Finding BPAL blends similar to Dior perfumes....

[Cegirls]

LOL

 

Addict ain't got nothin' on Snake Oil...

 

Muuuaaaahhhaaahhaaaa!

 

Snake Oil is what Addict wants to be when she grows up!

[Scylla]

OK, experts, I need your help. I love pretty much ALL of the BPAL scents I have tried so far, but my husband remains unconvinced. I am looking for something that he will really like on me and convert HIM to BPAL. His favorite scent for me is Christian Dior's Poison. (I know, I know--very 80's.) Any suggestions?

[morleigh_s]

Maybe I'm completely crazy but I thought I had heard someone mention that Venom was very similar to Poison. I can't remember what Poison smells like but I do love Venom...

[minilux]

I think Venom is very similar to Poison, or at least has a lot of the same good elements that I associate with Poison. In fact, that's why I alway keep an imp around. I wore Poison in high school and love to catch a whiff of it every so often

[Nadirah]

I thought Saturn (planetary oil) was a masculine poison like scent. I wore poison too and love it but I think I've forgotten how it smells since I've tried BPAL.

[lorajc]

Definitely Venom.............very reminiscent of Poison.

[BlueSakura]

I hope I'm doing this right, please feel free to move the thread if this is in the wrong place. ^^ *is newbie*

 

I've just discovered BPAL recently, and I'm on the prowl for a new signature scent. My current scent is Dior's j'adore, but I'm starting to get a bit tired of it. I'm not very scent-savvy, so I'll try to describe it as best as I can~ it's a light floral, apparently a tiny bit spicy and citrus-y as well. The top notes are Champaca flower, mandarin, and ivy leaves; middle notes are jasmine, orchids, violet, Damascus plum, and rose; base notes are Amaranth wood and blackberry musk. Can some kind soul recommend a similar BPAL scent that I can try? Thank you!

[Diana]

I hope I'm doing this right, please feel free to move the thread if this is in the wrong place. ^^ *is newbie*

 

I've just discovered BPAL recently, and I'm on the prowl for a new signature scent. My current scent is Dior's j'adore, but I'm starting to get a bit tired of it. I'm not very scent-savvy, so I'll try to describe it as best as I can~ it's a light floral, apparently a tiny bit spicy and citrus-y as well. The top notes are Champaca flower, mandarin, and ivy leaves; middle notes are jasmine, orchids, violet, Damascus plum, and rose; base notes are Amaranth wood and blackberry musk. Can some kind soul recommend a similar BPAL scent that I can try? Thank you!

 

This goes in Recommendations, not Suggestions... so it might get moved.

 

One way to go about finding a similar oil is to do a search on the forums on J'adore Dior and see if that brings up anything similar. Doing a search, I found reviews that liken it to Kitsune-Tsuki (which contains Asian plum, orchid, daffodil, jasmine and white musk) and Shattered (with white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms.)

 

Another way is to do a search on the engine on the blackphoenixalchemylab site for one, two, or more of those notes and see what you get. I know Champaca flower is not used very often, and is usually reserved for Limited Edition oils, but jasmine, orchids, violet, plum, and rose are very common ingredients, and there are a lot to choose from! Once you've done that, you can order a few imps ears and see if any of them work for you.

 

I should note that Beth doesn't know of a lot of commercial perfumes (why would she bother!), so most BPAL scents are realllllly unlike anything you'd find at a department store.

 

Hope that helps!

[BlueSakura]

This goes in Recommendations, not Suggestions... so it might get moved.

 

One way to go about finding a similar oil is to do a search on the forums on J'adore Dior and see if that brings up anything similar. Doing a search, I found reviews that liken it to Kitsune-Tsuki (which contains Asian plum, orchid, daffodil, jasmine and white musk) and Shattered (with white champagne notes, grapefruit, lotus, slivered mint and crystalline aquatic blooms.)

 

Another way is to do a search on the engine on the blackphoenixalchemylab site for one, two, or more of those notes and see what you get. I know Champaca flower is not used very often, and is usually reserved for Limited Edition oils, but jasmine, orchids, violet, plum, and rose are very common ingredients, and there are a lot to choose from! Once you've done that, you can order a few imps ears and see if any of them work for you.

 

I should note that Beth doesn't know of a lot of commercial perfumes (why would she bother!), so most BPAL scents are realllllly unlike anything you'd find at a department store.

 

Hope that helps!

Oops~ I knew I put this in the wrong section. *slaps forehead* I reported the thread to the mods, thanks for letting me know~

 

I'm still trying to figure out how to work the forum's search engine works, so thanks for those recommendations! I'm definitely going to get those in my next order of imps. And I'll go hunt around on the Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab site as well~ it didn't even occur to me to do that, thanks for the suggestion. It's fine by me if BPAL scents don't smell like the department store ones~ department store stuff is all starting to smell the same to me, so I want something different anyways. Thank you so much!

[sophia_helix]

I've had a bottle of J'Adore sitting around for years, so I just went and tried some on. Hate to tell you this, but the absolute closest thing I've smelled is Mabon -- which has blackberries and hops and is just about impossible to get these days. It also reminded me a bit of Harvest Moon '05, which is a little easier to find. Mabon might come out again this year, since Beth just put out Beltane, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

I wouldn't go looking for blackberry scents, though; the ones I've tried, like Bewitched and Glasgow, smell nothing like this. ::sniffs wrist some more:: Maybe try some of the orchid scents in Rappaccinni's Garden? Baneberry isn't too far off either...but I haven't had commercial perfume on in years, and I'd forgotten about the very high, chemical topnotes. All of Beth's oils are more rich and fruity, so it's true, you won't find anything else with that particular scent.

 

Hope that rambling helped!

[BlueSakura]

I've had a bottle of J'Adore sitting around for years, so I just went and tried some on. Hate to tell you this, but the absolute closest thing I've smelled is Mabon -- which has blackberries and hops and is just about impossible to get these days. It also reminded me a bit of Harvest Moon '05, which is a little easier to find. Mabon might come out again this year, since Beth just put out Beltane, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

I wouldn't go looking for blackberry scents, though; the ones I've tried, like Bewitched and Glasgow, smell nothing like this. ::sniffs wrist some more:: Maybe try some of the orchid scents in Rappaccinni's Garden? Baneberry isn't too far off either...but I haven't had commercial perfume on in years, and I'd forgotten about the very high, chemical topnotes. All of Beth's oils are more rich and fruity, so it's true, you won't find anything else with that particular scent.

 

Hope that rambling helped!

Noooo~ no Mabon? It sounded perfect~ I've seen Harvest Moon about on eBay, so I guess I'll keep an eye out an see if it pops up sometime soon. I'll also keep a watch out for Mabon~~ *crosses fingers* I'll go check out Rappaccinni's Garden too, thanks for the suggestion! (It probably smells nothing like J'adore, but I want to try Beatrice, just based on the story. ) Thanks for your help!

[abberlaine]

I'm wearing J'Adore right now. :-) I find that a lot of the perfumes that are described as "traditional perfumes" in the reviews have that... single tone, fume-y feel of many department store perfumes, including J'Adore. You could always try layering one of those with something else from the general catalogue (a straight-up floral/fruity floral?).

 

I get a lot of mandarin, myself. How about Belle Epoque, folks? I've never tried it myself, but it sounds like it'd be a good start.

[BlueSakura]

You could always try layering one of those with something else from the general catalogue (a straight-up floral/fruity floral?).

 

I get a lot of mandarin, myself. How about Belle Epoque, folks? I've never tried it myself, but it sounds like it'd be a good start.

Ooohh~~ layering different BPAL scents sounds like a good idea. Hmm~ speaking of such, layering J'adore with BPAL? A brilliant idea, or a recipe for disaster?

 

I seem to get much more floral from J'adore than anything else~ I didn't even know there was mandarin in it until i found the description of the notes. Perhaps Belle Epoque would have the same effect on my skin~ it's one of the BPAL scents I've been curious about anyways. Thank you for your suggestions!

[sophia_helix]

Belle Epoque is way heavy on the sandalwood, nothing like J'Adore or any commercial perfume, but if you layer it with Kitsune-Tsuki, Flower Moon, or something else strongly floral, you might get a similar effect.

[BlueSakura]

Belle Epoque is way heavy on the sandalwood, nothing like J'Adore or any commercial perfume, but if you layer it with Kitsune-Tsuki, Flower Moon, or something else strongly floral, you might get a similar effect.

Ah~ I'll definitely try that out, then. I'm planning to order Belle Epoque and Kitsune-Tsuki anyways, and it didn't occur to me to layer those two scents together. There's also a bottle of Beatrice on eBay that I have my eye on, so if I win it I'll try layering with that too. Thanks for the advice!

[Jenesis]

Afternoon, all

 

I've only recently been introduced to BPAL, but I have a small collection of Imps! However I'm a bit confused about the scents available and what "notes" work on me, etcetera.

 

Before I got into natural oils and scents, the one perfume that worked really, really well on me is Dior's "Poison" (the original blend, not the spinoffs!). According to the website, the notes in "Poison" are

 

Top: Coriander

Middle: Wildberries, Orange Honey and Tuberose

Base: Opopanar

 

Now my favourite of all these is easily Opopanar, as I love the lingering all-day wearability of this perfume. But, the whole blend smells "artificial" to me now I'm used to more natural products, so I need a few recommendations for BPAL scents based on things that smell like or similar to "Poison"!

 

If it helps, of the few Imps I have already, I like Chimera, Hell's Belle, Djinn and Fallen, but Swank makes me smell of dishwasher soap (I really don't like citrus), Nyx is an "old lady smell" on me, Midwinter's Eve is far too sweet and cloying, and Malice makes me smell like I had a bath in cloves!

 

Please help me figure out my body chemistry

 

Any help for a clueless newbie appreciated ladies and gentlemen

[sh1mm3r]

I really think you might like Thaleia, one of The Muses on the Excolo page.

 

It is highly underrated, but it is Beth's perfect honey note with orange, apricot, and tonka. I adore it.

 

I know you say you don't like citrus. Most citrus doesn't work on me, but this one was lovely.

[ivyandpeony]

It's a shame that the Lab had to discontinue Venom - a lot of people found it to be the closest BPAL blend to Poison. Someone even posted a similar request a few years ago, but I didn't merge the threads because all the scents recommended to her are now discontinued and practically impossible to find.

 

I would try some of the plum and berry scents, and look for those that also have floral or spicy elements instead of just a sweet component (Midwinter's Eve is like that on me, too). I love Purple Phoenix - but if you want to order that one, today is the last day! Blood Countess (black plum, smoky opium, roses, Hungarian lilac, white gardenia and wild berry) might work well. Bordello is very plummy but could be too sweet - but I would also give it a try along with Bathsheba (plum and carnation).

 

Florence is amber, berries, iris and spices, and Masabakes is currants with cloves and myrrh - another two that might work with your chemistry to get that heady, rich, and spicy feel of Poison.

[kwsix]

My husband adores Poison, and he thinks Spellbound has a similar "feel", even though the notes are different.

[smallvoice]

Hades is the only catalog blend I can find with opoponax listed as a note, so you may look into trying that one.

 

I would also recommend Blood Countess, as others have already suggested.

 

Others you might like (some I've tried and some I have not): Dee, Libertine, Florence (this seems like a very good one, and I have tried and liked it, too!), Eclipse, Lolita, Hollywood Babylon, Mme. Moriarty, Blood Kiss, Nephilim, Alecto, Highwayman, and Jezebel. Hope that helps!

 

This is based on the notes listed for Poison here. (You have to scroll down to P rather than using the links to the left.)

[melisssa]

I love Poison--mostly for sentimental reasons because I wore it when I was a teenager, and that was a magical time in my life. But I have tried almost everything recommended so far except Venom, and nothing even comes close for me.

 

Let's wish really hard for the return of Venom

Edited December 8, 2006 by Melisssa

[smallvoice]

Because the lab does updates so often, the search engine is a bit behind, so I decided to search the forum for mentions of opoponax in the reviews section, and here are blends that came up as a result that sound like things you might like: Horreur Sympathique, the Music of Erich Zahn, Satan and Death With Sin Intervening, Schwarzer Mond (g'luck finding it, though!), Geek, Doc Buzzard (see note on Schwarzer Mond), King of Spades (A lot of hard to find scents keep popping up!), and Noir. And, of course, Venom.

 

Since opoponax is a sweet myrrh (which I only just now found out), I thought I'd recommend some blends with myrrh that sound sweet. (Am I stretching this too much?)

 

Blood, Velvet (which I expect to be absolutely nothing like Poison, but sounds like something you'd really dig), Bastet, Thanatos, Viola, Athens and Sri Lanka.

[Jenesis]

Thanks, ladies Velvet and Blood sound particularly nice. (Can't wait to say "Blood!" when someone asks me what that smell is )

 

I have an Imp of Blood Countess, and I have to say I liked it at first, but each time I put it on it goes more and more "soapy" on me, until all I can smell is the yucky soap my mum used to use

 

I've jotted down my next order for the Lab (haven't sent it yet):

 

1. Darkness

2. Bordello

3. Spellbound

4. Midnight

5. Snake Oil

6. Dragon's Blood

 

1. Velvet

2. Blood

3. Dance of Death

4. Perversion

5. Hades

6. Morocco

 

This new hobby of mine is costing me a fortune I may have to cut it down to just 6 Imps - I'm a poor student and $30 is $30... (alright, it's about £16 for me, but that's five days' food! ).

 

So which 6 of the above 12 Imps (those are the ones I'm the keenest to try) would you say I should get, if I can only get 6?

 

Thank you all for helping out a n00b

[lookingglass]

Maybe you would like Bewitched or Sed Non Satia...

[filigree_shadow]

Oooo, I loved Poison and wore it for several years. Opoponax is one of my all-time most favorite notes.

 

I'll second the Venom comparisons -- it's similar. If Venom came back I'd buy 3 bottles of it. Queen of Spades is wonderful and similar to Poison as well, but even harder to get than Venom, I think. However, from the general catalog definitely try Bathsheba. Frumious Bandersnatch is similar to a certain extent, too. You might need to layer it with something a bit darker and muskier to get the right feel though.

 

I had the same problem with Blood Countess that you had, so I know what you mean about it smelling kind of like soap.

 

If you're going for the overall feel (dead sexy) but it's okay if it's not quite the same scent, I'd recommend Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller. Also Vixen. Try something with red musk in it. Maybe Scherezade.