TAL Scent Recommendations/Comparing TAL Scents to BPAL

[mrsveteran]

After reading a lot of reviews of TAL oils where people are talking about how much they love the scent and would like to wear it every day, it occurred to me that maybe we could help each other find BPAL equivalents of some of the TAL's at least scent-wise.

 

My favorite TAL for scent is "Sexual Energy," but I don't need it every day. To me it's a very strong cinnamon and perhaps clove. Chimera is close, but is a lot sweeter with not such a strong cinnamon. Umbra is a tiny bit closer, but still not quite there.

 

So, for people who've fallen in love with a TAL just for its scent, have you found a BPAL equivalent? Or things you can layer to get the same thing?

 

As of 11/19/2008, here's what various people think (note that some of these are "smells sort of like X" -- check the thread for more details, because some of them have extra details like "Smut with a hint of lemon" and so forth.):

 

TAL Anthelion: GC (Sin & Salvation) Faustus, GC (Wanderlust) Sybaris, GC (Somnium) Oneiroi, GC (Excolo) Ra, GC (Bewitching Brews) Black Opal, Panacea TKO (both have lavender)

TAL Arabian Nights: GC (Wanderlust) Baghdad, GC (Diabolus) Wicked, GC (Diabolus) Phantom, GC (Love Potions) La Petite Mort

TAL Armor: GC (Voodoo Blends) #20 Love Oil without the spices, GC (Love Potions) Seraglio but fruitier

TAL Bildungsroman: LE (A Little Lunacy 8/06?) Schwartzer Mond, LE (1/06, 1/07) Luperci

TAL Black Arts: LE Minotaur

TAL Blinding Glory of Love: LE Smut, LE (Lunacy June '07) Red Moon (but without the rose), Spellbound

TAL Blessing of Isis: GC (Excolo: Stations of the Sun) Khephra, GC (Voodoo Blends) Fire of Love, GC (Wanderlust) Silk Road

TAL Charisma: GC (Sin & Salvation) Hymn, GC (Bewitching Brews) Mata Hari, GC (Sin & Salvation) Faustus

TAL Concentration: Discontinued (Tarot Oils) The Star, GC (Wanderlust) Whitechapel, Discontinued (Tarot Oils) The Fool, GC (Bewitching Brews) Namaste

TAL Determination: GC (Excolo) Odin

TAL Dixie Love Perfume: GC (Voodoo Blends) Love Me

TAL Hand of Hermes: GC (Bewitching Brews) Chimera

TAL Hymn to Pan: LE Beltane '06, GC (Excolo) Melpomene,

TAL La Flamme: LE Smut,

TAL Lionheart: GC (Sin & Salvation) Faustus, GC (Love Potions) Jezebel, GC (Bewitching Brews) Black Opal

TAL Meditation: GC (Bewitching Brews) Tushnamatay

TAL Nocturne: GC (Somnium) Somnus

TAL Peace: GC (Panacea) Quietude

TAL Queen of the Nile: GC (Rappaccini's Garden) Black Lotus with added musk

TAL Radiance of Ra: GC (Excolo) Ra with a bit of GC (Excolo) Ahathoor

TAL: Road Opener: GC (Excolo) Erato, (dries down to something like) GC (Bewitching Brews) Bess

TAL Sexual Energy: GC (Dark Elements) Inferno, GC (Wanderlust) Bengal, Discontinued (Illyria) Three Witches

TAL Temple: Black Arts: GC (Excolo) Hades

TAL Temple:Cthonic: GC (Excolo) Kephra

TAL Temple: Egyptian: GC (Rappaccini's Garden) Black Lotus

TAL Temple:Greek: GC (Wanderlust) Athens

TAL Temple: Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn: GC (Sin & Salvation) Fallen

TAL Veils & Mist: GC (Voodoo Blends) Water of Notre Dame, GC (Illyria) Queen Gertrude (without the violet)

TAL White Light: GC (Excolo) Ra, GC (Bewitching Brews) Black Opal

 

MV

Edited November 20, 2008 by MrsVeteran
tweaked title a little bit for search clarity

[ivyandpeony]

Really good topic, MV Most of the TALs I own are OK for use as perfume, but I think that even when you think you're dialing down your intent when you're wearing Dixie Love Perfume or Sexual Energy, your subconscious may not be, & you might be projecting a message you'd prefer not to be. And of course, if someone has no interest in the purposes and intent of a TAL oil but realize it smells wonderful, it's a great show of respect to want to find a BPAL perfume that smells similar instead of using the TAL as perfume.

 

I'll be very interested to see how people respond.

[zankoku_zen]

I find this one really interesting because I love Anthelion. I really do. But most other scents that have lavender as a component make me sleepy.

 

The closest lavender to the one in Anthelion to my nose is Oneiroi. Which is my favorite sleepytime blend.

 

So I probably would need an expresso before I start my layering experiments.

 

I'd love to hear other people's suggestions about this too.

[fiddledragon]

The only TAL that's really worked for me scent- or ritual-wise is Temple:Chthonic. I find it to be quite similar to Kephra or other very dark earthy (but *not* evergreen or strong patchouli) incense blends.

[quikslvr]

Agreed! There are some that I'd look for too, like Arabian Nights, Charisma, Amor, and Block Buster.

 

They seem to have a few similar components, though, which might help. Perhaps I should poke around the Voodoo Blends in more depth.

[barisaxyvet]

I have discovered today that Chimera smells an awful lot like Hand of Hermes. Ahhh, cinnamon.

[yeahbutnobut]

Oddly, I think Sybaris smells a bit like Anthelion, with violet instead of lavender. I think there's clove in both scents, maybe tonka too?

 

I've yet to find a BPAL that smells like Lionheart. That is such a beautiful scent.

 

Radiance of Ra, obviously, smells very much like Ra (the Excolo), but with a little Ahathoor.

 

Queen of the Nile reminds me of Black Lotus with added musk. Temple Egyptian also reminds me strongly of Black Lotus.

 

I think that Wicked, Phantom and La Petite Mort remind me of Arabian Nights.

 

Amor smells like #20 Love Oil without the spices, or a fruitier Seraglio.

 

I think I got a slight Hymn to Pan scent (without the lavender) from Beltane 06, but I may be wrong...

 

Also, I adore the scent of Caliph's Beloved. Can't find anything with that same cinnamon-amber-musk-incense scent to it (despite a few passing similarities in some oils). But I can never wear CB as an actual perfume because of it's incredibly sexual properties, unless I want some of that

Edited April 1, 2007 by yeahbutnobut

[parrot_suspect]

To me, Arabian Nights smells somewhat like Baghdad.

 

Anthelion and Lionheart smelled a bit like Faustus on me (I think it's the frankincense).

 

Peace and Quietude are similar-smelling.

 

Meditation and Tushnamatay are similar.

 

Nocturne is a bit like Somnus.

 

I can't find any GC smell-alikes for: Amor, LaFlamme, Queen of the Nile and White Light.

[mrsveteran]

I've just updated the top post with the current list of similarities everyone has posted. I also just found that Three Witches (discontinued, darn it!) smells almost exactly like Sexual Energy to me, that Silk Road smells a lot like Blessing of Isis, and that Whitechapel smells a lot like Concentration, so I added that as well. Hopefully, more people will contribute their smellalikes! Keep them coming!

 

MV

Edited July 17, 2007 by MrsVeteran

[minilux]

There's a powdery sweetness about White Light, Anthelion and Lionheart that does not agree with me at all and I've gotten the same feeling from Black Opal. Though I should warn you I have the chemistry from hell, so it's entirely possible that I'm the only person on the planet who would make this comparison.

[ivyandpeony]

That's interesting, minilux - I have noticed something sweet that seems similar between White Light and Lionheart, too, although I like it. And since the first time I tried Lionheart, it has reminded me of Jezebel. (Jezebel is predominantly honey on me with all the other notes playing backup.)

 

When we were trying out new scents from our orders last fall, I remember that Andra noted something similar in the drydown of Wilhemina Murray and White Light. I could smell it on her wrist, but haven't really compared it since. She has a chemistry that really amps sweetness, just for reference.

 

I agree with parrot_suspect on the Nocturne-Somnus comparison. I like Nocturne better; to me, it is not as sharp as Somnus on my skin.

[zankoku_zen]

I got a decant of Milk and Honey.

 

I love the scent but for *obvious* reasons, I'm not going to use it all the time. It doesn't smell like O or any of the other honey scents I've tried.

[theseagrows]

i've just got into trying TALs, but one thing i noticed right off the bat is that blinding glory of love bears a striking resemblance to smut. it's like smut with one less component. what that component is, i do not know, but they smelled fairly similar to me.

[mrsveteran]

Thanks Ah Xia and theseagrows! I've added those to the list. Milk and Honey is one I'd like to find an equivalent of as well. I'm one of the people that it's very lemony, but sweet lemony, not like, say, Whitechapel. I really enjoy the scent. I'll have to try it again (I've been keeping it for when I might need it) and see if it rings any bells now that I've tried other things.

 

I also know for a FACT that TAL Joy smells familiar, but I haven't been able to match it to anything yet. Grr.

[cranberry]

I thought that Ra smelled a lot like Anthelion and White Light.

[mrsveteran]

I thought that Ra smelled a lot like Anthelion and White Light.

 

Thanks, I added that.

 

Ooh, I also just found that Tarot: The Star smells almost identical to TAL Concentration! At least to me. Still trying to pin down "Joy," though ...

[Phaedra]

I think La Flamme smells a lot like Smut with a little lemon added to it. I realize Smut is an L.E. but it's still out there if you really want it. Also Temple:Greek is similar to Athens (no surprise there). Temple:Greek is much sharper and more herbal to my nose but they both have a strong myrrh note in them- which I

[ivyandpeony]

Just seconding Ah Xia's remark about Dixie Love Perfume - I also find it reminiscent of Love Me. I was especially pleased to discover this, because Love Me smells fabulous on one of my friends and is one of her signature scents - but on me, it's sharp & strident. There's something about DLP that makes it work on me, though - and I love the name.

[harmonyfb]

Oddly enough, all the TAL and Voodoo oils I've tried smell exactly the same to me - they all smell like grass/herbs. (Except for Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo, which smells like bubblegum.)

[styro]

When I first tried Odin (Excolo), it seemed to me like a lighter version of the TAL Determination. In a side-by-side comparison, Determination is definitely the deeper of the two and has a cool evergreen note to it, whereas Odin is very warm and golden by contrast, but to my nose, they do have a similar earthy greenness...and Odin even inspires me with a bit of Determination's get-up-and-go.

[mrsveteran]

Oddly enough, all the TAL and Voodoo oils I've tried smell exactly the same to me - they all smell like grass/herbs. (Except for Aunt Caroline's Joy Mojo, which smells like bubblegum.)

 

Have you tried "Sexual Energy?" It's almost pure cinnamon to me. Yum!

[mrsveteran]

Oooh, and speaking of Sexual Energy, I just tried Bengal (Wanderlust) and it is very close! Love that cinnamon!

[Extispex]

Melpomene is a more feminine Hymn to Pan, to me.

 

And Black Arts (the unreleased, not the temple oil) is like a much darker Minotaur. (Black Arts is the mother of all dark resin blends - I've never run across anything darker).

 

Temple: Black Arts reminds me a bit of Hades, but only in mood. Its not a dead-ringer or anything.

 

Temple: HOGD reminds me a lot of Fallen.

[Muppetk]

I don't suppose anyone's found a GC or LE scent that smells like Charisma?? Charisma smells lovely on me normally, and bizarrely, during my period, smells like THE BEST STUFF ON EARTH. There are so few things that smell nice on me that time of the month let alone smell amazing, but I feel a bit like I'd be abusing the oil to wear it when I'm not actively looking for a social boost. Worse, I'd be worried about over-using it and then not having it work anymore when I want it to.

 

D'you think that emailing the labbies for a recomendation with similar ingredients would do any good on this one?

[mrsveteran]

I don't suppose anyone's found a GC or LE scent that smells like Charisma?? Charisma smells lovely on me normally, and bizarrely, during my period, smells like THE BEST STUFF ON EARTH. There are so few things that smell nice on me that time of the month let alone smell amazing, but I feel a bit like I'd be abusing the oil to wear it when I'm not actively looking for a social boost. Worse, I'd be worried about over-using it and then not having it work anymore when I want it to.

 

D'you think that emailing the labbies for a recomendation with similar ingredients would do any good on this one?

 

Hm. I wonder if anyone has actually ever asked anyone over there if they would mind telling us a scent equivalent of a TAL oil? It's kind of fun to guess, but on the other hand, Beth or someone could probably give us a better answer. Hey, it couldn't hurt to ask!

 

From the Reviews of Charisma, people have said that it reminded them of Hymn, Mata Hari, and Faustus. I have a hard time placing one note in Charisma, but I seem to get amber (or maybe ambergris), patchouli, and something ... sweet.

 

If you ask the lab, and they tell you, would you mind posting back here if they say it's okay? I'd love to get a lab opinion on what Charisma is closest to, BPAL-wise.

 

MV