BoneBone24

Wet: A barely-there clean leather note. Whispery.

Drydown: An airy pairing of leather and sandalwood, sweetened by fougere and possibly the rosin too. There’s something sort of rubbery in there, the plastic I suppose. Light and peculiar, like a pale cologne mixed with the scent of a microphone stand.

Dry: Ooh! This reminds me of The Robotic Scarab! It’s delicate but masculine, and full of history. This blend has a rare combination of masculine/dark notes that I love (leather, ambergris, wood, dust) and more delicate/appealing notes (creamy fougere, sandalwood, spices) that make it smell good to other people’s noses too! Papery and soft, rich and storied. This isn’t a strong scent, but it’s powerfully haunting.

8 out of 10 bones

I don't think I've seen any inquiries or suggestions for Elizabeth Arden's 5th Avenue. From Fragrantica:

 

"The top notes are lilac, linden blossom, dewy magnolia, mandarin and bergamot. The heart notes are Bulgarian pink violet, ylang-ylang, jasmine, Indian tuberose, peach, carnation and nutmeg. The base is composed of amber, Tibetan musk, sandalwood, iris and vanilla."

I've never smelled it, so take this with a grain of salt, but I imagine it might be similar to Ladon or French Love.

I'm a newbie here, but okay, here goes...

 

I think the defining factor about me at this point in my life is the intellectual side of me. I'm a student in her final years of school, and I love learning (although currently hate it, as is shown by me writing this post instead of studying for exams). I have a strong leaning for chemistry, and higher pure maths. I do, however, also love language and literature, as well as the humanities and social sciences (oh, politics). I look to go into research in the private sector of chemistry, but I also am very interested in journalism (science journalism, no less! The world needs it.) Politics also interests me greatly, or even being a speech writer. I have always been a very high achiever, I could read and write very young, and was quite precocious mathematically. I was accepted into a very exclusive state-wide gifted children program in both primary and high school, and I came top in almost every course I took in it in high school. However, extreme anxiety and perfectionism comes with this.

 

However, along with being downright, unabashedly nerdy, I am also unabashedly, very, very loud and in your face. Unless my (medium level) social anxiety prevents me. On the Myers-Briggs personality test, I score almost perfectly in the middle of the spectrum. On some others, I have gotten results that suggest INTJ. However, I don't think it's truly reflective. I have trouble defining my personality. I am somewhere between introverted and extroverted. I thrive on being the centre of attention in a crowd, but I systematically need to be alone, lest I collapse. I have some trouble in social situations, and I can seem very awkward or even autistic (as one of my old maths teachers ever-so-tactfully suggested). I seem to function best in either a crowd (especially if I have a few people I know there) or one-on-one. I have been described as really quite scary by some people I know, and as crazy by others. I am very headstrong, and also very argumentative. This is one of my favourite qualities about myself, but understandably, a lot of people don't like it.

 

I am quite creative, and before school stopped me having time for any hobbies, I created a lot of art (drawing and water-colour painting, mostly), wrote a lot (poems, songs, stories and plays), sang and was very interested in drama. I also read very widely, and was a novel every few days kind of person, right from when I was four or five, up until I was about sixteen (when I just couldn't afford to spend so much time reading). The one hobby I still maintain is baking and cooking, and I love it. It probably helps that I can't avoid eating or put it off because of school. I am a big foody, which is also evident in my love of gourmand scents.

 

I am also, in some ways, very spoilt. I come from an "old" family, with a considerable amount of money (and prestige), but have experienced an interesting social dynamic. My mother and father had quite a nasty divorce, which resulted in my mother, my sister and I homeless for a few months, and also having to really start from the bottom-up. We were quite poor for quite a few years. However, I tend to want the best of everything, and I am determined to be very wealthy, and work to get it. I want pretty clothes, lovely food, and a beautiful house.

 

I also love clothes. My mother is an artist, and her insistence on aesthetic has stuck with me. I love elegance, and vintage clothing. However, I also have quite the gothic streak, while still being very girly and feminine. This results in a lot of lovely, tailored dresses with very subversive prints. I am quite conservative with my clothes, purely because I dislike showing a lot of skin (I get cold! I hate shaving!), not because I'm very prudish. I am also sometimes quite preppy in my style.

 

I love sensory things - they take me out of my brain, which can be overwhelming at times. This is probably (definitely) why I love perfume so much. And food, and music, and...sex. My sexuality is a very big part of me, and I shall say I'm a bit of a "lady in the streets" persona (although I hate the sexist implications of that phrase). I have a long term partner (since I was a young teenager), but I sleep around a little, with his permission of course. We are both also moderately involved in the BDSM scene. I am putting this in there because I am interested in how this factors into people's recommendations. I really do apologise if that offends anyone.

 

But all in all, this is me.

You seem to be a person who is “very” many things. It reminds me of creating an RPG character and getting high rolls for every trait. Very intelligent, very creative, very outgoing, very in your head, very sexual, very aesthetically conservative, experience being very poor and very wealthy. For your recs I will try to stick with scents that are assertive and have some sort of duality to them.

With the character creation in mind, I’d recommend an RPG combo of Elf (very intelligent and athletic), Chaotic (very everything, unpredictable!), and either Paladin or Druid, depending on which speaks to you more.

Also:

Perversion (smoky, boozy, and sweet - A must for a sensual foodie)

Golden Priapus (woodsy, golden, and vanilla’ed - Similar to O or Snake Oil, but with a masculine twist)

Kubla Khan (sweet, zingy, and smoky - Complex, but in no way muted)

Incubus (smoky, syrupy, and herbal - Unusual, unexpected, yummy!)

No. 93 Engine (spicy, herbal, resinous, and bright - Should fit with your mathematical and vintage sides)

Whip (rosel and leather - A no-brainer for your BDSM involvement)

Wet: Soft and white. Gently sweet in a glowing sort of way. This reminds me of Good (but softer) and Self-Portrait (but not as sweet).

Drydown: Gentle and Pure. An airy, soft-white musk w/ a powdered sugar sweetness. It doesn’t twinkle, but there is a bit of a glow; like moonlight or starlight filtered through a light haze.

Dry: This is the land of milk and honey. Creamy vanilla and honey over what smells like the softest, lightest white flowers. The barest hint of green tea adds a gentle airiness to the blend.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Mr. Croup smells decidedly different than any other perfume I’ve ever smelled. It’s sort of inky and somehow smells like...an object?

Drydown: Holy heck, that is the scent of actual porcelain! Suddenly I’m remembering playing with porcelain dolls my grandmother gifted me as a child. Soon after, a vetiver-ish note appears. Earthy and grassy, but also soft and clean...the geranium perhaps? As it dries the earthy-clean note is replaced by a warm, old-timey musk. It smells cozy and familiar.

Dry: Once dry, I realize that the familiar part smells exactly like a jewelry box I inherited from my other grandmother. Gold chains, costume jewelry, musty velvet, and solid perfume. How unexpected that this scent would remind me of both of my grandmothers! It’s like visiting both of them at the same time. The memories are separate, but in this scent they are combined; dusty finery, worn fabrics, handwritten notes, musky perfumes, and the unsettlingly accurate scent of porcelain.

This is not an "everyday" scent for me, but it earns high points for nostalgia!

8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Bright lavender and sweetened herbs.

Drydown: Herbalicious! It’s juicy-green and a bit lemony. It smells a lot like herbal tea with lemon and a drop of honey. The verbena is most noticeable, followed by neroli (which I think might be causing the sweetness), after that comes lavender and rosemary, while the frankincense adds just a touch of spiciness and depth.

Dry: This is a stunning blend! Fresh, tart, sweet, happy, and planty. It smells like sipping lemony sweet tea while walking through the fairy garden at the Renn faire (i.e. being surrounded by herbs and incense!). Instant love ❤️

9 out of 10 bones

Wet: Clean but smoky. Pale, golden incense.

Drydown: Clear, frothy ambergris with an almost-citrus slant, which I'd guess is coming from the immortelle. Clouds of smoky myrrh soften the edges. There’s a holy, reverent vibe to this blend. I notice that the throw smells of vanilla tobacco, a product of the benzoin and myrrh, no doubt. Smoky, dry, and pale gold. There’s a hopefulness to it, which, again, I assume is a product of the immortelle.

Dry: The smoke and wood amp up a bit, bringing out the drier, more masculine elements of the blend. Cologne-ish. Diamond Star is a sophisticated incense blend, with a touch of muskiness and a hint of something just between aquatic and metallic. Pale yellow and smoky.

8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Beautiful benzoin goodness! Cozy, herb-tinged sandalwood misted with a slightly sweet, benzoin-based cologne. Reminiscent of the dry phase of Black Annis.

Drydown: Creamy with a tingly softness and a greenish-bronze je ne sais quoi. (Sidebar for those that hate civet: If you’ve ever wondered why people love civet, it’s because when it works it smells very much like this. To my nose, anyway!) Wearing this scent makes me feel more confident, more Alpha. In fact, I daresay it should come with its own Mantra:

“I am strong, I am capable, and I am oh-so sexy. I’ve been there, I’ve survived, and I’m far more badass for it. Everybody wants me; They just don’t know it yet.”

Dry: Oh, Kit, what are you doing? I am sad to report that the dreaded Playdoh makes an appearance in the dry phase. I go from planning many bottle purchases to whimpering like a lost puppy. le sad.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Orange Juice-y and sweet.

Drydown: Interesting. Orange blossom usually spells trouble on my skin, so I am pleasantly surprised to find that its typical soapiness is only evident in the throw, and even there it is more palatable and orange-y than usual. At the skin it’s all fresh-squeezed OJ, free of soap. There’s a deeper something grounding it, but at this point it isn’t overtly patchouli-smelling. It sort of smells like a creamsicle. A sultry creamsicle.

Dry: What’s this? The scent becomes crazy tingly all of a sudden. It smells very much like medicated chapstick - specifically the sticky-goopy kind that comes in a pot. There’s a mellow sweetness very similar to raw honey. If I were asked to guess at the notes I would have said orange, eucalyptus, elemi, clove, benzoin, beeswax, and black musk. It’s tingly, slightly spicy, slightly creamy, subtly sweet, and darkly smooth. What a wonderful surprise!

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Deliciously dark, bitter, roasty coffee beans lightened up by something a hint of spice.

Drydown: Coffee-dominant. Very little sweetness and just the right amount of bitterness. Mostly it smells of roasty-toasty goodness. A brown that's nearly black.  I’m not familiar with shisha, but scent-wise it seems to be lighter and gummier than ordinary tobacco. Earthy but not weighed-down. I detect a slight butteriness at times, like a really good pastry that is rich and airy at the same time. This is everything you’d want to smell on the morning of a cold or rainy day.

Dry: This smells like standing at the door of a really good coffee shop, where the glorious scent of espressos, dark roasts, and mochas would be most enticing. Someone’s been smoking clove cigarettes nearby and from inside the shop wafts a compelling aura of rich, perfectly roasted coffee beans, highlighted by just a touch of chai spice and froth. Earthy and robust, but somehow...diaphanous.
 

8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Crystalline, chilly, and red, but not exactly fruity. It somehow evokes the feeling of opening the freezer door without fully delving into the minty-cold direction.

Drydown: Chilly, tart fruit with a touch of something mentholated…eucalyptus possibly. There’s a red-hued musk in there too, but I don’t think it’s the usual red musk. Perhaps it’s blood musk? Sweetened with strawberry or cherry?? I’m 90% sure I smell orange blossom as well (and it’s well-behaved!!). It gives the blend a slightly candied but elusive quality. There's definitely some popsicle stick showing up too, birchwood, I think.

Dry: Juicy without being fruity, chilly while also deep. So nice and so strange. This is a blend that shouldn’t work, but somehow it does - - and gloriously at that! It smells something like a cross between Ravenous and Mania, with a dribble of Dracul thrown in for good measure. If this is what a blood popsicle tastes like, I may need to get a box!

8.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Strong, rounded almond. Almost alcoholic.

Drydown: Sweet and spicy with a dry, smoldering heat. The honey dribbles in as the almond calms down a bit. The spices are smooth yet fiery (cardamom, allspice, turmeric???). There's a toasted quality to the almond that becomes the blend’s grounding element.

Dry: Earthy, sensual, and untamed. Over time it fades into a slightly nutty, but decidedly dry spice-musk.

7 out of 10 bones

Wet: Dry spices (is that you, turmeric?) with exotic woods and greenery. Perhaps some dry evergreen needles?

Drydown: The Floating Market smells like Christmas in a foreign land. They have their own traditions (and plantlife and spices), but the essence is there. I detect the familiar blue-green scent of bay leaf coming to the forefront. For a moment, a touch of creamy coconut gives the wood notes a more tropical vibe, and then the spices swallow it back up.

Dry: Bay, balsam, and spice. Smooth and dry/astringent, yet cool and tingly. There’s something quite bravado about this one. I keep picturing a gypsy or pirate walking around pelvis-first. Like some vagabond who has stolen Johnny Depp’s swagger. In three words...Exotic Christmas Pirate!

8 out of 10 bones

Hello, everyone! I just got into BPAL--my first two imps are somewhere in the mail system, making their way to my front door even as I type--and I'm interested to see what more experienced posters would recommend...

 

I'm a 3rd year PhD student in history, currently studying for quals (which is, of course, why I'm procrastinating here! ). I focus on questions of economic justice and immigration in the 20th Century US. I consistently test as INTJ and it feels accurate in a lot of ways. I can be terribly focused on my own mental systems and I have to work to keep the, er, intensity of my opinions to myself sometimes lol. Fortunately, feminist theory is a major part of my work and life which--anti-feminists would be incredulous to hear--has made me more easygoing in a lot of ways. I've been strongly influenced by trying to incorporate an ethic of care into my life and worldview.

 

I enjoy digging around in archives and "hearing" the voices of people long gone. There's a rather gross idea in academia that there are reseachers and there are teachers and you have to pick one (with teachers being considered inferior), but I actually really love TAing as well; students tell me they appreciate my enthusiasm and caring approach. I really love the formality of the set-up; how you can care for people in a more cerebral way, figuring out how to communicate complex ideas, and joke around about stuff too, and let other people take care of the more touchy-feely side of contributing to the world lol. I'm queer (bi) and few things make me happier than getting to explain queer history, social justice movements, and the social construction of race to students in a way that might help them open up to new ideas rather than shut down. I've found that my obsessive focus on my interests are finally in a forum where it's good rather than weird to have all that info stacked away in the old brainbox.

 

Um, what else? Taurus, "Gryffinclaw," insomniac night owl. Fan of a random assortment of music, from Big Band to Metric. I'm currently working on Urban Fantasy novel with a friend and I recently fell headfirst into Bioware games like the Mass Effect series and Dragon Age, which have made me very happy. And provided plenty of opportunity for procrastination!

Hi and Welcome!

Here are my GC (General Catalogue, aka "impable") recs for you:

Jazz Funeral (bay rum, bourbon, funeral flowers, graveyard dirt, magnolia, and spanish moss)

Tavern of Hell (white gardenia, ambergris, lavender fougere, orange blossom, melissa, tobacco flower, coriander, ebony wood, ylang ylang, absinthe, and whiskey)

Ouija (rosewood, oak, teak, blue lilac, tea rose, dried white rose, and osmanthus)

Mary Shelley (absinthe, lightning, stormclouds, laudanum, and a soft Victorian oriental perfume)

No. 93 Engine (Balm of Gilead, benzoin, frankincense, balsam of peru, beeswax, saffron, galbanum, calamus, hyssop, mastic, lemon balm, and white sage)

Morocco (Arabian spices, warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood, and cassia)

I pretty much just went my instincts on these, so I apologize for the lack of explanation!

Wet: Toasted coconut. Deep and smoky.

Drydown/Dry: Lots of charred material layered over somewhat-artificial smelling coconut. I thinks there’s a drop of vetiver in there. Quite earthy and smoky. Languid but sort of sneaky too. This goblin smells like he’s up to no good.

6.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Deeply golden. Soft lemon and a glowing resin.

Drydown: Lemon and honey, spiced with jasmine and what might be patchouli. After a few minutes the vanilla joins, followed by herbs (hyssop and chamomile maybe?).

Dry: Lemon-honey, amber, patchouli, and herbs. Golden, glowing, sweet, fresh, and warm.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Dark and sweet. There’s a curious emptiness to it, the sort of emptiness that pulls you in.

Drydown: Hollow red musk with a touch of opium. Seductive and smoky. Poignant.

Dry: It dries into a creamy, spicy musk that's almost rootbeer-ish with a smoky undercurrent.

Like others have said, I'm not sure what civet smells like, but judging by this, I like it!

8.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Lavender and lemons. Pleasant and fresh.

Drydown/While falling asleep: Lemongrass and sun tea. It’s very cozy and glow-y. I feel like there might be a bit of a green herb below the surface, but mostly it smells golden and warm. Very memory-inducing and it reminds me of the sort of sleepiness that I associate with sleeping in until noon in the summer.

8.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Heady and enticingly feminine. Jasmine-dominant.

Drydown: Heady gardenia and jasmine, lightly kissed with honey and spice (cassia and coriander??). Lusty, pale, and dewy. There’s something passive aggressive about it, if that makes any sense.

Dry: It smells exactly like a figure from a Botticelli painting lounging atop ivory-colored silk sheets, being fed honeycomb and grapes all day. This is the ultimate toga party scent.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Wow, it smells...good! Grey and vegetal but also sweet and tempting. I’m really digging the musk.

Drydown: Once on my skin the zucchini-vegetal-ness begins to amp and ...well, damn...I don’t like it. There’s a lovely cozy-sweet musk in there too, but I’m having trouble getting past the vegetal pungency at the forefront.

Dry: Unfortunately it stays true to the drydown. Well, there’ll be no solo-wearing for this one, but luckily it’s meant to be layered and I remain optimistic that it’ll smell good mixed with some of the other RPGs. (Added-On Spoiler: It does!)

4 out of 10 bones

Wet: Leather soured by vetiver. Dirty in more ways than one.

Drydown/Dry: Heavy on the vetiver and leather, but ever-so-slightly sweeter and softer than you'd expect. Very manly. Rugged, in fact, but making an effort to appear civilized. Essentially, it smells like a grizzled lumberjack all dressed up for a job interview.

Ultimately too manly for me to wear, but it'd smell great on the right kind of guy!

7 out of 10 bones

Wet: Light, clean, sweet, pale, and musky. A good start.

Drydown: Whoa! Where did all these flowers come from? Much more botanical than I was expecting. Light, sparkly florals over a sweet, pale musk and wispy vanilla. It’s not as lemony as I’d imagined; I think the bergamot and neroli are the more noticeable citrus actually. But it does have a touch of that lemony brightness I know and love.

Dry: I’m not sure what particular flowers these are, but they are certainly quite pretty and lush. Zephyr is very wearable in the crowd-pleaser type way. It smells like a young woman frolicking through a sunny garden just after a light morning rain.

7.5 out of 10 bones

Dry: The dragon’s blood is obvious just from looking at the oil. Sniffing it, I also smell cassia and pale flowers.

Drydown: Aside from from a curiously tempered dragon’s blood and cassia, there is something that smells almost clear in this. Citrus or herbs or juniper, maybe? And gardenia, I think. As it continues to dry, the gardenia starts to smell more and more like jasmine. Or perhaps they’re both in there, actually. For half a second I think I smell anise, which prompts an ah-ha! moment resulting in a suspicion that the blend contains absinthe. There must also be another white note too, because the throw smells slightly creamy and something must be keeping the dragon’s blood in check. My guess is milk or tonka.

Dry: I’m surprised by how well-blended this is and by the fact that nothing is amping to high hell. It smells like a cross between Pontarlier and Dragon’s Milk, with a dash of cassia added for extra yumminess. It’s a beautifully feminine blend, but it’s got some swagger too. This is a scent for a woman that fluidly switches back and forth between dominant and submissive.

8 out of 10 bones

Wet: Mint and black musk. Sweet and surprisingly refined. It smells like a perfect cup of mint tea!

Drydown: Sweet and creamy with a touch of mint. I would say the mint is prominent, but not dominant. As it dries the citron comes forth. It becomes more, not quite cologne-y, but perhaps fougere-y.

Dry: Sweet citron tempered by creamy musk and a touch of mint and a just a hint of lavender. Fabulously wearable and not too much throw. Everyone should try this one!

8.5 out of 10 bones

Wet: Sweet, sharp, and woody. There’s an almost spicy or medicinal component, like sarsaparilla.

Drydown: I’m getting a whiff of something almost-but-not-quite minty. Is that the teak or white rose maybe?? Sort of...chalky too. But, in a good way! Whoever said Necco wafers had the right idea. The word elusive comes to mind. I’m getting parts of notes, but none are fully whole. There’s an aspect of lilac, but it’s not all there. And the sweetness and freshness of rose, without the ROSE-ness of rose. Curiously, the rosewood smells stunning, which is not at all how it usually smells on me! (usually it’s sharp/acrid & cologne-y) And the oak and osmanthus lend a smooth and exotic glow to the blend that begins to shape its eventual direction. It’s very pretty and unlike anything I’ve ever smelled before.

Dry: Still beautiful and still difficult to describe, but I can discern that it is more floral-centric and dewey now. The osmanthus is the stand-out, followed by white rose, and both are gorgeous together. It’s a quiet blend, not much amping, and I almost want to describe it as bashful. The oak and rosewood give just the right touch of grounding to otherwise floaty and hard to pin down pale florals. This one is really one-of-a-kind and I’m surprised by how much I like it.

8 out of 10 bones