ivyandpeony

Have you tried anything with civit? It was origionally squeezed from sex scent glands. Sometimes it goes "poo" on people; on me, it is like death. For some people is IS the scent of sex. I was just looking at the reviews for Satyr. I think it may be really sexy on a man...

 

Something in Blood Kiss is JUST like sex to me, but only when DH wears it.

 

What other scents have civit in them? I tried to do a search for civit on the BPAL site (with Google, since the Lab's search function is not very good), and didn't find anything...

 

Thanks!

 

 

Try spelling it "civet" - that's the correct spelling. You should get lots more results.

I merged a number of threads asking for rose recommendations and discussing the differences between different rose blends. I hope you guys find it helpful - as always, please feel free to PM me if you are having trouble finding anything in Recommendations or if you have forum questions in general.

I merged two very similar requests here as I was tidying up the forum - just in case the OPs are scratching their heads about this thread. Hope you both have had some success in finding some florals that work for you!

I've been going through old posts and tidying up the Recommendations forum, and I stumbled on this old topic. I thought it was really interesting, especially since Beth released the Elementals for the Lab's anniversary in November 2005. So I thought I would bump it so we could talk about it - there are so many new scents and new forum members that have come along since April 2004, it's practically a new topic.

ETA: and whaddaya know, as I continue to weed through this forum, I found the same topic from about a year ago. So I merged that one in for a little more fun.

Golachab is very smoky and fruity in the bottle and when wet. It mellows and blooms once it's on the skin, becoming very complex -- creamy, fruity and a bit floral, but with a woody base. I find it absolutely stunning. I can't compare it to anything I have smelled before, it's unique. I found myself ordering a bottle without much debate!

Like aidenraine, I have been reading a bit about the Qliphoth as well and had the same fears about attracting negative energy at first, but after some thought it seems to me that these oils are be used to confront and overcome the negative qualities that each Qliphoth personifies, rather than to attract and nurture those negative qualities. I honestly couldn't picture Beth performing rituals to charge such beautiful oils with negative energy, nor releasing them without some caveats if they could bring you harm in any way if used without great knowledge and skill (as she has a number of TALs).

Thagirion is difficult for me to describe, but if it were a color, it would be a bright apple green! At first sniff it's very light and fruity, a bit grapy with lots of herbs and a hint of mint. As it dries down, it reminds me of a distant cousin of Snowblind - imagine that Snowblind had a cousin who was the Heat Miser to its Snow Miser, who filled the place with everything bright and green about summer with just a little room for a minty-vanilla-y memory of Snowblind. It's very uplifting and bright, just what you might need to overcome the negative qualities associated with this particular Qliphoth. I ordered a bottle and have a feeling that this will be a favorite this summer when the heat and humidity are cranked up to 11 here in Georgia.

I agree with cupide430's assessment: This one reminded me very much of La Fee Verte without so much "verte," after its initial herbal top notes have dried down on my skin. And since I adore LFV, Samael found its way into my heart very quickly. At first sniff, there's a little bit of light floral floating around, but this becomes a lightly resinous, musky honey once it's been on my skin for a little while. It's just lovely - I inhale this deeply from my wrist and think, I can confront and overcome any nasty qualities I have if I can just keep smelling this.

This is probably my favorite of all the Qliphoth blends. At first sniff and while wet, I definitely was reminded of Hellion - there's a lot of fruity plum in there. As it dries down a bit, Nahemoth seems more resinous and a bit sweeter than Hellion to me, although I do detect some patchouli that they seem to have in common. This blend is very complex and multi-dimensional... every time I sniff the crook of my arm, it seems to have morphed just the tiniest bit, so that it's a wee bit fruitier, or muskier, or earthier than it was at last sniff. It's a fabulous scent and a wonderful interpretation of its concept too.

Ghagiel is very light and springy - it reminds me of what I call "bulb" flowers (like tulips, narcissus, and hyacinth). On my skin it definitely has a lot in common with Eos, but it's got something spicier and woodier, more substantial underlying it. Although it is light in character, it has good throw and staying power compared to what I consider a light BPAL blend. It's quite beautiful and I decided that I needed a bottle of this one.

Have you ever wondered what the deal is with the Recommendations subforum? What's a duplicate topic, what isn't? Where those topics from the

newbies go when the newbies aren't new anymore? This post should answer those questions for you, but if there's anything else you are wondering about, let me know. I will answer your questions and add it to the FAQ here.

When to add to an existing thread

This subforum has lots of wiggle room for unique, tailored-for-you topics. But I would ask that you please use the search engine in the following cases BEFORE you start a new thread, and bump the existing thread to continue discussion if you find one.

1. Looking for recommendations based on a specific note (rose, lilac, vanilla, etc.) - even if you are looking for a unique combination, like vanilla + smoke

2. Looking for scents similar to a non-BPAL perfume - search for the name of the scent AND the name of the company

3. Looking for the best BPAL scent for a particular purpose, like studying, seducing someone, feeling brave, falling asleep... you get the idea. We've covered a lot of ground already.

4. Looking to invoke a specific feel, mood, season, place - you may have a unique request, but please check first.

5. Looking for a scent that smells like "something" - most often it's a food or beverage, but you're a creative bunch. Just run it through the search engine first.

*I highly recommend doing a search that's limited to titles only and to the Recommendations subforum. You can highlight the subforum you want to search at the bottom left of the search form, and there are radio buttons on the right that allow you to choose between searching titles only or titles and complete text (as well as the mode of display: as posts or topics).*

If you're in doubt as to whether your topic overlaps with an existing one, just PM me and I will be glad to figure out whether we should continue discussion in the existing thread or start a new one.

If you remember seeing a thread in the past and you are having trouble finding it now, please do not start a new thread asking for its whereabouts. PM me and I will help you find it.

When to start a new thread, no questions asked

And here are some good examples of when it's fine to go ahead and start a new thread. Keep in mind that these topics are usually considered "temporary" - when I see that no one's posted in them for 30 days or so, it's off to the archive, unless the discussion has taken an unexpected turn so it's worth keeping or merging with an existing topic.

1. Looking for recommendations for a first order or your next order. However, if you decide a few days after you start this thread that you want to get some more recs for things you didn't mention at first, PLEASE add to the discussion in your first thread instead of starting another one. You can do that by adding a new post to the thread or editing your first post, or both. Your thread isn't going anywhere until no one's posted in it for a month, and you will quickly find that people are quite helpful and are interested in your morphing tastes.

2. Looking for recommendations for a gift for someone specific, like your mom who hates vanilla but loves tonka or your roommate who is stealing your Dana O'Shee and your Snake Oil. (We have threads covering some categorical recommendations like all-purpose enabling, young children, etc. so please use those when appropriate.) Please be mindful, if you just want recs for tobacco, or rose, or a single type of scent for someone for which a thread exists, it is most likely going to be merged into that thread, so in those cases you should probably just bump the existing thread with your requests. Don't worry, you will get lots of help from this crowd, we aren't prejudiced against older or longer threads!

3. Looking for the right scent for an occasion or event that's coming up - but please search first even though it seems very special and specific to you, since we have threads like Bridal BPAL, best blends for performing in front of an audience, job interviews... we are a chatty bunch and we have covered a lot of ground.

The best rule of thumb is search first - and I am always happy to help you with any search issues. If you find a thread and you aren't sure if yours would be a dupe, just drop me a PM. I would much rather discuss it with you then, than have to hash it out via PM after I have issued a reminder or warning about your topic. It makes me feel like you didn't care enough to search or to ask my opinion and it makes you feel like an evil nun is coming after you rapping your knuckles with a ruler. Neither is a pleasant feeling.

The big "similarities" threads

These are all pinned for your convenience at the top of the forum. There's one for finding good substitutes in the general catalog for your favorite (scarce) Limited Edition scents; one for similarities between GC scents, and this does include discussion of discontinued GC scents; and because there are so many Lush fans who are also BPAL fans, a thread to help you find BPAL blends that smell like your favorite Lush products.

There is a very easy way to search these threads without having to read through all those pages. Scroll down to the bottom of any page of the thread and you'll see at the bottom left a box with the words "Enter Keywords" and a box that says "Search Topic." This mini search engine allows you to search within the thread for the specific Lush scent, discontinued BPAL blend or whatever it may bee that you are seeking. It's self explanatory - enter keywords and search the topic!

If you aren't finding what you want using that method, another method that takes a little longer is to go through the topic, page by page, using your browser's "Edit: find" function to find the term you're seeking on each page.

Finding BPALs that smell like other perfumes

Check for threads by company name as well as product name - a few threads are combined by the company (Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, Victoria's Secret, for example). There's also a thread compiling the most common comparisons where you are welcome to discuss and ask questions - but you can start a standalone thread if one doesn't exist for what you are looking for.

A few general comments - I do leave a lot of topics live as you can see, even ones that never got any responses - just in case someone does come along and look for similar recommendations in the future. I merge stuff when I see a logical combination of topics to keep things tidy, and I also edit thread titles to make them more searchable (although I do try to keep the OP's humor & personality evident whenever possible, sometimes our inside jokes ultimately have to go so I can include utilitarian search terms ). I've also gone through the subforum periodically and edited vague titles to reflect their content a bit more accurately, so I hope that will be helpful to all of us.

Thanks to all of you for your enthusiastic participation in Recommendations!

Although it isn't listed as one of the notes, I think there's civet in Forbidden Fruit. Civet has a certain, unmistakable and unique smell on my skin that shouldn't be present based on the notes that Beth does list in the description. And a little animalistic muskiness would definitely have a place in a scent that idealizes your first time, right?

Here's a thread located in FAQ discussing reactions people have had in general to certain oils. As you can imagine, cinnamon and its relative cassia seem to be the biggest bullies when it comes to irritating skin.

Black Pearl, Hellcat, Danse Macabre and Gluttony all list hazelnut in their descriptions, as did Pumpkin Patch #2 (one of a set of 5 LEs available last Halloween).

Chestnut is listed in the description for Hearth 2005 (Yule LE).

I did find a topic someone started on this subject in 2004 with no responses - I'm merging the two threads just to keep the clutter down. The term "nut" wouldn't show up in the search engine since it's only three letters, and I believe that subtitles don't show up either - that may be why you didn't get any results from your search.

I'm a terrible enabler, but I think you should get all three of the LEs you have listed. I wouldn't be able to choose between them myself.

Fruit Moon is my SO's more favourite scent on me ever. Are there any GC scents that are fruity in the same way? I've tried a few fruity GC scents but they're either too citric (Aizen-Myoo, which I still love but which isn't Fruit Moon) or too sweet (Akuma) or too one-note (Thalia). Any other suggestions?

Storme, some people find it very floral, but on me Mi-Go Brain Canister is very fruity. It was an LE, but I think it's a bit easier to find than Fruit Moon.

You might want to experiment with some layering - try Akuma & Aizen-Myoo together for example, or a combination of some other fruity blends.

I was lucky enough to snag a bottle of the SN Egyptian Amber and it is the most heavenly thing ever, I could just breathe it in all day and never get tired of it.

This is pure speculation on my part, based on the way that the amber in these blends reacts with my skin - but I wonder if the amber Beth uses in Sin, The Lion, Black Lotus, Baghdad, and Jacob's Ladder might also be Egyptian amber. However, these blends seem to have some spicy components that could be mimicking the spiciness that the Egyptian amber has on its own. I'd give them a try anyway, if you love amber - I know once I realized how much I loved it I had to try everything with amber in it.

This one is really, really lovely. It starts out as honey turned up to 11. As the honey dries just a bit, fresh green notes begin to emerge. If I close my eyes, I'm sitting outside in a garden - the kind of garden where I'd grow my own flowers, herbs, and vegetables, and I'd care a lot more about how abundantly things grew than about how they looked, but I'd always want to drag a chair into the middle and sit in the sun to read a book or just enjoy the world around me. This seems to be a very organic scent and it definitely has "that BPAL smell" that we all associate with certain blends - just something about it. It seems to be a very fitting tribute to Osun.

When I sniffed this in the bottle, I got so much cassia that I was very surprised. However, it calms down on the skin immediately. I found that all the elements really came into balance and I agree with Shelldoo - the effect once you're wearing it is not screamingly foody. It's more like the scent that wafts out of a bakery - all sorts of delicious things are being baked and you are smelling cakes, chocolate cookies, coconut pastries, and can't really pinpoint one single goodie out of the melange.

Warning - this is foody enough to make you crave something sweet, though!

After being so happily surprised by this and by the Closet monster bait, this former non-foody fan is being converted and drooling in anticipation of teh UNDERPANTS

So yummy! All in all, a delicious, creamy blackberry cake I'd like to roll in. Blackberry can get a little sharp, "planty" smell on me sometimes, and I did pick this up momentarily, but honestly? That makes it smell more authentic to me. I am not the hugest fan of foody scents, but I really love this. It's sweet and creamy without being cloying or sticky. So the foody fans should go bonkers - and I'd suggest that others like me give it a try, you might just be surprised at what this combo does on your skin.

I thought I'd love Peony Moon and I was right! It's big, pink and fluffy without seeming frail, just like a freshly cut peony. It does remind me a bit of Budding Moon, but if Budding Moon = bright fuschia, Peony Moon is a pale, but substantial, pink.

I find it to be a very intensely scented oil though - just a dab and I'm floating in flowers.

I have loved all the 2006 Lunacies and Peony Moon has just kept the streak alive!

It's sad that my favorite minty blends are LEs, but Frost Moon, Tulzcha and Nuclear Winter somehow all have a combination that I love AND that stays fresh and invigorating. I love Snowblind, but it's creamy and comforting in spite of the mint and would probably keep me on the couch or in bed.

Blends with evergreens in them also tend to wake me up, like Snow Moon, Snow Bunny and Talvikuu. (What's with me and the LEs?)

Interesting thing I just noticed as I wrote this response, too - everything that's wakey-wakey to me is something wintry, and winter is definitely my hibernation time (although every morning I'd love to sleep more, no matter what time of year). How convenient!

So, I haven't smelled this one but next time I am in Sephora it will be a priority - I love Anna Sui's designs and her first 2 (?) perfumes were really original.

I know you said on LJ that you didn't like Mi-Go Brain Canister, and that was the first thing that came to mind when I saw "fruity floral." But it sounds like this has more than just florals and fruit, and is maybe a little more substantial because of the base notes. So I put some more thought into it and came up with a few more that you might want to try, some GC and some LE:

GC:

Blood Countess - Corrupted black plum, smoky opium and crumbling dead roses covered by a deceptive veil of Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry.

Florence - Elegant iris, bright berries, gilded amber and velvety spices.

Titania - white grape, white peach, iced pear, musk rose, sweet pea, moonflower and snapdragon.

La Belle au Bois Dormant - Plumeria and white pear, Damascus rose, tuberose, magnolia and evening dew.

Siren - White ginger, jasmine, and a touch of vanilla and apricot.

Kitsune-Tsuki - Asian plum, orchid, daffodil, jasmine and white musk.

LE:

Carnivale - sweet wild berry, spicy carnation and heliotrope layered over deep amber and musk.

Good luck with finding a good BPAL companion for your new fragrance!

I'd say Eden's my favorite coconutty scent - it's very green, figgy and fresh.

I am one of those who do not get coconut from Snow White, although it's one of my favorite blends ever. I get a creamy floral that is reminiscent of almond, but definitely not almond, if that makes sense. But since so many people *do* get coconut, it would be worth a try for any coconut-heads who haven't experienced this legend of BPAL legends.

See if you can land a decant of Montresor - or just buy a bottle. It's the Edgar Allan Poe of cherry scents, dark and evil.

I have to put some more thought into some specific recommendations, but I do wear Sudha Segara all year long - it's gingery, but it's that bright, citrusy type of ginger, so I find it light enough for summertime, but spicy and warm enough for winter.

There's also a good discussion here on "breaking the rules" that dictate that we save our heavy, dark scents for winter and the light and airy ones for summer.

I am an amber junkie - and what's really funny is that I didn't really have a grasp on what amber smelled like when I got started with BPAL. I get tons of amber from Jacob's Ladder, probably my favorite amber LE ever, although The Haunted Palace is really a gorgeous rosey-orangey-amber on me. Sin, Mantis and the Lion are my favorite GC blends with amber. I also love Aglaea, which is a lovely musk and amber blend with a touch of peach (which I was convinced I hated before trying this blend).

Moscow and Versailles are similar to my nose and on my skin, but both are amber-floral blends that have a more formal, "perfumey" vibe - something to put on when you're going out vs. a regular work day. They're both very regal and beautiful and the amber really anchors the florals.

Although I love, love LOVE O, it smells like vanilla and honey on me - hardly any amber!

Brisingamen enticed me so that I ordered a 5 ml unsniffed, but finally swapped it away because it just disappeared into my skin in the oddest way. A couple months away, I thought, "I'm going to try it again!" and ordered an imp... but the same thing happened. Watch me order an imp again this summer. Spellbound and Tamora (peaches again) are two more amber-heavy blends that don't work on me but have huge numbers of fans.

I thought that I would bump this thread - somebody started a duplicate thread looking for a BPAL blend similar to Clinique Happy right as the forum went down last week. Hopefully, they will see this one now and get some good ideas, or some of you who haven't seen this topic before will share your thoughts.

Since we lost about a week's worth of posts, the duplicate thread disappeared... So I will just remind everyone, please do a search before you start a new thread if you want recommendations for something similar to a commercial perfume, even if you think it's something incredibly obscure or something no one else would have asked about. It saves me the work of merging and saves you a warning for the duplicate!