Different smells/colors, same perfume

[Ravenclaw79]

I have an imp of Melancholia that's a wonderful lilac blend. I bought a bottle, and it was soapy and lousy. (I put it away ... I'm hoping it ages into what I fell in love with.)

[mooncityminx]

I find that 5mls usually age into the imp I fell in love with. Right now I'm waiting on Morocco. It's getting there. But for years I thought Shub smelled like a super gingery version I got in my first imp. It was in one of my very first orders, and I was like, "Wow this is why everyone goes on and on about it," but then I got another imp of it this year and it was not all red or super ginger like the other one. Turns out I have an oddball imp. They're both very nice though.

 

ETA: Lyonesse in the aged imp I have is not aquatic at all. But the bottles I bought are getting less aquatic. I'm looking forward to when they ripen to ambery goodness.

Edited April 29, 2009 by Tempest

[Dracoo9]

So, I bought two of the Past yuletide packs last year and I've been using only one of the spray bottles until recently. I grabbed the wrong one and I figured I might as well spray away and instead of smelling gingerbread and pine it was in your face spiced oranges, the scent for the present spray describes. Is there any way that it was mislabeled?

[Yoginispirit]

I gleefully found 2 bottles and an decant of velvet clown on the forum. One was a partial, one was full and the decant was full. The imp was a cloud of SWEET cotton candy and greasepaint (my favorite!), the partial was more smoky red licorice and the full bottle was less sweet and mostly peanuts.

At first I was really bummed about the full bottle but I definately think the amount of time an oil is exposed to oxygen can sometimes change it. I find the more I test/use bottles that I care little for, the more the scent smoothes out with time and aging. Sometimes for the better, others for the worst (eyes the sake in lantern ghost of oiwa.)

[blu°]

I have two imps of Blood, one of which is a deep spiced red, the other one a light brown. I've ordered a bottle and it seems to be brown, too. I think to remember having compared the two imps and that the brown one was sweeter and more spicy, the red one a bit deeper and less dry. Anybody has a recent imp of Blood that has a deep red colour? I'm thinking there might have been a general change in either the type or amount of dragon blood in the formula.

[isentropic]

I hope this is in the correct location!

 

I've been desperately trying to track down two imps of Aeval that smell the SAME to me. I was frimped one some time last year and it is the most beautiful effing thing I've ever smelled. Then I bought a bottle and it was so soapy I almost retched. I just received an imp and bam, yet it is completely different from both the first imp and the bottle. So I'm trying to do some logical analysis of why they might be different (blame the scientist in me) and I'm wondering if it is an age thing.

 

Almost all of my imps have a tag on the end of the label that say "http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com" (including my newest Aeval imp) -- whereas my old, favourite, Aeval imp has "Perfume Oil Blend" and no URL.

 

Veteran BPALers -- what's the difference? Are the labels random or did they switch over a certain amount of time ago? Maybe if I age my newest imp it'll smell like the other one? Help a newb, please!

[portalkat]

I hope this is in the correct location!

 

I've been desperately trying to track down two imps of Aeval that smell the SAME to me. I was frimped one some time last year and it is the most beautiful effing thing I've ever smelled. Then I bought a bottle and it was so soapy I almost retched. I just received an imp and bam, yet it is completely different from both the first imp and the bottle. So I'm trying to do some logical analysis of why they might be different (blame the scientist in me) and I'm wondering if it is an age thing.

 

Almost all of my imps have a tag on the end of the label that say "http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com" (including my newest Aeval imp) -- whereas my old, favourite, Aeval imp has "Perfume Oil Blend" and no URL.

 

Veteran BPALers -- what's the difference? Are the labels random or did they switch over a certain amount of time ago? Maybe if I age my newest imp it'll smell like the other one? Help a newb, please!

A lot of it is due to the aging of your oil in the original imp most likely. So, you might just want to tuck away your new imp and your bottle as well for a bit. Also, since BPAL is not fragrance oil, sometimes the components will play a huge part on how different batches smell....and then there is just the fact that it is a different batch, just like the difference in dye lots.

[isentropic]

and then there is just the fact that it is a different batch, just like the difference in dye lots.

 

 

This is the part that makes me sad! I have the same problem with Jolly Roger -- sometimes its aquatic heavy (which I love) and sometimes its leather heavy (which I hate). I do love how organic the different batches are, since it means every scent is unique... but at the same time I pout that I can't find my favourite imps again!

[donnatron]

Hi isentropic! There's a thread in the faq that might be able to help you out. If you have an older imp hopefully your bottle will eventually age into the same gloriousness--I have the same problem with Serpent's Kiss

[isentropic]

Hi isentropic! There's a thread in the faq that might be able to help you out. If you have an older imp hopefully your bottle will eventually age into the same gloriousness--I have the same problem with Serpent's Kiss

 

Thank you! That is really interesting, and I actually DO like that different ones smell differently -- there's just the two that I've had a hard time finding duplicates of. Maybe I'll start asking about the labels and see if buying ones with the same labels makes a difference.

[isentropic]

I have an imp of Melancholia that's a wonderful lilac blend. I bought a bottle, and it was soapy and lousy. (I put it away ... I'm hoping it ages into what I fell in love with.)

 

Same here with a bottle of Aeval. I wish I'd put it away and aged it. I ended up getting rid of it because I couldn't stand how soapy it was, even when I touched the bottle I got the horrible smell on my fingers.

[cyanidenoir]

I think I may have made a biiiig mistake

 

I was decanting some B-Horror to mail to a friend of mine and as I was suctioning the oil out of the bottle, some air bubbles got into the bottle. Now it looks like the oil has separated in the bottle. Towards the top, the oil is clear; at the bottom, it's dark and murky. I don't know if I've ruined it completely or if it will settle. I may have made an even bigger mistake by shaking the bottle in a panic.

 

I seriously feel like an idiot. Any idea what's going on my perfume oil? Will it be ok?

Edited June 20, 2009 by NeonGreen

[lothien]

I think I may have made a biiiig mistake

 

I was decanting some B-Horror to mail to a friend of mine and as I was suctioning the oil out of the bottle, some air bubbles got into the bottle. Now it looks like the oil has separated in the bottle. Towards the top, the oil is clear; at the bottom, it's dark and murky. I don't know if I've ruined it completely or if it will settle. I may have made an even bigger mistake by shaking the bottle in a panic.

 

I seriously feel like an idiot. Any idea what's going on my perfume oil? Will it be ok?

I am thinking that this is just the normal separation of the blend, and perhaps you didn't notice before. I roll all of my bottles or tip the imps to blend the oils together, because most of them separate to some degree whether you can really see it or not.

I doubt you wrecked your oil shaking it once. But when you decant you want to make sure you roll the bottle well first, so you don't just pull from one layer (which will change the balance in your bottle and result in an "innaccurate" decant).

If you've made it frothy shaking it, the bubbles should settle out if you leave it alone for a while.

[ekolmus]

Hey all -

 

I want to second the tip about gently agitating your oils before applying them. It fixed my problem with the individual notes in my Embalming Fluid bottle arguing with each other, and I bet if I try some others I'll have similar success. (I smell a lot more like corpses now than when I was mostly getting lemon and green tea oil... )

[YoakeNoKami]

Okay, so I have a question about The Feast For the Greatly Revered Ones:

Hmmm, I notice that there is some variance in the bottles on Feast For the Greatly Revered Ones, which I was kind of expecting-- this one is slightly fruitier than my other bottle. Probably an effect of that agave actually getting out to "play" a bit-- when this bottle settles, it's just a thin layer of the darker oils along the bottom, which really makes me wonder if Beth & co. were daydreaming as they filled these bottles. I'm pretty sure that they did not mean for my other bottle to have so much of the heavier oils in it--don't get me wrong, it smells amazing, but it's half full of darker oils when it settles and smells of cocoa like whoa, even when rolled gently to blend. WTF, labbies?

 

Has anyone else got this going on? One of the bottles of it that I've got quickly separates out into half light colored oil and half dark, and the other is mostly the lighter oil with a teensy bit of the darker stuff at the bottom. I mean, a gentle roll blends it back together, but the scent of the oil is also noticably different-- fruitier in one, and more cocoa in the other. Is it just that the oils weren't blended together all the way when they were bottled...? I wouldn't be concerned, except that it's a rather large variance in the contents of the bottles. Anyone else?

 

 

EDIT: Ahh, I'd heard a while back that they were using an automated filling system! Thanks-- I can totally see how that would cause this!

Edited July 11, 2009 by YoakeNoKami

[penemuel]

Re: Feast, I noticed the cocoa was VERY separated out in the decant I got, and refused to reblend when I rolled and rolled it. I ended up having to smoosh the bubbles of cocoa against the side of the imp with the imp wand. I suspect that the cocoa is a very heavy oil/particles that are very resistant to blending, and that there will be a lot of variations on scent out there from bottle to bottle. I think the only way to make sure every bottle came out the same would be to mix it with a spoon, smooshing the cocoa bubbles, and then immediately bottling it...

[tartchef]

I believe that the Lab uses an automated bottling contraption - with scents that settle so quickly & dramatically, I'd imagine it's very hard to ensure that each bottle gets the exact same amount of sludge, as it were

[sirensea]

I tried an imp of Titus Adronicus a while ago and found it to be an exact match for Snake Charmer: Resurrected. Then I tried another imp of it, and... not at all the same. It made me sad. I suspect the first was more aged, so maybe I just need to wait a bit longer on this one.

[moonstonemama]

I have a lot of Sunbird. I have 2 bottles directly from the lab, 2 bottles I acquired from reputable forum members on livejournal, and 3 decants from 2 different people.

 

 

ONE of the bottles I got from a livejournal transaction is much much lighter than all the other Sunbirds. It's a light amber colour instead of the deep red/brown of the others. It smells slightly less fiery and a little less resiny. But it still smells like Sunbird.

 

 

Anyone else have any really light bottles of Sunbird? or is this weird?

[gingiemay]

I have a lot of Sunbird. I have 2 bottles directly from the lab, 2 bottles I acquired from reputable forum members on livejournal, and 3 decants from 2 different people.

 

 

ONE of the bottles I got from a livejournal transaction is much much lighter than all the other Sunbirds. It's a light amber colour instead of the deep red/brown of the others. It smells slightly less fiery and a little less resiny. But it still smells like Sunbird.

 

 

Anyone else have any really light bottles of Sunbird? or is this weird?

 

I just checked mine and it's super, super dark.

[totheo]

I am so confused... I have this goblin squirt of Cathouse. And it is the most delicious thing ever. Caramel and sweetness and absolutely f*cking delicious - I want to eat and bathe in this stuff.

 

I just ordered a 4oz bottle... and it smells like alcohol and faint florals. And I don't mean booze - I mean like ALCOHOL. Perfume alcohol. Please please help me! I adore my squirt, but this is hideous. Aging can't change it THAT much...?

[ladyl]

Sorry if this have been asked before. I've gathered that could it mostly be the Lab sends out imps that are somewhat 'blossomed' compare to the 5mls? I mean like, they would make imps and let it develop before sending it out and if you do decide to get that particular imp in 5mls, then they would make a new batch which most likely will not be 'matured' when it reaches you.

 

I've got a 5ml of Snake Oil unsniffed and I was dissappointed with it. Now it has turned a little bit more bearable in the last couple of months. Recently I've also got a bottle of Ravenous which is so different from the imp. It feels like it also lacks depth. I love Vanillas and I find the vanilla in new 5ml are 'so vanilla'...

 

So now I guess I have to stock 5mls in advance to let them mature before I could wear them.

[Indigo78]

Sorry if this have been asked before. I've gathered that could it mostly be the Lab sends out imps that are somewhat 'blossomed' compare to the 5mls? I mean like, they would make imps and let it develop before sending it out and if you do decide to get that particular imp in 5mls, then they would make a new batch which most likely will not be 'matured' when it reaches you.

 

I've got a 5ml of Snake Oil unsniffed and I was dissappointed with it. Now it has turned a little bit more bearable in the last couple of months. Recently I've also got a bottle of Ravenous which is so different from the imp. It feels like it also lacks depth. I love Vanillas and I find the vanilla in new 5ml are 'so vanilla'...

 

So now I guess I have to stock 5mls in advance to let them mature before I could wear them.

 

 

I have a bottle of Ravenous and I concur. It's way more sweet and giddy than the imp I based the purchase on. I'm sure it is the age factor.

[ladyl]

I have a bottle of Ravenous and I concur. It's way more sweet and giddy than the imp I based the purchase on. I'm sure it is the age factor.

 

 

Gimme 5. The imp smells of patchouli, musk and smokey vanilla... like very smooth. The 5ml is like orange creamsicle like some reviews of it.

[jizatt]

I have two imps of Glowing Vulva -- one is more reddish and one is gold -- the red was my first GV imp, the gold was a newer addition -- but honestly, shouldnt they be the same age? They do smell similar, although a tad different (one smells .... sharper somehow? the gold I think)