parrot_suspect

As a fellow cat lover, I wanted to send you my best wishes for Freeway; I hope he regains some appetite and energy. It is tough when a beloved pet is seriously ill. You never know, though; just when it seems like the end is near, they sometimes rally. This happened with a cat of mine who had diabetes and inflammatory bowel syndrome; he lived two years longer than we thought he would. It sounds like you are taking wonderful care of your cat, and I'm sure he'd thank you if he could.

I read your entry, and it made me want to cry. But I'm holding it in -- I guess I'm saving it up -- for my own mother's death anniversary, which is looming. She died April 7, 2006. I'm sorry for your loss and continued grief. Sometimes it helps me a little bit to know that there are other people in the world who have lost their mothers, who are haunted by images of their mother dying in the hospital, who wonder "what if?" and wish they'd done things differently. So, for what it's worth, I've been there, I've felt your pain, and I understand. Obviously, I didn't know your mother, but I'm sure she would have been proud of what you've accomplished. It's a shame she's not here to see it. Oh crap, now I am starting to cry...better sign off.

I don't normally wear florals; I prefer darker, more resinous blends. Opium Poppy turns out to be a nice blend of both. It's actually quite soft, a bit powdery. It reminds me a bit of the soft, spicy scent of carnations. As it dries down, it doesn't morph but it becomes richer and a bit darker. There's something languid, dreamy and almost "blurry" about this fragrance. As soft and sweet as it is, it doesn't smell innocent. I'm hooked, and will probably buy a bottle.

You're going to laugh, but have you tried Dirty? It has a soapy-clean smell similar to Clean. Others you might like include Nuit, Mr. Ibis, Szepassony, Nyalarthotep (not sure if I spelled those last two correctly), and almost anything described as "ozonic."

I love the rain, especially at nighttime. There's something so comforting about relaxing in bed with a good book, a cup of hot tea, and listening to the sound of rain falling on the roof. It feels like all is right with the world. I still can't get over this warm winter weather. It feels more like October than January. I'm not complaining, though. I'm in a better mood today because I just found out -- I can wear contacts again! Yay! I saw the doctor earlier today. My eyes aren't 100% improved but they're better; good enough to put a lens on. So he ordered me some trials of a new type of lens that's supposed to help retain moisture in the eye (that's just what I need, since my eyes are so dry) and they should be in next week. DH just got home with Chipotle, so I'm signing off for now. I'm still kinda tweaked at him; I never knew I was such a grudge-holder!

Wow, I love this scent. It's dark and kind of heavy, yet still wearable. Languid and decadent. The opium and opoponax (a form of resin) notes really stand out, but the orchid is apparent too, and that adds femininity and sweetness to balance out the resins. It almost smells musky. It's a beautiful winter scent, and I'm already halfway through my first bottle. If you like Schwarzer Mond or any of the darker/more incense-y BPAL blends, you will love this. I like Event Horizon *better* than Schwarzer Mond, as that one's a bit too masculine on me.

I just arranged my first MUA swap in ages. I will be getting a bottle of LUSH Karma, for free! Well, I have to send the other person a bottle of fragrance, but it's something I never wear, so it's a win-win situation. It's kind of funny -- I have 238 swap tokens at MUA, from my heydey of 2003-2005 when I was really "into" high end and niche fragrances and was swapping, RAOKing and decanting like a madwoman. When I look back on those days, I realize I must have spent at least six hours a week just on swapping, sampling and "maintaining" my collection. For a variety of reasons, I drifted away from MUA in the summer of 2005 and haven't been as interested in (commercial) perfume ever since. It's like the obsession just burned itself out. I became interested in BPAL in 2005 and I've been "into" it ever since, but not to the strange, obsessive degree I was about perfume on MUA. I used to not be that interested in LUSH but I've changed my mind. I got all kinds of awesome deals at their sale last week; I now have enough soap and bath bombs/bubble bars to keep me clean for the rest of the year. I've discovered their skin care is pretty nice as well; I really like Angels on Bare Skin and Skin's Shangri-La. And the Karma Komba shampoo solid is to die for. It smells great and made my (long-ish, fine and limp, color-treated) hair fluffy, shiny and soft. Today I'm home with the kids all day; I hope to get some housework done as well and maybe place a DHC order. They're having a sale and I need to pick up a few items. My skin is starting to get that winter dullness/dryness/sensitivity and redness it always does, so it's time for some new products. I'd also like to do some reading; seems like it's been ages since I curled up with a good book, uninterrupted. I'd like to do something fun this weekend but DH and I are still kind of on the outs. If nothing else, I want to go to dinner at my favorite restaurant and do a little shopping, and I guess I can do that by myself or with a friend if necessary. I'm not sure how the weather will hold up; I wonder if we'll have more snow on the way. A lot of people hate the wintertime in Chicago but I find it tolerable. I'll be sick of it by March, but right now the snow is enough of a novelty that it doesn't bother me much. It's certainly preferable to super-hot temperatures.

I've decided to start using this blog as a diary of sorts -- simply recording what I do or what my thoughts are on a given day. I think I was trying to use it as too much of a "creative writing exercise" previously, which is why I rarely posted. So, today is a cold yet sunny day, and I'm at the office. Just got done having Chinese food for lunch -- kung pao chicken. Kinda greasy, but not bad. I'm trying to avoid overeating in anticipation of starting my weight loss program next week. Not sure if I should go back to Weight Watchers or try Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. I'm not that heavy but I need to drop 20 lbs. of pregnancy weight that doesn't seem to be in a hurry to leave. I'm wearing my glasses still. I've had to wear glasses since Dec. 12, when the eye doctor gave me a lecture about the condition of my eyes and the need to stay out of contacts. I have severe dry eye syndrome, most likely brought on by overwearing the contacts, and my corneas are irregular. The doctor says they need time to heal. For me it's a real bummer to wear glasses, mainly because my nearsightedness is so severe (which means I have very thick lenses) and, let's face it, I'm vain and I prefer the way I look without glasses. I'm not looking forward to going home after work today. DH and I had a big argument last night and still aren't speaking to each other. He tends to sulk for several days after a fight; the atmosphere is thick with tension. It's really pleasant to be in that kind of environment. Maybe things will get ironed out tonight -- but maybe not. The house is a mess, too. I think I'll go make myself a cup of tea and try to think about something pleasant. I need to assign a story to run next Thursday, so perhaps I should get on that. I just hope there's something happening next week that's worth writing about!

What a wonderful birth story, LitChick. Sounds like you had exactly the kind of birth you wanted. Congratulations, and welcome baby Finn!

For something similar to Sandalwood Rose, try Bagdad or Faustus. For Vanilla Bean Noel, try Mouse's Long and Sad Tale.

Jacob's Ladder definitely fits that bill. It's sweet but not at all fruity or floral. It's amber-y. Also check out Snake Oil and Temple Viper, and Scherezade.

Egyptian Musk is a different blend from red, dark, etc., musks. It has a clean, almost soapy scent. Mr. Ibis has it.

So, my third child has arrived. We named her Lillian Charlotte, but we are calling her Lily for short. She was born at 1:47 a.m. Sunday, July 8. She weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and was 21 and 1/2 inches long. She has blue eyes and dark hair. The labor and delivery were pretty harrowing. It all started when I went to the doctor on Friday afternoon (July 6) for a routine non-stress test (this involves reclining on an exam table for about a half hour while hooked up to a monitor that measures uterine contractions and the baby's heartbeat). The doctor didn't like what she saw -- a few decelerations of the heartrate -- and told me to go next door to the hospital as she wanted to start induction immediately, I was sort of freaked, to say the least -- hadn't planned on anything happening until Tuesday, July 10, when my induction was originally scheduled (I didn't even have a bag packed!). We had to scramble to find someone to care for Clarissa and Ethan (ages 5 and 4) over the weekend. So I went to L&D. They started trying to induce me on Friday afternoon with cervidil (a gel that's supposed to soften and dilate the cervix), because I was only 1 cm dilated and not effaced at all. I didn't get any sleep all night because I was hooked up to so much stuff, including a blood pressure cuff that went off every half hour. They started Pitocin Saturday morning. By Saturday evening it still hadn't "taken" and I hadn't progressed at all. The baby's heartbeat kept dropping so I had the specter of emergency C-section hanging over my head the entire time. It was mega-stressful, and my mood was really low because I was having the kind of birth I didn't want -- one filled with medical interventions. There didn't seem to be anything I could do to prevent this, though. I hadn't anticipated this problem with the baby's heartbeat. I didn't go into active labor until about 7 p.m. Saturday, when the doctor stopped the Pitocin then restarted it with a new dosage, and she was able to break my bag of waters. Contractions then came on hard and heavy. Got the epidural two hours later. Had to stay in bed the whole time, on oxygen, two separate IVs (one in each arm), internal and external monitors, Foley catheter, etc., lying on my right side because of the heartbeat decelerations. At one point baby's heartbeat dropped so much they had to call the resident to give me an "amniotic infusion" to float the cord a little, because they suspected a cord issue. Then of course the problem was that baby's heartrate went down with each contraction, and that was scary too. The moment when I was finally complete and able to push was such relief, I can't even tell you. The epidural only took on one side but I didn't care -- I pushed her out in about 15 minutes. Turns out she had a HUGE knot in her cord and the cord was wrapped around her neck twice -- that was what was causing the heartrate to drop. The doctor said she'd never seen a cord that long. They put her on my chest and didn't tell me what she was -- I turned her over myself to see, and was really surprised. "Oh, you're a girl!" Her face was a bit purple from having the cord around her neck, but she pinked up quickly and started crying. I was so happy to see her, and so relieved that we had both made it safely through the birth. I got to hold her for a while, then they took her to the nursery for observation for a few hours (they had to see how her blood sugars were, because of my diabetes). I was transferred to a room -- had to share a room the first night, because the hospital was so crowded, and that sucked because the other people would not turn off their lights or TV so I couldn't get any rest. Later Sunday I did get my own room and that was nice and peaceful. The earliest I was allowed to go home was Monday night, and I jumped at the opportunity, because I was tired of being in the hospital and I missed Clarissa and Ethan. We got home around 9 p.m. Monday and it seems like I still haven't slept, even though Lily so far is not a difficult baby. She eats and sleeps a lot and isn't very fussy. She kind of has her days and nights mixed up, though, but that's typical for a newborn. We took her for her first doctor appointment this week and she is healthy although a bit jaundiced. My milk came in and my boobs are now Dolly Parton-esque. Lily is a good eater so far and latches on like a champ. Drop me a PM if you'd like a link to some photos. They are mostly of the labor and birth, although there's nothing bloody or gory. Thanks for reading!

My tastes are similar to yours, N. I've sniffed all the Sephiroth blends and my favorites are: Kether (this is warm and almondy but not too sweet; a tad spicy too) Hod (beautiful carnation-vanilla-amber scent) Chokmah (some say it smells like root beer. I think it smells like sexy, spicy musk. Very rich and deep, kind of unisex)

Try Mr. Ibis, Vechernyaya, Coyote, Zephyr, Dirty, Coyote and Morocco.

I'm familiar with L'Artisan Tea for Two...it is a very smoky tea scent. I am sorry to say I haven't found anything in the general BPAL catalog that is similar. Dorian has a tea note but is not similar to Tea for Two; it's much lighter. You could try layering a vanilla scent (such as Antique Lace) with a smoky leaves scent (such as Djinn). Or you could try something leathery/vanilla, like Perversion, for a similar "feel." The best "dark vanilla" or Oriental scent in the BPAL catalog, IMO, is the much-touted Snake Oil. It does live up to the hype.

Yes, there is a BPAL scent that smells almost EXACTLY like YSL Opium. It is Debauchery. Here's the description: "A sinful, licentious scent: self-indulgent and luxurious. Mingled heady civet and red Egyptian musk, thickened with opium." Other scents that are *somewhat* similar include Vixen, Sin, Lust, Anne Bonny....but Debauchery is a dead-ringer, IMO.

Have you tried Dragon's Milk or Alice? Both are very creamy and milky, and I don't get any honey from them. Mag Mell and Gluttony also come to mind.

Kether (from the Sephiroth line) is almondy but not too sweet.

Try Vechernyaya. It reminds me of the kind of scents that were popular in the disco era.

When my mind is racing and I can't calm it down; when I can't seem to forget my losses and hearbreaks, I find comfort with Panacea: Quietude and TAL: Peace. Usually they help me drift off to a calm, restful sleep. I've also found The Coiled Serpent helpful in making me feel "grounded." Tushnamatay is very relaxing and meditative. I do agree with the recs for Dove's Heart and Water of Notre Dame as well. Fortunately those are available as imps, so you can see how well they work for you before investing in a bottle.

I strongly suggest you check out Bastet and Dana O'Shee -- they are very almondy, as is Kether. Also, Asp Viper.

Bumping this thread to see if anyone wants to share their latest musk favorites. Recently I've discovered Hellion and I'm really digging its musky, sweet drydown. I also can't seem to get enough of Scherezade and Dragon's Musk. What musk blends do you enjoy?

Wow, is this ever beautiful. In the bottle, it smells like the world's best-smelling candle or incense shop -- it has that spicy, incensey, slightly fruity vibe. On the skin, it starts out plummy then dries down to a gorgeous warm, sweet, slightly spicy, slightly "perfumey," musky skin scent. It's dark and sort of haunting, without being overpowering or aggressive. Lasts a long time. It's simply gorgeous, and I think even people who are normally scared off by patchouli could pull this off.

Aureus, Anne Bonny and The Coiled Serpent are the blends that smell like pure patchouli to me. These scents smell like patchouli blended with something else: Urd (grape), Fenris Wolf (musk), Vixen (ginger and orange), Sin (spice and sandalwood), Hellion (plum). You've gotten lots of good recs in this thread; have fun experimenting!