Altaira

I like Block Buster for a "get to work, no screwing around" scent. It's not unattractive, but it doesn't promote flirtatiousness.

Keeping in mind that I didn't care for either blend and BPALs "snow" note smells like like straight up cologne to me, I don't think they are similar at all.

 

I have the 2010 version of Woods in Winter, so that might also make a difference.

 

Woods in Winter: Pine and twigs with a bit of chilly perfume I think is the ice note. The bare tree scent of dry twigs was the most interesting part of this for me.

 

Öndurdis: Mint, cologne, and a warm spiciness I can't pin down. This one triggers a headache, the same way Shivering Boy did, so they probably have a similar snow note.

2011 version.

 

In decant: pastry and pine. It's an... odd combo.

 

On skin: Cloyingly sweet, buttery pastry and cologne. Gross. Once again the 'snow' note just doesn't work for me.

In the decant: bitter herbs and cologne. Almost didn't skin test.

 

On skin: Some of the bitterness tones down. The carrot seed comes out and the patchouli gives a nice earthiness. The balsam adds a hint of sweetness, but the blend is far too bitter and sharp for me.

To me, this is just a very light, dry floral. Not my thing at all.

In the decant: spicy cologne.

 

On my skin, the same but a bit sweeter.

 

I would probably like this on someone else, but it just doesn't work for me.

In the decant this is mostly mint and a warm spice.

 

On my skin it is still mostly mint and a warm spice with a splash of cologne on top. It started to give me a headache so I washed it off after a few minutes. BPAL snow blends are just not my friends.

In the decant this is all sharp herbs and light rose.

 

On the skin, the rose is more prominent. It has a medium throw, most rose BPALs I've tried have a much stronger ROSE presence. The vetiver is light and grassy, giving the blend a rose + hay quality. On me, it just ends up going dusty. I have so many rose blends, this one just doesn't make the cut.

I got a Lab order and my first round of decants today and tried 14 Yules. Surprisingly, my absolute favorite has been Breathless Horror (icy white musk and thick olibanum with niaouli, carrot seed, white mint, and camphor). It's a really great light musk with a hint of sweetness and woods.

 

Others I liked were:

Deepest Mysteries of Creation (wild frankincense, rose otto, hyssop, and oude) soft resins and a bit of rose

A Dreary Night of November (bone-white sandalwood, ink-black vetiver, Spanish moss, bitter clove, beeswax, and lotus root) warm, almost vanilla-ish sandalwood and wax with a hint of moss.

I'm always wary of Lunacies, the descriptions sound great, but they usually smell like cheap cologne on me. while waiting for my order, I got very worried about reviews in this thread comparing it to scents that were floral disasters on me (like Phantom Wooer).

 

Luckily, there is absolutely no floral or cologne in this for me!

 

It is a light, woody, dusty, sweet musk on my skin. Very nice and wearable.

 

For comparison, I would say it is a woodier/dustier version of Lights of Men's Lives. Or a very light version of Tombstone.

 

Although the description sounds similar to Philologus, I don't find them similar at all. Philologus is cool and cologne-like, while Old Moon is warm and grounded.

 

I've only had it on about an hour, so not sure how long it lasts.

Breathless Horror from this years Yules (icy white musk and thick olibanum with niaouli, carrot seed, white mint, and camphor) is a terrific light musk on me. It is a great 'clean body' scent. Mostly light musk with a fresh scrubbed skin scent with just a touch of astringent woodiness from the camphor.

The Lights of Men's Lives is a soft, subtle beeswax scent.

In the bottle: Bright, fresh, lightly herbal rose.

On skin: pretty much the same, stays true on drydown. But pretty much stays mostly rose with the chamomile and ginseng adding a fresh herbal quality. I don't get any fig from this.

Rosehips (the fruit of beach roses) are one of my favorite scents in nature. I was hoping for a bit more of that and not just "rose" from this blend. I'm thinking this might work better for me layered with something beachy, like R'Lyeh.

Not at all what I was expecting, and not what others are describing either...

 

Based on the description, I thought this would smell like a lemon snow-cone. However, I don't get any mint or snow from this. Mostly, I get a metallic musk with the smallest hint of citrus cologne. It stays the same on my skin as in the bottle, getting a bit dry and powdery smelling after a couple of hours. It's not bad - I didn't wash it off - but I don't see myself ever wearing this again. just not at all what I was looking for.

Yeah, I think it's my body chemistry and it's probably just going to be a process of elimination as to what I can and can't wear. I'm gonna stay away from amber, honey and sandalwood because those seem to be the main offenders with people on here who have a similar problem. Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions.

 

For me, the notes that most often turn to powder are Honey and Black Musk. Also, Pomegranate just disappears, taking the rest of the blend with it.

When I say "old lady smell" I'm not talking about powder or roses or anything that really means "old fashioned scent." I ofte like those things (I'm in my late 30's for those keeping track.)

 

I'm talking about the sour smell that very old people (usually 80+) and the very sick often have. This, mixed with the floral perfumes (or room sprays) sometimes used to mask it equals "old lady smell." I associate it with my grandmother who died of cancer.

 

And for me, it is anything with carnation.

 

I don't think it's being overly sensitive to cringe at derogatory remarks, no matter what group they are flung at.

This is very true, the agreved party always gets to say when things are hurtful and should be stopped.

 

 

I do believe that ageism is actually against Federal laws, yep that is correct.

Unless you are being denied a job, housing, or are being physically attacked for your age, this is completely untrue. There is no federal law in the US against being an asshole. For any reason. In fact, the first amendment guarantees our right to offend anyone we please.

So y'all. I have this problem.

 

I like smelling like sexy scents with leather, musk, amber, myrrh, and cloves. I like smelling like dirt and stones and sea water.

 

None of these are appropriate for a entry level Tech support/IT/AV department job.

 

Help? All the scents I keep reaching for are all completely inappropriate for interviews (Loviatar, Infernal Lover, Pom III if I'm going for mild). Since I've never liked perfumes before BPAL, I don't really know what people generally find benign and pleasant that would also give the impression I know my way around a computer and am friendly and helpful.

 

Mr. Ibis (Papyrus, vanilla flower, Egyptian musk, African musk, aloe ferox, white sandalwood) is my go-to scent when I want something light and comfy that shouldn't offend anyone. The only negative reactions I've ever heard are that it is not heavy enough.

 

For a light leather/musk I like the combo of Neutral/Rogue (A flawless skin musk/Soft, well-worn black leather, hemp, and rosin) from the RPG line.

 

For a watery scent, R'Lyeh (A hellishly dark aquatic scent, evocative of fathomless oceanic deeps, the mysteries of madness buried under crushing black waters, and the brooding eternal evil that lies beneath the waves.) is my favorite for work. It's light and beachy on me.

 

I should mention that I work with computers (web development) and all of the above are scents I regularly wear to work.

 

ETA: Just wanted to add as a general note about interviews: Don't change yourself too much to what you think they want. Be yourself as much as possible. Like I said, I work in tech and personality is a big part of the hiring process. Be the best you, but be you.

Is there any current banana scent that is a delicious foodie sweet banana. Kinda like Banana Laffy Taffy but more like Banana Cream Pie or Banana's Foster?

It was recently discontinued, but Pahoehoe (Grenadine, banana, and coconut rum) smells exactly like Bananas Foster to me.

 

 

Now I want it bad!!! Hope I can find a bottle! Thanks for the rec

The Lab actually has a bottle up on Ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Phoenix-Alchemy-Lab-PAHOEHOE-5ml-/290631365511?pt=fragrance&hash=item43aafab387#ht_1365wt_1141 I think it's the original LE version, I've only tried the GC Atomic Luau Lounge version. The whole lounge was discontinued earlier this year.

If you search the swaps/sales forums, several people has imps available, looks like a couple may have bottles.

Is there any current banana scent that is a delicious foodie sweet banana. Kinda like Banana Laffy Taffy but more like Banana Cream Pie or Banana's Foster?

It was recently discontinued, but Pahoehoe (Grenadine, banana, and coconut rum) smells exactly like Bananas Foster to me.

HERR DROSSELMEYER (Pipe smoke, sweet leather, woods and linen) from last year's Yule collection is my favorite pipe tobacco blend. It's not available from the Lab anymore, but shouldn't be too hard to find a bottle of on the swap/sales forums.

I finally got my decants yesterday, and The Vampire Bride is a surprise hit for me. The musk smells like that in Neutral, with a smokey, resiny quality to it and just the smallest hint of perfumy-ness.

Il second White Rabbit; It really works for me, but I don't get much tea from it. Just cream, linen, and spicy pepper giving it a slightly debauched feel.

Alice is probably closest to what you are looking for, but I can't wear carnation so I can't personally recommend it.

Altough I love the smell of tea, many tea blends have given me spilting headaches, so I am warey White Rabbit is one of teh few that plays nice on me.

 

Bergamot (the citrusy scent added to black tea to make it Early Grey) is a fairly common note in BPAL blends. Here's what I cam up with from my spreadsheet. The list is kinda long, but a small subset of the whole catalog. Hope it gives you some ideas.

 

 

General Catalog (most are impable)

RAPTURE (ARS AMATORIA) Sensual ecstasy, the blinding red fire of the apex of sexual pleasure: Moroccan rose, Sumatran rose, mandarin, Egyptian myrrh, night-blooming jasmine, bergamot and neroli thrust into Arabian musk.

APEROTOS EROS (ARS AMATORIA) Unloving love: benzoin, Indian musk, massoia bark, myrrh, ambrette seed, galbanum, bergamot, and fir.

CASANOVA (ARS AMATORIA) Who says librarians can’t be sexy? A rakish blend of leather, anise, lavender, bergamot and amber with tonka, lemon peel and lusty patchouli.

LIBERTINE (ARS AMATORIA) Rosewood and chamomile with bergamot, violet, red sandalwood, primrose and Arabian musk.

DESIRE (ARS AMATORIA) The overwhelming agony of passion crystallized into a singularly dark and magnetic blend: bittersweet neroli, black patchouli and black musk, gilded by apple, bergamot, blood red rose, teak, and vanilla.

FAE (BEWITCHING BREWS) A brilliant, ethereal scent: white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss.

WILDE (BEWITCHING BREWS) A sophisticated traditional gentleman's cologne, with just the slightest taint of patchouli's passion, tonka bean's decadence, the philanthropy of bergamot, moss' cynicism, the sharp wit of lavender, and the hopeless romantic longing of jasmine and thyme.

ZEPHYR (BEWITCHING BREWS) Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla.

MEGAERA (EXCOLO: THE KINDLY ONES) Orris, black amber, bergamot, plum and grapefruit.

HIMERUS (EXCOLO) A passion-rousing blend of juniper, sandalwood, rosewood, red musk, orchid, bergamot and lilac.

CROQUET (MAD TEA PARTY) We have some trouble managing our flamingos, too. Pink lime, pink grapefruit, white nectarine, wild rose, sage, woody patchouli, bergamot, and ornery hedgehog musk.

SNOOTY ROSE (MAD TEA PARTY: GARDEN OF LIVE FLOWERS) Red rose, oud, plum, bergamot, and red sandalwood

THE CATERPILLAR (MAD TEA PARTY) Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver.

TITUS ANDRONICUS (ILLYRIA) Dark musk and black amber with frankincense, red sandalwood, neroli and bergamot.

ALICE (MAD TEA PARTY) Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot.

OBERON (ILLYRIA) Orchid, white musk, and bergamot wafting over juniper berries, with a gentle touch of soft, earthy patchouli.

ARKHAM (PICNIC IN ARKHAM) A shadowy, unapproachable forest of maple, birch, dogwood, cypress and pine softened by a garland of New England wildflowers: bergamot, columbine, rue anemone, blue violet, creeping phlox, bloodroot, toadflax, and pixie moss.

Y'HA-NTHLEI (PICNIC IN ARKHAM) A swirling, lightless, effervescent scent: the deepest marine notes with bergamot, eucalyptus and foamy ambergris.

BAGHDAD (WANDERLUST) Amber, saffron and bergamot with mandarin, nutmeg, Bulgar rose, musk and sandalwood.

MOSCOW (WANDERLUST) A rich, bold blend of imperial rose, carnation, lush jasmine, lily of the valley, dark musk, amber, bergamot and gilded tangerine.

URUK (WANDERLUST) Thick bitter almond and heady night-blooming jasmine with saffron, cinnamon leaf, red patchouli, river lilies, bergamot, fig leaf and the sacred incense of Inanna.

THE BUTTERFLY (THE LAST UNICORN) Fuzzy brown tonka bean, golden amber, bergamot, and petitgrain.

BETTE NOIR (IRREDEEMABLE) Benzoin, wild plum, smoky amber, bergamot, orange blossom, myrrh, and dark berries.

THE HARPY CELAENO (THE LAST UNICORN) Clanging metal, smouldering hatred, and terror: vetiver, myrrh, patchouli, tolu balsam, black clove, bergamot, orange flower, and horseradish.

ANESTHESIA (NG: NEVERWHERE ) A scent that slips through the cracks: peppermint, lavender, bergamot, and mandrake.

PEPPER (NG: GOOD OMENS) Wild English roses, French gardenia, vanilla, honey, golden ginger, blood orange, pine resin, pink pepper, crushed berries, tuberose, bergamot, and geranium.

SPIDER (NG: ANANSI BOYS) White ginger, artemesia, vetiver, nutmeg, King mandarin, bergamot, and lime.

LULU (DISTRICT) Tobacco flower, white gardenia, bergamot, and bourbon geranium.

 

Limited editions or not currently available:

THE SEASON OF GHOSTS (YULE) A scent created to burn away sorrow: bergamot, frankincense, rose geranium, ginger, lemongrass, and blood orange.

THE GLITTERING APPLE OF THE STARS (HALLOWEENIE: APPLES 2011) Heirloom Malus, ylang ylang, white and blue musks, crystallized vanilla, tiare, frangipani, and bergamot.

THE SHADOWY AND THE SUBLIME (HALLOWEEN: GOTHIC FICTION, VOLUME 1) A sudden and shocking insight into the vast, ineffable, overwhelming power of Nature, stirred by a vision or experience of perfected beauty and perfected terror, that changes the soul irretrievably. An epiphany: Moroccan amber, wisteria, ambergris accord, white rose, magnolia, white mint, angelica, bergamot, and myrrh.

THE SMILIN' SERVITORS' HYPERDIMENSIONAL HOLIDAY HITS (YULE 2009: MISKATONIC VALLEY FAIRE) A discordant scent, silvery and strange like a lunatic's tinsel garland: freesia, eucalyptus, and yuzu, with sicilian lemon, massoia, opoponax, night-blooming jasmine, white bergamot, and copaiba oleoresin.

COPULATING MICE (LUPERCALIA: Shunga) Bergamot, clove, hazelnut, pecan, lavender, tonka, and thyme.

KHRYSOPÊLÊX (Lupe: Ode to Mars) Helmed in Gold Caraway, amber, saffron, bergamot, and neroli.

OKAYAKI (Lupe: Shungas Olive blossom, cardamom pod, amber, morning star lily, bergamot, and a well-aimed snowball.

THE ZOOM (PICKMAN GALLERY: SEEKING THE SEEKIM I) Lime juice, bergamot, Himalayan cedarwood, helichrysum, and dragon’s blood resin.

DONNA CON VENTAGLIO (RAINN SALON) A white chypre with bergamot, rose otto, ylang ylang, tonka absolute, lotus root, blood orange, white fig, rock rose, mate, and violet leaf.

THE WHITE LADY OF DURAND-EASTMAN PARK (NYCC LIMITED EDITION) Bittersweet and ethereal: bergamot, cacao, white tea, jasmine bud, narcissus, and tobacco flower.

13: August 2010 (13) A base of bitter dark chocolate with thirteen baneful and beneficial bits including pimento berry, pink pepper, tolu balsam, bergamot, golden honey, tobacco absolute, champaca flower, and paprika.

IDES OF MARCH 2010: A mixture of springtime greenery and classical Roman cologne: dark musk, spikenard, bergamot, lemon rind and vervain with costus, benzoin, gray amber, cardamom, and white narcissus.

GREEN TREE VIPER (CARNAVAL DIABOLIQUE: ACT III - SNAKE PIT) Snake Oil with four mints, bergamot, and green tea.

TRANSEO (VILF) GA cologne that (almost) blends well into human society: benzoin, orange blossom, cumin, King mandarin, gaiac wood, juniper berry, Calabrian bergamot, Ceylon cinnamon, and blood camouflaged by wine.

FAIZA, THE BLACK MAMBA (CARNAVAL DIABOLIQUE: ACT III) A sensual blend of twisting, exotic, serpentine oils: black amber, caraway, oakmoss, green sandalwood, bergamot, jasmine sambac, gardenia, orange pulp, vanilla, blackberry, black musk, white honey, ti leaf, and ginger.

MARIANNE (CARNAVAL DIABOLIQUE: ACT IV - LADIES OF GRINDHOUSE) Red musk, bergamot, black currant, mimosa, orchid, patchouli, and lotus root.

MARCILLA (CARNAVAL DIABOLIQUE: ACT IV - LADIES OF GRINDHOUSE) Blue lilac, lily of the valley, golden musk, beeswax, white ginger, bergamot, green tea, and nectarine.

Do any of you know how long the Weenies will be available???

They are usually up until mid November. There is usually a few weeks overlap when the Yules and Halloweenies are both available.

 

 

Also curious how long I might have to make up my mind about investing in a bottle of Sprinklecake...

With forum-only scents, you never know. WILF has been up for months, but in the past, some forum-onlys have only been available for a few days. Sometimes there is warning that they are coming down, sometimes they just get replaced with no heads up.

Elli's Song is very much a bonfire scent to me. the description is: "the horrors of entropy, death, and decay: desiccated black mosses, vetiver, olibanum, patchouli, and ashes" but I find it very warm an comforting (and smokey).

My mom used to wear a necklace made of frankincense resin beads. In their natural state, resin has a warm, slightly sweet, dry spice. I wouldn't call it floral (now dragon's blood, that is a floral smelling resin!) but it is lighter than many other resins. I have also tried burning frankincense resin as incense and all I can say is it smells like church; it is one of the main ingredients in Catholic ceremonial incense.