Esatres

Coming back to BPAL after a decade of plenty of stress and looking to refocus on myself. I'm looking for something similar to Fire Pig, which was my go-to for several years when I had a whole bottle of the stuff. Thanks for any help -- know it's a very old scent. 

You might give Loi Krathong a try, though it is a very different beast from Snake Oil or the like. The incense in it is not like others I've tried...more of a wood undertone. I think the coconut bark gives it a nice sweetness.

Need a little help finding a substitute for Ether, from the Steamworks (listed as "Translucent blooms, ethereal white resins, and davana.") It's a little sharp on me, like a green chemical of some sort...and I have no idea what it is in the blend that does this.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Chimera = Cinnabon. No doubt about it.

Right now, this smells exactly like a public restroom on me -- sort of rotting floral, sort of human waste. I hope it gets better.

 

I've never worn unaged dragon's blood before, so if it continues to stink, I'll put it away for a few weeks and try it then. Ew.

I'm going to quote this review, because it is essentially how Dragon's Milk turns out to be on me: public restroom.

Embalming Fluid is one of my favourites in Ars Moriendi. It's a really nice citrus tea that evokes 'summer' more than it evokes 'death', though.

In the imp: Cinnamon EXPLOSION

Wet on skin: Really warm cinnamon, with myrrh lingering in the back, providing a bit of smokiness. Very reminiscent of cinnamon buns, as many have already mentioned. So far, no hint of copal.

Drying: Absolutely gorgeous cinnamon. Not dry or sharp. Very full and warm, which can probably be attributed to the myrrh and copal in the back. Honeysuckle drifts in and out, but the focus is definitely the warmed cinnamon. So far, copal is doing okay on my skin. If it is indeed similar to amber, then when dry, I can expect epic failure.

1 hour later, dry: Play-Doh. This pretty much proves that anything with amber, copal, or any related resin goes to play-doh on my skin.

I can't wear it, but if your skin handles resins, this might be the perfect cinnamon blend.

My boyfriend always gives me the most amazing roses for Valentine's day (except for that one time when the roses came with other flowers that I was allergic to, but that's a whole different story). This perfume smells exactly like those roses. The strength of the rose scent is tempered by this fresh greenness and really presents as a well-rounded scent. As it fades, the "green" scent comes out on me more though, with the rose taking the backseat.

I wish I slathered so that I could have an excuse to buy a ton of bottles of this stuff. Love it.

Definitely fifthing (or whatever ) Candy Butcher. It's definitely the most chocolatey, even though its throw is inferior to Boomslang. If you're looking for 70% unsweetened cocoa, Candy Butcher is it.

I'd say:

Aizen-Myoo

Embalming Fluid

Shanghai

Kumiho

Sea of Glass

Obatala/Milk Moon 07

The Apothecary

Yemaya

Fire Pig

Xanthe, the Weeping Clown

Talvikuu

Generally, when I think "clean and fresh", I think of aquatics/ozone and wet fruits...the composition of the list above reflects that. This is generally the category of scents I like to wear the most, since many of the notes are agreeable with my skin, so your mileage may vary with some of the things, most notably the "bubblegummy" note that some people get in Xanthe and Yemaya.

Also another word of caution, Obatala and Milk Moon 07 smell exactly alike on me, though Obatala is more "fresh" when wet, I suppose.

In the imp: faint...chocolately and creamy, but faint.

On skin, wet: Unsweetened cocoa, dead on. Very dry and dusty-like, but absolutely chocolicious.

Dry: Stays true to the beautiful cocoa scent in the wet stage. Unfortunately, if I slather tooo much, a strange metal-like note creeps in there. I suspect this is the cream going wrong on my skin, as Dana O'Shee does this as well. Other than that...absolutely lovely.

Loving this little imp, may end up buying a bottle.

edit: Boyfriend says it smells like ether. He's dead wrong, but it is unfortunate that I can't wear it with reckless abandon around him. =\

In the imp: wet coconutty goodness....very sweet.

Drydown: Still coconutty...a little sourness coming out, probably from the milk. I seem to have a problem with that note.

Dry: So I've put Obatala on one wrist and Milk Moon 2007 on the other. After the drydown, I can't tell the difference between the two. Obatala is absolutely a dead ringer for Milk Moon 2007 on me.

Imp: Creamy, fruity sweet. Really quite lovely. I definitely get some grape/pineapple feel here.

Wet: About the same as in the imp. The honey comes out a bit more and sweetens the fruit. There is definitely a "tropical" feel here. I don't get any fig or pomegranate, but I get pineapple and grape. >_>

Dry: Well...I think "urine" would be the most accurate description. I have no idea how a sweet, tropical, fruity scent dried to smell like urine, but it did. If someone wants this imp, I'm definitely open to giving it away. A total failure on me. *sigh*

In the imp, it's definitely aaaall lychee. Very little citrus, and definitely no dragon's blood or peony...or anything else, for that matter.

Wet, it's still extraordinarily fruity, but there's a little dragon's blood showing up, I think. It's something more "deep" than fruityfruitfruit, that's for sure.

Dry, on me, it stays very fruity, but gets some kind of "dry" edge. Maybe the wood/resin/bamboo just backing up the fruit.

Overall, this scent is...happy. That doesn't really describe it fully, but there's an intangible feeling I get when I sniff the scent. Or maybe I just really love lychee. Who knows. Love this though.

I honestly have no idea what anyone else is talking about here.

On me, all I get from Talvikuu is sweet berry with a slight woody touch. Maybe I got a bum imp or something (?).

Fortunately, I love the berry scent and am glad that pine isn't flipping out and amping like it usually does on me. It's very refreshing and clean...not like the "death of the year" at all.

Awesome, thank you!

(excuse the bump, please!!)

So I'm looking for a "spicy" blend that works for me. I've looked through the thread and noted some things that sound interesting....but...

The biggest problem for me is that in trying The Lion and Bengal, both go straight to Play-Doh on me. While I love both scents when they're wet (sweet, yet spicy), they're horrid when dry. Anyone with or without this problem have any recs?

So I got out of my organic chemistry laboratory, ate some dinner, and picked up my BPAL package. Lab had frimped me with Isle of Demons.

Upon initial sniff, it was a nice, inoffensive soapy smell. Kinda generic.

Upon drying on the skin, I swear, it smelled like soap and benzoic acid. I know the "benzoic acid smell" since I had just done a lab with the stuff. it's kinda acrid (ash, maybe?), but still....soapy.

Soapy benzoic acid.

Not something I want to smell like.

To swaps it goes.

Nope, haven't really tried any other foody scents. The closest to another "foody" is probably Dana O'Shee, which goes kinda powdery, but in a pleasant, almondy way.

The currants in Eat Me are really nicely balanced in when it's still wet on me, but afterwards is a little....icky.

Anyone have an impression on how Eat Me ages? It's way too...buttery...on me right now, but I'm wondering if that goes away with time. It's probably going to end up in the swaps if it doesn't.

... Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea.

In the imp: Bitter citrus. I find it refreshing, but it's definitely not for everyone.

Wet: The bitterness pretty much goes away and is replaced by a sweet citrus that's tempered pretty well by the tea. The cherry blossom is coming out, but subtly.

Dry: Cherry blossom + some tea. But mostly cherry blossom. For some reason, it's reeeaaally dark and brooding on me. It's got an undercurrent of bitterness, but it's not citrusy at all.

Conclusion: Florals hate me.

In the imp: Sharp, sharp strawberry. Sharp, sharp...bitterness. Pretty disgusting.

Wet: Sharp strawberry. Bitter. Not pleasant.

Dry: Strawberry incense with a vengeance. Bitterness mostly disappeared, and definitely not me.

Conclusion: It really smells a lot better on the skin than in the imp, so you may want to give it a shot, even if the imp scent is off-putting.

In the imp: Caramel is pretty much all I smell. A slight whiff of coffee now and then. Smells exactly like a coffee shop for sure.

Wet: More caramel, with a darkly nutty undertone. Hazelnut? Some kinda smoky nut. Coffee shows right back up at the top after a little bit, with whiffs of vanilla.

Dry: Sweet, very nutty. Good amount of cream and vanilla as well.

Conclusion: Quite a comforting scent that really makes me want some coffee, heh. No hint of the books, though. I don't think I want to smell like it all the time just walking around though. I'd say that this is a good "intro to foody" scent for those who are looking to sample foodiness.