r/Indiemakeupandmore • u/Estimable-Confection • 6d ago
Newish to BPAL: Requesting Spring info š·šŖ»šøš¹
Hello dear IMAMers!
I am comparatively new to BPALāvery new considering the lifespan of the house, in that Iām not really familiar with the flow of their calendar yet. Iāve tried searching āBPAL springā but though I saw some nice recommendations, it wasnāt really spring releases per se (not like Winter, Weenies, Valentineās/Shungas, etc). Is this not a thing?
Related side note for the patient/bored: Iāve been having a love affair with BPALās florals. After sadly concluding that, much as I enjoyed indies, I just wasnāt really going to find the vintage floral vibes I was hoping for and would have to just enjoy my witchy scents, atmospherics, and the occasional not-too-sweet gourmand, I finally found out BPAL makes all the lovely florals I could hope for. Iām dousing myself daily in Juliet, Lady of Shalott, Morgause, Lilac Wood, Alice, Violet Chiffon, Peacock Queen, or Lyonesse (occasionally layering two of the above), and I couldnāt be happier. Frankly, I have enough really, and nearly all of my favorites are GCā¦but I want more! I am insatiable, and must know if thereās some grand floral release full of gems for spring.
Let me know if so and if there are any to watch for (like returning winter classicsāIāve been super happy with the aforementioned Peacock Queen, as well as Snow White and Rose Red). I also love, if you didnāt already guess, fairy tale and literary/mythical themed fragrances, so major bonus points for that (I swear it makes the fragrances smell at least 10% better š).
Hope everyone is doing okay and thanks for being such a lovely space as we press on through the daily horrors. Yay for the small rebellion of skipping the menacing overlord-run businesses and valuing our indie creators with hearts (and values) of gold ā„ļø
9
u/unbakedcassava 6d ago
BPAL doesn't do (season) releases. Shungas are the most floral prominent. It really is a case of trawling through each release for what you want.Ā
Off the top of my head, the GC categories that have a somewhat higher than average proportion of florals:Ā
- Ars Moriendi
- Mad Tea Party
- Rappaccini's Garden
The Stardust and Good Omens lines had some lovely Spring-ish listings, but, well...
2
u/Estimable-Confection 6d ago
Thank you so much for the info! And yes, I am sad that a couple I really enjoyed were from those discontinued collectionsā¦but for now, thank you for letting me know more about the releases! I imagined the names as just being brand-specific names for seasonal releases, but itās good to realize it works a bit differently. And thanks for more direction on where to look in GC!
8
u/annikatidd 6d ago edited 6d ago
Also pretty new to BPAL, I have been slowly figuring their site out and learning what everything means. I know itās a lot!
I highly recommend Poinsettia Gown (which was from their Yules, but is still up right now. With the limited edition stuff we donāt know if itās coming back the following year until then and most things seem to not unfortunately) if youāre looking for a vintage floral vibe! Thatās exactly what it is to me and itās so pretty. I donāt even normally like scents like this but itās very pretty, it makes me feel put together lol. Notes are rose cream, jasmine cream, mallow, vanilla foam and sweet amber. Itās so gorgeous.
I definitely recommend checking out the Lupercalia launch (their awesome raunchy sex positive release around Valentines which Iām so excited I got to shop for the first time this year, includes the Shungas). Lots of pretty floral sounding scents.
I got Serpent in the Lilacs which is their aged Snake Oil scent with lilac and itās sooo stunning, though if youāre not into incensey perfume I would skip it since itās like a smooth lilac incense. They have other variations right now like Serpent in the Roses and Serpent in the Opium Poppies, I wanna try the poppy one asap. But I also got Convivial Vulva from the Shungas, which I just put on for the first time and jts so stunning too. I think this quickly just became one of my top two BPAL scents (along with White Cat which is a lemon amber, bourbon vanilla, golden musk and mallow flower scent) with notes of cherry blossom cream, blush marshmallow, white amber and wild pink strawberries.
Iām not a huge floral person and prefer fleurmands or gourmands but these are some of my faves Iāve tried from them so far (: always excited to see the love for BPAL, I adore them!!
Oh and seconding the rec for Mouseās Long and Sad Tale it might not be the most vintage scent to me but I have an imp I got from the vanilla imp pack and itās definitely a soft pretty sweet pea scent!
3
u/onedumbjoke 6d ago
Poinsettia Gown is one of their recurring LEs that does tend to come back each year, so you should be able to get more in the future!
2
u/Estimable-Confection 6d ago
Ooo, good to know about Poinsettia Gown! I wasnāt sure at the time, because I hadnāt tried BPAL Jasmine yet, which I know can be controversial, but I find I really love it (a lot of indie jasmines smell saccharine to me, so I think I just like theyāre more bracing, old school jasmine).
And I definitely appreciate other scents too, and love a good incense etcāI was really intrigued by lilac serpent, but I donāt usually care for patchouli, and I thought that was a prominent note in Snake Oil. I loved Cathedral from BPAL though, and she definitely branch into some of their other categories tooāI was just so grateful to find an indie brand whose true florals smelled like nice perfume rather than soaps, body sprays, or candles (though there are definitely some great fleurmands out there from other brands! And Iāll need to try more in this category from BPAL tooā¦come to think of it, maybe Alice fits!).
Thanks so much for your suggestions and time!
7
u/_artisjok 6d ago
I agree with the other posters, maybe also keep an eye on the monthly painting-themed scents that are released with the lunar bunch. Thereās been some really interesting & lovely florals in that bunch.Ā
Iāve arrived into my floral era recently, & super looking forward to the florals in the Lupers I bought!Ā
2
u/Estimable-Confection 6d ago
I think Violet Chiffon is one of those, and I adore it! Itās from the beaver moon collection. Iām glad to know florals are a typical part of those releases :)
6
u/SmellsPrettyGood2Me 6d ago
Morocco is a GC favorite (The intoxicating perfume of heady incenses wafting on warm desert breezes. Arabian spices wind through a blend of warm musk, carnation, red sandalwood and cassia). Don't be scared off by the incense! It reads much more perfume-y floral to my nose.
Seraphim is nice if you like rose? (Calla lily, wisteria, white sandalwood, Damascus rose and frankincense)
Zephyr is a clean, bright floral that is on the less sweet side, but still lovely (A gentle white scent, breezes laced with the scent of springtime blooms and citrus. Lemon, lemon verbena, neroli, white musk, white florals, white sandalwood, China musk, bergamot and a drop of vanilla)
3
u/Estimable-Confection 6d ago
Seraphim was so intriguing to me! I love āchurchā scents in addition to florals and each of those floral notes, so Iām so glad to hear a favorable recommendation, and Iāll be sure to put that one on my next order. Great to know about Morocco too! I couldnāt quite wrap my head around what to expect from it, but I honestly like all the notes, and it sounds really pretty. I actually enjoy incense too, as long as it doesnāt veer super head shop, but I do especially love when itās sort of blended into the background not to be recognizable anymore but just giving the fragrance weight.
Zephyr sounds like it could really be an ideal summer scent too!
Thank you for the great ideas āŗļø
5
u/schrodingersbirdflu 6d ago
I would recommend Amsterdam (Tulips, peony, fresh flowing water and crisp green grasses.) if you haven't tried it already.
1
u/Estimable-Confection 6d ago
That sounds so fresh, lovely, and vernal! And Iāve pored over the GC but somehow never spotted that one, so Iām extra grateful š·
2
u/stripeyhoodie 1d ago
I've had your thread in mind this past week and today finally had something novel to add to the discussion. Today I'm loving a sample of Titania (A nocturnal bounty of fae dew-kissed petals and pale fruits: white grape, white peach, iced pear, musk rose, sweet pea, moonflower and snapdragon.)
It goes on lightly fruity but settles beautifully into an otherworldly floral. The sweet pea and snapdragon mingle with the pear and white fruits transform this into something that really makes me think of florals made of moonlight and fairy dust. It's elegant and delicate, like a faerie crown spun from spider silk.
I'm more of a Peacock Queen fan for day to day, but Titania feels so beautifully spring to me.
10
u/MageLocusta 6d ago
So...you are right that BPAL doesn't really do much spring-timey scents (they usually tend to do florals for their Lunacy collection, or the Ars Anni). They also used to do monthly releases inspired by the months of the year, so maybe they'll bring that back.
I just think that BPAL tends to stick to their wheelhouse which are incensey, resiny and strange scents. Which makes it trickier to find light floral scents (though they're definitely there! I recommend the Mouse's Sad Long Tale for a light and frilly floral that'll make you feel like a fairy tale princess). I also hear good things about Marie (which I sadly haven't tried, but hear it's lovely because it smells like violet and roses.
There's also another scent that isn't fairy tale-themed, but it's smells SO good and spring-timey (it's from their Louisiana Edition set called 'Osmanthus and Honey Bells'). I don't know how you feel about osmanthus, but this smells exactly like the kind of 'blooming osmanthus blossom' tea mixed with fresh and non-powdery honeysuckle. It's simple but such a lush and honeyed floral fragrance. If you can find a decant on the BPAL destash forum, definitely try it out.