Musk free scents?

[craftypants]

Hi!

 

I am a BPAL newbie. I've ordered 25 imps so far. The first twelve I picked because they contained vanilla or cinnamon, my favorite notes. The rest are random, from ebay and gifts. However, after trying 20 of the 25 scents, every single one ends up smelling like musk on me! Half of those just smell like cake + light musk. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE musk, but my end goal is to have a handful of very different scents, that I can use depending on my mood.

 

So, it seems my body chemistry amps musk like CRAZY, and apparently turns everything sweet... Even the ones that don't say they contain musk end up smelling like musk/vanilla. Does anyone have an recommendations for scents that don't have any trace of musk/vanilla at all, and couldn't possibly smell like musk, ever?

 

Thanks!

[skyelyric]

might help to know which you've tried, just to get an idea, and of things you'd like to smell like. Kumiho, Aizen Myoo, Sudha Segara, and Baobhan Sith are a few I'd suggest right off. They're all more clean/tart/fruit scents to me. I also like Aglaea a lot but I don't know if you'd amp/sweeten the amber, it's like peach wine on me.

 

 

[craftypants]

might help to know which you've tried, just to get an idea, and of things you'd like to smell like. Kumiho, Aizen Myoo, Sudha Segara, and Baobhan Sith are a few I'd suggest right off. They're all more clean/tart/fruit scents to me. I also like Aglaea a lot but I don't know if you'd amp/sweeten the amber, it's like peach wine on me.

 

OK, I've tried:

 

White Rabbit

Strangler Fig

Queen Alice

Bearded Lady

Bordello

Harlot

O

Snake Oil

Chimera

Eclipse

Highwayman

Brown Jenkins

Plunder

Dragon's Milk

51

 

I have 5 more I tried, but they were freebies, so I can't remember them. There was one that reminded me of Polo Sport, it was very aquatic, and it didn't smell like musk. Unfortunately, I didn't really enjoy the scent either:(

 

I will definitely add your suggestions to my list of "to try"! Clean/tart/fruit sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.

 

[SarahCamelia]

You could try to test your oils on your clothes, if it's possible, of course. I've found that the scents usually get a lot less messed up like that.

 

[pinkgyrl]

Hi!

 

You could try a scent locket that way your skin chemistry wouldn't alter the notes if you really like how some of the blends that you've tried smell in the bottle.

 

Do you have any certain category of scents that you're drawn to - like fruity, floral, or foodie?

 

I'd limited here, because I look for musk (hehe) - but, for what it's worth here is a variety of some that you may like that don't seem to go musky and some "dryer" vanilla blends:

 

Tombstone (super dry cedary vanilla on me): A rugged, warm blend of vanilla, balsam and sassafras layered over Virginia cedar.

Jailbait (just because it's a must try - I don't get even a hint of musk from it): Sticky pink bubblegum and the thick, sweet scent of orange and cherry lollipops smeared over a breath of heady womanly perfume.

Absinthe: An intoxicating blend containing wormwood essence, light mints, cardamom, anise, hyssop, and the barest hint of lemon.

Tempest: A crisp ozone-tinged breeze. The scent of the first gentle rain before the storm.

House of Night (an unusual "green" scent that appeals to people that even don't typically reach for these types of scents): A sorrowful graveyard bouquet of somber blooms, funereal boughs, dismal green and laden with grief.

Dirty: A fresh, crisp white linen scent: perfectly clean, perfectly breezy.

Vice: A deep chocolate scent, with black cherry and orange blossom.

Carnal: Bold, bright mandarin paired with the sweet, sensual earthiness of fig.

Whip: Agony and ecstasy: black leather and damp red rose.

Schrodinger's Cat: A paradoxical scent experiment! - tangerine, sugared lime, pink grapefruit, oakmoss, lavender, zdravetz, and chocolate peppermint.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat: A sparkly, batty little scent: green tea, melon, mint, lime rind, and champagne grape with lemon balm, mullein, and toadflax.

Eden: fig leaf, fig fruit, honeyed almond milk, toasted coconut and sandalwood.

Obatala: milk, coconut meat, shea butter and cool, refreshing water.

Pele: muguet and Hawaiian white ginger enveloped by warm, damp tropical blooms.

Shango: red apples, banana, chili pepper, coconut, pineapple, pomegranate and sugar cane.

The Antikythera Mechanism (this may go musky on you - but it's another "dryer" vanilla on me and worth a shot!) Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco.

 

There are tons, just tons, of Limited Edition scents that you may like - but if you like fruity scents (and need no musk) - I would definitely try the Tiki blends:

 

Opuhi (another vanilla you may be able to do): Ginger blossom and vanilla orchid.

(not part of the original Tiki release - but I just remembered this one!) Velvet Tiki: Gold-washed frangipani, vanilla flower, vanilla bean, coconut, hibiscus, papaya, pineapple, bouganvilla, passion fruit, and three orchids.

Upa Upa: Spiced rum, coconut, pineapple, and vanilla.

Screeching Parrot: Golden rum, apricot liquor, pineapple, pomegranate, ginger, brandy, grapefruit, and pink lime.

Te Po: Jamaican rum, almond liquor, orange water, sugar syrup, lime peel, black cherry, vodka, and mint.

Blue Fire: Papaya, blueberry, lemongrass, and gin.

Rangoon Riptide: Pineapple, mandarin orange, raspberry, passion fruit, and rum.

Golden Wave: Tangerine, gin, passion fruit, guava, and tonic.

 

There are a ton more to recommend once everyone knows if you'd be open to trying metallic scents - ozone scents and such - because those are usually more dry and less musky.

 

Good luck to you!

Edited May 14, 2010 by GirlinDenial

[melrose]

The Coil - it's electric and clean and energetic and hard to describe, but definitely NO musk.

[izile]

I feel your pain. . . I don't mind the smell of musks, but my skin chemistry turns almost all musks straight into Baby-Powder-of-Doom, which means, the perfume has to go. So, I avoid anything with musk in it as much as possible (and it's really hard, because it's one of the most frequently used notes in BPAL, it seems.)

 

Some musk free scents I've had really good luck with:

 

Josie - honey peaches and magnolia

Bon Vivant - Strawberry and champagne

Persephone - roses and pomegranates

Shattered - champagne, grapefruit, lotus, mint and aquatic flowers.

Delirium - apple, rose, lemon

The Hesperides - oak bark, apples, greenery - smells *just* like a real apple orchard

Lightning - ozone, rain, "marine notes"

Swank - pomegranate martini

Les Fleurs du Mal - rose, lilac, wisteria

Akuma - Blood orange, neroli, raspberry

Marie - violet and tea rose

Carnal - Mandarin and fig

Whip - rose and leather

Jester - huckleberry, neroli and red currant

Elegba - coconut, tobacco, sugared rum

Obatala - milk, coconut, shea butter, water

The Rose - smell just like a real-life, green, fresh, rose bush

Prunella - plums, wildflowers and cream

Edited May 14, 2010 by izile

[Antoinette]

I have the same problem with musk so I've been trying/buying the musk free scents with great success! (Too much success, if you ask my pocketbook - LOL!)

 

These are a few non-musk oils I've had great luck with:

 

Phantasm - Green tea, lemon verbena, jasmine and neroli

Euphrosyne - Gardenia, tea rose, vanilla and jasmine (Vanilla, but no musk!) Doesn't seem super vanilla-ish to me though, it's very light and fresh.

The Unicorn - Wispy linden blossoms, white flowers, and a touch of sweet herbs.

Baobhan Sith - Grapefruit, white tea, apple blossom and ginger. Super fresh/tart/fruity. Lovely!

High Strung Daisies - Daisy, pink carnation, pink pepper, and sugar

Marie - Violet and tea rose. (I second this recommendation!)

 

Good luck!

[Torrilin]

White Rabbit

 

It's got vanilla. Not surprising that you'd sweeten it.

 

Strangler Fig

 

There are no notes given, but to me it's spicy vanilla with a touch of fig. (I just got it as a frimp yesterday tho, so I haven't really dissected it... a lot of the reviews suggested it was strongly green and not so much on me.)

 

Queen Alice

Bearded Lady

Bordello

Harlot

 

IIRC these all have rose. Historically, a lot of the desserts we now flavor with vanilla were flavored wtih... rosewater. Some people really sweeten up rose too.

 

O

Snake Oil

Chimera

Eclipse

 

These are also all supposed to have vanilla.

 

This suggests to me that you'll tend to amp and sweeten vanilla and rose. I'd also watch for "sugar" or "cream" in scent descriptions since that tends to mean vanilla. I'd probably try a few tea scents like Embalming Fluid, Shanghai or The Dormouse. A lot of people like The Unicorn, and it's supposed to be a very airy, clean floral. It's probably a good idea to try some scents with an oakmoss base, since some people find that very clean. Fae is pretty popular, but heliotrope smells an AWFUL lot like vanilla on me, so you might want to pair it with another oakmoss blend. The Harlot's House and Omen look like they'd lean towards vanilla free.

 

Vetiver, lavander, jasmine and tuberose tend to be stuff you won't smell much in daily life, and tend to be real love it or hate it notes. I'd look for some blends that have those as dominant notes, since they'll definitely smell different!