Recs for my first order

[bsods]

Hey everyone, I'm new to bpal and wanted some opinions before I put in my first order.

So far some of the scents I seem to gravitate towards are: warm, spicy, floral, woody, and gourmands.

 

Perfumes that I've really enjoyed:

Cacao Woods (Nest)(Bittersweet Cocoa, Sequoia Wood, White Sandalwood, Tiare Blossom, Thai Ginger/warm & sweet gourmand)

I Be the Witch of the Wood (sixteen92)(Wheat and straw, dark forest, poisoned apple, chimney smoke, fur, blood/a dark green woody atmospheric) 

The Spirit of Christmas Present (sixteen92)(A Christmas feast of shortbread, pudding cake, winter figs, chestnuts, and dates; jolly wreaths of holly, clinking porcelain cups, the silence of new-fallen snow/A warm & fruity atmospheric gourmand)

Midnight Fleur (Nest)(Exotic Woods, Black Amber, Patchouli, Night-Blooming Jasmine, Vanilla Orchid/floral & woody)

 

Notes that I haven't enjoyed as much: I tried Baby Yaga by sixteen92 and the dragon's blood incense in it was a little bit too much for me. Obviously Bpal and Sixteen92 are completely different brands, however I think I might have a slight distaste for incense. I'm willing to  have my mind changed about this, however.

 

Bpal scents that have piqued my interest: 

Streets of Detroit: I'm intrigued by the idea of motor oil.

The Reaper and the Flowers: Out of stock, but I love the idea of smelling like lilies and funerals. Any suggestions for scents like this would be appreciated.

Jareth: I'm in love with the Labyrinth movie, but I thought this might be a bit too sweet and intense.

Snake Oil: This one sounds interesting, but I'm a little afraid it'll be too sickly sweet since I'm not a huge fan of vanilla. 

Miskatonic University: I like the idea of smelling like old books. And the irish coffee is sure to be right up my alley (I can't imagine not getting an imp of this one, it sounds right up my alley).

Imp Pack: Aquatic: I want something that reminds me of the sea, since I've lived near the ocean my entire life and want a scent for when I move away eventually. However I'm not sure if I need a whole pack of samples.

TKO: I've heard mixed opinions on this one, but I've heard it's good for sleeping so I thought I might enjoy that. 

 

Any suggestions for other scents, or opinions on the scents listed, would be very much appreciated. 

[galahad]

Hey...my opinion only

 

Streets of Detroit - I don't get a lot of motor oil from this but I quite like it

Jareth - haven't tried it but is often compared to Dorian so unlikely to be too sweet

Snake Oil - worth giving it a go.  Some adore it (like me) and some don;t much care for it depending on skin chemistry.  If you read patchouli as incense you may not like it.  I don't find it overly sweet but it does tick the spicy box

Miskatonic University - my first BPAL fail but others love it

TKO - love it.  The lavender balances out the vanilla quite a bit.  I don't find it overly sweet.

 

Consider Bengal, Dee, Morocco, Tristan

[bsods]

11 hours ago, galahad said:

Hey...my opinion only

 

Streets of Detroit - I don't get a lot of motor oil from this but I quite like it

Jareth - haven't tried it but is often compared to Dorian so unlikely to be too sweet

Snake Oil - worth giving it a go.  Some adore it (like me) and some don;t much care for it depending on skin chemistry.  If you read patchouli as incense you may not like it.  I don't find it overly sweet but it does tick the spicy box

Miskatonic University - my first BPAL fail but others love it

TKO - love it.  The lavender balances out the vanilla quite a bit.  I don't find it overly sweet.

 

Consider Bengal, Dee, Morocco, Tristan

Thanks for the opinions! These are very helpful. I actually really love patchouli (somehow it doesn't read as incense-y to my nose), so snake oil is definitely on my list now. I'll also check out the other suggestions. 

[torischroeder9]

I agree that Snake Oil is worth trying. I get very little overt sweetness from it; it ends up smelling nicely spicy on me. Additionally, a lot of people have found that aging changes this oil, so even if you didn't like it fresh, you might like it aged. 

 

As for Miskatonic University, it's pretty much entirely Irish cream on me. I must have passed on it the first time I tried it years ago. Then I received a frimp of it this summer and found myself surprised by how often I reached for it. My first bottle of it is on order. 

 

I agree with galahad's suggestion of Bengal. It ticks off the warm, spicy, and gourmand boxes for you. Some people do notice a skin reaction to some of the spices (cinnamon is the most common culprit, I think), but if you like the scent, there are ways around that (dilution, using a scent locket, etc.). 

 

I might also suggest Vixen. It's orange blossom, ginger, and patchouli. This is one of my favorites, even though both orange blossom and patchouli are hit-or-miss scents on me. It's very well balanced: On me, the patchouli grounds the scent, the orange blossom adds a bit of sweetness, and the ginger sort of ties it all together. 

[Lucchesa]

Snake Oil is a classic.  It's not for everyone, but everyone tries it sooner or later.  My rec would be to get an imp, test it to see what you think, then put it away for six months or more.  Oils age faster in imps than bottles,  so you'll get a sense of where it's going.  I've haven't had the opportunity to try Streets of Detroit, but it's also a classic -- until the recent re-release it was very hard to find, and I'm a little surprised it's not sold out yet.  I think it would be hard to go wrong with it as you could easily sell or trade it if it didn't work out.  You might look in Steamworks for GCs with a similar vibe.  Robotic Scarab?  I can't remember what that one smelled like. 

 

For other scents in the Reaper and the Flowers category, I would try Crossroads, Burial or Jazz Funeral.  Maybe The Ghost, but that's more purely floral.  Water of Notre Dame has a very lily feel to me.  (The Conjure Bag scents are frustrating to start with because they don't have listed notes.) 

 

Forests:  Thanatopsis, Black Forest, Elf, Ranger, Druid, Golden Priapus.  

 

Aquatics are not my thing.  I have a couple I can send you.  For gourmands, a lot of people love Eat Me and Drink Me, neither of which was a win on me.  I love the gingerbread note, though, so I'm really looking forward to my Yule decants.  Shub-Niggurath is a gingerbready GC.  
 

Also, for learning, I found it easier to get a handle on scents with fewer notes.  Vixen is an excellent example.  Haunted and Sloth are just two notes.  It's simpler to figure out what opium smells like from Anathema or Darkness than Kubla Khan, for example.  And imps are fantastic for learning what notes work on you.  I've never bought a GC bottle without trying it in imp form first.  

 

Good luck!

[bsods]

9 hours ago, torischroeder9 said:

I agree that Snake Oil is worth trying. I get very little overt sweetness from it; it ends up smelling nicely spicy on me. Additionally, a lot of people have found that aging changes this oil, so even if you didn't like it fresh, you might like it aged. 

 

As for Miskatonic University, it's pretty much entirely Irish cream on me. I must have passed on it the first time I tried it years ago. Then I received a frimp of it this summer and found myself surprised by how often I reached for it. My first bottle of it is on order. 

 

I agree with galahad's suggestion of Bengal. It ticks off the warm, spicy, and gourmand boxes for you. Some people do notice a skin reaction to some of the spices (cinnamon is the most common culprit, I think), but if you like the scent, there are ways around that (dilution, using a scent locket, etc.). 

 

I might also suggest Vixen. It's orange blossom, ginger, and patchouli. This is one of my favorites, even though both orange blossom and patchouli are hit-or-miss scents on me. It's very well balanced: On me, the patchouli grounds the scent, the orange blossom adds a bit of sweetness, and the ginger sort of ties it all together. 

I'm glad my fear of Snake Oil being too sweet is being put to rest here, it seems like one of those iconic bpal scents that demands to be tried. I'll buy a sample and put it aside for later consideration if I end up not liking it. 

 

Interesting, I've also had problems with only being able to smell certain notes. I thought maybe it was my nose not being used to complex scents, but maybe some scents are bound to just end up smelling one note on my skin. Regardless, Miskatonic sounds really lovely.

 

I've been dying to try a scent with clove, so bengal seems like a really good suggestion! I love the idea of an orange blossom-y type of scent, so Vixen's also going on my list for sure. 

4 hours ago, Lucchesa said:

Snake Oil is a classic.  It's not for everyone, but everyone tries it sooner or later.  My rec would be to get an imp, test it to see what you think, then put it away for six months or more.  Oils age faster in imps than bottles,  so you'll get a sense of where it's going.  I've haven't had the opportunity to try Streets of Detroit, but it's also a classic -- until the recent re-release it was very hard to find, and I'm a little surprised it's not sold out yet.  I think it would be hard to go wrong with it as you could easily sell or trade it if it didn't work out.  You might look in Steamworks for GCs with a similar vibe.  Robotic Scarab?  I can't remember what that one smelled like. 

 

For other scents in the Reaper and the Flowers category, I would try Crossroads, Burial or Jazz Funeral.  Maybe The Ghost, but that's more purely floral.  Water of Notre Dame has a very lily feel to me.  (The Conjure Bag scents are frustrating to start with because they don't have listed notes.) 

 

Forests:  Thanatopsis, Black Forest, Elf, Ranger, Druid, Golden Priapus.  

 

Aquatics are not my thing.  I have a couple I can send you.  For gourmands, a lot of people love Eat Me and Drink Me, neither of which was a win on me.  I love the gingerbread note, though, so I'm really looking forward to my Yule decants.  Shub-Niggurath is a gingerbready GC.  
 

Also, for learning, I found it easier to get a handle on scents with fewer notes.  Vixen is an excellent example.  Haunted and Sloth are just two notes.  It's simpler to figure out what opium smells like from Anathema or Darkness than Kubla Khan, for example.  And imps are fantastic for learning what notes work on you.  I've never bought a GC bottle without trying it in imp form first.  

 

Good luck!

That seems to be the consensus for Snake Oil- I think if I get a sample I'll probably end up liking it somewhere along the way. I keep on coming back to Streets of Detroit because I'm so curious about the smell, it's really captured my imagination. So I might just have to bite the bullet since I can't get it out of my head.

 

Crossroads and Jazz Funeral sound right up my alley, and I'm a bit of a sucker for calla lily so I think I'll also give The Ghost a try. Thanatopsis and Black Forrest seem to have really interesting dark notes that I think I'll love. Druid has also piqued my interest (a burgundy incense? interesting). 

 

Once again thank you for your generosity, I'd love to take any aquatics off your hands that you don't want anymore. I hope I can give back to the community sometime in the same way. Eat Me and Shub-Niggurath both sound interesting if a little bit intense. 

 

There's a lot to learn, for sure. I feel like it's hard for me to figure out the specifics of scents and I can only really tell whether or not I like or dislike something and not the why. I think you bring up a really great point about starting with simpler scents, I hadn't really thought about that but it does sound a lot easier. 

Edited December 21, 2018 by bsods

[torischroeder9]

On 12/21/2018 at 2:04 AM, bsods said:

Interesting, I've also had problems with only being able to smell certain notes. I thought maybe it was my nose not being used to complex scents, but maybe some scents are bound to just end up smelling one note on my skin. Regardless, Miskatonic sounds really lovely.

 

My bottle order of Miskatonic University arrived today, and interestingly, I do get a little bit of a whiff of dust from it. But where the scent description of "dusty tomes" had me thinking of the very distinct smell of old book pages, this dust-whiff I smell is distinctly foodier. I'm interpreting it as a bit of nutmeg or maybe cardamom -- the dry powdered spice, without it being mixed into anything else. 

[artisjok]

On 12/21/2018 at 3:04 AM, bsods said:

I've been dying to try a scent with clove, so bengal seems like a really good suggestion! I

There are some interesting sounding clove blends in the Yules this year, and you should still be able to jump in on decants! No reviews to go by, not yet at least  

 

[VetchVesper]

Hi again!  I Be the Witch of the Wood had a really nice, atmospheric, earthy smell to me.  You might try some of BPAL's earthier scents, like Penny Dreadful, Zombie, or Deep in Earth if that's a vibe you like.  I saw that Crossroads, Burial, and Jazz Funeral were mentioned, and they also have a nice atmospheric feel.  I Also... loved that movie!    Poisoned Apple is a nice slightly spiced apple.  Sorry, I haven't checked out Sixteen92's Christmas stuff yet. 

You might like Boomslang and I don't think it would be too hard to find a sample off the forum. (Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk.)  Snake Oil isn't my favorite, but I'd still recommend trying it.  It's a BPAL classic and it's got some nice patchouli in there, which I am also a fan of.    The Coiled Serpent is like... strait up patch and sandalwood on me.  It's nice and simple.  You might try Baba Yaga in this line.  Greed and Goblin are my two GC patchouli heavy favorites.    Snap Dragon Fly is an interesting foodie one w/no vanilla.  Shubniggerath is also popular and smells liked evil baked goods.  

Oceany aquatics tend to turn soapy on me, but I've had good luck with Lady of Shalott, which is beautifully floral.  Bayou is also floral, but more of a swampy, lush sort of vibe.  Both are more fresh water smelling to me.  The Sea Foams MIlk was nice and smelled like a clean spa to me, and the rest are more classic "oceany" aquatic and went to soap on me.  My favorite "ocean" blend is actually Santa Eularia Des Riu, but I'm not sure it's still available. 😕

[torischroeder9]

2 hours ago, artisjok said:

There are some interesting sounding clove blends in the Yules this year, and you should still be able to jump in on decants! No reviews to go by, not yet at least  

 

 

Ninth Lash, which is honey and clove, does have one review.  

[artisjok]

1 minute ago, torischroeder9 said:

 

Ninth Lash, which is honey and clove, does have one review.  

*dances*

[bsods]

On 12/22/2018 at 1:12 PM, torischroeder9 said:

 

My bottle order of Miskatonic University arrived today, and interestingly, I do get a little bit of a whiff of dust from it. But where the scent description of "dusty tomes" had me thinking of the very distinct smell of old book pages, this dust-whiff I smell is distinctly foodier. I'm interpreting it as a bit of nutmeg or maybe cardamom -- the dry powdered spice, without it being mixed into anything else. 

Hmm, interesting that it smells a little different from the usual old book smell. I must admit I was expecting a sort of usual "dusty" smell, but what you described doesn't sound bad! 

 

On 12/22/2018 at 2:13 PM, VetchVesper said:

Hi again!  I Be the Witch of the Wood had a really nice, atmospheric, earthy smell to me.  You might try some of BPAL's earthier scents, like Penny Dreadful, Zombie, or Deep in Earth if that's a vibe you like.  I saw that Crossroads, Burial, and Jazz Funeral were mentioned, and they also have a nice atmospheric feel.  I Also... loved that movie!    Poisoned Apple is a nice slightly spiced apple.  Sorry, I haven't checked out Sixteen92's Christmas stuff yet. 

You might like Boomslang and I don't think it would be too hard to find a sample off the forum. (Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk.)  Snake Oil isn't my favorite, but I'd still recommend trying it.  It's a BPAL classic and it's got some nice patchouli in there, which I am also a fan of.    The Coiled Serpent is like... strait up patch and sandalwood on me.  It's nice and simple.  You might try Baba Yaga in this line.  Greed and Goblin are my two GC patchouli heavy favorites.    Snap Dragon Fly is an interesting foodie one w/no vanilla.  Shubniggerath is also popular and smells liked evil baked goods.  

Oceany aquatics tend to turn soapy on me, but I've had good luck with Lady of Shalott, which is beautifully floral.  Bayou is also floral, but more of a swampy, lush sort of vibe.  Both are more fresh water smelling to me.  The Sea Foams MIlk was nice and smelled like a clean spa to me, and the rest are more classic "oceany" aquatic and went to soap on me.  My favorite "ocean" blend is actually Santa Eularia Des Riu, but I'm not sure it's still available. 😕

It's funny, the earthy-ness of I Be the Witch of the Wood was buried underneath layers of smoke and apple for me. Sixteen92 is just very strong on my skin for some reason, so maybe after a few more weeks of letting it sit it will mellow out. The only complaints I have about S92's Christmas stuff is that it's all super sweet smelling, but I'm pretty new to this so that might just be my nose!

Of the ones you suggested Penny Dreadful and Deep in Earth sound amazing. And Poison Apple is also something I might want to pick up- I'm a sucker for spiced apple as it would seem. Baba Yaga sounds way more like something I'd like in this line (seems like it'll be less incense-y, which might agree with my nose better). I'm in love with the description of goblin. 

 

Hmm, I hope the same doesn't happen when I try those- I've heard a lot of people say that ocean notes do that on their skin. The very lovely Lucchesa was generous enough to send me some samples and there was Sea of Glass in there, which didn't turn soapy, so I think I might be safe. I'm sort of looking for a scent that's heavy on kelp salty-ness (like getting caught in a intense storm on the beach), so I'll be trying out some different samples for sure. The Sea Foam Milk also sounds really relaxing.

 

On 12/22/2018 at 4:15 PM, torischroeder9 said:

 

Ninth Lash, which is honey and clove, does have one review.  

" It's sweet and spicy but not flowery or foody." sounds right up my alley. I'll check that one out!