vthesiren

A few hours after drydown, this is amazing - it's a really subtle and lightly sweet creamy coconut-tobacco blend. However, the wet stage is tooth-achingly sweet and has that almost dusty quality that made me recoil from Grog, and the coconut goes through a weirdly earthy phase for a while that does not smell very good on me at all. I already have Perversion for my rum fix (and it's just a muuuch better balanced blend on me), so I'll be passing this one along.

Unfortunately Mars Ultor is one of the most unique scents I've smelled from BPAL, so I've been having to ration as well. The closest blends I can think of are also LEs for the most part, but they still might be more readily available. Red Lantern is sort of similar, so is Eyes Made Strong and Grave with Sleep. Both of them are heavier, though. Nothing I can think of really has that unusual smoky airiness that Ultor does. If I had to come up with some GCs, maybe Antikythera Mechanism and Hellfire. In fact, Hellfire would probably be your best bet. It's got the sweet smoky musk, tobacco and incense. Still going to be heavier overall, but it's not incredibly far off. I remember Red Lantern turning really sweet on me. I'll check the others out, though! I'm way overdue for trying Antikythera and Hellfire... You know what I thought actually smelled really similar? The Black Vanilla & Cardamom HG. Too bad it's not a perfume.

So, I'm going through my bottle of Mars Ultor like mad, which is... not good. Does anyone have any recs for a GC or more common LE equivalent? (Note list: "Black amber and smoky vanilla with cistus, benzoin, caramelized tobacco, and blackened nutmeg.")

I know the feeling of being hurt by Count Dracula's inaccessibility - I love that scent SO MUCH and I have yet to find a proper general catalog equivalent. However, two scents that are cousins (and are relatively easy to find on the Sales forum/eBay/etc) are: The Wild Men of Jezirat al Tennyn - red amber, Spanish moss, Indonesian patchouli, ambergris, red pepper, two cloves, and vanilla flower I find this to be hotter, a bit more creamy from the vanilla flower with a bit of greenery from the Spanish moss. This was a Carnaval Diabolique scent that will HOPEFULLY come back with one of the later acts, but if it doesn't, it's definitely one of the easier ones to find on the secondhand market. I actually got my bottle from Etsy a few years back, and this hung around there for a whiiiile. The Hell-Gate of Ireland (2013) -Smoldering brimstone, bitter labdanum, clove, black musk, and copper-colored feathers. Lacks the woodsiness, but has the same black musk and clove elements. Drydown is smokier than CD. I'm sorry I can't think of many else (or hold to your "GC only" requirement)! I've been dying for a proper substitute myself.

Brimstone - might be a little more smoky than what you're looking for, but it's always reminded me of burning sage in the middle of a desert.

This should have been perfect for me on paper. The tester I have smells wonderful, like maraschino cherries on whipped cream with the rosewater adding a REALLY nice sweetness to it. However, once it hits my skin, something goes super shrill and powdery on me. It smells like perfumey moisturizer or lotion. Sadness!

I'm super-glad I got to try this, but on drydown, this turns into straight-up GRAPE!!! candy. Pez, to be precise. Alas.

I'm not normally into foodie scents, but this is amazing and something I /never/ would have tried had a kind forumite not thrown this in with an order. Just wow. It's rather boozy in the imp, but on my skin, it mellows out to honeyed spice cakes with a hint of milk and wine. I'm going to give this a full-day test at some point before making any rash decisions, but so far, I LOVE this.

I definitely saw the anise comparisons, but if I focused I could pick out the black tea note backed by the tobacco. On my skin, the neroli comes out just a teensy bit... and then poof, it's all gone. Didn't even last 15 minutes after application. D: WTF.

I tried this at NEWC last year and was utterly fascinated by it, but didn't get a bottle. Spent ages tracking down a sample and have finally found one! This is like RPG Evil taken up a notch. In the vial, it's all about the plum. Wet, it's a beautifully blended mix of plum, tobacco, and pine - the vetiver and I /think/ sandalwood intermingle with the plum on drydown to create a smoky, malevolent scent. A gorgeous dark scent with character.

Clean, slightly sharp/soapy vanilla deepened by tobacco and nutmeg. Light and sweet. This tends to fade quickly, so it's one for slathering or applying to clothes.

Frimp from the Lab. In four words: Fruit Punch from Hell. Smells like the red drinks I used to have as a kid (Hawaiian Punch etc), the kind that would stain your mouth no matter how carefully you drank them. Incredible throw - well after drydown, I can't even sniff the other test patches on my arm without this wafting in and going, "But what about meeeee?" If you like Bon Vivant, give this a shot.

I definitely get stone, moss, and dirt from this, but something turned a bit too perfumey for my tastes and threatened to give me a headache. I normally like earthy blends, but this just wasn't for me.

If you want a resin fix, you'd probably like Herodotus' Phoenix! For resins, coconut, and vanilla, Snake Charmer (and Snake Charmer Res.) have a list of WIN notes - it's DC and very popular, but comes up fairly regularly on the sales forum and eBay. Death Adder might be another choice for coconut (though that one might be harder to track down). Tattered Lace might also be up your alley. If you don't mind more rose, Ossa Arida's drawn a lot of comparisons to Hope and Fear Set Free.

In the imp: BOOZE. Booze and tobacco. Wet: More boooooze and a soft leather. This stage worried me because it was really, really quite alcoholic - I imagine it's what waking up after one too many drinks smells like. I get more Chardonnay than rum, though I can pick out both notes. Dry: This is INCREDIBLE after it's dried down. It's all tonka and tobacco smoothness, chewy and almost caramelly. I could not stop huffing my wrist. Verdict: Imp is a keeper. Will require a full-day test to figure out whether or not to upgrade.

For you I'd rec Ezekiel's Phoenix, The Vine, and The Black Apple of Saturn.

I think you'd really enjoy Vain Sorceress and Summer Lace.

Thanks for the suggestions! I've tried some of these, to varying results, but I hadn't really considered VILF and Seance at all before (the former maybe because I thought it'd be impossible to find). I tried a decant of Pink Snowballs from an unknown year and it went to straight-up plastic on me, which was a shame. Hope sounds promising! I don't know why I keep forgetting about that one.

Yeah, I'm also a bit curious about a BPAL dupe of Rose Jam. Delirium is pretty close, though maybe a tad fruitier, like Jangzonrice said. Also, Ro's Argan Body Conditioner by Lush smells very close to BPAL's Love, if a bit creamier.

My top 5: 1. Count Dracula 2. Blood Kiss 3. Womb Furie 4. Knight in Shiny Armor 5. Love I second Yemaya for melony goodness. If you want more dandelion, you may want to check out Roadhouse, though the rest of your notes might not be your thing. Also, Aurelia and Stentor from last year's Song of Nature series, for berry, tea, and mint. Have you tried Count Dracula? It's hard to find, but would fit right in there. You might also enjoy Les Infortunes de la Vertu (leather and moss), The Marquis de Carabas (boozy leather comfort), Wolf Moon '13 (dark and somewhat "airy"), and Zmey Gorynych (warm resins and leather with a touch of frost).

I tend to amp rose and florals - sometimes it's just ROOOSE, other times it goes sour, and sometimes it's GREEN GREEN GREEN. :/ It depresses me because I LOVE rose and wish I could wear it all the time, hah. Blends with rose that work or don't amp on me: Love (LE) - Marshmallows and rose sugar with whipped vanilla cream and a hint of strawberry. Harlot (GC) - Somalian rose, Moroccan rose and Bulgar rose with a sultry dribble of cinnamon. Harvest Moon '13 (Lunacy) - Red roses and wild red leaves. (I don't like this blend because the "leaves" smell like celery on me, but the rose is GORGEOUS) Baghdad (DC) - Amber, saffron and bergamot with mandarin, nutmeg, Bulgar rose, musk and sandalwood. A Thought and a Legend Too Hideous for Sanity or Consciousness (LE) - Black rose, oudh, rosewood, and sea-kissed patchouli, and the smoke of a snuffed tallow candle.
 L'Heure Verte (CD) - Spilled absinthe, scorched sugar cubes, opium smoke, lilac blossoms, and rose water. Lilith's Bubblegum & Roses (LE) - A spray of pink roses, red rose petals, and pink sticky bubblegum!

I haven't tried it for myself, but Roux-Ga-Roux sounds up your alley: "Spanish moss, swamp jessamine, bog water, cypress, hickory wood, lobelia, sweet flag, wisteria, and marsh milkweed."

You might like: Eden (fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut, sandalwood) (somehow didn't catch that this was in your description, d'oh) Eve (apple blossom, rose, ylang ylang, honey) Jezebel (honey, roses, orange blossom, sandalwood) Maenad (strawberry, orange blossom, carnation, black poppy, hibiscus) Swank (a crisp pomegranate martini)

I used Dragon's Hide almost nightly over the summer. I find it amazingly relaxing.

This is really nicely balanced between the gin and the pomegranate - it's not too boozy, but not too tart, either. I can kind of see where the dryer sheet/soap comparisons come from, but I think it's more pleasant than that. I'll hang onto this and save it for warmer months, or for nights out when I'm feeling a bit girly.