BPAL rec's for Non-BPALers?

[AnnieB]

I am a member of another non-BPAL forum, I suspect most of us are, being the perfume fanatics we are. Anyhow, I've noticed a fair bit of... trying to think how to say it... anti-bpal snobbery (is a bit strong, but you get the gist).

 

I'm part of an extended decant round robin over on the other board, and I really want to convince the other people in the RR that BPAL is really well crafted of fine materials and perfectly able to stand alongside Serge Lutens, Chanel les Exclusifs, Annick Goutal etc.

 

To this end, I really want your recommendations about what oil(s) to send along in the round robin from the BPAL missionaries in the room. I've got a bit of a deadline since the 'box-o-smellies' is on its way to me now, and I'd like to put some BPAL into the box since I'm vocal about loving BPAL on that other board.

 

Thanks for any and all help you can give me!

 

 

[hkhm]

well, snake oil and dorian seem like obvious choices. they are very widely popular and while i don't go as nuts for them as most people, i think they are good choices. my personal choices would be things like bordello, shub-niggurath, carnal & kabuki. i might even offer shango (it's the oil that's given me the most compliments from complete strangers).

 

i stuck with general catalog scents because if someone likes one of the scents you send along it's gonna be far easier for them to get more than to try to track down a limited edition.

Edited June 30, 2010 by hkhm

[Andrea912]

I didn't know people were anti-BPAL...I thought there were those who know of it and, of course, loved it, and those who didn't know...

 

Well I'll be damned...

 

I recomend throwing in scents that are representative of the gamut: one cocoa, one tropical, one floral, one clean, one gourmand, one foodie, etc.

[AnnieB]

I didn't know people were anti-BPAL...I thought there were those who know of it and, of course, loved it, and those who didn't know...

 

Well I'll be damned...

 

I recomend throwing in scents that are representative of the gamut: one cocoa, one tropical, one floral, one clean, one gourmand, one foodie, etc.

 

See, that's the thing! I think the people who have *sniffed* a leetle bit down their noses haven't SMELLED bpal. If you figure the cost per ml, BPAL oils are -more- expensive than a lot of exclusive niche perfumes for sure (and worth it). So I really wanted to knock some socks off (figuratively speaking )

 

Thanks, great suggestions both of you, I will definitely do that... keep em coming?

[Little Bird]

I don't think that you could really go wrong with any of the fragrances. I think that they're all well put together and every oil has its fans. As has already been said, I'd just try to include some of the most popular scents and a good range of oils from different scent families.

 

Whenever I'm trying to enable people, I usually go to Dorian, Eat Me, Alice, and The Antikythera Mechanism first <3. Dorian always seems to get the best response for me...

Edited June 30, 2010 by Little Bird

[tativa]

I find the salons to be fairly impressive, and also seem to be a bit more what I expected perfume to be before I got into bpal. And also of what your paying for there is the high quality materials used in the salons. So thinking you might check into getting some decants of those? Also the CD, especially the grindhouse & ladies. Maybe some of the snake pit?

[raisin]

Bow & Crown of Conquest also seems to have a fair share of fans with a range of different tastes.

[ModderRhu]

black opal, dorian, eat me, and high-strung daisies.

 

and, surprisingly, urd!

[Elfbait]

It's sort of ironic to hear of anti-BPAL snobbery since what led me to BPAL was a positive review on a very snooty indie perfumer's blog. I had not heard of BPAL before. But I suppose it isn't very surprising that there is such a thing, much as there are pockets of anti-conventional perfumery snobbism to be found elsewhere. The way I see it is that with IFRA's shadow looming over all the great old perfumes, and pretty much neutering them in the process, there's never been a better time to embrace the imaginative and unbridled bounty of BPAL. There is much beauty here, both confrontational and comforting, and everything in between- but we know that already.

 

 

Anyway, some recent imps I've tried brought to mind great scents of my past, so I'll add them here.

 

Brisingamen: The carnation note in this reminded me of the original Malmaison from Floris, ( not the reformulation from 2000 onward) so haughty and creamily remote it was. This was a voluptuous and very refined scent that I'd recommend to a Bellodgia loving non BPAL-er who still thinks perfume oils are strictly for hippies and that resinous scents are by definition "heavy".

 

Glasgow: This is a "simpler" blend than Brisingamen, but I think the blackberry note in this is so much nicer than the one used in L'Artisan's Mure et Musc, and with none of the burnt treacle that comprised the "musc" of that scent. It was strongly reminiscent of my first Annick Goutal love, Eau de Charlotte, but more grownup with the absence of mimosa and cocoa, and the bittersweet presence of rain-soaked heather.

 

The Black Rider: This one is extremely animalistic and sensuous without being crass, and contains one of the best leather notes I've ever smelled. I was also thrilled by the lovely opoponax in this, since I was a huge fan of Diptyque's opoponax candle, which I believe is discontinued (edit: I was wrong-just found it again...I'll be broke forever, but I'll live in a beautifully scented cardboard box under the freeway). Recommended for men new to BPAL and the women who love them, or to women who like leather, like me.

Edited July 1, 2010 by MakerNotMuse

[EdenIris]

I second Brisingamen, and also the Salons, particularly Ecstasy of St. Theresa. This is an incredibly complex and gorgeous perfume that could stand alongside anything from the fancy French houses. I would also suggest Tamora and Belle Vinu.

 

What initially brought me to BPAL was the total absence of preservatives and nasty-smelling, throat-closing additives found in those upscale brands, so you might want to mention that to any snobs out there. (And then I stayed for the awesomeness.)

[mari4212]

I second Brisingamen, and also the Salons, particularly Ecstasy of St. Theresa. This is an incredibly complex and gorgeous perfume that could stand alongside anything from the fancy French houses. I would also suggest Tamora and Belle Vinu.

 

What initially brought me to BPAL was the total absence of preservatives and nasty-smelling, throat-closing additives found in those upscale brands, so you might want to mention that to any snobs out there. (And then I stayed for the awesomeness.)

 

This. I started BPAL my senior year of college, though it took me another two years to join the boards. My roommate that year had major allergic reactions to certain preservatives, one of which is in most commercial perfumes and cigarettes. She was thrilled that BPAL perfumes were ones she could wear without being flattened for the rest of the day. I don't think she ever got any of her own, but she gratefully took the imp of Mata Hari off my hands when jasmine did it's evil death thing on me.

 

As for what to throw into the box, I'd say like the others, go with some of the classics. I'd also suggest throwing in something fun and creative that shows off the Lab's playful side, like any decants if you have them of the Black Helicopters scents. I think BPAL tends to have a bit more room to play and explore more fun random concepts than a lot of the more traditional perfume houses do.

 

[capncait]

The helpful forumites suggested that I got Morrocco, 51, Scherezade, and The Caterpillar in my first order. Now, those suggestions were along the lines of my favorite notes, but I thought they were incredibly helpful.

 

I really like Sed Non Satiata, Silk Road, and Bordello, too.