jizatt

I tried this one because I was excited about amber and leather and teak and orchid, with a top hint of white tea and mint. What I got was high pitched citrus. I want the base of this blend as a new blend

My other two bpal faves, both of which I've tried via decant, are Sugar Skull and Velvet Clown, the first of which I can't get for her by her birthday, the latter of which I can't get for her ever -- too bad her birthday's next month or I'd totally go the Halloweenie route.

 

For those of you who've shared bpals with female family members -- do you find that the scents tend to smell similar on both of you? Or do shared genes not equal shared skin chemistry?

my mom and I like similar things in some cases, but do not always share chemistry (musks in particular seem to be different for us, and sugar notes) -- havent been able to test this with my sister

Ok, so from the top ten -- I used the GC top ten list for accessibility:

Canonical Top Ten GCs

1., 2. Dorian & Snake Oil

3. Antique Lace

4. TKO

5. Morocco

6. O

7. Alice

8., 9., 10. Bastet, Liz, Shub-Niggurath

If you do an imp pack for easy pleasers, I would get:

Dorian, Morocco, Alice, Bastet, Snake Oil m(cuz you have to! and some newbies do love it), and a wildcard of your own choice

If you do a bottle, I would do Dorian or Morocco =) If she doesnt like her Dorian, send it to me!

If you do an introductory imp pack, I would try to hit categories your giftee likes: (the threads mentioned earlier will help with picking here)

foody, green, floral, fruity, aquatic, resin/amber, spicy, clean

eta: I do think Mouse's Long and Sad Tale is a good choice -- maybe sub for the Bastet rec?

Unveiled. it has that tea part to it already, but I'm not sure it hits the haughty, untouchable aspect. WOrth a try though.

You might also try Autumn Coolness. I recently tried this one, and was struck with how cool and beautiful it was. It might give off the aura you're after!

Unveiled - Red bush tea, vanilla, white peach, golden amber, mandarin, lotus root, and myrrh.

Autumn Coolness - The scent of wisteria, Cymbidium, lotus blossom, and cassia buds drifting on a breeze through gently swaying bamboo reeds.

my immediate thought was tropical -- Opuhi, Tiki Queen,

but maybe the candy fragrances would work too - Candy Phoenix (Im not too familiar with this category)

or the "manic" fruity: Pet Magah Bird, Spinning Pinwheel Thingy,

While I really liked this one, I had to double check to see if I hadn't accidentally applied Harimise instead. What I got was an almost nutty, slightly cool fragrance. I'm guessing this is the amber and cardamom combination playing tricks on me. Its pretty, but not what I expected, since I love love olive blossom.

Amsterdam. On my wrist now, very pretty watery and bright floral.

love this. love. LOVE.

THe wet version was stronger, but even now what I get from Ronin is sweet dusty honey wood. By dusty I dont mean dirt... maybe dry? Its not sticky foody honey or floral honey to my nose, just sweet simple honey. I'm sure what I smell is the rice flower and honey together, and maybe the oakmoss is giving the whole thing a base to sit on. I really like this and am SO glad to own a bottle.

Testing this tonight - I'm never sure what to expect with these blends when the notes arent listed, but I wanted a dark melancholy floralishness -- and this is gorgeous. Swoonworthy. I can't tell what I smell, but the poem leads me to believe "A mournful garden of autumnal hue" is made of: violet, myrtle, cypress, cedar, pine, lotus, poppy, amaranthus, mint, laurel

wikipedia tells me that amaranth is also chrysanthemum and helichrysum, which I didn't think were the same thing anyway -- but maybe I do smell that chrysanthemum note here....

anyway, randomness aside, I really like this - its exactly what I wanted without knowing what to expect!

Snow White is one that I would swear has almond to it, but does not!

I searched the review thread for almond and almondy (results as posts to keep me from going insane) and got these suggestions as well:

Mother Shub's Toothsome Banketstaaf (Tubular pastries oozing with spijs, glazed with apricot jam, and dotted with glace cherries.)

Some people are getting almond from Hod (I dont).

Dana O Shee (Offerings of milk, honey and sweet grains)

and these blends have almond flower/blossom, so I dont know how that will work for you:

Penitent Magdalen -( Immortelle, lily of the valley, gaiac, amber, honey, white sandalwood, almond flower, blonde musk, and hyssop)

MIss Lupescu (Animalic musk, with amber, patchouli, ho wood, cypress, almond blossom, golden sandalwood, and strange spices)

I found Unveiled to be similar to Snow Angel. Snow Angel is brighter and has that sugar note over the top, but the dry down is that softer fruity tea.

Oberon wet is to die for. I was swoony and tempted to edit my top 10, seriously. I think its the white musk/orchid/juniper berry that Im loving,

And then it dries. Something here does not love me, but I dont have bad notes in this one? Must be a combination of them on my skin. So sad =/

Another one I thought I had tested and apparently hadn't, I thought I hated this one?

I get mostly a soft musk with some floral sweetness and a soft spice. I wish it was more magnolia here, but its pretty enough that I'm keeping it! Currently, I'm thinking about side by side testing this with Mum Moon.

eta: tested with Mum Moon, and not as similar as I had thought - but still a fair comparison. Hell's Belle is softer, darker, lower pitched, and much more subtle

Any of the 13's are a complex chocolate/cocoa scent, that would be a great place to start your search. Then of course, there are the Chocolate Box scents from this year and last year's Valentines.

I'm personally enjoying How Doth the Little Crocodile right now =)

I got honeyed fruits over tobacco - very nice, and it did feel autumnal to me (to my nose?)

black plum, smoky opium, roses, lilac, white gardenia, berry.

I love bpal's opium/poppy notes, plum, and gardenia and lilac. I expected a soft smoky plummy floral. But this is sharp. This is bitch sharp. This is going to be my "get stuff done" scent!

eta: I dont think I conveyed the fact that this is gorgeous. Its just mean and beautiful. So heres the more complete review. I smell the same plum and rose combo as in Plush Companion. And Im pretty sure that I smell the opium smoke from Stormclouds on the Midway. Neither of those had this sharpness, maybe that comes from the berry, or the gardenia/berry combo? I really like this, and its a testament to keeping imps past your BPAL newbiness, because the first time I tried this I didnt keep it because the plum was too sweet. (?!)

I still wish it had been the soft smoky plummy floral -- anyone got one of those?

I expected amber and creamy coconut and skin musk and ambergris. I got orange blossom and ylang. Its gorgeous, but its not at all what I expected from the list of notes.

My skin gets the sharp green from this, so much so that I kept thinking I smelled pepper. I dont get the fruityness, but a very clean sweet green, and maybe a touch of the floral. Once the sharpness dies down, I really like this one =) Now if only it were easier to run a search on!

I almost didnt even test this little keeper. I put it aside, and only later looked up the notes. Honestly, it was the musk that made me test it. THe musk was stonrg on me at first, not dark but the deep fuzzy almost powdery musk (which I like) -- I kept smelling something fresh, and told myself I would have to go look up the notes again, because I couldnt tell what I was smelling. I only had the black musk in my head, and had totally looked over everything else. ANd then I kept sniffing! A keeper, a little gem! I think its the peach blossom I keep smelling, but its not juicy peach, its very cool. I didnt get any rose at all, but maybe the other florals are whats keeping this in the cool range. Its going to stay an imp, but that imp is staying in my box!

I'm going to have to say Inez. Usually myrrh is too strong in a blend for me, and takes over - but here I get musky vanilla and amber and powdery love. I know when I say powder that many will automatically turn away - but its lovely and comforting. It might become my bad day goto.

Looking for the closest to white Musk single note that is out there -- whats the strongest white musk bpal you've tried? Id rather go floral than fruity or citrusy. Maybe what I dont want is lemon, as Im wearing Alien Invasion now and rather enjoying it.

My thought for the darkest incensey lavender was On Darkness -- black poppy, lavender, thick black incense, black amber, rose geranium, Brazilian rosewood, and benzoin

Under the Harvest Moon is much duskier (I agree!) sweeter -- beautiful stuff =)

I didn't expect to like this one, I tried it mainly because I try all the imps that cross my path. I thought I might like the wood note, but expected this to be too masculine and dry. I was so shocked when I sniffed, I had to go look up the notes. White Cedar, blue sage, and bay leaf? So why do I smell lilacs and rain? I get the woody undertone, but this is so so fresh and appealing and unusual that it is currently residing in a place of honor on my wrists. I may put off testing today in order to wear this beauty by itself. Gorgeous. Definitely bottle worthy, and that will have to be a lab purchase because I rarely see imps much less bottles up for swap on this one =)

Ok I'm looking for a floral to love. I don't like rose really, and definitely not violet. I don't want a fruity floral, but I'm okay with watery. I want something light, not cloying or heavy. (I love Defututa, but it doesn't match my desires here). I thought I loved Lune Noire, but its not working on me right now. I did the East, but traded it off for some reason. I have some florals, but they are too heavy for what I'm craving right now. I want almost ethereal, without treading into old fashioned.

 

(basically I'm potentially moving somewhere very very hot and would like to find a light floral that will still be pleasing!)

retesting a bit of what I had, so I knew I at least liked it -- Eros is close to what I'm wanting, and maybe Leanan Sidhe -- any further suggestions from

there?

(eta: Eros wet, but not Eros dry)

Ok I'm looking for a floral to love. I don't like rose really, and definitely not violet. I don't want a fruity floral, but I'm okay with watery. I want something light, not cloying or heavy. (I love Defututa, but it doesn't match my desires here). I thought I loved Lune Noire, but its not working on me right now. I did the East, but traded it off for some reason. I have some florals, but they are too heavy for what I'm craving right now. I want almost ethereal, without treading into old fashioned.

(basically I'm potentially moving somewhere very very hot and would like to find a light floral that will still be pleasing!)