izile

In the bottle: It's like sweet vanilla tea roses, but something is too sharp and "fake" floating on top - it's not exactly the cleaning fluid note I got from Mircalla, but is similar. Wet: I definitely get the comparison to antique lace, but it's softer, less vanilla, and the tea roses are blooming beautifully on top. The sharp "cleaner" odd note is not showing up at this point. Dry: OK, now I'm getting a very soft blackcurrant note and it's not at all too sharp/sour or otherwise like cleaning fluid. It's just this light dark fruity note. Tea roses are still the most dominant thing on me, but there's a slightly more rich "vanilla lace" undertone that's grown to support it, too. It's quite lovely.

I wore this last night because I wanted something really vampy/witchy - and MAN the staying power! It's rare I put on a BPAL and it lasts almost a full 8 hours where I'm still noticing it at times. In the bottle: it's a fight between the sharp juicy blackcurrant and the heady roses right off the top. There is something underneath it all that it a deeper (base note?) that I'm not really a fan of, I'm going to say that's the black musk. Wet: For being so strong in the bottle, first application is not that strong. There's something that smells like cleaning fluid, lemon pledge on fake roses? Did not expect this... Dry down: It changes quite a bit, again. The roses smell better now. The blackcurrant is quite sharp, but not cleaning fluid sharp. I remember from last night that after a few hours, the general feel was plush dark roses with something that just seemed "off" (not in a bad way, just very much not my usual style). The sharp currant/cleaning note disappears entirely. I think I don't particularly get along well with black musk, though.

So... anybody from the 90s remember B&BW Sun Ripened Raspberries? In the bottle: That sharp raspberry smell that's not "quite right"? More candy-like but not really sugary. There's something dark and juicy underneath. Wet: This is where it's like a nostalgia trip for B&BW Sun-Ripened Raspberries, which was my favorite. Dry down: Softer, darker, still a bit juicy-jam berry-ness. Not B&BW nostalgia anymore (it's for the best). Still may end up being a bit too sweet for me; even if not sugary, there's something in the jamminess of it that reminds me of lollipops.

In the bottle: I think this smells the most apple cider-y out of all of them this year. It smells like a fresh hot cup of cider from a holiday vender. Wet: A bit sharp on the nose, with lots of ginger, spices, and something soft and sweet growing in the background. I think the bourbon hit and ran pretty quickly on me. Dry: The apple has returned in good faith, and the spices have quietened down to a lovely balance. I think the oud is finally making an appearance, and just gives it a nice soft roundness. Quite lovely and a bit less foodie than Fearful Pleasures or Autumn Cider.

In the bottle it's straight up cookies. Sugar cookies, mostly, I don't get much chocolate or vanilla, just fresh baked cookies. Wet on the skin: an instant hit of almond, some dark cocoa, and something else that seems really out of place. Hard to identify, but something kind of plastic-y? Dry down: there's this kind of odd floral note floating to the top, though I think it's just almond mostly? There's a bit of dry cocoa in the background as it sets. It doesn't really smell like a cookie anymore on me. There's still something "odd" but maybe it's just my nose isn't digging on what I'm identifying as "almond."

In the bottle: bright apple cider, a little sharp, any booze isn't super obvious. Wet: a soft booze note,.still mostly bright sharp apple on top of sweeter apple. Dry: I would have liked a bit more booziness in this, but it's a great apple scent that stays bright for a while.

This was a surprise, as I'm normally not into super foodie/sweet smells. In the bottle it's a bright fresh apple with a solid sweetness, but not the sugar note I remember from big sugar bomb perfumes I've previously tried. Wet: there's a warm pastry smell that definitely reminds me of donuts, but apple is still king. I think I expected more cinnamon-sugar in this. Dry: lovely warm apple bake, but not super sweet and definitely not sugary. Really nice!

I had a small hope this might overlap with my old Gorobble - think it's not going to be quite that. In the bottle: like spicy wet dead leaves Wet on the skin: there's something sweet coming up, but it's mostly spicy dead leaves, they don't smell like wet leaves anymore, though. Dry down: the burnt marshmallow never came out for me, not much I would identify as whiskey, either. The clove cream is definitely on top - I think I might amp clove, though? Dead leaves settle down in the background, present, a bit crunchy, but definitely second fiddle to clove cream.

WOOO Fizzy!! In the bottle, it's a bit more light caramel with something that's probably distant ginger-ish in the background. Wet on the skin - immediate BOOM of ginger ale! It starts tamping down quick, but it smelled instantly fizzy! Dry on skin - It's like a really dry ginger ale with caramel syrup drizzled on top. I'm not getting a whole lot of apple, and I'm not sure on me how much the ginger ale is playing nicely with the caramel. There's something roughly "dirt" ish?? (not quite) underneath it all, kinda earthy... like, did you pick this ginger root fresh before you made this? It's interesting. Not as super sugary dessert-y as I had been expecting!

OK, I got to test this one out, and it was not what I had been expecting! In the bottle it smells a bit like clean black rubber, or a latex suit? Fresh, little aquatic, but definitely something like the kind of black plastic people make clothes out of for fetish stuff. Wet on the skin: like TOMATO VINE. A dark, sinister, tomato vine. Dry: like being in the garden, it's more balanced, I still smell like a tomato plant, but it's a little dark and soft around the edges. Not really my style, but interesting.

I was hoping for a perfume oil similar to the old D*Con Con-Cramp massage oil - and this was close! Maybe a little less sweet because lemon instead of orange. In the bottle and wet both smell strong, sinus-clearing, clean, bright, and lovely! It took me a few tries to realize that for me, the dry down is nothing. It's gone in less than an hour. poo. It's so lovely and was looking forward to using it as a stress-reliever aromatherapy bottle to keep at my work desk.

W/L links I may have forgotten: Etsy Amazon Pinterest - somewhat out of date, but good "look book" What is your favorite Easter candy? This actually came up this morning. I have no idea if they even exist anymore.... Those tiny solid chocolate eggs with a speckled matte candy coating so they looked like robins eggs; also, the Whopper's version of same. Love Cadbury Creme Eggs, and caramel eggs, too. Reese's is also a safe bet (though always been fonder of pieces, but cups/shapes are good). Not a peeps fan. Do you like Jelly Bellies? yup! Big nostalgia trip for me as I never liked jellybeans as a kid until there was a jelly belly stand at the mall as a tween/teen. I mostly like the fruity ones, but buttered and caramel popcorn are good too! I actually liked doing the combo "recipes" - no licorice anything plz. Are you interested in some of my homemade brown sugar shortbread I am a sucker for Sakura (cherry blossom) stuff! Otherwise, plain is always good! For everyone else: Do you have a preference for plastic eggs, treat bags, paper, or no preference? Glad someone else said it! I didn't want to out myself, but I'd been trying to figure out non-plastic options. I, too, would prefer plastic-free Spring Chick o' Mine, I have a question about mugs! What are your general feelings on mugs/drinkware? I feel similarly picky about mugs/drinkware. I have almost no space for mugs/drinkware due to the. .. shall we say ... "collector" tendencies of my roommate and the sith. Plus the sith broke my one good tea mug a month or so ago, and I haven't been able to find a proper replacement. I don't like the standard coffee mug shape, or anything that's too sculptural (like molded faces or animals in 3D). I've been using my company logo mug, but it's more of a larger camp-side mug shape, which means it's too big, too wide and too short, so my tea gets cold really fast; but my only other one has metallic lining inside, so I can't microwave it. ugh. My favorite shape looks like a slightly thinner ceramic/bisque(not glossy) pint glass with a handle. As for glassware, we have so much that I keep my nice floral rocks glasses in a box in my room. (sorry, a little touchy on this one, sith just bought himself yet ANOTHER mug, and the cabinet really can't hold all the mugs we have, which is 60% his and 30% the roommates. 😠 Dear bunny, what are your thoughts on these? So very cute!! I like a lot of them! (just steer clear of any rodent that's not a rabbit or a chinchilla, please 🙂 ) Dear chick, would you be interested in any of these baked goods? Matcha shortbread - yes! Love matcha. Hojicha shortbread - prefer matcha Lemon scones - oh yes! Lavender scones - no thanks Lavender lemon scones - yes Chocolate chip scones (made with Guittard chips) -yes  Actual flowers - I have no allergies and love flowers Dear chick, would you be interested in any cute Easter/spring-themed cookie cutters? I don't guess there's a difference between a cookie cutter and the ones for pie crusts? I don't normally make cookies you cut, but I do sometimes like getting fancy with my double-crust pies, and some flowery-type cutters for that would be super cute! Spring Tea: I'm generally not an edible glitter fan, or teas that come with added sweeteners or "flavorings", but the Strawberry snap looks interesting, and it only lists granulated honey as the sweetener. Other ones, Daughter's Rings looks interesting. Green Ginger Mint is generally a favorite flavor in other brands, can't go wrong with that. I'm also almost out of matcha. Extras (updated) I just ran out of black garlic salt, that's always nice to have around. And I was seed shopping in Territorial Seed Catalogue and was considering some mixed flower seed blend, like beneficial bug mix, bee feed mix, fragrant mix, or the shade mix, as I don't have a lot of full sun areas in my yard.

NEW! Will be the place for a history of my Q&A answers. In the meantime, I realized I didn't get all my wishlists (I'd forgotten I had so many): - and yes, I have issues with etsy and amazon as businesses, but it's a good reference place for wishlists; etsy and pinterest are mostly "style guides" than specific items) https://www.etsy.com/people/Izile?ref=hdr-fav https://www.pinterest.com/southeatsnorth/_saved/ https://smile.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/7KANCDM0KO7J/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1 https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/147827015?ref=nav_mybooks (Though I use GOODREADS more for what I HAVE read, and a reminder of what's next on my library list, not a "next book to buy" wishlist. That's more Amazon. But Goodreads shows you what I have read (also, ignore stars, if I read it and didn't hate it, I gave it 5.) QUESTIONS! 1) Does anything, scent and / or product-wise, catch your eye from the Haus of Gloi summer drop? (https://www.hausofgloi.com/collections/summer) [you're free to pick stuff NOT from Summer as well, of course! ] Curious to try a Summer Refresher Spray: Buzz Off, maybe U-Pick; 2oz sample jar of Pumpkin Butter: U-Pick or Zazz; Soft Bubbling Scrubs: maybe Beguiled or Marshamllow Rose; Whipped Soaps: Blueberry Tart, Lemongrass Ice Cream, (where are those smells in the other products! Ah, those sound like the best!) 2) Yes, the rumors are true- I'll be in Paris this summer! Tell me up to five things you'd be happy to get from there, including any specific teas from Dammann Freres, my favorite french tea shop! - I don't need any more tea, but OMG, PARIS! I miss you!! I would love a stop by Monoprix to get La Rorche Posay Anthelios XL fluid SPF 50+ for sensitive skin - (the EU SPF formula is different from FDA (EU is better)); similarly, Nuxe Huile Prodigeuese (available in US, but for 2x the price!); I'd also love any kind of caramel au beurre sale; sadly, I don't think you could transport the really good stuff (cheese, wine, eau de vie, cured meats.. nom nom nom...) 3) I recently discovered Khamilaluna and plan to place an order soon to get a present for my roommate. Is there anything you'd like from them? I'd be curious to try the body creams - either baby bee, or maybe clover & aloe; and from the scrubs, mango & coconut, or coconut lime verbena, or green tea cucumber all sound really good. 4) My question - wildcrafting/MS woods = N/A 5) My question - ring sizes, obviously fingers are all different sizes, even on the same hand - do you wear rings on all your fingers? how about a range smallest to largest? (like, for me, I can't do thumb - rest are fine, though I don't tend to wear much on my pinkie, pinkie would probably be a 5.5, then 6.5-7, and index is probably 7.5-8) 6)If your Sprite were to gift you magical items or workings... a) Would you be interested in that? b) If so, what intention(s) would you appreciate most? Yes, interested. As to what... mmm... I've really been struggling for a long while to get the creative juices and general love of life rebooted and flowing again. Been in therapy, on meds, and it'll be a year in August; and there's been progress, but that connection to playing music/painting, overflowing creativity, it gets drown out by exhaustion and anxiety way too often. It'd be nice if something could help give that part of me a fresh battery. 7) Would you be interested in a set of (rpg) dice? If so, what colors/aesthetic? - no thanks, we are loaded with dice! 😎What's your favorite creature? SO HARD! - Horses all-time favorite, with of course unicorns and pegasi being right up there. But Dragons also very big yes. 9) Do you like reading comics? If you haven't really read 'em, would you be interested in receiving a few that match your book genre preferences? I do! I'm a bit picky these days, just because I can't afford to dive so deep into mainstream comics - I was trying to corral all the new Sandman/Dreaming books because at least there were only supposed to be 16 (see Amazon wishlist for where I left off) - otherwise, I have the first 3 of Injection, I had some Fable, but that series ran too long; and I have the two Pretty Deadly ones because Beth/BPAL recommended so much. But yes, long answer, if you have some that you think I'd like, feel free to pass them on to me! 10) I'm headed to Puerto Rico in July - anything particularly interesting you would like from there? Good Rum? Is that possible? - I don't know what else PR is known for that is transportable (the ponies in Viequas, clearly not portable X-D ) 11) Would you be interested in receiving a small bottle of home infused whiskey aged from commercially produced moonshine? Any particular flavors you might enjoy (examples include orange chai or cinnamon chocolate or hot peppers)? Hmmm, I'd be curious. I generally do not care for flavored liquors (as opposed to liqueurs), but since it's a home infusion, maybe?? Not sure what infusion though (def NOT apple pie - I know everyone's crazy about homemade apple pie moonshine, but I cannot abide it) 12) Would you be interested in homemade shortbread that fits your flavor preferences? ABSOLUTELY! I like plain, or maybe chocolate, I've seen some really nice ones that have a touch of flowers on top, that always sounded nice. 13) If your bday is during the swap, how are you planning to celebrate? - it's not. 14) Likewise, how do you celebrate relevant spiritual holidays in this time period? - mostly with food, I can't light a fire in my backyard 😞 , and with no car, camping is difficult 15) Anything you want from the UK? - I can't think of anything specifically off the top of my head, know the man-thing would go crazy over real UK Cadbury - I'm assuming shipping gin/whiskey is out of the question. 16) - Seeds, y/n? - y? bit late in the season to plant more seeds, but always yes? 17) Are you interested in skincare/shampoo/conditioner? - skincare, not shampoo/conditioner 18) Are you interested in tights? If so, what thickness, style, and size? - no, too many already 19) Do you use tarot decks? Would you like to receive more - and if so, can you list the ones you already have? - I do, I have Shadowscapes by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law; and the Last Unicorn deck. Two decks is possibly my limit, unless it's really special and incredibly beautiful art - if it speaks to you, I'll listen. 20) What do you think of the art on this website? https://www.printisdead.co.uk/ - I like it! I'm not into the super goth stuff (skulls/coffins) but the bird, crystal, moth, witchy stickers are super nice! 21) Is loose leaf tea good, or do you prefer bagged? - I prefer loose leaf, but I am currently drowning in tea. 22) New question...PBSW Summer collection is live No thanks, I love the texture of their lotion, but none of the scents right now seem to line up for me. 23) Would you be interested in items from any of the following? The Rod Homestead (I love this one I helped fund her commercial kitchen) - no thanks, Working Class Coffee - no coffee please Philly Nuts - no thanks 222 Creations - the barrettes are cute! Carol's Epiphany - no thanks 24) Would you possibly like a simple hand embroidered piece? sure If you would like this is there a simple favorite flower or summer symbol, like a bee? - I like bees, I like a lot of flowers (roses, morning glory, lavender, red clover... ) What kind of sprite would you prefer? A ninja or to know the ID right away? I like both styles for different reasons. - no preference, have had both 🙂 25) Are you ok with shunga label art (bpal?) - yes 26) - miss something? 27) Are there any Korean or Japanese food/craft/self-care items you would be interested in in receiving? - love K-beauty, masks, used to love the peripera peach milk blurring liquid. And all about Japanese snacks! 28) Is there anything for your garden or houseplants that you need, or would like (tiny, hand thrown cachepot for a prized astrophytum, etc.), or are you proudly black thumb and shun any plant that isn't resin? - I think the garden is well underway. The kind of things I'd need, probably not good gifts, and hard to ship. 29) How many books is too many books? - infinity? 30) plushies: I like plushies, but they take up too much room. I am full up!

Not to bury the lead, but I had high hopes for this that did not work out. In bottle: definitely get the cozy sweater vibe, don't smell any tea, bergamot, maybe a little vanilla. Wet: sweater, all fuzzy, going powdery, not much peach or tea. Dry down: all baby powder of doom and nothing else. Turned pretty quickly on me. 😔

I ordered this based on the video review Tom did. I normally don't do foodie, but figured I'd try it. wet: very much Nilla wafers and some fruity creaminess. Few minutes: the cookie smell doesn't dry particularly foodie on me, and the peach is stepping up a bit. Hour+ pretty light, wouldn't call it foodie at all, pretty vanilla peach that's light and not too sweet.