Recs for those who can't do sweet perfumes?

[Penance]

It's amazing how different people's perceptions of scents are sometimes.

 

I know for a fact that a lot of scents smell very different on me than they do everyone else, so it's probably a matter of skin chemistry that would determine whether Bayou was sweetly floral or not.

[surf-tormented]

I would like a fruity oil BUT not very sweet. I thought Lampades would be my thing, but the cranberry goes grape sucker on me. I would like a fruit based perfume oil that is spicy and not sweet. Does such a beast exist? Maybe a sour or tart fruit base? Can anyone help me?

 

Oh yes, I forgot to add, nothing creamy or food like. I don't like anything that smells like baked goods or dessert, except for maybe a chocolate undertone.

 

Also, excuse me if this has been posted before. I have searched and searched and cannot find a topic like this one.

Edited December 1, 2004 by Madame Nyx

[Spanglemaker]

Tintagel has a fruity spicy feel to it.

[Miggins]

Have you tried Aizen-Myoo? It's wickedly fruity, but as most of the fruits lean towards citrus, it takes the sweet edge off. The smoky black tea makes it yummy, but not sweet. And there's always Swank - on me it's fruity, but not at all sweet.

[surf-tormented]

I'll keep those in mind! Thanks to you both!

[VorpalBunny]

You may try Vinland. It has a hint of berry, but it's not overpowering.

[JazzieCazzie]

I'm not sure if this would qualify, but I would try Nemesis. The top/primary notes aren't fruity but the fig gives it a definite kick. I am a very anti-fruity person (I love fruit it just smells awful on me) and this is the only one that really truly works on me ... it's like spicy subtle fruit.

 

The other one I might try is Tzadikim Nistarim.

[sigh]

Have you tried Akuma? It's not really spicy though, it's got more of a tart kick to it.

[Lady Ravenglass]

Mabon is fruity in a citrus (grapefruit) kind of way, though it's apparently blackberry. It's sharp and fresh smelling on me, rather than heavy-sweet. It reminds me of Aizen-Myoo, which is also a sparkling light scent with a citrus, but not lemony edge. Cheshire Cat also went grapefruity on me, and though it was too tart, it had a similar feel. I agree with Miggins about Swank, which was like fresh sweet fruit, but real fruit, not flavours, with that juicy edge to it.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Tintagel and Swank were both sweet on *me*, but maybe not on others (and I like sweet, so I love them both). I am wondering about Hesperides...it was cinnamon apples on me, tart Granny Smith apples. I swapped it b/c it wasn't sweet *enough* for my sweet tooth (nose? huh?), so maybe that is what you are looking for?

Edited December 1, 2004 by Laurel_the_Woodfairy

[Fishwomon]

Madame, I find Fae to be fruit without being cloying or two sweet. Here is my recent review.

[pekeana]

It's probably just my chemistry, but Xiuhtecuhtli isn't sweet -- it's deep, smoky, dark orange and plumeria.

 

And I second The Hesperides -- it vascillates between being tart Granny Smith apples hanging on a tree branch and caramel apples (sans sugary-sweet) for me.

[harlequin]

Lady Macbeth was delicious, but not very sweet for me.

 

In fact.. I think that's what I'm going to wear today, now!

[inkstone]

In fact.. I think that's what I'm going to wear today, now!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'm wearing it right now too!

 

I agree -- it isn't sweet. It's more wine-y on me than anything else. (Look out for the ultra-technical lingo!)

[tempete]

Swank was very sweet on me. There's nothing to offset the pomegranate, so if your body chemistry likes to amp up sweet notes, then you might get something too sweet for your tastes. I also found Aizen-Myoo very sweet - I didn't smell any black tea in it, FWIW. It may have just been the imp that I had, but on the other hand, cherry blossom goes sweet on me in another BPAL (Neo-Tokyo).

 

Fae has been recommended, and other options that fall into the same white musk/orange-coloured fruit category (love my classifications?) are Katharina and Kuang Shi. None of these are overly sweet, at least on me.

 

Some people have found Bewitched to be too berry sweet, but my skin loves musk, so it's not too sweet on me.

 

My favourite fruit scents, however, are fig-based ones. In Intrigue, fig is blended with cocoa and light woody notes. In Apocathery, figgy goodness is balanced with tea, moss and herbal notes. In Nemesis, there's so much going on around the fig note that you might say that it's not a fruity scent anymore (still worth checking out though).

[tart]

Maybe try wine scents like Mabon to get a fruity but not necessary sweet smell.

[stardust]

Lady Macbeth was delicious, but not very sweet for me.

 

See, it smelled like grape flavoring on me. Silly body chemistry.

 

My body seems to make most fruits sickeningly sweet on me (maybe because I have a sweet tooth?).

Citrus works, though. I love Absinthe (lemon) and The Sun (orange), and like Shanghai (lemon verbena). The peach in Tamora wasn't bad on me, either, but some find it too sweet.

[alizarin]

I'm not a big fan of sweet and I love Imp: Devilishly playful: white peach, amber, golden musk and patchouli.

 

The peach is prominant, but it's not overpowering. More of a dusky fruity than a spicy fruity, though.

[tart]

I've tried Imp. It reminds me of maybe a darker Tamora, and something else mixed in... It's fruity but not in a blatant Bath & Body Works kind of way. Eh, you guys know what I mean -- Beth does good things to all notes.

[sarahmarie]

Swank, for me, is not sweet. It's very tart and fruity, with a definite bite.

 

Aizen-Myoo doesn't strike me as sweet. It's one of my favorites because it's fruity and citrusy without being overpowering or predictable. It's really unique.

[babykitty]

Another vote for Aizen-Myoo! Machu Picchu is interesting--fruity but not at all sweet. Also, I love King of Spades. March Hare is kind of sweet but delicious, especially layered with 3 witches.

 

I need a BPAL fix now!!!

[diabolique]

bordello is berry/fruity, but it isn't necessarily sweet. it's more creamy than anything.

 

i'm not sure about the notes in medea, but it smelled like very spicy fruit on my skin.

[Alice Aforethought]

I'm not a big fan of sweet. You might love Depraved - it's a bit like Imp but drier and darker, and the apricot brings a different fruity note to it than the peach. It's delicious and not sweet at all.

[Scylla]

Have you tried Akuma? It's not really spicy though, it's got more of a tart kick to it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I second Akuma. It is very fruity and tart--smells like SweetTarts or Razzles. No sickening sweetness there!

 

Also, Bewitched is fruity (blackberry) and balanced without being too sweet.

[rainbow]

Glasgow's a nice berry scent that I find to be fresh, rather than sweet. The heather really tempers the berry.