Your Best-Bet "Must Try" Enabling Scents

[Ghost_Light]

I would add an "oddity" to that - something like Zombi or Scarecrow or a totally foody-scent. I really misjudged what I would like/what would work on me when I made my first order and the frimp of Scarecrow was my first love. Something really out of the ordinary might just be the thing that keeps a total newbie from going "but it's just perfume!"

[faylie]

Personally even though it is so popular I'd leave Snake Oil for a wee bit, it can sometimes take time for a persons nose to warm to BPAL and it's something that it would be awful to try too early and decide you hated it when a few months down the track might be loved. My 6 for a beginner would be

 

Alice or Morocco

Cheshire Cat

A floral of some sort, Love me, Lucy's Kiss or Night Gaunt

Night Queen

Black Pearl

Wrath

 

Where I've put more than one it depends a lot on the person, but I would most likely include a vanilla (I know Morocco doesn't mention vanilla but a lot of people smell it) and floral of some sort.

[zankoku_zen]

I think this is good... if your newbie hasn't experienced ALL that BPAL can be.

 

I've got one that has very distinct tastes, so I'm going to check out the foody/spicy recommendations.

[Lit Chick]

My intorductory 6 would be:

 

Maiden, for gentle floral.

Bastet, for spiced sweetness.

Dorian, for vanilla.

Amsterdam for aquatic.

Intrigue for the different one.

Antony for teh sex.

[moonarcana]

I'd say:

 

Snake Oil - because I agree with faylie it takes some breaking into BPAL to fully appreciate...but getting one right off the bat means you can hang onto it and let it age awhile.

 

Dorian - because it's unique and such a yummy comfy scent.

 

Hollywood Babylon - again unique...and spicy sweet! It was one of the first imps that I got and I just flipped over how different it was from anything I'd ever worn before.

 

Embalming Fluid - believe it or not, I've yet to try this one myself - but it's a favorite for so many and I'm trying to come up with a diverse list here.

 

Bliss or Velvet - everyone loves a little chocolate! (I think Velvet is the more complex scent of the two)

 

Black Lily - because it's among the loveliest floral GC scent (to my nose anyway) although I think Lit Chick's suggestion for Maiden is a good one too.

[harmonyfb]

The selection that I always use to entice newbies includes an LE (Pumpkin Queen), but for GC's?

 

Miskatonic University

White Rabbit

Night-Gaunt

Hanging Gardens

Two, Five, and Seven

Lyonesse

Villain (for men)

[kwsix]

My biased recommendations:

 

Euphrosyne

Dragon's Milk

Lampades

Kumiho

Alice

Iago

 

Alternates: Blood, Bordello, Velvet, Misk U, Snake Oil, Dorian

 

These suggestions are based on my personal preferences, plus in my experience they tend to draw people in because they're so unique.

[funkmoppet]

I'll throw my thoughts in here since I'm someone with temperamental skin chemistry (sorry, I went way over the asked for six because I didn't read the OP properly, and I go a little crazy for lists):

 

I'd go for a nice cross-section.

 

DORIAN Absolutely. He's a crowd pleaser, and one of Beth's most spectacular vanilla blends. Antique Lace is also a winner, but Dorian has that unisex appeal.

 

BENGAL Great example of the sweet category. Honey and cinnamon, and delicious without screaming "foodie!" Also a nice intro into the spicy-foodie LE's, without being hard to come by.

 

MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY Even if they're not a fan, this one is such a spectacular non-perfume example. If they love coffee, it'll be heaven!

 

BLACK TOWER A nice unisex-bordering-on-masculine blend, with kind leather and woods. Another alternative is Penny Dreadful.

 

ROBIN GOODFELLOW He didn't work on me after the dry down, but he's forest-blend perfection prior to that, and I seem to be in the unfortunate minority with him going to powder. So I'd say he's a safe and awesome choice for a fantastic forest scent. Black Forest might be too pine-heavy for some - though if the newbie loves pine, it's a good one! Or Coyote if musk is a preference.

 

FENRIS WOLF Again, he didn't work on me, but he's awfully sexy when wet. Great boy blend, and if the newbie can wear resins, he's a good choice. Dee is another - and a good substitute for the resin-impaired like me.

 

MOON ROSE A light, really beautiful ethereal floral. Proves that Beth can do "mist". Also covers rose, without being all rose.

 

BLOOD AMBER Great introduction to Dragon's Blood, which then opens the door to AD if it works on their skin. Also, it's a lovely amber - and miraculously worked on me!

 

TEMPEST I haven't tried this one yet, but I love me some ozone, and Kumari Kandam is probably a little too dark and mingled with woods for a first go. Those who've tried more ozone blends would be better off suggesting one here than I am at this stage. Tempest seems to be reviewed as a kind ozone.

 

WHITE RABBIT Not a favourite of mine, but a popular blend, and a good example of a tea blend. It's also a kind blend.

 

 

Missing from this list because of my lack of experience with them:

 

A berry blend. (I adore Glasgow, but it's not sweet on me, and I think it might be more for lovers of heather)

A pretty floral. (I don't care for them myself, so I'm not much use suggesting them. Leanan Sidhe, perhaps.)

A patchouli blend. (My favourite so far is Mme. So I don't have an impable GC suggestion.)

A dirt blend. (I'm still looking for one I like - but Zombi, perhaps.)

A lemon blend. (not a lemon fan, so I've got nothin'.)

Edited July 10, 2007 by funkmoppet

[smallvoice]

I love these! So here are my suggestions for a newbie imp pack:

 

Alice

Embalming Fluid

Dorian

Bengal

Jazz Funeral

The Lion

 

I think that's a decent sampling! If I had to recommend 6 LE decants to nab up:

 

Absolutely not Snowflakes. Because it's mine. MINE!

 

Boomslang

Mme. Moriarty

Et Lux Fuit

Storyville

Monster Bait: Something that sounds good

13 (whichever one sounds good)

 

But there are so many!

[mooncityminx]

51- because it's beautiful and a good gateway scent

 

And then we break it down into what people think they like:

 

Spicy

Morrocco

Shub

 

Foody/Vanilla

Dragons Milk

Snake Oil

O

 

Foody/Fruit

Yemaya

Fae

Blood Countess

Bordello

 

Citrus/Refreshing:

Enbalming Fluid

Shangi

Aizen-Myoo

Envy

Mad Hatter

Yemaya

 

Woodsy

Fenris Wolf

TZ

Yew Trees

 

Sexy/incensey

Vixen

Dragons Bone

Snake Oil

Dragons Heart

 

Decants to Try

Mme Moriarty

Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree

Boomslang

Arrival at the Sabbath

OOF

UGH

TKO

Edited July 10, 2007 by Tempest

[ivyandpeony]

Another topic that you guys might have fun with is Best All-Purpose Enabling Scents.

 

(Mod note: I might merge this thread into the enabling one when the Camp Newbie fun is over for this round, because the suggestions are so good. Then a new one can be started when a future newbie event is underway. But for now I think they are better as separate threads, since this one has such up-to-the-minute recs. Please feel free to share any thoughts!)

 

51- because it's beautiful and a good gateway scent

...

 

I love the term "gateway scent." I agree about 51, too - a great way to introduce commercial-perfume-trained noses to BPAL.

 

ETA: merged with discussion in enabling thread since there'd been no comments in the "Camp Newbie" thread for 30 days or more.

Edited August 10, 2007 by ivyandpeony
to note merger into large enabling thread

[styro]

Just popping back into this thread to add that in a recent trial with friends, The Jersey Devil showed surprisingly strong crossover appeal, working really well for all of my enablees.

 

Also, in a recent testing of "spring/summery GC scents," the two scents with the most crossover appeal proved to be Croquet and Tweedledum.

 

(Note: I test scents with three friends--a foodie-scent-lover, a spicy-scent-lover, and a friend with hard-to-pin-down tastes. Usually my first two friends hate each other's favourite scents, so when a scent comes along that works for all of us? That's pretty rare.)

[aine]

For enabling men, I'd choose -

 

Dee - warm and scholarly

The Bow and Crown of Conquest - manly but soft at the same time

Golden Priapus - nice vanilla blend

Fenris Wolf - something a little animalistic

Dracul - just gorgeous, interesting notes

Tezcatlipoca - a little cocoa

Iago - for when he's been a bad boy....

Calico Jack - aquatic

Casanova - kind of traditional and yet not at all

Lear - different feel, bay rum

Vicomte de Valmont - amber, non-challenging

Villian - beautiful fougere

 

For women -

 

Anne Bonny - a very accessible wood blend

Lurid - something completely different

Velvet - safe introduction to foodier scents

Maiden - a softer, wearable floral

Whip - rose and leather, mmmmm

Morocco - reminiscent of vanilla icecream to me, nice introductory scent

Tenochtitlan - something alive and fun

Death Cap - warm and earthy

Jezebel - womanly

Snake Oil - vanilla spice, classic

Szepasszony - ethereal floral

Loviatar - sexy, sexy, sexy

[eatingthesea]

oooohhh, i like this old thread! i'm gonna do my personal "top 10 enabling scents" and why...

 

1) dorian: not necessarily the #1 enabler...just a general crowd-pleasing, good musk-and-tea scent.

2) zombi: dirt and roses...it works. i'd be unladylike to make sure i have a lifetime supply of this.

3) irrelevant & disturbing surreal crawdad dream: not all of beth's scents are "dark" or "gothic!" for your friends who don't go for that, but have a good sense of humor...present them with the best blueberry perfume ever...bottled happiness!

4) rose red: for the doubters...how the scent of a big, fresh red rose in a florist's fridge can be bottled.

5) black opal: another "concept" scent to wow them (hopefully). how DOES that woman get the scent of a black opal into a bottle? a gentle, somewhat aquatic vanilla that'll make the (hopefully) new convert feel like they "get it."

6) white rabbit: a fun scent, one of the best (if not only?) ways sweet tea and milk and linen can get together in a scent.

7) xiuhtecuhtli: because everyone thinks i'm wearing thierry mugler angel when i have xiu on...so it's good for those who are woefully attached to their commercial 'fumes.

8) snake oil: duh. just...duh.

9) mme. moriarty: if they're ever going to be a red musk/patchouli fan, they will know this by the trail of mme. moriarty on their arms.

10) snow-flakes: they need a slushy snow scent minus the floral-vanilla of snow white...for starters.

[Reaver]

I've hardly enabled anyone. I've gotten two imps to someone, and they weren't particularly enamored. They wear them, but haven't asked about more. I suppose I enabled my boyfriend but he kind of did it himself.

 

If I WERE to enable someone, I'd go for two imp packs for a present. In a box, with a bow and a postcard from the lab.

 

I'd put in:

 

DRAGONS BLOOD - Because I think it's fairly typical of what BPAL is about.

NIGHTGAUNT - Universal love from everyone that's smelt it on me. It's light and easy to love.

SNAKE OIL - Or, 'crack'.

INCANTATION - Introduction to BPALs vetiver which I LOVE and think everyone else should.

SWANK - Bright fruit is a popular thing, I think? Also smells quite cute and Avon-y.

SUSPIRO - To show that BPAL can do florals too.

VELVET - Because light chocolate could work.

KUMIHO - Smells quite 'familiar' but still has an edge.

NOSTRUM REMEDIUM - Craziness, but not too crazy. Will have people trying to guess the familiar scent.

ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM - Because once you've sniffed, you never go back.

ETHER - Something a lot lighter and with a touch of floral.

THE GREAT SWORD OF WAR - Dark and bizarre, but with familiar touches of fruit and cocoa.

 

 

I think it's got a good range but then I can only speak from my experience really. I like scents that a lot of people balk at so I tried to stay away from STRONG vetiver craziness and bizarre note combos that might scare people off.

[crebbsgirl]

I'm shopping for Mom for Christmas. She's as much of a scent addict as I am and has been thoroughly intrigued by my obsession with the Lab. Her favourite commercial scents include Vera Wang Princess and Nina by Nina Ricci. (I've included this info because this gives her scent preferences). I found BPAL similarities but I want to get her an imp pack to introduce her to the wonderful variety the Lab has to offer. In essence, I want her to branch out. Here's what I've decided on:

 

Snake Oil - pretty much a universal favourite, vanilla-y spice

Alice - floral foody

Velvet - foody (I suspect she likes cocoa as a note)

Bordello - fruity

Blood Rose - floral

And I'm trying to decide between Fae or Baobhan Sith

 

Thoughts? Comments? Did I miss something?

[KTG]

Hi, I'm kind of newbie. I mostly lurk and read through threads. I'm only now really discovering the kind of scents that I like. (Foodytype scents mostly.) But LE's tempt me so much.

 

So a question for those that are in the know.

 

What are the MUST HAVE GC scents that you suggest every newbie try an imp of? Like a newbie primer of scents?

 

Please only list things that are available now. I know I'm already tempted to chase down scents I'll probably never have a chance of getting.

 

Thanks!

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Here's the list:

 

Morocco

Snake Oil

Perversion

Bordello

Antique Lace

Tombstone

Dorian

Alice

O

The Lion

Shub-Niggurath

Phantom Queen

I Died for Beauty

Bengal

Edited August 30, 2009 by KTG

[sixthsentinel]

Morocco

Snake Oil

Perversion

Bordello

Antique Lace

Tombstone

 

... just to name a few

 

Oh! I'm going to add Centzon Totochtin to that list, especially if you like foody scents (although I don't consider it foody exactly).

Edited August 30, 2009 by sixthsentinel

[Tramp]

snake oil

antique lace

dorian

morocco

alice

o

[jizatt]

the primer musts:

Snake Oil (its a must try for BPALers)

O (amber and honey and sex!)

Alice (creamy and a smidge floral)

Dorian (creamy tea musk love)

Morocco (for a spicy scent primer)

 

 

for a selection of foody type testers:

White Rabbit

Eat Me

Gluttony

Drink Me

March Hare

Bliss

Dana O Shee

Jack

Kill Devil

Vice

 

 

[KTG]

the primer musts:

Snake Oil (its a must try for BPALers)

O (amber and honey and sex!)

Alice (creamy and a smidge floral)

Dorian (creamy tea musk love)

Morocco (for a spicy scent primer)

 

 

for a selection of foody type testers:

White Rabbit

Eat Me

Gluttony

Drink Me

March Hare

Bliss

Dana O Shee

Jack

Kill Devil

Vice

 

Thank you for the foody suggestions!

 

[Muppetk]

The only suggestions I have of the near-foody variety that haven't been covered are: Dragon's Milk & The Antikythera Mechanism. (The former is a wonderful honeyed vanilla, the latter is like a deeper, darker Dorian, which I'm sure has already been recommended to you multiple times.) They're not quite technically foody, but they straddle the foody-nonfoody borderline.

 

I'd also suggest grabbing a few things that sound appealing that aren't foody. BPAL can really surprise the heck out of you. Be open to experience.

 

And usually, I'd say skip LEs initially, but the Halloween LEs are generally the foodiest of the year & they're up right now. See if you can acquire samples from forum members, but you probably will want to try some of them.

 

Ohhey, as to non-foody must tries that no one else has mentioned: The Lion (amber & dry spices), Shub-Niggurath (which to many people is foody, it was originally nicknamed spicy gingersnaps). (EDIT: aha! someone else mentioned them -- you! I think they're definite must tries.)

 

And here's a link of forums favorites: http://www.bpal.org/index.php?showtopic=51153 (Che the second list - it's all currently available scents. Only the first has LEs on it.)

Edited August 30, 2009 by Muppetk

[veronicafranco]

welcome! if you are foodyish, you would probably also like sweet berry/apple sorts of scents (hymn to proserpine and les bijoux are two faves of mine). troll the "recommendations" section of the forum, too (hmm, they might move this thread there )

[KTG]

welcome! if you are foodyish, you would probably also like sweet berry/apple sorts of scents (hymn to proserpine and les bijoux are two faves of mine). troll the "recommendations" section of the forum, too (hmm, they might move this thread there )

 

 

I wasn't sure where to post this, but I haven't seen a thread specifically like this and I think it would be useful for those of us overwhelmed by all the info on this site. I know my first BPAL order was all over the place and I wish there had been a thread like this for me to look over before I'd ordered.

[Muppetk]

Oh! How could I forget: Also, if you find you like Snake oil, even a bit, check out the snake pit scents. They're technically LEs, (they're part of Carnaval Diabolique) they've been up for a couple of years and should be up for at least a few more months. The snake pit scents are all variations on snake oil (my guess, because people discovered that snake oil layers beautifully with EVERYTHING.) And a frequent foodie favorite is Boomslang composed of "snake oil, cocoa, teak wood and rice milk."

 

Snake pits here, about 1/3 down the page: http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/cdiabolique.html