Cairo

[pekeana]

The essence of holy Kyphi, beloved incense of the Egyptian Gods.

In the vial, I can't distinguish any notes -- it's sweet, but resinous, and yet, rather soft and flat.

On me, I get a lot of lemongrass and a lot of frankincense, with a touch of deep, dark myrrh, and a little dusty and powdery amber, but that unidentifiable sweetness is still there, rounding it all out. I also smell smoke above all the rest, lending it a slight acridity.

It kind of makes me go "huh?" because I'm not sure if I like it or not.

[ChupaChup]

Oh, why did I wait so long to try Cairo? I thought I might like it because it sounded similar to Athens, which is one of my favorites, but I didn't even have it on my wishlist and just sort of ordered it on a whim. It does sort of remind me of Athens, but the honey note is very different, it's more of a waxy basenote than a sweet honey note like in Athens, and the wine in Cairo is much stronger and redder than the wine in Athens. It reminds me of the wine in Blood Rose, which I did not like, but I love it in this blend. I smell frankincense and myrrh, they are resinous and floaty at the same time. This scent is really intoxicating, strong and long-lasting. I can't stop sniffing my wrist, it is so GOOD.

[LupaWulf]

Oh wow!

 

It's very complex in the bottle...

The sweet notes come out to hit my nose, yet I can scent the undertones of frakensence which initially made me hesitate a little.

 

When wearing it wet I certianly could smell the myrr and frakensence. As it dryed off, the floral and sweet notes came out to play. Another interesting point for me: Normally the frankenscence and other spice type notes tend to dominate on my skin. Fortunatly as the day progressed, more and more floral (is it lotus? I can't quite tell other than it's nice and light and sweet) appeared.

 

It was not enough to twitch and hurt my nose. Just a sweet light scent to make me dream of lillies and flowers floating across the mirror surface of a calm river in the summer sun.

 

Not sure if I will buy a whole bottle, but this imp is certianly nice enough.

[with coffee spoons]

Upon application, I love this, the brightness of the lemon, the sweet, slight fruitiness mixed with incense. By the time a half hour passes, however, this becomes bubblegum grape. Not entirely unpleasant, of course, but not my idea of a perfect personal fragrance. Too bad, because I quite like this at first.

[surf-tormented]

Smelled like very light frangipani on me the first time I woke it to bed. The second time it was a little stronger. Again, like frangipani with a little church incense. I could barely smell it either way. I couldn't even smell it in the vial, so I don't know if it is my body chemistry or I got a bad batch or what. I don't know what Kyphi smells like so I don't know if I smelled it or not.

[TheDarkMother]

More Egyptian scents! Yay!! Of course, I need to be extra careful with this, because the last Egyptian scent that I tried was Khepra, and I loved it SO much, but the inside of the imp cap broke off entirely, leaving a small hole in it and I couldn't cap it fully. I tried taping it, but it didn't work, and it leaked all over the place. Luckily I will get a 5mL to replace it in my next order, but still...must not molest the precious!

 

In the Bottle: Very light and resiny. This isn't what I expected at all, and I am very pleasantly surprised.

 

On Me: Wow. Stumped! Its sweet, yet spicy and completely resiny. Its like citrus, a slight lemon or orange tang to it on the wrist, but in the air its more musky. The wrist is decidedly lemon actually, but its a nice, normal lemon scent that isn't too overpowering. A great change from the Pledge smell of lemon verbena.

 

But it is very light, and like I said, not at all like I was expecting. This was a great surprise actually, and the lemon scent isn't overpowering enough for me to turn up my nose. Especially now that the musk scent is now in charge.

 

I think I really like this one. So far all of the Egyptian scents that I have tried I have really liked, even though this isn't spicy enough. I'll still get a big bottle of this one though, simply because it was a step away from my ideal.

[Gin]

I'm having a difficulttime describing this, as I can't really pick out any individual notes. Cairo smells warm. A little lemony, a little resiny. Brings to mind baklava and golden raisins. Very nice, but subtle.

[sarahjay]

I really, really like this one & so does the family - daughter #1 declared it 'perfect'

 

it starts off lemony and soon warms up & the spices come out - not too spicy, not too heady, not too strong. I had wondered if it would be too similar to morocco, but no - it doesn't have the sweetness that morocco has.

 

I would be off to get the 5mls at once, but I am also after the 'stations of the sun' set & did read that one of them is similar to cairo - hmmmm - what to do? but I do really like this and would always need to have at least an imp. I also already have snake oil, morocco (+ dragonfly blue nile musk I got as a free sample) and have gingerbread poppet on the way so I'm not sure just how many spicy scents I need at once, but maybe when I've used one of those.....

 

but cairo, I'll not forget you or your imp - lovely

[OdetteOdile]

For some reason I was expecting an amber scent, but this is lemon drops, red wine and raisins.

I've never heard of Kyphi incense - does it smell like this?

Happily, the lemon candy note softened & moved to the background the longer I wore it, and wine scents tend to go pretty well with my skin so I enjoyed that.

 

I badly want to visit Cairo now and see if the streets or restaurants smell like this. You know how a new city can smell intense and strange and when you first arrive, but after visiting or living there for a few months, that scent becomes full of associations and reminds you of all the people you know there and all the different experiences you've had? That's what this reminds me of.

Eventually it developed a dragon's blood scent mixed with wine - tart and fruity.

[anmorata]

Cairo:

 

Cairo smells very sweet in the imp. I was expecting a full, head-on incense/resin scent, but I was thoroughly impressed. Upon application, Cairo mellowed into a soft incense smell, and as someone said, sunlight and stone. Very faint, and quite nice.

[shelldoo]

wet and dry remained very similar on me, but i get no lemon at all (which is good i am not really a lemon fan, i got juicy, dark, sweet grape wine, w/ a smokey spicy incense in teh backgrund, just enough to deepen it so it wasn't a sweet little girl's perfume, this one is beautiful

[Finny]

Sweet, tangy fruits.

 

I didn't get incense, just a fruity, earthy, sweet scent. I like it though, it is sweet and tangy, and as it dries down there is a darker smoky note.

 

The imp is staying, not sure about a bigger bottle yet.

[Spastik_Kitty]

In the bottle: Juciy dark fruits and incense

 

First on: This is lovely, rich, dark and warm. A lush berry incense.

 

Afer awhile: Poot, this is turning sour on me, my skin doesn't like resiny incenses, it turns too smokey with some powdery notes.

 

I wanted to love you Cairo, but our affair was ever fleeting.

[wickedgoddess]

Origins - Imp received in a swap

 

Absolutely lovely, but so well blended that I really can't pick out any notes from it. I definitely don't get any lemon, although I do think I get some apple blossom. The only thing keeping this from getting a higher score is that is fades very quickly on me. Still, I think this is very lovely, and will consider a big bottle, just not immediately.

 

On the wickedgoddess scale of 1 to 5, with 5 begin best, this rates a 4.

[tinyvulture]

at first, it’s a lot more foody than I expected! sure, there’s incense, but I also smell tart lemon, something kind of like cantaloupe, and maybe figs? but it becomes less foody as it dries. the lemon mellows out and blends in more with the smoky, sweet incense, and it’s very nice at that point.

[PurringPulsar]

Cairo

In the imp: wow, this is zingy, fruity, resiny, spicy, Egyptian! I can make out frankincense, some fruits and maybe some myrrh. This reminds me a bit of Ahatoor, but 'juicier'.

Wet on skin: lemon sherbet with Egyptian spice and herbs! This is really nice and refreshing, perky and vibrant, but there's a hint of ancient mystique beneath the surface.

Dry on skin: lemon and spices and herbs, this is really nice, I think I can make out some resins, probably frankincense, which has a 'brighter' smell than other resins, and some herbs, and something sweeter within-this could be honey or raisins (major components of Egyptian kyphi-maybe the lemon is lemongrass, which apparently is a kyphi ingredient too). It brings to my mind the Egyptian sun shining down on a time-old market selling fruits and spices and all sorts of exotic ware. This is a great blend to wear to wake me up, clear my fuzzy mind.

After a while: the perky lemon sweet smell is toning down but it's still there, giving way to some more refined smells, such as myrrh and sandalwood (I think), some herbal notes, and frankincense and sweet resins too. I can even detect a hint of smoke-burning incense? Luckily the smokiness isn't strong or jarring. I can even make out some other fruity sweetness-maybe some wine or figs?

After about an hour, I can make out a sweet floral, perhaps the sacred lotus of ancient Egypt. it's very light and gentle now, the lemon, lotus and incense are now soft on my skin.

This lasts quite a long time on my skin...after a few hours, the lotus remains, it's similar to the last stage of Blood Lotus, but drier...there's something 'dusty' about this-no bad thing though, in fact it's reminiscent of dusty Egyptian ruins, dry sands, ancient tombs...

Verdict: at first this is a zingy blend which awakens my fuzzy mind with its blast of 'exotic lemon sherbet' and spices, herbs and resins. It's warm and sunny and uplifting, yet has an ancient mystique within which makes itself known as the scent mellows out after some time-the woods, spices and incense come out and evoke an age old past, a sunset on the Nile, the sunlight caressing the pyramids. I shall shut up before I get too effin' poetic, but this is the essence of Egyptian sunshine, I think. Perfect for summer, or to wear on those rainy days when I want to daydream about being in Egypt instead. It's not heavy either, which is good. It's another Egyptian blend, and guess what, I love it!!! I can't wait to see what it's like as room fragrance...

Edited May 7, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[blaqpearl]

I happened to acquire a bottle of this unsniffed. Then I totally forgot that I had it, can you believe that? That is what happens when you are buying way too much bpal.

 

Be that as it may...I love this. This will easily make it into my top ten. I dont get citrus at all. It is hard for me to pick out any single notes. It smells like my incense draw, where I have my nag champa, eygptian musk, real sandalwood, dhoop sticks, etc. It smells like the incense that is burning when you walk into an African shop. It is the incense that i have been looking for but have never found. I will have to buy a big bottle of this so that I can make it into a room scent. My hubby is going to love this.

[Northernminx]

Smokey incense, herbal, dry and warm. This is a very soothing, earthy dry scent. I'm not much of an incense fan though so this one won't stick around but I really did enjoy trying it. Warm and vibrant, this wasn't green so much as golden brown in my mind.

[wolfie13]

In the vial: First sniff - grape bubblegum is my impression. Hmm - not excited about that. Sniffing with more focus - red wine (which always reads very grape-y to me and on me in most bpal blends), raisins and honey.

 

Upon application: Still very grape-y, but calms down considerably after just a few moments. Notes of frankincense and perhaps a touch of lemongrass come more to the fore, brightening things up a bit and taking the edge off the fruity sweetness.

 

Overall this scent reads a lot lighter than I imagine this review would lead you to believe. It's not overtly sweet or fruity or incense-y, yet it has a touch of those qualities.

 

The much later drydown (4 hours or so) is surprising - it's become very soft and mostly light honey, with a teensy bit of floral - the slightest touch of rose, maybe - and very light spice. (The throw at this point is somewhat reminiscent of Alice on me, believe it or not!)

 

It seems really complex - I get the feeling that there are a lot more things going on in this blend than I can pick out. I find myself sniffing and sniffing and finding myself without a lot to compare it to. I like that!

 

Unique and a keeper, much to my surprise.

Edited June 10, 2005 by wolfie13

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

Scrummy. Fruity and resiny, with a teeny bit of floral.

On

Oh my, this is so edible. I expected more of a camphor smell with the Kephri blend, this is nice though. I swear I smell chocolate. Maybe it's coffee. Almost like a Sugar Skull kind of brown sugar but not quite. And then some lemony orange fruit goodness with some resin incensey in there too.

 

30 minutes

The sweetness goes away quite a bit on me, now the fruitiness is more lime-ish, which doesn't go so well with the coffee smell as the orangeyness did.

Okay, there's the Kephri scent now! It took a long time to get there. Yep. That nice herbal in Kephri that helps one breathe easier, it's like camphor or eucalyptus-y? That goes much better with the lime quality of the fruitiness then just the coffee maple syrup smell alone did.

 

Throw:

a bit more than average.

 

Scent category:

fruity/resin-incense-y

 

Summary

You have to have an appreciation of the egyptian incense "Kephri" to enjoy this I think. What a rollercoaster of a scent.

At first it's great and chocolate orange and amber.

Then it's lime and maple syrup with coffee.

Then it's Kephri incense blend and lime

This is a strong-ish blend so those of you that don't like strong fruity or strong fruity floral should proceed with caution. There's definitely a Kephri type blend in there towards the end.

 

Purchase again?

Yes I think so.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

3.5 - 4 Can't decide just yet. If my skin could keep the orangey, the sweet resinous quality and the Kephri goodies together, oy, it would be perfect.

Edited July 15, 2005 by UltraViolet

[Siren29]

Summary

Definitely a scent that I smelled and loved. Then I didn't like it compared to the wonderful scent that Anubis is. Very lovely scent that I thought I might hold off until the fall to wear, but under the summer heat from outside and the inside with heavy AC running. Verdict is 3.5

Edited May 12, 2009 by Siren29

[quimerula]

This is a very dense and dark perfume.

The spices and the incense are very well blended, just like a zoco or a temple.

Very misterious, it has something that smells like an ancient place.

It has quite a good throw and lasts for ages on my skin.

I really love it!

[gothiccastle]

First sniff in the imp, My favorite wine and berries. Very warm and dry.

 

On my skin, it has a smokey incense note that comes out first. Very sweet and dry like smoke, but not the type that typically gives me a headache. Beautiful while wet, but as it is drying, Uh oh. It is going into a soapy smoke that isn't going to work out very well.

 

Completely dry, it has redeemed it's self. Fruity and clean. I like it!

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Sweet and exotic.

 

Just On: Very exotic, and that sweet intermingling with it.

 

An hour or two later: I'm getting that incense feeling, so I guess that's what this has. The sweetness has faded down.

 

Around 6 hours: The sweet part is pretty gone much gone, leaving incense.

 

12 hours: It's faded away to nothing now in the heat.

 

Overall: A big bottle one.

 

After reading other reviews: I didn't really get citrus or honey out of this. I do get sweet, but I'm not sure what kind of sweet it is.

[prosey_thistle]

Cairo smells like the color gold to me. And also like oils used for sacraments from my Catholic childhood, oddly. But, um...much sexier.

 

I can smell honey and wine and incense. Overall, I really like this scent, I'm just not sure it smells like Me. I don't know if I carry it off! The balance between sweetness and dark incense is superb, though.