jhash

I have had my own little bottled Pollution for almost two years now. A long time, I know. Maybe too long at this point. Wet, the smell was of a very floral masculine scent. Very green, and almost like an oozing dish soap. Very unclean soap. The kind that leaves a film. I liked it though, and it seemed to have potential. In a morbid curiosity kind of way. I usually wear masculine sweet scents but I wanted something different. Something crisper, and maybe carcinogenic. Dry though.. Dry was another story. Five minutes and it definitely had a radioactive tinge. Green and unsettling. Very fake, very unnatural. This wasn't the smell of decaying garbage, but of industrial waste and sludge. But with roses? There was something there and I thought it might develop further. After an hour though, it became pure soap. A soapy, synthetic fake floral that no matter how much I scrubbed my wrist just wouldn't get off. This thing has a oil spill size throw, even with the smallest of dabs. Still, I wanted to like it. I love the concept, and Pollution was always one of my favourites from G.O. so I tried very hard. I let it sit for a month, then two, then it was 6 months and still it wasn't working. A year later, I might have to give up on this one. Maybe my skin chemistry just amps all the wrong things in this. But on me it loses any kind of that masculinity once it dries and just smells like bitter old lady soap and there is no denying it. A year later, I can still go back into my closet and instantly pick out which clothes I mistakenly wore with this scent, as they now and forever smell of radioactive southern old lady perfume. If I focus long enough I'm sure they have a slight glow of green. Maybe it works for some people, I can see how it might if a person has the right chemistry for greens or really soapy aquatics, or is actually a radioactive green glowing grandma. However, I simply can not pull off any of those things.

I've checked the other threads but nothing seemed to be exactly what I was looking for. I have checked the Masculine thread, and I have checked all of the sweet, and spicy threads. I'm a college guy who on a daily basis tends to mix Dorian and Snake Oil. I can't explain it, but Dorian works really well with my chemistry, its sweet but never sugary, never feminine. However I really need a spiciness or a heat to it, so I always add to smallest amount of Snake Oil. On my skin, Snake Oil is extremely overpowering and burning. There is nothing sweet about it, its almost eye-watering if I wear the normal amount I would with any other scent. However, I layer it with Dorian and they balance each other out almost perfectly. Since I like the sweetness of Dorian, I've been hesitant to try other BPAL scents because I couldn't seem to find a balance of spicy, sweet and masculine. All the imps I seem to get with my orders are just horrible on my skin. I usually ignore the gender, and just go with my nose and skin and see what works but here's a short list of instant turn-offs and no-goes Jezebel (too fruity) Lady Macbeth (smells like rotting fruit and lemons) Hollywood Babylon (also like rotting fruit) Velvet Love me (too sweet, no depth) So basically, fruit scents are just a strict no on my skin. I love them on other people, but if I put it on my skin, I smell like I'm..decaying. Or they remind me of my diabetic father's breath. Hemlock wasn't too bad, but it smelled far too mint like, and cool, which doesn't work. I need warm scents. I like warm, but strictly warm scents just explode on my skin. They're amplified and unwearable unless I blend them, or dab and then wash it off (no joke, it will still linger for hours). So far, I'm thinking I'll try Bow and Crown of Conquest, and I really want to try Cathedral because I don't have any incense or resin in my collection yet, and I know resin scents works well on me. But are there any other suggestions? Or confirmations that Bow and Crown would work for me? Thank you for any assistance. PS- Not sure if this will help or not but I'm a typical Sagittarius, Metal Horse. Which I think is why warmth works on me, but is so easily amplified.

Catalyst: Aquatics can be hit or miss with me. Something like damp and woodsy is usually good, but 'cool' is usually bad. Aquatics are the kind where I have to definitely smell/try in person, because I've yet to find any kind of consistent trait with blends for me to be able to tell how it would work on me. Aquatics are just a category that I tend to stay away from, for that very reason. However, in regards to the rest of your post, Sandalwood is one of my favourites, as are frankincense and myrrh. Herbal are similarly hit and miss like aquatics but woods can be a favorite depending on the occasion. Tombstone, and The Little Sparrow seem great. This is the second rec for Tombstone, so I'll definitely have to look into it more. Helas: I had Crowley once, but the patchouli was a bit too much after a while. Which was disappointing, the same thing happened with Pollution. (Good Omens series is what brought me to BPAL. Aziraphale remains a favourite though. But not for everyday wearing. ) I have been looking into Dee and it definitely seems like a good option. So I'll probably add it to my list. Black Forest, I like the sound of it. I just worry the pine may be too strong on me. The Black Rider and The White Rider were both recommended, so does anyone have experience with both to better compare them? From reading descriptions The Black Rider seems more up my alley, but I'm curious about any further opinions. edit: llex: Sin seemed great, up until the patchouli. But I'd have to test it to know for sure. thatbrownelf: same thing,I tend to be sensitive to patchouli's ..lingering scent. So VILF and Tombeur I'm unsure of, but Jareth seems like a possibility.

Oh believe me, I know they change over time. All of the opinions I stated in my original post were after 3 different trial runs, even with the fruitier imp samples. I always gave them a chance, because I wanted to see if there were elements to them I was missing, or would come to like, etc. For example, I love Pollution, and its great for 5 hours etc, I love it from the moment its on, and as it mellows, but after a month or so of wearing it, I realized all of my clothing smelled like a southern grandmother. The reason I tended to stay with Dorian was it mellowed but didnt leave a completely different scent on my clothing over time, and Snake Oil just calmed down, became less sharp. My nose, and skin, just really disagrees with fruit and flower notes if they are bases (the flowery base notes are what kill me, top notes are okay within reason) In general, Thank you everyone for your recommendations! From the sounds of it, I'll definitely be trying Bow and Crown next, and possibly looking into imps of the others. I usually don't order imps, I just try the random samples that come with my orders, but if I can compile a solid enough list and save up the money, I'll look into it. My college student self just has a hard time justifying spending 22 dollars on samples, that will probably make me want to spend another 70 on larger sizes.