# Floral Confusion



## artemis (May 22, 2017)

I'm filling my cart at Nurture and as usual, the descriptions are beyond me. I'm looking for a nice floral, but I don't know some of the things that are referenced in the description. I never have followed fragrance trends, so sentences about how closely they've duped a perfume etc. mean nothing to me. A,so, there are one or two common floral scents that I never heard of before I started soaping. What does ylang ylang smell like, anyway? I'm not sure I've even smelled jasmine. 

So, I want to ask you, what are your favorite florals? Which ones are worth the acceleration to you? From Nurture so far, Ilve tried and loke Flying Fox. My other floral experience is BB Grapefruit Lily, BB White Rose, and Lilac Lily from Bulk Apothecary. What do you think?

Another says, "spa-like." What do spas smell like? I've never been to one.


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## dixiedragon (May 22, 2017)

Nurture does tend to have very poetic descriptions! You may find it helpful to go to a local store - Lush, B&BW, Whole Foods - and smell ALL THE THINGS. Just to see what you like.

Ylang ylang - A lot of people will say it's an old lady scent, and I have to agree. I actually really like it, but it's sort of a dusty floral. Like a sachet tucked into an old lady's drawer.

Jasmine is very heavy and rich. Where are you located? You may be able to smell jasmine (or Confederate jasmine) at a local botanical garden.

Re: spa-like - that is very very subjective. I tend to think of "spa-like" as being complex and not easily identifiable - you can't label it "floral" or "vanilla" or "woodsy" - so you use a subjective word like "spa-like". It should not be overly feminine or masculine.


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## artemis (May 22, 2017)

I fear the B&BW and also the Yankee Candle store-- so overwhealming for my nose.  But maybe that's what I'll have to do, if I don't want to overfill my cart with FOs! I'm in South Jersey (yes, it's like a separate state from North Jersey).  Maybe I should just go to a spa.... hmm...


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## dixiedragon (May 22, 2017)

artemis said:


> I fear the B&BW and also the Yankee Candle store-- so overwhealming for my nose. But maybe that's what I'll have to do, if I don't want to overfill my cart with FOs! I'm in South Jersey (yes, it's like a separate state from North Jersey). Maybe I should just go to a spa.... hmm...


 
I wouldn't recommend going to a spa just to sniff things. In my experience, spas don't have a huge selection of things...and if they do have something you like, then you're left with, "Do you have a scent like ABC I sniffed at Acme Spa?" and they'd have no idea. If you go sniff at Lush or B&BW or Yankee, you have a better chance of speaking a "common language" b/c lots of people have access to those places across the country.


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## artemis (May 22, 2017)

I was thinking maybe it was an excuse for a spa day.


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## dixiedragon (May 22, 2017)

artemis said:


> I was thinking maybe it was an excuse for a spa day.


 
I see now! Yes, you should totally do that!

I'm not super into spas. I'm too cheap to regularly pay for a massage, and I don't actually enjoy manicures or pedicures.


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## MySoapyHeart (May 22, 2017)

I really agree with dixie that a Spa-type of scent is so subjective!  

Me personally, I think of "spa" scents as fresh, but not neccesarily _lemon_y-fresh, but has a scent that has a refreshing, *clean *undertone of sweet herbs, mint, grass, ginger and cucumbers, mixed in with an aftertone of a towel straight from the dryer, that rounds it off and makes it sort of breezy and non-intrusive fresh. Not that  _lets squeeze all teh limes in the world to make this sting in yer`nose -_ type of fresh.

Ok, that may have not been helpfull at all  

For what it`s worth, I have used the Sambucus fragrance from Nurture and I ADORE it! I can write down some of the  things that I also wrote in the review of the fragrance over at Nurture.

It is a clean, greenish and sweet (not overly sweet!!) scent that I sort of find similar to a  nice, lightweight, non-intrusive shampoo scent. No fake citrus, vanilla or heavy undertones of perfume in this. 

For me it is like a mild, soft scented shampoo-scent, that hits your nose so comfortingly when you wash your hair in the shower, and feel the lather slowly moving down your back, leaving behind a whaft of cleanlyness behind. Afterwards as your hair is drying, and you turn your head you can  smell a  gentle and very soft and sweet cleanlyness that feels very authentic and natural. Even my husband likes this, so making him a shampoobar with it (he has almost no hair, so no worries about damaging his hair with a cp soap shampoobar *grin* )


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## soap1daze (May 22, 2017)

For me personally I love the spa type scents with an ozone or ocean top note.  Clean different soothing combination of intreguing under notes.

I tend to do sample bottles of 12 scents do testing and then decide.  Have fun!


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## IrishLass (May 22, 2017)

artemis said:


> What does ylang ylang smell like, anyway? I'm not sure I've even smelled jasmine.


 
Re: ylang ylang- it can get confusing because there are different kinds or grades of ylang ylang, such as 'Extra', #1, #2, #3, and 'Complete', etc... Here's a link I found that briefly describes how each are graded . 

For what its worth, I have used ylang #3 in the past, and I currently have the ylang Extra on hand, and they are very different from each other to my nose. I absolutely hated #3- it smelled sweet but with an unpleasant, bitter undertone that made me scrunch up my nose in distaste, but I gotta say that I really like the Extra that I currently have on hand (NOW-brand)- it's sweet without any of that nose-scrunching, bitter undertone to it that my ylang #3 had. The link I gave above^^^ said that the Extra is the best type of ylang to use in perfumery, and based on the one I have, I can see, or rather smell why. 

Other than the sweet quality of the Extra I have, it's hard to describe the scent, It's fruity like bananas, and floral/sweet like jasmine (which probably doesn't help you, lol), with a little bit of an undertone of something piney/balsamy/resinous tossed into the mix. I won't say I like it well enough to use alone, but it doesn't make my nose scrunch up, and it smells really good in the blend I make for my SIL with it that also contains orange and myrrh. For what its worth, here's a fun discussion we had on the forum a few years ago in regard to the different ways we each perceive the scent of ylang ylang: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=55857 



artemis said:


> So, I want to ask you, what are your favorite florals? Which ones are worth the acceleration to you? From Nurture so far, Ilve tried and loke Flying Fox. My other floral experience is BB Grapefruit Lily, BB White Rose, and Lilac Lily from Bulk Apothecary. What do you think?


 
I've not tried any of the FOs from Nurture, but I love florals. Some of my faves are orange blossoms, jasmine, rose, Parma violet, lily of the valley, lilacs, gardenia, plumaria, etc... I especially love florals mixed with fruit, such as jasmine-grapefruit, passionfruit-rose, etc... Thankfully, none of the floral FOs that I currently use- with the exception of Tahitian Tiare and plumaria- accelerate (I did a lot of vetting first), but they smell so good to me that they are worth it. 

RE: jasmine- if you like Flying Fox, you'll probably like jasmine, because I've heard of others describe it as smelling like jasmine. I've never smelled it myself to be able to confirm that, but for what its worth, Daystars dupe of Flying Fox is listed as Jasmine-Honey on their website, which leads me to believe it must really smell a lot like jasmine. 

Re: the term spa-like: I've never been to a spa, but whenever I hear the term used to describe a FO, I think of 'fresh'. Actually, the description that MySoapyHeart gave above pretty much sums up the idea of 'fresh' or 'spa-like' that I have in my mind.


IrishLass


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## artemis (May 22, 2017)

IrishLass said:


> Re: ... Extra that I currently have on hand (NOW-brand)...



I'll have to add that to my Amazon cart to try!



IrishLass said:


> For what its worth, here's a fun discussion we had on the forum a few years ago in regard to the different ways we each perceive the scent of ylang ylang: http://www.soapmakingforum.com/showthread.php?t=55857



This always surprises me-- there are so many scents that people seem to disagree about. A frien of mine and I arenat odds over cilantro. She loves the smell of it, and I can't stand it.




IrishLass said:


> ...but I love florals. Some of my faves are orange blossoms, jasmine, rose, Parma violet, lily of the valley, lilacs, gardenia, plumaria, etc...



Now, most of  those are florals I know! Lily-of-the-valley and lilac are my favorite smells from my grandmother's house.  I'll have to try some other suppliers, too, I think. I would love to make a L-o-t-V, lilac, violet combo.



MySoapyHeart said:


> I really agree with dixie that a Spa-type of scent is so subjective!
> 
> Me personally, I think of "spa" scents as fresh, but not neccesarily _lemon_y-fresh, but has a scent that has a refreshing, *clean *... fresh.



I think of whites and pale greens and blues, so cucumber and herbs come to mind. And "ozone," as somone else mentioned. 



MySoapyHeart said:


> For what it`s worth, I have used the *Sambucus fragrance from Nurture *and I ADORE it!



I actually have that one in my cart already. I think I had heard someone else here suggesting it in another thread.



MySoapyHeart said:


> Even my husband likes this, so making him a shampoobar with it (he has almost no hair, so no worries about damaging his hair with a cp soap shampoobar *grin* )



I keep telling my husband he can safely use the soap on his head for that very reason! 



dixiedragon said:


> I'm not super into spas. I'm too cheap to regularly pay for a massage, and I don't actually enjoy manicures or pedicures.



I think I'm too cheap, too, with my money and my time. I think I would spend the whole massage thinking about the things I could be getting done. The manicure, though...


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## artemis (May 23, 2017)

A local grocery store has Aura Cacia EOs. I smelled the YY3 sample. I didn't get any fruit or burned tire, but a strong "dentist office" scent. I don't even know how else to express it. Whatever antiseptic soap my dentist uses combined with that funny gas and I don't know what else.


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## Obsidian (May 23, 2017)

ylang ylang smells like cat pee to me, I get nothing of flowers or sweetness. I can smell it even in blends with a small amount, terrible stuff.


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## WeaversPort (May 23, 2017)

artemis said:


> I'm filling my cart at Nurture and as usual, the descriptions are beyond me. I'm looking for a nice floral, but I don't know some of the things that are referenced in the description. I never have followed fragrance trends, so sentences about how closely they've duped a perfume etc. mean nothing to me. A,so, there are one or two common floral scents that I never heard of before I started soaping. What does ylang ylang smell like, anyway? I'm not sure I've even smelled jasmine.
> 
> So, I want to ask you, what are your favorite florals? Which ones are worth the acceleration to you? From Nurture so far, Ilve tried and loke Flying Fox. My other floral experience is BB Grapefruit Lily, BB White Rose, and Lilac Lily from Bulk Apothecary. What do you think?
> 
> Another says, "spa-like." What do spas smell like? I've never been to one.



Ylang Ylang seems to be in a similar category as Patchouli - in that some people love it and some people hate it. IrishLass is right that there is a range of the fragrance, kind of like molasses. Some grades are really heavy like Patchouli, and some move up towards the lighter floral you might find mixed with Rose in a bath gel or something. It's not going to be as light as the Flying Fox, think more like a deeper flower. 

From the list of those you like, you will probably like Jasmine. It's a favorite of mine, I just haven't dared try it in soap yet though. I just enjoy smelling the bottle. You might have smelled it if you've been walking at night and passed a bush with lots of little white flowers blooming. It also reminds me of orange blossoms if you've ever smelled those? Jasmine is often used as a decorative shrub/vine/plant. It's one of my favorite florals. 

You're not going to find it as fresh and clean as Flying Fox or Grapefruit Lily. It's more complex than honeysuckle. Of what you've listed, and I had to guess, it would be more towards the Lilac Lily end of the spectrum. 

As far as spa like? Do you have a Trader Joe's near you? Some of their "clean but fragranced" soap or lotion scents would fall in that category. They'd be be called "White Tea" body lotion, or "Bamboo Sun" soap. They'd probably have complex lists like "take grass and water and sunshine, sprinkle together with plumeria and Lily of the Valley, round out with Sandalwood, sage and coriander - but not in any discernable way. In a way that smells like they all hopped in the blender and just came out smelling clean and hopefully not offensively ubiquitous."

Not that any of this probably helps..


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## WeaversPort (May 23, 2017)

Right now my Go-To for fragrance samples is one Zany found: https://www.elementsbathandbody.com/Fragrance-Oils/

Nurture seems to be geared toward the Lush and B&BW dupes, and I just find myself mostly "meh" about those florals. 

Brambleberry, while frequently single note fragrances, has both their "Spring" and "Floral" sample kits. It would be an easy way to try a bunch... Though whether you really want 12 small bottles of accelerating florals from Brambleberry is a completely *different* question.


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