find a signature scent

I believe I’ve found two scents that I love and wear often.

On weekends, I tend to put on Necropolis, “Dark, tannic aromas wind around rich spices, herbs and resins.” by Dark Mind Designs. I’m really hoping I can catch her at another vending event so that I can pick up more of this soon. She doesn’t sell online, but it’s a fabulous scent, trust me.

(http://mysite.verizon.net/vzezq2n8/index.html)

On weekdays, I stick with BPAL’s Deathcap: “A lethal poison bundled up in a dainty, innocent little package that was oft times found in ancient witches’ flying ointments and astral projection balms. A warm, soft, ruddy scent, earthy and mild.”

(http://www.blackphoenixalchemylab.com/garden.html)

I mix things up way too much to wear these all the time those. When I feel like crossdressing, I wear a masculine scent like Crowley: “Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk.” And when I’m in a good mood, I’ll wear something light. It all depends.

Too much fun to be had to stick with one thing.

A new order from BPAL came last week, which included the Philosopher.

Last week I tried:

Philosopher in Meditation:Smoldering woodfire embers, Galen’s Kyphi, and Abramelin incense. (LOVE this- it smells like a room full of old books and incense. Not an everyday perfume, but good for… well, meditation and ritual.)

Oberon: Orchid, white musk, and bergamot wafting over juniper berries, with a gentle touch of soft, earthy patchouli. (I thought I was liking this one, but it became so sweet-smelling later that it actually started to make me feel sick…)

R’lyeh: The sunken city of the Great God Cthulhu. A hellishly dark aquatic scent, evocative of fathomless oceanic deeps, the mysteries of madness buried under crushing black waters, and the brooding eternal evil that lies beneath the waves. (Also thought I was liking this, but it turned sweet too. Needed just a little more aqua.)

Zombi: Dried roses, rose leaf, Spanish moss, oakmoss and deep brown earth. (I loved this one. It smells kind of like the traditional Tea Rose perfume, but with the smell of dirt to cut that flowery stuff. Still a little too flowery, but I liked it.)

Isolde’s Potion (Heaven and earth product): Ravensara, Meade, Vanilla Absolute, White Musk, Patchouli, Lotus Supreme, Amber Essence, Black Musk and Cocoa Absolute. (this one would have been nice if the vanilla and cocoa were stronger, but patchouli just takes over everything.)

No signature scents in this batch, but two favorites at least.

Last week I tried:

Thirteen (13) March 2009, Version 5.5 – Bittersweet dark cocoa is surrounded here by 13 complex aspects, including exotic musks, caraway, allspice, aloes wood, lucky hand, Irish moss, and bamboo. Beneath it all is a glowing core of glistening cherry.

Blood Amber – Slivers of warm, pulsating blood forever crystallized in golden amber resin.

Leanan Sidhe – ...a crush of Irish herbs and flowers, Gaelic mists, and nighttime dew.

Fae – ...white musk, bergamot, heliotrope, peach and oakmoss.

Oneiroi – “Soporific, dark, and unfathomable.”

13 was unbelievable. Unfortunately it’s a limited edition… every time Friday the 13th rolls around they develop and new version of 13 and release it for a few days, and then it’s GONE. I could live in this one. There a slight hint of cherry that eventually fades into a warm cocoa scent throughout the day. I’m sad it isn’t in the general catalog. I got this one at a discount from someone else because it wasn’t quite full.

The rest of the scents were from my “didn’t like upon first sniff” pile. Blood Amber surprised me, it wasn’t nearly as harsh on your skin. Fae was way too feminine for me, but not as bad as I expected. The other two I didn’t like at all… too flowery. I’ll probably swap Leanan and Oneiroi.

No signature scents in this batch (but I’m weeping for 13).

Going into a regular perfume store is too overwhelming, and something about most of the scents at a regular department store- the big designer labels- tend to give me a headache when I put them on. I did discover Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab though, so I’ve slowly been going through their catalog. I’ve found that I love a lot of their more unusual, unconventional blends.

For a signature scent, I’ve decided that it has to be from their general catalog, and NOT a limited edition. I’d rather not pay awful amounts for something on ebay just because it was only available for a few days.

Last week I tried these:

Hecate: Deep, buttery almond layered over myrrh and dark musk.

Anubis: ...a blend of holy myrrh, storax, balsam, and embalming herbs.

Zorya: Spices of the Orient mingle with crystalline musk, midnight flowers and cereus, jasmine, primrose and vesper iris.

Baobhan Sith: Grapefruit, white tea, apple blossom and ginger.

Bastet: Luxuriant amber, warm Egyptian musk, fierce saffron and soft myrrh, almond, cardamom and golden lotus.