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BPAL Madness!
arachne

Beachy, Tropical Scents

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I think that we are to keep this thread to BPAL recommendations only as ivyandpeony says here, so I started a thread for other etailer/retailer perfumes here. That said, I need to try the Motu from CSP that TroubleDoll mentioned. I agree, Jolly Roger is a good recommendation as well;)

 

Huh. I never thought that supplementing BPAL recommendations with something else that someone might enjoy would be inappropriate. Thanks for cluing me in. Sometimes I have trouble compartmentalizing my thoughts as much as it is necessary on this board. I'll try to be more careful.

I hope that you didn't think that I was scolding you, TroubleDoll, because I was confused about the whole thing. That is when I hunted down ivyandpeony's post and made sure. I hope that the thread that I opened over in the Retail Therapy thread was the right was to do it. :P I wanted to offer some other suggestions as well.

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Queen of Hearts isn't an aquatic, but it reminds me of the summers I spent on Cape Cod when I was little. I think it's the combination of flowers, plus a faint saltiness. It doesn't smell like the ocean itself, but it smells like summer near the ocean :P

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Okay, you lucky people who've received your Tikis already:

 

I LOVE Michael Kors, which is very heavy Tuberose and very tropical, and I LOVE the scent that fills the air in Hawaii (and the smell of leis).

 

So which Tiki do I order?

 

Caveat: I'm not very good with vanilla (think candles), and florals tend to schlump on me unless they have a strong "base" - if that makes any sense.

 

Best,

 

Tzi

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I don't have mine yet, Tzi, but I will be checking back in when I do - it should be fairly soon. Michael Kors is one of my favorite non BPAL scents (despite the ridiculous orange persona he's developed since it was released years ago, I still love it :P ) and I love BPAL white florals. I have high hopes for Tupapau, which is the one that combines white florals with white sandalwood and a Hawaiian moss.

 

Have you ruled out the Tiki Bar scents? I'm really looking forward to trying them, the reviews have them sounding much less sweet and boozy than I was fearing. I can understand just focusing on the florals to start with if fruity scents don't normally get along with you.

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I haven't ruled out the bar at all!

 

I haven't found a fruity scent that I'm enamored with yet, but I still hope. And I would definitely trust suggestions from another Michael Kors lover :P

 

Best,

 

Tzi

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Okay, I may have narrowed it down to

 

Tupapau: White sandalwood, pikaki, 'umi'umi-o-dole, and plumeria

 

OR

 

Marae: Vanilla orchid, Monoi tiare, gardenia, and light incense

 

 

Since some of the reviews complain of overwhelming cloying sweetness, which is what I think I'm looking for...

 

But I could also swing to Tiki Queen: Monoi de Tahiti, vanilla, white coconut, tuberose, ylang ylang, white musk, red hibiscus, and neroli

 

..... Except the vanilla scares me. But everyone is saying the "vanilla orchid" in Marae is very vanilla too. Maybe it's safer than a straight-up vanilla note though (I convinced myself of this when ordering a tonka bean scent once, btw, and was stuck with vanilla candle)?

 

Help!

 

Tzi

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Okay, I may have narrowed it down to

 

Tupapau: White sandalwood, pikaki, 'umi'umi-o-dole, and plumeria

 

OR

 

Marae: Vanilla orchid, Monoi tiare, gardenia, and light incense

My 2 cents: Marae. But Tupapau smells like nail polish to me (as did Euphrosyne and another floral I can't recall), so I admit a heaping dose of bias there.

 

Marae reminds me a bit of Shadow Witch Orchid - soft, faintly sweet, and just really nice. It's the first all-floral scent I'm buying a bottle of.

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Marae reminds me a bit of Shadow Witch Orchid - soft, faintly sweet, and just really nice. It's the first all-floral scent I'm buying a bottle of.

 

 

I should clarify that soft, faintly sweet and really nice are not at all me when it comes to scents -- but I totally agree with you that Shadow Witch Orchid was all of those things.

 

But neither is nail polish -- wonder what note that was?

 

I'm looking for heavy, heady, sophisticated overwhelming bowl-you-over tropical florals.... Reading the reviews of Marae, I think I've crossed it off my list since everyone seems to think as you do about it.

 

Did you happen to try Tiki Queen?

 

Best,

 

Tzi

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I'm thinking you would like Tiki Queen. It's very sophisticated, sweet gardenia. It smells very tropical to me and very grown up. If you like gardenia at all (I'm not a floral person but I really like Tiki Queen)...get a bottle of Tiki Queen!

 

hth!

Edited by ladyjc

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But neither is nail polish -- wonder what note that was?

 

I'm looking for heavy, heady, sophisticated overwhelming bowl-you-over tropical florals.... Reading the reviews of Marae, I think I've crossed it off my list since everyone seems to think as you do about it.

 

Did you happen to try Tiki Queen?

I can't handle strong florals (massive headache), so I avoid them. I also strongly dislike coconut, so no Tiki Queen for me.

 

I don't have any idea what the note is. I checked my spreadsheet, and Veil is the other one that smelt like nail polish, and they don't share many notes (except white sandalwood, which doesn't make sense.) Euphrosyne was all violet and something, so I thought it was the violet... now I'm just confused.

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Tupapau was a deep smoky floral on me, while Marae was strong on the sweet gardenia. Out of all the Luau scents I've tried, I liked Tiki Queen the best. The tuberose was the main floral note for me, but there was also the Monoi de Tahiti (which to me doesn't smell of just straight up gardenia, but very tropical still), and hints of sweeter florals and a nice fruitiness. I really didn't get any vanilla from it, and just a little hint of the coconut now and again.

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I finally remembered to bring in my notepad, so here are a few quick notes that I took when testing...

 

Screeching Parrot - SOUR Grapefruit. OMG!Grapefruit. Not much other than grapefruit on my skin.

Rangoon Riptide - Initially, this smells like juicy fruit chewing gum to me. Very subtle in its fruitiness, even though it's got several in there. They all blend together rather than any one fruit standing out.

Te Po = Kind of Pine Sol-y, which is odd, based on the notes. :P I swear, though, I get pine cleaner from it... not overpoweringly strong, and not *bad*, but that's the impression I get from it. I have a feeling it was the combination of almond, black cherry, and vodka.

Upa Upa = Coconut & Pineapple. :9 After it dried, the alcohol note gives it a little bit of an underlying bitterness, but initially, it's all coconut & pineapple.

Golden Wave = Cantelope? It's some sort of melon-y smell, and it's not watermelon.

Blue Fire = Blueberry gin. Heavy on the blueberry, but the gin ruins it completely for me. :D

 

Opuhi = Love's Philosophy Lite

Moana - Pink Grapefruit. Not as sour as Parrot, but it's still grapefruit (which isn't a good thing to my nose). I do remember that it dried down to a nicer scent, but there was still a strange grapefruit-y scent to it.

Moai = smokey. Reminds me of Death of Autumn in its smokiness, except it's much more acrid.

 

Boo Bam, Marae, and Tupapau I don't have any specific notes about... but I do remember that Tupapau was the one I kept re-testing as a potential bottle purchase, and Marae was close behind it.

 

--M

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I haven't made it through the whole collection yet, but I wore Tiki Queen today and there is a whole lotta tuberose in there for the Michael fans. I got no detectable coconut for the coconut phobic - it's an unusual blend, the hibiscus makes it sweet and juicy and almost a little fruity with the white florals on top.

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I'm gonna piggyback onto this thread, I hope you don't mind, tzippora! :D

 

I am looking for something a little different than she is, but I am trying to decide among the Tiki blends as well, so I figured I would piggyback instead of creating a new topic. :P

 

I want to know - is there a Tiki blend that smells the way it does when you walk out of the airport and into the open air in Hawaii? It's such a strong, happy scent memory for me. I wouldn't know what sorts of notes would go in to such a scent, but has anyone sniffed any of the Tiki blends and thought "ooh, smells like Hawaii"?

 

I am looking to buy Tiki Queen for my Mum for mother's day (she loves Hawaii and would get a kick out of the name, and of course she'll let me try it :D), so that's already on the list - and Opuhi is probably another one I want, mmm vanilla!

 

Any thoughts? :)

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I like Marae better than Tupapau, which had kind of a sickly note to me, or Tiki Queen, which was insufficiently coconutty to satisfy my expectations. But that's just me.

 

Marae has more throw IME.

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I'm suddenly in the mood for a beachy scent, so I thought I'd bump this thread.

 

I'm interested in beachy more than oceany. Aquatics tend to go dryer-sheet on my skin, sadly. I'm craving a bit of coconut perhaps, a bit of salty skin, driftwood, tropical flowers. Any new thoughts, anyone? :P

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Machu Picchu is a gorgeous amber-tropical flowers scent with a shot of ozone. It smells absolutely divine and has outstanding lasting power. Scarecrow brings to mind hot sand and grass--it smells more like the brambles and grass at the edge of a beach than a beach itself. Blood Pearl has coconut as a note and the dragon's blood and orris lend a really sweet floral element to the scent.

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Ooh, thanks, Paperrose! Machu Picchu and Scarecrow unfortunately didn't work on my skin, but I haven't tried Blood Pearl, and I'm intrigued!

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I'm looking for a good seaweedy recommendation! I've tried Windward Passage but in the vial and on my skin all I get is Irish Spring. :D

 

Thalassa is on my list of things to try but I'm scared of the jasmine!

 

Thanks for any help! :P

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I'm looking for a good seaweedy recommendation! I've tried Windward Passage but in the vial and on my skin all I get is Irish Spring. :D

 

Thalassa is on my list of things to try but I'm scared of the jasmine!

 

Thanks for any help! :P

What about the Deep Ones from Picnic in Arkham - "Black algae, drooping seaweed, salty brine, and crushed coral."

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What about the Deep Ones from Picnic in Arkham - "Black algae, drooping seaweed, salty brine, and crushed coral."

Oooh, that sounds great! Thank you! :P

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I'm suddenly in the mood for a beachy scent, so I thought I'd bump this thread.

 

I'm interested in beachy more than oceany. Aquatics tend to go dryer-sheet on my skin, sadly. I'm craving a bit of coconut perhaps, a bit of salty skin, driftwood, tropical flowers. Any new thoughts, anyone? :P

 

Tiki King, from the sadly departed Atomic Luau collection, is just what you're describing, to my nose. Except I want all of it for myself, so forget I just told you that!

 

As usual, must throw in a plug for the coconut green-flowery love that is Obatala layered with Strangler Fig - sound like you might like that one too Beatrice!

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Hi All!

 

 

I'm sorry if i somehow am reposting, i did a search & didn't see the same post, buuut, i am tired & could have missed it :D

 

I was wondering if any of you new of a BPAL scent that was coconut/tropical scented :P ? Like that wonderful symbolic scent of summer, suntan lotion :D ?

 

thanks!

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