Beatrice33

Thank you, Milla! I've had very bad luck lately buying bottles unsniffed, so I'll try to test Poisson d'Avril first, but if I'm lucky maybe you'll still have the bottle available if I'm able to track it down and it works on me!

VitaminA and Oakmoss--thank you for the Prague rec. I actually can't remember if I've ever tried this one, so I've got it on my list for sure. I loved visiting Prague, so it would be extra special if I fell in love with the scent.

Saralaughs, I've never even heard of Enchanged Wood Florist. I'm off to check it out! Thank you.

Dormouse, thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep my eye out for Poisson d'Avil. I'm wondering if I passed on that when it came out due to the rose, often a note of doom for me. How prominent is that note?

I very recently discovered Sea of Glass. On me, it's lily of the valley, and a clean spring or lake. It's one of the very few aquatics I can wear without becoming queasy.

Thanks for the rec! I hadn't considered this one yet.

Ooh, yay, now I'm even more excited to receive my Amsterdam imp. Thank you, CaudaPavonis.

Reina, another star for Danube, and adding Szepasszony and 51--thank you!

Ooh, thank you, thank you, thank you everyone for your suggestions!

Amoraexcena, both Water of Notre Dame and The Lotus Tree sound like they might be right up my alley. Somehow I don't remember even knowing about The Lotus Tree, and I'm always on the lookout for another "skin scent."

Yoginispirit, I'm adding another star by Shattered! I appreciate your thoughts on Ghost Lantern. I'm having so much trouble deciding which Salon to buy unsniffed--too expensive to do lightly! Shanghai's green tea note unfortunately does something strange on me, which saddens me greatly because it should be a perfect scent for me. I'll check out Blood Countess, too!

Willowtreeling, I think (hope) Lady of Shalott is in my last imp order. Now I'm forgetting what I ended up deciding, but I'm crossing my fingers!

Thank you, Girasol, I'm adding Shattered to my list!

Hellomoonglow, I love the kitty on your avatar!

Unfortunatly Embalming Fluid and Lyonesse are both in the category of scents that should have worked and that I had oh-so-much hope for but crashed and burned on my skin. Very sad! Perhaps I should revisit them now and then to be absolutely sure, though....

The Host of the Air (2009) is like wet flowers, or cut flowers in the greenhouse, as someone described it in the thread linked here. I get lilies and other sweet strong white flowers from this.

Rats! I hate to crave limited edition scents, but I have seen this one mentioned enough times that I might have to!

Thank you Schackjj and saralaughs! Writing Neptune on my list and double starring Mag Mell.

Ooh, thank you, Sqwook! Writing Mag Mell on my list....

Thank you so much for your responses, triptychenchanted and VioletFemme! Unfortunately Lyonesse went to complete baby powder on me for some reason, which was very sad because it smelled sooooo good up until that point. Good point about Lady of Shalott. It may not be what I'm looking for now that I think about it. I'm glad I may be on the right track with Amsterdam!

Hi Lovely BPALers,

I have been sticking lately to vanillas, ambers, and spicy scents, but suddenly I'm craving something lighter, more sparkling. A friend of mine this weekend had on a scent that I fell in love with--Hermes Jardin Sur le Nil. Very sparkling, and described as a watery floral with a little bright fruit. It makes me want to try to find a sparkling, watery floral from BPAL.

I haven't ventured into aquatics too much at BPAL (or elsewhere) because the often turn to dryer sheet on me. I don't like anything too "clean", sharp, or venturing into "cologne" territory. But if there is a bit of floral or citrus added, I think certain acquatics might work, especially if there was light amber or vanilla or something in the background to warm it up just a bit.

My thoughts for imps so far are:

Amsterdam

Lady of Shalott

Black Pearl

A few in the salon that caught my eye are:

Sunrise with Sea Monsters

Itasô Kansei Nenkan Jorô No Fûzoku

The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa

Kiyohime Changes From a Serpent

I've almost really liked a few of the Asian inspired scents, for example Earth Rat and Hungry Ghost Moon, but those two became too fruity/sweet on me. I love Xiutecuhtli, which is to me a scent of greenery with a warmth in the background from the amber.

Any thoughts or recommendations for me? Am I on the right track with some of my ideas? Can you help me decide which of those 4 salons to try first?

Thank you so much in advance!!

~Bea

I just tried Sachs, and to me it smells very much like L'Artisan's Vanilia on the drydown. It's got the slightly floral and smokey vanilla going on. A happy find for me since Vanilia is one of my faves.

I just got this one yesterday, and it's shot to the top of my list. I love the smokey, slightly floral notes to the vanilla, keeping it from becoming cloying or too sweet. It smells very much like a commercial perfume I love--Vanilia from L'Artisan. I think this one will be in heavy rotation this season, and a full bottle is on my list as soon as I can afford it.

Diabolical Offspring (current Dark Delicacies offering) is very powdery--maybe too babypowdery for what you're after, but definitely powdery. It's got a little something else underneath it that I can't describe, but perhaps read other reviews to help you get a better sense of it.

Beatrice, you might want to try Liz (from the Hellboy line) for Coco Mlle. and Psych Horror or Diabolical Offspring for No. 5. Chrysanthemum Moon is probably the closest thing I've found to Coco, but it's not a smell-alike -- just perfume-y and heady like Coco.

Thanks for the recs! I did actually order decants of Psych Horror and Diabolical Offspring for just that reason. Unfortunately neither worked like No. 5 on me. It's amazing how differently scents can develop or smell for/on different people. It never ceases to amaze and interest me! Chrysanthemum Moon was one of my major BPAL disappointments--it always seemed like it should have worked on me. I will definitely look into Liz--thanks again!

I had to bump this old thread because I've been thinking of Chanel perfumes a lot lately. I love Chanel No. 5, Coco, and Coco Mademoiselle. I'd love to find similar smells in BPAL, and though I've tried many of the suggestions upthread, I haven't yet found close enough matches on my skin. Anyone have some new ideas?

I'd love to find a BPAL match for Estee lauder Bronze Goddess. It's a glorious summer scent--what suntan lotion should smell like, but also very subtle and sexy. The notes I could find on it are: coconut milk, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver, myrrh, amber, mandarin, bergamot, lemon, orange, tiare flower, jasmine, magnolia, orange blossom and lavender. For some reason this is one of the few coconut-based scents that doesn't turn plasticky on me.Anyone else love this scent and have a BPAL with coconut that they like too? Is there even a BPAL with coconut and sandalwood, and one that isn't too heavy on the florals? I'd love to find something like this for summer. The one BPAL coconut scent so far that works on me is Obatala, but it's completely different with the watery note. I want a warm, sexy, subtle coconut scent. Any suggestions?Parrot_Suspect, I just saw your reply--thank you! I'll have to track down a sniffie of Florence to give it a try.

Thank you, Sarri and Jess2316, for your suggestions! It's so interesting how scents react differently on different skin--or is it that our noses respond differently? In any case, I really like Dia, but I hand't thought of it as at all similar to D & G red cap. Very interesting! I'll have to give Zephyr a try--I tried it a long time ago and I can't remember what my impression was.

Thank you again! If anyone else has ideas, I'd love to hear more thoughts on this topic. It's so fun to hear what other people have to say about scents I love.

This has been asked above, but I wanted to second the request for a BPAL like Dolce & Gabbana original (red cap) perfume. The notes:

Top Notes

Petitgrain, Tangerine, Basil, Ivy, Aldehyde, Freesia .

Middle Notes

Rose, Orange Flower, Jasmine, Red Carnation, Muguet, Coriander, Marigold .

Base Notes

Sandalood, Tonka Bean, Musk.

The feel to me is a rich, floral, aldehydic oriental. It's bright, a bit loud if one uses too much, deep and very feminine, with a warm, musky, creamy drydown.

I'm hoping someone else who has worn this can share any BPALs that have the same feel to them.

Thanks in advance!

I love reading everyone's faves. I may have already posted mine, but just in case, my favorites this early spring season are:

Xiutecuhtli--one of my all-time go-to scents in warmer weather. I can't even explain why I like this one so much. On me, it doesn't smell at all like Angel, like others seem to find, but rather it's junge blossoms and greenery with warm amber deepening it and holding it all together. It's deceptively unusual and yet unobtrusive. Divine!

Cottonmouth--it's got the spring flowers, but that Snake Oil base keeps it from getting over-the-top floral on me

Black Lily--fresh and creamy, casual and sophisticated, and so unlike anything else I wear

My go-to springtime blend is Xiutechutli because it's all jungle blossoms, humidity and amber warmth combined and so unique, but I also just rediscovered my imp of Cottonmouth and promptly ordered a bottle for spring. It may be that aging made it just right, so it may not be read until next spring, but oooh is it delish, flowery with just a hint of Snake Oil vanilla and spice underneath so it never gets too flowery.

Wow ... Doormouse and Harikata. I wouldn't have come up with those on my own! Thanks, Doormouse and Tzi.

Oh man, this thread brings back memories. *g* But I've found that Coyote was a great skin scent for me.

Sometimes it's amazing to suddenly realize, say, three years have passed! I'm wowed by how long I've been a BPAL fan at this point. But... on to the scents:

I'll have to try Coyote. I think I kept mixing it up with the Lion and thinking I had already tried it.

Blook Amber has gotten enough suggestions that I think I'll have to try that, too.

I'll check out Judith and Holoferns, which I know nothing about, too. Sudha Segara was almost perfect, but I think my skin just can do milk. Cream, yes, milk, no. And I've been curious about Tzadikim Nistarim. Thanks for the ideas!

Fun! Any other suggestions?

I've realized that what I'm looking for is a "second skin" scent--one that melts into my skin and feels like me only better. I found this thread and had to bump it.

What are your favorite "you only better" skin scents? I know it all depends on individual skin chemistry, but I'm still looking forward to any thoughts and suggestions--TIA!