alterosen

Strangely, this is very sharp & unpleasant on me. I wish it was like Katrina van Tassel & Pink Snowballs but instead of creaminess, I'm getting a very high-pitched floral that my sinuses hate. I don't usually have a problem with tea rose, heliotrope or honeysuckle but something here does not like me at all. It gets a bit fruiter as it dries but is still, most emphatically, NOT for me.

Skin chemistry is a strange thing!

This is very nice on me: a creamy berry-ish rose with a background of woods.

I didn't realize it had frankincense - I was thinking sandalwood & maybe a hint of cedar (but only a hint or it would be pencil-shavings city ) The slight tangy spiciness that's contributing to the wood feel is probably coming from the honey.

Delicious!

Banana Peel in a Graveyard is the only one I've tried that had strong banana (& stayed that way) - I didn't get that much from Shango, myself.

It's not what I would call strong banana but Treat #2 kind of gives off a candied banana vibe: (A fine confection for discriminating trick or treaters: a fig meat, coconut, and buttercream bonbon rolled in orange rind, mint leaf, cardamom, clove and ginger, dipped in milk chocolate). I think it's the fig, cream & coconut combo.

Delicious appley goodness!

So happy I talked myself into splurging for a bar of this!

On me, once it dries, Fae has a strong oakmoss note.

If you like that, you might want to try Perversion, Fearful Pleasure (LE) & Cykranoshian Catnip (LE)

For something kinda like Night Gaunt,

I was pleasantly surprised by Baobhan Sith's grapefruit & flowers, especially because I've tried before & didn't care for it but now it seems rather nice.

I thought this one would be a total win on me but no such luck

It was too green & cloyingly sweet for me.

#516

This is a strong buttery vanilla in the bottle and once on my skin a nice big waft of coffee comes out.

It's a caramel latte!

(not that there's a noticeable milk note, this is just what it reminds me of)

I wasn't sure if the label said #42 or #62 but since kikithepirate has #42 it must be #62 (it's a full bottle)

Wet, it's a bright fruity floral scent that might be champaca (I'm not at all sure, just basing that on one of the past pumpkin blends which is the only time I've encountered it, could be something else entirely).

As it dries, this changes into cherry blossom and then sweet, dark cherry fruit comes out to anchor it (ripe black cherries, not fake or almondy). It gets sweeter & more syrupy as time passes, maybe with a little bit of a cola note, too.

Pretty tasty, though perhaps a bit too sweet for me.

I'll have to dig out my decant of Suck It & compare - though this doesn't have a booze note, I think it might have a similar feel, especially once dry.

eta: Not at all similar - Suck It is much brighter & fruitier, this is a way darker cherry

eta: After about an hour, it turns into cherry blossom incense, hmm.

eta: Feb/11 - Trying it again, I get a little bit of a wine note, too, especially in the dark cherry middle stage.

I don't really care for aquatics too much but I did kinda like this one.

Clean, a little salty & quite masculine without too much harshness.

For some reason, it smells a bit like berries (okay, maybe berries & a nice cologne) once dry

but I seem to be the only one noticing that so it might be due to my skin's tendency lately to sweeten/turn-to-candy random things.

Worth testing this one on the DH

Moxie from the Panacea section is a very bright zingy orange (many of the reviews think it also has some ginger in it).

Not available as an imp unless you buy a set of all the Panaceas but you may be able to find a decant from someone.

Lilith vs the Giant Crab was a forum-only from last year that smelled like creamsicles & sandalwood.

Sorry both these recs are hard to get a hold of but it never hurts to put such things on your wishlist!

I really wanted to love this one but, alas, it was not to be.

Even after a year of aging, the fir & tobacco are very bitter & make my eyes burn a little.

I can sense the rose & clove somewhat but the overall effect on me is ashy rather than intriguing.

Mixing with White Rose sweetens it up briefly, but it returns to something unpleasantly harsh on the dry down.

Orange water & thick musk to start, then gets all incensey but not in a way that appeals to me

The rose wasn't apparent to my nose but may have contributed to the heaviness of the musk in the beginning.

Autumn!

It's a little hard to find because it's a Retail-only Salon blend but I totally get some apples mixed in with the rose & spicy fallen leaves of Autumn.

Sugar Skull, of course!

It smells like someone's just started making candy & is melting sugar on the stove (before the caramel stage) with a hint of fruit (maybe pear?)

It's a Hallowe'en LE that's been released several times so it appears in the sales/swap thread on occasion.

Mr Nancy seems to have a similar base with the addition of lime & La Befana has a bit of violet & berries over the sugar.

I find the chocolate scents are quite different from one another & you really have to try them for yourself to see if they work. Most are not intense enough for me (exceptions being Boomslang, Velvet, Tezcatlipoca & some of the 13's).

For cake-like scents, you should have a look at this I want to smell like a bakery thread.

Cockaigne & Chimera are ones that are mentioned often - I personally like Shub, Saw-Scaled Viper, Gingerbread Poppet, Sugar Cookie & Cake Smash when I'm in a foody mood.

Necrobump!

Any more recent recs for bergamot goodness?

Ever since I started buying BPAL, I've been on the lookout for that 'perfect' rose scent. Something sweet, nothing dark or too green. I've tried Maiden, Persephone and Kurukulla, and they all end up morphing into the same weird fruity-rose scent. Bleh. Then I tried Pink Snowballs, and it was PERFECT. For for like 30 seconds, until it turned to play-doh. Stupid skin chemistry.

 

I'm thinking of hunting down a decant of Hope and Victoria, but if anyone has any suggestions of a scent ... that would be great. Thanks!

You might want to try Viola from Illyria (gentle tea rose, lilac, Calla Lily, and Somalian Rose layered over golden Peruvian amber, Spanish moss, red sandalwood, rosewood, and myrrh, with the lightest touch of Mandarin)

There's a lot of notes but I found it to be sweet & pretty with kind of an innocent feeling (& decided it didn't suit me, lol).

Pink Snowballs reminded me a bit of Katrina von Tassel so that might be another one to consider if you can do the cream note.

FWIW, Seance was very woody on me (so much that I don't tend to think of it as a rose blend) as was Snooty Rose but I tend to amp the woods (though not in Viola, strangely). The Rose was like a lighter version of Rose Red. I was unlucky with Victoria turning soapy, too. Two, Five & Seven was wretched on me (sharp rose in a pet food store )

My favorite for pure tea rose is London with Peacock Queen as second choice being slightly less sweet (if I remember correctly - I traded it away a bit prematurely).

I am really loving the retail-only salon Autumn right now. For me, it's the perfect autumn scent!

I really like this one, too! It doesn't get nearly as much love as it deserves, IMO. Smoky leaves & slightly fruity roses...

My other Autumn faves are Samhain (especially '05), Devil's Night, Harvest Moon '05, Pumpkin Queen, Shub-Niggurath & Pumpkin #1 (05/06 apples & mulling spices). I love spicy apples so I'm really looking forward to trying Lamb's Wool & Pomona.

I love this one! It's Sugar Skull with berries & a little violet. Yummy!

I couldn't understand how I missed it when it came out but I see there's no berries in the description

& I was probably afraid of the lilies. Thankfully, I don't notice them or the chimney dust.

This is a new favorite!

I really like Dorian for sleeping. There's just a touch of lavender & the vanilla is lightened by the citrus & tea. I'm also not adverse to a bit of musk

I found the lavender in TKO & Lilith Victoria really strong & astringent & the vanilla aspect too heavy & cloying. TKO actually makes me a bit queasy (but, strangely enough, does work, so I use it if I'm desperate).

You might want to just try something you find comforting, whether it has lavender in it or not, sometimes that'll put you in the right frame of mind for relaxing or sleeping.

I'm always amazed at how subjective people's responses to the rose scents are - even if someone recommends many of the ones I like, invariably they'll also include one that I really don't.

Just goes to show you have to try them on yourself!

So for what it's worth, I find London to be a very natural smelling tea rose but it may be a strong candidate for soapdom because of its simplicity.

Have you tried any of the rose & resin blends?

I adore Parlement of Foules (LE). It's sweet rose & raspberries on me & probably my favorite rose blend. Rose Cross is another nice one; very warm & resiny. There's also Tabula Smagdarina & the Blasphemare Reliquary from Carnival Diabolique. The Grindhouse's Marguerite might be worth trying, too, if geranium isn't an evil note on you.

This year's Lupercalia also had many scents with roses in them, especially Eustephanos, Symmahkia & Pothon Meter.

Happy hunting!

I'm not crazy about this one.

The herbs, roots & spices combine to form something like a light fruity red musk with a background of brown sugar. A bit of chocolate comes out thinly on the drydown.

I was so hoping for major chocolate-covered ginger but instead it's brown sugar & jam with a dusting of cocoa powder & bitter ginseng.

I love the Lab's blackberry note & this one does not disappoint!

I get a faint whiff of cherry on first applying this & think that may be the orange blossom asserting itself briefly but then the scent changes to a deep rich blackberry with boozy overtones. No cat pee or other weirdness, but also no detectable mint or sandalwood.

I don't mind - it's lovely & sultry. My husband even commented on how much he liked it - big bottle for sure!

This was my favorite of the Aphrodites. I can't stop sniffing it. I could have sworn there was ginger in this - the pepper is combining with something else in a really interesting fashion. It's spicy but not terribly sweet or foody. I don't really notice the rose or berries except in the background once dry but I like the whole combination of notes. I definitely see a bottle in my future

Anyone looking for a nice, bright blackberry blend should definitely try Couple Consulting an Enpon. I really got the blackberry note in that one!

I agree! I got a very rich, almost jammy blackberry with a hint of booze from this. It's scrumptious & my DH likes it, too! (Unsolicited compliment, not me saying: "Isn't this nice?" )

This one & Lady Una are my favorite blackberries.

CMXVII (917)

I got this from Midnight Aeval who described it as earthy rose. I agree there's a soft rose present as well as a spicy rich floral that is probably lilies. This kind of rose tends to go a bit powdery on me & that's exactly what happens though the lily is still very true.

It's not really my style, so off to a new home it goes!

Previously reviewed by whiterosepetals.