Looking for a BPAL similar to a Clinique Fragrance

[jewelbug]

I'm starting to think of Christmas, and I was asking a friend about her scent preferences for some lotion/bath gel gifties. The only perfume she's liked enough to buy was Clinique Happy, and she says she generally likes citrus and spicy (but not cinnamon) scents. Ginger especially, where the spices are concerned. She has a rather tempermental nose, and is sneezy often, so I want to avoid anything that may have that sneeze-inducing factor.

 

Does anyone have any suggestions? I am considering Sudha Segara, but in my test, it didn't have much staying power, so I'm wary. I don't generally try a whole lot of citrus scents, so I don't know what else to look into.

 

Any suggestions from you citrus-loving forumites? (I'm avoiding discontinued's, so Baobhan Sith is out).

[Scarlettfish]

From memory, Happy is a very light, breezy citrus scented perfume, so perhaps Embalming Fluid would be a good way to go?

[darklorelei]

Honestly, if she really is a big ginger fan, like, lemony delicious fresh ginger, I really wouldn't recommend any of the bpal gingers except for Sudha Segara. I'm a fiend for fresh ginger, and I've had my heart broken again and again.

 

here's what I found note-wise online: bergamot, boysenberry and honeysuckle. The middle notes are: bushflower, grapefruit and moss and the base of the fragrance is: freesia, lemon and Hawaiian wedding flower.

 

I think Shanghai might be a good try. It's sweet and tea, but has a good lemon kick. I think Sudha Segara might be okay for her, but staying time really does vary widely. The two layered together might be fab. *notes to try it*

 

If I recall correctly, New Orleans had honeysuckle and lemon in it, but I have yet to try it.

[Caltha]

Perhaps Kumiho? It's supposed to be ginger but I read it as lime. It's still lovely though, and citrusy and fresh and inoffensive. Like a better version of Shanghai to me. I think Sudha Segara, Shanghai and Kumiho are similar light, fresh, citrusy tea scents (although SS isn't supposed to be if you read the description) and I prefer Kumiho, then Shanghai.

[Electra]

I also think Sudha Segara for ginger, but it's much more like Origins Ginger Essence than Happy (actually, it's just about a dead ringer for Ginger Essence on me). Can you get her to sniff Ginger Essence and see if she likes it?

 

Kumiho is light gingery-citrusy-tea - doesn't smell like Happy, but might be worth a shot.

 

Shanghai is beautiful, and I can't imagine anyone being offended by it. It's green tea and citrus - a dead ringer for Elizabeth Arden's Green Tea fragrance (maybe you could get her to sniff that? No spice in it, though.)

[zenvodunista]

hi!

 

i used to wear Happy. loved it. it's very Citrus -- and more than just Citrus, it's got a very tangerine/orange feel to it, followed up by what i would say are more delicate florals, it used to remind me very much of orange blossoms and neroli.

 

personally, i have found that (having worn Happy) that the Apothocary is within the same "feel", though not nearly as bright.

 

Kumiho is lovely, but not very strong. i'd need 10 ml, because it took half an imp to get anything happening at all. this is also true for Kuang Shi -- but Kuang Shi i think is closer to Happy in feel also.

 

of course, if it weren't discontinued, i'd recommend Kunstkammer unsniffed for "pepper and orange" all the way! (can't wait for my bottle!)

 

there's a bunch that i haven't sniffed, but i think maybe you should check the reviews out for, based on notes:

Jezebel (honey, roses, orange blossom and sandalwood)

Succubus (Mimosa, orange blossom, neroli and bergamot with a drop of sweet clove.)

Vixen (The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli.)

 

one last note: i always thought i hated patchouli pre-BPAL. but Beth's blends have made me reconsider, and now one patchouli blend is on my favorites list (Tezcatlipoca), so don't be afraid! )

 

n.

[jewelbug]

Oh, wow! So many great suggestions!

 

I have been wanting to get my hands on some Kumiho (for me), so I will definitley keep looking for that one--seems to be a majority recommendation for her too!

Shanghai sounds great too, but I think the jasmine in New Orleans might scare her sneeze-prone nose away. Is it strong (i'm horribly biased against jasmine, so i'm probably projecting my fears onto her)?

 

I'd forgotten about apothecary, cuz I actually did try that, and it was like a sweet ginger tea on me. It faded very quickly, though, so I'm not sure.

 

zenvodunista, I tried jezebel, and while it was lovely (like O with rose), I know that the rose notes would overwhelm her until it mellowed. And mellowing took a long time on me.

 

I also tried Vixen. I even liked it--despite patchouli, so you're absolultely right about beth's patchoulis! I suppose I should ammend my profile, eh? I have a feeling Vixen would be a bit stong for her, though.

 

I have succubus in my to try box right now! I will do that right after my shower.

 

As for any other suggestions, I just talked to her, and she said this:

"I like floral scents, but they're very hit or miss. I favor citrus and spicy scents, since they rarely bother my nose. My favorite lotion was one somebody gave me that smelled strongly like ginger. I'm not that keen on vanilla, coffee, fruit, cinnamon (for wearing). "

 

And then, the curve ball: "I actually sometimes like wearing "boy" deoderant so I smell like one."

 

Hmmmmm....any suggestions for that last bit? That boy deodorant bit?

[Caltha]

Fresh and inoffensive + boy deodorant - that would be Severin I think. But Severin is more like a very discreet and expensive gentleman's cologne or shaving cream than a yucky musky marine/icy men's deodorant. Severin is supposed to be earl grey, black tea and leather but I don't think you'll have to fear the leather, it's not strong and I couldn't identify it as such, I just know it was a very dry and strict and fresh and light gentleman's scent with earl grey tea as the dominant note.

[fallow deer]

I second Kuang Shi.

[DiamondHeart]

Wilde for the boyish smell.

 

I second Kumiho and Shanghai. I liked Clinque Happy too, and they aren't the same, but they're definitely alike. Also, try Embalming Fluid.

 

Maybe give Hurricane and Undertow a shot too.

 

Good luck!

 

~Diamond~

[HoneyHoneyNY]

I just tried Sudha Segara this weekend and I'd highly recommend it. It smells strongly of fresh ginger, and it reminds me, as someone else commented of Origins Ginger Essence.

[Vicious Mistress]

I just tried Sudha Segara this weekend and I'd highly recommend it.  It smells strongly of fresh ginger, and it reminds me, as someone else commented of Origins Ginger Essence.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

There's something in Kali that makes me think of Clinique Happy also. You might try that.

[jewelbug]

There's something in Kali that makes me think of Clinique Happy also. You might try that.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Kali, really?! I've been dying to find and try that one (i mean, chocolate!!!!!), and now i've got an even better excuse to do so! Mwahahahaha!

 

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone.

 

I was wondering, and this may be a tall order, but do any of these have the clinique happy feel COMBINED with the "boy smell" of boy deodorant. And still smell good?

 

Wishful thinking perhaps....but then, Beth IS amazing.

[zenvodunista]

I was wondering, and this may be a tall order, but do any of these have the clinique happy feel COMBINED with the "boy smell" of boy deodorant.  And still smell good?

 

Wishful thinking perhaps....but then, Beth IS amazing. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Vineland! very fresh and breezy, and the deciduous woods in it (to my nose) bring some of that boy scent. plus, it's got a touch of berry -- so it's not citrus tinged like Happy is, but it is a bright tart fruit tinge which one could argue that Happy is.

 

(i wear boy deoderant too )

 

n.

[TroubleDoll]

So the search engine is down but i need to get my mom's birthday gift on order. I hope someone can help.

 

She likes Clinique's Aromatics Elixir. The notes are:

 

Rose

White Jasmine

Ylang Ylang

Vetiver

 

Any recommendations for something similar?

 

Thanks!

 

(edited to correct notes)

Edited February 18, 2006 by TroubleDoll

[Torrilin]

Omen's got the oakmoss and patchouli, and from what I recall, Aromatics Elixir is very heavy and woody feeling, so it's probably rather heavy on oakmoss and patchouli.

 

Shadow looks to be heavy on woods and patchouli.

 

Wilde has patchouli and jasmine, tho from the reviews it sounds like it's more like guy's aftershave than a heavy oriental.

 

Greed also has patchouli and oakmoss, but the copal and heliotrope might make it too girly feeling.

 

Aureus might be worth a try, some people detect patchouli in it.

 

Libertine is one of the only chamomile scents the lab does, and it's got woods and florals. It pretty much only has the chamomile tho, so it strikes me as kind of a long shot.

 

Crossroads doesn't list notes, but might be worth checking reviews on. The vibe in the description sounds like it could go in a useful direction.

 

Sin, Anne Bonney, Dance of Death and Danse Macabre might also be worth looking at.

 

Kalli

[nineveh]

The Caterpillar has jasmine and patchouli.

 

Greed might be a good choice. It's not girly at all, but rather a dark, earthy scent. I didn't get any floral out of it.

 

 

edited because I thought The Caterpillar had oakmoss, but it was actually vetiver.

Edited February 17, 2006 by nineveh

[quikslvr]

Frankly, the note in the Elixir that's most noticeable to me is the vetiver. When I go to Clinique's site, the notes listed there are: rose, jasmine,Ylang Ylang and vetiver.

 

I just don't want folks to be steering you wrong due to an incorrect description.

 

To me, the closest BPAL I know of is actually Tarot: Death, but I'm not sure that most people would like it or smell the comparison I get there.

[TroubleDoll]

Frankly, the note in the Elixir that's most noticeable to me is the vetiver. When I go to Clinique's site, the notes listed there are: rose, jasmine,Ylang Ylang and vetiver.

 

I just don't want folks to be steering you wrong due to an incorrect description.

 

To me, the closest BPAL I know of is actually Tarot: Death, but I'm not sure that most people would like it or smell the comparison I get there.

 

Thanks for correcting the description. I got the notes from a fragance board-I guess they should have been updated.

[Dymphna]

I don't have a suggestion, but I used to wear Aromatics Elixir all the time so I'll be keeping an eye on this thread.

[parrot_suspect]

Aromatics Elixir is a serious, heavy-duty, love-it-or-hate-it chypre. I'll be honest and say I have not found anything in BPAL remotely like it. Beth does not seem to dabble much in chypres. Sure, she has some scents with oakmoss (a note that is almost always found in a classic chypre fragrance), but they don't have that telltale chypre "twang" that's present in fragrances like EL Knowing, Aromatics Elixir, Miss Dior, Coriandre, etc.

[TroubleDoll]

Aromatics Elixir is a serious, heavy-duty, love-it-or-hate-it chypre. I'll be honest and say I have not found anything in BPAL remotely like it. Beth does not seem to dabble much in chypres. Sure, she has some scents with oakmoss (a note that is almost always found in a classic chypre fragrance), but they don't have that telltale chypre "twang" that's present in fragrances like EL Knowing, Aromatics Elixir, Miss Dior, Coriandre, etc.

 

Thanks, I think I might just get her something totally different, becuase i have tried literally hundreds of scents and not found anything like it. Maybe I'll try something deep and woody with a touch of sweet-Anne Bonny or Rose Cross or something.

[ivyandpeony]

I thought that I would bump this thread - somebody started a duplicate thread looking for a BPAL blend similar to Clinique Happy right as the forum went down last week. Hopefully, they will see this one now and get some good ideas, or some of you who haven't seen this topic before will share your thoughts.

 

Since we lost about a week's worth of posts, the duplicate thread disappeared... So I will just remind everyone, please do a search before you start a new thread if you want recommendations for something similar to a commercial perfume, even if you think it's something incredibly obscure or something no one else would have asked about. It saves me the work of merging and saves you a warning for the duplicate!

[faifai]

Saint-Germain, Whitechapel, and Neo-Tokyo are all a bit masculine but light enough to actually wear.

 

Pele seems like it'd work for a Happy-esque scent. It's..."muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms." Ginger and flowers and stuff.

Edited March 9, 2006 by faifai

[cinderfallen]

I wanted to bump this thread because I'd love to get my mother some BPAL, and her favorite perfume is Aromatics Elixir. She doesn't wear it on herself much, only on special occasions, but she does like to scent her things with it.

 

On her and on her things, Aromatics Elixir isn't very heavy--no noticeable patchouli or anything. In fact, I'm sure my mother would label that an old man's scent! It's a rather golden scent, heavier, but not heavy.

 

Would anyone have any updated insights into BPAL that is similar in feel?