Spice me, baby! The spiciest BPAL blends

[tartchef]

I've been afraid to try the lab's spicy scents because I'm afraid they'll smell like Shalimar, which I hate passionately. I've noticed that some of them, like Snake Oil and Morocco, have been compared to Shalimar.

 

But I really want to try something warm and spicy this time of year.

 

Does anyone have a recommendation for a NON-Guerlainy, non-Shalimary spicy scent? I think it's the Iris in Shalimar that turns me off. Iris and orris seem to be the common note in all the commercial perfumes that I truly can't stand. Strange, because I love the smell of real, living irises.

 

Oh, and sandalwood is a huge plus. I loves me some sandalwood.

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Maybe some of the less sweet, but still spicy scents? I'm thinking specifically Plunder, Kathmandu, & Sri Lanka - all have sandalwood & various spices... Plunder is the most cinnamony-spice, to my nose; Kathmandu is glorious, but there's a slightly medicinal edge to it that some folks don't like; and Sri Lanka is one of my top3 GC scents - spicy & warm, but with this amazing windswept-sunny-mountainside feel

[Wisteria]

Maybe some of the less sweet, but still spicy scents? I'm thinking specifically Plunder, Kathmandu, & Sri Lanka - all have sandalwood & various spices... Plunder is the most cinnamony-spice, to my nose; Kathmandu is glorious, but there's a slightly medicinal edge to it that some folks don't like; and Sri Lanka is one of my top3 GC scents - spicy & warm, but with this amazing windswept-sunny-mountainside feel

 

 

Thanks for those ideas! I've read the reviews of Kathmandu and Sri-Lanka. They both sound lovely, but I wonder if Sri-Lanka is too masculine?

 

I'll have to read the reviews on Plunder, since I hadn't heard of it until now.

Edited January 8, 2009 by Wisteria

[tartchef]

Maybe some of the less sweet, but still spicy scents? I'm thinking specifically Plunder, Kathmandu, & Sri Lanka - all have sandalwood & various spices... Plunder is the most cinnamony-spice, to my nose; Kathmandu is glorious, but there's a slightly medicinal edge to it that some folks don't like; and Sri Lanka is one of my top3 GC scents - spicy & warm, but with this amazing windswept-sunny-mountainside feel

 

 

Thanks for those ideas! I've read the reviews of Kathmandu and Sri-Lanka. They both sound lovely, but I wonder if Sri-Lanka is too masculine?

 

I'll have to read the reviews on Plunder, since I hadn't heard of it until now.

 

Sri Lanka doesn't read as masculine at all on me - it's certainly not ladylike and it would probably smell great on a guy, but it doesn't come across as a manly scent, IMO...

[alterosen]

You might want to try Velvet:

Envelop yourself in the soft, sensual embrace of gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh.

It's the ultimate warm cozy sandalwood scent - starts out strong on the cocoa, then the subtle spiciness of the myrrh comes out, followed by sandalwood with a hint of vanilla.

I love it in cold weather & at bedtime

There's no floral notes in it at all so you should be safe from Shalimar-likeness. Stay away from Dragon's Bone as it has a strong orris note (which smells a bit like violet to me). Brown Jenkins also has both sandalwood & orris but is more subtle.

 

My favorite spicy blends are Clemence, Plunder, Bengal, Shub-Niggurath, Saw Scaled Viper, Phantom Calliope & Pickled Imp.

 

And I would give Morocco & Snake Oil a try, anyway, just to judge for yourself. You can always trade 'em away!

[Mountaingrrl00]

Does anyone have recs for spicy scents that aren't predominantly clove/cinnamon? As much as I love the spicy sweetness, I'm currently in the mood for something a bit more... dark and savoury, I guess? Saffron, cardamom, pepper and the like.

 

I had very high hopes for Scherezade, but that was pure red musk on me, and I was completely in love with the saffron/black musk combo in Khandita until it got swallowed by the rose. Any recs for something of that ilk would be wonderful!

 

The Arabian Dance (from the 2010 Yules) is cardamom-spicy and smoky with coffee, tobacco and hazelnut. It's rich but not sweet.

[lisalovesbpal]

BUMP!

 

Hi, everyone! Since you folks were so kind as to help me out in the Chocolate thread, I have a specific request from my boyfriend, and I think this seems like a good thread to ask it in so I'm not re-creating another thread (I promise, I did a search and didn't find anything specific!).

 

So this morning, I made a cup of Stash Tea's Chai Spice flavor with breakfast. My boyfriend took one deep inhale and said, "If you could rub that all over your body, it would smell amazing!" So... anything that smells remotely like that tea? Something with chai, something with cinnamon, maybe?

 

Back in the Chocolate thread, I picked up a bottle of Velvet, which to me smells like a wonderful chocolate sandalwood. I'm wondering if that would keep him happy?

 

Thanks, everyone!

[starfish327]

chimera sometimes wants to be chai on me, sometimes it wants to be gummy bears. hellfire was the closest to the perfect 'actually spicy' blend on my chem as opposed to spicy but wants to smell like other things-but i was allergic to it. clemence is pretty much straight cinnamon on me though sometimes it wants to pull soapy.

 

also it's been a very, very long time since i've tested it but i feel like plunder has a spice and a tea note.

Edited January 28, 2013 by starfish327

[lisalovesbpal]

chimera sometimes wants to be chai on me, sometimes it wants to be gummy bears. hellfire was the closest to the perfect 'actually spicy' blend on my chem as opposed to spicy but wants to smell like other things-but i was allergic to it. clemence is pretty much straight cinnamon on me though sometimes it wants to pull soapy.

 

also it's been a very, very long time since i've tested it but i feel like plunder has a spice and a tea note.

 

Excellent! Thanks so much for the recs!

[Ordo_ad_Chao]

Yes, my vote would be Plunder for spice and tea. Love it.

[skyelyric]

Clemence for me is straight up gorgeous chai-in-a-bottle. Like starfish, ymmv, of course, but that's the most pure chai scent I've found.

[stellamaris]

Mrs Grose, which is now in the Yules till the end of the month is surely the truest Chai tea scent IMO. Get some quick!

[lisalovesbpal]

Thank you all so much! I'm on the trail!

[stellamaris]

It's really perfect, I wore it last night. Also on me it's quite strong and does not disappear quickly, really nice.

[Vickery]

Stellamaris, does Grose come out very rosey to you? I amp rose and it is not a smell I adore.

[Withjoy]

Mrs Grose, which is now in the Yules till the end of the month is surely the truest Chai tea scent IMO. Get some quick!

 

I agree. Mrs. Grose is a lovely chai scent. The rose is there in the background, but it was only a hint for me. Mrs. Grose is chai, chai, chai. I'm ordering a bottle before it goes away.

[stellamaris]

I am a rose lover and therefore looked for the rose, but I found it honestly to be 80 percent chai tea, 20 percent rosewater, not rose.

[Balame]

So this morning, I made a cup of Stash Tea's Chai Spice flavor with breakfast. My boyfriend took one deep inhale and said, "If you could rub that all over your body, it would smell amazing!" So... anything that smells remotely like that tea? Something with chai, something with cinnamon, maybe?

Bengal!

 

I know I'm a bit late to recommend this, but it's pretty much an exact match for chai. Warm, inviting, sweet and spicy. It's a GC scent, too.