Salomé

[savage_rose]

A scent that is both coquettish and sinister. Exotic and lush, brimming with grace and viciousness: almond with star jasmine, oakmoss, red sandalwood and Egyptian musk.

Evidently star jasmine is not moroccan jasmine...it's the unwashed smell kind. Sigh.

That's what I smell at first, unwashed stinkiness. And then it powders out into a warm, less stinky scent with the undertone of erasers, and the jasmine is nice but not as strong as eraser. And then it morphs into Sun's Eye's Oya oil. Bizarre, and (I'm sure this is no great surprise), not me. Edited April 17, 2008 by savage_rose

[fairnymph]

Sniffed in imp: Almond, sandalwood, musk, and sweet incensey resins.

[arsenicsauce]

I got this one purely out of curiosity, because the notes listed all smell incredibly different on me and I couldn't imagine them blended together.

 

Wet: STRONG almond. Not as bad as Queen of Sheba, which practically climbs up off your skin and shoves whole almonds into your nostrils, but whew. Something is lightening it a little, maybe the jasmine or sandalwood- it's hard to say, just a little fresh nose-tingling kick.

 

After a few minutes the almond mysteriously vanishes and I am left with incense and musk, and while the incense isn't bad, the bpal musk note always is vile on me. Eventually settles down to smelling like Grandma for the rest of the time, which is apparently what the musk and jasmine and that little residue of the almond together decide to do. No thanks.

[Raqassah]

Wet: Mmmm…sexy jasmine with almond. Like heady, dark slightly illicit kisses. Tinged with madness.

 

Dry down: Still notes of jasmine, mixed with darkness. Wood/musk/resin notes start to come to the fore.

 

Final Impression: Wear with caution. Could cause someone to lose their head.

[caffinatedangel]

Preconceptions: I was really not quite sure what to expect. I'm not familiar with Jasmine, oakmoss, or Egyptian Musk. So I was eager to try out new scents.

 

In the Imp: First thought was "soap" (Actually "OMFG that's gross girl. -flail and almost spilled the imp-"). Second sniff was serious almond, and jasmine (I suppose) giving it that soapy girly smell I avoid. I love the Almond though. Yum.

 

Wet on skin: Almond in all it's glee. For a few seconds.

 

Dry: I'm learning what Jasmine is, and I assume this is it. A sweet, natural sugar smell. Like a fruit, or a blossom, very ripe and delicious but natural and tempered with... plant-ness. Mixed with the Almond, causes a really delicious sensation. Once my nose gets over the "OMG BABY POWDER" reaction (I despise baby powder, and have a freak-out), I'm able to enjoy this quite a bit. Picking out that sweet sent is so delicious.

 

More dry: Almond just sinks into Jasmine, becoming one with it and being absorbed into it. It's still there, I think. Just faintly. As time passes the musk and sandlewood take the stage and leave a lasting scent behind, with occasional freak traces left behind by the sweeter smells.

 

I personally don't prefer this scent on me. I'm a leather and patchouli kind of girl. But, if I was to smell this on my more feminine friends I'd think they smell delicious and probe them with questions. As well as want to curl up and tell them they smell divine all day.

 

Overall: Really a delicious scent. If you enjoy more girly smells, but are willing to try something a tad darker this may be a good first step. It is a bit "powdery" and "soapy". At one point when I forgot I was wearing it I thought I smelled baby powder, took a sniff of the air and detected Almond's, then giggled at myself for being silly. So that's something to consider if you're like me and hate powdery things.

 

Aside from that, and the Almond being owned by Jasmine, it was really delicious and womanly. On someone very feminine and sexual (aka = Womanly ) it would be an incredible thing. A perfect balance of light and dark, I think.

 

Grade = B. Powder-y that I'm afraid of, and Almond being owned kept it from an A. But still a lovely scent.

[cam]

In the bottle, this smells very true to the description. I get plenty of almond, layered with lovely jasmine and musk. It smells wonderful. Unfortunately on me, it smells just awful. The almond disappears, and the jasmine becomes overpowering and harsh, with a strong herbal scent, like sage. Definitely not for me. Off to the swap list.

[gecko]

This was a freebie in a BPTP order. It was bizarrely indescribable wet. When dry, it was jasmine single note for an hour or so. My husband told me I smelled like his great-aunt Then some of the oakmoss came out to play, but I'm not a big fan. Off to swaps.

[Saya]

In the Bottle

I’m getting the smell of almonds mixed with rubbing alcohol. I deffinetely wasn’t expecting that.

 

On My Skin

The jasmine is coming out to combat the rubbing alcohol and thankfully it seems to be winning. The musk and red sandalwood are grounding the almond and jasmine nicely. The jasmine is the dominant smell right now, I’m hoping the almond will come back out to play.

 

After a Bit

This reminds me of a perfume my grandmother used to wear. That doesn’t make this an old lady smell, but it just isn’t going to work for me.

 

Rating 1-5 (5 being the best)

Scent – 3 Throw – 4 Longevity – washed off

Over all – 3

 

Final Thoughts

It’s nice, but I've just got too many memories associated with this scent to ever wear it.

[mgrazulis]

In the imp: sharp star jasmine, sweet almond. I am fearful that the star jasmine is too strong. It shows no beauty in the imp.

 

Wet: The jasmine pushes the almond down, slivers of sandalwood emerge with damp wet oakmoss. Smoky and earthy.

 

Dry: Salome begins her Dance of the Veils here: a dark resiny backgound forms around the jasmine which has a flowery sweetness that beckons. A magnetic musky sultriness lures you in. The sandalwood, the edginess of the oakmoss and musk blend beautifully allowing the jasmine to reveal her aroma through their veil. Salome's dance is grounded, yet exotic. Her aura is compelling, sniff after sniff. Gorgeous and sensual....

 

This stays fairly close to the skin on me...I like it overall. It fades down after a couple of hours, leaving a gentle sandalwood residue. I don't mind that I need reapply again. In my scent locket, though I get mostly jasmine and almonds.

[Salsa Shark]

On wet, this is very decisively sweet almond and jasmine. It's a nice jasmine as well - sometimes jasmine can go very loud or soapy, but it never does that here. The almond disappears completely within minutes though, leaving behind a light, sweet musky jasmine. It's a simple scent which clings closely to the skin, but pretty. The oakmoss never makes an appearance.

 

Once it dries down the sandalwood starts to make an appearance and I get a nice jasmine incense scent. It fades really quickly though. After an hour and a half it's only barely detectable on my wrist. Which is a real shame, because otherwise this would have been a perfect jasmine scent for me. I'll keep hold of the imp though, and just slather more than usual.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: almond and smoky oakmoss.

 

wet on skin: the almond is taking a back seat and the oakmoss is now smelling more like vetiver.

 

dry down: the smoke clears and a rich indian jasmine snakes out from under it. that's a LOT of morphing from wet to dry!

 

in all: if you're not a vetiver fan but you adore jasmine, i say get this and put up with the brief drying period. you will be justly rewarded.

 

 

 

[sqwook]

This is one of my top loves. So it cracks me up to read that the one word I wrote for the review when Salome is wet is "gack!". Ah, how things change.

 

Dry: As this dries, the floral jasmine fades away bit by bit. The Egyptian musk, sandalwood, and oakmoss mingle for a very lovely, complex scent. An air of exoticness, faraway lands, mystery. Fantastic.

 

(I must admit, accidently dumping most of my imp down my blouse and onto the floor launched this scent from 'like it' to 'oh my gosh, love, don't waste another precious drop.' But hey, I'll take it. And my blouse, even drenched, still smelled pretty darn awesome, though it went into the laundry right away.)

Edited December 19, 2008 by sqwook

[crebbsgirl]

On me, this is a fairly heavy jasmine when wet. As it dries, the oakmoss and sandalwood come out a little more. The musk doesn't show up for me until almost an hour or so in. But it's beautiful. I don't get any almonds at all, which is good in my case because almond is rarely a note that works for me. Overall, this becomes a bit of a woodsy floral on my skin, with just a faint hint of musk. It's a dark, mysterious blend. I like it.

[zankoku_zen]

This one is fairly jasmine, with a base of sandalwood. I can smell the bitter oakmoss in the background. This one is a seductive and lethal perfume. This is for a woman who is vicious and and likes to have things her way and isn't afraid to use her womanly charms to get them. Yeah, it smells like 'man eater' to me.

[obsidienne]

I don't know why I keep ordering jasmine blends, because even though I want to love jasmine, I can only tolerate it -- somehow it always smells weirdly floral, dirty and stinky to me until it reaches far far drydown, when my skin eats everything anyway. But I refuse to give up!

 

This one starts off as almond over jasmine wet, but quickly becomes JASMINE on me, with the oakmoss, sandalwood and musk relieving the blend a bit and adding more complexity and a slightly bitter woodiness to the smell. I wish almond would last longer, but it never does. That said, if I am patient, I can like Salome; when the jasmine relaxes at far drydown, so do I and this becomes a rather nice blend. But once the imp is done, I think I'll say goodbye.

Edited November 8, 2008 by obsidienne

[milo]

Odd, I get fruity incense in this blend, not jasmine, *takes another sniff* OK maybe it's there. Oh yes, it's really blooming now. Although this is floral, it smells "dirty" somehow, like a naughty, sexy flower. Still I really don't like the combo of jasmine and musk, and this is not for me.

[kikithepirate]

I pulled out a random imp tonight to test, and it was this. At first, I thought to myself, "Why on earth did I ever throw this into the swap pile? This is awesome!" It was all musks and delicious almond. But then, after about five minutes, it morphed. And I was sad - a medicinal jasmine. Woe. It covers up the almond and even the musks, mostly, though I can still catch the rounding-out of those. The sandalwood is barely noticeable.I pulled out a random imp tonight to test, and it was this. At first, I thought to myself, "Why on earth did I ever throw this into the swap pile? This is awesome!" It was all musks and delicious almond. But then, after about five minutes, it morphed. And I was sad - a medicinal jasmine. Woe. It covers up the almond and even the musks, mostly, though I can still catch the rounding-out of those. The sandalwood is barely noticeable.

[vegasblueblood]

Absolutely gorgeous. This is one of my favorite blends and I also find Salome as a female in history to be pretty fascinating. The almond and jasmine grab you first but neither overwhelms. Star jasmine is absolutely lovely and does not become an overwhelming floral at all. The almond gives it this delicious exotic sweetness and the smoke and spice kicks in from the red sandalwood and musk. This is a strong scent but I do not find it sharp at all. I find it swirls around you and has a significant amount of throw but there is a softness and femininity to this. Not only that, as it ages, it gets even better.

[femmefatale]

I was hesitant to try this since almond is normally a note of doom for me. Strangly though, this doesn't turn my stomach. It's quite pretty in fact.

The jasmine is keeping the almond in check, though it's not headache inducing like it usually is with me. As it starts to dry down, it does smell a bit dirtier and earthier with a hint of smokiness. Jasmine is still the primary note, but it's a much naughtier jasmine.

 

I like it enough to keep the imp, but I doubt I will wear it enough to get a bottle. I'm so happy I tried it though!

[rayvn1]

I was afraid the almond would be death and mixed with the jasmine, all the musk is covered up by almonds and flowers. Too bad!

[milica]

I got this imp from a friend as a gift, it's pretty old so I guess it's well blended now.

 

On me, this is pretty much jasmine, musk and sandalwood. I detect some almond but not that much, I would call this a nice jasmine/musk scent. Interesting and very seductive, I like it, but I think I won't keep it, because I like other jasmine scents better.

[Bluestocking]

Note: my bottle of Salome has been aged for at least two years, so that might have an impact on what I'm smelling.

 

In the bottle: Very sharp, strong star jasmine—definitely star jasmine, because it smells very distinct from other varieties—paired with a somewhat more subtle almond and a trace of musk. No oakmoss or sandalwood yet. This is a sexy and sinister scent, manipulative and seductive. While jasmine is normally sweet loveliness to me, this jasmine is the one in Wicked, which makes this feel… um, wicked.

On, wet: This one is a morpher. In a complete reversal of most of the reviewers here, the almond comes out big time on my skin, while the star jasmine steps back--still there, still adding a dark and ominous aspect, but definitely a supporting player for all the sugary marzipan goodness. There's a subtle touch of oakmoss beneath, which boosts the darkness here, but that sweet almond makes this almost… nubile.

On, dry: There was a brief hellish period during the drydown when this smelled like nothing but the sharpest, dirtiest parts of star jasmine and oakmoss. Thankfully it passed very quickly, and as it did, this scent morphed yet again into something really exotic and beautiful: spicy, sweet, round and full. No oakmoss, but the sandalwood and musk are hitting it off well and merging with the almond and no-longer-pointy jasmine to form a cloud of sexy, heady, come-hither perfume.

Later: Drier now, and quite woody, but still appealing. This is mostly red sandalwood and musk, with a faint tinge of the almonds and very little jasmine—just enough to retain that ominous bite.

Overall: This scent is perfect for its namesake, because it morphs so much that it seems to be doing its own dance of the seven veils: first frightening and then flirty, then forbidding, then voluptuous, warm and seductive. It's an extremely sensual, alluring scent, with a definite ominous undercurrent—it belongs to a seductress who knows how to get what she wants. I was put off by the very sharp star jasmine in the bottle, but I'm glad that I tried it on and trusted it, because the unpleasant bit doesn't last long on my skin and the end result is absolutely worth it.

 

EDIT: Okay, there's yet ANOTHER phase to this one, and it's the most delicious stage yet: musky almond sandalwood with all the sweetness of the jasmine, but zero sharpness. I was standing in a crowded bakery, when all of a sudden I could smell this wave of warm, spicy-foody sweetness, which I assumed was the baked goods. It wasn't until I got home that I realized it wasn't my dessert smelling so good, but Salome!

Edited February 24, 2009 by Bluestocking

[Aldercy]

Wet, Salome is straight-up, natural almond extract, which is delightful. Wonderful. Masterful. This is, however, the second time that almond seems to have gone a little rancid on me and induced the beginnings of migraine. It breaks my heart.

 

Other than that, I definitely can pick out a strong jasmine note-- really down-and-dirty, sexy, evil jasmine-- and the red sandalwood. That side of this scent is reminiscent of Peitho to me. But it's a bit more dry and spicy: more "desert" than "tropics."

 

Great potential, but it clashes with my chemistry something awful.

[FeatherQwill]

Something in Salome did not like my skin at all. I got a hard, incensey smell with a note of diaper. Bleh. Why is my skin so finicky?

[liquidtrance]

Unexpectedly, this smells quite cedary, almost. I think it must be the oakmoss? Or could it be the sandalwood for once? It's cedar, but better. The jasmine is far in the background while this is wet. Fortunately the almond is not prominent. The musk I think is blending with the oakmoss/sandalwood. There's something that's almost.. fruity.. coming into play. This is a surprisingly good blend. Shame I put off trying it for so long! this stays in the realm of woody (mossy?) musk once its dry. I'd have expected the almond and jasmine to amp here, but they don't. Decent.