MAC's Asphalt Flower Perfume Oil Discontinued Early 2000's

[Impish Grin]

Could anyone recommend some BPAL scents that would smell close to the discontinued MAC perfume oil called "Asphalt Flower?" It was discontinued in the early 2000's and was sold in a small vial along with two other scents. The notes in Asphalt Flower were: violet, patchouli, vanilla, ylang ylang, and heliotrope. I'd also appreciate any recommendations for any BPAL scents that are long lasting with these notes. Thank you.

[Ashenrook]

...violet, patchouli, vanilla, ylang ylang, and heliotrope...

 

Hm... I can't say I know of any scents that are exactly like that, so I zeroed in on one less-than-common scent: Heliotrope.

 

Here's what I got that I think is a close fit.

 

• Greed (Sin & Salvation): "Base and earthy, yet glittering with golden notes: patchouli, heliotrope, copal and oakmoss." [This lacks the creaminess of the vanilla and much of the florals, though.]

• Sheol (Ars Morendi): "Vibrant gladiola, graceful stargazer lily, triumphant iris and bright heliotrope flare, and is finally made somber by heavy copal, a drop of labdanum, and tonka." [if I remember correctly, tonka bean has a slight vanilla-like quality to it? Plus this has more florals going for it with the iris and lilies.]

• The Witch Queen (Stardust): "Wild plum, red musk, tuberose, calla lily, heliotrope, pimento, ylang ylang and beeswax beneath a dark haze of sinister purple-hued incense smoke." [i'd imagine that the musk and incense smoke would be pretty close to your patchouli?]

 

But you can always go to http://www.bpal.org/search/ and plug in what notes you liked from it and see what results you got. That's what I did.

 

PS: For inquiries like this, you'd probably do best putting it in the Recommendations forum instead of the For Sale one. Welcome to the boards, though!

Edited October 8, 2010 by Ashenrook

[beachbabealways]

Could anyone recommend some BPAL scents that would smell close to the discontinued MAC perfume oil called "Asphalt Flower?" It was discontinued in the early 2000's and was sold in a small vial along with two other scents. The notes in Asphalt Flower were: violet, patchouli, vanilla, ylang ylang, and heliotrope. I'd also appreciate any recommendations for any BPAL scents that are long lasting with these notes. Thank you.

 

I have this (thanks to a fab forum member here) along with the other two. I haven't run across anything from BPAL that smells like it. MAC released it again last year (I haven't tried the new one) BUT I have read it doesn't smell as good as the original.

Which note stood out for you? I think on me it's the violet.

 

ETA: There is a bottle of the new version on eBay and it looks like it's a roll-on.

Edited October 8, 2010 by beachbabealways

[Impish Grin]

Could anyone recommend some BPAL scents that would smell close to the discontinued MAC perfume oil called "Asphalt Flower?" It was discontinued in the early 2000's and was sold in a small vial along with two other scents. The notes in Asphalt Flower were: violet, patchouli, vanilla, ylang ylang, and heliotrope. I'd also appreciate any recommendations for any BPAL scents that are long lasting with these notes. Thank you.

 

I have this (thanks to a fab forum member here) along with the other two. I haven't run across anything from BPAL that smells like it. MAC released it again last year (I haven't tried the new one) BUT I have read it doesn't smell as good as the original.

Which note stood out for you? I think on me it's the violet.

 

ETA: There is a bottle of the new version on eBay and it looks like it's a roll-on.

[Impish Grin]

I bought several roll on bottles of the 2009 Asphalt Flower, but I was so disappointed. It's watered down and not an oil. It smells nothing like the original from 1999. I hardly recognized the notes from the original. I wore it once and the smell faded quickly. I store it under my sink in a basket. I paid $20.00 for each bottle and I bought four. What a disappointmnet. I read on some other blogs that others were disappointed as well.

[Impish Grin]

...violet, patchouli, vanilla, ylang ylang, and heliotrope...

 

Hm... I can't say I know of any scents that are exactly like that, so I zeroed in on one less-than-common scent: Heliotrope.

 

Here's what I got that I think is a close fit.

 

• Greed (Sin & Salvation): "Base and earthy, yet glittering with golden notes: patchouli, heliotrope, copal and oakmoss." [This lacks the creaminess of the vanilla and much of the florals, though.]

• Sheol (Ars Morendi): "Vibrant gladiola, graceful stargazer lily, triumphant iris and bright heliotrope flare, and is finally made somber by heavy copal, a drop of labdanum, and tonka." [if I remember correctly, tonka bean has a slight vanilla-like quality to it? Plus this has more florals going for it with the iris and lilies.]

• The Witch Queen (Stardust): "Wild plum, red musk, tuberose, calla lily, heliotrope, pimento, ylang ylang and beeswax beneath a dark haze of sinister purple-hued incense smoke." [i'd imagine that the musk and incense smoke would be pretty close to your patchouli?]

 

But you can always go to http://www.bpal.org/search/ and plug in what notes you liked from it and see what results you got. That's what I did.

 

PS: For inquiries like this, you'd probably do best putting it in the Recommendations forum instead of the For Sale one. Welcome to the boards, though!

[Impish Grin]

Thanks for your recommendations. I'm going to order some imps soon. I got an email from the moderator saying that I should've put my post on the recommendation forum. I failed to check to see what heading I should've put it on before posting. Thanks again.

[beachbabealways]

I bought several roll on bottles of the 2009 Asphalt Flower, but I was so disappointed. It's watered down and not an oil. It smells nothing like the original from 1999. I hardly recognized the notes from the original. I wore it once and the smell faded quickly. I store it under my sink in a basket. I paid $20.00 for each bottle and I bought four. What a disappointmnet. I read on some other blogs that others were disappointed as well.

 

Oh that's sad. I've read the same things. I used to wear a lovely perfume from France called Gilda and I was so disappointed when they quit selling it in the US and then the company quit making it. I see it on ebay now for 75 and up but who wants to take a chance on a perfume that's over 20 years old. I mean that's pushing it a bit considering you have no idea how it's been stored all these years. lol.

 

As with Asphalt I haven't found anything that smells like Nirvana or Hypersouk. I've only tested about 3/4ths of the GC's and maybe close to the same on LE's so there is still a chance. Hopefully someone here can give you some ideas of things to try.

 

For ref. here are the notes to all three scents ...

 

THE ESSENCES

MAC worked with the most creative noses to craft this expressive project.

 

HYPER SOUK – the balmy ambiance of a room filled with mouthwatering aroma of fruit compote cooked with spicy touches of cinnamon and bay rum. A delicious fruit medley, rich in chimeric quinces and plums, is wrapped by the fumes of Armenian paper, an old fashioned air purifier from the Middle East, revealing the images of red roses, wild vanilla pods, cistus resin from Malta and teardrops of styrax and fossil amber.

 

SYNTHETIC NIRVANA – The souls of red poppies long dead, mixed into an obscure philter of unknown aphrodisiacs. The strangely attractive fragrance of cannabis flower joins the crispness of an herbal harmony of clary sage, brown oregano and Spanish thyme. Padook wood, eaglewood an Sumatran patchouli dive inside the fluid sensuality of Arabian myrrh and sweet incense before drowning into oblivion.

 

ASPHALT FLOWER – A retro-type harmony of dark blossoms perversely empowered by dense woody notes and sultry fruit accents. It’s protective petals bloom into a cloud of black violets, tinted by powdery orris from Florence and Australian boronia. The ever-pulsating floral heart reveals the headiness of queen-of-the-night and night blooming jasmine. Deep purple lilacs rhythmically embrace deep vetivert nuances, while coy raspberry taints a dark surface of wengue wood from Africa, falling into purple perdition.

 

NOTE: The notes you have listed in your original post are for the NEW Asphalt (the one you don't like). I listed the original above and you can see the difference. Hope that helps.

 

ETA: Welcome to the forum!

Edited October 8, 2010 by beachbabealways