Similarities Between BPAL Scents - GC and general discussion

[LizziesLuck]

How similar are Stekkjarstaur and Detestable Putrescence? I am asking because Stekkjarstaur smells exactly like I imagine Detestable Putrescence would smell based on the description.

 

Not even remotely! At least not to me. Stekk is all fluffy marshmallow. DP is really really buttery and a totally different vanilla note. I don't find Stekk has a cream note either, whereas DP definitely does. Could just be my chemistry/nose though.

[Lillice]

 

How similar are Stekkjarstaur and Detestable Putrescence? I am asking because Stekkjarstaur smells exactly like I imagine Detestable Putrescence would smell based on the description.

 

Not even remotely! At least not to me. Stekk is all fluffy marshmallow. DP is really really buttery and a totally different vanilla note. I don't find Stekk has a cream note either, whereas DP definitely does. Could just be my chemistry/nose though.

 

Thank you for your input. I will need to try DP then.

[Catgirl666]

Anyone who knows a good (allmost) spot on replacement for The Temptation?

I had an imp and now i wanna punch myself for not buying a bottle

Edited July 9, 2016 by Catgirl666

[sqwook]

Anyone who knows a good (allmost) spot on replacement for The Temptation?

I had an imp and now i wanna punch myself for not buying a bottle

 

Belle Vinu to me is VERY similar to The Temptation.

[Catgirl666]

okay

[Catgirl666]

not available i see now

[Mothling]

I've had the luck to be sent an imp of Garden Path With Chickens from the Salon collection... I completely fell in love with the scent but it's impossible to get a hold of a bottle. Any substitute recommendations?

[sqwook]

I've had the luck to be sent an imp of Garden Path With Chickens from the Salon collection... I completely fell in love with the scent but it's impossible to get a hold of a bottle. Any substitute recommendations?

 

Oh man! The Salon had some really great ones, and that's one of them. Nothing is quite like it. But in the same family are some others you may like in their own way: The Lilac Wood, Green Phoenix, Orpheus, Antony, Unicorn. (Some of these are not necessarily easy to find either, though, sorry!)

[notonboats]

Now that the season has shifted back over into fall, I've pulled out my all time favorite BPAL scent Shadwell again, and I'm always floored by the aquatic/cream combo topped off with a lingering mustiness. Or as the description puts it, "Roll-ups, mildewed raincoat, sweet tea, and condensed milk." To me, it feels more like applying a character affectation than something overtly perfume-y, and I really like that about it.

 

It's a very comforting scent for me and I was wondering if you guys could recommend anything similar in scent or overall vibe.

 

 

Caveats: Amber tends to turn to powder on my skin, and I'm generally not a fan of white flower heavy blends.

 

Thanks!

Edited September 30, 2016 by notonboats

[SophieCedar]

I can't speak for many cream and aquatic notes besides The Sea Foams Milk: Milk cresting on an ocean wave., which you may love...but here are my odd comfort scents.

 

Buggre Alle This Bible: Crumbling paper and ancient cracked leather with a touch of tobacco leaf and incense.

 

Boober: A fretfully clean scent: freshly-washed laundry, linden blossom, soap suds, and a sprinkle of vanilla.

 

Adam (OLLA): Adam, our suicidally romantic scoundrel. His scent is a palette of somber colors, melancholy memories, and lupine, savage beauty: black leather, pale sandalwood, ambergris accord, and the memory of a long-lost Victorian fougère. His internal life seems to be reflected in his lair, so his perfume also possesses the scent of the wood of his guitars, the rosin from his violin bow, the musty wool of neglected Oriental carpets, the plastic, metal, and magnetic tape of his reel-to-reel, the dust that permeates everything.

Edited September 30, 2016 by SophieCedar

[annemathematics]

never smelled shadwell (but now I want to!) but here are my favorite weirdly comforting bpals

 

mr prenderghast!! : Sweet cigar smoke, brown wool, Old Furry Touk accord, and a little bit of coffee.

very much like huffing a character. like cuddling this character.

 

bub!: A dog’s bright, beaming memories of playing in the sun, rolling in the grass, and begging for table scraps.

light and bright and soft and gentle. very pretty! ghost dog perfume also great for halloween!

 

trevor bruttenholm: A classic men's cologne mixed with the scent of old, yellowed books, a splash of bay rum, and summoning incense.

very beautiful with the incense, also comforting

 

enterprise of the night: Inspired by the opening pages of Circle of Blood. The scent of vice and darkness: flashing neon, oil-tinged petrichor, fading perfume, smeared lipstick, and the faintest touch of gunpowder residue.

channel snow: Television static made manifest, with a glimpse of perversions hidden beneath: benzoin, black pepper, white sandalwood, olibanum, ambergris accord, galbanum, and O3.

not super comforting, but both are very evocative and perfectly summon up their themes.

 

the other extreme, being comforting but not as evocative as mr P up above is, is IAN, from the olla line

also the edge of doom: The night flight from Tangier: drops of spilled blood color the antiseptic, bland, plastic paleness of the fuselage, with violet leaf for longing, rosemary for reminiscences, and black opoponax for apprehension. evocative, but maybe not super comforthing.

 

never tried mr bobo, but it sounds like he might belong in this thread.

 

my final suggestion, maybe not weird enough but beautiful, is the marquis de carabas: A splash of bay rum, leather, dusty black wool, massoia bark, and opium residue.

[notonboats]

never smelled shadwell (but now I want to!) but here are my favorite weirdly comforting bpals

 

mr prenderghast!! : Sweet cigar smoke, brown wool, Old Furry Touk accord, and a little bit of coffee.

very much like huffing a character. like cuddling this character.

 

bub!: A dog’s bright, beaming memories of playing in the sun, rolling in the grass, and begging for table scraps.

light and bright and soft and gentle. very pretty! ghost dog perfume also great for halloween!

 

trevor bruttenholm: A classic men's cologne mixed with the scent of old, yellowed books, a splash of bay rum, and summoning incense.

very beautiful with the incense, also comforting

 

enterprise of the night: Inspired by the opening pages of Circle of Blood. The scent of vice and darkness: flashing neon, oil-tinged petrichor, fading perfume, smeared lipstick, and the faintest touch of gunpowder residue.

channel snow: Television static made manifest, with a glimpse of perversions hidden beneath: benzoin, black pepper, white sandalwood, olibanum, ambergris accord, galbanum, and O3.

not super comforting, but both are very evocative and perfectly summon up their themes.

 

the other extreme, being comforting but not as evocative as mr P up above is, is IAN, from the olla line

also the edge of doom: The night flight from Tangier: drops of spilled blood color the antiseptic, bland, plastic paleness of the fuselage, with violet leaf for longing, rosemary for reminiscences, and black opoponax for apprehension. evocative, but maybe not super comforthing.

 

never tried mr bobo, but it sounds like he might belong in this thread.

 

my final suggestion, maybe not weird enough but beautiful, is the marquis de carabas: A splash of bay rum, leather, dusty black wool, massoia bark, and opium residue.

 

Mr Prenderghast definitely seems like something I'd enjoy! and the rest are all things i might try. Even marquis de carabas- the 'dusty black wool' in with the other notes seems like something i'd like.

 

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

I can't speak for many cream and aquatic notes besides The Sea Foams Milk: Milk cresting on an ocean wave., which you may love...but here are my odd comfort scents.

 

Buggre Alle This Bible: Crumbling paper and ancient cracked leather with a touch of tobacco leaf and incense.

 

Boober: A fretfully clean scent: freshly-washed laundry, linden blossom, soap suds, and a sprinkle of vanilla.

 

Adam (OLLA): Adam, our suicidally romantic scoundrel. His scent is a palette of somber colors, melancholy memories, and lupine, savage beauty: black leather, pale sandalwood, ambergris accord, and the memory of a long-lost Victorian fougère. His internal life seems to be reflected in his lair, so his perfume also possesses the scent of the wood of his guitars, the rosin from his violin bow, the musty wool of neglected Oriental carpets, the plastic, metal, and magnetic tape of his reel-to-reel, the dust that permeates everything.

 

Ooh! the sea foams milk is definitely one I'll try!

 

I've been eyeing the Buggre Alle This Bible as something I might enjoy. I've been slowly collecting the Good Omens blends so that will have to be the next one I grab! Boober sounds lovely, but Adam is a no-go for me. I've tried it and the plastic/electrical smell really amps on my skin and i end up smelling like a shorted circuit. Which is a shame because without that i'd probably love it!

 

Thanks!

Edited October 1, 2016 by notonboats

[annemathematics]

Now that the season has shifted back over into fall, I've pulled out my all time favorite BPAL scent Shadwell again, and I'm always floored by the aquatic/cream combo topped off with a lingering mustiness. Or as the description puts it, "Roll-ups, mildewed raincoat, sweet tea, and condensed milk." To me, it feels more like applying a character affectation than something overtly perfume-y, and I really like that about it.

 

It's a very comforting scent for me and I was wondering if you guys could recommend anything similar in scent or overall vibe.

 

 

Caveats: Amber tends to turn to powder on my skin, and I'm generally not a fan of white flower heavy blends.

 

Thanks!

 

having gone through again and read the reviews of Shadwell (really have to try this one soon!) made me think of another scent that you might enjoy:

 

Hastur, from the good omens family of smells:Smoky-sour labdanum, black patchouli, wet tobacco, and brimstone.

 

it's not aquatic but the "wet tobacco" made me think it'd have a similarity to shadwell, while the other notes would also make it unique in your collection.

please note that wayyyyyy back when I first bought my bottle, it had almost no throw and barely any scent. I stuck it in my sales box, where it sat for about a year before I took it out and sniffed it again to discover that not only did it have a scent, but it was compelling and beautiful and weird. this one benefits from aging!

[sprout]

Have you tried Lyonesse? Watery, Vanilla, ambergris. Seems in the same vein as Shadwell , but I haven't sniffed Shadwell yet, he's on my list to try.

Edited October 1, 2016 by sprout

[notonboats]

 

 

 

having gone through again and read the reviews of Shadwell (really have to try this one soon!) made me think of another scent that you might enjoy:

 

Hastur, from the good omens family of smells:Smoky-sour labdanum, black patchouli, wet tobacco, and brimstone.

 

it's not aquatic but the "wet tobacco" made me think it'd have a similarity to shadwell, while the other notes would also make it unique in your collection.

please note that wayyyyyy back when I first bought my bottle, it had almost no throw and barely any scent. I stuck it in my sales box, where it sat for about a year before I took it out and sniffed it again to discover that not only did it have a scent, but it was compelling and beautiful and weird. this one benefits from aging!

 

ooh, yknow, i've considered Hastur before, but usually put him off because I was afraid it'd be overly strong! So that's good to hear!

 

Have you tried Lyonesse? Watery, Vanilla, ambergris. Seems in the same vein as Shadwell , but I haven't sniffed Shadwell yet, he's on my list to try.

I haven't, but it seems like it needs to go on my list. Thanks!

[spookyannie]

GC Blends similar to Zombi? I love the watery-dirty type of flower scent

Edited May 21, 2017 by spookyannie

[freyasfae]

GC Blends similar to Zombi? I love the watery-dirty type of flower scent

 

Deep in Earth!!! https://blackphoenixalchemylab.com/shop/ars-moriendi/deep-in-earth/

[LizziesLuck]

GC Blends similar to Zombi? I love the watery-dirty type of flower scent

 

 

Not the same, but similar, are Yorick Grave dirt, bone, decay, angel's trumpet, and moldering scraps of shroud: the essence of finality.

Jazz Funeral also has that dirt/moss combo - Bittersweet bay rum, bourbon, and a host of funeral flowers with a touch of graveyard dirt, magnolia and Spanish Moss

Destroying Angel Papery white notes evoke the grace of this fungi, grounded by thin, crisp soil

[KatyC]

How similar, if at all, are Zombi & Cicuta? I'm really tempted by Cicuta but don't need another earthy rose scent as I love Zombi, and I'm wondering whether the non-rose notes will translate to a similar earthiness.

 

If they aren't at all alike, is Cicuta comparable to anything else? I've read the reviews and I'm hovering over the order button but being uncharacteristically hesitant!

 

Thanks!

[d0gbones]

I love both, but Zombi is my soily grail (or sometimes Deep In Earth... They're both so great). Cicuta is much more rosy and not earthy on me. That said, it is similar to The House - when I was having a ruthless sort through things to sell, it was down to those two, but Cicuta wins by a mile for me.

[LizziesLuck]

How similar, if at all, are Zombi & Cicuta? I'm really tempted by Cicuta but don't need another earthy rose scent as I love Zombi, and I'm wondering whether the non-rose notes will translate to a similar earthiness.

 

If they aren't at all alike, is Cicuta comparable to anything else? I've read the reviews and I'm hovering over the order button but being uncharacteristically hesitant!

 

Thanks!

 

I don't find Cicuta to be earthy really at all. It's more of a dry dusty rose with smoke and a hint of resin. Zombi is mostly dirt on me.

[KatyC]

I love both, but Zombi is my soily grail (or sometimes Deep In Earth... They're both so great). Cicuta is much more rosy and not earthy on me. That said, it is similar to The House - when I was having a ruthless sort through things to sell, it was down to those two, but Cicuta wins by a mile for me.

 

How similar, if at all, are Zombi & Cicuta? I'm really tempted by Cicuta but don't need another earthy rose scent as I love Zombi, and I'm wondering whether the non-rose notes will translate to a similar earthiness.

 

If they aren't at all alike, is Cicuta comparable to anything else? I've read the reviews and I'm hovering over the order button but being uncharacteristically hesitant!

 

Thanks!

 

I don't find Cicuta to be earthy really at all. It's more of a dry dusty rose with smoke and a hint of resin. Zombi is mostly dirt on me.

Thanks to you both - I've hit order! It's passed me by in previous searches for rose scents for some reason, can't wait to try it!

[freyasfae]

Le sigh, rose lovers, I have noticed that a lot of rose scents are growing increasingly powdery on me. The ones with lots of green are still working well - I am not sure if my skin chemistry has changed or my preferences have changed, but I has a sad.

 

Edit: Sorry I meant to put this in the rose apologist thread! Mods, please delete.

Edited May 30, 2017 by freyasfae

[Lunabelle]

Ugh! I have spent WAAAAAAAAY too much time trying to find this; Osiris v4.

I am totally in LOVE with it, but my imp is almost empty :'(

I know it is a long shot...but does anyone know of a GC scent that compares?

The reviews section has a lot of comparisons between Osiris and LE scents that can not be found anywhere, either!!

[celestia]

Ugh! I have spent WAAAAAAAAY too much time trying to find this; Osiris v4.

I am totally in LOVE with it, but my imp is almost empty :'(

I know it is a long shot...but does anyone know of a GC scent that compares?

The reviews section has a lot of comparisons between Osiris and LE scents that can not beuhh found anywhere, either!!

Oooh I just tested this the other day! It's not familiar scent territory for me, so I'm not sure how much help I'm can be, but I get a resinous Black Lace (BL) with a dark teak-like woodsy kick. The closest comparison I get from others regarding BL has been Perversion.. so maybe that layered with the dark woodsy Antikythera Mechanism? (I haven't ever gotten to sample either but that would be my guess!) .. maybe a dab of Haloes to recreate that slight golden touch and sweet creamy woods that Glowing Vulva shares with Osiris v4)

 

The other suggestions I have are harder LEs to track down so.. I'm guessing theyd be of less use.

Edited July 7, 2017 by celestia