voodoobaby

I really can't break this down note-by-note. All I really can say is that it's very beautiful, very deep and kind of earthy. This is a gorgeous resin/wood/floral scent with a heavy emphasis on copal and rose, but I get a lot of spice as well.

Basically, if you like deep resin or wood scent but are looking for something fairly sweet, then this is definitely one to try. So gorgeous.

Soft incense notes, dried roses, deep tobacco, and polished wood. This is gorgeous. It smells sacred and just...lovely. It's surprisingly gentle and comforting, yet still really deep and solemn. This is a must for incense fans.

At first it was hard to place what the smell was like wet, but as I thought about it, I figured it was some sort of household cleaner. Pleasant for cleaning the bathroom, but not something I'd want to smell like. As it sat, it started smelling like a generic man's cologne or deodorant -- again, pleasant on a man after a shower, but not for me. It sat some more, and I recognized a dominant note from R.M. Renfield, probably the balsam. I like it now, but considering I already have a bottle of Renfield and the two are really similar to my nose, I think I'll pass this on to someone else.

Most of what I get is the various woods. At first it starts out kind of sharp, but the longer it sits the warmer and softer it gets. Eventually the vanilla and clove make their way into the picture, and that is lovely.

I would most definitely describe this as a warm scent. Very comforting and nice, but not TOO soft. I think it would be good for both men and women. Definitely a keeper!

Wet, all I smell is opium. It's sweet and almost acrid, but not unpleasant. As it dries, the Damask rose comes through; I recognize it as the kind of creamy rose scent from Maiden. Here, however, it's made darker by the opium. Though this is very reminiscent of Maiden to me, I think I'll probably keep it just because it is darker and more "me" than the other.

Wet on my skin, there's some springy tree-like notes, but then as it dries the scent becomes a light floral. It's really fresh, clean and light-smelling, and there's a note here that smells "pink" and reminds me of commercial perfumes designed for teenagers and young women. It's a lovely scent, especially for springtime, but it's definitely not me. Also, it's barely detectable on my skin. This will go to someone who will appreciate it for what it is.

In the bottle and freshly applied to the skin, the ozone is pretty heavy, but in a pleasant way. The other notes serve to ground it. However, the ozone doesn't last long on me, which I was hoping for. I'm left with the deep floral scent of opium, a smoky incense note that reminds me of Medea, and a not-so-subtle hint of wormwood that I recognize from Absinthe. Wow, this is nice. It's dark without being overpowering. Incense fans should be happy about this as long as the ozone doesn't take over on them.

This one is really hard for me to pin down. From wet to drydown, the only note I can pick out is the verbena; it's definitely lemon verbena, not the vervain I have in my herb cabinet. It smells like a combination of lemon candies and this incense I had when I was in my early teens, but again, I can't really pick out notes. There's a sweetness, which might be some kind of amber? I don't know. It's sweet and tangy smelling and that's really all I get.

This is a lovely scent, but on me it fades really quickly and has little to no throw. It would be great for people who like light, fresh scents.

There is very little difference between the smell on the bottle and the smell wet on the skin...and the smell dry on the skin. For the first hour or so, all I get is pungent metal and motor oil. Sniffing it stings the back of my throat. There is a very faint hint of myrrh every now and then that disappears as quickly as it comes. As the scent sits, the metal is tempered by very intense leather. I generally really love leather, but this is way too pungent for me. Still, it smells better than the metal/oil scent from before. Catching whiffs of it in this stage isn't so bad, but I really just don't think I can handle how strong and sharp it is.

While I wouldn't consider this a pleasant scent, I am so glad that I got to try it. It's incredible that Beth was able to capture the scent of sharp metal so effectively. This IS the smell of steampunk in a "dripping with testosterone" sense. For someone looking for a steampunk scent that will punch them in the face, this is fantastic. However, I was looking for a steampunk scent that I could cuddle up with. I really wanted to love it, but judging by the responses above, there will be plenty of other people who will.

When I first put it on I smelled an almost overwhelming floral scent from the ylang, with something sharp underneath (frankincense) and a hint of hyssop, which always smells vaguely, weirdly fruity on me. I wasn't really feeling it. A little later the violet came out, and at that point I really actually liked it and was considering keeping it; it was really pretty and well-balanced with the frankincense. However, not too long later it turned into powder. How sad! Mind you, it's a powder I think smells kind of pretty, but I can't see myself wearing it.

Upon first applying, I got the aquatics plus some pretty smelling plants and a bright, fruity wine. Wow...this is really nice. It's a pretty, clean aquatic. I sniffed some more and found that one of the plant smells was a tropical floral of some type. I don't know what, but I think it might have been in Pele. I'm usually not a floral fan, but mixed with the greens and aquatics, it really is lovely. As it sits on the skin it does smell a little murkier, but for the most part, it's not bitter, unpleasant or masculine smelling hardly at all. I think either sex could wear this, but it might be more at home on a woman.

This is a really interesting blend. At first I got a light tea scent with lots of cream. Not exactly foody, but not perfumey, either. I suppose it smells buttery, but not LIKE butter, if that makes sense. Then, after a bit, baby powder takes over. I am so not a powder fan, so at that point I had dismissed it. However, the powder scent fades after maybe an hour, and then I mainly get a grainy smell with vanilla and a touch of tea. This phase is really mellow and nice, but I don't know if it's worth sitting through the powder phase to get to it.

It's a really, really interesting blend, which is the only reason it was on my wishlist to begin with. I'm glad to have tried it, and it's certainly not unpleasant, but I'm afraid it's not really me.

Out of the bottle and when I first apply it, it's very heavy on the myrrh, which is nice. However, after a few moments it really starts to blossom into a beautiful, full-bodied, slightly bitter scent. The musk and resiny smells take over, and it's really gorgeous. Mostly, I get delicious musk. The only problem I get is with what I'm guessing is either the ambrette or the benzoin; something is giving off a faint burnt plastic smell that vanilla often does on me, but I can only smell it if I inhale really deeply.

Overall, I love it.

I am a little disappointed by this one. It smells identical to Urd on me and I never really cared for that one anyway. Maybe it's just that my skin latches on to wine notes and turns them into cloying grape popsicles, but that's pretty much all I get. It is not unpleasant, but I am kind of sad that I spent extra money on an LE that smells just like a GC. Off to the swap pile it goes!

This is kind of a weird blend. I was expecting something thick, dark and decadent. What I got was something light, delicate, yet still fairly sexy. If I had to compare it to anything it would be Black Opal -- it doesn't smell like a rock, but it is just as powdery. I'm pretty sure I smell a light amber, more akin to Bastet or The Lion than something like Hymn to Proserpine. The amber with a touch of musk and honey is most of what I smell, like these amber/musk candles that my friend and I bought one time. Definitely a skin scent. I was hoping for a whole lot more patchouli -- or, indeed, something other than amber/honey/musk -- but whatever. It's gorgeous, but I'm not completely sure the powder smell is really "me." I'll keep it for a while and see if I actually wear it.

My mother one time wore patchouli oil (it was some really nasty, super strong stuff that didn't smell a thing like BPAL's) around a cat we once had, and...erm, he liked it a little too much. If you don't want to be molested by a cat, you might want to avoid patchouli.

He loved the scent of strawberries, though, in a much less sexual way. If you do end up wearing perfume around the kitties, maybe that would be good?

Wet, this smells just like the tres leches cake I made for my best friend for his birthday last year. Mmm. I think I just got a cavity from sniffing it.

After the initial wet stage, Cockaigne is one of the weirdest scents ever, and not necessarily in a good way. Sniffing directly from my arm, it smells strongly of burnt rubber bands as creamy, extremely foody scents are wont to do on me. However, the throw is a glorious, pure honey scent that makes it worth wearing. My boyfriend told me I smelled like maple syrup. I'm totally OK with that.

It lasts forever. That's the mistake here -- the long-term drydown.

Many hours later I kept smelling, well, what can only be described as unwashed crotch that I assumed was coming from the old couch I was sitting on. I informed said boyfriend of this and he didn't know what I was talking about. I went home and I still smelled it. Decided to sniff where I had applied the perfume on my arm and was horrified to realize that it was ME, or rather, it was Cockaigne. Straight off my skin it's ammonia with a bit of sweetness behind it, which is gross enough without the throw smelling like crotch. I am terribly disappointed. I've worn it before and not had any extreme effects either way...maybe my chemistry is screwed up (very likely). I'll try it again next week and see if the problem has remedied itself.

I was expecting Oblivion to be sharp, a bit generic and unforgivingly dark...thank God I was wrong! This is beautiful. My nose was plastered to my wrist the whole time, and my boyfriend's brother said I was creeping him out.

It is very masculine, but in a comforting, deep, cozy way rather than seeping with testosterone. It's very smooth, natural scent that isn't really sweet. It's so hard to describe in terms of notes because it's so well-blended. Just keep in mind that if you're looking for a dark masculine scent that isn't dripping with vetiver or black musk or some weird piercing note, you must try this one. So pretty!

ETA: Also, this burned a bit upon application, and I don't have super sensitive skin. So if your skin is sensitive, proceed with caution!

Medea is...wow! I went in not having high hopes, but decided I'd try it since I'd heard such wonderful things.

Let me just say that most florals and I do not get along. Like, hardly at all. With the exception of rose, usually they end up turning either soapy or sour on me -- pretty disasterous either way. Medea smelled quite floral and pretty in the bottle, which I thought for sure would be the mark of death for me. Not so! This is beautiful! I don't know what the difference is. I mainly get orchid (which is lovely and not overpowering) and currant in the first stages, but on the drydown there's this beautiful, smokey incense smell that gradually emerges. I can also smell the poppy, but it doesn't smell rank like I have usually experienced. Everything comes together in this deep, mysterious, very sweet combo that is perfect.

This is feminine, sparkly, purple and magical. Not my usual cup of tea, but I really like it. I imagine this is how a night elf would smell.

Cannot stop sniffing myself! In the bottle it smells very green, almost bittersweet, and a bit toasty. On my skin, all I really get is vetiver. That's OK, though! My skin does lovely things with it; this smells like burning cedar wood. I do still get the dead leaves smell, which just adds to it. So good! When I sniff, my face even feels warm and I get the illusion of the feeling of woodsmoke in my eyes. To me it smells like October (the scent) on fire. This is incredibly evocative and I love it.

My first thought was that this smells very similar to Skadi. It starts out very heavy on the frozen evergreen backed with berries smell, but the more I sniff it, the more I think it smells a lot more complex than Skadi, perhaps a bit earthier or spicier. It's still very similar, though. My opinions are very much the same for both blends -- it's pretty and pleasant and I'm glad to have tried it, but blends as wintery as this don't really suit me. If you want to smell like Christmas, though, this is a good bet!

BBW ylang ylang myrrh....

 

it's been discontinued and it's the only lotion i've ever gone through 3+ bottles of...i've dug around to investigate the ylang ylang and myrrh scents and i'd like to try some imps...all suggestions are appreciated, as i am a scent novice.

 

to me, the BBW ylang ylang myrrh was not a very complex scent - which makes sense, i guess, if it's really just ylang ylang and myrrh. a little bit heavy (kind of like gardenias?) but also kind of clean. (i don't like really perfume-y scents and old-lady powder depresses me.)

 

thanks

You might try La Petite Mort. It's fairly musky, but I definitely smell both the ylang ylang and myrrh. It's very pretty and sweet.

Update:

OK...prepare to be weirded out. I just received an enormous swap package, including an imp of A Bold Bluff. And yeah, that's it. I don't know WHAT could possibly be in it that makes it smell like the interior of those temples and the Holi powders, but it's there. The only thing I can think of is tobacco? Is fresh tobacco used in Hindu worship at all? I am confused, but happy. I've found a new favorite scent.

Oh, and the more I smell it, the more I am likening it to some kind of spicy note in nag champa after all, but it's still definitely very different. It's more like the nag champa perfume oil I got my mother for Christmas than the actual incense, and even then, not so much. Also, maybe it's not floral? It's so hard to tell. Again, I'm confused.

Thanks, everyone, for all the suggestions! My wishlist just got a mile longer.

I saw that nag champa was a common suggestion. Actually, I've been burning that incense since I was about 13, and while it's one of my favorite scents ever, it's not what I'm looking for. The Hindu temple smell I'm thinking of is a lot less earthy than nag champa...I'm starting to wonder if it is a type of rose. I will check out neem, though -- that could possibly be it.

So far I've visited two Hindu temples for different reasons, and both times I was greeted with this beautiful floral scent that permeated everything. Tonight I celebrated Holi at a local temple and noticed that some of the powders had that scent. Problem is that I have NO IDEA what it is. It could possibly be rose, but it doesn't really smell like any rose I've ever smelled. Perhaps it's a mix of different things, I'm not sure. Does anyone know? More importantly, can anyone point me in the direction of a BPAL that has this scent? I would kill to be able to smell it whenever I wanted to.

My apologies if anyone has asked for this before or if it belongs in a thread, but I searched as well as I could think to.