Why do scents turn to baby powder on me?!

[pznivy]

I'd suggest retesting them once they've settled as right out of the mailbox they often smell different. Honey smells baby powder like on my skin and iirc both alice and elf are honey based.

 

ETA: I wouldn't give up - I was lucky I liked two scents from my first order of imps to purchase bottles. You do learn what types of scents your skin likes and then sometimes you'll get a frimp that blows your mind because you don't think it should work on you but it totally does.

 

Velvet was a powdery chocolate on me personally, but it smells differently on my best friend so it really is just a matter of trying some.

 

 

Hi Beckie,

 

I definitely think that sounds like a good idea. I'll let them sit for a few days then try them again.

[pznivy]

I tried lots and lots of imps over several years before I figured out what works for me. The scents I was drawn to initially ended up being terrible on me. Some people have noses and skin that seem to love just about everything. I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum where a majority of scents turn bad on my skin, so it took a great deal of time for me to find wearable perfumes.

 

Another part of finding oils that work for me was training my nose. If you take time testing each imp and take notes of your impressions, you can train yourself to pick out more and more notes. Once you can do this, fewer things will seem to have that generic baby powder smell, which can be kind of a default when your brain doesn't know what else to compare a perfume to.

 

My recommendation would be to buy some more imps with different notes and to take your time with each one. Once you have eliminated oils that you truly dislike, you can swap them on this forum for new imps. This way you can continue to try more and more perfumes until you figure out what works for you. And try all frimps on your skin! The scent in the bottle can be quite misleading.

 

 

Hi whataboutprom,

 

After smelling the crook of my arm after about eight hours I can smell 'past' the baby powder. Hopefully I can learn! Thank you for the advice.

[pznivy]

Aww pznivy - how disappointing for you!

 

Hmm.. let's see - it's probably a particular note (or note combo) in those blends that's causing the baby powder effect. So... here's the ones you've tried so far...

 

Cheshire Cat - Grapefruit, red currant, dark musk, Roman chamomile, delphinium, and lavender.

Alice - Milk and honey with rose, carnation and bergamot.

Elf - Pale golden musk, honeycomb, amber, parma violet, hawthorne bark, aspen leaf, forest lily, life everlasting, white moss, and a hint of wild berry.

 

So the first thing I suspect is honey - I have trouble with honey myself.. it pretty much turns into a sickly/cloying powdery mess on me - not exactly baby powder, more like baby powder mixed with vomit. A charming description, I know - but that's really how honey is for me most of the time. I think you might need to do some experimenting with different musks - I find that black musk in particular goes quite powdery on me, but there's so many musk variants in the different BPALs that it can be hard to figure out the friends from the foes. Another note that's notorious for going powdery is amber - and there it is in Elf (along with musk and honey!) - I actually like the powderiness of amber.. on me, it goes beautifully soft and dusky rather than icky baby powder-y, but I know some people find amber = baby powder every time. I'm thinking that with Cheshire Cat it could be the musk + chamomile combo that's causing problems for you (and maybe the lavender, but probably not), with Alice I would blame the honey, and Elf would be the triple whammy musk/honey/amber combo. I could be wrong, of course, but those might be things to keep a close eye/nose on if they're in other BPALs you're testing.

 

Then there's the others that you have...

 

Thalia - Plumeria, pear and white champagne.

Velvet - sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh

 

Thalia *should* behave itself - none of those notes are known offenders with the baby powder problem - I can't do champagne at all, it stinks something awful on me, but for other lucky folks it's sparkling and pretty - so hopefully it will work nicely for you. The plum and pear combo in Thalia is lovely. But ah... Velvet - if amber = baby powder, then sandalwood will almost certainly be the same for you. Amber tends to be a little softer/sweeter than sandalwood, but both have that dusky/powdery feel to them - and Velvet is definitely a 'dusky' one. So maybe give it a try anyway, just to see how it goes.. if you get the Powder of Doom, then it's a pretty safe bet that both amber and sandalwood are going to be problem notes for you.

 

Having said all that, skin chemistry is a funny thing - a BPAL that goes straight to baby powder on you one day might be all kinds of awesome on a different day - so don't give up.. just put those imps aside for now, and try them next week just to see how they go. Also, try your imps on different areas - if you tested them on your inner arm/wrist and got the baby powder - try a different spot on your arm, or your chest etc - just to see if that makes any difference. But don't write off 'problem' notes completely - it really does depend a lot on what they're accompanied by, and also how dominant they are in a blend. And don't give up - as others have said, it might take a bit of trial and error but you *will* find some winners eventually. I would recommend checking out the 'For Sale' section here on the forum - there's loads of imps for sale, at good prices, so you can grab a whole bunch of things and experiment - that really is the best way to do it.. the more you try, the more you learn about what works for you

 

 

I know, sunshinedaisybliss! I was super disappointed!

 

Thank you so much for your in-depth reply! I bit the bullet and threw on a little Thalia and Velvet and you were right on the mark! Velvet smells like a funeral parlor to me for some reason... Not good. Powder of doom it is.

 

However! Thalia is definitely a thumbs up! It's actually one I selected so that makes me feel good. From what I'm smelling I'm getting almost 100% plumeria which is sweet and pleasant. I'm guessing I must be more of a "fruity/flowery" kind of gal when it comes to my skin chemistry.

 

So from what you've said, I might need to stay away from honey, amber, and sandalwood (and vanilla now that I think about it...) and stick to flowery fruit scents. I'll let my Imps chill for a few days, and then try them on some other body parts and see if they react the same.

 

Again, thank you. I'm a BPAL noob and your reply was a God send.

[stellamaris]

Although you say you don't normally like Patchouli, you may want to give BPAL's a whirl, it is very different from the usual stuff. It's funny I went to a Sheep and Wool Festival last weeknend (maybe you didn't know Sheep had their own festivals ) and I smelled a lot of "normal" patchouli (on the humans that is). I immediately recognized it and could spot the difference right away, and trust me, I don't have the most refined sense of smell. I would advise you to as a previous poster already said, let the imps sit for a while. If you PM me with your address I would also be willing to send you some imps that I have, for free.

 

The first hit is always free...

Edited October 24, 2012 by stellamaris

[ivyandpeony]

Hi there pznivy! I am sorry that you were disappointed in your first imps - but hopefully you feel better after getting so much good advice from other members. I wanted to give you a link to an existing thread - Why do scents turn to baby powder on me? Feel free to continue the dialogue here - ultimately I will probably merge this thread into that one so the valuable discussion will be there for whoever may need it.

[pznivy]

Although you say you don't normally like Patchouli, you may want to give BPAL's a whirl, it is very different from the usual stuff. It's funny I went to a Sheep and Wool Festival last weeknend (maybe you didn't know Sheep had their own festivals ) and I smelled a lot of "normal" patchouli (on the humans that is). I immediately recognized it and could spot the difference right away, and trust me, I don't have the most refined sense of smell. I would advise you to as a previous poster already said, let the imps sit for a while. If you PM me with your address I would also be willing to send you some imps that I have, for free.

 

The first hit is always free...

 

 

Hi stellamaris,

 

I promise I won't give up on BPAL Patchouli! Every time I've smelled it otherwise it makes my stomach hurt. I sent you a PM!

[pznivy]

Hi there pznivy! I am sorry that you were disappointed in your first imps - but hopefully you feel better after getting so much good advice from other members. I wanted to give you a link to an existing thread - Why do scents turn to baby powder on me? Feel free to continue the dialogue here - ultimately I will probably merge this thread into that one so the valuable discussion will be there for whoever may need it.

 

Hey ivyandpeony,

 

I've gotten some really good advice, and everyone has been so friendly and I feel very welcome. Thanks again everyone!! I'll definitely go check it out.

[phantasmmysteria]

I am so glad you decided to give Thalia a whirl and it turned out okay! I don't think there was a single winner in my first batch of imps, and really it all came down to me picking notes I THOUGHT I liked, as opposed to what actually works for my skin chemistry.

 

And RE: training your nose -- I compare the "baby powder" phenomenon to something akin to olfactory white noise (especially for new BPAL noses). Notes like honey and amber are not a singular note, but very complex blends in and of themselves. So when smelling these scents without having experience with the smell of some of the individual components, IME it just tends to read "powder." Now, your skin chemistry may very well make certain notes MORE powdery, but as you become more familiar with BPAL you may come back to these scents and find they aren't so powdery after all.

[witchling]

I am so glad you decided to give Thalia a whirl and it turned out okay! I don't think there was a single winner in my first batch of imps, and really it all came down to me picking notes I THOUGHT I liked, as opposed to what actually works for my skin chemistry.

 

And RE: training your nose -- I compare the "baby powder" phenomenon to something akin to olfactory white noise (especially for new BPAL noses). Notes like honey and amber are not a singular note, but very complex blends in and of themselves. So when smelling these scents without having experience with the smell of some of the individual components, IME it just tends to read "powder." Now, your skin chemistry may very well make certain notes MORE powdery, but as you become more familiar with BPAL you may come back to these scents and find they aren't so powdery after all.

 

olfactory white noise! what an awesome analogy. well since im still sort of a newb, i'll have to come back to some of my baby powder imps again once my nose is smarter

[pznivy]

I am so glad you decided to give Thalia a whirl and it turned out okay! I don't think there was a single winner in my first batch of imps, and really it all came down to me picking notes I THOUGHT I liked, as opposed to what actually works for my skin chemistry.

 

And RE: training your nose -- I compare the "baby powder" phenomenon to something akin to olfactory white noise (especially for new BPAL noses). Notes like honey and amber are not a singular note, but very complex blends in and of themselves. So when smelling these scents without having experience with the smell of some of the individual components, IME it just tends to read "powder." Now, your skin chemistry may very well make certain notes MORE powdery, but as you become more familiar with BPAL you may come back to these scents and find they aren't so powdery after all.

 

 

I'm glad I tried it too! It was such a relief.

That's exactly what I did as well. I was thinking, "Hm, I dunno I like grapefruit...So Cheshire cat!" Now I know better.

I really don't have a good "smeller". Unless it's bad smells...then I can smell them a mile away. :/

[ljaylh]

Again, thank you. I'm a BPAL noob and your reply was a God send.

 

Well thank you, but you're very welcome

 

As you've noticed, people around here are always happy to enable help a new BPALer with their new addiction interest

[slowpulsegirl]

Greetings fellow BPAL enthusiasts,

 

Does anyone know why most of the amber and incense or resin scents, are drying down to a baby powder scent? I'm new to BPAL but I have been wearing and mixing essential oils for about 23 years. I have never encountered an essential oil or perfume behaving this way on me. I am generally attracted to earthy scents such as, Amber, Patchouli, Nag Champa, Frankincense, Myrrh, Sandalwood and Musk. It's making me sad because each perfume oil smells amazing when I initially put it on. I purchased the Amber Imp collection and everyone except my beloved Brisingamen turns to powder. Midnight Mass, The Sorceress, Snake Oil and All Souls reacts the same way. Is anyone else spending lots of money on liquid baby powder? Can anyone offer some BPAL scent support and recommendations...please?

 

Sincerely,

SPG

[Laura S. Taylor]

Greetings fellow BPAL enthusiasts,

 

Does anyone know why most of the amber and incense or resin scents, are drying down to a baby powder scent? I'm new to BPAL but I have been wearing and mixing essential oils for about 23 years. I have never encountered an essential oil or perfume behaving this way on me. I am generally attracted to earthy scents such as, Amber, Patchouli, Nag Champa, Frankincense, Myrrh, Sandalwood and Musk. It's making me sad because each perfume oil smells amazing when I initially put it on. I purchased the Amber Imp collection and everyone except my beloved Brisingamen turns to powder. Midnight Mass, The Sorceress, Snake Oil and All Souls reacts the same way. Is anyone else spending lots of money on liquid baby powder? Can anyone offer some BPAL scent support and recommendations...please?

 

Sincerely,

SPG

 

Are they lab fresh or some you bought from forumnites? I have some imps that have been passed around a few years, and those tend to behave similarly to what you described

[slowpulsegirl]

Lab Fresh. I am assuming that BPAL scents do not have any essential oils in them.

[LizziesLuck]

Lab Fresh. I am assuming that BPAL scents do not have any essential oils in them.

 

Generally when this happens it's a skin chemistry thing. I have three of the scents in the Amber pack - The Lion, Tamora, and Bastet, and none of them turn to baby powder on me, they are all beautiful amber. But the Lab's amber is a really good note on me. However, orange, which I love in the bottle, immediately turns to powder on me. Because of my skin chemistry. Try testing your BPAL amber scents on a swatch of fabric. If it doesn't turn to baby powder, you'll know it's your skin chemistry and not the oil.

[sqwook]

Hm, interesting!

Of those you've listed, I've tried Bastet, Brisingamen, Haunted, The Lion, The Little Wooden Doll, Tamora. and Snake OIl. Some were powdery, some weren't. And of actual pure Amber EO, sometimes I think it smells powdery and sometimes not, even the straight EO / resin. It could be that the lab's note is further into the powdery side than you would prefer.

On me, this was the breakdown for the bpals you listed:

Not powdery: Bastet (soft & sweetly mild), Haunted (deep ambery), Tamora (primarily very-sweet vanilla on me after it dries down), Snake Oil (also very vanilla-y on me, and I had to get used to it though I love it now).

Powdery: Brisingamen (though for you it isn't! Weird!), The Little Wooden Doll (like whoa, but I blame rose because I don't really like rose, haha).

Blends will smell differently when they are first-on vs after they've been on your skin for a few hours, and there are things that I love at first but then later become meh on me after the top notes have worn off.

I tried to figure out by notes which bpal notes typically seem to powder - I thought it might be light or white musks - but I can't find a definitive pattern, so that is not overly helpful to you, I know!

In addition to Brisingamen, are there any other bpals you've tried that you've liked and have worked well for you? I'm sure other people who like Brisingamen may have some recs & suggestions.

[stellamaris]

The only thing that went very powdery on me was The Lion.