parrot_suspect

*raises hand* Headshop Girl reporting in with a new find. Chintamani-Dhupa (sp?) smells like light nag champa on me. Lovely! I second the previous rec of Black Lotus for a light incense scent for summer. I wish there were such a thing as a slightly toned-down Urd, because it's a great scent, just sometimes a little bit too much, with the grape note and all, for hot weather. On me, at least.

I bought a bottle of this a while ago. It's a lovely blend...I got it for the scent and not because of the Tarot association. I don't find this a very "dark" or heavy scent. To me this smells like a musky/herbal blend with a dash of civet (but not too much -- just enough to give it depth). What really won me over on The Devil was the drydown. The drydown, on me, is powdery and smells a *lot* like my beloved, long-discontinued Unseelie. Soft, powdery -- hard to describe, but just a wonderful scent.

Tetramorph, to my nose, has a lot of honey in it. From the GC, I reach for Skuld when I want a non-foody honey blend.

Oh sure. Figures I'd fall in love with another LE. I didn't order it originally, since the fruit notes scared me off, but I got a partial in a swap and that was all it took. Coxcomb is amazing. On me, what I mainly get is smooth, sweet musk -- well rounded, neither powdery nor soapy, just a super-sexy skin scent. It has great throw and lasts a long time. A must-try for any musk lover.

True to its name, this blend morphs quite a bit and changes as it dries down. Initially it smells kind of sweet and resinous -- a little bit like O with incense added. Then, it makes a sudden and dramatic shift and smells ... I don't know how to describe it, other than it smells kind of like a cross between Numb and Black Opal. Sort of a white, fuzzy, solid, musky vanilla type scent. It stays this way for a while, then BOOM! It's all roses. Roses! Thankfully, that phase only lasted a half hour and now (three hours later) it's shifted back to a sweet, honey-like, soft skin scent, reminding me a bit of Coyote. Not powdery, but a little creamy. It's fun to wear and to experience all the morphing. I'd recommend this to people who like O, Numb, Antique Lace, Black Opal, Coytoe, or white musk and honey notes.

I'm sorry to hear this -- I had some PPD too, after my kids were born. And it's certainly not easy taking care of a newborn and a toddler all by yourself. I know you weren't asking for advice, but have you contacted your hospital to see if there's a PPD support group, or any services offered? Maybe your doctor can point you in the right direction. You should post over in the parenting thread in Get Personal, too -- lots of supportive moms there who can at least offer a sympathetic ear, even if they can't come over and clean your house Scent-wise, I'd think you'd probably want to go with something light, since you have a newborn. I would try Alice, Sudha Segara, Quietude, Maiden, Dragon's Milk ... maybe Antique Lace. I also find Kubla Khan and Khrysee uplifting. Hang in there....things will get better.

I felt compelled to bump this thread in honor of the newest and bestest musk blend ever, Creature Feature. This is pure musk -- neither too light nor too dark -- through and through. All musk lovers owe it to themselves to check this blend out. I've reviewed it here.

Creature Feature is AMAZING. It's the perfect musk blend. It's the musk scent I've been waiting for my entire life. I don't know how to describe it, it's so perfectly blended, but I'll try. It is a flawless unisex musk -- well, maybe a bit more on the feminine side. Soft, warm and round. Almost "furry." Slightly powdery drydown, but not baby powder-ish. I do not detect any red musk (with its telltale fruitiness) in here. White and black musks, maybe? Skin musk? Nothing green or soapy here, to my nose. You know how Jovan Musk smells good but kind of cheap and high-school-ish? Imagine Jovan Musk in her mid-30s, wearing a little black dress and high heels -- grown up, sophisticated and drop dead sexy. I am going to buy multiple bottles and hoard this.

So I just tried Zorya, and it is AMAZINGLY Lily of the Valley-ish on me. As in, it reminds me of the Jessica McClintock fragrance that was so popular in the early '90s.

Hmm. Have you tried Sri Lanka, Umbra or Magus?

Thanks, Fireweaver...I think I have a Zorya imp, so I'll give it a try. Capiteuse, you want something woodsy/spicy. I'd suggest Anne Bonny, Aureus or maybe The Black Tower.

This is a very pleasant scent. It's kind of like what I'd hoped Dorian -- by itself -- would smell like. On me, Dorian smells too masculine and I don't get any vanilla notes. But combine Snake Oil with Dorian, and what I wind up smelling is a deep, rich, vanillic version of Dorian that's not too masculine. As this dries down the Snake Oil comes out a bit more, but overall, this is not a very Snake Oil-y blend on me. It's fresh and clean, but with depth and character. Good for almost any occasion.

The roses initially scared me away from this blend. I'm the type who really doesn't like floral or rose-y fragrances. But so many people recommended it, and it's gotten so many good reviews, I decided to give it a whirl. And all I can say is, wow! Red musk is a note I can always depend on to bloom on my skin, and it does that here. But I never would have guessed the addition of roses and amber would make this so much better, so much richer. This is a deep, rich, strong (yet soft -- how does it do that?), powdery sort of musk with a light rose undertone. It's delightfully similar to one of my favorites, Scherezade, but where Scherezade is incensey and soapy, Spellbound is softly floral and powdery/sexy, like a courtesan's dressing table. For those of you who are into other niche perfumers, this strikes me as very similar to Lorenzo Villoresi Musk. Anybody who likes musk blends, or blends that have rose in them but don't scream "ROSE!" should try this. I'll be ordering a bottle soon, as I think this will be a perfect scent for summer nights.

Honey, patchouli, myrrh and musk are all notes that I adore and generally work well on me, so I had high hopes for this blend. What I wasn't counting on, however, was my skin amping the cognac beyond all reason. This scent is boozy, boozy, boozy on me, which I don't care for. If you liked Smut, I'm guessing you'll like this.

This blend is unusual in that the scent on your skin differs from the sillage. When I press my nose to my wrist, I get an odd burnt plastic sort of smell. However, if I simply inhale the aura of scent that hovers around me, it's magical. It's a glowing, golden, musky, slightly powdery, sweet honey-drenched sensation. Stunning. On me, it does not display the fruity/juiciness of red musk. It almost seems amber-y. And it's not at all foody, even though caramel is listed as a note. Here's how it compares to other blends that were mentioned in this thread -- on me, anyway. Scherezade: Bien Loin d'Ici is softer and warmer and doesn't smell as red musk-y. Sed non Satiata: Although the notes are similar, I can't wear SNS because it's too boozy on me. There is no booze whatsoever in BLd'I. Smut: There's something in Smut that doesn't agree with my skin chemistry. Smut smells harsh and dirty on me. BLd'I is soft and gentle, almost clean (yet still sexy). Urd: Urd is a very strong headshoppy incense/grape scent on me. This is much, much softer and has a touch of powder, which Urd does not have in the least. Skuld: It's similar to Skuld in that honey is a predominant note and there's an overall sweetness to it, and that the notes all blend together well. Skuld seems bolder and more aggressive, however, than this blend. In a nutshell...if you like honey, musk or incense, you must try this.

Beatrice, I just tested Florence and found it somewhat similar to D&G red cap. It didn't have the same "oomph" of D&G, but the general floral-oriental feeling was similar. I would love to hear anybody's suggestions on floriental blends. Now that the weather is getting warmer, scents that mix florals with woods, resins, amber and incense are particularly appealing.

I can't recall who was seeking a smell-alike for Lolita Lempicka, but I just noticed The Emathides smells a lot like it, except without the anise/licorice note.

BPAL Sudha Segara is similar to (and to my nose, even better smelling than) Fresh Sugar.

Although I don't have fibromyalgia, I often have insomnia, and find the following oils useful for helping to relax and fall asleep: TAL Nocturne (puts me into a DEEP sleep) Somnus TKO Quietude You may want to check out the TALs as well; some of the oils there may be useful -- I think there's one called Healing. Good luck! http://www.twilightalchemylab.com/

Copagirl, have you tried Alice? This is a very creamy, light scent that to me smells milky with just a touch of carnation. It's not a pure vanilla but it's definitely in the vanilla ballpark.

Bumping this topic to see if anyone knows of a BPAL scent - LE or GC - similar to YOSH La Contessa, which has been discontinued and is impossible to find. The notes are: Parvati and Arabian sandalwoods, Oriental kush, night queen, cucumber, bergamot and vanilla. It's sort of a warm, resinous, incensey floral that's not really a floral, if that makes any sense. It's not a super-dark heavy scent. BPAL's Vixen is close but much heavier than La Contessa.

Have you tried Snake Charmer? Mouse's Long and Sad Tale? Antique Lace?

Does Mother's Day qualify for "Hallmark Card Holiday" status with you? I'm beginning to think it does, for me. A "Hallmark Card" holiday, in my book, is a holiday that's not good for much else other than raising people's expectations of receiving a card and/or gift. Valentine's Day and Sweetest Day are examples of other such holidays. Ever since my mother died, I really, really hate Mother's Day. I know I no longer have a mother...I don't need a special day on the calendar to underscore it. *sigh*

Why did I feel it necessary to drink a bottle and a half of wine tonight? And why didn't I take into account the headache I will surely experience when I am woken up at 7 a.m. by my two children? Woe is me.

Two years ago today, my mother died. I guess I'm getting used to her not being here. But I don't know how, or if, I'll ever get over the pain of knowing I can never talk to her again. Even though our relationship was, at times, bumpy and dysfunctional, she was my mother. She loved me. I will never have another mother. It is a feeling of grief without any cure, without any remedy.