sqwook

First on: Yum! This is woodsy-cinnamony on me, kind of like a tea-house / spa version of the original cinnamony Hamadryad, or a lighter no-musk Oblivion. Dry-down: The woodsy-cinnamony fades away, now skin-close light and soft-green.

1-3) Haven't tried King of Clubs, or Oborot, but since you mention forest-incense, have you tried Druid yet? 2) Orpheus! I mean, it was really distinctive. The Salon scents were deliciously complex, so many amazing winners there. But, you might try Mag Mell, 51, Apothecary. And if you like mostly-greens then maybe Yggdrasil. None of these are "like" Orpheus but you may like them in their own right. Amsterdam is more watery and lighter and a bit more floral less green.

Maybe Jersey Devil with a layered dirt note? The moss/foresty parts were like Jersey Devil to me, but Nocnitsa had those added dirt / soil / earth notes.

I just tried Druid and it could definitely be like a greenhouse, you should add it to your list-of-many-possibilities! I don't normally like the dirt scents, so I don't have a lot of recs in that regard, but wanted to rec Druid your way.

> how strong would you say the frankincense is in Robotic Scarab? It's a really complicated, well-blended scent with lots going on, so definitely worth a try. Imps are available from the lab even, so you dont' have to go full-bottle just to try it. I love trying imps. Robotic Scarab is really gorgeous,and I think that since it has so much else going on it might work for you. From my notes: "At first, fairly cologny-resiny, & it fades fast to really smell like bronzy metal might smell! And then sweet & warm, outdoorsy, confident, refined." Uh this makes *me* want to get out my imp of it again, haha. They're just really neat scents.

I agree with annemathematics, I think the Steamworks line is also somewhere you should look -- they have such a perfect mix of nostalgia and modernity, plus so many of them feel like machinery or equipment, though not dust necessarily. My favorites from that line are Robotic Scarab, Phoenix Steamworks, and Aelopile. Also not in that line but similar in machineworks-feel is The Ninth Cage.

Have you ever tried Robin Goodfellow? After it dries down, it's a bit like warm honey in the sunshine, to me. I wonder also about possibly Litha, Little Bird, Sunflower, etc. Though I have not smelled the plant in question soooo.....

Oooh, I do not know, but I am now certainly intrigued!

rosedamaskk - Hi! I saw your post but I don't have major opinions on those, other than Mme Moriarty. Is the 2015 release different than the original? Well anyway here are some things you may like if you like Mme Moriarty -- Lampades, Tintagel, Black Lotus, possibly Fenris Wolf for somethign more typically masculine, Phoenix at Midday, The Infernal Lover, Anactoria, Mircalla. Psychocygnet - If you like Centzon Totochtin - maybe Perversion, Tezcatlipoca, Oblivion Dorian - I had the same problem you do, for the longest time! For years. I still don't reach for it, though I like the scent a ton, just not always on my skin, it goes too sweet a lot of the time. You might try other vanilla scents that have other things going on, like Lyonesse, or musk scents like Heroine, or tea/lemony like Embalming Fluid. Or Cairo, idk, lol, I rec Cairo all the time.

Hm, interesting! Of those you've listed, I've tried Bastet, Brisingamen, Haunted, The Lion, The Little Wooden Doll, Tamora. and Snake OIl. Some were powdery, some weren't. And of actual pure Amber EO, sometimes I think it smells powdery and sometimes not, even the straight EO / resin. It could be that the lab's note is further into the powdery side than you would prefer. On me, this was the breakdown for the bpals you listed: Not powdery: Bastet (soft & sweetly mild), Haunted (deep ambery), Tamora (primarily very-sweet vanilla on me after it dries down), Snake Oil (also very vanilla-y on me, and I had to get used to it though I love it now). Powdery: Brisingamen (though for you it isn't! Weird!), The Little Wooden Doll (like whoa, but I blame rose because I don't really like rose, haha). Blends will smell differently when they are first-on vs after they've been on your skin for a few hours, and there are things that I love at first but then later become meh on me after the top notes have worn off. I tried to figure out by notes which bpal notes typically seem to powder - I thought it might be light or white musks - but I can't find a definitive pattern, so that is not overly helpful to you, I know! In addition to Brisingamen, are there any other bpals you've tried that you've liked and have worked well for you? I'm sure other people who like Brisingamen may have some recs & suggestions.

Right, I totally get what you mean, even your favorite scents can be awful at the gym because it's such an environment with a lot going on, in a lot of different ways. I like things much lighter than normal, and they dont' really need any base notes (Snake Oil seems like all base notes, I wore it once too and even /I/ was annoyed with myself though I love it ordinarily). Embalming Fluid and Mag Mell are things I've worn before & are light enough for me for that situation. What you might want to do is think of GC scents that you liked but that you felt didn't have enough "oomph" for all day, of that seemed lighter than you prefer. If they're too light for your typical use, then they may be perfect for the gym. I feel like there *is* a thread with more ideas somewhere. Oh! I found it: http://www.bpal.org/topic/299-best-bpal-for-gym-workout-sports-exercise/?hl=exercise

Snake Oil is great! And there's nothing like it, but it's GC so that's good. Aren't the 13s usually chocolate based? You may want to check out other chocolate and cocoa recs, here's a giant and delicious thread of recs: http://www.bpal.org/topic/8131-chocolate-and-cocoa-in-every-combination-possible/ Of Cheshire Cat, is it the citrus that you like? You may want to try some of the other citrus scents, like: Aelopile Embalming Fluid *super zingy and bright! Phantasm Xiuhtecuhtli Manhattan *really a great scent! Mag Mell *love this! Cairo *This one is so great! Shanghai 51 Baobhan Sith

Haha, well the *good* news is that your Top 5 has some serious winners in it: Antony is fantastic,and Dorian & Jolly Roger are way up there too. Here are some others in that similar family-ish. Phoenix Steamworks Oblivion Greed Fascinum *Oooh I had forgotten about this one it's so good! Golden Priapus Faunalia Galvanic Goggles Dee Death on a Pale Horse The Robotic Scarab Fenris Wolf Crowley Loup Garou is a pine, isn't it? There are toooonnnss of pine & forest & tree scents. My favorite tree scent is Yggdrasil, it's not really pine like Loup Garou is though. But. It's fantastic. i also liked Slobbering Pine.

That's a tough one. I am not seeing a lot that looks even close on the old Speadsheet of Doom. Maybe try out Torture Queen when she comes back around with the Carnaval. White amber, vanilla musk, white tea, ambergris, gardenia, and chrome. Actually The Maltese Cross of Sanctus Germanus from the Carnaval might be closer, but still no mint Golden amber, blood orange, ambergris, lilac, frankincense, and agarwood. But did you see this? She's got a partial for sale. @ lexyOZ -- That one was really beautiful, so I had taken a bunch of notes trying to figure out what it reminded me of. I tested it against Mme Moriarty & Hymn to Proserpine, and while they weren't "like each other" necessarily they may hold something you like in them. Interestingly, the thing that seemed the closest in feel to me was Tushnamatay -- so, again, not a dupe, but in a similar family, and a really great blend. I ended up not getting it but if it were today i probably *would* get a bottle. Do try Tushnamatay - it is not the same but you may really like it!

Lampades is really great! There's nothing exactly like it, but here are some that for me share some similarities or a feel -- (these are not all General Catalog, I'm taking them from my notes on similarities) Mme Moriarty Morgause Witch Queen Frumious Bandersnatch Hymn to Proserpine Tintagel Fenris Wolf Black Lotus Fruits of Paradise Anactoria

Pale pale real-white-rose (that works, I normally can't do rose at all), pale musk, and then soft vanilla as it all dries down. Really pretty and warm. I'm not really getting champagne, ambergris, or amber, other than possibly as what makes it feel warm and cozy along with the vanilla. Edited to add: Oh I just realized, it reminds me of Joyful Moon! So if you liked that one, you may like this too.

Yes, this definitely has the aura of a super-popular-bpal-vanilla! This reminds me quite a bit of Morocco, so if you're fan then definitely check this out. Skin-close, warm, and lovely.

Ha, on me I'm one of the strongly-jasmine people, and not the other notes. What I most LOVE about this scent is that it really feels powerfully magical. I feel like I'm making a protective magic circle around me when I wear it.

Oops, the "dead leaves" note is not the note I thought it was -- I was going for dry leaves, and these are a bit musty in a way I don't prefer on my skin. BUT the myrrh, the myrrh! I think I need to look into more scents with myrrh, because by the time the leaves scent fades away, what's left is gorgeous.

This is a much more complex blend than I was thinking, and really nice! It starts out with a lot of the lemony cubeb scent, then rounds out over time. I do not get any rose at all. After a bunch of death-matching, the thing it most reminds me of is Cairo, interestingly! And also Sihaya Designs' 'Amas'. It has more skin-close staying power than Cairo though. Really nice blend.

If you like the soft cozy spice of Morocco, you shoudl try Snake Oil eventually.

hi! If you like Shanghai, maybe try Embalming Fluid for something where the "zing" lasts a little longer. If you think Velvet with spice might be good, maybe Tezcatlipoca or Oblivion. For Samhain, if Samhain is the outdoorsy one, Hetairae might be the indoorsy one.

@Kenaz - Halloo! I like some of your faves, too, myself, so I went through my bpal-notes to find things in a similar theme. Also I too have moved to a southwest location, and definitely wear your seasonal stuff in the week or two that you feel all seasonal. Green Phoenix & Litha: The Lilac Wood Little Bird ******* SERIOUSLY, on me this is so similar to Litha06 Garden Path with Chickens Orpheus Yggdrasil Sunflower Aurora Spaceship Takes a Dive Roadhouse ? Xiuhecuhtli: The First of the Three Spirits Antikythera Mechanism A Wonderful Light Blossoms in Springtime @Miareeva - Hi, I see your post, I"m not familiar with those otehr than Eat Me, and I'm not so much a fan of more foody things. Maybe Shub Niggurath for a spiced-up version? If you haven't tried Snake Oil yet then you should. : )

You might try Brisingamen, for another floral+amber combo. (not necessarily rose, but you may still like it.)

Hi, I had thought Belle Vinu would be too peachy, too, because I do not like smelling like fruits, but it does not! It is really great. Flora is too, though I don't know whether that's the osmanthus or not.