Looking for BPAL that resembles a Body Shop scent

[zennun]

Hello everyone,

 

I posted a request for help just before the Forum crash. Some of you were kind enough to reply, but I didn't note down all the suggestions...

 

So, here we go again:

 

I'm looking for a musk that's as close as I can get to the now-defunct Body Shop's MOSTLY MUSK (not White, not Japanese, but Mostly). This means a scent that :

 

- is animal-y and woody, not powdery, yet doesn't smell like I've got a dead horse around my neck

- has incense elements without being dry or overtly spicy

- is not sweet, boozy, airy, flowery or remotely edible (no vanilla !!)

- probably includes sandalwood and rosewood, with a tiny bit of leather kicked in.

 

I've written to the BS to ask just what was in Mostly Musk, but no reply. So I'm ready to take the BPAL plunge and am quite excited by the choices. Just want to narrow it down and hear from other musk-lovers.

 

I was searching through the reviews when the board went down, so I'll get back to that, and maybe have more specific questions later.

 

Someone recommended FENRIS WOLF and COYOTE: thank you! C'est noté, as they say here.

Another member mentioned Enraged Orangutan (down boy!), but I think I prefer to stay away from the Limited Editions. I'm a monogamist, and once I find my match, I'd like to keep it in steady supply.

 

Thanks to you all for your patience and suggestions!

[parrot_suspect]

My reply to you got eaten by the cybervillains as well. Like you, I'm a musk lover, though I've never smelled Mostly Musk. It sounds wonderful.

 

I think Fenris Wolf and Coyote are probably your two best bets as far as BPAL is concerned. You could also try Scherezade and Dragon's Musk -- but they're not woodsy. They're a bit incensey.

 

If you are willing to venture beyond BPAL, I'd strongly suggest Gap OM (woodsy, incensey musk) or Vinci-Rakos Earth (woodsy musk). Another possibility is Kiehl's Musk -- it's animalic, soft and sexy.

 

Good luck in your search!

[yellowrose]

Don't be afraid of LEs. Really. Some of us will see one we think is "us" and order two bottles. Those can be readily swapped for more of what you find that you DO love.

 

Why would you not want to experience the loveliness that is 13?

 

And when I spilled some Queen of Spades, there were still people with bottles and imps willing to swap.

 

Besides, swapping is fun! So try the monkey musk!

[ViolentKitten]

Hi paris_elk,

 

I answered your question last time too, and for what it's worth, will try again. I love Mostly Musk too and can't believe they discontinued it! . I agreed with the others that Fenris Wolf and Scherezade would be worthy Imps to try and am trying them again today along with MM to compare...

 

Fenris Wolf ~ Diabolus: Rosewood, amber, red musk and a dribble of red sandalwood ~ Lots of rosewood, a hint of spicy resinous amber and sweet red musk and soft woody sandalwood. Drydown is slightly dusty and animalistic. Has a similar feel to MM, but not quite it seems slightly more rosy wood. *My Fenris is very rich in scent, as my Imp is about 3 years old. Not sure if a new one would be the same.

 

Scherezade ~ Bewitching Brews ~ Saffron and Middle Eastern spices swirled through sensual red musk ~ Not as woody as MM, but Scherezade is gorgeously incensey sweet (not too sweet, it's sweet in the way that MM is on my skin, maybe a touch sweeter though) slightly spiced musk. There is a rose feel to it, but it's not overtly floral. A touch of woods come out on the drydown.

 

And one more...

 

The Bow & Crown Of Conquest ~ Sin & Salvation ~ Sage, carnation and cedar with lavender, vanilla, white musk and leather. ~ It says white musk and vanilla in the notes, but the other notes mix in so beautifully in this one. It's the most beautiful soft musky leather with a bit of carnation and lavender. I don't notice the vanilla all that much (it's not edible vanilla). When it dries down, it's got a very similar feel to MM. It's worth it for the leather note in this one...you might be able to mix it with something else.

 

Of course, your skin may differ, as to being closer or further away from Mostly Musk, but these BPAL musks are definitely worth trying in any case. They're delish...and you might find a new fave!

 

PS: In addition to parrot_suspect's beyond BPAL rec: http://www.dragonflyblue.com/perfumeoils.html has Nile Musk. It's one of my favourite musks ever - slightly woodsy, heavenly musk and very inexpensive to give a sample a whirl.

[zennun]

Thanks, parrot_suspect,

 

I'll definitely be trying Fenris Wolf and Coyote.

Since you're a musk lover: any experience with Fallen and/or Libertine? My notes say "Watch the violets..."

 

I'm willing to venture ANYwhere for my musk. The Gap and Vinci-Rakos scents you mention: are they oils? or sprays? I use oil pretty much exclusively.

I read about Kiehl's on the Net and sniffed out their Paris store, but what a disappointment: it just smelled like Johnson's Baby Oil on me.

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

Yellowrose, I see the wisdom in your reply.

 

On the other hand, I'm not sure I could keep a straight face knowing I'm wearing "Enraged Orangutan"...or "the monkey musk," as you call it...

 

I'll think about it. Thanks for the advice!

[zennun]

Meow, ViolentKitten and fellow MM lover!

 

Fenris is in, but I'm afraid Scherezade sounds too dusty. I'm glad you mentioned Bow & Crown -- I never would've put it on my list with all that sweet-sounding stuff in it. Ever tried Himerus?

 

I'll certainly check out Nile Musk on dragonflyblue. It sounds perfect! Thanks for the tip!

[Torrilin]

Libertine is (on me) very floral in feel. Rosewood really *does* smell a lot like rose, and the scent is all about rosewood on me. The musk seems to be there as a fixative. Of the stuff I've tried, Haunted seems like it'd be more up your alley. The black musk is dark and smoky, and in combination with the amber you get something far more complex than you'd expect for only two notes. It's also a morpher, as it changes a lot from beginning to end.

 

Kalli

[zennun]

OK, thanks, I'll put Haunted back on my imp list. Something about its reviews on the forum made me take it off, but I don't remember what, so... why not give it a try?

[parrot_suspect]

Since you're a musk lover: any experience with Fallen and/or Libertine? My notes say "Watch the violets..."

I'm willing to venture ANYwhere for my musk. The Gap and Vinci-Rakos scents you mention: are they oils? or sprays? I use oil pretty much exclusively.

I read about Kiehl's on the Net and sniffed out their Paris store, but what a disappointment: it just smelled like Johnson's Baby Oil on me.

 

Paris, I haven't tried Fallen -- I've been meaning to, but have never gotten around to it. I do recall Libertine having a strong violet note.

 

Beyond BPAL: Gap OM is a spray and can only be purchased at Gap outlet stores. It also comes in lotion and shower gel, and candle form, I think. The best thing about it is it's cheap! And it really does smell nice. Vinci-Rakos Earth is an oil and can be found at www.vincirakos.com. It's lovely -- a smooth, woodsy, rich, musk. More feminine than masculine. It's what I wanted Coty's Wild Musk to be. You can purchase a sample if you e-mail the company. And I agree with ViolentKitten's rec of DragonflyBlue Nile Musk. It's a very nice musk, with a soapy/clean vibe. It comes in oil or body cream form.

 

Oh, and I almost forgot. Fresh Scents by Terri's "Zoe" is a musk worth checking out as well -- it's soft and wearable. Comes in lotion, shower gel, oil and spray form. And I don't know if you've tried Attar Bazaar, but they have some great musks, particularly Sweet Musk and Pearl Musk (these are oils).

[judas_kiss]

Fallen is closer to a woody floral than a musky one on my skin, which is strange b/c my body amps musk in most cases.

 

I'm going to throw another vote in the Scherezade vein. Coyote goes very powdery on me, whereas Scherezade remains a deep, slightly spicey and sweet (not foody), musk. It's very pretty.

 

Oh, and one more possibility...

 

Hellfire: "A swirl of pipe tobacco, hot leather, ambergris, dark musk and the lingering incense smoke from their Black Mass."

 

 

I'm not a big fan of the BS oils, although I did wear Dewberry for a while in college, so I am by no means an expert here. Just kind of looking around for what you described...good luck!

Edited March 11, 2006 by judas_kiss

[lookingglass]

An LE, I know, but Luperci is clean and woody musk. Very masculine to my nose. A tad of honey dry, but not too sweet. It is DH's new fave.

[Sealgair]

13 or so years ago (yes, I know!) The Body Shop made a scent called "Wood Musk". It is probably my favourite scent of all time. I'm running very low on the bottle I got in '93 (my 2nd year of college) and hold out hope that BPAL has a scent to match it. To me TBS Wood Musk smells like autumn itself: burning leaves, damp leaf mold & wood smoke.

 

Any recommendations?

 

Notes:

I can't stand TBS White Musk.

Rat King turned powdery on me.

I have imps of Black Tower, Ulalume, Black Annis, & Nocnitsa (as well as Lightning & Debauchery) on order from the lab.

I haven't tried BPAL's civet, but another brand of Civet oil smells nummy on me, so don't be afraid to recommend scents with it!

I don't care for flowery scents, and especially can't stand jasmine.

 

Do I need to add any more qualifiers? OH! - I'm willing to hear recommendations for LE scents, but would prefer GC so I don't have the problem I'm having now!

[septima_pica]

You might try Mandrake. Actually, combining it with other things might do what you want -- if you want an earthy scent, Death Cap or Destroying Angel might combine well, Death Cap being sweeter and Destroying Angel drier.

[brownbat]

Though it doesn't sound just like the scent your describing you may want to try black forest. A very woody musk scent to me!

[halcyon_flight]

If you like The Body Shop's Woody Sandalwood, you'll like BPAL ______?

[Chrysantza]

If you like The Body Shop's Woody Sandalwood, you'll like BPAL ______?

 

Depending on your body chemistry, either Anne Bonny or Loralei. The latter is sandalwood + orange-blossom on me. The former goes all patchouli with my body chemistry but on many people, including a dear friend of mine, it's very very sandalwoody.

[rivki8699]

Hi, does anyone have a recommendation for a scent similar to The Body Shop's White Musk? Especially something where a similar musk is used in combination with other fruity or floral notes? Thanks.

[tarotbydiana]

VECHERNYAYA

The Evening Star

Three white musks with poppy and patchouli.

 

I took the description from excolo. I don't remember how it smelled in the imp, but on my skin it was very close to The Body Shop's White Musk.

[furygrrl]

BIG white musk fan, here - heh, I still have my (nearly 15 year old! ) bottle of Body Shop White Musk oil sitting with all my other smellies (it's still delicious!). I find BPAL's white musk wonderfully similar, and some of the blends where it really stands out (on me, anyway) are:

 

GCs:

Whitechapel (lilac-lime-white musk)

Phobos (lemon-white musk)

Black Pearl (coconut-white musk)

Katharina (apricot-white musk)

Kuang Shi (don't let the that dry white sandalwood start fool you, this is pure mango-white musk CREAMSICLE!)

 

LEs:

Berenice (sour linen start on me, but has a LOVELY white musk drydown)

Antonino (lemony-plum white musk)

Bunny Musk (spicy, powdery white musk)

 

Not faves, but still with strong white musk elements:

Lurid (dark berries-white musk)

Nuit (cool florals/jasmine-white musk)

 

Hope this helps a bit!

[GypsyRoseRed]

I'd definitely second the Enraged Bunny Musk - on me, it's white musk, soft lemon and cotton blossoms. If you're a white musk lover, hunt some down!

[minilux]

Zephyr

[Melenass]

I find Mr. Ibis very similar to White Musk, but with greater quality and duration .

[rivki8699]

I find Mr. Ibis very similar to White Musk, but with greater quality and duration .

I was just wearing Mr. Ibis yesterday, and I knew it reminded me of something. It definitely does have a similar white musk note along with the aloe. Mr. Ibis is already in my top five. I guess my nose knows.

[neuilly]

VECHERNYAYA

The Evening Star

Three white musks with poppy and patchouli.

 

I took the description from excolo. I don't remember how it smelled in the imp, but on my skin it was very close to The Body Shop's White Musk.

 

I second this one! It's actually what I thought of when I tried Verchenyaya. I thought is smelled like my friend Sophie who (surprise, surprise) wears White Musk.

[enumelish]

I was in the Body Shop the other day and they've got their holiday range out, with limited edition smellies. I've absolutely falled in love with the Vanilla Spice scent and products, especially the glittery body lotion.

 

Anyway! I was wondering if anyone knew if Bpal did a scent like this at all? The Body Shop aren't doing it as a scent sadly and I'm not very keen on their regular vanilla perfume. So yes, Vanilla Spice, very strong on the vanilla. Any suggestions???

 

Thanks!

 

-jamie