kunoichi

I want to buy some BPAL for someone who loves Viva la Juicy and Givenchy Play. What would you recommend I get to give her as a present?

 

Also, any recommendations for me? I love sweet foodie scents, but my fiancé likes Hermes Pamplemousse Rose on me. Is there a combination scent that would work?

 

Any suggestions welcome!

So I'm getting married in almost exactly two months ( ). I had test-driven a couple of new scents to be "wedding scents," having heard that you should wear a perfume you haven't worn much (or at all!) before, so that you'll have a completely new scent memory for that day, but...who can do that?! What if it doesn't turn out well? Then you're stuck with a scent you don't like all day!

 

I'll probably wear The Lights of Men's Lives, since that's what I wore on our first date, and I just really love it...it's very pretty but can also be sexy. Was thinking of wearing Haloa, since that's what I was wearing when he first asked me out, but oddly my 2006 bottle of Haloa has gone kinda sour with age.

 

Other scents I considered: Sachs (a little TOO sexy...), Blossoms in Springtime (ditto, and a bit too heavy and sticky), some light floral like Ghosts of the Arroyo Seco Bridge, or something springy like Garden Path With Chickens (might still do this, it's a favorite) or Flower Moon. (I'm also still considering Arcana's Molly Malone or Juno...although upon consideration, maybe a scent named "Juno" is not the best marriage omen. O_o)

 

Of the list, I like the sound of Garden Path with Chickens or Flower Moon for a wedding. The Light of Men's Lives sounds a little too morbid from the description... But it is up to what you like, and how you want to smell.

 

Do you have a theme for your wedding? What would go with the venue, or the flowers you are using, or one of the Phoenix colours to match one of your wedding colours, if you have scents that might fit?

I am getting married in a year, so I have some time to make an order or two for BPAL.

 

Firstly, I am only having one bridesmaid, who likes Viva la Juicy and Givenchy Play.

What would you recommend I get to give her as a present, and to wear on the day?

 

Secondly, I don't know what I am going to wear. We will be having a church wedding, followed by the reception here:

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3rYZ5ZtPzok/Tord0LFBj2I/AAAAAAAACNc/0ih5lSULJcc/s640/BW2.jpg

 

Still not sure about the dress, flowers, or anything other than we will be having the crystal centrepieces in the photos.

 

Personally, I love sweet foodie scents, but my fiancé likes Hermes Pamplemousse Rose on me.

 

Any suggestions welcome!

In the vial, this has a sweet floral high note swimming over a background of cool, soft musk. On my skin, however, it morphs into a citrusy scent, like lemons floating in a pool of floral perfume, making it both a biting and sweet scent at the same time! After a few hours this has the sort of 'fuzzy' musk scent, reminiscent of the musky fuzziness which also lingers in Dracul, Lupreci 2006 and Spellbound. It certainly morphs, although musk is one constant throughout the various changes!

In the vial this is a light fragrance, with a touch of gentle florals over a soft base; the scents are blended together very well making it hard to pick notes. It does not change much on my skin, although some of the florals come out to play a little more strongly than in the vial. After a few hours, all that remains is the smooth and lovely combination scent of amber and benzoin. It is quite a nice scent!

In the bottle, this smells of a herby lavender with a slight hint of chocolate in the background. On my skin the clary sage makes its appearance, softening the lavender, with trickles of vanilla and tar and vetiver wending their way through the scent. After a few hours, this is a more subtle yet somewhat smoky vanilla musk with a reasonable throw.

 

This scent is certainly a smooth morpher!

Oooh, this is a strong caramel covered sweet cherry scent in the vial, rounded out by the vanilla - kind of like a vanilla-filled version of a Cherry Ripe! On my skin, however, the cardamon comes to the fore creating a rather odd concoction of cardamon (which almost smells nut-like) layered on top of something that could be caramel ice-cream! After a few hours the fragrance softens to a light vanilla over the rather faded and rounded remains of the cardamon-caramel scent.

The scent of almonds and cloves packs a whallop from the vial - wow, it's so strong! On my skin the almonds fade, and I'm left with a soft and tempered clove-filled scent. After a few hours this has become a soft, rounded and slightly sweet and creamy scent with only vague memories of its clove-scented past.

This is a very strong, in-your-face slightly sweet yet bitter dark cocoa scent, like you're up close and personal with a mug of hot cocoa - the scent really isn't tempered by the cream, but enhanced by it! On my skin a more creamy note starts to appear through the dark bitter-sweet chocolate, and the scent becomes more rounded, and it becomes a more delicious, yet still strong, hot chocolate scent. After a few hours it has faded to a soft, sweet and creamy scent with a metallic edge coming through - the candy butcher has to have a set of knives, after all!

In the vial this is a light, sweet scent with a hint of pink musk stick-like scent in the background. On my skin it had a touch of powdery sweetness and a delicious lemon drop lolly-like note to it, with the sweet musk scent hiding in the background. After a few hours this has faded quickly, but a clean, soft, musky powdery scent remains on my skin.

 

If I ever need a delousing powder, I'd pick one in this scent!

In the vial this has a strong, thick scent, rounded out with sweetness and a hint of grape. On my skin the sweetness becomes lighter, with more of a crisp grape scent coming through, though the hit of patchouli behind it gives an earthiness to the scent ensuring that it is not too sweet. After a few hours it smells of a thick, sweet floral over the darker notes - the throw, whilst faded, is strong and it has become quite lovely.

In the bottle, it is a very sweetly floral, yet still a deep and mysterious scent. In my skin it changes dramatically as the floral seems to turn a touch soapy and citrusy, which makes for an interesting effect... this does not stay for long, and an aquatic watery scent emerges along with a slight tang of golden metal. After a few hours it becomes a delicate, soft, fragrant and feminine aquatic scent, with just a hint of the metallic gold scent...

2009 Version

 

In the vial, this smells of dark, syrupy, delicious carameled and corn - what a sweet treat, reminding me of Lolly Gobble Bliss Bombs! On my skin it lightens as it morphs to give a touch of pumpkin pie in the background, behind the yummy caramel corn... a bit like Jack and sweetened condensed milk, very reminiscent of the older Trick or Treat, though this one is lighter somehow. It has a decent throw... after a few hours it becomes a softer, sweet smell on my wrist, still smelling rather caramel like and delicious. I guess the main difference between this and the previous Trick or Treat is the result of removing the scent that made the chocolate colour in the older version. Either way, this one is lovely!

 

When two work-mates turned up, they asked who was having a hot chocolate. I let them smell my perfume, which they both liked, and then complained I was making them hungry.

 

In the vial this smells of a dark, caramelised vetivert which is both strong and pungent. On my skin it lightens a shade, and cloves start to appear in the background, although they are swathed in the same sugared vetivert. I don't really pick up on the almonds others speak of, because the vetivert is practically all-pervasive, bar the cloves. After a few hours the vetivert eventually fades and leaves a slightly sweet, slightly clove-scented boozy scent.

 

However, I don't think this scent is my style as the strong and pungent vetivert hangs around for too long.

In the vial this has a bright and woodsy sort of scent, with lovely light florals, like a walk in a beautiful forest filled with clean, crisp and sparkling things. On my wrist it deepends and darkens and a citrusy scent emerges from within the beautiful florals, as if finding a lemon tree in a shaded part of the forest. After a few hours of brightening of the scent, it continues to smell clean and lovely, with less floral and citrus, but it remains delicately sweet with hints of ozone coming through.

In the vial this is a suitably tropical melon, with darker notes hiding behind the sweet, juicy scent. On my skin the sweet melon is tempered by the darker notes of smoky tabacco and a slightly boozy scented gin. After a few hours this is a softer version of its former self, still a tropical melon scent, with a hint of honey smoothing out the rest of the scents as it fades.

In the bottle this has the smell of sweet, sugared vanilla and caramel covered nuts! Something like sugared almonds, though the nuts certainly aren't almonds. On my skin, this warms and morphs into a sweet, yet dark, caramel-honey-musk scent which is tempered by the nutty background smell, with just a touch of patchouli; it's a lovely comforting scent that belongs in front of a toasty open fire on a cold winters night. After a few hours all of the warm, comforting and lovely smells take on a very slightly smoky edge. This is a lovely, warming winter perfume.

 

My boyfriend commented that I smelled like maple syrup!

Sugar Cookie 2005 - This is a thick, syrupy and utterly lovely butterscotch schnapps scent in the vial - delicious!! On my skin, the scent lightens to a degree, and the scent of cookies comes out from behind the butterscotch - a divinely sweet and foody scent. After a few hours a lovely spiced cookie scent comes through as the butterscotch softens and fades slowly. Utterly scrumptious!

In the vial this has the scent of oddly sweet yet savory vetivert with a spicy chili kick to it. The sweetness, however, immediately vanishes on my skin and becomes a dark yet almost watery scent, smelling strongly of pungent, bitter vetivert. After a few hours it softens as it fades and turns into a slightly sweeter version of the vetivert as the dragon's blood comes through.

 

However, I don't think it's my style as the vetivert is too strong and pungent.

In the vial this smells of a deep spicy orange and patchouli mix. On my skin the patchouli takes over from the orange, and it becomes a spicy patchouli with a fading orange blossom scent lingering faintly in the background as the ginger starts to make its presence known in an almost savoury sort of scent. After a few hours it fades quite quickly and turns into a very soft scent, smelling vaguely of an almost completely vanished patchouli...

In the vial this is a dark scent of what is a mixture of vanilla and narcissus, with bright orange sparkling through the darkness. On my skin the scents merge and combine, and the orange receeds to the background, producing a dark, floral vanilla. After a few hours it becomes a soft musk-like vanilla, fading slowly...

 

In the vial, this has the scent of newly turned earth and sweet florals combined in a lovely way - there is no hint of poison in this scent! On my skin the earth scent ramps up with a hint of mushrooms and sweetness behind it - an amazing and lovely combination! After a few hours it settles down to a smoothly sweet vanilla-like scent with earthy tones in the background. It is a surprisingly beautiful scent!

In the vial, a strong sugary sweetness of banana, like banana lollies hits my nose - it's just utterly delicious! On my skin this turns into a soft fruity mix of tropical scents; the banana fades into the background behind cool pomegranate that is warmed with coconut and a background of other soft delicious, sugared fruit juices. After a few hours a soft sugar is left, ever so slightly sweetened by the faded mixed fruit and coconut fragrance, sitting softly on my skin. Lovely.

 

In the vial, this is a cool, sweet vanilla pine scent; lovely and subtle, yet deliciously attractive. On my skin the vanilla warms nicely, giving a softly sweet scent over the fragrance of woods in the background - just lovely! After a few hours a woody scents are left, tempered slightly by a faded breath of soft vanilla behind them all…

This is quite an unusual scent in the vial - it is almost savoury or bitter, backed and softened by something smooth like musk or amber, with a hint of citrus. On my skin it becomes a musky, fir and citrus tree combination, quite interesting and somehow reminds me of a forest, despite the lemon rind! After a few hours the citrus fades, and it becomes a woody musk.

 

It is an interesting scent, but not quite my thing.