hkhm

i got witched! i've known who my witch is for about a week, we've had some nice notes back and forth. she sent me her big packeage of goodies last week, then sent me on a treasure hunt to find her identity... yewberry! thank you so much for making my first switch with round so fun! anyway, she told me she had one more little thing to send along and it should be here around this weekend. and it was. a bottle of the snow storm, a decant of l'autunno & a sample of happy housewife's revel. i love the snow storm, love it. i was down to my last bottle and a little bummed that it did not return for this yule season. but now, thanks to you, i have another whole bottle to tide me over. and i've always wanted to try l'autunno, i do love the apple scents. and i'm always curious to try other companies scents and see what i think. thank you so much once again for spoiling me way more than i could have ever expected.

oh man. now i really need to order an imp of the light's of men's lives. i was putting it off because i was not certain how it would smell, but these rec's make it sound perfect.

yep. to me purple phoenix is brilliant, true purple. bordello is blazing magenta-purple, while the raven is a rich indigo-purple.

thanksgiving will be fearful pleasure. christmas will be frumious bandersnatch. new year's eve will be midnight kiss. lunar new year will be bengal. valentine's day will be imp...

imp: lily and... some sort of cola drink. odd. wet: this is just straight-up lily. dry: this dries pretty much the same, a soft lily scent. i was expecting it to amp but it never did, it stuck close to my skin and stayed very gentle.

imp: mossy dirt. wet: the fir is present at first, hovering over the dirt and moss notes. it starts to fade pretty quickly though. dry: the fir note is what sticks at the end, the dirt and moss are very soft. this is bottle-worthy for me.

imp: sugary green tea. wet: the lemon verbena jumps out when this is applied, the tea is certainly the backdrop. dry: this dries down to a very faint lemon vebena scent with only a tiny whiff of tea. a very reserved, clean scent.

I barely pick up any mint at all.... and as I recall, not many of the other reviewers did either. It feels a little cool on my skin at first, but that's all yep, it's a minty feel, not a minty smell, so it feels clear and jagged. shattered is really an incredible scent, i like it more every time i wear it.

imp: herbs and woods, somewhat sharp. wet: lovely once applied, almost sweet. perhaps it's the apple blossom but it's sweetened everything in this blend. dry: this dries to the most charming soft, sweet apple. i'm a bit surprised because it's apple blossom which is usually so delicate i can't pick it out. but this is pure and soft and gentle. this may require a bottle.

imp: dry, dusty musk. sexy. wet: there's that yummy sweetness from the dragon's blood with the sexy smoothness of the red musk. i get a nice shot of tobacco above the spices. i think this one may be bottle-worthy. dry: sweet and dry, dusty and spicy. this is so well blended that i can really only pick out the musk above everything else. i love this blend.

bottle: on first sniff this smells like smoky leather. wet: ahhh... sweet vetiver... this is sweet & smoky charred wood. i like this a great deal. dry: this is beautiful once dry, rich smoky wood with a slight leather-ish backnote. love.

yay! my witch had sent me an e-mail to "watch my mailbox early next week!" but i was not expecting it to be delivered yesterday, so i didn't bother checking the mail until this morning. and there was a box! a heavy box! with a return address in portland... how curious! who can resist the allure of a sealed mystery box? not me! so i tore into it pretty quickly. and just as quickly my cat pounced on the box and let me know that there was something in there for her. it was hard to get a good photo of her flailing all over the place with this small cloth bundle with fringe. but here is the best of the dozens i took: she then took it over to the box (which is also now hers) and combined them into a cat in the box toy. hard to describe i suppose, but she is very thankful for the gift! so the first thing i noticed when i opened the box (other than my cat jumping on top of it) was yarn! yarn! lots of yarn! these are all vintage from what i can tell, all from companies i don't recognize! this is just the sort of yarn i go nuts for. there were three hanks of what looks to be a handspun yarn. it's got a wonderful drape to it. and a cone of fuchsia laceweight yarn that looks to be... mohair maybe? the sticker on the inside doesn't say. yeah, so i'm pretty much snuggling these for a while. at least until i figure out what to make from them! there were lots of things buried in with the yarn but the first thing i pulled out was a small bag just stuffed with perfume. so stuffed, i could barely get all the perfume out. witch you are spoiling me with all the wonderful smellies! a partial bottle of agnes nutter & a bottle of slate junco from cobalt blends. bpal imps of goblin, imp, shanghai, black lily & nocnitsa. bpal decants of: the ifrit, the norn's farmhouse, julia stone, pumpkin 3 2007 & pumpkin 3 2009. samples from other retailers: haute love from possets, pyramid of khufu from nocturne alchemy & bohemia from happy housewife. so much goodness. i then gathered up everything else in the box... wow... okay, witch, that recipe book is exactly the sort of thing i was talking about on my questionnaire: full of kitschy recipes that i would never ever make but which get me to smile just by reading them. though i'll admit, there is one recipe in there that i'm modifying becasue i want to try it and see if it's yummy... there are candles, both tapers and votive (the votives are 'honey butter' scent, they smell like frosting) a compact disc called 'her song' which i'm saving to listen to on my baking day (tuesday), a box on incense and... a bundle of... tamarind? i'm not certain what the pods are. they are so festive though, they went right on to my desk next to all my autumn leaves. so many goodies! so much to keep me busy and inspired! thank you ever so much!

imp: sweet anise and cardamom. wet: the anise is fairly sweet but not quite jellybean sweet. it's backed with what smells like cardamom and cinnamon. dry: in the end this smells like a cross between black jellybeans and red hots.

i just got a fun nacho witch package from sheyona! with the flurry of fun & sweetness crowding my inbox alongside the encouragement to "watch the mail" i decided to dash down to the unibox after the mailman had left. it probably took longer than it should have because i ended up taking photos of leaves and puddles and all sorts of other autumn things. but when i arrived, there was only one thing for me, a box! i skipped back home and decided to open it on the kitchen floor. (i don't know why, i think it was the proximity to the scissors needed to cut the tape.) there was a nice little note from sheyona telling me that two of the "kitschy gifts" were form the original saturday market (the candles i'm guessing?) and the other was done by her. it's kinda hard to tell from the photo but the candles are beverages. one is a coke-glass filled with a "cola" candle (complete with ice cube) and the other is a mug of hot cocoa. then there is an awesome handmade tarot card of the hermit (my favorite card). and two tea samples for my sipping pleasure. this is so awesome for so many reasons: just this morning i was re-arranging my candle cluster in the bedroom and deciding i should probably refresh my candle supply. these fabulously kitschy items will be a welcome addition! they are just so wonderfully odd, they'll fit right in with all my other strange candle stuff. the hermit is destined to become my special bookmark. just because it's so darn awesome. and the tea... well, it's already halfway consumed. it's nice and cold today and perfect for hot tea. to my witch and my nacho witch: thank you both so much for giving my something so fun to smile about!

bottle: smoky musk with myrrh. wet: this is like the death of autumn and mort de cesar had a love child. this is smoky, smooth, musky dark and grand. the musk and myrrh are so rich and almost creamy (must be the "smoky vanilla"). i can't describe how sinuous and lovely this scent is. dry: a beautiful smoky, creamy finish. this is the smell of what the feel of crinkled velvet feels like... if that makes any sense...

huzzah! i was witched! an interesting thing to note: this is the second time my witch has had something mailed to me and both times my package has arrived the same day as a bpal order... interesting... i think my witch and her helpers have a spooky power... anyway... my postal carrier had both of my packages scanned and waiting for me by the time i had walked down the hill to the mailboxes. i spent the whole mad dash back up to my apartment trying to feel through the wrapping to guess what was inside. okay, i'll confess. i squeed a little when i saw the pouch. i have this wonderful weakness for pouches and treasures hidden inside pouches. and dots? it never even occurred to me to check and see if they were vegan. in my brief checking so far, they appear to be! they are almost too cute to eat, little ghost dots. anyway, i had to see what was in the pouch. i'd been patient for, what, five minutes? agapē! one of my favorites! and full! i took a good, long sniff and sighed with happiness... thank you so much! but then i wondered: my witch must have had someone send this to me. but there was no note... so i went back to the package and sure enough, there was a business card with a note on the back. seems that schackjj was my witch's helper this time! so i'm off to huff agapē some more and ponder who my witch could be...

imp: sandalwood with orris/violet. wet: the gardenia is pretty strong on me, the orris/violet scent is in the background alongside the sandalwood and other florals. the ylang ylang is (thankfully!) nowhere to be seen. dry: gardenia and orris. if the orris (or violet) were slightly stronger i would consider a bottle. as it is, the gardenia is just a little too strong.

imp: this is that scent you get whiffs of in springtime; it's fresh flowing water next to neatly fresh-cut grass that's still wet from a watering while the gentles breeze carries the soft scent of flowers. wet: a crisper, watery scent. it's not quite as sharp as an aquatic, more soft and sweet. there is a hint of soapiness but it's not overpowering. dry: this goes on soft and stays soft; watery soft florals. this is a scent for spring and summer, a scent for soft flowing clothing and afternoons with nothing to do.

imp: this smells kinda buttery, kinda butterscotchy. very sweet. wet: yep. butterscotchy boozy goodness. i'll be needing a bottle of this! dry: i think this will be one of my favorite layering scents. it's dried to an almost coconut butterscotch booze scent.

bottle: all musk, dark and heavy. wet: musk and nicotiana, very strong and almost a bit sharp. the florals in the background just make this more pointy. but i do have high hopes for what aging will accomplish. dry: as this dries, the patchouli appears, so it's a very deep musk and patchoul scent. i like it a great deal now and think it will age into something fantastic.

bottle: red musk and vanilla with something almost piney (perhaps the peru balsam?). wet: i am a huge fan of red musk and this blend is incredible. the patchouli, clove and tonka warm this blend and turn it into a very sexy, sultry scent. this will be save for special occasions when i was a dark, sexy aura. i may need a back-up bottle. it's that good. dry: clove usually goes strong and bitter on me but this one is staying sweet. combined with the red musk and patchouli/pine/vanilla of this scent... i am in love.

bottle: almost exactly like dirty, which is to say: soft florals over fresh greenery. the way line-dried laundry is supposed to smell. wet: there's a sort of crumbly, dry, dirt feel here. not anything like the lab's dirt note but something which smells like dried, caked mud that's cracking apart. still with the soft linen scent. very pretty. dry: nearly identical to dirty. honestly. i've got a dab of dirty on my other wrist and i can barely tell the difference.

imp: myrtle, lily and jasmine. very soft and pretty. wet: jasmine. alas. dry: the jasmine is fading somewhat. it's still the strongest note but at least it's becoming easier to bear.

imp: smoky wine. very pervasive myrrh over wine. not grapey at all. wet: between the rose and the jasmine the other notes in this scent don't stand a chance. i'm a trainwreck of florals. dry: the rose is extra-soapy on my skin in this blend. i love the name of this oil and had tiny hopes that perhaps this would be a rose scent i could wear. alas, it was not to be.

imp: mostly lavender. wet: this is a sweeter lavender than usual, though it's probably the other florals that are making this blend sweeter. i get hints of jasmine behind the lavender most often. i think that this would be a good blend to scent my sheets. dry: this dries back down to a sweet lavender scent. not astringent or medicinal, just soft and sweet.