aprilsteele

You might want to try Midnight. Here are the notes. The flowers are of the night-blooming variety, but the primrose note smells similar to me. The Aveda blend smells like a soft daytime scent, while Midnight smells more complex and dramatic - the *all dressed and somewhere to go* perfume.

ooh.... thanks!

It was the Desert Trio and I have it! The scents were Dune Primrose, Joshua Tree and Sand Verbena. Well, now you know that you like primrose. Luckily, the one that I can locate right now is the Dune Primrose so I'll see if it's similar to any BPAL.

yes! i am so excited that someone else has this. i just bid for some of the roll-on from ebay. i poked around online a bit and there was a lot of different speculation as to what notes were in it, but nothing definite. someone said lilac and jasmine. someone else said vanilla, lemon, and sandalwood. none of these seem quite right to me, but maybe it's the combination.

hopefully someone from aveda will get back to me!

Which one was it? Maybe you could just email Aveda and ask them for the notes. They might tell you if you tell them that you are looking for something with similar notes.

man, i really can't remember. i'm at work so i can't just go look at it. there were three, all with different color schemes...it was like blue/green, purple/something, and yellow/orange...the latter being the one i've got. desert primrose was one of them, but i think that may have been the purple one. i'd know it if i heard it...i'm not even sure the bottle has the name on it.

that's a really good idea though. i'll have to figure out the name and maybe someone there will be kind enough to get back to me

oooh! i found it on ebay! it's called dune primrose. oh boy, is it awesome. it fades quickly, but i love it so much.

i'm tempted to just buy it, but it's $30 and i need the money. if bpal has something similar, that'd be perfect.

The thread about the different musks is here.

 

One thing that you might do is to go to your Aveda store. If it is one of the stores that has the signature scents, see which ones appeal to you and check the notes on that blend. Or, check their single notes and make note of them. That way, you can search BPAL for blends that contain your favorite notes.

that's great advice. thanks a lot!

there's an aveda scent that i bought a couple of years ago that's discontinued now and i wish i wish i wish there was some way for me to somehow look up the notes. maybe i can find it on ebay or something...

I agree with Kraken and fatalbellydance that a key element in a lot of Aveda blend's is lavender. I have tons of Aveda products and perfumes and they all tend to share that herbal aroma. I went to try on BPAL's Scales of Deprivation so that I could test it and it seems to either be misplaced or I don't have it if that's at all possible. Oh, I just realized that fatalbellydance mentioned that one. So, I tried on Bow and Crown of Conquest and the combination of lavender and vanilla reminded me of one of the signature scents that they had mixed for me one time. I would definitely try some of the BPAL blends with lavender and/or sage, rose, some citrus notes and perhaps frankincense.

see? case in point: i never would've guessed that lavender is the "aveda" smell i've noticed for so long. i guess i just don't have much context for what these things smell like outside of the typical stuff you buy at the store. which i suspect isn't usually the best frame of reference.

The different musks that Beth uses are very different from each other. If they weren't labelled as such, I'd never guess that the white, red, and black musks are all 'musk.' So if you try one that's too grandma, don't let it scare you from the others!

do you have a description as to what any of the musks smell like?

wow! thanks, guys! this has all been a great help! i'm glad to see so many other aveda fans on this forum, and i never would've guessed to look for those specific ingredients. it definitely helps me narrow my search a bit.

i already ordered six imps on a whim and somewhat blindly, so i hope they work out....it was mostly stuff that sounded on the sweet side: new orleans, amsterdam, tiger lily, sundew, shanghai, and the other one is alluding me.

my next order will include the above recommendations, although there are elements of each that scare me off. i have a feeling i'm making my decisions too carefully and avoiding things i might possibly like in the process. i don't have a lot of knowledge as to what different things smell like, so basing my choices on what i DO know limits me. like musk? i associate musk with perfume my grandma used to wear and i have a feeling i don't actually know what it means

Hah, I've been wanting the same thing!

 

Although I specifically want whatever they spray my hair with after I get my hair cut there... I always thought of it as sandalwood, but maybe it's more verbena (I know, they smell nothing the same, I'm just weird).

 

Oh, and by the way, Shanghai did NOT do it for me, so I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for either. It's definitely sharp, but I though waaaay sharper than Aveda, and much more... antiseptic. I bet others will disagree with me, but just to let you know.

aww! that's too bad! i was most excited about that one because of everyone's input that it smelled like green tea. i know nothing about my body chemistry so i've yet to figure out what works and what doesn't. i hope i don't have the same experience!

looking through some of the honeysuckle and tea threads, i've come across some i want to try:

new orleans

embalming fluid

gennivre

amsterdam

anyone think these are up my alley? i'm most certainly going to get shanghai...it sounded perfect. these others i'm curious about.

i'm a newbie, just recieved my first imps recently, and really didn't like ANY of them.

i got jezebel, lolita, and forbidden fruit (all from the love potions line) and had such high hopes, but alas, no satisfaction. jezebel smelled like baby powder, lolita like my grandmother, and forbidden fruit like candy. i'm not sure which notes turned me off in each of these, so i'm looking for some help. i just KNOW bpal has something to offer me!

i like sharp scents that are sweet but not soft. though i do love honeysuckle. also, i'm very much in love with aveda. and all of their products, from perfume to shampoo (even their makeup!) has this underlying "aveda" smell. anyone know how to place this? i'd describe it as "earthy" maybe?

i realize "sharp" and "earthy" are pretty different. just trying to tip someone off to something they might recommend for me.

thanks in advance for any advice!