Again, my paypal falls victim to the fragrant black hole that is Beth's ingenuity. Here's a little analysis of the scents offered today, what I got, what I want, what I might want in small doses etc:
I bought:
13 (revisited)
cocoa and vanilla beans, Mysore sandalwood, star fruit, orange rind, red amber, fig leaf, mimosa, rooibos tea, bourbon geranium, rose otto, nutmeg, and lavender.
I hoped that I would avoid 13 if it was the same white choc orange scent (which I love, but I don't need more for now) but then Beth unleashes something that tops it. I love cocoa, vanilla, sandalwood, amber (red amber's a new one-I need to try H&E's version too), rose, nutmeg and bourbon geranium...and I'd love to see what Beth's starfruit and rooibos notes are like. And how all these notes mesh together in this scent!
SOL INVICTUS --
A radiant blend of solar oils: golden amber, saffron, heliotrope, hibiscus, citron, frangipani, frankincense, tangerine, mock orange, and orange blossom.
Oh yes! I want to smell like a pagan sun-god on December 25 (that's where the date for Xmas originates, after all). I'm also hoping this would be what I hoped Et Lux Fuit was on me. It shares some components but hopefully the tropical florals and the saffron and frankincense will make it richer, warmer and lovelier than ELF was on me. I'm also reminded of Ra, which I love. This looks ideal for anyone who may get SAD in winter, I don't suffer from it too badly but the long nights-and the cold-sometimes give me winter blues, this is the perfect cure.
YULE -- It is Yule, and the Holly King has slain the Oak: blood red holly berry, mistletoe, wild thyme, verbena, cinquefoil, hemp, winter rose, evergreen, frankincense, juniper, and myrrh.
I'm collecting the pagan sabbat oils (well, the ones that are easy to acquire as bottles!) and this sounds gorgeous, wonderful, evocative...I wonder if it will be the scent opposite of Litha? (They do share some notes...) Not sure what holly berry, cinquefoil and mistletoe smell like but the other ingredients are pretty awesome. This sounds like an amazing mix of evergreen forest scents, resins, herbs and rose. This looks even better than Yuletide, which smelt like a Yankee Candle on me.
LILIUM INTER SPINAS --Hibiscus syriacus, white sandalwood, lily of the valley, apple blossom, and green fig.
I have no idea what the hibiscus note is like but I'm curious...LotV can go soapy, apple blossom is so-so, green fig can be sharp, but this could go either way-the poem is beautiful as well...so I got an imp.
HORREUR SYMPATHIQUE -- blood musk, golden honey, thick black wine, champagne grapes, tobacco flower, plum blossom, tonka bean, oakmoss, carnation, benzoin, opoponax, and sugar cane.
Holy shit, this sounds magnificent! Look at all these wonderful notes-blood musk, honey, wine, champagne, tonka, carnation, resins, sugar...this looks like one of those amazing complex and fantastic BPALs, reminiscent of the Masque or Sed Non Satiata...I just had to get an imp. Should have got a bottle.
LOVE-LIES-BLEEDING -- The velvet flower. A lush, thick, luxuriant bloom, bold and red.
Ditto Devil's Claw, but the name is gorgeous. I used to call those plants 'monkey tails' when I was little. The real name is much more evocative. But what will it smell like-blood? Something fuzzy, perhaps? Imp.
THE TEMPTATION -- attar of rose, calla lily, palmarosa, peach blossom, wisteria, rice flower, and black musk.
This sounds like a fascinating floral-I'm intrigued by the rice flower. Not sure about wisteria (can go off on me) but the other ingredients are promising-love rose, peach and black musk. Imp.
MANIA -- Screeching white musk collides with a howl of red musk, with sharp white grapefruit and pale strawberry leaf.
Musks! I adore red and white musks. I've never smelt strawberry leaf, would be interesting to see if it smells like greenish strawberries...but the musks! I'd love to see how the grapefruit comes into it as well. Imp.
HALÔA -- Wine grapes, myrrh, frankincense and olive leaf, and the warm scent of offertory cakes.
CAKE!!! The description reminds me of All Souls with wine, or Cockaigne with resins, which sounds so delightful. mmm. But the olive leaf worries me-does it smell like olives? I think it did in Alecto, but I love Tzadikim Nistarim, which has olive but doesn't smell of it. I've bought a bottle because...CAKE!!
Will get eventually:
BLACK LILY -- Breathtaking darkness, a vision of grace in shadow.
I've tried the prototype and I'm torn, because it veers from stunningly beautiful to metallic and weird on my skin. It's a 'locket scent', for me. I might try an imp of this to see if it's changed.
DEVIL'S CLAW -- A yellow-bright and smoky brown-black scent, horned, pronged and strange.
I have no idea what this will smell like. Brown and yellow? Smoky? I have no clue, will wait for reveiws. Maybe imp.
SLOBBERING PINE -- Dewy, wet, whiplike and sticky.
Hmm, the name's great and a little bit gross, but if it smells like pine resin...I love the smell of pine sap. It's messy, sticky stuff but it smells gooooood, not Xmassy or disinfectant-y at all.
THE REAPER AND THE FLOWERS -- A funereal bouquet laid on cemetery grass: longiflorum lilies, white rose, chrysanthemum, and carnation.
This reminds me of Santa Muerte and Sepulchre, which I quite like. Very flowery and traditional, maybe a bit mournful, but it could be beautiful. Maybe an imp.
And now for y00ltide goodness!!!
BLACK ICE -- Lovely, dangerous, slick, and bitterly cold: chilly white sleet-like notes with a hint of vetiver, a breath of smoky asphalt, and winter wind
Asphalt? I don't really like the idea of smelling of asphalt...and vetiver can be scary at times. The icy and windy notes sound so interesting though...Beth is amazing at conjuring up weather scents, despite me not getting on with storm ozones or seaspray, they are still so evocative. Decant.
THE DARKLING THRUSH --
Snow, darkness, and icy air illuminated by the thrush’s song: warm amber, soft orris, and melancholy violet.
This sounds beautiful. Snowy and wintery airy notes? Yum. Amber? Oh yeah. I quite like orris and violet too. Decant for now, but it sounds promising.
HERR DROSSELMEYER 2006 -- Pipe smoke, sweet leather, woods and linen.
Tried it last year, think it's ok but don't need more. Too manly and smoky-in a nice way, but not on my skin.
JACOB'S LADDER 2006 --The meeting of Heaven and Earth: golden amber, galbanum, benzoin, ambrette, rockrose, costus and tonka.
I adore this scent, maybe I'll get more? I already have two 05 bottles, but I might want to see if this has changed.
JÓLASVEINAR --
Their scent is a mishmash of snow, dirt, Icelandic moss, marsh felwort, and the smushed petals of buttercups and moorland spotted orchids, with the barest hint of the scent of pilfered Christmas pastries.
I like snow, dirt and moss, have no idea what marsh felwort, moorland spotted orchids or buttercups (well, vaguely) smell like but previews say this smells like a real Xmas tree, with soil. But it's the Christmas pastries that grab me. To me, that means MINCE PIES!!! If this has even a slight mince pies scent to it, I'll need more, but for now, it's a decant.
KNECHT RUPRECHT -- The snow-covered foliage of the Black Forest and the fruit and woods of apple and almond trees.
I wonder if this will smell like Black Forest+snowy notes? Or maybe BF sans musk, but with snow in it's place? If so, this sounds really interesting with apples and almonds...decant.
KRAMPUS -- Sinister red musk, black leather, dusty rags, and wooden switches.
Oh, this sounds so fun! Like Spanked for 06! I'm not sure about the dusty rags though-but red musk and leather, like Loviatar! Decant, maybe bottle.
LICK IT AGAIN -- Every holiday season should be full of lewd suggestions and filthy double entendres, right? This is a new take on last year’s Lick It – a peppermint candy cane with an extra jolt of sugar.
I adore Lick It, have 2 bottles, love it's minty coolness and it's vanilla-musk drydown. But if this is a new formulation with more sugar...I might need to get this too!
MIDNIGHT MASS 2006 -- see Jacob's Ladder 06.
THE SNOW MAIDEN -- Ylang ylang, osmanthus, spring berries, and daffodil cloaked in hoarfrost.
Not sure what hoarfrost smells like (cold, obviously) but the floral/berry/daffodil notes look gorgeous. This scent sounds beautiful and ethereal, delicate and icy, and I need to add more to my 'snow' collection, but it's a decant for now.
SNOW-FLAKES -- The radiance and desolation of winter.
A vague description huh? I have no idea if this snowy scent will be like the Skadi/Snow Moon/Bunny snow, Snow White snow, Cloister Graveyard/Ice Queen snow, or something completely different...I'm intrigued though, plus it's another one for my snow collection. Decant.
STARDUST 2006 -- This scent reflects the futurism, self-indulgence and excess of the Glitter 70’s: champagne, hyacinth, tuberose, ylang ylang and flashing white musk with jonquil, tobacco flower, white sandalwood and a pale poppy.
See Jacob's Ladder 06.
THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT -- Embrace your villainy: balsam, myrrh, mandarin orange, bitter clove, artemesia, rosewood, nutmeg, dark musk, smoke and cypress.
This sounds very interesting. I love myrrh, orange, clove, nutmeg and smoke, have no idea about artemisia, the other notes sound good, but this may be a little masculine. Decant.
This was a spectacular update of course-lots more ice and snow than expected, none of the old faves back (well, some of the 05 faves are there) but a very interesting direction for Beth to go in...I don't know if there'll be a Yule part 2, would be cool if that was the case though.
I'm really worried about my kitty Tingle now. She's not been eating or drinking and she's worryingly thin and frail. I went to the animal hospital and she was given a checkup and put on a drip because she just won't eat. The vets think it may be a kidney infection, I hope it's curable (and not too expensive) but I'm just worried it may be something worse. I just don't need my only other kitty passing away at this time, not when I'm already bogged down with study stress and loads of coursework. I'm actually a little scared for her-I know she's old but I don't want her to leave me now.
Anyway, my idea. I'm toying with the idea of writing an article for the uni newspaper about BPAL, I'm sure there are many people at my uni who'd be interested (and I'm getting bored of the stink of Lynx spray and Eau de Chav that I often smell round my campus). I'm also a little nervous about having an article and having it published since I've never been involved with the uni paper at all, and I'm also a little scared about being 'a little bit famous', and having people at uni-even friends-suddenly come up to me and ask about the article...I know that sounds really stupid but I am terribly shy with subjects that I don't normally talk about outside the internet (my talk about BPAL is strictly online, with the exception of meet-n-sniffs) I think one idea would be to wear BPAL to uni and note any compliments/comments, I'd take that as interest, and maybe I could get writing. I also need something else...lots and lots of TIME. Which I have none at the moment, with coursework and all.
My half-sister gave birth to a beautiful little boy today!
I haven't seen him yet or seen any pictures but I hope to see my little nephew soon. I've been waiting for the birth for a long time since the baby didn't want out (too warm and cosy inside mummy's tummy!) and was a week overdue, I was worried for my half-sis...but not any more! From what I've heard, both mum and baby are healthy and happy, and I'm now an aunt! (or step-aunt, really, but still, it's so exciting!)
Currently smelling of: Eclipse (delicious cinnamon-heavy bottle, mmm), and will smell like Bathed and Infused Italian Wedding Cake after my bath.
I saw something weird in the sky today. It looked like a little piece of rainbow-but it wasn't raining-it was a sunny, hazy day. And rainbows usually form in the part of the sky opposite the sun, usually against the raincloud. This 'fragment of rainbow' was actually in the haze just to the left of the sun, and just stayed there for about 20 minutes and at times it was quite bright, it looked almost like a muted, colourful, second sun, whilst at other times it looked like a faint fragment of rainbow. It was a beautiful but strange phenomenon-I have no idea what it is and what caused it though-I'm guessing it's the same mechanism that causes rainbows but normally hazy clouds don't go all rainbow-y! I just wish I had a camera at the time...
I really am going to miss living at home. No more of my mum's lovely cooking. No more peace and quiet. No more lovely smells. I have to go back to my little room where I have to put up with constant NOISE from the boys-be it extreme bass from their awful hip hop/RnB music (the bass is so high, it's almost tremor-inducing!), having to hear them vomit every morning because they drank too much, hearing them chat loudly and drunkenly in the corridors at 4am, and hearing the guy opposite making his girlfriends scream with the door ajar (I really hope the screaming isn't what I think it is!!) so everyone can hear how much of a ladies' man he is, and the early morning prank fire alarms set off by the drunk boys. I also have to put up with the messiest, greasiest kitchen ever, and the stink of those awful chicken nuggets and fried sausages and George Foreman grilled burgers, and the sheer stupidity (and the smell!) of the boys in my flat-they seem to have evolutionarily reversed back to their ape stage. Their girlfriends are not much better, yapping like deranged chihuahuas at 3am every morning. And the boys smoke weed despite the uber-strict no smoking rule for our halls (so strict, that no candles or incense is allowed in the rooms!) and the stink of the stuff seeps into my room all the time...
But another thing I'm not looking forward to is exams. Loads of exams and tons of coursework. I'm struggling with the maths coursework already, it's giving me real grief! And I have to do physics coursework as well, three lots of it, including one about quantum physics, which is very fascinating, but the maths behind it brain-meltingly difficult! Stuff about one-dimensional boxes and semi-infinite wells and so on...oh, my poor head...
I'm hoping to come back next weekend-to a nice new bottle of UNDERPANTS!!! I am really looking forward to trying these pants on, seriously. And the Raging Rabbit too!
Ok, so I admit I didn't splurge as much as I thought, which is a good thing because student loans don't arrive until late September. I'm making another order on Saturday because my dad gave me some money and I'm going to put it in my bank account tomorrow...ok, so what do I think? Update musings...
The ones I got-bottles:
F5
Aloe, white musk, lime peel, fresh mint, seaspray, verbena and green tea.
I love it. F5...what a cool, minimalist, modern name for a scent. Almost mainstream, and fitting with it's notes. I wonder if it will smell like a fresher, more gender neutral Berenice with a little bit of Embalming Fluid? The only note that could turn odd is verbena which can be gorgeous or soapy.
MME. MORIARTY, MISFORTUNE TELLER
Red musk, vanilla bean, pomegranate, patchouli leaf and wild plum.
This has such a stellar cast of notes. It also brings to mind Snake Charmer. How could I refuse a scent named after Beth herself?
THREE BRIDES -- Moroccan rose, king mandarin, red sandalwood, Egyptian amber, orchid, carnation, benzoin, tonka, calla lily, vanilla flower.
This reminds me of the Haunted Palace with hints of Moscow or LitA. I adore Egyptian amber, rose, red sandalwood, carnation, vanilla (vanilla flower sounds especially nice-it seems like it will be softer than the bean) so I think this will be fantastic on me.
The ones I got: imps
LES BIJOUX
Skin musk and honey, blood-red rose, orange blossom, white peach, red apple, frankincense and myrrh.
Reads like a who's who of favourite notes and notes I like and won't ruin the scent. I should have got a 5ml straight away.
TANIN'IVER
Lilith’s monstrous dragon steed: dragon’s blood resin, patchouli, pomegranate, myrrh, mimosa, cassia, blood musk and smoke.
What an amazing cast of notes. I adore cassia, blood musk and myrrh. Like pom, patch and mimosa. The smoke and DB could be either nice or not so good. But the surefire winner notes outnumber the questionable ones, so this one's destined to work on me.
MANHATTAN
sheer amber, black leather, white mint, lemon peel, white tea, grapefruit, kush, teakwood and orchid.
Could this be my new favourite of the leather scents? I am reminded of that other fantastic leather scent, Bow and Crown, only this looks more slick and sophisticated, and more complex, maybe sharper. I'm interested to see what kush is like-is it really cannabis?
URUK
Thick bitter almond and heady night-blooming jasmine with saffron, cinnamon leaf, red patchouli, river lilies, bergamot, fig leaf and the sacred incense of Inanna.
This looks like it will be stupendously beautiful. I do like jasmine-night blooming ones work nicely on me. Saffron, patchouli, fig and almond are all good. Cinnamon, water lily and incense are favourites. if this doesn't work, I will cry...the Sumerian civilisation is my second favourite ancient civilisation...
COCKAIGNE
milk and honey, sweet cakes and wine.
Hoping the milk and honey are more Dana, less Milk Moon. And CAKE! Gimme cake! cake! I want cake! I vant ze cake!!
LYONESSE
Golden vanilla and gilded musk, stargazer lily, white sandalwood, grey amber, elemi, orris root, ambergris and sea moss.
This looks absolutely spectacular. I love vanilla, musk, stargazer, and sandalwood. I'm a bit iffy about grey amber, if that's the note that turned sour in Ides of March. Elemi I'm not familiar with. But this looks very, very promising.
Will get:
THE PENITENT MAGDALEN -- Immortelle, lily of the valley, gaiac, amber, honey, white sandalwood, almond flower, blonde musk, and hyssop.
The gaiac, immortelle and almond flower are unknown to me so I can't wait to see what they smell like. Honey (the sweeter, the better), amber, sandalwood and musk are favourites. This is set to be another stunner.
CARNAVAL DIABOLIQUE
opium smoke, lemon flower, heliotrope, tuberose, black musk, vanilla, coconut, apricot flower.
The opium smoke worries me, but the other ingredients either intrigue me (lemon flowers-the flowers of the lemon tree, I know for a fact, smell gorgeous) or delight me. Heliotrope, black musk, vanilla, coconut, are all favs, and apricot flower intrigues-will it smell like the fruit?
MIDNIGHT ON THE MIDWAY
sugared incense and night-blooming flowers.
Mmm, looks interesting. Vague, but promising. I'm just a little worried that the nasty variety of gardenia could be among those night bloomers. But it could be like Midnight with added candy floss and incense...
MELISANDE, THE PUPPET MISTRESS
Jasmine sambac, dark musk, violet water, vanilla bean and mimosa.
I wonder if 'jasmine sambac' is a rich, deep, heady jasmine? Violet water looks interesting. And it has vanilla!
GENNIVRE, L'ARTISTE du DIABLE
Hyson tea leaf, pale mint, sugar cane, orange blossom, lemongrass, and honey.
Once Macha said this was inspired by Moroccan tea, it made me even more eager to try it. But lemongrass could overwhelm it all. But this looks so promising, so fresh and sweet.
THEODOSIUS, THE LEGERDEMAIN
Earl Grey tea leaves, a white fougere, jasmine leaf, pearlescent white musk, and vanilla bean.
First thing that pops into my mind is Dorian. I loooove Dorian. So if this is Earl Grey Dorian, I will probably adore this (if it smells like Tetley's Earl Grey Vanilla tea, I will do a glee-squee). I wonder if jasmine leaf is floral, or leafy?
I DIED FOR BEAUTY
The Venusian splendor of ylang ylang and violet stirred by hyssop, frankincense, and grave loam.
Love the loamy scents (apart from Zombi) so this could be lovely. Like ylang, hyssop and I love frankincense.
THE JERSEY DEVIL
Pitch pine with blackberry leaf, cranberry, cedar wood and tomato leaf.
What an interesting note list. Good to see cranberry and tomato leaf here. I've never smelt tomato leaf and I've seen it's praises sung on this board so much it's aroused my curiosity. This could be a gorgeous nature/garden sort of scent for autumn. Imp.
CALIBAN
The scent of the salty seas, bittersweet wine, palm and tropical ferns.
This looks like a good summer scent-I like the marine notes so far. Fern and palm and wine looks like a very unique mix.
LADON
The hundred-headed dragon that guards the garden of the Hesperides: dragon’s blood resin, golden apple, apple blossom, white musk and hyacinth.
DB and apple? Interesting. And there's hyacinth! Apple blossom can be dry on me, but I'm hoping the apple note is sweet.
MAG MELL
The warmth of amber, the puissance of white ginger and the clarity of verbena, with fresh green grass, lush sage and cleansing droplets of summer rain.
This looks intriguing, indeed-fresh and clean and green. The rain may turn odd on me, but this looks amazing. I would love to see how the amber works with the fresh, bright notes.
PONTARLIER
Swiss ferns, lilac, blackcurrant, Gallic rose and lavender with a dollop of sugar and absinthe.
All the ingredients apart from absinthe look gorgeous so I'll get this soon.
PORT ROYAL
Spiced rum and ship’s wood mixed with the body-warmed trace of a prostitute’s perfume and a hint of salty sea air on the dry-down.
Arrr! I need to get this for it's piratical associations. I'm a bit intrigued and slightly concerned about the 'prostitute's perfume' though. To my modern-day mind it brings to mind cheap, sleazy scents, but back in the old days, such perfume must have smelt a lot better (and this is Beth, mind, and she doesn't do cheap, tacky stuff!) so I have high hopes for that.
DEATH OF THE GRAVE DIGGER -- Snow, soil, opoponax and myrrh.
I wonder if this snow note is that lovely pine-citrus scent from Skadi and Snow Moon etc? This one looks intriguing-snow and soil and resins? Wow.
ELIXIR VIII: BITCH -- Snappy-quick PMS relief
YES I NEED THIS. (is currently going into the dreaded monthly mood.)
ELIXIR IX: TKO -- Sleep, sleep, and more sleep.
Ditto. I hope this will be the mother of all soporific scents. My insomnia is so bad that I need something equivalent to chloroform-hopefully this will have that effect but with a nicer smell.
Ones I'm interested but unsure of:
THE PHANTOM CALLIOPE
black cherry, patchouli, cassis, cardamom and verbena.
Love cardamom. Not so sure about cherry and verbena but this is worth a decant too.This seems like it will be sharply fruity but...cardamom!
THE CANDY BUTCHER
Dark chocolate with a heavy cream undertone.
Oh dear. If this does a Bliss on me (ie turns fake and bland smelling) I will cry. My dream is that it smells like that delicious, thick, indulgent, rich hot chocolate I drank all the time when I was in Paris. Both in the bottle and the skin.
THE ORGAN GRINDER
Almond milk, sarsaparilla, tobacco smoke, black patchouli and white pine bark.
This sounds a bit masculine but I'm intrigued by almond milk and salsaparilla...
PULCINELLA & TERESINA
Labdanum, cedar, teak and red rose.
Seems like a nice, uncomplicated mix of notes-and I love some rose.
DOC CONSTANTINE
Sheer musk, cedar smoke, fir needle, black amber and leather.
Aagin, seems masculine but definitely worth a try. I need a boyfriend now to test these on.
XANTHE, THE WEEPING CLOWN
Guava, orange peel, white pepper, spun sugar and apple blossom.
Guava...mmm. I've not smelt a guava perfume before. Apple blossom is hit or miss. Spun sugar looks yummy.
ANTONINO, THE CARNY TALKER
White musk, wild plum, vetiver, black coconut, verbena, fig, and lavender.
The notes here are making me drool but I'll get a decant for now, especially if the vetiver is too strong. But plum, white musk, coconut? mmm. King of Spades, anyone?
THE TAVERN OF HELL
White gardenia, ambergris bouquet, lavender fougere, orange blossom, melissa, tobacco flower, coriander, ebony wood, ylang ylang, absinthe and aged whiskey.
The ingredients that give me pause are gardenia (can be the Note of Doooooom on me), absinthe (can turn to soap) and whiskey (may be too boozy). Other notes sound a bit masculine. I wonder if melissa is lemon balm though.
THE ISLES OF DEMONS
The scent is of wet, dark greenery, carnivorous flowers, volcanic gas, and the hot black musk of the demons and wild beasts that populated the islands.
Hmm. This sounds very feral, very wild. And the 'volcanic gas' is kinda offputting (sulphur??) But I might give it a try. I want to see what it's like to smell like prehistoric times.
JEZIRAT Al TENNYN
The Dragon’s Isle: smoke and fire, earth and wind. The rage of the elements blasting over a primordial paradise.
Oooh, a vague description. Will wait for reviews.
KUMARI KANDAM
Thick incense, clay, stone, and hothouse blooms with a spike of frost, a hint of decay, and heavy, dolorous aquatic notes.
This also looks very intriguing, with it's notes of clay, stone, decay and frost. Now those are things you don't see much in perfume. Will wait for reviews.
CLOISTER GRAVEYARD IN THE SNOW -- Three white musks, ozone, frankincense, mint.
Decant. The ozone could spoil it but I'm a sucker for musk and frank. This might be wonderful for hot summer days.
THE FOX-WOMAN KUZUNOHA LEAVING HER CHILD -- White tea, cherry blossom, wisteria, star jasmine, and teak.
I'll get a decant but this seems like another one of those lovely, zen-like Asian scents which Beth does really well.
SILENCE -- White sandalwood, iris, blue musk, lotus root, moonflower, plum blossom, green tea, white mint and white peach.
THAT PICTURE IS AMAZING. I love the musk in Nuit, so this blue musk looks good. A lot of the other notes look good too but this may go all 'Budding Moon' on me, and I wasn't so keen on that moon. Decant.
So yeah, that's the update rundown. Wow, what an incredible one that was. Luckily a lot of scents will be up either indefinitely or for a year so there was nothing too urgent here. All I can say now is...roll on Chrysanthemum Moon!
I am bowled over by this update! The scents this Yule are amazing. Instead of last year's predominantly icy/snowy theme, this one contains scents of all different kinds. There are icy/snowy ones, but there are also foody, floral, resinous/incensy, woodsy, spicy, old and new, drawing from traditions the world over, including Jewish, Greek, Icelandic, Indian, Mexican, Italian...there are scents based on poetry, history, mythology, or just plain tongue in cheek humour (lick me baby one more time! I can't wait to see what the label for that one looks like!) and that's what I love so much about this update. I am getting loads of decants, and I've bought a few bottles too. I'm glad that the LEs in this update are all long term, so I didn't feel pressured to order. I think the Lunacy order will be a big 'un. My mum will be enabled with Sag (depending on notes), and I can't wait for new Gaiman scents!
Now. The rant. I FUCKING HATE POSTAL STRIKES. Ok, they may be over, but so many of my packages have been held back in the backlog chaos that ensued from about five days of strike. And I get the feeling there are still strikes going on. The packages that made it through so far are: BPAL, Nocturne Alchemy, Heaven and Earth, the Atrocious Attic decant from Tramp, and my Mythos Mixtures Halloween decants from Evil Enablers. But there's a whole lot of stuff that hasn't arrived, I'm still waiting for packages from:
-Mythos Mixtures
-Silk Road Soaps
-Magical Omaha
-Blooddrop
-Cobalt Blends
-Heaven and Earth (I made two orders, this second one may not be sent yet, so it's early days)
-Love Potion
-Possets
-Callisto
-Aeaea decant received!
-October and PPIII from Aevalin
-Chilling Cellar and Forbidding Foyer from Nursekins
-PPV from LJ
-Perilous Parlour
-Bonfire Night recieved!
-All souls 07 from LJ
-Death of Autumn
-Massage oil decants
-Decanting vials
-Queen's Salon decant
-Pumpkin Cheesecake and Spiked Punch decants (it's still early days for these)
I may be missing some things. I'm also expecting tickets for the Tut exhibition but I have no idea when those will be sent. I'm just listing my pending orders and swaps to keep track of what has gone MIA and fear will be lost in a strike-induced black hole never to be seen again. Some are replaceable, but others (like the Caffeinated Death in the MO package) are not. I am not blaming the companies or swappers/sellers for the losses at all so don't worry. I am blaming all this crap on the shoddy postal service and the postal workers who decided to go all on us these last couple of weeks.
Montresor smells like Ribena at one point. Ribena and fruit pastilles. But after a few hours it smells of lovely plum-musk with wine and smoke, much nicer than smelling of sweeties.
I have period pains. I really don't want to go out tonight but I have to...I just want to sleep. I also wish my mum didn't call me every five minutes to tell me about pointless things like stamp collecting and stuff. And I wish she could understand my BPAL/smelly things addiction. She says 'you have too much perfume! Stop spending so much on perfume! stop using the internet or you'll go short-sighted! Stop chatting online with people in America that you'll never meet!' I know she's my mum but at times I wish she could just let me do what I bloody well want. I'm 21 in a week's time!
Oh, and that Corinne Bailey Ray song irritates the shit out of me.
Currently smelling of: La Bella Donna Mia Mente (which smells like Budding/Peony Moon with autumn leaves and pomegranate today!)
I just had the misfortune to taste the most disgusting tomato sauce ever. It wasn't even stale, or cheap (this is one of the TV chef-endorsed, pricier sauces), it was just gross. It tasted like VOMIT. I wasted a good portion of pasta on that shit. Never again!
And I managed to give in my maths assignment. Thank goodness that's over! Now, two more physics assignments to do. The quantum physics one is making my brain do somersaults in my skull...
And I want my Underpants. My mum says that the infamous USPS package I am awaiting isn't here yet
I stink of: Spellbound
I'm burning: Wildberry Aromatic Teak incense (which smells oddly like Lush Bathos to me...)
Done two of my exams already. I'm very pleased at how I did with my contemporary physics paper-just a a couple of questions confuzzled me but apart from that, it was all good. The maths paper was awful though. I don't think I did well on it at all. Oh well, I hope I do better on the Astrophysics exam this Thursday-it's the paper I feel most confident about. I'll be so happy when those mofos are out of the way! and I won't have to live in that dump of a flat with those idiotic arsewipes that I had to put up with for the last year...
Finally, the weather's improved! I love it when it's all sunny and warm-not too hot, just pleasantly warm, the way I like it. I can go out in a t-shirt without freezing...and in about two weeks time, I'll be in Crete! Yay! I'll miss not having internet access (and forum access) but I'll be away somewhere away from home for a week or two, and I love Crete, one of my favourite places...hopefully I'll have a nice summer job waiting for me when I return. I seriously need a job, it's near impossible to get a 2 month summer job round here, all the part time jobs available are aimed at gap year students, it seems. But I need to be kept busy for the next two months and to, erm, fund my BPAL addiction!
It's my 21st today, and I've found the PERFECT BPAL for the occasion! Namely, Twenty One! And what's better than smelling of booze on a birthday!
I am getting a digital camera. I am going to have so much fun with that little toy.
I also got £100-and I may get more. A part of me says 'put it in the savings account' and another part says 'SPEND IT ON SMELLIES DAMMIT!!!' I know which of my head-voices I'll obey this time
I'm getting my hair done and then I'm off to the bar for a celebratory piss-up little drink. I still can't believe I'm 21 though. I certainly don't feel it! I don't think your spirit ages though-just the body. Inside, I can be whatever age I want to be!
I just knew it would happen but Beth has outdone herself yet again. How does she do it? I'm amazed and flabberghasted. It looks like the updates are going to become even more devastating (financially, that is) over these next few months...
So, what do I think of Halloween 06? There are some that really call to me, but luckily most of them are only decant-worthy for now. My bank account is safe for now-at least until Kindly Moon...
Bought:
ALL SOULS -- An incense blend that invokes the higher qualities of mercy and compassion, mingled with the soft, sugared currant scent of offertory soul cakes.
As soon as I saw 'sugared currant' and 'cake' I immediately thought of Eat Me, which I adore. And it has incense, which I also adore. Bought a bottle.
SHOGGOTH -- white amber, green coconut meat, iris, palmarosa, Chinese peony, lime, water lily, snowdrop, muguet, lemongrass, osmanthus, wisteria, glassy musk, and hinoki.
White amber? I've not seen that in BPAL. I have no idea how it smells (lighter and softer than other ambers?) and I love the coconut meat note in Obatala (better than just plain coconut), so green coconut really intrigues. And it's good to see waterlily in a scent-there are too few waterlily scents. This scent description seems to bring to mind the words 'iridescent pastel technicolour', a mix of white and pale-coloured notes.
Will definitely get when I have money/next update:
PUMPKIN QUEEN -- The Glorious Grand Dame of the Pumpkin Patch! Regal Egyptian Amber, red ginger, orange peel, mandarin, cardamom, fig leaf and warm pumpkin.
This is where the two consciences in my head argue. The little devil says 'get a bottle! it has Egyptian amber and cardamom, and I know how much you loooooove those notes, and you know it's going to be lovely with pumpkin! BUY IT NOW.' but the little angel says 'not so fast! Your skin turns red ginger-or at least the one in the SN-to rubbery asphalt! and that's not a good smell! You have a decant on the way, and if you like it, only THEN you can get bottle(s)!' but then the devil beats the crap out of the angel with a pitchfork...
THE BRIDES OF DRACULA -- gleaming skin musk, honey and white amber, plum blossom, osmanthus, sandalwood, calla lily, and a light, sensual blend of Eastern spices.
More white amber-now I'm very curious about this. All the other notes-skin musk, honey, sandalwood, osmanthus and Eastern spices look gorgeous too. Especially Eastern spices-this seems like a softer, floral equivalent to Snake Charmer? It's the plum blossom that may go odd on me but it didn't in Peony Moon and there are loads of winning notes here. Will grab bottle!
COUNT DRACULA -- black patchouli, neroli, tonka, cinnamon, bitter clove, leather, black musk, coffin wood and fiery ginger.
This really does seem like bottled sex. Cinnamon, clove, and ginger? Yum. Leather, patchouli, rich black musk and delicious tonka? I'm there. And it's Dracula...how can I ignore a Dracula scent-and such a sexy one at that? Now I need a man to rub these oils all over...
LUCY WESTENRA -- A wanton beauty, corrupt, hypnotic, seductive, and feral: magnolia, iris, Moroccan rose, frankincense, crushed jasmine blossom, blood orange, tobacco flower and white musk.
This to me looks like one of those fantastic, complex, rich, resinous and heady rose-based floral scents which I love so much-it does seem to remind me of some favourites of mine, the likes of the Haunted Palace and LitA, the resin-rose scents like Rose Cross and Magdalene, and also Three Brides which I am coveting fiercely. And I want to collect all those wonderful rich musky/resinous rosyscents so I need a bottle of luscious Lucy asap!
MISKATONIC UNIVERSITY -- The scent of Irish coffee, dusty tomes and polished oakwood halls.
So glad to see it as a GC. Coffee and old books and Baileys. I love it. I don't need a bottle urgently though but this is my favourite BPAL coffee scent so far.
Decants and imps:
THE HIGH PRIEST NOT TO BE DESCRIBED -- Monastic incense, blood musk, black leather, cypress, pimento, white pepper, and Roman chamomile.
Ohh, this looks intriguing. Incense, blood musk and leather are all favourites but this scent may be a little masculine. Worth an imp, for now.
THE MUSIC OF ERICH ZAHN -- A ghoulish and tortured scent, suffused with the blackness of space illimitable: ajowan, vetiver, black musk, opoponax, mimosa, and tamarind.
I have no idea what ajowan smells like but apparently it's cuminy/caraway-ish which seems interesting, and vetiver is either nice or too much, and I'm not keen on tamarind (hate drinking tamarind juice) but I'm still interested in trying this, just for the opoponax and black musk.
NIGHT-GAUNT -- something akin to yuzu, white grapefruit, and kumquat mixed with the snow-dusted flowers of Mount Ngranek.
Mmm, sharp citrus! this sounds like a kind of Aizen-Myoo type scent which might be fresh, tangy and light. A tangy, pretty floral with a load of citrus. This will be one for next spring, I think.
Y'HA-NTHLEI -- A swirling, lightless, effervescent scent: the deepest marine notes with bergamot, eucalyptus and foamy ambergris.
Hmm. suddenly my skin has become quite the aquatic-hater (turns them to soap) but not all of them. This looks very unusual-eucalyptus and ambergris? I have no idea what this will be like-very piercingly cold and nose-decongesting, probably.
ALL SAINTS 2006 -- Based on a venerable French pontifical incense blend: monastic frankincense and myrrh, Damascus rose, Russian gardenia, cassia, and lily of the valley wafting on a chill Autumn wind.
Love the 05 version, may consider getting the 06 just to see how different it is.
CREEPY -- This season’s Ridiculous Scent! As creepy as Spooky was spooky, this is the scent of butterscotch-kissed, caramel-smothered red apples spiked with a blast of coconut rum.
Mmmm, this looks yummy. Toffee apples and coconut rum? I still want to try a decant since some rum scents can be a little dusty or a little too boozy on me. I want a toffee apple scent that works on me...
DEVIL’S NIGHT 2006 -This is the scent of autumn night, fires in the distance, with a touch of boozy swoon, playful sugar and thuggish musk.
Love DN 05, may want to see how different this year's version may be-and to have another bottle of DN! To me, it's my Guy Fawkes firework watching scent, so evocative of dry autumn night air and gingery musk.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS 2006 -- dry, crackling leaves, the incense smoke of altars honoring Death and the Dead, funeral bouquets, the candies, chocolates, foods and tobacco of the ofrenda, amaranth, sweet cactus blossom and desert cereus.
Hmm, it seems the Dia scents do vary wildly from year to year but since I liked 05 I might get a bottle of 06, maybe this one won't be overtly floral? The 05 version was rather too heady at times, but very pretty.
PUNKIE NIGHT -- apple orchards, bright cranberries, and a touch of warm cider.
This looks very apple-y indeed with the orchard and cider notes. decant. Sometimes apples can be nice but sometimes they can be too sharp on me. But orchards sound lovely-this may be a very natural apple scent.
SAMHAIN 2006 -- Truly the scent of autumn itself -- damp woods, fir needle, and black patchouli with the gentlest touches of warm pumpkin, clove, nutmeg, allspice, sweet red apple and mullein.
Worth trying to see if it's different/the same and for another vintage bottle of this iconic LE. And it smells gooood.
SAMHAINOPHOBIA -- The fear of Halloween. Menacing Haitian vetiver, patchouli, and clove with a shock of bourbon geranium, grim oakmoss, and dread-inspiring balsams pierce the innocuous scent of autumn leaves.
Vetiver...now that's either too much for me or just bearable. I dunno but Haitian vetiver, I think, is the strong stuff. I'm reminded of Baron Samedi's vetiver which overwhelmed the scent. But it's got bourbon geranium, which I love! And clove! And autumn leaves! I'll try a decant.
SUGAR SKULL 2006 -- Vibrant with the joy and sweetness of life in death! A blend of five sugars, lightly dusted with candied fruits.
Ditto with the other '06' scents-I don't know if I need more SS but I'll try a decant and see if it's the same or different. My 05 has turned to deep, boozy, rummy sugar, but sometimes it's a bit too much to handle.
THE BLOODY SWORD -- dragon’s blood, myrrh, black pepper, labdanum, benzoin, leather, fire, and steel.
Steel in perfume? and fire? This I must smell. How it will do on my skin I don't know but it has some lovely resin action going on as well-love myrrh, pepper, labdanum and benzoin, and leather usually smells good on me. It may be verging towards the masculine though.
CARFAX ABBEY -- The scent of abandoned places, of desolation and emptiness: heavy woods and thin dusty herbs touched by the wafting incense of a nearby chapel.
Looks very gloomy and grim but this might be really nice-decant. I have no idea what this will be like apart from dismal and dusty and maybe quite lonely-it may be nicely evocative though.
THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS -- Mountain air and the scent of crisp snow blanketing the mountain’s flora: Scottish fir, beech, cembra and mugho pine, rhododendron, currant, honeysuckle, raspberry leaf, dwarf juniper, sedge, meadow grass, snowdrop, rose bay, lily of the valley, starwort, lichen and mosses.
This looks quite stunning, I must say. A complex mountain forest scent? If the snow is like Skadi...mmm. I have no idea what cembra, sedge, snowdrop, rose bay (is it like rose, or bay?) or starwort smell like but I do like fir, woods, pine, currant and if the honeysuckle is that new honeysuckle note like in Litha and BatWoman, then this looks very promising.
THE CASTLE -- A distant whisper of pine, wet moss and dry leaves passing through vast halls and winding dungeons whose scent bears the memory of blood, faded splendor, imperial elegance and stunning violence.
This looks intriguing enough to warrant a decant, though it does seem very gloomy (rightly so, though) but it might be really atmospheric. There's also a degree of mystery and vagueness after the moss and pine-the smell of dungeons? Interesting.
JOHNATHAN HARKER -- A respectable gentleman’s scent: lavender, iris, white tea, verbena and white sandalwood.
Hmmm, I'm reminded of Usher and Villain when I see this-could be really nice but also too cologne-like, or too manly? I'll try a decant.
QUINCEY MORRIS -- Rough on the edges, but possessing the true essence of valor and nobility of spirit: tobacco, vanilla, white pear, cedar, rugged musk and saddle leather.
Mmm, this looks very nice-it seems to be Tombstone/Dead Man's Hand-esque. I might want to try a decant since Tombstone's vanilla did go crazy on my skin. I hope the 'saddle leather' isn't too rawhide-like though. How the pear will fit in intrigues me...
WILHELMINA MURRAY -- Tea rose, white sandalwood and a flurry of pale, virginal blossoms, smeared with a smoky, blood-soiled blend of myrrh, hyacinth, Daemonorops resin, dark musk and blackcurrant.
Another interesting scent, but aren't they all? A dark floral…I love rose, myrrh, hyacinth, sandalwood, not sure about Daemonorops (dragon's blood apparently?). Decant first.
R.M. RENFIELD -- Unhinged: moss, cumin, patchouli, Balsam of Peru, and neroli.
Looks reminiscent of Dracul. I do like most of the notes but I want to get a decant first. I'd love to know what Balsam of Peru is like-is it that note that turned to lovely amber in Dracul? Mmm...
DR. JOHN SEWARD -- poppy smoke, champaca flower, tonka, sandalwood, ginger, white pepper.
Poppy/opium can be nice or nasty. But all the other notes look so tempting. Champaca, sandalwood, ginger and yummy tonka? One to try a decant of for sure.
Don't need:
AL AZIF --A sinister, sinuous incense of summoning, a herald and paean to the Primordial Gods of Darkness, Chaos, Madness and Decay.
I adore this scent and I'm so glad it's now GC! But I have a bottle so I don't need more for now,
ARKHAM -- A shadowy, unapproachable forest of maple, birch, dogwood, cypress and pine softened by a garland of New England wildflowers: bergamot, columbine, rue anemone, blue violet, creeping phlox, bloodroot, toadflax, and pixie moss.
Not so keen on this-something in it went too sweet, and something else made it smell like some old designer moisturising cream my mum used to wear. Something in it screams 'department store body lotion' and the phlox is over-sweet.
AZATHOTH -- tangerine, saffron, vetiver, black amber and cedarwood.
Way too masculine for me. Scaaaaary vetiver.
CTHULHU -- A creeping, wet, slithering scent, dripping with seaweed, oceanic plants and dark, unfathomable waters.
Ditto Azathoth. Yes, this has scaaaaaary vetiver as well.
PUMPKIN PATCH REVISITED
Don't really need more PP-I only liked the apple cider one enough to keep and I have a bottle of that, which is enough for now.
~~~~~~~
Ok, that's done and dusted. I now can't wait for Kindly Moon (I imagine that will be a tiny update of just the moon, like CM was). And then the BPTP updates...I swear that Puddin' hinted at incense going live (a little mention of 'stuff you can set on fire') and if that's the case, I really hope this incense ain't LE, since I have been looking forward to BPAL incense since it was mentioned last year and I want to buy it all! I have a feeling the next Wallet Armageddon big update to look forward to, BPAL wise, is on October 13th. I predict that the CD Thirteen in One freak show scents will go live, along with 13, and...Yules!!! Since the Yule scents went up in mid-October last year, so it seems reasonable. And if this Halloween update was huge, then it's possible that Yule will be even bigger and more mind-bogglingly amazing...
Yeah, it's ages since I've written in here...
I need to find a way to keep myself occupied on Saturday evenings now that Doctor Who has ended. OMG what an ending as well...I was almost crying.
HERE BE SPOILERS! (for anyone in the US that is)
Spoiler
DALEKS V. CYBERMEN!!! The ultimate deathmatch! But I think that extermination is much worse than mere deletion...I thought the Daleks were destroyed by the time vortex-possessed Rose at the end of the last series but it seems you can't exterminate all the Daleks!
And Rose's final fate-that was really emotional. I won't say it all but the bit where the Doctor seemed all lonely and where his speech got cut off was very sad-we never got to hear him say he loved Rose, that almost got the tears going...until Catherine Tate (awesome British comedienne-of 'am I bovvered' fame) appeared and I almost cracked up. Roll on Christmas!!
Ok, other news. Crete was amazing, and I would love to post some pictures here-I may do so soon.
I also hope France win the Cup tomorrow. I can say that because I'm half French and I think the French team rock.
I've also got myself a bit of voluntary work if I don't get the job I'm hoping for this summer-well, sort of. I get to work at the nearby cat shelter! I don't care if it's non-paid work, I love cats and being around those gorgeous furry things makes me very happy indeed. I get to work with some of the most beautiful kittens-some of them were climbing up my trousers and sucking my fingers! So adorable. And then there's the 'hugging cat' who jumps on the chair and puts its front legs around my waist, like a hug. These cats are either donated to the shelter or are found on the street and are nurtured by the staff and volunteers until they find new homes-and if I ever want to get another kitty, I can go and get one here!
I really can't wait to get my Lotus Moon order as well. So much new BPAL on the way. I should technically be a very happy bunny right now but PMS is preventing that stupid pre-menstrual headache!
I think I'll use this blog to blather about BPAL and smelly stuff. My LJ needs updating but my life has been so unexciting it's unreal. Seriously. Apart from little perks like my cousin and her children staying over (little Claire is the sweetest thing ever-I've never seen such a well behaved, helpful, and ever so polite 5 year old girl!) and massive lows like my impending maths exam not much is going on, apart from the little pleasures and indulgences, like BPAL...
This Black Moon update, though small, looks fantastic. Here's a little detailed breakdown:
BLACK MOON: BETH'S CREATION
The absence of light: motia attar, black orchid, mugwort, English pear, cucumber, blue lotus, jonquil, massoia, calamus and crystal musk.
I've never smelt motia attar but if this smells like my jasmine attar that I have, I will be so happy-I think motia attar is jasmine perfume distilled in sandalwood *swoon*. Black orchid is the note that grabbed me in Queen Mab, that beautiful sweet rich floral. But it's the blue lotus that grabbed me most. I thought 'no way, not the famous blue lotus, perfume of the pharaohs?' I have a bottle of blue lotus perfume from Egypt and also a BL absolute-I love this stuff. However, I've heard there's an Indian blue lotus as well which I've not smelt, not sure if Beth will use the Egyptian or the Indian variety but either way, it looks stunning. Crystal musk looks like it will be beautiful. And massoia...I need to try Lost for Words (by Arcana) to see what that's like. All in all, this looks like it will be even better than Blue Moon (omg that sounds like blasphemy! )
SCHWARZER MOND: BRIAN'S CREATION
The keeper of secrets: opoponax, Tunisian black amber, night musk, antique patchouli, zdravetz, terebinth, myrrh, and Pimenta racemosa.
Ohhh RESINS!!! I love opoponax, myrrh and amber (Tunisian amber? If it smells like my Attar bazaar stuff...) and the zdravetz looks intriguing-geranium resin with supposed hormone balancing qualities? That I must see! I'm very curious about terebinth and what that smells like. And I'm also wondering if the pimenta will smell like bay rum or like allspice. But it's the antique patchouli that grabbed me. I'm a huge fan of another perfume etailer's AP (hint, it's the one with the 50-year old patch) but I have a feeling that AP done BPAL style will blow them out of the water. Ohhh. And the night musk? That brings to mind all the gorgeous night-time musky scents, will it be a Buck Moon musk (insert nosegasm here) or a Nuit musk? I can't wait to find out.
I am coveting these scents like nothing else. The Black Moon scents eclipse (geddit? Eclipse? ) my previous covetings of CDs!
It's been ages since I've written in here huh?
But I need to announce the arrival of two darling new additions to the family...my long awaited new kittens, Serafina and Smurfette. I got them via a shelter from someone who wanted to sell his kittens-and I was not expecting the almost dangerous level of CUTE I saw when I met the kittens. it was so hard choosing two kittens from a litter of six adorable little fluffy bundles of joy. I ended up choosing eventually and I think I chose well-the kitties are so sweet and playful and are always chasing each other and jumping about and just doing the sort of cute kitten stuff that makes me all wobbly inside. Sera is the grown up one with more black than white on her face, and she is also the more mature and and clever kitty, whilst Smurfette is the energetic, playful, mischevious little rogue who has one eye in black fur and the other in white, almost like an eyepatch (mum calls her the little pirate).
I am so pleased to have these wonderful darlings in my life-I haven't been this happy in ages!
I will post pics asap!
I know when I'm addicted when I notice little references to BPAL in everyday life. Such as a rerun of the Simpsons that mentioned the Telltale Heart. That instantly solved the decision of what BPAL I should test tonight. TTH it was! And I do like it, but not as much as Great Sword of War which is similar...
I can't get over how wonderful Anthelion is...there are times when it smells like gingerbread with creamy vanilla. Seriously. It actually resembles something from another etailer, but much nicer and with that magickal feel to it that only Beth can do. And it works...I think i will get round to doing a candle ritual or even a meditation with this stuff...I feel so cheerful and calm tonight, less argumentative too. Is that a result of the Anthelion? I also feel a lot less menstrual as well. I think that maybe another reason.
I hope that Beth does something fun for tomorrow. I also hope that anything released tomorrow (if that happens) will be up until at least Wednesday/Thursday? Why? I want to make a big order on my birthday!!!
I also hope my Peony Moon order gets sent asap...
I hope this post doesn't sound grouchy, as the it's that time again, rampant hormones control my brain, and my cramps feel like someone has placed a concrete slab in my tummy, and this slab is swelling. Ugh.
My maths resit is over, thank goodness...I now have about three weeks and a bit before uni starts. A part of me wants to start uni asap (one reason being STUDENT LOANS! MORE WONGA TO SPLASH ON SMELLIES!! ) another part of me wants to relish in the delicious, lazy, no-coursework, no-study days, the days of staying at home away from those awful flatmates I had last year...ah, bliss.
Seems like I've been getting a taste of autumn as September arrives. Makes me wonder...am I, and my mother and RL friends, the only ones who like warm summery sunshine? Ok, so I don't mind wind and rain-provided I'm not out in it. I'm one of those people who tolerates heat much better than cold. It does make me feel less guilty to be inside, I must say. Perfect 'curl up with a cuppa and a kitty by the TV' weather. Perfect 'lazy weather', the time for lie-ins, especially now the nights are drawing in. I suppose the rainy, gusty days have a bright side when I think of it in those ways. Plus, rain is seriously needed after the desert-like conditions of summer we've had.
However, I do like the autumn. I like those balmy September days that are warm and sunny but not unbearable like summer days are, just pleasant enough to go out with a t-shirt and enjoy the few days before the cold kicks in. I also love the dry autumn days, especially at sunset when the colours of the sky and the leaves match-and the nights. Oh, those cold, crisp, clear, smoky-scented autumn nights, always with the crackle of fireworks in the air in this country. Not as bitter as winter but those nights give a hint of the winter to come. I remember such a night last year, it was out at the observatory where I study, and the night was magical...cool, but not too cold, and with the most magnificent full moon illuminating the countryside all around (and yes, at the time, I was wearing Hunter Moon. It's a sign of true addiction, remembering what BPAL you wore on a random day a long time ago...). Not ideal for astronomical observations of course but just so beautiful.
It's also the perfect time to crack open the autumnal BPALs-tonight, it's Devil's Night, which seems to have aged fantastically, with the smoky note much more pronounced, like a fragrant bonfire wafting over airy fresh musk...so beautiful. Hopefully the new DN will be the same...I need more!
It's really bad that this occurs on the day before I head off to Sicily. I was going to write a little entry about how much I looked forward to tucking into real Italian food, the best pizzas with the thin crispy crusts, pasta cooked in the best tomato sauce, and the finest ice cream in the world. But then I hear some truly saddening news.
My aunt passed away today. The melanoma which I thought was being cured successfully with chemo (in the last phone call I had with her, she was so optimistic) finally claimed her life. It is really terrible, I didn't know her that well have haven't seen her much, I wish I'd seen her more. Now it's too late...cancer is a horrible thing and it has claimed many of my relatives, my aunts, uncles and grandmothers. It frightens me and has made me a little scared to go out in the sun (and I'm going to Sicily of all places) even if my skin tone is more sun-resistant than hers.
I wish I got to know her better in life, and I did say some things about her in life which I regret a little now (mainly jokes about her obsession with Cliff Richard and her phone calls where she constantly went off at tangents about friends of her friend's boyfriends mothers...) but nothing too serious. It's bad timing that it happens before I leave for what should be a relaxing holiday, but life and death like that-full of bad timing, sadly. I suppose the good thing is that now the pain and sickness really is over, she's free from it, in a better place.
...but the tart doesn't smell of cherries! I burnt a tart for the first time yesterday-it was Alternative Breeding's Einstein-and I'm very impressed. They are stronger than scented candles-so strong that not only did my room smell nice, but the whole house did! The smell is lovely too-a refreshing herbal cucumber. And a very appropriate scent to revise my physics work with! I have loads of tarts to try out but since tarts take longer to burn away than candles, I'll have to wait until this one is done...
I am so busy trying out new imps that my bottles don't even get the attention they deserve! So today I tried out my bottles of Seraglio and Cairo for the first time. (I bought Cairo in August.) I'm glad Seraglio doesn't have the 'soapy almond' note I got in a recent bottle of Queen of Sheba (which I usually adore) and an imp of Port au Prince-I think that was a certain batch variation that went a bit awry on my skin when the usual almond notes don't do that. But the sandalwood is more pronounced, and I love that. And my bottle of Cairo isn't as lemony as the imps I tried, this one smells more like sweet red wine with myrrh and other fruits, and also a hint of papyrus and lotus, and a dry note that makes me think of hot sand, which is fitting.
To be honest, I don't feel bothered to do my coursework. The procrastination bug kicks in again, it seems. I'm getting through it veeeeeery slooooooowly. But maths is an absolute beyatch. Thank goodness I can go and see my tutors every now and then, when they are not at any conferences...
My tastes in chocolate are getting more and more expensive. Sure, I love my Cadbury's and have been eating more Creme Eggs than is healthy, I just want something a bit more luxurious for Easter this year. I love all those yummy cinnamon and cardamom chocolates or the ones with strawberries and cracked black pepper and coffee beans and lemon peel and so on. I have my eye on one particular choccy egg or two but they are very pricey...about the price of a BPAL LE bottle each. maybe I shouldn't bother with chocolate and just buy more BPAL-especially if it smells of chocolate.
If you hadn't guessed, that's the Doctor Who theme tune! I'm so excited because the new series has returned and is starting tomorrow! I love the new Dr Who, and I really want to track down some of the older episodes now.
Dr Who fans may want to check this silly link out for a laugh!
From time travelling doctors to real ones now...I think those sleeping pills my doctor prescribed me are really working. I needed something to reset my sleeping patterns into something a bit more normal (I go to sleep at 2am and get up at 11am-something induced by the drunk and stoned flatmates from hell at campus) but now thanks to those pills, I'm going to be early, and getting up early and feeling bright and awake (which is pretty incredible since I'm not usually a morning person at all!).
I think that little ritual with TAL Determination helped a great deal with me getting my coursework done-it's not finished yet, but it just gave me the impetus to get going and do some good solid work without distraction. I love getting those challenging questions done...they are daunting at first but when I get them done, I feel good!
I'm also excited because my Peony Moon order is winging it's way to me! I hope it gets to me before I go back to uni!
I stink of: Ozymandias (this is so beautiful second time round-there's an almost Antique Lace-like quality to it, like AL in a desert breeze, with Egyptian musk behind it)
I'm a little bit surprised I wasn't picked on in the wank thread...I'm not sure whether I should be glad or sad about that. If there was a comment like 'OMG that stupid little yeahbutnobut/miss isis uk should go mummify herself or something if she's so into Egypt yada yada yada' would have probably made my day but really and truly, that thread did sicken me to the core. My self-torturing, curious side of my brain makes me want to go and read it more and it does become more laughably immature the more I read it. But seriously, comments like name calling and bitching about people's weight or saying that their av sucks belongs in primary school, not what should be an adult community, and the few moronic comments about Beth remarketing the same blend under a different name/using premade blends/lying about natural blends...the words 'horse', 'flog' and 'dead' come to mind.
My campus is under invasion by these really weird bugs. Not the usual wasps and flies and occasional mozzies I see every summer, but daddy-long-legs. These aren't the gangly, clumsy, somewhat farcical bugs that come out during the autumn, but a new breed altogether-these things fly elegantly, land perfectly on windows as opposed to the usual flailing of legs before landing, have markings like a wasp, and have huuuuuge legspans. I mean, huge-like the width of a tennis ball. They freak me out. It also makes me wonder if that urban legend about daddy-long-legs being the most poisonous creatures on earth is true...thank goodness they aren't able to use that poison because of their lack of sting or fangs!
In a week or so, I have my first exam. It's about quantum physics, nuclear physics, and relativity. Nice brain-scrambling stuff. I need to get revising a bit more-it's a truly fascinating and mind boggling module, but the maths involved in quantum makes my head throb so much...must stop forum-ing. Must begin studying.
This update was much more my thing than the last one...lots of amber, musk, witches and fairies and Good Omens too? I like that! My prediction for this update bringing hot, sunny scents was correct, as was my prediction for Leo containing amber. I'm now regretting buying second bottles of both Red Moon and Leo...Fairy Market looks so amazing, as does the Witch Queen, and Aziraphale and Crowley are coming home with me when I order on the 13th.
My Saturday evenings will be boring again now that Dr Who is over...
And I wish the weather could warm up a bit, it's almost July and it feels like October, but without the prettiness of autumn leaves. And the rain won't stop. I think the pizza and pasta cravings will return by next week, but the question is, will UK versions satiate them now I've tasted the real Italian stuff?
Oh, and I need a job. Now. Not just for the money but for something to keep me busy during the holidays. It's nice being lazy but it gets boring just lying about doing nothing after some time. I need routine and something constructive to do. And some money would be nice.
Happy New Year to all of you! I really hope 2007 is a kick-ass year, in more ways than one-in my studies, my social life, my creativity and my hobbies. I want to make resolutions but it seems just calling them 'New Year resolutions' means that they will be broken ten minutes later. Call it a jinx, if you will. But anyway, my goals for '07 include:
-Studying harder and much more than last year, especially in maths.
-Looking for jobs early so that I can save up money to help when debt-time really hits me, and also for nice things like holidays, gifts, and indulgences like BPAL.
-Putting more money into savings, though that's hard, especially considering today's Wallet Armageddon...
-Selling off the stuff I really don't need on Ebay, like that pair of jeans that I got one Xmas and never fitted me, they're as good as new...
-Trying to get my writing and arty muses back so I can write and sketch loads more than I did last year.
-Socialise a little more, especially with guys. I'm pitifully shy in real life, and I need to get my arse off that computer chair and get mingling a little. And go to more student union clubbing nights or go to the union bar more.
-Keeping that temper under control, and those uber-emotional/panicky moments need to be restrained too.
-Do more active stuff, like swimming, dancing, or even gym...
Now, let's get to business. BPAL style...
BEST START TO THE YEAR EVER! Wow, what an update! The mother of all updates. The update to end all updates and the road to sweet-smelling debt...I thought the first CD instalment was amazing. I thought the Order of the Dragon and Halloween update was breathtaking. But this just blew my socks off and blew my mind and my Paypal all at once. It was just so good...and there's so much that I WANT RIGHT NOW, no decants, give me bottles! But alas, with Xmas and all that, my bank account is crushed...but these scents are up for ages!
I just had to get Bakeneko since I love all things kitty-shaped and I want one of the Japanese scents to become a top ten scent. It has cherry blossom which can ruin a scent on me but hopefully that will be cancelled out by the wonderfulness of cinnamon, cardamom and tangerine tea with amber and musk!
I love the concept of Faces of the Heroine, even if I can't pronounce or spell the names! But I love the combinations of exotic notes present in that series. In fact, I really like the whole Indian theme that many Lupercalia scents have this year, the incense blend Chintamani-Dhupa sounds particularly interesting with so many notes I've never encountered before!
But the best bit of the update of course was the Freak Show itself. I knew it would be good but I wasn't expecting it to be so magnificently, gargantually, fantastically wonderful! I adored the previous lot of CD, most scents there were hits on me. But these new scents look even better, more complex, more unusual, with loads of unique notes and combinations.
And then there are those Snakes. I'm so intrigued as to what Snake Oil with mint tea will be like. Or SO with acai berry and cardamom, or SO with teak and bamboo, or SO with aquatic moss, or SO with tropical flowers and tangy fruits...and I can't wait for cinnamon SO and mandarin SO and chocolate SO. And I wonder what that Anaconda will smell like?
Hope and Faith were destined to be mine from the moment I discovered that they were Londoners like me and that they contain sugary flowers, and I can't wait to get my hands on them. And Priala the Human Phoenix looks like it will be divine, like Chimera's cinnamon-myrrh, but better. And what would a Black Phoenix carnival be without a phoenix?
And of course, the cherry on the cake was the fact that two freaks are from You-Know-Where, and one of them is a MUMMY! (Must hoard loads of bottles of them!) That was probably what made this update not just wonderful, but utterly perfect, well for me anyway. But it goes to show that this Carnaval series is truly incredible and epic, and it's for everyone. Be you a foody fan, or mad for musk, or even a flower fanatic. It's for vanilla whores and spice girls. It's for incense addicts and aquatic adorers. It's artistic and beautifully told. It appeals to everyone, no matter where your interests lie. It even hits our fears-of clowns, or snakes, or spiders, or death itself, what lies in the shadows, the unusual and disturbing and mysterious...and it makes us confront those demons through means of scent-and perhaps, through this, to discover what could be their inner beauty. It is truly all encompassing, the whole world-and then some-within a travelling fair, all within little bottles of beautiful fragrance...
I can't wait for Carnaval Diabolique-The Movie! (I can dream...but you never know!)
My gorgeous little kitty cat has just gone to the other side now.
She had to leave today-I just got a call that she was so weak today that she couldn't eat, sleep or move much. A neighbour had to take her to the vet where the only option was to put her down. Now the house where she lived is so empty. I'll never hear those odd clicks and 'rrrrr' noises she used to make instead of meows. I'll miss her purrs and her soft fur and those bright white whiskers against a black face, her flashing green eyes, her elegant mannerisms-she was so expressive and intelligent, and so gentle-she'd never hurt a soul. Now without any feline presence in my life, I feel so lonely.
The death of a pet is unbelievably harrowing to go through. It's the second time I've had this now. At least I still have her memories and I know she's still there, albeit in a place that I cannot reach for now-it almost feels like my departed loved ones are on the other side of a plane of existence, another dimension or universe that feels so close that I could touch it, and yet is physically inaccessible. But they are not gone completely.
RIP my beautiful furry friend. You're with your sister now, in a happier place.
eta: I just heard from my mum's friend who was looking after kitty as she slipped away. She mentioned seeing a pink glow in the conservatory where the cat used to sleep. It was probably a sunset reflection but I think it was more than that...I think she was saying goodbye as she followed the sunset, to join her sister among the stars. I think she's truly happy now.
I am wearing BPAL Bastet in her honour, as she was always a true divine feline to me.
Wearing: Peony Moon, Osun, Saturn and a bit of Mandrake.
I got my first ever Paypal phishing email today. One of those 'you need to update your details or your account will be suspended!!!' ones. Stupidly, I accidentally clicked the link, but as soon as I saw the link wasn't legit Paypal, I closed the window quick as lightning before it even loaded. Then I reported the fucker to Paypal. Changed my password. I hope such people get what they deserve.
Phishers deserve to get their balls pecked out by vultures.
It's funny how the older you get, the more stressful this time of year becomes. As a child, the Christmas season was a time of perpetual happiness and gifts and fun. Now this innocent perspective is tainted by batterings to my bank balance (well, some of those batterings are inflicted for slightly selfish smelly reasons ), the stress of wrapping, cooking, decorating, writing cards etc, the ordeal of dealing with shops, streets and tube trains heaving with crowds, the dilemmas of what to buy for people (I have a lot of 'hard to buy for' people in my family), hoping that the presents my relatives have in store aren't too embarassing, the fear of accidentally embarrassing myself in front of relatives (but gone are the days when I had to sing for my presents. I was forced to sing what I sang at school choir. Without accompaniment, totally solo, almost in an X-Factor style. Thank goodness there aren't any Simon Cowells in the family. But that was the most cringe-making part of Xmas for me) and so on.
But even so, I still love the festive season for many reasons. The sparkly lights everywhere-even the tacky displays can induce smiles, the fact that putting baubles on the tree is quite fun (straightening it, on the other hand, is a bitch of a job), writing cute messages and giving little gifts with cards, the cheesy songs that always get me singing along no matter what, the smell of satsumas and roasted chestnuts all around, chocolates always seem to taste better at this time of year (I know, I probably have weird taste buds, but I think it's true), learning the fascinating pagan background behind many beloved Xmas traditions and customs, fragrancing the house with spicy incense and oils and wearing gorgeous Yule BPALs to really get into the mood, generous alcohol consumption, scoffing loads of home made mince pies-and only home made ones will do, and of course, prezzies. I'm getting an iPod this year. Yay for expensive toys. Thank goodness I don't have to sing for it...
