Apple

Thanks for the report from the front lines! That is discouraging, but I will still be seeking a decant to try. Maybe layering with a drop of (diluted) clove essential oil would improve it? Anyway, thanks again!

I am not a fan of vanilla, but if you are looking for a slightly less-girly vanilla scent, you might try: The Bow and Crown of Conquest (Sin & Salvation): Nobility and haughtiness befitting the Antichrist: sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather. Tombstone (Wanderlust): A celebration of one of the first commercially produced perfumes of America's Old West. A rugged, warm blend of vanilla, balsam and sassafras layered over Virginia cedar. For a non-vanillic, unisex scent that would put me in mind of the darker side of The Cure, I would heartily recommend: Nosferatu (Diabolus): desiccated herbs and gritty earth brought to life with a swell of robust and sanguineous red wines. (Nosferatu doesn't smell "dessicated" or "gritty" to me; it's a sharp, rich green spiked with a tang of spicy berries on my skin.) The Black Tower (Bewitching Brews): A sepulchral, desolate scent. Long-dead soldiers, oath-bound; the perfume of their armor, the chill wind that surges through their tower, white bone and blackened steel: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine. And you might find more suggestions in these threads: Need *dark* scents for those kind of days! The absolute darkest scents? ghostly, haunting, scary,, Foreboding, disturbing, mysterious, spooky etc. Searching for the Perfect Vanilla?, Find it here, alone or in combos I hope you enjoy the show!

That sounds promising, assuming the cinnamon and vetiver behave themselves (I tend to amp both). I'll have to track down a decant. Thanks!

Thanks for the recommendations! I love Bonfire Night, but I don't detect any gunpowder in it. Scarecrow and Djinn were both terrible on me. I haven't tried Brimstone yet; I'll have to add it to my list. To clarify, the BPAL gunpowder note doesn't smell smoky or "burning" to me... it's more like the potential for explosion, if that makes any sense. It's most pronounced in Agnes Nutter after the smoky vetiver opening act clears the stage; it's this delicious tang of fireworks... a box of sparklers waiting to be lit.

Here are some LE to GC similarities I've noted: Clémence / Clemence ---> Port Royal (and kinda sorta similar to Dracul and Voodoo) Monsterbait: Ventriloquist Dummy ---> Tiresias, the Androgyne or The Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil Spirits of the Dead ---> Sudha Segara Sagittarius (2007) ---> Nemesis The Pit & the Pendulum ---> Anne Bonny, Penitence, or Cathedral Chanukkiyah (2007), Sugar Skull (2007) ---> Kill-Devil Leo (2007) ---> Bastet or Anubis Archangel Winter ---> Lightning, Tempest, or Szepasszony October ---> Samhainophobia (these are both LEs, but one might be easier to find) Graveyard Dirt ---> The Premature Burial (again, these are both LEs, but The Premature Burial is much easier to find) Lenore ---> Devil's Claw

The Black Tower and De Sade are my favorite "dark" scents, although I don't find them ghostly or haunting... just dead-sexy. For ghostly or haunting I would probably turn to Seance (dried rose potpourri in a dank basement) or The Premature Burial (a breath of flowers over damp, mossy earth).

You might want to try an imp-pack (or two!) of rose scents. I have "rose issues," so you may wish to take my recommendations with a grain of salt, but based on your preferences you might like: Harlot (Ara Amatoria): Somalian rose, Moroccan rose and Bulgar rose with a sultry dribble of cinnamon. Lucy's Kiss (Ars Amatoria): The gentle scent of rose and a blend of Victorian spices Spellbound (Ars Amatoria): Perfectly enchanting! An irresistibly sexual, utterly rapturous blend of three roses, radiant amber, and sensual red musk. Whip (Ars Amatoria): Agony and ecstasy: black leather and damp red rose. Pride (Sin and Salvation): Vanity in extremis. The scent of rabid hauteur: Moroccan rose and narcissus. Zombi (Ars Moriendi): Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth. Black Dahlia (Sin and Salvation): Voluptuous magnolias strewn over orchid, star jasmine, black amber and smoky rose. Rose Cross (Sin and Salvation): This is a holy oil, a representation of the triumph of spirit over matter: purest rose with sacred frankincense. Black Rose (Rappaccini's Garden): Exquisitely melancholy. The background scent to an ancient exequies. Heavy, dark and floral: a blend of roses, with a touch of amber and musk. Blood Rose (Rappaccini's Garden): Sensual, robust, and silken: voluptuous red rose bursting with lascivious red wine and sultry dragon's blood resin. Mata Hari (Bewitching Brews): five roses with soft jasmine, warmed by vanilla, fig, tonka bean and mahogany, spiced with a drop of coffee bean. Two, Five, and Seven (Mad Tea Party) was delightful before it started amping insanely and reeking of ammonia (which is what rose scents often do on my skin), but it was very fresh and slightly sweet... not dark or sexy or smoky. But if you love rose scents, definitely give it a try. A non-rose scent that sounds right up your alley would be: Priala, the Human Phoenix (Carnaval Diabolique - unfortunately not available in imp-form from the Lab, but you might be able to find a decant on the swaps forum): Three deep, dark myrrhs, smoke, and cinnamon bark. Good luck and be sure to report back with your findings!

Those two would be my recommendation, too.

It's been mentioned in this thread, but Whitechapel was extremely lilac-y on me. It's all lime in the imp, but it turns into lilacs as soon as it hits my skin. Unfortunately, although I love the scent of real lilacs blooming in the spring, I do not love the way lilac perfumes bloom on my skin. I can also smell lilac in Lysander, Famine, and Bad Luck Woman Blues, although none of these are pure (or even predominantly) lilac scents.

Mmmn... tea. I posted about black tea scents upthread, but I thought I'd add some new comments now that I've had a chance to try a few more BPAL tea blends. BLACK TEA My favorite type of tea for drinking. I favor strong black tea with milk and sugar, and that carries over to scent preferences. Unfortunately, BPAL's beautiful black tea note never sticks around long on me; it is lovely but fleeting. Dorian - This was a disaster on my skin. The vanilla and an unlisted wintergreen note in this amped until my eyes watered... for hours. Famine - I need to re-test this one, especially after the comparisons to lapsang souchong tea. I would love a smoky tea scent sans vanilla! Maybe this will be it... Edit: Retesting confirmed my initial appraisal: the lilac in this is just too assertive on my skin. I get a light, clean floral (one that's a little old-fashioned), not a smoky tea. Boo hiss. The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa - Haven't tried this one yet. Men Ringing Bell with Penises - This just smelled sort of generically fresh and clean to me, like shampoo. Shadwell - This doesn't smell like tea or any of the other listed notes to me. The combined effect is nice at first, but then develops into a fruity-coconut scent on my skin. So disappointing, and I have no idea what the culprit is. White Rabbit - The tea note disappears almost immediately, but it leaves behind a delicious milk-and-honey scent that I adore. The first time I wore it, the vanilla was overpowering but thankfully that was not the case on subsequent wearings. This is one of my very favorite scents. CHAI TEA My next favorite type of tea for drinking. I am still searching for the perfect chai tea scent, because the BPAL chai scents are too heavy on the cinnamon and/or vanilla for me. Bakeneko - I haven't tried this yet, but I hope to. Bengal - Cinnamon vanilla baby powder. Makes a great deodorant, but I'd never drink it. Bezoar - No tea note is listed, but the cardamom makes it very chai-like Clemence - This smelled like a mixture of Coca-Cola and Old Spice aftershave, with a dash of salt. No chai for me. Plunder - Cinnamon, cinnamon, cinnamon. If I close my eyes, sniff REALLY hard, and use my imagination, I can catch whiffs of tea and tobacco under the avalanche of cinnamon, but they are so faint and fleeting I'm not sure they're really there. EARL GREY TEA I also enjoy Earl Grey for drinking. Scent-wise, I amp citrus, and so the bergamot can be bossy on my skin. Cheshire Cat - Okay, so tea is not a listed note, and neither is bergamot. Still, this blend gives me a definite Earl Grey vibe. Maybe it's the combination of grapefruit and chamomile? It also reminds me vaguely of Bewitched, which does contain tea. Theodosius, The Legerdemain - I fear the vanilla and white fougere in this, but I will probably try it one of these days. Severin - All bergamot, all the time. And it only lasts about 15 minutes. So sad. GREEN TEA Green tea is hit or miss on me. It can be crisp and refreshing, but it can also be overly sharp and astringent. It also tends to be combined with florals (which I don't tend to like) and citrus fruits (which don't tend to like me). Bewitched - This was effervescent and gingery on me. I never would have guessed it was a berry and green tea blend. I like it. Cordelia - This has too many deal-breaker floral notes for me to be interested in trying. Embalming Fluid - I just know that the lemon in this will combine with the green tea and end up smelling like floor cleaner on my skin, but I still want to try it. F5 - Haven't tried it. Green Tree Viper - I can't wear Snake Oil, and the addition of mint and bergamot did not change this fact. Herbert West - Haven't tried this one yet. Phantasm - The lemon verbena and jasmine make this unappealing. It smells okay in the imp, though, and I'll probably skin test it soon. Shanghai - This was wretched on me. It went from floor cleaner to hamsters, neither of which was appealing. Tweedledum - I liked this one, although I didn't get much tea out of it. It was very fruity-patchouli on me. Vampire Tears - One of the worst BPALs I've tried; it was positively disgusting on me. An overpowering, musty bubblegum scent... like gum being chewed by someone with bad breath. The memory still makes me shudder. WHITE TEA I don't find white tea to have a strong flavor or scent, and I haven't tried many of these. Baobhan Sith - This was terrible on me. The grapefruit went horribly, horribly wrong... it smelled almost like a Port-a-Potty. The Fox-Woman Kuzunoha Leaving Her Child - Haven't tried yet. Iambe - Haven't tried yet. Kumiho - Haven't tried yet. Maiden - I've seen a lot of comparisons between Maiden and Alice. I love Alice, and so I have high hopes for Maiden and look forward to trying it one of these days. Manhattan - This was nice and sweet when dry, but a bit too "perfumey" for my taste. I didn't detect any tea (or leather, or mint). OTHER TEA The Apothecary - I like this, but it can be a little too sharp on me. It's very clean, and the ginger is lemony. The Dormouse - Light and clean and floral. Pleasant but not memorable. Dragon Moon - Haven't tried this. The dragon's blood makes me nervous, but the other notes are intriguing. Gennivre, L’Artiste du Diable - Similar to The Dormouse, but a little more refreshing thanks to the mint. Holiday Moon - Haven't tried it. Itasô Kansei Nenkan Jorô No Fûzoku - Haven't tried this one yet. Snow Angel - Haven't tried it. Spirits of the Dead - Very lemony, it almost crosses the line into floor cleaner territory. Sudha Segara - I know it's not a listed note, but I definitely get a tea vibe. It's light, refreshing ginger tea with milk: sweet, comforting, and almost lemony. Like a softer, warmer, more wearable version of Spirits of the Dead. Usher - Haven't tried it. FAVORITE TEA BLENDS White Rabbit Sudha Segara Bezoar AMBIVALENT/MEH/LIKE BUT DON'T LOVE The Apothecary Bengal Bewitched Cheshire Cat The Dormouse Gennivre, L’Artiste du Diable Manhattan Plunder Severin Shadwell Spirits of the Dead Tweedledum TEA BLENDS THAT DID TERRIBLE THINGS ON MY SKIN Baobhan Sith Dorian Green Tree Viper Shanghai Vampire Tears HAVEN'T TRIED YET OR NEED TO RE-TEST Bakeneko Dragon Moon Embalming Fluid F5 Famine Herbert West Holiday Moon Iambe Kumiho The Fox-Woman Kuzunoha Leaving Her Child Itasô Kansei Nenkan Jorô No Fûzoku The Lantern Ghost of Oiwa Maiden Phantasm Snow Angel Theodosius, The Legerdemain Usher NO PLANS TO TRY Cordelia Edit: Added some blends I had forgotten.

Hmmn... you might like Bastet or The Lion for their warmth, spice, and cat imagery, but neither has what I would consider forest green or aquatic notes. This is going to sound like an odd recommendation, but have you tried House of Night? It's a very humid scent to me: green and spicy and warm, but also floral.

I'm glad to see that someone else compared Masabakes to Alice. Although they smell different when wet, I find them virtually identical when dry. At first, Masabakes is very dark, sharp and smoky (and reminds me oh-so-slightly of the wine and ivy in The Black Tower), but soon a honey note surfaces... a deep, DARK honey. And then I smell some rose fighting to turn into horrible chemical nastiness (which is what rose does on my skin), but thankfully something else in this blend reigns it back in and I'm left with a honeyed, spicy carnation-rose that smells just like Alice. Very, very odd.

Although I have tried many "woody," "woodsy," and "foresty" blends, I am still searching for my perfect forest blend. For me, this would be the scent of a deciduous forest comprised mainly of oak and maple trees, with nary a pine tree in sight. I haven't found anything like that so far, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. I'm somewhat limited by tricky skin chemistry, and deal-breaker notes include: pine, rose (most florals, actually), vanilla, and red musk. Vetiver and dragon's blood are both iffy, but I'd be willing to gamble on blends containing them. Blends with dirt/earth/moss notes are welcome, as are blends with pronounced cedar and sandalwood notes. Here's what I'm thinking of trying (I'd appreciate comments on these): Ace of Pentacles Dee Doc Constantine Ochosi And here's what I've already tried: Anne Bonny - I like this and would like recs for similar scents Arkham- on me, this was soft, sweet, fresh, floral, and girly... no woods Aureus - woody-powdery-Play Doh-y Bewitched - light, efferevescent, and berry-ish, I like it but it's not woodsy at all Burial - too piney Clio - nice, but too dry for a true woods scent Danse Macabre - although I liked it, this was a bit sharp and medicinal Death of Autumn - vetiver, vetiver, vetiver Hamadryad - wintergreen The Hesperides - nice, but the apple really popped out on me Incantation - green-deodorant-soap-cologne with an undertone of lit cigarette Intrigue - I like this, but it's all fig on me The Jersey Devil - smelled like a cranberry candle on me King of Clubs - very sharp and medicinal Lear - smelled like baby powder on me, although less so than Magus Luperci - love it, but it's not very foresty Magus - smelled like baby powder on me Mandrake - I like this one a lot, but it is very faint on me and smells primarily of cedar Nocnitsa - smelled like a bayberry candle on me Oblivion - super-strong man-cologne, I really did not like this October - crisp, green, and clean... it's lovely, but it's too green and fresh Odin - too powdery/sweet Omen - I like this one a lot, but it's not quite right. Similar to Robin Goodfellow when dry The Pit & The Pendulum - nice, but too dry Robin Goodfellow - smelled like candied greens when wet, a bit too powdery when dry Samhainophobia - crisp, green, and clean... very similar to October Stranger Fig - I liked this, but it's not quite right Sri Lanka - my favorite wood scent by far, this is wood that's been dried and is no longer alive in the forest Tombstone - root beer initially, vanilla candle when dry Ulalume - fresh, green, and natural when wet, it's very clean and soapy when dry Vinland - ROSE, ammonia Umbra - all vetiver, all the time Whippoorwill - very similar to Robin Goodfellow Wolfsbane - I can't find my notes on this one, but it's in my swaps pile so it can't have been that good! Yggdrasil - light and clean, it wasn't particularly woody or woodsy Zombi - rose, rose, rose... ammonia Any other suggestions? Anything I've missed? Thanks!

Thanks for returning with your report! I will probably skip Malice and hitch a ride on the Spider instead...

Thanks for the votes... it sounds like I'm just going to have to try them both!

"Ridin' the spider"? Pine is not a note I enjoy, so I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that Dracul isn't too pine-y on me. If you think of it, please pop in here after you've tried Malice and let me know what you think of it. Aside from the ylang-ylang, it sounds lovely. Captain Tightpants is totally droolworthy. And please do report back after you've had a chance to test-drive The Smiling Spider!

Good to know. And PhantasmMysteria, I have to say that I could probably watch your avatar animation for the better part of an hour. I think someone else mentioned that it is rather mesmerizing, and I have to agree! /hijack

I haven't tried Dracul or Lunar Eclipse, but Dracul is on my wish list. If I recall correctly, I was scared off by the reviews of Lunar Eclipse mentioning a lot of vetiver... I may have to go re-read those and re-think my position. Thanks to both of you!

I discovered that Sudha Segara is wonderful during yoga. Gentle and fresh, it doesn't intrude.

I don't know if you're still looking for a blend that smells like Cartier Declaration, but if you can get your hands on a bottle of October, it was strikingly similar. I used to wear Declaration, too.

No problem... thanks for the reply and the good luck wishes! I really amp cinnamon, so if it's in a blend, it's usually all I can smell. It positively bludgeons other spices to death, which is a shame because it's frequently mixed with other spices that I love (like clove and nutmeg). I only wish that clove amped on me! I agree that ambergris often gives a more masculine edge to a blend, but I think my nose reads it as musky as opposed to leathery. Oh, and for anyone who was waiting with 'bated breath for the results of my layering experiment: Perversion + Madrid = super-strong cherry pipe tobacco, like walking into a tobacco shop and being smothered under an avalanche of Swisher Sweets. Holy moly, that is some serious throw and wear-length! Very sweet and cloying, I found the mixture overwhelming. It really needs something smoky or earthy (or maybe sharp) to ground it and cut the sweetness. I tried adding a drop of De Sade, which helped a little bit, but De Sade's smoky soapiness was no match for the perverse Spaniard Frankenstein I created.

Muchas gracias for the additional suggestions! Sadly, Madrid smelled like cherry cough syrup on me, although I have been meaning to try layering it with Perversion. I'll have to give that a whirl and report back. Havana was also a no-go for me, but an excellent suggestion for others looking a tobacco/leather blend. There's just something about the brown/English leather note that makes me feel queasy. I haven't tried any CBIHP or Arcana blends yet, because I am an absolute freak about the ingredients in my personal products and I haven't grilled them to see if they're up to my freak standards. I also saw a rec for Bathed & Infused earlier in this thread... I may have to interrogate them all!

Thanks for the suggestions! Hrm... I really like The Wild Men of Jezirat al Tennyn, but it didn't smell anything like a clove cigarette to me. It was mostly a gentle musk... the clove was subdued, and there was no tobacco. I haven't tried Mad Meg, but the prospect of vetiver combined with cinnamon makes my stomach lurch. Is either of those notes very pronounced? And is there a tobacco note? I don't see one listed, but I know that doesn't mean it isn't there. Unfortunately, black musk turns into baby powder on my skin and as a result, it smells nothing like leather or ambergris to me. I'm hoping the black musk in The Smiling Spider will behave itself; it ruined Iago and Haunted for me. Fingers crossed!

Thanks for weighing in. I'm definitely going to have work harder at finding a decant!

Thanks for the super-fast replies! I haven't tried The Smiling Spider yet, but it's on my wish list. I'll have to make it more of a priority!