ivyandpeony

I knew I was forgetting something SIGNIFICANT... Aureus! It tends to go a little too woody on me but I have heard so many resin fans sing its praises. I haven't rid myself of my imp, though, which tells you something.

I am really looking forward to Carfax Abbey, too. There are so many times that I have thought, "oh, I won't order that because it's too much like X" (last time? didn't order The Pit and the Pendulum because I thought it would be too much like Midnight Mass) only to regret it.

....

It is not the destination (ok, sometimes it is...) it is the journey to the perfect scent that keeps us all here!

That's so true - just look at the way we're geeking out over this topic. And that's the royal "we."

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For more recommendations, I started a thread here. The original title was, "I want to smell like a headshop," but I just noticed that the mods revised it a bit -lol

Hi Portalkat - I must have forgotten to make a note in your original post - but sometimes after a thread's gotten a bit older and I stumble upon it, I will edit the title to make it a little more searchable in case someone comes along and is looking for something similar. I do try to retain the OP's original witty personality - often, it's just a matter of putting the more general terms in the title and then the original title in the subtitle ('cuz the search engine won't pick up terms in subtitles, unfortunately).

This topic has triggered my Virgo instincts (I have so few, they reside in me like a vestigial tail). So I went through the search engine at spicybrains and made a list of blends that are supposed to be similar to incense, as well as scents that seem to have dominant resinous components (which makes this a little subjective). Don't ask me to do this for rose or something like that - I am not that much of a Virgo. Anyway, I thought it might make it a little easier and/or more fun to have it handy for discussion. And of course, please bring up anything that you all disagree with, or think should be there.

Incense or Resin?

Al Azif

Al-Sharain

All Saints

Antony

Anubis

Bastet

Cairo

The Caterpillar

Cathedral

The Cracked Bell

Crossroads

Damnation

Dee

Delphi

Dia de los Muertos

Gypsy Queen

Haunted

Hexennacht

Jacob's Ladder

Kathmandu

Kostnice

Les Infortunes de Vertu

Love in the Asylum

Mantis

The Masque

Medea

Midnight Mass

Mystery

Nefertiti

Nuit

Penitence

Penthus

The Pit and the Pendulum

Rose Cross

Seraphim

Shub Niggurath

Sin

Snake Charmer

Sri Lanka

Storm Moon

Tezcatlipoca

Thanatos

Wanda

Xiuhtecuhtli

This is definitely advanced BPAL, not for beginners!

Penitence is what I would consider nothing but resin, since it's described as containing only frankincense and myrrh. But to me, it smells like incense. And Beth's description for Midnight Mass described it as "a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense."

I will have to think about what I consider "resin" and what I consider "incense." I think it's like one of those puzzles on the LSAT - the groups aren't mutually exclusive, there's some overlap between the two. For example, many of the churchy incense scents are going to include frankincense and myrrh. I tend to think of the incense scents as a little sharper, possibly wifh floral elements (All Saints, Kostnice)... whereas resinous scents I associate with deep amber notes or similar notes (Jacob's Ladder, Sri Lanka).

(Frankincense is a note that always goes sharp and soapy, almost insect-repellent like on me, BTW - maybe there's a particular note common to resin/incense scents that does this with your chemistry.)

You may just have to submit yourself to trying everything, TD, if you don't want to miss out on a potential love...

I have added some new links to Clover's original post here and will continue to do so periodically - hopefully this guide will serve as a helpful index for the Recommendations section.

Do keep in mind that this index is not comprehensive - so please don't assume that the absence of a link here indicates the absence of an existing topic! Continue to use the search engine to look for existing topics to build on before starting a new thread, and don't hesitate to PM me if you have any problems finding something or if you have any questions/suggestions for Recommendations.

Thanks!

I love Skin Sin from Lush, which has their black currant scent. I have read comments on the NA Lush forum about some of the black currant products - there are a number of people who pick up an off note from black currant that reminds them of body odor. I do know what they are talking about, because I have picked up a whiff of that from different berry notes at different times. But it makes me wonder if there's some American prejudice against black currant, at least among rabid Lushies!

I would add Gomorrah to the currant list - the notes don't specify whether it's red or black, but the blend is incredibly rich and fruity and doesn't have any of the tartness that I associate with red currant. The blend where I really detect the most black currant is Eat Me - of course, there's lots of vanilla and bakery cake supporting it, so if you are not a foody person, you may not like that one (I see it did not make your list).

Of the list you've compiled, Masabakes & Bordello are the only ones I have worn more than once (neither Lurid nor Medea worked well enough for more than a preliminary sniff, swipe, and wash-off, unfortunately). Masabakes is extremely spicy on me and a little more heavily fruity than I like, but I think that you should definitely try it in your quest! And I have always associated the deep, sweet undercurrent (no pun intended) of Bordello with plum, but I may have to pull out my imp and try it again to see if I smell black currant in there.

I got my Carnaval Diabolique order on Thursday and Gennivre is fabulous honey! (YMMV though... my friend who was here sniffing with me said she smelled incredibly strong mint and didn't like it at all. Poor girl! )

Bengal's sweetness is very honey-like. And oooh, it is spicy sex.

Bengal does have a honey note and I love it so - therefore I was heartbroken when it made me break out in those infamous cinnamon welts. My first solution was to dilute some in a roller bottle, but somehow I just feel wrong about that. (I'm so weird). Then a friend frimped me Bengal and Sudha in a swap, and a light bulb went on. I mixed equal amounts of Bengal and Sudha Segara in a little roller bottle and the combo is DIVINE. It's sweet, spicy, creamy honey deliciousness.

You certainly don't have to commit to mixing up a bottle's worth, just try it layered on your skin...

I second the White Light and Lionheart recommendations! Lionheart helped me through a period of grief when I really got stuck and was having trouble moving on.

Many of the Halloween and all of the Dracula blends are new, so no one has tried them yet... If you find incense/church scents comforting, All Saints (LE), Cathedral or Kostnice might be nice.

Vanilla, lavender and patchouli all have calming qualities - so while Old Scratch might not sound like the name of a comfort scent, I find it very comforting! Almost any of my vanilla favorites seem to have that effect on me (The Mouse's Long Sad Tale, Black Opal, Antique Lace, Lyonesse).

This one is beautiful - I will start by saying that you absolutely must try this on your skin. In the bottle, and wet, you will get the impression that it is nothing but cherry. Cherry in giant neon letters... cherry turned up to eleven... but there's so much more to The Phantom Calliope.

Within minutes, the cherry begins to back off and the patchouli and spices start to emerge and oh my! You end up with a rich, gorgeous scent of spiced fruit, nicely balanced and with the cherry behaving itself like a proper lady. It has me dreaming of autumn and the holidays, with the scent of fruit and spices in the air as you're baking goodies for your family or making a fruit compote to accompany Thanksgiving dinner.

If you are a fan of Blood Moon or Alone, the cardamom here is reminiscent of the cardamom in that blend, warm and smooth. And I can't compare the cherry to any that I have experienced in other BPAL blends - it seems darker and richer than the cherry that I love in The Queen of Hearts, for example. But it isn't overly cloying and sweet either, maybe because of the verbena.

If you were passing on this one simply because of the cherry, I implore you, don't let it pass you by! It's such a dark, lovely scent.

Honey Moon is my complete holy grail honey scent... it's so gorgeous. I will be sad when mine is finally gone one day. But as long as I can keep slathering Hetairae, Sed N.S., and Jezebel I will be just fine.

O tends to be more vanilla than honey on me, and Sudha is sweet ginger. I adore them both (have 10 ml bottles stashed away) but because of the way they smell on me, I didn't think about them as honey scents til they were mentioned here. I never stop marveling at the different things our chemistries do to these scents!

Hi Revenant - welcome to the forum!

I found a previous thread titled "Southwest and Desert Scents" so I merged it with yours, so you can peruse some of the earlier suggestions about scents that evoke thoughts of this area.

I was going to suggest Nocnitsa - yes, it's named after a Polish witch, but it has a cool night feel with the smell of evergreens floating in the air. Black Forest is also a good candidate (pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper and cypress), and I find Thanatopsis (pine, juniper and musk) to be gorgeous on the skin and as a room scent.

I can't wait for my Carnaval Diabolique order - not just for the awesome CD scents- but because I ordered a bottle of Bitch. I'm really looking forward to trying it, since I have had the two nastiest PMS months on record. (Yes, the government tracks my PMS because it's that dangerous. )

It's awesome that Beth came up with a Panacea blend for PMS.

I've got a bit of an old Autumn Lodge stash & I find it similar to Samhain (at least the 2005 version), although I find that Samhain has many more nuances on my skin. At a recent visit to a YC shop, I didn't find any of their autumn scents to have that je nais c'est quoi of Autumn Lodge - that combination of sweet spicy smells and burning leaves that my nose picks up.

Due to the increase in the numbers of members - and new members - I am going to archive threads a little more quickly than I had been. Once you've had a topic up for five weeks and it hasn't been active for a while, it's subject to being moved to the Post Cemetery, although it may not be moved immediately.

The topics that are most likely to get moved directly there are the ones where you're seeking specific recs for a specific person (you, mom, a friend, etc) based on past likes and particular notes - something that's not likely to be of use to other forum members in the future.

If you started a new topic that's relevant to others and/or of general interest, chances are it will be left here - although I do reserve the right to merge it with another topic down the road.

And it goes without saying, but I will mention it - if you start a duplicate topic, it will be merged and you will receive a warning. We've worked very hard to compile the information in this pinned section for you, so please look it over first - it might answer some of your questions! And of course, use the search engine before you start a new thread.

If you have any questions or problems, feel free to PM me.

This is another thread that I thought would be just fine "unpinned" since it shows up easily upon a search for "holiday*" in this subforum. We're big kids and we can use the search engine (if not, it's time to learn! )

As always, you can PM me if you have problems finding a topic in this subforum or if you have any questions!

I decided to unpin this topic because the pinned area seems a bit cluttered, and this seems to be a topic that should be quite easy to find with the search engine - all that's necessary is the word "interview" on the Recommendations subforum.

I am planning to merge some threads into a big foody deliciousness thread, so I appreciate your idea, Hollibear. I figured something like Cake, Candy, Cookies and Sweets would cover it - what do you guys think?

I love the original title of this thread - "i don't want to smell like a baby's bottom..."

I just altered it slightly, though, so if people are doing a search by thread title it will be sure to turn up.

I had a happy experience recently with Enraged Bunny Musk! When I first tried it, shortly after receiving my package from the lab, it was nothing but a sickly-sweet baby powder on me. But since I am a terrible packrat and procrastinator, it went into the BPAL drawer anyway. I figured, well, I will try it once again before I swap it away in case it's my hormones, something I ate, a bug flew up my nose...

Tried it again a few months later and hooray! It is gorgeous linden blossom and white musk - like a longer-lasting, stronger cousin of The Unicorn.

So there can be happy endings to the baby bottom stories.

I thought it might be time for us to revisit this topic. So many new scents have come out since sarahjay started this thread last year... any new ideas for all of us?

Hi Neuilly - what, the word "figgiest" didn't come to mind?

Here's the figgy thread, and I am sure you'll get some more suggestions after this pops up on the front page!

I'm happy to have found this thread. I have no known allergies, just sensitive skin and sometimes I break out in mysterious hives (was a huge problem when I was younger) and stress does me in as well. So far I've sampled over 70 BPAL oils and had no reaction. This morning I put on a blend of Dixie Love Perfume and Dragon's Milk, got in the car to go out and was horrified when I looked in the mirror and saw what looked like strangulation marks on my neck. Big bright red welts. So yeah, I'm *hoping* it wasn't the dragon's milk because I love that fragrance. I have a feeling it was the tal. Now I know not to put that one on my neck I'm really curious to know which ingredient it was that actually did me in...

 

Just a heads up to those with sensitive skin/prone to hive...

I have the same allergic history you do, Maddi - no known skin allergies and a few episodes of mysetry hives (although I am allergic to penicillin). I haven't broken out from Dixie Love Perfume, although I do think it may have a bit of cinnamon in it. If you have tried Love Me from the Voodoo oils, DLP smells a bit similar to me - and I think there's a bit of cinnamon in Love Me.

The skin on my neck is definitely the most sensitive I have - so I will use caution in applying DLP there! I usually apply BPAL on elbows, wrists, cleavage and then a bit on my scalp at the back of my neck.

Maybe something fresh and light would work to please everyone's noses, myoubi - here are some you could try: Shanghai (lemon verbena and green tea), Embalming Fluid (aloe, green tea and lemon), Zephyr (clean white musk and lemon), Dirty (lovely clean super-light floral), Kumiho (white tea and ginger), Sudha Segara (creamy but bright ginger).

I think anything along those lines would probably avoid the cloying, heavy scents you seem to want to avoid!

Drewreporting, I would definitely go ahead and try Masquerade and Vixen! If Karma perfume is fading on you, they may not seem heavy to your nose - I have Karma also and it is pretty strong on me. So sometimes it's a matter of personal preference, body chemistry, or a combination... Masquerade is my favorite "Lushy" BPAL.

As for aquatics, you should check out this thread to start. If you reply to the thread, it will get bumped up to the front page of Recs and you're likely to get some good input including more recent releases.

I wonder if there's cassia in the blend - I don't think that it technically is considered to be the same plant/species, etc. as cinnamon(?) Cardamom also smells similar to cinnamon in some blends to me.

Sorry that you had a reaction though! I have had reactions to a blend that I have worn safely before, so it's not totally uncommon. Some things to try - make sure not to apply after a shower or bath; apply unscented lotion as a barrier between your skin and your BPAL; don't apply when you're feeling warm, overheated, or have been especially active; and/or try making a diluted blend with a bit of carrier oil in a separate bottle and see if that prevents a reaction.

Just adding my support for Queen of Sheba - it's so spicy on me, I love it - and Baghdad - the rose is a background player if I even pick it up at all. And Al Sharain is super spicy clove on me, very edible but not overly sweet.