Seajewel

Thank you! I’m intrigued by Dark Lace for sure! Black Lace is beautiful, but very low throw on me. Regarding A Vision of the Courtesan, you are spot on—I actually picked that up and did love it. There’s just something so magical about the BPALs that work. Buck Moon is so indescribable to me. Adam is so delicious. So on..

5 is a tight squeeze, but for now, would love recommendations for what I should buy (or hunt), if some of my favorite BPALs are: Buck Moon (original) OLLA Adam Black Lace Monster Bait: Underpants Dragon's Milk Ok I cannot keep it to five.. have to also throw in Mrs. Palmer's Establishment Atmosphere Spray as my favorite atmo of all time. Love both Bulgarian and French Tobacco SNs.. okay, I should stop. Any and all recs would be so very appreciated!

A BPAL treasure. When wet and in the bottle it does smell somewhat offensively cough syrup-y and overly sweet (and having once had an accident involving a spilled imp, I can say it is a very pungent smell), but it dries down to the most delicious smoky vanilla. This is not cloying or heavy the way honey often is on me (not a favorite of mine), nor is it an anemic white vanilla, or the spice of bourbon vanilla. I can't describe it but the dragon's blood resin must be lending the smoky aspect to it once the cough syrup part dies down. It's really beautiful. My bottle is ten years old and greatly beloved.

most things are too strong for me in the wet stage.. I almost always have to let it sit for a while before I can stand to sniff. Like Dragon's Milk is lovely honeyed vanilla but the wet strong dragon's blood stage is just too much.. Snake Oil has never worked on me, very medicinal, but it smells amazing on the boy. but yeah--maybe try letting the oils dry a little? and be very careful how much you apply. usually a drop or two is all I need as the oils are very strong. so, too much oil+wet stage would probably make me sick also..

Thanks!! I think I will try a scent locket if one that I love becomes available. I love Snow Glass Apples but that may never come back.. but we'll see what Puddin' has in store!

Also on my to buy list for some day. I need to find the right one. I'm also severely allergic to most jewelry, so I'm afraid I may just trade one allergy for another. I've also wondered how the scent locket changes scents. With Chimera, for example, the wet stage is very fiery and spicy but it dries down to the most amazing soft cinnamon scent on my skin. I wouldn't want the wet stage to go on forever in a locket..

Yep, good idea. With Chimera I didn't get a reaction until the 3rd straight day of applying it. But let's say that after that my skin was f'ed. I couldn't use anything, even the stuff I'd used without a problem before, like snake charmer, my very favorite BPAL, without breaking out in welts. this lasted for a long time and I finally gave up and quit BPAL for years. :/

I posted a few years ago about how Chimera sensitized my skin so much that I was unable to wear any BPALs.. this led to taking a long, long break from BPAL. I'm back and have happily re-obsessed myself. Then I made the mistake of applying Love Me to the top of my wrist. I think I applied on 5/3.. I still have blister like skin lesions on the area I applied, which I thought were going away but they aren't yet. and this is after I gently washed off the Love Me within five minutes after noticing the area was tingling. Sigh. I know, I know I have to be careful with cinnamon in blends, which sucks, as I LOVED Chimera. But at least let my skin be okay so I can wear my pretty Snake Charmers and Our Lady of Pains. I love BPAL. At least I've found out how awesome BPTP items are (the atmo sprays.. and I have hair gloss on order) so now I have some alternatives, but I would so dearly love to be able to wear BPAL. Without having to dilute in a carrier oil every single BPAL that I own. Which is too much work for my lazy self. Sorry, had to vent. which I've done on multiple threads already, I know! I'll have to try an anti-histamine.

What a wonderful sounding perfume, and the ginger sounds very similar to my bottle. I've just messaged someone about it, hopefully it'll be around for me to test soon. Thank you so much You're welcome! I'm not sure if it's the right one but I hope you will at least like it!! It is often named a very comforting scent, and the reviews suggest that some people get a baking note or are reminded of homes, etc. Who knows? Let us know how it works out!

Sudha Segara? "Named after the primordial ocean of milk where Lord Vishnu reclines upon the thousand-headed Naga. Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia." I remember liking this--not much throw but very comforting--and I need it in my life again.

my interesting experience with allergies/contact dermatitis to BPAL: so I used to use a bunch of BPAL without problems, then I used Chimera a couple days in a row, and it ruined my skin. after the second application, i realized there were welts on my skin. I washed Chimera off. After that, things i had used with no problem, such as Chaste Moon, Buck Moon started giving me rashes, as did virtually everything i tested afterwards, such as Elegba, anthelion, pretty much 80%+ of everything I tested after that. Some things never did end up giving me a rash, like Antique Lace and Morocco. Some things, like Snake Charmer, only started to give me rashes after I used them for a long time. It happened on my left wrist.. then after abusing (and by abuse, i mean using a drop or two at a time) my right wrist gave in and started reacting. After this, i used Snake Charmer diluted. and then for more than a year, I put BPAL away because of all my horrific reactions (itching, swelling, welts to EVERTHING, pretty much) and only recently picked it up again. I can use Snake Charmer, and Smut, and Minotaur, and all things I thought I wouldn't be able to, without any problem. Yet. So my skin has recovered. I want to use Chimera, but i'm wary, and if i ever do , it'll be in heavily diluted form. Weird experience, huh?

Sophie, thank you for your reply! it was really very illuminating, and helps me understand my skin better. Unfortunately i've found that the my right wrist, which up 'til recently had been rash-free is now reacting severely to Snake Charmer.. and i imagine all the other oils that my left wrist reacted to before, but not the right wrist. your explanation is perfect- before, my left wrist had been okay until i abused it for a few times with Chimera, and after that just about everything bothered it.. things that didn't bother my right wrist. Now my right wrist is throwing in the towel. I'm really crushed because i love love BPAL. i like the ones that my skin actually doesn't mind, but .. it's really upsetting to find that so many things cause rashes on me. i guess i'll have to look into diluting and test things out slowly. i also have 4 bottles of Snake Charmer. i'll keep it for special occasions. lol

Chimera contains myrrh and is a gorgeous scent, quite strong and long-lasting. It's cinnamony. Not sure if it's what you're looking for, but i love the scent, even though i can't wear it because my skin can't take it. :/ (and it's not the cinnamon necessarily.. i can wear Bengal but don't love it nearly as much)

How many of you ladies actually deal with rashes that go away eventually? The thing is, my skin hates BPAL, but i love it. My skin can tolerate some scents, like Antique Lace, Morocco, Dorian, etc. but it seems like 80% of the scents I try nowadays break me out. EVERYTHING. even the one wrist that was working for me won't. i also noticed that with Snake Charmer and morocco, they don't break me out separately but if i layer them they do.. i think it might have to do with the fact that i actually sort of rub it into my skin as opposed to other times when i put on Snake Charmer, i just dab it on with the cap and let it be. But these rashes show up about 30 mins after i put it on, and go away in about 15 minutes, and then things are fine. but i'm not sure if persisting with the oils is a good idea.. but i also can't live without Snake Charmer. just now i put on Pink Phoenix, which seemed like it would be ok- it seems like anything with a hint of spice will flare up on my skin, but i thought PP would be ok.. but nope. Rash. it seems to be going down a bit.. but there is one thing my skin will not and cannot forgive, and that's Chimera. that practically scarred my skin for weeks. so i'm afraid of all the experimenting, but want to know if anybody else has as terrible skin as mine, or experience with rashes that you just let alone until they go away .. any thoughts? i really need to try diluting.. :/ Edited to add: that is, i'm wondering about the reports i see of oils that "bite" but then calm down. Do you think it's harmful to keep using oils like that, and if it might exacerbate some kind of allergy or sensitivity?

well, all i know is Chimera has to go. the first time i got this imp, i put it on 3 days in a row, first day, no problem, 2nd day i noticed a few bumps, said, whatever! and 3rd day i broke out so bad that the scar-looking things didn't go away for 2 weeks. for some reason, i still bought a bottle. mainly because i was really really really hoping i could make it work, maybe if i only put it on sparingly. but no. put it on today. well, i was recovering from a cold and my skin chemistry's out of whack but it smells bad, for one thing.. though i loved it a couple months ago so i'm sure it's just the time of the month. but it helps with resolving that Chimera must go.. because though i attempted to wash it off thoroughly, it has left a red red rash all over my wrist. very ugly allergic reaction type rash. elegba also did this to me.. also buck moon.. regan.. chaste moon (only some times).. bearded lady.. snakecharmer.. i wonder what it is..? and i stil bought bottles of elegba and buck moon of course, as well as multiples of snake charmer (which i'm determined to use anyways)! wishful thinking.. i'll try them again, if it doesn't work, most of these are going to have to go in a swap pile. why does my skin have to do this? or why can't it do this with stuff i hate anyways? so in love with BPAL.. but for now the oils that don't break me out and i still love (antique lace, dorian, morocco are going to have to keep me company)

antique lace. the defining white musk and vanilla scent to me

Has anybody had a "general" reaction to BPAL? i'm starting to think that it's not that i'm allergic to the recent oils i've tried, my skin just can't take them. virtually every oil i've tried in the past few weeks has broken me out to some extent.. just little red bumps a few hours after applying. i know this didn't happen when i first started testing BPAL. i'm almost afraid to go slather on my old favorite, Dorian, set aside now while I work through a big pile of frimps from my first order, in case it breaks me out now also. i'll try that soon.. for now i'm nursing more bumps on my precious, infuriating left wrist. Maybe applying some kind of moisturizer before BPAL might work. i don't know! ><

I'm starting to think my skin isn't made for BPAL. i'm allergic to just about every oil, well, maybe not allergic, but at least sensitive. I tried Elegba last night, and instantly fell in love.. it was a bit too strong, but i knew i would like it once it dried down. 2 hrs into applying, i felt the telltale warmth at my wrist, and went and washed it off with soap and water. the scent lingered.. lovely sugary sweetness that melded well with my chemistry. woke up the next day with an angry red wrist. So far.. Perversion, Snake Charmer, Elegba, Bearded Lady, Chimera, Morocco MAYBE was starting.. possibly coconut is one? Though oils like Milk Moon, Snow White did not break me out (but i washed these off rather quickly ..) Dorian / Alice / Dragon's Milk I could wear day in and day out with no reaction. Either way, i'm starting to think almost everything I try is going to break me out to some extent. It may not be allergies, it may just be that i am super sensitive and the strength of these oils just wreaks havoc with my skin. I don't know, either way i am heartbroken. i really love so many of the scents that cause trouble that i'm hoping to use them sparingly once in a while. I guess we'll see.

i hate feeling like this is the only topic i'm really contributing to, but i'm new and still trying a bunch of BPAL.. and why is it that all my recent tries are breaking me out horribly? i looooved Chimera, the dry down is perfect on me, it's a sweet O-ish scent that doesn't cross over into the "too much sex" part that O does on me. i love it, i love it. First time i put it on, no problem. 2nd time, i notice bumps. 3rd time, entire area breaks out into little, ichy bumps that i've had to douse with hydrocortisone and still hurt and look red and irritated a day later. i bought a bottle of Perversion, knowing that it sort of broke me out the last time.. and now i know, from experience with Chimera, that it's not really possible to continue using something that i'm allergic to. i'm hoping the perversion (which i only tried once) was a fluke, and i'l lbe able to use it, cuz i love it. but Chaste Moon, Perversion, Chimera.. all break me out, itchy, icky, painful. i use dorian/alice/dragon's milk a lot with no problem. but i want to use all the ones i like!! i just wish there was something i could do. how to live without Chimera after i've found it once.. it's the drydown when the cinnamon is almost gone that i love, so i don't know if a scent locket would be the best thing. How many of you are discouraged/upset at the allergies you're experiencing since falling in love with BPAL? i know there are lots of lovely oils i can use without a problem, it's just that.. well.. i want to wear Perversion and Chimera!! =(

I was wondering what BPAL oils smell similar on you, maybe some that are almost identical with your skin chemistry, or just closely related? (Sorry if this is an existing topic, I did a search for similar and equivalents!) I just received and tried a decant of Chimera that smells lovely on me, but it smells almost identical to O- which, ironically, I didn't like on me! This is the part of O that is honey sweet without the sort of sharp, almost too overtly sexual part of O that just didn't do well on me. i can almost fake myself into smelling the cinnamon, but it's so faint.. i seriously would have thought O was just finally behaving well on me if I didn't know better. The imp I have of O is a cat's ear that was mostly used up when it arrived to me, so I don't know if that had any effect on the scent itself, or if Chimera would smell different on me at a different part of the month. What scents do you find similar?

ugh, now i think Perversion is breaking me out. So Chaste Moon and Perversion both give me itchy little red bumps.. i actually like them both too so this is bad! the bumps showed up like 10 hours after applying Perversion though, so maybe I scratched it or something to irritate.. also worked out right before the bumps showed up. I usually wear Dorian to running, and it's never caused bumps before. i wish i knew what it is with Chaste Moon and Perversion.. because i have a feeling i'll keep wearing them anyways.

Has anybody had any adverse reactions to Chaste Moon? it's the first bottle i ever received- in a swap from someone who said she loved it but was allergic. well, i've used it several times now on my wrist, and the last two times, i got red bumps and itchiness. i've never had that happen with all the other BPAL scents i've tried. both times, i was layering chaste moon with something else- once, O, and this time, Dana O' Shee, in attempts to make Chaste Moon a little sweeter. Could layering cause excess irritation? i'll have to try Chaste Moon on its own to make sure it's the culprit, but right now i'm pretty sad. it's a scent that i love in combination with Dana - Dana is normally just too almondy for me and Chaste Moon is too powdery, but together i got milk and honey, reminiscent of Alice but wthout the overwhelming powder. Any thoughts?