Silk Road

[freyasfae]

A panoply of cultural treasures, spanning the herbs, flowers, oils and balms of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Mediterranean, the Levant, Northern China, Eastern Europe, Iran, the Bulgar-Kypchak, Mesopotamia, the Crimean Peninsula, Anatolia, Antioch, and North Africa.

 

2016: This reminds me of those cinnamon hot candies! Spicy and dry, and very light, but I don't want to smell like cinnamon hot candies.

 

2021 Update: I got a frimp of this from a recent decant circle. I enjoy these spicier scents a lot more now, so it doesn't overwhelm me like it used to. Instead, especially on the drydown, this feels subtly sexy - the wanderlust woman peaking out from over her sunglasses. 

Edited August 18, 2021 by freyasfae

[LizziesLuck]

I am obsessed with the Wanderlust category, so I had to track down an imp of this.

 

Wet: Sweet and spicy! Lots of cinnamon, for sure. I can pick out dry, dusty cardamom too, and ginger I think. Some pepper, based on the way it tickles my nose! Kind of clears your sinuses! I like it a lot, but doubt I would wear it as a perfume. It would make the most amazing candle though!

 

Dry: Not much of a morpher. Still cinnamon dominant. Fairly sweet. Nice, but not something I would wear much.

[VetchVesper]

This starts with lots of cinnamon on me, but it's the smoothest, most mellow cinnamon of BPAL's I've encountered. It doesn't turn to red hots on me, which is kind of unusual. Instead it calms down and blends with what smells like Indian sandalwood. It's very dry, smooth, and ever so faintly sweet. For an all spice scent, I prefer this one greatly over Plunder. Wish it had stuck around.

[lady_pandora]

My first thought about Silk Road was that it smelled like nag champa, and then I was like "No! That's frangipani. It's a lot like what's in Delight." And maybe someday I will remember that nag champa has frangipani in it, and that I was right both times. (And maybe someday I'll figure out why I like it when it's called frangipani, and not when it's called plumeria, even though they're the same thing. Are there two strains? Is it all in my head? Does it have to do with the other notes it's blended with? But that's a question for another day.)

 

So anyway, nag champa is the dominant scent on me here. The considerable throw is almost all nag champa. Close to the skin, I get a slight camphoraceous note and an impression of dusty wood and possibly slight cinnamon, along with more nag champa. It doesn't morph a ton other than the wood gradually getting a little stronger in the background.

 

It's too bad this is DC'd, because this is really beautiful, a floral-incensey blend that isn't quite like anything else in my collection. I will definitely be getting a lot of use out of this imp.

Edited December 5, 2017 by lady_pandora

[doomsday_disco]

In the imp: Incense and spices. This one is reminiscent of Plunder to my nose, but softer.

 

Wet: This is spice dominant on me, and it still reminds me of a softer version of Plunder. Although I have sensitive skin, the spices are so soft that they don't burn. As it begins to dry, the spices begin to take on a dry quality, like cinnamon bark or cinnamon sticks.

 

Dry: Dry cinnamon and spices mingled with incense smoke.

 

Verdict: I'm glad that this one didn't end up being problematic on my sensitive skin! I do think it is like a lighter version of Plunder. I like it, but I am so glad that I am not in love with it, since it's discontinued.

[Lucchesa]

Silk Road is one of those scents that smell like my BPAL decant boxes: a little bit of everything, and a lot of Beth. I somehow ended up being given two imps of this, one in good condition, one that's been around the block a few times and contains a deeper-colored oil; I'm testing the latter one. It lives up to its name beautifully: spicy and exotic, yet warm and comforting. You can imagine wearing this while traveling by camel caravan. Notes? Spices, incense, sandalwood; I'm not getting the strong blast of cinnamon some reviewers mention.

 

This is a perfume that would be absolutely appropriate for a work situation; I get no throw at all. Yet after work, you could reapply, go out to dinner, and if the object of your desire got close enough, Silk Road would be quite seductive. I'm not going to cry because it's unobtainable; there are other "Arabian Nights" scents (Bast, Bengal) that push the same buttons for me. But it is a good reminder to buy backups of GC faves as they may not be around forever.

[Cali]

Wet, this is a very scream-y cinnamon on me. a hint of something more, but nothing really comes through. I was hoping this morphed on me and did all these lovely things other people describe, but alas... Just cinnamon on me. and a fading one at that already! 

Edited December 18, 2018 by Cali