ivyandpeony

Definitely put Roadhouse on your list! On me it smelled like fresh dandelions then it dried down to beer.

I'm trying to work past my jealousy to come up with some recommendations I live in a very landlocked city! I'm very picky about aquatics - they can quickly go too strong and screaming-marine on my skin, I seem to amp the aquatic element to the exclusion of the other components. But there are some that I find very pretty and multi-dimensional, like Aeaea (as mentioned, an LE from last year, but it does seem to pop up on swaps pages fairly often), Thalassa (from the current CD lineup), Szepassony, & Banded Sea Snake. Some fresh and clean with a little wetness, but I wouldn't put them quite in the aquatic category - Jasmine Cottage, Garden Path With Chickens, Wensleydale. And in the "ultimately didn't work for me, but I think everyone who likes aquatics should try" aquatic category: Faeu Boulanger, Bayou, Danube, Moana.

I really love this one! Not being any sort of perfume genius myself, I certainly would have never thought of teaming these slightly-spicy green mosses with rich resinous benzoin and topping it with white florals - but wow, the combination's just amazing. On my skin, I'd say this is a dark and twisty cousin to New Orleans if I had to compare to another blend. I love the artwork and the story behind it, too, and I think they add something to the experience. This one's a keeper for me, definitely.

The description floored me, the reviews thus far really intrigued me, and I was dying to try Faeu Boulanger! Alas, for some reason my skin picked out something aquatic and amped it to the complete exclusion of everything else in the blend. I'm going to hang on to it and see what time will do to the perfume and hormonal ups-n-downs will do to my chemistry, though. I just refuse to believe that this is it! Can you hear Julie Andrews singing "Climb Every Mountain"?

The Blood Garden gives me a nostalgic, old-school BPAL feel although I'm not altogether sure why I am getting it. It does remind me a little bit of Masabakes, but it's much richer, deeper and more complex. For me, there's a lot of wine and deep spicy clove here, and I get a hint of the ivy note, which is a little spicyas well. I think the sweet fruits and the dry notes like the leather & oak are balancing each other, which for me is good. Blends that swing too far in either direction can end up in the swap pile very quickly. I definitely don't smell blood or anything I associate with it, I don't smell leather, and that makes me like this blend much more than I thought I would! I agree with the reviewers who get a grapey incense from this one, that's what I get in the drydown, although a very different grapey incense than I got with Urd - this one is a good balance of sweet, spicy, woody and resinous. This one was a really nice surprise for me.

Le Pink's website isn't much more than a billboard, but there is contact info there - you could call about hours and get other details. Jealous that you're visiting LA!

I don't smell almond in Dana O'Shee at all (not that my nose is the final arbiter of what is or isn't in a scent) - I think it could be a case of different noses interpreting a certain oatmeal or grain like note. You might find it amazing how many things people smell nuts in that you don't, and vice versa. Try this: go to the search form and type in Peanut Butter; limit your results to the Reviews subforum, search entire posts (not titles) and get results as posts. You should end up with about 7 pages of results with things that belong on there, like the Miskatonic Valley baseball scent, and things that cold make you go "Wha??" like Brimstone, Umbra, Love Me, Cathode, Saint-Germain... There's a thread in Chatter about note speculation - I think it it is also a good illustration because of a discussion of Snow White that took place early in the thread. People smelled almonds, vanilla, coconut, mint and such, and a couple people who had reactions e-mailed the Lab. Beth responded personally and said that almost everything in Snow White is unique to that blend and there is no almond in it, it's something called lily musk and coconut. Still, if you search the 19 page review thread for "almond" you'll get more than 3 pages of reviews that mention it. So that's a little bit of a hijack, I know - I guess what I'm getting at would be, don't panic if someone posts that they smell nuts in a blend if the Lab says they aren't there, but if you are worried, that's what Customer Service is there for and I'd let their word be the final say.

I'm not sure if it's cherry or almond in Black Phoenix - those are notes that can smell really similar to a lot of people depending on the variety used and the blend. My nose interpreted it as almond, like the almond in Queen of Sheba and Hecate (and a lot of reviewers say they smell almond), but I've never read a comment from Beth or another Labbie about what exactly is in it. In iceblink's case, Bloody Mary's definitely cherry - but Te Po has cherry and almond, so there's a possibility you're sensitive to both. For the folks upthread who have had reactions to Queen of Sheba, it could be the almond, but I would guess that the spices in that one would be more likely to make the average slightly-sensitive BPAL'er get itchy. (Note this is a guess only and I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on the internet )

I found Glowing Vulva to be unique (although it reminded me in a weird way of Bond No. 9's Chinatown it was in no way identical to it). Have you tried Agrat-Bat-Mahlaht yet? It does have amber, cream and teak notes - with a bunch of other sweet things in place of the lotus in GV. I can't vouch for a similarity but it's because of that caramel effect on my skin. Basically, when I tried Agrat, the caramel was so bossy that I just smelled like Rolos. Not a bad smell, but not the complex and sexy scent that I am sure Beth intended.

I'm drawing a blank on Gamaliel (tried it once in a long-ago decant circle but don't remember much about it) - but I have Nahemoth and like it a lot. I find it has a lot in common with Hellion, but that can be very hard to find too. Have you tried Blood Countess? It's got a lot of smoky plum that reminds me of Nahemoth a bit.

Hmm... I am thinking that Enraged Groundhog Musk could end up being better, and less like Sugar Skull, than Pumpkin 3 was for you, faeriedust - at least on me, the caramel doesn't dominate (which is really rare for me) and it's a nice, slightly spicy chocolate. I think that the Lab's white chocolate note is not as bold as the chocolate, cocoa and dark chocolate notes they use, so that could be a reason that the chocolate in Pumpkin 3 doesn't stand up as well to the caramel. (I think you'd probably be able to tell by now if you really amped caramel in a bad way, though I realized how bad it was when I tried stuff like Red Lantern, Mitzvah, Sugar Slathered Candy Apple, The Arrival At The Sabbath and basically getting caramel single note from them, with a whiff of burnt sugar. But I really can't complain, there are a million things I can wear, ya know?)

That makes a lot of sense to me. On me, Pumpkin 3 mostly smelled like caramel and ultimately got a little too strong and burnt-sugary for me. (My skin really amps caramel a lot and in some blends takes it over into burnt sugar territory. I remember that happened with La Befana too, even though that one didn't have caramel listed as a note but "candy charcoal." Which kind of sounds like burnt sugar when I think about it now But I know that's not what it smelled like on everyone!) With Sugar Skull, I get a hint of caramel when it's wet but somehow it does work on me. It wouldn't surprise me if some of the sugary notes that Beth uses in blends where she lists "candy" or "sugar" get used in her caramel blends as well.

I don't think anything else smells like The Shivering Boy It's unique to me - I get a grape/wine note, something woody and stemlike which reminds me of ivy, some evergreens, resins and a bit of ozone, but not so much that it dominates and gives me a headache (I am not a fan of scents with strong ozone notes). But there are lots of possibilities as far as layering. To me TSB wouldn't be what it is without that grapey note, so a blend with grape or wine would be a good place to start. Some possibilities are Bess, Urd, which also has some resins to add, The Blood Garden, which has that woody ivy note, Lady MacBeth, which has green woody thyme with the wine. Off the top of my head I can't think of any cold evergreen scents that aren't LEs, but The Black Forest, Slobbering Pine or The Jersey Devil could be good places to start; if the ozone is strong on you, you could try something like Tempest or Lightning to amp up that element. If you figure out which element is the strongest one on you and start there, find something that reminds you of it, then work on the next layer, you may end up with something you're happy with. It's kind of a hard one, it's so complex and unusual, but the dabbling can be fun, right?

oh, that's a really good call, ForspecialPlate. Red Moon 07 ultimately didn't work on me and I am sure it's because of the dragon's blood (anyone who's read a couple of my reviews or comments will eventually hear my bitching about how I love the smell of dragon's blood resin in the bottle but it turns into something sharp and unpleasant on my skin). And I was a little disappointed, it was my birthday moon and I was hoping for a birthday miracle. (Hey, I did get a rockin' t-shirt!) But I love The Maltese Cross of Sanctus Germanus. The amber, the orange and the florals must be what make them similar - maybe the lilac is what makes the Maltese Cross a little more "cologney" while the florals in Red Moon were more of the wildflower/herbal variety.

Welcome to the forum, Greensleeves! I'm old enough to remember when their ad campaign was "Manly, yes... but ladies like it too!" And this strapping Irish lad in a tweed cap and a fisherman's sweater would pull out his pocket knife and carve a slice off the soap to show you how the freshness-containing stripes went all the way through. I'm surprised that Whippoorwill is compared to Irish Spring - it's a favorite BPAL of mine and I wouldn't associate the two at all. It does have a prominent fresh, green bamboo note, so maybe that's the note that takes it into Irish Spring territory for those who do get it. (For the record I get lots of wood and cardamom, lightened up by the bamboo, but no soapiness.) It can be hard to find, so I'd say don't agonize over this one. If you get an opportunity get a bottle or decant at forum prices, yes, but don't go chasing it on eBay unless you've tried it already and can't live without it. I never tried Thunder Moon, but I'd guess that the ozone in it helps contribute to the fresh-soapy quality. It's also an unavailable LE, but I do see it in the swaps forum fairly often, so it could be easier to find. There was a recent LE called Boo Bam from the Tiki collection that might be worth trying if you happen to stumble upon a decant or bottle in swaps. Thalassa is still available although the Lab doesn't sell this one in imp form, you'd have to spring for a bottle or try to find a decant in swaps. I can see why people would compare it to Irish Spring but IMO there's just a faint hint of that with a lot of other elements too. From the GC - Tempest and Lightning are really good choices to try first, both have a very fresh feel and a combination of aquatic and ozone notes. R'lyeh and Cthulhu might be good choices too, they are very deep aquatic scents (no pun intended). Windward Passage had a very green soapy quality when I tried it a few months ago, so I'd add it to the list.

Aeronwen is such a whore! No, really, that's a compliment! It is a really good myrrh/amber blend, so far on me it's working out to show off the best of both those notes.

I love Black Lotus! I think Aeris is right about the combination effect of the lotus and the resins - I have a sniffie of Lotus single note from back in the day and I'd describe it as similar to that sweet pink bubblegum, not the kind that has a hint of mintiness but the kind that's just pure sweet. Lots of people compare lotus to fruity candy and I think that's valid too. Of all the resins, amber is my favorite with myrrh as a close second - frankincense doesn't always work on me. So take this with a grain of salt since this is as interpreted through my body chemistry I'd describe amber as the deepest and the spiciest of the three. BPAL's Egyptian amber note makes my eyes roll back in my head, it's so good. Myrrh I find lighter and sweeter. Frankincense is the lightest of the three, it's spicier than myrrh but not as sweet - the problem I have personally is that it can work or it can go anywhere from a little soapy to sharp to almost kerosene-y when it doesn't work. Josh's idea is a good one - even if you don't want to invest in a bunch of single note oils, just a sniffing expedition to a health food or new-agey store that carries a wide selection of aromatherapy oils can help educate your nose on some of those hard-to-distinguish notes.

I am a huge amber fan and Inez does not disappoint! My only fear was the cedar note, which I can sometimes amp into the world's largest pencil sharpener to the exclusion of everything else in a perfume. But it seems that the cedar and sandalwood just serve to anchor Inez and add to the amber's spiciness, which thrills me. I get a little spicy carnation and sweet vanilla, but the amber and musk steal the show here. This wasn't the longest lasting scent and didn't have a lot of throw - I'll be curious to see if that changes as my bottle ages, though. I know my bottle of Jacob's Ladder 2005 is thick and yummy now and much more intense than it was when it was fresh.

This scent is drop dead gorgeous. In the bottle and wet, the pine-pitch note is prominent. It's a really interesting note, not sharp evergreen, but very resinous with a spicy hint of pine. It calms down immediately and The Illustrated Woman becomes this delicious, ever-so-slightly-smoky, sweet skin musk scent. I agree with the first couple reviewers that the skin musk is the star of the show, but to my nose it's inseparable from the honey, vanilla and resins. This is a blend that I'd really encourage you to try, even if there's a note in there that scares you, because I find it so well balanced. In my case, I love honey, vanilla, patchouli and skin musk, but tobacco can be a bad note on me, the pine pitch scared me, I had no idea what to expect from the Indian resins or just how "smoky" the vanilla would be (and I don't like a lot of the scents that are described as smoky). The result? You will pry this bottle from my cold dead fingers

I am officially in love with this scent and so glad I ordered it! I do love resins, but I have a complete arsenal of smoky and incensey ones. I was hoping for a delicious, resinous base with a little bit of the spice that seems to come naturally to the amber, some sweetness from the orange, lilac and ambergris bouquet, and frankincense that is happy to be a supporting member of the cast. And this is exactly what I got. I even find this sweet enough to skew to the feminine side. If there is nothing sweet or slightly floral about a blend, my chemistry will make it dry and amp the woods and masculinity, making it as swarthy as can be. So I am thrilled that I don't get anything remotely manly from this combination of notes. I think this is going to become one of my most beloved amber blends.

ooh, I second the Fairy Market! And Jasmine Cottage, IMO, fits the bill perfectly - but I do understand the hesitation about ordering unsniffed bottles because I have it myself. Although the poem and imagery don't seem like they'd fit your request, The Reaper and The Flowers has a nice green quality and the chrysanthemum and carnation give it a spicy, stemmy vibe that I associate with wildflowers. I think Amsterdam would be worth trying to see what your chemistry does with it - some people get aquatic from it, but since it's a GC you can order or swap for an imp fairly easily. I like the lab's tulip note, it seems to have a bit of green in it regardless of what it is used with. Now, if you take the plunge into searching for LEs in the swap forum, there was an LE from spring 2005 called Flower Moon that I'd definitely recommend. I haven't tried the 2008 version of Beltane, but the 2005 and 2006 incarnations both were very meadow-y to me.

Welcome to the forum! I'll give you my impressions of the ones that I've tried recently enough to remember (never tried Xanthe, I suspect the guava and apple blossom combo in that one will do me in) Gennivre, L'Artiste du Diable - honeyed mint tea with a bit of tartness, but not a lot of fruit. The Hanging Gardens - very rich and sweet, heavy fig, so very fruity on me Katharina - lots and lots of apricot, so apricot lovers must try it Lolita - more floral than fruity, but with a lot of sweetness from the heliotrope and honeysuckle Tanuki - incredibly fruity! It was nothing but fruit on me, although it had a little bit of a crisp feel to offset the sweetness. Titania - Lots of sweet fruit in there, but the floral notes are nicely balanced with it and make it pretty and feminine. Good luck! It's kinda hard finding BPAL blends that have no musk, patchouli, or vanilla, isn't it? I'd suggest that as you go along, be brave and try some scents with lighter musks - things with white, blue, green, skin musk - and avoid red, dark, animalic and things that are described similarly. The musks don't always dominate, and you may find that you can wear some scents where the musk note isn't dominant.

I thought I'd repost Igloogirl's question in this thread, and I did some searching for coconut scents to see if I could contribute anything. And as I was looking at the "coconut" results I had an epiphany - how it took me 3+ years to figure this out, I don't know. I amp coconut like crazy! Shoggoth is nothing but coconut on me. Eden, nothing but fresh green coconut. Spooky? Coconut that just brushed its teeth. But I think that if there are enough "dark" things in a blend, the coconut will just sweeten it a bit and I can wear it: King of Spades , Dark Delicacies, Snake Charmer. I'm going to give Tiki King a couple more tries before I give up since so many people are passionately in love with it, and I'm really hopeful for Ashtultum. (Gwyneth, too, but sage could be a whole 'nother story, maybe I should go post in the Confessional thread about it ) Anyway, I'm really jealous of you people who can wear everything with coconut, especially Shoggoth and Eden

There were a lot of tropical scents in the Tiki series that came out for April Fools this year - tropicals, and particularly scents heavy on coconut, aren't very good on me so I'm not the best source of recs on this one. But Upa Upa from that series has pineapple, coconut, vanilla and spiced rum, and it's really delicious. There's probably a little overlap between this thread and the one devoted to coconut scents, so be sure to take a peek there and see what you find.

I had a bath this evening with Fantasy Bath's Bayou Voodoo bath-fizzy stuff and realized that I had recently smelled a BPAL that was similar. Put on my thinking cap and realized it's Tupapau. I checked the notes and the Fantasy Bath stuff has sandalwood, vanilla and oakmoss with a little jasmine and plumeria - Tupapau's notes are white sandalwood, pikaki, 'umi'umi-o-dole (a type of moss), and plumeria. So if you're a fan of Tupapau, I definitely think you'll like FB's Bayou Voodoo bath products.