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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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Tori's Additional Info
 

13 Nights Addendum 2021

Would you be interested in a cross stitched Halloween ornament? I think not? I don't so much do ornaments for... anything, really.    Are there any collage artists in the mix? I am not.    Have you seen the Dragon con list?  & would any of them appeal to you? I have! And I'm actually very excited about the Peach Brandy Snake Oil. Like, I have not been this excited since... well, Snake Smut.    Which Harry Potter house are you?  Gryffindor Primary with a strong Hufflepuff model, Hufflepuff Secondary. Sorting Hat Chats for reference.    Do you like any art from these two sellers? They are local artists and I will probably pick up some stuff for myself soon!  https://www.etsy.com/shop/CaitlinMcCarthyArt https://www.etsy.com/shop/BatinYourBelfry Not so much that I would want a print, I don't think.    I make beautiful and very lightweight yarn-and-ribbon hairfalls - would you like a set in the colors and length of your choice? If yes, name up to four colors and length in inches! Remember- this can be part of your Halloween costume! I had to Google what this is, but I think... yes? Maroon and silver (including gray works too), my school colors. My actual head hairs are about 15 inches in length from root to tip. I am not sure how that should translate to a hairfall.    Would you appreciate a skein of handspun yarn? If yes, what weight? What colors? How do you feel about beads? Any allergies to typical fibers? I think no. I have crocheted in the past, but I think I would probably still not have time for it right now, even if I had yarn.    Do you like stickers? Patches? Buttons? I like cute ones in theory but don't actually put them on things in practice.    Do you spend time in the outdoors? Yes.    Do you enjoy cooking and/or baking? Yes. I enjoy baking more, but I cook more often.    The Paintbox Soapworks Weenie collection went live today! Would you like anything? Yes. I would like anything.  I think it's in my main questionnaire, but I am now in love with the emulsifying sugar scrubs. Once for Yes, Twice for No is the scent that catches my eye the most, but I stand by original response of "yes."   The Pickety Witch is taking pre-orders for their new Halloween pins (estimated ship date: early September). Have any caught your eye? Nope. This isn't really my thing.    Zeep's Spooky Collection drops some time next week. Here's the scent list. Would you like any wax melts, candles, whipped soaps, sugar whips (whipped soap/scrub hybrid), body butter sugar scrubs (moisturizing scrub), meringues (lotion), bath bombs, or bath rocks from Zeep? I am not familiar with this company, but I always love moisturizing scrubs and lotions. All the body care scents look like things I'd like in a scrub, though Boo-nilla Scream and Candy Corn Sugar Cookie look the most up my alley.    Would you prefer to receive ONE HUGE (more expensive) GIFT and 12 inexpensive ones, a few more expensive, or all about the same price? I don't think I have a general preference on this.    What are your fandoms, if any? None, really, at this point. Recovering Harry Potter fan.    Do you collect things like tarot decks?  If so do you have a wishlist or a list of ones you already have?  Would you like a silk tarot bag? I do not collect things like tarot decks.    Do you like rocks/crystals?  What colors kinds?  Would you like them in bead format (holes drilled?) No.    My mom has an etsy store - she makes bags.  Do you love anything from it?  We can also do box bags, draw string bags, dice bags, etc. and if you want a different type of material or a different fabric pattern, I'm open to links to specific things.  I do not find myself in need of bags at the moment.    Let's say you want something knitted.  What are you most interested in? I probably don't want something knitted, actually. Living in Arizona, there's little need for knitted wearables. And we have a number of the other household items (washcloths, dog rugs) that would be knitted (I crochet and have done some of these for our house).    Are you interested in receiving any of the following homemade / home dried / home canned goodies? I would be interested in any of the dried items or candied jalapenos. Please don't send liqueurs or perishables like breads. Perishables are not safe in our current weather situation.    How do you feel about oracle decks? I have one tarot deck but don't really use other tarot or oracle decks.    Would you like witchy/ritual oils/sundries? Any limitations (e.g. deities you won't work with)? I don't use ritual oils or other witchy things.    Is there anything you would like to try from the UK specifically? (e.g. Lush exclusives) Not that I can think of particularly.    EDIT: Oh, and are you into astrology? Not hugely.    MEW QUESTIOM: What size shoe do you wear (inc wide/narrow, etc)? Women's US 10 M. I think that tends to convert to EUR 41.    Do you like/would you want to receive comic books? Any favorite genres or characters? I'm not really into comic books.    Would you like a palm stone, or anything else, from Haute Macabre? No?   What's your favorite flower(s)? To smell? Orange blossoms and magnolias. To wear? Orange blossoms, carnations, olive blossoms, violets. To see? Roses.    What's you favorite woodland creature? Whichever ones Snow White and Sleeping Beauty got to help them with the housework.    Do you prefer receiving a big box with all of your goodies, or is it okay if one or two things are shipped directly to you separately (with notice!!) for customs/shipping cost purposes (i.e. if there's something customs might not allow in from the States that can be shipped from within your country)? Do whatever makes it easiest to send.    Would you like a fabric face mask? If so, do you prefer a dome shape or a pleated shape? I would love a fabric face mask. I prefer a dome shape (I have a big nose and wear glasses, so anything that fits over my nose and allows me to rest my glasses on the mask is awesome), but all masks are appreciated.    Would you like some delicious coffee? If so, do you prefer whole bean or ground? If ground, what grind? Also, light or dark roast? Flavor preferences?
Perpetually! Whole bean light roast unflavored is the go-to in our house. That said, we will not turn up our noses at ground, darker roasts, or flavors like vanilla, chocolate, cinnamon, and/or hazelnut.    I may be going to the Renaissance Fair this weekend (if not this weekend then soon and multiple times), any Ren Faire goodies you may like?  Not that I can think of off the top of my head.    I always go to my town's local Farmer's Market and they have booths selling things like candles, Gourmet Pickles, Flavored Oils and Vinegars, dog treats (like bones and animal feet), honey, and bath products. Would you like any of these things?  Pickles are evil, and dill doubly so. However, I would find much use for flavored oils and vinegars, dog treats without bone, honey, and bath products. Honey in particular is amazing.    Do you have a preference for numbered packages for each night of the swap vs randomly selecting from unlabeled goodies?  My preference for numbered packages is unreasonably strong. I mean, I can randomly select just fine, but when presented with the choice, numbered is somehow way more fun for me.    If you didn't say much about your reading preferences in your survey but would be interested in receiving books, can you elaborate a bit? I don't remember how much I said, but I love good YA lit, fantasy (especially urban fantasy but not limited to such), and detective fiction.    Are you interested in cocktails, be it recipes, infusion kits, tools, supplies, specialty bitters?  Non-alcoholic only, which may be well outside what you're looking at.    Is there something that you definitely prefer to not receive in any category (anything to avoid if you hadn't/forgotten to mention)? Already mentioned, but pickles of any kind and dill of any kind. (Pickled other things, like jalapenos, are fine and welcome.) Also, I really cannot wear hair gloss as such. I've tried to maneuver some of it to be bath oil or skin spray, but it just doesn't work on my hair.    Are there patterns/prints (more guidance than general Halloween/Autumn) you like for things or are you open to whatever I may find that speaks to me?  I'm open to whatever.    Any significant other or other special person? Like if I wanted to send you specialty cocoa for a date night, would that be OK? Yes, I live with my SO.     I would love to request folks to to put their wish list in this thread and link in their signature. I would love to decant from my oils if I have any my person is looking for!  My wishlist is linked in my sig.    If you happened to list some favorite fandoms earlier, would you also name your favorite character(s) from those fandoms? Minerva McGonagall.   Do you have an Amazon link?  Can you post it??  I do not have an Amazon link.      if you are a knitter/crocheter, are you over on Ravelry?  If so, what’s your user name there?? I have crocheted in the past but do not do so currently. I have never been on Ravelry.   I make homemade fire ciders, would that be of interest? Non-alcoholic and they are quite fiery.  Yes. A non-alcoholic fiery vinegar drink sounds terrifyingly amazing.    Are you interested in getting other BPAL items besides perfume, like hair gloss, bath oils or T-shirts? I love atmos (or anti-poo sprays, as they are known in my house) and bath oils. Hair gloss is not really possible for me to wear as such, so I would have to repurpose it and am only likely to do so if I really love the scent. I don't love regular crew neck tees, and many women's v-necks are cut to be more form fitting than I prefer, especially if I can't size up.    So partner, would you be interested in a Frankenbag done in Halloween prints? Sure!   Y'all with furbabies... Are there any food allergies/sensitivities or quirks to know about? Please nothing that lights up. One dog is under treatment and management for OCD related to moving lights. This includes any pet toys that are glow-in-the-dark, though glow-in-the-dark other items are fine. Also no treats with actual bones.    how do you feel about (ethically sourced) butterfly / moth art (in a jar or shadowbox) I feel like that is art best appreciated by someone else.    I may have preemptively picked out 2 Halloween-themed mugs with cute matching spoons, before I knew who my match was going to be! So I leave it to you: Bat, or Cat? Bat!   Would you be interested in receiving a never-used eyeshadow palette from Nororiously Morbid (gothy colors) and/or a never-used eyeshadow palette from Pretty Vulgar (romantic neutrals)? I am not really interested in make up.    I live in Japan. Are you interested in anything specifically Japanese I could get for you here (doesn't necessarily have to be Halloween themed)? For example, are you a fan of the anime Demon Slayer and want merch? Are you interested in trying some fun kit-kat flavors? Do you need a new set of pretty chopsticks? As an open-ended question, nothing particularly comes to mind. However, I am always up for trying fun flavors of everything, Kit-Kat included. I also use chopsticks regularly and so have a number of functional pairs -- but none of them are pretty, really, so I suppose I am in need of pretty chopsticks.      In the meantime- there is an excellent chance teeturtle will have a sale in time for this swap: anything (particularly tshirts or socks) that appeal? Not so much?   Also, the Haus of Gloi Fall Part 1 drops soon, anything here you like? I am actually not so familiar with this house, but high-use (and therefore low scent commitment, AKA, I will use the item even if I don't looooove the scent) items for me are atmosphere sprays, moisturizers of all kinds (especially teeny bottles/jars/tins), sugar scrubs, and lip balms. Not familiar with likely scents, but in terms of general fall stuff, I like pumpkin, apple, spice, pumpkin spice, apple spice, candy corn, etc.    Could you use a journal or sketchbook?  Not a nice one, really, but I am often in need of spiral or composition notebooks for practical use.    Do you need BPAL storage?  Imps?  Bottles?  I made myself a promise that I was going to limit my collection to fit my current storage. I'm going to have to do a bottle giveaway before too long, but I mean to stick to this.    Do you wear socks?  What kind?  No show, ankle, knee high, over the knee?  Fibers? Lot of sandals and Vibrams here, so my sock needs are limited. When I wear them, I generally wear no show or ankle socks.    Do you have a favorite candy(ies) [or prepacked individual snacks] that you wouldn't mind filling up your box as packing material? Or teas/coffee blends you'd enjoy? If you prefer none of this, that's fine too!  I basically love all hard candy and gummy candy/fruit snack candy. For teas, I generally like herbal or hibiscus-based teas, though my personal tastes are not sophisticated (current nighttime beverage is a cup of Celestial Seasonings Lemon Zinger). Coffee is for sure my favorite of everything. All coffee is good coffee.    How do you feel about fancy marshmallows? Probably great. I haven't tried them, but I have had cause to search them up recently, and I am intrigued.    We've asked about candy, but let's talk specifically about gummies. Do you like crazy shapes, sweet/sour?  Sour over sweet, but yes to all gummies in all shapes.    Anything from these Etsy shops? Kodiak Sea Charms, Halloween Hill Studio, Grave Markings Not so much.    What about the Mutter Museum's gift shop?  The "Spit Spreads Death" mask!    I grow mugwort and it's harvest season. Would you like dried leaves for bathing or tea? Or a bound bundle for smoke cleansing? (Its said to be excellent for divination or lucid dreaming, but do not use if pregnant.)  its also a digestive bitter and tastes great on chicken. No, thank you.    I grow loads of other herbs and I'm drying them now. Any favorites you might like? Mint, basil, oregano, chives, lemon balm or others? Oregano, yes.    I grew a huge load of onions and garlic. Any interest? I'd love them!    Feathers? I have geese, ducks, peafowl, chickens and quail. So I collect their shed feathers and share them with people I like. No, thank you.    I grew a boatload of Green Shiso this year and plan to make a shiso pesto with it. Would you like some? (Nut wise it has pistachios)  I'm not sure what this tastes like, so probably not? Brief ETA: I have Googled it and feel more confident that I probably would not enjoy this.    I also plan to experiment with infusing it in vodka. I'm planning a plain shiso infusion and a shiso citrus infusion. If they turn out would you like some? No, thank you.   Would you be interested in this hand sanitizer dispenser/keychain that doubles as a light (its eyes light up when you press between its eyes!)?  (see photo here) No, thank you. OCD dog means we're on pretty strict light control over here.    If you're into tabletop games, what games do you already own, and/or what type are you interested in? I have very few, but I'm looking for ones that do well enough for two players. They can accommodate more, but nothing that requires 4-6 players.    DO YOU LIKE TRUE CRIME STORIES?  Not as much as I like fictitious crime stories.    DO YOU LIKE SEASONAL MAGAZINES ON BAKING AND DECORATING? Not so much. I do not decorate and do not bake all that much.    If you are enthused by the idea of receiving coffee, do you want whole bean or ground? AND do you have flavors that you like (or definitely hate and never want again)? All other things being equal, I prefer whole bean to ground. However, neither my partner nor I will pass up good or exciting coffee just because it is ground. (We drink enough coffee that ground coffee never really goes stale in our house, anyway.) Unflavored light and medium roasts are favored in our house (light over medium). I also like spice flavored coffees (cinnamon, pumpkin spice, etc.).    Would you be interested in some very size-inclusive tights? There are Halloween patterns, but also most colours under the sun, and are very comfy. I do not wear tights or... things one wears with tights. (Skirts? Are they called? I possibly own one somewhere. I definitely have owned more than one in my life.)   What about indie chilli sauces/chutneys/jams? What type of chilli/spice level? Yes. I'm in the Southwest, and so are my reference peppers. Things made with fresh medium or hot Hatch green chiles are generally good, as are things made with fresh jalapenos. Things made with fresh habaneros are generally too hot for my liking.    In case anyone else shares a love for adorable tiny plushies, any interest in v soft and cute vegetable/fruit plushies? There are also small animals. No, thank you.    The Polish Pickup/Indie Pickup is live for wishlisting, and will ship in time for this swap (this year). Anything strike your fancy? (It's not just nail polish...there's jewelry and bath scrubs and wax tarts and all manner of things. It's fun!)  https://polishpickup.com/ All lotions, hand creams (minus cuticle oils), and other skin moisturizers are appreciated always. Also, the pumpkin shampoo bar looks cute and fun.    Anything here sound good to you? https://gryffonridge.com/ Probably everything without dill or that could only be used on meat. In particular, though, the berbere would be awesome.    Hayden Evens Art has released some new Halloween and Disney-themed prints and stickers.  Do any spark your interest? Not in particular?    So would you hate or be into more miscreant Halloween vibe decor - like wholesome figurines repainted, creepy dolls, goats with horns, (fake) animal skeletons, things in jars? Is anything too dark, morbid, or recoil worthy? I don't want actual things in jars, but I'm strangely okay with things that would fall into the "creepy toy" category.    do you use any sorts of semipermanent dyes or do anything fun/wild to your hair? are there any hair products you like? I actually use garnet/burgandy permanent dyes, though since it's a vivid, it fades faster than I would like (not to mention, I need to do my roots again soon). I would be interested in trying semipermanent dye conditioners in a similar color.    what about skincare? i am pretty into k beauty and am curious if others are interested in any aspects of this. I had to Google "k beauty." I am not that fancy.    Cellar Door Bath Supply Co.'s Halloween & Fall collection is out (https://cellardoorbathsupply.com/collections/halloween-fall-collection? anything you might be interested in? Not so much. I do not need more bar soap, and I'm not a candle person at all.    are you interested in eco-friendly menstrual products? There are some beautiful gothic print reuseable pads I'm looking at specifically. Pads, yes, absolutely. 
  Regarding tea, what type of tea do you prefer? Black tea, green tea, herbal tea? Any type of tea you really don’t enjoy?  I like a lot of different herbals, particularly if it's something that talks about stress or calm or sleepytime. My husband likes a lot of different teas, but he seems to drink more mint-based teas. (Like, we are full up on the amount of green and black tea we will use for a while.)   Bath and Body Works? I know this is a bit of a love em or hate em company, but I really love their foaming hand soaps and scented hand sanitizers and my kids like their body wash, so I'll be placing an order with the next good sale. Anything that catches your eye? Travel sized lotions and hand creams are always a winner in my book. 
torischroeder9

torischroeder9

0
Windbourne's Scent-A-Day
 

August

New month, new perfumes!   August 1: ....starting tomorrow, hopefully. This month starts with a migraine, which is very not awesome. Hopefully it'll be gone by tomorrow. v_v;    August 2: Arrival at the Sabbath and Homage to the Devil -- Feeling better (heck yeah, sumatriptan), jumping back in with a couple more Salons before heading back to bats. ^-^! On me, this one is a moderately sweet but mostly sandalwood and patchouli with a bit of lightly powdery iris that gets stronger as it dries. It starts pretty sticky, but that dials wayyyy back after a relatively short amount of time, letting the woodier notes come through. I'm pretty sure there are a few batch variations for this one, since I had a decant of it that was much sweeter and more caramel-heavy. I bought this right after the discontinuation announcement came through along with most of the rest of my Salons, so it's about nine years old or so. I'm pretty satisfied with how it's aged!   August 3: Itasô Kansei Nenkan Jorô No Fûzoku -- Soft, lightly fruity in the way that osmanthus & hibiscus can be, a little (but not too) sweet, a little tart, curiously not especially distinct on my skin. It's not exactly a skin scent, but it's not far from it. Like, I can tell I'm wearing perfume, but it almost slides past my attention. Very odd. No throw to speak of, lasts ??? amount of time because I wore it to work and it wore off sometime during the day. I think I'd end up describing it as a slightly bitter floral, which doesn't sound all that appealing but is somehow nice. I think this is a 'my skin' thing, because I put it on my SO and it was much more noticeable! On him, the osmanthus is much peachier and the whole thing is sweeter. ...It's not very him, but it's nicer than it is on me.   August 4: Cupid Complaining to Venus -- I honestly thought I'd worn this one already, but I went all the way back, and I hadn't written it up. This doesn't actually mean I haven't worn it, since I do pretty frequently wear multiple scents in a day, but still, what an oversight. ? This is one of my favorite Salons, despite containing multiple notes that have turned other blends into sadness on me. The notes are: apple blossom, fig, white peach, honey absolute, red sandalwood, and wild thyme. On my skin it is a faintly herbal-tinged and slightly sandalwoody peach, very ripe and sweet. Drydown brings the sandalwood and fig out more. I can see, through the weartime, comparisons that have been made to both Les Bijoux and Eden (though Eden has a strong coconut note that makes it very different, the fig notes are similar). Blessedly, the apple blossom is only really noticeable for a brief period of time, since that's a note I don't like much, and the peach never turns sweaty, which is a problem I've had with a few other peachy scents. I really like the way the thyme affects the scent as a whole -- it makes me want to eat some kind of pastry with peaches and a little thyme in it. Fruity and savory is a combo I like pretty well on occasion. This perfume lasts all day on me, but after it dries fully the throw is very mild. I wore it to work and no one commented in particular, but while I was checking my mail before work, I could definitely smell it as I typed.   The other distinction this bottle has is that it is one of maybe two or three Lab bottles that has leaked on me. Based on observations of the others, I'm pretty sure that the problem lies in a faulty cap. Oil gets in underneath the seal when I roll or tilt it prior to application and can then potentially slowly leak out through the threads. Luckily every bottle I've observed this on is a permanent resident of my collection, and it's an easy fix. All I need to do is buy new caps! I wouldn't say I've ever lost more than a few drops from any bottle like this. Wandcaps on the other hand. =_=; I've received very messy bottles in swaps because of wandcaps. Don't ship with wandcaps. This has been a psa? ^^;   August 5: Sunrise with Sea-Monsters -- (yes, there are two links, one to a larger picture of the painting, and one to the wiki page where they talk about it) Last Salon for now. I like this. I like the name, I like the painting, I like the scent ...but I don't love it. I like the salt and ocean mist and general experience of wearing it, but I'd like it so much more without the freesia. ? The pear is very light, more like what gets described as pear (and may actually be pear) in scents like Empyreal Mist, and the amber is barely there, just giving the scent a hint of almost-resin and sweetness. Then there's the freesia and osmanthus. The clean floral notes do their level best to murder this scent into something very fresh and bright and commercial on my skin. After a while they leave, and it's back to salt and kelp, and, eventually, just ambergris. Every time I wear it, my feelings go like this: mmm, GYERK, mmmmm. I really do enjoy ocean scents, but sticking a wreath of spring florals on a sea monster results in a slightly peculiar experience for me.   August 6: Coconut Meat SN -- Thought I'd give my nose a little rest and pull out some scents that take simple to the apex -- single notes. I don't actually like SNs that much as I have a very strong preference for my scents to have a story behind them, but I do own a few mostly out of curiosity for what the Lab's versions of things smell like alone. I rarely layer my perfumes so that purpose is nil for me, but sometimes there is something calming in putting on something this base level. This one is extremely low-throw, with a weartime of usually less than an hour, and is just the odor of coconut meat, diluted in oil and bottled. Several of the reviews mention that it smells oily to them, but fresh coconut does have a bit of that aspect to it! It can be unctuous, almost buttery, depending on the freshness and the quality. (Whole Foods often has it in the cut fruit case in my area; I buy it now and then because I haven't got the energy to take a drill and hammer to a whole one myself anymore. XD). It's not a dried coconut flake scent, and it doesn't smell like a baked good to me. It's not that sweet and it's much milder. I don't wear it very often, but I do take it out and sniff it from time to time because it's such a nostalgic scent for me.     August 7: King Mandarin SN ('13) -- Smells like my fingers after peeling a satsuma/mandarin/clementine/etc. Poor longevity, but it's big, bright, and beautiful while it lasts. Fun fact: I have no idea where I got this, which means I probably got it via Will-Call (no email receipts if I bought it there), but if I did, it should be full, and it's not. Did it evaporate somehow? Did I decant a bunch out and forget about it? Did I buy a partial at some point and can't remember/don't have email records of it? Was it a partial frottle from someone? Who knows??   August 8: (Iranian) Galbanum SN -- Getting into the deeper stuff now. I adore this one beyond measure. It's so green and faintly musty and weird! There's a slight aspect of cut greenery, a little sap-like, but it's not bright, instead it's a bit dirty. It almost tickles the nose. As it wears, it starts smelling more dried, a little more grassy. There's something almost licorice root-like to it, not quite sweet, but adjacent and a little woody. Unlike the fruity SNs, this one sticks around for a long time. I definitely got this one at a Will-Call, and the reviews reflect my experience sniffing this there. It's a nose-wrinkler for a lot of people, but if you like it, there's a good chance that you really like it.   August 9: Golgothan Myrrh SN -- Smoooth not-quite spicy resinousness, sticks around forever, and you can smell it across the room. It's aged into something deep and fragrant, with hints of leather, floral, and citrus without actually being anything other than itself. I've seen it a number of times over the years, and I always find the comparison of myrrh to cola interesting, so this time I sniffed it with that specifically in mind, and I can kind of see it. It's not a connection I would make myself without prompting, but I can see the similarities to a cola syrup. Did I actually need a bottle of this, given how many myrrh scents I own? No, probably not. Do I ever wear it instead of one of those many, many scents? No, I rarely do. But I love it anyway and I sniff it on the regular.   August 10: TKO -- I'm so tired. It's time to toss on an old tried-and-true and pass directly out. If you've never tried TKO, it's a soft but powerful lavender & sweet vanilla or possibly marshmallow blend, it does what you'd expect it to, and it lasts a surprisingly long time while also having a moderate-to-monstrous throw, depending on temperature, where you apply it, and how much you use.   August 11: Frankincense & Ginger Root -- Got a bunch of decants in, so I'm going to sample a few of those while I'm still in simplicity mode. This one is has a lovely bitey ginger note backed up by a smooth golden frankincense. I really like both notes, and together they're quite pleasant. I get just a hint of snap in my nose if I sniff my wrist very deeply, but it's not so much that it feels overwhelming. After a while the scent becomes sweeter and sweeter, without ever losing the ginger completely. Eventually it reminds me of rooty candied ginger, even more than Balancing the Sake Cup, which has an actual candied ginger note listed. I like that one more, so I probably won't go for a bottle of this, but it's pretty nice.   August 12: Burnt Sugar & Blackberry -- Both of these notes fall into the category of 'notes I would love to love but rarely do.' They both reliably do weird things on my skin and, to no particular surprise, together they are a little funky. This turns very sour and smells like burning sugar, rather than burnt sugar and I do not love it. Late drydown is a little bit like cotton candy, but that doesn't really save the rest of the scent for me. Blackberries in general are awkward for me -- I've tried a lot of scents with that note and almost all of them go wrong, though interestingly, not all in the same way! Sometimes they're uber-tart, and sometimes they smell candy-like and artificial. The ones that have been better have mostly featured baked good notes (MB: Closet, for example) or the berry has been a very minor part of the scent. Curiously, I do love blackberry-scented bath goods! It's just my skin that turns the perfumes into ??? why this ???. ?   August 13: 13 (8/10) -- I mean, why not! It's this bottle's birthday, after all! ^__^! ...And I'm the first review on it, even, pfft. It's got a bit more chocolate at the outset than it did when I reviewed it, but afterwards it goes pretty much the same. It's really nice! I love the way the bright peppery notes have aged with the honey. The champaca's calmed down a lot, though it definitely pops up in later drydown along with the tobacco. Still a very good Thirteen in my book.  I do wonder a bit if there's not some lotus hidden in the thirteen notes (only eight are listed, after all) because of the way this hits a particular sweet note that I've started associating with lotus after trying a number of scents that contain it.   August 14: Buck Moon '21 -- So... peeping the reviews is a wild ride, considering the notes. ? I was pretty curious and glad I'd gotten a decant rather than just ordering a bottle. I love. Buck Moon '05, and this is not very much like it. That Buck Moon is musky and leafy and musky. This one starts out nutty, in some ways pretty similar to Blackbear Moon (which is one of my long-time forever loves) and then goes musky, woodsy, and furry, with none of the cooler notes that I would have expected to pop up. It isn't smoky, either. It ends up a pleasant, soft musky waft, vaguely forest-ish, but with no specific notes that jump out. It's fine, but between a mostly full bottle of '05 and two bottles of Blackbear, I think I'm good. This sits pretty much squarely between the two and they, respectively, beat it on all levels. Throw is soft but present and longevity is good.   August 15: Glass Eye (American Gods) -- This is perfect for days when you want to smell like a slightly sinister new age or gothic goods store, the kind that does sage smudges regularly and also has dried leaves all over the floor, where the owner is extremely sweet and kind but there's a semi-constant aura of smoke around the space. ... I realized while I was typing this up that this reminds me exactly of a shop precisely like that in my city. I was there not long ago and ...yep, that's Glass Eye. No wonder I like it so much! I mean, I'm partial to most of the notes anyway, but I hadn't recognized the nostalgia factor here until just now. Beautiful. Throw isn't strong, but it is aromatic, and it doesn't last more than a couple of hours before vanishing. I got this as part of a decant circle, but I also added a bottle to my most recent Lab order, if that says anything.   August 16: Media (American Gods) -- It's been a little bit of a struggle to pick a BPAL because I just got in some really wonderful things from other companies and I keep wanting to wear them. That said, this is absolutely a scrubber for me. It smells like you'd expect it to -- super-mainstream, almost hyper-mainstream, like something you'd spritz on at Sephora and idly sniff as you wander around the aisles and then just forget what you put on -- it could have been any one of a hundred different things. It lingers, but not in a distinctive way, in a pretty, kind of inoffensive way that makes my skin crawl. What's worst for me is that the vial leaks, so if I'm not very careful about keeping it upright, it gets all over my desk and it does have a pretty potent throw. I want to swap or sell it but I'll have to decant it into a different vial first. I have no idea how long it actually lasts because I've attempted it three times and washed it off after thirty-forty minutes every time. ....at least it doesn't give me a headache? ? (Yet.) To be a little more concrete about how it smells: it's an aldehydes-and-floral bomb like thousands of others. It smells both indistinct and extremely fixed, with a hint of ozone and maybe calone? It's very fresh and bright and clean. To reiterate: I hate it. I respect it, but this is the opposite of what I want to wear on a daily basis. August 16: Bonus scent -- For Strange Women Mint Tea Undersea -- (spearmint, matcha, mugwort, kombu [a type of seaweed], oceanic elements, yuzu -- this is an edt, not an oil) I don't like spearmint usually, but this is wonderful, very vegetal-minty and not at all toothpaste-minty, vivid and bright with a pleasantly salty undertone that grows over time until it's a salty, seaweed-y scent with a bright undertone. It's all-natural, so the lasting power isn't the greatest, maybe an hour, but I don't mind reapplying often. I love the slight earthy grassiness of the matcha and the way this scent shifts on my skin.   August 17: Self-Portrait -- Today I opened up a random drawer in my BPAL collection and pulled out an almost-random (the first one was something I've already posted about this year) perfume. And here we are. Once again, I'm the first review on the post, and I don't have a whole lot to add to it. It's remained pretty steady for eight years and change. Maybe a little more towards powdery, but I don't mind that. Still sweetly soft honey dust with light florals and some very fluffy orris. The throw has increased quite a bit over time, though, and it wears for a long time, so aging has produced a couple of improvements, at least.   August 18: The Crossed Keys -- Somehow this is sweeter than I expected it to be. ? I don't get anything stony at all from this bottle (I am not a big fan of BPAL's stone accord, so I'm happy it isn't there). It smells like bright powdery not-quite-floral honey, soft, mellow resins, and a light undertone of barely-there sandalwood that gets stronger as it wears. It doesn't have a lot of throw, though it might get better with time, and late drydown is just light sandalwood and a bit of dust. I'm giving this bottle a few months of time to mellow to see if it becomes a bit more distinct, but this chappie might be destined for swaps.   August 19: Sumatran Red Patchouli SN -- Inspired by conversation on Discord, I pulled this guy out of hiding today. It's a dense, woody patchouli at first, but ...I gotta agree with a number of the reviews, there's something very rosy about it, though to me it doesn't actually smell like a rose or like there's rose in it, but it is rosy, especially once it's dried. It's a neat trick. It's definitely a strong patch, no confusing it for anything else, though brighter and a little tarter than the black patch. I'm not a massive fan of patchouli, but this is a lovely iteration of it, it lasts for a very long time, and has a strong but not overwhelming throw. It's very ...idk. I feel cozy when I wear it in a way I don't usually associate with this note. (ETA: 12 hours after application it was still going strong. Guaahhhhhh.....)   August 20: A Thought from Propertius (Luper '13) -- I needed something light after yesterday, so I poked around until I lit on this one. It's very simple, the notes are: Sweet honey, white apricot, and a touch of cayenne pepper. On me, it's mostly honey, with just a tiny kick of cayenne. The apricot is softer than many BPAL apricots, a little less tangy; it doesn't start to stand out until it's mostly dry, and vanishes extremely quickly, leaving only the vaguest hint of fruitiness to the honey and still-very-background spice. It kind of reminds me of somewhat old fruit-scented dolls in a way, though I don't think I ever had one that was apricot, but it has that fugitive quality that they got after a while. It sticks around for quite a long time, but it whispers instead of yelling. "Lightly spiced honey" is my three word review.   August 21: Pink Snowballs 2011 -- Let's Yule for a few days. I'm feeling it.   This is such a cute perfume, all soft pink petals and delicate icy snow with a tiny hint of vanilla that pops up after it dries. It's a little bit more than Snow White + rose, but not a lot, and by-and-large does exactly what the notes would make you think it does. I have a very low partial of this, plus a decant lurking somewhere, and I will never need more than that. Mild throw, moderate longevity, great for when you want something mild, adorable, and a little frilly.   August 22: Yule Cookies -- Soft, mostly sweet, but with a big hit of caraway that makes me think more of loaves than of cookies. Something in this is playing up as smoky on my skin which is fascinating. I like it, but it's not very distinct to my nose; it feels very airy and that's not what I'm generally looking for in a gourmand perfume. It does develop a surprisingly powerful throw over time, though, mostly cream cheese frosting and a bit of orange and ginger. It's a little weird; I feel nearly anosmic to it when I sniff my wrist, but I'm also floating in a cloud of the memory of cookies (and one loaf of rye bread).   August 23: Yellow Snowballs -- A pop of mint followed immediately by creamy citrus. I'm not a huge fan of what lemon does on my skin a lot of the time, and this is not an exception. I feel like the citrus has faded some over the years as well; I remember it being a bit sharper when it was newer. At this point, this reminds me a bit of what you'd get if you took Lemon-Scented Sticky Bat and threw it in a snowdrift. As it dries, I definitely experience the dryer sheets effect, and weirdly, that makes it feel warmer and sort of cuddly for me, like, fresh from the dryer towels or, yes, sheets. I feel like I might really like this as a room spray? ? It gets stronger for a couple of hours, peaking ~2.5 hours and then wanes fairly quickly.   August 24: Mrs. Grose — Spiced rose tea, very classic, simple, and elegant. Not too strong, but with better throw & longevity than Harlot.   August 25: Peter Quint -- Soft, worn leather, warm ambergris, and a big hit of peppery bay laurel, with a bit of balsam that hovers in the sappy gap between pine and vanilla. It gets a bit sweet and spicy as it goes, but after it's been on for a few hours it's almost entirely a mild ambergris, because that's what that note does on me. I've worn both of my Turn of the Screw scents from full to the neck down to the shoulder; I like them both immensely. Neither is overwhelming, and both are just barely more than skin scents and yet have excellent longevity which makes them more versatile for me than many of my other stronger leather or rose scents. Neither is weak, however -- they both feel like they've been made with the intention to feel ...idk, ghostly? They're both very much present! on! my! skin! but they're very chill and sit back and let me be the only person who can smell them. I didn't try any of the others from that series because the notes didn't appeal to me, but I do wonder if they had some of the same effect.   August 26: Lines Written Among the Euganean Hills -- This was a favorite of mine from the first year of new Yules I experienced, 2008. Wearing this now, several years later (and I'm pretty sure I haven't worn this in multiple years, sheesh) is interesting because of how both my tastes and the scent has changed. In the bottle, it's got a very distinct whiff of pine, and I remember it being much more wintry and green, but now on my skin it's mostly berries and skin musk with a background of pale woods. There have been phases where the white amber was really too strong for me, but it's mellowed a lot. I can tell it's there, but it's light. The throw has diminished a bit, as well. As an experiment I dabbed a bit of this on a piece of paper, and the snowy woods were much stronger there, and much more like the bottle, so I think my skin is wrecking this a bit at the moment. :< It does do that at certain times of my hormonal cycle (see also: Ivanushka and the way it smells like pickles on me sometimes), and I usually stick to gourmand perfumes during that phase. I'm not in any danger of offloading this due to pleasant nostalgia, but I'm definitely digging it out again in a couple of weeks.   Relatedly, I'm starting to feel that migraine sensation in the right side of my head and neck, so the next two-three days may be a no perfume zone. >_<;;   August 27: Yep. August 28: I slept all day except for getting up to eat something and take a sumatriptan. ? It was no bueno. Buuuut I woke up really late feeling better, so here's a very brief after-midnight perfume snoof.  -- Snow-Flakes '06 -- Almost exactly the same as Snow White initially, but it makes a divergence once it dries, taking it into the territory covered by Winter-Time. This lives an ephemeral life directly between those two scents. It's definitelyone of the Lab's mentholic winter snow scents, but it's cooler than SW and warmer than W-T. It doesn't have a lot of throw, but it lasts a surprisingly long time.   August 29: I grabbed a decant from the wrong company. ^^; I'm really enjoying it and I don't want to wash it off, so from Astrid Perfumes: Afterglow (Sage, amber, dry wood, vetiver, Argentine lemon, lavender, vanilla, and a whisper of velvety musk) -- This is from her Lemon Summer III collection. I'm not generally very big on lemon perfumes, but Astrid's sold me on them before, so I ordered a few decants from Ajevie. This is bright and warm, with a little bite from the lemon and a lot of softness from the rest of the notes. After the lemon mellows out, I'm left with a pleasantly dry, gently sweet (but not sugary-sweet, more amber-sweet) fragrance that melds into my skin. The sage drifts in and out, and the vetiver is very grassy rather than smoky and not harsh at all. After it dries fully, it does have just a hint of furniture polish (this is not unusual for me and lemon, especially when it's lemon + woods) but it isn't offensive. Overall a really pleasant, meditative scent. She's closed at the moment, but I'm contemplating ordering this when she's back, or possibly seeing if Ajevie has any leftovers when that time comes. ^-^;   August 30: A Little Piece of Eternity -- I had a moment looking at the list of notes on this decant where I wondered why I didn't pick it up, either from Ajevie or direct from the Lab. Then I dabbed it on and was glad that I hadn't. So there's an older Weenie called Halloween: New Orleans that is river water, sweet olive (osmanthus), and Spanish moss, and I have a bottle of that and also most of a bottle of the matching atmo spray. It's mostly a hefty olive blossom and murky aquatic scent, with some moss on the drydown. This is extremely similar for the first hour or so, minus a tiny blip of orris that pops up at the beginning, vanishing for most of the rest of the weartime and then reappearing at the very end. The oak bark is very faint. Longevity and throw are both average. So ... this is pretty much identical to something I have quite a bit of and am not remotely in danger of running out of. It's nice to know that there's something that might be a little easier to find than another bottle of Halloween: NOLA if I ever manage to use it up, but otherwise, easy pass.   August 31: Love and Sleep -- Ending the month with a random pull from my second Luper decant drawer. This is from 2014 and ... huh. It's actually beautiful. The notes are: Fig milk, vanilla, orchid, and ylang ylang. It's bright, gently floral scent with a warm milk vibe and very slight background figginess. Fig is a sometimes-note for me, in that sometimes it's a overly sweet, sticky mess and sometimes I really like it. This, I really like. It almost reminds me of a fig pudding I once had, if someone had decorated that pudding with an orchid and a ylang ylang blossom. After it dries, it becomes more distinctively tropical in feel, but it remains mellow and milky. I start to understand why I didn't buy a bottle about an hour in, when the fig starts taking over, and late-late drydown is a breath away from unpleasantly sweet, but by that point it's quite faint, so it hardly matters. It doesn't have a strong throw at any point, and fades quite quickly. It's very nice, but I'm pretty happy with just a decant. I might consider tossing it in some unscented lotion, actually. I think it would be a really lovely bath & body scent!   ...Time to start September. ??
windbourne

windbourne

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A Fairy's Blog
 

Partial Bottles

sooo out of date sorry   List of bottles that are half or less full   #2 Pencil ('20) 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 ('17) 2020 Aesthetic ('20) Étienne De Boray Oak ('20) A Cozy Sweater And An Apple Cider ('20)  A Demon And Her Unholy Basketball ('20) A Little Piece of Eternity ('20) A Vigilant Eye at Heaven's Center ('20) Alien/Siren ('20) Apple Spice Hard Candy ('20) Artist's Entrance ('20) Banana Bread ('20) Beeswax, Cedarwood, and Bourbon Vanilla ('20) Blackberry and Oudh ('21) Blue Lollipops ('13) Blue Unicorn Moon ('18) Boop ('20) Breakfast, or Something ('20) Burnt Cocoa Bombs ('20) Butter Rum Cookie ('09) Candy Apple Smut ('20) Cannibal Lady Macbeth ('20) Carnaval Rat ('09) Cat-Lilith and Cat-Dad ('19) Children of the Cornucopia ('17) Chocolate Blood ('17) Cinnamon Chai Cupcake ('17) Circus Bear ('16) Civil Twilight ('20) Cold Moon ('20) Con Questions ('19) Cranberries and Popcorn ('20) Creepy ('09) Dead Blonde ('20) Dead Leaves, Marshmallow, and Pistachio Cream ('20) Dead Leaves and Coffee Beans ('18) Do You Like Clowns? ('17) Dwarven Ale F5 ('06) Fairy Bites Fruit Moon ('20) Gingerbread Invisible Man ('20) Gingerbread Witch ('20) Gingerbread Wolfman ('20) Gingerbread Vampire ('20) Gingerbread Zombie ('20) Haunted Housewife ('20) Hoggle Icy Drafts ('20) Jailbait Jester's Fate ('18) Josie ('09) L337 Skills ('19) Lán Yuèliàng ('20) Lolita v2 ('09) Maison En Pain d’Épices ('16) Mama Gein ('20) Marshmallow Snow ('20) Metal Twins ('20) Mouse Circus Movie Night ('15) Muddy Armadillo ('21) MVJBA: Spring Training 2008 ('08) Oatmeal and Apple Spice Cookies ('20) Papa Monster ('14) Peach VI ('14) Peanut ('20) Plastic Pumpkin Candy Tub ('17) Playing with Dangerous Toys ('09) Playing with Dangerous Toys v2 ('09) Please Scream Inside Your Haunted House ('20) Please Scream Inside Your Pumpkin Patch ('20) Pomegranate Sufganiyot ('20) Possessed Teen ('20) Pumpkin Booze ('20) Pumpkin Latte ('11) Pumpkin Smut ('20) Pumpkin V ('08) Rattlecans and Sliders ('20) Red Mandarin, French Lavender, and Juniper ('20) Samhain ('18/'17) Shadows and Light ('20) Single Note: Clown White ('15) Single Note: Last Year's Stale Candy Corn ('14) Single Note: Pumpkin Spice Everything ('15) Single Note: Unsettling Clear Plastic Mask ('17) Skin Musk, Cream, and Honey Dust ('20) Snow Bunny ('08) Snow White ('15) Solved Mysteries ('20) Sour Lemon Smut ('20) Spinning on Graves ('17) Stormclouds Over the Midway Sugar Cookie ('20) Sweets To The Sweet The Candy Butcher The Kingdom of Sweets ('10) The Pillory ('17) The Twelfth ('16) Thrills and Junk Food ('20) Tomato Leaf, Black Pepper, and Hay Absolute ('20) Toy-Strewn Attic ('20) Velut Luna Statu Variabilis ('20)) Waiting ('20) Wolf Moon ('21) Woman as Dragon ('20)
fairybites

fairybites

0
Windbourne's Scent-A-Day
 

July

July 1: Lycaon -- Well, honestly, I feel the same about this as I did in my review. An additional nine years of aging hasn't really changed it at all. It's still a myrrh party with hints of black musk and some additional woody notes. ...Yep. So, the reason I have all of these is ebay. I got very lucky in that someone was purging all of them in one lot about ten years ago. I have a bit of an emotional attachment to shapeshifters, and this set was running alongside the Lunacies for the year prior to when I got into BPAL, so I'd hunted a few decants and a couple of precious bottles, but that was an opportunity I could not pass up. So. Not quite two weeks of Lunacy-adjacent shapeshifter perfumes, all of which I've reviewed already in their respective threads. I'll be curious to see if my mind has changed about any of them. This one, though? Not at all.   July 2: Bakeneko — Once again, my previous review is still pretty accurate. Spicy tea, brightened with cherry blossoms, that fades into cinnamusky tea. But this time, I’m really enjoying it.  Sometime in the last several years I made peace with cherry blossom notes. n_n I still don’t get much citrus. The throw is considerable and mostly cinnamon tea, and it lasts for quite a long time. This is one of the two scents in this collection that I have more than one bottle of — I had one before I made the ebay purchase — so I’m glad I like it more now.    July 3: Oborot -- Here's my review. My current impressions of it are still pretty similar. I'm not very big on foresty scents in general, though of course I have quite a few, but this is one of my very favorites. Something about the salt and moss and underlying delicate sweetness brings it into a beautiful place on my skin. I'm not entirely certain how the Greek Mountain tea flower fits in there -- I've drunk the tea many times, but I can't quite fit it into a perfume note. A little googling indicates that it may be adding a mild herbal note, maybe something reminiscent of sage. I can't recall it being used in anything else; I searched alternate names (sideritis, ironwort) and got nothing. This bottle is probably the one I've used the most out of all twelve because I find it very calming and used it quite a lot at work.   July 4: Roux-Ga-Roux -- Ha! For once, my review is actually pretty different from how this is hitting me now. This time, it's a burst of soggy-but-fresh florals, followed by some stagnant water and heavy hickory. This is still a swamp beauty, deep and marshy and mossy, but it remains peppered with yellow and white flowers throughout the duration of the scent, and the wood never takes over. I was completely right about this one, it's much better in summer heat than it was in winter! It has better throw, it lasts longer, and whether the change from mostly woods and mosses on me is due to aging (me or the perfume? who can say? :P), I like it much better than I did at the time I reviewed it. Good times.   July 5: Minotaur -- Review. I haven't changed my mind that much about this one, but I know a bit more about a couple of the notes involved now, specifically galbanum and tsori, which a bit of poking (and my nose!) seems to indicate is another name for balm of Gilead. Both of which are now notes I actively seek out, so if I didn't have this, I'd be despairing of ever finding a bottle. :3 It is still very dark, very resinous, and the galbanum is more of an undertone than its usual HI I'M GREEN (and a little funky) self. But holy cats, it's really good. Still very strong, still lasts forever, aahhh, I love it. ❤️   July 6: Tamamo-no-Mae -- So in my review I mentioned that I preferred the decant to the bottle(s, this is the other one I have two of) and contemplated force-aging one of them? ...Well. ? I did not do that, I just waited another nine years. It's softened up, the rice flower is more prominent, the sharpness has receded, and it's much, much sweeter. One thing that features in this that I don't recall seeing anywhere else is Amacha, which is apparently a type of naturally sweet tea made from fermented/processed hydrangea leaves. O_O! ...I have some on order now because I'm terribly curious. It's interesting noting that a lot of these do have notes that haven't shown up anywhere else in the catalogue. Black locust is another name for acacia, the 'white sandalwood kodo smoke' refers to a particular style of incense where the materials (usually woods or resins) are heated but not actually burned (though to be fair, in this I think it smells like white sandalwood and the rest is mostly flavor text. It may have been a particular accord or something that Beth sourced and hasn't had since, of course.). Anyway, long story short, this is boss and I'm happy I have it. Soft but toothy, gentle but insistent, good for feeling a little sexy, not too much throw but lasts a long time.   Happy Tanabata! July 7: Selkie -- My review is all over the place, but still feels accurate to the way this smells on me now. Once again, this fragrance contains notes that are unique (as far as I can tell) within BPAL's enormous catalogue. Grass-of-Parnassus is a European wildflower that is said to have a distinctive honey-like scent. Sea Aster doesn't seem to have much of a fragrance looking at scientific sites, but the foliage seems to have a salty flavor, possibly related to the marshy saltwater areas it usually grows. I wasn't able to find a specific scent for Scottish Primrose, but primroses in general are slightly sweet, with some types smelling slightly citrus-like. We used to have primroses when I was a kid, but for the life of me I cannot remember them having a notable scent, though I do remember the texture of their petals. I don't get any fruitiness at all, but I do get a mild salty note. It's not beachy, either. True to the unique notes, I can't think of anything else that smells quite like this. Anyway. Long story short, for me this is a honey, clear salt water, and mild florals & foliage scent. It's lovely.   July 8: Allison Gross -- I was very neutral on this one before, and I am still very neutral on it now. ? A lot of these mixed florals are not to my tastes (Her Voice is the only significant exception I can think of?), mostly because they always contain one or more flowers I just don't like. ^^;; Muguet (lily of the valley) is up there with tuberose as one of my least favorites, and it sure is present here. Towards later drydown it becomes a floral-spicy soft ambergris that I quite enjoy for the very brief time it lasts before vaporizing into the ether. This one doesn't have good longevity on me, nor does it have a strong throw. ...I think this one sums up as 'just okay' for me. ^^; It's fine, I don't hate it, but if I were doing a chopping block of these scents, this would probably be on it. Getting to the nice part requires wading through something vaguely unpleasant first, and it doesn't last long enough to make that worthwhile.   July 9: The Emathides -- Soft, mildly powdery black amber + a really gorgeous lavender + sweet florals + gentle woods ...really, it's just a beautiful perfume, entirely lovely. I was actively excited to wear it today. It was such a surprise for me when I got it, but now I know what to expect. ;3 I really enjoy the entire experience of this, from the initial smooth lavender to the last dregs of black amber, and, for a change, neither the cedar nor the violet fuck it up for me. It's got a pretty decent throw and lasts for quite a while.   July 10: Aeaea -- ....I did, in fact, use Pikachu as a way to describe this. ? I don't disagree with it now, it gives my nose a ticklish feeling, but it's really mellowed out or aged into mellow in the last nine years. (I don't think I've actually worn it once in that time, tbh.) It's also gotten sweeter, and the aloe is closer to the front of the scent while the cedar has receded. Later on, after it's been dry for a while, the berry note starts to pop up. ....I like this now. I didn't very much before, but once again either my tastes have changed or the scent has, and I'm finding it a really pleasant scent. Low throw, fades after about three hours. Nice for summer, even though it was an October Lunacy accompaniment.   July 11: Swan Maiden -- I was in a phase where I loved magnolia and was trying to be as positive as I could about this one when I reviewed it before, but now? .... This is half composed of notes I don't like and it's reflecting that extremely accurately. Here's the note list, with the notes I don't like crossed out: White gardenia, white iris, sandalwood, calla lily, French magnolia, muguet, jonquil, and orchid. You know what this smells like on my skin? Mostly those crossed out notes. There's a hint of magnolia, a tiny dusting of iris, and what might have been a stick of sandalwood lightly brushed against the whole thing. It's a big white floral party, and I think, if you've been reading any of these, you've probably already noticed that I don't like very many big white floral parties. ? This would be gorgeous on someone who enjoys wearing them, it's got a pretty beefy throw these days, and feels like it would last for a long time. Unfortunately I can feel it beginning to give me a headache, so I'm going to go wash it off (it's been ~40 minutes; I think I lasted longer the last time I reviewed it, but also, it was cold weather and now it is warm.)   July 12: Ivanushka -- "...but when it is bad, it is pickles." ? I wasn't kidding, though. Fortunately, today this was in the lovely form, soft and woodsy and lightly furry. It's really beautiful, just a touch powdery, with a mild-to-moderate throw and very solid weartime.   July 13: Tanuki -- Yeah, there's thirteen of them. For some reason I always forget about Tanuki, but it's definitely part of the same series! I did review it here, and by and large, my impression remains accurate. It's bright and fruity with a bit of pine, it goes to dryer sheets (wisteria & plum and cherry blossom for the lose on my skin) for a while, gets piney, then goes back to dryer sheets. It's fine. I don't love it, but it's not offensive to me at all. Mild throw, lasts about three and a half hours.   July 14: Famous Kabuki Actors in Imagined Scenes of Lovemaking -- I swapped for another Shunga decant, so I'm testing it today. Not really into this one; goat milk is a maybe-note on me, as are oak, tobacco, and vetiver, and cardamom can overwhelm my nose if it's too strong. Cedar is an almost never, leaving these two notes -- honey dust, vanilla husk -- as things I actively enjoy. This is a bit like sweet, smoky milk on me, which to be quite honest, is pretty terrible. It keeps having a dim promise of being something lovely, but the overall experience is leaving me pretty cold. Fortunately it doesn't have a lot of throw and is promising to fade pretty quickly, but I'm contemplating washing it off anyway.   July 15: Giant Squid -- Figured I'd hit some of my event exclusives, starting with Sakura-con 2010. Again, these four I've reviewed before, but I'll be curious to see if my feelings have changed over the years. This one has one of the best labels ever, in my extremely biased opinion, featuring a giant squid attacking the Space Needle. It's real cute. The scent is interesting -- a lot of people interpreted it as spicy apple, but I've never gotten that from it at all. ^^; I can sort of see it from sniffing the bottle, but I get way too much salt water to really think 'apple'. (Apple would have been totally appropriate to the area, but ...this is good, too.) I think the best way I can describe it is that it reminds me of the appearance and texture of bladderwrack. It's a bit salty and round and my nose/brain interpret it as that color and shape. It's aged out of a lot of the sweetness, and while I can tell the tobacco and frankincense are there, they still aren't major players. Mild to moderate throw, lasts a few hours but doesn't stay strong for more than an hour. Mostly this is a murky green-brown aquatic on me.   July 16: Shirafuji Genta With a Kappa -- I didn't like this when I originally tried it. My review is pretty neutral, but it was the only one of the four (I fairied and also decanted the set) that I didn't keep more than a half a decant for myself. However, sometime over the years my tastes changed a bit, and recently I tested that bit of decant, I found that I liked it and had a Regret. So the next time I saw it for sale, I bought a bottle. It's aged pretty nicely, in my opinion. The lavender has died down a lot and it's much mintier than what I had! It also shifts a lot more on my skin, so one minute it's more grassy, and the next there's a bright almost-citrus note that pops up (the lansium, I presume). As it wears, the lightly peachy-floral osmanthus comes in as well. Late drydown is a bit woodier, with the juniper berry making a play. This is pretty nice, and I'm happy to have it, both as a collection completer and as a scent on its own.   July 17: Fuwa Bansaku in Ruined Temple with Black Monster on Umbrella -- Whew, that's a mouthful. The review thread title is actually incorrect (as was the announcement, both said Fuwu Bansaku), but the bottle labels were right. So... anyway, the scent. It's really quite nice! This is another where my tastes have changed and I'm happy I kept this nearly-full bottle. It's still dominated by smoky-sweet vetiver, but the black coconut is standing out to me more and it feels more balanced. I can definitely smell the oud as well, and it's really lovely. All in all, I'm really enjoying wearing this. Good stuff!   July 18: The Wrestler Onogawa Kisaburo Blowing Smoke at a One-Eyed Monster -- ...I usually don't like black pepper at all, but here, now, I'm pretty into it, and besides, it fades out pretty quickly. ? I had no idea what to make of this when it was fresh and my nose was newer, but now, I think it's fab. Bodark is also known as osage orange or mock orange. I was unable to find anything specific about tupelo gum trees' scent, but I've eaten tupelo honey and it's pretty distinctive. The sandalwood is amazing now, soft and sweet, with that notable Mysore creaminess. And the honey that comes out later on is ... wow. Just...man, it's real good, the whole thing. This one is a bit of an odd fit in some ways, since most of the notes are fairly East Coast-y rather than West, but whatever. I originally kept three of these mostly out of sentimentality and because, iirc, it was the first con I ever saw the Lab at, as well as their first and last Sakura-con (that con is so poorly run lol, I don't blame them at ALL -- source, I volunteered for it for several years early on and then had multiple friends who were vendors up until ~2017.). But now, I'm just happy I have them. I keep sniffing my wrists lightly from about six inches away and then bringing it in for a closer deep huff. This one, especially, has aged gloriously. Throw is medium, longevity still isn't that great, but I'm very happy to reapply throughout a day.   July 19: The Grey Columns -- Got a few Ajevie decants in, so I'm pausing my event exclusives to test them out. :3 This is fascinating -- it's barely present up close, but the throw is exquisite. Sniffing my wrist, it's a soft, almost play-doh-y, faint sweet smoky amber. But the the way it smells from a slight distance is gorgeous, and it gets stronger over time. It does, however, also remind me of a less complex iteration of Solstice Scents Tenebrous Mist -- both are skin scents that feature amber and smoke, but TM comes out of the gate much stronger. This reminds me of the late drydown of that scent.   July 20: The Heirophant's Benediction -- Huh. This feels like something I should really like. And yet somehow I'm just ehhhh about it. It's not bad; the almond/coconut/vanilla/sandalwood combo is pleasant enough, but I'm not super-enjoying the way the lighter greenish angelica and the warmer almost-floral storax blend. I may retest this a couple of times before making a final decision -- it did come out of the mailbox yesterday, after all -- but I suspect this one is not destined to be a full bottle for me. Almost no throw, almost completely gone after ~3 hours.   July 21: Wild Rose and Dandelion Sap -- At first it is definitely wild roses -- the kind that are dark pink or white with five or so very thin petals and very obvious stamens + the milky sap of a freshly-picked dandelion. After a while it turns into french-milled rose soap. It's fine? The rose is one I haven't seen often (at all? but the Lab has a TON of different rose notes) and the dandelion is ... well, I have the SN, and it doesn't do this on me. I'm not especially enamored of it, but there are relatively few of the SN/duet/trios that I have been. I just prefer perfumes with a bit of story behind them. ^^; I took a nap maybe an hour after applying it, well into the soap phase, and it was still faint soap on my wrist when I woke up three hours later. No particular throw.   July 22: Aubin Grandpied Bunmanchi, Childhood Playmate -- The next four are from ECCC 2014. This one's absolutely beautiful. Here are the notes: Pale fur, lavender water, Corsican immortelle, white thyme, benzoin absolute, ambergris accord, and sorrowful carrot seed. Definitely in my wheelhouse. ? The lavender combined with the sweetness of the benzoin and immortelle does make me think of a TKO relative, but the carrot seed and thyme give it a more herbal feeling than TKO. The fur and ambergris show up much later for me, and by late drydown it's almost all ambergris (this is what my skin does nearly every time there's ambergris in something. If you hate that note, but don't amp it, you might like this more than you think). The fur feels clean, silky, and pale, more like Bear Prince and less like any of the wolf or deer scents; it's not very musky. There are moments where the immortelle wants to do that syrupy thing that it sometimes does, but everything else holds it in check and it's much more pleasant on me than some others are. It has a decent but not exuberant throw and solid lasting power. Really nice. Also, Abigail Larson drawing yeti. Pretty cool. >D   July 23: Edgar Miche, Mysterious Adventurer  -- Soft, gently spicy brown leather. It reminds me of several other leathery scents I've worn in the recent past, though it isn't identical to any of them. It's most, on my skin, like a simpler Adam without the dust or plastic notes. Pleasant, but not all that remarkable. I'm enjoying wearing it, but it isn't a new favorite or anything like that. Low throw, lasts for a while, but I stopped noticing it unless I sniffed my wrists deeply after about two hours. I think I'd like it more if it were the fur note that's in Aubin instead of (or possibly in addition to) the leather.   July 24: Lady Cecily Sasquets, The Ingenue -- As a side note, this oil has darkened with age. It hasn't gone off at all, it still smells lovely, but it's darkened in the same way my bottle of De Vos' Unicorn  has, so I suspect there's something in whatever peony note is in both that results in a darker oil over time, because I don't remember either being dark originally. Lady Cecily starts with the tawny fur note as in Ivanushka or other similar things, think deer or the lighter wolf scents, then pours a bouquet of pale roses and peonies over it. Nothing here is dark or menacing, she's truly an ingenue, just ... a furry one. Over time the fur fades and I'm left with an aura of ghost flowers hovering around me. Very lovely. Moderate throw, though the fur is stronger than the flowers at first, lasts a few hours before drifting into the ether. I was expecting this one to be my favorite, but Aubin's more to my taste these days.   July 25: Leopold Freiherr Von Tsemekwes, The Poet Rapscallion -- L e a t h e r, black leather, the kind I don't especially like, at least, not without something sweet to settle it a bit. ? Leather to the point where I re-rolled the bottle a bit more vigorously and then reapplied, just in case something was settling to the bottom and I was missing it. After that, I got a tiny hint of something else, a little chamomile, a hint of labdanum, but still, mostly leather. It took almost forty minutes for anything else to show up (oakmoss, a little bit of tobacco, a vague waft of vetiver), and it's still weaker than the leather. After an hour and change, I'm finally being allowed a bit of patch and black musk. After almost two hours, the leather finally gives way and it becomes gorgeous. Smoky sweetened patchouli/labdanum/oakmoss all covered in a fine layer of smoky vetiver. Too bad it takes so long to get here. =_=;; Throw is pretty chonky, lasts well into the night. Will I wear it again? Man, I don't know. I like the way it ends up, but the leather festival is a lot to wade through.   July 26: Dysopes Tenuis -- Time for some bats! This is the set from Bat's Day 2013. This one's so lovely. I really like the combination of the dark musk and black currant with the brighter pops of rose and tonka. There's a slight hint of soapiness that I've associated with crystalline notes in the past, but it's not off-putting at all. I find it refreshing and pleasant, a good scent for a summer evening. The throw isn't heavy, but it's got pretty good longevity. Fruit and rose can sometimes go wrong on my skin, but this one's good. The overall effect is dark but translucent, and almost effervescent, like a black currant soda with rose petals sprinkled on it.   July 27: Gingerbread, Matcha Tea, and Raw Mint -- I'm having some weird nausea problems and all the rest of the bats are too strong for me right now, so I'm wearing something mild, soothing, and lightly minty. I really like gingerbread scents. I have several, and this and vanilla sugar & pink pepper are some of my favorites, high up there in my 'I can wear these whenever, wherever' list. At one point I was without my perfume collection for several weeks and this was one of the few bottles to stay with me the entire time. I enjoy the earthy grassiness of the matcha and the very light hint of mint that mostly presents itself in the throw, which is not super-strong, but just enough to catch whiffs as I type. This generally lasts ~4 hours or so before fading. Definitely a permanent collection bottle.   July 28: Go To Sleep, Darlings -- Same hat today. ? I'm probably working my way towards a migraine, since that's a pretty common initial symptom for me these days. =_=; So, again, mild, soothing, lightly minty. Go To Sleep, Darlings is a very soft, fluffy, minty snow, very light, with a gentle throw and surprising longevity. It's in the same family as Snow White, Snow-Flakes, and the Snowballs. There's a hint of sweetness, but it's not the lemon-esque sugar that shows up semi-regularly. It's more like ...someone sprinkled a little confectioner's sugar on a bowl of snow. I like it, but I'm content with the partial I have, since I have bottles of other similar scents. I don't mind a certain amount of redundancy in my collection, I've never been the type who only wants one, perfect iteration of any given type of scent or note, but there's a point past which you start looking askance at yourself. Like, do I realllly need full bottles of five scents that all smell pretty similar ? (See also: my continued debate over whether I need a bottle of Asses Plus Long from this years' Lupers. XD)   July 29: Fox Fires on New Year's Eve at the Garment Tree at Oji -- Still feeling a little gghhkk, so I've pulled out a few DC'd Salons that are lighter to work with for a couple of days until the migraine stops threatening and does its thing. Though thinking about it, it may also be my recent turn back towards coffee-drinking. >_>; I should go back to tea and see if it improves. It turns out I really like bamboo scents sometimes. Fantôme's Arashiyama has a lovely bamboo note, and so does this. I'll have to contemplate those a little more carefully in the future! Otherwise once the bamboo dries off, this is primarily a lovely green tea incense blend on me, soft but distinct and beautiful. The cherry tree and lilac notes are very background, brightening it up a bit, and the rice wine is noticeable as a pleasant bright spark. This one's probably one of my favorite of the Salons, both for art and scent, and the scent does a wonderful job of evoking the art. It's linked in the name, if you're curious, as are the three Sakura-con Japanese art-inspired pieces. It doesn't throw too fiercely but it does last all day.   July 30: Spirit of the Komachi Cherry Tree — A beautiful pale floral with a hint of honey and fruit that dries down to a sandalwood haze. It has a very strong initial presence that backs off rapidly, but maintains a pretty strong throw. I can smell it when I move my arms even a few hours later. This is one I do have to apply fairly lightly because of the throw, especially if I’m wearing it in public. It’s very pleasant, and one of my favorite cherry blossom scents. It reminds me of an incense I bought in Yokohama.    July 31: The migraine has arrived, and even looking at perfume is making me feel sort of ill, so nothing today and possibly tomorrow. =_=;;
windbourne

windbourne

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deazinn's Blog
 

2021 Summer Vacation Swap

Are you interested in any games?  We play cribbage, but we have played Cards Against Humanity and would love a deck of our own!  No playing cards though, we have PLENTY of those!    If you mentioned you liked bracelets or earrings to wear.... Bracelets:  Do you have preferences for metal color/type or would you prefer hemp/leather?   beaded?  bangles?   Wrist size?  I actually have quite a bit of jewelry....the only things I'm really looking for is a good silver link bracelet for charms, and charms themselves.  I would love to have a dragon charm and a zebra charm and a griffin charm in particular    Earrings:  Colors / Metal Type / Style / Piercing size?  I have two piercings in the left ear and three in my right and will be getting my daith piercings soon.  I can wear all types of metal.  I'm really into huggy type hoops right now, and really long threaders   Say you like or collect travel mugs:   do you want them to have a city or state name?  Ceramic, stainless, or is plastic ok?   Size preference?  (12oz, 14oz, etc.)  No glass please, I am the superklutz.  I prefer stainless over plastic, but will do plastic.  My only current travel mug is my much loved Starbucks Anniversary mug, and it's plastic.  I really like the 24 oz studded Starbucks tumblers but they can be hard to find.  Are you interested in some travel size tastes of homemade liqueur?  Currently I have rose petal, lavender vanilla bean, and plum.   No thank you    If someone were to make or get you a fun beach hat, what size is your noggin?  Well, I wear a size small helmet?  So.....smallish adult woman size?  Ha!  My head has a 22" circumference!  I knew I had that info somewhere!   Do your pets like treats?   Yes, she does; mainly cookie type treats, and bouncy balls.  She's a pipsqueak at 21 lbs, but a tough chewer!    Do you have fiber preferences or allergies for knitted/crocheted items?   Anything that is not scratchy works for me!  I'm very tactile    Are you BPAL only as far as perfume is concerned?   Nope!  My signature scent is actually Very Irresistible by Givenchy; I also wear V Secret's original formulation of Pink, Clinique's Happy Heart, and Toyko Milk's Tainted Love.   How do you feel about used books?  I will love and cherish them!    I know we talked about good/not-good scent notes in the original questionnaire. But imagine now, if you have to pick ONE note to declare as your favorite/best/etc. What is the ONE?   To wear?  Or to smell?  Ugh!  I don't know!!  If my travel agent seriously needs this answered poke me.  
deazinn

deazinn

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Lawardrop_27512
 

Summer vacation Swap 2021 bonus questions & answers

I will update this as more questions come in.  Having trouble uploading my scent wish list, so I'm adding it to the bottom of this post.   Fandoms- I'm. A huge Star Trek fan. STTNG is my favorite. Dr Who as well.   Are you interested in any games?  Mad libs, exploding kittens, unstable unicorns, a deck of cards  Not so much.  I have THREE games I thought hubs would like to play that are still sealed (pout)   If you mentioned you liked bracelets or earrings to wear.... Bracelets:  Do you have preferences for metal color/type or would you prefer hemp/leather?   beaded?  bangles?   Wrist size?  Not much of a bracelet person – I catch them on things.   Earrings:  Colors / Metal Type / Style / Piercing size?  Stainless steel posts/hooks are preferred.  I have some silver & sapphire studs I wear most days, but fun dangly things are nice.   Say you like or collect travel mugs:   do you want them to have a city or state name?  Ceramic, stainless, or is plastic ok?   Size preference?  (12oz, 14oz, etc.)  Nope, not a thing in my house.   Are you interested in some travel size tastes of homemade liqueur?  Currently I have rose petal, lavender vanilla bean, and plum. I’d love to try the plum & rose.  I’m still working on a ginormous bottle of the lavender vanilla one that Twilight gifted me.    If someone were to make or get you a fun beach hat, what size is your noggin? Just measured at 22.5 with hair down     Do your pets like treats?  My cats love treats & toys.  Catnip mousies are awesome – even simple balls where you put catnip in a square of muslin, fill w/ Nip & tie a string around it are beloved.  Random found bird feathers are also a popular item.   Do you have fiber preferences or allergies for knitted/crocheted items?  I love most any yarn for something with the exception of really stiff acrylic.  If it’s next to my skin, I prefer natural fibers.  Good colors for me are purple, grey, black, greens   How do you feel about used books?  Love them utterly as long as their prior home was not with a smoker
  I know we talked about good/not-good scent notes in the original questionnaire. But image now, if you have to pick ONE note to declare as your favorite/best/etc. What is The ONE? This time of year, it’s Lavender – all the lavender forward scents.     Scent Wish List   In general, I’m open to trying anything that you recommend as long as it does not have a musk note – that is the ultimate gagging death note on me.  The most I can handle is in Serpentine that I think has a teeny bit from the Dorian component.  Other things I don’t do well with – Patchouli, smoke/embers (I keep trying smokey ones & keep hating them) My very best common notes are lavender, amber, & vanilla.  Lavender forward is a wonderful thing.  In the less common notes, I find that I do really well with alcohol notes like bourbon, whisky, or rum – one of those things I found with a handful of imps.  I also love cardamom, blackcurrant, & pear. In general, I always find something to love in any year’s Lilliths series, the Weenies, & Yule/Winter.  I love bath oils too.   BPAL Good Morning London Knight in Shiny Armor is my all-time fave - Serpentine Ghost Milk TKO – is there such a thing as TKO in bath oil?  That would be amazing. Dead Leaves & vanilla Incense Anything with Pear.  Is there such a thing as Pear & vanilla? (I have Perilous Parlour) Bordello has been suggested to me with its plum, black currant, & red wine – a small imp to try would be lovely Hesiod’s Phoenix Paper Phoenix Pumpkin V – no preference on year   Nocturne Alchemy Bastet’s Amber Grey Pine Opal Vanilla
lawardrop_27512

lawardrop_27512

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Tori's Additional Info
 

Summer Vacation Swap 2021 Auxiliary Answers

Do you travel with needlework projects? Not needles but crochet, and not big projects but small busy work things, like pot holders and face scrubbers and maybe beanie hats. Like, something I could finish in an airport if my flight got delayed 2 hours.    Are you interested in any games? Yes. Categorically.      If you mentioned you liked bracelets or earrings to wear.... I did not mention this thing. 
Say you like or collect travel mugs:   do you want them to have a city or state name?  Ceramic, stainless, or is plastic ok?   Size preference?  (12oz, 14oz, etc.) I do not collect these. 
  Are you interested in some travel size tastes of homemade liqueur?  Currently I have rose petal, lavender vanilla bean, and plum. No alcoholic spirits for me, please. I don't drink, and also, I think it's actually illegal to send alcohol through the mail in Arizona. 
  If someone were to make or get you a fun beach hat, what size is your noggin? Hat size 7.

Do your pets like treats? Yes. One cat loves catnip. The other cat and both dogs love dog treats of all types.    Do you have fiber preferences or allergies for knitted/crocheted items? Nope!    Are you BPAL only as far as perfume is concerned? Like, 95%? I've been purchasing BPAL since circa 2006. I own one bottle of Solstice Scents (Smokewood Apiary), for which I swapped on the BPAL Forum, and I recently (like, this week) made my first Hexennacht order.    Are you part of any fandoms? Ish? I've liked Harry Potter, but have really not wanted to support JK Rowling more. I removed myself from fan outlets in which she has or had a financial interest, and the result is that I've stopped following a fair bit of the fandom.   But, since I’m going……..is there anything that you would like from the shore?  Shells, salt water taffy, some soft of delightfully tacky souvenir?? My heart is with saltwater taffy, but my receiving temperature most decidedly is not, unfortunately. There will always be a special place in my soul for tack.    Enameled pins, yay or nay?  Patches vs stickers, which do you prefer, or neither, or both?? Probably none of these? I have a lack of places to put items like this, so they often do not get displayed as they should.   
torischroeder9

torischroeder9

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Windbourne's Scent-A-Day
 

June

Happy June! ?️‍?   June 1: Frostbitten Dorian '17 -- I decided to go through seven bottles of GC variations this week. :3 The ones I have come in four flavors -- frostbitten, pumpkin patch, gingerbread, and pumpkin spice. I'm alternating them. Dorian's one of the GCs I go back and forth on. Sometimes I really love it and sometimes it's almost too sweet. I've bought and sold or swapped a few bottles of it over the years. This one, however, has stuck. Unlike some of the other Frostbitten scents in which the frosty notes take over the scent of the base GC, Dorian stays pretty powerful, if somewhat chillier. It maintains Dorian's vanilla tea & lavender-green cologne and adds a chilly undertone as it dries. The last faded notes on my wrist when I woke up (I put it on a few hours before I went to sleep) were mostly snow. I had a similar experience with Frostbitten TKO; that note has tenacity. Wear length is excellent, throw is solid.   June 2: Alice in the Pumpkin Patch -- I do not love Alice on her own; I've always wanted to, but the carnation interacts weirdly with the milk and it just ends up smelling funky. But this, this I love. Somehow, adding pumpkin to it turns it magical. This weirds me out on multiple levels, because fairly frequently pumpkin goes odd on my skin, too. But ignoring all the base notes of this perfume, what it smells like on me is a cup of sweet, very slightly milky rose tea steaming at a table with a jar of honey open somewhere nearby. There may or may not be a pumpkin pie at the table, sometimes you think one is there, but when you look again it's not. It still manages to be very Wonderland-y while also being a lovely fall scent. It's really amazing. It's never that spicy, it doesn't feel like Pumpkin Spice. There might be a drop of clove, but that could just be the carnation doing that thing it does. Wears like a dream, lasts until the end of the tea party.   June 3: Gingerbread Goblin -- Goblin's another GC I'm not super fond of. It's pretty simple and composed of things I generally like, but it's just kind of scratchy patchouli and thick coconut on me and feels kind of ...boring? Is that the word I want? I don't sniff it and go ahhhh, yum; I go, eh. Adding gingerbread elevates to something pretty awesome, though. It gets sweeter and thicker, like proper gingerbread made with molasses, or even ultra-sticky steamed brown bread, if you took out the raisins and added coconut shreds. The patchouli is still back there, being patchouli. It's less prominent than in regular Goblin, but it gets stronger over time. It has fairly good wearlength, though I re-applied halfway through the day because I wanted more sticky coconut gingerbread action, so I can't give an accurate impression. Not much throw, though, it sticks pretty close to my skin. Definitely more of a treat than a trickster, overall. Yum.    June 4: Pumpkin Spice Harlot -- I actually like the base of Harlot, it's super-simple, just roses and cinnamon, but it wears very briefly, maybe three hours tops. I bought this, I admit, partly out of curiosity because I didn't think it would change that much. ? In the bottle, the blend smells like a rose-scented non-acetone nail polish remover I once bought. It's better on the skin, but the balance is way shifted to favor the spices, as you would probably expect. After it dries, it shifts back. And then forth. I really feel that if you have regular Harlot, this isn't an improvement, just a tonal shift. Regular Harlot dries down pretty gracefully into a puff of rose petals, this one vanishes after about two and a half hours. It was like I never put on perfume. I like it, but if I want spicy roses, I have other things that accomplish that better and are more grounded.   June 5: Gingerbread Villain -- Hey, look, another GC that I'm not that into, but adding something else to it turns it into an I LOVE IT. Villain itself was strongly cologne on me and while I don't mind that general scent profile, something about it made me slightly headachy. Adding sweet gingerbread ameliorated that aspect entirely. These early gingerbread scents had very spicy & delicious (and prominent!) gingerbread, and this one adds a pleasantly citrus & floral aspect that makes me very happy to sniff. It's a wrist-huffer. Good throw, moderate wearlength, stays yummy the whole time, though it's mostly just gingerbread crumbs by about four hours in.   June 6: Miskatonic University's Pumpkin Patch -- Take the thick, sweet, coffee and mild woods of Misk. U and add pumpkin & a bit of spice. It's my preferred kind of pumpkin, the more squashy one, that smells more like pumpkin puree. There's a couple of places in the city that do lattes with pumpkin puree in the fall, and if you added a half-pump of Irish Cream syrup and drank it in a library, this would be almost exactly the scent memory of that experience. It's pretty strong and goes through a brief phase of being All Spice All The Time, but then it goes back to being mostly coffee and woods. Good throw, decent longevity. It is quite similar to Pumpkin Latte, though with a slightly greater depth from the very slight woody undertone, so if you're kicking yourself for missing this, just get a bottle of that & you'll be set.   June 7: Frostbitten Black Phoenix -- The core notes of Black Phoenix stay very apparent, so it ends up smelling a lot like someone dunked Snow White in big bucket of almondy myrrh and perhaps a hint of rosewood or similar. After a while the frost notes almost completely recede aside from a very slight twang at the edges and it's just Black Phoenix hanging out being what it usually is. However, the very late drydown is all almondy frost, same as FB Dorian and FB TKO. I don't regret buying it, but it's not really different enough for me to call it a must-buy unless you really love Black Phoenix and the frosty note. Strength & lasting power are both moderate to strong.   And that does it for this week! I think I'm going to test some Luper decants next.   June 8: Asses Plus Long, Qu’un Siècle Platonique -- This sounded exactly like something I would like, so I snagged a decant. And I was right! It's exactly something I would like! Beautiful pale roses, scintillating and very fresh, dewy vanilla blossoms, sweet, almost-vanilla benzoin...yep, it's great. If you like lovely sweet (but not at all foody) florals you should definitely grab it. It's lovely, has a very delicate but distinct throw, and fairly good longevity. However, because I like things like this, I have at least three things that are in the same scent family already (maybe more) -- Opuhi (ginger blossom & vanilla orchid; the initial scent is more tropical but the drydown is quite similar); White Rose (BPTP; White rose buds, with vanilla tea, benzoin, orris, coconut meat, and frankincense; for this one the initial white rose is similar, but the coconut & orris change the drydown); and To Helen (Electric ozone, opaline notes, moonflower, white amber, beeswax, and three roses; has the opal & roses and a very similar...atmosphere, I guess? but the beeswax & white amber warm it up as it dries). So I don't think I need a bottle. It is really lovely, though, and I'll keep the decant to test a few more times before it goes away. You know, just in case.   June 9: Honey Marzipan -- One of the two honey scents I picked up. Thicccck, sweet, lightly floral honey (I agree, this is absolutely the same stuff that's in Harlow's Lace) and creamy marzipan (sweetened almond paste). ? It's pretty nice but knowing my tastes, I will never wear it. Delicious throw, lasts a while, fades gracefully.   June 10: Like the Very Gods -- I also got this one because it sounded like something I would like. ;3 I mean, why else do I pick decants these days? (Sometimes it really is just curiosity, tbh, but I sure do skip a lot more than I used to.) So... this reminds me of Lush's The Olive Branch. They don't share many notes, but they definitely share a vibe, and that vibe is Mediterranean woody freshness. I do really like this. The musk(s?) are mild, the blossoms are sweet and bright, the cedar is very tame, the sandalwood is mellow, and the orris is an excellent binder, bringing it all together without feeling dusty as it sometimes does. As it dries, it develops a more distinctly honeyed aspect and the orris gets stronger. Later drydown is a whiff of orris and honey. It's real good. The only thing is that it really reminds me of The Olive Branch. I have a solid perfume of Pansy, which is, depending on where you're looking, either Olive Branch 2.0 or just the same scent with a different name, so I pulled it out and put a bit on and it's very similar. Pansy ends in a place that's greener than this does, but they are definitely in the same scent family. I think this one may end up being a keep-the-decant-but-no-bottle for me as well. It's real nice, though. I might change my mind.   June 11: Cacao and Sugared Roses -- Man, DOES WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN. Sweet not-quite-chocolate and sugary pink roses, slightly heavier on the roses in the vial and chocolate on my skin, at least for the first while. The roses take over on drydown and just dominate after that. I don't have anything else major to say about it because it's so basic. It's a nice blend and I'm seriously considering buying a bottle, because I love the combo. Throw is pretty chonky, lasts a while, but not too long.   June 12: Honey, Sweet Orange, and Orange Blossom -- Seriously, the honey used in, at the very least, the two of these that I got, is incredibly thick, dark honey. I was expecting this to be a much lighter scent than it is, but it is not! It is quite dense and it completely dominates the orange & orange blossom.The other two notes are there, but they serve as adjuncts at best, and fade out almost completely within about an hour. I'd describe this more as honey made from orange blossoms rather than honey with added orange or orange blossom. It's ...fine? But the near-single-note-ness of it makes it a little boring for me. Throw is sticky, longevity is just okay.   June 13: Peach Vulva -- I've tried almost every Vulva they've released over the years and exactly zero of them have worked on me, and this one did not change that record. ? It's pretty nice in the vial and for about thirty seconds after it hits my skin. Big, juicy peach & apricot, lightly sweetened, a hint of cardamom... and then it goes sour and tangy and smells like sweat, and it does that for the next four hours. After about six hours, the weirdness fades and it becomes a soft peachy skin scent, and that phase I like a lot, but this is basically a world of no for me. It has excellent throw, naturally.   June 14: Cacao, Sandalwood, Clove, and Hemp -- This is almost entirely cacao and clove on me. There's a very slight creamy woodiness that lets me know there's sandalwood in there somewhere, but the hemp is completely buried. It's very nice example of what it is, and if you're into a not overly sweet, clove-spicy chocolate scent, do give it a try. For myself, I've got a few other chocolate & clove scents from various companies and this doesn't do anything new, so it's an easy pass. It sticks pretty close to my skin, though I get a whiff of clove every once in a while as I move around, and lasts a few hours.   June 15: Travelers Under a Tree Observed by Foxes -- Pretty simple; starts with soft coconut & rice milk, turns into mild creamy tea scent. It does remind me of a non-dairy milk tea! Tea notes almost always smell kind of off on my skin (super-astringent, green more than white, white more than black), so I'd be more inclined to use this if it were a room spray*. Low throw, but it smells better from a distance than it does up close, and on me, pretty low longevity -- I put it on and could smell it strongly for about a half-hour, then I took a two hour nap and when I woke up it was gone. *There's a jasmine milk tea scent from another company that smelled AWFUL on my skin, but I put it on before bed and my pillow smelled amazing the next morning. This is less immediately awful, but I'm betting if I put some on my sheets/clothes it'd be the same deal.   June 16: Balancing the Sake Cup -- I don't comment on the color of the oils very often, but this one is a bright turmeric yellow-orange. It's kind of neat. Anyway, it goes on with a big chonky sniff of waxy orange blossom and ginger, then turns into a mass of sweet sugary ginger (like candied ginger root) and clove with a delicate orange blossom throw, then dries down a soft gingery vanillic/resinous fragrance that lasts quite a while. There's something interestingly vegetal about it; sometimes it almost smells earthy, like...carrots, or something similar. I'm pretty into it and already picked up a bottle.   June 17: It's All I Have to Bring Today -- One big blast of air freshener flowers and then it somehow settles down? This scent really confuses my nose. I simultaneously want to BLRGH and mmm, nice about it. This was one of my three 'wellll, I probably won't like it, but I'm curious so why not?" decants (the other two are the Vulvas). And yet somehow I'm not disliking it at all. It's brighter and sweeter than I was expecting and the honey is very different from the honey used in the other LuperShungas from this year that I've tried. I usually avoid non-specific flowers, due to a strong dislike of a few common ones (lily, especially), but mostly what I smell here is a very sweet carnation and perhaps some sunflowers, along with some other indeterminate blossoms. There is a distinct but not overwhelming ozone note, as well. The amber and the honey are pretty mellow and quite light, compared to the flowers. I don't think I'm inclined towards a bottle, but this is a much more interesting blend than I thought it would be.   June 18: Cherry Blossom Vulva -- I figured going into this that this would not be good for me, but I feel compelled to keep trying the vulvas anyway. ? And I do like cherry blossom (more or less) and honeysuckle (sometimes) and even cream (less often), so ...maybe the plum blossom and gardenia would magically become not sour flowers once they hit my skin? ...Yeah, right. It's fine in the vial, very lovely pale pink & white floral, and then it touches my skin and immediately devolves into pickled blossoms. The cream isn't helping here, just adding a bit of extra milkiness to the whole mess. This scent sits, radiating warm pink unpleasantness for around an hour until finally the cherry blossom & cream take over and lead everything else offstage. At this point it's actually more or less fine, if a bit dryer sheets and milk. Not something I'm ever going to wear again, but fine.   June 19: No perfume today; got a real bad migraine. :< June 20: Migraine continues. Finally, after three days (it started the evening of the 18th), it's gone. Worst one I've had in a long, long time. >_<;;   June 21: Quies (TAL) -- Quies is a fairly neutral scent, very mellow. It feels like what it is, a ritual oil designed for peace and quiet, especially when stressed or overwhelmed. I don't tend to think about TAL scents in terms of how they smell or wear as perfumes (though sometimes they smell very nice! This one does, soft and woody with vegetal and resinous notes.) but rather as how they feel and wear with the intention behind them. After the stress of the last few weeks (my grandfather passed away recently) and pain of the last three days, this was perfect for me. I've used TAL Peace before, and it's different. If Peace is like someone holding your hands and leading you in a meditation ritual, this one is like someone giving you soft pillows and a cup of warm tea and putting you in a dimly-lit room with a bit of incense in the corner then leaving you the fuck alone because you need some time to decompress. It's good.   June 22: Vaginal Tales of the Nocturnal Palace -- Or, as the Discord has taken to calling it, Vaggie Tales. ? This is a little too sweet for me -- or rather, on my skin, sweet in a way I don't like, pale, floral-sweet, very much like Volcano in Springtime plus a bit of rather lovely blue lotus. It's nice, but ...just nice. I don't find it compelling, though I can certainly see how it would be absolutely beautiful on someone with different skin chemistry or with different tastes. This decant's going into the swap box.   June 23: The Elephant is Slow to Mate -- Lovely. Dark red fruit and musk over deeper resinous notes, sweetened up by vanilla bean. This reminds me a bit of the older version of Mme. Moriarty, but a bit more complex, and overall sweeter. Same scent family, though, and they have similar auras, like a person in very dark red lipstick smiling at you charmingly through a smoky room. I never get much in the way of rose, though there is a smoky aspect to the scent. As you might expect, it has pretty fierce throw and lasts forever. I always enjoy these red, heavy scents when I wear them, but I spent so long unable to wear them at work that I almost never wear them even now, when I can wear whatever I want.   June 24: The Shell Box -- This one is overall not for me. I like certain aspects of it a lot: the saltiness, the blue lotus, the sandalwood, precious and pale. But the motia attar and champaca absolutely crush everything else after a fairly short time on my skin. It's a bright, pale-sands beachy sort of scent, the kind of thing that goes well with salt spray in your hair, swimsuits, sunglasses, and a cocktail at the cabana later. Throw starts quiet and then ramps up and it wears fairly long, but after a while it's just a champaca party.   June 25: Adventuresome Encounters -- I'm going to need to test this one again before I make a final judgement. It's interesting, much more perfume-y and less foody than I had expected based on notes & reviews. My first impressions are strong cinnamon and oakmoss, followed by fairly intense amber. The yam is there, and comes out more with wear, but it's not especially prominent on my skin. I like it, I think, but it's something I'll need to wear a few times to really make up my mind. I've only had it on for a couple of hours, so I can't comment on wear time, but it does have a nice throw. Eta: Yeaaah, this ended up being mostly sticky amber, cinnamon, and oakmoss on me. Wore for several hours and I ended up not liking the final result that much.   June 26: Becoming Thunder (American Gods) -- I just got a fairly large order in and I'm pretty excited about it. It's a bit of a mix of everything, a GC, some LEs, a Lunacy, a TAL, and this. Bottle sniff and the immediate thirty seconds or so of wear are a big burst of green -- to my nose, it's the same as Give Me Thy Breath, My Sister's bog-moist greenery, which is neat -- and then it settles into a fairly glorious skin-musky frankincense with a hit of not-unpleasant ozone. I'm enjoying it a lot fresh, but I'm terribly excited to see what this is going to be like in a year or so.   June 27: The Country of Eternal Light -- It's too hot and my sense of smell is kind of borky today, so I went with something chilly that I hadn't worn in a while. It's from the Frankenstein series, from 2011, and it's minty-cold, slightly mossy ozone all the way down. It doesn't have a lot of depth, but right now, all I need is the perception of a chilly breeze wafting off my wrist, so this is fine! It's probably got a bit of white musk in there somewhere as well. It's not terribly distinctive among the many, many cold-snowy-icy scents, but it's pleasant.   June 28: Unmanageable Snowdrift -- Yep, still hot out, so ...this. This is a surprisingly bright and sparkly snow, at least at first, but there's a piney component to it as well as a hint of something almost dirt-like, at least on me. It definitely gives the impression of snow piled high against the window, which is a thing I've only experienced when visiting family in Idaho. It's clean, cool, and refreshing and makes me want to make mint iced tea. Later drydown is a bit reminiscent of clean laundry, but not quite in a white musk way.   June 29: Mountain Temple: I wanted something light and pleasant and aggressively inoffensive today, so I hit this one up. This was my personal biggest hit from Yule 2019; I bought a bottle untested and then later went back and bought a second one. I love it, and I can wear it most of the time. Soft incense, lightly piney snow, low throw but persistent.   June 30: Bloody Corridor -- I didn't actually like Endless Corridor that much; the smoke & vetiver made it a little dirtier than I'm usually fond of with beeswax. But I wanted to give this a try anyway! I thought the red musk would give it a different focus and feel and wow, I was really right about that. The red musk completely overpowers the smokiness on me, giving me a deep red beeswax scent that I'm pretty into. There's a hint of quasi-fruitiness and a little spiciness to this that Endless doesn't have. Later on the vetiver does come out more, but not quite in the same way. Like... okay, when I was a teenager I had these candles that were a couple of layers of black wax on the outside covering a red core, and when they dripped, it was intended to look sort of bloody. That's what this reminds me of, but with the colors reversed -- red outside covering a blackened center. Endless Corridors was a once-pale beeswax pillar candle that had turned mostly gray from smoke and grime. Chonkers throw, good longevity.   Whew, six months of a new perfume almost every day and yet I feel like I've barely gotten into my collection. ...Maybe it's time to hit the Therianthropics! ....I did review all twelve of them at one point, but I haven't worn any of them yet this year. It's a good opportunity to see how I feel about them now.
windbourne

windbourne

0
rivetted's sense adventures
 

ShungaSense Adventures

Full Shunga Collection:   A Karasu Tengu Copulating With The Knot-Hole of a Pine Tree Adventuresome Encounters Balancing The Sake Cup Butterfly Dancer Cascading Silks Cherry Blossom Vulva Coy Mermaid With A Vulva Shaped Head Cycling For Pleasure Discarded Sandal Dragon, Rabbit, & Snake Ecstatic Dancing Penises Erotic Sake Bowl Famous Kabuki Actors in Imagined Scenes of Lovemaking Flowering Peonies Fracas with Eleven Kabuki Actors Imayo Irokumi No Ito Inspecting The Lantern Kimi Ga Dai Wa Levitating Phallic God Peach Vulva *(shipped separately - don't have yet) Raucous Games Inside a Bathouse Rippling Water In the Stone Basin Shadow Pictures Travelers Under a Tree Observed by Foxes Under the Foot Warmer Unsubtle Euphamism Vaginal Tales of the Nocturnal Palace     Initial Impressions:  Day 1 (Friday): Fresh out of the Mailbox - Cherry Blossom Vulva is the Day 1 winner. Beautiful fresh daytime florals. Easy to wear, not lotiony/soapy - just fresh! Butterfly Dancer leaves a good impression & gets set aside for my personal collection immediately. Cycling For Pleasure is immediately intriguing, & different than everything else I own. I can't stop smelling it, & it is the second one I try out. Balancing The Sake Cup is strong, & intense. I don't think I like it. It needs to calm down some. Erotic Sake Bowl is much more pleasant, very bright, fresh, happy, citrusy. Unsubtle Euphemism is somehow like the most delicious bakery smell ever. I don't know If i want to wear it - but I could definitely eat it.   Everything else smells interesting but it's too much at once. Some things are disappointing, but initial impressions can be that way. I am surprised by the amount of varied scents, & how even throughout such variety they really do feel like part of a cohesive collection together.   Day 2 (Saturday): wore Cycling For Pleasure. What a treat to wear. A new favorite. my partner tries on Ecstatic Dancing Penises. It is definitely a bit more of a men's scent.   Day 3 (Sunday): Attempting to organize my thoughts on the variety of new scents.   Initial impressions have left me skeptical of (4): Balancing the Sake Cup (too sharp), Vaginal Tales of the Nocturnal Palace (sickly sweet florals), Imayo Irokumi No Ito (too grassy), & Shadow Pictures (parchment note is strong). Of those, the first two seem least likely to fall into my personal collection. The latter two just might age to be much nicer - & I'll admit I'm coming around to Shadow Pictures more and more over time. Although I do intend to hold on to most of these as a set for quite some time, to see how they age, some things just don't sit right at first.   The ones I do set aside for my personal collection immediately:  Butterfly Dancer, Cycling For Pleasure, Cherry Blossom Vulva, Under the Foot Warmer, Discarded Sandal, Erotic Sake Bowl   On Sunday at some point I tried on Kimi Ga Dai Wa - and I didn't quite like it. It may have been the wrong moment for me - it is very toasty & warm, definitely smells like someone who owns cats - it smells nice, but isn't something I see myself personally wearing.    Late that evening, before bed, & after a shower, I tried on Raucous Games Inside A Bathouse - and it's quite lovely. Fresh & clean, fruity & steamy, beautiful spa vibes.   Day 4 (Monday): Wore Under The Foot Warmer I think I just knew I'd love this one. Fresh, sharp woodsy notes, and a hint of pepper & smoke. I think this could easily be a daily wear / new favorite of mine, and it should age beautifully. It's a bit light at the moment, and I think it will grow into a bit more heaviness / staying power after some time resting.    Day 5 (Tuesday) Tried to wear Erotic Sake Bowl. It turned from the beautiful bright citrus smell to soap on my skin. Disappointed, but saving it to try again later. Maybe it'll work differently with age.  
rivetted

rivetted

1
Eldritchhobbit's Blog
 

Vernon Press - Call for Book Chapters: Edited volume on Star Trek and Star Wars

Vernon Press - Call for Book Chapters: Edited volume on Star Trek and Star Wars: Call for Abstracts Edited volume on Star Trek and Star Wars Edited by Emily Strand, MA and Amy H. Sturgis, PhD Vernon Press The generations-spanning, multimedia franchises Star Trek and Star Wars will form the focus for this edited collection of scholarly essays. As venerable and evolving repositories of science fiction and fantasy storytelling, and as towering pillars of popular culture, both Star Trek and Star Wars inspire, transform, and even at times inflame their often overlapping fan bases. Together with the publisher, the editors seek proposals for essays exploring these franchises’ themes, narratives, characters, treatment of moral and philosophical dilemmas, religious or spiritual notions, and other aspects. (Abstracts for essays which compare or contrast the two franchises are also welcome.) Collected essays will offer insight — from a variety of disciplines and perspectives — on how these franchises contribute to popular culture and the tradition of speculative storytelling. Abstracts and subsequent essays should be academically rigorous yet accessible to the informed (even non-academic) reader. Abstracts of 300-500 words in length should be submitted, along with a brief biographical statement, by August 2, 2021. Authors of accepted papers will be notified by September 1, 2021, and paper drafts should be submitted by January 10, 2022. More information is here.
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eldritchhobbit

eldritchhobbit

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Windbourne's Scent-A-Day
 

May

May 1: Mme. Moriarty Misfortune Teller '08 (Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum.) vs Mme. Moriarty Misfortune Teller '15 (Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, black currant, patchouli leaf and wild plum.) -- '15 is on my left wrist, '08 is on my right wrist. Both bottles were purchased by me from the Lab. They are definitely the same basic scent, sweet, red, musky, and rich, with a fruity undertone that makes me think more incense and not so much fruit. '08 is smoother, with a stronger vanilla waft, even from the bottle, and almost reads as woody on my skin. '15 is a bit sharper, and the plum & currant combine to add a deeper, purplish aura that '08 doesn't have. I feel sure that some of the differences are because of age, which often softens notes, and I'll be curious to see where the '15 is in about five years, but as it stands, I do prefer the '08. If I'd never tried '08, I'd probably still love '15. It's a gorgeous scent, especially if you like red musk.   I'm going to spend the next twenty-three days going through the Only Lovers Left Alive scents alphabetically. I have a full set from the first release -- my SO very, very kindly enabled me into buying them in two batches -- plus one bottle of re-released Eve, and I've worn some of them quite a bit (Eve, of course, but also Adam, Quintessence of Dust, Café Mille et une Nuits, and Shelley, Byron, and Keats) but never reviewed any of them. So. ?   May 2: OLLA Adam '14 -- Leather and ambergris -- like the leather in Peter Quint or Kvothe or Hatta, soft and worn, but sweeter & more complex than any of those -- gently laced with dust, wood, wool, and chemicals. It doesn't sound that pleasant, but for me, it is. It goes on leathery, but it backs way, way off fairly quickly, until it's more like the memory of wearing a leather jacket, not necessarily a classic moto, but a leather blazer that might have been in a closet for a long time. The ambergris is surprisingly present early on, along with the magnetic tape scent, and a slightly earthy note. I suspect there's a bit of costus in this for the wooly note. It's not a very strong scent, nor does it have powerful throw, but it smells so nice up close. As is usual on me, the late drydown is dominated by wispy ambergris. Good stuff, great interpretation of the character.    May 3: OLLA Ava '14 -- This was never going to be a favorite of mine because I cannot stand tuberose. ? Buuuuut it's not bad and I don't hate it. It's a somewhat thick vanilla musk at first -- I have a very, very old ('95 or so) vial of Moroccan Vanilla Musk from a long-gone local oil blender, and it reminds me of that at first -- but then it lightens up and becomes the tuberose-vanilla very modern concoction that I expected it would be. I don't find either mandarin or almond as separate notes, it all blurs together into a sweet floral Perfume Smell. It's a bit impressive to me, tbh, that Beth can make all the wonderful weird atmospheric and unusual blends, but still be able to construct the ones that wouldn't feel out of place spritzed out of a fancy glass bottle and representing a first big splurge into the wild world of adult perfumes for some young person. For me, personally, it's fine. I could wear it, but it's not really very me. (That said, this set I am keeping as a set because I do have an emotional attachment to the inspiration.)   May 4: OLLA Blood Popsicle '14 -- ...I'm kind of surprised at how many of the reviews, especially the early ones, aren't pegging this as mostly dragon's blood with a bit of the Lab's frost/frozen note, even though a lot of people are describing it the same way that DB always gets described: slightly floral, fruity, reminiscent of red musk, etc. It has that distinctive BPAL dragon's blood hint-of-sweetened-lilac on me, plus the slightly piney version of cold. The frozen aspect wears off pretty quickly, maybe twenty minutes in, and it starts smelling more like dragon's blood incense. There's probably some actual red musk in there as well, or the blend that comprises blood musk, as it does get muskier & thicker as it wears, then tapers off until it vanishes. Man, IDK what else to say about it; this one feels pretty 'does what it says on the tin'-ish to me. It's nice, it suits the theme, and I like it, but I've always found it difficult to wax poetic about dragon's blood.   May 5: OLLA Café Mille et une Nuits '14 -- This fragrance has always been stronger on the sweet, sticky shisha tobacco & spices on me. The coffee note is there, and it's darker and deeper than most other BPAL coffees I've tried (except for The Turkish Village), but it's not and never has been the most prominent note. It's very atmospheric in that it doesn't smell like coffee and tobacco smoke, it smells like you've been in a hookah lounge, surrounded by people drinking coffee and smoking for hours. I find it calming. The late late drydown is a dark-roast coffee bean sort of scent, but it takes quite a while to get there. This is one of the few OLLA bottles I've made a noticeable dent in. ;3 I'm not usually that into tobacco, but this one's really lovely.   May 6: OLLA Diamond Star '14 -- This has aged into thick & sticky territory, which is kind of neat. I've barely touched it, which is slightly odd considering it's fairly solidly in my wheelhouse of scent types I like. The bottle sniff is a bit sharp and myrrh-heavy, almost sneezy, but on the skin it blooms beautifully. It's an interesting contrast, both heavy and light in almost equal parts -- woody and resinous with a vanilla-esque sweetness and dim background salty skin-like undertone. It doesn't have huge throw, but it lasts for hours and as always, the last note to go is the ambergris. I think I know why I've mostly ignored it, though -- the immortelle almost pushes it into sickly territory at times and doesn't (imo) mesh well with the other notes on my skin. Once that fades, I love it a lot, but it takes a while to get there.   May 7: OLLA Eve '14 & '18 -- I always feel a bit bemused when my favorites are everyone else's faves. ? But honestly, in all ways, Eve is my favorite from this series. It's a beautiful perfume, complex and both deep and bright; herbal, resinous, woody, and rosy by turns. It shifts and flickers on my wrists, with different facets coming out throughout the fairly long weartime. It doesn't have strong sillage, but every so often I catch a whiff of it as I type. I have '14 on one wrist and '18 on the other and they're pretty much indistinguishable. I love it as an interpretation of the character, as a scent completely divorced from the source material, and for the way it makes me feel when I wear it. It's great in all weather, for most occasions, and I could wear it to work without offending anyone. This, as they say, is the good stuff.   May 8: OLLA Funnel of Love '14 -- I've never been able to make up my mind about this particular scent. It's simultaneously beautiful and nauseating on me, full of both notes I hate and notes I enjoy, and all of them are present. It wavers between something I like to wear, a rich, spicy patch with a backing of red musk and champaca and other good things and a rather indolic jasmine with bitey black pepper and strappy leather. Later drydown (because of course this lasts a long time, of course it does) is mostly woody patch and musk and champaca. Oh, you know what -- ...I smell like going to a club, like, everything about it. The sweat and the way decades of smoke have seeped into the walls, the kind of gross toilets that you don't care about after three or four drinks, the low lights and and close whispers and grinding on the floor with someone you don't know, and they sure are wearing leather pants and that's hot, but also you can practically taste their perfume, which is neat but also a bit much. Nothing's going to come of that dance-that-isn't-really-dancing, but it's pretty intense while you're in the moment. Yeah. Anyway, that's what Funnel of Love is to me. ^___^;;; An experience I don't regret, but would be pressed to say that I really enjoy.   May 9: I'm skipping today -- I got my second vaccine dose yesterday and I feel awful. May 10: Same today. =_= Plus nausea!  … ?   May 11: OLLA Hal '14 -- Well, the last two days pretty much sucked, but I'm feeling much better today. So. Hal. Gorgeous, yes. Mildly funky jasmine backed up by woods and a whole lot of sweet, sticky honey. The overall effect is a deep but still translucent amber with black flecks. It has a lightly toasted aspect to it -- Leo '07 has a little of that on me as well, so I suspect the saffron is playing into it -- but not burnt. I agree with a number of other reviewers, tbh: this shouldn't work on me, but it's absolutely beautiful. This one is good times, sexy and warm and not too much, at least on me. Eta: Well...Hal only lasted about 4 hours on me, so I've washed off my wrist to clear the last vague hints of it and now I'm moving on to...   May 11b: OLLA Ian '14 -- Compared to many of the other character scents in this series, Ian is so simple. Leather, sweetened (but not spiced) rum, bit of very distant, slightly dirty patch that gets stronger the longer it wears. ...and that's it. No surprises, no oddities, just a simple perfume for a simple boy. I've worn this a few times over the years, but I'm not actually that fond of rum in perfumes as it usually ends up pretty cloying on me. It's not bad for cooler weather, but it's a bit dense for late spring according to my tastes. ^_^; The leather reminds me of a fringed buckskin jacket I thrifted in high school, slightly musty and worn, sueded, not smooth or dry.  The patchouli is also rough & woody. It has moderate throw, and I probably wouldn't wear it to work, but it's nice.   May 12: OLLA In Templum Dei '14 -- Woodsnresinswoodsnresins -- okay, but seriously though. For a mellow, meditative incense blend, this one is difficult to beat. Starts a little sweet, then dries out until it reminds me of a soft drift of incense smoke curling off my wrist. It's just complex enough to reward deep huffing; I can tease out just a bit of the labdanum after a while, but it doesn't ever overtake the pale sandalwood & frankincense. It does fall into the category of scents I think of as 'antisocial' in that, when I wear them, I prefer to be alone and not have to talk to anyone. Most of those scents are cold or have chilly notes, but this one is soft and warm. Gentle throw, lasts forever, clean, patient, holy.   May 13: OLLA June 23, 1868 '14 -- That just looks like number hash. And the scent, on my skin is a mess of flower hash. =_=; It's not surprising, I don't get on at all well with most of these big white floral fragrances. I have a moonflower SN from another company, and a similar note is very much present. I can tell the warmer notes are under there -- the slightly sweaty costus (and a need to give it a full chance) is about the only thing keeping me from just washing it off because that note is like catnip for me -- but mostly this is about pungent white florals. The hilarious thing about this perfume to me is that it encapsulates an experience I would love. Being in gardens full of night-blooming flowers is a wonderful experience and I treasure many of these notes as actual flowers. I just don't love those scents on my skin. Late, late drydown, I do get a hint of tobacco, and the whole experience is probably sweeter because of the tonka and vanilla notes, but overall, very fragrant white floral.   In the end, I took a bath, and it vanished. So I'm moving on (gotta catch up on those two lost days) --   May 13b: OLLA Kit '14 -- Ah, Kit is much more to my taste. It starts out a bit sharp and very distinctively inky (with a hint of parchment, perhaps?), but that fades pretty fast. Mysore sandalwood is often sweeter than other sandalwoods, and here it is very sweet & creamy, backed up by some not-terribly-sweet benzoin, aged fabric notes, and ink, with just a tiny hint of marjoram. It seems a little smoky to my nose, slightly diffuse and very old. I really love it. It's largely a skin scent, with minimal throw, unobtrusive but so pleasant to huff. It keeps my interest and is pleasant to wear, and lasts for several hours while fading gracefully. I've worn it several times over the last few years and each time I pull it out I want to sigh happily. Calming, complex, ancient, mottled green/brown, evocative.   May 14: OLLA Our Hearts Condemn Us '14 -- I really wish this were something I liked and wanted to wear, but I just don't enjoy cedar or teak and those are the strongest notes on my skin. The rose otto and oudh are there, but this is almost entirely pencil shavings, antique store, and sadness on me. Low throw, doesn't last too long on me, better for those who like *waves hands* that sort of thing. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against wood & rose scents, but I really prefer sandalwood or pine or rosewood or literally anything other than cedar or teak. Later on it becomes mostly rose oudh, which is fine and I like much more, but I also have Elizabeth of Bohemia, which is that from the get-go and skips the parts I don't like. ^^;   May 15: OLLA Quintessence of Dust '14 -- I went through a very long phase where I was absolutely obsessed with beeswax scents. I still like quite a few, but I've discovered that it doesn't always work for me anymore. Even a few scents that I went berserk over a few years ago are now surprisingly cloying on my skin. I don't think it's the scents aging, I think it's my tastes (and possibly skin chemistry) shifting. ? Anyway, this is one of those. I wore it a lot shortly after I got it and loved it to death. Now, it's stickier to my nose and I'm not as in love with the particular leather -- it's not the softer worn-jacket leather of Adam or the fuzzy suede leather of Ian -- it's smooth, brown, and ...well, it does smell like libraries. Old books, slightly musty. Unfortunately, the blood is on the sweeter side as well, and the salt isn't quite enough to counteract it. The ink is nice, lending a blackened swirl to the scent, and the way it dries down is still beautiful (especially once the leather settles down a bit)....but it's no longer a favorite. It doesn't have major throw and lasts 4-5 hours. I don't get the incense until about the midway point, at which point it's mostly a slightly smoky, dusty haze.   May 16: OLLA Shelley, Byron, and Keats '14 -- This reminds me quite a bit of L'Heure Verte, but that one is strongly absinthe with a bit of rose and this one is strongly rose and carnation with a bit of absinthe. Both feature opium, though, and both have a heady, brooding aspect that evokes a similar time period and aesthetic. I do prefer the lilac in L'Heure to the carnation in SBK, but unlike many carnation scents that end up too sweet and unpleasant on me, that note is tempered by the rest. The mercury note is very low-key on me, lending a silvery cast to the whole experience without standing out. It's got a fairly significant throw -- I can smell it without bending my arms at all, and my SO has commented on it from across the room -- and lasts several hours. I like it a lot, but I have to be in a Mood to wear it. I used to wear velvet blazers and ruffled shirts more often and this felt just right. :3    May 17: OLLA Spooky Action at a Distance '14 -- Starts as a burst of rosy sandalwood, much like The Little Wooden Doll, but fresher and brighter and better.   This one is very harmonious on me, everything blends well and feels intentional. There's a mild citrus-like aspect to it, making it one of the cleaner scents from this series, and the geranium is pleasantly herbal but not bitter. I really like it! Elemi can develop a slightly peppery note as it dries, and that's what happens on my skin, buoyed by the geranium & violet leaf & not-quite-coniferous frankincense. It's not a deep scent, it's not thick or rich or heavy at all. It's light, but not airy -- it kind of....echoes? I guess? is the way I want to describe it. Like, when you walk into a open air temple? I've only been to those in Japan, and this isn't a Japanese scent at all, but it has that sort of feeling. It clears my head. Throw is very mild, I can't smell it unless I lift my wrists near my face, but it's got a surprisingly decent lasting power. Late drydown is just a wisp of sandalwood. I'm not really shocked that this one doesn't, overall, have great reviews, but I enjoyed this slightly spare, softly resinous scent journey, and I'll wear it again for sure.   May 18: OLLA Streets of Detroit '14 -- Good lord, this is incredibly strong. It's dark, a little dirty, and very thick, with throw and lasting power for days. Black musk often has a slightly lemony tinge to me, and that aspect is present here; the combo of the musk with the myrrh and motor oil is very intense. I'm learning (slowly) that oil notes are a bit iffy for me at times, and this isn't really increasing my confidence in it. Once it's dried and has been on for a while, the motor oil fades and I like it a lot more, but the oil makes me almost a little queasy while it's damp. It's odd, because the throw is captivating. What I smell from a slight distance is absolutely fantastic, but when I sniff close up, blergh. It's like, on me, it's a scent that was meant to be smelled by someone else. And it lasts forever: it lasted through a shower, it beat my fairly strong lotion into submission, it wore through the night and was still strongly present when I woke up. It's just a beast. The only thing I can think of that I have that begins to compare is Minotaur, which is also black musk & resin, but that one is a baby compared to this, and the other notes mellow it out a lot.   May 19: OLLA The Diamond's Gong '14 -- After the initial white musk & pale champaca blast, like a brilliant white KABOOM on my wrist, it subsides into a mild, twinkling, almost-soapy-but-make-it-incense scent. I'm neither a fan of nor do I dislike white musk, and likewise with champaca, so this is fine for me, but just fine, and not exceptional in either direction. I have some tagetes SN, and I think here it's giving the fragrance a little more body rather than being a primary note -- tagetes is remarkably bitter, and this skews sweeter on me -- but there is a hint of it that comes out periodically. It never feels specifically fruity to me, but it has a fruitiness to it that comes and goes. The scent as a whole is scintillating on my skin, in that I can smell it very strongly one moment and then it seems to vanish almost completely the next, and which note seems strongest varies wildly as well. Throw is variable, and longevity is fairly strong in that it continues the peekaboo act for several hours before it decides it's done.   May 20: OLLA The Edge of Doom '14 -- This is a peculiar scent. It's very pale and plasticky, hitting me as a very beige scent at first, but there's something underneath that feels darker and muddled green. It's not really very pleasant, but as a person who has been on a whole lot of airplanes over the years, it hits right in that spot of clean and slightly off-putting that being on one often has. It's not a scent for the place you've been or the place you're going, it's that odd, liminal perfume of the non-place that air travel represents. I get a hint of rosemary, green and prickling my nose, and the faintest hint of almost grassy, slightly cucumber-y violet leaf. There's a saltiness to it, almost sweatiness, that starts appearing in later drydown that I find weirdly appealing. The opoponax, I suspect, has melded itself to the bottom of the bottle, as there's a thick opaque layer that won't budge no matter how much I roll or shake it, and the decant I have has similar sludge. This is definitely unique in my BPAL collection. It feels closer to a niche-style perfume. No throw to speak of, lasts a short time at strength but then pops up mysteriously hours later. Fascinating.   May 21: OLLA The Hourglass '14 -- The opening is a pleasant orange blossom and white rose pop, and then it sours and the lily takes over. Fortunately, that stage doesn't last too long -- after it dries, the darker notes come out and it gets sweeter and suddenly I love it. The myrrh/opoponax form a soft, round resinous warmth at base of the scent, and there's an almost musky woodiness over that, with the clove and violet a vague dusty overlay that comes and goes. But the dominant note wafting off my wrist is a soft, glowing white rose. It has a pretty strong throw; I can smell it very clearly as I move around, but it doesn't have a lot of staying power for me. By the end it's just a hint of myrrh and rose. I do have quite a few rose and resin scents, even one specifically white rose and resin (Parlement of Foules), but this one is sweeter and more languid than most of them. However, The Hourglass, unlike most of the rest of the OLLA perfumes, feels very much like it could have come from a normal BPAL release; specifically, it feels like it could've been a Luper.   May 22: OLLA There's Water Here '14 -- That sure is cement. This starts out very gray and very tough, but it melts into a softer, sweeter, greener scent in under ten minutes. There's a strong (expected) aquatic element, and a milder metallic note, plus some light florals. As it wears it starts developing some murky aspects, like pondweed or algae blooms, but it isn't a salty aquatic at all, it feels very fresh. It's not bad, however something in this is giving me a mild headache, so it isn't getting a full weartime. The throw, for as long as I lasted, was considerable, but I can't comment on true longevity because I had to wash it off after two hours. I feel pretty lucky that this is the first of the OLLA series that I've had a bad reaction to, and based on the notes for the two that remain, probably the only one.   May 23: OLLA This is Your Wilderness '14 -- Cool, mentholic, green, foresty with a soft, sweetened patchouli that shows up as it dries and a mild tobacco underlying it all. Holy mackerel, this is lovely. It was a little sharp when it was newer, but it's aged into something truly glorious. It shifts gently once it's fully dry, with the pine and patchouli taking turns to be the dominant note. It has a good, solid throw and lasted for about six hours before fading away cleanly. I consider this a bit of a trilogy with In Templum Dei and Our Hearts Condemn us (and maybe Spooky Action), all are woody and contemplative. Wear this one for hiking, meditation, calming, or reminding yourself that the world is large, but not that large, and you can find wilderness anywhere.   Just one left, and then I'll have to think of something new. Maybe a week of Lunacies or something to finish off May.   May 24: OLLA Wooden Bullet '14 -- I really liked this for about two minutes. The balance of wood and metal notes was lovely, smooth and rounded. Then it went very wrong -- cocobolo has a slightly floral woody scent (it's a rosewood relation) and it did not mix well with the lighter brassy notes for me; it became very sour and unpleasant on my skin. I don't get anything smoky from this at all, just polished wood and brass. It had a pretty solid throw and got louder with wear. It was giving me a bit of a headache, so I ended up layering it with a different scent that was also mostly wood plus actual rose notes and that toned it down, but that scent wore off and Wooden Bullet was still there underneath. It's still there now, twelve hours later. Have you ever had an brass figurine or pendant and played with it for a bit and then smelled your hands? I used to wear a pendant that was a hand-me-down from my mother, who I think got it at a garage sale; I fidgeted with it constantly and my fingers used to smell like the brass note in this. Excellent ratings for being evocative, but wearable for me, not so much.   May 25: Sugar Cookie '08 -- I'm doing Yules.   We're creeping on towards the beginning of summer, so what better time to dig out some old Yule decants (and one bottle). ....I thought I remembered this one being kind of weak, but it is not. The blast of buttery sugar cookie wafting off my wrists is pretty impressive! It's not especially complex, but it's definitely a Good Cookie. This is another that, up close, is not amazing, but the throw is fantastic; I smell freshly baked. This was one I swapped for extremely early in my BPAL habit, the label is torn and stained and it's still about half-full. If I liked these pure cookie scents a bit more, I'd buy a bottle of 2020, but obviously, while I do enjoy them, they aren't high on my wear-list. I might toss the remainder of this one in the bath because I looooove bakery-scented bath goods. :3   May 26: Nowhere in Particular -- The Wind in the Willows collection is one I slightly regret not buying more bottles from. It's a bit late now, twelve years later, but I do periodically keep my eyes out for them. This one's very soft and lovely, slightly dusty and with a hint of the mist note I love so much. It's a little soapy ozone for a bit, but it evolves into pale green leaves and yes, just a hint of apple. At first it smells distant, even with my nose pressed to my wrist, like I'm smelling something from far away, but it's not faint, if that makes sense. Over time it strengthens, as if I'm getting closer. It morphs a bit at this stage, developing a stronger apple with a slight hint of spice (not cinnamon, maybe a drop or two of carnation in the blend?) and a bit of dirt. It has mild throw and only lasts a few hours, but while it's there, it's a very fine wandering scent. I should wear it on one of the days I go aimlessly walking around in the evening; I think it'd be perfect for that.   May 27: The Last Evening of the Year (The Little Match Girl) -- Did you remember that they did this series? Because I sure didn't until I pulled out this partial decant. ? This is one of the Lab's pale, frosty rose scents, plus a bit of skin musk and some white musk masquerading as fabric softener. It manages to be pale, thin, and melancholic -- definitely giving the impression of a waif in rags in the snow, dreaming of warmth. It's not by any means unpleasant as a scent, but it has an aura of misery that makes me somewhat averse to wearing it; I suspect part of the reason I didn't buy bottles of any of these at the time is that it's a pretty miserable story. Even if you take comfort in her spirit being swept up to heaven to be with her grandmother, the story makes it clear that her corpse remains on earth, and that she died alone in the cold on a day that for most represents hope and renewal. I was not raised in a church-going family, so this particular fairy tale has always given me nightmares. Fragile throw, fades out quickly.   May 28: Braving the Ice -- Mmm, more cookies, sweet, buttery, and bright with a hint of pomegranate tartness. Decent throw, solid wear time, does entirely and precisely what it says on the tin, though the mint is not especially strong. I'm marking this confection down as another that's pleasant enough for a decant, but didn't distinguish itself enough for me to buy a bottle. It does, however, tempt me to try to make something with these flavors as an actual dessert. I feel like I'd enjoy eating it more than I enjoy it as a perfume. (I loved the brief time when the Trading Post offered candies inspired by various perfumes. I still have the empty tin for at least one lurking somewhere. Knowing my tendencies, it's probably full of imps. XD)   May 29: Snow Bunny '05 -- This one is another I got very early on in my BPAL journey and haven't touched in years. It's pretty straightforward and mellow -- a soft, piney, snowy top with some indistinct light floral base. From the reviews it sounds like it's chilled out a lot from when it was fresh. ...though, to be fair, the reviews are all over the place. ^^; The place this gets fun for me is in the later drydown, where it warms up to a soft powder with a hint of skin musk, like the ghost of perfume. It's a weirdly meta little fragrance, constructed to be a perfume that smells like a perfume that has been worn for a while and partly sweated off. Whether this was intentional or not, only Beth can say. I'm not sure I can say I like it more than a decant's worth, but it was definitely interesting.   May 30: Skadi '04 & '13 -- When '13 came out, the decanter I purchased from included a 1/2 decant of '04 along with it, because they were amazing and generous, so I have both versions to test. The good news is that they're pretty much identical. '13 is a little bit more sharply minty at first but both go from snow to pine to berry with a little pause at delicate white musk at pretty much the same pace. The later drydown is mostly a cool berry with a hint of pine. It's pretty nice, I like it, but it's not in my personal OMG LEGENDARY list; there are just so many pine & snow scents out there, and the berries aren't distinct enough to my nose to make it pop.   March 31: Visiting the Temple of Auspicious Fortune Alone on the Winter Solstice -- Finishing this run of Yules (and the month!) off with a winner in the longest names club. I had a decant of this and used it up, but I recently acquired a bottle so I can wear it again. ^__^ It's a very quiet, mellow perfume. The incense is soft and hazy, not distinct, and mostly hides under the rain and dust and ozone until late drydown. I'm very fond of this kind of thing. It has similarities to many of the misty scents, Nowhere in Particular, Mountain Temple, etc. None of them are clones of each other, but they all have a light presence without being flowery or overly bright. They're like neutrals in the color palette. This one is sort of middling brown and grey, and I really like the way it's aged. Low throw, but surprisingly decent longevity; I can still smell faint smoky incense after several hours. As a person who enjoys being alone, and who wears perfume primarily for my own enjoyment, fragrances like this really appeal to me. *happy sigh*
windbourne

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Testing New Perfume [April 2021]

Wanted to do a quick review of the perfumes I purchased this past month so I would have a place to reference in the future:   POESIE Twice to Tea (5ml) a strongly brewed cup of Earl Grey tea delicately infused with all natural lavender absolute, sweetened with vanilla syrup, and lightened with a splash of milk. I had gotten a sample of this before, and I'm so happy I finally strung for a full size. It's a sweet scent that has bits of tea, vanilla, milk, lavender, and that sweetness that comes with earl grey tea. It's not super foody but is more of a perfume version of a rather sweet tea if that makes sense. A favorite! Keep.   Curiouser and Curiouser (2ml) daisy chains, blades of grass and a rabbithole, a blue cotton frock, airy vanilla clouds. Ok. I need a bottle of this one immediately. I hoped this would be stronger on the grass note, but it is actually stronger on the vanilla. It's fluffy and sweet with a hit of freshness keeping it from getting too heavy. It reminds me of a lighter, fresher BPTP Celeste. Keep, full size wishlist.   Always Time for Tea (2ml) countless cups of black tea loaded with cream, treacle tarts, mini strawberry jam tarts. This is stronger on the treacle tart on me than the strawberries. It's like if Twice to Tea had a ton of molasses and a hint of licorice in it. I like it, but it gives me BPAL the Soldier vibes, and in general I prefer BPAL's the Soldier. Keep.   White Rabbit (free sample) fluffy white fur musk, kumquat marmalade, lacy carrot flower, a wisp of hay and sweet fennel. This is all musk and hay on me. I got a touch of fruitiness when it first went on, but the musk is really the strongest note here. Unfortunately, "musk" notes (apart from red musk) usually just translate to powder on me. Pass.   NUI COBALT DESIGNS the Bees' High Tea (sample) An uplifting blend to forge lasting connections and cultivate friendships. Delicate vanilla cakes with rose petal preserves, elderflower wine, and Earl Grey tea with a dainty drop of spring harvest honey. Smells like BPAL Lady Una, but BETTER. I need to test this again, but wow how absolutely gorgeous. I might need a full bottle. ETA: after a second test, I don't think I need a full size bottle of this one. It's less "better than" Lady Una and more the juicier version of Lady Una. The honey and jammy rose plus elderflower wine is the strongest combination of scents here and it feels very lush. I think I might amp NCD's honey note because it continues to take over after a while which isn't something I am always in the mood to wear. Lovely, but not a forever scent. Keep.   Busy Bee (free sample) A piquant potion for swift and efficient productivity. A blend of Oolong and Tibetan black tea with peach blossom honey, cardamom, and clove, sharpened with pink peppercorn and dry oakwood. Wear this scent for improved focus, diligence, and motivation. This is a sweet, light, honeyed tea on me initially. The peach blossom honey is the star of the show and the spices add a bit of depth without my nose really being able to pick them out. It has a light cozy fuzziness to it as well which goes a bit powdery. As time progresses the honey note gets a bit sharp and really takes over. I liked this initially, but the honey is just too much in this one. Pass.   ALKEMIA (still letting this order rest) First Dandelion (nature's ambience sample set) A springtime daydream of sunny dandelion flowers, green dandelion leaves, and warm dirt. Stronger on the dandelion than the leaves and dirt. Does to powder on me. Pass.   Moss Maiden (nature's ambience sample set) A delicately feral blend of ferns, bark, lichen, crushed autumnal greens, and moss I liked this initially, but it turned to a powdery mess on me. Pass.
CiaoBonefish

CiaoBonefish

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Testing the Collection [2021]

I need to go through my collection, thoroughly test everything, write down my thoughts, and figure out once and for all what I will keep. This blog post is going to catalog my process. (ETA: I never finished this, but I wanted to keep these reviews here for future reference)   Perfume Reviews from my Collection: Black Opal - (4/28) Crisp mineral-esque vanilla with a bit of airy powdery feeling. I love this scent, but it does take a hit to settle into the skin and lose it's slightly sharp edge. It's a warm weather scent for me, and even though it goes a bit powdery it's a keeper. It's also difficult to get a hold of so I don't want to sell it and regret it. Keep. Golletes - (4/20) Lovely, pink, and foody. Of all the foody scents I have, this is BY FAR my favorite. It's just delectable without being too heavy. I knew I loved this. I still love this and need to wear it more! Keep. Hungry Ghost Moon - (4/21) Delicious ginger, ho wood, and rice wine. Slightly sparkly, slightly warm, absolutely divine. I love this perfume. It does go ever ever so softly powdery but not enough to keep me from wearing it. I love how delicate and sophisticated this one feels while also have some playfulness to it. Ok, it's been a while since those last thoughts and unfortunately this goes more and more powdery as it dries. I think my skin just doesn't agree with sandalwood anymore as those perfumes keep going powdery on me. Sigh. Swap/Sell. Inez (5/5) - Sadly I think as time has gone on sandalwood and musk notes now translate as powder on me. I used to loooooove this scent so much, but our time has come. Pass. Kit - (5/4) Straight up woods. Deep, warm, round woods. I like how this doesn't do powdery on me. I want to compare this to other perfumes like Inez and CT: Woods to see if I prefer either of those to this one because I really only need one warm woodsy scent in my collection. This might be it, but it might not! Lady Una - (4/24) I adore this scent. It's soft berries and honey and milk and an absolutely comforting scent. However, Nui Cobalt Design's the Bees' High Tea smells JUST like it... but BETTER. It also lasts way longer on me than Lady Una. I will keep this for now because the scent makes me nostalgic, but I might make it a goal to finish this one up sooner rather than later. ETA: I retested this alongside tBHT and low and behold I actually prefer Lady Una. The honey is more understated in Lady Una and it's more of a creamy but slightly fresh scent while tBHT is more juicy and honey berry. Keep. Lantern Ghost of Oiwa - (4/21) Soft florals, a hint of wood and tea over a bed of rice wine which smooths things over, and a bit of mint to brighten the whole thing. The florals are a bit powdery if I get in close, but the general waft is really lovely. I need to compare this to Hungry Ghost Moon because I remember them being similar, but I'm not sure if I need both. Just tested HGM, and yeah it's just way more my vibe with its added ginger while giving me a similar feel to LGoO. I think it's the ho wood and rice wine that ultimately connect them in my mind, but HGM is less powdery. Swap/Sell. Mag Mell - (4/21) Mag Mell, Oh how I loved you but now I think our time is up. I've just had this bottle for too long. This used to be my favorite bright spring scent with ginger and sage and and amber. It was my favorite, but I think I am now in need of a fresh bottle because it's gone to powder in the past 10 or so years and I really think this has just gone off. I prefer Arcana's Gehern over this one for when I want a fresh ginger verbena scent. Dispose/Recycle. No. 93 Engine - (4/22) This honestly has just gotten even better with age. Herbs, resin, besswax, and benzoin. It's golden, spicy, and rich, and it's really mellowed out with time and isn't so sharp anymore. Keep. Old Moon 2008 - (4/22) Wintery, forestry goodness. Smells just as lovely as the first time I wore it. It makes me so nostalgic as it was the first bottle I bought off of the forum. It's more of a room scent to me than a perfume sent, but it's absolutely perfect for winter. Keep. Paduan Killer Swarm - (5/2) I forget how much I love this scent. It's sweet, cozy, resinous, and warm. The tonka and licquorice are at the forefront when it is wet, but when it dries down the spices and woods come forward to make it feel a little less juicy. I wish the woods and spices didn't overtake the juiciness so much, but it's still an absolute cozy favorite of mine, perfect for fall. Keep. Tarot: the Star - (4/21) This honestly smells like a lemon version of Mag Mell but with more musk and without the . This scent is pretty sentimental to me, and until I find the perfect lemon scent, this one will be staying in the collection. I honestly just find it difficult to let go of. I'm curious how layering this with more foody scents will go? Keep. Theodosius the Legerdemain - (5/4) I like the idea of this scent, but it doesn't really smell like tea to me. It smells more fresh and laundry-esque with a hint of woods. I don't mind this scent. Especially when it has been a while, it's quite nice. It's just not something I think I really want to wear as a perfume anymore. Pass. a World Where There Are Octobers - (5/2) Paper-esque, peppery, a bit sharp. It's a crisp autumn day. No sweetness, just straight up atmospheric vibes. I don't wear this often, but I think I need to break it out more as a layering scent with more warm or juicy blends. I feel like it would temper them in a way. Especially warm autumn scents! It's so unique and definitely a keeper for me. Keep. CT: Woods - (5/5) Just straight up woods with a foody bready vanilla note to it. I like it, but I'm pretty confident I would never actually wear this one. Pass. Edith Cushing - (4/20) I enjoy this on initial application, but over time this just turns to powder. This is mainly a powdery sandalwood with a hint of vanilla underneath it all. Too powdery for me. Swap/Sell.
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aoiphe's Blog
 

My bottle list

GCs Bast
Bow and Crown of Conquest
Crowley
Dorian
Hunter
Lyonesse
Mouse's Long and Sad Tale
Mr. Ibis
Plunder
Snake Oil
The King's Daughter
The Cat
The Lion
TKO x 2

LEs After the Winter (2021) Amber and Cardamom (2021) Amoretti LXXV (Luper 2021) And Though They Are With You (2022) An Incubus Leaving Two Sleeping Women (Pickman 2011)
Autumn Cider (Weenie 2011) Beeswax, Cedarwood and Bourbon Vanilla (2021) Black Amber and Sugar Cane (2021)
Bezoar (CD 2011) Body, Remember x2 (Luper 2019)
Butterflies, Flowers, and Jewels Attending (2013)
Caligraphy Practice (Luper 2012) Cardamom and White Sandalwood (2021)
Clemence (CD 2010)
Egg Moon (Lunacy 2010)
Feed Me and Fill Me With Pleasure (Luper, 2013) Frankincense and Ginger Root (2021)
Green Tree Viper (CD 2010)
Gypsy (Metamorphosis, 2010)
Habu (CD 2011)
Half Elf v5 (proto, 2011)
Harp of Cnoc I'Chosagair x2 (Bards, 2010) Hay & Clove (2019)
Hod: Resurrected (Anniversary 2009)
Hungry Ghost Moon x 2 (Lunacy, 2006)
Hope and Fear Set Free (2013)
Inez (CD) In Templum Dei (OLLA 2021)
Leather Phoenix (Anniversary 2011) Leave Her Johnny (2021) Like a Girl (2020) Liquid Gold is in the Air (Weenie 2020) Lillith de Milo (2019) Lugubre Gondola (2013) Luke 10:25-37 (2021)
Metal Rabbit (2011)
Michael Casts Out All of the Fallen Angels (Weenie, 2012)
Mme. Moriarty, Misfortune Teller (CD 2010)
Mourning Cloak (Metamorphosis, 2010) Nightingale (2022)
Pallas Athene (Salon 2011)
Palmyra (2015) Pericardium (2019) Perfectly Normal Childhood x2 (2020)
Phoenix at Midday (Anniversary 2012) Plunging into the Hellmouth (Luper, 2022)
PRC12 (proto, 2011)
Pickled Imp (CD 2011)
Pumpkin V (Weenie, 2012) Quaeris Quot Miki Basiationes (2013) Rabbit Moon (2021)
Raven Moon (2012)
SERKET v5 (proto, 2011) Snake Smut (Luper 2021)
Sonnet d'Automne (Weenie 2011) Sunyashniki (2022) The Diamond's Gong (OLLA, 2018) The Dream is Big Enough for Everyone (2018) The King's Daughter (2011)
The Smiling Spider x2 (Salon, ?)
The Sportive Sun (2007) They Shut Me Up in Prose (2019)
Third Charm (Weenie 2012)
U Mutter Museum (retail) Vanilla Husk, Nutmeg and Hay Absolute (2022)
Western Diamondback (CD 2011)
WILF (Forum only, 2011)
White Sage (SN, 2013)
Womb Furie (Luper 2010) You May House Their Bodies (2022)
Young Pine Saplings (Luper, 2011)
aoiphe

aoiphe

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Jen's Stuff
 

My top smells

In no particular order.   Geek In Time of Plague Death Adder The Waltz Snake Charmer Sherlock Holmes Anathema Device Samahin Peacock Queen
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Jen's Stuff
 

Notes word clouds!

I saw one of those 'word cloud' doodads at work and thought, huh, I wonder what would happen if I stuck my smellies collection through there.   So here it is. This is all the notes/descriptions of all My Precious, including OCYLs but not things on the For Sale pile, with some curating to remove descriptive copy like 'sensual' or 'sibilant'.  
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Jen's Stuff
 

My Precious

My bottles...   BPAL   Ask the Nearest Hippie
Death Adder
Death Adder
Xanthe, the Weeping Clown
Geek
Snake Charmer: Resurrected
Black Moths
The Waltz
Bast
Fuck You, Said the Raven
Night's Bridge
Alice
Brown Jenkin
Dorian
Event Horizon
Sherlock Holmes
Snake Oil
The Black Rider
Smut 2020
Womb Furie 2022
The Serpent in the Roses
Silky Bat
Haute Macabre
Cloister Graveyard in the Snow
Heavy as Honeyed Pulses Beat
Samhain 2020
Peacock Queen 2019   All: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1v5dPCIPOuBg_iTV0F7qSsr1mDf0-RHTH_ip6WHI6Wv8/edit?usp=sharing
Jenesis

Jenesis

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Windbourne's Scent-A-Day
 

April

April 1: Monsterbait Underpants -- I only have a drop or so of this left, so once again it is time to upend this vial on my wrist in the name of... uh... science? Testing everything in my stash over the course of the next, like, two years? IDK, it's the first of April, this is the last of this theme, and I wanted to. It's a wear-your-rares day or something like that. This is interesting. I remember it being sweeter than it is now, and if I stick my nose to my wrist, at first it smells mostly of slightly sour saffron and a bit of sandalwood, but the throw as it dries is amazing... for a while. For about fifteen minutes I really get that soft gorgeous golden sweet-but-not-too-sweet aura. Then it pulls a joke on me. This shares a number of notes with Love's Philosophy, which is terrrrrrrrrible on me. This is better (thank you sandalwood), but still ends up slightly root beer-ish in a bad way. The Lab's older cream notes often smell dusty on me. Sooo what I end up with might be best described as Butterbeer, drunk in a corner that needs dusting, while wearing a mild sandalwood perfume. Happy April?    April 2: Red Lace -- I decided to pull out all the bottles of scents in the Dark Delicacies-exclusive Lace series that I own. I've had a few others pass through my hands, but right now I have exactly seven. Perfect. ^___^ This is definitely a Lace, but the dried pomegranate, all tart and red, makes this feel like a distant (living?) relative of the Crypt Royalty, especially on later drydown. I've never gotten much in the way of raspberry from it; it's much heavier on the woods/tobacco/patch than it is any fruity notes, at least on me.   April 3: Pink Lace -- I bought this at Dark Delicacies. I'm endlessly grateful that I've been able to visit several times and never left empty-handed. This is not exactly the kind of scent that I enjoy wearing, however. It's not bad, I'm not contemplating washing it off or anything, but tea rose is my least favorite rose and strawberry often smells unappealing on me. The tobacco and champaca are pleasant, but as a whole, this might not be one I need in my collection. ...hm. Well, I guess part of the point of this exercise is to winnow out a few of the things I've never or rarely touched.   April 4: Mourning Lace -- Probably my favorite Lace that I own. I like all the notes, and the clove, especially, is pleasantly strong on me. I did wear it out clubbing a few times for that 'we can't smoke cloves in here anymore, who smells like that?' factor, and because it's better and warmer (and safer!) than the clove EO I sometimes used to dab on when I was much younger. The oak is pleasantly mild, woody, and adds a little more tannic oomph to the delicate vanilla flower. It makes me smile when I wear it. It's just so nice. ❤️   April 5: Absinthe & Lace -- Soft, green, very gently smoky. The label on this one really wants to peel off. :< I like this, but I like L'Heure Verte more, and they're definitely in the same wheelhouse. The light florals in L'Heure give it just a bit more punch and I love it. That said, I can never have too many absinthe scents. :3   April 6: Summer Lace -- This is quite lovely, though there are a good several minutes where the apple blossom wants to come in and exude SWEET all over everything. Eventually it all calms down to a pleasant vanilla-tobacco-you know, that LACE thing sort of experience.   April 7: Pumpkin Lace -- This feels so out of season! Warm, autumnal, sweet, very thick pumpkin with tobacco. It's a bit buttery and sticky, like pumpkin puree with sugary maple syrup. It somewhat more resembles what rum does on my skin, like, you could tell me this was a rum-pumpkin scent with tobacco and I'd believe you. I'm not really feeling it today, but then, I've been on a lighter, springtime florals and light baked goods scent kick lately (maybe I should hit up my Luper bottles after this) and I bet I'll love it again in late summer/fall.   April 8: Harlow's Lace -- ........ I hate to admit it, but there are a couple of comments in the reviews saying that this one has similarities to Lush's HIWTK and, to my nose, at least, they are not wrong. It's got a similar sort of thick sweetness and honey-but-a-little-extra feeling. This, fortunately, has some grounding tobacco and a little bright pop from the cognac, so it's not identical, but I can see the point being made. And that's the last of my Lace bottles.   I think I will pull some Lupers next, I'm really feeling some bright kicky florals after all this tobacco and booze.   April 9: The Raptures and Roses of Vice -- ...so I immediately start with something that is a deep, very heady floral. I picked seven Luper bottles to play with for the next week, and three of them are from '08, the year I got into BPAL, so I sorted them alternating between '08 and not. This one's from 2013, the Our Lady of Pain update, and it is still mind-bendingly gorgeous to me. Deep, dark roses, bright magnolia, a lilt of tobacco tar under it all. I just *will smith pose* love this perfume. The only downsides are that it is quite strong and I have to be in a bit of a Mood to really wear it, and I could not wear it to work. I have worn it clubbing and it was pretty great for that. ....I keep sniffing my wrists and thinking GODDAMN I love this scent and the Lab's magnolia, wow holy heck. ....Obviously, this one's a keeper. ?   April 10: Her Voice '08 -- Surprisingly, given how old it is, this sweetheart is still a fresh, watery floral bloom plus some beeswax. It stands as one of the only perfumes I own with a strong lily presence that I actually like. ? But here, the lily is overwhelmed by the other sweet flowers and it just smells like a gorgeous spring bouquet. This is my second bottle of Her Voice; my first one was my only (so far) casualty of knocking something over while decanting. ?   April 11: Venus Caelestis '15 -- I sure do like blue lotus as a note. ? This is a beautiful, softly resinous scent that I'm surprised I have because it came out when I was nearing the end of school and in a terrible mental state, not to mention too busy for words. It feels soothing to me, perhaps a little melancholic, at least until the lemon becomes more apparent later on. ;D   April 12: Dream of the Fisherman's Wife '08 -- IDK how a perfume that's so heavy on seaweed manages to be one of the sexiest perfumes I own, but it remains the truth.   April 13: Somewhere or Other '16 -- I have a mild obsession with the Lab's misty scents. Empyreal Mist is my epitome for that particular theme, but I do have several others, like this one, which is misty pale rose. It's got a hint of citrus that I sometimes associate with their white rose note, in contrast to pink, which is often sweeter, or red, which is big and round and more like a 'true' rose. It amuses me that I love these so much, since they're almost all so light and largely fairly feminine, but hey, my strike zone is extremely broad, so why the heck not.   April 14: To Helen '08 -- This week is reading like a personal best-of in some ways. ? There's a few that I already hit in previous months, but I sure do love me some Lupers, and have since the beginning of my BPAL fandom. It might be partly nostalgia, since the Lupers were the first big release after I really got into it, but it's still one of the updates I look forward to most. This scent, right here, is definitely one of my low-key but all-time faves. It's just beautiful, pale and perfect, but not cold.   April 15: Unsubtle Euphemism '21 -- Finishing up my week of Luper bottles with a newbie. I really love this one! For sweet-but-not-too-sweet bready scents, this one's at the top of my list currently. It reminds me of Easter or New Year's bread like my grandparents used to make, and that makes me feel cheerful and nostalgic. But it also reminds me of the milk breads I bought at convenience stores in Japan, at least the base of it. I've never had Japanese milk bread with cardamom like this. ;D It's the only Luper bottle I've picked up so far, but it probably won't be the last. This year has some excellent-sounding things that I'm looking forward to testing as decants!   April 16: Ü (read as 'Umlaut', per an old blog post on their site) - I went with a collection of bottled oddities for this week: Kickstarter, retail limited, and one lucky raffle win. This was a retail exclusive to the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, though I believe it has since been discontinued and hasn't been back for quite some time. ETA: actually, they've restocked it twice in the last few months! I cannot for the life of me remember if I bought this secondhand or if I ordered it direct. ^^; Either way, it's a marvelous scent, a bit over eleven years old, sweet and gently, greenly spicy by turns. I never get much leather from it (though it is there, wayyyyy in the back), but it does remind me of piles of aged paperbacks and dust.   April 17: Clockwork Couture: Female -- ...With my current tastes, I'd probably be buying the Male scent, but at the time, this one sounded more my style, and I do still love it. The clay note, especially, is very soft and pleasant. ...Vanilla-y clay is not something I would have imagined wanting to smell like, but here I am. A good friend of mine loved ordering from CC at the time and I was able to jump onto an order they were making for the low cost of making them a decant of the scent. I'll always have a bit of affection for this bottle for that reason.   April 18: The Orchard — If I recall correctly, this was the first Kickstarter scent the Lab did, all the way back in 2012. I was not very fond of it when it was fresh, but now it’s very beautiful. I like the way the notes have melded with age. The plum is a bit softer, which is nice.    April 19: Pursue Rabbit -- A very limited (50 bottles) Kickstarter release for Century Guild. I bought mine secondhand, since I wasn't fast enough. It's actually pretty harsh on me for quite a while, to the point where every time I wear it I have almost an hour of contemplating selling it off. But the drydown is beautiful, soft opium smoke and, on me, at least, matcha tea, and I love it.
April 20: Off -- This is probably the lowest batch BPAL bottle I own. It was a raffle prize, limited to 25 bottles. To enter, you had to purchase another Century Guild limited perfume during a set period and they would include a raffle ticket to be drawn later. I got lucky. I'm the first review on the post, and honestly I don't have much more to say except that it has aged gloriously. It's still exactly what you'd expect, still not a unique scent profile, but it's really settled into itself. Dark, smoky, resinous rose -- of course it was going to smell great several years later.   April 21: Black Silk -- Pretty Indulgent exclusive, originally limited to 50 bottles, but it got restocked a couple of times. The first half-hour of this one is rough for me, almost nauseating, but the drydown is so worth it. Otherwise, well... my review says almost everything else I have to say about it. It's a keeper forever, but hoooo boy, immortelle is kind of syrupy sweet anyway and it's only gotten stronger over time. It still smells like that dress, though. ?   April 22: Denna -- For the next three days, I'll be testing the three Kingkiller scents. I donated for them when they were live on the Geeks Doing Good Indiegogo campaign in 2016 and I was very deeply entrenched in reading the books. H o w e v e r, I don't think I've ever actually worn any of them. ? So I'm going to remedy that now. First is Denna because it's the one I'm least likely to like, based on the reviews. ...And indeed, I don't. I'm not very fond of grass, dirt, or leather in combination with those (though we've established by now that I do actually like leather in other combos, lol) and I prefer my aquatics more oceanic than rain-like. I also think that reviewers who think that lilies may be a component of the "pale petals" are completely correct. I also don't like lily. ? I put it on anyway, and yes, it's got that fresh rain note, a green grassy haze, and then a whole heap of white petals. There might be some tuberose in there too, as it almost gives me a headache, which is pretty common with that note. Anyway, I hate to break up the trio, but Denna's going in the swap box. There's no purpose in keeping something I will definitely never wear. We'll see how Kvothe goes tomorrow.   April 23: Kvothe -- This really reminds me of a simpler version of an old spring LE, The Traveller, or, a bit, of some of the pirate-y GCs like Jolly Roger minus the salty sea spray. Or, really, any of a TON of other fragrances that are leather + (balsam, bay rum) spices. It's not really a scent family I love, with a few exceptions -- Peter Quint, which adds ambergris or Hatta, which has a lovely warm cinnamon; both share the softer leather that Kvothe has -- and it pops up pretty frequently. I have both of those, and I like both of them better, so... IDK, Kvothe. You may be a victim of your timing. If I didn't have multiple things in this wheelhouse already, I might love you. As it is, please join Denna in the box of those to be eliminated. (It is entirely likely that, had my affection for the books survived the last five years, I would feel far more sentimental about the perfumes, but it didn't, so I'm not.)   April 24: Bast (Kingkiller) -- M u s k y. Strangely hypnotic after a bit of dry time. I think this may have some Siberian or maybe black musk with its almost lemony tinge, as well as a few others -- some of the lighter animalics, none of the colorful ones (red, pink, blue, green). Definitely a bit of leather at first, but it fades away eventually. It ends up reminding me of a sweeter, like, Buck Moon or similar, but lacking the woodsiness. I actually like this one a lot, so I guess we're breaking up the band, so to speak.   April 25: Priala, The Human Phoenix '08 -- Time for eight days of Carnaval Diabolique bottles, six old and two new. I'm starting with one of the first perfumes I ever full-sized after trying a decant. Priala's still gorgeous. ❤️ Warm, spicy, maybe a little woody, definitely some mildly sneezy myrrh. Priala's the only scent that anyone ever gave me as a surprise holiday gift. I already had a bottle at the time, but I'll keep the second one forever because of that. Also, because it got reformulated a bit and I prefer this version. ?   April 26: Zarita, The Doll Girl '08 -- Holy heck, this girl may be small, but she packs a punch. This is another bottle I bought in '08 after sampling a few Carnavals and dithering over the decant for months. Over time, I've decanted out about half the bottle, and what's left feels like a concentrated sugary orange blossom caramel right hook to the nose. It's kind of amazing, but also really intense. I used to say that she was one of the exceptions to a number of my usual no's, like, she shouldn't work at all on me -- carnation, cream, and, at the time, often iris, were not notes I loved -- but I'm almost rethinking that. My tastes have definitely changed over time, as has my skin chemistry. I do have a decant of the current version, which adds 'poisonous pale white berries' (mistletoe???) to the notes, and I should try it again sometime soon. As it dries, it loses some of the extreme KAPOW and becomes much more pleasant. Ah, what a tiny little monster of a perfume. ? (eta, later: She lasted for almost fourteen hours, and mellowed into beautiful soft iris gaaah Zaritaaaaa)   April 27: Green Tree Viper '11 -- The only Snake I picked up because it smelled good both to and on me. ? I am not a fan of Snake Oil, and it and most variants are various degrees of naaaah on my skin, but this one's pretty great. I stopped fussing over whether I needed it because the Carnaval was going away and I decided I would rather have and not need than want and be unable to acquire. Zero regrets!   April 28: Shakarri '17 -- A newer Carnaval release! Finally. I have somewhat mixed feelings about this -- the notes that I got it because I love them (pear, absinthe) aren't very present for me. She's mostly a somewhat resinous sea-tinged scent with a touch of patch. As it dries, it reminds me a bit of clay. I like it, but I was definitely hoping for a slightly different balance when I bought it. I do love the bottle art, and it's hypnotic, in a way, as many oceanic scents are to me. I find myself wishing it had a bit of ambergris or seaweed or something to really seal the deal and make it really an octopus-woman in a bottle. But it's nice....and gets nicer the longer it's on. Hum. (eta: I ended up not being enamored with late drydown. This one's probably destined for the go-away box. v_v )   April 29: Licwiglunga '08 -- I hope the Wunderkammer makes a reappearance sometime. I can't say most of the scents in it were to my tastes, but some of them, like this one are bizarre and worth investigation, and it would be a shame if they were lost forever. ^^; I feel like this has sweetened with age; I remember it being drier and sharper than it is now. It's still pretty dry, but it's got a very strong dried fruits vibe. The review thread contains gems like this one -- and I agree, it really is an odd duck, even in the wild world of indies & niche perfumes.   April 30: L'Heure Verte '10 -- Absinthe, sugar, and rose with a hint of opium, we love to see it. I didn't like it at all the first time I tried it. I got a decant when it came out and a couple of years later, decided to sell it. Before I did, I sniffed it one last time and either my tastes had changed or the scent had, and I thought it was gorgeous. I still sold it, albeit a little sadly; what's done is done, in my mind, but I also bought a bottle shortly after, with the specific intent to age, the first (and only) I ever bought for that purpose. I stuck it in my bottle box and ignored it, and ignored it, and then took it out a couple of years later and loved it, just as expected. Now, eleven years later, it's stood up  to the passage of time and is still lovely. I win. ?
  Tomorrow I'm kicking it off with a Mme. Moriarty battle. I have bottles of both the old version and the new, and I'll be comparing and contrasting for funsies to start May.
windbourne

windbourne

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