ivyandpeony

I figured I would bump this thread up to the front page - I am going to add some links to that first post and this will help remind me and this way I can thank you all for your participation too. Hi Linda M! I haven't seen you in the longest time. I love 51 but I have never tried Alien - a few people have commented on the similarity so I am definitely going to have to seek it out next time I'm malling it up. Spacekitty, that's a great list - I had not made the Fresh Sugar- CD connection but once I read that, *lightbulb* my brain immediately hooked it up. I need to go try my CD again!

naeelah, I've noticed that Hellion-Nahemoth resemblance too. I have never tried layering anything with Nahemoth, though - that's a good idea! I get a little dark fruit from it myself, so maybe something with a strong patchouli note would be good for me. And of course, now Nahemoth's been discontinued it's surely going to become as scarce as Hellion before too long. Luckily, I did buy a bottle of each while they were available, so I will have to do some experimenting and post my discoveries.

whitemyrrh, no problem with starting the new thread - your problems are very specific, so it makes sense to have it stand alone for discussion. After you've had some time to get responses, try some stuff out, report back, and discussion has died down, I'll merge it into the big sleep thread. Thanks to Armaita for quoting that post and to the OP. I had never seen that broken down before and it makes perfect sense. Ironically, I suffer from all three types of insomnia described at different times - which I guess makes sense, since everyone has all three doshas present and can get out of balance depending on what's going on with your life. I'm Pitta, though, and I do mostly suffer from that type of insomnia. TKO is usually my sleep aid of choice - smooth lavender, sweet and creamy - and as I think about it, it definitely helps with the occasional Vata type insomnia I get too. I would think that Quietude would definitely be worth a try, too, whitemyrrh - considering that it's designed to calm more than to knock you out, it might be good for someone who's so sensitive to sleep-inducers.

Atia rocks! I have no idea what she was truly like, but she was by far the most entertaining character in Rome for me. The first thing that came to mind for me? The Witch Queen! She and Atia have a lot in common. And doesn't wild plum, red musk, tuberose, calla lily, heliotrope, pimento, ylang ylang and beeswax beneath a dark haze of sinister purple-hued incense smoke seem very compatible with Atia? I'm sure it's no coincidence that most of my other ideas all are from the Diabolus category: Hell's Belle (Oleander with wet, sweet mandarin, lush magnolia, a rush of deep musk and a touch of spice), Horreur Sympathique (blood musk, golden honey, thick black wine, champagne grapes, tobacco flower, plum blossom, tonka bean, oakmoss, carnation, benzoin, opoponax, and sugar cane), and Malice (Ylang ylang, clove, Indonesian red patchouli, and dark myrrh) It's too bad that you can't wear rose... because Nemesis struck me as a very Atia-like scent too (Cypress, ginger, fig, dried rose, red patchouli, tonka bean and cyclamen). And it could be that your first instinct may be the best. Snake Oil entices everyone, it lasts forever and has tons of throw, and to my nose it could be an ancient recipe. It's so heady and delicious, but but simple and natural at the same time. You know that we are going to clamor for pictures of this party, right?

Another topic that you guys might have fun with is Best All-Purpose Enabling Scents. (Mod note: I might merge this thread into the enabling one when the Camp Newbie fun is over for this round, because the suggestions are so good. Then a new one can be started when a future newbie event is underway. But for now I think they are better as separate threads, since this one has such up-to-the-minute recs. Please feel free to share any thoughts!) I love the term "gateway scent." I agree about 51, too - a great way to introduce commercial-perfume-trained noses to BPAL. ETA: merged with discussion in enabling thread since there'd been no comments in the "Camp Newbie" thread for 30 days or more.

VelvetSky, Anne Bonny just hates me - but I will give this one some thought, and I figured I would bump your post and see if it gets any responses from the AB mutual admiration society I do love the way it smells in the vial - I would love an AB soap or candle. BTW, it sure is nice to see you around here! Is it the freesia? Ambers usually go all powdery on me but not white amber apparently. Maybe it's the guava and the mandarin? Hi Tempest I love the 51 icon you made, and I love 51 too. I ordered a bottle of it the day that the order with my imp of it arrived - I could not wait 51 is one of those blends where I think the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Usually guava and honeydew are disgusting on me and neroli has to be blunted with something creamy. I think I would describe it as a fruity-floral light musk (light modifying the noun musk, not the entire description, you know?) Its complexity also reminds me of the complexity of all the Salon blends. Now, our chemistries could be really different (as far as the other notes go, I adore ambers of all types, I can wear lighter woods but not heavy ones like cedar, light musks are awesome and I love mandarin too. Oh, and I absolutely worship Beth's freesia.) Some blends you might want to try: First, some LEs... Ace of Hearts (Purest white lotus, white rose, rain orchid, rose gardenia, freesia, and Bulgarian rose, but I swear there are some other magical things in it too ), Budding Moon (Plum blossom, peony, lotus root, Chinese musk and a hint of white ginger), Stardust (champagne, hyacinth, tuberose, ylang ylang and flashing white musk with jonquil, tobacco flower, white sandalwood and a pale poppy) A few Salons: Bat-Woman (ratkirani, calla lily, moonflower, honeysuckle, night-blooming jasmine, French lavender, verbena, grey amber and nighttime air), Schlafende Bagneuse (skin musk, white cream, honeycomb, yellow rose, King mandarin, chrysanthemum, golden amber, honeysuckle, and wide-throated yellow monkey-flower accord), Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree (cherry blossom, blue lilac, lavender monofloral honey, white sandalwood, and Asian pear). And from the good ole GC, Kitsune-Tsuki (Asian plum, orchid, daffodil, jasmine and white musk), Cordelia (lilac, lemon, green tea, wisteria, osmanthus, white cedar, and Chinese musk), Endymion (d'Anjou pear, Lily of the Valley, bois du rose and white musk).

You guys may notice I merged the Pruno & Privilege discussion into this thread, since the jailbird has flown and the Lab has taken the scents down.

That sounds miserable, Anna. I hope that it resolves on its own - I have had that happen with the side effects of some medications. In the meantime, I'd try out some things that help with nausea or that have a sort of head-clearing effect, maybe trying things from the mint, citrus, and ginger families. Moxie is citrus and ginger, so it might be a good one to try! Grr, the headache relief Panacea, might be a good one too.

A little mod note - I'm going to leave this as a standalone thread for a bit while people get their orders and comment, but it will then be merged into the main thread about GC-LE similarity. Thanks!

Shub is Shub-Niggarath, from the Picnic in Arkham category, BTW. There's a special kind of shorthand around here. It will definitely depend on your chemistry, but for me anything with dragon's blood (resin) as a component = sweet and sharp at the same time - unfortunately, I am not very keen on sharp scents so I can't wear most of them. But take a look at the Ars Draconis category. Dragon's Milk is has a lot of honey in it which would make it even sweeter for you; Dragon's Claw has a nice, dry feel complementing the sweetness of the dragon's blood.

Hi MissyJoJo - welcome to the forum! I merged your topic with the existing job interview recommendations thread, but I thought you might also find this thread interesting - Bravery, Courage, Confidence... Good luck with your interview!

That is an excellent observation! And they both hated me with a vengeance *sob* But that's such a great suggestion - for anyone dying to try CR, try the Knave and if the foody notes work on you, CR is worth pursuing. I couldn't even smell the rose in Knave of Hearts, the currants and pastry really went nuts on me. icing, I find them really, really different. The Star is fairly dry to me - like unsweetened coconut with a squeeze of lime. Shoggoth is more complex and much sweeter, maybe from the florals like the osmanthus & wisteria. Both are lovely, they're just distant cousins to me. To me, Tamamo-no-mae is really different from Hunger Moon & HGM - it turns really peachy. You definitely should try Kumiho (white tea and ginger) and Sudha Segara (ginger, honey, milk & ambrosia) - both have that crispy, citrusy ginger note and are great for summertime. I find 51 very different from HGM although I love both! On me, 51 is a very crisp, light musk with some citrus and heady florals. Definitely treat yourself to a bottle (or two) since CD is going to be around for a while longer! (I know the US postage price increases are affecting lots of international customers, but you can scan the swaps section for others in the UK to share shipping... I'm all about enabling whenever possible)

Yes, join the dark side. Nahemoth is gorgeous, and Golachab (another Qlipoth) is a deep incensey scent that I love. I have had my bottles of both for about a year and aging has only made them like, incredible.

This is such a great idea, jennygardener - just to keep things tidy in Recs, I combined the individual day threads into one post. Reminds me of having "days of the week" panties when I was little. Some of you might want to go back and edit your post a wee bit to specify what day you were discussing - if you replied to multiple days and you'd like your responses merged, just hit the "report" button at the bottom of one of them for me and I will take care of it. Happy discussions!

I know that in this subforum, there are specific topics asking for recommendations for scents that seem purple and scents that seem red, possibly more... I will find them when I have a moment and post links! (or if someone beats me to it, that's cool )

Just seconding Ah Xia's remark about Dixie Love Perfume - I also find it reminiscent of Love Me. I was especially pleased to discover this, because Love Me smells fabulous on one of my friends and is one of her signature scents - but on me, it's sharp & strident. There's something about DLP that makes it work on me, though - and I love the name.

That's really funny, ClareN! At least one of your fellow forum members yearns for a smoky lilac scent, so you might be on to something. (ETA: I ended up merging the thread about smoky lilac scents into this one, so the link was dead!) I'm getting lots of beautiful lilac when I wear Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree, and I love the way the other notes in the blend work with it. I think all of you lilac lovers need to put this one on your list if you haven't tried it already!

Tramp is right. If you'd like a visual reference, Sugar Skull 2005 features the Anima Sola on the label; 2006 has a light gray label featuring a tiny witch cartoon (all the 2006 Halloween LEs had similar labels).

HonorA - Sorry about your keyboard! I know what a bummer that can be. My husband and I bought some really nice nightstands when we moved in our house back in 1999. They're from a company that hand works everything and they are lovely. So of course... as I go to bed one night I absentmindedly put my wee bottle of all-natural cuticle oil on the nightstand and in the morning it's sitting in a gooey ring, just the residue on the outside of the bottle was enough to dissolve the finish. I was so horrified, and my husband gave me more shit than if I had splashed a gallon of spaghetti sauce on the Mona Lisa. (Don't worry, as the rules of marriage decree, I silently filed it away and have harangued him tenfold for the household transgressions he's committed, all of which have been much worse. ) I guess experiences like that may have made me a bit more conscious when messing around with my BPAL, although there are some splatters and spills you just can't avoid. I have spilled BPAL oils on the top of my dresser when decanting, but have had something handy to wipe it up immediately, so it has never damaged the finish. But I think most furniture finishes and most plastics can be damaged by fragrance oils, some essential oils, and BPAL. Oil based paints can also be damaged by it. I just try to remember to have a box of Kleenex, a pile of paper napkins, etc. around if I am going to start sniffing a pile of imps and bottles that just arrived or decant some things. The length of time the oil sits on a surface affects how badly it's damaged. For your random knowledge database: If you pour nail polish into a Solo cup, it will dissolve the bottom of it and make a huge mess. That's another plastics fact I once learned when I dumped out some of one color in order to add another color to it. If you think that a bottle of glue has dried up, put the cap back on anyway before you throw it in a wicker wastebasket that's sitting on carpet. That's one of my husband's.

That's interesting, minilux - I have noticed something sweet that seems similar between White Light and Lionheart, too, although I like it. And since the first time I tried Lionheart, it has reminded me of Jezebel. (Jezebel is predominantly honey on me with all the other notes playing backup.) When we were trying out new scents from our orders last fall, I remember that Andra noted something similar in the drydown of Wilhemina Murray and White Light. I could smell it on her wrist, but haven't really compared it since. She has a chemistry that really amps sweetness, just for reference. I agree with parrot_suspect on the Nocturne-Somnus comparison. I like Nocturne better; to me, it is not as sharp as Somnus on my skin.

These aren't impable (except in large sets), but you should be able to track decants down fairly easily if you aren't interested in investing in an entire set. To me, Tarot:Temperance smells very green and dandelion-y. (Roadhouse has that fresh, green, dandelion-ness for me when it's wet, but after a while I just smell like I spilled draft beer on myself. ) And from The Salon, Garden Path with Chickens is incredibly green and grassy - definitely reminds me of One to Tie, Two to Win, just with a wee bit of aquatic feel to it. Oh - and Pontarlier has a unique greenness about it - not that it's an exact match to One to Tie but if you are fond of unusual green planty scents, you should definitely try it.

This is very pretty and very hard for me to describe accurately! It is definitely "perfumey" - I cannot identify a dominant note the way I can with so many BPAL blends, just a big blurry feminine cloud around me. It has a more formal feel to me as well, not something I would throw on with my shorts and tee when I am headed out to run errands, but a scent for when I am more put together, whether it's for meeting up for a nice lunch or going to an evening party. I definitely see the parallel to Love in the Asylum that Sarada mentions (and appreciate her mentioning it, because I don't think I would have made that connection). My husband and I still laugh about an experience at a very elegant restaurant in Charleston (SC) years ago - there was a dish on the menu, a seafood lasagna flavored with orange zest and vanilla. We were intrigued and asked our waiter about it, not realizing that he was Jeff Spicoli's younger brother His advice? "If you think it sounds good, you should definitely order it." But now I do understand what he meant, just a little bit... because that's kind of what I'd advise you regarding Sitting Up With a Sick Friend. If the reviews intrigue you, you should definitely seek it out and try it, for the experience alone - it's a unique blend and one that I will definitely enjoy wearing, even if it's not destined to be my every day scent.

I'm really glad I decided to gamble on a bottle of this one. I dreamed that Miskatonic U would be fabulous and we'd spend a lifetime together, but it was the scent that taught me on that long ago day in spring 2005 just how caramelnoxious my skin can turn a perfectly lovely blend. But the woods and cinnamon in Pinched With Four Aces are just what I need with my sweet coffee - a little spice, a little something dry to temper anything creamy, caramelized or sugary lurking in there waiting to make me smell like I've been marinated in Bailey's. I don't think I will be wearing this much over the summer, but as soon as a chilly, rainy day hits, I am cuddling up with a good book and dabbing this all over.

I love rose in nearly every incarnation that leaves the Lab, same for violet. But apple blossom can ruin things that sound phenomenal to me, poppy is absolutely unpredictable, I usually don't like mint unless it's accompanied with lots of sugar, and thyme? Am I going to smell like au gratin potatoes or a mushroom tart? So imagine how surprised I am that Taurus is the romping, stomping winner of the three floral blends from the Milk Moon & 13 updates. On me, it's a gorgeous creamy bouquet of roses and violets with some wildflowers and greenery to give them depth and dimension, and it knocks the socks off Poisson d'Avril & Lady Luck Blues, both of which have descriptions that read like a list of favorite notes. But by now I should be used to these surprises, where the whole turns out to be greater than the sum of its parts - it's definitely not the first time this has happened to me as I went through those little bottles in the Priority Mail box. My only complaint is that Taurus doesn't last long enough on me, and I've been around long enough to know what to do there, too - carry it in a rollerball for touch ups or make an eau de parfum - so I guess I really have no complaints.

I love daffodils & their kin, too - really, all those spring bulb-blooming flowers, but the heady smell of paperwhites makes me weak in the knees. From the list you compiled, I get the most daffodil/jonquil et al. fragrance from Langour, which is an extremely heady floral on me, and Pride, which I love in the bottle but which sadly contains a varietal of rose that doesn't work on me. The search engine didn't pick up Eshe for you, I think because of the plural (the notes are embalming herbs, black myrrh, white sandalwood, black orchid, paperwhites, tomb dust, and Moroccan jasmine) - I get a huge cloud of paperwhite from this one, the most of any BPAL scent I have tried. The narcissus in Hades is gorgeous - I'd describe it as the Goth chick's perfect narcissus, because the scent is dark and sexy and rich, but you have that bright floral note holding things together. Nothing else in your list is dominantly daffodilly on me... House of Night doesn't actually have any narcissus - if you read the poem in the description carefully, it's one of the flowers that dies from sadness as the dark, melancholy trees and plants take over the garden, and it's those notes that are actually in the perfume. (It's a fabulous blend though!) Eos is dominantly honeysuckle, Marquis de Merteuil has vetiver which amps on me to the detriment of everything else, Melancholia is mostly lilac - but you know, you have to try them all anyway, because your chemistry could be different, you could love one or all of them even if you don't get the notes you expect, and BPAL is like Pokemon - gotta get 'em all.