Why do scents turn to baby powder on me?!

[inkstone]

I have to agree that it's often based on individual body chemistry, mood & hormonal changes. And Allamanda's experience with Intrigue was Hamadryad for me. I know rose is hit or miss on me -- sometimes it goes to powder, sometimes it stays true. Amber, for the most part, smells hard & sour in me. The only blend it's in that's worked for me so far is Tamora.

 

But I know that the more blends I've tried, the more I'm able to figure out what works and what doesn't. White musk is great on me whereas the other (darker) musks go a little wonky and overpower every other note in the blend.

[Lit Chick]

Ah, crap. So, chemistry is terribly individual, notes can act differently from one blend to another, and just when you think you have it figured out - your chemistry can change again.

 

Guess I'll have to try lots and lots of imps.

[hypothermya]

Sometimes skin chemistry just sucks and no amount of trying them again can change it.

 

I actually have *very* similar issues to you -- anything with rose in it tends to turn to pure rose on my skin, making it impossible for me to wear Persephone, Viola, etc. I didn't even bother ordering Old Dublin, because I anticipated this. Same with numerous LEs with rose in them.

 

I've also had several blends turn to baby powder on me. This seems to be less of a permanent thing and more of a "that time of the month" thing with me. While some of them just stay baby powder with subsequent tries, others (like Wanda -- the one and only rose blend I can wear -- and Voodoo) will turn out okay the next time I try them.

 

Anything with fruit notes in it tends to go super sweet on me. In some blends (like Dragon's Heart) this is tolerable, because the rest of the blend is so non-sweet that it works out. However, this hasn't stopped me from gagging when trying fruity blends like Jester, Lady Macbeth, Old Glasgow, etc. Musks tend to be the great equalizer for me, it seems, since both Dragon's Heart and Bewitched worked well on me. (although the fruit notes certainly didn't add to the success of the blend...that was only the other notes that did that.)

 

So...here's what I've found that I am able to wear:

 

-Musks

-Citrus notes. Strangely, this doesn't include orange. But otherwise, notes such as lime, lemon, grapefruit...they all work on me.

 

What I can't wear:

 

-Anything with rose

-Anything with the bad fruit notes

 

And, just to vex me even more, I've learned that there are always exceptions to this rule. So every now and then I give a blend with rose or fruit notes a try. Just in case. Mostly it isn't a success. Yerevan, for example, was a pure horror on my skin. Rose, rose, rose, rose, with some sickly sweetness in the background.

 

And, as for the powder? I haven't been able to pin anything down yet. Sometimes I think it's the rose, sometimes I think it's the amber, sometimes I think it's both or none of the above...

 

Anyhow, good luck with figuring out what works on you and what doesn't. I can completely relate, since it took me about 5 blends from my first order to finally find one that wasn't horrible on me. (and I stuck with it, cause I could smell how good they were in the imps....)

[diabolique]

along with everyone else's information about skin chemistry and hormones, your diet is also a big variable that can completely change the way certain things smell. i've tried enough of beth's oils to know which notes do and do not work with my chemistry, and i primarily stick to trying the ones that i know WILL work; however, don't rule out trying things, regardless of whether or not it may go bad on you. for example, by my second order rolled around, i had completely sworn off rose blends. i thought they were old ladyish, and i had a similar problem with them being amplified on my skin. a couple of weeks ago, due to a certain recommendations thread , i realized that i COULD wear it, it was just the other notes that got in the way.

 

i wouldn't be swapping your scents away just yet if you're interested in doing that. i regret swapping away a lot of imps and bottles from my first couple of orders because i realize my nose wasn't really "trained" enough to be able to appreciate the beauty of beth's oils.

Edited December 1, 2004 by diabolique

[Lit Chick]

Thanks, diabolique & hypothermya!!

I'm holding on to most of my imps - but hehe - two have already been asked for! They were the 2 that would not have been tried again, so yay! And I'll have 2 more (very different) little vials to try. The rest of my current imps will wait - I'm hoping to love them. And even if they always stay the same, sometimes I want to be soapy! (Catherine would probably be very refreshing on me in summer).

 

I've started my little speadsheet of BPAL notes... I'm sure I'll find something that's perfection. I'm willing to wait for it.

 

I have 1 pending lab shipment of impies, and have been watching the Swaps and Ebay - but I think I might go for another 12 direct. How will I ever choose?

[Aurelius]

yes, yes, what everyone else has said.

 

Just because you like the smell of something doesn't mean that the scent will react nicely with your skin chemistry. My skin chemistry and eucalyptus do not play well together. Pity, since I love the smell. But on me that smell becomes BABY POWDER. And how. Ick.

 

And, yup, your chemistry will change during the month so what may smell stinky one week can smell breathtakingly lovely the next.

 

Also, I'd suggest trying stuff you think you'll hate. Perhaps I should elaborate. The lab sent me a freebie imp of Imp. I sniffed it and nearly threw it across the room it was so sticky-sweet. But I tested it (loooooong after I'd tried everything else) and found that it mellowed nicely on my skin. It's now a favorite blend.

[Red_Hot_Mama]

Nothing to add, that hasn't already been said, except about spreadsheets. Quite a few on the forum maintain extensive spreadsheets. Just put the word out that you would like one or pm andrabell. I'm sure she can help you. (BTW... andra is a mod on bpal chatter.)

[Lit Chick]

WHOOOO!

I have my first keeper, and not only is it good, it's OMFG good!

Lady of Shallot is perfection on me. I'm very, very pleased.

 

Red_Hot_Mama, thanks so much - Andra was extremely nice!

[erishkigal]

le serpent qui danse turned ALL baby powder on me.. just like that old 'babysoft' perfume.. i detest the baby powder scent on me

 

that one was the only one so far that has turned baby powder. i tried to wash it off but it wouldn't come off and gave me a headache!!!

[locuraelegantia]

I'm very new to bpal, and when I made my first imp order, I got a lot of scents that contained amber because I used to use a cheap oil that I liked.

 

All of these ambers turn into babypowder on my skin and it's gross. does anyone else's skin do this to them? have you tried any ambers that stay sharp?

 

in case anyone was wondering I got snake oil (which I really wanted to like), bringsamen, o, le petit mort, psyche, salome and the lab gave me depraved.

[Orodemniades]

Well...I love amber too, but the lab's amber frequently turns to powder on me as well. O was a washout, and Brisingamen, it's powdery but I wear it anyway! Snake Oil - when aged a few months - is fantastic. You might want to see if aging or different times of the month give you different results.

 

Is it the spicy scents you're looking for?

 

Oro

[locuraelegantia]

cool, I will definitely try aging my snake oil!

 

 

 

Is it the spicy scents you're looking for?

 

Not necessarily, I just got excited by the prospect of being a sex kitten by wearing perfume.

 

I would have kept wearing Bringsamen but while I was at work, I would keep getting a fit of sneezes every time I sniffed it, and I do not have a sensitive nose that way. Someone commented that it smelled cheap too! It's that babypowder thing.

 

 

Here's a list of imps I was thinking about ordering.

 

1 Lady Macbeth

2 Ophelia

3 Dorian

4 Velvet

5 Kali

6 Nemesis

7 Anubis

8 Iambe

9 Zorya

10 Scherezade

11 Antique Lace

12 Black Pearl

13 Chimera

14 Intrigue

15 Jack

16 Mata Hari

17 Gluttony

18 The Great Sword of War

 

think I should steer clear of any of these?

[Orodemniades]

I'm thinking maybe Anubis or Scherezade...gah, I could have sworn I did reviews for both but it looks like I haven't, at least not on the pc. But! Don't let that stop you from ordering anything that catches your fancy!

 

Oro

[Lit Chick]

When I was a newbie, I had a lot of scents that went powdery/soapy/etc. It's a common issue - I guess it's hard to smell the nuances in BPAL when you're used to commerical perfumes. That said, some things are still powder etc on me.

 

Don;t worry, you'll find something. Of the one's we've both tried from your first post, I had the same reactions. So, my rec'd from your list:

Dorian - very very nice, very interesting

Scherezade -this did go powdery on me, but in a nice way. Worth a try.

Intrigue - one of my all time top 10.

 

I's suggest Bastet as well. Wet it'a all almond, but dry it's amazing.

[czuba]

O went baby powdery on me too.

 

Dorian wears well on me and I really like it (ordered a larger bottle), so maybe you'll get lucky with it.

 

There is a big "market" in imp trading and a big following for alot of the scents you have. I'd suggest swapping to try some other scents.

 

Good Luck.

[ocicat]

Kali is beautiful on me! I *hated* the way it was in the bottle (chocolate koolaid), but it turned gorgeous the minute it hit my skin!

 

Dorian was the exact opposite. Heavenly in the bottle....but lemon cleaner on my skin.

[locuraelegantia]

thanks for all the suggestions!

 

I'm really excited to order boatloads of imps.

[yellowrose]

cool, I will definitely try aging my snake oil!

Here's a list of imps I was thinking about ordering.

 

1 Lady Macbeth

2 Ophelia

3 Dorian

4 Velvet

5 Kali

6 Nemesis

7 Anubis

8 Iambe

9 Zorya

10 Scherezade

11 Antique Lace

12 Black Pearl

13 Chimera

14 Intrigue

15 Jack

16 Mata Hari

17 Gluttony

18 The Great Sword of War

 

think I should steer clear of any of these?

 

My two cents (and I love amber, disliked O) is that several of these on your list were disappointing for me. And they were among the first scents I ordered as well. Namely, Mata Hari, Intrigue, and Velvet. (Still need Black Pearl and Antique Lace!) When I was first ordering, I did like you and ordered things based on what I had tried and liked. What some of the hits were for me sorta surprised me -- and one of the big hits was a lab gift.

 

Best bets:

 

* take copious notes and read up on scents you've tried previously that you have worn and liked or not liked. You can learn more about what works and doesn't work. And there might be some surprises. That's why the spreadsheet is such a great tool!

 

* try your scent more than once;

 

* work the swap forum and keep working it; and

 

* read the reviews and re-read them AND the scent descriptions.

 

Some soft and warm scents, which is the quality I like in amber, that worked and you may want to try:

 

* Dragon's Milk;

* Tombstone;

* 13 (an LE due back in January '06).

 

All of us are continually finding new scents and surprises because that's what Beth keeps doing: giving us new surprising scents!

 

Good luck!

 

yr

[lookingglass]

Chimera did a similar powdering thing on me that Snake Oil does...I don't know what it is...honey? I love it now, but you may want to be wary.

 

I love amber, too, and was on a BPAL amber brigade for a while until I discovered that I don't really ADORE BPAL's BLEND of amber in and of itself. ALL ambers are blends, some contain amber resin, some do not. They often contain labdanum, patchouli, and sandalwood. You can do more research about amber on Eden Botanical's site. I have some labdanum absolute, and to my nose, it is what AMBER smells like.

 

You may want to do a "labdanum" search on the BPAL site. It may be closer to what you are looking for...

[PurringPulsar]

I'm the total opposite, because amber never goes powdery on me, not even the lab's...it always smells sweet, golden and translucent. I must be lucky.

 

The lab uses different amber blends which may react differently with different skin chemistries-I'm most familiar with the Egyptian amber(that's the one with the golden luminous scent, on me), but there's also black amber, Peruvian amber, and many more...I'm not too familiar with those but I tried one blend with black amber and it smelt different to normal amber-deeper, I think.

 

Don't give up! There may be an amber note that works on you!

Edited December 23, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[maewitch]

I know how you feel. Amber tends to go Skanky Grandma on me - powdery but sexual. Brisingamen was perhaps the worst offender in this category.

 

There are so many different amber blends however, that it's worth experimenting. I found the Lion to be a wonderful amber blend, perhaps because it is balanced by that dry grass note and the spices.

 

From your list I would totally recomment Dorian and Lady Macbeth.

[locuraelegantia]

Honestly, I had no idea that there were different kinds of amber! That's really pleasing, knowing that I'm not ruined for them.

 

 

I'm really inetrested in working in the swap thread, but I'm going to have to go back over the FAQs and all that. I know there are rules about above and below the label stuff. I'm actually surprised how much of an imp goes after a few test applications.

 

 

I'm so impressed with the amount of information I received. I love the bpal community!

[Torrilin]

FWIW, "amber" in a perfume description means "hi, we're substituting a blend of oils for ambergris, because it's illegal to use ambergris". So if you see ambergris in a description, expect yet another "amber" scent. It won't be real ambergris, since that is an animal derived product and the lab doesn't use animal derived products.

 

Very often Beth's descriptions consistently use a particular term because she wants to distinguish between two (or more) oils that are slightly different in character. We don't know for sure that that's the case with amber, but it's possible.

 

Kalli

[xith]

Here's a list of imps I was thinking about ordering.

 

1 Lady Macbeth

2 Ophelia

3 Dorian

4 Velvet

5 Kali

6 Nemesis

7 Anubis

8 Iambe

9 Zorya

10 Scherezade

11 Antique Lace

12 Black Pearl

13 Chimera

14 Intrigue

15 Jack

16 Mata Hari

17 Gluttony

18 The Great Sword of War

 

think I should steer clear of any of these?

Snake Oil was grossly powdery on me too, but aside from that I have no idea how similar our chemistry is... with that in mind, a reply to your list:

Dorian, Black Pearl, and Jack are all wonderful on me. Definite favorites. Kali didn't do anything weird, it's just not my kind of scent. Scherezade did the same gross powdery thing as Snake Oil. I haven't tried the rest. Good luck!

Edited December 26, 2005 by xith

[Nemesister]

so if i was after a baby powder type scent what oil would i go for? no bpal's seem to turn powdery on me so it would have to be one that is a powdery scent anyway.