Honey

To me, this is mainly rosewater and almond blossom. The rosewater, honey, and almond give this a very marzipan feel.

To those who know it, it reminds me of the very basic Nivea facial cream (the "OG cold cream") that I grew up with as a kid. Another blend that also has a similar quality to it is Ave Maria Gratia Plena.

While on the drydown, the scent gets greener, yet it is still creamy, sweet and almondy.

The citrus is not very pronounced to my nose, but it is a somewhat bolder scent with a pale rose that isn't sickening or cloying.

This is like a non-gourmand marzipan to me that's true to the original recipe using rosewater.

You take that and mix it into a rich cold cream - and you got Monte's Harbinger.

Interesting for sure, but the blend doesn't really come together as a perfume for me.

This starts off as a very peppery pine and lavender blend.

It's herbal and not smokey at all on me.

It mellows down rather quickly, and I think the fragrant "snow" note appears.

During drydown, I get a very faint smokiness that's neither tobacco nor bonfire. It's almost a bit of ashes with liquorice, a sweetness that goes well with the soft herbal notes and resins.

The tea note is bright, sweet and floral. The lavender doesn't stand out but blends in well with the rest.

The pine disappears almost completely and may only be noticeable as a resinous backdrop for the "lavender tea with liquorice root" that I'm getting.

I'm still debating if I need a bottle of this or not. I keep huffing my arm, and I can see myself using the scent as supporter for good sleep.

It's definitely different from what I had imagined, a pleasant surprise.

Very wearable - and a recommendation for tea lovers!

Fresh on, this smells like oatmeal with raisins (minus the milk).

It's a bit dry, almost like a cake or something... nutty? Or even hay?

It definitely has some "baked goods" quality to it, but it's not doing the weird celery thing that's normally the case with my skin.

I can smell the dark fruitiness that comes across as very earthy and sugary - you know, like dried fig, not really the juicy and fruity kind that I was expecting.

After drydown, I am left with a dark fruity scent that has a vague dry quality to it. If it's vanilla, then it's more of a vanilla husk than the creamy gourmand kind.

If you take a bowl or dried figs and think "make that into a perfume", maybe that's what you will get from it?

It's not a very complex scent and also not super interesting to smell over a longer period of time.

Interesting when wet: I get almond and fennel in a sort of greenish white swirl that feels a bit sticky. The notes don't come together well on my wrist and are fighting for attention.

It smells sharper than I would have imagined. The champaca and frangipani make this quite heavy and heady, but I am missing the creaminess I thought I'd get from the rice milk and rice flower.

The drydown reminds me of a soap or shower gel you would find in a drugstore. However, I cannot get rid of that fennel or even celery element that's poking into my nose once in a while. A faint almond note also remains, similar to the one (but not as good) that is very prominent in Queen of Sheba (which I adore, by the way).

I had high hopes for this as two rice elements had my attention, and I wanted so badly for this to work on me, but I fear the lightness of the rice doesn't play super well with the champaca and resinous amber. Also, any scent that stays fennel or celery on me is a killer.

This is a sharp, bold and vibrant grapefruit that's rather juicy and sweet than overly tart.

I guess that's the red current that gives it a more "orange" and warm, sugary feel.

Right off the bat, I am reminded of Père Noël - must be the combination of citrus and lavender.

I am also reminded of Carnal. Not so much because of the notes, but it has a similar quality: It's a straightforward, simply and fruity scent (if you take out the lavender, of course).

After a while, the lavender wears off a bit - or maybe my nose is overpowered by the grapefruit and current?

It's very sharp, and I hope it will mellow down a bit and let the musk and lavender come out to play again.

The longer I wear it, the more I can smell the musk and lavender again, but the almost astringent citrus note stays in my nose.

Père Noël, in comparison, is much smoother and more creamy.

I cannot detect any Roman chamomile in Cheshire Cat, and that was the element I was most excited about, especially in combination with lavender.

It's a bright and sugary blend for sure, but I cannot see me wearing this as a perfume.

It would make a great home or linen spray, however.

Wet on, this is a very interesting and unexpected first impression: Snake Oil, dry birthday cake, fennel and a soft green resin.

I can sense the vanilla and the spices, but it all has a sort of "baked goods" vibe going on - and one that doesn't turn into celery or burned plastic on me as it usually does.

This definitely smells green and a bit medicinal. A bit like the "vanilla mint" vibe you get from any of the Lick It scents with an extra resinous vibe that could come from the earthy patchouli and some of the nettle leaf and dandelion.

When it dries, it becomes more minty actually (although there is no mint in it). It reminds me a bit of Green Tree Viper, just not as peppery or strong on the vanilla, much softer and a tad more floral (although it doesn't smell like actual flowers, just because the scent has another quality to it).

It's pretty, much I'd rather turn to my original or GTV if I needed my fix of SO or wanted an extra jolt of green with it.

This starts out very heady and strong. An intense floral that's almost soapy.

I can definitely smell the champaca with its incense quality.

To me, this perfume is evocative of a lady in her late 50s or 60s who puts on a very expensive skin care.

I don't think the oudh is very prominent (although I'm also not entirely sure I know what it would smell like on its own).

It gets a bit creamier after 30 min but also turns a bit more soapy and powdery then.

Even though it's a heavy floral, I can sense a bit of a "red" quality in it as well - a similar note that I can detect in both Mme. Moriarty and Snake Charmer, for some reason.

For a hand cream, this would already be a bit much on me, so a definite no as a perfume, but YMMV.

I don't think I have tried Tlazolteotl but I shall seek it our - thanks!

I liked Good (definitely up my scent-alley), but it lacked some degree of sophistication. I guess there are only a few simple scents that I really enjoy.

I think that Gobo might be worth a re-test.

Giljagaur didn't really work on me, alas. No coconut and all weird tangy milk.

Thanks so much for your suggestion! If anyone else wants to comment for me - feel free, please! <3

Honey - Have you tried the GC scents Tlazolteotl and Good? I'm pretty sure Tlaz has the same cocoa note as Boomslang along with copal and some other unusual notes. It's very different and worth a sniff. Good is light and sweet and has layering possibilities. Possibly the Yule Lad scent Giljaguar? Sweet creamy coconut w/ a really nice, smooth cinnamon.

Joopjoop - Sorry. I really can't think of anything I've tried recently in the LE's that reminds me of your favorites. :-(. I'm curious what others say though. I'm a big fan of Absinthe myself.

Edit: Actually, you might see if you can get a decant of Faiza, Lady of Serpents. 51 had a sort of fruitiness with its sweetness tempered by soft, dry resins to my nose, and Faiza sort of has that feel though the notes are different. It's a very complex scent too.

I have been out of the BPAL game for a while but would love to try something new.

It should be something along the lines of what I like/love but not too similar to the scents I already own/wear- if that makes any sense.

Here are my top five perfumes (randomish order):

1) Ava (OLLA)

2) Giant Vulva

3) Midway

4) Shub Niggurath

5) Boomslang v2

I like scents like 1-3: Light, sweet, feminine (but with a twist). 4 is great on me because vanilla and cinnamon (in a small amount) work great on me, but anything with caramel or baked goods is just awful on me.Resins are OK if not too strong - Lady Death works great one me because it combines light and resinous elements. Chocolate and dark musks work on me like in 5 or Black Temple Burlesque Troupe.

I am mainly looking for scents from more recent updates.

Apart from what I listed above, rose, violet and scents that are too masculine (woods, smoke, leather, juniper, pepper) never work on me.

I would be really happy if you could suggest something to me!

I can read Priala the Human Phoenix on there.

Yes! I wanted to add in my post that it HAS to be Phoenix somehow.

Yay for figuring it out! Now I can read that too!

The Z I saw makes also sense as an A.

The third word definitely starts with a PH, doesn't it?

And somehow, there is a Z for me in the first word.

Maybe I am a bit early, but do you guys think there will be another Spring Cleaning Swap?

I fear I don't have the time to host one - or any other swap - right now, but I'd love to participate.

Ohh, great thread for me!

Scents that I find "herbal" are Ave Maria Gratia Plena (Rosewood with Sicilian lemon peel, red Mysore sandalwood, pale musks, sweet mountain sage and a dusting of lily, night-blooming jasmine and orris.), because I totally amp the sage and lemon, and, my favorite, Strings in the Earth and Air (White sage, white musk, honey myrtle, galbanum, lilac, and everlasting flower.), because - again! - it has a very sweet note of sage in a great combination with white/pale musk (geesh, run-on sentence much?).

(Anyone know of any similar scents? I have an unhealthy craving for sage it seems..)

I am actually looking for a scent with thyme, rosemary, sage, lemon, lavender and all the fragrant yet not-too-sweet herbs and spices. I find balms and resins a tad bit too perfumey and incense-like sometimes, so a pure herbal blend would be good for me to try I think.

The Apothecary is high on my wishlist (and I guess it is a scent that would be recommended, right?).

Honey, it was meant about your swap- I was trying to say that I didn't think you need to worry about people being busy with switch witch.

Oh, okay.. thanks for the info.

Just want to see if there is some interest first, as shipping in this circular swap might be an issue for them. But, again, I am willing to do and host this.. but, we'll see.

Heck, if SW is not an issue, I could start this earlier, even send off the box by mid-October. Just haven't done/hosted any circular swaps before and woul be thrilled if an experienced host could give me some tips and/or guidelines!

I am not sure if your post was directed at my swap idea, emzebel.. but in case it was: my idea is not meant as a mystery swap but as a sort of round robin - only with an envelope instead of a box so postage for all would be cheaper (since I want to make it international).

If it was not meant for me - sorry!

Sooo, hmmm, how willing would those interested be to upgrade to a small box? I know shipping from Germany to the US would be around $23 for a box of max. 4 pounds (2 kg), and there would be tracking, and the package would only be handed over by signature. Insurance is at a ridiculous $65, so way less than a box with bottles would be worth, but I guess I would be willing to take that risk if at least I have tracking. And this is a small circles of 10 people or less anyway.

I could/would include other beauty samples then, German candy if desired, and maybe also a booklet so all participants could write something about themselves. Could be a great way to get to know some people from the forum.

I think the postage issue is the biggest issue right now. The rest should be easy to set up I think. I would like to start this by middle or end of October, so the package (envelope or box) can be on its way by November latest. After approval, sign-ups etc it will take some time anyway to compile a box and all. (I am super excited about this, btw!)

I think I tested Salome a while ago and felt pretty "meh" about it. But I may give this another try - thank you!

Well, I was thinking that each person at the end of the route would be responsible for tracking the envelope they send out.

And, yes, I had talked about a padded envelope initially. Bad skimmer you!

So I see there is some interest. I might set up a swap proposal for the mods over the weekend, and then we will see what happens.

Would November be better because of SW? Or could that circular swap also run at the same time?

I was thinking about sending the envelope through Germany and/or Europe first, then this would/could be sent to the US and circle around there, and then it could move to any other places (please don't be offended if I just mark you as "other" ).

The last person would then send the envelope back to me. Depending on the amount of people interested in this, I would set the amount of days you may keep the goods before sending it to the next person. Could be anything between 4/5 days or 1-1.5 week. I think with less than seven people this might not be interesting at all.

And.. I was just thinking, we could even do a double-swap and I could make an envelope with bottles and imps each. Would still be less expensive than a box. This might be a great thing for the idea to send one envelope from each end.. I could send bottles, the other person could send imps? I fear I don't have enough of them. And any less than 50 would not be good for an imp circular swap, would it?

If you have any ideas or suggestions, please post here or also contact me personally. I am open to anything.. just wanna do something fun with the goods I already have.

I know.. and all of this can be an issue.

It's just that I love circular swaps, and often I cannot take part as an EU citizen, and I think it would be fun to get a bunch of different people together this way.

As I have stated before, I think it might be easiest to just use a padded envelope, as I feel it should be big enough to house 10 bottles or so.

But, then again, you could argue that a swap of this kind might be kind of boring if you only include 10 bottles.

I am not entirely sure if and how this is going to work, but this would be so super awesome of this could work, you know?

For me, shipping a padded envelope of around 1kg (about 2 pounds) is rather cheap at ca. $10. To any place in the world. A box would be, wow.. $40 or so if I want insurance, and then this is only insured for up to $90.

If you guys have any ideas of how this could work, then please let me know! I don't see why we should limit ourselves just because post offices are stupid and expensive!

We could have a first round as a trial, sort of, and just use a padded envelope with several bottles. We can always try again with a box, maybe in spring or so after all the updates and when people are bored an waiting for the next big update. This should not be too expensive as this would cost anyone as much as a swap with another forumite would.

The only real risk is for the sender (maybe in this case me) if the envelope gets lost and all of my bottles are gone.

OR, you know, if you wanna be super crazy, we could have TWO padded envelopes, and they start from both ends of the route. Ideally, they would intersect once in the middle, and the person getting them could mix and match the contents so that the two ends of the line would definitely not get back most of their own bottles.

OK, brain blurb over. Let me know what you think!

That sounds like a fabulous idea, Honey and KittyHawk! I wish I could participate, but alas

I want to include everyone!

So, let me be more specific - I'd try to make this open for people outside of the EU and the US as well!

This will require some planing anyway in terms of planning the perfect route. So, yeah.. let's make this a worldwide thing!

Okay, so I have a different idea for a "cleaning swap." (Actually, this is something KittyHawk and I talked about on Skype..)

I'd love to do a circular bottle swap - including both Europe and the States (so, basically, international).

I would stuff a huge enevelope (because it costs less than a package/box) with bottles, all wrapped carefully, and I'd send it to people in the EU first; the last one in the EU would send it to the US, and then it could circle around there.

The rule would/could be that you can sniff each bottle and maybe test with a tooth pick (but not on skin), and that you would have to exchange at least one bottle with one of your own - or as many as you want, of course!

We had a EU circular swap with bottles and imps at least twice I think, but a box of that size would be pretty expensive to send to the States and from there, at the end of its round, back to Europe.

Or the last person in Europe (and, also, last one in the States) who would send the box to the US (back to Europe = me) would have to be OK with the price of insured postage.

I would love to make this open to everyone and not just other EU citizens, so the padded envelope would be a compromise to keep postage as low as possible. I'd also make sure that the envelope is reusable so that, maybe, only one person or another would have to exchange the envelope with a new one, but that wouldn't cost too much I think.

Is that idea anything some of you would be interested in?

I find that it has been hard to initiate one-on-one bottle swaps lately, and sometimes you just want to swap for very specific bottles only (which I understand!).

This swap would give you the chance to try stuff or swap for something you would not have considered in the first place!

Oh, no, that sounds fantastic!

I was also thinking about Flowering Chrysanthemums...

OK, I'm gonna hijack this thread and ask for very specific recommendatons!

Forum fairies, can you work your magic on me?

I am looking for a floriental - although I'm usually not much of a floral scent person.

I do not like rose (too soapy) or violet (makes me nauseous). Carnation is sort of meh for me, as it kinda smells like band-aids on my skin.

I really love Queen of Sheba, and I like Hunger. (As far as "other" scents are concerned, I really love Snake Oil and variations of it - such as Asp Viper! - and musky blends like Giant Vulva or Xiu..ha..youknowwhatimean)

I used to like Defututa, but I swapped it away because it seemed too green to me after a while, and I stopped wearing it.

White Phoenix and Opuhi were TOO floral for me and both gave me a severe headache.

I am not too fond of really dark scents (anything black or smoked), and I am careful with fruity notes (no apricot, peach, pom) and patchouli.

Almond, spices, vanilla, lighter or oriental musks (white, skin, Arabian, Egyptian etc.) always work on me. Now.. just some florals in the mix would be great!

Any ideas? Can be GC, LE, DC, whatever.

I hope this is not too.. specific and impossible.

(I also take floral recs that are not strictly florientals..)

Although I have been waiting for SW for over a year or so, I cannot take part this time.. I am in a crazy job situation (again/still?), and money is rather tight.

But: I was wondering if those who cannot or do not want to take part in SW would be interested in something like a "Fall Cleaning Swap"?

I guess I am OK with shipping costs - for either one or even two packages - but I cannot aford buying gifts right now.

So why not use and take what I already have to make someone happy? Same style as the Spring Cleaning Swap.. just, you know, in fall.

Anyone else interested?

Too bad I am an international, or I'd suggest doing a circular bottle and imp swap with a box that's sent around from person to person, and you take stuff and put new stuff in. I have.. way too many bottles that I would like to rehome one way or another.

EEE! Pondering whether I can swing it this time around. Anyone want to do another BrokeWitch?

So, this is like Switch Witch with a lower price cap.. or, basically, a bit like the Spring Cleaning Swap?

Could be an option for me as well.

Wow, this is sweeter than I expected. I can only second some of the commentors above me.

I get sweet pine/evergreen and.. some sort of berries? Dark, sweet, ripe berries.

And all of that is covered in a layer of mint as well as menthol. A bit "murky" at first, but it clears up to a fresh green berry smell.

Reminds me of Elf somehow. No vanilla so far, hmm.