Newbie lost in options

[Plunder_Bunn]

I'm new to oils/perfumes/extracts/fragrances/etc and I'm looking to expand a bit. I forget how I came across BPAL, but I've been eyeing a few scents for ages and I finally decided to order now that I'm trying to improve myself and my life, so I ordered a few imps to try and figure out what suits me. I got Alice, Carnal, Kumiho and Plunder, BPAL tossed in Rakshasa Party Magician and Uruk,

❤️Rakshasa Party Magician❤️ ~ Old Library/Study with a Fireplace, Chocolate flavored whiskey, comfort and lust is how I would describe this. More of a scent for my partner, but I'd love to have scents like it for myself, especially if it compliments this one.
❤️Uruk❤️ ~ "A city of mystery, wonder and majesty" is absolutely fitting and I hope others get that impression as well. Would love to try more like it.

Alice ~ Pleasant at first but evolves into an overpowering floral scent.
Carnal ~ Refreshing but a little sweet so it reminds me of cereal.
Kumiho ~ Simple and light, I'd wear it daily if I worked in an office.
Plunder ~ Love it, but I'd rather my home smelled like it. 

I find it amusing that BPAL picked scents I like more than what I picked. Now I'm questioning my own choices, I'm currently looking at Snake oil, Azathoth, White Rabbit, Faiza the lady of serpents, and Centzon Totochtin. Thoughts? Recommendations?

Edited 14 hours ago by Plunder_Bunn

[ShadowEtienne]

Starting with General Catalogue (GC) scents that you can get imps of is a great place to start, and BPAL frimps can really find you things that you might not have thought to try!

 

If you find yourself particularly liking a scent, it can be great to try out scents with overlapping notes, obviously the vibes are also a lot of fun to find similar things to, but sometimes you really like notes. It may be hard to pick out which specific notes you like at first, but you'll probably start noticing commonalities as you try more out.

 

So looking at Uruk since you really like that one on you, the notes are:  Thick bitter almond and heady night-blooming jasmine with saffron, cinnamon leaf, red patchouli, river lilies, bergamot, fig leaf and the sacred incense of Inanna.

The things that I highlighted might be worth keeping an eye out for, especially scents that have more than one overlapping note. I'm seeing some warm/resin/spicy/incense notes, and some floral notes, and while it's not a lot - a hint of citrus as the main things going on here. (I'm allergic to this one, so I don't actually quite know what it smells like.)

 

Looking through other GCs, here are some that stand out to me (collection in parentheses) as having some notes overlap:

- Bastet (Excolo): Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus

- Eclipse (Bewitching Brews): bitter almond, vanilla, frankincense and heliotrope, with a drop of cinnamon

- Anteros (Excolo): throbbing red musk and shimmering chypre with saffron, sweet patchouli, Italian bergamot, red currant, and vanilla bean

- Caterpillar (Mad Tea Party): Heavy incense notes waft lazily through a mix of carnation, jasmine, bergamot, and neroli over a lush bed of dark mosses, iris blossom, deep patchouli and indolent vetiver

- Rapture (Ars Amatoria): Moroccan rose, Sumatran rose, mandarin, Egyptian myrrh, night-blooming jasmine, bergamot and neroli thrust into Arabian musk

- Highwayman (Bewitching Brews): Vetiver with gardenia, blood red rose, night-blooming jasmine, a dash of cinnamon and a faint hint of leather

- Azathoth (Picnic In Arkham): tangerine, saffron, vetiver, black amber and cedarwood [I see that you already spotted this one, and it seems like it could be a good match!]

 

Looking at Rakshasa Party Magician for things that might have similar or complimentary vibes (also only focusing on GC scents so that you can get imps), the notes are: Shaggy spiced russet amber splattered by rice pudding, cocoa powder, and globs of cotton candy. So that's giving us foody-sweet plus spices and a bit of resin (warmth).

 

Here are some things that might also be appealing:

- Tezcatlipoca (Excolo): Deep cocoa laced with patchouli, leather armor, ritual incense, and a touch of Xochiquetzal’s flowers [This one strikes me as potentially being an overlap of note types between Rakshasa Party Magician and Uruk]

- Velvet (Bewitching Brews): gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh

- Miskatonic University (Picnic in Arkham): Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls

 

Hope that some of that helps! Definitely keep track of the notes of ones that you enjoy and see if there are ones that keep coming up, that will tell you that they're notes to keep looking out for! When you're just getting started, I feel like the GC is a really great place to explore to get your bearings because there are chances to sample so many notes before committing to full bottles.