hypothermya

Spectre First Impression Lily. A very clean, white, almost florals after the rain lily scent mixed with the faint scent of lilac. I love Beth's lilac blends... Wearing It The white sandalwood in this, which is picked up a lot by my skin, reminds me of the sandalwood in Kuang Shi. Almost bitter. This must be awfully close to what Hakkotsu smells like, with the lily and sandalwood mix. Mainly this is a very white, white floral blend, with the undertone of lilac lending it an etherealness around the edges. The white floral part, is almost creamy and silky smelling, but is so strong and vibrantly white that it isn't nearly as soft as silk or cream would be. I'm definitely not a fan of florals, so this scent isn't for me. But as far as austere, beautiful, and haunting white florals go, this one captures it beautifully.

Deimos First Impression Smells like oranges and oil and incence. Kinda reminiscent of keroscene, actually, if it had fresh orange oil and the slightest smidgen of incense mixed with it. Wearing It This turns very pleasant smelling on me, actually. It's got that deep dark musk that Bewitched has, which develops on my skin right away. (my skin loves musk and will pull it out of any scent.) But besides the musk, this reminds me a bit of the Chinese graveyard I used to do security for. I'd always smell the scent of orange peels and orange oil drifting through the air, mingling with the scent of incense. And the civet or ambergris gives it the scent of something animalistic, but not too much so. Overall it smells like a dream in a deep dark woods. Something musky and animal like, with incence and oranges. Very nice.

The Hermit is a good scent to try. Very similar to The Apothecary, only...no fig notes that I can tell.

I think that if I were to order an essential BPAL starter set for anyone, it would have to have: Snake Oil Morocco Queen Mab Embalming Fluid Pele Tarot: The Star That's just based on popularity, eliminating the less popular ones with similar notes/feelings/etc. If I were to give a starter set based on scent preference, I'd probably include: Floral: Queen Mab Fruity: Bordello Incence: Scherezade Fresh: Embalming Fluid Gourmand: Snake Oil Animalistic: Wanda

Blood Initial Impression Smells good....sexy, in fact. At first there's a bit of clove cigarettes and that tang of cherry cough syrup, but then the after-smell becomes this spicy, smoky cherry scent...thick and sexual. Yum. Wearing It When I put it on my skin, the first thing to make itself known is the cloves. Really, the clove scent dominates the entire time, and it's delicious. Smells husky and smoky, just like clove cigarettes without the scent of the smoke itself. And the dragon's blood kicks in, smelling like spicy cherry resin, and then comes the cherries themselves. This is really the only part of the blend that disappoints me -- the cherries, like most fruit scents on my skin, half way disappear and half way go sickly sweet. But fortunately this is mostly clove and dragon's blood on me. And I'd forgotten that there was myrhh in here until I checked the ingredients, and I suddenly realized what that sweet, sensual smoky smell came from... This is really a delicious perfume. I'm surprised more people don't rave about it. I admit that it was at the bottom of my wishlist, mainly because there are so many "blood" perfumes (blood rose, blood lotus, blood countess, blood everything) and because there are so many great dragon's blood blends to try. It just seemed like one of the other dragon's blood mixes. But the cloves and myrhh really bring this one to life, and I think that it's actually vying with Dragon's Heart as my fav. dragon's blood blend. I'm definitely going to be enjoying my imp of this, if not getting a larger bottle.

Delerium First Impression Oh, yum. Mainly lemon and a hint of apple and rose from the vial. Smells delicious. Wearing It I don't wear rose very well, since it tends to overpower everything else in a perfume blend. But I tried this out anyhow, cause it just smelled too good to pass on. Just as it's drying, the rose and lemon and apple even out (although the apple is always towards the bottom of the scent hierarchy) and it smells just divine. It's like Cancer, but sweeter and less wispy. It's got this sweet lemon scent mixed with a really lucious rose...the rose isn't a red rose and it isn't a white rose either...it reminds me more of the pink and yellow home grown roses in my mother's backyard, sweet and soft and powdery. And the apple behind it gives this scent another crisp, sweet scent to mingle with the rose and lemon. It's just lovely. And then of course it turns to pure rose the minute it dries all the way. But the initial phase is great. I wish someone I were close to would wear this scent, so I could smell it in that wet phase frequently...

Old Morocco also shares the same unspecified "spices" and the "musk" component, as well as the cassia. I'm not sure what it would be, and I suspect that only testing out different perfumes will give you the answer (if that). But good luck.

I know how difficult it can be to get a perfume for your mother. Bizarrely enough, I tried to get my own mom some fragrances similar to the ones she wears and she refused to be swayed by those florals. Instead she went for all of the spicey musky ones. Weird. And she ended up not being swayed, because she was so allergic to all of the oils... But she does love the perfumes themselves. Anyhow, here's the notes in your mother's favorite perfume: Cabotine Top Notes: Peach, Plum, Cassie, Tagete, Green notes, Coriander Middle Notes: Ylang-Ylang, Rose, Tuberose, Jasmin, Heliotrope, Orris, Carnation Base Notes: Cedar, Vetiver, Musk, Tonka Bean, Amber, Vanilla, Civet Another site lists the notes as being Top Notes: Orange blossom, tangerine, ylang-ylang, peach, plum, greens, cassie, coriander Heart Notes: Ginger lily, iris, hyacinth, tuberose, rose, carnation, jasmine, heliotrope Base Notes: Sandalwood, black currant bud, musk, vanilla, amber, cedarwood, civet, vetiver, tonka bean Well, the good (and somewhat unusual news) is that your mother's skin chemistry plays well with both vetiver and civet, which most people have a problem with. This means that the range of perfumes available to her is huge. The bad news is that this doesn't help narrow down the list. But let's try to narrow it down anyhow. Universally, Cabotine is refered to as a green floral. So let's try to find something that has a heavier concentration of florals in it, perhaps with some vanilla or amber notes. Siren or The Lady of Shalott One of the characteristics of Cabotine, from the reviews I've found, is that the gingernotes in it are fairly noticeable. While they don't make up the heart of the perfume, they certainly add a key component. Therefore, either of these perfumes would be a good choice. Siren has more emphasis on vanilla/jasmine combination and Lady of Shalott has more of a clear, watery floral emphasis. Both are lovely, but I would suggest L of S if you are planning on getting Tamora, and Siren if you are not planning on getting Tamora. Or, perhaps some Siren fans will speak up on Siren's behalf and convince you to get it anyhow. Tamora While this is lacking the strong florals that seem to make up Cabotine, it's mainly composed of notes that provide the backup to Cabotine's florals. Amber, peach blossom, vanilla bean, and sandalwood. This one is also a very popular scent among vanilla/amber fans, and I figure there's a good reason for that. Marquise De Merteuil This one caught my eye because it seems to be a combination of florals, amber, and peach -- which happens to echo the notes of Cabotine. It also has a good base scent of vetiver in it. No reviews yet, because it's a newer scent, but it seems like it would be just the thing your mother would like. Mata Hari This has some really strong floral notes to it, with tonka bean, vanilla, mahogany and coffeee to ground it. The one thing I'd caution you on is that it smells like pure coffee out of the vial, and that if your mother doesn't give it time to dry down, she'll never smell what a lovely floral it can be. Bathsheba Another one that's been released too recently to have reviews, it seems like this has another ideal combination -- plum, carnation, and arabian musk. Since plum is another of the fruitier notes that appears in Cabotine, I figured I'd try to find something with plum in it... And the carnation (a slightly spicy floral) and the musk (which is also present in Cabotine) make this an ideal perfume to give to her. Belle Epoque I'm not sure why I'm so intent on sticking in some new scents in this list of recommendations, but this is another one that kept saying, "I have a ton of notes that match up with Cabotine! Don't ignore me!" It's got a floral, a fruit, vanilla, and sandalwood...all of which do match up with Cabotine. And it being the "pretty era" scent, this seems like it should be a classic sort of perfume. And...that's all I'll recommend for now. I was also eyeing Namaste and some others, but these I think best fit the bill. Perhaps some other forumites will pipe in and you'll be able to pick whichever scents get the most recommendations. Good luck, and don't forget to tell us what your mother thinks of the perfumes!

Yerevan Initial Impression Smells delicious! I'm so glad I ordered an imp of this, even if I won't be able to wear it. Dumb skin chemistry. It's got the same apricot note as Katharina, only instead of being so bright and clear, this has color and texture. It's apricots and roses and pomegranate. Sweet fruits and flowers, all the way. Wearing It I haven't even tried this on my skin, as my skin would turn the scent into pure rose. However, I did make my sister try it -- although not much convincing was needed, since she smelled it and was suddenly gushing over how good it smelled. On her skin it started out as apricots very heavily, but after a few minutes the rose and pomeganate and orchid came out more strongly. All of the notes had an even hand (although rose and apricot were dominant, they never over crowded the other notes) and created this very juicy, warm, and vibrant mix of florals and fruits. This smells so good that I'm probably going to try it out on my skin anyhow, just so I can mourn the effect of my skin chemistry... This reminds me of all of the good qualities of Swank, Katharina, and Bella Donna Della Dia Mente together... It smells just divine.

Samhain, 2004 I've already posted a review for 2003, so I'll keep this one as short as possible and focus on the differences. Initial Impression In the bottle, it smells lighter than 2003. Almost smells exactly like Jack II, for that matter. Yummy, buttery pumpkin. Wearing It I was almost disappointed when I put this on, because at first is was just pure pumpkin and smelled just like Jack II. Which is nice, but not quite what I wanted from Samhain revisited. But, just to show me that I was jumping to conclusions, it morphed, and became that gorgeous pine/woodsmoke scent with pumpkin at the back. And then, apples last just like 2003, the cider/mullein scent emerged. Overall, this is very, very similar to last year's. The only real difference I can smell is that the pumpkins are more buttery and the apples are less prevalent. I still love this one with all my heart, and am currently slathered with it. One thing that I did notice, though, which I suspect I never had enough oil of 2003 to discover, was that when I applied it to my neck, I got a burning sensation. It lasted for about five minutes. So...from now on, I'm applying it lightly on my neck.

First Impression Gardenias and ginger. It isn't the sweet gardenia in Sacred Whore of Babylon or in Le Serpent Qui Danse. No vanilla here. This is a fresh watery gardenia (smells just like when I picked them from the bush outside my childhood house and put them to float in a bowl of water) with bits of ginger and musk. The sweetness that is there almost reminds me of fruits (peaches or apricots) but I know there aren't any in here. Wearing It Gardenias love my skin. The first thing to pick up and strengthen in scent is the gardenia, and it almost overpowers everything else in the scent. Thankfully it isn't nearly so bad as roses are on my skin (which take over the entire scent), and as it dries the musk notes come out along with a gentle amount of ginger and aqautic notes. As it finally dries entirely those clear water notes reemerge and grant it that watery loveliness that I first smelled in the vial. It's very clear, and amusingly enough also reminds me of the famous portrait of Ophelia, laying in crystal waters surrounded by floating flowers. But fortunately, this also works beautifully for the Lady of Shalott as well. Very graceful, feminine, and lovely. I think that this will have to compete with Venom for my upscale, femme perfume. And I'm thankful that there's finally a gardenia perfume that I can wear.

Chaos Theory, Fractal Fragrance XCV (95) guess description: Languid. This fragrance brings to mind foggy mornings overlooking the beach, with the scent of the waves and the citrus breezes lulling you into hypnotic relaxation. *I recieved this one from clover. There is no previous review.* Initial Impression Light and vaguely fruity. Maybe orange, or maybe orange blossom? It's got some aquatic notes too, if my guess is right. Wearing It Definitely orange blossom. It's got that slightly fruity sweet note that I recognize from Katharina. It's also going a little bit soapy on me, which argues for the aquatic/ozone notes again. How interesting. Also smells as if there might be some sandalwood in here also. This one's really, really hard to pin down. It's light. It's a bit salty. It's citrusy. It's slightly floral. And it's watery. Yet it isn't any of these in extreme. A very gentle scent.

Chaos Theory, Fractal Fragrance XLVIII (48) guess description: Princess. This blend encapsulates the sweet dreams and wistful fantasies entertained while awaiting a handsome prince. An uncorrupted, and innocent blend of lotus, gardenia, and tonka bean. *I swapped with paperdoll for this one. For her review of this scent, go here.* Initial Impression Smells like bubble gum, but not the type in Jailbait. I'm guessing this is the lotus (which I'm not too familiar with). Also something light and buttery, which could be vanilla or tonka bean or white musk or something. This one's eluding me. Wearing It Lotus and ...what is that smooth buttery scent? It's not white musk, and it's not vanilla... It could be tonka bean, I suppose, but... This is really a sparkly scent which reminds me of champagne without the bubbles and without the alcohol. Oh, maybe there's gardenia in here! That could be what I'm smelling. Cause it does have a similarity to Sacred Whore of Babylon and Le Serpent Qui Danse. As it dries, all I really get is this well blended mix of sweet, light syrup and florals. It's very elegant, but without the dryness associated with the refined blends. This is juicy and sweet, while still being rich. I'm afraid that this blend is made entirely of notes that I'm unfamiliar with, so my description isn't so good. But it is a nice blend, and smells very appealing.

Oneiroi I decided to try this one out, not based on any scent description but rather because I have chronic night terrors and was hoping that this might help. First Impression Astringent lavender, and something sweet. Jasmine. Herbal and floral all at once. I almost smell this as a shade of purple and blue -- it's very calming. Wearing It This reminds me a great deal of an herbal packet that I tied to one of my stuffed animals once (I'd named him Morpheus). I'd stuffed it with lavender from my own plant, and the lavender in this blend smells exactly like the real thing once it's applied to my skin (prior, I almost always get a whiff of it and it reminds me of aromatherapy lavender oils that give me headaches). The mugwort must be what's lending it that woodsy scent. Once it dries down, the scent is very pungent yet relaxing and manages to smell somewhat medicianl without smelling bad. I was a bit worried that having this scent, which is very strong, so close to my nose would keep me awake. Turns out that it did no such thing. I fell asleep about as quickly as normal, and slept surprisingly well. I still had dreams, but no nightmares and nothing that woke me up with tears or tremors or heavy breathing. And when I finally did awaken, the dreams faded as quickly as they used to before I'd started having chronic night terrors. Nowadays, I'm really used to having vivid and disturbing recollections of dreams/nightmares, and being able to let this one fade away quickly was really nice. After wearing this once, I went to bed last night without it and had horrible nightmares again. So I think I'm going to try using this as a sleep aid more often and seeing whether it can produce the same results regularly. So far, though, it's looking pretty good.

Katharina. It's wonderfully fruity, and light, and beautiful, and many forumites have expressed that it's the perfect teenaged girl scent. Of course, I still wear it anyhow . So great to hear that you're doing this. What a lucky niece you have!

Decadence First Impression Yum! Almond booze with a kick! This smells incredibly sexy and really delicious all at once. It also seemed as though there was something thicker in there, although whether it was a buttery rum note or my imagination, I couldn't tell you. Also, if there were spices in there, they weren't terribly strong smelling. Wearing It It's hard to say whether my skin is disappointing me again or if I just sniffed too many perfumes today, but I swear that this scent disappeared the moment it hit my skin. The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that it's got the same buttered rum note in Port-Au-Prince and in Perversion -- both of which failed to perform well on my skin. The almond comes out, but that's about it. So...scratch that. But it does smell just delicious out of the bottle. Mmmm...

Wildfire Another one that I would not have ordered on my own (due to the dreaded rose note), but that Silver Angel let me try. Initial Impression Oh wow. This does smell lovely in the bottle, doesn't it? There's this really rich scent of wood (and I don't mean the polished wood scent in Dragon's Heart, nor the soft wood scent of sandalwood, nor even the old pine scent of Jabberwocky -- this is the wood scent of chopped firewood, right before you light a fire) and also a lovely sweet rose. There must be something else in here that's lending the wood notes their earthy quality. Anyhow, it smells delightful. Wearing It Pure rose, just as I expected. It's a very rich rose, though. Not wispy, not overpowering...just a lovely warm, earthy rose.

Noir The darling Silver Angel let me try some of this out today, so I'm writing down my review before I forget it. First Impression Smells dark. Very dark. And very well blended since I can't pick out any of the notes. The only thing that strikes me is that this is something very moody and very sensual smelling. Almost so sensual that it overwhelms someone unprepared for the scent of it. Wearing It This mellows out to something very thick smelling. It's almost gritty around the edges, and it's funny that I thought of it that way because when I came back and read the description and the notes I immediately thought, "Yes! It's gritty around the edges just like old Noir style films!" Amazing. Anyhow, I'm positive that a lot of the scent was lost on my skin, which doesn't really let the scent of plum grow and tends to overwhelm the scent of rose. But initially it started out smelling very smoky and incencey -- probably a contribution from the myrhh -- but not so much that I was turned off. Normally I'm very hesitant about incencey scents, but this one was very rich smelling and evoked the image of a deep, mysterious tarot reader's house rather than a cheap headshop. And then came the florals. I couldn't really distinguish which floral was which, but the florals and the smoke mingled very well. I can see why this was such a popular scent, and am glad to have tried it.

Chaos Theory, Fractal Fragrance XV (15) guess description: The smooth and gentle scent of innocence. Creamy vanilla and coconut, blended with milk, with a dash of orchid and night blooming jasmine. *I swapped with Red_Hot_Mama for this one. For her review of this scent, go here.* First Impression This is a strong scent. I can smell it even with the cap to the imp on. It smells like coconut (specifically like the sweet coconut smell of a tanning oil), and vanilla. It reminds me of a coconut cream pie, with a hint of something tropical in it. Wearing It I applied sparingly because of the strength of the smell. It really is reminding me now of those instant pudding mixes, the ones where you mix in the milk and suddenly you get delicious smelling vanilla. I really think that there's some milk notes in here as well. On my skin, the coconut is less obvious, and it's all this thick milky vanilla scent. Oddly enough, I like it -- normally I can't stand vanilla scents. And...call me crazy, but I think there may be a smidge of orchid in here. It's that same ethereal floral that's in Phantom Queen and Blue Moon, but it's really hard to pinpoint. Or maybe it is jasmine, like RHM said -- if so, it would have to be nightblooming jasmine. It's so sweet and clear! Yep, I definitely like this one. It's a little too sweet to be something I'll wear everyday, but I definitely love the sweet creamy smell of coconut and vanilla and milk.

Black Pearl Initial Impression This is probably the *weirdest* scent association I've ever had, but this smells like nuts with mint jelly. Not strong mint jelly, mind you, but just the slightest hint of candied mint. Actually, it's more like candied fruit with a bit of mint. Weird. But mostly it's just sweet nuts. Wearing It Wet, the first thing I notice is the coconut. This isn't the sweetened coconut that you'd use for macaroons, but just plain coconut. Then the other scents start to pick up a bit, and you get this nutty smell that's a really pleasant combination of coconut and hazelnut -- the hazelnut reminds me of a flavored hot chocolate I used to drink, which is probably why I can differentiate the smell -- and this really elegant, smooth floral. I remember smelling the iris in Morella and thinking that I'd love to try some iris again in a less sweet/earthy blend. Apparently Beth was reading my mind, because this is just like the iris in Morella but without the sweetness. It's just rich, smooth elegance against this really savory smell of nuts. The nuts are actually so plain and unsweetened that they remind me of gentle wood notes. It's a bit like Intrigue, really, but without the chocolate and the fig notes...Instead of the really gritty island palm feeling, this has the feeling of a smooth bodied island lover. And the white musk of course is what grants the scent it's warmth and butteryness. This is so delicious!!! Lasting Power This stuff is *good*!!! Six hours after application and it's still there. By now it's faded a bit to a sweet smelling body warmth with nutty tones to it. It's really sexy. Overall, I'm super, super glad that I decided that I'd love this without trying it out first -- cause I was right. This is basically everything that I love about King of Spades but without all of that candied sweetness. It's so smooth and elegant and mysterious smelling, and I just can't get enough of it.

So here are some scents are good options: New Orleans. This one is strongly jasmine and honeysuckle. It's got a noticeable undercurrent of lemon and spice. But mainly, just the two top notes that I mentioned. Twilight. The description says lavender and jasmine with just a touch of honeysuckle. In reality this one has about a third of honeysuckle in the scent; or at least that's how it behaved on my skin. Eos. A new scent. It would be a bit of a gamble, but apparently it's got jasmine, buttercup, honeysuckle and "glowing skin" -- which I would interpret to be a musk with possibly vanilla or honey or ylang ylang? Those are the three scents when mixed with a light musk that remind me of glowing skin in Beth's repetoire. Scents that might work, or might not: Juliet. Haven't tried it, but I get the impression that it's a blended floral with white musk and pear. The honeysuckle note probably isn't too prominent, but you never know. Read the reviews and see if anyone noticed the honeysuckle. Chiroptera. Hey, at least it would be going towards a good cause. Even though there aren't any reviews of this, is sounds just lovely and it's got honeysuckle in it. How strongly, who can say. But it's a morally happy scent. Shanghai. This one's got a great crisp scent to it. It's mainly green tea and lemon verbena. But right behind all of that is the honeysuckle note. It's pretty pure (cause it's not competing with other florals), just not prominent. Ananthema. I'm not sure you'll want to get this one for your aunt, because some folks have bad reactions to the scent of vetivert. On the other hand, some people just love the smell of it and it's only got three ingredients, one of which is honeysuckle. Once again, reviews will be your friend here. Scents that I would stay away from: Chimera. God this is a gorgeous scent, but really only if you're a cinnamon fan and you like smelling like cinnamon sugar cookies. So if you're looking for strong honeysuckle notes, this is not it. Lolita. Smells like punch. In a very yummy, backyard, mid-summer sort of way. But not in a "strong honeysuckle" way, which is why I'd avoid it for this purpose.

Yeah, unfortunately, the only scents I can recall right off that have cucumber in them are Blue Moon and Chaos Theory XVII. Both of which are probably impossible to get ahold of (considering the limited edition factor, etc.). But I'm super, duper, extra happy and excited to hear that there'll be two new cucumber scents coming up! Beth, my goodness, you're going to be getting me to spend even more money, you know that right?

Bordello, Le Serpent Qui Danse, Midwinter's Eve, Bewitched, Old Glasgow, Kitsuni Tsuki, and Wanda. Some of these may have reddish tints to them or brownish tints, or what have you. But they immediately appear as purplish to my mind. Oh yeah, and Chypre.

Well, I've always felt that Katharina was a really go go-get-em scent. It always makes me feel confident, cheerful, and ready to face the world. Plus it's a fairly light scent. Embalming Fluid would be another one I'd recommend, just because of how lovely yet not-overpowering it is. I'd steer away from the more sexual or foody scents, since that would probably elicit some sort of subconscious reaction from the women interviewing you (I'm guessing slight feelings of either jealousy, dismissal, or attraction)... So no on the Snake Oil, Love Me, Come to Me, Depraved, Three Witches, or Velvet. Sacred Whore would also be a very nice scent to wear, seeing as how it's a floral, so pretty standard... Others that sound good that I haven't tried are Juliet or Alice. The one thing I'd worry about, though, is having them notice the smell, compliment you on it, and then ask you what it was called. At which point Sacred Whore and Embalming Fluid might not be such good choices...

I thought that Jabberwocky was really similar to Allegory. Of course, the main difference being the woods that were used. But it has a similar ratio and a similar feel.