girasol

I think I put too much of this on... I couldn't smell much at first, so I merrily slathered away, and now I smell like I fairly marinated myself in the stuff. And it lasts well. I was baffled as to how you'd get the smell of a rainstorm in a bottle, but this does have an appealing wet-asphalt sort of feel to it. I like it well enough (admittedly I would use less in future!). TBH though, I think this would smell nicer on a man.

In the bottle: A melange of tangy fruit, I can't really pick out particular notes. Wet: On the skin, it smells like a fruit salad, with the coconut sailing merrily along head-and-shoulders above the other notes. Dry: For a fruity scent, this has some throw and staying power, which is great - fruity blends often lose their fruitiness pretty quickly on me. Dry it has a slight musky spiciness which balances out the fruit notes nicely. Verdict: I really like this, glad I bought a bottle. I've seen a lot of comparisons of Xiuhtecuhtli to Thierry Mugler's Angel, but to me Shango is also similar. Angel is very fruity on me but with a musky richness, and though the notes are different, Shango has a similar feel.

In the bottle: A sweet, slightly nutty smell. Wet on skin: Milk and honey. This is really sweet, but the soft muskiness keeps it from being cloying. Dry: This smells like rice pudding made with condensed milk, and a touch of baby lotion. Don't really get the dirt or crushed greenery, but that's all good 'cause those notes can be a bit iffy on me. Verdict: This is an adorable scent that makes me want to cuddle a baby, stat!

Frimpage with my Ebay order... thanks Puddin'! In the imp: Schweeeeet! I don't get any kind of boozy note though. Wet on skin: This is quite cloying when wet - a candy, syrupy sweetness. It doesn't smell particularly apricot-y yet, just sweet. Dry: The sweetness burns off a bit as it dries, and a slightly woody character comes through. I can pick out the apricots now, it's fruity and mellow like a bag of dried apricots. Verdict: It's pretty once some of the tooth-aching sweetness drops off, but once that happens it also doesn't have much throw. I will use the imp, but it's not a bottle candidate at the moment.

[2004 version] I bought this off Ebay unsniffed (it sounded nice, and it's going to a good cause) - I had no idea what holly berries smell like. Apparently they smell like spice. The scent is a mixed spice in the bottle, like a pot of mulled wine simmering away on the stovetop. On the skin - yeehah, hello cloves! It is becoming increasingly apparent that I amp the living bejayzus out of cloves. After an hour or two, this has settled and it smells great - like sweet wine and spiced cookies, with a faint touch of fresh flowers wafting in from another room. It's just a shame I have to go through a lengthy period of clove hell to get here...

In the imp: Smells very green, like flowers that someone has stomped on and smashed up the stems. Wet: As above, only stronger. Dry: There's a particular floral note that I'm really amping here... possibly the wisteria? It's much nicer than when it just smelled like crushed green stuff, but still definitely not for me.

This smelled very floral right after it went on my skin, but dry it became incense - before it's burned, like when you walk into one of those shops that sell flowy dresses imported from India. With good throw and serious staying power. It's nice in its way but doesn't suit me.

This was the kind of thing I think of as a classic rose scent. Pretty, but for me, nothing to get excited about.

In the imp: The citrus is pleasant, but there's also something quite astringent that makes me feel like I've had my sinuses scrubbed out... Wet: The tea notes come though, with something slightly sweet in the background that I assume is the aloe? The citrus is not nice right now, a bit cleaning-producty. Dry: Pleasantly zingy tea. Later: The harshness is gone and it's now a warm, gentle floral scent. I like this stage best, but the problem is, by the time it gets there there's no throw at all. Nice enough, but not bottle-worthy.

In the imp: Limoncello! Mmm Wet: Lemon air freshener Then, sherbet lemons. Dry: Something florally nondescript happening now. You were promising in the imp, Whitechapel, but it was downhill from there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Etsy wishlist | Amazon wishlist ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ What is everyone's take on Valentine's Day? Don't give two hoots! My husband and I both have birthdays in Feb, and we agreed early on in our relationship not to bother celebrating VDay. Do you like traditional Valentine's Day colors (red, pink, white, more?) ? Yes, yes and yes. I just love colour! A Favorite love poem? Not a poem as such, but one of my favourite pieces of writing about lurve is this excerpt from Captain Corelli's Mandolin (it was read at my wedding)... Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like volcanoes, and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being "in love", which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and that is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from the branches, they find that they are one tree and not two. Louis De Bernieres What's everyone's favorite semi-obscure (or underappreciated!) animal? I'm a fan of the tapir, and the numbat. What is your favorite sign that spring is coming? The morning light, when it changes from that bluish quality of winter to the pale yellow that lets you know spring is coming. And the cherry blossom coming out, so pretty! Would something hand knit be nice for you? Definitely. I have a huge appreciation for anyone with the patience to knit! What is your favourite kind of love story? I actually prefer love stories that have kind of a bittersweet ending, I find them the most memorable. I really like the novel "After You'd Gone" by Maggie O'Farrell... without summarising the whole plot, the love affair ends in a devastating way, but the story still has a lot of hope in it. I like that, it's kinda like life. Would anyone like receiving naughty/sexy things? TOH and I are going to recommence TTC soon, so it couldn't do any harm! I'm not into full-on kink though. Who on the thread likes attending Ren Faires, SciFi/Comic Cons & the like? And do you dress up for them? Never have... that's not to say I wouldn't, but I don't know if those kinds of things are all that common in Aus. Do you need any accessories for your phone, computer, mp3 player, etc.? Not so much... my husband is my 'tech support' (I even got him a sign to hang above his desk at home) so he tends to take care of that kind of stuff for me. For those of you with pets, would you like pet things? Toys, treats, etc? Treats always go down a, uh, treat for the furbabies. The dogs are turbo-drooling destructomatics (and too dumb or attention-deficient for fetch), so toys don't last long. 'nother Q - the Qaire mentioned used books, but what about used CDs, DVDs, etc. Why not? Top 25: Make You Happy - Josh Pyke Piazza, New York Catcher - Belle & Sebastian Better Than - John Butler Trio This Boy's in Love - The Presets Tell Her This - Del Amitri Hand Me Downs - Bob Evans To Her Door - Paul Kelly Baby I Need Your Loving - The Temptations Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend Don't Think Twice, it's Alright - The Waifs Crazy - Icehouse Ladyhawke - My Delerium Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons Dreaming of You - The Coral What Are You Waiting For? - Gwen Stefani I'll be Seeing You - Billie Holliday 43 in the Shade - Mark Seymour Winter - Joshua Radin Khe Sanh - Cold Chisel Rock the Casbah - The Clash Back in Black - AC/DC You and Steve McQueen - The Audreys Heads Will Roll - Yeah Yeah Yeahs Lullabye - The Dixie Chicks Jungle Drum - Emiliana Torrini Interested in receiving gifts representative of Witch's country or culture? Yes plz WoW Don't play, far too scared to even try it as it seems to possess a supernatural ability to turn previously functional people into obsessed zombies who stay up till the wee hours playing, and lose whole days at a time without knowing where they went. No offence to WoW'ers, just sayin' Mix CDs yup, sounds good. Favourite candy anything that combines chocolate and hazlenut (or coconut) is generally good. I love sour candies too. Plush microbes I first saw these a couple of years ago and I think they're super adorable. However, I possibly already have more stuffed animals than would generally be considered seemly for an almost 30yr old! Sewn things sure! No allergies. Mardi Gras? In Australia, the only context in which Mardi Gras tends to be mentioned is the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (which looks like awesome, hilarious fun but I'm not in the target market!). The 'flash your boobs for plastic beads' mardi gras madness hasn't made it down under Make-up / girly samples? Love make-up and skincare, so this would make me smile. Natural sea sponges? Natural sponges are ace! Though I'd probably paint with them rather than using it in the tub. Nail polish? Sure, I'm a big fan of nail polish. I like most colours, but especially unusual neutrals and really bright, happy colours. Also deep dark reds and charcoals, and anything with sparkles. (Okay, you get the idea - I'm not too hard to please!) I haven't tried any of the BPTP claw polishes yet, so any of them would be a hit, too. BPAL boxes? Hell yeah! My blossoming collection would love a proper home. Miraculous yard sale find? Oh, love this question! For me it would be a vintage nipping press, for hand bookbinding. Hehe, dreams are free! Tea/Coffee/Hot Chocolate: I'm a tea girl. I think there's nothing in the world that smells better than coffee beans, but I don't wanna drink 'em apart from the occasional after-dinner espresso. Tea however - I'll try anything. Love both herbal blends and black tea. Recipes: Absolutely! I love cooking, so feel free to shower me with recipes for your great-great-grandma's famous fudge cookies or whatever! Posters/pictures/art: Yes, in favour of this. Paintbox soaps these look gorgeous and the fragrances sound wonderful, but TBH I haven't used regular soap in years - I tend to use body wash and liquid hand soap. Salted caramels never tried 'em, but nothing ventured nothing gained! Sock dreams socks are not something I give a huge amount of thought to (other than to say I loooove above-the-knee socks in winter), but these do look amazing. Fantasy bakery I tend to crave savoury more than sweet things, so my choices would be: croissants (I'm assuming that as it's a fantasy bakery the croissants will not take up permanent residence on my thighs as they normally would?) a cheese and herb scroll fig sourdough bread (to have with cheese) a sausage roll (every good Aussie bakery has 'em) a raspberry jam tart (for dessert) Alcoholic beverages I'm not a big drinker, but I do enjoy the occasional glass of a nice, mellow red wine. Suspect potential customs issues make this possibility non-viable though. Steampunk I've not got into it so far, but definitely open to it. Energetically-charged item or gift Sure! DH and I are hoping to start a family soon, so fertility-boosting objects of power would be perfect Significant upcoming events Nothing in particular on this front. Alicia's earrings Very pretty! Burlesque I think it's rather awesomesauce, but I'm not into it myself. Villainess hadn't heard of it before now, but it looks fabbo! I'd just like to send a shout-out to whichever little witchy added this question - I totally needed another thing to spend money on, so cheers! Frankenpolish yes Cost breakdown not bothered either way - I don't need to know, but if you want to brag about your awesome bargain hunting skill, have at it. Keys Love old timey skeleton keys! Beautiful. Witch's identity being new to both the forum and switchwitching, I have zip-zilch-zero chance of guessing correctly anyway! It would be nice to find out at some stage though, so that I can sing your praises to the world and his dog. Ninja vs lotsa packages whatever works for you, dear witch. Eye colour green Nighties don't tend to wear them, as I'm a violent sleeper and invariably wake up in the middle of the night with the bastard thing wrapped tightly about my larynx. I sleep in jammies in winter or cotton undies and singlets in summer. Flowers white tulips (only white ones, though!), cherry blossom, sunflowers (natch), orchids, viburnum (snowball) Vegan baking can't say I've ever tried it, but I'm game Dog sweaters awww! My woofies would love sweaters! Ms. Bella would probably like something in hot pink, to go with her stylish pink collar, and Wile E. looks handsome in red or royal blue. Disclaimer: my beasties are not elegant lapdog-type creatures... they are running, digging, slobbering, playfighting machines... heavy-duty fabrics required! Lip balm in favour, but I'm forever forgetting to take it with me. Fruity flavours would be nice - mango or pineapple or pink grapefruit or something. Hair stuff definitely! Hair things are the bestest. Preserved/canned/pickled things I would love this, but when non-commercial foodstuffs go head to head with Aussie customs, customs usually wins. OPI Alice minis Love OPI and Alice in Wonderland, so mark me down as a yes! Stuffed animals that would be super cute, but I made the mistake a while back of giving my dogs stuffed animals to play with, which they used to practice their dismembering instincts. They enjoyed it so much that they are now permanently on a 'seek and destroy' mission where stuffed animals are concerned, I had to hid all my childhood teddies and my awesome giant Paddington Bear in the wardrobe in the spare room (ooh, Narnia moment! I wonder if Paddington's been to Narnia... ). Anyway, my point is, if you send me a stuffed animal, the gruesome twosome will probably bite his head off and suck his guts out Accessories sounds great, anything goes Hogwarts house one quiz said Ravenclaw, another said Hufflepuff. Space, the final frontier I love looking at the stars on clear nights, but I could not pick out a constellation to save myself (not even the Southern Cross, which should be pretty damn familiar as it's on our flag). Hubs loves Star Trek, but I've never really got into it. He did make me come to the latest movie with him, which I actually really enjoyed. In general I'm not a sci-fi buff though. Favorite animals elephants, I think they are the most beautiful creatures, and I find it really touching that they grieve similarly to humans and hold 'funerals' when they lose a member of the herd. I also love otters, penguins, seals, rhinos. And those emails with photos of baby pandas make me squee at a pitch only dogs can hear. Oh, and hedgehogs... I remember when I visited the UK, I really wanted to see one. I was driving in the countryside with my English cousin, when she suddenly pulled over - she knew I wanted to see a hedgehog, and she'd spotted one. Unfortunately, it had been run over. Tragic times. I never did see a live one... anyway. My favourite bird is the albatross, and of course I love dogs and cats best of all, 'cause they love me back. Something lost and missed when I was eleven, somebody stole my Kero Kero Keroppi sticker book out of my school bag. I was cut up about that for a long time. I think I'm just about over it now, but if my witch found one... Patronus Peregrine falcon, because I've always wanted to be able to fly (I even convinced myself I could when I was little) and I love to wander. Fictional universe I'm not much into fantasy (though I do love Harry Potter - but hey, who doesn't?)... but I would happily up sticks and go live in Moonacre, the fictional village from The Little White Horse, a book I loved when I was little. Languages/countries hell yes, languages are a thing of mine. I learned Spanish for awhile and I would dearly love to get better at that, but it's not all that easy in Australia - not a lot of native Spanish speakers kicking around. I also speak some German, and learned Latin years ago (which managed to be simultaneously incredibly fascinating and endlessly frustrating). As for countries, I want to go anywhere and everywhere in South and Central America, but have only managed Mexico and Cuba so far. I would love to go to Africa, and I have already been to India but would like to go back and travel around much more there. I loved Germany in winter, but would like to see it in Spring or Summer too. I'd like to see more of the US - only been to California and Hawaii so far... for some reason Oregon appeals. And I'd love to go to Canada too, and the Balkans... oh, for the love of god, you get the idea. I like to travel and I want to go everywhere. Personal heroes/heroines Frida Kahlo... the woman possessed extreme levels of awesomeness. Gardening I'm unforgivably crap at gardening, but I do like plants and trees a lot. I actually had a fairly ace little herb garden going at one stage, but then it died a brown and crispy death when I stopped remembering to weed and water it. I do have a birds nest fern (who goes by the name of Ernie) sitting on my desk, which I have not managed to kill in the past 6 months. So maybe things are looking up on the gardening front. Books I love to read. Anything you liked, I will probably like. I don't care how pre-loved it is. Soundtracks not so much. If I hear a song I love in a movie or TV show, I tend to just download it from iTunes instead of buying the whole album. The list in no particular order: Johnny Depp (for the pirate outfits), Chris Fox from The Bill (for the death stares and general sexy Britishness), Gael García Bernal (for sheer male beauty), Gerard Butler (for the accent), Alexander Skarsgård (for the fangs). Yes, that will do nicely. Shoes or purses both please! But if I had to choose, shoes. I has obsession. 5ml of your dreams The Star or Candy Butcher, the others on my list are still easily obtainable. Tea loose or bags, it's all good

Last updated: Oct 2013 Current most desperate wishes: Hermia Judith and Holofernes (ideally 5ml bottles, but I'd be grateful for any amount) Scents I would like to try: Captain Cully Diable en Boite Mad Kate Mouse Circus The Country of Eternal Light The Perilous Parlour Third Charm Unrealistic want-to-tries: The Girl Quincy Morris Loviatar Snow Glass Apples Tried and looking for 5ml bottles: Baghdad Bliss Cheshire Cat Crib Girls Croquet Death on a Pale Horse Evil Mage Namaste Polynesian Pop The Black Rider The Sea Foams Milk The Unicorn Xiuhtecuhtli Seeking more: The Candy Butcher Liz Spanish Red Carnation

Frimp - thanks lab! In the imp: Very foodie, caramelly goodness. Wet: And we have clove-off. There's no cloves mentioned in the notes, but there must be some, surely? If there is, I'm amping the living daylights out of them. If not, it must be the cinnamon, I suppose. It's reminding me of a sweeter version of Port-Au-Prince, which was close to pure cloves on me. Dry: The spices have settled down and Chimera is now a warm, pleasantly spicy scent that's rich without being overpowering. Probably wouldn't buy a bottle, but a quite like it. Will hang onto it, it'll be perfect for a chilly winter's day.

Frimpage! In the imp: Herbacious antiseptic. Wet: Menthol and eucalyptus (I know there ain't none in it, but that's what it smells like to me for some reason) Dry: Oh dear. Oh, deary me. Danse Macabre, you have made me smell like a flatulent koala that fell into a vat of baby powder after smoking two cartons of menthols. You are not my friend.

I've found my first scent twin! In the imp: Light floral sprinkled with citrus zest. Wet: The citrus came through quite strongly when it hit my skin, like freshly grated lemon rind. Dry: Once dry, this scent is a total doppelganger for Tommy Hilfiger "True Star" on me. Pleasantly light and fresh, but the imp is enough for now.

In the imp: This really took me by surprise - it smelled very herbal to me. I'm assuming this can be put down to the mint and rosemary. Wet: More of the citrus coming through, but with the greenish tang from the peel and herbs. Dry: When dry, this smelled like Chinese tea to me, herbal and fragrant. Not sure exactly why as obviously there are no tea notes or jasmine in the blend, but there you go. Verdict: Unusual and intriguing. Bottle possibility.

In the imp: Floral and tangy Wet: Fruit salad! Drydown: As it dried, the fruitiness mellowed out a little and the light, pretty florals came though more. What I really liked though, was that the fruit didn't disappear, it just balanced more with the florals. Fruity notes often disappear quickly on me, but Titania's pear and peach had some legs! A lovely, feminine scent that perfectly suited the bright, full moon and midsummer night when I first wore it. Though light, Titania has some staying power, which a lot of scents do not for me (though admittedly I did slather this one - I dropped the imp while putting it on and rather than let the spillage go to waste, on it went!). Will get a bottle at some stage.

In bottle: Bafflingly, this smells quite foodie to me. Wet: Soft florals and a hint of burnt sugar. Dry: Lightly musky and still a bit foodie. Nothing seems to last ages on me, but this fades away particularly quickly. This was a strange one - I didn't really get the aquatic notes at all, nor mint or apple. And I have no idea what kept giving me a whiff of caramel. But that said, I like teh turtle! Not sure if I'll need a full bottle, but the imp's a keeper.

In bottle: Herbacious and citrusy, pleasantly zingy. Wet: It has a bite that's a little harsh, not sure what note is causing that. Dry: Oh no the sparkly little kitty has turned to air freshener with a granny-talc undertone. Cheshire Cat was a disappointment for me. I really loved Schrodinger's Cat and a couple of people recommended CC as being similar, but he just didn't love me.

I didn't know what to expect from this, as I didn't know what heather smelled like. In the bottle it was light and pretty, but on my skin... ergh. Laundry powder with a side order of granny talc. Sorry Glasgow, I love the accents of your citizens but your scent is not for me.

In the bottle: Ripe, luscious honeydew melon with a citrusy zing. Smells a lot like a midori illusion! Wet: On the skin, the melon is still strong but a bit more of a florally edge is coming through. Dry: That initial burst of full-on melon has mellowed out quite quickly. I know there's not really any floral notes in this, but the scent I'm getting now is reminiscent of a light floral. It's still got a nice tang to it, though. Verdict... the imp is a definite keeper, such a pretty and unusual scent. Makes me think of warm nights in summer, with fruit bats screeching in the darkening skies. Might even need a bottle.

The nastiness that The Little Sparrow became on me made me sad, so I was really hoping this one would work... and it did! In the bottle: Sparkly, limey goodness. Mmm! Wet: A big handful of smooshy ripe berries... the redcurrant? Dry: Fresh fruitiness that makes me smile. I put this on just before leaving for work, and the delicious smell of it blowing around my car made me grin like an idiot on my way into the office. Later: Now I'm getting a soft muskiness and the herbs are more evident. Definitely have big love for this scent. It goes through lots of stages, but I like all of them just fine. Bottle plz.

I wanted to love this scent, because I adore the story by which it was inspired. But alas, it was not to be. In the bottle I didn't mind it, I got something sweet and warm, but on the skin, soap. Soap when wet, soap when dry. Not even nice soap, the nasty harsh stuff that stabs you in the sinuses *sigh* Fly away little sparrow, you are not for me

Zephyr... it's very nice, but a bit so what if you get what I mean. I agree with those that have said it's like a traditional perfume - puts me in mind of White Linen or something like that. I don't mind it, it's fresh and florally, but I think the imp will be enough.

I had a book of kids' versions of ancient mythology when I was little, and the story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone was my favourite one. I loved the idea of Persephone's double life, the long winter months spent languishing with her lover Hades as her mother despaired, and her return from the underworld in spring, when joyful Demeter made the flowers bloom and the crops flourish. Ahem. What I mean is, I really wanted to love this scent as much as I love Persephone's story. In the bottle: A warm fruitiness, like a handful of squished berries. Wet: The instant this touched my skin, the rose came through. It's a lovely rose though, rich and warm. Dry: The rose still dominates, but it's underscored by the fruity zing of the pomegranate. This scent seems to have good staying power, which is a bonus as a lot of scents seem to fade pretty quickly on me. Sooo, the verdict - I wanted to love it, and I do. It's feminine, but luscious and warm with a delicious fruitiness that prevents the rose from being cloying. I think a bottle will be required...