brsis

Normally I'm quite good with my cosplay perfumes (In case anyone was wondering, we finally landed on Endymion for Saber - it worked, somehow) but I'm drawing blanks here: Grell Sutcliffe from Kuroshitsuji, and/or Tieria Erde from Gundam 00 I'm stuck because Kuroshitsuji = Cake in my head, and I can't have Grell smelling of cake. I also can't work chocolate, most berries or blood accord, so the obvious ones are out (Although Blood Countess sometimes works on me... that is a thought) And Tieria looks so girly and acts so manly and is so obviously not a perfume person... not to mention it's sci-fi and thus well outside the usual realms of BPAL! Yet I refuse to cosplay without perfume because I have a tendancy to overdress on warm days, I never get a chance to properly air my costumes beforehand, and I need something to cover up the smell of glue and wig conditioner. Ack, help?

Check the Excolo catagory for male gods that embody positivity - quite by accident, that's how I found Shango, my personal favourite for all-purpose confidence, charm, swagger and situations of an ass-kicking and name-taking nature. You could do the same with Illyria, and quite possibly hunt down some scents from other catagories with similar powerful attitudes. Ogun and Baron Samedi are also favourites of mine, but I think it's important to choose scents that resonate with the person's personal tastes and feelings when going for moods - one works for one person, might not work for another, more so than when just going for 'a nice smell'.

While November makes a fair go of it in the bottle (Hates my skin), I'm still hunting for the perfect yule scent that smells like my house at 5AM on Christmas Morning. Now THAT'S anticipation.

DORIAN. Also, if you haven't already, I'd consider at least trying Titania or Phantom Queen - they are florals, but heavy on the fruit as well. Maybe Gennivre or Pulcinella and Teresina from the Carnival as well.

Initial thoughts: Other than that patchouli sat there, bein' all menacing like, this is hot to trot. Tobacco, caramel, currants? I'm after a fruity version of Red Lantern, and I don't think I'm going to be dissapointed... In the bottle: Burnt caramel, hint of tobacco smoke, dark berries... mwah. On the wrist, wet: Fruity, smoky caramel. This is a little like Red Lantern, but much, MUCH darker, thicker, richer, and more sombre. Drydown: This gets a little bit smokier and more complex on the drydown - things like the sandalwood and the cinnamon leaf come forward a little more, I think - but largely remains that sultry burnt caramel scent tempered by fruit. This is a new favourite, and I think another bottle is in order.

Initial thoughts: ... aquatic. I've slowly become all but totally intolerant of aquatics - they amp like crazy, they smell like antibacterial handwash, and they make me almost as ill as patchouli does - add some jasmine into the mix, and I'm not a happy bunny. In the bottle: The bitter, salty aquatic smell I'm familiar with from scents like Pirate Moon and Jolly Roger. On the wrist, wet: Still just generic ozone/aquatic, maybe a little hint of frankincense? Twenty minutes later: Bitter, salty aquatic. If you like aquatics, then this is probably amazing - unfortunately for me, they just don' work.

Initial thoughts: Hmmm... I'm not familiar with many of these notes - well, I am in that I know what they are, but not in that I know what they smell like. Still, I'm expecting a dry, greenish incense. In the bottle: Green incense! Very reedy/palmly, and yet theres the dry whisper of the orris and the incense notes coming through. On the wrist, wet: Still very much the frankincense softened by the 'dry green' notes from the reeds and palm. Drydown: Wow. Wowowowowow. This is beautiful - soft greeny-reed and dusty-orris goodness with a gentle but warming frankincense underneath. This has an almost feathery quality, as well as being as sensual and sorrowful as the description says it should be. I love it, and I want another bottle.

Initial thoughts: Eh... this isn't thrilling me. I'm expecting something like Thunder Moon crossed with Mechanical Phoenix, which is a big lot of 'nuffin on my skin. Ah well. In the bottle: Sharp, metallic ozone perfume. On the wrist, wet: Metallic ozone - it's not turned into the soapy stuff that turns my stomach yet, but I'm not sure I like it. I'm not sure I DISLIKE it, I'm just ambivilent and expecting the worst. Drydown: Unexpectedly, I'm not sure there's ozone in this. It's sort of a metallic floral - heavy on the sharp, pungent notes which I associate with 'perfume' and a very strong metallic vibe, and thus not exactly my thing, but definately much more wearable than I anticipated. Shiny!

Mictecacihuatl? I'd like to know too! I think it might be mik-te-ka-chi-hwa-t'l, but I'm a student of Spanish rather than Mayan/Aztec ^.^;;;;

Initial thoughts: ... It's bad that I really like the stamp collection line. Isaac is also one of my favourite boy's names. On the subject of the scent itself - tobacco, bay rum, cologne? I like it! In the bottle: A slightly spicy, warm cologne, without being too sharp or astringent... hmm, nice. On the wrist, wet: Smoky, tobacco'd bay rum and a bit of bourbon... this reminds me a little of Herr Drosselmeyer or Hellfire, actually - I'm surprised there isn't leather in it. Drydown: Sweet, warm, pungent tobacco cologne... This is very like Herr Dross, but lighter, and sleezier, and less 'hot' - and boozier! It's a very playful, sleezy kind of men's scent... I really quite like this.

I think I posted in this thread once before - waaaaaaaaaaay back - but I need your help again. A dear friend of mine is cosplaying Saber from Fate/Stay Night in a few month's time (I'm helping her make the armour, and it's a bitch) I'm not totally familiar with the character (I'm only about halfway through the anime, and I've only played what bits of the game I've been able to beg translation from my Japanese friends for) but she seems to be very powerful and yet feminine, loyal, honourable, direct and slightly stubborn. My friend is very keen to emphasise the fact that Saber is a little bit magical/unreal/out of this world, and although she doesn't wear a lot of BPAL she really likes the idea of having Saber smell unusual and memorable (And also partially hide the fact that it's going to be a VERY hot costume!). She's got similar skin chemistry to mine, but slightly different tastes; AFAIK it basically boils down to: No vetiver, patchouli, red musk, or ozone: chocolate, cinnamon and booze notes don't work very well: and a dislike of overt violets, rose, berry notes, and citrus. Also it has to be a GC scent, as she's planning on slathering herself in the stuff and probably using up about half a bottle over the two days, and I'd hate to see that happen to a LE. Ta ^.^ ETA: Apparantly jasmine and wisteria are also right out - they go NASTY on her skin.

Initial thoughts: Huh... it seems Eshe gets little love. And to be honest, I'm eyeing that jasmine with some trepidation, and nothing is leaping out with a LOVE ME sign attached, and yet... In the bottle: ... Oooh... Lady Mummy... and death. That's basically it - it's very hard for me to put a name to what I'm smelling... it's not overly sharp as sandalwood can be, or overly herbal, or floral, or even particularly dusty... it's not quite 'white', but it's in that general area. But it smells of death. Not decay - death. In a not-bad way, if that makes any sense. On the wrist, wet: On, it smells less 'perfumy' if that makes any sense... this is very soft, subtle, dusty, and utterly heartless. Vividly evocative. Unless it does mad crazy things on the drydown, I want a bottle. Drydown: Hmmm... not mad crazy things exactly, but... things. The florals have come back, and now this smells... less like mummy bandages, more like perfume and coldcream. Still nice, but I wish I could have kept the wet smell. I might get a decant or two to top up my partial bottle, because I think I might like this in a scent locket, but alas it isn't quite as delicious as I had hoped.

Initial thoughts: Hmm... there's a lot of killer notes in there for me (Patchouli, red musk, possibly lilies, poppy and black currant as well) so I'm really not expecting something even wearable. In the bottle: Musky poppy, patchouli and nicotiana, with the slightest hint of fruit. On the wrist, wet: Poppy, lily, fruit... a bit of musk and patchouli... this is unexpectedly more floral that I expected, but still predominantly a dark, musky/resinous scent with a bit of fruit. Drydown: MUSK - which goes funny on my skin. Quite a bit of the nicotiana too, and a hint of patchouli and the currant. Not something I'm going to wear, alas.

Initial thoughts: Oooh... tobacco incense = win, but opium is nasty on me. Hmm... In the bottle: Sharp, smoky incense with a hint of dark tobacco. On the wrist, wet: Dusty, wet, old smouldering incense and tobacco... it's an amber/frankincense kind of incense, I think, and it's got a bit of opium sharpness. Drydown: I get less incense - and unfortunately, less tobacco - on the drydown. This is a sort of dusty, old frankincense and opium thing. Not so much my kind of scent, but it's got a kind of vague warmth and mystery which means I might wear it on occasion.

Initial thoughts: TEA. Also I was very pleased when I saw that was jasmine LEAF rather than straight jasmine - which does not agree with me. I'm expecting something refined and a little cologne-y from this. In the bottle: I'm primarily getting the musk and the fougere, actually - it's slightly sharp and pale and definately like a white, fairly unisex cologne. On the wrist, wet: More of same - very sharp and pale, with the slightest hint of vanilla tea. Want more tea. Drydown: Well, it has a bit more tea - Earl Grey is fairly wussy as teas go, so I wasn't expecting OMG!Tannin, but still. Even a little vanilla, but the sharp white musk and fougere dominate this. It IS quite unisex, but at the same time it's very crisp, very light and bright and a teensy bit astringent.