Light, gentle, subtle scents for the office, class, expectant moms

[Rheliwen]

The World

Silk Road (fit your subject exactly imo)...for a more kitcheny herb/spice

Ides of March...for a fresh from the plant herby scent

[joseybird]

Oisin sadly dc'd but...soft, ethereal musk and herbs...

[BelladonnaBarbie]

I've noticed a lot of my imps tend to start off with a very heavy incensey note that lasts on me for at least an hour. So, love them as much as I do, I can't wear them on days that my allergies are really acting up because I can't risk waiting an hour for the scent to calm down. Do any scents start off with more purely fruity or foody notes and stay that way, without any heavier notes masking them? Thank you so much if you understand my jumble and can help!

[dcmo]

You could maybe try Pele, Kali or Dirty. Hope you find something that works for you!

[modesty_blaise]

I haven´t tried that many oils yet, but I try to avoid incense like the plague. I second dirty, and would add embalming fluid and shanghai (citrus), jester (fruity), empyreal mist (citrus on me, but I think I´m the odd one out?), megaera (fruity), spooky and bliss (choc). There are a lot of florals out there as well, but I´m scared of them too

 

There´s a thread about Snake Oil in the BPAL chatter, quite a few posts there (at least at the beginning of it, haven´t gotten around to read it all yet...) could be helpful as to detect the notes that tend to be incense-y.

 

 

 

Edited to add the link, you might find some of these threads helpful

Edited July 20, 2005 by modesty_blaise

[joseybird]

Fae is a gorgeous peach-and-light-musk scent

[TroubleDoll]

Try Pele, Alice, Swank and Bon Vivant. Good luck!

[Scarlettfish]

Eve is a lovely, light floral and honey scent that is not incensey at all.

[Electra]

Totally 2nd (3rd?) Pele and Shanghai. Other possibilities with no incensey qualities at all - Tiger Lily, The Unicorn.

[BelladonnaBarbie]

I do have imps of Embalming Fluid and Fae on their way here, so I know I must have picked a few good ones. I'm also contemplating making a Carnivale Noir order before it's gone, so maybe I'll try out a few of all of your other suggestions too (definitely Pele, that seems to be a hit.) Thanks everyone!

[olympia301]

Sudha Segara is light and tea like (tea with cream), Alice is somewhat the same. Yerevan is light apricot (I found it lighter than Fae), Empyreal Mist (I second that one).

[Holly]

Could anyone give me some recommendations for scents without a massive throw? I want something that sort of hovers around me, but doesn't disappear completely after five minutes. I'm trying to build up an autumn/winter collection so any recs for warm or especially seasonal scents would be fantastic. Thanks!

 

Holly

[GypsyRoseRed]

Holly - it's pretty hard to answer your question, because body chemistry plays a big part in how long a scent lasts and how much throw it has. A lot of BPAL scents stay close to my skin with low to mid throw, but the same ones may either disappear on you or amp up until they're strong. You could test out imps at home when you don't have much else going on.. just to see how the scent changes and how long it lasts.

 

Now, the ones that've played close to my skin and hung around for a long while make up a long, long list, but some of my favorites have been The Great Sword of War, Tiger Lily, Opium Poppy, White Rabbit, Mouse's Long & Sad Tale and Antique Lace.

[Mountaingrrl00]

Ditto what GypsyRoseRed said - and I'd suggest trying Morocco, Baghdad and Tenochtitlan for autumn scents.

[smallvoice]

I've also found that application plays a role: Even strong scents, I can just dab lightly, and I'll be able to smell it, but it doesn't have near the throw it would if I'd done a full application.

 

I'd say avoid stuff with deep musks, but that might be just because my skin tends to really amp all but white musk.

 

Stuff that stays close to my skin: Dorian, Katharina, Sudha Segara, Embalming Fluid, Lotus Moon, O.

[forspecial_plate]

Dirty is a weird combination of subtle and persistent. It has some note that goes sour on me so I can't wear it. But it's sort of a 'barely there' perfume. Also I've heard people say it's good for people who don't like perfumes.

[rinoastar]

I do agree with the conversation on chemistry, as well as application. For me, vanilla tends to sweeten and mellow, so Eat Me comes down to a sweet, lightly fruity cloud around me, and Lick It turns into the most ephemereal mist of sweet mintiness. Devil's Night is like evil, sexy dryer sheets and can be easily mistaken for freshly-washed clothes (if you happen to wash them in snickerdoodle-scented laundry detergent), it clings so close. For different families, I'd avoid foody stuff like the plague. Foody scents like chocolate, really sweet fruits, and anything labeled "buttery"-something-or-other will amp like crazy on my skin--I don't know about yours. Personally, I've found that boozy scents (that aren't "Rum") cling soft and subtle on me, too.

 

Actually, I think if you find the musk that smells most like you, you'll find the scents that are not only most subtle, but the most flattering on you. For me, it's white or pale musk.

[smallvoice]

Hijack: I think I need to try Devil's Night! It sounds fabulous!

 

/hijack

 

I agree about Dirty, and can't believe it didn't spring to mind. Dirty and Dorian are my top picks. You may also like Dana O'Shee.

[filigree_shadow]

For me, subtle = Belle Epoque, Machu Picchu, and Baron Samedi. I really like the scent of them but they are so soft on me I can barely smell them. (Although Belle Epoque really doesn't seem like an autumn scent to me.)

 

Also anything with myrrh in it tends to stick pretty close to my skin.

[juniperus]

You'll have to test them. Honestly. What has a large throw on me (and when it comes to bpal, what I mean by large throw is significantly closer than any cologne I've been attacked by) can disappear completely on someone else. I can give you a list but it isn't likely to help you one whit - it's all about your skin.

 

Get a list of interesting autumny imps that you are intrigued by. Order or swap or buy them off a forumite. Try each one (on different days - I find that the greatest throw I've had commented on was a combination when I was trying and reviewing) with a designated sniffing buddy. Apply to the same places the same amount each time and let them tell you whether they smell them from two steps away, one step, hugging you all friendly, or have to get even closer to notice them. And there's your answer. (you could also do this by wrist alone yourself to get some idea, but that can be tough as you're already pretty close to the application point)

 

Which isn't cut-and-dry, but accurate.

[rags and feathers]

Greetings all.

I have a question that seems to be the reverse of this thread (and I hope that I'm not misposting--I tried to search, but got nowhere).

I've been testing out my first set of imps, which included: Nyarlathotep, Bordello, Perversion, Highwayman, Delirium, and New Orleans. So far, I've tested all but New Orleans, Bordello, and Delirium.

I understand the huge difference that body chemistry makes, but while all of the scents have been lovely, none of them seem to have any throw on me (I must stick my nose right to the application site--my husband says the same, meaning he can't smell me either!), and Nyarlathotep and Highwayman seem to disappear on me almost immediately! (Perversion lasted about 3 hours, but got fainter and fainter).

I'm starting to wonder if I'm applying correctly? I keep seeing the phrase "a dab'll do you," but it feels as though I'm going to have to slather on a whole imp to get any staying power or noticability out of these.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated. For the record, I tend away from florals, perfering earthy, boozy, smoky, leather or cinnamon scents (though nothing too musky).

 

Thanks in advance!

[smallvoice]

<snip>

I'm starting to wonder if I'm applying correctly? I keep seeing the phrase "a dab'll do you," but it feels as though I'm going to have to slather on a whole imp to get any staying power or noticability out of these.

Any thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated. For the record, I tend away from florals, perfering earthy, boozy, smoky, leather or cinnamon scents (though nothing too musky).

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Some scents you have to apply more heavily. You might try Snake Oil for a stronger throw, if it's not too musky. Zombi is earthy with rose, and Dorian is just a killer scent. It's sexy as hell and not floral. Laudanum might interest you, and Imp as well. I really think you'd like Santo Domingo, Penny Dreadful and possibly Centzon Totochtin. You might look into Silk Road and the Crossroads, also. Penitence, Seance, Malediction and The Red Queen come to mind. You don't say anything about your stance on sweet or fruity scents, so I'm leaving those out as much as possible.

 

Really, I'm with Juniperus Intrepidus-- test as much as you can that have notes that appeal to you, and then test some more. Play around with how much you apply and take notice of which notes your skin seems to amp up. G'luck!

 

Oh, Holly-- The Lady of Shallot was very understated on me.

Edited August 21, 2006 by cordia

[rags and feathers]

thank you, cordia!

 

before taking the leap into BPAL (i think i've found a new addiction!) i used to wear either a patchouli/tangerine combination or a cinnamon/ylang ylang combo.

my chemistry is weird with perfumes, and most scents, regardless of make, have a tendency to disappear. florals stay well and smell nice, they're just not my "thing" (though i loved the night-blooming jasmine in New Orleans, and i'm liking Delirium today, though it turns mostly to rose on me).

 

i've never experimented much with sweet scents, so i'm not sure if they'd work for me, and fruit is out. all fruit smells like lemon pledge once i put it on.

 

i really appreciate your reccomendations. i'm off to look at the scents you listed.

 

one other question: maybe i've started off the wrong way. how did everyone here start picking their first BPALs? i went with names that intrigued me and narrowed it down by what i knew wouldn't work. (Dorian and Zombi were on my first list, they'll probably be part of my next order!)

 

um. yeah. thanks again and sorry i ramble.....

[kakiphony]

Ditto everyone else's comments about skin chemistry, but just for my 2 cents... I've found that the bpals that "cling" the most with the least waft on me tend to have either vanilla or amber as a base/major component. Butter is a huge waft inducer, as are florals and heavy spices. Of the spices, saffron seems to stay closest to my skin, while pepper and cinnamon have the most waft.

[Holly]

Thank you all for your testing tips and suggestions...I guess I'll just have to stock up on imps and try a bunch. what a pity