Jump to content
Post-Update: Forum Issues Read more... ×
BPAL Madness!
Absinthe

Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?

Recommended Posts

A friend of mine just gave me a bottle of something called Gypsy Queen, with just a little bit in it, a dribble really, and I didn't know whether to kiss her or hit her. It smells almost EXACTLY like my house used to when my mum was alive and kept her incense and candles burning all the time, or when we used to go to the choovihni's house for things. (I'm half Rroma Gypsy in case you couldn't tell)I've always loved that smell, and never been able to figure out how to recreate it, and Beth did, but ot's a Limited Edition!

 

Is there anything I can layer or combine, or something that even comes CLOSE to it?

 

I'm sorry, the only blend that has a certain similarity - for my nose that is - would be Alice, but it has a very different feeling. Still, the carnation - rose combo is similar. Maybe if you could layer something with carnation and rose - possibly Libra, not sure, and something that has the blown out candle effect, but I really am not much of a help here. Perhaps somebody else can jump in and continue that thought.

Share this post


Link to post

I am in need of scent that would be close to Snow Maiden. I would like to gift it to a close friend but I only have my half full bottle left. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

 

"The Snow Maiden is the daughter of Spring and Frost: as lovely as the first snowfall, and as striking as a sliver of icicle. Isolated because of her chilly otherworldly nature, and unable to know love, she longed for the companionship and warmth of mortals. One bright, white winter's day, the Snow Maiden came upon a gentle, handsome shepherd named Lel. She grows fond of him, and beseeches Mother Spring to grant her the ability to feel. Her mother is moved by her daughters plight, and blesses her, but the moment the Snow Maiden is struck by the depth of love she feels for Lel, her heart warms, and she melts.

 

Ylang ylang, osmanthus, spring berries, and daffodil cloaked in hoarfrost."

 

Edited by Willowm()()n

Share this post


Link to post
The closest I've come to finding Hunger Moon 2007 is Scales of Deprivation.

 

Interesting! I love Hunger Moon but have a respiratory allergy to verbena, so basically I sniff it and am like YUM GOOD SMELL and then am like AAAH CAN'T BREATHE, which is not too great. I didn't like Scales of Deprivation on my first pass, but maybe I'll try it again with that comparison in mind.

 

Though it's one of those not-really-much-better substitutions, Death of The Grave Digger reminds me of Hunger Moon without the big side of verbena. Hunger Moon that I can actually _wear_? Oh, I'm very pleased.

 

A couple of different things have reminded me of Glowing Vulva. The one that comes right to mind is The Antikythera Mechanism. They're not twins by any means, but they've got the same vibe for me.

Share this post


Link to post

OK, having tried Snow Glass Apples and experimenting furiously to re-create it I have discovered two that seem to work. (of course this is based on what it was like on my skin)

I haven't tried everything in the catalouge but these are the standouts:

 

1. Poisoned Apple + Thunder Moon 2007 - The apple and ozone quality is dead on in my opinion although the "chill" isn't as prevalient as in the original it still has a slight crispness too it.

 

2. Poisoned Apple + Snow White - Obvious choice I know. This one is 2nd in line in terms of being an equilvalent because of the ""perfumy" quality I get from Snow White. Otherwise the winter chill is dead on and the apple takes on a tarter scent in this combo.

 

I guess you can pick which note you prefer more, ozone or chill, or layer them all and see what you get.

 

Just thought I would share.

Edited by Willowm()()n

Share this post


Link to post
Anactoria smells quite similar to Black Lace- sweet musk. It lacks the tobacco and that hint of vanilla, though.

 

Now that Anactoria's aged another few months, I'm really feeling the Black Lace similarity - the tobacco is more prominent now, the currant's subsided, and the musk is almost a perfect match... a tiny dab of something boozy & vanilla (a dot of Snake Oil? Am I crazy? Dorian? Antikythera? Aged Love's Philosophy?) just might seal the deal.

Share this post


Link to post

Heavenly Love & Earthly Love

Ambergris accord, benzoin, teakwood, frankincense, myrrh, Mysore sandalwood, and incense.

smells very similar on my skin to

 

Midnight Mass ('06)

This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass. Traditionally, five tears of this incense, each encased individually in wax that has been fashioned into the shape of a nail, are inserted into the paschal candle. This is, of course, represents the Five Wounds of Our Risen Savior. Symbolically, the burning of the incense signifies spiritual fervor, the fragrance itself inspires virtue, and the rising smoke carries our prayers to God.

Not an exact match - Heavenly Love is woodier and has the ambergris accord, Midnight Mass is sweeter and more resinous. But still, very very close imo.

Share this post


Link to post
Heavenly Love & Earthly Love

Ambergris accord, benzoin, teakwood, frankincense, myrrh, Mysore sandalwood, and incense.

smells very similar on my skin to

 

Midnight Mass ('06)

This perfume is a traditional Roman Catholic sacramental incense, most often used during a Solemn Mass. Traditionally, five tears of this incense, each encased individually in wax that has been fashioned into the shape of a nail, are inserted into the paschal candle. This is, of course, represents the Five Wounds of Our Risen Savior. Symbolically, the burning of the incense signifies spiritual fervor, the fragrance itself inspires virtue, and the rising smoke carries our prayers to God.

Not an exact match - Heavenly Love is woodier and has the ambergris accord, Midnight Mass is sweeter and more resinous. But still, very very close imo.

 

I agree completely - both are fantastic, and on my skin are nearly impossible to tell apart...

Share this post


Link to post

After the blueberries disappeared moments after applying Crawdad Dream, my skin smelled exactly like the original 13, once the white chocolate disappeared. I wonder how many notes they share. *looks for spreadsheet*

Share this post


Link to post

I can't help for Tiki King but I discovered a good one today: if you let the top notes dry off of Love-Lies-Bleeding it smells like Hony Mone. Good stuff.

Share this post


Link to post

how bout Snow, Glass, Apples? anything at all? my mother actually fell in love with it HARD and she absolutely hates perfume usually. I feel bad if I can't find something at least remotely similar to recommend to her

Share this post


Link to post

I'm testing out Nostrum Remedium today and discovered that it smells a lot like The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife, especially on the drydown. :P I know there's not a cream note listed in Nostrum Remedium but it's very creamy on me. Both blends have honey in them too so that might be part of the similarity. I was kicking myself that I only bought one bottle of DFW but now it looks like I've got an alternative- yay!

Share this post


Link to post
how bout Snow, Glass, Apples? anything at all? my mother actually fell in love with it HARD and she absolutely hates perfume usually. I feel bad if I can't find something at least remotely similar to recommend to her

 

A lot of the reviews mention Poisoned Apple as being close. I have not smelled it yet but I'm going to - I also fell super hard for SGA.

Share this post


Link to post
Any idea of what GC scents resemble Green Tree Viper? I'm thinking of trying it, but I'm afraid of falling in love without having a replacement for when the Carnival goes away. :P

 

Greensleeves

 

To me, Green Treen Viper smelled a bit like Dorian only greener. It was a more refreshing take on Snake Oil. You might try Dorian, or layering Snake Oil with Dorian and something minty. I don't do mint so often, so someone else might have ideas?

Share this post


Link to post
how bout Snow, Glass, Apples? anything at all? my mother actually fell in love with it HARD and she absolutely hates perfume usually. I feel bad if I can't find something at least remotely similar to recommend to her

To me, at least on my first try, SGA smelled exactly like The Hesperides with an added "cold" note (is that ozone? My nose isn't quite trained well enough, methinks -- it's a little bit minty, little bit perfumey...). At any rate, that (The Hesperides) might be worth checking out.

 

I'm seriously loving my Diwali decant today, and kicking myself some more for not buying a full bottle. Any suggestions for that one? :P

Share this post


Link to post

I was just testing Minotaur- and it smells a lot like my other absolute favourite scent- Heavenly Love and Earthly Love. It's retail-only but that's technically GC, I think. Both scents make me swoon.

Share this post


Link to post

To the Mods, I wasn't sure if this question was too specific to put into the Tea recs, or the LE/Discons=GC threads, so if I was wrong, please merge with my apologies! :P

 

 

I've only tried one tea blend so far -- Gennivre. Which is so heart-breakingly gorgeous on me, it makes me want to cry that she'll be leaving soon! :D Seriously, I treat my precious single bottle (gotta get another) with all the reverence of a vial of sanctified liquid gold! :D Since I haven't tried any of the other teas yet, I'm wondering if maybe tea notes in general are things I should be looking for. How do other BPAL teas compare to Gennivre? When looking around for something similar, things like Shanghai, The Dormouse, Embalming Fluid and Phantasm have caught my attention. Even non-tea BPALs would be great, (for example, similar honey or orange blossom notes, same general feel, etc.) I just want Gennivre-ish recs if that makes sense. Lol I haven't tried many scents yet, so for all I know the GC is SWIMMING with them! :D

 

For the record, Gennivre on me is a really summery mix of tea, sugar, honey, lemon grass and orange blossom. I don't think I really get any mint.

 

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I'm sorry for the novel!

Share this post


Link to post

I love Gennivre, but I haven't found anything in the BPAL oeuvre that *quite* matches the "feel" of the scent, if you know what I mean. What I would recommend, though, is Kumiho, Shanghai, and Embalming Fluid.P.S. this probably belongs in Suggestions and not Recommendations. : )P.S. this probably belongs in Suggestions and not Recommendations. : )

Share this post


Link to post
To the Mods, I wasn't sure if this question was too specific to put into the Tea recs, or the LE/Discons=GC threads, so if I was wrong, please merge with my apologies! :P

 

...

 

I think I will leave it on its own for now, since it could fit in either of those threads... after it gets some comments, I'll see if it fits better in the tea thread or the LEs => GCs thread and we'll go from there. :D

 

I am a mint-amper, and not especially crazy about mint unless it's really, really light... so Gennivre ended up being a swap-away for me. I'm jealous of what you get from it!

 

The Dormouse is a light floral tea and really pretty - I would guess it might be less sweet that Gennivre, lacking sugar or honey notes. But definitely worth trying. Maiden is also a very pretty floral tea blend! Baobhan Sith has a great combo of citrus and tea notes. You should also try Nostrum Remedium, it's a spicy honeyed tea.

 

From the CD series, if you get a chance to try Daiyu, it is a really refreshing and pretty tea blend and it's unique. The acai gives it that citrusy brightness and the jasmine in it is a sweet one. Green Tree Viper is a nice twist on Snake Oil w/mint and tea.

Share this post


Link to post

Thank you tons, Ivyandpeony!. :D I really had no idea where to post this one, it seemed it could go anywhere, I was getting all kerfuffled! :D Thanks so much for the recs too, I don't think I even knew Baobhan Sith and Nostrum Remedium had tea. I was actually looking at Daiyu, but I don't want to give my heart to any more of these Carnival floozies, they'll just up and leave you with a broken heart! :P

Share this post


Link to post

i just got to try SGA, and the first thing I thought of was snowflakes .... and poisoned apple. I didn't expect it to be so strong on the snow-mint-slush-ozone. it is beautiful!

 

I bet layering poisoned apple, snowflakes and a dab of snow storm and you'd get something close to SGA.

Share this post


Link to post
×