BPAL Imps Cometh

[chomiji]

I was mostly going for things that had notes like the mainstream perfumes I like (Calyx, Acqua di Gio, Escape). I have to say that I'm finding the faint smell from the opened shipping box a little obnoxious. I hope that's only one of them.

I requested:

Machu Picchu
Viola
The Rose
Cordelia
51

I also requested Silence, but they said that one wasn't eligible to be an Imp. So I told them what I was trying for, and the following additional things came in the box:

Kyoto
Umbra
Versailles

I don't think I'll even open Umbra - it has patchouli in it and I don't care for that. Kyoto has no fruit notes, which is one of the things I know I like. But I think Versailles was on my short list for this order anyway.

Comments

[chomiji]

I actually got Tenochtitlan last year (two years ago! Good Lord!) and blogged it earlier ... it turned into Yankee Candle as it dried down on me. Ick.

But thanks for the advice about Umbra.

[vom-marlowe.livejournal.com]

I quite liked Kyoto, and based on what you've said, you might enjoy it. It's not fruity per se, but it's very gentle in a way. The cherry blossoms are not quite floral-floral, but very delicate/sweet.

[chomiji]

I have a feeling that I may not be able to get what I want out of BPAL at all because the livelier fruit notes go away too fast without the "unnatural" stuff in mainstream fragrances. But I will try the Kyoto.

[andmydog.livejournal.com]

You might like the pumpkin ones, if you like fruit notes.

[chomiji]

Somehow, fruit is not what I think of for pumpkin! I keep thinking of what jack-o-lanterns smell like when you cut them up. Did you have any particular ones in mind?

I like citrus-y or melon notes, mostly. But I've been amazed at the identity of some of the fruit notes in the perfumes that I like. I think one of them had nectarine.

[andmydog.livejournal.com]

It's actually really sweet! But more of a musky sweetness, like apple cider, or a hayfield in late autumn. You might like Jack: true Halloween pumpkin, spiced with nutmeg, glowing peach and murky clove. The ones I have were the Halloween limited edition ones, so they're mostly pumpkin with some apple and leather and, like, dirt and grave mould and stuff like that.

[chomiji]

That's certainly the most appealing one - the rest seemed like they'd be sticky-sweet, or else they had things like patchouli in them. I'm sort of on the fence about vetiver - it depends what's on top.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I like Versailles a lot, and to me it really does match its description - a regal sort of citrus floral underpinned by a warm ambery scent.

[chomiji]

That sounds promising! I like citrus. It took a while for me to understand that the "fresh" scents I was smelling in things like Acqua di Gio were considered fruity (that one has bergamot, for example).

[sanada.livejournal.com]

I thought Kyoto was kind of fruity-smelling and candylike? I can't remember. I tend to stick to their woody/herby/leathery scents, so I haven't tried any of the others you got.

[chomiji]

It's funny, I would think of a woody scent as something that would go with myself, but it's not what I like to smell! After checking out the writeups for the mainstream scents I like, the structure seemed to be top notes, fruit (citrus, mostly, but also exotics like guava or melon) and light floral; heart notes, classic florals like rose, muguet, or freesia; base notes, musk, woods, or amber.

[sanada.livejournal.com]

Ahh, I've never liked any mainstream perfume. They'll smell really nice for about half a second and then WHAM, that sharp, chemically smell of cheap Bath & Body Works spritzer that makes my eyes water. I don't know what that smell is, but I avoid it at all costs. *laugh*

[ethaisa.livejournal.com]

I"m not so big on fruity notes myself (berries, yes, citrus, not so much) so let me know what your want list is; I might have some imps around I can pass on for you to try.

[chomiji]

I really wish BPAL would get someone to write them a proper little database, because I have a terrible time sifting through their "ingredient" lists in the descriptions. Some perfumery things gives me horrible headaches, and I'm trying to learn which. And it would be nice to get a dump of, say, all things that had mandarin AND rose AND sandalwood.

Citrus (mandarin, bergamot, tangerine, grapefruit, etc. - lemon and lime, not so much) seems to be one of my main faves, and after that, scents like melon or nectarine (Calyx has guava and mango, of all things).

When I finish with these guys, I'll take another shot at sifting the BPAL list for things I might like. Amsterdam was lovely, but my skin burned it off very quickly. (I just discovered that it's been 2 years since the last time I played with these ... sheesh!)

[ethaisa.livejournal.com]

Are you familiar with scentscribbles.com? I like their search better than the official lab one.

I have a couple favourite scents that my skin just eats too; I usually wear those either in a locket, or in my hair.

Once you figure out what you're interested in, lmk. I'm a terrible addict, and always have some imps pestering me for new homes :)