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Xylis

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Everything posted by Xylis

  1. Xylis

    Aquatics

    Thank you!! I actually forgot about Lady of Shalott, and will check out Leanan Sidhe again. I'm excited about Sea of Glass as well! I've always wanted to try that one. I hope we both find what we're looking for. 🙂
  2. Xylis

    Aquatics

    Hi all! I'm looking for a fresh aquatic / oceanic scent with undertones of fresh dirt / earth and soft flowers (particularly a gentle rose). For Disney people, I'm trying to find a Flight of Passage inspired scent that isn't one of those mainstream mists that disappear within 5 minutes. I'm actually open to layering scents to achieve this, so the important part, to me, is finding the right aquatic note (fresh ocean spray). No booze, woods or coconut, or anything too green / sharp. I'd prefer something that's easy to find, so, preferably GC or a recent LE that isn't rare or overly popular. I'm very out of touch with BPAL (left after The Unicorn got discontinued and shattered my heart). I've also never really been an aquatic scent person (when last I was on BPAL, I was on the prowl for rose, fresh flowers and sugary gourmand scents), so I'm not familiar with those at all. After scouring the site, I've collated these as possibles: Before I start imp-hunting, please let me know if I've missed anything! Or, if there are any that you think are waaay off from what I'm looking for, please let me know as well. I haven't really had the time to read reviews. I did consider adding Amsterdam to the list, but I'm afraid that it'd be too green. Thank you!
  3. Xylis

    Sweet, sweet florals

    Nice to see this thread back up! I am a huge fan of sweet florals and managed to add a few to my must-try-sometime list. c: Here are some others that I don't think I've seen in this thread yet. The Unicorn - A misty, almost luminous perfume: wispy linden blossoms, white flowers, and a touch of sweet herbs. Love - Marshmallows and rose sugar with whipped vanilla cream and a hint of strawberry. Mariposita - Her hair smells like soap and lavender, her skin smells like honey and sunshine, and everything is touched by the scent of the strawberries she's always eating. (more of a fruity sweetness, but the lavender keeps it floral) Daphne Honey - The description just says "Daphne Honey", but it's a gorgeous sweet blend of honey-ed florals that never gets too cloying. TKO - Smells like a marshmallow lavender on my skin, very yummy. Reflected Vulva - Sweet pea, cherry blossoms, and sugared cream. I personally ADORE The East, Fairy Market, Hope, Faith, 2,5 & 7 and Titania as well. Sadly, Mouse's SLT, High Strung Daisies and Alice didn't work on my skin. :c
  4. Xylis

    O

    I first encountered O back in 2009 when I was first introduced to BPAL. At the time, I wasn't blown away by the scent at all and got rid of my lab fresh imp after testing it once. O has always been in my mind though, and I decided to snag a partial bottle on a whim while buying some bottles off the marketplace. Incidentally, this was from 2009 as well, so hello old friend. I decided to dab some on my wrist tonight for a test run. After half a minute, I started sniffing the air because there was this sweetness gently whiffing it's way up my nose. Lo and behold, it was O. I got braver and dabbled more of the oil on my inner elbows and behind my ears. 2 minutes later, I was slathering it between the girls and on my neck. My room is now this sweet, sexy vanilla honey cave and I've never been more in awe. I can only think of two possibilities - my olfactory senses have taken a spin for the better or this oil ages extremely, amazingly, beautifully well. This blend is both sweet and sultry at the same time and I'm so glad I rediscovered 2 nights before my anniversary. I know what my man will be sniffing as we snuggle. Orgasmic. I need a full bottle.
  5. I'm going to give Titania another vote for a sweet, fruity floral that's young and fresh. ♥ Based on some recent blends I've tried, here are some light, fun and fruity florals that I've come to adore (all LE, but reasonably alright to hunt down): Mariposita Her hair smells like soap and lavender, her skin smells like honey and sunshine, and everything is touched by the scent of the strawberries she's always eating. Candy Phoenix A dusky, yet effervescent mix of pomegranate and black currant candies, with a dusting of sugared pear and white apple. Purple Snowballs Sugar plum snowballs with a touch of currant and cardamom!
  6. Xylis

    If your top 5 scents are... Then try these!

    I recently got to try some new scents, so here's my new Top 5 list (of the moment): 1. Love Marshmallows and rose sugar with whipped vanilla cream and a hint of strawberry. 2. Mariposita Her hair smells like soap and lavender, her skin smells like honey and sunshine, and everything is touched by the scent of the strawberries she's always eating. 3. Coraline Jones Dry grass, clean skin, and a little bit of mossy berry. 4. Velvet Unicorn Spun sugar, sparkling rainbow candies, strawberries, merangue, and cherry fluff. 5. The Last Unicorn Frosty lilac petals, iris pallida root, orris, violet leaf, white chocolate, coconut, wild lettuce, white sandalwood, and oakmoss. All recommendations are appreciated! I would particularly love GC blend recommendations (they need not be too similar, just about the same vibe) so that I can go a little easier on my pocket from time to time. c: But you know, I like a challenge, so bring on the LEs as well!
  7. First things first, I'm so sorry if there has been a similar thread. I did attempt a search, but couldn't find what I was looking for specifically. If this is a repeated thread, I sincerely apologize! So long story short, I'm a returning BPAL semi-addict. I used to hoard scents but got side-tracked along the way and was complacent that I had (what I foolishly thought was) quite a large supply of The Unicorn. I didn't foresee that it would get discontinued, and now that my stash is depleted, I need to find a new grail scent. The problem is, I'm not really sure what are the exact notes that make me love The Unicorn so. I'm quite a scent ignoramus so I'm mostly unfamiliar with most scent notes other than the obvious ones like rose, vanilla, lavender etc. It's not a very green scent on me; it's mostly a light, ethereal and sweet floral. I'm going to hazard a guess that I like the linden blossoms since they're one of the primary florals listed in the description, but I can't seem to find another BPAL scent that has these. (Hopefully I just haven't been searching hard enough). I would be soooo grateful for recommendations of scents that are similar to The Unicorn, (preferably something that won't get discontinued too soon). I don't visit the forums very often and most of the time, I end up missing out on sales of the The Unicorn, sadly enough. If it's any help, here are other scents / notes I like: ♥ Fairy Market (alas, another one out of my grasp) ♥ Titania ♥ Boo ♥ Dorian ♥ TKO ♥ Whip ♥ Snowbunny (don't like the sharpness of the beginning though) ♥ Hope & Faith ♥ Pink Snowballs ♥ Basically most scents that are light and/or sweet, although I tend to veer more towards floral rather than gourmand sweetness. and scents / notes that didn't work for me: ♥ Sacred Whore of Babylon ♥ Snake Oil (alas!) ♥ Silk Road ♥ Incense ♥ Anything too green (stem-like) ♥ Anything too woody ♥ Honey (this is something I suspect, but haven't actually proven conclusively) I know I have rather varied taste, but nothing on that list has ever really come closer to my heart (and nose) than The Unicorn. I haven't really been keeping up to date with the recent BPAL scents either, so anything beyond 2011/2012 is probably going to be foreign to me. I'd really appreciate all the help I can get! ♥ ------------------------------------- I decided to compile a list of recommendations from this thread, not only for my reference, but hopefully it'll help someone else who might have similar taste preferences as me and would like to discover new lovelies! (I've linked the scents to their review thread).
  8. Xylis

    ♥ Alternatives to [ The Unicorn ]

    I finally got to try both The Lilac Wood and The Last Unicorn and am currently in love with both blends! They're pretty different from The Unicorn, but both are such evocative and beautiful blends that I will probably be hunting down bottles eventually. c: I've found a new love for lilacs and while they're not as sweet as linden blossoms to me, there's this wistful beauty about them which I adore. Yay for discovering new loves! ♥ I've actually tried The Zieba Tree before, but sadly, I can't wear sandalwood or resin on my skin at all. But I do agree that the notes sound promisingly reminiscent of The Unicorn so hopefully it'll work on others! :c Prague and Amsterdam both sound lovely though, particularly Amsterdam because I just love peonies. I have to try those some time! Thank you so much for the recs!
  9. Xylis

    Sprinklecake

    Expectation: Ever since my failed experience with Eat Me, I have been wary about approaching another cake blend because the first one just didn't work on me. Still, Sprinklecake is just too adorable to resist and I'm thinking that if there's a cake blend that's going to work, this has got to be it. In the bottle: Cake, cake, CAKE. And oh my, is my nose feeling a little quirky today because I swear that this is something almost sexy and more than a little boozy (I thought I was crazy at first, but I see I'm not the only one!) at play here. I think it's the honey and almond in the marzipan that's adding a little omph to this edible scent. I'm intrigued. Wet on skin: This smells almost exactly the way it did in the bottle except that the marzipan note is more pronounced. The buttery cake note is given a sharper edge by the honeyed almond and I have to say that I actually like this. At least, it's not instantly repelling in the way that Eat Me was on me (alas!) Drydown: The sharpness of the marzipan has subsided, leaving behind a sweet, buttery little dessert on my skin. I'm actually getting a bit of strawberry as well which adds a nice candy-ness to the scent that I like. (Aside from the scent, I'm actually getting a bit of a sensitive reaction to the blend where my inner elbow is turning a little red. This little cake blend has some bite to it!) Verdict: I actually liked this a lot better than I thought I would. I'm not sure if this is a keeper; I'll have to wear this a couple more times before making a decision but I'm hoping to love it because the name and bottle label are just so adorable. If I keep it, I'm probably going to wear this in my hair or in a scent locket.
  10. Xylis

    Mariposita

    Expectations: I love the story behind this blend and it sounds beautiful. I'm hoping for a really fresh, sweet and clean scent, I just hope it doesn't turn all powdery or soapy on me! In the Imp: Hmm. One of the first reviews I read of this scent before I hunted it down was that it smelled like a high end shampoo and after sniffing it, I agree. This smells like a really classy lavender and honey soap. I'm a little mixed about this, but I definitely want to give this a shot! Wet on Skin: Hello Lavender soap! I mean this in a good way. This smells so clean. I feel like I've just soaked myself in a tub filled with lavender honey soap suds. I'm not getting the strawberry yet but this is a very pretty blend thus far. I like it! Drydown: The lavender is dominating this scent, which suits me to a T since I adore lavender in most shapes and forms. There is something softer and sweeter which keeps the lavender from being too overpowering and sharp and I'm guessing that it must be the honey at work. I still don't get the strawberry, but honestly, it doesn't matter. This is the cleanest, freshest lavender blend I've encountered and I adore it. Verdict: I am thrilled and kinda surprised by this blend. I wasn't that wow-ed by the early stages but oh boy, is this a scent that I will be reaching for so so very often. I'm glad that I took a plunge and adopted a bottle in addition to the imp I tested. I will be treasuring this!
  11. Xylis

    Love

    Expectations: I have high hopes for this blend. There isn't a note that I don't love, plus that name is just - perfect. Oh please let this work! In the Imp: The rose and strawberry are the strongest notes for me, and the sweetness is running its way up my throat, causing my mouth to water. This smells promising! Wet on Skin: This pretty much smelled the way it did in the imp. Yummilicious and lots of fun! I'm quite intrigued by how the rose and strawberry go so well together that I can't really identify the individual notes. It feels like I'm sniffing a strawberry rose plant and I love how it smells. The drydown: This is a rather subtle blend with medium throw on me. I guess I could live with that because I really love how it smells. It's all sugary, rosey, strawberry goodness and I feel so girly and giggly wearing this. This is beautiful and I am utterly smitten. Verdict: Love is LOVE. I must source down a bottle (or two) of this and slather myself in it. Until I do, I'll be hoarding this little imp like a magpie with her shiny things.
  12. Xylis

    Pink Snowballs

    Expectations: Hmm, let's see. I love vanilla and I love rose. This sounds like it could be everything that I've been looking for a in a blend. Plus the name is just so fun! I'm hoping for a win. In the Imp: I'm catching whiffs of such a gentle, shy, pink rose peeking out behind a faint air of sugary vanilla goodness. I hope it smells this great on me. /fingers crossed Wet on Skin: This is a very very subtle scent. The rose is starting to perk up a little more, but to my slight disappointment, I'm not really picking up on the vanilla. The rose is pretty, but I'm wishing that this had more throw. Drydown: The rose is this blend is very soft and shy, often hiding behind the chilly wisps of snowy air. I'm still not catching any vanilla which is a little peculiar because my skin has a tendency to amp vanilla. Pink Snowballs wears itself very close to the skin - a bit too close because unless I huff myself, I can't really pick up on the scent. Verdict: I'm glad that I went against my instincts and got an imp rather than a full bottle of this. I have to admit that I am pretty disappointed. I was hoping for a vanilla version of Hope but my skin just absorbs this scent, leaving me with just the whisper of what could have been. :c I will give this another go, but I'm probably not going to be hunting a bottle down, much sadness.
  13. Xylis

    If your top 5 scents are... Then try these!

    Kumiho - perhaps Aizen-Myoo or Theodosius (slightly sharper version of Dorian on me) would be nice! Lilith's Feel-Better Flowers - I'm not familiar with this blend, but you might like Gladdener of All Hearts, maybe. The Unicorn - I'm another Unicorn lover (in fact the one that started the unicorn thread mentioned by Balame!) Fairy Market has the same crystalline gorgeousness for me but it's possibly a blend that's even harder to find. :c If you're a linden blossom lover like me, Boober and Cottonmouth sound like they could be wins! I've read that All They Had Seen, and All They Had Lost has similarities to The Unicorn as well. I especially like the sound of Leanan Sidhe, Rosalind and The Wild Swans at Coole as well. I'm unfamiliar with the rest, but I think you might like Hope and Pink Snowballs very much if you like Love! ------------------ I wish I could help more, but I'm unfamiliar with most of the other scents.
  14. Xylis

    ♥ Alternatives to [ The Unicorn ]

    Sparkly, flowery, light and sweet are right up my alley! Now I've just got to try those! Glasgow and Sea Foams Milk sound amazing as well. I haven't really tried a real milky blend before, so I'm pretty intrigued. Hopefully it works on me! I actually have an imp of Lilac Wood sailing over to me as a token from a lovely seller. *squee* I'm not sure I like lilacs since I haven't really been acquainted with them yet, but will know soon! It'd be amazing if it works, since I love The Last Unicorn.
  15. Xylis

    If your top 5 scents are... Then try these!

    I'd second Velvet Unicorn and suggest Candy Phoenix, Dirty, Shang Hai, The Unicorn and Titania. And Wensleydale for the clean, fresh scent, even though I personally haven't tried that one yet. I'm sorry, but I'm not familiar enough with the other Top 5s to make recommendations. Here are my current (ever-changing) Top 5: 1. The Unicorn (my ultimate grail) 2. Whip 3. Boo 4. Hope 5. Candy Phoenix
  16. Xylis

    ♥ Alternatives to [ The Unicorn ]

    Ooh thank you so much for those lovely recommendations, Sakura! c: It's always lovely to find someone with similar scent preferences. You've brought my attention to a great number of blends that I haven't actually looked at yet and I'm really excited to try some of them. I have am imp of Coraline Jones on the way and am more excited to try it than ever. I really like the sound of Leanan Sidhe as well, especially since it's a GC blend. I'm actually really hoping to find something I adore that will be a little more reliable / easier to find. I've also been tempted to try Aizen-Myoo, Roses, Pearls and Diamonds as well as Almond Blossom. I'm going to note down your recommendations now. ♥ Thanks again!
  17. I amp rose, but then again, I love love love myself a pure rose so I adore simple rose blends like Whip, 2, 5 & 7 and Hope. For a more complex or subtler rose, you could try these blends: Black Rose - Heavy, dark and floral: a blend of roses, with a touch of amber and musk. Ode on Melancholy - Lavender and wisteria, heart-wrenching pale rose, desolate white sandalwood and thin, tear-streaked white musk. Psyche - Bulgar rose, Chinese white musk, lavender, orchid and frankincense. Venice - lemon, red currant, wisteria, red rose petals, heady jasmine, Florentine orris root, waterlily, red sandalwood, violet plum, and violet leaf. Viola - Gentle tea rose, lilac, Calla Lily, and Somalian Rose layered over golden Peruvian amber, Spanish moss, red sandalwood, rosewood, and myrrh, with the lightest touch of Mandarin. I liked the above blends a lot. There are enough complementary florals to temper the rose so it doesn't boom out of control.
  18. Xylis

    Please help me find a signature GC scent

    If you like a pure rose scent, you could consider giving Whip a shot. I truly adore the rose note on it, it's a rich, lush, sexy red rose that is subtly grounded by the leather. The leather wears close to the skin so it is never overpowering. I've tried many rose blends from both the GC and LE collections and the rose in Whip is still my absolute favorite. ♥
  19. Xylis

    Help Scenting Some Characters

    Your characters are AMAZING. I had so much fun scenting these that I went overboard. I tried to keep it to GCs but some LEs found their way in as well. JESSICA: The titular character. 20s. Tomboy. Dark haired and laconic, sensual and vehemently opposed to anything girly. A natural in every sense of the word, she is equal parts babe, bro and badass. Her drink is whiskey, her t-shirts are well worn and her backbone is steel. Loyal, gruff, warm and brave. CHLOE: The heart of the operation. 20s. The human equivalent of a cupcake. Brains and beauty wrapped up in a cardigan. As girly as Jess isn't, she's got a closet that rivals Carrie Bradshaw. Jess' long suffering roommate, she exudes confidence and kindness, as well as the spirit of a humanitarian. KINDRED: AKA "The World's Least Helpful Familiar" Gifted to Jess by an overly helpful demon. Taking the form of a man, he drinks, he smokes, he fucks anything vaguely symmetrical and human-esque. The countenance of a lush, but ultimately the heart of a lion. Is loyal to Jess and Jess alone (not by choice but by design). Snarky, sexy and sarcastic to the core. (NOTE: should ideally share one or two notes in common with JESSICA and SHAX) TIR: A former Zoroastrian god, now displaced. Soulful, intense and deeply troubled. Warming slowly to the notion of becoming friends with the strange bedfellows he's fallen in with. Regal, beautiful. A former warrior who has recently hung up his long standing decree of pacifism to assist McAvoy. Controls all things water and rain. TIERNEY: The reluctant member of the Boston PD assigned to act as touchstone to the "Freaky Fucking Division" AKA Jess' legal handler. A tough South Boston Irish Catholic who lapsed in adulthood. Plays hard, works harder. A skeptic. Has a file somewhere filled with excessive force complaints. SHAX: A sexy, silky-tongued demon with major boundary issues. Plays in the human world, rules over certain segments of hell. Lives to cause ordered chaos and give Jess a headache. If he had a theme song, it would be Sympathy for the Devil. Expensive looking. Kindred's technical creator, though they have a serious antipathy for one another. (NOTE: jasmine should ideally be in his blend- thank you, Key of Solomon
  20. CANDY PHOENIX A dusky, yet effervescent mix of pomegranate and black currant candies, with a dusting of sugared pear and white apple. ^ Candy Phoenix is my new love of the moment and I can't stop thinking about her. This scent just *sparkles* and while it doesn't have a distinctive sugar note, it reminds me of a candy shop selling assorted bonbons and cotton candy. Now I definitely have to track down her cousin Pink Phoenix and do a comparison. ♥
  21. Xylis

    ♥ Alternatives to [ The Unicorn ]

    @fuzziefaerie; Yay! I love it when I find someone with similar scent preferences. ♥ All those recommendations sound so awesome, and I'l definitely going to be adding them down to my ever-increasing list of scents to try. Unfortunately, I've come to suspect that it's the carnation note that hates my skin because so far Alice, Maiden and High Strung Daisies have been scents that ought to have worked on me but didn't. The one note that they have in common is carnation so it's probably the culprit (since it's that same nasty smell across all 3 of them). I am sooo excited to try everything carnation-free though! I'm especially dying to get my paws on Go To Sleep, Darlings because it sounds so beautiful. I loved The Last Unicorn movie so that scent has always been on the back of my mind although I'm a little nervous of the sandalwood and lettuce. Still, I'd probably have to pick up an imp of that some day! I love that Dana O' Shee and White Rabbit are GCs; hopefully they'll work so I can easily replenish my suppy! Thanks again for your lovely recommendations! ♥
  22. Xylis

    ♥ Alternatives to [ The Unicorn ]

    Oooh thank you all so much for your help!! All these recommendations sound great and I'm definitely excited to try them. Even if I can't find a Unicorn duplicate, hopefully I'll be able to discover a new favourite scent. @skyelyric; I just read the scent description for the East and I think I'm in love already. I don't know why I thought the scent was discontinued as well, but I'm really happy to see that it's still around for now. I'm excited to try Elf as well; it does help that I love RPG. ♥ Thank you! @Floria; I think Maiden has been on my list of imps to try but somehow I never got down to it. I love rose but I'm a little wary of carnation; still, I'm going to see if I can get an imp of this! Thank you for the recommendation! @Monday; Boober sounds absolutely amazing! In fact, I'm going to add it to my DISO list if I can't manage to find an imp for sale at the marketplace. In fact, the entire Fraggle Rock collection sounds amazing, thank you for bringing my attention to it! @Usagi; Rosalind and Enchanted Wood Forest both sound wonderful! I'll definitely add them on my list of scents to hunt. I really like the sound of berries in Rosalind since I adored them in Snow Bunny. Thank you! ♥ @VioletFemme; All those recommendations sound like they could be right up my alley! I think I've been missing out on a good number of Yules thus far, and I need to remedy that. c: I believe I have an imp of HSD somewhere but never really got down to trying it. I'll have to give that a whirl! I'll check out the Shungas as well. Thank you soooo much! @ModderRhu; Oh how I envy you! I wanted to love Snake Oil so badly, but my skins hates it. I might give it a second go if I ever find an imp for sale though! Kyoto and Cottonmouth both sound like scents I'd like to try so they're going on my list! Thank you!! ♥
  23. Xylis

    Taurus 2007

    i bought this for the rose, and stayed for the apple blossom! i only got a hint of rose when i sniffed it in the bottle and when the oil was wet on my skin. after that, apple blossom dominates in its juicy kind of sweetness. there is a bit of mint and thyme lurking softly in the background. there is a tinge of spiciness to the sweetness of this scent. i'm not too sure if i'll be keeping this one. i like it, but i'm not really crazy over apple blossom that much and i feel a little sad that i didn't get my beloved rose from this. i'll have to try it again to make sure though, this really is rather pretty!
  24. Xylis

    Titania

    it's 2am here and i barely had 4 hours of sleep the night before, so this is a really quick note to say: Titania. Is. LOVE. such a beautiful floral-fruity scent.. i'm getting a sugar-dusted crystalline pear that peeks out flirtatiously amidst bright sweet flowers. it makes me feel all pretty and bubbly. big bottle. yes. yes. yes.
  25. me again okay, so i'm on the quest to find my grail rose scent and so far, i've tried: - whip - gorgeous, dark rose - rose red '08 - totally didn't work on me. i hated how the green-ness of the sap made it so sharp - 2, 5 & 7 - a very sweet rose, wasn't as green as rose red, thank God - black rose - i much preferred the drydown to the initial scent - blood rose - another sweet-ish rose on me so anyway, out of all the rose scents so far, whip is still my favourite by a mile. but i was just wondering if there were any other rose scents that have a rose note similar to whip, but tempered with something else. whip is gorgeous but i suspect that not everyone around me shares the same undying passion for pure rose and i'd hate to end up head-inducing. any recommendations for a rose scent that isn't green or incense-y? i'd prefer if it wasn't so sweet since i already have quite a number of sweet rose scents (with hope currently on the way!)
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