mspixieears

I just got this in a big bunch of imps today and because I was after a nice gourmand fragrance decided to test this imp first.

It is truly delicious - spicy and alluring because of the vanilla-esque tonka bean. Think of it as a gourmand fragrance with a lot of depth. I'm not sure what the spices are (they aren't specified) but they aren't too overpowering, and upon drydown the violet present starts to peek through but does not dominate. I also feel that the clove is used very sparingly and thankfully as this is a note that can overpower very easily.

The official description - bright violet with sweet clove, Mediterranean spice notes and tonka bean. This will work equally well in hotter and colder weather but I bet it's a real stunner in wintertime! A scent made for seduction!

This is one of the first scents from BPAL that I got all the notes straight-off! Honey, amber, vanilla! I absolutely adore it and am contemplating whether or not to get a 5mL as this could be very, very wearable for everyday. I hear it doesn't age so well and is one of the loveliest semi-gourmand amber scents I've tried in the catalogue so far.

Rose seems to work well on me in conjunction with other things and I got htis as a random imp in a mystery pack but it absolutely hated me. It's too cloying and I don't get enough of its fruitiness because it fades instantly and starts on the rose immediately. It would probably have been more enjoyable as a fragrance if the pomegranate were more prominent on me.

One of the most sophisticated vanilla scents I've had the pleasure to try. I detect the sandalwood but it is very smoothly integrated into the fragrance oil as a whole. I also detect what could be a hint of warm, soft musk that rounds out the composition as a whole and for me this fragrance had excellent staying power.

Some similar fragrances crop up in this thread too - http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=3798 - it's worth going through for reference.

I *hate* those sorts of pumpkin scents traditionally but a lovely person sent me an almost empty imp of Pumpkin Queen and it's delicious! I recommend hunting it down for trial if you can!

Psyche knocks me out like nobody's business and I sleep so well when I wear it and I have a history of nightmares, night terrors and constantly waking up so that when it's time to get up I look like the living dead. I recommend it highly.

I'm surprised no one's mentioned Shango? It says red apples, I didn't realise it was red apples but after trying it blindly and not reading what notes were in it, apple is very prominent in this.

I know The Hesperides supposedly has golden apples but I didn't find it super prominent. Could be that I didn't give it as much of a chance as I could, being the impulsive newbie...

 

any bpal suggestions for lovers of Guerlain's classic Vol de Nuit (narcissus, iris, oakmoss, vanilla, galbanum)?

 

I would love love love to know this too! It's not easy to get alas.

Jacob's Ladder always reminds me of Vol de Nuit. It's slightly more golden and less melancholy, but I think they're similar. Lucretia is in the same family, as well.

 

any bpal suggestions for lovers of Guerlain's classic Vol de Nuit (narcissus, iris, oakmoss, vanilla, galbanum)?

 

I would love love love to know this too! It's not easy to get alas.

 

 

Wow, I'm surprised I missed this question because I would have responded sooner. Vol de Nuit is one of my all-time favorites...it's woodsy, smooth and beautiful. I strongly suggest trying "And There Was a Great Cry in Egypt," one of the Salon scents. It's resinous, woodsy, soft, slightly powdery, and enigmatic, very much in the same style as VdN.

Oh you wonderful, wonderful people! Thank you, I will be chasing those down like the olfactory harpy I have become.

any bpal suggestions for lovers of Guerlain's classic Vol de Nuit (narcissus, iris, oakmoss, vanilla, galbanum)?

I would love love love to know this too! It's not easy to get alas.

Um...if you like Jezebel or Delight you will also like Little Shop of Beauty's 'Island Baby'.

This is also a great thread for those of us who need to find a BPAL equivalent to fragrances that are (sadly) not animal cruelty free.

Fragranced oils always work so much better with my skin, and yesterday I tried La Belle au Bois Dormant and the orchids/white florals/tropical blooms in it sang like crazy with my body chemistry! Sillage was to be had by all!

I just tried Spellbound for the first time today and that is nothing but pure nag champa on me. My BPAL nose is still very new but the similarity was dead-on. A bit different to what I was expecting, actually.

The sample was from oil approximately 2 years old so it might have changed from when it was initially made. It really is worth a try!

The long discontinued Lush massage bar with a glace morello cherry half embedded in it...darn, forgot the name but that was cassis at its most divine. Skin Sin was nothing like it at all!

Cherie Ripe! That was what it was called! My initiation into cassis.