angelamaria

If I remember correctly, there was some discussion about this when the discons were announced and I believe it was linden/linden blossom that was the problem component (ie the one behind the discontinuation). Such a shame, because linden blossom is gorgeous and Cottonmouth was one of my favourites from the Snake Pit. I'm just glad I have a couple of bottles hoarded away Oh, darn. So any linden blossoms that get released now is a different linden, then? (That sounded like a tongue twister...different linden then!) I got a couple bottles of A Wonderful Light but man, it's just not the same. Also, amber powder. Sigh. I'm hoping it's just the amber that is problematic there. I've got some Cottonmouth incoming to test ( this community) and I don't know if I'm hoping the Snake Oil ruins it for me (since it's odd on my skin chem) or the linden blossom saves the day. :s

Yeah, I also looked through the notes and couldn't really find a similarity between them! Maybe it's one or two components. Looking through the reviews they don't all feel alike. The Unicorn and Ether have the same ethereal feel, possibly Cottonmouth too (I've yet to try it), and I Died For Beauty and Little Sparrow and The Macabray are similar light scents. I care! Oh my god, you guys, I just found out The Unicorn was discontinued! Super late, I know, but I was basically on a four-year hiatus from BPAL and didn't even think to check if my favorites had been discontinued while I was gone. I'm so heartbroken. It's been one of my main scents for so long. Now I'm suddenly being overtaken by this feeling that I need to buy all the bottles of it I can find! I've still got one . . . but I don't want to be afraid to wear it. I hope and pray that whatever that component was, an alternative is found and this scent can come back. Oh I'm so sorry you only found out now I'm also scared of running out too, it's such a light scent that I slather it when I use it! I was just testing some things last night and was struck by how The Country of Eternal Light and Dust of Snow seemed like variations on the theme of The Darkling Thrush. Have you tried either of those recently by any chance? Oh! Yes, I should have. I don't have Country of Eternal Light anymore, but I do have my 1/5 decant of the latter and OMG you're right--they are very similar! And they rather dry down the same as well--I didn't get Dust of Snow because it went a bit "oily" on me after a while, and I got the same "oiliness" 30 minutes later on Darkling Thrush. Thank you! Man, I'm envious of you folks with such good scent memory

I hate following myself, but I was juuuust skin-testing Ether and looking at the notes here on this board, and noticed it was disconned in January last year. And I was suddenly struck--I knew that The Unicorn was disconned January last year (because I had cursed myself for not being into BPAL earlier!)--these two lovely blends obviously have one the same component that was problematic! So I went and looked through the news archives and discovered all the blends that got disconned the same time as Ether and The Unicorn. Cottonmouth The High Priest Not to be Described I Died for Beauty Little Sparrow The Macabray Melancholia Pannychis I know, this is super late and probably no one really cares by now, but I'm so sad for this beautiful component that died. Does anyone know what exactly this now-gone component is?

Crow Moon is very similar to Darkling on me (though not *quite* as lovely) I haven't tried that either! Hmm. Maybe it is just that the lab snow note is very notable for me that I immediately feel like there's a kinship to all the bottles. I have also realized that the thread is for disconned GC blends I was trying to find this thread again (because of the Darkling Thrush mention) and randomly entering addresses. So to stay somewhat on topic, I will suggest something another forumite and I were talking about just a while ago--I feel amazed that I haven't seen anyone yet suggest that Wulric the Wolfman dries to something slightly similar to Antique Lace. It's like chocolate Antique Lace on me. And for some reason, Faith is like violet Antique Lace, even if Faith does not have any vanilla. Maybe it's just my weird nose.

One of these days I need to do a deathmatch or ALLLL~ my "snowy" blends. Anyway, I'm testing The Darkling Thrush right now, and it's super lovely, but I feel like I've smelled this before recently! I've gone through my blends with snow notes in them and I can't seem to find out what this is, exactly. Anyone have any ideas? (And I haven't tried Dublin or Moon of Small Spirits, which is what Vega said above [and which is what made me look up this decant anyway].) I think snow notes along with vanilla is my doom.

In the imp: vanilla, almost minty, and honey-sweet (although I felt it was more "sugary" than "honeyed"). Slightly spicy from the pepper and ginger, and almost foody but not tipping over. Wet on skin: peppery, almost citrusy vanilla. This was the first time I thought that I must amp citrus, whihc is nice since I generally like citruses but sadly it burns a bit fast. Honeyed vanilla and tea, slightly minty. This is quite promising at this stage. This also reminds me of this White Rabbit candy we used to eat back at home, the chewy kind that you can eat the translucent wrapper as well. Ah, memories. Dry: citrusy honeyed vanilla. There is a bit of a kinship with Dorian, but this is a lot more honeyed, sweeter, gentler; a milkier, honeyed dorian, which I am loving. As it ages on my skin, the linen note comes out a bit more, rather like the linen in Antique Lace. However, about two or so hours in, the milk note goes sour on my skin and it gets quite gross. Verdict: sigh, too bad. I did not hope for much with this blend because Alice also went sour on me, but after the wet/early dry phase I was hoping that wasn't going to happen. Oh well! Otherwise, it's such a pretty scent and I'm sure will be well-loved.

In bottle: I'm getting resins, and a crisp golden orange color impression. This isn't exactly citrusy--there may be a bit but I tend to amp citrus a bit so I'm sure I'll be able to get that once it's on my skin. There are light florals here too, and something faintly dusty which sounds perfect for the desert feel. The story mentions "cinnamon and sandalwood smoke"--no smoke here, but yes on cinnamon (or cinnamon-like--it's somewhat faint) and sandalwood. Wet on skin: still a resiny, smooth golden orange smell. This is more full-bodied warmed by my skin--I'm not sure which note I'm getting, it may be patchouli or vetiver (they can be similar to my nose at times). Maybe both? Spicy, and as it dries it gets a kind of peppery feel. Someone pointed out a line from the book/story: Virginia Boote returned with a filled shopping basket. "Here," she said. "Red sandalwood and patchouli, vanilla beans, lavender twigs and sage and cinnamon leaves, whole nutmegs, garlic bulbs, cloves, and rosemary: everything you wanted and more. -- this sounds fairly close. When I originally tested this I had no idea I amped clove (or what exactly clove smelled like), but I did say in my notes that I think the spicy smell I'm getting is clove. No citrus. Dry: sadly, the desert dustiness has overtaken the blend once dried and given a couple minutes on my skin. Resins, vetiver/patchouli, and spices--I noted clove and sage. Verdict: I was lucky to have been able to try this lovely blend, but sadly the drydown was quiet dismal on me! It does smell like deserts and the phoenix, though!

In the decant: wow, the separation here is...well, interesting. Well, cocoa absolute can do that after warming it up and rolling it around to have the oils mix, I'm getting chocolate and herbs. It's a little confusing to my nose. Chocolate, lavender, sage. Not exactly a "good" combination. Wet on skin: whoa, this was quite tingly on the skin. Mostly chocolate, and the herbs have receded, but still around to give a bit of character to the chocolate. The vanilla is coming out. Quite creamy, lovely. Dry: chocolate, soft lavender, and vanilla. Not nommy, which is good--there is an herbal, almost floral tinge to this which keeps it from going foody with the chocolate and vanilla. The vanilla is to die for, that same lovely vanilla in Antique Lace. Creamy chocolate and french vanilla, with gentle herbs and florals. Verdict: gosh, every time I sniff this, I am blown away. It's a non-foody chocolate, and a very lovely vanilla, smooth and creamy and absolutely fabulous. Definite must-keep!

Annabel Lee is the saddest one for me so far.

In decant: tobacco flower, sweet pink flowers, and faint resins. There's a green sort of five here, somewhat feeling. Wet on skin: smoky floral, resinous, and almost vanilla-ey. Very pretty! I'm getting soft sandalwood, slightly powdery amber, and faint pink and white flowers, fresh and sweet. I'm quite in love! Such a beautiful, ethereal scent. Dry: this doesn't morph so much from wet to the dry phase, aside from a further smoothness and a lessening of that vanilla-ey feel, which I assume is the amber--makes sense, if the amber is a bit powdery. Smoky florals (which is, I suppose, why whatever powder the amber is turning into, it's well camouflaged)--this reminds me a little of Liz without the leather. Tobacco flower, white flowers, and soft resins. Very, very wearable floral. Verdict: oy vey. When I first tested this I was worried it would be difficult to find, and I'm right. Since it was a more expensive general catalogue/special edition scent, likely not a lot of people have bought this lovely scent before it got discontinued. I'm so sad. It's such a beautiful scent and so slather-worthy I'm having difficulty with my lone decant!

In bottle: oh beautiful rosy vanilla. There is a high rose note at the end as well, pure and white. A slight sweet coconut meat note too, if I think about it. Wet on skin: beautiful white rose and creamy vanilla. There is a hint of plastic though--we'll see if it will develop, right now it's quite indistinguishable. The rose IS powdery, but it's not overwhelming the scent and I can still get the rose somehow too. Dry: faintly rosy vanilla. Beautiful and understated and elegant. Later on, I'm quite wowed by the drydown of this vanilla, an Antique-Lace-y quality that's fabulous. Sadly, a little bit further from this stage, my old nemesis the rose just steals everything away again, and I'm left with a faintly rosy powder. Verdict: I included this in my keepers for a while, but after maybe three all-day uses I've had to bow my head in defeat: the rose just won't let things be. It's a very beautiful scent while it lasts, though!

In imp: a bright white almost-floral scent (maybe the sage, mixed with the other notes) with strong, juicy berries. Wet on skin: the sweet, full-on fruity berries are syrupy sweet, and I can't seem to get any of that nice floral quality I smelled while in the imp. Throw is faint. There is a slight powderiness to this blend as well, not too unpleasant--it helps keep the berries from being overwhelming. Dry: a straight up sweet, syrupy berry, almost going into the jam/jelly territory. There's a streak of coolness, almost minty, but refreshing against the strong berry note. The powder is gone. Actually, this is almost all berry, all the time--I'm not getting anything else. Young and vibrant scent. Verdict: definitely a bit too fruity even for my BPAL-newbie self. My notes say "almost single-note berry?" even though I obviously didn't have any experience with single notes, haha.

I think a lot of it depends on our own perceptions. I've never thought of "stone" from Black Opal, whether in the bottle or on my skin, but I know others have. I just assume that my nose just isn't picking up on some notes as others are, and that's fine, that's just the way it goes. I assume that notes like stone don't mean that Beth crushes stones to put it into BPAL...although I don't know, does she?! I never take anything like that literally -- i.e., stone, dirt, crypts, etc. -- but the description can definitely evoke that scent, or the feel of that thing.

I second Dirty! Another one might be Embalming Fluid http://www.bpal.org/topic/47-embalming-fluid/ "A light, pure scent: white musk, green tea, aloe and lemon." that one, to me, made me think more of laundered sheets than Dirty did, for some reason

In imp: just as described. This is a perfectly clean, freshly breezy smell, faint white/yellow flowers in the distance, with a hint of bright lemon. Wet on skin: clean, slightly floral, bright and summery. There might be a hint of mint somewhere, very faint, just a touch cool, that gives this a breezy feel. Lovely, fresh, and very refreshing. Dry: no change from the wet phase: bright, almost minty, breezy and clean floral. I immediately thought that this would be great in soap, although it's not particularly "soapy"--it just gives you that sense of fresh cleanliness. I also made a note back then that I liked this better than Embalming Fluid as a scent, likely because this wasn't as freshly-laundered-sheets as that one was, though this description actually says linen! Verdict: not as perfume, but definitely a very lovely scent with light throw.

In imp: sweet melon candy! Yummy. Wet on skin: sweet, ripe melon that's very candy-like. A simple, uncomplicated scent, with a tropical feel. Dry: this doesn't morph at all. This is playful, bright, fruity melon, straight up. The aquatic vibe is stronger when dry then when in the imp or wet on my skin, but checked and doesn't overwhelm the melon, just provides an interesting tropical backdrop. Verdict: this was one of my early keepers! I've since discovered that any fruity blends I have, no matter how I love smelling them, I hardly ever wear, and this was certainly one of the fruitiest.

In tester: this is a little confusing to my nose. It's somewhat fleeting, a sort of light musky floral that is not a floral. It's fresh, slightly herbal, but slightly sweet. Wet on skin: rich, but light musk. Definitely gender neutral, the florals are not that discernible, and I'd say this is more light greens and woods now. Very smooth! There's a faint powderiness as it dries, but it adds texture and is not the sort of powdery that says something has gone wrong. It does feel like "an amplification of one's natural musk", as it feels very natural and not at all like I've got something on. Dry: very, very nice. Musk, herbs, faintly woodsy, with a touch of sweetness to it. Definitely a skin scent, and it really does feel like the description. Very natural-smelling, subtly sexy and low-key, kind of like a scent to wear if you don't want someone to think you're wearing any perfume, that you just really smell this delicious. Verdict: this was actually a keeper for me for a while. It's rare, but I managed to track down a full bottle...but I find I don't really use it much! It's very unique, and I feel it's worth to keep for its very interesting properties, but right now it's not seeing any use in my collection

In bottle: apple with amber, rather creamy. This is a somewhat "grown-up" apple. Wet on skin: apple, herbs, and amber. Going on, it's almost sharp, with a touch of dark bitterness? There's an interesting, almost peppery texture which I'm owing to the mix of herbs. This smooths out while it dries. Dry: definitely apple--a beautiful, crisp apple, surprisingly bright without tipping over to a "young" sort of apple. There is a deep, almost boozy note that I can't quite put my finger on, I suppose that's the black amber, as it does get more prominent the longer it stays on my skin, edging a bit ahead of the apple. Verdict: this used to be one of my keeper blends, but eventually I decided I had to let it go. It's a wonderful apple blend, but not really "me".

Not GC, but I find the saffron in Pussy Moth is very similar to me. Underpants is a bit smoother and "simpler" than Pussy, but I find them relatively close enough. >_>

In bottle: dark and fuzzy is quite right! Chocolate and tonka, with sandalwood and white oleander, and musk wrapping them all snuggly. This is definitely "batty"! In a good way, of course. This is like a super super cute bat (the artwork is cute too!). Wet on skin: yummy chocolate and musk, and a definitely masculine tonka. Therefore, this is definitely a masculine blend (which is only fitting, I suppose) although the white oleander helps give it a bit of a feminine vibe to bring it a bit closer to a unisex scent. I suppose whether you get masculine or feminine really depends on your skin chemistry! It's a bit "woody" as well, thanks to the oudh and sandalwood. It's warm and fuzzy all right, pleasant and cozy. Dry: surprisingly light throw, or maybe my skin is eating this up. Back in the bottle I was thinking this may be one of those blends you must put only a small amount of, but I'm seeing that isn't the case. The white oleander is not very distinguishable now, leaving this a quite masculine blend with my kind of skin chemistry. There's yummy chocolate tonka and sandalwood, maybe a hint of the cassia for a slight spice. This will probably age pretty well. Verdict: very lovely blend, but not something I will wear myself. I wouldn't mind smelling this on a guy, for sure.

In imp: whoa, hothouse blooms! Past those almost-overwhelming flowers is a solid aquatic vibe to this, with a minty note. This feels a bit more than a "spike" of frost. The vibrant flowers and the minty-cool aquatic vibe is contrasting with each other beautifully, somehow. Wet on skin: starts out strongly like the imp scent. The hothouse blooms and cold mint blasts first and high, but this quickly softens and smooths out fairly considerably. It's smooth, but there's a spiciness to it that gives it an interesting texture without being actually spicy. At this stage, I immediately thought of this being a general catalogue replacement for Parsifal. I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison soon. Dry: newly dry, this doesn't morph on my skin, just smooths out a bit more, and softens around the edges. The hothouse flowers are front and center, with an undercurrent of aquatic, almost minty note. Visually, this makes me think of a lake frozen over, and you wipe off the frost at the top and see that under that ice, there are fiery vibrant blooms just frozen and waiting for summer. (I know, that's NOT possible, but never mind.) After a short while on my skin, I was suddenly hit with this blend being an "older" Annabel Lee--none of that candy drydown that Annabel Lee had on me, more subdued and "grown up". Now here's the clincher: I tested this for a whole day at work, and after noon, I went to take a good sniff...and I got that same beautiful drydown scent as The Girl has on me. Verdict: I'm supposed to be in the middle of a culling. But I can't help it--this is definitely a bottle purchase. I'll admit the notes describe aren't really that promising, but I'm so glad I gave this a try. The incense, clay, stone, and decay notes which are scary to me provide a wonderful calming and solid backdrop to the vibrant flowers and cool aquatic.

Goodness. I was randomly picking imps from my drawer to test, and came up with Inferno. I was going to not even skin-test, as it was so cinnamony and I was nervous, but I thought, well, at least I'll know if I had a bad skin reaction to it! So I dabbed, like, a dot. Or okay, a small comma. Had to wash it off. It was not an instant burn, but it's about 20 minutes after now and my wrist had a red mark the size of my thumb and still itchy, burny, and sensitive to touch. Well, at least I know now! Funny though, I've tried a number of things on this thread but those have not ever given me this reaction. I suppose it really matters how much cinnamon is in the blend.

Finally got to try this, after being able to try the protos first In imp: definitely honey, amber, and vanilla. It's sweet and creamy and full-bodied and quite sensual, rather luxurious. Wet on skin: this is very well blended. Each note comes up fleetingly but then melds back in with the rest. The amber is starting to turn to powder on me however, turning the blend into mostly powdered honeyed vanilla. Dry: powdery--this probably has the most amber between O v5 and O v6. It's sweetly-smelling honey and vanilla powder, soft and pleasant, which does have its charms. Verdict: oh well! It was a good try. The end result is rather pleasant, even though it is powdery.

In bottle: brighter than the released version. There's a definite coolness in this prototype. Wet on skin: slightly minty, and I think this is definitely more foody. Maybe there is less amber here, and the vanilla and honey are then more prominent, along with that minty note. I'm not too sure what sort of mint it is, it may be peppermint, or it may be something else entirely. It's a subdued sort of minty, not snow-note-minty, just adding a touch of brightness and "whiteness" to the vanilla and honey. Dry: mostly the same as the wet stage, but there is still amber in this for sure, as the blend's become mostly minty powder (with a bit of sweetness) for me. As it stays longer on my skin, the powderiness keeps getting stronger, until it's just mint and powder, a slightly "grandmothery" feel to it. Verdict: initially I thought this was so promising, as I like soft mint scents. Unfortunately, dry, this isn't my thing. It's "better" for me than the released O, but O v6 is still more up my alley than this one.

In imp: definitely green--salad greens sound quite right! There is also something sweet, almost fruity, along with the greens, but not tipping over completely. This is a ripe scent, with cut stalks, very "alive". Wet on skin: oh, this is so beautiful. Color impression is definitely green, with hints of other colors and ingredients--yellow, orange. This is a wonderful "garden" scent without soil and with very little flowers, but it's not an overtly "vegetable" scent. I keep thinking fruity, but it's not a "fruit" scent, just a ripe sort of green, inviting and vibrant. Dry: this didn't change on my skin from the wet to dry stage, other than becoming a bit softer around the edges. Green, ripe, alive, fresh--it really is a beautiful, fresh summer-y scent without being overly fruity. Verdict: I really like this! It was such a joy sniffing this and trying it on. Sadly this isn't something I would wear, even as enjoyable as it is. It's such a pretty scent.