kwsix

This is EXACTLY what happens to Dragon's Milk on me - i've just posted a review describing it as a "blown-out vanilla candle" ;-)) I also get a little toasted coconut in there too.

Yep, that's what I get from Dragon's Milk too. Minus the coconut.

 

Antique Lace is pure vanilla on me.

I love Queen of the Nile, and I would wear it for scent alone, but I don't, out of respect for the oil. I do wear it when I want to draw people to me and improve my ability to relate to them, and when I feel like my powers of charm need a boost. On first application, I get soft creamy orange/citrus, almost like baby aspirin or a creamsicle. As the oil dries, the dark musk and spices come out. It has decent but not overpowering throw, and it makes me feel like I'm enveloped in a cloud of seductive scent. It is a dark scent, but the creamy orange stays around and brightens it up considerably. It's just a lovely, sexy scent, and I do feel more confident and flirtatious when I wear it. I haven't had any unusual encounters with strangers, which is not what I was going for anyway, but I do feel more comfortable talking to people than I usually do.

 

It actually reminds me a lot of Florence. It has the same berries, spice, and smoky amber quality that I get out of Florence. This blend is just a bit darker and more seductive. It smells a little muskier than Florence did as well, perhaps a smoky dark musk.

You're exactly right! I love Florence too, and Queen of the Nile is definitely similar. I get citrus from QotN, and berries from Florence, but they both have that smoky seductive thing going on.

In the imp: Sweet fruit

 

Wet on my skin: Fruit Loops, Fruity Pebbles, Trix

 

Drydown: As soon as Tweedledee starts to dry, the sweet rabid *fruit* backs off. It becomes much creamier and lighter, and the pepper starts to come out just a little.

 

Overall: It was love at first sniff. Tweedledee earned a spot in my top 10. It's such a light and zingy scent. Orange blossom tends to go weird on me, but it stays lovely in this blend - all mandarin, no floral in sight. It is a very sweet scent, but the white tea keeps it fresh and the pepper makes it interesting. It has very strong throw on me. My co-worker in the next office asked me to share my Fruit Loops.

I'll have them up tomorrow evening if no one gets to them first. My husband only managed to get through Good Omens today. I tried doing a quick shot of them just now, but the flash completely obscured the artwork and we don't have enough artificial light anywhere in the house to do without it.

 

edited to fix weird double-post issue

I ordered him so well that he's actually taking the pictures. I'm posting them in the label art gallery as he gets them done. Crowley and Aziraphale are up now. I told him he could get several bottles in each picture, but he's trying to be all artsy or something.

 

Agnes Nutter

War

Shadwell

I'm on it! My husband had commandeered my camera for several days, but I just ordered him to bring it to me. I'll have pictures of the Good Omens & Stardust labels within the hour.

I'm looking for a BPAL that smells like Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist.

I think it only smells a little like Cashmere Mist, but Antique Lace has a very similar feel to me. Maybe your mom would like it.

I haven't tried Boomslang. I like the Candy Butcher, but it's more sweet cream than chocolate on me. Bliss is all chocolate, but it doesn't have that much throw. Velvet is fabulous if you like sandalwood. I would try to get either Boomslang or Candy Butcher now, because as ivyandpeony pointed out, Bliss and Velvet are GC.

On me, Lolita is sweet lemon candy with a delicate wisp of flowers. It's girly, soft, and fresh. As it dries, the flowers come out more but the lemon is still noticeable. It's innocent and sweet without being cloying, and it would be great for warm (but not hot) spring days.

In the imp: chocolate and cherries

 

On my skin: chocolate, cherries, and roses

 

Drydown: same as above, but the chocolate fades and a powdery scent comes out that is actually very nice

 

Overall: I really like this blend. It's feminine and a little "old-ladyish", but it's interesting enough to keep my attention.

In the imp it smells like a rich, boozy floral. On my skin, it blooms into a creamy white floral that I would guess is lotus or gardenia, or a combination of the two. It's the type of floral that makes me think of bananas. There is a hint of berry way in the background, but it's overpowered by the waxy florals. It's a lovely blend, but really not my style. I'm very glad that I had the chance to try it, though.

This is foody heaven! Golden pastry, currants, and a hint of sweet citrus from start to finish.

Lydia is a beautiful, delicate, floral blend. Jasmine, I think, but maybe not. If it is jasmine, it's the nicest jasmine I've ever encountered. It's a very sweet blend, and as it dries something fresh and bright like the ozone in Neo-Tokyo comes out. I typically don't gravitate toward florals, but if Lydia was easier to find, I would wear it on a regular basis.

Crowley is amazing. It was love at first sniff.

 

In the bottle, it's leather and musk with an underlying sweet creaminess that must be the vanilla husk. On my skin, it's almost indescribably sexy. It doesn't scream sexy. It suggests, with an arched brow, a bad attitude, and a come-hither smirk. I developed an innocent crush on Crowley when I read Good Omens, but now I want to do filthy and disgusting things with him. Repeatedly. If I can get this scent on my husband, he will be one happy but exhausted man.

 

It is slightly reminiscent of Dee. There's something here that reminds me of The Organ Grinder too. They are both sweet, creamy, and woodsy. But Crowley is so much more. The leather plays nice, and so does the patchouli, so don't let them scare you off. The lilac cologne and lemon rind sit softly in the background, and I think they do an excellent job of keeping the blend from getting too heavy. I can't imagine anyone not liking this scent. Crowley instantly won a place in my top 10, and it's one of the sexiest scents I've ever smelled, BPAL or otherwise. It's truly a masterpiece, and it is fitting tribute to an amazing character.

If anyone wants to see the Good Omens & Stardust labels, I'll be glad to post pictures later. I would do it now, but my husband took my digital camera to work today.

To me, Manhattan was not at all similar to Neo-Tokyo. I haven't tried Ultraviolet or Shattered. Good luck with your search. I love Neo-Tokyo too, but haven't found anything that compares yet.

The notes don't compare, but what about Tamamo-no-Mae? That's what the description of Miracle reminds me of. I would describe it as a bright and modern oriental with fruit, florals, and ginger.

On me, Tamamo-no-Mae is a bright fruity floral. I don't get any sandalwood from the blend. It's very summery and feminine, and I agree that there's a certain peachy feel even though peach may or may not be present in the blend. I get very little ginger, and as it dries the skin musk really starts to come out. I'm not too fond of the wet stage on my skin. It's too bright and sharp for my liking, more like a classicly feminine department store perfume. And the skin musk smells too musky and dirty, but that's definitely just my skin. Musks are always iffy on me. But when it dries, the sharpness turns into a surprisingly lovely glow that is sweet with a hint of tartness and ever so slightly spiced. Tamamo-no-Mae settles into an amazingly delicate skin scent that no department store scent could ever achieve.

My biased recommendations:

 

Euphrosyne

Dragon's Milk

Lampades

Kumiho

Alice

Iago

 

Alternates: Blood, Bordello, Velvet, Misk U, Snake Oil, Dorian

 

These suggestions are based on my personal preferences, plus in my experience they tend to draw people in because they're so unique.

In the imp: Honey and herbs

 

Wet on my skin: More of the same, with ylang ylang coming into play

 

As it dries, the honey becomes less prominent and a dusty dried-flower scent comes into play. It's a very pleasant scent that reminds me a little of old-fashioned perfume. It's something that wouldn't be out of place on my grandmother. I do like it quite a bit, but I don't know how often I would wear it. For honeyed florals, I prefer Hetairae.

Tweedledum is lovely! Oddly enough, it reminds me of the lighter notes of Thierry Mugler's Angel. It must be the combination of patchouli and fruits. I don't really detect any of the notes individually except the patchouli. It's very light, refreshing, and sweet without being foody or sugary. The patchouli grounds the scent and makes it different than most of the other light fruity BPAL blends I've tried. It's more earthy and sensual, but still very light and airy. This is definitely going on my bottle want list.

I agree with ivyandpeony about the dragon's blood. Maybe try Blood . . . it's sweet and spicy, but no herbs in sight.

In the imp: Almond extract

On my skin: No department store perfume here. This is a nice soft blend of almond, sandalwood, and flowers, which must be the star jasmine. There is a definite sweetly smoky undertone here that I really like. It's similar to a drift of smoke from sandalwood incense. As it dries, the almond fades away and the other notes become more prominent. I don't know how star jasmine relates to regular jasmine, but there's no jasmine-out-of-control problem here at all. My only complaint is that it fades very quickly on me. By the time it's completely dry, it's almost completely gone.

Overall, this is a nice blend of very light, slightly powdery florals and smoky sandalwood incense. I like it, but it doesn't really jump out at me, and it fades too quickly. I'll probably keep my imp, which was a freebie from the lab, but if I see it on someone's wishlist I might just pass it on. It's pleasant but unexciting.

In the bottle, I get a deep, soapy aquatic. On my skin, it's still soapy, but the ozone comes out to play. This isn't the same light ozone that I love in Neo-Tokyo. It's much darker and more masculine. Even though it's dark, it's very clean and fresh, and as others have mentioned it is reminiscent of a high-end men's cologne. Also, I think it's a dead ringer for one of the Old Spice High Endurance bodywashes that my stepson uses. Mountain Fresh scent, maybe? Yes, that's a compliment.

 

The amber doesn't come out until drydown, and on my skin it clashes horribly with the other notes. Usually amber does really well on me, but it isn't working at all on me this time. I can tell it would be lovely on someone with different chemistry, but it just makes me smell like I'm trying to cover up poor hygiene with a soapy aquatic men's body spray. I'm going to pass my bottle on to my stepson, because I think it will be gorgeous on him.

I have to respectfully disagree with starrykitten. I just got Thunder Moon today, and it smells nothing like Neo-Tokyo to me. Yes, it's ozone-y, but it's not the same light airy ozone as Neo-Tokyo. Of course, your body chemistry may interpret it differently. I haven't found anything else close to Neo-Tokyo, sadly.