Crowd Pleasers

[dagger]

I have perused some of the general "I'm so new and helpless and confused and you're so big and strong and experienced so tell me what to do" topics, but most are too specific about notes/scent family preferences to answer my question. I would like to get my sister a 5ml of something for her birthday, but I'm basically a bpal virgin myself and don't feel comfortable making a selection without input. She's pretty flexible about notes -- I know her current conventional fragrance collection runs the gamut from floral to green to fruity to foody to musky to, uh, single-note patchouli (hey, she likes the ganj, what can I say).

 

My question is, what scents have you found to be generally be the least divisive and most universally flattering? I'm not saying she'd be averse to unorthodox/traditionally un-lady-like notes like leather, or even to raawr-grrr-in-yr-face scents, but I'm curious as to which BPAL oils have the lowest potential for wonkiness and general unsavory stankitude (sorry, civet). It would rule if I could get her something that was distinctly un-commercial and BPAL-y but also immediately appealing to most people (i.e., not something that "grows on you" or "ages well" or that you "develop a nose for"). The first impulse for most people (it seems like) would be to just get Snake Oil, but it certainly is not my favorite of the (limited) BPALs I've sampled and these elusive "Indonesian oils" probably contain all manner of possible fail. My personal favorite so far is O, but evidently it is decidedly NOT universally awesome -- I don't want her to call me and be like, "Uh, why do you want me to smell like vagina and baby powder?"

 

Oh, it also needs to be a GC or current LE, for obvious reasons, unless you have a suggestion for general enlightenment and not my specific situation -- I ain't searchin no ebays or swap boards for a stupid ol' birthday present.

 

Also, if you're disgusted by my ineptitude and there's clearly already a topic that specifically addresses this, hook me up with a link, yo.

 

[starfish327]

the ones that come to mind off the top of my head would be something along the lines of eat me/gluttony for foody, intrigue for vaguely oddball, something like the coiled serpent for patch/incense (but that may be a little heavy), and i actually really like needlework for floral/girly.

[strahlend]

Maybe Sin ( Thoroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon)

 

Loads of people love Dorian ( A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea)

 

Werepuppy also seems to be a big hit ( A fuzzy brown honey-dusted musk covering freshly-washed baby skin and a howl of milk breath. In the background, there's the barest hint of upturned soil and dew-covered squished stems from a trampled flowerbed)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sqwook]

Couple ideas:

• BPAL forum top ten list from 2009 or 2008
• Maybe a theme scent, like if you know she likes Alice in Wonderland, something from that category?
• Maybe an imp pack, so there's more a range she can try? There's a massive Best-Bet Must-Try enabling thread with lots of good ideas, and, later on in the thread, a specific discussion of what newbies would like vs what you "grow into"

It would be interesting to know if there's some scents that maybe not everybody LOVES, but nobody HATES. Maybe Fairy Market?

[Blood onmy hands]

I'd recommend Dorian and Alice, for sure. Both of those smell rather unique to bpal, but they're well-loved and not too outrageous. I wear both of those scents quite a bit and have never had anyone tell me that I smell strange or not 'get' my perfume (which has happened with a lot of my other bpals, lol).

[Geminirubyshoes]

Bpal's that always seem to go over well for me in terms of people being like, ooohhh I like that! And general gift giving are:

 

Croquet

Alice

Dorian

Morocco

The Rose

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale

Aelopile

Poisioned Apple

Mme. Moriarty

 

you could get her an imp pack of some things as well if you end up still indecicsive

[mari4212]

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, which is lovely, warm, and sweet without being overpowering.

Eat Me, for the foody but still light

Velvet, on me goes cocoa powder and sandalwood, warm, soft, and dry

Dorian gets a lot of rave reviews, and was very nice on me, and it's a good intro vanilla scent.

 

I loved Chimera, The Lion, and Haunted from first sniff, but they tend to be more autumnal in scent, and the cinnamon in Chimera is a note that some people have reactions to, so I wouldn't start someone out with it.

 

Morocco tends to get rave reviews from the forum, though I haven't tried it yet.

 

I'd definitely hold off on the Snake Oil, unless you can get someone on the forum to decant you some after it's aged for a year or so, because it really is one of the strong morphers, and smells so much better after it's been sitting for a while.

[jizatt]

Ok, so from the top ten -- I used the GC top ten list for accessibility:

 

Canonical Top Ten GCs

1., 2. Dorian & Snake Oil

3. Antique Lace

4. TKO

5. Morocco

6. O

7. Alice

8., 9., 10. Bastet, Liz, Shub-Niggurath

 

If you do an imp pack for easy pleasers, I would get:

Dorian, Morocco, Alice, Bastet, Snake Oil m(cuz you have to! and some newbies do love it), and a wildcard of your own choice

 

If you do a bottle, I would do Dorian or Morocco =) If she doesnt like her Dorian, send it to me!

 

If you do an introductory imp pack, I would try to hit categories your giftee likes: (the threads mentioned earlier will help with picking here)

foody, green, floral, fruity, aquatic, resin/amber, spicy, clean

 

 

 

eta: I do think Mouse's Long and Sad Tale is a good choice -- maybe sub for the Bastet rec?

 

Edited March 11, 2010 by CaudaPavonis

[vampirate]

the ones that come to mind off the top of my head would be something along the lines of eat me/gluttony for foody, intrigue for vaguely oddball, something like the coiled serpent for patch/incense (but that may be a little heavy), and i actually really like needlework for floral/girly.

 

Actually I'm a foody person and Gluttony just does not work me, which makes me sad. And Eat Me vanishes on me. So I guess they're not that universal. Maybe Bliss would be safer for a sweet foody scent?

 

If she likes tea then I'm going to second Dorian and/or Alice.

[starfish327]

lol and i've had people tell me that bliss is too...something for them! I guess it just shows that there isn't a universal.

 

I could just be blanking but I think the only thing close to a true foody that I actually like personally would be sugar skull and that may or may not be a stretch to find. I fall closer to autumn food or fruit and floral if I venture into foody.

 

 

 

the ones that come to mind off the top of my head would be something along the lines of eat me/gluttony for foody, intrigue for vaguely oddball, something like the coiled serpent for patch/incense (but that may be a little heavy), and i actually really like needlework for floral/girly.

 

Actually I'm a foody person and Gluttony just does not work me, which makes me sad. And Eat Me vanishes on me. So I guess they're not that universal. Maybe Bliss would be safer for a sweet foody scent?

 

If she likes tea then I'm going to second Dorian and/or Alice.

 

[doublehelix]

lol and i've had people tell me that bliss is too...something for them! I guess it just shows that there isn't a universal.

 

I could just be blanking but I think the only thing close to a true foody that I actually like personally would be sugar skull and that may or may not be a stretch to find. I fall closer to autumn food or fruit and floral if I venture into foody.

 

I second this! A lot of my personal top favorites are the halloweenies.

[dagger]

My other two bpal faves, both of which I've tried via decant, are Sugar Skull and Velvet Clown, the first of which I can't get for her by her birthday, the latter of which I can't get for her ever -- too bad her birthday's next month or I'd totally go the Halloweenie route.

 

For those of you who've shared bpals with female family members -- do you find that the scents tend to smell similar on both of you? Or do shared genes not equal shared skin chemistry?

[jizatt]

My other two bpal faves, both of which I've tried via decant, are Sugar Skull and Velvet Clown, the first of which I can't get for her by her birthday, the latter of which I can't get for her ever -- too bad her birthday's next month or I'd totally go the Halloweenie route.

 

For those of you who've shared bpals with female family members -- do you find that the scents tend to smell similar on both of you? Or do shared genes not equal shared skin chemistry?

 

my mom and I like similar things in some cases, but do not always share chemistry (musks in particular seem to be different for us, and sugar notes) -- havent been able to test this with my sister

[doublehelix]

My other two bpal faves, both of which I've tried via decant, are Sugar Skull and Velvet Clown, the first of which I can't get for her by her birthday, the latter of which I can't get for her ever -- too bad her birthday's next month or I'd totally go the Halloweenie route.

 

For those of you who've shared bpals with female family members -- do you find that the scents tend to smell similar on both of you? Or do shared genes not equal shared skin chemistry?

 

Velvet Clown - if you check out the sales forum, i've seen some lingering there

 

My mom and I seem to have somewhat similiar skin chemistry... example, "O" both goes powdery on us, and ends up smelling like pure baby powder. But our tastes, that's a whole other thing.

[dagger]

p.s. I'm leaning toward Dorian, Shub, Mme. Moriarty, Alice, or Bastet, (none of which I've personally tried -- waitin' on mah next paycheck) based on your guys' suggestions and some of the enabling and top ten threads you linked me up with. I was sooo positive from the description that I'd love Morocco, and am actually thinking about getting that for her because so many people seem to love it, but it's kind of meh on me.

 

She's turning 21, so I thought it would be hilarious to get her something with a boozy note, but apparently I'm the only one with the wino gene, because all booze except little girl drinks with gin and vodka make her sick.

 

Thematically, she's into "the Orient," as I like to say -- she's traveled extensively in SE Asia, China, Japan, and India. She's not like, a manga nerd or one of those Nippon-ophiles, she's just adventurous.

 

Another thought is that she used to really like The Body Shop's white musk line but we both now think it's too soapy and "clean," not to mention that we know a lady in her 60s who always reeks of it So I know she likes musk, and was thinking along the lines of a more animalic musk like Kiehls' original musk oil, but I can't discern a clear bpal equivalent.

 

doublehelix -- thanks for the suggestion! Since I'm so new I haven't even ever looked, or thought to look, at the sales forum.

Edited March 11, 2010 by dagger

[mari4212]

dagger, I've tried my oils on my mother and my sister, and they tend to smell very similar on all three of us. We just have differences of opinions on certain smells.

[Wwindy]

For those of you who've shared bpals with female family members -- do you find that the scents tend to smell similar on both of you? Or do shared genes not equal shared skin chemistry?

 

My sister and I have wildly different tastes *and* skin chemistry, but we also have very different coloring and skin types.

[astarinel]

For those of you who've shared bpals with female family members -- do you find that the scents tend to smell similar on both of you? Or do shared genes not equal shared skin chemistry?

 

My sister and I have pretty different skin chemistry. I love amber, and it's usually baby powder of doom on her, and she can work tobacco notes, which are usually stinky ashtray on me. We also have widely different preferences, on top of that.

 

I would honestly probably go with Dorian, for a single bottle. Most people like it, it's pretty light and sweet and pleasant.

 

If you're considering booze notes, I would recommend Swank: the scent of a crisp pomegranate martini. Mostly fruity, but with a crisp booze edge.

 

I personally don't like a number of the GC foodies (and I loves me some foodies, for srs). Eat Me, Gluttony, Hellcat, and Bliss are all terrrrrible on my skin. If I were going to suggest one, I'd suggest Cockaigne instead which is a light buttery cakey scent.

 

Other oils I recommend for wide appeal: 51 (this reminds me of Clinique's Happy, only awesomer), Dirty, Mouse's Long and Sad Tale, Fae, Bordello, Bon Vivant, and, if you feel like being a little quirky, No. 93 Engine.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[girasol]

p.s. I'm leaning toward Dorian, Shub, Mme. Moriarty, Alice, or Bastet, (none of which I've personally tried -- waitin' on mah next paycheck) based on your guys' suggestions and some of the enabling and top ten threads you linked me up with.

<snip>

She's turning 21, so I thought it would be hilarious to get her something with a boozy note, but apparently I'm the only one with the wino gene, because all booze except little girl drinks with gin and vodka make her sick.

Out of those scents, Mme Moriarty would be my rec. It's love. Alice is great too but very different - the Madame is spicy and sexy and exotic, Alice (as you would probably expect) is soft and girly. I know Dorian's insanely popular, but personally it made me feel pukey. Maybe I just tried it on a bad day, I should really give it another go.

 

The Dark Chocolate, Whiskey and Cognac Truffle in the Sugared She-Goat Chocolatier collection (Miskatonic Valley Valentines LEs, still available) is a nice combo of boozy and foody.

[Deiicide]

Swank is a really nice boozy note. A crisp Pomegranate martini. That or The Hamptons (Cosmos anyone?). Another really good crowd pleasers is Embalming Fluid. White Musk, Green Tea, Aloe and Lemon but if she's turned off by that perhaps something a bit more sparkling with a soft edge. Kumiho is nice but often overlooked, it's straight up White tea and Ginger.

[hlemonds]

If she likes musk i'd say that Dorian and Mme. Moriarty are both good choices. Mme Moriarty is definitely the spicier, sexier of the two. I find that the patchouli in Mme Moriarty can be somewhat sharp prior to aging. I prefer it once it's about a year old. I love Dorian aged and fresh.

[theasylph]

Personally, I didn't get positive feedback from wearing Mme. Moriarty there was somewhat of a medicinal twang on me. From what I've read of her liking a clean but not too soapy musk I'd recommend : Torture Queen or Embalming Fluid. Torture queen has a really beautiful vanilla musk and a sparkly crisp cleanness to it. Embalming Fluid I think is an all around crowd pleaser too and has a little more fruity tartness.

[Amoraexcena]

I'm surprised Smut hasn't been mentioned: Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes.

 

It's not overly boozy, it's got a similar honey musk to O while not being too much like a cun*, and DIFFERENT. Love it!

 

and the 2010 version is getting some rave reviews....but another vote to Dorian if not!

[Lorelai1945]

Dorian is fantastic- to me it's a cooler scent- musky cool tea and soft vanilla. Alice is also great- it would be a warm scent. Cozy soft honey and tea and carnations. Of the ones you mentioned, those are my favorite. Maybe if you know she likes a warmer, snugglier scent go with Alice, and if she'd want something cooler and sophisticated yet still sweet go with Dorian.

[meaganola]

On one hand, I want to add another vote for Mme Moriarty. Even (especially!) if she tosses the bottle in a drawer unopened and forgets about it until next year, Mme will be *amazing*. On the other hand, the patchouli in there is nothing like anything I've ever encountered before, and if she's all about head shop patch, she's going to be disappointed. Or confused. But if she's adventurous, this would be a good bet, especially if she has any interest in dark and twisted takes on old school carnivals. I think you still get a pitch card and tarot card with every bottle, too (I got the ten of swords, which was freakishly on the nose for what I was going through at the time), which makes it a little more special. On the other hand, Mme Moriarty is the very oil that got me started on a very dangerous and very, *very* expensive LE obsession.

 

ETA: Yeah, apparently, I'm posting as Kali tonight!

Edited March 13, 2010 by meaganola