kajacana

Hello! Popping by for the first time in a LONG time because it’s that time of year again when I start to get antsy for autumn, and that always reminds me of Switch Witch. I thought I’d check to see if one is in the works, and I’m surprised and happy to see that there have been some whispers of it here! Add me to the list of people who would be super happy to see its return.

Chiming in here to suggest citrus scents, which tend to be light, have low throw, and burn off rather quickly -- plus the added bonus that a lot of soap/shampoo is citrus scented, so it's a fairly ubiquitous smell that most people probably wouldn't find jarring. Some from the GC you might try:

Whitechapel
Gobo
Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat
Baobhan Sith

In the bottle: sweet, tropical floral.
Wet: that amazing BPAL black coconut note, with sugar and a little salt (the ambergris, I imagine).
Dry: sweet, floral coconut. I am someone who typically steers away from florals and I really like this, if that tells you anything. The coconut is definitely center stage, but the rest of the notes prevent it from becoming foody. It's soft but not wimpy -- the black coconut is assertive, but the blend as a whole stays close to the skin and just kind of creates this lovely, beachy cloud.

I was gifted a decant of this by my Switch Witch!

Smells like brown caramelized sugar, sweet honey, and just a touch of oak wood. It reminds me of Sugar Skull but not as sweet, or Hellcat but not as foody. It kind of reminds me of Christmas but I can't put my finger on why.

Something with vanilla perhaps? It would sweeten the scent & hopefully reduce the high-pitchedness plus it tends to work well with lavender & rose.

This was my initial thought, too. If you can get your hands on Single Note French Vanilla, that would be perfect but unfortunately it's a bit hard to come by.

Alternatively, you could try a blend with a nice base of vanilla or honey, and maybe some coordinating/complementing florals as well.

From the GC, maybe...

Mouse's Long And Sad Tale: "Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea, and white sandalwood."

Alice: "Milk and honey with rose, carnation, and bergamot."

O: "Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla."

Bright mandarin, fresh and juicy, just a twinge soapy -- reminds me of a scent you might find at Bath & Body Works or The Body Shop. I'm not getting much fig. It's surprisingly strong for a citrus scent, and not high-pitched at all -- maybe that's the fig helping out? It's a simple, clean, and refreshing citrus scent.

Starts out strong on the patchouli (and yes, it is gnarly!). Quickly morphs into black coconut, which is different from foody or beachy coconut... it's darker and less sweet. This initial phase of patchouli + black coconut is very reminiscent of So Below, one of my favorite blends. Unfortunately, the morphing stops in a spot that's almost entirely benzoin. It's sharp and woodsy, almost like cedar, and the other notes are practically gone. I would have liked this one a lot more if the benzoin wasn't so overpowering on me.

In the bottle, this is extremely similar to standard Perversion. But after I skin tested, that's when the magic really happened.

This is Perversion with an autumnal accent. There's a hint of warm spice that complements the original blend really nicely.

For those worrying that the pumpkin spice will be overpowering -- it's not.

This blend is warm, spicy, and rich, but not foody. As a big fan of original Perversion, I wholeheartedly approve and am happy to have this in my collection.

Definitely getting oud, beeswax, and sandalwood, but it all blends together into something warm and woodsy. The initial smell in the imp was kind of leathery, then it went sort of astringent on my skin, but the drydown is smooth. It smells clean and snuggly, like a freshly washed blanket that someone folded and left sitting by the fireplace in a log cabin in winter. I'm a big believer in the gender neutrality of scents, but I gotta say this seems like more of a guy's scent to me.

I absolutely love BPAL's peach note!
I haven't smelled any of the convention-exclusive Peach Pit scents yet, but I hope I get the chance to someday.
For now, my favorites are:

GC:
Aglaea ("three golden ambers, bright musk, peach wine and myrtle")
Fae ("white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss")

LE:

Adventure With Bandits In A Kago ("nectarine and pearl peach, white frankincense, and gardenia")
Mare Nectaris ("sweet peach liquor with papaya-infused musk, golden musk, and green ti leaf")

Switch witch sounds great! But I never participated and I'm not sure if I understand how it works. Can someone give me a short explanation or a link to the rules?

It's basically a highly personalized, long-term mystery match swap where each Witch (sender) can choose how they want to send things to their Witchee, with the point being to brighten their days and just generally spoil and surprise them. Like any other swap, only bigger and more intense. I'm pretty sure the only rule is that your Witchee must receive one package from you by the end of the round. Some Witches literally don't contact their Witchee at all throughout the round and send their one package at the very end; other Witches contact their Witchees several times throughout the round via e-cards, small packages, and/or postcards; some will send one small thing and then a big final reveal box; most Witches reveal their identity at the end of the round but some never do. I'd say the vast majority of Witches send a big final reveal box, regardless of how they've done the rest of the round. The initial questionnaire asks for your preferences on these things -- some people love a chatty, high-contact Witch, while others would prefer a quieter one, and the swap runners take that into account.

The in-thread chatter and questions tend to be very fast-paced and VERY detailed throughout the round. What's great about Switch Witch is that it really encourages you to "get to know" the person you're sending to, and the sky is really the limit in terms of what you can send -- it brings out a lot of creativity and generosity. People will enlist others to send gifts and cards from other places to throw their Witchee off their trail, and they find all kinds of other ways to be sneaky and keep their identity a secret until the end. There tends to be a good mix of handmade and store-bought gifts as well; this is definitely a swap where handmade things are appreciated, though they're not a requirement if that's not your thing.

Here are a few links to previous years' IGI threads, to give you an idea of what people typically do (noting that posts go on throughout the round often starting at Day 1, so the final reveal packages will be way in the last pages).

http://www.bpal.org/topic/89924-2016-halloween-switch-witch-round-igi-thread/?hl=witch

http://www.bpal.org/topic/87520-2015-halloween-switch-witch-i-got-it/page-1?hl=witch

It can be a bit overwhelming at first (it was for me!) but honestly my two Switch Witch rounds have been the best swap experiences I've ever had. People are so thoughtful and it's so personalized -- it's really cool to spend the whole round busily plotting to make someone else happy, while the whole time someone else is doing the same for you. You should try it!

Another vote for Switch Witch -- I had to sit out the last couple rounds but I'm ready for it this year!

Is anyone planning a virtual vacation swap? I really enjoyed that one last year! If no-one is going to do it, I might organise one myself! That would be my first time so I'll have to look at all the rules and such. I'm currently on vacation right now so that will take a week or so.

I missed out on this one last time and was so disappointed! I would definitely sign up if a new round happens soon.

In the bottle, it's all tobacco. As someone who was afraid of tobacco notes in perfume for a long time because I feared they would smell like cigarette smoke, I am thrilled to report that it's actually nothing like that. It's rich and dark, almost caramelly without being foody or sweet, if that makes sense.

Once it's on my skin, the rum comes out and I really love BPAL's rum note. It's not overpowering though, and I wouldn't even call it boozy. It's balanced beautifully by tonka and vanilla, and I definitely get the incense more and more as it wears, and even though the other notes start to take a backseat, they still round out the blend really nicely and give it some depth. It reminds me -- and I mean this in the best possible way, truly -- of the Renaissance Faire. It smells kind of mysterious and mystical, like I should be wearing a cloak while I'm wearing it.

So happy to have found a bottle on the forum, since I waffled too long and missed out when it was originally available!

I just went to the other thread to check if I'd already talked about Hesiod's Phoenix, and.... yep, there's my post! It's one of those things I'll probably still be muttering about on my deathbed.... (croaky voice) "Did I ever tell you about the time I ordered backup bottles of Hesiod's Phoenix and there was a batch variation? *sputtery cough* My original bottle even had the MISSPELLED LABEL! They don't make 'em like that anymore!"

It's always a bad surprise to find batch variations in the GC, but at least I can understand how a year or two between batches could result in some differences. But an LE, with all bottles (in theory) made and bought within a few months? What the heck!?!?
The good news is that a few years of aging seems to have resolved the issue.

I know I had an imp of Bensiabel at one point, but I can't remember if I still have it and can't remember what it smelled like, either, so I'm no help there, sorry. If it were me, I'd put the new bottle away to age and see what happens. Can't hurt, right?

The same strawberry note from Strawberry Moon, only without embellishments or accompaniments. This is bright, juicy, very sweet but also ever so slightly tart, delicious ripe red strawberry. Perfect for summer, and surprisingly wearable for something so intense and straightforward. I keep going back for more sniffs and I can't stop smiling!

In the bottle: smells like plants, but it's a very soft smell. I would call it herbal. It's got a hint of pine, but not like Christmas pine or air-freshener pine at all -- more like the scent of a breeze that's just blown through a stand of pine trees. It's all softness, nothing sharp or aggressive here.

On skin: This is a tough one to describe! It's the same soft, herbal, vaguely pine-y scent from the bottle, only it gains some musky sweetness. There's a slight powderiness to it, but not in an off-putting way. The musk sits very close to the skin and the "clear, warm evening air" from the description makes total sense. The pine goes away as it wears, and the scent deepens just a little, becoming a clear, lightly sweet, lightly herbal musk.

This scent reminds me of summer evenings where I'm from in New England; it reminds me of being in the woods, far from people and towns, listening to the loons call across the lake. It's calm and tranquil. It's comforting and close, like a hug in scent form, without making me feel claustrophobic. When I smell it I can see the summer evening sky.

It's really beautiful and unlike anything else in my collection. So glad I decided to blind bottle this one!

Yuzu as HECK!!! Initial application is a burst of high-pitched, bright, tart citrus. I recognize the yuzu for sure but the closest other citrus I'd compare it to is grapefruit.

I'm getting just the softest background whiff of white floral as it dries down, and not a trace of black tea. This is a sharp, cheerful, yellow citrus scent with just a breath of flowers from the nearby trees. It's very much the smell of the skin of the citrus, like if the peel of a yellow grapefruit, white pith and all. I wouldn't call it juicy.

This is just such a light, clean, happy scent with an energetic zing! I really like it and will hang on to my imp.

It's hard to pinpoint what this smells like. All I know is that I read the notes list, then I opened the imp and I was shocked because it smells nothing like I expected it to.

It goes on warm and brown, like woods and toasted nuts. It gets drier and herb-ier as it wears; loses some of that rich, foody quality and gets sharper and a little cologne-y. It ends up a surprisingly soft, woodsy, musky scent. Not for me but just goes to show you that you should skin test everything!

Full disclosure: I am a FIEND for coconut, and the Lab's various renditions always tend to work for me.

In the imp, Elegba has a butterscotchy thing going on, just like Grog. Literally smells like a boozy Werther's hard candy.

As soon as it hits my skin, though, the coconut comes out in full force. Seriously, if you don't like coconut, you won't like this. This is sweet, sugary, rum-drunk coconut, and as it wears, the tobacco peeks through which darkens the blend just the slightest bit, and gives it that signature... chewiness?... that tobacco tends to add. I'm not really getting anything smoky. It's sweet, tropical, foody, lots of coconut, lots of rum... reminds me of waves crashing on a tropical beach under bright sunshine.

This is a lovely, light, fruity floral.

All realistic juicy peach when first applied, and as it dries down, the gardenia comes out. I was worried about the gardenia but it's so light and airy, like walking past a blooming garden. It's not an overwhelming, punch-you-in-the-face floral at all. The fruit notes lose their fresh/juicy quality a bit as it wears, but they're definitely still noticeable and they keep the blend sweet. The white frankincense is in the background, giving the blend a little bit of depth. It has a surprisingly good amount of throw and longevity for something so light.

I really like it -- it's pretty and light but still interesting, fruity without being foody, floral without being heady.

Amazing true-to-life key lime pie scent in the bottle. I smell tangy lime custard and graham cracker crust.

Once sprayed in my hair, the lime fades waaaaaayy to the background and this becomes all about the graham cracker crust, with a hint of something creamy -- marshmallow? meringue? whipped cream? I can still smell the lime if I concentrate, and it keeps the blend leaning a little more tangy than overly sweet, but it's not what I would consider a lime-forward scent anymore. That said, I happen to LOVE the smell of graham cracker crust & cream!! If you're in the market for a hair gloss that's light, not much throw, definitely foody but not overpowering, this is the one for you.

At first sniff in the bottle, this smells a lot like All Souls. They're actually so similar that I had to get out my bottle of All Souls (2014 version) to compare them. I think the incense notes are very similar, but All Souls is sweet and cakey whereas WLWC is light and floral.

But it's not punch-you-in-the-face floral... it's just a very light, sweet rose, mingling with the incense. I think I'm picking up the woods too, but the whole blend is really soft and subtle. I was nervous about it being too heavy on the rose, but that's not an issue, even though I would classify this as more of a floral blend than an incense blend on my skin.

It's very pretty and wintery.

I am suddenly enamored with the foaming hand soap Frosted Coconut Snowball. I'm sort of shocked by the notes it has on the site because I smell coconut in it but it's not listed?

Notes on website: The perfect wintry treat of vanilla spun sugar, snowy jasmine & winter white amber.

I smell zero jasmine in it, but it is just handsoap.

Anything like that?

(I have elegba and love it but hoping for something a little creamier and brighter)

I have that soap in my bathroom right now! I also smell coconut and no jasmine at all.

Honestly, I know it's a beast and a half to track down, but Ivory Vulva has that coconut/amber thing going on. Both IV and the hand soap smell like sweet, slightly perfumey coconut to me.

My other thought was Obatala, which is a more watery/less foody coconut, but maybe if you layered it with a simple vanilla scent -- French Vanilla SN, or even anything with a vanilla cake note. Obatala is really nice on its own though if you like coconut. I wouldn't say it quite matches the hand soap, but it's coconutty and good.

Wet on skin: sweet, syrupy peach! Fruity as HECK, in a jammy way.

Dry on skin: there's the musk. It goes a little floral, too -- probably the myrtle? The amber is playing nicely in the background and not overtaking everything. The peach is definitely still there but toned way down from the wet stage. This goes from the actual literal scent of sugary peaches, to a softer peachy perfume.

It's very nice if you like peach scents, which I do! But I'm not sure if I need a full bottle, because I have Fae for my peach needs, and I think I like Fae more because it's not quite as sweet and high-pitched as Aglaea. Will definitely hang on to the imp, though.