styro

Midway, for its late-summer-carnival atmosphere?

I seem to like that type of fragrance (light & fruity/citrusy), so can you help me by recommending other Bpal scents to try that are similar to Swank??

If Swank (which I've always found to be quite bold and bright) reads as "light" to you, then I'd guess you like a fair bit of intensity in your scents. Bearing that in mind, I'll suggest Xiuhtecuhtli for a complex summery citrus-floral and Bordello for a bright berry scent.

I conducted a semi-scientific experiment a while back, which is detailed here

Cool thread, Galen!--and very useful. I've heard of putting a drop of snooze-inducing scent on your pillow before, but never of keeping a wake-up imp under your pillow: I'm quite charmed by the idea.

It's interesting that Golden Priapus actually qualifies as a wake-up scent (which I think it certainly does) because so often we tend to think of vanilla scents as falling into the soft/comforting category. I suppose Dorian might also be considered a good "wake-up" vanilla, given its fresh, citrusy opening.

And now that I think of it, it occurs to me that I used my imp of O as both a bedtime *and* a morning scent: its soft baby-powderiness was lovely to wear to bed, but what I really liked about it was that it was so long-lived that it was still very present on my wrists the next morning.

I seriously amp the vanilla in Euphrosyne, to the point that it competes with the gardenia (which is always strong on me) so that's my pretty-close-to-perfect vanilla. Other than that, Dorian is utterly fabulous for a non-overwhelming vanilla.

Interesting! Do you find that your skin always amps vanilla, or only in certain scents?

This thread has me *really* wanting to try Moxie now. :-)

Galen--I mentioned Dublin above as a general energizing scent, but for specific waking-up-in-the-morning duties, a good possibility for this time of year would be Xiuhtecuhtli: it's a real eye-opener, with some very strong, summery citrus at the start. Swank is another super-bright fruity scent that would be hard to snooze through, I think.

I might have to stick my Golden Priapus imp under my pillow to compare it with Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo's wake-me-up-gently properties...

ACJM as a wake-up scent is something I hadn't considered before--I'm guessing a little joy comes in very handy on Monday mornings! :-)

I think there are different vanillas at work. The vanilla in Tombstone, Snake Oil, Golden Priapus seems really different from the one in Black Opal and Antique Lace (neither of which work on me). One is rich and heady and voluptuous, and the other is soft, powdery and genteel. I always wonder if it is the light musk in Black Opal and AL that ruins them for me. [...] I also have high hopes for Death Cap! Dirt and vanilla sounds really good to me, just have to wait for my order to roll in.

Interesting! I notice that the reviews for Death Cap are similar to those for Tombstone in that they both describe the vanilla-sweetness in those scents as having a marshmallowy quality. I wonder if that has to do with a certain roundness of the vanilla note itself or whether childhoods full of camping have programmed our brains to interpret vanilla-sweetness as "marshmallow" when we encounter it in a context of trees and/or dirt. (I haven't tried DC myself, but I definitely got the "roasting marshmallows around a campfire" association from Tombstone, especially on the late drydown.)

It occurred to me after I wrote the post above that one of the vanilla scents in the general catalogue is specifically described as "Bourbon vanilla" (I thought it was one of the voodoo blends, but a search reveals that it's Peitho) and I see that the vanilla in that one is described in reviews as soft and smoky.

I don't get any vanilla out of Dorian.

Really? I never know how to describe the wet stage of Dorian on me (spicy citronella candle?) but the drydown is definitely an "I've been in the kitchen baking cookies all day" sugary vanilla. :-)

The only vanilla I really love is Lick It, which on me dries down to a minty vanilla. I do really like Golden Priapus on my husband.

The reviews for Lick It sounded yummy! I love mint scents, but since one of my cats is a little too fond of mint (in the glued-to-my-wrist kind of way *g*), I have to be cautious about wearing them.

ETA (because my cat posted this for me prematurely...): Golden Priapus does such an interesting morph on the skin--it's got that sinus-clearing blast of juniper at the beginning, but then it goes so very, very subtle on the drydown. I would imagine it's a great morning scent for that reason--waking you up at first, but then settling down into a close-to-the-skin scent for the rest of the day.

I'd like to resurrect this thread with a question for vanilla-scent-lovers: have you noticed different *kinds* of BPAL vanillas and do some work for you while others don't (in the way that some people can wear black patchouli but not red or vice versa)?

Two of the first three BPALs I ever tried were vanilla scents--Dorian and Regan--and I loved them both, so I looked forward with great anticipation to trying the rave-reviewed Antique Lace, Black Opal, and Snow White...none of which turned out to work on my skin. Antique Lace came closest to working, but something about it was just a little off to my nose. I notice that Black Opal and Snow White are both described in reviews as having a hint of coconut to them, and wonder whether my reaction has anything to do with that (and yet I've enjoyed actual coconut scents such as Black Pearl and Perversion).

Just for reference, of the other popular BPAL vanillas mentioned in this thread, I've tried Snake Oil, O, Tombstone, Golden Priapus, Morocco, and Dragon's Milk, and they've fallen on the okay-to-mildly-pleasant spectrum for me (i.e., not my favourites, but not unwearable either). Tamora didn't work on me, but I don't think the vanilla note was to blame in that case.

So...are there different kinds of vanilla at work here, or am I simply reacting to other notes in these blends?

When I was first learning about BPAL, I went through the "longest-lasting scents" thread and basically counted up the recs. This is the list I made at the time of the most frequently-recced scents, in order:

Snake Oil

Dragon's Milk, O

Gluttony, Scherezade

Dorian, Snow White

Bastet, Blood Kiss, Chimera, Dragon's Heart, Hollywood Babylon, Jack, Love Me, Lust, Sugar Skull, Zombi

(There were a number of others that were mentioned only once or twice.)

The individual notes that most people found to be longest-lasting were vanilla and dragon's blood.

I'm not sure how those scents compare as regards sillage, however.

I'll second the rec for Xiuhtecuhtli: for me, this is a scent that doesn't really come into its own until the weather gets hot and humid; I've tried wearing it in colder weather and the citrus didn't feel quite right...but in the summer? Gorgeous.

You might want to try Pele: it's extremely subtle (which should take care of the people-running-away-from-you issue) but surprisingly long-lasting for such a soft scent. (And it's just so summery and pretty!)

If your skin needs something stronger than Pele, I'd suggest Glasgow and Dublin as fresh scents that can be worn year-round.

As for Dorian, I find it quite wearable in humid heat (as always, your mileage may vary). Dorian has the famous sweet vanilla-tea drydown, but its earlier phase is actually quite refreshing.

For performing, the Muses would be appropriate--and you've got a bit of choice among them as to which one would be most suited to the type of performance you're involved in (e.g. comedy, tragedy, etc.).

For the other activities you mention, there are some existing recommendations threads that might be of use to you. For very physical kinds of rehearsals, you might want to check out the "scents to wear in the gym" thread here:

http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=299

And for writing exams (as well as learning lines *g*), check out the oils recommended in the "studying, learning, exams" thread here:

http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=12047

One of the more grown-up berry scents, like Bewitched or Bordello?

The first scent that came to mind for me when I read your post was Silk Road.

Besides that, I'll second the earlier recommendation of Xiuhtecuhtli (at a recent enabling party I attended, it was one of only a couple of scents that almost everyone liked).

Given that your friend likes herbal notes, she might enjoy Envy: it's not as limey-minty as it sounds from its description; it's more like the soft, natural scent of an herb garden.

My own favourite "clean and woody" scent is Dublin, although I wouldn't call it "soft": it's very fresh and bright and long-lasting. (It's also not sandalwood--as far as I know--although I have had folks guess at there being sandalwood in it when they've sniffed it.)

The most energizing scent I've encountered so far is Dublin: it puts me in a productive, clutter-clearing frame of mind (you know how you put on your favourite dance music to give yourself the energy to clean the house? I've begin to think of Dublin as my olfactory equivalent of that).

Re: the suggestion of Envy--I had hoped to find it minty and invigorating but on me it was just herbal and soft.

Thanks, everyone, for your advice! Given the parameters my friend gave me for this round of choices, I think I'm going to go with Silk Road and Dracul--so that she gets the chance to try one "warm" spicy-woody scent and one "cool" one. I really appreciate all the other suggestions as well, though, and I'm going to be updating my recs for my friend's ongoing wishlist accordingly (as well as keeping an eye out to see whether I can pick some of these up in swaps).

Rabid Hauteur and Coulrophobe--

Thanks for the Vechernyaya rec in particular: I had been thinking of that one as too "perfumey" but after another look at the reviews, I definitely see the potential there.

Miss Lynx--

Thanks for your suggestions, especially re: Nephilim--I hadn't even considered that one (I think I was wary of the vetiver)...but my friend will get the chance to sniff another pal's Nemesis at our next get-together, and if she responds well to that, I'll suggest Nephilim to her as a possibility.

And I appreciate the warning about Silk Road. Out of the four people in our sniffing group, I think this particular friend has the least "scent-eating" skin--so here's hoping it doesn't disappear on her! *crosses fingers*

GypsyRoseRed--

How about The Ghost? That's very clean with a slightly spicy undertone.

Thanks! I hadn't considered that one--will check it out.

It's very intriguing, finding out the intersection points on everyone's personal "clean"/"spicy" Venn diagrams.

*

HangingFire--

Thanks! Shanghai's on the long version of her wishlist, and I think it would be great on her; I get the sense that for this next round of imps, though, she'd really like something that would pick up on whatever is working for her in Hamadryad...so, it's one of those weird situations in which I think what I'm looking for is "the same, yet different."

I never really got any of the pepper in White Rabbit. It was more of a clean linen and used teabag sort of scent on me, with a light honeyed drydown. A lot of the reviews say that they didn't note any pepper either. It's a really soft/comforting scent to me... one that I actually bought a 5 ml of yesterday .

Thanks! On more consideration, I think my friend would lean more towards one of the woodsier tea scents, but I appreciate the tip about WR for my own notes. :-)

LoveandProzak and Joseybird--

Neither Black Phoenix nor Absinthe had occurred to me (I had Black Phoenix classified under "sweet and fruity" in my head). I'll have another look at the reviews--thanks!

Judas Kiss--

Dracul, as well, definintely fits into the "clean, but spicey" and I would recommend it for a woman over Nero anytime. The orange blossom keeps it light enough, without adding too much feminity. It's gorgeous and I will, from time to time, steal some from BS. It's my "ballbustah" scent.

Apparently, my friend's SO is also becoming rather interested in all these new scents she's brought home, so anything that might potentially be good for both of them would be a plus--thanks! And Dracul does sound like one of the must-try scents: if I don't order it for her, I might order it for myself so that she can still try it.

*

Elphaba, Joseybird, and Xiabelle--

I third Silk Road. It's the first thing I thought of. It's definitely clear, clean spice. Quite lovely.

Wow! It looks like Silk Road is going from pencil to ink on the order list--thanks! (Ordering Silk Road for this friend will give another spice-loving friend of mine a chance to sample it too, so that should actually work out quite well.)

Morocco would be a good choice for clean spices. Also Whippoorwill, if you can get your hands on any (it was LE).

My friend did get a chance to try another pal's Morocco at a recent BPAL get-together and it was good on her skin, so she may be more open to the Oriental family of scents than I thought.

I've come across mentions of Whippoorwhill before (possibly in the "I Love Hamadryad--What Next?" thread) and it sounded really intriguing. Despite my resolve to stick to GC scents at the moment, I may indeed keeping an eye out for it in the sale threads now--thanks!

Has your friend tried any of the tea/herbal blends? Some of the green herbal blends have characteristics that make them smell both clean and spicy to me. Maybe something like The Dormouse, The Apothecary, Mantis, or Kumiho...

I did have quite a few of the tea scents on her shortlist; now I'm just at a bit of a loss as to which would be considered most "spicy"--I would think perhaps White Rabbit, except that I don't know whether the pepper note would be too strong for her (she can have bad reactions to certain powerful scents like eucalyptus). She's only just started out with BPAL, so we're still in the data-gathering stages when it comes to finding out what works for her and what doesn't.

I hadn't considered Mantis, but she does like both citrus and patchouli, and is getting interested in musk, so that's a useful suggestion--thanks!

I've found that white musk tends to go sweetly spicy on me, as long as it's not paired with fruit. It's not usually too sweet on me, but Devil's Night is gorgeously light and slightly spicy on me. It's an LE, though, so...

 

Nero, by the by, is gorgeous on me, too. Very fresh-smelling to me, with its pine and rosemary, and spicy in that my nose registers, "Oh, there's something interesting going on here!"

I hadn't considered Nero at all--thanks, I'll go have a look at it!

I had this friend in the "light/fresh/outdoorsy" category in my head and was all set to steer her towards things like Yggdrasil, Vinland, Neo-Tokyo, or The Dormouse...but now that I'm looking for scents that are reviewed as both "clean" and "spicy," I seem to be pulling up a few woodsy scents but also some things that are all over the map, category-wise: Dracul, Ulalume, Omen, Verdandi, White Rabbit, Silk Road, R'Lyeh, High John the Conqueror...

Is a puzzlement! ;-)

I'm looking for a couple of scents to round out an imp order for a friend who would like something that is both "clean" and "spicy"--nothing too sweet or too floral. My friend's skin chemistry tends to keep scents light and topnote-ish, and out of the scents she's tried so far, her best success has been with Hamadryad. I've checked various "clean" and "spicy" recs threads looking for scents that cross over the two categories, but haven't had much success.

Any suggestions for "clean and spicy" general-catalogue scents would be greatly appreciated. (And I should probably clarify--for anyone who's read or responded to my other current recs request post--that this one is for a different friend.)

Chaos Theory II: CXXVIII (128)

(Frimp of CT2-128 generously included by Canciona in a recent package.)

Bracingly MINT (spearmint?) on the wand; dries down to minty incense...which sounds like a counter-intuitive combination and yet it works wonderfully here--so cool and refreshing that it really puts the "New" in New Age. :-)

An unusual, cheerful, and rather festive scent: it makes me think of shopping for Christmas gifts at the tiny New Age store in our neighbourhood.

I'll very much enjoy this while it lasts.

Previously reviewed by roesmoker and Gin

My first BPAL review...

Do you have a copy of Nigella Lawson's How to Be a Domestic Goddess to hand? If you do, open it to one of the inside covers. See the nine pictures of smiling 1950s housewives? Skip past the ones who look like they could actually be someone's Mom in real life, and focus on pictures four and six (the Claudette Colbert-type measuring milk as if milk-measuring were a gesture in classical ballet, and the Donna Reed-type getting a head-start on the cocktail hour as she sets a tiny cake next to a vase of tulips). Those ladies...are what Regan makes me feel like.

It's the combination of heady floral sophistication and warm vanilla comfort that makes Regan conjure up the image of a classic 1950s domestic goddess for me: it's the scent of a perfect hostess, a distinctly retro yummy mummy--impeccably coiffed, standing in a gleaming turquoise kitchen in pearls, high heels, and a spotless white apron over a ravishing New Look gown, putting the last meticulous touches on an elegant layer cake.

There's something so nostalgically feminine about this scent that it's almost politically incorrect. I suspect that that's why, according to some reviewers here, Regan has proven to be a bit of an emotional button-pusher for the men who have smelled it--i.e., in Lorencita's account of the husbands who "wanted their wives to smell like this" and ViolentKitten's description of her man's "dreamy" look as he told her:

“You smell like...home... coming home. Like what I want you to smell like when you waft into a room [...] comforting, yet sexy."

My own SO's reaction was likewise unexpectedly fervent.

For all its sexy domesticity, however, this is in no way a non-feminist scent. It's self-assured, on top of things, and there's a hint of something at the heart of it that makes me think Regan is the kind of woman who could use one of her stylish high heels as a weapon if necessary.

I don't see myself baking a cake in taffeta and pearls any time soon...but I do see myself wearing this scent. :-)

I'm looking for the smell you find when you walk outside after a heavy spring rainstorm--not a thunderstorm, just rain, clean and cold and soaking absolutely everything. Afterwards, it's misty and cool and water droplets still seem to hang in the air, accompanied by the green scent of grass and the fresh dark earthiness of wet soil. A bit rainforest-y, but not as warm. I don't want heavy florals, just a very very wet drenched-plant smell. Floral notes are fine as long as they're just in the background and aren't overpowering.

Hi, fellow newbie here. I've been browsing the reviews section a lot lately, and a few came to mind when I saw your question.

Dublin (Wanderlust) is described by the lab as "The scent of misty forests, damp alder leaf, and the gentlest touch of white rose."

Comments from BPALers include "a walk in the forest early in the morning when the dew is still clinging to the leaves"; "a cold wood on a misty morning, utterly fresh and stunning and clean and cool"; "exactly like putting your nose up to a silver birch covered in moss and lichen"; and "How Beth managed to work the scent of fog into Old Dublin, I have no idea."

You might also be interested in Oberon (Illyria) which is described by one reviewer as "Woodsy, but in a wild stormy way."