilla musk declines considerably (along with the sweetness), and the carnation comes out to play

 

My rating in the bottle/imp: 5 out of 5

My rating on my skin: 2.5 out of 5

 

I highly recommend this scent 'cause if it weren't for my contemptible skin chemistry, this would have been HG material!

 

ETA: I'm gonna to get a big bottle of this anway 'cause I know it's gonna rock in an oil burner

Edited November 19, 2008 by SurrealReality

[tartchef]

Ah, Inez, you'll reel them in, won't you! This will be one of those secret-weapon scents, not overtly sexxxxxy but impossible to ignore. The amber & myrrh make it a bit powdery on my skin, and the vanilla musk nudges it into the almost-foody realm - I swear, there's something almost nutty here that reminds me of Wezwanie/Hold. Grounding things are very smooth, understated sandalwood & the faintest trace of carnation, just enough to add a creamy haze.

 

If I didn't have a million things to do & a toddler in the house, I'd dab a bit of Inez at the nape of my neck & see how long it took for my husband to get me from front door to bedroom... or if we bothered to get that far

[Josh]

Good. God. Damn. On a woman this would be the ideal scent. I skipped on a full bottle of this and just got a decant.. never imagined this would be so good. At first I get something like a nutty.. almost toffee scent from it, but it's not foody at all. (ETA: The above reviewer mentioned Wezwanie/Hold -- spot on .. I knew that toffee-ish scent from somewhere). After a couple of minutes it goes all sandalwood and carnation (great mix) - and I swear I'm getting that same cola note that is in Schwarzer Mond... although I seem to be getting that note in almost everything I test lately so take that observation with a grain of salt. (also ETA: n/m, myrrh.. so cozy). After about an hour I detect the vanilla.

 

This would be just achingly and mindblowingly sexy on the right woman... Inez is the first bpal I've smelled that truly seems drop dead all-out sexy. Another unique thing about Inez is it seems like it would work just as well in summer as it would in winter... not too heavy, but definitely lighter than the listed notes would have you believe. I doubt I'll get a full bottle as this isn't something I'd personally wear (of this Grindhouse Girls series, Marianne is the one I enjoy most on me.. red musk is becoming a new fav) but if I was a woman I'd sell my entire current bpal collection and place an order for about 100 bottles of Inez. It's one of the few bpals I'd consider a perfect scent, and because it is not cloyingly sweet and the 'tone' of Inez seems to melt into the skin perfectly, this is definitely one you could slather on - although moderate applications should be sufficient as the throw and life are what you'd expect with a vanilla/amber/sandalwood base.

 

I'm almost 100% certain Inez will age gloriously as well, coaxing the sweetness of the vanilla out into the open. If at first Inez seems nutty or too strange, let it age.

 

Sorry for the novel, but Inez deserves props for being so damn perfect.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Josh

[Kippy]

Oh Inez. You are beautiful and I surrender to you completely.

 

This one is a morpher: Inez breezes through her components, each one presenting itself almost like (but better than) a single note, one by one, until they all fade into warm amber vanilla (and yes, a little oatmeal cookie!).

 

Incredibly sexy. I can't imagine the men-folk standing a chance.

[suileach]

Whoa. Intensely sexy. Inez dances with you in a hot room, an old phonograph scratching out a love song. This is her scented hair, the humid weight of summer, her red heels tapping on the wooden floor, and the sweat beading between her breasts. From there, her perfume rises - musk, glowing amber, dry sandalwood, heat...

 

Holy hell, this is sex in a bottle. Nothing like O's post-coital scent, but a feminine skin-scent reminiscent of desire and lust. It entices, draws you closer, heats the blood, brings words like 'devour' and, well, rather less coherent things, to the forefront of the mind. My skin almost completely eats this after an hour, but I certainly don't think I'll mind re-slathering this one.

 

...In short?

Edited June 20, 2008 by suileach

[sadtomato]

this is going to be a favorite of mine and i need a big bottle!

in the bottle this just smelled sweet and i was worried i wouldn't like it.

but as soon as i got it on my skin, i knew i was in love.

this is spicey, slightly sweet and musky.

reminds me of a soy candle i had in college and couldn't get the smell of out of my head...i've been searching for that scent ever since and have found a variation of it here.

this particular combination of scents is magic on me!

[euterpe414]

Inez is so soft and gorgeous, I just can't manage to pry my face away from my wrist.... mmmmmmm. It's predominantly an amber blend, with a sweet vanilla musk lingering to smooth it out. When dry it takes on a more incense-y tone, with a hint of dry spice in the background. I do sense a bit of the nutty quality others have written about in the drydown- it isn't overpowering, but very light and pleasant. Anyone who loves amber should not hesitate to try this one, it is unlike any other BPAL amber blend I have tried, and definitely deserves lots of love.

[Tal Shachar]

Holy crap, how can something so sexy smell so classy? The vanilla musk fades quickly on me as it always does, to my annoyance, because it's a fantastic note. The amber and the spicy carnation are what last on me, with the sandalwood lurking underneath (sandalwood is always the last one off the train). Resinous but classic and womanly.

 

Might be scent locket material since damn, I miss that vanilla musk once it disappears.

[slave1]

INEZ

 

In Bottle: Honeyed wood

 

On Skin: This starts beautiful on me. Sweet yum… so golden in tone. Like warm honey and wood. But… there is something wonky in there. One tiny little note that keeps this from being perfection. What is it? I think it’s the red sandalwood. I love sandalwood, but red seems to be a bit “off” on me… like wet wood. The amber is soft and delicate, the vanilla musk is to die for… so sweet and velvety. The myrrh is warm and deep, the cedar is woody and full of sweetness and the carnation is a bit spicy and floral. So very nice, and so close to being a gallon worthy scent. As it develops the bit of wonkiness goes away, yay! A very golden sweet woody scent. Light throw and average wearlength.

[maribouquet]

I really dislike this when wet - it's nutty in a gross way and alkaline. But then it dries and becomes a gorgeous amber/musk blend, with a soft vanilla emerging after a time. To my nose it's a warmer, feminine companion to Mort de Cesar.