Best scents for performing, public speaking, anytime on stage

[Silvertree]

I like Silk Road (A panoply of cultural treasures, spanning the herbs, flowers, oils and balms of the Romans, the Byzantines, the Mediterranean, the Levant, Northern China, Eastern Europe, Iran, the Bulgar-Kypchak, Mesopotamia, the Crimean Peninsula, Anatolia, Antioch, and North Africa) for an exotic scent with just the right amount of florals.

 

I also think that Sri Lanka (Indian sandalwood and cedar, and the dry incense smoke of olibanum, gum mastic, patchouli and myrrh), in addition to being one of my favorite BPAL scents, is also a great belly dance scent. It's warm, resinous, spicy, and definitely enticing. If the fabric won't stain, you could scent your veil/skirt/etc. so that the fragrance really wafts when you move!

 

One last idea: Sin (Thouroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon) is a wonderful resin/spice blend. It doesn't have quite the same belly dance feel to it that Sri Lanka does, but I bet if you like it you'd have no trouble making it work for you.

 

ETA: If you can get a decant of And There was a Great Cry in Egypt, that might work well as long as the musk isn't too strong.

Edited July 14, 2006 by Silvertree

[medvssa]

I will second Anne Bonny, I think it would be more suitable than the name might imply at first

 

Also, Darkness. Opium, narcissus & myrrh. A very seductive couple of flowers and the golden warmth of myrrh...

[Beatrice33]

Thank you, Silvertree and Medvssa for your suggestions! I'm going to try them, especially Sri Lanka which I don't think I've ever even sniffed. Great ideas.

[PurringPulsar]

If you like Tushnamatay, you might like Ahathoor-it's got a similar incense feel, but it's spicier and warmer.

 

You could also give Cairo a try-it's fruity incense, warm, spicy, exotic, resinous...

 

I agree with Sin-there's something very exotic about it, it's spicy and warm and sensual.

 

(I've said 'spicy and warm' a bit too much in this post...)

Edited July 15, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[faifai]

Anyone mentioned Snake Oil and Snake Charmer? Those were what immediately jumped out at me when bellydancing was mentioned. Basically all BPALers know what Snake Oil smells like, and Snake Charmer is like a lighter, slightly more fruity version of that.

 

If you hate musk, you'll have to wait out the initial blast of Arabian musk for Snake Charmer, but it lasts all of 5 mins on me and leaves a lovely exotic scent behind. Es[ecially if you wear it in your hair--then the musk is poof! on me.

 

And since CN came back into town a little while back, it's not too hard to find.

Edited July 15, 2006 by faifai

[Orodemniades]

Silk Road!! On me Snake Charmer is actually a bit spicier than Snake Oil, however that might be because it's less vanilla-y. Antique Lace isn't spicy and to my nose not musky, but it might be worth a sniff.

 

Oro, feeling rather unhelpful

[parrot_suspect]

Al-Shairan comes to mind for something exotic and spicy. Spellbound, Lust, Bordello and Debauchery also strike me as good choices (heavy, rich, sensual) for bellly dancing.

[jarvenpa]

How about Cairo? It's fruity and spicey (I just realized the other day that the first seconds are kind of Juicy Fruit gum--but it soon becomes complex spicey goodness)

[Beatrice33]

Ooh, thank you everyone! I'm busily writing myself a list for swaps or an imp pack ....

[Mountaingrrl00]

Umbra would be another good one, with patchouli and cinnamon.

[cameroncrazed]

I've got to give an hour long talk tomorrow - eep! I have problems with public speaking - I get shaky, trembly, and feel like passing out. To make it worse, this is a talk about my research, and I have to give it to people that are somewhat knowledgeable about it. I've always gotten the impression that most of them think that I'm an idiot - and the rest just think I'm, well, 'dizzy' and too young.

 

Is there an oil that not only will calm me, but will also either (1) give me a much-needed boost of self-esteem or (2) bewitch the audience into not laughing at me? I've got a fairly large size collection, so feel free to start naming perfumes.

Edited November 20, 2006 by BellaKatrina

[Mountaingrrl00]

The TALs Hand of Hermes and Charisma would be a great combo if you have them. One or the other would probably do the trick, too. Or Anthelion.

 

Some other possibilities:

 

High John the Conqueror

Paris (calming lavender, confidence-boosting spice)

Succor

Umbra (grounding patchouli, confidence-boosting spice)

[argylexsoul]

The TAL oil Brass Balls might be good!

[ajcj213499]

I hope it goes well tomorrow!

 

I'd recommend Tushnamatay. It's very calming and centering, so it might help you to focus and to not be so stressed...

 

Good luck! Try not to be nervous!

[klavierbarrette]

when i saw this i immediately thought of The Lion.

[northatlantic]

Bella, you might want to be careful to pick something that hovers pretty close to your skin as opposed to wafting; as many people who will be thinking "oooh, what smells good?" there will always be someone who will find it unpleasant/even maybe be allergic! the hazards of perfume in a professional environment.

 

That being said, I'd also tend to steer clear of foodies and florals, as they may reinforce a sense of "sweetness" or "girlie-ness" which it sounds like you're trying to avoid. Tushnamatay and the Lion both sound like good possibilities there, and on a slightly different note I'll put in a vote for tea scents or citrus for clarity and brightness without being traditionally perfume-y, like Embalming Fluid, Kumiho, or Severin.

 

All that being said, my butt-kicking 'take me serious' scent is the delicately floral Phantom Queen, because Morrigan's got personal significance to me and putting it on is sort of sharpening my metaphorical sword and asking her blessing on what my opponent's about to receive So use whatever gets YOU in your game space, even if it seems unlikely.

[klavierbarrette]

 

you definitely don't want to wear something with a big throw! it will divert your audience.

 

also second that if you have a favorite, a scent that makes you feel calm, or just really 'in charge', you might want to go with that!

[MissMelysse]

I know this thread isn't terribly recent, but I've just read all of it, and found it interesting. So maybe y'all can help.

 

What's a good scent to bring out confidence, energy, and humor? I'm an improvisational comedian, a member of the local ComedySportz troupe (think Whose Line, but in teams and the points DO matter).

 

I was gifted with Calliope for Christmas, which is what got me hooked on BPAL (Yes, less than a month, and I've already bought three bunches of imps from the forum and made two actual orders. I'm a good little addict, I am.) And I like Calliope, but it's more in tune with the Writer part of my life, and not so much the Funny.

 

I like just about everything - my tastes change moment to moment - Jasmine tends to give me headaches.

 

Thoughts/ideas/recommendations are appreciated.

[Mountaingrrl00]

Moxie's a fun, energetic, confident scent.

 

Reviewers have called the TAL oil Energy "Moxie on steroids". I haven't tried that one yet, but it sounds promising!

[Beatrice33]

I just received Mama Ji and was trying to decide what I thought of it. It's not quite "me" but my hubby loves it, so I was keeping it around to try again. Today I realized it might make a wonderful bellydance scent. It's spicy, warm, exotic and sacred feeling somehow. I don't have it figured out yet, but I think it might make a wonderful component for dance.

[Nia]

I'm dancing in public for the first time in two years tonight. My hands are covered in spilled Baoban Sith but I'm going to apply Queen on the bit that is neither neck nor shoulder, as that way I will be able to smell it, and one of my biggest flaws is tensing my shoulders. I'm posting this here and now so that I remember to post tomorrow how it all went

 

*

 

Whoa! First of all, you wouldn't believe how such a sweet scent cleared up my head. The dancing went great, the friend who volunteered to take improvised-looking pictures complained that I always looked as if I was posing, and The Boyfriend said that I was good enough to eat. Heh!

 

It's official: Queen is my sexy performing scent.

Edited April 19, 2007 by Nia

[Rouge]

Hello ladies, especially those of the shimmying persuasion.

 

On Friday night I'm narrating a dance show based around different goddess legends, and I think I'm going to want to wear a perfume that's powerful and exotic. Would anyone like to help me choose?

 

My costume is a dark red ankle length caftan, a black hip scarf with gold coins and a glittery accents of gold, red and green, and a dark red turban with gold embroidery. It's a sort of Bedouin look. I'll probably wear heavy black kohl eyeliner as well.

 

Here's what I've narrowed the list down to, but new suggestions are very welcome as well:

 

Al-Shairan - fabulously spicy and Arabian, but perhaps a little aggressive?

 

Queen of Sheba - This always makes me feel good when I wear it.

 

Bengal - I love the honey and the peppers, but is an Indian scent right for a Middle-Eastern style costume?

 

Oya - since dark red is one of her sacred colours, and I could certainly do with the power and presence she gives, since this is the first time I've been on stage in years.

 

Madame Moriarty - For some reason this always seems like a "red" scent to me.

 

Silk Road - Beautifully spicy and exotic, and probably my signature scent.

 

Snake Oil - I love love love Snake Oil. But is it a bit too sexual?

 

Bien Loin D'Ici - The incense notes are just wonderful, and it smells very Arabian to me.

 

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[elphaba]

I always wear Snake Oil for bellydance. It just makes me feel exotic and beautiful. If Silk Road is your signature scent, I'd suggest not wearing it (although it's another one I love) just so you'll feel more special and in-character with something different. Wear what makes you feel gorgeous and powerful.

[Rouge]

Good thinking; it would probably be best to wear something a little different from my usual rotation of scents.

 

Another late entry to the short-list is Mama-ji. It's certainly powerful and attention-grabbing enough.

[forspecial_plate]

The first thing I thought of was Gypsy Queen: "A heavy-lidded perfume, the quintessence of beauty and power shrouded in mystery, swathed in a deep, velvet-clad cloak of dark omens: Romany incense and candle smoke mingling with an alluring, body-warmed whiff of bergamot, neroli, Bulgar rose, carnation, and amber musk."

 

For me it's more floral than anything, but it has a lot of throw. When you described your costume it seemed to fit.

 

(oh and it's LE from Carnaval Noir)