Scarlet Woodland

Paladin doesn't really "read" as incense to me despite the frankincense, but based on the blends you mentioned I can recommend a few! Al-Azif - Smells like frankincense, smoke and syrup, but lightly so? Some people read it as tanning lotion, and I get that, but it was in a good way for me. Heroine - Brighter than it probably sounds. Not too incensey to me, tart apple with a light musk and a bit of leather/amber. Jacob's Ladder - An LE but it comes back pretty frequently It's just... dreamy. Golden amber with a bit of dustiness and a little needed sharpness from the ambrette. Kubla Khan - I think this is the exact sort of thing you're looking for. Kubla is a light incense with the bright additions of tea, ginger and mandarin. Very pretty. Lyonesse - This is one of the most popular GCs, definitely an incense-y aquatic with vanilla. Vasilissa - I would put this in the same category as Paladin, but muskier. It's creamy vanilla but has resins mixed in (myrrh, amber, sandalwood). Great recs thankyou! Al Azif and Kubla Khan have bounced straight into my cart and I've joined the waitlist for Heroine Will definitely keep my eye out for Jacob's Ladder too as it sounds divine, think I've seen it pop up on Etsy once or twice. Lyonesse is fantastic, it was one of my first blind bottles! I have to be in the right mood to wear it but love rocking it with my nautical cardigan in the rain Thankyou for inspiring me to pull out my imp of Vasilissa and retry it too. Was really excited to try this first time around but must have been having a weird skin chem day as it went super weird. This time it was positively yummy so will definitely be trying a full slather soon

I've been really enjoying scents that read as fresh/light & incensey on me recently. I would love to know if there are any GC or recurring LE scents that have given you the same vibe The Scales Of Deprivation, Paladin and Leo 2016 are three I'm really enjoying with that feel.

If you can do apple... Verdandi is wonderfully autumnal to me The Lion is another I'll be wearing a lot over autumn; a lightly spiced, warm amber. I also find Scherezade very autumnal but that's probably dependent on how red musk plays with your skin.

I love BPAL's apple scents, so am clearly biased but I love this. I'm in the pure, fresh, granny smith apple skin camp which is fine by me. It does pull a vanishing act and become skin washed with very posh apple soap after a bit but I'm a little and often applier anyway. Can totally see why an apple SN result would be disappointing for some but for me this will be amazing for layering. Will definitely be grabbing a bottle.

On me this is a very natural freesia with a hint of salty, fresh fruit in the backdrop. I can't really pick apart the background notes either but it's a beautiful, intoxicating summer floral.

This reminds me so much of The Scales Of Deprivation which won't be terribly helpful unless you've smelled that but it really is VERY close on me. I can't really pick out the individual notes but I love that in a scent. It's a light, fresh incense, with an almost lemon peel edge. I really like it. Must re-test later as noticed it settles into two layers in the bottle so not sure I got the whole caboodle the first time.

Wow, okay really wishing I'd blind bottled this now. The orange blossom, black poppy and hibiscus play quietly in the background; supporting the blend... the stars of the show are definitely the carnation and strawberry though. It's sweet, fruity, spicy, sexy and sticky. This is the Carnation so many of us loved in Lush's Potion, with the soft sweetness of strawberry. I love this! Bottles will be hoarded

Alas... ivory soap SN. Suspected this would be the case but had to try as the notes sounded so perfect. Will try now and again just in case.

2010 Version from Etsy I'm so happy! Had a bit of a disaster with the last one I tested from this order but this totally makes up for it In the bottle it's all overripe plums, sweet and ready to burst. Once it hits my skin, juicy, overripe strawberries bloom alongside the plums and I want to eat my shoulder. This is simple and perfect and stays true from wet to dry. Imagine putting warm gooey strawberries, skinned, super ripe plums and a drizzle of liquid sugar into the blender and blasting it with the lid off This is the scent you'd get plastered in

2006 Version: Oh no. I so wanted this to be cake and incense. Just cake or incense would be wonderful but alas it's not to be. In the bottle: this smells just like a traditional love formula I made way back when. This is pretty darn odd as I seem to remember the ingredients were rose petals, lavender oil, jasmine oil and orris powder, infused into sweet almond oil. I detect a hint of something light and cinnamony too but a bit worried at this point. Wet: This still smells exactly like that love oil at first then rapidly morphs into baby lotion with a hint of baby wipes. I seem to smell like a freshly changed nappy. Drying: Still a light, eau de baby stuff with light, dry florals. Dry: I can get a hint of cakey incense right underneath but it's mostly dry florals with baby lotion. Gutted... this sounded so perfect but it's all gone wonky. Was only just delivered so I'll hide this in a cupboard for a week just in case something miraculous happens. Sad ferret

It's not just you The throw on this is stunning; light gold amber/musk yet fresh. I so nearly bought a bottle before I re-tested and alas found the same, um, aroma, hiding close to the skin. Much as I love the throw I'd be too nervous to wear this out! Will experiment with layering this at some point as I may be able to neutralise said disconcerting note and enjoy this in public. ETA: Ooh, The Lion! Must try this with The Lion.

Imp: Get an unusual boozy, coffee, syrupy scent from the vial. Think my nose is confusing the molasses with coffee here. On Skin: Ah, dammit. This must have something citrussy stashed in it because it's doing that weird sherbert thing that ruined Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat and Akuma for me My money's on lime. If I waft it about I get the boozy syrup others do but just don't think I can cope with the fizzy, artificial thing that's happening close up. Can smell something a bit yeasty in there too now. Nope my skin is ruining this comprehensively. Oh well.

Great suggestions VetchVesper thanks! I grabbed imps of these on my last order and have definitely fallen for Maiden. Am re-testing Bathsheba right now (had a weird nose-blindness thing on my last test and couldn't really smell it). Doing the full slather this time as the listed notes are purrrfect. Really need to find me some SN Carnation.

Dorian's on my big bottle list too... took a while to educate my nose to the fougere element but I love it now.

Thanks Joyleaf_ great suggestions! Eve sounds fricking awesome, will have to keep my eye out just in case some appears. The Lion is yummy. I just got an imp in my last order and it's definitely on my big bottle list. Dracul did something really weird on me unfortunately and turned to curried cleaning products. Something to do with the fir and/or cumin I'm guessing as everything else listed works well on me usually. So happy you mentioned the Bow and Crown of Conquest. It's come up quite a few times in my searches as I looove carnation, vanilla and white musk. Think the lavender/sage combo frightened me off but am definitely getting an imp on my next order now. Thankyou!

Surprisingly tough even with my newbie collection to choose a top 5 but I think at the moment: 1) Alice 2) Eat Me 3) Verdandi 4) Scherezade 5) Old Demons Of The First Class Would love any suggestions based on these. Do love my fresh & Fruities too but haven't quite found 'the one' yet... have a whole bunch of imps of that oeuvre in my next order to try though. ETA: Oh, and vetiver is rarely my friend.

Thanks lucycat, you're right, I should give it a go... will kick myself if I miss out when it could be perfect. It was one of the first BPAL's I really wanted to try. When I think of sugared incense I think of midnight on the midway too (probably because it actually lists sugared incense as a note). I'm not sure how the new version fares with its blue musk (maybe adding to the soapiness some of the reviews are indicating?) because I haven't compared them, but the original is like a gorgeous sugared floral incense. Absolutely perfect for me- because it dries down to a musky sweet, cotton candy kind of incense. To an extent, it's like a midnight summer version of fairy market ;D . If you're up for a sweet tobacco incense, the newly released St. Clare might also be of interest (also has tonk and vanilla and none of your hated notes) Thanks celestia, I'll have another look at St. Clare too. Think I've only tried one of the tobacco scents so far (Perversion) so will be interesting to see how it plays with my skin. Could match up rather nicely with my vape liquid actually. Oh for some Fairy Market! ETA: Tell a lie; Galvanic Goggles has tobacco flower and that was scrumptious on me.

Maiden is beautifully light and delicate on me with the tea, carnation and rose perfectly balanced. The lightly spiced carnation comes out more over time until it becomes a fresh, rosey carnation. I was on the fence about needing a bottle of this one as it is quite simple but the fact it layers so wonderfully with other scents has pushed me over the edge. Am currently wearing Maiden, Alice and Kumiho layered together and it's just divine. Big bottle for sure.

Thanks lucycat, you're right, I should give it a go... will kick myself if I miss out when it could be perfect. It was one of the first BPAL's I really wanted to try.

I too would love exactly this! Temple Viper sounds so bang on perfect for me, alas I missed out on the last bottles by about a minute (argh!). If it comes back in stock when Snake Oil does I will definitely be grabbing a bottle. In the meantime I'm very tempted by Midnight on the Midway and Mystical Aphorisms of the Fortune Cookie but am little nervous to blind bottle it. The new Midway is getting a lot of "soap" reviews which gives me pause, am hoping things might have improved now ppl's bottles have settled? As to the second, I've experienced good almond and bad ALMOND... Bastet turned into rancid almond butter on me. Are there any others I should be gobbling up or anticipating in Weenie/Yule updates? Danger notes for me are: Vetiver: Frequently disastrous on me, Blood Kiss was curried dirt?! Patchouli: Fine in little doses but tends to amp to high heaven Cinnamon: Love cinnamon but it amps like crazy, Saw Scaled Viper is cinnamon SN on me. Honey: A little bit is delicious (Alice, Defututa) but too much smells dirty on me, O was not good. Oh and I like rose but it's another mega amper so needs to be subtle if I'm going to smell anything else. Loves are musks (any), amber, vanilla, cardamom, carnation, tea, cakey/cookie scents and anything incensey! Sign me up for five bottles of a scent with all of those in haha. Any suggestions from you wise and wonderful peeps would be fantastic!

Would love to give a complex, helpful review here but all my brain will say is "sexy cola bottles!". It really is those little gummy, cola bottle sweets (candies?), with a little bit of sexy thrown in. Presumably this means amber, cinnamon and possibly vanilla plus some secret ingredients. Very tempted by a bottle of this but will be good and see how often I reach for the imp. ETA: I will be grabbing a bottle of this as I know it will be wonderful in the colder months. May have to try making it into an alcohol spritz though as it literally has NO throw on me. My nose has to be about 2 inches from my skin to smell it after the first few mins unless I'm absurdly hot.

This was beautiful at first, a luxurious blend of florals. Unfortunately within a couple of minutes the Jasmine completely took over and then turned soapy on my skin. I do like Jasmine and it smells like incredibly expensive soap but it's not for me. Will keep the imp around though as will come in handy now and then for an incognito perfume... "what this? Oh it's just my terribly expensive soap... no perfume to see here".

I don't know what's up with my nose but I get fresh guava?! In the imp and on my skin. Not going entirely mad as my colleage has them growing in her garden back home and concurred... guava. Don't get me wrong, there's some other stuff going on underneath but it's still all of a fresh, tropical nature. Utterly bizarre considering what's in it but thankfully I love it. Whether I'll spring for a bottle remains to be seen as I'd half expect it to show up and be an entirely different scent. If you told me it was something like Tweedledum in there by mistake I'd entirely believe you.

I would definitely need 5 bottles of this! Yum.

Snow White 2008 Alas, I'm in the coconut/almond/vanilla/play doh camp and it's my nose not my skin as that's all I get from the bottle too. I keep hoping for some of the light, crisp floral or green-ness to peek through but it just ain't happening. It's still a pleasant scent and I wouldn't mind smelling of it but if it was a candle I probably wouldn't buy it. There is definitely layering potential there just haven't quite found the combination yet. Maybe something fresh and apple-y? Edit: Will keep on trying this as it smells quite a lot like my virgin coconut oil shampoo which hubby complimented the scent of (unsolicited, remarkably). It's clean, cosy and inoffensive so perhaps it will make a good work scent after all. Will try slathering it tomorrow and see what our mini heatwave makes of it as snow would feel very welcome indeed. Update: I dutifully slathered this all over in the 33°C heat today (don't laugh, that's oven temp for a wussy Brit) and it's fabulous! The light, crunchy coconut feels both cooling and tropical and no one can complain about your perfume as it could easily be super expensive suntan lotion.