Scherezade

[The_Merf]

A master storyteller who possessed unfailing courage and compassion, a sharp, quick wit, and a true understanding of human nature. Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk.

***Repost of deleted review***

In the imp: The red musk is obvious, which is nice, as I've been on a real red musk kick (Loviatar, Fenris Wolf, among others) lately. However, this has a feminine edge that I did not get from either of the others. I'm sure that's due to the saffron and other spices involved.

Wet: I'm glad that the saffron and spices are not overwhelmed by the musk on my skin. Although it shares the same base with others, Scherezade is absolutely its own scent.

Drydown and wear: This remained pretty true throughout its tenure (the red musk was the last note to fade). I'm so glad I didn't run into the 'soapy' issue that others encountered. This one goes on my 'A' list.

[Bagfish]

Scherezade's storytelling wiles just don't work on me.

 

In the vial the oil just smells sweet, and then when applied all I can smell is a sweet non-descript sort of smell, I can't pick out any of the notes. After 20 minutes or so of wear, the red musk (at least I assume that's what it is) starts to come to the fore. However, it does exactly the same as Smut did on me, and starts to turn plastic-y.

 

To be honest I can't smell any difference between Scherezade and Smut, neither of them work on me. They start off smelling like they could be quite pleasant, but both dry-down to plastic I must remember to avoid red musk.

 

Off to swaps - I'm sure S will find the love she deserves as so many people have written raving reviews, but she is yet another girly scent that doen't work on me

[WidgetAlley]

Frimp from the lovely maewitch. So much loff! I've heard so much about this one, and I love red musk and saffron-- I'm eager to try it.

 

In the Imp: The oil is an incredibly dark, murky shade of brown, which is pretty cool, and it smells like.... what does it smell like? Incense. Incense smoke, captured in the threads of old tapestries. Record stores and bookshops and, yeah, hippie markets, but in a good way... I'm definitely catching the musk, some patchouli and saffron, and something slightly spicy and resiny and oh-so-familiar... galbanum? Frankincense? What *is* that? Anyway, I like it so far, even if it's not quite what I was expecting.

 

Wet: Oh, damn, now that has some *throw*! Even before I put my nose to my wrist, I can detect a big old burst of patchouli and red musk and an unidentifiable, clear sweetness... I'd say it was something a bit like oakmoss if I didn't know better. Some floral, perhaps? Cereus? At any rate, this is strong and gorgeous, and far more complex than I thought at first sniff. Most of the dusty feel has died away, leaving something clarion but sensual behind. It's rich and exotic without being overwhelming.... very nice.

 

Dry: Red musk, saffron, patchouli, some kind of resin and that mystery, almost aquatic note, that seems to top everything off. This is smooth and expensive-- warm-sweet smoke and kohl smudged around the eyes-- but also sharp, somehow, and intelligent. It reminds me of both Lust and Sin... As lovely as it is, however, it's not at OMG MUST HAVE MORE!!!!111eleventy for me, and I may end up swapping it to someone whose skin allows it to really blossom. I just can't see myself picking it over either of the other two.

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Red musk made sharp by the saffron.

Wet on me - Warm, rich red musk dripping with spices.

Dry on me - Sweetened red musk, very nice.

[abberlaine]

Oh my lord. This is fan-fucking-god-forsaken gorgeous on me.

 

I'm getting a strong hit of patchouli, but it's not of the dirty/hippie variety (like the near-SN I got sticking my nose into my bottle of Luperci) -- this patchouli's thick without being heavy, a little sweet, and terribly exotic. There's sensuous red musk, and covert spices -- they're there, but they're flavoring the brew rather than being dusted on top.

 

Oh, I want to bathe with LUSH's Middle Earth Turns To Rock and slather this stuff on top. I'm going to wear this to my uncle's house in Jerusalem, where the walls are carved out of limestone and adorned with Morrocan carpets. I'm going to wear this with a tank top and my hair wildly curly (hint: this isn't going to match up well with a Chanel suit), when I go out for coffee spiked with cardamom and smoke dried fruit from a nargila. This would be awesome in my hair.

 

A deliciously thick scent for exotic travels.

[emshort]

I have not had a huge amount of luck with other lusty scents -- Lust just smells kind of manky and weird on me, and Snake Oil is overwhelmingly sugary. But Scherezade is awesome, sexy in this subtle and classy way. I held off sampling it because in the bottle it has a strange, almost mildewy character, like a load of laundry I put through the wash and then forgot to dry until two days later. But after a short dry-down period it turns completely lovely and remains that way.

[dragonryder]

This scent is ssooo neat. Mysterious and sexy. Even my boyfriend stopped and asked me what I was wearing, and he never notices! Definitely one for the bottle. May skip the 5 ml and go for the 10!

[myandroidconcubine]

Scherezade is rich and musky and dry on me, covered in a fine sheen of powder. It's the scent of rich, sensual desert woman draped in silk and rubbed in oil, dusting herself with sweet powder to keep the sweat away.

 

The powdery overtone is a little strong on me, though, and I'm not sure how often I'll wear it. It does bear a repeat try, though.

[klio]

Quick sniffy impressions:

 

A darkly tinted oil filled to brimming in the imp. Opening it is a cautious process. Open: far above the label, but unspilled. A rush of smoky musk, musty, the crook of an arm. Manly—it reminds me of something my uncle wore. Dark in air as well as colour, evoking late night, layers of sheets, drawn silken curtains.

[storme]

In the imp: spicy earthy musk. Very strong and with a touch of sharpness.

 

On me, wet: sweetish spices, and a slightly sharp earthy musk scent. The sweetness is just edging out the sharpness. This seems like a generic incense-stick sort of smell to me, smoky and spicy and musky all at once.

 

On me, dry: I keep wanting to say this is a heavy and cloying sort of smell, but it isn't. It just feels like it should be, because it smells like the kind of incense burned by people I knew to hide the smell of cigarettes from their parents.

 

Verdict: It's quite a nice smell - smoky and spicy and complex - but I keep looking for the ashtray. I'll keep this around to sniff for nostalgia but probably not for wearing.

[juniperus]

Bottle: a lovely, almost sweet, musk

Wet: spicy - almost patchouli-ish in warmth, but doesn't hit me like patchouli can.

Dry: warm and round, complex. seductive, a lovely spicy musk.

Later: Gorgeous, sensual, rich and exotic. Such a keeper.

[joiedecombat]

Scherezade reminds me strongly of some high-quality incense I've had in the past, although I can't for the life of me recall what. It is woody/resiny - or maybe that's the red musk my uneducated nose is smelling - but the throw is surprisingly sweet (and plentiful - it throws all over the place) and not at all powdery-dry, but quite smooth. Despite putting me in mind of incense, it's a strangely clear scent. I'm not sold on a bigger bottle just yet, but I like this more than I'd expected.

[furygrrl]

In the imp: Sweet with a faintly woody undertone.

 

On wet: Mmm...sweet and incense-y - but kinda dry? (If that makes any sense, lol.) A tiny hint of spice underneath the prominent notes tickles my nose.

 

Drydown: Still sweet and incensey, complimented perfectly by a much more instense spiciness than before. Extremely pretty - I can't stop sniffing myself!

 

Overall: It's lovely and warm and kinda reminds me of the deliciousness that is teh Smut. How could I not love this?

[gwyllgi]

I really like this scent. I like it enough that I don't even bother trying to pick out the individual notes. It's a spicy-sweet red musk, perhaps a slight bit more sweet than spicy. It certainly smells like its namesake, or like a very good, hole-in-the-wall restaurant specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine. It's very heavy, so a little bit goes a long way, and it lasts for hours.

 

A bottle of this is not in my future, however; red musk seems to be a migraine trigger for me. I like the scent well enough to wear it regardless, so I'm going to end up doing away with temptation by finding another home for the imp just so that I can't push my luck.

[ViciousBleu]

Uptown from campus there's a store called Liquid Sunshine. They sell scented candles, oil bottles of patcholi, hemp skirts, incense and Grateful Dead stickers.

 

This smells exactly like that. *sniffs wrists* Oh my word, it smells like that place. This has led me to get tons of compliments on it as everybody in town loves the place...except me.

 

I really should learn that smokey and heavy scents won't work on me. I think this little imp will be going to my mom for when she's doing tarot readings!

[septima_pica]

I've come to the conclusion that I just don't know how to treat a lady.

 

Seriously. Hetairae? Medea? Black Lotus? Nope. Gomorrah? Barely, and the similar-but-less-ladylike Nemesis worked way better. And Scheherezade? I think I'm just better staying away from anything reviewed with of the following words: womanly, classy, expensive, sexy, elegant. I just can't pull 'em off, I'm too much of a scruffy academic timepunk bum.

 

I smell the red musk -- hey, that's the one in Malediction, now I see -- and a little spice, but it just doesn't come out as complex as it could. I can tell there's something much more that might be there on someone else, but not for meeeee. No, the musk goes to powder-plastic (not horrendously, but still), and the incense and spices vanish completely, just like they did in Morocco. There's a pinch of the lovely spices, something akin to Sri Lanka, but it's so faint I can only catch it out of the corner of my eye. Bah! This lovely lady's going to someone who can bring her off better than I.

[edenssixthday]

Scherezade - Deep and resinous, scherezade is an absolutely gorgeous scent. I was instantly impressed with the notion that this was amber and musk and vanilla, but upon drydown, I was positive I smelled a drop of Dragon’s Blood, but perhaps that’s the saffron note. This distinctly reminds me of a cross between Snake Oil and Blood Amber and it’s very exotic and beautiful. I’m looking forward to using it more and to trying fun ways of layering it. Excellent staying power.

[sarahj]

Scherezade

 

in imp: sweet and a bit spicy...smells familiar but I can't place it

 

wet: the same...I smell like some sort of beverage (not root beer, not cola)

 

dry: as soon as I arrived at work I realized what I smelled like...grape kool-aid! and some spices...this lasts for about 2 hours and then starts to smell a lot better...very musky

 

verdict: I am unsure about smelling like grape kool-aid for two hours, but I am going to take the advice of a friend and give Scherezade another chance sometime in the future before deciding to get rid of it

[Mountaingrrl00]

The red musk is *very* strong at first - in the vial, I smell nothing but. Once it hits my skin, though, the spices start wafting, and I'm in love. I don't get individual notes so much as a general sense of spice heightening the sexiness of the musk. It's spicy without being at all foody. It's very dark and rich and deep, with good staying power. It sweetens a bit, but keeps the saffron savoriness I adore. I'm a big fan of Oblivion, Smut, Sed Non Satiata and Morocco, and I see these as variations on a musky-spicy theme. Scherezade's on the less-sweet end of this spectrum, but without the woodiness of Oblivion. A new favorite.

[Tess]

I'm not sure what saffron smells like, but I love incense and spice, so here goes.

 

In the vial - I can already sense the complexity. Heavy perfume alcohol scent with back smokiness and spice.

 

Wet - Sweetened perfume alcohol? Eh?

 

Drying - It has to be the saffron that's throwing me off. I can smell the hit of incense that's mixing with just the tiniest bit of spice, but there's something in the foreground that I just can't place. Not to mention I can't explain what it smells like. It's like a clarifying and somewhat soapy floral. Is that saffron?

 

Dry (15 minutes) - Well, it's an incense soap and it's barely there. And I mean BARELY.

 

Overall - This is neither interesting to my nose nor does it stick around enough to really have any effect me. Sorry, Scherezade, you're a great character, but you get a "no" from me.

[ghosttown]

Please close your eyes because the hippies are doing it. That's right, out in public right here on my wrist little flower children are having freaky, stinky sex. And I kind of like it. Pass me the pipe.

[jarvenpa]

thank you, ghosttown, for making me laugh out loud and spill my iced tea!

 

Scherezade was a gift from a generous friend, and has been a most interesting experience for me.

 

Usually (though I have been categorized as a "hippie", especially by my daughter) the head shop fragrances just don't quite make it for me. I like incense, I like spicey, but I'm not really sure I want to go about trailing clouds of luminous stoned tie dye scent.

 

So I put some of this on this morning, and thought "yeah, incensey, that's okay; kinda nice, actually". And forgot about it. Hours later I went out to buy dogfood. People do not generally come and sniff me, or comment on my perfume.

 

This one was different: I had several "ooh, that smells wonderful!" and "what on earth are you wearing, it is so lovely" from random strangers, male and female.

 

The kicker was that I couldn't smell the scent much myself at all. So I'll have to ponder this one. The initial incense plus sweetness is lovely (roses and spices; hey, couldn't go wrong with that). And if I smush my nose against my wrists I can now pick up the sweetly sexy smell that I guess is red musk (I seem to love musks of all colors).

 

But I'm selfish. I like to smell my perfumes. Sure, it's nice to enrich the world with loveliness, but...what about me?

[urbanruralferal]

This is a deep, red, warm scent. I was drawn to it across the distance, and here it is, in my mailbox. Thanks jarvenpa!

It is very strong on me, a lot of throw. I put this on twice today to really be able to experience it while working in the heat. After many hours it continues to radiate off of me, although others profess not to smell it.

So much spice! Red, as I mentioned, with sweet blood right under the surface, flushed, I guess you would call it. And there is brown there too, almost ambery brown. Warm (not hot) cinnamon, or some other similar oil. It is a blend that I want to surrender to, though it asks little.

 

But. It does have a particular, tenacious metallic quality that stays and stays. I can't say what that might be, but it is ultimately the urgency of that edge that keeps me from really enjoying this story, no matter how much I am drawn in. I like it better an hour after applying it, but I still can't get quite comfortable in it.

It belongs to a family of BPAL scent with whom I am getting acquainted; the others in this tribe that I have met are Tezcatlipoca and Blood Moon. They all come down to a rich, very similar incense in their final hours, but Tezcat and Blood Moon lack that metallic bit, and I like them better for it.

 

 

I commited my skin to this perfume for one day, to see if I would give it another, and then another. But I think that I will not. There are fires burning in other tents, I can smell them....

[Torrilin]

Creature's response: "Did you put on perfume? I like it, but I'm not sure it's you. And it's trying to choke me."

 

This rather sums up my opinion as well. I applied a tiny dot to my ankles, and the cloud of scent overwhelmed both of us. The opening is a rich, fruity scent, like biting into a wine grape and sliding the skin off so you can enjoy the richly flavored area just under the skin. It then blends into a spicy scent with just enough bitterness to be interesting. The spice heavy stage lasts for hours, and eventually mellows so the throw is no longer overpowering.

 

Kalli

[Dinerdulcinea]

This scent is TRULY DIVINE on me!!!!! At ALL stages!

 

At first, I got a really sexy incense smell that was not head-shoppy on me, but beguiling...

 

then after a while it got msuky and totally sexy!

 

I LOVE the earthy saffron and all the other spices too. I wonder what they all are, cuz they REALLY work on me in this blend!

 

This is a keeper for sure!

 

YUMMMMMMMYYYYYYYY!!!!