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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!
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Gaidig's Blog
 

Neo-Tokyo

Imp #3: Neo-Tokyo   Note: Mid cycle. Imp fresh from the Lab.   "Urban metallics and an ozone-tinged breath of electric light mingled with reedy bamboo, crisp mountain air, cherry blossoms, delicate orchid and a splash of playful, wet fruits."   In the bottle: This smells like French double milled soap! (In a good way.) The cherry is coming out a lot in it. I am getting the metallic, too. Like wet, fruity, finely milled soap on the side of a steel wash tub, in the cold mountain air, where you poar fresh water over your head from a pitcher.   On me: Cherry is moving back on drydown. Yay! (Why does my right wrist smell totally different from my left? It's cherry +5.)   1 hour+ later: Clean, metalic. I think that clean sharpness is the ozone. The fruit is gone, except maybe as the faintest hint of sweetness. This is a very clean scent on me. Not what I was expecting, but I think it will be good for work wear. Also, it's very light.
Gaidig

Gaidig

0
this and that from Antaria
 

Ugly

I've never been very selfconfident about my looks - but now I really want to hide myself.   For about 6 weeks I have an inflammation right beside my eye. Sometimes its so pale that you almost won't recognize it - and sometimes - like now - it's 4cm in diameter, cherry-red, hurts and is the first thing you see when you look into my face.   Well, and the doctors says that it will last at least another 6 weeks. I hate it. I think I should remain at home. Even scents which let me feel sexy (like Hymn) won't help - I just feel ugly (well I know I am) and I hate it how people look at me. For example my boss - everytime he's next to me he stares at it, asks questions and has an repelled expression on his face.   My sweetheart says no longer "no you don't look ugly" - by now he says "I don't care as long as you are mine" - that's sweet - but sometimes I wish he'd lie again and tell me "no no, thats not that bad, don't think about it".   *sighs*   If it only would go away again ... well ... now, not in 6 weeks. And please: Never come back again!!
Antaria

Antaria

2
You will hardly know who I am
 

What I'm reading

Ok, so I'm going to do my best to keep track of what I'm reading this year. I'm one of those readers who starts a million books but only finishes a portion of them, and I wish I wasn't like that, at least not quite as much as I am. So I'm sort of hoping that by listing what I'm reading here, it will give me a little impetus to actually get through the books. I'm going to number them, too, because I'm a Virgo.   1) Earthly Joys, Philippa Gregory - I mooched this book on Bookmooch. Yay for mooching! I just started it a couple of nights ago...go through the first couple of chapters, and then got distracted (by book number 2). However, the first couple of chapters were good, in that mindless, historical fiction kind of way. I really enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl, so I will definitely go back to reading this one.   2) The Call of the Wild, Jack London - Saw it sitting on my shelf yesterday morning, and thought it would be a great book to read in the middle of January. Loving it so far, but I'm finding it a little emotionally wretching. I love animals, and the fact that some of these dogs die heartbreaking deaths is a little tough to read. But it's a great book, I can barely put it down. My volume includes White Fang, too, and I may read that next.
clover

clover

0
Gaidig's Blog
 

Lust

Imp #2: Lust   "red musk, patchouli, ylang ylang and myrrh."   Note: Early in the cycle. Imp fresh from the Lab.   In the bottle: This smells rather perfumey to me. And red. Like Red Door? Or is that just a totally dissociated scent memory?   On me: The "perfuminess" is starting to mellow. I'm not sure what it is I don't like. Is it the patchouli? Is it the ylang ylang? I'm not sure I've ever smelled red musk or myrrh.   1 hour+ later: This has mellowed down to a light incensy scent, like old books in a sacred library, or the library at Hogwarts, yes, I think this is a Hermione Granger scent -- at least on me. It isn't the lust I was looking for, though. *tear*
Gaidig

Gaidig

1
Do you have a flag?
 

De-crapification in effect.

Hubby and I have too much stuff. It's taking over our house. I am something of a packrat (if by "something of a" you might mean "HUGE")... I have:   - bright fuschia-colored socks that were in style for about a minute in 1986. They don't have holes and are still kinda cushiony (probably because I've worn them twice), so I never got rid of them. With the exception of a few pairs, most of my socks can be dated to the early- or mid-90s. - underwear that I bought 10 years ago. If it still fits and doesn't have any holes, I still have it. Those account for, and I'm not kidding, at least 40% of my underwear drawer. - any piece of paper that hasn't been written on. If there's 2 pages left in the pad of paper, I keep it. This includes spiral notebooks from college (which was 15 years ago). - casette tapes I've had since college. I had a vast tape collection before CDs. I meant to replace them with CDs, and I did, for most of the ones I listened to most frequently. And now we're in the age where even CDs are being phased out... and yet I still have casette tapes. - VHS tapes. Same thing. I haven't looked at a VHS tape since we moved into this house 4.5 years ago. But I still have every VHS tape I ever bought. - clothing. I keep everything I've ever bought unless it is too worn to wear. I have sizes from 5 to 18, small to 2X. Some of them still have tags. And let's not talk about concert/band t-shirts. - and just plain crap. Half a cross-stitch thing I never finished. Half a bottle of shampoo I stopped using in 1998. A metric ton of various candle holders I never use. Junk I bought on various vacations. Books I read half of and will never pick up again. CDs I bought 12 years ago and are still in plastic.   This crap has got to go. We have a four-bedroom house with a basement, and it's FULL. We are two people. This is no way to live.   My sister (a single mom, she and her son live in a house they share with my mother) is currently unemployed and is wondering how she's going to make her car payment. I take one look around my house and see the answer. This is a great incentive for de-crapifying my house. It would benefit my sister.   So I called her up the other night and said, "Hey, if I give you a bunch of stuff, would you be willing to sell it on eBay and keep the money for yourself?" She said sure. I told her I'd come over next weekend or the one after with the stuff. I bet she has no idea that my Subaru Outback will be FULL of boxes of clothes, DVDs, CDs, and books. She's in for a surprise.
filigree_shadow

filigree_shadow

5
Diplomatka
 

Cold

I want to start out by saying I know cold. I have lived in Siberia for two years and have seen my share of -53 degrees days. However, not even a stint in a Soviet gulag could prepare me for the cold I now have to endure in Kabul, without the warmth of a coal-burning electrical plant to fire my radiators in the depth of the Central Asian night.   A lot of people assume that Afghanistan is a warm place, that it is mostly desert and that it rarely dips below 80 degrees. For those people I have two words: Altitude, baby. Kabul sets in the Hindu Kush mountain range and the capital is about 4800 feet above sea level. Its location between hell and the devil’s anus means that summers are long, dry and hot and winters are snowy, cold, and also long.   Now, I know that everyone bitches and complains about cold weather. Even in Atlanta, I have known people to work themselves up over 50 degrees during the winter. However, these people have access to central heating and constant electricity. Here in Afghanistan, there is no electricity. Sure, during the summer there is central power almost 12 hours a day, but in the winter, you are lucky to get six hours every two days. Central heating is unheard of. That heat pump you’ve got out back or that sputtering radiator in the kitchen--Afghanistan has not seen technology like that since General Najibullah was around.   In order to keep warm, Afghans (and white folk like me) use bukhari. These are little stoves with chimneys that feed into the wall. Generally, these are diesel or wood burning and need to be refueled every few hours. They heat only one small area, so running to the bathroom at night results in a severe and immediate drop in body temperature.   Bukhari. My carbon footprint is bigger than yours!   But there is another, more sinister effect of the cold: frozen pipes. Here there is no central water system, no sewage system: wells are the name of the game. White folk (like me) generally have a well in the yard and an electric pump that forces water into a tank on top of the house. Most Afghans in the capital have this system too, but outside of Kabul most people carry water in buckets to their houses—all year. When you have a tank, the miracle of gravity brings this water to your sink, shower and toilet. Frozen pipes prevent this water from reaching your sink, shower and toilet, resulting in dirty (frozen) dishes, unwashed bodies and solid streams of urine to greet you in the morning.   This past weekend, my husband and I had the trifecta of cold-related problems: no electricity, frozen generator and frozen pipes. On Friday, we were surprised when our generator was frozen solid, so we spent the evening baking brownies by candlelight and drinking copious amounts of contraband alcohol. Saturday was even more surprising because when the generator finally started, we discovered our pipes were frozen. Forced to shower at my husband’s office on Sunday before work because we had NO water (Muslim workweek is Sunday-Thursday), I had no idea I was in for the greatest surprise of all: frozen pipes at work. Now, it is one thing to have to face your own frozen pee in the morning, but it is a whole ‘nother issue to have to stare down the excreta of your fellow employees. Plus, I had my period.   Why am I telling you this? Because I don’t want to forget how shitty (no pun intended) living in this country can be. I don’t want to think for a minute that things were OK here and not really that bad and that I could do it again. You might read articles about Afghanistan that are romantic and poetic about the country, but when it gets cold, all bets are off. The beauty is gone and all you are left with is exhaust from a diesel heater and yellow snow. I have no idea how people live here in mud brick buildings with one room and no toilet or running water. I have no idea how they sleep at night with one thin blanket and go to work wearing a patu and no coat. No idea. White folk (like me) just can’t.
Confection

Confection

0
Gaidig's Blog
 

O - First BPAL

I decided to try O first. Here goes:   "The scent of sexual obsession, slavery to sensual pleasure, and the undercurrent of innocence defiled utterly. Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla."   Note: Early in the cycle. Imp fresh from the Lab.   In the bottle: This is much sweeter than I expected! Something sharp... but not in a bad way, more bright. I don't know why I didn't expect it to be sweet, looking at the description "Amber and honey with a touch of vanilla." The honey is shouting out here, with a sort of Sweet-Tart-ish tang.   On me: A little mellower, less sweet. The amber is coming out more. The vanilla is just giving it an extra zing. I'm not sure I put enough on to really get a wet stage and a drydown stage. My skin kind of soaked it up before I had a chance to order my thoughts.   1 hour+ later: It still has throw, despite the fact that I only applied a little. I was smelling it a tiny bit as I went about my tasks around the house, without having to sniff at my wrists. It isn't what I expected from other reviews. On me now, it is like warm, aching desire. I'm glad it has morphed into this. Here I go to put a little more on.
Gaidig

Gaidig

2
Sourball Ho!
 

Update!

I'm completely overwhelmed by the latest update, with the Lupercalia and Carnaval Diabolique additions. So many great scents! I don't want to go through the whole list of every new scent, but the ones I'm interested in are:   Svadhinaopatika -- the amber blends are OK on me, not great; they don't seem to last very long, but I love the honey blends and would like to try this   Vasakasajja -- I've been really liking the champaca blends lately, so nice and incensey/floral   Chintamani-Dhupa -- another incense blend that sounds exotic and romantic and great   Khajuraho -- I sniffed last year's at a Meet-n-Sniff and while I thought I would love it, it was a bit underwhelming. All the ingredients sound nice though, so I should try a bottle   Parliament of Monsters -- another incense blend. More please!   Australian Copperhead -- what a great idea to do so many variations of Snake Oil. I want to try the blends that focus on my favorite BPAL notes, like vanilla or honey or musk, so this one with amber and vanilla sounds nice   Death Adder -- same as above, with black coconut and vanilla   Temple Viper -- same as above, with sugar cane, frankincense and champaca   Western Diamondback -- if this had the leather from Dead Man's Hand or Quincey Morris, I will die!   Wild Men -- maybe red amber would be stronger than regular amber? The additional ingredients sound nice   In conclusion: I ordered Haloa (before the Yules disappear), Haunted (a GC that I've been wanting forever) and Australian Copperhead
dawndie

dawndie

0
Druby's Blog
 

What I Own/Have tried: Imps

Bewitching Brews Absinthe Arcana Belle Epoque Bewitched Black Pearl Blood Blood Kiss Chimera (sniffie) Dee Jack Jolly Roger Lurid Penny Dreadful The Coiled Serpent The Raven     Funeral Oils Embalming Fluid x2 Les Fleurs Du Mal Nocturne     Dark Elements Inferno     Sin & Salvation Anathema Black Dahlia Cathedral De Sade Dirty Dorian Envy Les Infortunes De La Vertu Lust Pride Sloth Vice     Love Potions Desire Harlot La Petit Mort Lucy's Kiss x2 Muse x 2 Nefertiti Perversion Satyr Snake Oil Succubus Whip     Diabolus Blood countess Bloodlust Bluebeard Djinn Dracul Lycaon Maenad Marie Medea Nosferatu Pain Wolf Moon 2006     Mad Tea Party Alice The Caterpillar King of Hearts     Illyria Goneril Titania     Wanderlust Eden Hollywood Babylon London Paris R'lyeh     Ars Draconis none     Rappaccini's Garden Black Rose Opium Poppy Wolfsbane     The Salon none     A Picnic in Arkham none     Excolo Eris Hades Polyhymnia     Voodoo Blends #20 Love Oil Black cat Fire of Love x2 Queen Red Devil Wolf's Heart     Tarot Oils none     Sephiroth none     The Chakras none     Panacea none     Somnium Baku     Carnival Diabolique Carnaval Diabolique Melisande, The puppet mistress     Limited Edition   Rose Red Smut Trick or Treat Creepy Schwarzer Mond Strawberry Moon Black moon Ace of Hearts     Order of the Dragon Lucy Westerna x2 + 5ml The Carpathian Mountains Johnathan harker + 5ml Carfax Abbey Brides of Dracula + 5ml Wilhelmina Murray +5ml Dr John Seward + 5ml Bloody Sword Count Dracula +5ml The Castle R.M. Renfield +5ml Quincey Morris
Druby

Druby

0
Filling the Periodic Table
 

Flickr makes my garden *rock*

I love the "notes" feature in Flickr. I took pictures of my brown, dead winter yard, and notated where I've planted all of my bulbs (or at least where I think I've planted them) The pictures are kinda boring, but I'm excited and looking forward to a few months from now, when things start sprouting, and I can match them up to the pictures.   Have a look at all the ugly landscaping I'm trying to work around!
antimony

antimony

2
Gaidig's Blog
 

First Order arrived!

I just received my first order from the lab, and I can't wait to try it out! Of course, it's something I will do better to avoid, since I am about to go out and join friends, and I have no idea of my body chemestry. Still, I will try one tomorrow morning.   I received my order: Anne Bonny, Blood Kiss, Hamadrayd, Scherezade, Swank, O, Lust, Sea of Glass, Sin, Neo-Tokyo, Prague, and Tintagel.   Plus, I received two free imps: Seraglio The Bow and Crown of Conquest   Funnily enough, the package smelled a lot like stepping into Raven's Nest Herbals. From that, I really feel that true oils were used.
Gaidig

Gaidig

1
heartspun's Blog
 

current orders

order placed 12/12/06: 6-pack of imps - alice, the lion, eden, dana o'shee, sudha segara, tenochtitlan   order placed 01/03/07: 5ml bakeneko, 5ml svadhinaopatika
heartspun

heartspun

0
Is Anybody Out There?
 

Phone saga

The watchdog group didn't work out. We paid stupid Trinsic. They're going to disconnect the number entirely in 24-48 hours, so I'll probably be without DSL until Verizon can get us hooked up. I dunno how long that'll take, so if you don't hear from me, don't worry, for I am not gone.   Ugh. I hate this.
smallvoice

smallvoice

0
Is Anybody Out There?
 

More school

I mortified myself this morning.   I rushed to get to school and was about ten minutes early, and the math classroom was empty except for the instructor, who looked like he was grading papers. So I came in and looked over my math, and I thought about running over to the admin building to get the add sheet I'd forgotten to pick up yesterday (and again today!) but decided against it. People slowly filter in, and this girl sits next to the instructor and starts asking him questions, so I don't want to interrupt that, but I do want to catch him before class starts, so I go over there, pull up a chair, and listen to what they're discussing while I wait my turn. Finally, I'm like, "Hey, I don't mean to be rude, but I forgot to grab an add sheet." He stares at me blankly and is all, "Add sheet?" So I say, "Yeah... to add me to the class... I spoke with you yesterday about it?" And he laughs, and loudly says, "Oh, I'm not the instructor." He glances back and then points to the guy walking in the door. "He's the instructor." Mortified. So I slunk back to my seat in shame. How awful. And everyone heard the exchange, but seriously, I'd only met the guy yesterday and I didn't really remember what he looked like, and... yeah. So freaking embarrassing.   The rest of the day was fine, though, surprisingly.
smallvoice

smallvoice

2
Is Anybody Out There?
 

Calmer now

As has become expected, I am doing much better today than I was yesterday. I am SUCH a freak the first day of a new quarter, seriously.   Speech is going to be challenging, but I think it'll be good for me, and I already like the instructor. I got into the 8:00 math class and dropped the one that traumatized me, so even though I'll have to get up at 6am, I'll be totally done with school by 11:30, and that is really nice. I have missed that. I'm half tempted to do a 7:00 class next spring so I'll get out at around 10. But... eh. I'm not that much of a morning person, and dragging myself to yoga at that time was seriously difficult, and that was only two days a week.   I like my Lord of the Rings instructor, too. I have a feeling that is going to be a good class for me; I just need to get reading. For now, though, I need to do some math!   to everyone! Thanks for all the support!
smallvoice

smallvoice

0
Squash Soup
 

OH THE INSANITY

My wishlist just got crazy out of control. It's like its grown, divided and had babies like a couple of springtime rabbits. The worst part is that I'm BROKE.....yes the kind of broke that deserves capital letters, bolding and color. It's a very sad situation indeed.   I'm wearing Mme. Moriarty today and I may have fallen into deep deep love with it. It is an amazingly beautiful scent, with depth and incredible lasting power. I may have to hoard it. I have a feeling it will age in truly lovely ways. At the moment I have one lone decant so I'm being very selective. Its so strange that it even works on me at all. Plum smells like stewed prunes on me and fruit of any kind is usually a death wish anyway. And if everyone else is swooning over it, chances are its just not me. (Snake Oil, O and Smut anyone?) Who knew!   What I'm really dying for right now (I mean besides the parade of fabulouness that is the current update.) is Penny Dreadful. I got a chance to test it at our Meet N Sniff and have fallen deeply in love. I really knew that I would love it because I just can't get over how fantastic the name, concept and notes are. I mean where else but at BPAL could you even dream of finding a perfume of rich graveyard loam and noir perfume? But I suppose that is what drew me here anyway. My true favorites are almost always the really unique blends like Loviatar and Underpants. Hah talk about preaching to the choir.   Ooh I enabled the one person that I swore would never fall for BPAL! My best friend actually asked me for my imp of Delirium, which I was happy to pass along since it was in my swap pile. Unfortunately the lid broke and then I made matters worse by cracking the vial and in the end, it'll probably end up getting poured into my bath. I'm just glad that even she of the "oooooh Paris Hilton's perfume smells gooooooood" camp can be dragged in kicking and screaming. And just in case you're wondering I forbid her from buying the stuff and instead gave her one of my extra bottles of Lancome Miracle (which is smells exactly like I might add) and she is happy.   Ooh Seduction fizzies! I must have one or two or 5 million!!!!! (someone get the straight jacket, quick!)
jessiesquash

jessiesquash

0
Fishnets and Frankincense
 

Back in the saddle again!

(Of course, when I say "back in the saddle again," Steven Tyler's voice goes through my head...)   I don't really hide the fact that I work for a legislature, and today is the first day of the new legislative session. It will run until June. Anyone who reads this page will no doubt hear more about it than you will care to stomach. You will celebrate the end of it as much as I will. However, I'll try to keep a good attitude as long as possible, although I've already started it on a snippy, but personally meaningful note.   I was beginning my dressing ritual, which during the session, is a much more conniving process than the rest of the year. I tend to create a bit of an image that serves as an armor. There's a few people, mainly my friends, who see through it, but I can even fool some of my friends. The administrative support staff in the office get intimidated by me during the session, which always dismays and amuses me.   Last year's armor was some very nice pant suits, which I will of course continue to wear this year. The new additions to my armor include slightly above-the-knee pencil skirts, to be worn with very simple, long-sleeved tops. I have on such an ensemble today. Along with The Boots. The Boots are a new acquisition, and are black, knee-high faux suede boots, aprox. 3 inch narrow heels, pointy toes, and they have corset-style lacing up the back. From the front, I'm one thing, from the back, I'm another. The lobbyists will notice them, the senators won't. And in honor of the lobbyists re-entering the building in droves, I'm wearing Snake Oil as my fragrance. The choice was between Mme. Moriarty and Snake Oil, and I just didn't want to wear the Misfortune Teller the first day of the session. The Madame can be trotted out the second day.   I also have on my new red jasper pendant, which goes with my red jasper ring. I wear the ring all the time. I purchased it in late November because I felt I needed a ring with a red stone to provide some grounding energy. People are very attracted to it, but also a little intimidated by it. So of course, I had to wear the red jasper pendant on the first day to ward off whatever demons may approach. I am only half-kidding. This year I'm feeling very aware of the energy that some of these people (the politicians and the lobbyists) create, and I know what I want to avoid.   Today also marks the first day of the rest of my obsession, which is a really long story that I'm not going to tell. (How coy of me, I know.) Suffice it to say that a process of mine in a 12-year obsession is over. It makes me sad, and part of my recent red jasper wearing is to ground myself so I can move beyond that process. I'm not sure the obsession is over, but I know a certain process is over. That's as clear as I'm going to get.   But rather than be wistful about the end of something, I'll endeavor to remember that on New Year's Day, it occurred to me (out of the blue, while working out) that we can all grow our own power to whatever level we want, and we need take back seat to no one else's. While I work in a place where supposedly "powerful" people move about, political power is only one sort of power, and I sometimes think a rather pathetic sort of false power. Getting elected to an office is a way that some people use to create their own power, because they're so needy that they don't know how to back off and find the power in their own center. Certainly, there's a few elected officials who aren't that way -- they either ran for office out of a true sense of public service and dignity (rare), or they found something inside of themselves while they were serving. I've seen that happen, and it's always very nice to watch.   So let the madness begin, I have my look on and I'm really starting to think that most of them are completely full of shit. But I'll do my very small part to try to contribute something useful to the process. My my heart really isn't in it, not at all.
valentina

valentina

2
Is Anybody Out There?
 

School daze

I don't even have an episode of Heroes recorded to soothe my wounded soul from today.   My math teacher? Is insane. No calculators on exams or the final. This is an algebra class. He also does pop quizzes and collects homework randomly, and doesn't make use of the online math center that helped me so very much last quarter. This blows.   Math was the class I was least worried about.   Now I have to upset my whole schedule, and it's just aggravating, and I just don't like the guy, right off the bat.   Although I hated my english teacher early on and we're on good terms now.   I think I'm going to drop math this quarter and take it next. Now to figure out a good class to pick up in its stead...   My eyes ache from my earlier hysterics.
smallvoice

smallvoice

2
This Old Snark
 

Anosmia, AKA sympathy for Hutchense

The Snarks have been unbelievably sick these past few days. Snarky began showing signs of not-quite-rightedness during the Asheville leg of their North Carolina circuit of Ought Six and has since gone through losing her voice, running a mild fever, eye-watering sinus pressure, and persistent, hacking, non-productive coughs (the worst kind!).   The Mister's symptoms appear to be on almost exactly a 48 hour delay from Snarky's.   The biggest problem, besides having slept for almost three days straight (what New Year's celebrations?), has been the phelgm induced anosmia. Even if the Snarks were to get hungry (which is a rarity given their complete lack of activity as well as their sneaking suspicion that snot has been draining directly into their stomachs this whole time, which, yeah, ) they can't smell anything well enough to taste it.   This is a great and terrible curse for foodies, which is just a less sexually suggestive name for what the Snarks really are, which are hardcore, dyed in the wool sensualists. (Snarky doesn't really know what "dyed in the wool" sensualists are like, but she is enjoying the mental image of drifts of alpaca fleece being soaked in a vat of deeply crimson dye)   What did the Snarks eat this weekend? Two frozen pizzas. With nothing added to them. It just seemed like a waste to add the usual tangy/zesty/cheesy additional toppings they usually do with their "cheat, heat, and eat" meals. Why bother? It was all just so much texture in their mouths, and nothing more.   So sad!   Which reminded Snarky about the last years of Michael Hutchense's life. He was never a role model for Snarky, but she felt a certain affinity with his public image. He was probably the prettiest man at the time to give her funny feelings in her tummy. When she found out about his head-trauma induced anosmia, she couldn't imagine the anguish he must have felt.   Side note: the step-sister-in-law's new boyfriend earned points with Snarky by going into a rather detailed discussion of how he possesses a very particular kind of synasthesia - he smells in colors. She left him an imp of Tombstone to see if it came up as a rusty cream with evergreen edging.   Anyways. The DarkityFam is still scheduled to begin showing up starting tomorrow night. Snarky thinks she'll be almost human enough to host, though the house is an utter and complete shambles (which will give DarkityMa something to keep herself occupied, if nothing else). The Mister will probably be pretty wrecked, but they will manage. Interesting start to the new year, indeed.
darkitysnark

darkitysnark

4
Do you have a flag?
 

What an update!

I can barely believe how much gorgeousness the Lab has created in the past few months. I have been thinking that after the hugeness of Carnaval Diabolique, Halloweenies, Order of the Dragon, Yule, a whole new Salon set, and the ToT inquisition, they'd probably be taking a break for a while. I thought that the next CD act would be kinda small, the size of one of the first two acts, and I thought that Lupercalia would be on the small side as well. Maybe 6 or 7 bottles.     Here are my thoughts and what I got:   HUNGER MOON. Ozone, white sandalwood, crystallized white amber, verbena, oakmoss, clary sage, and a hint of white citrus rind. I bought a bottle because I always buy Lunacy bottles. However, I don't expect to like this. Citrus and herbs are usually bad for me.   BAKENEKO. Warm amber musk, Satsuma tangerine, black tea leaf, cardamom, cherry blossom and cinnamon. Again, I bought a bottle because it's a Lunacy blend, but I'm not sure it'll work on me. My skin amps cardamom and cinnamon to overwhelming proportions. Both in the same blend is very probably a deal-breaker.   ABHISARIKA. Damascus rose, African orchid, cream accord, and Kashmir musk. I love the idea behind these. I would have bought the whole set if I had enough money. I heavily debated whether to buy a bottle of this one, and I probably should have. But I just wound up joining a decant circle to buy a decant of it. At least it'll be up for a while so I'll still have a chance to get a bottle later. I don't usually like blends that are too rosy, but the orchid, cream, and Kashmir musk sound wonderful.   KALAHANTARIKA. hyssop, lavender, balsam of Peru, jonquil, and elemi. Potentially too strong for me. I'll be interested to find out what it smells like, but I'm not going to go out of my way for it for a while.   KHANDITA. fiery saffron, neroli, severe black musk, rose otto, and a harsh splinter of rosemary. It's funny, I was all prepared to order this one until I saw the rosemary, and then I balked. Maybe I shouldn't have. I usually like the other notes.   PROSHITAPATHIKA. blue iris, fennel, dark musk, verbena, and a drop of star anise. This is the other one that probably won't work for me. I tend to dislike sharp scents, and the fennel and star anise might be too much for me. Also I usually don't like verbena at all.   SVADHINAOPATIKA. golden amber, oude, red sandalwood, massoia bark, honey, and currant. Um... yeah, I got a bottle of this one. Holy crap. That sounds marvelous.   VASAKASAJJA. skin musk, wild orchid, champaca flower, amaranth, tonka bean, and French vanilla. Had to get a bottle of this one too. It sounds feminine but not overly so, and rich and slightly decadent. I love the description, too.   VIRAHOTKANTITA. blue lilac, snowdrop, bergamot, night-blooming cereus, frankincense, Himalayan cedar, and stargazer lily. This definitely sounds like it will smell like sadness. I bet it'll be very pretty, too. I'd like to find a decant of it.   VIPRALABDA. benzoin, Greek sage, hay, melaleuca ericifolia, oakmoss, and blue chamomile. I have no idea what that will smell like. I'd like to try a decant of it.   DOLCE STIL NUOVO. rose otto, carnation, vanilla flower, lavender and jasmine with the clarity of crystalline white musk and the warmth of golden amber. Eek. Those flowers are usually much too strong on me. I'd try a decant of this, but I doubt it'll work for me.   CHINTAMANI-DHUPA. Pound well together sandal-wood, Kunku, costus, Krishnaguru, Suvasika-puspha, white vala and the bark of the Deodaru pine; and, after reducing them to fine powder, mix it with honey and thoroughly dry. Got a bottle of this because I'm dying to know what it smells like. The description is very intriguing.   KANISHTA. black opium, Haitian patchouli, jasmine sambac, French magnolia and kush. I didn't realize until after I submitted my order that I did NOT have this one in my order. Stupid oversight. I really meant to buy a bottle of this. It will be in my next order. This sounds like exactly the sort of scent that I love.   KHAJURAHO 2007. honey, date palm, tuberose, davana blossom, amber, white sandalwood, vanilla bean, Damask rose, and champaca flower. I had a bottle of this from last year, and although I thought it smelled fine, I never wore it. Sometimes I'd pick it up thinking I might wear it that day, but I always put it back down and picked something else. I like the scent, it's just not me, I guess.   LUPERCI 2007. raw, down and dirty patchouli, Gurjam balsam, and essence of Sampson Root sweetened with the heightened sexuality of beeswax, virile juniper, oakmoss, ambrette seed over honey and East African musk. I had a bottle from last year, and I thought it was going to smell good on me. I was really excited to try it. But both times I tried it, all I got out of it was juniper. One of my least favorite notes. My husband didn't like it on me either. So I swapped the bottle, and I've never regretted it.   NIGHT'S PAVILION 2007. White musk, osmanthus, Nile lily and frankincense. I may have tried this last year, but I don't remember it very well. I do know that every time I've seen it up for swap/sale I've passed it over rapidly. I believe that I did try it and I thought it was too sweet and feminine for me.   THE OBLATION. A stirring blend of dianthus, French lavender, blackberry, and white honey. I think that poem is wonderful and moving. In the old days when I had a job I would have bought a bottle of this just from the poem alone. However, now that I'm unemployed and my husband decides how much money I can spend, this would have been a risk for me because of the lavender. I couldn't resist signing up for a decant, though. I bet I'll like this despite the lavender.   THE PERFUMED GARDEN 2007. Myrrh and Moroccan jasmine with apple peel, Indian sandalwood, myrtle, quince, citron, and thyme poured over soft musk. I had a bottle of last year's version, and I thought it was too feminine so I sold it. Then I got together with another BPALer and she had a bottle of it she wanted to swap. I sniffed it and tried on a little bit, and I realized that I do like it. It is feminine, but I'm not as anti-feminine as I used to be. So now I have that bottle.   RED LANTERN 2007. Golden amber, blonde tobacco, Sudanese black coconut, rich caramel, black currant, white opium and delphinium laced with a sensual blend of Asian spice. I had a bottle of last year's version for many months, and I finally realized that I never wear it and I might as well sell it. I just sold it a couple of weeks ago. It's a great scent, and I liked it, but I see no reason why a whole bottle of it should be sitting in my BPAL box getting no love when they are lots of people around who would wear it and enjoy it.   SMUT 2007. Three swarthy, smutty musks sweetened with sugar and woozy with dark booze notes. I still have at least three bottles of last year's version. Maybe four. This is one of my husband's very favorite scents on me. I'm not allowed to wear it out of the house.   ELIXIR X: GRR. Headache relief. ELIXIR XI: OOF. Sinus pain relief. ELIXIR XII: UGH. Muscle ache relief. I didn't try any of these, but that imp three-pack is very tempting. I think I'll order the imp pack with my next order.   And now for the OMG Carnaval Diabolique scents:   THE PARLIAMENT OF MONSTERS. Dust, incense, wet tobacco, and a curl of opium smoke. I signed up for a decant of this. I expect to like it, but I'm not sure I'll like it enough for a whole bottle. I already have other bottles that have a similar scent.   ARACHNINA, THE SPIDER GIRL. A swirling, hypnotic perfume of black currant, poppy, red and black musk, lilies, nicotiana, and patchouli. I signed up for a decant of this too, but that was sort of dumb. I should have bought a bottle. There is no note in there that I don't like. In fact, I like them all a lot. I'm a huge sucker for red musk.   ESHE, A VISION OF LIFE-IN-DEATH. The perfume of life-in-death: embalming herbs, black myrrh, white sandalwood, black orchid, paperwhites, tomb dust, and Moroccan jasmine. The description for this one creeped me out. In a good way, of course. I didn't sign up for a decant of this because I was put off by the embalming herbs. Those usually overpower a blend on my skin. I will eventually swap for a decant of it to try, though.   FAIZA, THE BLACK MAMBA. black amber, caraway, oakmoss, green sandalwood, bergamot, jasmine sambac, gardenia, orange pulp, vanilla, blackberry, black musk, white honey, ti leaf, and ginger. I got a decant of this because there are quite a few notes in there that are usually not good on me. (oakmoss, jasmine, gardenia, ginger). However... those are all notes that have on occasion surprised me by not ruining a blend. So, we'll see.   ASP VIPER: Snake Oil with red mandarin, myrrh, and almond. Want to try a decant. Might be great.   AUSTRALIAN COPPERHEAD: Snake Oil with acai berry, amber, cardamom, neroli, and smoked vanilla. Not sure about the cardamom, but the other ones sound good. Will like to swap for a decant eventually.   BANDED SEA SNAKE: Snake Oil with oakmoss, sea moss, and olive leaf. Hmmm. I'll try it eventually, but I'm in no hurry on this one. Oakmoss and sea moss are usually not so great for me.   BOOMSLANG: Snake Oil with cocoa, teakwood, and rice milk. Bought a decant of this. I bet those notes smell lovely with snake oil.   CORAL SNAKE: Snake Oil with blood orange, red apple, lemon peel, plumeria, and gardenia. Hmmm. Probably not. Apple, lemon, and gardenia are usually no-nos for me.   COTTONMOUTH: Snake Oil with linden blossom, calla lily, passion flower, and narcissus. Snake Oil with a bunch of floral notes? I'm not sure what that will smell like. I'd like to try a decant of it, though.   DEATH ADDER: Snake Oil with vetiver, black coconut, vanilla, and opoponax. I allowed myself to buy ONE Snake Pit bottle unsniffed, and this is the one I chose. I bet I'll love this. Opoponax, vanilla, and vetiver are three of my favorite notes.   GREEN TREE VIPER: Snake Oil with four mints, bergamot, and green tea. Mint is usually not my thing.   HABU: Snake Oil with ho wood, teak, black musk, and bamboo. I carefully considered this one. I didn't buy a decant of it but probably should have. This will be one of the first ones I'll be looking for when people start swapping/selling their decants.   KING COBRA: Snake Oil with orris, frankincense, and copal. I like copal but frankincense tends to make blends too high-pitched and sweet on me.   SAW-SCALED VIPER: Snake Oil with cinnamon, cassia, and red ginger. Much too hot for me. I had a vial of Beth's experimental cinnamon Snake Oil, and it was too cinnamony for me. I like plain Snake Oil better.   TEMPLE VIPER: Snake Oil with sugar cane, frankincense, champaca, opoponax, labdanum, and hyssop. This one might be one I like despite the frankincense. I truly love champaca and opoponax, so I bought a decant of it.   WESTERN DIAMONDBACK: Oil with leather, tonka bean, red sandalwood, and sage. I didn't get a decant of this, mostly due to my dumbness. I should have. I will look for this one first when people start selling/swapping decants.   HOPE & FAITH, THE SIAMESE TWINS. Hope is sugared violet, Faith is sugared rose. Love the description for this one, but those florals usually don't work for me.   ISAAC, THE LIVING SKELETON. Bourbon, tobacco, dry bone, bay rum aftershave, and sleazy cologne. I bought a decant of this because I think my husband will like it.   KATANIYA, THE CLOCKWORK WOMAN. Gentle flowers over hot metal, shocked to life with electricity. I don't know what this will smell like. I'd like to try a decant eventually. I often like the metallic blends, but I already have several of them.   MESKHENET, THE VULTURE MAIDEN. Frankincense, hyssop, hibiscus, river reeds, orris root, palm frond, and olibanum. I don't think those notes will work for me. I'll try a decant eventually, but it's not high up on my list.   THALASSA, THE GALAPAGOS MERMAID. Seaweed, kelp, salty ocean spray, bitter almond, night-blooming jasmine, frankincense, and benzoin. VERY unlikely to work for me. I don't like the scent of seaweed and kelp at all.   TIRESIAS, THE ANDROGYNE. Dark, moody, and bittersweet: black currant, patchouli, tobacco, cinnamon leaf, caramel, muguet, and red sandalwood. Great description, and I love the song Gloomy Sunday. I think I might like this one a lot -- I bought a decant of it, and I'm betting it will be my first CD Act III bottle purchase (after Death Adder, of course).   THE WILD MEN OF JEZIRAT AL TENNYN. Fiery, primal, and precociously diabolical: red amber, Spanish moss, Indonesian patchouli, ambergris, red pepper, two cloves, and vanilla flower. I wonder if my husband would like this. He liked Fire Eater. It's just too hot-sounding for me.   WULRIC, THE WOLFMAN. Friendly, charming, and cuddly, but possessing one hell of a mean streak: cocoa absolute, French vanilla, birch tar, lavender, bourbon vetiver, wild musk, clary sage, and cistus. This might smell very good on my husband. I bought a decant of it so he can try it.   ZARITA, THE DOLL GIRL. white carnation, iris, orange blossom, and sugared cream. This will probably be too feminine for me, but I wouldn't mind trying it.   PRIALA, THE HUMAN PHOENIX. Three deep, dark myrrhs, smoke, and cinnamon bark. I bought a decant of this, and I'm really impatient to try it. I love myrrh and smoke. I wonder if I will end up wanting to buy a whole bottle.
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Whiskers and Whispers
 

New year, new scents!

Happy New Year to all of you! I really hope 2007 is a kick-ass year, in more ways than one-in my studies, my social life, my creativity and my hobbies. I want to make resolutions but it seems just calling them 'New Year resolutions' means that they will be broken ten minutes later. Call it a jinx, if you will. But anyway, my goals for '07 include: -Studying harder and much more than last year, especially in maths. -Looking for jobs early so that I can save up money to help when debt-time really hits me, and also for nice things like holidays, gifts, and indulgences like BPAL. -Putting more money into savings, though that's hard, especially considering today's Wallet Armageddon... -Selling off the stuff I really don't need on Ebay, like that pair of jeans that I got one Xmas and never fitted me, they're as good as new... -Trying to get my writing and arty muses back so I can write and sketch loads more than I did last year. -Socialise a little more, especially with guys. I'm pitifully shy in real life, and I need to get my arse off that computer chair and get mingling a little. And go to more student union clubbing nights or go to the union bar more. -Keeping that temper under control, and those uber-emotional/panicky moments need to be restrained too. -Do more active stuff, like swimming, dancing, or even gym...   Now, let's get to business. BPAL style...   BEST START TO THE YEAR EVER! Wow, what an update! The mother of all updates. The update to end all updates and the road to sweet-smelling debt...I thought the first CD instalment was amazing. I thought the Order of the Dragon and Halloween update was breathtaking. But this just blew my socks off and blew my mind and my Paypal all at once. It was just so good...and there's so much that I WANT RIGHT NOW, no decants, give me bottles! But alas, with Xmas and all that, my bank account is crushed...but these scents are up for ages! I just had to get Bakeneko since I love all things kitty-shaped and I want one of the Japanese scents to become a top ten scent. It has cherry blossom which can ruin a scent on me but hopefully that will be cancelled out by the wonderfulness of cinnamon, cardamom and tangerine tea with amber and musk! I love the concept of Faces of the Heroine, even if I can't pronounce or spell the names! But I love the combinations of exotic notes present in that series. In fact, I really like the whole Indian theme that many Lupercalia scents have this year, the incense blend Chintamani-Dhupa sounds particularly interesting with so many notes I've never encountered before!   But the best bit of the update of course was the Freak Show itself. I knew it would be good but I wasn't expecting it to be so magnificently, gargantually, fantastically wonderful! I adored the previous lot of CD, most scents there were hits on me. But these new scents look even better, more complex, more unusual, with loads of unique notes and combinations. And then there are those Snakes. I'm so intrigued as to what Snake Oil with mint tea will be like. Or SO with acai berry and cardamom, or SO with teak and bamboo, or SO with aquatic moss, or SO with tropical flowers and tangy fruits...and I can't wait for cinnamon SO and mandarin SO and chocolate SO. And I wonder what that Anaconda will smell like? Hope and Faith were destined to be mine from the moment I discovered that they were Londoners like me and that they contain sugary flowers, and I can't wait to get my hands on them. And Priala the Human Phoenix looks like it will be divine, like Chimera's cinnamon-myrrh, but better. And what would a Black Phoenix carnival be without a phoenix?   And of course, the cherry on the cake was the fact that two freaks are from You-Know-Where, and one of them is a MUMMY! (Must hoard loads of bottles of them!) That was probably what made this update not just wonderful, but utterly perfect, well for me anyway. But it goes to show that this Carnaval series is truly incredible and epic, and it's for everyone. Be you a foody fan, or mad for musk, or even a flower fanatic. It's for vanilla whores and spice girls. It's for incense addicts and aquatic adorers. It's artistic and beautifully told. It appeals to everyone, no matter where your interests lie. It even hits our fears-of clowns, or snakes, or spiders, or death itself, what lies in the shadows, the unusual and disturbing and mysterious...and it makes us confront those demons through means of scent-and perhaps, through this, to discover what could be their inner beauty. It is truly all encompassing, the whole world-and then some-within a travelling fair, all within little bottles of beautiful fragrance...   I can't wait for Carnaval Diabolique-The Movie! (I can dream...but you never know!)
PurringPulsar

PurringPulsar

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