Neko

Los Angeles has been experiencing a heat wave lately, and my room, the little oven that it is, is well over 100 degrees at this point. I'm terrified for the saftey of my BPAL! The imps are have swollen shut from the heat (the glass and plastic have expanded to the point where it is almost impossible to pry the vials open), and the bigger bottles are so hot that their laminated labels are sticking together, and peeling off when I try to pull the bottles apart. I live in a co-op so I don't have a fridge, and despite having the window open and the fan on, the room is still a ridiculous temperature. I'm terrified that all of my oils will spoil, so I need a solution and fast!

I am looking for a soft, innocent, romantic floral scent. I want to avoid anything too heavy, dark, cloying or sweet. I am trying to find something youthful but not childish. I'm particularly interested in scents that feel "pink"... If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be delighted to hear them! Help me avoid the "old lady perfume" trap!

I've recently discovered that I love Auric Blends Egyptian Goddess. I bought this perfume oil to wear to a larp (I wanted the distinct change in personal fragrance to signal a subtle but unnerving change in the character) and I found myself falling in love with it. I was wondering if anybody had discovered a similar scent in the BPAL repertoire. I'd love to purchase a BPAL oil that smells like Egyptian Goddess! I know that Beth, master perfumer and artistic genius that she is, would be able to create something even more enchanting and delicious! So, any suggestions?

A red scent might possibly include: dragon's blood cinnamon cherry rose currants red wine/merlot I'm sure there are other things that might be commonly found in a red scent, but most of the red scents I've seen listed in this thread contain one or more of those ingredients. Other things that might be seen in a red blend: red patchouli red sandalwood clove raspberry cranberry Thus, I am torn about ordering The Living Flame. If it is a spicy, resin scent then I ought to love it. If it's a fruity, rosey scent then I'm bound to hate it.

If you can drum up any Blue Moon, Cold Moon, or Tears, they all struck me as "watery". However, they might be difficult to find, particularly Tears. I also recommend: Water of Notre Dame (smells like a creek running through a meadow) Hurricane (rain and drift wood) Jolly Roger (ocean, wood, and leather) Lightning (ozone, beginning of a rain storm) Bayou (dark water and tropical flowers) From what I've heard, Danube, R'lyeh and Empyreal Mist would be good choices as well, though I haven't personally tried any of them.

Carnal and Intrigue struck me as extremely figgy. Both are sweet scents, but Carnal is very bright and bubbly, while Intrigue is mellow and deep. The Apothecary was only mildy figgy, and Mata Hari was all roses and coffee on me (no figginess to be found).

Both Pandora and Undertow seemed to have a strong lotus scent to them when they mixed with my skin chemistry. However Pandora was a much brighter and sharper blend, while Undertow seemed darker and smoother. I would assume anything with the word "lotus" in its name probably features lotus as a dominant note in the blend. I'm surprised you could pick out any lotus in Kathmandu... my nose got hung up on the cedar (which I love).

In the vial: This has the same watery, pale quality that Blue Moon had... a delicate blend of florals with a bit of melon (or perhaps cucumber) tossed in for good measure. However, this blend is a bit earthier than Blue Moon, which I suspect may be the work of the ferns. Wet: The florals intensify for a moment, and the scent becomes less ethereal, more solid. The scent is still pale and chilly at this point, but it has lost some of it's original watery quality. The melon/cucumber note has been pushed to the background. Dry: This scent is a changeling. One moment I smell melons, the next I smell potent white florals. While the scent remains delicate, aquatic, and gentle near my skin, its throw (which is predominantly floral) is dry and intense, almost incensy. There is something smooth and deep beneath the rest of the notes that might be musk. Overall: The floral notes in the Cold Moon get to be a little much for me. When I wear this I will have to apply sparingly to avoid killer sinus headaches.

In the vial: I can smell the snowy, slushy notes that are mentioned in the description and I am impressed. Not plastic at all, instead they make the scent nice and chilly. The pine comes through, clean, sharp, and slightly soapy (like Zest), while the berries add a delicious, subtle, sweet tinge to the scent Wet: My skin draws the berries into the forefront. I normally can't stand berry blends, but there is something unusual about the berries in Skadi. They're sweet without being overpowering, and they don't reek of artificiality. The pine has fallen into the background but continues to add a razor edge to the scent. Dry (10 min): The pine is all but gone, however the cool snowy note remains to temper the berries. Without the pine, Skadi takes on a creamier, more feminine nature. Dry (30 min): Hmm, the pine is making a comeback, though it is still playing a supporting role to the berries. The entire scent is pretty subtle at this point. Dry (1 hour): The snowy note has all but disappeared, allowing the scent to warm up some. The berries have also faded quite a bit, while the pine scent has become more potent. On a whole, the scent has become very faint. Dry (1 hour 30 min): The last of the pine has faded into a gentle dry pine needle and allspice scent. Overall: I agree that this is the best of the Yule 2004 blends. Skadi is phenomenal: bittersweet, subtle, intriguing. Sadly, my skin absorbs this oil at an alarming rate! I put Skadi on a little over an hour ago, and the scent is all but gone.

First off, let me say that this single note is one of my very few "OMFG" good BPAL scents. Wet: This smell is intensely fresh, clean, and zingy. It makes my nose tingle! The scent is sweet, much like a peppermint hard candy is sweet, but this lacks the sort of cloying, sugary, sticky quality that most sweet blends have. Instead I am left feeling light, cool, and rejuvenated... like I've been sucking on a candy cane out in the snow. Dry: This scent becomes much gentler once it dries down. Instead of the bright scent of peppermint stick, I am left with the mild herbal scent of peppermint tea. This oil is still refreshing, but it becomes much more subtle, even delicate, at this point. The scent is definitely soothing and comforting, like wrapping up in a warm blanket on the couch with a steaming mug in your hands. This would be a wonderful oil for a sick child (or a sick adult). It calms my headaches and works wonders on tummy troubles. This scent is perfect when I want to wear something light and simple. I can't emphasize how much I love this stuff!

I second Phantasm and Old Shanghai... they're both such lovely, clean, citrus scents. In fact, I think both of them would be great summer scents too! Light pink and green florals are wonderful choices for spring as well, so I suggest Pele, Bayou, Magdalene, and Old Kyoto. A blend that has always reminded me of warming days, meadows, and calm weather is Water of Notre Dame. Scents I haven't had a chance to try that sound as if they might be good are Glasgow, Amsterdam, and Oisin.

I have Moon rose and Goneril, but I haven't had a chance to try Black Dahlia or Tiger Lily. A partial imp would be wonderful! Thank you so much!

I would have to suggest: Lightning (a sharp ozone scent) Jolly Roger (a clean aquatic scent). Whitechapel (a light citrusy scent) Mad Hatter (a fresh lavender-minty scent) Jabberwocky (a bright, pine-citrus scent) Hellfire (a warm resiny scent) Scarecrow (a dry grassy scent) Golden Priapus (a subtle wood-vanilla scent) Jack (a yummy butter-pumpkin scent) Dragon's Bone could be a good choice, but I've noticed that dragon's blood resin tends to become very fruity on me (it smells a lot like cherry chapstick). It also becomes fruity on several of my friends. If your son doesn't like fruity scents, this might be one to avoid. I would say the same thing about any scent that has dragon's blood in it. Of course, it can be different on other people. Zephyr is also quite nice, but I found the scent to be quite feminine, and my boyfriend says it smelled "very perfumy". That might not be good for a 13 year old boy. I haven't tried Coyote, but it sounds absolutely wonderful, and the notes in it seem fairly gender neutral.

Actually, I have two imps of Hemlock. One is a pale yellow and the other is a pale green, The pale yellow one smells like herbs with a touch a lemon, while the pale green one smells far more piney. I wonder if I got two very different batches, or if one isn't really Hemlock!

I agree that Death, the World, and the Empress would all be pretty good choices for you. You might also want to look into Judgement, which was predominantly a dark and complex blend of dried florals and herbs on my skin. Not too light, but not heavy enough to be headache inducing. I would actually advise against the High Priestess. I have a 10ml of this scent, and while it is quite pretty, it definitely has sweet almonds in it. On my skin, it is all almonds and mint. You might not want that if you are attempting to avoid foody scents.

I'm not a big fan of lavender, so I have some recommendations for lavender free masculine scents: I have to recommend Hellfire... it smells so warm and rich, without being foody or feminine at all. It somehow manages to be sexy and comforting at the same time. You might also want to look into Severin for something unique but subtle (leather and earl grey tea). Antony might be a good pick if you want a masculine resin scent. Lear sounds good if you want an herbal, fresh masculine scent. Whitechapel might be the way to go if you want a masculine citrus scent. Jolly Roger is great if you want a masculine aquatic scent (ocean and leather).

In reply to "what oils are similar to snake oil": The up and coming scent Decadence smells very much like Snake Oil... I know there are some imps of it floating around out there, perhaps you will be able to find one. Dragon's Milk is fairly similar to Snake Oil as well. They both strike me as rich, spicy-sweet scents, but Dragon's Milk has that unique dragon's blood tang to it, making it fruitier than Snake Oil. On that note, Egg Nog resembled Dragon's Milk quite a bit... it had the same creamy, spicy sweetness to it, but none of the fruitness. So that might be something else to look into, if you can get your hands on some. Mabon and Hunter Moon must be twins. Both are predominantly deep, dark, fruity/wine scents on me, though Mabon had a touch of floral while Hunter Moon had a drop of musk. Both are heavy, both are undeniably autumnal scents, and I associate both with shades of purple. The Queen of Spades is actually quite similar to Mabon as well, though her fruitiness is less heady: plums instead of wine. They both have that light floral touch (which is a bit more noticable in the Queen), and they both share a soft, resin base. The Queen of Spades is a very purple scent as well.

Both Unseelie and Dissipation were quite a bit like Blue Moon to my nose, just a tad less fruity (Blue Moon had a definite melon-like quality to it). My body had the same reaction to all three scents as well (though to varying degrees), so I am sure they share some notes.

In the bottle: On first sniff, pineapple and jasmine jump out at me, unfortunately they are followed by a strong plastic note that might be the "flurries of virgin snow". Needless to say, I'm a little worried. I clear my nose and take another sniff: now I get soft, creamy vanilla... and plastic. On my skin (5 min): The vanilla dominates the scent at this point, but it remains gentle and smooth, like vanilla ice cream rather than vanilla bean or vanilla extract. The plastic has faded, but it lingers in the background. The fruit and florals have disappeared for the time being. On my skin (30 min): The pineapple note has reappeared, though it is less intense than it was in the bottle. The vanilla is going strong, and clearly serves as the backbone of this scent. The heavy plastic note is all but gone, however it leaves an overall synthetic touch to the scent that makes me unhappy. Strangely, it seems a previously unnoticed herbal note is trying to break through. The jasmine is hiding far behind all of the other notes, adding the smallest breath of sweet floral to the blend. On my skin (1 hr): I can smell the mint note that others have mentioned, though it is far from the bright, piercing mint I am used to... instead it is rather dry and herbal, and it is very, very light. Still, I am happy to have it around (I love mint). The pineapple note is throwing. I can catch it wafting through the air around me. The plastic note seems to come and go in waves: sometimes I smell it, sometimes I dont. I think it might actually be white musk behaving strangely with some of the other notes on my skin (usually white musk smells lovely on me). I would just like to testify how much this scent can change on the skin. When I first tried this on two and a half weeks ago, it was predominantly jasmine, almond and pineapple. The plastic scent (probably musk) was also far more intense. Now it's vanilla and pineapple with just a touch of jasmine and mint, and a much lighter dose of plastic/musk. Its strange how much skin chemistry can change in such a short amount of time.

In the bottle: This smells identical to an old, dark red, chipped up holiday candle that I had when I was younger. I swear I can almost smell the wax. This blend is deep and spicy, and I can catch just a hint of the bitter sweet holly berry in the back ground. If there is pine in this, it must be dry pine needles, fallen from the tree and lacking any notable scent. I believe "Christmas potpourri" is an accurate description. On the skin (5 min): Do I smell... sun block? Yuletide has somehow morphed into Banana Boat waterproof sun block on my skin. Perhaps that is the pine note trying to come through. My skin chemistry might be causing it to mix strangely with the blend of spices that dominated the scent in the bottle. I hope the pine pulls through. That's why I bought the blend. On the skin (45 min): The spice really kicks it up a notch. The cinnamon is powerful, but it's tempered by another spice, a much darker scent that keeps the blend from becoming too hot or bright. The holly berry note is still there, but it's keeping to itself, far from the spotlight. The scent of sun block still lingers, but no identifiable pine note has emerged. On the skin (1hr 30min): The holly berry has finally peeked out. It's still contending with the strong spices, but it's beginning to make itself known. Pungent and tartly sweet, this berry makes Yuletide very different from your typical berry blends. The emerging holly berry note also lightens the blend up a bit, but not much. Pine is still no where to be found. All in all, this isn't a bad scent, but it isn't the fresh pine scent I was looking for either. This would make a great room scent for the holidays, but I will have to wear it a bit longer before I decide on keeping it as a perfume. If you like deep, warm, spicy blends, this would be perfect for you.

I find that tintagel smells primarily of dragon's blood resin on me, so I might suggest some of the other dragon's blood blends. You can find them listed under Ars Draconis. Maybe you will find something you like!

I find that Tarot: High Priestess smells like a mix of Snowcake soap and After 8:30 massage bar. It must be the almond and the mint!

While I haven't noticed an overarching bpal smell, I have definitely noticed that all of my imps with green or wood notes have a very similar base note to them. While they each have their own lovely top and middle notes, this base note is so pervasive that there are times when I think I could wear one scent on one wrist, a different scent on the other, and within 10 minutes I wouldn't be able to distinguish between the two. The trouble is, I love my green and wood scents while they're fresh, but the base note can take on a dirty, unwashed, oppressive feel (it reminds me a lot of a sweaty old wooden necklace). I don't want avoid those imps forever!

Milk, honey, amber, some almonds, and some florals turn into baby powder on me... sometimes I enjoy it (Magdalene), sometimes I really don't (O), and sometimes its alright (Dana O'Shee). If you find that a lot of the oils tend to turn to baby powder when they hit your skin, you might want to try finding a powdery scent you enjoy. Not all powders are the same!

I need no help getting to sleep, I do just fine with that on my own. However, I am absolutely terrible at staying asleep! I tend to wake up several times a night, and I often have trouble getting back to bed (particularly if I wake up anywhere between 4:00am and 6:00am). I'm not as active a sleeper as I used to be (I used to move in a clockwise rotation around the bed, jerk around, sit up, talk, even sing) but I still have my wild nights... I'm particularly known for laughing in my sleep (I know I do this because my damn boyfriend wakes me up every single time to ask me what was so funny). I wonder if this night time activity has anything to do with my inability to stay asleep. Of course, all of this is affecting how rested I feel in the morning. So, what will keep me out cold the entire night through?