Deep South, Southern belles, Gone with the Wind...

[lavinia]

I am from the deep south and am quite homesick. For those of you who have tried em all, what is the ultimate southern blend that will evoke home to me and smell delicious ?

I am overwhelmed by the choices-so far, I am thinking: Old New Orleans, Midnight, Voodoo, Haunted, Black Dahlia, or maybe Come to Me.

What do y'all think?

I like mossy, jasminey, orange blossomy, musky scents. What sums that up?

Thanks in advance!

[Neko]

Just wondering if you've considered Bayou. I absolutely love it. In it I can smell deep, lush florals, soft mossy back drop, and murky aquatic undercurrents.

 

 

Here is the site's description:

A lazy, warm deep green scent with a thick aquatic undertone: Spanish moss, evergreen and cypress with watery blue-green notes and an eddy of hothouse flowers and swamp blooms.

 

Don't let the wood notes fool you. This is truly a floral/mossy scent.

[nenia]

i second bayou as well.

[summer]

I would go for The Caterpillar (*swoon*)!

 

Old New Orleans, Twilight, Midnight, and Voodoo all sound like good bets to me too.

[babykitty]

Hurricane smells earthy & humid to me. Kind of swampy.

[fairywingmaker]

I LOVE Old New Orleans, Black Dahlia, and I second summer's The Caterpillar! I've never been to the "deep south" myself, but my great grandparents were from Houma, Louisiana. I want to go!!!!

[Ina Garten Davita]

Old New Orleans, Midnight, Black Dahlia and Voodoo all fit the bill ever so well. But you might also consider Caberet, Nyx and Delight.

[paperdoll]

Old New Orleans!!!!

 

It is fantastic....

[Absinthe]

Lavinia, I don't know the scents well enough to recommend yet, but I wanted to say, I LOVE your avatar!

[any_old_actress]

i'd give zombi a try, it's extremely mossy and earthy. but any of the choices you already mentioned sound like they'd work well.

[shriekingviolet]

Bayou's fab. It reminded me more of my time in New Orleans than Old New Orleans did.

 

And maybe I'm nuts, but a lot of the foody scents make me think of the South. Maybe it's just because Southerners know how to eat so well!

[Electra]

I'm wondering about the single-note Spanish Moss, myself.

 

I got Old New Orleans in my latest order, but it's not really doing the trick for me. I'd recommend anything with honeysuckle in it (not sure if there's such a scent, but it's worth checking).

 

Edited because I'm testing Black Dahlia right now (magnolias), and it's lovely. Very Southern belle to me, anyway. A beautiful, rich, old-fashioned floral.

Edited November 26, 2007 by Electra

[Effluvia]

I'd recommend Voodoo, definitely. I haven't tried Bayou yet, so I can't say. I'm dying to try the single note Spanish Moss, too.

[lavinia]

hi all thanks so much for all the help!

all of the selection does make is somewhat daunting to know which direction to go with all these oil blends...

i think i will be trying some bayou in addition to all the ones i had listed before- and maybe a single note of spanish moss-

i have an imp of black dahlia en route to me now-can't wait-i love magnolias- i grew up with 3 magnolia trees in my front yard so that scent is so ingrained in my head, i will feel at home right away.

take care all!

ps-

fairywingmaker- i grew up in the bayous just 20 miles from houma- that was the closest city and we went there whenever we went shopping. you definitely should check out your roots- you would like it- i think

absinthe- thanks i like your avatar too. mine is a snapshot of the gish sisters- lillian and dorothy where they were young and cute as a button- i love silents so that tends to spill over into everything i do...thanks though!

 

edited to add: oh yeah catapillar too!

Edited August 24, 2004 by lavinia

[Stareena]

I live in Charleston and am a tour guide. I was introduced to BPAL by a co-tour guide. I looked at the website and was totally overwhelmed. After I purchased two scents (still waiting for them; Blood Amber and Torture Queen) I found the boards, so I look to you, dear reader to help. I'm getting married in May and am looking for a wedding day scent. This is what I would like:

 

Something that smells like Charleston/Gone with the Wind. The idea of Antebellum South Carolina. Gardenias, Tea Olive, Magnolias, Star Gazer Lilies. Something languid and slower, heavier and sweet. Something that says floral and eternal youth and spring in the south.

 

I fell in love with a perfum by MAC (the makeup peeps) called MV1. Problem is it has a 15 min lasting scent. The description is as follows: Light, clean, fresh and girly. A frolicky fusion of bergamot, lilies, white jasmine, vanilla, milk cream musk and sandalwood create a flirty, feminine green fragrance.

 

I really like it, but want a little more lasting power and omf.

 

Any suggestions?

Edited February 27, 2009 by Stareena

[Apple]

For your first request, I'd recommend sniffing out an imp of:

Hell's Belle

(Diabolus) - Oleander with wet, sweet mandarin, lush magnolia, a rush of deep musk and a touch of spice.

It's languid and very "Southern". You might also try:

Black Dahlia

(Sin & Salvation) - Voluptuous magnolias strewn over orchid, star jasmine, black amber and smoky rose.

 

House of Night

(Ars Amatoria) - A sorrowful graveyard bouquet of somber blooms, funereal boughs, dismal green and laden with grief.

Don't let the description put you off; it's actually very similar to

Hell's Belle:

a humid floral. I don't find it sorrowful or somber in the least.

(Oh, and FYI - For tea olive scents, try searching using the term "osmanthus".)

[donnatron]

Floral recommendations! I love florals and so rarely to people want them! Some offerings:

 

New Orleans Sweet honeysuckle and jasmine with a hint of lemon and spice.

A sweet, languid, hot scent. It's very feminine and pretty.

 

La Belle au Bois Dormant Plumeria and white pear, Damascus rose, tuberose, magnolia and evening dew.

More lush, feminine florals cut through with a bit of a sharper pear note. It keeps it from being cloying but it's still a beautiful, traditional perfume.

 

Peitho Lusty myrtle and jasmine with red sandalwood, stargazer lily, and clove over an opulent, rich bed of warm musk and bourbon vanilla.

I've been wearing Peitho frequently for the last few days because it was -21 degrees and it just seemed so unfair. The florals are magnificent in this and the vanilla/musk base really adds a sensual richness. It's a very grand scent and seems perfect for a Southern Belle.

 

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.

Sounds weird, right? And it is weird. Initially it's very musky and sort of... geological. Then that burns off and it leaves a languid, humid floral behind.

 

Shadow Witch Orchid This perfume is a dusky orchid, subdued and ethereal

An unsung favourite among the forum. A perfectly elegant and ethereal orchid blend.

 

Queen Mab black orchid, sandalwood, night-blooming jasmine, osmanthus, Somalian rose, and Chinese musk.

A sweet, luscious floral with a perfect musky base.

 

I hope you find something that suits both your chemistry and your gran vision. Be sure to check back in and let us know!

[Stareena]

Thanks both for those suggestions! I can't wait to try them out!!

 

[GirlDetective]

Yvaine totally makes me think of a sultry, southern night. It's all heady and old-fashioned magnolias and musk, and lavender is in the background keeping it fresh, but only after a total Lavender Hijack during the first few minutes. So you'd have to be okay with lavender to like it; a lot of people don't or only like lavender for relaxing or sleeping purposes (oh, but maybe it'll keep you relaxed on your big day!). It's unimpable but it's pretty easy to find a decant. Anyway, I hope you find something you really like!

[Stareena]

Thanks for that! I'll look into it.

 

And I totally dig Lavender. My second wedding (yes, this is lucky no. 3) I carried a bunch of lavender. Instead of rice, they threw lavender heads. Made the whole backyard smell like lavender for three months!

 

I am really REALLY into Tea Olive. I just discovered it down in Charleston whilst getting my Tour Guide license. I knew it would do fantastic things for a scent, but it wasn't till here that I found it in use.

 

Hoorah!

[Stareena]

I'm digging Antique Lace. It is along the lines of what I am looking for, but with a little Magnolia, or Gardenia...I'm not sure. Is there something like Antique Lace with a little bit of a twist?

[ivyandpeony]

Depending on how much you've been dabbling, you might want to try layering some of the florals that you are loving with Antique Lace and seeing how they click. I'm not the queen of layering, so I don't know how well Antique Lace plays along with other scents, but it might be worth trying.

 

I get a lot of vanilla from Antique Lace although it does have some unique lineny qualities that I haven't found in many other scents, so I thought I'd recommend some vanilla-white floral scents in the GC you might want to try (if you haven't already) - Euphrosyne (vanilla, tea rose, gardenia and jasmine) and Le Serpent Qui Danse (vanilla, violet and gardenia). Monna Vanna, from the Salon, won't be available as an imp, but might be worth a try too - the notes are Russian rose, mimosa, gardenia, bois du rose, parma violet, calla lily, red currant, ambergris, and bourbon vanilla.

 

A little harder to find but certainly not impossible, I have definitely seen both in the swaps forum and no one was demanding a firstborn male child for them - MonsterBait Bigger Critters (gardenia, jasmine, vanilla w/a little grapefruit that makes it bright); Marae, from last year's April Fool Tiki line (vanilla orchids and gardenia with a little incense).

 

Two more past LEs, one that has a sultry, Southern white-floral feel to me - although it's lacking much in common with Antique Lace - is The Swan Maiden (notes: gardenia, white iris, sandalwood, calla lily, French magnolia, muguet, jonquil, and orchid). And one that lacks the magnolia-gardenia requirement but does have stargazer lily and a little bit of that Antique Lace vibe is Berenice (stargazer lily, white musk, clear aloe, blonde amber and linen).

 

Just as an aside, I wonder if magnolia is an expensive bouquet for the Lab to produce or procure. It seems like it's been used much more in the pricier Salon blends and in LEs than in the general catalog. It's a note that I love, too, although I love so many white floral scents that I don't find myself missing it too much in the GC.

[Stareena]

I haddn't thought about Magnolia being a tougher sniff to get.

 

I never really thought about layering (duh) that may solve the what I am looking for thing short of paying to have a unique scent made.

 

I think why I'm really liking Antique lace is because I get Light Musk from it and that reminds me of my Mom.

 

A lot of florals have (and I love florals, please rememeber) but a great but almost empty feel to them. Like they are there, then gone. The musks sstick, they are commited. The smell I'm looking for has a lot of those floral, but lazy in leaving scent. I thinking using Antique Lace as a base then throwing a floral ontop may solve that idea. MonsterBait Bigger Critters sounds really great, I'll keep my eyes open for it. For now I'll play with what little I have and see if something sparks. I appreicate your help, ivyandpeony, though my fiancee may hate you for giving me more ideas.

 

What of Jasmine Cottage? I have a bottle of that on the way. Any thoughts?

[anna1850]

I find Antique Lace really good for layering. My current favourite is Antique Lace + Victoria. Victoria on it's own smells mostly of lillies but they work together to make a nice floral version of Antique Lace.

 

I've never been to Southern America though (unless Florida counts!) so I can't really help much. But I definitely think Antique Lace is great for adding a bit of depth to most florals.

 

[Stareena]

Oooh.. I am waiting in anticipation of getting my big bottle of Antique lace! I've layered with Lady Lillith. The Lady has disapeared. Are there any tricks for layering?