REMINDER ::: Sniff-n-Speak Saturday, Jan. 6>>>ORIENTALS

Moondeva, I love reading your lists like this! I learn so much and explore scents I would have never known or remembered.

I am looking forward to the Sniff N Speak and am making my list of wearables

I would like some help deciding on an Oriental to wear on Saturday. If you ladies would like to check out my wardrobe and give me some suggestions, I'd certainly appreciate it.
Some notes:
I don't want to wear anything that I know fairly well. So Lolita Lempicka, Trouble, Black Cashmere, Cashmere Mist, & Prada are out.
I want something very representative of the genre, not a floriental, or a gourmandy oriental, or a woody oriental. Something more classicly oriental.
I am hoarding my Poivre, so preferably not that.
I own Opium, but really don't like it.
Thanks!

moondeva - fantastic list!!! a great read - hopefully I've taken some of what I've just read on board!

pellen - from what I could tell on your list (and from my limited knowledge of fragrances) most of your orientals are either florientals or woody orientals, with the exception of Opium. I'd love to suggest a couple that you could wear:
Nuit de Noël sounds really nice - I've never tried any of the Caron fragrances (I don't know if they're available here) -- i think this is a woody oriental
L'Heure Bleue sounds nice too -- i think this one's a floriental

Now, I have to figure out what I'm gonna wear!!! Anyone have any suggestions for me? If you have time, please check out my wardrobe - both in My Collection & Pending...my samples are in the "pending" section, so there may be something in there that may be nice! Thanks all!

I have most of orientals, too, as it´s the type of frag I love the most. Now I am in the happy position that Shalimar, (conciderd as "the mother of all orientals", I red in a perfume-book...), is new to me, and I am really in love with it. I guess it will be what I will be wearing.

Should be fun! I don't usually think of myself as an oriental wearer, but after reading Moondeva's list I realize that my notion of "oriental" has been rather limited. I'm not sure what I'll wear on Saturday - that's usually a last minute decision. I'm looking foward to the 2007 Sniff-n-Speaks.

Ooh, I received a sample of Fendi Theorema the other day. Sounds like a perfect day to try it!

Decisions Decisions...
I am an Oriental lover (I did the test at Osmoz) and I have a sizeable collection to choose from. I honestly do not know what to wear on that day.
It would be very much appreciated if you could help me making such decision.

Going by perfumes you have not graded in your wardrobe, I would suggest:

Donna Karan Black Cashmere
Issey Miyake Le Feu D'Issey
Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles

as great oriental themed scents to explore further this saturday.

Dear Moondeva,
Thanks and I will start grading my scent.
You have made some good selection for me since I have neglected these 3 gems for a while.

Since Orientals are my favourite olfactory group I'm really looking forward to this one! The only problem is that there are so many scents to choose from, but I might very well end up with Comme des Garçons EdP or Poivre: I started this year in the latter and have been wearing the former since Tuesday...

Excellent list, Moondeva!

I still have no idea what I'm going to wear...I've had one suggestion so far: LouLou....anyone else have any ideas for me?? Thanks in advance!!

Orientals are my favorite fragrance type and with the exception of about a dozen assorted other things, all I own are orientals. Look at Moondeva's list and she just about covers it and then some. I don't think she listed my very, very, very, favorite though, and that is LE BAISER DU DRAGON!!!

Moondeva or anyone else, would you take a look at my 'drobe and make some suggestions as well? I made a short list and actually ordered a couple new scents, but i'm not sure they'll arrive by saturday.

To mochi -- there are two ways to approach the forthcoming S'n'S:
1) to either wear what you got in your wardrobe (Caron Sacre, CDG Kyoto, Molinard Habanita, Animale Animale) be it one of your favorites or the one making you step outside of your comfort zone, or
2) to try something new in the mall this coming Saturday.

Whatever is easiest for you, honey!

How could I forget? I would also like to add:
Shanghai
Omnia
Prada
Euphoria
Burberry Brit
Hypnotic poison
Carolina (listed as fruity oriental)
Men's Tomorrow (Avon)
Pi (men's)
Carlos Santana (Men's)

This is a tough choice! L'elephant is probably one of my fave orientals, very spicy. BUT I used that in the gourmand test last month along with Fantasy.

Maybe Coco or D&G red cap, suggestions?

I've read that Venezia is an oriental, and I'm choosing it for Saturday (I'm also choosing it to begin my use it or lose it NY resolution..I realize I will miss the loss of Venezia less if I've taken joy in the wearing, not fear in the hoarding)

So I have made my Oriental Sniff´n Speak-choose, and also written about it here at basenote. Next month will not be this easy... The animalic theme have not so many items to choose between as this oriental theme, at least not among female perfumes...

I'm wearing Sans Nom by Bourbon French Perfumes.

"A spicy & exotic oriental fragrance whose name means 'without name' in French. A name would hamper the free spirit of this bold & exciting, daring & dangerous fragrance!"

Well, it's not all that dangerous or I probably wouldn't be wearing it. ;-) It's actually a soft, powdery, sweet & spicy perfume, an oriental that I can wear rather than it wearing me. Sans Nom is old fashioned, but very wearable for me because there is no harshness here. The ingredients are all soft and smell non-chemically.

Enjoy your day!

Edit: I enjoyed this the first hour or so, but as the fragrance lingered hours later I found it too cloying, which is a problem I have with many orientals. I think the floral-orientals are more to my taste. Still, this has been fun. It's good to get outside your comfort zone now and then.

Okay, here I go, Sniffin' and Speakin'! I have chosen Le Baiser du Dragon for Oriental day. I guess that it qualifies as Oriental through the woody and exotic base notes, patchouli, benzoin, and amber. (The name also makes it a dead giveaway.) I love this fragrance; it does contain many of my favourite notes: iris, cedar, almond (amaretto). I notice that many of my favourite fragrances (Prada, Trouble) also contain those same base notes, so I guess I like Orientals.

I started out with Samsara shine which is lovely but disappears really quickly on me. decided to try my vol de nuit decant but somehow ended up spritzing shalimar instead. The first baby powder whiff is always a turn off for me but then it warms up and gets such a lovely velvety smell.

Orientals, are my all-time favorite scent group. This is where I find all those sultry, steamy and sexy scents that make me truly feel like myself .
For today's Sniff-n-Speak Saturday, Jan. 6th 2007, both hubby and I are delighting in Black Cashmere. An ultra sexy, oriental-spicy, naughty, little diva that's making me fall in love with everything today! Black Cashmere smell stunning on both of us, even though it's slightly different on our skin. I can't stop sniffing him, he can't stop sniffing me... we're truly in an olcaftory heaven today! Black Cashmere is warm and richly comforting in a way and yet, voluptuous and seductive in way that refuses to go unnoticed. She is bold and vibrant but dark and opulet with notes that include saffron, clove, rose, white pepper, Ethiopian incense, vanilla, amber, patchouli, African wenge wood, and cinnamon.
__________________

It is all about angels and demons. From Lord Vishnu and his lovely wife Laxmi, to Ramayana and Mahabharata, it is all about excitement and adventure. Throw in some difficulties and obstacles, spice it up with the in-depth description of clothes or absence of such, smooth it with a detailed account on how magnificent the Himalayan Mountains and the River were and portray a few species of flora -- and you got it! Wrong (need a sound here like on the Wheel of Fortune "trrrrrrrrr")!

My SotD was introduced to me by my then BF S. back in 1995. It was new, it was available in the Eastern USA, and, on top of everything, it was French. Oh, I know it, it smells like Shalimar and I do not wear it well, said I. He suggested we give the big bottle to my grandma and the mini to my then best girlfriend. My Oma's bottle got expropriated by my more sophisticated cousin, who used it for the sole purpose of cleaning her computer keyboard with a cotton ball saturated in it, and my girlfriend ended up marrying S. and divorcing him one year after. Last year during one of my trips to the local bazaar -- aka Harry Hines district, where one can buy costume jewelry, purses and cosmetics all imported and, please, do not make a mistake of expecting anything coming close to the term "quality" -- I spotted a mini and decided to buy it. You know now, it was not totally blind, and it was cheap, so here I got it:
Top: Bergamot, lemon, mandarin, peach;
Heart: jasmine, lily of the valley, lilac, heliotrope;
Base: sandal, benzoin, tonka, civet.

It is cool and green, it is rough and distant, it is nonchalant and unapproachable. In the first 20 minutes. But remember, it is all about demons and angels? It is aromatic and tender, slightly fruity, a tad dusty, and, for sure, it is NOT for a garden pique-nique with a bunch of girls on a warm spring day despite lilac and lily of the valley! All of a sudden its astringent qulaities are morphed into dry, resinous (benzoin, I am telling you!) and hot with no "warm" between cool and hot. It is incensy and a bit dirty, while its coolness is still present, it is vanillic, but not at all like Shalimar, or Organza, or Pi, it is a cool vanilla they were using in it! The one that, probably, the wind from the majestic Himalaya brings to the Ganges enchanted forests! I am enjoying and wanting more of Jean Louis Scherrer Nuits Indiennes (1994) today. Do you?

thanks for sending me here, quarry! everyone's descriptions are so eloquent...i am jealous of everyone's scents today. i wish i could be wearing all of them! "oriental" is one of my favorite scent categories, although its definition is quite broad. when i see something like pink sugar labelled as an oriental i start to see how truly broad it is. i suppose it's the vanilla? i guess when i think "oriental" i think "spicy" but that's not necessarily the case.

so for today i decided to go old school and wear youth dew. youth dew amber nude is one of my FAVORITES, but today was strictly youth dew - the bath oil. unfortunately it was too heavy for the weather today. it was a little heavy and cloying. it reminds me a little of a pomander - when you stick little cloves into an orange. it has carnation, which always strikes me as an "old-fashioned" note.

The description on OsMoz says it best: "The floral notes of carnation, ylang ylang, rose and jasmine are spiced up with cinnamon and clove and warmed by orange, bergamot and peach. Its distinguishing end note of balsam, patchouli, incense and honey add a remarkable lingering quality."

Here we go:
Started off with Samsara Parfum which I recover from the masses of boxes during the relocation. It is my first and only bottle of Samsara which I bought during a Guerlain sale 6 years ago. I bought it for the bottle as it is so 80s and reminds me of the big hair do and era of chunky gold accessories. The first impression of Samsara on me was heady and fresh, I have a dab on each wrist and a drop near my belly. The scent just lingers on my clothes all day until almost 9 pm. It is very sensual, and it has been a while since I have worn this. It is certain worthwhile to parfum because their staying power is superb. The freshness of the scent went away very quickly and all I could detect was the lovely oriental santal, ylang ylang and woody undertone to this. This is a classic and definately a keeper.
Samsara notes from Osmoz:
Top notes : Bergamot, Lemon, Green Note, Tarragon
Middle notes : Jasmine, Rose, Ylang-Ylang, Carnation
Base notes : Sandal, Vanilla, Benzoin, Tonka
I switched to Vol de Nuit Edt after 9pm just to freshen up and headed to another venue (a place where my friends had their stag night, and everyone behaved). Vol de Nuit is on my wishlist. I always has been fascinated by the story behind this scent. It was recorded as a scent where main character was using in a Chinese novel. In the novel, they have translated the name of the scent to 'Flying at Midnight'. I couldn't remember the details of the books, but I have always been interested in finding out what it is and the name sounded so mysterious and edgy. My good friend thought it is powdery but she thinks it smells very nice on me.
At midnight I put on on Douce Amere (according to Osmoz it is a Floral-Jasmine in terms of olfactory group), I feel that it is more of an oriental scent as it has a very stong vanilla undernotes. I love the Absinth in this and how it evolved into a very sweet vanilla based scent.
Before I went to bed, I put on some L'Instant Eau de Noel to bed. I am not sure what is the real difference between this and the original. From what I have read, it is an oriental-floral. It smells nice, feminine and I will keep using this as my bedtime scent.
I LOVE oriental, I can wear them anytime, anywhere and it is this is my favourite olfactory group.

I am often not clear on what makes a scent "oriental" vs another category. One scent that I was sure would be classified as such is always listed as a floral chypre!

Revlon's Maroc seems oriental to me...i guess a little moss make something chypre

For my Sniff-n-Speak scent, I decided to go with a nice new fragrance - In Control Curious by Britney Spears - which OsMoz describes as "A sweet and sexy potion that thrives on the unknown".

Top note : Loquat Fruit
Middle note : Night Orchid, Crème Brulee, Black Vanilla, Tonka Crystals
Base note : Sugar, Sandalwood, Musk

I love how it smells on a card (you know, when you're sampling in a store!), but for the time it was on my skin I could smell nothing but vanilla. Not that that's a bad thing, but I would've loved to have smelt some of the other notes. I guess my skin just doesn't like orientals!! I was also pretty disappointed with the longevity - it's an EdP, but it only lasted 2 and a half hours! Still, those 2 and a half hours weren't too bad - vanilla is a nice scent to smell...it definitely could've been worse!

Report on yesterday's Big-Time-Oriental-Binge

Funny how often I overdo the things I like/love. Child in candystore

One Oriental? Yummy!...Two Orientals? Great!! Three Orientals? Ah, now we're talking. Four Orientals? *singing happily: you can never have too much*
Idiots going for five Orientals anywhere?....Nah, nobody is that stupid

Sniff, sniff, isn't that Riannon on her fifth Oriental??

DH is seeking refuge in his office, leaving the Oriental Princess alone, urging her to take a Tsssss!!

These were the beauties I chose:

Chopard's Mira Bai
Fendi's Theorema
Must de Cartier
Boucheron extrait
MPG's Soir d' Orient (rather unknown and discontinued scent: notes include amber, leather and sandalwood)

I did not even wait for the night to apply Soir d'Orient!!

Moondeva: this was Close Layering of the Third Kind!! (whatever).

It is possible that this was a bit too enthousiastic approach.
Just maybe.

Sorry, didn´t realize it was here I should Speak in the Sniff´n Speak. But I do it now instead, better late then never. I will also speak a little more, as others also do so in this thread.

My Oriental Sniff´n Speak is Shalimar by Guerlain, the most romantic of my orientals, IMO. I find it fragile and gentle, yet lasting all day on my skin. - I haven´t tried it until some weeks ago, and have fallen for it completly and at once. I also got the bodylotion the very Sniff´n Speak Day, and it is just as wonderful as I hoped. Most of you BN:s know this frag very well, as it is a famous classic, but for those of you who don´t, I write the notes (from osMoz):

Top: Bergamot, Mandarin; Cedar, Lemon
Heart: Patchouli, Jasmine, Rose, Orris
Base: Vanilla, Benzoin, Peru Balsam, Leather

I recognize this frag so much! I bet my grandmother was wearing this one! My mum never wear frags, she is totally unintrested, and have always been, but my grandma used perfumes, I remember from my childhood. I don´t remember the names of her perfumes, as I didn´t paied any attention. But I do remember the smell of the perfumes and the bottles. I was very fond of my grandma, and I belive she is the primary cause of my own intrest in fraganses.

Since I wear orientals pretty frequently, I decided to try a new one (to me) for SOTD -- Caron En Avion extrait, the 1932 classic by Earnest Daltroff. The Caron web site describes this as a floral oriental with notes of "orange tree, rose, jasmine, carnation Totally new balance of rich flowers on a dry, spicy, wooded base" with this personality: "Assertive temperament. Self-assurance and calculated eccentricity. Unique vapor trail."

On me En Avion opens with spicy top notes over a somewhat camphorous foundation -- very old school. From there, it's Caron heritage becomes apparent, as the Daltroff vanilla begins to blossom. The Play-Doh note common to Carons came out as the middle notes came forward, and then receded into the the warm vanillic drydown, lightly spiced.

This was my first time wearing a Caron extrait, and I was disappointed that it did not have more strength and projection -- it seemed to have no sillage at all. This is a fragrance I will have to revisit, as all of the basic elements of the classic appeal to me, but somehow the whole package was a bit underwhelming. May be my nose was having an off day, maybe it's just as well that I not fall hard for a second Caron urn frag

Do I ever!(Wolfie, you sure you know how to get a girl going! And a great back story!)

BUT - not knowing all of this yesterday morning, and FORGETTING it was Oriental SnS - I innocently dabbed on Rumba from Balenciaga.

"Rumba opens on a rich and tenacious fruity note of mirabelle, peach and plum. The heart unveils orchid, magnolia, gardenia, jasmine, tuberose, Indian carnation and patchouli. The fragrance ends on an equally rich accord of amber, leather, vanilla and oakmoss." (Thank you, OzMoz)

Can't remember why I ordered this decant from Moondeva but I did and WOW do I love it! Yesterday the opening note for me was - SMO-O-O-O-KIN'. (For some reason - my nose often goes right for the basenote) and morphed then into all those fruits and flowers I so love. (My middle name is Melita - a shortened form of Amelita, "little Amelia" - there's latin in me somewhere - I really respond to all that lush Moorish darkness.)

"Straight from the streets with all the liveliness of its hot Latin heart, Rumba unveils joyous, sensuous and dancing notes. It moves to the rhythm of quiet glissandos, swaying hips and lingering gazes. The fragrance combines Latin energy and the sophisticated taste of a Parisian couturier."

Anyway this beauty lasts and lasts and gets more potent as the hours go by.

So the end of this love story is - FULL BOTTLE!!! (it's SO reasonable) - second of the year and January's not even over. (Rhumba's off into sunset....hips swaying, gaze lingering....) :bounce:

I missed computer time completely yesterday but shared my day with three fragrances:

1.Le Parfum de Therese - Malle - bright and spicy, strong and ladylike

2. Creed's Eugenie, which I have waxed poetic about already, but let me add that I wore this to a four hour meeting with my contractor, knowing I would have to make some executive decisions about a project we are starting, and knew that this fragrance is "regal" enough to be authoritative, but pretty enough to be non intimidating. The feeling of power from this fragrance is not "bitch power" but "queenly power." Think Benevolent Monarchess or Merciful and Compassionate Goddess that has the power to give and take away but decides to give.
ADDED this evening: It looks like Eugenie is considered oriental!!!
Top Notes: Oriental notes w/mixture of Italian jasmin, sandalwood and vanilla

3. Carnal Flower 'Malle

Are these orientals? Hell, I don't know.
Am I oriental? Hell, I don't know, my Dad's from Shanghai , my Mom from Kansas. Sometimes I feel "oriental" and sometimes I don't.
All I know is they FELT oriental to me.
Since Carnal FLower is still lingering from last night,
let me post some of the notes here :

bergamot, melon, camphor, jasmin, orange blossom, ylang ylang, coconut milk

The coconut and ylang ylang seem to be lingering this morning.
This is a unique and stunning fragrance, with robust sillage - I went to blockbuster last night reeking of this and felt like a total femme fetale in my jeans and black t shirt, I just KNEW that every man in my wake, (and perhaps woman, too, hee hee hee) was rendered weak kneed by my aroma.Of course they were too polite to say anything.
This fragrance has a strongly textural quality to me...like rough velvet with a burned out embellishment in it, like the smoothness comes to you in rough patches, does that make sense?
Very sexy, very earthy, pretty serious stuff.

I resolve to try the MPG Soir d'Oriental sample that patty sent me sometime today and post it here to redeem myself just in case these scents are not true orientals.

Like Coumarin, I wear Orientals most of the time, but unlike her who tried a 30es classic - but new to her - I decided to go for a new on the market and new to me. First time, I did only briefly try it during a sniffathon amongst a few others and it left me perplexed. So I retried it, alone this time. And now I'm among those who sing its praises...Tom Ford Black Orchid.
Notes are Black truffle, ylang ylang, bergamot, black currant, black orchid, rich fruit accord, floral accord, lotus wood, patchouli, incense, vetiver, vanilla tears, balsam, sandalwood.
The head and heart notes of this fragrance are unbelievably glamorous. The floral notes are dark, soft and buttery and the fruit is ripe bordering on overripe, so much so that one has the impression that five minutes more and it would be decay...but this note is strangely appealing (mochi, you were right!) . I'm still looking for that black truffle note - truffles have a strong ammonia smell, for me almost unbearably so - but I cannot identify it as a single note, maybe it adds to the above strange, intoxicating note. The drydown is nothing like Allure Sensuelle on my skin (and nothing like Addict, as seemed to me when first testing); it's a very refined take on patchouli/amber that lasts forever. On my skin, no vanilla and lots of incence-y patch ...
I'm wearing it again today and its effect is the proverbial "can't stop sniffing myself".
Must have a full bottle of it!!! :bounce:

Now I've at last found the correct place to post (so many people here were
saying what they were going to smell, in the future, I thought this was the wrong place!) I'll speak about the oriental I wore yesterday - ROMA.

I love the fresh, clean minty/citrussy opening of this ambery oriental by Roman Designer Laura Biagiotti.

Mint is not a note I expected to enjoy, but mingled with blackcurrant
leaves and pink grapefruit it is amazing! To my mind this first stage is the best part of the EDT (there is no EDP apparently) and the bit I revel in the most.

The floral middle section - lily of the valley, jasmine and rose are not as
pronounced to my nose as the balsamy, vanilla,patchouli, sandalwood base which
is soft and sophisticated.

One of my favourite orientals of all.

z

Since Orientals are among my very favorites, I decided to try a couple of new (to me) ones for this month's Sniff & Speak. At the Neiman frag counter on my way home Friday, I was having myself a good time sniffing and chatting with everyone, and ended up getting "bumped up" from one of the clearly newer SAs who'd originally started with me to the senior SA on the counter.

Senior SA asked me what my single favorite scent was. I told her I had five or six, she said, "Pick one." So I did (JL Sherrer 2). She sprayed me a couple of selections, but I ended up going home with a sample of Hermes Rouge for the Sniff & Speak.

I found it very sweet and lightly spicy with a soft powdery amber note. Classy, lovely and feminine. I found started out quite strong, then softed within a few minutes. The amber and a touch of the spiciness came forward more on the dry down, but it didn't "develop," with different notes taking center stage at different times, the way some scents seem to. Still, I found the blend to be masterful and really enjoyed it start to finish.

On first try, I like Rouge a lot, but don't love it, probably because I have several other frags that are similar on me that I already adore. Rouge has more amber notes than some of my others, and I like that a lot! Will definitely need to try a few more times and keep an eye on it. I could grow to love this one.

It also lasted quite a long time on me (over 12 hours before all traces were gone from my skin, even with a little wrist-washing later in the day ). Plan to try the Hermes Rouges/Caron Bellodgia layering combo Moondeva has recommended, too!

Another oriental girl here, I think most of my collection are orientals. So, when picking something for the sniff&speak day yesterday, I had a tough time deciding. I finally settled on Shalimar Eau Légère because it had a taste of everything old and new about orientals.

I'm a fan of Shalimar, even though I came to it late. And like so many others, I was really afraid of what Guerlain would do to Shalimar by making a "light" version. But I think Guerlain did Shalimar proud by keeping the heart and soul of Shalimar, but making it somehow lighter and brighter, a little more luminous and shimmery . I don't think you have to choose one or the other, I think one can like both versions. It keeps the tradition and heritage of the original but adds a modern twist with an eye to the future.


notes (from osmoz) include:
Top note: Lemon, bergamot
Middle note: Jasmine, iris, orange
Base note: Vanilla, amber

Like many of you, I wear orientals quite a lot (maybe too much) and skipped this Speak-and-Sniff on Saturday because I honestly was not in the mood for any of my favorites (blame it on the heat - it was a perfect day for Carnal Flower).

Today, however, I'm wearing Tabu, an oriental which actually is a daring choice for me, for two reasons: first, because its reputation makes me self-conscious and second, because it's much darker and spicier than anything else I own. It's a chance for me to own up to any label snobbery I may have, and to wear something that doesn't smell at all "me" (no pronounced floral notes, no gourmand elements, no powder).

I'm not getting any soap this time around (a note which has bothered me in the past), but I am getting a really lovely whiff of Nag Champa incense. There's also a lot of heavy patchouli, which I actually like quite a lot, some cinnamon, and a fruity or citrus note that I can't quite name, but which gives the composition some roundness and color. I can't wait to layer this with some other frags; I want to see if I can bring out more of that hidden lusciousness.

I'm just quoting this to bump it back up the list of threads for those who have been wondering where it went. I'm sure we're still on for animalic next weekend -- right? I got Musc Ravageur for the occasion!

And I am at your side with Musc Ravageur as well, maybe followed by some Cuir Mauresque

No need to bump a thread for the last S'n'S, the "mother thread" is here:
http://community.basenotes.net/showt...183718&page=13

I'm sure Quarry will start a new thread for 3rd February, and I will make it sticky.

I have to say this is one case where the power of suggestion far outweighs the actual character of a scent. Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur is all about the vanilla oriental to me and very little about an animalic musk.

Time & time again I read people recommending it as a real animalic musk and though I agree that there is musk in the blend, it is more as a binding background base note (fixative) for the amber and vanilla then a major factor in the overall theme - fancy name or not. On my skin it is all chocolatey amber and vanilla laced with cinnamon and tangerine - a naughty sensual oriental with no florals similar to Lolita Lempicka L, Givenchy Organza Indecence, and Yves Rocher Neonatura Cocoon.

I am not surprised that so many that 'love' musk, because of Musk Ravageur, are so shell shocked when confronted by a true animalic musk like Serge Lutens Musc Koublai Khan, Ava Luxe Rasa (old formulation), or Nemat Supreme Musk.

Even the pussycats Coty Wild Musk, Lentheric Just Musk, Revlon Intimate Musk and Jovan Musk Oil have more animalic musk going on then Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur.

hummph!

I guess Jan. is the best month of 2007 for me, as the Orientals are my absolute favorite frags. I've tried many perfumes over the years, and really enjoyed some of them, but have always come back to these wonderfully seductive and enticing scents. Although I still love and wear Opium and Shalimar I've happily found others like Etro Shaal Nur, Bellodogia and Arabie.

Welcome to Basenotes, spicegirl! :wave:

Here's hoping that you are here to enjoy many more oriental January's with us here in the years to come!

Spicegirl, my favorites are orientals also. Today I accidently broke a large bottle of Hypnotic Poison. I managed to fill four other bottles, but got it all over me so I will say: Hypnotic Poison
Notes:Bitter Almond, Caraway
Jasmine
Vanilla, Moss, Jacaranda Wood, Musk

Yummy, especially if you add a little musk essential oil.

Thankyou so much for the welcome and although I am a complete novice when it comes to the wonderful world of fragrance, I hope to learn a great deal from all of you "veterns". I don't know a whole lot about frags, but I know what I like, and Orientals are it.
I do know how to use the search, so will try not to ask too many stupid questions! Please bear with me. Thanks.

Hi TDDanae - I finally received my sample of Hypnotic Poison, and although I thought when I had a sniff of the opening notes that it was going to be overpowering, I quickly changed my mind during the dry down. Another wonderful Oriental, and I agree... yummy!