naeelah

Don't worry, you won't find any crappy drug store perfume scents here. It's definitely a bit overwhelming to start out. Since you have a few types of scents you know you like, I'd search the bpal catalog for those notes. For example, if you know you like mandarin, just search "mandarin" and it'll show you everything that contains it. Since you have the notes for your favorite non-bpal perfumes, it should be easy to compare. It's also good to look through the guide to common recommendations. It can help you find guides for particular types of scent (fruity, floral, etc), and also recommendations for bpal that smells like other perfumes. (I didn't find Tommy Girl in the thread, though, so you might be the first to ask.) Don't be afraid of notes you aren't familiar with. (Wikipedia is your friend for identifying strange notes!) It's fun to order, for example, 6 different mandarin scents and see how each one has a different character. Little by little, by trying new things, you should get a better idea of what you like and what doesn't work. There are many flowers in the world and they all smell different. It all just depends on the other things mixed with them, how the notes are balanced, etc. White Diamonds says it contains: lilac, citrus. The middle notes are peach, jasmine, cattleya orchid, exotic spices and heliotrope. The base notes include amber. You'll find a lot of perfumes in the bpal catalog with those notes that smell nothing like white diamonds. I'm not familiar with the two fragrances you mentioned, but I'll try to dig up some recommendations based on the notes.

Ha, that's funny. I really hadn't thought of it. I'll be going dressed as Bellatrix, so I'll have to think of something appropriate for her. What do you think she'd wear? Or what encapsulates her personality? I kind of think of Black Tower. Movie Bellatrix is kind of sexy, so maybe something more like Snake Charmer? Hmmm... this will require some planning! I'm glad you brought it up! ETA: Ha! Someone has already brought up Bellatrix. I thought maybe Blood Countess, but it doesn't seem menacing enough on my skin. (Plus, I already wear it a lot.) Hmm, Darkness?

Oh, I LOVE this! This doesn't seem to morph much one me -- if anything, it just becomes a little less fruity and more floral as it wears -- so beginning to end, Hermia is cute and feisty. There's a sweet, almost fruity quality at the top. Under that is a sweet, happy floral note, and at the bottom is golden amber. I don't get anything powdery from the amber, which is a relief! And over it all is the soft prickle of pink pepper. The pink pepper is very nice. It's not abrasive or angry, it's just spunky. Throw is a little light, if I just put on the usual amount and don't slather, and life seems maybe a little shorter than average. After 2-3 hours it's fairly close to the skin, for me. I love this! Definitely a candidate for 5 ml! It's so perky. (And for the record, I am 5'2".)

I really love Morgause, but it's a wee bit more heavily floral than what I'm looking for. Is there anything in the GC that smells about the same, just with fewer florals? I don't want it to be floral free, necessarily, just not quite as predominately floral. I want a dark, mysterious blend that's not predominately fruity, not predominately floral, not predominately incensey, just a nice even blend of the three. This one is *almost* perfect, but not quite. If you think I could achieve that by layering, feel free to make those suggestions as well.

Wet, this is very sharp and kind of unpleasant, which seems to be a recurring theme with blends containing bergamot, to my nose. Luckily, true to form, the bergamot calms right down. It quickly turns lightly lemon zesty, and the other notes begin to come through. Dry, it's a beautifully balanced orange scent with light spice. What I love is that is manages to NOT smell like traditional holiday "orange spice" blends. It's not foody at all. There's a touch of bright citrus, from the bergamot, a touch of floral citrus, from the orange blossom, a touch of deep bitter citrus, from the neroli, and sweet orange from the mimosa. With a tiny pinch of clove, just adding a little bite. After a little while, it seems to primarily be neroli and clove, which isn't altogether a bad thing, but it isn't as rich and well balanced as it was right after it dried. At first, I was in love and thought that this is what I was hoping for when I bought Kunstkammer (which is all orange candy). The final drydown is a little disappointing, but I'll see if I have better luck with it on a different day or in a locket. Throw is light to average, and lifespan seems shorter than average. After an hour, it's quite close to the skin. Definitely give it a go if you like orange but don't necessarily want foody orange.

Wet, this on is almost all yuzu, and it remains that way as it dries. Aw, this makes me so nostalgic for Japan, and for the many hours I spend in cafes nursing yuzu-cha to nurse the colds I got every month and cheer up. Yuzu cha isn't actually tea, but it's so many kinds of wonderful. It's just yuzu peel with a little bit of yuzu flesh mashed up, steeped in boiling water, with sugar. It's so amazingly fragrant and delicious. This blend is sweet yuzu, so of course my thoughts immediately turn to the drink. So, as made abundantly clear, yuzu is the top note here, and I think the other fruits mostly serve to sweeten it up (yuzu is a bit bitter) and flesh it out. Once dry, the sharpness of the yuzu begins to recede and I can smell just a touch of sweet, delicate cherry blossom, and a warm rich backdrop of black tea. Unfortunately, the components of this blend are not things that last a long time on my skin, so within about 30-45 minutes, this was completely gone. I'll give it a go in a scent locket. I'm not sure if this is a 5ml candidate for me, but I'm definitely keeping an imp! The throw was light to moderate while the yuzu was strong, and softens as the citrus fades. On the skin, this is more of a personal scent, I think. It's so nostalgic for me that it's sadly comforting, so I appreciate that it stays close to the skin.

I'm actually kind of disappointed by how normal this smells. Not like I expected it to smell like sludge, but I was hoping for something a little thicker and foodier. This is very light and, dare I say, refreshing. On me, it smells like a cosmopolitan. I can tell the notes are more complex than that, but in general, it smells like a fruity cocktail. A cocktail that's not quite right, but still, a cocktail. I can't pick out any one note, because it's all very thoroughly blended. Definitely a boozy quality, but not in the thick, syrupy quality I get in Perversion or Roadhouse. It's cool and crisp. Apparently celebrities make high class toilet hooch. The throw is about average. The life is also about average. After around 4-5 hours the throw has weakened considerably, but it's easy to smell under nose. Someone must've dropped the soap in the toilet, because that's how this morphs after an hour or two on my skin. I'll try it another few times, but because of the soap, I'm afraid this might be one for swaps. Quite nice, if cocktail scents strike your fancy. And if it doesn't turn soapy.

I'm not usually such a fan of vanilla scents. I don't hate vanilla, it's just not quite my bag, for every-day sort of scents. A little bit *too* sweet. So I wasn't sure how I'd like Snake Oil, but actually, I love the vanilla in this! It doesn't really morph, on me. It's a combination of warm, resinous oils that have a slightly exotic and powdery character, and are, yes, sugared by vanilla! The effect is very rich and sultry. I definitely see why this has such wide appeal! It's not smoky, not spicy, just rich, a bit like myrrh. As everyone else has said, a little goes a long way, and I see this lasting all night. As someone who often finds many bpal scents a little too weak in throw, it's wonderful! I think it well lives up to all the hype. Not sure if I'll be getting 5ml, but I'll definitely find enough occasions to finish off the imp. It's a close call. Generally prefer scents with a bit of a sharper, spicier, or smoky edge. So I can't way to try the snake pit, because I think I will find several hoarders in it! I would love this scent as the soap, so I will definitely give that a try. ETA: After about 2 months, the imp was noticeably thicker. The scent of aged snake oil isn't drastically different from fresh SO, to my nose, but it is definitely a lot smoother and richer.

Wet and on the initial dry down this one is caramel like woah. I think that I smell the coconut and amber (and maybe a little tobacco) in that wave, but the predominant character is CARAMEL! Thick, syrupy, warm, and sweet. When it's almost finished drying I can smell the amber, but I kind of have to look for it. It blends very well with the other notes and basically just serves to ground everything, I think. Then it's dry and... where did it go? All I smell is a light, dusty, very faintly smoky wood sort of note on my skin, and I have to sniff pretty hard to find it. After another 15 minutes or so, suddenly it's sweet again. (This is typical of my skin chemistry. I can't explain it.) It's still extremely faint and a little bit musty, like a room that people have been smoking in, but the caramel note has returned. I had high hopes for this one, but I don't think it's going to work for me. I got a partial bottle from someone, figuring I'd like it enough to want a few imps but not enough to have a whole 5ml. I like it ok, but it's totally unremarkable on my skin (I can't even smell it!), so off to swaps it goes.

IMO, to my nose, Empress and Rose Moon are very different. Unfortunately I don't have Rose moon, I'm remembering from memory, but it was a sweet rose? Empress is almost all rose (I don't know what kind, but I know it's not tea rose as in London) <snip> I think a closer similarity to Rose Moon is Hope from CD. Hope is much sweeter but I remember thinking they were very similar. Rose Moon is actually a very soft bouquet, and not sweet. At least, on my skin it isn't sweet (and I tend to make sweet things even sweeter). So I have to disagree with Hope as a substitute for Rose Moon. I think the rose note is the same (it's also the same, it seems, as the rose notes in Abhisarika and Lady Luck Blues), but that's where the similarity ends. Hope is pure rose and sugar, sugar, sugar! Rose Moon is a gentle bouquet with a soft, somewhat wood-y base. I haven't tried Empress, but if you like pure rose scents, you should pick up a bottle before it goes away! It sounds heavenly for rose lovers. (I love rose, but not necessarily in plain form. I like them in blends, such as Mata Hari.) (Then again, there's 2,5,7 in the GC, which might be similar.) These are a few that seem like they might be similar, but I haven't tried all of them (or haven't tried them in a while), so please step in and say yea or nay: Ode on Melancholy -- this sounds like it won't be quite as heavy on rose, but sounds very similar in character. (You could always layer in a pure rose) Ouija - heavier on wood, but also sounds similar Three Brides - this is more of an oriental than Rose Moon, and not as heavy on rose, but also similar in character Les Fleurs du Mal - softened rose, not as complex as Rose Moon The Temptation -this one contains black musk, so that will make a difference, but otherwise, it sounds similar

I agree that Knave is more sweet and syrupy. Otherwise, on my skin, the lifespan is actually the opposite! Knave faded within a few hours, but CR lasts foreeeever on my skin (a rare one that does!). I guess the rose in Knave kind of cuts it and makes it a little softer and gentler. Crumpet wasn't quite as smooth. You can still buy 5 ml, you know. Tiresias won't be retiring until January, so you have a whole 6 months to hoard! I can't comment on a GC equivalent, but I will be sure to speak up if anything comes to mind! Hellfire sounds like it might be similar. I have both Hellfire and Tiresias, but I haven't tried either, so I'll give them a go and let you know.

[edited as I change my mind about what I think is in it] Initially, it's mostly lavender with basil and green herbs, but as it dries, a spicy quality comes out. I'm no longer sure there's any clove or nutmeg in it. I think the spicy note might be from clary sage, which has a dry, bristly aspect. It's pretty hard to say. I think it contains some rosemary. Overall it's a very pungent, green, herbal scent with a faint lemony undertone (it might be a particular variety of eucalyptus). When I wear it during the day, I feel kind of calm and relaxed but alert. During the night, it helps me sleep deeply. I find it ironic that the sleep blend that helps me sleep most restfully is also the blend that contains the most invigorating and mentally stimulating notes. I suppose this is supposed to help you dream MORE vividly, but perhaps like giving stimulants to ADHD patients, it has the opposite effect for me. My dreams often make me sleep restlessly, and this helps calm them down, and it seems to help me avoid nightmares. It's quite strong, but not overwhelmingly so. A little goes a long way. I've had my bottle for almost a year, and I haven't even used a quarter of it. (I haven't noticed any great changes with aging, except that maybe the spicy stage comes out a little more quickly.) My goal with sleep blends is to make me go to sleep faster and stay asleep deeply and restfully. I often have trouble getting my brain to shut up and let me sleep, and once asleep, I have such vivid dreams that I get no rest. I've tried Baku, Somnus, Oneioroi, and this. By far, this is my favorite and the most effective, for me. I love Somnus for general relaxation purposes -- I find it very soothing -- but it doesn't seem to help me sleep more deeply.

I'll toss in my own plea for enabling here. I've never explored the Sephiroth, Qliphoth, or Tarot scents, but I'm open to snagging 10 ml of something that sounds good! I tend to like the somewhat unusual and complex blends, so the more mystic and aromatherapy oils often kind of suit me as perfumes. (For example, I almost like Temple of Dreams better as a personal scent.) You can see my sig for some of my favorites. I tend to like slightly more heady scents, as opposed to fresh or delicate ones. (I'm not opposed to them, they just don't strike as much of a chord with me, generally.) I'm not a fan of earthy scents, and I avoid anything with earthy or woody notes as a main note, because I amp patchouli and sandalwood out of control. I'm also not a big fan of lavender.

This one is so complex that it's hard to pick out single notes. I usually consider that a good thing, but it's making reviewing this one difficult! I think that of all the CD scents I've tried, this has been the most traditionally perfumey. It's rich, a little bit regal or aloof, but also sinewy and a little sexy. It smells a bit like a walk through a rain forest. A rain forest that's wearing a lot of cologne. This one's definitely a morpher. As I said, it's very well blended. I can pick out a cool, almost dry musky quality along with floral and fauna and maybe some wet woods. It's not a blend that screams floral, but the floral notes are definitely there. The bergamot is noticeable early on, but fades into the blend as it dries. Once dry, it goes a little bit incensey and spicy. The ginger here is dried ginger, not fresh lemony ginger. After about 20 minutes, it's a bit sharp and green, with a touch of smoke or spice that keeps it from being bright. It has great throw. Noticeable but not overwhelming. Staying power is much better than average. A little goes a long way. (In other words, be careful not to put too much on, because you won't be able to get rid of it later.) Like I said, a little more traditionally perfumey, but in a great way. I'm inclined to associate this is a slightly dangerous woman, but I think it's actually quite gender neutral. Definitely would be nice on a guy.

Dust, incense, wet tobacco, and a curl of opium smoke. Wet, this is very sweet tobacco and opium. (I'm not actually sure what opium smells like, but I can definitely smell a common bond between this, Dr. Seward, and Blood Countess, which all have opium smoke. I've always assumed it's a thick, sweet smoke.) As it dries, it becomes smokier and drier. The sweetness recedes a little and the incense really kicks in. It lightens up a bit as it dries, and it takes on a little more of the dusty note. On the whole, this is a generally light sweet incense blend, so I think it's an excellent for those who may like smoky/incense blends but find many of them too thick and heady. I'd say it's also very gender neutral. And that pretty much describes the whole thing! This one is pretty straight-forward, to my nose. It's a little like a light version of Perversion. I really like it, but it fades really quickly on my skin, and I like my incense a bit stronger.

Like Hope, this one is pretty much the same wet, dry, and in the bottle, for me: it's SUGAR and violets. White, candy sugar. Violet is naturally sweet and a little bright in character, so I think the violet blends a little more with the sugar than the rose does. (Hope is like sugared rose, Faith is like violet scented sugar.) Together, they're sweet, sweet, sweet! If you like violet and want a sweet blend, then give it a try. It's lovely if you like violets or sugar notes. Hope and Faith definitely have a youthful, innocent quality. Faith is perhaps the more youthful of the two. Normally I love Rose and Violet, and the lab's notes work fine on my skin, so I had high hopes for these, but unfortunately, they turn rather unpleasant and soapy on my skin. Oh well!

In the bottle, wet, and dry, this one is sugar sugar sugar.... rose. The sugar doesn't overwhelm the rose, but it's the first thing to hit you. This is white, candy sugar, and it's SWEET. I think the rose ins this is more noticeable than the violet in Faith. The rose is a lovely, rich rose, like the rose in Abhisarika or Lady Luck Blues. It blends well with the sugar and is very pretty. Throw is average and life is a little better than average (still noticeable after 4 hours). It doesn't seem to morph at all, except that the rose probably fades before the sugar. I love it in the bottle and like it in theory, but unfortunately, it turns really soapy on my skin, so I think I will have to pass. Try it if you love rose and want a sweet blend!

I can tell that this one is probably really nice on the right person, but I amp patchouli like woah, so, as expected, this one is pretty heavy on the earthiness. In this blend, the patchouli doesn't take over quite as much as it usually does, but it definitely dominates. I smell patchouli and musks with a faint sweet backdrop of light florals and berries. There's also something a wee bit grassy about it, very subtly, in the background. The black currant here smells nothing like the black currant in other blends, on my skin. Usually the currant is very thick and sweet, but here it's just a faint fruity quality. The overall character is dark but not heavy, and pretty gender neutral. This one doesn't seem to have morphed a great deal on the drydown. I think the musk has become less sharp and blended in better, but that's about it. Throw is light to average. Could be nice, but definitely not for my skin.

The perfume of life-in-death: embalming herbs, black myrrh, white sandalwood, black orchid, paperwhites, tomb dust, and Moroccan jasmine. It's a pity this one seems to be so unpopular. This is a light and delicate scent, but in a very rich, beautiful way. Wet it's a little sharp and dusty, but as it dries the florals come out. Everything is pretty well blended, but I can definitely smell the orchid, jasmine, and soft paperwhites. The jasmine adds a hint of sweetness and doesn't overwhelm the blend. Sandalwood and dust add dryness. After 15-20 minutes and completely drying, the florals take a back seat to the resinous and dry qualities. There's soft, spicy myrrh and sandalwood, with a faint dusty and herbal quality, and... not so much of the florals. They're there, but I have to look for them. Pity, because I love the way this starts off. On me, the final drydown is a lovely, light, dusty resin blend. Definitely befitting of the theme. I tend to amp sweet, so the sweeter florals to return slightly after it has been dry for a while, but overall, it's still very much a dry, tomb-like scent -- but in a gorgeous rather than sinister way. Try this one if you like resins or light florals that aren't strictly floral. Throw is light, and wear life is a bit below average.

I got this as a frimp and didn't realize it was a voodoo blend. I took a sniff of the imp and though, whoo, no, this is not going to work. In the bottle, it's very sharp and unpleasant, to my nose. I suppose that's the lavender. I'm not a big lavender fan. I tried it on, and almost right away it dried to something sweet and light. I think the lavender faded and revealed more of the lilac. I can't pick out many notes, but it's a light, soft, sweet floral. It's very pretty and gentle. Right away it made me feel kind of happy. Later, I found out it was a voodoo blend and I tried it on a day that my nerves were shot. I think it definitely had a soothing and relaxing effect, but it was also a bit melancholy. Obviously that could've just been me, but I think there really is something a little melancholy about this scent, which is appropriate for its intended use. [When you're broken-hearted, you don't want something overly perky.] Give it a try if you're looking for a relaxing, de-stressing sort of blend, or if you just got dumped. I was impressed with how well it worked as aromatherapy, but personally, I'll look for something with a slightly more cheerful character, for general de-stress purposes. One thing I did really like about it is that it fades quickly to a soft, close scent that you can barely even smell right under nose. But it's still there. So, it has the effect it needs to have on you without broadcasting to the entire room, which is perfect. Because it fades soon, you could easily put some on to relax and layer another scent over it later.

If anyone is looking for a GC equivalent of Crumpet Rebellion, look no further than Knave of Hearts! Seriously, they are almost identical. The biggest difference is that Knave of Hearts has rose and Crumpet Rebellion doesn't. On me, Knave had rose in equal balance with the tart, but on other people it's lost entirely, so on you it could be more or less similar. As for me and my skin, the main difference in the black currant tart aroma was that Knave was more buttery pastry, and Crumpet was more caramelized sugar. ETA: Having heard a few more comparisons, it looks like it's pretty consistent that Knave is more fluffy cake-like, and Crumpet is more, er, crusty and burnt-sugary. So, slightly different fragrance qualities, but generally, I'm stunned at how similar they are.

Woah, this smells almost exactly like Crumpet Rebellion, only with Rose! So if you've been desperate to try it or just want a GC equivalent, give this a try! Really, it's almost exactly the same! I'm shocked. If there is any question as to whether the fruit note in CR is black currant, I think it has been answered! Knave of Hearts really smells exactly like the notes. Rich, buttery crust and thick, sweet black currants. The rose note here is rich and deep red, and it's in very even balance with the black currant tart scent. It's a very rich and definitely foody scent. The rose blends well into the food, so I wouldn't say it has a floral quality. The rose adds a little levity, but generally it's pretty thick and heavy. This one doesn't morph at all on me. It smells pretty much the same wet and dry, and it remains the same through its entire life. This one has about average life and throw on me. It had faded pretty well after about 4 hours, which is what I consider average. Compared to Crumpet Rebellion, is has a shorter life and lacks the dark, almost musky caramelized sugar quality.

Ooh, this is fantastic. I think it's my new favorite, for sweet scents. It has many of my favorite notes, but either many of them are lost on me or they blend so well that I can't pick them out. But it's ok, because I love the effect. This one morphs very little on me. Some of the notes fade or amp a little, but the overall character remains pretty consistent. Wet, it's very strong on the coca. It has the usual sweet, candy-like chocolate scent that BPAL's chocolate note has one me. Combined with the tonka, it's very vanilla-y. This contrasts with a sharp citrus note, like lemon-lime. As it dries, it becomes more complex and a little bit spicy or prickly. Not like pepper or cinnamon, it just has a certain sparkle to it. The cocoa recedes a little and overall the scent becomes a little less sweet and candy-like, although the chocolate note is still noticeable. The citrus notes are the first to fade, but they do last through almost the entire life of the scent, and overall this has about average life on my skin. As it morphs, several hours after putting it on, I think some of the sweetness or vanilla-like quality returns. (It's probably just be that the tonka has the best staying power on my skin, so that's what's left after everything else absorbs.) I recently tried biggerCritters, and this strikes me as a similar (due to the sweet vanilla vs. citrus quality) but less cuddly scent. biggerCritters is very cute, and this is more sophisticated.

Oooh, this is wooonderful! I will have to update later to describe the life of the scent, but I wanted to jot down my first impressions. This is another wonderfully realized concept! I would definitely describe this as floofy with a bit of an unexpected twist, just like the critters. The blend if vanillas is very rich and sweet, foody but not at all cloying. (i.e. waaaay better than your standard mall "vanilla" scented things.) It calms down a little on the dry down, allowing the gardenia to show itself. The grapefruit is fairly bright at first, but it's already receding to the background, which makes me go "booo" a little, because I LOVE the contrast of the tart grapefruit and sweet, fluffy vanillas. The gardenia is really an excellent complement and makes it a much richer blend. I haven't been wearing it long, but it is already soaking into my skin quite quickly. Booo. Throw is light. I will try it again later in the month, as it's at the time where my skin eats bpal, but so far it's looking like this one will have disappointing staying power. I will also have to try layering it with another bright grapefruit blend, because I'm losing that note first; this is disappointing, because the grapefuit note is what attracted me to this. I don't usually wear vanilla blends, but I love this one so much that I will have to get more, even in spite of the apparently short life. If you're a vanilla fan, definitely check this one out, because this is easily the best blend of vanillas I've ever smelled.

I just got an imp of this in the mail -- yay! I'm happy to have it, however, I am relieved that I don't love it so much I need to run out and buy a whole bottle. It's not quite the best time of month to be reviewing things (my skin has been eating everything), but we'll do what we can! Wet, it's very strong on the vanilla. As it dries, a bright, cinnamony quality begins to come out and is quickly joined by the sweet clove (which I'm not able to distinguish from bitter clove ). Together they form a very spicy, warm, husky quality, like cinnamon bark. I'm not so familiar with the other notes in the blend, but judging by their wikipedia entries, they should add a slight musky quality, which probably just blends and augments the red musk and clove. The musk and clove are a good match for the vanilla, which is very smooth and sweet and isn't overpowered by the spiciness. It helps to make a rich and happy scent, instead of just a fiery one. 15 minutes into the scent, I'm not getting any noticeable amber, but I suspect it's there in the background, helping to keep things grounded. It did gradually come out over the life of the scent. After about 4 hours, the clove had receded the most, leaving vanilla as the top note, enriched by the amber and musk. So far, the staying power is good, and it has excellent throw. It's actually giving me a bit of a headache, although that could be from compulsively sniffing myself. This blend is very vibrant and invigorating to wear, and an excellent realization of its name! I definitely recommend it for fans of brightly spicy scents.