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  • Silvertree

    Mod post: No wishlist posts in blogs

    By Silvertree

    Please be aware that we do not permit swap-related content on profiles or in blogs. Please post this content only in the For Sale, Swaps, and Wanted forums, or in the Wishlists topic. ~from Swapping 101  Thanks!
    • 5 comments
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Abstract Associations
 

Magdalene

A stirring yet gentle perfume. The scent of love and devotion mingled with an undercurrent of heart-rending sorrow. A bouquet of white roses, labdanum, and wild orchid.   Reviewed: 07/07/2008   In the imp: Sharp, strong florals.   Wet: Sharp floral, an undertone of something soft and powdery.   Drydown: The sharpness has faded, and only the soft florals remain. This is pretty and feminine; it 'feels' very gentle and spring-ish. It has decent throw but fades relatively quickly. I think it would be interesting to put it in a scent locket and my skin at the same time, so that the locket would retain the sharpness but it could take on the softer scent on my skin.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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Abstract Associations
 

TP'd Trees

TP'd Trees! -- Cypress, oak, and pine covered in 2-ply!   Reviewed: 07/06/2008   In the imp: It's not the pine scent I expected. It smells like something labeled "mountain spring fresh" rather than anything piney or woody.   Wet: Wow, is this subtle. Not at all what I expected. It's aquatic and light, slightly powdery.   Drydown: Still very subtle. Not much throw, but it lasted a decently long time. There's a skin-musk-and-powder scent here that reminds me a lot of Enraged Bunny Musk. I've been putting off testing this one because wood notes are so awful on me, but I really, really like this. It's very light and fresh and cool, a perfect scent for the dog days of summer.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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Abstract Associations
 

Rozpustnica

Blue and white musks, moonflower, rose, magnolia, lemon verbena, and lychee.   Reviewed: 07/06/2008   In the imp: Very sharp. I can definitely smell the lemon verbena and lychee.   Wet: I'm not just clean, I'm Zestfully clean! This smells just like Zest soap.   Drydown: I'm getting a bit of rose now, and a small amount of that citrus freshness that lychee gives, but it's overlaid with a strong soap scent. This is definitely not for me.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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Abstract Associations
 

Smut 2008

Smut! Smut! Smut! Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes.   Reviewed 07/05/2008   In the imp: MUSK!   Wet: Wait, where did it go?? There's nothing, literally no scent at all. Did my skin eat it in the 15 seconds it took me to swipe, cap the imp, and sniff? How *weird*.   Drydown: Powdery, faintly spicy musk, with absolutely no throw. What little I do get smells like it could be very sexy but it disappears the moment it touches my skin no matter how much I slather. I have to practically drown myself in it to get a whiff of anything at all, and used nearly 1/3 of the imp just to properly test it. This has the potential to be really wonderful, but my skin drinks it down faster than someone guzzling water in the desert.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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Abstract Associations
 

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.   Reviewed 07/05/2008   In the imp: Pear and sweet pea, fairly strong. More floral that fruity.   Wet: Grape juice, a hint of peach and floral. The floral notes take a back seat to the fruits.   Drydown: Refreshing, clean, girlish and innocent. This is very well-blended, no one note takes over although I can definitely smell sweet pea, which happens to be my birthflower. This is a very different pear than the Haunted House '07 scents; those turned into play-doh on my skin, while this stays sparkling and fresh. I see this becoming a favorite summer scent. Medium wear length and it clings close to the skin with little throw, so the sweetness doesn't become overpowering on hot, sticky days.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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Abstract Associations
 

Mead Moon 2008

Golden mead, fermented with gruit, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger root, sweet-briar, rosemary, and lemon.   Reviewed 07/04/2008   In the bottle: Honey, lemon, and a hint of ginger.   On my skin: This quickly becomes vaguely-honey-scented baby powder. WAHHH. It has good throw and lasts for EVER, so I think I'll let it age for a few months and test it again.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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Abstract Associations
 

Hay Moon 2008

Hay absolute, tall grasses, dry honey, mallow, cardamom, amber, and wheat.   Reviewed 07/04/2008   In the bottle: This screams 'perfume'. I almost didn't want to try it.   On my skin: My grandfather. I can't even sniff for notes because this smells EXACTLY like my grandfather, the unique combination of his aftershave, soap, hair stuff, cologne, and tanned skin. When I smell this I see his face, it is *dead on*. My partner thinks this smells amazingly yummy and would love me to wear it all the time. It's lovely, but I don't think it's something I can wear because it makes me all teary.
Rovylern

Rovylern

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BPAL and Dragons Living in Harmony
 

Abner's Dragon Book

Abner was my very first dragon. His name means "father of light", and he represents my total descent into dragon madness.   His egg theft, hatching, growth statistics and official adult portrait are viewable at: Abner's Page on Dragon Cave   Like any fond mother, I have collected some baby pictures. I'll be adding them at a later date.   Abner is the head of our entire brood.
Peaches 2

Peaches 2

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Crossroads

Category: Wanderlust   It's a strong, pungeant, incensey scent on me...sort of like frankinsence, maybe. Something very woody and cedar-y. Unfortunately, incense just does not seem to love my skin. There's also a sweet note, or pack of them, lurking underneath the smokey, dust-covered surface of it all; and though sometimes the sweetness comes out to assert itself, it never quite reveals just what the heck it is. Could be florals, could be herbs, I really can't tell.   While redolant and persistant, it's just not doing anything for me. Off to a home that will appreciate you, little imp.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Fruit of Paradise

Category: Limited Editions: Yule 2007   I didn't really get any tartness from this; sweetness, yes, but never shrill or sickly...it had a nice, full body to it. I think my only complaint about it would be that it doesn't throw quite as far or last as long as I would like. But it's quite a lovely scent, and sensual in its own way (which I suppose is appropriate...)
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Cobra Lily

Category: Rappacini's Garden   In the imp, it is a very moist, almost dewy green scent, one one might expect to find in the stem or bulb of a plant, rather than nestled between its petals, although there is also a faint, sugary sort of note as well.   Once on, it gets a bit of tartness and bite to it. As if one has plucked it from its watery nesting place, crushing the stem in the process; it is pungeantly sweet, like oranges, and yet when I place my nose close against my wrist, I can smell the peppery tartness of clove, the serpent's bite amidst its strangely-configured petals.   Oddly enough, the edge to it never gets horribly overwhelming. It is very tantalizing, in fact.   This also had a fairly strong throw, and lasted throughout the day. Very nice. I'm finding I like the Garden scents quite a lot, and this one wants to edge into my favorites.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Argentwolf's Blog
 

Cheshire Cat

Category: Mad Tea Party   Mmmm, yummy, I like the Cheshire Cat. It smells of sugared grapefruit, as others have mentioned, and I believe that there is a plump, moist note from the current, with the herbal notes at the very background of things. It's quite lovely. It has a decent throw and staying power, too...a nice scent for summertime, definitely. I like how the tartness of the grapefruit is mellowed by the other notes to create a very creamy scent.
Argentwolf

Argentwolf

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Maps and Legends
 

Shameless Self Promotion

There is no reason why anyone would even read this thing (since it essentially consists of a bunch of lists for my own record keeping), but I've started a real, honest to goodness, ranting about politics/social issues/isisms blog: I'm Just Not Impressed.   Visit?
Em-

Em-

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Lemonlife's Blog
 

more BPAL

*squeal* I got 13 (2008), Boomslang, and Velvet! Sadly, Boomslang did not come with a card. But, I am quite excited with my acquisitions. I must update my lists   Hrm, I should do reviews as well.
quigza

quigza

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Review Round-up!
 

Theodosius, the Legerdemain

In the imp: Sweet, almost soapy clean musk, vanilla - very much like Dorian.   On wet: Dorian, but with a much more aggressive undertone. Maybe the jasmine? The fougere? Hmm...   Drydown: Still registering as a more butch Dorian, and I'm pretty sure it's the jasmine giving it that dark, floral edge. It's more perfumey than Dorian, and, oddly enough, kinda...smoky? Something smells burnt - weird! I have no idea what that is!   Overall: I really liked the opening stages of Theodosius - I love the Dorian-esque feel, and I love scents with white musk and tea - but the drydown was very, very strange! I was expecting creamy, musky, gorgeousness, and I get burnt, somewhat powdery florals instead. Such a shame. 2/5
furygrrl

furygrrl

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tastycactuar's Blog
 

A TAL decant circle?

I've been thinking lately that I really want to try a number of the TALs, and I know a number of people on the SwitchWitch boards do too. So this is just a note to myself to consider running one.   TALs I'd offer decants of:   Caliph's Beloved Charisma Block Buster/Road Opener Aunt Caroline's Money Draw Brass Balls Nine Muses   So they'd be 5.50 per imp maximum, to go with the lab's price cap thingie (although maybe just $5 sounds better). It looks like I could only order 4 bottles... hmm. This is hard to start out with. But there'd be 5 slots for each TAL bottle. Which is exactly the price of the bottle. That sounds nice, 'cause I don't want to screw anyone, but at the same time, I'd have to buy all the decanting supplies and shiz....   Maybe I'll just put this on the backburner for now.
tastycactuar

tastycactuar

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meeow712's Blog
 

Resurrection of the Flesh

Resurrection of the Flesh: Frankincense, hyssop, heliochrysum, ylang ylang, copal, angelica, and rose geranium. Featured in the Salon: detail of the fresco.     In the imp: WoW! The resins and ylang ylang blend so beautifully together. A quick test tells me this will be a favorite.   On me: a delicious incensey blend fused with the beauty of ylang ylang. For maybe half an hour. And then it fades to almost nothing. My skin ate it, and in eating it the fragrance that is left isn't even classifiable. It's something, but so faint that it isn't much. I am very disappointed by this.
meeow712

meeow712

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vultureguy's Blog
 

:(

I'm going to go slather some Western Diamondback and lie down.     I'm sick and not happy about that. Worked my ass off last week, went in when I was sick because of work that needed to be done.   Went home early yesterday. Stayed home sick today.   Found out just now that they announced how much of our area they are off shoring to India.   60%   Flippin Hell. It will be a ghost town in there. I'm officially depressed and sadly the Creme Brulee chocolate just won't cut it. I am going to withstand the temptation to hit the fermented stuff. Really really don't need to be compounding my problems right now. I've emailed my team leader to see if I can get more info. I've emailed Carol and asked if we could talk about moving our accounts out of the bank we work at. They dont' have loyalty to us, why bother? Besides the biggest argument they had about keeping our accounts there was that it kept our jobs safe. Yeah, right. Not anymore. Besides, the only way the CEO is going to have an idea that this isn't a good idea is when the money starts walking. If we hemorrhage profits then it will hopefully offset any "gains" from offshoring.   Fliping idiot <---- insert much stronger language
vultureguy

vultureguy

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meeow712's Blog
 

Two Monsters

Two Monsters: Oakmoss, vetiver, black musk, champaca flower, leather, patchouli, ginger, Japanese pittosporum, ambergris and white pepper.   In the Imp: Upon first sniff I didn't think it would work. I got a lot of leather, which has a 50/50 chance of going wrong on my skin, and vetiver, whichusually goes wrong on me if it's GC but not with CD blends.   Wet: The wrong kind of leather and some rotted spinach smelling vetiver underneath. I didn't even wait for the drydown and tossed it into the swaps pile.   And then, 10 minutes later, this scent morphed into one of the most amazing scents I have ever tried. Talk about a morpher!!! It reminds me of Temple Viper, another favorite. The leather blends beautifully with the resins and champaca to create an slightly leathery sweet incense scent that is absolutely amazing!! Must hoard. It has a very good throw and I get the feeling has a pretty long staying power too. Oh yes, I need a bottle.
meeow712

meeow712

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meeow712's Blog
 

Bilquis

Bilquis: Honey, myrrh, lily of the valley, rose otto, fig leaf, almond, ambrette, red apple, and warm musk.   In the imp: Sweet delicious honey and almond. Heaven!!!   On me: The almondy sweetness vanishes, and the rose otto comes to the forefront. At first it was a very perfumey blend, but now it is almost entirely rose. This would be wonderful for a rose fan, as it is a very complex and slightly sweet rose blend.... but I am not a fan so I'll have to pass on this one.
meeow712

meeow712

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vultureguy's Blog
 

13?

"white chocolate, dark chocolate, apple blossom, honeysuckle, frankincense, allspice, nutmeg, black tea, tonka, and sandalwood."   Hmmmm, do I? Don't I? I don't do foody usually, don't do chocolate, apple blossom or honeysuckle. But the rest of it (barring the tonka?? not sure about that) I do like. The fact that a Wildlife refuge gets some of the funds too makes it even more interesting so I'm leaning towards a possibly yes.   Besides, it's been forever since I've bought a bottle for either of us unsniffed in some form. Yes, I know that getting decants or sniffies first is best, that way we can spend our (limited) funds on what actually works instead of guessing and hoping that something might work and finding out it doesn't.   I did put an order in. I would have left it but the fact that some of it does go the refuge put me over the line on the "ok why not" line. Besides, it might be the next Glowing Vulva. I never thought we'd like that (or that it would have become so popular).   Work has been particularly bad. A really, really shitty week. Other stuff going on, sickness/flu and it all adds up to still trying to find the strength to get up each morning and put one foot in front of the other. I've got a couple job apps in, really leaning towards the second one that closes on Monday than the one that closed last week. It would technically be a step back but it would be a lot less stress and that's really what I would appreciate right now. I'm tired of playing with other people's money but more so I'm really tired of being responsible for millions of dollarsNZ getting (or not) into the right account at the right time yet making sure the right conditions have been met adequately. All with a rapidly reducing level of staffing.   Snake Oil was my saviour today, what I could smell of it. Western Diamondback yesterday.   My team leader was really really nice. I went up to her to tell her have a good weekend. She thanked me for coming in when I was sick. She told me this morning that my productivity level was 112%. And I'm sick. So that means I either fucked up a hell of a lot of accounts or I busted balls big time. At least she appreciates it and let me know. She wrote a note to Carol when I was talking to her tonight: "Carol can you please look after Alex (one of my favourites) as he has not been feeling well. Really appreciate his committment. He requires lots of TLC. Thanks. R"   I thought it was really nice.
vultureguy

vultureguy

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Diplomatka
 

Amen

I came in this morning and had gotten a copy of the article referenced here about Muslim women having their hymens reconstructed. I shared it with my friend Hareg who informed me that infibulated women go to the doctor to have their infibulation "tightened up" for the husbands as a holiday gift. (If you don't know what infibulation is, it's when a woman has her clitoris, labia majora and minora cut out and then sewn together to ensure she remains a virgin until she marries. See my post on International Women's Day.)   Y'all, what the fuck? At least Judith Warner knows what time it is.       From today's New York Times.     June 12, 2008, 11:37 pm Pure Tyranny Tags: chastity, patriarchy   Righteous indignation is so easy, so pleasant, when you can sit back and fling it overseas. I had that edifying experience on the D.C. Metro Wednesday morning, reading in the Times about the Muslim women in France who are going to cosmetic surgeons for hymen replacement surgery so that they can bleed as seeming virgins on their wedding nights. It’s a practice that has, apparently, become relatively common in the immigrant communities of Europe. But, of course, it seems like hair-raising news in a country like ours, where a young woman’s right to do with her body as she sees fit has, for decades, been enshrined as perhaps the most essential part of her God-given human dignity. As my 11-year-old says, Yeah, right. Right after I finished reading the Times piece, I called the French Embassy to find out under what conditions French social security would pay for the hymen-restoration procedure. (It’s “mostly done in private clinics and in most cases not covered by tax-financed insurance plans,” said the Times article; “Oh la la!” said the receptionist to whom I relayed my query.) I then started rifling through my desk. And there, beneath a report showing paid family leave to be on the decline, beneath a Newsweek article on a new children’s book, “My Beautiful Mommy,” that tells the story of a mom who becomes even prettier after a nose job and a tummy tuck, I found the story that the hymen news had immediately brought to mind. It was also from The Times, from May 19, and featured 70-odd girls, of “early grade school to college” age, with their fathers, stepfathers and fathers-in-law-to-be, at the ninth annual, largely evangelical “Father-Daughter Purity Ball.” “The evening, which alternated between homemade Christian rituals and giddy dancing” – and which culminated, for at least one father and his daughters, with a dreamy walk in the night around a lake, “was a joyous public affirmation of the girls’ sexual abstinence until they wed,” said the Times article. “From this, it’s only a matter of degree to the man in Austria,” I’d scribbled across the first page. The “man in Austria,” of course, was 73-year-old Josef Fritzl, who was around that time also making headlines after it was discovered that he had kept his daughter, Elisabeth, 42, locked up in a cellar for 24 years, during which time he’d raped her regularly, and had her bear him seven children. (“It was a lovely idea for me, to have a proper family … down in the cellar, with a good wife and a couple of children,” he said in his confession.) Fritzl, a self-described “man of decency and good values,” had imprisoned his daughter after she began staying out all night and drinking. “I had to create a place where I could keep Elisabeth by force if necessary, away from the outside world,” he confessed. “Fathers, our daughters are waiting for us,” Randy Wilson, one of the ball’s organizers, said at the Colorado Springs “Purity” event. “They are desperately waiting for us in a culture that lures them into the murky waters of exploitation. They need to be rescued by you, their dad.” I don’t want to take this analogy too far. I don’t mean to imply that there’s any equivalency between Josef Fritzl’s acts and the Purity Ball. Fritzl’s actions were uniquely horrific, and I am not accusing the men who danced in Colorado Springs of any crimes. But there is nonetheless a kind of horror to their obsession with their daughters’ sexuality. There is a dangerous boundary violation contained in their vow “before God to cover my daughter as her authority and protection in the area of purity.” And there is even greater danger to the fact that this particular aspect of the nationwide “abstinence movement” has not been broadly denounced as the form of emotional violence against girls that it indisputably is. Judith Lewis Herman, a clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, whose work with and writings on incest victims in the 1980s revolutionized the understanding of the crime and its perpetrators, believes that incest, like rape generally, has to be viewed within a wider context of power relations. Incest, she says, is “an abuse of patriarchal power,” a criminal perversion of fatherly control and influence. It is perpetrated, in many cases, by men who present themselves as the guardians of the moral order. And it isn’t always physical; in her 1981 book (with Lisa Hirschman), “Father-Daughter Incest,” she writes that the violation can be emotional, too, as when a “seductive father” oversteps his boundaries and goes places he never should in his daughter’s head. “Something I need from dad is affirmation, being told I’m beautiful,” said 19-year-old Jordyn Wilson at the ball. “If we don’t get it from home, we will go out to the culture and get it.” Sexual abuse – judging by statistics mostly based upon reports of incest – has greatly decreased in our country in recent years. From 1992 to 2003, substantiated cases went down 40 percent, according to the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire. Lisa Jones, a research professor at the center, says she thinks the impressive decrease isn’t just due to changed reporting patterns or data collection methods. “We feel like it’s very suggestive of a likelihood that there’s a real decline,” she said. There are many possible reasons for this improvement. But one, I think, that has to be considered is that girls’ and women’s status has risen. Acceptance of sexual assault and insult has declined. In a world where girls and women are stronger, “abuses of patriarchal power” are less tolerable, acceptable, and possible. Or should be. In highly secular France, the reaction to the drama over young women’s virginity playing out in Muslim communities has been public and profound. Justice Minister Rachida Dati recently had to fight off calls for her resignation after she upheld a ruling by a regional court that had annulled the marriage of two French Muslims because the bride turned out not to be a virgin. Our condemnation of cultural practices and beliefs in our own country that violate girls’ and young women’s dignity and most intimate personal boundaries should be no less total. For, when it comes to female chastity, much of what passes for “protection” is nothing less than sick.
Confection

Confection

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