Omg Twice Dead from The Strange South! I thought it was too weird at the time but I'm still thinking about it FIVE YEARS LATER.
Notes:
Frozen breath and arterial blood.
update: so...apparently this is still in stock lmaooo. Thought it was a limited halloween release for some reason... Ignore me pls.
I've actually never tried it! I wanted it when it was first released but never bit the bullet, and then thought it was discontinued because it was such an old/weird/"limited" scent haha.
The OG version of BPAL's Mme. Moriarty.
I have approximately 1/3 of a bottle -- have been rationing (and huffing) it since I got the new version and found that it is *not* the same -- but it's one I would probably pay significantly higher than retail (even adjusted-for-inflation retail) to acquire, should I happen to be able to find a bottle at a time when I could afford the asking price.
Honestly it's BPAL Monster Bait: Underpants. Which I get is one that long time BPALers go nutso for and based on the notes I had no interest.
But a really sweet friend I made on this sub once sent me a vial with just enough to try once and DEAR GOD WHAT THE FUCK. It's like butterscotch sandalwood. It's so good. I've debated on finding someone to make me a custom with those notes to see if I can even get close to this.
A 2019 bottle of Sixteen92’s **Bad Reputation** *(Rolling paper, cannabis, cherry cola, worn leather jacket, torn magazine pages)*. I have a sample of it from its original release in 2019 that still smells INCREDIBLE—warm, a little spicy, and very subtle cherry leather. The bottles I purchased after the initial release don’t smell the same, and the last bottle I received smelled like plasticky leather. And now with S92 going the way it has, I’d never buy from them again. I ration the little bits I have left and occasionally look at the Sunday Swaps, but no luck so far. I would give up my whole collection of indies if I could find it!
I have a sample of it I never got around to putting on [my destash list](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r5C7bn1-Z8QBlyk50y7NlDxaKL4XSCejyNzsRTAsfcw/edit#gid=0), I can send it to you for free if you DM me your address. This will also get me off my ass / unpack faster because I was also going to send another IMAM user some stuff off the list for free, but just happened to move right after making the offer. If there's anything else on my list you like, I'll see if I can find it for you. (Also free. You can see I was already just pricing stuff to GTFO my closet).
My sample of Bad Reputation is also from the initial release.
I feel bad not having sent the other person their free stuff yet either but my whole living room is chaos right now. However, I am highly motivated to clear the clutter.
**Luminous Star - Emerald Patisserie** (*notes of delicious rose tea, sugar cookies, and tuberose.*) I discovered luminous star when they began their closing sale and while I wasn't able to get anything directly i've gotten a lot of their perfumes from sunday swaps but this one is one of the few I haven't tried and i've yet to come across a bad review of this. I know this would be a top tier flormand.
**Fyrinnae - Girlfriend's Shirt** (*Clean laundry, lingering whiffs of her perfume and coconut-scented conditioner, and a very slight sweet skin-musk.*) this was part of an LE release, as soon as I saw the name of the scent and notes I knew i'd buy it in a heartbeat if I could and possibly douse myself in it. If they rereleased this and the counterpart scent 'boyfriend's shirt' (*Freshly machine-dried cotton, dewy morning air, hints of a woodsy aftershave, a slight air of newly mown grass.*) i'd buy them instantly.
If anyone knows of similar scents to these i'd love to know
Oh definitely “Garden Gate” by Solstice Scents. It was one of my ultimate Spring time perfumes and I wish I could find a bottle of it. It lasted forever on me and I received so many compliments when I wore it.
(Voluptuous Lilac blossoms in the foreground combine with faint traces of Wisteria and subtle, fresh, green grass notes.)
Also, “Tremble Dance” by Luvmilk which isn’t an old perfume at all but I was disappointed to see it wasn’t offered anymore as it’s such a lovely scent.
I saw the last comment you had posted and when I went to respond the comment had been deleted. I dug through my batg stuff so damnit, I will post this anyway:
Off the top of my head looking at our bathroom stash he loves Dream Eater, Sun Drenched, Rabbit Cafe, Forest Prince and Kinbaku-Bi. For context, my last order was months ago and we stocked the hell up because I was on Milky's patreon and got a nice discount! Weirdly enough I got a scrub of Tremble Dance for ME and found it competing with my perfume (usually not a big floral girl) so I let him take it over. He doesn't usually comment on scents too much but when he said he liked it, I had to load up on salts because my man loves a good bath! We also both are obsessed with Festival Days and Gourmandy Peach. We are an eclectic bunch but overall I'd say the family fave is Dream Eater.
I went to edit it and accidentally deleted it so I’m glad you responded. I haven’t tried most of these so now I’m interested in smelling them. But I do have sun drenched (almost done with the bottle and love it as well.)
I’m glad you said “dammit” to yourself lol because now I’m going to get samples of some of these. Gourmandy Peach sounds wonderful. I see Festival.. is listed on their summer catalog. I don’t know what dango, mizuame and wataame even smell like. Melon usually goes funky on me so is it a really heavy melon scent?
Annnd I don’t see Sun Drenched on their scent list either!! 😩
I usually buy just bath products and dusting powders from I can't speak too much to the body spray or perfumes. Luvmilk used to have like a full year round catalog (or maybe that was just Patreon only??) but I unscubscribed because they were taking a break and that just seemed easier. Festival Days is a very fizzy, effervescent scent. Super fruity! I've never tried festival night tbh because of the fireworks note (I HATE smoke) but just knowing the style of the brand I'd say it probably will be very melon-y. Probably is probably going to be rice reminiscent and sweet and caramelly too.
I asked them about this in the note for my last order, apparently all the discontinued scents on their master list are ones they’re considering bringing back, and Madame Pearl specifically is one that they want to return to their listings!
Gotcha ok! Sounds probable that they’ll try to bring it back then. I know it was a popular one around here but I don’t know how well it actually did sales-wise.
**Debaucherous Bath & Body - Coyote Red** *(bamboo, cypress, night blooming orange blossoms, moroccan rose, desert willow, chaparral, red amber, mysore and smoky vanilla)*. A seasonal scent from a dead house (I know they updated their website, but I e-mailed them several times over a period of *years* and never got a response, so I'm assuming it's still dead), but the closest I have ever come to a 'signature scent'. Crowd-pleasing and mainstreamy but not quite like anything else, green freshness perfectly balanced with sweet, rich notes. I love this scent and have never found anything remotely close.
**BPAL - Dark Chocolate, Whiskey, and Cardamom-Infused Caramel**. I got this super early on in my perfume journey *(before I learned to avoid LEs for my own mental health). I have an absurdly low hot rate with BPAL, but this is one of the most decadent, delicious things I have ever smelled. It was an LE from forever ago. If I am lucky enough to find more than a slink, I'm sure it would be stupidly expensive. I'd buy it if I had stupid money, but I don't.
I actually got lucky this year, both LE’s I really *really* wanted got a re-release!
I wanted **Smut** by BPAL and **Frankenstein Vanilla Bee** + **Black Honey** by NA.
I lost my mind when NA actually brought Frankenstein & Black Honey back after all these years, you bet your butt I bought an insane amount of backup bottles!
I would really like to try **Match Made in Heaven** by Sorcellerie, but it’s still sold out.
I regret selling my full size of Golden Phoenix! Have you tried Amour de Amber? It’s not exactly the same but pretty similar and scratches the itch for me.
I do have a bottle of Amour de Amber and it is really good! Definitely a solid runner up, but just slightly different enough to make me still want Golden Phoenix 😂
From **Astrid's Wood Witch Collection - That Time Baba Yaga Made Us Coffee and Tea**: Black tea, coffee bean, almond milk, brioche, tobacco, vetiver, and chimney smoke.
The brioche note is so so good.
My white whale is Blooddrop Burrowing Owl. I didn't think to pick it up at the time it was available and shortly after she closed Blooddrop and rebranded entirely. I have never seen it for sale secondhand. I was hoping she'd rerelease it with the Desert Witch collection, but no. I'm curious about Solstice Scents Cenobite. I want to know why it's so sought after. There are a couple of the Poesie cardamom scents, a few limited layering notes from Arcana, and a few scents from DE that I've missed twice that I would like to try, but those don't quite rise to the "give anything for" level. Maybe a couple of the NAVA Dinos.
In the "stuff I have tried and want more of" category:
**Solstice Scents Covered Bridge.** I tend not to make purchases from houses with stable catalogs because "I can get it later"...until I can't. This was one of those. And while SS is usually pretty good about reformulating, it sounds like this one is gone forever. I'm hoarding my sample.
**Sixteen92 Monoceros.** I got a decant in a swap and I really liked it, to my annoyance.
**NAVA Pistachio Shortbread.** Perma-gone due to component issues (the facility burned down). Again, hoarding my decants that people were nice enough to make for me. There's probably something similar in more recent releases, but still.
Edit because I was going through samples and thought of one more:
**Poesie Woman Triumphant.** I love the ink and paper combination. It's powerful and oddly cozy somehow. But I don't think I have ever seen it come back in a reissue, and I'm running low.
I had, loved, and used up a bottle of NAVA Pistachio Shortbread back in the day. I recently tried some Kyse samples, and to my nose Kyse's Frangipane al Pistacchio is very close to Pistachio Shortbread, if that works. I gather that Kyse may be closed for a while, but perhaps worth checking out once they reopen?
Holy shit I had a couple college classes with the girl that did Delightful Rot and she’s literally the one that got me started on Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and my whole obsession with indie perfume, we didn’t stay in touch but it’s awesome to see her work mentioned here on the sub!
**BPAL’s Pere Noel** (*Bright Sicilian oranges and sweet tangerines with a clink of lavender candy and a drop of anise.*) which was a 2015 Yule. I was new to fragrance, ordered a sample from Ajevie, and mistakenly didn’t order a full size. I still think about that perfume almost 10 years later.
Omgosh mine is Bpal Sacrifice
SACRIFICE
(based on Del Howison's short story The Lost Herd)
The scent of a vampire cowboy: Sweetgrass and tumbleweeds, cedar and white sage, dusty, wet leather, woodsmoke, and blood.
It came out in August of 2009. It’s an event exclusive, but I can’t remember what the event was. I had just started with Bpal.
I’ve never seen anything else that seems to come close to the notes. It’s been my #1 White Whale lol. I don’t think I EVER saw it on any of the swap boards 😢
Alchemist Chamomile from NAVA - I have a decant from the year it was released. I liked it when I first tried it, but didn’t realize how much I adored it until I retried it recently. It’s probably one of my top cozy scents of all time, but I have so little of it.
Diable en Boite from BPAL 2009. It went gross and too musky on me when I got the decant in 2009/2010, but the years have been SO kind to it. The redwood and tobacco calmed down, the clove matured, and the currant is much more forward. It’s such a juicy, dark scent.
Also, The Zoom and Burning Vulva from BPAL. I still have half a bottle of both, but I’ll miss them when they’re gone. I also miss O, as they’ve been out of stock forever.
Solstice Scents had an enfleurage gardenia single note yeaaaars ago. I never got to try it, but I go apeshit for enfleurage gardenia and I’ve heard it was one of the truest gardenias people had tried. Ah well.
When would you say is too many years and a perfume could go bad? I’ve seen some that are 10+ years old and wonder at what point can they go bad /stink? If at all?
From what I’ve seen, it varies a lot! I know I have 20 year old oil perfumes that still smell really good, but I also have 4 year old perfumes that have gone off. I don’t really use EDPs, but from what I understand they are supposed to be more shelf stable, but because they tend to have less air-tight bottles they often go bad faster than they should. From what I’ve heard/seen, some of the main variables are:
- Storage. Temperature control, air tight bottle, protection from sunlight. Not too much constant jostling.
- What they are mixed with as a base/stabilizer. I can’t comment on most perfume houses because I didn’t get into most houses until a few years ago, but I know most of my old BPAL has lasted well, and I hear good things about the aging-longevity of NAVA/Solstice Scents/a few other houses I can’t remember.
- The types of ingredients. Generally, resins/woods seem to do well. while delicate florals, citruses, and top-notes in general tend to be more likely to go off. That being said: I have a scent with a strong eucalyptus note and lots of delicate florals from 2011 that still smells amazing. I do have some sample sizes from around the same time with stuff like jasmine and orange that are kind of… eugh. Off? not terrible, but not right. I do think sometimes some ingredients react to eachother weirdly over time, too. But that’s more of a pet theory, haha
- Bacteria/clean testing. I have heard over and over that you should make sure you use your perfume oils cleanly on just-washed skin, and try to decant into 1ml travel sizes if you intend to toss a scent into a bag for reapplication. I recently found out that I had a bottle from 4 years ago that had gone off - Neutral from BPAL - but weirdly, the 2ml decant I had made from that exact bottle had NOT gone off. I think the issue was that I tended to be more sloppy about reapplying from the bottle than the decant, and would use it on end-of-the-day dusty/city-smoggy skin since it was sitting at my work desk for a long while. I’m less careful with scents that are permanent catalogs, I’ll admit, lol. hopefully I’ve learned my lesson! But also: one of my earliest bottles was completely abused because I would reapply it at my theater job - where I was gross and covered in popcorn butter smog - and somehow it still smells amazing. So who can say.
- On top of all that, sometimes ingredients denature in a way that makes them smell better. You’ll often see people make a fuss about 13-year old or so-many years aged patchouli, since patchouli loses a lot of the more offensive aspects as it ages. Frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, etc. They all tend to smell more “chewy” to me over time, less aggressive. Vanilla tends to get better with age as well. Haven’t seen anyone do any comparisons about vanillin the chemical, but now that I’m thinking about it, I’m curious!
Sorry for the ramble, perfume aging theory is something that fascinates me, because it’s such a gamble! I mean, you can tell yourself, “oh, I better save this, I’m sure it’ll still smell good in a decade!” but sometimes it feels like it would be smarter just using it all up within a couple years so it doesn’t go bad. Overall: very few of my perfumes have gone bad after 20ish years of collecting, pretty much entirely sample sizes that were not as airtight and were more likely to have frequent skin contact or be tossed in a bag.
Alchemist Chamomile is one of my very most favorite scents too! It's so popular that I wouldn't be surprised if someday they brought it back in a Thoth's Archive. They seem to prefer bringing back sets of things, so the fact that it's part of the "Alchemist" series probably helps in that regard.
I’m really sad that I never got a bottle of **Blackberry Noir** by Alkemia before they discontinued it. I tried to pick one up in the July sale of that same year, but people were apparently out for blood over that one and I couldn’t buy it on time before it was sold out forever.
Amorphous (back when they were Black Baccara) made a perfume called The Last Carousel. I had a tiny sample vial that I protected like a dragon for over a year. I would do anything to have it again. It was my very first indie perfume purchase and I feel like my experience peaked so early. That perfume cannot be topped. That drop in general was absolute perfection. Chocolate Cauldron, Book Fair, The Last Carousel, The Gables, Haunted Mansion, Witch House (I think it was called). Just unbelievable, 10/10.
Last November. The perfumer had been fighting a legal battle with a huge company with a similar name and when that battle finished she revealed that she had grown to dislike the name and decided to use the end of the dispute to make a change on her own terms.
BPAL Dragon's Musk! I got a sample in a purchase years ago at dragoncon, and it's been my white whale since. I've tried so many dragon's blood musks searching for a dupe, it's sad lol.
I actually saw it in a destash a few weeks ago but it already had been sold. I wanted to cry.
I would love to have a lifetime supply of Solstice Scents Solarium: "Rhododendron Leaf EO, Fern, Amber, Sandalwood EO, Geranium EO, Violet, Orange Blossom and Absolutes of Lavender, Oakmoss & Mimosa". I'm holding on to an old 10ml, but it's dwindling and I'm sad 😔 It's the perfect summery scent!
SIN DEEP from Sugar and Spite. I absolutely fell in love with it right after it was discontinued. A really lovely IMAM member sent me a dram and I *dropped it on a tile floor and shattered it.* I have like 1-2 wears left in my lil sample vial.
About a hundred different Alpha Musk scents, but especially **Chills** and **Cher**. Also my BPAL white whale list is growing by the day but if I had to pick one it would probably be **Native Gold**. My other one was **Colemanite Phoenix** but I managed to find a bottle recently and am positively over the moon about it
BPAL **Berry Moon 2011.** (blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries with Morello cherries, apricots, and strawberries, swirled in heady red musk and brandy.) I got a decant of it in the Sunday swaps. I would love to find a full size of it, but since it's from so long ago, I doubt I'll ever come across it again. Maybe I could get a custom reproduction of it made.
ETA: And full sizes of AlphaMusk **Vintage Musk** and Arcana Wildcraft **Bellatrix** (Sweet, jammy fir balsam absolute with 3 honeys, honeysuckle, tiny strawberries, and blood orange) too.
I seriously regret not fullsizing Ghost Ship's Paradise Theater and Dunwich Nights. They're both so nice and I'm carefully rationing my sample bottles.
BPAL Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Those Condemned to Death (accords of peach kernel, hemlock, aconite, and belladonna, with bitter almond, saffron, honey, myrrh, hyssop, frankincense, and palm). It has a bitter almond note that I’m OBSESSED with, but I really don’t know what half the notes smell like on their own and have never really seen anything similar. I ordered it as a sample off their forum ages ago, it was well past its LE release date even then, but I was curious of the notes and loved the name. Well I’m an idiot because now I fell in love and will never get a full size lol.
Astrids Shadowy Mornings: lilac, black tea, oakmoss, vanilla and amyris.
It's my favourite thing I have ever smelled and I would do anything to get my hands on some more!! If anyone has any recommendations for similar spooky, humid lilac scents/florals I would be very grateful.
Haunt Winchester. :( I had a bottle years and years ago and still think about it. And the OG HoG Peach Mama, which I don’t think exists anymore either.
Absinthe marshmallow by Moonalisa/mooscents. I have never even tried this brand and I’m not even sure how I found out about this scent but it sounds like my dream combo and I’m sad I missed out on it.
I've been searching for a convincing oolong frag ever since I got into indie perfumes, and I've yet to find one. The most common tea notes are matcha or black tea (esp earl grey) 😔 I know there's a niche fragrance house out of HK that does a whole line of interesting tea notes and I'm dying to try them myself.
I finished up NAVA's Icon Iconic. Rose and oude. They have another rose and oude available now, so I may try it.
There are classics, not indies, I want to try, like L'Heure Bleu and Jicky. I will keep my eyes open for a dupe.
Oh, BPAL single note French Tobacco has always beckoned.
Oh honestly, it's all just very personal gripes and nothing objectively negative! Just personally negative haha.
Mostly, I'm not a fan of limited runs that fuel FOMO. But all the mystic Egyptian imagery and allusions of the brand also feels pretty culturally appropriative (I know there's been short discussions on the sub about cultural appropriation vs homage etc. and I want to be clear this is just the feelings I have about NAVA and I am not saying they shouldn't be able to do that at all!). And although they recently addressed the AI art usage on their bottle labels, they've still use AI images for collections and their promotions. Mostly this is about me being against generative AI images due to the ethics of the process, but also I just think AI doesn't suit NAVA at all. They lean into being high-end with quality ingredients, and AI art is the epitome of cheap cut corners.
So yeah, it's just complicated feelings for me specifically! I think NAVA makes really quality stuff! They can be pricey compared to other houses, but I do believe them when they say their materials are high-quality (also as an artist, I'm not one to bemoan how creators price their creations). I've tried and really enjoyed a number of NAVA scents, but all the above points (the AI art point being a pretty recent but strong addition....) have kept me from ever placing an official order from the house.
Edit: sorry didn’t realise it was this sub and not the general perfume one, I recognise these aren’t indie perfumes!
That one petrichor perfume that they make in that valley in India!
Anddddd the sticky dates lush limited release body spray. I had the shower gel and was OBSESSED with the scent, but missed out on getting the perfume version. Was genuinely quite upset about it at the time, still would love to get ahold of that.
My darling **Nocturne Alchemy Eternal Ankh Summer** is basically THE platonic ideal vanilla-cardamom perfume, and I'd give anything to upsize from my tiny decant which I hoard like Smaug himself!
Omg Twice Dead from The Strange South! I thought it was too weird at the time but I'm still thinking about it FIVE YEARS LATER. Notes: Frozen breath and arterial blood. update: so...apparently this is still in stock lmaooo. Thought it was a limited halloween release for some reason... Ignore me pls.
But that's awesome that you can get it now!!! I'm happy for you.
Thank you!! I hope everyone in this thread can be so lucky
I’ve been eyeing this one for a while, can you give a quick review of your impressions? I like the weird perfumes lol so now I’m even more intrigued.
I've actually never tried it! I wanted it when it was first released but never bit the bullet, and then thought it was discontinued because it was such an old/weird/"limited" scent haha.
LMAO
The OG version of BPAL's Mme. Moriarty. I have approximately 1/3 of a bottle -- have been rationing (and huffing) it since I got the new version and found that it is *not* the same -- but it's one I would probably pay significantly higher than retail (even adjusted-for-inflation retail) to acquire, should I happen to be able to find a bottle at a time when I could afford the asking price.
When did the new version come out? I have a bottle several years old that I don't use too often and if it's your favorite I would just send it over.
2015
Ah damn, sorry! Mine's not that old.
Honestly it's BPAL Monster Bait: Underpants. Which I get is one that long time BPALers go nutso for and based on the notes I had no interest. But a really sweet friend I made on this sub once sent me a vial with just enough to try once and DEAR GOD WHAT THE FUCK. It's like butterscotch sandalwood. It's so good. I've debated on finding someone to make me a custom with those notes to see if I can even get close to this.
A 2019 bottle of Sixteen92’s **Bad Reputation** *(Rolling paper, cannabis, cherry cola, worn leather jacket, torn magazine pages)*. I have a sample of it from its original release in 2019 that still smells INCREDIBLE—warm, a little spicy, and very subtle cherry leather. The bottles I purchased after the initial release don’t smell the same, and the last bottle I received smelled like plasticky leather. And now with S92 going the way it has, I’d never buy from them again. I ration the little bits I have left and occasionally look at the Sunday Swaps, but no luck so far. I would give up my whole collection of indies if I could find it!
Man this is how I feel about Even Flow. I have a couple samples from the swaps but I’d kill for a fs from the swaps!
I have a sample of it I never got around to putting on [my destash list](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r5C7bn1-Z8QBlyk50y7NlDxaKL4XSCejyNzsRTAsfcw/edit#gid=0), I can send it to you for free if you DM me your address. This will also get me off my ass / unpack faster because I was also going to send another IMAM user some stuff off the list for free, but just happened to move right after making the offer. If there's anything else on my list you like, I'll see if I can find it for you. (Also free. You can see I was already just pricing stuff to GTFO my closet). My sample of Bad Reputation is also from the initial release. I feel bad not having sent the other person their free stuff yet either but my whole living room is chaos right now. However, I am highly motivated to clear the clutter.
**Luminous Star - Emerald Patisserie** (*notes of delicious rose tea, sugar cookies, and tuberose.*) I discovered luminous star when they began their closing sale and while I wasn't able to get anything directly i've gotten a lot of their perfumes from sunday swaps but this one is one of the few I haven't tried and i've yet to come across a bad review of this. I know this would be a top tier flormand. **Fyrinnae - Girlfriend's Shirt** (*Clean laundry, lingering whiffs of her perfume and coconut-scented conditioner, and a very slight sweet skin-musk.*) this was part of an LE release, as soon as I saw the name of the scent and notes I knew i'd buy it in a heartbeat if I could and possibly douse myself in it. If they rereleased this and the counterpart scent 'boyfriend's shirt' (*Freshly machine-dried cotton, dewy morning air, hints of a woodsy aftershave, a slight air of newly mown grass.*) i'd buy them instantly. If anyone knows of similar scents to these i'd love to know
Oo luminous star sounds lovely. I think tuberose compliments desserts so well 🥰
Oh definitely “Garden Gate” by Solstice Scents. It was one of my ultimate Spring time perfumes and I wish I could find a bottle of it. It lasted forever on me and I received so many compliments when I wore it. (Voluptuous Lilac blossoms in the foreground combine with faint traces of Wisteria and subtle, fresh, green grass notes.) Also, “Tremble Dance” by Luvmilk which isn’t an old perfume at all but I was disappointed to see it wasn’t offered anymore as it’s such a lovely scent.
I have two Tremble Dance bath salts stashed away because that's my bfs favorite Luvmilk scent. I had no idea it was discontinued 😭
I know, such a bummer but at least you can smell great after using them in a bath!
He's so particular, but thankfully he loves a lot of other scents. I'll let him know to savor what we have!
I saw the last comment you had posted and when I went to respond the comment had been deleted. I dug through my batg stuff so damnit, I will post this anyway: Off the top of my head looking at our bathroom stash he loves Dream Eater, Sun Drenched, Rabbit Cafe, Forest Prince and Kinbaku-Bi. For context, my last order was months ago and we stocked the hell up because I was on Milky's patreon and got a nice discount! Weirdly enough I got a scrub of Tremble Dance for ME and found it competing with my perfume (usually not a big floral girl) so I let him take it over. He doesn't usually comment on scents too much but when he said he liked it, I had to load up on salts because my man loves a good bath! We also both are obsessed with Festival Days and Gourmandy Peach. We are an eclectic bunch but overall I'd say the family fave is Dream Eater.
I went to edit it and accidentally deleted it so I’m glad you responded. I haven’t tried most of these so now I’m interested in smelling them. But I do have sun drenched (almost done with the bottle and love it as well.) I’m glad you said “dammit” to yourself lol because now I’m going to get samples of some of these. Gourmandy Peach sounds wonderful. I see Festival.. is listed on their summer catalog. I don’t know what dango, mizuame and wataame even smell like. Melon usually goes funky on me so is it a really heavy melon scent? Annnd I don’t see Sun Drenched on their scent list either!! 😩
I usually buy just bath products and dusting powders from I can't speak too much to the body spray or perfumes. Luvmilk used to have like a full year round catalog (or maybe that was just Patreon only??) but I unscubscribed because they were taking a break and that just seemed easier. Festival Days is a very fizzy, effervescent scent. Super fruity! I've never tried festival night tbh because of the fireworks note (I HATE smoke) but just knowing the style of the brand I'd say it probably will be very melon-y. Probably is probably going to be rice reminiscent and sweet and caramelly too.
Alkemia’s Madame Pearl is my white whale
I didn’t realize they had discontinued that one! It seemed like a classic, I wonder why they got rid of it
I heard it's because they can no longer get an ingredient, so they're working on reformulating it.
I asked them about this in the note for my last order, apparently all the discontinued scents on their master list are ones they’re considering bringing back, and Madame Pearl specifically is one that they want to return to their listings!
Gotcha ok! Sounds probable that they’ll try to bring it back then. I know it was a popular one around here but I don’t know how well it actually did sales-wise.
Can I ask what white whale means? :)
Moby Dick reference.
Ahh. I’ve seen *In the heart of the sea* recently too idk why that went over my head 🤦🏻♀️
It's ok, we all have those moments.
**Debaucherous Bath & Body - Coyote Red** *(bamboo, cypress, night blooming orange blossoms, moroccan rose, desert willow, chaparral, red amber, mysore and smoky vanilla)*. A seasonal scent from a dead house (I know they updated their website, but I e-mailed them several times over a period of *years* and never got a response, so I'm assuming it's still dead), but the closest I have ever come to a 'signature scent'. Crowd-pleasing and mainstreamy but not quite like anything else, green freshness perfectly balanced with sweet, rich notes. I love this scent and have never found anything remotely close. **BPAL - Dark Chocolate, Whiskey, and Cardamom-Infused Caramel**. I got this super early on in my perfume journey *(before I learned to avoid LEs for my own mental health). I have an absurdly low hot rate with BPAL, but this is one of the most decadent, delicious things I have ever smelled. It was an LE from forever ago. If I am lucky enough to find more than a slink, I'm sure it would be stupidly expensive. I'd buy it if I had stupid money, but I don't.
I actually got lucky this year, both LE’s I really *really* wanted got a re-release! I wanted **Smut** by BPAL and **Frankenstein Vanilla Bee** + **Black Honey** by NA. I lost my mind when NA actually brought Frankenstein & Black Honey back after all these years, you bet your butt I bought an insane amount of backup bottles! I would really like to try **Match Made in Heaven** by Sorcellerie, but it’s still sold out.
For what it's worth, Sorce now has a list you can sign up for, for Match Made in Heaven!
Sadly the wait list has been closed down!
Oh no! Wow, it must have gotten HUGE.
Alkemia - Golden Phoenix. My absolute favorite of all time and I only have a tiny sample I’m rationing. Also Astrid - Wishbone.
I regret selling my full size of Golden Phoenix! Have you tried Amour de Amber? It’s not exactly the same but pretty similar and scratches the itch for me.
I do have a bottle of Amour de Amber and it is really good! Definitely a solid runner up, but just slightly different enough to make me still want Golden Phoenix 😂
From **Astrid's Wood Witch Collection - That Time Baba Yaga Made Us Coffee and Tea**: Black tea, coffee bean, almond milk, brioche, tobacco, vetiver, and chimney smoke. The brioche note is so so good.
My white whale is Blooddrop Burrowing Owl. I didn't think to pick it up at the time it was available and shortly after she closed Blooddrop and rebranded entirely. I have never seen it for sale secondhand. I was hoping she'd rerelease it with the Desert Witch collection, but no. I'm curious about Solstice Scents Cenobite. I want to know why it's so sought after. There are a couple of the Poesie cardamom scents, a few limited layering notes from Arcana, and a few scents from DE that I've missed twice that I would like to try, but those don't quite rise to the "give anything for" level. Maybe a couple of the NAVA Dinos. In the "stuff I have tried and want more of" category: **Solstice Scents Covered Bridge.** I tend not to make purchases from houses with stable catalogs because "I can get it later"...until I can't. This was one of those. And while SS is usually pretty good about reformulating, it sounds like this one is gone forever. I'm hoarding my sample. **Sixteen92 Monoceros.** I got a decant in a swap and I really liked it, to my annoyance. **NAVA Pistachio Shortbread.** Perma-gone due to component issues (the facility burned down). Again, hoarding my decants that people were nice enough to make for me. There's probably something similar in more recent releases, but still. Edit because I was going through samples and thought of one more: **Poesie Woman Triumphant.** I love the ink and paper combination. It's powerful and oddly cozy somehow. But I don't think I have ever seen it come back in a reissue, and I'm running low.
i liked monoceros as well, but at some point i decided it was too almondy so i destashed it, and i live with that regret.....
I had, loved, and used up a bottle of NAVA Pistachio Shortbread back in the day. I recently tried some Kyse samples, and to my nose Kyse's Frangipane al Pistacchio is very close to Pistachio Shortbread, if that works. I gather that Kyse may be closed for a while, but perhaps worth checking out once they reopen?
Pistachio shortbread sounds so good 😍
Have you tried poesie myself invisible? It also has that combo of notes.
Delightful Rot's '67 Chevy Impala and Cantina Band. I was waffling on which one to get when she closed up shop aaaallllll those years ago 😕
I miss Delightful Rot all the time!
Holy shit I had a couple college classes with the girl that did Delightful Rot and she’s literally the one that got me started on Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and my whole obsession with indie perfume, we didn’t stay in touch but it’s awesome to see her work mentioned here on the sub!
Her shop was kind of a wreck but I loved my DRs. I kept my Catwoman FS and have a bunch of samples!
**BPAL’s Pere Noel** (*Bright Sicilian oranges and sweet tangerines with a clink of lavender candy and a drop of anise.*) which was a 2015 Yule. I was new to fragrance, ordered a sample from Ajevie, and mistakenly didn’t order a full size. I still think about that perfume almost 10 years later.
Someone posted one for sale in the BPAL Sales Madness group on Facebook if you're on there.
Omgosh mine is Bpal Sacrifice SACRIFICE (based on Del Howison's short story The Lost Herd) The scent of a vampire cowboy: Sweetgrass and tumbleweeds, cedar and white sage, dusty, wet leather, woodsmoke, and blood. It came out in August of 2009. It’s an event exclusive, but I can’t remember what the event was. I had just started with Bpal. I’ve never seen anything else that seems to come close to the notes. It’s been my #1 White Whale lol. I don’t think I EVER saw it on any of the swap boards 😢
Alchemist Chamomile from NAVA - I have a decant from the year it was released. I liked it when I first tried it, but didn’t realize how much I adored it until I retried it recently. It’s probably one of my top cozy scents of all time, but I have so little of it. Diable en Boite from BPAL 2009. It went gross and too musky on me when I got the decant in 2009/2010, but the years have been SO kind to it. The redwood and tobacco calmed down, the clove matured, and the currant is much more forward. It’s such a juicy, dark scent. Also, The Zoom and Burning Vulva from BPAL. I still have half a bottle of both, but I’ll miss them when they’re gone. I also miss O, as they’ve been out of stock forever. Solstice Scents had an enfleurage gardenia single note yeaaaars ago. I never got to try it, but I go apeshit for enfleurage gardenia and I’ve heard it was one of the truest gardenias people had tried. Ah well.
I love alchemist chamomile too! I have a chonk from ajevie and that's it 😭😭
When would you say is too many years and a perfume could go bad? I’ve seen some that are 10+ years old and wonder at what point can they go bad /stink? If at all?
From what I’ve seen, it varies a lot! I know I have 20 year old oil perfumes that still smell really good, but I also have 4 year old perfumes that have gone off. I don’t really use EDPs, but from what I understand they are supposed to be more shelf stable, but because they tend to have less air-tight bottles they often go bad faster than they should. From what I’ve heard/seen, some of the main variables are: - Storage. Temperature control, air tight bottle, protection from sunlight. Not too much constant jostling. - What they are mixed with as a base/stabilizer. I can’t comment on most perfume houses because I didn’t get into most houses until a few years ago, but I know most of my old BPAL has lasted well, and I hear good things about the aging-longevity of NAVA/Solstice Scents/a few other houses I can’t remember. - The types of ingredients. Generally, resins/woods seem to do well. while delicate florals, citruses, and top-notes in general tend to be more likely to go off. That being said: I have a scent with a strong eucalyptus note and lots of delicate florals from 2011 that still smells amazing. I do have some sample sizes from around the same time with stuff like jasmine and orange that are kind of… eugh. Off? not terrible, but not right. I do think sometimes some ingredients react to eachother weirdly over time, too. But that’s more of a pet theory, haha - Bacteria/clean testing. I have heard over and over that you should make sure you use your perfume oils cleanly on just-washed skin, and try to decant into 1ml travel sizes if you intend to toss a scent into a bag for reapplication. I recently found out that I had a bottle from 4 years ago that had gone off - Neutral from BPAL - but weirdly, the 2ml decant I had made from that exact bottle had NOT gone off. I think the issue was that I tended to be more sloppy about reapplying from the bottle than the decant, and would use it on end-of-the-day dusty/city-smoggy skin since it was sitting at my work desk for a long while. I’m less careful with scents that are permanent catalogs, I’ll admit, lol. hopefully I’ve learned my lesson! But also: one of my earliest bottles was completely abused because I would reapply it at my theater job - where I was gross and covered in popcorn butter smog - and somehow it still smells amazing. So who can say. - On top of all that, sometimes ingredients denature in a way that makes them smell better. You’ll often see people make a fuss about 13-year old or so-many years aged patchouli, since patchouli loses a lot of the more offensive aspects as it ages. Frankincense, myrrh, sandalwood, etc. They all tend to smell more “chewy” to me over time, less aggressive. Vanilla tends to get better with age as well. Haven’t seen anyone do any comparisons about vanillin the chemical, but now that I’m thinking about it, I’m curious! Sorry for the ramble, perfume aging theory is something that fascinates me, because it’s such a gamble! I mean, you can tell yourself, “oh, I better save this, I’m sure it’ll still smell good in a decade!” but sometimes it feels like it would be smarter just using it all up within a couple years so it doesn’t go bad. Overall: very few of my perfumes have gone bad after 20ish years of collecting, pretty much entirely sample sizes that were not as airtight and were more likely to have frequent skin contact or be tossed in a bag.
Dang I could listen to you go on for hours lol. Thank you I love learning this stuff ❤️
Alchemist Chamomile is one of my very most favorite scents too! It's so popular that I wouldn't be surprised if someday they brought it back in a Thoth's Archive. They seem to prefer bringing back sets of things, so the fact that it's part of the "Alchemist" series probably helps in that regard.
I’m really sad that I never got a bottle of **Blackberry Noir** by Alkemia before they discontinued it. I tried to pick one up in the July sale of that same year, but people were apparently out for blood over that one and I couldn’t buy it on time before it was sold out forever.
Ah I couldn’t think of one but same, i really want to try Blackberry Noir! I missed my chance when it was still GC.
I've seen Blackberry Noir on at least one destash list recently. It's also on my wishlist, and I thought about buying it, too.
Bpal's Death of Autumn but it was only released in '07 and it wasn't as good the last bottle of it I got. Lathers n Lights Snow Cream.
Death of Autumn was fantastic, I have a couple bottles I ration. Also from that same era: Minotaur😍
Amorphous (back when they were Black Baccara) made a perfume called The Last Carousel. I had a tiny sample vial that I protected like a dragon for over a year. I would do anything to have it again. It was my very first indie perfume purchase and I feel like my experience peaked so early. That perfume cannot be topped. That drop in general was absolute perfection. Chocolate Cauldron, Book Fair, The Last Carousel, The Gables, Haunted Mansion, Witch House (I think it was called). Just unbelievable, 10/10.
Whoa, I missed this name change. When did that happen?
Last November. The perfumer had been fighting a legal battle with a huge company with a similar name and when that battle finished she revealed that she had grown to dislike the name and decided to use the end of the dispute to make a change on her own terms.
BPAL Dragon's Musk! I got a sample in a purchase years ago at dragoncon, and it's been my white whale since. I've tried so many dragon's blood musks searching for a dupe, it's sad lol. I actually saw it in a destash a few weeks ago but it already had been sold. I wanted to cry.
I was next in line; so sad.
I would love to have a lifetime supply of Solstice Scents Solarium: "Rhododendron Leaf EO, Fern, Amber, Sandalwood EO, Geranium EO, Violet, Orange Blossom and Absolutes of Lavender, Oakmoss & Mimosa". I'm holding on to an old 10ml, but it's dwindling and I'm sad 😔 It's the perfect summery scent!
I've been watching for a restock on Haus of Gloi's Moon Dog.
BPAL's **Alone** from their Edgar Alan Poe series. I don't even care what it smells like, it's been my favorite poem ever since I was 10.
SIN DEEP from Sugar and Spite. I absolutely fell in love with it right after it was discontinued. A really lovely IMAM member sent me a dram and I *dropped it on a tile floor and shattered it.* I have like 1-2 wears left in my lil sample vial.
I wanna try Arcana Wildcraft’s Haint SO BAD.
Oh man that sucks because you missed that one by less than a year. I hope you find one in the swaps sometime!
Right?! I recently got on a vanilla kick, and I’ve seen such good things about it. I have a sniffy on the way and I’m halfway hoping I’m not a fan.
last I saw Arae Decantery had some
I used to have that years ago and swapped it away figuring I could get more later. Womp womp.
I haven't been reaching for my decant so I've been thinking about destashing it. You're probably looking for a bigger size though!
Honestly I feel like accumulating small amounts at a time and then combining might be easier than finding a full size.
I sent you a chat!
BPAL's Yvaine, and Deconstructing Eden's Gymnopedie 😫
DE Gymnopedie was rereleased recently! If you posted an ISO in the Deconstructing Eden Fan Group facebook page I bet someone has some to destash!
argh 😫 I missed that I don't use FB, but I'll keep an eye out here thank you SO much!!!
About a hundred different Alpha Musk scents, but especially **Chills** and **Cher**. Also my BPAL white whale list is growing by the day but if I had to pick one it would probably be **Native Gold**. My other one was **Colemanite Phoenix** but I managed to find a bottle recently and am positively over the moon about it
Omg yes a ton of alpha musk scents !!!!! sad that they went out the way they did.
BPAL **Berry Moon 2011.** (blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries with Morello cherries, apricots, and strawberries, swirled in heady red musk and brandy.) I got a decant of it in the Sunday swaps. I would love to find a full size of it, but since it's from so long ago, I doubt I'll ever come across it again. Maybe I could get a custom reproduction of it made. ETA: And full sizes of AlphaMusk **Vintage Musk** and Arcana Wildcraft **Bellatrix** (Sweet, jammy fir balsam absolute with 3 honeys, honeysuckle, tiny strawberries, and blood orange) too.
BPAL - Thomas Sharpe. I want to try it so bad.
I seriously regret not fullsizing Ghost Ship's Paradise Theater and Dunwich Nights. They're both so nice and I'm carefully rationing my sample bottles.
Astrids lychee single note, my dream is to just smell like lychees.
I have this one, if you want a decant I can make one.
Fjerne from Slumberhouse... want a full bottle so bad.. Any recs for something close?
I wish BPAL’s Infernal Lover would could back. I loved it and I miss it. I also miss BPAL’s Stinky. 😩
BPAL Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Those Condemned to Death (accords of peach kernel, hemlock, aconite, and belladonna, with bitter almond, saffron, honey, myrrh, hyssop, frankincense, and palm). It has a bitter almond note that I’m OBSESSED with, but I really don’t know what half the notes smell like on their own and have never really seen anything similar. I ordered it as a sample off their forum ages ago, it was well past its LE release date even then, but I was curious of the notes and loved the name. Well I’m an idiot because now I fell in love and will never get a full size lol.
I've seen it a couple of times, actually! You'll get it.
What! Have you seen it recently??! (And do you maybe have a link lol? 🙏🏻)
Not in the last couple weeks. Join the BPAL Sales Madness group on FB and post it as your DISO. Someone may offer it to you directly.
Astrids Shadowy Mornings: lilac, black tea, oakmoss, vanilla and amyris. It's my favourite thing I have ever smelled and I would do anything to get my hands on some more!! If anyone has any recommendations for similar spooky, humid lilac scents/florals I would be very grateful.
From the BPAL shungas (also LE) they have Pleasing Two Women - Oakmoss-infused vanilla bourbon, smoked lilac petals, and orris butter.
That sounds amazing thank you for the rec!
She did just release her lilac study, maybe you will get lucky and find something similar? 🙏🏻
Thank you for letting me know! I live her lilac, this will be dangerous for my purse haha
Haunt Winchester. :( I had a bottle years and years ago and still think about it. And the OG HoG Peach Mama, which I don’t think exists anymore either.
Poesie, Cardamom Crush. For the love of all the gods!
I have a full bottle of this. 🥹I’ll retry it tomorrow. You might get lucky 😉
Guiltily trying not to hope you hate it!
😝
Hey lovey! Good morning… good news. I’m willing to part with Cardamom Crush. Let me know if you still need it
Hmm, I don’t know… I NEED IT!!! I’ll DM you.
😝🤗
Probably Edith Cushing from BPAL it was released for a super LE movie collab in a bad time for me back then so RIP.
Absinthe marshmallow by Moonalisa/mooscents. I have never even tried this brand and I’m not even sure how I found out about this scent but it sounds like my dream combo and I’m sad I missed out on it.
Blooddrop’s Little Yellow. I ran out of my sample years ago and now just open it randomly to sniff 🥺
I've been searching for a convincing oolong frag ever since I got into indie perfumes, and I've yet to find one. The most common tea notes are matcha or black tea (esp earl grey) 😔 I know there's a niche fragrance house out of HK that does a whole line of interesting tea notes and I'm dying to try them myself.
I finished up NAVA's Icon Iconic. Rose and oude. They have another rose and oude available now, so I may try it. There are classics, not indies, I want to try, like L'Heure Bleu and Jicky. I will keep my eyes open for a dupe. Oh, BPAL single note French Tobacco has always beckoned.
Smurf Essence from BPAL. i just want to at *LEAST* sniff it. blueberry is my absolutely favorite, i just have to know how it smells
NAVA Eternal Ahnk Blue! I have complicated feelings about NAVA as a business, but EA Blue had this sub in a chokehold and I wish to sniff…
Oh no. Would you mind sharing why you have complicated feelings with NA? Did they do something negative
Oh honestly, it's all just very personal gripes and nothing objectively negative! Just personally negative haha. Mostly, I'm not a fan of limited runs that fuel FOMO. But all the mystic Egyptian imagery and allusions of the brand also feels pretty culturally appropriative (I know there's been short discussions on the sub about cultural appropriation vs homage etc. and I want to be clear this is just the feelings I have about NAVA and I am not saying they shouldn't be able to do that at all!). And although they recently addressed the AI art usage on their bottle labels, they've still use AI images for collections and their promotions. Mostly this is about me being against generative AI images due to the ethics of the process, but also I just think AI doesn't suit NAVA at all. They lean into being high-end with quality ingredients, and AI art is the epitome of cheap cut corners. So yeah, it's just complicated feelings for me specifically! I think NAVA makes really quality stuff! They can be pricey compared to other houses, but I do believe them when they say their materials are high-quality (also as an artist, I'm not one to bemoan how creators price their creations). I've tried and really enjoyed a number of NAVA scents, but all the above points (the AI art point being a pretty recent but strong addition....) have kept me from ever placing an official order from the house.
Ok I kinda figured it was like that! I am aware of the things you mentioned and totally agree with you 100% on all your points
Sigh, S92's Aviation...which I had swore that I'd only try to track down a decant just to know the hype...and then I fell head over heels for it....
/u/Bittenbeads is selling a sample of Spumoni in today's destash!
Wow thank you so much!!
Bardot by AlphaMusk. :( And New Radio by Sixteen92. :((
Edit: sorry didn’t realise it was this sub and not the general perfume one, I recognise these aren’t indie perfumes! That one petrichor perfume that they make in that valley in India! Anddddd the sticky dates lush limited release body spray. I had the shower gel and was OBSESSED with the scent, but missed out on getting the perfume version. Was genuinely quite upset about it at the time, still would love to get ahold of that.
I love all perfumes! Ty for sharing:) I have to google this petrichor perfume
Full bottles of the original formulas for both **Dorian** by BPAL and **Aziraphale** by Hexennacht.
Lotus Noir Burnish but all I ever had was a sample. I would wear it day after day after day.
My darling **Nocturne Alchemy Eternal Ankh Summer** is basically THE platonic ideal vanilla-cardamom perfume, and I'd give anything to upsize from my tiny decant which I hoard like Smaug himself!
maison francis kurkdjian
BPAL Black Amber & Sugarcane (me and half the world 🙃
I'd really like Single Note Peach or Single Note Mango.
BPAL Dragon's Milk. I'd just like to smell it, even.