The Arabian Dance

[Little Bird]

Leather, coffee, hazelnut, tobacco, and Middle Eastern spices.

This blend reminds me pretty strongly of Interfector, especially at first (though it has something to it that I don't enjoy, so it's like Interfector gone rotten ). It's like dark, sticky-sweet, cloying tobacco, a bit of spice, and smoky wood. It has a masculine edge that makes me think of Old Spice cologne as it dries down, and something like smoky bbq, and it's pretty weird. I bought this for the leather and coffee, and can't pick out either of those notes at all.

The Arabian Dance is a huge dud on me.

[strahlend]

Freshly applied I get a hit of hazelnut and the coffee/nutty/sweetness reminds me of a blend of Gluttony and Miskatonic University. There's also the feeling of mixed spices – a bit of nutmeg, a whisper of anise, a hint of cardamom. None of them are particularly distinct, it's just a feeling of various spices. After a few minutes the leather comes forward with the tobacco. At this point the coffee and hazelnut have either morphed or blended with the spices in a way that's making me think of black pepper. The leather and tobacco are sweet and nice – this is not new leather; it's soft, warm and sweet.

 

After a little while longer the coffee seems to have peeked out just a bit again. A bit later and I'm almost getting a woodsy feeling. When I huff really hard I can tell there's hazelnut somewhere in there but it seems pretty soft at this point.

 

A wrist shoved under the boyfriend's nose yielded a slightly pained expression and the comment, “Coffee? Toffee?”

 

Later - the coffee and nut have resurfaced with a vengeance. This seems to be mostly coffee/nutty and leaning toward the foody end of the spectrum with my skin chemistry.

 

My skin has totally eaten this up by the hour and half point. I only get a very faint whiff of sweetness where I had heavily applied it.

 

This line up of scents is something I would have put in a dream blend, so I've been pretty excited to try it. It's nice but one of my main problems with this scent is that it doesn't seem to have much of a throw and it doesn't last long. I'm a slatherer and even with a heavy application I don't feel like I'm getting the strength or duration of scent that I prefer. It seems to stick close to my skin no matter how much I put on. I'm glad to have a bottle, maybe I'll get a backup sometime if I can (when I do want to wear it I'm going to need quite a bit to make it through a day), but this isn't the omg must hoard scent I thought it was going to be.

 

Ends up making me think of Gluttony layered with Bah! - if you like both of those, and the idea of them layered, you'll love this scent.

 

ETA: It's been about a month now and I've tried AD on a couple more times. Unfortunately the more I try it the less I like it. It reminds me of day old cold coffee. Kind of thin and flat in its olfactory impression. I'll hang onto it for a while to see if age improves it.

(edit for spelling)

Edited January 20, 2011 by strahlend

[filigree_shadow]

I ordered a bottle of this straight away because I knew I was going to LOVE it. I love all those notes.

 

I eagerly put some oil on, prepared to take in a big whiff and fall over ded of fabulousness, and... well, that didn't happen. Instead I raised and eyebrow and wondered if it was going to morph at all. I mean, surely the fabulousness was just around the corner, possibly in dry-down. Sniffed later. And again later. Nope, it doesn't change.

 

On me it smells similar to a sharper and less licorice-y version of Le Père Fouettard. I read all the comparisons to Spanked, but it's been like 4 years since I smelled Spanked and I have no idea what that smells like anymore. I do know that this is a leather note that I like -- sleek, dark leather -- but I expected it to be warm and nutty too. It's kinda not. It's black leather, some bitterness from the coffee I guess, and some faint spices. The coffee does come out more when it's dry, and I like that, but...

 

I don't know. This scent is unusual. I think I'll have to wear it a few times and see how it goes.

[Lorelai1945]

Gack.

 

In the imp, this smells like a muddled mix of cold coffee, cigarette smoke, and weird hazelnuttiness. Not a great combo. When I first put it on my skin I get WHOA tobacco and it makes my stomach lurch a little- smells so much like old cigarette smoke. Then...the hazelnut of doom comes out to play. Weird latex-glovey hazelnut. It always does that on my skin. The leather also blasts through, but on my skin it is somewhere in between a soft, worn, supple leather like The Red Rider and a super-metallic, chemically leather like Sara Pezzini, leaning closer to the Sara Pezzini chemically-side. So...yeah. I get cold coffee, stale cigarette smoke, latex gloves, and chemically leather. This is pretty much awful. It's very sharp to my nose, especially when it's still wet. Must. Wash. Off.

 

ETA: Once it's been dry for a while, the chemically-ness does die down and I get some spices that are actually rather nice coming through. However, I couldn't go through the initial stages of doom to be able to ever wear this. Unless all that nasty stank ages out, this is still a fail. Bummer, too.

Edited January 4, 2011 by VioletFemme

[paradoxicaljlb]

I adore this scent! The only note that’s immediately identifiable is leather, when I expected I would also be able to easily distinguish the tobacco, coffee and hazelnut. It’s all coming together as warm, sexy, sweet and spicy leather, but in a subtle way, and doesn’t really do much morphing on my skin. It’s my favorite of the 2010 Yules and probably the only one I’ll purchase a full bottle of.

Edited January 27, 2011 by paradoxicaljlb

[surlygurl]

Oh wow. In this blend I was hoping for a nutty latte spice with leather. Instead, I put it on and it's EEEEWW! Old leather, B.O., stale coffee and cigs. Like a guy in a coffee shop who's been out partying the past couple nights in the same clothes and hasn't showered, just splashed on cologne. Eew.

 

As it dries, the leather sweetens somewhat, and the blend starts smelling a bit like Marquis De Carabas, but not as sweet. Sort of the Marquis' (unmedicated) mentally ill streeter brother. Once dry, it becomes spices & coffee through a haze of light cigarettes. This is sooo not for me

Edited January 6, 2011 by surlygurl

[zankoku_zen]

This blend is mildly headache inducing for me. This is the BAD bpal leather note - synthetic black leather, except someone dumped coffee grounds all over it with a hint of hazelnut.

 

If leather and coffee get you going, give this a whirl. Unfortunately the combination to me just makes my head hurt. Literally.

[boxinghelena]

I really wanted to love The Arabian Dance but it did not work on me. In fact, it smells horrible. The leather note killed it for me. Definitely not a keeper.

[whisperstilled]

I've been hearing a lot of good buzz about this one, so let's see what it has to offer!

 

In Imp: Less strong than I had expected. Some leather, maybe a touch of coffee. I definitely get 'middle eastern spices,' in fact so distinctly that I can name the other scent the note is in - Morocco, which has the same 'middle Eastern spices' listed in its description.

 

Wet: This smells like Morocco with leather. I don't really smell the coffee at this point, unless it's a background note I'm just not getting. There is a touch of hazelnut now, and some tobacco amping up strong with the spices and leather.

 

Dry: While it's not quite the sex on a stick I was promised, this is still a really nice scent. This is a grown up lady perfume, the sort of thing you were to a fancy outing or a date you've a really good hunch about. Pleasant, not as strong as I'd expected, sexy and well-blended. 4/5

[Verios]

This is a perfume that lived up to what I was hoping it would be! (It's super-fresh, since it just arrived today...will be checking it again in a week or so to see if it's changed at all)

 

In the bottle, I got almost straight-up leather, which I thought would be fine...then I applied, and it was practically a leather single-note, to my nose...and while it wasn't terrible or anything, (I like leather, and it's a lovely leather smell...but I'd been hoping for something more) really didn't think it was me (which was disappointing, since this was a scent that, from the notes listed and other reviews, seemed like it was going to be an instant favorite).

 

However, much to my delight, it didn't take long at all for a gorgeous spiciness to start to meld with the leather--and once it hits that stage, it's gorgeous. I don't notice any coffee or hazelnut, although I think I'm picking up hints of the tobacco in here, along with those middle eastern spices and that gorgeous leather. Definitely a keeper (and I think I may just have to pick up that second bottle I debated!).

[Iceblink]

The Arabian Dance--argh. This is going back and forth between wonderful and awful...one minute it's warm hazelnut coffee and the next minute it's old coffee grounds and leather and ashtray. It seems to mellow out somewhat after it's been dried for a while into a coffee/tobacco/spicy goodness but there are some BAD missteps into leather land along the way.

[milo]

This starts out to be a lovely spice blend on me. The tobacco, unfortuneately on me, is the smoky variety, not Perversion. So I end up smelling like cigarette smoke with spice. I don't really get any coffee, and just a touch of leather. This reminds me of a spicy Liz. Not my cup of tea, I really wish the tobacco didn't amp, and was the same one as Perversion. Oh well.

 

I did end up getting a bottle, and I must say, MUCH better. I get no cigarette smoke now and there's a hint of coffee that fades after a bit. Mostly though, this ends up being a leather, exotic spice on me. This is a keeper now, and I'm glad I sprung for a bottle.

Edited February 12, 2011 by milo

[Schmoozy]

It really doesn't get any better than this. It smells of my man. Day old coffee mingles with tobacco and hints of leather on skin. It's stunning, and will need to upgrade to bottle.

[kelpsoda]

I get the most perfect, creamy coffee scent from the decant. I think my eyes just rolled back in my head, because: YUM.

 

It's mixed with a sexy, smoky leather scent and faint spice. I must have a bottle!

 

Sadly, the coffee disappears all too soon and I'm left with the leather. I'm not sure I need a whole bottle - the leather by itself is a bit too masculine for my taste.

Edited January 14, 2011 by kelp

[porcelina]

beautiful. this is a very warm scent. it doesn't have a lot of throw, but close to the skin, it's just gorgeous. the leather is very subtle, underneath the nutty coffee and warm spices. the notes blend together so fabulously that it's hard to pick them out individually. very sexy.

[Voleuse]

This is soft, worn leather and sweetened coffee on first application, with a lovely wash of hazelnut following soonafter. The hazelnut fades quickly, though, and a nice halo of almost-incensey smoke replaces it. I agree with others on the comparison to Bow and Crown of Conquest--the leather note is remarkably similar.

 

In the end, this is mostly a soft leather scent, with the coffee lending it a sweet depth. This one's definitely a keeper.

[Invidiana]

No manly De Sade leather here, thankfully (can't you tell how much I love De Sade? ). This type makes me think of a well-worn brown leather with added smokiness from the tobaco and warmth from the coffee and hazelnut, just a touch of sweetness to round it out. On the final drydown just a tiny bit of spice emerges. I think I'm going to let this one age a little more before wearing it again because I have a feeling that's going to bring out the coffee and hazelnut more and add to the overall depth, but it does have a lot of potential.

[dreamingjune]

I ordered this mostly for the tobacco, and because I have always wanted a coffee scent to work.

 

In the bottle: Perfumey floral with tart, stale hazelnut coffee. It really took a while for me to want to put this on.

 

Wet: Why does this smell almost fruity to me? Maybe it is the scent of cardamom before it dries down. There is a weird perfumey bitterness too. Blech. After about 2 minutes the leather starts to pop out more and the perfumey floral/fruity ick is fading off. Luckily the tobacco starts coming forward and redeeming this a bit. Some clove is coming forward too.

 

Dry: This is leathery tobacco with an odd background of slightly tart, nutty coffee. The spices are mostly clove and there seems to be some sort of light musk in here too.

 

The Arabian Dance fades to a light smokey clove with the leather of Iago/The Black Rider and a bit of coffee. It is actually quite nice but I just don't know if I can handle this scent before it dries. This might be interesting after it ages a bit, though.

[GhillieDhu]

The Arabian Dance is fantasticakes. At least while it's wet. It's like walking in the city on a damp winter morning, nursing a delicious hazelnut latte and wearing a leather jacket borrowed from your sophisticated older boyfriend (who left one of his expensive cigars in the pocket). Comforting and sexy at the same time. There's something fresh and almost lemony-floral in here that I want to say is nutmeg or mace (the spice), or maaaybe coriander. (Edit: Looking at the previous review, I'm probably smelling cardamom, maybe in combination with one of the others..)

 

And then, just when I'm thinking, "OMG, is this actually a BPAL leather I can wear?!" - it dries and goes straight to "leather" car freshener with a hint of clove tobacco underneath, and stays that way. *sigh* Might look for a full decant to use in a scent locket, though, just because it's SO gorgeous wet.

 

Try if you liked: Pinched With Four Aces, Dee.

Edited January 24, 2011 by GhillieDhu

[thekittenkat]

Note: I amp coffee notes.

 

In the decant: Sweet hazelnut coffee with leather and some spices.

 

Wet: Tobacco (blond, perhaps) coming on more strongly with the leather.

 

The dry-down: For a while there, this looked to be my Holy Grail coffee scent, i.e. one that would not amp to high heavens on me. Alas, it is not to be, seemingly. This is a strong cup of arabian coffee, with lots of sweetener (sugar, not honey), but the unknown spices, along with the hazelnut, make me wish that this was a *real* cup of coffee--I would drink that right up. At any rate, there's also hints of the lovely tobacco and the soft leather (this is not a sharp chemical leather, but the loved and worn-to-pieces vintage bomber jacket). Still curious about the spices, though.

[crebbsgirl]

Alright, I'm not sure about this one. When I first apply it, there is a strong blast of bitter coffee, and the leather goes slightly chemically on me. I was a little nervous. But, after an hour or so, the bitter vibe mellows considerably, and the leather softens. The end result is a really beautifully soft but sexy scent. There are spices here that call to mind Mama-Ji, or maybe Nanny Ashtoreth (I get the two confused). As I like the finished product, I think I'll hold on to this for awhile, and see if aging will calm the beginning stages of this.

[Suu4LC]

Huh-in the imp this is sort of a weird scent-like, a very sharp, almost salty coffee scent-definitely get the hazelnut-don't quite notice the leather or tobacco but the undertones of this blend assure me they are there.

 

Much better on my skin-less sharp-coffee and hazelnut are the most apparent notes-the leather sort of blends into the coffee scent, though as it starts to dry, the leather overtakes the coffee a bit so it's almost like...hazelnut scented leather. Very odd. A very odd combination. Don't notice the tobacco on its own, but it probably contributes to the dark edge to this blend. It's sort of like a black leather glad biker enjoying a hazelnut latte at Starbucks. Actually, as this dries the spices come out more-very nice!

 

I actually think I like this blend best on full drydown-it sort of, all blends together for a rich warm, leather and spices type of scent. I don't usually like leather blends (they smell ashtrayish to be) but this is very wearable.

 

On very full drydown it's sort of a warm, brown, spiced coffee/light leather mix. Sometimes I don't smell the leather at all, sometimes it's definitely there. Same with the coffee. Overall, I don't need a bottle of this. I LOVE the smell of coffee but I don't like smelling like it and leather just isn't my thing, but this is a very interesting, unique blend that I definitely enjoyed testing.

[Larinessa]

Who ever said this smells like sex is right. On me, this is wonderful. I got a sample of this in an order from another wonderful forum member, and could not resist trying a tiny amount even though my best friend had said I had to wait until she was around to try it. This is softest seude with the lingering scent of tobacco and coffee in the background. The spices peek around the edges of it and wave, but are not overwhelming. It smells soft, subtle, and invites the sniffer to come in closer. LOVE!!! I will now make this my current 'holy grail' scent and will scoure the earth to find myself a bottle. Beth, I bow to your mastery!

[dawndie]

In bottle: sweet coffee

 

On skin: light spicy leather

 

Half-hour later: a little more coffee to go with the light leather

 

In conclusion: I was a bit unsure about the coffee note -- I bought the original Miskatonic U when it came out, thinking it sounded perfect, but my husband said it smelled like an "old office" on me. So I figured another coffee blend wouldn't work, but the coffee in this one becomes almost like a dark musk, deep and slightly sweet. I do love the leather blends, however, and this one has the great Eastern spices to go along for the ride.

[donnatron]

Bottle: Very sweet and candied and sort of like if a Turkish coffee with lots of sugar was turned into a gummy candy. This is a weird scent, man.

 

Wet: The weirdness continues. For the first five minutes or so on my skin it smells like a box of Pot of Gold chocolates. It is exceptionally strange and I think it's a combo of the coffee, hazelnut (def.) and the spices. The leather is so smooth and warm and suede that it takes its time to subtly emerge and then the blend takes on a more adult air.

 

Dry: This is fabulous. The coffee and hazelnut sort of merge into the background and create a dark, smooth richness that has a foody edge without being outright foody. The leather and tobacco take front stage and the tobacco provides an intriguing woodsy quality almost like a red sandalwood. The spices mingling in with the tobacco give me the impression of a really high end shisha bar. It's not a bubbling, cheerful scent but it's not a dark, brooding sort of scent either. It's warm and elegant and a little dangerous. A scent to wear to seduce, not to be seduced.

 

Throw: Moderate. I was actually surprised by how well behaved this wound up because the wet phase is intense.

 

Overall: I really like this and am glad I took the risk despite my admittedly terrible track record with coffee. It kind of makes me feel like a spy or like I am doing debaucherous things while keeping my identity a secret. Fantastic!