Aquatics - scents of the ocean, the sea

[SylphideNoir]

0oh Bayou is definitely on the list.

 

I'm actually trying Two, Five & Seven for the first time today and I'm shocked! I've had it for a while but have been hesitant because it smells harsh and bitter in the vial. Surprisingly it morphed on contact to this sexy, humid, rainy garden scent. I think I'm swooning !

[TroubleDoll]

Obatala has a watery note, but is mostly coconut, so it sort of like a sexy day at the beach.

[lookingglass]

Lurid has an ozone note with resin. It is warm and wet to me!

[sporadicity]

I haven't fully tested this out (still got the flu so the nose may be a bit off). I really liked The Isle of Demons. The scent is of wet, dark greenery, carnivorous flowers, volcanic gas, and the hot black musk of the demons and wild beasts that populated the islands.

 

It's very green and lush when you put it on and then morphs into a very clean wet scent.

[KassiK]

I'm REALLY surprised no one has mentioned Olokun yet. It's my absolute favorite scent and it's definitely an aquatic scent. I love aquatics myself. Here's my review of it on the forums:

 

In the imp- It smells like tropical rain forrest water. No wait, clear crisp light blue water. No, what angels would swim in. No, what Ariel would smell like. No. What I would smell like!

 

on wet- much stronger on wet than in the imp. I only needed 3 swipes to get the power I wanted whereas I usually need 6 swipes.

 

drydown- Not disappointed at all. On me, it smells exactly the way it was in the imp.

 

This is definitely my favorite and beats out sea of glass for me by a long shot. I've never been more pleased with a BPAL scent, which is saying a lot. If you like fresh aquatics, definitely give this a try.

[Electra]

I'll second the glowing rec for Olokun -- if I'd seen this thread, I definitely would have put in a vote for it! It's my favorite BPAL aquatic by far. Absolutely gorgeous. It was my everyday scent this summer and is one of my top 5 BPALs.

[sookster]

Obatala has a watery note, but is mostly coconut, so it sort of like a sexy day at the beach.

 

 

disco on Obatala !!

 

and from what i am understanding, Thalassa, the Galapagos Mermaid is

the most outstanding "newer" aquatic out there...must try this for sure

[melisssa]

It might be because it's so freaking hot here, but I am wishing for my first bottle of an aquatic blend!

 

I've tried Danube, Empyreal Mist, Sea of Glass, The Galapagos Mermaid and Y'han-thlei. Y'han-thlei is my favourite so far--but I find I just keep wishing these blends were sweeter.

 

Apart from Obatala (of which I already plan to include a bottle in my next order ) can anyone recommend something that is at once cool and watery and sweet?

 

Thanks in advance

Edited June 3, 2007 by Melisssa

[ralenth]

I'm in love with the new Blue Moon, but cannot justify another bottle at the price when I am still building my collection. Can anyone recommend a GC that is somewhat similar?

[Kiera]

Melisssa, to me Neo-Tokyo fits what your looking for. It was the scent that got me interested in aquatics, it is sweet and definately has a watery quality to it.

[fatalbellydance]

Aquatics and I have a strange relationship. There was only one aquatic perfume I ever wore, can't remember the name of it now, but I wore it alot in high school. When I got into BPAL I thought I'd try an aquatic, bad, just bad.........

 

So I swore off aquatics.

 

Then The Deep Ones surprised me. My friend got me to try it one and I LOVE it. I think it's the salt, and lack of ozone. It smells just like the ocean.

 

Are there any other salty aquatics that don't have ozone? I need to try them.........

[Czarina]

Olokun, defintely. The Lab description of it makes it sound like a dark, murky scent with seaweed and rotting fish in it, but it has a sort of a salty-frothy-cucumbery lightness to it, like the top of the ocean, not the bottom.

[waternight]

Mostly, aquatics don't agree with me. With two exceptions: Tempest and Kumari Kandam. Both are amazing. Tempest is a cleaner, crisper, fresher aquatic, whereas KK is a deeper, sexier one.

[thelaurenator]

What is everyone's favorite aquatic scent? I live in a beach town and I am literally a walk out the door away from the ocean, so I'd love some nice aquatic scents!

 

I've tried many BPAL blends, and there are a few notes that have a precedent of turning foul on my skin-- most really resiny, incensey scents, most BPAL blends with vanilla, including Snake Oil, and anything with plum or strawberry. That doesn't mean I'm not willing to try anything with these notes, I am just wary of them. Fresh and clean tends to work well with me, most florals, and some sweeter orientals like Red Lantern. I really prefer distinctly "feminine" blends, as opposed to the more cologne-y smelling ones.

Edited June 30, 2008 by thelaurenator

[brsis]

Hmmm... my favourite aquatic, hands down, is Y'ha-Nythlei - which is aquatic, bergamot and ambergris. I'm a real fan of the resins so I LOVE the ambergris in this, but it is very subtle - I can only pick it out because I love it and I know it's there.

 

Marae would have to be my top 'beach' scent, though it's not an aquatic (And I won't go anywhere near a beach without long sleeves, a large hat and the promise of fossils and/or fish )

[Delirium1009]

My favorite aquatic is Selkie... it's a salty aquatic floral. Absolutely refreshing and uplifting and my first bpal love!

[mgrazulis]

Although she's no longer available...my favorite aquatic is Aeaea. I love the smell of the ocean breeze with the juniper berries!

[marared]

Another Danube fan here. It's the only aquatic that I've tried that I really like - everything else seems to turn sour on me.

 

If Lightning qualifies as an aquatic, I like that one a lot too, but it's more of a fresh scent than a water scent.

[ivyandpeony]

What is everyone's favorite aquatic scent? I live in a beach town and I am literally a walk out the door away from the ocean, so I'd love some nice aquatic scents!

 

...

 

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.

[Electra]

Olokun, hands down.

 

Thalassa is much more oceany, though. And very, very nice.

[donnatron]

Lady of Shalott probably my favourite aquatic. It's got a beautiful aquatic note with florals and a tiny hint of ginger. Soothing and pretty and ever so feminine. I'm also an Amsterdam fan and love the tulip and grass notes alongside the aquatics, but I find it has no wearlength or throw on my chemistry.

[portalkat]

Thalassa and Aeaea, although I still haven't tried The Deep Ones from A Picnic in Arkham.

[sofaking6]

Thalassa is very pretty, but I like Undertow even better. It's very oceanic and seems to have a little more depth (metaphorically) than some of the more floral aquatics.

[clawsight]

I've only tried two aquatics, Undertow and Y'ha-Nythlei. The former was a complete bust on me -- it morphed a lot, stunk through most of its forms. The only point where it didn't make me want to run and wash it off was for the about 5 minutes it smelled a little like water and mint bubblegum.

 

Y'ha-Nythlei on the other hand smelled like I wanted Undertow to smell. It's a fabulous, very dark aquatic. It can go a bit soapy if you like... shove your nose against your wrist, but if you give it a tiny bit of distance it smells like dark water and algae and maybe even seaweed.

[thelaurenator]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! I'm waiting for my bottle of Thalassa now but I'll have to try some of the Lovecraftian blends...