Silk Road

[BrightRedScream]

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.

I got this as a frimp...

In the bottle I got an herbal/grassy smell that was SO warm, but not intense at all - rather soft, I had to take a REALLY deep inhale to get the full smell of this. It reminded me of exotic markets and incense...
SO beautiful!!!

When I put it on my skin, it was smokey and herbal...VERY intense, what a change from in the imp! It was almost..bitter for lack of a better word. It seemed like there was something citrusy and plant like..Kind of earthy.

Once it dried down, I'm guessing I started to smell the neroli..there was citrus and spice and I was just in heaven. This scent is SO warm, and I wanted to wrap myself in it!

After about half an hour something floral came out - but it wasn't a floral that I disliked.
Normally me and florals are very hit or miss...this was BEAUTIFUL!!

I really really like this scent, and I think I want it in a 5ml.

[Naamah_Darling]

Ginger? Something nutty, round, and birdseedy that is either almond, sweetgrass, or saffron. It shares this note with The Lion, and is also a bit reminiscent of Morocco. There's an herbal tang to this, almost salty. There's cinnamon. That might be tea leaf.

 

On, it's dry, spicy, woody, and beautiful. The throw smells like the books I buy from a bookstore near my house that burns Nag Champa incense all the time, so there may be a bit of Nag Champa in here. Up close, it smells like a wooden box used to store spices and incense; there's that twang of wood and grass and dry grain that keeps it from being foody. I detect florals, but I'm horrible at picking them out, so I'll just say that they add a soft roundness to the scent without coming out and poking you in the eye. There's something green and herbal in here. Juniper or bay. It's very nice.

 

The weardown is spicy and dry, like windswept grasses smelled through a fold of silk to which the spices of the last town's market still cling. Highly recommended for those who like spicy, exotic, wild scents.

[Zeljana]

At first, this was very soapy, like an old-fashioned soap my grandmother used to make. It reminds me of long, hot summer on an island near my hometown. I can almost hear crickets and see the deep blue sea not far behind when I smell this. It may sound crazy but I can smell virgin olive oil in Silk Road. And crushed sage and thyme. It smells like Mediterranean summer, even though I can see why this is called Silk Road.

 

Unfortunately, my imp of Silk Road broke but I'm definitely putting this on my to buy 5ml bottle list.

Edited April 19, 2006 by Kosyena

[juniperus]

Bottle: rather sweeter than I tend to go for

Wet: I immediately got spicy cinnamon (and clove, I think) that dries to favor darker amber and grassy/almost woody...sandalwood? lemongrass? Complex.

Dry: I really don't like it wet, but dry seems to be better for me. Hovers close to the skin.

Later: Mellowed past the grassy to the woody. faded relatively quickly, by EOD there was no sign of it.

[Nepthys]

This reminds me of an aquatic mix of Old Morocco and the Lion. I get the spices and the heat and yet there's a watery note to this too. My overall impression is of walking into a Middle Eastern tea shop -- but as this wears on, a melancholy note comes through that's quite persistent.

[indicolite]

On me, cinnamon is the dominant note, but enough other smells peek out around the edges - warm friendly smiles of the ghosts of the road to guide you on your way. I knew as soon as I tried it (I ordered it as an imp as my intro to BPAL spicy scents) that this one is my first priority to get a bottle of; I am waiting for it now.

 

There is a story about Silk Road and me: while heading to the States a couple of weeks ago, I accidentally tried Donna Karan Black Cashmere body lotion in the duty-free shop. It went horribly stinky on my hands, like bad bad pot combined with the worst incense ever, and it would not die down even after a shower and bed and being layered with Satsuma. Finally, I remembered that I had taken the imp of Silk Road with me, and whipped that out. My roommates and I are forever grateful to BPAL for saving our stink sanity! "All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand..."

[desu]

In the imp: A sweet floral predominates with hints of grasses, herbs, and something I can't quite put my finger on. It reminds me of one of those specialty stores that sell cutesy English countryside knicknacks and smell faintly of lavender.

 

On my skin: A little spicy, mostly the sweet dry grass smell I got in the imp.

 

I thought Silk Road would be a little heavier on the spice considering its namesake, but I am pleasantly surprised at its elegance and cool nature. This is definately one for the future bottle order list.

[Syzygy]

This one was rubber from the get-go. Went on rubber, dried rubber, stayed rubber. Looks like I got the stretch of Silk Road that runs through Akron.

[inkmonkeys]

Despite having a very slight reaction to the cinnamon in this (unusual for me), I love it.

It's definitely a sister to hamadryad on my skin, if you mixed in a light note of baking Central Asian flatbreads, drying tea leaves, sun-ripening grapeskin.

 

I research the history of silk road medicine, so I had to get a bottle of this unsniffed. It's very spicy, light and gorgeous. I want to dab some of this on, wave it through my hair, curl up with Susan Whitfield's _Life Along the Silk Road_, a cup of tuocha tea or Mare's Teat wine, and imagine walking with Xuanzang.

 

Lovely and evocative. Thank you so much, Beth.

[m13]

In the bottle: cherries -- cherries that have been stewed in spices. Too sweet and I don't want to smell like cherries. I'm not thrilled. But I bravely slide the imp's little plastic thingie across my wrists.

 

Wet: Almost as soon as this hits my skin it becomes warm, spicy wonderfulness. Not too sweet, not too incensey, not too anything -- but a really lovely, complex mix. Yum. Imp is uncapped again and silk road is happily and lavishly applied to various body parts.

 

After a few hours: This stayed true as it settled on my skin, which is nice given that I slathered it without waiting to see what it would morph into. I'm loving it. I like resin/incense scents and this one isn't too much to wear during summer plus i expect it'll work well in autumn and winter. I was/am so enchanted by this i googled "Silk Road" and found this nifty exhibit by the British Museum.

 

(edited to correct a bit of sloppy spelling that would have bugged me all night long)

Edited June 17, 2006 by arcadia

[zankoku_zen]

This is one of jewelbug's favorites and I have to say that I tend to skip scents that don't actually list components. However her love for this scent intrigued me and she sent me an imp.

 

In the Imp: Smells sharp and herby, with a teensy hint of incense.

 

On Skin: I get a very similar experience first on with Silk Road as I do with Voodoo. However, after a few minutes I get floral goodness wafting up to meet my nose. If I inhale deeply, I smell some patchouli.

 

After a few hours: Very faint. Still smells floral and herbaly and slightly spicy.

 

Verdict: It stays very close to my skin. It's a very spicy sort of floral. I have to say it is very interesting. I'm not sure that it's a favorite but it is very nice.

[RavenVelith]

In the bottle: I smell cinnamon and flowers!! OH! OH! PLEASE BE NICE ON MY SKIN! You're lovely in the bottle. :3

 

Wet: Still spicey and floraly. :3 But the floral isn't as strong! SPICEY! !!!!! Like all I smell is CINNAMON! I like this! Stay this way!

 

Dry: ::.sniffs repeatedly.:: I like this..but....I need another opinion. One second! ::.runs to get sister to smell it.:: She thinks it smells good. I think it smells good. It smells even more nicely blended of spice and floral.

 

MINE! >: D

[Diana]

In the bottle & Wet: spicy, murky

 

On the skin: Ow! Cinnamon! I get a bit of contact redness in a few places. The other notes are a melange of spices, incences, resins, herbs, and probably a few flowers. I can't really pick anything out other than the cinnamon and a somewhat sharp note that might be frankincense or myrrh, or both.

 

Drydown: This lasts a fairly long time! I love long-lasting scents with good throw. After wearing this, there's a warm, dry, spiced aura around me. I can imagine this would layer amazingly with a leather scent.

 

Verdict: I'm glad to have this one in a bottle. It's really pretty & unusual.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

incense and exotic spices

 

wet:

cinnamon, and other exotic spices, something sweet and citrusy too…. an amazing blend!

 

dry:

now it's more floral, subdued spices. Still very exotic - reminds me of an import store that has incense, candles, and wood furniture from around the world - all the smells combine so you can't pick out any notes

 

overall:

nice!

 

rating: 8/10

[karengypsy]

In the vial: Mmmm, spices.

 

On me: Oh, this is gorgeous. Spices, lovely spices. Unfortunately, it faded incredibly quickly and I could only smell it if I put my nose right up to my skin.

 

Verdict: I'm so sad about this one, as I loved it in the vial and as soon as I put it on. I was very disappointed. I ended up swapping it away, but I still think about it and if I can find a good unscented lotion that I like enough, I may order more to turn into a scented lotion for myself on days that I don't want to radiate scent. I kinda regret giving it away now, but I'm sure I'll get more again one day.

 

Rating: 4/5 for scent, 1/5 for lasting.

[forspecial_plate]

I guess I had better review this since I've been talking sh*t about it in other threads...

 

I really wanted to try it based on reviews and the description. I like the sweet spiciness at first, and I'm a novice so I couldn't really pick out individual notes. But it did keep reminding me of something and I couldn't quite place it. I get the green/fresh/spicy goodness that most of the other reviews mention.

 

Gradually a floral/powdery scent emerged and eventually bullied all the other notes into near submission. I don't know what this particular floral is but it smells exactly like my departed great grandmother's house, some perfume or powder that she wore. Actually the first time I tried this I fell asleep and when I woke up it was like....BAM, great grandmother's house! I would love to know which note is giving me this association, out of curiosity and also so I can avoid it in the future!

 

To be fair, it's not an unpleasant smell. Just too sweet and powdery for me to ever wear and the association in my mind is too strong for me to enjoy it.

[edenssixthday]

Silk Road - This is my favorite orange spice black tea -- through and through. It smells exactly like it. I love making sun tea out of this particular tea blend, then serving it over ice with a bit of sugar to sweeten it. It's the perfect refreshing and sultry hot-afternoon iced tea blend. And that's exactly what silk road smells like. I don't like it as a skin scent, however. I will try it as a room fragrance. I think it will work so much better that way. And I really can't wait for my entire home to smell like this. Such a wonderful scent that carries so many memories for me.

[eggplant]

Silk Road is all cinnamon on me. It's a subtle cinnamon, but not for me.

[Miseraya]

In the Imp:Big Red and... no just Big Red.

 

A smidgen in the oil burner: Big Red and something... else, something I can't identify that makes this smell much less like Big Red and much more like a spice box, fallen off a camel and burst open in the desert, with the winds slowly stealing it all away.

 

It's beautiful, but it's not for me. Swapped it.

[SultryWolf]

Imp: Mmm, golden spices.

On: A wonderful assault of spices, in glorious warm amber. But there's one note in there I don't like - something that reminds me of bug spray, and the reason I can't tolerate the aroma of Good Earth decaf tea (it's not present in the caff version, oddly). It's fairly subtle, appearing more in the throw, actually; but I just can't love the drydown on this one.

[Dandelion]

Yay spices! Definitely cinnamon, but also lots of other stuff. The cinnamon is pretty subtle on me. I also smella twinge of florals and something like candied orange. Alltogether it's a medium-light spicy and a bit sexy scent that's perfect for late summer and early fall, or even winter.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Strong spices, including nutmeg and cinnamon, I think.

 

Wet: There's a bit of a rose scent to this, possibly rosewood, and cinnamon, and nutmeg. As it dries, the spices get stronger.

 

Drydown: It's a lovely floral spice, I get nutmeg and cinnamon over rose and probably other flowers. Maybe jasmine deep in the background. As others have already said, it's really hard to describe. It's just a long flow of lovely soft spices.

 

Overall: A very pleasant blend, and I don't doubt that it's very complex, because it's giving me a hard time picking out the notes. It goes a bit dry and powdery, which just enhances the spice factor. There's nothing too violent, even the cinnamon is gentle. Everything a spice cabinet should smell like, combined with lovely flowers.

[maijasu]

Oh my, this is lovely!

 

I got it as a frimp and had no expectations, but it's just great. It's a blend of spice and herbal notes on me, and it's so nice and smooth, not very sweet but nonetheless a very happy scent. I'll keep the imp for sure, and might have to add it to the ever-growing 5ml to-buy list.

 

Just gorgeous.

[Luhtarian]

I really want to like this, but I think my skin is amping up the cinnamon and clove, and the sharpness is giving me a headache. I can't smell much else. Oh well... not for me.

[Torrilin]

My imp smells nothing like what the other reviews describe.

 

I sniff the imp, and I get a sharp white floral, maybe narcissus? If I apply it, I end up with a piercing headache, and a powdery white and green floral scent. It reminds me strongly of lilies and narcissus. No spice. No tea. Just a headache, like I made the mistake of sniffing a White Linen tester.

 

I suspect I got a mislabelled imp, but I'm not willing to risk ordering it again. This stuff is vicious.

 

Kalli