sqwook
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Everything posted by sqwook
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Lady Una is primarily honey on me, whereas Bewitched (as I recall) was primarily berries (with a zing of bright sage that faded away pretty quickly). Lady Una is richer / rounder / deeper. But not heavy. It also seems to morph less - I liked the brightness of wet Bewitched, but it faded to a simple sweetness over time on me as it dried. They share berries, and a slight green leafy nature-ness.
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Lady Una, on me, is a sweet honey (not like other BPAL honeys i've tried) with a tinge of blackberry. A pale musk grounds it, and some leafy-ness. My notes say: "Like sweet soft skin, sexy. The honey-musk is lovely. Starts out with a hint of green. Hours later, there's almost a slight berry, also. From time to time, there's a tinge of bitter leafiness, especially in comparison to sweeter scents, so don't try it in conjunction with anything else. On its own, I really like this."
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And, technically off-topic but also now part of this topic (see above), I have tried Antique Lace (thanks saracakes!) and while I don't like it, it didn't make me run screaming, so still inconclusive on if linen is my note-of-doom or not. And this is why I am a try-it-a-holic. My own Gaimans update: I *love* Lady Una, & it's on my bottle list (which, if you know me, is a Big Deal). (And cinnamonmel, yes, I'd say, you should definitely avoid overwhelming horror in your perfume oils. *lol*)
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Ditto on the no floral in Garden Path with Chickens, it's one of the things I remarked in my own notes on it. "Grass-hay-meadow, very fresh-plants-outdoors, an open field. Does not read as floral really, it's not a sweet scent." I also love Mag Mell, which is very bright & sunny to me. I haven't tried many of the others mentioned. And... after re-reading your original post again, you must try Garden Path With Chickens.
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Similarities Between BPAL Scents - GC and general discussion
sqwook replied to Shollin's topic in Recommendations
You could try other "light and clean" scents that may have more notes listed, to see if what you like about Sea of Glass is also in those. So possibly: Dirty Squirting Cucumber Sudha Segara Lightning Dormouse The Sea Foams Milk White Rabbit Anubis Unicorn Or, heck, if you love Sea of Glass, just get yourself a bottle & go to town! -
Embalming Fluid is a tart bright lemon, and I'm always surprised how long it sticks around for a citrus. Great for summer! (Ignore the name if it bothers you. Or revel in it if you think it's hilarious! The scent itself is really great.)
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Not exactly dirt or patchouli, but have you tried Cathode?
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Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?
sqwook replied to Absinthe's topic in Recommendations
Just trying Inez again, and I think that those who are in love with Inez might try Death & Life Completed from the Salon. They're TOTALLY different when they're wet (say, for the first half-hour or so), nothing alike. But when they're dry - yum. Both are just gorgeous - resiny, delicious, warm. Inez is even warmer/spicier/softer, whereas Death & Life Completed has a slight tinge of floral to it. -
Lovely! Wet: a women's "cologne" type fragrance. There's a note here that reminds me a bit of the vanilla of Black Opal, actually, but a bit more bold/bright (maybe the cedar?). (Though I did a side by side comparison to confirm it, and of course they're nothing alike when they're actually side-by-side. ) Dry: Others compare it to Lyonesse but I don't get that at all. For me, the drydown is very much like that of Death & Life Completed, perhaps even warmer/spicier/softer, and without the slight tinge of floral that Death & Life Completed has. Same resiny, delicious, warmth. Love it! For me, since I have a bottle of Death & Life Completed, I'll stick with that. (And please note - the wet phase of these two are nothing alike.)
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Limited editions equivalents in the general catalog?
sqwook replied to Absinthe's topic in Recommendations
I think that folks who like Bezoar should also be sure to try Oblivion. They're not exactly the same, but even in a direct side-by-side comparison (well, arm-by-arm ), once they each have a chance to settle down, they have a vibe that is extremely similar, with Bezoar more calm and perhaps musty, and Oblivion spicier and a bit sharper. eta: by settling down, I mean maybe a half-hour or hour after applying. -
Best BPALs for SUMMER - is it hot, sweltering, sticky outside?
sqwook replied to Donnababe's topic in Recommendations
Embalming Fluid! (If the name is holding you back, fear not - it's all lemony-and-lightness, and as refreshing as a sparkling Limonata.) -
I think Miss Lupescu & The Lady On The Grey are lovely. I'll confess, though, a fondness for scents that others think are 'too perfumey', such as 'Death & Life Completed' for example. Miss Lupescu was a spicy soft faintest-tinge-of-cinnamon on me. The Lady On The Grey started off herbal/cologne-y almost tinge-of-citrus on me, and then did this major morph to a soft ambery close-to-the-skin scent. Neither is really floral.
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Looking for something like Cuba Orange, Cuba Gold
sqwook replied to levelek's topic in Recommendations
Hm, it sounds interesting! Without having smelled it, it's hard to say with so many notes what may have been prominent. Here are some ideas from things I've tried, with the ones I like more at the top: Salome - almond with star jasmine, oakmoss, red sandalwood and Egyptian musk. Fallen - Cherubic white sandalwood and golden musk with a dark halo of amber, a breath of imperial florals, unbending woods, and the shadow cast by vetiver and violet. Titus Andronicus - Dark musk and black amber with frankincense, red sandalwood, neroli and bergamot. (but there's no jasmine listed) Moscow - imperial rose, carnation, lush jasmine, lily of the valley, dark musk, amber, bergamot and gilded tangerine. -
Forest & Woods Scents (with and without evergreens)
sqwook replied to omly's topic in Recommendations
Two Monsters (from the Salon) totally felt like your description to me - mossy, trees, earth - the whole forest. (The Salons are not available as individual samples from the lab, yet you may be able to find some on the forum.) Yggdrasil is without the soil/earth - all fresh green forest. I love it. Fire of Love is the autumn- like a carved wood cabin in the woods in fall. You might try Wolfsbane, too. Whatever you order to try, I'm interested in hearing what you think! -
In the name of SCIENCE! you should also try Wensleydale. It's just soap and cotton fabric, so it might answer your "do I hate linen?" query in a hurry. (Dirty is probably a better choice, but Wensleydale is on Gaiman theme, so I have to suggest that one. ) I've tried Dirty and found it inoffensive but totally not me, because of that squeaky-clean-laundry scent. I've steered clear of Wensleydale because I hate soap, too. (After looking at Dormouse's notes, there's no linen or cloth / laundry listed, so maybe it *was* the tea, weird, weird, weird. I have no idea.)
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Hmm, this comment makes me want to try Antique Lace to see if it's the linen or some "tea" scent that I can't stand. In the name of SCIENCE!
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Jasmine Cottage I've tried, though it was very early in my BPAL experience, so I can't say how much jasmine there is compared to other stuff, since I no longer have the imp. Here are my notes: Clean, light, green, only very lightly floral. Very similar in feel to Anubis, which is less floral. For me with Nanny Ashtoreth, the honey was not a strong component at all, and it is sometimes a problem scent for me. From my notes: Warm woods are the most prominent scents, in the same family as Antikythera Mechanism (sweet woods). Less sweet more woody than Antikythera Mechanism, and I preferred A.M. Mr. Ibis had a men's cologne feeling for me which wasn't bad yet I also am not sure I'll wear it. (As an aside, there's something I hate in many aquatics too. Like, HATE!!11!!11!. And White Rabbit was among the worst, I was flabbergasted, and disappointed. I blame it on the "linen" though, not the tea.) My faves from the Gaimans are Miss Lupescu & The Lady on the Grey.
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I would swear I'm getting cinnamon in Sundew. And if I banish all the sundew-floral/flower images from my mind, I think this would be a great harvest-fall-spice blend. On me, it smells like what I thought The Lion would smell like based on everyone's reviews.
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So I've only tried it once, which isn't much of a test I know, yet I wanted to share, because I know others had an experience of a "feeling of passivity" or being "dislocated from the world and my self", and I have to say I felt the same way. Like it was really clearing my mind, and that was a not-good (somewhat scary to me) feeling. It was a bit unnerving, which has made me hesitant to try this out again before going to work, which is (ahem...) when I need the most TAL help. All this said, when there's a time it feels right to try it again (a feeling of panic in the evening or a weekend perhaps) then I definitely will, because I'm curious if that was just an odd fluke. (And as an aside, I've found that Lionheart has provided exactly what I had been looking for in my personal situation, which is why I bought several TALs to try at once, so it *is* a happy ending.)
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Scent: Umm... clove, berry, bright, something maybe mint, ???. I don't wear it for the scent, but the scent's not bad. Rock on. This TAL works. I love it. I dab onto my chakras in the morning before getting dressed. (And then put on some other BPAL as my scent for the day, on my wrists.) I have found that doing this, taking time for myself in the morning and gathering energy, to be absolutely invaluable, and it totally works. As angelicruin said, anxiety at work is decreased, and I can get through, despite similar stressors as before. Love, love, love.
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Oooooo, I agree with Belle Vinu - it's lovely and NOT FOODY. It's just really pretty & nice. Like an ACTUAL peach, not like peach-scented something.
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Izile, good question. I use Hackess' spreadsheet, and I don't rely on color coding (like Inventrix, because it's not searchable/sortable). Though I did assign a color to each category name, just so that it wasn't such a huge monolithic spreadsheet. I hide the LEs/Disc for the same reason - because I'm sticking to GC for the most part. I have a Status column that indicates when something is Wishlist or, if I have it, where it came from (date of purchase & from who if on the forum). I keep the wishlist scents sorted up at the top of the file so they're always easy to reference. I have a sort of "Then what" column that is what I'm doing with it - Keep the bottle, keep the imp, swap, meh/undecided. Also, if I did swap it, who it went to. My list is almost always sorted by this column, so I can quickly see what I have, what I have to give away that someone else might like, etc.
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I'm trying Antony again today, and I HIGHLY recommend it. At first I was dubious. But if I clear my mind of all my pre-conceptions, it is really like the southwest, perhaps better even than Coyote.
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A quick search in my spreadsheet of bpal turns up the following mostly non-LE: Lilium Inter Spinas - Hibiscus syriacus, white sandalwood, lily of the valley, apple blossom, and green fig Suspiro - Ylang ylang with white plum, white orchid, jasmine, calla lily and lily of the valley Dragon's Eye - A piercing, radiant perfume: dragon's blood resin, lily of the valley, lilac and galbanum. Wings of Azrael - Warm myrrh swirled with a bittersweet blend of violet, Lily of the Valley, juniper, cypess and cajeput Belle Epoque - Sweet opium, Lily of the Valley, vanilla, mandarin and red sandalwood Madame Tracy - tea rose, ume blossom, geranium, lily of the valley, violet, and heliotrope The Queen of Hearts - Lily of the Valley, Calla Lily, stephanotis and a drop of cherry Hymn - perfect rose absolute and Palestinian Lily of the Valley with olibanum, labdanum, frankincense and myrrh Bilquis - Honey, myrrh, lily of the valley, rose otto, fig leaf, almond, ambrette, red apple, and warm musk The Penitent Magdalen - Immortelle, lily of the valley, gaiac, amber, honey, white sandalwood, almond flower, blonde musk, and hyssop. La Mort Qui Danse - Black pepper, white ginger, Calla lily, and lily of the valley. Moscow - imperial rose, carnation, lush jasmine, lily of the valley, dark musk, amber, bergamot and gilded tangerine Judith Victorious - Chestnut blossom, lily of the valley, King mandarin, French magnolia, and golden musk. Endymion - d'Anjou pear, Lily of the Valley, bois du rose and white musk The only one I've tried of these is Judith Victorious, and it didn't strike me as floral, so I wouldn't start with that one. You could read the reviews for some that have your no-go scents like myrrh, to see how strong others found it where it's listed. Suspiro sounds beautiful.
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Wet: dust and oil, reminds me of a kind of thick/sludgy oil that is used in lapidary work (ETA: not that anyone cares but to clarify, I'm sure the oil doesn't start out sludgy, but since I work in shared shops, I've never seen it not be. ) Dry: Dusty sandalwood, dried grass, not at all sweet, a bit sour, soapy?, hm... I needed to retry this on a different day, which I'm doing now. There's a sourness that I really didn't expect, given the notes. I think I've let my expectations taint reality; this is so much higher / more sour than I was expecting that I can't reconcile to it. I want to like it but I just don't. I had the same feeling with Scarecrow, so I wonder if it's the lab's grass/sedge scent that disagrees with me.