Inez

[doublehelix]

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

This is very reminiscent of Hod to me. Strong carnation, not much of anything else, sadly. As it dries, it softens up a bit.. and I get a little of amber, which smells like powder on my skin.

[wrestlingentropy]

Inez brought me serious love today. Part of what I enjoy so much about BPAL oils is learning them the way I have to be patient and learn a new album by any of my favorite musicians, waiting as its own internal logic unfolds and is revealed to me. With all the comparisons to Morocco, I was expecting much more sweetness and warmth right away, but Inez comes across as rather soft and dry at first. She is a little soapy in the early phases, but not in a bad way. But she takes on a fascinating life of her own as she begins to morph throughout the day. She actually increases in throw and strength after a few hours as the amber and musk come out to play, before the myrrh finally triumphantly blooms. She's like a slightly shy girl who only reveals the depth of her sensuality after you get to know her better. I'm a practicing Buddhist, and Inez is perfect for me to wear to Sunday morning service at the temple--she's quiet and pleasant enough not to be distracting to myself or others during silent meditation, but then she gets louder later in the day when I'm headed out and about. A really remarkable oil, a winner for me for sure. I was initially hoping for more carnation (mourning not having gotten any backup bottles of Hod), but that's really a minor quibble at this point given my affection for her.

[CiaoBonefish]

When I first sniffed this in the decant and when it is initially applied to my skin I was smelling straight up honey! I don't know why the amber sweetened up so much, but I could definitely smell some vanilla muskiness and myrrh going on in the background deepening the thick honey sweetness.

 

On my skin after a while the sweetness of the amber begins to mellow out and the scent on my skin now reminds me very much of Chimera which makes me think this is predominantly myrrh and not amber like i initially thought on my skin in the dry down. The amber and vanilla musk add a creamy and deliciously musky sweetness. Wow. I just cannot get over how much this smells like Chimera! This is creamy delicious sweetened amber almost cake like bread like myrrh on me. Gorgeous! Don't know if I'll be needing a bottle but this blend is ultimately a gorgeous myrrh, vanilla musk, and amber blend. The other notes contribute but just in rounding out this lovely blend!

 

Stays pretty close to the skin but lasts a really long time!

[tailoredshirt]

In the bottle: A bit perfumey-floral, with lots of musk. I also get a bit of sweetness from the amber.

 

Wet: Musk! Floral! Still perfumey, but very pretty. I think the floral I'm getting is definitely the carnation.

 

Dry: As it dries, it smells absolutely lovely. I still get the floral musk, but it's smoother. I also get a bit of vanilla/amber now, and every once in a while I get a whiff of cookies. Vanilla amps on me like whoa, and this is no exception. Over an hour after putting it on, the cookie scent is now holding steady under the carnation. I can tell that in a few hours I'll only be able to smell the vanilla. *sigh*

 

Overall: I like this a lot, though I prefer the first 30 minutes of this scent to the cookie-ish drydown. I can't decide if I need a full bottle of this or if I need to try it again with a decant, maybe applying more this time so the carnation is stronger.

[Dharklady]

In bottle: Amber, myrrh, and a sharp floral.

Wet: The sharp floral fades quickly and leaves behind a super soft amber and vanilla scent.

Dry: I can barely smell that there is anything there sadly.

Notes: Too soft to really call to me though the amber/vanilla blend is simply gorgeous when you can catch it.

 

[Dianora]

My reviews are usually kind of wordy, but this one can pretty much be summed up in one: wow. This is just gorgeous on me, all golden amber and vanilla with some delicious spicy incense swirled in. The carnation is subtle and soft, and it just makes me feel exotic and sun-drenched-- in a good way. This is drop dead sexy fresh, I am seriously looking forward to how this develops as it ages.

[Coelli]

My bottle is lab-fresh and I bought Inez unsniffed based on reviews. I don't know why then that it surprised me when I put it on and at first whiff got SPIIIIICE! Hello Spice! Are you cinnamon? Are you clove? I don't know but you're SPICY.

 

I almost washed Inez off in disappointment. Then, suddenly, she morphed and this amazing musky ambery sweetness began to rise from my wrists and whirl me away. Wow. And oh, does she throw! This one's a wrist-huffer!

 

So glad I bought a bottle, I will be coming back to it often.

Edited January 2, 2011 by Shollin
Removed Lab description

[theasylph]

I bought a year old bottle blindly and impulsively off of Ebay after reading great things about it. I've been looking for a blend like this for so long. The Harp didn't work on me, it turned dry & dusty and then disappeared. Inez is by far the best vanillic blend I have tried. It starts of with an almost buttery spiced cookie feel at first. It's a little vanilla and a little spice but not over the top like Sugar Cookie. The cedar adds a grounded woodsy factor. It is subtle but it doesn't disappear like most vanilla blends have on me (ie. The Harp, Regan). It's a little bit of an awesome morpher too. There was a solid 5 minutes where I smelled the plastic vanilla scent of My Little Ponies on my arm. Then she morphed back to gorgeous light amber vanilla spice. Usually amber goes powdery on me but something keeps it from doing so. The notes just all work so well together.

 

Sort of reminds me of Shub Nigurrath with the creamy spice factor but I think Inez is lightyears prettier.

* Just smelling my arm now hours later I still smell a faint trace of Inez and it reminds me of Chanel Coromandel! Also a favorite of mine. So awesome.

 

I Inez

 

 

[fireweaver]

in bottle- vaguely hod/morocco mixture. This could be good, or really sharp...

On skin- CARNATION! Not the sharp carnation smell. The vanilla is tempering it a bit. Also musky.

As it dries, the cedar and sandalwood comes out more prominantly as starts to try and take over. I'm left with a spicy/slightly musky vanillaish wood scent on my skin. Decent throw, lasted over 5 hours on me, but it's not a scent I'd wear due to the overwhelming carnation followed up with the wood takeover.

[Duck Mountain]

I'm having a hard time with this one, since by all accounts the notes should all work on me - and do, satisfactorily - but it's not as incredible as I was hoping. This may be due to the fact that I'm congested at the time of writing, but I did want to get my first impressions down before I forget.

 

Wet - Kind of sweet, almost cocoa-y.

 

Dry - The amber turns a bit powdery and comes to the forefront, and it loses the hint of sweetness. Really not able to detect much else - a tiny bit of carnation, maybe, but this isn't the amazing sandalwood-amber I thought it might be from the description.

 

I'll definitely retest this when I can breathe properly, but whether or not it works, I'll probably hang on to my decant.

[Gold Dust Kitten]

I bought a very low partial of this and I'm not feeling it because it doesn't smell like anything but soap. I don't smell any of the wonderful things everyone else gets. A few hours after I put it on, there's a sweet, very faint carnation smell on my skin. Disappointing.

 

OK, giving this another chance...this time I can actually smell the notes. It's a powdery amber carnation with light spice. Very soft and comforting but seductive too. I feel like wearing this while snuggling with a boy on a cold night.

Edited October 14, 2010 by mxtine

[KesHiro]

Wow, this is strange.

 

In the bottle, it's spicy sweet incense. On me? Wet through drydown, it's like Fledgling Raptor Moon snagged some vanilla cookies and is now chopping them down in the nest. Far into the drydown (like, five hours later), it's the same but with a touch more spice. It's so very weird but it's also a pleasant surprise. Throw-wise, this one likes to stay extremely close to the skin but it lasts a good seven hours.

 

If you were disappointed in FRM because it wasn't sweet enough, you might want to check out Inez. It has that woody quality but also a much strong vanilla note.

[brilliantcat]

This was a last-minute addon to my decant order and I am SO glad I did! It's absolute perfection on me! Smoky vanilla musk, soft woods, the warmth of the amber, and just a hint of spice from the carnation. I have quickly learned that my holy trinity of oils are vanilla/tonka, wood notes, and musks. There's really nothing else I can add except that my husband got *that* look in his eye when I asked him to sniff me

[CreamyJade]

In the bottle: Amber, sweet cedar, slightly musky.

Wet on skin: Cedar, amber, incense, vanilla, musk.

Dry on skin: Spicy carnation (I seem to amp carnation), glorious golden amber, hint of cedar & sandalwood.

Final thoughts: This is a really superb perfume: very feminine, sexy, oriental. It has a good throw and lasts a while. I'm very happy with this bottle, another Carnaval win!

Try if you like: Morroco, Hod, Midnight Mass, Schwarzer Mond

Edited February 11, 2011 by CreamyJade

[yakiguri]

Inez is a spicy vanilla-musk that reminds me of an oriental perfume my mom used to wear when I was a kid; rich, heady, and deliciously expensive. I smell cloves, which I like, though I think that may be the cedar and sandlewood mixing with the vanilla. Inez is pretty strong and commanding, so not for the faint of heart and/or those who slather. Similar to Morocco--they could be cousins--but I find Inez sweeter. This is definitely a sophisticated scent, and is what you wear with a LBD, or when you're going out to the opera, not slumming around in jeans.

 

Inez is the best of the Grindhouse ladies I've tried. I must get a bottle!

[HerbGirl]

I have quite a few Amber perfumes...

I love Amber...

This is the most amazing Amber perfume oil I have smelled - I think Inez is another perfume that actually wears ME.

This is everything an Amber scent should be, and what few are: it's soft, but not powdery and is quite a skin scent on me. I'm surprised I don't smell the carnation in this (I usually amp the heck out of carnation), but I can detect the vanilla musk and sandalwood. This is a keeper...just ordered a few bottles just in case the Carnaval departs anytime soon... 5/5

[girlsleuth]

I didn't like this at all when I first got it (in a decant circle, right when it came out) but now it smells amazing! Maybe a little powdery, but it's a lot like Morocco which I love and have been meaning to get more of. When I first put it on, it's a blast of boozy-like sweetness, like caramel, but then it immediately morphs into something more mature, something with a lot of depth. I can smell the wood a lot at this point, but after it's been on awhile the vanilla and carnation really come out. I'm really into florals and fruity-sweet scents, ones that might be described as cute or sweet or for a young ingenue, but I really like this because it's different. It evokes confidence and sensuality. It's still very feminine without going the delicate flower route. Love this.

[Gin]

My decant is of indeterminate age and seems to have lost all of its carnation. However, I still get loads of warm, golden amber and musk. It reminds me of L'Estate and ... that other one that was like L'Estate. Et Lux Fuit. Inez is warm and pretty. I might pick up a fresh bottle to see if I can get more carnation--or maybe just so I can have more.

[subtlesiren]

I knew I would love this scent before I ever opened the bottle. From the notes, it promised to be Morocco's sexy older sister, and it is. The amber makes Inez even warmer than Morocco, and the myrrh and cedar deepen the scent. This scent seemed very mysterious, like Inez is the GH lady with all the secrets and a haunting past. I'm transported to a underground, dusty desert lair, with candles everywhere... or maybe I'm just being influenced by the GORGEOUS label art. I adore Inez. Back-up bottle: check.

Edited May 1, 2011 by subtlesiren

[calivianya]

Inez immediately strikes me as a "warm" scent - which is usually my gut reaction to cedar and myrrh. Both of those notes are definitely present here. The carnation and myrrh combination make this deliciously spicy, and the vanilla musk sweetens it. The sandalwood and amber are also definite presences, making this one of the few oils that I can actually detect all the listed notes in. Inez is totally beautiful and I might just have to get a bottle.

[Penance]

Origin:

 

5mL from a forumite (bought with some age to it, but I don't know how old it is).

 

Preconceived notions:

 

I want to love this. I really, really do, because it sounds beautiful. Carnation has me worried, though. I'm not a carnation fan and it has the potential to turn my stomach a little if it's strong.

 

First sniff:

 

Oh, this is so pretty. Feminine and pretty without going the route of floral-overload-of-DOOM. I get sweet, almost syrupy amber (like Amaterasu v3), vanilla musk and a very faint touch of sandalwood and myrrh. No carnation at this point (and no cedar, either, which I would be disappointed about if this didn't smell so nice as is).

 

Wet on skin:

 

Sweet, golden and musky with a faint undertone of spiciness and resins. I don't usually gravitate towards truly feminine blends, but this manages to slip through the same loophole that Amaterasu v3 does. It's feminine but it's not your textbook, floral-heavy feminine blend.

 

Dry down:

 

About the same as when it was wet. It's a beautiful scent, but it triggers a wicked migraine within about 15 minutes of putting it on, which is breaking my heart. I've tried it several times, hoping it was just a fluke, but no such luck. I have no idea what's the culprit here. Everything should be safe (in that I've never had an issue with any of the listed notes giving me a migraine before). All I can think is that it's my issue with carnation rearing its head in a new and (not-so) exciting way, even if I can't really smell the carnation here.

 

The bottom line:

 

Inez breaks my heart. I can't seem to get rid of my bottle because it's just such a pretty scent, but I can't wear it, either. At least not without taking a prophylactic dose of pain medication to try to head off the migraine that's sure to follow.

[Diva Urd]

In the vial: I definitely get sandalwood and musk, maybe a hint of carnation and a peppery cedar edge, but the latter is VERY faint.

 

On: The vanilla musk releases its vanilla component as I put it on my skin. There is definitely carnation now. Everything else is delegated to the background. Oddly enough, even though the combination of notes sounds lovely, on me, they turn into something incredibly non-descript... like there is a skeleton of a scent, but the body has left. I get the slight powderiness of the amber, the hint of vanilla, a touch of cedar and a top of carnation, but... I don't know how to describe it, it just feels like my skin needs something else in this to make it work, and I have no idea what it is.

 

Later: Carnation and vanilla. I don't know, it's nice enough, but it completely leaves me cold, I'm afraid.

[Vega]

Sniffed: A blend of myrrh and deep, solemn woods, and a certain floral note that must be carnation.

 

On skin: The scent really blooms on my skin. Fragrant myrrh is the central note, deepened by discreet woods and made clear a distinctive floral note that must be the sweet carnation. I think I smell whiffs of vanilla musk and amber, softening and brightening respectively. Inez is a lovely resin-floral blend, full-bodied, clear and calm. She has a gentle yet enigmatic presence, quite reminiscent of Gypsy Queen and Three Brides.

 

Verdict: A very pretty resin floral, a solid like but not exceptional. Those who love (and miss) Gypsy Queen may want to try Inez, she's similar both in scent and feel.

[claudia6913]

This is almost exclusively cedar on me. I seem to amp it quite a bit. As it dries down, I get more of a woody-resin scent, but with no floral and very little vanilla musk. Possibly the myrrh is adding to the woody scent. It's a little overwhelming at first, but it's a nice warm woody scent when it's calmed down.

 

Edit to add: A month or so later this comes into it's own. The woods are still very predominant, but now the amber and vanilla and carnation are getting to play at the party. It's still a warm woody scent, but now it's rounded out with all the notes. It's much deeper and a little more complex after sitting for a bit.

Edited October 21, 2011 by claudia6913

[valnillarose]

Inez is a sweet amber skin musk on me, almost reminiscent of the Bonne Bell classic but sweeter. The amber has just a touch of the dirtiness that amber can have, but the vanilla musk keeps it in check. I get perhaps a hint of the sandalwood, but no carnation, cedar, or myrrh that I recognize. Inez is a winner!