HamletsKeeper

Ok, so violet loves me...yay! I've got the Raven and it's pretty and nice and all that but leaves me wanting more. In fact what I'm really wanting is violet + dirt, is there a discontinued, LE or otherwise existing violet\dirt scent? The closest I can come up with in the GC is Bruised Violet Compound which may or may not work as I intend.

Plastic apple, fading into astringent herbs and something thats making my stomach churn...oh yes! black amber.

Wow! That is some serious J&J baby powder in a vial. This is the first scent that I have ever smelled at BPAL which does the baby powder thing for me. Who knew that fluffy white talc is actually rose and jasmine and pinot noir? This is rose & jasmine heavy. Sandalwood is trying valiantly to save it but sorry myrrh just took it into powder territory.

Overall I find the steamworks to be very traditional perfume in nature which I suppose is the Victoriana aspect of it. Yet I really expected something far more left field for such a cool concept. My expectations for this scent was something very sharp, with a strong dry wine note and dark exotic base. This is straight up traditional florals which are overpowering and cloying on my skin. Sickly talc from a vintage cardboard and tin decanter, depicting a corsetted lady, gold scrolls and handpainted roses.

While at the mall yesterday, I really loved a different kind of perfume than I normally wear. I usually wear vanilla, amber, or musk based spicy scents, but I tried "Idole d'Armani" and now I can't stop smelling myself. I'm going to buy a bottle of it, but I'm surprised that my nose actually liked a perfume with rose, jasmine, saffron, patchouli, AND vetvier! It's a bit fruity at first but that really fades fast. I usually don't like any of the scents in the description, or at least so I thought. I want to branch out next time I order imps and include some scents that are similar!

 

Here is the description:

Idole d' Armani begins with notes of bright orange, pear and ginger and then blossoms into pretty rose and jasmine notes blended with unexpected and mysterious saffron, and finishes with a warm patchouli and vetiver base.

 

I tried the BPAL site but there are so many oils with rose and jasmine (patchouli and vetvier too). Any suggestions of something that might smell similar?

Hmmm...I tried Idole one day at a duty free store in the airport so I'm familiar with it's vibe. It wasn't a really strong rose (more like a tea rose and quite "white" smelling on me. Honestly I didn't get any fruit from it and I think the fruity & jasmine BPALs would be really far away from it. It's more like a dry rose scent. Perhaps you should try London or Rose Moon and go from there.

Well all the notes listed are known to work with me so it's little surprise that I like this scent. It doesn't smell how I imagined. One would think from the notes it would be sharper and fresher, it's actually a very fuzzy and cuddly scent tending towards sweet and powdery. Violet is definately dominant here and as this is my first experience of violet I realise now it's another love note. Very similar to orris it's just fabulous on my skin. Strong with great throw and longevity.

This is a dominantly violet and black musk scent. If neither or those notes appeal to you then best to skip this one. I'm not ordinarily a black musk lover finding it too sweet and nauseating at times but the violet cuts that aspect of it and I find it works in this one. Not an everyday scent that's for sure this one is definately an evening scent. It's strong, sweet and lasting. A violet version of Black Rose and an almost exact dupe on my skin for Dragon's Bone. Dragon's Bone I adore but it doesn't last on my skin, yay for The Raven being to me what Dragon's Bone isn't.

I cannot smell the neroli in this one which isn't a surprise to me as neroli is a note that disappears fast off my skin, as much as I do adore it. Similarly the sandalwood plays a minor supporting role. This scent is overtly feminine and quite traditional in feel. If you're after something fresh and modern then The Raven is not it. I'm encouraged to seek out more violet now.

Now give this a chance before you call me crazy, but I tested Ether today and found it similar to The Girl. I thought, no way! So I reapplied much much later in the evening, and gave it a side by side test. Ether has to have a chance to settle into your skin to lose that initial edge, but after it dries, it has a very similar pale amber vibe. Its a bit colder maybe, or a bit cleaner, not as sweet to my nose. Granted, I prefer The Girl, of the two -- but I still thought you should all know

 

Ether - Translucent blooms, ethereal white resins, and davana

The Girl - white amber, silver birch, immortelle, davana, pale musk, star jasmine, and ylang ylang

You've sold me on Ether. I never had any interest in The Girl (Jasmine, Ylang ylang, birch....just no), but Ether sounds like a good match for me and I know exactly who's selling a bottle right now...

Now for my rec. Not that there's a shortage of either Yvaine or White Phoenix, but the two are very close scents. Both being mostly magnolia and cool scents. Consider White Phoenix to be a colourless version of Yvaine.

I'm a scent minimalist and so my sexy scent is Voyeurs Amoung The Cherry Blossoms. Cherry Blossom, moss, vanilla musk. Simple but smells like lickable skin to me. Depends on what you personally like and can wear though.

2nd Judith Victorious. It was diabolical on me but I have to concur it IS all nuts. And makes a nice break from that pest almond!

I've got special skin chemistry so only take note of these if you share my pecularity. My skin hates pretty much all spices and dark woods. I cannot wear leather or rose at all. Most fruits work although they tend to become sweet. The florals which work on me are all blossoms (cherry, plum, apple, peach) and all bulb flowers with the exception of calla lily which is crazy strong on me. If it smells like soap or has been described as soap on this forum it smells fabulous on me. Aquatics & florals work on me, foody, spice & incense scents are diabolical.

So....if by any chance you have similar skin then pretty much all asian scents will last over 8hrs on you and get stronger over time rather than fading. They will also throw nicely even though most people find them to be very light skin scents. The best notes for longevity are...

Peach - you can't even wash this off!

Cherry Blossom - goes on superlight, dries down to 8hrs of wafting with pretty strong intensity

White sandalwood - very dry woody scent that's magickal

All musks - although they tend towards sweetness over time

Ok so black poppy + rose geranium = celery. And since celery is the one vegetable that makes me violently gag I really dont' think I want a bottle of celery.

Well this was a fun pick and not something I expected to work on me so it's good to know my expectations are fulfilled. In the imp it's ok and a little weird, chocolate spiked with something poisonous. Ok, I can dig that vibe....

Then cocoa takes her leave and I'm left in a dark alley with something that smells like cedar wood shavings (must be tobacco) and a general mustiness (oh yeah I think that's black musk). It's not entirely fetid on me but definately only for someone who gets along well with chocolate as a scent. Then it does a really good impression of oiled pine and weirdly some kind of shower gel. These naughty ladies must be fond of showering in a wood working shop.

Towards the end I get woodshop, woodshop, woodshop. It was a fun ride gals but I think I have to conclude that both cocoa and tobacco are not my friends. And......the encore performance is marzipan.

09 version

It smells pleasant enough both in the imp and on my skin. The trouble is, it smells exactly like one of those orange glycerine soaps from the Body Shop. Something in this is going to soap on me and while it isn't offensive I just can't imagine any occassion where I would want to smell like a bar of soap. Aha! I see it contains my nemesis frankincense.

The orange fades super quick (less than 10mins) leaving behind a somewhat pale base of vague florals. Clearly this is not a scent for me.

This one is a lot warmer than the notes would imply. It dries down to a warm spice scent on me with a hint of sweet mandarin. The yuzu, neroli & ambergris are all decidely minor players as I can't smell them individually at all. The tonka is what becomes dominant on me with the citrus smelling as if it has been steeped in heavy spices like cloves & cinnamon. I couldn't wear this one in summer, it would be an autumn scent for me and perfectly portrays the deep autumn colours of the painting.

The initial beginning of it is very much like Dragon Moon 06 with tonka instead of bamboo. But where Dragon Moon stays crisp and floral this one becomes deep and spicey. Overall a nice perfume, I don't love it, but I like it enough to use up the bottle and have it as an interesting alternative to the super-fresh florals crowding out my stash. This is perfectly unisex and would probably smell dead sexy on a guy.

Revisted Tonka is a strange scent and something completely new to me. Applied to my arms it has a tendency to go decidely metallic but on my torso it's soft and slightly sweet and spicey. Eight Views is a scent that you really have to give a bit of hearing to. I've decided I do actually love this as long as I apply it to the right parts of my body. It's soft and citrusy and spicey without being manly. It's also unlike anything else I've tried. Probably the only version of a typically heavy "oriental" blend I could wear. This scent is bright orange on me fading down to various shades of rust. It is light enough to wear mid-summer but still more of a fall scent I think.

I never got the whole "skin scent" concept before. I mean why would anyone want to smell their own skin amped? Ok I have to eat those words now because I get it. Apparently I naturally smell like perverts in a cherry orchard.... This is the one scent I can say reminds me, of me only better. It's so soft, and so well melded with my own skin that I can totally pull this off as "I'm not wearing perfume, I just smell this way".

Cherry blossom is my rose. A floral so me we will never be parted. This scent is very, soft, although not faint on me. The oakmoss and vanilla musk collide to create a soft, fuzzy smell that's kind of like when you sniff your lovers neck. The cherry blossom a tangy perfumey note on top of that. No cologne nor masculinity for me this is pure pink nipples and naughtiness. But also very clean as well, absolutely no cheap and tawdry smut in this bottle.

If you haven't guessed I love this scent and will wear it when I'm seducing a beloved.

ETA - spelling fail, probably others I missed too..

Has anyone tried layering Bliss or Gluttony over Snow White?

An oriental chest rub, kinda of like Tiger Oil. That is all..

This immediately smelled familiar and I think it reminds me of snake oil. Quite pretty in the imp and on application then soon turns plastic on me Yep I get Barbie doll feet off this. Bandaids and other various forms of flesh coloured plastic toys. Not for me.

This is pure plastic on me. It smells like a 5yr old jar of cinnamon that's lost all it's fragrance. You still smell traces of what used to be there but it's so faded and old now that the smell is just unappealing. I don't know whats in this scent but all of it must be fail on my skin because it doesn't bloom at all.

I'm not at all a fan of BPALs dirt note. I find it harsh and sinus destroying. Yet Nocnitsa is different. It's softer, green and velvety in a way I really enjoy. It smells greatly of a shampoo I once used, or maybe my hairdresser used. And that's a good thing. There's a pure perfume undercurrent to this scent that makes it smell less like a woodland and more like something you could wear. Don't get me wrong, I love the smell of an actual woodland, but I don't want to be wafting moss and dirt and decaying leaves as I go about my day.

When I smell this I get wet, dark mosses that are thick and plush, the kind that grows in the dark parts of a wood where ice cold water trickles down a mountain. And yet it smells clean, not fetid at all. It reminds me of Tasmania and the eerie woodland that shrouds the side of Mt Wellington in the morning mists and ice. As this settles into my skin it becomes slightly sweeter and a little dewy. I don't know if I could wear this as a daily perfume but I find it intriguing and something I don't want to let go of actually.

It's not masculine in the least but it's dark in the way a forrest is dark when the sunlight hasn't reached under the canopy. It's strong but not particularly huge throw. Interesting...

So this is poppy? It's green, astringent and furry in the way that plants are when they're covered in those big hairs that keep the insects off. Can't say I smell any honey or berry which is surprising because I usually amp both. I would describe poppy as green floral in the same way that calla lily is a green floral. There's no sweetness nor pollen and it dries down strong and perfumey. I don't hate this style of floral but I've got no love for it either. I think poppy is something I would have in a blend and be neutral to it, but it's not something I would seek out.

Poppy, calla lily and orchid are all in the same category for me. Meh florals that neither make nor break a scent.

This was a good one to try to get straight up poppy but there's nothing about it which I particularly enjoy.

This is strongly ozone which must be what passes for "metallic notes" and I'd describe it as unisex leaning towards masculine. It's a very strong scent both in the imp and on my skin. The metallic notes are dominant with the other three notes pretty much equal. If my bf smelled like this I think I'd rip his clothes off. It's cool musky, sexy and moreish. This one doesn't morph on my skin at all the scent is true from imp to drydown.

Overall I don't think I would wear it but I wouldn't mind it on a guy, in fact I'd probably buy it for him. The peru balsam can tend towards powdery here and it reminds me of old fashioned mens cologne. ALthough you'd kind of expect that with a steampunk theme. Not a keeper for me.

Since they're closing down after Christmas (sadly), does anyone know of any BPALs that are similar to B Never Too Busy to Be Beautiful's "Superworldunknown" and "Love"?

 

B Never Too Busy to Be Beautiful's Superworldunknown:

Their description:

"The smell of candy floss, sherbert fountains, toffee apples and the seaside, yet sophisticated… escapist perfumery really. Clever use of cocoa and vanilla absolute with cassia makes this fragrance really edible without having a single character that you can be labelled with. And a new blend of juniper berry adds a breath of Norwegian fresh air and walking in the hills in summer, a new material made from tonka beans to provide a hint of reassurance. Petigrain and bitter orange mixed with lime, lemon and bergamot create a dizzy fairground ride of top notes. All bouqueted with rose absolute and ylang ylang."

 

My description:

Lemon, candy floss (cotton candy) and sea air.

 

B Never Too Busy to Be Beautiful's Love:

"Love is an instantly bright and bubbly fragrance with a vivacious green apple fruit scent and sweet citrus innocence. As the initial burst fades it's replaced with a sugary sweet apple pie note whilst maintaining a sharp lift. A youthful blend of apple and cinnamon, Love's combination of cassia and the citrus notes of lemon and bergamot sit alongside the more traditional florals of jasmine and ylang to round off a sparkling fragrance."

 

My description:

Apples and other nice blended perfumey smells.

 

 

 

And whilst I'm posting, anyone found anything similar to Urban Decay's discontinued "Go".

 

Urban Decay's Go

Their description:

"This sparkling, fresh, fun perfume oil is an infusion of energy. Uplifting and energetic, it unleashes bright, euphoric top notes of yuzu (a Japanese citrus fruit) and grapefruit. Evoking a day spent outdoors, the citrus evolves into a green middle accord of crisp herbaceous notes…fresh-cut grass, lavender, and honeysuckle. The clean, airy base note of oceanic musk subtly anchors this effervescent scent."

 

My description:

Initially yuzu and honeysuckle, but dries to warm, dry grass, lavender and sea air. Kind of hard to describe as I think was the most blended perfume I've ever tried (and maybe my favourite).

The closest you'll get to candy & sea air on here is Lilith & The Giant Crab, which is tangerine ice cream and sea air. It's an LE but you'll find it easily on the forums. It's not the same scent but along similar lines. Another sea air + sweet scent you may like would be Lyonesse which starts off very sea breeze and dries down vanilla. Most of the yuzu blends in BPAL tend to be asian tea scents which I really love but not the same thing or even close. The other fun scent I'd recommend for you if you like citrus with musk is Shoggoth. It's lime, lemongrass, florals, musk and does for some have an aquatic vibe. You might really enjoy it.

The apple + perfume scents in BPAL are....

Poisoned Apple - very crisp realistic apple

Apple Of Sodom - smokey, evil apple

The Hesperides - cidery apple

Ladon - Apple Orchard

Cupid Complaining To Venus - Honeyed Apple

Have fun exploring

Hmm...maybe Gothic Horror from Dark Delicacies? None of the GC rose notes I've encountered so far I would describe as dark or gothic. Black Rose doesn't smell much like roses and is very sweet, powdery and cloying.

This is a pleasant surprise mainly because it's such a soft scent. This is primarily a fruity green scent and it's not as citrusy as the notes would have you believe. Sure you can smell the citrus but the sharp tang is completely taken away by the sweetness of the berries. It's a very clear mid-green kind of scent that isn't at all astringent. I would describe it as fresh fruity. The herbs in this have the sweet fragrant character of fresh kitchen herbs although I couldn't tell you what they are. I don't smell anything in here I would equate to snakeskin, certainly nothing reminiscent of snake oil in it.