Silverstrike

I have tried Snake Oil and Tombstone, which didn't translate well with my skin to anything Ambra-like, but I'm so glad I have other oils to try out now. Thanks so much!

The sample card I have of Ambra says: "The scent of balsam floating up the Danube, of Venetian tapestries, of Babilonyan sensuality. Oriental, feminine by literary tradition, does not really make a distinction between the sexes. Vanilla and a hint of balsam with labdanum, storax and opoponax create the aromatic thread of centuries-old temptations." I have no idea what balsam, labdanum, storax or opoponax smell like, but I don't think vanilla is the primary note that I'm smelling that's agreeing with me (I'm not certain what amber smells like either), but it smells sweet (probably the vanilla) and smooth and woody, and I can't help but think that a BPAL version would be even better. (As it is, Etro's Ambra smells great on when it's wet, but after a few hours, I get a rubbery tire smell.) Especially for any BPALers who are possibly acquainted with Ambra, is there a BPAL scent out there that's like Ambra (but maybe without the dry-down tire smell)?

This is the second BPAL amber fragrance I've tried (The Lion being the first), and I'm afraid my skin just eats amber and makes it disappear. The Lion, for instance, is just Big Red cinnamon gum on me. Haunted is interesting--upon initial application, it smelled really perfumey in a powdery sort of way, but then I think it's the musk that got really strong. It overpowered everything else and I actually had to try to wash it off with soap to tone it down (now it isn't stinging my nose as bad; I didn't think I'd put that much on either). I don't get any citrus from this at all. Something about it seems similar to O--for me, it's the powdery aspect of Haunted, so maybe that's the amber? I think I'm going to eventually gift the imp to a friend I've been BPAL-enabling; I get the feeling she'd enjoy Haunted much more than I have.

Oh, this is delicious. On me, March Hare is first sweet apricot. As it dries, the cloves come out to keep it from being completely sweet (although I don't think I'd have minded that as a scent on its own either)--this seems to make it a bit more complex. It fades in a few hours on me, but it's absolutely lovely (mouth watering!). I wouldn't mind having a bottle of this.

First applied, Samhain '05 is really beautiful on me-- BEAUTIFUL. Devil's Night seems similar to my uninformed nose, but without floral. Then my wonky body chemistry turns the beautiful scent into something artificial and plasticky. I must find a new home for this one.

Musk and. . . spices and. . . something that brings to mind an ozone charge or a metallic itch--I guess that isn't a very good description but I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like it tickles my nose, but not in a way that would make it sneeze. Anyhow, I was hoping to really like this one, and I don't--it's more . . . meh. It's not that it's bad, it's just not terribly me.

Sugar Skull was the the Halloween LE I was most excited about. . . I guess I shouldn't have such high expectations because I never know what will and what won't agree with my body chemistry. (For the record though, I love Midway and hate Gluttony.) In the bottle, Sugar Skull is delicious--sweet and boozy. Once it dries on me though, all of the sweetness disappears and I'm left with something redolent of. . . Worcestershire sauce mixed with really dark, fermented soy sauce. So much for the sugar--it's fermented and kind of salty! Which is not what I was going for. Looks like I'll be making a swap pile.

I ordered an imp of this, along with Swank, because I liked the alcohol-y scent from Juke Joint but got an allergic reaction from that one. I don't get an allergic reaction from Grand Guignol. Mainly it's apricot that comes out when I apply this; sweet, sweet apricot and really, no brandy, unless brandy smells like fruity syrup (and in my experience, it doesn't). On me, it's just about pure sweet apricot. That's not necessarily a bad thing, if you love apricots. I'm indifferent to them, but when applied lightly, this doesn't give me a headache, and in general, I like fruity smells, so this is all right. I don't love it, but I'll probably use up the imp or gift it to a friend I've been enabling.

Anyone have a suggestion for a catalog equivalent to Midway (besides Grog)? I really love the part of Midway that smells like cotton candy. Love

I ordered Numb after realizing that everything I *thought* I liked (pre-BPAL) like florals and vanilla didn't agree with me here, so why not try something like "Numb"? I might really, really like it. And I do like it. I have no idea what violets smell like (so this is what violets smell like?) but I like this--it doesn't smell cold or minty, but after reflection, it *does* smell numb--it smells the way I imagine you'd smell after being so cold you're already frozen--numb in fact. It's been very hot down here in So. Cal for the past few days (along with wildfires), and Numb has gone great with air conditioning. It does have some similarities to Estee Lauder's White Linen, but I like Numb better--it's more complex.

I think my body chemistry is quite wonky, but The Lion (which is supposed to be a warm amber, I know) was ALL Big Red chewing gum on me, and no amber.

Everything changes its scent as it gets older What I have discovered is that the shape of the container can change the way we interpret the scent. So smelling from an imp is not the same as smelling from a bottle which is not the same as oil dumped in a wax burner. But imps do seem...I don't know...like they age faster than bottles, if that makes any sense. There are several perfumes I bought as imps, fell in love with, ordered bottles of, and was very disappointed in the bottle scent, which wasn't at all what I thought I was ordering. After sticking the bottle in the back of a drawer for a few months, however, I discovered that a little aging brought the 5ml back the wonderousness that had prompted me to order it in the first place. I don't suppose one of those was Dorian? I'm very confused (and thus seeking help on this thread), because the imp of Dorian I'd ordered from the Lab smelled lemony and tea-y; I liked it a lot so I ordered a bottle. The perfume from the bottle smells nothing like the imp--the bottle smells of autumn spices, like things you'd put into cider (allspice and cinnamon)-- very different. I've tested it a few different times, to the same results. I can't tell what color the perfume is in the bottle, but they're both from the Lab. Aside from waiting to see if the scent in the bottle morphs into the scent in the imp, is there anything else I can do? They just seem so different. . .

The Lab description sounded like I'd like it (oooh, balsam! oooh, vanilla!), but when I applied it, it smelled very similar to Golden Priapus on me--namely the smell of wood pencil shavings. I thought that was the pine in Golden Priapus, but I don't think Tombstone is supposed to have any pine in it, so I'm not sure where the similar note that is definitely not vanilla, is coming from. After 12 hours though, it morphed into the most beautifully sweet vanilla and balsam scent though--if it only smelled like this the entire time (or at least without the part that smells like pencil shavings), I'd buy a bottle of it. I like this a little better than Golden Priapus, but again, not enough to buy a bottle.

If I wear a little, it smells all right--very "bright", although my SO identified it as a "flower-scented diaper wipe". But I liked it. So I put more of it on after it faded. Then it was too much. It became overly sweet (which was my reaction to Swank) and cloying. After 12 hours it was kind of nice, but I think this is not for me. I'm thinking that anything with honey or milk in the description won't work for me--Sudha Segara and O also were not winners on my skin.

I ordered Swank because I found Juke Joint interesting, but felt that alcohol + fruit was something I was more likely to enjoy and wear regularly. While I get the smell of booze from Juke Joint, I didn't get any smell of alcohol from Swank at all; it was more like a very strong, fruity/floral toilet bowl cleanser. An expensive one, mind you, but still, toilet bowl cleanser. The commercial type. Ah well.

This was very, very fruity for me. When I wore it, I couldn't really identify any of the actual fruits, it just seemed very "bright" and "juicy"; after reading some more recent reviews, I'd agree with the reviewer who said pineapple. I liked this a lot when it was wet, but as it dried, it started to smell like a dryer sheet, which is not bad, but it's not good the way it was before. Also, I guess I don't particularly care to smell like a scented dryer sheet.

I found Flower Moon to be very strong and floral, but in a different sense from Eos and Euphrosyne. Also, from trying Milk Moon and Flower Moon, they both seem to have a note that makes my stomach queasy (the "lunacy blend" component, perhaps? I'm not sure), which didn't help matters. The next morning, it dried to a pretty nice scent, but it took so long to morph into something I could enjoy, this isn't something I'd purchase. Not that I really can, since it's from the Lunacy collection, but you know what I mean.

I really thought I would love this one, based on its description as well as reviews. I *almost* love it--there's this one note (I don't know what it is) that turns my stomach and makes me feel queasy, which is a shame, because I love the milkiness of it. I just wish I could get it without the queasiness. After trying Flower Moon, I discovered the same note that makes me feel queasy, so I'm thinking it may be the "lunacy blend" that I don't agree with. It's a shame (for me) though, because this smells delicious.

I wish I were like some other forumites whose reviews I've read, where nearly every oil seems to work. Unfortunately, my skin chemistry is wacky, and my nose is sensitive. I loved the description of Scherezade, but ultimately, this one just smelled like an incense store to my nose. It's not an offensive smell, just a "meh, incense" smell--nothing special on my skin.

Hrm. Golden Priapus didn't quite end up the way I was expecting, at least from reading the description and its reviews. I found it to be piney and vanilla-y, but in a way that recalled pencil shavings, which tickled my nose. I *almost* liked this one, so I give it a 2 out of a 5.

I bought an imp of this because the description sounded so lovely, but I'm starting to believe that BPAL floral blends do not work on me. On me, Euphrosyne was an overwhelming artificial floral whose power continue to grow over time (at least, until the shower came to wash it away, heh), similar to Eos (which also didn't work for me).

In the bottle I smelled warm amber. I think my skin must have just eaten the amber up though, because after I put it on, the smell of cinnamon got stronger and stronger--to the point that there was no amber discernible, just. . . Big Red Cinnamon chewing gum, I kid you not. This wasn't an offensive smell, it's just that I don't want to walk around smelling Big Red on my wrists. My amber search continues.

I almost liked Wicked, almost. It smelled rich and warm and fairly yummy-- there was a middle note that I enjoyed very much, but a heavier note that did not agree with my nose and made my stomach feel queasy. If I could actually figure out what they were, that would help me with future BPAL selections. But, I'm new, so it'll probably take me awhile. Because of the note that disagreed with my stomach, I won't be purchasing a big bottle of this.

Wow, this is very rich and very strong. Upon first sniff (on wrist) my thought was: fake chocolate? But I couldn't put my finger on it. Ten minutes later, I realized what it smells like on me--Tootsie Rolls! It's Tootsie Rolls with a hint of orange and burnt caramel (which I realize is just melted/burnt sugar, but on me it smells doubly burnt) and I couldn't stop sneezing. I can see why people love this fragrance--it's very foodie, and rich and strong. I suppose it's just not very "me", so I won't be purchasing a big bottle.

This was so cool! Now, so that you understand my perspective, I've never had a juke joint (the drink), but we do have fresh mint growing in the yard, and I do drink alcohol. I could smell the mint, I could smell the alcohol, I could even smell the sugar--I have no idea how you do that! The drydown was fine on me (as in, not morphing into something that I found disagreeable). The caveat: I woke up the next day with a pink welt where I'd put Juke Joint. Which is the only reason I'm not sure I'll get a bottle. I mean, if it causes an allergic reaction, that's probably not a good sign, but for a scent I thought I'd try for the hell of it, this one turned out really good.