What scent family is this?

[sqwook]

Hi! So, if I love these:

Yggdrasil

Mag Mell

Et Lux Fuit

The Snow Maiden

ETA: And also Litha 2006!

 

...for all the same reason, what scent category *is* this? Or is what I love about these not something that lines up to typical categories? And what are some additional recs you think I should check out?

Edited February 12, 2010 by sqwook
added subtitle

[Ahania]

ELF is the only one of those that I've tried, but I have a couple suggestions based on that-

 

If you like lavender, The Emathides is the closest in feel that I've come across. I don't care for cedar so I almost skipped it, but I'm so glad I gave it a try! Gleaming eyes, screeching voices, glistening wings: black amber, black orchid, black currant, olive blossom, wood violet, lavender, blue musk, rose attar, and cedar. It's a couple years old, but there's a few people selling decants in the sales section. It's mellower than ELF, but it has the same sort of gloriousness.

 

The next closest, for me, is Sol Invictus: A radiant blend of solar oils: golden amber, saffron, heliotrope, hibiscus, citron, frangipani, frankincense, tangerine, mock orange, and orange blossom. More orangey than ELF, but it's got that same radiant sunniness to it, especially while it's fresh (it ages into a beautiful deep amber, but loses the brightness).

 

If you like lemon, Gold Phoenix is probably worth checking out, too.

[sqwook]

The Emathides is definitely one I hadn't thought of - thanks, Ahania!

 

If anyone else has ideas too, let me know!

[fiddledragon]

Hi! So, if I love these:

Yggdrasil

Mag Mell

Et Lux Fuit

The Snow Maiden

 

...for all the same reason, what scent category *is* this? Or is what I love about these not something that lines up to typical categories? And what are some additional recs you think I should check out?

 

I've only tried ELF and Yggdrasil and the common adjective that strikes me for those two is "clear". They're both fairly light scents (at least on me; both of them are pretty complex!) without being sweet or floral or stereotypically feminine. Other light resin scents like The Lion might be a good match.

[ivyandpeony]

I was going through the 30-days-old "personal" topics seeing what needed to be archived and it occurred to me that this question is realloy more general and pops up on occasion. So I thought I would bump it, add the subtitle and leave it for the next member who wants help figuring out what their favorite scents have in common so they can find more recs. Have fun and thank you for the idea, sqwook (And if anyone does have additional ideas for sqwook, please feel free to continue the discussion!)

[jizatt]

so if my favorites are these, what scent family am I in?

 

Haloes

Glowing Vulva

Torture Queen

the Girl

Dorian

Black Opal

O

Antkythera Mech.

 

[ami226]

Okay, I have been on a scent lull recently. There just aren't many scents that appeal to me these days including some of my old favorites. It is quite disheartening, so I would love to go on the search for new scents that are in the same family as those that I still love to wear.

 

Wild Men of Jezirat al Tennyn: Fiery, primal, and precociously diabolical: red amber, Spanish moss, Indonesian patchouli, ambergris, red pepper, two cloves, and vanilla flower.

 

Snake Oil: A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla.

 

Glowing Vulva: Cream accord, amber, teak, and lotus blossom.

 

Marquis de Carabas: A splash of bay rum, leather, dusty black wool, massoia bark, and opium residue.

 

Each scent is so rich and intoxicating to me somehow and I would love to find more.

 

Thanks!

 

-ETA- I would also love to know what you guys think the category that each scent fits in to. Which families do these scents belong in? I just have no idea what to call them...

Edited May 26, 2010 by Catseyes

[ami226]

Anyone? Any suggestions?

[hlemonds]

I would very much recommend Paduan Killer Swarm. I'm unfamiliar with Wild Men of Jezirat al Tennyn, but It definitely has a similar warm, resinous, vanilla vibe to SO. It also has ginger cream and a wamr woodsy vibe from the coconut husk. Definitely worth a try I'd say!

 

A couple of others: Black Temple Burlesque Troupe for a dark, resinous sort of scent with cocoa instead of vanilla. Mme. Moriarty for a warm, spicy vanilla with a hippy vibe. Tamora for a lighter incense style vanilla with a soft white peach on top.

[ami226]

Oh! Thanks, Hillary!

 

I am afraid that I can't do black musk though. For some odd reason, most every scent with black musk has turned to strange baby powder on my skin....

 

Huh, haven't actually tried Paduan Killer Swarm yet and definitely need to retest Mme Moriarty again now that tastes have changed! Hmmmm, I don't think I have tried Tamora either. Yay!! Thanks!!

[jizatt]

Have you tried Antikythera? Its in the Glowing Vulva/Haloes family for me as well. Its stronger, and a bit more masculine, but still very sweet and woody.

 

I also second Tamora and Paduan. What about Andreiphontes? It has a similar feel to Black Burlesque, without the musk component. Hmm... maybe Sed Non Satiata too, although it might have the musk problem for you. I do recommend Habu from the Snake Pit. It has your Snake Pit love, but also has that vanilla wood component too!

 

Other things that I might recommend, based on the fact that I love what you've mentioned and love these as well:

Clockwork Couture: Female

Harikata

Judith Victorious - dunno if its similar, but its amazing =)

 

[hlemonds]

Have you tried Antikythera? Its in the Glowing Vulva/Haloes family for me as well. Its stronger, and a bit more masculine, but still very sweet and woody.

 

I also second Tamora and Paduan. What about Andreiphontes? It has a similar feel to Black Burlesque, without the musk component. Hmm... maybe Sed Non Satiata too, although it might have the musk problem for you. I do recommend Habu from the Snake Pit. It has your Snake Pit love, but also has that vanilla wood component too!

 

Other things that I might recommend, based on the fact that I love what you've mentioned and love these as well:

Clockwork Couture: Female

Harikata

Judith Victorious - dunno if its similar, but its amazing =)

 

Ooo! I forgot about The Antikythera Mechanism, definitely 2nd that recommendation!

[edenssixthday]

We have very similar taste, I think. So here are some of my favorites that, in my opinion, fall into the same category (whatever it's called!), along with some others that are very close, but for whatever reason (e.g., chocolate) don't work on me as well as they could otherwise, but which you might love. I tried to get a good mix of LE's and GC's. Also, if you like vanilla and leather and haven't tried Liz yet, I would definitely give that one a shot. It's by far my favorite. It's very similar to CC: Female, but I'd take Liz over CC: Female any day (although I have at least one friend who prefers CC: Female to Liz). And then there are layering possibilities -- I've never tried it, but I think layering Liz with Port-au-Prince could be really stunning, or Blood with Port-au-Prince, or Blood with Hollywood Babylon, or Antikythera with Inez... layering makes so many more possibilities!

 

Antikythera Mechanism: Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco.

 

Aperotos Eros: Unloving love: benzoin, Indian musk, massoia bark, myrrh, ambrette seed, galbanum, bergamot, and fir.

 

Blood: Essence of dragon's blood resin, thickened with myrrh and cherry, with a trickle of clove

 

Boomslang: Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk.

 

Clockwork Couture: Female: Leather, golden amber, vanilla orchid, Spanish moss, Oxford clay, and tonka.

 

Hollywood Babylon: glittering Egyptian amber and heliotrope, infused with the sweetness of strawberry and vanilla - dragged into debauch by lusty red musk and a dribble of black cherry.

 

Inez: Golden amber, vanilla musk, myrrh, cedar, carnation, and red sandalwood.

 

Liz: A light, feminine vanilla floral perfume and a swirl of smoke and leather.

 

Mme. Moriarty: Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum.

 

Playing With Dangerous Toys: dirt-smeared cocoa, with a Spanish moss, coconut, tobacco absolute, charred wooden beams, and blistered resins.

 

Port-au-Prince: buttered rum flavored with almond, bay, clove and sassafras.

 

Pulcinella & Teresina: Labdanum, cedar, teak and red rose.

 

Tamora*: Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean

 

 

* I find that unless it's aged, the peach blossom (which smells like peach fruit to me) overpowers the resins. It's still pretty, but not nearly as pretty as really good aged Tamora. However, if you have an imp or decant of Tamora, it ages a lot faster than it does in a bottle. (I have a 10ml I bought in 2006 that is *still* "not quite there", so I continue to keep it in the back of my drawer and let it age away, but my 2005 and 2006 5mls of it smell gorgeous, and my 2004-era imp (what little is left) is devestatingly perfect.)

Edited May 31, 2010 by Edens Sixth Day

[ami226]

Oh, wow! Thanks for the list Edens Sixth Day!! I actually have a decant of Liz that I have yet to skin test.... Will have to try it now!! And Boomslang and Mme Moriarty. It's been so long....

 

I am afraid that for some odd reason The Antikythera Mechanism did not play well with me and turned really smokey... *sigh* I wish it smelled on me the way you describe it CaudaPavonis!! And Habu... Hmmm. And Judith Victorious? I don't think I have ever heard of that one! Need to give the Salon scents a bit more love!!

 

Do you guys think that aging is best for all of the Snake Pits? I did a small decant circle for them a year or two ago where I got to test most of them. I have to admit that after testing them once or twice I swapped them off pretty quickly. Might need to get ahold of some of those again.

 

Haloes!! I can't believe I forgot Haloes!! That one has the same glowing feeling as the others I listed in my original post. Where the scent just becomes something.... intoxicating! That really is the only way to describe it.

[parrot_suspect]

I haven't tried Wild Men, but I like Glowing Vulva and Snake Oil. Here are a few suggestions:

 

The Grindhouse: This has the same "richness" as Snake Oil, but is more floral-oriental (whereas Snake Oil is a spicy vanilla).

Temple Viper: Somewhat similar to Snake Oil but more woodsy/incensey.

Three Brides: a soft vanilla with a bit of fruit

Vixen: heady and rich like Snake Oil, but no vanilla

Lilith and the Giant Crab: this reminds me a bit of G.V.

Lust: Seems to be in the same family as Snake Oil, without vanilla

 

[edenssixthday]

Do you guys think that aging is best for all of the Snake Pits? I did a small decant circle for them a year or two ago where I got to test most of them. I have to admit that after testing them once or twice I swapped them off pretty quickly. Might need to get ahold of some of those again.

 

Nope, I am bummed out by the aging of two of my favorite Snake Pits, Western Diamondback and Death Adder. I'll still wear Western Diamondback, but I don't think it aged well at all. It's just not as strong and rich and deep as it was when I first got it. I don't know if it's the leather in it or something else that didn't age well. The Snake Oil part of it seems to have aged fine, but it's missing something. It's hard to explain. And Death Adder -- I freaking LOVED how heavy and dark it was from all that awesome vetiver, and I was sure that with the vanilla and coconut in it, along with Snake Oil, it would age and get even darker and deeper, and instead, it needs to be renamed "Wimpy Adder" because with aging, it lost ALL of it's oomph. It's mostly a rich, aged Snake Oil bolstered by a faint hint of some other notes, but it completely lacks the depth and intensity it had when it was fresh. I'm REALLY bummed out about that one.