Scents with almonds?

[Aurelius]

Hello!

 

This may be a very stupid question, but I'm sure you'll all be nice.

 

Some BPAL scents list almond as one of their notes. Is the almond note similar to almond extract (such as when you're baking)? I cannot stand the smell of almond extract, so I'm very hesitant to buy any of the BPAL oils with almond listed. But so many of the other notes sound so wonderful...

 

Thanks for the help!

[Ina Garten Davita]

There are no stupid questions...only stupid people

 

I had a similar concern, I hate that almond extract smell and I'm not overly keen on the taste (though I really like almonds). But Beth's almond notes have captured my heart.

 

I have tried and like or really these almond scents...

Queen of Sheba

Hellcat

Eclipse

Voodoo

Seraglio

Inferno

Old Port Au Prince

 

And I have Hecate on order.

 

Yes, give them a try...you can always swap or sell them.

[Eris]

I would also agree with the notion that they aren't like almond extract. I was actually hoping for that, to be honest, but Dana O'Shee is the only one that comes that close. Scents like Queen of Sheba and Hellcat are definitely un-extract like.

[amberbella]

I have to disagree....I think they are a lot like almond extract, but I LOVE the smell of almond extract. To me it's a sweeter version of almond extract as almond extract can be somewhat bitter and the almond in the perfumes isn't at all bitter.

[Skallywag]

Hecate is very almondy and resinous (is that the right word??)

Its initially a big hit of almond essence in the bottle but this fades on me to soft almond.

Nice but not really me.

[Penance]

Okay, I've given up trying to wear anything with almonds in it. It makes me nauseous. I tried Baron Samedi this morning and I still feel sick (not a good thing as I have a midterm to study for). So...I know the following have almond in them because the Lab says so:

 

Voodoo

Old Port-Au-Prince

Hecate

Seraglio

Salome

Queen of Sheba

Hellcat

Inferno

Eclipse

Calliope

 

And I can smell almonds in #20 Love Oil and Baron Samedi, but are there any other scents I should be avoiding? I'd really rather not have to go through this again if at all possible. If anything smells even remotely like almonds, there's a pretty good chance it'll make me sick, so any suggestions would be very helpful.

 

~ Penance

[miss apple]

Dana O'Shee is very almondy.

[Penance]

Thank you! I'll mark it down on my don't sniff list.

 

~ Penance

[diabolique]

i'd stay away from:

 

horn of plenty

the up-and-coming decadence

march hare

tarot oil: high priestess

black phoenix

three jacks

haitian lover

 

also, i saw sudha segara described as "dana o'shee without the almonds," just in case you feel like you're missing out by not being able to smell it.

Edited October 19, 2004 by diabolique

[Witch's Dagger]

*flags this post*

 

Penance, I cannot help you here, but I love this thread because I love almonds in my scents. Hecate is one of my favorites...

 

(takes out pencil and starts scratching down delightful almondy scents)

 

Edited to add: duh! I was just looking at almondy scents (because I am a weird one and didn't want to get too many of the same kind of scent), and I will second what diabolique said:

 

Decadence - I've tried it and love it - very almondy

Black Phoenix - on my wishlist

Edited October 19, 2004 by Witch's Dagger

[Penance]

Heh, it's weird you should mention March Hare, diabolique. I love March Hare for some inexplicable reason.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'm making a list as we speak of ones not to even think about sniffing.

 

~ Penance

[diabolique]

what's funny is that i haven't tried any of the scents i recommended you to stay away from. i just did a search through the reviews section for "almonds," "almond," and "almondy." if i saw more than two people say their bottles smelled like almonds, i jotted it down!

[Penance]

 

Well, that's one way of doing it!

 

It's actually fairly odd that I like March Hare, really, since I can't stand foody scents or fruit as perfume. I guess it's just one of those flukes.

 

~ Penance

[fallow deer]

Glad I saw this thread, since almond really really burns on me - not cinnamon tingle but full on 'wtf was that? eek! eek! wash it off!' acid burn...

 

And Hecate did that big time. Strangely, none of the others mentioned have had this effect, even Queen 'Almondo' of Sheba . I think there might be a difference between bitter and sweet almond???

[Penance]

Okay, Kabuki's already on my list because I don't care for the smell of anise, either.

 

~ Penance

[babykitty]

Maybe you are one of those people who can detect cyanide!

[Penance]

Wouldn't that be great? I'd love to be unique like that. I wonder how one goes about figuring out if they're capable of that sort of thing...

 

~ Penance

[hypothermya]

Just as a bit of argument, March Hare doesn't smell a thing like almonds. Smells lovely -- well, until I put it onto my skin, at which point it smells like candle wax. Damn skin chemistry.

 

As for Three Jacks, yeah....I'd say it's got almonds in it. I went and grabbed my imp, and took a deep ol' whiff of it, and it's definitely got almonds. It's got that Voodoo scent to it, a bit. Shares the almonds and vetiver, probably.

[Witch's Dagger]

Oh, and watch for reviews with cherry/almond problems. I've noticed myself that sometimes almond smells like cherry and vice versa. So some of the reviews saying "almondy" might just be cherry-like. Like Kabuki, for instance - I didn't get any almond there, but someone might have because of the cherry. And when I do reviews, I know I ignore the 'official' description of notes to accurately reflect what I *smell*. So, you might want to check the reviews of the ones diabolique mentioned to find out who thought they were 'almondy' and why, as well as how many people thought it. For example, even though Dana O'Shee says it it is basically milk, honey, and grains, there are a LOT of people who say it's almondy.

 

Just some more thoughts

[hypothermya]

Well, I've also noticed that in certain reviews (such as Black Phoenix, Eclipse, etc.) that almonds end up smelling like cherries to others. I'm pretty sure that with Kabuki, it's a case of the cherry smelling like almonds. But since Penance doesn't like anise, I suppose it makes little difference.

 

However, with Dana O'Shee, I'm damn sure that there's almonds in there. I spent the whole two hours that it lasted smelling like marzipan candies. And you'll note that the description says that the milk, oats, honey, etc. is just the basis for the scent created for them. I'll bet a pound of flesh that one of the additions to that basis is almonds.

 

But I'm glad that someone else besides me is making the almond/cherry connection. For the longest time, I was wondering whether I was just insane for thinking that the sweet almond note must smell something like cherries for all of those reviews to make the refference to cherries...

[diabolique]

i thought so too, especially when i saw kabuki mentioned. i can generally tell the difference when someone mentions a blend smelling like cherries or almonds.

 

i tried dana o'shee for the first time today, and i definitely think it has almonds. it isn't the same type of almond that's in queen of sheba, so i agree that there has to be a difference between "sweet almond" and "bitter almond."

[minilux]

here's an old thread about the almond/cherry debate:

 

http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=575&hl

[Penance]

I actually have noticed the almond/cherry thing when it comes to amaretto. It smells fruity to me, although it still makes me sick. I never really gave it much thought, though, so that's pretty interesting to be reminded of it like that.

 

Maybe that's why I can't stand the smell of maraschino cherries.

 

Now if we could just figure out why my brother is so averse to the smell of lettuce, we'd be all set.

 

And, on a side note, it appears my almond aversion must be genetic because my mom is apparently the same way, only she gets a splitting headache on top of the nausea. Odd how these things happen sometimes.

 

~ Penance

[Pixie-elf]

Yes, Dana O'Shee definately has Sweet Almond Oil in it... it smells a LOT like Lush's Snowcake minus the roses!

 

Normally I dislike the smell of Almonds, as in the FOOD... but, as far as Sweet Almond Oil? I LOVE it! It smells cherrish or candish...

 

Good luck Pennance!

[Penance]

Thanks, Pixie!

 

~ Penance