Something sweet and STRONG? *newbie*

[Katlastrophe]

Hi, I'm going to buy my very first bottle without very much experience of BPAL, so I need some help.

 

I'm a sucker for sweet scents, the sweeter the better.

Vanilla, sugar, honey, cream... Also sweet flowers like honeysuckle, lilac and violet(but I'm not into fresh flowery things).

Mysks, amber and spices is wonderful.

Wood notes are okay.

 

I can't stand leather, citrus fruits and roses.

Dragon blood smells like my ex, so no thank you.

 

 

I've no idea what patchouli and pumpkin smells like, but I'm not afraid to try them.

 

This is some of the BPAL blends that I've tried and my thoughts about them:

 

O - Love it, but it fades very quickly and I find it a bit boring, I will buy a bottle of this one day, but right now I'm interested in something stronger with more character.

 

Eat Me - Like it a lot, the sweetness is on point but my skin amps the butter to a annoying level. I like butter, but not this much.

 

Spellbound - Bought the imp because of the name, Siouxie <3

I don't like it at all while it's wet, but I love it when the top notes have faded. If it only were sweeter...

 

Manila - It doesn't fit me at all, it smells like a social, sexy, happy person.

 

So, I've searched for blends with vanilla, and I've found a few that sounded perfect, BUT when I research them in Reviews they are described as "low throw", "skin close" etc. And that's like the opposite of what I'm looking for.

 

So, does any of this ring a bell?

[LizziesLuck]

I love sweet scents as well, almost all of my favourites have an element of sweetness to them. Here's a few of my General Catalogue faves. To me, these are all sweet, but all very different as well (I like variety!) I have weeded out anything with citrus or rose

 

 

Velvet: gentle sandalwood warmed by cocoa vanilla and a veil of deep myrrh (This is sweet cocoa and vanilla on me, with a hint of sweet Myrrh)

 

Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener: Sassafras, vanilla extract, oak leaf, CO2 butter extract, and onycha. (I get mostly Vanilla from this, with a hint of rich creamy rootbeer. It's unique and I love it)

 

Sudha Segara: Sweet milk and warm, healing ginger with a touch of golden honey and our blend of Ambrosia (An all-time fave. Sweet creamy ginger)

 

Alice's Evidence: Containing nary a neutron of meaning: rum-quince-cassis with prune and a bit of black ginger. (More than anything this ends up smelling like sweet spicy mulled apple cider on me. Love it!)

 

Queen Alice: Carnation, posies, and white amber with a hint of inky treacle, sandy cider, and wooly wine (A beautiful sweet spicy floral. If you like carnation at all, try it!)

 

Hope you find a few things you love! Every blend is different on every person, so you literally will never know what something is like on you till you try it.

[neptuneanblues]

Maybe Hollywood Babylon if you don't mind strawberry/cherry? It's definitely sweet and strong, has vanilla, and the musk and amber elements are really nice too.

[Soupy Twist]

You might try Dana O'Shee from Bewitching Brews: Offerings of milk, honey and sweet grains were made to placate these creatures, and it is that the basis of the scent created in their name. "Sweet grain" is definitely accurate.

 

Kali from Excolo has several of the notes you like: This perfume is a blend of the sacred blooms of cassia, hibiscus, musk rose, Himalayan wild tulip, lotus and osmanthus swirled with offertory dark chocolate, red wine, tobacco, balsam and honey.

The Antikythera Mechanism from Steamworks is a forum favorite, and deservedly so: Teakwood, oak, black vanilla, and tobacco.

Verdandi from Excolo is a possibility if you like apples: Deep herbs and apple with black amber.

 

On a general note: if you're just starting out, don't buy a bottle unsniffed! Get a bunch of imps, and look in the swap/sale section of the forum, to try things out before you drop $10 to $30 plus shipping on a bottle of something which sounds awesome on paper but totally fails on your wrist.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Soupy Twist

[annemathematics]

maybe sweets to the sweet: "Sugar upon sugar, honey upon honey: white cane sugar and honey absolute."

or sugar skull: "Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits."

[Anaire]

I don't see Snake Oil listed anywhere? I only have the Pumpkinized version but have to admit this one strikes me as vanilla sweet with a huge throw to it.

 

Defututa (Olive blossom, honey, smoky vanilla, cinnamon, jasmine, sandalwood, and champaca flower.)

 

Golden Priapus (vanilla and amber with juniper, rosewood and white pine.)

 

Tombstone (A rugged, warm blend of vanilla, balsam and sassafras layered over Virginia cedar.)

 

and maybe take a look at one of my favorites Morocco (Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia.)- although this one is more dry and spicy on me than sweet.

 

ETA: SIN (BPAL) Thouroughly corrupted: amber, sandalwood, black patchouli and cinnamon. (although this one is heavy on the cinnamon at first)

SCHOLARS’ TOWER: (BPAL) “Gleaming amber spheres, polished cedar and mahogany, sweet parchment, inks of frankincense ash, and soft plumes of incense.

Hesiod’s Phoenix (BPAL) Golden amber, bourbon vanilla, and sweet oudh. (if you can get ahold of this one!)

Goblin (Black coconut, gnarly patchouli, and sweet benzoin.)

 

 

Try out some scents with Oudh in them. I find that that one turns sweet on my skin.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Anaire

[xeia]

I don't have any specific recommendations to add (except Bien Loin D'ici, which I'm just testing, sweet caramel and musk, pretty strong on me), but I will second Soupy's recommendation to try as many imps as you can. As a relative newbie myself, I am finding sometimes my skin does what others' don't. Some people's chemistry seems to exaggerate certain notes (they also call it "amping" a note), when another will get a totally different side of the same blend. With "strength" of the perfume, if you look at some of the review threads, one person will say "my skin ate it" (it didn't last at all), and then two posts down, someone else will say it lasted all the following day or they couldn't wash it off!

 

Most of my tester collection is second-hand imps from the forum "For Sale" section, which is quite economical. You can often find GC's at $1 a piece. I buy pretty selectively, and it seems like I end up with things I like more often than not. Still, it's easier on my wallet to "fail" with imps than bottles!

 

Good luck!

[gentle-twig]

How about:

 

The Cat: Sleek, black, dark, and clever: benzoin, honey, cedar, and dark musk.

I find it to be light but long lasting, an anamalic and slightly incense-y honey. Benzoin is a note you might like since you like vanilla!

 

Lysander: Lilac musk, tonka, wood violet, and urbane lime rind, with a Venus-kissed tangle of myrtle, blackberry leaf, and benzoin.

Lilac and Benzoin are the stand-out notes on me, both of which seem to fit the bill. The lime is present but not overwhelming and dries out quickly.

 

Also, I would suggest tobacco scents in general if you haven't tried many! I find tobacco to be sweet but interesting and usually long-lasting.

[Bambi Bloodlust]

I would check out Bordello, Elegba, and Dragons Milk (I know, I know, no dragons blood) but to me this is one of THE BEST sugar sweet vanilla blends BPAL has so I say it's worth trying an imp!

[Katlastrophe]

Thank you so much for your answers!

I'm researching all of your blend suggestions, it takes some time but it seems to be worth it!

 

VELVET

I don't think this is what I'm looking for right now, and after reading about KALI, that also contains chocolate but in a,for me, more interesting blend, I think I will save VELVET for another time and instead get an imp of KALI.

 

STIMULATING S. S.

I'm buying an imp of this!

Root beer taste translates to Swedish Jenka bubblegum, super nostalgic!

I don't know how well it works out as a perfume though, but it sounds fun!

 

DANA O'SHE

When I first read about this one I thought it sounded great, but a slightly bit boring. I loove almonds, but the amaretto type, and Danas almonds didn't seem to punch that hard.

And then I looked up SUDHA SEGARA and yes, milk, sweetness AND a spicy kick of ginger!

The only reason why I'm not buying this in a bottle is that some reviews found citrus in it, so I need to try Sudha Segara in an imp first.

 

ALICE'S EVIDENCE

I'm getting an imp of this and hope I'll like it enough for a bottle, sounds really promising with all the spices and fruits!

 

Queen Alice

I read a lot of the reviews on this one, but it didn't stuck.

I think I'm a bit afraid of the cider that so many mentioned.

 

HOLLYWOOD BABYLON

This could totally be my bottle, I've read so many reviews and I can't see how it could be possible for me to not love it.

It seems to be close to Snake Skin but with more fruity cherries, and I'm feeling safe with that because of SS's popularity.

 

THE ANTIKYTHERA MECHANISM

I really don't think this will be sweet enough for me.

[Ryan Hemphill]

I know it's not a GC, but the sweetest scent I own is Strawberry Sufaniyot. It's straight-up sugary jelly donut!

[Aviatrix]

Oh, if you're up for limited edition scents, the Lilith blend Muse of Fire is the perfect sweet, sugared flower scent

Also, the Yule blend La Befana (came out in 2007 and 2013) is a very festive sugared flower scent, with a little smoke in the background.

[rawgirl75]

What about one of the Lilith blends out right now? I bet Little Lady Macbeth would be up your alley. Or maybe one of the Weenies, like The Witches?

 

Since you said you want sweet and loud, I'm going to support the recommendation for Snake Oil. I think it's right up your alley IF you make sure to let it age a little. When fresh, it sometimes has a burnt rubber smell to it, but that goes away with age. And the throw on it is loud and lasts a long time.

 

Also if you like cinnamon, then try Chimera. I find it sometimes overpoweringly sweet and loud too.

[octic]

Snake Oil By far, our most popular scent! Magnetic, mysterious, and exceedingly sexual in nature. A blend of exotic Indonesian oils sugared with vanilla.

 

Snake Oil sounds like just what you're looking for, if you haven't already tried it. My GC memory is failing right now, but one very sweet scent that sticks out to me:

 

Kill-Devil Sugar cane, molasses, oak wood, and honey.

 

There are tons of sweet things in the Lilith and Weenie updates!

[recklesslysober]

Second Dana O'Shee, Velvet, Bordello, and Hollywood Babylon. For past LEs, I can definitely second Strawberry Sufganiyot and Sugar Skull. For current ones for sure check out the Liliths.

 

Cockaigne (milk and honey, sweet cakes and wine) and Miskatonic University (the scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls - this smelled like a super syrupy caramel latte on me) were both sickeningly sweet on me but they might be great for you since I tend to amp sweet things a bit.

[Anaire]

What about Queen of Sheba (BPAL): Golden honeyed almonds and a whisper of African and Middle Eastern spices?

 

Just a thought, you might also look at Cheesecake perfume notes. I think they are Limited editions but might be up your alley.

[Aviatrix]

There is also High-Strung Daisies. It's a cotton candy-ish floral

[tallan]

A few other GC suggestions:

 

Dorian - A Victorian fougere with three pale musks and dark, sugared vanilla tea.

Mouse's Long and Sad Tale - Vanilla, two ambers, sweet pea and white sandalwood.

Lyonesse - Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss.

Tamora - Amber, heliotrope, golden sandalwood, peach blossom and vanilla bean.

 

Mania (screeching white musk collides with a howl of red musk, with sharp white grapefruit and pale strawberry leaf) may sound scary and aggressive and grapefruity but it was all sweet fruity musk on me. I'm also thinking of The Dormouse (a dizzying eddy of four teas brushed with light herbs and a breath of peony) and 'Tis the Voice of the Lobster (a woody, musky-weird base glooping over with blackberry preserves, a twist of mandarin, strawberry juice, pulverized watermelon, and a handful of smushed gardenia petals) - they're more fruit than vanilla, but they're both very sweet and pretty.

Seconding a lot of other suggestions - Snake Oil, Bordello and Dragon's Milk are all must-tries, and Alice's Evidence is just wonderful - including the one about checking out the Liliths. It seems like a very sweet(s)-centred collection.

[Floria]

Sybaris (sweet violet with tonka, clove, and incense) could be a good floral for you. It's a yummy candied violet made more interesting by the clove and incense.

 

Since you liked the base of Spellbound, I suggest trying more blends with red musk. I find it one of the stronger and sweeter musks, and it's a pretty popular note.

[lookingglass]

Sweet and Strong are my FAAAAVORITES!!!! All of the above! Plus Mme Moriarty (sweet, fruity, dark red musk), the Other Miss Forcible (strange scent that reminds me of dark rum, taffy, and vintage perfume), Le Lethe (sweet, spicy musk) and Goblin (patchouli and sweet coconut).

[Katlastrophe]

Okay, omg, I WANT to get more imps, but the question is if I CAN.
This is my list right now:

Kali

Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener

Sudha Segara

Alice's Evidence

Defututa

Golden Priapus

Tombstone

Sin

Snake Oil

Bordello

Elegba

Dragon's Milk

Chimera

Cockaigne

Thank you for all of your help <3

[sprout]

Suggest adding

Le Serpent Qui Danse

Belle Epoque

and seconding above suggestions Lysander and

Morocco

[ziggystardust13]

Snake Oil! Still nothing else I've tried compares to its gloriousness! Aged preferably. I love fresh snake oil too, but find the aged brings out more of the syrupy, vanilla sweetness!

[Poenari]

Okay, omg, I WANT to get more imps, but the question is if I CAN.

This is my list right now:

 

Kali

Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener

Sudha Segara

Alice's Evidence

Defututa

Golden Priapus

Tombstone

Sin

Snake Oil

Bordello

Elegba

Dragon's Milk

Chimera

Cockaigne

 

Thank you for all of your help <3

I know it's been suggested by others, but I really think you should give Sugar Skull a try! Since it has reappeared most (but not all) Halloweens, it should be fairly easy to locate a decant from someone. Then you would have time to buy a bottle of this year's version. It really doesn't change much from year to year, per my bottle collection of various vintages. It has great throw, is long lasting, and ages beautifully.

 

Edited for autocorrect fail

Edited October 23, 2015 by Poenari

[Katlastrophe]

Okay, I've received my imps and tested them for a couple of weeks, these were my favorites:

Golden Priapus
Stimulating Sassafras Strengthener
Tombstone
Sin
Bordello
Elegba
Cockaigne

But I also bought a "blind" bottle without smelling it first: Hollywood Babylon, and I looove it!
Bottles really are a whole new experience *slathering is good for you*

Defututa and Sudha Segara were _not_ my thing.
D reeks of jasmine and SS doesn't smell much at all.

I've ordered a bottle of Golden Priapus together with some more imps and ALOT of decants(most Yules, but also Pies, CP and one Phoenix).

Thank you alot for all the help!

I'm going to look after Sugar Skull, absolutely!
And the 13 with thirteen sugars(and chocolate).