Neko

A red scent might possibly include: dragon's blood cinnamon cherry rose currants red wine/merlot I'm sure there are other things that might be commonly found in a red scent, but most of the red scents I've seen listed in this thread contain one or more of those ingredients. Other things that might be seen in a red blend: red patchouli red sandalwood clove raspberry cranberry Thus, I am torn about ordering The Living Flame. If it is a spicy, resin scent then I ought to love it. If it's a fruity, rosey scent then I'm bound to hate it.

If you can drum up any Blue Moon, Cold Moon, or Tears, they all struck me as "watery". However, they might be difficult to find, particularly Tears. I also recommend: Water of Notre Dame (smells like a creek running through a meadow) Hurricane (rain and drift wood) Jolly Roger (ocean, wood, and leather) Lightning (ozone, beginning of a rain storm) Bayou (dark water and tropical flowers) From what I've heard, Danube, R'lyeh and Empyreal Mist would be good choices as well, though I haven't personally tried any of them.

Carnal and Intrigue struck me as extremely figgy. Both are sweet scents, but Carnal is very bright and bubbly, while Intrigue is mellow and deep. The Apothecary was only mildy figgy, and Mata Hari was all roses and coffee on me (no figginess to be found).

Both Pandora and Undertow seemed to have a strong lotus scent to them when they mixed with my skin chemistry. However Pandora was a much brighter and sharper blend, while Undertow seemed darker and smoother. I would assume anything with the word "lotus" in its name probably features lotus as a dominant note in the blend. I'm surprised you could pick out any lotus in Kathmandu... my nose got hung up on the cedar (which I love).

In the vial: This has the same watery, pale quality that Blue Moon had... a delicate blend of florals with a bit of melon (or perhaps cucumber) tossed in for good measure. However, this blend is a bit earthier than Blue Moon, which I suspect may be the work of the ferns. Wet: The florals intensify for a moment, and the scent becomes less ethereal, more solid. The scent is still pale and chilly at this point, but it has lost some of it's original watery quality. The melon/cucumber note has been pushed to the background. Dry: This scent is a changeling. One moment I smell melons, the next I smell potent white florals. While the scent remains delicate, aquatic, and gentle near my skin, its throw (which is predominantly floral) is dry and intense, almost incensy. There is something smooth and deep beneath the rest of the notes that might be musk. Overall: The floral notes in the Cold Moon get to be a little much for me. When I wear this I will have to apply sparingly to avoid killer sinus headaches.

In the vial: I can smell the snowy, slushy notes that are mentioned in the description and I am impressed. Not plastic at all, instead they make the scent nice and chilly. The pine comes through, clean, sharp, and slightly soapy (like Zest), while the berries add a delicious, subtle, sweet tinge to the scent Wet: My skin draws the berries into the forefront. I normally can't stand berry blends, but there is something unusual about the berries in Skadi. They're sweet without being overpowering, and they don't reek of artificiality. The pine has fallen into the background but continues to add a razor edge to the scent. Dry (10 min): The pine is all but gone, however the cool snowy note remains to temper the berries. Without the pine, Skadi takes on a creamier, more feminine nature. Dry (30 min): Hmm, the pine is making a comeback, though it is still playing a supporting role to the berries. The entire scent is pretty subtle at this point. Dry (1 hour): The snowy note has all but disappeared, allowing the scent to warm up some. The berries have also faded quite a bit, while the pine scent has become more potent. On a whole, the scent has become very faint. Dry (1 hour 30 min): The last of the pine has faded into a gentle dry pine needle and allspice scent. Overall: I agree that this is the best of the Yule 2004 blends. Skadi is phenomenal: bittersweet, subtle, intriguing. Sadly, my skin absorbs this oil at an alarming rate! I put Skadi on a little over an hour ago, and the scent is all but gone.

First off, let me say that this single note is one of my very few "OMFG" good BPAL scents. Wet: This smell is intensely fresh, clean, and zingy. It makes my nose tingle! The scent is sweet, much like a peppermint hard candy is sweet, but this lacks the sort of cloying, sugary, sticky quality that most sweet blends have. Instead I am left feeling light, cool, and rejuvenated... like I've been sucking on a candy cane out in the snow. Dry: This scent becomes much gentler once it dries down. Instead of the bright scent of peppermint stick, I am left with the mild herbal scent of peppermint tea. This oil is still refreshing, but it becomes much more subtle, even delicate, at this point. The scent is definitely soothing and comforting, like wrapping up in a warm blanket on the couch with a steaming mug in your hands. This would be a wonderful oil for a sick child (or a sick adult). It calms my headaches and works wonders on tummy troubles. This scent is perfect when I want to wear something light and simple. I can't emphasize how much I love this stuff!

I second Phantasm and Old Shanghai... they're both such lovely, clean, citrus scents. In fact, I think both of them would be great summer scents too! Light pink and green florals are wonderful choices for spring as well, so I suggest Pele, Bayou, Magdalene, and Old Kyoto. A blend that has always reminded me of warming days, meadows, and calm weather is Water of Notre Dame. Scents I haven't had a chance to try that sound as if they might be good are Glasgow, Amsterdam, and Oisin.

I have Moon rose and Goneril, but I haven't had a chance to try Black Dahlia or Tiger Lily. A partial imp would be wonderful! Thank you so much!

I would have to suggest: Lightning (a sharp ozone scent) Jolly Roger (a clean aquatic scent). Whitechapel (a light citrusy scent) Mad Hatter (a fresh lavender-minty scent) Jabberwocky (a bright, pine-citrus scent) Hellfire (a warm resiny scent) Scarecrow (a dry grassy scent) Golden Priapus (a subtle wood-vanilla scent) Jack (a yummy butter-pumpkin scent) Dragon's Bone could be a good choice, but I've noticed that dragon's blood resin tends to become very fruity on me (it smells a lot like cherry chapstick). It also becomes fruity on several of my friends. If your son doesn't like fruity scents, this might be one to avoid. I would say the same thing about any scent that has dragon's blood in it. Of course, it can be different on other people. Zephyr is also quite nice, but I found the scent to be quite feminine, and my boyfriend says it smelled "very perfumy". That might not be good for a 13 year old boy. I haven't tried Coyote, but it sounds absolutely wonderful, and the notes in it seem fairly gender neutral.

Actually, I have two imps of Hemlock. One is a pale yellow and the other is a pale green, The pale yellow one smells like herbs with a touch a lemon, while the pale green one smells far more piney. I wonder if I got two very different batches, or if one isn't really Hemlock!

I agree that Death, the World, and the Empress would all be pretty good choices for you. You might also want to look into Judgement, which was predominantly a dark and complex blend of dried florals and herbs on my skin. Not too light, but not heavy enough to be headache inducing. I would actually advise against the High Priestess. I have a 10ml of this scent, and while it is quite pretty, it definitely has sweet almonds in it. On my skin, it is all almonds and mint. You might not want that if you are attempting to avoid foody scents.

I'm not a big fan of lavender, so I have some recommendations for lavender free masculine scents: I have to recommend Hellfire... it smells so warm and rich, without being foody or feminine at all. It somehow manages to be sexy and comforting at the same time. You might also want to look into Severin for something unique but subtle (leather and earl grey tea). Antony might be a good pick if you want a masculine resin scent. Lear sounds good if you want an herbal, fresh masculine scent. Whitechapel might be the way to go if you want a masculine citrus scent. Jolly Roger is great if you want a masculine aquatic scent (ocean and leather).

In reply to "what oils are similar to snake oil": The up and coming scent Decadence smells very much like Snake Oil... I know there are some imps of it floating around out there, perhaps you will be able to find one. Dragon's Milk is fairly similar to Snake Oil as well. They both strike me as rich, spicy-sweet scents, but Dragon's Milk has that unique dragon's blood tang to it, making it fruitier than Snake Oil. On that note, Egg Nog resembled Dragon's Milk quite a bit... it had the same creamy, spicy sweetness to it, but none of the fruitness. So that might be something else to look into, if you can get your hands on some. Mabon and Hunter Moon must be twins. Both are predominantly deep, dark, fruity/wine scents on me, though Mabon had a touch of floral while Hunter Moon had a drop of musk. Both are heavy, both are undeniably autumnal scents, and I associate both with shades of purple. The Queen of Spades is actually quite similar to Mabon as well, though her fruitiness is less heady: plums instead of wine. They both have that light floral touch (which is a bit more noticable in the Queen), and they both share a soft, resin base. The Queen of Spades is a very purple scent as well.

I am looking for a soft, innocent, romantic floral scent. I want to avoid anything too heavy, dark, cloying or sweet. I am trying to find something youthful but not childish. I'm particularly interested in scents that feel "pink"... If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be delighted to hear them! Help me avoid the "old lady perfume" trap!