Best BPALs for SUMMER - is it hot, sweltering, sticky outside?

[Macha]

Although LE, Ice Queen is my favorite hot-hot-hot weather scent. Just wearing it seems to lower the temperature in the room 10 degrees.

 

Tarot: the High Priestess also seems to be spectacularly cooling and light, and I think I'm going to order this for summer.

[Lit Chick]

When I was in Phoenix last week, my favorite was Aeval. It's perfect if you don't really like clean scents (like Sea of Glass, etc).

I also kept slathering on Chaste Moon. It makes me feel freshly washed and dried in a comfy soft towel.

[dawndie]

I've tried a couple of imps recently that hollered "SUMMER!"

 

Cathode - sparkly mint, then light floral

Titania - sparkly white fruit (smelled like pear on me), that didn't morph at all into powder or floral

 

I know the summer in Dallas is going to be bad, we're in the 80s today already. It's not even May! Boo!

[Celestyna]

Just wondering what ya'll use (if anything) before you work out?

 

I'm working out about 13 hours a week now trying to rid all the bad body karma I've built up this last year (23 lbs! ahhhh!)

 

I've noticed that i like a little something on me wafting by. Not that I don't mind the natural workout funk, but I've noticed like if I put a dab of Kumiho under my upper lip it really gets me all perky and I don't mind doing the elliptical after that.

 

We've got roller derby practice for 2-3 hours twice a week and afterwards we usually go directly out to drink away all calories burned. I've found that after that long speedskating, that "Medea" actually changes so radically as opposed to just 4 hours of standing around. So rather than smelling like a henhouse, I smell like a yummy bordello.

 

My yoga instructor sprays the room with lavendar before she does her thang, and I don't know why, but lavendar doesn't relax me at all, just makes me feel like i'm at a Rotary Club meeting with some grannies.

 

Oh and if i put on even a dab of oil or anything after swimming, 20 minutes later nothing is there. Tried it like three times. Does chlorine residue neutralize everything?

 

So what do you use and when? Recommendations?

[Torrilin]

After swimming, take a shower. It's better for your hair and skin to get the chlorine off anyway, and then the chlorine can't go destroying a lovely scent . Chemically, chlorine is the main component of bleach, which is really good for destroying many oil molecules.

 

Kalli

[Heretic]

Shanghai. It smells like a cup of green tea with a tiny wedge of fresh lemon or ginger. It's incredibly light and clean and so perfect for hot weather.

[PixieSkull]

Kumiho, yay! Empyreal Mist and Hurricane are very CLEAN scents to me, very dryer sheets and ozone. Hurricane was harsh (as it should be, it's a destructive storm" and Empryeal Mist was lovely for pepping up and feeling clean.

 

I like Blood Rose because the dbr becomes a bit more gritty and the wine gets darker to a real wine smell.

 

Dragon's Heart works with the sweat and my boyfriend swears "You smell like dirty, kinky sex" when I wear it around him when we're doing something active.

 

Blood Pearl is lovely because the salt from your skin adds to the salty seas feel.

[Miss Lynx]

I've found that for me, the scents that blend best with my natural scent (and hence work best when I'm planning to get sweaty) are those with an amber/musk base. So things like Haunted, Fenris Wolf, Imp, and Coyote.

[faifai]

Nuclear Winter smells clean and energizing in a cool, slushy ice kind of way. I also hear good things about Moxie and Detox from the Panacea line. I think something soft and gentle like Snow White and Obatala would also work , so it doesn't come out in a cloud and choke you once you get the blood flowing.

 

Anything really foody for me is a big fat no during workouts--I don't want to smell like cookies when I'm working out, it makes me want to eat cookies and undo all my work!

[oakmoss]

It got really hot here yesterday for the first time this year and was still too warm at bedtime, so I put on some TAL Yemaya oil, and ahhhhh, delicious coolness! The scent is very melony, not like fake candy melon, but sweet watery-fresh honeydew and watermelon, and I'm sure that Yemaya's ocean energy helped with the feeling of cooling down and drifting peacefully. The Excolo scent is very similar to my nose, if you don't want the TAL effects. Both perfect for the summer months to come!

[Freya]

Wasn't Numb made specifically for HOT days? I was thinking of buying a bottle before I head off to Disneyworld.

[olympia301]

I can't wear it, but Embalming Fluid is one of the coldest scents I can think of, really delightful on a sweltering night if it likes your skin.

[tart]

Link to discussion of "Early summer scents" in BPAL Chatter:

http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=22972

[joseybird]

My topic has been linked...<3<3<3

[Court Analyst/Strategist]

Lupceri. Its absolutely delicious when I go outside to weed my garden or just lounge around outside (Its 80 to 90 degrees here currently, unusual for this area at anytime of the year. There will be alot of lounging ). I could swear Luperci amps like mad in direct sunlight on me. I also like to wear it when I am using my punching bag or otherwise working out. Its not cooling but it has a sweetened earthy honey vibe to it that mixes well with sweat and lots of sweltering sunlight.

Other favorites for going out into direct sunlight for a while/and or working out in hot conditions:

 

Fenris Wolf

Old Scratch

Buck Moon

Fallen

 

Or most anything with a strong component of amber/sweet musk undertone in it, my skin chemistry works best in the heat with bpals that mingle well with my natural scent, as I see Miss Lynx noted for herself as well (a couple of posts up).

 

 

Court

[lady_pandora]

Akuma smells just like a creamsicle on me. I actually *only* like it when it's 80+ degrees out.

[astridclaire]

My new summer love: Calliope. It's like a big glass pitcher of cold homemade lemonade that is just barely sweet... with a sprig of lavender on top. It's cool, refreshing, and perks me up.

[Capriquarius]

Ahh...the weather is so hot here today, and I'm glad I stumbled across this thread....here are my favorite summer scents:

 

Aizen-Myoo: This makes me feel clean and cool no matter how sweaty I get! It's tart, citrusy, and not too sweet. I even made some into a spray with distilled water, which I keep in the refrigerator for extra-cold goodness.

 

Tulzcha: If this weren't LE I would slather it on from May to September. The mint and cucumber are perfect for hot weather!

 

Lick It: Again, the mint is cooling and lovely!

 

And of course, Envy.

 

In the hot weather I usually feel lethargic and even ill, so light scents that don't make me nauseous or give me a headache are key!

[Miss Surreal]

I had to stop wearing Bpal for two months now. Sadly, out of the 100's of Imps/bottles I have ordered only two is wearable in my climate right now.

 

On a normal day its around 100 here but thats not the problem as much as the killer humidity. I live in one of the most humid spots on earth, its literally like a jungle around here most days. One of two things happen when I apply bpal in these conditions. The fiirst one being that it sweats off in seconds. Literally sniff, walk outside and poof all gone. Or it tends to vaporize into a cloud of cloying, sickening smell...morphing into something gag worthy. I actually had people running away from me, even when I was applying very sparingly. And I can just say forget it to foody scents at this time.

 

Does that mean my days of Bpaling are over until fall? Does anyone have experience with extreme humidity and which bpal oils can actually with stand it? Ive tried some so called 'summer scents' and those never last. Cobra lilly and the recently delivered Dragon Moon are the only ones that last and dont gag everyone around me.

 

Since Dragon Moon was very tea-like on me would anyone recommend Dorian? Anyone have any other oils they could recommend?

 

Pretty much Im hesitant to make another large order for Bpal and not be able to wear any of them for months yet. So if any of you bpalers have encountered my problem and were able to find a solution help would be greatly appreciated!

[darklorelei]

Light fruits and tea are good for warm weather. Non-foody. Citrus is also very good. Think "green".

 

Shanghai is great. Another scent that I've been wearing a lot recently is Two, Five, and Seven. It's a very light, green rose scent, that on at least a few people is really sparkling. On me, it's like sparkling apple juice. Tart, effervescent, and bright. Delish.

[fictiontragedy]

I live in south florida so I know about humidity. The ones that I find work best this time of year on me are Embalming Fluid(Tea, Lemon and I think some sort of musk) which is pretty fresh and summery. Sudha Sugara (Ginger and Milk) although it's lasting power isn't great. Also I wore black opal to an outdoor wedding at the beach and something about the heat and my body chemistry made smell even more wonderful then usual. I'm not saying it will work with everyone but it was definitly an interesting thing to find out and I also thing it will probably work in humidity as I wear it all the time.

 

I hope that helps.

[darklorelei]

Ohh...yeah, if it's staying power you want, you're sort of screwed. Unfortunately, anything nice and light tends to be made up mostly of topnotes, which have very little staying power.

[sarada]

It doesn't have a lot of staying power, but Szepasszony feels wonderful to me in hot/humid weather. I bet if I added it to an odorless shampoo or body splash or something like that, it would really help to make the scent stick around and lend its cooling quality.

 

I can't wear BPAL on summer days that I'm outside because I have to wear so much sunblock and bugspray to go out! There's no point in pleasant fragrance that is going to get buried under that stuff...because even the odorless kind does have a particular smell. Sigh. I spend most of my time indoors in air conditioning so I bring them with me to work to enjoy in that environment.

[Meg]

I don't have quite as extreme a humidity, but it's getting pretty damn hot and sticky here (damned town by the lake and stupid mountains trapping everything in).

 

Embalming Fluid has always been one of my staples, and I tried to wear some on a scorching day of shopping. I had to reapply several times, but it did stay around a bit. I think that anything containing musk has more of a chance to sticking to your skin, even if the top notes are light citrus or florals. So why not try like Embalming Fluid, Endymion, Phobos, Lady of Shallot, Enraged Bunny Musk, etc.

 

I also find that the ozone note tends to have staying power, I don't quite know what grounds it, but on me it sticks. And ozone = fresh blends. So think R'lyeh, Danube, Tempest, Lightning, Neo-Tokyo, Nyarlathotep and the likes, anything "marine" tends to be ozony. Oh, Lurid has both white musk and ozone and it's superfresh.

 

I found out that O has unbelievable staying power on me, even in this heat (lasted 12 hours!). It's a vanilla/honey/amber/musk blend, certainly not fresh, and I can imagine that it has quite a potential of smelling foul if it turns, but perhaps it stands a chance to actually have some staying power, too. Dorian - to me - sort of goes in the same category as O, because it has vanilla and dark musk. I think it may easily go foul because of those two notes, but if it doesn't, it stands a chance of lasting, yes.

 

Good luck!

Edited June 16, 2006 by Meg

[judas_kiss]

Xiuhtecuhtli is awesome in the summer months and it has great staying power on me. Sleepy Moon and Opium Poppy (Rappacini's Garden) are both great florals for this time of year. O and Snake Oil are both summer faves of mine as they both stay very close to the skin on me. Embalming Fluid is great, but Dorian has a ton of throw on me so I haven't been able to do it when it gets hella hot. Perhaps some of the new Excolos might be nice. I've heard great things about Obatala and Yemaya. They are both supposed to be light and fruity. Hubby wears a lot of Severin (and Embalmig Fluid) since it got much hotter. If you're looking for a rather dirty tea scent, Severin is great. Nice staying power too.