When your favorite GC blends are discontinued

[Hesper]

On 3/29/2021 at 2:39 PM, VetchVesper said:

@ziggystardust13

 

Are you familiar with Elizabeth Arden's "Red Door?" It came to my mind when I smelled Fallen, and has the same notes, along with a bunch of other stuff crammed in there.  Heady, floral, deep. I think Fallen is a little woodier and less sweet maybe? I'm guessing it shares some of those "imperial florals" as well.  Probably jasmine and lily, in the very least.   

 

I can't think of a BPAL analogue of the top of my head.

 

Red Door by Elizabeth Arden is a Amber Floral fragrance for women. Red Door was launched in 1989. The nose behind this fragrance is Carlos Benaim. Top notes are Rose, Orange Blossom, Plum, Violet, Peach and Anise; middle notes are Honey, Carnation, Rose, Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang, Jasmine, Lily, Freesia, Lily-of-the-Valley and Orchid; base notes are Sandalwood, Amber, Benzoin, Musk, Heliotrope, Vetiver and Cedar.

I am not! BPAL is pretty much my only perfume exposure--I don't even really have a sense of what notes work on me, I just know Fallen is simply spectacular (especially aged) on me Bought it due to the description, it's been my only perfume for years.

 

I have many imps coming to me soon to figure out what I enjoy, so I'll have to hold off on looking at this until I know if I even *like* "sweeter" scents on me, but thank you ~

[hhelix]

@Hesper Violet is one of my favorite notes and Beth has so many good ones. I looked back through my notes and several scents come to mind: 

The Raven: Violet and neroli mingled with iris, white sandalwood and dark musk

Nocturne: Deepest violet touched with lilac and tuberose

Morgause: night-blooming flowers deepened by dusky violet, purple fruits and the barest breath of medieval incenses.

and I wonder if you could layer one of them with something like:

Incantation: vetiver, dark woods, crumbling and burnt black sandalwood and a drop of lemon rind.

Which imps did you get?

 

[VetchVesper]

^ Those all seem like good recs. I'd add Moscow, The Caterpillar, and Nyx, and Veil for consideration. 

 

I also really enjoy violet, though I don't get much of it from Fallen. The resins and what I suspect is jasmine come out strongest on me, but noses and chemistries vary, and my imp is quite old. You might try a few darker, resinous jasmine blends though, to see if those strike your fancy. Happy sniffing!

[Hesper]

On 3/31/2021 at 9:12 AM, hhelix said:

@Hesper Violet is one of my favorite notes and Beth has so many good ones. I looked back through my notes and several scents come to mind: 

The Raven: Violet and neroli mingled with iris, white sandalwood and dark musk

Nocturne: Deepest violet touched with lilac and tuberose

Morgause: night-blooming flowers deepened by dusky violet, purple fruits and the barest breath of medieval incenses.

and I wonder if you could layer one of them with something like:

Incantation: vetiver, dark woods, crumbling and burnt black sandalwood and a drop of lemon rind.

Which imps did you get?

 

Oh, The Raven especially sounds incredible for the neroli. That may be in the next order... (when I invariably cave and get V'al Hanissim because beeswax and amber are, as S+ has proven, also wonderful on me.)

A bunch of very different things to try! I'm taking this as an Opportunity, lol. I have on the way The Little Wooden Doll (rose-infused amber and soft golden sandalwood), Jezebel (honey, roses, orange blossom and sandalwood), Roses, Pearls, and Diamonds (red roses, dazzling crystalline musks, and pearlescent coconut-tinged orris), Medea (night-blooming cereus, black orchid, black currant and myrtle leaf enshrouded in the incense of Hecate’s cypress and myrrh, and the dark rage of magickal labdanum and intoxicating poppy), Nyx (night-blooming jasmine, warmed by myrrh, lifted by the promise of rose), Xiuhtecuhtli (copal, plumeria and sweet orange and the smoke of South American incense and crushed jungle blooms), and Lightning (the electric tang of ozone, marine notes, and a drop of sharp rain).

 

 

21 hours ago, VetchVesper said:

^ Those all seem like good recs. I'd add Moscow, The Caterpillar, and Nyx, and Veil for consideration. 

 

I also really enjoy violet, though I don't get much of it from Fallen. The resins and what I suspect is jasmine come out strongest on me, but noses and chemistries vary, and my imp is quite old. You might try a few darker, resinous jasmine blends though, to see if those strike your fancy. Happy sniffing!

 

Hey! I thought the same thing about Nyx! Caterpillar also sounds lovely...

 

Thank you both so much for your help!

 

[BetteNoire]

You might also try Melisande the Puppet Mistress. It's got a good boy of similarity to Fallen

[hhelix]

@Hesper Fallen, where have you been all my life??? Since you and I seem to have similar tastes based on the imps you ordered, I re-tried the imp of Fallen I’ve had forever. It must have aged well or maybe my tastes have matured because holy cow is it stunning. Now I’m bummed that it’s discontinued and will treasure my imp!

[Hesper]

On 4/2/2021 at 2:31 PM, hhelix said:

@Hesper Fallen, where have you been all my life??? Since you and I seem to have similar tastes based on the imps you ordered, I re-tried the imp of Fallen I’ve had forever. It must have aged well or maybe my tastes have matured because holy cow is it stunning. Now I’m bummed that it’s discontinued and will treasure my imp!

Oh no! 😭 I didn't mean to spread the heartache!

 

[Poe]

I finished my bottle of Delphi and am gutted to find out it was discontinued years ago.  Never did I ever suspect that it would be as it was in the regular catalog!  Am SO upset.  Any suggestions?

Edited July 5, 2022 by Poe

[bexabaxa]

If anyone has any recommendations for someone who loves Dragon's Milk, I would be so grateful to hear them! ❤️

 

[sudenmorsian]

Can we bring this thread back to life, please? 

 

My all time favorite BPAL is The Night Priestess (night-blooming jasmine, clove bud, cardamom, moonlit vanilla orchid, and moonflower) and it's been discontinued long time ago, and I've never found a substitute. To me The Night Priestess is dark blue, still white, cold starry night's scent and I get mostly jasmine, cardamom, florals I can't identify and only tiniest hint of clove bud (I tend to amp clove like heck but in this it is behaving). Is there anything I could try? Its review thread doesn't really help as most of mentioned there is also dc'd. 

 

I have New Orleans coming to me but I have never before sniffed it (that's mentioned in the thread). Luna Azul (2017) had some kind of similar feel (they share jasmin) but still wasn't close enough. 

Edited February 15 by sudenmorsian

[Tungerine]

Can anyone recommend something similar to Veritas? I had an imp and I meant to get a full bottle when I'd used it up but by the time I'd saved up for a big order it was gone!

[Lit Chick]

I finally ran out of my last bit of Red Devil.  Any suggestions for a BPAL or other that has a similar sweet spicy musk? 

[becca_s]

Are there any similar scents to Glasgow? I haven't tried any scents yet that I think are similar, even though blackberry (one of the main notes) is a note that comes up quite a bit. 

[ShadowEtienne]

12 minutes ago, becca_s said:

Are there any similar scents to Glasgow? I haven't tried any scents yet that I think are similar, even though blackberry (one of the main notes) is a note that comes up quite a bit. 

 

I've only ever gotten to try Glasgow from a small sample amount at the end of an old imp, but recent LE (still up for a few more days as part of Halloweenies) Witches' Tea evokes most of the same note profile to me.

[becca_s]

1 hour ago, ShadowEtienne said:

 

I've only ever gotten to try Glasgow from a small sample amount at the end of an old imp, but recent LE (still up for a few more days as part of Halloweenies) Witches' Tea evokes most of the same note profile to me.

Thankyou! I did have my eye on that one 

[sudenmorsian]

On 2/10/2024 at 9:01 PM, sudenmorsian said:

My all time favorite BPAL is The Night Priestess (night-blooming jasmine, clove bud, cardamom, moonlit vanilla orchid, and moonflower) and it's been discontinued long time ago, and I've never found a substitute. To me The Night Priestess is dark blue, still white, cold starry night's scent and I get mostly jasmine, cardamom, florals I can't identify and only tiniest hint of clove bud (I tend to amp clove like heck but in this it is behaving). Is there anything I could try? Its review thread doesn't really help as most of mentioned there is also dc'd. 

 

I have New Orleans coming to me but I have never before sniffed it (that's mentioned in the thread). Luna Azul (2017) had some kind of similar feel (they share jasmin) but still wasn't close enough. 

Replying to myself that New Orleans was nothing alike The Night Priestess so I'm still searching for substitutes. Alkemia's Ultime Seduction Vanille (Tahitian vanilla orchids, jasmine flowers, and crystalline sugar cane, enhanced by a blend of delicate white and vanilla musks) is very very close, closer than anything other I've tried.