Experienced BPAL-er recs for next order

[Nymph87]

Hi all!

 

Well it's definitely started... my BPAL addiction has been re-ignited after many years and I am plotting and planning my next order... only days after receiving my last. Help me spend money!

 

There's been some HUGE surprises for me... many years ago I would never have gone for florals, chamomile, aquatics or vanilla... or leather... a lot of things really. And, so when I placed this order... I didn't get too excited about these things. I used to always be a musk only person.

 

I still don't do jasmine or anything heady or too woody, however... I am willing to try some new things and this is where I hope you can all help! Here's a list of what I've tried so far (and what I remember adoring many moons ago), so you have an idea of what I may like/not like:

 

Loves that work on me

• Enraged Bunny Musk - love it
  
• Mme Moriarty - LOVE LOVE!
  
• 51 - got an imp and love it! I can't wear Thierry Mugler Alien, but this is the same without the accompanying headache!
  
• Black Moon 2013 - LOVE!
  
• Jareth - for some reason leather goes weird on me, but I still like this a lot
  
• Dorian - Love but goes a bit powdery. Can tolerate on some days!
  
• Mr Ibis - LOVE!
  
• Snow White - love!
  
• Neutral - love!
  
• Galvanic Goggles - love! (I think I adore metals)
  
• Sea of Glass - what a surprise! It's very orange-like on my skin initially but dries down to a beautiful, fresh scent on me
  
• Sachs - what a surprise!!!! I ADORE this!
  
• Go to Sleep Darlings - minty snow white, I like
  
• Good - like!
  
• TKO - love... perfect for bed but I'd love to know if there's anything that's like TKO but a daytime scent.
  

 

Loves that don't work on me

• Theodosius, the Legerdemain - love the smell of this in the bottle, but turns to powder on me
  
• Snake Oil - I LOVE in the vial, but turns to baby powder on me.
  
• Lyonesse - smells awesome, although I am not overly keen on the woody dry down. Pleasant enough
  
• Morocco - I liked in the vial but it was too woody/spice when it dried down.
  
• Spellbound - LOVE but turns too powdery at the end
  
• Rapunzel in Ballpoint - love the apple, but this scent was a little too innocent.
  

 

Likes/not likes

• Tattered Lace - I don't mind... but it's too heady for me
  
• O - so so, I don't mind it
  
• Liz - at this stage, I love the leather in Liz but I am not convinced others will love the leather on me. Hoping it ages nicely. Putting it in the so-so category for now
  
• Pink Snowballs - very pretty, unsure if I smell too potpourri like though. In the so-so basket
  
• Eat Me - I was hoping this would be foody love (I don't normally do foody but thought it may have been perfume-y enough)... don't like so much.
  
• Mania - too sweet (but need to try on my skin)... in the so so list for now
  
• Whitechapel - woah... too much lime. The lime kills the blend and I don't like it.
  
• Depraved - the only scent I had to wash off. I think it was the apricot.
  

 

I've tried a couple of other imps, but I can't recall their names at the moment. Will add them if I think of them.

 

It seems to me I am adoring vanilla, bourbon vanilla, musk and light pretty florals. I may even like pretty aquatics. Spices and wood (I think) turn to powder on me. I love the smell of leather but I am unsure about how leather smells on me. Foody smells are a no-go. Rose may smell like potpourri. Honey is on the fence. Opium may be too "heady". I know I always love stuff that smells head-shop like. I have always loved patchouli but am not experienced with the lab's patch. I love apple, but perhaps only apple that's not too "pure" in the scent... help?

 

Recommend away!

Edited February 2, 2014 by Nymph87

[Balame]

I'm not big into florals so I can't speak from much expertise there, but I can recommend some vanillas and musks you might like.

 

Celeste - Madagascan vanilla bean, vanilla orchid, orris root, and saffron. (LE)

 

The Lights of Men's Lives - The wax and smoke of millions upon millions of candles...

It's basically a soft vanilla and beeswax.

 

The Girl - White amber, silver birch, immortelle, davana, pale musk, star jasmine, and ylang ylang. (LE)

This is super hard to find now. To be honest it was was pretty "meh" to me but a ton of people love it and think it's the best white musk around.

 

Lady Death: Savage - White musk, grey amber, Calabrian bergamot, vanilla absolute, French labdanum, styrax, wormwood, caraway, and bois de jasmin.

Now this is my kind of musk. It's deep and feminine but warm where The Girl is cool. Lady has a sparkling quality to it that makes me smile; very well-blended, pretty yet strong.

 

The Robotic Scarab - Polished metallic notes, glossy leather, frankincense, star anise, and thin lubricating oils.

If you're liking metallics and are still curious about leather I highly recommend this. It goes on strong so give it some time, as it dries down to a stunning sun-warmed metal with a background of soft leather.

 

Smut - Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes. (LE)

The musk holy grail of BPAL, in my opinion. Sugary and sensual with the drunken lustiness of booze. It *might* be too heady for you but perhaps still worth a shot. I'm usually sensitive to "in your face" scents but Smut doesn't bother me.

Edited February 2, 2014 by Balame

[ReallyZeb]

Fairy Bites - Osmanthus and raw honey with lavender, chamomile, white peppermint, raspberry, honeysuckle, thyme, bergamot, and Dracula orchid. or Capax Infiniti - honey-snuggled skin musk, sweet vanilla ice cream residue, and lavender oil (Lilith’s favorite!), with a gentle hint of Dorian. both seem like daytime TKO to me. I don't get on with many florals but I don;t find Fairy Bites floral except for lavender which doesnt count!

 

Crowley - Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk. This is beautifully balanced.

 

Gnome - An explosive blend of effervescent golden ginger and black peppercorn with sarsaparilla, gurjum balsam, nutmeg, gear lubricant, and smoke. I never get the lubricant/smoke, just a lovely fizzy, energetic scent.

 

No.93 Engine - Balm of Gilead, benzoin, frankincense, balsam of peru, beeswax, saffron, galbanum, calamus, hyssop, mastic, lemon balm, and white sage.

 

Also a couple from this lot of Yules, (both aquatics which usually never work on me)

 

The Spell of the Eastern Sea - Sea salt, kelp, and twisting willows.

 

The Boundless Vista - Salted citron, black coconut, wormwood, and oily labdanum oozing through fungal mosses and sick, greenish subterranean flora.
 Sounds vile but is actually lovely - this seems to be a love it or hate it one, but I'm sure you'll find a buyer if you hate it!

[Sakura Tsukikage]

Seconding Capax Infiniti as a daytime TKO!

[lookingglass]

I've tried a good bit of the catalog , and I'll recommend some of my favorites, since you like some of mine!

 

I second Lights of Men's Lives! It's AMAZING-creamy, sweet, yet neutral. Yes, try it if you are on the fence about honey. It's honey like without the funky sour/green thing that honey can do sometimes. 'Just lightly golden, soft, sexy sweetness. It stays close to the skin but lasts and lasts.

 

Detestable Putrescence is listed as melty vanilla ice cream, is VERY creamy and thick, and is all vanilla all the time. It's quite intense-deep and rich. You may like it mixed with Neutral.

 

I'd say Lurid for a daytime lavender (Bulgarian lavender and white musk with a dollop of thick resin and a voltaic charge of ozone notes). It has a nice roundness from the resins to balance out it's clean notes. I don't really like lavender, but I like both TKO and Lurid! Also, if you want a more masculine/headshopy lavender, Gauko (Blackened sandalwood and misty lavender, with curling wisps of smoky tobacco, nag champa, and labdanum)-it doesn't get enough love. It's headshopy, but pretty woody, too...you might not want to start with that one.

 

Sweet headshop awesomeness? Goblin. It's liquid gold! Black coconut, gnarly patchouli, and sweet benzoin. 'Very boheme sophisticate, and my second favorite sweet patchouli in the catalog (Snake Oil being first-don't give up on her, yet. It's probably the dark musk that's going "powdery" on you...you may learn to like it ). It reminds me of a sweet patchouli I used to wear in my college days, that I got in a headshop, but waaaaaaay better. I'm really picky about patchouli. I love the sweet kind, but don't really like it all dry, stinky, leafy, or woody.

 

If you wanted to like Snake Oil and like orangey notes, you may want to try Hunger (Black narcissus, orange blossoms, and vanilla) and Vixen (The innocence of orange blossom tainted by the beguiling scents of ginger and patchouli). It's really weird, but they are in the same family!

 

Hmmm...if you want a very RED scent like Mme Moriarty, you're out of luck! JK! There's nothing else like her. LOL! But, if you want sweet/deep red musk, red fruit...you might want to try Dragon's Heart: dragon's blood resin, red and black musks, a throb of fig and a sliver of black currant. It's not creamy like Mme Moriarty, though. Dragon's Milk...red dragon's blood with vanilla and honey? Lust may be another red scent, if you want to try a bit of floral: red musk, patchouli, ylang ylang and myrrh (but myrrh can go "powdery").

 

Fae is pretty but not too innocent (A brilliant, ethereal scent: white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss). I see you like light musks, and she's my current favorite in the GC (Antique Lace, RIP, was my favorite). I know you got scared by Depraved and his apricot, but he's quite a character-don't write off patchouli and/or apricot because of that ol' brute! (Love him in small doses, though!).

 

If you wanted to love apple, and kiiiind of like O, I'd say try Brisingamen: A glittering mantle of rich golden notes: five ambers, soft myrtle and apple blossom, myrtle, and carnation.

 

Mouse's Long Sad Tale reminds me of the pinkishness of Enraged Bunny Musk, though it's creamy amber rather than pingy musk, aaaand it's kind of sweetie/foody...I just recommended it to someone who was looking for a cotton candy scent: Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood. It's not really woody, I PROMISE!

 

Have fun on your BPAL journey!!!

Edited February 2, 2014 by lookingglass

[Teaker]

Just wanted to poke my head in to affirm Lookingglass' rec for Goblin. If you like patchouli and vanilla this will be perfect for you! It's actually coconut and benzoin, not vanilla, but when it dries it's just a lovely creamy sweetness over earthy patchouli. My favorite of bpal's patchouli scents, and sounds like it will be right up your alley!

[lookingglass]

Just wanted to poke my head in to affirm Lookingglass' rec for Goblin. If you like patchouli and vanilla this will be perfect for you! It's actually coconut and benzoin, not vanilla, but when it dries it's just a lovely creamy sweetness over earthy patchouli. My favorite of bpal's patchouli scents, and sounds like it will be right up your alley!

Love those icons, Teaker!

 

Oooh, Katharina...if you want to see if you CAN do apricot, try her. Just apricot and white musk. She's lovely!

Edited February 2, 2014 by lookingglass

[Nymph87]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions thus far, I have compiled a list, now I need to go through the reviews and determine what definitely isn't me, before I order another set of imps. Woohoo!