Apple

This smells... really... good. Unfortunate Shopping Cart is the surprise hit out of the six WKAP blends that I've tried. Unfortunately, it's very hard for me to describe. It's sweet, and a little tangy, kind of musky, a little perfume-y (but not in a bad way)... and by god, it does smell a wee bit like plastic wrap (again, not in a bad way), although prior to testing this I couldn't have told you what plastic wrap smells like.

Hmmn. That wasn't a very helpful review. I'll try to come back after I've worn it a few more times and (hopefully) have a better handle on the scent. I like it, and it's definitely my favorite of the WKAP scents that I've tried so far.

Initially on my skin, this had a salty/aquatic/ozone/detergent quality that reminded me of Lightning, but as it dried it softened into this soft, clean, soapy-in-a-very-feminine-way kind of scent. When fully dry, it smells like a combination of Dove soap and Oil of Olay face lotion. I could see it being a nice daytime scent for work or during hot weather. Very understated. Nice.

This starts out with a white floral (and maybe even a bit ozone-y - it's got a detergent kind of vibe), but it quickly morphs into a green, grassy scent. As it dries, it becomes almost identical to A Blade of Grass, which to me is the wonderful scent of freshly mown grass in the summer. Huh. If Occurrence at the Diner smells this way, I wonder what Unexpected Golf Hazard smells like.

This was tied with Leaf Strewn Couch as the WKAP scent I was most excited about. Yay wood and old books! I eagerly unscrewed the bottle, only to be greeted by a repugnant, almost rotten smell. My husband also sniffed the bottle and made a disgusted face, exclaiming, "That is TERRIBLE."

I remained hopeful that Conservatory Tableaux would smell better once it was on, and so I tested a tiny drop on my skin. At first it had a very solvent/chemical type smell (lacquer?), but almost immediately I start to smell the sour funk of jasmine, which is one of my skin's mortal enemies. There might be some ylang-ylang, too. And then, under the funktastic jasmine/ylang-ylang, is the smell of the perfume my mother wore when I was a kid - Estee Lauder's Youth Dew.

I want to wail. HOW?! How is this possible? No books, old or new. No wood. Just paint fumes, jasmine, and Youth Dew.

But wait... the longer it's on my skin, the more it reminds me of The Forbidding Foyer. Maybe there's hope yet? Okay, I can kind of smell what might be a mahogany note buried beneath the BPAL "rot" note, which is sort of camphorous. But the blend is still dominated by the scent of heavy oriental perfume, and not at all what I was expecting. I thought this would smell like a library, not a department store. So sad.

ETA: During the final phase of the dry-down, this scent turns to plastic, which is what certain wood notes (oak, in particular) do on my skin. So, there is definitely wood in here, it's just being drowned out by flowers and aldehydes during the initial phases.

Bizarrely, I find Bewitched and Eau de Ghoul to be effervescent; they both remind me of ginger ale:

LOL- in my experience, eucalyptus doesn't "hide" at all!

Some other eucalyptus hypotheses include:

Grr

TKO

Baku

Cathode

 

And many things that mention frost or snow.

I second this; the "snow" note appears to be primarily eucalyptus. In addition to "snow" or "frost," try searching for "cold," "freezing," "frozen," and "icy".

How utterly bizarre. Yew-Trees is not something I ever would have tried on my own, as I am not a fan of pine/evergreen scents. But I was generously frimped an imp of it in a recent swap, and so I decided to test it out.

Sniffing the imp, it is indeed pine-y... but not in that Pinesol or car freshener way. Far more subtle. I think catch a whiff of frankincense or sandalwood, too, and now I'm much more intrigued. I apply a tiny swipe from the imp to my hand, and the evergreen-type scent yields almost immediately to that resiny (frankincense? sandalwood?) note. But then, surprise! The scent suddenly sweetens, and I realize I'm smelling... coconut? Yes, definitely coconut. And pine. And frankincense (or possibly sandalwood). No, really. It's like some kind of tropical Christmas in a church!

And what's even weirder is that I kind of like it. I don't like pine scents at all, and I'm not wild about coconut in perfume. If you had said, "Come sniff this coconut pine perfume," I might have wrinkled my nose and said, "Coconut AND pine? Together? Ugh! No thanks - I'll pass."

But strangely, it works. It's sort of light and clean, crisp and warm at the same time. Very fresh and snuggly. It is very vaguely Christmas candle-y, but there's something (maybe the coconut) that's preventing it from going too full-on holiday. When fully dry, it is just a whisper of creamy sweetness.

Verdict: very interesting, very unexpected, and actually quite nice.

Edit: (Note: This was edited after dreamcatcher's review below.) Crap. There's vanilla in this. And it's the wintergreen-y kind I'm allergic to. And it was so pretty for awhile! *sigh* Off to swaps.

Apple- Thanks so much, i didn't realize Vixen or Sin even had Red Musk!

Neither did I, or I probably wouldn't have tried them (sadly, red musk hates me). Hope you enjoy them!

I have fallen HARD for Red Musk. It is quite possibly my favorite BPAL note, with vanilla perhaps a close second. Here's the issue....i want to try more blends with this beloved note. So far Mircalla and Scherezade are absolutely awesome on my skin. Snake Oil is also great around one year aged, but i get zero Red Musk from it, i've simply seen that many suspect Snake Oil contains red musk. Mme Moriarty was ok, but something in that blend skewed it toward a more masculine scent on me, i'm not certain what the culprit was. Smut was, again, just ok. Not awful, OMG, wash it off, just mostly an unremarkable powdery scent. I've heard that The Grindhouse is a great spicy red-musk floriental type fragrance, and it's on my "to try" list. What next? Recommendations from my fellow red musk lovers??

Try Vixen and Sin:

I know they don't list red musk, but it's definitely in there. Czernobog is also very heavy on the red musk:

Does anyone remember the drug store fragrance Skin Musk (formerly by Bonne Bell, more recently by Prince Matchabelli and Parfums de Coeur)? And if so, have you tried Sarah from the current (2009) batch of Halloweenie LEs? Can you tell me if you find the two similar?

I used to wear Skin Musk a long, long time ago (8th grade, to be precise), and I think that Sarah reminds me of it... but it's been so long, I'm not sure.

The limited information on the notes in Skin Musk indicate that it is a blend of floral, sandalwood, and musk notes. I don't remember finding it floral; it was more spicy, musky, and clean on me. I definitely detect a floral note in Sarah (I suspect Lily of the Valley/muguet), but I'm thinking the spicy-clean-musky quality is similar to Skin Musk.

Thoughts?

This smells SO familiar, and I just can't put my finger on why. I think (but I'm not sure) that Sarah might remind me of the drugstore perfume I wore in 8th grade - Skin Musk by Bonne Bell (later by Prince Matchabelli and then by Parfums de Coeur). But it's been 20 years since I last smelled that blend, so my scent memory/recognition may be off.

Anyway, on to the scent. Straight out of the bottle and wet on the skin, I detect a spicy-soapy-floral note (some kind of lily?), and... what's this? A dried twig-and-crackly-leaf note? Divine! I never smell the "autumn leaves" note in any of the BPAL blends that purport to contain it, and here it is making a surprise appearance! I'm delighted. But that lily note (I'm guessing Lily of the Valley/muguet) is competing with it, and they're sort of shoving each other around on my wrist. I'm rooting for the leaves.

Unfortunately, the struggle continues and the combined scent is very commercial-smelling, dry and sharp. It's not unpleasant, and I haven't decided how I feel about it yet. I really didn't know what to expect from Sarah based on the description, but I was sort of hoping for either a musk and incense blend or an ozone and stone blend... or some magical combination thereof. I'm not really getting any incense and certainly no ozone, but I must be registering some musk, and there is a bit of the BPAL "stone"/"cellar"/"clay" note here. But it's that spicy-soapy muguet note that wants to dominate, and it's upsetting the balance of the scent for me.

Hmmn. I think I'll hang on to this for now and give it a few more tries. Sarah is very different from my usual scent preferences, and I think I may be feeling like she just isn't "me". But I do kind of like the scent, and my husband gave it a thumbs-up as well. So maybe I just need to give her some time.

Oh dear. This is terrible. And heartbreaking.

I have been coveting Miss Lupescu since she was released, and have hunted for decants on the forum without success. I don't like to purchase bottles "unsniffed," but I finally decided to spring for a bottle of this as a birthday present to myself. The notes and reviews sounded so good, and I was hoping for a fiercer, more feral version of Bastet (which is one of my all-time favorite BPAL blends but is just a little too tame to be completely perfect)... or, at the very least, to smell like a spicy almond cookie, like some reviewers. That would have been okay, too. (Almond is one of my very favorite notes.)

But I got neither of those - not even close. Upon opening the bottle, the scent is very light and mild - almost not there. I'm surprised. I apply some to the back of my hand, and the scent is... not good. It's rubbery and powdery and just gross. But I remain hopeful, and I wait for it to sink into my skin a bit. I check it a few minutes later, and it's even worse. It's like balloons and condoms and exam gloves with a generous dusting of powder. WTF?! It stays in this horrid phase for about an hour and then starts to shift a bit... getting sweeter, with an undercurrent of rootbeer and wintergreen. Like balloons dusted with crushed Pepto Bismol caplets... and maybe some stale black gum drops thrown in for good measure. Dear god, why?

I'm going to give Miss Lupescu another try in a couple of weeks to see if that changes anything, and will report back then. I wanted to love her, but I don't think it's going to work out if she continues to insist on smelling like clown sex in Hell.

Sudha Segara makes me feel serene, comforted, and uplifted:

And since you like the descriptions for The Star, maybe try:

Or possibly:

You might try these:

...

ETA: I forgot Zarita!

No, I meant I misread something and got confused. I was just about to come here and change my post but too late....I look like a noob...

Ah, no worries! (I hate when stuff like that happens to me! I am forever editing my posts...)

Is it just me or are Suck It & Fairy Wine essentially the same thing? Both have Dandelion, red currant and honey as their notes.

??? The notes for Suck It are:

Suck It (2009 Halloweenie LE): Sexy and suckable: black cherry brandy.

Or did you mean that on your skin they both smell of dandelion, red currant, and honey?

Ok, so someone just frimped me what has to be the best scent ever! It's LE and not to be found anywhere except in the odd decant. It's just not cost effective for me a buy a decant plus intl shipping. It's...

 

Her Voice

 

While not a strictly rose scent I absolutely adore this scent in the wet phase which on me is perfect pink roses on the bush with dew. I can smell the rose, the water, the leaves and grass. So what I'm looking for is a pungent, dewy, green rose. I've read all the reviews for this scent, the entire thread of GC - LE equivalents and now this thread and haven't found a rec for anything that smells like Her Voice.

Despite your aversion to the Mad Tea Party scents, I would encourage you to try Two, Five, and Seven... it's very rosey and damp with a hint of green (the one caveat is that it is also very sweet). The Rose, Moon Rose, and Pride all look very promising, and you might also consider these:

These were all damp and rosey on me. I didn't find Pontarlier to be particularly rosey, but your mileage may vary. Maybe also:

Years ago Yankee Candle had a hand soap...it may have been called "Moss" or something similar. This was at least 15 years ago, but I still think about the smell! It was gorgeous. It was sweet and earthy and moist-smelling...like sitting on some low rocks next to a cool brook in the shade, hints of sunlight dappling the greenery....mossy! The earthy aspect didn't have the heaviness of say, patchouli--it was more airy.

 

I know it's a long shot, but does anyone remember this soap? What BPAL scents would you say fit the above description?

I haven't smelled the Yankee Candle fragrance, but the scent you are describing sounds very similar to the BPAL "dirt"/"loam" note (which is very wet and mossy to my nose, and nothing like patchouli), and so you might try some blends that feature it. My number one recommendation would be Graveyard Dirt, followed by Yorick:

There are other moss/dirt scents, but these two are the most "plain dirt" to my nose. If you don't mind other notes (e.g., roses, evergreens, vanilla) blended in, you could try:

Also check out:

I want to smell like dirt! Dirt, Earth, Soil recommendations

The most natural or lifelike scents?, forest, earth, rain, water, grass, moss and so on...

I love vanilla scents. To give you a reference, I ADORE Yankee Candle's Christmas Cookie scent. Anyone have any scent recommendations?

 

I also love LUSH's All That Jas, so please let me know if you have any recs for that one, too. Thanks!

Definitely check out these threads:

Searching for the Perfect Vanilla?, Find it here, alone or in combos

All I want in the world is to smell like a bakery, BPALs that smell like cake, cookies, donuts, Cinnabon and more

Gourmand - Foody Scents - General Recommendations, separate threads for bakery scents, candy scents...

It sounds like you might like:

There are also a couple of currently available limited edition scents that might appeal to you:

hellooo green scent lovers. <3 i've been looking for a scent that encapsulates the idea of wet grass after the rain and seemingly "garden path with chickens" sounds like a pretty good bet for that. however, i was just wondering, is the greenery in that blend similar to the green-ness at the beginning of rose red? i didn't like the greenery in RR at all (i have the '08 version), it was too... sharp. so if garden path is going to smell anything like that, i'm going to be devastated.

I've not sniffed Rose Red, but Garden Path with Chickens was quite sharp on me. If that one doesn't work out for you, you might try:

I find that the BPAL "dirt"/"loam" note smells very damp, like wet ground after a rain. Maybe try layering Yorick (Graveyard Dirt would be even better) with one of the "grassy" scents?

Update on Lovers in a Ricefield: I just got an imp of Prunella, and to my surprise and delight, I am not amping the wildflowers and I do find it very similar to Lovers in a Ricefield. I haven't tried layering it yet, and I'm still waiting on imps of Bathsheba, Oya, and Frumious Bandersnatch (and hunting for Makhanitis) for comparison, but this is an excellent start!

I've been eagerly anticipating this one. All the notes except the "baby powder" sounded good, and I figured it was worth a gamble because: 1. I love the Lab's milk and honey scents, 2. a lot of scents with no mention of baby powder smell like baby powder on me anyway, so I thought there was a chance that the actual "baby powder" note wouldn't smell like baby powder on my skin, and 3. I like the scent of Burt's Bees products and saw numerous mentions of the similarity with Stinky in the reviews.

I tried this fresh out of the mailbox, and the bottle was a bit warm. First impression: nuts. Nuts and fruits, but mostly nuts. Uh... not what I was expecting. As it dries, I start catching wafts of something similar to Burt's Bees products - not identical and not up close, but the throw is similar. Up close it's still fruity and nutty - and a little sharp. Later in the dry-down, a powdery note does emerge, but it doesn't smell like baby powder. More like foody-powdery... must be the honey. At this stage, the throw is distressingly similar to diapers. Not dirty diapers, but like the scented plastic exterior of a clean diaper - like I ripped open a pack of Pampers and am sitting next to it.

Hmmn. I may need to give this one a few days to settle and try again. It's also possible that my hormones are a bit wonky at the moment, so I'll reserve judgment for now.

ETA: A couple of hours later and it's a creamy, slightly nutty honey with a powdery edge that stays close to the skin. I'm also detecting some vanilla, and unfortunately, I think it's the kind of vanilla to which I am allergic. I also happen to be extra-amping vanilla at this time of the month, so I'll try again in a week or two.

Edit #2: Second go-round was much more successful, but I still don't think Stinky is for me. Now that it's had a chance to settle and my hormones are a bit more conciliatory, it does indeed smell a great deal like Burt's Bees... but more foody and powdery. No plastic diaper note this time. I asked my husband what he thought (without telling him the name or notes), and he said, "I like it. It's not sexy, though. More foody." I agree. This isn't bad at all, but it just doesn't sing for me.

I have Blade of Grass too, and he tried it, but it smelled potently of celery! It was really weird, since it doesn't do that on me at all. Hemlock, though, I don't know if he tried that.

 

And -- oh man, I don't even want to get into the WKAP stuff. I actually really want to try the first three you mention there, too, but...yeah. Not getting into those until I can test the decants, since I don't live in CA anymore and so can't do the will call sniffy thing.

Celery?! That is so bizarre. I have heard of certain scents doing that to people, but I have yet to experience it myself. I loathe celery, so I hope I never do! Poor Kalirren.

I've never tried Hemlock, but I'm thinking maybe I need to.

I've been following the "Who Killed Amanda Palmer" BPAL series thread, and I think you are prudent to wait on decants. It sounds like the initial release of the scents got off to a rocky start and that they're still working out the kinks.

Well, he tried Thorns already at Will Call and found it overly brown and dry. I have Yorick and Ulalume, although I think the former was mostly dirt and the latter mostly lilies on him.

 

October...well, it disappeared really fast, for one thing. But mostly it just didn't have that chlorophyll smell at all -- it had leaves, but they were dead. And then it lasted something like 10 minutes.

 

However, all the others are going on the list for sure! Odin, The Witch's Garden, The Norns' Farmhouse, Two Monsters. Time to stalk the swaps thread...

Ah, for the chlorophyll scent, I'd go for A Blade of Grass:

Some others that might have layering potential:

And a couple of the "Who Killed Amanda Palmer?" scents look promising:

I am personally lusting after Leaf-Strewn Couch. It sounds AMAZING.

...

ETA Manus Dei to the list of WKAP scents.

Gwydion: Cedar is no good, unfortunately, or he'd be able to wear some of mine! Actually, it's probably the worst of the conifers; it amps like crazy and totally swamps out any greenness. He's pretty much given up on all the Coniferae at this point, which is what's making this so difficult.

 

Apple: I have October 2007, but I actually don't find it to be green or bitter at all -- it's more sap-sweet and full of dry leaves. Interesting that your experience is so dissimilar to this. And Robin Goodfellow, although nice, has far more musk than he's looking for. Probably the closest so far have been Van Van (fresh) and Baneberry. (And I did look through that thread -- that's where I got the recs for Arkham and Ochosi.)

 

Thanks, both!

Oh, I wouldn't classify October as "bitter," but on me it is quite green and fresh - a dead ringer for Declaration by Cartier. And Van Van wasn't remotely foresty on me - I got all vetiver, powdery musk, and civet. The mysteries of skin chemistry! What was missing from October for him?

I agree that Robin Goodfellow might be too musky; it's very powdery on the dry-down for me. I'm guessing that your best bets are probably Yggdrasil and Ochosi, but Arkham might work if he doesn't amp the floral elements.

Let's see... what else? Maybe:

On me, Ulalume started out green and natural smelling, but the lilies quickly took over on my skin - maybe Kali would have better luck. Yorick is similar to Graveyard Dirt (the closet I've found in the general catalogue) and would probably need to be layered with something woody and leafy... but it would give a nice grounding of dirt and moss. I can't remember what Odin was like, and I haven't tried Thorns, The Norns' Farmhouse, or The Witch's Garden yet.

Good luck and do report back with your findings!