Christy

Thank you everyone, these are all great suggestions!

I've been a fan of BPAL for a while (I haven't participated much in the forums, mostly lurking) and just recently discovered that my younger brother follows BPAL on IG. I asked him if he had anything from BPAL yet but he doesn't. His birthday is coming up and I'd love to get him something to introduce him to BPAL but I'm not quite sure what to pick out. I was thinking an atmosphere spray and a perfume oil. He says he likes sandalwood, citrus, and soft scents. I'd greatly appreciate any recommendations. Thanks in advance!

It might be the tea rose note you're objecting to in Marie & 2,5,7 . . I utterly adore roses and seek them out wherever I can find them, but I find I don't always love BPAL's tea rose note. It's almost too candy-sweet and bright, and doesn't have that wonderful complexity that fresh roses do. I find the "red rose" and "white rose" notes seem to work better on my skin (although London is the tea rose exception for me-- whatever else is in that makes it lovely). Peacock Queen is definitely lush and full of roses-- I think of it as a "darker" rose scent (if you think of those roses that are so red they're almost black-- that's what Peacock Queen smells like to me). It's fuller than Rose Red, IMO. Pink Snowballs is soft and pretty, but the rose doesn't dominate much at all. And like most everybody else, I've never come across a rose scent as beautiful as Rose Red / The Rose. That smells exactly like a full-bodied red rose to me, thorns wet with dew. Thank you. It looks like I'm going to start out with an imp of The Rose the next time I do an imp pack. It sounds like it is highly recommended and possibly what I'm looking for.

Peacock Queen may be a bit heavy if I'm understanding you correctly. It's very lush and deep and more like what I think a commercial rose smell would be like. Pink Snowballs is OK, but a bit of a disappointment as it's not a balanced Rose Red + Snow White, it's more like 75% Snow White and 25% Rose Red. So, if the main note you want is rose, it's going to fall short. However, my FAVORITE rose BPAL, because I've never liked rose scents or rose perfumes, but I ADORE my Mothers rose garden with antique English roses and their smell, I like "The Rose" under Marchen. It smells the most realistic out of all the rose BPAL's I've tried. You really get the smell of a real, fresh, antique rose bush - yes, the whole bush. To me, it's the end all be all for the most true-to-life rose smell. oh, and for those considering Rose Red from the LE line, the difference between Rose Red and The Rose is *very* negligible. I believe Rose Red has *slightly* less "bush" and more "flower", but you'd really have to have them side by side to hash it out. Thank you, I'll have to try The Rose. To me, 2,5, & 7 smelled kind of powdery and overpowering, and I think that roses in real life have a more sweet smell to them. I tend to get headaches really really easy so I look for fragrances that are not too strong. Clarimonde borders on being too strong, the first time I tried it I put too much on and got a headache but loved the scent. Now I just tap the lid on my wrist and it's enough to last all day. I'm thinking of attempting to dilute Marie with something to see if it won't be too strong for me to wear.

I have a question about Peacock Queen and Pink Snowballs. I like to think that I like rose scented perfumes because I absolutely love the smell of real roses. So in my first order I ordered Marie and 2,5,& 7. Neither of those worked for me, I instantly got a headache from both, and they weren't what I was hoping for. I then tried Clarimonde, which I absolutely love, I'm pretty sure that I can smell the white rose note in it. ETA: So I don't think that my head completely rejects rose scents (I'm hoping not). So my question is, how do Peacock Queen and Pink Snowballs compare to 2,5,& 7?

I too love Forties film noir, so I can relate to the search for a femme fatale fragrance! Anyway, I haven't tried this one yet and it doesn't have the notes you mentioned, but I think the name and description fit with film noir. Penny Dreadful: "Also called Gallows Literature. A dime novel rife with melodrama, horror, madness and cruelty; a ten cent analogy of vice and virtue in conflict. Soft perfume evocative of noir heroines over rich red grave loam."

This is probably an easy one but I wasn't quite sure on the pronunciation; Dana O'Shee. Is the last part like "Shay" or is it like "She" as in "She went shopping"? Thanks!