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ivyandpeony

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Everything posted by ivyandpeony

  1. ivyandpeony

    Morven, the Strong Man

    Swarthy, almost a little scary in the bottle for me - I tend to be a fan of girly scents so this took a wee bit of courage to skin test. But Morven is much nicer on the skin. This could be a cousin of Velvet Bandito with its spicy clove and smooth woody notes. I was expecting metallics or harsh vetiver, but this scent is warm, almost resinous. For my personal tastes, I might have to layer it with something sweeter to make it sweet and feminine enough for me - my skin has no natural sweetness and this is on the dry and masculine side, although there indeed is nothing cologne-like about it, just warm, smooth and gentle spices. I think this will be a real winner for lots of people - men and women alike.
  2. ivyandpeony

    What is Chaos Theory?

    It's not any kind of rule I think some people like to keep playing the Chaos game when they're swapping and selling/buying, so the spoiler tags just make it easy - if the receiver wants to be surprised, they are; if not, they can read the impressions the first owner had. Some people will link to their review instead and then the potentail swapper/buyer can choose whether or not to read it.
  3. ivyandpeony

    What scent family is this?

    I was going through the 30-days-old "personal" topics seeing what needed to be archived and it occurred to me that this question is realloy more general and pops up on occasion. So I thought I would bump it, add the subtitle and leave it for the next member who wants help figuring out what their favorite scents have in common so they can find more recs. Have fun and thank you for the idea, sqwook (And if anyone does have additional ideas for sqwook, please feel free to continue the discussion!)
  4. stitchpirate, in my experience there isn't a predictable time period for back orders - your best bet would be to double check with the Lab and see if they're any closer. The only reason any scents are on back order these days is a component issue, so it's a matter of them waiting to get the raw materials and to have Beth or Brian blend the scent. (I remember hearing about a time right before I discovered BPAL, more than five years ago, when they actually had bottles on back order - but any big issues are usually announced here in the forum, so no worries there.)
  5. ivyandpeony

    Honey and Beeswax scents

    I found just five scents that specifically listed "white honey" as a note - Anactoria of course, The Oblation, Faiza, Agrhat-Bat-Mahlat, and Itaso Kansai Nenkan Joro No Fuzoku. Off the top of my head, I can't say if the white honey struck me any differently in the two that I own (Faiza & Itaso), since I don't wear them often. I know that Beth does get her hands on honey single notes that have different qualities, the same way that different honeys can have subtly different flavors. Some can be a little more herbal, some can be really heavy and sweet, some can be a little floral - I got lucky and had the opportunity to sniff a few of them once. Hetairae is one of my all-time favorite BPAL scents. I always tell people who like it to try Sed Non Satiata and Bien Loin D'ici - to me they have a similar feel as well as sharing some common notes here and there. And There Was A Great Cry In Egypt is another one that falls in that family to me, rich and complex and a little more on the resinous side. If it's the fig & honey that are appealing to you, Eden has fig and honey but with a completely different feel. It's a fresh green fig with coconut instead of a rich ripe fig.
  6. ivyandpeony

    Black Heart

    In the bottle and wet, Black Heart is incredibly fruity on me - very plummy and grape-y, I don't really get pomegranate (which is usually a fairly tart note on me). It's a plum with a really dark feel and the grape sweetens it somewhat, unlike some other plum scents where I almost sense a little tannic feel like a big red wine or a bit of tartness where the plum isn't quite fully ripe. It takes a bit of drydown for the other notes to start to bloom and like several other reviewers, I find that the purple fruits really back off. I end up detecting a lot of honey, vanilla and sweet pea, yet there's a very dark feel to this scent - which may be the effect of the sandalwood and cognac as well as the remainder of those dark fruits. Honey, vanilla and sweet pea are all favorite notes of mine and it never occurred to me until now that I might actually amp them a bit. You wouldn't think that anyone could amp a note and overpower cognac, but you never know, huh?! I haven't tried layering with Black Lace yet, and I didn't buy Black Heart (although now I am tempted after reading reviews ) Should such experiments occur, I will update ASAP!
  7. Both Gennivre and Clemence are in Carnaval Diabolique - I usually won't recommend un-impable stuff to people who are brand new to the forum &/or the Lab, but I figured you have been around the block a couple times I happen to amp mint like no ones' business, so I didn't get the tea and honey I wanted from Gennivre, but others have. Mint will really dominate almost anything on me! And on the flip side, I can rarely smell milk or cream notes on my skin, they tend to just smooth out a blend for me. It's like they add a creamy quality without actually adding the smell of cream, if that makes sense. Those who really hate the milk &/or linen notes have mentioned them in some of the White Rabbit reviews - so it may really be one of those blends that can be so different from person to person that it's hard to predict until you try it. I like the floral-y tea blends too, but sometimes you just want that tea note to dominate. I forgot to mention Kumiho - it's white tea, so it's not as strong a tea note, but it's just that & ginger. So it's very crisp and clean.
  8. Tacey, have you tried White Rabbit? The notes are black tea, milk, white pepper, ginger, honey, vanilla, and linen - I find it to be a sweet and spicy tea scent. I don't get a lot of milk or linen from it, I think they may just lend some balance as least as far as my chemistry works. Tweedledum is crisp and green in an Apothecary kind of way - green mango, fig, patchouli and green tea. Although Gennivre, L'Artiste du Diable does have orange blossom, I didn't get a bit of it - the other elements really outweighed any floral quality. The notes are Hyson tea leaf, pale mint, sugar cane, orange blossom, lemongrass, and honey. The same thing happened for me with the carnation in Clemence (I happen to love carnation, but I know you don't want to smell like a flower ) It just smells like a super-spicy heavy black tea on me - I think the spices in it just stomp the carnation to oblivion, or maybe some of the spice I smell in there is a little bit of spicy carnation, but there is definitely no floral vibe for me. The notes are patchouli, Kashmiri tea, cardamom, black pepper, carnation, and clove. This is a blend that gets better and better with age, too.
  9. ivyandpeony

    Are bpal blends all-natural?

    Oh, no worries at all! I didn't get a backseat modding vibe from you And my posts are "member opinion" not official mod talk, I'd use VOG for that.
  10. ivyandpeony

    Are bpal blends all-natural?

    You are right about that, ephemera... but it would be good if newbies read the guidelines thoroughly and tried using the search engine/contacting a moderator to find the information they want before starting threads like this one, considering there is a nine-page existing thread on the subject.
  11. ivyandpeony

    Are bpal blends all-natural?

    That's a lot of angst over a $25 purchase. Visit this thread, where the subject of natural perfumery's been discussed at lenghth and just make up your own mind when the order arrives.
  12. ivyandpeony

    Different smells/colors, same perfume

    I bought a bottle of Hermia unsniffed when that scent when live, I thought it sounded so good And I think the description of your bright-orange imp sounds much more like my bottle. There's a lot of pink pepper in it, which is spicy and sweet - I can't say that it actually goes so far as to smell like cake to me, but still, much closer to that description than to the way you describe the second imp. I think it is fairly rare that something actually gets mislabeled at the lab, but between the naturally sourced ingredients and the way aging affects the perfumes (especially bottles vs. imps) the batch variations can seem really drastic sometimes.
  13. ivyandpeony

    What Scent Is This?

    Now I'm wondering if someone just got distracted while decanting the Possetts scent and wrote the wrong name or something - I don't think there are any BPAL names that come close, though, so at least you can eliminate one possibility. I've found complete mystery vials when cleaning out drawers and boxes - you know how some of those boutique perfume shops make their own samples for you? They will put them, unlabeled, in a tiny zip-loc bag and put the label on the bag. Like that makes sense. Or even commercially prepared samples sometimes won't have any label or identifying info on the vial itself, they'll use a fancy foldover card that the vial hangs within. So those are always a lot of fun. I don't know if having a mystery name to start with is any more helpful than having no name, though!
  14. ivyandpeony

    What Scent Is This?

    I've been around here just a little bit longer than you, but I've never heard of a BPAL called Snow on Bare Shoulders, not even a prototype that's been out for sniffing at Will Calls or what have you. Possets has a Snow on Bare Skin - I wonder if what you have could be an earlier or alternate version, in the vein of BPAL's Lick It, Lick It Again, Lick It One More Time, etc. Maybe some of the Possets enthusiasts could tell you if you asked in that thread.
  15. Hetairae is a gorgeous scent and I do get lots of clove from it, but it is also pretty sweet from the fig and honey. And I may be an oddball, but Pickled Imp definitely falls in the "sweet" category on my skin - like all BPAL scents, YMMV (your mom's mileage may vary ) but I thought I'd mention my experience. It seems like clove is in more BPAL scents with sweet and fruity notes than dry, tobacco-y or spicy ones, but there are a few - Malice and Dracul are two that came to mind. The Smiling Spider definitely gets mentioned most often as the scent that's most like clove cigarettes.
  16. This particular list is a work in progress and even though I am posting it in December 2009, in reality I am quoting a post of mine from sometime in 2008 that hasn't been updated for a while. But watch for that little "edited" line at the bottom, I will update it. This is a list of the most commonly noticed BPAL-to-commercial perfume "smell alikes." if you happen to notice something that seems oft-discussed that I've left off, feel free to drop me a line. If you enjoy discussing this sort of thing, have some comparisons to share or some questions to ask, this thread is the one for you. You'll find it very helpful to search for the perfume name and company within the Recs subforum - it may have its own thread. If it doesn't, and you want to start one, that is fine. You may also find this thread helpful - if you can provide a list of the notes that are in the commercial perfume, people can more easily help you match BPALs that contain those notes and share their experiences about which are dominant in those blends. I will periodically add links here to threads that have lots of discussion and suggestion - if there are only one or two replies to someone's request for a smell-alike or similar scent, I'm going to wait until it's a juicy enough topic to earn a link here. This first list is for specific scents that are very popular and will link you to threads about them if they exist - and when particular BPAL blends have been identified by members as similar, I've attempted to list them for your convenience. Alien by Thierry Mugler: GC 51, UFO related coincidences completely unintentional according to the Lab Angel by Thierry Mugler: GC Xiuhtecuhtli Body Shop White Musk (find and discuss other Body Shop fragrances here, too) Butterfly - Hanae Mori Chanel No. 5: GCs Ozymandias, Dance of Death Chanel No. 19 CK One: GC Vicomte de Valmont; LE House of Mirrors Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf: GC Xiuhtecuhtli Jo Malone Red Roses: LE The Peacock Queen Old Spice: GCs Dracul, Omen; LE Count Dracula, Mr. Jacquel (Yes, lots of us LOVE Old Spice! ) Opium by YSL People of The Labyrinths - Luctor et Emergo Poison by Dior: Venom (sadly discontinued), GCs Spellbound, Shadow Witch Orchid; LE Dark Delicacies Shalimar: GCs Vixen, Haunted, Snake Oil, Ravenous; LEs Jacob's Ladder 05, Stardust 05 YSL Yvresse (fka Champagne) - GC Bon Vivant There are a few companies that members seem to really like, and you can find links to threads discussing their scents here: BPAL blends that resemble Victoria's Secret fragrances BPAL blends that resemble Bath & Body Works scents BPAL blends that resemble Aveda scents
  17. ivyandpeony

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    Be sure to check out the Lush similarities thread that's pinned at the top of Recs - there's been some B Never discussion there too. (You can search the thread using the "search topic" box that appears at the top and bottom of the topic itself. )
  18. ivyandpeony

    Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

    It might be worth talking to your doctor/allergist about it - but it does seem to me that if you are allergic to something in food form, the essential oil made from that food could trigger an allergic reaction. I have heard of people who are allergic to shellfish or nuts who can't even handle those foods or prepare them for others. I remember hearing somewhere that black pepper and pink pepper come from unrelated plants, so that might be something worth researching - if that's truly the case you might be allergic to one and not the other.
  19. ivyandpeony

    Allergy Questions, Allergies and other reactions to oils

    Benadryl cream/ointment or hydrocortisone cream will work pretty quickly to set you right. My husband and I both have itchy, reactive skin so we have both on hand all the time, not specifically for BPAL related problems of course.
  20. ivyandpeony

    So you're devastated about Antique Lace...

    The list I compiled in the first post came from posts that people made in the big "comparisons" thread as well as comparisons from reviews. What I did was search for "Antique Lace" within posts, within the Reviews forum - I got 41 pages of results because it pulled all of the AL reviews from that thread, too, but I skimmed those pages looking for a pattern, where more than one or two people mentioned that a scent reminded them of AL, and if there were some comments that seemed to be typical that stuck with me, that's where those comments came from. so THESE comments are mine, from the ones I've tried. LEs Atrocious Attic - definitely see the resemblance, although there's more violet and more of a powdery quality. Bearded Lady - I don't remember BL well, but I do remember that it went sharp and odd on me, so I didn't get a resemblance. Berenice - definitely a lineny floral, worth a try if you track it down Black Lace - much darker and muskier than AL. I wouldn't seek it as a replacement because I find it so different and it is so hard to find - you'll swap your dearest bottle or pay through the nose on eBay. Boo (current Halloweenie) - One of the few vanilla scents that's ever gone a little plasticky on me, but a lot of people are loving it and I can see why they are making the comparison. Cottonmouth (current Carnaval Diabolique) - I need to revisit this one. Enraged Bunny Musk - I can see a resemblance here, on the powdery/lineny side as opposed to the vanillic side. The Girl (current Halloweenie) - definitely! One of those scents like AL that reminds you of vanilla even though vanilla isn't listed as a note, has that airy quality too. Hope and Faith (current CD) - Very similar, but if you do not like rose or violet respectively, you will not like these. They are very strong on their respective floral notes. La Fee Verte - never saw the vaguest resemblance. This one's very heavy on the honey and anise-y absinthe notes on my skin. Love's Philosophy - much creamier and sweeter than AL on me. Monsterbait: Underpants - Also a lot creamier and sweeter than AL to me. Opuhi - don't get much resemblance, it's more similar to Regan to my nose. The Oval Portrait - maybe a vague resemblance, much more floral, and that's lots of honeysuckle/white florals. Pink Moon 2007 - See Hope and Faith - to me this is like a carnation version of those scents. Snow White - I find Snow White to be unique, I am one of the few people who don't smell vanilla, coconut or almond in it. Nothing about it reminds me of AL. White Rose - It is a clean and crisp scent but I don't find it very close to AL. GCs Black Opal - definitely, whatever gives it that crisp mineral quality is similar to the crisp linen note or notes to me. Dirty - on my skin, this one almost veers to ozone instead of clean linen. Nope. Dorian - I'd say it's worth a try, the lemon & fougere add a crispness to the vanilla. Can be too masculine on me at times. Euphrosyne - this one's hard-core gardenia on me with very little of anything else. Lyonesse - definitely worth a try as well. Has an airy vanilla quality. Morocco - not much resemblance to me, but lots of people disagree. I find it much spicier, more carnation-heavy, very little vanilla. Mouse's Long and Sad Tale - definite similarities. Peitho - very floral on me, little vanilla. Regan - a lot heavier and sweeter than AL without any linen or airy quality Vechernyaya - mostly a white musk blend on me Victoria - heavily floral but with a creamy vanilla undertone White Rabbit - this is a creamy, honeyed pepper on me, no resemblance Zephyr - a lemony white musk on me, very little resemblance others Haloes (Retail Exclusive) - One of those occasional odd experiences - I could barely smell this on my skin when I first got a decant; when I bought a bottle at WF I loved it at first but every time I wore it, it faded in about 30 minutes so it eventually was re-homed. So I just don't know this one well enough. so... there you have it from me =)
  21. ivyandpeony

    So you're devastated about Antique Lace...

    Here's the official announcement Beth made last week about it - she doesn't know yet if they're going to have to discontinue it permanently or if they'll be able to overcome the component problem. And one modly note - if you haven't had a chance to read over this topic, please take a quick look at it - and please take any discussion of other companies' scents to their respective threads in Retail Therapy and/or to PM. I've actually had to send a couple PMs about this lately in other threads so I figured I'd go ahead and mention it here. It's certainly not something that I send reminders or warnings over, just a housekeeping thing, and I think it's pretty well explained in my posts there, but feel free to shoot me a PM about it if you have any questions.
  22. ivyandpeony

    Looking for a BPAL that Resembles a Favorite Perfume

    This comment is just to point out the differences in skin chemistry & perception, of course, not to invalidate Beevee's comparison - her post just jumped out at me because Brit was one of my go-to scents before discovering BPAL and I still get fond memories when I smell iam very fond of it although I can't remember the last time I wore anything other than a BPAL perfume. (I still get the shower gel in my Christmas stocking from my MIL. ) On me, Brit has/had tons of lime and green notes, and even after drying down it never was anywhere as warm and spicy as Morocco. But then again, on my skin, Morocco has lots and lots of carnation that never goes away and I don't get any vanilla from it. (Add to that the batch variations you get from natural perfumes - enough occur in Morocco that I think there's an entire thread in Chatter discussing the variations in Morocco, whether your version smells heavily sandalwoody or carnationy, etc., and you can really start getting confused ) It has me thinking, though, if I personally were to want to replicate Brit, I might be able to layer Morocco with something a little bit green and citrusy. I wore Anais Anais in college and I haven't been struck by a BPAL that reminded me of it yet.
  23. ivyandpeony

    Obsessed with Tomato Leaf

    AmandaKay, those three scents are the only ones that actually include tomato leaf in the description. I did a search in reviews and found that some members have caught a whiff of this elusive note in Envy, Hemlock, Black Hellebore, Belladonna (makes sense to me, all are green abd herbal scents ), Pruno (which did playfully mention ketchup in the description) and oddly, Aizen-Myoo (not that I doubt them, my skin has made odd notes that you'd never expect out of certain scents too). Pruno seems to be love it or hate it scent, so if you haven't tried it I feel sure you can track a bottle or decant down very easily in swaps and all the others are GC. Tomato leaf also seems to pop up in the odd bottle of Chaos Theory. It may not be as popular a note as vanilla or amber or sandalwood, but its devotees really love it and one of these days it wouldn't surprise me if Beth gave them another scent.
  24. ivyandpeony

    BPAL for Costume Parties, Halloween Costumes

    bumping this one for your Halloween chatter =)
  25. Red musk has proven unique and so popular that it eventually spawned its own thread - if you want to take a look at it, you can find it <a href="http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=48594" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.
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