Note: in the comments of this post, I was wrong. Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab IS orientalist and I didn't know what that was. I got defensive rather than listening to the wisdom and knowledge of a person of color about things that affect their daily life. My behavior was shameful and blocked me off from learning and growing. Since this I have made the commitment to start out with the assumption that it is my ignorance blocking me from understanding, to listen first when I feel defensive, and be willing to be wrong.
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do you know of anything that smells like myrrh, cinnamon, dragon's blood, cedar, cloves, and maybe a touch of vetiver? that would be my purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrfect scent. I'm practically swooning just thinking of it. If you don't know of that exact blend, any recommendation that's strongly myrrh and/or woodsy-with-a-little-snap would be appreciated. Or any combination of the above that doesn't include floral or vanilla notes (ugh). I've already tried BPAL's "Serpent's Kiss" and "Bloodlust" -- I like them but want to try something new.
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with myrrh:
Rumpelstilzchen -- patchouli, cardamom, nutmeg, black pepper, tonka, vetiver, myrrh.
Priala, the Human Phoenix -- Three deep, dark myrrhs, smoke, cinnamon bark. (I want to try this RIGHT NOW)
And There Was A Great Cry In Egypt -- Dark myrrh, white sandalwood, amber, hyssop, frankincense, honey, cypress, red musk, cardamom, saffron.
Aeronwen -- Fig, dark myrrh, amber, redwood, nutmeg, tarragon, black musk, sweet orange.
Omen -- oakmoss, juniper berry, myrrh, patchouli.
Sed Non Satiata -- myrrh, red patchouli, cognac, honey, tuberose, geranium, musk.
Voodoo -- myrrh, patchouli, vetiver, lime, vanilla, pine, almond, clove.
Masabakes -- Thick black currant with the darkest, deepest myrrh, bitter mimosa, mandrake dust.
Laudanum -- Nutmeg, sassafras, black poppy, myrrh.
Malice -- Ylang ylang, clove, Indonesian red patchouli, dark myrrh.
Eshe, A Vision of Life-In-Death -- black myrrh, white sandalwood, black orchid, paperwhites, tomb dust, Moroccan jasmine.
Wings of Azrael -- Warm myrrh, violet, Lily of the Valley, juniper, cypess, cajeput.
Dance of Death -- Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli, our murkiest myrrh.
Nefertiti -- Egyptian iris, olibanum with red & white sandalwood, soft myrrh, a breath of North African herbs.
with white ginger:
Mag Mell -- amber, white ginger, lemon verbena, fresh green grass, sage, summer rain.
The Coil -- Ozone, eucalyptus, mint, purple orchid, passionflower, white ginger, purple lotus.
Spider -- White ginger, artemesia, vetiver, nutmeg, King mandarin, bergamot, lime.
The Lady of Shalott -- bold gardenia, crystalline musk, muguet, water blossoms, aquatic notes, white ginger.
woody/smoky scents:
Black Forest -- Thick, viscous pine with ambergris, black musk, juniper, cypress.
Two Monsters -- Oakmoss, vetiver, black musk, champaca flower, leather, patchouli, ginger, Japanese pittosporum, ambergris, white pepper.
Yew-Trees -- Piercingly sweet berries over evergreen boughs, deepened by the tree’s sacred wood.
Hanging Gardens -- date palm, ebony, fir, pomegranate, plum, two pears, quince, fig, grapevine with plumeria, gardenia, dry rose.
Slobbering Pine -- Dewy, wet, whiplike, sticky.
The Great He-Goat -- Haitian vetiver, Egyptian amber, carnation, black musk, pomegranate, patchouli, smoked ginger.
with cinnamon:
Inferno -- cinnamon, bitter almond, neroli.
Sin -- amber, sandalwood, black patchouli, cinnamon.
Saw-Scaled Viper -- Snake Oil with cinnamon, cassia, red ginger.
Eau de Ghoul -- blackened ginger, cinnamon, mold-flecked dirt, with cumin, bitter clove, leather, dried blood.
Tiresias, the Androgyne -- black currant, patchouli, tobacco, cinnamon leaf, caramel, muguet, red sandalwood.
Uruk -- bitter almond, night-blooming jasmine, saffron, cinnamon leaf, red patchouli, river lilies, bergamot, fig leaf, the sacred incense of Inanna.
other:
War -- Red ginger, black spices, patchouli, honeysuckle, three blood-soaked red musks.
Faiza, the Black Mamba -- black amber, caraway, oakmoss, green sandalwood, bergamot, jasmine sambac, gardenia, orange pulp, vanilla, blackberry, black musk, white honey, ti leaf, ginger.
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Also, am I the only one that fucking HATES most of BPAL's descriptions? telling me that something is the scent of sexual coercion (rape), such as in the description of Ifrit, or "the joy one finds in another's pain," etc. is NOT going to make me want to get it! (I don't mind the 'rotting corpse' type descriptions though I find them very silly) In fact, the only way I could get such a scent would be if I cleansed it first and even so, some of the descriptions are just so awful I can't get the scent. I try my best not to read them but some phrases stick out to my ever-questing-for-words eyes.
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would love even as a single note: myrrh, cinnamon, dragon's blood, cedar, white ginger, mimosa
love in mixes/moderation: clove, vetiver, cardamom, almond, pine, sassafras, sandalwood, cypress, redwood, juniper, gardenia, amber, honey, honeysuckle, patchouli, pepper, nutmeg, lime, iris, lemon, grass, smoke, musk. (I can ONLY tolerate crisp, citrus-y floral notes, and then only in moderation)
What are your favorite scents?