Apple

Ooo... good question. I love Thai tea! I'll have to think on this one a bit; nothing is leaping immediately to mind. Maybe one of the chai-like scents layered with something coconutty? I have no answer to this, but I have the exact same problem... so you're not coming out of left field, at least not to me.

Sadly, I don't think so. Coffee seems to be an oddly neglected note in the BPAL catalogue, and more recent blends containing it have been limited editions: Bah! (BPTP 2008 Inquisition) - Thick Turkish coffee spiked with whiskey, with a little bit of mocha to soften the bitterness. Egg Nog Latte (December 2008 Will Call Only) - no scent description El Dia de Reyes (2007 Yule LE) - Hot cocoa with cinnamon, coffee, and brown sugar. MVJBA: Summer Summoning Spectacular (BPTP) - Scorched baseball fields, black glots of incense, spilled coffee, and pancake residue. Pinched with Four Aces (Dogs Playing Poker, 2007 LE) - Colorado Maduro tobacco wrappers, cinnamon bark, coffee bean husk, and dry woods. In the GC, I think there's only Miskatonic University (which, as you noted, is very sweet and buttery) and Mata Hari (which is very floral, so much so that I can't smell any coffee): Mata Hari (Bewitching Brews) - Five roses with soft jasmine, warmed by vanilla, fig, tonka bean and mahogany, spiced with a drop of coffee bean. Miskatonic University (Picnic in Arkham) - The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls. One blend that doesn't list coffee as a note but that definitely gives me a coffee shop vibe is Centzon Totochtin: Centzon Totochtin (Excolo) - Bittersweet Mexican cocoa with rum, red wine, and a scent redolent of sacrificial blood. It smells like chocolate-covered cherry flavored coffee brewing. And, of course, there's the elusive Coffee Bean single-note... If you could find some of that, you could layer it with a smoky scent like Rumplestilzchen. Unfortunately, I fear that finding a sufficient supply is probably not practical (and maybe not even possible). Similarly, Pinched with Four Aces is pretty hard to get. Of the more attainable blends, the MVJBA: Summer Summoning Spectacular might work (if the "pancake residue" doesn't amp on you) or maybe Bah! layered with something smoky. ETA: I forgot about Bah! and Pinched.

If you're referring to the Twinings brand, I know the tea you're talking about. The ingredients are: black tea, orange peel, lemon peel, and citrus flavoring. The "citrus flavoring" is probably bergamot, which is what gives Earl Grey tea its distinctive flavor. With that in mind, I'd recommend Severin: Severin (Ars Amatoria) - Dry black teas, Earl Gray, and leather. On my skin, it was all bergamot with no leather and very little tea - sort of like a super Earl Grey. You might also like: Aizen-Myoo (Excolo) - Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea. Baobhan Sith (Diabolus) - Grapefruit, white tea, apple blossom and ginger. Cheshire Cat (Mad Tea Party) - Grapefruit, red currant, dark musk, Roman chamomile, delphinium, and lavender. Gennivre, L’Artiste du Diable (Carnaval Diabolique) - Hyson tea leaf, pale mint, sugar cane, orange blossom, lemongrass, and honey. Manhattan (Wanderlust) - Sheer amber, black leather, white mint, lemon peel, white tea, grapefruit, kush, teakwood and orchid. Theodosius, The Legerdemain (Carnaval Diabolique) - Earl Grey tea leaves, a white fougere, jasmine leaf, pearlescent white musk, and vanilla bean. Tweedledee (Mad Tea Party) - Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom. With the exception of Gennivre and Theodosius, those are all available as imps from the Lab.

Two caveats: 1.) I have trouble distinguishing between the different types of lilies (e.g., Lily of the Valley vs. calla lily), and 2.) lily is one of the many floral notes that I tend to amp, and so it comes roaring out after touching my skin... and then usually turns quite soapy. Keeping those caveats in mind, the strongest lily scent I've encountered has been La Mort Qui Danse: La Mort Qui Danse (The Salon) - Black pepper, white ginger, Calla lily, and lily of the valley. On me, it was sharp, soapy, assertive, and unmistakably LILY! A softer, gentler but still pure lily scent for me was Tiger Lily (this one actually reminded me more of Lily of the Valley, even though they're not in the description): Tiger Lily (Mad Tea Party) - A feisty bouquet of golden, warm, gently honeyed lilies. Other lily scents that I've tried include: Ichabod Crane (2008 Halloweenie LE) - Dusty black wool, tea with cream, black pepper, muguet, and beeswax candle drippings. (Muguet is another name for Lily of the Valley. This one smells warm and cozy, like White Rabbit plus Lily of the Valley.) La Belle Dame Sans Merci (Bewitching Brews) - no scent description (This one was very lily on me, and several reviewers mention Lily of the Valley.) The Lady of Shalott (Ars Amatoria) - Bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger. Ulalume (Bewitching Brews) - Starry white lilies lend an eerie brightness to the deep black wooded scents of cypress and oak, layered with a touch of crushed dried leaves and the faintest aquatic note. I've never tried them, but several reviews of Black Lily (Rappaccini's Garden) and Love-In-Idleness (Rappaccini's Garden) mention Lily of the Valley, and Swan Maiden looks promising as well: Swan Maiden (2007 Lunacy LE) - White gardenia, white iris, sandalwood, calla lily, French magnolia, muguet, jonquil, and orchid.

Just resurrecting this to say that the Dark Delicacies scent Mutant Hot-Rodders from Hell High sounds like it would really fit the bill: Mutant Hot-Rodders from Hell High (Dark Delicacies) - Shiny black leather jackets, gleaming silver studs, black pepper, pungent lime, and hellfire.

This is one interesting blend that morphs quite a bit. In the imp, it's sharp and almost metallic. As soon as it hits my skin, it becomes slightly lemony and medicinal, and then - BAM! - jasmine. Because I am a jasmine amper/distorter/hater, I sigh. Jasmine is usually the kiss of death for me, and I figure French Creole is a lost cause. But then something unusual happens, and the jasmine-like note (maybe it's ylang-ylang?) starts to back down... and I can actually smell other notes! Intriguing notes. Spicy notes. Sweet-creamy-cinnamon-vanilla-powder-Play-Doh notes that bring to mind Morocco and Hod (although it takes several hours for those notes to come to the fore). At some point I think I get a whiff of rose (also usually a doom note for me, so maybe it's actually geranium here?), but it is fleeting. I'm guessing the base is a combination of carnation, cassia, vanilla, and red sandalwood, maybe some musk... with some astringent herbs (sage?) and flowers (ylang-ylang? geranium?) that form the top notes. At any rate, it is surprisingly wearable in all but the jasmine/ylang-ylang phase, which is blessedly brief. I've only tested it once, so I cannot attest to its efficacy as a Voodoo oil. I'll be sure to report back if I notice my luck taking a turn for the better! (FYI - There is an unreleased but available TAL version of French Creole that is supposed to have the same effects, and the reviews indicate that the two smell similar.)

I woody scents, and these are the woodiest winners for me: Anne Bonny (Bewitching Brews) - A blend of Indonesian red patchouli, red sandalwood, and frankincense. (This dries to a nice sandalwood scent, but beware if you don't like patchouli - it's quite prominent here.) Aureus (Bewitching Brews) - True, perfect golden light, refined into an incomparably glorious scent. (Just like standing in the lumber section of Home Depot!) Cathedral (Sin & Salvation) - A true ecclesiatical blend of pure resins. (Very similar to Anne Bonny, but drier and less sweet and lacking the patchouli. It definitely smells like the incense burned in Catholic churches.) Jolly Roger (Bewitching Brews) - Sea spray with an undercurrent of leather, Bay Rum, and salty, dry woods. (This one is highly variable, depending on the batch and on aging. Certain batches from the Lab have been very woody and wonderful, and others have been more ozone-y/fresh. Aging brings out the wood notes.) Mandrake (Rappaccini's Garden) - no scent description (Smells like very dilute cedarwood essential oil.) The Red Queen (Mad Tea Party) - Deep mahogany and rich, velvety woods lacquered with sweet, black-red cherries and currant. (The description is pretty much dead-on: cherry-laquered wood. It's fascinating and really works after the initial blast of super-sweet cherry fades.) Sri Lanka (Wanderlust) - Indian sandalwood and cedar, and the dry incense smoke of olibanum, gum mastic, patchouli and myrrh. (Clean and dry and woody and comforting, it smells like sandalwood incense.) I'll be watching this topic with interest!

Polo was very popular when I was in high school, and I remember it being a sharp, "green" masculine fragrance (probably from that pine top note). BPAL blends that have reminded me of Polo include: Incantation (Bewitching Brews) - Vetiver, dark woods, crumbling and burnt black sandalwood and a drop of lemon rind. Oblivion (Sin & Salvation) - Salvation found in darkness beyond darkness, the blessed sleep of nothingness. Dark musk, wood spice, labdanum, patchouli, dark African woods, and saffron. Other ones that might be worth trying: Black Forest (Bewitching Brews) - Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress. Casanova (Ars Amatoria) - A rakish blend of leather, anise, lavender, bergamot and amber with tonka, lemon peel and lusty patchouli. Loup Garou (Diabolus) - The wild, untamed essence of lycanthropy. Primeval in its raw power and insatiable hunger: juniper, cypress and galangal with the barest touch of eucalyptus. Nocnitsa (Diabolus) - A lightless fir wood, nighttime air, wet forest mosses and upturned earth. Saint-Germain (Bewitching Brews) - Gilded amber, hypnotic lavender, brash carnation and deep mosses. Troll (Diabolus) - vetiver, pine pitch, troll musk, black basil, clove smoke, and scorched cumin. And here is a thread that might be of interest: Forest and Woods Scents (with & without evergreens)

It probably has more to do with comforting/familiar smells and early associations with masculinity than it does with a creepy unresolved Oedipal/Electra complex. I think you're probably okay.

There are a couple of other threads that relate to this one: I want to smell like dirt! Dirt, Earth, Soil recommendations Forest and Woods Scents (with & without evergreens) Quirkiest, most bizarre oils Evocative scents that don't smell like perfume My votes for most natural/lifelike go to: A Blade of Grass (Halloweenie LE) - grass Agnes Nutter - gunpowder/sparklers Aureus - the lumber section at Home Depot Badger (Yule LE) - cedar and dirt/moss Bliss - brownies Brom Bones (Halloweenie LE) - LEATHER Centzon Totochtin - chocolate-covered cherry flavored coffee Graveyard Dirt (Halloweenie LE) - the scent of moss and mushrooms Miskatonic University - Irish cream flavored coffee Perversion - coconut flavored pipe tobacco Severin - Earl Grey tea (i.e., bergamot) Twenty-One - gin/juniper

I know these blends don't contain pumpkin, but the spices bring to mind pumpkin pie and might do the trick (and they're easier to get a hold of than some of the LEs that have been mentioned previously): Shub-Niggurath (Picnic in Arkham) - A blend of ritual herbs and dark resins, shot through with three gingers and aphrodisiacal spices. Saw-Scaled Viper (Carnaval Diabolique) - Snake Oil with cinnamon, cassia, and red ginger. I amp vanilla, and so Saw-Scaled Viper is very much a foody scent on me. I'm imagining it would smell less vanillic and sweet on a man, and probably come across as more gender-neutral. Shub-Niggurath lacks that strong vanilla and dries down to more of a masculine clove-y scent on me. Just thought I'd throw those out there!

Seconding all the vetiver recommendations and adding some new ones: Agnes Nutter (Good Omens) - Gunpowder, charred wood, smoke, and rusty nails. Brimstone (Bewitching Brews) - A smoky, gritty blend, husky and gray. Devil's Claw (Rappaccini's Garden) - A yellow-bright and smoky brown-black scent, horned, pronged and strange. Djinn (Diabolus) - The scent of black smoke, of crackling flames, and smoldering ashes. The Grand Inquisitor's Heretic's Fork (Carnaval Diabolique) - Coppery dried blood, metal, vetiver, and bonfire smoke. Hastur (Good Omens) - Smoky-sour labdanum, black patchouli, wet tobacco, and brimstone. Iago (Illyria) - Black musk, wet leather and vetiver. Incantation (Bewitching Brews) - Vetiver, dark woods, crumbling and burnt black sandalwood and a drop of lemon rind. Malediction (Sin & Salvation) - Red patchouli and vetivert. Rumpelstilzchen (Marchen) - Firewood and ash with an oddly otherworldly blend of patchouli, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper, tonka, vetiver, and myrrh. Sloth (Sin & Salvation) - Vetiver over black myrrh. Smokestack (Steamworks) - Creosote, coal, and industrial waste. Troll (Diabolus) - Vetiver, pine pitch, troll musk, black basil, clove smoke, and scorched cumin. Umbra (Bewitching Brews) - East African black patchouli, cedarwood, vetiver and a dribble of cinnamon. And even though the name sounds right, I would advise against Mechanical Phoenix. To me, it smells citrusy fresh, very similar to CK One... not dark or dank at all. I haven't tried Toad (2008 LE, Wind in the Willows); that one might be worth checking out. ETA: Ah yes, seconding the recommendation for Scarecrow! That one definitely has a gasoline-type smell to it and would probably be great layered with a vetiver-heavy blend. Edit #2: Or maybe the Dark Delicacies scent Mutant Hot-Rodders from Hell High? Mutant Hot-Rodders from Hell High (Dark Delicacies) - Shiny black leather jackets, gleaming silver studs, black pepper, pungent lime, and hellfire. I haven't tried it, but it sounds awesome!

It sounds like some of these might be up your alley: Arkham (Picnic in Arkham) - A shadowy, unapproachable forest of maple, birch, dogwood, cypress and pine softened by a garland of New England wildflowers: bergamot, columbine, rue anemone, blue violet, creeping phlox, bloodroot, toadflax, and pixie moss. Ephemera (Bewitching Brews) - The scent of loss, love and the echo of time without end: sorrowful violet and chamomile with muguet, white geranium, calla lily and tea rose with a hint of autumn leaves. Ode on Melancholy (Bewitching Brews) - Lavender and wisteria, heart-wrenching pale rose, desolate white sandalwood and thin, tear-streaked white musk. Ouija (Bewitching Brews) - Rosewood, oak and teak notes with wispy blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose and ethereal osmanthus. Seance (Bewitching Brews) - Dry, mellow rosewood, crushed rose leaf and the slightest touch of warm hazel. Ulalume (Bewitching Brews) - Starry white lilies lend an eerie brightness to the deep black wooded scents of cypress and oak, layered with a touch of crushed dried leaves and the faintest aquatic note. You also might like some of the Ars Moriendi blends; they're mostly non-sweet florals. In particular, Zombi is rose and dirt/moss. The Illyria section also has a lot of floral scents - lighter, softer ones (although there's a handful of sweet florals in there, too). Maybe Queen Gertrude or Ophelia? Personally, I think Oberon is a very feminine scent, and the patchouli lends the slightest hint of earthiness to the blend that might give you a sense of dirt, while the bergamot (a citrus note) lends a splash of sunshine. These are all general catalogue scents that are available as individual sample-sized "imps" from the Lab. A Salon scent (not available as an individual imp) to look into is: Garden Path with Chickens (The Salon) - Garden Path With Chickens, Gustav Klimt. Damp grass, ivy leaves, morning glory, daisy, rose geranium, heliotrope, white gardenia, climbing roses, peppery nasturtium, phlox, begonia, verbena and sun-warmed herbs. If you don't mind tracking down a decant of a past limited edition scent, you might enjoy: The Passionate Shepherd to His Love (2008 LE) - Heather, clover, Irish moss, English ivy, tea rose, and carnation. You might want to stay away from scents that contain vanilla, benzoin, tonka, berries or other fruits, honey, and red musk. Those notes often contribute a sense of sweetness. Lotus goes sweet and bubblegum-like on a lot of people, so you might want to steer clear of that note for the moment, too. Florals are not really my thing, but there are plenty of floral lovers here who I am sure will help out!

In that case, do try Omen. I think you would also like Pollution and possibly Crowley. I've not tried Faiza, but that would be my other recommendation. If you're interested in sensual, big scents with huge throw, you might also want to check out some of the red musk scents, for example: Scherezade (Bewitching Brews) - Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk. Sin (Sin & Salvation) - Amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon. Snake Oil (Ars Amatoria) - A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla. Vixen (Ars Amatoria) - The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli. And a lot of The Salon blends are more traditionally "perfumey," and you might enjoy their complexity.

The Conjure Bag/Voodoo oils are available as imps (they're at the bottom of the Bewitching Brews section on the BPAL site), but the Twilight Alchemy Lab oils are not. For general catalogue scents that available as individual imps from the Lab that are also icy and fresh, maybe consider: Tempest (Bewitching Brews) - A crisp ozone-tinged breeze. The scent of the first gentle rain before the storm. Szepasszony (Diabolus) - The Fair Lady, Winter Witch, White Maiden of the Storm. Szepasszony is a Hungarian demoness that appears as a stunningly beautiful woman with long, silver-white hair and a blinding white dress. She revels in storms, particularly when hail rains down on her. Water dripping down eaves into a puddle is an invitation for her to cause mischief: she uses the puddle as a magickal tool for casting her wicked spells. It is considered foolhardy to step into a circle of short grass ringed by taller grasses, as those mark the circles where the Fair Lady dances. A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers. Oya (Excolo) - Lady of the Wind, Goddess of the Nine Skirts, the Lady of War, the Bearded Amazon, the Thundermaiden. Beautiful, tempestuous, elegant and graceful, She is the fury of the hurricane, the breath in our lungs, the air that cools us, the breeze that chills us, the winds that blow seeds that fertilize the land, the winds that pass disease throughout villages and townships, the moan of the wind within the cemetery, and the fury of the tempest that tears the landscape asunder. Oya is the sweeping wind of change and upheaval, She is revolution and progress, and She forces the destruction of old ideals while sweeping away our useless baggage; the broom is a symbol of Her force for change. As the Mistress that commands hurricanes, cyclones, and tornados, she tears down that which is old and decaying, compelling Her children to begin building anew. In Her hands She holds a mask, as Her presence is most often felt and not seen, and none have seen Oya’s true face. She is the moment at which the seasons change, the transition from life to death, and as the Lady of the Cemetery, it is to Her that we commit our final breath. Her closest friend is Iku, the Orisha of Death, and it is their responsibility to see to it that the natural order remains undisturbed. Once a man’s final breath is expelled, Oya takes it to Iku, who brings the spirit to the cemetery gates and then to its next passage. One of her symbols is the bed, as nightly we imitate death in sleep. Because of her close relationship with Death, the Goddess is very close to the Egungun, the spirits of our ancestors. Oya is the Goddess of the Marketplace in which fortunes and goods spin in a never-ending whirlwind of exchange, change, and flux. She is the wind that precedes the thunderstorm, and it is in this that She is seen as Shango’s companion and partner in battle, and without Oya, there is little that Shango can accomplish. She fans the fires of Shango’s blazes, and is the forked lightning that touches the treetops. Proud and willful, Oya is also a Goddess of War. Her wrath is so terrible and so devastating that none may behold her rage and survive. Oya has nine children and nine colors, and her symbols are weathervanes, windmills, kites, balloons, propeller planes, wind instruments, pinwheels, two naked swords, and buffalo horns. Oya’s ofrenda is a Nigerian potion of love and war, sweetened by darkest plum. Oya winiwini! The Lady of Shallot (Ars Amatoria) - The scent of calm waters just before a raging storm, limned with achingly-beautiful blooms, an icy scent, but somehow warm, and mirror-bright: bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, clear, slightly tart aquatic notes and a crush of white ginger. Kumari Kandam (Wanderlust) - The hollow scent of a vast antediluvian civilization, now frozen and buried, smothered by a thick sheet of ice and trapped deep beneath the ocean. Thick incense, clay, stone, and hothouse blooms with a spike of frost, a hint of decay, and heavy, dolorous aquatic note Ultraviolet (Bewitching Brews) - Electrifying, mechanized and chilly -- the scent of crushed blooms strewn on cold metal. Lush violet and neroli spiked hard with eucalyptus and a sliver of mint. Lightning (Bewitching Brews) - Lightning slashing the midnight skies over the endless reaches of the ocean. The electric tang of ozone, marine notes, and a drop of sharp rain. The Coil (Steamworks) - The walls reverberate with a resounding boom as the mechanism is activated, and the boom settles into a hum with a deep, growling buzz. Purple-white and lightning-yellow streamers of electricity cavort over enameled copper wires and through gleaming glass globes; the room is set afire with corona spray, and bare fluorescent bulbs mounted on the walls blaze to life. Ozone, eucalyptus and mint with purple orchid, passionflower, white ginger, and purple lotus. Niflheim (Wanderlust) - The House of Mists, a land of icy fog, shadowy darkness and soul-chilling cold. Dark, damp blossoms winding through an impenetrable, murky gloom.

My first thought was Omen, but it might be too sweet/rich (I find it very similar to Estee Lauder's Youth Dew, which is more of an Oriental than a chypre): Omen (Bewitching Brews) - Oakmoss, juniper berry, myrrh and patchouli. Other general catalogue scents that are available as individual imps from the Lab that might be worth checking out: The Caterpillar (Mad Tea Party) - Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver. Cathode (Bewitching Brews) - Ambergris, Spanish Moss, oakmoss and three electric mints. Fae (Bewitching Brews) - White musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss. Greed (Sin & Salvation) - Patchouli, heliotrope, copal and oakmoss. Nephilim (Diabolus) - Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress. Schrodinger's Cat (Bewitching Brews) - Tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint. Vicomte de Valmonte (Ars Amatoria) - Ambergris, white musk, white sandalwood, Spanish Moss, orange blossom, three mints, jasmine, rose geranium and a spike of rosemary. Wilde (Bewitching Brews) - A sophisticated traditional gentleman’s cologne, with just the slightest taint of patchouli’s passion, tonka bean’s decadence, the philanthropy of bergamot, moss’ cynicism, the sharp wit of lavender, and the hopeless romantic longing of jasmine and thyme. As mentioned above, Pollution is described as a chypre. but it's not available in imp form (although you could probably find a sample-sized decant here on the forum): Pollution (Good Omens) - A toxic chypre: radioactive green musk, davana, and oozing white amber. The following blends also are not available as individual imps from the Lab, but you might want to track down decants (I haven't tried all of these and wouldn't describe them all as chypres, but a lot will depend on how they interact with your skin chemistry): Crowley (Good Omens) - Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk. Faiza, The Black Mamba (Carnaval Diabolique) - black amber, caraway, oakmoss, green sandalwood, bergamot, jasmine sambac, gardenia, orange pulp, vanilla, blackberry, black musk, white honey, ti leaf, and ginger. Parethenope (Carnaval Diabolique) - Honeysuckle, orris, moss, musk, benzoin, oakmoss, and star jasmine. Two-Headed Goat (Carnaval Diabolique) - Dark musk, pimento berry, oakmoss, birch wood, and petitgrain. Two Monsters (The Salon) - Oakmoss, vetiver, black musk, champaca flower, leather, patchouli, ginger, Japanese pittosporum, ambergris and white pepper. The Wild Men of Jezirat al Tennyn (Carnaval Diabolique) - red amber, Spanish moss, Indonesian patchouli, ambergris, red pepper, two cloves, and vanilla flower.

I don't like Snake Oil. I don't like cinnamon. Vanilla is touch and go. I have sensitive skin. Saw-Scaled Viper should have been an utter disaster on me. But... it wasn't. The first couple of times I tried it, I could smell the Snake Oil strongly and it really put me off. But then something changed, either in the oil or in my perception of it. Now when I put it on, the cinnamon and cassia blast out accompanied by a cake/cookie-like note (but not the usual BPAL "butter" note) that when combined smell like real, honest-to-goodness gingersnaps. If you made gingersnaps with more spices than flour, that is. I like the gingersnap phase, but it's not my favorite part of this scent's evolution. My favorite part is after an hour or two, when it smells like the most glorious, natural vanilla. Not plastic, not powder, not the weird wintergreen scent I sometimes get from vanilla. Just a rich, true vanilla with a hint of gentle spice in the background. It's luxurious and edible smelling while remaining sensual. Gorgeous. Wearing this makes me feel happy and comfy, and I wore it a lot over the holidays. The only bad thing about it is that I have to limit where I apply it to my wrists and my hair. On the crooks of my elbows and my neck it burned like crazy and left red welts.

It sounds like some of the Conjure Bag/Voodoo blends might be most appropriate: High John the Conquerer (Bewitching Brews, The Conjure Bag) - A fast-acting, powerful scent used to overcome adversity through positive means. Attracts wealth, prestige, good health, and enhances others' opinions of you. Grants courage and steadfastness. Van Van (Bewitching Brews, The Conjure Bag) - A venerable voodoo blend, used for purification of the spirit and to amplify positive personal power. Wolf's Heart (Bewitching Brews, The Conjure Bag) - Grants courage under extreme conditions, helps overcome fear of death, and strengthens the fortitude of artists and businessmen, enabling them to further their goals. I can't attest to their efficacy and I don't know how they smell, but others here have reported good results. If she wants to take things to the next level by using consecrated oils with intent, some of the Twilight Alchemy Lab oils might be what she's looking for: Road Opener (Joy & Inspiration) - Brings you new opportunities, shows you alternative paths and breaks down barriers. Bend Over (Crossing, Binding, & Controlling) - One of the most notorious Voodoo oils. An astonishingly powerful commanding and compelling blend. Brass Balls (Prosperity, Success, & Good Fortune) - Wear to increase courage, especially with regard to social situations. Calms the nerves, instills confidence, and brings your natural charisma to the surface. War (Prosperity, Success, & Good Fortune) - A Martial blend, used to ensure success in all manners of battle, war, conquest and victory. Note: This is different from the War blend in BPAL's general catalogue. Crucible of Courage (Utility Blends) - Imbues you with enormous amounts of courage. Use this blend when you feel weak, scared, or intimidated. Helps you find the strength to confront dangerous or frightening situations. Wolf's Heart (Utility Blends) - Grants courage under extreme conditions, helps overcome fear of death, and strengthens the fortitude of artists and businessmen, enabling them to further their goals. Note: This is different from the Wolf's Heart blend in BPAL's general catalogue. Again, I can't attest to their efficacy or how they smell, but there's a separate area for Twilight Alchemy Lab chatter where you can learn more, if you're interested.

Hanerot Halalu is getting raves from beeswax lovers... but it's not going to be available much longer! Hanerot Halalu (Yule 2008 Limited Edition) - Olive oil, beeswax, and smoke. Also, Chanukkiyah from last year is lovely (but may be too sweet for some - there is a very pronounced sugar note): Chanukkiyah (Yule 2007 Limited Edition) - Olive oil, beeswax, glowing amber, sweet sufganiyot, pomegranate, and fig.

Sri Lanka is my favorite sandalwood scent. I also like Anne Bonny and Cathedral. (I tend to prefer red sandalwood, which seems "woodier" to me.)

My favorite soft, clean scents are: Alice (Mad Tea Party) - Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot. Sudha Segara (Bewitching Brews) - Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia. White Rabbit (Mad Tea Party) - Strong black tea and milk with white pepper, ginger, honey and vanilla, spilled over the crisp scent of clean linen. You might want to check out the recommendations in the first half of this thread, which was originally about seeking light, clean floral scents. You might also find some winners in the "Light, gentle, subtle scents" thread. Some others that I consider soft and clean and appropriate for professional settings (these are unlikely to offend anyone's noses): 51 (Wanderlust) - Luminescent, glowing, and otherworldly: green mandarin, neroli, honeydew, white amber, guava, freesia, white and green musks hovering over desert scrub, smashed wood, and the dry, biting scent of night air over the Groom Lake salt flats. Amsterdam (Wanderlust) - Tulips, peony, fresh flowing water and crisp green grasses. The Apothecary (Illyria) - Tea leaf with three mosses, green grass, a medley of herbal notes, and a drop of ginger and fig. Baneberry (Rappaccini's Garden) - A poisonous fruit-bearing member of the buttercup family. The scent, like the plant, is dark green, herbal, and plump with bulging black fruit. Bewitched (Bewitching Brews) - Deep, luscious green and berry scents that evoke images of woodland witchcraft and the raw power of nature: blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and dark musk. Dian's Bud (Rappaccini's Garden) - No scent desciption. This is a light, clean scent that brings to mind Dove soap. The Dormouse (Mad Tea Party) - A dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony. Prague (Wanderlust) - Crocus with snowdrop and three lilies. Rosalind (Illyria) - Dew-covered berries and fresh green grasses with a faint breath of spring flowers. Severin (Ars Amatoria) - Dry black teas, Earl Gray, and leather. Squirting Cucumber (Rappaccini's Garden) - A spurt of wet, grassy greenness. Szepasszony (Diablous) - A chilly, tempestuous whirlwind of clear, airy notes, slashing rain, and a thin undercurrent of white flowers. Titania (Illyria) - A nocturnal bounty of fae dew-kissed petals and pale fruits: white grape, white peach, iced pear, musk rose, sweet pea, moonflower and snapdragon. Tushnamatay (Bewitching Brews) - Pure internal harmony and spiritual bliss: the perfected meditation blend. People seem to have very varied impressions of what this actually smells like, but the consensus seems to be a very light resin/incense. Twenty-One (Bewitching Brews) - This is the scent of the perfect martini. This is a refreshing gin/juniper scent. Undertow (Bewitching Brews) - Lotus and juniper with a hint of mint. The Unicorn (Mad Tea Party) - A misty, almost luminous perfume: wispy linden blossoms, white flowers, and a touch of sweet herbs.

Hmmn... the carnation note adds a few more possibilities: The Bow & Crown of Conquest (Sin & Salvation) - Sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather. Masquerade (Bewitching Brews) - Patchouli, ambergris, carnation and orange blossom. Saint-Germain (Bewitching Brews) - an elegant, timeless, truly refined cologne, bold yet classic: gilded amber, hypnotic lavender, brash carnation and deep mosses. Some people find the spiciness of carnation to be similar to clove, and with that in mind, Ahania's suggestion of Dracul might be good. Also: The Wild Men of Jezirat al Tennyn (Carnaval Diabolique) - Red amber, Spanish moss, Indonesian patchouli, ambergris, red pepper, two cloves, and vanilla flower. And there's a peppered leather scent in the Carnaval: Hand of Glory (Carnaval Diabolique) - Beeswax, dry leather, black pepper, saltpeter, nutmeg, Mysore sandalwood, and oak bark. If you and he like the leather note in Dirty English, I would definitely get some De Sade. Most people perceive it as a black leather single note, and you might like it by itself or layered with some of these other blends. Maybe get him an imp pack and let him experiment? Based on the notes and your description, I might go with: Azathoth De Sade The Bow & Crown of Conquest The High Priest Not to be Described Severin Titus Andronicus Hopefully someone who's actually smelled Dirty English will pipe up!

I've not tried Dirty English before; could you describe the scent? The list of notes sounds divine, but I'm curious about what the overall effect of the combination is. Is it citrusy? Spicy? Leathery? Woody? Citrusy-spicy-leathery-woody? Sweet? Sharp? Clean? Manly? Gender-neutral? The blend with the most notes in common seems to be Nephilim: Nephilim (Diabolus) - Holy frankincense and hyssop in union with earthy fig, defiled by black patchouli and vetiver, with a chaotic infusion of lavender, cardamom, tamarind, rosemary, oakmoss and cypress. The citrus-leather combo suggests Severin: Severin (Ars Amatoria) - Dry black teas, Earl Gray, and leather. And the "peppered mandarin" suggests Tweedledee: Tweedledee (Mad Tea Party) - Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom. For cardamom and wood, Bezoar from the Carnaval Diabolique is a must-have: Bezoar (Carnaval Diabolique) - Copaiba balsam, Tolu balsam, hay absolute, cardamom, and hiba wood. And Wilde is a gorgeous citrus-y scent that might fit the bill: Wilde (Bewitching Brews) - A sophisticated traditional gentleman’s cologne, with just the slightest taint of patchouli’s passion, tonka bean’s decadence, the philanthropy of bergamot, moss’ cynicism, the sharp wit of lavender, and the hopeless romantic longing of jasmine and thyme. Spider might work, too: Spider (Anansi Boys) - White ginger, artemesia, vetiver, nutmeg, King mandarin, bergamot, and lime. If those are too light, he might want to try layering them with some deeper scents like: Azathoth (Picnic in Arkham) - Tangerine, saffron, vetiver, black amber and cedarwood. Casanova (Ars Amatoria) - A rakish blend of leather, anise, lavender, bergamot and amber with tonka, lemon peel and lusty patchouli. Clémence (Carnaval Diabolique) - Patchouli, Kashmiri tea, cardamom, black pepper, carnation, and clove. De Sade (Sin & Salvation) - The essence of pleasure heightened by pain: the raw scent of leather. The High Priest Not to be Described (Picnic in Arkham) - Monastic incense, blood musk, black leather, cypress, pimento, white pepper, and Roman chamomile. Iago (Illyria) - Malevolent, dark and shadowy: sinuous black musk, wet leather and vetiver. Rumpelstilzchen (Marchen) - Firewood and ash with an oddly otherworldly blend of patchouli, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper, tonka, vetiver, and myrrh. Titus Andronicus (Illyira) - Dark musk and black amber with frankincense, red sandalwood, neroli and bergamot. Two Monsters (The Salon) - Oakmoss, vetiver, black musk, champaca flower, leather, patchouli, ginger, Japanese pittosporum, ambergris and white pepper. Umbra (Bewitching Brews) - East African black patchouli, cedarwood, vetiver and a dribble of cinnamon. With the exceptions of Bezoar, Clémence, Spider, and Two Monsters, these are all GC scents that are available in imp-form from the Lab. I'm very curious about this... do report back with his results!

YAY! You're very welcome. The ones I listed are all available in imp form, and the only one from Juushika's list that isn't "impable" is Ivanushka (and if you're interested in that one, you can probably find some on the swaps/sales boards here). Severin is a great choice, and I think you would really like Titania, too. Good luck narrowing down your choices!

Got it! From my original list up above, I think you might like: Baneberry Bewitched Cheshire Cat Croquet Prague Rosalind Severin Titania Undertow You might also consider: Akuma (Diabolus) - Devilish temptation, as sweet as sin: blood orange, neroli, and raspberry. Bordello (Ars Amatoria) - Bawdy plum with amaretto, burgundy wine and black currant. Lady Macbeth (Illyria) - Sweet Bordeaux wine, blood red currant, thyme and wild berries. Lolita (Ars Amatoria) - Glittering heliotrope, honeysuckle, orange blossom and lemon verbena. Maiden (Ars Amatoria) - A gentle vision of purity, goodness and virtue: white tea, carnation and Damask Rose. Schroedinger's Cat (Bewitching Brews) - A paradoxical scent experiment! - tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint. Serpents with Glittering Eyes and Forky Tongues (Marchen) - Serpentine green herbs, glistening red currant, sparkling yellow lemon rind, green musk, lime, and snakeskin. Shattered (Bewitching Brews) - A blend of white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms. Succubus (Ars Amatoria) - Mimosa, orange blossom, neroli and bergamot with a drop of sweet clove. Tweedledee (Mad Tea Party) - Kumquat, white pepper, white tea and orange blossom. I think you would probably like most of the BPAL tea blends. With the exception of Dorian (which was like being hit upside the head with a vanilla two-by-four), I have found most of them very light. If you don't like incense, I would avoid scents that list red musk as a note; a lot of people (myself included) find red musk to be very incense-y. The aversion to baby powder is shared by many here, and there are several notes that seem to go powdery on some people. The most common ones seem to be certain musks, amber and some other resins, honey, and vanilla. Now, that doesn't mean you shouldn't try blends with these notes (they might all be lovely on your skin); rather, if you find certain blends turning to powder on your skin, you might look to see if there's a common note.