dronzeka

I know this is behind the times, but FWIW, from that list, I don't get a lot of tea from Herbert West, Cheshire Cat (which I do love, just not for the tea), Baobhan Sith (though it's been a long time since I tried that), or Tweedledum. Kumiho especially is almost straight green tea on me, and Maiden is also strongly white tea (light and fresh), edged with florals (I just got this and like it a lot). Secrets of the Dead is also very very green tea on me. (and F5, too!)

For black tea, neither of these are GC, but Severin is pure black tea on me, and Eight Views of Actors in Their Dressing Rooms dries down very similarly to Severin on me (starts with a big blast of mandarin).

Bumping this thread to see if anyone had more tea recs. I just tried Embalming Fluid last night, and I love it a lot. I was wondering if anyone had any light, fresh tea recs? I love Dorian, Mysterious Warning, and Nostrum Remedium (which is my perfect tea scent - black tea, very fresh and not too sweet). I'd love to get a few new imps to try with my next lab order.

 

From this thread, here is my short list:

Herbert West

Kumiho

Cheshire Cat

Dormouse

Baobhan Sith

Shanghai

Maiden

Tweedledum

 

I was actually thinking about springing for a bottle of Shanghai or Kumiho unsniffed, as they seemed the most promising, but I should probably hold off.

Oooh, this is nice! (And a relief, because my other Yules have sort of been busts so far. ) The vanilla is quite warm and creamy, not super sweet (sadly, it does go a bit plastic as it dries down completely, but not too terribly - and it's lovely wet - scent locket time?) Fir needle and black pine bark are a bit warmer than other pine scents on me - they avoid the sourness that I sometimes get from evergreens, and do not smell at ALL like cleaning products! (my other problem with some evergreens.) I can see how people get mint from this, but I don't find it terribly strong. I like wearing this, and think it's extremely wintry. It would also be something that would make a great room scent, I think.

Sigh. I was really hoping this would be mostly amber, lavender, and tea rose, with a wee bit of vetiver. And of course, instead, it's vetiver vetiver vetiver vetiver vetiver. As it dries I get wee wafts of lavender and tea rose around the edges (unless the rose is from Rose Red which I'm also testing on this arm!) - it's kind of like they're there, but they're standing behind a thick screen of vetiver. I don't get any amber (but I frequently can't identify amber unless it's a really really central note - otherwise it's kind of like musk, a general kind of binding scent that blends things together). The vetiver is kind of smoky. But I'm way too much of a sweet fiend to like this. If you like vetiver, give this a try; it seems like a kind of neat blend. For me, it doesn't work (but I probably should have known that!).

This is lovely and Christmasy, but I agree with others that this might work better in my oil burner or as a room spray than as a scent I would wear. Wet, I got a lot of cranberry (which was lovely), but as it dries down there's a lot more bayberry and pine, sweetened by honey. I get nothing I can ID as pumpkin pie, and I also don't really get any amber (but I'm very amber-neutral and often miss it in scents). It is nice and bright and festive! I also think it would smell really good on my husband (I tend to read bayberry as a little bit unisex or masculine).

Wow, this REALLY smells like a fresh-cut rose! It begins VERY green, like you've just got roses from the florist and you're cutting the stems to put it into water. It's almost too sharp, but it's amazingly evocative. The greenness tones itself down eventually, and you're left with the rich sweet smell of a red rose. It makes me think of the roses in my aunt's garden in England. It's maybe a little one-note for me to wear it all the time, but I do love how very realistic it is, and I bet I'll put it in my oil burner when I want to sit in an English rose garden.

Sigh. I really wanted to like this, because, well, THE LAST UNICORN! But for me, the white chocolate is a deal-breaker. I can get that there is something pale and ethereal behind it, but I'm just getting white chocolate and that paleness - no lilac, no orris, no lettuce. As it dries down completely, the sandalwood seems to come to the fore, but blended with the white chocolate it's a sort of slightly murky blandness. It's very much a skin scent on me, too - very little throw. (That seems appropriate to the Last Unicorn to me, though, since she's such a secretive, hard-to-pin down creature!) The final dry down is actually pretty nice, but it isn't very distinctive on me, either, and I find it hard to get through the white chocolate to get there.

ETA: Okay, I didn't really wait long enough on this one - once it's really truly dried down, it turns into this lovely ethereal kind of scent - very close to the skin, but long lasting; kind of airy and sweet, a little bit of floral, a little bit of lettuce greenness, blended together in a kind of misty quiet scent. It does become quite lovely, ultimately. I'm not sure if I'll wear it often because I don't love the opening, but it ends up much closer to my idea of what the Last Unicorn should smell like!

Oh, wow. I've never really tried earth scents before, but thought this might be a good chance to do so, so threw one into my Yules decant circle order. And, um, well, I've discovered that my instinct warning me away from earth scents was probably a good one...

Actually, this starts out awful on me, but gets a lot better. In the vial and wet, I find this incredibly[/] dank and sour. (You know, I'd figured "dead weeds" in the description were one of those things where Beth makes it sound really horrible, but in fact it smells wonderful. Actually? It smells like dead weeds...)

As it dries, though, it really does smell like dirt and (less noxious) weeds. The dirt is still slightly sour for my tastes, and I guess I'm not sure that I, personally, will ever quite feel like smelling like this. But that's more about my tastes than about this scent. If you like BPAL's dirt scents, I think you will like this. (I can't compare it to others in terms of lightness/heaviniess - it's just straight up dirt to me.)

So, yeah, pretty much how it was advertised!

These different categories of vanilla are really interesting to me, mostly because a few of the scents other people bring up as VANILLA on them give me no vanilla at all... For instance, I got no vanilla from Tombstone at all, although it's probably because I dislike cedar (so of course amp it). And Lyonesse was pure acquatic lily on me, no vanilla. I don't even get much vanilla at all from Snake Oil - mostly the red musk and spices. Morocco is vanilla-ish on me, but mostly warm spices (I don't even get any floral from it). Love's Philosophy went to plastic on me, Boo was all burnt sugar, and Under the Harvest Moon is gorgeous, but doesn't read vanilla to me at all.

It's just funny how different noses and chemistries are!

I do agree that Antique Lace and Black Opal have a similar kind of vanilla feel to them. I got that vanilla very strongly from Morocco when it was brand-new-fresh, but not so much now.

I wore Pumpkin Queen for Thanksgiving. I love her, but don't have very much, so tend to save her for this time of year!

You might want to check out the essential oils/carrier oils thread, somewhere under BPAL FAQ, maybe? There's a fair bit of debate about whether BPAL even includes carrier oils. Here I'm defining carrier oil differently from "component of perfume oil." That is, I'm not sure that BPAL is blended by creating a scent and then cutting it with a scentless carrier oil, rather than blended to be a particular strength from the beginning - rather than blending as with essential oils and then diluting the final product, the components may be made differently, then blended. So the entire thing would be "perfume oil," rather than X% perfume + X% carrier oil. (If that makes any sense?)

ETA: This is the thread I'm thinking of, Are BPAL blends all-natural? - it gets at the role of carrier oils vs. other stuff.

I'm not sure where to post this question.

 

Why don't BPAL bottles have ingredients listed on the label?

 

This may not seem sufficient, but, can you imagine putting (for instance) "myrrh, red patchouli, cognac, honey, and tuberose and geranium in a breathy, panting veil over the darkest body musk" on a 5 mL or imp label and still having it be legible?

 

EDIT: Actually "Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine" is a better example. (Khubla Khan) Also, some scents do not have ingredients listed at all, even on the site.

 

Oh, you misunderstood me, or perhaps I wasn't clear. Why aren't the non-fragrance components listed, for example: jojoba oil, almond oil, fragrance. I think it is important to know the carrier oil components, especially for people with allergies. I've been wondering about the carrier components since I get skin reactions to some BPALs and not others. Curiously, my skin reactions don't seem to have anything to do with common skin irritants such as cinnamon, cassia, clove, etc. because I avoid scents containing those fragrance notes. Listing carrier components is required for food and cosmetics. Ingredients that make up less than two percent of a food product can be listed under a general term, such as "spices," but I don't know what the rules are for cosmetics.

 

ETA: Many of the cosmetics I use have a list of ingredients on a separate piece of paper that is enclosed in the packaging, or the ingredients are listed on the web site of the manufacturer.

A reducer is a plastic kind of plug with that fits into the bottle opening - it has a sort of narrow funnel that dips into the oil and pours out through a single small opening, and it functions as a kind of dropper - you can turn the bottle upside down and instead of all the oil pouring out, it will come out slowly, drip by drip. Some people like them a lot because you never run the risk of knocking over a bottle and losing all the oil, and it dispenses oil in nicely consistent amounts.

A wand cap is a regular bottle cap with a rod attached to it - either plastic or glass (glass is better for BPAL because oils can eat plastic). When the cap is on the bottle, the wand extends down into the oil. People can then use the wand to apply the perfume. Some people like these because they don't like sticking their fingers in oil, or feel like they get better control over how much oil they dispense, or to avoid contamination of the oil - if you clean the wand after every application, your skin never comes in contact with the oil in the bottle.

(This isn't the same as a dropper cap, which is a cap that serves as an eyedropper, and sucks up the oil - the wand only collects the amount that clings to the outside of the wand, like with an imp, and doesn't actually draw up oil like an eyedropper would.)

I don't think BPAL uses/offers reducer caps any more, though I could be wrong (I've never asked them); Arcana and Possets used to use them, but don't now, either. (I think something about the reducer cap makes it harder to keep bottles from leaking during shipping, although there's no problem with leakage at all if they're sitting in your house.) It is possible to buy them individually, though. (like here!)

You can get wand caps from BPAL, though - they sell them individually here (scroll down to the bottom), and I think you can request wand caps instead of regular when you place your order.

Personally, I quite like reducer caps (not enough to buy them and put them on my bottles, but I like the ones I have), because I like the greater control over how much perfume comes out (and the reduced risk of spillage). I don't really like wand caps, because I always worry about getting the wand caught up on the bottle and knocking everything over! and I don't mind sticking my fingers in my perfumes or care about contamination (since it's all my skin). But it totally just depends on what you like.

Hope that helps!

I've been reading through this topic, so I apologize if it's been asked before but I must've missed it if it was (and the "quote" code isn't working properly for me so all quotes show up awkwardly).

 

What's the difference between a wand cap and a reducer and so on? What *are* they? I've read on a couple of posts that you can request your bottles without a reducer or buy a wand cap with them. If so, is a reducer the default? What's the extra cost of a wand cap? What's better for someone clumsy who is also a total noob?

 

I guess what I'm asking is, can anyone give me a Types of Caps 101? Especially because I'd never even thought about most of things before, total n00b as I am. I'm doing my first order soon and it'd be a disgrace if I just spilled it all over my bathroom the first usage... thanks!

Why did it take me so long to try this?? This has shot up to one of my top ten scents!

I'm very bad at identifying any kind of incense notes, but I think I do get quite a bit of copal in this. It's very citrusy on me, not quite orange, but I think the combination of the orange and the plumeria turns into a more citrus-y scent. So far, I haven't got any smoke out of this (although I suppose incense smoke just smells like incense, not smoke?); it's lovely, well-blended bright citrus with a copal base - it feels quite bright and dry overall, and lasts very well on me (again, the copal, I think; it's a very strong base for me).

Like the poster before me, I find that this has a grapefruit vibe - it reminds me very strongly of something I used to wear pre-BPAL, I think Guerlain's Acqua Allegoria Pamplelune (the grapefruit one). It's also nothing like what I'd have pictured from the description - I see "incense" and I think dark and heavy, and this isn't at all! It's so lovely!

Oh dear... I hate to be a downer, but this smell like cheap pina colada on me. I don't even get florals - just some coconut, fruit, and booze. Such a shame! (The comparisons to Snow White are telling because Snow White doesn't work on me, either.) Glad the Princess is getting more love from others!

I find that anything with red musk in it (the Snake Oil variants, Crawdad Dream, Mania) has great throw and wear on me. (Almost too much, in fact!)

How much oil is a dab, how much oil is a slather?

My "slathering": I open the bottle, put my finger over the top, invert the bottle, wipe my finger on each side of my neck. Repeat the inverting and wipe my finger on each side of my collarbone. Repeat the inverting and wipe my finger on the back of my hand and inner wrist. Repeat inverting with other hand and dab back of other hand and other inner wrist. Repeat inverting and dab in my inner elbow and at the base of my throat. Sometimes, depending on the scent and what I'm wearing, I'll also put a dab between my breasts, on the back of my neck, or behind my knees.

(I should note that I mostly wear lighter scents and that if I'm using something like Glowing Vulva or Crawdad Dream - which are REALLY strong on me! - I tend to go with SMALL dabs on the pulse points of my neck and back of the hand, and that's IT.)

And yup, my fingers touch the oil every time. I figure, they're MY skin oils etc., why should I care if they were in my perfume? (But I've also bought partials that weren't specified as decanted out, because really, I don't care about germs. If I get a bottle new from the lab, I test cleanly from the cap until I know I'm not going to sell it, but if I buy something from someone who hasn't specified how it's been tested, I don't bother.)

I thought Lolita - girly but sexy? or maybe Bon Vivant (strawberry & champagne)? or Jailbait (something about the dress makes me think lollipops)?

(The tropical suggestions make a lot of sense, too.)

This is sort of unisex - genuinely so; to me that usually means "smells like men's cologne" but this is nothing like men's cologne; it would just honestly work well on a woman OR a man. It starts out with a burst of black pepper which backs off quickly. There is a hint of honey, but mostly a mixture of the rice flower (reminds me of Tamamo-na-Mae), a little perfumey, with perhaps some sandalwood adding a dryness. I don't get much oakmoss, but I'm not a huge fan of it and not sure I could identify it on its own. It's long-lasting but quiet - not fancy, but with a sophisticated yet comforting edge. This one feels very Asian to me, like the simplicity and serenity of a ink-brush drawing on aged parchment. (Okay, not very consistent with the label! )

This is really lovely - a juicy, fruity red/orange scent, sweet but not cloying. It all blends beautifully, though I do get the peach quite a bit - everything else melds together to give it some base and balance. I have no problem with amber, so I don't really notice it here, except perhaps as grounding the whole (and helping it last - this lasts quite well on me). Super nice!

Like Xanon, I totally get Sweet Tarts in the bottle!

Wet: mostly fruit - plum, pomegranate, a little grape, and maybe a little cognac. Very sweet.

Drying: getting a little softer and not quite so in you face FRUIT!!! I think the sweet pea and vanilla sandalwood are coming out. I'd love to get more carnation and honey, but you know, I think they're in there; it's pretty well-blended, so nothing is sticking out terribly.

Dry: still heavy on the fruit. Sweet red fruits, not especially dark.

Overall: Pretty nice. Quite sweet -- if you don't like sweet, you won't like this (but you hardly need me to say that given the notes!). I would have liked a little more of the vanilla sandalwood, but it's definitely pleasant -- and it's also right out of the mailbox, so this may change somewhat as it ages?

Edited to add: Hmm, about 4 hours later if I stick my nose right up against where I applied this, I get honey? a little bit, anyway!

I don't get much vanilla from Giant Vulva at all, so am not sure that Regan would work very well as a layering component; on me, they're completely different scent families. However, on me, the beeswax is a significant component of GV, so if you try layering, you might want to track down Lights of Men's Lives (one of the newer Marchens), which is heavy on the beeswax.

For me, anything with red musk lasts FOREVER. Crawdad Dream lasts ALL day on me, as does Lilith Victoria (I think the consensus is that there's red musk in Snake Oil, right?). Other musks can be pretty long-lasting (Bathsheba has Arabian musk and lasts well), but red is the king. (Too bad I don't love being able to smell it much!)

Others that last on me - I think cream/milk notes might be good base notes? Milk Moon 2005 lasts quite a long time on me, as does Glowing Vulva (they both have cream), and White Rabbit (which has milk, although I don't really smell the milk in it, and Alice, which has milk, fades terribly on me). Oh, and Obatala lasts a long time, and has milk, too.

Honey lasts pretty well, too (which might explain White Rabbit better - although, again, it doesn't help in Alice).

Wet, this is all HONEY and REDCURRANT!! And it's DELICIOUS.

As it dries down, I think there's a little more blackberry, which goes kind of muddy on me, so it's not quite as amazing as when wet. It teeters between being too sweet and being wonderful. I suspect it would be lovely in a scent locket.

I get only perhaps the slightest whiff of pink pepper, and I don't really get any amber (but amber's not a problem note for me - it always hides in the background).

This is quite nice, but on me, at least, it's very similar to Lady Una and Mad Kate, only not quite as complex. So if you have either of these, it might not be worth tracking down a bottle of Tomoe Gozen. But it is a yummy sweet honeyed-fruit scent.

This smells like lime lollipop and green herbs! The green herbs go ever so slightly Irish Spring on me, but that's what they usually do. The lime lollipop seems to be losing out to the herbs, and I'm not sure I could wear this all day (but hey, it would smell GREAT on my husband!).

(I am amused that there are way more recent reviews of the foody Yules than of Hypothermia...)

This is gorgeous when wet - a fresh bracing blast of COLD made up of some kind of mint (I don't really think it's peppermint--maybe pennyroyal?), an almost pine-y eucalyptus, and maybe a little cold ozone. It calms down quite quickly to become much more of a skin scent which, on me, goes back and forth between a slightly creamy wintergreen with a little pine and mint, and Irish Spring soap. I think what some people have compared to the Snow White-like throwdown is rescuing it somewhat.

As someone said above, this definitely leans unisex for me. (I should go put some on my husband...!)

This might well be a candidate for the scent locket because I love it when wet--it might be a wee bit "room scent"-like, but very fresh and energizing!

I get primarily wintergreen or spearmint. Maybe something a little aquatic in the background (almost cucumber-y?). It's quite light, airy, and delicate. Very fresh, if not really quite what I'd associate with snowflakes (it reads as very green to me, a pale watery green). Myself, I love peppermint and pennyroyal but am pretty meh on every other mint, so am not sure that this quite works for me, but it is very nicely done.