Honor

So I am the only one who finds that The Great Sword of War and Kali smell very similar?

I'm sure most of it's just me, as I don't smell ANYTHING in Kali, except the tobacco and cocoa, and that's exactly what I get from TGSW.... I have severe sinus issues so I'm almost always a little stuffed up, making it hard for me to get any subtle scents, only strong ones really come through for me mostly... I thought that I'd smell at least a LITTLE bit of a difference between the two though and I can't.

So it is just my nose, or does anyone else out there think Kali and TGSW smell alike?

If my nose doesn't detect a difference soon I'm swapping one of them out.

Haha, just kidding, I thought it was unreleased, but I just couldn't find it.

In Bottle: Citrusy, woodsy and slightly "Green" with a hint of spice...not a heavy scent, but complex.

Wey: Although my sniffer isn't nearly as sophisticated as other BPAL-ers... I get lemon verbana and honeysuckle immediately on my skin. The woodsy scent has dissappeared, but the lemon and honeysuckle are apparent, although not sharp. There's something smoothing them out and I can't tell what it is.

Dry Down:

Completely turned around. The citrusy/honeysuckle I was smelling is still there, but in the background. The woodsy smell is back (cedar maybe? I can't tell), while at the same time reminding me faintly of dorian... in that there's a sugared, smooth musk smell at forefront. Very complex and hard to accurately describe.

Throw: Eh. Average. Many citrus smells don't last on me very long, so I'm really thinking there's got to be lemon verbana in this.

Overall: I liked this all the way through, from bottle to dry down....although it morphed considerably. In the long run, once it's dried I am reminded of a sprightlier, brighter dorian... citrus/honeysuckle behind warm, sugared musk... and a sprinkling of spices.

Of course, I could be completely wrong and find out none of those scents are in this blend, but that's what my sniffer made of it.

I see now I was completely and utterly incorrect on every assesment of the notes I thought were in it. Funny how blends of things can smell like something they aren't.

Score: (1-5, with 5 being best) I give this a 4, only because there just isnt' enough throw on me. If this could last 8 hours on me without reapplication I'd give it a 5.

An interesting side note: This is the only scent so far which has caused my boy to give an active reaction ("I *like* that)... as opposed to usual "eh" or "pretty good" that I usually get from him. He's not a scent man at all, and doesn't really care what I smell like as long it's not BO ... and when he does like a scent, all I can usually get is "pretty good". So for him to react the way he did is unusual.

EDIT: Merged into existing thread. --Shollin

ETA: Edited because I'm silly.

I did a very silly(ok, stupid) thing on my Nov 15 order and just now realized it.

I paid with paypal using the online processor (CCnow) instead of going into paypal and sending it that way. I don't know WHY I did that(I ordered before using paypal so I should know better), but for some reason I did. So what should I do now? The payment shows up on my paypal account, but it shows as going to CCnow.

ETA: nevermind. I saw the previous pages where others did it and just emailed the labs customer service myself.

Being the curious little puppy that I am, I went on the hunt in for some scientific articles/journals with EO research.

After searching for about an hour through blackwell synergyonline (yay! for University libraries and free student access) I came across ONE article on the potential toxicity of *pure, undiluted* EO's.

The article was on Lavender, long thought to be "Safe" for pure, undiluted application and thought to be one of the more "gentle" oils...yet this research proved otherwise... they did research on just the effects of lavender oil on skin cells (not blood, liver, or fatty tissues) and found that the oil actually caused a 50% inhibition in cell growth.(relatively speaking of course) I have a PDF file of the full article if anyone is interested.

I'm not trying to naysay anyone,...just putting it out there that just because EO's are "natural" doesn't make them safe and just because you can't *see* any effects, doesn't mean they aren't there.

It just worries me when I hear of people applying pure EO's to their skin is all.

And it furthers the idea that Beths blends aren't pure EO's..to me at least. Like loveandprozak (great handle btw!!) said, if they were pure, they would be incredibly strong, too strong for perfume.

ETA: re: the person who said tea tree oil is safe to be applied pure... that is also an iffy situation. At the very least, I know tea tree oil is toxic to cats... I say this because I know many people like to try more natural remedies for their animals, and while tea tree oil is an antibiotic, it's toxic to cats, and a respiratory irritant to rats. just FWIW

A dear friend of mine is the adopted father of two wonderful boys, aged 3 and 5. The youngest boy constantly wakes up from night terrors, screaming and has a hard time articulating what is scaring him. What oils would you suggest to help? I have heard Baku helps. I'm trying to compile a list so I can send oils to my friend and see if it helps. Thanks.

just putting this out there...but lavendar may help promote more restful sleep. The lab doesn't sell pure notes though, but maybe something like Twilight or Oneiroi .

If you want just lavendar, you might want to try it as an oil applied to his bed linens or something.

ETA: I didn't even really read the other part of the description of Oneiroi..just the notes... not trying to give him more nightmares!

I've put any number of essential oils directly on my skin without any ill-effects.

Nattie quoted this and someone else mentioned it earlier.

 

Just wanted to mention that negative effects of applying pure EO's to the skin may not be immediately or readily apparent...but rather, it is a cumulative build-up effect which can prove toxic to the body in other forms: later liver, blood damage, later occuring allergies etc.

 

Just wanted to let you know, that it may not seem to have negative effects immediately, doesn't mean they aren't affecting you internally....and like I said, it's mostly a cumulative effect.

 

Then I really would like an official answer on this... :-/

Me too... but I'm pretty confident in Beth's abilities to do research into her products. I think alot of people here have been confusing EO's with synthetics and that's not the issue. We know she only uses natural oils, but the question is whether the BPAL perfume oils are pure, undiluted oils or scented extracts with some dilution.

Part of the problem regarding EO's is that there is little, if any actual long term official research done on the effects of straight, applied EO's on the body...research which examines the micro aspects (blood, liver,etc) as well as the macro (potential obvious physical side effects)

I've put any number of essential oils directly on my skin without any ill-effects.

Nattie quoted this and someone else mentioned it earlier.

Just wanted to mention that negative effects of applying pure EO's to the skin may not be immediately or readily apparent...but rather, it is a cumulative build-up effect which can prove toxic to the body in other forms: later liver, blood damage, later occuring allergies etc.

Just wanted to let you know, that it may not seem to have negative effects immediately, doesn't mean they aren't affecting you internally....and like I said, it's mostly a cumulative effect.

Just my .02.

Edited for spelling.

What about Peitho? It doesn't have identical notes, but here's the lab description:

 

"The Goddess of Persuasion, Seduction and Sexual Wiles. A member of Aphrodite’s retinue, she is also Aphrodite’s daughter and sister to Tyche and Eunomia. Lusty myrtle and jasmine with red sandalwood, stargazer lily, and clove over an opulent, rich bed of warm musk and bourbon vanilla. "

hmmmmmmmmmmm... that sounds like it could at least be interesting....worthy of adding to my wishlist at least.

I looked through many descriptions and it seems like Mata Hari comes kind of close.

Incidentally, I went to put some of my beloved "Good Life" on and it smells nothing like it did. All sharp and alcoholy. I KNOW I've been smelling whiffs of it here and there and with the warm humidity that my room tends to be, I'm wondering if it wasn't notes of the perfume coming out (the bottle is about 5 years old and the cap isnt as snug as it was) so now I can't even use THAT.

Must find equivalent....

Hope I'm in the right place. Think I'm in the right place.

So, I'm still a newbie to BPAL (and a poor student) and so have not been able to sample ALL of Beths illustrious scents. I've found that her "light" "Fresh" "aquatic" and "green" scents do really well on me, but fade quickly. Florals hate me and honey becomes powder on me.

Most of the time I prefer the lighter scents anyway...but sometimes I want something a bit thicker, smoother and heady...basically a scent similar to my current favorite perfume (still).... no offense to Beth and BPAL of course, but I've yet to find a scent like it. I absolutely adore it... of course it's a commercial type perfume, so I know it has fixatives and the like, but I'd be thrilled to shit if I could find a BPAL scent that is at least similar to my current perfume. I want to find a BPAL scent (instead of just buying more perfume)) because for one, BPAL really is cheaper in the long run. (if I get an imp and dilute with jojoba at least) and because I like variety and would honestly rather support a "small" buisness owner like Beth who knows and cares about her customer base rather than a faceless entity.

I've tried various BPAL scents that I thought might smell like this, but alas, nothing. I know there are many of you out there who have tried *everything* it seems and know alot more about scents and layers than I do, so I thought I'd see if anyone more seasoned than me might have an idea as to what might either a: emulate or b: react similarly to the perfume I have now.

The actual perfume is called "Good Life" by Davidoff, and the notes go like this:

Top Notes

Citrus, Ylang-Ylang

MIddle Notes

Jasmine, Rose, Magnolia, Fig Leaves

Base Notes

Woody Notes, Fig Milk, Vanilla

So.... ideas?

In the bottle:

Nothing distinct...but very familiar and... soapy?

Wet:

Similar to how it smelled in the bottle, although I can start to smell the orris and lilac and a touch of violet, I think.

Drydown:

Still "soapy". Not in a bad way...but that's what it's reminding me of. I can't pick up the lavendar or sandalwood at all. Maybe when totally dry?

Dry: Faint feminine, floral smell...still mostly soapy though.

Another "it's not a bad smell,but just isn't for me"...which is too bad. I REALLY REALLY wanted this to smell good on me after reading the notes description.

I'm begining to find that florals just aren't for me... all the floral scents hate me.

Overall though, the scent *does* remind me of a veil...soft and mysterious somehow... even through the "soap" smell, it gave the impression of soft laughter and shy, yet flirty maidens giggling under their veils at the boys.

Recommended for someone else with whom florals work well.

In the bottle:

Honeysuckle prevailing, with the jasmine underneath and the lemon yearning to come out...absolutely no spice....

yet

Wet:

Sweet and complex, warm spice. No lemon, and no jasmine at all now, the honeysuckle has taken over. It overwhelms my nose a bit, but I'm thinking I like this scent on me...

until

Drydown:

It still smells nice...but it's gained more of a strange sweet smell and the spice, which was warm when wet, smells artificial now. In all honesty...it makes me smell like an "autumn" scented candle. It's not a bad smell, I quite like the smell itself...but it's not something *I* want to smell like... would be nice for a house/room scent to put in an oil burner... but not right for me. Plus, my nose burns something terrible.

*le sigh*

Just got this one in, and I think it's going right back out.

Its a shame... complex scents don't do well on me, but last longer... light, fresh scents always smell fabulous on me, but my skin just "Eats" them up...

And thus, while they have an aromatic structure, they may not be as volatile as their natural counterparts.

I'm horrified with myself because the word "Aromatic" brings up an image of aromatic (i.e. benzene and the like) rings and resonance.

I actually DID learn something in organic chem. Imagine that.

And thanks for the reply, that makes sense....shoulda figured it out on my own. LOL.

and thanks to darklorelei as well.

I do think the carrier will help the duration as it may allow the oils to seep further into my skin and be released more slowly ....working on hour 5(w/ a carrier) and I can still smell it more than I could before so hopefully it's not just a fluke effect.

I think my pH will still degrade it faster than "normal" people but the carrier does indeed seem to be helping.

Tonight I diluted a couple 1:1 (I love my scents fairly strong) into those roller bottles with the fractionated coconut oil my sweet 'daughter' sent me. So far they seem to be nicely scented, and I can use more than just a drop to get scent. I dont know if there will be lasting power more than usual or not.

And this is what confuses me.... whether or not the carrier oils increase the duration of the scent, or (using the same amount of diluted as you would non) do the carriers decrease?

What I'm really not understanding is why normal "perfume" lasts anywhere from 6-8 hours on me... but the oils(non diluted), when I apply the same amount or MORE only last about 4 hours? shouldn't the oils last longer on my skin than diluted down perfume?

I was trying to figure out what I could do to turn my BPAL oils into "perfume" do I add water or alcohol? and in what amounts?

Nevermind. Found the thread with a link for alcohol dilution content.

Got an imp of this for free with my very first order, and decided to give it a whirl today.

Even though I knew what notes it was comprised of before I put it on,I couldn't pick out any one note or scent.... it just smelled..."Warm"... warm, and smooth and a bit spicey. Somethign I liked overall, but I'm not sure why.

Put it on and I can't quite pick out the tea, but the creamyness of the milk comes through and I can sense the honey and ginger trying to come out.

I didn't get a chance to really pay attention to this during the day (usually when I try a new scent I make a point to sniff it avarious points in the day and make mental notes. Good lord, I'm such a junkie)...

but it never let me forget it...at various spots in the day while typing or just moving about, I would get wafts of the scent coming from me and it was just so heavenly!

At some point when I did ask how the boys I work with liked it, they picked out a "powdery" scent that I hadn't consciously picked up but once mentioned I did note. (the guys thought I was wearing "Jezebel" which makes me smell like a baby nursery).

I suspect it's the honey which imparts the "powdery" smell on my skin(the only note this has in common w/ Jezebel)

...although it was more subtle in White Rabbit and didn't bother me at all the way Jezebel did.

Later in the day, the powdery smell is nearly gone and just a warm vanill-y scent pervades....and again I'm not a huge fan of vanilla, but this is driving me wild. I suspect the tea is what tempers it all out.

But especially important to me... is the fact that this scent has STAYED on me! I'm so excited because every other oil from BPAL I have tried so far only lasts about 4-5 hours on me...and this has lasted for 10 so far!

I don't know what it is about this scent, but its the only one that has lasted this long AND the smell drives me nuts. Makes me feel sexy and confident and just mmmmmmmm.

So happy this was included! Am definetly getting a larger vial of this later...

However, I was reading about making sprays earlier, and several folks in there stated they get much longer lasting scent with sprays. Perhaps that's another idea you can try?

Yea, I was looking in the thread about sprays too....was thinking of diluting with the jojoba oil and putting it in a spritz bottle (somone posted a website that sold them bookmarked it)

Would it spritz w/ oil you think? I don't really want to dilute with vodka and can't afford to buy the "perfumers" alcohol.

Wow this is an old thread. Hope people still read it.

Anyway, I hope no one else has asked this before, but I scanned through all three pages and didn't quite see my question addressed. Apologies if I missed the answer.

My biggest problem with the BPAL oils is even with the "rich" or "deeper" oils, they fade away before middday on my skin. I have fairly "Acidic" skin pH so I suspect that has something to do with it.

So would adding a carrier oil help to "retain" the scent in my skin? Or make it worse? I know it dilutes the scent so I'd have to put more on my skin itself, but that wouldn't bother me since adding the carrier "creates" more volume.

Also, for those of you trying to find a carrier oil, I do know the Jojoba is one of, if not the oil closest to our skin oils and grapeseed oil can have theraputic properties.

I am in LOVE with this scent, but I do think the lemon could be toned down abit. Not a lot, just a little teeny bit.

In the bottle, I smell mostly the lemon, but the lightness of the tea and musk comes through a bit.

Wet; Lemon. Just Lemon.

Drying: Now the green tea comes out and combines with the lemon and I am in a warm, happy place.

Dry: Same as drying, maybe a bit more white musk. But it doesn't seem to stick around on my skin as long as other scents do. I have acidic skin, so I think I tend to "destroy" lighter scents quicker.

What I sometimes do to "capture" the scent and make it last, and to also tone down the lemon is to spray some of my "green tea" body spray over myself after I put the oil on. Not enough to make everyone around me sneeze, just a spray or two.

For the life of me I can't find the aloe, but I'm sure without it, this would smell different, maybe not as light.

Also: the name really threw me off. When I think of embalming fluid I either think of wet moldy wood smells (not necessarily bad, but I'm strange) or even formaldehyde.

I'm glad I didn't pay attention to the name, but rather the description.

I too, wanted so badly to like this scent. The description is delicious and I love the character after which this scent is named.

Upon initial "whiff" (wet, in the bottle) ...the self proclaimed honey-orange smell. Sweet, but not nauseatingly so.

I was disappointed then, to find that once on me, even wet, all I got was baby powder. Baby powder with a rich, vanilla smell underneath....but baby powder nontheless. I couldn't smell the sandalwood at all.

Unfortunetly for me, I HATE the smell of baby powder (good for me I don't plan on having children!) and the scent never went away. In fact, I WANTED to like the rich undertones but the baby powder smell blew it for me.

This one is going in my swap list for sure.

Edit: Also, this is only one so far which has made me sneeze.