Halp! Recommendations for an absolute Newbie

[russalka]

Hello there!

 

I'm absolutely new to BPAL (never tested a single scent) and even to scents/perfumes in general.

 

I'm extremely curious and excited to get into it though and ultimately find my own couple of scents - something that will make me feel warm and fuzzy and happy during the day and sexy and confident when out and about in the evening hours. I'm also considering perhaps trying to suit both of my personalities (sometimes I'm the Taurus that I am and sometimes I'm a total crazy-a** Gemini, which I don't know where that comes from) - one of them the loud, chatty, outgoing one that is fine with making fun of herself and the other that is quiet, a bit insecure, introverted and just minds her own business.

 

Now to my preferences ...

 

I'm very sensitive to smells in general and it's easy for me to get a headache if something smells too intensely. I don't even use scented detergent for my laundry, not to mention fabric softener - a big no-no in our household. I have had a few perfumes during my life - Burberry's Weekend, Cacharel's Amor Amor and Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea and a few eau de toilette's whose names I can't recall now. I've been considering getting Marc Jacobs' Daisy for a while now, but the price is too high, not to mention that it would take me ages to use the bottle up. I still have Cacharel's Amor Amor - I bought it some 6 years ago I have simply never found a scent that I loved so much that I would wear it every single day. What more ... I don't like smells that are too overbearing and concentrated, but I still like them to be long-lasting.

 

I tend to gravitate towards fruity smells. Sweet, fruity, crisp, mellow, clean, soft, however I am open to trying something deeper, more mysterious, dark and sexy. To be more specific, I love coconut (I have unrefined all natural coconut oil at home and I absolutely love its smell), vanilla and all sorts of berries ... and Earl Grey tea, mmm mmm mm do I love me some Earl Grey . I also like sugary-sweet smells, but again, they can't bee too much - too strong and overbearing or I'll just get a headache. So I have kind of a problem there.

 

I've been reading descriptions of many scents on BPAL's website and my brain hurts right now even though I thoroughly enjoyed it I've also looked into other recommendation threads and so far, these scents made my first imp list: Black Pearl, Titania, Blood Countess, Shanghai (not too sure as I'm not in love with EA's Green Tea), Prunella and perhaps Belle Epoque.

 

That said, I want to experiment a little and step outside of my 'comfort zone,' so I'd be willing to give a shot to, for example, Snake Oil or something like Ave Maria Gratia Plena, Desire, Brisingamen, Hunger, Siren or even Kubla Khan (the description sounds absolutely insane, haha), etc.

 

Perhaps I should order two sets of 6-piece imps as I find it pretty much impossible to choose just 6

 

I'll be so grateful to anyone that takes this one on

[JasminDreams2010]

Alice! for sure. Also definitely check out Titania, as well as Juliet, Thalia, Twinkle Twinkle little bat. Also, if you like amor amor you might really like 51 or xiutecutli (spelling?)

Edited January 21, 2013 by JasminDreams2010

[ReallyZeb]

Dorian, without a doubt - I'll leave you to read the review for that one

 

For fruity, lighter blends you might want to try Gnome, Vial of Holy Water, Shoggoth or Embalming Fluid ... and maybe Goblin for the darker side of coconut! But 6 will never be enough imps, you should check out the sales threads for bargains if you want to maximise your budget.

[Angel Spirit Girl]

The White Rabbit is Tea and Vanilla. Other Tea Party section scents have them included as well.

 

Snake Oil is very popular, and so is O. They both have vanilla in them I believe.

[rosymaplemoth]

I haven't tried Snake Oil, but I've heard nothing but rave reviews about it... so if it's something that piques your curiosity, I'd check it out!

 

How sensitive are you to pepper? Just because when someone says "warm and fuzzy", Grandmother of Ghosts always pops into my head.

 

And now for the real reason I'm posting: I LOVE your username. One of my favorite folk legends.

[russalka]

Oooh!!! So many replies already! Thank you so much folks! All of your suggestions sound yummy!

 

Rosymaplemoth - Thank you! I also love Rusalka. Song to the Moon is one of my favorites - I get all choked up when listening to it. About pepper ... I don't know, really. I tend to sneeze a lot when handling loose finely ground pepper, but I think most people do, but I have no idea how I'd react to it in perfume form. I'll go and read up about your suggestion

[Andalei]

I'm not a big fan of lighter fruity scents, but I love Titania - it's so juicy and just awesome smelling. My favourite coconut scent is Elegba, but it's a bit on the strong side. For a warm, cozy vanilla scent I highly recommend Morocco, it's such a gorgeous, comforting scent. Bordello's another sexy/sweet fruity scent, but again may be too strong.

 

I'm also prone to headaches from scent (I use unscented detergent/softener as well!) but I have had very, very few scents from BPAL cause a headache. I avoided sandalwood for a long time because a sandalwood scent from another company triggered horrible migraines. But I recently discovered that BPAL's sandalwood note does not have the same effect (and it smells amazing!). I definitely wouldn't want you to risk a headache, but I hope you're able to enjoy these lovely oils without pain!

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Hi russalka! Welcome to the forum!!

 

You've definitely chosen the right place to explore a new option for your perfumes - a lot of people who can't wear regular perfume due to migraines/headaches find BPAL perfectly OK. However, it may take you some trial and error to find things that are wearable for you - certain notes may be problematic, no matter what type of perfume you try, but at least with BPAL you know exactly what you're getting because the notes are listed.. and there's no nasty chemicals in there which is definitely a good thing

 

I looked at the commercial perfumes you mentioned, and it seems you like the sweeter florals and soft/sweeter nectar type fruits like peach but also citrus notes. Sandalwood appears in two of your perfumes, jasmine comes up in three, musk in two (light/white musk), and the citrus notes reappear too. Fragrantica has this neat feature where it gives you a summary of the main accords in each perfume, so I looked at what it listed for your four (Daisy, Amor Amor, Weekend and Green Tea) and here's what you had:

 

ozonic (x2), white floral, powdery (x2), aquatic, fruity (x3), floral, woody, sweet (x2), citrus (x2), ,vanilla, rose, green, aromatic, fresh spicy.

 

So maybe that will be helpful to narrow down the kinds of notes you're drawn to? 'Powdery' would be the sandalwood, and the floral/sweet definitely matches up with jasmine.

 

Having said all that, it's a really good idea to branch out when it comes to BPAL - try at least one thing that's nothing like any of the perfumes you already have - it really is about creating scent experiences and many of us started out thinking we loved xyz smell but ended up falling for something completely different... for example, I started out with a lot of 'foody' blends because I love the smell of cakes and candy and chocolate (and BPAL does some incredible foody blends!) but then I realised that although I really do love the way they smell, I don't really like wearing them as perfume so I went back to the dark, resinous, incense-y smells that I have always loved and found my favourites there.

 

Here's some of my suggestions for you - I'm just going with things that mostly match up with what you've said you like for now because that's easy

 

Mouses's Long and Sad Tale - I recommend this a lot to new people, it's just so soft and pretty and it has sweet pea for the sweet floral you like plus a gorgeous powdery softness from the amber + sandalwood, with a base of creamy vanilla. Notes are: vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

Dorian - this is a huge favourite for many people, and it has the tea that you like plus vanilla and nice warm musks and a lemon citrus tone. Notes are: A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.

Euphrosyne - Two white/sweet florals, a lovely soft tea rose, and warm vanilla. Notes are: gardenia, tea rose, vanilla and jasmine.

Morocco - this might seem an odd choice, but it's gorgeous and soft with a lovely warm vanilla and gentle spices and the carnation is lovely. Notes are: Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia.

Phantasm - This seems like a great mix of notes for you - the tea is clean and fresh, it has a lemon citrus hit plus lovely sweet jasmine and a soft orange from the neroli. Notes are: green tea, lemon verbena, jasmine and neroli.

High-Strung Daisies - a beautiful gentle floral, it has a subtle sweetness but also a bit of soft spiciness from the carnation and pink pepper. Notes are: daisy, pink carnation, pink pepper, and sugar.

Tamora - this has the lovely soft powderiness from amber + sandalwood, plus a sweet soft peach and pretty vanilla - this is a real 'glowing' kind of scent, warm and lovely. Notes are: amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean.

Rapture - This is a heady mix of florals and citrus with a beautiful exotic feel. Notes are: Moroccan rose, Sumatran rose, mandarin, Egyptian myrrh, night-blooming jasmine, bergamot and neroli thrust into Arabian musk.

Jezebel - this is a warm 'womanly' scent with a lovely dusky sweetness. Notes are: honey, roses, orange blossom and sandalwood.

Embalming Fluid - despite its name, this is a lovely clean one with an aquatic feel and a nice hit of citrus. Notes are: white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon.

Lyonesse - this has a slight aquatic feel, but the lily is gorgeous and the vanilla + musk give it a beautiful soft warmth. Ambergris is a note I think you may really like, although you possibly haven't encountered it before - it has a gorgeous soft, almost waxy sweetness. Notes are: Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss.

Vasilissa - this is seriously one of the prettiest BPALs I've encountered - it's soft, clean, sweet and powdery but also creamy - just gorgeous, the pink musk is sublime and the myrrh gives it some depth. Notes are: creamy skin musk and blushing pink musk with soft sandalwood, white amber, dutiful myrrh, and star jasmine.

Obatala - probably the most coconut-y of BPAL's coconut blends - this has sweet tones, but it's also creamy and slightly aquatic but very clean in feel - the coconut is gorgeous and reminds me very much of the pure coconut oil that I use. Notes are: milk, coconut meat, shea butter and cool, refreshing water.

 

I could go on... but I'll leave it there! Hopefully I've come up with some things that appeal. I heartily encourage you to try Kubla Khan though - I have a feeling you might like it, and although it has some of the notes you like it has a different feel to the perfumes you mentioned so it would be a good one to test yourself with. And of course there's Snake Oil - we always say everyone has to at least try this one, and I think you might like it. I see Black Pearl on your list of possible imps, and also Siren.. yep - good choices! Actually I don't think you can go too far wrong with pretty much all of the imps you're already considering.

 

Finally, there's a huge 'For Sale' section here on the forum - if you find your list of want-to-try imps is getting a bit long, you should definitely check out forum sales because you can pick up imps from there at very fair prices... and the more you try, the more you'll learn about what's going to work for you. And just a last bit of advice - BPAL oils need to be tried differently to commercial spray-on perfumes - when you first start out testing BPALs, just apply a little bit (swipe the imp's wand cap over your skin just once or twice) - you'll be surprised how just a teensy bit of oil packs a lot of fragrance. And give it time to meld with your skin - the oil will often smell quite different from initial application to even just five minutes later, and the play of individual notes will change over its wear length, so always allow the oil to go through its full dry-down on your skin before you decide whether or not you like it.

 

Good luck in your BPAL adventures! I hope you find some things you love

 

edited for formatting mess-up!

Edited January 22, 2013 by sunshinedaisybliss

[ladymeag]

You've got some great recommendations but I'd like to add Elegba (coconut, tobacco and sweet, sugared rum) to your list for something a little deeper but coconutty. For me it's a not-too-sweet fruity coconut scent with a little depth and a darker edge than the usual bright coconut scents.

 

I'd also like to second sunshinedailybliss's comment that many people (myself included) with allergies and migraine triggers have luck with BPAL. I've learned that most florals still trigger migraines for me (especially rose, lily, and jasmine) but a few (orange blossom) are fine. If I avoid florals? I don't have a migraine or allergy issue with BPAL, just scent preferences.

[Viridian]

I wear some of the same commercial perfumes that you do (Daisy , used to have Green Tea) and I second the recs for Dorian, Tamora and Obatala. Snake Oil might be a little too much for you if you're sensitive to strong scents; I know I can only really wear it in incredibly minute quantities.

[meaganola]

My standard 6-pack starter kit recommendation:

• 
   
  
• Snake Oil (and if it doesn't work for you when you get it, tuck that imp away and re-test every six months! It changes quite a bit over time)
  
• Alice
  
• O
  
• Dragon's Milk (Nilla wafers soaked in dragon's blood and smothered in caramel sauce! And it just gets better the older it gets)
  
• Morocco (this one also benefits from some aging. I can't smell *anything* in the bottle/vial when it's fresh, but after six months or so, it starts getting good)
  
• Dorian (just... *oof*. It's unisex, but not unisex like CK One or laundry detergent, and I get compliments on it almost every single time I wear it. And, again, this one ages like a champ)
  

 

These are probably six of the Lab's best sellers. I actually hate O, and I'm just kind of in the middle for Alice, but I *love* Dragon's Milk and Dorian. Since you like fruity stuff, I would probably recommend dumping O and getting Tamora, Lolita (honeysuckle lemon drops!), or Bewitched (if you're familiar with Republic of Tea's Blackberry Sage Tea, Bewitched smells pretty much *exactly* like that to me).

 

One thing about the Lab's stuff: I was very wary when I started wearing BPAL because I have a bad history with commercial/department store perfumes, but the more I wear this stuff, the more I think I must have problems with synthetic components and perfumers' alcohol used in department store stuff. There are very, very few department store scents I can wear, but when it comes to BPAL, it's much more wide open. I still have to pay attention to specific notes (white sandalwood, white musk, and pretty much anything else with "white" in the name = STABBITY PAIN), but where I'm pretty much limited to Tokyomilk Tainted Love if I want to wear something that can be purchased at Sephora, I have literally hundreds of BPAL oils I can wear.

 

And I would also suggest looking into a scent locket. Scent isn't as strong when you use them, and if it *is*, you can just take the locket off.

[russalka]

Oh wow folks! You are all so amazingly helpful! Thanks so much for all of these recommendations!

 

Sunshinedaisybliss - Wow, what a well researched and elaborate post! I'm humbled and so grateful that you took the time to write this! I found a lot of the scents you mentioned on the Sale board and hopefully the potential seller contacts me back very soon, so I can get my first batch of imps asap!

 

Meaganola - I'm definitely getting Dorian, Morocco and Dragon's Milk and I'm quite curious about O as well. So far, I've only been able to find Dragon's Milk on the Sale board - out of that list.

 

Viridian - It also seems to me (even though I've never tested it) that Snake Oil might be too much from what I've read about it.

 

Ladymeag - Elegba sounds exciting! I will definitely see if I can find it on the Sale board.

[waternight]

For a light, clean berry scent, I highly recommend Glasgow. Blackberries and the suggestion of light rose...just gorgeous. Seems like it might be up your alley.

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Excellent! I'm happy to hear you've managed to find some imps in the sales here - the other good thing about that is people generally ship things pretty quickly so you'll get them nice and fast

 

I thought of a couple more, because I saw in your intro post that you said Earl Grey tea (rather than green tea that I was thinking of before), sooooooooo:

 

Rapture - This has your bergamot, plus mandarin and neroli and jasmine so it could be a winner. Notes are: Moroccan rose, Sumatran rose, mandarin, Egyptian myrrh, night-blooming jasmine, bergamot and neroli thrust into Arabian musk.

Fae - This is another of those 'glowing' scents that BPAL does so well - it's very pretty with an soft ethereal feel. Notes are: white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss.

Zephyr - personally the lemon in this was too much for me, and as meaganola mentioned the 'white' notes are risky when it comes to headaches, but it has a lot of the things you seem to like so it may be worth a try. Notes are: Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla.

But as you've seen by the great recommendations everyone's already offered, there's no shortage of lovely things to try! I hope you enjoy your travels through the smelly world of BPAL

[russalka]

I just wanted to update you lovely folks that I've finally bought my first set of imps off the sale board! I bought imps of 51, Brisimgamen, Croquet, Dragon's Milk and Opium Poppy.

 

I'm waiting for the answer of the other seller from whom I want to buy all of 16 imps: Belle Epoque, Embalming Fluid, Euphrosyne, Eve, Hunger, Jezebel, Lorelei, Kumiho, Obatala, Phantasm, Prague, Roses Pears and Diamonds, Rapture, Tamora, Titania and Vasilissa. I really hope she contacts me soon so that I can get my hands on these

 

There are still many that I want to try - all of the ones that you all have recommended, but I'll have to wait a bit before purchasing more of them

[ladymeag]

A helpful thing if you are buying in the For Sale or swapping in the Swaps forums - create a wishlist of stuff you want to try in the Wishlist thread over in the Wanted forum and link it in your signature - when I sell to someone, I always take a peek at the wishlist to see if I have something else floating around that they want.

[russalka]

Thanks ladymeag! I will create one ASAP.

 

By the way. Yesterday, I made someone at work black currant tea and I totally fell in love with that smell. It was sweet, warm and just gorgeous, so now I'm looking for scents with that sweet black currant smell I find the description of Eat Me perfect, but can't find it on the Sale Boards.

 

Do you know of any other scents with black currant and other sweet smells?

[sunshinedaisybliss]

Eat Me is hard to find on the sales posts, because unfortunately the search engine here on the forum doesn't handle three-letter words.. and two-letter words are even worse! So you could try putting it in quotes like "Eat Me" and see if that gets a result, but if that doesn't work then you're probably stuck. Another option would be to make a new post in the 'Wanted' section - list the imps you're looking for, and people who have them available will contact you.. that might be quicker - they can come to you, rather than you searching for them!

 

Aside from Eat Me, the only other full-on black currant I can think of in the general catalogue would be Knave of Hearts - that one is 'crushed roses and black currant tarts'. There's also The Red Queen (wood notes with sweet, black-red cherries and currant) that might be worth a try. There's also Bordello - plum with amaretto, burgundy wine and black currant - it's lovely, but quite dark and rich - like a nice dark red wine kind of feel.

 

You could also investigate blackberry - like Betwitched - blackberry, sage, green tea, wild berries and dark musk - lovely, but quite voluptuous and dark. Glasgow was also mentioned earlier - that one is wild blackberry breezing over gentle rosy heather. I think you might like Hollywood Babylon - notes are: glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, infused with the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla - dragged into debauch by lusty red musk and a dribble of black cherry - so that's cherry rather than black currant but I've always thought it has a blackberry-ish feel and it's quite light and pretty with nice sweet tones.

 

It's nice to see you getting into this! I hope you have a great time with all the lovely smellies when your first little package of imps arrives!!

[Wren12]

Eat Me is bloody sublime. The vanilla cake combined with the incredibly bright, juciy currant is just beyond words. It is one of my most favorite blends. If you decide to order from the lab it is also available as an imp, so you could test it!

 

Red Queen is also quite good, not as knock your socks off as Eat Me, but super nice! And Hollywood Babylon is a wonderful, incensey tart cherry. I was actually wearing it this morning! It's quite complex really and I adore it (more than Red Queen, tbh).

 

The nice thing is that all of those are available as imps, so you could test them without breaking the bank!

[ReallyZeb]

Lamia comes to mind - Deadly elegance: pale orchid, vanilla amber, black currant, white peach, champaca, coconut, Arabian myrrh, Burmese vetiver, and oude or Lawn Gnome - Red currant, molasses, vanilla cream, moss, and patchouli. Shame you didn't mention this yesterday before I posted!

[russalka]

Wow, great recommendations, folks!

 

ReallyZeb ... Yeah, it is too bad I wish I had told you, but I didn't want to confuse you further or make it more work for you. If you have any of the mentioned scents, let me know! I'll gladly get them, even though I should probably wait a bit Both of the ones that you mentioned sound amazing!

 

Wren - I have Hollywood Babylon coming soon, so I'm really looking forward to trying on that scent!! Yay I can't wait

 

sunshinedaisybliss - Thanks for great recs again!

[DJ Sin]

I think you might like the Red Queen its a fruity cherry scent.

 

I've been on a fruity adventure with BPAL lately. One of my favorites right now is the Soul of La Traviata. Which is plum, black musk, neroli and grapefruit. In my opinion the Lab really does fruit scents really well!

 

welcome to BPAL!

 

your new addiction!

[russalka]

Just thought I could update this thread a little ...

 

I ended up getting 20+ imps and so far, I like O the most ... I realized I can't take scents that are too strong because I do get a headache and start feeling almost sick to my stomach if the smell is overbearing (like Titania or Eve). I need something mellow, sweet, dreamy and a little tiny touch sexy.

 

I also liked Dorian before I got 'over him,' which was pretty fast.

 

Roses, Pearls and Diamonds was another scent that captivated me, but it's a little too cold for everyday wear - it's something I could wear from time to time, but not all the time.

 

I realized I don't like woody smells at all ... even though I do like sandalwood in theory, I don't like it in perfume form.

 

I realized I like honey.

 

Belle Epoque is a scent that nearly mesmerized me ... it's such a complex smell that keeps changing on me each time I sniff it, but some of the time I really don't like it - the times the sandalwood comes through strong.

 

So right now I only know I will be buying a bottle of O. Nothing else comes close to being lovely enough while not being too loud and has a certain amount of hidden sexiness in it. But I am not totally hundred percent in love with it either ...

 

I've simply not found THE scent for myself, but O is coming close for sure. It's also the only scent that I got a compliment for while wearing. By a male coworker.

 

PS: I really like Embalming Fluid as it reminds me a lot of Elizabeth Arden's Tea Tree scent, but I have a bottle of that, so there's no reason for me to buy a bottle of Embalming Fluid.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to move next?

[BoneBone24]

Just thought I could update this thread a little ...

 

I ended up getting 20+ imps and so far, I like O the most ... I realized I can't take scents that are too strong because I do get a headache and start feeling almost sick to my stomach if the smell is overbearing (like Titania or Eve). I need something mellow, sweet, dreamy and a little tiny touch sexy.

 

I also liked Dorian before I got 'over him,' which was pretty fast.

 

Roses, Pearls and Diamonds was another scent that captivated me, but it's a little too cold for everyday wear - it's something I could wear from time to time, but not all the time.

 

I realized I don't like woody smells at all ... even though I do like sandalwood in theory, I don't like it in perfume form.

 

I realized I like honey.

 

Belle Epoque is a scent that nearly mesmerized me ... it's such a complex smell that keeps changing on me each time I sniff it, but some of the time I really don't like it - the times the sandalwood comes through strong.

 

So right now I only know I will be buying a bottle of O. Nothing else comes close to being lovely enough while not being too loud and has a certain amount of hidden sexiness in it. But I am not totally hundred percent in love with it either ...

 

I've simply not found THE scent for myself, but O is coming close for sure. It's also the only scent that I got a compliment for while wearing. By a male coworker.

 

PS: I really like Embalming Fluid as it reminds me a lot of Elizabeth Arden's Tea Tree scent, but I have a bottle of that, so there's no reason for me to buy a bottle of Embalming Fluid.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions as to where to move next?

 

 

 

If you like O, I'd suggest trying The Light of Men's Lives too. La Petite Mort would also be a good one to try. And if you don't mind some spice, Defututa and The Lion might also work for you.

 

 

Have you tried anything with Dragon's Blood in it yet? If not, I'd definitely recommend starting out with Dragon's Milk. It has Dragon's Blood, which should satisfy that complex, warm floral it sounds like you're into, plus honey and vanilla.

 

And, since you like Embalming Fluid, you might also like Phobos, Absinthe, Ehecatl, or Herbert West. All are lovely and refreshing citrus blends.

 

 

 

Edited to Add: I read your original post (prolly shoulda done that before) and wanted to add a few more:

Sed Non Satiata (sexy honeyed floral)

La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente (a warm aquatic w/ fruit and rose)

Apothecary (fig, tea, and greenery)

Shoggoth (a fruity, tropical floral-aquatic - with coconut!)

Haunted (amber and black musk)

Edited June 10, 2013 by BoneBone24

[russalka]

 

If you like O, I'd suggest trying The Light of Men's Lives too. La Petite Mort would also be a good one to try. And if you don't mind some spice, Defututa and The Lion might also work for you.

 

 

Have you tried anything with Dragon's Blood in it yet? If not, I'd definitely recommend starting out with Dragon's Milk. It has Dragon's Blood, which should satisfy that complex, warm floral it sounds like you're into, plus honey and vanilla.

 

And, since you like Embalming Fluid, you might also like Phobos, Absinthe, Ehecatl, or Herbert West. All are lovely and refreshing citrus blends.

 

 

 

Edited to Add: I read your original post (prolly shoulda done that before) and wanted to add a few more:

Sed Non Satiata (sexy honeyed floral)

La Bella Donna Della Mia Mente (a warm aquatic w/ fruit and rose)

Apothecary (fig, tea, and greenery)

Shoggoth (a fruity, tropical floral-aquatic - with coconut!)

Haunted (amber and black musk)

 

I will read up on your suggestions. Thank you very much! I have tried Dragon's Milk and it's too cherry for me. It smells like cherry candy/cough drops on me. Unfortunately.

 

All in all, I like more warm/sweet yet airy smells. I can't handle overpowering florals and especially tropicals. There was one smell with Guava, I believe (can't remember the name of the scent) and I just couldn't handle it. It was literally horrible on me. I've also changed my opinion on coconut ... I don't think I like it anymore.

 

I know I have looooong ways to go before I really learn what notes I like and which one I dislike ... it almost feels like too much at the moment I'm putting together a list of 6 imps I want to order from BPAL as I can't find any of them on sale boards.

 

1. Fae

2. Van Van (I need me some of that positivity, plus I like the reviews)

3. Bewitched

4. Eat Me

5. Dana O'Shee

6. .... remains to be seen (now I'll be researching The Light of Men's Lives, La Petite Mort, La Traviata, Apothecary and Sed Non Satiata - even though the 'floral' in it scares me a little)

 

Do you think it's a good list?