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Alcohol or oil based? Dabber or roller ball? Cocoa Mallow or Cafe Mallowmel? All these are valid questions, and if you are anything like me, I'm sure you have more. This thread is for general indie perfume discussion, because I think we have outgrown the general indie products thread. Because indie perfume is amazing.

 
Oil, all the way!  Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab's stuff spoiled me.  I can't stand alcohol-based scent now.  I put them in rollerballs I get from Pilot Vials here:  http://www.pilotvials.com/Roll-on_vials.html

I prefer the 1/8 oz with plastic rollerballs because they're easy to pull out the stopper and refill**, and the per-rollerball price is the cheapest out of their various options.  I used to order a dozen of them every time I stocked up on decanting supplies, but I haven't ordered decanting supplies in a while, so now I'm running low on rollerballs!

**  Being able to refill these is really important for me.  If I find a general catalog BPAL I like, I try to collect imps of it from whatever source I can instead of buying a bottle since a bottle will last me *years*, and I just pop the top out, pour the new imp in, and pop the top back in, and I'm ready to go.  My taste/body chemistry will change before I can use it up.  Going imp-style works much better for me!  Haus of Gloi is even more magical in this regard:  While the limited edition BPAL is not available from them in sample form, HoG *does* do samples of their seasonal stuff, so I just need to toss in a sample with every order, and I'm set.

 
Pretty excited about this thread and will probably be hanging out here a lot. I'm on a huge perfume oil kick lately.

So, I'm looking for some recommendations! Currently, I'm wanting scents that are interesting and good for winter. I like warm scents, foodie and sweet scents, some fruit, lots of vanilla, notes like pumpkin and marshmallow and I'm also loving "evocative" scents, think leather, old books, etc. I like some woods, spices. I'm not huge into strong florals unless it's pure fresh rose or balanced out by something more interesting. I love things that transform on your skin as you wear them.

So, any suggestions? 

 
BPAL Morocco!

The intoxicating perfume of exotic incenses wafting on warm desert breezes. Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia.
The funny thing is that this does not appeal to me *at all* just from reading the notes, but I accidentally wore it one day and fell in love.  It's just this warm creamy comforting scent that is like curling up in cozy blanket with cuddly critters.

(I actually have many more BPAL ideas that I need to think about a bit more, but for some reason, this is the one that is demanding that I post about right now.)

 
BPAL shipping costs overwhelm me, but I will try their oils one day.

I am currently loving Solstice Scents. I really like their marshmallow note, and I have been enjoying "Kitchen" lately.

Warm sugar-dusted sweets, pumpkin, flaky pastries filled with peach preserves, sugar cookies, caramel and vanilla combine with a touch of hay absolute, all embraced by a generous dose of sweet wood smoke to bring you the Manor's fall kitchen experience.
I also really like "Pumpkin Spice Latte." It's very realistic. Can you tell I've been on a gourmand kick?

 
I am actually fine with alcohol AND oil - I've noticed that some scents that I *love* with alcohol smell like death warmed over with the same oils in an oil carrier. I actually noticed this because of Cocoa Pink, when I saw that they had an alcohol option and the difference was night and day.

And will someone please talk about DC's My Lady Ser with me? I know Grace was supposed to be the shizz but I am all about Ser, all the time! :wub:

 
BPAL shipping costs overwhelm me, but I will try their oils one day.
I kind of feel lucky because BPAL was pretty much the first company I placed frequent orders with other than amazon, so I didn't bat an eye at the shipping because it didn't seem high to me since I had no other reference.  I sighed at it, but I accepted it, and now it just seems normal to me because I'm used to it with them.  They do ship everything via priority mail, and they're astoundingly generous with samples:  Two samples per bottle or every six imps ordered, up to twenty samples (at least I think that's the limit) -- and then they usually switch to free *bottles* past that.  So if you order five bottles, you get ten imps.  I once placed a decant circle order that was so big I had *five* free bottles on top of twenty free imps.  On the down side, you don't get to pick your freebies, so you might end up with something you hate or already have.

 
It amazes me that I haven't tried BPAL yet...I've known about them since way back in the day, talking about makeup and perfume in communities on Livejournal! But I've never taken the jump. I think it's because it's just so overwhelming...there's just so much! And I've never had a chance to smell anything of theirs in person to even get me started in the right direction!

One day! Or maybe I'll get a BPAL veteran in a SS exchange here sometime. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
@yousoldtheworld  We'll have to talk more about this later when I have time to go through my collection!  I'm sure I'll have more suggestions, but just looking at note lists is not working for my brain tonight.  Plus I have to go to bed because I have to get up in less than seven hours.  Do not like.

 
I collected BPAL 2005-2010 and have a box packed full of LEs and 'rare' oils I'll never be brave enough to actually use because they're hen's teeth.  Sigh.

 
Have people gotten their Shark Friday stuff from DarlingClandestine yet?  I missed it, so I have to live vicariously through you guys! 

Oil is pretty much the only sort of perfume I can wear without sneezing my face off, and now that I've figured this out I've been smelling pretty awesome :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

 
I kind of feel lucky because BPAL was pretty much the first company I placed frequent orders with other than amazon, so I didn't bat an eye at the shipping because it didn't seem high to me since I had no other reference.  I sighed at it, but I accepted it, and now it just seems normal to me because I'm used to it with them.  They do ship everything via priority mail, and they're astoundingly generous with samples:  Two samples per bottle or every six imps ordered, up to twenty samples (at least I think that's the limit) -- and then they usually switch to free *bottles* past that.  So if you order five bottles, you get ten imps.  I once placed a decant circle order that was so big I had *five* free bottles on top of twenty free imps.  On the down side, you don't get to pick your freebies, so you might end up with something you hate or already have.
Is the number of samples new? I haven't ordered in years (because I have so many things from them and they're still delicious years later) and I recall getting a lot more than that in large orders, but no bottles, just imps.

 
It amazes me that I haven't tried BPAL yet...I've known about them since way back in the day, talking about makeup and perfume in communities on Livejournal! But I've never taken the jump. I think it's because it's just so overwhelming...there's just so much! And I've never had a chance to smell anything of theirs in person to even get me started in the right direction!

One day! Or maybe I'll get a BPAL veteran in a SS exchange here sometime. :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
There's a LOT to choose from -- but there's some permanent scents that always come up in recommendations. It depends on your tastes in scents. I love spicy and gourmand, but I don't know as much about the florals and musks. I can say that if you like cozy with a touch of spice, Dragon's Milk is delish (it's my all-time favorite from them), and if you want something harvesty with foody and woods, Tintagel is also delightful. 

 
I collected BPAL 2005-2010 and have a box packed full of LEs and 'rare' oils I'll never be brave enough to actually use because they're hen's teeth.  Sigh.
Get a scent locket and some small silk scraps. Apply perfume lightly to the silk. Put it in the locket. It lingers for a good long time. Use those BPALs before they go nasty!

 
Is the number of samples new? I haven't ordered in years (because I have so many things from them and they're still delicious years later) and I recall getting a lot more than that in large orders, but no bottles, just imps.
It's been the standard since I started ordering in 2007. Before that, I don't know.

 
Today, I decided to give HoG Rosy Cheeked another try to see if it triggered scintillating scotomas (a form of migraine, except it just messes with my vision and doesn't actually hurt) again like seemed to do the first couple of times I wore it. So bummed. No vision weirdness yet, but I feel like I'm on the edge of an actual headache. My lack of coffee (tea just isn't quite doing the job) and usual breakfast (some sort of protein on an Englush muffin) isn't helping, but I have strong scent-and-pain associations, so I won't be able to wear this one as a perfume again.

 
Get a scent locket and some small silk scraps. Apply perfume lightly to the silk. Put it in the locket. It lingers for a good long time. Use those BPALs before they go nasty!
I can't wear metal against my skin so no scent lockets.  :/

 
Have people gotten their Shark Friday stuff from DarlingClandestine yet?  I missed it, so I have to live vicariously through you guys! 

Oil is pretty much the only sort of perfume I can wear without sneezing my face off, and now that I've figured this out I've been smelling pretty awesome :) /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />
I have, and mine was with the last batch to go out - I have to say everything I got was AHHHMAZING, and I really, really hope she decides to re-release at least Halochrome and My Lady Ser in the new year, as I would like to pick up more bottles! I love Tyto and Grace as well - basically there isn't a thing I ordered that I am not in love with.

I know others must have gotten theirs - opinions?

 
I myself can go with just about any form--oil, alcohol, cream, etc. However, I have an allergic Louie at home, and part of responsible Louie care is to not set off his allergies. Most of the stuff you would find at Macy's or similar places will trash his sinuses and skin, with very few exceptions. I came into indies mainly because of the samples. I would rather purchase inexpensive samples than get the crap that stores give me over asking for a few vials (the stingy little...) because at least I haven't shelled out a colossal sum of money if he turns out to be allergic. If he is, I can find another use for the vial or trade it off, it only set me back a dollar or two. If I find something we both can deal with, fabulous! I find that he has a slightly better time with me wearing oils, unless I'm wearing organic perfumes like those sold by A Wing and a Prayer.

 

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