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BPAL Madness!

a_bear

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Everything posted by a_bear

  1. a_bear

    Gingerbread and Leather

    I'm not sure I would guess this was a gingerbread scent if I didn't know the name/notes - it's spicy, but doesn't scream "baked goods!" at me. I mostly get a sweet clove, backed up by a bit of dry tobacco and leather. It's surprisingly soft and comforting, like wearing a hug.
  2. a_bear

    Embalming Fluid

    White musk and I don't always get along, but it mostly behaves in this blend. Very fresh and clean, borderline soapy even for me, and I have a pretty high tolerance for so fresh they're soapy scents. Mostly white musk and aloe with a bit of lemon. I don't get anything I recognize as green tea.
  3. a_bear

    Your most evocative Halloween/Autumn scents 🎃

    Samhain is such a good Halloween scent, but black patchouli doesn't work for me, so I can't really wear it. Wish I could, though. Escape from the Autumn Carnival is also a good one, though the leather note starts off pretty sharp.
  4. a_bear

    TKO Atmosphere Spray

    I haven't tried the oil, but I received a sample of the atmo spray. It smells like a fluffy lavender marshmallow cloud, but isn't too sweet. I spray it on a cloth, let it dry, and then choloroform myself with it - highly effective.
  5. a_bear

    Baku

    I have not asked Baku to eat my dreams, but Baku has definitely helped me when I have a headache. It's relaxing without making me sleepy and is one of like two scents I can tolerate when I my head hurts. It has a pretty short life on me, but again, since I mostly reach for it when my head hurts or I just need to take a few deep relaxing breaths, I don't see that as a problem. The scent is a slightly anise-y Lavender. I don't get eucalyptus or any other notes really.
  6. a_bear

    Leather

    most unsexy leather blends to me are probably Dwarf from the RPG series - really smells like leather and soot Coffee & Old Books - mostly because for some reason that leather/old book note goes wonky/sour on my skin
  7. a_bear

    Elegba w/o coconut?

    I really like Elegba - the one from the Excolo collection - but I don't love the coconut. Any recs for similar scents without coconut? I'm thinking Wellerman might be a candidate.
  8. a_bear

    Elegba w/o coconut?

    Thanks! I haven't tried any of those yet
  9. a_bear

    BPAL for a newbie

    GC: Morocco (carnation), Blood Kiss (cherry & clove), Bengal (clove), Plunder (clove) LE, but currently available: A Vigilant Eye at Heaven's Center (mint), Gingerbread & Leather (clove), Let America Be America Again (clove) I also like clove, hence so many recs. I'm also not crazy about florals, so I didn't think I would like Morocco, but I guess I like carnation, too. I like pairing it with Plunder for extra spiciness.
  10. a_bear

    Gingerbread Witch

    Gingerbread Witch starts off predominately apple and a pumpkin note that reminds me of the pumpkin in Pumpkin Pie Musk, but instead of musk and pie crust, it's accompanied by a witchy combination of rosemary and lemon. If it wasn't called Gingerbread Witch, I'm not sure I would pick it out as a gingerbread scent. Once it's dry I also get the apple cereal vibe. The pumpkin and rosemary recede, but a lightly spicy breadiness comes out to accompany the apple. I prefer the slightly funky way it starts, but overall it's enjoyable. I keep forgetting that it's a Winter/Yule scent rather than a Halloween scent. Update however many months later.... Not sure if it's difference in skin chem/weather/aging or some combination thereof, but Gingerbread Witch smells less like cereal now. I still get cereal if I really stick my nose in it, but the waft is mostly spiced apple.
  11. a_bear

    Mata Hari

    When still wet, this is a really surprising and delicious blend of sweet, creamy coffee and florals. Dry, though, it's mostly ever so slightly indolic jasmine and with a bit of perfumey rose (not the lovely fresh rose from The Rose). I can't pick out the other notes at this stage, but I think they're there in the background. Ultimately, not really my thing, but I'm glad I tried it.
  12. a_bear

    Mag Mell

    Wet, this reminds me of A Vigilant Eye at Heaven's Center without the apple. I think my brain is interpreting the sage as minty? For a split second I get the grass, and it quickly becomes rain with a hint of verbena. If I really inhale, I get a bit of ginger. At this stage it reminds me of Leanan Sidhe without the florals (to me this is a good thing). After about 40 min I get the amber. Lasted longer than I thought it would. It has hardly any throw, but I'll be curious to see if that changes as the bottle ages a little.
  13. a_bear

    Croquet

    Wet: candied citrus Dry: the citrus doesn't last very long, but there's a nice phase where it smells less like candy. At least when it disappears the other notes stick around (unlike what happened for me with Baobhan Sith). The patch, rose, and musk pull it into more traditional perfume territory, but I still like it. I don't get the soapiness that others do. Overall, it's kind of this whimsical tug-of-war between the bright citrus and the perfumey elements.
  14. a_bear

    Baobhan Sith

    Got my imp second hand, so not sure how old it is. Starts with a lovely, fresh blast of grapefruit, and fairly quickly goes flat. Rather than the other notes coming out to play as the grapefruit fades, they sort of mumble and then also disappear. Quite a bummer as they are all notes I like.
  15. a_bear

    Apostrophe of Time

    For me, this perfectly captures the inspiration, dark and deep, but also bright and glittery. Neroli is the most prominent note, though the amber was also strong when I tried it in warmer weather. Overall, a fancy woody citrus blend. A little bit goes a long way.
  16. a_bear

    The Flame of the Bear

    This is THE scent of the winter holidays for me - lots of fresh, natural greenery. Softer on than in the bottle, but overall doesn't change much through wear. I'm not sure how much I'll wear it outside of the holiday season, but it'll be on repeat with the "A Charlie Brown Christmas" music from the end of November to New Year's Day.
  17. a_bear

    Lightning

    Wet and initially as it dries this reminds me of a more sophisticated version of a bath&bodyworks spray I had ages ago, that had a waterfall or something on the label. Extremely fresh smelling. Threatens to go a bit soapy the longer it's on, but stays largely consistent. I'll reach for this more in hot weather when I want something cooling, but maybe in small quantities as I suspect it will bother my sinuses in large doses.
  18. a_bear

    Himalayan White Tea, Lemon Peel & Grass

    In the bottle and initially wet, this smells like candied lemon. As it dries the candy element fades, and it becomes a really bright, fresh lemon and tea blend - the grass is there, but it doesn't scream grass! to me the way that, say, Wer Opfer Heut Zu Bringen Scheut does. Definitely a very happy scent for me. This may be the kiss of death for some people, but it reminds me of sniffing my friend's giant bottle of CK One in high school. I find the citrus doesn't fade as quickly in this as it does in some other blends.
  19. a_bear

    Oblivion

    This is incredibly intimidating just looking at the imp - a sort of silty dark green, but actually very approachable on. Both the oil and I were cold when I first put it on, and it smelled like slightly medicinal soda syrup. Once it warmed up and dried, it lost the medicinal edge and was softly sweet. Subtle and somewhat elusive, it would appear in wafts, but seem to disappear when I went to sniff it on my arm. *Tried this again under warmer conditions, and it still starts as medicinal/herbal soda syrup, but it has more staying power.
  20. a_bear

    Tin Foil Hat

    I don't think I read reviews before I got this one, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. It smells really familiar - like I've smelled another cologne or bodywash or something that smells similar. I don't know what notes usually make something smell metallic, but it doesn't really bring to mind metal for me. Wet, it threatens to get soapy, but as it dries I get a bit of fresh citrus with aquatic cologne. In small quantities it might be worth trying again in the summer; I'm not sure if I just applied more than I intended, but it seemed very strong.
  21. a_bear

    ISO suggestions for a LARP Character

    Your character description immediately made me think of Gnome from the RPG series, but it's not really sexy.
  22. a_bear

    The Bear Prince

    2019 version Wet, it's soft and fuzzy. When it's almost dry, it has a short powdery rose phase that reminds me of the smell of lipstick or something, then it becomes all rose. At some point, I start getting a bit of mint - it doesn't smell minty so much as I get a tingly, cool feeling in my nose when I sniff where I applied it.
  23. a_bear

    Fresh Cut Grass, Lemon Peel & Bergamot

    I get the grass briefly while it's wet, but this ends up primarily bergamot on me. Not mad about it as I like citrus, but I hoped for a little more balance between the three notes.
  24. a_bear

    Discussion of all things Amber

    Thanks! Scholar's Tower sounds like it could be my jam. I'll definitely check back on reviews for the Dead Leaves scent. I've tried a couple things with the DL note, but I'm not sure how I feel about it.
  25. a_bear

    Discussion of all things Amber

    Looking for a less sweet amber if that's a thing? I'm not sure if my issues are just skin chemistry. Sweet things seem to just get sweeter on my skin. The Lion and Coyote are definitely on the "to try" list. Kommt Mit Zacken.. was really beautiful, but I think some mix of the other notes and my skin chemistry made it go cloyingly sweet Blood Amber - borderline too heavy, not sure about whatever the "blood" element is Prisons & Workhouses - I know this is an atmo/linen spray, but I feel like I would totally wear this if it were a perfume. I kept wanting to stick my face in the bandanna I sprayed it on to test.
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