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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
    • 8,991 views
 

Mad Tea Party

I have almost completed the collection and I am so glad I started with this one. I love just about every scent so far and am eagerly awaiting the final few scents I don't have already. Yay!

TeaLeaf

TeaLeaf

 

updating

There has been much swapping. I need to update my lists & write more reviews.   Random: I went to Das Bunker last night. It was kinda like late 90s industrial/raver night. I was SO f-ing happy. I traded a drink for 2 glowsticks and had at it. OMG, joy. & I hadn't been to a club in 2 years. I'm sore, tired, and full of bliss. Thus, today I wear Bliss.

quigza

quigza

 

Lucretia

Lucretia: Iris, black amber, sage, Kashmir wood, vanilla musk, mandarin and violet.   In the bottle: Yuck - pure iris! I almost didn't even test it, but thankfully I did.   On me: A sharp violet! The iris hides, thankfully. The violet blooms and definitely takes the forefront, its beauty is accentuated by the amber, sage, and vanilla musk. They blend beautifully to de-floralize the violet while still keeping a strong violet presence (confusing, but I don't know how else to describe it). This is a gorgeous scent.

meeow712

meeow712

 

I've started testing some salons....Exhibit III...

I think this is going to be one of my favorite categories!!   Madonna: Hyssop, pomegranate, Angel’s Trumpet, Indonesian patchouli, iris, white orchid, and frankincense.   OMFG I need buckets of this!!!!!! The white orchid dominates, but is balanced out by the pomegranite to make this a very sweet beautiful orchid. The hyssop (I think) sweetens it up nicely, and the frankincense makes it resiney enough to give a bit of an incense feel. This is heaven!!!! Bottle - yes, must have bottle.   Love and Pain: Lavender, Balkan tobacco, black musk, dark vanilla, and golden copaifera.   This is the most beautiuful lavender blend!!! The tobacco keeps it from getting overly floral, but didn't stand out on its own (thankfully, because I amp it like crazy). The dark vanilla and black musk work beautifully to turn the lavender into a very dark purple type of scent, very sensual. Bottle is definitely needed!!   Death and Life Completed: Grey amber, carnation, lemon balm, hydrangea, Chinese peony, white sandalwood, cypress, juniper, cedar, hibiscus, and African daisy.   Peony!! This is what I wanted peony moon to smell like. For me it's mostly peopny and hibiscus, no amber anywhere unfortunately. The sandalwood and cedar complement the florals very niceley and give it a bit of a woodsey feel.   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's hard to tell what I'm smelling specifically, but the honey in this is amped A LOT! I think it's the honey/almond combination. This is so well blended that I can't pick out the notes. It smells very good, but it's not "me" so I'll probably pass on this one.

meeow712

meeow712

 

One Buzzard that's slipped my grasp

I haven't seen anything on the Lab's Ebay listings in awhile that really got me excited but today's Doc Buzzard lifted my droopy wings. I had a suspicion that when I read one review that said she's paid $120 for it on Ebay that I would be in trouble. I took the plunge and put a bid in for about $30. And was outbid. Put another in for about $36. And was outbid. Put one more in for $41. And am outbid again.   Is it worth it? Is a bottle of something unsniffed and I don't know if I like (but sounds good from the reviews) worth it?? I could get another 2 bottles for that, almost 3.   And the scary thing? I'm debating upping that bid to $50 just to see if it will stick. Not because I absolutely must have it/think I'll love it but because it's a vulture. Funny, I"m not drawn to trying the Mesehknet the Human Vulture on the Carnival just yet but Doc Buzzard is a go for me. Maybe the gender thing??     But Puddin has just put Ebay up and they have another 4 days to run. The other scents sound ok, Blood Moon is peaking my interest. I might put a tester bid in just to see if it's likely. It sounds rather nice too.

vultureguy

vultureguy

 

Belle Epoque

Category: Bewitching Brews   In the imp, it's vanilla and mandarin; once on me, the florals start coming out, but there is always a continual theme of vanilla to it. In fact, the vanilla amps and throws the most in this one. There is a slight powdery quality to it. If you like vanilla, go ahead and give this one a try.   Probably not bottle-worthy for me, though it is enjoyable. It reminds me a bit of Antique Lace.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Singing Moon

In the imp: A damp basement full of beets and wet herbals.   On wet: Wet, mineral-y, a touch of something sweet, and a dry grass/vaguely spicy note. So very complex!   Drydown: The dampness has faded, the beets have been shipped to market, and the spicy, honeyed herbals have risen up. Mmm...wow, so much better. *huff-sniff-snort* Mmm! I'm also picking up on the slightest hint of warm fruit! Delicious!   Overall: This is utterly fantastic on the drydown. I wasn't expecting much from this after the initial sniffy test (beets!!!), but WOW, does it ever morph into something glorious. I already have the shirt (the design blew me away), and now I might just have to hunt down a bottle. Such a pleasant surprise, and an easy 4/5.

furygrrl

furygrrl

 

Moon of Ice

In the imp: Effervescent - like Sprite! Immediately puts me in mind of Talvikuu.   On wet: That fizzy soda yum is still prominent, though there's something almost creamy underneath.   Drydown: Pine-Sprite Creamsicle - and I'm getting the faintest, *faintest* whiff of something sour every now and then. Not sure where that's coming from...   Overall: Not a bad blend (aside from that weird mystery sourness), but when it comes to snowy/piney/slushy scents, my nose belongs to Talvikuu and The Snow Storm. 2.5/5

furygrrl

furygrrl

 

Long Night Moon

In the imp: Something fruity sweet, a smidge of mint, and watery pine.   On wet: Sweet pine and frosty mint!   Drydown: It's gone totally floral with a musk base. The moonflower is prominent, along with something high-pitched and creamy sweet - I'm thinking it's the cereus (which I have no experience with *at all*), though if I had to guess, I'd have said it was jasmine. The blue musk is sparkly and effervescent. The mint and frost/pine notes are MIA, and I haven't sniffed any thyme yet, either.   Overall: Classy and floral-sweet, very upscale and pretty. It's not a scent I see myself reaching for very often, but if I had somewhere elegant to go - a wedding, a fancy evening out with my husband, the theatre, etc. - LNM would be a great choice. Lovely! 3/5

furygrrl

furygrrl

 

Belladonna

Category: Rappacini's Garden   This one is definitely very 'green', earthy, and has a medicinal snap to it, though it's not overwhelming or obnoxious. More or less, it feels like standing knee-deep in a clump of thin, tiny green vines -- you can smell the tartness of the plants themselves, with a hint of the earth beneath it all, and a tantalizing sweetness throughout, as if from hidden blooms amid all the twining tangle. It's really nice. I'm still not decided as to whether I need a bottle of it, but, for the time being at least, it's a fond favorite. And the green color of the oil itself is pretty cool.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Bayou

Category: Wanderlust   This blend is very floral and very wet -- like being near a pond laden with blooming water lilies. It strikes me as very feminine. I would recommend it to those who like aquatic notes and/or florals -- it succeeds really nicely on both of those levels.   As much as I enjoyed this blend, I still think that of the lush plant scents, Amsterdam still conquers all.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Bathsheba

Category: Ars Amatoria   This is a really elegant and sexy blend. On me, it smelled mainly floral, but in a delicate, almost coy sort of way. I think the musk helps push the blend out and impress it on your senses, but it manages to do so in a pretty subtle way. It also has nice staying power. I don't know if it's bottle-worthy, but it's definitely on my list of favorites for the moment.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Bastet

Category: Excolo   Oh, Bastet, lithe, supple, fierce goddess, I love you.   She is the pungeant, unashamed sweetness of myrrh, sweetened further by almond, warmed by amber, peppered with spice. She is warm and beautiful and wraps herself around you all day. Comparing her to, say, Anubis, which was beautiful in his own right for the mournful, solemn air he had, she is full of sunlight and life, evoking something that is languid but far from thick or sluggish. While he is down deep in the cool semi-darkness of stone preparing the dead, she is out in the sunlight, basking in life.   I really love this scent, can you tell? It's very warm, sweet, sexy and delicious. Purrrr.   She was like a breath of fresh air...for a long time I'd felt like I was seriously in a jaded slump and unable to like *anything*. I love the way the myrrh mixes with the almond. Makes me wonder what other Egyptian-themed blends will be like, as Anubis and Bastet have been the most evocative and interesting that I've experienced, by far.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Baron Samedi

Category: Excolo   Upon first whiff, it smells very sweet -- deliciously sweet to me, as if I'm smelling a bag of good, pipe-quality tobacco. Then the bay kicks in, giving a strident, not-quite-sour edge to it. Over time, it gives the impression of faint whiffs of booze and tobacco; it combines all the scents you'd expect to find on your long-lost Uncle, the ne'eer-do-well that likes to take long trips to exotic locales and then saunter back into your life to regale you with intriguing yet slightly menacing stories of his travels.   Bay leaf is an interesting thing. Used to flavor a dish, it imparts a very nice, hearty flavor. If you forget to take that leaf out and happen to get a good taste of the thing itself, though -- yowza. Not nearly as pleasant. And, unfortunately, though Baron Samedi has that delicious, evocative air to it, ultimately he is like sucking on a bay leaf -- just too pungeant, too sharp around the edges. Not my thing.   This scent is not for me, yet somehow I think I would like smelling it on someone else. Once you have that degree of seperation, this blend becomes a lot more tolerable; it's a bit like settling into Uncle's chair after he's gone off for more sinister adventures somewhere, revelling in the scent he's left behind, and breathing a sigh of relief that he's gone.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Baobhan Sith

Category: Diabolus   It's definitely a mix of lemon and ginger, a very tart, sour, strident aroma. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it. They are both notes that I've enjoyed in other blends, but this particular one just does not knock my socks off. Even so, if you are an afficianado of either lemon or ginger, give it a whirl. On me, the lemon came out and was more prominent, with the ginger punctuating it.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Baneberry

Category: Rappacini's Garden   This one is pretty straightforward: juicy, plump berry scent. It lasted a moderate amount of time, though it had definitely faded by the end of the day. Those of you who love all things berry should definitely jump on this one. It's not really my personal cup of tea, however.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Baghdad

Category: Wanderlust   In the imp I could tell that there was some sandlewood there, with maybe a hint of something sweet, like the mandarin.   Once it gets on me, that sandlewood really amps up. At first there is a sharp, woody tone, but it quickly mellows to something that has sweetness around the edges -- bergamot and orange, it seems.   It's a lovely scent, though like all the sandlewood scents before, it doesn't last too long.

Argentwolf

Argentwolf

 

Monkey Bite

I just don't fucking learn, now do I?   I got bitten by a monkey.   It was the innocent looking one on the left. See, I had to do a rapid assessment of a high-risk corridor in Northern Ethiopia last week and the husband and I decided to take some time to see Lalibela and Gondar. (You all know Lalibela--it's home to the rock-hewn churches and has been part of the Amazing Race TV show [the season with the professional wrestlers when Joyce and Uchenna won].) At any rate, in Gondar there is a woman who runs a charity which includes: 1. Primary school for 27 children 2. Donkey rescue 3. Cat and dog rescue 4. Veterinary facilities 5. Income generation for people with disabilities 6. Sponsorship for poor children, young adults and the elderly; and 7. Primate rescue.   It's the last one that was a problem. While the donkeys, cats and dogs were relatively docile, the monkeys are mean. I knew this and I went and tried to get my picture with one anyway. The bastard monkey ran up and bit me on the leg. My husband got it on film.   Someday we will look back on this and laugh about the fact that I just don't understand that monkeys are not cute, they are not pets, and they are not friendly. In the meantime we will be calling the center and checking to make sure none of the monkeys exhibit signs of rabies.   No wonder the people who used to own them got rid of them. Damn monkeys.

Confection

Confection

 

Yvaine

Yvaine: The high, crystalline scent of a star-filled night with blue lavender and lush magnolia.   In the imp: Not sure about this, it doesn't smell very appealing and I get some sort of citrus?   On me: This totally blossoms, and the weirdness goes away. The lavender is sweetened up by something in there, and the magnolia peeks out but doesn't make the blend overly flora. It really does embody Yvaine, to my Stardust-loving-self. This is very yummy and a bottle is needed.

meeow712

meeow712

 

Scents Are Good For You!

I love incense and especially frankencence. I can't burn them here much, it sets off Caro's allergies or something (her chest gets tight and she gets coughy from the smoke). I think that is why I fell for Troll. I love the resins, the incense, the frankencense.   Lately with everything going on I've been finding a lot of joy and peace in my BPAL. It's really weird and I feel like a bit of a dolt for it. But it's true so there.   Now I know why.   http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/...80520110415.htm   Hooray! Frankencense has anti-depression value. I guess that means I do need a full bottle of Troll after all!

vultureguy

vultureguy

 

Snake Oil goodness

I've got my first SO bottle on the Lab order that we got the CnS for on the way. I've put a bid on a forumite's SO on Ebay. And I've managed to snag a bottle of 9 mth aged SO from someone in the UK who it doesn't work on. So even if I loose out on Ebay I've got one ot age and one already aging.   It isn't much but it's one of the few good things that's happened in a long time.

vultureguy

vultureguy

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